“What’s the matter?” exclaimed Tom, staring about him as though he had just awakened to a sense of his perilous condition. “The Blackfeet are after you.” “Where?” “Everywhere,” replied Hammond, somewhat excitedly; “there are two or three coming up the stream, and several coming down. They are trying to surround you, and if you remain here five minutes longer, you are a dead man.” “I ain’t killed quite so easy as that,” said Tom, somewhat sullenly. “Ef thar ar’ any red-skins that ar’ goin’ to make a dead man of me, jest fetch ’em along; that’s what’s the matter.” “Follow me, and don’t wait an instant,” commanded Hammond, fairly seizing upon him. Instead of running either up or down-stream, the young man led the way to the high, steep side of the valley, which was thickly wooded, and extended full five hundred feet upward from where they stood. Up this the two hounded like goats, half crawling and climbing through the wood and undergrowth, until, panting and almost exhausted, they reached the high ground above, where they paused awhile to gain their breath before proceeding further in this dangerous territory. They had penetrated such a distance that they were effectually concealed from the view of whatever Indians there might be in the valley below, although, of course, the red-skins could easily follow their trail. They stood a moment in silence, and then, when they had recovered their breath, Hammond placed his hand familiarly upon the shoulder of the trapper, and said, earnestly and kindly: “Tom, you are an old hunter, and know more of the red-men and their ways than I do, but that doesn’t signify that you are in no need of counsel. I was wandering through this section, when I discovered your danger. It was not the situation of your body, so much as it was the condition of your mind. You had found gold, and were so excited over it, that a Blackfoot might have slipped up behind and tomahawked you. I saw it, and I got you up here, that you might recover your senses. There is gold down there--plenty of it; hunt carefully and you will find, but don’t look down all the while--LOOK UP!” CHAPTER VIII. THE LOVERS. Hammond felt that he had done his duty. He had awakened the trapper to a sense of his personal danger, and that was enough. Without waiting for his reply, he moved rapidly away, taking a direction that led toward the Meagan village. When he had gone a few hundred yards, a close scrutiny would have revealed that he was following a path--a very slight one, it is true, but still sufficiently defined to show that it was familiar to him. On he walked, until he had traversed fully a mile, when he paused and began carefully to examine the bushes that overhung the path. Suddenly, he found a leaf that was twisted in a peculiar manner, and instantly his face brightened. “She is coming! she is coming!” he exclaimed, to himself, after he had carefully examined it a moment.