They pushed into the bushes, and were soon among the traces left by the
defenders.

"Here is where the guard knelt," said Tayoga, as they walked around the
circle of the bushes, "and behind them is where the men slept in their
blankets. That is farther proof that they were rangers. They had so much
experience, and they felt so little alarm that most of them slept
placidly, although they knew warriors were watching below seeking to
shoot them down. The character of the footprints indicates that all of
the defenders were white men. Here is a trail that I have seen many
times before, so many times that I would know it anywhere. It is that of
the Mountain Wolf. He probably had a small part of his rangers here and
was on his way to join his main force, to act either with Amherst or
Waraiyageh (Sir William Johnson). Of course he would depart with speed
as soon as his enemy was beaten off."

"Altogether reasonable, Tayoga, and I'm glad Rogers is in these parts
again with his rangers. Our generals will need him."

"The Mountain Wolf stood here a long time," said Tayoga. "He walked now
and then to the right, and also to the left, but he always came back to
this place. He stood here, because it is a little knoll, and from it he
could see better than from anywhere else into the forest that hid the
enemy below. The Mountain Wolf is a wise man, a great forest fighter,
and a great trailer, but he was not alone when he stood here."

"I suppose he had a lieutenant of course, a good man whom he could
trust. Every leader has such a helper."