"The boat is still on the shore, but neither my uncle nor the Quarter-Master is anywhere to be seen."

"No kill, or June would see.

no shame for pale-face."

Hide away! Red man hide;

"It is not the shame that I fear for them, but the opportunity. Your attack was awfully sudden, June !"

"Tuscarora!" returned the other, smiling with exultation at the dexterity of her husband. "Arrowhead great war

rior!"

"You are too good and gentle for this sort of life, June; you cannot be happy in such scenes!"

June's countenance grew clouded, and Mabel fancied there was some of the savage fire of a chief in her frown as she answered:

"Yengeese too greedy-take away all hunting groundschase Six Nation from morning to night; wicked king-wicked people. Pale-face very bad.”

Mabel knew that, even in that distant day, there was much truth in this opinion, though she was too well instructed not to understand that the monarch, in this as in a thousand other cases, was blamed for acts of which he was most probably ignorant. She felt the justice of the rebuke, therefore, too much to attempt an answer, and her thoughts naturally reverted to her own situation.

"It can

“And what am I to do, June?" she demanded. not be long before your people will assault this building." "Block-house good-got no scalp."

"But they will soon discover that it has got no garrison, too, if they do not know it already. You, yourself, told me the number of people that were on the island, and doubtless you learned it from Arrowhead."

"Arrowhead know," answered June, holding up six fingers to indicate the number of the men. "All red men know. Four lose scalp already-two got 'em, yet!"

"Do not speak of it, June; the horrid thought curdles my blood. Your people cannot know that I am alone in the block-house, but may fancy my uncle and the Quarter-Master with me, and may set fire to the building, in order to dislodge them. They tell me that fire is the great danger to such places."

"No burn block-house," said June, quietly.

"You cannot know that, my good June, and I have no means to keep them off.”

"No burn block-house. Block-house good; got no scalp." "But tell me why, June; I fear they will burn it!"

"Block-house wet-much rain-logs green-no burn easy. Red man know it-fine t'ing-then no burn it to tell Yengeese that Iroquois been here. Fader come back, miss block-house, no found. No, no; Indian too much cunning; no touch any thing."

"I understand you, June, and hope your prediction may be true; for as regards my dear father, should he escapeperhaps he is already dead, or captured, June?"

"No touch fader-don't know where he gone-water got no trail-red man can't follow. No burn block-houseblock-house good-got no scalp."

"Do you think it possible for me to remain here, safely, until my father returns?"

"Don't know

back."

daughter tell best, when fader come

Mabel felt uneasy at the glance of June's dark eye, as she uttered this, for the unpleasant surmise arose that her companion was endeavouring to discover a fact that might be useful to her own people, while it would lead to the destruction of her parent and his party. She was about to make an evasive answer, when a heavy push at the outer door, suddenly drew all her thoughts to the immediate danger.

"They come!" she exclaimed," perhaps, June, it is my uncle, or the Quarter-Master. I cannot keep out even Mr. Muir at a moment like this."

Why no look-plenty loop-hole-made purpose."

Mabel took the hint, and going to one of the downward loops, that had been cut through the logs in the part that overhung the basement, she cautiously raised the little block. that ordinarily filled the small hole, and caught a glance at what was passing at the door. The start and changing countenance told her companion that some of her own people were below.

"Red man," said June, lifting a finger in admonition to be prudent.

"Four; and horrible in their paint and bloody trophies. Arrowhead is among them."

June had moved to a corner, where several spare rifles had been deposited, and had already taken one into her hand, when the name of her husband appeared to arrest her movements. It was but for an instant, however, for she immediately went to the loop, and was about to thrust the muzzle of the piece through it, when a feeling of natural aversion induced Mabel to seize her arm.

"No-no-no-June," said the latter" not against your own husband, though my life be the penalty."

"No hurt Arrowhead-" returned June, with a slight shudder-" no hurt red man at all. No fire at 'em ;-only scare."

Mabel now comprehended the intention of June, and no longer opposed it. The latter thrust the muzzle of the rifle through the loop-hole, and taking care to make noise enough to attract attention, she pulled the trigger. The piece had no sooner been discharged than Mabel reproached her friend, for the very act that was intended to serve her.

"You declared it was not your intention to fire," she said, "and you may have destroyed your own husband."

"All run away before I fire-" returned June laughing, and going to another loop to watch the movements of her friends, laughing still heartier.-"See-get cover-every warrior. Think Salt-water and Quarter-Master here. Take good care now."

"Heaven be praised! And now, June, I may hope for a little time to compose my thoughts to prayer, that I may not die like Jennie, thinking only of life and the things of the world!"

June laid aside the rifle, and came and seated herself near the box on which Mabel had sunk, under that physical reaction which accompanies joy as well as sorrow. She looked steadily in our heroine's face, and the latter thought that her countenance had an expression of severity mingled with its

concern.

"Arrowhead great warrior-" said the Tuscarora's wife."All the girls of tribe look at him much. The pale-face beauty has eyes too?"

E

"June!-what do these words-that look imply-what would you say?"

Why you so 'fraid June shoot Arrowhead?"

"Would it not have been horrible, to see a wife destroy her own husband! No, June; rather would I have died myself."

Very sure, dat all?”

"That was all, June, as God is my judge-and surely that was enough. No-no-there have been sufficient horrors to-day, without increasing them by an act like this. What other motive can you suspect?"

"Don't know. Poor Tuscarora girl very foolish. Arrowhead great chief, and look all round him. Talk of pale-face beauty in his sleep.-Great chief like many wives."

"Can a chief possess more than one-wife, June, among your people?"

"Have as many as he can keep-great hunter marry often. Arrowhead got only Jupe now, but he look too much, -see too much—talk too much of pale-face girl!"

Mabel was conscious of this fact, which had distressed her not a little, in the course of their journey; but it shocked her to hear this allusion, coming, as it did, from the mouth of the wife herself. She knew that habit and opinions made great differences in such matters, but, in addition to the pain and mortification she experienced at being the unwilling rival of a wife, she felt an apprehension that jealousy would be but an equivocal guarantee for her personal safety, in her present situation. A closer look at June, however, reassured her; for while it was easy to trace in the unpractised features of this unsophisticated being, the pain of blighted affections, no distrust could have tortured the earnest expression of her honest countenance into that of treachery or hate.

"You will not betray me, June," Mabel said, pressing the other's hand, and yielding to an impulse of generous confidence. "You will not give up one of your own sex to the tomahawk ?"

"No tomahawk touch you. Arrowhead no let 'em. If June must have sister-wife, love to have you."

"No, June; my religion, my feelings, both forbid it; and, if I could be the wife of an Indian at all, I would never take the place that is yours, in a wigwam."

June made no answer, but she looked gratified, and even grateful. She knew that few, perhaps no Indian girl, within the circle of Arrowhead's acquaintance, could compare with herself in personal attractions; and though it might suit her husband to marry a dozen wives, she knew of no one, beside Mabel, whose influence she could really dread. So keen an interest, however, had she taken in the beauty, winning manners, kindness, and feminine gentleness of our heroine, that when jealousy came to chill these feelings, it had rather lent strength to that interest, and, under its wayward influence, had actually been one of the strongest of the incentives that had induced her to risk so much, in order to save her imaginary rival from the consequences of the attack that she so well knew was about to take place. In a word, June, with a wife's keenness of perception, had detected Arrowhead's admiration of Mabel, and instead of feeling that harrowing jealousy that might have rendered her rival hateful, as would kave been apt to be the case with a woman unaccustomed to defer to the superior rights of the lordly sex, she had studied the looks and character of the pale-face beauty, until, meeting with nothing to repel her own feelings, but everything to encourage them, she had got to entertain an admiration and love for her, which, though certainly very different, was scarcely less strong than that of her husband's. Arrowhead himself had sent her to warn Mabel of the coming danger, though he was ignorant that she had stolen upon the island, in the rear of the assailants, and was now entrenched in the citadel along with the object of their joint care. the contrary, he supposed, as his wife had said, that Cap and Muir were in the block-house with Mabel, and that the attempt to repel him and his companions had been made by

the men.

On

"June sorry, 'the Lily,' ,"" for so the Indian, in her poetical language, had named our heroine-" June sorry, the Lily no marry Arrowhead. His wigwam big, and a great chief must get wives enough to fill it.”

"I thank you, June, for this preference, which is not according to the notions of us white women," returned Mabel, smiling in spite of the fearful situation in which she was placed; "but I may not, probably never shall, marry at all."