The King's Warrant: A Story of Old and New FranceEngelbach, Alfred H.
History
The King's Warrant: A Story of Old and New France
Engelbach, Alfred H.
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France) -- Fiction
It did comfort her indeed. Perhaps she only understood it very
partially, but the one absorbing uncertainty that had troubled her was
cleared away. She took Isidore's hand and kissed it; no tears fell
upon it--perhaps it would have been well with her could she have wept.
Then she arose, and before he could call to her, she had disappeared.
With a pleasant sense of relief from bodily suffering, and with a mind
not particularly pre-occupied by any anxiety, Isidore passed the
remainder of his watch in recollections now of the courtly assemblages
at Versailles, now of the voyage out to New France, now of the assault
at Oswego, as the current of his ideas was swept hither and thither by
some casual link of association, and he was only aroused from his
meditations by the appearance of the guide, who came to warn him that
breakfast was ready within, and that they would have to start in a
quarter of an hour so as to make good way daring the cool of the
morning.
As Boulanger said this his eyes lighted on the green bandages that
still enveloped Isidore's ankles. The facts were of course soon told,
and Boulanger was loud in his praises of the girl's thoughtfulness,
though he did not disguise his fears that the resumption of the boots
and a day's march in them would be a serious matter. At this juncture
Amoahmeh once more made her appearance, bringing with her a pair of
Indian moccasins, with leggings to match, on the manufacture of which
out of materials found in one of the deserted dwellings she had been
busily employed since her interview with the young soldier. Great was
Boulanger's delight, while Isidore on donning the new made, and by no
means unornamental moccasins, declared that nothing could be more
comfortable, and that he felt able to accomplish any journey that the
guide might think fit to lay out for the day. He would have expressed
his thanks to the girl, and indeed he would have made her a handsome
present, and bestowed on her a kind word at parting, but she was
nowhere to be seen. The morning meal did not occupy much time, and
after taking leave of Pritchard, Isidore and the guide set out on their
day's march.
[Illustration: Tailpiece to Chapter III]
[Illustration: Headpiece to Chapter IV]
CHAPTER IV.
On quitting the clearings, Isidore and his guide once more plunged into
the seemingly interminable forest, and had proceeded about half a
league when Boulanger, whose eye appeared to be unceasingly on the
look-out, cast a glance behind him and then came to a halt, saying,
"Why, there is that girl again! What can she be up to?"
Isidore looked round, and there she was, sure enough. Amoahmeh, too,
had stopped and remained standing about a hundred yards from them, but
she showed no signs of wishing to avoid notice, and looked as if she
only waited for them to go on in order to follow them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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