The Indians, their suspicions lulled, had put out no sentinels, and all were asleep.

But the five knew that, at the first shot, they would be as wide awake as if they had never slept, and as formidable as tigers.

Their problem seemed as great as ever.

So they lay in the bushes and held a whispered conference.
"It's this," said Henry.

"We want to save the woman and the children from the tomahawks, and to do so we must get them out of range of the blade before the battle begins." "How ?" said Tom Ross.
"I've got to slip up, release the woman, arm her, tell her to run for the woods with the children, and then you four must do the most of the rest." "Do you think you can do it, Henry ?" asked Shif'less Sol.
"I can, as I will soon show you.