a grave, ready
for the reception of the dead bodies. He could not conceal his
repugnance to touching them, although he did not refuse to do so.

"Dat ar is poor Big Mose," said he, as they took hold of a Herculean
negro, who had been brained by the keen tomahawk. "And he knowed the
Injines war a-comin' a long time afore dey did. Poor Mose," he added,
as the big tears trickled down his cheek, "he neber will eat any more
big suppers or come de double-shuffle or de back-action-spring by
moonlight. Poor feller! he had a big heel and knowed how to handle it."

The body was carefully lowered into the grave, and the others, one by
one, were placed beside it. It was a sight which haunted Lieutenant
Canfield for many a night--those black, upturned corpses--awful
evidences of the terrible passions of the Shawnees. The earth was
carefully deposited over them and the last sad rites performed.

The sun was now past the meridian, and the young soldier began to look
momentarily for the appearance of the Huron. An hour or two had
passed, when Cato spoke:

"Massa Canfield, 'tain't noways likely dat ar Injine will be along
afore dark. _Dat's_ de time dem critters likes to travel, so what's de
use ob our waitin' here so long. Oder Injines _mought_ be around dese
parts and wouldn't it be a good idee to git in de woods whar dey
wouldn't be so apt to see us?"

It struck the Lieutenant that there was some sense in the advice of the
negro; so he concluded to act upon it. Moving away toward the wood,
his foot struck and scattered a pile of black cinders lying near the
ruins of the house. Looking down, he saw something glitter. What was
his surprise to discover in the ashes a gold watch and chain which he
had often seen upon the neck of Mary Prescott. A portion of the chain
had been melted by the intense heat, but by some singular means, the
watch had been so well preserved that there was scarcely a blemish upon
it. As he picked it up, Cato exclaimed, with rolling eyes:

"Dat is Miss Mary's! dat is Miss Mary's!"

"It couldn't have been around her neck, certainly, when it was lost."

"No, she allers laid it on de stand aside her bed, and dat's de way it
got dar. See, dar's de legs ob de stand."

It was as the negro said, and in the hope of finding some more of the
valuables of the family, the soldier kicked the ashes and cinders
hither and thither and searched among them for a considerable time.
Nothing further rewarded h