r. Ronayne," returned
the commandant; "you will have a heavy account to settle by the
time you reach Fort Wayne."

"The sooner the better; but if we do reach it, it will be from no
merit of arrangement of yours," returned the subaltern, as he placed
himself in his allotted station in the company.

It may and must appear not only surprising, but out of character
to the reader, that such language should pass between two
officers--and these unquestionably gentlemen--of the regular
service--the one in command, the other filling the lowest grade of
the commissioned service; but so it was. The high spirit of the
Virginian had ever manifested deep impatience under what he considered
to be the unnecessary martinetism of Capt. Headley, and there had
always existed, from the moment of joining of the former, a
disposition to run restive under his undue exercise of authority.
This feeling had been greatly increased since the resolution taken
by Capt. Headley to retreat after giving away the presents and
ammunition to the Indians, not only because it was a most imprudent
step, but because while the fort was maintained, there was the
greater chance of his again being reunited, through the
instrumentality of Wau-nan-gee, to his wife. Perhaps had he known
the sincere sympathy which Capt. Headley entertained for him at
the grief occasioned by her loss, or the knowledge he had obtained
of her supposed guilt, which, notwithstanding all their little
differences, he guarded with so much delicacy, this bitterness of
feeling would have been much qualified; but he was ignorant of the
fact, and only on one occasion, and for a moment as has been seen,
suspected that Mrs. Headley had, under the seal of confidence and
from a presumed necessity, betrayed his secret. If the history of
that time did not record these frequent and strong expressions of
dissatisfaction and discontent between the captain and the ensign,
we should feel that we were violating consistency in detailing
them; but they were so, and the only barrier to an open and more
marked rupture existed in the person of Mrs. Headley, whom Ronayne
loved and honored as though she had been his own mother, and who,
on her part, often pleaded his generous warmth of temperament and
more noble qualities of heart in mitigation of the annoyance and
anger of her husband.

CHAPTER XXI.

All being now ready, the gates were thrown wide open for the last
exit of the detachment, and the litt