to the Canadian frontier. We will not
inquire too curiously into the French
merchant's motives in facilitating the flight of
his countryman; but we may remind the
reader that Lebeau belonged to a profession
that did not, at that time (does it now?),
stand very high in public estimation. The
Hurons agreed to escort Lebeau as far as
Naranzouac, a place two hundred leagues
from Quebec, where they promised to confide
their charge to the care of an Iroquois friend,
who would guide him to the first English fort,
some thirty leagues further. In
consequence of this arrangement, the French
lawyer cast aside what remained of his
Parisian costume, and indued that of the
Red-skins. It consisted of a coarse and
somewhat dirty shirt, a blue blanket, and mocassins;
his face was daubed with red and
yellow ochre, painted to imitate a serpent,
whose tail terminated at the tip of his nose;
his hair was dressed after the fashion of the
Hurons, and he was altogether transmogrified.

Not so well, however, but that a party of
Canadian trappers, easily discovered the
awkward lawyer beneath the Indian garb, and
were very near to taking him back to Quebec,
a reward being always given to those who
brought in a fugitive. But whether the
price set upon his head was too insignificant
when it came to be divided, or whether soft-
sawder made the trappers merciful, we
cannot say; certain it is that he was allowed to
proceed. But it was only to fall into worse
hands—those of a band of Iroquois, who,
mustering in greater force than his escort,
dispersed the Hurons, and made Lebeau their
prisoner, pummeling him well in the first
instance, on account of certain pugnacious
demonstrations on his part, and then hustling
and dragging him with them into captivity.
If ever there were occasion for eloquent
pleading now was the time. Lebeau exerted
himself, and came out strong. As soon as he
could recover his breath, he told the Iroquois
as great a fib as his invention could coin.
He came into those woods, he said, in order
to make a plan of the country; as soon as he
had accomplished his task, it was the intention
of the governor of the province to level
all the mountains which the Indians found it
so difficult to climb, to convert the débris
into dams for the waters that would be
collected in the valleys, and then create
enormous lakes, which would speedily be filled
by multitudes of beavers. The Iroquois were
enchanted at hearing such good news. It
seemed, indeed, too good to be true, and they
observed that if Lebeau had been sent on this
mission by the Onontio (the name they gave
to the governor), he must, of course, be
provided with a blanc (passport). This did not
at all disconcert our friend; in order to
recommend himself to the English, he had
taken care to bring with him his lawyer's
certificate (lettres d'avocat), and without
hesitation he displayed the parchment. At
the sight of it the Iroquois uttered loud
shouts of delight, and fixing the certificate to
the end of the paddle of a canoe, they set it
up in the midst and danced round it, by way
of showing it honour. They then recollected
that the bearer of this important document
was a person whom they had considerably
ill-treated, and feeling bound to make him
amends, they ransacked their stores for
presents. The chief of the Iroquois drawing
near Lebeau, laid at his feet a handsome lot
of furs, stating that he offered them "to cut
off the hair, the head, the body and the legs
of the offence they had committed." These,
he said, were in atonement for the blows the
lawyer had received; a second lot was
intended to wipe out the spot where he had
been dragged through the dirt; and so on
with the various items of the assault.

Compensation, as they imagined (and very
rightly too) having now being made, the
Iroquois again examined the parchment,
and were excited to a frenzy of delight when
they beheld the bit of dangling red wax on
which the arms of the Court of Parliament
were impressed; neither could they maintain
themselves at the sight of the tin case in
which the certificate was kept. They fancied
that the case contained a manitou, or spirit,
and a small image of the Virgin being somehow
or other an inmate of the same receptacle,
they asked Lebeau if he thought them
worthy to kiss the cover of the case. He
very gravely gave them permission to do so,
which made their sense of satisfaction
complete. It may be questioned whether so
much respect was ever shown to a lawyer's
certificate, either before or since.

Having deprived Lebeau of his original
guides, the least the Iroquois could do now
was to replace them. It mattered little to
them which way they travelled, and they
turned their faces in the direction of Naranzouac.
Companionship making them more
familiar, and having exhibited their own war
dances, one evening when they encamped in
a quiet glade, they insisted on the lawyer's
showing off in the same manner. Not having
a war dance ready, he performed a jig, of the
kind that was then called a pistolet, and kept
it up with so much vigour that at last he fell
to the ground from sheer lassitude. The
Iroquois supposed that this accident was a
part of the figure, and declared that they had
never seen a spirit (their name for a Frenchman)
dance so gracefully; and that, indeed,
it was impossible for any one to dance better,
unless he were a Jesuit or a Barefoot Friar
(recollet friar)! They begged him to repeat
the entertainment, but this was beyond his
power; on subsequent occasions, however,
he always took care, when he thought he
had danced long enough, to wind up with a
tumble.

Our legal friend, however, did not get to
his journey's end without running still greater