CHAPTER V.
He was a wight of high renown, And thou art but of low degree; 'Tis pride that pulls the country down-- Then take thine auld cloak about thee. SHAKESPEARE.
The canoe did not reach the mouth of the river until near evening ofthe third day of its navigation. It was not so much the distance, thoughthat was considerable, as it was the obstacles that lay in the way,which brought the travellers to the end of their journey at so late aperiod. As they drew nearer and nearer to the place where Gershom hadleft his wife and sister, le Bourdon detected in his companion signsof an interest in the welfare of the two last, as well as a certainfeverish uneasiness lest all might not be well with them, that saidsomething in favor of his heart, whatever might be urged against hisprudence and care in leaving them alone in so exposed a situation.
"I'm afeard a body don't think as much as he ought to do, when liquor isin him," said Whiskey Centre, just as the canoe doubled the last point,and the hut came into view; "else I never could have left two women bythem-selves in so lonesome a place. God be praised! there is the chienteat any rate; and there's a smoke comin' out of it, if my eyes don'tdeceive me! Look, Bourdon, for I can scarcely see at all."
"There is the house; and, as you say, there is certainly a smoke risingfrom it."
"There's comfort in that!" exclaimed the truant husband and brother,with a sigh that seemed to relieve a very loaded breast. "Yes, there'scomfort in that! If there's a fire, there must be them that lighted it;and a fire at this season, too, says that there's somethin' to eat,I should be sorry, Bourdon, to think I'd left the women folks withoutfood; though, to own the truth, I don't remember whether I did or not."
"The man who drinks, Gershom, has commonly but a very poor memory."
"That's true--yes, I'll own that; and I wish it warn't as true as it is;but reason and strong drink do NOT travel far in company--"
Gershom suddenly ceased speaking; dropping his paddle like one beset bya powerless weakness. The bee-hunter saw that he was overcome by someunexpected occurrence, and that the man's feelings were keenly connectedwith the cause, whatever that might be. Looking eagerly around in questof the explanation, le Bourdon saw a female standing on a point of landthat commanded a view of the river and its banks for a considerabledistance, unequivocally watching the approach of the canoe.
"There she is," said Gershom, in a subdued tone--"that's Dolly; andthere she has been, I'll engage, half the time of my absence, waitin' toget the first glimpse of my miserable body, as it came back to her. Sichis woman, Bourdon; and God forgive me, if I have ever forgotten theirnatur', when I was bound to remember it. But we all have our weakmoments, at times, and I trust mine will not be accounted ag'in' me morethan them of other men."
"This is a beautiful sight, Gershom, and it almost makes me your friend!The man for whom a woman can feel so much concern--that a woman--nay,women; for you tell me your sister is one of the family--but the manwhom DECENT women can follow to a place like this, must have some goodp'ints about him. That woman is a-weepin'; and it must be for joy atyour return."
"'Twould be jist like Dolly to do so--she's done it before, and would belikely to do so ag'in," answered Gershom, nearly choked by the effort hemade to speak without betraying his own emotion. "Put the canoe into thep'int, and let me land there. I must go up and say a kind word to poorDolly; while you can paddle on, and let Blossom know I'm near at hand."
The bee-hunter complied in silence, casting curious glances upward atthe woman while doing so, in order to ascertain what sort of a femaleWhiskey Centre could possibly have for a wife. To his surprise, DorothyWaring was not only decently, but she was neatly clad, appearing as ifshe had studiously attended to her personal appearance, in the hope ofwelcoming her wayward and unfortunate husband back to his forest home.This much le Bourdon saw by a hasty glance as his companion landed, fora feeling of delicacy prevented him from taking a longer look at thewoman. As Gershom ascended the bank to meet his wife, le Bourdon paddledon, and landed just below the grove in which was the chiente. Itmight have been his long exclusion from all of the other sex, and mostespecially from that portion of it which retains its better looks, butthe being which now met the bee-hunter appeared to him to belong toanother world, rather than to that in which he habitually dwelt. Asthis was Margery Waring, who was almost uniformly called Blossom byher acquaintances, and who is destined to act an important part in thislegend of the "openings," it may be well to give a brief descriptionof her age, attire, and personal appearance, at the moment when she wasfirst seen by le Bourdon.
In complexion, color of the hair, and outline of face, Margery Waringbore a strong family resemblance to her brother. In spite of exposure,and the reflection of the sun's rays from the water of the lake,however, HER skin was of a clear, transparent white, such as one mightlook for in a drawing-room, but hardly expect to find in a wilderness;while the tint of her lips, cheeks, and, in a diminished degree, of herchin and ears, were such as one who wielded a pencil might long endeavorto catch without succeeding. Her features had the chiselled outlinewhich was so remarkable in her brother; while in HER countenance, inaddition to the softened expression of her sex and years, there wasnothing to denote any physical or moral infirmity, to form a drawbackto its witchery and regularity. Her eyes were blue, and her hair as neargolden as human tresses well could be. Exercise, a life of change, andof dwelling much in the open air, had given to this unusually charminggirl not only health, but its appearance. Still, she was in no respectcoarse, or had anything in the least about her that indicated her beingaccustomed to toil, with some slight exception in her hands, perhaps,which were those of a girl who did not spare herself, when there was anopportunity to be of use. In this particular, the vagrant life of herbrother had possibly been of some advantage to her, as it had preventedher being much employed in the ordinary toil of her condition in life.Still, Margery Waring had that happy admixture of delicacy and physicalenergy, which is, perhaps, oftener to be met in the American girl of herclass, than in the girl of almost any other nation; and far oftener thanin the young American of her sex, who is placed above the necessity oflabor.
As a stranger approached her, the countenance of this fair creatureexpressed both surprise and satisfaction; surprise that any one shouldhave been met by Gershom, in such a wilderness, and satisfaction thatthe stranger proved to be a white man, and seemingly one who did notdrink.
"You are Blossom," said the bee-hunter, taking the hand of thehalf-reluctant girl, in a way so respectful and friendly that she couldnot refuse it, even while she doubted the propriety of thus receiving anutter stranger--"the Blossom of whom Gershom Waring speaks so often, andso affectionately?"
"You are, then, my brother's friend," answered Margery, smiling sosweetly, that le Bourdon gazed on her with delight. "We are SO gladthat he has come back! Five terrible nights have sister and I been herealone, and we have believed every bush was a red man!"
"That danger is over, now, Blossom; but there is still an enemy near youthat must be overcome."
"An enemy! There is no one here, but Dolly and myself. No one has beennear us, since Gershom went after the bee-hunter, whom we heard was outin the openings. Are you that bee-bunter?"
"I am, beautiful Blossom; and I tell you there is an enemy here, in yourcabin, that must be looked to."
"We fear no enemies but the red men, and we have seen none of them sincewe reached this river. What is the name of the enemy you so dread, andwhere is he to be found?"
"His name is Whiskey, and he is kept somewhere in this hut, in casks.Show me the place, that I may destroy him, before his friend comes tohis assistance."
A gleam of bright intelligence flashed into the face of the beautifulyoung creature. First she reddened almost to scarlet; then her facebecame pale as death. Compressing her lips intensely, she stoodirresolute--now gazing at the pleasing and seemingly well-disposedstranger before her, now looking earnestly toward the still distantfor
ms of her brother and sister, which were slowly advancing in thedirection of the cabin.
"Dare you?" Margery at length asked, pointing toward her brother.
"I dare: he is now quite sober, and may be reasoned with. For the sakeof us all, let us profit by this advantage."
"He keeps the liquor in two casks that you will find under the shed,behind the hut."
This said, the girl covered her face with both her hands, and sunk on astool, as if afraid to be a witness of that which was to follow. As forle Bourdon, he did not delay a moment, but passed out of the cabin by asecond door, that opened in its rear. There were the two barrels, andby their side an axe. His first impulse was to dash in the heads ofthe casks where they stood; but a moment's reflection told him that theodor, so near the cabin, would be unpleasant to every one, and mighthave a tendency to exasperate the owner of the liquor. He cast abouthim, therefore, for the means of removing the casks, in order to stavethem, at a distance from the dwelling.
Fortunately, the cabin of Whiskey Centre stood on the brow of a sharpdescent, at the bottom of which ran a brawling brook. At another moment,le Bourdon would have thought of saving the barrels; but time pressed,and he could not delay. Seizing the barrel next to him, he rolled itwithout difficulty to the brow of the declivity, and set it off witha powerful shove of his foot. It was the half-empty cask, and away itwent, the liquor it contained washing about as it rolled over and over,until hitting a rock about half-way down the declivity, the hoops gaveway, when the staves went over the little precipice, and the water ofthe stream was tumbling through all that remained of the cask, at thenext instant. A slight exclamation of delight behind him caused thebee-hunter to look round, and he saw Margery watching his movementwith an absorbed interest. Her smile was one of joy, not unmingledwith terror; and she rather whispered than said aloud--"The other--theother--THAT is full--be quick; there is no time to lose." The bee-hunterseized the second cask and rolled it toward the brow of the rocks. Itwas not quite as easily handled as the other barrel, but his strengthsufficed, and it was soon bounding down the declivity after itscompanion. The second cask hit the same rock as the first, whence itleaped off the precipice, and, aided by its greater momentum, it wasliterally dashed in pieces at its base.
Not only was this barrel broken into fragments, but its hoops and staveswere carried down the torrent, driving before them those of the sistercask, until the whole were swept into the lake, which was some distancefrom the cabin.
"That job is well done!" exclaimed le Bourdon, when the last fragment ofthe wreck was taken out of sight. "No man will ever turn himself into abeast by means of that liquor."
"God be praised!" murmured Margery. "He is SO different, stranger, whenhe has been drinking, from what he is when he has not! You have beensent by Providence to do us this good."
"I can easily believe that, for it is so with us all. But you mustnot call me stranger, sweet Margery; for, now that you and I have thissecret between us, I am a stranger no longer."
The girl smiled and blushed; then she seemed anxious to ask a question.In the mean time they left the shed, and took seats, in waiting for thearrival of Gershom and his wife. It was not long ere the last entered;the countenance of the wife beaming with a satisfaction she made noeffort to conceal. Dolly was not as beautiful as her sister-in-law;still, she was a comely woman, though one who had been stricken bysorrow. She was still young, and might have been in the pride of hergood looks, had it not been for the manner in which she had grieved overthe fall of Gershom. The joy that gladdens a woman's heart, however,was now illuminating her countenance, and she welcomed le Bourdon mostcordially, as if aware that he had been of service to her husband. Formonths she had not seen Gershom quite himself, until that evening.
"I have told Dolly all our adventur's, Bourdon," cried Gershom, assoon as the brief greetings were over, "and she tells me all's right,hereabouts. Three canoe-loads of Injins passed along shore, goin' up thelake, she tells me, this very a'ternoon; but they didn't see the smoke,the fire bein' out, and must have thought the hut empty; if indeed, theyknew anythin' of it, at all."
"The last is the most likely," remarked Margery; "for I watched themnarrowly from the beeches on the shore, and there was no pointing, orlooking up, as would have happened had there been any one among them whocould show the others a cabin. Houses an't so plenty, in this part ofthe country, that travellers pass without turning round to look at them.An Injin has curiosity as well as a white man, though he manages sooften to conceal it."
"Didn't you say, Blossom, that one of the canoes was much behind theothers, and that a warrior in that canoe DID look up toward this grove,as if searching for the cabin?" asked Dorothy.
"Either it was so, or my fears made it SEEM so. The two canoes thatpassed first were well filled with Injins, each having eight in it;while the one that came last held but four warriors. They were a mileapart, and the last canoe seemed to be trying to overtake the others.I did think that nothing but their haste prevented the men in the lastcanoe from landing; but my fears may have made that seem so that was notso."
As the cheek of the charming girl flushed with excitement, and her racebecame animated, Margery appeared marvellously handsome; more so, thebee-hunter fancied, than any other female he had ever before seen. Buther words impressed him quite as much as her looks; for he at once sawthe importance of such an event, to persons in their situation. Thewind was rising on the lake, and it was ahead for the canoes; should thesavages feel the necessity of making a harbor, they might return to themouth of the Kalamazoo; a step that would endanger all their lives, inthe event of these Indians proving to belong to those, whom therewas now reason to believe were in British pay. In times of peace, theintercourse between the whites and the red men was usually amicable,and seldom led to violence, unless through the effects of liquor; but, aprice being placed on scalps, a very different state of things might beanticipated, as a consequence of the hostilities. This was then a matterto be looked to; and, as evening was approaching, no time was to belost.
The shores of Michigan are generally low, nor are harbors eithernumerous, or very easy of access. It would be difficult, indeed, tofind in any other part of the world, so great an extent of coast thatpossesses so little protection for the navigator, as that of this verylake. There are a good many rivers, it is true, but usually they havebars, and are not easy of entrance. This is the reason why that veryconvenient glove, the Constitution, which can be made to fit any hand,has been discovered to have an extra finger in it, which points out amode by which the federal government can create ports wherever naturehas forgotten to perform this beneficent office. It is a littleextraordinary that the fingers of so many of the great "expounders" turnout to be "thumbs," however, exhibiting clumsiness, rather than thatadroit lightness which usually characterizes the dexterity of men whoare in the habit of rummaging other people's pockets, for their ownespecial purposes. It must be somewhat up-hill work to persuade anydisinterested and clear-headed man, that a political power to "regulatecommerce" goes the length of making harbors; the one being in a greatmeasure a moral, while the other is exclusively a physical agency; anymore than it goes the length of making ware-houses, and cranes, andcarts, and all the other physical implements for carrying on trade. Now,what renders all this "thumbing" of the Constitution so much the moreabsurd, is the fact, that the very generous compact interested doesfurnish a means, by which the poverty of ports on the great lakes maybe remedied, without making any more unnecessary rents in the greatnational glove. Congress clearly possesses the power to create andmaintain a navy, which includes the power to create all sorts ofnecessary physical appliances; and, among others, places of refuge forthat navy, should they be actually needed. As a vessel of war requiresa harbor, and usually a better harbor than a merchant-vessel, it strikesus the "expounders" would do well to give this thought a moment'sattention. Behind it will be found the most unanswerable argument infavor of the light-houses, too.
But, to return to the narrati
ve: the Kalamazoo could be entered bycanoes, though it offered no very available shelter for a vessel of anysize. There was no other shelter for the savages for several miles tothe southward; and, should the wind increase, of which there were strongindications, it was not only possible, but highly probable, that thecanoes would return. According to the account of the females, theyhad passed only two hours before, and the breeze had been graduallygathering strength ever since. It was not unlikely, indeed, that theattention paid to the river by the warrior in the last canoe may havehad reference to this very state of the weather; and his haste toovertake his companions been connected with a desire to induce them toseek a shelter. All this presented itself to the beehunter's mind, atonce; and it was discussed between the members of the party, freely, andnot without some grave apprehensions.
There was one elevated point--elevated comparatively, if not in a verypositive sense--whence the eye could command a considerable distancealong the lake shore. Thither Margery now hastened to look after thecanoes. Boden accompanied her; and together they proceeded, side byside, with a new-born but lively and increasing confidence, that was allthe greater, in consequence of their possessing a common secret.
"Brother must be much better than he was," the girl observed, as theyhurried on, "for he has not once been into the shed to look at thebarrels! Before he went into the openings, he never entered the housewithout drinking; and sometimes he would raise the cup to his mouth asoften as three times in the first half-hour. Now, he does not seem evento think of it!"
"It may be well that he can find nothing to put into his cup, should hefall into his old ways. One is never sure of a man of such habits, untilhe is placed entirely out of harm's way."
"Gershom is such a different being when he has not been drinking!"rejoined the sister, in a touching manner. "We love him, and strive todo all we can to keep him up, but it IS hard."
"I am surprised that YOU should have come into this wilderness with anyone of bad habits."
"Why not? He is my brother, and I have no parents--he is all to me: andwhat would become of Dorothy if I were to quit her, too! She has lostmost of her friends, since Gershom fell into these ways, and it wouldquite break her heart, did I desert her."
"All this speaks well for you, pretty Margery, but it is not the lesssurprising--ah, there is my canoe, in plain sight of all who enter theriver; THAT must be concealed, Injins or no Injins."
"It is only a step further to the place where we can get a lookout. Justthere, beneath the burr-oak. Hours and hours have I sat on that spot,with my sewing, while Gershom was gone into the openings."
"And Dolly--where was she while you were here?"
"Poor Dolly!--I do think she passed quite half her time up at thebeech-tree, where you first saw her, looking if brother was not cominghome. It is a cruel thing to a wife to have a truant husband!"
"Which I hope may never be your case, pretty Margery, and which I thinknever CAN."
Margery did not answer: but the speech must have been heard, utteredas it was in a much lower tone of voice than the young man had hithertoused; for the charming maiden looked down and blushed. Fortunately,the two now soon arrived at the tree, and their conversation naturallyreverted to the subject which had brought them there. Three canoes werein sight, close in with the land, but so distant as to render it forsome time doubtful which way they were moving. At first, the bee-huntersaid that they were still going slowly to the southward; but hehabitually carried his little glass, and, on levelling that, it wasquite apparent that the savages were paddling before the wind, andmaking for the mouth of the river. This was a very grave fact; and, asBlossom flew to communicate it to her brother and his wife, le Bourdonmoved toward his own canoe, and looked about for a place of concealment.
Several considerations had to be borne in mind, in disposing of thecanoes; for that of Gershom was to be secreted, as well as that of thebee-hunter. A tall aquatic plant, that is termed wild rice, and whichwe suppose to be the ordinary rice-plant, unimproved by tillage, growsspontaneously about the mouths and on the flats of most of the riversof the part of Michigan of which we are writing; as, indeed, it is tobe found in nearly all the shallow waters of those regions. There wasa good deal of this rice at hand; and the bee-hunter, paddling his owncanoe and towing the other, entered this vegetable thicket, choosing achannel that had been formed by some accident of nature, and which woundthrough the herbage in a way soon to conceal all that came within itslimits. These channels were not only numerous, but exceedingly winding;and the bee-hunter had no sooner brought his canoes to the firm groundand fastened them there, than he ascended a tree, and studied thewindings of these narrow passages, until he had got a general idea oftheir direction and characters. This precaution taken, he hurried backto the hut.
"Well, Gershom, have you settled on the course to be taken?" were thefirst words uttered by the bee-hunter when he rejoined the family ofWhiskey Centre.
"We haven't," answered the husband. "Sister begs us to quit the chiente,for the Indians must soon be here; but wife seems to think that she MUSTbe safe, now I'm at home ag'in."
"Then wife is wrong, and sister is right. If you will take my advice,you will hide all your effects in the woods, and quit the cabin as soonas possible. The Injins cannot fail to see this habitation, and will becertain to destroy all they find in it, and that they do not carry off.Besides, the discovery of the least article belonging to a whiteman will set them on our trail; for scalps will soon bear a price atMontreal. In half an hour, all that is here can be removed into thethicket that is luckily so near; and by putting out the fire with care,and using proper caution, we may give the place such a deserted look,that the savages will suspect nothing."
"If they enter the river, Bourdon, they will not camp out with a wigwamso near by, and should they come here, what is to prevent their seein'the footprints we shall leave behind us?"
"The night, and that only. Before morning their own footsteps will beso plenty as to deceive them. Luckily we all wear moccasins, which is agreat advantage just now. But every moment is precious, and we shouldbe stirring. Let the women take the beds and bedding, while you and Ishoulder this chest. Up it goes, and away with it!"
Gershom had got to be so much under his companion's influence, that hecomplied, though his mind suggested various objections to the coursetaken, to which his tongue gave utterance as they busied themselves inthis task. The effects of Whiskey Centre had been gradually diminishingin quantity, as well as in value, for the last three years, and werenow of no great amount, in any sense. Still there were two chests, onelarge, and one small. The last contained all that a generous regard forthe growing wants of the family had left to Margery; while the firstheld the joint wardrobes of the husband and wife, with a few otherarticles that were considered as valuable. Among other things were halfa dozen of very thin silver tea-spoons, which had fallen to Gershom ona division of family plate. The other six were carefully wrapped up inpaper and put in the till of Margery's chest, being her portion of thisspecies of property. The Americans, generally, have very little plate;though here and there marked exceptions do exist; nor do the humblerclasses lay out much of their earnings in jewelry, while they commonlydress far beyond their means in all other ways. In this respect, theEuropean female of the same class in life frequently possesses as muchin massive golden personal ornaments as would make an humble littlefortune, while her attire is as homely as cumbrous petticoats, coarsecloth, and a vile taste can render it. On the other hand, the Americanmatron that has not a set--one half-dozen--of silver tea-spoons mustbe poor indeed, and can hardly be said to belong to the order ofhousekeepers at all. By means of a careful mother, both Gershom and hissister had the half-dozen mentioned; and they were kept more as sacredmemorials of past and better days than as articles of any use. Thehousehold goods of Waring would have been limited by his means oftransportation, if not by his poverty. Two common low-post maplebedsteads were soon uncorded and carried off, as were the beds andbedding. There was scarce
ly any crockery, pewter and tin being itssubstitutes; and as for chairs there was only one, and that had rockers:a practice of New England that has gradually diffused itself over thewhole country, looking down ridicule, the drilling of boarding-schools,the comments of elderly ladies of the old school, the sneers of nurses,and, in a word, all that venerable ideas of decorum could suggest, untilthis appliance of domestic ease has not only fairly planted itself innearly every American dwelling, but in a good many of Europe also!
It required about twenty minutes for the party to clear the cabin ofevery article that might induce an Indian to suspect the presence ofwhite men. The furniture was carried to a sufficient distance to besafe from everything but a search; and care was had to avoid as much aspossible making a trail, to lead the savages to the place selected forthe temporary storeroom. This was merely a close thicket, into whichthere was a narrow but practicable entrance on the side the least likelyto be visited. When all was accomplished the four went to the lookout toascertain how far the canoes had come. It was soon ascertained that theywere within a mile, driving down before a strong breeze and followingsea, and impelled by as many paddles as there were living beings inthem. Ten minutes would certainly bring them up with the bar, and fivemore fairly within the river. The question now arose, where the partywas to be concealed during the stay of the savages. Dolly, as wasperhaps natural for the housewife, wished to remain by her worldlygoods, and pretty Margery had a strong feminine leaning to do the same.But neither of the men approved of the plan. It was risking too much inone spot; and a suggestion that the bee-hunter was not long in makingprevailed.
It will be remembered that le Bourdon had carried the canoes withinthe field of wild rice, and bestowed them there with a good deal ofattention to security. Now these canoes offered, in many respects,better places of temporary refuge, under all the circumstances, thanany other that could readily be found on shore. They were dry; and byspreading skins, of which Boden had so many, comfortable beds might bemade for the females, which would be easily protected from the night airand dews by throwing a rug over the gunwales. Then, each canoe containedmany articles that would probably be wanted; that of the bee-hunter inparticular furnishing food in abundance, as well as diverse other thingsthat would be exceedingly useful to persons in their situation. Thegreat advantage of the canoes, however, in the mind of le Bourdon, wasthe facilities they offered for flight. He hardly hoped that Indiansagacity would be so far blinded as to prevent the discovery of themany footsteps they must have left in their hurried movements, and heanticipated that with the return of day something would occur to renderit necessary for them to seek safety by a stealthy removal from thespot. This might be done, he both hoped and believed, under cover of therice, should sufficient care be taken to avoid exposure. In placing thecanoes, he had used the precaution to leave them where they could notbe seen from the cabin or its vicinity, or, indeed, from any spot in thevicinity of the ground that the savages would be likely to visit duringtheir stay. All these reasons le Bourdon now rapidly laid before hiscompanions, and to the canoes the whole party retired as fast as theycould walk.
There was great judgment displayed on the part of the bee-hunter inselecting the wild rice as a place of shelter. At that season it wassufficiently grown to afford a complete screen to everything within itthat did not exceed the height of a man, or which was not seen from someadjacent elevation. Most of the land near the mouth of the river waslow, and the few spots which formed exceptions had been borne in mindwhen the canoes were taken into the field. But just as Gershom was onthe point of putting a foot into his own canoe, with a view to arrangeit for the reception of his wife, he drew back, and exclaimed after themanner of one to whom a most important idea suddenly occurs:
"Land's sake! I've forgotten all about them barrels! They'll fall intothe hands of the savages, and an awful time they'll make with them! Letme pass, Dolly; I must look after the barrels this instant."
While the wife gently detained her eager husband, the bee-hunter quietlyasked to what barrels he alluded.
"The whiskey casks," was the answer. "There's two on 'em in the shedbehind the hut, and whiskey enough to set a whole tribe in commotion. Iwonder I should have overlooked the whiskey!"
"It is a sign of great improvement, friend Waring, and will lead to nobad consequences," returned le Bourdon, coolly. "I foresaw the danger,and rolled the casks down the hill, where they were dashed to pieces inthe brook, and the liquor has long since been carried into the lake inthe shape of grog."
Waring seemed astounded; but was so completely mystified as not tosuspect the truth. That his liquor should be hopelessly lost was badenough; but even that was better than to have it drunk by savageswithout receiving any re-turns. After groaning and lamenting over theloss for a few minutes, he joined the rest of the party in making somefurther dispositions, which le Bourdon deemed prudent, if not necessary.
It had occurred to the bee-hunter to divide his own cargo between thetwo canoes, which was the task that the whole party was now engaged in.The object was to lighten his own canoe in the event of flight, and, byplacing his effects in two parcels, give a chance to those in theboat which might escape, of having wherewithal to comfort and consolethemselves. As soon as this new arrangement was completed, le Bourdonran up to a tree that offered the desired facilities, and springinginto its branches, was soon high enough to get a view of the bar and themouth of the river. By the parting light of day, he distinctly saw FOURcanoes coming up the stream; which was one more than those reported tohim by Margery as having passed.