The Seaforth News, 1941-10-09, Page 6movements of Mabel, notwithstand-
ing, soon awakened one so accustom-
ed to vigilance; and then the • two
took a survey of what was passing
around them by means of the friend-
ly apertures. •
CHAPTER XXIII,
The tranquillity of the previous
right was not contradicted by the
movements of the day. Although
Mabel and June went to every loop
hole, not a sign of the presence of a
living being on the island was at first
to be. Seen. tll0 ,h'es excerpted.
There Has a smothered fit e at the
-pot where J'IcNar and his comrades
had cooked. as if the smoke which
curled upwards from it was intended
;rs a lure to the absent; and all
around the huts had been restored
to former order and arrangement.
Mabel started involuntarily when her
eye at length fell on a group. of
three men. dressed in the scarlet of
the 55th, seated on the grass in
lounging attitudes, as if they chatted
in listless security; and her blood
curdled as, on a second look, she
tracedt glassy
a bloodless faces and glassy
eyes of the dead, They were very
near the blockhouse, so near indeed.
as to have been overlooked at the
first eager inquiry, and there was a
mocking levity in their postures and
gestures, for their limbs were stiff-
ening in different attitudes, intended
to resemble life, at which the soul
revolted. Still, horrible as these ob-
jects were to those near enough to
discover the frightful discrepancy
between their assumed and their
real characters, the arrangement had
been made with so much art that it
would have deceived a negligent ob-
server at the distance of a hundred
yards. After carefully examining the
shores of the island, June pointed
out to her companion the fourth sol-
dier. seated, with his feet hanging
over the water, his hack fastened to
a .sapling, and holding a fishing rod
in his hand, The sealpless heads were
covered with the caps. and all :tp-
pearance of blood had been carefully
washed from each countenance.
Mabel sickened at this sight, which
not only did so much violence to all
her notions of propriety, but which
was in itself revolting and so oppos-
ed to natural feeling. She withdrew
to a seat, and hid her face in her
apron for several minutes, until a
low call front June again drew her
to a loophole. The latter then point-
ed out the body of Jennie, seemingly
standing in the dear of a hut, lean-
ing forward as if to look at the
group of amen, her eap fluttering in
the wind and her hand grasping a
broom. The distance was too great
to distinguish the features very ac-
curately; but Mabel fancied that the
jaw had been depressed, as if to dis-
tort the mouth into a sort of horrible
laugh.
"June! June!" she exclaimed;
"this exceeds anything 1 have ever
heard or imagined as possible, in the
treachery or artifices of your
people."
"Tuscarora very cunning." said
June, in a way to show that she ra-
ther approved than condemned the
uses to which the dead bodies had
been applied, "Do soldier no harm
now; do Iroquois good; got the scalp
first; now make bodies work. By and
by, burn 'em,"
This speech told Mabel how far
she was separated from her friend
in character; and it was several Min-
utes before she could again address
her. But this temporary aversion was
lost on June, who set about prepar-
ing their simple breakfast, in a way
to show how insensible site was to
feelings in others which her own ha-
bits had taught her to discard. Mab-
el ate sparingly, and her companion
as if nothing had happened. Then
tlr y had leisure for their thoughts.
and for further surveys of the is-
land. Our Reroute, though, devoured
with a feverish desire to be always
at the loops, seldom went that shy,
did not immediately quit them in
disgust, though compelled by her ap-
prehensions to return again in a few
minutes, called by the rustling of
leaves, or the sighing of the wined.
It was indeed, a solemn thing to look
out upon that deserted spot. peopled
by the dead in the panoply of the
living, and thrown into the attitudes
and acts of careless merriment and
rude enjoyment. The etl'eet on our
ashad
heroineduos much if site h.
1
found herself an observer of the re-
velries of demons.
Throughout the livelong day not
an Indian nor a Frenchman was to
be seen, and night closed over the
frightful but silent masquerade. with
the steady and unalterable progress
with which the earth obeys her laws.
indifferent to the petty actors and
petty scenes that are in daily bustle
and daily occurrence on her bosom.
The night was far more quiet than
that which preceded it, and Mabel
slept with an increasing confidence;
for site now felt that her own fate
would not be decided until the return
of her father.. The following day he
was expected, however, and when
our heroine awoke she ran eagerly
to the loops in order to ascertain the
state of the weather and the aspect
of the skies, as well as the condition
of the island. There lounged the
fearful group on the grass; the fish-
erman still ]rung over the water,
seemingly intent on his sport; and
the distorted countenance of Jenny
glared front out of the hut in horr-
ible contortions. But the weather had
changed; the wind blew fresh from
the southward and though the air
was bland it was filled with the ele-
ments of storm,
"This grows more and more diffi-
cult to bear, June," Mabel said, when
she left the window. "I could even
prefer to see the enemy than to look
any longer on this fearful array of
the dead."
"Hush! hear they come. June
thought hear a cry like a warrior's
shout when he take a scalp."
"What mean you? There is no
more butchery !---there can be no
atone,"
Saltwater!" exclaimed June,
laughing, as she stood peeping
through a loophole.
"My dear uncle! Thank God! he
then lives! Oh, June, June. you will
not let them harm him?"
"June poor squaw. What warrior
rink of what she say? Arrowhead
bring him here."
IIy this time Mabel was at the
loop; and sure enough, there were
Cap and the Quartermaster in the
hands of the Indians, eight or ten of
whom were conducting them to the
foot of the block, for, by this cap-
ture, the enemy now well knew that
there could be no man in the build-
ing. Mabel scarcely breathed until
the whole party stood ranged direct-
ly before the door, when she was re-
joiced to see that the French officer
was among them. A low conversa-
tion followed, in which both the
while leader and Arrowhead spoke
earnestly to their captives, when
the Quartermaster called out to her
in 0 voice loud enough to be heard.
Pretty 'Mabel! pretty :label 1'
said he, "look out of one of the
loopholes, and pity ,air condition.
We are threatened with instant
(1011111 unless you open the door to
the eonquero's, Relent, then, or
we'll no' be wearing our scalps half
an hour from this blessed moment."
.Mabel thought there were mock-
ery and levity in this appeal, and its
manner rattier fortified than weak-
ened her resolution to hold the
place as long as possible.
"Speak to n,', uncle," said she,
with her mouth at a loop, "and tell
me what. I ought to do,"
"Thank God! thank God!" ejacu-
lated- Cap; "the sound of your sweet
voice, Magnet, lightens my heart of
a heavy load, for I feared you had
shared the fate of poor Jennie, My
breast has felt the last four -and -
twenty horn's as if a ton of kent-
ledge had been stowed in it. You
ask me what you ought to do, child,.
and I do not know how to advise you
though you are my own sister's
daughter! The most I can say just
now, my poor girl, is most belittle
to curse the day you or I ever saw
this bit of fresh water."
"But, uncle, is your life in danger
--do you think I ought to open the
door?"
A round turn and two hall' -
hitches make a fast belay; and I
would counsel no one who is nut of
the hands of these devils to unbar
or unfasten anything in order to
fall into them. As to the Quarter-
master and myself, we are both eld-
erly men, and not of much account
to mankind in general, as hom.st
Pathfinder would say; and it can
make no great odds to him whether
he balances the purser's books this
year or the next; and as for myself.
why, if I were on the seaboard, I
should know what to do, but up
here, in this watery wilderness, I
can only say, -that if I were behind
that bit of a bulwark, it would take
a good deal of Indian logic to rouse
me out of it."
"You'll no' be minding all your
uncle says, pretty Mabel," put in
Muir, "for distress is obviously fast
unsettling his faculties, and he is far
from calculating all the necessities
of the emergency. We are in the
hands here of very considerate and
gentlemanly pair'sons, it must be ac-
knowledged, and one has little oc-
casion to apprehend disagreeable
violence. The casualties that have
occurred aro the common incidents
of war. and can no' change our sen-
timents of the enemy, for they are
far from indicating that any injus-
tice will he done the prisoners. I'nn
sure that neither Master Cap nor
myself has any cause of complaint
since we have given ourselves up to
Master Arrowhead, who reminds we
1
PAGE SIX
T
SEAFORTH NEWS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1941
fhe
f
"No,no!"
re June in a
no, muttered
low voice; "'no got heart, and June
no let you, if had, June's moder
prisoner once, and warriors got
drunk; moder tomahawked 'em all.
Such do way red -skin women do
when people in danger and want
scalp."
"You say what is true," returned
Mabel, shuddering, and unconscious-
ly dropping June's hand. "1 cannot
do that. I have neither the strength,
the courage. nor the will to dip my
hands in blood,"
"T'ink that too; then stay where
you be—blockhouse good—got no
scalp."
"You believe, then. that I am safe
here, at least until my father and
his people return?"
'Know so, No dare ouch block-
house in morning, H,.rk all still
now—drink rum till head fall down,
and skep like log."
"Might I not escape? Are there
not several canoes on the island?
Alright I not :./et one. and go and
give ray father notice of what has
happened".
"Know how to paddler' demand-
ed June, glancing her eye furtively
at her companion.
"Not so well as yourself. perhaps;
but enough to get out of sight be-
fore morning."
"What do then?—couldn't paddle
six—ten—eight mile!"
"I dc not know; I would do
much to warn my father, and the ex-
cellent Pathfinder, and all the rest,
of the danger they are in."
"Like Pathfinder?"
"'Ail like him who know him—you
would like hint, nay, love him, if
you only knew his heart!"
"No like him at ail. Too good
rete—too good eye,—ton much
shoot Iroquois and June's people.
Must get his scalp if can."
"And must save it I can,
June. in this respect, then. we are
opposed to each other. I will go
and find a canoe the instant they are
asleep. and (mit the island.,,
"No car.—June won't let you.
Call Arrowhead."
June! you would not betray me
—you could net give me up after
all you. have done for me?"
"Jus: so." returned June. making
a backward gesture with her hand,
and speaking with a warmth and
earnestness Mabel had never wit-
nessed :n her before. "Call Arrow-.
heae '.n load voice. One call from
wife wake a warrior up. June no
let ;.` 't ip enemy -no let Indian
understand you. June. and feel
the r t : e a.nd justice of your senti-
ments;Id. after all, it were better
that 1 should remain here, for I
have most probably overrated my
strength. But tell nee one thing: if
rr;y ,,redo ,:onus in the night. and
asks to be admitted. you will let me
open the door of the blockhouse that
he may enter?"
"Sartain—he prisoner here, and
June like prisoner better than scalp;
scalp good for honour, prisoner good
for feeling. But Saltwater hide so
closs, he don't know here he be him-
self."
Here June laughed in her girlish,
mirthful way, for to her scenes of
violence were too familiar to leave
impressions sufficiently deep to
change her natural character. A
long and discursive dialogue now
followed, in which Mabel endeavor-
ed to obtain clearer notions of her
actual situation, under a faint hope
that she might possibly be enabled
to turn some of the facts she thus
learned to advantage. June aill-
swered till liei' 11144 i&gatories sim-
ply, but with a caution which show-
ed she fully distinguished between
that which was immaterial and that
which might endanger the safety or
embarrass the future operations of
her friends. The substance of the
information she gave may he sum-
med up as follows.
Arrowhead had long been in com-
munication with the French, though
:this was the first occasion on which
he had entirely thrown aside the
•
mask. He no longer intended to
trust himself among the English, for haddiscovered traces dt co eyed tt ccs of distrust,
rust
particularly in Pathfinder; and, with
Indian bravado, he now rather wish-
ed to blazon than to conceal his
treachery. He had led the party of
warriors in the attack on the island,
subject, however, to the supervision
of the Frenchman who has been
mentioned, though June declined
saying whether he had been the
means of discovering the position of
a place which had been thought to
be so concealed from the enemy or
not, On this point she would say
nothing; but she admitted that she
and her husband had been watching
the departure of the Scud at the
time they were overtaken and cap-
tured by the cutter. The French
had obtained their information of
the precise position of the station
but very recently; and Mabel felt a
pang when she thought that there
were covert allusions of the Indian
woman which would convey the
meaning that the intelligence had
come from a pale -face in the em-
ployment of Duncan of Lundie.
This was intimated, however, rather
than said; and when Mabel had time
to reflect on her companion's words,
she found room to hope that she had
misunderstood her, and that Jasper
Western would yet come out of the
affair freed from every injurious
imputation.
June did not hesitate to confess•
that she had been sent to the island
to ascertain the precise number and
the occupations of those who had
been left on it, though she also be-
trayed in her naive way that the
wish to serve Mabel had induced her
principally to consent to come. In
consequence of her report. and in-
formation otherwise obtained. the
enemy was aware of precisely the
force that could be brought against
them. They also knew the number
of men who had gone with Sergeant
Dunham. and wore acquainted with
the object he had in view, though
they were ignorant of the spot
where he expected to meet the
French boats. It would have been a
pleasant sight to witness the eager
desire of each of these two sincere
females to ascertain all that might
be of consequence to their respect-
ive friends; and yet the native deli-
cacy with which each refrained from
pressing the other to make revela-
tions which would have been im-
proper, as well as the sensitive, al-
most intuitive, feeling with which
each avoided saying aught that
might prove injurious to her own
nation As respects each other, there
was perfect confidence, as regarded
their respective people, entire fidel-
ity. Jure was quite as anxious ar
Mabel could be on any other point
to know where the Sergeant had
gone and when he was expected to
return; but she abstained from put-
ting the question, with a delicacy
that would have done honour to the
highest civilization; nor did she
once frame any other inquiry in a
way to lead indirectly to a betrayal
of the much -desired information on
that particular point; though when
Mabel of her own accord touched
on any matter that might by possib-
ility throw a light on the subject,
she listened with an intentness
which almost suspended respiration.
In this manner the hours passed
away unheeded, for both were too
much interested to think of rest. Na-
ture asserted her rights, however,
towards morning; and Mabel was
persuaded to lit down on one of the
-straw beds pl'tvide4 for the soldiers,
where she soon fell into a deep
sleep. June lay near her, and a quiet
reigned on the whole island as pro-
found as if the dominion of the for-
est had never been invaded by man.
When Mabel awoke the light of
the sun was streaming through the
loopholes, and she found that the
day was considerably advanced.
June still lay near her, sleeping as
tranquilly as if she reposed on a soft
mattress and as profoundly as if she
had never_ experienced concern. The
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of a Roman or a Spartan by his vir-
tues and moderation: but ye'll be re-
membering that usages differ, and
that our scalps may be lawful sacri-
fices to appease the manes of fallen
foes, unless you save them by cap-
itulation,"
"I shall do wiser to keep within
the blockhouse until the fate of the
island is settled," returned Mabel,
"Our enemies can feel no concern
on account of one like me, knowing
that I can do them no haz'm, and I
greatly prefer to remain here as
more befitting my sex and years."
The hope of the family returned
from his first clay's workat a muni-
tion factory with finger's bandaged.
"Ho, Bert," said his father,
"how's this?"
"Well," said the bright one, "the
foreman said the machine was fool-
proof, but I soon showed him."