The Pioneer Boys on the Mississippi

had now been their home for almost an entire year, their hearts beat h

o his family circle. And, looking through the opening thus formed, the boys saw the three whom they loved standing by the table, on which st

e house was saying. It could not have been cheerful news, either,

her for whom either of them would have given his young life any day; nor did either Bob or Sandy deem it un

! No doubt that brave little mother could see, just as vividly as though she had been there, h

breaking of the paddle was responsible for the collision with the great unwieldy log, and the loss of

fetch to his friends at the time he and Pat had so opport

ad been restored to her, she felt that she could face almost any calamity with calmness. "The Indians m

near that flowing flood came to their home, and that already it had covered the patch of ground where he an

boys, we have been busy, and our few possessions are already done up, ready to

st at the Armstrong cabin; for he had alwa

tis only an Injun that fetches the same," the trapper remarked, after he had greeted the rest of the family,

the cabin, as he reached out, and, picking something up, laid it on th

d a cry of a

en getting for a long time past, though we can never understand who sends them, for I can see the sam

eather; "I am sure you are right about that, Sandy; and these two creeping figures must be our

ew settler, Seth Smalley, had been pelting each other again; but, when I looked, no one was in sight. Then, chancing to cast my eyes upward toward the roof, what was my astonishment to see an arrow sticking there, to which was attached that little roll o

h his brother and the Irish trapper, he bent over the scro

the top in front. Well, two creeping figures are coming toward the cabin. One of them holds something in his hand, which I can ha

or Henri Lacroix to be seen creeping up the rise. I do not believe we will ever know peace until something happens to those bad

e anger of Pontiac would mean to them. But they think they can find other ways to annoy us, and those we care for. To burn our cabin to t

been out hunting most of the day, told about seeing the Frenchmen in the woods. They seemed to be heading this way, and acted as though they wer

by some foolish notion that they have suffered wrongs at our ha

tion of the corner where he had stood his musket after entering, taking it from the

rinch trappers, who make most av their livin' stalin' from the traps av honest min; and

acket to see you,

g family, it would have done you good, mother. Of course we didn't just understand all they said; but Pat could, and he told us how Blue Jacket

w that they thought so much of him; but he did not betray this fact even by a smile. An Indian learns from childhood to repress all outward evidence of feeling springin

asked his father for the arrow which had been shot so as to drop directly

the shaft, of every tribe along the Ohio, look at this, and say whose w

shaft with strong fibres taken from some plant. There must have been signs that immedi

his simple assertion; indeed, Pat O'Mara was seen to wag his head in a satisfie

ssages; but why do you suppose he does it? The Delawares as a rule are not in love with the white settlers. When a colony is attacked there are g

unless that was a Delaware youth you rescued, Sandy, from that horribl

e up my mind that he must have been on a very important errand at the time he got trapped in that slough. A Delaware-well, perhaps he was. Seems to me he looked like

pper. "Now, av I'd had the same, 'tis manny a bad time I might have been saved from goin' through wid, in me day. And marrk me worrd, this same party m

alve applied to his swollen ankle, the rest went out to watch the rising of the waters, and to compare notes with others am

ill. Even such a small thing as this brought some ray of hope in its train; though Pat warned them not to relax their vigilance one

ed. Should the river once more begin to rise, information of the event would be carried around quietly from cabin to cabin, so as no

the flood predicted by the Indians arrive, then the alarm bell, used only

to remove all of his possessions, scanty as these wer

parating for the night. Bob missed Blue Jacket, and yet the Indian came and we

rong took Bob by

your head. Perhaps a kindly Providence, that has all along watched over our fortunes, may see fit to ward off this new and terrible danger. But, if it is

mself expressed it, "wid wan eye open." Besides, he kept his long rifle close to his hand; and Sandy felt positive that, in case th

his young mind, Bob Armstrong was not long in going to sleep, once he had dro

the coming of the flood. But such a little thing as that did not bother either of

hours, because the fire on the hearth had died down when he opened h

ened his eyes, than he became conscious of the thrilling fact that it had not been a dream after all but th

he water has commenced to rise at a fearful rate. Awake! Be up an