Captain Colden laughed, but it was the slightly hysterical laugh of relief.  He was bent upon doing his task, and, since the Lord had carried him so far through a mighty danger, the disappointment of losing the supplies would have been almost too much to bear.

“You’re sure it’s they, Mr. Willet?” he said.

“Of course.  Didn’t I tell you it wasn’t possible for another such party of fools to be here in the wilderness, and that the God of the white man and the Manitou of the red man taking pity on their simplicity and innocence have protected them?”

“I like to think what you say is true, Mr. Willet.”

“It’s true.  Be not afraid that it isn’t.  Now, I think we’d better stop here, and let Robert and Tayoga go ahead, spy ’em out and make signals.  It would be just like ’em to blaze away at us the moment they saw the bushes move with our coming.”

Captain Colden was glad to take his advice, and the white youth and the red went forward silently through the forest, hearing the sound of cheerful voices, as they drew near to the campfire which was a large one blazing brightly.  They also heard the sound of horses moving and they knew that the detachment had taken no harm.  Tayoga parted the bushes and peered forth.

“Look!” he said.  “Surely they are watched over by Manitou!”

About twenty men, or rather boys, for all of them were very young, were standing or lying about a fire.  A tall, very ruddy youth in the uniform of a colonial lieutenant was speaking to them.

“Didn’t I tell you, lads,” he said, “there wasn’t an Indian nearer than Fort Duquesne, and that’s a long way from here!  We’ve come a great distance and not a foe has appeared anywhere.  It may be that the French vanish when they hear this valiant Quaker troop is coming, but it’s my own personal opinion they’ll stay pretty well back in the west with their red allies.”

The youth, although he called himself so, did not look much like a Quaker to Robert.  He had a frank face and merry eyes, and manner and voice indicated a tendency to gayety.  Judging from his words he had no cares and Indians and ambush were far from his thoughts.  Proof of this was the absence of sentinels.  The men, scattered about the fire, were eating their suppers and the horses, forty in number, were grazing in an open space.  It all looked like a great picnic, and the effect was heightened by the youth of the soldiers.

“As the Great Bear truly said,” whispered Tayoga, “Manitou has watched over them.  The forest does not hold easier game for the taking, and had Tandakora known that they were here he would have come seeking revenge for his loss in the attack upon Captain Colden’s troop.”

“You’re right as usual, Tayoga, and now we’d better hail them.  But don’t you come forward just yet.  They don’t know the difference between Indians and likely your welcome would be a bullet.”

“I will wait,” said Tayoga.