ma went up to Mr. Campbell and kissed him, and Mr. Campbell said,
"Well, I hope there will be a turkey, since you wish for one."

The hunters did not return till late, and when they appeared in sight,
Percival, who had descried them, came in and said that they were very
well loaded, and were bringing in their game slung upon a pole.

Mary and Emma went out of the door to meet their cousins. That there was
a heavy load carried on a pole between Martin and Alfred was certain,
but they could not distinguish what it consisted of. As the party
arrived at the palisade gates, however, they discovered that it was not
game, but a human being, who was carried on a sort of litter made of
boughs.

"What is it, Alfred?" said Mary.

"Wait till I recover my breath," said Alfred, as he reached the door,
"or ask Henry, for I'm quite knocked up."

Henry then went with his cousins into the house, and explained to them
that as they were in pursuit of the wild turkeys, Oscar had stopped
suddenly and commenced baying; that they went up to the dog, and, in a
bush, they found a poor Indian woman nearly frozen to death, and with a
dislocation of the ankle, so severe that her leg was terribly swelled,
and she could not move. Martin had spoken to her in the Indian tongue,
and she was so exhausted with cold and hunger that she could just tell
him that she belonged to a small party of Indians who had been some days
out hunting, and a long way from where they had built their winter
lodges; that she had fallen with the weight which she had carried, and
that her leg was so bad, she could not go on with them; that they had
taken her burden, and left her to follow them when she could.

"Yes," continued Alfred; "left the poor creature without food, to perish
in the snow. One day more, and it would have been all over with her. It
is wonderful how she can have lived through the two last nights as she
has. But Martin says the Indians always do leave a woman to perish in
this way or recover as she can, if she happens to meet with an
accident."

"At all events, let us bring her in at once," said Mr. Campbell. "I will
first see if my surgical assistance can be of use, and after that we
will do what we can for her. How far from this did you find her?"

"About eight miles," replied Henry; "and Alfred has carried her almost
the whole way; Martin and I have relieved each other, except once, when
I took Alfred's place."

"And so you perceive, Emma, instea