Camp-fire and Wigwam
ilderness, which stretched hundreds of miles in almost every direction from the little settlement of Martinsville. Both he and Otto had a
g remarkable in such a proceeding, and the fact that he did not do so, gave ground for the beli
anywhere in the neighborhood during the late storm, traces of him must be found without much difficulty. But one of the easiest
y direction. Looking to the eastward, Otto fancied he could detect the gleam of the distant Mississippi, but Jack assure
ew his handkerchief across his perspir
, when we sat around the fire and talked it over; but of c
" replied Otto, with a meaning shake of his
think it his duty to refrain from showing the contemp
umor which he sometimes displayed, "I doesn't di
nd, to feel specially impressed by the scene which would have held any one else enthralled
rleton, whose gaze abruptly rested on a poi
smoke of a camp-fire was seen climbing toward the blue sky. The scene on which the boys looked was similar to that which met
e wavy outlines no further. At the point already named, and in the lowest portion of the intervening country, a camp-fire was burning. The smoke, as it filtered upward through th
ountry, but the vapor from the camp of some body of men who were not making the slightest att
o necessity for stationing a sentinel on the
atural question had presented itself at the same moment. It
d see for ourselves," said Jack, after they h
horse is with
gged his
n whether they are Indians or white men, and I don't know as it makes much difference one way or the other, for our own horse thieve
pected remark of Otto; "if he was only a colored man
to do something, and we can't
and almost bounding steps. While they had much curiosity, and a somewhat singular misgiving, y
o much interest, and the sun was close to meridian when Jack, who was
t be far
wice when they were able to catch a glimpse of it through the tree-tops. Jack's exclamation was caused by ano
e fire itself could be observed, though the smok
he natural query of Otto, as he pla
ll keep on, until we
nds out vot
ll see-
care as if they were scouts entering the camp of an enemy. It would have been ras
nks I goes around the oder side w
ound out the consequence of separating when in danger. Y
onded Otto, obeyi
rsons stretched on the ground in lolling, indolent positions, while some were sitting on a fallen tree, and two were engaged in broiling some venison, which evidently was meant to furni
o which they belonged, but inasmuch as it was apparent they were neither Shawanoes nor Hurons, he w
ustomed to meet on the other side of the Mississippi. The poetical American Indian is far different from the one in real life. It is rarely that a really handsome
nce. Their eyes were smaller, more piggish, and further apart, their cheek-bones more prominent, the foreheads lower a
aintance, the lads stood side by side, each with the stock of his gun resting on th
ves must have been visible to the red men had they chosen to cast their searching glances towards th
ext ten minutes. Two of the warriors, leaving their rifles where they were leaning against a fallen tree, leisurely rose and sauntered into the woods,
k, in a guarded voice; "shall we go
an see, and I dinks dot we better
to believe yo
ng his rifle with an iron grip, snatched it from him. At the same instant, a precisely similar movement deprived Otto Rel