THE SUN OF QUEBEC

 A STORY OF A GREAT CRISIS

 BY

 JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER

 AUTHOR OF "LORDS OF THE WILD, " "THE GREAT SIOUX TRAIL, " ETC. 

 APPLETON-CENTURY-CROFTS, INC. NEW YORK

 COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

 _All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publishers. _

 Copyright, 1947, by Sallie B. Altsheler

 Printed in the United States of America

FOREWORD

"The Sun of Quebec" is the sixth and closing volume of the French andIndian War Series of which the predecessors have been "The Hunters ofthe Hills, " "The Shadow of the North, " "The Rulers of the Lakes, " "TheMasters of the Peaks, " and "The Lords of the Wild. " The importantcharacters in the earlier books reappear, and the mystery in the life ofRobert Lennox, the central figure in all the romances, is solved. 

CHARACTERS IN THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR SERIES

ROBERT LENNOX A lad of unknown origin

TAYOGA A young Onondaga warrior

DAVID WILLET A hunter

RAYMOND LOUIS DE ST. LUC A brilliant French officer

AGUSTE DE COURCELLES A French officer

FRANÇOIS DE JUMONVILLE A French officer

LOUIS DE GALISONNIÈRE A young French officer

JEAN DE MÉZY A corrupt Frenchman

ARMAND GLANDELET A young Frenchman

PIERRE BOUCHER A bully and bravo

PHILIBERT DROUILLARD A French priest

THE MARQUIS DUQUESNE Governor-General of Canada

MARQUIS DE VAUDREUIL Governor-General of Canada

FRANÇOIS BIGOT Intendant of Canada

MARQUIS DE MONTCALM French commander-in-chief

DE LEVIS A French general

BOURLAMAQUE A French general

BOUGAINVILLE A French general

ARMAND DUBOIS A follower of St. Luc

M. DE CHATILLARD An old French Seigneur

CHARLES LANGLADE A French partisan

THE DOVE The Indian wife of Langlade

TANDAKORA An Ojibway chief

DAGANOWEDA A young Mohawk chief

HENDRICK An old Mohawk chief

BRADDOCK A British general

ABERCROMBIE A British general

WOLFE A British general

COL. WILLIAM JOHNSON Anglo-American leader

MOLLY BRANT Col. Wm. Johnson's Indian wife

JOSEPH BRANT Young brother of Molly Brant, afterward the great Mohawk chief, Thayendanegea

ROBERT DINWIDDIE Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia

WILLIAM SHIRLEY Governor of Massachusetts

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Famous American patriot

JAMES COLDEN A young Philadelphia captain

WILLIAM WILTON A young Philadelphia lieutenant

HUGH CARSON A young Philadelphia lieutenant

JACOBUS HUYSMAN An Albany burgher

CATERINA Jacobus Huysman's cook

ALEXANDER MCLEAN An Albany schoolmaster

BENJAMIN HARDY A New York merchant

JOHNATHAN PILLSBURY Clerk to Benjamin Hardy

ADRIAN VAN ZOON A New York merchant

THE SLAVER A nameless rover

ACHILLE GARAY A French spy

ALFRED GROSVENOR A young English officer

JAMES CABELL A young Virginian

WALTER STUART A young Virginian

BLACK RIFLE A famous "Indian fighter"

ELIHU STRONG A Massachusetts colonel

ALAN HERVEY A New York financier

STUART WHITE Captain of the British sloop, _Hawk_

JOHN LATHAM Lieutenant of the British sloop, _Hawk_

EDWARD CHARTERIS A young officer of the Royal Americans

ZEBEDEE CRANE A young scout and forest runner

ROBERT ROGERS Famous Captain of American Rangers

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

 I OLD FRIENDS 1

 II THE CHEST OF DRAWERS 22

 III THE PURSUIT OF GARAY 46

 IV OUT TO SEA 66

 V MUSIC IN THE MOONLIGHT 85

 VI THE ISLAND 104

 VII THE PIRATE'S WARNING 123

VIII MAKING THE BEST OF IT 142

 IX THE VOICE IN THE AIR 158

 X THE SLOOP OF WAR 176

 XI BACK TO THE WORLD 193

 XII THE WILDERNESS AGAIN 217

XIII THE REUNION 238

 XIV BEFORE QUEBEC 263

 XV THE LONE CHÂTEAU 284

 XVI THE RECKONING 303

THE SUN OF QUEBEC

CHAPTER I

OLD FRIENDS

Mynheer Jacobus Huysman walked to the window and looked out at the neatred brick houses, the grass, now turning yellow, and the leaves, morebrown than green. He was troubled, in truth his heart lay very heavywithin him. He was thinking over the terrible news that had come soswiftly, as evil report has a way of doing. But he had cause forsatisfaction, too, and recalling it, he turned to gaze once more uponthe two lads who, escaping so many perils, had arrived at the shelter ofhis home. 

Robert and Tayoga were thin and worn, their clothing was soiled andtorn, but youth was youth and they were forgetting dangers past in asplendid dinner that the fat Caterina was serving for them while MynheerJacobus, her master, stood by and saw the good deed well done. 

The dining room, large and furnished solidly, was wonderful in itsneatness and comfort. The heavy mahogany of table, sideboard and chairswas polished and gleaming. No trace of dirt was allowed to lingeranywhere. When the door to the adjoining kitchen opened, as Caterinapassed through, pleasant odors floated in, inciting the two to freshefforts at the trencher. It was all as it had been when they were youngboys living there, attending the school of Alexander McLean andtraveling by painful steps along the road to knowledge. In its snugness, its security and the luxury it offered it was a wonderful contrast tothe dark forest, where death lurked in every bush. Robert drew a longsigh of content and poured himself another cup of coffee. 

"And you escaped from the French after the great battle?" said MynheerJacobus, asking the same question over and over again. 

"Yes, sir, " replied Robert, "and it was not a difficult thing to do atall. The victory of the French was so remarkable, and I think sounexpected, that they were paying little attention to me. I just walkedout of their camp, and the only man I met was the Chevalier de St. Luc, who did not seem at all interested in stopping me--a curious fact, but afact all the same. "

"A great leader and a fine man iss the Chevalier de St. Luc, " said Mr. Huysman. 

"He's both, as I've had many chances to learn, and I intend to know moreabout him some day. "

"It may be that you will know even more than you think. "

Robert looked sharply at the burgher, and he was about to ask questions, but he reflected that Mynheer Jacobus, if he were able to answer, wouldbe evasive like all the others and so he checked the words at his lips. 

"I suppose that time will disclose everything, " he contented himselfwith saying. "Meanwhile, I want to tell you, sir, that Tayoga and Iappreciate to the full your hospitality. It is noble, it always wasnoble, as we've had ample occasion to discover. "

The full red face of Mynheer Jacobus bloomed into a smile. The cornersof his mouth turned up, and his eyes twinkled. 

"I must have had a premonition that you two were coming, " he said, "andso I stocked the larder. I remembered of old your appetites, a hungerthat could be satisfied only with great effort, and then could come backagain an hour later, as fresh and keen as ever. You are strong andhealthy boys, for which you should be grateful. "

"We are, " said Robert, with great emphasis. 

"And you do not know whether Montcalm iss advancing with his army?"

"We don't, sir, but is Albany alarmed?"

"It iss! It iss alarmed very greatly. It wass not dreamed by any of usthat our army could be defeated, that magnificent army which I saw goaway to what I thought was certain victory. Ah, how could it havehappened? How could it have happened, Robert?"

"We simply threw away our chances, sir. I saw it all. We underrated theFrench. If we had brought up our big guns it would have been easy. Therewas no lack of courage on the part of our men. I don't believe thatpeople of British blood ever showed greater bravery, and that meansbravery equal to anybody's. "

Mynheer Jacobus Huysman sighed heavily. 

"What a waste! What a waste!" he said. "Now the army hass retreated andthe whole border iss uncovered. The tomahawk and scalping knife are atwork. Tales of slaughter come in efery day, and it iss said thatMontcalm iss advancing on Albany itself. "

"I don't believe, sir, that he will come, " said Robert. "The Frenchnumbers are much fewer than is generally supposed, and I can't think hewill dare to attack Albany. "

"It does not seem reasonable, but there iss great alarm. Many people areleaving on the packets for New York. Who would have thought it? Whocould have thought it! But I mean to stay, and if Montcalm comes I willhelp fight in the defense. "

"I knew you wouldn't leave, sir. But despite our defeat we've a powerfularmy yet, and England and the Colonies will not sit down and just weep. "

"What you say iss so, Robert, my boy. I am not of English blood, butwhen things look worst iss the time when England shows best, and thepeople here are of the same breed. I do not despair. What did you sayhad become of Willet?"

"Shortly before we reached Albany he turned aside to see Sir WilliamJohnson. We had, too, with us, a young Englishman named Grosvenor, afine fellow, but he went at once to the English camp here to report forduty. He was in the battle at Ticonderoga and he also will testify thatour army, although beaten, could have brought up its artillery and havefought again in a day or two. It would have gained the victory, too. "

"I suppose so! I suppose so! But it did not fight again, and what mighthave been did not happen. It means a longer war in this country and alonger war all over the world. It spreads! It iss a great war, extendingto most of the civilized lands, the greatest war of modern times andmany think it will be the last war, but I know not. The character ofmankind does not change. What do you two boys mean to do?"

"We have not decided yet, " replied Robert, speaking for both. "We'll goback to the war, of course, which means that we'll travel once moretoward the north, but we'll have to rest a few days. "

"And this house iss for you to rest in--a few days or many days, as youplease, though I hope it will be many. Caterina shall cook for you four, five meals a day, if you wish, and much at every meal. I do not forgethow when you were little you raided the fruit trees, and the berrybushes and the vines. Well, the fruit will soon be ripe again und I willturn my back the other way. I will make that fat Caterina do the same, and you and Tayoga can imagine that you are little boys once more. "

"I know you mean that, Mynheer Jacobus, and we thank you from the bottomof our hearts, " said Robert, as the moisture came into his eyes. 

"Here comes Master Alexander McLean, " said Mr. Huysman, who had turnedback to the window. "He must have heard of your arrival and he wishes tosee if your perils in the woods have made you forget your ancienthistory. "

In a minute or two Master McLean, tall, thin, reddish of hair, andsevere of gaze entered, his frosty blue eyes lighting up as he shookhands with the boys, though his manner remained austere. 

"I heard that you had arrived after the great defeat at Ticonderoga, " hesaid, "and you are fortunate to have escaped with your lives. I rejoiceat it, but those who go into the woods in such times must expect greatperils. It is of course well for all our young men to offer their livesnow for their country, but I thought I saw in you at least, RobertLennox, the germ of a great scholar, and it would be a pity for you tolose your life in some forest skirmish. "

"I thank you for the compliment, " said Robert, "but as I was tellingMynheer Jacobus I mean to go back into the woods. "

"I doubt it not. The young of this generation are wise in their ownconceit. It was hard enough to control Tayoga and you several years ago, and I cannot expect to do it now. Doubtless all the knowledge that Ihave been at such pains to instill into you will be lost in theexcitement of trail and camp. "

"I hope not, sir, though it's true that we've had some very stirringtimes. When one is in imminent danger of his life he cannot think muchof his Latin, his Greek and his ancient history. "

The severe features of Master Alexander McLean wrinkled into a frown. 

"I do not know about that, " he said. "Alexander the Great slept with hisHomer under his pillow, and doubtless he also carried the book with himon his Asiatic campaigns, refreshing and strengthening his mind fromtime to time with dips into its inspiring pages. There is no crisis inwhich it is pardonable for you to forget your learning, though I fear memuch that you have done so. What was the date, Robert, of the fall ofConstantinople?"

"Mahomet the Second entered it, sir, in the year 1453 A. D. "

"Very good. I begin to have more confidence in you. And why is Homerconsidered a much greater poet than Virgil?"

"More masculine, more powerful, sir, and far more original. In fact theRomans in their literature, as in nearly all other arts, were merelyimitators of the Greeks. "

The face of Master McLean relaxed into a smile. 

"Excellent! Excellent!" he exclaimed. "You have done better than youclaimed for yourself, but modesty is an attribute that becomes theyoung, and now I tell you again, Robert, that I am most glad you andTayoga have come safely out of the forest. I wish to inform you alsothat Master Benjamin Hardy and his chief clerk, Jonathan Pillsbury, havearrived from New York on the fast packet, _River Queen_, and even nowthey are depositing their baggage at the George Inn, where they areexpecting to stay. "

Master Jacobus who had been silent while the schoolmaster talked, awokesuddenly to life. 

"At the George Inn!" he exclaimed. "It iss a good inn, good enough foranybody, but when friends of mine come to Albany they stay with me or Itake offense. Bide here, my friends, and I will go for them. Alexander, sit with the lads and partake of refreshment while I am gone. "

He hastened from the room and Master McLean, upon being urged, joinedRobert and Tayoga at the table, where he showed that he too was a goodman at the board, thinness being no bar to appetite and capacity. As heate he asked the boys many questions, and they, knowing well his kindlyheart under his crusty manner, answered them all readily and freely. Elderly and bookish though he was, his heart throbbed at the tale of thegreat perils through which they had gone, and his face darkened whenRobert told anew the story of Ticonderoga. 

"It is our greatest defeat so far, " he said, "and I hope our misfortunescame to a climax there. We must have repayment for it. We must aim atthe heart of the French power, and that is Quebec. Instead of fightingon the defense, Britain and her colonies must strike down Canada. "

"So it seems to me too, sir, " said Robert. "We're permitting the Marquisde Montcalm to make the fighting, to choose the fields of battle, and aslong as we do that we have to dance to his music. But, sir, that's onlymy opinion. I would not presume to give it in the presence of mysuperiors. "

"You've had much experience despite your youth and you're entitled toyour thoughts. But I hear heavy steps. 'Tis odds that it's Jacobus withhis friends. "

The door was opened and Mr. Huysman with many words of welcome usheredin his guests, who being simple and strong men brought their own baggagefrom the inn. Robert rose at once and faced Benjamin Hardy in whose eyesshone an undoubted gladness. The merchant did not look a day older thanwhen Robert had last seen him in New York, and he was as robust andhearty as ever. Jonathan Pillsbury, tall, thin and dressed withmeticulous care, also permitted himself a smile. 

"Robert, my lad!" exclaimed Benjamin Hardy, dropping his baggage andholding out two sinewy hands. "'Tis a delight to find you and Tayogahere. I knew not what had become of you two, and I feared the worst, thetimes being so perilous. Upon my word, we've quite a reunion!"

Robert returned his powerful and friendly grasp. He was more than gladto see him for several reasons; for his own sake, because he liked himexceedingly, and because he was sure Master Benjamin held in his keepingthose secrets of his own life which he was yet to learn. 

"Sir, " he said, "'tis not my house, though I've lived in it, and I knowthat Mr. Huysman has already given you a most thorough welcome, so I addthat it's a delight to me to see you again. 'Twas a pleasant and mostmemorable visit that Tayoga and I had at your home in New York. "

"And eventful enough, too. You came very near going to the Guineas on aslave trip. That was the kind of hospitality I offered you. "

"No fault of yours, sir. I shall never forget the welcome you gave us inNew York. It warms my heart now to think of it. "

"I see you've not lost your gift of speech. Words continue to well fromyour lips, and they're good words, too. But I talk overmuch myself. Hereis Jonathan waiting to speak to you. I told him I was coming to Albany. 'Upon what affair?' he asked. ''Tis secret, ' I replied. 'Meaning you donot want to tell me of its nature, ' he said. 'Yes, ' I replied. Then hesaid, 'Whatever its gist, you'll need my presence and advice. I'm goingwith you. ' And here he is. Doubtless he is right. "

Jonathan Pillsbury clasped Robert's hand as warmly as he ever claspedanybody's and permitted himself a second smile, which was his limit, andonly extraordinary occasions could elicit two. 

"Our conversation has been repeated with accuracy, " he said. "I do notyet know why I have come to Albany, but I feel sure it is well that Ihave come. "

Mr. Huysman hustled about, his great red face glowing while fat Caterinabrought in more to eat. He insisted that the new guests sit at the tableand eat tremendously. It was a time when hospitality meant repeatedofferings of food, which in America was the most abundant of all things, and Mr. Hardy and Mr. Pillsbury easily allowed themselves to bepersuaded. 

"And now, Robert, you must tell me something more about Dave, " said themerchant as they rose from the table. 

Young Lennox promptly narrated their adventures among the peaks andabout the lakes while the older men listened with breathless attention. Nor did the story of the great hunter suffer in Robert's telling. He hadan immense admiration for Willet and he spoke of his deeds with suchvivid words and with so much imagery and embroidery that they seemed tobe enacted again there in that quiet room before the men who listened. 

"Ah, that is Dave! True as steel. As honest and brave as they ever make'em, " said Master Benjamin Hardy, when he had finished. "A man! a realman if ever one walked this earth!"

"And don't forget Tayoga here, " said Robert. "The greatest trailer everborn. He saved us more than once by his ability to read the faintestsign the earth might yield. "

"When Dagaeoga begins to talk he never knows how to stop, " said Tayoga;"I but did the things all the warriors of my nation are taught to do. Iwould be unworthy to call myself a member of the clan of the Bear, ofthe nation Onondaga, of the great League of the Hodenosaunee, if I couldnot follow a trail. Peace, Dagaeoga!"

Robert joined in the laugh, and then the men began to talk about theprospects of an attack upon Albany by the French and Indians, though allof them inclined to Robert's view that Montcalm would not try it. 

"As you were a prisoner among them you ought to know something abouttheir force, Robert, " said Mr. Hardy. 

"I had opportunities to observe, " replied the lad, "and from what I saw, and from what I have since heard concerning our numbers I judge that wewere at least four to one, perhaps more. But we threw away all ouradvantage when we came with bare breasts against their wooden wall andsharpened boughs. "

"It is a painful thing to talk about and to think about, but Britainnever gives up. She marches over her mistakes and failures to triumph, and we are bone of her bone. And you saw St. Luc!"

"Often, sir. In the battle and in the preparations for it he was theright arm of the Marquis de Montcalm. He is a master of forest war. "

"He is all that, Robert, my lad. A strange, a most brilliant man, he isone of our most formidable enemies. "

"But a gallant one, sir. He did nothing to prevent my escape. I feelthat at Ticonderoga as well as elsewhere I am greatly in his debt. "

"Undoubtedly he favors you. It does not surprise me. "

Intense curiosity leaped up in Robert's heart once more. What was he toSt. Luc! What was St. Luc to him! All these elderly men seemed to hold asecret that was hidden from him, and yet it concerned him most. His lipstwitched and he was about to ask a question, but he reflected that, asalways before, it would not be answered, it would be evaded, and herestrained his eager spirit. He knew that all the men liked him, thatthey had his good at heart, and that when the time came to speak theywould speak. The words that had risen to his lips were unspoken. 

Robert felt that his elders wanted to talk, that something they wouldrather not tell to the lads was in their minds, and meanwhile thebrilliant sunshine and free air outside were calling to him and theOnondaga. 

"I think, " he said, addressing them all collectively, "that Tayoga and Ishould go to see Lieutenant Grosvenor. He was our comrade in theforest, and he has been somewhat overcome by his great hardships. "

"The idea would not be bad, " said Master Benjamin Hardy. "Youth toyouth, and, while you are gone, we old fellows will talk of days longago as old fellows are wont to do. "

And so they did want him and Tayoga to go! He had divined their wishesaright. He was quite sure, too, that when he and the Onondaga were awaythe past would be very little in their minds. These active men in thevery prime of their powers were concerned most about the present and thefuture. Well, whatever it was he was sure they would discuss it withwisdom and foresight. 

"Come, Tayoga, " he said. "Outdoors is calling to us. "

"And be sure that you return in time for supper, " said Master Jacobus. "This house is to be your home as long as you are in Albany. I should beoffended mortally if you went elsewhere. "

"No danger of that, " said Robert. "Tayoga and I know a good home when wefind it. And we know friends, too, when we see them. "

It was a bit of sentiment, but he felt it very deeply and he saw thatall of the men looked pleased. As he and Tayoga went out he noticed thatthey drew their chairs about the dining-room table that Caterina hadcleared, and before the door closed upon the two lads they were alreadytalking in low and earnest tones. 

"They have affairs of importance which are not for us, " he said, when heand the Onondaga were outside. 

"It is so, " said Tayoga. "The white people have their chiefs and sachemslike the nations of the Hodenosaunee, and their ranks are filled by age. The young warriors are for the trail, the hunt, and the war path, andnot for the council. It is right that it should be thus. I do not wishto be a chief or a sachem before my time. I am glad, Dagaeoga, to enjoyyouth, and let our elders do the hard thinking for us. "

"So am I, " said Robert joyfully as he filled his lungs with draughtafter draught of the fresh air. "No seat at the council for me! Not fortwenty years yet! Give me freedom and action! Let others do the planningand take the responsibility!"

He felt a great elation. His sanguine temperament had made a completerebound from the depression following Ticonderoga. Although he did notknow it the result was partly physical--good food and abundant rest, buthe did not seek to analyze the cause, the condition was sufficient. Thecolor in his cheeks deepened and his eyes glowed. 

"Dagaeoga is feeling very, very good, " said Tayoga. 

"I am, " replied Robert with emphasis. "I never felt better. I'mforgetting Ticonderoga; instead, I'm beholding our army at Quebec, andI'm seeing our flag wave over all Canada. "

"Dagaeoga sees what he wants to see. "

"It's not a bad plan. Then the lions die in your path. "

"It is so. Dagaeoga speaks a great truth. We will now see how Red Coatfeels. "

A portion of the army that had retreated from Ticonderoga was camped onthe flats near the town, and Robert and Tayoga walked swiftly toward thetents. It was a much more silent force, British and American, than thatwhich had gone forth not so very long ago to what seemed certainvictory. Officers and men were angry. They felt that they had beenbeaten when there was no reason why they should have been defeated. Obeying orders, they had retreated in sullen silence, when they had feltsure they could have gone on, fought a new battle, and have crushedMontcalm. Now they waited impatiently for another call to advance onCanada, and win back their lost laurels. Both lads felt the tension. 

"They are like the wounded bear, " said Tayoga. "They feel very sore, andthey wish for revenge. "

They learned that Grosvenor was in his tent and soon found him therelying upon his blankets. Some of the ruddy color was gone from hischeeks, and he looked worn and thin. But he sat up, and welcomed Robertand Tayoga joyously. 

"It's foolish of me to break down like this, " he said, "but after we gotback to civilization something seemed to cave in. I hope you chaps won'toverlook the fact that I'm not as much used to the forest as you are, and bear in mind that I did my best. "

"Red Coat's best was very good, " said Tayoga in his grave, precisemanner. "Few who have been in the forest as little as he could have doneas much and have borne as much. "

"Do you really think so, Tayoga? You're not merely flattering me?"

"Our wisest sachem would tell you so, Red Coat. "

"Thanks, my friend. You make me feel better. I was lucky enough to gothrough the great battle with little hurt. It was a most ghastlyslaughter, and I still dream of it. I stood up all right until we gotback to Albany, and then I collapsed. But to-morrow I'll be on my feetagain. Your friends, Colden, Wilton and Carson are all here. They showedgreat courage and they have some slight wounds, but not enough totrouble 'em. "

Robert found the Philadelphians a little later, and they all went backto Grosvenor's tent, where they were joined in a half hour by theVirginians, Walter Stuart and James Cabell, who had been with them inBraddock's defeat and whom Robert had known at Williamsburg. It was atight squeeze for them all in the tent, but there was another and joyousreunion. Youth responded to youth and hope was high. 

"Stuart and I did not arrive in time for Ticonderoga, " said Cabell, "butwe mean to be in the next great battle. "

"So we do!" exclaimed Cabell. "The Old Dominion had a taste of defeat atFort Duquesne and you've had the like here. Now we'll all wait and seehow victory agrees with us. "

"Some of us have been in at both defeats, " said Grosvenor rather sadly. 

But the presence of so many friends and the cheerful talk made him feelso much better that he averred his ability to go anywhere and doanything at once. 

"You've leave of absence if you wish it?" asked Cabell. 

"For several days more, " replied Grosvenor. 

"Then let's all go into the town. I haven't had a good look at Albanyyet. I want to see if it's as fine a place as Williamsburg. "

"It's larger, " said Robert. 

"But size is not everything. That's where you northern people make yourmistake. "

"But you'll admit that Philadelphia's a fine city, won't you?" saidColden, "and you know it's the largest in the colonies. "

"But it's comparatively near to Virginia, " said Cabell briskly, "and ourinfluence works wonders. "

"We've our own conceit in Philadelphia, " said Wilton, "but conceit andVirginia are just the same words, though they may have a differentsound. "

"Come on to the George Inn, " said Grosvenor, "and you can argue it outthere. Old England likes to see this healthy rivalry among her children. She doesn't mind your being bumptious. "

"We're bumptious, because we're like our parent, " said Cabell. "It's amatter of inheritance. "

"Let the George Inn settle it. Come on, lads. "

Grosvenor was feeling better and better. He was adaptable and this was asprightly group, full of kindred spirits. The Virginians were as Englishas he was, and the others nearly as much so. He had acquitted himselfwell in the New World, in fields with which he was unfamiliar, and theselads were friends. Danger and hardships faded quite away into aforgotten past. He was strong and well once more. 

"You shall all be my guests at the George Inn!" he exclaimed. "We shallhave refreshment and talk, plenty of both. "

"As we Virginians are the oldest people in the colonies, it's the rightof Stuart and myself to be the hosts, " said Cabell. 

"Aye, so 'tis, " said Stuart. 

"As we're from Philadelphia, the greatest and finest city in thecountry, it's the right of Wilton, Carson and myself, " said Colden. 

But Grosvenor was firm. He had given the invitation first, he said, andnobody could take the privilege from him. So the others yieldedgracefully, and in high good humor the eight, saying much and humminglittle songs, walked across the fields from the camp and into the town. Robert noticed the bustling life of Albany with approval. The forestmade its appeal to him, and the city made another and different butquite as strong appeal. The old Fort Orange of the Dutch was crowdednow, not only with troops but with all the forms of industry thatfollow in the train of an army. The thrifty Dutch, despite theirapprehension over the coming of the French, were busy buying, selling, and between battles much money was made. 

The George Inn, a low building but long and substantial was down by theriver. The great doors stood wide open and much life flowed in and out, showing that it too profited by war. The eight found seats at a table ona sanded floor, and contented themselves with lemonade, which they drankslowly, while they talked and looked. 

It was a motley and strange throng; American, English, Dutch, German, Indian, Swedish. A half dozen languages were heard in the great room, forerunner of the many elements that were to enter in the composition ofthe American nation. And the crowd was already cosmopolitan. Differenceof race attracted no attention. Men took no notice of Tayoga because hewas an Indian, unless to admire his tall, straight figure and proudcarriage. Albany had known the Iroquois a century and a half. 

Robert's spirits, like Grovenor's, mounted. Here he was with manyfriends of his own age and kindred mind. Everything took on the color ofrose. All of them were talking, but his own gift of speech was thefinest. He clothed narrative with metaphor and illustration until itbecame so vivid that the others were glad to fall silent and listen tohim, though Robert himself was unconscious of the fact. They made himrelate once more his story of the battle as he saw it from inside theFrench lines at Ticonderoga, and, just as he came to the end of thetale, he caught a glimpse of a tall man entering the tavern. 

"Tell us what you saw from the other side, " he said to Grosvenor, andthey compelled the reluctant Englishman to talk. Then Robert turned hiseyes toward the tall man who was now sitting at a small table in thecorner and drinking from a long glass. Something familiar in his walkhad caught his attention as he came in, and, under cover of Grosvenor'stalk, he wished to observe him again without being noticed even by hisown comrades. 

The stranger was sitting with the side of his face to Robert, and hisfeatures were not well disclosed. His dress was that of a seafaring man, rough but rather good in texture, and a belt held a long dirk in ascabbard which was usual at that time. The hand that raised the longglass to his lips was large, red and powerful. Robert felt that hisfirst belief was correct. He had seen him before somewhere, though hecould not yet recall where, but when he turned his head presently heknew. They had met under such circumstances that neither was ever likelyto forget time or place. 

He was amazed that the stranger had come so boldly into Albany, butsecond thought told him that there was no proof against him, it wasmerely Robert's word against his. Among people absorbed in a great warhis own story would seem wildly improbable and the stranger's would haveall the savor of truth. But he knew that he could not be mistaken. Hesaw now the spare face, clean shaven, and the hard eyes, set closetogether, that he remembered so well. 

Robert did not know what to do. He listened for a little while toGrosvenor's narrative but his attention wandered back to the seafaringman. Then he decided. 

"Will you fellows talk on and excuse me for a few minutes?" he said. 

"What is it, Lennox?" asked Colden. 

"I see an acquaintance on the other side of the room. I wish to speak tohim. "

"That being the case, we'll let you go, but we'll miss you. Hurry back. "

"I'll stay only a few minutes. It's an old friend and I must have alittle talk with him. "

He walked with light steps across the room which was crowded, hummingwith many voices, the air heavy with smoke. The man was still at thesmall table, and, opposite him, was an empty chair in which Robert satdeliberately, putting his elbows on the table, and staring into the hardblue eyes. 

"I'm Peter Smith, " he said. "You remember me?"

There was a flicker of surprise in the Captain's face, but nothing more. 

"Oh, yes, Peter, " he said. "I know you, but I was not looking for youjust at this moment. "

"But I'm here. "

"Perhaps you're coming back to your duty, is that it? Well, I'm glad. I've another ship now, and though you're a runaway seaman I can affordto let bygones be bygones. "

"I hope your vessel has changed her trade. I don't think I'd care tosail again on a slaver. "

"Always a particular sort of chap you were, Peter. It's asking a lot forme to change the business of my ship to suit you. "

"But not too much. "

The conversation was carried on in an ordinary tone. Neither raised hisvoice a particle. Nobody took any notice. His own comrades, engrossed inlively talk, seemed to have forgotten Robert for the moment, and he feltthat he was master of the situation. Certainly the slaver would be moreuncomfortable than he. 

"I was wondering, " he said, "how long you mean to stay in Albany. "

"It's a pleasant town, " said the man, "as I have cause to know sinceI've been here before. I may remain quite a while. Still, I shall decidewholly according to my taste. "

"But there is a certain element of danger. "

"Oh, the war! I don't think the French even if they come to Albany willhave a chance to take me. "

"I didn't have the war in mind. There are other risks of which I thinkthat I, Peter Smith, who sailed with you once before ought to warn you. "

"It's good of you, Peter, to think so much of my safety, but I don'tbelieve I've any cause for fear. I've always been able to take care ofmyself. "

The last words were said with a little snap, and Robert knew they weremeant as a defiance, but he appeared not to notice. 

"Ah, well you've shown that you know how to look out for number one, " hesaid. "I'm only Peter Smith, a humble seaman, but I've the same faculty. I bid you good-day. "

"Good-day, Peter. I hope there's no ill feeling between us, and thateach will have whatever he deserves!"

Cool! wonderfully cool, Robert thought, but he replied merely: "I trustso, too, and in that case it is easy to surmise what one of us wouldget. "

He sauntered back to his comrades, and, lest he attract their attention, he did not look toward the slaver again for a minute or two. When heglanced in that direction he saw the man walking toward the door, not inany hurried manner, but as if he had all the time in the world, and needfear nobody. Cool! wonderfully cool, Robert thought a second time. 

The slaver went out, and Robert thought he caught a glimpse of a manmeeting him, a second man in whose figure also there was somethingfamiliar. They were gone in an instant, and he was tempted to spring upand follow them, because the figure of which he had seen but a little atthe door reminded him nevertheless of Achille Garay, the spy. 

CHAPTER II

THE CHEST OF DRAWERS

It was but a fleeting glimpse that Robert had of the second man, but hebelieved that it was Garay. He not only looked like the spy, but he wasconvinced that it was really he. After the first moment or two he didnot doubt his identity, and making an excuse that he wanted a littlefresh air and would return in an instant he walked quickly to the door. He caught another and fugitive glimpse of two men, one tall and theother short, walking away together, and he could not doubt that theywere the slaver and the spy. 

Had he been alone Robert would have followed them, though he was quitecertain that Garay must have had some place of sure refuge, else hewould not have ventured into Albany. Even with that recourse his act wasuncommonly bold. If the slaver was daring, the spy was yet more so. There was nothing against the slaver that they could prove, but the spyput his neck in the noose. 

Robert whistled softly to himself, and he was very thoughtful. Willet, Tayoga and he had been so completely victorious over Garay in the forestthat perhaps he had underrated him. Maybe he was a man to be feared. Hisdaring appearance in Albany must be fortified by supreme cunning, andhis alliance with the slaver implied a plan. Robert believed that theplan, or a part of it at least, was directed against himself. Well, whatif it was? He could meet it, and he was not afraid. He had overcomeother perils, and he had friends, as true and steadfast as were everheld to any man by hooks of steel. His heart beat high, he was in aglow, his whole soul leaped forward to meet prospective danger. 

He went back into the inn and took his seat with the others. Now it wasStuart who was talking, telling them of life in the great Southerncolony and of its delights, of the big houses, of the fields of tobacco, of the horse races, of the long visits to neighbors, and how all whowere anybody were related, making Virginia one huge family. 

"Now Cabell and I, " he said, "belong to the same clan. My mother and hisfather are third cousins, which makes us fourth cousins, or fifth is it?But whether fourth or fifth, we're cousins just the same. All the peopleof our blood are supposed to stand together, and do stand together. Oh, it has its delights! It makes us sufficient unto ourselves! The oldDominion is a world in itself, complete in all its parts. "

"But you have to come to Philadelphia to see a great city and get ataste of metropolitan life, " said Colden. 

Then a discussion, friendly but warm arose as to the respective meritsof the Virginia and Pennsylvania provinces, and when it was at itsheight and the attention of all the others was absorbed in it, Tayogaleaned over and whispered to Robert:

"What did you see at the door, Dagaeoga?"

Robert was startled. So, the Onondago was watching, after all. He mighthave known that nothing would escape his attention. 

"I saw Garay, the spy, " he replied in the same tone. 

"And the man at the little table was the captain of the slave ship onwhich you were taken?"

"The same. "

"It bodes ill, Dagaeoga. You must watch. "

"I will, Tayoga. "

The crowd in the great room of the George Inn increased and the younggroup remained, eager to watch it. It was a reflex of the life in thecolonies, at the seat of conflict, and throbbing with all the emotionsof a great war that enveloped nearly the whole civilized world. A burlyfellow, dressed as a teamster, finally made his voice heard above theothers. 

"I tell you men, " he said, "that we must give up Albany! Our army hasbeen cut to pieces! Montcalm is advancing with twenty thousand Frenchregulars, and swarms of Indians! They control all of Lake George as wellas Champlain! Hundreds of settlers have already fallen before thetomahawk, and houses are burning along the whole border! I have it fromthem that have seen the fires. "

There was a sudden hush in the crowd, followed by an alarmed murmur. Theman's emphasis and his startling statements made an impression. 

"Go on, Dobbs! Tell us about it!" said one. 

"What do you know?" asked another. 

He stood up, a great tall man with a red face. 

"My cousin has been in the north, " he said, "and he's seen rangers, somethat have just escaped from the Indians, barely saving their hair. Heheard from them that the King of France has sent a big army to Canada, and that another just as big is on the way. It won't be a week beforeyou see the French flag from the hills of Albany, and wise men arealready packing ready to go to New York. "

There was another alarmed hush. 

"This fellow must be stopped, " said Colden. "He'll start a panic. "

"Dagaeoga has the gift of words, " whispered a voice in Robert's ear, "and now is the time to use it. "

Nothing more was needed. Robert was on fire in an instant, and, standingupon his chair, asked for attention. 

"Your pardon a moment, Mr. Dobbs, " he said, "if I interrupt you. "

"Why it's only a boy!" a man exclaimed. 

"A boy, it's true, " said Robert, who now felt himself the center of alleyes, and who, as usual, responded with all his faculties to such anopportunity, "but I was present at the Battle of Ticonderoga, andperhaps I've a chance to correct a few errors into which our friend, Mr. Dobbs, has fallen. "

"What are those errors?" asked the man in a surly tone, not relishinghis loss of the stage. 

"I'll come to them promptly, " said Robert in his mellowest tones. "They're just trifles, Mr. Dobbs, but still trifles should be corrected. I stood with the French army in the battle, and I know something aboutits numbers, which are about one-sixth of what Mr. Dobbs claims them tobe. "

"What were you doing with the French?"

"I happened to be a prisoner, Mr. Dobbs. I escaped a day or two later. But here are with me young officers of ours who were in the attack. Several of them felt the sting of French bullets on that day, so whenthey tell you what happened they know what they're talking about. Theirreports don't come from their cousins, but are the product of their owneyes and ears. Peace, Mr. Dobbs! I've the floor, or rather the chair, and I must tell the facts. We were defeated at Ticonderoga, it's true, but we were not cut to pieces. Our generals failed to bring up ourartillery. They underrated the French. They went with rifles, musketsand bayonets alone against breastworks, defended by a valiant foe, forthe French are valiant, and they paid the price. But our army is inexistence and it's as brave as ever. Albany is in no danger. Don't bealarmed. "

"You're but a boy. You don't know, " growled Dobbs. 

"Peace, Mr. Dobbs! Give us peace. A boy who has seen may know betterthan a man who has not seen. I tell you once again, friends, that theMarquis de Montcalm will not appear before Albany. It's a long way fromTiconderoga to this city, too long a road for the French army to travel. Wise men are not packing for flight to New York. Wise men are stayingright here. "

"Hear! Hear!" exclaimed the Virginians and Philadelphians and Grosvenor, and "Hear! Hear!" was repeated from the crowd. Dobbs' red face grewredder, but now he was silent. 

"My friends, " continued Robert in his golden persuasive tones, "you'renot afraid, you're all brave men, but you must guard against panic. Experience tells you that rumor is irresponsible, that, as it spreads, it grows. We're going to learn from our defeat. The French are as nearto Albany as they'll ever come. The war is not going to move southward. Its progress instead will be toward Quebec. Remember that panic isalways a bad counselor; but that courage is ever a good one. Things arenever as bad as they look. "

"Hear! Hear!" exclaimed his young comrades again, and the echoes fromthe crowd were more numerous than before. The teamster began to drawback and presently slipped out of the door. Then Robert sat down amidgreat applause, blushing somewhat because he had been carried away byhis feelings and apologizing to the others for making himselfconspicuous. 

"Nothing to apologize for, " exclaimed Cabell. "'Twas well done, a goodspeech at the right time. You've the gift of oratory, Lennox. You shouldcome to Virginia to live, after we've defeated the French. Our provinceis devoted to oratory. You've the gift of golden speech, and the peoplewill follow you. "

"I'm afraid I've made an enemy of that man, Dobbs, " said Robert, "and Ihad enemies enough already. "

His mind went back to the slaver and Garay, and he was troubled. 

"We've had our little triumph here, thanks to Lennox, " said Colden, "andit seems to me now that we've about exhausted the possibilities of theGeorge. Besides, the air is getting thick. Let's go outside. "

Grosvenor paid the score and they departed, a cheer following them. Herewere young officers who had fought well, and the men in the George werewilling to show respect. 

"I think I'd better return to camp now, " said Grosvenor. 

"We'll go with you, " said Colden, speaking for the Pennsylvanians. 

"Stuart and I are detached for the present, " said Cabell. "We secured atransfer from our command in Virginia, and we're hoping for commissionsin the Royal Americans, and more active service, since the whole tide ofwar seems to have shifted to the north rather than the west. "

"The Royal Americans are fine men, " said Robert. "Though raised in thecolonies, they rank with the British regulars. I had a good friend inone of the regiments, Edward Charteris, of New York, but he was taken atTiconderoga. I saw the French bring him in a prisoner. I suppose they'reholding him in Quebec now. "

"Then we'll rescue him when we take Quebec, " said Stuart valiantly. 

The friends separated with promises to meet again soon and to see muchof one another while they were in Albany, Grosvenor and thePennsylvanians continuing to the camp, Cabell and Stuart turning back tothe George for quarters, and Robert and Tayoga going toward the house ofMynheer Jacobus Huysman. But before they reached it young Lennoxsuggested that they turn toward the river. 

"It is well to do so, " said the Onondaga. "I think that Dagaeoga wishesto look there for a ship. "

"That's in my mind, Tayoga, and yet I wouldn't know the vessel I'mlooking for if I saw her. "

"She will be commanded by the man whom we saw in the inn, the one withwhom Dagaeoga talked. "

"I've no doubt of it, Tayoga. Nothing escapes your notice. "

"What are eyes for if not to see! And it is a time for all to watch;especially, it is a time for Dagaeoga to watch with his eyes, his earsand all his senses. "

"I've that feeling myself. "

"Something is plotting against you. The slaver did not meet the spy fornothing. "

"Why should men bother about one as insignificant as I am, when theworld is plunged into a great war?"

"It is because Dagaeoga is in the way of somebody. He is very much inthe way or so much trouble and risk would not be taken to remove him. "

"I wonder what it is Tayoga. I know that Mr. Hardy and Mr. Huysman anddoubtless others hold the key to this lock, but I feel quite sure theyare not going to put it in my hand just at present. "

"No, they will not, but it must be for very good reasons. No one everhad better friends than Dagaeoga has in them. If they do not choose totell him anything it will be wise for him not to ask questions. "

"That's just the way I feel about it, and so I'm going to ask noquestions. "

A hulking figure barred their way, a red face glowed at them, and arough voice demanded satisfaction. 

"You fellow with the slick tongue, you had 'em laughing at me in thetavern, " said Dobbs, the teamster. "You just the same as told 'em I wasa liar when I said the French were coming. "

The man was full of unreasoning anger, and he handled the butt end of aheavy whip. Yet Robert felt quite cool. His pistol was in his belt, andTayoga was at his elbow. 

"You are mistaken, my good Mr. Dobbs, " he said gaily. "I would nevertell a man he was a liar, particularly one to whom I had not beenintroduced. I try to be choice in my language. I was trained to be so byMr. Alexander McLean, a most competent schoolmaster of this city, and Imerely tried to disseminate a thought in the minds of the numerousaudience gathered in the George Inn. My thought was unlike your thought, and so I was compelled to use words that did not resemble the words usedby you. I was not responsible for the results flowing from them. "

"I don't know what you mean, " growled Dobbs. "You string a lot of bigwords together, and I think you're laughing at me again. "

"Impossible, Mr. Dobbs. I could not be so impolite. My risibilities maybe agitated to a certain extent, but laugh in the face of a stranger, never! Now will you kindly let us pass? The street here is narrow and wedo not wish to crowd. "

Dobbs did not move and his manner became more threatening than ever, theloaded whip swaying in his hand. Robert's light and frolicsome humor didnot depart. He felt himself wholly master of the situation. 

"Now, good Mr. Dobbs, kind Mr. Dobbs, I ask you once more to move, " hesaid in his most wheedling manner. "The day is too bright and pleasantto be disturbed by angry feelings. My own temper is always even. Nothingdisturbs me. I was never known to give way to wrath, but my friend whomyou see by my side is a great Onondaga chieftain. His disposition ishaughty and fierce. He belongs to a race that can never bear theslightest suspicion of an insult. It is almost certain death to speak tohim in an angry or threatening manner. Friends as we have been foryears, I am always very careful how I address him. "

The teamster's face fell and he stepped back. The heavy whip ceased tomove in a menacing manner in his hand. 

"Prudence is always a good thing, " continued Robert. "When a greatIndian chieftain is a friend to a man, any insult to that man is adouble insult to the chieftain. It is usually avenged with the utmostpromptitude, and place is no bar. An angry glance even may invite afatal blow. "

Dobbs stepped to one side, and Robert and Tayoga walked haughtily on. The Onondaga laughed low, but with intense amusement. 

"Verily it is well to have the gift of words, " he said, "when with theiruse one, leaving weapons undrawn, can turn an enemy aside. "

"I could not enter into a street fight with such a man, Tayoga, anddiplomacy was needed. You'll pardon my use of you as a menace?"

"I'm at Dagaeoga's service. "

"That being the case we'll now continue the search for our slaver. "

They hunted carefully along the shores of the Hudson. Albany was a busyriver port at all times, but it was now busier than ever, the pressureof war driving new traffic upon it from every side. Many boats werebringing supplies from further south, and others were being loaded withthe goods of timid people, ready to flee from Montcalm and the French. Albany caught new trade both coming and going. The thrifty burghersprofited by it and rejoiced. 

"We've nothing to go on, " said Robert, "and perhaps we couldn't tell theslaver's ship if we were looking squarely at it. Still, it seems to meit ought to be a small craft, slim and low, built for speed and with asneaky look. "

"Then we will seek such a vessel, " said Tayoga. 

Nothing answered the description. The river people were quite willing totalk and, the two falling into conversation with them, as if by chance, were able to account for every craft of any size. There was no strangeship that could be on any mysterious errand. 

"It is in my mind, Dagaeoga, " said Tayoga, "that this lies deeper thanwe had thought. The slaver would not have shown himself and he would nothave talked with you so freely if he had not known that he would leave ahidden trail. "

"It looks that way to me, Tayoga, " said Robert, "and I think Garay mustbe in some kind of disguise. He would not venture so boldly among us ifhe did not have a way of concealing himself. "

"It is in my mind, too, that we have underestimated the spy. He hasperhaps more courage and resolution than we thought, or these qualitiesmay have come to him recently. The trade of a spy is very useful toMontcalm just now. After his victory at Ticonderoga he will be anxiousto know what we are doing here at Albany, and it will be the duty ofGaray to learn. Besides, we put a great humiliation upon him that timewe took his letter from him in the forest, and he is burning forvengeance upon us. It is not in the nature of Dagaeoga to wish revenge, but he must not blind himself on that account to the fact that otherscherish it. "

"It was the fortune of war. We have our disasters and our enemies havetheirs. "

"Yet we must beware of Garay. I know it, Dagaeoga. "

"At any rate we can't find out anything about him and the slaver alongthe river, and that being the case I suggest that we go on to the houseof Mynheer Jacobus, where we're pretty sure of a welcome. "

Their greetings at the burgher's home were as warm as anybody couldwish. Master McLean had left, and the rest were talking casually in thelarge front room, but the keen eyes of the Onondaga read the signsinfallibly. This was a trail that could not be hidden from him. 

"Other men have been here, " he said a little later to Robert, when theywere alone in the room. "There has been a council. "

"How do you know, Tayoga?"

"How do I know, Dagaeoga? Because I have eyes and I use them. It isprinted all over the room in letters of the largest type and in words ofone syllable. The floor is of polished wood, Dagaeoga, and there is agreat table in the center of the chamber. The chairs have been movedback, but eight men sat around it. I can count the faint traces made bythe chairs in the polish of the floor. They were heavy men--most of themen of Albany are heavy, and now and then they moved restlessly, as theytalked. That was why they ground the chair legs against the polish, leaving there little traces which will be gone in another hour, butwhich are enough while they last to tell their tale. 

"They moved so, now and then because their talk was of great importance. They smoked also that they might think better over what they weresaying. A child could tell that, because smoke yet lingers in the room, although Caterina has opened the windows to let it out. Some of it isleft low down in the corners, and under the chairs now against the wall. A little of the ash from their pipes has fallen on the table, showingthat although Caterina has opened the windows she has not yet had timeto clean the room. You and I know, Dagaeoga, that she would never missany ash on the table. Master McLean smoked much, perhaps more than anyof the others. He uses the strongest Virginia tobacco that he canobtain, and I know its odor of old. I smell it everywhere in the room. Ialso know the odor of the tobacco that Mynheer Jacobus uses, and it isstrongest here by the mantel, showing that in the course of the councilhe frequently got up and stood here. Ah, there is ash on the mantelitself! He tapped it now and then with his pipe to enforce what he wassaying. Mynheer Jacobus was much stirred, or he would not have risen tohis feet to make speeches to the others. "

"Can you locate Master Hardy also?"

"I think I can, Dagaeoga. "

He ran around the room like a hound on the scent, and, at last, hestopped before a large massive locked chest of drawers that stood in thecorner, a heavy mahogany piece that looked as if it had been importedfrom France or Italy. 

"Master Jacobus came here, " said the Onondaga. "I smell his tobacco. Ah, and Master Hardy came, too! I now smell his tobacco also. I rememberthat when we were in New York he smoked a peculiar, bitter West Indiacompound which doubtless is brought to him regularly in his ships--mennearly always have a favorite tobacco and will take every trouble to getit. I recognize the odor perfectly. There are traces of the ash of bothtobaccos on the chest of drawers, and Master Huysman and Master Hardycame here, because there are papers in this piece of furniture whichMaster Huysman wished to show to Master Hardy. They are in the thirddrawer from the top, because there is a little dust on the others, butnone on the third. It fell off when it was opened, and was then shutagain strongly after they were through. "

Robert gazed with intense curiosity at the third drawer. The papers init might concern himself--he believed Tayoga implicitly--but it was notfor him to pry into the affairs of two such good friends. If they wishedto keep their secret a while longer, then they had good reasons fordoing so. 

"Did the others come to the chest of drawers also, and look at thepapers?" he asked. 

The Onondaga knelt down and examined the polished floor. 

"I do not think so, " he replied at length. "It is wholly likely thatMaster Jacobus and Master Hardy came to the chest of drawers after theothers had gone, and that the papers had no bearing on the matters theytalked over in the council. Yes, it is so! It is bound to be so! Theodor of their two tobaccos is stronger than any of the other odors inthe room, showing that they were in here much longer than the others. Itmay be that the papers in the third drawer relate to Dagaeoga. "

"I had that thought myself, Tayoga. "

"Does Dagaeoga wish me to go further with it?"

"No, Tayoga. What those men desire to hide from us must remain hidden. "

"I am glad Dagaeoga has answered that way, because if he had not Ishould have refused to go on, and yet I knew that was the way in whichhe would answer. "

They went to another room in which they found Mr. Huysman, Mr. Hardy andthe clerk, and Robert told of his meeting with the slaver. The face ofBenjamin Hardy darkened. 

"Tayoga is right, " he said. "That man's presence here bodes ill for you, Robert. "

"I'm not afraid. Besides I've too many friends, " said Robert quietly. 

"Both your statements are true, but you must be careful just the same, "interjected Master Jacobus. "Nevertheless, we'll not be apprehensive. Master McLean iss coming back for supper, and we're going to make it agreat affair, a real reunion for all of us. Caterina, helped by twostout colored women, has been cooking all the afternoon, and I hope thatyou two boys have had enough exercise and excitement to whet yourappetites. How iss it?"

"We have, sir!" they replied together, and with emphasis. 

"And now to your old room. You'll find there in a closet clothes forboth of you, Tayoga's of his own kind, that Caterina has preservedcarefully, and at six o'clock come in to supper, which to-day iss to beour chief meal. I would not have Benjamin Hardy to come all the way fromNew York and say that I failed to set for him as good a meal as he wouldset for me if I were his guest in his city. Not only my hospitality butthe hospitality of Albany iss at stake. "

"I know, sir, that your reputation will not suffer, " said Robert withgreat confidence. 

He and Tayoga in their room found their clothes preserved in camphor andquickly made the change. Then they stood by the window, looking out onthe pleasant domain, in which they had spent so many happy hours. Bothfelt a glow. 

"Master Jacobus Huysman is a good man, " said Robert. 

"A wise, fat chief, " said the Onondaga. "A kind heart and a strong head. He is worthy to rule. If he belonged to the league of the Hodenosauneewe would put him in a high place. "

"Though he holds no office, I think he sits in a high place here. It islikely that the men who were around the table to-day came to him forcounsel. "

"It seems a good guess to me, Dagaeoga. Perhaps they take measures tomeet the threat of Montcalm. "

"They're our elders, and we'll let them do the thinking on that pointjust now. Somehow, I feel light of heart, Tayoga, and I want to enjoymyself. "

"Even though the slaver and the spy are here, and we all believe thatthey threaten you?"

"Even so. My heart is light, nevertheless. My mind tells me that I oughtto be apprehensive and sad, but my heart has taken control and I amhopeful and gay?"

"It is the nature of Dagaeoga, and he should give thanks to Manitou thathe has been made that way. It is worth much more to him than the whiteman's gold. "

"I _am_ thankful, Tayoga. I'm thankful for a lot of things. How doesthis coat look on me?"

"It is small. You have grown much in the last year or two. Your frame isfilling out and you are bigger every way. Still, it is a fine coat, andthe knee breeches, stockings and buckled shoes are very splendid. IfDagaeoga does not look like a chief it is only because he is not oldenough, and he at least looks like the son of a chief. "

Robert contemplated himself in a small mirror with much satisfaction. 

"I'm frightfully tanned, " he said. "Perhaps they wouldn't take me for amodel of fashion in Paris or London, but here nearly everybody else istanned also, and, after all, it's healthy. "

The Onondaga regarded him with an amused smile. 

"If Dagaeoga had the time and money he would spend much of both ondress, " he said. "He loves to make a fine appearance. "

"You say nothing but the truth, " said Robert frankly. "I hope some dayto have the very best clothes that are made. A man who respects hisclothes respects himself. I know no sin in trying to please the eyes ofothers and incidentally myself. I note, Tayoga, that on occasion youarray yourself with great splendor, and that, at all times, you're veryparticular about your attire. "

"It is so, Dagaeoga. I spoke in terms of approval, not of criticism. Areyou satisfied with yourself?"

"As much as possible under the circumstances. If I could achieve thechange merely by making a wish I'd have the coat and breeches of asomewhat richer hue, and the buckles on the shoes considerably larger, but they'll do. Shall we sit here and rest until Caterina calls us forsupper?"

"I think so, Dagaeoga. "

But it was not long until the summons came, and they went into the greatdining-room, where the elder company was already gathered. Besides Mr. Huysman, Benjamin Hardy, Jonathan Pillsbury, and Alexander McLean, therewere Nicholas Ten Broeck and Oliver Suydam, two of Albany's most solidburghers, and Alan Hervey, another visitor from New York, a thin man ofmiddle years and shrewd looks, whom Robert took to be a figure infinance and trade. All the elders seemed to know one another well, andto be on the best of terms. 

Robert and Tayoga were presented duly, and made their modestacknowledgments, sitting together near the end of the table. 

"These lads, young as they are, " said Master Jacobus Huysman, "have hadmuch experience of the present war. One of them was a prisoner of theFrench at Ticonderoga and saw the whole battle, while the other foughtin it. Before that they were in innumerable encounters and other perils, usually with the great hunter, David Willet, of whom you all know, andwho, I regret, is not here. "

"It is no more than thousands of others have done, " said Robert, blushing under his tan. 

Hervey regarded him and Tayoga with interest. The Onondaga was in fullIndian dress, but Albany was used to the Iroquois, and that fact was notat all exceptional. 

"War is a terrible thing, " he said, "and whether a nation is or is notto endure depends very much upon its youth. "

"We always think that present youth is inferior to what our own youthwas, " said Mr. Hardy. "That, I believe, is a common human failing. ButMaster McLean ought to know. Forty years of youth, year after year havepassed through his hands. What say you, Alexander?"

"Youth is youth, " replied the schoolmaster, weighing his sentences, "andby those words I mean exactly what I say. I think it changes but littlethrough all the ages, and it is probably the same to-day that it was inold Babylon. I find in my schoolroom that the youth of this year is justlike the youth of ten years ago, just as the youth of ten years ago wasexactly like the youth of twenty, thirty and forty years ago. "

"And what are the cardinal points of this formative age, Alexander?"asked Master Jacobus. 

"Speaking mildly, I would call it concentration upon self. The horizonof youth is bounded by its own eye. It looks no farther. As it sees andfeels it, the world exists for youth. We elders, parents, uncles, guardians and such, live for its benefit. We are merely accessories tothe great and main fact, which is youth. "

"Do you believe that to be true, Robert?" asked Master Benjamin Hardy, atwinkle in his eye. 

"I hope it's not, sir, " replied Robert, reddening again under his tan. 

"But it's true and it will remain true, " continued the schoolmasterjudicially. "It was equally true of all of us who passed our youth longago. I do not quarrel with it. I merely state a fact of life. Perhaps ifI could I would not strip youth of this unconscious absorption in self, because in doing so we might deprive it of the simplicity anddirectness, the artless beliefs that make youth so attractive. "

"I hold, " said Mr. Hervey, "that age is really a state of mind. Webelieve certain things at twenty, others at thirty, others at forty, andso on. The beliefs of twenty are true at twenty, we must not try them bythe tests of thirty, nor must we try those of thirty by the tests offorty or fifty. So how are we to say which age is the wiser, when everyage accepts as true what it believes, and, so makes it true? I agree, too, with Mr. McLean, that I would not change the character of youth ifI could. Looking back upon my own youth I find much in it to laugh at, but I did not laugh at it at the time. It was very real to me then, andso must its feelings be to the youth of to-day. "

"We wade into deep waters, " said Mynheer Jacobus, "and we may go overour heads. Ah, here are the oysters! I hope that all of you will findthem to your liking. "

A dozen were served for every guest--it was the day of plenty, thefields and woods and waters of America furnishing more food than itspeople could consume--and they approached them with the keen appetitesof strong and healthy men. 

"Perhaps we do not have the sea food here that you have in New York, Alan, " said Master Jacobus with mock humility, "but we give you of ourbest. "

"We've the finest oysters in the world, unless those of Baltimore beexcepted, " said Hervey, "but yours are, in truth, most excellent. Perhaps you can't expect to equal us in a specialty of ours. You'llrecall old Tom Cotton's inn, out by the East River, and howunapproachably he serves oyster, crab, lobster and every kind of fish. "

"I recall it full well, Alan. I rode out the Bowery road when I was lastin New York, but I did not get a chance to go to old Tom's. You and Iand Benjamin have seen some lively times there, when we were a bityounger, eh, Alan?"

"Aye, Jacobus, you speak truly. We were just as much concentrated uponself as the youth of to-day. And in our elderly hearts we're proud ofthe little frivolities and dissipations that were committed then. Elsewe would never talk of 'em and chuckle over 'em to one another. "

"And what is more, we're not too old yet for a little taste of pleasure, now and then, eh, Alexander?"

The schoolmaster, appealed to so directly, pursed his thin lips, loweredhis lids to hide the faint twinkle in his eyes, and replied in measuredtones:

"I cannot speak for you, Jacobus. I've known you a long time and yourexample is corrupting, but I trust that I shall prove firm againsttemptation. "

The oysters were finished. No man left a single one untouched on hisplate, and then a thick chicken soup was served by two very black womenin gay cotton prints with red bandanna handkerchiefs tied like turbansaround their heads. Robert could see no diminution in the appetite ofthe guests, nor did he feel any decrease in his own. Mr. Hervey turnedto him. 

"I hear you saw the Marquis de Montcalm himself, " he said. 

"Yes, sir, " replied Robert. "I saw him several times, at Ticonderoga, and before that in the Oswego campaign. I've been twice a prisoner ofthe French. "

"How does he look?"

"Of middle age, sir, short, dark and very polite in speech. "

"And evidently a good soldier. He has proved that and to our misfortune. Yet, I cannot but think that we will produce his master. Now, I wonderwho it is going to be. Under the English system the best general doesnot always come forward first, and perhaps we've not yet so much asheard the name of the man who is going to beat Montcalm. That he will bebeaten I've no doubt. We'll conquer Canada and settle North Americanaffairs for all time. Perhaps it will be the last great war. "

Robert was listening with the closest attention, and it seemed to himthat the New Yorker was right. With Canada conquered and the Frenchpower expelled it would be the last great war so far as North Americawas concerned? How fallible men are! How prone they are to think whenthey have settled things for themselves they have settled them also forall future generations!

"And then, " continued Mr. Hervey, "New York will become a yet greaterport than it now is. It may even hope to rival Philadelphia in size andwealth. It will be London's greatest feeder. "

The soup, not neglected in the least, gave way to fish, and then to manykinds of meat, in which game, bear, deer and wild fowl were conspicuous. Robert took a little of everything, but he was absorbed in the talk. Hefelt that these men were in touch with great affairs, and, however muchthey diverged from such subjects they had them most at heart. It was athrilling thought that the future of North America, in some degree atleast, might be determined around that very table at which he wassitting as a guest. He had knowledge and imagination enough tounderstand that it was not the armies that determined the fate ofnations, but the men directing them who stood behind them farther back, in the dark perhaps, obscure, maybe never to become fully known, butclairvoyant and powerful just the same. He was resolved not to lose aword. So he leaned forward just a little in his seat, and his blue eyessparkled. 

"Dagaeoga is glad to be here, " said Tayoga in an undertone. 

"So I am, Tayoga. They talk of things of which I wish to hear. "

"As I told you, these be sachems with whom we sit. They be not chiefswho lead in battle, but, like the sachems, they plan, and, like themedicine men, they make charms and incantations that influence the soulsof the warriors and also the souls of those who lead them to battle. "

"The same thought was in my own mind. "

Wine smuggled from France or Spain was served to the men, though youngLennox and the Onondaga touched none. In truth, it was not offered tothem, Master Jacobus saying, with a glance at Robert:

"I have never allowed you and Tayoga to have anything stronger thancoffee in my house, and although you are no longer under my charge Iintend to keep to the rule. "

"We wish nothing more, sir, " said Robert. 

"As for me, " said the Onondaga, "I shall never touch any kind of liquor. I know that it goes ill with my race. "

"Yours, I understand, is the Onondaga nation, " said Mr. Hervey, lookingat him attentively. 

"The Onondaga, and I belong to the clan of the Bear, " replied Tayogaproudly. "The Hodenosaunee have held the balance in this war. "

"That I know full well. I gladly give the great League ample credit. Ithas been a wise policy of the English to deal honestly and fairly withyour people. In general the French surpass us in winning and holding theaffections of the native races, but some good angel has directed us inour dealings with the Six Nations. Without their Indians the Frenchcould have done little against us. I hear of one of their leaders whohas endeared himself to them in the most remarkable manner. There hasbeen much talk in New York of the Chevalier de St. Luc, and being nearerthe seat of action you've perhaps heard some of it here in Albany, Jacobus!"

Robert leaned a little farther forward and concentrated every faculty onthe talk, but he said nothing. 

"Yes, we've heard much of him, Alan, " replied Master Jacobus. "I thinkhe's the most dangerous foe that we have among Montcalm's lieutenants. He passes like a flame along the border, and yet report speaks well ofhim, too. All our men who have come in contact with him say he is agallant and chivalrous foe. "

Robert glanced at Master Benjamin Hardy, but the great merchant's facewas blank. 

"Robert saw him, too, when he was a prisoner among the French, " said Mr. Huysman. 

Mr. Hervey looked at Robert, who said:

"I saw him several times at Ticonderoga, where he was the chief adviserof Montcalm during the battle, and I've seen him often elsewhere. Allthat they say about him is true. He's a master of forest warfare, andhis following is devoted. "

He glanced again at Benjamin Hardy, but the New Yorker was helpinghimself to an especially tender bit of venison and his face expressednothing but appreciation of his food. Robert sighed under his breath. They would never do more than generalize about St. Luc. Tayoga and heasked presently to be excused. The men would sit much longer over theirnuts and wine, and doubtless when the lads were gone they would entermore deeply into those plans and ventures that lay so near their hearts. 

"I think I shall wander among the trees behind the house, " said Tayoga, when they were out of the dining-room. "I want fresh air, and I wish tohear the wind blowing among the leaves. Then I can fancy that I am backin the great forest, and my soul will be in peace. "

"And commune, perhaps, with Tododaho on his star, " said Robert, notlightly but in all seriousness. 

"Even so, Dagaeoga. He may have something to tell me, but if he does notit is well to be alone for a while. "

"I won't let you be alone just yet, because I'm going out with you, butI don't mean to stay long, and then you can commune with your own soul. "

It was a beautiful night, cooled by a breeze which came crisp and strongfrom the hills, rustling through the foliage, already beginning to takeon the tints of early autumn. After the warm room and many courses offood it was very grateful to the two lads who stood under the treeslistening to the pleasant song of the breeze. But in five minutes Robertsaid:

"I'm going back into the house now, Tayoga. I can see your star in theclear heavens, and perhaps Tododaho will speak to you. "

"I shall see. Farewell for an hour, Dagaeoga. "

Robert went in. 

CHAPTER III

THE PURSUIT OF GARAY

Robert paused a few moments in the hall. Sounds of voices came from thedining room, showing that the supper was still in progress. He thoughtof going back there to listen to the talk, but he reflected that thetime for youth at the table had passed. They were in their secrets now, and he strolled toward the large room that contained the chest ofdrawers. 

A dim light from an unshuttered window shone into the apartment and itwas in his mind to wait there for Tayoga, but he stopped suddenly at thedoor and stared in astonishment. A shadow was moving in the room, thin, impalpable and noiseless, but it had all the seeming of a man. Moreover, it had a height and shape that were familiar, and it reminded him of thespy, Garay. 

He was too much surprised to move, and so he merely stared. Garay kneltbefore the chest of drawers and began to work at it with a small sharptool that he drew from his coat. Robert saw, too, that his attention wascentered on the third drawer from the top. Then he came out of hiscatalepsy and started forward, but in doing so his foot made a slightnoise on the floor. 

Garay leaped to his feet, gave Robert one glance and then disappearedthrough the open window, with incredible dexterity and speed. Robertstared again. The man was there and then he was not. It could not beGaray, but his ghost, some illusion, a trick of the eye or mind. Then heknew it was no fancy. With extraordinary assurance the man had comethere to rifle the drawer--for what purpose Robert knew not. 

He ran to the window, but saw nothing save the peaceful night, thewaving trees and the quiet lawn lying beyond. Then he walked to thechest and examined the third drawer, noticing new scratches around thelock. There was not the slightest doubt that Garay had been trying toopen it. 

He went to the door, resolved to tell Mr. Huysman at once of the attemptupon the chest, but he stopped irresolute. The low sounds of talk stillcame from the dining-room. He was only a boy and his was a mostimprobable tale. They might think he had been dreaming, though he knewfull well that he had seen straight and true. And then Garay was gone, leaving no trace. No, he would not interrupt Mr. Huysman now, but hewould talk it over with Tayoga. 

He found the Onondaga standing among the trees, gazing with rapt visionat his star. 

"Did Tododaho speak to you?" asked Robert. 

"He did, " replied Tayoga earnestly. 

"What did he say?"

"That the great war will go on, and that you and I and the Great Bear, who is away, will encounter many more perils. The rest is veiled. "

"And while we take our ease, Tayoga, our enemies are at work. "

"What does Dagaeoga mean?"

"I went into the room containing the chest of drawers, the story ofwhich you read, and found there Garay, the spy, trying to open it. "

"Dagaeoga does not dream?"

"Oh, I thought for a moment or two that I did, but it was reality. Garayescaped through the open window, and, on the lock of the third drawer, were scratches that he left where he had been working with a sharp tool. Come, Tayoga, and look at them. "

The two went into the house. Robert lighted a lamp for better light, andTayoga knelt before the drawer, giving it a long and close examination. 

"Garay is a very clever man, " he said at last, "much cleverer, perhaps, than we gave him the credit of being. "

"I think so too, " said Robert. 

"As events show, he came into this house to obtain the papers in thisdrawer, and you and I feel quite certain that those papers concern you. And as you saw him and the slaver together, it indicates that they havesome plot against you, what I know not. But the papers here have much todo with it. "

"Do you think I should speak of it to Master Jacobus and Mr. Hardy now?"

"I think not, Dagaeoga. Whatever is the mystery about you it is evidentthat they do not wish to tell you of it yet. So, being what you are, youwill not ask them, but wait until such time as they see fit. I thinkthese scratches on the lock were made by the sharp point of a huntingknife. Garay did not succeed in opening it, though it is likely that hewould have done so if you had not interrupted him. "

"When he saw me he was gone like a flash. I did not know a man couldskip through a window with so much celerity. "

"One has to be skillful at such things to carry on the trade of a spy. That is why he could have opened this lock, large and strong as it is, with the point of his hunting knife had he been allowed time, and thatis why he flew through the window like a bird when you came upon him. "

He examined the window, and then laughed a little. 

"But he did not go without leaving further proof of himself, " he said. "Here on the sill is the faintest trace of blood where he bruised hishand or wrist in his rapid flight. "

"Suppose you try to trail him, Tayoga. I believe you could find outwhich way he went, even here in Albany. The men will talk in there along time, and won't miss us. There's a fair moon. "

"I will try, " said Tayoga in his precise fashion. "First we will look atthe ground under the window. "

They went outside and the Onondaga examined the grass beneath it, thedrop being five or six feet. 

"As he had to come down hard, he ought to have left traces, " saidRobert. 

"So he did, Dagaeoga. I find several imprints, and there also are two orthree drops of blood, showing that he scratched his hand considerablywhen he went through the window. Here go the traces, leading north. Garay, of course, knows this immediate locality well, as he observed itclosely when he made his attempt upon you before. It is lucky that itrained yesterday, leaving the ground soft. We may be able to follow himquite a distance. "

"If anybody can follow him, you can. "

"It is friendship that makes Dagaeoga speak so. The trail continues inits original course, though I think that sooner or later it will turntoward the river. "

"Meaning that Garay will meet the slaver somewhere, and that the naturalplace of the latter is on the water. "

"Dagaeoga reasons well. That, I think, is just what Garay will do. It islikely, too, that he will curve about the town. If he went upon a hardstreet we would lose him, since he would leave no trail there, but hewill keep away because he does not wish to be seen. Ah, he now turnsfrom the houses and into the fields! We shall be able to follow him. Themoon is our friend. It is pouring down rays enough to disclose histrail, if trail he leaves. "

They were soon beyond the houses and climbed three fences dividing thefields. At the third, Tayoga said:

"Garay paused here and rested. There is a drop of blood on the top rail. He probably sat there and looked back to see if he was followed. Ah, here is a splinter on a lower rail freshly broken!"

"What do you make of it, Tayoga?"

"The spy was angry, angry that his effort, made at such great risk, should have failed through the mere chance of your coming into the roomat that particular time. He was angry, too, that he had bruised his handso badly that it bled, and continued to bleed. So, his disappointmentmade him grind his heel against the rail and break the splinter. "

"I'm glad he felt that way. A man in his trade ought to suffer manydisappointments. "

"When he had satisfied himself that no pursuit was in sight, he jumpedto the ground. Here are deep imprints made by his descending weight, andnow he becomes less careful. Albany is behind us, and he thinks alldanger of pursuit has passed. I see a little brook ahead, and it is safeto say that he will kneel at it and drink. "

"And also to bathe his wounded hand. "

"Even so, Dagaeoga. Lo, it is as we said! Here are the imprints of hisknees, showing that he refreshed himself with water after his hurriedflight. The ground on the other side of the brook is soft and we shallbe able to find his imprints there, even if it were pitch dark. Now Ithink they will turn very soon toward the river. "

"Yes, they're curving. Here they go, Tayoga. "

The trail led across a field, over a hill, and then through a littlewood, where Tayoga was compelled to go slowly, hunting about like ahound, trying to trace a scent. But wherever he lost it he finallypicked it up again, and, when they emerged from the trees, they saw theriver not far ahead. 

"Our trail will end at the stream, " said Tayoga confidently. 

As he had predicted, the imprints led directly to the river, and thereended their pursuit also. The Hudson flowed on in silence. There wasnothing on its bosom. 

"The slaver in a boat was waiting for him here, " said Tayoga. "I thinkwe can soon find proof of it. "

A brief examination of the bank showed traces where the prow had rested. 

"It was probably a boat with oars for two, " he said. "The slaver sat init most of the time, but he grew impatient at last and leaving the boatwalked up the bank a little distance. Here go his steps, showing veryplainly in the soft earth in the moonlight, and here come those of Garayto meet him. They stood at the top of the bank under this oak, and thespy told how he had failed. Doubtless, the slaver was much disappointed, but he did not venture to upbraid Garay, because the spy is as necessaryto him as he is to the spy. After they talked it over they walked downthe bank together--see their trails going side by side--entered the boatand rowed away. I wish the water would leave a trail, too, that we mightfollow them, but it does not. "

"Do you think they'll dare go back to Albany?"

"The slaver will. What proof of any kind about anything have we? Down!Dagaeoga, down!"

Fitting the action to the word, the Onondaga seized Robert by theshoulders suddenly and dragged him to the earth, falling with him. As hedid so a bullet whistled where Robert's head had been and a little puffof smoke rose from a clump of bushes on the opposite shore. 

"They're there in their boat among the bushes that grow on the water'sedge!" exclaimed Tayoga. "I ought to have thought of it, but I did see amovement among the bushes in time! I cannot see their faces or the boat, either, but I know it is Garay and the slaver. "

"I have no weapon, " said Robert. "It did not occur to me that I wouldneed one. "

"I have a pistol in my tunic. I always carry one when I am in the whiteman's country. It is wise. "

"Under the circumstances, I think we'd better slip away and leave thespy and the slaver to enjoy the river as they please, for to-night atleast. "

He was about to rise, but Tayoga pulled him down a second time and areport heavier than the first came from the far shore. Another bulletpassed over their heads and struck with a sough in the trunk of a bigtree beyond them. 

"That was from a rifle. The other was from a pistol, " said Tayoga. "Itis the slaver, of course, who has the rifle, and they mean to make itvery warm for us. Perhaps an unexpected chance gives them hope to dohere what they expected to achieve later on. "

"Meaning a final disposition of me?"

"That was in my mind, Dagaeoga. I think it is you at whom they willshoot and you would better creep away. Lie almost flat and edge alonguntil you come to the trees, which are about twenty yards behind us. There, you will be safe. "

"And leave you alone, Tayoga! What have I ever done to make you thinkI'd do such a thing?"

"It is not Tayoga whom they want. It is Dagaeoga. I cannot go withouttaking a shot at them, else my pistol would burn me inside my tunic. Bewise as I am, Dagaeoga. Always carry a pistol when you are in the whiteman's towns. Life is reasonably safe only in the red man's forest. "

"It looks as if you were right, Tayoga, but remember that I stay herewith you as long as you stay. "

"Then keep close to the earth. Roll back a bit and you will be shelteredbetter by that little rise. "

Robert obeyed, and it was well that he did so, as the heavy riflecracked a second time, and a plowing bullet caused fine particles ofearth to fly over him. Tayoga leveled his pistol at the flash and smoke, but did not pull the trigger. 

"Why didn't you fire, Tayoga?" asked Robert. 

"I could not see well enough. They and their boat are still hidden bythe bushes in which they remain, because from there they can command thebank where we lie. "

"Then it looks as if each side held the other. If they come out of thebushes you use your pistol on 'em, and if we retreat farther they usetheir rifle on us. You'll notice, Tayoga, that we're in a little dip, and if we go out of it on our far side in retreat we'll make a target ofourselves. If they leave the bushes on their far side to climb their ownbank they come into view. It's checkmate for both. "

"It is so, Dagaeoga. It is a difficult position for you, but not for me. We of the red races learn to have patience, because we are not in such ahurry to consume time as you white people are. "

"That is true, but it is not a moment for a discussion of the relativemerits of white and red. "

"We are likely to have plenty of leisure for it, since I think we aredoomed to a long wait. "

"I think you're happy over it, Tayoga. Your voice has a pleased ring. "

"I'm not unhappy. I see a chance to gratify a curiosity that I have longhad. I wish to see whether the white race, even in great danger, whereit is most needed, has as much patience as the red. Ah, Dagaeoga, youwere incautious! Do not raise your head again. You, at least, do nothave as much patience as the occasion requires. "

The third bullet had passed so near Robert that cold shivers raced overhis body and he resolved not to raise his head again a single inch, nomatter what the temptation. 

"Remember that it is you whom they want, " said Tayoga in his precise, book English. "Having the rifle they can afford to try shots at longerrange, but with the pistol I must wait until I can see them clearly. Well, Dagaeoga, it is a fine evening, not too cold, we need fresh airafter a big supper, and perhaps one could not find a pleasanter place inwhich to pass the night. "

"You mean that we may lie here until day?"

"Dagaeoga speaks as if that would be remarkable. My father waited oncethree days and three nights beside a run to obtain a deer. He neitherate nor drank during that time, but he went home with the deer. If hecould wait so long for something to eat, cannot we wait as long when ourlives are at stake?"

"According to the laws of proportion we should be willing to stay here aweek, at least. Can you see anything moving in the bushes over there, Tayoga?"

"Not a thing. They too are patient men, the slaver and the spy, andhaving missed several times with the rifle they will bide a while, hoping that we will expose ourselves. "

The Onondaga settled himself comfortably against the earth, his pistollying on the little rise in front of him, over which his eyes watchedthe clump of bushes into which the boat had gone. If the slaver and thespy made any attempt to slip forth, whether on the water or up the bank, he would certainly see them, and he would not withhold the pressure ofhis finger on the trigger. 

The full moon still shone down, clothing the world in a beautiful silverlight. The stars in myriads danced in a sky of soft, velvety blue. Theriver flowed in an illuminated, molten mass. A light wind hummed apleasant song among the brown leaves. Robert had a curious feeling ofrest and safety. He was quite sure that neither the slaver nor the spycould hit him while he lay in the dip, and no movement of theirs wouldescape the observation of Tayoga, the incomparable sentinel. He relaxed, and, for a few moments, his faculties seemed to fall into a dreamystate. 

"If I should go to sleep, Tayoga, " he said, "wake me up when you needme. "

"You will not go to sleep. "

"How do you know? I feel a lot like it. "

"It is because the worry you felt a little while ago has passed. Youbelieve that in this duel of patience we shall conquer. "

"I know that we'll conquer, Tayoga, because you are here. "

"Dagaeoga's flattery is not subtle. "

"It's not flattery. It's my real belief. "

The night wore on. The breeze that rustled the leaves was warm andsoothing, and Robert's sleepiness increased. But he fought against it. He used his will and brought his body roughly to task, shaking himselfviolently. He also told himself over and over again that they were in aposition of great danger, that he must be on guard, that he must notleave the duty to the Onondaga alone. Such violent efforts graduallydrove sleep away, and raising his head a few inches he looked over therise. 

The whole surface of the river still showed clearly in the moonlight, asit flowed slowly and peacefully on, silver in tint most of the time, butnow and then disclosing shades of deep blue. Directly opposite was theclump of bushes in which the slaver and the spy had pushed their boat. An easy shot for a rifle, but a hard one for a pistol. 

Robert studied the bushes very closely, trying to discern their enemiesamong them, but he saw nothing there save a slight movement of theleaves before the wind. It was possible that his foes had slipped away, going up the other bank in some manner unseen. Since he could discoverno trace of them he began to believe that it was true, and he raised hishead another inch for a better look. 

Crack! went the rifle, and the bullet sang so close to his face that atfirst he thought he was hit. He stared for a moment at the puff of smokerising from the bushes, his faculties in a daze. Then he came to himselfall at once and dropped back abruptly, feeling his head gingerly to seethat it was sound everywhere. But he was certain that the slaver and thespy were there. 

"Dagaeoga was rash, " said the Onondaga. 

"I know now I was. Still, I feel much relief because I've settled aproblem that was troubling me. "

"What was it?"

"I wasn't sure that our enemies were still there. Now I am. "

"If you feel like it yet, I think you may go to sleep. Nothing is likelyto happen for a long time, and I can awaken you at any moment. "

"Thank you, Tayoga, but I've banished the wish. I know I can't doanything without a weapon, but I can give you moral help. They're boundto try something sometime or other, because when the day comes otherpeople may arrive--we're not so far from Albany--and they're guilty, we're not. We don't mind being seen. "

"It is so, Dagaeoga. You talk almost like a man. At times you reasonwell. Finding that we are as patient as they are they will make amovement in an hour or two, though I think we are not likely to see it. "

"An hour or two? Then I think I'd better make myself comfortable again. "

He settled his body against the brown turf which was soft and soothing, and, in spite of himself, the wish for sleep returned. It was so quietthat one was really invited to go away to slumberland, and then he hadeaten much at the big supper. After a long time, he was sinking into adoze when he was dragged back abruptly from it by a report almost at hisear that sounded like the roar of a cannon. He sat up convulsively, andsaw Tayoga holding in his hand a smoking pistol. 

"Did you hit anything?" he asked. 

"I saw a stir in the bushes over there, " replied the Onondaga, "andfired into them. I do not think my bullet found its target, but we willwait. I have ammunition in my pocket, and meanwhile I will reload. "

He put in the powder and ball, still keeping an eye on the bushes. Hewaited a full half hour and then he handed the pistol to Robert. 

"Watch, and use it if need be, " he said, "while I swim over and get theboat. "

"Get the boat! What are you talking about, Tayoga? Has the moon struckyou with a madness?"

"Not at all, Dagaeoga. The slaver and the spy are gone, leaving behindthem the boat which they could not take with them, and we might as wellhave it. "

"Are you sure of what you are saying?"

"Quite sure, Dagaeoga. But for precaution's sake you can watch well withthe pistol and cover my approach. "

He thrust the weapon into Robert's hand, quickly threw off his clothingand sprang into the water, swimming with strong strokes toward thedense, high bushes that lined the opposite shore. Robert watched thelithe, brown figure cleave the water, disappear in the bushes and thenreappear a moment or two later, rowing a boat. All had fallen out as theOnondaga had said, and he quickly came back to the western side. 

"It is a good boat, " he said, "a trophy of our victory, and we will useit. Take the oars, Dagaeoga, while I put on my clothes again. Our longwait is over. "

Robert sprang into the boat, while Tayoga, standing upon the bank, shookhimself, making the drops fly from him in a shower. 

"Which way did they go?" asked Robert. 

"They crept down the stream among the bushes between the water and thecliff. They could force their bodies that way but not the boat. I feltsure they had gone after my pistol shot, because I saw some of thebushes moving a little against the wind farther down the stream. It wasproof. Besides, they had to go, knowing that day would soon be here. "

He reclothed himself and stepped back into the boat, taking up thesecond pair of oars. 

"Let us return to Albany in triumph by the river, " he said. 

"You think there is no danger of our being fired upon from ambush?"

"None at all. The slaver and spy will be anxious to get away and escapeobservation. They would be glad enough to shoot at us, but they wouldnever dare to risk it. "

"And so ours has been the triumph. Once more we've been victorious overour enemies, Tayoga. "

"But they will strike again, and Dagaeoga must beware. "

They rowed into the middle of the river and dropped slowly down thestream. Robert had so much confidence in the Onondaga that he felt quitesafe for the present at least. It seemed to his sanguine temperamentthat as they had escaped every danger in the past so they would escapeevery one in the future. He was naturally a child of hope, in which hewas fortunate. 

The gray skies broke away in the east, and the dawn was unrolled, ablaze of rose and gold. The surface of the river glittered in themorning sun. The houses of Albany stood out sharp and clear in the firstlight of the morning. 

"They'll be anxious about us at Mr. Huysman's, " said Robert. 

"So they will, " said Tayoga. "As I have said to you before, Dagaeoga, itwill be wise for us to return to the wilderness as soon as we can. Thered man's forest still seems to be safer than the white man's town. "

They reached Albany, tied up the boat, and walked in the early dawn tothe house of Mynheer Jacobus Huysman, where Caterina met them at thedoor with a cry of joy. Master Jacobus appeared in a few moments, hisface showing great relief. 

"Where have you lads been?" he exclaimed. 

"We have been in much danger, " replied Robert soberly, "but we're out ofit now, and here we are. "

The others, all of whom had lain down fully dressed, came soon, andRobert told the story of the night, beginning with the spy's attemptupon the third drawer in the chest of drawers. Mr. Huysman and Mr. Hardyexchanged glances. 

"That drawer does contain papers of value, " said Mr. Huysman, "but I'llsee that they're put to-day in a place into which no thief can break. "

"And it would perhaps be well for young Mr. Lennox also to keep himselfin a safe place, " said Mr. Hervey, who had spent the night too in Mr. Huysman's house. "It seems that a most determined effort is being madeagainst him. "

"Thank you, sir, for your interest in me, " said Robert, "and I'll do mybest to be cautious. "

He ate a hearty breakfast and then, on the insistence of Master Jacobus, lay down. Declaring that he would not sleep, he fell asleep neverthelessin ten minutes, and did not awake until the afternoon. He learned thenthat Albany was feeling better. Many of the rumors that Montcalm wasadvancing had been quieted. Scouts brought word that he was yet at LakeChamplain, and that he had not given any sign of marching upon Albany. 

Robert learned also that the council in Mr. Huysman's house had been totake measures of offense as well as defense. Alan Hervey spoke for theleading men of New York and he was to tell Albany for them that theywould make a mighty effort. A campaign had been lost, but another wouldbe undertaken at once, and it would be won. They had no doubt thatBoston, Baltimore and Charleston were doing the same. The strong men ofthe Colonies intended to assure England of their staunch support, andthe English-speaking race not dreaming perhaps even then that it was tobecome such a mighty factor in the world, would fight to the bitter endfor victory. 

"I go back by sloop to New York to-morrow, " said Mr. Hardy to him, "andof course Jonathan Pillsbury goes with me. There are important affairsof which I must speak to you some day, Robert, and believe me, my lad, Ido not speak of them to you now because the reasons are excellent. Iknow you've borne yourself bravely in many dangers, and I know you willbe as strong of heart in others to come. I'm sorry I have to go awaywithout seeing Willet, but you could not be in safer hands than his. "

"And I know, too, " said Robert earnestly, "that I could have no betterfriend than you, Mr. Hardy, nor you, Mr. Pillsbury. "

He spoke with the frank sincerity that always made such an appeal toeverybody, and Mr. Hardy patted him approvingly on the shoulder. 

"And don't forget me, Mr. Lennox, " said Mr. Hervey. "I want you to be myguest in New York some day. We live in tremendous times, and so guardyourself well. "

They left with a favoring breeze and the swift sloop that bore them wassoon out of sight. Robert, Tayoga, Mr. Huysman and Master McLean, whohad seen them off, walked slowly back up the hill to Mr. Huysman'shouse. 

"I feel that they brought us new courage, " said Master Jacobus. "NewYork iss a great town, a full equal to Boston, though they are veryunlike, and do not forget, Robert, that the merchants and financiershave much to say in a vast war like this which is vexing the worldto-day. "

"I do not forget it, sir, " said Robert. "I have seen New York and itswealth and power. They say that it has nearly twenty thousandinhabitants--and some day I hope to see London too. Lieutenant Grosvenoris coming. Can we stop and speak to him?"

"Of course, my lad, but Master Alexander and I have pressing businessand you will pardon us if we go on. If Lieutenant Grosvenor will come tomy house as my guest bring him, and tell him to stay as long as hewill. "

"That I will, sir, and gladly, " said Robert, as he and Tayoga turnedaside to meet the young Englishman. 

The meeting had all the warmth of youth and of real liking. Grosvenorwas fully restored now and his intense interest in everything that washappening was undiminished. They strolled on together. Robert and Tayogadid not say anything for the present about their adventure of thepreceding night with the slaver and the spy, but Robert delivered theinvitation of Master Jacobus. 

"If you can get leave come and stay a while with us in the house of Mr. Huysman, " he said. "He bids me give you a most hospitable welcome, andwhen he says a thing he means not only what he says but a good dealmore, too. You'll have a fine bed and you may have to eat more than youcan well stand. "

"It appeals to me, " said Grosvenor, "and I'd come, but I'm leavingAlbany in a day or two. "

"Leaving Albany! I suppose I shouldn't ask where you're going. "

"I'll tell you without the asking. I'm going with some other officers toBoston, where we're to await orders. Between you and me, Lennox, I thinkwe shall take a sea voyage from Boston, maybe to Nova Scotia. "

"And that, I think, indicates a new expedition from England and a newattack upon Canada and the French, but from another point. It's like theshadow of great events. "

"It seems so to me, too. Come with us, Lennox. All your friends have gotinto the Royal Americans, and I think they too are going east. We couldraise enough influence to secure you a lieutenant's commission. "

Robert's heart swelled, but he shook his head. 

"You tempt me, Grosvenor, " he said. "I'd like to go. I think you and theothers will be in the thick of great events, but I could never desertTayoga and Willet. I feel that my business, whatever it is, is here. Butwe may meet on the front again, though we'll come by different routes. "

"If you can't you can't, and that's an end of it, but I'm glad, Lennox, that I've known you and Tayoga and Willet, and that we've shared perils. I'm to meet the Philadelphians and the Virginians at the George Innagain. Will you two come on?"

"Gladly, " said Robert. 

They found that the others had already arrived, and they were full ofjubilation. Colden, Wilton and Carson were leaving their troop withregret, but the Royal Americans raised in the Colonies were a pickedregiment ranking with the best of the British regulars. Stuart andCabell, coming from the south, which was now more remote from the sceneof war, were delighted at the thought that they would be in the heart ofthe conflict. They, too, were insistent that Robert come with them, butagain he refused. When he and Tayoga left them and walked back to thehouse of Mr. Huysman the Onondaga said:

"Dagaeoga was right to stay. His world is centered here. "

"That's so. I feel it in every bone of me. Besides, I'm thinking thatwe'll yet have to deal with Garay and that slaver. I'll be glad thoughwhen Willet comes. Then we can decide upon our next step. "

Robert was too active to stay quietly at the house of Mr. Huysman. Onlytheir host, Tayoga and he were present at their supper that evening, and, as the man was rather silent, the lads respected his preoccupation, believing that he was concerned with the great affairs in which he washaving a part. After supper Tayoga left for the camp on the flats to seean Onondaga runner who had arrived that day, and Mr. Huysman, stillimmersed in his thoughts, withdrew into the room containing the greatchest of drawers. 

Robert spent a little while in the chamber that he and Tayoga had used, looking at the old, familiar things, and then he wandered restlesslyoutside, where he stood, glancing down at the lights of the town. Hefelt lonely for the moment. Everybody else was doing something, and heliked to be with people. Perhaps some of his friends had come to theGeorge Inn. A light was burning there and he would go and see. 

There was a numerous company at the inn, but it included nobody thatRobert knew, and contenting himself with a look from the doorway, heturned back. Then the masts and spars in the river, standing up a blacktracery against the clear, moonlit sky, interested him, and he walkedcasually to the bank. Some activity was still visible on the vessels, but tiring of them soon he turned away. 

It was dark on the shore, but Robert started violently. If fancy werenot playing tricks with him he saw the shadow of Garay once more. Thefigure had appeared about twenty yards ahead of him and then it wasgone. Robert was filled with fierce anger that the man should show suchbrazen effrontery, and impulsively he pursued. Profiting by hisexperience with the spy, he now had a pistol in his pocket, andclutching the butt of it he hurried after the elusive shadow. 

He caught a second glimpse. It was surely Garay, and he was runningalong the shore, up the stream. 

Robert's anger rose by leaps. The spy's presumption was beyond allendurance, but he would make him pay for it this time. He drew hispistol that he might be ready should Garay turn and attack, though hedid not believe that he would do so, and sped after him. But always theshadow flitted on before, and the distance between them did not seem todiminish. 

They soon left all houses behind, although Robert, in his excitement, did not notice it, and then he saw that at last he was gaining. 

"Stop, Garay! Stop, or I shoot!" he cried. 

The spy halted, and Robert, covering him with his pistol, was about toapproach when he heard a step behind him. He whirled, but it was toolate. A stunning weight crashed down upon his head, and he fell intooblivion. 

CHAPTER IV

OUT TO SEA

When Robert came back from the far country in which he had beendwelling, for a little space, he looked into a long face, with eyes setclose and a curved nose. He was dimly conscious that it was a familiarcountenance, but he could not yet remember where he had seen it before, because he could not concentrate his thoughts. His head was heavy andaching. He knew that he lived, but he did not know much more. 

The staring face was distinctly unpleasant and menacing. He gazed intoit, trying to recall the owner, but the effort was still too great. Thenhe became conscious that he was lying upon his back and that he wasmoving. Trees on his right and trees on his left, some distance away, were filing past. Two men on each side were pulling hard on oars, andthen it slowly entered his mind that he was in a boat. 

He made another and stronger effort to gather up his wandering facultiesand then he realized with a jerk that the face looking into his was thatof the slaver. Making a supreme effort he sat up. The slaver laughed. 

"So, Peter Smith, " he said, "you've decided to come back a second time. I knew that you couldn't stay away always from such a good, kind captainas I am. I saw the light of welcome in your eyes when we met sounexpectedly at the George Inn, and I decided that it was only aquestion of time until you came into my service again. "

Robert stared at him. His mind, which would not work hitherto, recoveredits power with great suddenness. All his faculties were keen and alert, and they coördinated smoothly and perfectly. He had been trapped. He hadbeen struck from behind, while he pursued Garay with such eagerness. Hehad been careless, and once more he was in the power of the slaver. Andthere was the spy, too, in the prow of the boat, with his back to him, but that very back seemed to express insolent triumph. He felt a greatsinking of the heart, but in a few moments recalled his courage. His wasa spirit that could not be crushed. His head still ached and he was aprisoner, but his courage was invincible, and he put on a light manner. 

"Yes, I've come back, " he said. "You see, Captain, there are some thingsconcerning you of which I'm not sure, and I couldn't part from youpermanently until I learned them. "

"I'm glad of it, Peter. You've an inquiring mind, I know, and you'llhave plenty of opportunity to learn everything about me. We're likely tobe together for quite a while. "

Robert looked around. He was in a long boat, and there were fouroarsmen, stout fellows, rough of looks and with hangers and pistols intheir belts. Garay and the captain completed the party, and both theslaver and the spy were armed heavily. He saw that he had no earthlychance of escape at present, and he resigned himself for the moment. Theslaver read his look. 

"I'm glad, Peter, " he said, "that you've given up the thought of leavingus that was flitting around in your head a minute or two ago. You're ina better state of mind now, and it was not possible anyway. Nor willthere be any storm to send you away from me again. A chance like thatwouldn't happen once in a hundred times. I suppose you understand whereyou are. "

"I'm in a boat a few miles above Albany, and I think that before longyou'll turn and go back down the stream. "

"Why, Peter?"

"Because there's nothing for you to go to up the stream. If you kept onyou'd arrive in the Indian country, and I doubt whether that's any partof your plan. "

"Clever, Peter, clever! and well reasoned. I see that your intellect'sas good as ever. You must rise above the place of a common seaman. Whenyou're a little older there's a mate's berth for you. "

Garay turned for the first time, and his malignant look of triumph wasnot veiled at all. 

"You and Willet and the Indian thought you were very clever there in theforest when you compelled me to tell where the paper was hid, " he said, "but you forgot that I might make repayment. We've taken you out ofAlbany from the very center of your friends, and you'll never see themagain. "

"Theatricals! theatricals!" said Robert, preserving his gay manner, though his heart was low within him. "A cat has nine lives, but I haveten. I've been twice a prisoner of the French, and my presence here isproof that I escaped both times. When I tire of your society and that ofthe captain I'll leave you. "

"No quarreling! no quarreling!" said the slaver. "I never allow it amongmy men. And now, Peter, I must insure your silence for a little while. "

Two of the men who were rowing dropped their oars, seized him, bound andgagged him. He struggled at first against the indignity, but, soonrealizing its futility, lay inert on the bottom of the boat. 

"Good judgment, Peter, " said the slaver, looking down at him. "It'snever wise to struggle against a certainty. You've the makings of a fineofficer in you. "

The two resumed their oars, and the boat, turning abruptly, as Roberthad surmised it would, went down the stream. The men ceased to talk andthe lad on his back looked up at the sky in which but few starstwinkled. Heavy clouds floated past the moon, and the night wasdarkening rapidly. Once more his heart sank to the uttermost depths, andit had full cause to do so. For some reason he had been pursued withsingular malice and cunning, and now it seemed that his enemies weretriumphant. Tayoga could trail him anywhere on land, but water left notrail. He was sure that his captors would keep to the river. 

The speed of the boat increased with the efforts of the rowers and thefavor of the current. Soon it was opposite Albany and then the men roweddirectly to a small schooner that lay at anchor, having come up thestream the day before. Robert was lifted on board and carried into thedepths of the vessel, where they took out the gag and put him on thefloor. The captain held a lantern over him and said:

"Garay is telling you good-bye, Peter. He's sorry he can't go with us, but he'll be having business on the Canadian frontier. He feels that thescore is about even with you for that business of the letter in theforest, and that later on he'll attend also to the hunter and theOnondaga. "

"And I wish you a pleasant life on the West Indian plantations, " saidGaray. "They still buy white labor there in both the French and Britishislands. It does not matter to me to which the captain sells you, for ineither case it means a life of hard labor in the sugar cane. Few everescape, and you never will. "

Robert turned quite sick. So this was the plan. To sell him into slaveryin the West Indies. Kidnapping was not at all uncommon then in both theOld World and the New, and they seemed to have laid their plans well. Asthe slaver had said, there was not one chance in a hundred of anotherstorm. Again the captain read his mind. 

"You don't like the prospect, " he said, "and I'll admit myself that it'snot a cheerful one. I've changed my opinion of you, Peter. I thoughtyou'd make a fine sailor and that you might become a mate some day, butI've seen a light. You're not a good sailor at all. The stuff's not inyou. But you're strong and hearty and you'll do well in the sugar cane. If the sun's too hot and your back bends too much just reflect that fora white man it's not a long life and your troubles will be over, someday. "

Robert's old indomitable spirit flamed up. 

"I never expect to see a West Indian plantation, not on this journey, atleast, " he said. "You and that miserable spy boast that you took me outof the very center of my friends, and I tell you in reply that if I haveenemies who follow me I also have friends who are truer in theirfriendship than you are in your hate, and they'll come for me. "

"That's the spirit. I never heard another lad sling words in the noblefashion you do. You'll live a deal longer on the plantations than mostof 'em. Now, Garay, I think you can go. It will be the last farewell foryou two. "

The exulting spy left the close little place, and Robert felt that abreath of hate went with him. His feet disappeared up a narrow littlestair, and the slaver cut the cords that bound Robert. 

"You'll be locked in here, " he said, "and it's not worth while to damagegood property by keeping it tied up too long. "

"That's so, " said Robert, trying to preserve a light manner. "You wantto keep me strong and active for the work on the plantations. A whiteslave like a black one ought to be in good health. "

The captain laughed. He was in high humor. Robert knew that he feltintense satisfaction because he was taking revenge for his mortificationwhen he was defeated in the duel with swords before his own men by amere boy. Evidently that would rankle long with one of the slaver'stype. 

"I'm glad to see you recognize facts so well, Peter, " he said. "I seethat you've an ambition to excel on the plantations, perhaps to be thebest worker. Now, Garay, telling me of that little adventure of his inthe forest with the hunter, the Indian and you, wanted me to be verycareful about your rations, to put you on a sparing diet, so to speak. He thought it would be best not to let you have anything to eat for twoor three days. His idea rather appealed to me, too, but, on the otherhand, I couldn't impair your value, and so I decided against him. "

"I'm not hungry, " said Robert. 

"No, but you will be. You're young and strong, and that wound on yourhead where I had to hit you with the butt of my pistol doesn't amount tomuch. "

Robert put up his hands, felt of the back of his head, where the achewas, and found that the hair was matted together by congealed blood. Buthe could tell that the hurt was not deep. 

"I'll leave you now, " said the slaver in the same satisfied tone, "and Ihope you'll enjoy the voyage down the river. There's a good wind blowingand we start in a half hour. "

He went out, taking the lantern with him, and bolted the door heavilybehind him. Then Robert felt despair for a while. It was much worse tobe a prisoner on the ship than in the French camp or in the village ofthe partisan, Langlade. There he had been treated with consideration andthe fresh winds of heaven blew about him, but here he was shut up in aclose little hole, and his captors rejoiced in his misery. 

It was quite dark in the tiny galley, and the only air that entered camefrom a small porthole high over a bunk. He stood upon the bank andbrought his face level with the opening. It was not more than fourinches across, but he was able to inhale a pure and invigorating breezethat blew from the north, and he felt better. The pain in his head wasdying down also, and his courage, according to its habit, rose fast. Ina character that nature had compounded of optimistic materials hope wasalways a predominant factor. 

He could see nothing through the porthole save a dark blur, but he heardthe creaking of cordage and the slatting of sails. He did not doubt thatthe slaver had told the truth when he said the schooner would soonstart, and there was no possibility of escaping before then. Nevertheless, he tried the door, but could not shake it. Then he wentback to the porthole for the sake of the air, and, because, if he couldnot have freedom for himself, he could at least see a little way intothe open world. 

The creaking of cordage and slatting of sails increased, he felt theschooner heave and roll beneath him, and then he knew that they wereleaving Albany. It was the bitterest moment of his life. To be carriedaway in that ignominious manner, from the very center of his friends, from a town in which he had lived, and that he knew so well was aterrible blow to his pride. For the moment apprehension about the futurewas drowned in mortification. 

He heard heavy footsteps overhead, and the sound of commands, and theschooner began to move. He continued to stand on the bunk, with his eyesat the porthole. He was able to see a dark shore, moving past, slowly atfirst and then faster. The dim outlines of houses showed and he wouldhave shouted for help, but he knew that it was impossible to make anyone hear, and pride restrained. 

The blurred outlines of the houses ceased and Albany was gone. Doubtlessthe schooner had appeared as an innocent trader with the properlicenses, and the slaver, having awaited its arrival, had come on aheadto the town. He was compelled to admit the thoroughness of the plan, andthe skill with which it had been carried out, but he wondered anew whyso much trouble had been taken in regard to him, a mere lad. 

He stood at the porthole a long time, and the wind out of the north rosesteadily. He heard its whistle and he also heard the singing of menabove him. He knew that the schooner was making great speed down thestream and that Albany and his friends were now far behind. As the wisegenerally do, he resigned himself to inevitable fate, wasting nostrength in impossible struggles, but waiting patiently for a bettertime. There was a single blanket on the hard bunk, and, lying down onit, he fell asleep. 

When he awoke, day shining through the porthole threw a slender bar oflight across the floor, which heaved and slanted, telling that the windout of the north still blew strong and true. An hour later the door wasopened and a sailor brought a rude breakfast on a tin plate. While hewas eating it, and hunger made everything good, the slaver came in. 

"You'll see, Peter, that I did not put you on the diet suggested byGaray, " he said. "I'm at least a kind man and you ought to thank me forall I'm doing for you. "

"For any kindness of yours to me I'm grateful, " said Robert. "We're aptto do unto people as they do unto us. "

"Quite a young philosopher, I see. You'll find such a spirit useful onthe West India plantations. My heart really warms to you, Peter. I'd letyou go on deck as we're running through good scenery now, but it'sscarcely prudent. We'll have to wait for that until we pass New York andput out to sea. I hope you don't expect it of me, Peter?"

"No, I don't look for it. But if you don't mind I'd like to have alittle more breakfast. "

"A fine, healthy young animal, so you are! And you shall have it, too. "

He called the sailor who brought a second helping and Robert fell to. Hewas really very hungry and he was resolved also to put the best possibleface on the matter. He knew he would need every ounce of his strength, and he meant to nurse it sedulously. 

"When do you expect to reach New York?" he asked. 

"To-morrow some time, if the wind holds fair, but we won't stay therelong. A few hours only to comply with the port regulations, and then ho!for the West Indies! It's a grand voyage down! And splendid islands!Green mountains that seem to rise straight up out of the sea! Whileyou're working in the cane fields you can enjoy the beautiful scenery, Peter. "

Robert was silent. The man's malice filled him with disgust. Undoubtedlythe slaver had felt intense chagrin because of his former failure andhis defeat in the duel of swords before his own men, but then one shouldnot exult over a foe who was beaten for the time. He felt a bitter andintense hatred of the slaver, and, his breakfast finished, he leanedback, closing his eyes. 

"So you do not wish to talk, but would meditate, " said the man. "Perhapsyou're right, but, at any rate, you'll have plenty of time for it. "

When he went out Robert heard the heavy lock of the tiny room shove intoplace again, and he wasted no further effort in a new attempt upon it. Instead, he lay down on the bunk, closed his eyes and tried to reconcilehimself, body and mind, to his present situation. He knew that it wasbest to keep quiet, to restrain any mental flutterings or physicalquivers. Absolute calm, if he could command it, was good for the soul, placed as he was, and the mere act of lying still helped toward that. Itwas what Tayoga would do if he were in his place, and, spurred by anoble emulation, he resolved that he would not be inferior to theOnondaga. 

An hour, two hours passed and he did not stir. His stillness made hishearing more acute. The trampling of feet over his head came to him withgreat distinctness. He heard the singing of wind at the porthole, and, now and then, the swish of waters as they swept past the schooner. Hewondered what Tayoga was doing and what would Willet think when he cameback to Albany and found him gone. It gave him a stab of agony. Hispride was hurt, too, that he had been trapped so thoroughly. Then hisresolution returned to his aid. Making a supreme effort of his will, hedismissed the thought, concentrating his mind on hope. Would Tayoga'sManitou help him? Would Tododaho on his remote star look down upon himwith kindness? The Onondaga in his place would put his faith in them, and the Manitou of the Indian after all was but another name for his ownChristian God. Resolving to hope he did hope. He refused to believe thatthe slaver could make him vanish from the face of the earth like a mistbefore the wind. 

The air in the little cabin was dense and heavy already, but after awhile he felt it grow thicker and warmer. He was conscious, too, of acertain sultriness in it. The tokens were for a storm. He thought with aleap of the heart of the earlier storm that had rescued him, but thatwas at sea; this, if it came, would be on a river, and so shrewd acaptain as the slaver would not let himself be wrecked in the Hudson. 

The heat and sultriness increased. Then he stood on the bunk and lookedthrough the porthole. He caught glimpses of lofty shores, trees at thesummit, and stretches of a dark and angry sky. Low thunder muttered, rolling up from the west. Then came flashes of lightning, and thethunder grew louder. By and by the wind blew heavily, making theschooner reel before it, and when it died somewhat rain fell in sheets. 

Although he felt it rather than saw it, Robert really enjoyed the storm. It seemed a tonic to him, and the wilder it was the steadier grew hisown spirit. The breath of the rain as it entered the porthole wasrefreshing, and the air in the cabin became clear and cool again. Thenfollowed the dark, and his second night in the schooner. 

A sailor brought him his supper, the slaver failing to reappear, andsoon afterward he fell asleep. He made no surmise where they were thenext morning, as he had no way of gauging their speed during the night, but he was allowed to go about under guard below decks for an hour ortwo. The slaver came down the ladder and gave him the greetings of theday. 

"You will see, Peter, " he said, "that I'm a much kinder man than Garay. He would restrict your food, but I not only give you plenty of it, Ialso allow you exercise, very necessary and refreshing to youth. I'msorry I'll have to shut you up again soon, but in the afternoon we'llreach New York, and I must keep you away from the temptations of thegreat town. "

Robert would have given much to be allowed upon the deck and to look atthe high shores, but he could not sink his pride enough to ask for theprivilege, and, when the time came for him to return to his cell of acabin he made no protest. 

He felt the schooner stop late in the afternoon and he was sure thatthey had reached New York. He heard the dropping of the anchor, and thenthe sounds became much dimmer. The light in the cabin was suddenly shutoff, and he realized that the porthole had been closed from the outside. They were taking no chances of a call for help, and he tried to resignhimself. 

But will could not control feelings now. To know that he was in New Yorkand yet was absolutely helpless was more than he could bear. He hadnever really believed that the schooner could pass the port and put outto sea with him a prisoner. It had seemed incredible, one of the thingsnot to be contemplated, but here was the event coming to pass. Mind lostcontrol of the body. He threw himself upon the door, pulled at it, andbeat it. It did not move an inch. Then he shouted again and again forhelp. There was no response. 

Gradually his panic passed, and ashamed of it he threw himself once moreupon the bunk, where he tried to consider whatever facts were in hisfavor. It was certain they were not trying to take his life; had theywished they could have done that long ago, and while one lived one wasnever wholly lost. It was a fact that he would remember througheverything and he would pin his faith to it. 

He slept, after a while, and he always thought afterwards that the foul, dense air of the cabin added a kind of stupor to sleep. When he came outof it late the next day he was conscious of an immense heaviness in thehead and of a dull, apathetic feeling. He sat up slowly and painfully asif he were an old man. Then he noticed that the porthole was open again, but, judging from the quality of the air in the cabin, it had not beenopen long. 

So the slaver had been successful. He had stopped in the port of NewYork and had then put out to sea. Doubtless he had done so without anytrouble. He was having his revenge in measure full and heaped over. Robert was bound to admit it, but he bore in mind that his own life wasstill in his body. He would never give up, he would never allow himselfto be crushed. 

He stood upon the bunk and put his eyes to the porthole, catching a viewof blue water below and blue sky above, and the sea as it raced pastshowed that the vessel was moving swiftly. He heard, too, the hum of thestrong wind in the rigging and the groaning timbers. It was enough totell him that they were fast leaving New York behind, and that now thechances of his rescue upon a lone ocean were, in truth, very small. Butonce more he refused to despair. 

He did not believe the slaver would keep him shut up in the cabin, sincethey were no longer where he could be seen by friends or those who mightsuspect, and his opinion was soon justified. In a half hour the door wasopened by the man himself, who stood upon the threshold, jaunty, assuredand triumphant. 

"You can come on deck now, Peter, " he said. "We've kept you below longenough, and, as I want to deliver you to the plantations strong andhearty, fresh air and exercise will do you good. "

"I'll come willingly enough, " said Robert, resolved to be jaunty too. "Lead the way. "

The captain went up the ladder just outside the door and Robert followedhim, standing at first in silence on the swaying deck and content tolook at sky and ocean. How beautiful they were! How beautiful the worldwas to one who had been shut up for days in a close little room! Howkeen and sweet was the wind! And what a pleasant song the creaking ofthe ropes and the slatting of the sails made!

It was a brilliant day. The sun shone with dazzling clearness. The seawas the bluest of the blue. The wind blew steady and strong. Far behindthem was a low line of land, showing but dimly on the horizon, andbefore them was the world of waters. Robert balanced himself on theswaying deck, and, for a minute or two, he enjoyed too much thesensation of at least qualified freedom to think of his own plight. While he stood there, breathing deeply, his lungs expanding and hisheart leaping, the slaver who had gone away, reappeared, saluting himwith much politeness. 

"Look back, Peter, " he said, "and you can get your last glimpse of yournative soil. The black line that just shows under the sky is Sandy Hook. We won't see any more land for days, and you'll have a fine, uninterrupted voyage with me and my crew. "

Robert in this desperate crisis of his life resolved at once upon acourse of action. He would not show despair, he would not sulk, he wouldso bear himself and with such cheerfulness and easy good nature that thewatch upon him might be relaxed somewhat, and the conditions of hiscaptivity might become less hard. It was perhaps easier for him than foranother, with his highly optimistic nature and his disposition to befriendly. He kissed his hand to the black line on the horizon and said:

"I'm going now, but I'll come back. I always come back. "

"That's the right spirit, Peter, " said the slaver. "Be pleasant. Alwaysbe pleasant, say I, and you'll get along much better in the world. Things will just melt away before you. "

Robert looked over the schooner. He did not know much about ships, butshe seemed to him a trim and strong craft, carrying, as he judged, aboutthirty men. A long eighteen-pound cannon was mounted in her stern, butthat was to be expected in war, and was common in peace also when onesailed into that nest of pirates, the West Indies. The slaver carriedpistol and dirk in his belt, and those of the crew whom he could seewere sturdy, hardy men. The slaver read his eyes:

"Yes, she's a fine craft, " he said. "Able to fight anything of her sizewe're likely to meet, and fast enough to run away from them that's toobig for her. You can see as much of her as you want to. So long as we'veno neighbor on the ocean you've the run of the craft. But if you shouldwant to leave you needn't try to tempt any of my men to help you. Theywouldn't dare do it, and they wouldn't want to anyhow. All theirinterests are with me. I'm something of a deity to them. "

The slaver went away and Robert walked about the narrow deck, standingat last by the rail, where he remained a long time. No one seemed to payany attention to him. He was free to come and go as he pleased withinthe narrow confines of the schooner. But he watched the black line ofland behind them until it was gone, and then it seemed to him that hewas cut off absolutely from all the life that he had lived. Tayoga, Willet, Master Jacobus, all the good friends of his youth haddisappeared over the horizon with the lost land. 

It had been so sudden, so complete that it seemed to him it must havebeen done with a purpose. To what end had he been wrenched away from thewar and sent upon the unknown ocean? His wilderness had been that of thewoods and not of the waters. He had imbibed much of Tayoga's philosophyand at times, at least, he believed that everything moved forward to anappointed end. What was it now?

He left the low rail at last, and finding a stool sat down upon thedeck. The schooner was going almost due south, and she was making greatspeed. The slaver's boast that she could run away from anything toostrong for her was probably true, and Robert judged also that shecarried plenty of arms besides the eighteen-pounder. Most of the crewseemed to him to be foreigners, that is, they were chiefly of the racesaround the Mediterranean. Dark of complexion, short and broad, some ofthem wore earrings, and, without exception, they carried dirks and nowand then both pistols and dirks in their belts. He sought among them forthe face of one who might be a friend, but found none. They were allhardened and sinister, and he believed that at the best they weresmugglers, at the worst pirates. 

A heavy dark fellow whom Robert took to be a Spaniard was mate anddirected the task of working the vessel, the captain himself taking nopart in the commands, but casting an occasional keen glance at thesailors as he strolled about. Robert judged that he was an expert sailorand a leader of men. In truth, he had never doubted his ability from thefirst, only his scruples, or, rather, he felt sure that he had none atall. 

The policy of ignoring the prisoner, evidently by order, was carried outby the men. For all save the captain he did not exist, apparently, andthe slaver himself took no further notice of him for several hours. Then, continuing his old vein, he spoke to him lightly, as if he were aguest rather than a captive. 

"I see that you're improving in both mind and body, Peter, " he said. "You've a splendid color in your cheeks and you look fine and hearty. The sea air is good for anybody and it's better for you to be here thanin a town like Albany. "

"Since I'm here, " said Robert, "I'll enjoy myself as much as I can. Ialways try to make the best of everything. "

"That's philosophical, and 'tis a surprisingly good policy for one soyoung. "

Robert looked at him closely. His accent was that of an educated man, and he did not speak ungrammatically. 

"I've never heard your name, captain, " he said, "and as you know mine, Iought to know yours. "

"We needn't mind about that now. Three-fourths of my men don't know myname, just calling me 'Captain. ' And, at any rate, if I were to give itto you it wouldn't be the right one. "

"I suspected as much. People who change their names usually do so forgood reasons. "

Color came into the man's sun-browned cheeks. 

"You're a bold lad, Peter, " he said, "but I'll admit you're telling thetruth. I rather fancy you in some ways. If I felt sure of you I mighttake you with me on a voyage that will not be without profit, instead ofselling you to a plantation in the Indies. But to go with me I must haveyour absolute faith, and you must agree to share in all our perils andachievements. "

His meaning was quite plain, and might have tempted many another, thinking, in any event, to use it as a plan for escape, but Robert neverfaltered for a moment. His own instincts were always for the right, andlong comradeship with Willet and Tayoga made his will to obey thoseinstincts all the stronger. 

"Thank you, Captain, " he replied, "but I judge that your cruises are alloutside the law, and I cannot go with you on them, at least, notwillingly. "

The slaver shrugged his shoulder. 

"'Tis just as well that you declined, " he said. "'Twas but a passingwhim of mine, and ten minutes later I'd have been sorry for it had youaccepted. "

He shrugged his shoulders again, took a turn about the deck and thenwent down to his cabin. Robert, notified by a sailor, the first man onthe schooner outside of the slaver to speak to him, ate supper with himthere. The food was good, but the captain was now silent, speaking onlya few times, and mostly in monosyllables. Near the end he said:

"You're to sleep in the room you've been occupying. The door will not bebolted on you, but I don't think you'll leave the ship. The nearest landis sixty or seventy miles away, and that's a long swim. "

"I won't chance it, " said Robert. "Just now I prefer solid timberbeneath my feet. "

"A wise decision, Peter. "

After supper the slaver went about his duties, whatever they were, andRobert, utterly free so far as the schooner was concerned, went on deck. It was quite dark and the wind was blowing strong, but the ship wassteady, and her swift keel cut the waters. All around him curved thedarkness, and the loneliness of the sea was immense at that moment. Itwas in very truth a long swim to the land, and just then the thought ofescape was far from him. He shivered, and going down to the little cabinthat had been a prison, he soon fell asleep. 

CHAPTER V

MUSIC IN THE MOONLIGHT

Several days passed and from the standpoint of the schooner the voyagewas successful. The wind continued fresh and strong, and it came out ofthe right quarter. The days were clear, the sea was a dazzling color, shifting as the sky over it shifted. The slaver was in high good humor. His crew seemed to be under perfect control and went about their workmostly in silence. They rarely sang, as sailors sing, but Robert, watching them on spar or mast, although he knew little about ships, knewthat they were good sailors. He realized, too, that the crew was verylarge for a vessel of its size, and he believed that he understood thereason. 

As for himself, he felt a vast loneliness. It was incredible, but he wasthere on the schooner far from all he had known. The forest, in which hehad lived and the war that had concerned the whole world had sunk out ofsight beyond the horizon. And on the schooner he had made noacquaintance save the slaver. He knew that the mate was called Carlos, but he had not yet spoken to him. He tried his best to be cheerful, butthere were times when despair assailed him in spite of all his courageand natural buoyancy. 

"Better reconsider, " said the slaver one day, catching the look upon hisface. "As I've told you, Peter, the life on the plantations is hard andthey don't last long, no matter how strong they are. There's peril inthe life I lead, I'll admit, but at least there's freedom also. Sport'sto be found among the islands, and along the Spanish Main. "

"I couldn't think of it, " said Robert. 

"Well, it's the second time I've made you the offer, and the last. Iperceive you're bent on a life in the sugar cane, and you'll have yourwish. "

Robert, seeing no chance of escape from the ship now, began to hope forrescue from without. It was a time of war and all vessels were more thancommonly wary, but one might come at last, and, in some way he wouldgive a signal for help. How he did not know, but the character of theschooner was more than doubtful, and he might be able, in some way, yetunsuggested, to say so to any new ship that came. 

But the surface of the sea, so far as their own particular circle of itwas concerned, was untroubled by any keel save their own. It was as loneand desolate as if they were the first vessel to come there. They fellinto a calm and the schooner rocked in low swells but made no progress. The sun shone down, brassy and hot, and Robert, standing upon the deck, looked at the sails flapping idly above. Although it carried him fartherand farther away from all for which he cared, he wished that the windwould rise. Nothing was more tedious than to hang there upon the surfaceof the languid ocean. The slaver read his face. 

"You want us to go on, " he said, "and so do I. For once we are inagreement. I'd like to make a port that I know of much sooner than Ishall. The war has brought privateersmen into these seas, and there areother craft that any ship can give a wide berth. "

"If the privateer should be British, or out of one of our American portswhy should you fear her?" asked Robert. 

"I'm answering no such questions except to say that in some parts of theworld you're safer alone, and this is one of the parts. "

The dead calm lasted two days and two nights, and it was like forever toRobert. When the breeze came at last, and the sails began to fill, newlife flowed into his own veins, and hope came back. Better any kind ofaction than none at all, and he drew long breaths of relief when theschooner once more left her trailing wake in the blue sea. The wind blewstraight and strong for a day and night, then shifted and a long periodof tacking followed. It was very wearisome, but Robert, clinging to hisresolution, made the best of it. He even joined in some of the labor, helping to polish the metal work, especially the eighteen-pounder in thestern, a fine bronze gun. The men tolerated him, but when he tried totalk with them he found that most of them had little or no English, andhe made scant progress with them in that particular. The big first mate, Carlos, rebuffed him repeatedly, but he persisted, and in time therebuffs became less brusque. He also noticed a certain softening of thesailors toward him. His own charm of manner was so great that it washard to resist it when it was continuously exerted, and sailors, likeother men, appreciate help when it is given to them continuously. Thenumber of frowns for him decreased visibly. 

He still ate at the captain's table, why he knew not, but the man seemedto fancy his company; perhaps there was no other on the schooner who wason a similar intellectual level, and he made the most of the opportunityto talk. 

"Peter, " he said, "you seem to have ingratiated yourself to a certainextent with my crew. I'm bound to admit that you're a personable youngrascal, with the best manners I've met in a long time, but I warn youthat you can't go far. You'll never win 'em over to your side, and beable to lead a mutiny which will dethrone me, and put you in command. "

"I've no such plan in my mind, " said Robert laughing. "I don't knowenough about sailing to take command of the ship, and I'd have to leaveeverything to Carlos, whom I'd trust, on the whole, less than I do you. "

"You're justified in that. Carlos is a Spaniard out of Malaga, where hewas too handy with the knife, just as he has been elsewhere. Whatever Iam, you're safer with me than you would be with Carlos, although he's afine sailor and loyal to me. "

"How long will it be before we make any of the islands?"

"It's all with the wind, but in any event it will be quite a while yet. It's a long run from New York down to the West Indies. Moreover, we maybe blown out of our course at any time. "

"Are we in the stormy latitudes?"

"We are. Hurricanes appear here with great suddenness. You noticed howhot it was to-day. We're to have another calm, and the still, intenseheat is a great breeder of storms. I think one will come soon, but don'tput any faith in its helping you, Peter. To be saved that way once isall the luck you can expect. If we were wrecked here you'd surely godown; it's too far from land. "

"I'm not expecting another wreck, nor am I hoping for it, " said Robert. "I'm thinking the land will be better for me. I'll make good my escapethere. I've been uncommonly favored in that way. Once I escaped from youand twice from the French and Indians, so I think my future will holdgood. "

"Maybe it will, Peter. As resolute an optimist as you ought to succeed. If you escape after I deliver you to the plantation 'twill be no concernto me at all. On the whole I'm inclined to hope you will, for I'm ratherbeginning to like you, spite of all the trouble you've caused me andthat time you beat me with the swords before my own men. "

Robert's heart leaped up. Could the man be induced to relent in hisplan, whatever it was? But his hope fell the next moment, when theslaver said:

"Though I tell you, Peter, I'm going to stick to my task. You'll behanded over to the plantation, whatever comes. After that, it's forothers to watch you, and I rather hope you'll get the better of 'em. "

The storm predicted by the slaver arrived within six hours, and it was afearful thing. It came roaring down upon them, and the wind blew withsuch frightful violence that Robert did not see how they could livethrough it, but live they did. Both the captain and mate revealed greatseamanship, and the schooner was handled so well and behaved sohandsomely that she drove through it without losing a stick. 

When the hurricane passed on the sea resumed its usual blue color, and, the dead, heavy heat gone, the air was keen and fresh. Robert, althoughhe did not suffer from seasickness, had been made dizzy by the storm, and he felt intense relief when it was over. 

"You'll observe, Peter, " said the slaver, "that we're coming intoregions of violence both on land and sea. You've heard many a tale ofthe West Indies. Well, they're all true, whatever they are, earthquakes, hurricanes, smugglers, pirates, wild Englishmen, Frenchmen, Americans, Spaniards, Portuguese, deeds by night that the day won't own, and theprize for the strongest. It's a great life, Peter, for those that canlive it. "

The close-set eyes flashed, and the nostrils dilated. Despite theapparent liking that the slaver had shown for him, Robert never doubtedhis character. Here was a man to whom the violent contrasts and violentlife of the West Indian seas appealed. He wondered what was the presentmission of the schooner, and he thought of the bronze eighteen-pounder, and of the dirks and pistols in the belts of the crew. 

"I prefer the north, " he said. "It's cooler there and people are morenearly even, in temper and life. "

"Your life there has been in peril many times from the Indians. "

"That's true, but I understand the Indians. Those who are my friends aremy friends, and those who are my enemies are my enemies. I take it thatin the West Indies you never know what change is coming. "

"Correct, Peter, but it's all a matter of temperament. You like what youlike, because you're made that way, and you can't alter it, but the WestIndies have seen rare deeds. Did you ever hear of Morgan, the greatbuccaneer?"

"Who hasn't?"

"There was a man for you! No law but his own! Willing to sack thebiggest and strongest cities on the Spanish Main and did it, too! Ah, Peter, 'twould have been a fine thing to have lived in his day and tohave done what he did. "

"I shouldn't care to be a pirate, no matter how powerful, and no matterhow great the reward. "

"Again it's just a matter of temperament. I'm not trying to change you, and you couldn't change me. "

Came another calm, longer than the first. They hung about for days andnights on a hot sea, and captain and crew alike showed anxiety andimpatience. The captain was continually watching the horizon with hisglasses, and he talked to Robert less than usual. It was obvious that hefelt anxiety. 

The calm was broken just before nightfall. Dark had come with thesuddenness of the tropic seas. There was a puff of wind, followed by asteady breeze, and the schooner once more sped southward. Robert, anxious to breathe the invigorating air, came upon deck, and standingnear the mainmast watched the sea rushing by. The captain paused nearhim and said to Robert in a satisfied tone:

"It won't be long now, Peter, until we're among the islands, and it maybe, too, that we'll see another ship before long. We've been on a lonesea all the way down, but you'll find craft among the islands. "

"It might be a hostile vessel, a privateer, " said Robert. 

"It's not privateers of which I'm thinking. "

The light was dim, but Robert plainly saw the questing look in his eyes, the look of a hunter, and he drew back a pace. This man was no meresmuggler. He would not content himself with such a trade. But he said inhis best manner:

"I should think, captain, it was a time to avoid company, and that youwould be better pleased with a lone sea. "

"One never knows what is coming in these waters, " said the slaver. "Itmay be that we shall have to run away, and I must not be caught off myguard. "

But the look in the man's eyes did not seem to Robert to be that of onewho wished to run away. It was far more the look of the hunter, and whenthe hulking mate, Carlos, passed near him his face bore a kindredexpression. The sailors, too, were eager, attentive, watching thehorizon, as if they expected something to appear there. 

No attention was paid to Robert, and he remained on the deck, feeling astrong premonition that they were at the edge of a striking event, onethat had a great bearing upon his own fate, no matter what its charactermight be. 

The wind rose again, but it did not become a gale. It was merely what aswift vessel would wish, to show her utmost grace and best speed. Themoon came out and made a silver sea. The long white wake showed clearlyacross the waters. The captain never left the deck, but continued toexamine the horizon with his powerful glasses. 

Robert, quick to deduce, believed that they were in some part of the seafrequented by ships in ordinary times and that the captain must bereckoning on the probability of seeing a vessel in the course of thenight. His whole manner showed it, and the lad's own interest became sogreat that he lost all thought of going down to his cabin. Unless forceintervened he would stay there and see what was going to happen, becausehe felt in every fiber that something would surely occur. 

An hour, two hours passed. The schooner went swiftly on toward thesouth, the wind singing merrily through the ropes and among the sails. The captain walked back and forth in a narrow space, circling the entirehorizon with his glasses at intervals seldom more than five minutesapart. It was about ten o'clock at night when he made a sharp, decisivemovement, and a look of satisfaction came over his face. He had beengazing into the west and the lad felt sure that he had seen there thatfor which he was seeking, but his own eyes, without artificial help, were not yet able to tell him what it was. 

The captain called the mate, speaking to him briefly and rapidly, andthe sullen face of the Spaniard became alive. An order to the steersmanand the course of the schooner was shifted more toward the west. It wasevident to Robert that they were not running away from whatever it wasout there. The slaver for the first time in a long while took notice ofRobert. 

"There's another craft in the west, Peter, " he said, "and we must have alook at her. Curiosity is a good thing at sea, whatever it may be onshore. When you know what is near you you may be able to protectyourself from danger. "

His cynical, indifferent air had disappeared. He was gay, anticipatory, as if he were going to something that he liked very much. The close-seteyes were full of light, and the thin lips curved into a smile. 

"You don't seem to expect danger, " said Robert. "It appears to me thatyou're thinking of just the opposite. "

"It's because I've so much confidence in the schooner. If it's a wickedship over there we'll just show her the fastest pair of heels in theWest Indies. "

He did not speak again for a full quarter of an hour, but he used theglasses often, always looking at the same spot on the western horizon. Robert was at last able to see a black dot there with his unassistedeyes, and he knew that it must be a ship. 

"She's going almost due south, " said the captain, "and in two hours weshould overhaul her. "

"Why do you wish to overhaul her?" asked Robert. 

"She may be a privateer, a Frenchman, or even a pirate, and if so wemust give the alarm to other peaceful craft like ourselves in thesewaters. "

He raised the glasses again and did not take them down for a full fiveminutes. Meantime the strange ship came nearer. It was evident to Robertthat the two vessels were going down the sides of a triangle, and ifeach continued on its course they would meet at the point. 

The night was steadily growing brighter. The moon was at its fullest, and troops of new stars were coming out. Robert saw almost as well as byday. He was soon able to distinguish the masts and sails of thestranger, and to turn what had been a black blur into the shape andparts of a ship. He was able, too, to tell that the stranger was keepingsteadily on her course, but the schooner, obeying her tiller, wasdrawing toward her more and more. 

"They don't appear to be interested in us, " he said to the captain. 

"No, " replied the man, "but they should be. They show a lack of thatcuriosity which I told you is necessary at sea, and it is my duty toovertake them and tell them so. We must not have any incautious shipssailing in these strange waters. "

Ten minutes later he called the mate and gave a command. Cutlasses andmuskets with powder and ball were put at convenient points. Every mancarried at least one pistol and a dirk in his belt. The captain himselftook two pistols and a cutlass. 

"Merely a wise precaution, Peter, " he said, "in case our peacefulneighbor, to whom we wish to give a useful warning, should turn out tobe a pirate. "

Robert in the moonlight saw his eyes gleam and his lips curve once moreinto a smile. He had seen enough of men in crucial moments to know thatthe slaver was happy, that he was rejoicing in some great triumph thathe expected to achieve. In spite of himself he shivered and looked atthe stranger. The tracery of masts and spars was growing clearer and thedim figures of men were visible on her decks. 

"Oh, we'll meet later, " said the captain exultantly. "Don't deceiveyourself about that. There is a swift wind behind us and the speed ofboth ships is increasing. "

Robert looked over the side. The sea was running in white caps and abovehis head the wind was whistling. The schooner rolled and his footinggrew unsteady, but it was only a fine breeze to the sailors, just whatthey loved. Suddenly the captain burst into a great laugh. 

"The fools! the fools!" he exclaimed. "As I live, they're pleasuringhere in the most dangerous seas in the world! Music in the moonlight!"

"What do you mean?" asked Robert, astonished. 

"Just what I say! A madness hath o'ercome 'em! Take a look through theglasses, Peter, and see a noble sight, but a strange one at such atime. "

He clapped the glasses to Robert's eyes. The other ship, suddenly camenear to them, and grew fourfold in size. Every detail of her stood outsharp and vivid in the moonlight, a stout craft with all sails set tocatch the good wind, a fine merchantman by every token, nearing the endof a profitable voyage. Discipline was not to say somewhat relaxed, butat least kindly, the visible evidence of it an old sailor sitting withhis back against the mast playing vigorously upon a violin, while adozen other men stood around listening. 

"Look at 'em, Peter. Look at 'em, " laughed the captain. "It's a mostnoble sight! Watch the old fellow playing the fiddle, and I'll lay myeyes that in a half minute or so you'll have some of the sailormendancing. "

Robert shuddered again. The glee in the slaver's voice was wicked. Thecynical jesting tone was gone and in its place was only unholy malice. But Robert was held by the scene upon the deck of the stranger. 

"Yes, two of the sailors have begun to dance, " he said. "They're youngmen and clasping each other about the shoulders, they're doing ahornpipe. I can see the others clapping their hands and the old fellowplays harder than ever. "

"Ah, idyllic! Most idyllic, I vow!" exclaimed the captain. "Who wouldhave thought, Peter, to have beheld such a sight in these seas! 'Tis achildhood dream come back again! 'Tis like the lads and maids sportingon the village green! Ah, the lambs! the innocents! There is no war forthem. It does my soul good, Peter, to behold once more such innocenttrust in human nature. "

The shudder, more violent than ever, swept over Robert again. He feltthat he was in the presence of something unclean, something that exhaledthe foul odor of the pit. The man had become wholly evil, and he shrankaway. 

"Steady, Peter, " said the slaver. "Why shouldn't you rejoice with thehappy lads on yon ship? Think of your pleasant fortune to witness such aplay in the West Indian seas, the merry sailormen dancing to the musicin the moonlight, the ship sailing on without care, and we in ourschooner bearing down on 'em to secure our rightful share in thefestival. Ah, Peter, we must go on board, you and I and Carlos and morestout fellows and sing and dance with 'em!"

Robert drew back again. It may have been partly the effect of themoonlight, and partly the mirror of his own mind through which helooked, but the captain's face had become wholly that of a demon. Theclose-set eyes seemed to draw closer together than ever, and they wereflashing. His hand, sinewy and strong, settled upon the butt of a pistolin his belt, but, in a moment, he raised it again and took the glassesfrom Robert. After a long look he exclaimed:

"They dream on! They fiddle and dance with their whole souls, Peter, mylad, and such trusting natures shall be rewarded!"

Robert could see very well now without the aid of the glasses. Thesailor who sat on a coil of rope with his back against a mast, playingthe violin, was an old man, his head bare, his long white hair flying. It was yet too far away for his face to be disclosed, but Robert knewthat his expression must be rapt, because his attitude showed that hissoul was in his music. The two young sailors, with their arms about theshoulders of each other, were still dancing, and two more had joinedthem. 

The crowd of spectators had thickened. Evidently it was a ship with anumerous crew, perhaps a rich merchantman out of Bristol or Boston. Noflag was flying over her. That, however, was not unusual in those seas, and in times of war when a man waited to see the colors of his neighborbefore showing his own. But Robert was surprised at the laxity ofdiscipline on the stranger. They should be up and watching, inquiringinto the nature of the schooner that was drawing so near. 

"And now, Peter, " said the captain, more exultant than ever, "you shallsee an unveiling! It is not often given to a lad like you, a landsman, to behold such a dramatic act at sea, a scene so powerful and completethat it might have been devised by one of the great Elizabethans! Ho, Carlos, make ready!"

He gave swift commands and the mate repeated them as swiftly to the men. The two ships were rapidly drawing nearer, but to Robert's amazement thefestival upon the deck of the stranger did not cease. Above the creakingof the spars the wailing strains of the violin came to him across thewaters. If they were conscious there of the presence of the schoonerthey cared little about it. For the moment it occurred to Robert that itmust be the _Flying Dutchman_, or some other old phantom ship out of thedim and legendary past. 

"And now, Carlos!" exclaimed the captain in a full, triumphant voice, "we'll wake 'em up! Break out the flag and show 'em what we are!"

A coiled piece of cloth, dark and menacing, ran up the mainmast of theschooner, reached the top, and then burst out, streaming at full lengthin the strong wind, dark as death and heavy with threat. Robert lookedup and shuddered violently. Over the schooner floated the black flag, exultant and merciless. 

The tarpaulin was lifted and the long bronze gun in the stern wasuncovered. Beside her stood the gunners, ready for action. Theboatswain's whistle blew and the dark crew stood forth, armed to theteeth, eager for action, and spoil. Carlos, a heavy cutlass in hand, awaited his master's orders. The captain laughed aloud. 

"So you see, Peter, what we are!" he exclaimed. "And it's not too latefor you to seize a cutlass and have your share. Now, my lads, we'llboard her and take her in the good old way. "

The mate shouted to the steersman, and the schooner yawed. Robert, filled with horror, scarcely knew what he was doing; in truth, he had noconscious will to do anything, and so he ended by doing nothing. But heheard the fierce low words of the pirates, and he saw them leaningforward, as if making ready to leap on the deck of the stranger and cutdown every one of her crew. 

Then he looked at the other ship. The old man who had been playing theviolin suddenly dropped it and snatched up a musket from behind the coilof rope on which he had been sitting. The dancers ceased to dance, sprang away, and returned in an instant with muskets also. Heavy pistolsleaped from the shirts and blouses of the spectators, and up from theinside of the ship poured a swarm of men armed to the teeth. A piece ofcloth swiftly climbed the mainmast of the stranger also, reached thetop, broke out there triumphantly, and the flag of England, over againstthe black flag, blew out steady and true in the strong breeze. 

"God! A sloop of war!" exclaimed the captain. "About, Carlos! Put herabout!"

But the sloop yawed quickly, her portholes opened, bronze muzzlesappeared, tampions fell away, and a tremendous voice shouted:

"Fire!"

Robert saw a sheet of flame spring from the side of the sloop, there wasa terrific crash, a dizzying column of smoke and the schooner seemedfairly to leap from the water, as the broadside swept her decks and toreher timbers. The surly mate was cut squarely in two by a round shot, menscreaming in rage and pain went down and the captain staggered, butrecovered himself. Then he shouted to the steersman to put the schoonerabout and rushing among the sailors he ordered them to another task thanthat of boarding. 

"It was a trick, and it trapped us most damnably!" he cried. "A fool Iwas! Fools we must all have been to have been caught by it! They luredus on! But now, you rascals, to your work, and it's for your lives! Weescape together or we hang together!"

The night had darkened much, clouds trailing before the moon and stars, but Robert clearly saw the slaver's face. It was transformed by chagrinand wrath, though it expressed fierce energy, too. Blood was runningfrom his shoulder down his left arm, but drawing his sword he fairlyherded the men to the sails; that is, to those that were left. Thehelmsman put the shattered schooner about and she drove rapidly on a newcourse. But the sloop of war, tacking, let go her other broadside. 

Robert anticipated the second discharge, and by impulse rather thanreason threw himself flat upon the deck, where he heard the heavy shotwhistling over his head and the cries of those who were struck down. Spars and rigging, too, came clattering to the deck, but the masts stoodand the schooner, though hit hard, still made way. 

"Steady! Keep her steady, my boys!" shouted the captain. "We've still aclean pair of heels, and with a little luck we'll lose the sloop in thedarkness!"

He was a superb seaman and the rising wind helped him. The woundedschooner had gained so much that the third broadside did but littledamage and killed only one man. Robert stood up again and looked back atthe pursuing vessel, her decks covered with men in uniform, the gunnersloading rapidly while over the sloop the flag of England that was thenthe flag of his own country too, streamed straight out in the wind, proud and defiant. 

He felt a throb of intense, overwhelming pride. The black flag had beenovermatched by the good flag. In the last resort, those who lived righthad proved themselves more than equal to those who lived wrong. Law andorder were superior to piracy and chaos. Forgetful of his own safety, hehoped that the sloop would overtake the schooner, and obeying hisimpulse he uttered a shout of triumph. The captain turned upon himfiercely. 

"You cheer the wrong ship, " he said. "If they overtake us, you beingwith us, I'll swear that you were one of the hardiest men in my crew!"

Robert laughed, he could not help it, though the act was more or lesshysterical, and replied:

"I'll chance it! But, Captain, didn't you have the surprise of yourwhole life, and you so cunning, too!"

The man raised his cutlass, but dropped it quickly. 

"Don't try me that way again, " he said. "It was my impulse to cut youdown, and the next time I'd do it. But you're right. It was a surprise, though we'll escape 'em yet, and we'll let 'em know we're not just ahunted rabbit, either!"

The Long Tom in the stern of the schooner opened fire. The first shotsplashed to the right of the sloop, and the second to the left, but thethird struck on board, and two men were seen to go down. The captainlaughed. 

"That's a taste of their own medicine, " he said. 

A big gun on the sloop thundered, and a round shot cut away one of theschooner's spars. Another flashed and a load of grape hissed over thedecks. Two men were killed and three more wounded. The captain shoutedin anger and made the others crack on all the sail they could. She was astaunch schooner, and though hurt grievously she still made speed. Swifter than the sloop, despite her injuries, she gradually widened thegap between them, while the wind rose fast, and the trailing blacknessspread over the sea. 

Although still close at hand, the outline of the pursuing sloop becamedim. Robert was no longer able to trace the human figures on her deck, but the banner of law and right flying from her topmast yet showed inthe dusk. Forgetful as before of his own danger, he began to have a fearthat the pirate would escape. Under his breath he entreated the avengingsloop to come on, to sail faster and faster, he begged her gunners toaim aright despite the darkness, to rake the decks of the schooner withgrape and to send the heavy round shot into her vitals. 

The sloop kept up a continuous fire with her bow guns. The heavy reportscrashed through the darkness, the sounds rolling sullenly away, and notevery shot went wild. There was a tearing of sails, a splintering ofspars, a shattering of wood, and now and then the fall of a man. Underthe insistent and continuous urgence of the captain the men on theschooner replied with the Long Tom in her stern, and, when one of theshots swept the deck of the sloop, the fierce, dark sailors shouted injoy. Robert saw with a sinking of the heart that the gap between the twovessels was still widening, while almost the last star was gone from theheavens, and it was now so dark that everything was hidden a few hundredyards away. 

"We'll lose her! We'll lose her yet!" cried the captain. "Winds and thenight fight for us. See you, Peter, we must be the chosen children offortune, for this can hardly be chance!"

Robert said nothing, because it seemed for the time at least that thecaptain's words were true. A sudden and tremendous gust of wind caughtthe schooner and drove her on, ragged and smashed though she was, atincreased speed, while the same narrow belt of wind seemed to miss thesloop. The result was apparent at once. The gap between them became agulf. The flag flying so proudly on the topmast of the sloop was gone inthe dusk. Her spars and sails faded away, she showed only a dim, lowhulk on the water from which her guns flashed. 

The schooner tacked again. A new bank of blackness poured down over thesea, and the sloop was gone. 

"It was a trap and we sailed straight into it, " exclaimed the captain, "but it couldn't hold us. We've escaped!"

He spoke the truth. They drove steadily on a long time, and saw no moreof the sloop of war. 

CHAPTER VI

THE ISLAND

Robert came out of his benumbed state. It had all seemed a fantasticdream, but he had only to look around him to know that it was reality. Three or four battle lanterns were shining and they threw a ghostlylight over the deck of the schooner, which was littered with spars andsails, and the bodies of men who had fallen before the fire of thesloop. Streams of blood flowed everywhere. He sickened and shudderedagain and again. 

The captain, a savage figure, stained with blood, showed ruthlessenergy. Driving the men who remained unwounded, he compelled them to cutaway the wreckage and to throw the dead overboard. Garrulous, possessedby some demon, he boasted to them of many prizes they would yet take, and he pointed to the black flag which still floated overhead, unharmedthrough all the battle. He boasted of it as a good omen and succeeded ininfusing into them some of his own spirit. 

Robert was still unnoticed and at first he wandered about his straitterritory. Then he lent a helping hand with the wreckage. His own lifewas at stake as well as theirs, and whether they wished it or not hecould not continue to stand by an idler. Circumstance and the sea forcedhim into comradeship with men of evil, and as long as it lasted he mustmake the best of it. So he fell to with such a will that it drew theattention of the captain. 

"Good boy, Peter!" he cried. "You'll be one of us yet in spite ofyourself! Our good fortune is yours, too! You as well as we have escapeda merry hanging! I'll warrant you that the feel of the rope around theneck is not pleasant, and it's well to keep one's head out of the noose, eh, Peter?"

Robert did not answer, but tugged at a rope that two other men weretrying to reeve. He knew now that while they had escaped the sloop ofwar their danger was yet great and imminent. The wind was still rising, and now it was a howling gale. The schooner had been raked heavily. Mostof her rigging was gone, huge holes had been smashed in her hull, halfof her crew had been killed and half of the rest were wounded, therewere not enough men to work her even were she whole and the weather thebest. As the crest of every wave passed she wallowed in the trough ofthe sea, and shipped water steadily. The exultant look passed from thecaptain's eyes. 

"I'm afraid you're a lad of ill omen, Peter, " he said to Robert. "I hadyou on board another ship once and she went to pieces. It looks now asif my good schooner were headed the same way. "

A dark sailor standing near heard him, and nodded in approval, butRobert said:

"Blame the sloop of war, not me. You would lay her aboard, and see whathas happened!"

The captain frowned and turned away. For a long time he paid no furtherattention to Robert, all his skill and energy concentrated upon theeffort to save his ship. But it became evident even to Robert'sinexperienced eye that the schooner was stricken mortally. The guns ofthe sloop had not raked and slashed her in vain. A pirate she had been, but a pirate she would be no more. She rolled more heavily all the time, and Robert noticed that she was deeper in the water. Beyond a doubt shewas leaking fast. 

The captain conferred with the second mate, a tall, thin man whom hecalled Stubbs. Then the two, standing together near the mast, watchedthe ship for a while and Robert, a little distance away, watched them. He was now keenly alive to his own fate. Young and vital, he did notwant to die. He had never known a time when he was more anxious to live. He was not going to be sold into slavery on a West India plantation. Fortune had saved him from that fate, and it might save him from newperils. In a storm on a sinking vessel he was nevertheless instinct withhope. Somewhere beyond the clouds Tayoga's Tododaho on his great starwas watching him. The captain spoke to him presently. 

"Peter, " he said, "I think it will be necessary for us to leave the shipsoon. That cursed sloop has done for the staunchest schooner that eversailed these seas. I left you on board a sinking vessel the other time, but as it seemed to bring you good luck then, I won't do it now. Besides, I'm tempted to keep you with me. You bore yourself bravelyduring the battle. I will say that for you. "

"Thanks for taking me, and for the compliment, too, " said Robert. "I'veno mind to be left here alone in the middle of the ocean on a sinkingship. "

"'Tis no pleasant prospect, nor have we an easy path before us in theboats, either. On the whole, the chances are against us. There's landnot far away to starboard, but whether we'll make it in so rough a seais another matter. Are you handy with an oar?"

"Fairly so. I've had experience on lakes and rivers, but none on thesea. "

"'Twill serve. We'll launch three boats. Hooker, the boatswain, takesone, Stubbs has the other, and I command the last. You go with me. "

"It would have been my choice. "

"I'm flattered, Peter. I may get a chance yet to sell you to one of theplantations. "

"I think not, Captain. The stars in their courses have said 'no. '"

"Come! Come! Don't be Biblical here. "

"The truth is the truth anywhere. But I'm glad enough to go with you. "

One of the boats was launched with great difficulty, and the boatswain, Hooker, and six men, two of whom were wounded, were lowered into it. Itcapsized almost immediately, and all on board were lost. Those destinedfor the other two boats hung back a while, but it became increasinglynecessary for them to make the trial, no matter what the risk. Theschooner rolled and pitched terribly, and a sailor, sent to see, reported that the water was rising in her steadily. 

The captain showed himself a true seaman and leader. He had been woundedin the shoulder, but the hurt had been bound up hastily and he saw toeverything. Each of the boats contained kegs of water, arms, ammunitionand food. A second was launched and Stubbs and his crew were loweredinto it. A great wave caught it and carried it upon its crest, andRobert, watching, expected to see it turn over like the first, but themate and the crew managed to restore the balance, and they disappearedin the darkness, still afloat. 

"There, lads, " exclaimed the captain, "you see it can be done. Now we'llgo too, and the day will soon come when we'll have a new ship, and then, ho! once more for the rover's free and gorgeous life!"

The unwounded men raised a faint cheer. The long boat was launched withinfinite care, and Robert lent a hand. The pressure of circumstancesmade his feeling of comradeship with these men return. For the time atleast his life was bound up with theirs. Two wounded sailors werelowered first into the boat. 

"Now, Peter, you go, " said the captain. "As I told you, I may have achance yet to sell you to a plantation, and I must preserve myproperty. "

Robert slid down the rope. The captain and the others followed, and theycast loose. They were eight in the boat, three of whom were wounded, though not badly. The lad looked back at the schooner. He saw a dimhulk, with the black flag still floating over it, and then she passedfrom sight in the darkness and driving storm. 

He took up an oar, resolved to do his best in the common struggle forlife, and with the others fought the sea for a long time. The captainset their course south by west, apparently for some island of which heknew, and meanwhile the men strove not so much to make distance as tokeep the boat right side up. Often Robert thought they were gone. Theyrode dizzily upon high waves, and they sloped at appalling angles, butalways they righted and kept afloat. The water sprayed them continuouslyand the wind made it sting like small shot, but that was a trifle to menin their situation who were straining merely to keep the breath in theirbodies. 

After a while--Robert had no idea how long the time had been--theviolence of the wind seemed to abate somewhat, and their immense perilof sinking decreased. Robert sought an easier position at the oar, andtried to see something reassuring, but it was still almost as dark aspitch, and there was only the black and terrible sea around them. Butthe captain seemed cheerful. 

"We'll make it, lads, before morning, " he said. "The storm is sinking, as you can see, and the island is there waiting for us. "

In another hour the sea became so much calmer that there was no longerany danger of the boat overturning. Half of the men who had been rowingrested an hour, and then the other half took their turn. Robert was inthe second relay, and when he put down his oar he realized for the firsttime that his hands were sore and his bones aching. 

"You've done well, Peter, " said the captain. "You've become one of us, whether or no, and we'll make you an honored inhabitant of our islandwhen we come to it. "

Robert said nothing, but lay back, drawing long breaths of relief. Thedanger of death by drowning had passed for the moment and he had a senseof triumph over nature. Despite his weariness and soreness, he was asanxious as ever to live, and he began to wonder about this island ofwhich the captain spoke. It must be tropical, and hence in hisimagination beautiful, but by whom was it peopled? He did not doubt thatthey would reach it, and that he, as usual, would escape all perils. 

Always invincible, his greatest characteristic was flaming up withinhim. He seemed to have won, in a way, the regard of the captain, and hedid not fear the men. They would be castaways together, and on the landopportunities to escape would come. On the whole he preferred thehazards of the land to those of the sea. He knew better how to deal withthem. He was more at home in the wilderness than on salt water. Yet abrave heart was alike in either place. 

"We'd better take it very easy, lads, " said the captain. "Not muchrowing now, and save our strength for the later hours of the night. "

"Why?" asked Robert. 

"Because the storm, although it has gone, is still hanging about in thesouth and may conclude to come back, assailing us again. A shift in thewind is going on now, and if it hit us before we reached the island, finding us worn out, we might go down before it. "

It was a good enough reason and bye and bye only two men kept at theoars, the rest lying on the bottom of the boat or falling asleep intheir seats. The captain kept a sharp watch for the other boat, whichhad gone away in the dark, but beheld no sign of it, although the moonand stars were now out, and they could see a long distance. 

"Stubbs knows where the island is, " said the captain, "and if they'velived they'll make for it. We can't turn aside to search all over thesea for 'em. "

Robert after a while fell asleep also in his seat, and despite hisextraordinary situation slept soundly, though it was rather anunconsciousness that came from extreme exhaustion, both bodily andmental. He awoke some time later to find that the darkness had come backand that the wind was rising again. 

"You can take a hand at the oar once more, Peter, " said the captain. "Ilet you sleep because I knew that it would refresh you and we need thestrength of everybody. The storm, as I predicted, is returning, not asstrong as it was at first, perhaps, but strong enough. "

He wakened the other men who were sleeping, and all took to the oars. The waves were running high, and the boat began to ship water. Severalof the men, under instructions from the captain, dropped their oars andbailed it out with their caps or one or two small tin vessels that theyhad stored aboard. 

"Luckily the wind is blowing in the right direction, " said the captain. "It comes out of the northeast, and that carries us toward the island. Now, lads, all we have to do is to keep the boat steady, and not let itship too much water. The wind itself will carry us on our way. "

But the wind rose yet more, and it required intense labor and vigilanceto fight the waves that threatened every moment to sink their craft. Robert pulled on the oar until his arms ached. Everybody toiled exceptthe captain, who directed, and Robert saw that he had all the qualitiesto make him a leader of slavers or pirates. In extreme danger he was theboldest and most confident of them all, and he stood by his men. Theycould see that he would not desert them, that their fortune was hisfortune. He was wounded, Robert did not yet know how badly, but he neveryielded to his hurt. He was a figure of strength in the boat, and themen drew courage from him to struggle for life against the overmasteringsea. Somehow, for the time at least, Robert looked upon him as his ownleader, obeying his commands, willingly and without question. 

He was drenched anew with the salt water, but as they were in warm seashe never thought of it. Now and then he rested from his oar and helpedbail the water from the boat. 

A pale dawn showed at last through the driving clouds, but it was notencouraging. The sea was running higher than ever, and there was no signof land. One of the men, much worse wounded than they had thought, laydown in the bottom of the boat and died. They tossed his bodyunceremoniously overboard. Robert knew that it was necessary, but ithorrified him just the same. Another man, made light of head by dangersand excessive hardships, insisted that there was no island, that eitherthey would be drowned or would drift on in the boat until they died ofthirst and starvation. The captain drew a pistol and looking himstraight in the eye said:

"Another word of that kind from you, Waters, and you'll eat lead. Youknow me well enough to know that I keep my word. "

The man cowered away and Robert saw that it was no vain threat. Watersdevoted his whole attention to an oar, and did not speak again. 

"We'll strike the island in two or three hours, " the captain said withgreat confidence. 

The dawn continued to struggle with the stormy sky, but its progress wasnot promising. It was only a sullen gray dome over a gray and ghastlysea, depressing to the last degree to men worn as they were. But inabout two hours the captain, using glasses that he had taken from hiscoat, raised the cry:

"Land ho!"

He kept the glasses to his eyes a full two minutes, and when he tookthem down he repeated with certainty:

"Land ho! I can see it distinctly there under the horizon in the west, and it's the island we've been making for. Now, lads, keep her steadyand we'll be there in an hour. "

All the men were vitalized into new life, but the storm rose at the sametime, and spray and foam dashed over them. All but two or three werecompelled to work hard, keeping the water out of the boat, while theothers steadied her with the oars. Robert saw the captain's face growanxious, and he began to wonder if they would reach the island in time. He wondered also how they would land in case they reached it, as he knewfrom his reading and travelers' tales that most of the little islands inthese warm seas were surrounded by reefs. 

The wind drove them on and the island rose out of the ocean, a dark, lowline, just a blur, but surely land, and the drooping men plucked uptheir spirits. 

"We'll make it, lads! Don't be down-hearted!" cried the captain. "Keepthe boat above water a half hour longer, and we'll tread the soil ofmother earth again! Well done, Peter! You handle a good oar! You're theyoungest in the boat, but you've set an example for the others! There'sgood stuff in you, Peter. "

Robert, to his own surprise, found his spirit responding to this man'spraise, slaver and pirate though he was, and he threw more strength intohis swing. Soon they drew near to the island, and he heard such aroaring of the surf that he shuddered. He saw an unbroken line of whiteand he knew that behind it lay the cruel teeth of the rocks, ready tocrunch any boat that came. Every one looked anxiously at the captain. 

"There's a rift in the rocks to the right, " he said, "and when we passthrough it we'll find calm water inside. Now, lads, all of you to theoars and take heed that you do as I say on the instant or we'll be onthe reef!"

They swung to the right, and so powerful were wind and wave that itseemed to Robert they fairly flew toward the island. The roaring of thesurf grew and the long white line rose before them like a wall. He sawno opening, but the captain showed no signs of fear and gave quick, sharp commands. The boat drove with increased speed toward the island, rising on the crests of great waves, then sinking with sickening speedinto the trough of the sea, to rise dizzily on another wave. Robert sawthe rocks, black, sharp and cruel, reaching out their long, savageteeth, and the roar of wind and surf together was now so loud that hecould no longer hear the captain's commands. He was conscious that theboat was nearly full of water, and when he was not blinded by the flyingsurf he saw looks of despair on the faces of the men. 

An opening in the line of reefs disclosed itself, and the boat shottoward it. He heard the captain shout, but did not understand what hesaid, then they were wrenched violently to the left by a powerfulcurrent. He saw the black rocks frowning directly over him, and felt theboat scrape against them. The whole side of it was cut away, and theywere all hurled into the sea. 

Robert was not conscious of what he did. He acted wholly from impulseand the instinctive love of life that is in every one. He felt the waterpour over him, and fill eye, ear and nostril, but he was not hurledagainst rock. He struck out violently, but was borne swiftly away, notknowing in which direction he was taken. 

He became conscious presently that the force driving him on was not sogreat and he cleared the water from his eyes enough to see that he hadbeen carried through the opening and toward a sandy beach. His mindbecame active and strong in an instant. Chance had brought him life, ifhe only had the presence of mind to take it. He struck out for the landwith all his vigor, hoping to reach it before he could be carried backby a returning wave. 

The wave caught him, but it was not as powerful as he had feared, and, when he had yielded a little, he was able to go forward again. Then hesaw a head bobbing upon the crest of the next retreating wave and beingcarried out to sea. It was the captain, and reaching out a strong armRobert seized him. The shock caused him to thrust down his feet, and tohis surprise he touched bottom. Grasping the captain with both hands hedragged him with all his might and ran inland. 

It was partly an instinctive impulse to save and partly genuine feelingthat caused him to seize the slaver when he was being swept helpless outto sea. The man, even though in a malicious, jeering way, had done himsome kindnesses on the schooner and in the boat, and he could not seehim drown before his eyes. So he settled his grasp upon his collar, heldhis head above the water and strove with all his might to get beyond thereach of the cruel sea. Had he been alone he could have reached the landwith ease, but the slaver pulled upon him almost a dead weight. 

Another returning wave caught him and made him stagger, but he settledhis feet firmly in the sand, held on to the unconscious man, and when ithad passed made a great effort to get beyond the reach of any other. Hewas forced half to lift, half to drag the slaver's body, but he caughtthe crest of the next incoming wave, one of unusual height and strength, and the two were carried far up the beach. When it died in foam andspray he lifted the man wholly and ran until he fell exhausted on thesand. When another wave roared inland it did not reach him, and noothers came near. As if knowing they were baffled, they gave up auseless pursuit. 

Robert lay a full half hour, supine, completely relaxed, only halfconscious. Yet he was devoutly thankful. The precious gift of life hadbeen saved, the life that was so young, so strong and so buoyant in him. The sea, immense, immeasurable and savage might leap for him, but itcould no longer reach him. He was aware of that emotion, and he wasthankful too that an Infinite Hand had been stretched out to save him inhis moment of direst peril. 

He came out of his cataleptic state, which was both a mental andphysical effect, and stood up. The air was still dim with heavy cloudsand the wind continuously whistled its anger. He noticed for the firsttime that it was raining, but it was a trifle to him, as he had alreadybeen thoroughly soaked by the sea. 

The sea itself was as wild as ever. Wave after wave roared upon the landto break there, and then rush back in masses of foam. As far as Robertcould see the surface of the water, lashed by the storm, was wild anddesolate to the last degree. It was almost as if he had been cast awayon another planet. A feeling of irrepressible, awful lonelinessoverpowered him. 

"Well, Peter, we're here. "

It was a feeble voice, but it was a human one, the voice of one of hisown kind, and, in that dreary wilderness of the ocean, it gave welcomerelief as it struck upon his ear. He looked down. The slaver, returnedto consciousness, had drawn himself into a sitting position and waslooking out at the gray waters. 

"I've a notion, Peter, " he said, "that you've saved my life. The last Iremember was being engulfed in a very large and very angry ocean. It waskind of you, Peter, after I kidnapped you away from your friends, meaning to sell you into slavery on a West India plantation. "

"I couldn't let you drown before my eyes. "

"Most men in your place would have let me go, and even would have helpedme along. "

"Perhaps I felt the need of company. 'Twould have been terrible to bealone here. "

"There may be something in that. But at any rate, you saved me. I'mthinking that you and I are all that's left. I was a fool, Peter, everto have mixed in your business. I can see it now. When I carried youaway from New York I lost my ship. I kidnap you away again from Albany, and I lose my ship and all my crew. I would have lost my own life, too, if it had not been for you. It was never intended by the fates that Ishould have been successful in my attempts on you. The first time shouldhave been enough. That was a warning. Well, I've paid the price of myfolly. All fools do. "

He tried to stand up, but fresh blood came from his shoulder and hequickly sat down again. It was obvious that he was very weak. 

"I'll do the best I can for us both, " said Robert, "but I don't know thenature of this land upon which we're cast. I suppose it's an island, ofcourse. I can see trees inland, but that's all I can discover atpresent. "

"I know a deal more, " said the slaver. "That's why I had the boatsteered for this point, hoping to make the little bay into which theopening through the reefs leads. It's an island, as you say, seven oreight miles long, half as broad and covered thickly with trees andbrush. There's a hut about half a mile inland, and if you help me therewe'll both find shelter. I'll show the way. As trying too steadily to doyou evil brought me bad luck I'll now try to do you good. You can put itdown to logic, and not to any sudden piety in me. "

Yet Robert in his heart did not ascribe it wholly to logic. He waswilling to believe in a kindly impulse or two in everybody, there was alittle good hidden somewhere deep down even in Tandakora, though itmight have to struggle uncommonly hard for expression. He promptly puthis arm under the man's and helped him to his feet. 

"Give me the direction, " he said, "and I'll see that we reach the hut. "

"Bear toward the high hill ahead and to the right. And between you andme, Peter, I'm glad it's inland. I've had enough of the sea for a whileand I don't want to look at it. How is it behaving now?"

Robert, looking back, saw a great wave rushing upon the beach as if itthought it could overtake them, and it gave him an actual thrill ofdelight to know the effort would be in vain. 

"It's as wild, as desolate and as angry as ever, " he said, "and we'rewell away from it for the present. "

"Then go on. I fear I shall have to lean upon you rather hard. A bit ofgrape shot from that cursed sloop has bitten pretty deep into myshoulder. I've been doubly a fool, Peter, in kidnapping you a secondtime after the first warning, and in allowing myself to be tolled upunder the broadside of that sloop. It's the last that hurts me most. Ibehaved like any youngster on his first cruise. "

Robert said nothing, but did his best to support the wounded man, whowas now bearing upon him very heavily. His own strength was largelyfactitious, coming from the hope that they would soon find shelter and areal place in which to rest, but such as it was it was sufficient forthe time being. 

He did not look back again. Like the slaver, he wanted to shut out thesea for the present. It was a raging, cruel element, and he felt betterwith it unseen. But he became conscious, instead, of the rain which wasdriving hard. He suddenly realized that he was cold, and he shivered soviolently that the slaver noticed it. 

"Never mind, Peter, " he said. "We're going to a palace, or at least'twill seem a palace by power of contrast. There you'll be snug andwarm. "

"And you can bind up your wound again and get back your strength. "

"Aye, we can bind it up again, but it's not so sure about my gettingback my strength. I tell you again, lad, that the grape bit deep. Ithurts me all the time to think I was lured under those guns by a sillyold fiddler and a couple of silly sailors dancing to his silly tune. You're a good lad, Peter, I give you credit for it, and since, besidemyself, only one on board the schooner was saved, I'm glad it was youand not a member of the crew. "

"We don't know that others were not saved. We haven't had time yet tosee. "

"I know they weren't. It's only a miracle that we two came through thereefs. Miracles may happen, Peter, but they don't happen often. Nobodyelse will appear on the island. Keep steering for the hill. I'll be gladwhen we get there, because, between you and me, Peter, it will be justabout as far as I can go and I'll need a long, long rest. "

He bore so heavily upon Robert now that their progress was very slow, and the lad himself began to grow weak. It was impossible for any one, no matter how hardy of body and soul, to endure long, after goingthrough what he had suffered. He too staggered. 

"I'm leaning hard on you, Peter, " said the slaver. "I know it, but Ican't help it. What a difference a whiff of grapeshot makes!"

Robert steadied himself, made a mighty effort, and they went on. Thewind shifted now and the rain drove directly in his face. It was cold tohim, but it seemed to whip a little increase of vigor and strength intohis blood, and he was able to go somewhat faster. As he pulled alongwith his burden he looked curiously at the region through which he wastraveling. The ground was rough, often with layers of coral, and he sawon all sides of him dense groves of bushes, among which he recognizedthe banana by the fruit. It gave him a thrill of relief. At all eventshere was food of a kind, and they would not starve to death. It was thefirst time he had thought of food. Hitherto he had been occupied whollywith the struggle for immediate life. 

A belt of tall trees shut out the hill toward which he had beensteering, and he was uncertain. But the man gave him guidance. 

"More to the right, Peter, " he said. "I won't let you go astray, andit's full lucky for us both that I know this island. "

A half hour of painful struggle and Robert saw the dark shape of a smallhouse in the lee of a hill. 

"It's the hut, Peter, " said the slaver, "and you've done well to bringus here. You're not only a good lad, but you're strong and brave, too. You needn't knock at the door. No one will answer. Push it open andenter. It really belongs to me. "

Robert obeyed while the man steadied himself sufficiently to standalone. He thrust his hand against the door, which swung inward, revealing a dark interior. A musty odor entered his nostrils, but thehut, whatever its character, was dry. That was evident, and so it waswelcome. He went in, helping the wounded man along with him, andstanding there a moment or two everything became clear. 

It was more than a hut. He was in a room of some size, containingarticles of furniture, obviously brought across the sea, and clothinghanging from the wall on hooks. A couch was beside one wall, and twodoors seemed to lead to larger chambers or to small closets. The captainstaggered across the room and lay down on the couch. 

"Well, how do you like it, Peter?" he asked. "'Twill serve in a storm, will it not?"

"It will serve grandly, " replied Robert. "How does it come to be here?"

"I had it built. The islands all the way from the Bahamas to SouthAmerica and the waters around them are the great hunting ground forpeople in my trade, and naturally we need places of refuge, secludedlittle harbors, so to speak, where we can commune with ourselves andrefresh our minds and bodies. Even rovers must have periods ofrelaxation, and you'll find a lot of such places scattered about theislands, or, rather, you won't find 'em because they're too well hidden. I had this built myself, but I never dreamed that I should come back toit in the way I have. "

"It's a palace just now, " said Robert, "yes, it's more than a palace, it's a home. I see clothing here on the wall, and, by your leave, I'llchange you and then myself into some of those dry garments. "

"You're lord of the manor, Peter, by right of strength. I'm in nocondition to resist you, even had I the wish, which I haven't. "

Assisted by the man himself, he removed the captain's garments and puthim in dry clothing, first looking at the wound in his shoulder, whichhis experience told him was very serious. The piece of grapeshot hadgone entirely through, but the loss of blood had been large, and therewas inflammation. 

"I must bathe that with fresh water a little later and devise some kindof dressing, " said Robert. "I've had much experience in the wildernesswith wounds. "

"You're a good lad, Peter, " said the slaver. "I've told you that before, but I repeat it now. "

Robert then arrayed himself in dry garments. He was strangely andwonderfully attired in a shirt of fine linen with lace ruffles, a short, embroidered jacket of purple velvet, purple velvet knee-breeches, silkstockings and pumps, or low shoes, with large silver buckles. It wasvery gorgeous, and, just then, very comfortable. 

"You look the dandy to the full, Peter, " said the slaver. "The clotheshave hung here more than a year. They came from a young Spaniard who hadthe misfortune to resist too much when we took the ship that carriedhim. They've come to a good use again. "

Robert shuddered, but in a moment or two he forgot the origin of his newraiment. He had become too much inured to deadly peril to be excessivelyfastidious. Besides, he was feeling far better. Warmth returned to hisbody and the beat of the rain outside the house increased the comfortwithin. 

"I think, Peter, " said the slaver, "that you'd better go to sleep. You've been through a lot, and you don't realize how near exhaustion youare. "

Without giving a thought to the question of food, which must presentitself before long, Robert lay down on the floor and fell almost at onceinto a sound slumber. 

CHAPTER VII

THE PIRATE'S WARNING

When the lad awoke it was quite dark in the house, but there was nosound of rain. He went to the door and looked out upon a fairly clearnight. The storm was gone and he heard only a light wind rustlingthrough palms. There was no thunder of beating surf in the distance. Itwas a quiet sky and a quiet island. 

He went back and looked at the slaver. The man was asleep on his couch, but he was stirring a little, and he was hot with fever. Robert feltpity for him, cruel and blood-stained though he knew him to be. Besides, he was the only human companion he had, and he did not wish to be leftalone there. But he did not know what to do just then, and, lying downon the floor, he went to sleep again. 

When he awoke the second time day had come, and the slaver too wasawake, though looking very weak. 

"I've been watching you quite a while, Peter, " he said. "You must haveslept fifteen or sixteen hours. Youth has a wonderful capacity forslumber and restoration. I dare say you're now as good as ever, andwondering where you'll find your breakfast. Well, when I built thishouse I didn't neglect the plenishings of it. Open the door next to youand you'll find boucan inside. 'Boucan, ' as you doubtless know, is driedbeef, and from it we got our name the buccaneers, because in thebeginning we lived so much upon dried beef. Enough is in that closet tolast us a month, and there are herds of wild cattle on the island, aninexhaustible larder. "

"But we can't catch wild cattle with our hands, " said Robert. 

The slaver laughed. 

"You don't think, Peter, " he said, "that when I built a house here andfurnished it I neglected some of the most necessary articles. In theother closet you'll find weapons and ammunition. But deal first with theboucan. "

Robert opened the closet and found the boucan packed away in sheets orlayers on shelves, and at once he became ravenously hungry. 

"On a lower shelf, " said the slaver, "you'll find flint and steel, andwith them it shouldn't be hard for a wilderness lad like you to start afire. There are also kettles, skillets and pans, and I think you knowhow to do the rest. "

Robert went to work on a fire. The wood, which was abundant outside, wasstill damp, but he had a strong clasp knife and he whittled a pile ofdry shavings which he succeeded in igniting with the flint and steel, though it was no light task, requiring both patience and skill. But thefire was burning at last and he managed to make in one of the kettlessome soup of the dried beef, which he gave to the captain. The man hadno appetite, but he ate a little and declared that he felt stronger. Then Robert broiled many strips for himself over the coals and ateravenously. He would have preferred a greater variety of food, but itwas better than a castaway had a right to expect. 

His breakfast finished, he continued his examination of the house, whichwas furnished with many things, evidently captured from ships. He foundin one of the closets a fine fowling piece, a hunting rifle, twoexcellent muskets, several pistols, ammunition for all the fire-arms anda number of edged weapons. 

"You see, Peter, you're fitted for quite an active defense shouldenemies come, " said the slaver. "You'll admit, I think, that I've been agood housekeeper. "

"Good enough, " said Peter. "Are there any medicines?"

"You'll find some salves and ointments on the top shelf in the secondcloset, and you can make a poultice for this hurt of mine. Between youand me, Peter, I've less pain, but much more weakness, which is a badsign. "

"Oh, you'll be well in a few days, " said Robert cheerfully. "One woundwon't carry off a man as strong as you are. "

"One wound always suffices, provided it goes in deep enough, but I thankyou for your rosy predictions, Peter. I think your good wishes aregenuinely sincere. "

Robert realized that they were so, in truth. In addition to the call ofhumanity, he had an intense horror of being left alone on the island, and he would fight hard to save the slaver's life. He compounded thepoultice with no mean skill, and, after bathing the wound carefully withfresh water from a little spring behind the hut, he applied it. 

"It's cooling, Peter, and I know it's healing, too, " said the man, "butI think I'll try to go to sleep again. As long as I'm fastened to acouch that's about the only way I can pass the time. Little did I thinkwhen I built this house that I'd come here without a ship and without acrew to pass some helpless days. "

He shut his eyes. After a while, Robert, not knowing whether he wasasleep or not, took down the rifle, loaded it, and went out feeling thatit was high time he should explore his new domain. 

In the sunlight the island did not look forbidding. On the contrary, itwas beautiful. From the crest of the hill near the house he saw aconsiderable expanse, but the western half of the island was cut offfrom view by a higher range of hills. It was all in dark green foliage, although he caught the sheen of a little lake about two miles away. Asfar as he could see a line of reefs stretched around the coast, and thewhite surf was breaking on them freely. 

From the hill he went back to the point at which he and the captain hadbeen swept ashore, and, as he searched along the beach he found thebodies of all those who had been in the boat with them. He had beenquite sure that none of them could possibly have escaped, but it gavehim a shock nevertheless to secure the absolute proof that they weredead. He resolved if he could find a way to bury them in the sand beyondthe reach of the waves, but, for the present, he could do nothing, andhe continued along the shore several miles, finding its charactereverywhere the same, a gentle slope, a stretch of water, and beyond thatthe line of reefs on which the white surf was continually breaking, reefs with terrible teeth as he well knew. 

But it was all very peaceful now. The sea stretched away into infinitythe bluest of the blue, and a breeze both warm and stimulating came outof the west. Robert, however, looked mostly toward the north. Albany andhis friends now seemed a world away. He had been wrenched out of his oldlife by a sudden and unimaginable catastrophe. What were Tayoga andWillet doing now? How was the war going? For him so far as real life wasconcerned the war simply did not exist. He was on a lost island withonly a wounded man for company and the struggle to survive and escapewould consume all his energies. 

Presently he came to what was left of their boat. It was smashed badlyand half buried in the sand. At first he thought he might be able to useit again, but a critical examination showed that it was damaged beyondany power of his to repair it, and with a sigh he abandoned the thoughtof escape that way. 

He continued his explorations toward the south, and saw groves of wildbanana, the bushes or shrubs fifteen or twenty feet high, some of themwith ripe fruit hanging from them. He ate one and found it good, thoughhe was glad to know that he would not have to depend upon bananas whollyfor food. 

A mile to the south and he turned inland, crossing a range of low hills, covered with dense vegetation. As he passed among the bushes he kept hisrifle ready, not knowing whether or not dangerous wild animals were tobe found there. He had an idea they were lacking in both the Bahamas andthe West Indies, but not being sure, he meant to be on his guard. 

Before he reached the bottom of the slope he heard a puff, and then thesound of heavy feet. All his wilderness caution was alive in a moment, and, drawing back, he cocked the rifle. Then he crept forward, consciousthat some large wild beast was near. A few steps more and he realizedthat there were more than one. He heard several puffs and the heavy feetseemed to be moving about in an aimless fashion. 

He came to the edge of the bushes, and, parting them, he lookedcautiously from their cover. Then his apprehensions disappeared. Beforehim stretched a wide, grassy savanna and upon it was grazing a herd ofwild cattle, at least fifty in number, stocky beasts with long horns. Robert looked at them with satisfaction. Here was enough food on thehoof to last him for years. They might be tough, but he had experienceenough to make them tender when it came to fire and the spit. 

"Graze on in peace until I need you, " he said, and crossing the savannahe found beyond, hidden at first from view by a fringe of forest, thelake that he had seen from the crest of the hill beside the house. Itcovered about half a square mile and was blue and deep. He surmised thatit contained fish good to eat, but, for the present he was content tolet them remain in the water. They, like the wild cattle, could wait. 

Feeling that he had been gone long enough, he went back to the house andfound the slaver asleep or in a stupor, and, when he looked at himclosely, he was convinced that it was more stupor than sleep. He wasvery pale and much wasted. It occurred suddenly to Robert that the manwould die and the thought gave him a great shock. Then, in very truth, he would be alone. He sat by him and watched anxiously, but the slaverdid not come back to the world for a full two hours. 

"Aye, Peter, you're there, " he said. "As I've told you several times, you're a good lad. "

"Can I make you some more of the beef broth?" asked Robert. 

"I can take a little I think, though I've no appetite at all. "

"And I'd like to dress your wound again. "

"If it's any relief to you, Peter, to do so, go ahead, though I think'tis of little use. "

"It will help a great deal. You'll be well again in a week or two. Itisn't so bad here. With a good house and food it's just the place for awounded man. "

"Plenty of quiet, eh Peter? No people to disturb me in my period ofconvalescence. "

"Well, that's a help. "

Robert dressed the wound afresh, but he noticed during his ministrationsthat the slaver's weakness had increased, and his heart sank. It was asingular fact, but he began to feel a sort of attachment for the man whohad done him so much ill. They had been comrades in a great hazard, andwere yet. Moreover, the fear of being left alone in a tremendoussolitude was recurrent and keen. These motives and that of humanity madehim do his best. 

"I thank you, Peter, " said the wounded man. "You're standing by me innoble fashion. On the whole, I'm lucky in being cast away with youinstead of one of my own men. But it hurts me more than my wound does tothink that I should have been tricked, that a man of experience such asI am should have been lured under the broadside of the sloop of war byan old fellow playing a fiddle and a couple of sailors dancing. My mindkeeps coming back to it. My brain must have gone soft for the timebeing, and so I've paid the price. "

Robert said nothing, but finished his surgeon's task. Then he made afurther examination of the house, finding more boucan stored in a small, low attic, also clothing, both outer and inner garments, nauticalinstruments, including a compass, a pair of glasses of power, andbottles of medicine, the use of some of which he knew. 

Then he loaded the fowling piece and went back toward the lake, hopinghe might find ducks there. Beef, whether smoked or fresh, as anexclusive diet, would become tiresome, and since they might be in for along stay on the island he meant to fill their larder as best he could. On his way he kept a sharp watch for game, but saw only a small coney, asort of rabbit, which he left in peace. He found at a marshy edge of thelake a number of ducks, three of which he shot, and which he dressed andcooked later on, finding them to be excellent. 

Robert made himself a comfortable bed on the floor with blankets fromone of the closets and slept soundly through the next night. Thefollowing morning he found the slaver weaker than ever and out of hishead at times. He made beef broth for him once more, but the man wasable to take but little. 

"'Tis no use, Peter, " he said in a lucid interval. "I'm sped. I thinkthere's no doubt of it. When that sloop of war lured us under her gunsshe finished her task; she did not leave a single thing undone. Myschooner is gone, my crew is gone, and now I'm going. "

"Oh, no, " said Robert. "You'll be better to-morrow. "

The man said nothing, but seemed to sink back into a lethargic state. Robert tried his pulse, but could hardly feel its beat. In a half hourhe roused himself a little. 

"Peter, " he said. "You're a good lad. I tell you so once more. You savedme from the sea, and you're standing by me now. I owe you for it, and Imight tell you something, now that my time's at hand. It's really cometrue that when I built this house I was building the place in which I amto die, though I didn't dream of it then. "

Robert was silent, waiting to hear what he would tell him. But he closedhis eyes and did not speak for five minutes more. The lad tried hispulse a second time. It was barely discernible. The man at length openedhis eyes and said:

"Peter, if you go back to the province of New York beware of Adrian VanZoon. "

"Beware of Van Zoon! Why?"

"He wants to get rid of you. I was to put you out of the way for him, ata price, and a great price, too. But it was not intended, so it seems, that I should do so. "

"Why does Adrian Van Zoon want me put out of the way?"

"That I don't know, Peter, but when you escape from the island you mustfind out. "

His eyelids drooped and closed once more, and when Robert felt for hispulse a third time there was none. The slaver and pirate was gone, andthe lad was alone. 

Robert felt an immense desolation. Whatever the man was he had strivento keep him alive, and at the last the captain had shown desire to undosome of the evil that he had done to him. And so it was Adrian Van Zoonwho wished to put him out of the way. He had suspected that before, infact he had been convinced of it, and now the truth of it had been toldto him by another. But, why? The mystery was as deep as ever. 

Robert had buried the bodies of the sailors in the sand in graves dugwith an old bayonet that he had found in the house, and he interred thecaptain in the same manner, only much deeper. Then he went back to thehouse and rested a long time. The awful loneliness that he had fearedcame upon him, and he wrestled with it for hours. That night it becameworse than ever, but it was so acute that it exhausted itself, and thenext morning he felt better. 

Resolved not to mope, he took down the rifle, put some of the smokedbeef in his pocket, and started on a long exploration, meaning to crossthe high hills that ran down the center of the island, and see what theother half was like. 

In the brilliant sunshine his spirits took another rise. After all, hecould be much worse off. He had a good house, arms and food, and in timea ship would come. A ship must come, and, with his usual optimism, hewas sure that it would come soon. 

He passed by the lakes and noted the marshy spot where he had shot theducks. Others had come back and were feeding there now on the watergrasses. Doubtless they had never seen man before and did not know hisfull destructiveness, but Robert resolved to have duck for his tablewhenever he wanted it. 

A mile or two farther and he saw another but much smaller lake, aroundthe edge of which duck also were feeding, showing him that the supplywas practically unlimited. Just beyond the second lake lay the range ofhills that constituted the backbone of the island, and although the sunwas hot he climbed them, their height being about a thousand feet. Fromthe crest he had a view of the entire island, finding the new half muchlike the old, low, hilly, covered with forest, and surrounded with aline of reefs on which the surf was breaking. 

His eyes followed the long curve of the reefs, and then stopped at adark spot that broke their white continuity. His blood leaped andinstantly he put to his eyes the strong glasses that he had found in thehouse and that fortunately he had brought with him. Here he found hisfirst impression to be correct. The dark spot was a ship!

But it was no longer a ship that sailed the seas. Instead it was awrecked and shattered ship, with her bow driven into the sand, and herstern impaled on the sharp teeth of the breakers. Then his heart leapedagain. A second long look through the glasses told him that the lines ofthe ship, bruised and battered though she was, were familiar. 

It was the schooner. The storm had brought her to the island also, though to the opposite shore, and there she lay a wreck held by the sandand rocks. He descended the hills, and, after a long walk, reached thebeach. The schooner was not broken up as much as he had thought, and asshe could be reached easily he decided to board her. 

The vessel was tipped partly over on her side, and all her spars andsails were gone. She swayed a little with the swell, but she was heldfast by sand and rocks. Robert, laying his clothes and rifle on thebeach, waded out to her, and, without much difficulty, climbed aboard, where he made his way cautiously over the slanting and slippery deck. 

His first motive in boarding the wreck was curiosity, but it nowoccurred to him that there was much treasure to be had, treasure of thekind that was most precious to a castaway. A long stay on the island hadnot entered into his calculations hitherto, but he knew now that hemight have to reckon on it, and it was well to be prepared for anyevent. 

He searched first the cabins of the captain and mates, taking from themwhat he thought might be of use, and heaping the store upon the beach. He soon had there a pair of fine double-barreled pistols with plenty ofammunition to fit, another rifle, one that had been the captain's own, with supplies of powder and ball, a half dozen blankets, a medicinechest, well supplied, and a cutlass, which he took without anyparticular thought of use. 

Then he invaded the carpenter's domain, and there he helped himself veryfreely, taking out two axes, two hatchets, two saws, a hammer, twochisels, several augers, and many other tools, all of which he heapedwith great labor upon the beach. 

Then he explored the cook's galley, gleaning three large bags of flour, supplies of salt and pepper, five cured hams, four big cheeses, severalbottles of cordial and other supplies such as were carried on anywell-found ship. It required great skill and caution to get all histreasures safely ashore, but his enthusiasm rose as he worked, and hetoiled at his task until midnight. Then he slept beside the preciousheap until the next day. 

He lighted a fire with his flint and steel, which he made a point tocarry with him always, and cooked a breakfast of slices from one of thehams. Then he planned a further attack upon the schooner, which had notaltered her position in the night. 

Robert now felt like a miser who never hoards enough. Moreover, hissource of supply once gone, it was not likely that he would findanother, and there was the ship. The sea was in almost a dead calm, andit was easier than ever to approach her. So he decided to board againand take off more treasure. 

He added to the heap upon the beach another rifle, two muskets, severalpistols, a small sword and a second cutlass, clothing, a considerablesupply of provisions and a large tarpaulin which he meant to spread overhis supplies while they lay on the sand. Then he launched a dinghy whichhe found upon the ship with the oars inside. 

The dinghy gave him great pleasure. He knew that it would be an arduoustask to carry all his supplies on his back across the island to thehouse, and it would lighten the labor greatly to make trips around inthe boat. So he loaded into the dinghy as much of the most precious ofhis belongings as he thought it would hold, and began the journey bywater that very day, leaving the rest of the goods covered with thetarpaulin in the event of rain. 

It was a long journey, and he had to be careful about the breakers, butfortunately the sea remained calm. He was caught in currents severaltimes, but he came at last to the opening in the rocks through which heand the captain had entered and he rowed in joyfully. He slept thatnight in the house and started back in the morning for another load. Onetrip a day in the dinghy he found to be all that he could manage, but hestuck to his work until his precious store was brought from the beach tothe house. 

He could not make up his mind even then to abandon the schoonerentirely. There might never be another magazine of supply, and heransacked her thoroughly, taking off more tools, weapons, clothing andammunition. Even then he left on board much that might be useful in caseof emergency, such as cordage, sails, and clothing that had belonged tothe sailors. There was also a large quantity of ammunition for the LongTom which he did not disturb. The gun itself was still on board theship, dismounted and wedged into the woodwork, but practically as goodas ever. Robert, with an eye for the picturesque, thought it would havebeen fine to have taken it ashore and to have mounted it before thehouse, but that, of course, was impossible. He must leave it to find itsgrave in the ocean, and that, perhaps, was the best end to a gun used asthe Long Tom had been. 

Part of his new treasures he took across the island on his back, andpart he carried around it in the boat, which he found to be invaluable, and of which he took the utmost care, drawing it upon the beach atnight, beyond the reach of tide or storm. 

More than two weeks passed in these labors, and he was so busy, mind andbody, that he was seldom lonely except at night. Then the feeling wasalmost overpowering, but whenever he was assailed by it he wouldresolutely tell himself that he might be in far worse case. He hadshelter, food and arms in plenty, and it would not be long before he wastaken off the island. Exerting his will so strongly, the periods ofdepression became fewer and shorter. 

But the silence and the utter absence of his own kind produced a markedeffect upon his character. He became graver, he thought more deeply uponserious things than his years warranted. The problem of his own identitywas often before him. Who was he? He was sure that Benjamin Hardy knew. Jacobus Huysman must know, too, and beyond a doubt Adrian Van Zoon did, else he would not try so hard to put him out of the way. And St. Lucmust have something to do with this coil. Why had the Frenchman reallypointed out to him the way of escape when he was a prisoner atTiconderoga? He turned these questions over and over and over in hismind, though always the answer evaded him. But he resolved to solve theproblem when he got back to the colonies and as soon as the great warwas over. It was perhaps typical of him that he should want his ownpersonal fortunes to wait upon the issue of the mighty struggle in whichhe was so deeply absorbed. 

Then his thoughts turned with renewed concentration to the war. Standingfar off in both mind and body, he was able to contemplate it as a wholeand also to see it in all its parts. And the more he looked at it thesurer he was that England and her colonies would succeed. Distance andperspective gave him confidence. The French generals and French soldiershad done wonders, nobody could be braver or more skilful than they, butthey could not prevail always against superior might and invincibletenacity. 

Sitting on the ground and looking at the white surf breaking on therocks, he ended the war in the way he wished. The French and Canada wereconquered completely and his own flag was victorious everywhere. Braddock's defeat and Ticonderoga were but incidents which could delaybut which could not prevent. 

But he did not spend too much time in reflection. He was too young forthat, and his years in the wilderness helped him to bear the burden ofbeing alone. Rifle on shoulder, he explored every part of the island, finding that his domain presented no great variety. There was muchforest, and several kinds of tropical fruits were for his taking, butquadruped life was limited, nothing larger than small rodents. Well-armed as he was, he would have preferred plenty of big game. Itwould have added spice to his life, much of which had been spent inhunting with Willet and Tayoga. Excitement might have been found infollowing bear or deer, but he knew too well ever to have expected themon an island in summer seas. 

There was some sport in fishing. Plenty of tackle had been found amongthe ship's stores, and he caught good fish in the larger lake. He alsotried deep sea fishing from the dinghy, but the big fellows bit so fastthat it soon ceased to be of interest. The fish, though, added freshnessand variety to his larder, and he also found shellfish, good andwholesome when eaten in small quantities, along the shore. 

He went often to the highest hill in the center of the island, where hewould spend long periods, examining the sea from horizon to horizon withhis strong glasses, searching vainly for a sail. He thought once ofkeeping a mighty bonfire burning every night, but he reconsidered itwhen he reflected on the character of the ship that it might draw. 

Both the Bahamas and the West Indies--he did not know in which group hewas--swarmed then with lawless craft. For nearly two hundred yearspiracy had been common, and in a time of war especially the chances wereagainst a ship being a friend. He decided that on the whole he wouldprefer a look at the rescuer before permitting himself to be rescued. 

The weather remained beautiful. He had been a month on the island, andthe sea had not been vexed by another storm since his arrival. Theschooner was still wedged in the sand and on the rocks, and he madeseveral more trips to her, taking off many more articles, which, however, he left in a heap well back of the beach covered with atarpaulin and the remains of sails. He felt that they could lie thereawaiting his need. Perhaps he would never need them at all. 

His later visits to the schooner were more from curiosity than from anyother motive. He had a strong desire to learn more about the captain andhis ship. There was no name anywhere upon the vessel, nor could he findany ship's log or manifest or any kind of writing to indicate it. Neither was the name of the slaver known to him, nor was there anyletter nor any kind of paper to disclose it. It was likely that it wouldalways remain hidden from him unless some day he should wrench it fromAdrian Van Zoon. 

Robert went into the sea nearly every morning. As he was a powerfulswimmer and the weather remained calm, he was in the habit of going outbeyond the reefs, but one day he noticed a fin cutting the water andcoming toward him. Instantly he swam with all his might toward thereefs, shivering as he went. When he drew himself up on the slipperyrocks he did not see the formidable fin. He was quite willing to utterdevout thanks aloud. It might not have been a shark, but it made himremember they were to be expected in those waters. After that he took nochances, bathing inside the reefs and going outside in the dinghy only. 

A few days later he was upon his highest hill watching the horizon whenhe saw a dark spot appear in the southwest. At first he was hopeful thatit was a sail, but as he saw it grow he knew it to be a cloud. Then hehurried toward the house, quite sure a storm was coming. Knowing how thesouthern seas were swept by hurricanes, it was surprising that none hadcome sooner, and he ran as fast as he could for the shelter of thehouse. 

Robert made the door just in time. Then the day had turned almost asdark as night and, with a rush and a roar, wind and rain were upon him. Evidently the slaver had known those regions, and so he had built ahouse of great strength, which, though it quivered and rattled under thesweep of the hurricane, nevertheless stood up against it. 

The building had several small windows, closed with strong shutters, butas wind and rain were driving from the west he was able to open one onthe eastern side and watch the storm. It was just such a hurricane asthat which had wrecked the shattered schooner. It became very dark, there were tremendous displays of thunder and lightning, which ceased, after a while, as the wind grew stronger, and then through the dark hesaw trees and bushes go down. Fragments struck against the house, butthe stout walls held. 

The wind kept up a continuous screaming, as full of menace as the crashof a battle. Part of the time it swept straight ahead, cutting wideswathes, and then, turning into balls of compressed air, it whirled withfrightful velocity, smashing everything level with the ground as if ithad been cut down by a giant sword. 

Robert had seen more than one hurricane in the great northern woods andhe watched it without alarm. Although the house continued to rattle andshake, and now and then a bough, wrenched from its trunk, struck it aheavy blow, he knew that it would hold. There was a certain comfort insitting there, dry and secure, while the storm raged without in all itsviolence. There was pleasure too in the knowledge that he was on theland and not the sea. He remembered the frightful passage that he andthe slaver had made through the breakers, and he knew that his escapethen had depended upon the slimmest of chances. He shuddered as herecalled the rocks thrusting out their savage teeth. 

The storm, after a while, sank into a steady rain, and the wind blew butlittle. The air was now quite cold for that region, and Robert, lyingdown on the couch, covered himself with a blanket. He soon fell asleepand slept so long, lulled by the beat of the rain, that he did notawaken until the next day. 

Then he took the dinghy and rowed around to the other side of theisland. As he had expected, the schooner was gone. The storm had brokenher up, and he found many of her timbers scattered along the beach, where they had been brought in by the waves. He felt genuine sadness atthe ship's destruction and disappearance. It was like losing a livingfriend. 

Fortunately, the tarpaulin and heavy sails with which he had covered hisheap of stores high up the beach, weighting them down afterward withhuge stones, had held. Some water had entered at the edges, but, as thegoods were of a kind that could not be damaged much, little harm wasdone. Again he resolved to preserve all that he had accumulated there, although he did not know that he would have any need of them. 

When he rowed back in the dinghy he saw a formidable fin cutting thewater again, and, laying down the oars, he took up the rifle which healways carried with him. He watched until the shark was almost on thesurface of the water, and then he sent a bullet into it. There was agreat splashing, followed by a disappearance, and he did not know justthen the effect of his shot, but a little later, when the huge body ofthe slain fish floated to the surface he felt intense satisfaction, ashe believed that it would have been a man-eater had it the chance. 

CHAPTER VIII

MAKING THE BEST OF IT

After his return in the dinghy Robert decided that he would have somefresh beef and also a little sport. Although the island contained noindigenous wild animals of any size, there were the wild cattle, and hehad seen they were both long of horn and fierce. If he courted peril hemight find it in hunting them, and in truth he rather wanted a littlerisk. There was such an absence of variety in his life, owing to thelack of human companionship, that an attack by a maddened bull, forinstance, would add spice to it. The rifle would protect him from anyextreme danger. 

He knew he was likely to find cattle near the larger lake, and, as hehad expected, he saw a herd of almost fifty grazing there on a flat atthe eastern edge. Two fierce old bulls with very long, sharp horns wereon the outskirts, as if they were mounting guard, while the cows andcalves were on the inside near the lake. 

Robert felt sure that the animals, although unharried by man, wouldprove wary. For the sake of sport he hoped that it would be so, and, using all the skill that he had learned in his long association withWillet and Tayoga, he crept down through the woods. The bulls would betoo tough, and as he wanted a fat young cow it would be necessary forhim to go to the very edge of the thickets that hemmed in the littlesavanna on which they were grazing. 

The wind was blowing from him toward the herd and the bulls very soontook alarm, holding up their heads, sniffing and occasionally shakingtheir formidable horns. Robert picked a fat young cow in the grassalmost at the water's edge as his target, but stopped a little while inorder to disarm the suspicion of the wary old guards. When the two wentback to their pleasant task of grazing he resumed his cautious advance, keeping the fat young cow always in view. 

Now that he had decided to secure fresh beef, he wanted it very badly, and it seemed to him that the cow would fulfill all his wants. A longexperience in the wilderness would show him how to prepare juicy andtender steaks. Eager to replenish his larder in so welcome a way, herose and crept forward once more in the thicket. 

The two bulls became suspicious again, the one on the right, which wasthe larger, refusing to have his apprehension quieted, and advancingpart of the way toward the bushes, where he stood, thrusting forwardangry horns. His attitude served as a warning for the whole herd, which, becoming alarmed, began to move. 

Robert was in fear lest they rush away in a panic, and so he took a longshot at the cow, bringing her down, but failing to kill her, as she roseafter falling and began to make off. Eager now to secure his game hedrew the heavy pistol that he carried at his belt, and, dropping hisrifle, rushed forward from the thicket for a second shot. 

The cow was not running fast. Evidently the wound was serious, butRobert had no mind for her to escape him in the thickets, and he pursuedher until he could secure good aim with the pistol. Then he fired andhad the satisfaction of seeing the cow fall again, apparently to staydown this time. 

But his satisfaction was short. He heard a heavy tread and an angrysnort beside him. He caught the gleam of a long horn, and as he whirledthe big bull was upon him. He leaped aside instinctively and escaped thethrust of the horn, but the bull whirled also, and the animal's heavyshoulder struck him with such force that he was knocked senseless. 

When Robert came to himself he was conscious of an aching body and anaching head, but he recalled little else at first. Then he rememberedthe fierce thrusts of the angry old bull, and he was glad that he wasalive. He felt of himself to see if one of those sharp horns had enteredhim anywhere, and he was intensely relieved to find that he had sufferedno wound. Evidently it had been a collision in which he had been thesufferer, and that he had fallen flat had been a lucky thing for him, asthe fierce bull had charged past him and had then gone on. 

Robert was compelled to smile sourly at himself. He had wanted theelement of danger as a spice for his hunting, and he had most certainlyfound it. He had been near death often, but never nearer than when theold bull plunged against him. He rose slowly and painfully, shookhimself several times to throw off as well as he could the effect of hisheavy jolt, then picked up his rifle at one point and his pistol atanother. 

The herd was gone, but the cow that he had chosen lay dead, and, as hercondition showed him that he had been unconscious not more than fiveminutes, there was his fresh beef after all. As his strength was fastreturning, he cut up and dressed the cow, an achievement in which a longexperience in hunting had made him an expert. He hung the quarters in adense thicket of tall bushes where vultures or buzzards could not get atthem, and took some of the tenderest steaks home with him. 

He broiled the steaks over a fine bed of coals in front of the house andate them with bread that he baked himself from the ship's flour. Heenjoyed his dinner and he was devoutly grateful for his escape. But howmuch pleasanter it would have been if Willet and Tayoga, those faithfulcomrades of many perils, were there with him to share it! He wonderedwhat they were doing. Doubtless they had hunted for him long, and theyhad suspected and sought to trace Garay, but the cunning spy doubtlesshad fled from Albany immediately after his capture. Willet and Tayoga, failing to find him, would join in the great campaign which the Britishand Americans would certainly organize anew against Canada. 

It was this thought of the campaign that was most bitter to Robert. Hewas heart and soul in the war, in which he believed mighty issues to beinvolved, and he had seen so much of it already that he wanted to be init to the finish. When these feelings were strong upon him it was almostintolerable to be there upon the island, alone and helpless. All theworld's great events were passing him by as if he did not exist. But theperiods of gloom would not last long. Despite his new gravity, hischeerful, optimistic spirit remained, and it always pulled him away fromthe edge of despair. 

Although he had an abundance of fresh meat, he went on a second hunt ofthe wild cattle in order to keep mind and body occupied. He wantedparticularly to find the big bull that had knocked him down, and he knewthat he would recognize him when he found him. He saw a herd grazing onthe same little savanna by the lake, but when he had stalked it withgreat care he found that it was not the one he wanted. 

A search deeper into the hills revealed another herd, but still thewrong one. A second day's search disclosed the right group grazing in asnug little valley, and there was the big bull who had hurt so sorelyhis body and his pride. A half hour of creeping in the marsh grass andthickets and he was within easy range. Then he carefully picked out thatspot on the bull's body beneath which his heart lay, cocked his rifle, took sure aim, and put his finger to the trigger. 

But Robert did not pull that trigger. He merely wished to show tohimself and to any invisible powers that might be looking on that hecould lay the bull in the dust if he wished. If he wanted revenge forgrievous personal injury it was his for the taking. But he did not wantit. The bull was not to blame. He had merely been defending his own froma dangerous intruder and so was wholly within his rights. 

"Now that I've held you under my muzzle you're safe from me, oldfellow, " were Robert's unspoken words. 

He felt that his dignity was restored and that, at the same time, hissense of right had been maintained. Elated, he went back to the houseand busied himself, arranging his possessions. They were so numerousthat he was rather crowded, but he was not willing to give up anything. One becomes very jealous over his treasures when he knows the source ofsupplies may have been cut off forever. So he rearranged them, trying tosecure for himself better method and more room, and he also gave them amore minute examination. 

In a small chest which he had not opened before he found, to his greatdelight, a number of books, all the plays of Shakespeare, several byBeaumont and Fletcher, others by Congreve and Marlowe, Monsieur Rollin'sAncient History, a copy of Telemachus, translations of the Iliad andOdyssey, Ovid, Horace, Virgil and other classics. Most of the bookslooked as if they had been read and he thought they might have belongedto the captain, but there was no inscription in any of them, and, on theother hand, they might have been taken from a captured ship. 

With plenty of leisure and a mind driven in upon itself, Robert now reada great deal, and, as little choice was left to him, he read books thathe might have ignored otherwise. Moreover, he thought well upon what heread. It seemed to him as he went over his Homer again and again thatthe gods were cruel. Men were made weak and fallible, and then they werepunished because they failed or erred. The gods themselves were not atall exempt from the sins, or, rather, mistakes for which they punishedmen. He felt this with a special force when he read his Ovid. Hethought, looking at it in a direct and straight manner, that Niobe had aright to be proud of her children, and for Apollo to slay them becauseof that pride was monstrous. 

His mind also rebelled at his Virgil. He did not care much for theelderly lover, Æneas, who fled from Carthage and Dido, and when Æneasand his band came to Italy his sympathies were largely with Turnus, whotried to keep his country and the girl that really belonged to him. Hewas quite sure that something had been wrong in the mind of Virgil andthat he ought to have chosen another kind of hero. 

Shakespeare, whom he had been compelled to read at school, he now readof his own accord, and he felt his romance and poetry. But he lingeredlonger over the somewhat prosy ancient history of Monsieur Rollin. Hisimaginative mind did not need much of a hint to attempt thereconstruction of old empires. But he felt that always in them too muchdepended upon one man. When an emperor fell an empire fell, when a kingwas killed a kingdom went down. 

He applied many of the lessons from those old, old wars to the great warthat was now raging, and he was confirmed in his belief that England andher colonies would surely triumph. The French monarchy, to judge fromall that he had heard, was now in the state of one of those old orientalmonarchies, decayed and rotten, spreading corruption from a poisonedcenter to all parts of the body. However brave and tenacious the Frenchpeople might be, and he knew that none were more so, he was sure theycould not prevail over the strength of free peoples like those whofought under the British flag, free to grow, whatever their faults mightbe. So, old Monsieur Rollin, who had brought tedium to many, broughtrefreshment and courage to Robert. 

But he did not bury himself in books. He had been a creature of actiontoo long for that. He hunted the wild cattle over the hills, and, nowand then, taking the dinghy he hunted the sharks also. Whenever he foundone he did not spare the bullets. His finger did not stop at thetrigger, but pulled hard, and he rarely missed. 

But in spite of reading and action, time dragged heavily. The oldloneliness and desolation would return and they were hard to dispel. Hecould not keep from crying aloud at the cruelty of fate. He was young, so vital, so intensely alive, so anxious to be in the middle of things, that it was torture to be held there. Yet he was absolutely helpless. Itwould be folly to attempt escape in the little dinghy, and he must waituntil a ship came. He would spend hours every day on the highest hill, watching the horizon through his glasses for a ship, and then, bitterwith disappointment, he would refuse to look again for a long time. 

Whether his mind was up or down its essential healthiness and sanityheld true. He always came back to the normal. Had he sought purposely todivest himself of hope he could not have done it. The ship was coming. Its coming was as certain as the rolling in of the tide, only one had towait longer for it. 

Yet time passed, and there was no sign of a sail on the horizon. Hisisland was as lonely as if it were in the South Seas instead of theAtlantic. He began to suspect that it was not really a member of anygroup, but was a far flung outpost visited but rarely. Perhaps the warand its doubling the usual dangers of the sea would keep a ship of anykind whatever from visiting it. He refused to let the thought remainwith him, suppressing it resolutely, and insisting to himself that sucha pleasant little island was bound to have callers some time or other, some day. 

But the weeks dragged by, and he was absolutely alone in his world. Hehad acquired so many stores from the schooner that life was comfortable. It even had a touch of luxury, and the struggle for existence was farfrom consuming all his hours. He found himself as time went on drivenmore and more upon his books, and he read them, as few have ever readanything, trying to penetrate everything and to draw from them the bestlessons. 

As a student, in a very real sense of the term, Robert became morereconciled to his isolation. His mind was broadening and deepening, andhe felt that it was so. Many things that had before seemed a puzzle tohim now became plain. He was compelled, despite his youth, to meditateupon life, and he resolved that when he took up its thread again amonghis kind he would put his new knowledge to the best of uses. 

He noted a growth of the body as well as of the mind. An abundant andvaried diet and plenty of rest gave him a great physical stimulus. Itseemed to him that he was taller, and he was certainly heavier. Wishingto profit to the utmost, and, having a natural neatness, he looked afterhimself with great care, bathing inside the reefs once every day, and, whether there was work to be done or not, taking plenty of exercise. 

He lost count of the days, but he knew that he was far into the autumn, that in truth winter must have come in his own and distant north. Thatthought at times was almost maddening. Doubtless the snow was alreadyfalling on the peaks that had seen so many gallant exploits by hiscomrades and himself, and on George and Champlain, the lakes sobeautiful and majestic under any aspect. Those were the regions heloved. When would he see them again? But such thoughts, too, he crushedand saw only the ship that was to take him back to his own. 

Some change in the weather came, and he was aware that the winter of thesouth was at hand. Yet it was not cold. There was merely a fresh sparklein the air, a new touch of crispness. Low, gray skies were a relief, after so much blazing sunshine, and the cool winds whipped his blood tonew life. The house had a fireplace and chimney and often he built a lowfire, not so much for the sake of warmth as for the cheer that thesparkling blaze gave. Then he could imagine that he was back in hisbeloved province of New York. Now the snow was certainly pouring downthere. The lofty peaks were hidden in clouds of white, and the ice wasforming around the edges of Andiatarocte and Oneadatote. Perhaps Willetand Tayoga were scouting in the snowy forests, but they must often hangover the blazing fires, too. 

The coldness without, the blaze on the hearth, and the warmth withinincreased his taste for reading and his comprehension seemed to growalso. He found new meanings in the classics and he became saturated alsowith style. His were the gifts of an orator, and it was often said inafter years, when he became truly great, that his speech, in words, inmetaphor and in illustration followed, or at least were influenced, bythe best models. Some people found in him traces of Shakespeare, thelofty imagery and poetry and the deep and wide knowledge of humanemotions, of life itself. Others detected the mighty surge of Homer, orthe flow of Virgil, and a few discerning minds found the wit shown inthe comedies of the Restoration, from which he had unconsciously pluckedthe good, leaving the bad. 

It is but a truth to say that every day he lived in these days he liveda week or maybe a month. The stillness, the utter absence of his kind, drove his mind inward with extraordinary force. He gained a breadth ofvision and a power of penetration of which he had not dreamed. Heacquired toleration, too. Looking over the recent events in his perilouslife, he failed to find hate for anybody. Perhaps untoward events hadturned the slaver into his evil career, and at the last he had shownsome good. The French were surely fighting for what they thought wastheir own, and they struck in order that they might not be struck. Tandakora himself was the creature of his circumstances. He hated thepeople of the English colonies, because they were spreading over theland and driving away the game. He was cruel because it was the Ojibwaynature to be cruel. He would have to fight Tandakora, but it was becauseconditions had made it necessary. 

His absorption as a student now made him forget often that he was alone, and there were long periods when he was not unhappy, especially when hewas trying to solve some abstruse mental problem. He regretted sometimesthat he did not have any book on mathematics, but perhaps it was as wellfor him that he did not. His mind turned more to the other side of life, to style, to poetry, to the imagination, and, now, as he was movingalong the line of least resistance, under singularly favorablecircumstances, he made extraordinary progress. 

Heavy winds came and Robert liked them. He had plenty of warm clothingand it pleased him to walk on the beach, his face whipped by the gale, and to watch the great waves come in. It made him stronger to fight thestorm. The response to its challenge rose in his blood. It was curious, but at such times his hope was highest. He stood up, defying the lash ofwind and rain, and felt his courage rise with the contest. Often, he ranup and down the beach until he was soaked through, letting the fiercewaves sweep almost to his feet, then he would go back to the house, change to dry clothing, and sleep without dreams. 

There was no snow, although he longed for it, as do those who are bornin northern regions. Once, when he stood on the crest of the tallesthill on the island, he thought he saw a few tiny flakes floating in theair over his head, but they were swept away by the wind, as if they weredown, and he never knew whether it was an illusion or reality. But hewas glad that it had happened. It gave him a fleeting touch of home, andhe could imagine once more, and, for a few seconds, that he was notalone on the island, but back in his province of New York, with hisfriends not far away. 

Then came several days of fierce and continuous cold rain, but he put onan oilskin coat that he found among the stores and spent much of thetime out of doors, hunting ducks along the edges of the larger lake, walking now and then for the sake of walking, and, on rare occasions, seeking the wild cattle for fresh meat. The herds were in the timbermost of the time for shelter, but he was invariably able to secure atender cow or a yearling for his larder. He saw the big bull often, and, although he was charged by him once again, he refused to pull trigger onthe old fellow. He preferred to look upon him as a friend whom he hadmet once in worthy combat, but with whom he was now at peace. When thebull charged him he dodged him easily among the bushes and called outwhimsically:

"Let it be the last time! I don't mean you any harm!"

The fierce leader went peacefully back to his grazing, and it seemed toRobert that he had been taken at his word. The old bull apparentlyrealized at last that he was in no danger from the human being who cameto look at him at times, and he also was willing to call a truce. Robertsaw him often after that, and invariably hailed him with words offriendship, though at a respectful distance. The old fellow would lookup, shake his big head once or twice in a manner not at all hostile, andthen go on peacefully with his grazing. It pleased Robert to think thatin the absence of his own kind he had a friend here, and--still at arespectful distance--he confided to him some of his opinions uponmatters of importance. He laughed at himself for doing so, but he wasaware that he found in it a certain relief, and he continued thepractice. 

The dinghy became one of his most precious possessions. A little fartherto the north he had found a creek that flowed down from the center ofthe island, rising among the hills. It was narrow and shallow, exceptnear the mouth, but there it had sufficient depth for the boat, and hemade of it a safe anchorage and port during the winter storms. He sleptmore easily now, as he knew that however hard the wind might blow therewas no danger of its being carried out to sea. He thought several timesof rigging a mast and sails for it and trying to make some other island, but he gave up the idea, owing to the smallness of the boat, and his owninexperience as a sailor. He was at least safe and comfortable where hewas, and a voyage of discovery or escape meant almost certain death. 

But he used the dinghy in calm weather for bringing back some of thestores that he had left on the other side of the island. The lighterarticles he brought by land. There was not room for all of them in thehouse, but he built a shed under which he placed those not of aperishable nature, and covered them over with the tarpaulin and sails. He still had the feeling that he must not lose or waste anything, because he knew that in the back of his head lay an apprehension lesthis time on the island should be long, very long. 

He kept in iron health. His life in the wilderness had taught him how totake care of himself, and, with an abundant and varied diet and plentyof exercise, he never knew a touch of illness. He did not forget to begrateful for it. A long association with Tayoga had taught him toremember these things. It might be true that he was being guarded bygood spirits. The white man's religion and the red man's differed onlyin name. His God and Tayoga's Manitou were the same, and the spirits ofthe Onondaga were the same as his angels of divine power and mercy. 

Often in the moonlight he looked up at the great star upon which Tayogasaid that Tododaho dwelled, that wise Onondaga chieftain who had goneaway to the skies four hundred years before. Once or twice he thought hecould see the face of Tododaho with the wise snakes, coil on coil in hishair, but, without his full faith, it was not given to him to have thefull vision of Tayoga. He found comfort, however, in the effort. It gavenew strength to the spirit, and, situated as he was, it was his soul, not his body, that needed fortifying. 

He decided that Christmas was near at hand, and he decided to celebrateit. With the count of time lost it was impossible for him to know theexact day, but he fixed upon one in his mind, and resolved to use itwhether right or wrong in date. The mere fact that he celebrated itwould make it right in spirit. It might be the 20th or the 30th ofDecember, but if he chose to call it the 25th, the 25th it would be. Endowed so liberally with fancy and with such a power of projecting themind, it was easy for him to make believe, to turn imagination intoreality. And this power was heightened by his loneliness and isolation, and by the turning in of his mind so tremendously upon itself. 

After the thought of a Christmas dinner was struck out by his fancy itgrew fast, and he made elaborate preparations. Ducks were shot, ayearling from the wild cattle was killed, the stores from the ship weredrawn upon liberally, and he even found among them a pudding which couldyet be made savory. Long experience had made him an excellent cook andhe attended to every detail in the most thorough manner. 

The dinner set, he arrayed himself in the finest clothes to be found inhis stock, and then, when all was ready, he sat down to his improvisedboard. But there was not one plate alone, there were four, one forWillet opposite him, one for Tayoga at his right hand and one forGrosvenor at his left. And for every thing he ate he placed at least asmall portion on every plate, while with unspoken words he talked withthese three friends of his. 

It was a dark day, very cold and raw for the island, and while there wasno Christmas snow there was a cold rain lashing the windows that couldvery well take its place. A larger fire than usual, crackling andcheerful, was blazing on the hearth, throwing the red light of itsflames over the table, and the three places where his invisible friendssat. 

His power of evocation was so vivid and intense that he could very wellsay that he saw his comrades around the table. There was Willet big, grave and wise, but with the lurking humor in the corner of his eye, there was Tayoga, lean, calm, inscrutable, the young philosopher of thewoods and the greatest trailer in the world, and there was Grosvenor, ruddy, frank, tenacious, eager to learn all the lore of the woods. Yes, he could see them and he was glad that he was serving Christmas food tothem as well as to himself. Willet loved wild duck and so he gave him anextra portion. Tayoga was very partial to cakes of flour and so he gavehim a double number, and Grosvenor, being an Englishman, must love beef, so he helped him often to steak. 

It was fancy, but fancy breeds other and stronger fancies, and thefeeling that it was all reality grew upon him. Dreams are of thin andfragile texture, but they are very vivid while they last. Of courseWillet, Tayoga and Grosvenor were there, and when the food was allserved, course by course, he filled four glasses, one at each plate, from a bottle of the old cordial that he had saved from the ship, liftedhis own to his lips, tasted it and said aloud:

"To the victory of our cause under the walls of Quebec!"

Then he shut his eyes and when he shut them he saw the three tastingtheir own glasses, and he heard them say with him:

"To the victory of our cause under the walls of Quebec!"

CHAPTER IX

THE VOICE IN THE AIR

Robert slept long and peacefully the night after his Christmas dinner, and, when he rose the next morning, he felt more buoyant and hopefulthan for days past. The celebration had been a sort of anchor to hisspirit, keeping him firm against any tide of depression that in hissituation might well have swept him toward despair. As he recalled itthe day after, Tayoga, Willet and Grosvenor were very vivid figures athis table, sitting opposite him, and to right and left. They hadresponded to his toast, he had seen the flash in their eyes, and theirtones were resonant with hope and confidence. It was clear they hadmeant to tell him that rescue was coming. 

He accepted these voices out of the distance as definite and real. Itcould not be long until he saw the hunter, the Onondaga and the youngEnglishman once more. His lonely life caused him, despite himself, tolend a greater belief to signs and omens. Tayoga was right when hepeopled the air with spirits, and most of the spirits on that islandmust be good spirits, since all things, except escape, had been madeeasy for him, house, clothes, food and safety. 

The day itself was singularly crisp and bright, inciting to furthercheerfulness. It was also the coldest he had yet felt on the island, having a northern tang that stirred his blood. He could shut his eyesand see the great forests, not in winter, but as they were in autumn, glowing in many colors, and with an air that was the very breath oflife. The sea also sang a pleasant song as it rolled in and broke on therocks, and Robert, looking around at his island, felt that he could havefared far worse. 

Rifle on shoulder he went off for a long and brisk walk, and his stepsunconsciously took him, as they often did, toward the high hill in thecenter of the island, a crest that he used as a lookout. On his way hepassed his friend, the old bull, grazing in a meadow, and, watching hisherd, like the faithful guardian he was. Robert called to himcheerfully. The big fellow looked up, shook his horns, not in hostilefashion but in the manner of comrade saluting comrade, and then wentback, with a whole and confident heart, to his task of nipping thegrass. Robert was pleased. It was certain that the bull no longerregarded him with either fear or apprehension, and he wanted to beliked. 

It was nearly noon when he reached his summit, and as he was warm fromexercise he sat down on a rock, staying there a long time and scouringthe horizon now and then through the glasses. The sea was a circle ofblazing blue, and the light wind sang from the southwest. 

He had brought food with him and in the middle of the day he ate it. With nothing in particular to do he thought he would spend the afternoonthere, and, making himself comfortable, he waited, still takingoccasional glances through the glasses. While he sat, idling more thananything else, his mind became occupied with Tayoga's theory of spiritsin the air--less a theory however than the religious belief of theIndians. 

He wanted to believe that Tayoga was right, and his imagination was sovivid and intense that what he wished to believe he usually ended bybelieving. He shut his eyes and tested his power of evocation. He knewthat he could create feeling in any part of his body merely byconcentrating his mind upon that particular part of it and by continuingto think of it. Physical sensation even came from will. So he wouldimagine that he heard spirits in the air all about him, not anythingweird or hostile, but just kindly people of the clouds and winds, suchas those created by the old Greeks. 

Fancying that he heard whispers about him and resolved to hear them, heheard them. If a powerful imagination wanted to create whispers it couldcreate them. The spirits of the air, Tayoga's spirits, the spirits ofold Hellas, were singing in either ear, and the song, like that of thesea, like the flavor breathed out by his Christmas celebration, was fullof courage, alive with hope. 

He had kept his eyes closed a full half hour, because, with sight shutoff, the other senses became much more acute for the time. The powerthat had been in the eyes was poured into their allies. Imagination, inparticular, leaped into a sudden luxuriant growth. It was true, ofcourse it was quite true, that those friendly spirits of the air weresinging all about him. They were singing in unison a gay and brilliantsong, very pleasant to hear, until he was startled by a new note thatcame into it, a note not in harmony with the others, the voice ofCassandra herself. He listened and he was sure. Beyond a doubt it was anote of warning. 

Robert opened his eyes and everything went away. There was the pleasant, green island, and there was the deep blue sea all about it. He laughedto himself. He was letting imagination go too far. One could makebelieve too much. He sat idly a few minutes and then, putting theglasses to his eyes, took another survey of the far horizon where bluesky and blue water met. He moved the focus slowly around the circle, andwhen he came to a point in the east he started violently, then sprang tohis feet, every pulse leaping. 

He had seen a tiny black dot upon the water, one that broke thecontinuity of the horizon line, and, for a little while, he was tooexcited to look again. He stood, the glasses in his trembling fingersand stared with naked eyes that he knew could not see. After a while heput the glasses back and then followed the horizon. He was afraid thatit was an illusion, that his imagination had become too vivid, creatingfor him the thing that was not, and now that he was a little calmer hemeant to put it to the proof. 

He moved the glasses slowly from north to east, following the line wheresky and water met, and then the hands that held them trembled again. There was the black spot, a trifle larger now, and, forcing his nervesto be calm, he stared at it a long time, how long he never knew, butlong enough for him to see it grow and take form and shape, for theinfinitesimal but definite outline of mast, sails and hull to emerge, and then for a complete ship to be disclosed. 

The ship was coming toward the island. The increase in size told himthat. It was no will-o'-the-wisp on the water, appearing a moment, thengone, foully cheating his hopes. If she kept her course, and there wasno reason why she should not, she would make the island. He had no doubtfrom the first that a landing there was its definite purpose, mostlikely for water. 

When he took the glasses from his eyes the second time he gave way tojoy. Rescue was at hand. The ship, wherever she went, would take him tosome place where human beings lived, and he could go thence to his owncountry. He would yet be in time to take part in the great campaignagainst Quebec, sharing the dangers and glory with Willet, Tayoga, Grosvenor and the others. The spirits in the air had sung to him a truesong, when his eyes were shut, and, in his leaping exultation, he forgotthe warning note that had appeared in their song, faint, almost buried, but nevertheless there. 

He put the glasses to his eyes a third time. The ship was tacking, butthat was necessary, and it was just as certain as ever that herdestination was the island. Owing to the shifts and flaws in the wind itwould be night before she arrived, but that did not matter to him. Having waited months he could wait a few hours longer. Likely as not shewas an English ship out of the Barbadoes, bound for the Carolinas. Hemust be somewhere near just such a course. Or, maybe she was a colonialschooner, one of those bold craft from Boston. There was a certainluxury in speculating on it, and in prolonging a doubt which wouldcertainly be solved by midnight, and to his satisfaction. It was notoften that in real life one looked at a play bound to develop within agiven time to a dramatic and satisfying finish. 

He remained on the crest until late in the afternoon, watching the shipas she tacked with the varying winds, but, in the end, always bearingtoward the island. He was quite sure now that her arrival would be afterdark. She would come through the opening in the reefs that he and theslaver had made so hardly in the storm, but on the night bound to followsuch a day it would be as easy as entering a drawing room, with thedoors held open, and the guest made welcome. He would be there to givethe welcome. 

He was able to see more of the ship now. As he had surmised, she was aschooner, apparently very trim and handled well. Doubtless she was fast. The faster the better, because he was eager to get back to the provinceof New York. 

Late in the afternoon, he left the hill and went swiftly back to hishouse, where he ate an early supper in order that he might be on thebeach to give welcome to the guest, and perhaps lend some helpful adviceabout making port. There was none better fitted than he. He was theoldest resident of the island. Nobody could be jealous of his positionas adviser to the arriving vessel. 

This was to be a great event in his life, and it must be carried out inthe proper manner with every attention to detail. He put on the uniformof an English naval officer that he had found on the ship, and thenrifle on shoulder and small sword in belt went through the forest towardthe inlet. 

The night was bright and beautiful, just fitted for a rescue, and anescape from an island. All the stars had come out to see it, and, withhis head very high, he trod lightly as he passed among the trees, approaching the quiet beach. Before he left the wood he saw the top ofthe schooner's mast showing over a fringe of bushes. Evidently she hadanchored outside the reefs and was sending in a boat to look further. Well, that was fit and proper, and his advice and assistance would bemost timely. 

The wind rose a little and it sang a lilting melody among the leaves. His imagination, alive and leaping, turned it into the song of atroubadour, gay and welcoming. Tayoga's spirits were abroad again, filling the air in the dusk, their favorite time, and he rejoiced, untilhe suddenly heard once more that faint note of warning, buried underthe volume of the other, but nevertheless there. 

Alone, driven in upon himself for so many months, he was a creature ofmysticism that night. What he imagined he believed, and, obedient to thewarning, he drew back. All the caution of the northern wildernessreturned suddenly to him. He was no longer rushing forward to make awelcome for guests awaited eagerly. He would see what manner of peoplecame before he opened the door. Putting the rifle in the hollow of hisarm he crept forward through the bushes. 

A large boat was coming in from the schooner, and the bright moonlightenabled him to see at first glance that the six men who sat in it werenot men of Boston. Nor were they men of England. They were too dark, andthree of them had rings in their ears. 

Perhaps the schooner was a French privateer, wishing to make a secretlanding, and, if so, he had done well to hold back. He had no mind to betaken a prisoner to France. The French were brave, and he would not beill-treated, but he had other things to do. He withdrew a little fartherinto the undergrowth. The door of welcome was open now only a fewinches, and he was peering out at the crack, every faculty alive andready to take the alarm. 

The boat drew closer, grounded on the beach, and the men, leaping out, dragged it beyond the reach of the low waves that were coming in. Then, in a close group, they walked toward the forest, looking aboutcuriously. They were armed heavily, and every one of them had a drawnweapon in his hand, sword or pistol. Their actions seemed to Robertthose of men who expected a stranger, as a matter of course, to be anenemy. Hence, they were men whose hands were against other men, and soalso against young Robert Lennox, who had been alone so long, and whocraved so much the companionship of his kind. 

He drew yet deeper into the undergrowth and taking the rifle out of thehollow of his arm held it in both hands, ready for instant use. The mencame nearer, looking along the edge of the forest, perhaps for water, and, as he saw them better, he liked them less. The apparent leader wasa short, broad fellow of middle years, and sinister face, with huge goldrings in his ears. All of them were seamed and scarred and to Roberttheir looks were distinctly evil. 

The door of welcome suddenly shut with a snap, and he meant to bar it onthe inside if he could. His instinct gave him an insistent warning. These men must not penetrate the forest. They must not find his houseand treasures. Fortunately the dinghy was up the creek, hidden underoverhanging boughs. But the event depended upon chance. If they foundquickly the water for which they must be looking, they might take it andleave with the schooner before morning. He devoutly hoped that it wouldbe so. The lad who had been so lonely and desolate an hour or twobefore, longing for the arrival of human beings, was equally eager, nowthat they had come, that they should go away. 

The men began to talk in some foreign tongue, Spanish or Portuguese or aLevantine jargon, perhaps, and searched assiduously along the edges ofthe forest. Robert, lurking in the undergrowth, caught the word "aqua"or "agua, " which he knew meant water, and so he was right in his surmiseabout their errand. There was a fine spring about two hundred yardsfarther on, and he hoped they would soon stumble upon it. 

All his skill as a trailer, though disused now for many months, cameback to him. He was able to steal through the grass and bushes withoutmaking any noise and to creep near enough to hear the words they said. They went half way to the spring, then stopped and began to talk. Robertwas in fear lest they turn back, and a wider search elsewhere wouldsurely take them to his house. But the men were now using English. 

"There should be water ahead, " said the swart leader. "We're going downinto a dip, and that's just the place where springs are found. "

Another man, also short and dark, urged that they turn back, but theleader prevailed. 

"There must be water farther on, " he said. "I was never on this islandbefore, neither were you, José, but it's not likely the trees and busheswould grow so thick down there if plenty of water didn't soak theirroots. "

He had his way and they went on, with Robert stalking them on a parallelline in the undergrowth, and now he knew they would find the water. Thespirit of the island was watching over its own, and, by giving them whatthey wanted at once, would send these evil characters away. The leaderuttered a shout of triumph when he saw the water gleaming through thetrees. 

"I told you it was here, didn't I, José?" he said. "Trust me, a sailorthough I am, to read the lay of the land. "

The spring as it ran from under a rock formed a little pool, and all ofthe men knelt down, drinking with noise and gurglings. Then the leaderwalked back toward the beach, and fired both shots from adouble-barreled pistol into the air. Robert judged that it was a signal, probably to indicate that they had found water. Presently a second andlarger boat, containing at least a dozen men, put out from the schooner. A third soon followed and both brought casks which were filled at thespring and which they carried back to the ship. 

Robert, still and well hidden, watched everything, and he was glad thathe had obeyed his instinct not to trust them. He had never seen a crewmore sinister in looks, not even on the slaver, and they were probablypirates. They were a jumble of all nations, and that increased hissuspicion. So mixed a company, in a time of war, could be broughttogether only for evil purposes. 

It was hard for him to tell who was the captain, but the leader who hadfirst come ashore seemed to have the most authority, although nearly alldid about as they pleased to the accompaniment of much talk and manyoaths. Still they worked well at filling the water casks, and Roberthoped they would soon be gone. Near midnight, however, one of the boatscame back, loaded with food, and kegs and bottles of spirits. His heartsank. They were going to have a feast or an orgie on the beach and theday would be sure to find them there. Then they might conclude toexplore the island, or at least far enough to find his house. 

They dragged up wood, lighted a fire, warmed their food and ate anddrank, talking much, and now and then singing wild songs. Robert knewwith absolute certainty that this was another pirate ship, a rover ofthe Gulf or the Caribbean, hiding among the islands and preying uponanything not strong enough to resist her. 

The men filled him with horror and loathing. The light of the flamesfell on their faces and heightened the evil in them, if that werepossible. Several of them, drinking heavily of the spirits, were alreadyin a bestial state, and were quarreling with one another. The otherspaid no attention to them. There was no discipline. 

Apparently they were going to make a night of it, and Robert watched, fascinated by the first sight of his own kind in many months, butrepelled by their savagery when they had come. Some of the men fell downbefore the fires and went to sleep. The others did not awaken them, which he took to be clear proof that they would remain until the nextday. 

A drop of water fell on his face and he looked up. He had been there solong, and he was so much absorbed in what was passing before his eyesthat he had not noted the great change in the nature of the night. Moonand stars were gone. Heavy clouds were sailing low. Thunder muttered onthe western horizon, and there were flashes of distant lightning. 

Hope sprang up in Robert's heart. Perhaps the fear of a storm woulddrive them to the shelter of the ship, but they did not stir. Eitherthey did not dread rain, or they were more weatherwise than he. Theorgie deepened. Two of the men who were quarreling drew pistols, but theswart leader struck them aside, and spoke to them so fiercely that theyput back their weapons, and, a minute later, Robert saw them drinkingtogether in friendship. 

The storm did not break. The wind blew, and, now and then, drops of rainfell, but it did not seem able to get beyond the stage of thunder andlightning. Yet it tried hard, and it became, even to Robert, used to thevagaries of nature, a grim and sinister night. The thunder, in itssteady growling, was full of menace, and the lightning, reddish incolor, smelled of sulphur. It pleased Robert to think that the islandwas resenting the evil presence of the men from the schooner. 

The ruffians, however, seemed to take no notice of the change. It waslikely that they had not been ashore for a long time before, and theywere making the most of it. They continued to eat and the bottles ofspirits were passed continuously from one to another. Robert had heardmany a dark tale of piracy on the Spanish Main and among the islands, but he had never dreamed he would come into such close contact with itas he was now doing for the second time. 

He knew it was lucky for the men that the storm did not break. Theschooner in her position would be almost sure to drag her anchor andthen would drive on the rocks, but they seemed to have no apprehensions, and, it was quite evident now, that they were not going back to thevessel until the next day. The ghastly quality of the night increased, however. The lightning flared so much and it was so red that it wasuncanny, it even had a supernatural tinge, and the sullen rumbling ofthe distant thunder added to it. 

The effect upon Robert, situated as he was and alone for many months, was very great. Something weird, something wild and in touch with thestorm that threatened but did not break, crept into his own blood. Hewas filled with hatred and contempt of the men who caroused there. Hewondered what crimes they had committed on those seas, and he had notthe least doubt that the list was long and terrible. He ought to be anavenging spirit. He wished intensely that Tayoga was with him in thebush. The Onondaga would be sure to devise some plan to punish them orto fill them with fear. He felt at that moment as if he belonged to asuperior race or order, and would like to stretch forth his hand andstrike down those who disgraced their kind. 

The swart leader at last took note of the skies and their sinisteraspect. Robert saw him walking back and forth and looking up. More thanhalf of his men were stretched full length, either asleep or in astupor, but some of the others stood, and glanced at the skies. Robertthought he saw apprehension in their eyes, or at least his imaginationput it there. 

A wild and fantastic impulse seized him. These men were children of thesea, superstitious, firm believers in omens, and witchcraft, ready tosee the ghosts of the slain, all the more so because they were stainedwith every crime, then committed so freely under the black flag. He hadmany advantages, too. He was a master of woodcraft, only theirwilderness was that of the waters. 

He gave forth the long, melancholy hoot of the owl, and he did it sowell that he was surprised at his own skill. The note, full ofdesolation and menace, seemed to come back in many echoes. He saw theswart leader and the men with him start and look fearfully toward theforest that curved so near. Then he saw them talking together and gazingat the point from which the sound had come. Perhaps they were trying topersuade themselves the note was only fancy. 

Robert laughed softly to himself. He was pleased, immensely pleased withhis experiment. His fantastic mood grew. He was a spirit of the woodshimself; one of those old fauns of the Greeks, and he was really thereto punish the evil invaders of his island. His body seemed to grow lightwith his spirit and he slid away among the trees with astonishing ease, as sure of foot and as noiseless as Tayoga himself. Then the owl gaveforth his long, lonely cry with increased volume and fervor. It was anote filled with complaint and mourning, and it told of the desolationthat overspread a desolate world. 

Robert knew now that the leader and his men were disturbed. He couldtell it by the anxious way in which they watched the woods, and, glidingfarther around the circle, he sent forth the cry a third time. He wasquite sure that he had made a further increase in its desolation andmenace, and he saw the swart leader and his men draw together as if theywere afraid. 

The owl was not the only trick in Robert's trade. His ambition took awide sweep and fancy was fertile. He had aroused in these men the fearof the supernatural, a dread that the ghosts of those whom they hadmurdered had come back to haunt or punish them. He had been an apt pupilof Tayoga before the slaver came to Albany, and now he meant to show theruffians that the owl was not the only spirit of fate hovering overthem. 

The deep growl of a bear came from the thicket, not the growl of anordinary black bear, comedian of the forest, but the angry rumble ofsome great ursine beast of which the black bear was only a dwarf cousin. Then he moved swiftly to another point and repeated it. 

He heard the leader cursing and trying to calm the fears of the menwhile it was evident that his own too were aroused. The fellow suddenlydrew a pistol and fired a bullet into the forest. Robert heard itcutting the leaves near him. But he merely lay down and laughed. Hisfantastic impulse was succeeding in more brilliant fashion than he hadhoped. 

Imitating their leader, six or eight of the men snatched out pistols andfired at random into the woods. The cry of a panther, drawn out, long, full of ferocity and woe, plaintive on its last note, like the hauntinglament of a woman, was their answer. He heard a gasp of fear from themen, but the leader, of stauncher stuff, cowed them with his curses. 

Robert moved back on his course, and then gave forth the shrill, fierceyelp of the hungry wolf, dying into an angry snarl. It was, perhaps, amore menacing note than that of the larger animals, and he plainly sawthe ruffians shiver. He was creating in them the state of mind that hewanted, and his spirits flamed yet higher. All things seemed possible tohim in his present mood. 

He moved once more and then lay flat in the dense bushes. He fanciedthat the pirates would presently fire another volley into the shadows, and, in a moment of desperate courage, might even come into the forest. His first thought was correct, as the leader told off the steadier men, and, walking up and down in front of the forest, they raked it for aconsiderable distance with pistol shots. All of them, of course, passedwell over Robert's head, and as soon as they finished he went back tohis beginnings, giving forth the owl's lament. 

He heard the leader curse more fiercely than ever before, and he sawseveral of the men who had been pulling trigger retreat to the fire. Itwas evident to him that the terror of the thing was entering theirsouls. The night itself, as if admiring his plan, was lending him thegreatest possible aid. The crimson lightning never ceased to quiver andthe sullen rumble of the distant thunder was increasing. It was easyenough for men, a natural prey to superstition, and, with the memoriesof many crimes, to believe that the island was haunted, that the ghostsof those they had slain were riding the lightning, and that demons, taking the forms of animals, were waiting for them in the bushes. 

But the swart leader was a man of courage and he still held his ruffianstogether. He cursed them fiercely, told them to stand firm, to reloadtheir pistols and to be ready for any danger. Those who still slumberedby the fire were kicked until they awoke, and, with something of acommander's skill, the man drew up his besotted band against the mysticdangers that threatened so closely. 

But Robert produced a new menace. He was like one inspired that night. The dramatic always appealed to him and his success stimulated him tonew histrionic efforts. He had planted in their minds the terror ofanimals, now he would sow the yet greater terror of human beings, knowing well that man's worst and most dreaded enemy was man. 

He uttered a deep groan, a penetrating, terrible groan, the wail of asoul condemned to wander between the here and the hereafter, a cry fromone who had been murdered, a cry that would doubtless appeal to everyone of the ruffians as the cry of his own particular victim. The effectwas startling. The men uttered a yell of fright, and started in a panicrun for the boats, but the leader threatened them with his leveledpistol and stopped them, although the frightful groan came a secondtime. 

"There's nothing in the bush!" Robert heard him say. "There can't be!The place has no people and we know there are no big wild animals on theislands in these seas! It's some freak of the wind playing tricks withus!"

He held his men, though they were still frightened, and to encouragethem and to prove that no enemy, natural or supernatural, was near, heplunged suddenly into the bushes to see the origin of the terrifyingsounds. His action was wholly unexpected, and chance brought him to thevery point where Robert was. The lad leaped to his feet and the piratesprang back aghast, thinking perhaps that he had come face to face witha ghost. Then with a snarl of malignant anger he leveled the pistol thathe held in his hand. But Robert struck instantly with his clubbedrifle, and his instinctive impulse was so great that he smote withtremendous force. The man was caught full and fair on the head, and, reeling back from the edge of the bushes in which they stood, fell deadin the open, where all his men could see. 

It was enough. The demons, the ghosts that haunted them for theircrimes, were not very vocal, but they struck with fearful power. Theyhad smitten down the man who tried to keep them on their island, andthey were not going to stay one second longer. There was a combined yellof horror, the rush of frightened feet, and, reaching their boats, theyrowed with all speed for the schooner, leaving behind them the body oftheir dead comrade. 

Robert, awed a little by his own success in demonology, watched untilthey climbed on board the ship, drawing the boats after them. Then theyhoisted the anchor, made sail, and presently he saw the schooner tackingin the wind, obviously intending to leave in all haste that terribleplace. 

She became a ghost ship, a companion to the _Flying Dutchman_, outlinedin red by the crimson lightning that still played at swift intervals. Now she turned to the color of blood, and the sea on which she swam wasa sea of blood. Robert watched her until at last, a dim, red haze, shepassed out of sight. Then he turned and looked at the body of the manwhom he had slain. 

He shuddered. He had never intended to take the leader's life. Fiveminutes before it occurred he would have said such a thing wasimpossible. It was merely the powerful impulse of self-protection thathad caused him to strike with such deadly effect, and he was sorry. Theman, beyond all doubt, was a robber and murderer who had forfeited hislife a dozen times, and still he was sorry. It was a tragedy to him totake the life of any one, no matter how evil the fallen might be. 

He went back to the house, brought a shovel, one of the numerous ship'sstores, and buried the body at once high up the beach where the greatestwaves could not reach it and wash it away. He did his task to the rumbleof thunder and the flash of lightning, but, when he finished it, dawncame and then the storm that had threatened but that had never burstpassed away. He felt, though, that it had not menaced him. To him it wasa good storm, kindly and protecting, and giving sufficient help in hispurpose that had succeeded so well. 

It was a beautiful day, the air crisp with as much winter as the islandever knew, and shot with the beams from a brilliant sun, but Robert wasexhausted. He had passed through a night of intense emotions, various, every one of them poignant, and he had made physical and mental effortsof his own that fairly consumed the nerves. He felt as if he could liedown and sleep for a year, that it would take at least that long tobuild up his body and mind as they were yesterday. 

He dragged himself through the woods, forced his unwilling muscles tocook a breakfast which he ate. Then he laid himself down on his bed, hisnerves now quiet, and fell asleep at once. When he awoke it was nightand he lay giving thanks for his great escape until he slept again. Whenhe awoke a second time day had returned, and, rising, he went about hisusual tasks with a light heart. 

CHAPTER X

THE SLOOP OF WAR

Robert ate a light breakfast and went out to look at his domain, nowunsullied. What a fine, trim, clean island it was! And how desirable tobe alone on it, when the Gulf and the Caribbean produced only suchvisitors as those who had come two nights before! He looked toward thelittle bay, fearing to see the topmast of the schooner showing its tipover the trees, but the sky there, an unbroken blue, was fouled by nosuch presence. He was rid of the pirates--and forever he hoped. 

It seemed to him that he had passed through an epic time, one of thegreat periods of his life. He wondered now how he had been able to carryout such a plan, how he had managed to summon up courage and resourcesenough, and he felt that the good spirits of earth and air and watermust have been on his side. They had fought for him and they had won forhim the victory. 

He shouldered his rifle and strolled through the woods toward the beach. He had never noticed before what a fine forest it was. The trees werenot as magnificent as those of the northern wilderness, but they had abeauty very peculiarly their own, and they were his. There was not asingle other claimant to them anywhere in the world. 

It was a noble beach too, smooth, sloping, piled with white sand, gleaming now in the sun, and the little frothy waves that ran up it andlapped at his feet, like puppies nibbling, were just the friendliestfrothy little waves in the world. But there were the remains of the fireleft by the ruffians to defile it, and broken bottles and broken foodwere scattered about. The litter hurt his eyes so much that he gatheredup every fragment, one by one, and threw them into the sea. When thelast vestige of the foul invasion was cleared away he felt that he hadhis lonely, clean island back again, and he was happy. 

He strolled up and down the glistening beach, feeling a great content. After a while, he threw off his clothes and swam in the invigoratingsea, keeping well inside the white line of the breakers, in those watersinto which the sharks did not come. When he had sunned himself again onthe sand he went to the creek, took his dinghy from the bushes, where ithad been so well hidden, and rowed out to sea, partly to feel the springof the muscles in his arms, and partly to sit off at a distance and lookat his island. Surely if one had to be cast away that was the veryisland on which he would choose to be cast! Not too big! Not too hot!And not too cold! Without savage man or savage beasts, but with plentyof wild cattle for the taking, and good fish in the lakes, and in theseas about it. Plenty of stores of all kinds from the slaver's schooner, even books to read. So far from being unfortunate he was one of thelucky. A period of retirement from the companionship of his own kindmight be trying on the spirit, but it also meant meditation and mentalgrowth. 

His joy over the departure of the pirates was so great and histemperament was such that he felt a mighty revulsion of the spirits. Hehad a period of extravagant elation. He took off his cap and saluted hisisland. He made little speeches of glowing compliment to it, he calledit the pearl of its kind, the choicest gem of the Gulf or the Caribbean, and, if pirates came again while he was there, he would drive them awayonce more with the aid of the good spirits. 

He rowed back, hid his boat in the old covert among the bushes at theedge of the creek, and, rifle on shoulder, started through the foresttoward his peak of observation. On the way, he passed the lake and sawthe herd of wild cattle grazing there, the old bull at its head. The bigfellow, assured now by use and long immunity, cocked his head on oneside and regarded him with a friendly eye. But the bull had a terriblesurprise. He heard the sharp ping of a rifle and a fearful yell. Then hesaw a figure capering in wild gyrations, and thinking that this humanbeing whom he had learned to trust must have gone mad, he forgot to beangry, but was very much frightened. Enemies he could fight, but madcreatures he dreaded, and, bellowing hoarsely to his convoy, as asignal, he took flight, all of them following him, their tails streamingstraight out behind them, so fast they ran. 

Robert leaped and danced as long as one of them was in sight. When thelast streaming tail had disappeared in the bushes he sobered down. Herealized that he had given his friend, the bull, a great shock. In away, he had been guilty of a breach of faith, and he resolved toapologize to him in some fashion the next time they met. Yet he had beenso exultant that it was impossible not to show it, and he was only a ladin years. 

When he reached the crest of his peak he scanned the sea on all sides. Eagerly as he had looked before for a sail he now looked to see thatthere was none. Around and around the circle of the horizon his eyestraveled, and when he assured himself that no blur broke the bright lineof sea and sky his heart swelled with relief. 

In a day or so, his mind became calm and his thoughts grew sober. Thenhe settled down to his studies. The battle of life occupied only a smallportion of his time, and he resolved to put the hours to the best use. He pored much over Shakespeare, the other Elizabethans and the KingJames Bible, a copy of which was among the books. It was his intentionto become a lawyer, an orator, and if possible a statesman. He knew thathe had the gift of speech. His mind was full of thoughts and wordsalways crowded to his lips. It was easy enough for him to speak, but hemust speak right. The thoughts he wished to utter must be clothed in theright kind of words arranged in the right way, and he resolved that itshould be so. 

The way in which men thought and the way in which their thoughts wereput in the Bible and the great Elizabethans fascinated him. That was theway in which he would try to think, and the way in which he would try toput his thoughts. So he recited the noble passages over and over again, he memorized many of them, and he listened carefully to himself as hespoke them, alike for the sense and the music and power of the words. 

It was then perhaps that he formed the great style for which he was sofamous in after years. His vocabulary became remarkable for its range, flexibility and power, and he developed the art of selection. His rivalseven were used to say of him that he always chose the best word. Helearned there on the island that language was not given to man merelythat he might make a noise, but that he might use it as a great marksmanuses a rifle. 

Work and study together filled his days. They kept far from him also anyfeeling of despair. He had an abiding faith that a ship of the rightkind would come in time and take him away. He must not worry about it. It was his task now to fit himself for the return, to prove to hisfriends when he saw them once more that all the splendid opportunitiesoffered to him on the island had not been wasted. 

Almost unconsciously, he began to reason more deeply, to look furtherinto the causes of things, and his mind turned particularly to thepresent war. The more he thought about it the greater became hisconviction that England and the colonies were bound to win. Courage andnumbers, resources and tenacity must prevail even over great initialmistakes. Duquesne and Ticonderoga would be brushed away as mere eventsthat had no control over destiny. 

He remembered Bigot's ball in Quebec that Willet and Tayoga and he hadattended. It came before him again almost as vivid as reality. Herealized now in the light of greater age and experience how it typifieddecadence. A power that was rotten at the top, where the brain shouldbe, could never defeat one that was full of youthful ardor and strength, sound through and through, awkward and ill directed though that strengthmight be. The young French leaders and their soldiers were valiant, skillful and enduring--they had proved it again and again on sanguinaryfields--but they could not prevail when they had to receive orders froma corrupt and reckless court at Versailles, and, above all when they hadto look to that court for help that never came. 

His reading of the books in the slaver's chest told him that folly andcrime invariably paid the penalty, if not in one way then in another, and he remembered too some of the ancient Greek plays, over which he hadtoiled under the stern guidance of Master Alexander McLean. Their burdenwas the certainty of fate. You could never escape, no matter how youwrithed, from what you did, and those old writers must have told thetruth, else men would not be reading and studying them two thousandyears after they were dead. Only truth could last twenty centuries. Bigot, Cadet, Péan, and the others, stealing from France and Canada andspending the money in debauchery, could not be victorious, despite allthe valor of Montcalm and St. Luc and De Levis and their comrades. 

He remembered, too, the great contrast between Quebec and New York thathad struck him when he arrived at the port at the mouth of the Hudsonwith the hunter and the Onondaga. The French capital in Canada was allof the state; it was its creature. If the state declined, it declined, there was little strength at the roots, little that sprang from thesoil, but in New York, which men already forecast as the metropolis ofthe New World, there was strength everywhere. It might be a sprawlingtown. There might be no courtliness to equal the courtliness at theheart of Quebec, but there was vigor, vigor everywhere. The people wereeager, restless, curious, always they worked and looked ahead. 

He saw all these things very clearly. Silence, loneliness and distancegave a magnificent perspective. Facts that were obscured when he wasnear at hand, now stood out sharp and true. His thoughts in this periodwere often those of a man double his age. His iron health too remained. His was most emphatically the sound mind in the sound body, each helpingthe other, each stimulating the other to greater growth. 

It was a fact, however, that the Onondaga belief, peopling the air andall sorts of inanimate objects with spirits, grew upon him; perhaps itis better to say that it was a feeling rather than a belief. Accordingto Tayoga the good spirits fought with the bad, and on his island thegood had prevailed. They had told him that a ship was coming, and thenthey had warned him that it would be a ship of pirates. They had shownhim how to drive away the ruffians. His inspiration had not been hisown, it had come from them and he thankfully acknowledged it. 

He told himself now as he went about his island that he heard the goodspirits singing among the leaves and he told it to himself so often thathe ended by believing it. It was such a pleasant and consoling belieftoo. He listened to hear them say that he would leave the island whenthe time was ripe and his imagination was now so extraordinarily vividthat what he expected to hear he heard. The spirits assured him thatwhen the time came to go he would go. They did not tell him exactly whenhe would go, but that could not be asked. No one must anticipate acomplete unveiling of the future. It was sufficient that intimationscame out of it now and then. 

It was this feeling, amounting to a conviction, that bore him up on ashield of steel. It soothed the natural impatience of his youth andtemperament. Why grieve over not going when he knew that he would go?Yet, a long time passed and there was no sail upon the sea, though thefact failed to shake his faith. Often he climbed his peak of observationand studied the circling horizon through the glasses, only to findnothing, but he was never discouraged. There was never any fall of thespirits. No ship showed, but the ship that was coming might even then beon the way. She had left some port, probably one in England, notdreaming that it was a most important destiny and duty of hers to pickup a lone lad cast away on an island in the Gulf or the Caribbean--atleast it was most important to him. 

Now came a time of storms that seemed to him to portend a change in theseasons. The island was swept by wind and rain, but he liked to belashed by both. He even went out in the dinghy in storms, though he keptinside the reefs, and fought with wave and undertow and swell, until, pleasantly exhausted, he retreated to the beach, drawing his little boatafter him, where he watched the sea, vainly struggling to reach the onewho had defied it. It was after such contests that he felt strongest ofthe spirit, ready to challenge anything. 

He plunged deeper and deeper into his studies, striving to understandeverything. The intensity of his application was possible only becausehe was alone. Forced to probe, to examine and to ponder, his mindacquired new strength. Many things which otherwise would have beenobscure to him became plain. Looking back upon his own eventful lifesince that meeting with St. Luc and Tandakora in the forest, he wasbetter able to read motives and to understand men. The reason why AdrianVan Zoon wished him to vanish must be money, because only money could bepowerful enough to make such a man risk a terrible crime. Well, he wouldhave a great score to settle with Van Zoon. He did not yet know just howhe would settle it, but he did not doubt that the day of reckoning wouldcome. 

A cask of oil and several lanterns were among his treasures from theship, and, making use of them, he frequently read late at night, oftenwith the rain beating hard on walls and roof. Then it seemed to him thathis mind was clearest, and he resolved again and again that when hereturned to his own he would make full use of what he learned on theisland. It seemed to him sometimes that his being cast away was a pieceof luck and not a misfortune. 

A clear day came, and, taking his rifle, he strolled toward his peak ofobservation, passing on the way the herd of wild cattle with the oldbull at its head. The big fellow looked at him suspiciously, as iffearing that his friend might be suffering from one of his mad spellsagain. But Robert's conduct was quite correct. He walked by in a quietand dignified manner, and, reassured, the bull went back to his task ofreducing the visible grass supply. 

He saw nothing from the peak except the green island and the blue seaall about it, but there was a singing wind among the leaves and it waseasy for him to sit down on a rock and fall into a dreaming state. Thegood spirits were abroad, and it was their voices that he heard amongthe leaves. Their chant too was full of courage, hope and promise, andhis spirits lifted as he listened. They were watching over him, guardinghim from evil, and he felt, at last, that they were telling himsomething. 

It is not always easy to know the exact burden of a song, even if it isuplifting, and Robert listened a long time, trying to decipher exactlywhat the good spirits were saying to him. It was just such a song asthey sang to him before the pirate ship came, saving one strain and thatwas most important. There was no underlying note of warning. Hunt for itas he would, with his fullest power of hearing, he could detect no traceof it. Then he became convinced. Another ship was coming, and this timeit was no pirate craft. 

He roused himself from his dreaming state and shook his head, but thevision did not depart. The ship was coming and it was for him to receiveit. The news of it had been written too deeply upon the sensitive plateof his brain to be effaced, and, as he walked back toward the house, itseemed to grow more vivid. He was too much excited to study that day, and he spent the time building a great heap of wood upon the beach. Evenif one were helped by good spirits he must do his own part. They mightbring the ship to the horizon's rim, but it was for him to summon itfrom there, and he would have a great bonfire ready. 

The brilliance of the day departed in the afternoon, and it becameapparent that the season of rain and storm was not yet over. Cloudsmarched up in grim battalions from the south and west, rain came inswift puffs and then in long, heavy showers, the sea heaved, breakinginto great waves and the surf dashed fiercely on the sharp teeth of therocks. 

Robert's spirits fell. This was not the way in which a rescuing shipshould come, under a somber sky and before driving winds. Perhaps he hadread the voices of the spirits wrong, or at least the ship, instead ofcoming now, was coming at some later time, a month or two months awaymaybe. He watched through the rest of the afternoon, hoping that theclouds would leave, but they only thickened, and, long before the timeof sunset, it was almost as dark as night. He was compelled to remain inthe shelter of the house, and, in a state of deep depression, he ate hissupper without appetite. 

The storm was one of the fiercest he had seen while on the island. Therain drove in sheets, beating upon the walls and roof of the house likehail, and the wind kept up a continuous whistling and screaming. All thewhile the house trembled over him. Nor was there any human voice in thewind. The good spirits, if such existed, would not dare the storm, buthad retreated to cover. All the illusion was gone, he was just a lonelyboy on a lonely island, listening to the wrath of a hurricane, a shipmight or might not come, most probably never, or if it did it would beanother pirate. 

The storm did not seem to abate as the evening went on, perhaps it wasthe climax of the season. Tired of hearing its noise he lay down on hiscouch and at last fell asleep. He was awakened from slumber by an impactupon the drum of his ear like a light blow, but, sitting up, he realizedthat it was a sound. The storm had not abated. He heard the beat of windand rain as before, but he knew it was something else that had arousedhim. The noise of the storm was regular, it was going on when he fellasleep, and it had never ceased while he slept. This was somethingirregular, something out of tune with it, and rising above it. Helistened intently, every nerve and pulse alive, body and mind at thehigh pitch of excitement, and then the sound came again, low butdistinct, and rising above the steady crash of the storm. 

He knew the note. He had heard it often, too often on that terrible dayat Ticonderoga. It could be but one thing. It was the boom of a cannon, and it could come only from a ship, a ship in danger, a ship driven bythe storm, knowing nothing of either sea or island, sending forth hersignal of distress which was also a cry for help. 

It was his ship! The ship of rescue! But he must first rescue _it_! Nowhe heard the voices of the good spirits, the voices that had been silentall through the afternoon and evening, singing through the storm, calling to him, summoning him to action. He had not taken off hisclothes and he leaped from the couch, snatched up a lighted lantern, stuffed flint and steel in his pocket, and ran out into the wind andrain, of which he was now scarcely conscious. 

The boom came to his ears a second time, off to the east, and nowdistinctly the report of a cannon. He waited a little, watching, and, when the report came a third time, he saw dimly the flash of the gun, but it was too dark for him to see anything of the ship. She was outsidethe reefs, how far he could not tell, but he knew by the difference inthe three reports that she was driving toward the island. 

It was for him to save the unknown vessel that was to save him, and inthe darkness and storm he felt equal to the task. His soul leaped withinhim. His whole body seemed to expand. He knew what to do, and, quick aslightning, he did it. He ran at full speed through the woods, hislighted lantern swinging on his arm, and twice on the way he heard theboom of the cannon, each time a little nearer. The reports merely madehim run faster. Time was precious, and in the moment of utmost need hewas not willing to lose a second. 

He reached the great heap of wood that he had built up on the beach, worked frantically with flint and steel, shielding the shavings at thebottom with his body, and quickly set fire to them. The blaze crackled, leaped and grew. He had built his pyramid so well, and he had selectedsuch inflammable material, that he knew, if the flames once took hold, the wind would fan them so fiercely the rain could not put them out. 

Higher sprang the blaze, running to the crest of the pyramid, roaring inthe wind and then sending out defiant hissing tongues at the rain. Theboom of the cannon came once more, and, then by the light of hissplendid bonfire, he looked. There was the ship outside the reefs whichhis great pyramid of flame now enabled her to see. He shouted in hisjoy, and threw on more wood. If he could only build that pyramid highenough they would see the opening too and make for it. 

He worked frantically, throwing on driftwood, the accumulation of manyyears, and the flames biting into every fresh log, roared and leapedhigher. The ship ceased to fire her signal guns, and now he saw, with agreat surge of joy, that she was beating up in the storm and trying forthe opening in the reef, her only chance, the chance that he had givenher. He had done his part and he could do no more but feed the fire. 

As he threw on wood he watched. His pyramid of flame roared and threwout sparks in myriads. The ship, a sloop, was having a desperatestruggle with wind and wave, but his beacon was always there, showingher the way, and he never doubted for a moment that she would make thehaven. He was sure of it. It was a terrible storm, and there was afierce sea beating on the reefs, but a master mind was on the sloop, themind of a great sailor, and that mind, responding to his signal of thefire, the only one that could have been made, was steering the shipstraight for the opening in the reef. 

His glasses were always in his pocket, and, remembering them now for thefirst time, he clapped them to his eyes. The sloop and her tracery ofmast and spars became distinct. He saw guns on the deck and men, men inuniform, and he could see well enough, a moment or two later, to tellthat they wore the uniform of Britain. His heart gave a wild throb. Thespirits in the air were good spirits, and the storm had never been ableto drive them away. They had been calling to him when he thought theywere silent, only he had not been able to hear them. 

He gave a wild shout of joy that could be heard above the crash of thestorm. Triumph was assured. He was rescuing, and he would be rescued. Hedid not realize until that instant how eager he was to be taken from theisland, how he longed, with all his soul, to rejoin his own kind, to seehis friends again and to take a part in the great events that wereshaking the world. He uttered his wild shout over and over, and, inbetween, he laughed, laughed with a joy that he could not control. 

The sloop entered the opening. It seemed to him that the rocks, thosefearful sharks' teeth, almost grazed her on either side, and his heartstood still, but she went safely past them, drew into the little harborwhere she was safe from the wildest storm that ever blew, droppedanchor, and was at rest. 

Robert in his exultation had never permitted his fire to die down aninch. Rather he had made it grow higher and higher until it was a vastcore of light, throwing a red glare over the beach and the adjacentwaves, and sending off vast showers of sparks. But when the ship castanchor in her port he stood still before it, a dark figure, a perfectsilhouette outlined against a blazing background, and watched, while aboat was launched from the sloop. 

He saw five figures descend into the boat. Four were sailors and one anofficer in uniform, and he knew well that they were coming to see him, the human being by the fire who had saved them. Pride was mingled withhis joy. If he had not been there the sloop and probably all on board ofher would have perished. It was touch and go, only a brief opportunityto save had been allowed him, but he had used it. So he raised himselfto his full height, straightened his clothes, for which he always hadrespect despite the storm, and waited on. He had a full sense of drama, and he felt that this was one of the most dramatic moments of his life. 

The boat came up the beach on a wave, the men sprang out, held it as thewave retreated, and then dragged it after them until it was beyond thereach of invading water. Robert meanwhile never stirred, and the greatfire behind him enlarged his figure to heroic proportions. 

The officer, young, handsome, in the British naval uniform, walkedforward, with the four sailors following in a close group behind, but hestopped again, and looked at the strange figure before him. Evidentlysomething in its pose, in its whole appearance, in truth, made anextraordinary impression upon him. He passed his hands before his eyesas if to make sure that it was no blur of the vision, and then he wentforward again, the sailors keeping close behind, as if they were in fearlest the figure prove to be supernatural. 

"Who are you?" called the young officer. 

"Robert Lennox, of Albany, the Province of New York, and thewilderness, " replied Robert. "Welcome to my island. "

His sense of drama was still strong upon him, and he replied in hisfullest and clearest voice. The officer stared, and then said:

"You've saved the ship and all our lives. "

"I think that's what I was here for, though it's likely that you'vesaved me, too. What ship it that?"

"His Majesty's sloop of war, _Hawk_, Captain Stuart Whyte, fromBridgetown in the Barbadoes, for Boston. "

Robert thrilled when he heard the word "Boston. " It was not New York, but it was a port for home, nevertheless. 

"Who are you?" continued the officer, on fire with curiosity. "You'vetold me your name, but what are you? and where are the other people ofthe island?"

"There are no other people. It's my island. I'm sole lord of the isle, and you're most welcome. "

"You heard our signal guns?"

"Aye, I heard 'em, but I knew before you fired a shot that you werecoming. "

"'Tis impossible!"

"It's not! I knew it, though I can't explain how to you. Behold mybonfire! Do you think I could have built such a pyramid of wood betweenthe firing of your first shot and your coming into my harbor? No, I wasready and waiting for you. "

"That's convincing. "

"I repeat that I welcome you to Lennox Island. My house is but a shortdistance inland in a beautiful forest. I should like to receive CaptainWhyte there as an honored guest, and you, too. "

"Your house?"

"Aye, my house. And it's well built and well furnished. You'd besurprised to know how much comfort it can offer. "

The officer--a lieutenant--and the men, coming closer, inspected Robertwith the most minute curiosity. Lone men on desert islands were likelyto go insane, and it was a momentary thought of the officer that he wasdealing with some such unhappy creature, but Robert's sentences were toocrisp, and his figure too erect and trim for the thought to endure morethan a few seconds. 

"It's raining heavily, " he said, "and Captain Whyte will be glad to be aguest at your home later. I'll admit that for a moment I doubted theexistence of your house, but I don't now. Are you willing to go on boardthe _Hawk_ with us and meet Captain Whyte?"

"Gladly, " replied Robert, who felt that his dramatic moment was beingprolonged. "The storm is dying now. Having done its worst against you, and, having failed, it seems willing to pass away. "

"But we don't forget that you saved us, " said the officer. "My name isLanham, John Lanham, and I'm a lieutenant on the _Hawk_. "

The storm was, in truth, whistling away to the westward and its rage, sofar as Robert's island was concerned, was fully spent. The waves weresinking and the night was lightening fast. The sloop of war, heaving ather anchorage, stood up sharp and clear, and it seemed to Robert thatthere was something familiar in her lines. As he looked he was sure. Coincidence now and then stretches forth her long arm, and she hadstretched it now. 

The sailors, when the sea died yet more, relaunched the boat. Lanham andRobert sprang in, and the men bent to the oars. 

CHAPTER XI

BACK TO THE WORLD

Captain Stuart Whyte of His Majesty's gallant sloop of war, the _Hawk_, was standing on his own quarterdeck, looking curiously at the sceneabout him, and, taking it in, as well as he could, by the light of agreat bonfire blazing on the beach some distance away. He was a youngofficer and his immense relief predominated over his curiosity. The_Hawk_ was a fine sloop, and he loved her, but there had been a terribletime that night when he thought she was lost and her crew and himselfwith her. 

He had seen more than one storm in these sudden seas, but this wasperhaps the worst. All bearings were gone, and then the signs showedbreakers. He was a brave man and he had brave officers, but every one ofthem had despaired, until suddenly a light, a pillar of fire, rose inthe darkness and the storm, almost from the heart of the ocean, as if ithad been evoked by his own signal guns. Then, by this marvelous beacon, they had scraped between the rocks and into safety. Clearly it was amiracle, and young Captain Whyte felt a deep and devout gratitude. Hehad then sent one of his best officers ashore to see the man who hadsaved them, and, meanwhile, he had stood by, watching through hisglasses. 

He saw the man of the island get into the boat with Lanham and approachthe sloop. The storm had now sunk much, and it was not difficult to comeaboard, but Captain Whyte, still intensely curious, but with a propersense of his own dignity, withdrew to his cabin where he might receivethe lord of the isle in state. 

He rose politely, and then stared at the tall youth who came in withLieutenant Lanham, the water running from his clothes. Yet the strangerhad a dignity fully equal to his own, and there was also something veryuncommon about him, a look of strength and confidence extraordinary inone so young. 

"Won't you sit down?" said Captain Whyte. 

Robert glanced at his clothes. 

"I bring the storm with me, " he said--he often spoke in the languagethat he had unconsciously imbibed in much reading of the Elizabethans. 

"Never mind that. Water won't hurt my cabin, and if it did you'rewelcome just the same. I suppose you represent the people of the island, to whom my crew and I owe so much. "

"I am the people of the island. "

"You mean that you're here alone?"

"Exactly that. But tell me, before we go any further, Captain, whatmonth this is. "

"May. "

"And the year?"

"1759. "

"I wanted to be sure. I see that I've been on the island eight or ninemonths, but I lost all count of time, and, now and then it seemed likeeight or nine years. As I've already told Lieutenant Lanham, I'm RobertLennox, of Albany, the Province of New York, and the wilderness. I waskidnapped at Albany and carried down the Hudson and out to sea by aslaver and pirate. "

"'Tis an extraordinary tale, Mr. Lennox. "

"But a true one, Captain Whyte. "

"I meant no insinuation that it wasn't. Extraordinary things happen inthe world, and have been happening in these seas, ever since Columbusfirst came into them. "

"Still mine is such an unusual story that it needs proof, and I give it. Did you not last autumn pretend that yours was a merchant ship, have asailor play the violin on deck while others danced about, and lure underyour guns a pirate with the black flag at her masthead?"

Captain Whyte stared in astonishment. 

"How do you know that?" he exclaimed. 

"Did you not shatter the pirate ship with your broadsides but lose herafterwards in a great storm that came up suddenly?"

"Aye, so I did, and I've been looking for her many a time since then. "

"You'll never find her, Captain. Your guns were aimed well enough, andthey took the life out of her. She couldn't weather the storm. Of allthe people who were aboard her then I'm the only survivor. Her captainescaped with me to this island, but he died of wounds and I buried him. I can show you his grave. "

"How do I know that you, too, are not one of the pirates?"

"By taking me back on your ship to the colonies, and proving my tale. Ifyou don't find that every word I tell you is true you can hang me toyour own yardarm. "

Captain Whyte laughed. It was a fair and frank offer, but he was areader of men, and he felt quite sure that the strange youth was tellingthe absolute truth. 

"He's given me, sir, quite correct accounts of events that happened inthe colonies last year, " said Lanham. "He was at Ticonderoga and hisnarrative of the battle agrees fully with the accounts that wereceived. "

And just at that moment coincidence stretched out her long arm again, asshe does so often. 

"I had a cousin at Ticonderoga, " said Captain Whyte. "A splendid youngfellow, name of Grosvenor. I've seen a letter from him in which he says'twas a terrible fight, but that we threw away our chances before wewent upon the field. "

"Grosvenor! Grosvenor!" exclaimed Robert eagerly. "Why, I knew him! Hewas a friend of mine! We were in the forest together, in combat andescape. His first name was Alfred. Did he say nothing in his letter ofRobert Lennox?"

"Of course he did! I was so much interested in you that I paid littleattention to your name, and it glided past me as if I'd not heard it. Hetold of a friend of his, name of yours, who had been lost, murdered theyall believed by some spy. "

"And did he say nothing also of Tayoga, a wonderful Onondaga Indian, andof David Willet, a great hunter?"

"Aye, so he did. I recall those names too. Said the Indian was the mostmarvelous trailer the world had ever known, could trace the flight of abird through the air, and a lot more that must have been pure romance. "

"It's all true! every word of it. I'll see that you meet Tayoga, andthen you'll believe, and you must know Willet, too, one of the grandestmen that ever lived, soul of honor, true as steel, all those things. "

"I believe you! Every word you say! But I can't keep you talking herewith the water dripping from you. We really couldn't question yourtruth, either, after you'd saved our ship and all our lives. I see youhave a naval uniform of ours. Well, we'll give you a dry one in itsplace. See that the best the _Hawk_ has is his, Lanham. "

Robert was taken to a small cabin that was vacant and he exchanged intodry clothing. He went back a little later to the captain's room withLanham, where they insisted upon his taking refreshment, and thenCaptain Whyte sent him to bed. 

"I've a million questions to ask you, Mr. Lennox, " he said, "but I won'task 'em until to-morrow. You must sleep. "

Robert's manner had been calm, but he found when he lay down that he wassurcharged with excitement. It was inside him and wanted to get it out, but he kept it bottled up, and after an hour spent in quieting hisnerves he fell asleep. When he awoke, dressed and went on deck, alltrace of the storm had gone. The _Hawk_ swung quietly at anchor and tohim she seemed the very finest ship that had ever sailed on any sea fromthe day of the galley to the day of the three-decker. He noticed withpleasure how trim everything was, how clean was the wood, how polishedthe brass, and how the flag of Britain snapped in the breeze overhead. He noticed too the eighteen pounders and he knew these were what haddone the business for the slaver and pirate. Lanham gave him a heartywelcome. 

"It's half way to noon, " he said, "and you slept long and well, as youhad a right to do, after saving His Majesty's twenty-two gun sloop, _Hawk_, from the rocks. We had a boat's crew ashore this morning, notbecause we doubted your word, but to see that everything was trim andsnug on your island, and they found your house. On my word, quite alittle castle, and well furnished. We didn't disturb a thing. It'syours, you know. "

"I merely inherited it, " said Robert. "The slaver and pirate whokidnapped me built it as a place for a refuge or a holiday, and he cameback here to die. He furnished it partly, and the rest came from hiswrecked ship. "

After breakfast Robert went ashore also with the captain and Lanham, andhe showed them about the island. They even saw the old bull at the headof his herd, and Robert waved him a friendly farewell. The house and itscontents they decided to leave exactly as they were. 

"They may shelter some other castaway, " said Robert. 

"We'll even leave the guns and ammunition, " said Captain Whyte. "Wedon't need 'em. You rescued 'em from the ship and they belong to you. The _Hawk_ has no claim on 'em. "

"I'd like for 'em to stay here, " said Robert. "Nobody may ever be castaway on this island again, and on the other hand it might happen nextweek. You can't tell. But it's been a good island to me, and, though Isay farewell, I won't forget it. "

"You take the right view of it, " said Captain Whyte, "and even if Ididn't feel your way about it, although I do, I'd be bound to give youyour wish since you saved us. You've also taken quite a burden off mymind. It's always been a source of grief to me that the pirate eluded usin the storm, but since you've shown me that we were really responsiblefor her sinking I feel a lot better about it. "

On the _Hawk_ Lanham told him what had been passing in the world. 

"There's a great expedition out from England under that young general, Wolfe, who distinguished himself at Louisbourg, " he said. "It aims atthe taking of Quebec, and we're very hopeful. The rendezvous isLouisbourg, on Cape Breton Island and army and navy, I suppose, arealready there. Your own Royal Americans will be in it, and what we lostat Ticonderoga we propose to regain--and more--before Quebec. The _Hawk_is bound for Louisbourg to join the fleet, but she puts in at Bostonfirst. If you choose to go on to Louisbourg with us you won't fare ill, because the captain has taken a great fancy for you. "

"I thank you much, " said Robert, gratefully. "I'm almost tempted to jointhe great expedition from Louisbourg into the St. Lawrence, but I feelthat I must leave the ship at Boston. I'm bound to hunt up Willet andTayoga, and we'll come by land. We'll meet you before the heights ofQuebec. "

Everything seemed to favor the northward voyage of the _Hawk_. Goodwinds drove her on, and Robert's heart leaped within him at the thoughtthat he would soon be back in his own country. Yet he made littleoutward show of it. The gravity of mind and manner that he had acquiredon the island remained with him. Habits that he had formed there werestill very powerful. It was difficult for him to grow used to thepresence of other people, and at times he longed to go out on his peakof observation, where he might sit alone for hours, with only therustling of the wind among the leaves in his ears. The sound of thehuman voice was often strange and harsh, and now and then only his willkept him from starting when he heard it, as one jumps at the snarl of awild animal in the bush. 

But the friendship between him, Captain Whyte, Lieutenant Lanham and theother young officers grew. People instinctively liked Robert Lennox. Whether in his gay mood or his grave he had a charm of manner that fewcould resist, and his story was so strange, so picturesque that itinvested him with compelling romance. He told all about his kidnappingand his life upon the island, but he said nothing of Adrian Van Zoon. Helet it be thought that the motive of the slaver in seizing him wasmerely to get a likely lad for sale on a West India plantation. But hisanger against Van Zoon grew. He was not one to cherish wrath, but onthis point it was concentrated, and he intended to have a settlement. Itwas not meant that he should be lost, it was not meant that Adrian VanZoon should triumph. He had been seized and carried away twice, and eachtime, when escape seemed impossible, a hand mightier than that of manhad intervened in his favor. 

He spoke a little of his thought once or twice when he stood on the deckof the _Hawk_ on moonlight nights with Captain Whyte and LieutenantLanham. 

"You can't live with the Indians as much as I have, " he said, "especially with such a high type of Indian as the Iroquois, withoutacquiring some of their beliefs which, after all, are about the same asour own Christian religion. The difference is only in name. They fillthe air with spirits, good and evil, and have 'em contending for themastery. Now, I felt when I was on the island and even before that I wasprotected by the good spirits of the Iroquois, and that they were alwaysfighting for me with the bad. "

"I take it, " said Captain Whyte, "that the Indian beliefs, as you tellthem, are more like the mythology of the old Greeks and Romans. I'm alittle rusty on my classics, but they had spirits around everywhere, good and bad, always struggling with one another, and their godsthemselves were mixtures of good and evil, just like human beings. ButI'm not prepared to say, Mr. Lennox, that you weren't watched over. Itseems strange that of all the human beings on the slaver you should havebeen the only one saved and you the only one not stained with crime. It's a fact I don't undertake to account for. And you never found outthe name of the pirate captain?"

"Neither his nor that of his ship. It had been effaced carefully fromthe schooner and all her boats. "

"I suppose it will remain one of the mysteries of the sea. But tell memore about my cousin, Grosvenor. He was really becoming a trailer, aforest runner?"

"He was making wonderful progress. I never saw anybody more keen oreager. "

"A fine lad, one of our best. I'm glad that you two met. I'd like tomeet too that Frenchman, St. Luc, of whom you've spoken so often. WeEnglishmen and Frenchmen have been fighting one another for a thousandyears, and it seems odd, doesn't it, Mr. Lennox, that it should be so?Why, the two countries can see each other across the Channel on cleardays, and neighbors ought to be the best of friends, instead of the mostdeadly enemies. It seems that the farther a nation is from another thebetter they get along together. What is there in propinquity, Mr. Lennox, to cause hostility?"

"I don't know, but I suppose it's rivalry, the idea that if yourneighbor grows he grows at your expense. Your hostility carries over tous in America also. We're your children and we imitate our parents. TheFrench in Canada hate the English in the Provinces and the English inthe Provinces hate the French in Canada, when there's so much of thecountry of each that they're lost in it. "

"It's a queer world, Mr. Lennox. In spite of what you say and which Iendorse, I'm going with an eager heart in the great expedition againstQuebec, and so will you. I'll be filled with joy if it succeeds and sowill you. "

Robert admitted the fact. 

"And I'd be delighted if we could meet a French sloop of about our ownsize and armament, " continued the captain. "Every man on board the_Hawk_ would go into battle with her eagerly, and yet I don't hate theFrench individually. They're a brave and gallant nation, and this St. Luc, of whom you speak, seems to be the very flower of chivalry. "

The captain's wish to meet a French sloop of war of his own size was notgranted. He had high hopes the fourth day when they saw a sail, but itproved to be a schooner out of Newport returning from Jamaica with acargo of sugar and molasses. The _Hawk_ showed her heels in disgust, andpursued her way northward. 

As the time to reach Boston drew near, Robert's heart filled again. Hewould be back in his own land, and his world would be before him oncemore. He had already decided that he would go at once to Albany andthere pick up the thread of his old life. He was consumed, too, bycuriosity. What had happened since he was gone? His feeling that he hadbeen in the island eight or nine years instead of eight or nine monthsremained. While it was his own world to which he was returning, it wasalso a new world. 

Came the day when the harbor lights of the port of Boston showed througha haze and Robert, standing on the deck of the _Hawk_, watched the cityrise out of the sea. He was dressed in a good suit of civilian clothingthat he had found on the island, and he had some money that had neverbeen taken from him when he was kidnapped, enough to pay his way fromBoston to Albany. His kindly English friends wanted to lend him more, but he declined it. 

"You can pay us back in Quebec, " said White. 

"I don't need it, " replied Robert, "but I'll keep the rendezvous therewith you both. "

As the _Hawk_ was to stay two or three days in port in order to take onsupplies, they went ashore together, and the three were full ofcuriosity when they entered, for the first time, the town of which theyhad heard so much. Boston had already made such impress upon theimagination that all the English colonists were generally known to theFrench in Canada as Bostonnais. In England it had a great name, andthere were often apprehensions about it. It was the heart and soul ofthe expedition when the New Englanders surprised the world by taking thegreat French fortress of Louisbourg, and it had an individuality and apersonality which it has never lost. 

"I don't know how I'm going to like it, " said Captain Whyte, as theyleft the sloop. "I hear that they're very superior here, and consider usEnglish a rather backward lot. Don't you think you'd better reconsider, Lennox, and go on with us to Louisbourg?"

Robert laughed. 

"I'm not afraid of the Bostonians, " he said. "I met some very competentones on the shores of Lake George. There was one Elihu Strong, a colonelof Massachusetts infantry, whom I like to remember. In truth, Captain, what I see here arouses my admiration. You noticed the amount ofshipping in the port. The Bostonians are very keen traders, and they saythere are sharp differences in character between them and the people ofour southern provinces, but as I come from a middle province, New York, I am, in a sense, neutral. The New Englanders have a great stake in thepresent war. Their country has been ravaged for more than a century byFrench and Indians from Canada, and this province of Massachusetts issending to it nearly every man, and nearly every dollar it has. "

"We know of their valor and tenacity in England, " said Captain Whyte, "but we know also that they're men of their own minds. "

"Why shouldn't they be? That's why they're English. "

"Since you put it that way, you're right. But here we are. "

The town, about the size of New York, looked like a great city toRobert. He had come from a land that contained only one inhabitant, himself, and it was hard for him now to realize there were so manypeople in the world. The contrast put crowds everywhere, and, at times, it was very confusing, though it was always interesting. The men weremostly tall, thin, and with keen but composed eyes. They were of purerBritish blood than those in New York, but it seemed to Robert that theyhad departed something from type. They were more strenuous than theEnglish of Old England, and the New Yorkers, in character if not inblood and appearance, were more nearly English than the Bostonians. Healso thought, and he was not judging now so much from a glimpse ofBoston as from the New England men whom he had met, that they werecritical both of themselves and others, and that they were a people whomeant to have their way at any cost. 

But his attempts to estimate character and type were soon lost in hishuge delight at being back in his own country. Robert's mind was amirror. It always reflected his surroundings. Quickly adaptable, heusually perceived the best of everything, and now busy and prosperousBoston in its thin, crisp air, delighted him immeasurably. His feelingswere much as they had been when he visited New York. Here was a greatcity, that is, great for his country and time, and it was destined to bemuch greater. 

As usual with sailors Captain Whyte and Lieutenant Lanham wished to goto a coffee house, and Robert, nothing loath, accompanied them to one ofgood quality to which they were directed near the water front. Here theyfound numerous guests in the great common room and much talk goingforward, mostly talk of the war, as was natural. There was muchcriticism of the British Government, not restrained at all, ratherincreased, by the uniforms of the two naval officers. 

"'Tis reported that the new expedition gathered at Louisbourg will gothe way of the one that was repulsed at Ticonderoga, " said a thin, elderly man. "I hear 'tis commanded by young Wolfe, who is sickly andmuch given to complaint. Abercrombie, who led us at Ticonderoga, wasfat, old and slothful, and now Wolfe, who leads the new force is young, sickly and fretful. It seems that England can't choose a middle course. Why doesn't she send us a man?"

"That I can't tell you, Master Carver, " said the man whom he wasaddressing, "but I do know that if England would consult Massachusettsmore we'd fare better in this war. We should have marched over theFrench army at Ticonderoga. I can't understand to this day how we lostthat battle. "

"It seems that in very truth we lacked something there. "

Robert was sitting not ten feet from them and their tone being so verycritical, he could not restrain a word or two. 

"Your pardon, if I interrupt, " he said, "but hearing you speak in asomewhat slighting manner of Ticonderoga I'm bound to advise you thatyou're wrong, since I was there. The English and Scotch troops, with ourown Americans, showed the very greatest valor on that sad occasion. 'Twas no fault of theirs. Our defeat was due to the lack of artillery, the very skillful arrangements of the French commander, the Marquis deMontcalm, and the extreme courage of the French army. "

The two, who seemed to be merchants or shipping men, regarded him withinterest but with no appearance of resentment because of hisinterference in their conversation. Apparently the criticism that theypermitted so freely to themselves they were willing also to allow toothers. 

"But you are English, " said the first who had spoken, "and 'tis mostnatural for you to defend the generals who are sent out from the homecountry. "

"I am not English. I am a native of the Province of New York, and beinga colonial like yourselves, I think we allow too little credit to theold country in the war. I speak as one who through the force ofcircumstances has been an eye witness to many of the facts. My name isRobert Lennox, sir, and my companions are Captain Stuart Whyte andLieutenant John Lanham of His Majesty's twenty-two gun sloop of war_Hawk_, now in Boston harbor. "

"And I, sir, " responded the thin man with much courtesy, "am SamuelCarver, wholesale dealer in cloth and leather, and my friend is LemuelMason, owner of shipping plying principally to the West Indies. We'repleased to meet His Majesty's officers and also you, Mr. Lennox, who wecan see is very young to have had so much experience in the wars. Wetrust that all of you will pardon our freedom of criticism, but we're atthe heart of affairs here, and we see very clearly. It's not a freedomthat we'll give up. "

Captain Whyte laughed easily. 

"If what we hear in England of Boston is true, " he said, "'tis aprivilege that nothing can make you give up. Perhaps 'tis as well. I'mall for free speech myself. Through it affairs are well threshed out. But I assure you you're wrong about General Wolfe. 'Tis true that he'syoung and that he's sickly, but he's been chosen by Mr. Pitt for mostsolid reasons. He has a great gift for arms. I've been fortunate enoughto meet him once or twice, and I can assure you that he makes a mostfavorable impression. Moreover, the fact that he's been chosen by Mr. Pitt is proof of his worth. Mr. Pitt is a very great man and he has thathighest of all talents, the ability to know other men and to directthem. "

Captain Whyte spoke with much warmth and his words carried conviction. 

"I can well believe you, sir, when you speak so highly of Mr. Pitt, "said Mr. Carver. "'Tis evident that he has the honor and glory ofEngland at heart and 'tis evident, too, that he does not mean to neglectthe interests of the colonies, a matter of the utmost importance. 'Tisonly Mr. Pitt among the home statesmen who have recognized our greatnesson this side of the ocean. "

"Believe me, sir, I'm not blind to the growth and prosperity of thecolonies, " said Captain Whyte. "I've seen your cities and I know howmuch the Americans have done in the present war. "

"Then 'tis a pity that England also doesn't know it, " said Mr. Masonsomewhat sharply. 

But Captain Whyte refused to be either angry or disconcerted. 

"The width of our ocean always promotes ignorance, andmisunderstandings, " he said. "And 'tis true too that the closest of kinwill quarrel, but families usually unite against an alien foe. "

"'Tis so, " admitted Mr. Mason, "and 'tis the business of statesmanshipto smooth down the quarrels that arise between the different parts of agreat kingdom. I trust that ours will always be equal to the task. "

"Do you know a merchant of this city, Elihu Strong, who is also acolonel of the Massachusetts infantry?" asked Robert. "I met him in astrenuous business before Ticonderoga, where he also had a gallantpart. "

"We could scarce be Bostonians and not know Elihu Strong, " said Mr. Carver. "One of the most active of our merchants, he has ships of hisown that ply between here and England, and he has also taken a veryzealous part in the war. The regiment that he commanded was equippedpartly at his expense. "

"Commanded?" exclaimed Robert. 

"I used the past tense, not because he has fallen, my young friend, butElihu was unfortunate enough to receive a severe wound in the leg somemonths after Ticonderoga, and he is now recuperating at his own homehere near the Common. 'Tis not dangerous. He will not lose the leg, buthe will not be able to walk on it for some months yet. A great pity, sayI, that Elihu Strong is out of active service for a while, as HisMajesty's government might profit greatly by his advice and leadershipin the field. "

"I've no doubt of it, " said Captain Whyte with the greatest sincerity. "I'm all for coöperation with the experienced men of the colonies, andso is a far greater than I, the illustrious Mr. Pitt. They're on theground, they've lived their lives here and they ought to know. "

"Our hope is in Mr. Pitt, " said Mr. Carver. "You speak well of him, Captain Whyte, and 'tis pleasing to our ears to hear you, because youcannot know how his name inspires confidence in the colonies. Why, sir, we look upon him as almost the half of England!"

It was so. And it was destined to remain so. Whatever happened betweenEngland and America, the name of the elder Pitt, the great Englishman, kept and keeps its place in the hearts of Americans, who in somerespects are the most sentimental and idealistic of all peoples. 

Robert saw that the two young English officers and the two middle agedBoston merchants were arriving at an understanding, that good relationswere established already, and he thought it wise to leave them together. 

"I think, " he said, "that I will visit Colonel Strong at his house, andas my time in Boston must be short 'twill be best for me to go now. "

Both Mr. Carver and Mr. Mason urged him to spend the night at theirhouses, and Captain Whyte and Lieutenant Lanham were zealous for hisreturn with them to the _Hawk_, but he declined the offer, though sayinghe would certainly visit the sloop before he left Boston. He judged thatit would be wise to leave the four together, in the coffee-house, and, after receiving careful instructions how to reach the mansion of thatmost respectable and worthy Bostonian, Colonel Elihu Strong, he wentinto the street. 

He found the Strong home to be a goodly house, one of the best in thecity, partly of brick and partly of wood, with columns in front, allvery spacious and pleasing. He knocked with a heavy brass knocker and atrim colored maid responded. 

"Is Colonel Strong at home?" he asked. 

"He is, sir, " she responded in English as good as his own, "thoughconfined to his chair with a wound in the leg which makes his temper atrifle short at times. "

"Naturally. So would mine be if I couldn't walk. I wish to see him. "

"What name, sir, shall I say?"

"Tell him 'tis one who served with him in wilderness fighting, on theeve of Ticonderoga. "

She looked at him doubtfully, but her face cleared in a moment. Robert'sfrank, open gaze invited everybody's confidence. 

"Come into the hall, sir, " she said, and then led the way from the hallinto a large room opening upon a lawn, well-shaded by many fine, largetrees. Elihu Strong sat in a chair before one of the windows, and hiswounded leg, swathed heavily, reposed in another chair. 

Robert paused, and his heart beat rather hard. This was the first friendof his old life that he had seen. Now, he was coming in reality back tohis world. He stood a few moments, irresolute, and then advancinglightly he said:

"Good morning, Colonel Strong!"

The wounded man wheeled in his chair and looked at him, inquiry in hisface. Robert did not know what changes his life on the island had madein his appearance, his expression rather, but he saw that Colonel Strongdid not know him, and it pleased him to play for a minute or so with thefact. 

"You did not receive this bullet, sir, when you saved us from St. Luc, "he said. "It must have been much later, but I know it was a bad momentfor the Province of Massachusetts when the hostile lead struck you. "

Colonel Strong stared. 

"Who are you?" he exclaimed. 

"There was a battle on the shores of Lake George, at a point where ourmen had been building boats. They were besieged by a mixed force ofFrench and Indians, commanded by the great French partisan leader, St. Luc. They beat off the attacks, but they would have been overcome intime, if you had not hurried to their relief, with a strong force andtwo brass cannon. "

"That is true and if the Governor and Legislature of Massachusetts haddone their full duty we'd have had twice as many men and four, six, oreven eight cannon in place of two. But what do you know about thosethings?"

"There were two boys, one Indian and one white, who came on the lake, telling you of the plight of the boat builders. The Indian was Tayoga ofthe Clan of the Bear, of the Nation Onondaga, of the Great League of theHodenosaunee, the finest trailer in the world. The white boy was RobertLennox, of the Province of New York. "

"Aye, you speak truly. Full well do I remember them. How could I forgetthem? Tayoga is back there now with the hunter Willet, doing some greatservice in the war, what I know not, but it is something surely great. The white boy, Robert Lennox, is dead. A great loss, too! A fine andgallant lad. "

"How do you know he is dead?"

"I had it in a letter from Master Benjamin Hardy of New York, with whomI often transact affairs of business, and he, in turn, had it from oneJacobus Huysman, a burgher of Albany in most excellent standing. Partsof the matter are obscure, but the result is certain. It seems that thelad was stalked by a spy, one Garay, and was murdered by him. His body, they think, was thrown into the Hudson and was carried away. At least itwas never found. A most tragic business. I could have loved that lad asif he had been my own son. It caused great grief to both Hardy andHuysman, --and to me, too. "

A lump came into Robert's throat. He did have friends, many andpowerful, and they mourned him. He seemed to have the faculty ofinspiring liking wherever he went. He had been standing in the shadow, while the wounded man sat where the sunlight from the windows pouredupon him. He moved a little nearer where he could be more clearly seen, and said:

"But what if I tell you that Robert Lennox is not dead, that he surviveda most nefarious plot against him, that he was, in truth, kidnapped andcarried far away to sea, but was rescued in a most remarkable manner andhas come back to his own land. "

"'Tis impossible! 'Tis a wild tale, though God knows I wish it weretrue, because he was a fine and gallant lad. "

"'Tis a wild tale, sir, that I confess, but 'tis not impossible, for ithas happened. I am that Robert Lennox who came with Tayoga, theOnondaga, in the canoe, through the fog on Lake George, to you, askingthat you hurry to the relief of the boat builders! You will remember, sir, the fight at the ford, when they sought to ambush us, and how werouted them with the cannon. You'll recall how St. Luc drew off when wereached the boat builders. I've been away a long time, where every monthcounted as a year, and perhaps I've changed greatly, but I'm that sameRobert Lennox to whom you said more than once that if the Governor andLegislature of the Province of Massachusetts had done their full dutyyour force would have been three or four times as strong. "

"What? What? No stranger could know as much as you know! Come fartherinto the light, boy! The voice is nearly the same as I remember it, butthe face has changed. You're older, graver, and there's a new look! Butthe eyes are like his! On my soul I believe it's Robert Lennox! Aye, Iknow 'tis Robert! Come, lad, and shake hands with me! I would go to youbut this wretched wound holds me in my chair! Aye, boy, yours is thegrasp of a strong and honest hand, and when I look into your eyes I know'tis you, Robert, your very self. Sit you down and tell me how you haverisen from the grave, and why you've come to comfort an old man withthis most sudden and welcome news!"

The moisture rose in Robert's eyes. Truly he had friends, and not leastamong them was this thin, shrewd Bostonian. He drew a chair close to thecolonel and spun the wonderful tale of his kidnapping, the sea fight, the wreck, the island and his rescue by the _Hawk_. Colonel Stronglistened intently and seldom interrupted, but when Robert had finishedhe said:

"'Tis clear, lad, that your belief in the good spirits was well placed. We lose nothing by borrowing a little from the Iroquois beliefs. Theirgood spirits are our angels. 'Tis all the same in the essence, only thenames are different. 'Tis clear, too, that they were watching over you. And now this house is your home so long as you stay in Boston. We'refull of the great war, as you'll soon learn. Mr. Pitt has sent over anew commander and a mighty attempt will be made on Quebec, though if theKing and Parliament of Britain did their full duty, the expedition wouldbe three times as large, and, if the Legislature and Governor ofMassachusetts also did their full duty, they would give three times asmuch help. "

"I'll stay gladly with you to-night, sir, but I must go in the morning. I wish to reach Albany as soon as possible and show that I'm not dead. You're the first, sir, of all my friends, to learn it. I must tell mycomrades of the _Hawk_ good-bye too. They've been very good to me, andtheir ship is in your harbor. "

"But you spend the night here. That's promised, and I can give you newsof some of your friends, those gallant lads who were with us in thegreat adventure by the lake. The young Englishman, Grosvenor, thePhiladelphians, Colden, Wilton and Carson, and the Virginians, Stuartand Cabell, have all been to see me. Grosvenor joins a regiment withWolfe, the Grenadiers, I think, and the Philadelphians and Virginiansare transferred to the Royal Americans, for the term of the war, atleast. "

"I hope to see them all, sir, under the walls of Quebec. Captain Whyteof the _Hawk_ offered to take me in his ship to the rendezvous atLouisbourg, but I felt that I must go first to Albany and then joinWillet and Tayoga. We'll go by land and meet the army and fleet comingdown the St. Lawrence. "

"A proper plan, and a proper ambition, my lad. I would that I could bewith you, but this wound may hold me here. As for going to Albany, I mayassist you in that matter. A company of Boston merchants are sending adespatch, that is, a stage, to Albany to-morrow. I am one of thatcompany and I can provide a place for you. "

"My very great thanks are yours, sir. "

"Say no more about it. 'Tis just what I ought to do. 'Tis a longjourney, but 'tis a fine time of the year, and you'll have a pleasanttrip. Would that I had your youth and your unwounded leg and I'd be withyou under the walls of Quebec, whether we take the city or not. "

His eyes sparkled and his thin cheeks flushed with his intense fire. Robert knew that there was no more valiant soldier than the shrewdBoston merchant, and he appreciated his intense earnestness. 

"Perhaps, sir, " he said, "your recovery will be in full time for thecampaign. "

"I fear not, I'm sure not, Mr. Lennox, and yet I wish with all my soulto be there. I foresee victory, because I think victory is due. 'Tis notin nature for the French in Canada, who are few and who receive butlittle help from their own country, to hold back forever the whole mightof Britain and her colonies. They have achieved the impossible alreadyin stemming the flood so long, and because it's about time for theweight, in spite of everything, to break over the dam, I think thatvictory is at hand. And then, Britain will be supreme on the NorthAmerican continent from the Spanish domains northward to the Pole. "

"And that means a tremendous future, sir, for England and her colonies!"

The face of Elihu Strong clouded. 

"I do not know, " he cried. "I hope so, and yet, at times, I fear not. You think only of united hearts in England and America and a long futureunder one flag. I repeat that I wish it could be so and yet the oldalways regard the new with patronage, and the new always look upon theold with resentment. There are already differences between the Englishand Americans, questions of army rank, disputes about credit in thefield, different points of view, created by the width of an ocean. "

"But if we are victorious and overrun Canada, they will be settled. "

"There lies the greatest danger, my lad. 'Tis the common peril thatholds us together for the time. When this shadow in the north which hasoverhung us so long, is removed, the differences will grow the greater, and each side will assert itself. 'Tis in our common blood. The Englishare a free people and freedom brings diversities, differing opinions anda strenuous expression of them. I see already great issues between thecolonies and the mother country, and I pray that temperate men may havethe handling of them. The wrong will not be all on one side, nor theright either. But enough of an old man's forebodings! Why should Ipoison your happy return from an adventure, in which your chance ofescape was not one in ten?"

Robert talked with him a while longer, and then he suggested that he goto the _Hawk_ and tell his friends there good-bye, as they had probablyreturned to the ship by this time. 

"But be sure you're back here by nightfall, " said Colonel Strong. "Youfavor me, lad, by coming. It refreshes me to see you and to talk withone who had a share with me in an eventful campaign. And have you moneyenough for this trip to Albany? I take it that you were not accumulatingmuch treasure while you were on the island, and a loan may be timely. "

Robert thanked him, but said he had enough for his needs. He promisedalso to be back by nightfall, and, having said farewell to the officersof the sloop, he returned to Colonel Strong's mansion at the appointedtime. 

CHAPTER XII

THE WILDERNESS AGAIN

The full hospitality of Colonel Strong's house was for Robert, and hesat late that night, listening to the talk of his host, merchant andwarrior, and politician too. There were many like him in the colonies, keen men who had a vision for world affairs and who looked far into thefuture. He was so engrossed in these matters that he did not notice thathe was doing nearly all the talking, but Robert was content to listen. 

As Robert sat with Colonel Strong he felt to the full the reality of hisown world to which he had returned, and his long life on the islandbecame for the time a dream, something detached, that might havehappened on another planet. Yet its effects remained. His manner wasgrave, and his thoughts were those of one much beyond his years. Butmingled with his gravity were an elation and a sanguine belief in hisfuture. He had survived so much that coming dangers could not daunt him. 

The special coach departed the next morning and Robert sat upon the seatwith the driver. All things were auspicious. The company in the coachwas good, the driver was genial and the weather fine. It was a long tripand they slept several nights in inns by the way, but Robert always hadpleasant memories of that journey. He was seeing his country under themost favorable conditions, well cultivated, trim and in the fullfreshness of spring. 

They reached Albany and his heart beat hard once more. He realized nowthat he was one risen from the dead. His reception by Colonel Strong hadshown him that, but he believed the joy of his friends would be greatwhen they saw him. The coach drew up at the George Inn, and, leaving itthere, he started through the streets, taking no baggage. 

It was the same busy little city with its thrifty Dutch burghers. Thetide of war had brought added prosperity to Albany, and he saw about himall the old signs of military preparations. It was yet a base for thegreat campaigns to the northward. Evidently the fear of an attack byMontcalm had passed, as he did not see apprehension or depression in thefaces of the people. 

He went directly to the house of Master Jacobus Huysman, that staunchfriend of his and Tayoga's, and the solid red brick building with itstrim lawns and gardens looked as neat and comfortable as ever. It washard to believe that he had gone away, that he had been so long on anisland. Nothing had been changed except himself and he felt different, much older. 

He lifted the heavy brass knocker, and struck thrice. The sound offootsteps came from within, and he knew at once that they wereCaterina's. Middle-aged, phlegmatic and solid she had loved both him andTayoga, despite tricks and teasing, but he knew her very phlegm wouldkeep her from being startled too much. Only an earthquake could shakethe poise of Caterina. 

The door swung slowly open. The nature of Caterina was cautious and shenever opened a door quickly. 

"Good-morning, Caterina, " said Robert. "Is Master Jacobus in? I stayedaway a bit longer than I intended, and I wish to make my apologies tohim, if I've caused him any inconvenience. "

The mouth of Caterina, a wide cleft, opened full as slowly as the doorand full as steadily, and her eyes seemed to swell at the same time. Butshe did not utter a word. Words might be forming in her throat, thoughthey were not able to pass her lips. But Robert saw amazement and joy inher eyes. She knew him. That was evident. It was equally evident thatshe had been struck dumb, so he grasped her large and muscular hand andsaid:

"I've come back, Caterina, a trifle late 'tis true, but as you see I'mhere. It's not my fault that I've been delayed a little. I hope thatMaster Jacobus is well. I know he's in his study as the odor of his pipecomes floating to me, a pleasant odor too, Caterina; I've missed it. "

"Aye! Aye!" said Caterina. It was all she could manage to say, butsuddenly she seized his hand, and fell to kissing it. 

"Don't do that, Caterina!" exclaimed Robert, pulling his hand away. "You're glad to see me and I'm glad to see you. I'm no ghost. I'm solidand substantial, at least ten pounds heavier than I was when I went awaysuddenly at the invitation of others. And now, Caterina, since you'velost your voice I'll go in and have a talk with Master Jacobus. "

Caterina's mouth and eyes were still opening wider and wider, but asRobert gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder she managed to gasp:

"You haf come back! you wass dead, but you wouldn't stay dead. "

"Yes, that's it, Caterina, I wouldn't stay dead, or rather I was lost, but I wouldn't stay lost. I'll go in now and see Master Jacobus. "

He walked past her toward the odor of the pipe that came from the studyand library of Mr. Huysman, and Caterina stood by the door, stillstaring at him, her mouth opening wider and wider. No such extraordinarything had ever happened before in the life of Caterina, and yet it was ahappy marvel, one that filled her with gratitude. 

The door of Mr. Huysman's room was open and Robert saw him very clearlybefore he entered, seated in a great chair of mahogany and hair cloth, smoking his long hooked pipe and looking thoughtfully now and then atsome closely written sheets of foolscap that he held in his hand. He wasa solid man of the most solid Dutch ancestry, solid physically andmentally, and he looked it. Nothing could shake his calm soul, and itwas a waste of time to try to break anything to him gently. Good news orbad news, it was well to be out with it, and Robert knew it. So hestepped into the room, sat down in a chair near that of Mr. Huysman andsaid:

"I hope, sir, that I've not caused you any inconvenience. I didn't meanto keep you waiting so long. "

Master Jacobus turned and regarded him thoughtfully. Then he took onelong puff at his pipe, removed it from his mouth, and blew the smoke inspirals towards the ceiling. 

"Robert, " he said, after an inspection of a full minute, "why were youin such a hurry about coming back? Are you sure you did everything youshould before you came? You wass sometimes a hasty lad. "

"I can't recall, sir, anything that I've neglected. Also, I wiped myshoes on the porch and I shut the door when I came in, as Caterina usedto bid me do. "

"It iss well. It shows that you are learning at last. Caterina and I hafhad much trouble teaching manners to you and that young Onondaga scamp, Tayoga. "

"As we grow older, sir, we have more desire to learn. We're better ableto perceive the value of good advice. "

Master Jacobus Huysman put the stem of his long pipe back in his mouth, took the very longest draught upon it that he had ever drawn, removed itagain, sent the smoke rushing in another beautiful spear of spiralstoward the ceiling, and, then, for the first and last time in his life, he lost all control over himself. Springing to his feet he seized Robertby both hands and nearly wrung them off. 

"Robert, my lost lad!" he exclaimed. "It iss you! it iss really you! Iknew that you wass dead, and, yet when you walked into the room, I knewthat it wass you alive! Your face iss changed! your look iss changed!your manner iss changed! you are older, but I would have known youanywhere and at the first glance! You do not understand how much youtook out of my life when you went, and you do not know how much you havebrought back when you come again! I do not ask why you left or where youhave been, you can tell it all when you are ready! It iss enough thatyou are here!"

Tears rose in Robert's eyes and he was not ashamed of them. He knew thathis welcome would be warm, but it had been even warmer than he hadexpected. 

"I did not go away of my own accord, sir, " he said. "I could not havebeen so heartless as that. I've a wonderful tale to tell, and, as soonas you give me all the news about my friends, I'll tell it. "

"Take your time, Robert, take your time. Maybe you are hungry. Thekitchen iss full of good things. Let me call Caterina, and she willbring you food. "

The invitation of the good Mynheer Jacobus, a very natural thought withhim, eased the tension. Robert laughed. 

"I thank you, sir, " he said, "but I cannot eat now. Later I'll show youthat I haven't lost my ability at the trencher, but I'd like to hear nowabout Tayoga and Dave. "

"They're gone into the northern forests to take part in the greatexpedition that's now arranging against Quebec. We hunted long, but wecould discover no trace of you, not a sign, and then there was noconclusion left but the river. You had been murdered and thrown into theHudson. Your body could not disappear in any other way, and we wass sureit must have been the spy Garay who did the foul deed. Only Tayoga keptany hope. He said that you wass watched over by Manitou and by his ownpatron saint, Tododaho, and though you might be gone long, Manitou andTododaho would bring you back again. But we thought it wass only a wayhe had of trying to console himself for the loss of his friend. Willethad no hope. I wass sorry, sorry in my soul for David. He loved you as ason, Robert, and the blow wass one from which he could never haverecovered. When all hope wass gone he and Tayoga plunged into theforest, partly I think to forget, and I suppose they have been riskingthe hair on their heads every day in battle with the French andIndians. "

"It is certain that they won't shirk any combat, " said Robert. "Valiantand true! No one was ever more valiant and true than they are!"

"It iss so, and there wass another who took it hard, very hard. I speakof Benjamin Hardy of New York. I wrote him the letter telling him allthat we knew, and I had a reply full of grief. He took it as hard asWillet. "

"It was almost worth it to be lost a while to discover what good andpowerful friends I have. "

"You have them! You have them! And now I think, Robert, that the timedraws nigh for you to know who you are. No, not now! You must wait yet alittle longer. Believe me, Robert, it iss for good reasons. "

"I know it, Mr. Huysman! I know it must be so! But I know also there isone who will not rejoice because I've come back! I mean Adrian VanZoon!"

"Why, Robert, what do you know of Adrian Van Zoon?"

"I was told by a dying man to beware of him, and I've always heard thatdying men speak the truth. And this was a dying man who was in aposition to know. I'm sure his advice was meant well and was based onknowledge. I think, Mr. Huysman, that I shall have a large score tosettle with Adrian Van Zoon. "

"Well, maybe you have. But tell me, lad, how you were lost and how youcame back. "

So, Robert told the long story again, as he had told it to Elihu Strong, though he knew that he was telling it now to one who took a deeper andmore personal interest in him than Colonel Strong, good friend thoughthe latter was. Jacobus Huysman had settled back into his usual calm, smoking his long pipe, and interrupting at rare intervals with a shortquestion or two. 

"It iss a wonderful story, " he said, when Robert finished, "and I cansee that your time on the island wass not wholly lost. You gainedsomething there, Robert, my lad. I cannot tell just what it iss, but Ican see it in you. "

"I feel that way myself, sir. "

"No time iss ever lost by the right kind of a man. We can put every hourto some profit, even if it iss not the kind of profit we first intended. But I will not preach to one who hass just risen from the dead. Are yousure, Robert, you will not have a dinner now? We have some splendid fishand venison and sausage and beef! Just a plate of each! It will do yougood!"

Robert declined again, but his heart was very full. He knew that MasterJacobus felt deep emotion, despite his calmness of manner, and this wasa way he had of giving welcome. To offer food and to offer it often wasone of the highest tributes he could pay. 

"I could wish, " he said, "that you would go to New York and stay withBenjamin Hardy, but as you will not do it, I will not ask it. I knowthat nothing on earth can keep you from going into the woods and joiningWillet and Tayoga, and so I will help you to find them. Robert Rogers, the ranger leader, will be here to-morrow, and he starts the next dayinto the north with a force of his. He can find Willet and Tayoga, andyou can go with him. "

"Nothing could be better, sir. I know him well. We've fought side byside in the forest. Is he going to lead his rangers against Quebec?"

"I do not know. Maybe so, and maybe he will have some other duty, but inany event he goes up by the lakes, and you're pretty sure to find Tayogaand Willet in that direction. I know that you will go, Robert, but Iwish you would stay. "

"I must go, and if you'll pardon me for saying it, sir, you won't wishin your heart that I would stay. You'd be ashamed of me, if I were to doso. "

Mr. Huysman made no answer, but puffed a little harder on his pipe. Verysoon he sent for Master Alexander McLean, and that thin dry man, comingat once, shook hands with Robert, released his hand, seized and shook ita second and a third time with more energy than ever. Mr. McLean, anundemonstrative man, had never been known to do such a thing before, andhe was never known to do it again. Master Jacobus regarded him withstaring eyes. 

"Alexander iss stirred! He iss stirred mightily to make such a displayof emotion, " he said under his breath. 

"Robert hass been away on an island all by himself, eight or nine monthsor more, " he added, aloud. 

"And of course, " said Master McLean, who had recovered his usual calm, "he forgot all his classical learning while he was there. I do not knowwhere his island is, but desert islands are not conducive to a nobleeducation. "

"On the contrary, sir, " said Robert, "I learned more about goodliterature when I was there than I ever did anywhere else, save when Isat under you. "

"'Tis clearly impossible. In such a place you could make no advancementin learning save by communing with yourself. "

"Nevertheless, sir, happy chance gave me a supply of splendid books. Ihad Shakespeare, Marlowe, Beaumont and Fletcher, translations of Homerand of other great Greeks and Latins. "

Mr. McLean's frosty eyes beamed. 

"What a wonderful opportunity!" he said. "Eight or nine months on adesert island with the best of the classics, and nobody to disturb you!No such chance will ever come to me, I fear. Which book of the Iliad isthe finest, Robert?"

"The first, I think. 'Tis the noble opening, the solemn note of tragedythat enchains the attention of us all. "

"Well answered. But I wish to make a confession to you and Jacobus, onethat would shock nearly all scholars, yet I think that I must speak itout, to you two at least, before I die. There are times when my heartwarms to the Odyssey more than it does to the Iliad. The personal appealis stronger in the Odyssey. There is more romance, more charm. Theinterest is concentrated in Ulysses and does not scatter as it does inthe Iliad, where Hector is undoubtedly the most sympathetic figure. Andthe coming home of Ulysses arouses emotion more than anything in theIliad. Now, I have made my confession--I suppose there is something inthe life of every man that he ought to hide--but be the consequenceswhat they may I am glad I have made it. "

Mr. McLean rose from his chair and then sat down again. Twice that dayhe had been shaken by emotion as never before, once by the return of thelad whom he loved, risen from the dead, and once by the confession of aterrible secret that had haunted him for years. 

"When I was on the island I reread both books in excellenttranslations, " said Robert, the utmost sympathy showing in his voice, "and I confess, sir, though my opinion is a poor one, that it agreeswith yours. Moreover, sir, you have said it ahead of me. I shallmaintain it, whenever and wherever it is challenged. "

Mr. McLean's frosty blue eyes gleamed again, and his sharp strong chinset itself at a firm defiant angle. It was clear that he was relievedgreatly. 

"Have a pipe, Alexander, " said Master Jacobus. "A good pipe is asplendid fortifier of both body and soul, after a great crisis. "

Mr. McLean accepted a pipe and smoked it with methodical calm. Robertsaw that a great content was settling upon both him and Mr. Huysman, and, presently, the burgher began to tell him news of vital importance, news that they had not known even in Boston when he left. It seemed thatthe Albany men had channels through Canada itself, by which they learnedquickly of great events in the enemy's camp. 

"Wolfe with his fleet and army will be in the Gulf of St. Lawrence verysoon, " said Master Jacobus, "and by autumn they will certainly appearbefore Quebec. Whatever happens there it will not be another Duquesne, nor yet a Ticonderoga. You must know, Robert, that the great merchantsof the great ports get the best of information from England and fromFrance too, because it is to their interest to do so. Mr. Pitt iss agreat minister, the greatest that England hass had in centuries, a verygreat man. "

"Colonel Strong said the same, sir. "

"Colonel Strong hass the same information that we have. He iss one ofour group. And the new general, Wolfe, iss a great man too. Young andsickly though he may be, he hass the fire, the genius, the will toconquer, to overcome everything that a successful general must have. Ifeel sure that he will be more than a match for Montcalm, and so doesAlexander. As you know, Robert, Wolfe iss not untried. He was the soulof the Louisbourg attack last year. People said the taking of the placewas due mostly to him, and they've called him the 'Hero of Louisbourg. '"

"You almost make me wish, sir, that I had accepted the offer of CaptainWhyte and had gone on to Louisbourg. "

"Do not worry yourself. If you find Willet and Tayoga, as you will, youcan reach Quebec long before Wolfe can achieve much. He hass yet togather his forces and go up the St. Lawrence. Armies and fleets are notmoved in a day. "

"Do you know what Rogers' immediate duties are?"

"I do not, but I think he iss to help the movement that General Amherstis going to conduct with a strong force against Ticonderoga and CrownPoint. Oh, Mr. Pitt hass a great plan as becomes a great man, and Canadawill be assailed on all sides. I hear talk too that Rogers will also besent to punish the St. Francis Indians who have ravaged the border. "

They talked a while longer, and Robert listened, intent, eager. Theburgher and the schoolmaster had the vision of statesmen. They wereconfident that England and the colonies would achieve complete success, that all defeats and humiliations would be wiped away by an overwhelmingtriumph. Their confidence in Pitt was wonderful. That sanguine andmighty mind had sent waves of energy and enthusiasm to the farthestlimits of the British body politic, whether on one side of the Atlanticor the other, and it was a singular, but true, fact, that the wisestwere those who believed in him most. 

Mr. McLean went away, after a while, and Robert took a walk in the town, renewing old acquaintances and showing to them how one could really risefrom the dead, a very pleasant task. Yet he longed with all his soul forthe forest, and his comrades of the trail. His condition of life on theisland had been mostly mental. It had been easy there to subsist. Hisphysical activities had not been great, save when he chose to make themso, and now he swung to the other extreme. He wished to think less andto act more, and he shared with Mr. Huysman and Mr. McLean the beliefthat the coming campaign would win for England and her colonies acomplete triumph. 

He too thrilled at the name of Pitt. The very sound of the four lettersseemed to carry magic everywhere, with the young English officers on theship, in Boston, in Albany, and he had noticed too that it inspired thesame confidence at the little towns at which they stopped on their wayacross Massachusetts. Like a blast on the horn of the mighty Roland, thecall of Pitt was summoning the English-speaking world to arms. Robertlittle dreamed then, despite the words of Colonel Strong, that the greatcleavage would come, and that the call would not be repeated until morethan a century and a half had passed, though then it would sound aroundthe world summoning new English-speaking nations not then born. 

Rogers, the famous ranger, upon whom Tayoga had bestowed the nameMountain Wolf, arrived the next day, bringing with him fifty men whom hesupplied with ammunition for one of his great raids. The rest of hisband was waiting for him near the southern end of Lake George, and hecould stay only a few hours in Albany. He gave Robert a warm welcome. 

"I remember you well, Mr. Lennox, " he said. "We've had some hardfighting together around Lake George against St. Luc, Tandakora and theothers, but I think the battle line will shift far northward now. Amherst is going to swoop down on Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and SirWilliam Johnson, well of his wound, is to march against Niagara. I'llpunish the St. Regis Indians for all their barbarities. Oh, it's to be agreat campaign, and I'll tell you a secret too. "

"What is it?" asked Robert. 

"We're to have St. Luc against us near the lakes once more. Could youask for a better antagonist?"

Robert smiled at the man's eagerness, but his heart throbbed, as always, at the mention of the great French chevalier's name. 

"He'll give us all we can do, " he said. 

"That's why I want to meet him, " said Rogers. "The whole northernfrontier is going to be ablaze. "

Robert left that very day with Rogers and his men. Mr. Huysman purchasedfor him a splendid equipment which he forced him to accept, and he andMr. McLean bade him good-by, while Caterina wept in her apron. 

"Don't fear for me, " said Robert, who was much moved. "Mr. Pitt willbring us all victory. His first efforts failed at Ticonderoga, as weknow, but now he has all his forces moving on all fronts, and he's boundto succeed. You've said that yourselves. "

"So we have, Robert, " said Mr. Huysman, "and we shall watch for yourreturn, confident that you'll come. "

The next day the rangers, Robert with them, were far to the north ofAlbany, and then they plunged into the deep woods. Robert rejoiced atthe breath of the forest now in its freshest green, not yet faded bysummer heats. He had grown to love his island, but it was not like themighty wilderness of North America, in which he had spent so much of hislife. He kept at the head of the column, side by side with the MountainWolf, and his step was so strong and elastic that Rogers took approvingnotice. 

"You like the woods, Robert, " he said. "Well, so do I. It's the onlyplace where a man can live a free life. "

"I like the woods and the towns too, " said Robert. "Each in its place. Where do we camp to-night?"

"By a little lake, a few miles farther on, and as we're not yet in theIndian country we'll make it a fire camp. "

The lake covered only two or three acres, but it was set in high hills, and it was as clear as crystal. A great fire was built near the shore, two or three of the rangers caught plenty of fish for all, and they werebroiled over the coals. Game had become so plentiful, owing to theravages of the war, that a fat deer was shot near the water, and, whenthey added coffee and samp from their own stores, they had a feast. 

Robert ate with a tremendous appetite, and then, wrapping himself in hisblanket, lay down under a tree. But he did not go to sleep for a longtime. He was full of excitement. All the omens and signs told him thathe was coming into the thick of events once more, and he felt also thathe would soon see Willet and Tayoga again. He would encounter manyperils, but for the present at least he did not fear them. Much of hisvivid youth was returning to him. 

He saw the surface of the lake from where he lay, a beautiful silver inthe clear moonlight, and he could even perceive wild fowl swimming atthe far edge, unfrightened by the presence of man, or by the fires thathe built. The skies were a great silver curve, in which floated amagnificent moon and noble stars in myriads. There was the one on whichTayoga's Tododaho lived, and so powerful was Robert's fancy that hebelieved he could see the great Onondaga sage with the wise snakes inhis hair. And there too was the star upon which Hayowentha lived and theOnondaga and the Mohawk undoubtedly talked across space as they lookeddown on their people. 

Out of the forest came the calls of night birds, and Robert saw oneshoot down upon the lake and then rise with a fish in its talons. Healmost expected to see the dusky figure of Tandakora creep from thebush, and he knew at least that the Ojibway chief would be somewherenear the lakes. Beyond a doubt they would encounter him and his warriorsas they pressed into the north. Rogers, noticing that he was not asleep, sat down beside him and said:

"I suppose, Mr. Lennox, when you find Tayoga and Willet that you'll gowith Amherst's army against Ticonderoga and Crown Point. A great forcehas gathered to take those places. "

"I'm not sure, " said Robert, "I think it depends largely upon whatTayoga and Dave have planned, but I want to go against Quebec, and Ithink they will too. Still, I'd like to see our defeat at Ticonderogaatoned for. It's a place that we ought to have, and Crown Point too. "

"A scout that I sent out has come in, " said Rogers, "and he says he'sseen an Indian trail, not big enough to be of any danger to us, but itshows we'll have 'em to deal with before long, though this is south oftheir usual range. I hear an owl hooting now, and if I didn't know itwas a real owl I could think it was Tandakora himself. "

"I hear it too, " said Robert, "and I'm not so sure that it's a real owl. Do you think that any band will try to cut us off before we reachAmherst and the lake?"

"I can't say, but my faith in the owl, Robert, is beginning to shaketoo. It may be an Indian belonging to the band that the scout toldabout, but I still don't think we're in any danger of attack. We're intoo small force to try it down here, but they might cut off astraggler. "

"I'd like to help keep the watch. "

"We won't need you to-night, but I may call on you to-morrow night, soit's my advice to you to sleep now. "

The Mountain Wolf walked away to look at his outposts--he was not oneever to neglect any precaution--and Robert, knowing that his advice wasgood, closed his eyes, trying to sleep. But his hearing then became moreacute, and the long, lonesome note of the owl came with startlingdreams. Its cry was in the west, and after a while another owl in thenorth answered it. Robert wished that Tayoga was with him. He wouldknow, but as for himself he could not tell whether or no the owls werereal. They might be Indians, and if so they would probably, when theygathered sufficient force, throw themselves across the path of therangers and offer battle. This presence too indicated that Tayoga andWillet might be near, because it was against just such bands that theyguarded, and once more his heart beat fast. 

He opened his eyes to find that the beauty of the night had deepened, ifthat were possible. The little lake was molten silver, and the forestseemed silver too under silver skies. The moon, large and benignant, smiled down on the earth, not meant, so Robert thought, for battle. Butthe two owls were still calling to each other, and now he was convincedthat they were Indians and not owls. He was really back in thewilderness, where there was no such thing as peace, the wilderness thathad seldom ever known peace. But believing with Rogers that the forcewas too strong to be attacked he fell asleep, at last, and awoke toanother bright summer day. 

They resumed the advance with great caution. Rogers did not go directlytoward the force of Amherst, but bore more toward the west, thinking itlikely that he would have to meet the force of Sir William Johnson whowas to coöperate with Prideaux in the attack on Niagara. 

"Sir William has entirely recovered from the wound he received at theBattle of Lake George, " Rogers said to Robert, "and he's again taking abig part in the war. We have Louisbourg and Duquesne, and now, if wetake Niagara and Ticonderoga and Crown Point, we can advance in greatforce on Quebec and Montreal. "

"So we can, " said Robert, "but there are those owls again, hooting inthe daytime, and I'm quite sure now they're Indians. "

"I think so too, and it begins to look as if they meant an attack. Everymile here brings us rapidly nearer to dangerous country. I'll send outtwo more scouts. "

Two of his best men were dispatched, one on either flank, but both camein very soon with reports of imminent danger. Trails were seen, and theyhad grown in size. One found the trace of a gigantic moccasin, and itwas believed to be that of Tandakora. Many scouts knew his footstep. There was no other so large in the north. Rogers' face was grave. 

"I think they're going to try to cut us off before we reach the biggerpart of my force, " he said. "If so, we'll give 'em a fight. You'll be inthe thick of it much earlier than you expected, Robert. "

Robert also was inclined to that opinion, but he was still confidentthey could not be menaced by any very large party, and he remained inthat belief the next night, when they made their camp on a little hill, covered with bushes, but with open country on every side, an excellentsite for defense. They ate another plentiful supper, then put out theirfire, posted sentinels and waited. 

Robert was among the sentinels, and Rogers, who had made him second incommand until he was reunited with his main force, stood by him in thefirst hour while they waited. There was again a splendid moon and plentyof fine stars, shedding a brilliant glow over the forest, and theybelieved they could see any enemy who tried to approach, especially asthe hill was surrounded on all sides by a stretch of open. 

"It's a good place for a camp, " said the Mountain Wolf, looking aroundwith approval. "I believe they'll scarce venture to attack us here. "

"But there are the owls, " said Robert. "They're at least thinking aboutit. "

The long mournful cry came from the depths of the forest, and then itwas repeated a second and a third time at other points. 

"The owls that send forth those calls, " said Robert, "don't sit on theboughs of trees. "

"No, " said Rogers; "it's the warriors, not a doubt of it, and they'll bestealing in on us before long. "

But several hours passed before there was any stir in the forest beyondthe open. Then a rifle cracked there, but no one heard the impact of thebullet. Rogers laughed scornfully. 

"Their lead fell short, " he said. "How could they expect to hit any ofus at such a range, and they not the best of marksmen even in thedaylight. They can't hope to do any more than to keep us awake. "

The rangers made no reply to the shot, they would not deign it with suchnotice, but the guard was doubled, while the others remained in theirblankets. A half hour more passed, and a second shot came, but from apoint much nearer. 

"They're trying to steal forward through the grass that grows tall downthere, " said Rogers. "They're more bent on battle than I thought they'dbe. It seems that they mean to stalk us, so we'll just stalk 'em back. "

Four of the rangers, fine sharpshooters, edged their way along theslope, and, when the warriors among the trees fired, pulled trigger bythe flash of their rifles. It was difficult to hit any one in such amanner, and more than twenty shots were fired by the two sides, before adeath shout was uttered. Then it came from the forest, and Robert knewthat one warrior was gone. He was taking no present part in the battlehimself, held like the bulk of the force in reserve, but he was anintent observer. Rogers, the daring leader of the rangers, stillstanding by his side, took it all as a part of his daily work, which intruth it was. 

"I think it was Thayer who brought down that warrior, " he said. "Thayeris one of the bravest men I ever saw, and a great scout and trailer. He'd be worthy to go with Willet and Tayoga and you. Ah, there goes asecond death shout! Any one who seeks a brush with these boys of minedoes it at his own risk. "

He spoke proudly, but one of his own men came creeping back presentlywith a wound in his shoulder. Rogers himself bound it up and the man laydown in his blanket, confident that in a week he could resume his placein the campaign. Those who lived the life he did had, of necessity, bodies as hard as iron. 

The deadly skirmishing died down repeatedly, but, after a little while, it was always renewed. Though the warriors were getting the worst of it, they persisted in the attack, and Robert knew they must have somemotive, not yet evident. 

"Either they hope to frighten us back, or they mean to hold us until amuch bigger force comes up, " he said. 

"One or the other, " said Rogers, "but I don't believe any big band wouldventure down here. The hope to frighten us seems the more likely. "

The combat, drawn out long and with so little result, annoyed Robertintensely. As he saw it, it could have no decisive effect upon anythingand was more than futile, it was insensate folly. The original time setfor his watch was over long since and he wanted to roll himself in hisblanket and find slumber, but those ferocious warriors would not lethim. Despite their losses, they still hung around the hill, and, givingup the attempt to stalk the defenders through the grass, fired longshots from the cover of the forest. Another ranger was wounded by achance bullet, but Rogers, skillful and cautious, refused to be drawnfrom the shelter of the bushes on the hill. 

Thus the fitful and distant combat was waged until dawn. But with therise of a brilliant sun, throwing a clear light over the wholewilderness, the warriors drew off and the rangers resumed their march. 

CHAPTER XIII

THE REUNION

Willet, the hunter, and Tayoga, the great young Onondaga trailer, werewalking through the northern woods, examining forest and bush verycautiously as they advanced, knowing that the danger from ambushedwarriors was always present. Willet was sadder and sterner than of old, while the countenance of the Onondaga was as grave and inscrutable asever, though he looked older, more mature, more the mighty forestrunner. 

"Think you, Tayoga, " said the hunter, "that Tandakora and his men havedared to come into this region again?"

"Tandakora will dare much, " replied the Onondaga. "Though he is full ofevil, we know that well. The French still hold Ticonderoga, and he canuse it as a base for bands much farther south. "

"True, but I don't think they'll have Ticonderoga, or Crown Point, either, long. Amherst is gathering too big an army and there is noMontcalm to defend them. The Marquis will have his hands full andoverflowing, defending Quebec against Wolfe. We've held both Duquesneand Louisbourg a long while now. We've smashed the French line at bothends, and Mr. Pitt is going to see that it's cut in the center too. HowI wish that Robert were alive to see the taking of Ticonderoga! He sawall the great defeat there and he was entitled to this recompense. "

He sighed deeply. 

"It may be, Great Bear, " said Tayoga, "that Dagaeoga will see the takingof Ticonderoga. No one has ever looked upon his dead body. How then dowe know that he is dead?"

Willet shook his head. 

"'Tis no use, Tayoga, " he said. "The lad was murdered by Garay and theriver took his body away. Why, it will be a year this coming autumnsince he disappeared, and think you if he were alive he couldn't havecome back in that time! 'Tis the part of youth to hope, and it does youcredit, but the matter is past hope now. We've all given up except you. "

"When only one hopes, Great Bear, though all others have failed, thereis still hope left. Last night I saw Tododaho on his star very clearly. He looked down at me, smiled and seemed to speak. I could not hear hiswords, but at the time I was thinking of Dagaeoga. Since Tododaho sitswith the great gods, and is one of them, he knew my thoughts, and, if hesmiled when I was thinking of Dagaeoga, he meant to give me hope. "

The hunter again shook his head sadly. 

"You thought you saw it, because you wished it so much, " he said, "ormaybe the promise of Tododaho was for the future, the hereafter. "

"For the hereafter we need no special promise, Great Bear. That hasalways been made to all of us by Manitou himself, but I was thinking ofDagaeoga alive, present with us in this life, when Tododaho smiled downon me. I hold it in my heart, Great Bear, as a sign, a promise. "

Willet shook his head for the third time, and with increasing sadness, but said nothing more. If Tayoga cherished such a hope it was aconsolation, a beautiful thing, and he was not one to destroy anybody'sfaith. 

"Do you know this region?" he asked. 

"I was through here once with the Mohawk chief, Daganoweda, " repliedTayoga. "It is mostly in heavy forest, and, since the war has gone on solong and the settlers have gone away, there has been a great increase inthe game. "

"Aye, I know there'll be no trouble on that point. If our own suppliesgive out it won't take long to find a deer or a bear. It's a grandcountry in here, Tayoga, and sometimes it seems a pity to one that itshould ever be settled by white people, or, for that matter, by redeither. Let it remain a wilderness, and let men come in, just a littlewhile every year, to hunt. "

"Great Bear talks wisdom, but it will not be done his way. Men have beencoming here a long time now to fight and not to hunt. See, Great Bear, here is a footprint now to show that some one has passed!"

"'Twas made by the moccasin of a warrior. A chance hunter. "

"Suppose we follow it, Great Bear. It is our business to keep guard andcarry word to Amherst. "

"Good enough. Lead and I'll follow. "

"It is not the step of a warrior hunting, " said Tayoga, as they pursuedthe traces. "The paces are even, regular and long. He goes swiftly, notlooking for anything as he goes, but because he wishes to reach adestination as soon as possible. Ah, now he stopped and he leanedagainst this bush, two of the stems of which are broken! I do not knowwhat he stopped for, Great Bear, but it may have been to give a signal, though that is but a surmise. Now he goes on, again walking straight andswift. Ah, another trail coming from the west joining his and the twowarriors walk together!"

The two followed the double trail a mile or more in silence, and then itwas joined by the traces of three more warriors. The five evidently hadstood there, talking a little while, after which they had scattered. 

"Now, what does that mean?" exclaimed the hunter. 

"I think if we follow every one of the five trails, " said Tayoga, "wewill find that the men lay down in the bush. It is certain in my mind, Great Bear, that they were preparing for a battle, and they were but apart of a much larger force hidden in these thickets. "

"Now, that's interesting, Tayoga. Let's look around and see if we canfind where more of the warriors lay. "

They circled to the right, and presently they came upon traces wherethree men had knelt behind bushes. The imprints of both knees and toeswere plain. 

"They were here a long time, " said Tayoga, "because they have movedabout much within a little space. In places the ground is kneaded bytheir knees. And lo! Great Bear, here on the bush several of the youngleaves are burned. Now, you and I know well what alone would do that atsuch a time. "

"It was done by the flash from a big musket, such a musket as thoseFrench Indians carry. "

"It could have been nothing else. I think if we go still farther aroundthe curve we will find other bushes behind which other warriors kneeledand fired, and maybe other leaves scorched by the flash of big muskets. "

A hundred yards more and they saw that for which they looked. The signswere just the same as at the other places. 

"Now, it is quite clear to you and me, Great Bear, " said the Onondaga, "that these men, posted along a curving line, were firing at something. They were here a long time, as the numerous and crowded footprints atevery place show. They could not have been firing at game, because therewere too many of them, and the game would not have stayed to be fired atso long. Therefore, Great Bear, and you know it as well as I, they musthave been in battle. All the points of ambush to which we have come areat an almost equal distance from some other point. "

"Which, Tayoga, is that hill yonder, crowned with bushes, but with bareslopes, a good place for a defense, and just about a long rifle ormusket shot from the forest here. "

"So it is, Great Bear. It could be nothing else. The defenders lay amongthe bushes on top of the hill, and the battle was fought in the night, because those who attacked were not numerous enough to push a combat inthe day. The defenders must have been white men, as we know from thefootprints here that the assailants were warriors. Ah, here are othertraces, Great Bear, and here are more, all trodden about in the samemanner, indicating a long stay, and all at about an equal distance fromthe hill! I think the warriors lay in the forest all night firing uponthe hill, and probably doing little damage. But they suffered more hurtthemselves. See, here are faint traces of blood, yet staining the grass, and here is a trail leading out of the bushes and into the grass thatlines the slopes of the hill. The trail goes forward, and then it comesback. It is quite clear to both of us, Dagaeoga, that a warrior, creeping through the long grass, tried to stalk the hill, but met abullet instead. Those who lay upon the hill and defended themselves werenot asleep. They could detect warriors who tried to steal forward andsecure good shots at them. And they could fire at long range and hittheir targets. Now, soldiers know too little of the forest to do that, and so it must have been scouts or rangers. "

"Perhaps some of the rangers belonging to Rogers. We know that he'soperating in this region. "

"It was in my thought too, Great Bear, that the rangers of the MountainWolf lay on the hill. See, here is a second trace of blood, and it alsocame from a warrior who tried to stalk the hill, but who had to comeback again after he had been kissed by a bullet. The men up there amongthe bushes never slept, and they allowed no one of their enemies to comenear enough for a good shot with a musket. The chances are ninety-nineout of a hundred that they were rangers, Great Bear, and we may speak ofthem as rangers. Now, we come to a spot where at least a dozen warriorslay, and, since their largest force was here, it is probable that theirchief stayed at this spot. See, the small bones of the deer picked cleanare lying among the bushes. I draw from it the opinion, and so do you, Great Bear, that the warriors kept up the siege of the hill until dawn, because at dawn they would be most likely to eat their breakfast, andthese little bones of the deer prove that they did eat this breakfasthere. Now, it is very probable that they went away, since they could winnothing from the defenders of the hill. "

"Here's their broad trail leading directly from the hill. "

They followed the trail a little distance, finding those of otherwarriors joining, until the total was about forty. Willet laughed withquiet satisfaction. 

"They had all they wanted of the hill, " he said, "and they're offswiftly to see if they can't find easier prey elsewhere. "

"And you and I, Great Bear, will go back and see what happened on thehill, besides discovering somewhat more about the identity of thedefenders. "

"Long words, Tayoga, but good ones upon which we can act. I'm anxiousabout the top of that hill myself. "

They went back and walked slowly up the hill. They knew quite well thatnobody was there now. The entire forest scene had vanished, so far asthe actors were concerned, but few things disappear completely. Theactors could go, but they could not do so without leaving traces whichthe two great scouts were able to read. 

"How long ago do you think all this happened, Tayoga?" asked Willet. 

"Not many hours since, " replied the Onondaga. "It is mid-morning now, and we know that the warriors departed at dawn. The people on the hillwould stay but a little while after their enemies had gone, and sincethey were rangers they would not long remain blind to the fact that theyhad gone. "

They pushed into the bushes, and were soon among the traces left by thedefenders. 

"Here is where the guard knelt, " said Tayoga, as they walked around thecircle of the bushes, "and behind them is where the men slept in theirblankets. That is farther proof that they were rangers. They had so muchexperience, and they felt so little alarm that most of them sleptplacidly, although they knew warriors were watching below seeking toshoot them down. The character of the footprints indicates that all ofthe defenders were white men. Here is a trail that I have seen manytimes before, so many times that I would know it anywhere. It is that ofthe Mountain Wolf. He probably had a small part of his rangers here andwas on his way to join his main force, to act either with Amherst orWaraiyageh (Sir William Johnson). Of course he would depart with speedas soon as his enemy was beaten off. "

"Altogether reasonable, Tayoga, and I'm glad Rogers is in these partsagain with his rangers. Our generals will need him. "

"The Mountain Wolf stood here a long time, " said Tayoga. "He walked nowand then to the right, and also to the left, but he always came back tothis place. He stood here, because it is a little knoll, and from it hecould see better than from anywhere else into the forest that hid theenemy below. The Mountain Wolf is a wise man, a great forest fighter, and a great trailer, but he was not alone when he stood here. "

"I suppose he had a lieutenant of course, a good man whom he couldtrust. Every leader has such a helper. "

The Onondaga knelt and examined the traces minutely. When he rose hiseyes were blazing. 

"He did have a good helper, an able assistant, O Great Bear!" he said. "He had one whom he trusted, one whom I could trust, one whom you couldtrust. The Mountain Wolf stood by this bush and talked often with onewhom we shall be very glad to see, O Great Bear, one whom the MountainWolf himself was both surprised and glad to see. "

"Your meaning is beyond me, Tayoga. "

"It will not be beyond you very long, O Great Bear! When Tododaho, reading my thoughts, looked down on me last night from the great star onwhich he has lived four hundred years, and smiled upon me, his smilemeant what it said. The Hodenosaunee are the children of Todohado andHayowentha, and they never make sport of them, nor of any one of them. "

"I'm still in the dark of the matter, Tayoga!"

"Does not Great Bear remember what I was thinking about when Todohadosmiled? What I said and always believed is true, O Great Bear! Ibelieved it against all the world and I was right. Look at the tracesbeside those of the Mountain Wolf! They are light and faint, but lookwell at them, O Great Bear! I would know them anywhere! I have seen themthousands of times, and so has the Great Bear! Dagaeoga has come back!He stood here beside the Mountain Wolf! He was on this hill among thebushes all through the night, while the rangers fought the warriorsamong the trees below! He and the Mountain Wolf talked together andconsulted while they looked at the forest! Lo! my brother Dagaeoga hascome back out of the mists and vapors into which he went nearly a yearago, for he is my brother, though my skin is red and his is white, andhe has been my brother ever since we were little children together! Lo!Great Bear, Dagaeoga has come back as I told you, as I alone told you hewould, and my heart sings a song of joy within me, because I have lovedmy brother! Look! look, Great Bear, and see where the living Dagaeogahas walked, not six hours since!"

Willet knelt and examined the traces. He too was a great trailer, but hedid not possess the superhuman instinct that had come down through thegenerations to the Onondaga. He merely saw traces, lighter than thosemade by Rogers. But if his eyes could not, his mind did tell him thatTayoga was right. The ring of conviction was so strong in the voice ofthe Onondaga that Willet's faith was carried with it. 

"It must be as you tell me, Tayoga, " he said. "I do not doubt it. Roberthas been here with Rogers. He has come back out of the mists and vaporsthat you tell about, and he walked this hill in the living flesh only afew hours ago. Where could he have been? How has it happened?"

"That does not concern us just now, Great Bear. It is enough to knowthat he is alive, and we rejoice in it. Before many hours we shall speakwith him, and then he can tell his tale. I know it will be a strange andwonderful one, and unless Degaeoga has lost his gift of words, which Ithink impossible, it will lose no color in the telling. "

"Let him spin what yarn he pleases, I care not. All I ask is to put eyeson the lad again. It seems, when I think of it in cold blood, that itcan scarce be true, Tayoga. You're sure you made no mistake about thefootsteps?"

"None, Great Bear. It is impossible. I know as truly that the livingDagaeoga stood on this hill six hours ago as I know that you standbefore me now. "

"Then lead on, Tayoga, and we'll follow the trail of the rangers. Weought to overtake 'em by noon or soon after. "

The broad path, left by the rangers, was like the trail of an army toTayoga, and they followed it at great speed, keeping a wary eye for apossible ambush on either side. The traces grew fresher and fresher, andTayoga read them with an eager eye. 

"The Mountain Wolf, Dagaeoga and the rangers are walking rapidly, " hesaid. "I think it likely that they are going to join Amherst in hisadvance on Ticonderoga or Crown Point, or maybe they will turn west andhelp Waraiyageh, but, in either case, they do not feel any alarm aboutthe warriors with whom they fought last night. Now and then the trail ofa scout branches off from their main trail, but it soon comes backagain. They feel quite sure that the warriors were only a roving band, and will not attack them again. The Mountain Wolf and Dagaeoga walk sideby side, and we can surmise, Great Bear, that they talk much together. Perhaps Dagaeoga was telling the Mountain Wolf where he has been thesemany months, why he went away, and why he chose to come back when he didout of the mists and vapors. Dagaeoga is strong and well. Look how hisfootprints show the length of his stride and how steady and even it is!He walks stride for stride with the Mountain Wolf, who as we know is sixfeet tall. Dagaeoga has grown since he went away. He was strong beforehe left, but he is stronger now. I think we shall find, Great Bear, thatwhile Dagaeoga was absent his time was not lost. It may be that hegained by it. "

"I'm not thinking whether he has or not, Tayoga. I'm glad enough to getthe lad back on any terms. We're making great speed now, and I think weought to overtake 'em before long. The trail appears to grow a lotfresher. "

"In an hour, Great Bear, we can signal to them. It will be best to sendforth a call, since one does not approach in the forest, in war, withoutsending word ahead that he is a friend, else he may be met by a bullet. "

"That's good and solid truth, Tayoga. We couldn't have our meeting withRobert spoiled at the last moment by a shot. But it's much too early yetto send out a call. "

"So it is, Great Bear. I think, too, the rangers have increased theirspeed. Their stride has lengthened, but, as before, the Mountain Wolfand Dagaeoga keep together. They are great friends. You will recall thatthey fought side by side on the shores of Andiatarocte. "

"I remember it well enough, Tayoga. Nobody could keep from likingRobert. 'Tis a gallant spirit he has. "

"It is so, Great Bear. He carries light wherever he goes. Such as he areneeded among us. Because of that I never believed that Manitou had yettaken him to himself. The rangers stopped here, sat on these fallenlogs, and ate food at noonday. There are little bones that they threwaway, and the birds, seeking shreds of food, are still hopping about. "

"That's clear, Tayoga, and since they would probably stay about fifteenminutes we ought to come within earshot of them in another half hour. "

They pressed on at speed, and, within the appointed time, they sank downin a dense clump of bushes, where Tayoga sent forth the mellow, beautiful song of a bird, a note that penetrated a remarkable distancein the still day. 

"It is a call that Dagaeoga knows, " he said. "We have used it often inthe forest. "

In a few minutes the reply, exactly the same, faint but clear, came backfrom the north. When the sound died away, Tayoga imitated the birdagain, and the second reply came as before. 

"Now we will go forward and shake the hand of Dagaeoga, " said theOnondaga. 

Rising from the bush, the two walked boldly in the direction whence thereply had come, and they found a tall, straight young figure advancingto meet them. 

"Robert, my lad!" exclaimed Willet. 

"Dagaeoga!" said the Onondaga. 

Each seized a hand of Robert and shook it. Their meeting was notespecially demonstrative, but their emotions were very deep. They werebound together by no common ties. 

"You've changed, Robert, " said Willet, merely as a sort of relief to hisfeelings. 

"And you haven't, Dave, " said Robert, with the same purpose in view. "And you, Tayoga, you're the great Onondaga chief you always were. "

"I hope to be a chief some day, " said Tayoga simply, "and then, when Iam old enough, to be a sachem too, but that rests with Tododaho andManitou. Dagaeoga has been away a long time, and we do not know where hewent, but since he has come back out of the mists and vapors, it iswell. "

"I understood your call at once, " said Robert, "and as you know I gavethe reply. I came from Albany with Rogers to find you, and I found youquicker than I had hoped. We had a meeting with hostile warriors lastnight, but we beat 'em off, and we've been pushing on since then. "

"Your encounter last night was what enabled us to find you so quickly, "said Willet. "Tayoga read on the ground the whole story of the combat. He understood every trace. He recognized the footprints of Rogers andthen your own. He always believed that you'd come back, but nobody elsedid. He was right, and everybody else was wrong. You're bigger, Robert, and you're graver than you were when you went away. "

"I've been where I had a chance to become both, Dave. I'll tell you allabout it later, for here's Rogers now, waiting to shake hands with youtoo. "

"Welcome, old friend, " said Rogers, grasping the hunter's powerful handin his own, almost as powerful, "and you too Tayoga. If there's a finerlad in the wilderness anywhere, I don't know it. "

They said little more at present, joining the group of rangers and goingon steadily until nightfall. On the way Robert gave Willet and Tayoga anoutline of what had happened to him, not neglecting the dying words ofthe slaver. 

"It was the hand of Van Zoon, " he said. 

"Aye, it was Van Zoon, " said the hunter. "It was his hand too that wasraised against you that time in New York. I've feared him on youraccount, Robert. It's one reason why we've been so much in the forest. You wonder why Huysman or Hardy or I don't tell you about him, but allin good time. If we don't tell you now it's for powerful reasons. "

"The others have told me so too, " said Robert, "and I'm not asking toknow anything I oughtn't to know now. If you put off such knowledge, Dave, I'm sure it ought to be put off. "

They overtook the main body of the rangers that night, and Rogers nowhad a force of more than two hundred men, but information from hissecond in command decided him to join in the great movement of SirWilliam Johnson and Prideaux against Niagara. The duties of Willet andTayoga called them to Amherst, and of course Robert went with them. Sothe next morning they parted from Rogers. 

"I think there'll be big things to tell the next time we meet, " saidWillet to Rogers. "Mr. Pitt doesn't make his plans for nothing. He notonly makes big plans, but he prepares big armies and fleets to carry 'emout. "

"We have faith in him everywhere here, " said Rogers, "and I hear they'vethe same faith in him on the other side of the Atlantic. The failurebefore Ticonderoga didn't seem to weaken it a particle. Take care ofyourselves, my friends. "

It was a sincere farewell on both sides, but quickly over, and the threepressed on to Amherst's camp, in the valley near the head of LakeGeorge, that had already seen so many warlike gatherings. Here anumerous and powerful army, bent upon taking Ticonderoga and CrownPoint, was being trained already, and Robert, after visiting it, lookedonce more and with emotion upon the shores of Andiatarocte. 

Fate was continually calling him back to this lake and Champlain, aroundwhich so much of American story is wrapped. The mighty drama known asthe Seven Years' War, that involved nearly all the civilized world, found many of its springs and also much of its culmination here. Theefforts made by the young British colonies, and by the mother country, England, were colossal, and the battles were great for the time. To thecolonies, and to those in Canada as well, the campaigns were a matter oflife or death. For the English colonies the war, despite valor andheroic endurance, had been going badly in the main, but now almost allfelt that a change was coming, and it seemed to be due chiefly to oneman, Pitt. It was Napoleon who said later that "Men are nothing, a manis everything, " but America, as well as England, knew that in the SevenYears' War Pitt, in himself, was more than an army--he was a host. AndAmerica as well as England has known ever since that there was never agreater Englishman, and that he was an architect who built mightily forboth. 

The future was not wholly veiled to Robert as he looked down anew uponthe glittering waters of Andiatarocte. He had come in contact with thegreat forces that were at work, he had vision anew and greater vision, and he knew the gigantic character of the stakes for which men played. If the French triumphed here in America, then the old Bourbon monarchy, which Willet told him was so diseased and corrupt, would appeartriumphant to all the world. It would invent new tyrannies, the causeof liberty and growth would be set back generations, and nobody would betrodden under the heel more than the French people themselves. Robertliked the French, and sometimes the thought occurred to him that theEnglish and Americans were fighting not only their own battle but thatof the French as well. 

He knew as he stood with Willet and Tayoga looking at Lake George thatthe great crisis of the war was at hand. All that had gone before wasmere preparation. He had felt the difference at once when he came backfrom his island. The old indecision, doubt and despondency were gone;now there was a mighty upward surge. Everybody was full of hope, and theevidence of one's own eyes showed that the Anglo-American line wasmoving forward at all points. A great army would soon be converging onTiconderoga, where a great army had been defeated the year before, butnow there would be no Montcalm to meet. He must be in Quebec to defendthe very citadel and heart of New France against the army and fleet ofWolfe. The French in Canada were being assailed on all sides, and thedecaying Bourbon monarchy could or would send no help. Robert'soccasional thought, that the English and Americans might be fighting forthe French as well as themselves, did not project itself far enough toforesee that out of the ashes left by the fall of Canada might springanother and far stronger France. 

"I'm glad I'm back here to join in the new advance on Ticonderoga, " saidRobert. "As I was with Montcalm and saw our army defeated when it oughtnot to have been, I think it only a just decree of fate that I should behere when it wins. "

"We'll take Ticonderoga this time, Robert. Never fear, " said Willet. "We'll advance with our artillery, and the French have no force therethat can stop us. Amherst is building a fort that he calls Edward, butwe'll never need it. He's very cautious, but it's as well, our curse inthis war has been the lack of caution, lack of caution by both Englishand Americans. Still, that over-confidence has a certain strength in it. You've noticed how we endure disaster. We've had heavy defeats, but werise after every fall, and go into the combat once more, stronger thanwe went before. "

The three spent some time with Amherst, and saw his great force continueits preparation and drilling, until at last the general thought theywere fit to cope with anything that lay before them. Then, a yearlacking but a few days after Abercrombie embarked with his great armyfor the conquest of Ticonderoga, Amherst with another army, mostlyAmericans, embarked upon the same waters, and upon the same errand. 

Robert, Tayoga and Willet were in a canoe in the van of the fleet. Theywere roving scouts, held by the orders of nobody, and they could do asthey pleased, but for the present they pleased to go forward with thearmy. Robert and Tayoga were paddling with powerful strokes, whileWillet watched the shores, the lake and the long procession. The sun wasbrilliant, but there was a strong wind off the mountains and the boatsrocked heavily in the waves. Nevertheless, the fleet, carrying itsartillery with it, bore steadily on. 

"The French have as big a force at Ticonderoga as they had when Montcalmdefeated Abercrombie, " said the hunter, "and it's commanded byBourlamaque. "

"A brave and skillful man, " said Robert. "I saw him when I was aprisoner of the French. "

"But he knows Amherst will not make the mistake Abercrombie did, " saidWillet. "Our big guns will talk for us, and they'll say things thatwooden walls can't listen to long. I'm thinking that Bourlamaque won'tstand. I've heard that he'll retreat to the outlet of Lake Champlain andmake a last desperate defense at Isle-aux-noix. If he's wise, and Ithink he is, he'll do it. "

"Do you know whether St. Luc is with him or if he has gone to Quebecwith Montcalm?" asked Robert. 

"I haven't heard, but I think it's likely that he's here, because he hasso much influence with the Indians, who are far more useful in the woodsthan in a fortress like Quebec. It's probable that we'll hear from himin the morning when we try a landing. "

"You mean we'll spend the night on the lake?"

"Aye, lad. It's blowing harder, and we've a rough sea here, though 'tisa mountain lake. We make way but slowly, and we must be full of caution, or risk a shipwreck, with land in sight on both sides of us. "

Night drew on, dark and blowy, with the army still on the water, asWillet had predicted, and much of it seasick. The lofty shores, green byday, were clothed in mists and vapor, and the three saw no trace of theFrench or the Indians, but they were quite sure they were watching fromthe high forests. Robert believed now that St. Luc was there, and thatonce again they would come into conflict. 

"Do you think we'd better try the shore to-night?" he asked. 

Willet shook his head. 

"'Twould be too risky, " he replied, "and, even if we succeeded, 'twoulddo no good. We'll find out in the morning all we want to know. "

They tied their canoe to one of the long boats, and, going on board thelatter, slept a little. But slumber could not claim Robert long. Allabout, it was a battle-ground to him, whether land or water. Armies hadbeen passing and repassing, and fighting here from the beginning. It wasthe center of the world to him, and in the morning they would be inbattle again. If St. Luc held the shore they would not land unscorched. He tried to see signals on the mountain, but the French did not have totalk to one another. They and their red allies lay silent and unseen inthe dark woods and waited. 

Dawn came, and the three were back in their canoe. The wind had died, and the fleet, bearing the army, moved forward to the landing. Officerssearched the woods with their strongest glasses, while the scouts intheir canoes, daring every peril, shot forward and leaped upon theshore. Then a sheet of musketry and rifle fire burst from the woods. Menfell from the boats into the water, but others held on to the land thatthey had gained. 

Robert, Tayoga and Willet among the first fired at dusky figures in thewoods, and once or twice they caught the gleam of French uniforms. 

"It is surely St. Luc, " said Robert, when he heard the notes of a silverwhistle, "but he can't keep us from landing. "

"Aye, it's he, " said Willet, "and he's making a game fight of it againstoverwhelming forces. "

Cannon from the boats also swept the forest with grape and round shot, and the troops began to debark. It was evident that the French andIndians were not in sufficient numbers to hold them back. Not all theskill of St. Luc could avail. The three soon had evidence that theformidable Ojibway chief was there also. Tayoga saw a huge trace in theearth, and called the attention of Willet and Robert to it. 

"Tandakora is in the bush, " he said. "Sharp Sword does not like him, butManitou has willed that they must often be allies. Now the battlethickens, but the end is sure. "

The shores of Lake George, so often the scene of fierce strife, blazedwith the fury of the combat. The mountains gave back the thunder of gunson the big boats, and muskets and rifles crackled in the forest. Now andthen the shouts of the French and the Indian yell rose, but thetriumphant American cheer always replied. The troops poured ashore andthe odds against St. Luc rose steadily. 

"The Chevalier can't hold us back many minutes longer, " said Willet. "Ifhe doesn't give ground, he'll be destroyed. "

A few minutes more of resolute fighting and they heard the long, clearcall of the silver whistle. Then the forces in front of them vanishedsuddenly, and not a rifle replied to their fire. French, Canadians andIndians were gone, as completely as if they had never been, but, whenthe Americans advanced a little farther, they saw the dead, whom St. Luchad not found time to take away. Although the combat had been short, ithad been resolute and fierce, and it left its proofs behind. 

"Here went Tandakora, " said Tayoga. "His great footsteps are far apart, which shows that he was running. Perhaps he hopes to lay an ambush lateron. The heart of the Ojibway was full of rage because he could notwithstand us. "

"And I imagine that the heart of the Chevalier de St. Luc is alsoheavy, " said Robert. "He knows that General Amherst is bringing hisartillery with him. When I was at Ticonderoga last year and GeneralAbercrombie advanced, the French, considering the smallness of theirforces, were in doubt a long time about standing, and I know from what Iheard that they finally decided to defend the place because we did notbring up our guns. We're making no such mistake now; we're notunderrating the enemy in that way. It's glorious, Dave, to come backover the ground where you were beaten and retrieve your errors. "

"So it is, Robert. We'll soon see this famous Ticonderoga again. "

Robert's heart beat hard once more. All the country about him wasfamiliar. So much had been concentrated here, and now it seemed to himthat the climax was approaching. Many of the actors in last year's greatdrama were now on another stage, but Bourlamaque and St. Luc were athand, and Tandakora had come too with his savages. He looked around itthe splendid landscape of lake and mountain and green forest, and thepulses in his temples throbbed fast. 

"Aye, Dagaeoga, " said Tayoga, who was looking at him, "it is a great daythat has come. "

"I think so, " said Robert, "and what pleases me most is the sight of thebig guns. Look how they come off the boats! They'll smash down thatwooden wall against which so many good men hurled themselves to deathlast year. We've got a general who may not be the greatest genius in theworld, but he'll have neither a Braddock's defeat nor a Ticonderogadisaster. "

Caution, supreme caution, was evident to them all as they moved slowlyforward, with the bristling guns at the front. Robert's faith in thecannon was supreme. He looked upon them as their protectors. They wereto be the match for Ticonderoga. 

On they went, winding through the forest and valleys, but they metnothing. The green woods were silent and deserted, though much was therefor Tayoga to read. 

"Here still goes Tandakora, " he said, "and his heart is as angry asever. He is bitter against the French, too, because he fears now that hehas taken the wrong side. He sees the power of his enemies growing andgrowing, and Montcalm is not here to lead the French. I do not thinkTandakora will go into the fort with St. Luc and Bourlamaque. His placeis not inside the walls. He wants the great forest to roam in. "

"In that Tandakora is right, " said Willet; "he acts according to hislights. A fortress is no place for an Indian. "

"Tandakora is now going more slowly, " resumed the Onondaga. "His pacesshorten. It may be that he will stop to talk with some one. Ah! he does, and it is no less a man than Sharp Sword himself. I have looked uponSharp Sword's footprints so often that I know them at a glance. He andTandakora stood here, facing each other, and talked. Neither moved fromhis tracks while he spoke, and so I think it was not a friendlyconference. It is likely that the Ojibway spoke of the defeat of theFrench, and Sharp Sword replied that in defeat as well as victory trueallies stand together. Moreover, he said that defeat might be followedby victory and one must always hope. But Tandakora was not convinced. Itis the custom of the Indian to run away when he knows that his enemy istoo strong for him, and it may be wise. Now Tandakora turns from thecourse and goes toward the west. And, lo! his warriors all fall inbehind him! Here is their great trail. Sharp Sword heads in anotherdirection. He is going with the French and Canadians to the fortress. "

The army, under the shadow of its great guns, moved slowly on, andpresently they came upon the terrible field of the year before. Beforethem lay the wall, stronger than ever with earth and logs, but not a manheld it. The French and Canadians were in the fortress, and theAmericans and English were free to use the intrenchments as a shelterfor themselves if they chose. 

"It's going to be a siege, " said Willet. 

The cannon of Ticonderoga soon opened, and Amherst's guns replied, thecautious general moving his great force forward in a manner thatbetokened a sure triumph, though it might be slow. But on the followingnight the whole French army, save a few hundred men under Hebecourt, left to make a last desperate stand, stole away and made forIsle-aux-Noix. Hebecourt replied to Amherst's artillery with thenumerous guns of the fort for three days. Amherst still would not allowhis army to move forward for the assault, having in mind the terriblelosses of last year and knowing that he was bound to win. 

The brave Hebecourt and his soldiers also left the fort at last, escaping in boats, and leaving a match burning in the magazine. One ofthe bastions of Ticonderoga blew up with a tremendous explosion, andthen the victorious army marched in. Ticonderoga, such a looming andtremendous name in America, a fortress for which so much blood had beenshed, had fallen at last. Robert did not dream that in another war, lessthan twenty years away, it would change hands three times. 

They found, a little later, that Crown Point, the great fortress uponwhich the French king had spent untold millions, had been abandoned alsoand was there for the Anglo-American army to take whenever it chose. Then Amherst talked of going on into Canada and coöperating with Wolfe, but, true to his cautious soul, he began to build forts and arrange forthe mastery of Lake Champlain. 

Robert, Tayoga and Willet grew impatient as the days passed. The newscame that Prideaux had been killed before Niagara, but Sir WilliamJohnson, the Waraiyageh of the Mohawks, assuming command in his stead, had taken the place, winning a great victory. After the long night thedawn had come. Everything seemed to favor the English and Americans, andnow the eyes of the three turned upon Quebec. It was evident that thewar would be won or lost there, and they could bear the delays nolonger. Saying farewell to their comrades of Amherst's army, theyplunged into the northern wilderness, taking an almost direct course forQuebec. 

They were entering a region haunted by warriors, and still ranged bydaring French partisans, but they had no fear. Robert believed that thesurpassing woodcraft of the hunter and the Onondaga would carry themsafely through, and he longed for Quebec, upon which the eyes of boththe New World and the Old now turned. They had heard that Wolfe hadsuffered a defeat at the Montmorency River, due largely to theimpetuosity of his men, but that he was hanging on and controlled mostof the country about Quebec. But Montcalm on the great rock was asdefiant as ever, and it seemed impossible to get at him. 

"We'll be there in ample time to see the result, whatever it is, " saidWillet. 

"And we may find the trail of Sharp Sword and Tandakora who go ahead ofus, " said Tayoga. 

"But the Ojibway turned away at Ticonderoga, " said Robert. "Why do youthink he'll go to Quebec?"

"Because he thinks he will get profit out of it, whatever the event. Ifour army is defeated, he may have a great scalping, such as there was atFort William Henry; if the French are beaten, it will be easy enough forhim to get away in time. But as long as the issue hangs in the balance, Tandakora means to be present. "

"Sound reasoning, " said the hunter, "and we'll watch for the trail ofboth St. Luc and the Ojibway. And now, lads, with eyes and ears open, we'll make speed. "

And northward they went at a great rate, watching on all sides for theperils that were never absent from the woods and peaks. 

CHAPTER XIV

BEFORE QUEBEC

True to the predictions of Tayoga, they struck the trail of St. Luc andTandakora far up in the province of New York and west of Lake Champlain. Ever since the white man came, hostile forces had been going north orsouth along well-defined passes in these regions, and, doubtless, bandsof Indians had been traveling the same course from time immemorial; soit was not hard for them to come upon the traces of French and Indiansgoing to Quebec to make the great stand against Wolfe and his fleet. 

"It is a broad trail because many Frenchmen and Indians make it, " saidthe Onondaga. "As I have said, Sharp Sword and Tandakora do not likeeach other, but circumstances make them allies. They have rejoined andthey go together to Quebec. Here is the trail of at least three hundredmen, perhaps two hundred Frenchmen and a hundred warriors. The footstepsof Sharp Sword are unmistakable, and so are those of Tandakora. Beholdtheir great size, Dagaeoga; and here are the prints of boots whichbelong to De Courcelles and Jumonville. I have seen them often before, Dagaeoga. How could you believe they might have been left by somebodyelse?"

"I see nothing but some faint traces in the earth, " said Robert. "If youdidn't tell me, I wouldn't be even sure that they were made by a man. "

"But they are plain to us who were born in the woods, and whoseancestors have lived in the woods since the beginning of the world. Itis where we are superior to the white man, much as the white man thinksof his wisdom, though there be those, like the Great Bear, the MountainWolf and Black Rifle, who know much. But the feet of the two Frenchmenwho love not Dagaeoga have passed here. "

"It is true they do not love me, Tayoga. I wounded one of them lastyear, shortly before Ticonderoga, as you know, and I fancy that I'dreceive short shrift from either if I fell into his hands. "

"That is so. But Dagaeoga will not let himself be captured again. He hasbeen captured often enough now. "

"I don't seem to be any the worse for it, " said Robert, laughing. "You're right, though, Tayoga. For me to be captured once more would beonce too much. As St. Luc doesn't like Tandakora, I imagine you don'tsee him walking with them. "

"I do not, Dagaeoga. Sharp Sword keeps by himself, and now De Courcellesand Jumonville walk with the Ojibway chief. Here are their three trails, that of Tandakora between the other two. Doubtless the two Frenchmen aretrying to make him their friend, and it is equally sure that they speakill to him of St. Luc. But Sharp Sword does not care. He expects littlefrom Tandakora and his warriors. He is thinking of Quebec and the greatfight that Montcalm must make there against Wolfe. He is eager to arriveat Stadacona, which you call Quebec, and help Montcalm. He knows that itis all over here on Andiatarocte and Oneadatote, that Ticonderoga islost forever, that Crown Point is lost forever, and that Isle-aux-Noixmust go in time, but he hopes for Stadacona. Yet Sharp Sword isdepressed. He does not walk with his usual spring and courage. His pacesare shorter, and they are shorter because his footsteps drag. Truly, itwas a dagger in the heart of Sharp Sword to give up Ticonderoga andCrown Point. "

"I can believe you, Tayoga, " said Willet. "It's bitter to lose suchlakes and such a land, and the French have fought well for them. Do youthink there's any danger of our running into an ambush? It would be likeTandakora to lie in wait for pursuers. "

"I am not sure, Great Bear. He, like the Frenchman, is in a great hurryto reach Stadacona. "

An hour or two later they came to a dead campfire of St. Luc's force, and, a little farther on, a new trail, coming from the west, joined theChevalier's. They surmised that it had been made by a band from Niagaraor some other fallen French fort in that direction, and that everywherealong the border Montcalm was drawing in his lines that he mightconcentrate his full strength at Quebec to meet the daring challenge ofWolfe. 

"But I take it that the drawing in of the French won't keep downscalping parties of the warriors, " said Willet. "If they can findanything on the border to raid, they'll raid it. "

"It is so, " said Tayoga. "It may be that Tandakora and his warriors willturn aside soon to see if they cannot ambush somebody. "

"In that case it will be wise for us to watch out for ourselves. Youthink Tandakora may leave St. Luc and lie in wait, perhaps, for us?"

"For any one who may come. He does not yet know that it is the GreatBear, Dagaeoga and I who follow. Suppose we go on a while longer and seeif he leaves the main trail. Is it the wish of Great Bear and Dagaeoga?"

"It is, " they replied together. 

They advanced several hours, and then the great trail split, or ratherit threw off a stem that curved to the west. 

"It is made by about twenty warriors, " said Tayoga, "and here are thehuge footsteps of Tandakora in the very center of it. I think they willgo northwest a while, and then come back toward the main trail, hopingto trap any one who may be rash enough to follow Sharp Sword. But, ifthe Great Bear and Dagaeoga wish it, we will pursue Tandakora himselfand ambush him when he is expecting to ambush others. "

The dark eyes of the Onondaga gleamed. 

"I can see, Tayoga, that you're hoping for a chance to settle that scorebetween you and the Ojibway, " said the hunter. "Maybe you'll get it thistime, and maybe you won't, but I'm willing to take the trail after him, and so is Robert here. We may stop a lot of mischief. "

It was then about two o'clock in the afternoon, and, as Tayoga said thatTandakora's trail was not more than a few hours old, they pushed onrapidly, hoping to stalk his camp that very night. The traces sooncurved back toward St. Luc's and they knew they were right in theirsurmise that an ambush was being laid by the Ojibway. He and hiswarriors would halt in the dense bush beside the great trail and shootdown any who followed. 

"We'll shatter his innocent little plan, " said Willet, his spiritsmounting at the prospect. 

"Tandakora will not build a fire to-night, " said Tayoga. "He will waitin the darkness beside Sharp Sword's path, hoping that some one willcome. He will lie in the forest like a panther waiting to spring on itsprey. "

"And we'll just disturb that panther a little, " said Robert, appreciating the merit of their enterprise, which now seemed to allthree a kind of great game. 

"Aye, we'll make Tandakora think all the spirits of earth and air areafter him, " said Willet. 

They now moved with great caution as the trail was growing quite fresh. 

"We will soon be back to Sharp Sword's line of march, " said Tayoga, "andI think we will find Tandakora and his warriors lying in the bushes notmore than a mile ahead. "

They redoubled their caution, and, when they approached a dense thicket, Robert and Willet lay down and Tayoga went on, creeping on hands andknees. In a half hour he came back and said that Tandakora and his bandwere in the thicket watching the great trail left by St. Luc. 

"The Ojibway does not dream that he himself is being watched, " said theOnondaga, "and now I think we would better eat a little food from ourknapsacks and wait until the dark night that is promised has fullycome. "

Tayoga's report was wholly true. Tandakora and twenty fierce warriorslay in the thicket, waiting to fall upon those who might follow thetrail of St. Luc. He had no doubt that a force of some kind would come. The Bostonnais and the English always followed a retreating enemy, andexperience never kept them from walking into an ambush. Tandakora wasalready counting the scalps he would take, and his savage heart wasfilled with delight. He had been aghast when Bourlamaque abandonedTiconderoga and Crown Point. Throughout the region over which he hadbeen roaming for three or four years the Bostonnais would be triumphant. Andiatarocte and Oneadatote would pass into their possession forever. The Ojibway chief belonged far to the westward, to the west of the GreatLakes, but the great war had called him, like so many others of thesavage tribes, into the east, and he had been there so long that he hadgrown to look upon the country as his own, or at least held by him andhis like in partnership with the French, a belief confirmed by the greatvictories at Duquesne and Oswego, William Henry and Ticonderoga. 

Now Tandakora's whole world was overthrown. The French were withdrawinginto Canada. St. Luc, whom he did not like, but whom he knew to be agreat warrior, was retreating in haste, and the invincible Montcalm wasbeleaguered in Quebec. He would have to go too, but he meant to takescalps with him. Bostonnais were sure to appear on the trail, and theywould come in the night, pursuing St. Luc. It was a good night for suchwork as his, heavy with clouds and very dark. He would creep close andstrike before his presence was even suspected. 

Tandakora lay quiet with his warriors, while night came and its darknessgrew, and he listened for the sound of men on the trail. Instead heheard the weird, desolate cry of an owl to his left, and then theequally lone and desolate cry of another to his right. But the warriorsstill lay quiet. They had heard owls often and were not afraid of them. Then the cry came from the north, and now it was repeated from thesouth. There was a surfeit of owls, very much too many of them, and theycalled to one another too much. Tandakora did not like it. It was almostlike a visitation of evil spirits. Those weird, long-drawn cries, singularly piercing on a still night, were bad omens. Some of hiswarriors stirred and became uneasy, but Tandakora quieted them sternlyand promised that the Bostonnais would soon be along. Hope arousedagain, the men plucked up courage and resumed their patient waiting. 

Then the cry of the panther, long drawn, wailing like the shriek of awoman, came from the east and the west, and presently from the north andthe south also, followed soon by the dreadful hooting of the owls, andthen by the fierce growls of the bear. Tandakora, in spite of himself, in spite of his undoubted courage, in spite of his vast experience inthe forest, shuddered. The darkness was certainly full of wickedspirits, and they were seeking prey. So many owls and bears and pantherscould not be abroad at once in a circle about him. But Tandakora shookhimself and resolved to stand fast. He encouraged his warriors, who werealready showing signs of fright, and refused to let any one go. 

But the forest chorus grew. Tandakora heard the gobble of the wildturkey as he used to hear it in his native west, only he was sure thatthe gobble now was made by a spirit and not by a real turkey. Then theowl hooted, the panther shrieked and the bear growled. The cry of amoose, not any moose at all, as Tandakora well knew, but the foulemanation of a wicked spirit, came, merely to be succeeded by the weirdcries of night birds which the Ojibway chief had never seen, and ofwhich he had never dreamed. He knew, though, that they must be hideous, misshapen creatures. But he still stood fast, although all of hiswarriors were eager to go, and the demon chorus came nearer and nearer, multiplying its cries, and adding to the strange notes of birds theequally strange notes of animals, worse even than the growl of bear orshriek of panther. 

Tandakora knew now that the wicked spirits of earth and air were abroadin greater numbers than he had ever known before. They fairly swarmedall about him and his warriors, continually coming closer and closer andmaking dire threats. The night was particularly suited to them. Theheavy black clouds floating before the moon and stars were met by thickmists and vapors that fairly oozed out of the damp earth. It was an evilnight, full of spells and magic, and the moment came when the chiefwished he was in his own hunting grounds far to the west by the greatestof the Great Lakes. 

The darkness was not too great for him to see several of his warriorstrembling and he rebuked them fiercely, though his own nerves, tough asthey were, were becoming frayed and uneasy. He forgot to watch the trailand listen for the sound of footsteps. All his attention was centeredupon that horrible and circling chorus of sound. The Bostonnais mightcome and pass and he would not see them. He went into the forest alittle way, trying to persuade himself that they were really persecutedby animals. He would find one of these annoying panthers or bears andshoot it, or he would not even hesitate to send a bullet through an owlon a bough, but he saw nothing, and, as he went back to his warriors, ahideous snapping and barking of wolves followed him. 

The note of the wolf had not been present hitherto in the demon chorus, but now it predominated. What it lacked in the earliness of coming itmade up in the vigor of arrival. It had in it all the human qualities, that is, the wicked or menacing ones--hunger, derision, revenge, desirefor blood and threat of death. Tandakora, veteran of a hundred battles, one of the fiercest warriors that ever ranged the woods, shook. Hisblood turned to water, ice water at that, and the bones of his giganticframe seemed to crumble. He knew, as all the Indians knew, that thesouls of dead warriors, usually those who had been wicked in life, dwelled for a while in the bodies of animals, preferably those ofwolves, and the wolves about him were certainly inhabited by the worstwarriors that had ever lived. In every growl and snap and bark there wasa threat. He could hear it, and he knew it was meant for him. But whathe feared most of all was the deadly whine with which growl, snap andbark alike ended. Perspiration stood out on his face, but he could notafford to show fear to his men, and, retreating slowly, he rejoinedthem. He would make no more explorations in the haunted wood that layall about them. 

As the chief went back to his men the snarling and snapping of the demonwolves distinctly expressed laughter, derision of the most sinisterkind. They were not only threatening him, they were laughing at him, andhis bones continued to crumble through sheer weakness and fear. It wasnot worth while for him to fire at any of the sounds. The bullet mightgo through a wolf, but it would not hurt him, it would merely increasehis ferocity and make him all the more hungry for the blood ofTandakora. 

The band pressed close together as the wolves growled and snapped allabout them, but the warriors still saw nothing. How could they seeanything when such wolves had the power of making themselves invisible?But their claws would tear and their teeth would rend just the same whenthey sprang upon their victims, and now they were coming so close thatthey might make a spring, the prodigious kind of spring that a demonwolf could make. 

It was more than Tandakora and his warriors could stand. Human beings, white or red, they would fight, but not the wicked and powerful spiritsof earth and air which were now closing down upon them. The chief couldresist no longer. He uttered a great howl of fear, which was taken upand repeated in a huge chorus by his warriors. Then, and by the sameimpulse, they burst from the thicket, rushed into St. Luc's trail andsped northward at an amazing pace. 

Tayoga, Willet and Robert emerged from the woods, lay down in the trailand panted for breath. 

"Well, that's the easiest victory we ever gained, " said Robert. "Eveneasier than one somewhat like it that I won on the island. "

"I don't know about that, " gasped Willet. "It's hard work being an owland a bear and a panther and a wolf and trying, too, to be in three orfour places at the same time. I worked hardest as a wolf toward thelast; every muscle in me is tired, and I think my throat is the mosttired of all. I must lie by for a day. "

"Great Bear is a splendid animal, " said Tayoga in his precise, bookEnglish, "nor is he wanting as a bird, either. I think he turned himselfinto birds that were never seen in this world, and they were verydreadful birds, too. But he excelled most as a wolf. His growling andsnapping and whining were better than that of ninety-nine out of ahundred wolves, only a master wolf could have equaled it, and when Istood beside him I was often in fear lest he turn and tear me to pieceswith tooth and claw. "

"Tandakora was in mortal terror, " said Robert, who was not as tired asthe others, who had done most of the work in the demon chorus. "I caughta glimpse of his big back, and I don't think I ever saw anybody runfaster. He'll not stop this side of the St. Lawrence, and you'll have topostpone your vengeance a while, Tayoga. "

"I could have shot him down as he stood in the woods, shaking withfear, " said the Onondaga, "but that never would have done. That wouldhave spoiled our plan, and I must wait, as you say, Dagaeoga, to settlethe score with the Ojibway. "

"I think we'd better go into the bushes and sleep, " said the hunter. "Being a demon is hard work, and there is no further danger from thewarriors. "

But Robert, who was comparatively fresh, insisted on keeping the watch, and the other two, lying down on their blankets, were soon in deepslumber. The next day they shot a young bear, and had a feast in thewoods, a reward to which they thought themselves entitled after thegreat and inspired effort they had made the night before. As they sataround their cooking fire, eating the juicy steaks, they planned howthey should enter Canada and join Wolfe, still keeping theirindependence as scouts and skirmishers. 

"Most of the country around the city is held by the English, or at leastthey overrun it from time to time, " said Willet, "and we ought to getpast the French villages in a single night. Then we can join whateverpart of the force we wish. I think it likely that we can be of most usewith the New England rangers, who are doing a lot of the scouting andskirmishing for Wolfe. "

"But I want to see the Royal Americans first, " said Robert. "I heard inBoston that Colden, Wilton, Carson, Stuart and Cabell had gone on withthem, and I know that Grosvenor is there with his regiment. I shouldlike to see them all again. "

"And so would I, " said the hunter. "A lot of fine lads. I hope that allof them will come through the campaign alive. "

They traveled the whole of the following night and remained in theforest through the day, and following this plan they arrived beforeQuebec without adventure, finding the army of Wolfe posted along the St. Lawrence, his fleet commanding the river, but the army of Montcalmholding Quebec and all the French elated over the victory of theMontmorency River. Robert went at once to the camp of the RoyalAmericans, where Colden was the first of his friends whom he saw. ThePhiladelphian, like all the others, was astounded and delighted. 

"Lennox!" he exclaimed, grasping his hand. "I heard that you were dead, killed by a spy named Garay, and your body thrown into the Hudson, whereit was lost! Now, I know that reports are generally lies! And you're noghost. 'Tis a solid hand that I hold in mine!"

"I'm no ghost, though I did vanish from the world for a while, " saidRobert. "But, as you see, I've come back and I mean to have a part inthe taking of Quebec. "

Wilton and Carson, Stuart and Cabell soon came, and then Grosvenor, andevery one in his turn welcomed Robert back from the dead, after which hegave to them collectively a rapid outline of his story. 

"'Tis a strange tale, a romance, " said Grosvenor. "It's evident thatit's not intended you shall lose your life in this war, Lennox. What hasbecome of that wonderful Onondaga Indian, Tayoga, and the great hunter, Willet?"

"They're both here. You shall see them before the day is over. But whatis the feeling in the army?"

"We're depressed and the French are elated. It's because we lost theMontmorency battle. The Royal Americans and the Grenadiers were tooimpulsive. We tried to rush slopes damp and slippery from rain, and wewere cut up. I received a wound there, and so did Wilton, but neitheramounts to anything, and I want to tell you, Lennox, that, althoughwe're depressed, we're not withdrawing. Our general is sick a good deal, but the sicker he grows the braver he grows. We hang on. The French saywe can continue hanging on, and then the winter will drive us away. Youknow what the Quebec winter is. But we'll see. Maybe something willhappen before winter comes. "

As Robert turned away from the little group he came face to face with atall young officer dressed with scrupulousness and very careful of hisdignity. 

"Charteris!"[A] he exclaimed. 

"Lennox!"

They shook hands with the greatest surprise and pleasure. 

"When I last saw you at Ticonderoga you were a prisoner of the French, "said Robert. 

"And so were you. "

"But I escaped in a day or two. "

"I escaped also, though not in a day or two. I was held a prisoner inQuebec all through the winter and spring and much befell me, but at lastI escaped to General Wolfe and rejoined my old command, the RoyalAmericans. "

"And he took part in the battle of Montmorency, a brave part too, " saidColden. 

"No braver than the others. No more than you yourself, Colden, "protested Charteris. 

"And 'tis said that, though he left Quebec in the night, he left hisheart there in the possession of a very lovely lady who speaks Frenchbetter than she speaks English, " said Colden. 

"'Tis not a subject of which you have definite information, " rejoinedCharteris, flushing very red and then laughing. 

But Colden, suspecting that his jest was truth rather, had too muchdelicacy to pursue the subject. Later in the day Robert returned withWillet and Tayoga and they had a reunion. 

"When we take Quebec, " said Tayoga to Grosvenor, "Red Coat must go backwith us into the wilderness and learn to become a great warrior. We cango beyond the Great Lakes and stay two or three years. "

"I wish I could, " laughed Grosvenor, "but that is one of the things Imust deny myself. If the war should be finished, I shall have to returnto England. "

"St. Luc is in Quebec, " said Willet. "We followed his trail a longdistance. "

"Which means that our task here will be the harder, " said Colden. 

Robert went with Willet, Charteris and Tayoga the next day to Monckton'scamp at Point Levis, whence the English batteries had poured destructionupon the lower town of Quebec, firing across the St. Lawrence, that mostmagnificent of all rivers, where its channel was narrow. He could seethe houses lying in ashes or ruins, but above them the French flagfloated defiantly over the upper city. 

"Montcalm and his lieutenants made great preparations to receive GeneralWolfe, " said Charteris. "As I was in Quebec then, I know somethingabout them, and I've learned more since I escaped. They threw upearthworks, bastions and redoubts almost all the way from Quebec toMontcalm's camp at Beauport. Over there at Beauport the Marquis' firstheadquarters were located in a big stone house. Across the mouth of theSt. Charles they put a great boom of logs, fastened together by chains, and strengthened further by two cut-down ships on which they mountedbatteries. Forces passing between the city and the Beauport camp crossedthe St. Charles on a bridge of boats, and each entrance of the bridgewas guarded by earthworks. In the city they closed and fortified everygate, except the Palace Gate, through which they passed to the bridge orfrom it. They had more than a hundred cannon on the walls, a floatingbattery carried twelve more guns, and big ones too, and they had a lotof gun-boats and fire ships and fire rafts. They gathered about fifteenthousand men in the Beauport camp, besides Indians, with the regulars inthe center, and the militia on the flank. In addition to these therewere a couple of thousand in the city itself under De Ramesay, and Ithink Montcalm had, all told, near to twenty thousand men, about doubleour force, though 'tis true many of theirs are militia and we have apowerful fleet. I suppose their numbers have not decreased, and it's agreat task we've undertaken, though I think we'll achieve it. "

Robert looked again and with great emotion upon Quebec, that heart andsoul of the French power in North America. Truly much water had floweddown the St. Lawrence since he was there before. He could not forget thethrill with which he had first approached it, nor could he forget thosegallant young Frenchmen who had given him a welcome, although he wasalready, in effect, an official enemy. And then, too, he had seen Bigot, Péan, Cadet and their corrupt group who were doing so much to wreck thefortunes of New France. Not all the valor of Montcalm, De Levis, Bourlamaque, St. Luc and the others could stay the work of theirdestructive hands. 

The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small. It wastrue! The years had passed. The French victories in North America hadbeen numerous. Again and again they had hurled back the English andAmericans, and year after year they had dammed the flood. They hadstruck terrible blows at Duquesne and Oswego, at William Henry and atTiconderoga. But the mills of God ground on, and here at last was themight of Britain before Quebec, and Robert's heart, loyal as he was tothe mother country, always throbbed with pride when he recalled that hisown Americans were there too, the New England rangers and the staunchregiment of Royal Americans, the bravest of the brave, who had alreadygiven so much of their blood at Montmorency. In these world-shakingevents the Americans played their splendid part beside their Englishkin, as they were destined to do one hundred and fifty-nine years laterupon the soil of Europe itself, closing up forever, as most of us hope, the cleavage between nations of the same language and same ideals. 

Robert looked long at Quebec on its heights, gleaming now in the sunwhich turned it into a magic city, increasing its size, heightening thesplendor of the buildings and heightening, too, the formidable obstaclesover which Wolfe must prevail. Nature here had done wonders for thedefense. With its mighty river and mighty cliffs it seemed that acapable general and a capable army could hold the city forever. 

"Aye, it's strong, Lennox, " said Charteris, who read his thoughts. "General Wolfe, as I know, has written back to England that it's thestrongest place in the world, and he may be right, but we've had somesuccesses here, mingled with some failures. Aside from the Battle ofMontmorency most of the land fighting has been in our favor, and ourcommand of the river through our fleet is a powerful factor in ourfavor. Yet, the short Quebec summer draws to a close, and if we take thecity we must take it soon. General Wolfe is lying ill again in a farmhouse, but his spirit is not quenched and all our operations aredirected from his sick bed. "

As Charteris spoke, the batteries on the Heights of Levis opened again, pouring round shot, grape and canister upon the Lower Town. Fragments ofbuildings crashed to the earth, and other fragments burst into flames. Cannon on the frigates in the river also fired upon the devoted city andfrom the great rock cannon replied. Coils of smoke arose, and, unitinginto a huge cloud, floated westward on the wind. It was a greatspectacle and Robert's heart throbbed. But he was sad too. He had muchpity for the people of Quebec, exposed to that terrible siege and therain of death. 

"We've ravaged a good deal of the country around Quebec, " continuedCharteris. "It's hard, but we're trying to cut off the subsistence ofthe French army, and, on the other hand, bands of their Indian alliesraid our outposts and take scalps. It's the New England rangers mostlythat deal with these war parties, in which the French and Canadiansthemselves take a part. "

"Then Tandakora will find plenty of employment here, " said Willet. "Nothing will give him more joy than to steal upon a sentinel in thedark and cut him down. "

"And while Tandakora hunts our people, " said Tayoga, "we will hunt him. What better work can we do, Great Bear, than to meet these raidingparties?"

"That's our task, Tayoga, " replied the hunter. 

As they turned away from the Heights of Levis the batteries were stillthundering, pouring their terrible flood of destruction upon the LowerTown, and far up on the cliffs cannon were firing at the ships in theriver. Robert looked back and his heart leaped as before. The eyes ofthe world he knew were on Quebec, and well it deserved the gaze of thenations. It was fitting that the mighty drama should be played outthere, on that incomparable stage, where earth rose up to make a fittingchannel for its most magnificent river. 

"It's all that you think it is, " said Charteris, again reading histhoughts; "a prize worth the efforts of the most warlike nations. "

"The Quebec of the English and French, " said Tayoga, "but the lostStadacona of the Mohawks, lost to them forever. Whatever the issue ofthe war the Mohawks will not regain their own. "

The others were silent, not knowing what to say. A little later a tall, lank youth to whom Charteris gave a warm welcome met them. 

"Been taking a look at the town, Leftenant?" he said. 

"Aye, Zeb, " replied Charteris. "I've been showing it to some friends ofmine who, however, have seen it before, though not under the sameconditions. These gentlemen are David Willet, Robert Lennox and Tayoga, the Onondaga, and this is Zebedee Crane, [B] a wonderful scout to whom Iowe my escape from Quebec. "

Willet seized the lank lad's hand and gave it a warm grasp. 

"I've heard of you, Zeb Crane, " he said. "You're from the Mohawk Valleyand you're one of the best scouts and trailers in the whole Province ofNew York, or anywhere, for that matter. "

"And I've heard uv all three uv you, " said the boy, looking at themappreciatively. "I wuz at Ticonderogy, an' two uv you at least wuz thar. I didn't git to see you, but I heard uv you. You're a great hunter, Mr. Willet, whom the Iroquois call the Great Bear, an' ez fur Tayoga I knowthat he belongs to the Clan of the Bear uv the nation Onondaga, an' thathe's the grandest trailer the world hez ever seed. "

Tayoga actually blushed under his bronze. 

"The flattery of my friends should be received at a heavy discount, " hesaid in his prim, precise English. 

"It ain't no flattery, " said Zebedee. "It's the squar' an' solid truth. I've heard tales uv you that are plum' impossible, but I know that theyhev happened all the same. Ef they wuz to tell me that you had trackedthe wild goose through the air or the leapin' salmon through the waterI'd believe 'em. "

"It would be very little exaggeration, " said Robert, earnestly. "Bequiet, Tayoga! If we want to sing your praises we'll sing 'em and youcan't help it. "

The five recrossed the river together, and went to Wolfe's camp belowthe town facing the Montmorency, Charteris going back into camp with theRoyal Americans to whom he belonged, and the others going as free lanceswith the New England rangers. Robert also resumed his acquaintance withCaptain Whyte and Lieutenant Lanhan of the _Hawk_, who were delighted tomeet him again. 

Soon they found that there was much for them to do. Robert's heart bledat the sight of the devastated country. Houses and farms were in ruinsand their people fled. Everywhere war had blazed a red path. Nor was itsafe for the rangers unless they were in strong parties. FerociousIndians roamed about and cut off all stragglers, sometimes those oftheir own French or Canadian allies. Once they came upon the trail ofTandakora. They found the dead bodies of four English soldiers lyingbeside an abandoned farm house, and Tayoga, looking at the traces in theearth, told the tale as truly as if he had been there. 

"Tandakora and his warriors stood behind these vines, " he said, going toa little arbor. "See their traces and in the center of them the printsleft by the gigantic footsteps of the Ojibway chief. The house had beenplundered by some one, maybe by the warriors themselves, before thesoldiers came. Then the Ojibway and his band hid here and waited. It waseasy for them. The soldiers knew nothing of wilderness war, and theycame up to the house, unsuspecting. They were at the front door, whenTandakora and his men fired. Three of them fell dead where they lie. Thefourth was wounded and tried to escape. Tandakora ran from behind thevines. Here goes his trail and here he stopped, balanced himself andthrew his tomahawk. "

"And it clove the wounded soldier's head, " said Robert. "Here he lies, telling the rest of the tale. "

They buried the four, but they found new tragedies. Thus the month ofAugust with its successes and failures, its attacks and counter-attacksdragged on, as the great siege of Quebec waged by Phipps and the NewEnglanders nearly three-quarters of a century before had dragged. 

 [A] The story of Edward Charteris is told in the author's novel, "A Soldier of Manhattan. "

 [B] The story of Zeb Crane and his remarkable achievements is contained in the author's novel, "A Soldier of Manhattan. "

CHAPTER XV

THE LONE CHÂTEAU

Despite his courage and the new resolution that he had acquired duringhis long months on the island, Robert's heart often sank. They seemed tomake no progress with the siege of Quebec. Just so far had they gone andthey could go no farther. The fortress of France in the New Worldappeared impregnable. There it was, cut clear against the sky, the lightshining on its stone buildings, proud and defiant, saying with every newday to those who attacked it that it could not be taken, while Montcalm, De Levis, Bougainville, St. Luc and the others showed all their oldskill in defense. They heard too that Bourlamaque after his retreat fromTiconderoga and Crown Point was sitting securely within his lines andintrenchments at Isle-aux-Noix and that the cautious Amherst would delaylonger and yet longer. 

It was now certain that no help could be expected from Amherst and hisstrong army that year. The most that he would do would be to keepBourlamaque and his men from coming to the relief of Quebec. So far asthe capital of New France was concerned the issue must be fought out bythe forces now gathered there for the defense and the offense, theFrench and the Indians against the English and the Americans. 

Robert realized more keenly every day that the time was short andbecoming shorter. Hot summer days were passing, nights came on crisp andcool, the foliage along the king of rivers and its tributaries began toglow with the intense colors of decay, there was more than a touch ofautumn in the air. They must be up and doing before the fierce wintercame down on Quebec. Military operations would be impossible then. 

In this depressing time Robert drew much courage from Charteris, who hadbeen a prisoner a long time in Quebec, and who understood even morethoroughly than young Lennox the hollowness of the French power in NorthAmerica. 

"It is upheld by a few brave and skillful men and a small but heroicarmy, " he said. "In effect, New France has been deserted by the Bourbonmonarchy. If it were not for the extraordinary situation of Quebec, adapted so splendidly to purposes of defense, we could crush the Marquisde Montcalm in a short time. The French regulars are as good as anytroops in the world and they will fight to the last, but the Canadianmilitia is not disciplined well, and is likely to break under a fierceattack. You know, Lennox, what militiamen always are, no matter to whatnation they belong. They may fight and die like heroes at one time, and, at another time, they may run away at the first fire, struck with panic. What we want is a fair chance at the French army in the open. GeneralWolfe himself, though cursed by much illness, never loses hope. I've hadoccasion to talk with him more than once owing to my knowledge of Quebecand the surrounding country, and there's a spirit for you, Lennox. It'sin an ugly body but no man was ever animated by a finer temper andcourage. "

Robert and Charteris formed a great friendship, a true friendship thatlasted all their long lives. But then Robert had a singular faculty formaking friends. Charteris interested him vastly. He had a proud, reserved and somewhat haughty nature. Many people thought him exclusive, but Robert soon learned that his fastidiousness was due to a certain shyquality, and a natural taste for the best in everything. Under hisapparent coldness lay a brave and staunch nature and an absoluteintegrity. 

Robert's interest in Charteris was heightened by the delicate cloud ofromance that floated about him, a cloud that rose from the hints thrownforth now and then by Zebedee Crane. The young French lady in Quebec wholoved him was as beautiful as the dawn and she had the spirit of aqueen. Charteris lived in the hope that they might take Quebec and herwith it. But Robert was far too fine of feeling ever to allude to suchan affair of the heart to Charteris, or in truth to any one else. 

It was a period of waiting and yet it was a period of activity. Thepartisans were incessant in their ways. Robert heard that his oldfriend, Langlade, was leading a numerous band against the English, andthe evidences of Tandakora's murderous ferocity multiplied. Nor were theoutlying French themselves safe from him. News arrived that he intendedan attack upon a château called Chatillard farther up the river butwithin the English lines. A band of the New England rangers, led byWillet, was sent to drive him off, and to destroy the Ojibway pest, ifpossible. Robert, Tayoga and Zeb Crane went with him. 

They arrived at the château just before twilight. It was a solid stonebuilding overlooking the St. Lawrence, and the lands about it had anarrow frontage on the river, but it ran back miles after the old Frenchcustom in making such grants, in order that every estate might have ariver landing. Willet's troops numbered about forty men, and, respectingthe aged M. De Chatillard, who was quite ill and in bed, they did notfor the present go into the house, eating their own supper on the long, narrow lawn, which was thick with dwarfed and clipped pines and othershrubbery. 

But they lighted no fires, and they kept very quiet, since they wishedfor Tandakora to walk into an ambush. The information, most of which hadbeen obtained by Zeb Crane, was to the effect that Tandakora believed aguard of English soldiers was in the house. After his custom he wouldswoop down upon them, slaughter them, and then be up and away. It was atrick in which the savage heart of the Ojibway delighted, and he hadachieved it more than once. 

The August night came down thick and dark. A few lights shone in theChâteau de Chatillard, but Willet and his rangers stood in black gloom. Almost at their feet the great St. Lawrence flowed in its mightychannel, a dim blue under the dusky sky. Nothing was visible there savethe slow stream, majestic, an incalculable weight of water. Nothingappeared upon its surface, and the far shore was lost in the night. Itseemed to Robert, despite the stone walls of the château by their side, that they were back in the wilderness. It was a northern wilderness too. The light wind off the river made him shiver. 

The front door of the house opened and a figure outlined against thelight appeared. It was an old man in a black robe, tall, thin andascetic, and Robert seeing him so clearly in the light of a lamp that heheld in his hand recognized him at once. It was Father PhilibertDrouillard, the same whom he had defeated in the test of oratory in thevale of Onondaga before the wise sachems, when so much depended onvictory. 

"Father Drouillard!" he exclaimed impulsively, stepping forward out ofthe shadows. 

"Who is it who speaks?" asked the priest, holding the lamp a littlehigher. 

"Father Drouillard, don't you know me?" exclaimed Robert, advancingwithin the circle of light. 

"Ah, it is young Lennox!" said the priest. "What a meeting! And underwhat circumstances!"

"And there are others here whom you know, " said Robert. "Look, this isDavid Willet who commands us, and here also is Tayoga, whom you rememberin the vale of Onondaga. "

Father Drouillard saluted them gravely. 

"You are the enemies of my country, " he said, "but I will not deny thatI am glad to see you here. I understand that the savage, Tandakora, means to attack this house to-night, thinking that it holds a Britishgarrison. Well, it seems that he will not be far wrong in his thought. "

A ghost of a smile flickered over the priest's pale face. 

"A garrison but not the garrison that he expects to destroy, " saidWillet. "Tandakora fights nominally under the flag of France, but as youknow, Father, he fights chiefly to gratify his own cruel desires. "

"I know it too well. Come inside. M. De Chatillard wishes to see you. "

Willet, Robert, Tayoga and Zeb Crane went in, and were shown into thebedroom where the Seigneur Louis Henri Anatole de Chatillard, pastninety years of age, lay upon his last bed. He was a large, handsome oldman, fair like so many of the Northern French, and his dying eyes werefull of fire. Two women of middle years, his granddaughters, kneltweeping by each side of his bed, and two servants, tears on their faces, stood at the foot. Willet and his comrades halted respectfully at thedoor. 

"Step closer, " said the old man, "that I may see you well. "

The four entered and stood within the light shed by two tall candles. The old man gazed at them a long time in silence, but finally he said:

"And so the English have come at last. "

"We're not English, M. De Chatillard, " said Willet, "we're Americans, Bostonnais, as you call us. "

"It is the same. You are but the children of the English and you fighttogether against us. You increase too fast in the south. You thrive inyour towns and in the woods, and you send greater and greater numbersagainst us. But you cannot take Quebec. The capital of New France isinviolate. "

Willet said nothing. How could he argue with a man past ninety who layupon his dying bed?

"You cannot take Quebec, " repeated M. De Chatillard, rising, strengthshowing in his voice. "The Bostonnais have come before. It was inFrontenac's time nearly three-quarters of a century ago, when Phipps andhis armada from New England arrived before Quebec. I was but a lad thennewly come from France, but the great governor, Frontenac, made readyfor them. We had batteries in the Sault-au-Matelot on Palace Hill, onMount Carmel, before the Jesuits' college, in the Lower Town andeverywhere. Three-quarters of a century ago did I say? No, it wasyesterday! I remember how we fought. Frontenac was a great man asMontcalm is!"

"Peace, M. De Chatillard, " said Father Drouillard soothingly. "You speakof old, old times and old, old things!"

"They were the days of my youth, " said the old man, "and they are notold to me. It was a great siege, but the valor of France and Canada werenot to be overcome. The armies and ships of the Bostonnais went backwhence they came, and the new invasion of the Bostonnais will have nobetter fate. "

Willet was still silent. He saw that the old siege of Quebec was muchmore in M. De Chatillard's mind than the present one, and if he couldpass away in the odor of triumph the hunter would not willingly changeit. 

"Who is the youth who stands near you?" said M. De Chatillard, lookingat Robert. 

"He is Robert Lennox of the Province of New York, " replied FatherDrouillard, speaking for Willet. "One of the Bostonnais, but a goodyouth. "

"One of the Bostonnais! Then I do not know him! I thought for a momentthat I saw in him the look of some one else, but maybe I was mistaken. An old man cheats himself with fancies. Lad, come thou farther into thelight and let me see thee more clearly. "

The tone of command was strong in his voice, and Robert, obeying it, stepped close to the bed. The old man raised his head a little, andlooked at him long with hawk's eyes. Robert felt that intent gazecutting into him, but he did not move. Then the Seigneur Louis HenriAnatole de Chatillard laughed scornfully and said to Father Drouillard:

"Why do you deceive me, Father? Why do you tell me that is one, RobertLennox, a youth of the Bostonnais, who stands before me, when my owneyes tell me that it is the Chevalier Raymond Louis de St. Luc, come asbefits a soldier of France to say farewell to an old man before hedies. "

Robert felt an extraordinary thrill of emotion. M. De Chatillard, seeingwith the eyes of the past, had taken him for the Chevalier. But why?

"It is not the Chevalier de St. Luc, " said Father Drouillard, gently. "It is the lad, Robert Lennox, from the Province of New York. "

"But it is St. Luc!" insisted the old man. "The face is the same, theeyes are the same! Should I not know? I have known the Chevalier, andhis father and grandfather before him. "

The priest signed to Robert, and he withdrew into the shadow of theroom. Then Father Drouillard whispered into M. De Chatillard's ear, oneof the servants gave him medicine from a glass, and presently he sankinto quiet, seeming to be conscious no longer of the presence of thestrangers. Willet, Robert and the others withdrew softly. Robert wasstill influenced by strong emotion. Did he look like St. Luc? And why?What was the tie between them? The question that had agitated him sooften stirred him anew. 

"Very old men, when they come to their last hours, have many illusions, "said Willet. 

"It may be so, " said Robert, "but it was strange that he should take mefor St. Luc. "

Willet was silent. Robert saw that as usual the hunter did not wish tomake any explanations, but he felt once more that the time for thesolution of his problem was not far away. He could afford to wait. 

"The Seigneur cannot live to know whether Quebec will fall, " saidTayoga. 

"No, " said Willet, "and it's just as well. His time runs out. His mindat the last will be filled with the old days when Frontenac held thetown against the New Englanders. "

The rangers were disposed well about the house, and they also watchedthe landing. Tandakora and his men might come in canoes, stealing alongin the shadow of the high cliffs, or they might creep through the fieldsand forest. Zeb Crane, who could see in the dark like an owl and who hadalready proved his great qualities as a scout and ranger, watched at theriver, and Willet with Robert and Tayoga was on the land side. But theylearned there was another château landing less than a quarter of a milelower down, and Tandakora, coming on the river, might use that, and yetmake his immediate approach by land. 

Willet stood by a grape arbor with Robert and the Onondaga, and watchedwith eye and ear. 

"Tandakora is sure to come, " said the hunter. "It's just such a night ashe loves. Little would he care whether he found English or French in thehouse; if not the English whom he expects, then the French, and dead menhave nothing to say, nor dead women either. It may be, Tayoga, that youwill have your chance to-night to settle your score with him. "

"I do not think so, Great Bear, " replied the Onondaga. "The night is sodark that I cannot see Tododaho on his star, but no whisper from himreaches me. I think that when the time comes for the Ojibway and me tosee which shall continue to live, Tododaho or the spirits in the airwill give warning. "

Robert shivered a little. Tayoga's tone was cool and matter of fact, buthis comrades knew that he was in deadly earnest. At the appointed timehe and Tandakora would fight their quarrel out, fight it to the death. In the last analysis Tayoga was an Indian, strong in Indian customs andbeliefs. 

"Tandakora will come about an hour before midnight, " said the Onondaga, "because it will be very dark then and there will yet be plenty of timefor his work. He will expect to find everybody asleep, save perhaps anEnglish sentinel whom he can easily tomahawk in the darkness. He doesnot know that the old Seigneur lies dying, and that they watch by hisbed. "

"In that case, " said the hunter with his absolute belief in all thatTayoga said, "we can settle ourselves for quite a wait. "

They relapsed into silence and Robert began to look at the light thatshone from the bedroom of M. De Chatillard, the only light in the housenow visible. He was an old, old man between ninety and a hundred, andWillett was right in saying that he might well pass on before the fateof Quebec was decided. Robert was sure that it was going to fall, and M. De Chatillard at the end of a long, long life would be spared a greatblow. But what a life! What events had been crowded into his threegenerations of living! He could remember Le Grand Monarque, The Sun Kingand the buildings of Versailles. He was approaching middle age whenBlenheim was fought. He could remember mighty battles, great changes, and the opening of new worlds, and like Virgil's hero, he had been agreat part of them. That was a life to live, and, if Quebec were goingto fall, it was well that M. De Chatillard with his more than ninetyyears should cease to live, before the sun of France set in NorthAmerica. Yes, Willet was right. 

A long time passed and Tayoga, lying down with his ear to the earth, waslistening. It was so dark now that hearing, not sight, must tell whenTandakora came. 

"I go into the forest, " whispered the Onondaga, "but I return soon. "

"Don't take any needless risks, " said Willet. 

Tayoga slipped into the dusk, fading from sight like a wraith, but infive minutes he came back. 

"Tandakora is at hand, " he whispered. "He lies with his warriors in thebelt of pine woods. They are watching the light in the Seigneur'swindow, but presently they will steal upon the house. "

"And find us on watch, " said Willet, an exultant tone appearing in hisvoice. "To the landing, Robert, and tell Zeb they're here on our side. "

The lank lad returned with Robert, though he left part of his men atthat point to guard against surprise, and the bulk of the force, underWillet, crowded behind the grape arbor awaiting the onslaught ofTandakora who, they knew, would come in caution and silence. 

Another period that seemed to Robert interminable, though it was notmore than half an hour, passed, and then he saw dimly a gigantic figure, made yet greater by the dusk. He knew that it was Tandakora and his handslid to the trigger and hammer of his rifle. But he knew also that hewould not fire. It was no part of their plan to give an alarm so early. The Ojibway vanished and then he thought he caught the gleam of auniform. So, a Frenchman, probably an officer, was with the warriors!

"They have scouted about the house somewhat, " whispered Tayoga, "andthey think the soldiers are inside. "

"In that case, " Willet whispered back, "they'll break down the frontdoor and rush in for slaughter. "

"So they will. It is likely that they are looking now for a big log. "

Soon a long, dark shape emerged from the dark, a shape that looked likeone of the vast primeval saurians. It was a dozen warriors carrying thetrunk of a small tree, and all molded into one by the dusk. Theygathered headway, as they advanced, and it was a powerful door thatcould withstand their blow. One of the ambushed rangers moved a little, and, in doing so, made a noise. Quick as a flash the warriors droppedthe log, and another farther back fired at the noise. 

"Give it to 'em, lads!" cried Willet. 

A score of rifles flashed and the warriors replied instantly, but theywere caught at a disadvantage. They had come there for rapine andmurder, expecting an easy victory, and while Tandakora rallied them theywere no match for the rangers, led by such men as Willet and hislieutenants. The battle, fierce and sanguinary, though it was, lasted abare five minutes and then the Ojibway and those of his band whosurvived took to flight. Robert caught a glimpse among the fleeing menof one whom he knew to be the spy, Garay. Stirred by a fierce impulse hefired at him, but missed in the dusk, and then Garay vanished with theothers. Robert, however, did not believe that he had been recognized bythe spy and he was glad of it. He preferred that Garay should considerhim dead, and then he would be free of danger from that source. 

The firing was succeeded by a few minutes of intense silence and thenthe great door of the Château de Chatillard opened again. Once moreFather Drouillard stood on the step, holding a lamp in his hand. 

"It is over, Father, " said Willet. "We've driven off part of 'em and theothers lie here. "

"I heard the noise of the battle from within, " said Father Drouillardcalmly, "and for the first time in my life I prayed that the Bostonnaismight win. "

"If you don't mind, Father, bring the lamp, and let us see the fallen. There must be at least fifteen here. "

Father Drouillard, holding the light high, walked out upon the lawn withsteady step. 

"Here is a Montagnais, " said Willet, "and this a St. Regis, and this aSt. Francis, and this a Huron, and this an Ojibway from the far west!Ah, and here is a Frenchman, an officer, too, and he isn't quite dead!Hold the lamp a little closer, will you, Father?"

The priest threw the rays of the lamp upon the figure. 

"Jumonville!" exclaimed Robert. 

It was in truth François de Jumonville, shot through the body and dying, slain in a raid for the sake of robbery and murder. When he saw thefaces of white men looking down at him, he raised himself feebly on oneelbow and said:

"It is you again, Willet, and you, too, Lennox and Tayoga. Always acrossmy path, but for the last time, because I'm going on a long journey, longer than any I ever undertook before. "

Father Drouillard fell on his knees and said a prayer for the dying man. Robert looked down pityingly. He realized then that he hated nobody. Life was much too busy an affair for the cherishing of hate and theplotting of revenge. Jumonville had done him as much injury as he could, but he was sorry for him, and had he been able to stay the ebbing of hislife, he would have done so. As the good priest finished his prayer thehead of François de Jumonville fell back. He was dead. 

"We will take his body into the house, " said Father Drouillard, "prepareit for the grave and give him Christian burial. I cannot forget that hewas an officer of France. "

"And my men shall help you, " said Willet. 

They carried the body of Jumonville into the château and put it on abench, while the servants, remarkably composed, used as they were toscenes of violence, began at once to array it for the grave. 

"Come into the Seigneur's room, " said Father Drouillard, and Robert andWillet followed him into the old man's chamber. M. De Chatillard laysilent and rigid. He, too, had gone on the longest of all journeys. 

"His soul fled, " said Father Drouillard, "when the battle outside was atits height, but his mind then was not here. It was far back in the past, three-quarters of a century since when Frontenac and Phipps foughtbefore Quebec, and he was little more than a lad in the thick of thecombat. I heard him say aloud: 'The Bostonnais are going. Quebec remainsours!' and in that happy moment his soul fled. "

"A good ending, " said Willet gravely, "and I, one of the Bostonnais, amfar from grudging him that felicity. Can my men help you with theburial, Father? We remain here for the rest of the night at least. "

"If you will, " said Father Drouillard. 

Zeb Crane touched Robert on the arm a little later. 

"Tayoga has come back, " he said. 

"I didn't know he'd gone away, " said Robert surprised. 

"He pursued Tandakora into the dark. Mebbe he thought Tododaho was wrongand that the time for him to settle score with the Ojibway had re'llycome. Any way he wuz off after him like an arrer from the bow. "

Robert went outside and found Tayoga standing quietly by the front door. 

"Did you overtake him?" he asked. 

"No, " replied the Onondaga. "I knew that I could not, because Tododahohad not whispered to me that the time was at hand, but, since I had seenhim and he was running away, I felt bound to pursue him. The legs ofTandakora are long, and he fled with incredible speed. I followed him tothe landing of the next château, where he ran down the slope, leapedinto a canoe, and disappeared into the mists and vapors that hang soheavily over the river. His time is not yet. "

"It seems not, but at any rate we inflicted a very thorough defeat uponhim to-night. His band is annihilated. "

The bodies of all the fallen warriors were buried the next day, anddecent burial was also given to Jumonville. But that of the Seigneur deChatillard was still lying in state when Willet and the rangers left. 

"If you wish, " said the hunter to Father Drouillard, "I can procure youa pass through our lines, and you can return that way to the city. Wedon't make war on priests. "

"I thank you, " said Father Drouillard, "but I do not need it. It is easyfor me to go into Quebec, whenever I choose, but, for a day or two, myduty will lie here. To-morrow we bury the Seigneur, and after that mustput this household in order. Though one of the Bostonnais, you are agood man, David Willet. Take care of yourself, and of the lad, RobertLennox. "

The hunter promised and, saying farewell to the priest, they went backto Wolfe's camp, east of the Montmorency, across which stream De Levislay facing them. During their absence a party of skirmishers had beencut off by St. Luc, and the whole British army had been disturbed by theactivities of the daring Chevalier. But, on the other hand, Wolfe wasrecovering from a serious illness. The sound mind was finding for itselfa sounder body, and he was full of ideas, all of the boldest kind, totake Quebec. If one plan failed he devised another. He thought offording the Montmorency several miles above its mouth, and of attackingMontcalm in his Beauport camp while another force made a simultaneousattack upon him in front. He had a second scheme to cross the river, march along the edge of the St. Lawrence, and then scale the rock ofQuebec, and a third for a general attack upon Montcalm's army in itsBeauport intrenchments. And he had two or three more that werevariations of the first three, but his generals, Murray, Monckton andTownshend, would not agree to any one of them, and he searched hisfertile mind for still another. 

But a brave general, even, might well have despaired. The siege made noapparent progress. Nothing could diminish the tremendous strength thatnature had given to the position of Quebec, and the skill of Montcalm, Bougainville, and St. Luc met every emergency. Most ominous of all, thesummer was waning. The colors that betoken autumn were deepening. Wolferealized anew that the time for taking Quebec was shortening fast. Thedeep red appearing in the leaves spoke a language that could not bedenied. 

Robert, about this time, received an important letter from BenjaminHardy. It came by way of Boston, Louisbourg and the St. Lawrence. Ittold him in the polite phrase of the day how glad he had been to hearfrom Master Jacobus Huysman that he was not dead, although Robert readeasily between the lines and saw how genuine and deep was his joy. Mr. Hardy saw in his escape from so many dangers the hand of providence, adirect interposition in his behalf. He said, from motives of prudence, no mention of Robert's return from the grave had been made to hisacquaintances in New York, and Master Jacobus Huysman in Albany had beencautioned to say as little about it as possible. He deemed this wise, for the present, because those who had made the attempts upon his lifewould know nothing of their failure and so he would have nothing to fearfrom them. He was glad too, since he was sure to return to some field ofthe war, that he had joined the expedition against Quebec. The risk ofbattle there would be great, but it was likely that in so remote atheater of action he would be safe from his unknown enemies. 

Mr. Hardy added that great hopes were centered on Wolfe's daring siege. All the campaigns elsewhere were going well, at last. The full strengthof the colonies was being exerted and England was making a mightyeffort. Success must come. Everybody had confidence in Mr. Pitt, and inNew York they were hopeful that the shadow, hovering so long in thenorth, would soon be dispelled forever. 

In closing he said that when the campaign was over Robert must come tohim in New York at once, and that Willet must come with him. His wildlife in the woods must cease. Ample provision for his future would bemade and he must develop the talents with which he was so obviouslyendowed. 

The water was in Robert's eyes when he finished the letter. Aye, he readbetween the lines, and he read well. The old thought that he hadfriends, powerful friends, came to him with renewed strength. It wasobvious that the New York merchant had a deep affection for him and waswatching over him. It was true of Willet too, and also of Mr. Huysman. His mind, as ever, turned to the problem of himself, and once more hefelt that the solution was not far away. 

The next day after he had received the letter Zeb Crane returned fromQuebec, into which he had stolen as a spy, and he told Robert andCharteris that the people there, though suffering from privation, werenow in great spirits. They were confident that Montcalm, thefortifications and the natural strength of the city would hold off theinvader until winter, soon to come, should drive him away forever. 

August was now gone and Wolfe wrote to the great Pitt a letter destinedto be his last official dispatch, a strange mixture of despondency andresolution. He spoke of the help for Montcalm that had been thrown intoQuebec, of his own illness, of the decline in his army's strengththrough the operations already carried out, of the fact that practicallythe whole force of Canada was now against him, but, in closing, heassured the minister that the little time left to the campaign should beused to the utmost. 

While plan after plan presented itself to the mind of Wolfe, to bediscarded as futile, Robert saw incessant activity with the rangers andfought in many skirmishes with the French, the Canadians and Indians. Tandakora had gathered a new band and was as great a danger as ever. They came upon his ruthless trail repeatedly, but they were not able tobring him to battle again. Once they revisited the Château deChatillard, and found the life there going on peacefully within theEnglish lines. Father Drouillard had returned to Quebec. 

Another shade of color was added to the leaves and then Robert saw agreat movement in Wolfe's camp before the Montmorency. The whole armyseemed to be leaving the position and to be going on board the fleet. Atfirst he thought the siege was to be abandoned utterly and his heartsank. But Charteris, whom he saw just before he went on his ship withthe Royal Americans, reassured him. 

"I think, " he said, "that the die is cast at last. The general has somegreat plan in his head, I know not what, but I feel in every bone thatwe're about to attack Quebec. "

Robert now felt that way, too. The army merely concentrated its strengthon the Heights of Levis and Orleans on the other side, then took shipagain, and in the darkness of night, heavily armed and provisioned, ranby the batteries of the city, dropping anchor at Cap Rouge, aboveQuebec. 

Throughout these movements on the water Robert was in a long boat withWillet, Tayoga and a small body of rangers. In the darkness he watchedthe great St. Lawrence and the lights of the town far above them. Whatthey would do next he did not know, and he no longer asked. He believedthat Charteris was right, and that the issue was at hand. 

CHAPTER XVI

THE RECKONING

Robert's belief that the issue was at hand was so strong that it was notshaken at all, while they hovered about the town for a while. He heardthrough Charteris that Wolfe was again ill, that he had suffered aterrible night, but that day had found him better, and, despite hiswasted frame and weakness, he was among the troops, kindling theircourage anew, and stimulating them to greater efforts. 

"A soul of fire in an invalid's frame, " said Charteris, and Robertagreed with him. 

Through Zeb Crane's amazing powers as a spy, he heard that the Frenchwere in the greatest anxiety over Wolfe's movements. They had thought atfirst that he was abandoning the siege, and then that he meditated anattack at some new point. Montcalm below the town and Bougainville aboveit were watching incessantly. Their doubts were increased by the fiercebombardments of the British fleet, which poured heavy shot into theLower Town and the French camp. The French cannon replied, and the hillsechoed with the roar, while great clouds of smoke drifted along theriver. 

Then an afternoon came when Robert felt that the next night and daywould tell a mighty tale. It was in the air. Everybody showed a tenseexcitement. The army was being stripped for battle. He knew that thetroops on the Heights of Levis and at Orleans had been ordered to marchalong the south shore of the St. Lawrence and join the others. The fleetwas ready, as always, and the army was to embark. This concentrationcould not be for nothing. Before the twilight he saw Charteris and theyshook hands, which was both a salute and a farewell. 

"We take ship after dark, " said Charteris, "and I know as surely as I'mstanding here that we make some great attempt to-night. The omens andpresages are all about us. "

"I feel that way, too, " said Robert. 

"Tododaho will soon appear on his star, " said Tayoga, who was withRobert, "but, though I cannot see him, I hear his whisper already. "

"What does it say?" asked Robert. 

"The whisper of Tododaho tells me that the time has come. We shall meetthe enemy in a great battle, but he does not say who will win. "

"I believe that, if we can bring Montcalm to battle, we can gain thevictory, " said Charteris. "I for one, Tayoga, thank you for theprophecy. "

"And I, " said Robert. "But we'll be together to the end. "

"Aye, Dagaeoga, and together we shall see what happens. "

Robert also saw the Philadelphians and the Virginians, and he shookhands with them in turn, every one of them giving a silent toast tovictory or death. He found Grosvenor with his own regiment, theGrenadiers. 

"We may meet somewhere to-morrow, Grosvenor, " he said, "but neither ofus knows where, nor under what circumstances. "

"Just so we meet after victory, that's enough, " said Grosvenor. 

"Aye, so it is. "

The boom of a cannon came from down the river, it was followed byanother and another and then by many, singularly clear in the Septembertwilight. A powerful British fleet ranged up in front of the Beauportshore and opened a fierce fire on the French redoubts. It seemed as ifWolfe were trying to force a landing there, and the French guns replied. In the distance, with the thunder of the cannonade and the flashes offire, it looked as if a great battle were raging. 

"It is nothing, " said Willet to Robert, "or rather it is only a feint. It will make Montcalm below the town think he is going to be attacked, and it will make Bougainville above it rest more easily. The French arealready worn down by their efforts in racing back and forth to meet us. Our command over the water is a wonderful thing, and it alone makesvictory possible. "

Robert, Willet and Tayoga with a dozen rangers went into a long boat, whence they looked up at the tall ships that carried the army, andwaited as patiently as they could for the order to move. 

"See the big fellow over there, " said Willet, pointing to one of theships. 

Robert nodded. 

"That's the _Sutherland_, and she carries General Wolfe. Like the boatof Cæsar, she bears our fortunes. "

"Truly 'tis so, " said Robert. 

A good breeze was blowing down the river, and, at that moment, the starswere out. 

"I see Tododaho with the wise snakes in his hair, " said Tayoga in anawed whisper, "and he looks directly down at me. His eyes speak moreplainly than his whisper that I heard in the twilight. Now, I know thatsome mighty event is going to happen, and that the dawn will be heavywith the fate of men. "

The sullen boom of a cannon came from a point far down the river, andthen the sullen boom of another replying. Quebec, on its rock, lay darkand silent. Robert was shaken by a kind of shiver, and a thrill oftremendous anticipation shot through him. He too knew instinctively thatthey were upon the threshold of some mighty event. Whatever happened, hecould say, if he lived, that he was there, and, if he fell, he would atleast die a glorious death. His was the thrill of youth, and it waswholly true. 

It was two hours past midnight and the ebb tide set in. The good windwas still blowing down the river. Two lanterns went aloft in the riggingof the _Sutherland_, and the signal for one of the great adventures ofhistory was given. All the troops had gone into boats earlier in theevening, and now they pulled silently down the stream, Wolfe in one ofthe foremost. 

Robert sat beside Tayoga, and Willet was just in front of them. Some ofthe stars were still out, but there was no moon and the night was dark. It seemed that all things had agreed finally to favor Wolfe's supremeand last effort. The boats carrying the army were invisible from thelofty cliffs and no spying canoes were on the stream to tell that theywere there. Robert gazed up at the black heights, and wondered wherewere the French. 

"Are we going directly against Quebec?" he whispered to Willet. "'Tisimpossible to storm it upon its heights. "

"Nay, lad, nothing is impossible. As you see, we go toward Quebec and Ithink we land in the rear of it. 'Tis young men who lead us, the boldestof young men, and they will dare anything. But I tell you, Robert, ourcoming to Quebec is very different from what it was when we came herewith a message from the Governor of the Province of New York. "

"And our reception is like to be different, too. What was that? Itsounded like the splash of a paddle ahead of us. "

"It was only a great fish leaping out of the water and then falling backagain, " said Tayoga. "There is no enemy on the stream. Truly Manitouto-night has blinded the French and the warriors, their allies. Montcalmis a great leader, and so is St. Luc, but they do not know what iscoming. We shall meet them in the morning. Tododaho has said so to me. "

The boats passed on in their slow drifting with the tide. Once near to alofty headland, they were hailed by a French sentinel, who heard thecreaking of the boats, and who saw dim outlines in the dark, but aScotch officer, who spoke good French, made a satisfactory reply. Theboats drifted on, and the sentinel went back to his dreams, perhaps ofthe girl that he had left in France. 

"Did I not tell you that Manitou had blinded the French and thewarriors, their allies, to-night?" whispered Tayoga to Robert. "Ninety-nine times out of a hundred the sentinel would have asked more, or he would have insisted upon seeing more in the dark, but Manitoudulled his senses. The good spirits are abroad, and they work for us. "

"Truly, I believe it is so, Tayoga, " said Robert. 

"The French don't lack in vigilance, but they must be worn out, " saidWillet. "It's one thing to sail on ships up and down a river, but it'squite another for an army racing along lofty, rough and curving shoresto keep pace with it. "

They were challenged from another point of vantage by a sentinel andthey saw him running down to the St. Lawrence, pistol in hand, to makegood his question. But the same Scotch officer who had answered thefirst placated him, telling him that theirs were boats loaded withprovisions, and not to make a noise or the English would hear him. Againwas French vigilance lulled, and they passed on around the headlandabove Anse du Foulon. 

"The omens are ours, " whispered Tayoga, with deep conviction. "Now, Iknow that we shall arrive at the place to which we want to go. UnlessManitou wishes us to go there, he would not have twice dulled the sensesof French sentinels who could have brought a French army down upon uswhile we are yet in the river. And, lo! here where we are going to landthere is no sentinel!"

"Under heaven, I believe you're right, Tayoga!" exclaimed Willet, withintense earnestness. 

The boats swung in to the narrow beach at the foot of the lofty cliffand the men disembarked rapidly. Then, hanging to rocks and shrubs, theybegan to climb. There was still no alarm, and Robert held his breath insuspense, and in amazement too. He did not know just where they were, but they could not be very far from Quebec, and General Wolfe wasliterally putting his head in the lion's mouth. He knew, and every onearound him knew, that it was now victory or death. He felt again thattremendous thrill. Whatever happened, he would be in it. He keptrepeating that fact to himself and the thought of death was not withhim. 

"The dawn will soon be at hand, " he said; "I feel it coming. If we canhave only a half hour more! Only a half hour!"

"It will come with clouds, " said Tayoga. "Manitou still favors us. Hewills that we shall reach the top. "

Robert made another pull and surmounted the crest. Everywhere thesoldiers were pouring over the top. A small body of French sentinels wastaken by surprise. Some of them were captured, and the others escaped inthe dusk to carry the alarm to the city, to Montcalm and toBougainville. But Wolfe was on the heights before Quebec. From pointsfarther up the river came the crash of cannon. It was the Frenchbatteries firing upon the last of the boats, and upon the ships bringingdown the rest of the troops. But it was too late to stop the Britisharmy, which included Americans, who were then British too. 

"The dawn is here, " said Tayoga. 

The east was breaking slowly into dull light. Heavy clouds were floatingup from the west, and the air was damp with the promise of rain. TheBritish army was forming rapidly into line of battle, but no army was infront of it. The daring enterprise of the night was a complete success, and Montcalm had been surprised. He was yet to know that his enemy hadscaled the heights and was before Quebec. 

"We've gained a field of battle for ourselves, " said Willet, "and it'snow for us to win the battle itself. "

The mind of Wolfe was at its supreme activity. A detachment, sentswiftly, seized the battery at Samos that was firing upon the ships andboats. Another battery, farther away at Sillery, was taken also, and thelanding of additional troops was covered. A party of Canadians who cameout of the town to see who these intrusive strangers might be, weredriven back in a hurry, and then Wolfe and his officers advanced tochoose their ground, the rangers hovering on the flanks of the regulars. 

Where the plateau was only a mile wide and before Quebec, the generaltook his stand with the lofty cliffs of the St. Lawrence on the southand the meadows of the St. Charles on the north. The field, the famousPlains of Abraham, was fairly level with corn fields and bushes here andthere. A battalion of the Royal Americans was placed to guard the fordof the St. Charles, but Robert saw the others, his friends among them, formed up in the front ranks, where the brunt of the battle would fall. Another regiment was in reserve. The rangers, with Robert, Tayoga andWillet, still hovered on the flanks. 

Robert felt intense excitement. He always believed afterward that heunderstood even at that instant the greatness of the cloudy dawn thathad come, and the momentous nature of the approaching conflict, holdingin its issue results far greater than those of many a battle in whichten times the numbers were engaged. 

"How far away is Quebec?" he asked. 

"Over there about a mile, " replied Willet. "We can't see it because theridge that the French call the Buttes-a-Neveu comes in between. "

"But look!" exclaimed Robert. "See, what is on the ridge!"

The stretch of broken ground was suddenly covered with white uniforms. They were French soldiers, the battalion of Guienne, aroused in theircamp near the St. Charles River by the firing, and come swiftly to seewhat was the matter. There they stood, staring at the scarlet ranks, drawn up in battle before them, unable to credit their eyes at first, many of them believing for the moment that it was some vision of thecloudy dawn. 

"I think that Montcalm's army will soon come, " said Willet to Robert. "You see, we're literally between three fires. We're facing the garrisonof Quebec, while we have Montcalm on one side of us and Bougainville onthe other. The question is which will it be, Bougainville or Montcalm, but I think it will be Montcalm. "

"I know it will be Montcalm, " said Robert, "and I know too that when hecomes St. Luc will be with him. "

"Aye, St. Luc will be with him. That's sure. "

It was even so. Montcalm was already on his way. The valiant general ofFrance, troubled by the hovering armies and fleets of Britain, uncertainwhere they intended to strike or whether they meant to strike at all, had passed a sleepless night. At dawn the distant boom of the cannon, firing at the English ships above the town, had come to his ears. Anofficer sent for news to the headquarters of the Marquis de Vaudreuil, the Governor-General of New France, much nearer to the town, had notreturned, and, mounting, he galloped swiftly with one of his aides tolearn the cause of the firing. Near the Governor-General's house theycaught a distant gleam of the scarlet ranks of Wolfe's army, nearly twomiles away. 

When Montcalm saw that red flash his agitation and excitement becameintense. It is likely that he understood at once the full danger, thathe knew the crisis for Canada and France was at hand. But he dispatchedimmediately the orders that would bring his army upon the scene. TheGovernor-General, already alarmed, came out of his house and theyexchanged a few words. Then Montcalm galloped over the bridge across theSt. Charles and toward the British army. It is stated of him that duringthis ride his face was set and that he never spoke once to his aides. 

Behind Montcalm came his army, hurrying to the battle-field, and, takingthe quickest course, it passed through Quebec, entering at the PalaceGate and passing out through those of St. Louis and St. John, hastening, always hastening, to join the battalion of Guienne, which already stoodin its white uniforms and beneath its banners on the Buttes-a-Neveu. 

Montcalm's army included the veterans of many victories. Through longyears they had fought valiantly for France in North America. AtTiconderoga they had shown how they could triumph over great odds, overmen as brave as themselves, and, as they pressed through the narrowstreets of the quaint old town, they did not doubt that they were goingto another victory. With them, too, were the swart Canadians fightingfor their homes, their flag and, as they believed then, for theirreligion, animated, too, by confidence in their courage, and belief inthe skill of their leaders who had so seldom failed. 

Behind the French and the Canadians were the Indians who had been drawnso freely to Montcalm's banner by his success, thinking anew ofslaughter and untold spoil, such as they had known at William Henry andsuch as they might have had at Ticonderoga. The gigantic Tandakora, painted hideously, led them, and in all that motley array there was nosoul more eager than his for the battle. 

On that eventful morning, which the vast numbers of later wars cannotdim, the councils of France were divided. Vaudreuil, fearing an attackon the Beauport shore, did not give the valiant Montcalm all the helpthat he could spare, nor did De Ramesay, commanding the garrison ofQuebec, send the artillery that the Marquis asked. 

But Montcalm was resolute. His soul was full of fire. He looked at theranks of Wolfe's army drawn up before him on the Plains of Abraham, andhe did not hesitate to attack. He would not wait for Bougainville, norwould he hold back for the garrison of Quebec. He saw that the gauge ofbattle had been flung down to him and he knew that he must march at onceupon the British--and the Americans. Mounted on a black horse, he rodeup and down the lines, waving or pointing his sword, his dark face alivewith energy. 

Montcalm now formed his men in three divisions. M. De Senezergues ledthe left wing made up of the regiments of Guienne and Royal Roussillon, supported by Canadian militia. M. De Saint Ours took the right wing withthe battalion of La Sarre and more Canadian militia. Montcalm was in thecenter with the regiment of Languedoc and the battalion of Béarn. Onboth flanks were Canadians and numerous Indians. 

Robert from his position on a little knoll with Willet and Tayogawatched all these movements, and he was scarcely conscious of thepassage of time. There was a shifting in the British army also, as itperfected its alignment, and the bagpipes of the Scotchmen were alreadyscreaming defiance, but his eyes were mainly for the French before him. He recognized Montcalm as he rode up and down the lines, raising hissword, and presently he saw another gallant figure on horseback that heknew. It was St. Luc, and the old thrill shot through him: St. Luc forwhom the ancient M. De Chatillard had taken him, St. Luc with whom hemust have some blood tie. 

Though it was now far beyond the time for the rising of the sun, the daywas still dark, heavy with clouds, and now and then a puff of rain wasblown in the faces of the waiting men, though few took notice. The waitand the preparations had to Robert all the aspects of a duel, and theincessant shrill screaming of the Scotch bagpipes put a fever in hisblood, setting all the little pulses in his head and body to beating. Ever after he maintained that the call of the bagpipes was the mostmartial music in the world. 

The crackle of firing broke out on the flanks. The Canadian and Indiansharpshooters, from the shelter of houses, bushes and knolls, had openedfire. Now and then a man in scarlet fell, but the army of Wolfe neithermoved nor replied, though some of the New England rangers, stealingforward, began to send bullets at their targets. 

"I see Tandakora, " said Tayoga, "and, in an hour, the score between uswill be settled. Tododaho told me so last night, but it is stilluncertain which shall be the victor. "

"Can't you get a shot at him?" asked Robert. 

"It is not yet time, Dagaeoga. Tododaho will say when the moment comesfor me to pull trigger on the Ojibway. "

Then Robert's gaze shifted back to the figure of St. Luc. The chevalierrode a white horse, and he was helping Montcalm to form the lines in thebest order for the attack. He too held in his hand a sword, the smallsword that Robert had seen before, but he seldom waved it. 

"Are they ever coming?" asked Robert, who felt as if he had beenstanding on the field many hours. 

"We've not long to wait now, lad, " replied Willet. "Our own army isready and I think the fate of America will soon be decided here on thiscloudy morning. "

Another light puff of rain struck Robert in the face, but as before hedid not notice it. The crackling fire of the sharpshooters increased. They were stinging the British flanks and more men in scarlet fell, butthe army of Wolfe remained immovable, waiting, always waiting. It wasfor Montcalm now to act. French field pieces added their roar to thecrackle of rifles and muskets, and now and then the fierce yell of theIndians rose above both. Robert thought he saw a general movement in theFrench lines, and his thought was Willet's also. 

"The moment has come! Steady, lads! Steady!" said the hunter. 

The whole French army suddenly began to advance, the veterans and themilitia together, uttering great shouts, while the Indians on the flanksgave forth the war whoop without ceasing. Robert remained motionless. The steadfastness of soul that he had acquired on the island controlledhim now. Inwardly he was in a fever, but outwardly he showed no emotion. He glanced at Montcalm on the black horse, and St. Luc on the white, andthen at the scarlet and silent ranks of Wolfe's army. But the Frenchwere coming fast, and he knew that silence would soon burst into suddenand terrible action. 

"The French lines are being thrown into confusion by the unevenness ofthe ground and the rapidity of their advance, " said Willet. "Theirsurprise at our being here is so great that it has unsteadied them. Nowthey are about to open fire!"

The front of the charging French burst into flame and the bullets sangin the scarlet ranks. Wolfe's army suddenly began to move forward, butstill it did not fire, although the battle of the skirmishers on theflanks was rapidly increasing in ferocity. The rangers were busy now, replying to the Indians and Canadians, but Robert still took rapidglances and he looked oftenest toward the Americans, where his friendsstood. The advance of the French became almost a run, and he saw all themuskets and rifles of his own army go up. 

A tremendous volley burst from the scarlet ranks, so loud and so closetogether that it sounded like one vast cannon shot. It was succeededpresently by another, and then by an irregular but fierce fire, whichdied in its turn to let the smoke lift. 

Robert saw a terrible sight. The ground where the French army had stoodwas literally covered with dead and wounded. The two volleys fired atclose range had mowed them down like grain. The French army, smittenunto death, was reeling back, and the British, seizing the moment, rushed forward with bayonet and drawn sword. The Highlanders, as theycharged with the broadsword, uttered a tremendous yell, and Robert sawhis own Americans in the front of the rush. He caught one glimpse of thetall figure of Charteris and he saw Colden near him. Then they were alllost in the smoke as they attacked. 

But Wolfe had fallen. Struck by three bullets, the last time in thebreast, he staggered and sat down. Men rushed to his aid, but he livedjust long enough to know that he had won the victory. Before the firingdied away, he was dead. Montcalm, still on horseback, was shot throughthe body, but he was taken into the city, where he died the night of thenext day. Senezergues, his second in command, was also mortally wounded, and Monckton, who was second to Wolfe, fell badly wounded too. 

But Robert did not yet know any of these facts. He was conscious only ofvictory. He heard the triumphant cheers of Wolfe's army and he saw thatthe French had stopped, then that they were breaking. He felt again thatpowerful thrill, but now it was the thrill of victory. 

"We win! We win!" he cried. 

"Aye, so we do, " said Willet, "but here are the Canadians and Indianstrying to wipe out us rangers. "

The fire in front of them from the knolls and bushes redoubled, but therangers, adept at such combats, pressed forward, pouring in theirbullets. The Canadians and Indians gave ground and the rangers, circlingabout, attacked them on the flank. Tayoga suddenly uttered a fierceshout and, dropping his rifle, leaped into the open. 

"Now, O Tandakora!" he cried. "The time has come and thou hast given methe chance!"

The gigantic figure of Tandakora emerged from the smoke, and the two, tomahawk in hand, faced each other. 

"It is you, Tayoga, of the clan of the Bear, of the nation Onondaga, ofthe league of the Hodenosaunee, " said the chief. "So you have come atlast that I may spit upon your dead body. I have long sought thismoment. "

"Not longer than I, Ojibway savage!" replied Tayoga. "Now you shall knowwhat it is to strike an Onondaga in the mouth, when he is bound andhelpless. "

The huge warrior threw back his head and laughed. 

"Look your last at the skies, Onondaga, " he said, "because you will soonpass into silence and darkness. It is not for a great chief to be slainby a mere boy. "

Tayoga said no more, but gazed steadily into the eyes of the Ojibway. Then the two circled slowly, each intently watching every movement ofthe other. The great body of Tandakora was poised like that of apanther, the huge muscles rippling under his bronze skin. But theslender figure of Tayoga was instinct also with strength, and with anincomparable grace and lightness. He seemed to move without effort, likea beam of light. 

Tandakora crouched as he moved slowly toward the right. Then his armsuddenly shot back and he hurled his tomahawk with incredible force. TheOnondaga threw his head to one side and the glittering blade, flying on, clove a ranger to the chin. Then Tayoga threw his own weapon, butTandakora, with a quick shift evading it, drew his knife and, rushingin, cried:

"Now I have you, dog of an Onondaga!"

Not in vain was Tayoga as swift as a beam of light. Not in vain was thatlight figure made of wrought steel. Leaping to one side, he drew his ownknife and struck with all his might at the heart of that huge, rushingfigure. The blade went true, and so tremendous was the blow thatTandakora, falling in a heap, gave up his fierce and savage soul. 

"They run! They run!" cried Robert. "The whole French army is running!"

It was true. The entire French force was pouring back toward the gatesof the city, their leaders vainly trying to rally the soldiers. Theskirmishers fell back with them. A figure, darting from a bush, turnedto pull trigger on Robert, and then uttered a cry of terror. 

"A ghost! It is a ghost!" he exclaimed in French. 

But a second look told Achille Garay that it was no ghost. It may havebeen a miracle, but it was Robert Lennox come back in the flesh, and hisfinger returned to the trigger. Another was quicker. The hunter saw him. 

"That for you, Garay!" he cried, and sent a bullet through the spy'sheart. Then, drawing the two lads with him, he rushed forward inpursuit. 

The confusion in the French army was increasing. Its defeat was fastbecoming a rout, but some of the officers still strove to stay thepanic. Robert saw one on a white horse gallop before a huddle of fleeingmen. But the soldiers, swerving, ran on. A bullet struck the horse andhe fell. The man leaped clear, but looked around in a dazed manner. Thena bullet struck him too, and he staggered. Robert with a cry rushedforward, and received into his arms the falling figure of St. Luc. 

He eased the Chevalier to the ground and rested his head upon his knee. 

"He isn't dead!" he exclaimed. "He's only shot through the shoulder!"

"Now, this is in truth the hand of Providence, " said Willet gravely, "when you are here in the height of a great battle to break the fall ofyour own uncle!"

"My uncle!" exclaimed Robert. 

The Chevalier Raymond Louis de St. Luc smiled wanly. 

"Yes, my nephew, " he said, "your own uncle, though wounded grievously, on this the saddest of all days for France, son of my dear, dead sister, Gabrielle. "

Then he fainted dead away from loss of blood, and the Canadian, Dubois, appearing suddenly, helped them to revive him. Robert hung over him withirrepressible anxiety. 

"The brother of my mother!" he exclaimed. "I always felt there was apowerful tie, a blood tie, uniting us! That was why he spared me sooften! That was why he told me how to escape at Ticonderoga! He will notdie, Dave? He will not die?"

"No, he will not die, " replied Willet. "The Marquis de Clermont canreceive a greater wound than that, and yet live and flourish. "

"The Marquis de Clermont!"

"Aye, the Chevalier de St. Luc is head of one of the greatest familiesof France and you're his next of kin. "

"And so I'm half a Frenchman!"

"Aye, half a Frenchman, half an Englishman, and all an American. "

"And so I am!" said Robert. 

"Truly it is a great morning, " said Tayoga gravely. "Tododaho has givento me the triumph, and Tandakora has gone to his hereafter, wherever itmay be; the soul of Garay is sped too, France has lost Canada, andDagaeoga has found the brother of his mother. "

"It's true, " said Willet in a whimsical tone. "When things begin tohappen they happen fast. The battle is almost over. "

But the victorious army, as it advanced, was subjected to a severe fireon the flank from ambushed Canadians. Many of the French threwthemselves into the thickets on the Coté Ste. -Genevieve, and poured ahail of bullets into the ranks of the advancing Highlanders. Vaudreuilcame up from Beauport and was all in terror, but Bougainville andothers, arriving, showed a firmer spirit. The gates of Quebec were shut, and it seemed to show defiance, while the English and Americans, stillin the presence of forces greater than their own, intrenched on thefield where they had won the victory, a victory that remains one of thedecisive battles of the world, mighty and far-reaching in itsconsequences. 

A night of mixed triumph and grief came, grief for the loss of Wolfe andso many brave men, triumph that a daring chance had brought such abrilliant success. Robert found Charteris, Grosvenor, Colden and theVirginians unharmed. Wilton was wounded severely, but ultimatelyrecovered his full strength. Carson was wounded also, but was as well asever in a month, while Robert himself, Tayoga, Willet and Zeb Crane werenot touched. 

But his greatest interest that night was in the Chevalier de St. Luc, Marquis de Clermont. They had made him a pallet in a tent and one of thebest army surgeons was attending so famous and gallant an enemy. But heseemed easiest when Robert was by. 

"My boy, " he said, "I always tried to save you. Whenever I looked uponyou I saw in your face my sister Gabrielle. "

"But why did you not tell me?" asked Robert. "Why did not some one ofthe others who seemed to know tell me?"

"There were excellent reasons, " replied the wounded man. "Gabrielleloved one of the Bostonnais, a young man whom she met in Paris. He wasbrave, gallant and true, was your father, Richard Lennox. I have nothingto say against him, but our family did not consider it wise for her tomarry a foreigner, a member of another race. They eloped and weremarried in a little hamlet on the wild coast of Brittany. Then they fledto America, where you were born, and when you were a year old theyundertook to return to France, seeking forgiveness. But it was only astart. The ship was driven on the rocks of Maine and they were lost, your brave, handsome father and my beautiful sister--but you were saved. Willet came and took you into the wilderness with him. He has stood inthe place of your own father. "

"But why did not they tell me?" repeated Robert. "Why was I left so longin ignorance?"

"There was a flaw. The priest who performed the marriage was dead. Therecords were lost. The evil said there had been no marriage, and thatyou were no rightful member of the great family of De Clermont. We couldnot prove the marriage then and so you were left for the time withWillet. "

"Why did Willet take me?"

Raymond Louis de St. Luc turned to Willet, who sat on the other side ofthe pallet, and smiled. 

"I will answer you, Robert, " said the hunter. "I was one of those wholoved your mother. How could any one help loving her? As beautiful as adream, and a soul of pure gold. She married another, but when she waslost at sea something went out of my life that could never be replacedin this world. You have replaced it partly, Robert, but not wholly. Itseemed fitting to the others that, being what I was, and lovingGabrielle de Clermont as I had, I should take you. I should have takenyou anyhow. "

Robert's head swam, and there was a mist before his eyes. He wasthinking of the beautiful young mother whom he could not remember. 

"Then I am by blood a De Clermont, and yet not a De Clermont, " he said. 

"You're a De Clermont by blood, by right, and before all the world, "said Willet. "I've a letter from Benjamin Hardy in New York, statingthat the records have been found in the ruins of the burned church onthe coast of Brittany, where the marriage was performed. Theirauthenticity has been acknowledged by the French government and all themembers of the De Clermont family who are in France. Copies of them havebeen smuggled through from France. "

"Thanks to the good God!" murmured St. Luc. 

"And Adrian Van Zoon? Why has he made such war against me?" askedRobert. 

"Because of money, " replied Willet. "Your father was a great owner ofshipping, inherited, as Richard Lennox was a young man under thirty whenhe was lost at sea. At his death the control of it passed into the handsof his father's partner, Adrian Van Zoon. Van Zoon wanted it all, and, since you had no relatives, he probably would have secured it if you hadbeen put out of the way. That is why you were safer with me at Albanyand in the woods, until your rightful claims could be established. Benjamin Hardy, who had been a schoolmate and great friend of yourfather, knew of this and kept watch on Van Zoon. Your estate has notsuffered in the man's hands, because, expecting it to be his own, he hasmade it increase. Jonathan Pillsbury knew your history too. So didJacobus Huysman, in whose house we placed you when you went to school, and so did your teacher, Master Alexander McLean. "

"I had powerful friends. I felt it all the time, " said Robert. 

"So you had, lad, and it was largely because they saw you grow up worthyof such friendship. You're a very rich man, Robert. There are shipsbelonging to you on nearly every sea, or at least there would be if wehad no war. "

"And a Marquis of France--when I die, " said St. Luc. 

"No! No!" exclaimed Robert. "You'll live as long as I will! Why, you'reonly a young man!"

"Twenty-nine, " said St. Luc. "Gabrielle was twelve years older than Iam. You are more a younger brother than a nephew to me, Robert. "

"But I will never become a Marquis of France, " said Robert. "I amAmerican, English to the core. I have fought against France, though I donot hate her. I cannot go to France, nor even to England. I must stay inthe country in which I was born, and in which my father was born. "

"Spoken well, " said Willet. "It was what I wanted to hear you say. TheChevalier will return to France. He will marry and have children of hisown. Haven't we heard him sing often about the girl he left on thebridge of Avignon? The next Marquis of Clermont will be his son and nothis nephew. "

Which came to pass, as Willet predicted. 

Robert stayed long that night by the pallet of his uncle, to whom theEnglish gave the best of attention, respecting the worth of a woundedprisoner so well known for his bravery, skill and lofty character. St. Luc finally fell asleep, and, going outside, Robert found Tayogaawaiting him. When he told him all the strange and wonderful story thathe had heard inside the tent, the Onondaga said:

"I suppose that Dagaeoga, being a great man, will go to Europe andforget us here. "

"Never!" exclaimed Robert. "My home is in America. All I know isAmerica, and I'd be out of place in any other country. "

And then he added whimsically:

"I couldn't go so far away from the Hodenosaunee. "

"Dagaeoga might go far and yet never come to a nation greater than thegreat League, " said Tayoga, with deep conviction. 

"That's true, Tayoga. How stands the battle? I had almost forgotten itin the amazing tide of my own fortunes. "

"General Wolfe is dead, but his spirit lives after him. We arevictorious at all points. The French have fled into Quebec, and they yethave an army much more numerous than ours, if they get it all together. But Montcalm was wounded and they say he is dying. The soul has gone outof them. I think Quebec will be yielded very soon. "

And surrendered it was a few days later, but the victors soon found thatthe city they had won with so much daring would have to be defended withthe utmost courage and pertinacity. St. Luc, fast recovering from hiswound, was sent a prisoner to New York, together with De Galissonnière, who had been taken unhurt, but Robert did not get away as soon as he hadexpected. Quebec was in peril again, but now from the French. De Levis, who succeeded Montcalm as the military leader of New France, gatheringtogether at Montreal all the fragments of the French power in Canada, swore to retake Quebec. 

Robert, Tayoga and Willet, with the rangers, served in the garrison ofQuebec throughout the long and bitter winter that followed. In thespring they moved out with the army to meet De Levis, who was advancingfrom Montreal to keep his oath. Robert received a slight wound in thebattle of Ste. Foy that followed, in which the English and Americanswere defeated, and were compelled to retreat into Quebec. 

This battle of Ste. Foy, in which Robert distinguished himself againwith the New England rangers, was long and fierce, one of the mostsanguinary ever fought on Canadian soil. De Levis, the French commander, showed all the courage and skill of Montcalm, proving himself a worthysuccessor to the leader who had fallen with Wolfe, and his men displayedthe usual French fire and courage. 

Hazen, the chief of the rangers, was badly wounded in the height of theaction, but Robert and Willet succeeded in bringing him off the field, while Tayoga protected their retreat. A bullet from the Onondaga's riflehere slew Colonel de Courcelles, and Robert, on the whole, was glad thatthe man's death had been a valiant one. He had learned not to cherishrancor against any one, and the Onondaga and the hunter agreed with him. 

"There is some good in everybody, " said Willet. "We'll remember that andforget the rest. "

But Robert's friends in the Royal Americans had a hard time of it in thebattle of Ste. Foy, even harder than in Wolfe's battle on the Plains ofAbraham. They were conspicuous for their valor and suffered manycasualties. Colden, Cabell and Stuart were wounded, but took nopermanent hurt. Charteris also received a slight wound, but he recoveredentirely before his marriage in the summer with the lovely Louise de St. Maur, the daughter of the Seigneur Raymond de St. Maur, in whose househe had been a prisoner a long time in Quebec. 

It was Robert's own personal contact and his great friendship forCharteris, continuing throughout their long lives in New York, thatcaused him to take such a strong and permanent interest in thisparticular regiment which had been raised wholly in the colonies andwhich fought so valiantly at Duquesne, Louisbourg, Ticonderoga, Quebec, Ste. Foy, and in truth in nearly all the great North American battles ofthe Seven Years' War. 

It was at first the Sixty-Second Regular Regiment of the British Army, "Royal American Provincials, " but through the lapsing of two otherregiments it soon became the Sixtieth. Its valor and distinction were sohigh when composed wholly of Americans, except the superior officers, that nearly seventy years subsequent to the fall of Quebec theEnglishmen, who after the great quarrel had replaced the Americans init, asked that they be allowed to use as their motto the Latin phrase, _Celer et audax_, "Swift and Bold, " "Quick and Ready, " which Wolfehimself was said to have conferred upon it shortly before his fall uponthe Plains of Abraham. And in memory of the great deeds of theirAmerican predecessors, the gallant Englishmen who succeeded them werepermitted by the British government to use that motto. 

Despite their defeat at Ste. Foy, the English and Americans held thecapital against De Levis until another British fleet arrived andcompelled the retreat of the brave Frenchmen. More reënforcements camefrom England, the powerful army of Amherst advanced from the south, Montreal was taken, and it was soon all over with New France. 

Canada passed to England, and after its fall English and Americantroops, men of the same blood, language and institutions, did not standtogether again in a great battle for more than a century and a half, andthen, strangely enough, it was in defense of that France which under oneflag they had fought at Duquesne and Ticonderoga, at Quebec and Ste. Foy. 

Robert, Tayoga and Willet went back to the colonies by land, and after along journey stopped at Albany, where they received the warmest ofwelcomes from Master Jacobus Huysman, Master Alexander McLean andCaterina. 

"I knew Robert that some time you would come into your own. I hold someof the papers about you in my great chest here, " said Jacobus Huysman. "Now it iss for you to show that you understand how to use great fortunewell. "

"And never forget your dates, " said Master Alexander. "It is well toknow history. All the more so, because you have had a part in the makingof it. "

Warm as was their welcome in Albany, it was no warmer than that giventhem in New York by Benjamin Hardy and Jonathan Pillsbury. The very nextday they went to the house of Adrian Van Zoon for a reckoning, only tofind him dead in his bed. He had heard the night before of Robert'sarrival; in truth, it was his first intimation that young Lennox wasalive, and that all his wicked schemes against him had failed. 

"It may have been a stroke of heart disease, " said Benjamin Hardy, asthey turned away, "or----"

"He has gone and his crimes have gone with him, " said Robert. "I don'twish ever to know how he went. "

A little later the Chevalier Raymond Louis de St. Luc, Marquis deClermont, the war now being over, sailed with his faithful Canadianattendant, Dubois, from New York for France. The parting between him andhis nephew was not demonstrative, but it was marked by the deepestaffection on either side. 

"France has been defeated, but she is the eternal nation, " said St. Luc. "She will be greater than ever. She will be more splendid than before. "

The De Clermonts were a powerful stock, with their roots deep in thesoil. A son of St. Luc's became a famous general under Napoleon, a greatcavalry leader of singular courage and capacity, and a lineal descendantof his, a general also, fought with the same courage and ability underJoffre and Foch in the World War, being especially conspicuous for hisservices at both the First and Second Marne. At the Second Marne he gavea heartfelt greeting to two young American officers named Lennox, calling them his cousins and brothers-in-arms, in blood as well as inspirit. They were together in the immortal counter-stroke on the morningof July 18, 1918, when Americans and French turned the tide of the WorldWar, and sealed anew an old friendship. They were also togetherthroughout those blazing one hundred and nineteen days when British, French and Americans together, old enemies and old friends who hadmingled their blood on innumerable battle-fields, destroyed the greatestmenace of modern times and hurled the pretender to divine honors fromhis throne. 

Robert found his fortune to be one of the largest in the New World, buthe kept it in the hands of Benjamin Hardy and David Willet, whoincreased it, and he became the lawyer, orator and statesman for whichhis talents fitted him so eminently. A marked characteristic in the lifeof Robert Lennox, noted by all who knew him, was his liberality ofopinion. He had his share in public life, but the bitterness ofpolitics, then so common in this country as well as others, seemed neverto touch him. He was always willing to give his opponent credit forsincerity, and even to admit that his cause had justice. In his opinionthe other man's point of view could always be considered. 

This broadness of mind often caused him to incur criticism, but it hadbecome so much his nature, and his courage was so great, that he wouldnot depart from it. He had been through the terrible war with theFrench, and, even before he knew that he was half a Frenchman by blood, he had gladly acknowledged the splendid qualities of the French, theirbravery and patience, and their logical minds. He always said during theworst throes of their revolution that the French would emerge from itgreater than ever. 

His position was similar in the Revolutionary War with the English. While he cast in his lot with his own people, and suffered with them, heinvariably maintained that the English nation was sound at the core. Hehad fought beside them in a great struggle and he knew how strong andtrue they were, and when our own strife was over he was most eager for arenewal of good relations with the English, always saying that the factthat they had quarreled and parted did not keep them from being of thesame blood and family, and hence natural allies. 

He consistently refused to hate an individual. He always insisted thatlife was too busy to cherish a grudge or seek revenge. Bad actsinvariably punished themselves in the course of time. He was able to seesome good, a little at least, in everybody. Searching his mind in afteryears, he could even find excuses for Adrian Van Zoon. He would say toWillet that the man loved nothing but money, that perhaps he had beenborn that way and could not help it, that he had made his attempts uponhim under the influence of what was the greatest of all temptations tohim, and that while he paid the slaver to carry him away he had not paidhim to kill him. As for Garay, he would say that he might have exceededorders. He would say the same about the shots the slaver had fired athim at Albany. 

This tolerance came partly from his own character, and partly from anenormous experience of life in the raw in his young and formative years. He knew how men were to a large extent the creatures of circumstances, and on the individual in particular his judgments were always mild. Hehad two favorite sayings:

"No man is as bad as he seems to his worst enemy. "

"No man is as good as he seems to his best friend. "

His own faults he knew perfectly well to be quickness of temper and aproneness to hasty action. Throughout his life he fought against themand he took as his models Willet and Tayoga, who always appeared to himto have a more thorough command over their own minds and impulses thanany other men he ever knew. 

Aside from his brilliancy and power in public life, Lennox had otherqualities that distinguished him as a man. He was noted for hiscosmopolitan views concerning human affairs. He had an uncommonlargeness and breadth of vision, all the more notable then, as Americawas, in many respects, outside the greater world of Europe. People inspeaking of him, however, recalled the extraordinary variety andintensity of his experiences. Much of his story was known and it was notdiminished in the telling. He was always at home in the woods. He had anuncommon sympathy for hunters, borderers, pathfinders and all kinds ofwilderness rovers. He understood them and they instinctively understoodhim, invariably finding in him a redoubtable champion. He was alsoclosely in touch with the Indian soul, and his friends used to saylaughingly that he had something of the Indian in his own nature. At allevents, the Great League of the Hodenosaunee found in him a defender andhe was more than once an honored guest in the Vale of Onondaga. 

On the other hand, his interest in European affairs was always keen andintelligent, especially in those of England and France, with whose sonshe had come into contact so much during the great war. He maintained alifelong correspondence with his friend, Alfred Grosvenor, whoultimately became a nobleman and who sat for more than forty years inthe House of Lords. Lennox visited him several times in England, bothbefore and after the quarrel between the colonies and the mothercountry, which, however, did not diminish their friendship a particle. In truth, during those troubled times Grosvenor, who was noted for theliberality of his sentiments and for an affection for Americans, conceived during his service as a soldier on their continent in theSeven Years' War, often defended them against the criticism of hiscountrymen, while Lennox, on his side, very boldly told the people thatnothing could alter the fact that England was their mother country, andthat no one should even wish to alter it. 

But his correspondence with his uncle, Raymond Louis de St. Luc, Marquisde Clermont, not so many years older than himself, covered a period ofnearly sixty years filled with world-shaking events, and, though it hasbeen printed for private circulation only, it is a perfect mine of fact, comment and illumination. St. Luc was one of the few French noblemen toforesee the great Revolution in his country, and, while he mourned itsexcesses, he knew that much of it was justified. His patriotism andcourage were so high and so obvious that neither Danton, Marat norRobespierre dared to attack him. As an old man he supported Napoleonardently until the empire and the ambitions of the emperor became tooswollen, and, while he mourned Waterloo, he told his son, General RobertLennox de St. Luc, who distinguished himself so greatly there and whoalmost took the château of Hougoumont from the English, that it was forthe best, and that it was inevitable. It was the comment of St. Luc, then eighty-five years old and full of experience and wisdom, that avery great man may become too great. 

Lennox was noted for his great geniality and his extraordinary capacityfor making friends. Yet there was a strain of remarkable gravity, evenausterity, in his character. There came times when he wished to bealone, to hear no human voices about him. It was then perhaps that hethought his best thoughts and took, too, his best resolutions. In thegreat silences he seemed to see more clearly, and the path lay straightbefore him. Many of his friends thought it an eccentricity, but he knewit was an inheritance from his long stay alone upon the island, a periodin his life that had so much effect in molding his character. 

It was this ripeness of mind, based upon fullness of information anddeep meditation, that made him such a great man in the true sense of theword. As a speaker he was without a rival either in form or substance inthe New World. It was said everywhere in New York that the famousAlexander Hamilton and the equally skillful Aaron Burr went to thecourtroom regularly to study his methods. Both admitted quite freely inprivate that they copied his style, though neither was ever able toacquire the wonderful golden voice, the genuine phenomenon that madeLennox so notable. 

On one of these occasions, after making a thrilling speech, when hefilled the souls of both Hamilton and Burr with despair, a greatOnondaga sachem, in the full costume of his nation, said to his friendWillet, once a renowned hunter:

"I always knew Dagaeoga could use more words than any one else couldfind in the biggest dictionary. "

THE END

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES

Page numbers in the table of contents and in the transcriber's notesbelow refer to the original printed version. 

Footnotes have been moved to the end of their respective chapters. 

The following typographical errors in the original printed version havebeen noted below and corrected only where indicated. 

CHARACTERS IN THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR SERIES

The character Louis de Galissonnière appears here as "GALISONNIÈRE. "Although he appears only at one other point in this book, the correctspelling comes from his more frequent appearances in another novel ofthe series, _The Masters of The Peaks_. 

The captain of the _Hawk_, Stuart Whyte, is listed here as "WHITE. "

The lieutenant of the _Hawk_, John Lanham, is listed here as "LATHAM. "

CHAPTER I

(Page 2) The character of Jacobus Huysman has a very noticeable dialect. The spelling of "iss, " "wass, " and "hass, " plus various other words inhis dialogue, is preserved as in the original text. 

(Page 17) Alfred Grosvenor is referred as "Grovenor's. "

CHAPTER III

(Page 53) "hiden" instead of "hidden. " Corrected in this text. 

CHAPTER IV

(Page 71) A missing closing quote at ". . . And so I decided againsthim. " Corrected in this text. 

CHAPTER V

(Page 92) "probabilty" instead of "probability. " Corrected in this text. 

(Page 93) "She's going almost due south . . . " opens with a single quote. Corrected in this text. 

CHAPTER VIII

(Page 144) "firce" instead of "fierce. " Corrected in this text. 

CHAPTER XI

(Page 203) Once again, Captain Stuart Whyte is referred to as "White. "

(Page 214) A missing closing quote at ". . . For the term of the war, atleast. " Corrected in this text. 

CHAPTER XII

(Page 221) "You" instead of "your" in "your look iss changed!" Correctedin this text. 

CHAPTER XIII

(Pages 245, 246). The name "Todohado" appears twice in quick successionon these pages. Presumably the spirit Tododaho was intended. 

(Page 247). Tayoga uses "Degaeoga, " presumably meaning Dagaeoga, hisname for Lennox. 

(Page 248) "atack" instead of "attack. " Corrected in this text. 

(Page 255) The location of Isle-aux-Noix appears here as"Isle-aux-noix. "

CHAPTER XIV

(Page 266) A comma appeared to terminate the sentence ". . . Laid by theOjibway. " Corrected in this text. 

(Page 282) The lieutenant of the _Hawk_, John Lanham, is referred to as"Lanhan. "

CHAPTER XV

(Page 293) David Willet is referred to as "Willett. "