and been her captor.

In the west, dark clouds were now gathering, and in an hour the whole
heavens were shrouded in them; this darkness greatly embarrassed the
scouts in their contemplated night retreat, for they might readily lose
their way, or accidentally fall on the enemy--this being highly probable,
if not inevitable. An hour's consultation decided their plans, and it was
agreed that the girl, from her intimate knowledge of their localities,
should lead the advance a few steps. Another advantage might be gained by
this arrangement, for in case they should fall in with some out-post, the
girl's knowledge of the Indian tongue, would, perhaps, enable her to
deceive the sentinel: and so the sequel proved, for scarcely had they
descended one hundred feet, when a low "whist" from the girl, warned them
of present danger.

[Illustration: THE RETURNED CAPTIVE.]

The scouts sunk silently to the earth, where, by previous agreement, they
were to remain till another signal was given them by the girl,--whose
absence for more than a quarter of an hour now began to excite the most
serious apprehensions. At length, she again appeared, and told them that
she had succeeded in removing two sentinels who were directly in their
route to a point some hundred feet distant. The descent was noiselessly
resumed--the level gained, and the scouts followed their intrepid pioneer
for half a mile in the most profound silence, when the barking of a small
dog, within a few feet, apprised them of a new danger. The almost
simultaneous click of the scouts' rifles was heard by the girl, who
rapidly approached them, and stated that they were now in the midst of the
Indian wigwams, and their lives depended on the most profound silence, and
implicitly following her footsteps. A moment afterwards, the girl was
accosted by a squaw, from an opening in the wigwam. She replied in the
Indian language, and without stopping pressed forward.

In a short time she stopped and assured the scouts that the village was
cleared and that they were now in safety. She knew that every pass leading
out of the prairie was safely guarded by Indians, and at once resolved to
adopt the bold adventure of passing through the very centre of their
village as the least hazardous. The result proved the correctness of her
judgment.

They now kept a course for the Ohio, being guided by the Hockhocking
river--and after three days' march and suffering, the party arrived at the
block-