With the utmost caution the two boys approached the fort at a point where its walls extended close to the river’s edge.  Here, beneath a tangle of wild-grape vines, Has’se removed a great piece of bark that closely resembled the surrounding soil, and disclosing an opening so narrow that but one man at a time might pass it.  Leading the way into the passage, that extended underground directly back from the river, he was closely followed by Rene, and the two groped their way slowly through the intense blackness.  It seemed to the white lad that they must have gone a mile before they came to the end, though in reality it was but about a hundred yards.

At length Has-se stopped, raised a second slab of bark that rested above his head, and whispered that they were now directly beneath the house of the commandant, which was built on stone piers that lifted it nearly two feet above the ground.

Has-se then lay down in the narrow passage, while Rene crawled over his body, until he was directly beneath the opening.  Then giving Has-se’s hand a warm squeeze with his own, he raised himself to the surface, leaving the Indian lad to make his way back to those who awaited him outside.

Upon gaining the fresh air once more, Rene found himself, even as Has-se had said he would, beneath a house, and in fact struck his head smartly against one of its timbers before he realized how shallow was the space between it and the ground.  Unmindful of the pain of the blow in his excitement, he replaced the slab of bark over the mouth of the tunnel, and crawled on his hands and knees from beneath the building, which, as soon as he passed beyond it, he recognized as that occupied by his uncle Laudonniere.

A profound silence reigned throughout the great enclosure, nor was any light to be seen save a faint gleam that found its way through a crevice in one of the lower window-shutters of the building in front of which Rene stood.  He was surprised not to meet the sentry who used formerly to pace always before the dwelling of the commandant; for he knew nothing of the mutiny, nor that all save the sentinels at the gates had been withdrawn.  After listening for a moment, and hearing nothing, he made his way to the window from which came the ray of light, and tapped gently upon its shutter.  He was compelled to repeat the noise several times before it attracted attention from within.  At last he heard the well-known voice of his old tutor, Le Moyne, the artist, who called out,

“What ho, without!  Who goes there?”

Making no answer, Rene tapped again.  This caused the light to be extinguished and one leaf of the shutter to be cautiously opened, while Le Moyne asked, in a nervous voice,

“Who is here, and what is thy business with me at this hour?”

“Sh!” replied Rene, in a whisper.  “It is I, Rene de Veaux.  Ask me nothing, but admit me, that I may instantly communicate with my uncle the commandant.  I have tidings of the utmost importance for him alone.”