man, and that what he said was all true except about the white men. They had never seen any Pale-faces, and knew nothing whatever of those he spoke of.
This was a terrible piece of news to poor Dick, and at first his heart fairly sank within him, but by degrees he came to be more hopeful. He concluded that if these men told lies in regard to one thing, they would do it in regard to another, and might have some strong reason for denying any knowledge of Joe and Henri.
The Indians now packed up the buffalo robes on which they had slept, and the provisions they had taken with them.
“I don’t believe a word of what they say about your friends,” said Cameron to Dick in a low tone while the Indians were thus engaged. “Depend upon it they hope to hide them till they can send to the settlements and get a ransom, or get an opportunity of torturing them to death before their women and children when they get back to their village. But we’ll balk them, do not fear.”
The Indians were soon ready to start, for they were cumbered with marvellously little camp equipage. In less than half an hour after their discovery they were running like deer, in the direction of the Peigan camp.
Chapter XIX.—Crusoe Discovers the Prisoners.
A RUN of twenty miles brought the travellers to a rugged defile in the mountains, from which they had a view of a beautiful valley of considerable extent. During the last two days a steady thaw had been rapidly melting away the snow, so that it appeared only here and there in the landscape in dazzling patches. At the distance of about half a mile from where they halted to breathe the horses before commencing the descent into this vale, several thin wreaths of smoke were seen rising above the trees.
“Is that your camp?” inquired Cameron, riding up to the Indian runners, who stood in a group in front, as fresh after their twenty miles run as though they had only had a short walk. They answered in the affirmative, adding that there were about two hundred Peigans there.
It might have been thought that thirty men would have hesitated to venture to attack so large a number as two hundred; but it had always been found in the
