not surmise who had
formed them. I was almost in despair, believing that I should have
perhaps hundreds of miles to travel on foot, and might be unable to kill
sufficient game to support existence; still, plucking up courage, I
resolved to persevere, and was making my way, as far as I could
calculate, to the north-east, when I saw a person approaching the spot
in which I was hiding myself.

"I could see through the bushes, and great was my joy to discover that
he was a white man. On this I immediately showed myself. Though I had
great difficulty in understanding what he said, so long a time had
passed since I had heard English spoken, yet I quickly made out that he
wished to conduct me to a place where I should find my own countrymen.

"As you may have guessed, my new friend was Sandy McTavish."

Such is a brief outline of Robin's narrative. He told us several other
events of his life, and observed that there were many more which he had
not mentioned, and which we only heard at intervals afterwards. He
became very much attached to us all, and he himself was a great
favourite with every one in the fort; indeed Alick and I looked upon
Martin and him as brothers, and few brothers could have regarded each
other with greater affection than we did.

Still Robin was anxious to set out, in the hopes of rejoining his
parents and assuring them of his existence. They might have supposed
that he had been killed, or perhaps, as was the case, that he had merely
been kept in captivity.

His great fear was that his father might have lost his life in
attempting his recovery, and should such have happened, he thought of
all the sorrow his poor mother must have endured for their sakes. Still
some time went by, but no opportunity occurred of sending him on to Fort
Garry, the nearest place from which he would be able to make his way in
safety to the States. As he did not remember the name of the town in
which his mother was living, he would still have great difficulty in
finding her.

"I must beg my way through the country till I can do so, but while I
live I will not abandon the search," he exclaimed.

"You shall not have to do that," observed Alick. "All the means I
possess shall be at your disposal, and I feel sure that others when they
hear your history will gladly subscribe to assist you."

"But I may never be able to repay you," said Robin.

"I shall not expect repayment," answered Alick. "What I have shall be
fre