"And how came father and mother to miss them?"
"Jes' before reachin' the spot they turned out of the trail and went round it. It war powerful hard work pickin' thar way with thar horses among the trees and round the rocks, but they managed to do it, and did not come back to the trail till they war a half mile this side the spot whar the varmints war waitin' for 'em."
"And ye mustn't forgit," said Larry, "that the spalpeens warn't looking for thim, but for us."
Wharton's eyes kindled with pride at this proof of the wisdom of his parents. It made clear that which had been mystifying to him.
"Bein' as your folks had done that," continued Kenton, "why, I thought it only perlite to do the same."
"Why didn't Blazing Arrow and the others wait for us to come?" asked Wharton.
"They got tired, though an Injun has more patience than a white man; but they begun to think that mebbe they war too late after all, and they set out to meet you."
"But you say that we are close to the second place, that is to the ravine where I got my rifle back from Blazing Arrow."
This was the first reference the fleet-limbed youth had made to his great race with the Champion of the Shawanoes, though he had told almost everything else. Remarking that the parents were safe for the present, Kenton demanded an account of the contest, and expressed the greatest delight, declaring that he would have swapped his favorite rifle for a powder-horn could he have stood where he might have witnessed the wonderful burst of speed on the part of the youthful runner.
But Wharton was impatient. All his thoughts were with the folks; and though quite certain, from the words and manner of the scout, that there was no cause for immediate alarm, he could not be denied fuller information.
"We are near the second place that you say would be used by the Shawanoes for ambush. Have the folks passed that yet?"
"No, they ain't two hundred yards off from you this blessed minute."
Wharton bounced from the ground and could hardly repress a cheer in the excess of his delight.
"Why, Kenton, didn't you tell me this before?"
"Some distance back along the trail; I give a signal to your father and he waited for me to come up. I told him the varmints had sot the trap close to the swampy spot that he had sarcumvented, for I had seen their tracks along the trail, and, onless they came trottin' after us, we must look out for that ravine next. It's purty hard work sarcumventin' that, but, leavin' them to do it, I sneaked back hyar to keep a lookout for the varmints."