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Show 66 Till': LILY AND Till': TOT£ll. the instance of his comrades; and still his hearly, whole-souled laughter rang oTcr the encampment, smiting ungrncioul'ly upon the senses of his basely-minded chief. In vain did this despot study how to increase and frame new annoyances for his subordinate. I lis tyranny contrived dnily some new method to make the poor fellow unhappy. Dut,consoled by the peculiar Hccrct w!Jil'h he possessed, of sympathy and comfort, the wortl1y drummer bore up cheerfully under his nffiictions. He was resolved to wait patiently the return of Ribnult with the promised supplies for the colony, and meanwhile to submit to his evil destiny with· out a murmur. It was always with a secret sense of triumph that he remind(:d himself of the ncar neighborhood of his joys, and he exulted in the success with which he could baffia nightly the malice of his superior. But, however docile, the p:~.tienco and forbc:mmcc of Guernache availed }Jim little. They di,l not tend to mitigo.tc the annoyances which he was constantly compelled to endure. We arc now to recall a portion of the preceding l\3rrativc1 and to remind our reader of the visit which Captain Albert paid to the territories of Ouadc, and the generous hospitalities of the King thereof. GueruaclJc had been one of tho party, and the absence of several d:~.ys had been a serious loss to ]Jim in the deliglllful intercourse with his dusky bride. lie might naturally hope, after his return from a journey so fatiguing, to bo permitted a brief respite from his regular duties. But this was not according to tho policy of his malignant superior. Some hours were consumed after arriving at the fort, in disposing of the pro\·isions which had been obtained. In this labor Guernache had been compelled to partake with others of IJis companions. Wbcther it was that he betrayed an unusual degree of eagerness in getting through his task-showing an impatience to escape TilE LEGEND OF GUER~AC!IIi:. 67 which his enemy detected and resolved to baffie1 cnnnot now be said i but to his great annoyance and indignation, he was burdened with a. portion of the watch for the night-a. duty whreh was clearly incumbent only upon those who hnd not shared in tho fatibrues of the expedition. But to expostulate or repine wns alike useless, and Guernaehe submitted to his destiny with the best possible grace. The provisions were stored, the gates closed, the watches sot, and the garrison sunk to sleep, leaving our unhnppy musician to pace, for several hours, the weary watch along the ramparts. Ho'v he looked forth into the dense forests which harbored his Monaletta! How he thought of the weary watch she kept! What were her fears, her anxieties? Did she know of his return ? Did she look for his corning? The garrison dept-the woods were mysteriously silent! How delightful it would be to surprise her in the midst of her dreams, and answer to her murmurs of reproach-uttered in the sweetest fragmentary Gallic-" Monaletta! I am hero! Here is your own Guernache !" The temptation was perilously sweet! The suggestion was irresistible ; and, in a moment of excited fancy nod passion, Cucrnachc laid down his piece, and leaped the walls of the fortress. He committed an unhappy error to enjoy a great happiness, for which the penalties were not slow to come. In tho dead of midnight, the garrison, still in a deep alecp, they were suddcnlJ aroused in terror by the appalling cry of " fire !" The fort, the tenements in which they slept, the granary, which had just been stored with their provisions, were all ablaze, and our Frenchmen woke in confusion nnd terror, unknowing where to turn, how to work, or what to apprehend. Their military stores were savedtheir powder and munitions of war-but tho "mils and beanes," |