and a few nights afterwards the
thief was caught, and proved to be no other than Gaillon.

Seeing the direction Roberval's thoughts were taking, and that his
schemes for advancement were hopeless, the man had resolved to desert
the colony; and to that end had begun to secrete a supply of food
sufficient to support him till he could join one of the wandering bands
of Indians further up the country. He was brought before Roberval, who
immediately ordered him to the gallows. The wretch fell on his knees,
but Roberval was deaf to entreaties and curses alike.

"To the gallows with him!" he repeated. "We are well rid of such a
villain."

Gaillon's character was well known, and no one pitied his fate. Scarcely
a man in the colony did not breathe more freely when he knew that it
was beyond his power to work any further mischief; but they shuddered
as they looked upon his dangling form, and wondered who next among them
would meet a similar fate.

In the meantime, De Roberval had not forgotten his promise to return for
his niece. But he had greatly miscalculated the distance and the time it
would take a ship to go and return. In the present condition of the
colony it would be utterly out of the question for him to be absent in
person for so long a period. He had no difficulty, however, in finding
one or two of the young noblemen who were willing to undertake the
expedition; but an obstacle presented itself on which he had not
counted. Not a man among the sailors could be found who was willing to
return to the dreaded spot. Threats, commands, persuasions were alike in
vain; no power on earth could have induced the crews to venture near the
place where they had seen with their own eyes the flames of hell, and
the demons hastening to claim their victims.

Roberval dared not attempt force. Able-bodied seamen were too few and
too precious to risk the loss of even one. He was obliged to give up the
attempt, and to resign himself to all the horrors of remorse. Whatever
he may have felt he kept it to himself, and no man dared open his lips
on the subject.

Winter set in, and proved a terrible one for the inhabitants of
Charlesbourg Royal. They suffered keenly from the cold; and their
miseries were greatly increased by the scarcity of food. Few dared go
beyond the walls to seek supplies, as the prowling savages were ever
ready to cut them off. They lived, too, in constant dread of De
Roberval's iron rule; and for the slightest offe