"Well, the whole settlement shall know about it at once," declared Sandy, angrily; "and it will be a bad thing for Jacques Larue or Henri Lacroix to be seen creeping up the rise. I do not believe we will ever know peace until something happens to those bad men. Little they care for the sacred belt of Pontiac, and even the death of Armand Lacroix does not seem to have daunted them." "I think you are wrong there," Bob went on, earnestly. "They have been afraid to do either of us bodily injury, because they know what the anger of Pontiac would mean to them. But they think they can find other ways to annoy us, and those we care for. To burn our cabin to the ground seems to be a favorite way of satisfying their idea of revenge; but they will have a hard time doing it, now that we are warned." "I read the scroll somewhat as you do," said Mr. Armstrong, "and at once commenced to ask among the neighbors concerning them. One man, who had been out hunting most of the day, told about seeing the Frenchmen in the woods. They seemed to be heading this way, and acted as though they were making sure of their ground as they advanced. As he did not fancy running into trouble, he simply lay in the bushes until they had passed on." "Which proves that they are really around here again, urged on by some foolish notion that they have suffered wrongs at our hands, and ought to square the account," remarked Bob, seriously. "It will be squared, one of these fine days," said Sandy, with a glance in the direction of the corner where he had stood his musket after entering, taking it from the hands of Pat, who had been carrying the heavy piece for him, because of his lame leg. "Yis," spoke up Pat, "there be but wan way to aven accounts wid such spalpeens as thim Frinch trappers, who make most av their livin' stalin' from the traps av honest min; and that is by diskiverin' the same in some ugly thrick, an' wastin' a precious bit av lead." "Here comes Blue Jacket to see you, mother," said Bob. "Oh!" broke in Sandy, "if you could only have seen him when he was telling that war-loving Little Turtle how much he was in debt to the Armstrong family, it would have done you good, mother. Of course we didn't just understand all they said; but Pat could, and he told us how Blue Jacket was declaring he would lay down his life for any one of us, if the need arose. He said you attended to his hurt just as if he were your own son." It could be easily understood, after that, what a warm welcome greeted the young Shawanee brave when he strode into their midst. Doubtless it was pleasant to him to know that they thought so much of him; but he did not betray this fact even by a smile. An Indian learns from childhood to repress all outward evidence of feeling springing either from joy or pain. Anger alone will he allow himself to show, and that only because it excites his ardor for the battlefield or to follow the trail of his enemy.