les Langlade, a
young Frenchman who was a trader before the war. I've seen him more
than once. He's mighty shrewd and alert, uncommon popular among the
western Indians, who consider him as one of them because he married a
good looking young Indian woman at Green Bay, and a great forester and
wilderness fighter. It's wonderful how the French adapt themselves to
the ways of the Indians and how they take wives among them. I suppose
the marriage tie is one of their greatest sources of strength with the
tribes. Now, Tayoga, why do you think the Owl is here so far to the
eastward of his usual range?"

"He and his warriors are looking for scalps, Great Bear, and it may be
that they have seen St. Luc. They were traveling fast and they are now
between us and Andiatarocte. I like it but little."

"Not any less than I do. It upsets our plans. We must leave the trail,
or like as not we'll run squarely into a big band. What a pity our
troops didn't press on after the victory at the lake. Instead of
driving the French and Indians out of the whole northern wilderness
we've left it entirely to them."

They turned from the trail with reluctance, because, strong and
enduring as they were, incessant hardships, long traveling and battle
were beginning to tell upon all three, and they were unwilling to be
climbing again among the high mountains. But there was no choice and
night found them on a lofty ridge in a dense thicket. The hunter and
the Onondaga were disturbed visibly over the advent of Langlade, and
their uneasiness was soon communicated to the sympathetic mind of
Robert.

The night being very clear, sown with shining stars, they saw rings of
smoke rising toward the east, and outlined sharply against the dusky
blue.

"That's Langlade sending up signals," said the hunter, anxiously, "and
he wouldn't do it unless he had something to talk about."

"When one man speaks another man answers," said Tayoga. "Now from what
point will come the reply?"

Robert felt excitement. These rings of smoke in the blue were full
of significance for them, and the reply to the first signal would be
vital. "Ah!" he exclaimed suddenly. The answer came from the west,
directly behind them.

"I think they've discovered our trail," said Willet. "They didn't
learn it from Garay, because Langlade passed before we sent him back,
but they might have heard from St. Luc or Tandakora that we were
somewhere in the forest. It's bad. If it weren't for the let