The silence of consternation gripped the hordes of the Keepers of the
Trail. The sea of painted, scowling faces exhibited one frozen
expression of awe at the suddenness of the tragedy. Only Murray gave
no indication of feeling as he knelt by de Veulle's side.
"Where is Black Robe?" I whispered to Marjory, shivering on my
shoulder.
"He went away last night. There was a call from Ga-o-no-geh, a
village down the Trail. I think he was tricked."
"Would he----"
Murray stood up, wiping a spot of blood off one of his hands with a
laced handkerchief.
"He is gone," he remarked impartially. "'Twas no more than to be
expected. A man can not mix politics with women--especially
uncivilized women."
"Give a look to the Indian girl," I urged.
He shrugged his shoulders as if to say it was not worth while; but
Marjory stooped over Ga-ha-no, composed the disordered black tresses
and closed the wildly staring eyes.
"'Tis useless, Harry," she said. "She is dead."
"Ga-ha-no--is--dead!" repeated Ta-wan-ne-ars blankly.
His heaving muscles relaxed, and he hung limp in his bonds against
the stake.
"At the least, the woman gave you an avenue of escape from an
intricate problem," commented Murray. "You do not seem glad, my
dear."
"I am not glad," retorted Marjory scornfully. "And I am right
content that you should be unable to understand why I will be
mourning for her."
"Ah, well, we have never understood each other, have we?" rejoined
Murray, taking snuff absent-mindedly. "Come, we will give orders for
the removal of the unfortunate pair, and----"
The horror dawned once more in Marjory's face.
"And what!" she gasped.
"You forget, Marjory, that my savage henchmen have work to do," he
answered nonchalantly. "I take it for granted that you do not wish
to remain and view their labors?"
"You--you would----"
Emotion shocked her; but she fought for her self-control.
"You would leave these--these men--Master Ormerod--to--to----"
"And why not!" he replied. "They are enemies. As I have had
occasion to tell him ere this, Master Ormerod has sought to contrive
my ruin. Why should I spare him?"
"You know not the meaning of humanity, then!" she cried, anger
striving with terror for control of her voice.
"'Tis a word which has divers meanings," he said. "But I am a
reasonable man. I am always willing to discuss terms."
"And what might you mean by terms?" I demanded, taking a hand in the
conversation.
He deliberated as unconcernedly as if we sat on opposite sides of a
table in London, entirely ignoring the huddled corpses at his feet,
the line of bodies stiffening in the bitter cold against the stakes
and the attendant cordon of Indians whose faces studied his as their
fingers itched to resume the torture.
"An undertaking to abandon this wholly barren persecution of my
enterprises," he decided. "I should require the signature of
Governor Burnet to the document."
"And my companions here?" I asked curiously.
"You forget that even my powers are necessarily limited," he said.
"I could not possibly snatch from my people's vengeance Iroquois
warriors taken red-handed in an attempt to massacre them."