direction,
and the rest of the party from a third, were creeping slowly up toward
them; but to surround them completely it was necessary the main party
should divide, and send one or two more to the eastward. Captain
Sinclair dispatched Graves and one of the soldiers, desiring them to
creep very softly till they arrived at a spot he pointed out, and then
to wait for the signal to be given.

As the parties gradually approached nearer and nearer to the Indians and
Percival, the Old Raven appeared to be uneasy; he looked round and round
him and once or twice laid his ear on the ground; whenever he did this,
they all stopped, and almost held their breaths.

"The Indian woman says that the Old Raven is suspicious; he is sure
that some one is in the woods near him, and she thinks that she had
better go to him," said the Strawberry to Captain Sinclair.

"Let her go," said Captain Sinclair.

The Indian rose, and walked up in the direction of the Indians, who
immediately turned to her as she approached. She spoke to them, and
appeared to be telling them how it was that she returned. At all events,
she occupied the attention of the Old Raven till the parties were close
to them, when Malachi arose, and immediately all the others did the
same, and rushed upon them. After a short and useless struggle, they
were secured, but not before the younger Indian had wounded one of the
soldiers, by stabbing him with his knife. The thongs were already fast
round the arms and legs of the Indians, when Percival, who had not been
tied, again attempted to escape, and by the direction of Malachi, he was
bound, as well as the other two.

As soon as the prisoners were secured, Martin and Graves and the
soldiers employed themselves cutting up the venison and preparing it for
dinner, while the Strawberry and the Indian woman were collecting wood
for a fire. In the meanwhile Captain Sinclair, Malachi, and John were
seated by the prisoners, and directing their attention to Percival, whom
they had been compelled to bind, that he might not make his escape; for
his sojourn of nearly two years in the woods with the Indians, without
seeing the face of a white man, had (as has been invariably proved to be
the fact in every instance where the parties were very young) wholly
obliterated, for the time, his recollections of his former life--so
rapid is our falling off to the savage state. To the questions of Alfred
he returned no reply, and appeared not to u