--I wanted you to stand by me and tell me where to say
'yes' when the parson reads the words----"

"All right--I shall," I promised, laughing.

If only Hortense could know all this! That is the sorrow of rifted
lives--the dark between, on each side the thoughts that yearn.

"And--and," Jack was stammering on, "I thought, perhaps, Mistress
Rebecca 'd be willing to stand by Mizza," nodding to the young squaw,
"that is, if you asked Rebecca," pleaded Jack.

"We'll see," said I.

For the New England conscience was something to reckon with!

"How did you come here?" I asked.

"Mizza snared rabbits and I stole back my musket when we ran away and
did some shooting long as powder lasted----"

"And then?"

"And then we used bow and arrow. We hid in the bush till the hostiles
quit cruisin'; but the spring storms caught us when we started for the
coast. I s'pose I'm a better sailor on water than land, for split me
for a herring if my eyes didn't go blind from snow! We hove to in the
woods again, Mizza snaring rabbit and building a lodge and keepin' fire
agoin' and carin' for me as if I deserved it. There I lay
water-logged, odd's man--blind as a mole till the spring thaws came.
Then Mizza an' me built a raft; for sez I to Miz, though she didn't
understand: 'Miz,' sez I, 'water don't flow uphill! If we rig up a
craft, that river'll carry us to the bay!' But she only gets down on
the ground the way she did with you and puts my foot on her neck.
Lordy," laughs Jack, "s'pose I don't know what a foot on a neck feels
like? I sez: 'Miz, if you ever do that again, I'll throw you
overboard!' Then the backwash came so strong from the bay, we had to
wait till the floods settled. While we swung at anchorman, what d'y'
think happened? I taught Miz English. Soon as ever she knew words
enough I told her if I was a captain I'd want a mate! She didn't catch
the wind o' that, lad, till we were navigating our raft downstream agen
the ice-jam. Ship ahoy, you know, the ice was like to nip us, and
lackin' a life-belt I put me arm round her waist! Ease your helm!
Port--a little! Haul away! But she understood--when she saw me save
her from the jam before I saved myself."

And Jack Battle stood away arm's length from his Indian wife and
laughed his pride.

"And by the time we'd got to the bay you'd gone, but Jean Groseillers
sent us to the English ship that came out expecting to find Governor
Brigdar at Nelson. We shipped w