hty Injins!"

Rudolph, forgetting his misery for an instant, laughed outright at
Kitty's words. The next instant he shook his head solemnly--at
her--"No, Kitty, mother couldn't whip 'em. But oh, I wish we were home!
I wish we were home!" he cried, giving vent to his terrors again, as he
saw a group of red men moving hastily towards them.

After dashing water over Tom's wounds and laying him upon a bed of
deer-skins, the savages seated themselves in a ring, and held a council
to decide the fate of the prisoners. The warriors sat in silence while a
great war-club was passed around the circle. Those who were in favor of
burning them alive struck the ground heavily with the weapon before
handing it to the next warrior; while those who objected to putting them
to death in that manner merely passed it on in silence.

Tom saw all this from where he lay, and he knew its meaning well. With a
sinking heart he heard the heavy thump of the club as each warrior gave
his cruel vote, until at last one chief, holding the club in the air,
pointed with a meaning gesture--first at Tom, then at Rudolph and Kitty.
The chiefs responded with a grunt of assent to his inquiry concerning
the latter, but shook their heads when their attention was directed to
Tom. Then the noble fellow knew that not his fate, but that of the
children was being decided; while they, unconscious little creatures,
looked on half amused at what seemed to them some singular game.

"Hi!" whispered Rudolph to Kitty, "didn't that fellow hit hard,
though?--he'll beat I guess."

A moment more and the council was ended. One of the Indians approached
the children and daubed their faces with black; it was a fatal sign, for
it proved that the vote had been against them--Rudolph and Kitty were to
be put to death!

VI.

KA-TE-QUA.

All that night, and for many days afterward, Tom lay in a burning fever,
quite unconscious of what was passing around him.

Meanwhile, strange to say, Rudolph and Kitty were treated almost with
kindness. They were well fed, and were given the softest deer-skins to
lie upon at night. Finding themselves unharmed as the hours went on, the
little creatures became more confident, and finally resumed their
natural playfulness.

Kitty was never weary of the bright beads and ornaments of the Indian
maidens, and Rudolph found great delight in shooting with the bows and
arrows of the _papooses_ or children, who, in turn, were wonderfully
amus