Part 3 (1/2)

They were alongside and a non-coh before Haained possession of his faculties Very diplomatic was the conference, for the corporal had his pacific orders and Willinawaugh was burdened with the grave anxiety to make the facts conform at once to the probabilities, yet sustain the impeccability of his own conduct A little network of wrinkles, alathered at the corners of his eyes and gave token of his grave cogitation

The corporal, a dark-haired, blue-eyed, florid young Irish very stanch and direct and steady, but not without a twinkle of humor which betokened so partly in English and partly, glibly enough, in very tolerable Cherokee, although incongruously eue, detailed that Captain Stuart had been apprised that there was a band of Indians on the river who had some white people with them, and he wished to know if these white people were French, in which case, according to the treaty made with the Cherokees, they must be arrested and delivered up to the colish, he wished to be assured that they were at liberty to go where they pleased, and were under no restraint

As the officer concluded, having bowed to Odalie withhe was not yet informed as to whether she were of a party of French est the Cherokee allies of the English, he drew himself up very erect, with a co fellow, and he had not seen so handso woman of her evident position in life for a h, as also eliss--all Ingliss,” said the chief, unexpectedly

The Indians in the pettiaugre, listening attentively, gave no sign of surprise upon this statement, so at variance with the warrior's previous representations His ruse to shi+eld the travelers now by declaring the a chief and head-e to cloak his playing the _role_ of guide, philosopher, and friend to people of a nation so obnoxious to his English allies, and establishi+ng them in the very heart of the Cherokee nation, contrary to its ations and treaties

After a ain with eliss” Perhaps he did not desire to avail himself of the added fluency of explanation which the Cherokee language would have afforded him, and which Corporal O'Flynn evidently understood ”Go Chote--Old Town Buy fur-- across the woods in the direction in which Alexander MacLeod was presu

The corporal for thehe was He concentrated his whole attention on Willinawaugh's disingenuous countenance, and then turned and cast a long, searching look upon Odalie The eyes thatin tears, and with an expression of pleading insistence that fairly wrung his heart, although he hardly understood it If she were English, why then she was free as the air If French--well, bedad, thin, Corporal O'Flynn wished himself at the bottorief and under arrest had no right to be so good-looking at all, at all Here was so, he could but perceive, and yet because of Willinawaugh's diplomacy he could not fix upon it

”What's your name, my lad?” he said abruptly to Hamish

Haiven way in the sudden relaxation of the strain of suspense He could not, would not, lift his face and let that boat's crew of stalwart soldiers resting on their oars, the two ranks gazing at him, see the tears in his eyes

”Hamish MacLeod,” he ood English nalish accent,”

Corporal O'Flynn mentally co with downcast face,the paddle

”Now by the powers,” said the young soldier to himself with sudden resolution, ”Captain Stuart le hilish!+” he exclaimed aloud Then with much courtesy of s the English party to do hiht and pursue their journey at their convanience” He glanced up at the sky ”It grows late and there are cataht frighten the leddy”

Odalie, re his serious, unconscious glance as he ani vocalizations, burst into hter, and then into a torrent of tears

At which the corporal, the boat's crew, and the Indian braves gazed at her in blank astonishment Hysterics were a new importation on the frontier She controlled with an effort her tendency to laugh, but still ith the profusion of exhaustion and nervous tension

Willinawaugh's eyes were fixed on her with deep displeasure ”Ugh!” he grunted froh!”

”Oh, there's bloody murder here, if one could but chance upon the carpse,” said the corporal to hi bewildered from her to the boy

And noas deh the corporal had but the slightest bit of a brogue in the world, there was a twist in his tongue which showed that he had at so the ”Blarney Stone” and was as Irish as County Clare

”Of course Captain Stuart couldn't have known that his valued friend, the great chief, Willinawaugh, was to be passing with the English party, but, sure, he would take it hty ill if the chief did not stop over, too, and lie at the fort to-night,--an' he so seldoreat chief My word on't, he will”

Now Willinawaugh, an epito with his supposed French friends, wholish, into the British stronghold, for he doubted their capacity to sustain their character of coe of the English language and how soon their ignorance ht betray them Since the ruse he had adopted had evidently not sufficed to evade the enforced stoppage at Fort Loudon, he had relinquished the intention to take them on past Chote to some other of the Overhill towns, and let them establish themselves as French traders

He feared that were they once inside the walls of Fort Loudon this design against the agreement with his allies would become transparent

To be sure, it h was determined to be far away by that time, and, moreover, he could send a ”talk”

(letter) to Captain Stuart, whose good opinion he greatly coveted, to say that the French trader had deceived hilish At the same time he was too wary to venture into his valued friend's poith this fresh grievance and with stormy times for the two peoples evidently in prospect

But he was flattered, infinitely flattered, as indeed ould not have been, by Corporal O'Flynn's tone and expression of ingenuous eyes and respectful word of lad to have these Chote Cherokees see how highly he was estee Injun” of exclusive privilege The invitation in no as to be extended to the others to pass the night at Fort Loudon--not even to Savanukah, a chief hi over in his ht best be insulated, so to speak, that he ht not have est itself to his fertile brain, or find a way to open the gates, or otherwise afford ingress to confederates without; how to lock him in, and yet not seem to treat him as a prisoner; to leave hi but that which his hosts should please All such complicated and contradictory details did Corporal O'Flynn dee--but one such subject was enough Unfortunately for the triuh, with dignity and a certain gruffness; yet now and again a flicker of covert smile as if to himself, declined to partake of Captain Stuart's hospitality He had a mission to the head-e to leave for the English officer He desired to tell Captain Stuart that he often thought of hienerals, he thought of _hi men brave and noble, when he learned of their splendid deeds in battle; and then again, they were as naught in his reat Captain Stuart!

The corporal, listening attentively to pick out the lish, made a lo in behalf of Captain Stuart, with a flourishi+ng wave of his hat