t rbcalia; , 
 
 300FELL0W.SJ<ALL 
 
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[by the same author.] 
 
 THE FIRST OF THE KNI KERBOGKERS, 
 51 aale of 1673. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, 12mO.,75 CENTS. 
 
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 THE YOUNG PATROON. 
 
 OR 
 
 Cl)n0tma0 m 1690. 
 
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 G. i'. PUTNA.M, 155 Broadway. 
 
THE 
 
 KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF "THE FIRST OF THE KNICKERBOCKERS" AND 
 "THE YOUNG PATROON." 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 GEORGE P. PUTNAM, 165 BROADWAY. 
 
 LONDON: PUTNAM'S AMERICAN AGENCY, 
 
 49 Bow Lane, Cheapside. 
 
 MDCCCL. 
 
Rntered, f.crording to Act of Ccf.gress, in the year 1P49. by 
 
 C . P . P Til' N A M , 
 
 in the Clerk'^ Otfjce .it" ±3 Dist:ict Court nf the ^outnern District of New York. 
 
 ■RAIGHKAD, PRIVTKR \ND STKR KOTYl'E R, 
 ll-J KULTO.N SFRKKT, NKW YORK. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 " The King of the Hurons" is a story of civilized, 
 rather than of savage life, notwithstanding the seeming 
 indication to the contrary, contained in its title ; and those 
 of its readers who are familiar with the events of the age 
 in which its scenes are supposed to have occurred, will 
 readily remember the historical personage from whom the 
 idea of its principal character has been derived. 
 
 When this simple explanation is made, the author does 
 not find that he has further use for a preface. He believes, 
 indeed, that he has several good reasons for placing his 
 book before the public ; but as these will not be required 
 by readers who like it, and would be quite unsatisfactory 
 to those who do not, it would be clearly useless to publish 
 them. 
 
 With a thoroughly appreciating sense of the kindness 
 which has marked the reception, by the press and the 
 public, of his former brief productions, he submits this also 
 to the same generous tribunal. 
 
 M69a I s 
 
THE 
 
 KING OE THE HUEONS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " The hour, th' occasion all your skill demands, 
 A leaky ship, embayed by dangerous lands." — Falconer. 
 
 It was duiing a \iolent storm in the spring of 1708, that a French 
 brig of war, seriously crippled, was discovered in the bay of New 
 York, showing signals of distress, and approaching, with indirect 
 coui-se, to the harbor. There was, of coui*se, not wanting a race of 
 panic-makers in those days — progenitors, doubtless, of a similar class 
 in our own — who at once saw in the unfortunate vessel an estray 
 from a belligerent fleet, hovering close at hand, and ready to 
 descend, ^vith fatal swoop, upon the long-threatened city. Rumors, 
 indeed, of such an armada had long been rife, and had, perhaps, 
 accomphshed their intended eifect, m restraining the Enghsh colony 
 from any ^^gorous efforts at the conquest of Canada — an entei-prise 
 on which more words than wadding had been wasted, but which, of 
 course, was not to be undertaken while any peril impended over its 
 own capital. France might thus be compared to some good dame, 
 w-ho watches from a distance the quarrels between her neighbors' 
 childi-en and her own, and contents herself with shakmg a stick at 
 
 1 
 
2 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 the former, wliile in reality too indolent, or too mncli occupied in 
 more important business, to fulfil any of her pantomimic threats. 
 Certain it was, that at this period she meditated no invasion of that 
 embryo metropolis, which reposed, in doubtful security, betwixt two 
 rivers and a picket fence ; the latter being denominated by courtesy, 
 a wall, and stretching transversely across the town. The good ship 
 St. Cloud, on the contrary, if aught could be judged from her zigzag 
 movements, was approaching the city with anything but alacrity, 
 despite the nautical adage, old, doubtless, as her day, " any port in 
 a storm." • , Driven from her course, dismasted, and a-leak, she had 
 been tossed for -weeks, cork like, upon the waves, the very plaything 
 of ,tht^ ,el?'ments, iinti) ali hope of attaining a friendly port was aban- 
 doned, and every minor consideration became merged in the 
 instinctive desire for the preservation of life. Foremost to secure 
 their own safety, a reckless portion of the crew had deserted by night 
 in the only boat which had escaped destruction ; and it was with no 
 other means of safety for the lives intrusted to his care, that Captain 
 Sill, on discovering himself near the Bay of Manhattan, resolved to 
 seek the harbor of New York. That he anticipated no mitigated 
 fate from his country's enemies, by reason of his disaster, was quite 
 apparent from the anxiety depicted upon his countenance, as he 
 paced the quarter-deck of his vessel, and looked mournfully towards 
 the land. "What unusual reason he had to deprecate the approach- 
 ing calamity will appear more fully, if we descend with him into the 
 cabin, and survey the few, but not unimportant personages, who 
 were under his charge as passengers, and who had vainly anticipated, 
 on leaving home, a safe and speedy voyage to the French colonial 
 capital, Quebec. 
 
 " Something must be done by way of disguise," he muttered to 
 himself as he descended the gangway, " it will never do for the 
 baron to enter the city in his proper character. The resident agent 
 of the French monarch among the fastnesses of the northern forests, 
 the friend and ally of the savage Ilurons, would have little clemency 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 3 
 
 to hope for from the incensed colonists of New York : I would not 
 answer even for his Hfe." 
 
 A start and surprised look of the speaker terminated this soliloquy, 
 as, entering the cabin, his eyes fell upon a tall, portly man, clad in 
 the habiliments of a sailor, who was pacing the floor with an air of 
 dignity quite at variance with his assumed character. 
 
 " It was well thought of, my lord baron," exclaimed the captain, 
 after a moment's gaze at his companion ; " none but Boswain Bill 
 could have fitted you with these garments, and with a little less — 
 excuse me — a little more — you understand me, I presume — you will 
 pass muster as a sailor very well." 
 
 " I confess I do not understand what it is that I want a little less 
 and a little more of. Captain Sill," replied the baron, " and if you 
 have any ad\ice to give, speak out and at once, for there is but little 
 time to be w^asted." 
 
 " Very true, my lord, very true ; if you will excuse me, then, 
 common sailors do not walk with that lofty ah ; they do not stand 
 quite as erect ; their chests are less prominent, and — and — they do 
 not speak quite as boldly, or as correctly, as the Baron Montaigne." 
 
 " Yom* honor is quite right," returned the other, changing his 
 whole deportment with a facility that surprised, and forced a smile 
 from the captain ; " Jack Beans can reef a sail, or splice a rope, 
 equal to any man on the St. Cloud, and no man can say anything 
 against him, unless it be that he loves his grog and tobacco on ^ 
 suitable occasion." 
 
 " No — no — no — ' a suitable occasion* would be the death of you,'* 
 said Captain Sill, laughing, " all very well but that, though a little 
 too stiff; I have no doubt you will do very well, but mind and use 
 no such three-deokers in conversation." 
 
 " I ^vill, your honor," replied the baron, touching his cap with ani 
 air of mock humility, that forced another smile from the commander, 
 and displaying at the same time a hand, which, although of no 
 delicate mould, was scrupulously clean. 
 
4 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 " Another thing," rejomed Sill, " you seem to have overlooked ; 
 you surely cannot be mad enough to think such hands will not excite 
 suspicion. Remember the fate of the Scottish Queen. But do not 
 look so puzzled ; you must, in short, consent to be literally, as well 
 as figuratively, under a cloud for the present. A little obscuration 
 by mother Earth is all that is necessary : Boswain Bill will do it, 
 and tell him to see that it is well rubbed in, particularly about the 
 finger ends ; I think a quarter of an inch is about the fashionable 
 breadth for the nail line." 
 
 " I cannot believe it necessary to descend to these indignities," 
 said the baron, haughtily. 
 
 " If this is an indignity, my lord, remember that the halter is a 
 greater — and that even the facing a file of musketeers in your shroud 
 is an honor not to be coveted : your escape is now the paramount 
 consideration, for on that depends not only your own safety, but 
 probably that of your daughter and niece, to say nothing of Father 
 Ledra, who would, perhaps, scarcely come to harm in any event." 
 
 " It is very true," said the baron, " and I will follow your direc- 
 tions : but a word now on the subject of these children. Deeply as 
 I regret that I encumbered myself with them on this journey, some- 
 thing must be done, if possible, for their safety and rescue. I had 
 my views in transplanting Blanche to my western home, but of 
 these it is unnecessary now to speak ; with her illness on the voyage, 
 her frequent sadness, and her singular sentiments, she has thus far 
 been only a source of trouble to me — and now " 
 
 A look of surprise and scorn had gradually stolen over the face of 
 the commander, who, at length, suddenly interrupted the other : 
 
 " Speak you of your daughter, my lord ?" he said. 
 
 "I speak of my daughter, Captain Sill; and if time permitted, I 
 might, perhaps, tell you why it is that she has so little of the spirit 
 of a Montaigne, and possesses feelings so little congenial with 
 mine." 
 
 " Let us change this subject, my lord ; I see in your daughter 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 5 
 
 only a being of unequalled beauty and grace, modest, reserved, and 
 melancholy ; if she has demerits, let me not hear them, and least of 
 all from you." 
 
 " As you please. Captain Sill : I am somewhat old to be reproved, 
 either by word or look, in a matter of which I must necessarily be 
 the most competent judge. But Blanche's present safety is probably 
 sufficiently insured : ladies are not made prisoners of war, or if 
 nominally so, are subject to no rigor ; and Father Ledra, who has 
 both her and Emily in charge, will doubtless be able to provide a 
 home for them, without disclosing their names or rank, until such 
 time as I can provide for their rescue." 
 
 Montaigne turned away, and the commander gazed after him a 
 moment in silence. 
 
 " Safety indeed !" he exclaimed, " and in the profligate court of 
 Lord Cornbury ; it is the safety of the dove in the eagle's eyrie." 
 
 So saying, he proceeded to knock at the door of an mner cabin, 
 and, in response to the bidding from within, opened it, and stood in 
 the presence of the object of his solicitude. 
 
 Of Blanche Montaigne, a few woi'ds of description must for the 
 present suffice. A httle above the medium height of her sex, she 
 was still of that delicate and gTacehd mould which gives somewhat 
 of a petite appearance to the person. Although her features were 
 singularly symmetrical and striking, her face and neck of an infantile 
 delicacy of texture and hue, her hair redundant in rich glossy curls, 
 and her eyes of the purest blue, her beauty consisted even less in 
 these than in the sweet expression, which, while it illumined her 
 whole countenance, might be said to dwell with more enduring per- 
 manence upon her hps. It is to these flexile features, indeed, ever 
 silently depicting the emotions within, that the human face is chiefly 
 indebted for its character as an index of the heart. Ever legible, 
 whether for good or evil, they speak while the voice is silent, and 
 while even the eye is in comparative repose. In Blanche, they 
 told of all pure and gentle affections, of mirthfulness, modesty, 
 
6 THE KINO OF THE HURONS. 
 
 timidity, truth — yet of mingling sadness and disquiet now, wliicli 
 still seemed but a lingering cloud, bright itself with the effulgence it 
 concealed. 
 
 The companion of Miss Montaigne was a lady of about thirty 
 years, possessing little claim even to the remembrance of beauty, yet 
 dressed with an elaborate care which manifested a disposition to eke 
 out her slender stock of charms by adventitious aid. Her counte- 
 nance was by no means repulsively homely ; its parts, indeed, were 
 separately good, yet they seemed, so to speak, ill-assorted, and lack- 
 ing that harmony of proportion which appeals so powerfully to the 
 eye, and compels the meed of admiration. Yet Emily Roselle, 
 favored by that compensating principle which everywhere prevails^ 
 was in part remunerated for the want of a pleasing face by a fine 
 figure, and a natural ease and grace of manner ; and but for a slight 
 deficiency of good sense and good nature, would have been not a 
 little attractive. 
 
 A third person who was seated in the cabin when Captain Sill 
 entered, and who had apparently been reading to the young ladies 
 from a volume which lay open before him, was the individual 
 spoken of by Montaigne as Father Ledra. He was a man of about 
 sixty years, with an aspect singularly benign and 25leasing ; there 
 was, indeed, no mistaking the genuine goodness which shone in 
 every hneament of his face, and gleamed, like the light of truth, 
 from his large grey eyes. Father Ledra was a Christian in the 
 strongest sense of that significant word. His saintly reputation was 
 well known to Captain Sill, who, after saluting him with marked 
 deference, addressed himself to the younger lady, and briefly 
 informed her of the means that were being taken for her father's 
 safety. 
 
 " A few hours," he continued, " and we shall at least be relieved 
 from the perils of famine and shipwreck, and as to everything 
 beyond, we must hope for the best." 
 
 " Say, rather, we must trust to that same guiding hand which has 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 7 
 
 thus far preserved us," interposed the priest ; " three days since we 
 little dreamed of even this relief from the dangers which threatened 
 us." 
 
 The commander bowed and continued, still addressing Miss Mon- 
 taigne : 
 
 " Your father, deeply impressed with a sense of the importance to 
 his sovereign of his personal safety, is engrossed with preparations 
 for escape : he has, I believe, communicated to Father Ledra his 
 plans in your behalf, or — or is about so, to do." 
 
 It was an embarrassing position to stand as the apologist of a cold 
 and selfish parent before a neglected child, and the mounting color 
 on the cheek of Blanche told the mortification which she experienced 
 at such a necessity. 
 
 " I do not know," she replied, hesitatingly ; ^' everything, I believe, 
 is left to the discretion of Father Ledra, and we are commended to 
 his counsel and guidance." 
 
 " Uncle, in short, confides us to Pro\idence and the priest," said 
 Miss Roselle, " but seems to think something more is requisite for 
 himself and the interests of France." 
 
 A look of reproach from Miss Montaigne mterrupted her cousin, 
 and if aught could be judged from the countenance of the latter, 
 prevented a still severer invective. The commander hastened to 
 take up the conv^ersation, and having bestowed such advice and 
 encouragement as seemed appropriate, withdrew to his more legiti- 
 mate duties. The vessel, meanwhile, by the aid of such expedients 
 as her dismantled state still afforded, was progressing on her sinuous 
 route towards the city, which her thinned crew, wearied with unre- 
 mitting labor, gazed gladly upon in the distance, heedless of its 
 hostile character, and even of the prison homes which they had 
 reason to expect. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 " The mighty monarch of the tribes that roam 
 
 A thousand forests, and on countless streams 
 Urge the swift bark, anS dare the cataract's foam." — Mrs. Sigoumey, 
 
 The Baron Montaigne had long been a resident of French Ame- 
 rica. An impaned fortune had originally induced him to serve his 
 sovereign in the New World, and long habit had rendered pleasing 
 what his increased wealth no longer made necessary. About a 
 year preceding his first arrival in Canada, and nearly sixteen years 
 prior to the time now spoken of, he had been bereaved of his wife, 
 an English lady of gi'eat merit, which, however, had failed of its 
 appreciation at the hands of her haughty lord. His infant daughter, 
 then scarcely three years of age, had been confided to the charge of 
 a kind maternal aunt in England, with whom she had resided until 
 the death of the latter, which occurred when Blanche had attained 
 the age of eighteen. A peculiarity of disposition and a desire to 
 shun society, which in his impoverished state imposed many mortifi- 
 cations upon his proud spirit, had tempted him into the very depths 
 of the wilderness, where, by the liberahty of his sovereign, he was 
 enabled to erect a castle of no mean pretensions both to elegance 
 and strength. The Indian warriors saw with surprise its turreted 
 walls and frowning battlements arising amidst their forest solitudes, 
 and marvelled deeply at the magnificence of their great father across 
 the water, who could bestow such state and wealth even on his inferior 
 nobles. The section of country thus selected for a residence by Mon- 
 taigne was about a hundred and fifty miles southwest of Quebec, on 
 the border of a stream which constitutes the outlet of Lake Cham plain, 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 9 
 
 and in a vast and unsubdued wilderness, wliich rather divided the 
 French and English territories than formed a distinct part of either. 
 Boundary hues, indeed, were drawn with no accuracy in those early 
 days, on a continent which was settled only on its edges, but at a 
 later period they became the subject of much controversy. Wars, 
 when waged, were rather for the sovereignty of the settlements and 
 the nominal conquest of vast inland regions, of which little was 
 known by either of the belligerent powers, excepting that they 
 stretched over a given number of degi'ees of latitude and longitude. 
 The Huron and Algonquin Indians had long been allies of the 
 French, as the Five Nations were of the English ; and so important 
 did Louis consider their continued friendship to the welfare of his 
 American dominions, that no pains were spared to cement the 
 aUiance. It was this purpose, and the additional hope of winning 
 over the Iroquois to his allegiance, and thus paving the Avay for a 
 complete conquest of New York, that had actuated the monarch in 
 the endowment of Castle Montaigne, and the hberal support of its 
 secluded lord. The baron, on his part, left no means untried to gain 
 the full confidence and respect of the savages, — an object of no diffi- 
 cult attainment to a hardy soldier, who was capable of setting exam- 
 ples both of bravery and fortitude even to their veteran warriors. 
 
 The Hurons, who resided in the vicinity of Quebec, and on the 
 banks of the Sorelle, were colonies of the principal nation of that 
 name, whose home and hunting grounds were much further west ; 
 they had been transplanted early in the preceding century by the 
 influence of their European allies, and had themselves gTown into a 
 considerable tribe, having one village near the French capital, and 
 another in the immediate vicinity of Castle Montaigne, where their 
 territorial possessions were extensive. The parent tribe were also in 
 league with France, and paid willing fealty to King Louis, in the 
 person of his valiant agent, who had spent many months among 
 them, had given them many valued lessons in the art of war, and 
 had led them to several victorious fields against their oppressive 
 
 1* 
 
10 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 neighbors of tlie west. So completely had he won the hearts of the 
 bold savages, that they had formally elected him the principal chief 
 of their nation, denominating him, in imitation of his own sovereign's 
 title, a king, and enjoining upon their brethren nearer the seaboard 
 also to recognise him as such, — a mandate which the junior tribe, 
 equally impressed with his prowess, and proud of his alliance, zeal- 
 ously obeyed. 
 
 But it was not by martial prowess alone that the hearts of the 
 Indians were always most effectually won : King Louis, at least, had 
 reason to acknowledge the efficacy of a very different warfare in 
 gaining their allegiance. The heralds of the Gospel were already 
 scattered everywhere through the French settlements, and had pene- 
 trated in some instances to the most remote corners of the land. 
 The cross had glistened at intervals along that whole vast circuit of 
 waters which stretches from Quebec to the gulf of the MississijDpi, 
 and not one of its golden links of lake and river but had furnished 
 the baptismal element for some dusky neophyte of the ^\^lderness. 
 Self-denying men, bound by holy vows, but more by untiring love 
 and unfaltering faith, dared, aye, courted martyrdom in every shape, 
 that they might gain souls to Christ. Of these, one or more were 
 always stationed at the castle, where their time was devoted not 
 only directly to their calling, but, accessary to the same general end, 
 to the secular education of such of the Indian youth as could be 
 induced to submit to the restraints of study. It was to join this 
 spiritual cohort, as a resident missionary at the castle, that Father 
 Ledra had crossed the ocean, patiently enduring privation, and 
 softening by his unobtrusive piety the prejudices against his church, 
 with which a Protestant education had imbued both Blanche and 
 Emily. 
 
 Seventeen long years the baron had sojourned in his new home ; 
 long at least they seemed to the gentle girl, who had been taught 
 her daily lesson of affection for an absent parent, and had spent a 
 thousand hours of childish wonder and expectation, in \iew of that 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 11 
 
 great event, to which, from the first days of her remembered life, 
 she had been taught to look forward — her father's retiun. 
 
 Montaigne had, meanwhile, contented himself with receiving annual 
 letters fi'om his sister-in-law, giving information of Blanche's welfare ; 
 his answers to which, always cold and formal, seldom contained any 
 direct message to his daughter, even after she had attained years of 
 discretion. The remembrance of some unforgiven wrong on the 
 part of the mother seemed to hang for ever like a cloud between the 
 baron and his child. It was not, indeed, without a degree of plea- 
 sure that he read in all Mrs. Roselle's letters accounts of Blanche's 
 extraordinary beauty and grace, of her mild and gentle disposition, 
 and of her well cultivated and well stored mind ; but if, at times, he 
 felt a longing to reclaim his child, the consciousness of circumstances 
 which must humble himself in her estimation continually intervened, 
 to 'chill and deaden all his better resolutions. Pride was his 
 master passion, and its baleful glare fell ^Wth a withering effect 
 upon all the gentler emotions of his nature. Beneath its con- 
 geahng blight, a young and innocent wife had passed speedily fi'om 
 the altar to the tomb ; and well had it been for Blanche that the 
 unfolding wealth of her young affections had not been chilled and 
 repressed by its cold commands or its still colder caresses. 
 
 The event to which allusion has been made, as one for which Mon- 
 taigne dreaded his daughter's scorn, as he had long endm-ed his 
 own, related to his existing domestic establishment. A powerful 
 Huron warrior had early sought his aUiance, and a dowry of mea- 
 sureless acres had purchased the simulated affections of the baron 
 for the trembling daughter of the chief. They were married after 
 the savage mode, while the wily gi-oom smiled at the simphcity of 
 his allies, and recked lightly of the fetters which bound him to the 
 Indian maid. She was not his wife, so thought the haughty noble, 
 for no sacramental tie existed between them, no priest had sanc- 
 tioned their union, no permission of Holy Church had made it 
 vahd. Little did these things weigh wth the trusting vnie, who 
 
12 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 became to him a faithful and affectionate partner, watching and 
 obeying in all things the faintest token of his ^vill, and submitting to 
 all the tramphngs of his imperious temper without a murmur. 
 One gentle word, one kind smile, repaid her for every wrong, and 
 formed a treasure for memory to resort to, during all the long inter- 
 vals of coldness and neglect and scorn. Hers w^as, indeed, that 
 perfect love of woman, which exists alike in every clime. The 
 baron, conscious that rumors of his strange alliance must reach 
 Quebec, and thence pass to France, took every occasion to deny its 
 truth, and to censure the detractors who cast such obloquy upon his 
 ancient family ; but circumstances soon occurred which made it a 
 more serious affair than he had anticipated. It became necessary 
 to obtain the royal confirmation to the grant which had been made 
 by the chief to his perfidious son-in-law, and Louis, who had 
 received tidings of the whole affair, refused to confirm the deed until 
 the marriage had been celebrated according to the rites of the 
 church. He went, indeed, further than this, and threatened his 
 distinguished subject with his displeasure and punishment if he 
 refused to ratify the contract with his Indian spouse. No words can 
 describe the anger and mortification of Montaigne at this unex- 
 pected result ; and, in the privacy of his retirement, he denounced 
 the aged king as a drivelling dotard, fit only to govern women and 
 priests. But rage and remonstrance were alike unavailing to nullify 
 the decree, and with the most galling sense of degradation he at 
 length submitted to its requirements. In a chapel adjacent to the 
 castle, the wedding was publicly solemnized, and an infant daughter 
 of the bride, who shared with her mother the contempt of the 
 baron, was at the same time admitted to the rite of baptism. The 
 baroness, for such had now become her legitimate title, became 
 thenceforth a personage of additional importance in the eyes of her 
 dusky relations, and, it need scarcely be said, an object of renewed 
 hatred to her husband. Nothing could atone to him for the 
 wounded vanity of which she had been the guiltless cause ; and all 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 13 
 
 her unobtrusive affection, all her silent watchings for tokens of 
 returning kindness, were repaid with increased coldness and scorn. 
 She was a cloud upon his heart, a bhght upon his hopes, a barrier 
 betwixt himself and that bright world from which he had long been 
 immured, and to which he now felt that he never could return. 
 
 But many changes had taken place between that period and the 
 point of time at which the present narrative opens. The little 
 Myrtle, for such had been the baptismal name bestowed rather by 
 the priest than the parent, had grown to be a miracle of forest 
 beauty ; and as the tendrils of the vine cHng to the rock, so had her 
 infantile graces gained a foothold in the crevices of the baron's stony 
 heart. Despite his pride, his imagined wrongs, his tarnished name, 
 he had loved his daughter ; and the neglected mother, who had long 
 despaired of any returning tenderness for herself, was still delighted 
 to enjoy the reflected beams of kindness which fell upon her child. 
 She exulted in Myrtle's beauty and grace, and watched every word 
 and look of love bestowed upon her, with an avarice of aftection that 
 none but a mother's heart can parallel. 
 
 Years rolled by ; and the baron, who had long been fully rein- 
 stated in his sovereign's confidence, had become so engrossed in the 
 duties of his station, and in his growing wealth and power, that he 
 scarcely remembered the existence of Blanche, excepting when perus- 
 ing the letters from her aunt, or remitting the annual stipend for 
 her support. ISIyrtle attained her sixteenth year, a slight, straight 
 girl, with eyes and hair of unrelieved blackness, with long silken 
 lashes, and cheeks in which the rose of Europe triumphed over the 
 olive hue of the forest. She was, in short, a beautiful brunette, 
 sportive as the fawn, and scarcely less agile. 
 
 It was at this period that events occurred which marked an epoch 
 in the life of Montaigne, and which were productive of important 
 results to all with whom he was immediately connected. Political 
 movements relating to the colony required his presence in France, 
 and the same arrival which brouo-ht his sovereio'n's summons for his 
 
i 
 
 14 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 return, conveyed to him the intelHgence of Mrs. Roselle's death, and 
 of the homeless situation of Blanche. He repaired to Quebec, and 
 while awaiting the sailing of the ship which was to convey him to 
 Ha\Te, sojourned with liis friend, the aged Marquis Vaudreuil, who 
 was then viceroy of New France, and to whose exalted post, when it 
 should become vacant, the baron expected promotion. Here he 
 became acquainted with a nephew of the go^'ernor, one Count Carl- 
 ton, a young man of prepossessing person and mannei-s, of whom 
 the marquis spoke in terms of the warmest eulogy. Rank, wealth, 
 wit, valor, and every accomplishment, if the governor's word was to 
 be taken, belonged to this extraordinary man, who had fled from the 
 gaieties of Parisian life to seek excitement and adventure in the new 
 world. Himself deceived, Vaudreuil httle dreamed how erroneous a 
 portraiture he had drawn of his nephew, who was, in fact, a mere 
 adventurer, bankrupt in purse and reputation, and totally devoid of 
 principle. He had recently arrived in the colony, and by the pro- 
 foundest dissimulation had gained the good graces of his uncle, 
 which he hoped by some means to transmute into the current coin 
 of the realm. Montaigne's great wealth and political importance of 
 course made him also a desirable acquaintance for the scheming 
 youth ; and, long fasting from the adulation and deference which 
 his exorbitant vanity craved, he became a ready dupe to the 
 specious flatteries of the count. If he had up to this period hesi- 
 tated" about bringing home Blanche on his return from France, he 
 no longer did so. Here, he argued to himself, was a ready way of 
 disposing of her in marriage, and at once relieving his mind of its 
 responsibility in her behalf. So strongly did this idea take possession 
 of his mind, that, on parting with his friends, he repeated an in^'ita- 
 tion which he had already extended to Carlton, to visit Castle Mon- 
 taigne after his own return from Europe ; and added, in a jocular 
 way, that he had a marriageable daughter, and if the young people 
 should chance to fancy each other, he would not object to the alli- 
 ance. The marquis bowed coldly at this remark, which he sus- 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 15 
 
 pected to be more than jest, for, knoT\^ng nothing of Blanche, he 
 supposed it to allude to Myrtle, and he thought it a poor compliment 
 to a gallant for whom half the belles of Paris were pining, to be 
 offered the hand of a half Huron maid, and who was even legitimate 
 only by the royal grace. But it was in the moment of departure, 
 and Montaigne did not dream of the erroneous construction which 
 was. put upon his language. If, however, the Marquis Vaudreuil 
 derided the proposal of his friend, it was not so with Carlton, who, 
 while seeming to outdo his uncle in making sport of the affair, 
 secretly resolved to visit Castle Montaigne during the absence of its 
 lord, and acquaint himself with the Indian heiress. 
 
 The baron reached Paris in safety, and thence, while awaiting the 
 tardy action of the French cabinet, despatched a letter to England, 
 whither he could not safely proceed in person, summoning his 
 daughter to meet him, by an appointed day, at the neutral port of 
 Ostend, and notifying her of his intentions in regard to her change 
 of abode. Although the stiff and frigid sentences in which this 
 intelligence was conveyed were almost sufficient to repress the fihal 
 promptings of her heart, Blanche was still delighted at the news ; for 
 her home, since the death of her aunt, had been of the most comfort- 
 less description, and she was prepared to welcome any change which 
 gave promise of relief. She was authorized to procure a maid, or 
 companion, if practicable ; and this privilege resulted in the selection 
 of her cousin Emily, less from any congeniality of feehng between 
 them, than from a sense of duty to the nearly destitute daughter of 
 her deceased aunt. Miss Roselle gladly accepted the proposal, for 
 she possessed the most romantic views of life, despite the dull realities 
 to which her experience had been confined, and the new world 
 seemed to her only a field for the exploits of chivalry, and the 
 triumphs of distressed beauty. She was of good family, and her 
 lineal claim to gentility was a subject on which her friends were 
 seldom left unenUghtened. That these advantages would be of vast 
 importance in her new home she did not allow herself to doubt, and 
 
► 
 
 16 THE KIXG OF THE HURONS. 
 
 as all the family finery had devolved upon her, she was able, not- 
 withstanding her poverty, to fortify her pretensions by a display of 
 dress and ornament often more gaudy than becoming. 
 
 A week sufficed for the needful preparations, and when everything 
 was in readiness the ladies proceeded to a neighboring seaport, and 
 took passage for Ostend, where they arrived prior to the appointed 
 day, and awaited the coming of their distinguished relative. ^ He 
 did not prove unpunctual ; and although his arrival was with that 
 ceremony of equipage and attendants which might be supposed 
 gratifying to a young lady, Blanche's mind was engi'ossed by emo- 
 tions which left little room for vanity. The interview was singularly 
 awkward and embarrassing ; and the frightened daughter, after 
 several ineffectual attempts to break through the air of stateliness 
 and reserve which encompassed her parent, submitted at length 
 silently to its influence. Time, she thought, would work a change, 
 and nature yet re-assert its power in her father's breast. Visions of 
 artless devices, by which she would win his attention and regard, 
 passed rapidly through her mind, and she looked forward with joy 
 to the anticipated light of affection which was yet to beam upon her 
 long desolate heart. But, as there had been no pretence of consult- 
 ing her wishes in relation to the proposed change in her life, the 
 timid girl scarcely felt at liberty to give expression to her feelings, 
 and the father saw in her silence only signs of moroseness and dis- 
 satisfaction. 
 
 The party set out at once for Paris, where they arrived in a few 
 days, and where Miss Roselle fully expected to be snatched up by 
 some ardent admirer before the baron was ready to resume his 
 journey. This event not occuning, they proceeded, after about a 
 month's delay, to Havre, and, in company with the missionary priest, 
 Father Ledra, embarked in the doomed St. Cloud, for Quebec. Of 
 the wTcck and suffering which forced that ill-fated vessel to seek 
 shelter in an enemy's port, the reader is already aware. 
 
KING OF THE HURONS. l7 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 *' Torn spars and sails, her cargo in the deep, 
 The ship draws near with slow and laboring sweep."— iJaTia. 
 
 It was quite too bad to leave the crippled brig tossing upon the 
 tempestuous waves of the bay of New York during so long a retro- 
 spective chapter ; but it all comes of beginning a story at the wrong 
 end, or rather, of beginning it in the middle, — a plan which, although 
 it has classic precept and example for its authority, remains of doubt- 
 ful utility. As the vessel had approached the harbor, the fears of 
 Miss Montaigne had rapidly increased. She knew enough of the 
 peculiar attitude in which her father stood in relation to the English 
 colonies, as the ally of the northern Indians, and the supposed insti- 
 gator of many of their atrocities, to understand that his hfe was now 
 in extreme peril ; and notwithstanding his unreserved selfishness, she 
 felt the utmost solicitude for his escape. Captain Sill assembled his 
 officers and crew, and imposed upon them the strictest secresy in 
 relation to the distinguished passenger who now stood among them 
 as one of their number, and the baron strengthened the appeal by a 
 handsome gratuity to the men. The young ladies were to pass as 
 sisters, bearing the name of Roselle, who were travelHng in charge 
 of Father Ledra to their fi-iends in Canada, a fiction diverging at so 
 slight an angle from the truth, that the priest, although he would 
 by no means consent to assert, agreed not to contradict it. 
 
 The piers of the city, meanwhile, had become populous with an 
 eager crowd, watching the approach of the vessel, and speculating 
 with every variety of opinion upon the extraordinary event. Not a 
 
18 
 
 THE KING OF THE HURONS 
 
 ^ 
 
 few were peering eagerly down the bay in search of the remainder 
 of the fleet, which they fully believed was about to make its appear- 
 ance in a hostile attitude ; and a classic old Dutchman, who had not 
 been at the imiversity of Gottingen for nothing, talked mysteriously 
 about the Grecian horse, fatal to trusting Troy, and doubted, between 
 some most ominous whiffs of his pipe, whether the St. Cloud were a 
 wrecked vessel at all. It was an easy matter, he said, to cut down 
 masts and break away bulkheads, and come rolling sideways into 
 port in a storm, and yet have a thousand armed soldiers stowed 
 away in the hold, after all. Not that he cared much whether Louis 
 or Queen Anne held a city to which neither of them had any right, 
 but the destruction of life and property, he said, glancing at a six- 
 sided store-house of his own upon the wharf, was a thing not to be 
 disregarded. A number of listeners turned pale at these remarks, 
 and some suggested calling out the militia and the fire-engines for 
 the defence of the city ; while others thought the guns of the fort 
 ought to be fired into the wreck, without delay, by way of ascer- 
 taining the truth of the suspicions. But, as the troops from the fort 
 at this moment made their appearance, ha\ing been ordered out to 
 keep the peace and prevent the escape of the prisoners, it was con- 
 sidered safe to quietly await the denouement^ the more prudent 
 retirino- a httle into the back-o;round. 
 
 Governor Cornbury, in the meantime, with several members of 
 his council, prepared to pay an official \'isit to the strangers. He 
 exulted at the accident, because the vessel and its stores world 
 prove a valuable acquisition to the colony and to his j^rivato purse ; 
 but he had no intention of detracting from these advantages, by 
 burdening the government with the expense of maintaining a large 
 number of prisoners of war. The unfortunate captain, ha\ing dropped 
 anchor at a little distance from shore, received his visitors upon his 
 quarter-deck with great urbanity, and tendering his sword to the 
 governor, formally surrendered his ship ; while Cornbury, equalling 
 the Frenchman in politeness, courteously dechned accepting his 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 19 
 
 weapon, and at once admitted the officers to their parole. He next 
 requested that the crew should be assembled amidships, and having 
 expressed his sympathy for the hardships they had already under- 
 gone, signified that they were to be unconditionally released, a 
 seeming magnanimity which was responded to with hearty cheers. 
 He had addressed the men in French, but with the commander, who 
 spoke English fluently, he conversed in that language, and turning 
 to him now, inquired if he had any passengers. 
 
 " We have a few non-combatants in the cabin," responded Sill, 
 smiling, " a priest, and two young ladies who are travelling in his 
 charge ; it will be hardly necessary to invoke your excellency's 
 clemency in their behalf." 
 
 " Our laws," returned the governor, more gravely, " impose the 
 penalty of death upon any Romish priest who shall voluntarily enter 
 the province, and the most that we can do. in your friend's behalf 
 will be to allow him thirty days to depart. As to the ladies, they 
 are allowed the largest liberty under all circumstances. I had almost 
 hoped," he continued, "that your accident might afford me the 
 pleasure of an introduction to some of the officers of His Majesty's 
 colonial government ; there are pending differences between us which 
 such an interview might go far to arrange : have I your word of 
 honor that there is no such individual in your ship ?" 
 
 "My lord," replied Sill, . slightly coloring, and glancing at the 
 crew, who remained amidships watching the interview, while the 
 baron's figure towered conspicuously among them, " my lord, the 
 individuals now before you, and the three passengers below, are the 
 only persons on board my ship — for this you have my word of honor ; 
 if you still doubt " 
 
 "I doubt nothing that Captain Sill asserts," answered the 
 governor, whose suspicions were aroused by the embarrassed air of 
 the other ; " but there is something that looks like mystery here ; 
 let me see this priest of whom you speak ; I much fear his ordination 
 has not been strictly canonical. Clerical robes have been used as 
 
20 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 disguises before now, and if your friend does not belong to the true 
 succession, Mother Church will, doubtless, thank me for unmasking 
 him." 
 
 " You will scarcely doubt Father Ledra after you have seen him," 
 said Sill, motioning to an officer to call up the passengers ; " I wish 
 the church had no representatives whose sanctity is more ques- 
 tionable." 
 
 A few moments' pause ensued, during which the eyes of the 
 governor wandered among the crew, and seemed to fix inquiringly 
 upon the prominent figure of the baron ; but a rustling in the cabin 
 gangway, and the appearance of the priest, accompanied by the 
 ladies, at once recalled his attention. Miss Montaigne was closely 
 veiled, and hung tremblingly upon the arm of Father Ledra ; while 
 Emily, unalarmed and unveiled, walked boldly at her cousin's side, 
 and seemed bent on setting her friend a pattern of courage, if not .of 
 modesty. The evident interest excited by the approach of the ladies 
 justified the sagacity of the commandant, who had summoned them 
 to accompany the priest on deck with a view to a diversion of Lord 
 Cornbury's somewhat dangerous attack. 
 
 " Captain Sill has much misconceived my meaning," said the 
 governor, pohtely removing his hat, " if he understood me as requir- 
 ing the attendance of the ladies on deck ; let them return if they 
 choose, or let them at least be seated." . 
 
 " My sister is much frightened," answered Miss Roselle, hastily, 
 and glancing at Blanche, " and is afraid to quit the side of her pro- 
 tector ; we must be excused, therefore, for coming into your presence 
 unbidden." 
 
 " I am much beholden to Miss Eoselle's fears since they procure 
 me the honor of this inter^^ew," returned Lord Cornbury, bowing 
 formally to the speaker, but scarcely removing his eyes from the 
 slight and graceful figure of her companion ; *i^nd yet," he con- 
 tinued, smiling, " it devolves a somewhat unpleasant duty upon me : 
 the commissions of liis ISIost Christian Majesty rest at times upon 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 21 
 
 very diminutive shoulders, and a veil, excuse me, might possibly 
 hide a moustache. Your sister, if such she be, will doubtless favor 
 us with a view of her face." 
 
 " Which will at least be prima facie evidence in her behalf," 
 interposed a punning notary, who was in attendance in his official 
 capacity. 
 
 Emily whispered a moment to Blanche, who, sinking into a seat 
 which had been placed for her, drew aside her veil with trembling 
 hand, reveahng, by the act, charms which seemed like a gleam of 
 sunlight to the beholders. Miss Montaigne's beauty was of that 
 perfect order which admits of no cavil, even from the lips of envy or 
 rivalry ; it impressed the eye with a whelming sense of lovehness, 
 both in feature and expression, and seemed, as it was, the reflection 
 of a gentle and unsulhed heart. Pale with agitation, her eyes 
 rested upon the deck, and it was not until some moments that 
 Cornbury, startled at the pleasing ^dsion, recovered his self-posses- 
 sion. 
 
 " Here is no soldier, certainly," he said, gaily, " unless it may be 
 a field officer of Cupid ; my inquisition is at an end in this quarter, 
 and I can only beg pardon of Miss Roselle for having given her 
 such ev-ident pain. The ladies will consider themselves entirely at 
 liberty." 
 
 The governor had been surprised at the facility with which Emily 
 conversed in the English language, and on seeking an explanation 
 from that lady, was informed that both she and her sister were 
 educated in England, and were, on the maternal side, of English 
 descent. The captain's familiarity with the same tongue was less a 
 matter of marvel, his profession being one which rendered such an 
 acquirement almost indispensable. But Father Ledra, though 
 learned in the ancient tongues, conversed only in French, and Corn- 
 bury was compelled to address him in that dialect; but a very 
 brief conversation convinced the governor that his suspicions were 
 groundless, and he even declined the proflered inspection of the lug- 
 
22 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 gage of the ecclesiastic, an inventory of vvliicli would have revealed 
 httle else than books of devotion and instruments of penance. 
 
 " I am indeed a soldier," he said, when the governor's suspicions 
 were explained to him, raising his mild eyes upwards, while his 
 white locks fell hke snow upon his shoulders ; " I am indeed a sol- 
 dier, Lut it is of the cross of Christ ; my warfare is with spiritual 
 enl, and my coat of mail," pressing his hands upon his breast, " is 
 one that inflicts wounds, but does not ward them." 
 
 Lord Cornbury was satisfied with his inquiries, and would have been 
 contented to withdraw at this stage of the affair, lea\ing the vessel in 
 charge of the proper governmental officer ; but another and more dan- 
 gerous inquisition had unfortunately been going on for some minutes 
 previous, in a different part of the vessel. Mr. Attorney Nabb, 
 the notary, of whom mention has been made, was one of those httle, 
 restless, waspish men, who are never content to act in a subordinate 
 capacity ; and after chafing for some time under his forced restraint, 
 he had shpped out of the shadow of his superiors, for the purpose of 
 acting the little gTeat man in another quarter. His field of opera- 
 tion was amidships, where he blustered around among the crew for 
 some time, with no well defined aim beyond that of impressing the 
 sailors -with a sense of his importance ; but after much peering about, 
 and many wise looks, he came suddenly to a stand in front of Mon- 
 taigne, and remained looking up at the portly figure before him 
 with a singular air of admiration and contempt. The disproportion 
 of physical power between the two, which was ludicrously great, per- 
 haps suggested to the pigmy the idea of disphiying a little official 
 authority, by way of balancing accounts. 
 
 " Who are you ?" he said, addi-essing the supposed sailor in 
 French. 
 
 " Jack Beans, if it please yom* honor," said the baron, twirling his 
 cap, with an admirable appearance of embarrassment. 
 
 Nabb pulled out a pencil fi'om his pocket, and noted down the 
 answer with great granty ; an action which, of course, attracted the 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 23 
 
 general attention of the crew, as the attorney well knew it would, 
 and when he next threw back his head for the purpose of putting 
 another question, he had the satisfaction of seeing that Mr. Jack 
 Beans seemed a httle alarmed. Several interrogatories succeeded in 
 regard to the age, residence, and occupation of the supposed sailorj 
 all of which were carefully written down, and the practised eye of the 
 attorney could not fail to perceive at each additional inquiry renewed 
 tokens of apprehension. Satisfied, however, at length, with having 
 frightened the giant and displayed his own importance, he was 
 about turning away, when his eye was arrested by the edge of a fine 
 linen wristband protruding from beneath the coarse flannel sleeve of 
 the sailor's shirt. Startled at the sight, suspicion at once took pos- 
 session of his mind, and several minute circumstances to which he 
 had before paid little heed, gave it confirmation. Stepping a few 
 paces backward, to gain a better view of the Frenchman's head, he 
 noticed the soft and silky appearance of the hair, and the fine face 
 and neck, which gave no evidence of exposure to the sun ; while 
 Montaigne, in the efifort to avoid quaihng, had inadvertently resumed 
 his usual air of authority, and met the gaze of the other with the 
 look of a chained eagle. Convinced that he had stumbled upon a 
 prize of some kind, the attorney's delight knew no bounds ; he con- 
 tinued complacently gazing upon his victim for some moments, 
 running over in his mind the probable magnitude of the service 
 which he was about to render to government, and the extent of his 
 reward. He must be, thought Nabb, an officer of the army at 
 least, and possibly a nobleman ; it might even be the Marquis Vau- 
 dreuil, or one of the royal family, or, for soaring fancy seldom stops 
 midway in her flight, the very majesty of France himself. Gloating 
 over his discovery, he reached upwards, and tapping Montaigne upon 
 the shoulder, said : 
 
 " Lord Cornbury has released the creiv of the St. Cloud, but not 
 any officer or gentleman who sees fit to assume a seaman's dress : 
 Monsieur will please to consider himself under arrest." 
 
24 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 So saying, he turned away to inform the governor of his discovery, 
 but had scarcely communicated his information, before a shght 
 commotion was perceived amidships, and three figures bounded over 
 the gunwale, and descended the vessel's side. The boat by which 
 the governor and his suite had approached the ship was waiting at 
 the foot of the man-ropes, the waterman in whose charge it had 
 been left having been attracted by curiosity on board the vessel. 
 A moment of consternation prevailed, and the attorney, furious with 
 the fear of losing his prize, seemed altogether demented : shouting, 
 " an escape ! stop him ! stop him !" he flew rather than ran towards 
 the place where the baron had disappeared, and caUing loudly for 
 the ^^ posse comitatus''^ to follow, he leaped upon the gimwale. The 
 last of the fugitives was at that moment entering the skiff, and Nabb, 
 ghding down the ropes Hke a squirrel, pitched into the boat, just as 
 they had succeeded in casting her loose. Recovering his feet, he 
 darted to the side of the stalwart baron, and grasping him by the 
 arm, exclaimed, " I arrest you in the Queen's name !" but Montaigne, 
 seating himself without reply, drew the little man forcibly to his lap, 
 and shouted, 
 
 " Pull now for your hves ! a thousand pounds if we escape !" 
 
 The whole scene up to this point had occupied scarcely thirty 
 seconds, and the tumult and excitement on deck were still too great 
 to admit of any deliberate action. Blanche had swooned. Miss 
 Roselle was in hysterics, and Captain Sill, fearful of an outbreak 
 among his crew, was calling loudly to them to remain quiet. Lord 
 Cornbury himself was far from being self-possessed, and, gesticulating 
 with his sword, he called to the commander of the troops on the 
 adjacent wharf, and ordered him to fire a volley into the boat — a 
 command which was about being executed, when a shriek of agony 
 from the skifi" arrested general attention. 
 
 " For Heaven's sake don't let them fire, my lord," exclaimed one 
 of Cornbury's companions, " it ^vill be certain death to Mr. Nabb." 
 
 All eyes were turned towards the skiff, where the prominent 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 25 
 
 figure of Montaigne, seated, facing tlie shore, and holding the strug- 
 ghng attorney before him, hke a shield, was plainly visible. He was 
 near the stern of the vessel, thus at the same time protecting the 
 two sailors, who were bending meanwhile lustily to their oars, while 
 the little bark was making such headway as the heavy billows would 
 allow. It was a critical moment ; the troops had taken aim, and 
 the order to fire was trembling on the lips of their officer, when a 
 reluctant countermand from the governor brought down their guns. 
 Boats were next in requisition for the chase, but the advantage of 
 the start, and the desperate \igor of the fugitives, left little to fear 
 from the pursuit of oars alone, and before a sail-boat could be pro- 
 cured and got under weigh they were well out from the land. 
 Sagaciously taking a route nearly in the wind's eye, they had the 
 satisfaction of seeing the last-named vessel compelled to describe an 
 arc of an immense circle, before she could even begin to bear down 
 upon them. The baron, in the meantime, took his turn at the 
 oars, and even compelled the notary to duty in the same hue, under 
 penalty of being left behind. Frequent changes at this labor, with 
 stout hearts and strong arms, worked wonders, and in less than 
 twenty minutes, notwithstanding the roughness of the water, they 
 reached the Jersey shore, while their pursuers were yet more than a 
 mile distant. Nabb had grown much terrified in contemplating the 
 probable disposition which was to be made of himself after he had 
 ceased to be serviceable ; and his alarm was not abated on landing, 
 by hearing some cool inquiries made by the sailors of their principal, 
 as to the manner in which he should be dispatched. But Montaigne 
 entertained no such design, and reminding the notary that he was a 
 prisoner of war, released him on his parole of honor not to aid or 
 assist, l)y information or otherwise, in the pursuit. Impressed with 
 the importance of retaining his skiff, the baron caused it to be skil- 
 fully concealed in a ra\dne in the woods, and then, with the sailors, 
 plunged into the thicknesses of the forest to await the approach of 
 
 .2 
 
26 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 niglit. The pursuing party came up some thirty minutes subse- 
 quently, only to find the half-exhausted attorney alone upon the 
 beach. Still impetuous in the chase, they plied him with a dozen 
 questions at once, as to the course of the fugitives and the disposition 
 made of the boat ; but Nabb rigidly preserved his parole. If ridicu- 
 lous and conceited at times, he was not wanting in honor as he had 
 proved himself not deficient in corn-age. The pursuers, therefore, 
 after much ineffectual search, returned to the city, contenting them- 
 selves with the. belief that the Frenchmen would be starved in the 
 wilderness, or be murdered by the Indians. 
 
 Lord Cornbury was much chagrined at the affair, and the more 
 so when he had succeeded in extorting from the fears of some of the 
 crew the name and rank of the fugitive. That he had had so 
 coveted a prize within his very grasp, and yet had suffered him to 
 escape, was a most galling reflection. Rage for a while became 
 dominant in his breast, and he had nearly resolved on a revocation 
 of his clemency towards the remaining prisoners; but reflection 
 induced him to follow out the line of policy which he had before 
 adopted. They were all set at liberty on the terms which have 
 abeady been named, and Father Ledra was allowed ample time to 
 quit the province. The governor, for a while, lost sight of the 
 minor incidents connected with the affair in the attempt at regaining 
 the baron, an object for the accomplishment of which, by proclamation 
 and pursuit, he left no means untried. Troops were sent up the river, 
 and Indians through the forest ; and extra posts and runners were 
 flying in every direction, proclaiming the escape and the princely 
 reward of re-capture. That the lion was in the jungle somewhere 
 between New York and Albany, there could be little doubt ; and so 
 confident were the anticipations of his being taken, that the council 
 in New York several times debated the subject of his doom. But 
 the vigilance and valor which had planned so extraordinary an 
 escape were not easily to be circumvented. A protracted journeyj 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 27 
 
 prolific in incidents of peril and suffering, was terminated by his safe 
 arrival at Castle Montaigne, an event to which others of great 
 moment were subsequently hnked, as the diligent reader of the fol- 
 lowing pages will discover. 
 
28 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 "Quaint old town of toil and traffic, quaint old 
 town of art and song ; 
 Memories haunt thy pointed gables, like the rooks 
 that round them thToiig."— Longfellow. 
 
 Jacobus Waldron was a Dutchman ingrain. He was bom 
 somewliere near the centre of Holland proper, out of the range of 
 all foreign atmospheric influences, and of parents, whose lineage, 
 traceable for centuries, was of unadulterated Dutch. He spoke, 
 wrote, read, thought, and dreamed in Dutch, wore Dutch garments 
 with a Dutch air, and ate, and drank, and smoked, and slept after 
 the most approved fashion of his race. It had been with many- 
 misgivings that he had migrated, when yet a young man, to New 
 York, which at that time was a colony of Holland, but which, by 
 some strange diplomatic process that he did not understand, was 
 soon afterwards passed over to the sovereignty of England. Like 
 some huge flapjack, tossed by the skilful housewife into the air, and 
 ever coming down in a reversed position, such, to Jacobus's seeming, 
 had been the poHtical tumbhngs of the infant state, which had 
 already belonged twice to both Holland and England, had been 
 now taken on the sly and now by force, and had finally been trans- 
 ferred with the dash of a pen to the last named government, in 
 company with some ignominious islands in the West Indies and the 
 South Seas. It was a galling reflection to Mynheer Waldron that 
 his native land had thus expatriated, as it were, thousands of her 
 loving sons, who had thought, even at this distance, to nestle safely 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 29 
 
 down under her maternal wings. But lie had brought with him all 
 his worldly means, one half of which consisted of small yellow 
 bricks, -with shingles, shutters, and weathercocks, which were des- 
 tined to grow into a house in the new world, and which had taken 
 a thousand fantastic shapes in his imagination, as he smoked, and 
 pondered, and dreamed through a three months' voyage from Am- 
 sterdam. He had brought mth him, too, a plump httle wife and 
 a still plumper baby, cro^\^ng as yet, although of a sex which might 
 more appropriately have cackled. And thus it was that Jacobus 
 continued a denizen of ISTew York, notwithstanding its excision from 
 Holland, the news of which cruel act reached him just as he had 
 completed his house, a building of many angles, which looked as 
 old on the day when it was finished as it did a century subsequent, 
 and on the very steep and smooth roof of which no bird, not remark- 
 ably sure-footed, would have dared to alight. He shut himself up 
 for a while in his castle in great consternation, not knowing what 
 amount of personal calamity to apprehend; but finding himself 
 unmolested, he gradually took heart, and commenced timidly culti- 
 vating his land, of which he had several acres ; and, finally, growing 
 more and more daring, ventured to smoke his pipe on his front 
 stoop, in the face of the whole city. As time rolled by. Jacobus 
 was delighted to find that he remained undisturbed, and that his 
 little farm, stocked with some genuine Dutch cattle, and a few negro 
 slaves, who were then a cheap commodity in the province, afforded 
 him a very comfortable subsistence. If ther^ was no lack, however 
 so neither was there any overplus ; for his negroes, unfortunately, 
 were all provided with mouths, and even his children, as they came 
 successively to light, proved to be similarly equipped ; so that, in 
 one way and another, his yearly products vanished as fast as they 
 came. He had many schemes for growing rich, none of which, 
 however, ever came to sufficient maturity in his mind to be acted 
 upon ; but he kept hoping for better times, and fully believing that 
 something or other would turn up, by and by, greatly to his ad van- 
 
30 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 tage. That indefinite something was doubtless the very same thing 
 which has been about to happen to thousands ever since, who have 
 lacked energy to overcome the natural vis inertice of both mind and 
 body, and who, practising neither self-denial nor industry, look con- 
 fidently for the rewards of both. Whatever it was, it did not come 
 to Jacobus. The course of nature was not subverted for his benefit. 
 He did not grow rich, though he grew fat ; for as years increased 
 upon him, he worked less, and schemed more. Eighteen summers 
 rolled by, and he was startled, one fine afternoon, on rubbing the 
 smoke out of his eyes, and caUing his httle Hetty to his side, to 
 find that she had really grown to be a young woman, and not a 
 little handsome withal. It was strange that he had never noticed 
 this transformation before ; for whatever his daughter might have 
 seemed to others, to him she had always been the same httle tod- 
 dler, who used to dance among the cabbages at the age of three, 
 beguiHng him by the hour from his little relished labor, and even 
 knocking down, at times, the underpinning of those airy structures 
 which he so much delighted to build. But now she herself became 
 the subject of a scheme, suddenly conceived, but long revolved, as 
 she stood at his side, the patient recipient of many puffs, not such 
 as beauty covets most. Jacobus gazed into her pretty face, and 
 smoothed her glossy hair, and eyed her neat round figure and her 
 dimpled httle hand, and thought of the rich young Vanderknipper 
 in the neighborhood, who, everybody said, was in search of a wife. 
 True, he was a booby, tind as surly as a mastiff, but he owned half 
 the street in which he resided, and many a fine block besides, his 
 father ha\ang recently abdicated in his fiivor, and gone to a world 
 where real estate is unknown. It was with much embarrassment 
 that Mynheer Waldron succeeded in broaching the dehcate subject, 
 for the idea of matrimony, he doubted not, would overwhelm the 
 poor child with alai-m. He proved to be somewhat abroad in his 
 calculations, as usual : matrimony, in the abstract, was not an object 
 of aversion to Hetty ; but she would by no means consent to become 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 31 
 
 Mrs. Vanderknipper. She cared little for blocks, and less for block- 
 heads, and, besides that, she had other views ; not that she said to 
 her papa what she thus saucily thought, with the demurest and seem- 
 ingly most submissive of faces. Argument and reason were unavail- 
 ing, and Jacobus, pondering deeply, began to wonder whether the 
 weekly visits of a young English merchant, who brought over his 
 newspaper regularly for the father to read, while he chatted by the 
 hour with Hetty, had anything at all to do with the matter. It could 
 not be ; for Mr. Huntington, although an enterprising, active young 
 man, was as poor as himself; and as neither party could make any 
 money by the operation, it did not seem at all probable that the 
 merchant should seek an alHance with his daughter. Once more, 
 Mynheer Waldron was in error ; Huntington loved Hetty, and mar- 
 ried her, before the father well knew whether he had given his 
 consent or not ; and Time, whom no events can retard, passed on 
 with all its myriad dramas, for another period of twenty years, at 
 which epoch his gi'eat kaleidoscope, being thoroughly shaken up, 
 presented objects in a very different aspect. Jacobus was still alive, 
 verging on eighty, as poor as ever, and still looking confidently for 
 some favorable change in his affairs. Huntington's business had 
 prospered famously for a while, for he was a dealer in furs, a magical 
 sort of trade, at which all parties were gainers, except the producers 
 of the raw material, who were cheated quite out of their skins. He 
 grew rich, indeed, till even the lout of a Vanderknipper took off his 
 hat to him ; and then something jogged the rolling world, and a 
 heavy cargo of peltry, bound to China, sank, uninsured, in the 
 Pacific. Huntington took to his bed, and passed thence to the 
 churchyard ; and Hetty pined but a year, before she slept at his 
 side, showing that life and wealth are only other names for bubbles 
 and shadows. But they had not lived in vain. A son, of manly 
 beauty, of graceful but athletic figure, of open and engaging counte- 
 nance, perpetuated his father's worth and his mother's gentleness 
 At the age of nineteen, he had been called home from a foreign 
 
32 THE KING OF THE HURONS, 
 
 university by intelligence of his first calamity, only in time to receive 
 the coveted caresses of his remaining parent, and to follow her, 
 destitute, and an orphan, to the grave. Some hearts are schooled, 
 gradually, to grief, and grow familiar with its returning visage ; but 
 Hemich's first draught of sorrow was from the lees. He mourned 
 as none but the ingenuous and noble-hearted can mourn ; and when 
 to others' seeming least mindful of his bereavement, his whole heart 
 was often flooded with the gushing tenderness inspired by some 
 sudden recollection of his loss. Mementoes were all around him, 
 hourly touching some mystic thread of memory, and summoning^ 
 from her haunted caverns, the apparitions of departed bliss. Ah ! 
 little do they think, whose experience of adversity has been confined 
 to the common bufFetings of fortune, of that greater calamity, which, 
 taking one treasure, leaves all others valueless ! To lose a friend, 
 and feel that there can be no return, not even for one short hour, 
 through all the coming months, and seasons, and years of life, no 
 word, no glance, no token of forg-iven wi'ong, of continued love, of 
 hoped re-union ; to know this dreadful truth, to feel it pressing 
 heavily upon a heart yet unused to its vacancy, this is misery 
 indeed, and it was that of Henrieh. 
 
 But Heaven has graciously implanted in the mind, as in the body, 
 those recuperative energies, which enable it to rise at length, buoy- 
 ant, fi'om the severest lacerations. The young Huntington became 
 one of his grandfather's household, although, fortunately for both, 
 not without a remnant of means which saved him from dependence. 
 He possessed a taste for study and added largely, in private, to 
 that broad superstructure of learning which had been already founded 
 in his mind ; and when a few summers had passed away, there 
 were but slight traces of his affliction discernible in his deportment. 
 He had become happy and hopeful ; his laughter was again heard 
 by welcoming ears ; his step was hght and agile ; and his whole 
 frame animated with the returning elasticity of youth. Still deter- 
 mining and still hesitating to enter in some way upon the active 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 33 
 
 duties of life, lie yet clung to liis books and his amusements with an 
 indecision that he resolved should soon terminate. He would 
 attempt something ; he would not be an idler in the busy world 
 around him ; disconnected with its sympathies and hopeless of its 
 rewards. Yet his were not the common illusions of youth, present- 
 ing the personal aggrandizement resulting from wealth or fame as 
 the ultimate end of hfe. Taught in the school of affliction, he felt 
 that there w^as something nobler and less selfish in existence than 
 this ; and that the glorious universe, of which he was a conscious 
 part, was something more than a theatre for mere personal display, 
 however brilliant might be the ephemeral gifts of man. The silent 
 exemplars of ancient virtue, visible in colossal though indistinct pro- 
 portions upon the classic page, and the more direct teachings of that 
 high and holy i3hilosopliy, before which the light of mere human 
 learning " pales its ineffectual ray," had given to his character that 
 moral prominence which alone truly exjdts humanity ; and which, 
 when wedded to intellect, becomes, hke the blended light and heat 
 of day, both brilliant and benign. 
 
 It was at this period of his life that an event occurred, which, 
 though singular in itself, deserves chronicling, only by reason of its 
 sequences, at an after day. Fond of hardy sports, and skilful as a 
 marksman, the forests were his frequent resort when oppressed with 
 the weariness of study ; and on a fine June afternoon, he had saun- 
 tered, gun in hand, to the woods, uncompanioned save by the bright 
 memories and brighter hopes that spring spontaneous in the breast 
 of youth. There was a point, a little north of the wall, where a high 
 sandy embankment overlooked the city, the confluent rivers, the bay 
 and its islands, and the opposing shores, which stretched away in the 
 distance, and converged in a hazy line around the shining waters, till 
 but a narrow vista hinted of the unrevealed beauties beyond. It 
 was a spectacle of rare beauty, and Henrich lingered long to gaze 
 upon it, and to watch the shifting shadows that played upon the 
 bay and beach, as the gauzy clouds sailed lazily across the bright 
 
 2* 
 
34 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 blue sky. The tomi reposed quietly before him, sending up no busy 
 hum to his ear. The shouts of children in the streets, driving the 
 bounding ball, or watching the diving kite ; the sound of the ^yood- 
 man's axe and its quick echo ; the rattling of an occasional wagon ; 
 the laughter of trafficking men ; the song of the light-hearted negro ; 
 — ^these were the city's blended voices. The gleam of the sentinel's 
 bayonet came from the distant fort as he paced his idle round ; the 
 unhfted flag was seen drooping from its staff; and, frowning from 
 their embrasures, the threatening cannon looked out towards the 
 sea. 
 
 Beyond this hill, over Avhich the " ploughshare of ruin" has long 
 since been driven, '^as a thicket or dense portion of the forest, 
 remarkable for its profuse foliage and the unrelieved depth of its 
 shade. It was of considerable extent, and included a ravine, at the 
 bottom of which a sullen streamlet proved an attraction to the game, 
 and consequently to the sportsman also. He had not proceeded far 
 in this direction, when he perceived signs of what seemed at first 
 a mortal contest between two athletic men ; but a nearer advance 
 and a closer scrutiny showed him that one only of the combatants 
 was a human being, who was wrestling at vastly unequal odds with 
 a huge gaunt wolf. Unusual as was this circumstance, it being well 
 known that these animals seldom singly attack a man, unless 
 impelled by the fiercest goadings of famine, the combat was of the 
 most \dolent kind, and gave promise of a speedy termination. 
 Appalled at the imminent peril which threatened a fellow-being, 
 Henrich hastened to the spot, and for some time strove in vain to 
 make himself a party to the conflict. So closely was the man locked 
 in the fearful embrace of the beast, and so rapid were their gyrations, 
 that any attempt to dispatch the latter with his weapon, might 
 have proved equally fatal to the other. For a few seconds he 
 darted around the parties, from side to side, seeking vainly for a 
 safe opportunity to discharge his rifle with effect ; and then, impelled 
 by the increasing peril of the stranger, he threw his gun on the 
 
THE KING OF THE SURONS. 35 
 
 ground, and with open arms rushed into the melee. The fierce 
 flashing eyes of the wolf, his ensanguined jaws and teeth, as he 
 turned snarlingly for a moment towards the new comer, were not 
 calculated to inspire courage in his breast ; but determined not to 
 abandon a fellow mortal in such extremity, Henrich grasped the 
 infuriated beast by the neck, and throwing himself heavily upon him 
 succeeded in disengaging him from the wounded man. The latter, 
 staggering backwards for a moment, rallied, and raising a club was 
 about to renew the war, when the animal, alarmed at the reinforce- 
 ment of his foe, commenced a growhng retreat. It proved, however, 
 a less masterly and less successful performance than some feats of 
 this class which are on record ; for Huntington, coolly recovering his 
 weajDon, called upon the rescued man to stand aside, who was still 
 menacingly brandishing his club, and making a feint of pursuit. A 
 quick aim and a detonation that was mingled with a short, fierce 
 yell of the wolf, as he rolled on the ground, ended the affair ; and 
 for the first time Henrich had an opportunity to gratify his curiosity 
 by looking at his companion. He was a rough, sun-burnt man of 
 about forty years, clad in a sailor's dress, and with a countenance 
 which must have been singularly forbidding in any aspect, but which 
 at the present moment was almost fiendish in its expression. Seamed 
 with scratches, stained with blood, lighted with eyes that still flashed 
 rage, his face scarcely needed the coarse, disordered hair, and matted 
 moustache which environed it, to seem altogether diabolical ; and 
 when Henrich, suppressing his emotions of horror, sympathizingly 
 inquired the extent of his injuries, the harsh, grating reply of the 
 other was in singular unison with his looks. 
 
 " The foul fiend seize him ! " he said, glancing at the insensate 
 carcase ; " I was asleep upon the gi'ound, or he never would have 
 dared to attack me ; and as for you, young man, I suppose you 
 think you have saved my life !" 
 
 Henrich smiled, and was about to reply, when the other con- 
 tinued : 
 
36 THE KING OF THE HUr.ONS. 
 
 " But in that you are quite mistaken ; if you had let us alone, I 
 should have done well enough; I don't need help against one 
 wolf, and not much against a whole pack ; however, you meant well 
 enough, Henrich Huntington, and for such a milk-soppish looking fel- 
 low, did well enough, too ; only, next time, I'll thank you not to 
 interfere — that's all !" and so saying, the man picked up his crushed 
 cap, shook the dust from it, and thrusting it on his head, marched 
 off without further comment. 
 
 The young man gazed after him with an air of utter surprise, nor 
 did he withdraw his eyes until the other had entirely disappeared in 
 the depths of the forest. Then smiling, as he proceeded to reload 
 his gun, he said : 
 
 " I killed the wrong wolf that time, certainly, and should have 
 received more thanks if I had helped the other side. Who can the 
 savage be ? and how does he know my name ?" 
 
 Thus soliloquizing, Ilenrich, after loading and priming his piece, 
 proceeded to examine the body of the slain animal, which was of a 
 size and species unusual in that region, and one from a personal 
 encounter with which the bravest might well have shrunk. His 
 bold attack, however, was very remarkable, and rendered probable 
 the truth of the stranger's assertion, that it had been made while he 
 was asleep, and, doubtless, in the opinion of his assailant, already 
 defunct. 
 
 The young man, after examining the body a few minutes, was 
 about to turn away, when he heard a light bounding step breaking 
 through the underbrush, and a young^Indian hunter stood at his 
 side. Uttering a quick guttural sound, that would hardly have been 
 recognised as a laugh, excepting by one famihar with Indian modes 
 of expression, the savage looked deferentially at Huntington, and 
 then pointing at the game, said : 
 
 " Old long-ears ; me shoot him t^\^ce last year ; no use — see !" 
 and turning the carcase over, he pointed out two scars upon the 
 animal's chest, which were evidently the traces of severe wounds. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 37 
 
 Continuing his examination, he again uttered a chuckle of deliglit, 
 and taking his knife from his belt, moved it dexterously for a few 
 moments about the shoulder of the beast, and produced a leaden 
 bullet, which he held up exultingly to Henrich. 
 
 " Mine !" he said ; " my wolf ! AVhat does my brother say ?" 
 " Say ?" rephed Henrich ; " why, I say that you have proved title 
 very clearly ; and if you want the head — there it is ; help yourself, 
 Winny ! The bounty will find you in powder for a month." 
 
 Nodding good-naturedly to the young man, the Indian quickly 
 severed the head, and seizing it by the ears, started on a run 
 towards the city, to claim the small bounty which was then paid for 
 slaughtering beasts of prey. Henrich, meanwhile, abandoning his 
 proposed sport, returned slowly homeward, musing upon the singular 
 events of the day. 
 
38 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ♦' She never wanted a good word — 
 From those who spoke her praise." — Qoldsmith. 
 
 Mrs. Sniff was a slender little widow, of active tongue, whose 
 dear departed had grown enamored of the grave, by hearing it 
 described as a place of silence, and was strongly suspected of ha\dng 
 taken a voluntary leave of life. If his relict had not mourned 
 deeply for her bereavement, then there was no virtue in crape ; for 
 hers was of the finest quality, and was selected, with the discrimi- 
 nating eye of gi'ief, from the most recent importations. Mrs. Sniff 
 was frequently astonished to find herself on the very verge of forty, 
 — a circumstance singular in itself, and well worthy of surprise, inas- 
 much as she had been christened somewhat over half a century ; 
 but she possessed a knack at aping girlhood which might almost 
 cheat Father Time himself, and which, in the apprehensions of some 
 neighboi'ing spinsters, bade fair to prevent her being harvested in 
 due season. 
 
 A snug little house and garden, and a very shadowy income, were 
 the widow's, who, with a single servant, lived alone in a retired 
 quarter of the city ; and it was not without delight that she received 
 propositions from a fine-looking foreigner to admit two young ladies 
 into her household, not exactly as boarders, of course, but as com- 
 panions and friends, who would pay a very liberal stipend for the 
 favor, and ask no questions. But if Mrs. Sniff was delighted, she 
 was careful not to appear so ; she really did not know, she was 
 entirely unused to anything of the kind ; but she certainly had some 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 39 
 
 spare room, and if Captain Sill could assure her that the ladies were 
 quite respectable, and would reflect no dishonor upon the roof of 
 her dear departed Sniff, she thought she might bring herself to con- 
 sent, — the pay, of course, to be in advance. The captain, who had 
 kindl}^ undertaken this commission, by reason of Father Ledra's igno- 
 rance of the English language, succeeded in satisfying the expected 
 hostess of the entire worthiness of her guests, and in baffling her 
 curious endeavors to ascertain any particulars of their history. The 
 situation seemed to him in every way desirable. Seclusion was a 
 primary object with Miss Montaigne, who was enjoined to hold her- 
 self in readiness to depart, whenever her father should be able to 
 send an escort for her safety ; and, in the meantime, to live as retired 
 as possible, and, above all things, to conceal her real name. The 
 preliminaries of a treaty were therefore arranged, not to be ratified, 
 however, until after a personal inspection of the premises by Miss 
 Emily ; an inquisition, at the mention of which Mrs. Sniff exhibited 
 much uneasiness, and begged it might be deferred until the follow- 
 ing day. If the ladies were to be allowed to choose for themselves, it 
 was manifestly quite a different affair. Fathers, and uncles, and 
 guardians are easily gammoned, thought the widow, but when it 
 comes to these meddling girls, flying about the house, peering into 
 every corner, and turning up their noses at all the shifts and artifices 
 of genteel poverty, that is another thing. And so it was. But 
 forewarned is forearmed, thought Mrs. Sniff; and no sooner had the 
 captain withdrawn, than the house was turned forthwith out of the 
 Avindows, and thoroughly renovated, by the aid of two borrowed 
 slaves, who, belonging to a Dutchman, had been taught that cleanh- 
 ness was a cardinal virtue, and quite essential to salvation. Ila^^ng 
 thus made sure that no unbecoming sights or odors would greet the 
 sensitive organs of her visitors, everything was carefully replaced, 
 the scanty finery being skilfully divided between the two rooms 
 designed for their use, and some veiy bountiful bouquets adorning 
 the respective mantels. The little parlor below was made to do its 
 
40 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 best, which was httle more than to exhibit through an open window 
 a fine view of the East river, and of the opposite shore of Long- 
 Island ; the garden was put in hasty trim, and the widow herself, 
 particularly prim, received Miss Roselle with many regrets that her 
 house and premises were unusually out of order, by reason of a long 
 catalogue of disturbing influences which she proceeded to relate. 
 Emily had been cautioned not to be over particular, as the retire- 
 ment would counterbalance many defects ; and she tripped daintily 
 about the house for some time, preceded by her chattering hostess, 
 who herself decried everything with such an amazing humility that 
 she quite disarmed criticism. But Miss Roselle was in truth sur- 
 prised at the general air of neatness which she encountered ; and 
 contenting herself, therefore, with much indistinct murmuring, she 
 dictated a few unimportant alterations, by way of a salvo to her 
 authority, and at length condescendingly expressed her satisfaction. 
 
 " This will be your own room, I presume," said Mrs. Sniff, re-enter- 
 ing the better chamber ; " it is the largest and most airy, and the 
 view from the window is so charming." 
 
 " I think I shall prefer the other," Emily replied, shghtly coloring, 
 for she perceived that she was taken for the principal of the two 
 strangers ; " I do not fancy large rooms, and this love of a morning- 
 glory under the Vvdndow will be so delightful." 
 
 And so the bargain was concluded, and on the same day Blanche 
 and Emily were quietly settled in their new quarters. It was with 
 a singular feeling of desolation that Miss Montaigne contemplated 
 her new position. Separated from her father for an indefinite period, 
 and anticipating a speedy parting with both of her remaining pro- 
 tectors, she might well look forward with misgivings to the future. 
 Father Ledra was to sail in a few days in a Dutch vessel bound to 
 Holland, and was thus to regain his home ; and Captain Sill, who 
 by some private diplomacy with the governor had obtained permis- 
 sion to depart, took advantage of the same opportunity. They 
 called too-ether on the day of embarkation to take a final leave of 
 
THE KING OF THE HUROXS. 41 
 
 tlieir young friends, and to commend them to the especial kindness 
 of their hostess, who being, as she protested, but a girl herself, 
 feared that she could not do much for them ; but promised to watch 
 over them with a sisterly care. 
 
 " We are three young things together. Captain Sill," she said, 
 dehghted that she had so distinguished a personage under her roof, 
 " and my little dove-cot here, as I call it, is quite without a protector, 
 
 since the loss of my poor dear ;" she did not say Sniff, but 
 
 substituted the action for the word, which answered the purpose 
 quite as well. 
 
 Blanche was deeply affected at parting with Father Ledra, for 
 whom she had the sincerest regard ; nor did she fail to reciprocate 
 the kindness of the worthy captain, who seemed to take almost a 
 paternal interest in her welfare. Nothing, indeed, but the imperative 
 claims of a beloved family at home w^ould have induced him to leave 
 I^Tew York, until he had seen Miss Montaigne re-united to her 
 fiiends, and at times he felt disposed to urge her return with him to 
 Paris, but the injunctions of the baron were, of course, a law which 
 they had no right to disregard. 
 
 The departure of the visitors left Mrs. Sniff in a sad state of per- 
 plexity. There had been something of deference in their deportment 
 towards the young ladies, which induced her to suspect that the 
 latter must be persons of considerable distinction ; and the airs of 
 Miss Emily and the reserve of the beautiful Blanche, both strength- 
 ened her suspicions. Here, then, was a rare turn in Fortune's 
 w^heel ; to have disguised countesses and marchionesses, or duch- 
 esses, perhaps, under her roof, and selecting her out from all 
 the city for their friend and protectress. She always knew she had 
 never been appreciated — Mrs. Sniff did ; and thought her time would 
 come, and now at last it had. Her own excessive gentility had 
 done it all, — she could see that clearly enough ; and it would never 
 have happened if her poor dear Sniff had been in the way, who had 
 always been a clog uj)on her, and prevented her from rising to she 
 
42 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 knew not what heights of distinction. But it was still with no httle 
 trepidation that she looked forward to the duties imposed upon her 
 by so delicate a station. She would, doubtless, she thought, be 
 called upon to act as a sort of usher for the young ladies in good 
 society, where they would of course be emulous to shine ; and she 
 began to think over the list of her visiting acquaintances to see who 
 among them was of sufficient rank to serve her in such an emer- 
 gency. There was young Shiel, a very distant cousin of her own, 
 who was a fashionable man about town, and was said to be on 
 intimate terms with Lord Cornbury. True, he was a scamping 
 fellow, dissolute and worthless ; but then he was genteel, and the 
 very man whom it was her duty, as a friend and protectress of the 
 young ladies, to introduce to them. But Shiel, unfortunately, could 
 scarcely be reckoned as an acquaintance ; for although there had 
 long been a tradition in the family of her having once refused his 
 hand at a dance in favor of her newly-betrothed Sniff; and although 
 his apparition had frequently been raised in family altercations, to 
 the great terror of that meek gentleman, as one of the " might have 
 hads" of his much injured spouse ; notwithstanding all this, Shiel 
 had coolly put up his eye-glass on meeting her for the last twenty 
 yeans, and never succeeded in discovering who she was. But then 
 Shiel was getting to be an elderly young man, and might be con- 
 templating matrimony ; and with such rare attractions as the dove- 
 cot now possessed, he could of course be brought around. Well, 
 then, there was Shiel to begin with. But Mrs. Sniff pondered a long 
 time before she could think of any one else. There was the Dutch 
 alderman at the corner, whose purse was supposed to be altogether 
 bottomless, it was so very deep ; but he was a crotchety old fellow 
 who cared nothing for countesses ; and his buxom daughter Sally, 
 whose face was always blazing with the unexpired tints of the 
 kitchen fire, could scarcely be shown oflf to much advantage. But 
 then there was — stranore that she had not thouQ-ht of him sooner — 
 young Henrich Huntington, so handsome, so aristocratic-looking, so 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. 43 
 
 graceful and unpretending withal ; and who had been educated in 
 an English University, and for whom many a rich Dutch belle would 
 have given her very ears, with their gi'eat golden drops in the 
 bargain. True he was poor, but the countesses need never know 
 that if he only kept his own counsel, which she had no doubt he 
 w^ould. And then, he had a love of a little sail-boat, and could give 
 them such delightful excursions up the rivers and down the bays, 
 and away off to Hedge-hog Point and Gibbet Island ; which latter 
 place, although not exactly a place of amusement, possessed the 
 attraction of several capital swings, of such an enchaining character 
 that those who once entered them could never tear themselves away. 
 The widow Sniff, indeed, possessed a vivid imagination, and saw 
 everything of the color of the rose, excepting her weeds, which she 
 resolved to discard ; and ha\dng emerged from her cloud of sables 
 she could easily, she thought, fall back to thirty-five, by the aid of 
 rings, ringlets, and a blonde veil. If her lodgers had thought her 
 genteel before, what would they think then ; and as to Mr, Shiel, 
 why there was such a thing as reviving the embers of a decayed 
 passion, and there was no telling what might happen ; so the 
 duchesses, after all, must take their chance. 
 
 Thus, long and sagely, did Mrs. Sniff plot and ponder ; but all 
 her schemes, hke many originating in wiser heads, were destined to 
 avail but little. Some of her aims remained unaccomplished, and 
 others, as will be seen, attained a fulfilment which owed but httle to 
 her agency. 
 
44 . THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Vine leaf and flower had newly burst, 
 
 And on the burden of the air 
 The breath of buds came faint and rare ; 
 
 And far in the transparent sky, 
 The small earth-keeping birds were seen, 
 
 Soaring deliriously high, 
 And through the clefts of newer green 
 
 The waters dashed their living pearls."— ^FzVZis. 
 
 Solitude and seclusion, doubtless, have their charms, but these 
 were not found sufficient at all times to keep Blanche and Emily 
 within the purlieus of the dove-cot. It was on a bright afternoon 
 in June, not many days after they had become domiciled in their 
 new home, that they ventured together upon a stroll, seeking to gain 
 a glimpse of the world around them. Their hostess, who dealt 
 largely in the marvellous, had held out, from time to time, divers 
 intimations of impending dangers with which every other place was 
 beset excepting the ground sheltered by her sacred roof; and Emily's 
 excitable imagination became populous ^\dth buccaneers, banditti, 
 ghosts, goblins, and witches, until almost every spot seemed to 
 harbor one or another of these unwelcome neighbors. There was, 
 indeed, an air of wildness and novelty pervading the new world into 
 which she had been introduced, which favored the most colossal 
 growth of credulity. Its many wonderful realities formed, of course, 
 the basis of still more wonderful fables, and rendered the boundary 
 line of rational belief not always easily discernible, even by more 
 sagacious minds than that of Miss Roselle. Sleepless, however, as 
 were her apprehensions, they did not extend to the anticipation of 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 45 
 
 danger on the present occasion, and the cousins, yearning for the 
 freedom of the green fields and the open air, of which they had been 
 so long restrained, went joyously upon their way. They passed 
 through the central gate of the city, and following up the windings 
 of a small creek, which led past some quiet farm-houses, they reached 
 the base of the sandy embankment of which mention has been made, 
 and toiled, panting, up its grassy sides, exhilarated by the deep 
 inhalations of fresh air which they were forced to imbibe, and 
 charmed with the widening circuit of view which each upward stage 
 extended before them. Properly speaking, they could not be said 
 before to have seen the magnificent spectacle of the bay of New 
 York, which now, with its fairy islands, its romantic shores, and the 
 entrance of its broad tributaries, the Hudson and East rivers, were 
 comprised in a single picture, dwelling upon the eye with a most 
 pleasing effect. They gazed long and dehghtedly, pointing out to 
 each other the objects of attraction which successively fell under 
 their notice, and for a while scarcely conscious that they were suffer- 
 ing from the sun of June, which, although far past the meridian, was 
 pouring its slant rays through the air with an oppressive intensity. 
 When at length, sated with the prospect, they turned their 
 gaze northward, the adjacent forest, with its cool dense shades, 
 presented an aspect too inviting to be resisted. There certainly 
 could be no danger, they imagined, while keeping only in its 
 border; and with some trepidation, arising from the mysterious 
 warnings of their hostess, they ventured to avail themselves of the 
 retreat. It was, indeed, a temptation difficult to resist. The voice 
 of birds alone disturbed the tranquil repose of Nature, as, flitting 
 from bough to bough, their tiny plumes flashed momentarily upon 
 the eye ; and the dreamy hum of the bee, as on gauzy wing sus- 
 pended he now hung buzzing above some tempting flower, and now 
 buried himself in its fragrant depths. A brook, most diminutive of 
 its race, gurgled at their feet ; and, as it rattled down the decli\aty 
 towards a still thicker shade, seemed hastening with fear from the 
 
46 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 scorching sunbeams which threatened its very existence. Strange 
 odors were in the air, grateful to the sense, and hinting of forest 
 flowers, hidden in a thousand lonely nooks, peeping from beneath 
 piled leaves, crouching beside decayed logs, clinging to crevices of 
 rocks, or bending above the glassy brook, and resting their warm 
 petals on its wave. 
 
 Blanche possessed a spirit happily attuned to the harmonies of 
 nature, and in unison with all its charms. Sorrow and fear, and a 
 sense of loneliness, had clouded for a while her sunny heart, but it 
 answered now with elastic impulse to the witcheries around her. She 
 had recently recovered from the illness of her voyage, and the gradual 
 re-action of her spirits had been suddenly accelerated until joy and 
 hope and gratitude seemed to have filled her heart. The sunbeam 
 w^as not brighter, the flowers were not purer, nor the singing birds 
 more bhthesome than was Blanche. Miss Roselle, although widely 
 uncongenial to her cousin in the points most essential to friendship, 
 was in the main ^a good-natured girl, and the possessor of some 
 cleverness much obscured by conceit, ller romantic ^•iews of hfe, 
 also, were continually conflicting with its common-place events, and 
 not infrequently drawing upon herself a ridicule, which she was for- 
 tunate enough never to perceive. Such as she was, hoAvcver, she 
 was the only friend of Blanche, for whom she entertained a profound 
 respect, not untinctured with envy, and founded on qualities which 
 were lightly prized by their possessor— ^er beauty and rank. The 
 latter was too painfully connected with the idea of an unfeehng 
 parent to be the subject of much self-gratulation ; and mere personal 
 charms, in a mind constituted like Blanche's, are little valued until 
 they have proved an attraction to some beloved object. Then, 
 indeed, does beauty vindicate its power, and the heart, however 
 innocent and artless, learns to prize every minute charm and grace 
 which can help to rivet the rosy chains of love. 
 
 Half an hour had glided past, while Blanche and Emily had 
 tarried just within the edge of the woods, at times roaming idly 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. 47 
 
 about, and at times seated conversing upon a fallen tree : they were 
 in the Jatter position, absorbed in the examination of a rare and 
 beautiful wild-flower, when a quick sudden tramp was heard at their 
 side, and they sprang in terror to the gi-ound. The appearance of the 
 intruder was one that might reasonably have excited some alarm in 
 the minds of the ladies, even had they not been, as they were, highly 
 predisposed to that emotion; for an armed man, with marks of 
 blood not only upon his garments, but upon his face, stood at their 
 side. Emily uttered a succession of piercing shrieks, and fled towards 
 the city ; while Blanche, with a contagious terror, fell fainting to the 
 earth. The stranger, who was none other than the young Hunting- 
 ton returning from the singular adventure which has been related in 
 a preceding chapter, and who had not perceived the ladies until they 
 sprang from their seat, stood paralysed for a moment with contending 
 emiOtions. He was indeed scarcely less startled than those to whom 
 he had proved such an object of dread, and before he could recover 
 sufficient self-possession either to recall Miss Ros^'lle or to conjecture 
 the probable cause of her fright, she had disappeared over the brow 
 of the hill. His attention was immediately given to Blanche, whose 
 extraordinary beauty, as she lay seemingly lifeless before him, was 
 scarcely less a matter of surpi-ise than everything else connected with 
 the adventure. He sprang to the neighboring brook, and bringing 
 water in his cap, dashed it freely and not without effect, in the face 
 of the patient, who slowly revived, but on the sight of Henrich 
 standing near had well nigh swooned a second time. The young 
 man hastened to allay her fears by such explanations and assurances 
 of safety as the excited state of his own feelings would permit him 
 to make, and he had the happiness of seeing her in a short time 
 restored to a comparative degree of composure. 
 
 " I fear we have been very foolish," she said, smiling faintly, as 
 Huntington assisted her to rise, " but we are strangers in the country, 
 and have been taught, perhaps, some unnecessary apprehensions." 
 
 So saying, she turned to depart, when Huntington begged that 
 
48 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 he might be allowed to accompany and protect her from further 
 danger, a proposal which, in her still weak and trembhng state, she 
 could scarcely refuse. She was yet far from certain that the stranger 
 was not an outlaw of some kind, but his courteous manner partly 
 assuaged her alarm, and she did not feel disposed to risk giving 
 ofifence by refusing his civilities. The blood-stains were still upon 
 him, and her own blood ran cold as she saw them, yet she dared not 
 appear to observe such a seeming token of crime in her companion. 
 They walked slowly together, but the brook which they were com- 
 pelled to cross, fortunately recalled to Henrich an intention which he 
 had formed before his recent adventure, of making his ablutions in 
 its waters. With this remembrance came of course a sudden con- 
 sciousness of his appeararibe, and coloring to the temples, he quickly 
 explained everything to his fair companion, and then hastened to 
 the cleansino- wave. It was no small relief to Miss Montaio-ne to 
 feel convinced, as she now did, that all her suspicions were unfounded ; 
 and when Henrich re-appeared, with freshened features and smiling 
 face, the last vestige of her fears had departed. 
 
 " Let us hasten and find poor Emily," she said, " who may have 
 fainted upon the road, for her fright, I believe, was greater, if possi- 
 ble, than mine." 
 
 Miss Roselle, however, had reached home nearly senseless, and 
 scarcely able to articulate ; but she had succeeded in informing her 
 frightened hostess that Blanche had been carried forcibly off by a 
 horrid-looking bandit, armed to the teeth, and that she herself 
 had narrowly escaped the same fate. Her ar^i^'al, however, had for- 
 tunately been retarded by the indirect route which she had taken, 
 and before any alarm could be communicated to the neighbors, 
 Blanche and Henrich were distinctly seen at a distance, descending 
 the hill side, and approaching towards home. 
 
 " She's rescued — she's rescued," shouted Emily, and darting from 
 the house, she hastened to meet her friend with every token of 
 delight. Visions of chivalrous knights of the silver cross or the 
 
THE KING OF THE IIURONS. 49 
 
 golden plume, began to pciss through her mind, and she only- 
 regretted that she did not see her swooning cousin, hanging, with 
 dishevelled hair, across the pommel of the saddle, held by one gaunt- 
 leted hand of her rescuer, while another guided his fiery steed. 
 Reluctantly pardoning the approaching hero for the absence of the 
 horse and its accessaries, she was conning fit phrases to commend 
 his bravery, when the merry smiles of Blanche and something in 
 the appearance of her companion began to impress her with a mor- 
 tifying presentiment of the true stat<3 of the case. As this was at 
 once verified by her cousin's explanation. Miss Roselle was not a 
 little discomfited, but inasmuch as Henrich politely took his leave 
 after consigning his charge to her care, she still entertained the hope 
 that he might be a bandit after all, who had indulged in a sudden 
 fit of magnanimity. Convinced that this was not probable, her 
 hopes successively fell to a smuggler and a housebreaker, and she was 
 sure he bore a resemblance to some pictures she had seen of such 
 characters, who were quite apt, she said, to be handsome, with small 
 white necks, and waving hair. That he did not dare to accompany 
 them quite home, that he departed in the direction of the woods on 
 pretence of having forgotten his gun, that he did not mention his 
 name or inquire Blanche's, or ask permission to call and learn if she 
 had quite recovered, were so many arguments for her opinion ; and 
 Miss Montaigne, much amused, did not care to controvert a posi- 
 tion which, however convinced of its incorrectness, she had no means 
 of disproving. On reaching home they found Mrs. Sniff fully 
 inclined to adopt the views of Emily, but when the cousins had with 
 much difficulty agreed upon a tolerably correct description of the 
 stranger, she could not fail to recognise the picture as that of Mr. 
 Huntington, on whom she had previously bestowed a glowing pane- 
 gyric in their presence. Emily was therefore driven from the last 
 foothold of her romantic theory, and abaQdoning it with little 
 grace she contrived to throw the burden of her blunder on the 
 widow to wliose unnecessary warnings all their alarm was attjibnta- 
 
50 THE KINa OF THE HURON S. 
 
 ble. Mrs. Sniff was a lady of meek inaiiners, when policy dictated 
 humility, and she shouldered the reproach manfully, only hoping 
 that the dear young ladies might never find occasion to credit her 
 assertions more fully. 
 
 To Henrich the adventure was fraught with interest ; the impres- 
 sion made by the charms of Blanche, and especially by her artless 
 and graceful deportment, hung around him like a spell. Her swoon 
 and recovery, her succeeding alarm, and her final rehef from appre- 
 hension, had presented with rapid transition, so many phases of a 
 beauty, which dazzled alike in each, and seemed an epitome of every 
 variety of lovehness. Mingled with this admiration, a strong curi- 
 osity pervaded his mind. Who was this fascinating stranger, and 
 from what region, benighted by her absence, had she come, to 
 irradiate the New World with her charms ? Such were the ques- 
 tions which, in a moment of enthusiasm, Henrich mentally pro- 
 pounded, and which, smiling at his own ardor, he determined 
 speedily to solve. Not that it could avail him aught to know. If 
 the bright picture would bear a close and continued inspection, if 
 there was no dark reverse to its first dazzling surface, his fears at 
 once suggested some other barrier, high and insuperable, which 
 would intervene between himself and so attractive an object. Hope, 
 like the hooded falcon, refused to soar, and gained with difficulty 
 even an upward glance of aspiration. How strange a feature of 
 the human heart is that which adjusts its doubts to the magnitude 
 of its desires, and sees, by the light whicb streams from some 
 coveted goal, only the obstacles which crowd the path of attain- 
 ment ! 
 
 But Henrich reflected with pleasure that politeness demanded of 
 him a visit to the strangers after their singular meeting ; and he did 
 not hesitate to call upon them on the same evening. He was 
 received with? evident pleasure by both the ladies, and the event of 
 the day formed the theme of no httle merriment. 
 
 "It was really very ridiculous of us, Mr. Huntington," said 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 51 
 
 Blanche, " and you must be generous enough not to tell the story 
 greatly to our disadvantage : please to throw in a few additional 
 marks of blood, for our excuse and, if possible, the wolf's head and 
 ears." 
 
 " It is quite unnecessary. Miss Roselle," replied Henrich ; " the 
 rivulet in which I washed told me that your fears were fully justi- 
 fiable. I httle thought that my encounter with the beast would be 
 the cause of so much suffering." 
 
 " Do not speak of it," Blanche rejoined ; " the joke is well worth 
 its cost — but pray, tell us, what were your own sensations at so 
 strange an interruption to your reverie ?" 
 
 '* You will laugh," answered Henrich, " when I tell you, that at 
 first I fully beheved I had startled a covey of partridges ; the flutter- 
 ing of dresses was not unlike the noise of their wings, and the fallen 
 tree, which is the frequent resort of these birds, doubtless confirmed 
 the illusion." 
 
 " This is really quite too bad !" exclaimed Miss Montaigne ; " I 
 had fully hoped to make you own to a little fi'ight or trepidation, 
 or something that might make an offset to our fears ; but instead of 
 that, it seems we have all the ridicule to ourselves, and have nar- 
 rowly escaped being shot, as birds, besides." 
 
 " You are truly unfortunate," said Henrich. " I do not see that 
 your misery admits of any palliation." 
 
 " Well, well," continued Blanche, laughing ; " we may at least 
 be thankful that Mr. Huntington did not mistake us for owls 
 instead of partridges, which our stupidity would have rendered quite 
 excusable." 
 
 The interview was prolonged somewhat beyond the limits of a 
 formal call, and when Henrich rose to depart, it was with a reluc- 
 tance that surprised himself Mrs. Sniff politely asked him to 
 repeat his visit, and, unconsciously, his eye turned to Miss Mon- 
 taigne, with^the hope of hearing the invitation seconded from the 
 only quarter which could give it value ; but Blanche, with instinc- 
 
62 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 tive delicacy, remained silent, and Emily, to whom, in her character 
 as an elder sister, such a duty more properly pertained, saw fit to 
 follow her cousin's example. After a moment's hesitation, the visiter 
 replied ceremoniously, and withdrew. With admiration undimi- 
 nished, hope unaugmented, curiosity unsated, he returned slowly and 
 thoughtfully to his home. If Miss Montaigne had given the sim- 
 plest form of assent to the widow's polite request — a bow, a smile, 
 or even a marked look, there would have been a little loop on which 
 to hang a httle hope of favor ; now there was none, and he might 
 not again seek their presence. The rumors of their rank, which 
 Mrs. Sniff sedulously diffused, doubtless by way of aiding their 
 design of seclusion, did not fail soon afterwards to reach his ears, 
 and confirmed him in the mortifying belief that the omission of the 
 much coveted invitation was by no means accidental. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 53 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " She's beautiful, and therefore to be woo'd ; 
 She is woman, and therefore to be won.'"— Shaks ,— Henry VI. 
 
 Major St. George Grover was a man who had made some 
 converts to the doctrine of total depravity ; yet he was far from 
 being a polemic, and might have found it difficult to tell what were 
 his own views on that much mooted point. Of an aristocratic and 
 wealthy family in England, he had long pursued an unremitting 
 career of profligacy in that country, whence he had but recently 
 transplanted his vices into the New World, where, it need scarcely be 
 said, they took deep root, and produced an abundant harvest ; not 
 dissimilar, indeed, to some indigenous crops in the same soil, for 
 earth, unfortunately, has no clime in which sin is an exotic. 
 
 Major Grover was one of the individuals who had accompanied 
 Lord Cornbury on board the St. Cloud, where he had been a silent 
 observer of events, had been struck with Miss Montaigne's beauty, 
 had stared at her with relentless effrontery, and, scarcely aside, had 
 laughed merrily with Ensign Midge over some jeering remarks upon 
 her charms. He' had at once resolved on becoming acquainted 
 with so attractive a person ; and he saw with delight that her com- 
 panion was a simpleton, and her protector a priest of the proscribed 
 school. For many days he had lost trace of the strangers, but he 
 discovered their retreat at length, and learned, by singular assiduity, 
 the history and situation of their hostess, with the prominent traits 
 of her character. He learned, too, that beau Shiel was a distant 
 relative of the widow, rather beyond speaking distance, it is true, 
 
54 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 but privileged, of course, at any time to resume the claims of kin. 
 Shiel on his request did not hesitate to call on Mrs. Sniff, much to 
 her delight, and to express his regrets that the cares of business had 
 prevented him for some little time preceding from keeping bright the 
 chain of friendship between himself and his respected cousin. But 
 the widow said it was not to be spoken of, and she w^as sure she was 
 much obliged to Mr. Shiel for remembering her at all ; and so a 
 footing was very soon established for that gentleman in the dove-cot ; 
 and he knew, as he expressed himself to Major Grover, exactly 
 where he stood. He did not know where the ladies stood, how- 
 ever, for, equally to his own chagrin and that of Mrs. Sniff, they did 
 not descend to the drawing-room, and the widow was compelled to 
 manufacture two extempoi-aneous headaches in their behalf. She 
 took the opportunity, however, to hint at the scrupulosity of rank, 
 and informed Mr. Shiel that she would try to prevent a recurrence 
 of his disappointment, if he would do her the honor to dine with 
 her on the ensuing day, an invitation at which he secretly exulted, 
 and which, after a very studious perusal of some blank tablets, to 
 make sure that he had no other engagements, he graciously 
 accepted. 
 
 But now came Mrs. Sniff's turn to be delighted, aye, to be 
 thrown into a very paroxysm of silent ecstasies ; for Mr. Shiel 
 craved the very particular favor of being allowed to bring with him 
 bis friend, the Honorable Major Grover, a gentleman of ancient 
 family, who could trace his lineage back to the days of the Con- 
 quest, and was even suspected of having had ancestors before that 
 period ; but that was mere conjecture. The favor was of course 
 readily accorded, and the visitor took his leave, with a profusion of 
 courteous words and gestures, in which line, however, he scarcely 
 transcended the remarkable exploits of the widow, who seemed to 
 respond with a sort of mesmeric motion to all the grimaces and 
 genuflections of her visitor. 
 
 It had been a rash and unconsidered thing, Mrs. Sniff's invitation 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 65 
 
 had, and the subject lay all that night upon her mind vAih pecuhar 
 heaviness. Strange \dsions haunted her sleep. Her lodgers had 
 again proved refractory, and would not leave their rooms, and her 
 illustrious visiters and herself were vainly trying to dine upon a pair 
 of boiled ej^aulettes, which defied all her attempts at carving, and 
 were quite deficient in gravy besides. If she tried to propitiate 
 Blanche, she was pelted with glass shppers for her pains ; and 
 Emily, taught by her fi-iend's example, proved equally intractable. 
 The dews of anxious thought were upon the widow's brow when 
 she awoke in the morning, which was necessarily at an early hour ; 
 for, to secure such a result, she had compelled a bantam rooster, 
 famed for his vociferous greetings of the dawn, to take lodgings in 
 her room. She set earnestly about the labors of the day, and 
 engaged in the preparations for dinner with such enthusiasm, as to 
 quite overlook the minor matter of breakfast, a meal which, by the 
 customs of that age, was clearly entitled to precedence. She was 
 fortunately, however, reminded of this slight blunder by a voracious 
 serving girl, whose seldom-sated appetite proved a faithful monitor 
 on the occasion. 
 
 Fearful that Blanche and Emily would in some way slip 
 through her fingers, after all, it was not until the latest allowable 
 minute that she informed them of her expected guests ; they 
 were only some of her particular friends, she said, who would 
 take things quite as they found them, and were not to be treated 
 with ceremony. Major Grover was so fond of his beloved England, 
 that he longed to see any one who had recently trod its blessed 
 shores, so Mr. Shiel had said, and she thought it was a very pretty 
 sentiment, and one which did equal honor to his heart and his 
 gizzard — which last word was a la2mis UngucB of the widow, occa- 
 sioned by a sudden remembrance of a contemplated chicken fricasee, 
 in which those parts of the dissected fowl were to figure. 
 
 Miss Montaigne did not absent herself from the great dinner, for 
 she had not the heart to disappoint her anxious hostess, and, 
 
5G THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 doubtless, was not quite devoid of curiosity to see one of the lions of 
 New York society ; while Emily was delighted beyond bounds at 
 an event so full of promise. The visiters came in due season, and 
 were introduced in due form. The widow and Miss Eoselle, who 
 were both elaborately dressed, seemed equally to captivate the 
 obliging Shiel, who quite gave up the beautiful Blanche to the 
 attentions of his friend. That these were anything but pleasing to 
 her would have been quite apparent to an indifferent observer ; but 
 Grover, being quite fascinated by his companion, fell into the com- 
 mon error of believing that she was equally pleased. It will not be 
 necessary to record more minutely the events of a day, memorable 
 only for laying the foundation of an acquaintance, which the major 
 strove sedulously to improve, and which led to some striking results. 
 For a while he persecuted Blanche with attentions seemingly 
 respectful, but which took no form sufficiently definite to admit of 
 eflfectual repulse. She avoided him when she could, and when she 
 could not, was coldly civil, and ceremoniously polite. Thus affairs 
 stood for a few weeks, when an event occurred which wrought a 
 marked change in the designs of the suitor. He chanced one even- 
 ing at a restaurateur's to hear the name of Roselle pronounced in a 
 foreign accent, and upon observation he discovered two Frenchmen 
 of the lower class, conversing together in their own language, and 
 in a low tone of voice. A little attention enabled him to perceive 
 that the colloquists were sailors who had formed part of the crew of 
 the St. Cloud, and that they were discussing some events connected 
 with its capture. Seemingly engrossed in some other matter, he 
 contrived to pay the closest attention to their discourse, which was 
 the less guarded, because they supposed their dialect to be unintelli- 
 gible to the other individuals present. 
 
 From this conversation Grover learned the important fact that the 
 younger of the two ladies passing under the name of Roselle was, in 
 reality, a daughter of the celebrated Baron Montaigne, who, on arriving 
 at New York, had assumed the obscurer name which she now bore, 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 67 
 
 and that she only awaited vSorae expected opportunity to be provided 
 by her father, for leaving the city. This information was full of 
 interest to the listener, and for a while he could not decide how best 
 to avail himself of its advantages. Despite his self-flattery, he was 
 conscious that he had as yet made no advances in Blanche's affec- 
 tions adequate to his exertions ; and it was now a solace to his pride 
 to beheve that if he was baffled it was by one, conscious of rank 
 temporarily obscured, which might claim an equality with his own. 
 What then if he should abandon his irrational prejudices against 
 matrimony, and seek this peerless beauty with an honest love ? The 
 hymeneal fetters could not be as onerous as they had been repre- 
 sented, especially if one were disposed to wear them loosely, as he 
 certainly should do. Blanche would adorn any circle ; her dowry, 
 if not immediate, would, doubtless, be princely at some future day ; 
 and he would carry her back to England to eclipse the crowds of 
 Lady Janes and Lady Annes, whose virtuous mamas had denounced 
 him as an irreclaimable rou^^ and had shown as much perturbation 
 at his appearance in their guarded circles, as the cluttering hen when 
 the hawk hovers in the air. He would, besides, have the credit of 
 great generosity and disinterestedness ; for he would woo and wed 
 the stranger in her assumed name, seemingly ignorant of her true 
 rank and expected patrimony. Thus would he also pay the higher 
 compliment to her attractions, and make more sure of her regard. 
 But on the last point he indulged no fears ; the thought of a refusal 
 did not enter into his mind, and would have been scouted as 
 the very ravings of delirium. Having thus resolved, he kept his 
 own counsel and lost no time in inaction. There was, at once, a 
 marked change in the character of his addresses to Blanche, who, 
 finding no coolness sufficient to discourage him, rejoiced at the 
 prospect of being soon able to give him a peremptory dismissal. 
 She was not kept long awaiting such an opportunity, but found it a 
 difficult thing to convince her astonished suitor that she really 
 rejected his offer. It was again and again renewed, and the haughty 
 
 3* 
 
58 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 major found himself under the mortifying necessity of crying up his 
 value, and explaining the magnanimity of his proposal. His wealth, 
 his rank, his family, were all dilated upon as creating a disparity of 
 advantages in his favor, which might w^ell entitle him to look for a 
 different answer. But no different answer came. Blanche was 
 obliged to him for his good opinion ; she had endeavored, since the 
 first suspicion of his sentiments, to discourage him, and she begged 
 that her decision might be considered final and conclusive. 
 
 Grover retired from this interview, — not a lover, — but a madman. 
 Opposition had inflamed his passion, wounded his vanity, awakened 
 his pride, and called into intense action every evil part of his nature. 
 He was capable of making a mock of every moral obligation, when 
 his mind w^as undisturbed ; what he could do in its present dangerous 
 ebullition, remains to be seen. 
 
THE KINa OF THE HURONS. 59 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 "Win her with gifts, if she respect not words ; 
 Dumb jewels often, in their silent kind, 
 More quick than words, do move a woman's mind." 
 
 — Two Oentlemen of Verona. 
 " Within the oyster's shell uncouth 
 The purest pearl may hide : — 
 Trust uie— you'll find a heart of truth 
 Within that rough outside."— Jl/rs. Osgood. 
 
 The movements of Major Grover for the few days succeeding the 
 events last related were of a singular character. He was much 
 alone, was often wrapt in contemplation, and occasionally gave way 
 to unusual expressions of feehng. At times he was closeted with a 
 rough sailor-like man, to whom, in the presence of third parties, he 
 talked loudly of cargoes and consignments, but for whose private ear 
 he had other themes. Captain Snell had just arrived in the city, 
 and his ship, anchored off Staten Island, had not yet been able to 
 get into port, notwithstanding the most favorable winds that ever 
 wafted keel. He had, indeed, a rich cargo of goods, which he had 
 procured with much labor and peril on the high seas, and he wanted 
 a market and protection while he disposed of his property : he 
 wanted, as he significantly said, " to be winked at" by the govern- 
 ment. He needed in short exactly what Grover could procure for 
 him, which the latter very well knew, and he played his card 
 accordingly. 
 
 " It's only a wedding trip. Captain Snell," he said, summing up 
 the substance of many previous remarks to his acquiescent auditor ; 
 " a few weeks' absence, a httle assistance, perhaps, in conveying my 
 
60 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 bride to the vessel, and your evidence if necessary afterwards, that 
 it was all fair and voluntary — that's all." 
 
 "That's all easy enough, major," rephed the sailor, — "I did 
 something such a job once for a count in Lisbon, and she was quiet 
 enough when we got back ; they won't prosecute their husbands, of 
 course, and have to make the best of it." 
 
 " That's it, exactly," said Grover, who next proceeded to explain 
 the details of his proposed plan, to all of which the other listened 
 attentively, and pronounced it easily practicable. 
 
 "It isn't anything at all," he said ; "I thought it must be a hfe 
 and death aflfair, at least, from the way you tacked and shifted 
 around the subject before you came to it ; but it aint anything, that 
 aint, and she hves where she is so easily to be got at, too ; just let 
 me know when you are ready — that's all." 
 
 Grover, who was quite in earnest in his infernal scheme, proceeded 
 to make the necessary arrangements, yet without taking any one 
 fully into his confidence. The temporary absence of the wddow and 
 Emily was to be procured ; and Shiel w^as considered the fitting 
 agent for this part of the entei^^rise. On the day selected he invited 
 the ladies to take a drive with him on Long Island ; and easily 
 accepting Blanche's excuse, which had been anticipated, he found 
 httle difficulty in persuading the other two to accompany him. 
 That there was mischief on foot of some kind, he very wtII knew, 
 but of what particular variety, he w^as ignorant. It would have been 
 easy to lure the servant girl from home, who was a colored slave 
 about twenty years old ; but as such a measure might excite 
 Blanche's suspicions, it w^as resolved rather to kidnap and dispose of 
 her at some southern market. UnwilHng, however, to resort to 
 these extreme measures, while there remained the slightest hopes of 
 success by milder means, and still flattering himself that Miss Mon- 
 taigne might already have repented her decision, Grover resolved to 
 make first a final efl:brt at persunsion. He had, indeed, exhausted 
 every variety of blandishment ; he had practised all those pleasing 
 
THE KING OF THE II U R O N S . 61 
 
 arts whicli a life of gallantry had tanglit him ; but he would make 
 one additional effort, and fortify it, if necessary, by disclosing to 
 Blanche the mesh with whicli she was surrounded, and from which 
 she could indulge no hope of escape. 
 
 It was a calm afternoon in June that had been selected for this 
 daring and atrocious exploit, and Miss Montaigne, seated alone in the 
 little parlor which has been described, was reflecting upon the 
 marked events which had recently diversified her life, and changed 
 it from one of singular monotony to one of unusual and varied 
 action. What fortune was in store for her in that mysterious future 
 which seemed thickly shrouded from her view, it was impossible to 
 conjecture. Separated since infancy from every near relation, she 
 was about to join a parent who manifested no affection for her, and 
 one whose Huron wife and half Huron daughter would occupy 
 towards her the legal relation of mother and sister. With such 
 companions she was to pass her time, buried in the forest, and even 
 of less consequence than her Indian sister, who doubtless at least 
 possessed the affection and regard of her savage relations. Of Myr- 
 tle and her mother she could only think as of tawny and blanketed 
 women, like those of their race whom she had seen during her 
 abode in New York. It was a dismal prospect to contemplate 
 closely : but Blanche would not yield to despondency ; there was, 
 after all, something of wildness and romance in the picture, and her 
 playful imagination gave to it tints and hues which belonged less to 
 the subject than to the joyous and innocent heart from which they 
 emanated. She resolved, too, to find happiness in duty ; she would 
 soften her father's heart by unremitting kindness ; she would educate 
 her Indian sister, and surprise her with the thousand novelties of 
 civilized life ; she would even make a friend of the dreaded baroness, 
 if the latter were not altogether a cannibal, and past the hope of 
 reclamation. What pets, too, she would have ! A pair of gentle 
 fawns should feed daily from her hands, and race with her through 
 the fields ; the rabbits should burrow in the c^arden ; the birds 
 
62 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 should build beside her windows; and the clambering flowers, 
 exhaling an atmosphere of fragrance, should tempt the bee, and the 
 tiny hummer, and the gorgeous butterfly ; and all these would be 
 her friends and playmates. 
 
 As Blanche gazed from time to time out of the window while 
 engaged in these reflections, her eye was attracted by several rough 
 looking individuals in the garb of sailors, who were idly sauntering 
 in the vicinity. One leaned indolently against a post at a 
 little distance from the house, trolling some nautical chorus ; 
 another lay stretched upon the grass on the common ; and a party 
 of three, further towards the river, w^ere chatting and smoking 
 beneath a tree, but not ginng way, as might be expected from 
 sailors on furlough, to any noisy mirth. She felt some alarm at 
 first, remembering the isolated situation of the house, but inasmuch 
 as the men remained quiet, and made no nearer approach, her 
 apprehensions soon subsided. She remembered the ludicrous results 
 of her fears in the forest a few weeks preceding, and resolved not 
 again to play so childish a part. She had, indeed, withdrawn her 
 eyes from the landscape and was again wrapt in contemplation, 
 when she became suddenly conscious that she was no longer alone, 
 and on looking up she discovered the detested Grover at her side. 
 He had entered the room vnth. a silent and cat-like motion, and 
 there was something in the bland expression of his face and in the 
 soft, purring tone of his voice as he addressed her, equally feline in 
 its character. 
 
 " I have again come unbidden," he said ; " may I hope not 
 entirely unwelcome ? One of my vessels, long due, has arrived 
 since I left your presence, and I have hastened to lay some of its 
 treasures at your feet." 
 
 An attendant at his signal entered the room, and depositing a 
 large package upon a table, immediately withdrew : Grover followed 
 him to the door, which he carefully closed, and returning, proceeded 
 to open the parcel, while Blanche, v/ho had. l^efore made several 
 ineffectual efforts to speak, rose suddenly to her feet. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 63 
 
 " Do not open it," she said, speaking with some vehemence, yet 
 in a low, trembhng voice, " do not leave it, Major Grover. I can 
 accept no favors which I have neither the power nor the ^^ish to 
 requite ; if I have not, heretofore, spoken plainly " 
 
 " But too plainly, my dear Miss Roselle ; but ladies are proverbially 
 changeful, even as the shifting colors of this beautiful silk," unfolding 
 and displaying a piece of the most gorgeous fabric, and pihng upon 
 it a profusion of rich laces — " these might make bridal robes for a 
 princess ; and here," he continued, unclasping a box of costly jewelry, 
 " are ornaments which would adorn all other beauty, but which will 
 receive new lustre fi*om Miss Blanche Roselle." 
 
 Miss Montaigne looked on with scorn, and cast frequent glances 
 towards the door, as if with a presentiment that an attempt at egress 
 might be opposed ; there was something strange and threatening in 
 the eye and manner of her suitor, which impressed her with vague 
 forebodings ; and, seemingly without design, she slightly changed 
 her position to one more favorable for flight. The movement was 
 not unnoticed by Grover, who also, ^vitli apparent inadvertence, 
 placed himself between her and the door, and somewhat changing 
 the tone of his voice, continued : 
 
 " I have made all allowances for the modesty, which, Csesar-like, 
 has thrice refused what it intended fi'om the first to accept. My 
 rank and wealth have, I know, rendered you incredulous as to the 
 honesty of my intentions ; you have, perhaps, even heard some 
 old-wives' tales of deserted flower-girls or heart-broken milk-maids, 
 whose cause you may be chivalrous enough to wish to avenge — but 
 to you, beautiful Blanche, I swear perpetual fealty ; for your sake, I 
 will bear the chains of Hymen, and as you so much mistrust me, I 
 will ask not even the favor of a smile until we are wedded." 
 
 A passing color and a quick breathing alone told of the suppressed 
 indignation of the listener ; she did not dare to reply ; the words of 
 her companion were those of entreaty, but his voice was in a tone 
 of command, and there was a menacing expression in his face, which 
 
64 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 overpowered her with fear. She cast a hurried glance fi'om the 
 window in the anxious hope of seeing Emily and Mrs. Sniff returning, 
 or of seeing some visiter approaching the house ; but there was 
 nothing that gave prospect of relief. She did not dare to attempt to 
 pass out lest she should learn that she was really a prisoner, and should 
 precipitate whatever of evil she had to fear. She resolved, therefore, 
 to gain time by parley, but even in this design she seemed to be 
 anticipated by her persecutor. He continued to urge his suit as yet 
 in respectful language, but the uneasiness of his air, and his frequent 
 outward glances, seemed to indicate the expected approach of some 
 other party. He was, in fact, aAvaiting the promised arrival of a 
 legal functionary, who was authorized to tie the matrimonial knot, 
 and on whose perfect subserviency to his interests he could depend ; 
 on his approach, if persuasion continued fruitless, he had determined 
 at once to disclose to Blanche her peril, and make the alternative propo- 
 sition of instantaneous marriage or abduction. The suddenness of the 
 demand, the imminency of the danger, the few minutes which she 
 would be allowed to decide, combined with the force of prior 
 arguments, he did not doubt would overcome every obstacle and 
 produce a complete acquiescence. But while he waited, he grew 
 momentarily impatient ; delays were dangerous ; there was indeed 
 no fear of the return of Shiel and his companions, and one of the 
 sentinels was even prepared to prevent the casual approach of 
 strangers to the house, by the alarm of an infectious disease which 
 was to be sedulously shunned. But still he felt that haste was 
 desirable ; and although it Avas not yet the appointed time for his 
 coadjutor's arrival, he resolved to go personally and expedite his 
 movements. Blanche, he thought, was yet unalarmed, and although, 
 perhaps, angry at his pertinacity, she did not, he believed, entertain 
 the least suspicion of his design. She would not, therefore, think 
 of flight, and if she attempted could not accomplish it, for the 
 pirates had orders to prevent her departure, and if she persisted in 
 going or in making an outcry, they were to carry her forcibly to 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 65 
 
 the vessel. He departed, therefore, without giving her any inti- 
 mation of his intended return, and only paused near the door to 
 give directions to one of the banditti for additional vigilance during 
 the few minutes of his expected absence. But Miss Montaigne, as 
 has been already seen, was by no means unalarnied ; her fir^t fears 
 had been allayed, but the strange deportment of Grover and the 
 continued presence of the sailors who still lounged listlessty about 
 the premises, now combined to excite her worst apprehensions. 
 
 It has been said that there was in the house besides Miss 
 Montaigne, one individual, too insignificant to be dreaded, even as 
 an informant, yet whom Grover intended to include, if convenient, 
 in his kidnapping enter|)nse. Jule, for such was the slave's name, 
 had belonged to the Sniffs from childhood, and her faculties had 
 been somewhat sharpened by the necessity of inventing expedients 
 to evade some of her mistress's inordinate exactions of labor. She 
 was a good-natured girl, Vt'arm in her attachments, and, since the 
 arrival of Miss Montaigne, had manifested the greatest pleasure in 
 serving her. Unused to words of kindness and consideration from 
 those above her, Jule had seen the beautiful stranger manifesting an 
 occasional interest in her welfare, which had astonished and delighted 
 her ; and the heart of the negress had closed with avidity upon 
 this rare object of affection. Nothing could be too good, nothing 
 too nice for Miss Blanche : and the least smile of approval from her 
 was more than a reward for every exertion of the humble servitor. 
 
 Powerless as such an ally might seem. Miss Montaigne hastened 
 to seek her counsel and aid ; but Jule, already alarmed, and flying 
 from what seemed the post of more imminent danger, met her with 
 intelhgence that confirmed all her fears, and added tenfold to their 
 intensity. She had herself watched the strange movements of the 
 men, had noticed their sailor-like garb, and had overheard Grover's 
 instructions, on departing, for a vigilant watch, and forbidding any 
 eo-ress from the house. There was little time for reflection ; and 
 Blanche implored the negress to make an attempt to escape and 
 
66 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 seek assistance. That Miss Montaigne was the principal object of 
 pursuit, and that whatever danger impended over herself would not 
 be enhanced by flight, even if unsuccessful, Jule readily saw ; but 
 even if it had been otherwise, she would have refused nothing to 
 Blanche. With ready wit, too, she reflected that if she went out, 
 apparently unalarraed, and as if bound on some ordinary errand, 
 she might perhaps be allowed to pass unmolested. Her absence 
 might even be considered an advantage, inasmuch as the ab- 
 duction of one individual could of course be accomplished more 
 safely and quietly than that of two. Hanging a basket, therefore, 
 upon her arm, and hastily informing Blanche of her design, she 
 sauntered lazily from the door, singing, with half-choked voice, a 
 negro refrain, and carefully dissembling her fears. Her exit was 
 from the rear door, and her course through the garden towards a 
 lane in its rear, led directly past two of the guards. They had 
 been instructed to prevent any attempt at flight ; but they had also 
 been ordered not to excite any premature alarm or suspicion on the 
 part of the inmates of the house, and for a moment they hesitated 
 on their proper course. Here was evidently no flight ; the slave 
 would soon return, and if not, her absence would rather do good 
 than harm ; and with this view of the matter, they had well nigh 
 permitted her to pass, when one, still undecided, suddenly accosted 
 her. 
 
 " Avast — there, avast, Nan ! You sing merrily for a blackbu'd — 
 just drop alongside here, and tell us where you are bound to ; 't aint 
 every one that dares to sail openly under such dark colors — is it, 
 Jack r 
 
 " You mind yer own business, and git out of our garden, afore 
 Mrs. Snifl" sees you, or you'll ketch it," answered Jule. " I'm going 
 to pick peas over in dat field ; ' Massa eat de sugar. Sambo git de 
 cane ;' " and she passed tremblingly on towards the fence. 
 
 " Blast the blackamoor !" exclaimed the sailor, following as he 
 spoke ; " can't you answer a civil hail better than that ? bring to, I 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 67 
 
 say, and show your papers, or we'll blow you out of water — but if 
 as how," he continued, as Jule slackened her pace, and looked back, 
 "if as how you are really under saihng orders for that field, over 
 there " 
 
 " I didn't say any such thing," replied Jule, " and I haint got any 
 papers, nor notting elst but dis ere pail." 
 
 " Let her go. Bill, or elst don't let her go, one or t' other," said 
 the other sailor ; " what's the use of jabbering to the wench ? / 
 says, let her go, and very good riddance it is." 
 
 " And / says, mebbe not, Mr. Jack," said the first speaker, who 
 seemed to imbibe the spirit of contradiction from the interference of 
 his companion ; "you just bring her to a minute, while I run around 
 and ask Bluff about it, kase, you see, it's a kind of a nice question, 
 after all." 
 
 So poor Jule was brought to, and compelled to await the decision 
 of higher authority. 
 
 " It's a high time of day," she said, with affected wrath, — " if 
 people can't come for to go in their own mistress's garden, which 
 they've lived with twenty years — in broad dayhght, it is — you let 
 go my arm, you scaramouch, you !" 
 
 " Steady, lass, steady," replied Jack, " least said, soonest mended ; 
 I aint no scarrymouse, neither, and it's well for you you aint aboard, 
 or you might get a dozen or two for your impudence." 
 
 With emotions that cannot be portrayed, Blanche beheld from a 
 window the scene which has been described ; she saw Jule unac- 
 costed, nearly pass the guard, and, after a temporary detention, 
 resume her progress, only to be a second time stopped and questioned, 
 and held rudely by the arm. While she waited with fearful mis- 
 ginngs for the result, the bandit, who has been called Bill, returned 
 from his embassy, and, speaking in a voice that reached the ears of 
 Miss Montaigne, said, " Mr. Bluff says there aint so much as a cat 
 to go out of the house, 'cause she mout be a kind of carrier-pigeon, 
 like, you see, which this ere thing don't look much like, of course ; 
 
68 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 but then she must trot back notwithstanding, and no words about it 
 either." 
 
 Jule hesitated for a moment ; but there was nothing to do but 
 submit, and with a hea\y heart she returned to the house, where 
 Blanche was already gi\'ing way to all the anguish of despair. 
 
THE KINO OF THE HURONS. 69 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 " What masking stuff is here ? 
 What's this 7— a sleeve 1 'tis like a demircannon."— Tcmm^ of the Shrew. 
 
 If consternation had paralysed the faculties of Miss Montaigne, it 
 gave new energies to the slave. With the celerity and nearly the 
 fierceness of an imprisoned wild-cat, she flew from window to window, 
 seeking to catch sight of some casual passer, to whom she might 
 shriek for help ; but no one was visible, and every hope of succor 
 from without was abandoned. Yet her resources did not seem to 
 be exhausted. Pausing a moment for thought, she suddenly darted 
 up the kitchen stairway, and before Blanche could conjecture her 
 designs, she re-appeared with various articles of apparel, both of her 
 own and Miss Montaigne, including the bonnet and veil of the latter 
 and an ample hood of her own. 
 
 " Be quick," she said, signifying her meaning more by motions 
 than words, " let us change clothes — dey will chase Jule, Miss 
 Blanche will run away." 
 
 Miss Montaigne startled at the strange proposition, having no 
 confidence in its success, and unwilling to subject the slave to the 
 increased peril which success would involve, hesitated to assent ; but 
 Jule, disposing summarily of her objections, proceeded to partly 
 disrobe her young mistress and to substitute her own coarse and 
 clumsy garments for the elegant apparel of the other. The dimen- 
 sions of the negress were, fortunately, not materially diiferent fi-om 
 those of Miss Montaigne, but there were some awkward discrepancies 
 of shape, which it required ingenious expedients to overcome. An 
 
70 
 
 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 ample frock of the fabric usually called linsey-woolsey easily concealed 
 the graceful outline of Blanche's form, but at the same time threw 
 into more apparent disproportion the tiny feet and ancles which it 
 left re\ealed. This, however, did not escape the eye of Jule, who 
 chuckled as she produced three pairs of coarse hose, with which she 
 proceeded to indue the dangerous members ; and when a pair of 
 thick, heavy shoes, tied with leathern strings, was added to the equip- 
 ment, she declared that the effect was grand, and that the feet were 
 exactly like her own. The wide, dark hood was next thrown over 
 Blanche's head and neck, and drawn close in front, care being taken 
 that no stray ringlet should peep from beneath its edges. 
 
 The work of disguising thus far had proceeded rapidly, although 
 with but httle diminution of terror on the part of Miss Montaigne, 
 who expected momentarily that the return of Grover would terminate 
 her hopes of flight. They had but a few minutes at the furthest to 
 complete their task, and yet the most difficult part of the labor 
 remained to be done. It was, indeed, no easy matter to array the 
 coarse and crooked frame of the negress in a lady's dress ; yet, 
 inasmuch as the fortunate correspondence in height obviated what 
 might have proved the most insuperable difficulty, much was hoped 
 from the trial. No ingenuity, indeed, could diminish the ample 
 shoulders of Jule, or close the wide-gaping dress of silk around her 
 waist ; yet a hght shawl, judiciously arranged, partly concealed the 
 defect. The feet and ancles, of dimensions hopelessly large, defied 
 every attempt at compression, and when viewed in connexion with 
 the backward extension of the heel, threatened a quick betrayal of 
 the deceit. Although clad in stockings of fine texture, and in shoes 
 slitted at heel and toe to increase their width, little could be hoped 
 in regard to them, excepting that in the confusion of flight they 
 might escape observation. Not that Jule herself perceived the diffi- 
 culty ; however sagacious on other points she saw no ground for 
 apprehension here, and eyed the arrangement with much com- 
 placency. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. *71 
 
 " 'Em looks berry well, Missa Blaiiclie," she said ; " daze a little 
 larger dan yours, a berry leetle, but iiuffin to signify." 
 
 Miss Montaigne's bonnet and veil were next carefully adjusted 
 upon the girl ; and to perfect as far as possible the disguise, Blanche 
 quickly severed a few of her glossy ringlets, and securing them to 
 the crisped hair of the negress, suffered the ends to fall a little 
 below the edge of the bonnet upon every side. The sable throat 
 was carefully concealed by a collar, the veil drawn closely over the 
 face, and the hands enclosed in gloves of black, which, although 
 bursting in every part, revealed no contrasting color from within, 
 and still seemed whole. The adjustment of the curls was a happy 
 thought, and did more to complete the illusion than almost every- 
 thing beside ; for, hanging around the poor slave's neck with a 
 graceful and tremulous motion, nothing could be less suggestive of 
 the woolly treasures to which they were appended ; they hinted 
 rather of the snowy cheeks and neck of their true proprietress, which, 
 with many other charms, might well be supposed to he hidden 
 beneath the flowing veil. 
 
 Such as they were, the disguises were at length completed, and 
 Blanche began to indulge a faint hope of success. Imitating, as 
 best she could, the attitude and gait of the slave, she hastily tutored 
 the latter to mimic her own ; and enjoining short steps, and as 
 economic a display of feet as was practicable, the parties prepared 
 for flight. The building fronted the river, at the distance of about 
 thirty rods from the shore, and the intermediate space was an ope 
 field, sparsely studded with trees, which on the side nearest to the 
 settled part of the city drew more closely together, and screened the 
 landscape from any distant observation. The garden which has 
 been named was situated behind the house, and extended back to 
 an unfrequented lane, which, at the distance of some twenty rods 
 southward, communicated with one of the suburban streets of the 
 city. 
 
 It was arranged that the negress in her assumed character should 
 
12 
 
 THE KING OF THE HURONS 
 
 make a sudden exit from the rear of the dwelUng, and having thus 
 attracted the attention of the two men who had before challenged 
 her, should dart around the house, and run towards the river, while 
 Blanche, as soon as the sailors had started in pursuit, was to make 
 her escape through the garden and the lane. The approach of the 
 critical moment at first unnerved Miss Montaigne, and seemed to 
 paralyse her powei*s ; but sinking for a moment to her knees to 
 implore the Divine protection, she rose >vith renewed courage, and 
 followed her companion to the door. 
 
 Jule set out with good courage, and at a nimble pace ; and, 
 turning the corner of the house, was at once followed, as had been 
 anticipated, by the two bandits from the garden. Scarcely, how- 
 ever, had she proceeded a dozen yards across the common, when she 
 found herself running into the very arms of a third pursuer, who 
 was proceeding to meet her, and whom her bhnding veil had 
 prevented her from discovering at a distance. There was no 
 evading the contact, and the negress, raising her bronzed and 
 mallet-like fist, fairly knocked her expecting captor to the ground, 
 and again darted ofl:' in a lateral direction. A shout of derision 
 arose from the other conspirators at the discomfiture of their 
 colleague, and, with a single exception, they all joined in the pur- 
 suit. Bluff, the leader of the band, was a huge fierce man, who, 
 foreseeing as he thought the inevitable capture of the fugitive, and 
 remembering that there was a slave in the house, who was also to 
 be secured, hastened to execute this part of his fiendish errand. 
 
 Blanche, in the meantime, had attempted to escape, but her 
 extreme terror, her awkward dress, and especially her heavy, loose 
 shoes, had been so many impediments to rapid flight. She reached 
 the rear of the garden, but lost some seconds, which seemed like 
 hours, in finding the gate that opened into the lane ; and when it 
 was found, the simple latch became intricate to her confused facul- 
 ties, and she again lost time in finding her way out, which she had 
 only succeeded in doing, when a ferocious shout firom the house told 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 73 
 
 Iier that she was perceived and pursued. The sound fell like a 
 thunder peal upon her excited ner\es : for a moment she moved 
 slowly, and seemed, like the victim of a nightmare, to struggle 
 against invisible fetters, but at the next, she darted forward, not 
 towards the thoroughfere, as she had intended, but, unconscious of 
 her course, in an opposite direction. 
 
 The lane extended northward to a field, in which, at a consider- 
 able distance west, a farm-house was visible, and towards this refuge 
 Blanche now directed her steps. Despair gave her energy, and 
 when once fairly in progress, she fled almost with the fleetness of the 
 deer ; but Bluff had reached the lane at a few bounds, and she 
 heard his clattering feet behind her, and the hoarse imprecations 
 and threats with which he called upon her to stop, seemed uttered 
 almost in her ear. Every instant she expected to feel his grasp 
 upon her shoulder, yet still her fate was suspended. The farm- 
 house was no longer distant, but she felt her strength departing, and 
 her senses failing ; fences and trees were flying indistinctly past her, 
 the sky grcAv dark, the earth was in motion on every side, and now 
 it rose up before her like a wall, and smote her hot forehead, and 
 she lay stretched at length upon its surface, with mingled voices 
 ringing in her ear. How long she thus lay she could not tell ; she 
 had not fainted, but was in that half swooning state in which the 
 senses receive but imperfect impressions from the outer world, and 
 give to realities all the wildness of a dream. She did not forget 
 her pecuhar peril, but still expected momentarily to feel the clutch- 
 ing hand of her pursuer upon her person, and to be dragged 
 forcibly away. 
 
 But a better fate was in reserve. The house towards which she 
 had thus inadvertently fled, proved to be the dwelling of Jacobus 
 Waldron. Huntington, from the window of his study, had per- 
 ceived the chase, and suspecting something wrong, had snatched his 
 gun, and hastened out to meet the fugitive. A glance at the fore- 
 most figure told him it was Jule, the slave of liis neighbor Sniffj and 
 
 4 
 
74 THE KING OF THE HUROKS. 
 
 another view informed liim that the pursuer was none other than 
 the rude sailor whom he bad encountered in the forest. The 
 recognition was mutual ; and the pirate, uttering a triple volley of 
 oaths, abandoned the chase, and proceeded to retrace his steps. 
 Though baffled, he thought, in obtaining the negress, the main 
 object of his expedition was secured ; aud although Grover would be 
 sorely disappointed at a mischance which might reveal his outrage 
 to the public, the slave could not be a witness against him in any 
 criminal prosecution, nor did she personally know anythiiig that 
 connected him with the transaction. Thus consoling himself for his 
 defeat, he hastened to rejoin his companions. 
 
 Huntington liad seen Mrs. SnitF and Emily driving out of town a 
 few hours before in company with Shiel, and had not doubted that 
 Blanche was also with them ; liis first decided impression, therefore, 
 was that some piratical fellow had seized so favorable an opportunity 
 to kidnap the slave for the purpose of traui^porting her on his next 
 cruise, to some neighboring market. Such an event would not be 
 without precedent in those early days of the commonwealth when 
 crime stalked abroad in every shape, and by reason of its frequency 
 and familiarity to the view seemed shorn of half its liideous 
 proportions. Anxious, however, to solve the mystery, although 
 unalarmed about Blanche, Henrich turned quickly to the prostrate 
 figure before him, and touching it not lightly with his gun, bade the 
 slave arise and tell him what had happened. 
 
 " Get up, Jule, get up ! " he said, " you are safe enough now ; 
 stand up quickly, and tell me what is the matter ; the poor thing ! " 
 he continued, stooping and shaking her roughly by the arm, " thinks 
 she is half way to Virginia by this ; staiid up, I say, you simpleton, 
 I don't think your delicate nerves are quite shattered yet — stand up ! " 
 
 Blanche still bewildered, rose with difficulty, half conscious that 
 she Avas saved, yet ignorant of her preserver, and vainly trying to 
 comprehend the singular language in which she was addressed. 
 
THE KIN a OF THE HURONS. YS 
 
 "Tliere, don't show off any more airs now — you are more 
 frightened than hurt, I assure you," said Henrich, somewhat 
 harshly. 
 
 " Why do you speak to me thus ? " exclaimed Blanche imploringly 
 and with tears — at the same time throwing back her hood : " do 
 you not see that I am in distress ? " 
 
 It was an exceedingly fortunate thing for Henrich that he was 
 not standing at that moment upon some precipice, or beside some 
 terrestrial chasm, into which he could have leaped and buried the 
 burning shame and grief which overwhelmed him, as he saw to 
 whom his coarse reproachful language had been directed. 
 
 " Is it indeed you. Miss Roselle ? " he said at length, speaking 
 with difficulty ; " how, — why do I find you in this disguise ? You 
 cannot believe I would have spoken thus to you ; tell me what has 
 happened, and let me first secure you a refuge, and then avenge 
 your wrongs." 
 
 Blanche, now fully restored to memory, glanced at her servile 
 dress, and smiled faintly as she rej^lied : " I understand it all now ; 
 but poor Jule is in danger ; she has risked her life for me, and is 
 doubtless at this moment in the hands of the pirates ; you look 
 surprised, but I cannot explain now ; Heaven has preserved my life 
 by her means — and yours ; and something must be done to save 
 her." 
 
 Huntington promised to make every effort to accomplish this 
 object, and hastened to conduct Blanche to his own home for 
 safety, while he should proceed to alarm the authorities, little hoping, 
 however, that so slight an offence as steahng a slave would arouse 
 them to any very vigorous action. 
 
 " Do not think me ungrateful to you," Blanche continued, as they 
 walked hastily along ; " my thoughts are still in a tumult of excite- 
 ment, and if you knew from what a fate the poor African has saved 
 me, you would not wonder that I am anxious for her safety." 
 
 " You give me the best proof that you are incapable of ingratitude, 
 
V6 THE KING OF THE HURONS, 
 
 IMiss Roselle," replied HenricL, "when you manifest so great an 
 interest in an humble slave ; but do not be alarmed for the girl — 
 they can scarcely meditate any harm against her, and I hope it will 
 be an easy matter to procure her release." 
 
 Blanche was soon under the steep roof of old Jacobus, and in the 
 especial charge of that worthy, who welcomed her very heartily, and 
 made some violent efforts to comprehend the affair, but without any 
 corresponding success. That the stranger was really the serving girl 
 of his neighbor Sniff, turned white with excessive fear, was among 
 the most prominent of his conjectures, but one that seemed open to 
 doubt. Henrich departed on his errand, but not without being 
 reminded by Blanche, with the slightest perceptible change of color, 
 that she was not unreasonable enough to expect him to incur any 
 personal peril in his mission : indeed, that she considered it her duty 
 to protest against his doing so. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. li 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " I saw her hand : she has a leathern hand, 
 A freestone colored hand." — Shakspeare. As you Like it. 
 
 When Jiile, after lier remarkable pugilistic feat, started anew 
 upon Ler race, it was, at first, with confused and ill-directed elTorts. 
 She found herself " headed off," ^^ ^°<3 ^^ expressive phrase, in every 
 attempt to approach any settled quarter of the city ; and the nearest 
 dwelling in the direction which she was compelled to take was so 
 remote, as to afford but httle hope that she could reach it before 
 being overtaken. She resolved, however, to try ; for she was strong 
 and active, and notwithstanding the restraints of her novel dress, 
 made no inconsiderable progress. Her tight, cramping shoes were 
 the principal impediment to speed, and these she resolved to discard ; 
 an operation which resulted in a decided expansion of the released 
 members, and enabled them to get, what in the vocabulary of the 
 fancy would be called a better bite of the ground. Her speed now 
 visibly increased, and her panting pursuers beheld with astonishment 
 her prodigious exploits both of strength and agihty. Nothing 
 seemed to impede her flight ; hill and valley were alike easily over- 
 come ; if a ditch interposed, Jule went over at a flying leap, and the 
 fences .were eithc #jassed, in quadrupedal mode, through chinks and 
 gaps, or else were surmounted and bestridden in a manner less elegant 
 than energetic ; retaining, withal, many torn trophies from her dress, 
 and holding them up fluttering to the wind. 
 
 For a while everything promised success, and her chagrined pur- 
 suers, lagging in the chase, strove by loud threats to terrify her into 
 
78 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 submission. Little would Jule have heeded threats, but her violent 
 efforts had caused a rajoid expenditure of strength ; and while her 
 anticipated refuge was yet at a long distance, her speed began 
 visibly to decrease. She could not rally ; the pirates gained rapidly 
 upon her, and her capture became inevitable. With ready sagacity, 
 therefore, she readjusted her dress in order to prolong the deception 
 in regard to her person ; for she did not, of course, know whether 
 Blanche's safety was yet secured, or whether she had even gained 
 courage to leave the house. She had barely time for this precaution 
 before she found herself in the rude grasp of her captors, who vented 
 many an oath upon her stubbornness, and placing her between two 
 of their number, proceeded to retrace their steps. 
 
 Jule did not struggle or speak ; all her thoughts were for the 
 safety of Blanche, and her only efforts were to avoid discovery. The 
 party proceeded rapidly to their boats, and in ten minutes were 
 gliding across the water in the direction of a ship, which lay anchored 
 near the opposite side of the river ; in a still shorter time, subse- 
 quently, the veiled slave was sitting alone and undisturbed in its cabin. 
 
 Mr. Boatswain Bluff, meanwhile, had sought out Major Grover, 
 and informed him of the flight of Miss Montaigne, of her capture, 
 and of the escape of the slave ; and the major, both mortified and 
 angry at Blanche's continued resistance to his suit, rejoiced at an 
 extremity which would no longer admit of compromise or retraction. 
 He at once accompanied Bluff on board the vessel, listening, mean- 
 while, with much astonishment to the narrative of Blanche's 
 wonderfid exploits, both in pugilism and locomotion. 
 
 " She's a Tartar, sir, she is," said Bluff, " begging your honor's 
 pardon ; Bill Sweeps' eye, sir, is as good as out, and he nmt any 
 baby to handle either ; your honor would do well to be careful how 
 you speak her." 
 
 " The most timid of animals will show courage and strength when 
 driven to extremities," replied Grover ; " and yet it seems wonderful 
 that even desperation could give power to one so very delicate." 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. *I9 
 
 *' I^ut SO dc4icate, your honor," returned Bluff, bending to liis oars 
 — " she's got a fist, sir •"" 
 
 « A/5^, Bkiffr 
 
 " Like a sledge-hammer !" said the boatswam. 
 
 " You are a fool," replied Grover, " her hand is like a child's, small, 
 white, and dimpled — it could not stagger a kitten — Bill Sweeps must 
 liave fallen from mere fright." 
 
 " Well, sir, it aint for me to dispute your honor, but seein' is 
 believin', and mayhap your honor 'U see and believe by and by — but 
 / say she has a fist — and feet too, that aint no trifles !" 
 
 " Her feet are like a doll's — like a fairy's, like a Chinese princess's, 
 small, and of the most exquisite symmetry, and her ancles are hke 
 —like—" 
 
 " Like a cricket-club, I swear," said Bluff, laughing, " and she made 
 a very liberal display of them, too, in scampering across fields, jump- 
 ing ditches, and tumbling over fences." 
 
 Grover, now thoroughly incensed, was about to reply angrily, 
 but remembering the importance of keeping on good terms with the 
 outlaw, he suppressed his wrath as he best could. Since he had 
 stooped to converse familiarly \\ith his companion, he could scarcely 
 complain that the latter took some license, and even perpetrated a 
 few jokes at his expense. The sailor's propensity for fun, together 
 with a desire to magnify the difficulties of a very simple achievement, 
 was, he was convinced, at the bottom of ail his marvellous stories. 
 
 " Well, well," he said, " a joke's a joke, and you are welcome to 
 yours ; I only wish, since you had your eyes so wide open, that you 
 had managed to capture the wench — it don't speak very well 
 for five strong men that one woman has bafl3ed them altogether, 
 and another almost." 
 
 " Fact, sir, fact," replied the boatswain, " that's a disgrace to our 
 flag, that is ; Joe Bluff feels it to his fingers' ends, he does, and if 
 your honor wants a wench to wait on the lady, I'll go and pick one 
 up yet, somewhere." 
 
80 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 Grover, of course, declined this offer, and as they had now reached 
 the vessel, their colloquy came to a close. Everything was ready 
 for instantaneous departure, the wind was fair, and the major was 
 not disposed to create any delay. He conversed for a few moments 
 with the captain, and while the ship was brought around, he 
 descended into the cabin, and found himself alone with the prisoner. 
 Jule had seen his approach to the ship, she felt assured of ^liss 
 Montaigne's safety, and there was no longer any necessity for con- 
 tinuing her deception, yet she trembled for the result of a disclosure, 
 and uncertain how best to accomplish it, sat hesitating, and nearly 
 stupefied with terror, when Grover made his appearance. Her hands, 
 from which, for convenience, she had removed the gloves, were con- 
 cealed beneath her veil, which was of ample dimensions, and of a 
 favoring hue, and although there was everything in the outline of 
 her figure, and in its general air, to confirm suspicion, when once 
 fairly aroused, there was nothing of itself sufficient to unsettle an 
 existing prepossession. Fatigue, flight, and distress, accounted for 
 everything unusual or awkward, and the well-known curls, fluttering 
 like asjDcn leaves, with the emotion that shook every part of the poor 
 girl's frame, seemed a proof of identity, equal to a notary's certifi- 
 cate, sealed and stamped. 
 
 Grover hastened to address her in a tone of apology and condol- 
 ence. Her own rash action, he said, had precipitated an event which 
 really need not have occurred, and M'hich he had not anticipated ; 
 he was most sorry for any alarm or trouble which it had occasioned 
 her, and hoped everything would be imputed only to the excess of 
 his passion. 
 
 " And now," he said, " dear Blanche, let this farce come to an 
 end ; only pledge me solemnly your faith, and we will return at 
 once to land, and our wedding shall be celebrated with princely 
 magnificence ; I need not urge that you are in my power ; that 
 you have no possible escape ; that we are bound on a three weeks' 
 cruise, and that when we return, you will no longer have the power 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 81 
 
 of choice — see, we are even now dropping down the stream 1" A 
 sob, and the sound of hurried respiration, were the only reply : 
 an increased tremor shook the frame of the captive, and the little 
 glossy ringlets danced like electrified feathers. 
 
 " You do not speak harshly to me," continued Grover — " you will 
 relent — you will not withstand the ardor of a devotion, which has so 
 nearly driven me to madness." 
 
 The chattering of teeth beneath the veil, and a choked and indis- 
 tinct articulation at length manifested an attempt to reply. 
 
 " Speak but one word of encouragement !" exclaimed Grover, in 
 an excitement of suspense. 
 
 " Boo-ooh-ooh !" exclaimed Jule, crying hysterically, like a child, 
 and with no musical intonation. 
 
 " Rage has no tears," said Grover, " and these are auspicious 
 signs — calm yourself, dear Blanche 1" Thus saying, he touched with 
 gentlest motion the . lace-encircled wrist which lay nearest to him, 
 and sought to draw the appendant hand from beneath the veil. 
 
 It came ! Was it a serpent with protruded fangs ? Was it a 
 Leyden battery, triply charged ? or why has the suitor sprung back- 
 Avard from the contact, with a face in which every lineament is 
 wrought to madness, — with ashen lips, that quiver but do not speak, 
 with eyes riveted, as by some horrid fascination, upon the object 
 which he has revealed ? Ungloved, the broad, black, bony member 
 lay before him, with its huge knuckles, and the club-like termini of 
 its fingers, proclaiming the whole story of his discomfiture and dis- 
 grace. It was no dream, no diablerie^ no freak of a frightened 
 imagination, — but an awful, evident, insurmountable reality, destined 
 to whelm him with ridicule unprecedented and unending. Breath, 
 speech, and the power of motion returned at length, and the roar of 
 an unbridled rage ascending to the deck, drew the leading ruffians 
 wondering to the cabin door ; the discovery flew from mouth to 
 mouth, until the boisterous merriment of the crew outsounded the 
 tumult below, and for a while defied every attempt at control. The 
 
 4* 
 
82 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 cabin was at once filled with wide-grinning faces, and tlie slave, 
 expecting death, yet plucking up spirit, had retreated to the wall, 
 and assumed an attitude of defiance, aa with glaring eyes she 
 watched the movements of her captors. Grover, with clenched fists, 
 stood at her side, trampling unconsciously upon his tasselled cap, 
 and incoherently questioning both the prisoner and the crest-fallen 
 Bluff, who, as the leader of the kidnapping expedition, was chiefly 
 chargeable with its failure. 
 
 " What de\dl prompted you to this deceit ?" he said fiercely to 
 the former. 
 
 " I did it my^e/," said Jule, boldly, " if you kill me for it ; Missa 
 Blanche was good to Jule — nobody was ever good to Jule before — 
 and now — and now, I have saved her life, and I'm glad of it." 
 
 " You're an idiot!" retorted Grover, stamping with passion, " and 
 you shall be drowned hke a rat for your pains — overboard with the 
 chattering baboon !" he continued, turning to the men. 
 
 The pirates looked at each other, at Bluff, and at their captain, 
 who, smiling under a hideous mustache, had been, from the back- 
 ground, a silent observer of events. The boatswain, willing to do 
 something towards wiping out his own disgrace, but unused to 
 receiving orders excepting from his leader, stepped forward, and 
 looked to the latter for approval. 
 
 " Come, dispatch 1" shouted Grover ; " we'll show her how to 
 walk a plank with a spring to it — drag her along 1" 
 
 No one stirred ; and Grover, glancing fiercely around the room, 
 caught the eye of the captain, who, coming forward at the same 
 moment, said : 
 
 " Major Grover, this ere job wasn't in the agreement at all ; and 
 though I aint very squeamish about sich matters, yet it's rather 
 dangerous here in port, and my boys shan't have nothing to do with 
 it — howsomever, major, ef you want to drownd the wench — why 
 there she is, and there's the water — nobody shan't interfere !" 
 
 " Let him try it !" said Jule, with defiance. 
 
THE KING OF THE HUR0N3. 83 
 
 Grover foamed with rage : " Give me a pistol, then !" he 
 exclaimed, turning to Bluff, who handed him one of a pair, which 
 was stuck in his belt ; " Stand back there, boys, ; we'll try the 
 toughness of her hide — stand back !" 
 
 But at this moment a shout of " fair play !" rang from one side of 
 the cabin, and a large negro, one of the crew, crowding himself 
 forward, rushed up to Jule, and placed one of his own pistols in|her 
 hand ;— " Mr play !" he said, — " don't shoot the child down like a 
 wolf— if pistols is the word, let 'em both have 'em !" 
 
 The movement appealed strongly to the sympathies of the 
 pirates, as well as to their rude sense of justice, and the novelty of 
 the idea was irresistibly attractive. The captain, solicitous for Gro- 
 ver's safety, attempted to interfere, and ordered the slave to be 
 disarmed; but the clamor outsounded his authority, and no one 
 offered to obey, which might indeed have proved a dangerous 
 undertaking. The men fell back to clear a space for the combat, 
 but Grover, declining so extraordinary a duel, had mingled with the 
 retreating phalanx, and quite disappeared from the view of his 
 antagonist. 
 
 Still frantic with wrath, he yet had sense to perceive his ludicrous 
 position, and would have needed but little additional goading to 
 cause him to turn his weapon upon himself. He went upon deck, 
 and sought the fresh air, postponing for a few minutes his still 
 determined revenge ; but delay brought reflection, and a change 
 of views. He was a bad man, but not bad enough, excepting in 
 the very boiling of passion, to murder one whose only fault had 
 been fidelity to a friend. Perhaps he might still have accomplished 
 such an object if he had persisted in it ; but he was heartily sick- 
 ened of the whole transaction, and asked for nothing but to be 
 quietly put on shore. He made no terms about the negress, never 
 doubting that she would be carried away and sold, .inasmuch as the 
 business of slave-snatching was quite profitable, and frequently 
 formed an interlude to the more legitimate pursuits of the pirates. 
 
84 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 Captain Snell did not dare, after so bungling a piece of business, as 
 lie called it, to return to port, and was compelled to seek some 
 other market for his cargo ; he parted with his guest with many- 
 apologies, and, mindful that he might yet find the services of the 
 major highly valuable in so growing an emporium as New York, 
 made him heartily welcome to the specimens of silks, laces, etc., 
 which the latter had received, and which, having been left on the 
 premises of Mrs. Sniff, became a windfall of the first magnitude to 
 that lady. 
 
 But the worst of men have some human sympathies unseared. 
 The ruffians had been struck with admiration at Jule's whole con- 
 duct ; her craft and courage especially eliciting their praise. Her 
 fellow African interceded earnestly for her release, and the popular 
 voice deciding it, she was set ashore the same afternoon on the 
 Long Island side of the bay, a few miles south of the citv. 
 
THE KING OV THE HURONS, 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 He who stems a stream with sand, 
 
 And fetters flame with flaxen band, 
 Has yet a harder task to prove- 
 By firm resolve to conqiier love. ^'— Scott. 
 
 When Henrich returned from Lis fruitless quest after the slave, 
 he found Miss Montaigne still trembling with unsubdued excitement, 
 and fearful that even her present refuge might afford no sufficient 
 protection against her lawless persecutor. She had started at eveiy 
 sound during his absence, and felt as if she were again exposed to 
 all the perils which had so recently impended over her ; her fears 
 had been augmented, too, by the remembrance of Henri ch's instinc- 
 tive offer to avenge her wrongs, and she did not hesitate, on his 
 return, to exact from him a promise that he would not seek pereon- 
 ally to visit retribution upon the offender : " I have, indeed, a right," 
 she said, " to require this at your hands ; for if gratitude did not 
 prompt a regard for your interest, I cannot but remember that my 
 own security may continue to depend upon yours." 
 
 Huntington replied with suppressed emotion : he was too happy 
 to have been her preserver ; her lightest word should be to him a 
 law, and he would leave no vigilance unexercised to secure her 
 continued safety. Such were his words ; yet, fearful of seeming to 
 presume on the benefits he had conferred, they were delivered 
 rather with an air of distant respect, than of cordial regard. 
 
 Tlie fate of Jule .continued to excite commiseration, and Blanche 
 was already engaged in planning schemes to discover her future 
 
86 THEKING OF THE HURON 8. 
 
 place of bondage, and to procure her freedom, when the delighted 
 slave entered the house, bringing the first intelligence of her escape. 
 Emily and Mrs. Sniff were also soon added to the company, panic- 
 stricken by the tidings of the recent atrocity, to which they had so 
 unwittingly been rendered accessaries. Jule, of course, became the 
 lion of the hour, and related her adventures with much minuteness, 
 awakening the deepest interest, and not a little merriment beside ; 
 yet poor Blanche, to whom the recital only imparted a more vivid 
 sense of the danger she had escaped, was in no mood for laughter. 
 Indignation succeeded alarm in her breast ; and she felt her wrongs 
 the more keenly, when she reflected with what impunity they had 
 been committed. To seek legal redress would be utterly futile : the 
 slave being inadmissible as a witness, there was no evidence to con- 
 nect Grover personally with the transaction ; and even had proof 
 been attainable to set in operation the unwieldy machinery of the 
 law, the offender's rank would shield him from any adequate punish- 
 ment. Miss Roselle declared she would never again set foot in the 
 dove-cot, and freely accepted, in behalf of herself and Blanche, the 
 tender of a refuge in Mynheer Waldron's hospitable house until a 
 new home could be found. The engrossing subject was discussed 
 until a late hour of the night ; and Blanche again and again reite- 
 rated her thanks to the gratified slave, and exacted from her a 
 promise to call on the ensuing day for some more substantial token 
 of her regard. 
 
 " Sumfin to remember you by, Missa Blanche ; — netting else," 
 said Jule, who was unwilling to be thought mercenary. 
 
 " It shall, indeed, be something to remember me by, poor child !" 
 replied Miss Montaigne, — " if the priceless boon of freedom is 
 worthy of remembrance." 
 
 " Freedom, ^lissa Blanche !" exclaimed Jule, with starting tears — 
 *' Oh no — dat cannot be ; Harry Bolt loves Jule — would marry 
 Jule, if she free ; but dat can't be — dat cost two hundred dollars !" 
 
 The ncgress emphasised the last words in a manner that implied 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 87 
 
 an overpowering sense of the magnitude of the sum named, and a 
 conviction that she had quite put at rest Miss Montaigne's benevo- 
 lent intentions in her behalf. 
 
 " Well, well," replied Blanche, scarcely refraining from teai-s, — 
 " come and see me, Jule, and bring Harry Bolt along with you." 
 
 To this invitation the negress, after consulting her mistress's eye, 
 and seeing no indications of disapproval, promised compliance. The 
 widow was mortified and vexed by the conduct of her distinguished 
 friends, almost into a state of speechlessness, which, in her case, 
 might be considered the very collapse of grief. She was, however, 
 but httle alarmed for her own safety ; and being mindful of certain 
 valuables which would be exposed by her absence, she returned to 
 her house, taking wdth her the reluctant negress and a borrowed 
 farm-dog for her protection. 
 
 AVhen Henrich Huntington arose on the ensuing morning he was 
 quite unable'" to discover his grandfather's old-fashioned rickety 
 house, with its high, precipitous roof, its clumsy chimneys, its loose 
 clanging window-blinds, and its scarecrow weathercocks, which he 
 had long been accustomed to laugh at and ridicule. In its place he 
 saw a venerable edifice, time-stained it is true, but also time-honored, 
 possessing in all its parts an air of the utmost cheerfulness, and 
 challenging his profoundest respect. The declivity of the rafters 
 exactly suited his taste ; the chimneys had gro^vn into favor ; the 
 iron roosters, if a httle scrawny, were still graceful and life-like ; and, 
 if here and there a shutter, deprived of a hinge, hung obliquely at 
 its post, he was not sure that it did not improve the general air of 
 the building. The very garden, large and shapeless, had a new, 
 fresh, pleasing aspect ; and if its only flowers were the coarse, gaudy 
 hollyhock and the unfragrant poppy, both had a certain peculiar 
 beauty, and the odor of the latter could hardly be called disa- 
 greeable. 
 
 Whether the presence of Miss Montaigne had anything to do with 
 this transformation, can of course be only a matter of conjecture 
 
88 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 Certain it was that she continued to engross a large share of Hen- 
 rich's thoughts ; and if, with an effort, he banished the beautiful 
 vision as something dangerous to dwell upon, it still recurred in 
 each unguarded moment, to his mind. So the calm lake, broken 
 by some disturbing pebble, loses for a while its image of the sky, 
 but still resumes the picture, with its ow^n returning placidity. 
 
 But let him not be blamed, if at times he yielded to this pleasing 
 thraldom, for the charms of Miss Montaigne were calculated to 
 fascinate even a less susceptible 'mind than that of llenrich. 
 There are no words to paint the singular sweetness of her smile, 
 which seemed hke a gleam of sunlight from some inner world of 
 purity and love. Rich in its golden treasures of thought and feel- 
 ing must have been the heart which emitted rays like these ; and 
 Henrich was but too happy to catch their casual radiance, to treasure 
 them in his memory, to recall them in dreams, and to wonder what 
 there was of human suffering or achievement that could win from 
 relenting Heaven a treasure so transcendent. Never before had his 
 own poverty or obscurity been to him a source of serious regret ; 
 but now he felt that he could make any effort to ojien the gates of 
 wealth or scale the cliffs of Fame. 
 
 Willing to diminish the distance between them, he had tried to 
 discredit the rumor of her rank and wealth, as one which might 
 well have originated in Mrs. Sniff's desire to create a temporary 
 ^clat for herself; but there was something in the deportment of 
 Blanche which gave confirmation to the story. An air of unstudied 
 gentility pervaded her movements, with a tasteful avoidance of show 
 and affectation, and an entire freedom from that obtrusive dignity 
 which, ever guarded against aggression, betrays its uncertain foot- 
 ing by its very efforts to stand. The mystery that enveloped her, 
 the singular mode of her arrival, the uncertain duration of her stay, 
 and her voluntary seclusion from society, all added to the interest 
 which she excited in the mind of Henrich ; nor had he failed to 
 observe, in estimating her position, that independent action, even in 
 
THE KING OF THE HUR0N8. 89 
 
 matters of moment, ■wliicli almost precluded the idea of lier elder 
 companion being in reality her sister. Her offer to enfranchise the 
 slave was made without consultation with Emily, nor did it seem to 
 excite any surprise in the latter. Henrich did not, indeed, yield a 
 moment's credence to the exaggerated views of his voluble neighbor, 
 yet he was compelled to believe it probable that Blanche belonged 
 to that aristocratic division of English society, between which, and 
 everything below it, so strong a line of demarcation exists. 
 
 The accident which had made him her benefactor, while it tended 
 to augment his growing attachment, and to impart an air of romance 
 to its character, seemed, in reality, rather to widen than diminish 
 the distance between them. A chivalric sense of honor forbade the 
 exhibition of a sentiment which might seem to found its claims for 
 reciprocity upon such an obligation, or which might impose any 
 restraint upon Blanche in seeking, in her still dependent state, 
 his fullest assistance and counsel. The proud consciousness that 
 she looked to him for protection Avas itself a pleasure which he 
 would not lightly jeopard ; and he resolved, while sedulously watch- 
 ing her interests, to guard with equal assiduity his own demeanor. 
 
 The negress, Jule, did not forget her appointment with Miss 
 Montaigne; and while the latter was discussing with Henrich a 
 subject connected with her welfare, made her appearance, accompa- 
 nied, according to promise, by her beau. Hany Bolt was a rare 
 specimen of colored humanity. His skin was of that exceeding 
 blackness aud coarseness of texture, which, to use a horticultural 
 simile, may be compared to a black turnip ; and his coarse woolly 
 hair, from some unknown cause, perhaps by reason of a monopoly 
 of the coloring matter by other parts of the system, had turned 
 white at an unusually early age, and had given him an appearance 
 not very common even among the oldest negroes, and exceedingly 
 rare at the age of twenty-four. He was also very tall and awkward, 
 yet, despite so many disadvantages, could not be called ill-looking, 
 for he had a pleasing countenance, with fine eyes, and a perfect 
 
90 THE KING OF THE II U R O N S . 
 
 treasury of teeth. He readied the house in company with Jule, but 
 his courag-e gave out at the door, and after much shuffling and 
 whispering- on the outside, his companion entered alone. 
 
 " Harm 'fraid to come in, ^lissa J31anche," she said ; " he say he 
 don't know how to act," 
 
 " Never mind, Jule," replied Miss Montaigne : " tell him he need 
 not act at all — bring him in," 
 
 Harry accordingly shuffled into the room, looking very sheepish, 
 and with his head hanging dov»'n, but he soon became composed 
 enough to listen to the questions of the young lady ; and although 
 lost in conjecture as to her dtisign, succeeded in giving very coherent 
 answers. He even confessed to the "soft impeachment" of loving 
 Jule, without any change of color, which, being rather deeply set, 
 would have required a pretty strong emotion to disturb. 
 
 " 'Taint no use, though," he said, twirling his cap ; " 'taint no 
 use, unless Missa Snitf die. Missa Sniti' haint got any relations, and 
 she promise to give up JuIp. when she die." 
 
 " That is liberal, certainly," replied Blanche. 
 
 " Yes, dat berry liberal, sartain," said the negro, quite gravely ; 
 " but dat long time fust — last winter she berry sick with fever, and 
 we had some hope, but she come out of it, and now she better an 
 ever ; got strong constooshun, Missa Sniff has." 
 
 Jule listened on the broad grin to this narrative of disappointed 
 hope ; but checking herself, as she thought of her perpetual bondage, 
 she added, sadly, " I told you it could not be, Missa Blanche ; Jule 
 can't be free." 
 
 " But Harry can work, lay up money, and buy you, Jule ?" 
 
 " Yes, Missa, he got ten dollars laid up now " 
 
 "Eleven !" said Harry, triumphantly. 
 
 " But he ony can save three dollar a month, and so it will 
 
 take six years amost — and dat long time to work for me ; I tell him 
 guv me up, and get a free wife somewhere,'' said Jule, putting the 
 corner of a check api'on to her eye ; " but he says he wont " 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. 91 
 
 "And so I wont !" exclaimed Hany; " what for should I do such 
 a ting as dat ; de time will come round byme by ; it's ony six more 
 Pinksters, and Pausses, and Christmasses ; and I shall be ony forty 
 when de time is up." 
 
 " Forty, Harry ?" said Henrich ; " why how old are you now ?" 
 
 " I'm twenty-four, Massa Huntington ; I speak de trut ; not a day 
 older : I shall be twenty-four a fortnight ago to-morrow." 
 
 " And in six years you will be forty ; will you ?" 
 
 Harry hesitated and looked at Jule, who seemed also in some 
 doubt, and said she beheved it was forty or thirty ; but Massa 
 Henrich was a scholar and could reckon it up himself. 
 
 " But tell me," said Blanche, " how did you yourself become free, 
 Harry?" 
 
 " I tell you dat," answered the negro, excitedly ; " my Massa 
 good man, he belong to de church — deacon Bolt, a berry good man 
 — he own me and a plenty more. I tended dat church, swept it, 
 washed it, ring de bell, and dig de graves — dig poor Massa's grave 
 at last, and when he die he guv me to de church in his will — kase 
 he berry good man." 
 
 " He was, indeed," said Blanche, smiling ; " then you belonged to 
 the church, did you ?" 
 
 " Yes, Missa Blanche," said the negro, grinning ; " dat what I tell 
 um — I b'longed to de church — de best white man among 'em didn't 
 b'long to de church as much as I did ; but de church folks talked it 
 over and had a meetin' all about it, and frighten me berry much — 
 I didn't know what dey were going to do to me I" 
 
 " Well, what did they to you, Harry ?" 
 
 " Golly gosh !" said the negro — " dey said dey wouldn't hab me ! 
 — dey turn me out* o' de church, and guv me free papers, and paid 
 me ten dollars a year for ringing de bell eber since I" 
 
 It need hardly be said that Miss Montaigne was fully prepared 
 to carry out her generous purposes. Although parsimony was not 
 among the faults of the Baron Montaigne, his daughter would 
 
92 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 scarcely liave felt at liberty, without his permission, to make such an 
 application of the funds with which he had supplied her ; but she 
 had, fortunately, a private purse equal to the emergency, which she 
 had saved out of her allowance for pocket-money during the last few 
 years of her abode in England ; and over this, at least, her control 
 was complete. 
 
 Slaves were not at that day of nearly as great value in the 
 province as they subsequently became ; and the price which Jule 
 had named for herself proved to be correct. Mrs. Sniff had long- 
 been desirous to sell the girl, and break up her lonely establishment, 
 and no difficulty was encountered in the arrangement, which had 
 already been effected through the agency of Henrich, who had, 
 indeed, but just returned and placed the deed of manumission in the 
 hands of the delighted Blanche, Avhen Jule and Harry arrived. 
 There was a little pause in the conversation, during which Miss 
 Montaigne hesitated how to bestow her boon ; and Jule, glancing at 
 •Henrich, seemed to suspect that she and Harry might be trespassing 
 by too long a stay. 
 
 " Shall we go, now, Missa Blanche ?" she said. 
 
 " Not yet," replied the young lady, with emotion, handing, at the 
 same time, the papers to Henrich ; "please to explain it to them, Mr. 
 Huntington," she said in a low voice, turning away her face, and 
 affecting to look for something in her reticule. 
 
 " Jule has told you, I suppose, Harry," he said, " what took place 
 yesterday, and how she saved Miss Roselle from being carried oft" by 
 the pirates ?" 
 
 " She tell a-me-all," said Harry ; " sma'at gal, Jule is, and run like 
 an ostridge." 
 
 " Miss Roselle is very thankful to her — she ivill never forget the 
 favor that Jule has conferred upon her ; and in order to do what she 
 can in return, she is going to make Jule a great present, and one 
 that will last for a life-time." 
 
 " Golly !" exclaimed the negro, in whose mind, as in the slave's, 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 93 
 
 visions of some new and gaudy dress were floating ; " golly ! but it 
 must be made of good strong stuff, if it last so long as dat !" 
 
 " It is made of paper !" replied Henrich ; " in other Avords, Miss 
 Roselle has bought Jule, and made har free — here is the deed; take 
 it, she is no longer a slave." 
 
 " Free ? — free ? — free, Missa Blanche ?" shouted Jule, flinging up 
 her arms as if she were throwing ofl" some imaginary shackles ; " oh, 
 dat is too much, too much I oh Missa Blanche, Jule nebber earn dat 
 — oh Missa Blanche, Jule will pray for you, night and mornin', all 
 her life — all her hfe ;" and the poor girl fairly sobbed with emotion. 
 
 Harry manifested no less delight, but in a far different way. He 
 did not trust himself to speak in the presence of Miss Montaigne ; 
 but thrusting the paper into his hat, with a sort of hysterical chuckle, 
 he rushed from the house, and uttering a succession of shouts, threw 
 himself upon the grass in the lawn, where he continued to roll for 
 many minutes. 
 
 " And am I really free, like a white woman ?" said Jule, examin- 
 ing her arms and chest, and looking up and down her figure, as if 
 she expected to see some physical transformation in her person ; 
 " no more b'long to Missa Sniff", no more work for her — wash, iron, 
 cook, chop wood, make garden, do ebbery ting — no more scold, 
 scold, scold, and call me lazy beast, when I do my best — oh ! Missa 
 Blanche, it is too much — too much !" 
 
 " You have fully deserved your freedom, Jule," said Miss Mon- 
 taigne, " and I am delighted that it makes you so happy ; go, now, 
 Harry is waiting for you ; some other time you shall thank me, if 
 you wish." 
 
 Jule accordingly departed, still ejaculating " Oh, Missa Blanche ! 
 Missa Blanche ! it is too much ! too much !" 
 
94 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 "Justice is lame, as Well as blind, amongst us ; 
 The laws, corrupted to their ends that make them, 
 Serve but for instruments of some new tyranny 
 That every day starts up." — Otway's Venice Preserved. 
 
 For a few days succeeding his short sea voyage, Major Grover 
 kept quietly within his own doors, perfectly contented that he did 
 not hear the outer air ringing with derisive shouts at his discom- 
 fiture. He denied himself to all visiters, not excepting Shiel and 
 Midge, until the persevering calls of the latter, whose sycophancy 
 was his passport, obtained his admission. Grover did not know 
 to what extent his recent exploit had become public, and notwith- 
 standing his vigilant watch of the words and manner of his visiter, 
 for the purpose of gaining some intimation on the subject, the 
 ensign was careful that he should not be enlightened by any means 
 of his. 
 
 Mr. Midge " was sorry that the major had been ill, was a little off 
 the hooks himself, hoped it was nothing serious — but this cursed 
 climate was enough to — to — " 
 
 " Yes, certainly, of course," replied Grover, with an absent look ; 
 " ' tis a bad climate, particularly for the gout — but my attack is 
 nearly over now — and — and — any news stirring. Midge V 
 
 " Not an item," replied the other, zealously ; " there is a perfect 
 stagnation of gossip — the people have positively nothing at all to 
 talk about." 
 
 This might be considered stretching a point, considering that the 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 95 
 
 town was actually ringing with the kidnapping affair — tliougli, as 
 usual on similar occasions, without a single correct version of the 
 story being afloat, among the dozens that were current ; but it 
 greatly relieved G rover, who being quite ignorant of Jule's escape, 
 now supposed that Miss Montaigne must have kept secret his agency 
 in the transaction. But Midge had gone a step too far ; for in his 
 anxiety to disclaim any knowledge of his friend's disaster, he had 
 quite forgotten that he really had important intelligence to commu- 
 nicate. 
 
 " I am mistaken, after all," he continued, " in saying there is. no 
 news. Cornbury has unpleasant tidings from the north ; Seabury 
 and his command have been surprised by the Hurons, and George is 
 now in the hands of Montaigne." 
 
 " Lieutenant Seabury a prisoner of Montaigne ! this is sad news 
 indeed," exclaimed the major, his countenance lighting up with a 
 gleam of satisfaction, which contrasted strangely with his language 
 — " how have you these tidings ?" 
 
 " By an Indian express from Albany ; the runner came through 
 in two days and reports that the gari-ison at that place were in 
 hourly apprehension of an attack." 
 
 " They need not fear it," replied Grover ; " Indians do not often 
 attack forts, and Montaigne dare not venture so far south ; this lias 
 been done by some outlying band of savages — but how does Corn- 
 bury bear the capture of his nephew ?" 
 
 " As a lioness the loss of a whelp," replied the other ; " he raves 
 with wrath — rails at the home government for not keeping him 
 better supplied with troops, but vents his fury chiefly on the French 
 baron." 
 
 " Good again !" exclaimed Grover, heedlessly ; " but what docs 
 he say — what does he say ?" 
 
 " He says that the Queen's ministers " 
 
 " No — no — no — what does he say of the Baron Montaigne ?" 
 
 " He says he is a treacherous, crafty, cold-blooded villain ; that if 
 
yb THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 the wliim takes him, he will give poor George to the savages to be 
 tortured, and that he would not that any harm should happen to 
 the lad for all New France !" 
 
 "Said he so. Midge, said he so? — he is right — Seabury is a 
 noble fellow, and must be protected at all hazards ;" and Grover, 
 rising to his feet, traversed the room with an excited air for some 
 minutes, when, turning abruptly to his companion, he continued : 
 " Mr. Midge, will you do me the great favor to carry an immediate 
 message for me to Lord Cornbury, confidential and important ?" 
 
 " Oh, with the greatest possible " 
 
 "Exactly. I anticipated such kindness; I have had occasion 
 before to acknowledge your valuable services, and shall not forget 
 my obligations — nay, do not speak now, if you please, but listen : 
 go to Cornbury, tell him that I can jDlace in his power, within the 
 next twenty-four hours, such a hostage for his nephew as shall bind 
 the Baron Montaigne by his very heart-strings ! Ask him to send 
 me immediate authority for the arrest and safe-keeping of any 
 member of the baron's family who may now be in the province of 
 New Yoi'k ; and tell him I ask no other reward for my ser^^ces than 
 to be made the custodian of the prisoner. I have reasons for not 
 going personally to Cornbury on this business, and I know that I 
 can place the fullest reliance on your discretion and fidelity." 
 
 "You shall not regret your confidence in me, Major Grover," 
 replied the ensign. 
 
 " One word more," added the major ; " you will understand that I 
 do not desire an interview with the governor, nor to make any 
 explanations ; tell him despatch is required, and if he proposes to 
 come and see me, I rely upon you to prevent it ; tell him, if you 
 choose, that I am absent from home, arranging the preliminaries of 
 my project. Go now, if you please, and bring me a speedy answer." 
 
 The ensign promised leverything, and departed, not a little 
 dehghted at his embassy, and at being the depository of a state 
 secret. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 97 
 
 " This Is a rare turn of luck," continued Grover, in soliloquy ; 
 " Cornbury is blind with rage, and will readily assent to my propo- 
 sition ; having once passed his word he will not recede from it, and 
 Blanche Montaigne becomes an inmate of my house ! And why 
 should she not ? If she is not the ' captive of my bow and spear,' 
 the fortune of war has at least thrown her into my hands ; Montaigne 
 wages no civilized warfare, and we will hold him in check by what 
 means we can. .Women have been hostages before now ; and where 
 can the beautiful Blanche be retained with less scandal than in the 
 house of Major Grover ? — here are apartments for her use, servants 
 for her attendance, the most respectful, ceremonious, courteous 
 treatment— at least as far as the world will know ; and as for the 
 rest — I alone am responsible." 
 
 Grover had not miscalculated the sentiments or actions of Lord 
 Cornbury ; the messenger returned, armed with the required war- 
 rant, and with a pledge of the fullest compliance with what the 
 governor called the whimsical terms of his friend. The message 
 also enjoined speedy action, and the utmost vigilance to prevent any 
 failure of so momentous and useful an enterprise. 
 
 " Seemed he much surprised, ensign ?" inquired Grover ; " or did 
 he express any doubts of my ability to make good my engagement?" 
 "He did, indeed, express surprise," replied Midge, "and also 
 some incredulity ; he said it was possible there might have been a 
 diso-uised son or other relative of the baron among the discharged 
 crew of the St. Cloud, but that if so, he had doubtless made good 
 his escape long before this." 
 
 " It is strange, indeed," said Grover, with an absent air, " that there 
 are men who pass through life with their eyes wide open, and yet 
 fail to see what is passing directly before them ; — I do not, of com-se, 
 mean His Excellency, Mr. Midge !" 
 
 " Certainly not," rephed the obsequious ensign. 
 The young man lingered some time with the hope of receiving 
 some further clew to the project on foot, and was at length delighted 
 
 5 
 
98 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 by a request from liis companion to call on the ensuing morning, 
 prepared to lend liis aid in tlie undertaking. As this involved an 
 intimation to take his leave for the present, Mr. Midge gracefully 
 "withdrew, leaving his companion wrapt in a close-fitting reverie. If 
 the major manifested less haste than Lord Cornbury's injunctions 
 seemed to require, it was because he felt certain that Miss Montaigne 
 had no means of escape ; and because the arrangements which he 
 contemplated for her reception required more time than the fraction 
 of a day which was already far on its wane. His house at once 
 exhibited the bustle of an active preparation for the expected guest ; 
 and while no accessaries of comfort were unprovided, a still more 
 studied regard was paid to decoration. Changes that wearied con- 
 jecture employed the astonished domestics, and even some neigh- 
 boring artisans, until a late hour of the night, while the personal 
 supervision of Grover extended even to the minuter details of their 
 labor. 
 
 " I play a sure card at length," he said, " and my triumph may 
 well be graced with a show of magnanimity." 
 
 Mr. Midge was not behind the appointed hour in his return on 
 the ensuing morning, yet he found Major Grover impatiently await- 
 ing his arrival, and learned to his great joy that the important 
 commission was to be intrusted entirely in his own hands. But it 
 was with some abatement of his delight, though with unbounded 
 surprise, he learned that the person to be secured was a lady, and a 
 daughter of the renowned Baron Montaigne. There were few 
 laurels to be won in such an enterprise, but there was favor to be 
 gained in high quarters, which was an object of equal importance to 
 him, and he resolved on the faithful and judicious performance of his 
 trust. 
 
 Grover was unwilling to be personally an actor in an event, which, 
 in the outset at least, he desired to represent as entirely official, and 
 dictated by principles of state policy. He knew that his motives 
 could not remain unsuspected, but he cared nothing for a public 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 99 
 
 censure which did not cany the sting of ridicule, and which was 
 not equal to the frustration of his designs. He believed, as has been 
 seen, that his connexion with the recent attempt to carry off Miss 
 Montaigne was not publicly known ; and if it should become so, he 
 did not doubt his ability, through his friends and parasites, to give 
 it a coloring which should not reflect seriously to his disadvantage. 
 His success, indeed, in his present achievement was to become sub- 
 sequently a matter of boast, as an original and brilliant exjiloit in 
 the annals of gallantry, well calculated to obliterate the memory of 
 any previous failure. 
 
 He gave ISIidge an accurate description of the person of Blanche, 
 and directed him to accomphsh his errand with as little publicity as 
 possible, and with all proper courtesy. A carriage was, of course, to 
 be provided for her transportation, and she was to be allowed any 
 reasonable time to make preparations for what was to be represented 
 to her as merely a change of abode. Major Grover was not to be 
 named to her as her custodian, or as being in any way connected 
 with the movement ; as he designed that her first knowledge of her 
 felicity in that respect should be derived from himself, and under his 
 own roof. The ensign was to be accompanied informally by a few 
 men, sufficient to enforce his authority ; but he was to make no 
 unnecessary exhibition of his force, which was not to accompany the 
 carriage on its return. 
 
 With these instructions, which were expected to insure both 
 success and comparative secresy, the inflated ensign set out upon his. 
 expedition, and at an early hour in the forenoon alighted from his 
 carriage in front of the domicil of Jacobus Waldron, while his six 
 followers remained within easy hailing distance. The octogenarian 
 sat quietly smoking his pipe upon his front stoop, to M^hich Midge 
 approached with a pompous air, and, pausing at the entrance, 
 notwithstanding there was no appearance of opposition to his ingress, 
 formally demanded admittance in the Queen's name. Jacobus did 
 not take down his pipe for many seconds, and was still pondering 
 
100 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 wliat answer should be given to so ceremonious a request, when the 
 demand was peremptorily repeated. 
 
 "Come in, den, in de Queen's name, ef you want to, young 
 man," he said, at length ; " de door is mte open ; nobody will hui-t 
 you." 
 
 Midge accordingly marched on to the stoop, and advancing to 
 the old man, said : 
 
 " You are suspected of harboring under your roof Miss Blanche 
 Montaigne, a daughter of the Baron Montaigne, of New France, and 
 I have authority to require you to surrender her into my charge." 
 
 " Dere is no such beeples in mine house," said Jacobus, shaking 
 his head. 
 
 " We have the fullest proof that she is a resident of your house," 
 replied Midge, " and if she is not quietly given up, I must at once 
 search the premises." 
 
 " Dere is no such beeples, I tell you," exclaimed the old man, 
 waxing angry ; " dere is noboty but Sally, and Hans, and Doxy, and 
 Ruppy, and de two wenches, and de tog." 
 
 The ensign, unwilling to be trifled with, stepped to the outer 
 edge of the stoop, and waved his sword as a signal for his men to 
 advance. 
 
 " It is folly to deny Miss Montaigne's presence," he said ; " we 
 know that she is here, and she cannot escape us ; you will perceive 
 that I have authority for my acts," he continued, exhibiting his 
 warrant; "Anne — Regina — by the grace, etc., — and there's the 
 seal, and there's the signature — Cornbury." 
 
 The old man took the writ, and peered at it with much earnest- 
 ness for some minutes, occasionally deluging it with an emission of 
 smoke, which concealed every trace of the paper from view, after 
 which he handed it calmly back to the ensign, remarking, as before : 
 
 " Dere is no such beeples !" 
 
 "Well, sir," said the ensign, still reluctant to take any hai-sh 
 measures ; " here are my men ; and although I had hoped to avoid 
 
THE KING OF THE HrRQN^. , , . , , ,, 1,01, 
 
 giving the lady any unnecessary alarm, I must do my duty ; there 
 is not the least harm designed to your guest, and if you will pro- 
 cure me a moment's speech with her, I think I can show her the 
 necessity of a peaceable compliance with my orders — otherwise, 
 remember, sir, that you are guilty of concealing the Queen's enemies, 
 and may have to answer for it with your head." 
 
 " I answer mit mine head, now," said Jacobus, shaking that 
 member violently, with a negative gesture ; " I answer no — no — no 
 — dere is no Montaignes, nor no barons, nor no lady Blanches in 
 mine house, now den !" 
 
 " Come on, my men !" exclaimed Midge, drawing his sword with 
 a nervous and excited air ; " let these two remain without, to guard 
 the doors, and see that no one escapes ; the rest will follow me — 
 forward, march !" and the ensign led the way into the nearest 
 apartment, which proved to be the kitchen, where the venerable 
 partner of Mynheer Waldron sat knitting in a corner, and two female 
 slaves, desisting suddenly from their labors, stood shaking with fear 
 on the hearth. 
 
 " Hey den !" exclaimed the old lady, in a sharp key, and looking 
 up over her spectacles ; " w^iat for do you come trainin' in my 
 house ? isn't der room enough out doors for you, hey ?" 
 
 " About nineteen years old — five feet, six inches high — slight in 
 figure — very fair — blue eyes — brown hair in ringlets," said Midge, 
 reading from a memorandum in his hand, and then glancing 
 momentarily around the room ; " She isn't here, certainly," he con- 
 tinued : and without condescending to give any reply to his ques- 
 tioner, he passed on with his followers into another apartment. 
 
 The house was by no means a large one, and w as soon explored 
 from cellar to attic ; the gTumbling Jacobus following close upon the 
 heels of his visiters, and reminding the disconcerted ensign, at every 
 turn, that he had predicted the result. No doors were fastened, no 
 places of concealment \asible, and no attempt made in any way to 
 obstruct the search; yet neither Blanche nor Emily was found. 
 
102 THE E2.NG OF THE HURONS. 
 
 A buxom grancldaugliter of Mynheer Waldron was surprised at her 
 toilet, and although she was at once passed by, as not answering to 
 the description. Midge subsequently resolved to make more sure by 
 a closer scrutiny. But there was evidently nothing artificial about 
 the round red cheeks and flaxen hair of Doxy Waldron; and 
 although her plumpness might have owed something to her apparel, 
 there was no such thing as compressing five feet six inches of height 
 into the short squabby figure w^hich stood trembhng before the 
 soldiers. 
 
 *' Let me go if you please," said the frightened girl — " I'm only 
 Doxy ; Miss Blanche Roselle, and Miss Emily, and cousin Henrich 
 
 " Shut up your head, youngster ! shut up your head !" exclaimed 
 old Jacobus, in the Dutch language and in a loud voice, from the 
 back-ground, where he had been for some time pantomiming to the 
 girl, who under this invocation became suddenly mute ; and, not- 
 withstanding all the entreaties and threats of Midge, could not be 
 persuaded to say another word. The Dutch warning was sufficiently 
 intelligible to the ensign by its effects ; and after menacing the old 
 man with the punishment of the laws, he resoh'ed on another and 
 still more vigorous search, which Avas accordingly made, and with a 
 minuteness that could have overlooked nothing larger than a mouse. 
 Like the first, however, it was unsuccessful, and j\Ir. Ensign Midge 
 betook himself to his carriage, having first directed his men to return 
 to their quarters, by as many different roads as they could conve- 
 niently find. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 103 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 "All the forest rings, and every neighboring place, 
 And there is not a hound, but falletli to the chase." — Drayton. 
 
 A LITTLE retrogression is necessary to explain tlie preceding chapter. 
 On the morning of the day in which the convalescing Major Grover 
 tendered his valuable services to the government in obtaining a 
 hostage to be made of Baron Montaigne's heart-strings, Henrich 
 Huntington was reminded by the baying of hounds away over in 
 New Jersey that it was fine sporting weather, and that game of 
 some kind might be expected to be abroad. He had for a conside- 
 rable time been a stranger to the woodlands, and an unusual longing 
 for the chase came upon him, as he stood looking forestward, and 
 listening to the familiar sounds which came faintly, yet distinct, 
 through the still morning air. 
 
 But if he had been far more undecided he could never have 
 resisted the invitation which he presently received from his friend 
 Bounder, who running up and laying his sharp, cold nose in his 
 master's hand, by way of attracting attention, looked wistfully into 
 his face, and then towards the woods, wagging his tail mean- 
 while, and occasionally uttering a sort of half-suppressed yelp. 
 Bounder said, as plainly as dog could say, that he wanted to go and 
 bury his teeth in the flank of a stag, and that he was in very good 
 wind for that purpose, and that the scent would lie finely, and he 
 would do his duty dogfully. 
 
 "Shall we ^, Bounder — shall we go?" said the young man, 
 musingly ; and his companion, after proving his right to his name 
 
104 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 by leaping from tlie gi*onnd, and making several seeming attempts 
 to effect a lodgment upon liis master's shoulders, darted forward 
 about forty rods toward the woods, at his topmost speed, and wr.s 
 back again in a twinkling, performing every variety of antics, and 
 answering the distant echoes with his voice. 
 
 Henrich entertained, of coui-se, no suspicions of any impending 
 danger to Blanche, who, in the large household by which she was 
 now sun*ounded, had a sufficient guarantee against any repetition of 
 the lawless attack w^hich she had so recently escaped. Still ignorant 
 of her true name and rank, he could have no conception of the new 
 danger to which she was soon to be exposed, and if it was not 
 altogether with a light heart that he went forth into the forest, it 
 was at least with no fear for the safety of his friend. 
 
 But if the day was a favorable one for hunting, it availed but little 
 to Henrich, whose vexed thoughts were themselves winding and 
 doubling in too many directions to admit of successfully following 
 up the track of the cunning fox, or the light-footed deer ; and Avhose 
 repeated blunders in his sport were a matter of very apparent sur- 
 prise, and even of comment, in his way, to the disappointed Bounder. 
 He had spent several hours in ineffectual labors when he again met 
 the young Indian know n by the name of Winny, of Avhom mention 
 has been made. Winny belonged to a small ti'ibe of Indians, known 
 as the Wappenos, who may be considered the original Manhattanese, 
 but of whom few traces and no representatives have come down to 
 the present day. That they belonged to some subdivision of the 
 Five Nations, is i)rol)able rather from their locality, than from any 
 evidence that avc have . of their w^arlike character. They were on 
 terms of amity with the English, of whom they stood in no little 
 awe, and whose friendship they cultivated also with a view to a 
 traffic, trifling in amount, yet of much consideration to them. A 
 village, or collection of huts belonging to this tribe, was situated on 
 the western side of the island, several miles north of the city ; but 
 there were also two or three isolated wio-w^ams nearer the town, which 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 105 
 
 frequently swarmed with tenants in the warmer months, but were 
 abandoned in winter for the advantage of contiguity and mutual 
 assistance. 
 
 Winny, who had come from this summer residence, and was going 
 in the direction of the Indian settlement when he encountered Hen- 
 rich, seemed in unusual haste, and manifested no degree of his 
 accustomed alacrity to converse or to give information about the 
 probable haunts of the game. This reserve was the more remark- 
 able, because at his last meeting with Huntington he had been 
 indebted to the latter for the privilege of drawing the bounty on the 
 slain wolf, which was a sum of great value to the savage. It was, 
 indeed, only a remembrance of this obligation that restrained him 
 from being still more unsocial, and from taking an abrupt leave of 
 his companion. Observing the Indian's reluctance to stop, Henrich 
 slightly changed his course and walked with quickened pace by his 
 side, still questioning him on matters pertaining to the chase, and 
 heedless that the other now gave still greater signs of dissatisfaction 
 than before. 
 
 " Winny saw deer," he said at length, pointing towards the east 
 side of the island ; " going that way — with horns hke that 1" 
 spreading the fingers of both hands. 
 
 " You saw a stag of ten, and did not follow him I" exclaimed 
 Henrich, with a look of incredulity. 
 
 The Indian saw that he was disbelieved, and scorning furtl*r 
 equivocation, he rephed impatiently : " The Panther is going to the 
 council — he must go alone." 
 
 " The council, Winny !" said Henrich, who perceived by his 
 companion's air, and by the use of his symboHcal name, that he was 
 in earnest ; " why this is the first I have heard of a council of the 
 Wappenos in a long time ; you have not thirty warriors in your 
 tribe ; why do you hold councils ?" 
 
 " The Wappenos are few," replied the Indian ; " once they were 
 
 5* 
 
106 "THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 like the leaves ; but they can punish the foe who comes alone in 
 their camp." 
 
 " What does this mean ?" said Huntington, who began to antici- 
 pate one of those scenes of cruelty which were occasionally enacted 
 among the more powerful tribes, but which were of rare occurrence 
 in the neighborhood of the city — " what does this mean, Winny ? 
 tell me plainly — remember that I am your friend." 
 
 " Henreek is the friend of Winny," was the reply ; " the Panther 
 has no ft'iend among the whites." 
 
 " Nonsense !" said Huntington, laughing ; " I am your fi-iend, I 
 tell you, and the friend of your whole tribe, panthers, bears, and all ; 
 did I not send you corn, when the A^dnter was long and cold, and 
 the snow too deep for hunting ?" 
 
 " You did," replied the savage, grasping the hand of the young 
 man ; " it is written in our hearts — our children know it ; listen, 
 Henreek, but be not like the mocking bird, to speak again — listen, 
 but bury my words in your breast." 
 
 Winny proceeded in this metaphorical strain to tell at some 
 length what may be better repeated in simpler language. A Huron 
 Indian, in disguise as a Mohawk, had been found the day before 
 skulking on the island, and seeking to evade observation. Failing in 
 this, he had at first succeeded, by his dress and air, in passing him- 
 self off for a Mohawk, and consequently a fi-iend of the English, and 
 o^ the tribes in their alliance ; but was soon detected by means of 
 some unutterable shibboleth in the language of his assumed tribe. 
 It was to decide the fate of this man that the council was called, 
 and as his sentence would probably be death by torture, the reason 
 of Winny's desire for secresy became apparent. The English 
 government had several times interposed to prevent similar deeds 
 of barbarity among the tribes on Long Island, and the savages had 
 become exceedingly jealous of an interference with what they con- 
 sidered almost their only remaining act of sovereignty. But the Indian 
 lia\ing become thus far communicative, was ea.sily prevailed on to 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 107 
 
 allow nun ting-ton to accompany liim to the village. The popularity 
 of the young man among the Wappenos, and his own influence as 
 a son of a chief, would protect the Panther from any severe censure, 
 and if it became necessary for Henrich to withdraw, the secret, 
 AVinny beUeved, would still be safe. 
 
 They were not long in reaching the settlement, which was 
 situated in a partial opening of the forest, where the trees were large 
 and sparsely set, and the ground was free from bushes. The 
 lodges, some twenty in number, stood at the distance of a few rods 
 from each other, on the sides of a sort of hollow square, if that may 
 be called such, which was in reality neither square nor hollow. 
 Within this arena a commotion was already visible, indicative of 
 some important movement : women were assembled in knots at the 
 doors, talking and gesticulating, some sitting and some standing, 
 while half clad children were running around in glee, stopping 
 occasionally to peep through the chinks of a closed and guarded 
 shanty, and holding up small bundles of fagots to the view of its 
 inmate, by way of a foreshadowing of his fate. 
 
 The warriors were assembled in and about the principal lodge, 
 wearing, in general, an air of great gravity ; yet some of the 
 youngrr braves were giving way to occasional turns of merriment or 
 exultation, without reproof. The Panther and Henrich went directly 
 to this council-hall, where the latter was at first eyed with much 
 suspicion, but was soon generally recognised and welcomed. 
 
 "He is our brother— he is welcome," said the principal chief; 
 and the young men made room for him beside themselves on the 
 gi-ass, while Bounder, after coursing the enclosure, and looking 
 curiously into several of the lodges, threw himself panting at his 
 
 side. 
 
 The council was soon opened within the wigwam, those entitled 
 to a voice in its proceedings ranging themselves decorously m order, 
 while those without awaited the result in silence. There was some 
 division of sentiment, and more than an hour elapsed before the 
 
108 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 opinions were all delivered ; but the result proved the predominance 
 of a sanguinary spirit among the judges. The Huron was sentenced 
 to run the gantlet, and, if he escaped that ordeal, to subsequent 
 torture and death. He was at once brought out upon the square to 
 receive intelligence of his doom, which he heard in silence, and with 
 the affectation of indifference usual to his race on such occasions ; 
 but a close observer could easily detect in the forced compression of 
 his lips, and in the slight flaring of his nostrils, the signs of mental 
 emotion. He was a tall, well formed man, of about thirty years, 
 with features which would have been far from ugly, separate from 
 their mask of paint, and with an eye, more especially, which would 
 have redeemed a still greater disfigurement of face from being 
 wholly loathsome. Its iris, bright, black, and large, rolled around 
 its little orbit with a rapid motion, seeming to dnnk in everything 
 within the scope of its vision ; while not only the head, but the 
 muscles of the face, remained unmoved. 
 
 Henrich had resolved to make an effort to prevent the threatened 
 tragedy, but he knew that the savages were jealous of their prero- 
 gative, and that if he could succeed at all, it would be only by the 
 utmost tact. To interfere with the deliberations of the council would 
 give the greatest offence, and diminish the chance of his subsequent 
 influence. He even resolved not to object to the execution of the 
 first part of the sentence which was more formidable in sound than 
 in reahty, and which never resulted fatally, to a man of the least 
 courage ; it was intended, indeed, rather as an intimidation than a 
 punishment, although it often resulted in severe and sometimes in 
 mortal wounds. A view of the athletic, compact, sinewy frame of 
 the Huron convinced him that the latter would come off nearly 
 unscathed from the ordeal, and the very fact of his being also 
 doomed to the stake would prevent a desire on the part of his cap- 
 tors to terminate his life in the first instance. It was of course with 
 great reluctance that Huntington resolved to behold the approaching 
 spectacle, but believing that the best interests of the piisoner required 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. 109 
 
 such a course, lie determined to remain as yet a silent observer of 
 events. 
 
 The scene which ensued may be briefly described. The Wap- 
 penos, men and women, and many of the larger children, armed 
 with knives, clubs, and sticks, of various kinds, ranged themselves in 
 two parallel rows, terminating at one end in fi-ont of a lodge, the 
 door of which stood open, and leaving between the lines a space of 
 about ten or twelve feet in width. All who chose were at liberty to 
 take a place in the ranks, and but few of the adults, excepting those 
 who were physically incapacitated, refused to avail themselves of the 
 privilege. There were indeed several squaws, who stood aloof, min- 
 gling, as spectators, with the children, and the principal chief also 
 remained inactive, occupying a convenient post of observation at one 
 end of the line. Henrich was offered a club, and invited to take 
 part in the performance, and but for the irrepressible signs of abhor- 
 rence wdth which he dechned, would doubtless have been impor- 
 tuned to comply. 
 
 TVhen everything w^as ready, the Huron was brought forward and 
 unbound, his eye, meanwdiile, running rapidly over the ranks, as if 
 estimating the danger and discovering the most perilous localities. 
 The task before him was to run through this alley, between these liring 
 walls, in such manner and with such speed as he chose, but through 
 he must go, and wdiile all his foes were privileged to inflict upon him 
 such blows as they could deal while he was passing, none was 
 permitted to stir out of his place in pursuit. No dexterity or feint 
 of the prisoner, and no manoiuvre, in the way of dodging or 
 doubling, were exceptionable ; his only task was to reach the oppo- 
 site end of the. line with as much impunity as possible. 
 
 The signal w^as given and the Huron started like an arrow from 
 the string. The first dozen of his foes struck only the empty air in 
 his path, and the clubs of the next whizzed idly above his head. He 
 was now stooping to the earth, and now bounding in the air, at one 
 breath on one side of the line, and the next on the other, twisting. 
 
110 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 turning, gliding, crawling, and almost defpng the pursuit of the 
 eye, much more the hasty and ill-directed blows of his eager 
 enemies. About half way down the lane the ranks were chiefly 
 occupied by boys of from twelve to fifteen years, and having reached 
 this point with but little injury he paused a moment to take breath, 
 bearing meanwhile with little regard, the furious pummelhng of the 
 children. In the interval beyond, were some of the most vigorous 
 and expert of his enemies, including the vigilant Panther ; and 
 although, discerning their position at a glance, he started forward with 
 increased wariness and skill, it was not with a success equal to that 
 which had hitherto attended him. He received several severe con- 
 tusions, was once nearly stricken to the earth, and when he at length 
 reached the refuge lodge, was bleeding from a number of superficial 
 wounds. 
 
 A httle noisy discussion next ensued among the Wappenos on 
 the subject of their respective successes and failures in their recent 
 pastime, which seemed to be regarded somewhat in the light in 
 which a game at cricket is viewed by the young men of civilized 
 life, after which active preparations were at once commenced for the 
 closing tragedy. Henrich drew curiously near to the Huron, 
 about whom the leaders of the savages had assembled, and 
 for the first time caught the eye of the prisoner, which, as it rested 
 for a moment upon his own, and then glanced hastily at the grow- 
 ing pyre without, had a mournful and appealing expression, sufficient 
 to counterbalance a thousand proofs of stoicism. The Indian clung 
 to life, he shrank from the awful change ; he quailed before the 
 instruments of torture. Young, active, and vigorous, he was but 
 yesterday free as the mountain air, free to traverse the boundless 
 forests, and glide over lake and river, with his light canoe, with 
 half a century's lease of life stretching in bright perspective before 
 liim— and now, he was a captive in his enemy's camp, listening to 
 the sound of whetted weapons, preparing for his own immolation, 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. Ill 
 
 and recalling to memory by word and cadence tlie death-song of 
 his tribe. 
 
 Stimulated by the silent appeal of the Huron, Huntington at once 
 began the work of intercession ; but it was only to meet with frigid 
 looks, and with answers of surprise and displeasure. The response, 
 indeed, w^as unanimous against clemency, and the Indians even mani- 
 fested impatience at an interruption, which delayed their anticipated 
 sport ; for, as Henrich became importunate, the w^ondering savages 
 had crowded around him, until, the work of preparation being tempo- 
 rarily abandoned, even the women and children had mingled with 
 the curious throng. 
 
 " The words are said !" exclaimed the senior chief, alluding to the 
 voice of the council ; " they are gone into the air, and cannot be 
 found again — the Huron must die !" 
 
 A general murmur of approval followed this decision, in which, 
 as Henrich observed vnth foreboding, even his friend, the Panther, 
 joined. He next tried to effect a ransom ; and although able'to give 
 but little which could gratify the cupidity of so many, he was carefrd 
 to offer such things as would appeal most to their peculiar w^ants : 
 his rifle, a dozen canisters of powder and half as many kegs of the 
 enticino^ fire-water were offered, and, strange to say, were all refused. 
 Henrich knew nothing more that he could do. The dialect of the 
 Wappenos, in which he had spoken, possessed sufhcient resemblance 
 to the language of the Hurons to be intelligible to the prisoner, as 
 was proved by the look of gratitude which the latter bestowed upon 
 his young friend ; but there was at the same time an expression of 
 hopelessness in his features, which showed that he understood better 
 than his advocate the character of the enemies with whom he had 
 to deal. 
 
 Among those who had pressed to the front of the throng, sifted, 
 as it were, through the interstices, wTre some half-clad children, 
 amonf^ whom, at this juncture, a sudden quarrel ensued, for the 
 possession of something which had been found on the arena 
 
112 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 recently traversed by the flying Huron, and wliich at once attracted 
 general attention. As it passed from hand to hand among the 
 Indians, it soon took shape, to the eyes of the astonished Henrich, as 
 a sealed letter, bearing a superscription ; but how was his amaze- 
 ment increased, when at length obtaining possession of it in his turn, 
 he read the endorsement : " To Father Ledra, or the Misses Roselle, 
 in the city and province of New York." He remained gazing long 
 and steadfastly at the writing, marvelling what new and unrevealed 
 mystery, in regard to Blanche, was about to be evolved ; and on 
 again looking up he saw that the prisoner's eyes were fixed upon 
 him with an intelligent and steady gaze. 
 
 " Does it speak to you ?" asked the senior chief, who with his 
 companions had closely observed Henrich's surprised air ; " does it 
 talk to our brother, and what are its words ?" 
 
 " It speaks !" rephed Huntington, solemnly, " and its words are 
 many ; it says that the Huron was not upon the war-path when he 
 came into the camp of his enemy ; that he did not come looking for 
 the scalps of the Wappenos." 
 
 " Huh !" exclaimed the chief, who, in common with his race, 
 entertained no conception of the art of conveying ideas by writing, 
 and looked upon written language, of which he had heard something 
 among the whites, as a production of magic ; " huh !" he exclaimed, 
 sarcastically ; " ask it why then the Huron has come, if not for 
 scalps ; is there no game in the forests of the north ?" 
 
 " It says," replied Henrich, " that far away by the bright lakes, 
 an old man weeps for his daughters, who are captives of your Eng- 
 lish father in New York ; and that he will listen long for the feet of 
 the swift runner, and for his voice to tell him that his children are 
 yet alive." 
 
 " He will listen long," replied the unmoved chieftain, " if he waits 
 for the false Maqua, who came to Manahatta, with the face of a 
 Mohock, and the heart of a Huron— does it say anything else ?" 
 
 " It says nothing more," replied Henrich, sadly, yet earnestly ; "but 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 113 
 
 there is a voice fi-om the Great Spirit, which speaks to you, old man, 
 and forbids this horrible sacrifice — \Thich says, ' Shed not innocent 
 blood :' which says that the happy hunting fields will be closed to 
 the cruel and revengeful man." 
 
 " I do not hear it !" answered the chief, looking upward for a 
 moment, and then turning slowly away ; " the words of our white 
 brother are too many : wise men speak but once." 
 
 Henrich was about to make a final appeal by largely increasing 
 Jiis offered ransom, when he felt himself pulled suddenly by the 
 sleeve, and on looking down he saw a pair of glowing eyes fixed 
 intently upon him, and slowly receding at the same time into the 
 depths of the crowd. As he gazed, he gradually recognized the 
 features of an Indian, known as the Weasel, whom he had frequently 
 met in the city, and who now evidently desired to make some private 
 communication to him. He w^as celebrated among his brethren as 
 an orator ; but was, in reality, a wordy, windy, sham patriot, exceed- 
 ingly fond of intoxicating drinks, and indulging in his favorite 
 propensity to a shameless extent, whenever a favorable opportunity 
 occurred. As the general attention became at once engaged in the 
 renewed preparations for the Huron^s death, Henrich found no 
 difficulty in following the Weasel and obtaining an interview with 
 him. 
 
 The Indian had a proposition to make, which, divested of its 
 parade of words, amounted to this ; that his own heart was touched 
 by the condition of the unfortunate captive, that he remembered 
 with gratitude the former ser\ices of Henrich to his tribe in the 
 time of famine, and that he would undertake to bring about the 
 release of the Huron for the ransom which had been offered, and 
 for one additional keg of rum for his private benefit. Henrich 
 caught with avidity at this offer, improbable as it seemed of fulfil- 
 ment. 
 
 " But how," he said, " can you do this 1 did you not give your 
 voice for the prisoner's death, and advocate it with a speech 2" 
 
114 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 " I did," answered the iDdian ; " but my mind has turned over," 
 turning his hand, by way of illustrating his meaning ; " I will turn 
 my brothers' too." 
 
 The orator entered at once upon his task. He took his position 
 upon a slight eminence near the centre of the square, and commenc- 
 ing an energetic address, at once drew around him the gratified 
 savages, who, knowing what had been his views and vote in council, 
 anticipated only an inflammatory exhortation to persevere in their 
 design, and, perhaps, a suggestion of some new and ingenious 
 varieties of torture. Tlie Weasel knew well the disappointment 
 which he was about to create ; and he approached his subject care- 
 fully, and fi-om a remote position. Only gradually unfolding his 
 design, he fortified his premises by earnest and impressive appeals, 
 while his hearers were yet uncertain of the conclusion to which they 
 tended. He spoke of the famine from which they had suffered, and 
 described by word and gesture the hollow cheeks and shrivelled 
 limbs of themselves and their children ; he told of their inability to 
 procure food, of their unwillingness to beg in the great city, of an 
 old warrior who had sung his death-song in his empty cabin — and 
 finally " brought down the house " by a suddenly drawn picture of 
 the good Henrich appearing in their midst, with a sleigh-load of 
 yellow maize. 
 
 " Look around you," he said, " and you will see the tracks of his 
 horses, just where he stood but now, when you stopped your ears 
 to his prayers." 
 
 The mortified Wappenos showed that they felt the indirect taunt 
 of the orator, who still refrained from any avowal of his design : 
 when, at length, however, he declared it, he saved himself from the 
 charge of inconsistency by professing not to have known at the time 
 of giving his voice against the captive, that their benefactor desired 
 his release. He dwelt briefly upon the peculiar mission of the Huron, 
 as one which entitled him to clemency, and did not fail to dilate 
 temptingly upon the ransom which Henrich stood ready to give ; 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 115 
 
 he spoke, indeed, of ever3rtliing connected witli the affair, with the 
 exception of his own promised counsel-fee, and on that subject, he 
 maintained a discreet silence. He closed his remarks with a forcible 
 and effective peroration, reminding his brethren that the council 
 doors w^ere still open, and that they should be glad that the oppor- 
 tunity yet remained to retrace their stej)s, and wipe out the stain of 
 ingratitude from their character. 
 
 Henrich watched with much anxiety the countenances of the 
 auditors, and was rejoiced to see the signs of general relenting. 
 The judges, at the instigation of the Weasel, returned formally to 
 the lodge where they had sentenced the prisoner, and after a little 
 deliberation, revoked their former decision, wdth but a few dissenting 
 voices. Henrich received the tidings with the greatest exultation, 
 which he manifested by shaking hands with the whole court, and, 
 finally, with the Huron, to whom he had the pleasure of bringing 
 the first news of his freedom. 
 
 It was difficult to convince the captive that he was really dis- 
 charged ; and it was not until in company with Huntington he 
 had left the camp of his enemies, that he could beheve himself at 
 liberty. His delight w^as evidently extreme, although it w^as 
 manifested less in language than in looks and manner. He 
 resigned himself implicitly to Henrich's guidance, who returned to 
 him his lost packet, and undertook to conduct him at once to 
 the persons to whom it was addressed. It would have been an 
 easy matter at that moment to win from the confiding Huron the 
 w^hole secret of his errand, and its author, and thus to solve to some 
 extent, the mystery which enveloped Blanche ; but Henrich was 
 incapable of taking such an advantage of his position. To induce 
 the savage to violate his trust, or to penetrate by any means a 
 secret which his friend was desirous to conceal, was an act repulsive 
 to his sense of duty; and although an unbounded curiosity per- 
 vaded his mind to know the origin and tendency of the Indian's 
 mission, he conducted him, unquestioned, to his own home. There 
 
116 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 he at once obtained an interview with the ladies, introduced to 
 them his companion, as one who was seeking their presence, and 
 having learned that although much amazed, they were not afraid to 
 be left alone with the messenger, withdrew, and left the Huron to 
 tell his own story. 
 
 His forbearance and delicacy were rewarded by a speedy summons 
 to return to the ladies, and aid them with his counsel m a new and 
 important emergency. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. Il7 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " We are alone ; 
 But how I should begin, or in what language 
 Speak the unwilling word of parting from you, 
 I am yet to learn." — Massinger, 
 
 " We are compelled, Mr. Huntington," said Blanche, rising with 
 an excited air, as Henrich entered the room, "to make you the 
 depositary of a few secrets, which, if they were ever important, will 
 cease to be so when we are gone." 
 
 " Gone !" answered Henrich, with astonishment, — " whither ? — by 
 what means ? surely. Miss Roselle, you are not in earnest " 
 
 " We are summoned," rephed Blanche, interrupting him, " by one 
 who has the right to control our movements, and who doubtless has 
 properly provided for our safety. But I will explain all : you are 
 already acquainted with some of the circumstances connected with 
 our accidental arrival in this city — the shipwreck of the St. Cloud — 
 the singular escape of one of her passengers, and the subsequent 
 banishment of our friend and protector. Father Ledra." 
 
 " I know the whole sad story," said Henrich ; " the fugitive, of 
 whom you speak, was the haughty and powerful Baron Montaigne ; 
 the friend and counsellor of Louis ; the man by whose courage and 
 diplomacy with the Indian nations, the whole tottering government 
 of New France has long been upheld — whose craft and cruelty 
 have " 
 
 " Mr. Huntington is speaking of my father," rejoined Miss Mon- 
 taigne, ^vith quiet dig*nity. 
 
118 THE KING OF THE HURON 8. 
 
 Amazement for a while held the young man silent ; and when he 
 again spoke, it was with the apology that the occasion seemed to 
 require. 
 
 " The picture is drawn by his enemies," he said, " and we may 
 easily suppose that it is not impartial : I can beheve nothing ill of 
 the father of Miss Blanche Montaigne." 
 
 " The packet which we have received," continued Miss Montaigne, 
 " I need scarcely say, is from him ; but it has been prepared with 
 reference to the contingency of falling into other hands than ours, 
 and contains, therefore, no explicit information. A few words 
 without a signature, but in penmanship which is familiar to me, 
 instruct us to trust ourselves with implicit confidence to the protec- 
 tion of the bearer, — a Huron Chief, called the Lynx, — and whom 
 we are to know as genuine by his knowledge of us. We have not 
 yet proved him ; because feeling the importance of avoiding any 
 error on so vital a point, we dared not rely upon our own judgment 
 alone : Emily has frightened me with a horrible supposition that 
 the true messenger may have Mien into the hands of foes, who have 
 obtained his credentials, and now seek to decoy us into their 
 power." 
 
 " Too much caution cannot be used where everything is at stake," 
 replied Henri ch, with a saddened air ; " I think I have already 
 sufficient proof that the Indian is a Huron — yet we will leave nothing 
 to conjecture ; but how is he accompanied ? where is his force ? and 
 what are his means of conveyance ? You surely will not confide 
 yourselves to the charge of a single man, however trustworthy ?" 
 
 " It is not probable that we are required to do so," said Blanche ; 
 " but we know nothing as yet — the savage seemed suffering from 
 fatigue and hunger, and is now partaking of your grandfother's 
 hospitality ; he will rejoin us in a few minutes, and we trust to you 
 to interrogate him as to all the particulars of his mission." 
 
 She had scarcely ceased speaking when the Huron stalked 
 silently into the room, and answering an invitation to be seated by 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 119 
 
 a graceful wave of the hand, remained standing erect and dignified, 
 and seemingly awaiting his exj^ected examination. Henrich was 
 familiar with the abrupt and sententious style of colloquy used by 
 the Indians, and naturally adoj^ted it in con\ersing with them ; he 
 addressed the stranger in French, which the latter, like many of his 
 northern brethren, spoke with tolerable correctness. 
 
 " My brother comes with a talking paper," he said ; " can he tell 
 us what it says ?" 
 
 " It talks to /i^r," answered the Huron, laying his hand lightly 
 on the head of Blanche, " and to her," pointing to Emily, " and to 
 an old man, with long white hair — I do not see him : it talks to 
 them, not to me ; I have listened, but cannot hear it." 
 
 " AYhose are its words ?" asked Henrich. 
 
 The Indian's countenance brightened and assumed a loftier 
 expression as he answered : " they are the words of my cousin, the 
 great general — the Baron Montaigne — the King of the Hurons ; and 
 this," he said, again touching the head of Blanche — " this is liis 
 daughter." 
 
 " And this ?" asked Henrich, pointing towards Miss Roselle. 
 
 " Is his sister's child — I have said — I have but one tongue, and it 
 is not forked." 
 
 " Yonr words are true," replied Henrich, " we receive them into 
 our hearts ; yet tell us of this Baron Montaigne : what is he like ?" 
 
 " He is a great Brave," said the savage, with an air of unbounded 
 admiration — "bold as the grizzly bear — quick as the elk — with 
 eagle's eyes — tall, large, straight as the oak — I cannot speak 
 him." 
 
 " It is enough !" exclaimed Blanche, offering her hand frankly to 
 the Huron — " you are our friend ; tell me," she said, with an affec- 
 tionate interest, which showed that desertion and neglect had not 
 chilled her filial love — " tell me, is my father well ? — did he — did he 
 speak kindly of me ?" 
 
 The Indian answered only : " He is well ;" and Blanche turned 
 
120 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 aside to hide the gushing tears which told how bitterly she was 
 disappointed. 
 
 The remaining part of the messenger's story was soon told : he 
 was one of a company of seven, who had descended the lakes and 
 the Hudson river in canoes, and who, passing the few settlements 
 and exposed places always under cover of the night, had reached the 
 vicinity of Xew York without molestation. There had been, indeed, 
 no recent active hostilities between the French and English at the 
 time of the setting out of this expedition ; and as far as Montaigne 
 could learn from his ^^gilant runners, there were no Indians on the 
 war-path, in that part of the territory of the Five Nations which it 
 would be necessary to traverse. These circumstances, in connexion 
 with the almost uninterrupted line of water communication for the 
 whole route, and the width of the river and lakes, which would 
 permit of avoiding an enemy on either side, were supposed to render 
 the proposed journey of the ladies reasonably safe, in an age and 
 country in which human life was never abundantly secure. It was 
 rather the hardships than the perils of the undertaking which formed 
 its chief objection ; but these Miss Montaigne resolved cheerfully to 
 encounter, when once assured that her father deemed it prudent, 
 and that his agents were fully reliable. 
 
 But her surprise and curiosity were not a little excited when she 
 was informed by the Huron that the party was under the command 
 of one Count Carlton, a young French officer, and an intimate friend 
 of the baron, a piece of intelligence which went far to reconcile 
 ^lEmily to the journey. To her imagination, which no remembrance 
 of past events could wholly correct, it began to assume the character 
 of a romantic enterprise, in which nothing was wanting to increase 
 its attraction but the certainty of being pursued by a party of those 
 delightful Mohawks, all of whom were to be slain by their gallant 
 champion, the young French count. The name fell ominously upon 
 the ear of Henrich, who already pained beyond expression at the 
 prospect of Blanche's departure, at once foresaw, with a lover's 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 121 
 
 instinct, the danger which threatened most to his happiness. AHve, 
 however, to every incident, he did not fail to observe that the Huron 
 spoke of his commanding officer with a scowl that seemed to indicate 
 displeasure, and that he did not designate him as a Brave, or apply 
 to him any of those terms by which the savage so freely expresses 
 his admiration of all noble qualities. 
 
 The count, with the remainder of his small detachment, of whom 
 four were French soldiers, and the other an Algonquin Indian, was 
 encamped in the forest about ten miles north of the city, where a 
 small creek, connecting with the river, afforded a safe hiding-place 
 for his boats. The Huron had left the encampment early on the 
 morning of the preceding day, and it became important that no 
 further delay should occur, lest Carlton should withdraw his men, 
 and abandon the expedition, under the impression that his messen- 
 ger had fallen into the hands of the enemy. The Huron, indeed, 
 urged that they should depart on that very evening, and as Miss 
 Montaigne, though pale with emotion, did not hesitate to assent, the 
 bustle of a hurried preparation at once ensued, and before it was 
 yet sufficiently dark to set out, the ladies were both in readiness. 
 
 Henrich, whose aid was of course volunteered to accompany 
 them to the camp, had in the meantime procured a boat and 
 despatched it in charge of a slave to await the party on the shore 
 of the river, a little north of the city wall, but there was at the 
 same time something in the character of his arrangements which 
 indicated a view to some ulterior purpose. Miss Montaigne, who 
 had contemplated with dread a perilous night-walk through the 
 forest, was delighted at the comparatively easy means of travel which 
 had been provided, and something like a gleam of cheerfulness began 
 to illumine her features, as the moment for departure approached. 
 It was in vain, however, that she sought to conceal her trepidation, 
 and she seemed to seek a re-assurance for her failing courage in the 
 language and bearing of Henrich. He would have rejoiced at the 
 hghtest intimation from Blanche, that his services would be accept- 
 
 6 
 
122 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 able as one of her guard through the whole of her anticipated journey, 
 and only dared not make the offer, lest its refusal, fouiKk-d on the 
 suspicion of his daring love, should involve, by implication, a rejec- 
 tion of his suit, and extinguish tor ever the flickering hght of hope, 
 which served now at least harmlessly to irradiate his heart. There 
 was something in the romantic character of his attachment which 
 admitted of his gathering bliss even from an acknowledged illusion, 
 as long as it did not transcend the limits of possibility, but he had 
 not courage to face the reality of a present and certain despair. 
 
 " We look to you, Mr. Huntington," said Miss Montaigne, " to 
 infuse a little courage into us before we part ; confidence, you know, 
 is ever inspired by example, and you are really looking as if you 
 boded evil." 
 
 Accident had left them a moment alone, and Henrich replied with 
 a smile — " You must allow me to be a little dismal at the prospect of 
 losing the companionship of yourself and your cousin and falling back 
 upon the Wappenos, and wolves for society. Your escort, I hope, is 
 safe ; it is doubtless such as will best secure secresy and celerity of 
 movement ; yet I could have wished it somewhat stronger." 
 
 " Do you think there is much danger ?" asked Blanche, quickly. 
 
 " With vigilance, prudence, and valor, on the part of your guard, 
 no ;" said Henrich, " and Ave must presume they have been selected 
 for qualities like these ; yet I would that you felt sufficienth- insecure 
 to permit of my offering to enrol myself among your defenders." 
 
 Blanche slightly colored as she replied, " We are already laden 
 with obligations to you that we cannot requite, and although I can- 
 not deny that it would add greatly to my sense of security " 
 
 " It would !" exclaimed Henrich, laughing ; " then say not 
 another word, Miss Montaigne ; it is a charity to give occupation to 
 an idle man, and I have really nothing else in the world to do : I 
 think, too, that grandfather Waldron will gladly be rid of me for a 
 few weeks." 
 
 " You cannot blind me thus, Mr. Huntington," said Blanche, 
 
THE KING OF THE PURONS. 123 
 
 " to the magnitude of the favor which you offer, nor to the privations 
 and probable peril which it would cost you." 
 
 " The school of danger is one in which I need a few lessons," 
 answered Henrich, gaily ; " and as to privations," he continued, 
 lowering his voice, to escape the ear of Miss Koselle, who re-entered 
 the room at that moment, " Miss Montaigne's permission to accom- 
 pany her w^ill postpone for a while the only evil of that nature 
 which has any terrors for me." 
 
 Henrich withdrew from the apartment as he concluded speaking, 
 and proceeded to complete his preparations, not forgetting to pro- 
 vide for the liquidation of his debt to his foi'est friends, the payment 
 of which involved the loss of his favorite rifle. It became necessary 
 to procure a substitute for this weapon, and he was fortunate in 
 obtaining one of tried worth, which had acquired a wide celebrity, 
 even in less skilful hands than those by which it was in future to be 
 wielded. The party set out about nine o'clock in the evening, 
 accompanied by a few slaves, who transported to the boat some 
 light but necessary stores, and brought back intelligence to Mynheer 
 Waldron and his household that the travellers were safely embarked. 
 Leasing them to pursue their nocturnal voyage, we must precede 
 them to the camp of Count Carlton, and take a hasty survey of its 
 inmates and theh condition. 
 
124 THE KlifG OF THE HURON S, 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 "What the d — 1 should move me to undertake the recovery of this drum ; being not 
 ignorant of the impussiliility, and knowing I had no such purpose 1 I must give myself 
 some hurts, and say I got them in exploit." — ParoUes in " ^IPs Well that Ends Well." 
 
 Louis Carlton had not failed in making good liis resolution to 
 visit Castle Montaigne, on the in\atation of its proprietor, extended 
 to hiin, as has been seen, when the baron was about visiting Europe. 
 He had riot seen fit, however, to wait for the return of the latter, 
 beheving that if delays were ordinarily dangerous, they were pecu- 
 liarly so in the prosecution of such delicate missions as that on 
 which he was now bound. The baron was rich and powerful and 
 had an only daughter at home, whom he had fairly offered to the 
 count — such, at least, was Carlton's understanding of the affair, and 
 Governor Vaudreuil might laugh his fill at the idea of his nephew 
 wedding a maiden upon whose escutcheon a bow and arrow might 
 properly be emblazoned ; yet if the heiress was at all attractive in 
 person, he had resolved not to be driven by ridicule fi'om his design. 
 In the salons of Paris, the descendant of a Huron prince might 
 expect rather to derive a lustre from her ancestry than to find it a 
 subject of reproach ; and with Wealth and Beauty for auxiliaries, 
 and the advantage of the count's reputation, which, although a 
 little shattered, was still potent in his own estimation, he did not 
 doubt she would win the ^clat of the fashionable world. All his 
 fears had been that Myrtle would prove to partake too strongly of 
 the Indian characteristics of countenance and demeanor ; but on 
 these points he was destined to be most agreeably disappointed. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 125 
 
 He was welcomed at the castle, where he introduced himself as a 
 fi'ieiid of the baron, and soon attained a degree of no little intimacy 
 with its inmates. His gay and pleasing manners were attractive to 
 Myrtle, and even won many a smile of approval from the reserved 
 and diffident baroness, while both were astonished to receive so 
 many marks of attention and kindness from a sti-anger of distin- 
 guished appearance. He became the companion of the daughter in 
 her rambles and sports, and put his invention to task in devising 
 new varieties of pastime for her anmsement ; and instead of finding, 
 as he had feared, only the glimmerings of beauty and grace in her 
 person, he was continually compelled to accord to her unstudied 
 charms the tribute of admiration. 
 
 The baroness, little accustomed to deference, beheld his courtesy 
 towards herself with ill-disguised astonishment ; but his ajtparent 
 kindness to her child entirely won the heart of the Huron mother. 
 Myrtle knew not how to understand the addresses of the stranger ; 
 but artless and truthful herself, she could think no ill of a man whose 
 whole endeavor seemed to be to contribute to her enjoyment. 
 
 Affairs at the castle were in this position, when the baron 
 returned, not a little pleased to believe that Carlton's eagerness 
 to meet Miss Montaigne had induced him to anticipate her arrival 
 by his visit. He hastened, therefore, to explain to his guest the 
 accident which had separated ^himself and his daughter, and which 
 had left the latter almost a prisoner in New York, while the very 
 extremity of the count's amazement alone prevented him from 
 betraying his own extraordinary mistake. That there was another 
 daughter of Montaigne, exclusively of European origin, was a feet, 
 which now for the first time became known to him ; and he shud- 
 dered to think how nearly he had committed himself to the forest 
 maiden, while the favored child and prospective heiress, a lady of 
 unsullied birth, of rank, education, and perhaps even beauty, had 
 been indirectly offered to his alliance. 
 
 No time was to be lost in rectifying so gross an error ; nor did 
 
126 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 he feel the lightest scruple at deserting Myrtle, by reason of any 
 consequences which might ensue to her. If he had won her heart, 
 which the quick discernment of vanity plainly perceived, it had been 
 with no open profession of attachment ; and he knew too well the 
 humility of the mother, and the timid modesty of the daughter, as 
 well as their ignorance of the conventional usages of civilized life, to 
 fear that they would ever make his conduct the subject of com- 
 plaint or reproach. He became elated with his new anticipations ; 
 and as he contemplated in perspective tlie sunny path of prosperity 
 which seemed to stretch far away in the future, he forgot his past 
 reverses, and gained an augmented sense of his own importance. 
 
 But it was with little pleasure he reflected that before Miss Mon- 
 taigne could be converted into a bride she was to be rescued from 
 captivity ; and while he waited to learn the baron's plans for effect- 
 ing this object, the latter remained in daily expectation of an offer 
 from his guest to engage personally in the enterprise. Carlton 
 was a soldier only in name ; he had seen no service, yet he had not 
 failed to make his martial reputation indirectly the subject of boast 
 befoi'e the baron, in whose estimation he knew that military talents 
 transcended every other quality. Of Indian waifare he had an 
 exceeding dread, and while affecting a soldier's contempt for every 
 danger, he could not divest his mind of the terror inspired by the 
 contemplation of ambuscades, bush fights, and midnight onsets 
 accompanied by the usual accessaries of savage war. He was in 
 short a coward, with a coward's usual bravado, but he soon found 
 that there was no middle course of action to pursue if he would 
 retain for a moment the confidence of Montaigne. 
 
 The baron disclosed to him his plan for the rescue of his daughter, 
 and the very flashing of his eye told the alarmed count that he 
 expected him not only to take command of the expedition, but to 
 acce|)t the post as a most distinguished favor. Hesitation would 
 have been as disgraceful as refusal, and Cailton, pi-actised in dissimu- 
 lation, promptly begged the command with every apj^earance of 
 
THE KING OF THE HUKONS. 127 
 
 earnestness, trusting to expedients for still escaping the danger, if 
 before the time for setting out he should not become satisfied that 
 it was really trivial. 
 
 Several weeks elapsed before the baron deemed it prudent for the 
 party to start, and during this interval, Carlton took every op[)ortu- 
 nity, by indirect means, to gain a knowledge of the extent of the 
 perils to be encountered, resolving if they proved too alarming, to 
 avoid them by summoning himself suddenly back to Quebec or even 
 to Paris, if necessary, on business of the last impoi'tance. As such a 
 course, however, would be open to suspicion, and would doubtless 
 terminate his prosj^ects of winning the hand of the heiress, it was 
 only to be resorted to in extremity, while, if the risk was but light, 
 he resolved to face it for the sake of the prize in view, which he 
 thought would be made doubly sure to him by his seeming ^'alor. 
 The Lynx, with whom his opportunity to converse was not infrequent, 
 and who was to occupy a command second to himself in the party, 
 spoke with unfeigned contempt of the danger, and the soldiers, who 
 were detailed for this daty, not lacking the spirit of gasconade inci- 
 dent, at that 4^y5 to their jDrofession, were equally boastful of the 
 safety with which their object was to be accomplished. 
 
 The ultimate choice of the count has been seen, but the de'uiils of 
 his ill-disguised pusillanimity, during the descent to New York, as 
 they are not directly connected with the narrative, n(^ed not be 
 described. It was sufficient to win for him the scorn of the Huron 
 chief, but the spirit of discipline, which had been sedulously incul- 
 cated by Montaigne among his Indian allies, had induced the former 
 not only to forbear comment u}»on the conduct of his su] ei'ior, l>ut to 
 yield to him such a ready obedience as the count imngiiird could 
 only proceed from the utmost confidence in his own judgment and 
 military skill. His movements liad, notwithstanding, been silently 
 influenced to a great extent by the Lynx, -iiid it was owing to tins 
 circumstance that he had succeeded in reaching the island of Man- 
 
128 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 hattan in safety, although, of course, with woiulerfully augmented 
 views of his own prowess and wisdom. 
 
 Whatever Count Carhon was in conceit and vanity at Castle Mon- 
 taigne, that he was in a quadrupled degree in his little cavernous 
 camp on the bank of the Hudson, where he became impatient of no 
 inconvenience more than of the deprivation of a fitting auditory for 
 the story of his achievements. Yet the prolonged absence of the 
 Huron gradually awakened his alarm, and when the shades of the 
 second evening were setting in witliout the return of the messenger, 
 his apprehensions became extreme. If the Lynx was a prisoner, not 
 only was his whole design frustrated, but his own position could not 
 long be safe, for however incapable the Indian might be of betraying 
 his friends, the letter which he carried would reveal the fact that he 
 had coadjutors somewhere in the vicinity of the city. 
 
 But he would not entertain so unwelcome a belief, and having 
 sought counsel of no one, he little dreamed how great was the pro- 
 bability of such an event having occurred. He stood looking 
 gloomily from his sheltered retreat upon the adjacent river, and the 
 Algonquin, with quick watchful eye, loitered at his side, evidently 
 courting some encouragement to speak, when Carlton, forgetting his 
 self-sufficiency in his uneasiness, addressed him with seeming care- 
 
 " The Lynx is slow of foot," he said, " or he has lost his way ; 
 what think you, Anak ?" 
 
 " The Lynx is a prisoner," replied the Indian, calmly. 
 
 " A prisoner !" responded the count, now thoroughly alarmed ; 
 " how can you know this ? surely you do but guess — the Huron 
 would not easily be taken." 
 
 " The sun has twice gone down since our brother left the camp," 
 the Algonquin answered, pointing to the west ; " he is swift as the 
 roe, the })ath of the bee is not straighter than his — yet he comes 
 not back." 
 
 " But he waits for the ladies, Anak ; they are not ready." 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. 129 
 
 " Is there no night in the Enghsh city ? does not the wind come 
 and go ? why has his voice not been heard among us to say that all 
 is well ? The Lynx has been taken — yesterday — I have said." 
 
 Cai-lton turned pale at this confident assertion, which his opinion 
 of Indian sagacity would not permit him to disregard. With child- 
 ish eagerness he tui-ned to the soldiers, hoping to find something 
 in their suo-o-estions which would weaken the force of the other's 
 suspicions, but in this he was disappointed. 
 
 " If Anak, there, says the Lynx is caught," answered the most 
 voluble of the party, a tall, stout man, whose good-natured face 
 was seamed with long wound-like traces of the small-pox — " if Anak 
 says he is caught, then good bye to the Lynx, sir ; I've known that 
 Algonquin five years, have fought by his side in twenty battles with 
 the Iroquois, have hunted with him, eaten with him, slept with him, 
 and never knew him out of his reckoning, but once, sir ; he talks 
 but little, and gives fewer opinions, perhaps, than a lawyer, but when 
 he does speak, it is to the point." 
 
 " And do you yourself think it probable that the Huron is a 
 prisoner?" asked the count. 
 
 " I do, if it please your honor," rephed the soldier, — " the city is 
 close at hand, and the Lynx, if at liberty, would not have allowed a 
 night to pass without returning to camp, succtssful or otherwise — 
 besides, sir, there is a sort of freemasonry among these savages, and 
 
 the Algonquin there " 
 
 " I know his views sufficiently already," said Carlton, nervously, 
 and turning to his other followers, he proceeded to canvass their sen- 
 timents on the subject with an earnestness quite disproportionate to 
 the value of the counsel received, for being entirely unused to such 
 an honor, they were chiefly solicitous how to acquit themselves in 
 sp- 
 
 eaking, and did not dare to dissent from the opinions already 
 
 delivered. 
 
 Carlton's grief at the failure of his expedition would have been 
 extreme had it not been merged in alarm for his personal safety. If 
 
 6* 
 
130 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 the riui'on was a ]>ris(jner, as he now no longer doubted, the baron's 
 letter, he thouglit, was doubtless m the hands of the Enghsh govern- 
 ment, and a detachment must be already on then- way from the city 
 in pursuit of himself and his party. So great was his trepidation 
 that he even fancied, momentarily, as the wind came sighing through 
 the forests, that he heard the rustling of an armed body, approach- 
 ing his quarters. Dissembling his fears as best he could, he 
 announced with much gravity to his men that their views of the 
 fate of the Huron were entirely accordant with his own, but that he 
 had seen lit to consult them, instead of acting exclusively upon his 
 own convictions in a matter of so much moment, and concluded by 
 giving orders to get ready the boats for immediate departure. 
 
 Altliough accustomed to implicit obedience, the soldiers exchanged 
 looks of surprise for a moment, at this mandate. Tlieir position was 
 so secure, and the prospect of any immediate attack so improbable, 
 that they could not understand the motives which prompted flight, 
 and the desertion of an ally, who might possibly yet return. Francis, 
 venturing to speak, with many apologies, and much circumlocution, 
 disclaimed intending to advise a departure, and the Indian, 
 emboldened by his example, oftered to go in pui'suit of his com- 
 panion ; but Carlton, thoroughly panic-stricken, refused to listen to 
 any proposition. The boats were prepared, and the i)arty embarked 
 at about ten in the evening, little imagining that their collea^'ue, 
 completely successful in his quest, was at that moment less than tw^o 
 leagues distant from them and rapidly approaching. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 131 
 
 * 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 "Tis the middle watch of a summer's night— 
 The earth is dark, but the heavens are bright ; 
 Nought is seen in the vault on high, 
 But the moon, and the stars, and the cloudless sky, 
 And the flood which rolls its milky hue 
 A river oflight on the welkin blue:'— Drake's Culprit Fay. 
 
 With the low monotonous sound of dipping oars, and of the 
 trickhng uf water from their blades, did the boat of Henrich, under the 
 skilful guidance of the Huron, glide rapidly along the stream, keeping 
 close under the eastern shore, where the shadows of the forest with- 
 held even the faint starlight from its path. The village of the 
 Wappenos in which the Lynx had so nearly terminated his career, 
 was situated near the river, a few miles south of the count's covert 
 quarters, and it became necessary for the voyagers on approaching 
 it, to diverge at a wide angle from their course to avoid discovery. 
 Not that Henrich entertained any fear of hostihty from his allies 
 tow aids himself, or his present party, but he felt that he could not 
 answer for their pacilic conduct towards Carlton's command, if he 
 should be unlucky enough to draw them upon the camp. There 
 was danger, too, if the singular departure of Henrich and his com- 
 panions became known to the Wappenos, that some gossipping or 
 treacherous member of the tribe might divulge it in the city, and 
 bring pursuit upon thvun from that (piaiter, before they had attained 
 a distance, winch would render it harmless. It was an easy matter 
 to gain the centre of tho stream, and thus defy discovery from the 
 shore, and for a while, they had pursued their new coui'se with a 
 
132 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 confidence whicli relaxed the rules of vigilance, when the Lynx 
 suddenly ceased rowing, and assumed a listening attitude.. 
 
 " It is an echo," said Henrich, as the sound of dipping oars 
 reached them for a moment, and then suddenly ceased ; " we are 
 nearer to the western shore than I had supposed." 
 
 " It is a boat," answered the Huron, pointing to the southwest, 
 where, at the distance of about a hundred yards, the outline of a 
 canoe could be faintly seen on the water ; " it is a boat, rowed by 
 two Iroquois" — and the Indian, giving more of a shoreward direc- 
 tion to his skiff, resumed his progi'oss, with a slightly increased 
 velocity, yet avoiding the appearance of flight. 
 
 " Our friend must j^ossess even more than the lynx's power of 
 vision," said Blanche, addressing" Huntington in a low voice, and 
 dissembling her fears, " if he can discern the occupants of that boat ; 
 I have been called quick -sighted, and can scarcely see the shape of 
 the vessel itself" 
 
 " It is not improbable that the Indian sees no more," replied 
 Henrich ; " but these wild foresters are trained to the active use of 
 all their feculties ; some irregularity in the fall of the oars has told 
 him the canoe was not pro})elled by a single person, and it scarcely 
 requires even Indian sagacity to detect the difference between the 
 rowing of a white man and a savage." 
 
 " You are at least ingenious in compreliending him," answered 
 Blanche ; " but did he not even designate the tribe to which the 
 strangers belonged ?" 
 
 " Iroquois is a generic name for the whole confederacy of the 
 Five Nations," said Henrich ; " and there is little likelihood of 
 finding Indians in this region who do not belong to one or another 
 of its subdivisions ; the word, in the mouth of the Huron, may 
 almost be considered synonymous with enemv." 
 
 The party had not proceed m:1 far, b'fort^ it became evid(Mit that 
 they were followed by the strangers, though in a manner that rather 
 indicated a desire to watch their movements than to commit any 
 
THE KING or THE HURONS. 133 
 
 immediate airgression ; the pursuers maintaining a nearly uniform 
 distance from the skitF, which the Lynx found it ditficult either to 
 increase or materially diminish. The very pauses of his boat were 
 promptly imitated by the other, as if it were but some distant 
 shadow of its predecessor, thrown back upon the wave. 
 
 This was an espionage not patiently to be endured, and, after a 
 few moments' consultation with Henrich, the Lynx again changed 
 his course, and rowed ra[)idly towards the shore, hoping, in the 
 obscurity of its deeper shadows, to elude further pursuit. But the 
 phantom canoe was still in their wake, with a celerity equal to their 
 own, and a silence that gave an air of singular mystery to its move- 
 ments. Henrich began to suspect that he was followed from the 
 city by some one authorized to require the return of Miss Montaigne 
 and her cousin, and that an Indian canoe, with its oarsmen, had 
 been employed to ascertain his route, and to pilot a more formi- 
 dable foe upon his track ; but whatever was the character of the 
 enemy, he did not exhibit a ready tact in detecting the designs of 
 the fugitives, who were permitted to enter the shadows at a distance 
 from the former, that at once buried them from sight. 
 
 The Lynx did not tail to take advantage of this error, by chang- 
 ing his course and increasing his speed, but still maintaining a 
 northerly direction, enjoining meanwhile the strictest silence upon 
 his companions, and handling his oars with a delicacy of motion that 
 seemed scarcely to create a sound. The skift' shot ahead beside the 
 high bank, and beneath the overhanging boughs, as nearly noise- 
 less and invisible as anything of material mould could be ; and the 
 closest attention could no longer detect any signs of pursuit. Half 
 an hour of silent progress brought it to the mouth of a small creek, 
 which, after a little examination, the Lynx pronounced to be the 
 one leading to the secret camp ; and as the little bark glid<^d into the 
 opening, embowered with interlacing trees from the opposing shores, 
 the whole party experienced a sense of relief. 
 
 " We have probably had a very useless alarm, after all," said 
 
134 
 
 THE KING OF THE HURON S, 
 
 Henrich, glad to dismiss his former suspicions ; " our followers were 
 doubtless only some belated hunters of the Wapi)enos, returnino- to 
 their village, and attracted by curiosity out of their course." 
 
 "I shall be glad if it proves to be nothing worse," replied 
 Blanche, not altogether at ease, yet striving to maintain the a})p('ai'- 
 ance of equanimity; "but you attribute a propensity to the red 
 men, from which they are usually considered exempt." 
 
 "I know," answered Henrich, "that the absence of curiosity 
 forms part of the poetical character of the Indian, yet I have ever 
 found them a meddling, gossipping race : on state occasions, indeed, 
 it is different ; then, they put on their dignity, like a cloak, and like 
 some counting-house Christians on Sunday, assume all their cardinal 
 virtues for the occasion." 
 
 "Which, like Sunday clothes, seem all the fresher for being 
 seldom worn, I suppose," said Blanche, laughing ; " you are severe 
 upon your forest fi'iends." 
 
 " Not at all," replied Huntington ; " they have many noble 
 qualities, to which you will always find me ready to do justice ; but 
 the want of inquisitiveness is not one of them : is it not so, sachem ?" 
 he continued, addressing the Huron — " I speak of the Iroquois, of 
 course." 
 
 " The Iroquois are dogs," answered the Lynx, giving but a 
 moment's heed to the question, and immediately returning to a 
 close scrutiny of the shore past which they were gliding ; at 
 the next instant he uttered an ejaculation of pleasure, as his eye 
 rested upon some rememboi-ed landmark, and running the skiff into 
 a little nook, he leaped lightly u]3on the land, where he was at once 
 followed by his companions. A hill of no great height, but nearly 
 perpendicular, rose from the beach, and a slight indentation at its 
 base, the entrance of which was thickly studded with bushes, had 
 formed at once a refuge fur Carlton's httle band, and a j»]ace of 
 concealment for their boats. Into this recess the Lynx hiistily 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 135 
 
 darted, and after a few minutes' absence, re-appeared with tlie 
 startling- announcement that it was vacant. 
 
 " The count has heard the foxes bark," he said, unable wholly to 
 repress his contempt ; " or the drumming bird has come too near ; 
 he has gone, and brave men have gone with him — it is bad !" 
 
 The emotions with which this inteUigence was received were 
 various and conflicting. The prospect of being compelled to 
 abandon their voyage and return to New York, was at first not 
 unwelcome to the ladies, whose courage was already well nigh 
 expended ; but the reflection that the journey would thus be only 
 postponed, and not avoided, and the memory of her recent perils in 
 the city, combined to give preponderance to a feeling of regret in 
 the mind of Blanche. Some jealousy for the honor of her father's 
 messeno-er mino-led with these thouo-hts, and she at once suggested 
 that Carlton might only have changed his quarters to some more 
 convenient or safe location in the vicinity, or that he had been 
 surprised and overpowered by an enemy. 
 
 "These are possibihties, certainly," answered Henrich ; "and 
 only daylight, which is yet three hours distant, can reveal whether 
 they are probable : it is useless to search by this light, and danger- 
 ous to make signals ; but if you are able to pass the remainder of 
 the night here " 
 
 " It is at least as easy as to return," Blanche rephed ; " we should 
 be ill fitted for our journey if we shrunk from so slight an inconve- 
 nience ; a warm night in the open air is no great hardship, and yet 
 I could wish, for the very romance of the thing, that we had the 
 tents and hammocks, which the Lynx assures me were brought for 
 
 our use." 
 
 " We will try what can be done by way of a substitute," said 
 Henrich, gaily ; " you have your cloaks, and you shall see that a 
 forest couch can easily be rigged by hands that are used to expe- 
 dients : as for the Lynx and myself, we shall have the honor of 
 being your sentinels." 
 
136 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 So saying, he signified his wishes to the Huron, and the two, 
 raising the skiff from the water, transferred it within the cavernous 
 recess which has been described, where a quantity of hght boughs 
 of pine and hemlock, carefully adjusted within it, constituted a bed 
 at once soft and elastic. The cloak of the young man was thrown 
 over the whole, and Blanche and Emily proceeded to examine their 
 novel resting-place ; the latter protesting, in a doleful tone, that it 
 was altogether delightful, but that she was sure she " could not sleep 
 a wink with that horrid screech-owl yelling from a neighboring 
 tree-top." 
 
 " It sounds exactly hke what I fancy an Indian war-cry to be," 
 she said, " although I dare say it is very different, and I'm sure I 
 don't wonder if your count what's-his-name was afraid to stay here ; 
 there — there, only listen," she continued, putting her hands to her 
 ears, and looking upwards, as the shrill unearthly sounds rang 
 through the air — " don't you think he could be induced to go 
 away ?" 
 
 " I fear not," answered Henrich, unable to repress a smile at the 
 words and manner of the speaker, " we dare neither shoot nor shout 
 at him, and he is far above the reach of any missile sent from the 
 hand ; try to consider him only a serenader ; he is, I assure you, a 
 very small and harmless bird, — less than a robin, and answers 
 better to the term vox et prctiterca nihil^ than anything else 
 in nature." 
 
 " I hope he will answer to nothing here," said Blanche ; " I am 
 sure I shall ask him no questions — I shall grow dreadfully nervous 
 myself, since Emily has reminded me of it ; is it probable that he 
 will remain there long ?" 
 
 " Until morning, undoubtedly," Henrich replied, "when he will go 
 to sleep — there — there, that's an extra note, indeed ; what say you, 
 Sachem, is there any way of getting rid of this bird-fiend ?" 
 
 The Indian uttered a low laugh, and raising his hands to his mouth, 
 emitted a succession of quick shrill sounds in imitation of a night- 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 137 
 
 hawk, "\^Licll now in one quarter, and now in another, seemed to be 
 hovering over the trees. A qniek redonbkd scream of the owl, 
 striking the ear AAith painful acuteness, and then growing fainter 
 until it died away in the distance, attested the faithfulness of the 
 mimicry, and showed that the enemy was effectually dislodged. 
 
 " That was well done, my brother !" said Heniieh, much ])leased, 
 though less surprised than the ladies at the expedient, — " you must 
 teach me that note, some time ; good bye to Mr. Vox ; he has pressing 
 business in some other quarter — and now, ladies, you perceive the 
 Lynx has taken his station for the night, beneath that elm tree ; 
 mine is at the foot of this oak, where his Huron highness gives me 
 permission to sleep ; you must take our bearings, as a sailor would 
 say, from your cot, and you'll know where to find us, if you should 
 be frightened in the night." 
 
 " We will endeavor not to disturb the slumbers of so vigilant 
 a sentinel as you are like to prove," replied Blanche — " but here, 
 Emily, give Sachem the second his blanket ; he will certainly 
 need it on the ground, moie than we in the boat, where w^e have 
 our own cloaks and shawls." 
 
 The reasonableness of this assertion was too apparent to admit of 
 contest, and Henrich, receiving his cloak, quietly disposed himself 
 to sleep, while the ladies, laughing not a little at their various 
 ineffectual attempts to gain a comfortable reclining position, finally 
 triumphed over all difficulties, and followed his example. One pair 
 of restless eyes alone remained open through the remaining hours of 
 the night, revolving in every direction from which an enemy could 
 possibly approach, with a vigilance that betokened the consciousness 
 of an important trust, and which was, perhaps, increased by the 
 unforgotten horrors of the gantlet and the stake. 
 
138 THE KING OF THE HURONS, 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The meek-eyed morn appears, mother of dews, 
 
 At first faint glimmering in the duppled east ; 
 
 Till far o'er ether spreads the wid'ning glow, 
 
 And from before the lustre of her foce, 
 
 White break the clouds away." — Thomson's Seasons. 
 
 Day had fully dawned, and some crimson-tinted clouds were even 
 announcing that the sun was not far below the horizon, when 
 Henrich, awaking from sleep, bounded suddenly to his feet, alarmed 
 at the very profoundness of his repose, and at the conjectured evils 
 which might have occurred during its continuance. His first glance 
 was at the boat, where the closely enveloped figures of the ladies 
 were quietly reposing, and his next at the sentinel who remained 
 motionless at his post, with no signs of w^eariness or impatience. 
 
 " Your w^atch has been undisturbed ?" he said, hastily a])})roacli- 
 ing the Huron, " and you have discovered no traces of the count 
 and his party ; is it so ?" 
 
 It was with a look almost of affection that the Indian's eyes 
 encountered those of his young friend and deliverer, and for a 
 moment he seemed dwelling in memory U]»on the events of the 
 preceding day : 
 
 " There has been no harm," he said ; " a wolf howled from the 
 hill," pointing to a projection of th.e bank near the sleepers — " and 
 a wild-cat leaped over the boat, but I clapped my hands, and they 
 ran away." 
 
 " Is it possible ?" exclaimed Henrich, glancing at the ladies, " that 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 139 
 
 they have been exposed to perils like these ? they must not know 
 it, or they will even yet die of terror. But the count, — learn you 
 aught of him ?" 
 
 " He has gone home," rephed the Huron, bitterly, pointing at the 
 same time to a tree at a little distance from where they stood ; " see, 
 the Algonquin has said it ; my white brother can read !'' 
 
 Henrich was not usually disposed to doubt his scholarship in the 
 particular named, but he found himself not a httle puzzled on 
 approaching the tree, to construe the simple tokens it contained, nor 
 was it without the aid of the Lynx that he fully comprehended 
 them. 
 
 " Here is an arrow fixed in the bark, pointing to the north," he 
 said, — " that is plain enough ; somebody has gone in that direction ; 
 stay, here are six notches on it, one considerably in advance of the 
 others ; that I suppose means that the whole party have gone, con- 
 sisting of five men and their leader ; but why does the arrow point 
 upward as well as northward ?" he said, addressing the Huron ; 
 " they certainly have not gone through the air." 
 
 " They have gone a great way," answered the Lynx. 
 
 " Ah, yes, I am dull — that signifies a distant destination very 
 plainly," Henrich replied, or rather muttered to himself; "and it is 
 partly broken here in the middle, I suppose, to show that the object 
 of the expedition is defeated or abandoned ?" 
 
 " Right," said the Huron ; " my brother can read the language 
 of the red men : does he see anything more ?" 
 
 " The tree is blazed a little here on the north side with a hatchet," 
 replied Huntington, " and there are a few rude marks, but I can 
 make nothing of them : here is a new moon down in one corner ; 
 and there is something like a face, with a hand before it ; if it is 
 designed for a likeness of your friend, I don t envy him his beauty." 
 
 " My brother must go to school," said the Indian smiling, — " he 
 cannot read; see, the moon was setting when they started, and the 
 Algonquin was ashamed !" 
 
140 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 The symbols wliich have been described were of the coarsest 
 kind, and such as may have been prepared ahiiost within the time 
 which has been consumed in reading the brief description of them ; 
 yet, they preserved a general accuracy of outline that spoke well for 
 the artistical talents of the savage. That they reflected still more 
 credit upon his heart, need scarcely be said, since, being compelled 
 thus to desert a friend in the land of their common enemy, he 
 sought by these means to enable the other still to overtake and 
 rejoin his companions ; and there was little doubt that every halting- 
 place on his homeward journey would bear evidence of the same 
 generous design. 
 
 " The moon was setting when they started, do you say ?" asked 
 Henrich ; " it must have been, then, but a few hours before our 
 arrival ; if we had known it we might have overtaken them, and 
 might possibl}^ do so, even yet." 
 
 The Huron had longed for this proposition, though he had but 
 little hopes that the ladies would accede to it; a love of truth, how- 
 ever, would not |)ermit him to hold out any false hopes of success ; 
 the canoes, he said, were swifter tlian the skiff, and had already six 
 hours the start ; but the count made many pauses, and lost much 
 time in fre([uently crossing the river at the least alarm. 
 
 " But the sun is moving, while we stand still," he continued, 
 pointing to the eastern horizon, where the orb of day was just 
 beginning to a})})ear, — "let the daughter of the great chief speak — 
 the Lynx must obey." 
 
 " You are right ; no time must be lost, if we are to proceed," 
 answered Henrich ; " go waken them, and we will decide the question 
 with a full council board." 
 
 " We will spare you that trouble, gentlemen, or sachems," exclaimed 
 the laughing voice of Blanche, at their side ; " we have been up 
 these three minutes, and Emily has even found a rivulet in the rocks, 
 in wliich she is makino; her ablutions, and of which 1 am to have the 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 141 
 
 second pn\nlege ; I dare say we shall have breakfast ready in a 
 trice : what would you please to order ?" 
 
 "I do not know, really," said Henrich, "a grilled screech-owl 
 mio-ht not be amiss, or a few frogs from the creek : if these cannot 
 be procured, we must try to content ourselves with the commoner 
 dainties of ham, bread, and pastry, with which my good gTandmother 
 has so liberally supphed us." 
 
 "Many thanks, then, for her kindness," Blanche repHed ; "I really 
 supposed all our hopes of a meal depended upon finding Count 
 Carlton's larder : is anything yet learned in regard to his 
 movements ?" 
 
 " Everything," answered Huntington ; " the Lynx has received a 
 letter from an Algonquin Indian who belonged to his company." 
 
 " A letter from an Indian !— how witten ? — and by what post ? 
 Surely you are jesting." 
 
 " By this post," Henrich added, pointing to the tree at their side, 
 " and if I have rightly followed the direction of your eyes, they have 
 already discovered it." 
 
 " I see a broken arrow which seems to have been caught in the 
 cre\aces of the bark," the young lady answered with an earnest air : 
 " if there is any meaning in it, tell me, I pray, without delay : are 
 our friends at hand ?" 
 
 " I grieve to say they are gone, Miss Montaigne : they started last 
 evening for home, but two hours before our arrival— see, here is the 
 
 proof." 
 
 Henrich proceeded to explain the various symbols before them to 
 the great astonishment of Blanche, whose extreme interest in the 
 information left her httle thought for the ingenuity displayed jn 
 conveying it. 
 
 " And is it possible, Mr. Huntington," she said, " that this intelH- 
 gence, which seems to be indebted to an active imagination for half 
 its meaning, can be rehed on— can be the proper basis of any 
 action ?" 
 
142 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 " It is as reliable as ever were general orders under the sign- 
 manual of the Baron Montaigne," answered the young man promj>tly ; 
 " I would venture my life on its accuracy ; the Lynx has not thought 
 it necessary even to look for any corroborative testimony, and only 
 waits your decision as to your wishes." 
 
 " What can I decide ? what ought I to do ?" she asked, looking 
 imploringly, and \vith an alarmed air upon Huntington — " Surely, 
 surely we cannot continue our journey, with only yourself and the Lynx 
 for our protectors ; nothing, indeed, but my father's injunctions 
 would have induced me to attempt it, even with the larger escort 
 which we anticipated. There can be but slight hope of overtaking 
 the count if we should follow him, and it only remains to return to 
 the city : what think you, Mr. Huntington, does not prudence 
 demand such a course, and have I not done all that duty requires 
 in trying to meet the wishes of my father ?" 
 
 " You certainly have discharged your full duty, Miss Montaigne, 
 if I can correctly estimate your position," Henrich answered, " and 
 prudence, as you say, forbids the thought of attempting to travel to 
 Castle Montaigne, with so slight a guard ; yet I own that I speak 
 with the bias of a strong wish for your return to New York. The 
 Huron thinks there would be a chance of our overtaking his late 
 com[»anions, but scarcely claims it, I believe, to be very probable." 
 
 " Doubtless, we must return," said Blanche, " yet we will leave 
 nothing in reason, undone ; it is early, and the day will be long ; if 
 you please, therefore, and the Lynx is willing " 
 
 " You command this company, Miss Montaigne," said Henrich, 
 smiling, " please to speak in the imperative mood ; no eastern despot 
 has a more willing slave than the Huron seems disposed to be to 
 you, — and I, you know, am his brother." 
 
 " You honor me overmuch. The Sultaness, then, if you will have 
 it so, will proceed in her barge up the river for the space of three or 
 four hours ; if within that time no trace of our recusant subjects can 
 be found, we will return and abandon the search. The count, you 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 143 
 
 know," she continued, dropping her assumed air, " may have 
 encamped on the shore, and may discover us from his hiding-place ; 
 he may not think it prudent to travel by daylight so near the 
 English capital." 
 
 The plan of action being once settled, no time was lost in carry- 
 ing it out ; the boat was re-transferred to the creek, and, within 
 a few minutes, the whole company embarked, not a little elated with 
 the novelty and interest of the occasion. The morning was fine 
 and the air exhilarating, and there were many conspiring causes to 
 throw joy and gladness into young and confident hearts, buoyant 
 with a thousand indefinite yet brilliant hopes. They dropped 
 quietly down the glassy stream, and into the broad blue river, 
 greeted by the early song of birds, and catching the fragrance of a 
 thousand flowers ; while the voice of the chirruping squirrel, and the 
 tapping of the busy woodpecker, and the far faint voice of the wary 
 crow, and now and then the crashing tread of some larger animal, 
 startled from his repose, told that the forests were ahve with their 
 countless varieties of existence ; aye, and all were happy, and were 
 proclaiming to the dull eye and ear of man, plainer than printed 
 tomes or sounding speech, the one great beneficent Author of 
 Nature. 
 
144 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 ' Calm is the deep and purple sea, 
 Yea, smoother than the sand ; 
 The waves that woltering wont to be, 
 Are stable like the land. 
 
 " So silent is the cessile air 
 That every cry and call, 
 The hills, and dales, and forests fair 
 
 Again repeat them &\V—jSlexander Hume. 
 
 Four hours the voyagers proceeded northward, keeping a most 
 vigilant watch in every direction, not only for the party of which 
 they were in pursuit, but for the roving bands of Indians which 
 they had reason to fear they might encounter. The danger wdiich 
 threatened from this source, though shght as yet, increased at every 
 mile's remove from the capital, for althougli the tribes who inhabited 
 or rather who hunted in the adjacent forests, were in alliance with 
 the English, the Huron guide would doubtless give character to the 
 whole party in their eyes if the travellers should be unfortunate 
 enough to be intercepted. No signs of human life, however, were 
 visible, and in vain was every eye pained with the intense effort to 
 discover, in the bright })athway of waters that seemed to extend 
 interminably northward, some trace of the object of their search. 
 
 " I am afraid to penetrate further into these solitudes," exclaimed 
 Blanche at length, " the stillness of death hangs over them, and the 
 echoes of our voices come back to us from shores that are half a 
 mile distant ; what say you, Emily, shall we not return ?" 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 145 
 
 " As you please, cousin Blanche," said Miss Roselle, fally second- 
 ing the wishes of Miss Montaigne, yet wilHng to gain credit for the 
 larger share of courage, " I am only lady of the bed-chamber to 
 your royal highness, and as duty seems to be quite the watchword 
 here, I have made up my mind that it is mine either to be scalped, 
 or tomahawked at your bidding, without repining." 
 
 " Ah, do not trifle, Emily ; I am really alarmed — say, have we 
 not done all ?" 
 
 " Our duty — you would say again," interrupted Emily — " yes 
 cousin Blanche, all — all believe me, and works of supererogation 
 enough beside to constitute a capital for a canonized saint ; Father 
 Ledra might envy us, and shall draw upon me for my share, if he 
 chooses, when we are once safe in Castle Montaigne." 
 
 " Do not jest at the faith of our dear friend ; whatever may be 
 its errors, his prayers rise daily for us, Emily, and there seems some- 
 thing of their influence in the gentleness of the fate which has thus far 
 attended us. We will return," she added, sadly, and with starting 
 tears ; " it will be a disappointment to my father, and he will 
 perhaps even blame me, but it cannot be avoided." 
 
 Blanche buried her face in her hands, and scarcely suppressed the 
 feelings which every allusion to her parent seemed to awaken ; and 
 while the othei-s remained silent from respect to her emotion, the 
 skitf was quietly turned about, and with no change in its steady, 
 monotonous motion, pursued its returning course. The hour was 
 about nine in the morning, the same morning and the same hour in 
 which Ensign Midge, baffled in his gallant enterprise of capturing a 
 prisoner of state, had carried back to Major Grover the tidings of 
 his discomfiture. 
 
 It was long past mid-day when the travellers reached the creek 
 from which they had set out in the morning ; and Henrich and the 
 Lynx, who had taken alternate hours at the oai-s, were sufficiently 
 fatigued to look longingly at the cool landscape past which they 
 were gliding. The proximity of the city left little to fear from 
 
 7 
 
146 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 hostile Indians, and a challenge from Blanche to stop for rest and a 
 lunch in the woods, was readily accepted. A favorable spot was 
 selected, and the vessel having been landed within the cover of 
 some bushes, its wearied occupants leaped gladly upon the shore, 
 the baskets were brought out, and while, at the command of Miss 
 Montaigne, the oarsmen extended themselves in the shade for 
 repose, the ladies proceeded to arrange the meal. 
 
 " It becomes us," said Blanche, " to see that the strength is not 
 uselessly expended which is required in our service ; please to let 
 those dreadful guns point in the other direction, or we shall never get 
 past you — there, you may sleep now, if you choose, for the next 
 fifteen minutes — now, Emily, it is our turn to work." 
 
 A dinner that might have excited the envy of a modern pic-nic 
 party was speedily set out from the varied and liberal sup[>lies of 
 Dame Waldron ; a little eminence or knoll, garnished with wild 
 flowers, serving for the table, for which even a cloth of spotless 
 white was not wanting. Water was procured from the creek, and 
 everything was soon arranged with a delicacy and neatness that 
 seemed to impart an additional flavor to the viands ; yet there were 
 appetites in waiting which scai'cely required tempting ; and the 
 companions, without distinction of caste, were soon actively employed 
 in ap[)easing them. 
 
 Many good things were disposed of, and some sparkling thoughts 
 were generated under their influence ; but while the mirth of the 
 party was at its height, a sudden sound of oars, and of voices close 
 at hand, came distinctly to every ear, and elicited a quick but slight 
 ejaculation of alarm from the ladies. Henrich sprang instanta- 
 neously to his feet, grasping his gun as he i-ose, while the Lynx, 
 also seizing his weapon, threw himself as suddenly upon the ground, 
 and each remained a moment motionless, gazing towards the shore. 
 The sound continued, and came nearer, seeming to proceed from 
 the immediate margin of the river ; but the bank, which was some- 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 147 
 
 what high, and was edged with bushes, concealed the speakers fi-om 
 view, and rendered their voices indistinct to the hsteners. 
 
 The Huron signified to his companions that they should remain 
 seated and silent while he crept to the shore and reconnoitred the 
 strangers ; when, with the stealthy motion of a cat, slow and noise- 
 less, rustling no leaves, crackling not so much as the smallest stick 
 in his path, the Indian gained the bank, and buried his head in a 
 bush that overhung its edge. No portion of his person was suffered 
 to protrude through his leafy covert ; but his eyes, brought nearly 
 to its outer side, rolled, spai-kling, in every direction, like those of 
 the watchful snake, gleaming from the still grass at the unconscious 
 invader of his haunts. 
 
 Henrich's situation was one which gave him a partial view of the 
 Huron's face, and he watched it with the hope of gleaning from its 
 expression the earliest intelligence of the nature of the interruption ; 
 but for some moments it gave no evidence of any discovery. Sud- 
 denly, however, it lighted with animation, and, at the next moment, 
 a marked and extraordinary change came upon it ; a look which, but 
 for the Lynx's known bravery, Henrich would have pronounced to 
 evince the most unequivocal fear. The Indian drew cautiously back, 
 and when his face came fully into the light, there was no longer room 
 for a doubt as to the character of the emotions it depicted ; terror, 
 absolute and unqualified, such as a warrior may not exhibit, such as 
 the tortures and the stake in the Wappeno village had not inspired, 
 were plainly marked upon his features. So apparent was this, even 
 to Blanche and Emily, that each turned pale as they gazed upon 
 him, and for some moments after he had crept silently back to the 
 knoll, liis companions waited in vain for him to speak and explain 
 the mystery. 
 
 "What has my brother seen?" whispered Henrich, at length, 
 disguising, as best he could, his own growing alarm ; " are the 
 Wappenos upon us ? if so, we have but httle cause to dread them — 
 but perhaps they are Mohawks from the north ?" 
 
148 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 The Huron shook his head, and laying down his gun with a 
 carelessness as to its position that seemed to evince no expectation 
 of requiring its aid, pointed steadily to the ground, and muttered 
 some unintelHgible words in his own dialect. 
 
 " Merciful Father !" exclaimed Emily, grasping the arm of Hen- 
 ricli ; " what does he mean ? let us fly into the woods, quick — quick 
 — there is no time to lose." 
 
 " Keep silence, Miss Roselle, I implore you," whispered Henrich, 
 with great equanimity, passing, at the same time, a cup of water 
 from the grassy table to Blanche, who stared at him \vith deathly 
 paleness ; " we must not stir or speak ; an Indian's ears are like 
 the mole's, and the whole forest is but a whispering gallery to their 
 acute senses; once more I implore you," he continued, turning to 
 the Lynx, " to tell us the cause of the alarm : what was it that you 
 saw ?" 
 
 The Huron again pointed to the ground, and whispered, " What 
 you call him — with the pitchfork — down there — our good fathers at 
 the chapel have told us — he roasts the Iroquois — see !" 
 
 A look of horror closed this explanation, as a rustling was heard 
 near the bank, and the white hair and black visage of Harry Bolt 
 emerged from the parted bushes, followed by his long, ungainly body. 
 A burst of laughter succeeded from Henrich, at once re-assuring 
 the alarmed ladies, and partly allaying the fears of the puzzled 
 Indian who continued to gaze with a bewildered air, alternately at 
 the approaching negro, and at his own now merry companions. 
 
 Ilany was hatless and coatless, his brawny arms were bare to the 
 shoulders, and it was scarcely strange that the Lynx, who had never 
 seen an African, and had been taught by his spiritual guides at the 
 castle, not only the existence of the author of evil, but his frequent 
 personal appearance on the earth, had suspected his presence in so 
 strange an apparition ; especially in the land of the Iroquois, where, 
 according to the Huron belief, he would have frequent employ- 
 ment. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 149 
 
 Harry was followed at a little distance by a boy of his own color, 
 and seemed to be in a state of excitement not materially less tlian 
 that which had recently agitated the Indian. 
 
 " Oh, massa Henrich 1 massa Henrich !" he exclaimed, as he drew 
 near, with widely distended eyes, and upraised arms, " oh massa 
 Henrich — massa Henrich /" 
 
 " What's the matter, Harry ?" said Henrich, laughing ; " speak out, 
 and have done with it, if you have anything to say ; you have 
 frightened the Lynx enough already ; I don't want to flatter you, 
 but he really mistook you for the devil !" 
 
 " Oh, no, no, Massa Lynch," said Harry, " I ain't de debbil, but 
 he's comin', sartain ; GaflTer AVallon send me to tell you, Massa 
 Heniich ; oh golly, oh gosh !" 
 
 " What can the chattering baboon mean ?" exclaimed Huntington, 
 " he hasn't come here for nothing, that's evident ; here, you, Ruppy," 
 he continued, addressing the boy, " do you know anything about 
 this ? what did my grandfather send Harry here for ?" 
 
 " I don't know," said the boy, more composedly, though with a 
 bashful air — " but the house has been full of sojers, this morning, 
 ramsacking it all ober, sir — and they cotched Miss Doxy and wuz 
 goin' to carry her off, kaze dey said it was Miss Mountain." 
 
 " Yes, sir," chimed in the senior negro, " and Gaffer 'fraid you 
 come back, or go too slow, and dey send a sloop arter you, or 
 sumpin — oh golly, we look ebery where for you, and wuz jes goin' 
 back, when Ruppy, dare, seed your boat in de bushes." 
 
 " It is some new de\dce of that dreadful man," exclaimed Blanche, 
 with ashen hps, " do you know, Harry, whether Major Grover was 
 with the soldiers ?" 
 
 " No, mum," answered the boy, hastily, " he wa'nt dare — it was 
 General Midge, and he s'roimded de house, and drawed his sword, 
 and looked mighty grand." 
 
 " Ensign Midge," said Henrich, " is one of Grover's creatures, and 
 I fear it is as you suspect ; they have evidently learned your name, 
 
150 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 Miss Montaigne, for the boy seems to have heard it mentioned, and 
 this is some pretence of making you a prisoner of state ; what did 
 you say they called Doxy, boy V 
 
 " Dey called her Miss Mountain, sar ; and she said she was ony 
 Doxy, and was goin' to tell ware you wuz, and Gaffer Wallon made 
 her shut up." 
 
 " A thousand blessings on his venerable head !" exclaimed 
 Huntington — " we must not neglect his warning ; Miss Montaigne, 
 the moment has come for an important decision ; on either hand is 
 peril, and you must choose between them ; a return to New York, 
 or a long, weary, dangerous journey, with, I grieve to say, a sadly 
 deficient guard." 
 
 " I need no time for choice," exclaimed Blanche, with an earnest- 
 ness that startled her hearers ; " I would trust myself this moment 
 in the camp of the Mohawks, rather than in the hands of that 
 fearful man ; but you, Emily, I have no right to require to share 
 such perils ; nor you, my friend ; I will go with the Lynx alone, and 
 God, who protects the friendless, will be our shield." 
 
 It was with an air of lofty resolution that these words were 
 uttered, imparting to the beautiful features of the speaker, a new 
 and singular expression ; whoever had beheld the marked counte- 
 nance of the Baron Montaigne, and the eagle-hke flashing of his 
 eye, could not fail to pei'ceive the passing resemblance — revealed, 
 as it were, by the lightning flash of feehng — betwixt father and 
 child. 
 
 " Do not believe. Miss Montaigne," replied Henrich, " that I can 
 be induced to desert you ; were I willing to do so, the world of 
 chi\alry would cry shame on such an act : I approve, aye, ai)})laud, 
 your choice, and am ready to share its perils ; one more, therefore, 
 is added to your guard — what say you, Harry Bolt, at making a 
 third ?" 
 
 " Making what, massa Henrich ?" asked the negTo. 
 
 " Will you go with us to protect this lady, three hundred miles 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 151 
 
 up tliese rivers and lakes, to her father's house ; there will be hard- 
 ship and danger — perhaps death." 
 
 "Massa Henrich," said the negro, "I will go to de moon with 
 Missa Blanche : I will go to de land of de Hottenpots with her ! I 
 cry half de way up here, fear de sojers cotch her — she make Jule 
 free, oh golly !" 
 
 Henrich grasped the hand of the negro, and shook it as if they 
 had been brothers, while the tears poured hke rain down the cheeks 
 of Miss Montaigne. " We are three strong men," he said, " and the 
 Lynx alone is a host in sagacity and skill ; add to this that there is 
 some hope even yet of overtaking the count, and our cause is by no 
 means desperate ; only one question more remains to be decided ;" 
 and Huntington turned to Miss Roselle as he spoke. 
 
 " It is decided !" said Emily, catching the contagious enthusiasm 
 of the moment — " I will go with my cousin, even to death." 
 
 If Miss Roselle was ever captious and trifling in the hour of secu- 
 rity, she yet possessed in her inner nature much of woman's self- 
 sacrificing spirit ; Blanche bestowed upon her a look of exceeding 
 tenderness ; and when, at the next moment, Henrich turned to 
 converse aside with the negro, the cousins, for the first time, perhaps, 
 since childhood, were locked in a sisterly embrace. 
 
 " Let us then lose no time," said Henrich ; " Ruppy can take back 
 Harry's boat, but we must guard against his prating ; here, boy," 
 he continued, thrusting several pieces of silver coin into tlie lad's 
 hand, " mind now what I say to you : you must not speak a word 
 in two days, excepting to grandfether Waldron — do you hear ?" 
 
 " Yes, Massa, I won't tell " 
 
 " Tut — tut — that isn't enough — if your mouth opens, out it will 
 come in some shape, t know ; but you must not sjieak a word to a 
 li\ing soul in two days, excepting to grandfather — will you 
 promise ?" 
 
 " Yes, Massa, I promise ; I'll go to sleep," said the boy, grinning, 
 
162 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 and then setting his Hps closely together, and eyeing joyfully the 
 sparkling coin. 
 
 The party now proceeded at once to re-embark ; and as they 
 approached the water, an ejaculation of pleasure from the Lynx was 
 heard, which proved to be occasioned by a sight of the boat in which 
 the negro had come up from the city : it was a long, light, and 
 narrow canoe, of moderate size, and admirably adapted for the pur- 
 pose of the fugitives. 
 
 " This is truly a windfall," exclaimed Henrich, — " whose is this, 
 Harry ? — but no matter — if it were the Queen's I would take it in 
 such a cause : whose is it, I say ?" 
 
 " It's mine, by jingo !" answered Harry, triumphantly ; " I buy 
 him of Winny last spring to go fishin' on de Sound, and cotch him 
 half full de fust time : and dat's my gun, too," he added ; " don't 
 Massa Henrich remember how I shoot de turkey's tail off with him 
 last Christmas, at de sliootin' match ; and ole Gummel wouldn't let 
 me hab him, 'kaze I didn't draw blood — blast his old pictur !" 
 
 " All our fortunate stars seem to be in conjunction to-day," said 
 Henrich ; " I knew, indeed, that Harry never stirs abroad without 
 his rifle — but the canoe is an unexpected treasure." 
 
 The necessary changes were hastily made, and within five minutes 
 the two boats were receding from each other. 
 
 "Remember, Ruppy, you are to give my best love, and our 
 thanks to old Mr. Waldron," Blanche called out as the boats began 
 to separate. 
 
 The boy nodded. 
 
 " Will you remember, Ruppy ?" she asked again, with much 
 earnestness, bending over the side of the boat, and looking back as 
 she spoke ; and again the boy rephed only with an affirmative 
 gesture of the head. 
 
 " Why don't you speak, you ill-mannered fellow^ ?" asked Henrich, 
 angrily : " do you hear what Miss Montaigne says to you ?" 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 153 
 
 Ruppy bowed his head to his knees, but still kept his Hps tightly 
 together ; and then, by way of explaining his conduct, stopped 
 rowing, took the silver coins from his pocket, and held them up to 
 view. 
 
 " All right !" answered Henrich, laughing, and the travellers pro- 
 ceeded rapidly on their way. 
 
 1* 
 
154 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX, 
 
 " See he bears the line away, 
 Round him flies the snowy spray, 
 I h;ive given him length ;ind line, 
 One more struggle, he is mine." — Miss Landon. 
 
 It was with an air of confidence, w^liich at times, before, had 
 seemed partly to desert him, that the Lynx had taken his seat in 
 the slender and graceful canoe, which springing forward in its path, 
 with an equable and noiseless motion, promised a very different rate 
 of progress from that to which the voyagers had hitherto been con- 
 fined. Taking the centre of the stream, and keeping a vigilant watch 
 on either shore, they maintained their way with a uniform speed, 
 and without molestation, until dark, when they paused for a few 
 hours of repose. Soon after midnight they resumed their course, 
 and by the time the i"isen sun of the ensuing morning was brighten- 
 ing the waters with its horizontal beams there were twenty good 
 leagues of land and river betwixt the fugitives and the city they had left. 
 
 Early in the day, they again stopped for rest and shelter from the 
 heat ; and when, after a few hours, some friendly clouds had 
 obscured the burning sky, they again ventured forth. No time was 
 unnecessarily lost, and nothing that the strength, vigilance, and 
 valor, of three men, conscious of a most momentous charge, could 
 effect, was left undone to secure the safety and comfort of the ladies, 
 who in their turn manifested the utmost fortitude and resolution, 
 and a cheerful acquiescence in the many inconveniences and priva- 
 tions to which they were necessarily subjected. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 155 
 
 On the second morning their provisions, which had been designed 
 as aiixihjiry to those of the count, rather than as an independent 
 ^"PPb'> ^^^ become reduced to a small store, and under the vigorous 
 attacks of three strong and hard-working men, could not evidently 
 last for another day. It became therefore necessary to forage tor 
 food, and as it was unsafe to fire a gun, lest it should attract hostile 
 notice, the uncertainty of procuring it caused no little anxiety. 
 Harry, however, was observed, as they stopped at mid-day, on a small 
 island, to eye various parts of the shore with much minuteness, and 
 fina^y announced, partly in reply to the discussions on this })oint, 
 and partly doubtless, in reference to what was passing in his own 
 mind, that he saw some ground which must contain plenty. 
 
 " Plenty of what, Harry ?" asked Huntington, " we shall scarcely 
 find corn or potatoes in this wilderness, I fear; there may be 
 artichokes and some other wild roots that are edible, but they will 
 not give much strength for work like ours." 
 
 " No, no, massa Henrich, I don't mean nuffin like dat," said 
 Harry, helping to secure the canoe, " I mean worms /" 
 
 " Worms, Harry !" exclaimed Henrich, " you don't think we can 
 eat worms ? I have heard, indeed, of your Hottenpots, as you call 
 them, or some other African tribe, doing such things, but " 
 
 " Look a-here, massa Henrich," answered the negro, springing 
 into the boat, and ])ulling out a small locker or drawer from one 
 end of the vessel — " do you see dem ?" 
 
 Henrich's eyes followed the other, and fell upon a confused lot of 
 fishing tackle, hues, leads, hooks and buoys, which seemed to have 
 been thrown, promiscuously, into the drawer ; the great value of 
 which in their present emergency, became strikingly apparent. 
 
 " Harry Bolt, you are a jewel," he exclaimed, " a crown-jewel ! 
 how chanced you to bring these with you ?" 
 
 " Why, you see, I spected to fish and shoot bofe goin' back 
 home, de oder arternoon — look dare, dat is my troUin' hne, dat ketch 
 'em bass, when de boat goin' eber so fast." 
 
156 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 " I see — I see, and there's the Lynx, ah-eady, with an ashen stick, 
 that he is going to make into a bow, I'll be bound, in order to kill 
 game, without making a noise ; alas ! ladies, these men will carry 
 off all the honors, and leave me nothing that I can do for you !" 
 
 " ' Qui facit per alium, facit per 6'e,' " replied Blanche, laughing, 
 " if I may quote a favorite maxim of my father's ; we are indebted 
 to you for both the negro and the Lynx ; aye, for the very life of 
 the latter ; he told us the whole thrilling story this morning." 
 
 " And with a countenance more expressive of gratitude than any 
 I ever beheld," added Emily — " why, Mr. Huntington, had you left 
 us so long in ignorance of it V 
 
 " Solely, I beheve, because the exciting events of the last few 
 days have fully engrossed my attention," said Henrich ; " you would 
 have heard it from me, doubtless, very soon ; indeed, you will 
 find me an adept at blowing my own trumpet, but it must be a 
 very gingerly twang that I give it in this instance when it is con- 
 sidered that all which my utmost efforts failed to effect, was procured 
 by a few frothy words from a vagrant Indian." 
 
 " You certainly have a tact at decrying yourself," Blanche replied ; 
 " if you blow your own trumpet, you reverse it first, and give us 
 most diminutive notes." 
 
 When the tra\ ellers were again in readiness to start, the Huron 
 made his appearance equipped with an ashen bow, tightly strung, 
 and a small bundle of arrows, while Harry came to the boat chuck- 
 ling over a pocket-full of squirming bait, which, with difficulty, he was 
 induced to transfer to some fitter receptacle. No sooner was the canoe 
 under way than his skill in trolling was put to trial, and tor a long 
 hour an agglomerated mass of worms was towed through the water, to 
 the great chagrin of the negro, without effect. Now the vessel went 
 too fast, and now too slow ; at one time the oars made too much 
 noise ; then there was too much talking, and Harry's patience and 
 excuses were well nigh exhausted, when a sudden succession of 
 
THE KING OF THE HUR0N8 
 
 157 
 
 strange ejaculations gave notice of some change in tlie state of 
 affairs. 
 
 " Hip — ho — dare — golly ! hold up a little, Massa Lynch, — come 
 along here ! wo — wu — wah ; stiddy, dis way, if it's all de same to 
 ymi ;" the last words being uttered in answer to a lateral movement 
 of the fish — " now den, he's comin', — you eat my worms, will you ? 
 hip — hoo — hah ! dare — dare he is, by Jingo !" and a heavy fall in 
 the boat, followed by a brisk, flapping noise, announced the arrival 
 of the fish, which proved to be a bass of about three pounds weight. 
 No words can paint the exultation of the negro at this successful 
 result of his labors, and detecting with a sportsman's eye, Henrich's 
 eager interest in the scene, he at once oflfered him the hne, which 
 the other as readily accepted. 
 
 " But this is not a good bass-hook, Hariy," he said, " have you 
 none better than this ? a little larger barb, and the point more in 
 this direction, on one side ?" 
 
 " I got 'em, massa," said Harry, speaking fi'om between his knees, 
 as he bent over his locker, " but dey isn't so good, for sartain ; 
 nothin' Hke a straight hook for bass." 
 
 " A straight hook !" exclaimed Henrich, laughing, " that is some- 
 thing new, Harry ; that must be a spear, I think ; but never mind, 
 — yes, ah, that's the thing exactly," he added, selecting one fi'om a 
 paper which the negro held out, " now we shall see whose hook is 
 the best." 
 
 So saying, Henrich proceeded to arrange the line with its new 
 pendant, and baiting it also after some peculiar notions of his own, 
 he tossed it upon the water, and for many minutes sat anxiously 
 watching the result. The interest in the sport had become general, 
 the Lynx alone who was at the oars, bending unremittingly to his 
 task, seeming not to participate in it. Nearly half an hour had 
 elapsed, when a nervous start of Henrich's whole fi:ame, and a slow 
 steady overhand pull upon the line attracted every eye to the wake 
 of the boat, in which, floundering upon the very surface of the 
 
158 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 water, and approaching, open-mouthed, towards the vessel, a fish of 
 apparently eight or ten pounds' weight was seen. At the next 
 instant, it darted suddenly down, and Henrich, distrusting the 
 strength of his hne, suffered it to escape through his hands, for 
 several seconds, and not until the frightened fish had [>artly 
 exhausted its strength, did the angler again draw it to the surface. 
 A breathless silence prevailed in the boat ; the Lynx had dropped 
 his oars, the negro, with bulging eyes, was leaning over the side of 
 the canoe, while Henrich, with every faculty alive to his sport, 
 seemed unconscious of anything besides. 
 
 " He 'm a bass, massa — a bass !" said Harry, as the struggling 
 captive came once more in view ; " I see him fins — a ten pounder 
 — but dare, dare, he's off"! — he's off"! oh, de debbil take de crooked 
 hooks ; I tell a-you so, massa Henrich !" 
 
 " Stop your yelping, Harry !" exclaimed Henrich, angrily, and 
 rising to his feet, with his eyes still intently fixed on the line, which 
 he had again paid out, as the fish descended, " he's not off", but I 
 see no way of getting him into the boat ; he weighs fifteen pounds 
 if he weighs an ounce." 
 
 As Henrich stopped speaking, the bass came again almost to the 
 top of the water, and remained nearly stationary, his captor keeping 
 a tight line upon it, and both parties seeming undecideu as to future 
 movements. 
 
 " Try um, massa !" said Harry, imploringly — " ony jis try um — 
 he bery strong line." 
 
 " Nonsense, Harry — it would break like twine, I tell you — and if 
 not, the hook certainly would." 
 
 As he spoke, a slight tipping of the boat attracted attention, and 
 the Lynx, scarcely plashing the water, was seen quietly swimming 
 from the bow of the canoe, in a direction to approach the fish from 
 behind, which half exhausted, still lay nearly motionless, and with 
 distended jaws, a few yards from the canoe. No sound gave warn- 
 ing of this new danger to the victim, and in another minute, the 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 159 
 
 long dark fingers of the Indian glided into the open gills of the 
 bass, which the Huron, with extended arms, raised entirely from the 
 river, maintaining himself meanwhile from sinking by the rapid 
 motion of the feet known to swimmers as " treading water." Harry 
 sprang to the oars, and by a few^ dexterous mo^•ements threw the 
 canoe alongside of the Lynx, and at the next moment, the object of 
 their prolonged solicitude was floundering in the bottom of the boat. 
 The Indian followed, dripping like a drenched dog, yet excited to 
 actual laughter by his achievement, which received the hearty 
 plaudits of the whole company. The size of the fish, as nearly as 
 could be ascertained, rather exceeded than fell short of Huntington's 
 estimate ; and Harry, gazing disconcertedly from it to his own dimi- 
 nutive prize, reluctantly conceded the merits of the " crooked hook." 
 But the amusement of the party was interrupted at its height by 
 the starthng announcement from the Huron that a canoe was visible 
 several miles to the north, and by his earnest injunctions to the 
 negro, who had possession of the oars, to pull rapidly for the shore, 
 springing meanwhile himself to the tiller, and giving the desired 
 direction to the boat. Every eye was strained to discover the object 
 of alarm, but without effect, and Henrich, watching the earnest 
 countenance of the Lynx, as the latter continued to gaze fixedly at 
 the distant vessel, awaited his further communications without 
 question. AVhen their boat had approached within about thirty 
 yards of the eastern shore, so as to be invisible from any great 
 distance by reason of its dark background, the Lynx again changed 
 its course to the north, and enjoined the negro not to abate his 
 speed. He then rapidly explained his movements to Huntington ; 
 asking his counsel, and disclaiming any design to control the 
 movements of his companions. To gain a position where, them- 
 selves being unseen, they could reconnoitre the stranger, was 
 however too clearly a matter of prudence to require debate ; the 
 canoe might be one of Carlton's, and if so was to be pursued, it 
 might be an enemy's, and in that case was of coui-se to be shunned. 
 
160 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 It was travelling in the same direction with themselves, not far from 
 the middle of the river, and an hour's progi'ess of the pursuers 
 brought it into the view of the whole party, and enabled the Lynx 
 to assert that it had three occupants. This announcement increased 
 the general hope that it might prove to be part of the count's 
 company, which, including himself, consisted of six, and was in two 
 boats ; and as the voyagers were now approaching the more dangerous 
 part of their journey, the value of such a conjunction of forces could 
 not well be over estimated. While this probabihty was discussed 
 by Henrich and the ladies, the Indian gave confirmation to it by 
 pointing out another boat, with the same number of inmates, a little 
 in advance of its consort, but somewhat nearer the western shore, 
 from the shadows of which it was just emerging. 
 
 " Then they are, indeed, our friends !" exclaimed Blanche, with 
 animation, while a general joy pervaded the party ; " there can no 
 longer be a doubt : why should we not strike out at once into the 
 middle of the stream, where we may ourselves be discovered ?" 
 
 " We must be more certain," replied Henrich, " before making so 
 hazardous a movement ; a mistake here may be fatal ; but we shall 
 have farther tidings soon from the Lynx : see how his eyes are fixed : 
 you may be sure his oracular voice will be heard again ere long." 
 
 A short time elapsed in silence, during which the sunlight from 
 between some parting clouds fell upon the distant boats, and in the 
 next minute the rudder under the Huron's guidance turned suddenly 
 outward, throwing the bow of his vessel around towards the west, 
 while a smile of satisfaction played across his countenance. 
 
 " Are you quite certain it is they ?" asked Henrich, anxiously, as 
 this decided movement was made. 
 
 " The Lynx can see," was the brief reply. 
 
 " Whom do you see, and what ?" 
 
 " I see the Algonquin — the count — and the soldiers : they are 
 six — they are no more — is it not enough ?" 
 
 But the Indian's sagacity wa^ slightly at fault ; for when he had 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 161 
 
 brought his boat within the view of his distant friends, he had the 
 mortification of seeing them, instead of waiting for, or turning to 
 meet him, evidently proceeding on their course with increased speed. 
 He had not made allowance for the circumstance, that the sunhght 
 which revealed them so distinctly to him did not extend as far south 
 as his own position ; and that, although the Algonquin's vision was 
 scarcely inferior to his own, he could probably distinguish nothing 
 beyond the fact that there was a boat with five occuj^ants following 
 them. As there was nothing in this number which could identify 
 the latter as their friends, the others would, of course, suppose them 
 to be Iroquois, and would use their best efforts to widen the distance 
 between them. The Huron now perceived that he ought to have 
 remained in the marginal shadows of the river until he had attained 
 a proximity to his friends, which, on emerging into the light, would 
 distinctly reveal the character of his party. 
 
 There was no time, however, for vain regrets ; the sun was within 
 a few hours of its setting, and the night might separate the parties 
 beyond the hope of uniting. An open chase would be probably 
 useless, and the Lynx, explaining his intentions in a few words to 
 Henrich, took a diagonal direction across the river, entirely to the 
 western shore, hoping thus to allay suspicion, and give to his party 
 the appearance of not being in pursuit. Having done this, he 
 resumed his way within a few minutes, keeping close to the land, 
 and being nearly certain that he was no longer observed by the 
 count's party. On the preceding day he had considerately prepared 
 a pair of rude paddles for the canoe, to be used in addition to the 
 oars when safety required extraordinary speed, and these were now 
 brought into service, although for a very different purpose from that 
 for which they had been designed. They were handled by Henrich 
 and the negro, the Huron himself taking the oars, while Blanche, 
 with a little occasional instruction, guided the helm. The increased 
 velocity thus obtained was very considerable ; and, as the speed of 
 the other boats had perceptibly diminished, the distance between the 
 
162 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 parties was reduced, when the sun touched the horizon, to about 
 half a mile. 
 
 It was unsafe to wait longer lest darkness should baffle their 
 design, and suddenly quitting their obscurity the pursuers again 
 darted out into the middle of the stream, when the Lynx, rising to 
 his feet, extended his arms in gestures of friendly salutation. But 
 it was without avail. The Algonquin was unfortunately in the forward 
 boat, which had turned a bend in the river and disappeared from 
 view, while the count and two of his men, who occupied the rear 
 canoe, saw nothing but hostile demonstrations in the movements of 
 their pursuei*s, and, following their companions, vanished also from 
 sight. 
 
 Although disheartened by these frequent disappointments, the 
 anxious voyagers did not intermit their efforts, and on reaching the 
 bend in the river had the satisfaction to perceive that the rear boat 
 of the fugitives, for such it is proper to call Carlton's company, was 
 less than a quarter of a mile distant from them. The sun, however, 
 was down, and in their haste to pass the intervening point, they had 
 done so at a proximity to the shore which did not give them the 
 full advantage even of the diminished light that remained. AVhat 
 was their consternation, while now exultingly sure of success, to 
 behold one of the soldiers rise in the stern of his boat, and carefully 
 aim his carabine towards them ! A moment of horrible suspense 
 ensued, during which the Lynx and Harry dropped to the bottom 
 of the boat; and Henrich, conscious that there was no time to induce 
 the ladies to follow their example, flung himself devotedly before 
 Blanche, int<^rposing his body as a shield for her protection. It was 
 the work of an instant — a flash and report succeeded, and the heroic 
 youth, staggering a few stei)s backwards, sank wounded to a seat. 
 
 The report of the weapon had not ceased vibrating on the ear, 
 when the Lynx again had possession of the oars, and by a few hght- 
 ning-like strokes impelled the canoe to a place of safety near the 
 
THE KING OF THE HTTRONS. 163 
 
 shore ; having done which he sprang to the side of Henrich, about 
 whom the other inmates of the vessel were ah-eady assembled. 
 
 " Speak to us, Mr. Huntington, for the love of Heaven," exclaimed 
 Blanche, kneeling before him with a face like marble ; " are you — 
 are you badly hurt ?" 
 
 "See to yourselves," he whispered earnestly, — "they will fire 
 again ! do not heed me — I am only scratched." 
 
 As he spoke, however, he fell into the arms of the Huron, who, 
 continuing to uphold him, directed Harry to bring the boat to 
 land. 
 
 " He is dead !" said Blanche, wildly, " he is dead, Emily, and I 
 am the cause ; oh, that we had never ventured upon this dreadful 
 journey !" 
 
 " He is not dead," replied Emily, seeking to give the encourage- 
 ment she did not feel—" he has only fainted ;" and stooping to the 
 brink of the river she dipped water with her hands, and threw it 
 upon his face, but without effect ; " is it not so ?" she continued, 
 addressing the Indian with tones of horror — " surely, surely he is 
 not dead ?" 
 
 " We shall see," rephed the Lynx, rising as the boat touched the 
 beach and gently lifting his friend, when Harry came to his aid and 
 they bore their comrade to the shore, and laid him upon the grass. 
 The motion revived him ; he opened his eyes, smiled re-assuringly, 
 and asked for water, which was quickly brought. 
 
 " Do not be alarmed for me," he said, as he observed the agonized 
 expression of his friends ; " I believe my wound is slight, but I am 
 losing some blood — it is in the left shoulder ; leave me with the 
 Lynx and Harry ; the sight may distress you, and the Indian is a 
 safe leech." 
 
 Less in comphance with this request, than for the purpose of 
 overcoming a tendency to faintness which she now became aware of, 
 Blanche stepped to the water's edge, followed by Emily, while the 
 Lynx proceeded gently to divest Henrich of his coat and waistcoat. 
 
164 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 HaAang done this, he dexterously cut the sleeve from the patient's 
 shirt, and laid bare the wound, which proved to be in the upper 
 part of the arm, near the shoulder ; and, although bleeding pro- 
 fusely, the Indian at once pronounced it to be in no wise dangerous 
 either to life or limb. 
 
 This opinion, in which Huntington placed as much confidence as 
 if it had proceeded from a whole board of the medical faculty, he 
 caused Harry at once to communicate to the ladies, greatly to their 
 relief. The ball had, fortunately, passed out as well as in, and as bone 
 and artery were untouched, nothing, evidently, but good care was 
 needed to prevent serious consequences. Having carefully washed 
 the wound, and taken ineans to avoid any unnecessary effusion of 
 blood, the Lynx left Henrich in the charge of their companions, and 
 proceeded to cull from his great medicine chest, the forest, some 
 simple styptics with which to dress it. An hour, indeed, had not 
 passed from the time of landing before the wounded man, nearly 
 free from pain, and with but slightly diminished strength, was mov- 
 ing about among his friends, chatting gaily on the subject of his 
 accident. 
 
 " There was really no occasion for fainting," he said ; " but one is 
 entitled, I suppose, to make something of an ado over his first 
 wound ; and then, to feel the blood running pretty freely without 
 knowing exactly where it comes from, is rather startling ; now, if 
 the Lynx had received that hurt, I dare say we should have known 
 nothing of it until we had stopped for the night, moored our boat, 
 and eaten our supper ; when he might possibly have asked for a 
 patch or a bandage, like a child that has cut its finger ; you must 
 really excuse me, ladies, and I will try to be shot with a better 
 grace next time." 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 165 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 " Over weedy fragments 
 Thalaba went his way, 
 Cautious he trod, and felt 
 The dangerous ground before him with his bow. 
 
 ♦ * * * 
 
 The adder in her haunts disturbed. 
 Lanced at the intruding staff her arrowy tongue." — Southey. 
 
 The time which had been lost to the voyagers by the accident 
 last related was more than ordinarily precious. Every breath was 
 removing their unconscious friends farther from them, and diminish- 
 ing the chances of a junction of the parties ; for it could scarcely be 
 doubted that Carlton would travel without stopping during the 
 night which had commenced. The Huron, however, seemed never 
 without resource : he proposed, if his friends would spare him for 
 the night, to follow the count by land, seeming confident, not only 
 that he could o\'ertake the boats, but that, having done so, he could 
 communicate with the Algonquin from the shore, by a signal which 
 the latter could not fail to compi'ehend. 
 
 The proposition seemed plausible, and after a little discussion was 
 generally approved. The safety of the party, depending at all 
 times more upon vigilance and the means of flight, than upon any 
 power of resistance, was not materially diminished by the temporary 
 withdrawal of the Indian, and a greater risk might properly have 
 been encountered for the vast advantage which it promised. The 
 twilight had entirely departed, but the moon, now several days old, 
 with a thousand glimmering stars, afforded a light, which the Lynx 
 
166 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 pronounced more suitable for his purpose than any other ; and 
 promising to return before sunrise he set out on his lonely journey. 
 
 " He's a fool, dat Lynch is," said Harry, making his appearance 
 from a covert of bushes, which served as his kitchen, soon after the 
 Indian's departure — " why he no wait for supper, fore he go tram- 
 poosing 'bout de country all night ? dare's de little bass a-most done, 
 and part o' de oder ; I clean 'em dreadful nice ; ony smell ;" and the 
 grateful odor that came from the bushes fully justified the negro's 
 raptures. 
 
 " Are you sure, Harry," asked Henrich, " that your fire cannot be 
 seen from the outside ?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, massa Henrich, de bush is mighty tick all ai'ound — 
 more fear de Injuns smell 'em, golly !" he said, taking another 
 relishing sniff. 
 
 Wearied and hungry, the travellers, indeed, were not backward 
 in doing justice to their forest cheer, and Harry Bolt, although 
 pertinaciously dihgent in serving until Henrich and the ladies had 
 supped, acquitted himself afterwards at his meal as if he thought 
 the absence of the Lynx imposed upon him a double duty. 
 
 Count Carlton, in the meanwhile, was steadily pursuing his way, 
 congratulating himself on the heroic manner in which he had beaten 
 off a canoe-load of armed Iroquois, and anticipating the glowing 
 colors in which the achievement would shine, if he were fortunate 
 enough ever again to set foot in Castle Montaigne. Four hours after 
 his victory, he pressed unremittingly forward, not failing to remind 
 his men that if he left the enemy in possession of the battle-ground, 
 it was not of necessity, but quite as a matter of pohcy. 
 
 " It was doubtless a chief who fell, Mallory," he said, insinuatingly, 
 to the man who had fired, " judging by his dress and air, you 
 know ?" 
 
 " Yes, — certainly, — there cannot be a doubt," replied the man, 
 speaking, as his otficer had addressed him, in French — " and I think 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 167 
 
 he was just preparing to fire when I peppered him — he was standing 
 lip, you know." 
 
 " Cerfainly, and then they flew so quickly to cover, which they 
 would not have done if it had been only a common man that was 
 killed — ah, yes, it was a chief." 
 
 But if Carlton triumphed, he was far fi'om being at ease, for he 
 feared he should have a full fleet of boats upon him before he could 
 extricate himself from so dreadfully hostile a region. Some rest, 
 however brief, was absolutely necessary to his men, who had toiled 
 for many hours, and at about midnight he encamped upon an islet, 
 not greatly larger than his canoes, situated about a third of a mile 
 from the eastern shore. In this defensible position, he allotted two 
 hours to repose, and the Algonquin, who had not shared in the 
 brilliant engagement of the evening, was his sentinel. 
 
 Scarcely an hour later, the Lynx, rapidly threading the mazes of 
 the forest, arrived at a point on the main land about opposite to the 
 camp, whence he discovered the island and saw its adaptation to the 
 very purpose for which it had been used. Knowing, however, the 
 count's timidity, he scarcely indulged the hope that the latter had 
 stopped, and it was almost without checking his own progress, that 
 he placed his hands beside his mouth, and sent across the water a 
 long shrill cry, peculiar to a bird of the northern forest. The 
 Algonquin, hke his friend, was awake to every sight and sound that 
 reached his senses, while journeying through a hostile land, but more 
 especially now, when he had reason to hope that his deserted 
 brother was following his lost companions, and seeking to rejoin 
 them. There was nothing preconcerted in the signal, but Anak did 
 not M\ to recognise the sound as one which, famihar in his own 
 forests, he had not heard elsewhere since leaving home ; he leaped, 
 therefore, to the conclusion that his friend was at hand, and imme- 
 diately returned the call by one precisely similar. Delighted at this 
 unexpected result, the Lynx, to avoid any mistake, repeated the cry, 
 
168 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 with some change of intonation, and again the answer came back 
 hke an echo from the island. 
 
 The overjoyed sentinel hastened to communicate his discovery to 
 the count, who both astonished and gTatified, at once despatched a 
 boat to the shore to bring off his ally, and in a short time the Huron 
 was in the camp, receiving the heartiest congratulations of his 
 friends. His story was soon told, to the inexpressible amazement of 
 his hearers, for although his words were addressed to the count, his 
 delighted companions, listening and questioning, had thronged, 
 unreproved, around him. 
 
 Carlton's dominant feeling was joy at the arrival of Miss 
 Montaigne, and in this emotion was merged, for the time, every 
 sense of shame and mortification which his own pusillanimity, in 
 contrast with the heroism of her real defenders, seemed calculated to 
 inspire. To return successful to Castle Montaigne, was the great 
 object of his ambition ; this being done, he felt himself fully compe- 
 tent to guard his reputation, and appropriate to himself the principal 
 credit of the achievement. Success, he knew, would cancel all 
 errors, for no one would look critically into an atfair which had 
 terminated with eclat. His report to the baron, too, while it vindi- 
 cated his own valor, and with ingenious coloring made cowardice pass 
 for prudence, he resolved should flatter his few followers by encomiums 
 on themselves into the fullest acquiescence with his story. Half of 
 them indeed, cajoled by his arts, might already be said both to see 
 and hear rather with the senses of their leader than with theii- own ; 
 and if the Indians should prove more impracticable, they at least 
 were men of few words, who would be httle apt to thwart his views. 
 As to the ladies, when did a Frenchman ever distrust his power to 
 fascinate and control the mind of Beauty ; here, at least, his triumph 
 would be com})lete in every respect. 
 
 Such were the thouo-hts of Count Carlton, as, with rapid flight, 
 they embraced, even wiiile the Lynx was speaking, the leading tea- 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS, 169 
 
 tures of liis new position and prospects. One circumstance alone 
 had not entered into liis calculations, because he had not fully com- 
 prehended the Huron's stoiy, and that was the presence of a young 
 American gentleman among the escort of the ladies. 
 
 " You say there are a couple of negroes with you, sachem, eh ?" 
 he said, " one of whom we have been unfortunate enoufrh to shoot : 
 he is not mortally wounded, I hope ?" 
 
 The Lynx explained with some difficulty, yet failed to convey to 
 Carlton's mind any distinct idea of his companion, or of the nature 
 of his connexion with the party. 
 
 " They will, doubtless, want our escort as far as Fort Albany," he 
 continued, " when they shall be remunerated and dismissed ; fi'om 
 there they will easily find their way home." 
 
 No time was now lost in embarking, and seeking out, under the 
 guidance of the Huron, the retreat of his late companions. The 
 sun, indeed, was not risen when Henrich, who was the sentinel of 
 his party, perceived the returning canoes with emotions which he 
 did not care to analyze, but in which joy did not certainly prepon- 
 derate. He immediately communicated the intelligence to the 
 ladies, in whose extreme delight he found additional cause for dis- 
 content ; and when next he proceeded to the beach, to receive the 
 approaching party, it was only with a strong effort that he overcame 
 his feelings sufficiently to admit of his usual frank and open deport- 
 ment. 
 
 Nothing could be more striking than the contrast in the appear- 
 ance of Carlton and Huntington, as the first, seated in the leading 
 canoe, approached the shore, and the latter, standing at the water's 
 edge, with one hand resting lightly on his gun, waited to meet him. 
 The count was a man of about twenty-eight years, less in stature 
 than Henrich, but in figure equally faultless. His countenance, 
 dark, but not unhandsome, was marred by a sinister expression, 
 which, to a ready reader of the human visage, was 3s legible as 
 print, but which, softened by an attractive smile, was easily oyer- 
 
 8 
 
170 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 looked. His eyes were perfectly black and very small, possessing, 
 of themselves, no other expression tlian that of aciiteness and 
 cunning, while his forehead, large enough for beauty, yet not for 
 intellect, was shaded by clustering hair of the same raven hue. 
 There was an abiding air of conceit, not only in his foce, but in 
 every movement of his person ; and this it was, perhaps, more than 
 anything else, that constituted the repulsive part of his appearance, 
 and negati\'ed, in a great degTce, all his personal advantages. 
 Henrich's countenance approached to some of the nobler models of 
 Grecian manly beauty ; and if it had a fault, it was the almost 
 feminine whiteness and texture of his skin. His expression was 
 placid and gentle, but there was a latent fire in his large blue eyes, 
 which kindled his countenance, at times, with a strange animation, 
 and gave token of unrevealed energies of character. 
 
 The eyes of the young men w^ere riveted upon each other as the 
 boat drew near to land ; surprise being plainly depicted upon Carl- 
 ton's countenance, accompanied by a supercilious and authoritative 
 air, while on Henrich's a shght disturbance of his natural expression 
 scarcely hinted at the anxious feelings which had taken possession of 
 his breast. The count had not yet landed when he addressed 
 Huntington in a sharp, c[uick voice, with the inquiry whether he 
 spoke the French language, to which the latter, greatly to the 
 astonishment of the other, replied in the affirmative, giving at the 
 same time the best proof of his assertion, by the fluency and well- 
 modulated accent of his words. He next demanded, whether the 
 ladies who were in his charge were safe, and where they were to be 
 found ; and without further heed of Henrich, after receiving his 
 reply, stepped upon the shore and passed to their presence. 
 
 Miss Montaigne's education in her fathers language had, of 
 course, not been neglected, and she was able to converse in it, not 
 only with facility, but with elegance, while even Emily had taken 
 pains to acquire some knowledge of a dialect, which would be so 
 necessary in her future abode. The count, therefore, found no 
 
THE KING OF THE HlJRONS. lYl 
 
 difficulty in introducing himself, vvliicli he did with much ease and 
 grace ; and relating the commission bestowed upon him by Baron 
 Montaigne, inquired, with needless ceremony, whether the ladies 
 were willing to put themselves under his charge. To this Blanche, 
 of coui*se, rephed affirmatively, briefly explaining the causes which 
 had induced her to set out under a dilTerent escort, and not forgetting 
 to bespeak the count's favor for Mr. Huntington, a young gentleman 
 to whose good offices, as she pointedly remarked, she was indebted 
 for her rescue, ^and probably for the preservation of her life. Gall 
 and wormwood are usually considered somewhat bitter commodities, 
 but they would have been sweet to the Frenchman's taste, compared 
 with these first words from the beautiful lips of his expected bride. 
 He replied, however, with perfect complaisance ; and on being more 
 directly introduced to Henrich by Miss Montaigne, extended his 
 hand to that young man with a condescending air, which seemed to 
 imply a sense of having fully remunerated, by such an act of grace, 
 all the services of the other. 
 
 A morning meal was now prepared from the ample stores of the 
 count, in which even the luxuries of fi'uit and wine were not wanting ; 
 and after another hour devoted to the repose of the men, the whole 
 party prepared to re-embark. The larger of Carlton's canoes had 
 been fitted up with some attempt at elegance, for the accommodation 
 of its expected guests, and to this vessel he gave the more pretending 
 name of barge, a w^ord common to the English and French lan- 
 guages. It w^as, of course, to this boat that Blanche and Emily 
 were conducted by their new friend ; and whatever reluctance the 
 former might have experienced at any seeming slight being thus 
 offered to Huntington, there seemed no means compatible with 
 maidenly dehcacy of avoiding it. She could neither ask to continue 
 in Henrich's canoe, nor request his presence in the count's ; but it 
 was enough for her generous friend that her eye met his with an 
 apologetic glance as she stepped into the barge, and that, unless 
 
172 THE KING OF THE HURON 8. 
 
 indeed an eager fancy had misled him, a shght suffusion of color 
 tinged, at the same moment, her beautiful cheeks. 
 
 There was food foi- hope, in these gentle tokens so unwittingly- 
 bestowed, and Henrieh took fresh courage under circumstances 
 which seemed far from favorable. " She is at least grateful and 
 noble-hearted," he thought, as he turned to his deserted boat, " she 
 cannot but know my aspirations, and she does not utterly discourage 
 them 1 What can she more ? it is enough — if she loves me, she 
 may yet be mine, despite this haughty count." 
 
 Two of the soldiers propelled the barge, making its occupants, 
 five in number ; a third was with the Indians in the Lynx's boat, 
 and the fourth, at the Huron's request, too openly made to admit of 
 its being refused, was permitted to assist in conducting Henrich's 
 canoe. Thus they proceeded on their way, with some vicissitudes 
 and alarms, but with no serious molestation, until about noon, when 
 the Indians having given notice that they were within a few leagues 
 of Fort Albany, they encamped in a dense wood to wait for the 
 night. 
 
 Admitted once more to the society of his friends, after his seem- 
 ingly long exile, Henrieh recovered his natural buoyant spirits which 
 imparted themselves by contagion to Blanche and Emily, who 
 passed from the ceremonious politeness which had marked their 
 deportment to the count, to the opposite extreme of unreserve and 
 hilarity. The dislike with which Carlton already regarded Hunting- 
 ton grew rapidly under such fostering influences into positive hatred ; 
 and although the very excess of his hauteur prevented him from 
 manifesting his displeasure, he could not keep from his countenance 
 the shadows of those malign clouds which were passing across his 
 heart. This new offence was not, indeed, needed to produce a result 
 already predetermined by the count, but it gave zest to his contem- 
 plated act, and caused it, perhaps, to be invested with some added 
 
THE KINO OF THE HURONS. 1*73 
 
 It was with surprise, tlaougli watliout suspicion, when the time for 
 re-embarking arrived, that Henrich beheld some singular changes in 
 the order of departure. The barge was despatched first, and was al- 
 ready well under way before either of the other boats was permitted to 
 start ; the Lynx's canoe was shoved from her moorings, and lay with 
 extended oars awaiting the signal to move, while, strangest of all, 
 the Lynx had taken the count's station in the barge,- and the 
 latter stood alone upon the beach. He did not stand long, but 
 having watched the foremost vessel for some minutes, turned and 
 walked rapidly towards Henrich, whom he addressed with elaborate 
 politeness. 
 
 " We shall pass Fort Albany, Mr. Huntington, before we again 
 halt ; whore you will be enabled to join your countrymen in safety ; you 
 have my thanks and those of the ladies for your services and good 
 conduct, which shall be represented to General Montaigne. What- 
 ever wages your man will accept, I shall be happy in behalf of the 
 baron to pay, having done which, I shall have the honor to bid you 
 farewell." 
 
 Henrich hstened to these words with the utmost astonishment, 
 but he remembered some ominous looks of his companion, which he 
 had encountered during the afternoon, and suspected, without seem- 
 ing to do so, the deeper meaning involved. 
 
 " Count Carlton will excuse me," he said ; " I have no design of 
 withdrawing from Miss Montaigne's escort, or of ceasing to be one of 
 her defenders until she reaches Castle :Montaigne ; it was with this 
 intention that I left home." 
 
 " If such is your desire," replied the Frenchman, " I regret 
 extremely that I shall not be able to gratify it ; I have no authority 
 to introduce strangers into Castle Montaigne, or its precincts, 
 . especially from an enemy's borders." 
 
 " You shall not have that responsibility, Sir Count," answered 
 Henrich promptly ; " I shall venture upon the French domains at 
 
174 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 my own risk, and shall not trespass, I assure you, uninvited, on 
 Baron ISIontaigne's hospitality." 
 
 "Mr. Huntington has certainly the right to invade his most 
 Christian Majesty's dominions, single-handed, if he desires," replied 
 Carlton, somewhat tartly, " but he must not expect me to be acces- 
 sary to such an enterprise. To be brief, sir, for time presses, you 
 will cease to be connected with my party, on reaching Fort 
 Albany." 
 
 " I shall not cease to accomimny it, sir," said Henrich, haughtily, 
 " while Miss Montaigne forms one of its members, unless at her 
 bidding ; I do not resign my charge so hghtly." 
 
 The Frenchman's voice trembled with suppressed passion, when 
 he again spoke, but the remenlbrance that he was in the midst of 
 a hostile country, and that he was acting in direct contravention of 
 Miss Montaigne's wishes, tempered his language. 
 
 " I am sorry to say," he responded, " that you will even cease to 
 accompany it. The present number of my men and boats was fixed 
 after mature deliberation, as the one best calculated for the success 
 of my mission ; to increase the number of the vessels one half, and 
 of men, by the addition of two, would be a wide departure from my 
 instructions, and I repeat it, cannot be permitted; you, yourself, 
 must perceive the additional risk it would cause of drawing an 
 enemy upon us." 
 
 " Count Carlton," answered Henrich, " if these objections have 
 really any weight, they can be obviated : I will dismiss my man 
 and boat opposite the fort, and will proceed in the Lynx's canoe ; 
 otherwise — the river is a broad one, and I know of no one who has 
 the right to forbid my navigating it. For myself, I am confident 
 that the presence of myself and my man, even in a third boat, will 
 add to the safety of the ladies ; and my continuing of your party 
 will, therefore, become a question of speed." 
 
 " It may become a question of strength, young man," answered 
 Carlton in a low threatening voice. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. l75 
 
 " It may, indeed," said Ilenrich, dauntlessly, and with irrepressible 
 wrath ; " we are but two to seven, and you may possibly succeed in 
 adding our murder to your already brilliant achievements ; but we 
 are two to seven, and, believe me, we will not fall alone." 
 
 Goaded to madness by treatment at once so unjust and despicable, 
 Henrich's whole soul breathed a spirit of the most perfect defiance ; 
 he stood in the faint moonlight, proudly erect, with eyes that 
 flashed like meteors, unable for the moment to restrain the ebul- 
 litions of his rage. Yet the folly of his threatened defence 
 became apparent to him, even as he ceased speaking ; f(jr the safety 
 of Blanche was the paramount object of his consideration, and he 
 could, of course, engage in no actual contest with her defenders. 
 The threat, however, was not without its effect ; the count, unused 
 to such an exhibition of feehng, stood for a moment awed by the 
 furious spirit which he had evoked; he looked hastily over his 
 shoulder to make sure that his men were within call, and then 
 turned to reply ; the subdued tone of his voice and the mildness of 
 his language giving no token of the malevolence which now boiled 
 within his breast. 
 
 " You are hasty, Mr. Huntington," he said, — " unnecessarily so, 
 I think : if you desire a seat in the Lynx's boat, you are entirely 
 welcome to it ; but let us waste no more time, the barge is already 
 well advanced, and we must hasten to overtake her." 
 
 " You grant all that I require," returned Henrich, now also speak- 
 ino- mildly, and fearing that he had exhibited an unwarranted 
 passion ; while he hesitated, ingenuously considering whether any 
 retraction or explanation was proper in return for the concession of 
 the count, the latter again reminded him of the necessity of haste. 
 He accordingly explained the new state of affairs to Harry, whom 
 he furnished with money and instructed to proceed at once to 
 Albany, and remain there until some descending sloop should afford 
 him the means of returning in safety to New York. He also 
 enjoined upon the negro the strictest secresy in regard to everything 
 
116 THE KING OP THE HFRONS. 
 
 connected with the escape of Miss Montaigne ; and giving him some 
 kindly messages to the venerable Jacobns, bade him a cordial fare- 
 well. Huntington's gun and portmanteau were then quickly 
 transferred to the other canoe, which immediately started, followed 
 at some distance by the boat of the solitary African, 
 
THE KING 0^ THE HURON 6. 17T 
 
 CHAPTER XXL . 
 
 *' O monstrous treacheiy ! can this be so i 
 That in alliance; amity, and oaths 
 There should be found such false dissembling gUile 1" 
 
 — First part of King llcnry F'f. 
 
 Candor is ever the victim of guile. Suspicions of no artific€l, 
 Senrich had placed himself unreservedly in the power of an enemy^ 
 to whose frigid heart relentings were as unwont as thaws amidst 
 polar ice. Making no attempt to overtake the barge, which main- 
 tained its advanced position of about half a mile, the count proceeded 
 slowly and cautiously on his way, following the Lynx's route, and 
 hugging the eastern shore as he approached the English settlements 
 Me spoke but seldom, and not at all to Huntington, who attributed 
 his reserve less to uncooled wrath than to the desire of maintaining 
 the silence necessary to their situation* 
 
 They passed Albany a little after midnight, slightly accelerating 
 their progress, as it was a vicinity of unusual danger ; and this 
 might have been a sufficient reason for the count's proceeding yet 
 five weary hours longer without a halt, and without any communi- 
 cation with the forward boat. Yet it was thought strange, when at 
 sunrise he ordered the Algonquin to steer for the land, that no 
 word or signal was passed to the barge, nay, that the distance 
 between the vessels had been allowed materially to widen, and that 
 a time Was chosen for stopping when the other boat was entirely out 
 of view. It was strange in seeming ; but when Henrich caught the 
 eye of Carlton as they drew near the shore he read a picture of 
 
 8* 
 
i^S TME KING OF THE HURONS- 
 
 malignant triumph in its flash, which revealed at once the whole 
 fearful secret. The grating of the keel upon the pebbled beach was 
 accompanied by the harsh, quick voice of the Frenchman, into which 
 a tone of defiant determination was thrown. 
 
 " We leave you at last, Mr. Huntington," he said, " and we shall 
 see whether my authority to control my own party is still to be 
 disputed." 
 
 "It is impossible," exclaimed Henrich, in accents husky with 
 horror and wrath, " that you can contemplate such an atrocity. I 
 am here at your bidding ; your faith is pledged for my security ; 
 reposing on that, I have parted with my attendant, and also with 
 the only means of safety in this wilderness, my boat." 
 
 " It would be safe to leave so valorous a man in possession of nei- 
 ther," replied Carlton ; " it is untrue that I have given you any 
 pledge ; my httle stratagem, indeed, was almost of your own* sug- 
 gestion. I said that you were welcome to a seat in this boat ; and, 
 indeed, so you were, most heartily ; but I did not say, I believe, how 
 far your voyage m it should extend." 
 
 " Count Carlton, this is " 
 
 " Enough, — enough, sir ; I have no disposition to argue the mat- 
 ter " said Carlton, taking snuff with an air of perfect nonchalayice ; 
 " you will have ample time for vituperation on shore ; he may rail, 
 you know, who loses. Joseph, assist the gentleman to the beach." 
 
 The man who was addressed seized the portmanteau of Hunting- 
 ton, and bore it to the shore ; and while the latter was ao-ain about 
 to remonstrate, the low voice of the Algonquin, who sat nearest him, 
 reached his ears ; but scarcely a few rapid words of the Indian were 
 uttered, when he was interrupted by the stern glance of the officer. 
 Anak, however, undertook to intercede for the young man, but was 
 at once silenced by the count. " I will hear nothing," he said ; " and 
 the man who speaks for him shall be put under arrest, — we have 
 had words enough. Now, sir, are you ready ? " 
 
 " Count Carlton," exclaimed Henrich, still unwilhng to abandon a 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS, 
 
 179 
 
 hope that some returning sense of justice would actuate the latter, 
 " I may not dyscend to entreaty, but let me appeal once more to 
 your sense of honor. You are " 
 
 " Young man," said Carlton, not unwilling to add the sting of 
 taunts, to his act, " I have said that all words are useless ; your con- 
 duct v/ould justify me in far harsher measures, which I forbear in 
 consideration of some slight assistance you are said to have given the 
 Lynx in rescuing Miss Montaigne ; but your presumption has more 
 than cancelled your services, and your actual mutiny, since being 
 attached to my company, is deserving of death ; go, therefore, and 
 remember that you owe your life to my clemency." 
 
 " I could commit no mutiny in disobeying orders to which I was 
 never subject ; I claimed but the right to navigate this highway of 
 nature with my own boat and by my own hands. What are the 
 means by which you seek to prevent me ? Let me say, that the 
 extreme resort to which you have alluded would have been far more 
 becoming an officer of the French army." 
 
 " If you prefer such an alternative, you may, perhaps, even yet 
 succeed in procuring it," said the count ; " but I spare you. And 
 now, sir, once more I must remind you that I have no time for argu- 
 ment; you can continue your remarks, if you please, upon the shore, 
 and will pardon us, I hope, if we should not feel ourselves at leisure 
 to remain your auditors." 
 
 Further expostulation was evidently useless, and Henrich passed 
 to the bow of the boat for the purpose of landing. In doing so, he 
 came close to the count, ^vho was also standing, and paused for a 
 moment, confronting him, while a sudden pallor marked the coun- 
 tenance of the latter. 
 
 " I go," said Huntington, " but not without proclaiming you the 
 coward and villain which your acts have proved." 
 Saying so, he stepped to the shore. 
 " You will tempt me to follow you with a brace of balls, if you 
 
180 THE KING OP THE HURONS. 
 
 are not waiy," said Carlton, breathing freer, as lie saw that no per- 
 sonal violence was attempted. " Push off, my boys I " 
 
 " I do not think you dare even do that ! " answered Henricb, 
 wrought to that desperation which sees no terror in death, and 
 drawing at the same time a pistol from his belt ; he stood scarce six 
 feet from his adversary, as he spoke, and the latter, utterly cowed 
 by the words and manner of Huntington, forbore reply until the 
 moving boat had placed a distance of several additional yards be- 
 tween them. 
 
 " You hold your hfe lightly, yonng man," he said, at length, while 
 the canoe continued to recede ; " it is well for you that others have 
 more regard for it." 
 
 Huntington made no response ; he was incapable of descending to 
 mere ^dtuperation, and the fervor of wrath was already gi^ang way 
 to the painfiil consciousness of his position. 
 
 Carlton continued his voyage three additional hours, at the end of 
 which time his party were permitted to stop on the eastern shore for 
 repose. With smiling visage and unusual blandness of demeanor, 
 he here rejoined the ladies, and apologized for his temporary separa- 
 tion from them, alleging that the desire of occupying the post of 
 danger, in case of pursuit from the fort, had induced him to proceed 
 in the second boat ; and that, his apprehensions of peril from that 
 source being now past, he should resume his former place. 
 
 Blanche and Emily gave no evidence of requiring to be appeased, 
 but replied, as usual, with politeness. They looked occasionally 
 down the river for Henrich's canoe, but supposing it to be at hand, 
 made no direct inquiry, until, their morning meal being in readiness, 
 they were invited, as usual, by the count, to partake of it. 
 
 " You forg-et that our company are not yet all present," replied 
 Blanche, glancing again towards the river; "Mr. Huntington wilt 
 think lightly of our civihty, if we commence our meal before he 
 arrives." 
 
 " You remind me of my omissions," returned Carlton ; " I forgot 
 
THE KING OF THE HUROJJS. ISl 
 
 to inform you that we have parted company with yonr friend, and 
 
 that I am charged with his adieux to yourself and Miss Roselle " 
 
 " His adieux ! Mr. Huntington's adieux ! " exclaimed Blanche, 
 unguardedly, and with a look of utter astonishment, not unblended 
 with a bitterer feeling ; " you siuely are jesting. Count Carlton ; he 
 could not have left us without bidding us farewell in person." 
 
 " I do not jest," the count replied, adding, with a sarcastic tone, 
 " but if I had dreamed of the intelligence being so unpleasant to Miss 
 Montaigne, I would have divulged it less abruptly," 
 
 " It is unpleasant, indeed," answered Blanche, " to believe that 
 Mr. Huntington could have been capable of so much incivility; 
 perhaps, however, there is some explanation, and I have judged him 
 harshly." 
 
 " There is an explanation, I believe, to the benefit of which he is 
 entitled, if any is necessary," responded Carlton. " When we em- 
 'marked, last evening, he doubtless expected to see you again ; he 
 was not, I beheve, aware that we were so near Albany, which, as the 
 northernmost English settlement, and one which will aftbrd him the 
 means of a safe return to his home, was, you will perceive, very 
 appropriately his stopping-place." 
 
 " I am happy that he has grown so prudent," said Blanche, smil- 
 ing, and fearful that she had exhibited too deep an interest in the 
 event ; " we will proceed, if you please, to our meal." 
 
 Anxious to repair the error of a moment of surprise. Miss Mon- 
 taigne preserved a forced vivacity of spirits during the remainder of 
 their stay upon shore, and it wtis not imtil they were once more em- 
 barked, that she dared recur in thought to a subject which proved so 
 exciting to her mind. She had never analyzed her sentiments towards 
 Henrich, and knew little in reality, even at this moment, of their 
 true character ; but whatever they might be, she was both mortified 
 and grieved at his conduct, which remained inexplicable, save by the 
 merest conjecture. Generous in her judgments, her vacillating 
 thouo'hts settled, at length, upon the conviction that she had given 
 
182 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 him cause for sei-ious offence, and she resolved not to add to his 
 wrongs by censuring his manly resentment. A still more painful 
 appreliension, which at times displaced her more settled opinion, 
 was, that the very wound which he had received in her defence, 
 aggravated by exposure and fatigue, had compelled him to desert 
 the party for the purpose of seeking medical aid in the settlement 
 which they had passed. Whichever of these \-iews she adopted, it 
 was coupled with the conviction that she should never meet her 
 benefector again, nor be able to repair her injustice towards him ; 
 and this reflection, if not her only source of disquiet, was the only 
 one w^hich her self-respect would allow her to recognise. 
 
 The last prolonged stage of the voyagers' journey had rendered a 
 corresponding proportion of rest necessary to them, and it was now 
 nearly noon w^hen they again resumed their way. While they had 
 remained encamped, Carlton had been haunted by some vague fears 
 that Henrich might follow and overtake them still, if it were only to 
 make known his wrongs to those of the party who had so much 
 reason to be his friends. How such a useless feat could be accom- 
 plished, even if Huntington had had the hardihood to undertake it, 
 he did not pause to reflect; for he had warily landed upon the 
 opposite shore from that on which he had deserted Henrich, and in 
 a^ place admitting of 'close seclusion from any distant view ; but it 
 was only now, when his barge w^-is again gliding rapidly forward, 
 that he became altogether free from apprehension. 
 
 His next stage was nearly as long as the one preceding, and was 
 made w^ith equal rapidity ; for he was resolved to incur no further 
 danger of re-union with his rival. Eight hours he proceeded with a 
 happy consciousness that not even an Indian pedestrian could ha\'e 
 made equal progress among the impediments of a pathless wilder- 
 ness, much less a man unused to forest life. It was only when 
 night had again descended upon the earth, that he ventured to take 
 such full repose as the wearied energies of his men required ; he 
 encamped near the point where his route, leaving the Hudson, 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS, 183 
 
 entered an adjacent creek, and led eastward to Lake George ; or to 
 give that beautiful sheet of water the benefit of all its names, Chris- 
 tian, practical, and poetical, Lake Horicon, or the Lake of the Holy 
 Sacrament. 
 
184 THE KIHG O^ THE H-uRO?rg, 
 
 CHAPTER XXIL 
 
 " O'er the glimmering wave he hied him, 
 Where the Bu/ford reared her sail, 
 With three thousand ghosts beside him, 
 And in groans did Vernon hail." — Richard 6l«vcf. 
 
 It was near sunset on the day slieceeding the events last rehited, 
 that the travellers, having gained Lake George in safety, were 
 passing near a prominent cape or headland on its eastern shore, 
 when the apparition of a solitary Indian, standing motionless upon 
 its summit, attracted general attention, and excited no little alarmi 
 He was evidently watching the approaching party; and, as his 
 elevated position exhibited his tall, manly figure in distinct relief 
 against the sky, it seemed to assume vaster proportions than those 
 of humanity, and awakened superstitious fears in some of the be- 
 holders. 
 
 " It's such a sight as I have been looking for,'' said Mallory, in a 
 mysterious whisper to one of his fellow-soldiers ; " this is called the 
 haunted lake, and these high hills have been for ages the burying- 
 place of the Indians : look closely and you'll see him fade into mist 
 in a moment, and float away." 
 
 " After which," replied Francis, to whom these words had been 
 addressed, " we may look for thunder and lightning, I suppose ; it 
 may be as you say, but ghosts don't often carry guns, and yonder 
 fellow, if I am not mistaken, has one which might trouble us, even 
 at this distance, if he chose to use it." 
 
 " It's mere vapor, I tell you," responded the other, more earnestly, 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 185 
 
 " like their spirit canoes, which are often seen at midnight on these 
 very ^Yate^s ; why, when the great Iroquois chief, Whirlwind, was 
 killed, many years ago, in the first battle with the old Marquis Vaii- 
 dreiiil, who was in his prime then, the sachem's body was carried 
 down this lake, by night, in a canoe, followed by not more than a 
 dozen real boats, — for his men were cut np, and scattered, like 
 foxes in the forest ; but, sir, those who saw it told me, with lips 
 whiter than yonder foam, there was a fleet of canoes in that pro- 
 cession which no man could number ; it reached from shore to 
 shore, besides being miles in lengih, and every one was filled with 
 forms which held up waihng hands, and ' their sighs swelled into a 
 breeze that shook the lake till it rocked like a cradle : they were the 
 dead warriors of the nation for many generations." 
 
 " It may be so," again responded Francis, more seriously ; " at 
 any rate, it won't do to make fun of Satan in his own territory ; if 
 he sees fit to give these Iroquois ghasts a furlough, now and then, to 
 attend the funeral of a friend, why that's his business and none of 
 mine ; but as to this gentleman on the hill " 
 
 " Holy mother ! — he's gone !" interrupted Mallory, g-azing with a 
 look of fear upon the spot so suddenly vacated, — " and as I told 
 you, — into the air ; I think it gTows darker, and the wind comes 
 strangely here oflf the shore — hark ! — was not that thunder f 
 
 " It may be so — there has been a heavy cloud in the south-west 
 this last half hour." 
 
 " Aye — aye — ever since he made his appearance ; and, perhaps, 
 by this time he is on its back, gniiding it down the lake, as if he had 
 bit and bridle upon it ; thanks to St. Francis, we are not far from 
 shore — ^but what will that avail us ? we may be in the middle of 
 the lake in a twinkling — aye, and at the lx>ttom of it, too." 
 
 If the phantom of the hill had anything to do with the storm 
 which was now spring*ing up, it was a sj^irit of no little potency. 
 The cloud which Francis had pointed out, rose rapidly towards the 
 zenith, followed by successive layers of tlie same tenebrious hue, 
 
186 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 which seemed to unfold themselves from some exhaustless treasury 
 beneath the horizon, and which ex|)anded in every direction, with no 
 apparent diminution of their density. As the black canopy came 
 sailino- northward the wave grew darker in its path, and the rippling 
 waters in the distance told that the wind w^as brushing their suiface, 
 and waking them into life; the lightning began to dart in long 
 chain-like streaks across the sky, and the moaning thunder came 
 faintly as yet, but threateningly to the ear. 
 
 While Carlton, envkoned between two varieties of peril, hesitated 
 what course to pursue, the increasing fury of the storm scarcely left 
 him the privilege of a choice. The darkness almost of night was 
 gathering around him ; the wind had become a gale, and was vio- 
 lently rocking his boats ; the lake was rolling in long ridge-like 
 undulations ; while the electrical flashes, prolonged and painfully 
 vivid, were followed, or rather accompanied by detonations, which 
 now in stunning cannon-like reports, and now in long bellowing 
 peals, shook the air with little intermission, and added an awful sub- 
 limity to the scene. The alarmed ladies implored to be taken to 
 the shore ; and Carlton, scarcely less disconcerted, issued the 
 necessary orders for that purpose ; but as the boats, guided with 
 difficulty, were progressing slowly towards the nearest beach, there 
 was the sound of a terrific explosion seemingly in their very path, 
 shaking the waters like an earthquake, and a towering oak, riven to 
 its base, fell quivering across the margin of the lake. Shrieks of 
 alarm arose from the ladies, and Mallory, dropping his oar, fell upon 
 his knees, calling on a hundred saints for help, and pointing at 
 intervals of his hasty prayers towards the hill. 
 
 " I said it ! — I said it ! St. Francis defend us ! he's there again, 
 — see — see, he's calling for another thunderbolt, and pointing 
 towards us : St. James and St. Peter, orate 2^7-0 nobis P^ 
 
 All eyes were turned towards the hill, where a singular sight, 
 indeed, was beheld, which, to the excited imagination of the spec- 
 tators, seemed almost to justify the fears of the soldier. The Indian 
 
THE KITs^G OF THE HURONS. 187 
 
 had re-appeared nearly at the spot which he had occupied when first 
 discovered, but he was no longer motionless as before ; on the con- 
 trary, he was making the most frantic gestures, throwing his arms 
 violently into the air, now singly and now together, and anon point- 
 ing towards the forest, nearly in the direction of the fallen tree. A 
 long, whistling call was at the same moment heard from the Lynx's 
 boat, which had been following the barge at a short remove ; and, 
 on turning to learn its meaning, the count discovered that the canoe 
 had turned back, and was proceeding rapidly towards the centre of 
 the lake. Utterly bewildered by these strange events, he hesitated 
 what course to pursue ; he was within thirty yards of the land, and 
 was drifting, by the action of the waves, rapidly nearer ; the shrill 
 whistling continued from his friends, followed now by loud calls and 
 shouts ; the gestures of the lone Indian grew more violent ; and ere 
 he had decided aught, twenty Iroquois warriors sprang from a covert, 
 and rushed to the water's edge. 
 
 It was a moment of unmitigated horror. Francis and Mallory, 
 unordered, regained their oars, and brought the boat quickly around ; 
 but several of the savages had rushed meanwhile into the shallow 
 water, with the view of seizing the vessel and forcing it to the land, 
 while others, with presented weapons, stood on the beach waiting 
 the issue of the attempt. There seemed no possible escape ; the 
 count, whose hands alone were disengaged, appeared paralyzed with 
 fear, and unconscious that there were three loaded guns lying at his 
 feet ; and, to add to the terror of the moment, the tall Indian on the 
 hill, who was now supposed to be the leader of the band, was seen 
 taking deliberate aim with his rifle, apparently towards the barge. 
 A flash and report succeeded ; but instead of the shot harming the 
 fug-itives, as they fully expected, the foremost savage was seen sud- 
 denly to leap upwards and fall back into the lake, crimsoning its sur- 
 face with his blood. A howl of fury arose from his comrades, who 
 turned quickly around to look for their unknown enemy ; but the 
 spot where he had stood was vacant, although the smoke of his gun 
 
l«y THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 was yet curling around it. At the next instant a sliot issued from 
 the Lynx's boat, which also proved fatal to one of the assailants, the 
 remainder of whom, finding themselves, as they supposed, between 
 two parties of their foes, hastened back to their cover, to plan some 
 safer mode of attack. 
 
 Ignorant how numerous or how near might be the party in their 
 rear, they were fortunately afraid to expend their fire upon the 
 retreating barge, the occupants of which could otherwise scarcely 
 have escaped complete destruction. Still, one of the few balls which 
 were discharged towards them shghtly wounded Francis, and a second 
 j^ierced the boat scarcely a foot from where Carlton was crouching to 
 avoid the dreaded missiles. Blanche and Emily, being in the fore 
 part of the vessel, were partly sheltered by the oarsmen, by whose 
 advice they had taken a recumbent and comparatively unexposed 
 position. It was maay minutes, howevw, before the boat attained 
 a safe offing, and occasional shots continued to be fii'ed from the 
 shore, and returned by the Lynx and Algonquin ; but the roughness 
 of the water and the dancing motion of the canoes, preventing any 
 distinct aim in either direction, rendered them innocuous. 
 
 The storm was still raging, although, in \iew of the gi-eater peril, 
 it had been for some minutes nearly unnoticed by the voyagers ; 
 but, hke most sudden tempests, its fury was soon expended, and the 
 boats were enabled to efiect a junction for the purpose of consultation 
 on future movements. The companions met, deeply impressed with 
 a sense of the danger they had so narrowly escaped, and of that 
 which still impended over them ; for they were yet more than a 
 hundred miles from the southern line of the French territor}^, and 
 the war party which was now on their track was evidently of a most 
 formidable character. 
 
 " How was it," asked Carlton of the Lynx, " that you became 
 aware of the ambuscade at so timely a moment ? " 
 
 " Did you not see him ?" responded the Huron ; " the Indian on 
 the hill, warning us to keep oft" the shore 2 " 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 189 
 
 " Ah, yes ; I remember now that his gestures were those of warn- 
 incr, thouo'h he seemed Hke some madman at the time, and he did 
 us vast service with his gun ; but who can he be, and how is it that 
 he befriends us ? " 
 
 The Lynx rephed that he might be some stray hunter from the 
 north— a Huron, perhaps, or Algonquin — and that if so, he would 
 doubtless join them before morning. H 
 
 Night was fast closing in, and the anxious countenances of Blanche 
 and Emily showed that they looked forward to its events with the 
 most painful forebodings. Miss Montaigne experienced that fearful 
 sinking of the spirits which seems like a presentiment of calamity ; 
 she had felt, ever since Huntington's departure, such utter loneliness 
 as the absence of one only congenial companion in the hour of adver- 
 sity is calculated to produce ; but now, when unwonted perils w^ere 
 besetting her, how would her desolate heart have welcomed the 
 presence of one whose courage and hope were so exuberant and so 
 contagious, and whose single arm had seemed hke a very host for 
 her defence. Bitter and irrepressible tears were Blanche's, welhng 
 profusely from a heart which, whatever had been its previous lessons 
 of suffering, had now found " in lowest depths a lower deep " of 
 grief. 
 
 The consultation resulted in a decision to retrace their route and 
 proceed towards the south until the darkness should conceal their 
 movements, when they would resume their northward course, 
 scarcely expecting, howevei-, thus to deceive an enemy to whom wiles 
 and artifices were the familiar events of life. Their chief hope con- 
 sisted in the probability that their pursuers were unprovided with 
 boats ; for, if such was the case, the voyagers could set them quite at 
 defiance during that part of their journey which was confined to the 
 lakes. But between the Horicon and Champlain was an interval of 
 several miles, which was to be traversed by means of a narrow creek, 
 and the passage would be rendered trebly perilous by the necessity 
 of vacating their canoes at several points and dragging them across 
 
190 THE KIKG OF THE H U R If S . 
 
 the shallow and unnavigable stream. The existence of this trap-like 
 locality was, of course, well known to the Iroquois warriors, and httle 
 doubt could be entertained that they would seek to avail themselves 
 of its advantages. 
 
 It had been a question with the fugitives, for a moment, whether 
 they should not avoid an instant's loss of time, and set out openly 
 for the foot of the lake, with a ^^ew of outstripping their piu'suers, 
 and passing the dangerous strait before the latter could reach it ; but 
 it was believed that the contemplated ruse w^ould render the enemy 
 sufficiently uncertain of their route to compel a division of his forces, 
 and thus render a conflict, if it could not be avoided, less unequal. 
 The night, too, was deepening so rapidly that httle delay could be 
 occasioned by the experiment, and the darkness promised to be such 
 as to be a serious impediment to the foe in their march through the 
 woods. Acting upon the plan which had been concerted, the travel- 
 lers proceeded southward about half an hour, at the end of which 
 time, the evening being sufficiently advanced to hide their move- 
 ments, they again changed their course, and rowed rapidly but 
 silently down the lake. 
 
 The boats kept near each other, and when they came opposite the 
 scene of their recent danger, the Lynx obtained permission to ap- 
 proach towards the shore and make an effort to bring oflf the myste- 
 ^rious hunter who had rendered them such signal service, and who, it 
 was thought, might have valuable intelligence to impart. Great 
 caution was necessary in this attempt, and the count indulged but 
 little hope of its success ; not so, however, his oarsmen, who knew 
 more of Indian tactics. 
 
 " He'll find him, sir, — the Lynx will," said Francis, who, in times 
 of unusual excitement, expressed an occasional opinion without re- 
 proof; "he'll find him, sir, as if it were daylight; there's a sort of 
 free-masonry among them, sir, as I told you ; by and by you'll hear 
 a whip-po-will, mayhap, or a tree-toad, or perhaps only a cricket's 
 chirp, and it will be answered on the shore, — and there he is, sir, — 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. 191 
 
 ai]d he'll plunge into the lake and swim out to the boat, croaking 
 now and then like a bnll-frog, to show his course ; ah, they're cute 
 fellows, these savages are, sir ; there's a sort of free-masonry among 
 them, as I said, sir." 
 
 Francis's predictions did not prove to be incorrect ; W'hatever had 
 been the means resorted to by the Lynx to accomplish his purpose, 
 he rejoined the barge in a short time accompanied by the stranger, 
 who proved, he said, to be a Huron hunter, know^n as the Beaver, 
 and who brought the alarming intelligence that the whole band of 
 the Iroquois had set out for the outlet of the lake. The haste and 
 excitement which this information occasioned left little time foi" atten- 
 tion to its bearer, who conversed only in an Indian dialect, and whom 
 ilie count did not, in consequence, personally question. 
 
192 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 «' Through the trees tierce eyeballs glowed, 
 
 Dark human forms in moonshine showed, 
 
 Wild from their native wilderness, 
 
 With painted limbs and battle dress V'—Whiltier. 
 
 A NIGHT of excessive anxiety, of frequent alarms, and of the 
 most wearying labor at the oars, brought the travellers near the 
 northern extremity of the lake, not, as they had hoped, while it was 
 yet dark, but just as the grey twilight of morning was diffusing 
 itself over the landscape. A fearful uncertainty prevailed as to the 
 position of the enemy, and a dread that, having outstripped the 
 boats, they might be already in possession of the dangerous pass. 
 That they had followed, or preceded the voyagers, night-long, upon 
 the shore, hke a pack of untiring wolves, no doubt was entertained. 
 It would have been hazardous, however, to lose, by inaction, their 
 probable advantage of precedence in the race, and it was resolved to 
 press forward with caution. 
 
 The canoe containing the Indians took the advance, and never 
 were eyes more faithfully used than were those of these vigilant 
 men, which seemed to pierce the very depths of the forest on every 
 side, overlooking nothing, and never, for an instant, relaxing their 
 scrutiny. But everything was quiet. They approached, and glided 
 silently into the creek, favored by its current, and hoping soon to 
 float freely upon the broad bosom of the lower lake. For a few 
 miles they proceeded rapidly, noiselessly, and uninterrupted ; the 
 silver waters of the Champlain were already greeting, from afar, 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 103 
 
 their longing eyes, when the Lynx leaped suddenly from his boat 
 into the shallow water, followed by the Algonquin and the Beaver, 
 all of whom sprang to the shore with their weapons, imploring the 
 oarsmen, meanwhile, to quicken their speed. This sudden move- 
 ment, which had carried terror into every heart, was occasioned by 
 the discovery of the enemy, about half a mile behind, surmounting 
 a small eminence, and running rapidly towards the travellers. The 
 ladies, nearly swooning with fear, were still reUeved to see that the 
 three brave men stationed themselves on the shore until the barge 
 had passed, and then followed the boats, thus covering their retreat 
 as best they could. 
 
 The speed of the vessels Wiis at once greatly accelerated, both 
 because the leading one was relieved of a material portion of its 
 weight, and because there was no longer need of precautions to 
 avoid an ambuscade in front. The enemy were behind, and all that 
 was to be done was to press unremittingly forward with the hope of 
 reaching the lake, and attaining a safe offing before the pursuers 
 gained a proximity which would allow them to make a fatal use of 
 their weapons. The headlong velocity of the foe seemed, indeed, to 
 manifest a consciousness of this prospect of escape, and that their 
 only chance of overtaking the fugitives was the present rapidly 
 receding o[)portunity. The count, with pallid Hps, begged tlie ladies 
 not to be alarmed, manifesting his own fears, meanwhile, by the 
 most earnest and ill-judged commands to the faithful oarsmen to 
 increase exertions, which seemed already like superhuman efforts of 
 activity and strength. 
 
 The Iroquois warriors had vanished from view after overcoming 
 the hill on which they had been discovered, and having not yet 
 re-appeared, their remoteness could only be matter of conjecture. 
 There was something awful in this uncertainty as to their position, 
 and in the thought that their stunning war-whoop might burst upon 
 the ears of the fugitives at any moment, and from any quarter. 
 The tortuous course of the creek, indeed, gave the enemy a material 
 
 9 
 
194 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 advantage of distance ; for they were able to ford the water at ahnost 
 any point, and thus preserve a comparatively straight line of march. 
 But the widening channel of the stream began to give token of the 
 immediate vicinity of the long coveted lake ; and the boats, flying 
 still more rapidly forward, seemed to partake of the fear which 
 influenced their occupants, and to leap, with living impulse, across 
 the wave. 
 
 The creek, near its mouth, divided around a small island which 
 the canoes passed on the southern side, after which the leading one 
 stopped to take in the Indians, while the so called barge pressed on 
 and took the advance. In two minutes more both had emerged 
 from the creek into the lake, simultaneously with the outbreaking of 
 a prolonged yell from the foe, which seemed to be made up of all 
 the horrid noises that ever woke the echoes of Pandemonium. All 
 eyes were turned towards the forest, where, darting like shadows 
 past the trees, the dusky warriors were seen, scarcely a hundi'ed 
 rods distant, on the margin of the creek. But the same moment 
 revealed another sight, more alarming to the three brave men, who 
 now virtually commanded the fugitive party, and who composed its 
 principal strength ; a sight but for which they would have laughed 
 at the idle rage of their enemy, and sent back shouts of defiance to 
 the shore. A scream from the ladies, more vigilant than their com- 
 panion, told that they also perceived the new danger, and the words, 
 " the boats ! the boats !" resounded suddenly on every side. 
 
 Three batteaux lay moored on the northern shore of the little 
 island, affording the Iroquois the means of pursuit in the water, which 
 the travellers could scarcely hope to elude : for the long war-boats 
 were provided with triple sets of oars, and, when fully manned, 
 could be impelled with nearly the speed of steam. It was evident 
 now that the enemy had been on a hunting excursion, from which 
 they had been diverted by the accidental discovery of the northern 
 party ; that they belonged to some tribe dwelhng about the southern 
 borders of the Champlain, was also probable, whence they had come 
 
THE KING OF THE HUR0N8. 195 
 
 up to tlie neighborhood of the Horicon, to avail themselves of its 
 well-stocked forests of game. 
 
 A moment, nay but a very breath of hesitation marked the con- 
 duct of the Lynx, after which he ordered the oarsmen to row to the 
 batteaux : one of the men, trembling with terror, flatly refused, but 
 the word of mutiny was scarcely uttered, ere the gleaming knife of 
 the Huron was at his breast. The awed soldier saw only death on 
 either hand : imploring mercy, he quickly yielded, and mth his 
 comrade, bent to the oars Avith a desperate earnestness that showed 
 the most excessive consternation. A dozen strokes brought the 
 canoe alongside the enemy's vessels, when the Lynx and his two 
 brave associates leaped, knife in hand, to the shore, and quickly 
 severing the bark withes which fastened the two nearer boats, pushed 
 them off the beach. They next darted to the third vessel with 
 a similar intent, but it had been drawn so far upon the shore, as to 
 defy their hasty efforts at removal. There was clearly no time to 
 call the soldiers to their aid, for the yelping pack, incited to new fury 
 by the sight, were making the woods ring with their rage, while 
 " brake, bush, and brier," snapped and crackled in their pathway as 
 they rushed impetuously onward. Seizing, therefore, the oars of the 
 third vessel, and the bark bow-ropes of the two which they had 
 loosened, the Indians bounded back to their canoe, and bade the 
 oarsmen pull for their hves. The ropes of the captive boats were 
 intrusted to the Algonquin, while the Lynx and the Beaver seized 
 their rifles and sat ready to fire at the first exposure of a foe ; the 
 barge having, meanwhile, attained a place of present safety, beyond 
 the reach of musket-shot from the land. 
 
 The necessity of towing the batteaux, of course greatly impeded 
 the canoe, and it was yet ^vithin thirty rods of the shore, when the 
 enemy arrived breathless on the beach, and flew severally to cover 
 behind the outermost trees. Well was it that they were breathless, 
 and that their excited nerves and trembhng tendons prevented a 
 close or steady aim, for their guns were at once protruding from a 
 
196 THE KING OF THE HUH OX S. 
 
 dozen points, and a volley of balls came hissing towards the seemingly 
 doomed party, whose utmost efforts had yet left them within the 
 dangerous \-icimty. Foreseeing the coming storm, they had stooped 
 to the gunwale for shelter, but the hurtling missiles fell like hail in 
 their midst, w^ounding both the Algonquin and one of the soldiers, 
 and opening some dangerous seams in their little bark. 
 
 Shouting back defiance, the Lynx and Beaver leaped severally into 
 a batteau, and throwing themselves prostrate within, presented their 
 weapons towards the enemy, waiting for the moment when the latter 
 should expose themselves to Aiew, by an attempt to reload. The 
 threat forced the cowardly assailants to seek a deeper cover until they 
 had re-charged their guns, wath which, as it now became e\ddent, 
 they were not all equipped — a third, at least, of !he party, ha^dng 
 only knives and hatchets, harmless, of course, at such a distance. 
 This division of the band, however, performed extra duty in swelling 
 the immelodious concert which rang through the forest arches at 
 intervals of a few seconds, and which came back in wailing echoes 
 from the far distant shores. The wound of the oarsman was slight, 
 and though ehciting many moans, did not disable him or induce 
 him to relinquish his task, while that of the Algonquin, though moi-e 
 serious, was only proclaimed by the trickling current which ran down 
 his naked arm, adding another hue to its diversified colors. 
 
 The boats continued to recede, and before the foe were prepared 
 to fire a second round, full twenty rods were added to the distance 
 between the parties ; the vigilant Lynx gave timely warning of the 
 renewed danger : every man was again prostrate, and the only injury 
 effected was that of boring a few holes in the batteaux, and makinsf 
 a considerable rent in one of the leggins of the Beaver, a casualty at 
 which that brave warrior seemed singularly disconcerted, and which 
 he took evident pains to conceal. 
 
 The immediate peril was now considered past ; another minute 
 placed the retreating boat beyond the reach of probable harm from the 
 shore : the leaks in the canoe were stopped, and, although another 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 19t 
 
 volley was fired, the balls skipped with spent strength, idly along the 
 water. The canoe in a few minutes rejoined the barge, which was 
 awaiting its approach about a mile from the land, and the inmates 
 of which had watched with harrowing anxiety the recent perilous 
 adventure. Miss Montaigne eagerly inquired if any of the brave men 
 were killed or mortally wounded, for it had seemed impossible that 
 all should escape, and when informed that no serious harm was done, 
 she manifested the utmost delight. Impatient of the count's faint 
 commendation of his comrades, she assured the gratified Lynx that 
 his brilliant exploit should be faithfully reported to the Baron Mon- 
 taigne, and expressing her earnest thanks also to the Algonquin, she 
 requested them to make her language known to the heroic stranger 
 who had so efficiently aided them, and whose invaluable services to 
 the whole party on the preceding day should not, she said, be over- 
 looked. The Lynx uttered a few sentences in an Indian dialect to 
 the Beaver, who answered it by smiling and looking a moment at 
 Blanche with eyes that seemed eloquent of gratitude. 
 
 These, however, were the hasty occurrences of the first moment of 
 meeting, for the peril was still far too imminent to admit of wasting 
 time in inaction. No doubt was entertained that the enemy would 
 be in pursuit as soon as they could construct new oars for their 
 remaining batteau, a labor which would not detain them at the 
 farthest, beyond two hours, and as they could throw a dozen men 
 into this boat, who could relieve each other, by turns, in rowing, 
 their lost time would speedily be retrieved. A hasty consultation of 
 the fugitives resulted, therefore, in the resolution to destroy all their 
 boats, excepting one of the prizes, which, when their party was con- 
 solidated, would be fully manned, and would offer the most probable 
 means of successful flight. The necessary changes were speedily 
 made, and the three vessels, including the decorated barge, having 
 been shattered and rendered useless by the active tomahawks of the 
 Indians, were left drifting in fragments on the wave, while the long 
 batteau impelled by six strong oarsmen leaped forward with a most 
 
198 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 encouraging velocity. For many hours everything promised success ; 
 the day v,^ore on until the sun had attained half its meridian altitude, 
 and yet not the faintest trace of pursuit could be perceived. 
 
 The relieved travellers were beginning to congratulate themselves 
 on being entirely rid of their adversaries, when a small spot made its 
 appearance on the southern horizon of sky and water, which grew 
 gradually in size, and soon took shape as the dreaded batteau. The 
 enemy was again on the track, blood-hound like, untiring, unpelding, 
 prepared for the deathly combat, prepared to hunt their expected 
 prey with ^•indictive ferocity, by night and by day, through the long 
 wilderness of water which yet lay extended between them and their 
 coveted home ; prepared to send their frequent war-cry over lake 
 and land, until the peopled forests should send forth their ro^^ng 
 bands to assist in securing the common foe. 
 
 The prospect of the fugitives, indeed, grew suddenly dark, they 
 evidently could not long maintain their advance of a vessel, the 
 oarsmen of which, by frequent changes, were continually fi*esh at their 
 work, and which had already given such ample proof of its superior 
 speed. If they could keep out of reach of the enemy's guns until 
 evening, their escape might possibly be effected, but the night was 
 yet eight hours distant, and the batteau was coming down like the 
 wind, in their path. Frequent consultations between the Lynx and the 
 Algonquin manifested their uneasiness, and communicated additional 
 alarm to their companions, and the ladies, disheartened by the oft- 
 recurring danger, scarcely disguised their growing despondency. 
 
 The Beaver alone seemed entirely at ease, and labored silently at 
 his oar, without ajjpearing to partake of the excitement which pre- 
 vailed around him. His post was at one of the aft oars, and nearest 
 to the count and the ladies. Blanche, indeed, was directly in front 
 of him, and sought, from time to time, to gain courage by a perusal 
 of his composed features, which, whether they betokened stoicism or 
 hope, seemed gradually to impart a portion of their equanimity to 
 her mind. 
 
THE KING OF THE HUKONS. 199 
 
 By mid-day the enemy had approached to within a mile of the 
 chase, and the imminence of the danger could no longer be dis- 
 guised. The disparity in the numbers of the two parties would not 
 of itself have been sufficient to cause the brave defenders of Miss 
 Montaigne to seek to avoid the engagement, but the personal peril to 
 which a contest must expose Blanche and her cousin, and the great 
 danger of drawing other foes upon them by the tumult of a fight^ 
 impelled them to practise " the better part of valor " while it was 
 possible so to do. Carlton scarcely assumed longer to control the 
 actions of the party ; the Lynx's suggestions, which usually included 
 the concurring opinions of the Algonquin and the Beaver, met with 
 a complaisant acquiescence at his hands, although accompanied by 
 some feeble manifestations of a conceit which fear had not fully para- 
 lyzed. Anxious now, l^owever, to anticipate what he thought must 
 be the inevitable decision of his dusky council, and thus be able to 
 claim one important movement as his own, he said, after a long, ear- 
 nest look at the foe, — 
 
 " I think we must soon take to the shore, and fight them from a 
 cover ; here they can choose their own distance, and have every 
 advantage of us. What says the Lynx ?" 
 
 The Huron differed from his superior. " If we land, they will 
 land," he said ; " they are twelve, — we are three ; these," he con- 
 tinued, pointing to the soldiers, " would be children at a bush-fight ; 
 here they are brave men." 
 
 The Algonquin, who was next appealed to, seemed undecided ; he 
 only answered, " Wait and see ;" while the Beaver, whose opinion 
 was asked by the Lynx, at Carlton's request, rephed promptly to his 
 querist, in an Indian tongue, but in many more sentences than 
 seemed necessary to convey the few ideas which the Huron gave as 
 the substance of his sentiments. 
 
 " He says, ' fear nothing, and go on !' " said the Lynx. 
 Thus overruled, the count, whose anxiety for safety overcame all 
 other considerations, quietly acceded to the voice of the majority. 
 
200 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 The confident air of the strange hunter continued to attract attention, 
 and Blanche still found herself fi-equently gazing at his calm counte- 
 nance, to glean from it the signs of hope which she could not else- 
 where discern. When the piirsuers had approached within about 
 two thirds of a mile, he relinquished his oar and again muttered a 
 few words to the Lynx. 
 
 " What says he ? " eagerly asked the count, who had begun to 
 regard the stranger with singular awe and deference. 
 
 " He says, ' let the men rest ; let the boat stand still,' " replied the 
 Huron, ceasing his labors as he spoke ; the other oarsmen followed 
 his example, and the batteau stopped, while Carlton, lost in wonder, 
 made no reply. 
 
 The Beaver looked for some moments at the approaching vessel 
 without comment; its occupants had raised a shout as they saw the 
 pause of their enemy, who, they doubtless supposed, had stopped 
 from exhaustion, and towards whom they now rushed with increasing 
 velocity. Scarcely half a mile soon separated them from the fugi- 
 tives, and anon this distance was reduced to little more than a third ; 
 yet still the Indian gazed calmly and unmoved. 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, do not let us wait longer," exclaimed Emily ; 
 " I shall die of terror, if we stay here." 
 
 The Beaver raised his gun as she spoke, and after taking a 
 careful aim for a few seconds, lowered it, as if in doubt. 
 
 " It is folly to fire yet !" exclaimed the count, who Avas used to the 
 imperfect weapons of that age ; "it is but a ^vaste of lead." 
 
 The stranger, unheeding, again drew up his piece, and this time 
 his eye lighted with a vi\id glow, that seemed to proclaim success ; 
 he fired, and a quick, violent commotion in the enemy's boat told the 
 eflfect. The vigilant Lynx pronounced it most assuredly fatal ; he 
 had even seen the victim bound upwards and fall, and then remain 
 prostrate and struggling. The enemy sent back a yell of wrath, and 
 rushed forward with new impetus to bring the fugitives within the 
 more limited range of their own weapons. A few minutes would 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 201 
 
 have sufficed for this purpose, if the latter had remained stationary ; 
 and probably, at their now furious rate of progress, a quarter of an 
 hour would have effected it, despite the utmost efforts of their ad- 
 versaries. But no sooner had the Beaver discharged his piece than 
 he bade the Lynx proceed with haste ; and, while the now refreshed 
 oarsmen resumed their task, he quickly reloaded his gun. Again, at 
 his bidding, they stopped, and again the fatal weapon poured forth 
 its fearful missile, bringing back the very death-screech of its victim 
 to their ears. 
 
 " Keei^ them there /" said the marksman to his friend ; and again 
 the boat rushed onwards, while the undaunted Iroquois, yelling with 
 insane rage, discharged a useless volley and continued their mad 
 career. 
 
 Unwilling to increase their danger by adding to the necessary 
 noise of the contest, the Lynx and Algonquin refrained with diffi- 
 culty from sending forth derisive and defiant shouts to their antago- 
 nists ; but they chanted their low taunts to their moving oars, and 
 sang, in improvised verse, the praises of the mountain hunter and 
 his enchanted gun. The count, too, was lavish, for once, of com- 
 mendation of their gallant champion, on whom every eye rested with 
 admiration, and whose words and gestures became a law to regulate 
 their movements. 
 
 A third time did the stranger hold up his finger as a signal to 
 stop the boat ; and as the long, slender tube was once more pomted 
 portentously southward, the frightened Iroquois were seen to crouch 
 on every side, several even leaping into the water, to escape the 
 winged messenger of death. The effect of the shot could not be 
 accurately ascertained, the foe having probably learned more discre- 
 tion than to reveal their loss ; but as the ball did not strike the 
 water, it was supposed to have found a human target. Another 
 volley was instantly returned fi'om the enemy, and, to the utter con- 
 sternation of the fugitives, the Lynx bounded suddenly upwards and 
 fell prostrate in the boat, while a prolonged shout of triumph arose 
 
202 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 from the pursuers, making the very forest ring with its reverberating 
 notes. A horror, intense and awfal, fell upon the httle party, who 
 had su]3posed themselves as yet entirely beyond the reach of their 
 antagonists' weapons, and who saw in this fearful event what seemed 
 but the beginning of a tragedy which could end only with their 
 lives. The count and several of the men sprang to the side of the 
 Huron, and Blanche, utterly appalled at the sight, with difficulty 
 refrained from swooning, when the trembling voice of Emily was 
 heard at her side. 
 
 " Look at the Beaver," she said ; " the cold, heartless wretch !" 
 Blanche's eyes turned to the stranger, who, heedless of his friend's 
 misfortune, was reloading his rifle with the utmost composure, — 
 and not only so, but his whole countenance was wreathed into a 
 smile of merriment, that seemed an extraordinary illustration of 
 savage stoicism. There was little, however, that was remarkable in 
 the Indian's conduct; he had seen the spent balls of the enemy 
 leaping hke skipped stones across the water, and sinking into the 
 lake at a furlong's distance, and he knew full well the feint of his 
 ally, which, to the general delight of the party, was at the next mo- 
 ment proclaimed from the opposite end of the boat. The shrewd 
 Huron, exulting inexpressibly in the presence of the extraordinary 
 weapon and its w'ielder, which were doing such manifest execution, 
 had feared nothing except that the enemy might turn back disheart- 
 ened, before their numbers had been so effectually thinned as to 
 prevent future danger from their pursuit, and, to give Indian nature 
 its due, before either his revenge was appeased, or his love of martial 
 glory sufficiently gratified. It was therefore only as a lure that he 
 had practised this dissimulation, and he was now compelled to use 
 the utmost caution in reasserting his existence, venturing to resume 
 his erect position only when well shielded by his comrades from 
 distant observation, and laughing, meanwhile, with much glee, at 
 the success of his trick. 
 
 The commotion had not yet subsided, when the marksman once 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 203 
 
 more signified that lie was in readiness ; the boat was restored to 
 perfect stiHness, and every eye was fixed on the distant foe, to watch 
 the eflfect of the shot. But the enemy had grown wary, and, follow- 
 ing the example of the few who had before found safety in such a 
 resort, they now leaped, like water-rats, over the edge of the batteau, 
 leaving but a single man in the vessel. They had gone, however, in 
 a mass, and the quick eye of the hunter was upon them, then- gliding 
 forms and the commoved wave forming together a wide mark, into 
 the centre of which fell the hurtling lead. Two quivering arms up- 
 thrown, clutching vainly at the void air, and then descending slowly, 
 strugglingly, graspingly, to the surface, told the result. The sur- 
 vivors climbed quickly back to their posts, but consternation per- 
 vaded their ranks ; no weapon was raised ; no oar was moved ; 
 irresolution and indecision seemed to mark their conduct. Three of 
 their number were slain, and the magical weapon which no ingenuity 
 could elude, was again in course of preparation for its fearful work. 
 No subsequent success could atone to them for such slaughter ; for 
 an Indian's victory is scarcely considered worthy of the name, unless 
 achieved without loss, or with a damage vastly disproportionate to 
 that of his foe. Their inaction, however, was but momentary; 
 another futile discharge of their guns succeeded, and then their dart- 
 ing oars were suddenly put in motion ; but it was no longer in pursuit. 
 A retreat, inglorious and cowardly, was commenced, and severe, 
 indeed, was the prudential self-denial which restrained the victors* 
 shout of acclamation at the sight. 
 
 " Follow them ! follow the Iroquois dogs ! " exclaimed the Lynx, 
 forgetting, in his excitement, that he was not in command. 
 
 " Follow them ! " cried the Algonquin ; " don't let them oflf so ! '* 
 And tlie eager looks of the Beaver and the soldiers, as their eyes 
 turned to the count, proclaimed a similar wish. 
 
 " Oh — ah — yes — certainly, follow them by all means ! " exclaimed 
 Carlton, in a tone of irresolution quite at variance with his words ; 
 " yes — decidedly ; but don't go too near, boys ! " 
 
204 THE KING OF THE HUROMS. 
 
 " Ah, no, no ; let them go, if they will, in the name of mercy," said 
 Blanche, appealing to the count, and hoiTor-stricken at the sight she 
 had beheld ; " let them go, for their sake and ours ; the blood of 
 these fierce men is warmed by the strife, and they will surely bring 
 more danger upon us." 
 
 " Yes, certainly," said the count ; " that is to say, we will see, you 
 know, presently." 
 
 A few words from the Lynx, however, satisfied Miss Montaigne 
 that her forest friends were not acting unwisely; the enemy, he 
 said, would come back wdth the night, as silent as its shadows, unless 
 now more fully chastised ; the charmed gun would then be no de- 
 fence, and the foe might even succeed in finding aUies to aid them ; 
 nothing, indeed, was more certain than that their present flight was 
 only preparatory to some safer attack. 
 
 The chase, indeed, was begun with zeal, and was kept up until 
 the Beaver had thrice again discharged his weapon, although only 
 once with any evident effect, the desperate efforts of the enemy hav- 
 ing soon removed them beyond reach. The voyagers then resumed 
 their way, congratulating themselves greatly on their present escape, 
 yet not a little uneasy in anticipation of the future, for the retreating- 
 foe had not failed to fill the air with the most appalling cries, which 
 seemed to threaten vengeance in some shape uj)on their conquerors. 
 
TI£E KING OF THE HURONS. 205 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 " Up the rude crags, whose giant masses throw 
 Eternal shadows o'er the glen below ; 
 And by the fall, whose many-tinctared spray 
 Half in a mist of radiance veils its way, 
 He holds hia venturous track." 
 
 Mrs. Hemans. — The Menccrrage. 
 
 Once more must we briefly retrograde, to take up a dangling end 
 of our narrative, and secure it to the main body of facts. It would 
 be idle to seek to depict the emotions of the deserted Henrich, as 
 from the bank of the Hudson, and on the edge of a limitless forest, 
 he watched the rapidly receding boat of the perjfidious count. 
 "When he recovered his equanimity, he remembered, as w^e sud- 
 denly recall by day some forgotten pa<?sage of a dream, the few 
 words which had been addressed to him in the boat by the Algon- 
 quin Indian : " Folloiu until ive stojy, and ansioer lokcn you hear the 
 corn-bird's calV They had made but slight impression on him at the 
 time, and even now seemed little worthy of heed ; he might possi- 
 bly, by extraordinary exertions, keep for a few hours within view of 
 the voyagers, hut there could be no hope of being permitted to rejoin 
 them ; for although both the Indians seemed disposed to favor him, 
 he well knew that neither of them would dare to openly oppose 
 their leader. Every mile's remove from Albany also increased the 
 difficulty and danger of retracing his route to that city ; yet he did 
 not for a moment hesitate to follow the advice of the savage. 
 " Were the chance a thousand times less," he said, " it shall not be 
 lost throuo'h doubt or inaction of mine." 
 
306 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 He started courageously upon his journey, keeping near the shore, 
 and for a short time was able to keep the count's boat within view. 
 It was, however, only by the most exhausting efforts that he was 
 enabled to do so, for his route led through a dense and pathless 
 wood, where the uneven ground, the thick, tangled underbrush, and 
 the low sweeping boughs, with their profuse foliage, were so many 
 impediments to speed. His fatigue, indeed, became such, before he 
 had proceeded a mile, as to render his undertaking nearly hopeless ; 
 for he felt certain that the count would not soon land, and if he kept 
 even three hours afloat, his gain over the pedestrian would be far 
 more than the latter could probably overcome during the halting of 
 the party. In addition to these discouragements, another more 
 formidable still, presented itself to his mind ; he had been left upon 
 the western shore, and Carlton now kept a little east of the centre of 
 the river, apparently with the design to land upon that side of the 
 stream, and thus prevent all possibility of being overtaken by his 
 injured rival. 
 
 Disheartened by the seeming inutility of his efforts, which he still 
 resolved not to intermit, Henrich had paused for a moment's repose 
 when he heard with much alarm, the distinct sound of approaching 
 oars. As he retreated hastily into the forest to avoid this new 
 danger, his chafed spirit grew desperate under the thronging dis- 
 asters which beset him ; for he seemed to be ascending the very 
 stairway of grief, where each successive trouble proved but the 
 stepi)ing stone to another, higher and more insurmountiible. But 
 words cannot portray his utter astonishment and delight, when, on 
 attaining a safe post of observation, he discovered, approaching from 
 the south, Harry's canoe, with its sable owner, apparently well nigh 
 exhausted, yet tugging lustily at the oars, and diligently scanning 
 the western shore, as if in search of some lost object. Bounding to 
 the beach, Henrich shouted and beckoned to the negro, who, seem- 
 ingly no less surprised and pleased than himself, came hastily to the 
 land. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 207 
 
 " Why, Harry," exclaimed Huntington, still scarcely crediting his 
 eyes, " what, in the name of the seven wonders, has brought you 
 here ?" 
 
 " Grolly, Massa!" said Harry, panting with fatigue, "I been look- 
 ing for dat are Albany all de way, and can't find um ; I tink I must 
 be e'enamost dare now, any how !" 
 
 " Almost there ! why, Harry, you are twenty good miles past it — 
 but you have made a most fortunate mistake for me, if you are 
 wilhng to continue your journey a few hours longer." 
 
 " Sartain, I will !" replied the negro, looking back with a puzzled 
 air over the route he had traversed ; " but it's mighty strange ! I 
 'member taking leetle nap while I was rowin', and dat must been 
 de time when dat Albany slip past me. I 'member now — but it's 
 mighty strange, dat is, gosh !" 
 
 Henrich jumped into the canoe, and taking the oars, bade the 
 wearied negro compose himself to rest as best he could, an injunc- 
 tion which the latter complied with by curling himself up in the aft 
 part of the boat, with his head resting upon the gunwale, where he 
 was soon giving audible evidence of the soundness of his slumbers. 
 Huntington labored with the assiduity of hope and courage, keeping 
 close to the western shore, and soon caught a glimpse of the count's 
 boat some miles in advance, and near the centre of the river. Main- 
 taining a distance from it which barely kept it within the limits of 
 exerted vision, but which would not be hkely to betray himself, un- 
 sought, to view, he followed until the count landed, which, as has 
 been seen, he did upon the eastern shore, at about ten o'clock in the 
 morning. He then quickly crossed the river, and kept along the 
 opposite shore until he arrived within less than a mile of the en- 
 campment, where he also stopped, and having concealed his canoe, 
 ascended the bank with Harry. There he selected a hiding-place 
 near the river, and waited, although with but httle hope, for some 
 signal from his friends. 
 
 An hour, magnified into two, by anxiety and suspense, passed with- 
 
208 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 out the expected token, and the shadows of despair were fast settling 
 around his heart, when the faint yet distinct caw of the crow reached 
 his ears, descending, as it seemed, through the air from some far 
 height, and sounding much too natural to admit of the behef that it 
 was an imitated note. Henrich gazed in every direction to discover 
 the tantalizing bird which was mocking his misery, and saw, perched 
 on a leafless tree, on the opposite shore, what for a moment seemed 
 the object of his search, but while he looked, the fowl spread its 
 wide wings, and dropping lazily upon the buoyant air, sailed ma- 
 jestically off, revealing the proportions and movements of the gTey 
 forest eagle. 
 
 At the same moment, nearer, clearer, and more distinctly than 
 before, came the welcome sound, and no longer doubting that his 
 friends were at hand, he responded imperfectly to the signal, and 
 approaching the quarter whence it seemed to proceed, had the un- 
 speakable pleasure, in a few minutes, of grasping the hand of his 
 faithful friend the Lynx. The words of the Indian were few and 
 hasty, and his air was more authoritative than that which had 
 formerly marked him; he wasted no time in condolence or denuncia- 
 tion, but briefly signifying that the Algonquin had informed him of 
 everything which had taken place in the morning, inquired if Henrich 
 still desired to go to Castle Montaigne. 
 
 " I do," replied Huntington, " but how is it possible ? and if not 
 so, why has Anak imposed upon me this toilsome and perilous 
 journey ?" 
 
 " The Algonquin is wise," answered the Lynx ; " my brother shall 
 see it ; let us go, for everything is ready, and the time is short." 
 
 " What is it that you will do ?" asked Henrich, following as he 
 spoke ; " I know the count will never willingly retract — will you 
 compel him to do so ?" 
 
 " My brother !" replied the Huron, " I am a chief, and the Algon- 
 quin is a chief's brother, and a great Brave — but we should both 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 209 
 
 hang from the corner of the castle walls if we should disobey our 
 leader.". 
 
 " How is it then," asked Hcnrich, with indignation, " that you, who 
 are of right an independent prince, thus consent to be the slave of a 
 foreign nobleman V 
 
 " My brother is wrong," said the Huron, " we are our own mas- 
 ters — the Iling of the Hurons has never made women of us : we do 
 not wear petticoats." 
 
 " You came, then, voluntarily upon this journey out of your love 
 for the baron : you might have remained at home, and will be again 
 free when you return, but having placed yourself for the time under 
 the count's ordei*s, are fully bound by them — is it so V 
 
 " It is right — the baron is a great Brave 1" 
 
 The Huron seemed disposed to be no further communicative, but 
 led the way in silence into the depths of the forest, and, at the dis- 
 tance of about sixty rods from the shore, entered a thicket, which 
 nearly impenetrable at its edges, grew thinner as they advanced. 
 Henrich followed unquestioning, until his guide stopped in a small 
 open space, sheltered on all sides from observation, and here to his 
 increasing surprise, he found the Algonquin, evidently awaiting their 
 approach. Beside the latter, on the ground lay a small bundle, 
 compactly tied, the envelope of which, as well as the strings which 
 held it together, was of deer-skin: this he now quickly unrolled, 
 revealing a flash of gaudy colors to the eye, which, at a second glance, 
 took shape as a broidered and beaded kirtle, leggins, moccasins, and 
 belt, with other articles of Inchan apparel ; shells containing several 
 varieties of paint, were also among the contents of the pack, and as 
 these were severally opened to view, Huntington no longer doubted 
 the design of his companions. 
 
 " We will make an Indian of our brother," said the Lynx, smiling — 
 "what does he say ? Will he be a Huron Bi'ave ?" 
 
 "Most certainly," replied Henrich, with exultation, for he felt 
 confident of the abiUty of his friends to effect an impenetrable 
 
210 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 disguise, and sav/ at once how inappreciable might be its value to 
 him — " but whose are these garments ? and how is it that you 
 procure them in this wilderness?" 
 
 The Lynx hastily explained that it was the apparel in which he 
 himself had started from home, and that his present Mohawk dress, 
 although prepared before setting out, had only been assumed on 
 approaching the Iroquois territory. It was not the proper raiment 
 of the Lynx, as a chief, but a sort of uniform common to the war- 
 riors of his tribe, and possessed no distinctive feature which could 
 lead to its identification ; yet to avoid all suspicion, and make 
 assurance doubly sure, the savages, with ready tact, made a few 
 striking alterations in the principal garments, by changing in some 
 places the beads and painted feathers, and in otliers, removing them 
 altogether. 
 
 The clothes were soon adjusted on their new wearer, whom they 
 nearly fitted, and then the equally necessary, but more repulsive 
 operation of painting the exposed parts of the body was commenced. 
 This was, of course, something beyond the ordinary decoration of 
 colors which the Indian uses, for here a groundwork was necessary to 
 assimilate the general hue of the skin to that of the red man, after 
 which the fancy tints were applied. The hair was shortened and 
 being matted closely to the head, received its share of dark paint, and 
 vi'hen all was done, the savages, satisfied with their work, pronounced 
 the transformation complete, and assured Henrich that the most 
 skilful eye even among their own people could not detect the decep- 
 tion. Overlooking nothing, they next repainted the stock of his gun, 
 and bestowed upon it a liberal supply of dents and bruises to prevent 
 any danger of detection from that source, while his discarded gar- 
 ments the Lynx carefully enveloped in the deer skin covering, and 
 took charge of for their owner's future use. 
 
 Having completed these arrangements, the sagacious Huron again 
 bade his friend follow him, and led the way still farther into the 
 forest, while the Algonquin, fearing the count's displeasure for too 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 211 
 
 prolonged an absence, hastened back to the camp. The others 
 proceeded eastward about forty rods to a hill, where the Indian, 
 pointino- over an intervening plain to another eminence about six 
 miles distant in the northeast, said : 
 
 " When my brother stands on that ridge, he will see the lake of 
 the Holy Sacrament : it is far on the other side — but a strong man 
 can walk to it before the sun will set — does my brother fear to go ?" 
 
 " I fear nothing," repHed Henrich. 
 
 The Indian turned, and pointing to the north^vest, with a waving, 
 sinuous motion of his hand, said : " The river winds and twists like 
 a serpent — it is a long way before we turn towards the lake, and we 
 shall not see it until to-morrow's sun is in the west ; when we come, 
 w^e shall pass near the eastern shore : my brother must be somewhere 
 on the hills : we shall see him — I have said." 
 
 The point which the travellers had attained in their long journey 
 was about twenty miles north of the forty-third parallel of latitude, 
 being near the centre of a remarkable bend in the river, w^hich, 
 crooked to a charm, for the next thirty miles towards its source, 
 presents upon the map somewhat the appearance of a curhng whip- 
 cord, thrown casually upon the ground. The route of the voyagers 
 led up the river about twenty miles to a creek which, linking several 
 Liliputian lakes in its course, extends eastward a dozen miles or more 
 to the Horicon, while Henrich's pedestrian route, striking the lake at 
 a considerable distance from its source, was less than a third of the 
 space to be traversed by the boats. Having received his instructions 
 and promised a careful compliance with them, Henrich parted from 
 his companion and slowly retraced his steps towards the spot where 
 he had left the negro and the canoe, deeply engrossed in the 
 reflections to which his singular situation was calculated to give rise. 
 
 Harry, meanwhile, had waited impatiently on the lake shore for 
 his return, and looking anxiously from time to time into the forest, 
 was startled at length, by the strange and formidable figure which 
 he saw approaching : 
 
212 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 " Jingo !" lie exclaimed, " wlio be dat ? — dat aint de Lyncli, nor 
 de Golly quin ; blazes ! who be he ? he must be some Irrysquaw as 
 dey call 'em and want-a my scallap, but he cant hab 'em," and Harry 
 deliberately brought his gun to bear upon the supposed enemy, still 
 continuing his sohloquy as he tried to perfect his aim, which the 
 intervening trees somewhat hindered, and waiting for a little nearer 
 approach of the stranger : " he most a too fine looking fellow to shoot 
 down like a bear — but he 7nnst come — he no see me, and de first 
 ting he knows, he wont know notting — golly, old gun ! you nebber 
 did sich a job as dis ere afore — dis aint no turkey — now den, look 
 sharp and you shall hab good cleanin' up to-morrow." 
 
 The negro, indged, had grown nervous, with the prospect, for the 
 fii'st time in his life, of shedding human blood, and being certain that 
 he was unseen, waited longer than was really necessary for the 
 accomplishment of his object. He had killed a bird at thrice the 
 distance, and a bounding deer still more remote, but Henrich, by one 
 of those minute events,' the consequences of which, so vastly 
 disproportionate to their seeming cause, indicate the unseen agency 
 of Pro\Tidence, became aware at this instant of his danger. A mis- 
 step caused him to stumble, and on recovering himself and looking 
 up, his eye fell upon Harry and his presented weapon, just in time 
 to allow of his springing, Indian-like, behind a tree for safety. He 
 at once understood the negro's very natural mistake, and shouted to 
 him fi-om his shelter, without daring to look forth : " Harry ! 
 Harry ! don't tire — it's I — Harry — I say, Harry !" 
 
 " No — no — you don't Harry me, old fellow !" said the negro, 
 stepping cautiously out on one side, with his gun still levelled, and 
 trying to get a view of Huntington, who was compelled to retreat 
 warily around the tree — " what a fool I was not to shoot when I hab 
 sich a good chance — only let me git anudder once, and I show him !" 
 
 " Harry Bolt ! Harry Bolt !" shouted Huntington, now fully 
 alarmed, and presenting his own weapon towards his assailant — 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 213 
 
 " don't fire, for Heaven's sake — It's I, I tell you, Henrich Huntington : 
 stand still, or I shall be obliged to shoot you — it's I, Harry !" 
 
 "Oh ! it's you, is it?" said Harry, comprehending, in his excite- 
 ment, only the last words of the other, and retreating in his turn 
 behind a tree, to avoid the expected shot — " 'spose it is you — so is 
 dis ere me — what den ? now you jes show your red pate round dat 
 tree — dat's all — else you stay dare till ]\Iass Henrich come back and 
 den we hab you on bofe sides." 
 
 " Harry, you fool ! you idiot ! you dolt ! Harry, I say !" 
 
 " Golly, but he must know me 1" said Harry — "and den he talk 
 good Enghsh too, for an Indian." 
 
 " Don't you know your friend Henrich Huntington ?" asked the 
 seeming savage, but without daring to expose the smallest part of his 
 body. 
 
 " 'Course I do," answered the other, keeping equally close behind 
 his cover, and still unsuspicious of the true state of the case — " he's 
 coming pretty soon, so you better s'render !" 
 
 " He's here, I tell you again — I am Henrich myself !" 
 
 " You're a lying Injun !" repHed the other, indignantly — " I know 
 your tricks : Mass Henrich is a white gerapleman, and you are a red 
 and black sabbage !" 
 
 "But the Lynx has dressed me up, and painted me, Harry!" 
 said Huntington, soothingly — "these are his clothes — see — put 
 down your gun and I will put mine down, and then come and 
 examine me." 
 
 Harry peered cautiously from his tree, and seemed slightly 
 staggered : " I believe you liar and tief," he said — " but put-a-down 
 your gun and I put-a-mine down : I aint afraid of you on a rough- 
 and tumble fight, any how !" 
 
 Henrich placed his weapon on the ground and the negro did the 
 same, and both advanced a step. 
 
 " Habn't you got a knife, you scaramouch you ?" asked Harry, 
 suspiciously. 
 
214 THE KING OF THE HUR0N9, 
 
 " No, Harry," said Huntington, " but I have a pistol — shall I lay- 
 it down ?" 
 
 "Sartain, put em down — oh you dyboUical debbil — you bin 
 kill-a Mass Henrich, and stole his pistol : I'll tear you into a tousen 
 pieces." 
 
 " Now, Harry, listen I" said Henrich, laughing — " which do you 
 think is the best to catch a bass with, a straight hook or a crooked 
 one?" 
 
 This fortunate reference to the sport of a preceding day at once 
 fully dispelled the negro's illusion : he darted quickly to his friend's 
 side, exclaiming: 
 
 " Oh Massa Henrich, I know you now, and dat your voice, too, 
 for sartain — oh Mass Henrich ! oh jingo I blazes ! golly ! oh gosh ! 
 Mass Henrich, 'spose I hah shoot you !" and the nearly frantic negro 
 danced around his friend, now seizing one arm, and now the other, 
 and manifesting the utmost terror at the appalling thought. It was 
 several minutes before the faithful fellow could recover his equa- 
 nimity, and when his trepidation had subsided, his mind passed to 
 the opposite mood of merriment at Henrich's strange appearance. 
 
 " Ah dat Lynch — dat Lynch ! what a genus he be !" he said, feehng 
 of kirtle, belt, and moccasins in turn, and chuckling with hysterical 
 laughter — " and he smash-a your splennid gun, too, what send a 
 ball most to Skamkatky — but nebber mind ; it wont hurt it — oh dat 
 Lynch — oh dat Lynch I" 
 
 But Huntington had no time to lose, and it was with much regret 
 that he now prepared again to part with his faithful servitor, who 
 begged earnestly to be allowed to accompany him, or at least to 
 follow tlie route of the boats in his canoe. There were obvious 
 reasons, however, why this request could not be complied with, and 
 exacting a promise from Harry to make no such attempt, but to 
 return at once to Albany, he again bade him farewell, and set out 
 on his lonely journey through the forest. His route had been too 
 distinctly pointed out by the sagacious Huron to admit of his 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. 215 
 
 mistaking it, and he succeeded, with Httle difficulty, in attaining the 
 shore of Lake George on the same evening, where he found a safe 
 shelter, and, what his ftitigue had fully earned, a night's refreshing 
 rest. 
 
 On the morrow, he sought the highest land, in the immediate 
 vicinity of the shore, and while maintaining an unremitting watch 
 for enemies, he also kept a vigilant look-out towards the south for the 
 expected voyagers. His success not only in rejoining them, but in 
 detecting and assisting to defeat an ambuscade which had been laid 
 for their destruction, has been already fully recorded. 
 
216 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 •' Ye've trailed me through the forest ; 
 Ye've tracked me o'er the stream ; 
 And, struggling through the everglade, 
 Your bristling bayonets gleam." 
 
 G, W. Patten. 
 
 It was about mid-day when Count Carlton's engagement, if such 
 it may be called, with the Iroquois, had terminated, and when the 
 voyagers, relieved from ai^preheusion of immediate danger, resumed 
 their route with comparatively light hearts. To Miss Montaigne, 
 however, returned none of that buoyancy of spirit which, despite pri- 
 vation and peril, had marked her conduct during the first few days 
 of the journey. That repeated alarms and a still abiding uneasiness 
 as to the future had in part produced her depression was doubtless 
 true ; yet her unl)idden thoughts were continually recurring to the 
 singular conduct of Huntington, and were ferreting out remem- 
 brances of imagined wrongs, which had impelled one, usually so 
 kind and just-judging, to an act that implied evident displeasure 
 towards herself. 
 
 Ever self-censuring, she could dwell upon this subject only with 
 pain, for she held in vivid remembrance all the weighty favors she 
 had received from him, as well as his generous and unpresuming 
 deportment, which ever indicated a fear of seeming to claim a requi- 
 tal at her hands. That she had wounded so noble a spirit, had 
 driven him from her presence, had for ever closed the way to expla- 
 nation, and to returning sympathy and friendship, seemed to her now 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 217 
 
 distressed heart a depth of ingratitude and unkindness, for which it 
 would be vain to seek a parallel. 
 
 Beyond this limit, her thoughts took no definite shape ; her senti- 
 ments towards Huntington may, perhaps, at times, have been im- 
 bued with a glow beyond the genial warmth of friendship ; but if so, 
 she knew it not. Love, indeed, is not infrequently an unrecognized 
 inmate of the heart, overlooked, for a while, or mistaken, by its inex- 
 perienced entertainer, for some kindred emotion, and only discovered 
 at length, too late to be dislodged. Blanche did not seek to ti-ace 
 her feelings to their source ; and if ever for a moment she had re- 
 garded Henrich as a suitor, the thought had been repressed by the 
 conviction that there was an unbridged gulf betwixt them, across 
 which Hope might gaze, but could not pass. 
 
 The Lynx had not erred in believing that the Iroquois warriors 
 were not effectually repulsed ; they had vanished, indeed, from view, 
 and so long did they continue invisible, that hopes were entertained 
 of their having abandoned their costly enterprise ; but they were 
 again discovered, about the middle of the afternoon, scarcely two 
 miles distant, skirting the western shore of the lake, and skulking 
 beneath its shadows. They had retreated with a succession of wail- 
 ing yells and screeches, which were supposed at the time to be less 
 in lamentation for their loss than with a view to invoke aid from the 
 neighboring forests; and their present pertinacious pursuit was 
 attributed to the hope of finding such assistance. They were now, 
 fortunately, silent, beheving themselves undiscovered, and it was the 
 policy of the fugitives to let them remain deceived, lest they should 
 recommence their dangerous cries. 
 
 But not many minutes had elapsed when a noise issued from their 
 midst, different in its character from any which they had heretofore 
 made ; it was a prolonged, shrill call, seeming to proceed from a 
 single voice, and the batteau at the same moment shot out from the 
 shadows into a place where it could be more distinctly seen. The 
 objects which had occasioned this movement had at the same mo- 
 
 10 
 
218 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 ment caught the attention of the Huron, who, with forced calmness, 
 now pointed them out to his comrades, recalhng all their abated 
 terror, and adding tenfold to its intensity. Three long canoes, con- 
 taining in the aggregate not less than thirty men, were doubling a 
 distant promontory in the northwest, and approaching in a direction 
 which would directly intersect the [sath of the count's party ; they 
 were yet several miles distant, and could not be seen with distinct- 
 ness ; but they were supposed to be a war party, returning from an 
 expedition, and travelling to their home, somewhere on the eastern 
 shore of the lake. 
 
 The most utter consternation prevailed among the travellers, and 
 the course of the boat was instantaneously changed, by the Lynx, to 
 the east, in the direction of a cluster of small islands, which lay 
 about a mile and a half distant. 
 
 " We can only fly," he said, in answer to the eager inquiries of 
 his leader, as to the extent of the danger ; " if they have not seen us, 
 we may possibly escape." 
 
 It was the first time that the Huron had spoken discouragingly, 
 and the count trembled as he replied : 
 
 " Why do you say ' possibly ? ' the night is not far distant, and 
 they are yet several miles from us ; the danger cannot be great." 
 
 " It is great ! " responded the Indian ; " 1 have said ! they are 
 many — we are few — see ! " 
 
 As he ceased speaking, he pointed towards the Iroquois batteau, 
 which was now proceeding rapidly outward, seemingly with a view 
 to overtake the fugitives, or at least, hound-like, to track them closely 
 until the other vessels should come up. They repeated their calls, 
 which, as far as could be judged, were ineflectual in atti-acting the 
 attention of the strangers, and this seemed the only encouraging fea- 
 ture in the affair. But e\'en this was of short duration ; for, finding 
 other means insufficient, the jfursuers fired a salute of half a dozen 
 guns, following it up by a j)rolonged war-cry, which at once pro- 
 duced an effect ; the canoes stopped for a moment, and came to- 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 219 
 
 gether ; and when they resumed their progress, it was clearly \Nath 
 increased speed and in a diverging direction from each other, as if to 
 make sure of keeping the chase within \-iew. So great, indeed, was 
 their velocity, compared ^vith that of the count, whose wearied oars- 
 men had toiled ever since the preceding evening, that it became 
 almost doubtful whether the latter would be even able to attain the 
 refuge of an island before their alhed enemies would overtake them. 
 
 When the design of the strangers became fully apparent, an 
 ominous silence prevailed for awhile in the retreating batteau, broken 
 at length by the hysterical sobbing's of Emily and the low mournful 
 voice of Blanche in attempted encouragement. It was the nitention 
 of the Lynx to land on the smallest of the islets, hoping that possibly 
 one might be found sufficiently minute to be capable of defence even 
 by his little corps, until some opportunity of escape should offer. 
 He was disappointed, however, on drawing near the group, to find 
 none that was suitable for his purpose : the only one which seemed 
 even temporarily defensible was situated near the centre of the cluster, 
 and was separated on the south from a sister isle, by scarcely sixty 
 rods of water. To this refuge, therefore, the retreating party fled, 
 wearied and dispirited, while even its stoical warriors entertained 
 but little hope beyond that of selling their lives dearly, and perform- 
 ing the journey to the spirit-land in company with a portion, at least, 
 of their invaders. 
 
 The isle of which they had taken possession was much too large 
 for their safety, being nearly a third of a mile in length, and about 
 forty rods in width, and would involve the necessity of a division of 
 their small force to protect its several parts. The batteau, indeed, 
 containing the first detachment of the enemy, came rapidly up and 
 took possession as had been anticipated of the nearest island on the 
 south, while the course of the canoes indicated an intention of landing 
 upon another, which lay considerably north of that occupied by the 
 count's party. It was the longest if not the largest of the group, 
 extending more than a mile north and south, and approaching to 
 
220 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 within a little less than half that distance of the territory occupied by 
 the besieged party. The strangers passed to the north of this large 
 island, and came down on its eastern side, remaining unobserved 
 until they had effected a landing near its southern border, and 
 encamped in the woods. 
 
 Thus were the unhappy travellers surrounded as it were by 
 enemies, who waited only for the approaching night to attack them 
 from every quarter, and from whose vigilant surveillance there was 
 no prospect of escape. The count, the Algonquin, and three of the 
 soldiers took their station on the south coast, while the remainder of 
 the force, three in number, were stationed at the opposite extremity 
 of the land ; the Lynx being invested with full power to act in his 
 section of the little realm, as circumstances should require, without 
 communicating with his principal. For the ladies a fitting place was 
 selected about midway between the posts. 
 
 It was about the hour of four in the afternoon when these 
 arrangements were completed, and there remained a brief interval 
 of suspense to be passed before the dreadful crisis should arrive, the 
 probable issue of which was too appalhng to be contemplated. Miss 
 Montaigne and Emily remained for a while in the shelter which had 
 been provided for them, but finding the burden of their fears too 
 heavy to bear alone, they strolled together towards the place where 
 the Lynx and his two companions were on guard, and begged that 
 they might be allowed to remain near their protectors. To this, of 
 course, the Huron readily assented, and while Emily, exhausted, 
 sought a seat at a little distance from her cousin, the latter remained 
 standing near the Lidian and his comrades. 
 
 " You are not accustomed easily to despair," she said at length ; 
 " why is it that you think there is so little hope of escape ? The 
 shore is not far distant." 
 
 " There are four boats ready to follow when we start," rephed the 
 Lynx — " we are safer here." 
 
 " But the night may favor us — we may fly unseen " 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 221 
 
 " If the Manitou should hang his mantle on the moon, we may," 
 said the Huron, pointing to the orb of night, which, although laintly 
 visible as yet, amid the day's superior beams, was climbing a sky 
 singularly clear and cloudless, save in the far north, where a high 
 piled cloud, towering like ocean canvass, navigated the calm expanse 
 alone, but answered, alas, to no mortal hail, and settled slowly towards 
 the horizon. 
 
 Blanche remained motionless, her lips only mo\ing, and her eyes 
 fixed upon the firmament ; a pause of some minutes succeeded, which 
 was at length broken by the low voice of the Indian : 
 
 " The Lynx is sorry," he said, looking mournfully at the young 
 lady, and impressed seemingly with the idea that he was in some 
 degree responsible for the pending calamity — " he is very sad — but 
 men must not weep ; he did what he could — he has acted like a 
 chief; is it not so ? what does the Dove-eye say ?" 
 
 " You have done everything that a brave man could do," replied 
 Blanche emphatically — "surely you have no cause to reproach 
 yourself." 
 
 " He will never know it !" rephed the Indian bitterly — " the King of 
 the Hurons will say that the Lynx was not a Brave." 
 
 " That will he not !" answered Blanche, " my father will never do 
 you injustice ; besides, there is one who will j^roclaim your worth to 
 the world ; thank Heaven that he is not here in this hour of peril !" 
 " Thank Heaven that he is /" exclaimed a low voice at her side ; 
 " to share every peril of Miss Montaigne— to shield her, if it is the 
 will of Heaven — to die for her, if it is not !" 
 
 To the air, to the water, to the surrounding woods, did Blanche, 
 bewildered and terrified, look for the speaker, as this familiar and 
 heart- welcomed voice fell upon her ear ; but not to the dark and mo- 
 tionless figure, which stood scarcely a dozen feet distant from her on 
 the other side of the Huron chief. So entirely void of suspicion was 
 she as to the individuality of the Beaver, as an Indian hunter, that 
 she could quite as easily have suspected the Lynx as him, to be the 
 
222 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 disguised Henrich. Seeing no one but the supposed Indian, for 
 tlie Lynx, with ready tact, had stepped aside, withdrawing also the 
 soldier, she doubted the faithfulness of her senses, and beheved that 
 her excited imagination had in some way misled her. 
 
 " Did any one speak to me, but now, in English ?" she said, 
 using that language ; " or does my mind wander ?" 
 
 As she spoke, the Beaver advanced a few steps, and stood before 
 her ; his calm eyes fixed upon her countenance, for the first time, 
 with no downcast look to conceal theis* hue. " Miss Montaigne," 
 he said, " I am Henrich Huntington, happy, even in this hour of 
 gloom, to convince you that I have been no recreant to my trust." 
 
 Speechless with amazement, with alarm, with delight, Blanche 
 listened to these words, while the flitting color went and came on 
 her cheeks, like the shadows of flying clouds upon a summer land- 
 scape. Her breath was short and hurried — her parted lips moved 
 without voice, and her whole frame shook with her irrepressible 
 emotion. 
 
 " Is it, indeed, so ?" she said, at length, faintly, and with ashen 
 face, resting one trembling hand upon a tree for support, and 
 frankly extending the other to her friend : " Is it you, Henrich ? 
 Oh, I am very glad to see you, and yet I cannot bid you welcome 
 in this dreadful hour." 
 
 Huntington seized the hand of Miss Montaio-ne, and ere he 
 relinquished, pressed it lightly to his lips. " I ask no better wel- 
 come," he said, as Blanche hastily, yet unreprovingly withdrew the 
 imprisoned member from his grasp. 
 
 " This is no time for idle compliments," she said, quickly ; " tell 
 me why this disguise ? And yet I should not ask, since in it you 
 have once, aye, twice already, saved our lives." 
 
 " Enough for the present. Miss Montaigne, that it was necessary ; 
 without it I could not have been with you ; keep my secret, and 
 above all, from the count." 
 
 "You have had injustice and suflFering," she rei^lied, hastily. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 223 
 
 •*0h, how much do we owe you! how much have we misju<lu,t'd 
 you ! But tell me, — for hope never seems to desert you, — is our 
 situation altogether desperate ? Speak frankly to me ; I can bear 
 the worst and ought to hear it." 
 
 " I should do wrong not to confess to you. Miss Montaigne," he 
 replied, " that the danger is very great. The Lynx, who is most 
 familiar with Indian warfare, thinks, if the soldiers do their duty, we 
 may take a quarter, or, perhaps, even a third of our enemies with 
 us into the other world, and thus fall with glory, but scarcely hints 
 of any other hope." 
 
 "How dreadful to indulge such revengeful wishes at such an 
 hour 1" exclaimed Blanche, tremulously. " And the Algon<juin — 
 what says he ?" 
 
 " Mallory, who has come from the other company on an errand 
 of inquiry, reports that he is reserved and taciturn, and chants to 
 himself at intervals — the sign is bad !" 
 
 " Alas, yes ! it is his death-song !" answered Miss Montaigne ; 
 " he himself told us of the custom." 
 
 " We have \iewed the worst side of the picture," continued Hen- 
 rich. " We should sin not to remember that there is a Power 
 which saves alike ' by many or by few.' He can preserve us, we 
 know ; and if such is not His purpose, that purpose still is best." 
 
 " You speak nobly, Mr. Huntington, and as created man should 
 ever speak of the dealings of The Infinite ; we are in His iiinds, 
 and in this solemn hour should confide fully in Him ; yet it is diffi- 
 cult for weak human nature to view closely and calmly that mys- 
 terious change which awaits it; above all," s^he said, sudden k rais- 
 ing her voice, with emotion, " when it comes with sucii atLL-ndant 
 horrors !" 
 
 " Do not quite despair !" repUed Henrich, sootliingly. " We 
 may not look for miracles, and yet there may be means and agen- 
 cies at work for us, of which we have no knowletlge. 1 do not 
 wish to excite unfounded hopes, but a thought has occurred to me, 
 
224 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 which has in it a ray — a faint ray of hght ; we know that all of our 
 first ] .ursuers are savages, and fi'om them we can hope nothing ; but 
 theie may be — it is barely possible — some subordinate English offi- 
 cer in command of, or in company with the other division, who 
 would have sufficient influence to save our hves, and cause us to be 
 regarded as prisoners of war ; at least, if we could communicate 
 with him, and capitulate, before the onslaught commences, and be- 
 fore the savages become excited in battle." 
 
 " Alas ! , how many remote contingencies are these ! So faint a 
 hope serves only more fiilly to reveal our despair — yet you may be 
 right ; do not let me discourage you from any effort." 
 
 Henrich at once proceeded to counsel with the Lynx, while 
 Blanche, being so permitted, went to inform her cousin of the pre- 
 sence of Hunting-ton, in the disguise of the Beaver ; tidings which 
 aroused Emily from her stupor of fear and gi'ief, and infused a new 
 though indefinite hope into her spirit. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 225 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 " Many a peril have I past, 
 
 Nor know I why this next appears the last ; 
 Yet so my heart forebodes." — Byron. 
 
 The Huron heard his friend's remarks in silence, but gave httle 
 confirmation to his views ; he had seen nothing to induce him to 
 suppose there were any other than Indians among either of the 
 attacking parties, and he had no behef, if there were, that any terms 
 could be made which would compromise the savages' right to deal 
 with their prisoners after their usual custom. For himself and the 
 Algonquin, he knew, he said, there could be no hope, and they 
 could hardly be expected to be parties to a capitulation which did 
 not include them in its protection. They were willing to die ; the 
 spirit-land of their fathers was open to them ; they would enter it 
 gloriously ; they would fall like chiefs and great braves, and would 
 never be taken prisoners, and roasted like cowards, at a stake. 
 
 Such was the substance of the Lynx's emphatic reply, and so wrapt 
 was he in the thoughts he had uttered that it was some moments 
 before Henrich could again attract his attention to his own remarks. 
 When he had succeeded in doing so, he repelled, with indignation, 
 any design on the part of himself or the ladies, to seek exclusively 
 their own safety, assured the Indian that if any treaty was effected, 
 it should be one which included the whole party in its provisions, 
 and reminding him that it was the part of a great warrior never to 
 remit his efforts for life, begged him to reflect whether he could 
 
 10* 
 
226 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 devise any means to open a negotiation \^ith the enemy. No one, 
 of course, would und' rtake the hazardous eriand of bearing a flag 
 to a savage foe, nor could the only boat of the prisoners be risked 
 on such an embassy, and nothing remained but to attempt to send, 
 by some means, a written message to the opposing camp. 
 
 The Huron, incapable of opposing his friend, however hopeless of 
 the result, undeilook to find some mode of locomotion for a talking 
 pai)er, if Henrich would prepare one, and they set simultaneously 
 about their tasks, thus combining the ingenuity of civilized and 
 savage hfe, where either alone would have been insufficient to effect 
 their purpose. 
 
 The pocket-book of Huntington furnished from its miscellaneous 
 contents a scrap of paper, on which he wrote, in pencil, the follow- 
 ing words : 
 
 " We are travellers ; three of us are English citizens — the remain- 
 der are French aiid their allies. "Will our lives be protected if we 
 surrender ourselves prisoners ? We are well armed. To any 
 officer or gentleman in command of the enemy." 
 
 The Lynx, meanwhile, procui-ed a piece of bark about eighteen 
 inches in length, and six or eight inches wide, which he speedily 
 fashioned, with his hunting knife, into the shape of a boa^ ; a minia- 
 ture mast arose fi'om its centre, slitted to receive the trimmed leaves 
 which formed its lower sails, while the letter itself, fastened securely 
 above them, constituted a top-gallant-royal to the little vessel. A 
 fixed rudder, the result of much careful calculation, was added, and 
 the httle messenger, fi-eighted with many hopes, was set afloat, 
 watched by the tearful eyes of Blanche and Emily, and awakening 
 alternate hopes and fears, as it now slightly diverged from its 
 expected route, and now pressed gallantly forward on its way. 
 
 The wind was blowing lightly from the south-west, and there was 
 great danger that the boat might pass eastward of the island, not- 
 withstanding the accurate adjustment of the tiller, to prevent such a 
 result. Now plunging and dipping before some passing flaw, now 
 
THE KING OF THE HUR0N8, 227 
 
 dartin;^ suddenly forward, and, anon, stopping trembling and veering, 
 as if bewildered and uncertain of its course, it still soon attained 
 a position about midway between the islands, without any material 
 deviation from its route. Thence it proceeded with a steady and 
 uniform progress towards the opposing shore, evidently attracting 
 the attention of the enemy long before it reached the beach, one of 
 whom was seen to dart out from his shelter, and seizing the toy, 
 bear it back to the woods. 
 
 The excitement incident to this experiment had temporarily re- 
 lieved the minds of those en^-aged in it from the oppressive sense of 
 their danger, which now returned with overwhelming force. The 
 effort which they had just made began to seem almost absurd, even 
 in the eyes of its originator, and when five minutes of suspense had 
 ensued,- -minutes by the chronometer, but hours by the mental 
 measurement of the prisoners, — a settled conviction fastened upon 
 their minds that the season of hope was past. 
 
 " It was .surely most cruel of uncle," said Emily, first breaking 
 the mournful silence wliich had for some minutes prevailed, "to ex- 
 pose us to such i)erils ! Oh ! why did he not rather leave us in 
 New York until this dreadful war was ended T 
 
 " Do not blame him, Einily," ropUed Blanche, with a beseeching 
 look ; " h(i did not, indeed he did not, know the danger. The 
 Lynx will t -11 you thit for months there has been no hostile party 
 in these parts ; that the theatre of war was at other and remote 
 points when he set out frcMii home ; and in proof of this, remember 
 how very far we have come in safety." 
 
 "Only to be murdend at the last!" sobbed Emily, bitterly; 
 "oh, it was cruel — cruel— cruel ! Think not that I cannot forgive 
 him, but it is tolly to seek to justify his acts." 
 
 " Emily, dear cousin, do not talk thus ; indeed he is not in fault ; 
 mine rather is the blame, and it is a fearful responsibility to feel at 
 such a time ! Ah ! would that you had returned when I besought 
 you to do so. Can you forgive me, Emily — Henrich ?" 
 
228 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 "Nay, we have nothing to forgive yow, cousin Blanche," an- 
 swered Emily, hastily ; while Huntington replied to the question 
 only with a look of gentle reproach. 
 
 " You will not admit it, I know," said Blanche, " and I thank 
 you for your forbearance ; but, alas ! what avails now either censure 
 or exculpation on such a point ? We all did what we then 
 beheved right : let us think, rather, of more serious matters." 
 
 During this conversation, the Lynx remained standing on the mar- 
 gin of the water, looking upon that part of the distant island where 
 the little boat had disappeared, with a singular steadiness of gaze, 
 when it is remembered that he had ex])ressed an entire want of con- 
 fidence in the experiment. But his views had undergone somewhat 
 of a change. Why was it, he mentally inquired, that the good 
 Manitou had sent the little bark so unerringly on its course, unless 
 to effect some good end ? The slightest change in the force or 
 direction of the breeze might have either sent it wide of its 
 mark, or whelmed it in the turbulent waters, yet it had pressed gal- 
 lantly forward, uninterrupted, to its intended goal. Besides this, 
 there was something so incomprehensible to his untutored mind in 
 the art of conveying ideas by writing, that he fully expected the 
 talking paper would, in some way, succeed in making itself under- 
 stood by those to whom it was sent, whether they were civilized or 
 savage, and that a response of some kind would be made, either 
 amicable or hostile. 
 
 About ten minutes elapsed while he thus gazed, when a quick 
 ejaculation from his lips, and his upward-pointing arm, directed the 
 attention of his companions to an arrow, shot with seeming defiance 
 towards them from the enemy's camp. It rose to a considerable 
 height, and describing a wide curve, fell into the water thirty rods 
 from where the little party were standing, but scarcely had it struck 
 the wave before the venturous Huron had plunged into the lake, 
 and was swimming rapidly towards it. That his quick eye had dis- 
 cerned something unusual in the missile was evident by his actions, 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 229 
 
 and his^ astonished companions watched breathlessly his progress ; 
 no attempt was made to fire upon him by the enemy, and in a few 
 minutes he returned to the shore bearing the weapon in his mouth. 
 Henrich ran to meet him, and trembled with the intensity of his 
 emotions as he discovered a slip of paper secured in the feathery 
 haft ; eagerly seizing the desired, yet dreaded document, he read 
 the following words, which were written in French : 
 
 " I cannot read your message ; you must surrender, or I cannot 
 answer for your lives; we are thirty-five strong, French and 
 Hurons." 
 
 " God of mercy !" exclaimed Blanche, " they are our friends ! 
 They are probably searching for us ! Mij father has sent them /" 
 As she spoke, she glanced gratefully upwards, leaving in beautiful 
 ambiguity the meaning of her closing sentence. 
 
 There was indeed every reason to believe that Miss Montaigne's 
 conjectures were correct, and so unbounded was the transport of de- 
 light which prevailed among the little party, that for a while they 
 were incapable of taking the necessary means of ascertaining the 
 certainty of their new and exciting hopes. But Henrich, at length, 
 prepared another note in the French language, as follows : 
 
 " If you are a French party, we are your friends ; this is Count 
 Carlton's command, and is the escort of Miss Montaigne. Attested 
 by the totum of the Lynx, a Huron Chief, who is with us." 
 
 Underneath these lines, the Lynx drew a rough sketch of his 
 namesake of the forest, as also of a hand, extended in amity, and 
 the paper was at once transmitted by the same mode of conveyance 
 by which the other had arrived, for although the arrow must fall 
 far short of the opposing shore, attention would now be fixed upon 
 it and it could readily be procured by the other party. A boat 
 indeed was sent out without hesitation, almost before the weapon 
 had touched the water, no fear seeming to be evinced by its occupant 
 of any evil during the implied armistice that was now existing. 
 
 No sooner had this new document reached the northern camp 
 
230 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 than its effect became \dsible in the most extraordinary commotion : 
 the whole l^arty rushed to the beach, uttering prolonged shouts, 
 flinging up their arms and running rapidly about. In a few minutes 
 the boats were got out, and the whole company embarked and set 
 out for the smaller island, while Blanche and Emily, divested of their 
 last fear, scarcely refrained from fainting with the excess of their 
 delight. Mutual congratulations were exchanged, and the Lynx was 
 about to despatch a messenger to bear the joyous tidings to the 
 count, when the latter w^as seen rapidly approaching in the distance. 
 The shouts had reached his ears and lea\dng his companions to guard 
 the southern post he hastened across the island, half dead vnth. 
 affright, and anxious to learn the extent of the new calamity. As he 
 came near the northern shore, he caught sight of the approaching 
 batteaux, which w^ere now midway between the islands, and the 
 crowded occupants of which were still making the air ring with their 
 vociferous cries. He rushed up to the Lynx and Beaver, who, as 
 they were standing as usual, gun in hand, he supposed were 
 preparing to fire upon their invaders, and exclaimed to the former : 
 
 " Ah ! this is horrible ! thrice horrible ! but do not fire ; it will 
 only exasperate them — they are too many ; perhaps they will be 
 merciful." 
 
 " They are our friends !" rephed the Huron. 
 
 "Yes — yes — tell them w^e are their friends," rephed Carlton, 
 whose terror prevented him from comprehending the imperfect 
 French of the Indian — "yes, yes, tell them we are harmless 
 travellers ^vith laches, and that we do not want to hurt them — nor — 
 nor — to have them hurt us, will you ?" he added eagerly. 
 
 " They are our friends 1" repeated the Lynx, quietly, 
 
 " Ah misericorde /" exclaimed the count, still unheeding the words 
 of the other — " ah ladies, this will be sad for you, too ; you had 
 better hide — it is very dreadful : ah, how fast they come — how fast 
 they come : don't forget to tell them we are their friends, and that 
 we can ransom ourselves with a whole boat-load of money — and thej 
 
THE KING OF THE H U R O N S. 231 
 
 shall have ray watch, too, and — and — all that I have ahoui me : 
 don't you think you had better begin to speak — see how near they 
 are—" 
 
 " They are " 
 
 " Ah, I am soiTy we killed those poor fellows this morning- : that 
 will make them very fierce I fear — but it was the Beaver, yes, aha ! 
 it was the Beaver did it — tell them so, you know, and if they must 
 kill somebody, they had better kill him, of course, for these Indians 
 are more used to such things." 
 
 So rapid and earnest had been the count's language that it would 
 have been difficult for any one to check its impetuous course : the 
 calm, dignified Indian, too courteous to interrupt, would have waited 
 for the torrent of words to flow by, before replying, if it had lasted 
 an hour. 
 
 " These are our Mends," he now said, once more, scarcely conceal- 
 ing his contempt — " see ! they are our brothers ! they have come to 
 help us !" 
 
 " What ? what ?" exclaimed Carlton, " our friends ? Is it true, 
 my dear friend ? Is it really true ? Are we really, really safe ?" 
 
 " I have said," replied the Lynx, coldly. 
 
 " Ah, this is most delightful then !" he added, breathing freely, 
 and advancing nearer to the ladies — " ah, ladies ! do you hear ? 
 you are safe ; these are the Lynx's friends ; do not be alarmed : in 
 a few minutes you will have the pleasure of seeing us exterminate 
 those fiends on the other island : keep up good courage — you are 
 quite safe, I assure you." 
 
 The batteaux had now approached to within sixty yards of the 
 shore, and the Lynx, advanced to the water's edge, was already 
 conversing with some of their inmates ; in another minute the whole 
 party were on the beach, crowding around the Huron, and mani- 
 festing the most lively joy at meeting him. 
 
 Their leader was a French sei-geant, named Grill, who at once 
 advanced to Carlton, and modestly resigned his command into the 
 
232 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 hands of his superior officer, expressing, at the same time, his great 
 pleasure at having discovered his mistake in time to prevent serious 
 consequences. The Baron Montaigne, he said, had become uneasy at 
 the prolonged absence of the party, and had despatched him with 
 instructions to proceed as far as the head of the upper lake, if neces- 
 sary, in search of them. Their own safety, he said, required that 
 they should destroy or capture any small parties of the enemy whom 
 they might encounter, lest inteUigence of their expedition should get 
 abroad, and their return be intercepted. This was the reason of 
 their having pursued the count in a hostile manner, being prevented 
 from once suspecting his true character by his change of the canoes 
 in which he had left home for batteaux, and by his quick flight. 
 
 " But how is it," he added, " that your number is so largely 
 increased ? Your boats seemed to contain eight or ten each !" 
 
 " Is it possible that you do not yet understand ?" replied the 
 count, earnestly — " I have but one boat : the others are Iroquois ; 
 they were in pursuit of us when you came in sight : they mistook 
 you, as we did, for their friends, fired a salute to attract your notice, 
 and are even now on an adjoining islaHd, kept at bay by a few of 
 our men !" 
 
 " What a tissue of blunders is this !" rephed the sergeant : " I 
 mistook the firing for a warning from one of your boats to the other 
 to give notice of our approach : we had not seen you until then, 
 when you both seemed to fly in the same direction and we pursued ; 
 but we vnll have them at any rate, that is to say," he added in a 
 less animated tone, " I must beg pardon for forgetting that I am no 
 longer in command." 
 
 " Oh, take them ! yes, take them, of course," said the count — 
 " that is just what I was saying to the ladies — surround them — cut 
 them down — show no quarter !" 
 
 " Do I understand that your honor allows me to command an 
 expedition against them with my own men ?" inquired Grill, eagerly, 
 and fearful he was in error : " we can do it up in a few minutes, sir. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 233 
 
 and your men must all be fatigued with duty ; we are all fresh, quite 
 fresh, I assure you, sir." 
 
 " Yes — certainly — of course," answered Carlton ; " I give you the 
 command ; we are a little fatigued, all of us." 
 
 " The Lynx is not tired," said that personage, who had approached 
 during the colloquy, and stood hstening to it. 
 
 " Very well, you may go if you choose," said Carlton, taking snuff, 
 and seeming a httle disconcerted. 
 
 "And the Beaver?" added the Huron, answering an animated 
 look from his friend, who, since the count's return, had again been 
 struck dumb. 
 
 " We cannot spare all our guard," interposed Blanche — " let the 
 Beaver and the soldiers remain with us, I pray ; there certainly are 
 enough without them." 
 
 " Enough, enough, certainly, too many if the count pleases," said 
 the sergeant. 
 
 " Very well," answered Carlton — " let the Beaver and the soldiers 
 remain ; go now, and see that you give us a good account of them." 
 
 "Let me implore," said Blanche, addressing the count — "that 
 there be no useless waste of life : they are human beings, and let us 
 remember what were our feehngs a few minutes since in view of such 
 destruction as now threatens them. We have received mercy, let us 
 impart it. It is the law of civilized warfare, the w^orld over, to spare 
 the foe who surrenders ; instruct the men, I beseech you. Count 
 Carlton, not to kill the prisoners." 
 
 Carlton informed the sergeant that he might consider Miss 
 Montaigne's request as an order, and directed him to communicate 
 it to his men, whereupon the party hastened at once to their boats, 
 and set out on their errand ; a messenger having been first despatched 
 to the Algonquin to inform him of the changed state of affairs, and 
 to request him to co-operate with the attack in any way that his 
 position would permit. 
 
 But a short time elapsed before the sound of guns was heard in a 
 
234 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 southerly direction, followed by shouts and the varied cries that 
 attend an Indian battle, and in less than an hour the canoes returned 
 accompanied by the captured batteau, with seven of the Iroquois as 
 prisoners. Three only had been killed, and the victory had been 
 achieved without the loss of a man to the Hurons, although a few 
 of both parties had been wounded. 
 
 The captives were guarded on both sides by the attendant canoes, 
 and their hands were also bound together at the wrist, yet their 
 leader, a large powerful man, succeeded in drawing his arms apart 
 as they drew near the island, and, determined to make an eflfort for 
 the life which he supposed forfeited, he plunged suddenly into the 
 water, and sank, hke lead, beneath the boats. Twenty guns were 
 instantly presented to await his approach to the surface, and every 
 eye was scanning the water to watch the place of his reappearance ; 
 more than a minute elapsed, when the shout, " there he is !" was 
 heard, and a head was seen thirty rods distant towards the eastern 
 shore, partly protruding above the wave. An irregular discharge 
 succeeded, but with the first report of a gun the Indian again 
 disappeared, and the volley proved harmless. Exhaustion, however, 
 evid-'utly forbade his continuance beneath the water, and he almost 
 immediately rose a second time, when the Lynx, mindful of the 
 Beaver's accurate aim, called to him to fire at the fugitive. 
 
 " No — no — no — for mercy's sake, let the poor fellow go — it is too 
 horrible !" exclaimed Blanche, who with Henrich and the count, 
 stood watching the scene from the beach. 
 
 " Fire !" shouted Carlton, gesticulating to the disguised Henrich — 
 " fire — I command you ; Miss Montaigne will have the goodness not 
 to interfere : Fire !" he repeated, himself raising the Beaver's gun, and 
 pointing with his finger to the swimmer. 
 
 Henrich, who could no longer atfect to misunderstand his orders, 
 glanced expressively at Blanche, and levelled his gun towards the 
 Iroquois, making the prisoners tremble for their now seemingly 
 doomed comrade, for too well they knew ^the fatal marksman and 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 235 
 
 his weapon, and they could not repress an exclamation of rehef and 
 exultation as the dreaded ball was seen to strike the water about 
 three feet distant from their friend. Carlton looked angrily at the 
 mute stranger, but a grateful smile from Blanche met his eye, con- 
 vincing him that she comprehended his forbearance, which, indeed, 
 had been no less in compliance with his own sympathies for the 
 fugitive than with her wishes. 
 
 The confusion was now a httle abated, and a boat was sent in 
 pm-suit, but as the swimmer, having fully recovered his breath, soon 
 went down again and took care to change his direction while 
 beneath the water, it was no easy matter to follow his course, and 
 after several hair-breadth escapes from the shots of his pursuers, he 
 finally succeeded in gaining the land, and making good his escape 
 in the forest. 
 
 Carlton resumed his voyage on the same evening, rejoicing in the 
 security which his increased numbers imparted, exulting in his vic- 
 tory over the Iroquois, and believing himself altogether a hero after 
 Mars' own fashioning. Never did returning general enter the gates 
 of world-ruKng Rome, after desolating some distant nation, and add- 
 ing a new province to the empire, with a loftier sense of his achieve- 
 ments than that with which the self-satisfied Gaul now embarked 
 for Castle Montaigne. He resolved to lose no time by delay, and 
 not again to jeopard the glory which he had acquired. Nightlong 
 he travelled, and at meridian of the ensuing day the converging 
 shores of the lake were seen closing around its northern extremity ; 
 the blue waters of the Sorelle gleamed in the distance, and soon the 
 vessels were gliding upon its tranquil surface. 
 
 A few hours later the rejoicing voyagers beheld the rugged tur- 
 rets of Castle Montaigne gleaming through the thinned forests, and 
 saw a welcoming cortege thronging to the river's bank, to hail their 
 approach. The woodlands rang with acclamations as the coming 
 vessels were seen to contain the prominent objects of solicitude , the 
 Baron's daughter and niece, the Lynx, the Algonquin, and the 
 
J86 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 Count ; even Montaigne himself, forced from his usual coldness, 
 pressing forward into the very water to grasp the hand of his sob- 
 bing daughter, and imprint an unexpected kiss upon her cheek. In 
 the background the timid Myrtle was seen peering with innocent 
 and wondering face at the strangers, clinging with one hand to the 
 dusky baroness, and seeming like a rose beside its root. 
 Carlton saw her, and trembled. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 237 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 " Good sir, I do in friendship counsel you 
 To leave this place : albeit, you have deserved 
 High commendation, true applause, and love, 
 Yet such is now the duke's condition, 
 That he misconstrues all that you have done." 
 
 —Shak. As You Like It. 
 
 If the Baron Montaigne was not a little delighted at the safe 
 arrival of his daughter, he was scarcely less so with the reflection 
 that her rescue had been achieved by the count, upon whom he now 
 looked as her afiianced husband. The exploit in a military point 
 of view also gratified his vanity ; and renewing the remembrance 
 of his own masterly escape, afforded him a double source of 
 triumph. 
 
 " You have done most nobly, sir count," he said, when on the 
 same evening they conversed alone on the subject ; " you have 
 snatched Blanche from the very paws of the British lion : you tell 
 me there was an attempt to arrest her as a prisoner of state ?" 
 
 * Yes, sir," rephed Carlton, who had heard the story repeated : 
 "yes, sir, on the very morning after my messenger, the Lynx, 
 brought her out of the city ; I had warned him to lose no time ; I 
 had told him of the danger ; I had instructed him to hasten back 
 to the camp, and he came oflf with her in the night, sir ; yes, sir, the 
 next morning would have been too late : yes, sir, — yes, out of the 
 very paws of the hon — it is a very pretty thought." 
 
 " They reached your camp, then, the same night, I presume," 
 remarked Montaigne. 
 
238 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 " A — a — not precisely : we had started forward a little, finding 
 our position not quite safe, and left word for them to follow : they 
 overtook us." 
 
 " Yes — yes " said the baron, wonderingly. 
 
 " Yes — out of the paws of the Lion — very pretty, indeed — yes, 
 that's precisely where she was," added Carlton, anxious to divert the 
 dangerous attack of minute questions. 
 
 " They had discovered her name and rank, it seems ; perhaps 
 they had even heard of this aflfair of Seabuiy, which would, of course, 
 exasperate them ; but no matter : she is safe at home now, thanks to 
 your vigilance and valor, my friend, and we may now snap our 
 fingers at our Southern foes. The details of your report I will 
 receive at some other time, when we are both less excited and more 
 at leisure." 
 
 So strong had been the baron's prepossessions in favor of the 
 count, created by his pleasing manners, and by the Marquis Vau- 
 dreuil's representations, and so fully had this impression been con- 
 firmed by the success of the recent expedition, that it would have 
 been no easy matter to change or shake his views. Nor was any 
 such labor directly attempted. Rumors, indeed, were soon afloat, 
 well calculated to wither the laurels of the hero, and to transfer the 
 whole weight of his honors to other hands, leaving to him the 
 inglorious substitute of ridicule and contempt; but they did not 
 reach the ears of Montaigne, precisely because there was no one 
 whose peculiar duty it was to bear them, or who was willing to 
 communicate unwelcome tidings to a haughty and opinionated man. 
 The general voice had, indeed, accorded the credit of once saving 
 the party from destruction, and again from a most hazardous 
 engagement with the Iroquois, to the mysterious hunter who had 
 joined them on the way ; and even Carlton was compelled to 
 acquiesce in this statement, after some futile attempts to evade its 
 force. 
 
 The Lynx and Algonquin tarried but briefly at the castle on the 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 239 
 
 day of their arrival, being prompted, botli by their domestic and 
 chmnish feelings, to mingle first with their own people, and enjoy a 
 breatliing spell of I'epose, where they could recount their achieve- 
 ments, and exhibit the baron's munificent presents in proof of his 
 approbation. They preferred to leave to Blanche the task of 
 unmasking her pretended champion at such time and }>lace as she 
 should deem fit, little imagining how wide an interval separated the 
 parent and child, unbridged by any familiar or confidential inter- 
 course. Besides this, the extreme respect paid to rank in that age 
 had secured to the count a strong party among the adherents of 
 Montaigne, both civilized and savage, and the four soldiers who had 
 formed part of his command were entirely subservient to him ; so 
 that, fixed already in the baron's prepossessions, and propped by 
 such accessaries, he wlio attempted rashly to shake his position, might 
 only succeed in jeoparding his own. 
 
 The disguised Henrich accompanied the Lynx to his quarters, 
 being warned by his friend that it might be unsafe to expose himself 
 at once to the wrath of the count, and the easily excited suspicions 
 of Montaigne, during the plenitude of the former's power and 
 infiiuence. It would, at least, the Indian urged, be prudent to 
 withdraw for a few days, until the sentiments of the baron could be 
 sounded, and until Carlton had unwittingly accorded to Huntington, 
 in his assumed character, that credit for his achievements which he 
 would never concede to an acknowledged enemy. Henrich readily 
 anticipated the character of the charges which would be likely to be 
 adduced against him by a man to whom he had thrown defiance but 
 a few days previous, and how apt a listener Montaigne would prove 
 to any accusation involving the crimes of insubordination or mutiny 
 against his own delegated authority. If these ofiFences, exaggerated 
 by a malignant ingenuity, should not be deemed suflftcient to annul 
 the debt of gratitude due to the chivalrous youth, there was yet 
 another, in his conjectured aspiration for the band of Miss Montaigne, 
 which would more than cancel the whole remaining score of credit. 
 
240 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 Blanche, indeed, understood Huntington's withdrawal from the 
 precincts of the castle to be only for the purpose of a re-transforina- 
 tion to his proper semblance, and that he would on the ensuing day, 
 at the farthest, return, accompanied by his Indian friends, to receive 
 the meed of applause W'hicli was so justly his due, and to become her 
 father's honored guest for whatever time he chose to continue his 
 abode in New France. She knew nothing of his quarrel with 
 Carlton, or of the great reason which he had to dread the count's 
 resentment, and if she had at all suspected the views and apprehen- 
 sions which actuated him in departing with the Lynx, a sense of 
 justice would have impelled her to fly to her father, reveal the whole 
 story, and secure, at least, his protection and hospitality for her 
 friend. 
 
 It was an unhappy error growing out of a singularly complex 
 state of influences and the want of opportunity for counsel or concert 
 of action between the pretended Beaver and those who were 
 cognisant of his real character. Had the latter at once declared the 
 whole story of Henrich's heroism, and his wrongs, and promptly and 
 unitedly denounced the count's injustice and cowardice, there w^ould 
 have been some reason to hope that the baron might prove a just 
 and impartial listener; but delay and indecision weakened their 
 cause, and proportionably strengthened that of their common 
 adversary. 
 
 If otlier excuse is wanting for Blanche's remissness, it will be 
 found in the sense of maidenly delicacy which forbade her manifest- 
 ing too deep an interest in Henrich, and in the exciting emotions 
 incident to an arrival at her new home, and a first interview with 
 those near yet dreaded relatives who had so long occupied a 
 prominent position in her thoughts. 
 
 The Baroness Montaigne was a woman of about forty years, of 
 tall and comely figure, and with a countenance which only its olive 
 hue would prevent an European taste from pronouncing handsome. 
 Her features were nearly regular, and her face was entirely void of 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 241 
 
 that inelegant prominence of the cheek bones, so common to her 
 race, while in her well shaped mouth, with its unimpaired treasures, 
 in her black eyes and hair, and in her smooth broad forehead there 
 was much to attract admiration. She was dressed neatly, in the 
 fashion of the age, spoke the French language intelligibly, although 
 with many inaccuracies, and but for a subdued and timid demeanor, 
 would have manifested no little dignity of deportment. 
 
 Blanche was both astonished and relieved to find her so httle 
 repulsive in appearance: she addressed her with frankness and 
 courtesy, expressed a sincere pleasure at meeting her, and was by her 
 presented, in turn, to Myrtle, who, standing like a startled fawn at 
 her side, seemed only to restrain herself by an effort from running 
 away. If Miss Montaigne had been pleased before, she was now 
 unspeakably delighted ; Myrtle, whose striking charms, both of 
 face and figure, have been described, was dressed in white, and wore 
 a few simple ornaments, and her soft black eyes were moist with 
 emotion, and her glossy raven hair, hanging in natural curls, trembled 
 around her cheek and neck and shoulders, as she received in silence 
 the sisterly kiss of Blanche. 
 
 What were the forest maiden's thoughts in that moment of 
 agitation it would not be difficult to conjecture. She had never 
 before seen a European lady, and she knew, as she gazed at her fair 
 relative, that her own more sombre charms were in every way outshone. 
 The entire novelty to her perceptions, of that variety of beauty 
 which she now beheld, added to its value in her estimation ; a 
 white transparent skin, tinted with roseate rays which seemed rather 
 to shine through than to dwell upon its surface ; eyes of blue, 
 eloquent with a thousand varying expressions ; soft silken hair, 
 which seemed to change its hue with the changing light, and yet 
 was ever beautiful, these were strange and enchanting charms to 
 Myrtle, who possessed an apt appreciation of elegance, and under 
 other circumstances, would never have wearied of gazing upon 
 them. 
 
 11 
 
242 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 But they were associated now with mournful thoughts, for she 
 had long looked forward to Blanch. 's coming with a sad pivscnti- 
 ment that she was to prove her successful rival for the affections of 
 one who however unworthy of regard, did not seem so to her. She 
 had seen only the bright and dazzling side of (^ai'lton's character, and, 
 despite her already bitter experience, would not believe in its dark 
 reverse. Was he faithless to her ? She had erred in ever su})posing 
 that he regai'ded her other than as the playmate of a day — the 
 httle sister of his future brilliant biide. What madness indeed in 
 her to compete with the magnificent Blanche, for the heai't of a 
 man of taste, talents, and fashion ! Alas it wr.s hut a delusion, into 
 which, in hev simplicity and ignorance she had fallen, and from 
 which, now only, she was fully though roughly awakened. 
 
 Such were Myrtle's thoughts, and little need be the wonder that 
 it was witli no light oi- buoyant spirits that she recei\ ed the greetings 
 of Miss Montaigne. But she entertained no unkindly feelings 
 towards her : she had hoped, unconsciously, guilelessly, that Blanche 
 might not prove to be endowed with extraoidinary personal attrac- 
 tions, but this hope had vanished, and with it, fur the time, almost 
 every other. She knew that her father designed his elder daughter 
 for the bride of Carlton, for she had listened with mournful heart to 
 his own declarations of such a pur])ose, and had heard with forced 
 calmness, and even with smiles, the often repeated details of his 
 plans and expectations in regard to it. 
 
 Miss Montaigne, meanwhile, most fortunately for her own peace 
 of mind suspected nothing of Myrtle's sentiments either towards the 
 count or herself. She gtized upon the sweet sad face of her sister, 
 and thouglit it was seclusion and solitude alone which had given her 
 an air and habit of melancholy, for she did not reflect that when 
 positive grief withholds its leaden load from the heart, there is an 
 internal melody and beauty ever upspringing from its mysterious 
 depths, impairing to all things their harmony and brightness. How 
 4eep and intricate a thing is that human heart ! How httle can the 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 243 
 
 eye discover upon its faithless dial — the face — of its inner workings, 
 of those subtle and involved emotions, which, ever impervious to 
 another's gaze, often defy even its own analyzation ! AVorlds of 
 wearying misapprehensions, of groundless suspicions, and tangled 
 errors of every kind he hidden in its darkened vaults — but, thanks to 
 Heaven 1 worlds, too, of generous and gentle affections, of unknown 
 truth, and charity, and love, viewless to man, but plainly visible 
 to Him who formed its labpinthine halls. 
 
 Ignorance of Myrtle's sentiments was not the only immunity 
 which Miss Montaigne unconsciously enjoyed, and of which she was 
 soon to be deprived, for she was equally unaware of any serious 
 desio-n on the part of her father to bestow her own hand upon 
 Carlton. Of the count's ^vishes in that respect she was not wholly 
 unsuspicious, for he had found time, even amidst the excitement and 
 perils of their voyage, to pay such marked addresses to his fair 
 charge as scarcely admitted of misconstruction. These, however, she 
 supposed, if sincere, would soon reach a point which would admit 
 of their suppression, little imagining that they were to be supported 
 by the full weight of parental sanction and authority, nay, that 
 her whole change from her trans-Atlantic life to the western world 
 had been made with a direct reference to this very event. 
 
244 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 She is peevish, sullen, froward, 
 
 Proud, disobedient, stubborn, lacking duty ; 
 Neither regarding that she is my child. 
 Nor fearing rae as if I were her father." 
 
 — Shak. Two Gentlemen of Verona. 
 
 A FEW days sufficed to enlighten Blanche in regard to her situa- 
 tion ; for the baron was a man direct in all his movements, seeking 
 no subterfuges, and who had been too long supreme in his little 
 forest-realm to fear opposition to his designs. There were reasons, 
 too, connected with his schemes for political advancement, which 
 induced him, not only to desire an aUiance with Carlton, but that it 
 should take place immediately ; for it would connect him more 
 intimately with the Marquis Vaudreuil, whose growing age and 
 infirmities induced him to contemplate resigning his office as Viceroy 
 of New France, and whose long and valuable services to his country 
 almost entitled him to name a successor to his post. The count's 
 direct influence at court, also, it was supposed, would not be incon- 
 siderable, especially when he had returned to Paris with his fair 
 bride, and with the reputation, magnified tenfold by rumor, of hav- 
 ing rescued her from captivity, by a series of exploits unexcelled in 
 the annals of chivalry. 
 
 " You are thrice fortunate, my Blanche," said the baron, when, a 
 few days after the return of the party, he conversed with his daughter, 
 alone ; " you have not only triumphed over the English and the 
 Iroquois, but if I can read signs aright, you have achieved still another 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 245 
 
 Tictorj, scarcely less important : Count Carlton has not left you in 
 ignorance, I presume, of an admiration which he has already freely 
 expressed to me." 
 
 Blanche shghtly colored as she replied : " The count, like most of 
 his countrymen, deals much in compliments, and Emily and myself 
 have, I beHeve, no reason to complain of not having received our 
 share at his hands." 
 
 " I am much deceived if he is not prepared to offer you the 
 highest compliment which a gentleman can pay to a lady," answered 
 Montaigne ; " and must congratulate you on such a prospect ; I 
 need not, of course, remind you that his proposals will do us great 
 honor, and that you will be able, at your wish, to exchange this no 
 doubt dreaded wilderness for the gaieties of Parisian life." 
 
 "I have no such ambition, I assure you, my father," replied 
 Blanche, with a serious air ; " the wilderness has no terrors for me, 
 nor Paris any temptations ; I have long been separated from you, 
 and should be unfilial, indeed, to wish so soon again to leave you." 
 
 " That shall you not, if such is your desire, my child," responded 
 the baron, with a gleam of kindness inspired by her remark, and by 
 the elevated position in which he was already accustoming himself 
 to view her ; " the Countess Carlton shall always find a home here 
 while she desires it — yet I do not doubt you will at least gladly visit 
 Paris for a wedding trip." 
 
 " You misunderstand me still," answered Blanche, with a sweet 
 smile ; for as yet she knew nothing of the iron will of her parent, 
 nor of the unbending strength of his resolution ; " it would be folly 
 to refuse an offer before it is made, but if you are really cognizant of 
 any such design of the count, I beg you will dissuade him from 
 it ; it will save him some mortification, and me much embarrass- 
 ment." 
 
 " What is it that you mean ?" exclaimed the baron, severely, and 
 with vast astonishment, — " but I perceive — I perceive — you wish to 
 avoid a personal eclaircissement and to have it all arranged between 
 
246 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 your lover and mystlf; you are right, after all; it is the more dig- 
 nified way, and not unusual among people of rank." 
 
 " Why will you misunderstand me — father ?" replied Blanche, hesi- 
 tatingly, yet rising, and advancing a step nearer to him as she spoke ; 
 " I do not like Count Carlton : I have given him no encouragement, 
 and vdsh to be spared from openly refusing him ; I repeat I do not 
 like him, and never shall." 
 
 Montaigne's countenance no longer expressed surprise, or anger, 
 or any violent emotion ; the cold serenity of command had settled 
 upon his features, and for aught of feehng evinced, they might have 
 been marble lips which now rephed to the young lady : 
 
 " You are unfortunate," he said, " in not fancying a man, who 
 within a fortnight at the farthest, will be your husband." 
 
 So saying, he withdrew, once more the stern and stately man 
 whom Blanche had beheld at the hotel in (Jstend, all the slight 
 relentings of his gelid heart again congealed, aud betokening that its 
 winter was finally set in. 
 
 Miss Montaig»e stood for a -moment awed by the words and 
 manner of the baron, and nearly bewildered by her conflicting emo- 
 tions. She had hailed with ecstasy the first traits of seeming 
 tenderness which he had exhibited towards her, had treasured the 
 memory of his welcoming kiss on the day of her arri\al, and bad 
 begun to look forward with fond hope to a full return of that affec- 
 tion, which she still entertained for him — the result of early instruction, 
 and of habitually exercised duty, through the long years of her 
 secluded life. This dream was suddenly dispelled ; these hopes 
 were dashed, and her own perhaps unnecessary rashness had checked 
 this flowing stream of kindness. Pained chiefly by this reflection, 
 she scarcely thought of the real danger which impended over her ; 
 for she still did not believe that her father was capable of a resort to 
 coercion to obtain her assent to a marriage with the count, although 
 she well knew the facilities for despotic power which he possessed. 
 
 But, as she reflected, her misgivings increased. Neither Hunting- 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 247 
 
 ton nor the Lynx had yet returned to the castle, and their delay, 
 wliich had before been simply a matter of wonder, now created 
 serious uneasiness. She feared that her father, of whose discernment 
 she had the most exalted idea, had already penetrated Henrich's 
 disguise, and even his sentiments towards hei'self; and that this 
 discovery had been followed by the summary banishment uf her 
 friend from the country. If she dismissed these aj^prehensions, she 
 yet reflected with sad forebodings on the probable reception Hunting- 
 ton would meet, upon his arrival, which might be hourly expected. 
 How inopportune was the time tor his coming ! How surely would 
 her father's suspicions be at once aroused and his ire {xcitod ! 
 Herself laboring under his disfavor, she felt painfully conscious that 
 any representations which she could make in Henrich's behalf would 
 be comparatively ineffectual, and that even their Indian friends in 
 lauding their young ally must proclaim their own insubordination, 
 which alone had placed him in a condition to aid them, and thus 
 materially lessen their influence with Montaigne. She even thought 
 with shame that their delay in re-appearing at the castle might be 
 occasioned by a pusillanimous fear of her father's censure :o the 
 clandestine act which had enabled Huntington, unknown to the 
 count, to continue a member of his party ; and in whatever lig'nt she 
 viewed the subject, she saw the deepest cause for regret that there 
 had t)een any delay in an explanation, the hazard of whicii. whatever 
 it might have been at the time of their arrival, was n^,. ienio'd 
 increased. 
 
 The baron, meanwhile, had passed from the preseiue of his 
 daughter directly to that of Carlton, whom, with no circ ; ocution, 
 he informed both of Blanche's sentiments, and of his ow., tentions 
 to disregard them ; in(piiring at the same time if : ton was 
 conscious of any cause which could have })roduced so un ['. cted a 
 result. The chagrined count was not backward in alleging a reason 
 which, while it salv<^d his wounded vanity, would, he well knew, 
 strengthen the baron's resolution. 
 
248 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 " Prepossessions, my lord baron, prepossessions are the trouble," 
 he said : " and I regret to say, for a very unworthy object. I had 
 forborne, out of regard to your feelings, to mention to you, that a 
 young man, who evidently had the presumption to consider himself 
 a suitor of Miss Montaigne, accompanied her from New York to 
 my — a — camp, and continued with us as far as Albany ; even there, 
 I with difficulty succeeded in dismissing him, after the most muti- 
 nous language and conduct towards me. I anticipate your question," 
 he continued, observing the signs of wrath which had gathered upon 
 the baron's brow ; " but I did not punish him with death, in con- 
 sideration of some services which he was said to have rendered the 
 ladies and the Lynx in escaping from the city." 
 
 " Perhaps you were right," responded Montaigne ; " and yet I 
 could wish it had been otherwise. You amaze me beyond expression ! 
 Could my daughtei- have so far forgotten herself ?" 
 
 " Nay, I do not say that she had given him encouragement," 
 answered Carlton : " but she seemed fond of his society — conversed 
 frequently with him, and probably fancies, since his departure, that 
 she has an attection for him." 
 
 Montaigne seemed much disturbed by this intelligence, into which 
 he inquired with great minuteness, and afterwards, as his companion 
 had exjiected, not only reiterated his resolution as to Blanche's 
 marriage with the count, but expressed a determination that the 
 nuptials should be solemnized with very little delay. 
 
 " She is a minor," he said, " and more immature in judgment than 
 in years ; I have the legal and moral right to dispose of her in 
 mari-iage, and believe me, sir count, I shall exercise it without 
 scruple or remorse." 
 
 " Exactly so," replied Carlton ; " Indeed your parental responsi- 
 bility for her welfare requires that you should enforce her compliance 
 with what your riper wisdom approves ; it — ah — really becomes a 
 sort of moral obligation which you are not at liberty to evade, 
 although it may be a httle unpleasant." 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 249 
 
 " Not a whit unpleasant, believe me, sir connt," responded 
 Montaigne : " I have spent my life in overcoming obstacles, of one 
 kind and another, and never feel more at ease than when one of 
 these famihar phantoms is blockading my path ; I glory in obstacles, 
 sir, and since Blanche is disposed to rebel, I only regret that she has 
 not a little more force of will, that the pleasure of subduing it might 
 be the greater." 
 
 "I fear " 
 
 "Fear nothing!" retorted the baron, emphatically; "go, and 
 propose to her, but with no school-boy cant of sentiment ; speak 
 your admiration briefly and like a soldier, and tell her that you have 
 my consent to pay your addresses to her. She is prepared for 
 your proposition." 
 
 10* 
 
250 • THE KING OF THE HURONS, 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Now thy beauty is proposed my fee, 
 
 My proud heart sues, and prompts my tongue to speak. 
 Teach not thy lips such scorn. 
 
 Shaks. Richard III. 
 
 Carlton lost no time in obtaining an interview with Miss 
 Montaigne, still flattering himself that her objections to him were 
 only feigned, or that they would readily yield to his assiduous 
 addresses. He approached his subject with but little delay, yet with 
 an unquahfied conceit of manner, comporting but ludicrously with 
 the idea of homage to his lady love. His habitual fear of com- 
 promising his personal dignity proved indeed a sort of check-string 
 to the excesses of a native politeness, and produced an awkward 
 melange of ardor and reserve. 
 
 Blanche took the first opportunity which was offered by any 
 decisive language of her lover to express to him politely her 
 declension of his suit ; but the count did himself the honor to hope 
 that Miss Montaigne's views would undergo a change — " that — in 
 short — she did not mean decidedly to — to — that is to say " 
 
 " Decidedly, sir count !" replied Blanche, " it is best to be plain in 
 the outset ; I am obliged to you for your good opinion, but cannot 
 reciprocate the sentiments you profess to feel." 
 
 '•'■Profess to feel !" exclaimed the count, suddenly inspired with 
 the hope that Miss Montaigne's coldness resulted only from uncertainty 
 as to the genuineness of his attachment — ^''profess to feel ! you doubt 
 me, my angel ! that is to say — Miss Montaigne ; I feel all that 
 I profess and a thousand times — that is — a considerable more." 
 
THE KING OF TflE HURONS. 251 
 
 " It is immaterial, Count Carlton," Blanche replied : " I did not 
 
 mean to question your sincerity " 
 
 " But you will relent ? you will " 
 
 " Never, sir count, let me say it now, once for all — never — under 
 any possible concurrence of circumstances of which the imagination 
 can conceive." 
 
 The count took snuff and wondered what degree of force of will 
 the Baron Montaigne would desire his daughter to possess ; he gazed 
 at her a moment, and added with a changed manner which pro- 
 claimi^d a conscious security of position, and the cool insolence of his 
 heart : 
 
 " You are animated. Miss Montaigne ! I like to see it ; it adds to 
 your charms ; you are a cherub, and will soon be a coun- 
 tess ; the baron and myself indeed have long agreed upon 
 a union of our — our houses ; he has prepared me for these 
 eccentncities ; I do not take them amiss ; farewell. Miss Montaigne : 
 I shall have th(^ ])leasure soon of calling you by a different title — 
 and then we will laugh at these little pleasantries." 
 
 The suitor reported to the baron the result of his mission, and 
 expressed his fears that the young lady's resolution could not be 
 shaken. 
 
 " We will not make the attempt ; — we can manage to dispense 
 with her assent ; she owes her being to me — to you its preserva- 
 tion ; it were marvellous, indeed, if we had not the right to control 
 her in a matter so essential to her welfare," said the baron, seemingly 
 arguing against some latent misgivings. 
 
 " Yes — certainly, it would be very singular indeed, that would !" 
 
 "She shall have but little time for reflection ; promptness is ever 
 one of the elements of success, and in a matter like this, may be 
 highly essential ; had she been less wilful the w^edding should not 
 have been hastened, but, as it is, a week from to-day, if you please, 
 sir count, she shall be your bride." 
 
 " Certainly, sir, you make me very happy, and I will do my best, 
 
252 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 meanwhile, to overcome her objections ; if I should be unfortunate 
 enough to fail, may I inquire how it is you propose to proceed ?" 
 
 " Inquire nothing, and doubt nothing. Count Carlton ; only 
 discharge your own duty and beheve me, that yonder chapel, which 
 yesterday resounded with the Te Deum of the priests for your safe 
 return, shall, at the set time, hear your nuptial benediction spoken. 
 It would be strange, indeed," he continued, after a pause, speaking 
 rather in soliloquy, than as if addi-essing his companion ; " it would 
 be strange, indeed, if among all the cowled priests who eat of my 
 bread, there were none who could be depended on in an emergency. 
 Our superannuated Father Parez is at lejist reliable, for he is well 
 nigh blind, and the very brother of the adder iit* deafness ; he will 
 go mechanically through any priestly function that may be designated, 
 only place the parties befoi'e him, and signify to him whether it is a 
 wedding, a christening, or a funeral, and it will be sung through, 
 despite any interruption less than a cannonading." 
 
 " Ah yes. Father Parez — 1 know his reverence — he mistook me 
 this morning for the Lynx, and when I shouted my salutations in his 
 e:ir. in the very best of Fi-ench, he thanked me, and said he did not 
 understand the Huron language — ha ! ha ! yes, he's the very man." 
 
 " And his marriage certificate will be equal to the pope's," added 
 Montaigne — " therefore, I say again, fear nothing, for rather than be 
 thwarted in this measure, I would bestow Blanche upon you after 
 the custom of the nation, of which, as you are aware, I am now the 
 principal chief. There is a thing, you must know, which cob-web 
 spinning lawyers call the lex loci contractu — they put it into His 
 Majesty's gracious noddle, and made my Indian cara s2)osa a baron- 
 ess ; the marquis has told you the story of course ; and as it is a 
 law of which I have had the benefit," the baron smiled bittei'ly at 
 the word, " it is but fair that you should have it also, if needed." 
 
 " You are a most potent monarch in your way, my lord baron," 
 replied Cailton, gleefully ; " Prospero in his haunted isle, was a pigmy 
 to you ; 1 rely on you with perfect confidence." 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 253 
 
 " You may do so, sir count, and believe me, that, a week from 
 to-day, Blanche shall be your bride." 
 
 The baron's excitement prevented him from observing that the 
 door of his room had opened before he uttered the last sentence, and 
 that the moccasined Lynx had entered with his usual noiseless 
 tread. 
 
 " How is this ?" he said sternly, " why do you intrude thus upon 
 our privacy ? But, I am wrong ; he comes ever thus, like a shadow, 
 and has never been reproved ; if there is fault, therefore, it is mine." 
 
 " Is not this my cousin, the King of the Hurons ?" said the Indian 
 gra^'ely. 
 
 " It is — it is," said the baron ; " I was hasty, the Lynx is welcome ; 
 why has he not brought his valiant friend, the Beaver, with him ; 
 there are piled presents awaiting his return." 
 
 " The Beaver shall come ; my cousin shall see him," replied the 
 Indian, departing as he spoke, as silently as he had approached. 
 
 Encouraged by the manner in which Montaigne had spoken of 
 the disguised Henrich, the Indian had concluded that it was a 
 favorable moment to produce his friend, and to make the long 
 deferred explanation. He had heard, but scarcely heeded the baron's 
 promise to bestow Blanche on the count as his bride, for the intelligence 
 was not new to his mind, rumor having long predicted the alliance, 
 although no susj^icion was entertained of its being in opposition to 
 the lady's wishes. Sagacious as was the Lynx on other points, he 
 was quite at fault in all the signs which mark affection between young 
 hearts ; the trail of Cupid was invisible to his eyes ; and he had 
 failed to discover the daring love of Henrich for the beautiful com- 
 panion of his travels. If it had been otherwise, and above all, if he 
 had suspected the baron's knowledge of such an attachment, his 
 reason, soberer than the lover's, would have anticipated no friendly 
 reception of Huntington by Montaigne, and he would have been 
 spared the bitter disappointment to which he was destined. 
 ^ Bitter, indeed, it was, both for him and the ingenuous youth. Not 
 
254 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 that Henrich had been unwise enough to anticipate a very cordial 
 welcome, or insane enough to hope to supplant his titled nval in the 
 regard of the baron ; but he had expected common justice and 
 gratitude, and hospitahty, and for everything beyond, he was willing 
 to wait the revealings of time and truth. He had begun to feel 
 confident of an interest in the heart of Blanche, and although he 
 knew that a thousand influences would be brought to bear upon her 
 mind in favor of the count, he still hoped on, vaguely and indefinitely, 
 as the desolate will ever hope. 
 
 As he approached the castle, clad once more in his proper apparel, 
 the appalled count discerned him in the distance, and a sudden 
 perception of the ruse which had been practised upon him, filled his 
 heart with rage and mortification. He kept, however, waiily aloof 
 from the visiter, convinced that he had already planted a petard in 
 his path to which his own steps must now ensure a destructive 
 explosion. He did not greatly overrate the effect of the suspicions 
 which he had excited in the baron's breast, and little more is perhaps 
 essential to be related of the interview which ensued. The ghosts 
 of past offences, and the phantoms of anticipated wrongs were 
 conjured up to meet the guest, and where he thought to be treated 
 as a benefactor, he found himself virtually arraigned as a criminal. 
 His advantages of person and education served only to increase the 
 disfavor w^ith which he was beheld, for in these things, his host saw 
 but the confirmation of Carlton's suspicions, and the probable cause 
 of his daughter's mysterious conduct. 
 
 Henrich was, in short, barely forgiven as an offender, was insulted 
 by the offer of a pecuniary reward for his services, and, if not denied 
 the hospitalities of the castle, they were tendered in a w^ay which 
 rendered their rejection necessary to his self-respect. He departed, 
 as he came, wdth the Lynx, more cold and stately than the man 
 whose presence he left, and scathing, with the legible scorn of his 
 face and air, a heart which scorn alone could scathe. 
 
 He did not see Blanche : she knew not of his presence, and heard 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 255 
 
 only at a subsequent hour an imperfect and unreliable account of 
 what had taken place ; and it was in vain that either herself or 
 Emily sought to gain speech with the incensed baron on the subject. 
 She learned, however, through Myrtle's agency, that Hen rich had 
 taken up his abode with the Lynx, and rejoicing in the security which 
 the attachment of the faithful chief afforded him, she still indulo-ed 
 the hope that some returning sense of justice would yet actuate her 
 father's conduct towards him. She did not, indeed, anticipate a 
 change which could ever favor Henrich's claims as her suitor, but at 
 the same time she remained comparatively free from any serious 
 apprehensions of a compulsory union to another. The plot, however, 
 was thickening around her, the mesh was entangling her steps, the 
 more securely, because unsuspected. 
 
256 THE KING OF THE HURONS, 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 'Come, Friar Francis, be brief; only to the plain form of marriage, and you shall recount 
 their particular duties afterward. — Shaks. Much Ado about J^othing. 
 
 A WEEK, marked by no important events, ensued, during which, 
 Huntingto:i continued with his Huron friend, partaking, to some 
 extent, both of his labors and his sports. The Indian, it will 
 be remembered, had overheard the promise made by the 
 baron to Carlton, that within a week Blanche should become his 
 bride, but the subject, exciting little interest at the time, had been 
 subsequently expelled from his mind by the engrossing emotions 
 incident to Henrich's reception. It recurred to him, however, at 
 length, on the very last of the limited days, and he was little 
 prepared for the agitation which the casual announcement of the 
 tidings to his guest occasioned. Incredulous of danger at first, doubt 
 and alarm rapidly succeeded in Huntington's mind ; he believed it in- 
 deed impossible that Blanche's consent could fairly have been obtained 
 to so speedy a marriage, but he knew not to what influences she 
 might have been subjected, while his knowledge of the baron's 
 character taught him to dread the worst. 
 
 Filled with fear and anxiety, and feeling his utter impotence to 
 stay the impending blow, (alas ! might it not already have fallen ?) 
 he walked at dusk, towards the castle, hoping to glean some infor- 
 mation, which might relieve his mind fi'om its torturing apprehensions. 
 He thought it a favorable sign, as he drew near the building, that it 
 was not unusually hghted, and that there was not the least of that 
 bustling commotion, which, to some extent, usually marks so 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 257 
 
 momentous an event even when it is comparatively private. He had 
 gazed long and closely, and was about turning away, when his eye 
 fell upon a solitary light gleaming through a window of the chapel, 
 an edifice of considerable size, which stood without the walls, about 
 sixty yards north of the castle, and like it, fronting towards the river. 
 With the sight, the remembrance flashed upon his mind, that the 
 baron belonged to a church, which regarded the marriage ceremony 
 as a sacrament, to the validity of which, as consecrated hands were 
 essential, a consecrated altar was scarcely less so. Was it not 
 possible then, that at that very moment the mystic words were 
 spoken, almost within his hearing, which would prove the knell of 
 hope and joy to his heart ? 
 
 Resolved to know the worst, to behold, if he could, the dreaded 
 rite, and to learn at least if there were not some tokens of sadness 
 and reluctance on the part of Blanche, which might take from his 
 anguish a portion of its intensity, he turned quickly and with reso- 
 lute air towards the church. He approached the principal entrance, 
 and finding it closed, passed around the building, to a small postern 
 door through which the priests were accustomed to enter. This also 
 was fastened, but scarcely had he relinquished the unyielding latch, 
 when he heard the sound of coming footsteps, and at the next breath, 
 he discovered, through the dim light, the bulky figure of Father 
 Parez, clad in sacerdotal robes, approaching with a slow and heavy 
 tread. Henrich stepped aside to make way for the priest, who, 
 either unobservant of his presence, or mistaking him for some 
 official of the chapel, passed him without remark, and applying a key 
 to the door, opened it, and went in. Huntington followed, with no 
 attempt at secresy, yet unseen; with no suppressed tread, yet 
 unheard ; he entered the main body of the church, and remained 
 standing near the centre of the princi{)al aisle. 
 
 The clergyman, meanwhile, with no little rattling of his robes, 
 approached the reading desk, and bending for a minute in the 
 posture of devotion, rose and peered earnestly around him in search 
 
258 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 of the wedding- corUge which he did not seem to doubt were 
 assembled somewhere near the chancel. Failing in his search, yet 
 supposing them to be seated in some of the surrounding pews, he 
 repeated the first few words of the marriage service, by way of an 
 invocation to bring them forward ; but the husky tones died away 
 unanswered, and the priest, wisely concluding that the party had not 
 yet arrived, seated himself to await their coming. 
 
 The stolidity of this conduct did not fail to excite Henrich's sus- 
 picions. Why, with quick thought, he asked himself, has this palsied 
 man been selected to perfoiiii a rite like this ? Why is he unattended 
 by clerk or associate? Why this dimly lighted room, and these 
 closely fastened doors ? True, the appointed hour mig.ht not yet 
 have arrived ; the churcli might yet be more fittingly hghted, and 
 its })ortals thrown open, but with such fearful conjectures as now 
 forced themselves upon his mind, he resolved at least to seek a position 
 which would not expose him to observation, and await the result. 
 
 He accordingly selected an obscure seat, into which the dim light 
 did not penetrate, and from which, unobserved, he could plainly see 
 all that occurred in the vicinity of the altar. Scarcely had he done 
 so, when the sound of coming steps reached his ears, and startled his 
 throbbing heart into increased and violent action, for, on the revela- 
 tions of the next moment would depend, as he supposed, the question 
 whether some reluctant consent to the ceremony had been wrung by 
 threats and entreaty from Miss Montaigne, or whether she was sought 
 to be made the victim of a still more perfidious plot. If Emily and 
 Myrtle, or either of them, should accompany her, he must believe 
 the former ; if not, there could no longer be a doubt as to the 
 nefarious design, and he resolved at least boldly to lift up his voice 
 in protest against it. Yet alas ! what could he do, beyond di-awing 
 the full weight of the despotic baron's wrath ui)on himself, })roducing 
 his immediate banishment, and perhaps even his death, and that too 
 without aftbrding relief or rescue to the object of his solicitude. 
 Racked with agony by the impending crisis, which even his ever 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 259 
 
 elastic hope foresaw no means of averting, his eye rested upon the 
 now opening door, where he beheld Carlton, richly dressed, entering 
 noiselessly and alone. The count bowed low to the priest, who 
 seemingly unobservant of the greeting, continued to rattle the leaves 
 of his prayer book, and look vacantly around, while the former 
 remained standing near the chancel, watching with a nervous and 
 excited air, the door through which he had just passed. Five 
 minutes elapsed, when it again slowly opened, a sob and voice of 
 entreaty were heard without, and a stern reply, and the Baron 
 Montaigiie supporting his half-swooning daughter upon his arm, 
 entered the chapel. 
 
 " Not here — not thus — my father," she said ; " if indeed it must 
 be ! give me at least time for thought and preparation, and let Emily 
 and Myrtle stand at my side ; I appeal to you, sir count ! I came 
 hither, as I supposed, to attend religious service, and it was only this 
 moment at the door that I was undeceived : give me time — time — 
 time to think," she said, faintly, pressing her hand to her head, and 
 looking around with a bewildered air. 
 
 An air of some incertitude marked the baron's conduct : his attempt 
 at a surreptitious marriage was, indeed, only an experiment, yet it 
 was one which a knowledge of his daughter's timidity induced him 
 to believe would be perfectly successful ; if it should prove otherwise, 
 he had other schemes in reserve more certain to be effectual. 
 Seemingly listening to her expostulations, he had contrived to station 
 her directly in fi'ont of the priest, and while he replied, the count had 
 stepped to her side, and Father Parez, being notified by a gesture to 
 proceed, was already rapidly reciting the marriage service. 
 
 " It shall be repeated in the castle, if you desire, my child," said 
 the baron, speaking in a far louder tone than the clergyman's, and 
 endeavoring to distract her attention from what was taking place ; 
 " then they shall all be present, and there shall be a great fHe — only 
 be calm now — be calm — " 
 
 " Give me time — time," she said, heedless that the priest was 
 
260 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 rapidly running; through the mystic ceremony, and that the count was 
 responding and bowing assent to the demands of the ghostly father — 
 " give me time !" she repeated, with a look of agony at her parent, 
 who, under pretence of supporting her, was holding her by the arm, 
 " If it is my duty, I will submit — but not now — oh not now — I will 
 not — can not " 
 
 " Shall not !" exclaimed Henrich, wrought to desperation by the fear 
 that the fatal tie would be completed beyond rehef — " shall not !" 
 he said, springing, almost at a bound, to her side, and startling the 
 group as if a thunderbolt had fallen in their midst — while still the 
 nasal song of the priest went on, undisturbed even by the commotion 
 around him. Carlton had sprung backward and stood transfixed 
 with terror, gazing at the intruder ; Blanche, released from her 
 father's grasp, was clinging to the rail of the chancel, while the baron 
 himself had receded a step, and stood looking with such amazement 
 on Henrich, as that with which one might view a spirit evoked from 
 the grave. 
 
 " Shall not!" repeated Huntington, in tones that rang and vibrated 
 through every corner of the darkened building, and which awoke the 
 automaton priest, at length, to a consciousness that something was 
 amiss, and caused him to sus|)end his chant, " not while I have voice 
 to forbid, and strength to stay the unhallowed deed ?" 
 
 " What madman is this ?" exclaimed Montaigne, nearly voiceless 
 with rage, and stepping towards Henrich as he spoke : " is it thou, 
 most insolent, and audacious ?" 
 
 " It is I !" replied Henrich — " a madman, if you will, yet driven to 
 madness : listen, lord baron, one moment to me — for her sake — for 
 yours — not for mine " 
 
 " In the dungeon I will listen to thee !" answered Montaigne, 
 stepping towards the door : " see to your bride, sir count, while I 
 summon some men from the garrison." 
 
 The baron disappeared as he spoke, and Carlton stood motionless, 
 gazing at the door through which he had vanished. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 261 
 
 " Fly — fly — Mr. Huntington, I implore you !" exclaimed Blanche, 
 addressing him in English, " you do not know of what my father is 
 capable — go, I beseech you ; your very life may be in danger." 
 
 " And you, — dear Blanche ? " 
 
 " You can do nothing for me — I am lost — but fly, and save your 
 life — the Lynx can protect you." 
 
 " And he can protect you, Miss Montaigne, or at least can conceal 
 you until this danger is past, and your father relents — or — we may 
 escape together — dearest Blanche — if — if you will be mine !" 
 
 " It is impossible ! there is no hope. Go, I beseech you ; I hear 
 my father shouting to the men ! oh, they vydll surely kill you ! go, 
 go, I beseech ! " 
 
 " Never without you, Blanche ! If you would save my life, fly 
 with me ! Oh, resist this tyranny ; there is no law, human or di- 
 vine, which requires you to submit to it. Will you go ? there is not 
 a moment to lose." 
 
 Henrich seized the arm of the wavering girl as he spoke, and, 
 while bewildered and undecided she yet stepped slowly forward, the 
 count, with sudden suspicion of the movement, shouted, " Stop ! 
 stop, I command you !" and advanced hesitatingly towards her. 
 This movement decided Blanche, and turned into a flight, what 
 otherwise, perhaps, would not have become so ; chnging to Henrich's 
 arm, she darted with him through the doorway by which they had 
 entered the chapel, and as they passed it, Carlton, more courageous 
 than usual, was close behind them; but Henrich, withdrawing 
 Blanche's arm for a moment from his own, turned quickly around, 
 and thrusting his pursuer suddenly back into the building, closed the 
 door, and locked it by means of the key which had remained in the 
 outer side. 
 
 The voice of the returning baron and the tread of the approach- 
 ing soldiers were already sounding in his ears, as, again supporting 
 Blanche, he turned an angle of the church, and sought to escape 
 towards the forest, the dense border of which was scarcely a huu- 
 
262 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 dred yards distant ; but, alas, the liea%ily increasing burden on his 
 arm told him that Miss Montaigne was incapable of flight, and in 
 another moment he became sensible that she had swooned. To 
 carry her, unobserved, across the interval which separated them from 
 the woods was clearly impossible, and nearly hopeless of eluding ob- 
 servation, he yet drew her closely within the shade of the chapel, 
 and with fast throbbing heart awaited the result. 
 
 A confused sound of rapid talking at the same moment was 
 heard, the crash of a yielding door, and then the count's agitated 
 voice, shouting, " They have fled ! they have fled ! get lights and 
 follow, towards the forest ; cut him down ! cut him down !" 
 
 " Silence P'' exclaimed the baron, in a voice hoarse with terrific 
 rage ; " say not my daughter has fled ! The miscreant has carried 
 her off, and he shall surely die for the act ; but take him unharmed ; 
 there is a fitter death for him than the sword." 
 
 So saying he led the way towards the wilderness, and in a moment 
 the whole tide of pursuit had passed by ; yet scarcely had Mon- 
 taigne gone a dozen rods, when, again stopping, he called aloud, 
 " Back ! back, half of you, to the river, and guard the boats ; call 
 out more men ; he cannot escape us !" 
 
 This order, indeed, anticipated the design of Huntington, and 
 seemed to cut off his last chance of retreat ; the river was about thirty 
 rods distant towards the west, and he had resolved to gain it, if 
 possible, when Blanche revived, and by means of a canoe, set out 
 northwardly for the St. Lawrence, and Montreal. In a few moments 
 the returning soldiers again passed him scarcely twenty feet distant, 
 eager and voluble as hounds on the chase, and sending one towards 
 the barracks for a reinforcement, they dashed onward to the river. 
 
 The whole castle was now in commotion, while its precincts were 
 alive with people, running in every direction, and inquiring the cause 
 of the alarm ; moving lights were flashing from a dozen windows ; 
 screams of affright were heard, and anon, booming loudly above the 
 uproar, a cannon roared sullenly from the walls. The baron, 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 263 
 
 thoughtful of every precaution, had despatched back a messenger to 
 give this signal to put his Indian allies on the alert, and to summon 
 their leaders to his presence, for he well knew the extraordinary daring 
 and sagacity of Huntington, and wisely conjectured that if he once 
 attained an advantageous start, there might be the most serious 
 difficulty in overtaking him. 
 
 It was in the midst of this tumult that Blanche at length awoke 
 to a sense of her situation, and listened to the earnest importunities 
 of Henrich to rally her strength and c<jurage. 
 
 "This way, dear Blanche! to the river!" he said, pointing in a 
 direction north of where the soldiers had gone — " if I can procure a 
 boat, we may yet be safe." 
 
 " Oh, no, no, Henrich ! alone! in the wilderness! I cannot go; 
 I am dying with terror ; let us stay ; let us return to my father ; I 
 will throw myself upon my knees, and ne^'er, never rise until he has 
 forgiven you." 
 
 " It is idle to talk thus, dearest Blanche !" rephed Henrich, speak- 
 ing with great rapidity : " he will not relent, nor will he release you 
 from this hated marriage ; I have learned the whole story — it is the 
 darling project of his heart ; it is connected with his })olitical fortunes, 
 and for this alone is it that you have been brought from your home 
 in England. Renounce then, these scruples, and assert your liberty : 
 the world is before us " 
 
 " Hist !" exclaimed a whispering voice at their side, and Myrtle, 
 trembling like an aspen, stood before them : " the soldiers are coming 
 this way," she said : " you cannot escape ; every point is guarded ; 
 but there are safe hiding-places in the castle, where you can remain 
 until means of successful flight are found, — if we can but reach them : 
 if you dare to try, follow me !" 
 
 She turned as she spoke, and darted close along the northern wall 
 of the chapel, followed by Blanche and Henrich, and turning another 
 angle, the party gained the front of the building, still keeping within 
 its deep shadows. Sc*arcely sixty yards separated them from the 
 
264 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 castle walls, but the intervening space was alive with rao\'ing fig-ures, 
 traversing it in every direction, and shouting unintelligibly to each 
 other. If the faint starlight revealed no one distinctly, neither did 
 it admit of any altogether escaping observation. 
 
 " Follow boldly !" said Myrtle ; " there is no other way ; a minute 
 hence and it will be too late." 
 
 With quick step she started forward, again followed by Henrich 
 and Blanche ; but scarcely were they in motion, when tw^o soldiers, 
 hastening directly towards them, struck new terror into their hearts. 
 But Myrtle advanced a step to meet them, preventing their close 
 approach to her companions : " Go quickly, and ring the chapel 
 bell !" she said ; " why do you loiter here, where you can do no 
 good ? " 
 
 Zealous to do something, and glad of such a commission, the men 
 rushed forward to the chu*ch, and left the way unobstructed. But a 
 more serious impediment was at hand. Carlton was among those 
 who had turned at the command of the baron, to prosecute the 
 search in the vicinity of the river, and he had since wandered aim- 
 lessly about in every direction, giving a multiplicity of useless in- 
 structions to all whom he met, with his usual bustling inefficiency. 
 He was now almost directly in the route of the fugitives, of w^hom he 
 caught sight nearly at the moment that Myrtle, with quick eye, re- 
 cognised his figure, and diverged from her course in a direction 
 towards the rear of the castle. Discerning female forms, but entirely 
 unsuspicious of the character of the party, he still approached in a 
 direction to intercept them. There was no evading the encounter, 
 without the most direct flight, and in a few seconds he was at the 
 side of Myrtle, who, as before, had advanced a Httle to meet him. 
 
 " Ah, ha ! are you out in this tumuk, Miss Myrtle T' he said, 
 speaking quickly ; " isn't it a maivellous aftair — a forcible abduction ! 
 was ever the like heard ! But w^e shall have him — w-e shall have 
 him ; who are these with you P 
 
 As he spoke he gave a quick start of surprise, but immediately 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 265 
 
 added, with seeming equanimity, " Ah, ha ! I see : Miss Roselle and 
 — and Lieutenant Seabuiy, I presume." So saying he turned away, 
 with quick step, towards a small party of soldiers who were passing 
 at a little distance, leaving the greatly relieved friends at liberty to 
 pass on, which they now did with increased speed ; but only for a 
 moment. A shout and rush were heard behind them — an order to 
 stand ; and Carlton again made his appearance in the rear of three 
 soldiers, who rushed breathlessly upon Henrich, and bore him to the 
 ground. 
 
 The screams of the ladies, and the repeated calls of the count for 
 more help, were followed by the rapid running of people from all 
 quarters towards the point of atti-action, while the dignified Carlton 
 continued to announce to the successive comers, the triumphant 
 event : 
 
 "He's caught! he's caught! I did it myself! T found him! hold 
 on to him there, boys ! another man to each of his arms ! there, 
 don't let him slip : the baron will be here in a moment ; I've sent 
 for him— ha ! ha ! I did it myself !" 
 
 Central amidst this group, when at length permitted to rise, stood 
 Henrich — a prisoner, pinioned, hooted, derided, and mute ; the 
 agitation of hope and suspense was past — his was the silent serenity 
 of despair. 
 
 12 
 
266 THE KINQ OF THE HURONS, 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 " I see thou art implacable, more deaf 
 To prayers than winds and seas : yet winds and seas 
 Are reconciled at length, and sea to shore : 
 Thy anger, unappeasable, still rages, 
 Eternal tempest — never to be calm." 
 
 Milton's Samson J^gonistes. 
 
 In a dungeon rayless as liis heart, Henricli passed the ensuing 
 night — a night, which to more than one of the inmates of Castle 
 Montaigne was replete with prolonged misery ; a night dilated by 
 terror, until its moments became minutes, its minutes hours, and its 
 every hour a long age of anguish and suspense. Montaigne had 
 preserved an ominous silence in relation to the prisoner, utterly 
 refusing all intercourse with any one upon the subject, and giving no 
 other clew to his design in regard to him than could be derived from 
 a knowledge of the ignominious place of his confinement. Vainly 
 did Blanche seek again and again her father's apartment ; vainly did 
 she send message after message to beg a moment's interview ; she 
 received no answer ; her envoys could not even penetrate to the 
 presence of the forest autocrat. 
 
 In the morning, Carlton alone was summoned to his room, and 
 the sanguinary nature of a decree emanating from such a tribunal 
 may well be anticipated. 
 
 " He should die, if he had a thousand lives !" said the baron, 
 striding excitedly to and fro in his apartment, while the gratified count 
 stood listening to the ebullitions of his wrath, and feeding, from time 
 to time, its flame : " the disgrace shall be wiped out and for ever ; a 
 
 i 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 267 
 
 pardoned mutineer and spy — he has revived his crimes, and added 
 to them sacrilege, and the kidnapping of m}^ own child !" 
 
 "Besides," replied the coimt, "with him will be buried the 
 knowledge of some circumstances, which — are all right, you know, 
 but which might be misconstrued by an uncharitable world." 
 
 The baron knit his brow, angry that his secret thoughts had been 
 probed by his partner in guilt. 
 
 " I do not shrink from my acts, sir count," he said ; — " or deprecate 
 the censure of mortal man. The intended marriage was right, and 
 shall yet be consummated ; it's only obstacle will now- be removed, 
 for mortifying as the fact may be, Blanche has evidently felt or 
 fancied some attachment for this miscreant. Enough, however, of 
 this ; it was not to decide whether he shall die, that I have called on 
 you ; for justice, honor, and the preservation of disciphne alike require 
 this ; I only hesitate whether to accord him a soldier's death." 
 
 " He is not a soldier," answered Carlton. 
 
 " He is not a coward," replied Montaigne, calling, undesignedly, 
 the quick blood to the cheek of the other ; " and he has done us some 
 service, although out of no good will, and only in the prosecution of 
 his own most presumptuous purposes." 
 
 " Yes, certainly, of course ; ah, I think you had better hang him," 
 said the count, taking a pinch of snuff. 
 
 " But then the other is a simpler process," said the baron, " and 
 can be more quickly despatched — it is only to call out a file of 
 soldiers and the prisoner, give the word of command, and it is all 
 over — what say you ?" 
 
 The idea of despatch struck the count favorably : " Perhaps it 
 would be best," he answered : " I beheve you are right : the gallows 
 would add nothing to his infamy." 
 
 " It is decided then : go if you please, and send Sei'geant Grill 
 to me." 
 
 The count bowed and departed, and in a few minutes the sergeant 
 entered the apartment where Montaigne was now quietly seated with 
 
268 THE KING OF THE HtJRONS. 
 
 no trace of excitement on his calm stern face. Grill was a very- 
 machine in everything pertaining to discipline ; his obedience was 
 as perfect as clock-work, and had almost as little to do with any 
 degree of ratiocination. That an act was ordered by a superior 
 officer was to him as ample a justification of it, as if its propriety had 
 been shown by more than Euclidian demonstration ; and as he now 
 made his appearance in the baron's presence, everything in his air 
 and step, and in the quick, sharp tones of his responding voice, spoke 
 the rigid martinet. 
 
 " Sergeant Grill," said the baron, with more of a mild and 
 condescending air, than was wont to characterize his deportment to 
 his inferiors : " Sergeant Grill will have anticipated that the outrage 
 of yesterday can have but one issue. The offender dies at noon, 
 to-day ; he is to be shot, on the green, behind the barracks. You 
 will detail a dozen men for this duty, and report to me when every- 
 thing is in readiness." 
 
 The precisian bowed stiffly. 
 
 " There will be a strong interest made to save him," continued the 
 baron, " and I may be compelled to hear some petitions and 
 lamentations ; if you find me thus engaged, when you call to make 
 yom* report, remember that the raising of my finger thus, is a signal 
 for you to proceed, and while the work is being done, I can hear the 
 childish supplications through ; the easiest way to answer a foolish 
 remonstrance is by showing that it is made too late, and the sentence 
 being once executed, acquiescence will speedily follow. If I am not 
 prevented by any such annoyances, I will myself attend the execution. 
 Do you understand ?" 
 
 " I (Jo — I am to report to you when everything is in readiness ; 
 if I find you engaged, this motion," he said, repeating the one made 
 by Montaigne, " will be a signal to go on without further orders." 
 
 " Meanwhile," added Montaigne, " you will hold communication 
 with no one on the subject, excepting at once to announce to the 
 prisoner his fate, and provide him a priest, if he desires." 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 269 
 
 Grill again bowed and departed. 
 
 Blanche, in the meantime, with the aid of both Myrtle and Emily, 
 had exhausted every effort to learn the situation of Henrich, and the 
 nature of the punishment which was designed for him. They knew 
 only that he was in the dungeon, and that the passage which led to 
 it w^as guarded by sentinels who permitted no approach to the 
 prisoner. Miss Montaigne, despite her knowledge of her father's 
 severity, indulged a strong hope that when the first fierceness of his 
 anger had cooled, he would not prove sanguinary or unrelenting ; 
 she entertained indeed, no faintest suspicion of the secret sentence 
 already pronounced upon her friend, nor dreamed that he could be 
 doomed to death without some show of trial, either civic or martial. 
 When that should take place, said whispering Hope, she would 
 herself, if necessary, plead his cause ; she would move the stony 
 hearts of his judges ; she would in some way, by some unyielding 
 importunity, win lenity in his behalf, althouo-h it must be the lenity 
 of perpetual banishment from her presence. 
 
 Secret, however, as had been Montaigne's movements, they could 
 not long be concealed, and it was the knowledge of this fact which 
 had induced him to appoint so early an hour for the execution. 
 Conjecture had been rife among his retainers and dependants, ever 
 since the moment of Henrich's capture, as to the punishment to be 
 inflicted upon him, and the first note of preparation for the sad 
 tragedy was heralded by the busy tongue of rumor in every 
 direction. 
 
 Blanche sat in her own apartment, wearied with exhausting 
 fears, and awaiting the return of Emily and Myrtle, both of whom, 
 with untiring assiduity, had sought to encourage and soothe her, and 
 were now absent on some mission of inquiry and observation. The 
 door opened, and Miss Roselle, pale as a ghost, entered and sank 
 trembling at her cousin's feet, vainly seeking to speak the words 
 which faltered on her lips ; while Myrtle, with extended arms and 
 dishevelled hair, came flying behind her, not voiceless indeed, yet 
 
270 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 scarcely more intelligible in lier incoherence, than Emily in her 
 silence. 
 
 " They will not do it ! they will not do it, dear Blanche," she said ; 
 " do not be frightened ; oh, my father cannot, will not be so cruel." 
 " What is it that you mean. Myrtle — Emily ? speak quickly, if 
 you would not see me die." 
 
 " He is to be shot," faltered Emil}^, " within an hour ! " 
 " It shall not be ! " exclaimed Blanche, springing to her feet, 
 and looking upwards with a face fi'om which grief and terror had been 
 driven by a look of the most lofty resolution ; " It shall not be ! 
 Thrice has he saved my life, and now — God of Heaven, hear my 
 vow ! I will save his, or die at his side ! " 
 
 She passed with quick step from the room as she spoke, motion- 
 ing to her friends to follow, and in another minute the three were at 
 the door of the baron's state apartment. A soldier, acting as door- 
 keeper, who was stationed there for no other purpose than to save 
 Montaigne from the importunities which he anticipated, informed the 
 ladies that they could not enter ; but Blanche, without reply, sprang 
 past the surprised sentinel, as he spoke, and opening the unlocked 
 door, rushed into the room, followed by her companions. The baron 
 and the count were together, seated, and earnestly conversing ; the 
 latter rose ; the former remained sitting, with fierce and frowning aspect. 
 " You have sentenced him to die ! " said Blanche, standing before 
 her father, with flashing eyes and pallid face, and quailing not at a 
 look, which, under other circumstances, would have paralysed her 
 frame ; " you have sentenced him to die, and would have kept it 
 from us ! Now hear me ; for I have come, not to beg, but to de- 
 mand his release. By your sense of justice, — by the honor of your 
 ancient family, — by your self-respect, and your hopes of happiness, 
 here and hereafter, — murder not the man who has been thrice the 
 preserver of your daughter's life — whose single arm saved us all 
 from destruction, when this miserable man played the coward and 
 poltroon." 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 271 
 
 She cast a look of unutterable scorn at the count as she spoke, and 
 again f^istened her gaze upon her father's face, searching for some 
 yielding expression. 
 
 " Go on ! " said the baron, fixing his stony eye upon his daughter, 
 with such relenting as the rock yields to the rose. 
 
 " For yourself I speak," she said, breathing hard with the violence 
 of her emotion, — " lay not this sin upon your soul ! nay, you dare 
 not do it ! " she continued, with sudden vehemence, and with a re- 
 turn of that remarkable expression which assimilated her counte- 
 nance so nearly to that of the man she was addressing ; " you may 
 be absolute here ; but while from yon bending sky, God and angels 
 watch your actions, you dare not do it ! Oh, my father, my father ! " 
 she added, unable long to sustain so unwonted a part, and frightened 
 by a changed expression in his face, which, whatever its character, was 
 not mercy ; " save him ! pardon him ! spare — oh, spare his hfe ! " 
 
 Emily and Myrtle added their earnest supplications, the latter 
 now sinking to her knees before her father, and now chnging to his 
 neck, and imploring, with prolonged and plaintive accents, a remis- 
 sion of the prisoner's doom. 
 
 " For Blanche's sake," she said, " for poor dear Blanche — do not 
 be angry for her words ; it was but your own high spirit which spoke 
 in her ; oh, have pity on her, father, or she will surely die. " 
 
 " You have all spoken," said the baron, at length ; " is there any 
 one else ? I think I hear voices at the door." 
 
 " The baroness, if you please, sir, wishes to come in," said the sen- 
 tinel, thrusting in his head. 
 
 " Admit her ! " he continued, with the same calm voice ; " we 
 will hear them all. Are you also, madam, a petitioner for the pri- 
 soner ? " 
 
 « Yes — oh, yes," said the frightened woman, clasping her hands 
 and looking everywhere excepting in the face of her lord ; " but you 
 will not hear me — ^but Myrtle ! Myrtle ! " she whispered ; " speak to 
 him — the time is short ! " 
 
2*72 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 " Myrtle has spoken," replied Montaigne, " and I will now answer 
 you all " 
 
 " The Lynx, if you please, my lord, desires to come in," said the 
 doorkeeper, again making his appearance. 
 
 " Let him come," rephed the baron ; and the Lidian stalked si- 
 lently but swiftly to the front of the tribunal, around which so many 
 suitors were clustered. He was dressed with elaborate care ; his 
 scalp-lock was trimmed and adjusted with unusual neatness, and his 
 exposed chest was painted as for some expected ceremonial. 
 
 " The Lynx will die for Henrich !" he said : " the soldiers of my 
 cousin shall plant their balls here," touching his breast — " not in the 
 heart of the young Brave of Manahatta !" 
 
 The baron scowled ominously as he hstened, but before he could 
 reply, the door again opened, and the Algonquin was announced. 
 
 " Show him in !" said Montaigne, now folding his arms, and throw- 
 ing himself back in his chair with an air of composed determination : 
 " show him in, Francis, and please to step aside and leave the way 
 free for future comers ; your labors must be wearisome." 
 
 The Indian stationed himself beside his red brother, and looking 
 at the baron, said : " My warriors have heard that the young Brave 
 of the south must die, and their eyes are wet. Let him hve, and 
 they will heap your hearth with the scalps of the Iroquois for his 
 ransom ; the King of the Hurons is not cruel ; he will spare his 
 young brother, and the hearts of our tribes will be glad." 
 
 " I have heard you all — patiently and attentively," said the baron, 
 looking at his watch as he spoke, and glancing towards the door 
 with an expectant air : " you are all my fi'iends, and if I cannot give 
 you reasons that are satisfactory, within a few minutes, why I ought 
 not to listen to your i-equests — I will hear you further." 
 
 Sergeant Grill entered the room at this moment, and stood just 
 within the door, "erect and motionless. 
 
 " I say nothing," continued the baron, " of the nature of the 
 opposition which I meet to-day in the exercise of my most undoubted 
 
TttE KIIS*a OP" THE litJRONSi ^73 
 
 and legitimate powers — tlie jDimishment of an atrocious criminal — of 
 the almost mutinous manner in which I am beset on every hand for 
 his pardon, as if " 
 
 The speaker paused, and catching the eye of the watchful sergeant^ 
 made the preconcerted signal to the latter to withdraw, and fulfil his 
 work, and as the officer silently departed, he continued — 
 
 " 'as if I were incompetent to administer the laws of my own 
 
 domain — nay, with a spirit that imputes to me more than the guilt 
 of the accused, and would hold him innocent. For this cause alone 
 which strikes at the very foundation of my authority, I should be 
 compelled to deny your requests ; when I add to them the heinous 
 nature of the crimes to be punished — crimes both private and 
 political — 'Committed by a citizen of a country v/ith which we are at 
 war, — while he was in fact receiving our protection -" 
 
 The baron paused, and looked impatiently at his watch, and then, 
 turning towards the window, assumed a listening attitude : 
 
 " and — and — ^our hospitality ; when all these things are 
 
 considered, I say, it becomes a matter of surprise that any should be 
 found who could indulge the hope of lenitj^ to the prisoner. Some 
 of you, who know nothing of the principles of government, or of the 
 degree of rigidity in its laws v>'hich is essential to its safety, are more 
 excusable : but there are those here," he added, glancing at the 
 Indians, " who compel me to remind them that I have lately over- 
 looked serious offences of their own — offences which have led 
 indirectly, to this very crime, which is to-day to be expiated." 
 
 "No — no — no — oh say not so, my father — " Blanche replied 
 rapidly, and in tones of agony^-" you will at least take one day for 
 deliberation ; you Avill hear his defence — his vindication — ^you will 
 not — cannot condemn him unheard ?" 
 
 " Unheard f answered the baron in a voice of grating harshness — 
 " unheard ? Have I not myself been a spectator of his crime ? 
 Shall I summon witnesses to prove what my own eyes have 
 beheld?" 
 
 12* 
 
274 TttE tilNG 01' THE tttlR0N8. 
 
 " But you will take one day — oh, one day for reflection,'' she con- 
 tinued with choked and tremulous articulation, and extending her 
 clasped hands towards her parent ; " let it at least not be with the 
 setting of this sun that he dies ; think— oh think, if to-morrow you 
 should regret it — -it will then be for ever too late." 
 
 " If to-morrow I should — regret it," replied the baron, slowly ; 
 " if to-morrow I should — regret it — then — " and again the speaker 
 paused — and listened ! 
 
 His gaze was outward, through the window, and Blanche, whose 
 eyes were fixed upon his, seemed suddenly electrified by their 
 expression ; a dreadful suspicion flashed upon her mind, and uttering 
 a piercing scream, she sprang to the door, and in another breath, her 
 shrieks were heard from without, as she darted along the hall and 
 into the inner court of the castle. In a moment everything was 
 uproar and confusion ; Myrtle and Emily rushed in pursuit, and the 
 Lynx, catching with quick suspicion the meaning of the movement, 
 leaped, hke a loosened tiger, through the doorway. 
 
 Blanche meanwhile, whose eyes, running rapidly over the ground, 
 had failed to discover the dreaded sight which she anticipated, had 
 taken a direction toAvards the barracks, and turned the corner of the 
 buildings just as the quick sharp voice of Sergeant Grill rang upon 
 the air, and the presented arms of the soldiers waited but the final 
 monosyllabic order, to pour forth their deadly contents. Her white 
 robes flashed for a moment on the eyes of the astonished soldiers, as 
 she passed directly in front of their upraised weapons, and in the same 
 moment, stood panting and speechless before the kneeling prisoner. 
 Her form intercepted the view of his ; her arms were extended — her 
 chest rose and fell with the stormy violence of her emotion, and flash- 
 ing eye, and flaring nostril, and quivering lip, spoke the raging 
 tumult within. 
 
 " Remove her !" shouted Grill, and one from the line stepped 
 quickly forward for that purpose, but, ere he had reached Miss 
 Montaigne, the Lynx was at her side, menacing, with drawn knife, 
 the approaching soldier, who hesitated and looked back for aid. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 275 
 
 The Huron meanwhile addressed Henrich, whose bandaged eyes 
 had, up to this moment, taken no cognisance of the strange interrup- 
 tion to the melancholy drama. 
 
 "I have come to die for you, my brother," he said, quickly 
 removing the handkerchief from the prisoner's face ; " the King of 
 the Hurons will hear my words, for the Lynx is a chief, and hundreds 
 of warriors shout his battle-cry; rise, my brother, and when you 
 return to Manahatta, tell the Wappeno dogs that the Lynx was not 
 afraid to die." 
 
 But ere he had finished speaking, other actors were added to the 
 scene ; Emily and Myrtle had arrived, followed at a short interval 
 by the baron, the count, and the Algonquin Indian. 
 
 " See how rapidly spreads the contagion of mutiny and treason ! " 
 shouted Montaigne. " Sergeant Grill, remove these, and complete 
 your work ; let Miss Montaigne be conveyed to her room ; you, sir, 
 must answer for this delay ! " 
 
 " Hear me, my father, once more ! " exclaimed Blanche, main- 
 taining her position by clinging to the arm of the Huron, whom no 
 one seemed disposed to interfere with ; " spare but his life, — send 
 him forth in ignominy and alone, to regain his home, — and I here 
 promise to be obedient to all your requests ; I promise, within two 
 days, peaceably and unrepining, to become, if you desire it, the bride 
 of Count Carlton ; " she glanced shudderingly at the latter as she 
 spoke ; " but if you will not hear me, I here solemnly swear that I 
 will never accede to your wishes ; never shall this man clasp hand of 
 mine while I have life and strength to prevent it. Here will I stay, 
 until torn by force away ; and him, whom, li^dng, I might have for- 
 gotten, dead, I will for ever love ; he shall be enshrined in my heart, 
 and while life endures, it shall have no other occupant," 
 
 As the baron looked around, he saw, through an open gateway, a 
 crowd of Huron warriors looking with sullen aspect upon the scene, 
 and recognised them as the immediate followers of the Lynx ; they 
 were doubtless assembled, unbidden ; yet, in the present excited 
 
276 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 state of all parties, there might be serious danger in attempting to 
 arrest the Hm-on, or in applying any force to compel him to abandon 
 his position. Blanche's resolute language, and above all, her pro- 
 mise to consent to a marriage with Carlton, had nearly moved him 
 to a compliance, which only the strong pride of will restrained ; but 
 now even that yielded. 
 
 " I accept your terms, Miss Montaigne," he said ; " and be assured, 
 I shall hold you most strictly to them ; this miserable man shall 
 receive lenity, — such lenity as consists with an immediate banishment 
 from the territory of New France, under penalty of instant death if 
 found after twelve hours upon our soil. Sergeant, remove your 
 men!" 
 
 Blanche had been excited to the last endurable degi*ee of inten- 
 sity ; a sudden reaction now took place, which reduced her to a state 
 of stupor and bewilderment bordering on a swoon. When she re- 
 covered, she was in her own apartment, and Huntington was already 
 without the castle walls. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 27Y 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 ♦' if to robe 
 
 This form in bridal ornaments, to smile 
 (I can smile yet,) at thy gay feast, and stand 
 At th' altar by thy side ; if this be deemed 
 Enough, it shall be done " 
 
 Mrs. Hemans. — The Vespers of Palermo. 
 
 More malignant than Montaigne, and equally inexorable, Count 
 Carlton had hoped and believed that the baron would not yield 
 either to emotions of pity or fear \ but when he reflected upon the 
 conditions with which pardon had been coupled, he did not deeply 
 regret the turn which events had talien. Huntington was perpetu- 
 ally banished, and Blanche had bound her conscience by a solemn 
 promise to become his bride within two days ; so that, after all, a.'^ 
 he argued the matter to himself, everything had turned out for the 
 best, as it always does to the virtuous and just. 
 
 Miss Montaigne, meanwhile, counted her remaining hours of free- 
 dom, and watched their departure with a miser's jealous cai-e. She 
 had no design of retracting the dreadfrJ pledge which she had given^ 
 or of shrinking from a fulfilment of her contract; she had pur- 
 chased Henrlch's life ; and, fearful as the price must prove, she re- 
 solved to pay it without a murmur ; the solace of her act would ai 
 least remain to her while life endured, which returning hope sug- 
 ojested could not be loni)-. 
 
 Emily proved an assiduous and zealous, if not altogether a dis- 
 creet friend, in the hour of her cousin's calamit}^ 
 
278 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 " Cheer up, dear Blanche," she said, when, on the evening of the 
 day in which the exciting events last related had occurred, they sat 
 together in the apartment of Miss Montaigne ; " the worst, at least, 
 is escaped ; and as to the rest — why, you are not the first lady who 
 has lost a lover — nor is it so dreadful a fate to become a countess, 
 after all." 
 
 Blanche sat by an open casement, looking with fixed and vacant 
 gaze upon the distant forests ; but her senses took little cognizance 
 of what was passing before them, and the words of Emily did not 
 wound. 
 
 " It will be all the same a hundred years hence," Miss Roselle 
 continued, using one of those consolatory maxims which are ever at 
 the tongue's end of people who know nothing of misery by experi- 
 ence ; "you will forget it very soon, I assure; you, particularly when 
 you reach Paris. I wonder, by the way, if they have any decent 
 stuff in Quebec for dresses : nothing fit for a bride, I'll be bound ; 
 and as to Henrich, you need not grieve on his account ; he'll be 
 safely home in a week, and will think no more about it ; I should 
 not wonder, indeed, if he were married in three months to somebody 
 else." 
 
 Blanche remained heedless, and Emily, becoming conscious that 
 her words were not heard, ceased to speak, only resuming her 
 efforts at long intervals, and starting a dozen different themes with 
 the vain hope of arousing her cousin's attention. Miss Montaigne 
 did not weep, nor did any external signs mark her misery, excepting 
 the pallid cheek, and absent air, and that still stupor of deportment 
 which speaks the paralysis of the heart. If she found voice, at 
 times, it was only to inquire, with a repetition that evinced a wan- 
 dering mind, the particulars of Henrich's departure. 
 
 " Did not some one tell me that he went away with the good 
 Lynx," she asked, " and that the Indian promised to send some one 
 with him on his journey ?" 
 
 " Yes, Blanche, they went out of the castle yard together, and 
 
TttE KING OF THE HURON S. 279 
 
 tbe Huron told Myrtle this evening, that he had sent four strong 
 men with Henrich, who were to accompany hira as far as the Hori- 
 con lake ; they started an hour before sun-down, and are now, of 
 course, far on their way." 
 
 " If you should ever see him again, Emily," she said solemnly, 
 fixing her lustreless eyes upon Miss Roselle — " if ever — when I am 
 gone — tell him — what I have never told him — tell him — for it will 
 be no sin then — that my whole heart was his — that I died thinking 
 of him, — praying for him 1" 
 
 " Blanche, dear Blanche, do not talk thus I" exclaimed Emily ; 
 " you speak wildly : the scenes which you have gone through have 
 been too much for you." 
 
 " You are right, cousin Emily," replied Miss Montaigne ; " they 
 have been too much for me," and she relapsed again into her dreamy 
 and silent state, from W'hich no efforts could rouse her, excepting for 
 a very moment's interval. 
 
 This continued through the whole of that and the ensuing day, 
 greatly to the apprehension of her female friends, who vainly sought 
 to alarm her father, by representing her condition, and to prevail on 
 him to desist, at least for a time, from his design. He would listen 
 to no representations ; it was a ruse — a feint ; he ^vould not again 
 be baffled ; he had her promise, from which she did not even ask to 
 be released. Besides, he said, delay would but make matters 
 worse, and w^hen once she was married, all these whims would 
 quickly be dispelled ; the excitement of a wedding journey would 
 of itself work wonders, for they were to set out at once for Quebec, 
 to spend a few days with the Marquis Vaudreuil, and if Blanche 
 chose, they w^ould thence proceed directly to Paris ; and Emily and 
 Myrtle were informed, by way, perhaps, of a bribe to their acquies- 
 cence, that they should both accompany the bridal party as far as 
 the former place. 
 
 The preparations, indeed, went rapidly forward, and when the 
 morning of the second day arrived, there was no longer a dissent- 
 
280 THE KING OF TttE HURONS* 
 
 ing voice to the ceremony, for Emily and Myrtle* had found it useless 
 to remonstrate, and Blanche seemed more unconscious of what was 
 passing around her than usual. The two days which had been 
 stipulated for would not expire until noon of the day which had 
 now set in, and it was resolved that the marriage should take place 
 in the evening, in the adjacent chapel, which was to be bnlliantly 
 lighted for the purpose, and various preparations for celebrating the 
 event, in and about the castle, were also in progress. 
 
 Count Carlton, elated beyond expression with his prospects, was 
 busily engaged in superintending a part of the festive arrangements, 
 and at about mid-day he mounted a horse and rode forth, in search 
 of the Lynx and the Algonquin, who were expected respectively to 
 head processions of warriors of their tribes in honor of the occasion. 
 The Lynx was easily found, for the principal village of his people 
 was close at hand, but Anak's abode was more distant, being situ- 
 ated several miles southward, and thither with hght heart the Count 
 pursued his way. He found the Algonquin, like the Huron, acqui- 
 escent with the Baron's wishes, for although neither entered with 
 alacrity into the proposed arrangements, they were convinced that 
 they could do nothing further for Henrich, and were not unwilling 
 either to display themselves in their gala dresses, or to participate in 
 the expected feastings. Having parted with the last named Lidian, 
 with a great show of cordiality, not forgetting to bestow a few 
 appeasino- presents upon the stately brave, Carlton set out on his 
 return, rejoicing that his star was at last in the ascendant and that 
 the hour of his triumph had arrived. 
 
 Alas ! how sad the contrast between his bliss and the anguish 
 with which the hapless Henrich had gone forth on his lonely way I 
 What a night of wretchedness was that, in which, re-traversing his 
 recent route, he glided, in his little bark, over the now resisting 
 current of the Sorelle, and re-entered the broad waters of the Cham- 
 plain ! What a weary day of hopeless, joyless, leaden-winged hours 
 again succeeded, in which, with vain regret, his eyes measured the 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 281 
 
 still widening distance which separated him from his lost friend, or 
 dwelt idly upon the far northern sky, which bent tranquilly above 
 her abode. 
 
 At the close of the day succeeding that on which he left Castle 
 Montaigne, he was aroused from a reverie into which he had fallen 
 by feeling a sudden grasp upon his arm, and as he looked up to 
 the Indian who had thus familiarly touched him, he became con- 
 scious that he had already been earnestly addressed several times, 
 by name, and doubted not that there was some unusual cause for 
 accosting him. His conjecture did not prove erroneous ; they had 
 been skirting the eastern shore of the lake, looking for a favorable 
 place to encamp for the night, and had just doubled a small cape or 
 promontory, when a sight had met the eyes of the Indians, which 
 seemed at once to have astounded and rendered them incapable 
 of action. Well might it do so, for on the shore, scarcely forty rods 
 distant from them, was a regular military encampment, while a fleet 
 of batteaux, about fifty in number, lay moored upon the beach. 
 
 Henrich's canoe had been discovered, and a dozen men were 
 rushing towards it on the shore, while others were leaping into boats 
 for the purpose of pursuit ; flight would have been so utterly useless 
 that the Indians did not once attempt it, and in another moment 
 Henrich became happily conscious that for him, at least, it was not 
 desirable, for the force which they had encountered, whatever its 
 design or destination, was evidently English. He instructed the 
 men to row immediately to the shore in the direction of the soldiers 
 who were approaching, himself standing up, meanwhile, in the boat, 
 and signifying to the strangers, by amicable signs, his design of 
 submission. 
 
 Ha\nng landed, he requested to be taken to the commanding- 
 officer, who, seated in his tent, received him with much apparent 
 curiosity and interest ; he was a middle-aged man, seemingly of a 
 quick mercurial temperament, and giving evidence by his equipment 
 of no small rank. He at once addressed Huntington in French, 
 
282 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 demanding his name and residence, and seemed astonished when 
 the latter rephed poHtely to him in his own language, giving the 
 desired information. There was an air of incredulity, however, in 
 his manner, as he rejoined : 
 
 " What do you here, Mr. Huntington, in this wilderness, near an 
 enemy's border, and accompanied by hostile Indians ? You are not 
 their prisoner ; they seem rather to be your guard." 
 
 " They are such," replied Henrich, " and I have come, as you 
 perhaps surmise, from the enemy's territory ; under these circum- 
 stances, I know that you will consider it your duty to detain me, 
 and I therefore will not occupy your time by explanations that I 
 have no means of verifying ; more especially as my detention wnll 
 contribute to my security, and will afford me the means of safely 
 regaining my home." 
 
 Major Bain smiled as he replied to the young man, with whose 
 frank and ingenuous air he was not a little pleased : 
 
 " I shall at least be compelled to detain your men, Mr. Hunting- 
 ton, and you could not safely proceed without them ; you may also 
 consider yourself under arrest, until I have time to make further 
 inquiries ; but you will be compelled to retrace your steps, and per- 
 haps to see, if you should not be disposed to participate in, some 
 miUtary operations of moment." 
 
 " May I inquire," asked Henrich, with great interest, " which way 
 your expedition points ?" 
 
 " We are going where we are very little expected," replied the 
 officer, excitedly; "further I would not say at present, but every 
 soul in the camp knows our destination, and I shall endeavor to 
 make up by the celerity of our movements, for the want of their 
 secresy — we go, in short, to smoke out of his castle, a certain Robin 
 Hood knight here in the north, of whom you must have heard, 
 whose insolence, long extreme, has latterly grown insufferable, and 
 has justified the fitting out of an expedition against him, in his own 
 retreat." 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 283 
 
 " Is it possible that j^ou mean " 
 
 " The Baron Montaigne !" replied the major, " no one else ; the 
 governors of New York and New England have each contiibuted a 
 small force to the enterprise, and we are altogether sure of our game. 
 I speak freely to you, Mr. Huntington, because I may perhaps be 
 able to offer you service which you would be glad to accept : one of 
 our officers has been deserted, sick, at an Indian settlement, 
 and " 
 
 " It is impossible," replied Huntington, " that I should avail my- 
 self of your generous offer ; there are reasons which I will give you 
 in private, why I can take no part in your expedition, further than 
 to accompany it as a spectator." 
 
 Henrich retired from this interview with emotions the most thril- 
 ling and exciting ; alarm for the safety of Blanche and his other 
 friends at the castle, had been his first generous feeling, but this had 
 been succeeded by dawning hopes, the brilliancy of which he scarcely 
 dared to contemplate. These, in their turn, gave way to other 
 thick-coming fears and fancies ; the army would arrive too late to 
 prevent the nuptials of the count ; the baron would make a 
 triumphant resistance, or a successful retreat ; or a capitulation would 
 admit him to retire with his family to Quebec, and give up his castle 
 to his invaders. 
 
 Either of these results was, in fact, more probable than that any 
 favorable change would ensue to his own fortunes from the events 
 in progress — yet there was pleasure in the thought that he might 
 once more behold the object of his affection, even if it were but to 
 speak a last farewell. His duty, at least, was clear ; he was com- 
 pelled to accompany the invaders ; but his position demanded a most 
 perfect neutrality of conduct ; neither by action nor advice might he 
 assist his country's enemies — nor, while so many of his personal 
 fi'iends w^ere in their midst, aid to discomfit them. Whatever, by 
 intercession or otherwise, he could effect for their benefit, if his 
 people proved victorious, that it would, of course, be his privilege 
 
284 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 and delight to do, and with such a conchision, he sought for a while 
 to dismiss the agitating theme from his mind, and to find that com- 
 posure to which he had been so long a stranger. 
 
 He strolled about the camp and found amusement in observing 
 the heterogeneous materials of which the little army was composed ; 
 its numbers amounted to about five hundred, of whom full one half 
 were Indians of various tribes in alliance with the English, and the 
 remainder were regular troops. The expedition had been set on 
 foot by Governor Cornbury, who, conscious of his present inability 
 to make any formal invasion of Canada, had resolved at least to 
 strike a blow upon one of its strongholds, and inflict signal vengeance 
 for a series of aggressions which had emanated from that particular 
 source. The movement had long been in contemplation, and had 
 been hastened now by the recent capture of Lieutenant Seabury, 
 and by the governor's anxiety to effect his release. Cornbury, indeed, 
 had scarcely indulged the hope of seizing Montaig-ne, whose vigilance 
 was as proverbial as his valor — but he did not doubt that he should 
 be able to drive him fi-om his castle, and to destroy, not only that 
 fastness, but the neighboring Indian villages. 
 
 The enterprise was not without its peril, and there were not 
 wanting those who predicted its failure, and asserted the utter insuf- 
 ficiency of the invading force to accomplish its object. Major Bain, 
 however, felt confident that a prompt movement, which would not 
 allow Montaigne to summon aid from Montreal, or from the more 
 distant Indians, must be as successful, as a dilatory one would cer- 
 tainly be disastrous, even if made with thrice his strength. He was 
 a brave man, and had long fretted under the inaction of a command 
 in Albany, which had afforded him no active service, and he exulted 
 in his present mission, to which, indeed, his own energetic counsels 
 had not a httle contributed. 
 
 "You have a motley collection here," said Huntington, to a 
 sergeant off duty, who had addressed him civilly as he passed, and 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 285 
 
 from wliom he hoped to glean some farther information about the 
 contemplated attack. 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied the officer, " white, red, and black — it is a 
 queer-looking army, indeed, but they are all brave men, even the 
 negroes." 
 
 " You do not mean that you have any negro soldiers, I presume ?" 
 enquired Henrich, " they would be rare allies indeed." 
 
 " Xot exactly soldiers," w^as the reply ; " but Major Bain has a 
 couple of servants who profess themselves quite ready for duty, and 
 then there is a long droll fellow, who insisted on joining us at 
 Albany — probably a runaway slave ; he makes great fun for the 
 soldiers, and is the very pet of the Indians ; he is as strong, too, 
 they say, as the giant Goliath." 
 
 " Ki ! Massa Keureek .^" exclaimed a familiar voice at this mo- 
 ment in Huntington's ear, while the rapid evolutions of a body turn- 
 ing a somerset at his side, attracted his attention. " Oh jingo ! if 
 dis don't beat all nater ! Oh Massa Hen reek, but dis is de 'mark- 
 ablest luck dat ebber was." 
 
 Amazed at the appearance of the seemingly ubiquitous African, 
 Huntington for some moments scarcely found voice to address him ; 
 but he extended his hand at length, cordially, to the negro, smiling 
 as he spoke. 
 
 " Remarkable, indeed, Harry !" he said ; " what in the w^orld has 
 brought you here, and how is it that yo.u did not return to New 
 York, as you intended ?" 
 
 " I wuz waitin'. Mass Henreek, at Albany for de opptoonity, when 
 I hare of dis ere 'spedition — dey stop dare — dey say dey come to 
 take Castle Mountain ; it frighten me berry much, kaze I t'ought 
 of you and Missa Blanche, and Missa Emily, and I didn't know what 
 might happen, and I t'ought I better come along — I 'clare, Massa 
 Henreek, I berry glad to see you." 
 
 " And I am very glad to see yow, Harry ! This is the second 
 
286 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 time we have met most unexpectedly; I hope we shall not part 
 again until we return together to New York." 
 
 " E 1 Massa Henrich, but I tickled to hare you say dat : ony let 
 me stay by you, and I can do any ting — but tell-a me, what you 
 trampoose about so much alone for ? I find you, afore, all alone in 
 de woods." 
 
 "Then," rephed Huntington, "I was the victim of guile and 
 treachery : where you found me, Carlton had deserted me, forcing 
 me to quit his boat, a crime which has since been followed by others, 
 still worse ; you shall know more of it, perhaps, hereafter." 
 
 Harry listened with marked attention to this brief exposition, but 
 made no other reply than might be contained in an expressive shake 
 of the head and a harsh grating of the teeth. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS 28'7 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 " O'er the rolling waves we go, 
 Where the stormy winds do blow, 
 To quell with fire and sword the foe." — Old Song, 
 
 As the evening advanced, and Hen rich was contemplating retire- 
 ment for the rest which he so much needed, he was surprised and 
 delighted to hear orders issued for re-embarking, and on seeking for 
 the cause of so unexpected a movement, he encountered the polite 
 Major Bain, who was personally superintending the preparations. 
 
 " We travel by night, you perceive, Mr. Hunting-ton," he said ; 
 " om' camp was pitched at dawn, and you must allow that our Indian 
 guides have selected an unequalled hiding-place here for an army, 
 where no intruder could discover us, without being first seen by our 
 sentinels." 
 
 " I have neither seen nor heard of any sentinels," rephed 
 Henrich, " and have been wondering at your remissness in that 
 respect." 
 
 " They saw you^ however, I assure you, full half an hour before 
 you so valorously invaded us," said the major, smihng ; " there are 
 a dozen glowing eyes on each of these hills, sleepless as the stars, 
 and commanding every point of the compass ; I can well believe 
 that you have not seen them, for if they were wrapt in that magic 
 mantle which is said to confer invisibility, they would not be less 
 easily found ; in fact, I don't know exactly where they are myself ; 
 my friend Kogegogey there, with the black feather, planted them, 
 
288 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 and will bring them in, I presume, presently with some forest 
 signal." 
 
 Major Bain offered Huntington a seat in his own boat, and every- 
 thing being in readiness, the fleet started at about eight o'clock, and 
 pursued their way with great rapidity. The ardor of the command- 
 ing officer would scarcely permit him to confine his travel to the 
 night, which, indeed, in its earlier stages he had not done ; but as 
 he came farther north, his Indian counsellors had urged the point 
 as so certainly essential to the project of surprising the garrison at 
 Montaigne, that he had yielded to their advice. Let but one distant 
 eye, they said, catch a sight of the armament, and scores of runners, 
 fleet as the wind, would bear the news to the baron far in advance 
 of their approach. 
 
 If Henrich had exulted at the unexpected embarkation of the 
 army, his fears all returned when he comprehended the commander's 
 design ; for on the ensuing day at noon, terminated the stipulated 
 time, at the end of which Blanche had promised to become the 
 bride of Carlton, and he well knew that the marriage would not be 
 deferred materially beyond that time. Major Bain intended to invest 
 the castle silently by night, and as it was impossible, with any speed 
 which they could command, to reach it before the ensuing morning, 
 it could onl}^ be after another day's delay and concealment that 
 they would approach the walls. That day, alas, Henrich had reason 
 to apprehend, would be fatal to all his hopes, and the returning light 
 which had illumined his heart, again gave way to the inroads of 
 despair. 
 
 The commander had resolved, however, to make his next encamp- 
 ment as near the castle as prudence would permit, in order to learn 
 by espionage its situation and means of defence, relying upon the 
 sagacity of his Indian allies to ensure meanwhile his own conceal- 
 ment, and he succeeded greatly to his satisfaction, in attaining and 
 entering the mouth of the Sorelle, just as the waning stars pro- 
 claimed the approach of day. Two hours more of darkness would 
 
THE KIN a OF THE HURONS. 289 
 
 have enabled him, unseen, to place his forces at once under the walls 
 of the enemy, but he did not greatly regret the delay, as his men 
 were jaded with toil, and required rest to fit them for service. 
 
 As before, a favoring locality was found, for a secret camp, in a 
 very dense part of the forest, about eight miles south of the castle, 
 and here every precaution was taken to avoid discovery, sentinels 
 being posted in hiding-places on every side, so that any wanderer 
 who should be unfortunate enough to stray near the foe, would be 
 tenfold more likely to be caught and conveyed into then- midst than 
 to escape and carry the tidings. 
 
 For several hours Major Bain was content to keep close in his 
 spider-like retreat, well satisfied that there seemed no prospect of his 
 being disturbed, but as the day advanced he resolved to send forth 
 an emissary to the neighborhood of the castle to observe its con- 
 dition. There was no difficulty in finding a messenger for such an 
 errand among the valorous and crafty savages, who delighted in any 
 achievement involving cunning and adroitness, and the commis- 
 sion fell upon a young Mohawk Brave, who was celebrated for 
 sagacity. Being allowed to select a companion for his enterprise, 
 his choice, to the gTeat chagrin of his brethren, fell upon Harry, who 
 could see, he said, as well as an Indian, and was three times as 
 strong. 
 
 It was nearly noon when they left the camp, and proceeded in a 
 canoe down the river about four miles, where they left their boat 
 concealed, and taking opposite sides of the stream, continued their 
 way on foot, carrying of course their usual weapons. They had been 
 instructed to learn whether there were any Indian villages on the 
 route to the castle, and it was for this purpose that they had sepa- 
 rated, pursuing thenceforward independent courses, and expecting 
 only to re-unite at nightfall at their canoe, after having completed 
 their separate explorations. 
 
 Harry went about a mile further on his lonely way, and was pro- 
 ceeding cautiously through the forest, about a dozen rods from the 
 
 13 
 
290 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 river side, when a sudden noise arrested his attention, and caused 
 him to drop, skulking, among the thick bushes. Looking warily out 
 from his covert, he saw a single horseman approaching at a slow 
 amble through the woods, in the direction of a beaten path which 
 led from the interior diagonally to the river. The road, if such it 
 could be called, passed about twenty yards from the negro's place of 
 concealment, and Harry, remaining silent, entertained no fears of 
 discovery, more especially as the equestrian, so far from seeming ob- 
 servant or watchful, had an air of perfect ease and unconcern. As 
 he drew nearer, the eyes of the vigilant African, which had been 
 fixed unwaveringly upon him, dilated to a prodigious extent, and his 
 surprise found vent in the whispered words, — 
 
 " Golly ! if it aint de count ! " 
 
 The count it certainly was, who, as has been related, was return- 
 ing at this hour from his interview with the Algonquin Indian, and 
 was riding towards the castle, deeply wrapt in the contemplation of 
 his approaching wedding. 
 
 " I aint afraid of him, any way," said Harry ; " but den he mustn't 
 see me, else he gib de alarm — unless — unless — oh, jingo ! " and the 
 negro clutched his large hands together, as if unable to restrain a 
 wish that had suddenly formed in his mind. 
 
 " He got pistols," continued the soliloquist ; " but dat aint nottin, 
 — nottin at all ; be quick, Harry ! make up your mind ! " he said, 
 apostrophizing himself; "see, he almost here! he put Massa Hen- 
 reek ashore, you know; golly, /'^Z doitf'' and the negro leaped 
 hke some wild animal, headlong from his lair, and, at three bounds, 
 stood in front of the count, with one huge hand grasping the bridle 
 of the rearing and plunging steed. The frightened rider, scarce able 
 to tell whether his assailant was man or beast, was vainly trying to 
 draw a pistol from his belt, when the disengaged hand of Harry was 
 on his arm, and he felt himself dragged forcibly from his seat. 
 
 " Come a you down off dere," said the negro, " and go along- 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 291 
 
 wiv me ; dere's a gerapleman ober here want to see you ; " and 
 Carlton landed, shakings at Lis side. 
 
 " Dis-a-way, ef you please," continued the negro, quickly regaining 
 his gun, which he had dropped on the ground, and starting at once 
 towards the Enghsh camp with his prisoner, while the freed horse 
 scampered rapidly off ; " dis ere is de way — come along ! " 
 
 Harry's motions had been so rapid and impetuous, that it was not 
 until Carlton was whirled along in his powerful grasp that he found 
 voice to speak ; and although he now began to pour forth a most 
 voluble tide of ejaculations and prayers, they were in a language un- 
 intelligible to Harry; and if it had been otherwise, they would 
 scarcely have interrupted the flow of his own congratulatory soli° 
 loquy. 
 
 " I got him — dat a fact," he said ; and then, looking back for an 
 instant, " I wish I brought de horse along ; but nebber mind — I got 
 de count. What dat you say ? more blue ? yhah ! yhah ! it will be 
 more blue dan dis for you, old boy ! " 
 
 Carlton recognised his captor, at length, and his terror increased, 
 if possible, when he did so ; for although he had no suspicion of the 
 causes which had led to his misfortune, he did not doubt that his 
 dreaded rival was at hand, and that the vengeance which conscious 
 guilt told him was deserved, was destined now to overtake him. 
 The discovery made him frantic with fear ; and finding his reiterated 
 appeals to the negro unheeded, he grew courageous enough to sud- 
 denly draw a pistol with his disengaged hand; for Harry, in his 
 utter contempt of the httle weapons, had forgotten to take possession 
 of them. He observed the motion, however, in time to strike down 
 the arm of the prisoner before any harm was effected, and snatching 
 the pistols, he flung them with sudden wi-ath over the tree-tops. 
 
 " Gosh," he said, " you grow 'fract'ry, hay ? here, den, I'll show 
 you ; " and the negro, taking from his shoulder one of a pair of 
 thick leathern suspenders, proceeded to bind the wrists of the count 
 tightly together ; after which, clutching him again by the arm, he 
 
292 THE KIITG OF THE HURONS. 
 
 hurried along. A weary walk of five miles was before the pinioned 
 man, for Harry did not consider himself at hberty to take the boat 
 without the Indian's permission, and he reflected, moreover, that he 
 would be far less liable to observation or interruption, in the woods, 
 than on the river ; he was a good pedestrian, however, and compelhng 
 his companion to nearly equal his own prodigious strides, the distance 
 was soon overcome. 
 
 It was with no httle surprise that Major Bain and his fellow offi- 
 cers beheld the negro returning to the camp with a prisoner of so 
 distinguished appearance, and Henrich's astonishment and exultation 
 cannot easily be imagined. He had not felt himself called upon to 
 interfere with the movements of Harry, who had regularly joined the 
 army at Albany, of his own volition, after being discharged fi'om 
 Huntington's service, and upon whom, indeed, he had not now the 
 right to enjoin neutrality or inaction, if he had desired. 
 
 Carlton's amazement at finding himself in the camp of an invading 
 enemy was without bounds ; yet his alarm was rather diminished 
 than increased, for he was now a prisoner of war, and not, as he had 
 anticipated, the victim of personal retribution. He at once announced 
 his name and rank, and claimed the privilege of his parole, which 
 Major Bain, ^vath a politeness that transcended his discretion, prompt- 
 ly accorded. That gallant officer was incapable of suspecting a 
 depth of infamy in his prisoner which would render his word of 
 honor an insufficient barrier to his escape, while, perhaps, the incon- 
 venience of confining him, and the difficulty of flight, if attemj^ted, 
 contributed to a leniency, which, in the peculiar situation of the in- 
 vading force, was at least impolitic. 
 
 Harry, who looked upon Cai-lton as peculiarly his prize, was by 
 no means satisfied with the result, which he was quite unable to 
 comprehend, and he continued to follow his released captive at a 
 little distance about the camp, seldom removing his eyes from him, 
 and indulging not infrequently in his accustomed mode of thinking 
 aloud. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 293 
 
 " He look as if he wiiz loose," lie said, peering curiously at the 
 arms and feet of the Frenchman. " Dey say he got a parole on him 
 somewhere, but I can't see it — golly, dey better lef de 'spender on, 
 by half!" 
 
 When a soldier, with whom he conversed on the subject, had in 
 some degree succeeded in explaining the nature of the invisible 
 fetters which were supposed to bind the count, the African shook 
 his head with marked significance. 
 
 " May be it will hold him," he said, angrily ; " but why dey no 
 leave de 'spender on, and put anudder on his ancles, and den let him 
 go on his parole, ef he want to ? — ^Blazes !" 
 
 The Mohawk returned at dusk, and reported that he had been 
 within pistol shot of Castle Montaigne, and had lain concealed an 
 hour watching the movements of its inmates. There was no ap- 
 pearance of alarm, he said, or of any unusual vigilance ; the principal 
 gate was open, and there was much passing in and out, especially of 
 the Hurons, who seemed to be dressed and painted for a powow ; 
 soldiers were lounging idly around the walls, and he had even seen 
 the King of the Hurons talking with a chief in the gateway. He 
 had discovered no Indian villages on the western side of the river, 
 but had judged there was a Huron settlement on the eastern shore, 
 and north of the castle, having seen numbers of that tribe approach 
 and depart in that direction. The castle walls, he said, w^ere of earth 
 and timber, not more than two soldiers high, and hinted that they 
 could be scaled by half the army, by a sort of leap-frog operation, 
 over the shoulders of their fellow^s, a somewhat novel mode of storm- 
 ing a fortress, which Major Bain promised to take into consideration. 
 He manifested much satisfaction at the intelhgence received, and 
 issued orders that everything should be in readiness for departure 
 at the hour of ten. 
 
294 THE KING OF THE HURON S, 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Bellario.— Are you not ill, my lord 7 
 Philaster— III— no, Bellario. 
 Bellario.— Methinks your words 
 
 Fall not from off your tongue so evenly, 
 
 Nor is there in your looks that quietness 
 
 That I was wont to see." 
 
 Beaumont and Fletcher. Tragedy of Philaster. 
 
 The prolonged absence of the count excited a surprise at tlie 
 castle, which, as the day began to wane, grew into solicitude, and 
 finally into serious anxiety. Messengers were despatched in every 
 direction in search of him, and the baron, pacing the court of his 
 castle with a perturbed air, awaited their return, and instituted 
 meanwhile the closest inquiry of all his adherents as to the time and 
 place in which the expected bridegroom had last been seen. 
 
 " He is coming, my lord," said one, entering with breathless haste 
 while these investigations were pending; "he is coming under 
 whip and spur, down the river road, just this side the woods ; you 
 can see him from the west gate." 
 
 A crowd rushed to the gateway, and the baron beheld with 
 joy, for a moment, the distant spectacle which was pointed out to 
 him ; but as the equestrian drew near it soon became evident that 
 it was not the count. A soldier, one of the searching party, had 
 found the freed horse in the woods, and mounting him, had galloped 
 home to convey the alarming intelligence. The utmost consternation 
 now prevailed; another large detachment of soldiers and Indians 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 205 
 
 was sent out to search for the lost rider, to whom some casualty was 
 supposed to have happened, but one which it was yet hoped might 
 not prove of a serious character. 
 
 Ignorant for a while of the alarm, Blanche had remained in her 
 room in painful expectation of the approaching ceremony, for the 
 friendly stupor which had so long deadened her sensibilities had 
 passed away, and left her keenly ahve to all her sufterings. Emily 
 brought to her the first tidings of Carlton's singular absence, exciting 
 great astonishment, and a vague anticipation of relief which she was 
 still unwiUing to build upon the hope of a disaster to a fellow being. 
 Not so, however, with Emily, who could not conceal the compla- 
 cency v/ith which she contemplated the subject, and enumerated 
 the various fatal accidents that might have befallen the missing man. 
 
 " It is very shocking, of course," she said, " but he has doubtless 
 been thrown, and had his neck dislocated ; they can't re-set necks, I 
 beheve, can they ? Or else, perhaps, some of the Hm'ons have way- 
 laid him, and they always make sure work of what they take in 
 hand— it is awful, certamly— but he's probably dead !" 
 
 Myrtle displayed much anxiety, and shuddered at the le^dty of 
 Miss Roselle ; a suspicion had taken possession of her mind, not un- 
 natural to one to whom tales of murder and revenge were familiar 
 as household words. Who knew, she asked, that Mr. Huntington 
 had really departed ? might he not be lurking in the wilderness, 
 and might not his hand ? 
 
 " Mr. Huntington is no assassin ! " answered Blanche, indignantly, 
 yet not unalarmed at the horrid suspicion ; " he is incapable of such 
 
 an act." 
 
 " Nay, I said not that he had slain him," rephed the abashed 
 girl ; " but he may have carried him off, or — " 
 
 " There is some new commotion below," interrupted Emily, looking 
 from the window into the court of the castle ; " a crowd is entering 
 the gate, led by the Lynx ; see ! the baron advances to meet them, 
 and the Indian is talking and gesticulating with much earnestness ; 
 
296 THE KING OF THE HUROHS. 
 
 now he stoops and marks something on the ground ; look ! it 
 is the track of a large foot ; now he holds up some httle broken 
 sticks, which he has brought with him ; what can it mean ? Wait, 
 while I run and learn ; I will be back in a minute." 
 
 Emily departed ; and while both Blanche and Mptle were yet 
 trembling with the \aolence of their excitement, and watching the 
 movements below, she returned. 
 
 "The Huron," she said, quickly, "has followed the trail of the 
 horse in the woods to a place where the gi'ound and leaves are much 
 trampled, and where there are frequent marks of a huge foot, and 
 also of the count's well known steps ; the horse has reared, he says, 
 for there are deep dents in the soil, made by his hind shoes. Be- 
 sides all this," she said, breathlessly, " the trail of the men leads 
 southerly from that spot, and that of the horse in another direction ; 
 three experienced path-findei-s are on the track, accompanied by a 
 hundred men, and further news is expected every moment." 
 
 Myrtle turned pale as she listened, and left the room without re- 
 ply, while Blanche, gi-eatly moved, continued to gaze, expectantly, 
 from the window. 
 
 The Lynx had made his discoveries in the presence of others who 
 had also discerned the signs which he had so plainly construed ; 
 and as they could not be kept secret, nor the chase restrained, he 
 had done all that he could to retard it, by returning to the castle 
 with the intelligence, leaving the pursuers to the guidance of less 
 experienced trail-seekers than himself. For if Hariy Bolt had left 
 an engraved card on the scene of his exploit, bearing his name in 
 full, it could not more distinctly have revealed his presence to en- 
 lightened eyes, than his footsteps had done to the Lynx. There 
 was, indeed, no mistaking the sign ; the Indian knew every curve 
 and angle of the prodigious track, and the veiy number of the hob- 
 nails in either heel ; he had seen it on the banks of the Hudson, on 
 the day of his fii-st singailar interview with Harry, and had perused 
 it with unabated interest at every subsequent landing-place on their 
 
*JtE fiiNGi- OF Tiifi iitTRO*rs. 297 
 
 jbint route. How it came on the shore of the Sorelle, he considered 
 it no part of his province to determine ; but there it was, as legible 
 as a signature or a countenance. The negro, he supposed, had in 
 Bome way followed his master, and encountered him on his return, 
 and they had together planned and executed the recent adventure^ 
 which he considered a gallant and daring act, every way justifiable, 
 and he was by no means desirous to assist in defeating it. Yet, if 
 he had apprehended for a moment the true state of affairs, no one 
 Would have been more prompt in repelhng the approaching invasion 
 of his country, at whatever sacrifice of personal feehngs. 
 
 The baron remained in a state of momentarily increasing agita^ 
 lion, awaiting and receiving the successive tidings that reached him 
 fi'om the forest ; but the night began to close in without anything 
 decisive being heard, and an hotir after dark a few of the pursuing 
 party returned to the castle with the intelligence that they had fol- 
 lowed the trail four miles* until the darkness prevented further search, 
 and that the main body of pursuers had encamped in the woods, 
 ready to resume their quest with the first return of light. 
 
 The count, in the meantime, as the hour for the embarkation of 
 the invaders arrived, finding himself not only unguarded, but seem- 
 ingly unwatched, began to contemplate the project of escape. One 
 hour's warning, he knew, would enable the baron not only to make 
 a successful defence of his post, but probably to utterl}^ discomfit his 
 foes, while without it everything would be irremediably lost. To 
 retrieve his own fortunes, to avenge himself fully on Henrich and 
 the exulting negro, and to close the exciting drama of his adventures 
 by his own final triumph, what was there that he would not do to 
 accomplish ends like these ? Should an idle punctifio restrain him 
 from reaping such a harvest of advantages ? He had passed his 
 word of honor, indeed ; but was it not to a treacherous foe, who 
 were themselves advancing stealthily upon their adversaries, with 
 strategy and guile ? Had he not himself been artfully and surrep- 
 titiously captured, and in no fair and open combat? Such were 
 
 13* 
 
2DS TUB ttlNG OF THE HtTRONSi 
 
 some of the arguments with wbicli the count fortified his growing 
 resolution ; for when did infamy or crime ever lack extenuation in 
 the breast of its perpetrator ? 
 
 The danger attending the deed scarcely occiil'red to his mind, for 
 although he knew the penalty to which it would technically render 
 him liable if the English should prove successful, and he should 
 again fall into their hands, he did not conceive such a result possible, 
 if the baron were once fully apprised of his peril ; and he appre- 
 hended, in no event, any extremity of punishment from the urbane 
 officer, who had already shown so marked a consideration for his 
 prisoner's rank and title. The risk, indeed, was slight in comparison 
 with the vast benefits in prospect, and so busy was the captive in 
 calculating the practicability of his scheme, and in overcoming the 
 obstacles in its way, that he scarcely looked beyond. 
 
 A seeming opportunity at length occurred in the bustle of depar- 
 ture; the vigilant Harry, his self-constituted guide, had been separated 
 from him in the order of embarkation, and while the boats were put 
 in readiness, and were receiving their respective occupants, Carlton 
 stepped backward a little and obser\ing that the movement was 
 unnoticed, glided silently into the deeper shade of the forest, and 
 then quickened his pace. In another moment he was running — 
 plunging deeper into the sheltering woods — skulking through its 
 densest shades, and listening with terror to the fancied sounds of 
 pursuit. The escape was almost instantly discovered, yet no one 
 could tell the precise time of the prisoner's departure, or the direction 
 he had taken ; it was at once reported to the commanding officer, 
 whose astonishment was unbounded, and yet was not greater than 
 his wrath. 
 
 " It is idle to pursue," he said ; " we must quicken our speed and 
 try to outstrip the scoundrel ; yet our ignorance of the channel will 
 hnpede us ; was ever such infamy heard of ? A gentleman — a 
 count — and a commissioned officer, forfeiting his pledged honor ! — 
 let me but take the lying knave once more, and if he escape his 
 deserts again, mine shall be the blame !" 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 299 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 " Ho ! sound the tocsin from my tower— 
 And fire the culverin,— 
 Bid each retainer arm with speed, — 
 Call every vassal in.*' 
 
 Albert G. Greene. 
 
 It was a little before midniglit that the exhausted count arrived 
 at the castle gate, and ere he had succeeded in obtaining admittance 
 the intelligence of his return had been diffused in every direction 
 through the court, along the walls, and in every apartment of the 
 building ; so that by the time he had gained the principal hall, he 
 was surrounded by an eager throng of soldiers, Indians, and domes- 
 tics, who pressed unreproved around him, to hear the story of his 
 wonderful abduction and escape. Into the midst of this excited 
 crowd rushed the delighted baron, just as with faint and panting 
 voice Carlton was inquiring for him, while beckoning with one hand 
 to keep his motley retinue back. 
 
 " Joy ! joy ! sir count, for your escape," exclaimed Montaigne ; 
 " though fi-om what danger we do not yet know ; we have had 
 great alarm " 
 
 " My lord ! my lord !" gasped the pallid count, " there is an 
 Enghsh army, six hundred strong, almost at your gates ; I have been 
 their prisoner and am but just escaped ; they advance by the river, 
 and may be under your walls in half an hour !" 
 
 "Let the drum beat to arms!" shouted Montaigne, with 
 sudden animation and alarm, " yet, no ! Lieutenant Leighton, muster 
 
300 THE KING OF THE HURON S. 
 
 the men in perfect silence ; see that the guns are trebly manned ; 
 place fifty musketeers on the western walls ; quick, ho ! extinguish 
 these lights, and let ever}^ man to his post in silence. You, Francis 
 and Mallory, fly to the Lynx and warn him of the danger ; let 
 another of your men, lieutenant, mount my best hoi'se and speed to 
 Anak with the news ; Windfoot, you also may go — away ! away ! 
 by St. Francis, but we will give them a reception they little dream 
 of — ^but, hark ! what noises are these ?" 
 
 " My lord," said a soldier, rushing breathlessly in, " the castle is 
 attacked ! an enemy is scaling the walls, and forming in the court, 
 and three of the guns are already in their possession ; Sergeant Grill 
 is rallying the men and making a stand in front of the south wing, 
 
 but he has only thirty men " 
 
 " Tell him to charge if he has but six !" shouted the baron ; 
 " quick, form your men, and follow, Leighton ; I will stay them till 
 you come !" and, springing through the doorway, in a moment he 
 stood beside Grill, in front of the little band who had dauntlessly 
 opposed themselves to tenfold their number. The darkness, how- 
 ever, had favored the minority, Avhose weakness was concealed, while 
 the loud prompt accents in which the sergeant's orders were issued, 
 conveyed the idea that they were directed to a company of consider- 
 able strength, and induced the English commander to forbear an 
 attack, until more of his own men were assembled. 
 
 " What say you ?" cried the major, repeating a summons which 
 had already been made upon the sergeant ; " will you surrender, and 
 save bloodshed ? You are quite in my power ; I have five hundred 
 men, and I cannot answer for my Indian allies, if resistance is 
 made." 
 
 " On what terms ?" asked Montaigne, anxious to gain time, yet 
 speaking in tones of defiance which behed his professed willingness 
 to negotiate, — " On what terms do you ask me to give up this castle 
 of my sovereign, and who is it that makes the demand ?" 
 
 " My lord baron," rephed the Englishman, " for such, if I mistake 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. SOl 
 
 not, is tlie person I am addressing ; I am Major Bain, in the service 
 of Her Majesty, the Queen, and their Excellencies the governors of 
 New York and New England ; I have travelled fast and far to pay- 
 yon a visit, and I now demand an instant surrendry of your post, 
 without other terms and conditions than those which necessarily 
 pertain to civilized warfare ; all who are taken will be regarded as 
 prisoners of war, with the exception of a person styling himself Count 
 Carlton, who to-day forfeited his parole of honor in my camp, and who, 
 if taken, will be hung : I give you two minutes to answer !" 
 
 " Now by all the saints, but this is too insolent 1" rephed Montaigne, 
 as his lieutenant silently ranged about eighty armed men beside his 
 little corps, yet scarcely swelhng his force to a hundred ; " know 
 then. Major Bain, if such you be, that you are caught in a trap ; we 
 have had ample notice of your coming, and have intentionally per- 
 mitted you, unopposed, to scale our walls; four hundred of his 
 majesty's troops stand this moment at my side — six hundred of our 
 Indian allies await my call without the gates. Fool ! did you think 
 to surprise as old a warrior as I, or to take Castle Montaigne with 
 less than a regiment ? I now summon you to surrender, and give 
 you but one minute to decide ! Present arms !" 
 
 This ingenious falsehood, and the bold manner in which it was 
 asserted, struck alarm into the heart of Major Bain, for he did not 
 know how long Carlton's return had preceded his own arrival, and 
 feared that he had really become the victim of that individual's 
 treachery. There was danger also that a panic might be created 
 among his men, which would prove highly disastrous, and a moment 
 of most painful incertitude and indecision passed, during which he 
 hesitated whether to await an attack or to commence one. 
 
 But the voice of the undisciplined Harry was at this moment heard, 
 as he approached skulkingly from the direction of the French force, 
 where he had been on a sort of private exploring expedition, being 
 shielded from observation by the night-like hue with which Nature 
 had invested him. 
 
§02 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 " Oh dat's a whopper, massa major !" he said, " I jis been right 
 ober dare 'moiig 'em, looking for de count ; dare aint niore'n fifty 
 on 'em, 'pon honor 1" 
 
 " We have certain inteUigence of your strength, my lord," now 
 retorted the Englishman promptly — " you cannot deceive us ! once 
 more I demand, will you spare the lives of your followers, and avert 
 the scenes of horror which must ensue, when once the Indians are 
 engaged ? My men are impatient for the attack, nor shall I restrain 
 them another minute." 
 
 " Let the signal be given for our allies to advance through the 
 north gate ! Fire !" shouted Montaigne, and almost in the same 
 breath, a volley was given and returned, and the coincident order to 
 charge, rang from the lips of the opposing commanders. For a few 
 minutes a dreadful encounter ensued in which the clashing of bayo- 
 nets, the shrieks of the wounded, the yells of the Indians, and the 
 stentorian voices of the officers, outsounding the combined clamor, 
 rang with varied and terrific tones through the air. Montaigne 
 raged hke a Lybian lion in the front of his little band, dealing death 
 on every side with his single arm, and driving back the invaders at 
 a dozen points, who, wherever his towering form was seen, and his 
 hoarse shouts were heard, quailed and wavered as if before the onset 
 of some supernatural foe. The darkness favored his attacks, and 
 added to the mystic dread with which he was regarded by men, to 
 whom his exploits, exaggerated by fame, had long been the themes 
 of famihar story ; while the Indians scarcely ventured near enough to 
 his person, to hurl the charmed hatchets which had been prepared 
 by incantation to penetrate his supposed enchanted armor. Ilis 
 followers, inspirited by his presence and example, performed prodigies 
 of valor, and were emulous to gain his cheers and appro\'al, which 
 were repeatedly bestowed even in the heat of the conflict. Many of 
 the Iroquois wariiors retreated, and stood clustered behind the main 
 body of the combatants awaiting the issue, and the moment when, if 
 successful, their own bloody work of extermination might begin ; 
 
THfi KING OF THE HURONS. 303 
 
 but the English soldiers displayed a bravery, which more than 
 compensated for the defection of their allies. If they faltered, they 
 rallied ; if they wavered, it was but to renew their attacks more 
 vigorously than before, under the calm encouraging orders of their 
 leader, who like his competitor shrank from no danger, and although 
 severely wounded, remained in the midst of the mHee. 
 
 But the contest was too unequal to be of long duration ; the 
 French party, despite their valor, was rapidly thinned, and was in 
 momentary danger of being hemmed in on every side, when the 
 baron issued orders to fall back, and a rapid retreat wa^ effected into 
 the main hall of the castle, while the shouts of the enemy rang long 
 and loud through the air, waking the distant echoes in reply. They 
 promptly pursued, but the massive door which closed behind the 
 flying garrison withstood for a moment their attacks, and in another 
 minute a dozen windows were bristling with the protruded guns of the 
 soldiery from within, and a destructive fire was opened on the invad- 
 ers, which caused them in turn to retreat, and seek some safer mode 
 of attack. This, unfortunately for the besieged party, was of easy 
 procurement ; the guns upon the walls were in the undisputed pos- 
 session of the invaders, and it only remained to turn them upon the 
 castle with a certainty of its speedy demolition, unless by a sortie, or 
 by aid from without, the weaker party might yet obtain relief. 
 
 Incited to wrath by the desperate resistance which he had met 
 from so small a force. Major Bain was not tardy in avaihng himself 
 of the advantages which he now possessed ; the cannon were brought 
 to bear on the doors and windows of the main hall and the south 
 wing of the building, in which the soldiery were concentrated, and, 
 before firing, the castle was once more summoned to a surrender. 
 A voice, which was recognised as the baron's, demanded from an 
 open casement, on what terms a capitulation w^as asked, or would be 
 received, and although the proposition betrayed a sense of his despe- 
 rate condition, his words and accents were still more defiant than 
 concihatory. 
 
304 THE KING Oi* THE HtJftONS. 
 
 " On no terms," replied Bain, wrathfully, " other than those wticli 
 have been aheady named ; the captm-ed to be treated as prisoners 
 of war, but death to Count Carlton !" 
 
 " Death to Count Carlton ! — death to Count Carlton /" was re- 
 peated by a hundred hoarse throats, in a sullen shout, which told 
 how deeply incensed were the enemy towards him, and how much 
 of their loss they imputed to his baseness. 
 
 " I will consult with my officers," rephed Montaigne, dissembling 
 his rage, and hoping momentarily for a diversion from without by an 
 Indian force under command of the Lynx, who could not have failed, 
 he thought, to hear the tumult of the battle ; " I will consult with 
 my officers, and g'ive you my answer speedily ; if you are really 
 desirous of saving life-- — " 
 
 " Our matches are lighted, and by all the saints in your Popish 
 calendar, I swear I will not wait one minute for an answer," replied 
 Bain. 
 
 " Then fire /" shouted the baron, to his men, a part of whom had 
 been stationed, during the colloquy, at upper windows, which ad- 
 mitted of their again, to some extent, commanding the enemy's 
 position ; " Fire^ and let the dogs feel your strength — in three 
 minutes we shall have relief." 
 
 The scene Avhich ensued was terrific beyond description. The 
 feeble volley of the garrison, which served but to reveal, by its flash- 
 ing light, the location of the doors and windows, and enabled the 
 gunners to aim their pieces aright, was followed by the roar of 
 artillery, by the crashing of pannels and casements, the jingling of 
 glass, the groans of the dying, and the screams of the affrighted in- 
 mates of every part of the building, which rang in prolonged and 
 waihng accents, awaking pity even in the stern hearts which caused 
 their misery. 
 
 " There is no harm done, my boys !" exclaimed Montaigne, spring- 
 ing back to the window from which he had momentarily retreated ; 
 " that noise will wake up the Hurons, and in a few minutes we shall 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 305 
 
 have them with us ; give them another round, my bull-dogs ! and 
 be sure to aim towards the guns." 
 
 His orders were obeyed, and the firing was again returned by a 
 discharge of cannon more destructive than the former, accompanied 
 by a volley of small arms, from some protected position on the walls ; 
 but scarcely had the roar of the guns died away when a messenger 
 entered from a lower room to say that a dozen men had been killed 
 by the shot, including Sergeant Grill, and that Lieutenant Leighton 
 was dangerously wounded. 
 
 " I am sorry for it !" replied the baron, " but those who remain 
 must fight the harder ; now, my boys !" but as he spoke, he stag- 
 gered backwards and dropped into the arms of his men, while 
 another peal of musketry rang from without. 
 
 " Lieutenant Leighton says he has not twenty men alive beMw, 
 my lord !" said another messenger, entering hastily. " He is himself 
 dying, and he, therefore, takes the liberty of begging that you will 
 spare the men and surrender." 
 
 " Never !" gasped tlie baron ; " never — will I — surrender ! There 
 will soon — be help " 
 
 He was borne to a couch which stood in the apartment and 
 deposited upon it ; a surgeon in attendance bent for a few moments 
 above him, feehng meanwhile of his pulse ; then turning sadly to the 
 messenger, he said, "Tell Lieutenant Leighton that he commands 
 this fortress !" and a gi'oan of anguish burst from the stout hearts, 
 who, suspending their labors, had gathered around their fallen lord. 
 
 The wounded lieutenant received the intelligence with great emo- 
 tion, and hastened to follow his own convictions of duty by instantly 
 surrendering the castle into the hands of his victorious enemy, who 
 proceeded to take possession and receive the submission of the sur- 
 viving soldiery. The destruction of life on both sides had been 
 great, but the loss of the besieged party had been far larger in 
 proportion to their number than that of the English. The Indians, 
 as had been anticipated, were with some difficulty restrained from 
 
306 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 falling upon the prisoners, none being more forward in this fiendish 
 desire than those who had done the least towards aehie\'ing the 
 victory. 
 
 Major Bain gave orders for the interment of the dead, and the 
 care of the wounded, and placing a strong guard on the walls and 
 at the gates, directed his men to hold themselves in readiness for a 
 march at dawn against the neighboring Huron settlement. Count 
 Carlton not appearing among the prisoners, he ordered a diligent 
 search to be made for him among the fallen, and in every part of 
 the castle. He paid a visit to the remains of the baron, in which 
 solemn presence he encountered the half-distracted Blanche, and 
 Myrtle, with Emily and the baroness, and several of the priests and 
 domestics, to all of whom he gave assurances of protection, until 
 the morrow, and permission then to depart to Montreal, or to such 
 other French post as they might choose, and to take with them the 
 body of the baron, or to bestow upon it, before leaving, such fitting 
 burial as the time and place would permit. 
 
 " It ^Y\\\ be my duty," he said, amidst the interrupting sobs and 
 groans of his auditors, " to destroy the castle before leaving, and I 
 shall be therefore under the necessity of hastening your departure." 
 
 " But the severely wounded and dying ?" interposed a venerable 
 priest : " they who can neither accompany you as prisoners, nor go 
 with us ? Surely you will make some provision for men who require 
 both medical aid, and the consolations of religion." 
 
 " I have not overlooked their necessities," rephed the major 
 humanely ; " a portion of the barracks will be left standing for their 
 accommodation, and such of your order who desire, can remain with 
 them ; doubtless, also, some of your Indian allies will come to their 
 assistance, after we have departed." 
 
 " The chapel, if your honor pleases, will better accommodate 
 them," replied another, anxious to preserve a building hallowed by 
 many sacred associations. 
 
 " The chapel will be destroyed," rephed Bain, in tones that 
 
THE KING OF THE HURON S. 307 
 
 admitted of no remonstrance, — " it is a strong building, and might 
 itself be turned into a fort." 
 
 Blanche ^Yas with difficulty induced to withdraw from the side of 
 her deceased parent, and to seek that quietude and restoration which 
 her shocked and agitated heart required. Her grief for her father 
 was most intense, despite all his harshness and severity towards her, 
 and was aggTavated by the thought that her own conduct, although 
 dictated by the strictest sense of duty, had contributed to his fate by 
 engrossing his attention, and thus causing a remissness and relaxa- 
 tion of his ordinary vigilance in defence of his post. 
 
 Scarcely had she reached her own room, when the astonishing 
 mtelligence was brought to her that Mr. Huntington was among the 
 conquering army, and desired to be permitted to speak to her ; but 
 the consolation which the knowledge of his presence would other- 
 wise have imparted, was now lost in the dreadful thought that he 
 had been an actor in the scenes which had resulted so tragically to 
 her nearest relative ; nay, that perhaps his agency had chiefly caused 
 the success of the attack. Was it possible, she asked herself, that 
 he had been capable of using the knowledge which he had gained, 
 during his stay at the castle, to aid in its overthrow, and in the 
 destruction and subjugation of her friends and countrymen ? True 
 he had been greatly Avi'onged and oppressed by that haughty and 
 powerful man, who was now turned to clay, harmless as its kindred 
 clods, but there was no justification for revenge, and above all for a 
 revenge wdiich included the innocent with the guilty. The thought 
 that Henrich had been thus culpable was agonizing beyond endur- 
 ance, and a confirmation of her suspicions must not only place a 
 barrier between them which no time could remove, but would crum- 
 ble, at a blow, her bright ideal of human excellence and worth. 
 
 But Henrich came, and all these apprehensions were dispelled ; 
 he hastened, indeed, unaccused, to disclaim the very acts of which 
 she had so much reason to suspect him, and to place his conduct in 
 the kreproachable light, which truth admitted and required. He 
 
308 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 had neither by advice nor action contributed in the shghtest degree 
 to the surprise or capture of the castle ; he had entered within the 
 walls with that portion of the enemy to whom the gates had been 
 opened by the scaling party, and had remained a passive spectator 
 of the scenes which ensued. Unspeakable was Miss Montaigne's 
 relief to learn these gratifying facts — to learn that it was in reality 
 as a prisoner of the invading army, and not as an enemy, or as a 
 retributor of private wrongs, that Henrich had returned ; and she 
 rejoiced that now, in the midst of the horrors wdiich surrounded her, 
 she might still look for advice, consolation, and support, to one who 
 had so often before shown his willingness and ability to aid her. 
 
 Yet she did not forget amidst this returning calm, that her plighted 
 promise to wed the count was still binding upon her, if he yet hved, 
 and should claim its fulfilment. The decease of her father, so far 
 from releasing her from the obhgation, had given to it additional 
 force. It was a promise to the dead^ who could not claim its per- 
 formance, who could not reproach her for dereliction, and thus it 
 became doubly imperative. She shuddered as this dreadful 
 remembrance crossed her mind, but banished it for a time, with some 
 indefinite hope of rehef. 
 
 The fate of Carlton, meanwhile, remained undiscovered. He had 
 taken but httle part in the engagement, and it was supposed that, 
 impelled by the consciousness of his peculiar danger, he had fled to 
 the forest before the gates were fully in the possession of the foe. 
 Major Bain was greatly disappointed at not finding him ; he did not 
 believe, however, that he had escaped, and ordered the strictest 
 vigilance to prevent his passing out, either in disguise or otherwise, if 
 he was yet within the fort. 
 
 In the morning he carried out the plan of action on which he had 
 resolved ; he attacked the Huron village (from which the warriors 
 and other inhabitants, warned of his approach, and conscious of their 
 inability to withstand him, had fled with their efiects), and burned 
 it to the ground, destroying at the same time, with the cruel policy 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 309 
 
 of war, tlie growing harvests around it. He next fired the chapel, 
 having first permitted the weeping priests to remove what they 
 chose of its sacred contents, and while its lurid flames were gilding 
 the heavens, the torches were preparing for the nobler pile, which 
 had so long been the ornament and pride of the now rapidly 
 desolated district. 
 
 Prompt and speedy movements were still essential to his complete 
 success : he had struck a flying blow, and it was necessary to retire 
 before the more inland regions could be aroused to unite with the 
 forces of the Lynx and Anak, and dispute his egress from the country. 
 The wounded prisoners were removed to that portion of the barracks 
 which it had been determined to spare for their benefit, and the 
 ladies and priests having been allowed to remove their effects, such 
 of the residue of the property as was portable, Avas speedily taken 
 possession of by the soldiery, and then the devom-ing flame was 
 communicated at once by a score of willing hands to as many different 
 parts of the edifice. 
 
 From a little distance, the now re-forming army of invaders 
 watched the progress of the fire, while preparing to withdraw from 
 the scene of their devastations — and in another part of the trampled 
 and blood-stained court, near the spared building, were assembled 
 the mournful group who had been set at hberty by their captor, and 
 who, being yet unprepared to depart, remained unwilling spectators 
 of the melancholy scene. Henrich was with these, once more at the 
 side of Blanche as her friend and adviser, having obtained his full 
 liberty by the courtesy of the English commander ; yet he was not 
 without apprehension that the withdrawal of the army would be the 
 signal for the return of his rival from some lurking-place in the 
 wilderness. Such an event might render his own position highly 
 perilous in a territory where the count's authority would now perhaps 
 be temporarily rectgnised, and the more by reason of his own recent 
 and unreversed sentence of banishment, and the suspicions to w^hich 
 
SIO THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 he had rendered himself hable of ha\ang ad\'ised and abetted the 
 invaders. 
 
 But Carlton was not in the wilderness. He had heard, with 
 unspeakable terror, his name excepted in the ofiered terms of quarter 
 made by the English commander ; he had heard these terms repeated 
 with the same explicit and fearful reservation ; had listened to the 
 hoarse shouts of the soldiery applauding his anticipated doom, and 
 had felt, at that moment, in his coward and guilty breast, more than 
 the pains of death. For a while, encouraged by the confident 
 language of Montaigne, he had hoped for victory, and dreading the 
 baron's wrath and scorn for pusillanimity, had made some feint of 
 aiding in the contest at points where the danger was least. As the 
 battle went on, and its issue became more certain, he had sought to 
 flee, but his frightened imagination had peopled the whole court with 
 \dgilant guards watching to intercept him, and he did not dare to 
 venture forth. Too frantic for reflection, he yet remembered a secret 
 room and its ingeniously contrived entrance which had once been 
 shown to hmi by Montaigne, and he hastened to make it at least a 
 temporary refuge. 
 
 In an upper chamber, a large iron chandelier was suspended from 
 a circular panneling in the ceihng ; seemingly immovable, it could 
 yet be drawn down by touching a spring at the end of the rod which 
 supported it, and with it descended not only the panelhng to which 
 it was attached, but an extending ladder of rope, forming an en- 
 trance into a room above, to which there was no other access. AVhen 
 the ponderous chandelier was drawn back to its place, and the fast- 
 ening adjusted, there was no longer any trace of the passage, and 
 the upper apartment, which was small, was also unexposed to obser- 
 vation from without, being lighted and ventilated only by a small 
 window in the roof. 
 
 To this retreat Carlton, in his terror, had fled^o avoid the imme- 
 diate danger, for he rightly conjectm-ed that the fii'st movement that 
 followed victory would be a vigorous and diligent search for him. 
 
THE KING OF THE HURdNS. 311 
 
 He had intended to descend during the night, and in disguise or other- 
 wise, attempt an escape to the forest ; but this design was defeated 
 by an unexpected occurrence. The chamber with which his hiding- 
 phice communicated was appropriated, after the engagement, to the 
 use of several of the wounded Enghsh soldiers, a circumstance which 
 their voices and groans plainly proclaimed to the entrapped count. 
 To discover himself to these, who imputed all their injury to his per- 
 fidy, would be a betrayal to certain death. It was late in the morn- 
 ing when they were removed, and then the precincts of the castle 
 were swarming with the foreign soldiery, and flight was still impos- 
 sible ; he remained half senseless in his retreat, hoping against hope 
 for the several contingencies which might yet save him. The enemy 
 might be attacked and driven off by the Indians ; they might not 
 destroy the castle, or they might only set fire to it and depart, with- 
 out waiting to see it consumed, and thus afford him an opportunity 
 of escape. 
 
 These, with other hope-woven fallacies, occupied his mind for a 
 while, and were only dispelled by the smell of fire, by the crackling 
 sound of its progress, and by the thin wreaths of smoke which began 
 to force themselves up through the floor of his apartment. Ap- 
 palled, he flew to the passage, and opening it, was met by a stifling 
 current of heated air ; the room was in flames ; he could not de- 
 scend but to instant suffocation. Closing the aperture, he piled the 
 scant furniture of his room together, and from the summit of the 
 heap reached the skylight, and dashing it open climbed to the roof, 
 at once discovering the assembled multitude below, and revealing 
 himself to their view. A shout fi-om the soldiery announced his ap- 
 pearance, but the spectacle was too awful for exultation ; the circling 
 smoke was already enveloping his figure, as he hastily traversed the 
 summit of the building and approached its edge, now brushing the 
 bhnding clouds from before him, and now extending his arms, as if 
 imploring pity and aid from those who had no power to assist him. 
 
 Horror held motionless the beholders ; but Myrtle, with a piercing 
 
312 THE KING OP THE HURONS. 
 
 shriek, darted from the side of her friends, and rushing towards the 
 main entrance of the castle, disappeared within the burning pile. 
 The distracted baroness followed with faltering steps, but a score of 
 soldiers, obeying not less the impulse of their own hearts than the 
 quick signal of the officer, sprang past her and reached the doorway, 
 though only to battle for a moment with the heated vapors that en- 
 countered them, and fall back proclaiming the impossibility of res- 
 cue. As they retreated, however, a young Mohaw^k brave sped past 
 them at a bound, and entered the hall. Unbreathing, to avoid the 
 stifling air, he groped for the main stairway, which he rightly judged 
 Myrtle had attempted to ascend, and, mounting its hot steps, gained 
 the first landing, and saw the white robes of the prostrate maiden 
 before him. To seize the light burden and bear it back to the outer 
 air was but the work of a second, and the prolonged shouts of the 
 spectators spoke their gratification, and their applause of the heroic 
 deed. 
 
 Myrtle was borne senseless into the barracks by her anxious 
 fi-iends, and the attention of the throng, momentarily diverted by 
 this frightful episode, was again given to the unhappy Carlton. He 
 now stood at the edge of the parapet which overlooked that part of 
 the court where the people were assembled, and seemed to contem- 
 plate a leap from his dizzy height. Now he shouted for help — for a 
 ladder — for a rope — for something to break his fall ; now he ran 
 back and looked vainly into the aperture through which he had 
 ascended, and anon he sought to gain the less elevated roof of a 
 wing of the building, but was prevented by the flames, wlfich had 
 already broken forth in that direction. While he hoped, and hesi- 
 tated, and despaired, a thick column of smoke, spangled with spark- 
 ling cinders, rolled towards him, and enveloping his figure in its 
 murky pall, concealed it fr'om the view of the horrified spectators. 
 A half-stifled cry proceeded from the midst of the whirling mass, 
 w^iich, growing blacker and blacker with continued accessions, and 
 rising higher and higher into the air, seemed like one of the genii of 
 
THE KING OF THE HURONS. 313 
 
 oriental fable, released from the confinement of centuries, and ex- 
 panding its gigantic bulk above the diminutive prison in which it 
 had been so long compressed. JSTow reveahng, through its rent 
 folds its staggering victim, and now closing again around him, it 
 moved, with solemn gyrations, slowly onward, and passing, at length, 
 left the unhappy man prostrate in its path, struggling, but vainly 
 attempting to rise. 
 
 An Indian chief who stood by the side of Major Bain, whispered 
 a moment to the latter, who, unreplying, turned away with an 
 agitated air, and the savage, taking his silence for assent to his really 
 humane proposition, passed a brief word of command to a small 
 di^^sion of his men. A dozen rifles were raised simultaneously, and 
 as their sharp report rang upon the air, the body of the count rolled 
 lifeless down a shght descent of the roof, to a point where the greedy 
 flames were raging and raged higher as they received it. He had 
 passed from earth, and his ungathered ashes mingled with those of 
 his lofty faneral pyre. 
 
 In another hour the triumphing army had vanished from the 
 scene of their victory, and were rapidly pursuing their homeward 
 route; they were accompanied by the Hberated Seabury, who, 
 having been at large on his parole, had taken no part in the combat, 
 although his soldier spirit had chafed at the intangible fetters which 
 restrained him from doing so. 
 
 Myrtle's injuries proved severe, and the intelligence of Carlton's 
 fate gave a shock to her mind, which added greatly to her sufferings, 
 and increased the peril of her situation. For several days the fair 
 patient remained an inmate of an apartment in the barracks, 
 attended with kindness and solicitude by her friends, who waited 
 only her convalescence to quit for ever a spot rife with the memory 
 of so many tragedies. Their anxious hopes in her behalf were not 
 disappointed, and on the third day they were enabled to set out in 
 boats, for Montreal, accompanied by several of the returned Hurons 
 as guides and assistants. The baron's remains, in the intf'rval. bad 
 
 14 
 
314 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 been interred within the undemolished walls of his ruined castle, 
 Blanche having been prevailed on with difficulty to relinquish the 
 idea of transporting the body over their long and difficult journey. 
 The priests remained at their post faithful to the wounded men in 
 their charge, of whom several were evidently destined to require the 
 last consolations of rehgion and the solemn rites of sepulture at their 
 hands. 
 
 From such a scene of ruin and misery went Blanche and Henrich, 
 with Emily, Myrtle, and the baroness ; their tears were many, and 
 their hearts were sad, some with their own bitter grie^ and some 
 with sympathetic sorrow. 
 
THE KINO OF THE HUR0N8. 315 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 She is mine own, 
 
 And I as rich in having such a jewel. 
 
 As twenty seas, if all their sands were pearl. 
 
 The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold." — Shakspeare. 
 
 The Marquis Vaudreuil received early intelligence of the disas- 
 trous blow which had been inflicted upon the province of New 
 France, and having heard that the family of his deceased friend had 
 taken refuge at Montreal, he promptly despatched a vessel to that 
 post, to convey them to the capital, where a fitting home was mean- 
 while prepared for their reception. He did not grieve deeply over 
 the loss of Carlton, whose evil reputation had followed him from 
 Paris, and had recently reached the ears of the deceived and indig- 
 nant viceroy, causing him deeply to regret his agency in commend- 
 ing his nephew to the good will of the baron. 
 
 Months passed away, during which Huntington, who had ac- 
 companied his friends to Quebec, continued a resident of that city, 
 and an ever- welcomed friend and visitor of Miss Montaigne. They 
 were speedily betrothed, and ere yet the autumn had fully passed, 
 Henrich, unwiUing that Blanche should spend the wintry season in a 
 clime so ungenial, had obtained her consent to an immediate union, 
 with a view to a journey to England and a sojourn until spring, 
 amid its milder airs. Tf inducements were needed, none could have 
 been presented to Blanche's mind of greater efiicacy ; already had 
 she pined, with that love of country which forms so commendable 
 a trait in almost every heart, to tread again the green soil and gaze 
 upon the bright landscapes which had been familiar to her child- 
 
316 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 hood, and which were ever dear to memory. They were married 
 witlioiit ostentation, at the mansion of the marquis, who, finding his 
 efforts to prolong their stay in Quebec useless, desired, with charac- 
 teristic kindness, to give his especial sanction to their union, and to 
 retain the bi-idal party, at least for the first happy week, under his 
 hospitable roof. 
 
 Emily, of course, was to return with them, and Blanche, who had 
 acquired the most sisterly feeling for Myrtle, spared no pains to 
 induce her also to accompany them, but neither the baroness nor 
 Vaudreuil would consent to such a deprivation. The marquis, in- 
 deed, who had consented to administer upon the large estate of his 
 friend for the benefit of the heirs, urged that her presence in the 
 province might be essential to his labors, and offered both herself and 
 her mother a welcome home in his own house. This kindness was 
 accepted for the time, and the sisters parted with mutual tears and 
 regret, for although their acquaintance had been brief, the extraor- 
 dinary events through which they had passed had served to rapidly 
 develope their respective characters, and a communion of suffering 
 had endeared them to each other. 
 
 Henrich, Blanche, and Emily sailed for Havre, and having reached 
 that port in safety, they passed into the Netherlands, and thence 
 crossed to England. In the ensuing summer they returned to New 
 York, where they took up their abode, greatly to the dehght of old 
 Jacobus, who had never ceased to reflect over his semi-hourly pipe, 
 upon his interview with the baffled ensign, and upon the happy 
 train of smoke-generated ideas which had resulted in the despatch 
 of Harry and Ruppy to warn the forest fugitives of their danger. 
 
 Myrtle continued to reside with the marquis, the object of much 
 unheeded admiration, and a mourner in heart, although not in 
 apparel, for the unworthy Carlton. The decease of her mother, three 
 years later, left her still more desolate, and peace having then been 
 established between France and England, she accepted an earnest 
 invitation from Blanche and Henrich to remove to New York, and 
 
THE KING OF THE HUR0N8. 3lY 
 
 make their house her future home. There she became contented and 
 cheerful : her heart was gradually weaned from the memory of its 
 misapplied affection, and she became at the age of twenty-three, the 
 happy wife of a young- English gentleman, of great worth, who 
 knew her whole history, and whose attachment for her was un- 
 bounded. 
 
 Miss Roselle remained a welcome inmate of Henrich's family, and, 
 professedly from choice, a member of the single sisterhood ; having 
 rehnquished, with her matrimonial aspirations, her airs and affecta- 
 tion, it is not improbable indeed that she may have found admu-ei-s 
 among the many \nsiters of her cousins, but none, it appeared, who 
 possessed sufficient attractions to tempt her from what she called her 
 chosen path of cehbacy. 
 
 The cessation of hostilities between the provinces enabled Henrich 
 to visit Quebec, and render more fully available to Blanche and 
 Myrtle their large property, of which the marquis was found to have 
 proved a faithful steward. There he heard of the welfare of the 
 Lynx and Anak, for whom, in token of his regard, he left highly 
 valuable presents, of the kind most Ukely to suit their tastes: 
 including among the gifts to the former, one which he knew would 
 be beyond pnce in his estimation. This was the enchanted rifle, so 
 called, of which, in his character as the Beaver, he had made such 
 effective use, and which he had now been careful to bring with him 
 for the benefit of his Indian friend. 
 
 The happiness of Henrich and Blanche remained unimpaired by 
 farther calamities ; if much suffering had been crowded into a short 
 period of their lives, it was followed by a long exemption from 
 trouble. They were not even annoyed by the continued abode, in 
 their \jcimty, of the evil man to whom so much of their misery, and 
 at the same time, so large a share of their felicity was owing, for in 
 the very year of their return to New York, Lord Cornbury was 
 removed from his office by his relative, the Queen, for official oppres- 
 
318 THE KING OF THE HURONS. 
 
 sion and malconduct, and Grover, who was a satellite of the profligate 
 governor, returned with him to England. 
 
 Jacobus Waldron hved to the ripe age of ninety, and so happy 
 were his declining days rendered by the assiduous kindness of 
 " Hetty's Hanreek " as he was wont to call his grandson, that he 
 gradually ceased looking for that sudden influx of fortune which had 
 been all his lifetime on the eve of overwhelming him with its golden 
 waves. Nay, he began to suspect, ^^-ith the wisdom of age, that he 
 had already found more than his anticipated treasure in his faithful 
 and aftectionate children, and his changed hopes, placed now on 
 worthier objects than wealth, were looking beyond those solemn 
 portals which Death, with no forbidding aspect, stood ready to fling 
 open for his exit. 
 
 Harry Bolt returned with the army of Major Bain, which did not 
 succeed in escaping from the French territory ^^thout some marks of 
 the vengeance of the Lynx and Anak, who, rallying their scattered 
 warriors, intercepted the invaders on the banks of the Sorelle, and 
 caused them no little damage. The chief triumph of the Indians, 
 however, was in efiecting the release of the prisonei*s, about sixty in 
 number, of whom the Enghsh officer did not gTeatly regret to be 
 disencumbered. 
 
 Harry was discharged from the army with great credit and no small 
 bounty, and the story of his exploits soon became public in the city, 
 rendering him an object of general interest, and affixing upon him 
 for life, the highly relished sobriquet of " Major Bolt." Jule, ever 
 gleeful and grinning, became his wife, and in a comfortable home, 
 provided by their grateful friends, they lived in much happiness, 
 disturbed only on the part of the negress, by imaginary calls at every 
 dawn, in the sharp voice of Mrs. Sniff, denouncing her as ^an idle 
 huzzy, and bidding her rise and begin her daily work. This wore 
 away, however, with the wearing years ; Harry, who had entered 
 into traffic, in a small way, soon drew around him many friends, 
 
THE KING OF TilE H tJ R O N g . 319 
 
 gradually extending his business, and acquiring a competence wlaicli 
 soon enabled him to boast that if Jule were 3^et a slave, he could 
 purchase not only her, but her mistress also, unless the latter held 
 herself at a far higher valuation than did either he or Mrs. Major 
 Bolt. 
 
 l-ME KND. 
 
155 Broadway, New- York, 
 
 July. 1849. 
 
 G. P. PUTNAM^ S 
 
 NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 €xmi\B, fhi\[\mtB, ml Wmmxm. 
 
 IN THE EAST 
 
 Nineveli and its Remains '^ 
 
 With an Account of a Visit to the Chaldaean Christians of Kurdistan, and 
 the Yezidis, or Devil-Worshippers ; and an Inquiry into the Manrera 
 and Arts of the Ancient Assyrians. 
 
 BY AUSTEN HENRY LAYARD, ESQ., D. C. L. 
 
 With Introductory Note by Prof. E. Robinson, D. D., LL. D. 
 Ciustrated with 13 Plates and Maps, and 90 Woodcuts. 2 vols. 8vo. Cloth. $4 50. 
 
 "We cannot doubt it will find its way into the hands of scholars and thinkers at once, and we 
 ihall be surprised if it does not prove to be one of the most popular, as it certainly is one of the 
 most useful issues of the season." — Evangelist. 
 
 "As a record of discoveries it is equa;iy wonderful and important; confirming in many particu- 
 lars the incidental histories of Sacred Writ, disentombing temple-palaces from the sepulclire of 
 ages, and recovering the metropolis of a wonderful nationfrom the long night of oblivion."— C'o»» 
 Advertiser. 
 
 I 
 
G. P. PUTNAJMS NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 €xmtk^ AnktWy iiiii SisrnDniBH—SH t|iB fust- 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 Ntn^jveh and its Jiemains, — Continued. 
 
 " Taking this only as a book of travels, we 
 have read none for a long time more interesting 
 and instructive." — Quarterly Review. , 
 
 " We repeat that there has been no such pic- 
 ture in any modern book of travels. Park is not 
 braver or more adventurous, Burkhardt is not 
 more truthful, Eothen not more gay or pictu- 
 resque than the hero of the book before us." — 
 London Examiner. 
 
 "This is, we think, THE MOST EXTRA- 
 ORDINARY WORK OF THE PRESENT 
 AGE, whether with reference to the wonderful 
 discoveries it describes, its remarkable verifi- 
 cation of our early bilbical history, or of the 
 talent, courage, and perseverance of its au- 
 thor. •••♦•• -^g .^^jl] ojjly j^dfj Jjj 
 
 conclusion, that in these days, when the fulfil- 
 ment of prophecy is engaging so much atten- 
 tion, we cannot but consider that the work of 
 Mr. Layard will be found to afford many ex- 
 traordinary proofs of biblical history." — Lon- 
 don Times. 
 
 " Of the historical value of his discoveries, too 
 high <in estimate can hardly be formed." — N. 
 Y. Recorder. 
 
 "It has been truly said, that the narrative is like a romance. In its incidents and descriptions it 
 does indeed remind one continually of an Arabian tale of wonders and genii."— Z>r. Robinson in 
 Introductory Note. 
 
 " The work of Mr. Layard has two prominent and distinct characters. Its narration of wonder- 
 ful discoveries is of high and absorbing intere.st ; but as a book of modern travels, abounding in 
 living and piquant descriptions of the manners and habits of a people always regarded with intense 
 interest, it is second to none." — Democratic Review. 
 "The book has a rare amount of graphic, vivid, picturesque ndirTdXiYe."— Tribune. 
 "The work of Layard is the most prominent contribution to the study of Antiquity, that has 
 a.ppeared for many years." — Christian Inquirer. 
 
 " Not one excels in interest the account of Nineveh and its Ruins, given by Mr. Layard."— 
 Washington Intelligencer. 
 
 "As we follow the digsers with breathless Interest in their excavations, end suddenly find our- 
 selves before a massive figure carved with minute accuracy, now lifting its gigantic head from the 
 dust of 3000 years, we are ready to cry out with the astonished Arabs, ' Wallah, it is wonderful, but 
 it is true !' " — Independent. 
 
 Egypt and Its Monurrielii^i 
 
 As Illustrative of Scripture History. 
 BY FRANCIS L. HAWKS, D. D., LL. D., &.C., &,c. 
 
 Illustrated with Engravings from the Works of Champollion, RosellinI, 
 Wilkinson, and others, and Architectural Views of the Principal Tem- 
 ples, &c. One vol. 8vo., uniform with * Layard's Nineveh.' 
 
 This work presents a comprehensive and authentic, and at the same time popular view of all 
 that has been brou2ht to light by modern travellers, illustrative of the manners and customs, art*, 
 architecture, and domestic life of the ancient Egyptians— with reference to other ancient remain* 
 in the "Old and New World." 
 
 *.* The following are some of the architectural illustrations, beautifully executed m tint, by 
 Sarony & Major :— 
 
 Sphinx a7id Pyramids, Interior of a Tomb, 
 
 Great Temple of Karnac, Koom — Ombos. 
 
 Statues of Memnon, Thebes, Interior of Great Temple, Aboo- Simbel, ^6, 
 
 2 
 
p. Putnam's new publications. 
 
 €umlBy %hnkxm, anh BiBrnnrriBS— 3u tjiB fust. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 Visits to Monasteries in the Levant. 
 
 BY THE HON. ROBERT CURZON. 
 
 One vol., post 8vo. Illustrated with 17 spirited Engravings. $1 50. 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Monastery of Meteora, 
 Interior of Greek Monastery, 
 Koord, or Native of Koordistan, 
 Negress waiting to be sold, 
 Bedouin Arab, 
 Egyptian in Nizam Dress, 
 Interior of Abyssinian Library^ 
 Mendicant Derrish, 
 Church of Holy Sepulchre, 
 Monastery of St. Barlaam, 
 Tartar, or Govermnent Messenger, 
 Turkish Common Soldier, 
 Promontory of Mount Athos, 
 Greek Sailor, 
 Monastery of Simo-Petri, 
 Circassian Lady, 
 Turkish Lady. 
 
 " A volume of more than ordinary interest, relating a series of most curious and often amusing 
 adventures. * * * Tlie field occupied by the volume is almost entirely new."— Commercial 
 Advertiser. 
 
 " A very curious and unique work. We recommend it to those who are fond of cheerful inci- 
 dent of travel, through lands po.ssessing the greatest interest." — Washington Union. 
 
 " His wanderings in the Levant extend over a period of nearly ten years, abounding in adven- 
 tures, many of them attended with extreme peril, which are told with inimitable naivete and skill. 
 * * * There is an elegance and picturesque simplicity in his language equally rare and delight- 
 ful. The book is profu-^^^ely illustrated by wood engravings in the highest style of art, executed in 
 London. It is issued simultaneously with Murray's Engfish edition, and the author receives his 
 share of the profits arising from its sale here." — Tribune. 
 
 Oriental Life Lllustrated : 
 
 Being a new Edition of " Eothen, or, Traces of Travel brought Home from 
 the East." Illustrated with fine Steel Engravings, viz , Travelling in 
 THE Desert, Luxor, Karnac, Nazareth, the Pyramids. 12mo, cloth, 
 extra gilt, $1 50. 
 
 "Nothing so sparkling, so graphic, so truthful in sentiment, and so poetic in vein, has 
 lom the p:"ess in many a day.'' — London Critic. 
 
 Jowmey from Oornhill to Cairo. 
 
 BY MICHAEL ANGELO TITMARSH. 
 
 One vol. l2mo, green cloth, 50 cts. 
 
 *It 13 wonderful what a description of people and things, what numerous pictures, what innu* 
 merable remarks and allusions it contains." — Douglas JerroWs Magazine. 
 
 3 
 
G. P. Putnam's new publications. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 Adventv/res in the Lybian Desert^ 
 
 And the Oasis of Jupiter Ammon. 
 
 BY BAYLE ST. JOHN. 
 
 l2mo, cloth, 75 cts. 
 
 " It is a very graphic and amusing description of the scenery and antiquities, and of the people 
 whom he saw." — Washington Union. 
 
 " Though written with an eye to antiquarian lore, there is no want of liveliness in the personal 
 adventures of the author." — Albion. 
 
 " A most interesting book. "—JV. Y. Recorder. 
 
 " It will be read through by those who reach the middle of the first chapter."— ^Ziany Journal. 
 
 " It is a spirited description of the adventures of the author among the Bedouin Arabs." — Tri- 
 tune. 
 
 Eotlien ; 
 
 Or, Traces of Travel brought Home from the East. 12mo, green cloth, 
 50 cents. 
 
 " Eothen is a book with which every body, fond of elegant prose and racy description, should be 
 well acquainted." — U. S. Gazette. 
 "The best book of Eastern travels we know."— ioncZon Examiner. 
 
 The Crescent a/nd the Cross ; 
 
 Or, the Romance and Reality of Eastern Travel. 
 BY ELLIOT WARBURTON. 
 
 One vol. 12mo, green cloth, $1 25 
 
 "This delightful work is, from first to last, a splendid Panorama of Eastern scenery, in the ftlD 
 blaze of its rnagnificence." — London Morning News. 
 
 " A brilliant, poetic, and yet most instructive book."— iV^. Y. Courier ^ Enquirer. 
 
 9h Intrtji %mmn. 
 
 Travels in Peru. 
 
 BY DR. J. J. VON TSCHUDI, 
 
 1 vol. l2mo, cloth, $1 00. 
 
 "Braving the dangers of a land where throat-cutting is a popular pastime, and earthquakea and 
 fevers more or less yellow, and vermin more or less venomous are amongst the indigenous com- 
 forts of the aoil, a German, of high reputation as a naturalist and man of letters, has devoted four 
 years of a life valuable to science to a residence and travels in the most interesting districts of 
 South America, the ancient empire of the Incas, the scene of the conquests and cruelties of Fran 
 Cisco Pizarro." 
 
 4 
 
G. P. PUTI^AMS NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 IN THE WEST. 
 
 California and Oregon Trail, 
 
 Being Sketches of Prairie and Rocky Mountain Life. 
 BY FRANCIS PARKMAN, JR. 
 
 With Illustrations by Darley. 12mo. cloth, $1 25. 
 
 "Written with the genuine inspiration of untamed na.tuYe."~Tribune. 
 
 "A lively and well written account of divers adventures on mountains and plains, deserts and 
 rivers in the Indian Country." — Churchman. 
 
 "A series of graphic and apparently reliable sketches." — Albion. 
 
 "Agreeably designed and ably executed." — Home Journal. 
 
 " One of the few books from which we can obtain any thing like accurate information of the 
 character of the country between the Mississippi and the Pacific. As descriptive of a race fast 
 passing away, and of the wild and wonderful country from which they are perishin?, and ihrou'^h 
 which the march of civilization is forcing its way, to the dazzling treasures of the Pacific borders, 
 the work is attractive, and is got up in a style and character o(' most of the publications of Mr. 
 Putnam. The cuts are very admirable specimens of the high perfection to which engraving oii 
 wood h£is arrived." — Democratic Review. 
 
 Astoria ; 
 
 Or, Anecdotes of an Enterprise beyona the Rocky Mountains. 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 With Map. l2mo. $1 50. 
 
 "A beautiful edition of Irving's highly graphic and stirring sketch of the eariy enterprises of 
 John Jacob Astor, which will now be read with even more interest than when first written."— 
 Evangelist. 
 
 " It is one of those rare works which belongs, by the value of its subject and the truthfulness of 
 us details, to authentic history, and by its vivid descriptions, and exciting incidents to the more 
 varied province of Romance." — Albany Atlas. 
 
 " Loses nothing of its mterest by the late discoveries, &c., beyond the Rocky Mountains."— 
 Recorder. 
 
 " One of Irving's most valuable works. « « • gtin fresh, instructive and entertaining."— 
 Holden's Magazine. 
 
 A Tour on the Prairies ; 
 
 With Abbottsford and Newstead Abbey. 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 l2mo. $1 25. 
 
 " Its perusal leaves a positive sense of refreshment, which we should think would make th 
 book invaluable to the thousands of mortals whose lives are bound up with ledgers and cash bookib' 
 Tribune. 
 
 Delightful reading for a leisure hour." — Albany Atlas. 
 
 Iwentwes of Capt, Bonneville, U. S. A., 
 
 In the Rocky Mountains and the Far West. 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 ]2mo, with a valuable Map. $1 25. 
 "Pull ot wild and exciting incidents of frontier and savase life." —Provide7ice Journal. 
 
G. P. Putnam's new publications. 
 
 TTie Genius of Italy ; 
 
 Being Sketches of Italian Life, Literature, and Religion. 
 BY REV. ROBERT TURNBULL, 
 
 Author of " The Genius of Scotland.^' 
 1 vol. l2mo, with two engravings. ^1 25. 
 
 The edition with extra illustrations, handsomely bound, will be ready m the autumn. 
 
 "Mr. Tunibull sives us the orange, groves, and the tbuntains, and the gondolas, ati^ .he fresroet 
 and the ruins, with touches of personal adventure, and sketches of biography, and glimpses of the 
 life, literature, and religion of Modern Italy, seen with the quick, comprehensive glances of an 
 American traveller, impulsive, inquisitive, and enthusiastic. His book is a pleasant record of a 
 tourist's impressions, without the infliction of tho tiresome minutiae of his everyday experience." 
 — Literary World. 
 
 " At a moment when Italy is about to be regenerated— when the lovi?-slumbering spirit of the 
 people is about assuming its ancient vigor, a work of this kind is desirable. * * * The country, 
 us people, and prominent features are given with much truth and force."— Democratic Review. 
 
 Views A-Foot ; 
 
 Or, Europe seen with Knapsack and Staff. 
 BY BAYARD TAYLOR. 
 
 New edition, with an additional Chapter of Practical Information for Pedes- 
 trians in Europe, and a Sketch of the Author in Pedestrian Costume, from 
 a Drawing by T. Buchanan Read 12mo., cloth, f 1 25. 
 
 The same, fancy cloth, gilt extra, $1 75. 
 
 •'There is a freshness and force in the book altogether unusual in a book of travels. 
 Asa text-book for travellers the work is essentially valuable; it tells how much can be accom- 
 plished with very limited means, when energy, curiosity, and a love of adventure are the promp- 
 ters- sympaihv in his success likewise, is another source of interest to the book. * * * The 
 result of all this is, a wide-spread popularity as a writer, a very handsomely printed book, with a 
 very handsome portrait of the author, and we congratulate him upon the attainment ol this and 
 future honors." — Union Magazine. 
 
 The Spcmim'ds^ and tlieir Country. 
 
 BY RICHARD FORD. 
 
 l2mo, green cloth. $1 00. 
 
 "The best English book, beyond comparison, that ever has appeared for the illustration, m. 
 merely of the general topography and local curiosities, but of the national character and manner* 
 of Spain "—Quarterly Review. 
 
 "This is a very clever and amusing work."— Louisville Exam. 
 
 "The style is light, dashing, and agreeable."— iST. Y. Mirror. 
 
 •,' Washington Irving commends this as the best modem popular account of Spain. 
 
 Scenes and Tliouglits in Europe. 
 
 BY AN AMERICAN. 
 
 (Geo. H. Calvert, Esq., Baltimore.) l2mo. 50 cts. 
 
 •« This hook is a delightful instance of the transforming and recreative power of the mind v 
 every ih-l "^ M touches. The most hackneyed ground of Europe, per.^ons and obiects that r. 
 been the then.c ;- the last half dozen years of every literary remiitance Irom abroad, appea 
 us clothed with new ciu.rms and meanings, becai;5e examitied with a finer penetration tnan u 
 Bave been by anv other English or American traveller."— 7'n6Mne. 
 
 6 
 
G. P. 
 
 Tlie Life and Voyages of Clwistoplier Cohmibus, 
 
 To which are added those of his Companions. 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 New Edition, Revised and Corrected. Maps, Plates, and copious Index. 
 3 vols. ]2mo, green cloth unifonn with the new edition of Irving's 
 Works, $4 ; half calf, ,$6 ; half morocco, top edge gilt, $6 75 ; full calf, 
 gilt, $7 50. The Octavo Edition, in 3 vols., on superfine paper, uniform 
 with Prescott's Ferdinand and Isabella, $6 ; half calf, ^8 50 ; full 
 calf, $10 
 " One of the most fascinating and intensely interesting books in the whole compass of English 
 Literature. * * ' It has all the interest conferred by the truth of history, and at the same time 
 the varied excitement of a well written romance."— TFes/em Continejit. 
 " Perhaps the most truly valuable of the Author's writings." — Home Journal. 
 " The History of Columbus is admirably executed ; and though a true and faithful history, it is 
 as interesting as a high wrought romance." 
 
 The Conquest of Florida, 
 
 BY THEODORE IRVING. 
 
 Prof, of History and Belles Letters in the Free Academy. 
 
 New and Revised Edition, Corrected, with Notes, and Illustrations from 
 various recent sources. l2mo. In September. 
 
 The Monwments of Central and Western America; 
 
 With Comparative Notices of those in Egypt, India, Assyria, &c. 
 BY REV. F. L. HAWKS, D. D., LL. D. 
 
 1 vol. 8vo. 
 
 This work is now in preparation, uniform with "Nineveh," and the "Monuments^ of Egypt." 
 : will comprise a comp " "' ' ' " ' ' ' •--'•• 
 
 mains on the American 
 
 It will comprise a comprehensive, readable, and popular view of the whole subject of Ancient re- 
 n continent— with ample Illustratioi 
 
 Roman lAherty : A History ; 
 
 With a View of the Liberty of other Ancient Nations. 
 
 BY SAMUEL ELLIOT, ESQ. 
 
 Illustrated with twelve engravings, executed at Rome. 2 vols., Bvo, uniform 
 with Prescott's Historical Works. 
 
 History of the Hebreio Monarchy.^ 
 
 From the Administration of Samuel to the Babylonish Captivity. 
 
 BY FRANCIS NEWMAN, D. D., 
 
 University of Oxford. 
 
 8vo, cloth, $2 50. 
 7 
 
G. P. Putnam's new publications. 
 
 CONTINUED . 
 
 Itah/; Past and Present : 
 
 Or General Views of its History, Religion, Politics, Literature and Art. 
 
 BY L. MARIOTTI, 
 
 Prof, of Italian Literature in Lojidon University. 
 
 2 vols., 8vo, cloth, f 3 50. 
 
 The Letters amd Speeches of Oliver Cromwell^ 
 
 With Elucidations. 
 BY THOS. CARLYLE. 
 
 The Fine Edition, in 2 vols.. Octavo, with Portrait. Reduced to $2 50. 
 
 Sorrow's Autohiography, — Life : 
 
 BY GEORGE BORROW, 
 
 Author of " The Gipsies of S'pain," " The Bible in Spain," Sfc 
 
 To be published simultaneously by John Murray, London, and G. P. 
 Putnam, New- York. In one volume, l2mo. In December. 
 * * This will be a work of intense interest, including extraordinary adventures in various parts 
 of the world. 
 
 Jo\nstmiJs Universal Atlas. 
 
 This splendid and important work — by far the most comprehensive, correct 
 and useful Atlas now extant, was published recently in Edmburgh at the 
 price of eight guineas, and the price in this country has been about ,$5U. 
 G. P. Putnam has made arrangements for an edition for the United States, 
 rendered far more valuable by the addition of a COPIOUS and USF^FUL 
 INDEX of about 40,000 names ; but the maps being transferred in fac- 
 simile on stone, the American publisher is enabled to supply it at the 
 low price of ,320 — elegantly and substantially bound in half morocco, 
 gilt edges. The maps are clearly and beautifully executed, and are 
 practically fully equal to the original edition. The work contains 41 
 large and splendid maps. 
 " Having examined many of the Maps of the National Atlas, 1 have no hesitation in saying, 
 that they are as accurate in their geographical details as they are beautiful in their execution."— 
 Sir David Brewster. 
 
 "So far as I have yet examined the National Atlas, it is, in beauty of execution and accuracy 
 of detail, unrivalled in this, and, I believe, in any other country." — Prof. Traill. 
 
 "Those who are not familiar with the places referred to in theHistory of the French Revolution 
 will frequentiv find a reference to Maps of great service ; and the Military student of Napoleon's 
 campaigns in Germany and France will see the theatre of war admirably delineated in Mj. John- 
 ston's Maps of those countries." — Alison's History of Europe. 
 
 "I have devoted a considerable time to a rigorous examination of the National Atlas, just pub- 
 lished, and, in impartial justice, I must admit, that in accuracy of construction, and elegance of 
 execution, it is superior to any other with which I am acquainted." — William Galbraith, F.R.S. 
 S.A., F.R.A.S. 
 
 "These beautiful, accurate, and admirably engraved Maps and Illustrations, are deserving 3f 
 every praise and encouragement." — Edinbin gh New Philosophical Journal. 
 
 "The National Atlas is truly a splendid publication, and fully deserved not only the distinctive 
 name it bears, but also national patronage."— i-uerarj/ Gazette. 
 
 8 
 
G. P. PUTNA]\l's NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 Mohammed and his Successors. 
 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 12mo. In October. 
 
 Oliver Goldsmith : a Biography. 
 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 12mo. ^1 25. 
 *,* This is a new work, just completed. Now ready. 
 
 George Washington : a Biography 
 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 With Illustrations. In preparation* 
 
 The Ancient Monwrnents of the Mississippi Valley, 
 
 Comprising the Results of Extensive Original Surveys and Explorations. 
 
 BY E. G. SQUIER, A. M., AND E. H. DAVIS, M. D. 
 
 With numerous Illustrations. Royal 4to, $10. 
 
 Ten Years of American History : 
 
 1840-49 — including a History of the Mexican War and of California. 
 BY EMMA WILLARD. 
 
 With a valuable Map. l2mo, f 1. 
 9 2 
 
G. P. Putnam's new publications. 
 
 Slrrliittrtun, 
 
 _S==r=t:^^.ri;iBi 
 
 Hints on Puhlic Architecture^ 
 
 Prepared, on behalf of the Building Committee of the Smithsonian Institution. 
 BY ROBERT DALE OWEN. 
 
 In large Quarto, elegantly printed, with 113 Illustrations in the best style 
 of the Art. Price $6. 
 
 " While the Committee ofTer the result of these researches, not so 
 much to the profession as to the public, and to public bodies, (as 
 Vestries, Building Committees, and the like,) charged with the 
 duties similar to then- own, they indulge the hope that the Architect 
 also may find subject for inquiry and material for thought. * * * 
 
 " Money is expended even lavishly to obtain the rich, the showy, 
 the comnionplace. But this period of transition may be shortened. 
 The progress of painting and sculpture, which, in other lands, has 
 been the slow growth of centuries, has been hastened in our country, 
 thanks to the genius of a few self-taught men, beyond all former 
 precedent. To stimulate genius in a kindred branch of art; to 
 supply suggestions which may call off from devious paths, and 
 mdicate to'the student the true line of progress; and thus to aid in 
 abridging that season of experiment and of failure in which the 
 glittering is preferred to the chaste, and the gaudy is mistaken for 
 the beautiful, are objects of no light importance. In such con- 
 siderations may be found the motive and the purpose of the follow- 
 ing pages." — Extract from the Preface. 
 
 "This work should be in the hands of every building committee, 
 vestry, city corporation, or other similar body, having the selections 
 of plans (or building, and of every individual having in charge a 
 similar duty. It is The only work with which we are acquainted 
 especially prepared for their use. It should find its way to the 
 shelves of every county library ; for by reference to its pages, thou- 
 sands of dollars may be saved in the selection of a proper style for 
 court-houses, churches, and other public edifices. 
 
 " Nor, though not specially addressed to the profession, is it of 
 less value to the architect. "There is much in this volume which 
 every member of the profession would do well to study. 
 
 "Of the numerous wood engravings which tbrm the chief illus- 
 trations of this volume, we cannot speak too highly. Till we ex- 
 amined them, we were not aware to what perfection the ait had been carried in our country. 
 The effect of several of these (e.«pecially of the frontispiece by Roberts) is equal to that of the 
 best steel engravings ; and the whole of" the illustrations are exceedingly creditable to American 
 art. 
 
 10 
 
G. P. PTJT^A^Vrs NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 3rrjjili-rtiirr. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 '•In point of mechanical execution we have rarely seen its equal." — N. Y. Mirror. 
 " A very valuable book. * * * In point of typojiraphy and embellishment one of the very 
 choicest volumes that ever issued from the American Press."— Albion. 
 
 " Mr Owen is a clear 
 
 thinker, and a man of 
 
 great activity of mind, 
 
 and these qualities have 
 
 impressed themselves on 
 
 his work, which is writ 
 
 ten with perspicuity and 
 
 vivacity. The principles 
 
 and sciences of architec 
 
 tural beauty are pointed 
 
 out with much beauty of 
 
 language and dexterity of 
 
 illustration. 
 " We understand that 
 
 Mr. Putnam has expend 
 
 ed on this work many 
 
 hundreds of dollars be 
 
 yond the amount speci 
 
 fied in his contract with 
 
 the Smithsonian Institu 
 
 tion ; and as the copyright 
 
 is his, we trust he will 
 
 be amply remunerated 
 
 for his liberality. "--iV. Y 
 
 Eve. Post. 
 
 " The best work on 
 
 Architecture ever pub 
 
 lished in the U. States 
 
 The illustrations are very 
 
 beautiful." — Pennsylva 
 
 nia btipiirer. 
 " The book is one wliich 
 
 will be read with interest 
 
 and pleasure even by 
 
 those who have considered architecture as a dry study. 
 "The work is exceedingly interesting, while to public bodies it is one of sreat value; and we 
 
 cannot say too much in commendation of the very superior style in which the publisher has pro- 
 duced it."— iV^. y. Com 
 Adv. 
 
 " The most compre- 
 hensive and elegantly il- 
 lustrated treatise' on arch- 
 itecture that has yet ap- 
 peared m this country."-- 
 Boston Transcript. 
 
 " A truly admirable 
 work — and creditable a- 
 like to the institution, to 
 the editor, and to the 
 publish eT."—Pen7isylva- 
 nia Inquirer. 
 
 " The subject of which 
 it treats is one of vast 
 importance to our peo- 
 
 f)Ie, in its economical not 
 ess than its ornamental 
 relations ; and it is pre- 
 sented here in such a way 
 as cannot fail both to 
 gratify and instruct." .-- 
 Philadelphia N. Ameri' 
 can. 
 
 11 
 
G. P. PUTNAi\rS NEW PUBLIC ATIOT^S. 
 
 Xanbsriipt (Bariiming, 
 
 A Tt'eatis-e on the Theory and Practice of Landscape 
 Gardenivg and Rural Arcliitecture^ 
 
 Adapted to North America. With a view to the Improvement of Country 
 Residences — comprising Historical Notices, and General Principles of the 
 Art ; Directions for laying out Grounds and arranging Plantations; the 
 Description and Cultivation of Hardy Trees ; Decorative Accompaniments 
 to the House and Grounds ; the Formation of Pieces of Artificial Water, 
 Flower Gardens, &c ; with Remarks on Rural Architecture. 
 
 BY A. J. DOWNING. 
 
 Fourth Edition, Revised, Enlarged, and Newly Illustrated. One haiidsome 
 volume, 8vo., cloth, f$:\ 50. 
 
 _^_^^, ^i^; ^_ "John Bull looks at Brother Jonathan 
 
 -^'5S7- -?L :?i\ Sa^ ^ with a strange compound of feelings. He 
 
 ^E|^ dislikes him as a rival ; he loves him, and 
 
 V j^^ is proud of him, as bein?, after all, of hia 
 
 .^= - -sSJTji own flesh and blood. BiU whenever, in 
 
 ^? science, art, or literature, Jonath.vn treads 
 
 ^^ rather sharply on the heels of John, the 
 
 said John bellows out most lustily. Of all 
 
 ^* the arts of the universe which were likely 
 
 to be the ground of competition between 
 
 ^ proseniior and descendant, I.andscapo 
 
 Gardening would, in this case, seem to be 
 
 the last. And yet, our American brethren, 
 
 so far from being behind us in skill, en- 
 
 thiLsiasm, or execution, seem to be taking 
 
 tlir Itad most decidedly. * * ' There 
 
 IS now lying before us a thick octavo 
 
 ,-_,.^;^,;^,,.,.-,.., ^.; - volume of about 500 pages, entitled -A 
 
 ^^-^-V'^K■:^^*.■'re-^'■•' Treatise on the Tiieory and Practice of 
 
 r S-- vii. - (,andsca:)e Gardening, adapted to North 
 
 12 
 
 ^Ir 
 
G. p. Putnam's isew publications. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 America.' It is by A. J. Downing, author of 'Desims for Cottage Residences, &c.' • • • 
 The volume itself is beautifully got up. It is full of admirably executed illustrations, represent 
 ing very numerous landscape gardening and architecttn-al effects. It has reached its second 
 edition In 1&44, although an expensive work ; a consummation which a siinilar treatise, published 
 in England, by an English Landscape Gardener, could scarcely have hoped to reach. * * * So 
 mucirfor the "present"; details will come forth hereafter; and then, most excellent John Bull, 
 you will see that this is no time to fold your arms, and loll in your chair, as if the race had been 
 won and the prize already yours. You have not gained the victory, nor the prize."— Londnn 
 " Gardener's Chronicle " Edited by Prof. Lindley. 
 
 " Mr. Downing has here produced a very delightful work, and has convinced us that sound 
 criticism and refined taste, in matters of art, are not confined to this side of the Atlantic." — London 
 Art Union Journal. 
 
 "The principles he lays down are not only sound, but are developed on a uniform system 
 which is not paralleled in any English work. "—Pro/". Lindley' s Chronicle, London. 
 
 " A masterly work."— jLowf/on. 
 
 "There is no work extant which can be compared in ability to Downing's volume on this sub- 
 ject. It is not overlaid with elaborate and learned disquisition, like the English works, but is 
 truly practical." — Louisville Journal. 
 
 "The standard work on this subject." — Silliman's Journal. 
 
 3Jliiitrnlngti. 
 
 DancDs System of Mineralogy. 
 
 A System of Mineralogy — Comprising the most recent discoveries ; with 
 numerous wood-cuts and four copper- plates. 
 
 BY JAMES D. DANA, 
 
 Geologist of the U. <S'. Exploring Expedition. 
 
 The third Edition of this valuahle and important work, with essential 
 additions and revisions, bringing the subject down to the present hour — 
 is now in the Press, and will be published shortly. 8vo., $3 50. 
 "This work docs jreat honor lu America, and should make us blusn for the neglect iii England 
 of an imiM.n;mf and 'interesting sc\<in<:e."— London Athc.-imim. 
 
 13 
 
G. P. PUTI^AMS NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 important Sootanirnl B?orb. 
 
 The Genera of the Plants of the United States. 
 
 Genera Florae Boreali- Oriental! Illustrata : illustrated by Figures and Ana- 
 lyses from Nature, by Isaac Sprague. Superintended, with descriptions, 
 &c., by Prof A. Gray. Vol. I, plates 1—100, 8vo, cloth, $6. Vol. II, 
 plates, 8vo, cloth, $6. 
 *,* The Second volume icill be ready in August. 
 
 " The design of this work is to illustrate the Botany of the United States by figures, with full 
 analyses of one or more species of each genus, accompanied by descriptive generic characters and 
 critical observations. The figures are in all ca-ses drawn directly from nature." — Ext. Preface. 
 
 *,* This is undoubtedly the most important botanical work ever published in the United States. 
 The Illustrations are executed in a very superior style. G. P. Putnam ia now the sole publisher 
 of the work. 
 
 Flora of North America ; 
 
 Containing Descriptions of all the known Indigenous and Naturalized Plants 
 growing north of Mexico ; according to the Natural System. By Prof. 
 John Torrey and Prof A. Gray. Vol. I, 8vo, cloth, $6. 
 
 The same, Part I to VI, each $1 50: Part VII, ^1. 
 
 '.* This elaborate and valuable work will form three volumes, octavo. The remainder will 
 be issued as soon as practicable. 
 
 Prof. Grafs Botanical Text Boo\ 
 
 For Colleges and High Schools. New Edition, with about 1000 Engravings 
 on Wood. Large 12mo, cloth, %\ 75. 
 
 Part I. — An Introduction to Structural and Physiological Botany. 
 Part II. — The Principles of Systematic Botany ; with an Account of the Chief 
 Natural Families of the Vegetable Kingdoms, &c (fee. 
 
 *,* This is by far the most comprehensive, clear and correct text-book on Botany now in use. 
 It is introduced in the University of Edinburgh, and is used in Harvard and many oilier American 
 Colleges. 
 
 Prof. Gray's Manual of the Biriany of the Northern States. l2mo. $2. 
 
 14 
 
G. P. PUTNAjfS NEW PUBLICAIIONS. 
 
 B3as[iingtDii lruing'0 Wmh. 
 
 AUTHOR'S REVISED EDITION. 
 Elegantly printed in 15 vols, (including new works) and neatly bound in dark cloth. 
 vol. 
 
 I. Knickerbocker'' s Neiv- York - - 1 vol. $1 25. 
 II. The Sketch Book - - - 1 vol. 1 25. 
 
 IV. ( Columbus and His Companions 3 vols. 4 00. 
 
 YI. Bracebridge Hall - - - 1 vol. 1 25. 
 
 YII. Tales of a Traveller - - 1 vol. 1 25. 
 
 VIII. Astoria, (pp. 510 with map) - - 1 vol. 1 50. 
 
 IX. The Crayon Miscellany - - 1 vol. 1 25. 
 
 X. Capt. Bonneville's Adventures, map 1 vol. 1 25. 
 
 *XI. Oliver Goldsmith, a Biography - 1 vol. 1 25. 
 
 *X1L Mohammed and his Successors 1 vol. 
 
 *XI1I. The Cojiqnest of Granada - - 1 vol. 1 25. 
 
 *XIV. The Alhambra - - - - 1 vol. 1 25. 
 
 *XY. [A new volume.] - - - - 1 vol. 1 25. 
 
 • Those marked thus are not yet ready, June, 1849. 
 
 * • Either volume, or complete sets may also be had substantially bound in half calf, 75 cts. 
 extra ; half morocco $1 extra ; full calf, $1 25 extra. 
 
 NOTICES OF THE NEW EDITION OF IRVING. 
 
 "The tvno<rraphy of this series is all that could be desired. Nothing superior to it has issued 
 from he Am"erican press. Irvine will be amon- American classics what Goldsmith is among 
 hoTe of the Fatherland. His works have not been crowded froni our shelves by the hosts of new 
 claimants for public favor, who have appeared since the Sketch Book was m every body's hands. 
 We 1 ave often won.Iered in common with other readers, why there vvas no good American edition 
 of his wrilin-s • but his place in our literary affections remains as high as ever. The desideratum 
 of which we' speak, is n..w to be supplied by Mr. Putnam; and we are now to have an elegan 
 uniform edition of the works of our foremost writer in the belles-lettres department of literatur.;." 
 —Boston Evening Transcript. 
 
 "The announcement that a new edition of the works of this admired author was m progress, 
 h-is led .1' 'o revert with pleasure to the delight we enjoyeti in our first acquaintance with him 
 throu-h his charmin- books. He was the first of American writers in the depanment of elegant 
 iterature who obtained a wide name and fame in ihe ol.l world. Great Britain France, Northern 
 and Southern Europe, are alike familiar with his deli-htlul and most healthful writings and 
 doubne-^s his own ''ood standing abroad has done more ihan any other single cause to introduce 
 the names and works of others of our countrymen. There is a charm about his writings to which 
 old ami^youne, the educated and the simple, bear cheerful witness. • ' Several new works 
 
 have nof yei 'seen the li-ht. Amon- these is announced a Life of Mohammed, and a Life of 
 Wa'^hiu'^ion. As to the latter subject for a volume, we can only say, that if another Life of Wash- 
 ington needs be written-which we doubt-we should preler, of all men, to have VVashington 
 Irvin- undertake it. The other promised biography, the Life of Mohammed, is a grand an unex- 
 hau"t"ed, and a most invitin- theme. It has never yet been well treated, nor is it probable tha 
 ihere 1== a man on this Continent better qualified to treat it with discrimination and power, and 
 with faithfulness to the truth, than Washington Irvine If our country can be covered with a 
 lar^'e issue of his writinss, it will make some amends for the flood of trumpeiy which the Press 
 has" poured over \t."— Christian Register. 
 "The most tasteful and elegant books which have ever issued from the American Press, "-rrt* 
 
 15 
 
G. P. Putnam's isew publications. 
 
 1849-50. 
 
 THE AUTHOR'S REVISED EDITION. 
 
 The Spy : A Tale of the JSFeuPral Ground. 
 
 New Edition. Revised, &c., with Introduction and Notes, handsomely 
 printed, uniform with the Sketch-Book, &c. l2mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 The Pilot : A Tale of the Sea. 
 
 I2mo. ^1 25. In September. To be followed by other vols, at intervals. 
 
 MR. COOPER'S NEW WORK. 
 The Ways of the Hour. 
 
 12mo, uniform with " The Spy." In press. 
 
 " The public will cordially welcome a new and complete edition of this author's admirable tales, 
 revisedj corrected, and illustrated with notes by himself. This is No. 1 of the new series, and is 
 got up m the style of Irving's works, which we have over and over again commended. As for the 
 tale itself, there is no need to speak of it. It has a place on every shelf, and at once made the fame 
 of its author. It is an absolute pleasure to the lover of books to find the ultra-cheap system going 
 out of vogue." — N. Y. Albion. 
 
 " We are happy to see Mr. Putnam bringing out these American classics, the works of Cooper 
 and Irving, to refresh the present generation as they amused the last. We belong, as their two 
 fine authors do, to both, if men of a buoyant temper and an unflagging spirit ever pass from one 
 generation to another. We remember, as of yesterday, with what eagerness we drank in the tale 
 of ' The Spy,' when it first saw the light ; and how we admired the genius of its author, from the 
 beauty of its production. We can enjoy it still ; and so will every American who has taste enough 
 to appreciate an American narrative, told so well by an American wrher."— Washington Union. 
 
 '' 'The Spy' is the most truly national fiction ever produced in America. * * * It is esteemed 
 abroad even more than at home, for it has been translated into almost every European language, 
 and the prejudiced critics of the North British Review have almost consented to give it rank 
 with ' The Antiquary ' and ' Old Mortality.' "—Richmond Times. 
 
 Cla/rence / or Twenty Years Since. 
 
 The Author's Revised Edition ; complete in one vol. Uniform with Irving's 
 Works. In August. 
 
 Redmood, 
 
 The Author's Revised Edition ; complete in one vol. In September* 
 
 A New England Tale ; 
 
 Complete in one vol. In October. 
 16 
 
G. P. Putnam's new publications. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 EXTRAORDINARY AND ROMANTIC ADVENTURES. 
 
 "Kaloolah will be the book." 
 
 Kaloolah ; or^ Jowrneyings to the Djehel Kwm/ri, 
 
 An Autobiography of Jona. Romer. 
 EDITED BY W. S. MAYO, M. D. 
 
 Illustrations by Darley, beautifully engraved and printed in tint, l2mo, cloth, %\ 50. 
 
 " The most singular and captivating narrative since Robinson Crusoe."— /Tome Journal. 
 
 " ' Kaloolah will be 'The Book.' If it does not excite a sensation in the reading public we will 
 be perfectly contented to distrust our judgment in such matters in future." — Merchant's Journal. 
 
 " By far the most attractive and entertaining book we have read since the days we were fasci- 
 nated by the chef d'ocuvre of Defoe or the graceful inventions of the Arabian Nights. It is truly an 
 American novel— not v/holly American in scenery, but American in character and American in 
 sentiment " — U. S. Magazine and Democratic Review. 
 
 •' We have never read a work of fiction with more interest, and we may add, profit— combining, 
 as it does, with the most exciting and romantic adventures, a great deal of information of various 
 kinds. The heroine, Kaloolah, is about as charming and delicate a specimen of feminine nature, 
 as we recollect in any work of imagination or fancy. We will answer for it that all readers will 
 be perfectly delighted with her." — Journal of Education. 
 
 " We have met with no modem work of fiction that has so entranced us. The former part of 
 Kaloolah carries the reader captive by the same irresistible charm that is found in the paees of 
 Robinson Crusoe, than which imperishable work, however, it presents a wider and more varied 
 field of adventure ; while the latter part expands into scenes of splendor, magnificence, and en- 
 chantment, unsurpassed by those of the Arabian Nights' Entertainment."— Co?n. Advertiser. 
 
 Letters from tlie AUegliany Mountains, 
 
 BY CHARLES LANMAN, 
 
 Librarian of the War Department ; Author of "^ Summer in the Wilderness," S^c. 
 
 l2nio, 75 cts. 
 
 • * These letters are descriptive of one of the most interesting regions in the old states of the 
 Union, which has never before been describeil by any traveller, and they will be found to contam a 
 great amount of valuable information, as well as many characteristic anecdotes and legends of 
 the western parts of North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. 
 
 The TurTcislh Evening Entertainments : 
 
 The Wonders of Memorials and the Rarities of Anecdotes. By Ahmed Bek 
 Hemden, the Kiyaya. Translated from the Turkish. 
 
 BY JOHN P. BROWN, ESQ., 
 
 Dragoman of the Legation of the United States, at Constantinople. 
 l2mo. In Septem/)er. 
 
 "It is bv far the most interesting book that has been published at Con.stantinople for a lone time. 
 • ' * the historical and amuMng interest of the two hundred and seven cuno.sities, which I 
 mi'iht call anecdotes, is so obvious," &,c.— Von Hammer, the celebrated Orientalist, to the 
 Translator. 
 
 ' Th^s book is one of the most interesting and amusing which has appeared."— ./bwr. Asiatique 
 
 17 
 
Q. P. 
 
 Bulwer and Forbes on the Water Treatment. 
 
 Edited, with additional matter, by Roland S. Houghton, A. M., M. D. One 
 volume, l2mo, cloth, 75 cts. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 I. Bulwer's "Confessions of a Water Patient." II. Dr. Forbes on Hydropathy. III. Remarks 
 on Bathing and the Water Treatment, by Erasmus Wilson, M. D., F. R. S, author of '-Wilson's 
 Anatomy," " Wilson on Healthy Skin," &c. IV. Medical Opinions, by Sir Charles S-.-udamoic, 
 Herbert Mayo, Drs. Cooke, Freeman, Heaihcote, «fec. V. Observations on Hygiene and the Water 
 Treatment, by the Editor. 
 
 The object of this work is to interest literary and professional men, and all oilier persons of se- 
 dentary habiis or pursuits in the subject of Hygiene and the Water Treatment, lo attract their 
 attention to the importance of acquiring a correct knowledge of Health, with a view lo the f re- 
 veniion and cure of disease by Hygienic management, aril to define those leading general princi- 
 ples which lie at the basis of genuine Water Cure. 
 
 Essays and Orations. 
 
 Bv Rev. George W. Bethunf, D. D. 
 One volume, l2mo. In Stpt. 
 
 This volume will comprise all the popular occasional Orations and Discourses of the distin- 
 guished author; and the variety and importance of the subjects discussed are such as to render the 
 volume exceedingly interesting and attractive to the general reader. 
 
 Coleridge! s Biograpliia Literaria. 
 
 Biographia Literaria ; or Biographical Sketches of my Literary Life and Opi- 
 nions. By Samuel Taylor Coleridge. From the 2d London edition, pre- 
 pared for publication by the late H. N. Coleridge. 2 vols. l2mo. $2. 
 
 " His rnind contains an astonishing map of all sorts of knowledge, while in his power and man- 
 ner of putting it to use, he displays more of what we mean by the term genius than any mortal 1 
 ever saw, or ever expect to .see."— Jb/i/i Foster. 
 
 A Lift for the Lazy ; 
 
 Neatly printed in duodecimo. 75 cts. 
 
 " They have been at a great feast of languages and stolen the scraps."— /S%aA;speare. 
 
 • * This volume, printed in a novel style, comprises comprehensive and original materials for 
 " Table Talk" — such as literary anecdotes and statistics, origin of words, philological curiosities, 
 quaint scraps from old authors, strange customs, odd sayings; in short, as a commonplace book 
 of an extensive reader and shrewd observer., it is a most acceptable " lift" for those who are too 
 lazy or too busy to read whole libraries for themselves. 
 
 Tli£ Fountain of Living Waters. 
 
 BY A LAYMAN. 
 
 In a neat and elegant presentation volume, with a Vignette, In October. 
 
 " And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come ; 
 And let him 'hat heareth say. Come : 
 And let him that is athirst. Come ; 
 And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." 
 
 Rev. 22 : 17 
 
 18 
 
G. P. PUTlS^AIVl's NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 The Illustrated Knickerhocker ; 
 
 The History of New-York^ 
 From the Beginning of the World to the end of the Dutch Dynasty: containing, 
 among many surprising and curious matters, the Unutterable Ponderings 
 of Walter the Doubter ; the Disastrous Projects of WiUiam the Testy, and 
 the Chivalric Achievements of Peter the Headstrong — the Three Dutch 
 Governors of New- Amsterdam : Being the only authentic History of tha 
 Times that ever hath been or ever will be published. 
 
 BY DIEDRICH KNICKERBOCKER. 
 
 Illustrated with 15 superior engravings on wood, by the most eminent artists, 
 from Designs by Darley, viz : 
 
 Oloffe Van Kortland measuring the land with Portrait of Diedrich Knickerbocker, from am, 
 
 Tenbroeck' s breeches. i original painting lately discovered by the 
 
 Vision of Oloffe the Dreamer, of the future Expedition to Holland. 
 
 city of New- Amsterdam. : The Dutch Exploring Expedition cast away 
 
 The Peach War. at Hurlgate. 
 
 Portrait of Wouter Van TwiUer,from authen- Dutch Lover. 
 
 tic sources. • Kidderineisten in his Coffin. 
 
 Gen. Van Poffenburg, practicing war on the Battle at Fort Christina. 
 
 Sunflowers. Knickerbocker raging at the crying children. 
 
 Knickerbocker jnaking his bote to the public. 
 
 And a larger illustration on stone, from a drawing by Heath, of London ; 
 
 a humorous representation of Peter Stuyvesant's Anny. 
 Elegantly printed in Royal Octavo. Price in cloth, ^3 50 ; extra dark cloth, 
 
 gilt edges, $4 ; dark calf, antique style, ^5 ; morocco extra, ^6. In 
 
 September. 
 
 The Illustrated Sketch-Book. 
 
 The Sketch-Book. 
 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 Illustrated with a series of highly-finished Engravings on Wood, from Designs 
 
 by Darley and others, Engraved in the best style by Childs, Herrick, &c. 
 
 One volume, square octavo, cloth extra, ^3 50 ; cloth gilt, ^4 ; morocco 
 
 extra, $6. 
 
 " We confess that we know of none in this country so competent to the task of illustrating this 
 
 work as the young artist selected for the purpose, Felix Darley, some of whose designs we have 
 
 had the pleasure of seeing. They are full of the quiet, Crayonish humor peculiar to the author, 
 
 and drawn with the same elegant finish and freedom from blemish which distinguish all his works. 
 
 Until we saw these desisrns we were incredulous as to the ability of any of our native artiata to 
 
 properly illustrate the humorous passages of Irving's writings."— J^^oenm^ Mirror. 
 
 The Illustrated Tales of a Traveller, 
 
 Tales of a Traveller. 
 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 Illustrated with 15 designs by Darley, engraved on wood in the first style by 
 Childs, Herrick, Leslie, Bobbet, Edtnonds, &c. One volume, Royal 8vo, 
 same style and prices as the Knickerbocker. 
 • It is intended that the ensravings in this volume and in the Knickerbocker shall exceed in 
 excellence any thing of the kind'yet produced in this country. It will be ready in October. 
 
 19 
 
p. putn-am's new publications. 
 
 (Clinia SllMtrnti^h aSflnlti 
 
 CONTINUED 
 
 The Illustrated Goldsmith, 
 
 Oliver Goldsmith^ a Biogr aphy. 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 With about 40 Illustrations selected by the publisher from Forster's Life Of 
 Goldsmith, beautifully engraved on wood by W. Roberts. 8vo. In 
 August. 
 
 Fcmiily Pictures from the Bible, 
 
 EDITED BY MRS. E. F. ELLETT. 
 
 Comprising original articles by Rev. Dr. Bethune, Rev. H. Field, Rev. Mr. 
 
 Burchard, and other Eminent Divines. 
 Illustrated vv^ith designs by Darley, elegantly printed, l2mo. In Sept. 
 
 Tlie Illust/ixited Monuments of Egijpt. 
 
 Egypt and Its Monuments. 
 
 As Illustrative of Scripture History. 
 
 BY REV. DR. HAWKS. 
 
 With Architectural and other Views finely executed on stone, and numerous 
 engravings on wood, from the works of Rossellini, ChampoUion, Wilkin- 
 son, &c. Royal 8vo. In September. 
 
 The Illustrated Nineveli. 
 
 Layard''s Nineveh and its Remains. 
 
 With 103 Illustrations on wood and on stone. 2 vols, in one, handsomely 
 bound in half morocco, gilt edges, $5 ; calf extra, antique style, $6. 
 
 Tlw Illustrated Italy. 
 
 The Genius of Italy., 
 
 Or Sketches of Italian Life, Literature and Religion. 
 
 BY REV. ROBERT TURNBULL. 
 
 With views of Milan Cathedral, the Roman Forum, Pompeii, St. Peters, and 
 the Lake of Como, beautifully engraved on wood, elegantly bound in 
 extra cloth, gilt edges, $2. In September. 
 
 20 
 
G. P. Putnam's new publications. 
 
 ^m %MxM afinuki 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 Tlie Illustrated Pilgrim! s Progress. 
 
 New and beautiful edition of Pil^im's Progress, (in an elegant volume, uni- 
 form with Tilt's Illustrated Milton, &c.) To be published simultaneously 
 by David Bogue, London, and Geo. P. Putnam, New-York, a new and 
 beautifully Illustrated Edition of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress ; with a 
 new, original Life of Bunyan, written expressly for this Edition, by Rev. 
 George B. Cheever, D. D. The whole containing from 250 to 300 Illus- 
 trations, exquisitely Engraved on Wood, by the best Engravers in London, 
 from Original Drawings by an Eminent Artist, and Printed in the best 
 Style of the Art. In one elegant volume. 
 
 prospectus. 
 
 In introducing to public notice a new edition of The Pilgrim's Progress— the most popular book 
 in the English Language— it is unnecessary to expatiate on the merits so imiversally admiued aa 
 those of the 
 
 " Ingenious dreamer ! in whose well-told tale 
 Sweet fiction and sweet truth alike prevail." 
 
 The publisher, therefore, confines himself to a simple enumeration of the mam features by which 
 the present edition will be distinguished. 
 
 This distinction is threefold : 
 
 1st. In the Purity of the Text. It will be printed from the latest editions published in the 
 author's lifetime, containing his last revisions and alterations. For this purpose the extremely 
 rare edition of the first part, published in 1688, has been placed at the publisher's disposal by the 
 diligent researches of George Offor, Esq. of Hackney, whose library contains, amongst other trea- 
 sitires, an unrivalled collection of early editions of Bunyan. Most of the ordinary editions of this 
 divine allegory are very erroneous ; and printed as they have been from one another, without 
 reference to the originals, show alterations and omissions altogether at variance with the Author's 
 text.t 
 
 2d. In the absence of Notes. With very few exceptions, all the recent editions of the Pilgrim 
 are encumbered with tedious doctrinal notes, overlaying the text, and distracting the attention of 
 the reader from the original narrative. From these this edition will be altogether tree. The work 
 will be laid before the "reader as Bunyan left it; the only variations will consist in the correction 
 and verification of the marginal references, which, from errors of the press, are in the early 
 editions frequently inaccurate. 
 
 3d In the Illustrations. In the present edition these are greatly more numerous and of a higher 
 class, than have ever been given with the work. They will range from Two Hundred and Fifty 
 ',0 Three Hundred in number, engraved by tbe Brothers Dalziel, from Drawings by William Har- 
 vev, the most graceful and imaginative of modern designers, and will consist of Head and Tail Pieces, 
 Vi't^nettes, and Border Illustrations, in all that variety of pictorial arrangement for which this artist 
 is so celebrated. A beautifully engraved Portrait of the Author will also be given from the origi- 
 nal drawin"-, by R. White, preserved in the British Museum ; from which was engraved the like- 
 aess attached to the first edition of the Holy War (now extremely rare). This will be engraved on 
 steel, in the line manner, by Mr. H. Bourne, forming at once the finest and most authentic Portrait 
 of Bunyan ever published. 
 
 The Work will be printed in crown octavo, in the best manner, and will be published in Monthly 
 Parts, price 25 cents each. Part I. will appear in a few days. 
 
 Each Part will contain Forty pages of Letterpress, and from Twenty-five to Thirty Engravings 
 on Wood. 
 
 The Work will be complete in about Ten, but not exceeding Twelve, Parts. 
 * * A few Copies, printed on Lar<je Paper (price 2/. 2^. or $10), with the finest impressions of 
 the Cuts in their best state. As these will be issued only in a complete lorm, persons desirous to 
 possess them should at once forward their names to the publisher. 
 
 t A few specimens of these inaccuracies are given in a separate Prospcetus, with a specimen of 
 the work, which will be supplied (gratis) «.n application. 
 
 N.B —TO THE T^ADE.— The first number will be forwarded generally as 
 a Specimen, on sale ; but no fiiture number will be sent unless actually ordered. 
 
 21 
 
Gt. P. putjn'am's new publication's. 
 
 Cljnto ^Unstnitei %uk. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 Zays of tJie Westeivi World. 
 
 Contents : — " Love's Requiem," by Charles Fenno Hoffman ; "The Mother of Moses," by Mrs. 
 Osgood ; " The I,and of Dreams," by Wm. C. Bryant ; " Lees in the Cuf of Life," by Mrs. S. G. 
 Howe ; "The Night Cometh," by Mrs. Embury ; " The Tournament at Acre," by H. W. Her- 
 bert; "Greenwood," by Miss Pindar ; " Worship," by Miss Bayard; "The Child's Mission," by 
 Mrs. Embury. 
 
 Small folio, illuminated in the most superb manner by Mapleson, with Borders and Vignettes- 
 printed in Gold, Silver, and Colors — bound in morocco, in a massive style — forming the most 
 elegant and recherche book of the kind ever produced in this country. $12. 
 
 Oriental lAfe Illustrated : 
 
 Being a New Edition of " Eothen," or, Traces of Travel Brought Home from 
 the East. Illustrated with fine Steel Engravings. l2mo, cloth, extra 
 gilt, $1 50. 
 
 Illustrated Grecian and Roman Mythology, 
 
 BY M. A. DWIGHT. 
 
 With Preface by Prof. Tayler Lewis, of the University of New- York. 17 
 Illustrations. 1 vol. 8vo, cloth extra, half morocco, top edge gilt, $3 75 ; 
 cloth, gilt edges, $3 50 ; plain $3. 
 
 Poems, 
 
 BY ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH. 
 
 Illustrated by Durand, Huntington, Darley, Dugan, Rothermel, (fee. &c. 
 One volume, 8vo Elegantly printed on superfine paper, uniform with 
 the Illustrated Editions of Willis, Bryant, Longfellow, &c. Cloth, $1 50 ; 
 gilt extra, ^2 ; morocco extra, ^3. 
 
 A. Boole of the Hudson / 
 
 Collected from the Various Writings of Diedrich Knickerbocker. Edited by 
 Geoffrey Crayon. New edition in large type, with four Illustrations. 
 l8mo, 50 cents. 
 The Cheaper Edition, without plates, smaller type, 37J cents. 
 "One of the most delightful w^-'.cs in the language." — Boston Transcript. 
 "Summer Tou'-ists on the Hudson can find no plea-santer companion than this." 
 "A happy idea this of brinsine tosrether in a volume, for the pnrket. the scattered tales and 
 sketches of'the Hudson, which fill so many attractive paees in 'he different volumes of Washing- 
 ton Irviner. The man IS to be envied who. with a '•..miner jry before him, embarks on one of 
 the floatin? palaces of the river with this choice volume for his cnmp;mion. as he is borne along 
 the ample breadth of the Tappan Sea, by the walls of the Palisades, or threads the srrand defiles 
 of the Highlands He will be put in a mood for the most exquisite enjoyment of book and land- 
 scape as he glances from one to the other." — Lit. World. 
 
 22 
 
G. P. PUTNAIkl S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 dDtjitr ^^opular 0olumts for pmnb. 
 
 ELEGANTLY BOUND IN EXTRA CLOTH, GILT EDGES. 
 Those marked thus * are New Editions, with illuminated title-pages. Ea^^ ^^mo. 
 
 * Chaucer : Selections, hy Deshler - - - ^1 UU. 
 
 * Fouque's Undine and Sintram - - - 1 00. 
 
 * Gilman's Sibyl; or, New Oracles from Poets 1 50. 
 
 * Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield, illustrated 1 00. 
 
 * Hervey's Book of Christmas - - - - 1 00. 
 
 * Howitt's {Mary) Songs and Ballads, with portrait 1 25. 
 
 * Hood's Prose and Verse - - ' ' ' \^^S 
 
 * Hunt's Italian Poets " " * " " 7 ^^* 
 
 * Hunt's Imagination and Fancy - - ' ^ ^^ 
 Irving's Sketch-Book - - " " ' | l,^" 
 Irving's Bracebridge Hall - - - - 1 75. 
 Irvijig's Tales of a Traveller ' ' ' } \l' 
 Irving's Oliver Goldsmith, a Biography - 1 7o. 
 
 * Keats' Poetical Works - - - " ^ ^^• 
 
 * Keats' Life and Letters | ^^• 
 
 * Lamb's Dramatic Poets - - - " j ^||- 
 
 * Lamb's Essays of Elia - - - " 1^0 
 
 * Oriental Life Illustrated, plates - - - 1 ^"• 
 
 Green on Bronchitis. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED. 
 
 SSkit Chroric Laryngitis, Clergyman's Sore Throa,, &c. &c. 
 
 BY HORACE GREEN, A.M., M.D., &.C. 
 Plates improved and carefully Colored. Royal 8vo, gilt tops, $3. 
 aTheAu,horh,.ma,,ea™s,v.;ua^^^^^^^ 
 
 »22£HEH!±ar— .a....i.i— »^ 
 
 23 
 
G. P. Putnam's new publications. 
 
 ^eit-lDob for Cnllegts mh ligli §t^mlB. 
 
 The PraGtical Elocutionist^ 
 
 For Colleges, Academies, and High Schools, 
 
 BY JOHN W. S. HOWS, 
 
 Professor of Elocution in Columbia College. 
 
 *,* This work is confidently recommended to the attention of the Teaching Public, and intelli- 
 gent students, for its thorough practical character. 
 
 It comprises the Author's system of Elocutionary Instruction, which, during a long course of 
 successful professional practice, has been most satisfactorily tested and stamped by public ap- 
 proval. 
 
 A close analytical dissection of the sense and construction of language is made the leading prin- 
 ciple of instruction, rather than a servile adherence to elaborate mechanical rules. Nature is at 
 all times followed as the only sure Teacher. The perceptive and reasoning powers of the Pupil 
 are constantly brought into action, and the few essential rules of the art are so simplified and 
 adapted on these principles, as to become only the subordinate auxiliaries in the acquirement of an 
 earnest, natural, and unaffected mode of delivery. 
 
 A copious and varied selection of Examples, from the best Authors, are given for practice in the 
 illustration of the system, the larger portion of which have never before been incorporated into 
 any similar work. They will be found of an uniform higli-toned character, and will furnish to the 
 youthful Pupil a vocabulary of thought and intbrraation on topics of general importance and in- 
 terest. 
 
 Large 12ino. In August. 
 
 TJie Crayon Reading JBooh ; 
 
 Comprising Selections from the various Writings of 
 
 WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 Prepared for the use of Schools. l2mo. In August. 
 
 *,* This volume comprises a series of scenes, adventures, sketches of character, and historical 
 pictures from the Life of Columbus, Astoria, Tour on the Prairies, Granada, Bracebridge Hall, 
 Sketch Book, &c., arranged so as to form an acceptable and useful reading book for the higher 
 classes in schools and academies. 
 
 The Botanical Text-Booh. 
 
 BY PROF. A. GRAY, 
 
 Of Harvard College. 
 
 With 1000 Engravings on wood. New edition, l2mo, $1 75. [See page IL] 
 
 "The best elementary view of the vegetable \i\ns,Aom."—Silliman^s Journal. 
 
 Prof. DanoHs System of Mineralogy ; 
 
 Comprising the most recent discoveries. New edition, 8vo, $3 50. [See p. 13.] 
 
 A Chemical Text- Booh. 
 
 BY OLIVER WOLCOTT GIBBS, 
 
 Professor of Chemistry in the Free Academy, New- York. 
 
 12mo. In preparation. 
 
 24 
 
G. P. putj^am's new publications. 
 
 €nt-33nnk3 for CullrgrH nnii Jjigl; Irjjiinls. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 ^ Mytliolocjical Text- Book : 
 
 With original illustrations. Adapted to the use of Universities and High Schools, 
 and for popular reading. 
 
 BY M. A. DWIGHT, 
 
 With an Introduction by Tayler Lewis, Professor of Greek in the University 
 
 of New- York. 12nio, half bound ^1 50. 
 Also, a fine edition in octavo, with illustrations, cloth, ^.3 ; cloth gilt, $.3 50 ; 
 
 half morocco, top edge gilt, ^3 75. 
 
 *,* This work has been prepared with great care, illustrated with effective outline arawings, 
 and is designed to treat the subject in an original, comprehensive, and unexceptionable manner, so 
 as to fill ihe place, as a text-book, which is yet unsupplied ; while it is also an attractive and 
 readable table book for general use. It is introduced as a text-book in many of the leading colleges 
 and schools. 
 
 " As a book of reference for the general reader, we know not its equal. The information it con- 
 tains is almost as necessary to the active reader of modern literature, as for the professed scholar." 
 — Home Journal. 
 
 "A valuable addition to our elementary school books, being written in good taste and with ability, 
 and well adapted to popular instruction.— Pro/". Webster, Principal of the Free Acadeiny, N. Y 
 
 Coe's Drawing Cards. 
 
 Studies in Drawing, in a Progressive Series of Lessons on Cards ; beginning 
 with the most Elementary Studies, and adapted for use at Home and in 
 Schools. 
 
 BY BENJAMIN H. COE, 
 
 Teacher of Drawing. 
 
 In ten Series — marsed 1 to 10 — each containing about eighteen Studies. 
 25 cents each Series. 
 
 The design is : 
 I. To make the exercise in drawing highly interesting to the pupil. 
 II. To make drawings so simple, and so gradually progressive, as to enable any teacher, whether 
 
 acquainted with drawing or not, to instruct his pupils to ad\-antage. 
 ni. To take the place of one half of the writing lessons, with confidence that the learner will 
 
 acquire a knowledge of writing in less time than is usually required. 
 IV. To give the pupils a bold, rapid, and artist-like style of drawing. 
 
 They are executed with taste and skill, and form, in our judgment, one of the best series of les- 
 sons in drawing, which we have met with. The author justly remarks, that " the whole is so sim- 
 plified as to enable any teacher, without previous study, to instruct his pupils with advantage." 
 
 % I, a. Bilitnni (Erxt-Sf 
 
 An 'Elementary Treatise on Artillery and Infantry.^ 
 
 Adapted for the Service of the United States. Designed for the use of Cadets 
 of the U. S Military Academy, and for the Officers of the Independent, 
 Companies and Volunteers. ]2mo. 
 
 BY C. P. KINGSBURY, LIEUT. U. S. A. 
 
 *^' This volume is used as a text-book in the Unitcil States Militaiy xVcademy, and will be intro- 
 duced in the other military schools. It is the most useful and coruprehensive treatise in eithet 
 French or English ; and is equally adapted for use in the militia service and in th^ d^xxaj. 
 
 25 
 
Q. P. puti^am's new publicatioks. 
 
 Slnglo-laxon. 
 
 Anglo-Saxon Cowse of Study, 
 
 A Compendious A^iglo- Saxon and English Dictwnary. 
 
 By the Rev. Joseph Bosworth, D.D., F.R.S., &c., &c, 1 vol., 8vo, 
 cloth, $3. 
 
 A Grammar of the Anglo-Saxon Language. 
 
 By Louis F. Klipstei??, A.M., LL.M., and Ph. D., of the University of 
 Giessen. l2mo, cloth, ^1 25. 
 
 Tha Halgan Godspel on Englisc. 
 
 The Anglo-Saxon Version of the Holy Gospels. Edited by Benjamin 
 Thorpe, F.S.A. Reprinted by the same. l2mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 Analecta Anglo- Saxo7iica^ 
 
 With an Introductory Ethnological Essay, and Notes, Critical and Ex- 
 planatory. By Louis F. Klipstein, A.M., LL.M., and Ph. D., of the 
 University of Giessen. 2 vols., 1200 pages, $3 50. 
 
 Natale Sancti Gregorii Papce. 
 
 iElfric's Homily on the Birthday of St. Gregory, and Collateral Ex- 
 tracts from King Alfred's Version of Bede's Ecclesiastical History 
 and the Saxon Chronicle, with a full Rendering into English, Notes 
 Critical and Explanatory, and an Index of Stems and Forms. By 
 Louis F. Klipstein, A.M., LL.M., and Ph. D., of the University of 
 Giessen. l2mo, 75 cts. 
 
 A Glossary to the Analecta Anglo-Saxxynica^ 
 
 With the Indo-Germanic and other Affinities of the Language. By 
 Louis F. Klipstein, A.M., LL.M., and Ph. D., of the University of 
 Giessen In preparation. 
 
 " There is no doubt that a few years hence, the persevering and ill-rewarded toils of this learned 
 scholar will be looked back upon with sincere gratitude, by all who love the study of our incom- 
 
 E arable language, in its better and more sinewy part. If Dr. K. is, as we suppose, a foreisner. he 
 as acquired a masteiy of English which is marvellous, and which, by the by, shows the advantage 
 to be derived from Anglo-Saxon. These volumes, taken in connection with the grammar, and the 
 forthcoming glossary, will make it easy for any private student to make himself acquainted with 
 that delightful old tongue, to which we owe almost all our words of endearment, such as home., 
 father., mother, brother, sister; almost all our names of En£lish flowers, as daisy, cowslip, prim- 
 rose, nosegay ; and abundance of the short, monosyllabic, piingent nouns, which half-learned folks 
 would barter away for sesquipedalian latinisms. We mean such as dell, dale, wrath, icealfh, 
 knave, thrust, churl, wrealh, and soul. The preliminary essay prepares the way, by tracing very 
 clearly the lineage of the Anglo-Saxon language: it is a valuable contribution to Ethnology."— 
 Presbyterian. 
 
 "Surely it is a matter of concern to know and understand well our own tongue. How much 
 better then would it be, if in our public and private schools, as much attention at least were given 
 to the teachings of English as of Greek and Latin, that our youths might bring home with them a 
 racy idiomatic way of speaking and writing their own language, instead of a smattering of Greek 
 and' Latin, which they almost forget and generally neglect in a few years' time. * * * For this, 
 a study of the Anglo'Saxon is absolutely needful ; for after all, it has bequeathed to us by far the 
 largest stock of words in our language." — Loudon. 
 
 "The most valuable portion of our language comes to us directly through the Anglo-Saxon ; and 
 to make the study of it a part of our general system of education, would be to administer the most 
 powerful antidote to the deteriorating influence of would-be fine speakers and writers, which is 
 gradually robbing our English speech of much of its native energy and precision.— izY. World. 
 
 26 
 
G. P. PUTTTA]\l's NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 fd\m XtWm, 
 
 Cliaucer'^s Poems. 
 
 Selections from the Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. By Charles D. 
 Deshler. 1 vol., l2mo, green cloth, 63 cts. 
 
 Climicer and Spenser, 
 
 Selections from the Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. By Charles D, 
 Deshler. Spenser, and the Faery Queen. By Mrs. C. M. Kirkland 
 1 vol., l2mo, cloth, %\ 25. 
 
 " A mine of wealth and enjoyment, a golden treasury of exquisite models, of graceful fancies, of 
 fine inventions, and of beautiful diction."— Cmcmn«a' Herald. 
 
 Foiique. — Undine and Sintram, 
 
 Undine, a Tale ; and Sintram and his Companions, a Tale. From the Ger- 
 man of La Motte Fouque. 1 vol., l2mo, green cloth, 50 cts. 
 
 " Undine is an exquisite creation of the imagination, and universally regarded as a masterpiece 
 in this department of literature."— /2/c/j//io/id'^7'/mes. 
 
 Oilman.^ Mrs. — The Sibyl ; 
 
 Or, Nevv^ Oracles from the Poets ; a Fanciful Diversion for the Drawmg- 
 Room. 1 vol., l2mo, cloth, extra gilt, $1 50. 
 
 "A sweet book of short and most pleasant quotations from the poets, illustrative of character 
 taste.s loves, &c., formed into a drawing-room game, with questions and answers. It is beautifully 
 designed, beautifully executed, and beautifully robed for the gift-dispensing Chi'istmas and New- 
 Year \iu\Aic."— Evangelist. 
 
 Goldsmith. — The Vicar of Wakefield. 
 
 By Oliver Goldsmith. 1 vol., l2mo, neatly printed, cloth, 50 cts, 
 
 The same, illustrated with designs by Mulready, elegantly bound, gilt 
 
 edges, ^L 
 " This tale is the lasting monument of Goldsmith's genius, his great legacy of pleasure to genera- 
 tions past, present, and to come." 
 
 Hervey. — The Booh of Christmas 
 
 Descriptive of the Customs, Ceremonies, Traditions, Supe'-stitions, Fun, Feel- 
 ing, and Festivities of the Christmas Season. By Thomas K. Hervey. 
 12mo, green cloth, 63 cts. 
 
 The same, gilt extra, $L 
 
 "ETery leaf of this book aflTords a feast worthy of the season."— Dr. Hawks' Church Record. 
 
 27 
 
G. P. putin-am's new publications. 
 
 aCrllrB ttitm. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 Hood. — Prose and Verse. 
 
 Bv Thomas Hood. l2mo, green cloth, ^1. 
 The same, gilt extra, ^1 25. 
 
 " A very judicious selection, designed to embrace Hood's more earnest writings, those which 
 were written from the heart, wliich reflect most faithfully his life and opimons."— Brocdiray 
 Journal. 
 
 Hoioitt. — Ballads and other Poems, 
 
 By Mary Howitt. 1 vol., l2mo, green cloth, 75cts. 
 The same, with fine portrait, gilt extra, ^1. 
 
 " Her poems are always graceful and beautiful.— Mrs. S. C. Hall. 
 
 " We cannot commend too highly the present publication, and only hope that the reading public 
 will relish ' Mary Howitt's Ballads and other Poems,' now for the first time put forth in a collected 
 form." — Albion. 
 
 Hunt — Imagination and Fancy ^ 
 
 Or, Selections from the English Poets, illustrative of those first requisites 
 of their Art ; with markings of the best Passages, Critical Notices 
 of the best writers, &.c. By Leigh Hunt. 1 vol., 12mo, green cloth, 
 62 cts. 
 
 The same, gilt extra, $L 
 
 " One of those unmistakable gems about which no two people differ. It is really and truly an 
 exquisite selection of lovely passages, accompanied with critical notices of unusual worth ; and it 
 would be difficult to selecta work on the subject so beautifully, earnestly, eloquently written." — 
 Westminster Review. 
 
 " This volume is most justly to be called a feast of neetared sweets where no crude surfeit reigns." 
 London Examiner. 
 
 Hunt. — Stories from tlie Italian Poets : 
 
 king a Summary in Prose of the Poems of Dante, Pulci, Boiardo, Ariosto, 
 and Tasso ; with Comments throughout, occasional passages Versified, and 
 Critical Notices of the Lives and Genius of the Authors. By Leigh 
 Hunt. 12mo, cloth, ,$1 25. 
 
 The same, fancy gilt, $1 75. 
 
 "Mr. Hunt'.s book has been aptly styled, a series of exquisite engravings of the magnificent pie* 
 tures painted by these great Italian masters." — Tournal of Commerce. 
 
 28 
 
G. P. Putnam's new publications. 
 
 CONTINUEB. 
 
 Irvmg. 
 
 T/ie Histwy of New- York^ 
 
 From the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, 
 l2mo, cloth, ^1 25. 
 
 TJw Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon^ Gent. 
 
 l2mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 Braxxbridge Hall ; w, T/ie Humorists : 
 
 A Medley. 12mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 Tales of a Traveller. 
 
 l2mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 TJie Conquest of Granada. 
 
 l2mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 Tlie Alhambra. 
 
 12mo, cloth, f 1 25. 
 
 The Crayon Miscellany. 
 
 l2mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 Oliver Goldsmith: a Biography. 
 
 l2mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 Miscellanies. 
 
 l2mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 .* See " History," " Travels," &c 
 N. B. Any of the above may be had in extra bindings : half calf, 75 cts. extra ; half morocco. 51 
 sxtra; full calf, per volume, $1 25 extra. 
 
 Keats. — Poetical Worhs. 
 
 The Poetical Works of John Keats. 1 vol., l2mo, cloth, $1. 
 The same, gilt extra, $1 25. 
 
 " They are flushed all over with the rich lisht.s of fancy ; and so colored and bestrewn with the 
 flowers of poetry, that, even while perplexed and bewi'lered in their labyrinths, it is impossible 
 to resist the intoxication of their sweetness, or to shut oiir hearts to the enchantment they so 
 lavishly present.— i^rawc/s Jeffrey. 
 
 Keats. — Life., Letters., &g. 
 
 The Life, Letters, and Literary Remains of John Keats. Edited by Richard 
 MoNCTON MiLNES. Portrait and fac- simile. 1 vol., l2mo, cloth, $1 25. 
 
 The same, gilt extra, $1 50. 
 
 " A volume which will take its place among the imperishable ones of the age." * ' * " It is 
 replete with interest." 
 
 29 
 
G. P. 
 
 %M{m tttim. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 r^owell. — A Mihlefor Critics : 
 
 Or A Glance at a Few of Our Literary Progenies. By a Wonderful Quiz. 
 1 vol., 12mo, boards, 50 cents ; cloth, 63 cts. 
 
 " Beneath its unpretending drab cover lies hid a w«-ld of polished satire, keen subtle humor, 
 md manly vigorous sentiment, interspersed with touches of genuine pathos." — Knickerbocker 
 Magazine. 
 
 " Showing the power of a master in verse, the heart of a true man, the learning of a scholar, the 
 jiind of a philosopher, and the wit of a satirist, without the gall which too often accompanies it."— 
 Bolden's Mag. 
 
 " Nothing abler has ever come from the American press in the form of satire."— Prov. Jour. 
 
 Lamh. — Essays of Elia, 
 
 By Charles Lamb. 1 vol., l2mo, cloth, ^1. 
 
 The same, gilt extra, $1 25. 
 
 " Shakspeare himself might have read them, and Hamlet have quoted them ; for truly was our 
 excellent friend of the genuine line of Yoxxz^."— Leigh HunVs London Journal. 
 
 Lamh, — Specimens of the Miglisli Diximatic Poets. 
 
 By Charles Lamb. 1 vol., l2mo, green cloth, ^1 25. 
 
 The same, gilt extra, $1 50, 
 
 "Nowhere are the resources of the English tongue, in power, in sweetness, terror, pathos, in de- 
 Bcription and dialogue, so well displayed." — Broadway Journal. 
 
 LyncJi, — Poems., &c. 
 
 By Anne C. Lynch. 1 vol. Elegantly illustrated from designs by Durand, 
 Huntington, Darley, Rossiter, Brown, Dugan, &c. 8vo, cloth, $1 50 ; 
 gilt extra, $2. 
 
 "The many beautiful and sublime thoughts that are scattered through this volume will amply 
 repay a perusal. — Albany Eve. Jour 
 
 Montagues Selections from Old English Writers. 
 
 Selections from the Works of Taylor, Latimer, Hall, Milton, Barrow, Lowth, 
 Brown, Fuller, and Bacon By Basil Montagu. 1 vol., 12mo, green 
 cloth, 50 cents ; cloth gih, $L 
 
 "This volume contains choice extracts from some of the noblest of the old English writers."— 
 Cincinnati Atlas. 
 
 " A book of delight. It is for the head, the heart, the imagination, and the taste, all at once." 
 
 30 
 
G. P. PUTNAM S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 Peacock, — Headlong Hall and Nightmare Ahhey. 
 
 1 vol., l2mo, green cloth, 50 cts. 
 
 " Works of singular merit, but of a character so peculiar that we cannot give any descriptive 
 account of them in the space at our command. Wide sweeping, vigorous satire is their charac- 
 teristic ; satire not so much of men as of opinions. * ' * The production of a mind contem- 
 plative in Its turn, but keenly alive to the absurdity of human pretension. There is scarcely a 
 topic which is not here embodied or glanced at ; and modern philosophy is pretty severely hit, aa 
 may be inferred from the motto of Headlong Hall : 
 
 ' All philosophers, who find 
 Some favorite system to their mind, 
 In every point to make it fit. 
 Will force all nature to submit.' " 
 
 Cincinnati Atlas. 
 
 Tasso, — Godfrey of Bidloigne ; 
 
 Or, the Recovery of Jerusalem : done into English Historical Verse, from 
 the Italian of Tasso, by Edward Fairfax. Introductory Essay, by Leigh 
 Hunt ; and the Lives of Tasso and Fairfax, by Charles Knight. 1 vol., 
 12mo, $1 25. 
 "The completest translation, and nearest like its original of any we have seen."— Leigh Hunt. 
 " The Jerusalem Delivered is full, to the last stanza, of the most delightful inventions, of the 
 most charming pictures, of chivalric and heroic sentiment, of portraits of brave men and beautiful 
 women— in fine, a prodigal mine of the choicest resources and effects of poetry. So it has been 
 always known to the world, so Fairfax brings it to us." — Mirror. 
 
 Taylc 
 
 '.or. — Poems and Ballads. 
 
 The Poems and Ballads of J. Bayard Taylor. With Portrait painted 
 by T. Buchanan Read, Esq. l2mo, cloth, 75 cents ; cloth gilt extra, 
 ^1 25. 
 " A spirit of boldness and vigor pervades the volume." 
 
 " ' The Picturesque Ballads of Calilbrnia ' have a dash of boldness and adventure in them, which 
 contrasts pleasantly with the more purely sentimental poems." 
 
 Walton. — The Lives of Donne^ Walton.^ Hoolcei\ 
 
 Herbert, and Sanderson. By Izaak Walton. New edition. 1 vol., l2mo, 
 green cloth, $1. 
 
 " The Lives are the most delightful kind of reading. Walton possesses an inimitable simplicity 
 and vivacity of style.— iVirs. Kirkland. 
 
 Bihliotheca Americana. 
 
 A Catalogue of American Publications, including Reprints and Original Works, 
 from 1820 to 1848, inclusive. Compiled by 0. A. Roorbach. Royal 8ro, 
 pp. 359, $4. 
 ",* A very useful book to all librarians and booksellers. 
 
 31 
 
G. P. PUTNAM S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 The Nursery Book for Young Mothers. 
 
 BY MRS. L. C. TUTHILL. 
 
 l8mo, 50 cents. 
 
 ',* This volume will be a welcome present to young mothers. It comprise? familiar letters on 
 all 'topics connected with the medical and educational departments of the Nursery, and is just 
 such a book as every mother will find practically useful ; and all the more so as it is wntten by a 
 competent and experienced person of their own sex. 
 
 "There is much excellent counsel in this volume, with occasional toucnes of nature, which 
 shows that the author is observant, and has accustomed herself lo note the errors of physical and 
 domestic eilucation. Indeed there are some happy hits at the mistakes of this son which are as 
 common as children, and graver admonitions that ' young mothers,' and some assuming to have 
 more experience, might greatly profit by."— jV. Y. Coin. Adv. 
 
 "The title of this neat little volume would not at first seem to mdicate any thing new or pecu- 
 liarly interesting, but at the very first page the attention is arrested, and from thence to the very 
 last note in the Appendix the interest does not flag. It is no dry disquisition upon diet and medi- 
 cines, but has for its topic nursery education in every branch. The instruction on these various 
 points is communicated in sprightly letters from an aunt to her niece, who, despomhng like all 
 young mr thers when first left to the care of their inlants. applies to her for assistance. The niece. 
 Mrs. Haston, is extremely well drawn. From the moment that she first attempts the child's bath, 
 and sits 'shivering and trembling, afraid to touch the droll little object,' to her anxious imiuiries 
 with regard to the mental and moral training of her children, she is a true woman, and a true mo- 
 ther. The circumstances which call forth "the various points of instruction from her aunt are 
 most naturally developed, and, on the whole, we regard it as the best book of the kind ever pub- 
 lished. Its peculiar excellence is the sprightly and aereeable style which we have before alluded 
 to, and which would arrest the attention of many a giddy "giil-mother,' who woukl throw aside a 
 dry treatise in despair. Mrs. Tuthill quotes the most unexceptionable authorities for her nursery 
 rules for health."— PAzVa. Sat. Gazette. 
 
 CjlHia %uh fnr ^m^ ^hiimm ml Irjjnnl lilirarirs, 
 
 MRS. L. C. TUTH I L L. 
 
 Success ill Life: The Merchant: 
 
 A Biography ; with Anecdotes and Practical Application for New Beginners. 
 12mo. In August. 
 
 " We fare on earth as other men have fared ; 
 Were they successful 1 Let us not despair !" 
 
 Success in Life ; The Mechanic : 
 
 A Biographical Example. l8mo. In September. 
 [To be followed by " The Artist," " The Lawyer," &c.] 
 
 *.* The aim of this Series is to develop the talent and energy of boys just merging into man- 
 hoo'd, and to assist them in choosing their pursuits for life. 
 
 " Success ! How the heart bounds at the exulting word 1 Success ! Man's aim from the mo- 
 ment he places his tiny foot upon the floor till he lays his weary gray head in the grave. Suc- 
 cess, the exciting motive to all endeavor and its crowning glory."— Extract from Preface. 
 
 Tkienings with the Old Story Tellers. 
 
 One volume, 12mo, green cloth, 50 cents. 
 ■A quiet humor, a quaintness and terseness of style will strongly recommend iYvexn." —Etiglith 
 
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 32 
 
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