the saviour of those he loved; and he felt that, if time
were but afforded her, she would. He rose from the log,
dropped on one knee before the Indian, seized both her
hands with eagerness, and then in tones of earnest
supplication whispered,--

"Oucanasta is right: the pale girl with the skin like
snow, and hair like the fur of the squirrel, is the bride
of the Saganaw. Long before he saved the life of Oucanasta,
he knew and loved that pale girl. She is dearer to the
Saganaw than his own blood; but she is in the fort beyond
the great lake, and the tomahawks of the red skins will
destroy her; for the warriors of that fort have no one
to tell them of their danger. What says the red girl?
will she go and save the lives of the sister and the wife
of the Saganaw."

The breathing of the Indian became deeper; and Captain
de Haldimar fancied she sighed heavily, as she replied,--

"Oucanasta is but a weak woman, and her feet are not
swift like those of a runner among the red skins; but
what the Saganaw asks, for his sake she will try. When
she has seen him safe to his own fort, she will go and
prepare herself for the journey. The pale girl shall lay
her head on the bosom of the Saganaw, and Oucanasta will
try to rejoice in her happiness."

In the fervour of his gratitude, the young officer caught
the drooping form of the generous Indian wildly to his