The youths acted instantly. They leaped out from the midst of the piles of wood, and turned and ran with the swiftness of the wind in the opposite directions from where the Indians were dancing and singing.
Then the smoke lifted and the redskins caught sight of the vacant positions so recently occupied by their intended victims. Instantly their singing changed to wild yells of rage and chagrin, followed by war-whoops, and then the braves dashed in among the trees, in pursuit of the fugitives.
Dick and Tom did not see anything of their rescuers. In fact, it was so dark, in the midst of the timber, now that they were away from the light of the fires, that they could not see anything, and they had to run at random. In so doing, they ran against trees, through clumps of bushes, and stumbled over fallen trees, but managed to make pretty good headway, even under such circumstances. And they were urged on by the wild yells of the pursuing redskins, who were wild with rage because of the inexplicable escape of their intended victims.
The youths kept together, and plunged recklessly onward. They were determined to escape, if possible, for they realized that to be recaptured would be to be again fastened to the trees and burned to death. The Indians would keep them surrounded, next time, likely, and thus prevent them from escaping again.
On the two youths dashed, through the underbrush, and suddenly Dick felt emptiness beneath his feet, and went plunging downward, alighting on hard ground with a thump, his head struck something hard, causing him to see a lot of stars and flashing meteors, and then he knew nothing. He had been knocked senseless by the fall.
Ben, running swiftly, did not miss his comrade at once, but when he had gone perhaps fifty or seventy-five yards farther, and no sound of Dick running near him came to his hearing, he stopped, listened a few moments, and then called out, cautiously:
“Dick! Oh, Dick! Where are you?”
The sound of the shouting of the pursuing Indians came to his hearing, but although he listened intently, he did not hear any reply from Dick.
“Where can he be?” Ben murmured, anxiously. “Can anything have happened to him?”
Ben stood there a brief moment, called again, and then, not receiving any response, he set out through the forest as fast as his legs could carry him, and that, with a pursuing foe of savages determined upon his life, was pretty fast. His idea and hope was, that Dick was still hastening onward, and that he would escape from the disappointed redskins.