s. After about four hours the guards gave some loud grunts, and
some of their companions starting up took their places. They seemed to
watch the countenance of their victim with intense gratification. If,
in spite of the bodily pain and mental suffering he was enduring, he
dropped asleep, one of them would throw a burning brand at him, to rouse
him up again to a full consciousness of his position. It was with the
greatest difficulty that I could refrain from knocking over one of the
scoundrels, when I saw him treating the poor fellow in that way.

"Daylight was now approaching; with heavy hearts we had to withdraw for
fear of being discovered when the Indians should break up their camp in
the morning. We feared, too, that we should not have another
opportunity, for we judged that the Indians were close upon their
village from the way in which they had feasted, leaving scarcely any
food for the next day. A hunter is obliged to observe everything, and
to make what he observes speak a plain language to him. We crept away
from the camp to our former hiding-place, and then, overcome with
fatigue, we both fell asleep. We were protected during these hours of
helplessness by a power greater than man's.

"When we awoke the sun was already high in the heavens; we ate our
frugal meal, and then set forward to overtake the Indians. They had
started early, and had got much ahead of us. We pushed on, but still
did not overtake them. We had been travelling some eight or nine hours,
when, being on the top of some rising ground, we saw in the distance
several curling wreaths of smoke rising up amid the forest. We guessed
that without doubt they proceeded from the village of our enemies. Our
chief chance of rescuing Noggin was gone. To get him out from among a
village full of men, women, and children, all thirsting for his blood,
was next to impossible. Still Blount said he would try it. We crept
carefully in the track of the red-skins, stopping at every spot from
which we could have a clear look ahead, and occasionally climbing trees
whence we might hope to get a sight of the village. This was in one
respect a dangerous proceeding, for should the Indians cross our trail,
they would very likely discover us, although we took care to obliterate,
as far as we are able, all marks of our progress. In this way we went
on till Blount and I having got to the top of a thick-branched and
wide-spreading fir, we saw, scarcely the ei