meone struck with violence--a scream--and at
the same moment a human figure rushed out of the bushes, and,
confronting me, exclaimed: "Ha! Monsieur le Capitaine! _coup pour
coup_!" I heard no more; a heavy blow, descending upon my temples,
deprived me of all power, and I fell senseless to the earth. When I
returned to consciousness the first objects I saw were the huge brown
whiskers of Lincoln, then Lincoln himself, then the pale face of the boy
Jack; and, finally, the forms of several soldiers of my company. I saw
that I was in my own tent and stretched upon my camp-bed.

"What?--howl--what's the matter!--what's this?" I said, raising my
hands to the bandage of wet linen that bound my temples.

"Keep still, Cap'n," said Bob, taking my hand from the fillet and
placing it by my side.

"Och! by my sowl, he's over it; thank the Lord for His goodness!" said
Chane, an Irish soldier.

"Over what? what has happened to me?" I inquired.

"Och, Captin, yer honour, you've been nearly murthered, and all by thim
Frinch scoundhrels; bad luck to their dirty frog-atin' picthers!"

"Murdered! French scoundrels! Bob, what is it?"

"Why, yer see, Cap'n, ye've had a cut hyur over the head; and we think
it's them Frenchmen."

"Oh! I remember now; a blow--but the Death?--the Death?"

I started up from the bed as the phantom of my night adventure returned
to my imagination.

"The Death, Cap'n?--what do yer mean?" inquired Lincoln, holding me in
his strong arms.

"Oh! the Cap'n manes the skilleton, maybe," said Chane.

"What skeleton?" I demanded.

"Why, an owld skilleton the boys found in the chaparril, yer honner.
They hung it to a three; and we found yer honner there, with the
skilleton swinging over ye like a sign. Och! the Frinch bastes!"

I made no further inquiries about the "Death."

"But where are the Frenchmen?" asked I, after a moment.

"Clane gone, yer honner," replied Chane.

"Gone?"

"Yes, Cap'n; that's so as he sez it," answered Lincoln.

"Gone! What do you mean?" I inquired.

"Desarted, Cap'n."

"How do you know that?"

"Because they ain't here."

"On the island?"

"Searched it all--every bush."

"But who? which of the French?"

"Dubrosc and that 'ar boy that was always with him--both desarted."

"You are sure they are missing?"

"Looked high and low, Cap'n. Gravenitz seed Dubrosc steal into the
chaparril with his musket. Shortly afterwards we heern a shot, but
thought nothi