st thing to be attended to is pursuit. We must not lose a second.
We can never follow them ourselves through the wood. Hold the child,
while I go to the village and get some of the Indians to help us."

Teddy took the child that had cried itself asleep, and the missionary
started on a full run up the river. When he reached the settlement, it
required but a moment to make his errand known. A dozen warriors
volunteered at once, for these dozen would have laid down their lives
for their faithful instructor. Many of the squaws also gave utterance
to dismal howls upon learning what had befallen their pale-faced
sister. Had the missionary chosen to tell the part taken by At-to-uck
in the affair, it may be reasonably doubted whether her life would
have been spared. But he was not the man to do such a thing. Knowing
how anxious Teddy would be to participate in the pursuit, he secured
the wife of one of the Christian Indians to return with him, and take
charge of the boy during their absence.

At the time of the missionary's visit, the chief and his principal
warriors were absent on an expedition to the north. Although holding
little interest himself in the mission of the minister among his
people, he would undoubtedly have led a party to the search for the
audacious savage who had abducted the respected white woman; and, had
he been overtaken, a swift and merciless retribution would have
fallen upon the trangressor's head.

Harvey Richter deemed it best to take but a few Indians with him.
Accordingly he selected five that he knew to be skillful, and with
them hurried at once in the direction of his cabin. He saw with a
sinking heart, as he returned, that the sun was already low in the
horizon, and the woods were becoming dark and gloomy. Teddy was at his
post chafing like a confined lion.

"This woman, Teddy, will take care of the boy, so that you may join us
in the search."

"Bliss you for that! It would be the hardest work of me life to stay
here when I thought there's a chance of gitting a whack at that
thaiving villian. Oh, _if_ I could only git howld of him, I wouldn't
l'ave a piece of him big enough to spit on."

"I think there's little probability of either of us obtaining a
glimpse of him. We must rely upon these Indians to take the trail and
follow it to the end."

"They're like the hounds in the owld country, barring they go on two
legs an' don't stick their noses in the ground, nor howl whin they git
on trai