“Here we are all together on Christmas-Day,” said Emma, who had taken the hand of the Strawberry.
The Indian girl smiled, and nodded her head.
“And, John, you have brought us three wild turkeys; you are a good boy, John,” continued Emma.
“If we only had Captain Sinclair here now,” said Martin to Emma and Mary Percival, who was by Emma’s side, shaking hands with the Strawberry.
Mary coloured up a little, and Emma replied, “Yes, Martin, we do want him, for I always feel as if he belonged to the family.”
“Well, it’s not his fault that he’s not here,” replied Martin; “it’s now more than six weeks since he has left, and if the colonel would allow him, I’m sure that Captain Sinclair—”
“Would be here on this day,” said Captain Sinclair, who with Mr Gwynne, his former companion, had entered the door of the house without being observed; for the rest of the party were in conversation with Malachi Bone and John.
“Oh, how glad I am to see you,” cried Emma; “we only wanted you to make our Christmas party complete; and I’m very glad to see you too, Mr Gwynne,” continued Emma, as she held out a hand to each.
“We had some difficulty in persuading the Colonel to let us come,” observed Captain Sinclair to Mary; “but as we have heard nothing further about the Indians, he consented.”
“You have nothing more to fear from the Indians this winter, Captain, and you may tell the Colonel so from me,” said Malachi. “I happened to be on their hunting ground yesterday, and they have broken up and gone westward, that is, Angry Snake and his party have; I followed their track over the snow for a few miles just to make sure; they have taken everything with them, but somehow or other I could not find out that the squaw was with them—and they had one in their party. They carried their own packs of fur, that I’ll swear to, and they had been thrown down several times; which would not have been the case, if they had not been carried by men; for you see, the Injun is very impatient under a load, which a squaw will carry the whole day without complaining. Now that party is gone, there is no other about here within fifty miles, I’ll be bound for.”