the score of comfort,
quite on a level with the wild but gentle beings around her. She was
supplied with a skin, and made her own bed on a pile of boughs a little
apart from the huts. Here she was soon in a profound sleep, like all
around her.

There were now thirteen men in the party, and three kept watch at a
time. One remained in shadow, not far from the fire, however. His duty
was to guard the captive, to take care that the fire neither blazed up
so as to illuminate the spot, nor yet became wholly extinguished, and to
keep an eye generally on the state of the camp. Another passed from one
beach to the other, crossing the base of the point, while the third kept
moving slowly around the strand on its outer extremity, to prevent a
repetition of the surprise that had already taken place that night. This
arrangement was far from being usual among savages, who ordinarily
rely more on the secrecy of their movements, than or vigilance of
this nature; but it had been called for by the peculiarity of the
circumstances in which the Hurons were now placed. Their position was
known to their foes, and it could not easily be changed at an hour which
demanded rest. Perhaps, too, they placed most of their confidence on the
knowledge of what they believed to be passing higher up the lake, and
which, it was thought, would fully occupy the whole of the pale-faces
who were at liberty, with their solitary Indian ally. It was also
probable Rivenoak was aware that, in holding his captive, he had in his
own hands the most dangerous of all his enemies.

The precision with which those accustomed to watchfulness, or lives
of disturbed rest, sleep, is not the least of the phenomena of our
mysterious being. The head is no sooner on the pillow than consciousness
is lost; and yet, at a necessary hour, the mind appears to arouse the
body, as promptly as if it had stood sentinel the while over it. There
can be no doubt that they who are thus roused awake by the influence
of thought over matter, though the mode in which this influence is
exercised must remain hidden from our curiosity until it shall be
explained, should that hour ever arrive, by the entire enlightenment of
the soul on the subject of all human mysteries. Thus it was with Hetty
Hutter. Feeble as the immaterial portion of her existence was thought
to be, it was sufficiently active to cause her to open her eyes at
midnight. At that hour she awoke, and leaving her bed of skin and boughs