t.

"Pomp fink it poor lil nigger been kill and cook um."

"Nonsense; it's deer's flesh."

"Mass' George sewer?"

"Yes, quite."

"Oh!"

That was all the boy said, for he set to work directly and soon finished
his portion, taking a good deep drink afterward; and as soon as he had
done one of the Indians secured his hands again, a task which
necessitated a loosening of the hide rope, Pomp submitting with a very
good grace.

Then came my turn, and as soon as I was secured, the Indians went slowly
back to where the others were grouped, and squatted down to listen to
the talking going on.

It was a weary, weary time; the sun was getting lower, and birds came
and chirped about in the dense branches of the trees to which we were
bound, and I felt a strange feeling of envy as I looked up from time to
time and thought of their being at liberty to come and go. And all
through those painfully long hours the talking went on constantly about
the fire, which one or the other of the Indians made up by throwing on
some branches of wood.

As I watched them, I saw that they kept going and coming in different
directions, so that the number in the camp did not vary much, and though
the day wore on, there was no cessation of the talking, for there was
always a fresh Indian ready to leap to his feet, and begin relating
something with the greatest vehemence, to which the rest listened
attentively.

"They must be going on to the settlement to-night," I thought; and as I
noted their bows, arrows, axes, and knives, I conjured up horrors that I
felt would be sure to take place if we could not get free and give the
alarm.

All sorts of plans occurred to me. The forest would, I felt, be full of
the enemy, and if we could get loose there would be no chance of our
stealing away without being captured. But could we get across the river
in safety, and make our way along the farther bank; or could we swim
down? I shuddered as I thought of what would be the consequences of
trying such a feat.

Then my ponderings were interrupted by the coming of a couple more of
the Indians, who examined our fastenings and then went back.

"Mass' George 'leep?" said Pomp suddenly, in a low voice.

"Asleep? No. Who could go to sleep like this?"

"No, not nice go 'leep 'tanning up," said Pomp, coolly; and there was a
long pause, with the monotonous talking of the Indians still going on.

All at once one of the Indians who had last examined our b