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Page 31
At length Has-se stopped, raised a second slab of bark that rested
above his head, and whispered that they were now directly beneath the
house of the commandant, which was built on stone piers that lifted it
nearly two feet above the ground.
Has-se then lay down in the narrow passage, while R�n� crawled over his
body, until he was directly beneath the opening. Then giving Has-se's
hand a warm squeeze with his own, he raised himself to the surface,
leaving the Indian lad to make his way back to those who awaited him
outside.
Upon gaining the fresh air once more, R�n� found himself, even as
Has-se had said he would, beneath a house, and in fact struck his head
smartly against one of its timbers before he realized how shallow was
the space between it and the ground. Unmindful of the pain of the blow
in his excitement, he replaced the slab of bark over the mouth of the
tunnel, and crawled on his hands and knees from beneath the building,
which, as soon as he passed beyond it, he recognized as that occupied
by his uncle Laudonniere.
A profound silence reigned throughout the great enclosure, nor was any
light to be seen save a faint gleam that found its way through a
crevice in one of the lower window-shutters of the building in front of
which R�n� stood. He was surprised not to meet the sentry who used
formerly to pace always before the dwelling of the commandant; for he
knew nothing of the mutiny, nor that all save the sentinels at the
gates had been withdrawn. After listening for a moment, and hearing
nothing, he made his way to the window from which came the ray of
light, and tapped gently upon its shutter. He was compelled to repeat
the noise several times before it attracted attention from within. At
last he heard the well-known voice of his old tutor, Le Moyne, the
artist, who called out,
"What ho, without! Who goes there?"
Making no answer, R�n� tapped again. This caused the light to be
extinguished and one leaf of the shutter to be cautiously opened, while
Le Moyne asked, in a nervous voice,
"Who is here, and what is thy business with me at this hour?"
"Sh!" replied R�n�, in a whisper. "It is I, R�n� de Veaux. Ask me
nothing, but admit me, that I may instantly communicate with my uncle
the commandant. I have tidings of the utmost importance for him alone."
Le Moyne had at once recognized the voice of his beloved and long-lost
pupil, and with hands trembling with eager excitement, he hastened to
throw wide open the shutter and assist him to enter by the window.
When he had got him safely inside he embraced the lad fervently, and
kissed him on both cheeks. Then he said, "Thy uncle has been ill and
is still weak; but if thy business is indeed as urgent as thou
representest, I will instantly acquaint him with thy presence. I must,
however, break the glad tidings gently and gradually to him, for fear
of the effect of an overdose of joy."
So the good man shuffled away in his loose slippers towards the room in
which Laudonniere lay, and without his knowledge, R�n� followed him
closely.
In the commandant's room Le Moyne began with,
"Monsieur, I have a message from the dead."
"Ay, thou wert always a dreamer," replied the sick man, testily.
"Nay, but this time it is no dream, but a living reality."
"Then the dead have come to life, and thou hast had dealings not with
them, but with the living."
"It is even so, and he is one very dear to thee, whom thou hast deemed
lost."
"What sayest thou?" cried the old chevalier, sitting up in bed in his
excitement. "One dear to me, whom I deemed lost, and is now restored?
It can be none other than R�n�, my son. Where is he? Why tarries he
from me?"
"He tarries not, uncle!" exclaimed a glad voice at the door, and in
another moment uncle and nephew were locked in a close embrace, while
sympathetic tears of joy stood in the eyes of the good Le Moyne.
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