e, I'm a subaltern in the British army, and
I came over to help put down the rebels, in accordance with my duty to
my king and country. All this land is under our rule."

"Do you think so?" asked Henry. "Do you think that this wilderness,
which extends a thousand miles in every direction, is under your rule?"

The young subaltern looked around at the dark forest and shivered a
little.

"Technically, yes," he replied, "but it's a long way from Eton."

"What's Eton?"

"Eton is a school in England, a school for the sons of gentlemen."

"I see. And would I be considered the son of a gentleman?"

Young Cawthorne looked up at the tanned and powerful face bent over him.
He had already noted Henry's good English, and, feeling the compelling
gaze of one who was born to be a master, he replied, sincerely and
cheerfully:

"Yes, the son of a gentleman, and a gentleman yourself."

"An' I'm a gentleman too," said Shif'less Sol. "My good rifle says so
every time."

"It was the power of earlier weapons that started the line of
gentlemen," said Cawthorne. "Now what do you two gentlemen propose to do
with me?"

"Do you know what would be done with us if things were changed about?"
asked Henry, "and we were the prisoners of you and the colonel and the
red men with whom you travel?"

"No. What would it be?"

"You'd have the pleasure of standing by and seeing the two of us burned
alive at the stake. We wouldn't be burned quickly. It can be protracted
for hours, and it's often done to our people by your allies."

The young Englishman paled.

"Surely it can't be so!" he said.

"But surely it is so!" said the young forester fiercely.

"I'm at your mercy."

"We ain't goin' to burn you now," said Shif'less Sol. "We can't afford
to set up a big torch in the forest, with our enemies so near."

Cawthorne shivered.

"Do you still feel," asked Henry, "that you're the ruler over the
wilderness here, five thousand miles from London?"

"Technically only. At the present time I'm making no boasts."

"Now, you go back to your colonel and the renegades and the red chiefs
and tell them they'll find no thoroughfare to the white settlements."

"So, you don't mean to kill me?"

"No, we don't do that sort of thing. Since we can't hold you a prisoner
now, we release you. It's likely that you don't know your way to your
own camp, but your red comrade here will guide you. My friend didn't
break his skull, when he struck him with the b