nger was appeased in a moment; his was one of those rare
dispositions with which a little kindness outweighs more than a like
amount of harshness and injustice.

"Enough! enough! monsieur," said he. "That is a good old French
proverb which says, 'A fault avowed is half pardoned,' though I think
that 'wholly pardoned' would be better still. Let us do as you
propose; afterwards we will continue our journey for a short league, so
as to get away from this miserable scene, and then we will encamp for
the night."

Keeping purposely away from that part of the settlement which had been
the scene of the terrible tragedy, they crossed two or three of the
clearings without coming upon anything worthy of notice, except that
the buildings, and in many places the growing crops, had been wantonly
destroyed. At length they reached the homestead which had belonged to
Pritchard, Boulanger's relative. It was about half a mile from the
spot where they had first come upon the settlement, and, perhaps owing
to its somewhat remote position, had escaped better than the others,
one-half of the house being almost uninjured. With a deep sigh
Boulanger pushed open the door, but immediately started back as a man,
who had been sitting there with his face buried in his hands, rose up
hastily and surveyed the intruders with surprise evidently not
unmingled with fear. He was soon reassured on perceiving that one of
his unexpected visitors was Boulanger, who on his part was not slow to
recognise his brother-in-law.

They soon learned from him that things had come to pass pretty much as
Boulanger had surmised. A formidable body of Indians, numbering full a
hundred warriors, had about a week previously crossed the St. Lawrence
and made an incursion into the New England territory. Fortunately the
settlers at Little Creek had been warned of their danger by a
half-witted Indian orphan girl, on whom Pritchard had taken compassion
some time before, and who had become domesticated amongst them. They
fled in haste, leaving everything behind them, and the Indians having
other objects in view did not turn aside to follow them; but after
ravaging the place hurried on to attack a yet larger settlement,
further from the border, whose inhabitants had thought themselves far
removed from any such inroad. The onslaught was as successful as it
was sudden. The men were for the most part absent; the settlement was
sacked, the women and children were either ki