“What was that?” cried Robert. He immediately seized his rifle and held it ready for instant use. Deerfoot, too, was instantly alert.
“Red!” The call was repeated. It was John Mason’s voice and Robert recognized it at once. The little band of scouts were not more than thirty or forty yards distant so that conversation could easily be carried on.
“Come back as quickly as you can!” shouted Mason. “I think there are two Indians stealing up on you through the long grass.”
“We’d better hurry, Deerfoot,” he exclaimed. “They say some Indians are creeping up on us here. We can’t waste any more time.”
“We wasted some listening to Mason,” Joseph remarked.
“I know it,” cried Robert impatiently. “Wouldn’t you think he could see that we were starting when he yelled at us? We’ll have to hurry more than ever now. Come on, Deerfoot,” he urged, and once more he bent down and grasped Joseph by his ankles.
“What’s the matter, Deerfoot?” he exclaimed angrily as the Pottowattomie made no move to help him.
Just at that moment, however, Deerfoot snatched his tomahawk from his belt and hurled it with all his force.
Robert wheeled instantly to discover the cause of Deerfoot’s action. He was not a second too soon, for, as he turned, a tomahawk whizzed past his head, missing him only by a few inches. His sudden movement had saved his life.
As if springing from the ground itself, an Indian bore down upon him. The redskin was scarcely ten feet distant when the startled boy first caught sight of him. On he came with knife upraised, shouting his war whoop. Fury was depicted in every line of the Indian’s countenance. Robert had his rifle in his hand, but, he had no time to take aim, so swiftly did his enemy charge. Instinctively, however, the young volunteer started to raise the gun to his shoulder. He realized at once that he would not have time to take aim, and accordingly before the barrel was above the level of his hips he fired.
Even at so short a distance the bullet went wild. The report of the gun, the flash and the smoke checked the Indian momentarily, however, and this check undoubtedly saved Robert’s life. Following the discharge of the gun, almost instantly Deerfoot hurled himself through the air upon the body of the onrushing Sac. The two men came together with a thud and a moment later they were struggling on the ground.