brance of the sorrow which had overshadowed, and profound pity for the fate of the young Lieutenant. On the third day after his arrival, according to agreement, Lawrence, accompanied by the Captain, set out upon an expedition, with but one attendant, Tohemon, the Mohican, whose knowledge of the hunting grounds might aid them in the real object, renewal of the search for the body of Kingsland, if, perchance, it might be above ground. Not even the wily Indian was informed of their purpose, but with the keen perception of his race he divined the truth, following, rather than guiding, while their way led over a beaten track pursued by the hunters upon that fatal day, months agone, and until they came to the spot where Guy had separated himself from his companions to pursue the game that had led him to his death. Then Tohemon quietly took the lead, guided by signs that would have escaped the observation of a white man. Broken twigs, the ragged stumps browned by the winter's frosts, reeds withered and bent among the lush, green growth of spring. Step by step, with unerring instinct, the Mohican followed the trail, until at length it was lost upon the edge of the dark swamp. Viking, the Livonian hound, close at the heels of his master, suddenly rushed forward, his nose in the air, not as if scenting a trail, but rather as if the quarry sought were a bird of the air. His tawny form was lost to sight among the rank reeds and tangled alders, and in compliance with the Colonel's request the party halted. "He has struck some quarry, and will give tongue presently. Let us wait and take breath, counselled Lawrence. Scarcely had the words left his lips when a long drawn howl echoed dismally through the dim arches of the pine forest. The cry was repeated, and with hurrying feet the hunters sped on, guided by the mournful cry which grew more distinct as they advanced. 66 as he Lawrence gave a long, peculiar whistle, which was answered by the sagacious brute, now near at hand. God-a-mercy! groaned Gardiner, stumbled across some impediment in his path, are upon the right track! Look there! we He stooped and raised a fire-lock from its lodgment in the thick growth of juniper and bracken; the barrel was rust-eaten, the lock discoloured, the breech sodden, but upon the silver plate tarnished by rain and snow the initials "G. K." were plainly visible. A few feet distant a silver drinking flask lay upon the ground, upon which the same initials were engraved, in monogram. The plaintive howl of the hound guided the hunters to the very verge of the fen, where at the foot of a high furrow lay the remains of a human being, a skeleton bleaching in the rays of the western sun, falling obliquely between the funereal fronds of hemlock, cedar and pine, half-buried in a drift of decayed leaves and pine needles, and entwined by a spring growth of ground pine and ivy. Like patches of flame the sleeves of a scarlet coat glowed among the vivid green, and two skeleton hands grasped the laps of the mildewed waistcoat, as if the last moments of the dead had been fraught with unendurable pain. Their quest was ended. The afternoon was waning, and seeking the proper material they fashioned a rude bier upon which they placed all that remained of the gay Lieutenant, covering the bared skull with a kerchief to shut out the gruesome sight. |