at the thought of seeing them all again.
They had selected a rocky mound for the site of their encampment, and
had surrounded it with a stockade and ditch, so that it was capable of
resisting any attack the Indians were likely to make on it. There was
room inside, I calculated, not only for their own huts, but for their
cattle and wagons, and a supply of fodder and wood. They had spared no
pains, I guessed, to make themselves secure and comfortable. The very
look of the place convinced me that my family were there. As we drew
near, a gate opened, and several people came out. There were, I saw,
father and mother, and sisters, and all my brothers but Joab. Then I
feared, as I found, that brother Joab had been killed. I said nothing,
for I was afraid to ask about him. They all welcomed me as one from the
dead, for they thought that I had been killed, and never expected to
hear anything of me again, for they had seen me fall, as they had Joab,
and he, poor fellow, had been scalped before their eyes, so they had no
hopes for him. After they all had done talking to me, I told them about
the young red-skin, whom the Delaware and I had brought. The women at
once took charge of him, and doctored him in their own kind way.

"In the meantime the Delaware was not forgotten, and everybody tried to
show their gratitude to him for the service he had been to me. It was
several days before the young Indian began to recover; indeed I believe
any one but a red-skin would have been killed with such a fall as he
had. When he got better he began to talk to us, but we could make out
but little of what he said. At last I begged the Delaware to come to
him, as he understood his language. After some hesitation, and a long
talk with the Delaware, he told us that he was the eldest son of the
chief of the Kioway tribe; that he and his people had planned an attack
on our fort, and that it was to take place in three days by that time.
He said that his people did not know what had become of him, but that
they would not abandon their plans on account of his loss.

"`Now,' he added, `I will go to them, and tell them all you have done
for me, and instead of enemies, they will become your friends.'

"In two days more he was strong enough to move, and he insisted on
setting out, saying that he should soon fall in with his people. Off he
went, and we waited anxiously his return; but in case of treachery we
put everything to rights in the for