Yet you take him
prisoner and treat him with distinguished consideration. Hamilton
offered a large sum for me taken alive, a smaller one for my
scalp. Long-Hair saved me. You let Hamilton stand yonder in
perfect safety while you shoot the Indian. Shame on you, Colonel
Clark! shame on you, if you do it."
Alice stood looking at the stalwart commander while Beverley was
pouring forth his torrent of scathing reference to Hamilton, and
she quickly saw that Clark was moved. The moment was ripe for the
finishing stroke. They say it is genius that avails itself of
opportunity. Beverley knew the fight was won when he saw what
followed. Alice suddenly left Long-Hair and ran to Colonel Clark,
who felt her warm, strong arms loop round him for a single point
of time never to be effaced from his memory; then he saw her
kneeling at his feet, her hands upstretched, her face a glorious
prayer, while she pleaded the Indian's cause and won it.
Doubtless, while we all rather feel that Clark was weak to be thus
swayed by a girl, we cannot quite blame him. Alice's flag was over
him; he had heard her history from Beverley's cunning lips; he
actually believed that Hamilton was the real culprit, and besides
he felt not a little nauseated with executing Indians. A good
excuse to have an end of it all did not go begging.
But Long-Hair was barely gone over the horizon from the fort, as
free and as villainous a savage as ever trod the earth, when a
discovery made by Oncle Jazon caused Clark to hate himself for
what he had done.
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