t to resist an attack. In a few
hours the young chief came back with some twenty or more painted
warriors in his train--very formidable customers they would have proved
if they had come as enemies. Well, to make a long story short, when he
heard that I was going to set out with my brothers to bring you
assistance, he undertook to send twenty of his people with us, while he
and the remainder stopped in the neighbourhood to guard our camp. We
lost no time in getting ready; I was as fresh as a lark; we travelled
fast, and came in time `to do the happy deed which gilds my humble
name,' quoth Dick.

"`No, no,' exclaimed several of the party simultaneously, `honest Obed
Ragget never finished a sentence with a quotation from a play, though it
was writ by a minister.'

"`To confess the truth, no,' said Dick; `indeed honest Obed's
expressions were not always, though highly graphic, grammatically
correct, so I have given his narrative in what is generally considered
the more orthodox vernacular; yet you have, I own, thereby lost much of
the force of his descriptions and no little amusement.'

"Obed had scarcely finished his account, when from every part of the
whole surrounding wood resounded the most terrific war-whoops and
unearthly shrieks and cries. Seizing our weapons, we sprang from our
seats, and rushed to repel the expected assault."

CHAPTER TEN.

THE RED-SKINS ATTEMPT TO ALARM US--SINGULARLY UNSUCCESSFUL--THE ENEMY AT
LENGTH COMMENCE THE ASSAULT--WE BRAVELY DEFEND OUR CAMP--SAM DISCOVERS
THAT THEY ARE PAWNEES AND DACOTAHS--HIS DEVICE TO SEPARATE THEIR
FORCES--DISCOVERS NOGGIN AMONG THEM DRESSED AS A CHIEF--THE ENEMY
RETIRE--SAM'S EXPEDITION TO RESCUE NOGGIN, WHICH I ACCOMPANY--OUR
SUCCESS--MR. AND MRS. NOGGIN--HIS MAGNIFICENT APPEARANCE AS AN INDIAN
CHIEF--WE PUSH ONWARDS AND AT LENGTH REACH THE CAMP OF OUR FRIENDS THE
RAGGETS.

The red-skins knew that we were on the watch for them, and as they were
not likely to take us by surprise, they thought that they could terrify
us by their shrieks and hullabaloos. They did not know what we were
made of, or they would not have wasted their breath in that way. Two of
our scouts came hurrying in, the other two had, we feared, been
surprised and scalped by our enemies. We all stood to our arms in dead
silence, waiting the expected attack. Our Indian allies wanted to reply
to the war-whoops of our foes, but we judged that as they outnumbered
us, we should be much