Chapter 20 - Page 2

his life dearly, need look for a better motive."

"Thank you, serjeant," the captain said, feelingly--"On _you_, I
can rely as on myself. So long as I have _you_, and Joel, here,
and Mike and the blacks, and the rest of the brave fellows who have
stood by me thus far, I shall not despair. _We_ can make good the
house against ten times our own number. But, it is time to look to the
Indians."

"I was going to speak to the captain about Nick," put in Joel, who had
listened to the eulogium on his own fidelity with some qualms of
conscience. "I can't say I like the manner he has passed between the
two parties; and that fellow has always seemed to me as if he owed the
captain a mortal grudge; when an Injin _does_ owe a grudge, he is
pretty sartain to pay it, in full."

"This has passed over my mind, too, I will confess, Joel; yet Nick and
I have been on reasonably good terms, when one comes to remember his
character, on the one side, and the fact that I have commanded a
frontier garrison on the other. If I have had occasion to flog him a
few times, I have also had occasion to give him more rum than has done
him good, with now and then a dollar."

"There I think the captain miscalcilates," observed Joel with a
knowledge of human nature that would have been creditable to him, had
he practised on it himself. "No man is thankful for rum when the
craving is off, sin' he knows he has been taking an inimy into his
stomach; and as for the money, it was much the same as giving the
liquor, seem' that it went for liquor as soon as he could trot down to
the mill. A man will seek his revenge for rum, as soon as for anything
else, when he gets to feel injuries uppermost. Besides, I s'pose the
captain knows an injury will be remembered long a'ter a favour is
forgotten."

"This may be true, Strides, and certainly I shall keep my eyes on the
Indian. Can you mention any particular act, that excites your
suspicion?"

"Don't the captain think Nick may have had suthin' to do with the
desartions?--A dozen men would scarce desart all at once, as it might
be, onless someone was at the bottom of it."

This was true enough, certainly, though Joel chose to keep out of view
all his own machinations and arts on the subject. The captain was
struck by the suggestion, and he determined to put his first intention
in respect to Nick in force immediately. Still, it was necessary to
proceed with caution, the state of the Hut rendering a proper watch and
a suitable prison difficult to be obtained. These circumstances were
mentioned to the overseer, who led the way to the part of the buildings
occupied by his own family;