“Let us, then,” he said, “leave the women and boys, a few minutes, and retire back here a few rods, out of their hearing, to determine on the first steps to be taken.”
In accordance with this suggestion, the men withdrew, by themselves, to a convenient place on the site of an old camping-ground, within the forest, a few rods farther up the lake, leaving Mrs. Elwood and her female attendants slowly retracing their steps back to her house, from which they had accompanied her to this spot, and the boys amusing themselves in seeing who could throw a stone farthest into the lake. The men, now relieved from the fear of causing Mrs. Elwood needless alarm, and of having their remarks reported by others of the mingled company,—to the injury, perhaps, of the investigation on hand,—at once gave vent to their smothered convictions, and feelings of indignation and horror, in an exciting debate; which soon resulted in the determination to dispatch, the next morning, four men in two canoes up the lakes, in search of the missing, or such traces of them as might lead to a discovery of their fate; while the rest should remain in the settlement, to watch for new indications there and keep a vigilant eye on the movements of the bold but wary villain, whom they all believed to be the perpetrator of the supposed outrage. But, before they had fully settled the details of their plan, their attention was arrested by a shouting from the boys, who announced that a strange canoe was approaching them from the other part of the lake. Hearing this, and thinking the new-comer might have perhaps arrived from the upper lakes, and could give them important information, the men immediately suspended their consultation, and came out to the landing to hail him, or to await his approach. They soon discovered that the rower was an Indian, and it was not long before the trapper began to recognize the canoe, from some peculiarity about the bow, to be his own, and the one he had left with the boats of his companions on the Oquossak the season before. This, if true, might lead to important developments; and the company kept their eyes keenly fixed on the rower, to see if he would manifest any disposition to avoid them. But he kept steadily on towards the landing, and, in another minute, was within near hailing distance.
“Hillo! my red friend, where did you get that canoe?” cried the trapper.
“Tell you soon,—you make me believe you right to know,” quietly replied the native, without appearing to be in the least disturbed by the question, or any inference which might naturally be drawn from it.
“Well, I can make you believe I have a right to know, if you are willing to believe; for I can swear the canoe is my own, and prove it, too, by some of these gentlemen,” returned the trapper, with warmth.
“May be,—we see soon,” responded the other, an intelligent, good-looking, middle-aged Indian, now slipping ashore and firmly confronting the company.
“Now tell us where you got it, sir,” again sharply demanded the trapper. “I have offered to swear to my ownership, and prove it; so tell how you came by it, unless you would have us believe you stole it.”
“Stole it?” reproachfully said the Indian. “Ask that man,” he added, pointing to Carvil, whom he appeared to have previously recognized,—“ask him, if me do thing like that?”
“Moose-killer, is this you?” exclaimed Carvil, who had been eyeing the stranger Indian with a hesitating air. “I thought, from the first, I knew you, but couldn’t quite decide. Moose-killer, I am glad you have come. We are just at this time trying to search out a dark affair, which we fear has happened, and with which this boat you came in may possibly be connected. We should be glad to make a few inquiries of you, when you are ready to hear them. There need,” he added, turning to the trapper and the others, “there need be no fear but this man will tell a true story; I have met him on the Great Megantic, where he goes by the name I have called him, on account of his well-known expertness in moose-killing.”
The Indian started at the significant allusion which had been made to the subject that was then engaging the attention of those present, and its possible connection with his canoe; and, with unusual promptness for one of his demure and slow-speaking race, announced himself ready to tell his story.