"SHE IS DEAD!" 215 



"She is dead!" exclaimed M'Leod; "and, gracious 

 Heaven ! I am her murderer !" 



Here the wretched man threw himself upon the 

 ground, and gave way to the extremity of his grief. 

 He alternately confessed and denied his guilt, and in 

 the inconsistency of his assertions even charged Pierre 

 with being accessory to the dreadful catastrophe. We 

 will draw a veil over the scenes that ensued. Horror- 

 stricken, the three men bore the remains of the young 

 lady to the fort, where the agonies of her distracted 

 father added, if possible, another pang to the sufferings 

 which Pierre endured. 



Old Jake showed more feeling on this occasion than 

 either of his comrades had conceived him capable of. 

 He actually shed tears while relating the circumstances 

 which had led him and Miss Frazer to the scene of the 

 duel on this fatal morning. 



" The poor young critter," said the old hunter, " kem 

 to me an' telled me that she had seed yer jawin' each 

 other by the bank o' the Athabasca, an' had heerd yer 

 settlin' about meetin' next mornin' to squar' up things 

 in the beaver meadow. ' Wai, Jake,' says she, ' we 

 must stop this. I kin think o' no way o' doin' it, 

 'ceptin' we goes to the place app'inted an' tells 'em to 

 gev up. I don't think they'll go on with it ef I shows 

 out among 'em, an' begs 'em to be friends for my sake.' 

 Them's the very words o' the dear young critter. O' 

 coorse I wur agreeable, an' as it fell out we wur a trifle 

 too late on the ground. I seed M'Leod throw up his 



