“Oh, that’s the reason. Wal, ye jest take the hide off’n this yer beast, an’ we’ll go out an’ ’tend to the others. When ye git it off, holler to me, an’ I’ll show ye how to git the hump an’ marrer-bones.” They left him and proceeded to the place where the other animals had fallen. Soon they were busily engaged in stripping the skins from the game, and cutting it up for the convenience of carriage, as Ben well knew how. In the mean time Jan worked away quietly, taking off the skin in a way which none but a professional could do, and singing in a low tone. As he stooped over, something fell at his feet. He picked it up. It was an arrow, stained red on one side, and the other scoured white as snow. Jan stood with the missile in his hand, looking this way and that, not knowing whence it had come. The shape was peculiar: the head was double, and of polished steel, flattened as thin as a knife-blade, and as flexible. Jan went to the edge of the woods and called Ben. He started at the sight of the weapon, snatching it out of the Dutchman’s hand and looking at it with an intentness which the others could not understand. CHAPTER VI. THE MESSAGE. Jules and Jan waited for the trapper to speak. They knew by the expression of his face that the arrow meant something more than any ordinary shaft. “What does it mean?” at length asked Jules. “Ye don’t understand Injun signs. Look at the color--one half red, the other half white. That’s clear Injun. It says ez plain ez a man could speak, ‘Git out of this an’ we won’t hurt ye. Stay hyar an’ blood must flow.’” “How do you know that?” said Jan. “I don’t see nottings like that on the arrow.” “Course ye don’t. Wal, _I does_. That red half of the arrer means war. The white half sez thet they don’t car’ to kill us, an’ ef we go away quietly it’ll be all right. But ef we _stay_, they’ll kill us. Whar did ye stand when the arrer fell, Jan?” “I vas skinning te puffalo.” “Yes, so ye was. Wal, thet’s all right, I guess. The chap is hid som’ers about yer, an’ I’m gwine to hev him out. Scatter an’ s’arch the woods.” Jan did not like the idea of going alone through the woods, and he followed close on the heels of Ben. “Git away,” said Ben. “None of thet. I want ye to git used to takin’ car’ of yerself an’ ye must do it. I said _scatter_!” Jan reluctantly went away and began to search. Ben glided from tree to tree, bending forward like a hound on the trail. He found at last a place where a moccasined foot had trod. The footmark was small and delicate. “A gal or boy, by gracious!” said Ben. “Look sharp; I’ve found him.” The others rushed to his side. The trapper stood at the root of a tree which in some way had been torn up by the roots, leaving a cavity below. Before this cavity Ben stooped and looked in. A single glance showed him an Indian boy, crouching in the darkest corner. “Come out hyar,” he said.