it need not be said that fred godfrey improved his opportunity to the utmost.

having eluded the senecas who were so close behind him, it was not likely he would run any risk of being caught on their return. in fact, he might have considered himself beyond danger, and yet the narrowest escape of all occurred only a few minutes afterward.

anxious to gain the utmost time possible, he was picking his way with great care, when he stepped upon a stone that turned under his foot, and he narrowly escaped falling.

immediately he caught a birdlike call near him, and his quick wit told him it was a signal from one of the warriors searching for him.

fred made an abrupt turn, and going a rod or two, halted precisely as before—that is beneath a large tree, and stood close against the trunk.

and standing thus, he noticed the same sound once more, this time answered from a point directly behind him.

he could do nothing but stand still, and he knew how to do that equal to a living statue. only a few yards in front was an open space, where the moonlight revealed objects without exposing himself to observation.

thus it was that the youth detected two indians, who came out of the wood on the other side and stopped, as if they were posing for inspection. they talked for some minutes in their own tongue, gesticulating earnestly and then walked toward him.

he quickly shifted his position to the other side of the tree and peered around, but, when they came into the shadow, nothing could be seen of them.

"i believe they know where i am," thought he, "and are amusing themselves at my expense."

such seemed to be the case, for once more the red men stopped and were actually within reach of him. since the arms of the latter were still fastened behind him, it can well be understood how he dreaded discovery, his chief fear being that the painful throbbing of his heart would betray him.

but the good fortune that had attended him on the other side the river did not desert him now. the senecas hovered about him only a minute or two and then moved away, this time taking a direction that led toward the camp-fire—an indication that they had given up the pursuit.

pausing only long enough for them to pass beyond hearing, fred resumed his flight, with the same care he had used from the first.

he was now more hopeful than ever, but almost instantly received another warning that it is never safe to shout until you are "out of the woods."

he judged he was fully two hundred yards from the camp-fire which he had left so hurriedly, when he found himself in such darkness that he once more stopped until he could gather some idea of his location and of the points of the compass.

listening closely, he caught the gentle flow of the small waterfall and of the susquehanna on his right, from which direction also came the occasional reports of guns and the shouts of indians. this convinced him he was facing south, and that his back was turned toward his friends.

it was no pleasant discovery to find the same ominous sounds proceeding from his own side the river; but, having left them in such a situation, this alarming fact was scarcely noticed.

"the first thing for me to do is to get these withes off my arms and wrists," he said, poking around with his feet for some sharp-cornered stone. "i've stood this—"

to his dismay, a figure approached in the gloom. there were just enough scattering rays of moonlight to show it, and its movements made certain the fact that he (the stranger) had discovered him.

"i shall have to use my feet," was the thought of fred, as he braced himself; "and i will give him a kick that will do something—"

"am dat you, leftenant?" came in the form of a husky whisper, as the figure stopped a few feet away and tried to peer through the gloom.

fred godfrey almost shouted with delight, for the question revealed the identity of gravity gimp.

"thank heaven!" was the exclamation of the young man. "i hadn't the remotest idea of meeting you, gravity."

"let's shake on it," chuckled the african, groping forward with his huge palm, which he shoved into the face of the pleased fred, who said:

"if you'll be kind enough to cut these bonds that hold my arms immovable, i'll shake both hands."

"of course; where am dey?" asked the equally happy negro, poking around with his immense jack-knife. "i'se so glorious dat you mus' 'scuse me if i cut off de wrong things. i can't hold myself. dar, i knowed it!" he added, slashing away; "dat's your leg dat i have hold of, and i do b'leve dat i've cut it half off. begs pardon, leftenant, and i'll hit it after a while."

but no such blunder had been committed, and, under the manipulation of the jack-knife, the withes that had bound the arms of fred godfrey were speedily cut, and he swung his hands about and sawed the air with great relief.

"my gracious! but that's good!" he exclaimed. "i was so wretched that i believe i would have gone wild if i hadn't been freed."

"why didn't you gnaw 'em off?" said gimp. "you've got good 'nough teeth to walk right through anything like dat."

"that may be, gravity; but with my hands tied behind me, i couldn't very well get at them with my teeth."

"i didn't thunk ob dat—but you could hab fixed it easy 'nough."

"in what way?"

"jes' stood on your head—dat was de way to reach 'em."