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Show 198 A similnr movement changed in like manner tho faces of his followers; and, in a moment o.ftcr,a strange, but human form darted out of tho forest and made to1vards them. i'hc o.ppcnrnncc of tho stranger was wild beyond description. He had evidently once been white ; but his face, hands, breast, and legs, for these were all uncovered, had been blackened by smoke, bronzed by the sun, and so affected by the weather, that it was with the grcat<lst difficulty that his true complexion was discernible. But sure instincts and certn.in features soon enabled our Huguenots to sec that he was a brother Frencl,man. Of his original garments, nothing but tatters remained ; but these Utters sufficed to declare his nation. His beard and hair, both black, long, nod massive, were matted together, and hung upon neck and shouldcn in fln.kes and bunches, rather than in shreds or tresses. Hill head was without covering, and the only weapon which he carried was a couteau de chasse, which, a.s it was of peculiar dimcnsions,silvcr-hilted, and altogether of curious shape, wns probably the only means by which the Frenchmen identified the stranger. The keen, quick eye of Alphonse D'Erlach seemed first, of the whites, to luwc discovered him. Jt is probable, from what took place at the moment, that Oolenoc had made him out in the same moment. The stranger was no other than Lc Genrethe banished man who had headed the first conspiracy again~t Laudouniere. As he approached, rushing wildly forward, with his coulea1' de dlaue grasped firmly in uplifted band, D'Brlach raised his sword, prepared to cut him down ll8 ho dre1v nigh; when the words of his '·oicc, shouted at the utmost of hill strength, caused them to cast their eyc!:l in another direction. "Seize upon Oolcnoe. Suffer him not to escape you." THE ADVENTURE OF D1ERLACH. 199 At that moment, tho keen, quick glance of the lieutenant beheld the rapid bonnds of the savage, as be made for the cover of tllc neighboring th icket. His orders wert\ instantly given. A dozen bodies instantly sprang forward in pursuit-a dozen matchlocks were lifted in deadly aim, but tho lithe savage doubling like a bare, bounding forward, now squat:, and seeming to fly along the surface of the ground like a lapwing, stealthy in every movement as a cat, as swift and agilo,-suceccdcd in gain:. ng the woods, though the carbines rang with their volley 1 and, throwing down their weapons, a score of the light-limbed Frenchmen started in tl1o chase. A wild warwhoop followed the discharge of the pieces, declaring equally tho defiance nnd disdain of tho savage. The pursuit wa.s idle, as a few seconds cnnblcd him to find shelter in a morass, which the inexperienced Europeans knew not how to penetrate. Alphonse D'Erlach recalled hi.i men from pursuit, fearing lc!.'t thry might fall into an ambush, in which, wasting their ammunition against invisible enemies, they would only incur the risk of total destruction. l Ic prepared to confront tho stranger, whose first appearnncc bad been producti\·C of such a startling occurrence. Lc GcnrC, meanwhile, had paused in his progress. He no longer ru!.'hcd forward like a maniac; but satisfied with hn.ving given the impulse to the pursuit of Oolenoc, and apparently conscious of how much was startling in his appcarn.ncc, he now stood beside a pine \Vhich overhung the pnth, one hand resting against the mighty slmft, as if from fatigue, while from tho other llis wutea1~ de chasse now drooped, its sharp extremity pointing to the ground. I lis appc!lrancc thus indicated a pacific disposition; but remembering his nnricnt treacheries only, and suspicious of his relations with Oolenoc, D'Erlach approached him with caution, as if to tho |
