who, less than a year before, had left the old chateau of his fathers
with tear-stained cheeks. His long curls had fallen under the shears,
and his closely cropped hair showed to advantage his well-formed head.
He was tall for his age, his muscles had hardened with constant
exercise, and his face, neck, and hands were tanned to a ruddy brown by
the hot suns beneath which he had spent so many months. His brown eyes
held a merry twinkle, but at the same time there was an expression of
pride and fixed purpose in his face that well became it.

At this time he wore a small plumed cap, a leathern jacket,
knee-breeches, stockings of stout yarn, and short boots, the legs of
which fitted closely to his ankles. Simon, the armorer, had made for
him a light steel corselet, that he wore over his leathern jacket
whenever he went beyond the walls of the fort. Upon all such
excursions he was armed with his well-tried cross-bow (for which he
carried a score of steel-tipped bolts) and a small, but keen-edged,
dagger that hung at his belt.

After considering Has-se's proposal all the morning, Réné finally
decided to accept it, and, without notifying any person in the fort of
his intention, to accompany the young Indian to the land of the
Alachuas.

In accordance with this plan he gathered together a number of trinkets,
such as he knew would be acceptable to the Indians, and during the
afternoon he conveyed these to the forest beyond the fort, where he
bound them into a compact package and carefully hid them.

Réné could not account, any more than the others, for Has-se's
disappearance, nor imagine how his escape had been effected; but he