craft pulling
ten oars, and holding between thirty and forty men, all well-armed.
Among them were three blacks, two of whom I had seen at the judge's; and
I remembered the intense admiration they had shown for Rochford, when in
their presence he had expressed his liberal opinions, such as they were
very unlikely ever before to have heard.

The first person who grasped my hand was my father.

"Maurice, my boy, thank Heaven you have come back," he said. "I was
very anxious about you, as were all your friends; for we were afraid
that you had fallen into the hands of those rascally Redskins, and that
they had treated you and Tim as they have so many other white people."

I briefly told him how I had lost my way, and was found by Tim; how we
had at length reached the river, and obtaining a canoe, got down thus
far homewards. I mentioned also our having seen an Indian, who had
pursued us along the bank for some distance. I then, turning to
Lejoillie and Carlos, inquired how they had made their escape.

Lejoillie replied that, having searched in vain for us, they had reached
the stream, and fortunately discovered a canoe, as we had done. Just as
they were about to push off, a band of Indians had pursued them; and
this had naturally given rise to the supposition that we had been cut
off by the Redskins. Having a supply of ammunition, they had been able
to obtain as much food as they required; and there being three people to
paddle the canoe, they had come down the river more rapidly than we had
been able to do, moving on night and day, one of them only sleeping at a
time.

"Then were you coming to look for Tim and me?" I asked.

"No," answered Carlos; "we thought you must either have made your way
long ago to one of the forts, or been captured and killed by the
Indians. When I got back, I found those at home in a fearful state of
grief and anxiety about Juanita. She has disappeared, and been carried
off by some one. Suspicion strongly turns against that fellow Rochford,
who came with Lejoillie to our house. She and Rita, and two black
servants, had ridden out a short distance only from Castle Kearney, when
Juanita suddenly exclaimed that she would canter on ahead of them.
Before they could advise her not to go, she was off, and was soon hidden
from sight. They rode forward, expecting her every instant to reappear;
but when they reached a more open part of the forest, she was nowhere
visible. Nor could they di