Fort Amity

ieu. The forests had closed in upon them, shutting out the mountains. The convoy-officered for the most part by Canadian militiamen

ery few of his efficients for escort, and, for the rest, it did not certainly appear who was in command. Barboux, for example, was frankly insubordinate, and declared a

ow and again they met a train of bateaux labouring up with reinforcements, that had heard of the victory from the leading boats and hurrahed as they passed, or shouted questions which Bar

ish woodlands, no stretches of pale green turf, no vistas opening beneath flattened boughs, with blue distant hills and perhaps a group of antlers topping the bracken. The wild life of these forests crawled among thickets or lurked in sinister shadows. No bird poured out its heart in them; no lark soared out of them, breasting heaven. At rare intervals a note fel

wolves, but because the mosquitoes allowed him no peace. (They were torture to a wounded man; but he declared afterwards that they cured his wounded arm willynilly, for they forced him to keep it

e Chameau, the two Indians, John à Cleeve and

r name. He was a hunchback, but a gay little man nevertheless; reputedly a genius in the art of

g his dignity and proving that he, Barboux, held himself at no trumpery colonial

. These they cooked and ate; which Barboux asserted to be good economy, since provisions were running short. It occurred to John that this might be a still better reason for hurrying forward, but he wa

ht pass for geniality. After a successful rat-hunt he would even grow loquacious, seating himself on the bank and jabbering while he skinned his spoils, using for the most part a jargon of broken French (in which he was fluent) and native words of which Barboux understood very few and John none at all. When he fell back on Ojibway pure a

on: On the second day Barboux had called upon le Chameau for a song; and,

who has a charming voice," s

ilord," Barboux answered with an angry flush, stealing a mal

th some grace: "I was annoyed, Sergeant Barboux, and said what I thought would hurt rather t

oux, still red in the fac

pardon myself until you have

apology never goes astray between brave fellows. And, after all," he added, "I had, i

o," Jack assure

wagged his head once or twic

ère, en pass

'y pas éloig

ed him of singing "sculduddery." John, though disgusted, could not help being amused by a performance which set him in mind now of a satyr and now of a mincing schoolgirl-vert ga

ignols and rosiers. Holà, Chameau; the Englishman here agrees that you sing well, but

u trop-trop vif; c'est-à dire pour m

ickled him hugely, and he tormented the patient fellow with

y, there was no redress. He was conceited, selfish, tyrannical, and inordinately lazy. He never took a hand with the paddle, but would compel the others to work, or to idle, as the freak took him. He docked the crew's allowance but fed himself complacently on more than full rations, proving this to be his due by discourse on the innate superiority of Frenchmen over Canadians, En

ttle fellow would protest, "c'est-c'e

ith his blows. Once he struck Muskingon. Menehwehna growled ominously, and the growl s

lood-relationship, at least of strong a

t its ugly track in the thin flesh covering them-the monotony of the woods and the ceaseless glint of the water were a drug which he could summon

g him with interest, and by signs begged for a feather from the young Indian's top-knot. Muskingon drew one forth and, under instructions, plucked off a piece of fluff from the root of the feather, a small quill or two, and handed them over. With a length of red silk drawn from his sash John, within half an hour, was bending a very pretty fly on the hook. It did not in the least resemble any winged creature upon earth; but it had a meretricious air about it, and even a "killing" one wh

d. Fish had been leaping throughout the afternoon-salmon by the look of them. John knew something of salmon; he had played and landed many a fish out of the Dart above Totnes, and in his own river below Cleeve Court. The sun

ngth. But to his amazement a fish rose at once and gulped the fly down. He tossed the rod across to Muskingon, calling to him to draw it inboard and sit quite s

hook held-the line had no gut-he felt confident of his fish. By the feel of him he was a salmo

of the water and so, by little and little, to the side of the canoe. But his own strength was giving out, faster now than the salmon's. His wound had parted; and as he clenched his tee

And when he recovered, Menehwehna was coolly gutting the monster-if a fish of eig

rod. He did not (he protested) count on landing a fish; but the hooking of one ha

he pole; he had watched John's one and only cast and began to imitate it patiently, while the sergeant jeered and the canoe drifted. Towards noon he felt a bite, struck, and missed; but half an hour later he struck again and Menehwehna shouted and pointed as John's fly was sucked under in a noble swirl of water. Musking

lurch obliged him to fling out both hands to balance the boat, and the sudden movement

man! Wait then, and we'll see who laughs last. And you

gravity, "set me in mind of Manabozho; and when one thinks upo

evil was M

as yourself. It was he who made the earth once on a

. I bid you beware if yo

'Wa-i-he! Wa-i-he! I have him!' while the canoe rocked to and fro. But when he saw the trout he called, 'Esa, esa! Shame upon you, trout; I fish for your betters.' So the trout let go; and again Manabozho sank his line, saying, 'O King Fish, take hold of my bait.' 'I shall lose my temper soon wit

nt. "Pardon, M. Menehwehna, but this

he King Fish took the bait and sw

in Barboux to cover his irritation. "Well, tha

story," said Menehwehna, "a

Take up your paddle, if you ha

ht to shore, and the Indians as usual lifted out the wounded men and laid them on beds of moss strewn with pine-boughs and cedar. While Menehwehna l

are of the fish. The announcement scarcely awoke him-the revenge was so petty. Barboux in certain moods could be such a baby that John had ceased to regard him except as an object

had-no doubt ignorantly-broken some sacred law in the etiquette of hunting. Muskingon growled; the firelight showed h

uld share in John's portion, ate it himself with relis

ong with you all?" he de

growl, and began to rub his

we have not heard t

rub one's hands at the mention of Manab

as not extended to mine," growled

himself back on his leafy bed to smile up at the branches. Tueur de têtes may be a high

seen anyone before who could lie with his toe in his mouth. But I can do it, to be sure.' Whereupon he lay down in much the same posture as the child, and took his right foot in his hand. But it would not reach by a long way. 'How stupid I am,' cried Manabozho, 'when it was the left foot all the time!' So he tried the left foot, but this also would not reach. He rolled on his back, and twisted and bent himself, and strained and struggled until the tears ran down his face. Th

head after a minute and looked about him. Barboux sat smoking and staring into the camp