CHAPTER XVII. 



DISAPPEARANCE OF THE RAPT JAKE'S OPINION SEARCH FOR THE RAFT 

 ITS FAILURE JAKE CONTINUES THE SEARCH ALONE MOONLIGHT WALK- 

 THREE INDIANS THE RAFT DISCOVERED THE CREEK INDIANS POLE THE 

 RAFT PAST JAKE'S AMBUSH A RIFLE SHOT JAKE'S ESCAPE THE INDIANS 

 ATTEMPT TO SURPRISE THE HUNTER JAKE GAINS THE RAFT DEATH OF 

 ONE INDIAN RETURN OF THE OTHERS JAKE SHOOTS BOTH AT ONE SHOT. 



WHEN the hunters awoke on the following morning 

 the raft had disappeared ! It was Gaultier who made 

 this discovery, and he immediately alarmed his com- 

 rades. They had left all their stores, with the excep- 

 tion of a few necessaries, on the raft, as had been their 

 usual practice whenever the night promised to be suffi- 

 ciently fine to warrant their doing so. Gaultier imme- 

 diately proceeded to the tree to which the thong that 

 held the raft had been attached. A short examination 

 convinced him that the rope had been severed with a 

 knife. 



" It's Injuns, I'm sartin sure, hev done it !" exclaimed 

 old Jake ; " an' yer may stake high they've vermoosed 

 with all our plunder. This kerns o' not keepin' watch 

 last night. Ef we'd only taken it in turns to keep a 

 look-out, we'd a seed the varmints at their thievin'." 



" One thing is quite clear," said Pierre " they must 



