Fort Amity

halting. The river and the plain lay far below th

ugh the very beasts were far astray. But now, as he crouched behind Menehwehna, he felt it to be no less awfully inhabited. A thousand creeping things stirred or slunk away through the undergrowth; roosting birds edged to

in point of fatigue. "If these Indians on the ridge are Iroquois, why should I run? The Iroquois are friends of England, and would recognise my red coat. The

fool. Nevertheless, as he went, the screams on the

ing wide of it to avoid the swampy ground, relying on his ears and the lie of the slope. Menehwehna follow

im the little I don't despise. As for Menehwehna and Muskingon-they, I suppose, are my enemies, and the Iroquois my friends." Somehow John felt that when civilised nations employ uncivilised allie

nces? It was a nuisance that he must always be thinking of them as comrades. Was

and poured itself into a larger one hurrying down from the northeast. A few yards below their confluence the riverbed narrowed, and the waters,

ribly unequal. Still, supposing that one occurred, ought he to take it? Putting aside the insane risk, ought he to bring death-and such a death- down upon these three men, two of whom he loo

mportant or not, it must be to England's detriment, and as a soldier, he had no other duty than to baulk it. Why had he not thought of this before? It ruled out all private questions, even that of escape o

tood peering down at the dim waters. John dropped on one knee, pretending to fasten a button of his gaiters, and drew a long breath while he watched for his chance. Presently Muskingon straightened himself up and, as if satisfied with his i

m the river. Then, swinging quickly on his

at that very instant-did he hear the sergeant's oath of dismay. Even as he fl

darkness he had not seen that of the two brinks the far one stood the higher by many inches. In mid-air he saw it, and flung his arms forward as he pitched a

slippery with rain, he must have fallen backward into the chasm. As it was, his weight rested so far forward upon his arms that, pressing his elbows dow

ledge behind him. A hand clutched at his heel, out of the night. At once he knew that his stratagem had failed, that Barboux would not fire, that Muskingon was upon him. He

became strangely soft and elastic. For a while he wondered at this idly, then opened

Had he passed into a world where time was not, that all these things were happening together? If so, how came the two Indians here? And Barboux? He could hear Barboux muttering: no, shouting aloud. Why was the man making such a noise? And who was that firing?… Oh, tell him to

se under a low bank, with a patch of swamp between it and the forest: and across this swamp towards the forest Muskingon was running. John saw him halt and lift his piece as Barboux came bursting through the trees with an Indian in pursuit. The two ran in line, the Indian lifting a tomahawk and gaining at every stride; and Muskingon had to step aside and let them come abreast of him before he fired at close quarters. The Indian fell in a heap; Barboux struggled through the swamp and leapt into the can

anted the butt of his musket against the bank, and thrust the canoe off. It was done in a second. In another,

an excruciating ache in his brain; at others, in a delicious languor of weakness. He remembered too how the banks suddenly gathered speed and slid past while t

as floating on smooth water and

saying. "You are younger than I, and stro

I tell you. They are always dead when they jump like

ot watch against me. I have reloaded my gun, and the lock

shore and the two men walked aside into the woods. The sun was se

w and then to brush away the mosquitoes that ca

tood above the bank. He tossed a bundle into the ca

ld might laugh, guessi

ve kill

red Menehwehna. "He was

and, being satisfi