It required considerable force to push open the door, because the water had swollen the wood; but by putting their shoulders to the task in unison the boys finally managed to swing it inward. Then they entered, and looked around, holding their very breath in an agony of suspense. The cabin had several inches of mud on the floor, and its appearance would have struck dismay to the heart of the neat housewife, had she seen it just then. But Bob and Sandy were not thinking of this. They let their eyes roam all around the room, seeking a sign of the well-remembered little box in which their mother kept those small articles she prized; and which had also been the receptacle in which the wampum belt had last reposed. But only blankness met their view. The little box was surely gone; and if, as they suspected, those bold intruders had been the French trappers, Jacques and Henri, then it was apparent that finally the fortunes of war had placed them in possession of the article which they would prize more highly than almost anything else that could be found--the belt decorated with the little shells, and known as wampum, which was marked with the signet of the great war chief and sachem, Pontiac, and would protect its possessor against the fury of the confederated red men of the wilderness. CHAPTER XI DANIEL BOONE, THE PILOT OF THE SETTLERS "WELL, that settles it!" said Sandy, disconsolately, as he looked at his brother. "The box is certainly gone," replied Bob, trying not to show his feelings more than he could help, because he felt sure Sandy must be close to the breaking-down point. "And we'll never see our fine belt again," continued the other. "I wonder if the chief would feel like giving us another, in case he learned of our losing this one?" "I'm afraid that's out of the question," Bob returned, with a shake of his head. "In the first place, how could we hope to see Pontiac, when by now he may be many hundreds of miles away from here, for he belongs up near the lakes, where the Pottawottomies have their lodges, along with the Sacs and the Chippewas? Then again, even if we dared take that adventurous journey, and escaped all the perils of the wilderness, perhaps Pontiac would believe he had done all he should for us, and refuse to hand over another belt. I'm afraid we'll never set eyes on that wampum again." "Unless," remarked Sandy, with the sanguine nature of youth, "those trappers should strike out for the trading posts along the Mississippi, and we'd happen to run across them, some time or other. And I can tell you this, Bob, if ever I do meet with either of those rascals, I'm bound to make him hand over our property." "I believe you would," declared Bob, his own eyes snapping as he saw the look of determination on the face of his brother.