"Ne'er a guess at all; I've had 'em fair at eyeholts," this as calmly as
if we had not been for ten long days pinning our faith to an ill-defined
trace of foot-prints. "Ez I was a-going on to say, they're incamped on
t'other bank ruther eenside o' two sights and a horn-blow from this. I
saw 'em and counted 'em: seven redskins and the two gals."

"Thank God!" says Richard, as fervently as if our rescue of the women
were already a thing accomplished. Then he fell upon the scout with an
eager question: "How does she look, Ephraim?--tell me how she looks!"

"Listen at him!" said the old man, cackling his dry little laugh. "How
in tarnation am I going to know which 'she' he's a-stewing about?
There's a pair of 'em, and they both look like wimmin ez have been
dragged hilter-skilter through the big woods for some better 'n a week.
Natheless, they're fitting to set up and take their nourishment, both on
'em. They was perching on a log afore the fire, with ever' last
idintical one o' them redskins a-waiting on 'em like they was a couple
of Injun queens. I reckon ez how the hoss-captain gave them varmints
their orders, partic'lar."

Dick was upon his feet, lugging out the great broadsword.

"Show us the way, Eph Yeates!" he burst out impatiently. "We are wasting
a deal of precious time!"

But the old man only puffed the more placidly at his pipe, making no
move to head a sortie.

"Fair and easy, Cap'n Dick; fair and easy. There ain't no manner o'