ained over the savages.

"It is all very simple, gentlemen," he said, "and is merely one of the
minor triumphs of knowledge over ignorance. On my journey from Johnson
Castle to the lake I had not made very good time, and saw that only by
heroic measures could I hope to overtake my volatile young friends
here, before they passed this point. At Oswego I procured a larger
craft and a fresh crew. From the outset I saw that these fellows
regarded my innocent tub with a certain degree of suspicion, and soon
gave them to understand, through one of their number who could speak
some English, that it held a powerful fire-demon. He was quite
capable, I declared, of destroying every Indian on the continent, and
would be at liberty to do so, if he was not thrown into the great
thunder waters--your cataract, you understand--on, or before, the first
day of the new moon, which I calculated would be visible to-morrow
evening. I assured them that his power was much less on water than on
land, for which reason I could not allow his prison house--alias my
bath-tub--to be carried ashore short of this place. With all this, I
gave them to understand that I was something of a fire-king myself, for
which reason I had been intrusted with this important mission."

"But I don't see how you persuaded the beggars to believe in such rot,"
objected Christie.

"Ah, my dear boy! Genius can find ways and means for persuading Faith
to any belief. These simple children of nature have implicit faith in
the supernatural. As for genius--well, some persons possess it, while
others do not, and modesty forbids my making invidious comparisons.
Seeing by their incredulous smiles that the several members of my crew
were inclined to doubt my statements, and were determined to pass the
first night on shore as usual, I began to impersonate the Fire King as
soon as we made a landing. To begin with, I ordered my man to bring me
a cup of boiling water, as I was thirsty. Being a well-trained beggar,
he obeyed without betraying any surprise. Pretending to taste it, and
declaring that it was too cold, I threw it, cup and all, angrily away.
Then I dipped a glass of water from the lake, announcing at the same
time that by the power of my magic I could make it boil more furiously
than any fire that ever burned."

"A bold statement. By Jove!" exclaimed one of the officers, who were
following this narration with closest attention; "but did you make it
good?"