girl slept sweetly and tranquilly beside
Catharine; but Catharine could not sleep; she communed with her own
heart in the still watches of the night--it seemed as if a new life had
been infused within her. She no longer thought and felt as a child;
the energies of her mind had been awakened, ripened into maturity as
it were, and suddenly expanded. When all the inmates of the lodges were
profoundly sleeping, Catharine arose,--a sudden thought had entered into
her mind, and she hesitated not to put her design into execution. There
was no moon, but a bright arch of light spanned the forest to the north;
it was mild and soft as moonlight, but less bright, and cast no shadow
across her path; it showed her the sacred tent of the widow of the
murdered Mohawk. With noiseless step she lifted aside the curtain of
skins that guarded it, and stood at the entrance. Light as was her step,
it awakened the sleeper; she raised herself on her arm and looked up
with a dreamy and abstracted air as Catharine, stretching forth her hand
in tones low and tremulous, thus addressed her in the Ojebwa tongue:--

"The Great Spirit sends me to thee, O woman of much sorrow; he asks of
thee a great deed of mercy and goodness. Thou hast shed blood, and he
is angry. He bids thee to save the life of an enemy--the blood of thy
murdered husband flows in her veins. See that thou disobey not the words
that he commands."

She dropped the curtain and retired as she had come, with noiseless
step, and lay down again in the tent beside Indiana. Her heart beat
as though it would burst its way through her bosom. What had she
done?--what dared? She had entered the presence of that terrible woman
alone, at the dead hour of night! she had spoken bold and presumptuous
words to that strange being whom even her own people hardly dared to
approach uncalled-for! Sick with terror at the consequences of her
temerity, Catharine cast her trembling arms about the sleeping Indian
girl, and hiding her head in her bosom, wept and prayed till sleep came
over her wearied spirit. It was late when she awoke. She was alone: the
lodge was empty. A vague fear seized her: she hastily arose to seek her
friend. It was evident that some great event was in preparation. The
Indian men had put on the war-paint, and strange and ferocious eyes
were glancing from beneath their shaggy locks. A stake was driven in the
centre of the cleared space in front of the chief's lodge: there, bound,
she beh