Day and night they were on their guard; the chirping of the small bird by day, as well as the hooting of an owl by night--either might be the feigned voice of a tomahawked enemy.

And as they approached St.Anthony's Falls, they had still another cause for caution.

Here their friends were to meet them with the fire water.

Here, too, they might see the soldiers from Fort Snelling, who would snatch the untasted prize from their lips, and carry them prisoners to the fort--a disgrace that would cling to them forever.
Concealed under a rock, they found the kegs of liquor, and, while placing them in their canoes, they were joined by the Indians who had been keeping guard over it, and at the same time watching for the soldiers.
In a few hours they were relieved of their fears.

The flag that waved from the tower at Fort Snelling, had been long out of sight.