"Let me see," Valentine said.
Don Cornelio handed him a moccasin, which the hunter examined attentively for several minutes.
"Hum!" he then said, "this is serious. Where did you find it?"
"On the river bank."
"What do you think of it, chief?" Valentine said, turning to the Araucano.
"The moccasin is new—it has been lost. Curumilla has seen numerous trails."
"Listen," Don Louis said quickly. "Tell no one about this discovery: we must distrust everything, for treachery is hovering around us, and threatens us from all sides at once. While I strengthen our intrenchments under pretext of a longer stay here, you, brother, will go out to reconnoitre with the chief, and assure yourself of what we have really to fear from the Indians."
"Be quiet, brother: on your side, keep a good watch."