.

By this time the poor mother was in a canoe as close to the fall as
she could with safety approach, and the little bark danced like a
cockle-shell on the turmoil of waters as she stood with uplifted
paddle and staring eyeballs awaiting the rising of the child.

Crusoe came up almost instantly, but _alone_, for the dash over the
fall had wrenched the child from his teeth. He raised himself high up,
and looked anxiously round for a moment. Then he caught sight of a
little hand raised above the boiling flood. In one moment he had the
child again by the hair, and just as the prow of the Indian woman's
canoe touched the shore he brought the child to land.

Springing towards him, the mother snatched her child from the flood,
and gazed at its death-like face with eyeballs starting from their
sockets. Then she laid her cheek on its cold breast, and stood like a
statue of despair. There was one slight pulsation of the heart and
a gentle motion of the hand! The child still lived. Opening up her
blanket she laid her little one against her naked, warm bosom, drew
the covering close around it, and sitting down on the bank wept aloud
for joy.

"Come--come 'way quick," cried Henri, hurrying off to hide the emotion
which he could not crush down.

"Ay, she don't need our help now," said Joe, following his comrade.

As for Crusoe, he walked along by his master's side with his usual
quiet, serene look of good-will towards all mankind. Doubtless a
feeling of gladness at having saved a human life filled his shaggy
breast, for he wagged his tail gently after each shake of his dripping
sides; but his meek eyes were downcast, save when raised to receive
the welcome and unusually fervent caress. Crusoe did not know that
those three men loved him as though he had been a brother.

On their way back to the village the hunters were met by a little boy,
who said that a council was to be held immediately, and their presence
was requested.

The council was held in the tent of the principal chief, towards which
all the other chiefs and many of the noted braves hurried. Like all
Indian councils, it was preceded by smoking the "medicine pipe,"
and was followed by speeches from several of the best orators. The
substance of the discourse differed little from what has been already
related in reference to the treaty between the Pale-faces, and upon
the whole it was satisfactory. But Joe Blunt could not fail to notice
that Mahtawa maintained sull