The Talker thrust his gun into the hands of the unarmed Indian, and making a dash at Chap, he seized him around the waist just as he was about to rush out into the open. “That no way to fight,” he cried. “You be shot.” Encircling the boy with his strong arms, he held him back. Then, speaking to one of the other Indians, he told him to peep out and see how matters stood. The Indian quickly reported that the men were in the boat, and had their guns levelled at the shore. “Bad rascals,” said The Talker. “Goin’ to try kill somebody and keep boat. You hold him,” continued The Talker, giving Chap into the custody of one of the other Indians, “and we go fix ’em.” Taking his gun again, The Talker and two of his companions stepped to the edge of the woods, where each immediately slipped behind a tree. “Let me go!” cried Chap, while struggling with the Indian who was holding him. “I’m captain of this party, and you’ve no right to keep me back.” To this appeal the Indian made no answer, but Held on vigorously to the wrathful boy. “There went three of ’em behind them trees,” said Adam. “I know they’re Indians by the way they move, and they’ve got guns. The white fellers are keepin’ back.” “That’s because we’ve got their guns,” cried Phil, from the cabin. “They’d do it anyhow,” said Adam,--“the cowards! These Indians’ll be bad customers and hard to hit. Don’t fire if they don’t come out, and keep yourselves as well covered as you kin.” The Talker now shouted from behind his tree,-- “Come ashore! Give up boat! We let you off!” The impudence of this demand exasperated the boys, and Phil, now strengthened by excitement and his meal of cold meat and crackers, sent back a shout of defiance. But Adam exclaimed,-- “Keep quiet! ’Tain’t no use to waste breath on ’em. Let’s see what they’ll do next.” Again The Talker shouted that if they didn’t get out of that boat, and give it up, he and his men would come down and take it. “All right!” said Adam to the boys. “As long as they stick behind them trees, we couldn’t hit ’em, even if ’twas daylight, but if they rush down on us we can fire at ’em as quick as we please, and the law’ll stand by us, for we’ve got a right to fight for our property when there’s nobody to do it for us. So let ’em come, if they want to.” But the Indians behind the trees did not seem inclined to do anything in a hurry. They might have fired at the people on the boat, and, perhaps, have hit them, for they were not perfectly protected, nor were their defences bullet-proof; but although these Indians, in this wild country, were, in a measure, outside the pale of the law, they knew that to deliberately shoot human beings, who had so far offered them no violence, would be very much like a murder. They had not expected to meet a party so well armed, and ready to protect themselves, for they had expected to rush in between the marauders and their stolen boat, and, by their superiority and numbers, to effect a speedy victory.