“After all, he may elude me, go out of the territory, and marry the girl.  Curses, a thousand curses upon my own head for following the advice.  Malediction upon Lepine’s head for having given it to me.”  Just at this moment, the door opened, and Lepine entered.

“I bring Monsieur good news.”

“Ah, what is it?  Any tidings of Scott?”

“He is at this very moment in the fort; having been caught among Major Boulton’s party.  He was most insolent to myself and O’Donoghue, and used very abusive language respecting yourself.  I think, Monsieur, you have cause sufficient against him now.”

“Bon! bon!  Yes,—­he shall not escape me this time,” and rising, he began to stride up and down the floor, his eyes flaming with hate and vengeance.

“Now, Monsieur Lepine, give me your attention.  At once go and put Boulton in irons.  I shall attend presently, and declare that he is to be shot to-morrow.  Suppliants will come beseeching me to spare his life, but at first I will refuse to do so, and say that I am determined to carry out my threat.  At the last I will yield.  So far, so good.  I do not know, now, whether you understand my methods or not.”

[Footnote:  The following is Mr. Begg’s version of this part of the affair:—­“Riel granted the lives of three, but Major Boulton, he said, would have to die that night.  It now began to look very serious.  Archdeacon McLean was called upon to attend the condemned man during his last moments, and a feeling of oppression was felt by all at the thought of a human being to be thus sent to his last account on such short notice, at midnight, too (the hour appointed for the execution)—­midnight—­the very thought of a man being brought out in the stillness of the night to be shot like a dog was horrible in the extreme.  Still there were no lack of interceders, although little hope was now entertained of Major Boulton being spared.  People retired to their homes that evening with mingled feelings of hope and Uncertainty, mixed with horror at the deed about to be committed.  And how was the prisoner during all this time?  Calm and resigned to his fate.  After writing a few lines to his friends in Canada, he called for a basin of water and a towel with which to wash his face and hands, and a glass of wine to prevent him, if possible, from shivering when passing into the cold night air, in case people might attribute it to fear.  He spoke quietly and calmly of the fate before him, and acted altogether as a soldier should do in the face of death.  In the meantime the French councillors were sitting in deliberation on Boulton’s sentence, the result being that his life was spared.  This was communicated at once to the prisoner who received the information as calmly as he had done the sentence of death.”]

“I think I do Monsieur,” and there was a knowing twinkle in the eye of the wily scoundrel.

“Well, this Scott has an unbridled tongue, and is pretty certain to use it.  If he does not, a little judicious goading will soon set him in his most abusive mood.  If possible, it would be well for one of the guards to provoke him to commit an assault.  Could you rely upon any one of your men for such a bit of business?”