Having gained the forest in safety, Spotted Deer stopped for a moment to listen. He heard signals passing along the river. Then a twig snapped close beside him. He turned in alarm. At that instant some one sprang upon him and bore him to the ground. He struggled desperately, but the shouts of his unknown assailant soon brought assistance, and the young Delaware was speedily overcome. His arms were twisted behind him and securely bound, and then he was pulled to his feet and led toward the river.

Spotted Deer was bewildered by the suddenness of the attack. It was some moments before he fully realized what had happened. His first thought was to identify his captors. It was difficult to recognize them in the darkness. He listened closely to catch their talk. Having been a captive in the Mohawk camp, he was familiar with the Mohawk dialect. These mysterious strangers, however, spoke a different tongue. It was evident that they were not Mohawks. Spotted Deer was astounded by the discovery. Into whose hands had he fallen? He quickly guessed.

"Shawnees," he murmured.

When they reached the river, Spotted Deer was led to a canoe. He seated himself without protest. It seemed folly to resist. There were three canoes along the shore. One belonged to Spotted Deer. Two stalwart paddlers entered the canoe with the Delaware. The warrior who seated himself in the stern placed his bow and several arrows close beside him. It was a significant warning which Spotted Deer understood. He saw several figures moving about at the edge of the water. It was impossible to count them. Then the canoe was pushed from shore, and Spotted Deer wondered what fate awaited him. He had little hope.

As the Shawnees paddled swiftly toward the middle of the river, they raised a piercing cry that echoed threateningly through the night, and filled the Delaware with gloomy premonitions. It had barely died away before it was answered from various parts of the river. Then the cry of Nianque, the lynx, again sounded through the darkness. A wild chorus of shouts immediately rose in reply. Spotted Deer looked down the river. The fires were still burning fiercely. He saw several figures moving about in the glow. He believed they were waiting for the canoes.

The Shawnees met in the center of the river. Spotted Deer counted four canoes. Each held two paddlers. Two canoes were brought alongside of the one in which he sat, and the Shawnees peered curiously at him. He had little doubt that they were the warriors whom he had encountered farther up the river. They exchanged a few words with his guards, but as Spotted Deer was unfamiliar with the Shawnee dialect he could not understand them. Then the canoes were turned toward the fire on the west shore of the river.

As they moved slowly down the river the Shawnees began to sing. Spotted Deer felt sure it was a boastful recital of their recent exploit. Then, as they drew nearer the fire, he saw a canoe crossing from the east side of the river. It, too, held two paddlers. They apparently were eager to be present when the captive was brought in, for they were paddling at top speed.

When the canoes entered the illuminated stretch of water, Spotted Deer found an opportunity to study his foes. He examined the warrior in the stern of the canoe. Although apparently of middle age he appeared vigorous and active, and his deep chest and wide, sloping shoulders denoted endurance and strength. His face was stern and sullen, and his eyes flashed threateningly into the steady, unflinching eyes of his captive. There was earth on his leggings and a long red scratch down his arm, and Spotted Deer believed he was the one with whom he had fought. There was something about him that suggested power, and the Delaware felt sure that he was a leader.

In the meantime the other canoes had come nearer, and Spotted Deer saw the paddlers at close range. There were six. Four were young men, and the others were mature warriors who seemed about the age of the Shawnee who faced him in the canoe. While Spotted Deer was examining his foes, they were equally occupied in staring at him. There were two in particular who glared fiercely into his face, and threatened him. He had little doubt that they were the warriors whom he had thrown into the river. As Spotted Deer turned his head, one of them struck him with the paddle. They laughed derisively as the enraged Delaware faced them with flashing eyes. Angered by Spotted Deer's boldness, the Shawnee again raised his paddle, but the warrior in the stern of the canoe spoke sharply and the blow was withheld.

A few moments later the canoes reached the shore. Four Shawnees awaited them. As the warrior stepped from the bow of the canoe the other Shawnee motioned for Spotted Deer to follow him. The Delaware was immediately surrounded by his foes. They crowded closely about him, jeering and threatening, and scowling fiercely into his face. Spotted Deer showed no fear. He faced them with a calm courage that compelled respect. The Shawnees quickly realized that their youthful prisoner was a bold and seasoned warrior.

The older of the two warriors who had shared the canoe with Spotted Deer seemed to be in authority. He appeared to be the leader of the company. He confronted Spotted Deer and studied him with great care. The others watched in silence. Spotted Deer took equal pains to examine his foe. Thus for some moments captor and captive stared at each other. They offered a striking contrast—the Shawnee stalwart and mature, a seasoned veteran of the war trail; the Delaware agile and youthful, and equally familiar with the privations and perils of the warrior. The same indomitable courage flashed in the eyes of both. Each saw it and realized its significance. Spotted Deer read cruelty and hatred in the glance of his captor. The Shawnee saw fearlessness and defiance in the eyes of his captive.

At last the Shawnee turned and addressed his companions. His tone was sarcastic as he pointed toward the Delaware, and the Shawnees laughed mockingly. Spotted Deer felt the hot fighting blood surge to his brain. He was filled with sudden and intense hatred for this haughty foe who seemed to regard him with contempt. However, the wily young warrior was far too crafty to betray his feelings. Aware that the Shawnees would be quick to read the slightest trace of emotion, he feigned a stolid indifference that baffled them.

Spotted Deer was led nearer the fire, and ordered by signs to seat himself upon the ground. Two Shawnees sat beside him. They held tomahawks and made it plain that they were eager for an opportunity to use them. The rest of the company stood a short distance off, staring at the fire. The leader seemed annoyed. Spotted Deer believed he was impatient with the men who had illuminated the river. At his command two of his companions hastened into the woods. In a few moments they returned carrying long saplings with which they scattered the blazing logs and rolled them into the water.

When the fire had been destroyed, the Shawnees carried a number of embers into the woods, and made a small fire behind the shelter of a large rock. The blaze on the opposite side of the river was left to burn out. Spotted Deer believed it was a clever maneuver to deceive any enemies who might happen to be in the vicinity.

The night was well advanced, and the Shawnees made preparations to sleep. Spotted Deer watched them with interest. He wondered what they would do with him. For the moment, at least, there seemed little chance of escape, and still he realized that an unexpected opportunity might offer itself. His hope was destroyed when two of his foes came forward and bound his feet. Then the Shawnees gathered about him, and lay down to sleep.

Spotted Deer was helpless and miserable. The Shawnees had taken his robe, and he suffered from the cold. The rawhide thongs with which he was bound cut into his wrists and ankles, and interfered with circulation. It was impossible to sleep. He stared gloomily at a star that twinkled through an opening in the dense black canopy of tree tops. His lips moved silently in a petition to Getanittowit, the Great One.

Spotted Deer lay motionless until he felt sure that the Shawnees were asleep. Then he strained to loosen the thongs about his wrists. The effort only increased his agony. He waited a few moments; and then he tried to move his feet. The attempt was equally futile. He had been cruelly and skillfully bound, and he realized that it was folly to attempt to free himself.

Aware that only daylight might bring relief, Spotted Deer longed for the night to pass. Each moment increased his suffering, but he bore it with the stolid fortitude which he had inherited from his people, and fixed his thoughts upon the Shawnees. There were twelve in the party and he believed that they were hunters. The thought gave him comfort. His fears for his people subsided. He believed that they were in little peril from the small company of Shawnees. In fact he was greatly astounded at their boldness in venturing so far into the Delaware hunting grounds. He was also perplexed to explain the canoes. The Shawnees lived along another large river a number of days' travel to the westward, and Spotted Deer could scarcely believe that they had carried the canoes through the wilderness. They were usually encountered hunting through the woods on foot whenever they ventured into Delaware territory. Spotted Deer thought about it for some time. Then an interesting possibility suddenly entered his mind. He believed that the Shawnees had come from the north, and it was possible that they had taken the canoes from the Mohawks. In that event he had little doubt that they would either destroy them or carry them to the Shawnee camp as trophies. Then another possibility suggested itself. Perhaps the crafty Shawnees would leave the canoes along the river to deceive the Delawares into believing that their hated foes, the Mohawks, had invaded the Delaware hunting grounds. The thought disturbed him. He feared that the stratagem might confuse his friends, and lead them on a false trail.

At that moment his thoughts were diverted by the barking of a fox on the opposite side of the river. Spotted Deer listened closely. He wondered if it was a signal. Had Delaware hunters discovered the fires? His heart bounded at the thought. The Shawnees had awakened. Spotted Deer heard them talking. He turned his head, and saw the warriors beside him sitting erect. They, too, apparently were listening. The silence continued some time. Then the quick, husky yaps of the fox again sounded across the river. The Shawnees were silent. Spotted Deer felt that they were watching him. He lay motionless.

After the call had ceased, Spotted Deer heard some one passing in the darkness. He believed that scouts had gone to the river to watch. He feared that they might discover a company of Delawares. In that event he had little hope for his life. He felt sure the Shawnees would kill him as a precaution against being betrayed into the hands of their foes. He waited in trying suspense to learn the outcome of the reconnaissance.

It seemed a very long time before Spotted Deer finally heard sounds which led him to suspect that the scouts had returned. He believed they had learned something important. The Shawnees were talking excitedly. In a few moments they drew close about him. He wondered if they had discovered his people, and intended to kill him. For an instant he had a reckless impulse to cry out and betray them. At that moment, however, one of the Shawnees stooped and released Spotted Deer's ankles. The Delaware took hope. He decided to remain silent. Then he was lifted to his feet. For a moment he was unable to stand. A sharp command from the leader of the company roused him to the effort. A moment afterward he was led away toward the west.