When the others had somewhat recovered from their mirth, Otto began
laughing with scarcely less heartiness than they showed. The absurd
occurrence seemed slow to impress itself upon his consciousness.

Deerfoot did not allow himself to remain idle many minutes. The
fractured front of the craft being immovably fixed in the bank, he
leaned his head over the side and washed the paint from his face.
He disliked to disfigure himself in that fashion, though he always
carried the stuff with him, to be used in such an emergency as has
been described.

The blanket stolen from him had been carried away by one of the
warriors, so that Deerfoot held only the rifle and ammunition in the
way of a reprisal; but they were more than sufficient to replace the
property he had lost, and he had no cause for complaint.

Stepping on solid land again, with the water dripping from his
clothing, the handsome warrior stood erect, and looked at Kentucky
across the "Father of Waters." Instead of the villages and towns
which now grace the locality, he saw only the lonely woods
stretching north and south until lost to view.

But he knew enemies were there, and the keen vision of the youth was
searching for them. They must have become discouraged over what had
taken place, for not the first sign of the red men could be discerned.
They seemed to have "folded their tents," and stolen off as silently
as the Arabs.

But far down the Mississippi, a canoe put out from the Kentucky side
and approached the opposite bank. It kept out of sight until