eurs say--she sat up all alert and laughed as the spray splashed
athwart. Old Allemand, the pilot, who was steersman on this canoe,
forgot the ill-humour of his gin thirst, and proffered her a paddle.

"Here, pretty thing," says he, "try a stroke yourself!"

And to the old curmudgeon's surprise she took it with a joyous laugh,
and paddled half that day.

Bethink you who know what warm hearts beat inside rough buckskin
whether those voyageurs were her slaves or no! The wind was blowing;
Mistress Hortense's hair tossed in a way to make a man swear (vows, not
oaths), and Allemand said that I paddled worse than any green hand of a
first week. At the Habitation we disembarked after nightfall to
conceal our movements from the English. After her arrival, none of us
caught a glimpse of Mistress Hortense except of a Sunday at noon, but
of her presence there was proof enough. Did voices grow loud in the
mess-room? A hand was raised. Some one pointed to the far door, and
the voices fell. Did a fellow's tales slip an oath or two? There was
a hush. Some one's thumb jerked significantly shoulderwise to the
door, and the story-teller leashed his oats for a more convenient
season.

"Oh, lordy," taunts an English prisoner out on parole one day, "any
angels from kingdom come that you Frenchies keep meek as lambs?"

Allemand, not being able to explain, knocked the fellow flat.

It would scarce have been human nature had not some of the ruffians
uttered slurs on the origin of such an one as Hortense found in so
strange a case. The mind that feedeth on carrion ever goeth with the
large mouth, and for the cleansing of such natures I wot there is no
better physic than our crew gave those gossips. What the sailors did I
say not. Enough that broken heads were bound by our chirurgeon for the
rest of the week.

That same chirurgeon advised a walk outside the fort walls for Mistress
Hillary's health. By the goodness of Providence, the duty of escorting
her fell to me. Attended by the blackamoor and a soldier, with a
musket across my shoulder, I led her out of a rear sally-port and so
avoided the scenes of drunkenness among the Indians at the main gate.
We got into hiding of a thicket, but boisterous shouting came from the
Indian encampment. I glanced at Hortense. She was clad in a green
hunting-suit, and by the light of the setting sun her face shone
radiant.

"You are not afraid?"

A flush of sheer delight in life floo