he
could read the lips, as so many of his countrymen could, he doubtless
knew what was being said.

"Will the monsieur come and see the skins?" he asked.

"Yes; lead on."

The man led the way and Allen and his little band followed.

Many times the guide turned round to see if all were following.

A dense wood lay right before them, and the prospect did not seem very
inviting, though no danger could come to them, seeing that they were
six in all, and the Frenchman was alone.

"Where are you taking us?" Allen asked.

"To where the skins are."

"How far is it?"

"Not far; if my friends did not want the money very badly I should not
bother so much."

As he spoke he fell back so that he was beside Ethan Allen.

"You come from York?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Ah, monsieur, it is a pity that the Yorkers like us not."

"But they do like you."

"You may; your heart is large, and you would buy from a poor Canadian;
most Yorkers would steal the skins and kill the Canadian."

"You are wrong. The Yorkers are very anxious to be friends with the
people of Canada."

"They hate the Anglais?"

"No, they do not hate the English, though they would like to see the
English leave the country, so that the Canadians and the Americans
could govern themselves."

"Do you think there will be war?"

"Perhaps."

"Monsieur knows there will be."

"I do not know. I hope not. War would interfere with business."

The Canadian laughed heartily, as though Allen had perpetrated a good
joke.

Then he broke into a French song, full of life and character, such as
the French peasantry love to indulge in.

Eben took advantage of the song to walk beside Alien and whisper to him
his doubts.

"That man is not a Canadian, or if he is, he is an English Canadian."

"What makes you think so?"

"His accent."

"But, Eben, he speaks French fluently."

"Yes, like a Frenchman, not a Canadian."

"What do you know about it?"

"In my young days"--Allen had to smile at the boy referring to his
young days--"in my young days I used to know a French boy and a
Canadian Frenchman, and they could scarcely understand one another.
The French boy used to say, 'You talk French, bah, bah!' and the
Canadian used to ask the other why he did not speak proper French."

"I had no idea that you were a linguist."

"If you mean by that that I can talk languages, you are wrong, for I
cannot, but I am sure that our guide is not a French Canadian."

"Yo