"I hear somebody approaching!" cried Dave, when they were still a mile from the fort.
They came to a halt and the horses were driven behind some brushwood that bordered the trail. Then they heard a shout in English, and there followed the appearance of three cows, driven by a tall, gawky youth of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in homespun.
"Hello there, Si Lee!" cried Dave. "Bound for the fort?"
Being addressed so suddenly made the boy jump. He had a shotgun with him, and this he swung around in awkward fashion.
"Who's thet a-callin' o' me?" he bawled. "Speak, or I'll fire on ye, sure ez taters is taters!"
"Don't get excited, Si," went on Dave, with a smile. "It's only Dave Morris. Our whole family is bound for the fort."
"Oh!" Si Lee looked much relieved. "Got the alarm then, eh? Ain't it terribul, now! They say the Injuns is a-goin' to murder every white man in these parts! Wish I was in Philadelphy, don't you?"
"Where are your folks, Si?" asked Mr. Morris.
"Pap's coming with Dick an' the things jest behind me. Marm, she's to Annapolis on a visit. Dock Haven brung the news. He had a stiff fight with some o' the Injuns over to Deer Springs. He heard the Injuns was a-marchin' on Fort Pitt, an' Venango, an' Detroit, an' all over."
"Did he hear anything about the trading-posts on the Ohio?" asked Dave, quickly.