ed forward against the bushes and trees,
blinking and careless of what he did, until he reached the door of his
wigwam. Here he summoned all his energies, and, stepping carefully
over his wife, lay down beside her, and almost immediately was asleep.

As might be expected, the wife was the first to awaken. So profound
had been her sleep that the forenoon of the next day was fully half
gone before she opened her eyes, and then it required a few minutes to
regain entire possession of her faculties. Looking around, she saw the
inanimate forms of her children, and close beside her the unconscious
Hans Vanderbum, and, horror of horrors, the captive was gone! She was
now thoroughly awakened. With a shrill scream she sprung to her feet.
Giving her husband several violent kicks, and shouting his name, she
ran outside to arouse the Shawnees, and set them upon the track, if it
was not already too late. Hans opened one eye, and, seeing how matters
stood, he shut it again, to ruminate upon the story he should tell to
the pressing inquiries of his friends, and, in a few minutes, he had
prepared everything to his satisfaction. Five minutes later he heard a
dull thumping upon the ground, and the next minute the lodge was filled
with Shawnees. Sharp yells--the signals of alarm--could be heard in
every quarter, even as far distant as the river. All seemed centering
toward one spot. In answer to repeated shoutings, and kicks, and
twitches of the hair, Hans opened his big, blue eyes, and stared around
him with an innocent, wondering look.

"Where's the girl? Where's the pale-faced captive?" demanded several,
including his wife.

"Ober dere; (pointing to her usual resting-place; and then, discovering
her absence) no, dunder and blixen, she isn't."

"You helped her away in the night. We saw you when the moon was up
standing in the lodge." His accuser was the Indian who had peered into
the lodge the night before.

"Mine Gott! dat Huron, Oonomoo, has got her!" The name of the famous
scout was familiar to all, and called forth a general howl of fury.
Understanding that it was expected he should give some explanation, he
said: "I see'd de Injin last night, and he gived me something dat he
said I musht eat and mix wid my fish. I done so, and it made me, and
Keewaygooshturkumkankangewock, and Quanonshet and Madokawandock go to
shleep, and shust now we wakes up and de gal ain't here!"

This brief, concise statement was generall