"I thought there were only a few," Matthew interrupted him; "just a mere scouting party."
"There was originally," Fred continued, "but It seems as if they were joined by another scouting party, and there were even women with them. The Indians are shrewd and clever, much more than we white people think. While the main troop is going west, scouting parties are all over the woods, watching the movements of the whites, and killing off individuals or families as they find them. They are mopping up the woods, ridding them of the white foes. They are doing thorough work."
"But how did you escape?" Matthew asked.
"That wasn't hard," Fred answered; "as soon as they had taken me into the woods, I became very angry, and as well as I could I commanded them to remove the gag from my mouth. I spoke to them in the Pequot language, and this made an impression on them."
"How fortunate that we know that tongue!" Matthew exclaimed. "If I am caught, I know what to do."
"You never will be caught," Fred said emphatically; "I won't let you. If I hadn't been dreaming and forgetting the danger I was in, they never would have got me. But I learned a lesson."
"But tell me your story to the end," Matthew begged. "It is so interesting."
"Well," Fred started, "when they had removed the gag, I first fumed and scolded, much to their delight, for they kept on laughing as I rebuked them."
"I called them cowards who could do nothing else but seize little boys, and them unarmed. This amused them very much, and finally one after another stole away to the fire where the women were broiling large pieces of meat. Seeing that, I demanded food also, and at last an old squaw had pity on me and brought me a rich supply. Here is some of it; We may need it on our way. Lucky, that we have at least one musket! Mine the Indians took."
"But what then?" Matthew asked inquisitively. "How did you get away?"