Willet with whom he talked a little, was of like opinion.  He looked to Tayoga to bring them help, and, if he failed their case, already hard, would become harder.  The hunter did not conceal from himself the prowess and skill of St. Luc and he knew too, that the savage persistency of Tandakora was not to be held lightly.  Like Robert he gazed long into the blue west, which was flecked only by little clouds of white.

“A sign!  A sign!” he said.  “If we could only behold a sign!”

But the heavens said nothing.  The sun, a huge ball of glowing copper, was already far down the Western curve, and the hunter’s heart beat hard with anxiety.  He felt that if help came it should come soon.  But little water was left to the soldiers, although their food might last another day, and the night itself, now not far away, would bring the danger of a new attack by a creeping foe, greatly superior in numbers.  He turned away from the cliff, but Robert remained, and presently the youth called in a sharp thrilling whisper: 

“Dave!  Dave!  Come back!”

Robert had continued to watch the sky and he thought he saw a faint dark line against the sea of blue.  He rubbed his eyes, fearing it was a fault of vision, but the trace was still there, and he believed it to be smoke.

“Dave!  Dave!  The signal!  Look!  Look!” he cried.

The hunter came to the edge of the cliff and stared into the west.  A thread of black lay across the blue, and his heart leaped.

“Do you believe that Tayoga has anything to do with it?” asked Robert.

“I do.  If it were our foes out there he’d have been back long since.”

“And since it may be friends they’ve sent up this smoke, hoping we’ll divine what they mean.”

“It looks like it.  Tayoga is a sharp lad, and he’ll want to put heart in the soldiers.  It must be the Onondaga, and I wish I knew what his smoke was saying.”

Captain Colden joined them, and they pointed out to him the trace across the sky which was now broadening, explaining at the same time that it was probably a signal sent up by Tayoga, and that he might be leading a force to their aid.

“What help could he bring?” asked the captain.

Willet shook his head.

“I can’t answer you there,” he replied; “but the smoke has significance for us.  Of that I feel sure.  By sundown we’ll know what it means.”

“And that’s only about two hours away,” said Captain Colden.  “Whatever happens we’ll hold out to the last.  I suppose, though, that St. Luc’s force also will see the smoke.”

“Quite likely,” replied Willet, “and the Frenchman may send a runner, too, to see what it means, but however good a runner he may be he’ll be no match for Tayoga.”

“That’s sure,” said Robert.

So great was his confidence in the Onondaga that it never occurred to him that he might be killed or taken, and he awaited his certain return, either with or without a helping force.  He lay now near the edge of the cliff, whence he could look toward the west, the point of hope, whenever he wished, ate another strip of venison, and took another drink of water out of a friendly canteen.