Pierre became polite at once; so surely does courtesy find courtesy.

"Sir," said he, taking off his hat, "I have come after my father's oxen,
those beasts yonder, which strayed back here in the night. This was our
home yesterday."

Pierre's voice quivered as he spoke these last words.

The officer looked very much interested.

"Certainly," said he, "you shall have your oxen. We don't take anything
that doesn't belong to us. But tell me, why is not this your home to-day?
Why have you all burnt down your houses and run away? We are the true
friends of all the Acadians. What had you to fear?"

"_We_ didn't do it!" replied the boy. "It was monsieur the abbe and
his Indians; and they threatened to scalp us all if we didn't leave
before you came!"

The young officer's face grew very stern at the mention of the abbe,
whom he knew to mean Le Loutre.

"Ah!" he muttered, "I see it all now! We might have expected as much
from that snake! But tell me," he continued to Pierre, "what is going on
over on the hill this morning? They are not going to attack us, are
they? We are on English soil here. They know that!"

"I don't know," said Pierre, looking about him, and over at Beausejour.
"They _were_ very busy getting things ready for something when I left.