aching tormentors. My knees
trembled for very anxiety. Just then I heard a low "croak! croak!"
Though warned, I believed that it was really a frog close to me. It was
followed by a click as if caused by the cocking of the rifles. The
Sioux one and all started and looked round. Their quick ears had
detected the sound. There was another low croak, and at the same
instant a rattling volley, and fourteen savages lay stretched on the
grass. The rest rushed in all directions seeking for shelter, but in
their alarm, scarcely perceiving whence the volley had proceeded, some
darted towards the bank of the stream, where my friends still lay
concealed rapidly reloading their rifles. Scarcely had the smoke
cleared off than I saw through it a savage darting towards Malcolm with
uplifted knife, resolved apparently, before he died, to plunge it in his
bosom. I shrieked out, and sprang forward to throw myself between them.
The savage saw me, and was about to vent his rage on my head, but at
the moment his gleaming knife was uplifted to strike, a bullet struck
him, fired from Sigenok's rifle, and he fell within a foot of me, in
vain endeavouring to reach me with his weapon. I sprang to my brother's
side, he was unhurt, my knife was busily employed in cutting through the
thongs which bound him. More shots were heard as my Ojibway friends
caught sight of their Sioux foes endeavouring to escape. A few of the
latter had, however, got to some distance and were trying to catch their
horses, on which their only hope of safety now depended. The object of
the Ojibways was, of course, to prevent them, lest they should carry the
news of what had happened to their tribe, who would, in their turn, send
off another war party in pursuit of us.

The approach of our horses was now heard. Sigenok with a dozen other
men threw themselves on their backs almost without stopping them, and
galloped off in hot pursuit of their flying enemies. I stood by the
side of my brother, who was too much bewildered to understand what had
happened. His first words were, "Harry, dear Harry, tell me is it a
dream or a reality. Am I really free?"

"Free, Malcolm, I trust," I answered; "though I might almost ask you the
same question; I can scarcely believe my happiness."

"Now I take your hand and hear your voice, I know that it is true," he
said eagerly. "And that poor savage who lies so helpless there, I
thought he was going to kill me; but I have been m