“How long do you expect to stay here, Deerfoot?” inquired Joseph after several moments of silence. The Indian was cleaning the last fish and he made no reply until he had finished. The task did not consume much time, however, for the Pottowattomie was an expert in this art. He laid the fish upon a flat stone with the others, wiped his knife clean and then answered Joseph’s question.
“Where are we going?” demanded Joseph and Robert in one breath.
“Dixon’s Ferry!” exclaimed Joseph. “Why, that’s a long distance from here.”
“I know,” agreed Deerfoot. “We go there. Soldiers there, too.”
“Is that so?” cried Joseph in surprise. “You mean soldiers sent against Black Hawk?”
“Yes,” said the Indian. “Governor Reynolds send soldiers.”
“How do you know all this?” inquired Robert doubtfully.
“Me know,” replied Deerfoot shortly. He did not like to have his statements questioned, and immediately lapsed into silence. He ignored any further remarks on the subject made by either of the brothers, and busied himself in his preparations for the meal.
He quickly brought dried birch logs from inside the cabin and a moment later had a cheerful fire blazing. The wood he used did not smoke, so that any danger on that score was removed. As soon as the fire was well under way he seized the captured duck, holding it by its head with one hand and by its feet with the other. A moment later all of its feathers were singed off by the fire and he soon had the wild fowl skillfully prepared for cooking.
Before long a splendid bed of coals had collected and in these Deerfoot placed the fish. The duck he spitted on a sharp stick and soon the savory smell of cooking food reminded the young pioneers how hungry they were. When the perch were done they were rolled in corn meal and quickly disappeared down the throats of the three fugitives. When the duck was eaten and the fire extinguished they settled back against the side of the cabin, feeling very much at peace with the world, in spite of their precarious position.
“Not dark for long while,” said Deerfoot. “Boys better sleep.”
“What?” exclaimed Joseph. “You don’t think we can sleep all the time, do you? I feel as if I never wanted to sleep again.”
“That may be so, but I can’t sleep now, that’s sure. How do you feel, Bob?”