enly to consign the silver case to his desk, he dropped it
into his jacket pocket. Armand probably wanted him to throw it away so
he could retrieve the case and sell it for the silver.

Armand said, "Your brother put the horns on me. And his Injun friends
killed my wife. Mon Dieu, how I wanted to see that bastard son of his
hang for that!"

Raoul was tired of hearing Armand go on about dead Marchette, to whom
he'd given nothing but blows and contempt when she was alive. Going to
bed with Pierre was the only good thing that ever happened to that poor
woman. But he said nothing; after all, he himself had cared little
enough for Clarissa when she was alive.

"You'll get a chance to kill him yet," said Raoul. "He'll be back this
way."

It was now nearly a week since the sergeant at Fort Crawford in Raoul's
pay passed the word that Andrew Jackson had sent the mongrel back West.
To think, that vermin meeting the President!

If Auguste traveled as fast as the news, he must be nearly here. Raoul's
informant said that Auguste was supposed to be sent with a military
escort to the new Sauk reservation in Ioway. Raoul was sure Auguste
would come to Victor instead.

When Auguste came back to Victor, he would go at once to Nancy Hale's
cabin, or send for her. Surely she had lied in court about what she and
Auguste were to each other. The boys Raoul had sent to watch her cabin
would let him know of Auguste's arrival.

Armand nodded vigorously. "May le Bon Dieu grant me the chance to kill
him. But what makes you so sure he will come here?"

"Because he knows that he can prove Pierre left Victoire to him. Cooper
has those papers, and Cooper helped him escape, so he has Cooper on his
side."

Armand said, "Two pieces of paper. Easy enough to make them disappear."

"How in hell am I going to get them away from Cooper? Him and his
Regulators."

Glowering at Raoul, Armand leaned back in his chair, making it creak. He
folded his hands across the big belly that stretched his homespun shirt.

"Kill Cooper and there will be no more Regulators."

_How I wish I could._

Pouring himself another drink, Raoul said, "Armand, you're damn near as
stupid as an Indian."

Armand's eyes narrowed and for a moment Raoul saw a flash of hatred that
reminded him of the way the overseer used to look at Pierre.

"Have a care how you talk to me, mon colonel," Armand said in a voice
that sounded like millstones grinding together, "I am your one f