HOME AGAIN. 279 



remains of Aunty Blase, rocking themselves to and fro, 

 and throwing their hands up and down. The Doctor 

 was examining the wound on the poor old negress with a 

 professional eye. It was the first time he had ever had 

 the oppoi'tunity to see this style of dissection, and Lou 

 Jackson sat down on a log and wept as if her heart would 

 break. Aunty Blase had been a friend of many years to 

 her, and had baked the cakes at the feasts that yearly 

 honored her birth, and many a time had slyly cooked 

 favorite dishes for her young mistress. It was no wonder 

 then that Lou felt as though she had lost an aunt in 

 reality, and not merely a dependent. 



A short consultation was had. Mike detailed the fact 

 that the young Indian that had accompanied them back 

 had been watching their camp last night, and stated 

 his belief that he was there for the purpose of informing 

 his tribe of our movements and of our return, in order 

 that they might be prepared to surprise us, either at the 

 camp or on our way back ; that his unexpected capture 

 had frustrated the plan, or delayed it, and that there 

 was no time to be lost in getting into a more open coun- 

 try, if it should appear, as he suspected, that there was a 

 general rising of the savages along the coast. The rea- 

 soning was so correct that it was immediately adopted. 

 A shallow grave, hastily dug, preserved the remains of 

 the old cook from the buzzards, and a short survey and 

 a " hulloo " satisfied us that the few other people that 

 had been left behind had been carried off by the savages, 

 and then with the goods we brought home, we hurried 



