“Again the hand of Manitou is stretched forth to protect us,” said Tayoga devoutly.  “It is he who sends the protecting veil, and we shall be saved.”

“We’ll have to wait and see whether the warriors stop and search our island or follow straight after the canoe.  Then we’ll know,” said Willet.

“They will go on,” said Tayoga, with great confidence.  “Look at the canoe.  It is not going so fast now.  Why?  Because it wishes to tantalize our enemies, to arouse in their minds a belief that they can overtake it.  It behaves as if we were in it, and as if we were becoming exhausted by our great exertions with the paddles.  Its conduct is just like that of a man who flees for his life.  I know, although I cannot see their eyes, that the pursuing warriors think they have us now.  They believe that our weakness will grow heavier and heavier upon us until it overpowers us.  Tandakora reckons that our scalps are already hanging at his belt.  Thus does Manitou make foolish those whom he intends to lead away from their dearest wish.”

“I begin to think they’re really going to leave us, but it’s too early yet to tell definitely,” said the hunter.  “We shouldn’t give them an earthly chance to see us, and, for that reason, we’d better retreat into the heart of the island.  We mustn’t leave all the work of deception to the canoe.”

“The Great Bear is right,” said Tayoga.  “Manitou will not help those who sit still, relying wholly on him.”

They drew back fifteen or twenty yards, and sat down on a hillock, covered with dense bushes, though from their place of hiding they could see the water on all sides.  Unless the Indians landed on the island and made a thorough search they would not be found.  Meanwhile the canoe was faithful to its trust.  The strong wind out of the north carried it on with few moments of hesitation as it poised on breaking waves, its striking similitude to life never being lost for an instant.  Robert began to believe with Tayoga that it was, in very fact and truth, alive and endowed with reason.  Why not?  The Iroquois believed that spirits could go into wood and who was he to argue that white men were right, and red men wrong?  His life in the forest had proved to him often that red men were right and white men wrong.

Whoever might be right the canoe was still a tantalizing object to the pursuit.  It may have been due to a slight shift of the wind, but it began suddenly to have the appearance of dancing upon the waves, swinging a little to and fro, teetering about, but in the main keeping its general course, straight ahead.

Tayoga laughed softly.

“The canoe is in a frolicsome mood,” he said.  “It has sport with the men of Tandakora.  It dances, and it throws jests at them.  It says, ’You think you can catch me, but you cannot.  Why do you come so slowly?  Why don’t you hurry?  I am here.  See, I wait a little.  I do not go as fast as I can, because I wish to give you a better chance.’  Ah, here comes the fleet!”