Monsieur Riel had been all this while pacing up and down his room.  A tap came upon his door.

“Entrez.  Ah, it is you, mon adjutant!”

“Oui, mon president.”

“What tidings?”

“C’est accompli.  The court-martial has found the prisoner guilty; and he is condemned to be shot at one o’clock this day.”

“Monsieur is expeditious!  Monsieur is zealous.  C’est bon, c’est bon; merci, Monsieur.”  And the miscreant walked about delirious with the exuberance of his gratification.  Then he came over to where his adjutant stood, and shook his hand; then he thrust his fingers through his hair, and half bellowed, his voice resembling that of some foul beast.

“La patrie has reason to be proud of her zealous son,” and he again shook the hand of his infamous lieutenant.  Then with a very low bow M. Lepine left the room, saying as he departed,

“I shall endeavour to merit to the fullest the kindly eulogy which Monsieur President bestows upon me.”  The news of Scott’s sentence spread like fire around the settlement.  Some believed that the penalty would not be carried out, while others declared that they thought otherwise.

“If this prisoner is pardoned, people will begin to treat the sentences of the Provisional Authorities as good jokes.  Riel must be aware of this; therefore Scott is likely to suffer the full penalty.”  Several persons called upon the tyrant, and besought him to extend mercy to the condemned man, but he merely shrugged his shoulders!

“This prisoner has been twice rebellious.  He has set bad example among the prisoners, assaulted his keeper, and loaded the Provisional Government with opprobrium.  I may say to you, Messieurs, however, that I have really nothing to do with the man’s case.  In this time of tumult, when the operation of all laws is suspended, the Court-Martial is the only tribunal to which serious offenders can be referred.  This young man, Scott, has had fair trial, as fair as a British Court-Martial would have given him, and he has been sentenced to death.  I assume that he would not have received such a sentence if he had not deserved it.  Therefore I shall not interfere.  There is no use, Messieurs, in pressing me upon the matter.  At heart, I shall grieve as much as you to see the young man cut off, but his death I believe necessary now, as an example to the hundreds who are desirous of overthrowing the authority, which we have established in the colony.”  The petitioners left the tyrant with sorrowful faces.

“My God!” one of them exclaimed, “it is frightful to murder this young man, whose only offence is resistance to probable insult from his debased, half-breed keeper.  Is there nothing to be done?”

No, there was nothing to be done.  The greasy, vindictive tyrant was lord and master of the situation When Riel was alone, he began once more to walk up and down the room, and thus mused aloud: 

“I shall go down to his cell.  Perhaps, if I pretend that I will spare his life, he may tell me where resides Marie.