“What! How?”
“Easily enough, although the story is rather a wonderful one. You see, while I was in prison here we had a revolt, and all the prisoners broke jail. I ran away by myself and hid in this house, to escape the French soldiers. I was discovered by the lady and daughter who live here, and by the lady’s son, who was sick in bed. The son began to question me, and then he said he had seen me before. We compared notes, and I learned that the son was Captain Louis Gaulette, a noted French spy. Captain Gaulette was in Quebec on a secret mission for General Lévis, and he was in hiding in the cellar of the gold and silver smith’s shop when I went down there and tried to reason with Prent. He sent a note to General Murray about it, and he supposed I was set at liberty.”
“Good!” almost shouted Dave, and his face began to beam. “In that case, Henry, you can establish your innocence without much trouble.”
“That is what I expect to do,” answered Henry. “And let me tell you, I am mighty glad this affair has turned out as it has. But what about the war? Is it really ended?”
“Yes, Henry, and I reckon our soldier-boy days have ended with it,” answered Dave.
Let me add a few words more and then bring to a close this story of military adventure before and “At the Fall of Montreal.”
As both of the young soldiers had surmised, it was an easy matter to prove Henry innocent of the charge that had been made against him, and in the end he received not only a full pardon from General Murray, but also a letter exonerating him from all blame. For the despicable part he had played Prent was sentenced to five years in an English prison, and with him went Fenley and Harkness for a period of three years. Louis Gaulette became Henry’s firm friend and it may be mentioned here that, years later, Gaulette entered the American army under General Lafayette and served as a spy for Washington during the last years of the War of Independence.
As soon as Dave and Henry were free to come and go as they pleased they took passage on a sloop of war bound down the St. Lawrence to Quebec. At this point they had a man with a rowboat take them over to the Island of Orleans, which was still being used as a hospital. They inquired for Barringford of a guard they met and after some slight trouble were taken to the ward in which the sufferer belonged.
“Dave an’ Henry!” cried the old frontiersman, on seeing them, and Dave’s heart leapt with joy to see his eyes as bright and intelligent as ever. “Ef this ain’t better’n a dose o’ medicine. Whar did ye come from?” And he shook hands warmly.