"We must go fast," he said. "Perhaps the Shawnees are about to kill Spotted Deer."
The possibility roused the Delawares to frantic efforts and they sped through the woods with no thought of fatigue. Shortly after midday they came upon the place where the Shawnees had spent the third night. They saw the ashes from a fire, and they believed that the nearness of the village had made the Shawnees bold.
"Come, we must go faster," cried Running Fox, as he hurried on.
Darkness had already fallen when they finally stopped on the summit of a steep, wooded ridge. Then as they looked down into the valley on the other side, they suddenly discovered the fires in the Shawnee village. For some moments they looked in silence. They thought of Spotted Deer and their hearts filled with ominous doubts. Was he still alive?
"Well, my brothers, there is the camp of our enemies, the Shawnees," said Running Fox. "Pretty soon some of us will go down there and try to find Spotted Deer. If he is alive, we will take him away. If he is dead, I will rush into the camp and kill many Shawnees."
CHAPTER XIII
A STRANGE ALLY
The Shawnee camp was brightly illuminated by the glow from the fires, and the Delawares saw many people passing about. The Shawnees appeared to be engaged in their ordinary tasks, and there was nothing to indicate that anything of importance was taking place. The Delawares noted that the village was located beside a river. They saw the light reflected on the water.
"I have seen that camp before," said Yellow Wolf. "It is close by a big river. It is a long ways from the edge of the woods. The ground around it is bare. There are many high logs stuck in the ground around the village. It will be hard to get into it."