s
wings, and, settling on his perch, looked down into the village, as if
seeking for his prey. "If thy bow be faithful, and thy arrow keen,"
said the maiden, "I will keep watch over the prisoner until thy
return." The Indian threw a glance at the captive, as if to assure
himself that everything was safe, and immediately disappeared in the
forest.

The young maiden then entered the cabin. As she approached the
captive, a blush stole to her dark cheek, her eye was downcast, and
her step trembling, and, when she spoke, her voice was low, but soft
as the whispers of the spring wind in a grove of willows.

"I come to offer thee freedom. There is no time to be lost; to-morrow
the chiefs of my nation return, and then will thy guards for a sun be
doubled; the beams of the next shall light thee to torture and death.
Beneath their vigilance thy escape becomes impossible. Mohegan, I am
here to restore to the young eagle his wings, and to cut the cords
which bind the young panther of his tribe."

"And flies the young eagle forth alone? goes the young panther to the
thicket without a companion?" demanded the warrior.

The maiden hid her eyes beneath their long black lashes, and said
nothing. The Mohegan continued:--

"Thou wilt give me liberty of my limbs, but thou leavest my heart
fettered. Wilt thou not, my beautiful deliverer, be the partner of my
flight? What will liberty be to me if thou art not the light of my
cabin? Almost would thy presence and thy pity compensate for the
tortures which await me if I remain. Is it not better for me to die
with thee beholding my constancy and patience in suffering, and
rendering me the tribute of a tear as my spirit departs for the land
of souls, than to go from thy presence sorrowing for the beautiful
maiden with the bright eyes, and fair hair, and ripe lip, and
fawn-like step, whom I have left in the land of my foes? And what, my
beautiful deliverer, will be said by thy kindred if it be known, as it
must be, that thou hast aided my escape, and thus disappointed the
vengeance of thy tribe? I would rather die, Bird of Beauty! by the
death of fire than expose thee to the slightest peril."

Why should I waste time in telling my brother what has been so often
told? The heart of a young maiden in every nation is soft and
susceptible, and, when besieged by love and compassion, is too
certain to yield. The maiden made the warrior repeat over and over
again his promises of affection and cons