great thirst for learning
in this New World."

"How do you find time for it?"

"Oh, we have leisure here--more than you have. In England even your
wealthy young men are over-worked. They dine out and play cards until
three in the morning and sleep until midday. Then luncheon and the
cock fight and tea and Parliament! The best of us have only three
steady habits. We work and study and sleep."

"And fight savages," said the woman.

"We do that, sometimes, but it is not often necessary. If it were not
for white savages, there would be no red ones. You would find America
a good country to live in."

"At least I hope it will be good to sleep in this night," the woman
answered, yawning. "Dreamland is now the only country I care for."

The ladies and children, being near spent by the day's travel and
excitement, turned in soon after supper. The men slept on their
blankets, by the fire, and were up before daylight for a dip in the
creek near by. While they were getting breakfast, the women and
children had their turn at the creekside.

That day the released captives were in better spirits. Soon after noon
the company came to a swollen river where the horses had some swimming
to do. The older animals and the following colts went through all
right, but the young stallion which Jack and Margaret were riding,
began to rear and plunge. The girl in her fright jumped off his back
in swift water and was swept into the rapids and tumbled about and put
in some danger before Jack could dismount and bring her ashore.

"You have increased my debt to you," she said, when at last they were
mounted again. "What a story this is! It is terribly exciting."

"Getting into deeper water," said Jack. "I'm not going to let you
spoil it by drowning."

"I wonder what is coming next," said she.

"I don't know. So far it's as good as _Robinson Crusoe_."

"With a book you can skip and see what happens," she laughed. "But we
shall have to read everything in this story. I'd love to know all
about you."

He told her with boyish frankness of his plans which included learning
and statesmanship and a city home. He told also of his adventures in
the forest with his father.

Meanwhile, the elder John Irons and Mrs. Hare were getting acquainted
as they rode along. The woman had been surprised by the man's intimate
knowledge of English history and had spoken of it.

"Well, you see my wife is a granddaughter of Horatio Walpole