"Yes, sir," I answered.

We came to the fires, and Captain Bowman hurried up to meet him.

"We're piling up earthworks and barricades," said the Captain, "for the
fight to-morrow. My God! if the Willing would only come, we could put
our cannon into them."

Clark laughed.

"Bowman," said he, kindly, "has Davy fed you yet?"

"No," says the Captain, surprised, "I've had no time to eat."

"He seems to have fed the whole army," said the Colonel. He paused.
"Have they scented Lamothe or Maisonville?"

"Devil a scent!" cried the Captain, "and we've scoured wood and quagmire.
They tell me that Lamothe has a very pretty force of redskins at his
heels."

"Let McChesney go," said Clark sharply, "McChesney and Ray. I'll warrant
they can find 'em."

Now I knew that Maisonville had gone out a-chasing Captain Willing's
brother,--he who had run into our arms. Lamothe was a noted Indian
partisan and a dangerous man to be dogging our rear that night. Suddenly
there came a thought that took my breath and set my heart a-hammering.
When the Colonel's back was turned I slipped away beyond the range of the
firelight, and I was soon on the prairie, stumbling over hummocks and