
proud of his trust. »If there is a man in the country who knows Major Effingham,
he stands before you.«
    »It is a corps which has many majors; the gentleman you name is the senior,
but I speak of the junior of them all; he who commands the companies in garrison
at William Henry.«
    »Yes, yes, I have heard that a young gentleman of vast riches, from one of
the provinces far south, has got the place. He is over young, too, to hold such
rank, and to be put above men whose heads are beginning to bleach; and yet they
say he is a soldier in his knowledge, and a gallant gentleman!«
    »Whatever he may be, or however he may be qualified for his rank, he now
speaks to you, and of course can be no enemy to dread.«
    The scout regarded Heyward in surprise, and then lifting his cap, he
answered, in a tone less confident than before - though still expressing doubt -
    »I have heard a party was to leave the encampment, this morning, for the
lake shore?«
    »You have heard the truth; but I preferred a nearer route, trusting to the
knowledge of the Indian I mentioned.«
    »And he deceived you, and then deserted?«
    »Neither, as I believe; certainly not the latter, for he is to be found in
the rear.«
    »I should like to look at the creatur; if it is a true Iroquois I can tell
him by his knavish look, and by his paint,« said the scout, stepping past the
charger of Heyward, and entering the path behind the mare of the singing master,
whose foal had taken advantage of the halt to exact the maternal contribution.
After shoving aside the bushes, and proceeding a few paces, he encountered the
females, who awaited the result of the conference with anxiety, and not entirely
without apprehension. Behind these, the runner leaned against a tree, where he
stood the close examination of the scout with an air unmoved, though with a look
so dark and savage, that it might in itself excite fear. Satisfied with his
scrutiny, the hunter soon left him. As he repassed the females, he paused a
moment to gaze upon their beauty, answering to the smile and nod of Alice with a
look of open pleasure. Thence he went to the side of the motherly animal, and
spending a minute in a fruitless inquiry into the character of her rider, he
shook his head and returned to Heyward.
    »A
