d very much ashamed of themselves. The truth was,
they had been seized with a panic, such as occurs sometimes even among
regular troops. Lejoillie, who was acting as their leader, was a
stranger to them, and they probably also had very little confidence in
each other. Having got to a sufficient distance from the hummock to
prevent it affording shelter to an enemy firing at us, a halt was
called, and Lejoillie advised that scouts should be sent back to
ascertain the whereabouts of the Indians.

Carlos and I volunteered to undertake the duty. On hearing this, Tim
stepped forward.

"Sure, Mr. Maurice dear, it'll be better for me, an old soldier,
accustomed to the ways of the savages, to go out and scout than you," he
said. "What could I say to the capt'n if the varmints were to shoot you
down and take your scalp?"

"I am not afraid of that," I said. "If my cousin and I hang back, we
cannot expect the rest of the people to show any courage; though I shall
be very glad if you will accompany us."

"Then, Mr. Maurice dear, I'll go with you," said Tim; "and if I say,
`Run,' just promise me that you will run; and I won't say it unless I
see it is the best thing to be done."

To this I agreed, knowing that Tim was a stanch old soldier, who would
not beat a retreat unless we were likely to be overpowered.

On seeing us prepared to set out, two other men stepped forward who had
before acted as scouts. We made our way as rapidly as we could towards
the hummock. Advancing quickly through the forest, keeping ourselves
concealed from any one in front by stooping down behind bushes, or
running from one trunk to another, we reached the spot where our party
had so ignominiously taken to flight, without having seen an enemy.
After this, we expected every instant to discover the Indians who had
caused the alarm, as, unless they had halted, they could not be far off.
We had thus worked our way to the farther side of the hummock, when
looking out from behind a tree I had just reached, I saw two persons
advancing across the open, neither of whom had much the look of an
Indian.

"Sure that's not the band of Redskins that set our fellows running so
hard!" exclaimed Tim, who had at the same time caught sight of the two
men.

As they drew nearer, to my infinite satisfaction I discovered that one
was Rochford. It was difficult to determine whether the other, a tall,
fine-looking man in hunter's costume, was an Indian or a white.