red at different points, and
it was their rapid convergence which kept Deerfoot on the move.

Hay-uta had not gone far on the edge of the semi-circle, when the shouts
and sounds of firearms from that direction of the camp left no doubt
that trouble had broken out there. Desirous of learning what it meant,
he moved toward the point, but before he went near enough to discover
any thing, he detected one of the Pawnees doing the same thing.

The warrior was just far enough in advance for Hay-uta to catch a
glimpse of his figure as it twinkled among the trees. He was going on a
long, loping trot, which, if not very rapid, was sufficiently so to
carry him beyond sight within a few seconds after the Sauk observed him.

The unexpected turn which events had taken led Hay-uta to stop and
question himself as to the right course to follow. His intelligence told
him that Deerfoot was fleeing through the woods, with an indefinite
number of enemies in pursuit. The Sauk grimly smiled.

"The Pawnees will overtake the young Shawanoe when they outrun the eagle
as he flies among the clouds. The arrow of his own bow is scarce faster
than he."

The confidence of Hay-uta in the prowess of Deerfoot was warranted, as
we can not help agreeing, but suspecting the truth, as the Sauk did, we
can hardly understand how he believed he would succeed in extricating
himself.

Making sure that no one was in the vicinity the Sauk stood for perhaps
fifteen minutes, while he listened closely to the sounds which came from
different points in the wood. He was able to form a pretty fair idea of
what it all meant, though of necessity much was left to conjecture.

It was the training of Hay-uta, from his earliest youth, which led him
to keep his glances flitting here and there in all directions, while
using his ears to determine what was going on. Had he not done so, he
would have failed to note a suspicious proceeding on his right.

Although looking toward a different point just then, he detected
something which led him to believe that one of the strange warriors was
trying to steal close to him. It seemed as if a Pawnee, having
discovered the Sauk, was trying to get close enough to make the aim of
his gun sure.

The first glance toward that point convinced Hay-uta that his enemy was
making for the trunk of a tree, less than a hundred yards distant. Its
diameter was so great that it would have sheltered two persons at the
same time; and it exceeded to