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Here are some Indians coming up the path, and I do believe that they have a little white boy and girl with them," and Rose Freeman drew her aunt to the open window that looked down over a smooth green lawn to an elm-shaded village street. Aunt Hetty's well-starched dress rustled pleasantly as she hurried to join Rose. "It's old Nakanit and her daughter," she said.
Nakanit pulled the canoe upon the sand beyond reach of the tide, and the squaw led the way to a little opening among the trees, and there Anne was surprised to find another wigwam, very much like the one they had left that morning. The squaw spread the blankets, gave the girls the corn cakes with strips of dried fish for their supper, and they had water from a near-by brook.
As she sat in the swiftly moving canoe and watched the steady dip of the paddles she thought that the Indians had been very good to her. "If I had my bundle now I would give Nakanit the cape and the beads; indeed I would," she said to herself. The midsummer moon shone down upon the beautiful harbor.
Anne ate them hungrily; they tasted very sweet and good, and, when she had eaten the last one, she turned toward the squaw who sat beside her, and said: "Thank you very much. The cakes were good." The squaw nodded gravely. Anne looked round the wigwam with curious eyes. It was evident that Nakanit and her mother were nearly ready for a journey.
"Let go the canoe." As Anne obeyed she saw Nakanit close beside her, and, while the squaw kept her firm grasp on Anne's shoulder, the girl righted the canoe, and easily and surely regained her place in it. The squaw lifted Anne in, and quickly followed her. Amos had brought his boat as near as possible and now rescued the baskets and floating paddles, and handed them to Nakanit.
This delighted Nakanit, who joined in so loudly that Anne stopped in terrified amazement, and scrambled out as well as she could. Her feet ached, and she could hardly walk, but she went on behind Nakanit into the pleasant shade of the woods, and here her companions set down their baskets, and threw themselves down to rest.
As the Indian woman listened Anne could see that she was angry and when Nakanit, for that was the Indian girl's name, had finished the squaw snatched the cape from the girl's shoulders, and, pointing to the beads, evidently bade her unfasten them. As the Indian girl obeyed the squaw gave her a sharp slap on the cheek, and Nakanit, without a look toward Anne, fled into the forest.
It was past noon before they made any stop, and as Anne, who was some distance behind her companions, saw the squaw turn toward a little wooded hill and begin to lower the basket from her shoulders, she gave a long tired sigh of relief. Nakanit heard and turned toward her, and reached out her free hand to take Anne's bundle. But Anne shook her head, and tightened her hold on it.
Nakanit led Anne toward the back of the wigwam where lay a pile of spruce boughs over which deerskins were thrown. In a few moments the Indian girl and Anne lay on this rude couch fast asleep. When Anne awoke the next morning there was no one in the wigwam. Everything seemed very quiet. Anne's first thought was for her beloved bundle that she had carefully set down beside her bed.
Anne, huddled up in her wet clothes, frightened and unhappy, nodded her head in answer. Then, remembering that the squaw had bidden her to sit still, and that her jump had upset the canoe, she ventured to say: "I'm sorry I jumped." The squaw's scowl disappeared, and she gave a grunt of approval, and then, evidently, repeated Anne's words to Nakanit, for the Indian girl smiled and nodded.
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