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The pyre was thus a square structure thirty feet on a side and fully twenty feet high; each side showing silvered log-butts or log-ends, with gilded pine-knots all between; its top covered with laurel boughs, over which was laid a crimson rug with golden fringe, setting off the corpse of Murmex, which lay in the silver armor he had worn in his last fight, high on the mound of laurel boughs.
"Hilloa!" shouted the three by the fire. "Hilloa, my boys! all right!" replied the voice; and a few seconds after, the tall upright form of Basil himself was seen advancing, under the glare of the pine-knots. A shout of congratulation was again raised; and all the party, preceded by Marengo, rushed out to meet the new-comer.
Norman sat near the bow, in order to attend to his torch of pine-knots. François was next to him, holding his double-barrel, loaded with buckshot, which is the same size as that used for swans, and in England is even known as "swan-shot." Next came Basil with his rifle. He sat near François, just by the middle of the little vessel.
Which they did. "Has Philetus got home?" was Fleda's first question. "No," said Mrs. Rossitur, "but Dr. Quackenboss has been here, and brought the paper; he was at the post-office this morning, he says. Did you see Mr. Olmney?" "Yes, Ma'am, and I feel he has saved me from a lame arm those pine-knots are so heavy." "He is a lovely young man!" said Mrs. Rossitur, with uncommon emphasis.
"Not a bit of danger," answered Frank, "as long as you're on horseback. A horse'll always steer clear of 'em." When they reached the hunting-ground, and had lighted the pine-knots in their fire-pans, Frank said, "There's no use our keeping together; we'll never get anything if we do.
Then, as the pine-knots gradually burn out, the illumination fades and fades away until we think the whole glorious scene is about to melt into nothing, when more sticks are thrown on, the light blazes up again, and we have before us a new scene with different combinations of illuminated foliage and water.
"The first thing that suggested a return to either of us, was the fact that our pine-knots had run out: Dick had just piled the last of them in the frying-pan. "At this moment, a noise sounded in our ears that caused us some feelings of alarm: it was the noise of falling water.
As the vast flight arrives at the spot, thousands are knocked down by men with long poles. Some place pots of sulphur under the trees; others are provided with torches of pine-knots; and the rest have guns. The birds continue to pour in. The fires are lighted; and a magnificent, as well as almost terrifying, sight presents itself.
Miss Thorne turned in her chair to look at her and was betrayed into a smile. "Mr. Lennox has gone, of course," she said. "Yes." Then, after a brief silence, in which Rebecca pushed the pine-knots with her foot, the elder lady spoke again. "Don't you think you may as well tell me about it, Beck, my child?" she said. Beck looked down and shook her head with very charming gravity.
The weather was fine, the roads good, and every thing seemed to favor us. Never do I recall a more agreeable sensation than the sight of our camps by night, lit up by the fires of fragrant pine-knots. The trains were all in good order, and the men seemed to march their fifteen miles a day as though it were nothing.
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