little girl, was seated
at the feet of the old man, with her small wrists also bound until they
had swollen so as to pain her, looking up from time to time into his
face with a heart-rending expression of grief, fear and anxiety.

Of the Indians themselves, we presume it would be difficult to find,
among all the tribes of America, five more blood-thirsty, villainous
looking beings than the ones in question. They were only partially
dressed, after the manner of their tribe, with skins around their loins,
extending down to their knees, and moccasins on their feet, leaving the
rest of their bodies and limbs bare. Around their waists were belts, for
the tomahawk and scalping knife, at three of which now hung freshly
taken scalps. Their faces had been hideously painted for the war-path;
but heat and perspiration had since out done the artist, by running the
composition into streaks, in such a way as to give them the most
diabolical appearance imaginable. On each of their heads was a tuft of
feathers, some of which had the appearance of having recently been
scorched and blackened by fire, while their arms and bodies were here
and there besmeared with blood.

The four around the fire were in high glee, as they roasted and
devoured their meat, judging from their nods, and grins, and grunts
of approbation, whenever their eyes glanced in the direction of their
prisoners--the effect of which was far from consoling to the matron of
the latter; who, having eyed them for some time in indignant silence,
at length burst forth with angry vehemence:

"Well, now, jest grin, and jabber, and grin, like a pesky set o' natural
born monkeys, that's ten times better nor you is any day of your good
for nothing, sneaking lives. Goodness, gracious, marsy on me alive!"
continued the dame, whom the reader has doubtless recognized as Mrs.
Younker; "I only jest wish you had to change places with me and Ben here
for about five minutes; and ef I didn't make your old daubed, nasty,
villainous, unyarthly looking faces grin to another tune, I hope I may
never be blessed with liberty agin in creation, as long as I live on the
face o' this univarsal yarth!"

"Ugh!" ejaculated the sentinel, turning towards the speaker, as she
concluded her fierce tirade, at the same time placing his hand on the
tomahawk in his belt with an angry gesture: "Ugh! me squaw kill--she no
stop much talky!"

"You'd kill me, would ye? you mean, dirty, ripscallious looking varmint