"Who's Linna?" asked the visitor.
"She is the little child of Omas, the Delaware warrior. He brought her here this afternoon to make Alice a visit, and promised to call tomorrow for her. Will it be safe to wait until he comes?"
The neighbor shook his head.
"You mustn't take any chances. Why don't you turn her loose to take care of herself? She can do it."
"I couldn't," the mother hastened to say; "Omas left her in our care, and I must not neglect her. She will go with us."
"I don't think it will be safe for her father to come after her, when the flurry is over."
"Why not?"
"He will be with the Iroquois, even though his tribe doesn't like them any too well; for the Iroquois are the conquerors of the Delawares, and drove them off their hunting grounds."
"Well," said Mrs. Ripley, with a sigh; "even if he never comes for her, she will always have a home with us."
The dwelling of the Ripleys was on the eastern shore of the Susquehanna. On the other side stood Fort Wintermoot and Forty Fort, the former being at the upper end of the valley. That would be the first one reached by the invaders, and the expectation was that it would give up whenever ordered to do so, for nearly all in it were friends of the Tories.