If -- "
"A trifle! It's no' so trifling as ye may imagine, Mis-tress Mabel," taking the bit of bunting from her, and stretching it at full length with both his arms extended, while his face grew grave and his eye watchful."Ye'll no'
ha' been finding this, Mabel Dunham, in the breakfast?"Mabel simply acquainted him with the spot where and the manner in which she had found the bit of cloth.
While she was speaking, the eye of the Quartermaster was not quiet for a moment, glancing from the rag to the face of our heroine, then back again to the rag.That his sus-picions were awakened was easy to be seen, nor was he long in letting it be known what direction they had taken.
"We are not in a part of the world where our ensigns and gauds ought to be spread abroad to the wind, Mabel Dunham!" he said, with an ominous shake of the head.
"I thought as much myself, Mr.Muir, and brought away the little flag lest it might be the means of betraying our presence here to the enemy, even though nothing is in-tended by its display.Ought not my uncle to be made acquainted with the circumstance?""I no' see the necessity for that, pretty Mabel; for, as you justly say, it is a circumstance, and circumstances sometimes worry the worthy mariner.But this flag, if flag it can be called, belongs to a seaman's craft.You may perceive that it is made of what is called bunting, and that is a description of cloth used only by vessels for such pur-poses, _our_ colors being of silk, as you may understand, or painted canvas.It's surprisingly like the fly of the _Scud's_ensign.And now I recollect me to have observed that a piece had been cut from that very flag."Mabel felt her heart sink, but she had sufficient self-command not to attempt an answer.
"It must be looked to," Muir continued, "and, after all, I think it may be well to hold a short consultation with Master Cap, than whom a more loyal subject does not ex-ist in the British empire."
"I have thought the warning so serious," Mabel rejoined, "that I am about to remove to the blockhouse, and to take the woman with me.""I do not see the prudence of that, Mabel.The block-house will be the first spot assailed should there really be an attack; and it's no' well provided for a siege, that must be allowed.If I might advise in so delicate a contin-gency, I would recommend your taking refuge in the boat, which, as you may now perceive, is most favorably placed to retreat by that channel opposite, where all in it would be hid by the islands in one or two minutes.Water leaves no trail, as Pathfinder well expresses it; and there appears to be so many different passages in that quarter that escape would be more than probable.I've always been of opin-ion that Lundie hazarded too much in occupying a post so far advanced and so much exposed as this.""It's too late to regret it now, Mr.Muir, and we have only to consult our own security.""And the king's honor, pretty Mabel.Yes, his Majesty's arms and his glorious name are not to be overlooked on any occasion.""Then I think it might be better if we all turned our eyes towards the place that has been built to maintain them instead of the boat," said Mabel, smiling; "and so, Mr.Muir, I am for the blockhouse, intending to await there the return of my father and his party.He would be sadly grieved at finding we had fled when he got back suc-cessful himself, and filled with the confidence of our having been as faithful to our duties as he has been to his own.""Nay, nay, for heaven's sake, do not misunderstand me, Mabel!" Muir interrupted, with some alarm of manner;"I am far from intimating that any but you females ought to take refuge in the boat.The duty of us men is suffi-ciently plain, no doubt, and my resolution has been formed from the first to stand or fall by the blockhouse.""And did you imagine, Mr.Muir, that two females could row that heavy boat in a way to escape the bark canoe of an Indian?""Ah, my pretty Mabel, love is seldom logical, and its fears and misgivings are apt to warp the faculties.I only saw your sweet person in the possession of the means of safety, and overlooked the want of ability to use them;but you'll not be so cruel, lovely creature, as to impute to me as a fault my intense anxiety on your own account."Mabel had heard enough: her mind was too much oc-cupied with what had passed that morning, and with her fears, to wish to linger longer to listen to love speeches, which in her most joyous and buoyant moments she would have found unpleasant.She took a hasty leave of her companion, and was about to trip away towards the hilt of the other woman, when Muir arrested the movement by laying a hand on her arm.
"One word, Mabel," said he, "before you leave me.This little flag may, or it may not, have a particular meaning;if it has, now that we are aware of its being shown, may it not be better to put it back again, while we watch vigilantly for some answer that may betray the conspiracy; and if it mean nothing, why, nothing will follow.""This may be all right, Mr.Muir, though, if the whole is accidental, the flag might be the occasion of the fort's being discovered.
Mabel stayed to utter no more; but she was soon out of sight, running into the hut towards which she had been first proceeding.The Quartermaster remained on the very spot and in the precise attitude in which she had left him for quite a minute, first looking at the bounding figure of the girl and then at the bit of bunting, which he still held be-fore him in a way to denote indecision.His irresolution lasted but for this minute, however; for he was soon be-neath the tree, where he fastened the mimic flag to a branch again, though, from his ignorance of the precise spot from which it had been taken by Mabel, he left it fluttering from a part of the oak where it was still more exposed than before to the eyes of any passenger on the river, though less in view from the island itself.
