For a siege,
should there be occasion to shut themselves up within the
"garrison," the men depended on the pickled pork, and a quantity of
dried meat; of the latter of which the missionary had brought a
considerable supply in his own canoe. Among these stores were a few
dozen of buffaloes' or bisons' tongues, a delicacy that would honor
the best table in the civilized world, though then so common among
the western hunters, as scarce to be deemed food as good as the
common salted pork and beef of the settlements.
The evening that followed proved to be one of singular softness and
sweetness. The sun went down in a cloudless sky, and gentle airs
from the southwest fanned the warm cheeks of Margery, as she sat,
resting from the labors of the day, with le Bourdon at her side,
speaking of the pleasures of a residence in such a spot. The youth
was eloquent, for he felt all that he said, and the maiden was
pleased. The young man could expatiate on bees in a way to arrest
any one's attention; and Margery delighted to hear him relate his
adventures with these little creatures; his successes, losses, and
journeys.
"But are you not often lonely, Bourdon, living here in the openings,
whole summers at a time, without a living soul to speak to?"
demanded Margery, coloring to the eyes, the instant the question was
asked, lest it should subject her to an imputation against which her
modesty revolted, that of wishing to draw the discourse to a
discussion on the means of preventing this solitude in future.
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