“A great fish leaping might have spattered it.”

“There was no wash against the rock from any fish-swirl.”

“Then you believe that there is a canoe ahead of us going with the current?”

“An hour ahead—­ less, I think.”

“Why an hour?”

“The sun is low; the river boulders are not hot.  Water might dry on them in an hour or less.  These drops were nearly dry, save one or two where the sun made them shine.”

“A careless paddle-stroke did it,” I said in a low voice.

“No Indian is careless.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, Loskiel, that the boulder was splashed purposely, or that there are white men in that canoe.”

“Splashed purposely?” I said, bewildered.

“Perhaps.  The Black-Snake had the river watch—­ until you changed our stations.”

“You think it might have been a sign for him from possible confederates.”

“Maybe.  Maybe clumsy white men.”

“What white men?  No forest runners dare range these woods at such a time as this.  Do you mean a scalping party of Butler’s men?”

“Maybe.”

We had been walking swiftly while we spoke together in low and guarded tones; now I nodded my comprehension, sheered off to the right, took the trail-lead, replacing the Stockbridge Mole, and signalled the nearest Oneida, Grey-Feather, to join Mayaro on the left flank.  This made it necessary for me to call the Wyandotte into touch, which I did; and the other Oneida, the “Night-Hawk,” or Tahoontowhee, closed in from the extreme outer flank.

The presence of that canoe worried me, nor could I find any explanation for it.  None of our surveyors was out—­ no scouts had gone in that direction.  Of course I knew that we were likely to run across scouts or scalping parties of the enemy almost anywhere between the outlet to Otsego Lake and Tioga Point, yet somehow had not expected to encounter them until we had at least reached the Ouleout.

Another thing; if this phantom canoe was now within an hour of us, and going with the current, it must at one time have been very, very close to us—­ in fact, just ahead and within sight of the Wyandotte, if, indeed, it had not come silently downstream from behind us and shot past us in plain view of the Black-Snake.

Was the Wyandotte a traitor?  For only he could have seen this.  And I own that I felt more comfortable having him on our right flank in the forest, and away from the river; and as I notched my trees I kept him in view, sideways, and pondered an the little that I knew of him, but came to no conclusion.  For of all things in the world I know less of treachery and its wiles than of any other stratagem; and so utterly do I misunderstand it, and so profound is my horror of it, that I never can credit it to anybody until I see them hanged by the neck for it or shot in hollow square, a-sitting upon their coffins.