occasion were not poisoned, and no great or permanent evil was likely
to arise from any of the wounds received; but a spirit of hostility had
been established between the settlers and the Nausett tribe, to which
their assailants belonged, and Rodolph was a marked man, and an object
of determined revenge, to all who had shared in the conflict. The spot
where it took place was named _the First Encounter,_ in memory of the
event, and long retained that name: and the consequences of this first
combat proved to be equally calamitous to the savages, and to their
more civilized foes, for many subsequent years.

The exploring party returned to their settlement as speedily as
possible, being anxious to obtain medical relief for the wounded.
Helen Maitland and her children were wandering on the shore when the
boat first came in sight; and for several evenings the desolate coast
had been her constant haunt, after the necessary labors of the day were
completed. It had been with much reluctance that she had consented to
her husband's wish of taking Henrich on the hazardous expedition; and
his being of the party had greatly increased the anxiety and uneasiness
which Rodolph's absence always caused her. As the days passed on, this
anxiety became greater; and visions of fatal encounters with the
savages beset her naturally timid mind. Daily therefore she left her
hut, and wrapped in the mantle of fur with which her husband had
provided her before he brought her to brave a North American winter,
she paced backwards and forwards on the beach, looking out over the
dark waters, and lifting her heart in prayer for the safe and speedy
return of the wanderers. Edith and Ludovico accompanied her but they
could not share her anxiety. They looked, indeed, with eagerness for
the expected boat which was to bring back their much-loved father and
brother; but they soon forgot the object of their search, and amused
themselves by climbing the rocks, and gathering the shells which the