in vain. Still the figure preserved silence, and maintained the
same immovable attitude, gazing on him with eyes from which there was
no escaping, and which seemed to pierce into his soul. The uneasiness
of Waqua increased. He felt no fear, but a confusion of thought which
threatened to obscure entirely his faculties. The idea crossed his
mind that the man was dumb, but that accounted only for the silence.
Why the immobility? If he were dumb, at least he could walk, for
well-formed limbs were visible. But the man was quite still, not even
winking, only fastening his eyes steadfastly on his own. To the
excited imagination of the Indian, the eyes began to assume a deeper
sternness, and he found it more and more difficult to withdraw his
own. Suddenly, a thought darted through his mind, which made him
shiver all over, and spring from his seat. The idea of fascination
caused the start. He had more than once beheld the black snake
extended on the ground, charming, with his glittering eyes the
anguished bird which, with fainter and fainter screams, striving to
delay a fate it could not escape, kept flying round and round in
constantly diminishing circles, until it fell into the jaws of the
destroyer. The same fatal influence he had seen exercised upon rabbits
and other small game, the prey of the snake, and he did not doubt that
a like fascination was attempted to be practiced on himself, and that
the man was a conjurer. The thought threw him into a rage, and he
determined to take vengeance for the insult. Drawing, therefore, his
tomahawk from his girdle and brandishing it over his head, he
exclaimed,

"Waqua is a warrior, and not a bird to be made weak by a white
medicine."

But before the enraged Indian could cast the weapon from his hand, he
felt his arm suddenly arrested, and, turning, beheld the laughing face
of Prudence Rix.

"Stop, stop!" cried the girl, hardly able to speak for merriment;
"what are you going to do? It is not a man, but only a painting."

It is not probable that the Indian perfectly comprehended the
explanation of Prudence, who, in spite of her affected fears, had
been, without his knowledge, an amused spectator of his conduct; but
her interposition had the effect to prevent any violence, especially,
as upon looking again at the portrait, he felt no longer the awe which
had oppressed him, and therefore knew that the charm had lost its
power. He lowered the tomahawk to his side, and addressed hims