"Well, tell us about it," said Yellow Wolf.
"Wait," cautioned Running Fox. "First we must pull this canoe into the bushes. Then we will go and sit down in the woods. See, Mauwallauwin is peeping over the trees. Pretty soon the river will be light. If we stay here in the open, perhaps our enemies will see us."
The others quickly saw the wisdom of his words. The moon was rising above the eastern ridges and they knew that they would soon become conspicuous on the open shore of the river. They dragged the canoe from the water and carried it into the bushes. Then they withdrew into the shelter of the forest. Fearful of making a fire, they seated themselves in a little circle and began to talk.
"My brothers, I will tell you about this thing," said Painted Hawk. "When we came to this place we began to look around for our enemies. We did not find them. Then we came down here near the water and began to look for signs. We saw some tracks around the place where the fire was. We saw the marks of canoes near the water. Then we began to look around. Pretty soon we found some tracks in the woods. Then we found some ashes and black wood behind a rock. We saw where some people had been lying down. Then Turning Eagle found something big. His eyes are sharp. He was looking at a place where some one had been lying down. Then he saw something to tell about. Come, Turning Eagle, tell our brothers about it."
"I will tell you about it," said Turning Eagle. "I was looking around that place where those people had been lying down. I was looking sharp. Then I saw something strange. It looked like it looks when our brother Wisawanik, the squirrel, pulls away the leaves. I looked close at that place. Then I saw some more marks on the ground. They were made by fingers. Then I thought about it. I said, 'Some one was lying down with his hands behind him.' They were in the middle of his back. They were crossed. Then I said, 'That person was a prisoner.' Then I called Painted Hawk and Crooked Foot to look at those marks. They felt good about it. That is all I have to say about it."
"Are you sure about this thing?" Running Fox inquired, eagerly.
"Yes," declared Turning Eagle. "I looked sharp. What I have told you is true."
"Come, we will go to this place," proposed Dancing Owl.
"No, we must not do that," Running Fox told him. "If we go to that place in the dark we cannot see anything. Perhaps we will wipe away many tracks. We must wait until the light comes. Then we will go and find out about it."
"This thing is mysterious," declared Yellow Wolf. "If the Mohawks caught Spotted Deer over here, how did we come to find his canoe on the other side of the water?"