"Gracious! is that you, Curtiss? Come on—but who have you got there?"
"I do not know what her name is, or where she came from; but I do know that she has done a good job for me, that I will not soon forget. She crept to my side about an hour ago, and cut the thongs with which I was bound to a tree, and probably saved me from getting roasted."
Then the scout looked at her as well as he could in the dim light, but she did not speak.
"She is no Blackfoot," he said, "and she is too good looking for a Sioux. Tell you what it is, Curtiss, I believe she is a white girl! How is it, girl, can you speak the language of the pale-faces?"
"Yes," replied a low, sweet voice, "I am Nu-le-la, the sister of Red Pine, the Sioux chief."
"The dickens, you are! Well, Curtiss, you and I are in luck, no matter who the young lady is. But, if she is a Sioux we will have to keep her close, or she will betray us to her brother. There will be a loud rumpus when they find out you are gone."
"Just listen! They have found it out already," said the Indian girl. "Let us leave here, for Red Pine will have a hundred braves upon our path as soon as the light comes, and he can be cruel when he chooses!" Loud yells could now be heard far down in the valley.
"Did you conceal your trail when you came here?" the scout asked of Curtiss.
"No," he replied, "we came as fast as we could, and had but one thought—that was to get away as fast as possible."
"Then they will have no trouble in following your trail when daylight comes, so the best thing we can do is to get out of here as soon as possible. I found a cave one day when I was out hunting, and not far from here. If I can only find it again, we will be all right. We have a few hours the start of them, so I guess we can find shelter before they can find us. Come on, now, and be sure and keep in a line directly behind me," said Kelly, as he entered the stream leading his horse. "And another thing," he continued, "you must be careful and not break any of the bushes along the bank, nor leave a footprint in the sand!"