"And now all we have to do is to get our bearings, and make a fresh start for the river; isn't it?" continued Roger, anxiously. "That's all, Roger," he was assured. "And already I feel that we are on the right course, so we'll keep along as we're going now." "But the fight seems to be over with," added Roger. "At any rate all the yells have stopped. I wonder whether the Dacotahs whipped, or were overpowered by their foes? Though for that matter we care mighty little how it turned out." "Since neither of them were our friends," Dick admitted, "we had no interest in the outcome of the forest battle. It was a case of dog eat dog with us; and I only hope we'll run across no more of the red rascals until we rejoin our party." "How far do you mean to go before stopping, Dick?" Roger was getting a little tired when he asked this question. They had both had a hard day of it, beside the standing for several hours in a cramped position tied to the trees. "I think we ought to keep on for at least an hour more," Dick told him, "even if it does pull hard. By then we'll have reached a point where the Indians who turn out to be victors can hardly find us in the morning, even if they happen to bother making the search. So keep up your spirits, Roger, for we've got a heap to be thankful for." "I'm sure of that, Dick, and I hope you didn't think I was complaining just now. You'll find me good for an hour's tramp in the dark, or two of them, for that matter. Then for a few hours' sleep before day breaks." "It may be the storm will swoop down on us before then, and force us to change our plans. So, after a while, we must keep a lookout for some sort of shelter, such as a hollow tree. It wouldn't be the first time we have lain in such a snug nook when the rain was coming down in bucketfuls." "I should say it wasn't!" declared Roger, and from that time on he seemed to have picked up a new supply of energy, for he uttered no further complaint as he struggled on at the side of his companion. No matter how slowly the minutes passed, Roger realized that the conditions were vastly different from what they seemed earlier in the night; when tied to that tree the gloom around him was no thicker than the state of his feelings. Dick finally came to a halt. Perhaps the hour had not fully passed, but he believed they had put enough ground behind them to feel safe. Besides, he had made a discovery that he fancied ought to be utilized. Either the night had grown lighter, as though the moon might have arisen, and was shining back of the heavy clouds, or else the eyes of the boys, in growing accustomed to the darkness, allowed them to see things better. "I've noticed several trees of good size as we came along, Roger," he told his chum; "and if only we can find one that is hollow, we need go no further until morning." At that the other laughed as though pleased.