"Prudence!"
"Prudence!" the young man repeated, in a tone of painful reproach; "look there!"
"I have seen," replied Trangoil-Lanec, "but my brother will look in his turn," he added.
And he pointed to a dozen Indians, who, awakened by the cold of the night, or perhaps by the involuntary noise made by the two men, in spite of their precaution, rose and looked suspiciously around.
"That is true!" Louis murmured, quite overcome. "Oh, my God! Will you not come to our aid?"
The chief took advantage of the momentary prostration into which his friend had fallen, to lead him back a little, so as to avoid increasing the aroused suspicions of the Indians.
"Still," the young man exclaimed, "we shall save them, shall we not, chief?"
The Araucano shook his head.
"At this moment it is impossible," he replied.
"Brother, now that we have recovered their track, which we had lost, they must be saved."