Bob felt his pulses thrill. Was this some friend of the prisoners, and did he mean to try to effect their release? Then why pick out the cabin where Sandy, Kate, Mr. Armstrong and the little mother slept, in total ignorance of the peril that seemed to hover above their heads; unless, as seemed possible, he knew not where the captive Frenchmen were confined. And it added to Bob's anxiety when presently he made the alarming discovery that the silent creeper was a painted and feathered Indian! Waiting until the creeper had bent low near the door of the cabin, Bob launched himself forward. He landed full upon the other's back. There was an involuntary grunt from the Indian, and a twisting of the lithe figure; but either the savage did not wish to resist violently, or else he realized the folly of trying to get away from the strong clutch of the young pioneer, for he almost immediately relaxed his muscles, and remained there, limp enough. Meanwhile Bob's cries had brought forth, not only his father and the rest of the family, but everybody in the settlement. They came crowding around, the men with guns, ready to defend their families against a possible attack of the treacherous red foe. Great, therefore, was the surprise of the men when they learned how Bob had captured the creeping Indian, whose actions would indicate that he must have had some base designs upon the Armstrong cabin. His arms had been hastily secured by one of the men; but he now stood calmly before them, apparently scorning to show any desire to flee. Pat took one look at the prisoner, and uttered an exclamation of amazement. "By the powers, now!" he cried, "and who would be afther expectin' to say a Delaware brave as far away from his home country as this wan?" "A Delaware!" echoed Sandy, in his turn pushing forward, to stare in the face of the prisoner; and then he, too, gave a cry. "Bob, look here, and tell me if this isn't that same young brave we found with his foot caught in a crevice of the rock, and nearly starved to death?" And the astonished Bob, after coming closer to the prisoner, agreed with his younger brother. "Yes, as sure as you live, it is the young brave who said at the time when we set him free and gave him meat, that his name was Buckongahelas, and his father a chief of the Delawares. Oh! now we know who sent those warning letters written on birch bark. Just as we guessed more than once, it was he. That was the Indian way of showing gratitude; and he has even followed us all the way to the Mississippi, in order to again help us. It is the strangest thing I ever knew." "But, if he is your friend, what was he creeping up to the door of your cabin for?" demanded Mr. Wayne, who did not trust the Indian nature any too well, and found it difficult to believe that any redskin could feel gratitude. Sandy was already unfastening the thongs that held the arms of the Delaware behind his back; and he answered indignantly: