"Very true; but what is that little figure following the chief with his arms behind him?" "There is the whole mystery of the letter, sir, without which it were worth nothing. You perceive that the little figure has a pair of snow-shoes over it." "Yes, I do." "Well, that little figure is your brother Percival, whom we supposed to be dead." "Merciful heavens! is it possible?" exclaimed Alfred; "then he is alive!" "There is no doubt of it, sir," replied Malachi; "and now I will put the whole letter together. Your brother Percival has been carried off by the Angry Snake and his band, and has been taken to some place one hundred and eighty miles to the westward, and this information comes from the Indian woman who belongs to the band, and whose life was preserved by your kindness. I don't think, Mr Alfred, that any white person could have written a letter more plain and more to the purpose." "I agree with you, Malachi; but the news has so overpowered me, I am so agitated with joy and anxiety of mind, that I hardly know what I say. Percival alive! we'll have him if we have to go one thousand miles and beat two thousand Indians. Oh, how happy it will make my mother! But what are we to do, Malachi? tell me, I beseech you." "We must do nothing, sir," replied Malachi. "Nothing, Malachi!" replied Alfred, with surprise. "No, sir; nothing at present, at all events. We have the information that the boy is alive, at least it is presumed so; but of course the Indians do not know that we have received such information; if they did, the woman would be killed immediately. Now, sir, the first question we must ask ourselves is, why they have carried off the boy; for it would be no use carrying off a little boy in that manner without some object." "It is the very question that I was going to put to you, Malachi." "Then, sir, I'll answer it to the best of my knowledge and belief. It is this: the Angry Snake came to the settlement, and saw our stores of powder and shot, and everything else. He would have attacked us last winter if he had found an opportunity and a chance of success. One of his band was killed, which taught him that we were on the watch, and he failed in that attempt; he managed, however, to pick up the boy when he was lagging behind us, at the time that you were wounded by the painter, and carried him off, and he intends to drive a bargain for his being restored to us. That is my conviction." "I have no doubt but that you are right, Malachi," said Alfred, after a pause. "Well, we must make a virtue of a necessity, and give him what he asks." "Not so, sir; if we did, it would encourage him to steal again." "What must we do then?"