CHAPTER XXII.

Spectre though I be,

I am not sent to scare thee or deceive;
But in reward of thy fidelity.

WORDSWORTH.

It would be difficult to say which evinced the most satis faction, when Mabel sprang to her feet and appeared in the centre of the room our heroine on finding that her visitor was the wife of Arrowhead, and not Arrowhead himself, or June, at discovering that her advice had been followed, and that the block-house contained the person she had so anxiously and almost hopelessly sought. They embraced each other, and the unsophisticated Tuscarora woman laughed in her sweet accents, as she held her friend at arm's length, and made certain of her presence.

"Block-house good," said the young Indian; "got no

scalp."

"It is indeed good, June," Mabel answered with a shudder, veiling her eyes at the same time, as if to shut out a view of the horrors she had so lately witnessed. "Tell me, for God's sake! if you know what has become of my dear uncle? I have looked in all directions without being able to see him."

"No here, in block-house?" June asked, with some curiosity.

"Indeed he is not I am quite alone in this place Jennie, the woman who was with me, having rushed out to join her husband, and perishing for her imprudence."

"June know June see, very bad; Arrowhead no feel for any wife no feel for his own."

"Ah! June, your life, at least, is safe!"

"Don't know Arrowhead kill me if he know all."

"God bless and protect you June; He will bless and

protect you for your humanity. Tell me what is to be done, and if my poor uncle is still living?"

"Don't know.

river."

Salt-water has boat; maybe he go on

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

"No kill, or June would see.

hide; no shame for pale-face."

Hide away.

Red-man

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

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

warrior!"

"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 brow as she answered:

"Yengeese too greedy — take away all hunting-grounds chase 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.

"And what am I to do, June?" she demanded. "It cannot 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 doubtiess you learned it from Arrowhead."

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

"Do not speak of it, June; the horrid thought curdles n.y blood. Your people cannot know that I am alone in the block-house, but may fancy my uncle and the quartermaster 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 30 means to keep them off."

"No burn block-house.

scalp."

Block-house good - got no

"But tell me why, June ; fear they will burn it!

"Block-house wet-much rain

easy. Red-man know it

·logs green no burn

fine t'ing; then no burn it to

tell Yengeese that Iroquois been there. Fader come back,

miss block-house, no found.

ning; no touch anything.",

No, no; Injin too much cun

"I understand you, June, and hope your prediction may be true; for as regards my dear father, should he escape · perhaps 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-house

block-house good got no scalp."

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

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 endeavoring to discover a fact that might be use ful 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 sudlenly drew all her thoughts to the immediate danger.

"They come !" she exclaimed; "perhaps, June, it is my uncle, or the quartermaster. 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 were 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 warrior. Think Salt-water and quartermaster here. good care now."

every

Take

"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. Sho looked steadily in our heroine's face, and the latter thought that her countenance had an expression of severity ningled with its concern.

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

"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."

66

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 gal very foolish. Arrowhead great chief, and look all around him. Talk of paleface 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 June now, but he look too much see too much talk too much of pale-face gal!"

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 unwill ing 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 unpracticed features of this unsophisticated being, the pain of