You are a child, a backwoodsman, and an ignorant fellow!"
"I am not ignorant about some things of importance," replied Henry calmly,
"but, if I were low enough to be tempted by your offer, I should still be
wise enough to know that a man who plots against his own superior officer
could not be trusted by me." "What do you mean?" asked Alvarez, paling for
a moment.
"Is it not true that by fair or foul means you expect shortly to succeed
Bernardo Galvez as Governor General of Louisiana?"
The Spaniard's hand flew to his sword hilt. Such things as these were not
to be known by everybody. But Henry met his gaze steadily, and the hand
fell away from the sword-hilt. He had gone too far already. He was sorry
that he had turned the professional swordsman loose on Paul--it had been
an unwise deed--and another act of violence in a single day was unworthy a
man of his self-control. No, a new and better plan came suddenly into his
mind.
The two sat for a few moments gazing steadily at each other. Alvarez was
in the higher chair, and that gave him the physical advantage, but the
look of the fearless youth was like the sharp sword that cuts scornfully
through the maze and web of intrigue and trickery. Alvarez was forced to
turn his gaze aside, and his soul was full of tumult and anger because he
had to yield.
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