"What aileth thee, wee dearie?" she said, tenderly, as the timid little
creature crept, trembling, to her breast. "Thy mistress has scared thee by
her own foolish fears. See now, there is neither cat-a-mount nor weasel
here to seize thee, silly one;" and as she spoke she raised her head, and
flung back the thick clusters of soft fair hair that shaded her eyes. The
deadly glare of a pair of dark eyes fixed upon her met her terrified gaze,
gleaming with sullen ferocity from the angle of the door-post, whence the
upper part of the face alone was visible, partly concealed by a mat of
tangled, shaggy, black hair. Paralysed with fear, the poor girl neither
spoke nor moved; she uttered no cry; but pressing her hands tightly across
her breast, as if to still the loud beating of her heart, she sat gazing
upon that fearful appearance, while, with stealthy step, the savage
advanced from his lurking-place, keeping, as he did so, his eyes riveted
upon hers, with such a gaze as the wily serpent is said to fascinate his
prey. His hapless victim moved not; whither could she flee to escape one
whose fleet foot could so easily have overtaken her in the race? where
conceal herself from him whose wary eye fixed upon her seemed to deprive
her of all vital energy?
Uttering that singular, expressive guttural which seems with the Indian to
answer the purpose of every other exclamation, he advanced, and taking the
girl's ice-cold hands in his, tightly bound them with a thong of deer's
hide, and led her unresistingly away.
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