"They aren't from around here," commented Dick Dare to his companion. "That dialect of theirs is a sort of a mixture as far as I can make out and there isn't much of it I remember."
"But I don'd see why we should be kept standing here all morgen, und my arms are all reatty beginning to drop off from such long holdings up of the hands."
"Better to keep them up than to have them fill us full of lead for lowering them," replied Dick, who was trying with but slight success to make out the Indians' conversation.
"What you boys want?" asked the chief, finally, when the boys were about ready to drop their hands and take the consequences.
"Want to go with our friends, the red-men, and reach other side of big water," replied Dick. "We are your friends and would like to take canoe and paddle with the great chief and his people."
The red-man was evidently flattered by Dick's speech, and after motioning to the boys to lower their hands, which Fritz did with a groan, he turned to two of the canoe parties and indicated that the boys might seat themselves in the center of the light crafts and help paddle them.
It was a long paddle across the bay and it was fortunate that the day was a calm one, or they would never have attempted the trip. As it was, it required several hours of hard paddling to reach the distant shore, and all the party gave grunts of satisfaction on arriving safely.
The Indians were aware of the proximity of the British troops when they started out, and that was their reason for going over to the opposite shore.
The squaws of the tribe all scuttled away into the woods to start their cooking, it being the custom amongst the red-men to have the women do most of the hard work. The braves drew the light birch canoes from the water and prepared to make themselves comfortable while waiting for their meal.
"You should a few lessons take from dot tall fellar," said Fritz, stretching his arms.