At dawn Running Fox and his companions made their way to the edge of the timber and looked anxiously along the river. A short bow-shot away they saw the charred logs and ashes from the fire. Then they looked across the water and saw the remnants from the other fire. For the moment, however, the Delawares took little interest. Their first thought was to look for the Mohawks. They watched some time, but saw nothing to indicate that their foes had loitered in the vicinity. Still, Running Fox determined to take every precaution.

"I believe the Mohawks have gone away," he said, finally. "But we must not feel too sure about it. Perhaps they are hiding in the woods. Dancing Owl, you must keep watching. Come, Yellow Wolf, we will look for Machque. I believe he is close by. If we find him we will get back our arrows."

"It is good," said Yellow Wolf.

They left Dancing Owl concealed at the edge of the forest, and went to search for the bear. The trail was plain and easy to follow and red splashes on the leaves gave evidence that Machque had been badly wounded. They had little doubt that he was already dead. Still they resolved to take no chances, for they knew that if Machque was alive he might prove to be a dangerous foe. They advanced with great caution, watching closely for a sight of the bear. Then, within an arrow-flight, the trail suddenly came to an end at a great tangle of brush and fallen timber.

"Look sharp," Running Fox cautioned. "Machque is in there."

They stopped and peered anxiously into the cover. It was dense and as twilight still lingered beneath the heavy stand of evergreens they were unable to discover the bear. Several times they thought they saw it, but they were deceived by stumps and shadows. They listened a long time, but heard nothing to give them a clew.

"If Machque is in there, he must be dead," Yellow Wolf said, at last.

"Perhaps he crawled through that place and went out on the other side," Running Fox told him. "We will circle around and find out about it."

"It is the best thing to do," said Yellow Wolf.

They separated and began to move cautiously around the tangle. They had taken only a few strides when they heard low, ominous growls coming from beneath a confused mass of roots and brush. They stopped and prepared to fight.

"Look sharp, Machque is coming out!" Running Fox cried, warningly.

A moment afterward there was a sharp crackling of sticks and the wounded bear forced its way through the tangle. It emerged within a bow-length of Yellow Wolf. At sight of him it reared unsteadily upon its hind legs, and Yellow Wolf drove his arrow into its chest. Roaring furiously, the bear dropped to its feet and turned to enter the cover. Yellow Wolf ran close up to it and drove another arrow behind its shoulder. Machque flashed about with the agility of a lynx and rushed wildly upon his foe. Yellow Wolf turned to run but tripped over a log and plunged headlong into the brush. At that moment Running Fox rushed recklessly upon the bear and struck it with his tomahawk, Machque wheeled to attack him, and then Yellow Wolf jumped to his feet and shot an arrow. The bear collapsed. For some moments it continued to struggle, and then it lay still. The Delawares looked at each other and smiled.

"Machque is dead," said Yellow Wolf. "He was very strong and very fierce. Running Fox, you were brave. You kept Machque from tearing me. I will tell our people about it."

Having killed the bear, they had little inclination to loiter. They left Machque where he had fallen and turned toward the river. They found Dancing Owl staring anxiously across the water. He heard them approaching and motioned for them to be cautious. Then he pointed mysteriously across the river. Running Fox and Yellow Wolf feared to move. For some moments they stood motionless, searching the opposite shore. Then Dancing Owl signaled for them to advance. They sank to their hands and knees and crawled carefully through the undergrowth.

"What do you see?" Running Fox inquired in a cautious whisper.

"I saw something moving through the bushes," Dancing Owl told him. "I do not know what it is."

"Where was it?" asked Yellow Wolf.

"Over there near that white tree," said Dancing Owl.

They fixed their eyes on a large white birch at the edge of the woods. It was close by the place where the fire had been. They wondered if crafty Mohawk scouts were lingering in the vicinity. They watched anxiously, but the mysterious object failed to appear.

"Did it look like a warrior?" inquired Running Fox.

"I do not know," replied Dancing Owl. "I saw some bushes move. Then something passed. It went fast. It was behind the bushes, I could not see what it was."

"Perhaps our brothers are over there," suggested Yellow Wolf.

Running Fox remained silent. A still more interesting possibility had entered his mind.

"Perhaps it was Spotted Deer," he said.

"Yes, yes, perhaps it was Spotted Deer," Dancing Owl said, eagerly. "Come, give the signal and we will see what comes of it."

"That would be bad," Running Fox warned him. "If the Mohawks are over there we must keep quiet and watch. If it is Spotted Deer our brothers will meet him. Then they will call us."

A moment later they heard the call of Woakus, the fox, a short distance farther down the river. They listened in breathless suspense. Two stirring possibilities instantly flashed across their minds. Had their friends met Spotted Deer? Were they about to call them? The signal, however, was not repeated. They turned to one another in alarm. Aware that their tribesmen were advancing along the opposite side of the river, they feared that they might be blundering into an ambush.

"It is bad," Yellow Wolf whispered, uneasily. "We do not know who is over there. If the Mohawks are hiding in that place they will catch our brothers. We must warn them."

"Yes, yes, make the signal," Dancing Owl said, anxiously.

"Wait," cautioned Running Fox. "I have found out who is over there. Look sharp near that crooked tree. See, there is Achtu, the deer."

A moment afterward they saw the buck standing at the edge of the timber. It had raised its head and was looking down the river. They believed it had caught the danger scent. An instant later it vanished into the shadows.

"Achtu has run away," said Running Fox. "Our brothers must be close."

Then he replied to the signal. In a few moments an answer came from across the river. Painted Hawk and his companions were almost at the place where the fire had been lighted.

"Our friends have come up with us—it is good," said Running Fox. "They will keep watching over there. Now we will go and look around that place where the fire was."

They spent some time scouting about in the vicinity of the spot where the fire had been. They found several tracks near the ashes from the fire, and the mark of a canoe at the edge of the water. As the clews were of little importance Running Fox was eager to hurry away on the trail of the Mohawks.

"See, our friends are over there," Yellow Wolf said, suddenly.

They saw two of their comrades searching along the opposite shore. Running Fox quickly identified them as Painted Hawk and Crooked Foot. He had little doubt that Turning Eagle was on guard at the edge of the woods. Running Fox stood at the edge of the water and waved his arms. When he had attracted the attention of his tribesmen, he pointed toward the north and made it plain that he was about to continue along the river. Then Painted Hawk pointed to the woods behind him and swept his arm in a short circle.

"Our brothers are going to move around over there to look for something," Running Fox told his companions. "Perhaps they have found a sign."

"See, they are telling us to wait here," Dancing Owl cried, excitedly.

Painted Hawk had pointed across the water and then seated himself. In a few moments he rose and again swept his arm toward the woods. Then he appeared to be waiting for a signal from his friends.

"I am going ahead," said Running Fox. "Yellow Wolf, I will ask you to go with me. Dancing Owl, you must stay here and wait for a signal from Painted Hawk."

Dancing Owl walked from the timber and seated himself near the water. Running Fox pointed toward him. Then he pointed toward Yellow Wolf and himself and then up the river. Painted Hawk seemed to understand. A moment afterward he and Crooked Foot disappeared into the timber.

"Dancing Owl, you must hide in the woods and wait," said Running Fox. "Come, Yellow Wolf, we will go."

At that instant Dancing Owl was looking sharply along the shore. Then he pointed excitedly toward a bowlder that rose above the water, a short distance away.

"I saw something go behind that rock," He said.

Running Fox and Yellow Wolf turned in alarm. The next moment they saw something drifting slowly past the bowlder. The three Delawares stared at it in amazement. They had suddenly recognized it as a paddle. The discovery roused their suspicions. They feared that a canoe was somewhere near.

"Come, jump into the bushes!" cried Running Fox.

They hid themselves and looked anxiously up the river. The paddle was near the shore and appeared to be drifting still nearer. They watched it in trying suspense. They longed to secure it, but still they feared to make the attempt.

"Perhaps the Mohawks saw us," said Yellow Wolf. "Perhaps they threw that paddle into the water to fool us. If we try to get it we may be killed."

"Yes, I believe it is a trick," Dancing Owl said, suspiciously.

Running Fox kept silent. He was staring at the paddle with eager, fascinated eyes. He had suddenly resolved to secure it.

"Keep watching," he cried, as he ran toward the river.

He waded into the water and when it rose to his waist, he reached out and drew the paddle toward him with his bow. As he lifted the paddle from the water he cried out in astonishment. Then he hurried to the shore and ran to his companions.

"See, see, this paddle belongs to Spotted Deer!" he told them, excitedly. "Here is his mark."

They instantly recognized the design which had been cut into the blade. For some time they stared at it in silence. They were trying to guess how the paddle had chanced to drift into their hands.

"It is bad," Running Fox said, finally.

His companions kept silent. They had little doubt that ill fortune of some sort had befallen Spotted Deer, and their minds were filled with gloomy premonitions. The finding of the paddle made them almost certain that Spotted Deer had been either captured or killed by the Mohawks. Running Fox was crushed by the possibility. For some moments he appeared unable to rouse himself. Then he suddenly turned toward the river and imitated the cry of Woakus, the fox. Three times he sent the call across the water to tell his friends that he had found signs of Spotted Deer.

"Come, Yellow Wolf, we will go ahead and try to find out about this thing," he said. "Dancing Owl, you must stay here."

"I will wait," Dancing Owl told him.

Suspicious and fearful of running into a trap, the two Delawares moved along the river with great caution. They kept close to the water, hoping to find further clews to the fate of Spotted Deer. They had gone a considerable distance when they finally discovered something which caused them to stop and exclaim in alarm. An overturned canoe had lodged in a mass of driftwood a short distance from the shore. The canoe was of Delaware design, and they knew at once that it belonged to their missing tribesman. They gazed upon it in silent dismay. Each was unwilling to express the fear which had entered his mind. Running Fox again gave the signal which told his friends that he had found further signs of Spotted Deer. Soon afterward Dancing Owl came to join them.

"My brothers, something bad has happened to Spotted Deer," he said, solemnly, as he saw the canoe.

Running Fox stared wildly into his face. His misery showed in his eyes, and his companions looked upon him with pity. Two alarming possibilities confronted them. They believed that Spotted Deer had either been overtaken and killed by the Mohawks or had overturned his canoe and perished in the river in a desperate effort to escape.

"I am going out to get that canoe," Running Fox said, suddenly.

He again waded into the river and made his way to the overturned canoe. There was a long, jagged rent in the bow. The discovery increased his fears for Spotted Deer. He dragged the canoe to the shore and watched in gloomy silence while Yellow Wolf and Dancing Owl made a careful examination.

"Well, my friends, what do you make of it?" Running Fox asked them.

"It is bad," declared Yellow Wolf. "I believe that hole was made by a rock. Perhaps Spotted Deer was going fast to get away from the Mohawks. Perhaps it was dark. He could not see far ahead. Then he bumped into that rock and fell into the river. Perhaps the Water Monsters pulled him down. Perhaps he got to land. I cannot tell you about it. It looks bad."

"Yes, it looks bad," agreed Running Fox. "Dancing Owl, tell us how you feel about it."

"It looks bad," said Dancing Owl. "We found that paddle. That was bad. A warrior does not throw away his paddle. Now we have found this canoe. It was turned over. There is a hole in it. I believe something bad has happened to Spotted Deer."

"Listen," cautioned Running Fox.

At that moment they heard the call of Woakus, the fox, somewhere in the vicinity of the spot where they had left Painted Hawk and his companions. In a few moments the signal was repeated. Then it sounded the third time. The Delawares looked at one another in surprise. Had their friends found signs of Spotted Deer on the other side of the river? It seemed impossible. Still there was no reason to doubt the signal.

"It is mysterious," declared Yellow Wolf.

Running Fox repeated the call. Then they listened in grave suspense. It was not long before the answer came. Again the signal sounded three times. There was no chance for uncertainty. It was plain that Painted Hawk and his companions had discovered a clew. The thought filled Running Fox with hope. Then he began to wonder if his tribesmen had been deceived. Having found the paddle and canoe of Spotted Deer, it was difficult to understand how the latter had been located on the other side of the river. Still Running Fox had full confidence in the judgment and skill of Painted Hawk and his companions. All were experienced warriors and scouts, and he knew that they would be unlikely to send a false signal.

"I do not know what to make of this thing, but I believe our brothers have found something," he said, finally. "If Spotted Deer was over there, perhaps he is alive."

"Perhaps Spotted Deer is with our brothers," Dancing Owl suggested, hopefully.

Running Fox and Yellow Wolf remained silent. They were doubtful. Running Fox felt quite certain that if Spotted Deer had met his tribesmen, he would have sent a signal across the water to relieve the anxiety of his friends.

"Well, my brothers, we must try to find out about this thing," declared Running Fox. "It would be foolish to go ahead until we know about it. I am the leader. I will tell you what I propose to do. We must cross the water and talk with our friends. There is only one way to get over there. We must use this canoe. We cannot do that until we close that hole. Come, we will pull the canoe into the woods and fix it. Then we will wait until it gets dark. Then we will go to meet our friends."

They carried the canoe some distance into the woods. Then, while Dancing Owl watched the river, Running Fox and Yellow Wolf scouted through the woods searching for pitch. They found it in hard nodules on the trunks of many of the pines and spruces, and they soon gathered a sufficient quantity. Then they returned to Dancing Owl who said that he had seen nothing to cause alarm.

"It is good," said Running Fox. "Pretty soon we will be ready to go across the water."

They made a small fire between two logs and placed a large flat stone across them. When it became heated they placed the pitch upon it. It took a long time for the pitch to soften. When it finally began to melt they daubed it upon the ends of flattened sticks and hurried to the canoe. Then as Dancing Owl and Yellow Wolf held the jagged edges of the bark in place, Running Fox applied a thick coating of hot pitch over the tear. It was necessary to make many applications both on the inside and outside of the canoe to render it water-tight. When the task finally was completed the day was well advanced.

"Now we will cross the water and meet our friends," proposed Dancing Owl.

"No, my brother," Running Fox cautioned him. "We must wait. We made a fire. Perhaps the Mohawks saw the smoke. Perhaps they are watching the water. We will wait until it gets dark."

"Yes, we must wait," agreed Yellow Wolf.