no fear. But if the pale-face girl is not sent back to her people before
the sun sets, then the yellow jackets will swarm the woods, and they
will follow her trail to the death. My brother is wise; let the girl go.
I have spoken."
"My brother is very cunning too. He would call to his fighting men
through the lips of the pale-face girl."
"He will not. The great white medicine man does not lie to his red
brother. He will tell the pale-face girl to say to the chief of the
yellow jackets that he and his sister are with his brothers, and all is
peace. But the pale-face girl must not see the great white medicine man
in these bonds, nor as a captive! I have spoken."
The two Indians fell back. There was so much of force and dignity in the
man, so much of their own stoic calmness, that they at once mechanically
loosened the thongs of plaited deer hide with which they had bound him,
and side by side led him into the recesses of the wood.
*****
There was some astonishment, although little alarm at the fort, when
Lady Elfrida returned accompanied by the orderly who had followed Peter
to the wood, but without Peter and his sister. The reason given was
perfectly natural and conceivable. Mrs. Lascelles had preceded Lady
Elfrida in entering the wood and taken another opening, so that Lady
Elfrida had found herself suddenly lost, and surrounded by two or three
warriors in dreadful paint. They motioned her to dismount, and said
something she did not understand, but she declined, knowing that she had
heard Mr. Atherly and the orderly following her, and feeling no fear.
And sure enough Mr. Atherly presently came up with a couple of braves,
apologized to her for their mistake, but begged her to return to the
fort at once and assure the colonel that everything was right, and that
he and his sister were safe. He was perfectly cool and collected and
like himself; she blushed slightly, as she said she thought that he
wished to impress upon her, for some reason she could not understand,
that he did not want the colonel to send any assistance. She was
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