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“Scalps” from “The Custom of the Army”


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Straightening up from the gunwale, the Indian caught Grey’s eye and smiled.

“You be careful, Englishman,” he said, in a voice with a noticeable French accent, and, reaching out, ran his fingers quite casually through Grey’s loose hair. “Your scalp would look good on a Huron’s belt.”

This made the soldiers from the boat all laugh, and the Indian, still smiling, turned to them.

“They are not so particular, the Abenaki who work for the French. A scalp is a scalp—and the French pay well for one, no matter what color.” He nodded genially to the grenadiers, who had stopped laughing. “You come with me.”

Return to the webpage for SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL.


This excerpt was featured in Diana’s blog post of June 7, 2017. The cover image shown is from the U.K. hardcover edition of SEVEN STONES.

This webpage was last updated on June 7, 2017 at 2:45 a.m. (PT) by Diana’s Webmistress.