It was well that he did so, for at that very instant he descried the dreaded Blackfeet. They were of gigantic size and grotesque shape, as viewed dimly through the glassy sheet that intervened, but they were Indians unmistakably, and three of them were standing upon the very rock from which he and Little Rifle had made their leap but a few minutes before.
“I always believed that when a fellow traveled over the rocks he didn’t leave any trail behind him,” thought Harry, as he stealthily viewed the red-skins; “but it does seem that you can’t hide yourself from those Blackfeet. I shouldn’t wonder, now, if they have been tracking the canoe through the water, and have come down below the falls to pick up the trail again.”
But second thought convinced the lad that the Indians must be aware of the existence of this “Cave of the Winds,” and that they must have discovered some traces of other parties being there. He could see their arms sawing the air, and moving about in a way that showed very clearly that they, too, were using the language of signs in the presence of the thunderous noise.
“I do believe that they are discussing the question as to who shall take the first leap,” thought Harry, as, stretched flat upon his face, he anxiously watched their movements. “And what do they want to come here for, unless it is to gobble us up?”
A very natural conclusion, under the circumstances, and Harry concluded that if such were really the case, it was high time that they should take some precautions to stave off the peril.
He had no gun with him, and it was not in the nature of things that he should consider himself equal to the task of grasping with a sinewy Indian, most probably in the prime of life.
So he looked about to see what had become of Little Rifle.
CHAPTER XI.
THUNDER ALL AROUND.
There stood the daring young trapper, directly behind him. He, too, had recalled the danger, and was at bay, holding his rifle, cocked and grasped, ready to discharge the instant it should become necessary.
Both of the lads were saturated with water, for besides their recent plunge into the river, there was a damp moistness in the air, like a copious dew, that would have rendered their garments dripping with water, supposing they had been dry at the time they entered this Cave of the Winds.