ing no surprise at the Indian youth's appearance. The
latter bore a brace of rabbits on his gun and Bolderwood guessed that he
belonged to the canoe party and had left them to get this game for their
dinner.

"Umph!" returned the Indian and looked at him stolidly.

"Your people?" asked the ranger, with a gesture toward the river.

"Umph!" was the reply. It might have meant yes or no. Crow Wing seemed
undecided. "Why you no at Hardings?" he demanded finally.

"I'm bound that a-way now," said the white man.

"Hunting?" grunted Crow Wing.

"Been up to Old Ti. Bought some land up there."

Crow Wing seemed about to pass on. But over his shoulder he said: "You
go to Hardings' farm. They want you--mebbe."

"What for?"

The Indian shrugged his shoulders and walked on. But Bolderwood strode
after him. "What's going on?" he asked, anxiously. "Who's that out
yonder?" nodding again toward the creek.

"Umph! Men hire Crow Wing to paddle canoe. They go to Hardings'."

"Yorkers!" exclaimed Bolderwood.

But the Indian youth said no more and quickly disappeared in the bushes
which overhung the creek. The ranger hesitated a moment, appeared to
think of following him, and then turned abruptly and plunged into the
forest on a course diagonal from the river. Therefore, when Nuck and
Bryce were fighting the bears in the swamp he did not hear their guns,
being by that time some miles away and striding rapidly toward
Arlington. He had suspected the truth and instead of wasting time
observing the party of which Crow Wing was a member, he had it in his
mind to rouse the neighbors to go to the aid of the widow and her
children. After the affair at Otter Creek, which he was sorry indeed to
have missed, Bolderwood had expected something like the present raid.
He, like the Hardings, believed that Simon Halpen would find the time
ripe for the carrying out of his nefarious designs.

It was the season of the year when the farm work having been completed,
the pioneers felt free to go about more, and hunting was popular. Many
men were off with their rifles; but Bolderwood picked up some half dozen
determined fellows and hastened back to the Harding place. While yet
some distance away they heard a rifle shot and so disturbed was the
ranger by this, that he started on the run for the ox-bow farm, and was
far ahead of his friends when he broke cover at the edge of the forest
and beheld the cabin.

His horror and despair when he saw the hous