itants.

Several weeks passed away. Donna Maria appeared to be slowly
recovering; but it was evident that she still remained in a very
precarious condition. The judge and Mrs. Shurtleff kindly sent up to
invite one or both of my cousins and me to pay them a visit. They,
however, declined the invitation, being unwilling to leave their mother.
My father, guessing that I was getting somewhat weary of being shut up
within the narrow boundary of the little island, advised me to return in
the boat which brought the messenger, but desiring me to come back again
in a few days, lest he should require my services. He had not expected
to remain so long in the country, but while Donna Maria continued so
ill, he was unwilling to speak about their arrangements for the future.
I accordingly set off, and arriving at Roseville was received very
kindly by the judge and his wife, who had heard as much of our
adventures as Lejoillie was able to give them. They spoke in great
admiration of the gallant way in which Rochford had rescued Juanita.

"Brave fellow! noble fellow!" exclaimed the judge. "I only wish that he
had got over his somewhat wild notions of helping the Indians and
negroes. He can do them no good, and will only run a great risk of
getting into trouble himself."

"He would not have gained that influence over them which enabled him to
rescue my cousin, if he had not attempted to help the Indians," I
observed. "Probably no other white man in the country could have done
so. I only wish that he was safe back again here or at Castle Kearney."

I found Lejoillie very busy in obtaining specimens of natural history;
but he ran a great risk, in his excursions, of being caught and scalped
by any Indians who might be prowling about. The Roseville militia were,
however, always on the alert.

I had nearly stayed out my time at the judge's, when a hunter belonging
to the place, who, notwithstanding the unsettled state of the country,
continued the pursuit of game, often at long distances from the
settlement, brought word that he had come upon the lately-deserted camp
of a considerable body of Indians or blacks. He suspected, he said,
from the numerous bones of deer and fowl scattered about, that they were
provided with fire-arms and might have some evil intentions towards the
settlement. He had followed up the trail, and found them again
encamped, but had not ventured near enough to ascertain their numbers
and character. H