ALTHOUGH the Seminoles and their newly made allies, the savages from theSouth, were thus put to flight by the timely arrival of the party thataccompanied Réné de Veaux, it was only because of the surpriseof the attack, and because they had no knowledge of the strength of thesenew enemies, which they believed to be much greater than it really was. Itwas certain that when they discovered how few those were who had thus surprisedthem, they would return with the chance of overwhelming the little partyby mere numbers. Therefore Yah-chi-la-ne was anxious to deliver the twelvecanoe-loads of corn to the fort, receive the promised reward, and departfor his own country that night if possible.

   To accomplish this, he and his followers returned as speedily as they couldto the place where their canoes had been left, and under cover of the darknesswhich came on about that time, moved silently as shadows up the river towardsthe fort. When they reached its vicinity a new difficulty presented itself.They feared to hail the sentries and demand admission lest they should befired upon, and at the same time draw upon themselves an attack from thesavages, who would thus discover their whereabouts.

   While they remained undecided as to what plan they should adopt to gain anentrance to the fort, Has-se drew Réné to one side, and ina whisper said,

   "Ta-lah-lo-ko, the time has come when I may share with thee the secret ofmy people. Since thy blood has flowed for my sake, and thou hast receivedthe sacred Flamingo Feather, I am free to do so. First pledge thy word neverto deliver this secret, even to those of thy own blood, and it shall be madeknown to thee."

   Réné 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 buildthis 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 obtainaccess to the fort or escape from it, as they might desire. It was by thismeans that the Sunbeam left the fort when thy people would have held himprisoner within it. It was easy to force a form as slight as mine betweenthe bars of the guard-house window, and once past them I was as free as atthis moment."

   Réné was greatly surprised at this disclosure of the weaknessof the fort, and not a little troubled to learn of it. He asked Has-se ifthe existence of the passage were known to all of his people.

   "No," said Has-se; "to not more than a score of them is the secret known,and they are bound to preserve it as they would their lives. Thou art thefirst besides them to whom it has been disclosed."

   "Well," said Réné, "so long as the passage thou namest exists,we may as well make a use of it. Do thou show it to me, and I will enterthe fort by means of it. Then will I seek my uncle and inform him of whathas taken place. Thou and the rest shall wait at the water gate, and theredeliver the provisions and receive the reward. After that thou and they arefree to return to the land of the Alachuas; but, oh, Has-se!" he added, witha burst of sincere affection, "it grieves me sorely to part from thee, forthou art become to me dearer than a brother!"

   Then the two returned to Yah-chi-la-ne, who had been somewhat troubled andaggrieved by their long whisperings, which he was not invited to join. Hewas much relieved when Has-se told him that Réné had discovereda safe way of communicating with his people, and readily gave his permissionfor the two to depart together in a canoe, promising at the same time toawait patiently Has-se's return.

   With the utmost caution the two boys approached the fort at a point whereits walls extended close to the river's edge. Here, beneath a tangle ofwild-grape vines, Has-se removed a great piece of bark that closely resembledthe surrounding soil, and disclosing an opening so narrow that but one manat a time might pass it. Leading the way into the passage, that extendedunderground directly back from the river, he was closely followed byRéné, and the two groped their way slowly through the intenseblackness. It seemed to the white lad that they must have gone a mile beforethey came to the end, though in reality it was but about a hundred yards.

   At length Has-se stopped, raised a second slab of bark that rested abovehis head, and whispered that they were now directly beneath the house ofthe commandant, which was built on stone piers that lifted it nearly twofeet above the ground.

   Has-se then lay down in the narrow passage, while Réné crawledover his body, until he was directly beneath the opening. Then giving Has-se'shand a warm squeeze with his own, he raised himself to the surface, leavingthe Indian lad to make his way back to those who awaited him outside.

   Upon gaining the fresh air once more, Réné found himself, evenas Has-se had said he would, beneath a house, and in fact struck his headsmartly against one of its timbers before he realized how shallow was thespace between it and the ground. Unmindful of the pain of the blow in hisexcitement, he replaced the slab of bark over the mouth of the tunnel, andcrawled on his hands and knees from beneath the building, which, as soonas he passed beyond it, he recognized as that occupied by his uncle Laudonniere.

   A profound silence reigned throughout the great enclosure, nor was any lightto be seen save a faint gleam that found its way through a crevice in oneof the lower window-shutters of the building in front of which Rénéstood. He was surprised not to meet the sentry who used formerly to pacealways before the dwelling of the commandant; for he knew nothing of themutiny, 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 thewindow 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 attentionfrom 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, Réné tapped again. This caused the lightto be extinguished and one leaf of the shutter to be cautiously opened, whileLe Moyne asked, in a nervous voice,

   "Who is here, and what is thy business with me at this hour?"

   "Sh!" replied Réné, in a whisper. "It is I, Rénéde Veaux. Ask me nothing, but admit me, that I may instantly communicatewith my uncle the commandant. I have tidings of the utmost importance forhim 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 wideopen the shutter and assist him to enter by the window. When he had got himsafely 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 businessis indeed as urgent as thou representest, I will instantly acquaint him withthy presence, I must, however, break the glad tidings gently and graduallyto 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 whichLaudonniere lay, and without his knowledge, Réné followed himclosely.

   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 noneother than Réné, my son. Where is he? Why tarries he from me?"

   "He tarries not, uncle!" exclaimed a glad voice at the door, and in anothermoment uncle and nephew were locked in a close embrace, while sympathetictears of joy stood in the eyes of the good Le Moyne.

   As briefly as possible, and reserving the details for another occasion,Réné told his uncle that he had visited the land of the Alachuas,and had returned with twelve canoe-loads of corn, for which he had promisedin his name twelve packages of trinkets such as he described, and the safedismissal of their escort from the fort. He added that those who had comewith him wished to depart that very night, and even now awaited him at thewater gate.

   "Alas!" exclaimed Laudonniere, when this had been told him, "I have no longerthe power, to make good thy word. While I have lain here as helpless as onestruck with a palsy, another has assumed command; for know thou, my dearlad, that Fort Caroline and all it contains has passed into the hands ofa body of mutineers, headed by none other than thy old friend Simon, thearmorer. Go thou to him, and I doubt not he will treat with these friendsof thine even as thou hast promised; for provisions such as thou sayest awaiteven now an entrance to the fort are too rare a commodity within its wallsto be scorned, even by mutineers. But, lad, return to me as speedily as maybe, for the sight of thy brave face is as balm to the wounded, and thineabsence has distressed me beyond that I can express."

   So Réné departed in search of Simon, the armorer, and by hissudden appearance so frightened the old soldier that for some moments hecould do nothing but stare, speechless, with a mixture of terror and amazement.

   At length Réné succeeded in convincing the leader of the mutineersthat he was no ghost, but a real flesh and blood Réné de Veaux.He gave an evasive answer to Simon's question as to how he obtained entranceto the fort, and hurried on to tell him, even more briefly than he had thecommandant, of the successful journey he had made, and of the provisionsthat must be brought into the fort immediately.

   "In good sooth, Master Réné," said Simon, when he fullycomprehended that which the other told him, "I am heartily disgusted withthis mutineering, and if thy uncle would but hold our views as to leavingthis country, I would gladly resign all authority to him. Even as it is Iam most willing to be guided in all such matters as this of thine by hisjudgment. As he says receive the provisions, of which indeed we are sorelyin need, and deliver the trinkets thou hast promised to the savages who bringthem, why so it shall be done. Thou canst vouch for them, though, and artcertain that when the gate is once open they will not rush in with the intentof capturing the fort and murdering us in cold blood?"

   "Of a surety I am," answered Réné, indignantly. "Would thosewho wished thee harm have fought for thee so valiantly as did these samefriends of mine but a few hours since? It was their brave onset deliveredthee from the savages near yonder mound of shells, and enabled thee to gainthe fort in safety."

   "What! How sayest thou! Was it indeed thy company who came so gallantly toour aid when we were so sorely beset by the savage ambush? Heaven bless thee,lad! These friends of thine shall be friends of mine as well for this day'swork. Let us hasten to them. It was no fancy, then, but thine own brave cryof 'France to the Rescue!' that rang so cheerily through the forest, thoughI did misdoubt mine own ears at the time, and wondered greatly who our unknownfriends could be. Thou art a noble lad and an honor to thy name."

   Thus saying, Simon led the way towards the water gate, turning out the guardand bidding them accompany him as he went. At the gate they found Has-se,Yah-chi-la-ne, and the others awaiting them, according to agreement, andSimon and his soldiers rejoiced greatly when they saw the twelve canoe-loadsof corn; for it had arrived just in time to avert a veritable famine withinthe walls of Fort Caroline.

   While under Simon's direction the provisions were transferred to the storehousewith all possible despatch, Réné and Le Moyne made up the twelvepackages of trinkets which were to pay for them. On his own accountRéné also made up a package for Has-se, and another of suchthings as women prize for his sister, the beautiful Nethla. Nor was the braveYah-chi-la-ne forgotten, but received in the shape of knives and hatchetswhat seemed to him presents of inestimable value.

   Réné also gratified the young Alachua warriors by taking theminside the fort, and showing them, as well as he was able by the light oflanterns, the great "thunder-bows" whose voices they had heard that morningwhen still many miles away.

   It was past midnight before the visitors were ready to depart, and thenRéné and Has-se bade each other farewell with swelling hearts",for they had learned to love each other more dearly than brothers, and theyfeared they might never meet again.

   One by one the canoes of the Alachuas glided away from the water gate noiselesslyas so many thistle-downs, and were instantly lost to view in the night mistthat hung like a soft gray curtain over the whole river. Rénéwatched the last one depart, and then going to his own room, he flung himselfon a couch and was almost instantly buried in a profound slumber, so thoroughlyexhausted was he by the exciting labors of the previous day.

   The morning was well advanced when he awoke. For some moments he stared abouthim in bewilderment, unable to account for the absence of the open-airsurroundings of his late life. As soon as he realized where he was, he sprangup, dressed, ate a hurried breakfast, and went to his uncle's room.

   He found the commandant feeling so much stronger and better that he was sittingup for the first time in weeks, and, in a large easy-chair by the window,was impatiently awaiting his nephew, A look of great joy lighted up the oldsoldier's face as Réné entered the room, and he blessed Himwho had once more restored to him this son of his old age. Then they talked,and several hours had slipped away before Réné had relatedall the details of his remarkable journey through the unknown wildernessof the interior, and Laudonniere had in turn given all the particulars ofthe mutiny, and made clear the present state of affairs in Fort Caroline.

   At the conclusion of Réné's story his uncle said, "Thou hastcarried thyself like a man, my lad, and like a true son of our noble house.The successful issue of thy undertaking also insures thee a pardon for themanner in which thou didst set about it. I must warn thee, however, thatunless thou choose to be considered a mutineer or a rebel, never again takeupon thyself the ordering of such a matter when under command of a superiorofficer."

   Réné hung his head at this mild rebuke, and promised his unclethat his future actions should be entirely guided by him, so long as theysustained each other the relations they now bore.

   He was amazed and troubled to learn of the plans of the mutineers in regardto abandoning the fort, and begged his uncle's permission to remonstrateagainst such a proceeding with Simon, the armorer. It being granted, he helda long and serious conversation with the old soldier, but to no avail.

   "It is of no use, Master Réné," the armorer said, in his gruffesttones, but not unkindly, for he felt a strong affection for the lad, as alldid who knew him -- "it is of no use arguing at this late day. We have fullydetermined to leave this country of starvation and misery, and at least tomake an effort to lay our bones in fair France. Our ship is ready for launching,and the provisions thou hast so bravely fetched will serve to victual her.We no longer dare to show our faces outside the walls of the fort, for theforest is full of red savages who thirst for our blood; and if we remainhere much longer we shall die like rats in a trap. So put you the best possibleface on the matter, young master, and lend us thine aid in preparing fordeparture."

   Although Réné could not do this and still remain loyal to hisuncle, he could and did prepare the chevalier for the abandonment of thefort that was so fully determined upon, and he rendered the latter valuableservice in gathering together and packing his important papers for immediateremoval.

   The newly built vessel, which was at best a poor affair in which to undertakeso tremendous a journey, was launched, and so speedily equipped, that withintwo weeks from the time of Réné's return she was pronouncedready for sea, and the business of getting her stores on board was begun.It proceeded so rapidly that in one week more Fort Caroline was dismantledof everything except its heavy guns and other ponderous articles that mustbe left, and the day for departure was set.

   Soon after daylight, one fine morning early in the new year, the garrisonmarched on board the vessel. Laudonniere, protesting to the last, and accompaniedby his nephew and by the faithful Le Moyne, was carried on board. Then thesails were spread to a gentle breeze, and the little company, who had onlya few months before built the fort with such brave hearts and high hopes,sailed away from it, leaving it to its fate, though with the broad bannerof France still floating above its walls. They expected, and even hoped,never to see it again, and even the terrible voyage they were about to undertakein a small and crazy craft seemed to them less fearful than a continuanceof the life from which they were escaping.

   The only farewells sent after them came in the shape of a few arrows shotat the ship by the angry savages who lined the river-bank, and sullenly watchedthe departure of their intended victims.

   That day they sailed to the mouth of the river, but found so great a searolling in over its bar that they dared not attempt a passage through it,and were therefore forced to drop anchor while still within shelter of theland, and await its abatement.