plied Emma; "at least with their
howlings at night, which make me tremble as I lie awake in bed."

"Never mind their howling, Miss Emma; we have plenty of them round the
fort, I can assure you; unless attacked, they will not attack you, at
least I never knew an instance, although I must confess that I have
heard of them."

"You will, of course, sleep here to-night?"

"Yes, we will, if you have a bear or buffalo skin to spare," replied
Captain Sinclair.

"We will manage it, I have no doubt," said Mr Campbell.

"And if you could manage, Captain Sinclair," said Emma, somewhat archly,
"as you say that they are not dangerous animals, to bring us in a few
skins to-night, it would make the matter easy."

"Emma, how can you talk such nonsense?" cried Mary Percival. "Why
should you ask a guest to undertake such a service? Why have you not
proposed it to Alfred or Henry, or even Martin?"

"We will both try, if you please," replied Alfred.

"I must put my veto on any such attempts, Alfred," said Mr Campbell.
"We have sufficient danger to meet, without running into it voluntarily,
and we have no occasion for wolves' skins just now. I shall, however,
venture to ask your assistance to-morrow morning. We wish to haul up
the fishing-punt before the ice sets in on the lake, and we are not
sufficiently strong-handed."

During the day, Captain Sinclair took Alfred aside to know if the old
hunter had obtained any information relative to the Indians. Alfred
replied, that they expected him every day, but as yet had not received
any communication from him. Captain Sinclair stated that they were
equally ignorant at the fort as to what had been finally arranged, and
that Colonel Forster was in hopes that the hunter would by this time
have obtained some intelligence.

"I should not be surprised if Malachi Bone were to come here to-morrow
morning," replied Alfred. "He has been away a long while, and, I am
sure, is as anxious to have John with him as John is impatient to go."

"Well, I hope he will; I shall be glad to have something to tell the
Colonel, as I made the request upon that ground. I believe, however, he
was very willing that I should find an excuse for coming here, as he is
more anxious about your family than I could have supposed. How well
your cousin Mary is looking."

"Yes; and so is Emma, I think. She has grown half a head since she left
England. By-the-bye, you have to congratulate me on my obtaining my
r