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Show 206 TilE ULY .AND THE TOTE~. lca>c their enemies bcbind them, und perhaps cause them to give up the pttrsuit, particularly as they would then be almost within striking distance of La Caroline; but the coolness and judgment of D'Erlach had not deserted him, or been impaired by his increase of difficulties. ''And how," said he," am I to know whether we shall find friends or foes in possession of I~a Caroline? This is not the least of my dangers. I must preserve my force against that doubt; but keep them fresh, certainly, and if possible without dimiuution, so tllat I may rescue Laudonnicrc or sustain myself. Besides, to attempt the night march I must leave these poor fellows, Mcrcoour and Dum:~.in, to be scalped by the s:wages, or force them forward only that they may drop by the way. No ! we must tnkc rest ourselves, and give them all the rest 've can. We must encamp as soon as possible, and the shelter of yon little bay, to which we arc approaching, seems tQ offer an excellent cover. \Ve will make for that." lie did as he said. ITis camp was formed on the odgc of one of those basins which, in the southern country is usually termed a bay-so called in consequence of the dense forests of the shrub laurel that covers the region with tho most glistening green, and fills the languid atmo:;;phcrc with a most rich but oppressive perfume. licrc he di~poscd his little commtmd, so t!Jat the approaches were fl.!w and such as could be easily guarded. II ere be was secure from those wild flights of nnows which, in a spot les3 thickly wooded, might have been mnde to annoy a company, discharged even in tlJC d<trkncss of tho uight. llttt Alphonse D'F:rlach had another reason for selecting thi» as hi~ present place of shelter. As soon as he had taken care of his wounded men, he examined the munitions of all He had been sparing his powdcr1 TilE ADVENTURE OF D'ERLACH. 207 and he was now rejoiced to find that tl1c quantity wns quite sufficient, according to the exigencies of the warfnrc of that day, to suffice for t1vo or more days longer. 'fhis enabled him to devise a project by which to ensnare the savages to their ruin. ri ithcrto he had classed his men in three divisions. The first of these encountered tl1c first onslaugltt of the enemy, and tl1c second were prepared for its renewal, while the third was a reserve for a. continuance of the struggle, giving time to the two first divisions to reload. But it had been seen, during the day, that the su.vagca had made a. corre;ponding division of their force ;-that successive attacks, followed up with great rapidity, drew the fires of his several squads, and so well aware did the assailants now appear to bo of this practioo, that, after the third fire, they boldly rushed almost within striki ng distance of the Frenchmen, hurling their stone hatchets with wonderful dexterity ami precision. To provide for this contingency-to convert it to prof.ita.blc resultB--was the study of D'Erlach. lie felt that, but for some stratagem, it was not improbable that the whole party would lo110 their scalps before tho closing of another day. lie had observed that the bay in which he lmrborcd his men contained, interspersed with its laurels, a perfect wilderness of canes, the fiu ted reeds of the swamp and morass, common to the country, some of which grew to be nearly twenty feet in height. 'l'hcsc were sti.\1 green in September, their feathery tops waving to and fro in every breeze, while, under tho pressure of the sudden gust, their shafts, in seeming solid phalanx, laid themselves almost to the eartl1, to recover, like an artful and plumed warrior, when the clangor had overblown. Without declaring l1is pla.ns, D'Erlaeh lmd a number of these canes cut down in secresy, and dh·idcd into sections of four or fivo feet. 'fbc extreme barrel of each of these sections was filled |
