delight at seeing Jacob slowly working his way into the
lodge, that there was no room in my heart for surprise. I entirely forgot
to be astonished because after so long a time he had returned, or to
question why it was he dared venture within the encampment.

Only the fact that he was there presented itself to my mind, and I gave no
heed to anything else.

I struggled violently to reach the dear lad, intent on throwing my arms
around him in order to show how deeply I felt this devotion of his which
had brought him back, perhaps, to a terrible death; but Master Sitz and
Sergeant Corney remained silent and motionless until Jacob was well within
the lodge. Then his father said, conveying reproach even in the whisper:

"Why have you come here after once having gotten well away from the place?
You can do us no good, an' only hope to add to the savages' list of
victims."

"They have not got me yet," Jacob replied, cheerily, and I understood
that his courage had been greatly stiffened since the night he crept out
from the cave. "There's a big powwow goin' on over at St. Leger's camp,
an' no one is on guard hereabouts. This is the time when, if ever, you can
escape."

It seemed to me as if the lad talked the veriest nonsense in speaking of
our escape by simply crawling away from the lodge, situate as it was in
the very midst of the encampment; but Jacob had the whole plan in his
mind, and was not to be disheartened, however much cold water we might
throw upon it.

It may seem strange, but such is the fact, that even when thus surrounded
by danger my curiosity was so great that I asked him, even before he had
time to explain how he hoped to effect our rescue, where he had been so
long.

"At Cherry Valley," he replied, as if a journey there and back was the
most simple thing imaginable.

"Meanin' that you have been home since the night you left the cave?" I
repeated, in astonishment.

"Ay, no less than that."

"But why did you do it?" I cried, speaking so loudly as to call forth a
warning groan from Sergeant Corney.

"Because I believed it might be possible for you to escape, providin' we
had help enough near at hand," he replied, and I said, even more
mystified than before:

"Surely you could not expect to get help for us from Cherry Valley?"

"Ay; and that is just what I did."

"Is my uncle here?"

"No, indeed; he believed my scheme to be so wild that he would hardly
listen to me, and said you three had the