Page:Barbour--Metipoms Hostage.djvu/168

154 the boy did not know, but it answered, for the first savage, after a flow of high-pitched,  angry words, yielded grumblingly and moved  aside. David’s rescuer pointed to the trail sternly and David moved wearily away  toward the village. He realized that only fear of the sachem had caused the Indian to intervene, for there was naught of mercy or  gentleness in the brave’s harsh countenance. When David had gone a few paces, the first savage passed him swiftly and took the lead,  and so they went for a way, the boy’s limbs  trembling with weariness and his feet dragging. Then the leader turned from the trail and entered the forest and the journey became vastly more difficult. Once, surmounting a fallen tree, David toppled across it and rolled to the ground beyond, and would have  stayed there gladly had not the second savage threatened him with his knife. He staggered to his feet again and toiled on. Presently they came to a brook and he made signs that he was thirsty and they allowed  him to drink. That put new strength into his body and he made better progress. He believed that they were taking him back to the cave, and from that argued that the reason  for his banishment from the village, what-