. There is not a safe foot of ground to-night for any
strange white man within three hundred miles of Dearborn."

I glanced about me into the black shadows, startled at his solemn words
of warning. Away to the southward a faint glimmer told of the location
of the Fort; farther to the west, a sudden blaze swept up into the sky,
reflected in ruddy radiance on the clouds, and the thought came to me
that the savages had put torch to the deserted cabin on the south
branch of the river.

"No doubt 'tis true," I answered hastily; "yet, whatever the danger may
be, I must regain the stockade before dawn."

I saw him step forward, as if he would halt me in my purpose; but,
wishing to be detained no longer, my thoughts being all with De Croix
and Mademoiselle, I turned away quickly and plunged back into the
darkness.

"You young fool!" he called after me, "come back, or your life will be
the forfeit!"

Without so much as answering, I ran silently in my moccasins to the
spot where I had left Ol' Tom Burns. He sat upon his stump,
motionless, apparently without the slightest interest in anything going
on about him.

"Ol' Kinzie was gol-dern polite ter ye, sonny," he commented. "Reckon
if an Injun was a scalpin' me right on his front doorstep he 'd never
hev asked me ter walk inside like that! He an' me sorter drew on each
other 'bout a year ago, down at Lee's shebang; an' he don't 'pear ter
fergit 'bout it."

"Show me the nearest safe passage to the Fort," I said, interrupting
him, almost rudely.

He got up slowly, and cast his eyes with deliberation southward.

"Oh, thar ain't no sich special hurry, I reckon," he answered with an
exasperating drawl. "We 'll be thar long afore daylight,--perviding
allers we don't hit no Injuns meantime,--an' the slower we travel the
less chance thar is o' thet."

"But, friend Burns," I urged, "it is a racing matter. I must reach
there in advance of another man, who has already been here ahead of me."

"So I sorter reckoned from what I heerd; but ye need n't rip the shirt
off ye on thet account. The feller can't git in thar till after
daylight, nohow. Them sojers is too blame skeered ter open the gates
in the dark, an' all the critter 'll git if he tries it will be a
volley o' lead; so ye might just as well take it easylike."

The old man's philosophy seemed sound. De Croix would certainly not
gain admittance until he could make himself known to the guard, and,
carefully as t