back, miss block-house, no found. No, no; Injin too much cunning; no touch anything."

"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 blockblock-house good — got no scalp."

house

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

وو

"Don't know. Daughter tell best when fader come back."

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 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 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 'emonly 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 quartermaster 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 gals of tribe look at him much. The paleface 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."

"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 chieflike many wives."

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

often. much

"Have as many as he can keep great hunter marry Arrowhead got only June now, but he look too see too much - talk too much of paleface 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 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 unpracticed 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, 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 besides 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 have 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 paleface 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. 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 intrenched in the citadel along with the object of their joint care. On 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.

"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 enough wifes 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."

"Must have good husband," said June; "marry Eaudouce, if don't like Arrowhead."

"June! this is not a fit subject for a girl who scarce knows if she is to live another hour or not. I would obtain some signs of my dear uncle's being alive and safe, if possible."

"Can you?- will you? would it be safe for you to be seen on the island? is your presence known to the warriors and would they be pleased to find a woman on the warpath with them?"

All this Mabel asked in rapid connection, fearing that the answer might not be as she wished. She had thought it extraordinary that June should be of the party, and, improbable as it seemed, she had fancied that the woman had covertly followed the Iroquois in her own canoe, and had got in their advance, merely to give her the notice which had probably saved her life. But in all this she was mistaken as June, in her imperfect manner, now found means to let her know.

Arrowhead, though a chief, was in disgrace with his own people, and was acting with the Iroquois temporarily, though with a perfect understanding. He had a wigwam, it is true, but was seldom in it; feigning friendship for the English, he had passed the summer ostensibly in their service, while he was, in truth, acting for the French, and his wife journeyed with him in his many migrations, most of the distances being passed over in canoes. In a word, her presence was no secret, her husband seldom moving without her. Enough of this to embolden Mabel to wish that her friend might go out, to ascertain the fate of her uncle, did June succeed in letting the other know; and it was soon settled between them that the Indian woman should quit the block-house with that object, the moment a favorable opportunity offered.