hat you
shall hear what news there is with us."

He was absent much longer than was required merely to visit the
pickets. Isidore's practised ears indeed told him that there had been
an alarm of some kind, and a shot had been fired in the wood. At last
de Montenac made his appearance.

"The strangest thing has just now happened," said he. "My men caught a
spy. He had managed to pass the sentinels, when one of them saw the
fellow creeping away among the bushes, and as he did not answer or
stop, the man shot him dead. I found on him a note of our strength, to
say nothing of some English guineas, so the rascal fully deserved a
rope instead of a bullet, but in one of his pockets I came upon this."
Here de Montenac handed to Isidore a sheet of paper, the writing on
which ran as follows:--

"To all whom it may concern.

"This is to certify that the person designated in a royal warrant as
Isidore Marquis de Beaujardin, otherwise known as Godefroid, confined
here during the royal pleasure, is released from further detention, and
the authorities, whether civil or military, are required to permit him
to pass freely.

"(Signed) DE VALRICOUR,

"Colonel Commandant of the Fort of Sorel."

Isidore sprang to his feet. "Where is the man?" he gasped out.

"You can see him; he lies dead not a hundred yards off." In a couple
of minutes they had reached the spot, and Isidore no sooner beheld the
upturned face of the dead man then he exclaimed, "Just Heaven! it is
Jasmin."

As soon as he had recovered from the excitement into which this
discovery had thrown him, Isidore acquainted his friend with the more
private details of his story. "I must start at once for Sorel," said
he; "I scarcely dare to hope it, but it may be that my unhappy wife was
or is still detained there, and if so, with Heaven's blessing I may see
her again. I shall indeed be thankful if my Uncle de Valricour has
been her gaoler."

"Then you can march with us, at least a part of the way," said do
Montenac. "Listen! there it goes." As he spoke, an explosion like a
peal of thunder was heard in the distance. "De Bourlemaque has
evacuated Fort Ticonderoga and blown it up," added he. "We have been
stationed here to guard against a flank movement and to keep open the
road to Crown Point, on which we are to fall back."

"What! retreat without a fight!" exclaimed Isidore.

"We have scarce three or four thousand men to Amherst's twelve or
fourteen th