It was the eighth hour of morning, and both officers and men, quitting
their ill-relished meal, were to be seen issuing to the parade, where
the monotonous roll of the assemblee now summoned them. Presently the
garrison was formed in the order we have described in our first volume;
that is to say, presenting three equal sides of a square. The vacant
space fronted the guard-house, near one extremity of which was to be
seen a flight of steps communicating with the rampart, where the
flag-staff was erected. Several men were employed at this staff,
passing strong ropes through iron pulleys that were suspended from the
extreme top, while in the basement of the staff itself, to a height of
about twenty feet, were stuck at intervals strong wooden pegs, serving
as steps to the artillerymen for greater facility in clearing, when
foul, the lines to which the colours were attached. The latter had been
removed; and, from the substitution of a cord considerably stronger
than that which usually appeared there, it seemed as if some far
heavier weight was about to be appended to it. Gradually the men,
having completed their unusual preparations, quitted the rampart, and
the flagstaff, which was of tapering pine, was left totally unguarded.
The "Attention!" of Major Blackwater to the troops, who had been
hitherto standing in attitudes of expectancy that rendered the
injunction almost superfluous, announced the approach of the governor.
Soon afterwards that officer entered the area, wearing his
characteristic dignity of manner, yet exhibiting every evidence of one
who had suffered deeply. Preparation for a drum-head court-martial, as
in the first case of Halloway, had already been made within the square,
and the only actor wanting in the drama was he who was to be tried.
Once Colonel de Haldimar made an effort to command his appearance, but
the huskiness of his voice choked his utterance, and he was compelled
to pause. After the lapse of a few moments, he again ordered, but in a
voice that was remarked to falter,--
"Mr. Lawson, let the prisoner be brought forth."
The feeling of suspense that ensued between the delivery and execution
of this command was painful throughout the ranks. All were penetrated
with curiosity to behold a man who had several times appeared to them
under the most appalling circumstances, and against whom the strongest
feeling of indignation had been excited for his barbarous murder of
Charles de Haldimar. It was with mingled awe and anger they now awaited
his approach. At length the captive was seen advancing from the cell in
which he had been confined, his gigantic form towering far above those
of the guard of grenadiers by whom he was surrounded; and with a
haughtiness in his air, and insolence in his manner, that told he came
to confront his enemy with a spirit unsubdued by the fate that too
probably awaited him.
Many an eye was turned upon the governor at that moment. He was
evidently struggling for composure to meet the scene he felt it to be
impossible to avoid; and he turned pale and paler as his enemy drew
near.
At length the prisoner stood nearly in the same spot where his
unfortunate nephew had lingered on a former occasion. He was unchained;
but his hands were firmly secured behind his back. He threw himself
into an attitude of carelessness, resting on one foot, and tapping the
earth with the other; riveting his eye, at the same time, with an
expression of the most daring insolence, on the governor, while his
swarthy cheek was moreover lighted up with a smile of the deepest scorn.
"You are Reginald Morton the outlaw, I believe," at length observed the
governor in an uncertain tone, that, however, acquired greater firmness
as he proceeded,--"one whose life has already been forfeited through
his treasonable practices in Europe, and who has, moreover, incurred
the penalty of an ignominious death, by acting in this country as a spy
of the enemies of England. What say you, Reginald Morton, that you
should not be convicted in the death that awaits the traitor?"
"Ha! ha! by Heaven, such cold, pompous insolence amuses me,"
vociferated Wacousta. "It reminds me of Ensign de Haldimar of nearly
five and twenty years back, who was then as cunning a dissembler as he
is now." Suddenly changing his ribald tone to one of scorn and
rage:--"You BELIEVE me, you say, to be Reginald Morton the outlaw. Well
do you know it. I am that Sir Reginald Morton, who became an outlaw,
not through his own crimes, but through your villainy. Ay, frown as you
may, I heed it not. You may award me death, but shall not chain my
tongue. To your whole regiment do I proclaim you for a false,
remorseless villain." Then turning his flashing eye along the
ranks:--"I was once an officer in this corps, and long before any of
you wore the accursed uniform. That man, that fiend, affected to be my
friend; and under the guise of friendship, stole into the heart I loved
better than my own life. Yes," fervently pursued the excited prisoner,
stamping violently with his foot upon the earth, "he robbed me of my
affianced wife; and for that I resented an outrage that should have
banished him to some lone region, where he might never again pollute
human nature with his presence--he caused me to be tried by a
court-martial, and dismissed the service. Then, indeed, I became the
outlaw he has described, but not until then. Now, Colonel de Haldimar,
that I have proclaimed your infamy, poor and inefficient as the triumph
be, do your worst--I ask no mercy. Yesterday I thought that years of
toilsome pursuit of the means of vengeance were about to be crowned
with success; but fate has turned the tables on me and I yield."
To all but the baronet and Captain Blessington this declaration was
productive of the utmost surprise. Every eye was turned upon the
colonel. He grew impatient under the scrutiny, and demanded if the
court, who meanwhile had been deliberating, satisfied of the guilt of
the prisoner, had come to a decision in regard to his punishment. An
affirmative answer was given, and Colonel de Haldimar proceeded.
"Reginald Morton, with the private misfortunes of your former life we
have nothing to do. It is the decision of this court, who are merely
met out of form, that you suffer immediate death by hanging, as a just
recompense for your double treason to your country. There," and he
pointed to the flag-staff, "will you be exhibited to the misguided
people whom your wicked artifices have stirred up into hostility
against us. When they behold your fate, they will take warning from
your example; and, finding we have heads and arms not to suffer offence
with impunity, be more readily brought to obedience."
"I understand your allusion," coolly rejoined Wacousta, glancing
earnestly at, and apparently measuring with his eye, the dimensions of
the conspicuous scaffold on which he was to suffer. "You had ever a
calculating head, De Haldimar, where any secret villainy, any thing to
promote your own selfish ends, was to be gained by it; but your
calculation seems now, methinks, at fault."
Colonel de Haldimar looked at him enquiringly.
"You have STILL a son left," pursued the prisoner with the same
recklessness of manner, and in a tone denoting allusion to him who was
no more, that caused an universal shudder throughout the ranks. "He is
in the hands of the Ottawa Indians, and I am the friend of their great
chief, inferior only in power among the tribe to himself. Think you
that he will see me hanged up like a dog, and fail to avenge my
disgraceful death?"
"Ha! presumptuous renegade, is this the deep game you have in view?
Hope you then to stipulate for the preservation of a life every way
forfeited to the offended justice of your country? Dare you to cherish
the belief, that, after the horrible threats so often denounced by you,
you will again be let loose upon a career of crime and blood?"
"None of your cant, de Haldimar, as I once observed to you before,"
coolly retorted Wacousta, with bitter sarcasm. "Consult your own heart,
and ask if its catalogue of crime be not far greater than my own: yet I
ask not my life. I would but have the manner of my fate altered, and
fain would die the death of the soldier I WAS before you rendered me
the wretch I AM. Methinks the boon is not so great, if the restoration
of your son be the price."
"Do you mean, then," eagerly returned the governor, "that if the mere
mode of your death be changed, my son shall be restored?"
"I do," was the calm reply.
"What pledge have we of the fact? What faith can we repose in the word
of a fiend, whose brutal vengeance has already sacrificed the gentlest
life that ever animated human clay?" Here the emotion of the governor
almost choked, his utterance, and considerable agitation and murmuring
were manifested in the ranks.
"Gentle, said you?" replied the prisoner, musingly; "then did he
resemble his mother, whom I loved, even as his brother resembles you
whom I have had so much reason to hate. Had I known the boy to be what
you describe, I might have felt some touch of pity even while I delayed
not to strike his death blow; but the false moonlight deceived me, and
the detested name of De Haldimar, pronounced by the lips of my nephew's
wife--that wife whom your cold-blooded severity had widowed and driven
mad--was in itself sufficient to ensure his doom."
"Inhuman ruffian!" exclaimed the governor, with increasing indignation;
"to the point. What pledge have you to offer that my son will be
restored?"
"Nay, the pledge is easily given, and without much risk. You have only
to defer my death until your messenger return from his interview with
Ponteac. If Captain de Haldimar accompany him back, shoot me as I have
requested; if he come not, then it is but to hang me after all."
"Ha! I understand you; this is but a pretext to gain time, a device to
enable your subtle brain to plan some mode of escape."
"As you will, Colonel de Haldimar," calmly retorted Wacousta; and again
he sank into silence, with the air of one utterly indifferent to
results.
"Do you mean," resumed the colonel, "that a request from yourself to
the Ottawa chief will obtain the liberation of my son?"
"Unless the Indian be false as yourself, I do."
"And of the lady who is with him?" continued the colonel, colouring
with anger.
"Of both."
"How is the message to be conveyed?"
"Ha, sir!" returned the prisoner, drawing himself up to his full
height, "now are you arrived at a point that is pertinent. My wampum
belt will be the passport, and the safeguard of him you send; then for
the communication. There are certain figures, as you are aware, that,
traced on bark, answer the same purpose among the Indians with the
European language of letters. Let my hands be cast loose," he pursued,
but in a tone in which agitation and excitement might be detected, "and
if bark be brought me, and a burnt stick or coal, I will give you not
only a sample of Indian ingenuity, but a specimen of my own progress in
Indian acquirements."
"What, free your hands, and thus afford you a chance of escape?"
observed the governor, doubtingly.
Wacousta bent his stedfast gaze on him for a few moments, as if he
questioned he had heard aright. Then bursting into a wild and scornful
laugh,--"By Heaven!" he exclaimed, "this is, indeed, a high compliment
you pay me at the expense of these fine fellows. What, Colonel de
Haldimar afraid to liberate an unarmed prisoner, hemmed in by a forest
of bayonets? This is good; gentlemen," and he bent himself in sarcastic
reverence to the astonished troops, "I beg to offer you my very best
congratulations on the high estimation in which you are held by your
colonel."
"Peace, sirrah!" exclaimed the governor, enraged beyond measure at the
insolence of him who thus held him up to contempt before his men, "or,
by Heaven, I will have your tongue cut out!--Mr. Lawson, let what this
fellow requires be procured immediately." Then addressing Lieutenant
Boyce, who commanded the immediate guard over the prisoner,--"Let his
hands be liberated, sir, and enjoin your men to be watchful of the
movements of this supple traitor. His activity I know of old to be
great, and he seems to have doubled it since he assumed that garb."
The command was executed, and the prisoner stood, once more, free and
unfettered in every muscular limb. A deep and unbroken silence ensued;
and the return of the adjutant was momentarily expected. Suddenly a
loud scream was heard, and the slight figure of a female, clad in
white, came rushing from the piazza in which the apartment of the
deceased De Haldimar was situated. It was Clara. The guard of Wacousta
formed the fourth front of the square; but they were drawn up somewhat
in the distance, so as to leave an open space of several feet at the
angles. Through one of these the excited girl now passed into the area,
with a wildness in her air and appearance that riveted every eye in
painful interest upon her. She paused not until she had gained the side
of the captive, at whose feet she now sank in an attitude expressive of
the most profound despair.
"Tiger!--monster!" she raved, "restore my brother!--give me back the
gentle life you have taken, or destroy my own! See, I am a weak
defenceless girl: can you not strike?--you who have no pity for the
innocent. But come," she pursued, mournfully, regaining her feet and
grasping his iron hand,--"come and see the sweet calm face of him you
have slain:--come with me, and behold the image of Clara Beverley; and,
if you ever loved her as you say you did, let your soul be touched with
remorse for your crime."
The excitement and confusion produced by this unexpected interruption
was great. Murmurs of compassion for the unhappy Clara, and of
indignation against the prisoner, were no longer sought to be repressed
by the men; while the officers, quitting their places in the ranks,
grouped themselves indiscriminately in the foreground. One, more
impatient than his companions, sprang forward, and forcibly drew away
the delicate, hand that still grasped that of the captive. It was Sir
Everard Valletort.
"Clara, my beloved wife!" he exclaimed, to the astonishment of all who
heard him, "pollute not your lips by further communion with such a
wretch; his heart is as inaccessible to pity as the rugged rocks on
which his spring-life was passed. For Heaven's sake,--for my
sake,--linger not within his reach. There is death in his very
presence."
"Your wife, sir!" haughtily observed the governor, with irrepressible
astonishment and indignation in his voice; "what mean you?--Gentlemen,
resume your places in the ranks.--Clara--Miss de Haldimar, I command
you to retire instantly to your apartment.--We will discourse of this
later, Sir Everard Valletort. I trust you have not dared to offer an
indignity to my child."
While he was yet turned to that officer, who had taken his post, as
commanded, in the inner angle of the square, and with a countenance
that denoted the conflicting emotions of his soul, he was suddenly
startled by the confused shout and rushing forward of the whole body,
both of officers and men. Before he had time to turn, a loud and
well-remembered yell burst upon his ear. The next moment, to his
infinite surprise and horror, he beheld the bold warrior rapidly
ascending the very staff that had been destined for his scaffold, and
with Clara in his arms.
Great was the confusion that ensued. To rush forward and surround the
flag-staff, was the immediate action of the troops. Many of the men
raised their muskets, and in the excitement of the moment, would have
fired, had they not been restrained by their officers, who pointed out
the certain destruction it would entail on the unfortunate Clara. With
the rapidity of thought, Wacousta had snatched up his victim, while the
attention of the troops was directed to the singular conversation
passing between the governor and Sir Everard Valletort, and darting
through one of the open angles already alluded to, had gained the
rampart before they had recovered from the stupor produced by his
daring action. Stepping lightly upon the pegs, he had rapidly ascended
to the utmost height of these, before any one thought of following him;
and then grasping in his teeth the cord which was to have served for
his execution, and holding Clara firmly against his chest, while he
embraced the smooth staff with knees and feet closely compressed around
it, accomplished the difficult ascent with an ease that astonished all
who beheld him. Gradually, as he approached the top, the tapering pine
waved to and fro; and at each moment it was expected, that, yielding to
their united weight, it would snap asunder, and precipitate both Clara
and himself, either upon the rampart, or into the ditch beyond.
More than one officer now attempted to follow the fugitive in his
adventurous course; but even Lieutenant Johnstone, the most active and
experienced in climbing of the party, was unable to rise more than a
few yards above the pegs that afforded a footing, add the enterprise
was abandoned as an impossibility. At length Wacousta was seen to gain
the extreme summit. For a moment he turned his gaze anxiously beyond
the town, in the direction of the bridge; and, after pealing forth one
of his terrific yells, exclaimed, exultingly, as he turned his eye upon
his enemy:--
"Well, colonel, what think you of this sample of Indian ingenuity? Did
I not tell you," he continued, in mockery, "that, if my hands were but
free, I would give you a specimen of my progress in Indian
acquirements?"
"If you would avoid a death even more terrible than that of hanging,"
shouted the governor, in a voice of mingled rage and terror, "restore
my daughter."
"Ha! ha! ha!--excellent!" vociferated the savage. "You threaten
largely, my good governor; but your threats are harmless as those of a
weak besieging army before an impregnable fortress. It is for the
strongest, however, to propose his terms.--If I restore this girl to
life, will you pledge yourself to mine?"
"Never!" thundered Colonel de Haldimar, with unusual energy.--"Men,
procure axes; cut the flag-staff down, since this is the only means
left of securing yon insolent traitor! Quick to your work: and mark,
who first seizes him shall have promotion on the spot."
Axes were instantly procured, and two of the men now lent themselves
vigorously to the task. Wacousta seemed to watch these preparations
with evident anxiety; and to all it appeared as if his courage had been
paralysed by this unexpected action. No sooner, however, had the axemen
reached the heart of the staff, than, holding Clara forth over the edge
of the rampart, he shouted,--
"One stroke more, and she perishes!"
Instantaneously the work was discontinued. A silence of a few moments
ensued. Every eye was turned upward,--every heart beat with terror to
see the delicate girl, held by a single arm, and apparently about to be
precipitated from that dizzying height. Again Wacousta shouted,--
"Life for life, De Haldimar! If I yield her shall I live?"
"No terms shall be dictated to me by a rebel, in the heart of my own
fort," returned the governor. "Restore my child, and we will then
consider what mercy may be extended to you."
"Well do I know what mercy dwells in such a heart as yours," gloomily
remarked the prisoner; "but I come."
"Surround the staff, men," ordered the governor, in a low tone. "The
instant he descends, secure him: lash him in every limb, nor suffer
even his insolent tongue to be longer at liberty."
"Boyce, for God's sake open the gate, and place men in readiness to
lower the drawbridge," implored Sir Everard of the officer of the
guard, and in a tone of deep emotion that was not meant to be overheard
by the governor. "I fear the boldness of this vengeful man may lead him
to some desperate means of escape."
While the officer whom he addressed issued a command, the
responsibility of which he fancied he might, under the peculiar
circumstances of the moment, take upon himself, Wacousta began his
descent, not as before, by adhering to the staff, but by the rope which
he held in his left hand, while he still supported the apparently
senseless Clara against his right chest with the other.
"Now, Colonel de Haldimar, I hope your heart is at rest," he shouted,
as he rapidly glided by the cord; "enjoy your triumph as best may suit
your pleasure."
Every eye followed his movement with interest; every heart beat lighter
at the certainty of Clara being again restored, and without other
injury than the terror she must have experienced in such a scene. Each
congratulated himself on the favourable termination of the terrible
adventure, yet were all ready to spring upon and secure the desperate
author of the wrong. Wacousta had now reached the centre of the
flag-staff. Pausing for a moment, he grappled it with his strong and
nervous feet, on which he apparently rested, to give a momentary relief
to the muscles of his left arm. He then abruptly abandoned his hold,
swinging himself out a few yards from the staff, and returning again,
dashed his feet against it with a force that caused the weakened mass
to vibrate to its very foundation. Impelled by his weight, and the
violence of his action, the creaking pine gave way; its lofty top
gradually bending over the exterior rampart until it finally snapped
asunder, and fell with a loud crash across the ditch.
"Open the gate, down with the drawbridge!" exclaimed the excited
governor.
"Down with the drawbridge," repeated Sir Everard to the men already
stationed there ready to let loose at the first order. The heavy chains
rattled sullenly through the rusty pulleys, and to each the bridge
seemed an hour descending. Before it had reached its level, it was
covered with the weight of many armed men rushing confusedly to the
front; and the foremost of these leaped to the earth before it had sunk
into its customary bed. Sir Everard Valletort and Lieutenant Johnstone
were in the front, both armed with their rifles, which had been brought
them before Wacousta commenced his descent. Without order or
combination, Erskine, Blessington, and nearly half of their respective
companies, followed as they could; and dispersing as they advanced,
sought only which could outstep his fellows in the pursuit.
Meanwhile the fugitive, assisted in his fall by the gradual rending
asunder of the staff, had obeyed the impulsion first given to his
active form, until, suddenly checking himself by the rope, he dropped
with his feet downward into the centre of the ditch. For a moment he
disappeared, then came again uninjured to the surface; and in the face
of more than fifty men, who, lining the rampart with their muskets
levelled to take him at advantage the instant he should reappear,
seemed to laugh their efforts to scorn. Holding Clara before him as a
shield, through which the bullets of his enemies must pass before they
could attain him, he impelled his gigantic form with a backward
movement towards the opposite bank, which he rapidly ascended; and,
still fronting his enemies, commenced his flight in that manner with a
speed which (considering the additional weight of the drenched garments
of both) was inconceivable. The course taken by him was not through the
town, but circuitously across the common until he arrived on that
immediate line whence, as we have before stated, the bridge was
distinctly visible from the rampart; on which, nearly the whole of the
remaining troops, in defiance of the presence of their austere chief,
were now eagerly assembled, watching, with unspeakable interest, the
progress of the chase.
Desperate as were the exertions of Wacousta, who evidently continued
this mode of flight from a conviction that the instant his person was
left exposed the fire-arms of his pursuers would be brought to bear
upon him, the two officers in front, animated by the most extraordinary
exertions, were rapidly gaining upon him. Already was one within fifty
yards of him, when a loud yell was heard from the bridge. This was
fiercely answered by the fleeing man, and in a manner that implied his
glad sense of coming rescue. In the wild exultation of the moment, he
raised Clara high above his head, to show her in triumph to the
governor, whose person his keen eye could easily distinguish among
those crowded upon the rampart. In the gratified vengeance of that
hour, he seemed utterly to overlook the actions of those who were so
near him. During this brief scene, Sir Everard had dropped upon one
knee, and supporting his elbow on the other, aimed his rifle at the
heart of the ravisher of his wife. An exulting shout burst from the
pursuing troops. Wacousta bounded a few feet in air, and placing his
hand to his side, uttered another yell, more appalling than any that
had hitherto escaped him. His flight was now uncertain and wavering. He
staggered as one who had received a mortal wound; and discontinuing his
unequal mode of retreat, turned his back upon his pursuers, and threw
all his remaining energies into a final effort at escape.
Inspirited by the success of his shot, and expecting momentarily to see
him fall weakened with the loss of blood, the excited Valletort
redoubled his exertions. To his infinite joy, he found that the efforts
of the fugitive became feebler at each moment Johnstone was about
twenty paces behind him, and the pursuing party at about the same
distance from Johnstone. The baronet had now reached his enemy, and
already was the butt of his rifle raised with both hands with murderous
intent, when suddenly Wacousta, every feature distorted with rage and
pain, turned like a wounded lion at bay, and eluding the blow,
deposited the unconscious form of his victim upon the sward. Springing
upon his infinitely weaker pursuer, he grappled him furiously by the
throat, exclaiming through his clenched teeth:--
"Nay then, since you will provoke your fate--be it so. Die like a dog,
and be d--d, for having balked me--of my just revenge!"
As he spoke, he hurled the gasping officer to the earth with a violence
that betrayed the dreadful excitement of his soul, and again hastened
to assure himself of his prize.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Johnstone had come up, and, seeing his companion
struggling as he presumed, with advantage, with his severely wounded
enemy, made it his first care to secure the unhappy girl; for whose
recovery the pursuit had been principally instituted. Quitting his
rifle, he now essayed to raise her in his arms. She was without life or
consciousness, and the impression on his mind was that she was dead.
While in the act of raising her, the terrible Wacousta stood at his
side, his vast chest heaving forth a laugh of mingled rage and
contempt. Before the officer could extricate, with a view of defending
himself, his arms were pinioned as though in a vice; and ere he could
recover from his surprise, he felt himself lifted up and thrown to a
considerable distance. When he opened his eyes a moment afterwards, he
was lying amid the moving feet of his own men.
From the instant of the closing of the unfortunate Valletort with his
enemy, the Indians, hastening to the assistance of their chief, had
come up, and a desultory fire had already commenced, diverting, in a
great degree, the attention of the troops from the pursued. Emboldened
by this new aspect of things Wacousta now deliberately grasped the
rifle that had been abandoned by Johnstone; and raising it to his
shoulder, fired among the group collected on the ramparts. For a moment
he watched the result of his shot, and then, pealing forth another
fierce yell, he hurled the now useless weapon into the very heart of
his pursuers; and again raising Clara in his arms, once more commenced
his retreat, which, under cover of the fire of his party, was easily
effected.
"Who has fallen?" demanded the governor of his adjutant, perceiving
that some one had been hit at his side, yet without taking his eyes off
his terrible enemy.
"Mr. Delme, sir," was the reply. "He has been shot through the heart,
and his men are bearing him from the rampart."
"This must not be," resumed the governor with energy. "Private feelings
must no longer be studied at the expense of the public good. That
pursuit is hopeless; and already too many of my officers have fallen.
Desire the retreat to be sounded, Mr. Lawson. Captain Wentworth, let
one or two covering guns be brought to bear upon the savages. They are
gradually increasing hi numbers; and if we delay, the party will be
wholly cut off."
In issuing these orders, Colonel de Haldimar evinced a composedness
that astonished all who heard him. But although his voice was calm,
despair was upon his brow. Still he continued to gaze fixedly on the
retreating form of his enemy, until he finally disappeared behind the
orchard of the Canadian of the Fleur de lis.
Obeying the summons from the fort, the troops without now commenced
their retreat, bearing off the bodies of their fallen officers and
several of their comrades who had fallen by the Indian fire. There was
a show of harassing them on their return; but they were too near the
fort to apprehend much danger. Two or three well-directed discharges of
artillery effectually checked the onward progress of the savages; and,
in the course of a minute, they had again wholly disappeared.
In gloomy silence, and with anger and disappointment in their hearts,
the detachment now re-entered the fort. Johnstone was only severely
bruised; Sir Everard Valletort not dead. Both were conveyed to the same
room, where they were instantly attended by the surgeon, who pronounced
the situation of the latter hopeless.
Major Blackwater, Captains Blessington and Erskine, Lieutenants Leslie
and Boyce, and Ensigns Fortescue and Summers, were now the only
regimental officers that remained of thirteen originally comprising the
strength of the garrison. The whole of these stood grouped around their
colonel, who seemed transfixed to the spot he had first occupied on the
rampart, with his arms folded, and his gaze bent in the direction in
which he had lost sight of Wacousta and his child.
Hitherto the morning had been cold and cheerless, and objects in the
far distance were but indistinctly seen through a humid atmosphere. At
about half an hour before mid-day the air became more rarified, and,
the murky clouds gradually disappearing, left the blue autumnal sky
without spot or blemish. Presently, as the bells of the fort struck
twelve, a yell as of a legion of devils rent the air; and, riveting
their gaze in that direction, all beheld the bridge, hitherto deserted,
suddenly covered with a multitude of savages, among whom were several
individuals attired in the European garb, and evidently prisoners. Each
officer had a telescope raised to his eye, and each prepared himself,
shudderingly, for some horrid consummation. Presently the bridge was
cleared of all but a double line of what appeared to be women, armed
with war-clubs and tomahawks. Along the line were now seen to pass, in
slow succession, the prisoners that had previously been observed. At
each step they took (and it was evident they had been compelled to run
the gauntlet), a blow was inflicted by some one or other of the line,
until the wretched victims were successively despatched. A loud yell
from the warriors, who, although hidden from view by the intervening
orchards, were evidently merely spectators in the bloody drama,
announced each death. These yells were repeated, at intervals, to about
the number of thirty, when, suddenly, the bridge was again deserted as
before.
After the lapse of a minute, the tall figure of a warrior was seen to
advance, holding a female in his arms. No one could mistake, even at
that distance, the gigantic proportions of Wacousta,--as he stood in
the extreme centre of the bridge, in imposing relief against the flood
that glittered like a sea of glass beyond. From his chest there now
burst a single yell; but, although audible, it was fainter than any
remembered ever to have been heard from him by the garrison. He then
advanced to the extreme edge of the bridge; and, raising the form of
the female far above his head with his left hand, seemed to wave her in
vengeful triumph. A second warrior was seen upon the bridge, and
stealing cautiously to the same point. The right hand of the first
warrior was now raised and brandished in air; in the next instant it
descended upon the breast of the female, who fell from his arms into
the ravine beneath. Yells of triumph from the Indians, and shouts of
execration from the soldiers, mingled faintly together. At that moment
the arm of the second warrior was raised, and a blade was seen to
glitter in the sunshine. His arm descended, and Wacousta was observed
to stagger forward and fall heavily into the abyss into which his
victim had the instant before been precipitated. Another loud yell, but
of disappointment and anger, was heard drowning that of exultation
pealed by the triumphant warrior, who, darting to the open extremity of
the bridge, directed his flight along the margin of the river, where a
light canoe was ready to receive him. Into this he sprang, and, seizing
the paddle, sent the waters foaming from its sides; and, pursuing his
way across the river, had nearly gained the shores of Canada before a
bark was to be seen following in pursuit.
How felt--how acted Colonel de Haldimar throughout this brief but
terrible scene? He uttered not a word. With his arms still folded
across his breast, he gazed upon the murder of his child; but he heaved
not a groan, he shed not a tear. A momentary triumph seemed to,
irradiate his pallid features, when he saw the blow struck that
annihilated his enemy; but it was again instantly shaded by an
expression of the most profound despair.
"It is done, gentlemen," he at length remarked. "The tragedy is closed,
the curse of Ellen Halloway is fulfilled, and I
am--childless!--Blackwater," he pursued, endeavouring to stifle the
emotion produced by the last reflection, "pay every attention to the
security of the garrison, see that the drawbridge is again properly
chained up, and direct that the duties of the troops be prosecuted in
every way as heretofore."
Leaving his officers to wonder at and pity that apathy of mind that
could mingle the mere forms of duty with the most heart-rending
associations, Colonel de Haldimar now quitted the rampart; and, with a
head that was remarked for the first time to droop over his chest,
paced his way musingly to his apartments.