After a thoughtful pause she proceeded:
“Gato is secretly stirring up the people. I have no doubt that he is about ready to strike. His plan will be this, I think: The palace guard are men whom he can trust to do his work; he will kill everybody here, and then take the army into your valley and slaughter all but a few. He will keep those for the sacrifices. It was he that induced the king to use Mr. Vancouver as your traitor. But, unlike the king, he doesn’t care how many natives might be killed in a fight with the colony when he has made himself king.”
She was regarding me curiously.
“And what are Christopher and I to do?” I cheerfully asked.
“Let me tell you some things before that,” she answered, but with hesitancy. “You won’t be hurt with me, Choseph, and you won’t be angry?”
“Assuredly not, dear lad.”
“I told Captain Mason all these things when I went into the valley the last time.” She waited anxiously.
“I am very glad of that,” I brightly answered.
She was much relieved, and with a sudden dash came over and squeezed my hand.
“You are really my dear big brother!” she said, and demurely resumed her seat. “I told him something else,” she went on with more confidence. “It was to have his entire colony ready to move at a moment’s notice,—not to bring anything with them, except all the food they could carry, but to be prepared at any time of the day or night to march in perfect silence out of the valley.”