"Not with their horses. They can cross over to the brook, and follow that, which will lead them to their village, eight miles from here."
"Very well; I think we shall be able to capture a good portion of them as soon as the other force closes upon them."
"I will go over to the island now, though I should like to stay and see how the thing is coming out."
"Of course there can be no doubt of the result. I think we have already convinced them that it is not safe to shoot down white men."
I glanced at the ground in front of the works, where many of the savages were still writhing in the agony of their wounds. It was a sickening sight, and I turned away from it. The soldiers were standing up, and gazing at the bloody field. I walked down the road towards the place where I had left the horses.
"Hyer, boy!" shouted a voice on the other side of the river, which I at once recognized as that of Kit Cruncher, though I could not understand how he happened to be here.
"'Tain't nobody else. Hev you nary a boat over thar?"
"Who's that, Phil?" asked Mr. Jackson, calling to me from the fort.
"Kit Cruncher; the man who guided the other force."
"Tell the leftenant I want to speak to him, boy. I hev a message from t'other officer."
I went back to the fort, and delivered the message of Kit. The soldiers had some rubber army boats, which they carried with them to use in crossing streams. A couple of men were sent to prepare one of them, which was launched, and I paddled it across the river.
"I heerd the firin', boy, and the battle has begun," said Kit, as he seated himself in the bottom of the boat.
"We fired only one volley at them, and that was all they would stop to receive."
"Yes, Mr. Gracewood's twelve-pounder. It knocks down everything before it."
"I see it does. I was on t'other side of the Fish when the job was done, and I see it all. I did my part, too; for I shot one Indian I know."
"But where is the other party of soldiers?" I asked.
"They ain't more'n three miles from here; and I cal'late, when they heerd that big gun, they begun to hurry up."
We landed, and I conducted Kit to Mr. Jackson, to whom the hunter delivered a written order.
IN WHICH PHIL SEES THE CONCLUSION OF THE WAR.
"We expected this fight earlier in the day," said Lieutenant Jackson, as Kit and I appeared before him.