"THERE is the big water, Dick!" said Roger, in the ear of his cousin, as he chanced to peer through a narrow opening in the dense woods beyond. "And the chief has called a halt, which looks as though we were not to go any further just now," Dick added. They could catch a glimpse of what looked like an inland sea. The wind was raising whitecaps on the tops of the waves, as they rolled past toward the south. As far as the eye could reach the same broad expanse of clear crystal water lay. The Indians did well to call it the "big water," though to-day it is marked on the map as Yellowstone Lake. A spy was sent out while the remainder of the party remained in hiding. This was about an hour from sundown. He came back as the last glow was fading in the western sky, and there was a consultation between the chief and his leading warriors. "Try to find out how the land lies, and what the plan of campaign will be," Dick told Mayhew. The guide returned presently with all the information they required. "As near as I can tell," he explained to the boys, "the spy brings in the news that the Blackfeet have mostly departed, and only the four Frenchmen are left in the camp." "But I hope they have left Jasper behind also," exclaimed Roger, taking fresh alarm. "You remember we were told by Lascelles that he meant to try to get the Indians to carry him far away to their village, and either adopt him into the tribe, or else burn him at the stake." "Make your mind easy on that score," Mayhew assured him. "Then he is still in the camp?" asked the boy. "Yes, the spy saw him there, tied to a tree," Mayhew continued. "One of the Frenchmen gave him a kick in passing, like the coward that he is. I used to believe the French were gentlemen, but my opinion has changed." "Oh! you must not judge all Frenchmen by these rascals," said Dick. "They are of the bad kind. Perhaps Jasper will be glad of a chance to return that kick with interest before sun-up." "And if he doesn't, I will!" asserted Roger, impulsively, for he hated a coward and a bully above all things. "What does Beaver Tail mean to do?" Dick asked. "I think his first act will be to send the spy back again, so as to keep track of what is going on in the French camp," Mayhew told him. "Then at a later hour all of us will creep over and surround the place. Any Blackfeet who may be found are apt to be given a short shrift, because they are the mortal foes of the Sioux; but I do not believe the traders will be harmed, unless they should be unwise enough to shoot one of Beaver Tail's warriors." Shortly afterwards Dick saw the same skillful scout go forth, and he knew that Mayhew had guessed the truth when he said a close watch was to be kept over the camp on the lake shore.