TEACKING THE ENEMY. 877 



compliment to himself, imj^lied in the pains taken by the 

 savages to conceal their trail. 



"Tried to dodge — landed back and walked around. 

 Somethin's up — wouldn't have been so pertickalar ef 

 they'd been actin' honest." 



The hunter followed the trail both back to the lagoon, 

 or a branch of it, where they had left the ordinary course 

 for secrecy, and then over the sands till where the foot- 

 ste2:>s faded out in the ripples of Indian River. 



" Seven days out, jist !" said he, musingly. " Scratchin' 

 along fast." 



Seating himself on the sandy hillock, among the rough 

 swaying grass, he mused on the thoughts suggested by 

 the trail, and after a very long silence again repeated 

 with a sigh, looking southward — " Nine Injins and no 

 squaws — that means mischief." 



The soft haze was ever the landscape, and the cabbage 

 trees on the distant beach loomed up like inverted moun- 

 tains. The ripples on the sand whispered softly, and 

 the air was burdened with the exhalations of the opening 

 year. 



Mike laid off his cap and drew back his matted curls, 

 leaving his forehead open to the caressing air. " ScA^en 

 days," he said. *' Wall, seven days are a deal of time, 

 and what's wrong done, is done bein' helped. I might 

 as well go over and see. Somehow or nother, it don't 

 seem nateral for that critter to come this way. Ef he's 

 runnin' from the soldiers he'd gone west ; he knows too 

 much to be bothered by them. He's sent off the women 



