ined it carefully, and
judged that it had been made by a force of about twenty warriors,
undoubtedly the band that was following Henry and Paul.

"We're behind 'em now," said Henry.

"But they'll soon be coming back on our trail," said Ross. "They know that
they are more than two to one, and they will follow hard."

"I'm gittin' mighty tired ag'in," said Shif'less Sol. "It 'pears to me
thar's a pow'ful good place fur us to rest over thar among all them big
trees on that little hill."

Ross and Henry examined the hill, which was not very high, but small, and
crowned with mighty beeches. The great tree-trunks would offer admirable
cover for the wilderness fighter.

"It does kinder invite us," said Ross meaningly, "so we'll jest go over
thar, Sol, an' set a while longer."

A few minutes later they were on the hill, each man lying behind a tree of
his own selection. Shif'less Sol had chosen a particularly large one, and
luckily there was some soft turf growing over its roots. He stretched
himself out luxuriously.

"Now, this jest suits an easy-goin' man like me," he said. "I could lay
here all day jest a-dreamin', never disturbin' nobody, an' nobody
disturbin' me. Paul, you and me ain't got no business here. We wuz cut out
fur scholars, we wuz."

Nevertheless, lazy and luxurious as he looked, Shif'less Sol watched the
forest with eyes that missed nothing. His rifle lay in such a position
that he could take aim almost instantly.

There was a long and tense silence, full of strangeness to Paul. He could
never get used to these extraordinary situations. When preparing for
combat, as well as in it, the world seemed unreal to him. He did not see
why men should fly at each other's throats; but the fact was before him,
and he could not escape it.

The little hill was so situated that they could see to a considerable
distance at all points of the compass, but they yet saw nothing. Shif'less
Sol stretched himself in a new position and grumbled.

"The wust thing about this bed o' mine here," he said to Paul, "is that
sooner or later I'll be disturbed in it. A fellow never kin make people
let him alone. It's the way here, an' it's the way back in the East, too,
I reckon. Now, I'm only occupyin' a place six feet by two, with the land
rollin' away thousands o' miles on every side; but it's this very spot,
six feet by two, that the Shawnees are a-lookin' fur."

Paul laughed at the shiftless one's complaint, and the laugh gr