"My gracious! but that's good!" he exclaimed. "I was so wretched that I believe I would have gone wild if I hadn't been freed."
"Why didn't you gnaw 'em off?" said Gimp. "You've got good 'nough teeth to walk right through anything like dat."
"That may be, Gravity; but with my hands tied behind me, I couldn't very well get at them with my teeth."
"I didn't thunk ob dat—but you could hab fixed it easy 'nough."
"In what way?"
"Jes' stood on your head—dat was de way to reach 'em."
CHAPTER XLII.
It is idle to attempt to picture the feelings of Jake Golcher, when he learned from Mr. Brainerd, one of the captives, that Fred Godfrey had escaped but a few minutes before.
Weakly hoping there was some mistake, he turned to one of the Indians and demanded the truth. He got it in the shape of information that several of the fleetest warriors were hunting for the fugitive, and there was hope he would be brought in speedily.