Menard lay on his side, and watched the flames go roaring upward as the soldiers piled up the logs.
“I could tell you some things, Du Peron,” he said slowly. “I suppose you didn’t know,––for that matter you couldn’t know,––but when the column was marching on the Senecas, and our rear-guard of four hundred men––”
“The same thing. You can’t expect the Cayugas to count so sharply as that. At that time the Cayugas and Onondagas held a council to discuss the question of sending a thousand warriors to cut off the rear-guard and the Governor’s communications.”
The Lieutenant slowly whistled.
“How did they know so much about it, Menard?”
“How could they help it? Our good Governor had posted his plans on every tree. You can see what would have happened.”
“Why, with the Senecas on his front it would have been––” He paused, and whistled again.
“Well,––you see. But they didn’t do it.”
“Why not?”