y tongue seemed to be paralyzed, every limb
nerveless, as they, with horror depicted on their swarthy faces, saw
him approaching.

At last one old man slowly arose and stretching his long bony hand
toward him, said--"Does not our chief rest well in the spirit land,
that he comes back to his people again? or does he come to warn us of
danger?"

"The Arapahoes have forgotten their chief," said Whirlwind, bitterly.

"No, no: not forgotten him!" cried a young girl--his sister--bounding
into the circle, and throwing herself, into his arms.

"The Singing-Bird does not forget," said the chief, holding her tightly
in his embrace.

"We did not forget, but thought you dead!" they all cried, after fairly
recovering from their panic. The Eagle was one of the first to give him
a hearty welcome back, and as he did so, he laid his plume on the
returned chieftain's head--thus resigning his title and authority.

"No, keep it yet for awhile," returned Whirlwind, "I must leave you for
a time." He then explained the disasters that had befallen them, and,
finally, his self-imposed duty in uniting the severed family.

The Indians never do a generous act by piecemeal. They are either warm
friends or bitter enemies, knowing no medium between the two. They will
lay down their lives to serve a friend, and murder a friend's enemy for
the same reason, although they have never seen him before, and
personally have no animosity towards him. The Arapahoes applauded the
noble design of their chief, and furnished fresh horses to him and
Cole, with which to accomplish the distance to the frontier, where Mr.
Duncan and his companions were.

Mr. Duncan and family were seating themselves at their evening meal, as
the two horseman halted at the door. A glance was sufficient to tell
them one was a stranger, and the other--could it be?--was the Arapahoe
chief, who was taken captive with his lost ones! They all with one
impulse started for the door, but Mrs. Duncan, too overcome with
anxiety, stood trembling, pale and speechless, leaning on a chair, from
which she had just arisen. Mr. Duncan reached the door, but the words
he would have spoken died on his lips, as Lewis bounded past him, and
grasping the chiefs arm convulsively, cried--"Do _they_ live!--speak,
if you would not see _them_ die!" pointing to his father and mother--"do
they live?"

"All live!" said the chief; and as the words fell from his lips, a cry
of joy and gladness resounded from t