"We shall not dare sleep much to-night," declared Mr. Armstrong. "You see, my boys, we have been busy, and our few possessions are already done up, ready to be carried to higher ground, if necessary--which we hope may not be the case." Then came Pat O'Mara, always a welcome guest at the Armstrong cabin; for he had always shown himself one of their best friends. "Sure, there be some av the settlers who make light av the direful news Blue Jacket brings, becase, ye say, 'tis only an Injun that fetches the same," the trapper remarked, after he had greeted the rest of the family, and joined the circle. And then with the boys ate heartily of the food Mrs. Armstrong had placed before them. "A strange thing happened since you left home," remarked the owner of the cabin, as he reached out, and, picking something up, laid it on the heavy table, scoured snowy white by the hands of the good housewife. Sandy uttered a cry of astonishment. "Why, look at that, will you?" he exclaimed. "It must be another of those strange warnings we have been getting for a long time past, though we can never understand who sends them, for I can see the same figures marked here on the birch bark that we settled before meant those rascally French trappers." "Yes," said Bob, who was closely examining the little roll of thin bark, almost as light as a feather; "I am sure you are right about that, Sandy; and these two creeping figures must be our enemies, Jacques and Henri, the brother of the dead Armand. But where did you get this, father?" "Your mother and myself were talking here late in the afternoon, when Kate came and told us she had heard a strange sound from the direction of the roof, just as if some one had thrown a stone. I went out, expecting to find that those small boys of the new settler, Seth Smalley, had been pelting each other again; but, when I looked, no one was in sight. Then, chancing to cast my eyes upward toward the roof, what was my astonishment to see an arrow sticking there, to which was attached that little roll of bark. So I climbed up, and possessed myself of the whole. I do not much doubt but that this unknown friend, who has several times tried to warn us about those bad men, the French trappers, is again sending a message which is intended for you two boys." "What does he seem to say this time?" asked Sandy, as, with his brother and the Irish trapper, he bent over the scroll which was being held open in the extended fingers of Bob. "Here is a cabin, which must be meant for our own home," commenced Bob; "because, you see, it has a little flagstaff fastened to the top in front. Well, two creeping figures are coming toward the cabin. One of them holds something in his hand, which I can hardly make out, but it may be a burning brand. Yes, it surely is, for here you can see smoke curling up from the side of the cabin."