Suddenly his arm shot out and he grasped the hilt of my knife, drew it from my belt, and then slowly returned it.  I drew his knife and rendered it again.

“Brother,” he said, “I have this day heard your voice coming to me out of the Northland!  I have read the message on the belt you bore and wear; your voice has not lied to my ears; your message is clear as running springs to my eyes.  I can see through to their pleasant depths.  No snake lies hidden under them.  So now—­ now, I say—­ if my brother’s sight is dimmed on the trail to Catharines-town, Mayaro will teach him how to see under the night-sun as owls see, so that behind us, the steps of many men shall not stumble, and the darkness of the Long House shall become redder than dawn, lighted by the flames of a thousand rifles!

“Brother!  A Sagamore never lies.  I have drawn my brother’s knife!  Brother, I have spoken!”

And so it was done in that house and in the dark of dawn.  Boyd silently gave him his hands, and so did I; then Boyd led him aside with a slight motion of dismissal to me.

As I walked toward the front door, which was now striding open, I saw Major Tallmadge go out ahead of me, run to the mounting-block, and climb into his saddle.  Colonel Sheldon followed him to the doorway, and called after him: 

“Take a dozen men with you, and meet Colonel Moylan!  A dozen will be sufficient, Major!”

Then he turned back into the house, saying to Major Lockwood and Mr. Hunt he was positive that the large body of dragoons in rapid motion, which had been seen and reported by one of our videttes a few minutes since, could be no other than Moylan’s expected regiment; and that he would mount his own men presently and draw them up in front of the Meeting House.

The rain had now nearly ceased; a cloudy, greyish horizon became visible, and the dim light spreading from a watery sky made objects dimly discernible out of doors.

I hastened back to the shed where I had left the strange maid swathed in her scarlet cape; and found her there, slowly pacing the trampled sod before it.

As I came up with her, she said: 

“Why are the light dragoons riding on the Bedford road?  Is aught amiss?”

“A very large body of horse has passed our videttes, making toward Ridgefield.  Colonel Sheldon thinks it must be Moylan’s regiment.”

“Do you?”

“It may be so.”

“And if it be the leather-caps?”

“Then we must find ourselves in a sorry pickle.”

As I spoke, the little bugle-horn of Sheldon’s Horse blew boots and saddles, and four score dragoons scrambled into their saddles down by the barns, and came riding up the sloppy road, their horses slipping badly and floundering through the puddles and across the stream, where, led by a captain, the whole troop took the Meeting House road at a stiff canter.

We watched them out of sight, then she said: