The Yale expositor., 1916-12-28

tiently. A silent figure passed him,
unseeing, scratched thrice with the
point of a knife on an unseen door,
was admitted. The hidden watcher
rose and stole on noiseless feet around
the corner of the silent shop and felt
his way along its wall. No window.
Then came the uncertain steps of still
another who sought the door of the
rendezvous, stumbling along the un-
even tagging.
David sank TO his knees, and as he
did so his fingers encountered an open
ing in the house wall, level with the
tagging. Bending lower, he peered in.
A nosome OdOr assaulted his nostrils
The opening was scarcely two feet
square; evidently the aperture through
which the blacksmith emptied the
dirty water from his forge. But con-
querlng his repugnance, he lay fiat
and wriggled his shoulders in. y
wooden bucket, full of water, stood
before the opening, on the inside; this
he pushed noiselessly away and
peered in just as the attention of
| those within was drawn to the late
conner at the door.
There were four men now within
the shop, one unseen by the other
three.
He now had his first sight of Girty,
the last conner. David, his head level
with the stone floor of the shop,
solved the puzzle of Girty's noiseless
footsteps in the courthouse-not bare
footed. indeed, but shod with the ST.
lent mOccasins of the Indian. Clad in
deersiin trimmed with buckskin tas-
sells; the hunting shirt covering the
powerful shoulders and deep chest Of
n giant, Simon Girty was man of
sixty. seemingly, but his quick, bright
eyes. Jet black. burned with the cold
fire Of the lidless serpents that never
grows old.
The two Engllshmen were silent be-
fore the malevolent challenge of his
gaze; not daring to be first to speak.
Girty stood swaying unsteadily in the
light of the forge. A stain Of the juice
of the tobacco was on his cruel lips.
"And who's this bag of bonesT he
asked contemptuously of the British
agent.
"This, Captain Girty, is a gentle
man who has preceded me from Eng
land on the same mission as myself
Mr.. Edward Scull."
At the name and at the sight of the
third man. who until now had been
conoaaIaJ bv Cropunor'c nortlv Yipurp
David's teeth set and he trembled con
vulsively, like mastiff thar sees his
enemy. Scull The weaver who had
> turned kings witness, the informeI
against David's fatherl A horrid dry
ness stuck in David's throat and he
shook with an ague. When he lifted
his head again, he saw that the three
men had seated themselves III front OF
/ the smoldering forge; for the night
had grown chill. Black shadows hune
> in all the corners of the little room
/ and sat heavily upon the shoulders OF
the three men huddled about the
) forge. Only the warm, red glow OF
| the charcoal set up a little sphere
: of light and warmth. Girty was NUT
: tering drunkenly to himself: "SeveI
I at Blue Licks two on the Mau
! NEE scalps than q redsllir
A thet long-ha'red gal :
r "See here, my fine friend" salC
{ Scull sharply, "never mind you
scalps. What is it that we are her
( for. eh?"
I Girty reused himself. "Tell him
@ Cranmer."
The bluff and kindly-faced farrle
Z seemed out of place in that devil
/, crew. But he began to speak cheer
d fully.
y swell, Ned, I'm here TO mike yo'
l. an offer on the part of the king, Go
It bless him! You have seen my credeI
k tials. 1t was my intention to go direC
/ to the tribes in the country, takin
IS plans Of the garrisons with me, but
/, was 10 count you with us before
o set out on my trip to the North. Gu
y comrade brings word from the grea
y chief Of the Shawnees, Tecumsel
/" that he is desirous of forming
Z league with his brothers of the Soutl
l. the Cnerokees, the Chickasaws an
n the Creeks.
d "You, Ned, are a man whom Enl
a land needs. 1 am empowered to sa
d that IL you will enter his majesty
d service you will be generously re
V, warded. What success can you hop
$. for in this pauper nation? But EN-
land is a rich AMI powerful patron.
a am q straightforward man, Mr.. Soul
p and l have no gift of argumec
:, but"
n Scull held up a hand. commandin
a. pause. He leaned backward az
1t rlled th- bellows upon the dying fir