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Page 10
R�n�'s face flushed with pleasure at this brave speech of his friend,
and even Laudonniere admired the young Indian's coolness and courage,
but he nevertheless felt it his duty to maintain his dignity, and
questioned him sternly. To all his questions however, Has-se remained
dumb, absolutely refusing to open his lips. The expression, "Has-se
has spoken," with which he had ended his defiant speech, signified that
he had said all that he had to say, and nothing should induce him to
speak further unless his condition of being set at liberty were
complied with.
At last Laudonniere called in the soldiers and ordered them to take the
prisoner to the guard-house, and there treat him kindly, but to watch
him closely and on no account allow him to escape. When Has-se had
thus been removed, Laudonniere turned to the members of the council,
and asked what, in their opinion, should be done with him.
Le Moyne, the artist, declared that the young Indian should be set free
at once, and treated with such kindness that he might thereby be
induced to give them the information they sought to gain. Then R�n� de
Veaux, blushing at his own boldness, jumped to his feet and made a
vehement little speech, in which he said that Has-se was his dear
friend, and that, as he himself had said, they had no right to make a
prisoner of him, besides much more to the same effect. He became so
excited in his defence of the Indian lad that finally his uncle
interrupted him, saying,
"Softly, softly, R�n�! Thou art right to defend thy friend if indeed
he be not our enemy, but thou hast no authority for finding fault with
those who are much older and wiser than thyself."
Blushing furiously at this rebuke, R�n� sat down, while his uncle
continued: "I am also of the opinion that this young savage should be
courteously entreated and set at liberty. Thus shall we win favor with
his tribe, with whom it behooves us to remain on friendly terms."
The others of the council did not, however, agree with this, but
thought the better plan would be to retain the Indian lad as a hostage,
and demand of his tribe a great quantity of provisions as his ransom.
As they were in the majority, Laudonniere hesitated to act contrary to
their counsel, and finally said that they would hold him for at least
one day, and that in the mean time R�n� should visit him, and endeavor
to extract from him the desired information regarding the movements of
his people.
When R�n�, armed with his uncle's authority for so doing, passed the
sentinel and entered the guard-house, he found the Indian lad seated on
a rude bench in one corner, with his face buried in his hands. He
sprang to his feet at R�n�'s approach, and stood silently regarding
him, not knowing but what he too had become an enemy. Carefully
closing the door behind him, the impulsive French boy stepped quickly
over to where the other stood, and embraced him, saying, as he did so,
"Surely, Has-se, my brother, thou canst not think that I am aught but
thy friend?"
Thus reassured, Has-se returned the embrace, and said, "I know thou art
my friend, Ta-lah-lo-ko, and I did wrong to doubt thee for a moment;
but it maddens me to be thus caged, and I am become like Nutcha the
hawk when restrained of his liberty, suspicious of all men."
Then both boys sat down on the bench, and R�n� questioned Has-se
regarding the sudden departure of the Indians, and why he was there
alone.
Has-se replied that while he had no secrets that all men might not
know, he would have died rather than answer the questions of those who
held him a prisoner, and as such commanded him to speak. To his friend
Ta-lah-lo-ko he would, however, talk freely and with a straight tongue.
He said that after the destruction of the storehouse containing their
supply of provisions for many months, Micco, their chief, had decided
that it would be best for his people to remove to the land of the
Alachus, their friends, who had provisions in plenty, and remain there
until the next season of corn planting. He caused their departure to
be made secretly, for fear that the white men would seek to detain them
as hunters for the fort, if they learned of the intended movement, and
he wished to avoid any shadow of trouble between his people and their
white brothers.
"He had undoubtedly the right to act as seemed to him best," said R�n�;
"but why didst not thou accompany thy people, and what brings thee here
to the fort?"
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