tion ought to be checked without delay.

"Here, Mr Brixton, sip a little of this," she said, going down on her
knees, and putting a tin mug to the patient's mouth.

Poor Tom would have sipped prussic acid cheerfully from _her_ hand! He
obeyed, and seemed to like it.

"Now, a little more."

"God bless you, dear girl!" murmured Tom, as he sipped a little more.

"There, that will do you good till I can prepare something better."

She rose and ran to the fire which Tolly had already blown up almost to
furnace heat.

"I filled the kettle, for I knew you'd want it," said the boy, turning
up his fiery-red visage for a moment, "It can't be long o' boiling with
such a blaze below it."

He stooped again and continued to blow while Betty cut some dried meat
into small pieces. Soon these were boiled, and the resulting soup was
devoured by the starving man with a zest that he had never before
experienced.

"Nectar!" he exclaimed faintly, smiling as he raised his eyes to Betty's
face.

"But you must not take too much at a time," she said, gently drawing
away the mug.

Tom submitted patiently. He would have submitted to anything patiently
just then!

During these proceedings the Indians, who seemed to be amiably disposed,
looked on with solemn interest and then, coming apparently to the
conclusion that they might as well accommodate themselves to
circumstances, they quietly made use of Tolly's fire to cook a meal for
themselves.

This done, one of them--a noble-looking savage, who, to judge from his
bearing and behaviour, was evidently their chief--went up to Betty, and,
with a stately bend of the head, said, in broken English, "White woman
git on horse!"

"And what are you going to do with this man?" asked Betty, pointing to
the prostrate form of Tom.

"Unaco will him take care," briefly replied the chief (meaning himself),
while with a wave of his hand he turned away, and went to Tolly, whom he
ordered to mount the pony, which he styled the "littil horse."

The boy was not slow to obey, for he was by that time quite convinced
that his only chance of being allowed to have his hands left free lay in
prompt submission. Any lurking thought that might have remained of
making a grand dash for liberty was effectually quelled by a big savage,
who quietly took hold of the pony's rein and led it away. Another
Indian led Betty's horse. Then the original three who had found Tom
took him up quite gently and carried hi