"Pst," Fred warned him, "you and Agnes are talking too loudly and excitedly. I am afraid that these woods have ears, as the Dutch say. Let's get away from here." Fred was right. The children had not seen the Indians who, hidden behind the trees, observed every movement they made. So of this they were unaware, and in a moment they disappeared in the thick bush, drawing their horses after them. The Indians did not disturb them, for they knew that they could not escape, though they were not many in number, since they constituted only a scouting party, left behind the main body which had moved west to come back from the south and thus surprise the white men. As soon as the children had hidden their horses, they sought a small cave which they had discovered the year before, and here they held a council. "First," said Fred, "let us kneel down in prayer; for if the Lord will not guide our thoughts, we shall never escape." They prayed fervently, as people do who are in great trouble, and closed their devotion with a Lord's Prayer in unison. "And now you wait here, till I return," Fred said; "but don't make any noise. I must find out whether our boat is still here." He slipped away from them, carrying his rifle, but avoiding every possible noise. "How clever Fred is!" Matthew said; "I wish I could be like him. But I fear I can never overcome my fright on expeditions such as these. I was not born to be a soldier." Agnes smiled. "The Lord has wisely not made all people alike," she said; "some He wants to be soldiers, other ministers, and others statesmen. Each has his peculiar gift. But oh, how I wish that I had been born a boy! I don't mind this at all." Matthew looked at her with surprise. "Aren't you, too, a bit afraid?" he asked her "It seems to me as if you really enjoyed this kind of frolic." Agnes looked at him seriously. "Indeed," she said, "I do not, for I hate war. War is of Satan, and peace is of God. It is dreadful that People should kill each other, and this for the sake of money and gain. Had these Indians been treated kindly, they never would have gone on the war path. But the English traders deceived them, and the Dutch incited them to blooodshed. So here we are!" "It _is_ a pity," Matthew said; "and what a fine Sunday school we had! The children could sing, and praise Jesus as well as the white people. There is no reason why they should not be true Christians, every one of them. It is the fault of the white men, as you say. I deeply regret that there are rascals who disgrace our religion." Agnes did not answer. Her eyes were riveted to the entrance of the cave where she anxiously watched the fading light of day. "It is getting to be night," she said, "and I am hungry as a bear. I wish Fred would come."