om-lands; perfume, song,
gracious valleys, and the lurking red evil.

Cousin had regained his self-control overnight and outwardly appeared to
be thoroughly composed. He talked but little, and then only when I took
the lead. I refrained from mentioning the tragedy of yesterday and the sun
was noon-high before he brought the matter up.

"I couldn't kill that feller," he abruptly informed me.

There was no preface to indicate whom he meant, but I knew and nodded
sympathetically.

"An' I'd ruther kill him than all the rest o' the Injuns 'tween here 'n'
Detroit," he added after a long pause.

"She will never come back to us?" I asked; for he had given no details of
his interview with his sister.

"She'll never come back. For a time I'd a mind to drag her away, but she
was so cold to me, so Injun-like in her way of lettin' me know it wouldn't
do no good, that I give it up. You see she was only a child when captured.
Women caught when much older'n her have gone for to choose a wigwam to a
cabin."

"Do you wish I had shot him?"

"No. If it could happen in a open fight--that's different. It wouldn't do
any good to hurt her by killin' him. But I wish he was dead!"

We stopped and ate and rode several miles before either of us spoke again.
Then I said:

"There's a girl ahead, about your age."

He was disturbed to hear it and I feared he would wish to leave me.

"I don't want her captured by Indians," I added.

"God forbid it!" he hoarsely cried.

Having prepared him for seeing Patricia, I shifted his line of thought by
asking, "What do you think of John Ward?"

"Injun."

I said nothing and after a few minutes he went on:

"Took by Injuns when a little boy, just like Tavenor Ross and George
Collet was took. I've heard traders tell about the three of 'em. When
they're took so young they grow up just as much Injuns as if they was born
red. Ward's that way. Must be. Look at the sister I lost!"

"But Ward comes back to settlements. He even crosses the mountains. He
says he escaped."

"He wouldn't be travelin' round these parts if he was a' 'scaped prisoner.
As for crossin' the mountains he might 'a' gone for to see what he could
see. Cornstalk has spies all up an' down the frontier. I 'low them two we
met yesterday was bent on spyin'. God! That's a' awful thought! But I
ain't got no sister. It was a red woman we seen. She 'n' her man was
spyin'. If not that why should they be makin' east into the mountains? I