The Indian party, with Dick and Fritz, reached a point where the trails divided early that morning. With the coming of daylight their spirits rose, and the encounter of the previous night took on a more encouraging aspect. They had undoubtedly caused considerable loss to the company of British, and had escaped with but few wounds themselves. Telca was anxious to trap the Redcoats in some deep gorge, where the Indians would have the pursuing party at their mercy, and was hurrying on so as to keep out of the reach of their antagonists until the right moment should arrive. Dick and Fritz were anxious to reach the Ohio river near Fort Pitt, for there they hoped to get canoes to carry them down the river to a point directly south of Vincennes. Here Dick proposed to strike off through a forest trail and then travel north again to their final destination.
"Which way do we go now?" asked Dick of the chief.
"The bottom road," replied Telca. "All spread out here," he commanded, "we go up part way, come down again, so," and he showed the boys how they were to climb some distance up alongside of the trail and descend backwards so that the footprints would all point toward the top. By scattering over a wide space they would lead the British into thinking that they had decided to take to the upper path and had scattered to hide their trail, and by edging toward the right when they descended they would be able to come down on the branch track around the spur of the mountain and follow that to the end of the valley.
They hoped to make the mouth of the valley by nightfall, and if the British stuck to the upper trail, they would gain some distance unmolested.
"I hope this little stunt works," said Dick, as they scrambled down the steep mountain side, holding sometimes with their hands and at others slipping and clutching at rocks and bushes.
"Yah, mit all this troubles, it should some goot do yet, for sure," replied Fritz. "I have no more skin my hands on alreatty."
"Go right on and wear out the bones, then,"laughed Dick. "You have got to get down some way."
There was a sudden slipping and sliding beside him, and before Dick could save himself, Fritz had grasped him by the heels in a vain effort to maintain his position and they both ended in a cloud of dirt and leaves at the bottom of the descent.
"For why don't you hold on, und not push me to the bottoms?" asked Fritz, digging the dirt out of one eye.
"You crazy Dutchman," said Dick. "I'll have to leave you home until you learn how to stand up after this."
"Such an unreasonable feller," sighed Fritz, resignedly. "Always I should got plamed for dings."
"If you don't get up and brush yourself off," said Dick, "the dust cloud will still be floating around here when that British party catches up."
The mention of the English troops spurred Fritz into action, and he hastily gathered himself together and was ready to go ahead again.
Most of the Indian tribe were already far along the trail, and the boys had to hurry and catch up to them. The day proved a long one for the twoPatriots for the sun was hot in the valley, and they were pushed to the utmost to keep up to the Indian leaders. Except for a short halt now and then when they all drank from some nearby rushing brook, they had been on the trail since before dawn. The men were also without any rest since the fight of the day before.
The signal from Telca that they were to make camp was a very welcome one.
"Well, I feel as if we had done a good day's work," said Dick, as they sat on a fallen log and watched the squaws gather wood for the fires.
"Och, Dick Dare, a veek of whole sleep vill not my feet rest yet," replied Fritz.
"See how small and how well concealed those squaws build their fires," said Dick. "Each one behind a tree or rock to keep anyone on that ridge up there from seeing the light."
"So soon yet as they got somedings cooked, I don'd care vhere they haf fires," Fritz returned.
In a surprisingly short time the food in the kettles was steaming, and the whole party felt strength returning to their tired muscles after eating and resting.
Telca joined the boys after having satisfied his appetite, and unfolded to them his plans for theimmediate future. An hour's march further along the trail along the mountain ridge came down and joined the one they were following. Just beyond that was the "big water," as Telca called the river, where they would search for canoes for the boys. The Indians would wait for the British troops where the trails met, for there were high wooded rocky slopes on both sides of the fork, and the Redman would have a position of great advantage for an ambush.
"But wouldn't it be well to take up that position to-night?" asked Dick.
"Don'd please some more mofe yet to-night," said Fritz. "After to-day's valk ve should be py the Pacific Ocean already."
Telca considering Dick's suggestion, puffed deliberately at his pipe.
"The mountain path is shorter than valley one," said the Indian. "If soldiers walk all day, be most there to-night. Maybe go through before sun to-morrow."
"Then, let's get there to-night," said Dick. "You say it's an hour's tramp, and we can get there and take up our position before there is any possible chance of the British getting past."
"You right," finally said Telca. "We move on now."
"Ve don'd nefer sleep," grumbled Fritz, "und ven ve haf a chance, you must vent and spoil id."
"Well, we'll be back on the water soon, and you can let your legs sleep while you paddle with your arms," said Dick, laughing.
After gathering up their packs and putting out all the fires, the Indians started out for their final camp. It was pitch dark when they arrived at the selected place, and they all rolled up in their blankets wherever they could find a level space big enough to hold them. Three of the Redmen stalked away through the trees to keep watch over the sleeping tribe, and both Dick and Fritz were glad that they were not forced to take turns standing guard, after so long a day on the trail.
The next morning proved to be wet and rainy, and, although the Indians apparently did not object to the condition of the weather, the boys were both very uncomfortable. Their long campaigning, however, had taught them to make the best of everything. A careful investigation failed to disclose the whereabouts of the British troop, and Dick and Fritz finally decided to go ahead to the river bank, which was only a mile fromwhere they had slept, and see what prospect there was of getting a canoe. One of the Indians accompanied them, and they hurried briskly down the trail through the fog.
They had almost reached the river's edge, when the Redman saw the glimmer of a fire through the mist and the trees. Crouching quickly, he pulled Dick and Fritz with him, and pointed in the direction of the blaze. Evidently the fire was but just started and not burning strongly as yet, for it would flare up and die down as a breeze encouraged it or the dampness retarded it.
"Indian," whispered the companion.
"How do you know?" asked Dick, searching about him for some sign of life.
The redskin pointed to the faint track of two moccasined feet, both exactly parallel with each other.
"White man no walk like that," said their companion.
"Wonder if they're friends or foes?" whispered Dick to Fritz.
The Dutch boy's teeth chattered with the cold when he started to talk, but the Indian motioned for them to be silent.
"Come," he said, leading the way into somelong wet grass. Wriggling carefully along on their stomachs, the three made a detour about the spot where they figured the camp to be. The Indian left them for a few moments and approached nearer to the fire. In a moment he was back again.
"No good Indian," he said, in a low voice. "Not friend of Telca's people. Not friend of white boy."
"How many?" questioned Dick.
The Indian held up both hands to indicate that he had counted ten figures in the Indian camp.
"Canoe on shore," he added in a whisper.
"Only one?" asked Dick, in surprise.
"Five canoe," replied the Indian.
"If we can only get one," said Dick, "we'll be fixed for several days to come."
Just then the sound of a volley of musketry came to their ears.
"Mein gootness, what is dot?" said Fritz, excitedly.
"The British," whispered Dick. "It's firing from the valley. The troopers have evidently caught up to our friends."
"Dose oder red-fellers has heard, too," said Fritz.
The three in the grass peered anxiously at the hazy group about the strange camp fire.
"Me go back," said their Indian companion, suddenly. "Tell Telca enemy here. White boy get canoe. Good-bye."
He held out a dark hand to Fritz and Dick, and squeezed each of their hands.
"Tell Telca good-bye," said Dick. "White boys never forget Indian's friendship."
The Indian nodded, and turning, crawled off through the grass toward the shelter of the woods beyond the trail. The firing had grown more brisk from the rear, and although they were so far away, the boys could hear the loud roll of the British firing line, and the occasional barks of the Redskins' rifles.
Suddenly out of the mist near them, the new Indian party emerged, running warily toward the sound of the fight. Dick and Fritz ducked down into the grass just in time to save discovery. The ten Redskins filed past toward the trail, and when they were almost out of sight the two patriots began to move cautiously toward the deserted camp. The fire was smoking and smouldering, and on the shore were five canoes, all of bark, drawn upclear of the water and inverted to keep them dry inside.
"Fine," ejaculated Dick. "There doesn't seem to be any difference in these canoes, Fritz. Grab hold of that end and we'll slide her into the stream."
"You such a robber are I vill pe afraid to stay py you again," said Fritz.
"All's fair in war, you know," replied Dick.
"Couldn't ve py any possibility take all five mit us?" asked Fritz.
"Now, who's the robber?" laughed Dick. "But come on, you old turn about. We can't lose a minute now. Stick the end of your gun through the bottom of that boat."
"But dot vill spoilt it," remonstrated Fritz.
"That's just what I want it to do," said Dick, jabbing his gun through the frail craft nearest him.
Fritz poked the muzzle of his rifle through the bottom of another one, but in withdrawing it accidentally pulled the trigger.
"Och, oh!" he yelled.
"Fritz!" said Dick, sharply. "Have you hurt yourself?"
"Nein, I don'd guess so," replied the German boy.
"Good, for that at least," said Dick, thankfully. "Come on now, those fellows will be back here in a shake after all that racket."
The two boys hurriedly grasped the ends of the canoe, shoved it into the river and stepped into their new craft.
"Paddle for your life!" called Dick, from the stern.
"Yah," said Fritz, "I am alreatty."
They had only gotten about a hundred yards out into the stream when the boys heard an exclamation from the shore. Turning, Dick saw the Indians file out of the woods, and reach the canoes. Two of them started to launch one of the boats, while the others aimed their guns at Dick and Fritz.
"Duck, duck down," called Dick, and as they did so, the rifles of the angry redskins barked out. One bullet splashed in the water near the canoe, and the rest whistled uncomfortably over their heads. The two Indians had gotten one of the damaged canoes into the water, but as they stepped into it, it began to fill through the rent in the bottom.
Dick leaned down, dropped his paddle and took up his rifle.
"Keep on paddling, Fritz," he said, quietly. "I'll take a chance of hitting one of those red fellows."
Dick's rifle cracked, and one of the Redmen gave a cry of pain and surprise, put his hand over his left shoulder, and staggered backwards. The others turned and sought shelter behind rocks while they reloaded their guns, which gave the boys additional time to increase the distance between them.
They were now near the further shore, and when the Indians fired again, their bullets flew wild, leaving the boys unharmed.
"Run right ashore," said Dick. "We'll carry this canoe with us for a ways and launch it again further down stream. The mist is rising, so we've got to hurry if we want to get away from those fellows without being seen."
A week had passed since Dick Dare and Fritz made their escape from the Indians. They had paddled steadily down the river, and by making their night stops short and their day trips long, they had almost reached the point where they were to leave the canoes and take to the trail again.
"Guess we'll camp here to-night," said Dick, when it had grown so dark that further traveling was risky. "It looks like a good spot and we'll get an early start and try to reach the end of our river journey by to-morrow night."
Fritz breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yah," he said. "It looks already like a goot blace to sleep."
"Well, we are on the last stage of the trip now," said Dick, "and if we can keep up this pace we will get to Vincennes ahead of time."
"Vhere iss Tom und Tim Murphies, I vonder?"commented Fritz. "Ve shall be at Vinzennes pefore dhose two, I think it, yes, no?"
"I'm surprised that Tom and Tim haven't joined us before this," Dick said. "Perhaps they haven't fared very well in the British troop. They seemed to have their liberty, though, so I don't see why they shouldn't be right along behind us."
"Brobably it's dot Murphies feller is making troubles," Fritz suggested.
"You have a great idea of Tim, haven't you?" laughed Dick.
"He iss a all right feller, Tim iss, but he isn't a Deutcher," Fritz replied.
"I'll bet he feels bad about that," suggested Dick.
"Dot's chust the trouble, I don'd peliefe he does," Fritz answered seriously, much to Dick's amusement.
The boys paddled in to the shore, pulled the canoe out of the water, and after eating their supper proceeded to make themselves as comfortable as possible for the night.
"We better not light any fires," said Dick. "We had one this morning and I guess we can get along without it now."
"Look!" said Fritz, who was standing nearthe canoe at the water's edge. "Dot looks like somedings iss burning."
Dick joined him and gazed upstream in the direction that Fritz indicated toward the opposite shore.
"Seems to be a camp fire," said Dick. "Who can be camping there, I wonder?"
"Perhaps some Indians yet?" suggested Fritz.
"It must be," agreed Dick. "We better pull this canoe further in, for if they go down the river before us in the morning they might spot it. Maybe it's those fellows we got this canoe from."
"We had better be careful, then," said Fritz. "If dhose felers efer caughted us, ve vould a bad time have."
"Guess we'll have to keep watch to-night," Dick answered. "You turn in now, Fritz, and I'll wake you up in about four hours. Then you can give me a chance to snatch a nap. We can't afford to take chances, you know."
"Don'd forget to call me," replied Fritz, with a grin.
With this quite needless admonition the Dutch boy rolled up in his blanket and Dick soon hadevidence from his heavy breathing that he was fast asleep.
Dick felt very drowsy, and after walking down to the shore and back again several times to keep awake, he decided that the more practical thing to do was to slide the canoe into the water and investigate the camp on the point higher up the river. Fritz, he knew, would sleep for a week, if he were not disturbed, so Dick decided to improve him time by finding out, if possible, who his neighbors were.
He paddled quietly, hugging the shore to within a hundred yards of the point where the fire had been seen, and then headed for the spot. There was no sign of life about the fire, as far as Dick could tell, and he judged the strangers must be sleeping. The canoe was now very close to the river bank and because of the darkness, Dick did not discover the little shoal of pebbles before him until the canoe grated on them with quite a little noise.
Dick sat perfectly motionless for several minutes. He was hoping that the sound had not carried to the ears of the other party. For an interval all was still, and then suddenly Dick hearda sound right beside him in the bushes at the water's edge.
He turned and was about to paddle quickly away when a figure stepped out of the woods with a gun pointed directly at the Dare Boy.
"One move, and we'll shoot!" said a voice from in front of him, and Dick saw a second figure in front of the canoe.
"Foine," said the first figure, "we've got him now, be jabbers."
"Tim, Tom!" cried Dick. "Don't you know who you have captured?"
"Be the powers, it's Dick Dare!" ejaculated Tim, while Tom dropped his gun and waved his hat in the air.
"Not so loud, Tim," said Dick. "There may be others within a hundred miles, you know, and if there are any they'll hear you. This is certainly great, though. I never thought it was your fire. I was just going to investigate."
Dick had pulled the bow of the canoe ashore and exchanged warm hand-clasps and many claps on the back with his brother and Tim.
"Come on down and we'll join Fritz," said Dick. "We are safer away from that fire of yours, anyhow."
"Same old Dick," said Tom. "Always take command as soon as there's anyone to boss."
"You and Tim have been bossing each other long enough by now," replied Dick, laughing. "You need some one to look after you for a change."
"Well, we've gotten as far along as you have," rejoined Tom.
"Excipt for a quater av a mile or so," commented Tim.
"That's right," replied Dick. "The honors are even, I guess."
The boys startled Fritz out of his sleep by their return to camp, and the scene that had occurred when Dick met the others was reenacted. Even Tim and Fritz were glad to see each other and buried their rivalry in the joy of being reunited.
"When did you leave the British troop?" asked Dick, finally.
"I better give an account of our trip right from the start, to get things straight," said Tom.
"It'll be an all night job if ye'll be tellin' all the advintures av us," protested Tim.
"Well, I'll just tell how we left the service of King George then," said Tom, laughing. Hetold then briefly of their experiences while with the English troops and how, just as they were supposed to prove their loyalty by hanging the Indian, all three of them had plunged over the edge of the cliff.
"It was a desperate chance, but by good luck we all landed on a ledge a little way down," said Tom.
"It's a wonder you were not all killed," said Dick.
"I thought sure our last hour had come," admitted Tim.
"Anyway," Tom went on, "our fall was pretty much broken by the bushes and various growths we tumbled through. When we got to our feet we hugged in close to the wall of rock that rose above and by our side and with the bushes overhead and a slight hollow in the ledge to hide us, the troopers never saw us at all."
"They think sure thot we are falling yet," put in Tim.
"I guess they believed that we had gone down clear to the bottom. Anyway, if we had, I don't think any of us would have ever lived to tell the tale. The Redcoats didn't stay looking for us long, and by noon-time we crawled out, then byslipping, sliding, holding fast and helping each other, we got down the rest of the mountain side and struck the lower trail that we had hoped to find."
"What happened then?" asked Dick, while Fritz sat with his mouth wide open to catch every detail.
"Well, next day we got down to a place where the trails meet again and there were a bunch of Indians holding a pow-pow, celebrating a victory over the same British troop from whom we had escaped the day before. Of course our Indian companion recognized them at once and insisted on our going with him."
"Sure, but they were a friendly lot, and we were mighty hungry by that time," said Tim.
"They were friendly to us," said Tom, "because we had saved the life of one of their tribe and because they knew you too."
"Yes, that was the tribe we were traveling with," said Tim. "When we told them what we wanted to do, they helped us fix up the canoe we have. Some one had punched a hole in it."
"Yah, I bunched dot hole already, I dink," admitted Fritz.
"Ye have no more sinse than ye had before," Tim said, with disgust.
"We had to destroy those canoes to keep from being pursued," Dick volunteered. "Fritz did it because I told him to."
"Sure, he would not have the sinse to do such a thing himself," asserted Tim, determined to deny any credit to the Dutchman.
"You talks, Mr. Tim," said Fritz, "but you says nothings from your mouth out."
"Let's turn in now," laughed Dick, "and we'll let you fellows fight it out tomorrow."
"Yes, I'm tired," said Tom, "and, Dick, we can swap stories tomorrow for I have lots to tell and there is a great deal we would like to hear about your trip."
"Vincennes at last," shouted Tom Dare, six days after the four boys had come together. "Maybe I'm not glad we are here."
"For myself, I haf no doubt aboud id," said Fritz.
"I'm glad we've reached here within the limit of time allowed us," Dick added.
"With the whole av two days to spare," said Tim. "Faith, an' Oi think we had best be stayin' on the outside av the town till our toime is after bein' up."
"Nein," replied Fritz. "Ve'll rest in houses already yet, und not in fields, dose two days."
"They won't be lettin' you into a house, me bye," joked Tim.
The quartet had reached the clearing and were close to the walls of the fort at Vincennes by now. From many of the doorways of the houses women and children stared at them suspiciously. The men were all away in the fields and strangers in thelittle frontier town were quite naturally regarded with suspicion until they became known.
The boys went directly to the fort, which was held by a handful of troops recruited from the hardy frontiersmen of the section, and Dick led the way to the man on guard at the opening of the stockade.
"We want to see the commander," he said to the trooper.
"And whom might ye be?" he queried.
"We are messengers from Charleston," Dick replied, "and have some very important orders for your captain."
"Well, you young fellers stay right where ye be, and I'll go see about it."
The man sauntered off with his head turned, keeping an eye on the boys to see that they were obeying his instructions. Then he disappeared and in a minute more they saw the same man come out of one of the log huts in the enclosure and beckon to them.
The four entered and were soon in the presence of the captain of the fort.
"Well, what can we do for you?" he asked, kindly.
"We have duplicate messages for you,captain," said Dick, "which we have brought through from Charleston. They are relative to alliances it will be necessary to make with some of your Indian neighbors, and haste is imperative."
"You have certainly had a long journey," said the captain, taking the silk wrapped packages that Tom and Dick handed him. "You are the first ones through since six weeks ago. What is the news from back home? And, by the way, may I ask your name, and those of your friends?"
Dick told him their names, and also that they were connected with Captain Morgan's company.
"The Dare Boys!" ejaculated the captain. "Why, we've heard of you way out here. I am certainly glad to shake hands with such brave fighters for freedom's cause."
The boys modestly disclaimed any undue share of praise and assured the captain that there were any number of patriots, just like themselves, who did as much for the cause as they did.
"What are your plans now?" asked the captain.
"Why, just at present, I think we would all enjoy a wash and several hours' solid, undisturbed sleep."
"Nefer mind the wash," said Fritz, yawning.
The captain smiled. "I guess you can have all the rest you want right over here," he said, leading the way to another small room fitted with bunks about the walls. "You boys tumble right in here while I go over these papers you have brought, and we will call you in time for dinner to-night. That will give you a chance to get a little rest. The men will all want to see you to-night and hear your news and stories, but you won't be disturbed till then."
"That will be fine," said Dick.
"And, captain," called Tim after him, "we'll be havin' foine appetities by evening, I'm not doubtin'."
"Don't worry," replied the frontiersman, laughing. "We'll attend to that all right."
"We want to get in good shape for our trip back," said Tom. "So here goes for a good snooze."
Those of our readers who are interested in what happened to the Dare Boys and their comrades on the return trip and in their further unexpected adventures amongst the Indians of that unsettled region, can follow them in the next volume, entitled, "The Dare Boys in the Northwest."
That night the boys were given a warm welcome by the men and officers of the post. They told the amusing incidents of their adventurous trip amidst the hearty laughter of their new friends.
"You boys better stay right here and join us," one of them suggested. "We'd show you plenty of excitement."
"No, thanks," Dick replied. "I guess we better travel along towards home."
And after a two-days' rest, they did; that is, to be more accurate, they started.
THE END.