nded from the ships, they
sailed for France, leaving the little company of white men the only ones
of their race in all that vast unknown wilderness. As Laudonniere
remained in command of Fort Caroline, Rene de Veaux of course remained
with him, and thus became the hero of the surprising adventures that will
be related in the chapters that follow.

CHAPTER II

A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE

The building of Fort Caroline occupied about three months; and during
this time the friendly Indians willingly aided in the work of preparing
the tree-trunks which, set on end, were let deep into the earth close
beside one another, and in digging the wide moat that surrounded the
whole. A heavy embankment of earth was thrown up on the inner side of
the palisade of tree-trunks, and upon this were mounted a number of great
guns.

During the time thus occupied, Rene de Veaux became acquainted with
Micco's son, a young Indian of about his own age, named Has-se, which
means a sunbeam, and a strong friendship was speedily cemented between
them. They saw each other daily, and each learned the language of the
other.

After the ships had sailed away Rene's uncle found time, even in the
midst of his pressing duties, to attend to the lad's education; and every
morning was devoted to lessons in fencing, shooting the cross-bow, and in
military engineering. The evenings were passed with the good Jacques Le
Moyne the artist, who was a very learned man, and who taught Rene Latin,
and how to draw.

Although his mornings and evenings were thus occupied, Rene had his
afternoons to himself, and these he spent in company with his friend
Has-se, who instructed him in the mysteries of Indian woodcraft. Now it
happened that while Has-se was a merry, lovable lad, he had one bitter
enemy in the village. This was a young man somewhat older than himself,
named Chitta, which means the snake. Their quarrel was one of long
standing, and nobody seemed to know how it had begun; but everybody said
that Chitta was such a cross, ugly fellow that he must needs quarrel with
somebody, and had chosen Has-se for an enemy because everybody else loved
him.

One afternoon Has-se asked Rene to go out on the river with him in his
canoe, as he had that to tell him which he did not wish to run any risk
of being overheard by others. Rene willingly agreed to go with him, and
taking his cross-bow and a couple of steel-tipped bolts, he seated
himself in the bow of th