n. An Indian always designates a _setting_ sun by the spurs
that stand up like spokes; while the sun rising is simply a half circle
on the horizon."

"Well," remarked Davy, his eyes round with eagerness; "I declare, this
is mighty interesting; and I must get the hang of this Indian picture
writing as quick as I can. You'll see what stunts I'll do after a little
while. I'll sure have the rest of you guessing at the puzzles I get up."

"You're near the end of the picture, Allan," remarked Thad; "and as I
can see only one figure ahead now, I think something must have happened
to our friend Limpy, because he doesn't appear again."

"I suppose that the scout who follows must have found a chance to cut
down the number of the enemy in advance to one," remarked Allan; "and he
wants to let his friend know he is still on the trail of that fellow.
Here the pursued one must have spent the night, for you can see another
dead fire. Away off here it looks like a village, for there are lodges
and dogs and squaws. He marks that as ten miles off, and evidently
expects to overtake the lone warrior before he reaches the shelter of
the tepees. And so you see he has managed to tell the story of his
adventure, crudely of course, yet just as well as any one of us might
write it out. And once you've got the knack of reading this sort of
talk, you can manage it just as fast as you would hand-writing. That's
all I'm going to tell you about it to-day; but if you feel that way
another time, I'll show you a lot more that is interesting."

Davy Jones declared that he would keep the Maine boy to his promise.
This queer way of communicating a whole story without writing a single
letter seemed to appeal to him especially. And all that evening he was
scribbling away upon a pad of paper he had brought along, drawing all
manner of remarkable figures, which he jumbled up in such a way that he
actually forgot the key to the combinations; and had to get Allan's help
in solving some of them, which the others considered a rich joke.

During the balance of the afternoon the boys amused themselves in
various ways. Several tried the fishing, with the result that there was
a good mess of gamey bass caught for supper.

Thad, Allan and Bob White lay in the shade for a long time, talking. The
Southern boy was eagerly telling his chums various things in connection
with his old home away off in the distant Blue Ridge; and from the way
the others asked questions it