"Come, lads, we have to creep for it." They made their way very slowly on hands and knees away from the lake, Willet leading and Tayoga bringing up the rear.

It was hard and painful work for Grosvenor, but again he succeeded in advancing without noise, and he began to think they would elude the vigilance of the savage scouts, when a sibilant whisper from Willet warned them to fall flat again.

His command was just in time as a rifle cracked in the bushes ahead of them, and Grosvenor distinctly heard the bullet as it hissed over their heads.

Willet threw his rifle to his shoulder but quickly took it down again.

The Indian who had fired was gone and a little puff of smoke rising above the bushes told where he had been.
Then the five crept away toward the right and drew into a slight hollow, rimmed around with bushes, where they lay hugging the earth.
"Our course took us almost directly into the path of that fellow," said Willet, "and of course he saw us.