“The devil they have!  Should this be the case, serjeant, our sortie may be made at an earlier hour than that mentioned.  I never will submit to such an insult.”

Captain Willoughby was too much aroused to waste many words; and, seizing his hat, he proceeded forthwith to take a look for himself.  The stage, or gallery on the roofs, offering the best view, in a minute he and his two companions were on it.

“There; ye’ll be seein’ a smoke in Joel’s habitation, with your own een; and, yon is anither, in the dwelling of his cousin Seth,” said Jamie, pointing in the direction he named.

“Smoke there is, of a certainty; but the Indians may have lighted fires in the kitchen, to do their own cooking.  This looks like investing us, serjeant, rather more closely than the fellows have done before.”

“I rather think not, your honour—­Jamie is right, or my eyes do not know a man from a woman.  That is certainly a female in the garden of Joel, and I’ll engage it’s Phoebe, pulling onions for his craving stomach, the scoundrel!”

Captain Willoughby never moved without his little glass, and it was soon levelled at the object mentioned.

“By Jupiter, you are right, Joyce”—­he cried.  “It is Phoebe, though the hussy is coolly weeding, not culling the onions!  Ay—­and now I see Joel himself!  The rascal is examining some hoes, with as much philosophy as if he were master of them, and all near them.  This is a most singular situation to be in!”

This last remark was altogether just.  The situation of those in the Hut was now singular indeed.  Further examination showed that every cabin had its tenant, no one of the party that remained within the palisades being a householder.  By using the glass, and pointing it, in succession, at the different dwellings, the captain in due time detected the presence of nearly every one of the deserters.  Not a man of them all, in fact, was missing, Mike alone excepted.  There they were, with their wives and children, in quiet possession of their different habitations.  Nor was this all; the business of the valley seemed as much on their minds as had been their practice for years.  Cows were milked, the swine were fed, poultry was called and cared for, and each household was also making the customary preparations for the morning meal.

So absorbed was the captain with this extraordinary scene, that he remained an hour on the staging, watching the course of events.  The breakfasts were soon over, having been later than common, and a little hurried; then commenced the more important occupations of the day.  A field was already half ploughed, in preparation for a crop of winter grain; thither Joel himself proceeded, with the necessary cattle, accompanied by the labourers who usually aided him in that particular branch of husbandry.  Three ploughs were soon at work, with as much regularity and order as if nothing had occurred to disturb the tranquillity of the valley.  The axes of the wood-choppers were next heard, coming out of the forest, cutting fuel for the approaching winter; and a half-finished ditch had its workmen also, who were soon busy casting up the soil, and fashioning their trench.  In a word, all the suspended toil was renewed with perfect system and order.