“It’s a bad scrape. I wonder what sort of odds we have against us in the matter of escape.” “Hush!” said Jack, in a low warning tone. The three Creek warriors detailed as their guards were moving up and down, silently; they were armed with spears and hatchets and knives, and appeared to be a surly, suspicious trio indeed. “Hello, I say, Red Stick,” said Jack to one of them. “I’d like a drink of water.” The guard spoken to looked at him uncomprehendingly. “Ugh!” spoke he, and went on in his slow pacing to and fro. “All right,” said the young borderer, “you, then,” to a second, “could you get me some water?” This savage shook his head and said something to the third guard in the Muscogee tongue. But that brave also seemed puzzled, and growled impatiently like a bear that had been disturbed. Two or three times more Jack tried them; then being satisfied by their manner he said, in a relieved way to Frank: “I guess you can go on with what you were saying. None of these fellows speaks English.” “Here we are in the middle of them all,” said the young Virginian, his eyes going about the camp with its hundreds of prostrate and huddled forms, “and as we have no notion about what to-morrow is going to bring us, it would be best, I think, to begin counting our chances of getting away.” “The only good chance is in General Jackson’s coming up with the army,” said Jack. “But,” and like Frank, he allowed his gaze to go about the sleeping camp, “I’ve heard of men’s escaping from Indian villages with as many chances against them as we have.” “Who knows?” spoke Frank, hopefully. “We may be as lucky as they.” “You never can tell what might turn up,” said Jack, his voice colored by the hope he caught in that of his comrade. “Let’s look into the prospects a little.” Again there was a silence. The guards paced up and down with lagging steps, the sleepers were as motionless as logs; from the depths of the woods came the calls of night birds and the occasional howl of a timber wolf. The fires had grown a dull red; through the thick of the trees a crescent moon was sending pale trails of light. “Just across from me,” said Frank, who faced the north, “is the sleeping place of one whom I take to be a chief. Maybe he’s the commander of the whole band. At any rate, all our things have been put in his charge, rifles, horses and all.” “Huh!” said Jack, thoughtfully. “That’s interesting.” He seemed to consider the proposition for a moment, then added: “But, tied up as we are here, I don’t see what good it will do us.” “Suppose we were not tied up,” said Frank. Jack caught at something in the tone which caused a thrill to shoot through him. “What do you mean?” he asked, in a hushed way. “My hands are untied,” said Frank. “I’ve been working at the thongs for the last half hour. Keep still now; I’m going to see what can be done for yours.”