THE AMERICANS AND THE ABORIGINES. 293 



himself up, and allowed the blanket to slip from over 

 his head, which now appeared bound round with a 

 piece of calico, fringed with gouts of congealed blood. 

 The backwoodsman cast a side glance at the Indian 

 but it was only a momentary one, and he allowed his 

 gaze to revert to the fire. 



" Has my white brother no tongue 1 " said the 

 Indian at last, in a deep guttural tone ; "or does he 

 wait in order the better to crook it ? " 



" He waits for the words of the chief," replied the 

 American drily. 



" Go, call thy wife," said the Indian, in the same 

 bass voice as before. 



The tavern-keeper got up, approached the bed, 

 and opening the curtains, spoke to his wife, who had 

 listened, with curiosity rather than anxiety, to what 

 passed. A few sentences were exchanged between 

 them, and the lady made her appearance, a burly, 

 broad-shouldered dame, with an expression upon her 

 somewhat coarse features, indicative of her not being 

 very easily disconcerted or alarmed. An upper petti- 

 coat of linsey-woolsey, adapted both to daily and 

 nightly wear, made her voluminous figure look even 

 larger and more imposing than it really was, as with 

 a firm step and almost angry mien she stepped for- 

 ward by her husband's side. But the menacing still- 

 ness of her visitors, and their bloody heads and 

 blankets, now fully revealed by the blaze of the fire, 

 seemed of such evil omen, that the good woman was 



