hit the precise time of opening the door, and escaping shrouded in
a volume of smoke. If too soon, they will perceive us, and we shall be
shot down; if too late, the roof will fall upon us, and we shall be
smothered or burnt. We had better now, I think, leave this, and be all
ready. Our best weapon, if we had to fight our way, will be an axe.
Let us each take one; and, by now going near to the door, and putting
our mouths to one of the loop-holes, we shall breathe freer, and unbar
the door at the right time. Do you agree with me?"

"You are right," said she; "you are a _man_, and I am a _woman_."

We left the fire-place, and, having felt for and found the axes, we went
near the door, and put our mouths to the loop-holes below; and the smoke
passing above them enabled us to breathe freer. I looked out and
perceived that, with the exception of about six yards to leeward of the
cabin, there was a dense volume of smoke rolling along the ground for a
long distance; and that if we could only once gain it without being
perceived, we should probably be saved. I therefore unbarred the door,
drew the bolt, and held it in my hand, all ready for a start. The cabin
was now in flames in every part as well as the roof. I touched my
mistress, and then took her hand in mine, watching at the loop-hole. At
last, when the heat was almost unbearable, an eddy of the wind drove
back the smoke close to the lee-side of the cabin, and all was dark. I
jumped up, opened the door, and dragged my mistress after me; we walked
out into the black mass completely hid from our enemies, and then
running hand-in-hand as fast as we could to leeward in the centre of the
smoke, we found ourselves at least one hundred yards from the cabin
without the Indians having any idea that we were not still inside. As
we retreated, the density of the smoke became less, and I then told her
to run for her life, as the Indians would discover that the door of the
cabin was open and that we had escaped--and so it proved. We were still
a hundred yards from the wood when a yell was given which proved that
they had discovered our escape and were in pursuit. We gained the wood;
I turned round a moment to look behind me, and perceived at least forty
or fifty Indians in full pursuit of us--the foremost about two hundred
yards distant.

"Now we must run for it, mistress," said I, "and we must no longer take
hands. We shall have to thread the wood. Away! We have no t