his friends less hostile in their intentions might be
procured to aid him in the matter. It was arranged that this should
be done on the following day, and this at so great a distance from
the encampment that Pee-to-tum should know nothing of the occurrence
till both husband and wife were beyond his reach.

"It is a strange and a wild project," she remarked, "but the crisis
is desperate, and anything to save my husband's life. But now I
must go, dear Wau-nan-gee; Mrs. Headley is in the garden waiting
for me."

"No, no go," he said; "spose him Mrs. Headley go home. Wau-nan-gee
take Maria home by by. Got canoe here. No let him go home. Pee-to-tum
wicked--Pee-to-tum got Ingin plenty yonder," and he pointed in the
direction of the cottage; "Pee-to-tum carry off Maria--go see where
he is. Shut him door till Wau-nan-gee come back. Mrs. Headley
come, no see him here; no tink him here."

He accordingly ascended, fastened down the trap-door and departed,
as we have said, little anticipating to have been seen by Mrs.
Headley.

He had not been five minutes gone when she heard a dull, heavy
sound which satisfied her that the stone was being rolled from the
orifice spoken of by Wau-nan-gee. Feeling assured that Pee-to-tum
had seen him depart, and knowing her to be there and helpless,
was returning to renew his odious and brutal passion, she sought
to rise in order to force up and escape by the trap-door. This she
did, regardless of her disordered appearance, and without even
thinking of hat or comb; but she had no sooner moved a step forward
when she again fell down, as much paralysed by fear as exhausted
by weakness. In her helplessness she could only sob and moan and
vainly deplore the absence of her late rescuer, while all her
thoughts and feelings were of her husband. The footsteps advanced;
she grew at each moment more nervous, more terrified. She had
scarcely the power to move herself on the spot where she half sat,
half reclined. Presently the trap-door was heard to move, soon it
opened, and there to her astonishment, yet not less to her exceeding
embarrassment, inasmuch as she could not, without compromising the
saviour of her honor--the purposed saviour of her life, explain in
what manner she had been placed in the strange position in which
she had been found, she beheld Mrs. Headley. What followed is known
to the reader. It was not, however, Pee-to-tum whom Mrs. Ronayne
had heard rolling away the stone, but Wau-nan-