by them, had slipped in at the open gate; Odalie was
able to smile faintly at a prevision of Sandy's amazement at his own
negligence.

One of the Indian women smiled in return, a bright-eyed demonstration,
and suddenly Odalie remembered the young Cherokee beauty she had noted
at the sally-port, watching the parade, the day after her arrival at
Fort Loudon. The other, encouraged, began to speak, and to speak in
French--a curious, dislocated patter. Asking how she had acquired the
language, Odalie was informed that this was the squaw of Savanukah, and
that he had journeyed as guide and hunted much with a French trader who
had formerly dwelt at Chote, and hearing them talk the squaw, too, had
learned.

"And how did you know that I speak French?" asked Odalie.

The elder woman pointed at the girl, who laughed and tucked down her
head like a child. She was obviously solicitous that Odalie should
observe the many strings of red beads about her neck; these she now and
again caught in her fingers and drew forward, and then looked down at
them with her head askew like a bird's. Odalie, with ready tact, let her
eyes rest attentively on them, and smiled again. Her instinct of
hospitality was so strong that it was no effort to simulate the gracious
hostess. It was one of Hamish's stock complaints, often preferred in
their former home when visitors were an intrusion and their long
lingering a bore, that if the Enemy of Mankind himself should call,
Odalie would be able to muster a smile, and request him to be seated,
and offer him a fan of her best turkey feathers, and civilly hope that
the climate of his residence was not oppressive to _him_!

"And how do _you_ know that I am French?" she asked, with a delightful
expression of her fascinating eyes.

The soldier had told her,--the handsome young brave who talked to her
one day at Chote,--the girl said in fairly good English. Odalie asked
her name, and, as it was given, exclaimed that it was a whole sentence.
Both the Cherokee women laughed at this in the pleasure of
_camaraderie_, and the elder translated the name as the "Wing of the
flying Whip-poor-will." The young Indian girl came to be known afterward
at MacLeod's Station as Choo-qualee-qualoo, the Cherokee word which
imitates the note of the bird. Recurring to the subject, she attempted
to describe the soldier, by way of identification, as having hair the
color of the lace on the Captain's red coat. Odalie was able to
reco