Ned moved to the spot the scout had assigned him, and took up his position behind the trunk of the tree. Dick at once took a similar position, and motionless they waited for the coming of their enemies.
One, two, five minutes passed, and there was no sign of their coming.
Could it be that the scout had been mistaken? Though it was dark it was impossible that they should pass them without making their presence known.
Two minutes more passed and then a flood of moonlight poured down upon the spot.
So sudden did it come, that for a moment it almost blinded the eyes of Ned, with its brilliancy. But they became used to it in a moment, and glancing back along the way they had come, he saw a savage within two rods of him.
He was moving slowly forward, half-bent to the earth, seeking for their trail.
A better chance for a shot a man never had; and remembering the injunction of the scout, he raised his rifle and took deliberate aim upon the savage.
The next instant he pulled the trigger, and the sharp report of his rifle startled the echoes of the forest while the bullet sped on its deadly work.
It did it well, for the savage gave a leap into the air, and then fell forward to the earth, where he lay as motionless as a log.
Another instant, and a second report mingled its echoes with that of the first.