I take? There was as much of the old doubt in
me as ever. For a verity, I loved them both, and would die for
either. I opened my eyes at last, and, rising, my hands upon the
gunwales, could dimly see the great shoulders of D'ri swaying back
and forth as he rowed. The coming dawn had shot an arrow into the
great, black sphere of night, cracking it from circumference to
core, and floods of light shortly came pouring in, sweeping down
bridges of darkness, gates of gloom, and massy walls of shadow. We
were in the middle of a broad river--the St. Lawrence, we knew,
albeit the shores were unfamiliar to either of us. The sunlight
stuck in the ripples, and the breeze fanned them into flowing fire.
The morning lighted the green hills of my native land with a mighty
splendor. A new life and a great joy came to me as I filled my
lungs with the sweet air. D'ri pulled into a cove, and neither
could speak for a little. He turned, looking out upon the river,
and brushed a tear off his brown cheek.

"No use talking" said he, in a low tone, as the bow hit the shore,
"ain' no country luk this 'un, don' care where ye go."

As the oars lay still, we could hear in the far timber a call of
fife and drum. Listening, we heard the faint familiar strains of
"Yankee Doodle." We came ashore in silence, and I hugged the
nearest tree, and was not able to say the "Thank God!" that fell
from my lips only half spoken.

XVI

We got our bearings, a pair of boots for D'ri, and a hearty meal in
the cabin of a settler. The good man was unfamiliar with the upper
shore, and we got no help in our mystery. Starting west, in the
woods, on our way to the Harbor, we stopped here and there to
listen, but heard only wood-thrush and partridge--the fife and drum
of nature. That other music had gone out of hearing. We had no
compass, but D'ri knew the forest as a crow knows the air. He knew
the language of the trees and the brooks. The feel of the bark and
what he called "the lean of the timber" told him which way was
south. River and stream had a way of telling him whence they had
come and where they were going, but he had no understanding of a
map. I remember, after we had come to the Harbor at dusk and told
our story, the general asked him to indicate our landing-place and
our journey home on a big map at headquarters. D'ri studied the
map a brief while. There was a look of embarrassment on his sober
face.

"Seems so we come ashore