“It’s not so much that I doubt the value of the grant,” said Jack. “But the Creeks claim this whole region; and it would be a hard thing to make good a claim of white ownership, no matter how small the tract. The whole tribe’d be down on you like a landslide before you’d know it.” “But the government would back me up. The grant is a perfectly honest one; the land was once purchased from the Indians by the French government, which granted it to the man who transferred it to my father. Upon the United States purchasing the control of this territory from Napoleon a few years ago, our government recognized all legitimate claims of this sort; so there should be no real trouble.” “Maybe not in the courts; but, as I said before, the Creeks will be sure to have a word or two to say.” As the young Tennesseean spoke, Running Elk, who was reclining upon the ground beside the fire, lifted his head. From across the stillness of the night there came a dull, throbbing sound. “War drum!” said the Cherokee; and the hands of all three reached for their weapons. CHAPTER II THE COMING OF TECUMSEH The three youths stood there, at their lonely camp-fire, in the heart of the Muscogee wilderness, with darkness all about them, listening to the steady, monotonous beat of the drum. “That’s kind of a new thing to me,” said Jack Davis. “Sounding a war drum must be a new fashion, eh, Running Elk?” “Heap big medicine!” replied the young Cherokee. “Big war! Much pow-wow!” Jack kicked apart the embers which made their small fire; then he trod them out after the manner of an experienced woodsman. Frank Lawrence, after a space of listening, said: “There is something unusual in that sound, then, is there, Jack? Out of the ordinary?” “Never heard it before except in an Indian village when some kind of a ceremony was going on.” “Before I left Richmond,” said Frank, and there was some concern in his voice, “the newspapers were full of Indian news; reports of all sorts were going about; it seems that the savages had finally put their heads together, and were planning a league of tribes to resist the advance of the white man.” “Yes; we’ve had the leaders of that thing down here,” said Jack. “But the movement was not among the tribes here on the southwestern border.” “Ugh!” said Running Elk; and there was that about his exclamation which said he was not quite sure upon the point in question. “Suppose,” said Frank, “we leave our horses tied here, and move a little nearer to the Indian camp. There may be something going on that will be worth knowing.” “All right,” agreed Jack, willingly enough. “I’m always curious to learn what the reds are up to myself.” So the boys saw to their mounts, and the pack animal; then with their long rifles in the hollows of their arms, and Running Elk with his bow ready strung and his quiver of arrows handy for use, they moved quietly forward in the direction of the now intermittent sound.