t makes us welcome. But nevertheless, Peter, we must have our
lead and our powder; and we must tell these poor people the news."

"And pray, Nathan," said Colonel Bruce, rousing him from his meditations,
"what may your news for the poor people be? I reckon it will be much
wiser to tell it to me than that 'ar brute dog. You have seen the
Jibbenainosay, perhaps, or his mark thar-away on the Kentucky?"

"Nay," said Nathan. "But there is news from the Injun towns of a great
gathering of Injuns with their men of war in the Miami villages, who
design, the evil creatures, marching into the district of Kentucky with a
greater army than was ever seen in the land before."

"Let them come, the brutes," said the Kentuckian, with a laugh of scorn;
"it will save us the trouble of hunting them up in their own towns."

"Nay," said Nathan, "but perhaps they _have_ come; for the prisoner who
escaped, and who is bearing the news to friend Clark, the General at the
Falls, says they were to march two days after he fled from them."

"And whar did you learn this precious news?"

"At the lower fort of Kentucky, and from the man himself," said Nathan.
"He had warned the settlers at Lexington--"

"That's piper's news," interrupted one of the young men. "Captain Ralph
told us all about that; but he said thar war nobody at Lexington believed
the story."

"Then," said Nathan, meekly, "it may be that the man was mistaken. Yet
persons should have a care, for there is Injun sign all along the
Kentucky. But that is my story. And now, friend Thomas, if thee will give
me lead and powder for my skins, I will be gone, and trouble thee no
longer."

"It's a sin and a shame to waste them on a man who only employs them to
kill deer, b'ar, and turkey," said Bruce, "yet a man musn't starve, even
whar he's a quaker. So go you along with my son Dick thar, to the store,
and he'll give you the value of your plunder. A poor, miserable brute,
thar's no denying," he continued, contemptuously, as Nathan, obeying the
direction, followed Bruce's second son into the fortress. "The man has
some spirit now and then; but whar's the use of it, while he's nothing
but a no-fight quaker? I tried to reason him out of his notions; but thar
war no use in trying, no how I could work it. I have an idea about these
quakers--"

But here, luckily, the worthy Colonel's idea was suddenly put to flight
by the appearance of Telie Doe, who came stealing through the throng, to
summo