e lone man? Troth I commend his valour in evadin' such a rabble
o' hell-spawn! An' what from did he escape,--th' sthake an' th'
stretchline?"

"Justice, M'sieu,--his life for the chief's."

"Ho-ho! From th' looks o' yer fri'nds, me lad, I'm thinkin' 'twill
be justice wid her eyes shut!... But ye may turrn back an' search the
forest,--we have no sthrangers in our party."

DesCaut glowered at him a moment and spoke to the headmen around in
their speech. There were threatening gutturals and gestures.

The flotilla was small compared to that of the tribe back at the gorge,
they would know, at any rate.

"They say, if M'sieu will let one canoe go through his people with the
torches, all will be well. Otherwise,--five hundred warriors, M'sieu,
can take their will with two hundred."

"Aye?" said the tall man, jerking his head around. He had been scanning
the mass of his own craft, packed behind him, fading into the shadows
out of the light. There was a peculiar look in his eyes when he faced
DesCaut again, a thrust to his square jaw. In that backward look he had
caught sight of the brown face of Maren Le Moyne, the white garment,
glittering with its beads,--but he had seen, too, the crown of braids,
wrapped round her head after the manner of the white woman.

"Go yer ways," he said; "we thravel fast on urgent business,--ye cannot
throuble us wid yer lookin' an' pokin'. Tell yer fri'nds--No."

At this there was commotion among the Indians. A hurried consultation
took place, with indrawing of canoes under the flambeaux, waving arms,
and angry gestures.

"Then, M'sieu,--we come,--make way!" It was DesCaut, important and ugly.

"No, ye don't, me lad. Shwing back The Little Devil, bhoys!"

The leader's canoe shifted sidewise and another craft, heavy,
lumbersome, and vastly bigger than the light boats of the rest poked its
nose into its place,--and that nose was brass and round with a gaping
maw,--a small cannon, scarcely big enough for the name, but a roaring
braggart for all that.

"Belch, me darlin', if ye have th' belly-ache!" cried this tall man,
and, without more warning, there was a tremendous flash and detonation,
a mighty flying of the clear waters just under the bows of the foremost
canoes of the Indians.

There was hiss and sputter of the torches, an upward leap of canoe and
savage, capsize and panic and fear, and the night screamed with many
voices.

"Formation again, lads!" called the sturdy voice of th