They did not find him in any of the wigwams, and when Captain Morgan made inquiries of an old Indian, who had remained behind with the squaws and papooses, and who could speak a few words of English, he was informed that neither of the white young men who had been at the torture stake the night before, and had escaped, had been recaptured. Captain Morgan was somewhat relieved to hear this. But he was still anxious regarding the fate of Dick. He felt that the youth had gotten into danger of some kind.
The soldiers buried the Indians that had been killed, carried the wounded ones into the wigwams, and left them there for the squaws to doctor up. Then the soldiers again set out, with the intention of trying to locate Dick Dare, and rescue him, if he had fallen into the hands of another party of Indians.
They made their way slowly through the woods, and spread out, fan-shape, so as to cover as large a territory as practical. If Dick were anywhere in that part of the country, they would find him, they were certain.
But although they put in the rest of the day, practically searching for Dick, they did not find him, nor did they encounter any Indians. It is likely that the redskins had heard about the attack on the village, and kept out of the way.
Ben was greatly worried about their failure to find Dick or learn anything regarding his whereabouts. He was worried, too, about the whereabouts of Tom. He and Dick had started out to look for Tom, and had themselves been made prisoners, had very nearly been burned at the stake, had become separated in their flight from the redskins, and now Dick’s whereabouts was not known. Thus both the Dare boys were missing, and their friends feared that both were in serious trouble, somewhere, though where, was the difficulty.
“Perhaps we may find Dick to-morrow,” said Ben.
“Sure an’ Oi hope thot we may foind ’im, Ben,” replied Tim Murphy. “It’s a foine bye Dick is.”
“Yah, Dick and Tom are both fine poys, alretty,” said Fritz Schmockenburg. “Und I hope dot ve find dem to-morrow.”
“Oi wish we could foind thim as aisy as ye can foind woildcats whin standin’ guard, Fritz,” chuckled Tim, and then he told Ben the story of how Fritz had heard a noise, thought the Indians were coming to attack the camp, and had fired a shot and rushed into the encampment, yelling that the Indians were coming, and that when they had gone and looked at the point where Fritz had fired the shot, they had found a dead wildcat.
Ben laughed, and then said: “Well, if it had been an Indian, you would have settled his account, Fritz.”