bound him so rigidly that
he could scarcely move finger or toe.

Hamilton smiled coldly and turned to give some orders to a stalwart,
ruddy young officer who in a canoe had just rowed alongside the batteau.

"Captain Farnsworth," he said, acknowledging the military salute, "you
will take fifty men and make everything ready for a reconnaissance in
the direction of the fort. We will move down the river immediately and
choose a place to land. Move lively, we have no time to lose."

In the meantime Beverley slipped away from the fort and made a hurried
call upon Alice at Roussillon place. There was not much they could say
to each other during the few moments at command. Alice showed very
little excitement; her past experience had fortified her against the
alarms of frontier life; but she understood and perfectly appreciated
the situation.

"What are you going to do?" Beverley demanded in sheer despair. He was
not able to see any gleam of hope out of the blackness which had fallen
around him and into his soul.

"What shall you do?" he repeated.

"Take the chances of war," she said, smiling gravely. "It will all come
out well, no doubt."

"I hope so, but--but I fear not."

His face was gray with trouble. "Helm is determined to fight, and that
means--"

"Good!" she interrupted with spirit. "I am so glad of that. I wish I
could go to help him! If I were a man I'd love to fight! I think it's
just delightful."

"But it is reckless bravado; it is worse than foolishness," said
Beverley, not feeling her mood. "What can two or three men do against
an army?"

"Fight and die like men," she replied, her whole countenance lighting
up. "Be heroic!"

"We will do that, of course; we--I do not fear death; but you--you--"
His voice choked him.

A gun shot rang out clear in the distance, and he did not finish
speaking.

"That's probably the beginning," he added in a moment, extending both
hands to her. "Good bye. I must hurry to the fort. Good bye."

She drew a quick breath and turned so white that her look struck him
like a sudden and hard blow. He stood for a second, his arms at full
reach, then:

"My God, Alice, I cannot, cannot leave you!" he cried, his voice again
breaking huskily.

She made a little movement, as if to take hold of his hands: but in an
instant she stepped back a pace and said:

"Don't fear about me. I can take care of myself. I'm all right. You'd
better return to the fort as quickly as you can. I