But his shot had aroused the camp; and now all the men, except the guard, came running to him, their rifles in their hands, excitedly calling to know what was the matter.
"Jest a suspicious hoot of an owl an' a movin' shader," answered Ham. "I reckon thar was one of them durned skunks a-hidin' in that clump of trees, a-callin' out some signal; an' I shouldn't be none s'prised if my bullet pinked him. Leastwise I thought I heer'd a smothered cry."
"Get torches and we will see," cried Mr. Conroyal excitedly. "Maybe you got him, Ham."
Thure and Bud hurried to the camp-fire and soon were back with blazing pine torches in their hands.
There were no hostile Indians in that part of the country, and they knew that Ugger and his gang could not be there yet in sufficient force to dare venture to attack them, so they did not fear to advance on the little clump of trees with lighted torches in their hands.
There were three small trees and the one large tree and a few low bushes in the clump. The ground around these was as carefully searched as was possible by the light of the torches; but not a sign of Ham's human owl did they find.
"Must have been a real owl after all, Ham," Mr. Conroyal said, as he was about to give up the search and to return to the camp.
But, at this moment, Thure uttered a startled exclamation and, bending quickly, picked up something from the ground and held it up where the light of the torches showed it plainly to all.
It was a little finger freshly severed from a left hand!
"Marked him! By gum, I marked him!" cried Ham exultingly.