because I'm going on a long journey,
longer than any I ever undertook before."

Father Drouillard fell on his knees and said a prayer for the dying man.
Robert looked down pityingly. He realized then that he hated nobody.
Life was much too busy an affair for the cherishing of hate and the
plotting of revenge. Jumonville had done him as much injury as he could,
but he was sorry for him, and had he been able to stay the ebbing of his
life, he would have done so. As the good priest finished his prayer the
head of Francois de Jumonville fell back. He was dead.

"We will take his body into the house," said Father Drouillard, "prepare
it for the grave and give him Christian burial. I cannot forget that he
was an officer of France."

"And my men shall help you," said Willet.

They carried the body of Jumonville into the chateau and put it on a
bench, while the servants, remarkably composed, used as they were to
scenes of violence, began at once to array it for the grave.

"Come into the Seigneur's room," said Father Drouillard, and Robert and
Willet followed him into the old man's chamber. M. de Chatillard lay
silent and rigid. He, too, had gone on the longest of all journeys.

"His soul fled," said Father Drouillard, "when the battle outside was at
its height, but his mind then was not here. It was far back in the past,
three-quarters of a century since when Frontenac and Phipps fought
before Quebec, and he was little more than a lad in the thick of the
combat. I heard him say aloud: 'The Bostonnais are going. Quebec remains
ours!' and in that happy moment his soul fled."

"A good ending," said Willet gravely, "and I, one of the Bostonnais, am
far from grudging him that felicity. Can my men help you with the
burial, Father? We remain here for the rest of the night at least."

"If you will," said Father Drouillard.

Zeb Crane touched Robert on the arm a little later.

"Tayoga has come back," he said.

"I didn't know he'd gone away," said Robert surprised.

"He pursued Tandakora into the dark. Mebbe he thought Tododaho was wrong
and that the time for him to settle score with the Ojibway had re'lly
come. Any way he wuz off after him like an arrer from the bow."

Robert went outside and found Tayoga standing quietly by the front door.

"Did you overtake him?" he asked.

"No," replied the Onondaga. "I knew that I could not, because Tododaho
had not whispered to me that the time was at hand, but, since I had seen
h