This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
LITTLE NELL—CONCLUSION
303

offered all sorts of inducements to those having him in charge, but nobody would listen to him, and one ranger threatened to thrash him if he ever mentioned a bribe again. At the fort the matter was laid before Sir William Johnson, and Bevoir was placed under guard in the military hospital; and that was the last seen or heard from him for some time to come.

Little Nell was very anxious to get back home, to see her father and mother, as well as Rodney and her Uncle James, and it was finally decided that she should be sent back, along with the Rose twins and a number of other captives who had turned up. The party was placed in charge of a company of rangers including Hans Schnitzer, who in the siege of the fort had lost an ear, and of Barringford, who had given his word to Joseph Morris that if he found little Nell he would not leave her out of his sight until the miss was once again with her parents.

"But what will you boys do?" questioned the backwoodsman of Dave and Henry.

"We have decided to remain in the army and see this war to a finish," said Dave. "We've got the French and their Indian allies on the run, as they call it, and both of us feel that it's our duty to remain at the front."

"That feelin' does ye both credit," was Barring-