Page:Cerise, a tale of the last century (IA cerisetaleoflast00whytrich).pdf/334

 bend. If we could take the string instead of the bow we might save a good deal of time, and perhaps escape observation altogether."

The Marquise and her daughter looked at each other helplessly. Had they been Englishwomen, indeed, even in that hot climate, they would probably have known every by-road and mountain path within three leagues of their home; but the ladies of France, though they dance exquisitely, are not strong walkers, and neither of these, during the months they had spent at Cash-a-crou, had yet acquired such a knowledge of the locality as might now have proved the salvation of the whole party.

In this extremity a groan was heard to proceed out of the darkness at a few paces' distance. Slap-Jack, guided by the sound, and parting some shrubs that concealed her, discovered poor Fleurette, more dead than alive, bruised, exhausted, terrified, scarcely able to stand, and shot through the ankle by a chance bullet from the blue-jackets, yet conscious enough still to drag herself to the feet of Cerise and cover them with kisses, forgetting everything else in her joy to find her young mistress still alive.

"You would serve me, Fleurette, I know," said Mademoiselle de Montmirail, in a cautious whisper; for, to her excited imagination, every shrub that glistened in the moonlight held a savage. "I can trust you; I feel it. Tell me, is there no way to the sea but through our enemies? Must we witness more cruelties—more blood-*shed? Oh! have we not had fighting and horrors enough?"

The black girl twined herself upwards, like a creeper, till her head was laid against the other's bosom; then she wept in silence for a few seconds ere she could command her voice to reply.

"Trust me, lilly ma'amselle," said she, in a tone of intense feeling that vouched for her truth. "Trust poor Fleurette, give last drop of blood to help young missee safe. Go to Jumbo for lilly ma'amselle now. Show um path safe across Sulphur Mountain down to sea-shore. Fleurette walk pretty well tank you, now, if only buckra blue-jacket offer um hand. Not so, sar! Impudent tief!" she added, indignantly, as Slap-Jack, thoroughly equal to the occasion,