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Show 396 TH£ LILY AND Til£ TOTElL distance of four hours to ovct·comc, but they had hopes to regain their brethren by night, as they knew that they would rest two hours nt noon for the noonday meal, which, it was resolved, should not, on this occasion, delay their progress, and by moving with greater speed thtm usual, it wns calculated that the lost ground might be recovered. l\Icnnwhilc, the party of Lc Caillo hnd crossed n little river which they had to wade. 1'hc depth was no' great, reaching only to their waists, but it was very cold and it chilled them through. They halted accordingly on the opposite side, and built themselves A fire. llcro the rest taken and the delay were unusually long, and contributed somewhat to the efforts m:ulc by D'Erlach's party to overtake them. 'VllCn, nftcr n. pause of two hours, tho tmop of Lo Caillc wns prepared ngnin to move, it wt~s considerably pnst the time of noon. As they gathered up their traps, one of theit· party who had gone nsido from tho rest, was suddenly confounded to behold a rcd-mnn start up from the bushes where ho bad been crouclJing, in long and curious watch OYer their proceeding;!. Tho Frcncbmt~n, who was named llotrou, was quikl delighted at the apparition, sinoo they et~gcrly sought to gnther from the Indians tho directious for their future progress, and none had been seen for many days. Rotrou called to the Indian in words of good-nature and cneourngemcnt, but tho latter, slapping his naked sides with nn air of defianee, et:utcd off to\vards tho mountains. Rotrou ngnin shout-ed ; tho saYt~gc turned for u. moment and pnuscd, then wa\•ing his hand with a significant gesture, he responded with the war-whoop, and once more bounded away in ftight. The ru.sh and wanton Frenchman immediately lifted hi/! arquebuse, and fired upon the fugitiYe. llc was seen to stagger and fall upon his knee, hut immediately reeoYcring himself, he eet ALPIION8E 0 1£RLACH, 397 off almo~t at llB full speed as ever, making for a little thicket that .!!prcad itself out upon the right. The party of Le Caille by this time came up. They penetrated the covert where the red-mau had been seen to shelter himself, and for a while they tracked him by his blood. But at length they came to a spot where he lllld evidently crouched and bound up J,is hurts. They found a little puddlo of blood upon tho spot, and some fragments of tow, moss, and cotton cloth, some of which had been used for the purpose. Here all traces of the \VOundcxl man failed them ; tmd they resumed their route, greatly regretting that he should have escaped, but greatly encouraged, as they fancied that they were approaching some of the settlements of the natives. It was probably an hour after this event when D'Eri:Lch and his party reached the same neighborhood, and found the proof of the rest and repast wl1ich tl1at of I~e Caille had taken on tho banU of the little rh·cr. 'l'his sight urged them to new efforts, :md though chilled also very greatly by the passage of the stream, they did _not pause in their pursuit, but pressed fonvard without delay, hltvmg the f1·esh tracks of their brethren before their eyes, for the guidance of their footsteps. It was lvell they did so. In Jittla more than an hour after thi.s, while still urging the forced march which they had begun, they were suddenly arrested by a wild ntJd fearful cry in the forost.'l beyond,. the character of which they but too \vel! knew, from frequent t~.nd fierce experience. I t was the yell of the savage, the terrible war-whoop of the .Apnlachian, that sound!ld suddenly from the ambush, as the rattle of the snake is heard from the copse in which he makes his retreat. Then followed the discharge of several arquebuses, four or five in number, all at once, and soon a!tcr one or two dropping shots. u Onward !" cried Alphonse D'Erlach ; "we ha.ve not a mo- |