mother," murmured Ah-mo.

"And more worthy of honor than a queen!" exclaimed the major.

Then he told of their escape from Tawtry House, of Donald's subsequent
disappearance, and of the strange mark found on his arm when he was
restored to them.

"I soon learned," said the old soldier, "that it was the symbol of a
totem, though I never knew why it was tattooed on the child's arm, nor
by whom. Perhaps you can tell us of it, Ah-mo. It was something after
this fashion."

Here the major drew a sketch of the design on a bit of paper.

"Yes," replied the Indian girl, regarding the sketch, "from this alone
could I tell the clan of the warrior wearing it, his standing in the
tribe, and who had tattooed the symbol. Even without the sketch I
could have told you these things, for I have looked upon the original."

"When?" asked Edith, wonderingly.

"At the time when my father recognized his own handiwork on the arm of
a captive."

"You then have seen our Donald and never told us of the meeting, nor
what he said, nor anything!" exclaimed the white girl, in a grieved
tone.

"I have seen him twice," replied Ah-mo, "but we have never exchanged
words, nor do I think he knows who I am. The first time I saw him was
shortly after my coming from Montreal, when I was on the river in a
canoe with one of my girl friends. He was also in a canoe, but
helplessly drifting, having broken his only paddle. I laughed at his
predicament and would have let him drift, had not my companion
mentioned his name. It was one esteemed by all of Indian blood, and
though I knew not whether the young man bore any relation to my
father's friend, I determined, for the sake of his name, to help him.
We approached him so quietly that he did not hear us, tossed a paddle
into his canoe, and were off almost before he knew of our presence.
That was one time. The other was but a few weeks since, when I stood
with my father and a captive was laid unconscious at our feet. My
father knew him not, and but for the totem would never have recognized
him."

"What is this totem?" inquired Edith.

"It is that of the Bear, the same to which my father belongs."

"And you, too, and your brothers?"

"No, we belong to our mother's totem, which is that of the Beaver, for
no one may belong to the totem of his father."

"And what means the circle of serpents?" asked Major Hester.

"It signifies the magic circle of the Metai, to which none but a brave
warrior,