In a short time after, the orderly rapped at the door, and on being told to enter, announced:

“Please, colonel, the adjutant says as how he wants to know ef he’s released from arrest?”

“Did he dare to ask you that?” inquired Clark, sharply; and as he spoke his eye flashed.

“Please, sir, they wouldn’t let me see him,” said the man.

“Who wouldn’t let you see him?”

The commander was growing very angry, for he was a strict disciplinarian, and this sounded terrible in his ears.

The orderly hesitated.

“Speak quick, man! Who wouldn’t let you see him?”

“Colonel,” said the rough borderer, who was, after all, only a half disciplined, independent militia-man; “’tain’t my fault, honest; but them Injuns and the young lady was at the door, and the young lady she guv me the message from adjutant; and please, colonel, the boys are all in a crowd around the door, and they cheered her when she spoke, and it’s my belief, sir—”

“That will do,” said Clark, imperiously. “I understand you. There’s mutiny afoot, and you’re afraid. Out of the way.”

Before father Gibault could interfere to check him, the colonel was out of the room and half-way down-stairs. He[87] was in a state of the greatest excitement, and shouted for his horse in a manner strangely unlike his usual quiet way. Two minutes after, he was galloping down the street toward the camp, which, as before, was pitched in front of the disused arsenal occupied by the Indians.

Around the door, as the orderly had said, the whole of the motley force of borderers were clustered; and from the murmurs that reached his ear, it was evident that an unusual excitement was going on.

As the colonel galloped up, a dead silence fell on all; but not a man stirred out of his way, and matters looked quite squally, for the rough backwoodsmen made no scruple of looking with open defiance at their leader.

The tact of Clark was infinite, or he would not have been the successful leader that he was. He saw now that he had made a mistake, and pulled up his horse by the crowd, saying, quietly:

“Stand out of my way, men. I want to enter that building.”

He looked at the door of the arsenal, and there stood beautiful Ruby Roland, with her savage allies round her, stern and impassive, looking straight at him.

Not a man stirred out of his path. Some of them crowded closer in his way, and he saw that they all carried their rifles. For the first time in his life, Clark was at a loss what to do. The instinct of discipline impelled him to violence, but his experience of the reckless Kentuckians told him that such a step would be useless.

Moreover, Bowman and all his officers stood in a group at a fire near by, with their backs resolutely turned to the scene of disturbance. Clark was too intensely proud to call for assistance from them which he saw they were unwilling to grant. He was also too politic to precipitate a fight by attempting to ride into the crowd.

For fully a minute an ominous silence prevailed, and then Clark spoke to Ruby, in a clear, loud voice:

“Mademoiselle, is my adjutant in your quarters? If so, I call on you, as my ally, to deliver him up to me.”

Like a silver trumpet came back Ruby’s answer.

“He is here. He shall not go forth till he is released from arrest, except to be tried by a court-martial.”

[88]

Instantly a tremendous cheer burst from all the borderers, and Clark saw that he had not a friend left.

It was a bitter and humiliating thing for the proud leader, in the moment of his triumph over enemies; and Clark felt it keenly.

For one moment he looked reproachfully at Ruby, then on his rebellious men. There was............