It was past two o’clock in the morning when I finished my consultation with the Earl. Small wonder that he walked up and down the room at his wits’ end what to do. Captain Kidd by this time had lifted anchor and had set sail with the lawless crew that was destined for a time to stain the name of my patron. Nor could Bellamont foresee that he was to come out of this malicious attack with his honor unsullied and his respect undiminished. But a still greater danger pressed close at hand. There was but one small company of soldiers inside the fort who were loyal to the governor; all the rest belonged to the patroon. They outnumbered us three to one or perhaps more. We were in the enemy’s hands, and what were we to do?

Louis, I found, had not warned the Earl at all. We learned later that he had come to the fort, but had been refused admission. Whereupon he dispatched a forged letter northward on his own account to recall the troops. But of this we knew nothing at the time. The troops were not at hand to help us, nor did they return in time to be of any help. We had to plan for the instant.

At last it was arranged between us that the few 341faithful men in the fort should be roused at once. As soon as they had taken possession of the armory, which they could easily do, as almost everyone was asleep, and the guard for the night had been chosen from the loyal company—after they had got possession of the armory they were to waken the members of the Red Band one by one and throw them into irons. Why make a short story long? All this was accomplished with success. By four in the morning every man was securely bound and the fort saved.

“But what does this unfinished sentence mean?” said the Earl, who held Louis’s paper in his hand. “Van Ramm breaks off suddenly, after speaking of something else.”

Then for the first time in many hours I remembered that the patroon had spoken of a meeting that night in the neighborhood of Webber’s tavern.

“Your Excellency,” I cried, “it must have been of great importance from his manner. Let me set out at once. It may not be too late. Perchance the patroon was not well enough to go, and has put off the meeting till the morning. The man, whoever he is, may have remained all night at the tavern.”

A party of three horsemen was at once got ready, and Bellamont insisted on going with us himself. It was just daylight when we reached the inn.

“Yes,” answered the host, in reply to our questions. “There was a stranger here last night, and 342he had a great spell of impatience, but he would not stir from the room, and he stayed all night, and he is up stairs now asleep. Shall I call him, your Excellency?”

“No,” replied Bellamont. “Let us go up to his room.”

When we knocked the stranger refused to open the door. We made short work of that and soon the door was beaten down. We all stood agog at what we saw within. The man had not retired. He was fully dressed and the bed had not been slept in.

“Body of me!” exclaimed the host. “Look at his head. What is that he has in his hands?”

What we saw was a silver crucifix and a close shaven head. The man was a Jesuit priest.

“What are you doing here?” asked the Earl, as soon as his first astonishment had worn off a bit.

“Body of me,” cried the host; “you’ll be hanged. That is our law.”

The priest turned a trifle pale at this, but he was no coward—that I could see at the first glance.

“St. Jacques protect me,” he said in a calm voice, crossing himself.

“Stop that twiddle-twoddle,” interrupted the host, at the same time catching the priest roughly by the shoulder.

“You know the laws of the province?” asked the Earl, sternly.

“Yes, I know them,” he replied, proudly. “The agent of Christ is worthy of death in this province 343if he adhere to the one true faith. Yes, Sir Tyrant, I know your laws.”

“Do you call the governor names?” yelled the host in a rage. “Down on your knees in an instant; you’ll hang in the air in an hour.”

The priest looked at the host grimly, and then he smiled.

“Pardon me, your honor, I mistook you. I thought he was the governor. If you are he, however—”

“Take that for your impudence,” cried the host.

He had unbuckled his leather belt and struck the priest with it across the face. It was all done so quickly that we could hardly see how it happened; but when I looked again, the landlord was lying on the floor with a bloody nose and the priest was rubbing his knuckles which ached with the sting of the blow he had given him.

“That will do,” said Bellamont with dignity. “What is your name?”

“Jacques.”

That was the word Louis had uttered in the patroon’s study. It had brought on the blow that killed him.

“What are you doing here?”

“My instructions are secret, sir.”

“We’ll draw your secrets out,” whined the host, who was getting upon his feet slowly, and holding his handkerchief to his nose. Bellamont commanded 344him to be still, and continued talking with the priest.

“Father Jacques, how much you know of what concerns me, I am not aware; but this much I know of you; you came here last night expecting to meet Patroon Van Volkenberg, who is now under the displeasure of the government. You know the laws of this province. If you will disclose your secrets I will give you your life. Choose.”

“I refuse,” answered the priest without a moment’s hesitation.

I could have grasped his hand, for I knew what it was to look death in the face. But that grim sight did not stir him visibly. He was a man, and a brave one, for all we had against him.

“If you refuse,” said the Earl, “I must search you and the room for papers.”

The man bowed without speaking. Not much of a search was needed, however. We had come in upon him so suddenly that he had had no time for concealment. A packet of papers lay in full view on the table.

A brief examination of them told the whole story. The fear in the city of a French invasion proved to be no idle fear; but the invasion was not to come from the north. That was the mistake and was due to the false rumors set afloat by the patroon. There was a French fleet a short way down the coast waiting a chance to pounce upon the city unawares. They had been in correspondence 345with the patroon for some time. His ships in the harbor were to co-operate with the French and his men were to surrender the fort. In return for this the old powers of the patroons were to be restored, and Van Volkenberg made governor of the province.

It was a fanciful plan, and, I must confess, within an ace of succeeding. But they had not reckoned against chance. The odd trick had fallen to our lot. A week later, all was lost to them; for now we held the high cards in our own hands.

“It is time we were going,” said the Earl, when we were done with the papers. The tone of his voice and the brevity of his speech showed how much he was affected by the narrow escape we had had. “Bring that man with us.” Then he turned to the prisoner. “Have no fear for your life, Father Jacques. It is small love I have for you, or sympathy for your attempt to spoil my government. But I can use you better than to weight a rope. You shall back to this French fleet of yours and tell them that the English governor is ready for them; but not till I have seen Van Volkenberg. Bind him, Le Bourse; we must to the fort in haste.”

We had gone down stairs and were in the tavern doorway when who should ride up but the man of all men we wanted most at that moment—Van Volkenberg. He saw us standing there with the priest a prisoner. He took in the situation at a glance. 346He shook his fist at me and spat in the governor’s face.

“Zounds! Dogs!” he cried. “You think you have me. But the fort is mine. Do you take me there!”

He clapped spurs to his horse and was off like an arrow.

“After him, Le Bourse,” cried the Earl. “You have the best horse. Stop him alive or dead.”

The patroon had the start of me by five hundred yards. Our horses were an even match for swiftness, but the patroon rode lighter in body. For all that, he gained like a snail. He thundered across the Kissing Bridge. Before the echo of his steps died away the bridge was rocking beneath me. The city gate stood open. A guard challenged, but he sprang back to avoid a wide sweep of the patroon’s sword. It was straight away now along Broadway to the fort. I could hear him shouting at the top of his voice as he drew near:

“What ho; Van Volkenberg! Men of the Red Band! Open the gate. Van Volkenberg, Van Volkenberg, Van Volkenberg!”

But the rallying cry of the Red Band was not answered. The patroon halted before the gate, grinding his teeth in rage.

“What ho!” I cried, from behind, mocking his voice. “Open the gate. Van Volkenberg! The Red Band is all asleep,” I continued, addressing 347him. “They sleep late to-day in irons. Yield, in the name of Bellamont.”

Just as I reached the point where he had stopped, he drew his pistol and fired. My horse received the ball in his breast and stumbled headlong, throwing me upon the ground. We were so close, I touched the patroon’s horse when I went down. For a moment I lay stunned. Then I gradually heard the clattering of hoofs. I rose with difficulty just in time to see Van Volkenberg dash down Petticoat Lane and turn northward through the city.

By this time the rest of our party rode up. They had been so encumbered with the priest, who had purposely tried to hold them back from joining in the pursuit, that they were too late to be of any use in stopping the patroon. When they arrived, he must have been at least through the gate, or well on his way north to the Hanging Rock.

Lady Marmaduke often used to rail against the Earl because he was forever on the wait for a better opportunity to turn up. My short experience of him seemed to prove otherwise. For all that, she was not so far wrong. I found, when I came to know him better, that he was not prone to action when he had time for deliberation. But when a thing had to be done in short order, he did it with a speed and decision that rivaled the patroon. On the day of Jacques’ arrest, however, Bellamont was mad with prudence. Both Lady Marmaduke and 348I urged him with all our power to capture the patroon at once. Give him a few hours and he might yet muster a large enough band to endanger the city in its present state. There were a few men still left at the manor-house, and the ships in the bay were mostly manned with fighting men.

Bellamont, however, would not agree with us. He was afraid to take decisive action. “I have still one company,” he said. “They can defend the fort against a host. But if I send them, or even a part of them to the Hanging Rock, I shall not be able to guard the prisoners I have already taken. And a few men can defend the manor-house as well as I can defend the fort. The manor-house is almost a castle in its position.”

“But,” interrupted Lady Marmaduke, “why not strike before he can get his defense together. I can fill out your number with twenty armed men of my own.”

“You are too hasty,” replied th............