hat now escapes me--but I had paid no
attention to it all.

Jerome, the villain, seconded Madame's request so vigorously I could
not decline, though he well knew I was no carpet knight capable of
entertaining ladies fair on the tourney field of wit.

"The Captain sings divinely, Madame, but is becomingly modest, as you
see." The wretch laughed in his sleeve; I could have strangled him.

"Ah, so rare," she retorted, "you men are vainer than my ladies."

I knew myself the target for dozens of curious eyes, under the heat of
which I near melted away.

"Sing, comrade, sing some sweet love ditty of a lonely forest maiden
and her lover, robed in the innocence of Eden."

Had the fool no sense? I caught the imploring expression of interest
on the girl's sweet face behind Madame, and determined at all hazards
they should not have the laugh at me. I saw it all then; they were in
league with Jerome to play a game of "bait the bear," with me for bear.

So I pitched in and sang, such a song I warrant as my lords and ladies
had never bent their ears to hear before, a crooning death incantation
of the Choctaws, which fell as naturally from my lips as my own mother
tongue.

Their laughter hushed, for even in the court of France, sated as it was
with novelties, laying a world under tribute for amusements, that wild,
weird melody never rose before nor since. One stanza I sang translated
into French that they might understand;

"Yuh! Listen. Quickly you have drawn near to hearken;
Listen! Now I have come to step over your soul;
You are of the Wolf Clan;
Your name is Ayuni;
Toward the Black Coffin of the upland, in the upland of the
Darkening Land your path shall stretch out.
With the Black Coffin and the Black Slabs I have come to
cover you.
When darkness comes your spirit shall grow less and dwindle
away never to reappear. Listen."

And they did listen; yea, attentively did they hearken, for a great
pall of silence lowered upon them, so new, so strange to them was the
song.

When I had quite finished, the soft, Indian words dropping as the
splash of unknown, unseen waters, Madame besought me with earnestness
to tell her more, and the others crowded round to hear. I do not know
what evil genius of folly prompted the childish deed, but feeling safe
in having found what we wanted, and moved more than I would admit by
the now admiring eyes of the girl, I gathered up half a dozen dagg