is promise, or maintain the superiority of his
Indian beauty."

Before the laughing Middleton could find time to reply to the light and
unmeaning rattle of his friend, the quick low roll of a drum was heard
from the front. The signal was understood by both officers, and they
prepared to depart.

"This is the hour appointed for the council," said Captain Baynton,
looking at his watch, "and I must be with my guard, to receive the
chiefs with becoming honour. How I pity you, Middleton, who will have
the infliction of one of their great big talks, as Murphy would call
it, dinned into your ear for the next two hours at least! Thank heaven,
my tour of duty exempts me from that; and by way of killing an hour, I
think I shall go and carry on a flirtation with your Indian Minerva,
alias Venus, alias Juno, while you are discussing the affairs of the
nation with closed doors. But hark! there is the assembly drum again.
We must be off. Come, Middleton, come.--Adieu!" waving his hand to the
cousins, "we shall meet at dinner."

"What an incessant talker Baynton is!" observed Miss de Haldimar, as
the young men now disappeared round an angle of the rampart; "but he
has reminded me of what I had nearly forgotten, and that is to give
orders for dinner. My father has invited all the officers to dine with
him to day, in commemoration of the peace which is being concluded. It
will be the first time we shall have all met together since the
commencement of this cruel war, and we must endeavour, Clara, to do
honour to the feast."

"I hope," timidly observed her cousin, shuddering as she spoke, "that
none of those horrid chiefs will be present, Madeline; for, without any
affectation of fear whatever, I feel that I could not so far overcome
my disgust as to sit at the same table with them. There was a time, it
is true, when I thought nothing of these things; but, since the war, I
have witnessed and heard so much of their horrid deeds, that I shall
never be able to endure the sight of an Indian face again. Ah!" she
concluded, turning her eyes upon the lake, while she clung more closely
to the embrace of her companion; "would to Heaven, Madeline, that we
were both at this moment gliding in yonder vessel, and in sight of my
father's fort!"

CHAPTER XI.

The eyes of Miss de Haldimar followed those of her cousin, and rested
on the dark hull of the schooner, with which so many recollections of
the past and anticipations of the future wer