This was something of a shock, for he had thought there was nobody but his party in the neighborhood.
"Smoke!" he exclaimed.

"Go down as fast as you can and tell the boys not to make a fire." When Drummond went off Thirlwell sat down and watched the smoke.

It got plainer, and rose in a thick blue cloud when the mist rolled away.
Somebody was cooking breakfast and the volume of smoke indicated a large fire.

It looked as if there were a number of men to be fed, and Thirlwell had not expected to find Indians near the spot just then.
After a time, the smoke died away and he went back to camp, but told Agatha nothing about what he had seen.

When breakfast was over he took one of the _Metis_ and plunged into the bush.