It were vain to attempt a description of the varied condition of mind
into which the brother and sister fell when they found themselves
actually reduced to a state of slavery in an Indian camp, and separated
from their parents, as they firmly believed, for ever.
Nelly wept her eyes almost out of their sockets at first. Then she fell
into a sort of apathetic state, in which, for several days, she went
about her duties almost mechanically, feeling as if it were all a
horrible dream, out of which she would soon awake, and find herself at
home with her "darling mother" beside her. This passed, however, and
she had another fit of heart-breaking sorrow, from which she found
relief by recalling some of the passages in God's Word, which her mother
had taught her to repeat by heart; especially that verse in which it is
said, "that Jesus is a friend who sticketh closer than a brother." And
this came to the poor child's mind with peculiar power, because her own
brother Roy was so kind, and took such pains to comfort her, and to
enter into all her girlish feelings and sympathies, that she could
scarcely imagine it possible for anyone to stick closer to her in all
her distress than he did.
As for Roy, he was not given to the melting mood. His nature was bold
and manly. Whatever he felt, he kept it to himself, and he forgot more
than half his own sorrow in his brotherly efforts to assuage that of
Nelly.
Both of them were active and willing to oblige, so that they did not
allow their grief to interfere with their work, a circumstance which
induced their captors to treat them with forbearance, and even kindness.
Nelly sobbed and worked; gradually, the sobbing decreased, and the work
was carried on with vigour, so that she soon became quite expert at
skinning rabbits, boiling meat, embroidering mocassins, smoking
deerskins, chopping firewood into small pieces, and many other details
of Indian household economy; while Roy went out with the hunters, and
became a very Nimrod, insomuch that he soon excelled all the lads of his
own age, and many of those who were older, in the use of the bow, the
snow-shoes, the spear, the axe, and the gun. But all this, and what
they did and said in the Indian camp during that winter, and what was
said and done to them, we do not mean to write about, having matter of
deeper interest to tell.
Winter passed away, and spring came. But little do those who dwell in
England know of the enchantment of returning spring in the frozen
wilderness of North America. The long, long winter, seems as though it
would _never_ pass away. The intense frost seals up all the sweet
odours of the woods for so many months, that the nostrils become
powerfully sensitive, and, as it were, yearn for something to smell.
The skin gets so used to frost, that a balmy breeze is thought of as a
thing of the past, or well-nigh forgotten.
Spring in those regions comes suddenly. It came on our wanderers with a
gush. One night the temperature rose high above the freezing point;
next day all the sights and sounds of Nature's great awakening were in
full play. The air fanned their cheeks like a summer breeze; the
strange unwonted sound of tinkling and dropping water was heard; scents,
as of green things, were met and inhaled greedily. As the thirsty
Bedouin drinks from the well in the oasis, so did Roy and Nelly drink in
the delicious influences of melting nature. And they thought of those
words which say, that the wilderness shall rejoice and blossom as the
rose. The rejoicing had commenced, the blossoming would soon follow.
But warlike and wicked men were even then preparing to desecrate the
beautiful land. A war-party of enemies had come down upon the tribe,
with whom they dwelt. Scouts had brought in the news. All was
commotion and excitement in the camp. Goods and chattels were being
packed up. The women and children were to be sent off with these, under
an escort, to a place of greater security, while the Braves armed for
the fight.
In the middle of all the confusion, Roy took Nelly aside, and, with a
look of mystery, said--
"Nell, dear, I'm goin' to run away. Stay, now, don't stare so like an
owl, but hold your sweet tongue until I have explained what I mean to
do. You and I have picked up a good deal of useful knowledge of one
sort or another since we came here, and I'm inclined to think we are
quite fit to take to the woods and work our way back to Fort
Enterprise."
"But isn't it an _awful_ long way?" said Nelly.
"It is, but we have an _awful_ long time to travel; haven't we all our
lives before us? If our lives are long, we'll manage it; if they are
short, why, we won't want to manage it, so we need not bother our heads
about that?"
"But the way home," suggested Nelly, "do you know it?"
"Of course I know it; that is to say, I know, from that ugly thief Hawk,
that it lies somewhere or other to the south-west o' this place, some
hundreds of miles off; how many hundreds does not much matter, for we
have got the whole of the spring, summer, and fall before us."
"But what if we don't get home in the fall?"
"Then we shall spend the winter in the woods, that's all."
Nelly laughed, in spite of her anxieties, at the confident tone in which
her brother spoke; and, being quite unable to argue the matter farther,
she said that she was ready to do whatever Roy pleased, having perfect
confidence in his wisdom.
"That's right, Nell; now, you get ready to start at a moment's notice.
When the Injuns attack the camp, we'll give 'em the slip. Put all you
want to take with you on a toboggan, [see note 1] and meet me at the
crooked tree when the camp moves."
That night the camp was struck, and the women and children departed,
under a strong escort. Almost at the same time the enemy came down on
their prey, but they met men prepared for them. In the dark, Nelly
crept to the crooked tree, dragging the toboggan after her. She was met
by Roy, who took the sledge-line and her hand and led her into the dark
forest, while the savages were fighting and yelling like fiends in the
camp. There let us leave them to fight it out. Enough for us to know
that their warfare prevented any pursuit of the young fugitives.
Weeks passed, and Roy and Nelly wandered on; all fear of pursuit soon
left them. Ducks, geese, and other waterfowl, came in myriads with the
spring. Roy had brought with him his gun (the one he was wont to use in
hunting), and bow and quiver. They fed on the fat of the land. Summer
advanced, and game became less plentiful; still, there was more than
sufficient to supply them with abundance of food. Autumn approached;
the wild fowl that had passed northward in spring, began to return
southward, and again the wants of the young wanderers were
superabundantly supplied.
The pole-star was Roy's guide. At night he laid his course by it; and
by the sun during the day, making constant allowance, of course, for the
sun's rate of travelling through the sky, and taking advantage of all
prominent landmarks on the way.
Time sped on; many weary miles were travelled, but no sign of Fort
Enterprise was to be seen. Day after day, week after week, month after
month they wandered, and still found themselves in the heart of an
unknown wilderness. Occasionally they observed signs of Indians, and
carefully kept out of sight at such times, as you may easily believe.
At last there came a day when hard frost set in. It was the first touch
of another winter. Roy and Nelly did not betray their feelings to each
other, but their hearts sank as they thought of what lay before them.
The frost was short-lived, however; towards noon the air became
delightfully warm, and their spirits revived.
On reaching the summit of an eminence, up which they had toiled for
several hours, they beheld a small lake, in which the silvery clouds
were clearly reflected. The day was calm; the sun unusually brilliant;
the autumnal foliage most gorgeous in colour. It was like a scene in
fairy-land!
"Splendid!" exclaimed Roy, sitting down beside his sister on the trunk
of a fallen tree.
"Oh! _how_ beautiful," cried Nelly.
"It's so like silver," said Roy.
"Silver Lake," murmured Nelly.
Roy seemed to think the name appropriate, for he echoed the words, "Yes,
Silver Lake." And there brother and sister sat, for a long time, on the
fallen tree, in silent admiration of the scene.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note 1. A small Indian sledge, dragged on the snow, either by hand or
by dog with loops at the sides for lashing the loading of the sledge
upon it.