keeping up with the longer strides of the warriors by occasional little
runs forward. The braves, their own heads full of their first campaign,
kept fingering lovingly the scalps at their girdles, and paid little
attention to her.

She stooped as if to fasten her moccasin, then, as their impetus carried
them a few feet ahead of her before they stopped for her to come up, she
darted like a flash to the left and had slid down into a little hollow
before they thought of starting after her.

It was now almost dark and her white fur was indistinguishable against
the snow below. Before they had reached the bottom, Pocahontas, who knew
every inch of the ground that was less familiar to men from her uncle's
village, had slipped back into the forest which skirted the fields the
pursuers were now speeding across, and was lost at once in the darkness.

Opechanchanough knew nothing of this escape. He meant to explain to his
royal brother how much mischief a child might do who was not kept at
home performing squaw duties in her wigwam. And Powhatan's favorite
daughter or not, Pocahontas should be kept waiting outside her father's
lodge until he had related his important business and had recounted all
the glorious deeds done by his Pamunkeys.

Now they had come to Werowocomoco itself, and the noise of their
shoutings and of their war drums brought the inhabitants running out of
their wigwams. As the Pamunkeys were an allied tribe, their cause
against a common enemy was the same, yet the rejoicings at the victory
against the Monachans was somewhat less than it would have been had the
conquerors been Powhatans themselves. However, Opechanchanough and his
braves could not complain of their reception, and runners sped ahead to