le the
Indians sat upon the ground very near him, firmly resolved that he
should not again have so favorable an opportunity to leave them.

The negro was hardly secured, when the other savages made their
appearance with Leland. He was also fastened to the identical tree from
which he had been loosened; and there, sad, gloomy and despairing, he
was left until morning.

CHAPTER XI.

A FRIEND.

In a short time the whole body of Indians were awake and astir. The
morning meal was soon prepared and hastily eaten, and they set forward.
Leland found that his wound was much better, and he traveled without
difficulty. The savages took a southerly direction, and appeared to be
journeying toward the destination of those who held Rosalind.

Their march continued without interruption until noon, when they halted
for a couple of hours for rest and food. For the first time, George
partook of some, and felt in a more hopeful frame of mind. Zeb was as
usual, and continued quarreling and abusing and threatening every one
within his reach.

"If dis isn't shameful, treating a pusson like me in dis way. I's sorry
dat I ever come wid you. I 'spects ebery bone in my body is broke in
pieces."

"You said last night that they dare not touch you," interrupted Leland.

"Well, dat's a subject dat you can't understand, and I haven't time to
'splain it. Dey're perwoken, anyhow, and dey's agwine to cotch dar pay
some ob dese days."

Consoled with this reflection, Zeb kept steadily upon his way, seemingly
as happy as a person could be when laboring under a slight provocation.
No further words passed between him and Leland for a considerable time.
The latter was busy with his own thoughts, and began to feel the
fatigues of their long-continued journey. They had set out at an early
hour, and had halted only at noon. The traveling was very difficult at
times, often leading through tangled underwood and swamps, where a
person's weight bore him deep into the mire; and now and then some
sluggish, poisonous serpent crawled from beneath their feet, or hissed
at them from some decayed tree.

About the middle of the afternoon they paused upon the banks of a stream
of considerable size, which was a tributary to the Big Sandy. Though
broad, it was not deep, and could be easily forded. The water flowed
quite swiftly, and being perfectly translucent, the bottom could be seen
from either shore.

Here the Indians exhibited their usual cunning and