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Page 24
The astonishment of the latter may be conceived on
beholding so unexpected a sight, nor was their feeling
of awe diminished when their comrade had briefly related
what had occurred since he left them.
"Strange enough, this," remarked the corporal musingly;
"stranger still, there's no light in the house. It's
neither too early nor too late for that. I'll tell you
what, my lads, if any thing has happened we must know
the worst--it will never do to go back to the Fort,
without being able to give some notion of what took place
under our very noses."
"What would Mr. Ronayne say, if we did?" added Jackson.
"Yes! and what would that sweet young lady, Miss Heywood,
think of us, if we returned without giving some good news
of her father. Why she never would look upon us kindly
again."
"Right, Philips," said Weston, "and I'm sure I'd rather
offend the captain himself, any day, than do anything to
displease her. God grant we bring her no bad news."
"Amen," said the corporal, gravely, for he, like Collins,
had some strong misgivings, arising naturally from the
utter darkness and silence that continued to prevail in
and around the farm-house. "Are you all loaded? Look to
your primings, but make no noise. Somebody must take
charge of the beat though. Who volunteers to remain,
while the rest follow me to the house?"
"I do--I'll remain," said Collins, "one of you can take
my musket"
"What, Collins, do you shirk the thing," sneered the man
with the long nose and the peaked chin; "have you had
enough to-day, or do you fear the ghost of the fellow
you knocked over?"
"I fear neither man or ghost, as you well know,
Nutcrackers," warmly rejoined Collins, "but I take it,
there's no great courage in making a fuss about going
where there's no enemy to be found. If there has been
danger in that quarter, I take it, it's passed, and as
somebody must stop in the boat, why 'not me as well as
another?"
"Just so," said the corporal. "Cass, this is no time to
run your rigs. You see well enough that Collins wishes
to stop behind, on account of the boy he hopes to bring
to life. Little chance of that, I fear, but if he thinks
so, it would be unchristian to disappoint him. And now
push off, but make no noise."
The order was obeyed. In a few minutes the bow of the
boat touched the landing-place, when all but Collins,
who was at the helm, slipped noiselessly ashore. The
corporal repeated his instructions--how to act under
emergency and if separated--and moved along the path
leading to the house. Meanwhile Collins pulled back into
the stream, and remained stationary in the centre.
CHAPTER V.
The farm-house was, as we have said, of very rude
construction--such a one as could only spring up in so
remote a region, and among so sparse a population. With
the exception of the roof, the frame-work of which had
been covered with raw buffalo hides, it was built wholly
of rough logs, notched at the ends in a sort of dove-tail
fashion, and when not lying closely, filled in with chunks
of wood, over which a rude plaster of mud had been thrown,
so that the whole was rendered almost impervious to water,
while it ran little risk from the agency of fire. It had
two rooms on the ground floor--one smaller than the other,
used as a dormitory, and containing all the clothes or
"traps," as they designated them, of the household. The
other served as eating-room, parlor, and kitchen, and
extended over, at least, three-fourths of the area. It
was provided with two doors--one facing the river and
close to the partition which divided the rooms--the other
occupying a remoter position to the rear. The windows of
this apartment were two in number, and, equidistant from
the doors, were considerably elevated above the floor.
These apertures had been formed by simply sawing a few
of the logs, so as to complete squares, into which were
fitted rude sashes, each containing four small panes of
a greenish, and by no means, transparent glass, and
connected by strong leathern hinges. In winter the
necessary warmth was afforded, by shutters put up and
barred from within. The southern gable or dormitory, was
provided in the centre with one window of similar size
and construction. The upper floor, a sort of granary and
depot for the provisions of the family, was ascended by
means of a ladder, and through a square aperture just
large enough to admit with ease the body of a man.
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