swered Jack. "Split me fore and aft if it's Indians he
wants! He could send up river for them. It's some one as came from
his father's ship outside Boston when Master Ben sailed for the north
and Captain Gillam was agoing home to England with Mistress Hortense in
his ship. When no answer comes to our firing, Master Ben takes to
climbing the masthead and yelling like a fog-horn and dropping curses
like hail and swearing he'll shoot him as fails to keep appointment as
he'd shoot a dog, if he has to track him inland a thousand leagues.
Split me fore and aft if he don't!"

"Who shoot what?" I demanded, trying to extract some meaning from the
jumbled narrative.

"That's what I don't know," says Jack.

I fetched a sigh of despair.

"What's the matter with your hand? Does it hurt?" he asked quickly.

Poor Jack! I looked into his faithful blue eyes. There was not a
shadow of deception there--only the affection that gives without
wishing to comprehend. Should I tell him of the adventure? But a loud
halloo from Godefroy notified me that M. de Radisson was on the beach
ready to launch.

"Almost waste work to go on fortifying," he was warning Ben.

"You forget the danger from your own crews," pleaded young Gillam.

"Pardieu! We can easily arrange that. I promise you never to approach
with more than thirty of a guard." (We were twenty-nine all told.)
"But remember, don't hoist a flag, don't fire, don't let your people
leave the island."

Then we launched out, and I heard Ben muttering under his breath that
he was cursed if he had ever known such impudence. In mid-current our
leader laid his pole crosswise and laughed long.

"'Tis a pretty prize. 'Twill fetch the price of a thousand
beaver-skins! Captain Gillam reckoned short when he furnished young
Ben to defraud the Company. He would give a thousand pounds for my
head--would he? Pardieu! He shall give five thousand pounds and leave
my head where it is! And egad, if he behaves too badly, he shall pay
hush-money, or the governor shall know! When we've taken him, lads,
who--think you--dare complain?" And he laughed again; but at a bend in
the river he turned suddenly with his eyes snapping--"Who a' deuce
could that have been playing pranks in the woods the other night? Mark
my words, Stanhope, whoever 'twas will prove the brains and the
mainspring and the driving-wheel and the rudder of this cub's venture!"

And he began to dip in quick vigorous stro