At length, with a sudden start, both dogs, growling ominously, dashed off ahead, utterly regardless of all efforts made by their master to restrain them.  This suspicious conduct on the part of the dogs of course alarmed the father and his Indian companion, and as rapidly as the rough trail would allow they hurried on in the direction taken by the dogs.  Soon their ears were greeted by a chorus of loud and angry yelping.  Fear gave speed to both the men, and soon they dashed out from the forest into the opening of an Indian’s clearing.  Here was a sight that filled them with alarm, and almost terror.  Standing on a pile of logs were little Sagastao and Minnehaha.  Sagastao erect and fearless, with a club about as large as an ordinary cane, while behind him, leaning against a high fallen log, was Minnehaha.  Surrounding them were several fierce, wolfish Indian dogs, among whom Jack and Cuffy, wild and furious, were now making dire havoc.  One after another, wounded and limping, the curs skulked away as the two men rushed up to the children.

“Ha! ha! hurrah for our Jack and Cuffy; aren’t they the boss dogs!” shouted the fearless little runaways, and now that the victory was won they nimbly sprang down from their high retreat and, apparently without the slightest fear, congratulated both their father and the Indian on the superiority of their own dogs.

Trembling with anxiety, the anxious father, thankful at the narrow escape of his children, as he clasped them in his arms could not but be amazed at the indifference of the little ones to the great danger from which they had just escaped.  After petting Jack and Cuffy for their great bravery and courage the return journey was begun, much to the regret of the children, who pleaded hard to be allowed to resume their trip to the wigwam of Souwanas to hear the stories of Nanahboozhoo.

[Illustration:  “Surrounding them were several fierce, wolfish Indian dogs.”]

The father was perfectly amazed at this request, and of course it was sternly refused.  He had started off in pursuit of the runaways with a resolve to punish them for this serious breach of home discipline, but his alarm at their danger and his thankfulness for their escape had so stirred him that he could not punish them nor even chide them at the time.  All he could do was to bring them safely home again and, as usual in such emergencies, turn them over to the tender mercies of their mother.

Sturdily the children marched on ahead for a while, then Kennedy, the Indian, took Minnehaha in his arms.  He had not carried her many hundred yards before the weary little one fell fast asleep, softly muttering as she slipped off into the land of dreams, “Wanted to hear about Nanahboozhoo.”

Great was the excitement at home when the party returned.  Sagastao rushed into the arms of his mother, and without the slightest idea of having done anything wrong began most dramatically to describe how “our Jack and Cuffy thrashed those naughty Eskimo dogs” that chased Minnehaha and him upon that great pile of logs.  Mary in the meantime had taken from Kennedy’s arms the still sleeping Minnehaha, and almost smothered her with kisses as she bore her away to bed.