“We have fooled those warriors,” laughed Running Fox.
“I could have sent an arrow into them,” said Spotted Deer.
“That would have been very foolish,” Running Fox told him. “Perhaps you would not have killed them, and they would have gone back and told their people what had happened. No, we are in a dangerous country, and we must not let them know about us. If they see us it will be hard to get near their camp. The fox does not jump at the bear when he steals to his lodge for meat.”
“That is true,” agreed Spotted Deer. “Well, I will be very cautious.”
“Pretty soon those warriors will come back,” said Running Fox. “We must watch sharp.”
As the evening shadows were settling upon the forest the Mohawks returned with the missing canoe. They passed close to the shore, and the Delawares had a splendid view of them. They saw that the faces of the canoemen were streaked with black.
“Those warriors are painted for war,” said Running Fox, after the paddlers had passed from hearing.
“Yes, I saw the black marks across their faces,” replied Spotted Deer. “Who are they going to fight?”
“I do not know,” Running Fox declared, uneasily. “We must find out. Perhaps they are getting ready to fight our people. We will follow them.”
They waited until they felt sure that the Mohawks were a safe distance ahead of them, and then they left their hiding place, and followed cautiously up the river. They soon came in sight of the canoes, and trailed them until darkness finally blotted them from sight. Then the Delawares were puzzled. They had expected the Mohawks to stop at the end of the day. The fact that they still continued their journey made the lads believe that they were either in a great hurry, or else were making toward some familiar camp-site near at hand. The latter possibility induced the Delawares to follow on the trail. They hurried along within sound of the water, straining their eyes to catch the warning flicker of a camp-fire. However, as the night wore on, and they failed to get any trace of the mysterious canoemen, the Delawares began to realize that they were exhausting themselves in vain.