lay, and declared their
intention of moving forward with the next emigrant train which should
come by. But what was our dismay, one morning, to find that both the
villains had gone, carrying off the cart, and a considerable amount of
our property! We were not aware at this time, however, that they had
managed to get hold of the chest which contained our money. Our father
was so ill, too, that we did not tell him what had occurred; and that
very evening, as Clarice and I were sitting by his side holding his
hands, he ceased to breathe.

At first we could not persuade ourselves that he was dead. That was
indeed a terrible night. I felt, however, that something must be done,
and that the first thing was to bury our poor father. We had spades and
pick-axes in the waggon, so, taking one of each, I commenced my
melancholy task near the banks of a stream.

I was thus engaged when I heard Clarice cry out; and on looking up I saw
a small emigrant train passing, which must have been encamped at no
great distance from us down the river. Fearing that they might pass
without observing us, I ran forward shouting out, entreating the leader
to stop. The train immediately came to a standstill, and a man advanced
towards me, in whom I soon recognised the person to whom Clarice had
given the book many months before.

"Why, my man," he said, "I thought I knew you! How are your sister and
your father? He had got an ugly hurt, I recollect, when I saw him."

"He is just dead," I answered.

"Dead!" he exclaimed; "and are you two young ones left on the prairie
alone?"

"Yes," I replied; "our men have made off, and I was going to beg you to
take us along with you."

"That I will do right gladly," said the stranger.

When I told him how I was engaged, he immediately sent some of his men,
and they at once set to work and dug a deep grave. Our poor father
having then been placed in it, they raised over it a pile of heavy logs.

"I wish we could have done better for him," said the stranger; "but many
a fine fellow sleeps under such a monument as that."

I need not dwell upon our grief as we watched these proceedings. I was
sure that the sooner Clarice was away from the spot the better it would
be for her; so, as the leader of the emigrant train did not wish to
delay longer than was necessary, I assisted in harnessing the animals to
our waggon, and we at once moved on.

I was walking beside our new friend, when he asked me my