“We ought to be pretty safe, now,” Nat said.  “They may be three or four hours before they hit on our landing place, and find the canoe.  I don’t say as they won’t be able to follow our trail—­there ain’t no saying what redskin eyes can do—­but it ’ull take them a long time, anyway.  There ain’t much risk of running against any of them in the forest, now.  I guess that most of them followed the canoe down the lake last night.

“Anyway, we are well out from Lake Champlain now.  When we have gone another fifteen mile, we sha’n’t be far from the upper arm.  There’s a canoe been lying hidden there for the last two years, unless some tramping redskin has found it, which ain’t likely.”

Twenty miles further walking brought them to the shore of the lake.  Following this for another hour, they came upon the spot, where a little stream ran into the lake.

“Here we are,” Nat said.  “Fifty yards up here we shall find the canoe.”

They followed the stream up for a little distance, and then Nat, leaving its edge, made for a clump of bushes a few yards away.  Pushing the thick foliage aside, he made his way into the centre of the clump.

“Here it is,” he said, “just as I left it.”

The canoe was lifted out and carried down to the lake, and, taking their seats, they paddled up Lake Champlain, keeping close under the shore.

“We have had good luck, captain,” Nat said.  “I hardly thought we should har got out without a scrimmage.  I expect as the best part of the redskins didn’t trouble themselves very much about it.  They expect to get such a lot of scalps and plunder, when they take the fort, that the chance of three extra wasn’t enough inducement for ’em to take much trouble over it.  The redskins in the canoes, who chased us, would be hot enough over it, for you picked out two if not more of them; but those who started from the fort wouldn’t have any particular reason to trouble much, especially as they think it likely that those who were chasing us would get the scalps.  When a redskin’s blood’s up there ain’t no trouble too great for him, and he will follow for weeks to get his revenge; but, take ’em all in all, they are lazy varmint, and as long as there is plenty of deer’s meat on hand, they will eat and sleep away their time for weeks.”

By night, they reached the upper end of Lake Champlain, the canoe was carefully hidden away again, and they struck through the woods in the direction of Fort William Henry.  They were now safe from pursuit, and, after walking two or three miles, halted for the night, made a fire, and cooked some of the dried meat.  When they had finished their meal, Nat said: 

“Now we will move away a bit, and then stretch ourselves out.”

“Why shouldn’t we lie down here, Nat?”

“Because it would be a foolish thing to do, captain.  There ain’t no saying what redskins may be wandering in the woods in time of war.  A thousand nights might pass without one of ’em happening to come upon that fire, but if they did, and we were lying beside it, all the trouble we have taken to slip through their hands would be chucked clean away.  No, you cannot be too careful in the woods.”