le blue. The table was spread with a white cloth,
and silver and china were not lacking. The eyes of Robert, who had a
fastidious taste, glistened.

"Monsieur Jolivet may be our enemy or not," he said, "but I like him. It
is not often that one can dine at such an inn, with such a view of
mountain, forest and magnificent river. In truth, the French do some
things well."

"They surpass us in the matter of inns," said Willet. "They think more
about it--and take more trouble. I'm sorry we have to quarrel with the
French. They're good people, though they haven't been oversqueamish in
the use of savages against us, and they're really responsible for the
cruelties done by the painted demons."

He spoke freely of red "savages" before Tayoga, knowing that the young
Onondaga would never think of applying the word to himself. Willet had
shown too often that he considered the people of the Hodenosaunee the
equals of anybody. Then he took their three rifles, laid them together
on the grass by the side of a graveled walk and, looking at the vast
expanse of mountain, forest and river, drew a deep breath.

"It's not much like fighting for our lives back there in the gorge, is
it, Robert?" he asked. "It's a strange world here in America. We're
lying in a rocky hollow one day, shooting at people who are shooting at
us, and both sides shooting to kill, and two or three days later we're
sitting at an inn in a town, eating off silver and china."

"It's a quick and pleasant transformation," said Robert,
appreciatively.

He would have called it supper, but in Montreal it was dinner, and it
was served by Lizette and Marie. There was fish from the St. Lawrence,
chicken, beef, many vegetables, good white bread and coffee, all
prepared in the excellent manner characteristic of Monsieur Jolivet's
famous inn. Tayoga ate abundantly but delicately. He had learned the use
of knife and fork at the school in Albany, and, like Robert, he was
fastidious at the table.

Monsieur Jolivet, after his manner, gave them much of his own presence.
One must be polite to the Bostonnais at such a time. He discoursed quite
freely of Montreal, and of its advantages as a great trading post with
the Indians, who already brought there vast quantities of furs. It would
become one of the greatest and most brilliant jewels in the French
crown, second perhaps only to Paris. But for the present, the chief
glory of New France could be seen only at Quebec Ah, when the Bo