"Tell the truth, or I'll break every bone in your body. You kept the dog quiet while she went off."

"Oh! please, don't. You hurt me so," answered the child, endeavoring, with one of her little hands, to remove his iron grasp, which was bruising her arm.

"Answer me," yelled the monster, purple with rage, and shaking the friendless orphan again.

The child would not reply falsely; she, therefore, said nothing.

"What! You won't speak ?" he cried, perfectly beside himself; and he struck her a blow over the head, which brought the blood gushing from her ears and nose. She fell, as if dead, at his feet.

His comrades had witnessed this scene, and though hardened to most descriptions of crime, could not longer endure his brutality. Indeed, Bill and another would have interfered before, if the lieutenant had not held them back, telling them it was Arrison's niece, and that "he had a right to do as he pleased with her." But now even this personage overcame his scruples.

"Come, come, Captain," he said, picking up the child, "we'd better be off. What's done can't be helped. She's but a poor, weak thing, anyhow; and who knows that the dog gave the alarm at all?”

At first Arrison scowled at this interference, but the faces of his followers showed him that the lieutenaut had spoken the will of the majority. So, resolving to punish her to his heart's content at a future period, he bade her "go and wash her face, and stop crying, or he'd give her something to cry for," and turned away.

It took but a few minutes longer to complete the preparations for the pursuit. The refugees hastily swallowed. some food, and drained each a deep draught of Jamaica, after which, with the bloodhound for their guide, they began the search. The dog struck the trail immediately, and went

off in full chorus: and in a little while the pursuers were out

of sight.

The child remained where she had been left, sobbing as if her heart would break, and with her face buried in her hands; every bone in her body aching from the violence she had suffered.

"Oh! I wish I was dead! I wish I was dead!" she cried, rocking her little body to and fro. "Mother, mother, let me come to you ;" and she looked up piteously to the skies.

Gradually, however, the passion of her tears ceased. She had often endured equally brutal treatment before; and she was, in a measure, hardened to it. So her sobs grew less frequent; her thoughts dwelt less on her own sufferings; and she began to recollect Kate.

"I hope she'll get off," she cried, jumping up and clapping her hands. "If she only took the right road."

But scarcely had she spoken, when she reflected that, if his prey wholly escaped, Arrison would return more violently enraged than ever. Experience warned her that, in such a case, he would wreak double vengeance on her. She burst into tears again, in almost speechless terror at the idea.

She could think of nothing in this extremity, but the little prayers her mother had taught her, and which she still murmured nightly before retiring, for lack of others more suited to her years. So she fell on her knees, and, with her hands clasped before her, prayed. But, with the almost infantile words went up earnest heart-petitions, which, more eloquent than the most burning language, reached-who shall doubt it?-the ear of the Father of all.

When Uncle Lawrence reached the hut, an hour or two later, the child, who had heard the approach of the party, was nowhere to be seen; for she had hidden herself in terror in the barn, thinking her persecutor was coming back. But she was not long suffered to remain concealed. Alarmed at

the evidences of the debauch, Uncle Lawrence decided to search every spot about; and thus the child was soon discovered. On finding that the intruders were friends of Kate, the poor thing lost her terror, however, and answered their questions eagerly, giving what information she could as to the route the pursuers had taken.

The woodcraft of Uncle Lawrence now came into full play. No Indian could have tracked the refugees more surely than he did. Occasionally, a few moments were lost in hesitancy, but he invariably selected the right crossing at last. Such minutes of delay, however, were almost intolerable, especially to Major Gordon; for, now that the crisis of Kate's fate approached, he felt the agony of suspense increase tenfold. His incessant cry to himself was, This terrible conviction deepened, as the hours wore on without conducting them to our heroine, or apparently bringing them nearer to the refugees, the bay of whose bloodhound they listened for in vain.

66 we shall be too late."

But when the way became more difficult, they began, though as yet ignorant of it, to gain rapidly on Arrison; for, as the path had grown more intricate, the bloodhound had been often at fault, and thus had lost much time.

At last the cry of the hound was heard. What a thrill of joy it sent through Major Gordon's frame! Every nerve tingled, as he cried,

"She is yet safe. On, on, for the love of God-we may not be too late after all.”

The pace of the pursuers was now accelerated to a run. Suddenly Uncle Lawrence said,

"That dog is nearly up with her; I know it by the quick way in which he cries. Follow the track as fast as you can. I'll take a short cut through the swamp; I think I can make something by it, though none of the rest can. The cry of the hound will lead me to the right spot."

He had never ceased running as he spoke; and it was

wonderful to see how he could run, with the weight of sixty winters on him; and he now vanished from sight, the bushes crackling as he dashed right into the undergrowth.

Following the trails made by the wild animals, and occasionally breaking through a thicket; now wading in black, slimy water up to his knees, and now plunging into blacker mud ankle-deep; and guiding himself, partly by the cry of the hound, and partly by a woodman's instinct of the course which he knew Kate must have taken, he reached our heroine, as we have seen, just in time to save her life by shooting the bloodhound that was springing at her throat. Then pausing to reload, with a veteran hunter's precaution, he leaped into the open space, and confronted Arrison.

Everything now depended on the length of time it would take Major Gordon to come up with his companions. Minutes, at present, were worth hours at any other crisis.

ARRISON was thunderstruck by the sudden apparition of Uncle Lawrence. His first movement was to start back, as if he saw a spirit; for the old man was the last person he had expected to confront him. But in a moment he recovered his usual presence of mind. When he perceived that he was opposed by veritable flesh and blood, and that

too in the person of one he hated for his goodness, he secretly exulted; for having no suspicion that Uncle Lawrence had friends at hand, he considered that his long threatened vengeance was certain.

Yet he was in no hurry to assail the old man. Aware that his followers must be close behind him, and that a few moments at furthest would enable them to arrive, he determined to keep the contest confined to words, if possible, until they came up. Old as Uncle Lawrence was, he bore a reputation for bravery, skill and strength, which made Arrison quite willing to avoid a hand to hand struggle with the patriarch.

"You!" cried Arrison.

"Take a word of advice then, old man, and don't mix yourself up with a business that's none of your concern."

"But suppose I think it does consarn me," coolly answered Uncle Lawrence. "Miss Katie here is an old pet of mine, so stand aside and let us pass."

"Not so fast. Again, I say, go your ways and save your life."

"I do not go without her. Stand aside, villain."

Never," exclaimed Arrison, chafed at these words. "I warn you not to try my patience too far."

1

"I'm not afeerd of you, James Arrison," answered the old man, in a tone of contempt, "and you know it. Keep your warning for some one else.”

"Will you go?"

"No!"

Scarcely had the veteran spoken, when the refugee pulled trigger. But, quick as he had been, the old man was quicker. Resolving to save his fire if possible, in order to be better prepared for self-defence, if the refugees arrived before Major Gordon, he suddenly and dexterously thrust forward the barrel of his piece in such a manner as to knock up the gun of the outlaw. The movement was so swift