Having settled this, Joe returned to the tent and informed his
comrades of his success.
During the next three days Joe kept the Indians in good-humour by
giving them one or two trinkets, and speaking in glowing terms of the
riches of the white men, and the readiness with which they would part
with them to the savages if they would only make peace.
Meanwhile, during the dark hours of each night, Dick managed to
abstract small quantities of goods from their pack, in room of which
he stuffed in pieces of leather to keep up the size and appearance.
The goods thus taken out he concealed about his person, and went off
with a careless swagger to the outskirts of the village, with Crusoe
at his heels. Arrived there, he tied the goods in a small piece of
deerskin, and gave the bundle to the dog, with the injunction, "Take
it yonder, pup."
Crusoe took it up at once, darted off at full speed with the bundle in
his mouth, down the shore of the lake towards the ford of the river,
and was soon lost to view. In this way, little by little, the goods
were conveyed by the faithful dog to the willow bluff and left there,
while the stuffed pack still remained in safe keeping in the chiefs
tent.
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