i f any trace of anger held place in my heart, it utterly vanished as i noted the bewildered surprise with which de croix gazed after mademoiselle's departing figure.
"sacre!" he exclaimed presently, turning toward i me, his face flushed, and forgetful of all his well-practised graces. "'twas an unworthy trick, master wayland, and one i am not likely to forget."
"'twas a moment ago," i answered, in great good-humor at his discomfiture, "that you claimed wit was as important a factor as fleetness of foot in the winning of a race. i did no more than illustrate your theory, monsieur."
the humor of it failed to touch him, and there was a direct menace in his manner which caused me to fall back a step in the narrow passage and front him warily.
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"no boor of the woods shall laugh at me!" he exclaimed, his eyes aflame with passion, "be the cause love or war. what mean all these sly tricks of speech and action?—this hurried message to the ear of mademoiselle? by my faith, you did not even pause to wash the dust from off your face before you sought her company. 'tis strange such intimacy could spring up between you in so short a time! but mark you this, master wayland, once and for all; i have not voyaged here from montreal to be balked in my plans by the interference of an uncouth adventurer. i give you now fair warning that if you ever step again between toinette and me, naught but the decision of steel shall end our quarrel."
that he was indeed in deadly earnest, and indulged in no vain threat, i well knew; his passion was too strongly painted on his face. my own temper rose in turn.
"i hear your words, monsieur," i returned coldly, "and care no more for them than for a child's idle boasting. there is naught between mademoiselle and me that the whole world might not know. we are good friends enough, but if by any chance love should be born from that friendship, no french gallant, though he sport a dozen swords, shall come between us. win her if you can by reckless audacity and lavishness of perfume, but dream not to frighten me away from her presence by the mutterings of bravado. i am the son ? 184 ? of a soldier, monsieur, and have myself borne arms in battle."
"you will fight, then?"
"with pleasure, whenever the occasion arises," i replied slowly, struggling hard to keep back more bitter words. "but i see none at present, and, if i mistake not, all our skill at arms will soon be needed to save this girl, as well as ourselves, from savage hands."
i know not how we would have parted, for 'twas evidently his wish to goad me on to fight; and there are times when passion overwhelms us all. but at that moment i heard the soft rustle of a dress, and wheeled to face the fair young wife of lieutenant helm. it was plain she had been weeping; but de croix, ever quicker than i in such matters, was first to accost her in words of courtesy. a pretty face to him was instant inspiration.
"we bow to you, madame," he exclaimed with excessive gallantry, doffing his hat till it swept the stairs; "your corning makes the very sunshine a brighter gold."
"i trust it may bring peace as well," she answered, striving to smile back at him, although trouble yet shadowed her sweet face; "surely my ears caught the sound of harsh words."
"a slight misunderstanding, which will hardly grow to any serious end," he protested.
"i trust not, gentlemen, for the time is come when ? 185 ? we women at dearborn surely need you all to protect us. our case already appears desperate."
"has something new occurred," i questioned anxiously, "that makes you more alarmed?"
her eyes, grown strangely serious once more, swept our faces.
"you may neither of you comprehend this in its full meaning as clearly as i do," she returned gravely, "for i am frontier-bred, and have known the indian character from childhood. we have long been acquainted, in my father's family, with many of the chiefs and warriors now encamped around us. we have traded in their villages, lived with them in their smoke-stained tepees on the great plains, and trusted them as they showed faith in us. you, i learn," and she looked at me more intently, "were at my father's house no later than last night. in spite of rumors of war and tightly guarded fort gates, you found his door wide open to whosoever might approach, with never a dog to bark at an intruder, be he white or red. this is because the silver-man has always dealt fairly with the indian, and won his respect and gratitude in return. now, in time of peril this trader dares to believe in their good faith toward him and his. 'tis because of this i know so well all that is going on without, and have been able to inform captain heald of much his scouts were unable to discover. from the first there have been two factions among the savages gathered ? 186 ? yonder; and whether we live or die may depend upon which counsel prevails among them that of peace or that of war. until within an hour i have hoped it might be peace,—that the older chiefs would hold their young men in control, and the red wampum be not seen at dearborn. twenty minutes ago one of the noblest advocates of peace,—a pottawattomie warrior named black partridge,—sought interview with captain heald, and his words have shown me how desperate indeed has our situation become."
"he threatened?" broke in de croix, his hand upon his sword-hilt.
"nay, monsieur, 'tis not the way of an indian, nor is black partridge one to indulge in vain words. i have known him long; in childhood i sat upon his knee, and believe him so friendly to the whites that naught but a sense of duty could move him otherwise. yet, as i say, he came just now to the commandant of this garrison, and returned a medal once given him by the government. it was done sadly, and with deep regret,—for i overheard his speech. he said: 'father, i come to deliver up to you the medal i wear. it was given me by the americans, and i have long worn it in token of our mutual friendship. our young men are resolved to imbue their hands in the blood of the whites. i cannot restrain them, and i will not wear a token of peace while i am compelled to act as an enemy.'"
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she stopped, her agitated face buried in her hands, and neither of us spoke. the solemnity of her words and manner were most impressive.
"you feel, then, that the die is cast?" asked de croix, all lightness vanished from his voice.
"i believe we march forth from these walls to our death to-morrow."
"but why," i protested, "should you, at least, take part in such hazard? your father's family, you tell us, will be safe from attack. surely, that home might also prove your refuge?"
the little woman, with the face of a girl, looked up at me indignantly through her tears.
"lieutenant helm marches with the troops," she answered quietly, "and i am his wife."
i retain no memory, at this late day, of what conversation followed. i know that de croix in his easy carelessness about the future, sought to laugh at her fears and restore a feeling of hopefulness; but all my thoughts were elsewhere, upon the grave dilemma in which we found ourselves, and my duty to these helpless ones upon every side.
i must have left the two standing there and conversing, though just how i moved, and why, is dim to me. i recall crossing the bare parade, and noting the company that formed the little garrison drawn up in the shadow of the south stockade. at any other time i should have paused in interest, for military ? 188 ? evolutions always attracted my attention; but then i had no sense other than that of mental and physical exhaustion from the hours of toil and lack of rest. owing to my absence the night before, no quarters had been assigned me; but finding the barracks of the troops unoccupied, and yielding to imperative need, i flung myself, without undressing, upon a vacant bunk, and lay there tossing with the burden of intense fatigue.
and then how the thoughts i sought to banish thronged upon me! no effort of my will could shut them out. i went over again and again the quarrel with de croix, the incidents of the night, the solemn words of mrs. helm. little by little, each detail clear and absolute, there unrolled before my mind's view the picture of our situation. i saw it as a frontiersman must, in all its grim probabilities. the little isolated fort was cut off from all communication, held by a weakened garrison. hope of rescue there was none. without were already gathered hundreds of warriors attracted by rumors of war and promise of pillage; and these were growing in number and increasing in ferocity each day. i had ridden through them once, when their mood was only to annoy, and realized with a shudder of horror what it would mean to face them in our retreat, with all restraint of their chiefs removed. i thought of those long leagues of tangled forest-land stretching between us and the nearest border settlements, ? 189 ? of ambuscades, of constant and harassing attack on the ever-thinning column as we fought for each foot of the way. once my mind dwelt for an instant upon the quiet home i had left on the banks of the maumee; as my eyes filled at the memory i drove it from me, for the present necessity was all too stern to permit indulgence in such weakness.
'twas of the women and children i thought most, and their probable fate if we failed to win a passage. the half-framed thought of such a possibility made my heart throb with dread apprehension, as i set my lips together in firm resolve. what had become of roger matherson's orphan child? 'twas indeed strange that i could gain no trace of the little girl. at the fort they said she was with the kinzies, at kinzies' they told me she was at the fort. it was, as seth had prophesied, like seeking after a will-o'-the-wisp; yet surely she must be in the flesh somewhere. my plain duty was to find her at once; and i resolved to take up the task anew that day, and question every one i met till some trace yielded to my persistency. however, i needed first to sleep; but as i resolutely closed my eyes, there came gliding into my memory another face,—an arch, happy face, with softly rounded cheeks and dark laughing eyes, a face that mirrored a hundred moods, and back of them all a sweet womanly tenderness to make every mood a new and rare delight. toinette! never before was woman's ? 190 ? name so pleasant to my lips. ignorant as i was in mysteries of the heart, i knew not clearly whether i loved her, though this i knew beyond cavil,—no savage hand should ever touch her while i lived; and if i had to fight each step of the path from that accursed spot to wayne, i swore within my heart she should come safe through. her gentle memory was with me when all the rest yielded to the drowsy god, and in sheer exhaustion i slept—to dream.
