has spent a lifetime in the woods, and I can
honestly say he will be a valuable acquisition to your party."

"Come, none of that now, or I'll leave you!" said the hunter, in a
warning tone to his young friend.

"I have no doubt of it--no doubt of it in the least. We need him, and if
he will only go with us, I think I can promise that he will occasionally
see the service for which his soul longs. But, you have not given us
your decision."

"We are very grateful for your offer," said Leland; "we have indeed no
other refuge to which we can go. The house which has sheltered my sister
and myself since infancy is swept away by those whom we had learned to
look upon as our friends and protectors. I think when we see men at
your age beginning life again, we can afford to do it ourselves."

"Of course you can--of course you can," replied the officer, in his
hearty manner. "We'll start a settlement on a grand scale. One of our
men once took orders, and is licensed to marry, so that if either of you
gentlemen should need his services at _any_ time, you will always find
him at hand."

"There is a servant--a negro, who was taken at the same time with my
sister. I feel as though some effort should be made to recover him,"
added Leland, a few minutes later. "We shall be in a situation to do
that by accompanying you, or, at least, we shall be more likely to find
some means of doing so, than if we followed out the idea, entertained
some time ago, of leaving the country altogether."

"I am decidedly of the opinion----"

The officer was interrupted by a man at the front of the boat, calling
out his name. He instantly hastened beside him, and demanded what he
wanted.

"Yonder is something approaching, and I cannot satisfy myself as to what
it is. What do you make of it?" he asked.

[Illustration: "Yonder is something approaching."]

Major Taylor bent his sharp gaze upon the object in question for a
moment, and then replied:

"It looks like the head of a person, and yet it is certainly an
odd-looking head. We will call this hunter that has just come on board.
Undoubtedly he can assist us."

In answer to the summons, Kent approached the bow of the boat, rifle in
hand. He peered across the water, but for a time, failed to identify the
thing.

"Stand back a little, and I'll give it a shot. I'll graze it at first,
so as to be sure of what I am going to hit when I shoot next time."

The hunter raised his rifle, and holding it a