by Kirk Munroe
CHAPTER IV
HAS-SE IS HELD PRISONER
Saluting his commandant, the sergeant of the guard, who held theprisoner on the right, reported that this young savage had been seenskulking in the forest near the fort, and that, deeming his presenceand movements very suspicious, he had sent a party of men to capturehim. They had gone out by a rear gate, and, making a long detour, hadsurprised him just as he was making off through the underbrush, andafter a sharp tussle had secured and brought him into the fort.
At the first appearance of his friend, Rene had started up with anexclamation of joy to go to him, but his uncle sternly bade him keephis seat. He obeyed, but scowled angrily at the soldiers, who stillretained their hold of Has-se, as though fearful that if they let go hemight in some mysterious way vanish from their sight.
Laudonniere commanded them to release their hold of the prisoner and toretire from the room, but to remain within call. They did so, and theyoung Indian, left to face the council, drew himself up proudly, andfolding his arms, stood motionless. Rene tried in vain to catch hiseye, that he might, by a sympathetic glance, assure him of hisfriendship; but the other betrayed no recognition of his presence, noronce looked in his direction. He was dressed in the full costume of ayoung warrior who occupied the honorable position of Bow-bearer to agreat chief, and in his hair gleamed the Flamingo Feather thatproclaimed the station in life to which he was born. His handsomefigure, proud face, and fearless bearing caused the members of thecouncil to regard him with approving glances, and it was with less ofsternness in his tone than usual that, after the door was closed,Laudonniere said,
"Now, sir, explain to us the meaning of this sudden departure of thypeople, and the reason of thine own action in thus acting the part of aspy upon us."
With flashing eyes the young Indian answered in the French that he hadlearned of Rene:
"My name is Has-se. I am the son of a chief. My father and my peoplehave been friendly to you and your people. This country is ours, andin it we go where we please when we are ready to go, and stay where weplease when we are ready to rest from going. I have done nothing thatI should be brought here against my will, and until I am set free Iwill answer no questions. Has-se has spoken."
Rene'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, andquestioned him sternly. To all his questions however, Has-se remaineddumb, absolutely refusing to open his lips. The expression, "Has-sehas spoken," with which he had ended his defiant speech, signified thathe had said all that he had to say, and nothing should induce him tospeak further unless his condition of being set at liberty werecomplied with.
At last Laudonniere called in the soldiers and ordered them to take theprisoner to the guard-house, and there treat him kindly, but to watchhim closely and on no account allow him to escape. When Has-se hadthus 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 freeat once, and treated with such kindness that he might thereby beinduced to give them the information they sought to gain. Then Rene deVeaux, blushing at his own boldness, jumped to his feet and made avehement little speech, in which he said that Has-se was his dearfriend, and that, as he himself had said, they had no right to make aprisoner of him, besides much more to the same effect. He became soexcited in his defence of the Indian lad that finally his uncleinterrupted him, saying,
"Softly, softly, Rene! Thou art right to defend thy friend if indeedhe be not our enemy, but thou hast no authority for finding fault withthose who are much older and wiser than thyself."
Blushing furiously at this rebuke, Rene sat down, while his unclecontinued: "I am also of the opinion that this young savage should becourteously entreated and set at liberty. Thus shall we win favor withhis tribe, with whom it behooves us to remain on friendly terms."
The others of the council did not, however, agree with this, butthought 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 totheir counsel, and finally said that they would hold him for at leastone day, and that in the mean time Rene should visit him, and endeavorto extract from him the desired information regarding the movements ofhis people.
When Rene, armed with his uncle's authority for so doing, passed thesentinel and entered the guard-house, he found the Indian lad seated ona rude bench in one corner, with his face buried in his hands. Hesprang to his feet at Rene's approach, and stood silently regardinghim, not knowing but what he too had become an enemy. Carefullyclosing the door behind him, the impulsive French boy stepped quicklyover 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 butthy friend?"
Thus reassured, Has-se returned the embrace, and said, "I know thou artmy 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 thehawk when restrained of his liberty, suspicious of all men."
Then both boys sat down on the bench, and Rene questioned Has-seregarding the sudden departure of the Indians, and why he was therealone.
Has-se replied that while he had no secrets that all men might notknow, he would have died rather than answer the questions of those whoheld him a prisoner, and as such commanded him to speak. To his friendTa-lah-lo-ko he would, however, talk freely and with a straight tongue.He said that after the destruction of the storehouse containing theirsupply of provisions for many months, Micco, their chief, had decidedthat it would be best for his people to remove to the land of theAlachus, their friends, who had provisions in plenty, and remain thereuntil the next season of corn planting. He caused their departure tobe made secretly, for fear that the white men would seek to detain themas hunters for the fort, if they learned of the intended movement, andhe wished to avoid any shadow of trouble between his people and theirwhite brothers.
"He had undoubtedly the right to act as seemed to him best," said Rene;"but why didst not thou accompany thy people, and what brings thee hereto the fort?"
"To see thee, Ta-lah-lo-ko, and thee only, did I come," answeredHas-se. "I learned, after we had been some hours on the journey, thatwhich affects thee so nearly that I could not leave thee in ignoranceof it and without a warning. What I learned is, that Chitta the Snakeregards thee with a deadly hatred, and has sworn to have thy life."
"Mine!" exclaimed Rene, in great surprise. "Why does the Snake bearmalice towards me? I have no quarrel with him."
"That I know not, unless he suspects that it was thou who taught me thetrick of wrestling that overthrew him, and thus lost him the positionof Bow-bearer that he so greatly desired to obtain."
"It may be so," said Rene, musingly, "though how he could learn it Icannot think, nor why, even if he had knowledge of it, it should because for his wishing my death."
"Ah, Ta-lah-lo-ko, thou dost not know Chitta. His nature is that ofthe serpent whose name he bears, and for real or fancied wrongs tohimself his revenge is cruel. Having once conceived a bitter hateagainst thee he will have thy life, or risk his own in attempting totake it."
"In that case," said Rene, "I am deeply grateful for thy warning, andwill take care that master Chitta does not find me unprepared for him,in case he seeks me out."
"Now," said Has-se, "I would speak of another matter. I know that youwhite men have but little food within the fort, and must soon sufferfor want of it if more is not obtained. There is none left in thiscountry, but the Alachuas, to whom my people have gone, have anabundance. If one of thy people would go with me to them, and offerthem things such as thou hast and they have not, in exchange for food,he could thus obtain a supply for the fort. If many went, the red menwould be afraid;
but with one they would talk, and if he were my friendthen would his safety be assured. Wilt thou go with me to this distantland, Ta-lah-lo-ko?"
"Why," answered Rene, hardly knowing what to say to this sudden andunexpected proposal, "thou art a prisoner, Has-se, and dost not evenknow if my uncle will release thee. How then dost thou speak with suchconfidence of journeying to the land of these Alachuas?"
With a meaning smile Has-se answered:
"Walls and bars may answer to cage men, but they cannot confine asunbeam. If thou wilt go with me, then meet me when the light of thesecond moon from now touches the waters where Allapatta the greatalligator delivered us from Catsha the tiger. With my life will Ianswer for thy safety, and at the next full moon, or soon after it,thou shalt return to thy people."
Rene would have talked more of this plan, but just then the door of theguard-house was opened and the sergeant appeared, saluting, and saying,"'Tis the hour of sunset, Master De Veaux; the guard is about to berelieved, and I must request you to retire and leave the prisoner forthe night. Surely you must be tired of talking with such a pig-headedyoung savage."
Not caring to exhibit his real feelings towards Has-se before thesergeant, Rene bade him good-night very formally, and added, "Mayhap Iwill see thee on the morrow; but count not on my coming, for I may notdeem it worth my while to visit thee."
"I should think not," said the sergeant, as he closed the door behindthem and barred it. "A young gentleman such as Master De Veaux canfind but little pleasure in intercourse with such ignorant creatures.For my part, were I commandant of this fort, I would make slaves ofthem all, and kindly persuade them to my will with a lash. They--"
"Hold there!" cried Rene, as he turned towards the sergeant withflashing eyes. "An thou speakest another word in such strain of thosewho have favored us with naught save kindness, I will report thee tothat same lash of which thou pratest so glibly."
The astonished sergeant muttered something by way of apology, but Rene,not waiting to hear it, hurried away to report to his uncle the resultof his mission to the prisoner, and then to his own quarters to thinkover the startling proposal made to him by his friend.
The next morning Has-se had disappeared, and was nowhere to be found.With a troubled countenance the sergeant of the guard reported toLaudonniere that he had looked in on the prisoner at midnight, andfound him quietly sleeping. He had visited the room again at sunrise,and it was empty. The sentinels at the gates, and those who paced thewalls, had been closely questioned, but declared they had seen nobody,nor had they heard any unusual sound. For his part he believed therewas magic in it, and that some of the old Indian witches had spiritedthe prisoner up the chimney, and flown away with him on a broomstick.
Although troubled to find that his prisoners could thus easily escapefrom the fort, Laudonniere was relieved that the disposal of Has-se'sfate had thus been taken from his hands. He said to Rene, "I am gladthat thy friend has escaped, though I like not the manner of his going,and I trust he may come to no harm. I would, however, that we had beenable to send a company, or even one man, with him to this land of theAlachuas of which he told thee, for mayhap we might thus have obtainedprovision; but without a guide, I know not how it could be discovered."
"Could I have gone, uncle?" inquired Rene, eagerly.
"Thou, lad? No, thou art too young and tender to be sent on such aperilous mission. It should be one of double thy years and experience.Let no such foolish thoughts fill thy head yet a while."