force across
the room against the wainscot, where his head struck a post, and he
fell bleeding on the floor.

Waqua was instantly on his feet again, and his first motion was to
clutch the tomahawk, but Arundel catching his arm, compelled him to
desist from his revenge. Holding the savage by the arm, Arundel passed
out of the apartment, leaving the Assistant standing as if petrified
by his own violence, while Eveline, pale, yet resolute, had sunk upon
a seat, and Prudence was hysterically shrieking. As soon as they stood
in the street, Arundel said:

"I am grieved, Waqua, that thou, on my account, shouldst have been the
object of the ruffian's rage. Its possibility occurred not to me."

"Let not my brother grieve," said the Indian. "It is nothing; not so
much as the scratch of a bear's paw."

"I take blame to myself for this day's unhappy violence, and hope that
no further mischief may spring out of it. Will my brother grant me a
favor?"

"The ears of Waqua are open," said the savage.

"Promise me, for my sake, to seek no revenge, but to leave it in my
hands."

But the Indian looked moodily on the ground. "Waqua," he said, "will
kill his enemies himself."

"If," continued the young man, "my brother knew that an attempt to
punish the bad white man would bring ruin on the maiden and on me,
would he be willing to destroy them too?"

"Waqua will do no harm to his brother."

"Waqua's heart and mine are one, and he has a wise head. He sees that
the arms of the English are very long, and their hands strong, and he
will not run into them, for they will crush him."

"My brother shall see the inside of Waqua. Let him look up. Behold,
the sun shines because he is the sun, and the wind stirs the forest
leaves because he is the wind, and water runs, and fire burns, because
the Master of Life made them thus; and so the Indian will never
forgive, for then would he cease to be an Indian. But Waqua will do
nought to injure his brother."

With this unsatisfactory answer the young man was forced to content
himself as well as he could, though his mind misgave him as to the
possible consequences of the insult. He trusted, however, that
Spikeman's knowledge of Indian character would place him sufficiently
on his guard to make abortive any attempts against him, and determined
to keep a watchful eye upon his wild companion for the present, and
until time should have blunted sensibility to the injury. For this
reason, and in or