To accomplish this, he and his followers returned as speedily as they
could to the place where their canoes had been left, and under cover of
the darkness which came on about that time, moved silently as shadows
up the river towards the fort. When they reached its vicinity a new
difficulty presented itself. They feared to hail the sentries and
demand admission lest they should be fired upon, and at the same time
draw upon themselves an attack from the savages, who would thus
discover their whereabouts.
While they remained undecided as to what plan they should adopt to gain
an entrance to the fort, Has-se drew Rene to one side, and in a whisper
said,
"Ta-lah-lo-ko, the time has come when I may share with thee the secret
of my people. Since thy blood has flowed for my sake, and thou hast
received the sacred Flamingo Feather, I am free to do so. First pledge
thy word never to deliver this secret, even to those of thy own blood,
and it shall be made known to thee."
Rene having satisfied Has-se that the secret should be kept, the latter
continued:
"Know, then, oh my brother, that when my people aided thy people to
build this fort of thine, they constructed secretly, and by Micco's own
orders, a passage beneath one of its walls, by which they might at any
time obtain access to the fort or escape from it, as they might desire.
It was by this means that the Sunbeam left the fort when thy people
would have held him prisoner within it.
Pages:
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99