it out; we should see them prowling around as stealthily as so
many panthers. Somebody's alive and stirring there; who can it be?"

The singular incident served to heighten the anxiety of all, and
stimulate the soldiers to make as good progress as they could without
too greatly distressing the wounded man. Several times, in the dim
light, the groaning and pallor of her husband led Mrs. Jones to fear
he was dying, and, with Tom and Robert, she watched every change in
his appearance, tenderly ministering to him. Fresh relays of men took
the places of those who bore him, taking their turn at the litter with
alacrity, for Tom's dutiful and heroic conduct, and the mother's
loving gentleness and patient endurance, and the squatter's stubborn
defence of the lone cabin against such odds, had won the hearts of the
soldiers, and they had resolved to see the family safe within the
walls of the fortress, or, if attacked on the prairie, to defend them
to the death.

"How did it happen," asked Captain Manly, in a low voice, of the
mother, "that your cabin was enclosed with those walls of heavy logs.
Were you expecting an attack?"

"Long Hair gave us warning," she replied; "and husband persuaded the
settlers to cut down trees and build the walls."

"And your husband directed the defence?"

"Yes," said she, "and he made a sortie, and rescued a number of
neighbors, who would otherwise have been murdered,--the very persons
who afterwards deserted in the night, leaving, in their haste, the
outer door wide open. We should all have been sacrificed before
morning, had we not been startled at seeing Long Hair standing in the
cabin. How he got in undiscovered through so many enemies, and
notified us of our danger in so timely a manner, we could not
conjecture. Husband secured the door again, and Long Hair vanished as
he came, saying, 'Long Hair go quick, get sojer, come right back
bimeby, quick!' that was, I suppose, when he came to the fort, as Tom
told us about, and not succeeding in his errand, hurried to find Tom,
to intercede with you for us."

"You have had a hard time of it," said the captain, "and your husband
stood a siege before which a well-manned fort might have fallen. I
only hope that the brave fellow'll get well, and enjoy the fruits of
his noble conduct. If I had a few hundred men like him, I could sweep
the red-skins from the soil."

But the jarring, and the motion, and the pain were proving too much
for the wounded p