heir vigilance.

[Illustration]

Dusk came on. The Goodwife set a candle in the window, and when her
other tasks were finished, went back to her spinning. Not a moment was
she idle, nor did she appear to her children to be anxious, but as
she walked back and forth beside her wheel Nancy heard her murmuring,
"Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most
High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall
any plague come nigh thy dwelling." Over and over she said it to
herself, never slacking her work meanwhile.

The supper which Nancy prepared waited--one hour--two--after Dan had
fed the cattle and brought in the milk, and still there was no sign of
the searching party.

Suddenly Nimrod, from his place on the hearth, gave a short sharp
bark, and, leaping to the window, stood with his paws on the sill,
peering out into the darkness and whining. Dan was beside him in an
instant. "I see them," he cried joyfully, "a whole parcel of them.
They are just coming out from behind the cow-shed."

Nancy and her mother reached the window almost at the same moment, and
as the shadowy figures emerged from behind the cow-shed the mother
counted them breathlessly, "One--two--three--four--five--"

"There 's Father!" shrieked Nancy.

"He 's carrying something. Oh, dost think it is Zeb?"

"Six--seven--eight--_nine! ten!_ There are ten men, when but eight set
forth. Praise God, they have all come back!" cried the mother. Turning
swiftly to the fireplace, she snatched from it a brand of burning
pitch pine and, holding it high above her head for a beacon, ran
out to meet them, with Dan, Nancy, and Nimrod all at her heels. The
torch-light shone on stern and weary faces as the men drew near.

"All 's well, wife," came the voice of the Goodman.

"Hast found the lad?" she called back to him.

"Nay--not yet," he answered, "but we think we have his captors. Hold
thy torch nearer and have no fear. The savages cannot hurt thee.
Nancy, Daniel, have you ever seen these faces before?"

As he spoke he thrust forward two Indians with their hands securely
tied behind them.

"Oh," shuddered Nancy, "I saw them at the window," and Dan added,
"Aye, 't was this one that kicked Nimrod." Nimrod confirmed his
statement by growling fiercely and snapping at the heels of the taller
of the two Indians.

"Call off thy dog," said the Goodman sternly, and though Dan felt it
would be no more than fair to allow Nimrod