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Indians,” said Jessie. “Do they mind? Are they old?”
    “No, they don’t mind. They like it. Yes, one of them is very old. He has lived there all his life. Loves to talk.”
    “Ho-hum,” said Benny looking at Henry.
    “That’s what I say too,” said Henry softly to Benny. “You mean the old Indian might give us a clue?”
    “Maybe,” said Benny, smiling to himself.
    Henry paid for their dinner, and they all went off up the road.
    “Joe,” began Jessie, excitedly, “maybe this old Indian has heard of Bill, long ago. We can ask him.”

    Soon they could see an Indian girl sitting on the steps of an old house making a basket.
    “My, doesn’t she work fast!” said Alice. “See her fingers fly.”
    “I wish I could learn to do that,” said Violet.
    “You can. I will teach you,” said the Indian girl who had heard every word. “It is not hard at all. See, I have just started this basket. See—I go in and out, over and under, with this sweet grass.”
    The girl worked slowly so that Violet could see what she did. Soon she held out the basket. “You try it now,” she said.
    Violet took the basket, and soon her clever fingers were going in and out, over and under, just as the Indian girl had done.
    “Wonderful, Violet!” said Alice. “You can do anything with your fingers.”
    “Yes, she can,” said Henry smiling. Then he thought surely Benny would say something about his sister Violet as he always did.
    He looked around. But Benny was nowhere to be seen.
    “Oh, where is Benny?” he called.
    “Benny! Ben- ny!” shouted Joe as loud as he could.
    But there was no answer. Benny had disappeared.

CHAPTER 12
    A Hunt for Benny
    I t was true. Benny was not there.
    “Oh, what has happened to Benny?” said Jessie, beginning to cry.
    “Now, don’t let’s get upset,” said Joe’s strong voice. “I think I know what has happened. Benny has gone off by himself to find the hermit. He hasn’t been gone long, and we can surely find him. Don’t you cry, Jessie. We’ll go and hunt for him.”
    “Wouldn’t we save time by asking Jim?” asked Henry.
    “Right,” said Joe. With that, they all ran back to Jim’s Place.
    Jim came to the door when he saw them running toward him.
    “We’ve lost Benny!” cried Jessie. “You know which way to hunt, don’t you? We think he went to find the hermit and surprise us.”
    “Well, now,” said Jim, “the first thing, don’t you get scared. We’ve got Indians here in Old Village that can find anything in these woods. The little boy hasn’t been gone long. Did you ask the little Indian girl to help you?”
    “Oh, dear,” said Violet. “I forgot all about the Indian girl. I just dropped the basket and ran. We all did.”
    “Better go back, then,” said Jim. “I’ll go with you. Rita is a better guide than I am. She can walk in the woods and never make a sound.”
    When Jim told Rita, she stood up at once and looked sharply into the woods. “I saw the little boy at first,” she said. “But I did not notice when he went. I’m very sorry. We’ll start this way.”
    Rita leaned over and looked at a bush. “Yes, I think he went down this path. Keep right behind me. It is easy to get lost in these woods if you get off the path.”
    It was a strange sight—six people walking behind the Indian girl in a straight line down the path. Sometimes it seemed as if there were no path at all.
    Jessie walked just behind Rita. Soon she said, “Rita, Benny would never know this was a path. He may have gone off it long ago.”
    “No, he couldn’t, a little boy like that,” said Rita. “He couldn’t get through. This is the only way he could go. He went this way all right. I can see where he stepped, and this is the way to the old hermit’s cabin.”
    On they went, over rocks and stones and branches.
    “Now, call him,” said Rita, turning around.
    Henry put his hands up like a cup and called “Ben- ny! ”
    Then Joe did the same.
    They all listened. There