do when there exists any doubt about a
matter,--I hastened forward to solve the mystery. No sooner did they
see me than Klitz dropped his muskets, and Barney, letting go the
handles of his wheel-barrow, stood gazing at me with open eyes and
outstretched hands.

"Arrah, now, it's the young masther himself!" exclaimed Barney; whilst
the German uttered an exclamation which I did not comprehend. "Sure,
now, we were afther thinking your honour was kilt intirely," continued
Barney. "Might I be so bold as to axe where your honour comes from
now?"

"Let me inquire where you come from, and how you escaped from the
burning house," I said. "Although I am glad to see you, I would rather
you had rejoined your regiment."

"Sure, Mister Ralph dear, we were returned as dead, and it would have
been sore against our consciences to take sarvice under the
circumstances. But your honour was axin' how we escaped. Sure, when I
was hunting for the Redskin spy, didn't I find out the root-house. And
so, afther matters came to the worst, we got in there, with food enough
to last until those thieves who wanted our scalps had taken themselves
off. As to cutting our way through the enemy, I knew well enough that
would not suit me; for I could not run, and Klitz would have been a mark
a mile off. So, when you rushed out, he and I dropped down through the
trap and stowed ourselves away. The Indians, marcifully, niver came to
look for us. In truth, while they were hunting about down came the
building on their heads, and we could hear their shrieks and cries as
they tried to scramble out from among the flames. If it had not been
for a small vent-hole far away up in a corner, we should have been
suffocated, maybe. All day long we could hear them screeching and
hallooing outside the house; but before night the thieves of the world
took themselves off, we suppose, for all was silent.

"At the end of a couple of days we thought we might safely venture to
take a few mouthfuls of fresh air, and begin to work our way out from
among the ruins. It was no easy job, but we got free at last. Neither
Redskin nor white man was to be seen; and of all the buildings, the hut
and the mill only were standing. The villains had carried off all our
blankets and most of the cooking-pots, but enough was left for our
wants, seeing that we had nothing to put in them. However, Klitz was
not the boy to starve. He soon caught some fish, and I got hold of a
sh