It was about the middle of the afternoon when one of the men declared that he felt sure he had heard the distant report of firearms, and what seemed to be faint yells, from some point down the river. Of course this excited everybody aboard the flatboat, from the oldest man down to the children, who were of an age to appreciate the perils by which they were constantly surrounded. Some little time afterwards there was a cry raised that a man had been seen running over an elevation on the shore, and hotly pursued, it seemed, by the Indians. Mr. Armstrong, realizing that perhaps another crisis was impending, ordered that the women and children should remain in the shelter of the cabin, while the rest crouched on deck, awaiting the turn of events. "I see him now!" cried Sandy; "and, sure enough, he's pushing for the river as fast as his legs will carry him." "And there come the savages chasing after him," declared Bob. "There, now one stops, and sends an arrow, while another fires his gun; but he still runs on, and I do not think they could have hit him, because he keeps dodging this way and that all the time, to make them miss." "Begorra, now, p'raps they don't be afther wantin' to hit him," suggested Pat, who was with the others, watching the stirring scene. "Oh! he means that this may only be another trick of the Indians, meant to get us to draw in closer, so that the rest, who are hidden among the bushes, can pour in a volley, and then rush the boat," Sandy burst out. "And this time, make yer mind up," said Pat, grimly, "av I have rason to belave the omadhaun is only a turncoat a-tryin' to lure us in to be kilt, I've a good mind to knock him over, as he desarves." "I'd go very slow about that, Pat," advised Mr. Armstrong. "For what would ye be sayin' the likes av that, sor?" asked the trapper, moving his long-barrelled rifle up a little further, as though eager to begin operations right away. "You can see that he's jumped into the water now, and is wading boldly out, as though he meant to swim out to us when we come along. There, he stands up to his middle in the river, and levels his rifle. Did you see that savage fall when he fired? Does that look as if he was a renegade, Pat?" "Arrah! if we only _knew_ that the hathan were kilt, I'd belave ye, sor; but they do be sindin' in a hape of shots in return; and look at the water splash around his head as he swims away. Some of the balls do be strikin' mighty clost, it sames to me." "Yes, too close to be fired at a friend and ally," Mr. Armstrong went on; "and I am positive they were meant to bring him down. There, he shakes his fist at them now, and laughs, as though he did not know the meaning of the word fear." "It seems to me I have heard that laugh before," exclaimed Sandy, eagerly. "Right ye are, laddy," said Pat, suddenly rousing himself, and lowering his gun.