"Good!" said Jack, reaching out and patting his shoulder; "if you
will devote a few minutes to hard thought before speaking a single
word, you will improve until one of these days you will be able to
speak as well as Deerfoot."

"Yaw, dot ish nodings--yaw, holds on I dinks hard!" exclaimed Otto,
resolutely checking himself until he could gain time to frame the
expression he had in mind. But before he succeeded, a slight
exclamation from Deerfoot made own his discovery of the trail for
which they were hunting.

The others hastened to his side, and looking at the ground, saw the
hoof-prints of the horse that had run away with Otto Relstaub. As
the animal was well shod, there could be no mistaking the trail,
differing from that of the Indian ponies, which, as a matter of
course, were without such protection for their feet.

"Yaw, dot ish him," remarked the German, his effort being to surprise
Deerfoot as well as to please Jack Carleton by the correctness of his
diction.

A brief examination of the foot-prints showed that the colt had
taken matters leisurely after emerging from the Mississippi.
Instead of breaking into a gallop and plunging straight into the
woods, he had halted long enough to eat what little grass grew
within reach, after which he wandered off for more.

The trail was followed several hundred yards, until a rising ground
was reached. It was observed that for the distance named, the colt