What this opportunity was like, and what astonishing things they met with on the long and dangerous journey, I have endeavored to describe and set down between the covers of this present book. I trust that you will enjoy reading it fully as well as you did the preceding volumes; and that at some date in the near future we may meet again in the pages of still another story of boy pioneer life. HARRISON ADAMS. _April 15th, 1914._ [Illustration] [Illustration] CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE PREFACE v I. TWO BOYS IN A DUGOUT CANOE 1 II. THE HOLLOW TREE REFUGE 15 III. A SHADOW OVER THE HOMESTEAD 27 IV. THE CABIN OF BOB ARMSTRONG 38 V. A GRAND PALAVER 48 VI. BAD NEWS 58 VII. OFF ON THE GREAT JOURNEY 68 VIII. THE TRACK OF THE MARKED HOOF 76 IX. ALONG THE BANK OF THE MISSOURI 86 X. THE TWANG OF A BOWSTRING 98 XI. "ALL, OR NONE!" 110 XII. THE HIDDEN CAMP 122 XIII. ON THE BILLOWY PRAIRIE 134 XIV. THE BUFFALO STAMPEDE 148 XV. SAFE IN THE TIMBER 158 XVI. THE PERILS OF THE WILDERNESS 169 XVII. A CLOSE CALL 181 XVIII. BROUGHT TO BAY BY THE WOLF PACK 195 XIX. THE LOST RIVER 207 XX. CASTING BREAD UPON THE WATERS 217 XXI. THE PICTURE WRITING ON THE BARK 227 XXII. CAUGHT IN A RIVER TRAP 237 XXIII. THE RISING WATERS 247 XXIV. A BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT 257 XXV. THE VILLAGE OF THE MANDANS 270 XXVI. STRANGE SIGHTS 286 XXVII. AT THE SALT-LICK 299 XXVIII. RUNNING ELK, THE SIOUX CHIEF 311 XXIX. A DESPERATE SITUATION 328 XXX. THE DAWN BREAKS--CONCLUSION 337 NOTES 351 [Illustration] [Illustration] LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS