"Ay, an' had speech with him." "Where is he?" "In a lodge near Thayendanega's, an' until to-night there has been no great danger he would be tortured, as I believe because of the sachem's promise that he shall not be killed." "How did you get to speak with him?" I asked, in surprise. "Within three hours after leavin' you I was hereabout, an' saw him. That night I crept through the village undiscovered, for even the dogs failed to bark at me, I know not why, an' there talked with my father as I now talk with you." "If you got away, why could not he have done the same?" I asked, surprised that Jacob should have succeeded in making his way among the lodges. "I urged him to make the attempt, but he claimed that there was no hope we two could leave the village undiscovered. First he was bound hand an' foot, an', although I might have cut my way through the lodge to release him from the fetters, he forbade it because of the risk, sayin' I must not endanger my life on account of mother, an' insistin' that at some future time escape would be more easy than then. He ordered me to go home at once, providin' I could not find you, an' I would have done so this night but for the battle of the mornin'." "Why did that stop you?" I asked. "Surely you had no part in it?" "No; but the savages were so infuriated that I feared even Thayendanega himself would be unable to prevent the wretches from leadin' my father to the stake, therefore I remained on watch. Three prisoners have been murdered in a most barbarous manner, but yet he was left unmolested in the lodge. Have you somethin' to eat?" I took from my pocket all the food remaining, and the lad devoured it like one famished, whereupon Sergeant Corney asked: "Have you had nothin' to eat since we left you?" "I gathered some roots an' berries, but not enough to satisfy my hunger." "An' yet you would have stayed here longer in danger of starvation?" "Ay, until havin' satisfied myself that father was as safe as one can be who remains in the power of such as are encamped here. Did you come for no other purpose than to find me?" "Nothin' more," I said, not minded to let him know that if he could show any reasonable chance of rescuing Peter Sitz it was our purpose to give him aid. "Where have you been all this while?" "That is too long a story to tell now," Sergeant Corney interrupted. "If the savages are not likely to do more than dance from now till mornin', we may as well find a shelter in which to spend the morrow, an' then I'm of the opinion that the three of us had best make tracks for Cherry Valley, as Jacob's father advised." As he ceased speaking, Sergeant Corney would have led us out of the thicket; but Jacob whispered, softly: "Not half a mile away is a small cave--no more than a hole in the hillside, an' there we may remain hidden durin' the hours of daylight." "Lead the way, an' we will follow," the old man said, in a tone of command, and straightway Jacob did as he was thus ordered.