his keen eye triumphantly upon our hero, as if he was
aware beforehand that but one response could be made. John surprised
by the suddenness of the question, and somewhat confused, for the
moment, by a vague consciousness that his companion had found the key
to his thoughts, hesitated a little, but soon recovered sufficiently
to parry the stroke.

"You don't mean to say, Micah, that there's any person for beauty and
bewitchingness to be compared with Mrs. McNab?"

"Whew-ew", uttered Micah, while every line and feature in his
countenance expressed ineffable scorn. He gave several extra strokes
of the paddle with great energy. Suddenly, his grim features broke
into a genial smile.

"Well, Captin'", he said, "ef yeou choose to play 'possum that way,
ye ken. But ye needn't expect _me_ to believe in them tricks, cos I'm
an old 'un".

John laughed and replied, "Mummychog, Miss Adele Dubois is a perfect
beauty. I can't deny it".

"And a parfeck angel tew", said Micah.

"I don't doubt it", said John, energetically. "When shall we reach the
settlement, Micah?"

"Abeout three hours arter moonrise".

And just at that time our voyagers touched the spot they had started
from the day before, and unloaded their cargo. They were received at
the Dubois house with the compliments due to successful hunters.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE PERSECUTION.

On the following afternoon, Mr. Norton preached to a larger and far
more attentive audience than usual. The solemn warnings he had uttered
and the fearful presentiments of coming evil he had expressed on the
last occasion of assembling at the Grove, had been communicated from
mouth to mouth. Curiosity, and perhaps some more elevated motive, had
drawn a numerous crowd of people together to hear him.

He spoke to them plainly of their sinful conduct, particularizing the
vices of intemperance, profanity, gambling, and Sabbath-breaking, to
which many of them were addicted. He earnestly besought them to turn
from these evil ways and accept pardon for their past transgressions
and mercy through Christ. He showed them the consequences of their
refusal to listen to the teachings and counsels of the book of God,
and, at last, depicted to them, with great vividness, the awful
glories and terrors of the day of final account,

"When the Judge shall come in splendor,
Strict to mark and just to render".

As his mind dilated with the awful grandeur of the theme, his thoughts
kin