and
cried on Gabriel's shoulder; and all the young men who had taken their
first communion with Gabriel and had played with this dear girl when
she was a child, felt the tears come into their own eyes. All but Le
Maudit Pensonneau. He was busy rounding up the horses.

"Here's my uncle Larue's filly that was taken two weeks ago," said Le
Maudit, calling from the hobbling place. "And here are the blacks that
Ferland lost, and Pierre's pony--half these horses are Caho' horses."

He tied them together so that they could be driven two or three
abreast ahead of the party, and then he gathered up all the guns left
by the Indians.

Gabriel now called a council, for it had to be decided directly what
they should do next. Pain Court was seven miles in a straight line
from the spot where they stood; while Cahokia was ten miles to the
southwest.

"Would it not be best to go at once to Pain Court?" said Gabriel.
"Celeste, after this frightful day, needs food and sleep as soon as
she can get them, and my aunt Choutou is ready for her. And boats can
always be found opposite Pain Court."

All the young men were ready to go to Pain Court. They really thought,
even after all that had happened, that it would be wisest to deal with
Alexis Barbeau at a distance. But Celeste herself decided the matter.
Gabriel had not let go of her. He kept his hand on her as if afraid
she might be kidnaped again.

"We will go home to my grandfather and grandmother au Caho'," said
Celeste. "I will not go anywhere else."

"But you forget that Beauvois is au Caho'?" said one of the young men.

"Oh, I never can forget anything connected with this day," said
Celeste, and the tears ran down her face. "I never can forget how
willingly I let those Puants take me, and I laughed as one of them
flung me on the horse behind him. We were nearly to the bluffs before
I spoke. He did not say anything, and the others all had eyes which
made me shudder. I pressed my hands on his buckskin sides and said
to him, 'Gabriel.' And he turned and looked at me. I never had seen a
feature of his frightful face before. And then I understood that the
real Puants had me. Do you think I will ever marry anybody but the
man who took me away from them? No. If worst comes to worst, I will
go before the high altar and the image of the Holy Virgin, and make a
public vow never to marry anybody else."

The young men flung up their arms in the air and raised a hurrah. Hats
they had no