they should be so near and yet know it not. How Tandakora would have
rejoiced if there had been a whisper in his ear that Willet, Robert
and Tayoga whom he hated so much were within sound of his rifle! And
how he would have spread his nets to catch such precious game!

He heard a second shot presently from the other side, and then the
hunter began to laugh softly to himself. His faint amusement was
turning into actual and intense enjoyment. The Indian hunters were
obviously on every side of them but did not dream that the finest game
of all was at hand. They would continue to waste their time on deer
and bear while the three formidable rangers were within hearing of
their guns.

But the hunter was still silent. His laughter was wholly internal, and
his lips did not even move. It showed only in his eye and the general
expression of his countenance. A third shot and a fourth came, but no
anxiety marred his sense of the humorous.

Then he heard the distant shouts of warriors in pursuit of a wounded
bear and still he was motionless.

Willet knew that the French and Tandakora suspected no pursuit. They
believed that no American rangers would come among the lofty peaks and
ridges south of the border, and he and his comrades could lie in safe
hiding while the hunt went on with unabated zeal. But he was sure one
day would be sufficient for the task. That portion of the wilderness
was full of game, and, since the coming of the war, deer and bear were
increasing rapidly. Willet often noted how quickly game returned to
regions abandoned by man, as if the wild animals promptly told one
another the danger had passed.