an save every one of you from the stake."

"It's a lie!" yelled Polete. "I did hab d' vision. I did see d' French
a-comin'--millions o' dem--all a-ma'chin' t'rough d' forest. Dee's almost
hyah. Dee want us t' holp."

A hoarse yell interrupted him, and I saw that something must be done.

"Wait a minute, boys," I cried. "Let me ask Polete a question. You say
you have seen the French marching, Polete?"

He nodded sullenly.

"What was the color of their uniforms?"

He hesitated a moment, but saw he must answer.

"Dee was all colors," he said. "Red, blue, green,--all colors."

I saw that my moment of triumph was at hand.

"Now, boys," I cried, holding up my hand so that all might be quiet and
hear my words. "You may guess how much value there is in Polete's
visions. He says he has seen the French army marching, and he has just
told me that their uniforms are all colors,--red, blue, green, and so on.
Now, if he has seen the army, he ought to know the color of the uniforms,
ought he not?"

"Yes, yes," yelled the mob.

"Well, boys," I continued, "the French wear only one color uniform, and
that color is just the one which Polete has not mentioned--white. No
Frenchman goes to war except in a white uniform."

They were all silent for a moment, and I saw them eyeing Polete
distrustfully.

But he was foaming at the mouth with fury.

"A lie!" he screamed. "A lie, same's de uddah. Don' yo' see what we mus'
do? Kill 'em! Kill 'em, an' nobody else'll evah know!"

That low growling which I had heard before again ran through the crowd. I
must play my last card.

"You fools!" I cried, "do you suppose we are the only ones who know? If
so much as a hair of our heads is touched, if we are not back among our
friends safe and sound when morning comes, every dog among you will yelp
his life out with a circle of fire about him!"

They were whining now, and I knew I had them conquered.

"I came here to-night to save you," I went on, after a moment. "Return
now quietly to your quarters, and nothing more will be said about this
gathering. Put out of your minds once for all the hope that the French
will help you, for it is a lie. And let this be the last time you hold a
meeting here, or I will not answer for the consequences."

I waved them away with my hand, and they slunk off by twos and threes
until all of them had disappeared in the shadow of the wood.

"And now, what shall we do with this cur?" asked Long, in a low voice