"I will not leave you, then, sir; but I thought Ella was too feeble to walk another mile."
"I could not walk a mile," added she, faintly.
"What shall we do, then?" I asked.
"We will go a little way with you."
Ella had sat so long in the barge that her limbs were stiff, and she was unable to walk, even a short distance. Her father had lifted her out of the boat, and seated her on a log.
"I could do nothing if the Indians came upon me, with my child in this helpless condition. I will carry her in my arms a little way, and we will conceal ourselves in the bushes. Go as quick as you can, Phil Farringford," said the anxious father.
"I will not be absent long," I replied, as I urged Firefly forward.
The horse was anxious to reach his stable, and he galloped at the top of his speed. I kept a wary lookout for the savages, as I approached the Castle, but I saw none.
"Halt!" shouted a sentinel, placing himself in the road.
This vigilance on the part of the troops assured me the Castle was in no danger of a surprise, and I reined in my steed.