. They have stolen away a boat of mine,
loaded with arms and stores, they have fired upon His Majesty's subjects,
and one of them has slain a Natchez trailer, a faithful, valuable man in
my service."

When Alvarez spoke of The Cat, he pointed at Shif'less Sol--he was acting
on a hint of Wyatt's. The look of Alvarez followed the accusing finger,
but the shiftless one rose undaunted.

"That part of what he tells is true," said Shif'less Sol. "I slew that
Injun--an' a meaner face I never saw in fa'r fight. He slipped upon me in
the dark to murder me, an' thar wuzn't nothin' else left fur me to do."

Freed of his speech and his wrath, the shiftless one sat down again.
Alvarez and the renegade gave him looks of sneering incredulity, but the
look of Bernardo Galvez was one of interest and surprise.

"What of the other charges?" he asked, turning to Paul, the spokesman.

The gift of imagination often implies the orator's tongue and Paul had an
inspired moment. He stood up, his cheeks flushing and his eyes alight, as
they always were when he was deeply moved.

"It is true," he said, "that we took a boat belonging to Captain Alvarez,
but it was because he forced us to do it. It is he who first made war upon
Kentucky, not we upon Spain. I went into his camp upon a peaceful mission.
He seized and held me a prisoner. I was rescued by my comrades, although
they inflicted no harm upon any of the men of Captain Alvarez. He has
sought in every way to destroy us, and because he was the beginner of
violence and because he is planning a great treason and war upon Kentucky,
we took his boat and have come to New Orleans for the sole purpose of
appearing before you."

Alvarez burst into a sneering laugh and Braxton Wyatt, as a matter of
course, imitated him, but Bernardo Galvez asked in a grave tone:

"What do you mean by a great treason? No, Don Francisco, wait! Let him
speak! It is their right."

"I mean," said Paul boldly, "that he expects to become Governor General of
Louisiana in your place. It is not the policy of Spain to attack us. Yet
Red Eagle and Yellow Panther, the head chiefs of the powerful Shawnee and
Miami nations were in his camp, and he has agreed to help them with
Spanish soldiers and Spanish cannon in a raid upon Kentucky."

"This is an extraordinary statement," said Bernardo Galvez. "Your proof?"

"Yes, your proof!" sneered Alvarez, and Braxton Wyatt sneered, too.

"This man," said Paul, pointing to the reneg