t are leaving, and white folk crowding
the streets, and bugles blowing, and the tramp of the militia, and the
rattle of carts on the cobble-stones, and the voices of the officers
giving orders, and turmoil everywhere.

"Then, suddenly, the sharp sound of a long whip and a voice calling, and
there rises out of the landing place the procession--the sixty dogs in
three wagons, their ten drivers with their whips, but keeping order by
the sound of their voices, low, soft, and peculiar, and then the horses
starting into a quick trot which presently would become a canter--and
the hounds were off to Salem! There could be no fear with the hounds
loose to do the hunting."

"But suppose when they get to Salem their owner is no more."

The Custos laughed. "Him, your honour--him no more! Isn't he the man of
whom the black folk say: 'Lucky buckra--morning, lucky new-comer!' If
that's his reputation, and the coming of his hounds just when the island
most needed them is good proof of it, do you think he'll be killed by
a lot of dirty Maroons! Ah, Calhoun's a man with the luck of the devil,
your honour! He has the pull--as sure as heaven's above he'll make
success. If you command your staff to have this posted as a proclamation
throughout the island, it will do as much good as a thousand soldiers.
The military officers will not object, they know how big a man he is,
and they have had enough. The news is not good from all over the island,
for there are bad planters and bad overseers, and they've poisoned large
fields of men in many quarters of the island, and things are wrong.

"But this proclamation will put things right. It will stop the slaves
from revolting; it will squelch the Maroons, and I'm certain sure
Calhoun will have Maroons ready to fight for us, not against us,
before this thing is over. I tell you, your honour, it means the way
out--that's what it means. So, if you'll give me your order, keeping
a copy of it for the provost-marshal, I'll see it's delivered to Dyck
Calhoun before morning--perhaps by midnight. It's not more than a six
hours' journey in the ordinary way."

At that moment an aide-de-camp entered, and with grave face presented to
the governor the last report from the provost-marshal-general. Then he
watched the governor read the report.

"Ten more killed and twenty wounded!" said the governor. "It must be
stopped."

He gave the Custos the letter to Dyck Calhoun, and a few moments later
handed the procla