nd lifted me on his back. The darkness prevented me from seeing who he
was, but I felt convinced, from his dress and the tone of his voice,
that he was a white man. He moved along cautiously under the trees
towards the bank of the river.

"Can you swim?" he asked in a low voice, "Yes--like a fish," I answered.

"Then we will take to the river at once. There are horses waiting on
the opposite side, lower down. We can float with the current till we
reach them," he continued.

We were not more than three or four minutes in reaching the bank, and we
at once glided in so as to create no splash.

"Strike out towards the middle of the river," he whispered; "but do so
as gently as possible."

I followed his directions, and found that I could swim without any pain
to my ankle.

"Now throw yourself on your back, and we will float down with the
current," he said.

We could all this time hear the voice of the Indian addressing the
assembly of warriors. So intent were they in listening to what he was
saying, that they had evidently not discovered my escape.

"Can nothing be done to save my companions?" I asked, thinking of the
dreadful fate which might await Reuben and Mike.

"Others will look after them," he answered. "Don't speak, lest the
water should convey your voice to the shore."

After we had gone some distance he told me to turn round again and swim,
so that we might make more progress.

"Now make for the shore," he said.

In a short time we gained a spot where the trees grew close down to the
bank. Climbing up there, he led me through the wood. On the further
side I found a man holding three horses.

"Glad to get you out of the clutches of the Indians, my son Reuben," he
said.

"I am not Reuben," I answered; "but I heartily wish that he had escaped.
I am Roger Penrose."

"Why, Sandy McColl, I told you to try and set Reuben at liberty; though
I am glad to see you, Roger," said the speaker, whom I now recognised as
the old trapper, Samson Micklan.

"I should have been discovered if I had attempted to reach the two
others, for they were much nearer the fire; and, in truth, I could not
distinguish one from the other," said Sandy.

"Well, we must see what can be done to rescue Reuben and the Irishman,"
said old Samson. "Our friend Manilick promised to plead for you and
Mike, and, should he fail, to come and let me know; and he will, I
trust, exert his influence in favour of Reuben, when he finds