and nearly an hour had elapsed when, fancying that it
was imprudent to leave her so long to her own melancholy thoughts,
I moved towards the summer-house myself, making as much noise with
my feet as possible to prepare her for my approach. I had got about
half way up the ascent, when to my astonishment I beheld issuing
from the entrance not Mrs. Ronayne, but the long-absent Wau-nan-gee,
who, with a flushed cheek and a fiery eye, divested of all its
former softness, made several bounds in an opposite direction, and,
without uttering a word, rapidly disappeared among the fruit trees
which bordered on the forest.

"Seized with a strong presentiment of evil, I entered the
summer-house. Judge my astonishment when I found it empty. Heaven!
what could this mean? I had distinctly seen Mrs. Ronayne enter it,
and I had scarcely since taken my eyes off the building. In an
agony of despair, I threw myself upon the wooden bench, and scarcely
conscious of what I did, called frantically on Maria's name.
Suddenly, a sound similar to that of a faint moan seemed to proceed
from beneath my feet. I rose, removed the rude Indian mat with
which the centre of the floor is covered, and perceived that it
had been recently cut into an oblong square nearly the size of the
mat itself. The whole truth now flashed upon me--it was evident
that my friend was beneath: but the great difficulty was to find
the means of removing the door, which fitted so closely that it
required some superinducing motive even to suspect its existence.
There was nothing inside the building which could effect my purpose.
I ran to the door and cast my eyes towards the cottage.
Around it I saw a number of Indians stealthily moving near one of
the wings to the rear. In a moment I saw the necessity for
promptitude, and hastened rapidly towards the beach where I had
left the crew of the boat, consisting of four men and Corporal
Collins, and bade them come as far as the entrance to the garden,
where they could distinctly see and be seen from the cottage. I
remarked that there were Indians lurking about the grounds, and
that neither Mrs. Ronayne nor myself liked being so near them
without protection. 'As for you, Corporal Collins,' I added playfully,
'you must lend me your bayonet; an Indian does not like that weapon,
and, should any of these people feel inclined to prove unruly, the
bare sight of it will be sufficient. Remain here at the gate until
I return with Mrs. Ronayne, a