Chapter V.

by James Fenimore Cooper

　　He was a wight of high renown, And thou art but of low degree; 'Tis pride that pulls the country down-- Then take thine auld cloak about thee. SHAKESPEARE.The canoe did not reach the mouth of the river until near evening ofthe third day of its navigation. It was not so much the distance,though that was considerable, as it was the obstacles that lay inthe way, which brought the travellers to the end of their journey atso late a period. As they drew nearer and nearer to the place whereGershom had left his wife and sister, le Bourdon detected in hiscompanion signs of an interest in the welfare of the two last, aswell as a certain feverish uneasiness lest all might not be wellwith them, that said something in favor of his heart, whatever mightbe urged against his prudence and care in leaving them alone in soexposed a situation.

　　"I'm afeard a body don't think as much as he ought to do, whenliquor is in him," said Whiskey Centre, just as the canoe doubledthe last point, and the hut came into view; "else I never could haveleft two women by them-selves in so lonesome a place. God bepraised! there is the chiente at any rate; and there's a smokecomin' out of it, if my eyes don't deceive me! Look, Bourdon, for Ican scarcely see at all."

　　"There is the house; and, as you say, there is certainly a smokerising from it"

　　"There's comfort in that!" exclaimed the truant husband and brother,with a sigh that seemed to relieve a very loaded breast. "Yes,there's comfort in that! If there's a fire, there must be them thatlighted it; and a fire at this season, too, says that there'ssomethin' to eat, I should be sorry, Bourdon, to think I'd left thewomen folks without food; though, to own the truth, I don't rememberwhether I did or not"

　　"The man who drinks, Gershom, has commonly but a very poor memory."

　　"That's true--yes, I'll own that; and I wish it warn't as true as itis; but reason and strong drink do not travel far in company--"

　　Gershom suddenly ceased speaking; dropping his paddle like one besetby a powerless weakness. The bee-hunter saw that he was overcome bysome unexpected occurrence, and that the man's feelings were keenlyconnected with the cause, whatever that might be. Looking eagerlyaround in quest of the explanation, le Bourdon saw a female standingon a point of land that commanded a view of the river and its banksfor a considerable distance, unequivocally watching the approach ofthe canoe.

　　"There she is," said Gershom, in a subdued tone--"that's Dolly; andthere she has been, I'll engage, half the time of my absence,waitin' to get the first glimpse of my miserable body, as it cameback to her. Sich is woman, Bourdon; and God forgive me, if I haveever forgotten their natur', when I was bound to remember it. But weall have our weak moments, at times, and I trust mine will not beaccounted ag'in' me more than them of other men."

　　"This is a beautiful sight, Gershom, and it almost makes me yourfriend! The man for whom a woman can feel so much concern--that awoman--nay, women; for you tell me your sister is one of the family--but the man whom decent women can follow to a place like this, musthave some good p'ints about him. That woman is a-weepin'; and itmust be for joy at your return."

　　"'Twould be jist like Dolly to do so--she's done it before, andwould be likely to do so ag'in," answered Gershom, nearly choked bythe effort he made to speak without betraying his own emotion. "Putthe canoe into the p'int, and let me land there. I must go up andsay a kind word to poor Dolly; while you can paddle on, and letBlossom know I'm near at hand."

　　The bee-hunter complied in silence, casting curious glances upwardat the woman while doing so, in order to ascertain what sort of afemale Whiskey Centre could possibly have for a wife. To hissurprise, Dorothy Waring was not only decently, but she was neatlyclad, appearing as if she had studiously attended to her personalappearance, in the hope of welcoming her wayward and unfortunatehusband back to his forest home. This much le Bourdon saw by a hastyglance as his companion landed, for a feeling of delicacy preventedhim from taking a longer look at the woman. As Gershom ascended thebank to meet his wife, le Bourdon paddled on, and landed just belowthe grove in which was the chiente. It might have been his longexclusion from all of the other sex, and most especially from thatportion of it which retains its better looks, but the being whichnow met the bee-hunter appeared to him to belong to another world,rather than to that in which he habitually dwelt. As this wasMargery Waring, who was almost uniformly called Blossom by heracquaintances, and who is destined to act an important part in thislegend of the "openings," it may be well to give a brief descriptionof her age, attire, and personal appearance, at the moment when shewas first seen by le Bourdon.

　　In complexion, color of the hair, and outline of face, MargeryWaring bore a strong family resemblance to her brother. In spite ofexposure, and the reflection of the sun's rays from the water of thelake, however, her skin was of a clear, transparent white, such asone might look for in a drawing-room, but hardly expect to find in awilderness; while the tint of her lips, cheeks, and, in a diminisheddegree, of her chin and ears, were such as one who wielded a pencilmight long endeavor to catch without succeeding. Her features hadthe chiselled outline which was so remarkable in her brother; whilein her countenance, in addition to the softened expression of hersex and years, there was nothing to denote any physical or moralinfirmity, to form a drawback to its witchery and regularity. Hereyes were blue, and her hair as near golden as human tresses wellcould be. Exercise, a life of change, and of dwelling much in theopen air, had given to this unusually charming girl not only health,but its appearance. Still, she was in no respect coarse, or hadanything in the least about her that indicated her being accustomedto toil, with some slight exception in her hands, perhaps, whichwere those of a girl who did not spare herself, when there was anopportunity to be of use. In this particular, the vagrant life ofher brother had possibly been of some advantage to her, as it hadprevented her being much employed in the ordinary toil of hercondition in life. Still, Margery Waring had that happy admixture ofdelicacy and physical energy, which is, perhaps, oftener to be metin the American girl of her class, than in the girl of almost anyother nation; and far oftener than in the young American of her sex,who is placed above the necessity of labor.

　　As a stranger approached her, the countenance of this fair creatureexpressed both surprise and satisfaction; surprise that any oneshould have been met by Gershom, in such a wilderness, andsatisfaction that the stranger proved to be a white man, andseemingly one who did not drink.

　　"You are Blossom," said the bee-hunter, taking the hand of the half-reluctant girl, in a way so respectful and friendly that she couldnot refuse it, even while she doubted the propriety of thusreceiving an utter stranger--"the Blossom of whom Gershom Waringspeaks so often, and so affectionately?"

　　"You are, then, my brother's friend," answered Margery, smiling sosweetly, that le Bourdon gazed on her with delight. "We are so gladthat he has come back! Five terrible nights have sister and I beenhere alone, and we have believed every bush was a red man!"

　　"That danger is over, now, Blossom; but there is still an enemy nearyou that must be overcome."

　　"An enemy! There is no one here, but Dolly and myself. No one hasbeen near us, since Gershom went after the bee-hunter, whom we heardwas out in the openings. Are you that bee-bunter?"

　　"I am, beautiful Blossom; and I tell you there is an enemy here, inyour cabin, that must be looked to."

　　"We fear no enemies but the red men, and we have seen none of themsince we reached this river. What is the name of the enemy you sodread, and where is he to be found?"

　　"His name is Whiskey, and he is kept somewhere in this hut, incasks. Show me the place, that I may destroy him, before his friendcomes to his assistance."

　　A gleam of bright intelligence flashed into the face of thebeautiful young creature. First she reddened almost to scarlet; thenher face became pale as death. Compressing her lips intensely, shestood irresolute--now gazing at the pleasing and seemingly well-disposed stranger before her, now looking earnestly toward the stilldistant forms of her brother and sister, which were slowly advancingin the direction of the cabin.

　　"Dare you?" Margery at length asked, pointing toward her brother.

　　"I dare: he is now quite sober, and may be reasoned with. For thesake of us all, let us profit by this advantage."

　　"He keeps the liquor in two casks that you will find under the shed,behind the hut."

　　This said, the girl covered her face with both her hands, and sunkon a stool, as if afraid to be a witness of that which was tofollow. As for le Bourdon, he did not delay a moment, but passed outof the cabin by a second door, that opened in its rear. There werethe two barrels, and by their side an axe. His first impulse was todash in the heads of the casks where they stood; but a moment'sreflection told him that the odor, so near the cabin, would beunpleasant to every one, and might have a tendency to exasperate theowner of the liquor. He cast about him, therefore, for the means ofremoving the casks, in order to stave them, at a distance from thedwelling.

　　Fortunately, the cabin of Whiskey Centre stood on the brow of asharp descent, at the bottom of which ran a brawling brook. Atanother moment, le Bourdon would have thought of saving the barrels;but time pressed, and he could not delay. Seizing the barrel next tohim, he rolled it without difficulty to the brow of the declivity,and set it off with a powerful shove of his foot. It was the half-empty cask, and away it went, the liquor it contained washing aboutas it rolled over and over, until hitting a rock about half-way downthe declivity, the hoops gave way, when the staves went over thelittle precipice, and the water of the stream was tumbling throughall that remained of the cask, at the next instant. A slightexclamation of delight behind him caused the bee-hunter to lookround, and he saw Margery watching his movement with an absorbedinterest. Her smile was one of joy, not unmingled with terror; andshe rather whispered than said aloud--"The other--the other--that isfull--be quick; there is no time to lose." The bee-hunter seized thesecond cask and rolled it toward the brow of the rocks. It was notquite as easily handled as the other barrel, but his strengthsufficed, and it was soon bounding down the declivity after itscompanion. The second cask hit the same rock as the first, whence itleaped off the precipice, and, aided by its greater momentum, it wasliterally dashed in pieces at its base.

　　Not only was this barrel broken into fragments, but its hoops andstaves were carried down the torrent, driving before them those ofthe sister cask, until the whole were swept into the lake, which wassome distance from the cabin.

　　"That job is well done!" exclaimed le Bourdon, when the lastfragment of the wreck was taken out of sight. "No man will ever turnhimself into a beast by means of that liquor."

　　"God be praised!" murmured Margery. "He is so different, stranger,when he has been drinking, from what he is when he has not! You havebeen sent by Providence to do us this good."

　　"I can easily believe that, for it is so with us all. But you mustnot call me stranger, sweet Margery; for, now that you and I havethis secret between us, I am a stranger no longer."

　　The girl smiled and blushed; then she seemed anxious to ask aquestion. In the mean time they left the shed, and took seats, inwaiting for the arrival of Gershom and his wife. It was not long erethe last entered; the countenance of the wife beaming with asatisfaction she made no effort to conceal. Dolly was not asbeautiful as her sister-in-law; still, she was a comely woman,though one who had been stricken by sorrow. She was still young, andmight have been in the pride of her good looks, had it not been forthe manner in which she had grieved over the fall of Gershom. Thejoy that gladdens a woman's heart, however, was now illuminating hercountenance, and she welcomed le Bourdon most cordially, as if awarethat he had been of service to her husband. For months she had notseen Gershom quite himself, until that evening.

　　"I have told Dolly all our adventur's, Bourdon," cried Gershom, assoon as the brief greetings were over, "and she tells me all'sright, hereabouts. Three canoe-loads of Injins passed along shore,goin' up the lake, she tells me, this very a'ternoon; but theydidn't see the smoke, the fire bein' out, and must have thought thehut empty; if indeed, they knew anythin' of it, at all."

　　"The last is the most likely," remarked Margery; "for I watched themnarrowly from the beeches on the shore, and there was no pointing,or looking up, as would have happened had there been any one amongthem who could show the others a cabin. Houses an't so plenty, inthis part of the country, that travellers pass without turning roundto look at them. An Injin has curiosity as well as a white man,though he manages so often to conceal it."

　　"Didn't you say, Blossom, that one of the canoes was much behind theothers, and that a warrior in that canoe did look up toward thisgrove, as if searching for the cabin?" asked Dorothy.

　　"Either it was so, or my fears made it seem so. The two canoes thatpassed first were well filled with Injins, each having eight in it;while the one that came last held but four warriors. They were amile apart, and the last canoe seemed to be trying to overtake theothers. I did think that nothing but their haste prevented the menin the last canoe from landing; but my fears may have made that seemso that was not so."

　　As the cheek of the charming girl flushed with excitement, and herrace became animated, Margery appeared marvellously handsome; moreso, the bee-hunter fancied, than any other female he had ever beforeseen. But her words impressed him quite as much as her looks; for heat once saw the importance of such an event, to persons in theirsituation. The wind was rising on the lake, and it was ahead for thecanoes; should the savages feel the necessity of making a harbor,they might return to the mouth of the Kalamazoo; a step that wouldendanger all their lives, in the event of these Indians proving tobelong to those, whom there was now reason to believe were inBritish pay. In times of peace, the intercourse between the whitesand the red men was usually amicable, and seldom led to violence,unless through the effects of liquor; but, a price being placed onscalps, a very different state of things might be anticipated, as aconsequence of the hostilities. This was then a matter to be lookedto; and, as evening was approaching, no time was to be lost.

　　The shores of Michigan are generally low, nor are harbors eithernumerous, or very easy of access. It would be difficult, indeed, tofind in any other part of the world, so great an extent of coastthat possesses so little protection for the navigator, as that ofthis very lake. There are a good many rivers, it is true, butusually they have bars, and are not easy of entrance. This is thereason why that very convenient glove, the Constitution, which canbe made to fit any hand, has been discovered to have an extra fingerin it, which points out a mode by which the federal government cancreate ports wherever nature has forgotten to perform thisbeneficent office. It is a little extraordinary that the fingers ofso many of the great "expounders" turn out to be "thumbs," however,exhibiting clumsiness, rather than that adroit lightness whichusually characterizes the dexterity of men who are in the habit ofrummaging other people's pockets, for their own especial purposes.It must be somewhat up-hill work to persuade any disinterested andclear-headed man, that a political power to "regulate commerce" goesthe length of making harbors; the one being in a great measure amoral, while the other is exclusively a physical agency; any morethan it goes the length of making ware-houses, and cranes, andcarts, and all the other physical implements for carrying on trade.Now, what renders all this "thumbing" of the Constitution so muchthe more absurd, is the fact, that the very generous compactinterested does furnish a means, by which the poverty of ports onthe great lakes may be remedied, without making any more unnecessaryrents in the great national glove. Congress clearly possesses thepower to create and maintain a navy, which includes the power tocreate all sorts of necessary physical appliances; and, amongothers, places of refuge for that navy, should they be actuallyneeded. As a vessel of war requires a harbor, and usually a betterharbor than a merchant-vessel, it strikes us the "expounders" woulddo well to give this thought a moment's attention. Behind it will befound the most unanswerable argument in favor of the light-houses,too.

　　But, to return to the narrative: the Kalamazoo could be entered bycanoes, though it offered no very available shelter for a vessel ofany size. There was no other shelter for the savages for severalmiles to the southward; and, should the wind increase, of whichthere were strong indications, it was not only possible, but highlyprobable, that the canoes would return. According to the account ofthe females, they had passed only two hours before, and the breezehad been gradually gathering strength ever since. It was notunlikely, indeed, that the attention paid to the river by thewarrior in the last canoe may have had reference to this very stateof the weather; and his haste to overtake his companions beenconnected with a desire to induce them to seek a shelter. All thispresented itself to the beehunter's mind, at once; and it wasdiscussed between the members of the party, freely, and not withoutsome grave apprehensions.

　　There was one elevated point--elevated comparatively, if not in avery positive sense--whence the eye could command a considerabledistance along the lake shore. Thither Margery now hastened to lookafter the canoes. Boden accompanied her; and together theyproceeded, side by side, with a new-born but lively and increasingconfidence, that was all the greater, in consequence of theirpossessing a common secret.

　　"Brother must be much better than he was," the girl observed, asthey hurried on, "for he has not once been into the shed to look atthe barrels! Before he went into the openings, he never entered thehouse without drinking; and sometimes he would raise the cup to hismouth as often as three times in the first half-hour. Now, he doesnot seem even to think of it!"

　　"It may be well that he can find nothing to put into his cup, shouldhe fall into his old ways. One is never sure of a man of suchhabits, until he is placed entirely out of harm's way."

　　"Gershom is such a different being when he has not been drinking!"rejoined the sister, in a touching manner. "We love him, and striveto do all we can to keep him up, but it is hard."

　　"I am surprised that you should have come into this wilderness withany one of bad habits."

　　"Why not? He is my brother, and I have no parents--he is all to me:and what would become of Dorothy if I were to quit her, too! She haslost most of her friends, since Gershom fell into these ways, and itwould quite break her heart, did I desert her."

　　"All this speaks well for you, pretty Margery, but it is not theless surprising--ah, there is my canoe, in plain sight of all whoenter the river; that must be concealed, Injins or no Injins."

　　"It is only a step further to the place where we can get a lookout.Just there, beneath the burr-oak. Hours and hours have I sat on thatspot, with my sewing, while Gershom was gone into the openings."

　　"And Dolly--where was she while you were here?"

　　"Poor Dolly!--I do think she passed quite half her time up at thebeech-tree, where you first saw her, looking if brother was notcoming home. It is a cruel thing to a wife to have a truanthusband!"

　　"Which I hope may never be your case, pretty Margery, and which Ithink never can."

　　Margery did not answer: but the speech must have been heard, utteredas it was in a much lower tone of voice than the young man hadhitherto used; for the charming maiden looked down and blushed.Fortunately, the two now soon arrived at the tree, and theirconversation naturally reverted to the subject which had broughtthem there. Three canoes were in sight, close in with the land, butso distant as to render it for some time doubtful which way theywere moving. At first, the bee-hunter said that they were stillgoing slowly to the southward; but he habitually carried his littleglass, and, on levelling that, it was quite apparent that thesavages were paddling before the wind, and making for the mouth ofthe river. This was a very grave fact; and, as Blossom flew tocommunicate it to her brother and his wife, le Bourdon moved towardhis own canoe, and looked about for a place of concealment.

　　Several considerations had to be borne in mind, in disposing of thecanoes; for that of Gershom was to be secreted, as well as that ofthe bee-hunter. A tall aquatic plant, that is termed wild rice, andwhich we suppose to be the ordinary rice-plant, unimproved bytillage, grows spontaneously about the mouths and on the flats ofmost of the rivers of the part of Michigan of which we are writing;as, indeed, it is to be found in nearly all the shallow waters ofthose regions. There was a good deal of this rice at hand; and thebee-hunter, paddling his own canoe and towing the other, enteredthis vegetable thicket, choosing a channel that had been formed bysome accident of nature, and which wound through the herbage in away soon to conceal all that came within its limits. These channelswere not only numerous, but exceedingly winding; and the bee-hunterhad no sooner brought his canoes to the firm ground and fastenedthem there, than he ascended a tree, and studied the windings ofthese narrow passages, until he had got a general idea of theirdirection and characters. This precaution taken, he hurried back tothe hut.

　　"Well, Gershom, have you settled on the course to be taken?" werethe first words uttered by the bee-hunter when he rejoined thefamily of Whiskey Centre.

　　"We haven't," answered the husband. "Sister begs us to quit thechiente, for the Indians must soon be here; but wife seems to thinkthat she must be safe, now I'm at home ag'in."

　　"Then wife is wrong, and sister is right. If you will take myadvice, you will hide all your effects in the woods, and quit thecabin as soon as possible. The Injins cannot fail to see thishabitation, and will be certain to destroy all they find in it, andthat they do not carry off. Besides, the discovery of the leastarticle belonging to a white man will set them on our trail; forscalps will soon bear a price at Montreal. In half an hour, all thatis here can be removed into the thicket that is luckily so near; andby putting out the fire with care, and using proper caution, we maygive the place such a deserted look, that the savages will suspectnothing."

　　"If they enter the river, Bourdon, they will not camp out with awigwam so near by, and should they come here, what is to preventtheir seein' the footprints we shall leave behind us?"

　　"The night, and that only. Before morning their own footsteps willbe so plenty as to deceive them. Luckily we all wear moccasins,which is a great advantage just now. But every moment is precious,and we should be stirring. Let the women take the beds and bedding,while you and I shoulder this chest. Up it goes, and away with it!"

　　Gershom had got to be so much under his companion's influence, thathe complied, though his mind suggested various objections to thecourse taken, to which his tongue gave utterance as they busiedthemselves in this task. The effects of Whiskey Centre had beengradually diminishing in quantity, as well as in value, for the lastthree years, and were now of no great amount, in any sense. Stillthere were two chests, one large, and one small. The last containedall that a generous regard for the growing wants of the family hadleft to Margery; while the first held the joint wardrobes of thehusband and wife, with a few other articles that were considered asvaluable. Among other things were half a dozen of very thin silvertea-spoons, which had fallen to Gershom on a division of familyplate. The other six were carefully wrapped up in paper and put inthe till of Margery's chest, being her portion of this species ofproperty. The Americans, generally, have very little plate; thoughhere and there marked exceptions do exist; nor do the humblerclasses lay out much of their earnings in jewelry, while theycommonly dress far beyond their means in all other ways. In thisrespect, the European female of the same class in life frequentlypossesses as much in massive golden personal ornaments as would makean humble little fortune, while her attire is as homely as cumbrouspetticoats, coarse cloth, and a vile taste can render it. On theother hand, the American matron that has not a set--one half-dozen--of silver tea-spoons must be poor indeed, and can hardly be said tobelong to the order of housekeepers at all. By means of a carefulmother, both Gershom and his sister had the half-dozen mentioned;and they were kept more as sacred memorials of past and better daysthan as articles of any use. The household goods of Waring wouldhave been limited by his means of transportation, if not by hispoverty. Two common low-post maple bedsteads were soon uncorded andcarried off, as were the beds and bedding. There was scarcely anycrockery, pewter and tin being its substitutes; and as for chairsthere was only one, and that had rockers: a practice of New Englandthat has gradually diffused itself over the whole country, lookingdown ridicule, the drilling of boarding-schools, the comments ofelderly ladies of the old school, the sneers of nurses, and, in aword, all that venerable ideas of decorum could suggest, until thisappliance of domestic ease has not only fairly planted itself innearly every American dwelling, but in a good many of Europe also!

　　It required about twenty minutes for the party to clear the cabin ofevery article that might induce an Indian to suspect the presence ofwhite men. The furniture was carried to a sufficient distance to besafe from everything but a search; and care was had to avoid as muchas possible making a trail, to lead the savages to the placeselected for the temporary storeroom. This was merely a closethicket, into which there was a narrow but practicable entrance onthe side the least likely to be visited. When all was accomplishedthe four went to the lookout to ascertain how far the canoes hadcome. It was soon ascertained that they were within a mile, drivingdown before a strong breeze and following sea, and impelled by asmany paddles as there were living beings in them. Ten minutes wouldcertainly bring them up with the bar, and five more fairly withinthe river. The question now arose, where the party was to beconcealed during the stay of the savages. Dolly, as was perhapsnatural for the housewife, wished to remain by her worldly goods,and pretty Margery had a strong feminine leaning to do the same. Butneither of the men approved of the plan. It was risking too much inone spot; and a suggestion that the bee-hunter was not long inmaking prevailed.

　　It will be remembered that le Bourdon had carried the canoes withinthe field of wild rice, and bestowed them there with a good deal ofattention to security. Now these canoes offered, in many respects,better places of temporary refuge, under all the circumstances, thanany other that could readily be found on shore. They were dry; andby spreading skins, of which Boden had so many, comfortable bedsmight be made for the females, which would be easily protected fromthe night air and dews by throwing a rug over the gunwales. Then,each canoe contained many articles that would probably be wanted;that of the bee-hunter in particular furnishing food in abundance,as well as diverse other things that would be exceedingly useful topersons in their situation. The great advantage of the canoes,however, in the mind of le Bourdon, was the facilities they offeredfor flight. He hardly hoped that Indian sagacity would be so farblinded as to prevent the discovery of the many footsteps they musthave left in their hurried movements, and he anticipated that withthe return of day something would occur to render it necessary forthem to seek safety by a stealthy removal from the spot. This mightbe done, he both hoped and believed, under cover of the rice, shouldsufficient care be taken to avoid exposure. In placing the canoes,he had used the precaution to leave them where they could not beseen from the cabin or its vicinity, or, indeed, from any spot inthe vicinity of the ground that the savages would be likely to visitduring their stay. All these reasons le Bourdon now rapidly laidbefore his companions, and to the canoes the whole party retired asfast as they could walk.

　　There was great judgment displayed on the part of the bee-hunter inselecting the wild rice as a place of shelter. At that season it wassufficiently grown to afford a complete screen to everything withinit that did not exceed the height of a man, or which was not seenfrom some adjacent elevation. Most of the land near the mouth of theriver was low, and the few spots which formed exceptions had beenborne in mind when the canoes were taken into the field. But just asGershom was on the point of putting a foot into his own canoe, witha view to arrange it for the reception of his wife, he drew back,and exclaimed after the manner of one to whom a most important ideasuddenly occurs:

　　"Land's sake! I've forgotten all about them barrels! They'll fallinto the hands of the savages, and an awful time they'll make withthem! Let me pass, Dolly; I must look after the barrels thisinstant."

　　While the wife gently detained her eager husband, the bee-hunterquietly asked to what barrels he alluded.

　　"The whiskey casks," was the answer. "There's two on 'em in the shedbehind the hut, and whiskey enough to set a whole tribe incommotion. I wonder I should have overlooked the whiskey!"

　　"It is a sign of great improvement, friend Waring, and will lead tono bad consequences," returned le Bourdon, coolly. "I foresaw thedanger, and rolled the casks down the hill, where they were dashedto pieces in the brook, and the liquor has long since been carriedinto the lake in the shape of grog."

　　Waring seemed astounded; but was so completely mystified as not tosuspect the truth. That his liquor should be hopelessly lost was badenough; but even that was better than to have it drunk by savageswithout receiving any re-turns. After groaning and lamenting overthe loss for a few minutes, he joined the rest of the party inmaking some further dispositions, which le Bourdon deemed prudent,if not necessary.

　　It had occurred to the bee-hunter to divide his own cargo betweenthe two canoes, which was the task that the whole party was nowengaged in. The object was to lighten his own canoe in the event offlight, and, by placing his effects in two parcels, give a chance tothose in the boat which might escape, of having wherewithal tocomfort and console themselves. As soon as this new arrangement wascompleted, le Bourdon ran up to a tree that offered the desiredfacilities, and springing into its branches, was soon high enough toget a view of the bar and the mouth of the river. By the partinglight of day, he distinctly saw four canoes coming up the stream;which was one more than those reported to him by Margery as havingpassed.