landed all their stores and put up a wigwam, the captain,
observing that there was time to shoot some birds, left Robin, who was
not very well, at the camp with one of the men, while he proceeded some
way farther down the river.

Robin, having a great wish to obtain some raspberries or bilberries,
which were ripe at the time, or some other fruit, while his companion
was engaged in cooking the supper, wandered away from the camp in search
of them. It will be better to give Robin's narrative in his own words.

"I had filled my hat with fruit of various sorts, thinking how pleased
my father would be to have some for supper. The priming had fallen out
of the pan of my gun, which I had taken with me to shoot any birds I
might see, as also to protect myself from bears or wolves, and I was in
the act of refilling it when I heard a rustling behind me, and presently
three Indians sprang out of the bushes, and snatching away my weapon
before I had finished the operation, two of them seized me by the hands.

"I felt dreadfully alarmed, for they were to my eyes ferocious-looking
fellows, dressed in skins and feathers, with their faces painted all
over in different colours. I was about to cry out for help, hoping that
my father might have returned to the camp and would hear me, when the
third Indian, who had possession of my gun, raising his tomahawk,
threatened to cut me down if I made any noise. Without more ado they
dragged me along, but finding that I no longer resisted, did not offer
me any further violence.

"These Indians were, I afterwards found, unacquainted with the use of
firearms. They allowed me to retain my powder-flask and shot-belt,
looking upon my weapon, however, with evident respect. They therefore
did not injure it, though they took good care not to let me again get it
into my possession, which, as may be supposed, I was constantly
attempting to do. One of them carried my hat with the fruit in it for
some distance, when he emptied the contents out on the ground and
replaced it on my head. What their object was in carrying me away I
could not tell, and it was not till long afterwards that I discovered
it. Had I known it at the time I should not have been so much
frightened, for I fully believed that their intention was to kill me.

"It appeared that one of them, who was an old man, had a wife with
several children by a former husband. The youngest of these had
recently died, and she had told her husb