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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
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THE YOUNG PIONEERS. 
 
HISTORICAL TALES 
 
 BY 
 
 B. Bverett=©reen. 
 
 In handsome crown Svo volumes, cloth extra, gilt tops. Price 5s 
 
 THE YOUNG PIONEERS ; or, With La Salle on the Mississippi. 
 
 IN TAUNTON TOWN. A Story of the Days of the Rebellion of James, Duke of Monmoufn 
 in 1685. 
 
 SHUT IN. A Tale of the Wonderful Siege of Antwerp in the Year 1585. 
 
 THE LOST TREASURE OF TREVLYN. A Story of the Days of the Gunpowder Plot. 
 
 IN THE DAYS OF CHIVALRY. A Tale of the Times of the Black Prince. 
 
 LOYAL HEARTS AND TRUE. A Story of the Days of Queen Elizabeth. 
 
 THE CHURCH AND THE KING. A Tale of England in the Days of Henry VIII. 
 
 In post 8zo volumes, cloth extra. Price 3s. 6rf. each. 
 DOMINIQUE'S VENGEANCE. A Story of France and Florida. 
 THE SIGN OF THE RED CROSS. A Tale of Old London. 
 
 /;; post Svo volumes, cloth extra. Price 2s. 6d. each. 
 EVIL MAY-DAY. A Story of 1517. 
 IN THE WARS OF THE ROSES. 
 
 THE LORD OF DYNEVOR. A Tale of the Times of Edward the First. 
 THE SECRET CHAMBER AT CHAD. 
 
 Published by 
 T. NELSON and Sons, London, Edinburgh, and New York. 
 
PIG 
 
 o.S 
 
 OR WITH La dalle on the 
 Mississippi. 
 
 T.NELSOF & SONS 
 
THE y ' b 
 
 Young Pioneers 
 
 WITH LA SALLE ON THE MISSISSIPPI 
 
 JSvelvn jEvcvett*(3vecn 
 
 Author of "In Taunton Town," "In the Days of Chivalry," 
 
 "Shut In," "The Secret Chamber at Chad," 
 
 ''The Church and the King," 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS 
 
 London, Edinburgh, and New York 
 IS97 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 I. A PERSECUTED FAMILY, 
 
 II. FLIGHT, 
 
 III. FROM PERIL TO PERIL, 
 
 IV. ON THE WIDE SEA, 
 
 V. THE GREAT LEADER, .... 
 
 VI. A NEW WORLD, 
 
 VII. IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ, 
 
 VIII. THE "GRIFFIN," 
 
 IX. WITH THE INDIANS, .... 
 
 X. FORT CREVECCEUR, 
 
 XI. A STRANGE DISCOVERY, 
 
 XII. THE GREEN VALLEY, .... 
 
 XIII. EVIL TIDINGS, 
 
 XIV. DAYS OF PERIL, 
 XV. TREACHEROUS INDIANS, 
 
 XVI. A BOLD ENTERPRISE, 
 
 XVII. HAPPY MEETINGS, 
 
 XVIII. THE GREAT RIVER, 
 
 XIX. THE HOME OF PEACE, 
 
 XX. DOWN TO THE SEA, .... 
 
 XXI. DAYS OF REST, 
 
 9 
 
 26 
 
 43 
 
 GO 
 
 77 
 
 94 
 
 111 
 
 130 
 
 153 
 
 170 
 
 187 
 
 204 
 
 222 
 
 241 
 
 261 
 
 278 
 
 297 
 
 315 
 
 332 
 
 349 
 
 366 
 
Vlll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 XXII. A DEADLY FOE, 
 
 XXIII. LA SALLE'S COLONY, 
 
 XXIV. FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT, 
 
 XXV. THE DREAD IROQUOIS, 
 
 XXVI. LOST AND FOUND, .... 
 
 XXVII. A STRANGE FESTIVAL, 
 
 XXVIII. THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS, 
 
 XXIX. A STRANGE MEETING, 
 
 XXX. CONCLUSION, 
 
 383 
 399 
 416 
 435 
 453 
 471 
 488 
 505 
 522 
 
THE YOUNG PIONEERS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 Y sons," said the father, with a look of care 
 upon his dark face, " the time has come when 
 I must speak to you of many things. Let us lay upon 
 the grave of our dear one this tribute of our affection, 
 and here let us drop tears together upon her last resting- 
 place ; for God in heaven alone doth know whether we 
 shall ever again stand upon this sacred spot." 
 
 The man who spoke these words uttered them under 
 stress of visible emotion, and the three lads who stood 
 beside him at the newly-made grave regarded him with 
 glances of astonishment and questioning curiosity. 
 
 Seeing his bent head, and marking the heaving breast 
 and tear-dimmed eyes, they spoke no words to him at 
 first, but drew a little apart together and looked at one 
 another in mute wonder. 
 
 " What can he mean, J ules ? " asked blue-eyed Claude, 
 who regarded his strong and manly eldest brother as 
 
io A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 only next to his father in wisdom and knowledge ; but 
 Jules shook his head, keeping a watchful eye upon his 
 parent, and it was Gaspard who alone volunteered the 
 expression of an opinion, though he did not raise his 
 voice above a whisper. 
 
 " It is those accursed Bayfords and their everlasting- 
 taunts of Popery," and the lad's eyes flashed fiercely as 
 he spoke. " Old Margaret told me they would never 
 rest till they had driven us away. Popery indeed ! As 
 if the whole world might not know, forsooth, that our 
 fathers were driven forth from France because they 
 would none of such accursed idolatry ! A plague upon 
 those lying knaves who strive to turn all our neighbours 
 against us ! Have we not lived in peace amongst them 
 these many years ? Why should they seek to do us 
 hurt ? " 
 
 Jules shook his head gravely. He was somewhat 
 taciturn by nature, and did not readily give vent to the 
 feelings within him. He had the same type of face as 
 his father, dark and thin and brown. The French 
 blood which ran in his veins was easily detected at a 
 glance, although he had never set foot out of England. 
 He was seventeen years old, but looked almost more. 
 His brothers, although little younger — Gaspard being 
 sixteen, and Claude fifteen — always regarded him rather 
 as their father's companion than as their own. 
 
 " The boys shouted after me to-day, and called me 
 ' dog of a French Papist ! ' " said Claude, whose fair open 
 face, golden hair, and deep blue eyes looked far more 
 
A PERSECUTED FAMILY. n 
 
 Saxon or Teutonic than Gallic. " Why do they say such 
 things of us ? What have we clone to anger them ? " 
 
 " Nothing," answered Gaspard, with restrained passion 
 in his voice and gesture. " It is naught that we have 
 done or have not done. It is the covetous envy of 
 those evil Bayfords. Long have they looked with 
 jealous eyes upon our prosperous little holding. Long 
 have they desired to possess it for their own. And 
 since we live quiet and peaceable lives, and do hurt to 
 none, and give no cause of offence, so that they can find 
 no occasion against us, they seek to raise against us this 
 cry of ' Popery ! ' As though all men might not know 
 that it was for being Huguenots and haters of Popery 
 that our fathers were driven forth from France, and 
 forced to take refuge here on English soil." 
 
 Gaspard was plainly the most passionate and excit- 
 able of the three brothers. He was also an exceedingly 
 handsome lad. His eyes were very dark — as dark as 
 those of Jules — but his hair was a bright chestnut 
 colour, very thick and waving, falling upon his shoulders 
 in heavy natural curls. His complexion, too, was fair, 
 although his skin was deeply embrowned by exposure 
 to the sun and air. His frame was sinewy and mus- 
 cular, rather spare, but with a strength and breadth of 
 proportion which gave promise of abundant vigour as 
 the lad developed into the man. It was in his quick, 
 excitable gestures, and the scintillating flash of his eyes, 
 that he showed most plainly his foreign origin. All 
 three boys spoke English and French with equal ease 
 
12 A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 and fluency. Their English mother had desired that 
 they should not forget their father's tongue, and al- 
 though that father had spent the greater part of his 
 life in England, the language of his native country was 
 still sweet to him. When alone with his sons he gener- 
 ally addressed them in French. 
 
 The family history of the Dautrays had been for 
 many generations a chequered one. 
 
 A century before, after the awful massacre of St. 
 Bartholomew and its attendant horrors throughout the 
 length and breath of France, one Jean Dautray with his 
 whole family had fled for refuge to England, having 
 barely escaped with his life, since he was known for a 
 very stanch Huguenot. He had settled in the county 
 of Southampton, as Hampshire was then termed, and 
 had taken a small holding in the New Forest, not far 
 from the ancient abbey and small town of Romsey. 
 Here there had been Dautrays ever since, but they 
 were a dwindling race ; for they had not taken alto- 
 gether kindly to the new soil and climate, although in 
 worldly matters they had prospered. 
 
 The Dautrays who remained behind in France, pre- 
 ferring the uncertainties and perils of spasmodic perse- 
 cutions and spasmodic peace to exile in a foreign coun- 
 try, had kept up a desultory correspondence with their 
 kinsmen across the water, and from time to time an 
 English-born Dautray would migrate to France, or a 
 French -born Dautray would visit his relatives in Eng- 
 land for a longer or shorter period. 
 
A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 13 
 
 Jean Dautray, the father of these three lads, was one 
 of the latter. He had crossed the water as a young 
 man to visit his uncle in England, had found the old 
 man failing and lonely, had gradually stepped into the 
 position of son to him, and had finally married an 
 English wife, and settled upon the little farm, which 
 prospered under his thrifty care, and finally became 
 altogether his own. His family was now the last of 
 the Dautrays living in these parts. The little colony 
 had broken up and dispersed. Some had returned to 
 France hoping better things after the power of the 
 Medicis was finally broken ; others had drifted away 
 to other parts of England ; and the time had come 
 when it appeared likely that even Jean and his three 
 sons would soon cease to be aught but a memory in the 
 place. 
 
 The second Charles was upon the throne, and the 
 country was in that miserable state of faction when no 
 man knew from day to day whether he were safe or no, 
 and the favourites of one week might be the hunted 
 victims of the next. 
 
 The reaction from the tyranny of the Puritan code 
 had brought about during the early years of Charles's 
 reign a strong reaction in favour not only of Episcopacy, 
 but even in some quarters of the hated Popery itself. 
 The king's leanings towards his mother's creed were 
 more than suspected, and the cowed and persecuted 
 Romanists were beginnino- to raise their heads once more. 
 
 Then followed yet another reaction. The cry was 
 
i 4 A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 raised that the Papists were plotting untold mischief 
 against the king and the people. A meaningless scare 
 seized upon the nation. All manner of outrages were 
 perpetrated in the name of justice. Victims of every 
 degree were pounced upon. Blood flowed freely. The 
 whole nation was in a panic. And although in the 
 remoter districts of the country the excitement was 
 comparatively little felt, yet it extended everywhere, 
 and was making itself felt here in this little village 
 where the Dautrays had lived so long. 
 
 There has always been a connection in the English 
 peasant mind between a Frenchman and a Papist. It 
 survives to the present day, and in the seventeenth cen- 
 tury it was strong in its intensity. It mattered not 
 that the Dautrays had lived amongst them as Protestants 
 for generations — that they had been driven into exile 
 originally for their repudiation of Popery. There was 
 a stubborn, unconvincible conviction in the minds of 
 the peasants that foreigners were all Papists at heart, 
 and the fact that Jean Dautray had not been born on 
 English soil, but had come across the water as a young- 
 man, was quite enough to condemn him for a Papist in 
 spite of any asseverations on his part. So long as his 
 English wife had lived he was comparatively free from 
 annoyance, as she had been a woman much beloved. 
 But she had died two months ago. Ever since that event 
 a change had been creeping over Dautray 's neighbours. 
 He had long known that some amongst these regarded 
 him with envy and malice, and now, when a perfect 
 
A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 15 
 
 scare was running through the country, and every hap- 
 less Romanist was in danger of his life, the mere charge 
 of Popery, even against a quiet and conforming and law- 
 abiding citizen, was a source of considerable danger ; and 
 Dautray had been aware for some days of the mutter- 
 ings of a storm which he believed would soon burst over 
 his head. 
 
 Nor were the boys unaware of the change which had 
 begun to show itself in those about them. Their French 
 origin had always made something of a barrier between 
 them and their comrades in the village. They had been 
 accustomed all their lives to be twitted for their out- 
 landish ways and speech. They had taken refuge in a 
 sort of proud defiance, and had as a natural result clung 
 all the closer to their French parent, who was so slight- 
 ingly spoken of ; whilst their mother always encouraged 
 them to be proud of their Huguenot ancestors, and to 
 think it no shame to be called Frenchmen. She always 
 looked forward to the possibility of a return to Jean's 
 native land, and therefore she herself learned her hus- 
 band's tongue, and encouraged the boys to talk it freely 
 at home. 
 
 Nevertheless so long as she lived, the incipient perse- 
 cution did not assume great proportions. It had served 
 to make Dautray a very cautious and saving man. He 
 had a carefully laid-up hoard of gold pieces upon which 
 he could lay hand at any moment. He never tried to 
 increase the boundaries of his holding, though he might 
 have done so, feeling that it was better policy to have 
 
1 6 A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 gold laid by ready for an emergency. His eyes had 
 been turned towards France once again with a certain 
 feeling of longing. True, he had heard much of oppres- 
 sive taxation, and a starving and ruined peasantry ; but 
 for all that his mind was be^innin^ to turn back with 
 a sense of longing towards his native soil. He had 
 never become quite reconciled to England. Surely there 
 was some other land beyond those fog-bound seas where 
 liberty and life and freedom from persecution could be 
 enjoyed ; and since his wife lay in her grave, what tie 
 had he now with the shores of England ? 
 
 And yet, because we are creatures of habit, and the 
 associations of many years are not easily set aside, 
 Dautray's tears were dropping fast as he knelt beside 
 the grave of his wife, and thought of leaving the country 
 which had been so long his home. 
 
 The boys, standing a little apart and watching him 
 with excited curiosity, ceased talking amongst them- 
 selves in the anxiety to hear him speak. Surely he 
 would follow up those first words of his by some others. 
 For a long time— even before their mother's death — the 
 lads had been certain that something was upon their 
 father's mind. Now he had begun to speak of coming 
 change. Surely he would tell them more ! 
 
 Their supposition was a right one. Dautray had 
 every intention of opening his heart to his sons. If he 
 had given way to a passion of sorrow in the yearning 
 memories which surrounded his dearly-loved wife, and 
 their great loss sustained at her death, it was not for 
 
 (574) 
 
A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 17 
 
 long that he thus succumbed to despair. Laying upon 
 the mound which covered her mortal remains the wreath 
 of flowers they had brought, he rose from his knees, 
 wiped away his tears, and then turned towards the 
 expectant boys. 
 
 " My sons," he said, speaking in his own tongue to 
 them, " the time has come when I must talk with you 
 of many things. But first let me ask of you a question. 
 In England you were born ; here in England have you 
 been reared. Tell me, is this land very dear to you ? 
 Now that our loved one has been taken away, would it 
 grieve you much to quit this place and go forth into the 
 world ? " 
 
 As usual, when the three brothers were addressed, 
 Gaspard was the first to find tongue. His dark eyes 
 flashed and dilated, his voice was eager and excited as 
 he made reply, — 
 
 " To go forth into the wide world has always been my 
 dream, my father," he answered. " Many a time and oft, 
 when I have gone down with thee to the town of South- 
 ampton, and have seen the great ships, and have heard 
 the wondrous stories of the men who have sailed over 
 the wide sea and seen strange lands and wonders 
 which are like dreams to us, I have longed — ah, how 
 unspeakably I have longed ! — to take ship and go forth 
 with them. father, dear father, England is no home 
 for us now. We are not loved of our neighbours. Men 
 call us evil names, and look askance at us. Let us 
 
 shake the dust from off our feet as a testimony against 
 (574) 2 
 
1 8 A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 them, and let us go forth and see those great sights and 
 those wondrous lands of which all men are now dream- 
 ing, but which are in truth no dream to those who can 
 do and dare ! " 
 
 The boy's eyes were glowing with the fire of his great 
 desire, and Claude, excited by the look of his brother's 
 face, and by the tones in his quivering voice, flung his 
 arms about his father's neck, and cried out, — 
 
 " Ah, dearest father ! let us even do as Gaspard says. 
 We have talked of it so oft together, he and I — of those 
 wondrous lands where flowers grow like trees, and where 
 the birds are painted with every hue of the rainbow, 
 where gold and pearls are to be picked up like pebbles, 
 and where fruit grows in such abundance that men need 
 no other food ! Ah, let us leave these leaden skies and 
 long chill winters, and live in a land where there is 
 always sunshine, and where wonders never cease ! Let 
 us fare forth there, my father ! England is no place 
 for us now ! " 
 
 Dautray could not but smile at the fervid language 
 of his boys ; yet the lines of care smoothed themselves 
 out from his brow as he learned how small a sacrifice it 
 would be to his children to quit the land of their birth. 
 
 " And thou, Jules, what sayest thou ? " he asked, turn- 
 ing his eyes towards his firstborn. 
 
 " I am willing to go anywhere with you and the boys, 
 my father," answered the silent one. " It has long 
 seemed to me that England is not our home." 
 
 " That I have felt myself," said Dautray quietly : 
 
A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 19 
 
 " and, if I mistake not, we are in peril at this present 
 time from the covetous malice of Henry Bay ford. Long 
 has he desired our holding. Long has it heen to him 
 as Naboth's vineyard to the wicked Ahab. He will 
 surely seek the first occasion against us to drive us 
 forth, if not to slay us. It were better to save such 
 things as we may, and to go forth of our own free will, 
 than to be driven forth, perhaps with clanger to our 
 liberties or our lives." 
 
 " Oh yes, father, yes," cried Claude, with eager, nerv- 
 ous insistence. " Why should we linger ? why should 
 we wait ? They cry after us in the streets, and hoot us 
 as we pass by. Robert, the hunchback, called after me 
 that he would set me in the pillory and slice off my 
 ears for a Papist cur. They tell horrid tales in the 
 town about how they serve all those whom they call 
 Papist, whether they be so in truth or no. Why should 
 we stay in face of so many dangers, when we long to be 
 away ? " 
 
 There was fear as well as eagerness in the face of the 
 fair-haired Claude. He had all Gaspard's vividness of 
 imagination, without his personal scorn of danger. The 
 village hunchback, partly in malice, partly in love of 
 his horrid subject, had told Claude many a gruesome 
 tale of the savage punishments inflicted upon the victims 
 of popular fury in these lawless and tyrannical days, 
 and the boy's blood had sometimes run chill with appre- 
 hension lest such a fate might await him. He was 
 eager to leave behind a country which had come to be 
 
2o A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 a prison to him ; but Dautray knew that France was no 
 land of peace or liberty, and to return to his friends 
 there might be but a small gain. 
 
 Something of this he spoke to his sons, standing there 
 beside the mother's grave ; but Gaspard made quick and 
 eager response. 
 
 " But, my father, why go to France ? Why stay at 
 all in these regions of monarchs and their tyranny, 
 when the whole world of the great West lies before us ? 
 Are there not new worlds of wonders being daily dis- 
 covered ? Have Ave not heard stories which have fired 
 our blood, and which have made us long and yearn to 
 follow the setting sun, and see the glories upon which 
 he looks ? Other men have gone to the Far West and 
 seen these untold wonders — then why not we ? " 
 
 But Dautray shook his head dubiously, although he 
 did not altogether seek to quench the fire of his son's 
 enthusiasm. 
 
 " Ah, Gaspard," he said, " many have dreamed such 
 dreams in their youth, who have lived to wish them 
 undreamed. The corpses of hundreds, if not thousands, 
 of our bold countrymen are now strewing the shores 
 and forests of those trackless regions in which men 
 have sought to found an asylum for themselves. It is 
 a noble aim ; but it needs careful thought and much 
 preparation ere men may venture forth over unknown 
 seas and into those vast regions of savage life. Those 
 that return be few as compared with those who perish 
 unknown and unheard of. Believe me, my son, I speak 
 
A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 21 
 
 not without knowledge. France has lonw been sending 
 forth her sons to seek a foothold in these vast lands 
 beyond the setting sun ; but there has been more of 
 disaster than of glory or success as yet in the attempt." 
 
 " Nay, father, say not so ! " cried Claude, with eager 
 denial ; " Gaspard and I have talked to the sailors so 
 oft, and they say — " 
 
 " Ah, my son, when a man is safely home from a 
 perilous voyage, with money perchance in his pocket 
 and the dangers far behind, he is wont to speak brave 
 swelling words of the wonders he has seen, and doubt- 
 less the wonders are many and great. But the found- 
 ing of new countries away beyond the seas in savage 
 regions is a task that needs much foresight and skill. 
 I say not, my sons, that my own heart does not yearn 
 for such an asylum of peace and liberty ; but I know 
 well that for us to seek it alone and unprepared would 
 mean nothing but death and disaster to all." 
 
 The faces of the younger boys fell, but Jules remarked 
 with a quiet confidence of manner, — 
 
 " The father speaks no more than the truth. We 
 must seek to ally ourselves with others, ere we can 
 adventure such a thing. " 
 
 " But how ? and with whom ? " asked Gaspard, the 
 impetuous. 
 
 " With our brethren in France," answered Dautray 
 quickly. " Dost thou remember thine uncle who visited 
 us ten years agone now ? He told me many things of 
 what France was doing out in the great new world 
 
22 A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 of the West. The king sends every year ships and 
 men to seek to establish a kingdom of New France in 
 that vast land, the limits of which no man knows as 
 yet. Thine uncle had some thoughts of joining with 
 those who were going thither. By this time he may 
 have done so, but I have heard nothing of him for long. 
 But whatever he may have done, whatever may have 
 befallen him, the fact remains that, if we take ship for 
 France — for La Bochelle, where our brethren of the 
 faith have always their stronghold — we shall hear more 
 of this venture. We shall ask of our countrymen how 
 it prospers, and if it be the will of Heaven, we shall our- 
 selves, instead of striving to make a home upon French 
 soil, go forth with the next expedition and seek an 
 asylum in that New France beyond the seas. A while 
 back the king gave grants of land and money and 
 many good things to all who would go forth and settle 
 there and build him up a kingdom. Doubtless he may 
 be doing the same now, and we may live to thrive and 
 be rich across the ocean." 
 
 The boys hung upon their father's words with eager 
 attention. 
 
 Gaspard broke into excited speech. 
 
 " To Grow rich is nothing; — I care not for that ! I 
 want to see, to live, to know ! I want to tread where 
 foot of man never trod before ! I want to see what 
 eye of man has never looked upon as yet ! father, 
 sweet father, let us waste no longer our lives in this 
 place which treats us ever like strangers and foes ! Let 
 
A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 23 
 
 us fjo to France and learn what our brethren there are 
 doing, and then away, away, away to the West, to the 
 land which lies beyond the setting sun ! " 
 
 The father could not but smile at the eager enthusiasm 
 of the son ; but his own quick blood was fired to no 
 small degree by the eagerness of his boys, and by the 
 pleading look in Claude's blue eyes. Claude had his 
 mother's sunny face and azure eyes, and was perhaps 
 the dearest to his father on that account ; but Jules 
 was to him as a pillar of strength. Man though he 
 was, he often asked the counsel of his silent son, who 
 seemed to have inherited a large portion of English 
 stability and coolness of head, albeit, to look at, he was 
 the most French-like of the three boys. 
 
 "And what sayest thou, Jules, my son?" he said, 
 taking the arm of the silent youth, as they all turned 
 away from the grave and took the homeward path. 
 
 " I am willing with all my heart to quit this land," 
 answered Jules, with an instinctive glance around him ; 
 " for in truth I have begun to say to myself that 
 neither our goods nor our lives are altogether safe. 
 People have looked askance at us for weeks. When a 
 fire smoulders, it needs but a puff of wind and the whole 
 bursts into a flame." 
 
 " I know it," answered the father ; " I have felt it 
 long. That is why I have been making quietly ready, 
 even before thy mother died. When the doctor told 
 me that he could do no cure upon her, and that she 
 would but linger on awhile and die, I felt that our death- 
 
24 A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 blow was struck. England would be no place for us 
 when she was taken. And that is why I sold three of 
 the horses so soon as the hay was cut, and why I let 
 our enemy, Henry Bayford, purchase my standing crops 
 for less than their true value. I knew that he would 
 but have set himself to ruin me had I thwarted him, 
 and I said within my heart, ' The money will be more 
 to me than corn which I and mine will not be here to 
 eat.' And so I have parted with many things, always 
 keeping this thing in mind — that we should not long 
 be here. And now my plans are wellnigh accomplished, 
 and methinks that it is time. I carry my money always 
 about me in a belt next to my person. It is something 
 heavy just now, but so I feel it safe. If sudden peril 
 menace us, I have no need to go into the house for 
 anything. As in the Scriptures a man was warned to 
 flee on the instant from the coming destruction, so have 
 I been ready these many weeks for a sudden alarm. 
 To-morrow I go to Henry Bayford, and offer him the 
 farm and holding at a low price. Then I am ready to 
 depart on the instant. I hear the whole country is in 
 a tumult against all suspected of Popery. If Bayford 
 chooses to brand us as such, our very lives may be at 
 his mercy." 
 
 Jules made a sign of assent. He had felt that for 
 many a day. Speaking little as he moved about his 
 daily duties, he heard perhaps the more. He had long 
 known that there was a vague but growing hostility 
 against his father and themselves, fomented by their 
 
A PERSECUTED FAMILY. 25 
 
 covetous neighbour. Any pretext would be made to 
 stand as excuse for some aggressive act. It was good, 
 he felt, that all was ready for a speedy flight. 
 
 The last of the long summer daylight was waning as 
 the little party turned their steps through the recesses 
 of the forest towards the little village nestling in the 
 wood, where they had dwelt so long. They had been 
 at work through the long hours of the day, at their 
 accustomed toil, and only after supper had taken their 
 way to the old abbey graveyard, where their dear one 
 lay. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude were walking some way in 
 advance, when suddenly Dautray and Jules saw Claude 
 come rushing back towards them with a white and terri- 
 fied face. 
 
 " father ! O Jules ! " he cried, " there is such a fire ! 
 And Gaspard says — Oh, I can't believe it ! — Gaspard 
 says it is our home that is burning ! " 
 
 Jules sprang forward like an arrow from a bow. 
 Dautray caught at Claude's arm to hinder him from 
 doing the like. 
 
 " Stay with me, my child," he said. " Where is Gas- 
 pard gone ? " 
 
 " To see if he was right, father. father, clost thou 
 think it can be true ? " 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 FLIGHT. 
 
 DAUTRAY laid a firm hand upon the arm of 
 Claude, whilst still hastening his steps to- 
 wards the clearing in which stood the little village 
 of which he was a member. 
 
 As he approached the fringe of the forest, the sound 
 of voices raised in angry shouting could be distinctly 
 heard, whilst the red gleam of fire could be plainly 
 seen through the trees. 
 
 " My God ! it is indeed our home ! " cried the father, 
 as he pushed towards the clearing. 
 
 Claude was trembling all over in excitement, fear, and 
 indignation. 
 
 " My father, my father, why do they treat us thus ? " 
 he cried. " Surely the God of heaven will avenge ! " 
 
 " At least we must trust the word of Him who says, 
 ' Vengeance is mine — I will repay,' " answered the father, 
 suppressing a groan ; and then pausing for a moment, and 
 laying his hand upon the arm of his son, he added very 
 seriously, — 
 
 " Claude, wilt thou obey me ? " 
 
FLIGHT. 27 
 
 The boy's blue eyes expressed wonder and questioning 
 reproach. 
 
 " Do I not ever obey thee, my father ? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes, verily, my son ; but to-night I ask a hard 
 thing of thee. Thou must leave me this instant. 
 Thou must not approach yon shouting and hooting 
 crowd. Take the winding path through the wood, 
 and go seek old Margaret's cottage. There wilt thou 
 find a safe asylum until this fury be overpast. There 
 will I come and seek thee when we have seen if aught 
 can be done to save our home and our goods from this 
 sudden destruction. She has always been our friend. 
 She will give thee shelter, and no man will dare molest 
 thee beneath her roof. Go, my son, there is no time 
 to lose ■ — go, and the Lord be with thee ! If thou 
 shouldst see thy father's face no more, cherish his 
 memory." 
 
 The tears had sprung to Claude's eyes. He fell upon 
 his father's neck, and cried, — - 
 
 " Send me not away from thy side, my father. If 
 we must indeed die, let us all die together ! " 
 
 " Nay, but let us rather live ! " cried Dautray, with 
 a sudden flash of fire in his eyes. " It is because I 
 would live that I send thee from my side. Alone I 
 can fight, and thy brothers also. But thou art but a 
 stripling ; thou mightest hinder us and receive some 
 deadly injury. Do then as I bid thee, boy. I know 
 that obedience is hard, but it shall one day find its 
 reward. Go, my son, for I may not linger longer here. 
 
28 FLIGHT. 
 
 Thy brothers may even now be in sore need of my 
 sustaining arm." 
 
 It was a hard thing that the father had asked of his 
 high-spirited young son, but Claude had pledged his 
 word, and he did not yield to temptation. Choking 
 down a sob in his throat, he turned upon the instant, 
 and took the winding path which would lead him in 
 time to the lonely cabin where dwelt a friendly woman 
 somewhat feared in the neighbourhood as a witch, 
 albeit, since her art was exercised mainly in the task 
 of healing, she was respected and well thought of, 
 although her presence inspired a certain amount of 
 awe. 
 
 Having seen his youngest, and perhaps best beloved, 
 son (for Claude's likeness to his dead mother made him 
 very dear to Dautray's heart) on his way to a place of 
 safety, the man himself made straight for the village, 
 and for his burning homestead. As he dashed through 
 the scattered groups of gaping peasants, voices yelled, 
 and sometimes a stone flew past him, in somewhat close 
 proximity to his head. 
 
 " There goes another of them ! Down with all 
 Papists ! Catch him ! Hang him ! String them all up 
 together on one tree ! A curse upon their vile plottings ! 
 Down with every Papist in the kingdom ! " 
 
 These were the cries which rent the air as Dautray 
 dashed past ; but nobody actually put forth a hand 
 against him. Evidently something had occurred to dis- 
 turb and inflame the populace of the little place, though 
 
FLIGHT. 2-9 
 
 it was not yet sufficient to rouse them to more than 
 hard words against their neighbour. 
 
 But as Dautray ran towards the scene of the con- 
 flagration, it was plain that a more evil spirit was 
 abroad amongst those who had gathered about his 
 flaming homestead. Full in the glare of the fire stood 
 the massive figure of his old enemy, Henry Bayford, 
 and this man was shouting to those about to plunder 
 and destroy, hounding on all the worst characters of 
 the place to wreak a senseless vengeance upon all on 
 which they could lay destructive hands. 
 
 " Down with the Papists and their foul plots ! " he 
 yelled, just as Dautray came up. " Down with them, 
 every one ! Destroy them root and branch. Let the 
 place that knew them know them no more. Fall upon 
 them with fire and sword. They would destroy the 
 nation with their foul plots. Let them be destroyed 
 without mercy wherever they be found ! " 
 
 Such language addressed to all the wild youths of 
 the neighbourhood, and all the idle vagabonds who 
 had collected to see the fire, acted like a fan upon 
 smouldering fire. 
 
 The whole country was seething with rumours of 
 some great popish plot. Nothing definite was known, 
 but everybody was ready to raise the cry against the 
 Papists. Dautray was as stanch a Protestant as 
 could be found in the realm, but he was a French- 
 man, and that was enough for his foes. They greeted 
 his appearance with yells of rage and fury, and 
 
30 FLIGHT. 
 
 made a rush at him, waving their staffs over their 
 heads. 
 
 But Dautray was no coward, neither was he unpre- 
 pared for sudden assault. He had had warnings that 
 his life might not be safe in case of any sudden up- 
 rising of popular hatred, such as this. In a moment 
 he had whipped out from under his doublet a long 
 knife, the blade of which flashed in the firelight as 
 he brandished it above his head, with a menacing 
 gleam. Those who had rushed upon him drew sud- 
 denly back, and he planted himself with his back to a 
 tree, and looked steadily round him. 
 
 " Who wishes to fight me ? " he asked. 
 
 There was a great sound of hooting, but nobody 
 answered the challenge, and Dautray, still regarding 
 the ring of flushed and angry faces round him, asked 
 once more, — 
 
 " Which of you have I ever injured ? " 
 
 Again there was a storm of hooting and hisses with- 
 out articulate words. The crowd fell back a little, and 
 many eyes were turned upon Henry Bayford, as though 
 he were expected to play the part of leader to the ex- 
 cited mob. 
 
 Dautray looked round him calmly again, and said, — 
 
 " Where are my sons ? " 
 
 " The cubs were here but a moment since. Where 
 they be now I know not," answered Bayford, who was 
 striding towards Dautray with an ugly vindictive scowl 
 upon his face. " Perchance they have met the fate 
 
FLIGHT. 31 
 
 which all such scum deserve. Down with every foreign 
 Papist in the land, say I. We want none such scum 
 and offscouring of the earth in free England ! " 
 
 A shout of approval greeted these words. The 
 crowd made way for Bayford's approach, and closed 
 round the two men as though expecting the pleasure 
 of a fight. 
 
 Bayford did not look altogether at ease when set 
 face to face with Dautray, who regarded him stead- 
 fastly, still holding his long and shining blade in his 
 hand. 
 
 " If you have not laid hands upon the boys, they 
 will be safe even here," said Dautray steadily : " it is 
 you, and you alone, who are our bitter enemy. Why, 
 it is for you to say, since we have never done you 
 any harm. It is your doing that my home is in 
 flames, and that I stand here in your ' free England,' 
 as you call it, forsooth, a ruined and a persecuted man. 
 You know well that I am no Papist — that my fathers 
 have suffered bitter persecution for that very faith 
 which you yourselves profess. It pleases you to brand 
 me with the name, that you may fall upon my goods, 
 and possess my lands. If that be England's freedom, 
 give me the tyranny of France ! I have no desire to 
 live longer in a country where such things are possible 
 to law-abiding persons. Restore to me my sons, and 
 I will go forth from hence. I will leave the God of 
 vengeance to deal with you, Henry Bayford. He is a 
 God who judges the earth, and those who dwell thereon. 
 
32 FLIGHT. 
 
 In His hands I leave my cause and my quarrel. He 
 will deal with you after your deserts." 
 
 These words spoken in a clear loud tone fell upon 
 the ears of the people standing round, and were not 
 altogether without their effect. Perhaps the act of 
 wanton destruction of which they had been guilty, 
 and the sight of the burning buildings so recklessly 
 destroyed, had aroused in them a certain sense of 
 compunction. They had seen these buildings grow up 
 one after the other through the thrift and skill of 
 Dautray and his sons. It had taken years — not to 
 say generations — to bring this little farmstead into its 
 present prosperous condition, and now, in a single 
 night all the fruit of this thrift and toil was to be 
 swept away ! 
 
 Small wonder then that some amongst those standing 
 by began to feel shame at the deed they had been 
 hounded on to perform. The red firelight, shining 
 upon Dau tray's thin, dark face, and lighting his glow- 
 ing eyes, gave him a strange appearance, and inspired 
 the onlookers with a feeling of momentary awe. 
 
 Bayford himself looked slightly disturbed as the 
 words of quiet denunciation fell upon his ears. He 
 was a superstitious man, and was well aware that he 
 had acted a very ungenerous part, and that greed and 
 covetous envy were his motives, not any love for the 
 faith he professed to uphold. He recoiled a step 
 from before his neighbour, and instead of attempting 
 to reply to him, stood mute and shamefaced. 
 
FLIGHT. 33 
 
 From another side of the burning building there 
 came sounds of tumult and shouting. 
 
 " Down with them ! Pitch them into the fire ! Let 
 them all burn together ! A curse upon them ! Papist 
 spawn — let them follow their father the devil into 
 the fire ! Fling them in ! Have they not served our 
 Protestant brethren so ! Bind them hand and foot 
 and let them feed the flames ! Have a care ! they 
 are like young wild cats ! At them ! after them ! 
 Let them not escape ! " 
 
 These cries and yells were borne to Dautray's ears 
 as he stood face to face with his enemy. In a 
 moment his aspect changed. His sons were in peril. 
 He recognized their voices shouting to each other, and 
 he heard the savage cries of their persecutors. With 
 a sinofle bound he had cleared the ring that surrounded 
 him, overturning more than one rustic in his hasty 
 flight. Dashing round to the spot whence the sounds 
 proceeded, he ran almost into the arms of Gaspard, 
 who was running away, pursued by some dozen 
 village ruffians. The lad's wrists were bound and 
 bleeding, but he had plainly kicked himself free 
 from his tormentors, and now cried out in stifled 
 accents, — 
 
 " Free me, father ! Free me ! Oh, thank Heaven 
 thou art here ! They have Jules there bound hand 
 and foot. Heaven alone knows what they will do to 
 him if thou canst not rescue him. Methought I heard 
 thy voice. I was coming to seek thee. Come this 
 
 (574) 3 
 
34 FLIGHT. 
 
 way !-&— this way ! We shall save him yet since I am 
 now free ! " 
 
 For Dautray had cut the thongs which bound his 
 son's hands, and at the same moment Gaspard had 
 caught up a club which lay on the ground, having 
 been dropped by one of his pursuers. 
 
 " Is Claude safe ? " asked Gaspard in a whisper, as 
 they prepared for the rush. 
 
 " I trust so ! I believe so ! " answered Dautray ; and 
 then the pair braced themselves for a resolute and 
 determined onslaught upon the yelling group wildly 
 dancing around a certain spot where presumably Jules 
 lay helpless in their midst. 
 
 Gaspard's eyes were flashing fire. Dautray set his 
 teeth, and a hissing whisper passed between them. 
 
 " Forward, my son ; we will save him, or die with 
 him!" he cried, and the next moment father and son 
 had dashed into the crowd, flinging the astonished 
 rustics right and left, Gaspard dealing heavy blows 
 with his club wherever he met resistance, and Dautray 
 brandishing his blade in a fashion that cleared a path- 
 way for him whichever way he turned. 
 
 It was as they had suspected. In the centre of that 
 bending ring lay the prostrate figure of Jules, his face 
 looking ghastly white in the glow of the fire, though 
 his dark eyes were open and fixed with fearless indigna- 
 tion upon the faces of those about him. 
 
 With a yell of execration, Gaspard flung aside those 
 who stood over his brother, and whilst Dautray kept 
 
FLIGHT. 35 
 
 guard with his shining blade, the lad, with his pocket 
 knife, loosed the cords which bound his brother, and 
 Jules rose slowly to his feet, with the uncertain move- 
 ment of a man who has been stunned and injured. 
 
 Dautray looked keenly and anxiously at him. 
 
 " Art thou hurt, my son ? " 
 
 Jules put his hand to his head. 
 
 " I scarce know. My wits seem all astray. Me- 
 thinks I was something rough handled. But it is 
 nought — it is nought. Heed me not. Whither now, 
 my father ? for there be fifty to three. There is no 
 safety for us here." 
 
 Indeed it seemed not. The fury of the people was 
 being aroused again by the actions of Dautray and his 
 son, and by the oration of Bayford, who had instantly 
 begun to harangue the people so soon as Dau tray's back 
 was turned. 
 
 "■ Away to the woods ! " cried Gaspard. " It is our 
 only chance." 
 
 And indeed it seemed as if this were only too true. 
 For the crowd, dispersed by the resolute attack of 
 Gaspard and his father, had now joined that other 
 group around Bayford, and were coming on with shouts 
 and yells of fury, seeking for their victims, whom a 
 sudden fall in the conflagration had for a moment 
 hidden from their view. 
 
 Taking advantage of this brief period of darkness, 
 Dautray seized his elder son by the arm, and drew 
 him away towards a belt of woodland close at hand. 
 
36 FLIGHT. 
 
 Gaspare! following, and keeping a close outlook at the 
 rear. 
 
 The crowd was swaying and surging wildly round 
 the burning farm, and seeking its victims there. Bay- 
 ford's voice could still be heard rising hoarsely above 
 the din, denouncing all Papists and traitors, and calling 
 upon his good neighbours to vindicate their loyalty by 
 some act of savage fury. 
 
 But once within the shelter of the woodland, the 
 Dautrays felt comparatively safe. Pursuit might be 
 made, but it could hardly take a very determined 
 form. There was no warrant out against them, and 
 surely, they argued, their neighbours, amongst whom 
 they had lived so long, could scarcely, save in moments 
 of passion and excitement, seriously desire their lives. 
 
 From time to time the silence of the woods was 
 broken by the shouts of some who were seeking to 
 track the fugitives ; but the pursuit was not systematic, 
 and the Dautrays had no real trouble in hiding them- 
 selves away. 
 
 By circuitous paths they reached the hut where the 
 reputed witch-woman lived, and as they approached 
 with cautious steps, they heard themselves hailed in a 
 well-known voice, and Claude came rushing out to fling 
 himself upon his father's neck. 
 
 Old Margaret, too, came out, and received them kindly 
 enough ; but her face was full of warning. 
 
 " Linger not here in this distracted country," was 
 her advice, as she set a plentiful meal before her 
 
FLIGHT. 37 
 
 guests ; " there is mischief abroad. Ill - conditioned 
 men are everywhere going about denouncing innocent 
 persons as spies and plotters against the king's life 
 and the liberties of the country. It is like enough 
 that thou wilt be suspected and branded as one of 
 these if thou dost linger here, friend Dautray. The 
 air is full of evil whispers, and the humble as well 
 as the great fall victims daily to the breath of 
 slander. Get thee hence, and that as soon as may be. 
 England is no place for thee now. I speak to thee 
 as a friend." 
 
 " I well believe thee, good friend," answered Dautray ; 
 " I have myself long felt the same. I have indeed made 
 some provision for sudden flight, and God be thanked 
 that it has been so, else were I a beggar to-day. But 
 tell me more of what is passing in the world. I did 
 guess that some news must have reached our village 
 to-day. But I myself had heard nothing till the whole 
 place was in arms against me and mine." 
 
 " It is said that a villainous popish plot has just been 
 discovered, which aims at the death of the king, and I 
 know not what besides. It is like to cost the lives or 
 liberties of many hundreds of innocent persons. And 
 thou, with thy foreign face, art in no small danger, the 
 more so as Bayford has been accusing thee of secret 
 Popery to the authorities of Southampton. It will be 
 well for thee to lie hidden in my house this night, since 
 the dawn will overtake thee ere long, if ye sally forth 
 now ; and at sundown on the morrow, when pursuit 
 
38 FLIGHT. 
 
 will be over, get ye hence, get down to the harbour, 
 and take some small vessel to France, to thine own 
 friends there. After that thou canst make thine own 
 plans for the future ; but know this, that England is 
 now no safe home for thee." 
 
 Dautray's face was very grave as he thanked old 
 Margaret for her offer of hospitality, but the eyes of 
 Gaspard and Claude were kindling with excitement — 
 that excitement which is akin to joy. 
 
 " O father," they cried, almost in the same breath, 
 " let us not live either in England or France ; but let 
 us fly to the great new world which lies away to 
 the West. Let us to that New France of which thou 
 hast told us, where, if there be perils and privations, 
 yet men can be free, and live a glorious life of adven- 
 ture and change. Ah, let us forth thither ! We pant 
 and yearn for freedom ! Think of the horrid things 
 we have seen and heard to-night ! In those far lands 
 men will not turn upon their white brethren like 
 fiends ! We can live safely and happily at peace with 
 all men ! " 
 
 Dautray's grave and anxious face softened into a 
 smile as he heard these eager words. Old Margaret 
 also smiled as she wisely shook her head, as though 
 she could have told them that human nature was the 
 same all the world over, and that New France would 
 be no more free from jealousies and perils than the 
 older continent they longed to quit. But she would 
 not damp their youthful ardour ; they would learn their 
 
FLIGHT. 39 
 
 lessons all too soon as life went on, and all she said 
 was, — 
 
 " Get to bed — get to bed, children, and rest while 
 ye may. Sleep will fit ye best for whatever may 
 betide. Get you to bed, and let me see to thy brother 
 here, for he needs my care, if the rest of you have 
 wonderfully escaped." 
 
 And indeed the silent Jules looked more like a ghost 
 than anything else, and proved to have received several 
 wounds, and to have lost much blood. Margaret was 
 better than any leech, for she had all the lore of the 
 woods at her finger ends, and knew how to bind up 
 wounds so that the smart was eased, and the flesh 
 healed, in a wonderfully short time. She could make 
 possets, too, that restored the failing powers and put 
 new life into the blood ; and under her kindly care, 
 Jules soon lost his ghastly look and sank into refreshing 
 slumber. But the father sat beside him looking anxious. 
 
 " Will he be fit to travel by sundown ? " he asked. 
 
 Margaret looked at her patient, and pursed up her lips. 
 
 " It is no long journey, and the risk, methinks, is 
 less than lingering longer here. He will be marvel- 
 lously refreshed if he sleep as many hours as I hope 
 he will. He is young and tough and strong. Yes, 
 yes ; I trow it will be better to leave then, even though 
 he may be weary on the road. Once on board ship, 
 the air of the sea will revive him, and he will have 
 nought to do but to breathe it, and get a sound man 
 once more." 
 
4 o FLIGHT. 
 
 All the Dautrays slept late into the following day, 
 Margaret taking good care that they should not be 
 disturbed. She locked up the house, and set the mark 
 upon the door which she always did when she was 
 absent from home. Several persons visited the hut as 
 the day drew on, for it was suspected by many that 
 the fugitives might have taken refuge with her. But 
 the closed door, and the fierce black cat which crouched 
 upon the threshold like a sentinel, and of whom the 
 whole neighbourhood stood mightily in awe, deterred 
 them from prosecuting their inquiries further, and long 
 before sundown these domiciliary visits had ceased. 
 
 " They would have liked to search the house, I doubt 
 not," the old woman said, with a grim smile, " but they 
 fear the cat and my power too much. It is useful 
 sometimes to be feared by those around, although it 
 may end for me in the ducking-stool or the stake. 
 Ah me ! this world of ours is a strange place. My 
 lore is nothing but what the book of nature teaches 
 me, yet none will believe that. All declare it must be 
 taught of the devil. God preserve us all from any 
 knowledge that comes from him ! " 
 
 Jules awoke much strengthened and refreshed, and 
 professed himself quite restored. Gaspard and Claude 
 were wild to be off to the sea, to commence that life 
 of adventure upon which their hearts were set. They 
 marvelled now how they had lived so contentedly upon 
 the little farm all these years. They were almost pre- 
 pared to rejoice in the tragedy of the previous night, 
 
FLIGHT. 41 
 
 in so far as it had brought to them the prospect of 
 a wider liberty than they had ever known before. 
 Gaspard's dreams were of adventure and conquest ; 
 Claude's, of the magical wonders of the great strange 
 lands of which he had heard and dreamed. The hearts 
 of both boys beat high with anticipation and joy. This 
 very night would see the commencement of a journey 
 which might land them in these unknown and magical 
 regions ! 
 
 It seemed to their impatience as though the sun 
 would never set, but at last the soft twilight stole 
 into the wood, and since they had already partaken 
 heartily of the supper prepared for them by their 
 hospitable hostess, they were ready to depart the 
 instant it seemed wise to do so. 
 
 Old Margaret kissed the boys she had loved from 
 their birth, and gave them each a wallet of food, and 
 a few small phials of valuable compounds of her own 
 preparing, the nature of which she had carefully ex- 
 plained to Jules already. Dautray pressed her hands, 
 and spoke broken words of thanks. She promised, 
 with tears in her eyes, that the lonely grave of the 
 mother should not be forgotten, and then she stood 
 in her doorway and waved her hand, and watched the 
 little procession wind away down the hill, till the trees 
 shut it out from view. 
 
 Jules leaned upon his father's arm, but walked firmly 
 and manfully. Claude and Gasparcl were as usual a 
 little ahead, but not much, for it was wise that the 
 
42 FLIGHT. 
 
 party should keep together, and move quietly and 
 cautiously. It was scarcely probable that watch would 
 be kept for them so near home now. People would 
 certainly think that they had made for the heart of 
 the forest, or for the sea during the first night. Still, 
 carefulness was desirable all along, and especially so 
 when they should near the harbour of Southampton, 
 where it was not improbable that some sort of look- 
 out for them might be made. 
 
 " Heaven speed them on their way, and bring them 
 safe to their native land ! " breathed old Margaret, as 
 the darkness hid them from her view. " These be evil 
 times in this and other lands ; but, perchance, across 
 those wastes of waters a new earth may be rising up 
 purer and better than this one here. God in His mercy 
 watch over them, and let them escape the snares which 
 may be spread for them. For I fear that they may 
 have perils yet to overcome. Yon Bayford is a malig- 
 nant man, and will stick at little to curry favour with 
 those in authority. It was for no good that he went 
 into Southampton yesterday, I will be bound ! That 
 same evening he caused the house of his neighbour to 
 be burned to the ground. Doubtless he will feel far 
 safer and happier if he can cause the neck of that 
 outraged neighbour to fall beneath the sword of the 
 executioner, or cause him to perish at the hangman's 
 hands. But if good Dan tray will but follow the 
 counsel I have given him, methinks he may yet escape 
 the malice of his foe." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 
 
 T OW, my sons, this is the place of which old 
 Margaret spoke. I see the lights in the cabin 
 twinkling below. Stay you here, and I will go forward 
 alone, and seek to make my bargain with the trader of 
 whom she spake to us. I misdoubt me whether we 
 shall find him easy to deal with, but at least he is 
 bound for La Rochelle, and he will sail before dawn of 
 day and avoid all contact with other vessels. He is the 
 man for us, if he will take us, and Margaret said that 
 he was one who would sell his soul for gold." 
 
 " And methinks also that he fears her powers if he 
 refuses any request of hers," added Gaspard ; " so if you 
 show him both the gold and the token, why he will 
 scarce dare to say nay." 
 
 " Like enough, like enough," answered the father ; 
 " but be that as it may, rest you here, the three of you, 
 and I will go down alone. There in the darkness below 
 lies the creek where he is wont to load and unload his 
 craft. It is there that I shall find him, and when I 
 have made my bargain, I will come and fetch you." 
 
44 FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 
 
 Jules had already thrown himself down upon the 
 mossy bank with the air of one exhausted by fatigue. 
 Claude, who was also tired with the tramp through 
 the dark wood, sat down beside him ; but Gaspard 
 paced about hither and thither like a restless wood- 
 land creature. He was aching to be free from this 
 land of inhospitable soil, and away on the great ocean, 
 whither he had ever longed to be. 
 
 It was already midnight, and the darkness in the 
 wood was deep, albeit a glimmering starlight — for there 
 was no moon — showed to them the gleaming waters of 
 the great estuary lying beneath them. They had 
 struck Southampton Water (as we now call it) at a 
 point considerably above the harbour and the city. 
 Small vessels came up into the wood-locked waters to 
 discharge their cargo, and the men who guided them up 
 the intricacies of the channel were often men of no very 
 good repute, carrying on a trade of a more or less con- 
 traband description. But it was to such craft as these 
 that refugees appealed for aid in leaving the shores 
 which were no longer safe for them. And old Margaret 
 knew of a boat about to sail with the high tide at three 
 in the morning, to the captain of which she had given 
 an injunction to befriend Dautray and his sons. 
 
 It seemed long to the impatient boys before their 
 father returned to them, but at last they heard his steps 
 approaching, and Gaspard and Claude eagerly ran to 
 meet him. 
 
 " What news, father ? " 
 
FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 45 
 
 " Why, good, so far as it goes. The man will take us. 
 But he and his crew are as villainous a lot to look upon 
 as I have ever beheld. Were it not that our need is 
 great, I would fain have found some other way of 
 travelling. But it brooks not to delay. If it be that 
 Bay ford has already warned those at Southampton that 
 we are a family of dangerous Papists, why, there is no 
 time to be lost. This fellow weighs anchor at three in 
 the morning, and before the day has fairly dawned we 
 shall be away beyond the prying eyes of the craft in the 
 river's mouth." 
 
 Gaspard flung his cap into the air with a gesture of 
 triumph. 
 
 " So as we be once on the seas, I care nothing for the 
 ill looks of those we sail with," he cried. " Are there 
 not four of us ? And have we not all weapons which 
 we know how to use ? What matter if they do look 
 black at us ? They will not dare molest us." 
 
 Gaspard had no fears ; indeed, he rather enjoyed the 
 idea of an adventure upon the seas. He was in a fever 
 of excitement till they descended the wooded slope to 
 the water's edge, and heard the rough but subdued voices 
 of the sailors as they stowed away the cargo and got the 
 vessel ready for sailing. 
 
 There was too little light to see anything but the 
 outline of the craft as she lay upon the water. She 
 was of a good size, and carried two masts. It was not 
 often that vessels so large came up so high into these 
 waters, but there had been high tides lately, and this 
 
46 FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 
 
 man plainly knew what he was about, and as old Margaret 
 had said, had navigated the river since his boyhood. 
 
 Backwards and forwards plied the little dinghy 
 taking out the last of the cargo to the vessel. The 
 boys looked on eagerly, and offered to help, but were 
 roughly bidden to stand aside. The men spoke so 
 strange and rough a dialect to one another that the 
 Dautrays could scarcely understand a word they said. 
 They seemed to be a mixed crew of various nationalities. 
 But they were well under obedience to their captain — 
 that was quite evident. 
 
 At length all the cargo had been stored, and the 
 captain made a surly gesture of invitation to his 
 passengers. Dautray and his sons were conveyed across 
 the glimmering water to the side of the craft, and 
 almost as soon as they were on board the word was 
 given, the anchor was hauled up, and the vessel began 
 to slip silently down the channel between the wood- 
 crowned heights on either side. 
 
 Gaspard drew a deep breath of exultation when once 
 he felt the movement of the ship. His eyes glowed 
 with triumph. He was afloat. They were off and 
 away ! The life of adventure had begun ! No longer 
 would they be tied to the monotonous toil of a small 
 farm. They had the whole world before them now, and 
 were about to seek their fortunes in those strange and 
 wondrous lands towards which the hearts of hundreds 
 and thousands in Europe were now beginning to turn 
 with such great longing and desire. 
 
FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 47 
 
 The captain stood at the helm, for the steering of the 
 large boat down the narrow channel was a matter of 
 some difficulty, and needed great knowledge and skill ; 
 but the mate came up to Dautray and said that he had 
 better come below to the cabin until they were clear of 
 the harbour. 
 
 He led them to a small and dirty little cabin in the 
 fore-part of the ship, and gruffly told them that that 
 was all the accommodation the vessel had to offer. 
 Dautray replied that they would make it sufficient, 
 and looked about him by the meagre light afforded by 
 the small and ill-smelling lamp which burned there. 
 
 The place was narrow and contracted. It was only 
 possible to stand upright in the middle. The bunks 
 were like shelves, and only a dirty blanket was provided 
 for each. There was an ill smell in the cabin which 
 made Claude pull a wry face. But Gaspard, who saw 
 everything through rose-coloured glasses, set to work 
 with a will to wash and scour out the dirty hole, and 
 with such good results that by the time an hour had 
 passed it looked a very different sort of place, and might 
 do well enough for them for the few days they would 
 need to occupy it. 
 
 Dautray meantime was anxiously tending his eldest 
 son, who appeared to him to be in anything like a fit 
 condition to endure the possible hardships which awaited 
 them. The night walk through the forest had so com- 
 pletely exhausted his strength that he lay in his narrow 
 bed in a semi-conscious condition, and there was a look 
 
48 FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 
 
 of fever in his eyes which his father dreaded to see. 
 He began to fear that Jules had been more hurt upon 
 the night of the fire than anybody knew. The silent 
 one never uttered complaint or spoke of himself. Even 
 now he would confess to nothing but a little fatigue. 
 
 " Let him sleep," said Gaspard the sanguine, coming 
 and standing by. " He will wake up strong and well 
 again. The air of the salt sea will give him life. I 
 can feel it already myself, even down in this ill-smelling 
 hole. I must upon deck once more to see where we 
 are. Is it not good to feel the swaying of the boat, 
 and to hear the rush of the water beneath our slit of 
 a window ? father, methinks I was born to be a 
 sailor ! It gives me new life to feel the bird-like motion 
 of the vessel through the waves." 
 
 The dawn was beginning to glimmer in the east as 
 Gaspard set foot upon deck. Away to the left he saw 
 the clustering houses of the city of Southampton, and 
 before him the widening expanse of water. The breeze 
 was favourable, and the boat a fast sailer. She was 
 slipping along through the water at a goodly rate of 
 speed, and the captain was keeping a close lookout 
 as he stood at the helm and directed her course, bawling 
 out his orders from time to time to the crew — orders 
 which were perfectly unintelligible to Gaspard, but 
 which were obeyed with a promptitude that aroused 
 his keen admiration. 
 
 Fain would he have made friends with the sailors, 
 and have learned from them the meaning of the strange 
 
FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 49 
 
 things about him, and the mysteries of their craft ; 
 but they were a sullen and ill-conditioned lot, and met 
 his advances with rough words and oaths, so that the 
 lad was forced to turn from them and stand apart, some- 
 where where he could not be in the way, and could 
 watch the opal-tinted dawn stealing upon the sleeping- 
 world, and feel the salt kisses of the tidal water upon 
 his wet cheek. 
 
 He was not ordered below, but the men glowered at 
 him when they passed him by, and returned no answer 
 to his smile or attempts to lend a hand with rope or 
 spar. The voice of his father calling to him presently 
 drew him away from his coign of vantage, and brought 
 him down to the cabin, where a frugal meal was laid 
 out. 
 
 The fare was coarse, but the sea air had given an 
 appetite to three out of the four, and none of them were 
 dainty in their habits. 
 
 Jules alone could taste nothing, but lay in his unclean 
 bed with closed eyes and parted lips, his face very 
 white, save where the intermittent flush of fever 
 streaked the white with crimson. 
 
 " What ails him, father ? " asked Gaspard. 
 
 Dautray shook his head gravely. 
 
 " I fear it is fever from his wounds. Margaret said 
 she feared it might come on. I have given him a dose 
 of her medicine, and it has quieted him somewhat. But 
 he is weak as an infant, and he can take no food. That 
 is not the way to gain strength and manhood." 
 
 (574*1 4 
 
5o FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 
 
 " The sea will give him strength," again said Gaspare! 
 the sanguine ; " it is like new wine in the blood. Soon 
 we shall leave these quiet waters behind and feel the 
 swell and the heaving of the great waves. Oh, it is a 
 grand thincr to be on the sea at last ! I have longed for 
 it all my life ! " 
 
 After the brothers had cleared away the remains of 
 the meal, Gaspard took Claude upon deck to see the 
 wonders of the receding shore, and the Island to which 
 they had once in their lives crossed over. The sun 
 shone on the dancing waters. The wind sang a 
 ceaseless tune in the rigging overhead, and the salt 
 spray dashed in their faces as they stood feeling the 
 gradual change of motion, as the quiet waters of the 
 great harbour were left behind and the chopping waves 
 of the Channel were reached. 
 
 Claude was not certain that he quite liked the 
 motion. It affected his head somewhat, although he 
 was spared the miseries of sea-sickness. But to 
 Gaspard it was nothing but exhilaration and joy. He 
 could have sung aloud as he paced the deck in the 
 pure joy of his heart, but the consciousness that the 
 sailors regarded him with unfriendly glances kept him 
 from any open exhibition of joy. He sat beside 
 Claude, who curled himself up in the bow on a 
 coil of rope, and let the salt air fan his cheeks, and 
 together the brothers spoke of all the wonders which 
 lay before them, and of the great things that they were 
 about to do. 
 
FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 51 
 
 But in the cabin things were by no means well. 
 Jules was prostrated by a low fever, which was 
 aggravated by the closeness of the atmosphere and by 
 the character of the greasy food which was all his 
 father could procure for him, and even for the unsavoury 
 broth he had to pay a heavy price. The sick lad could 
 take but little of it, and lay with his face to the wall 
 in silent suffering and weakness. Dautray himself was 
 prostrated at intervals by spasms of sea-sickness, which 
 left him feeling weak and shaken. Between times he 
 felt pretty much himself, but was conscious that his 
 strength was becoming impaired through the bad food 
 and this constantly-recurring nausea. Gaspard was the 
 only one of the party who was quite in his wonted 
 strength and spirits, and the father was becoming more 
 and more convinced of the unfriendly attitude of the 
 captain and crew of the vessel. 
 
 Why this should be so he did not know, but it was 
 evident that there was growing up a hostility of feeling 
 which was anything but reassuring. Dautray suspected 
 that the captain believed him possessed of wealth, and 
 had an eye upon it. He had already paid him a rather 
 exorbitant sum for the passage-money of himself and 
 his sons to La Bochelle. He had tried to strike a 
 different bargain ; to pay half at starting and retain the 
 other half till the voyage ended, but the man refused to 
 hear of anything but money down at the start. 
 
 This had been paid, but it seemed as though every 
 mouthful of food were grudged them, and for every 
 
52 FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 
 
 small extra asked for on behalf of the sick Jules an 
 extortionate price was demanded. 
 
 It became clear to Dautray at last that his ability 
 to pay such large sums for such small privileges was 
 exciting the cupidity of the captain and crew. Often 
 he saw them talking together aside, and casting keen 
 glances in the direction of the cabin. More than once 
 he had caught sight of a prying eye at the keyhole of 
 the cabin door, or fixed at some crevice giving a sight 
 of the interior of the cabin. It was plain to him that 
 he was being watched to see where he kept his money ; 
 and he resolved more and more resolutely that the secret 
 of the belt beneath his clothing should not be discovered. 
 He had a purse which contained his loose cash for 
 present emergency, and he never permitted the belt to 
 be made visible, or took coins from his store there save 
 in the pitchy darkness of the cabin at night. 
 
 But he took no such special care over the purse 
 which he carried about him. He let that be seen from 
 time to time, and once, when he knew himself to be 
 spied upon, he placed it with great care in a crevice in 
 the woodwork of the cabin, as though to show to the spy 
 on the watch that that was the place where it was kept. 
 
 All this while they were beating down the Channel 
 westward, sometimes just sighting the coast of Brittany, 
 sometimes seeing nothing round them but sea and sky. 
 
 The weather was in the main favourable. There was 
 enough breeze to keep the ship moving. It was not 
 always as much in their favour as could be wished, but 
 
FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 53 
 
 the captain understood his business, and never failed to 
 make a certain way day by day. 
 
 But after they had rounded the Breton headland and 
 passed the harbour of Brest, finding themselves in the 
 dreaded Bay of Biscay, a sudden and most undesirable 
 change took place in the weather. The sky suddenly 
 became overcast, the bright sunshine took a watery and 
 uncertain gleam. Banks of ominous clouds piled them- 
 selves up in the west, and the wind took a moaning 
 sound which struck strangely upon the ears of the 
 landsmen. 
 
 Gaspard who, in spite of all discouragements and 
 rebuffs, had succeeded in winning a certain ffrudcnnsr 
 right to assist the crew at their tasks, was aware, by the 
 rapid way in which they set to work to shorten canvas, 
 and by the grim looks upon their faces, that something 
 untoward was happening ; and it did not take a sailor's 
 weather-eye to see that a storm was brewing, which 
 might burst upon them in pitiless fury before long. 
 
 Summer though it was, there was no reckoning on 
 weather, once in the treacherous and cruel bay. Gaspard 
 had heard of the tempests in the Bay of Biscay before 
 this. Now he was to see one for himself. 
 
 Suddenly the great green waves rose mountains high, 
 and seemed to fall upon the vessel with a great crash. 
 She rose above their crest, but only to plunge down 
 into the seething trough between, and all her planks 
 shuddered under the strain, as though they would part 
 asunder. It seemed to Gaspard for the first half-hour 
 
54 FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 
 
 as though they would go to the bottom every instant. 
 He shut his eyes and sought to pray ; but the excite- 
 ment of the sense of peril quickly snatched away his 
 thoughts again, and the matter-of-fact way in which the 
 sailors went about their work gave him a feeling of 
 security. 
 
 It was a strange and rather terrible experience, 
 and in the little cabin below, Dautray gathered his sons 
 about him, and prayed long and earnestly for help and 
 salvation from these angry waters. Whither they were 
 going they knew not. The little vessel was driven 
 hither and thither at the mercy of the wind. The 
 captain did all he could to keep upon his course, but he 
 was baffled by the shifting of the wind and by the 
 violence of the waves. For three days and nights the 
 tempest lasted, and each day Gaspard noted blacker 
 looks upon the faces of the crew, and heard angry 
 mutterings if he went amongst them or spoke to 
 them. 
 
 " These accursed Papists ! it is their doing ! " he once 
 heard the captain say, and the men looked at him with 
 aversion and fear in their eyes, till it came upon him 
 with a sense of sudden conviction that the captain, 
 for reasons of his own, was rousing in the minds of his 
 crew the superstitious notion that the storm was the 
 work of his passengers, or else sent from Heaven for 
 their chastisement ; and when he told his father what 
 he had heard, Dautray 's face grew pale, for he had lived 
 lono- enough to know well to what leno-ths fanatical 
 
FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 55 
 
 hatred can carry men when their fears and cupidity are 
 aroused. 
 
 Doubtless the captain was inciting in his men this 
 hatred and fear of their passengers. What form their 
 hatred would take was an open question as yet un- 
 known to Gaspare!, but certainly it boded no good to 
 the hapless refugees. 
 
 " Could they defend themselves in case of attack ? " he 
 asked himself, looking about him keenly. Jules still 
 lay weak as an infant on his bed. The fever was 
 abating, but the lack of nourishment suitable to his 
 condition was hindering anything like a good recovery. 
 Claude was but a boy, and though he knew how to use 
 his weapons on shore, he still suffered too much from 
 vertigo on board ship to be relied upon. Anxiety 
 and sea-sickness had robbed Dautray himself of his 
 wonted strength, and only Gaspard, of the whole party, 
 was in condition to show fight successfully. And what 
 could he do against all those strong, rough men, if they 
 were to band together for attack ? The father groaned 
 in spirit, and wondered if he would not have done 
 better to face the perils of the shore. They had but 
 passed from peril to peril, and here, hemmed in by the 
 narrow planks of the ship, helpless in the midst of the 
 ocean, their plight was sorry indeed. 
 
 All night the father had turned and tossed, thinking 
 of these things. With the first light of dawn he was 
 aware of the figure of the captain standing in the 
 doorway of the cabin (how long he had been standing 
 
56 FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 
 
 there Dautray did not know), regarding the whole party 
 with looks of menace. 
 
 " Rise, all of you, and come with me," spoke the man 
 in stern accents. 
 
 The voice awoke Gaspard and Claude, who had been 
 sleeping uneasily in the tossing ship. The storm still 
 continued. It was less violent, but it seemed as though 
 its persistence would never cease. 
 
 The Dautrays sprang to their feet — they never un- 
 dressed in this place — and were ready on the instant. 
 The captain had his hand, hidden in his doublet, as 
 though he grasped a hidden weapon. 
 
 " Come with me ; come all of you ! " he said, in the 
 same rough and commanding voice, and his eyes rested 
 upon the prostrate form of Jules, who still lay motion- 
 less in the narrow bed from which he had never risen 
 yet. 
 
 " He is sick. He cannot come," answered the father ; 
 but the captain made significant reply. 
 
 " He must come. Bring him yourselves, or I send 
 my men for him. The fresh air will do him good. 
 This vessel has not suited him. It may well be he will 
 do better in another." 
 
 All looked at the speaker in amaze. What could he 
 mean ? But it was plain he meant to be obeyed, and 
 Dautray and Gaspard raised Jules tenderly enough, and 
 supported him up to the deck. 
 
 The grey light of a stormy morning was breaking 
 over the heaving sea. The clouds still looked angry 
 
FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 57 
 
 and lowering, but not more so than the faces of the 
 sailors, who had gathered together at the vessel's side, 
 and were looking down at something below on the 
 water. 
 
 When the Dautrays appeared all broke into low 
 groans, and in their peculiar dialect they cursed them 
 with a vindictive menace that made Claude shrink 
 and tremble, and caused the father's heart to contract 
 with apprehension. 
 
 " Is the boat ready ? " bawled the captain. 
 
 " Ready ! " sang out the mate, with an evil grin upon 
 his face ; " but you'd best make haste lest she should be 
 swamped before we get them aboard ! " 
 
 The captain turned to his passengers, and said 
 brutally, — 
 
 " Here, you accursed Papists, who have brought all this 
 trouble upon us. It is your doing that the heavens have 
 sent us such a storm as we have never known in these seas 
 in this summer season ; and so long as you are aboard 
 we shall neither make port nor be safe of our lives. 
 The devil, your master, will doubtless take you safe 
 ashore, if you only invoke him loud enough ; but for 
 that we neither care nor trouble ourselves. We are not 
 going to lose our lives for the sake of an accursed crew 
 of Papists. Take yourselves and your familiar spirits 
 away with you in yon boat. Whether you sink or 
 swim is no matter to us. We have victualled the boat 
 with bread and water for a week. If you can keep 
 afloat for that time you may see land. If not — the 
 
58 FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 
 
 fates do with you as you deserve — we will have no 
 more of you. But you shall pay us for all the ill and 
 loss that you have brought upon us. So out with 
 every penny of money you possess. If you do not give 
 it up, it shall be taken by force from you ! " 
 
 Kesistance was useless. A search by force might 
 only lead to the discovery of the belt whose existence 
 was not as yet discovered. 
 
 Dautray handed over the purse, and the captain 
 eagerly looked at the contents, grumbling that there was 
 no more. Then Jules was roughly seized and hustled 
 over the side of the vessel into the tossing boat, much as 
 though he were a sack of flour. Gaspard sprang in of 
 his own accord, his eyes flashing, his heart in a glow of 
 fury. Yet he experienced a sort of vague triumph and 
 joy as he felt the rocking of the little craft beneath his 
 feet. Here at least they would be saved from contact 
 with evil men and from the malice of the enemy. The 
 sight of the great rolling waves which tossed them to 
 and fro like a shuttlecock was sufficiently appalling, but 
 for the moment anything seemed better than the sight 
 of those evil faces and vindictive gestures. 
 
 Claude and Dautray quickly followed, and the father 
 and sons stood together in that frail little craft, which 
 looked as though it could scarce live for ten minutes in 
 that angry sea. 
 
 Dautray lifted his hand above his head and shook it 
 towards the ship, whose side was lined with its 
 barbarous crew. 
 
FROM PERIL TO PERIL. 59 
 
 " May the God of earth and sea deal by you as you 
 have dealt by us ! " he said, as the two crafts drifted 
 apart. 
 
 An angry laugh was the response, and yet fear was 
 painted on many faces. Superstition was rife in those 
 days, and just as Dautray spoke, a gleam of level 
 sunlight broke through the sullen clouds and streamed 
 upon the boat and its load, lighting up Claude's golden 
 hair, and giving something weird and unearthly to the 
 aspect of the little group on board. 
 
 " Heaven send it be not a curse ! " whispered the men 
 one to another, and there were some few amongst them 
 who would almost have recalled their murderous action ; 
 but already the wind was drifting the two vessels far 
 apart, and in the trough of the heaving waves the little 
 frail craft was speedily swallowed up from sight, so that 
 the sailors asked one another, with something of a 
 shudder, if indeed she had sunk already. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ON THE WIDE SEA. 
 
 THE sun shone pitilessly down upon a sea of molten 
 glass. 
 
 Upon the long, gently-heaving billows rose and fell, 
 like a cork upon its wide bosom, a little boat — a boat 
 guided neither by oars nor sails — a cockle-shell idly rock- 
 ing upon the shining waters, the sport of every breeze 
 that blew. 
 
 Was there — could there be any living thing in that 
 tiny, helpless craft ? At first it had the appearance of 
 being empty — drifting away as it were in helpless 
 impotence. 
 
 But stay, did not something move, and raise itself ? 
 Is not that a human creature gazing out over the 
 pitiless waste of waters ? Who and what is it — that 
 phantom craft, gliding in silence over the shining 
 waves ? 
 
 In very truth it is a boat, and there are human 
 beings in it. Of these human beings three lie like dead 
 along the bottom, or curled up in an attitude of aban- 
 doned despair in the bow. Sad wrecks of humanity, 
 
ON THE WIDE SEA. 61 
 
 with baked lips, starting bones, and faces expressive of 
 the hopeless despair of the castaway, perishing slowly 
 of hunger and thirst. Only one of the party has 
 enough life in him to raise his head from time to 
 time and cast a weary look around the broad horizon, 
 eagerly scanning the unbroken line of sky and sea for 
 the sight of a sail, or for the raising of a cloud which 
 might bring a refreshing shower in its wake. But 
 after a long look around, the head sinks down once 
 more, and the dull lethargy of complete exhaustion 
 swallows up the victim again. 
 
 It is indeed Gaspard, who alone of all that hapless party 
 still retains consciousness and vitality enough to main- 
 tain an almost hopeless lookout from time to time. 
 
 Of those terrible days of tossing at the mercy of 
 wind and wave he scarcely retains any memory. 
 Already his mind is astray. The fever fancies come 
 over him again and again. He knows not where he 
 is, nor what those silent companions of his are. He 
 thinks he has always been sailing upon a sea of glass, 
 and that there is no such thing left in the world as dry 
 land. All has been swept away, and he alone out of 
 the whole world has been left alive. 
 
 He has ceased to wonder whether there is any life in 
 those helpless figures at his feet. He has ceased to 
 seek to allay his aching thirst by tumbling overboard 
 into the green water and letting the sea enfold him, 
 thus taking in moisture at the pores, which was denied 
 him in other form. He has spread the sailcloth over 
 
62 ON THE WIDE SEA. 
 
 those about him, to protect them from the glare of the 
 summer sun, but now he scarce knows that they are 
 there. Habit still causes him to look round about him 
 from time to time, but there is less and less speculation 
 in the glazing eyes each time the head is raised. 
 
 Ha ! what is that, rising like the pinion of a white 
 sea-bird out of the glassy sea ? Gaspard raises himself 
 and shades the light from his eyes, making a strenuous 
 endeavour to collect his weak and scattered faculties, 
 and to bethink him where he is and what all this 
 means. 
 
 Yes, it is coming nearer ! It is no longer vaguely 
 indeterminate in form. It is a sail ! — a sail ! — a sail ! 
 The boy says the word over and over with his lips 
 before the sense of it penetrates to his brain. Then 
 all in a moment he remembers. He knows that it is 
 life or death to him whether or not this sail comes 
 nearer — whether or not that little vessel sees them, or 
 passes unheeding on her way. With the sudden strength 
 of desperation he raises aloft the signal already prepared 
 by them — it seems now as though in some former stage 
 of existence — and he waves it wildly to and fro. 
 
 Is the signal seen ? Is it heeded ? 
 
 His eyes are so dim he can hardly see. His heart is 
 thumping against his ribs in a way that turns him 
 faint and giddy. With frantic desperation he continues 
 to wave his flag. What is that sound that now falls 
 upon his ears ? 
 
 Surely it is the beat of oars coming nearer, nearer — • 
 
ON THE WIDE SEA. 63 
 
 ever nearer ! The flag drops from his nerveless hand. 
 He strains his eyes through the blinding mists that 
 enwrap him. Is that a boat stealing up towards them ? 
 He hears the splash of the oars. He hears the hail of 
 a friendly voice, and then he hears and sees nothing- 
 more, for the darkness comes down like a thick curtain 
 and shuts him away from all about him. He knows 
 nothing more... ... 
 
 Once more the eyes of Gaspare! Dautray open upon a 
 vision of smooth shining sea and cloudless sky : but all 
 the intolerable sufferino; and aching weariness are ffone. 
 His lips are cool and moist. His limbs feel light and 
 strong. There is a little confusion of the mind, for he 
 cannot remember where he is, nor what it is that has 
 befallen him ; but he is content, with a great and 
 wonderful contentment. He is lying upon a heap of 
 canvas covered with a sheepskin, and he feels the 
 heaving of the deck beneath him. He is on board 
 ship. He is being carried by the light breeze fast over 
 the shining sea. He is no longer a castaway. He is 
 safe somewhere — though how and where he knows not. 
 But for the moment he does not even seek to know. 
 He closes his eyes and sinks back into refreshing 
 slumber. 
 
 When next Gaspard awoke it was to feel a hand 
 upon his, and he opened his eyes to find a grave, 
 benignant face looking earnestly into his. 
 
 This face belonged to a man wearing the loner brown 
 
64 ON THE WIDE SEA. 
 
 habit which suggested the idea of a monkish recluse : 
 but the face hardly seemed that of a monk, for it was 
 bearded, and the beard was snow-white, as was also the 
 hair which fell to the shoulders in soft waves. The 
 noble head being slightly bald, it was impossible to say 
 whether the tonsure was there or not. The eyes were 
 strangely luminous in expression, and full of earnestness 
 and benignity. 
 
 In his hands this good man held a steaming cup, and 
 when he saw that Gaspard was awake, and that his 
 eyes were clear and full of comprehension, he said in 
 French — spoken with just sufficient accent to show that 
 it was not his native tongue, — 
 
 " You are better, my son ? God be thanked for that. 
 Take this and drink it, and then we will talk awhile 
 together." 
 
 Gaspard did as he was bid, and thought he had never 
 tasted anything so delicious before. It seemed to bring 
 him back to life and the world again, and returning the 
 cup into the hand of his benefactor, he looked up wist- 
 fully into his face and said, — 
 
 " Tell me of them. It is all like a dark, horrible 
 dream. Tell me, are they — are they — ? " He could 
 not frame the words which trembled on his tongue ; 
 his cheek grew white with apprehension. 
 
 " Be not afraid, my son. The Lord has been very 
 merciful. They have indeed been down to the very 
 jaws of death, but He has given them back. We feared 
 much for the elder and the younger lad. There was 
 
ON THE WIDE SEA. 65 
 
 but little life left in either of them when they were 
 brought on board. But patience and skill, by the 
 blessing of God, have restored them to life. Thy 
 brothers will be longer in recovering strength than 
 thou hast been ; but thy father is doing well. He 
 will be able to talk with thee upon the morrow. You 
 have indeed been mercifully and wonderfully preserved. 
 Remember that, my child, and seek in the life so 
 strangely and wonderfully given back to thee, to 
 magnify and serve the Lord who has so preserved 
 thee." 
 
 Then the white-haired man moved away, and Gaspard 
 sought not to detain him. His heart was overflowing 
 with thankfulness, and the unbidden tears had rushed 
 to his eyes. Sleep again swallowed him up in her 
 healing clasp, and when he awoke again it was night, 
 and the moon was shining down solemnly upon the 
 placid sea, making a great white pathway through 
 which they seemed about to sail. 
 
 Gaspard felt so much refreshed that he no longer 
 desired to lie still on his comfortable bed. He rose to 
 his feet and looked about him. At the helm there was 
 a sturdy-looking sailor, and right up in the extreme bow 
 of the little vessel stood a motionless figure — the moon- 
 light shining full upon the flowing white hair — and 
 Gaspard knew that it was his friend of a few hours 
 back, and felt certain that he was absorbed in medi- 
 tation or prayer. 
 
 Although longing to know more of him, he would 
 
 (574) ' 5 
 
66 ON THE WIDE SEA. 
 
 not disturb him now, but made his way towards the 
 sailor, who gave him a friendly nod, and wished him 
 good even. This man was English, and beamed with 
 pleasure when the lad addressed him in his own tongue. 
 His lips were immediately unlocked, and he told his 
 eager listener a strange tale. 
 
 Several days ago they had been attracted by the glow 
 of fire upon the water just as the sun sank. Plainly 
 there was some ship burning, and probably^in need of 
 help. It lay out of their course to go to her assistance, 
 but the word had been given, and they turned instantly 
 about and sailed as fast as the light breeze would take 
 them to her aid. Before they reached her, however, she 
 had been burned to the very water's edge, and it seemed 
 as though help had come too late. There was no living 
 thing to be seen upon the waters when the vessel sank, 
 but cruising about for a short time they did pick up a 
 poor wretch, much burnt and maimed, who had lashed 
 himself to a spar, and was thus kept afloat for a time. 
 He lived only a few hours, but in that time he made a 
 confession. He told how he and his mates, instigated 
 by the captain of the vessel, had some ten days before 
 turned adrift in their boat — the boat which might have 
 saved them at the fire, if they had but had it then — a 
 party of passengers whom they had agreed to carry to 
 La Eochelle. Wanton cruelty, superstition, and greed 
 had been the motives for this outrage, but it seemed as 
 though it had brought a curse with it. The wind had 
 gone down, it is true, but they found themselves at fault 
 
ON THE WIDE SEA. 67 
 
 in their reckonings. Sudden illness had broken out 
 amongst the crew, and three men had sickened and died 
 of fever in as many days. The rest, in fear of infection, 
 had got at the spirits, and tried to drown fear and 
 danger in intoxication. A drunken quarrel had re- 
 sulted, in which the captain had been stabbed to the 
 heart by the mate. Then they had all quarrelled 
 together, and at last the ship was found to be on fire. 
 There was no longer a boat in which to save themselves, 
 and every soul had perished, save this man, who did not 
 survive the telling of the tale more than a few hours. 
 
 Gaspard listened to the recital with bated breath and 
 eager eyes. 
 
 " It must have been the men that turned us adrift. 
 Oh, what a terrible end for them ! " 
 
 " Yes, so said Father Fritz ; and he bid us put about 
 and search these waters might and main for the drifting 
 boat. We have been hunting you for these many days, 
 young master, and had well nigh given up hope of find- 
 ing you, till we sighted that signal of yours yesterday, 
 and so came upon you." 
 
 " And you were looking for us all the while ? Ah, 
 how good God has been to us ! We thought that 
 nothing but a terrible death lay before us. Tell me, 
 who is Father Fritz ? Is this vessel his ? It is he 
 who stands yonder, is it not ? " 
 
 " Ay, truly. He stands thus every night, if no other 
 duty claims him. We think that he holds very close 
 communion with the God of heaven. He is a wonderful 
 
68 ON THE WIDE SEA. 
 
 man, though who he is, and whence he comes, are not 
 truly known to us. Men say that Germany is the land 
 of his birth, but he has roamed over half the world, and 
 speaks many tongues. He has amazing depths of 
 knowledge, into which men may probe without touching 
 the bottom. All who know him love him, and those who 
 serve him would lay down their lives for him gladly." 
 
 The sailor spoke with feeling, and brushed his sleeve 
 across his eyes. Gaspard looked across at the figure in 
 the bows, and said — 
 
 " Is he a monk ? " 
 
 " Nay, I trow not, for he seems to belong to no order, 
 albeit he wears a habit not unlike that of the monks. 
 I have heard it said that Roman Catholics call him a 
 heretic, whilst the Protestants declare him to be a Papist. 
 I am no scholar. All I know is that he is a holy man, 
 and that God is in all his thoughts. I was bred up to 
 know the Scriptures, and I thought I did till I heard 
 Father Fritz open them up sometimes to us, as we sit 
 about him and hear him talk. I sometimes think that 
 the Lord Himself has been his teacher, else he could 
 never have come to see what he does in the written 
 Word. Neither is it written words to him alone, but a 
 living Word — and he lives it in his life if ever man 
 did." 
 
 " And whither are you bound now ? " asked Gaspard, 
 after he had listened with eager interest to many stories 
 concerning Father Fritz, as he appeared to be called by 
 all who knew him. 
 
ON THE WIDE SEA. 69 
 
 " To the Far West," answered the sailor. " We set sail 
 with one the Sieur de la Salle, who goes forth from 
 France with a commission from the king, and who has 
 high hopes of making some wondrous discoveries which 
 shall bring untold wealth into the coffers of his monarch, 
 and cover his own name with glory." 
 
 Gaspard's eyes flashed. This was indeed good hearing. 
 He was embarked, then, upon just such a voyage of dis- 
 covery as his soul had yearned for so long ! 
 
 " And Father Fritz goes with him ? " 
 
 " With him, yet not with him," answered the sailor. 
 " He goes at his own charges. He can remain with the 
 Sieur de la Salle, or go his own way, as it seems best to 
 him. His mission is to the souls of the Indians who 
 dwell in the trackless lands to be discovered. They are 
 dwelling in darkness and the shadow of death, and when 
 each expedition sets forth, holy friars and men of God 
 attend, to care for the souls of these lost people, to teach 
 and baptize them, and bring them into the fold of Christ. 
 Father Fritz yearns over them. As I have said, he is a 
 strange and wonderful man, and none rightly know to 
 what portion of the Church he belongs. He himself 
 says that the Lord has but one Church — one Body — and 
 that he knows of none but that one into which all 
 are admitted who are baptized in the name of Father, 
 Son, and Holy Ghost. The Roman Catholics like not 
 such teaching, for that places heretics on equal terms 
 with them as members of the Church. The Protestants 
 like it not, for it does not exclude the Papists from 
 
70 ON THE WIDE SEA. 
 
 communion with them, as they desire. And yet all 
 men who come across him love good and holy Father 
 Fritz, and I think that, growing weary of the strife of 
 tongues in the lands of Europe, where he has striven to 
 give his message, he is glad to turn his back and find a 
 wider field in the untrodden realms of the west, where, 
 if a man be a Christian, it will be enough. He will 
 scarce care to ask whether he be Protestant or Papist." 
 
 Long and eagerly did Gaspard talk with this sailor, 
 who was, as he soon discovered, a very different man 
 from the bulk of his class, having both thought and 
 read for himself, and having picked up much informa- 
 tion during a long life of travel and adventure. 
 
 He told the lad of the settlements at Quebec and 
 Montreal already made. He had twice visited the 
 rising city of Quebec, and had seen something of the 
 life there. He told of the troubles with the Indian 
 tribes, their treacherous nature, their savage cruelty in 
 war, their friendship at one time and their hostile raids 
 at another, and the difficulties of the Governor with 
 them, and with his own community there. He told of 
 the jealousies and quarrels between Governor and In- 
 tendent, between Jesuits and Sulpicians ; and how the 
 colonists, instead of tilling the land and making it brings 
 forth increase, thought only of amassing speedy riches 
 through the fur-trade, and were getting into constant 
 difficulties which brought them to the versfe of starva- 
 tion. It certainly did not seem as though the French 
 settlement in Canada had proved very successful as yet ; 
 
ON THE WIDE SEA. 71 
 
 but it was of the wild dreams of new territories to be 
 discovered, new countries to be opened up, that Gaspard 
 burned to know more, and his new friend was willing 
 to answer all the questions put to him, so far as his 
 knowledge went. 
 
 The Sieur de la Salle, he said, had discovered certain 
 rivers which rose not far from the great chain of lakes 
 beyond Quebec and Montreal. These rivers, he believed, 
 converged in some mighty stream of water which flowed 
 right through the vast continent, and emptied itself, 
 perhaps, into the Gulf of Mexico, perhaps into the great 
 western ocean beyond. Along this great and mighty 
 river lay vast tracts of undiscovered country, populated 
 doubtless by wild Indian tribes. The bold plan of La 
 Salle was to discover and subjugate this territory for 
 the King of France ; to make this mighty river a high- 
 way for all sorts of rich merchandise ; to divert to it 
 the fur-trade of the north, much of which now found 
 its way to other markets, and all the trade in spices, 
 feathers, and even precious stones, which might spring 
 up amongst the tribes along its mighty course ; and thus, 
 by the construction of forts at the mouth — when the 
 mouth should be discovered — bring the whole of this 
 colossal district under the direct control of the French 
 monarch and nation, and find means whereby a constant 
 stream of wealth might be poured into the coffers of 
 France, unhindered by winter frosts, or by the attacks 
 of jealous enemies, which troubles were constant and 
 increasing in the northerly regions. 
 
72 ON THE WIDE SEA. 
 
 Gaspard's eyes dilated with wonder as he listened to 
 all this. His ears eagerly drank in every word. His 
 notions of geography were as hazy as was usual in those 
 days, but his imagination was boundless and fervid. 
 Already he saw himself sharing in these mighty dis- 
 coveries, treading where foot of man had never trodden 
 before, seeing all manner of strange „ and wonderful 
 sights, and following down to its mouth that mighty 
 river of whose very existence he had been ignorant till 
 now. 
 
 " Has the Sieur de la Salle found all the men he 
 wants ? " he asked breathlessly ; " will he refuse to let 
 us accompany him — I and my father and my brothers ? 
 We have no home. We have been driven away from 
 home and country. Methinks there is nought for us 
 but to find a home in a strange land ? Why not be of 
 those to found this great new kingdom ? — and hold it 
 for the King of France when it be found, as surely it 
 will ? " 
 
 The sailor smiled at the lad's enthusiasm, but was of 
 opinion that La Salle would be glad enough of stout- 
 hearted volunteers upon his expedition. He had 
 brought with him a good many eager French sub- 
 jects ; but many persons, who started boldly upon such 
 an errand, turned fearful and timid when they began to 
 understand the many and great dangers by which they 
 were surrounded. Colin himself — for so the man said 
 he was called — had made a voyage along the chain of 
 lakes with Father Fritz, upon his first visit to the New 
 
ON THE WIDE SEA. 73 
 
 World, and he could speak with experience of the 
 many and great dangers which awaited travellers, even 
 when the natives were friendly. It was likely enough 
 that many who started would turn back before much 
 of the ground had been covered. It was generally 
 the way, and jealousies had a fashion of springing up 
 and dividing the party. The Sieur de la Salle was a 
 better manager of the Indians, said Colin, than he was 
 of his own countrymen. He was too silent and sus- 
 picious to get on with these, but the Indians liked his 
 commanding ways, and gave him reverence and affection. 
 
 All this was immensely interesting to Gaspard, and 
 indeed to the whole party of the Dau trays, as the days 
 passed by, and they slowly recovered from their fight 
 with death. 
 
 The skill and tender nursing of Father Fritz served 
 to restore the whole party to strength and health. 
 Those days upon that tossing boat, through which they 
 seemed to have lived as by an actual miracle, soon began 
 to look like a dream of the night. But Father Fritz 
 spoke earnestly to all about the goodness and mercy 
 of God in so sparing them. He said that many lives, 
 when almost miraculously preserved, had been con- 
 secrated to God by the gratitude of those saved, and 
 brought home to the hearts of all the boys the feeling 
 that they were not the arbiters of their own fate, but 
 must look in all things to God for guidance and 
 direction. 
 
 But there was nothing in his talk of a kind that 
 
74 ON THE WIDE SEA. 
 
 would urge a monastic life upon any. He shook his 
 head when Dautray spoke of it, and said that he had 
 not been able to see that the Lord asked this of His 
 children. To live above the world, was not to take 
 themselves out of the world, and the habit of the monk 
 did not keep off the temptations of the evil one, nor the 
 lusts of the flesh. 
 
 As Colin had hinted, it was not entirely easy to 
 know what manner of man Father Fritz was. One 
 thing, however, was abundantly plain, that his whole 
 life was dedicated to the service of his Master, and that 
 he was going forth into these wild regions, not to seek 
 to establish an earthly kingdom for any human sovereign, 
 still less to accumulate wealth for himself or others, but 
 to bring the news of salvation to the dark places of the 
 earth, and seek to illumine with the light of the gospel 
 those heathen lands stained with the superstitions and 
 barbarities of centuries. 
 
 " Might they go with him ? might they help him ? " 
 the eager boys asked ; Gaspard and Claude being full 
 of the enthusiasm which is so often inspired by a pure 
 and noble zeal. 
 
 His answer was given with a certain grave tender- 
 ness which was very wonderful to them. 
 
 "He would most gladly take them if their father 
 approved, but he knew not whither his way might take 
 him, nor what dangers he might not encounter. They 
 might perchance prefer the glory and the adventures to 
 be had with the Sieur de la Salle. They had better 
 
ON THE WIDE SEA. 75 
 
 decide nothing till they had reached Quebec, and knew 
 what that great leader had set himself to accomplish." 
 
 Dautray was deeply impressed by the conversation of 
 Father Fritz and by what he heard of his life and 
 work. He was willing to let his sons follow their own 
 bent. Life for them had been torn up by the roots, as 
 it were. He scarce knew himself what he wished to do 
 in the future. The thirst after adventures in new 
 lands had taken a certain hold on him, as it had upon 
 his sons. He was ready to permit them to follow their 
 wishes, and with Father Fritz he felt sure that they 
 would come to no spiritual hurt. That they would all 
 go with their lives in their hands, when trusting them- 
 selves into the wilds of a savage country infested by 
 hordes of Indians, was, of course, well known to all. 
 Father Fritz was the last person to deny the perils of 
 the undertaking to which he was pledged. But fear 
 for his life was not a thing that ever troubled him. 
 His clear blue eyes had a way of looking, as it 
 were, beyond all such things as the ills of this life. 
 His heart was fixed in regions where bodily hurt could 
 find no place. If the Master had sent him hither, that 
 was enough. With what meed of success the Master 
 would crown his efforts was no concern of his. His 
 was just to obey, to do — to die, if need be. 
 
 But so simply and naturally did he speak of these 
 things that it was hard to realize the full import of the 
 words. 
 
 However, no decisions as to the future course of the 
 
76 ON THE WIDE SEA. 
 
 Dautrays was to be made till Quebec had been reached, 
 and the family had been introduced to the Sieur de la 
 Salle, and heard the plan proposed by him with regard 
 to this territory to be discovered. He would need, 
 bold pioneers to accompany him, and the lads could 
 take their choice of masters. But ^if the Sieur de la 
 Salle thought them too young for his work, Father 
 Fritz was willing to take them with him, if their 
 father approved their going. 
 
 " It seems to me, Gaspard," said Claude, with some- 
 thing of the look in his blue eyes that shone so often 
 in those of Father Fritz, " that to save souls for God is 
 a nobler work than to discover new lands for an earthly 
 king." 
 
 Gaspard bent his head in silent assent. He, too, had 
 come to believe that to go through the world with 
 Father Fritz would be the most blessed of lives ; but 
 they kept their thoughts to themselves for the most 
 part, and eagerly awaited the arrival of their little 
 vessel at the city of Quebec. 
 
Y 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 THE GREAT LEADER. 
 ONDER, my friends, is the sail of the vessel in 
 
 shall come up with him yet, ere we reach the stronghold 
 of Quebec." 
 
 Eagerly, breathlessly, with eyes aglow, and hearts 
 beating fast in expectant joy, the three brothers stood 
 together in the bow of the little vessel, and watched the 
 wonderful panorama of wood, rock, and water slipping 
 silently by. 
 
 They had reached it at last ! The great western con- 
 tinent lay before their eyes ! They were sailing slowly 
 up that mighty estuary of the St. Lawrence. Land on 
 either side could be descried — wild lands, scarce trodden 
 by foot of man — waiting, as it seemed, for them to come 
 and explore and reclaim. They had passed the great 
 Isle d'Anticosti ; they were within the mighty river's 
 mouth. It was like the realization of some strange, 
 wild dream. They had no eyes save for the distant 
 vistas of grand wild country visible on either hand. 
 They had not even noted the sails of a vessel also gild- 
 
78 THE GREAT LEADER. 
 
 ing up the estuary. It was the words of Father Fritz 
 that recalled them to themselves. 
 
 They looked then, and saw the larger vessel, which 
 was making but slow progress in the very light breeze. 
 Their own lighter craft was visibly gaining upon her. 
 
 " Is that the ship in which the Sieur de la Salle has 
 sailed ? " asked Gaspard, with suddenly aroused interest. 
 
 " Even so. I scarce thought we should come up with 
 it again, having lost so much time near to the start. 
 But that is she without doubt, and if the wind drops, as 
 seems like, we may lie becalmed together awhile, ere we 
 can make Quebec. We will gain her side if possible, 
 and hear how she has fared upon the voyage. You 
 shall see for yourselves, my sons, the man of whom I 
 have told you many things. It may be that you will 
 learn to know him well ere we have seen this adventure 
 through." 
 
 The keen interest of the three lads was instantly 
 stirred. They had, indeed, heard many things of the 
 Sieur de la Salle from others beside the father himself. 
 They were ready to admire — -to dread him also, for he 
 had won a name for severity and hardness even amongst 
 those who admired and respected him. They longed to 
 see for themselves a man who had travelled so far, who 
 had given up so much for the sake of a grand project, 
 and who was now iired with the determination to risk 
 all for the sake of this great discovery. 
 
 Had he chosen he could have lived at ease, and with 
 almost royal honours, at Fort Frontenac, at the head of 
 
THE GREAT LEADER. 79 
 
 Lake Ontario, where he planted a fur-trading colony, 
 and had almost obtained absolute rights over a vast ter- 
 ritory. But the restless spirit of the adventurer was 
 upon him. He had heard and gathered up every rumour 
 respecting the existence of that mighty river the Missis- 
 sippi, about which the wildest tales were told by the 
 Indians who dwelt upon its northern tributaries, and by 
 various travellers from many European lands, who had 
 made endeavours to trace its mighty course, and had 
 given out most strange and contradictory reports as to 
 where it emptied itself at last into the sea. 
 
 To follow the course of this mighty river, to plant 
 colonies along its banks, to divert to its great water- 
 way the whole of the fur-trade of the north, and bring 
 inexhaustible riches into France in consequence — this 
 was the aim and object for which La Salle had given 
 up present prosperity, had crossed the ocean to obtain 
 the king's sanction and assistance, and was now on his 
 way back with the royal commission secured to him. 
 
 All this was well known to the Dautray boys by this 
 time, and the tale had filled them with admiration and 
 wonder. They themselves were fired with the desire to 
 do and dare, and to follow this bold man and those who 
 would accompany him into the heart of the savage coun- 
 try ; so, when they actually found themselves drawing 
 near inch by inch to the vessel which contained him and 
 his company, they were full of ardour and anticipation. 
 
 The wind was dropping to a dead calm. The smaller 
 vessel glided alongside the larger one, and friendly 
 
So THE GREAT LEADER. 
 
 voices hailed Father Fritz and his crew. The father 
 was not exactly of La Salle's company, but he had 
 sailed from La Rochelle with him, and La Salle enter- 
 tained for him a warm esteem and; affection. 
 
 This was the more remarkable in that La Salle had a 
 known suspicion and dislike to ecclesiastics in general ; 
 and, although Father Fritz belonged to no recognized 
 order of monks or friars, he was a priest, and went forth 
 as such into all lands, and preached, and baptized, and 
 performed all priestly offices. 
 
 At one time La Salle had had intimate relations with 
 the Jesuits — too intimate perhaps, for he now enter- 
 tained a profound distrust of them. He would have no 
 dealings with them that he could avoid ; and when he 
 went into savage countries he declined to permit any 
 Jesuit to be of his party. He would take in place of 
 such (for all exploring parties must have ecclesiastics 
 with them for the conversion of the heathen Indian to 
 the faith of Christ) some Recollet or Franciscan friar, 
 with several of whom he was on fairly friendly terms, 
 although to none did he give that personal trust and 
 love that he bestowed upon Father Fritz. 
 
 A boat was lowered from La Salle's vessel, and a mess- 
 age was sent asking the father to go to La Salle on 
 board his ship. This invitation was at once accepted, 
 and Dautray and his sons were invited to accompany the 
 father. 
 
 This they eagerly consented to do, and in a short 
 time the whole party stood upon the white deck of the 
 
THE GREAT LEADER. 81 
 
 larger vessel, and were greeted in friendly fashion by a 
 tall, dark-faced man, with a pair of piercing eagle eyes, 
 who grasped Father Fritz by both hands, and imprinted 
 a kiss upon each cheek. 
 
 " You are welcome, my father," he said. " We had 
 feared that some ill might have befallen thee. But 
 Heaven watches over thee always. Neither wind nor 
 wave has hindered us greatly this voyage. And who 
 are these that stand beside thee ? Methinks they were 
 not with thee when thou didst leave La Rochelle." 
 
 " They were picked up in mid-ocean half dead with 
 hunger and thirst. They shall tell thee their history in 
 their own time. Methinks in them thou wilt find able 
 and eager followers. Dautray is their name. The lads 
 have both French and English blood in their veins. It 
 is of such that the most bold and hardy travellers are 
 made." 
 
 The first speaker turned his penetrating eyes full 
 upon the little group a few paces from him. They saw 
 more distinctly the thin, sallow face, embrowned by 
 years of exposure to all weathers, the thin-lipped, resol- 
 ute mouth, the aquiline nose with the open, sensitive 
 nostril, and the furrowed brow which bespoke a nervous 
 and irritable temperament, though the iron will might 
 subdue the outward indications of it. La Salle was but 
 five-and-thirty years of age at that time, yet he looked 
 older than his years. Care, responsibility, disappointment, 
 and restless eagerness of disposition had all left traces 
 upon his face. He was a man that, once seen, was not 
 
 (574) (3 
 
82 THE GREAT LEADER. 
 
 likely to be forgotten. The Dautray brothers, looking 
 earnestly upon him, felt that here indeed was a leader 
 amongst men, who would have power to impose his will 
 upon all with whom he came in contact. 
 
 "Dautray, Dautray!" repeated La Salle, his eyes fixed 
 full upon the group at the vessel's side. " I, too, have a 
 Dautray on board. Can they be akin ? Go, call Dau- 
 tray to us, one of you fellows," he added to some sailors 
 standing by ; and the next minute a man appeared from 
 below, who, after staring hard at Jean for full half a 
 minute, greeted him warmly as his brother, and fell upon 
 his neck. 
 
 It was indeed so. The brothers, parted in boyhood, 
 had met in this strange fashion upon the deck of La 
 Salle's vessel out in the Far West. Their astonishment 
 and joy provoked a smile, even from the stern- faced La 
 Salle. Pierre Dautray was a year or two older than his 
 brother. He, too, was a widower, and had one son, 
 Louis, also on board. He had left his native land 
 mainly on account of the grievous imposts and taxation 
 which ground the wretched peasantry down to the very 
 dust. He felt within him energy and power. He knew 
 that in France it was hopeless to try to raise himself 
 to a better position. If one hapless village succeeded 
 through the thrift and skill of its inhabitants in paying 
 its share of the imposts demanded, it was not secure 
 from further demands. For if the adjoining hamlets were 
 unable to furnish the required sum, then the deficit was 
 demanded from those who had proved themselves ready 
 
THE GREAT LEADER. 83 
 
 fco pay their own dues, and there was nothing but 
 misery and hopeless, helpless suffering everywhere. 
 Pierre Dautray, vexed to his soul, and in grievous indig- 
 nation at the injustice of the administration, had vowed 
 to leave a land where such things were permitted. He 
 long looked eagerly towards the West, hearing golden 
 promises of lands to be given to those who would go 
 forth to colonize them; and when news reached him that 
 the Sieur de la Salle was about to sally forth again, and 
 was seeking bold men to accompany him on his mighty 
 mission of exploration and colonization, he and his son 
 had made up their minds to join the party — and here 
 they were in the Far West, ready to go with their 
 leader to the world's end if need be. 
 
 All this was rapidly spoken between the brothers, 
 whilst La Salle stood a little apart, listening to the 
 account Father Fritz gave of his journey, yet hearing 
 almost every word spoken by the group so near to him. 
 Something in the eager aspect of the lads, in the stalwart 
 proportions of Jules — who had by this time completely 
 recovered his wonted health and strength — in the aspect 
 of the family, partly pleased him. He had the gift of 
 knowing men at a glance, and although he was often 
 forced to work with bad material, he was quick to 
 recognize sterling stuff when he found it. 
 
 When the eager colloquy between the brothers and 
 cousins had ended, he stepped forward and looked Jean 
 Dautray and his sons well over. 
 
 " Father Fritz tells me, my friends, that you have 
 
84 THE GREAT LEADER. 
 
 been driven away from your home in England through 
 the jealous distrust of envious neighbours, even as men 
 have been driven from France through the grievous and 
 heavy imposts levied upon the peasantry. The eyes of 
 all persecuted or enslaved persons are turning westward in 
 these days, as is but natural, seeing that here is a great 
 country where every man may build and plant and sow 
 and reap, and where, if he can keep his land free from the 
 spoiling hand of the Indian, he has no other foe to fear. 
 Along the banks of this great river upon whose bosom 
 we are even now sailing, fertile lands may be had by all 
 the sons of France who ask them of the governor. Seed 
 will be given them to plant, and they will receive 
 paternal care and guidance so long as they need it. His 
 Majesty watches over this new-born colony with tender 
 interest. He would make for France a new kingdom, 
 the foundations of which are already laid. When you 
 have reached Quebec you will see for yourselves what has 
 already been done, and what a great future lies before 
 those who will follow the dictates of their brave hearts, 
 and set themselves to the great task which lies be- 
 fore us ! " 
 
 There was a buzz of applause as La Salle uttered 
 these words. The whole company gathered about their 
 leader, eagerly anxious to hear him speak. La Salle 
 was a singularly silent man in the main. He scarcely 
 ever gave an opinion unless directly asked, and he never 
 spoke of what he did not thoroughly understand. When 
 he had seen a thing with his own eves he would describe 
 
THE GREAT LEADER. 85 
 
 it with clearness and force, but he was always careful to 
 distinguish between what he knew and what he had 
 only heard. This absence of anything like wild talk or 
 the boasting so common in all ages, and particularly in 
 travellers, who have seen what few men can claim to 
 have seen, gave to his words a singular value, and all 
 who knew him learned quickly to appreciate this quality, 
 and to give a quick and absolute credence to everything 
 spoken by him. They might not like his words. They 
 might take offence at them, but at least they would 
 believe them, and listen with a certain respect. 
 
 Throughout the voyage the leader had maintained an 
 almost absolute silence. He had watched and studied 
 the characters of the men whom he had taken with him, 
 but he had spoken almost nothing of his own purposes. 
 They therefore listened the more eagerly now that his 
 lips were unsealed, and pressed closely about him to 
 learn what he had to say. 
 
 La Salle told them plainly that, when once at Quebec, 
 they could make free choice of the life they preferred to 
 lead. He told them of the lands along the river bank 
 laid out in small holdings, which were granted to French 
 subjects almost free from imposts, and which, if tilled and 
 planted and cared for, would yield abundant increase. 
 He told how settlers had, through idleness or greed of 
 quicker gains, again and again neglected their lands, seek- 
 ing to maintain themselves by private trading with the 
 Indians — a thing forbidden by law — and how misery and 
 disaster had fallen upon them and upon the community 
 
86 THE GREAT LEADER. 
 
 in consequence. He told how the young men again and 
 again would become infected by the desire after the free- 
 dom of Indian life, and would actually run off into the 
 woods and live like savages among the Indians. Cou- 
 reurs de hois these creatures were called, and many edicts 
 had been issued against them. But once in the fast- 
 nesses of the forest it was hard to lay hands upon them, 
 and the Indians in the main were friendly to all such 
 fugitives, although there was always the risk of meeting 
 a hostile tribe, and suffering a lingering death by fire at 
 the stake. 
 
 He spoke plainly of the perils to be encountered from 
 the Indians. He himself had learned their language — 
 several at least of their forms of speech — and was ac- 
 quainted with many of the chiefs, and with their ways 
 and methods. He had found them friendly in the main; 
 but no one could depend upon the friendship of an Indian 
 tribe. Some private feud amongst themselves might con- 
 vert friends into enemies in a very short space of time. 
 Jealousies between tribe and tribe were fruitful causes 
 of vexation and bewilderment. Those who went amongst 
 them ran risks of many kinds, but for all that it was 
 the Indians who held in their hand the fur-trade, that 
 great and boundless source of wealth ; and if La Salle 
 could but carry out his great scheme, that trade, instead 
 of being diverted into half a dozen channels, and being 
 carried off to a great extent by the English and Dutch 
 settlers in Albany, might be monopolized entirely for the 
 benefit of France, and a vast stream of wealth be poured 
 
THE GREAT LEADER. 87 
 
 into her coffers, whilst those who discovered and organ- 
 ized this vast scheme might be made rich for life. 
 
 With a piece of charred wood La Salle drew upon the 
 white floor of the deck a rough map of the country he 
 was bent upon exploring. He traced the course of the 
 St. Lawrence river up to Lake Ontario, and showed how 
 that lake was connected with Lake Erie beyond. Then 
 he roughly indicated the position of Lakes Huron, Michi- 
 gan, and Superior, but took most pains in showing 
 the positions of the small tributary rivers such as the 
 Kankakee, taking their rise very near to the southern 
 extremity of Lake Michigan in the countiy of the 
 Miamis, and joining the larger river of the Illinois, which 
 emptied itself into the great Mississippi, the course of 
 which La Salle was now fully assured lay almost 
 directly to the south, and emptied its mighty volume of 
 water into the great Gulf of Mexico. He told them 
 of the discoveries of other explorers, of Cham plain and 
 Marquette. He sought not to impress his listeners with 
 any false ideas as to his own prowess, or the extent of 
 his own personal researches. He simply stated what he 
 had heard and what he believed, and showed how, if 
 once the trade of that vast country draining itself 
 into the Mississippi could be brought under the control 
 of France, a ceaseless stream of wealth would be 
 diverted to the parent country, and how a prosperous 
 colony might be formed. As it was, the perils of winter 
 navigation, the severities of climate, the proximity of 
 other nations in the northern lands, made constant havoc 
 
88 THE GREAT LEADER. 
 
 of tli'e monopoly of France, which every Frenchman 
 claimed as her due. But let the Mississippi once be the 
 only road, and let it be colonized and guarded by a chain 
 of forts all occupied by Frenchmen — let the river's 
 mouth be guarded, and the shipping protected in the 
 same way, and what glory, what wealth, what immeasur- 
 able importance would France not gain ! She would 
 become the mistress of the world, and would maintain 
 that position with ease and security. And they, the 
 pioneers of this great enterprise, would reap eternal 
 glory for their reward, to say nothing of the wealth and 
 position which would be the natural outcome of success. 
 It was just the kind of wild, chimerical project to fire 
 the blood of the men who heard it laid down. The colos- 
 sal proportions of the task could not be grasped by the 
 minds of those who heard La Salle speak. Men's minds 
 were full of wild, fantastic notions with regard to this 
 great western continent, and eagerly caught at any 
 scheme which promised adventure, wealth, and glory. 
 La Salle was a man of boundless confidence and ambi- 
 tion — not sordid ambition for personal advancement, 
 but the more noble ambition to achieve a great end. 
 He did not disguise the dangers which must lie before 
 them. He plainly counselled all who were afraid, to 
 remain in Quebec, and content themselves with small 
 grants of land from the governor, and the founding of 
 seignories along the river banks there between Quebec 
 and Montreal, where they could dwell in comparative 
 safety. 
 
THE GREAT LEADER. 89 
 
 But after the glowing words just heard, such an 
 ending to their voyage seemed tame and colourless. 
 Scarce a dozen of the men who heard were daunted by 
 the thought of peril, or were prepared to abandon the 
 great enterprise before them. As for the Dautray family, 
 both the French and semi-English branch were alike eager 
 to follow La Salle. He looked upon the faces surround- 
 ing him with penetrating glance, and his dark face soft- 
 ened slightly at what he read in the looks of his company. 
 
 " My friends," he said, " if we can trust each other, 
 and remain faithful to each other, and let no discourage- 
 ments daunt us, I verily believe that our undertaking 
 will be crowned with success. Yet it may be a question 
 of years before we arrive at our goal, and those years will 
 be full of toil and hardship — perhaps of trouble and 
 disappointment too. Let no man who is not prepared 
 for all this seek to be of our company." 
 
 Jean Dautray stepped up to the leader and said, — 
 
 " Sir, I would offer my poor services and those of my 
 eldest son here, upon whose strength and courage I can 
 well rely. As for these younger striplings, it is for you, 
 sir, to say if they be yet strong enough for the task that 
 lies before them. Willing and eager hearts they have, 
 I trow well ; but they have not the strength yet of their 
 brother. To go with you or with Father Fritz amongst 
 the haunts of the wild Indians is indeed the dearest wish 
 of their hearts. It will not be the spirit that will be 
 lacking. If they fail, it will be through weakness of 
 flesh." 
 
9 o THE GREAT LEADER. 
 
 La Salle turned his keen gaze upon Gaspare! and 
 Claude, who stood by quivering with excitement. Just 
 for the moment their young hearts were aflame after 
 adventure and the perils of the pioneer work. They were 
 half fascinated by the strong personality of La Salle, 
 and felt that they could follow him to the world's end. 
 
 La Salle read this enthusiasm in their flushed faces 
 and sparkling eyes, and something like a smile came into 
 his own, as he turned his glance from them to Father 
 Fritz. 
 
 " The lads have the right spirit in them," he said in a 
 low voice to the father. 
 
 " They have courage, they have endurance : methinks 
 they have finer qualities even than those. They will be 
 true, I take it, even to the death. More we cannot ask 
 of any." 
 
 " Yet they are young and unseasoned," spoke La Salle, 
 thoughtfully eyeing the lads, and then he looked up and 
 spoke in a pleasant voice that was not without an accent 
 of command in its tones, — 
 
 " My lads," he said, " you are brave lads, I can see 
 that in your faces ; yet you have seen little of wild life, 
 and you are young for my work. Go then awhile first 
 with Father Fritz, who will not tarry, as I must do, in 
 Quebec, to gather together what I shall need for my 
 journey. I know him. He will set forth almost at once 
 upon his mission to the Indians. Go you with him, if 
 he will take you, and thus you shall learn something of 
 the nature of the task that lies before us. Father Fritz 
 
THE GREAT LEADER. 91 
 
 will later join me and my party, for so he has promised; 
 and when he comes, you come also, if so be that you can 
 stand the life of exposure and toil. We shall soon see 
 then the stuff of which you are made." Then, as if that 
 subject were closed altogether, he turned to Dautray and 
 Jules, and entered into a brief colloquy with them, 
 accepting them willingly as volunteers for his proposed 
 expedition, and giving to them a few more detailed 
 explanations as to what lay immediately before them. 
 
 It was with great satisfaction he heard that the 
 silent Jules knew something of shipbuilding. Jules had 
 spent many of his winters in the shipbuilding yards of 
 Southampton, and knew much about the making of 
 vessels. Dautray himself was no unskilled man either 
 at blacksmith's forge or carpenter's bench. He and his 
 sons had been able amongst them to do almost all the 
 repairs and construction needed on their own holding in 
 England, and La Salle felt that in them he should have 
 two faithful and valuable assistants. 
 
 He brought them to the notice of his friend and 
 lieutenant (if the name is applicable), one Henri, Sieur 
 de Tonty, an Italian by birth, and a man of daunt- 
 less courage and boundless resource. He had been dis- 
 abled from his soldier life by having one of his hands 
 blown off by a grenade in the Sicilian wars, but, in spite 
 of this crippling, he retained a wonderful energy and 
 love of adventure, as well as a bright and fearless spirit 
 which nothing could daunt. He was as frank and open 
 as La Salle was grave and reserved. Perhaps that was 
 
92 THE GREAT LEADER. 
 
 why the taciturn leader was able to make a friend of 
 him so easily. Tonty greeted the Dautrays kindly and 
 cheerily, clapped the lads on the shoulder and spoke 
 encouraging words to them ; and then, as the shades of 
 evening were gathering, they were sent back to their 
 own little vessel, and the two anchored side by side for 
 the night, hoping for a favouring wind in the morning 
 which would take them into the city of Quebec. 
 
 That wish was granted. At midnight a breeze sprang 
 up. Anchors were lifted, and the vessels sailed side by 
 side up the estuary. The Dautray boys awoke to find 
 themselves gliding along the narrowing river's mouth, 
 and when they reached deck, eager to lose nothing of 
 what was passing, they were opposite Tadoussac, where 
 the first signs of man's habitation began to be seen here 
 and there along the green banks. 
 
 With breathless excitement they regarded the beetling 
 rocks of Mai Bay, and the foaming waterfalls and 
 wonderful gorges that from time to time greeted their 
 straining eyes. Father Fritz came and stood beside them, 
 pointing out here and there some object of more interest 
 than another, and bidding them watch for the mountain 
 Cape Tourmente, with its growth of dark forests round 
 which the clouds seemed to hover darkly. Then came 
 gentler and softer scenes, rich meadow land bordering the 
 shores, and lands laid out in some sort of cultivation, with 
 their log-houses at the edge of the clearing. Then, after 
 passing the wild and beautiful cataract of Montmorenci 
 and the Island of Orleans, upon which signs of habitation 
 
THE GREAT LEADER. 93 
 
 were plainly visible, the promontory of Quebec towered 
 up before their wondering eyes, crowned by its frowning 
 citadel, upon which the September sun beat down in 
 sultry fierceness. 
 
 Below the citadel clustered many roofs, first of the 
 upper, then of the lower town. Father Fritz pointed 
 out some of the more notable buildings, convent, monas- 
 tery, the Hotel Dieu, and the church of Notre Dame. 
 But the vessels were drawing already to their anchorage. 
 Greetings and salutations were reaching them from all 
 sides. Father Fritz was called for in half a dozen direc- 
 tions at once. The Dautray brothers stepped ashore 
 with a dazed feeling that the goal of their ambition was 
 gained at last. 
 
 They had reached the Far West. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A NEW WOULD. 
 
 IT was all so wonderful ! 
 Gaspare! and Claude had spent three whole days 
 wandering through the streets of Quebec, and their 
 curiosity and admiration were yet unsated. Father 
 Fritz had been their guide during his leisure hours. 
 He had sketched to them the checkered history of that 
 natural fortress since the days when Champlain's axe- 
 men had attacked the mass of walnut trees then cover- 
 ing the strand, and had built themselves a wooden 
 fortress and houses upon the savage rock, up till the 
 present time when massive buildings of stone, and a 
 small but increasing township stood there, and a French 
 Count — the celebrated Count Frontenac — ruled as 
 governor for the King of France, and Quebec was be- 
 coming one of the keys to the great new world. 
 
 The marvellous situation of the place never ceased to 
 strike the boys with wonder and admiration. The 
 sudden constriction of that vast waterway to a passage 
 but a mile wide, just above the Island of Orleans, the 
 great frowning cliffs on one side, and the green heights 
 of Pont Levi on the other, the wonderful citadel tower- 
 
A NEW WORLD. 95 
 
 ing above them and overlooking the upper and lower 
 towns alike aroused their wonder and admiration. 
 They had been into the church of Notre Dame, and 
 had marvelled at the solidity of its construction ; they 
 had wandered round the Jesuit College, and con- 
 versed with the brothers there, who seemed well 
 acquainted with Father Fritz, and who were eagerly 
 pleased to welcome any new-comers from Europe, and 
 hear all the news of the country they still called home. 
 They had listened to wonderful stories of the holy 
 Mother Mary of the Incarnation, and her pupils and 
 nuns in the Convent of the Ursulines ; and had visited 
 the trading magazines of the lower town with their 
 wealth of furs ready for shipment for France ; and had 
 even been admitted within the chateau of St. Louis and 
 seen the governor seated in a lame hall in earnest talk 
 with his friend and countryman La Salle, whose scheme of 
 exploration and colonization he was ardently forwarding. 
 The two brothers, Gaspard and Claude, were lodged 
 with Father Fritz at the tavern of honest Jaques 
 Boisedon, situated in the square near to the church. 
 The two elder Dautray brothers and Jules were in the 
 lower town near to the wharf, engaged upon certain 
 matters connected with the unloading of the vessel, and 
 preparations for the expedition in which they were now 
 regularly enrolled. That expedition, could not start 
 immediately. There was much to think of, much to be 
 done first. It was likely that Father Fritz might make a 
 far earlier start upon his mission to the Indians, and that 
 
96 A NEW WORLD. 
 
 the two parties might meet later on when the advancing 
 season should perhaps drive them into temporary winter 
 quarters. 
 
 Absorbing as was the admiration with which the 
 brothers observed everything in the place, their interest 
 was excited most keenly of all by the sight of the Indians 
 walking about, in all manner of odd dress and undress. 
 Many of these were strong, stalwart men, with a look 
 of nobility upon their hawk-like faces. But upon too 
 many of them there were signs of drunken debauchery 
 which had robbed them of such savage dignity as they 
 had once possessed. These poor wretches looked little 
 better than the brute beasts of the field, and upon the 
 face of Father Fritz there would steal a look of infinite 
 compassion and unspeakable sternness as his glance fell 
 upon some wretched creature gibbering or moaning or 
 raving in the clutches of the demon of drunkenness, and 
 he would turn to his pupils and say in tones of ringing 
 indignation, — 
 
 " See what has been wrought in these lands by men 
 professing the faith of Christ ! " 
 
 The boys heard much of the burning question of the 
 liquor trade with the Indians. Those ignorant and 
 savage races had already imbibed a passionate love of 
 the fiery drink of the white man, which could raise 
 them to such ecstatic heights of frenzy and delight. To 
 sell or give brandy to the natives had been a sure pass- 
 port to favour, and was one of the greatest resources of 
 the pioneers in making their way into new countries. 
 
A NEW WORLD. 97 
 
 But only too soon came the natural result of the traffic 
 in scenes of debauchery and horror which had scanda- 
 lized the Christian community, and given rise to legisla- 
 tion against it. The Jesuits, who were still the para- 
 mount power in the place — though their power was on 
 the wane, and Count Frontenac was unfriendly towards 
 them — had issued many edicts against the traffic, and 
 had done much to impose restraints ; but alas ! with the 
 subtlety of their order, and their inherently crooked 
 ways, they had secretly carried on the traffic themselves, 
 although under attempted limitations ; arguing that to 
 fill their own coffers with gold, which gold should be em- 
 ployed for the glory of God, condoned and excused a 
 breach of their own laws, to which, perhaps, they held 
 themselves superior. 
 
 These things were known to Father Fritz, and filled 
 him with a holy wrath and indignation. Sometimes 
 this indignation found vent in burning words. 
 
 " Think of it ! " he cried one day, as they passed a 
 group of Indians at a street corner, some lying in 
 sodden stupidity, some dancing and raving like maniacs, 
 all stamped with a brutality of aspect that was terrible 
 to see. " Think of it ! each one of those wretched 
 creatures possesses an immortal soul, and each soul is of 
 infinite value in the eyes of the Heavenly Father. The 
 Son of God died upon the cross to save yonder impotent, 
 ignorant beings ; and yet the servants of Christ — 
 baptized men, vowed to His service — help to transform 
 them into monsters of brutality from whom even the 
 
 (574) 7 
 
98 A NEW WORLD. 
 
 beasts of the field turn in loathing and contempt. Ah, 
 will not God judge ? will not He avenge ? Will not the 
 day come when the blood of our brothers — ay, and their 
 souls too — will be demanded at our hands ; and we 
 shall stand with shamed faces and breaking hearts be- 
 fore a righteous and wrathful Judge, and hear His 
 terrible sentence pronounced upon us, ' Depart from me, 
 ye workers of iniquity ? ' " 
 
 Gaspard and Claude shrank back at the sound of 
 these words, and exclaimed in one breath, — 
 
 " Not you, father, ah, not you ! You have done no 
 ill. You are ever doing good and seeking to snatch souls 
 from the coming wrath. " 
 
 But there was still the same look of infinite sadness 
 and thoughtful sternness upon the father's face. 
 
 " My children," he said, " how God may deal with 
 each one of us as individuals, I know not. I trust and 
 hope in His mercy, and under the shadow of His wings 
 do I look to find safety and rest when the battle of life 
 be past. But what lies heavy upon my soul is the 
 terrible falling away of the Christian church from the 
 pure doctrine and ordinances given her at the beginning 
 for the work of the ministry and for the perfecting of the 
 saints. She has not gone on to perfection. She has 
 not attained the stature and fullness of Christ. She is 
 not abiding in love and joy and hope, nor in the bond 
 of peace. She is rent and split into hostile camps. She 
 is at war with her own members. Instead of being, 
 like Mount Zion, the joy of the whole earth, she is as 
 
A NEW WORLD. 99 
 
 Babylon, the city of confusion. And will not the 
 Lord judge ? will He not punish ? will He not 
 demand of her those gifts and graces with which He 
 endowed her, and which she has scorned and slighted ? 
 my children, my heart bleeds for the thought of 
 what the Lord must feel as He looks down upon His 
 scattered and divided Church, His desolate heritage 
 and defiled sanctuary ! And is it enough to comfort 
 our souls with the thought that perhaps we as in- 
 dividuals may find mercy in His sight ? Must not we 
 shed tears of blood for the desolations we see in the 
 earth, and bear upon our hearts in intercession and 
 prayer and confession of sin, the burden of generations 
 of unfaithful service and coldness of faith ? " 
 
 Talk such as this, into which Father Fritz was 
 frequently bursting, as sign after sign appeared of man's 
 sinfulness and the imperfect service rendered even by 
 those who called themselves the dedicated servants of 
 God, could not but make an impression upon the sensi- 
 tive spirits of the two boys of whom at the moment he 
 was taking charge. Although his words were often far 
 above their understanding, they had a spiritual per- 
 ception of their meaning, and began to awake to a 
 sense of ardent longing to do some act of service for 
 the Master, whom Father Fritz strove so ardently to 
 serve with purity of heart and singleness of purpose. 
 They heard his words of loving counsel or of stern 
 admonition. They noted how he invariably recoiled 
 from all that savoured of hypocrisy or time-serving; 
 
ioo A NEW WOULD. 
 
 how he would not stoop for one instant to a petty deceit 
 even to obtain what seemed a great good. The Jesuit 
 doctrine of doing evil that good might come was ab- 
 horrent to him. It roused within him a holy indigna- 
 tion which awoke answering thrills in the hearts of the 
 boys. Amid a religious community where the leaven of 
 such doctrines had worked for a hundred years, it was 
 scarce to be wondered at that Father Fritz could find 
 no spiritual home. The evil mixing with much that 
 was good and true poisoned for him the whole system. 
 He would have none of it. 
 
 It was hardly wonderful, then, that he should have 
 elected at last to leave a continent where nothing but 
 strife, envy, and persecution could be found, and strive 
 in a newer and more primitive state of things to find 
 those who would seek to follow Christ without the strife 
 of tongues and the distraction of contrary winds of 
 doctrine. 
 
 Even here the poison of jealousies and divisions had 
 found a home. Numbers of the more recent immigrants 
 were Protestants, escaping from the persecutions they 
 met with in their own lands. To these men the Jesuits 
 were bitterly opposed, and would not admit that their 
 baptism was baptism at all, or that Indians converted 
 by them were of the true faith of Christ. 
 
 This teaching was horrible to the more enlightened 
 Father Fritz, who both believed himself, and strove to 
 make others believe, in the mystical unity of the one 
 body, the church, and continually advanced the words 
 
A NEW WORLD. 101 
 
 " one faith, one hope, one baptism," in support of a 
 teaching far in advance of the days in which he lived. 
 Small wonder was it that he had been coldly regarded 
 by ecclesiastics in many lands, although personally he 
 was much respected and beloved. They could not 
 understand such doctrine. Neither Protestant nor 
 Romanist was ready to acknowledge a universal brother- 
 hood in Christ. And so the father had been forced, 
 heavy-hearted and sad, to leave behind his own en- 
 lightened continent, to strive and bring the true light 
 of the One Gospel into this savage land as yet sitting in 
 darkness and the shadow of death. 
 
 This was not Father Fritz's first visit to the western 
 world. He had been here before, and he found many 
 friends on his return. One amongst these was the 
 Recollet friar, Hennepin, of the order of St. Francis, 
 who encountered the trio in the street not long after 
 their arrival, and seized Father Fritz by the hand with 
 warm words of greeting. 
 
 The boys had heard of Father Hennepin already, and 
 gazed curiously at him. He was a big man, who 
 looked as though possessed of a dauntless courage, as 
 indeed he was. His voice was deep and jovial ; he 
 spoke heartily, and without any of the customary sancti- 
 moniousness of the monk. He had not the spirituality 
 of expression that was so striking in Father Fritz ; and 
 there was a certain sly twinkle in the eye which be- 
 trayed something of the subtlety from which hardly any 
 monk-trained man escaped. But he was possessed of 
 
io2 A NEW WORLD. 
 
 pleasant address and hearty good-will of manner, and 
 was plainly not a little rejoiced to meet his former 
 friend. 
 
 " The very man out of all the world that I would 
 have had for a companion ! " he said. " Listen here, my 
 brother ; I have hastened down through Montreal from 
 Fort Frontenac, where I have been this last year or 
 more, to welcome back the Sieur de la Salle. I have 
 heard from him of the notable enterprise planned, and 
 right gladly would I join in it. But there is work — 
 much work — to be done nearer home ere I could with 
 a clear conscience start forth upon it. Now if thou wilt 
 join with me in this work, we shall the sooner be able 
 to effect a junction with the party of exploration, and 
 take our share in the great things to be achieved." 
 
 " What can I do ? " asked Father Fritz, whilst the boys 
 listened eagerly, for if the father started forth upon 
 some immediate expedition, surely they would be per- 
 mitted to accompany him. 
 
 " That I will soon explain," answered the Franciscan 
 quickly. " It is work we have done together before 
 now ; " and he then proceeded to inform his friends of 
 what was in his head. 
 
 There were settlements all along the banks of the 
 great river between Quebec and Montreal, and beyond 
 that place were scattered settlements or seigniories, as 
 they were called, right away to Lake Ontario, at the 
 east end of which stood Fort Frontenac, whence he had 
 come to meet La Salle. These scattered settlers could 
 
A NEW WORLD. 103 
 
 receive no regular religious instruction, because they 
 were unable to support a priest of their own. Thus 
 they were quite dependent for the offices of the church 
 upon the visits of wandering priests or friars who would 
 say mass, baptize their children, and teach or preach to 
 them. Father Hennepin had it in his heart to pay visits 
 all along the river to these scattered and neglected 
 people, and also to visit some of the Indian converts 
 in the villages, where he was acquainted with the people, 
 and where he had made a small beginning in instructing 
 them. 
 
 " But," said the father frankly, " I have noted that 
 with the Indians thou hast been more successful than I 
 can count myself to have been. So it has come into 
 my head that we might take two canoes, and form 
 two crews. I will land at the seigniories on the river 
 banks, see the French settlers there, and perform the 
 offices of the church, and thou shalt push farther along 
 and make for the homes of the Indians. They will 
 doubtless receive thee gladly, for they remember right 
 well those whom they have trusted and loved. Thus 
 will we travel partly in company, partly alone, and 
 when our mission is accomplished, and we have done 
 our duty towards those in this part, we shall with a 
 clear conscience push onward and join La Salle and his 
 party, who by that time may have completed their pre- 
 parations, and be ready to advance into these new 
 regions, which I confess I burn to see." 
 
 Gaspard and Claude exchanged eager glances, and 
 
104 A NEW WORLD. 
 
 they hung upon the father's next words. Surely if he 
 went, he might take them with him, and to behold the 
 Indians in their own homes, and see what life was like 
 amongst them, was the very foremost desire of their 
 hearts. 
 
 " I will very gladly share thy project, and see my 
 former friends the Indians," answered Father Fritz 
 readily. " I grieve to see so much drunkenness and evil 
 living among those that come into the precincts of the 
 city. Perchance in their own villages this curse is less. 
 It is pain and grief to me that we Christian men should 
 so debase those whom we should strive to raise and 
 bless." 
 
 Father Hennepin shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " Ah, that is the work of the Jesuits," he answered, 
 being himself no friend to that order. " Count Frontenac 
 has traced almost all the liquor trade to those foxes, 
 who profess to seek to stop it. But, after all, if one 
 did not sell, another would. The creatures are bent 
 upon getting it. True, it makes beasts of them, and they 
 ruin their health and perish by scores. But that is no 
 great evil in the opinion of many. There be those who 
 advocate even the poisoning of drink, that whole tribes 
 may be exterminated at once." 
 
 The eyes of Father Fritz flashed under their white 
 brows. 
 
 " A truly Christ-like doctrine ! " he said. 
 
 " Oh, of course 'tis very wrong ; but human nature is 
 frail, and the raids of the Iroquois have been a curse 
 
A NEW WORLD. 105 
 
 and a torment. At Montreal it has been terrible. 
 On the mainland men have gone in fear of their lives. 
 Some years it has scarce been worth while to seek to 
 till the land and garner the crops. The Indians have 
 fallen upon everything. Men have been carried off in 
 broad daylight, and never seen again. Doubtless they 
 have died at the stake in torments unspeakable. Small 
 wonder that they curse the Indians, and would fain 
 destroy them root and branch." 
 
 " Nay, nay, nay ; the Indians are human creatures 
 even like ourselves, and though wild and untamed as 
 the beasts of the field, they have souls and spirits which 
 can be trained and brought under the power of the love 
 of God. That is our task — not the extermination of 
 the bodies, but the reclaiming of the souls. We have 
 not found them fierce or cruel towards us, brother. Doth 
 not that show that if we approach them in the love of 
 the Lord, He has power even over their wild savagery, 
 and can bring them into subjection to Him ?" 
 
 " Ah, well, you are the man for them, brother. They 
 understand that kind of teaching, and I have often thought 
 we need such in our dealings with them. And who be 
 these youths gazing upon us so eagerly ? Neophytes of 
 thine ? — impregnated with thy doctrines ? Hast thou 
 brought them out with thee to found a new order of 
 mercy out in those wilds ? " 
 
 " Nay, I am no founder of any new order. I seek 
 rather to find and re-establish the apostolic order which 
 men have forgotten and overlaid. These be two lads of 
 
106 A NEW WORLD. 
 
 French and English blood, who have come to seek a home 
 out in the western wilds. Their father is with La Salle, 
 but these striplings have been thought something young 
 for his party. They are to belong to me for the time 
 being. They will travel with me amongst the Indians. 
 I have been seeking to teach them the Indian tongue. 
 Doubtless in time they may be of great value, for they 
 have ready hearts and willing limbs, and can turn their 
 hands to many tasks." 
 
 The boys' faces brightened at these kindly words of 
 praise, and the face of Father Hennepin put on a 
 benignant aspect. 
 
 « Very good, very good ; we want to train up suc- 
 cessors to take our places, and the lads have likely faces. 
 Then, brother, shall we start off after Sunday next ? 
 We must have each a canoe and Indians to propel it. 
 We must take provision for the journey, and I must 
 have my vessels and portable chapel, so that I can say 
 mass at the seigniories as we go. I have found my 
 Indians already. Doubtless you will have small trouble 
 in doing the like. I for my part put more faith in the 
 Algonquins than the Iroquois, but there be good and 
 bad in all tribes alike, and thou dost know them almost 
 as well as I." 
 
 Father Hennepin with a smile and a nod went on 
 his way, and Gaspard turned eagerly upon Father 
 Fritz. 
 
 " Oh, father," he said earnestly, " thou wilt take us 
 with thee ? " 
 
A NEW IVOR LI). 107 
 
 " I will gladly do so, if ye both be fully resolved 
 to risk your lives in such an enterprise. But know, 
 my boys, that all who go forth in these strange lands, 
 and amongst these wild untaught people, carry their 
 lives in their hands. Setting aside all perils by land 
 and by water (and these are more than ye yet know), 
 we have to face savage men, who may turn upon us 
 with fury one day, although at the first they may re- 
 ceive us well. Some sudden outbreak of jealous rage, 
 the very meaning of which we know not, may cause 
 them to become our mortal foes ; and then only the 
 mercy of the Lord can save us, and it may be that He 
 will have us glorify Him by our deaths rather than in 
 our lives. Terrible things are told of these Indians. 
 They can practise unheard-of cruelties upon their help- 
 less victims if they are minded to do so. Their own 
 prisoners they reserve after battle, to put to death by 
 fire at the stake, with many refinements of cruelty with 
 which I will not horrify your ears. That fate may be 
 ours if we go amongst them. Think if ye can risk such 
 a death. True, I have never been in peril from their 
 fierceness yet. But I am far from saying I shall always 
 meet with such hospitality and friendliness. Jealousy 
 of the encroachments of the white men may, and pro- 
 bably will, work more and more powerfully amongst 
 them as time goes on. Our beads and baubles, our 
 drink and tobacco, please them well now ; but the time 
 may come when they will think they are paying dear 
 for these things, and when they will combine together 
 
108 A NEW WORLD. 
 
 against the white invaders. And if so, it is upon the 
 pioneers that their first vengeance will fall." 
 
 But these words did not daunt the boys in the least. 
 Love for Father Fritz, intense curiosity about the 
 Indians, the innate love of adventure burning within 
 them, all combined to banish fear and to inspire them 
 with eagerness for the enterprise. Nor were they with- 
 out that desire to plant the banner of Christ upon the 
 Indian soil which was burning in the heart of Father 
 Fritz. They had not been with him all these weeks 
 without catching something of the missionary enthusiasm 
 which inspired him. 
 
 " We shall follow you to the world's end — for life or 
 death," they answered ; and he took their hands in his 
 a moment, and so holding them, blessed them. 
 
 Now all was hurry and eager bustle. Down by the 
 water's edge were crafts of all sorts, some loading, some 
 unloading, and amongst these shot in and out the bark 
 canoes of the Indians, with their dusky occupants flitting 
 hither and thither. Father Fritz stood silently watch- 
 ing these with his keenly observant eyes, and when one 
 large and graceful little bark shot suddenly alongside 
 the wharf where he was standing, he signed to the 
 fine-looking Indian who sat motionless, paddle in hand, 
 within it, and beckoned him to approach. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude stood beside him as the colloquy 
 proceeded, and strove eagerly to understand what passed. 
 Father Fritz had a remarkable gift for language, speak- 
 ing not only most of the European tongues with ease, but 
 
A NEW WORLD. 109 
 
 also several of the Indian dialects. He had taken some 
 pains during the long hours of the voyage to teach 
 these latter tongues to the Dautray boys, who had been 
 eager to learn. They had found upon arriving at Quebec 
 that they were able to hold a limited converse with some 
 amongst the Indians walking about, and had lost no 
 opportunity of enlarging their vocabulary. They could 
 now follow the drift of the talk going on between the 
 father and the Indian, and soon felt sure that the man 
 was assenting readily to the request that he should be 
 their conductor up the river in this very canoe lying 
 beneath them. 
 
 The boys looked at it eagerly. It was long, and 
 gracefully though strongly built, capable of holding 
 half a dozen persons. The prow was carved to the 
 similitude of a bird's head, and the boys gave to the 
 craft the name of the Swan. The Indian was a fine 
 specimen of his race, and his brown body showed the 
 scars of many wounds obtained in conflicts with hostile 
 tribes. His name was a strange one. The boys could 
 not frame their lips to pronounce it. They called him 
 instead Swanalulu, and to this name he learned 
 quickly to answer with flashing smiles that showed a 
 double row of white teeth. He seemed from the first to 
 be very friendly, not to the father only, but also to the 
 boys ; and to take keen interest in the thought of 
 pioneering the party up the river, and accompanying 
 them to the haunt of his brown brethren along the 
 banks of the mighty river. 
 
no A NEW WORLD. 
 
 Dautray was ready enough to let his sons go under 
 the care of Fathers Fritz and Hennepin. It was 
 thought that the meeting with the expedition under La 
 Salle would take place a month or six weeks later at 
 Fort Frontenac, which might be regarded as the last 
 outpost of civilization. Beyond that fort lay an al- 
 most unexplored country, divided between innumerable 
 tribes of wild Indians. A few hardy explorers had 
 visited one or other of the great rivers or lakes during 
 the century, bringing back reports of greater or less 
 veracity. But little definite was known, save that 
 some mighty river did take its rise beyond the chain 
 of giant lakes, and ran a course of thousands of miles 
 to the south before emptying itself into the Gulf of 
 Mexico. 
 
 To learn more of this mysterious region, and to win 
 wealth and glory for France, was the task to which La 
 Salle was pledged ; to seek to establish amongst the 
 heathen Indians the knowledge and love of God and His 
 Christ was the aim and object of Father Fritz ; and to 
 work together and in harmony was the desire of both. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 AWAY, away, to the West ! 
 The light birch-bark canoe, propelled by the 
 strong and skilful arms of Swanalulu, shot through the 
 gleaming waters of the vast river. Gaspard had already 
 learned to ply the paddle with a strength and skill which 
 won him many an approving word from the father, and 
 many a beaming smile from the stalwart Indian. 
 
 They had gazed with wrapt curiosity at the little, 
 seigniories and holdings lying along the river banks 
 between Quebec and the outlying colony of Montreal. 
 They had heard Father Hennepin say mass in his port- 
 able chapel at one of these places before they parted 
 company and took their separate journey along the 
 upper reaches of the river. 
 
 At first the boys, Protestant by training, had glanced 
 uncertainly at one another as the idea of attending 
 mass was suggested to them. But looking to Father 
 Fritz for direction, they saw a gentle smile creep into 
 his eyes, and he said, — 
 
 " My children, out here in these wilds, let us forget all 
 
ii2 IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 differences of opinions, all strivings and heart-burnings. 
 Let us only remember that we are all children of God, 
 and heirs of salvation through the death of the Lord 
 Jesus. Let us worship Him together in unity and love, 
 showing forth the mystery of His blessed Passion until 
 He come again." 
 
 So Protestant and Romanist had knelt side by side, 
 with the voice of the great river sounding in their ears 
 and telling its endless story ; the Indian crouching 
 reverently just without the door, following the service 
 in his own peculiar fashion, and bending his head in 
 token of reverence and submission to the Great Spirit. 
 
 Then with friendly words of farewell they had left 
 Father Hennepin to his task of visitation amongst the 
 scattered settlers, and had appointed Fort Frontenac as 
 the meeting-place later on, which place was to be the 
 general rendezvous of the whole exploring party, La 
 Salle himself desiring to get there before the winter 
 settled down upon the great country. 
 
 Now the frail canoe had passed the settlement of 
 Montreal, and the eager boys found themselves in the 
 vast solitudes of a world of wood and water, where 
 it seemed to them as though the foot of white man could 
 scarce have trod before. 
 
 " Come to my people," Swanalulu had pleaded, as his 
 native reserve melted before the friendly good-fellowship 
 of the two boys, and the simple yet heavenly teachings of 
 Father Fritz. The Indian had picked up enough of the 
 French tongue to understand much of what passed 
 
IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 113 
 
 between the father and his pupils, and he listened with 
 avidity to the beautiful and simple truths of Christianity 
 and universal brotherhood as expounded by the en- 
 lightened and o-reat-souled Father Fritz. He began to 
 have a dim understanding of the eternal fatherhood of 
 God, such as had never been obtained by him 1 during 
 his many visits to Quebec, and his intercourse with the 
 Jesuits there. 
 
 " Come to my people," he had said. " They live in 
 darkness. They are smitten by a great sickness. They 
 die like dogs, and there is none to help or comfort them. 
 Come and tell them of the Great Spirit. Give them 
 medicine, and teach them these things. They will then 
 bless you and follow you to the world's end." 
 
 Father Fritz found upon inquiry that Swanalulu 
 belonged to one of the many sections of the great Algon- 
 quin tribe, and that he dwelt upon the banks of the 
 upper reaches of the Ottawa River. That country was 
 unknown to him, but he was willing to go wherever a 
 door seemed to open, and as for the boys, anything that 
 promised adventure in strange lands filled them with joy. 
 
 The journey hitherto had been wonderful, but simple, 
 inasmuch as the great waterway between Quebec and 
 Montreal was being constantly navigated, and all diffi- 
 culties were speedily and readily overcome. 
 
 Now they were launched upon waters comparatively 
 seldom traversed, save by the flitting canoes of the 
 Indians, and here a new world seemed to unfold before 
 them. 
 
 (574) 8 
 
ii 4 IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 With breathless wonder they soon beheld the foaming 
 rapids of Carillon, dashing and boiling with such fury 
 and power that a near approach was impossible. 
 
 " Now we must walk/' said Father Fritz, cheerfully. 
 " Swanalulu will brinij the canoe after us alon» the 
 forest brack." 
 
 The Indian smiled and nodded, and quickly directed 
 the little craft towards the bank. Then the three 
 travellers loaded themselves with such impedimenta as 
 they had brought with them, and commenced to force 
 their way through the tangled brushwood of the forest, 
 whilst their companion shouldered the light canoe upon 
 his stalwart back, and marched behind them, chanting a 
 rude song in his native tongue, or imitating the cry of 
 the wild birds and beasts for the amusement of the 
 boys. 
 
 It was a grand sight to see the river foaming along 
 beneath them in its turbulent course. The wonders of 
 this mighty forest land fascinated the boys completely. 
 
 " I would we could found here a colony, and live 
 always in these wilds, and teach the natives, and convert 
 them to the faith of Christ, and build up a beautiful 
 church here on the river's bank, where all men might 
 worship God in spirit and in truth ! " cried Claude, as 
 he looked up into the giant trees, which seemed to form 
 a natural temple overhead. 
 
 " Patience, my children, patience," answered Father 
 Fritz, with a smile. " We have in the Word of God a 
 glorious promise that one day all the world shall be His, 
 
IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 115 
 
 and He will rule over it from end to end. We know 
 not when that day will come, but we can leave it to 
 Him ; ourselves, as humble instruments, seeking to do the 
 tiny atoms of work with which He has entrusted us, 
 and always leaving the result with Him. For if we 
 seek to see results now, well might we bow our heads 
 in despair." 
 
 When they took to the canoe again he questioned 
 Swanalulu more closely as to the condition of his people, 
 and the nature of the illness which seemed to be devas- 
 tating them. From the replies received he gathered 
 that it was a species of ague, and that probably its 
 virulence might be partly attributed to the eager con- 
 sumption of raw spirit which the hapless Indians bought 
 from the fur-traders in exchange for their beaver skins, 
 and which was becoming so terrible a curse through the 
 country. 
 
 Father Fritz, as they went along, sometimes stopped 
 the canoe and disembarked, walking through the forest 
 and culling certain herbs he found growing there. He 
 gave to the boys the leaves of some to chew, and told 
 them that they possessed valuable medicinal properties, 
 and that they were of great use in curing those attacked 
 by the ague. The boys showed him some of the little 
 phials which old Margaret had given them, and which 
 they still carried in their wallets. Father Fritz tasted 
 them, and pronounced them to be decoctions of herbs, 
 which might some day be very useful. 
 
 At night, when they made their camp fire and sat 
 
u6 IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 round it, he prepared a decoction of his own leaves, and 
 stirred it patiently a great while, telling the boys meantime 
 of the wonderful properties to be found in almost every 
 plant and tree, and ever turning their thoughts with 
 loving reverence and gratitude towards the Heavenly 
 Father, whose goodness made such wonderful provision 
 for His children, although they took of His good things 
 so often without a thought of the Giver. 
 
 The brothers fell asleep at last beside the fire, with 
 the vision before their eyes of the good father preparing 
 his healing medicine, and talking earnestly to the Indian, 
 who squatted beside him, and seemed to hang upon his 
 words with reverence and keen attention. 
 
 Gaspard was the first to wake. His eyes opened 
 upon a strange and wonderful scene. Day was dawning 
 — the wonderful dawn of the forest. The east was all 
 in a fervid glow of palpitating light. Between the 
 solemn pines, with their heavy drooping wealth of dark- 
 green needles, the sun rose like a ball of lambent fire, 
 darting: long shafts of burning flame through the 
 illimitable rows of sentinel trees. Below them the great 
 river slipped along through its wood-crowned banks, a 
 glossy, transparent, green colour, save where the sun- 
 light touched it in the widening reaches and dimpled it 
 with spots of gold. 
 
 Suddenly the life of the forest began to awaken. 
 Strange bird-calls were echoed from tree to tree, here 
 and there a songster broke into a sudden flood of 
 melody. Another day had dawned in this trackless 
 
IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 117 
 
 wild, and nature was bidding it welcome, though the 
 eye of civilized man had seldom penetrated these wilds 
 to rejoice in the wondrous beauty of the Canadian 
 dawn. 
 
 Soon, all the party were astir, and the canoe was 
 loaded and launched on the bosom of the still sleeping 
 river. But not for long were they able to pursue their 
 way along the watery road, for flecks of foam were 
 already dotting the water, and a sullen booming roar 
 broke gradually upon their ears. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Gaspard, looking along the river, 
 and then turning his eyes upon the face of Swanalulu. 
 
 " It is the voice of the great water-spirit," answered 
 the Indian — " the spirit who lives in the underground 
 caverns of the river, and whose voice is heard for miles." 
 Then he suddenly paused, glanced at Father Fritz, and 
 added : " But doubtless the Great Spirit of the white 
 men is greater than he, and will preserve us, even if we 
 make not the offering to the spirit of the waters." 
 
 In truth, it was the cataract of the Chaudiere that 
 they were approaching, and which soon shone snow- 
 white before them, right across their path. A glorious 
 and beautiful sight in the sunlight — sheets of spray 
 bursting out like puff's of smoke from a cannon's mouth, 
 and the whole torrent encircled by the shifting glories 
 of the ever-changing rainbows hanging in the quivering 
 air. 
 
 The sight was so glorious that the canoe was taken 
 up as near to the fall as was possible, and the travellers 
 
n8 IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 remained silently watching 1 the wonderful scene till 
 Swanalulu drove his bark to the shore, and dragged it 
 forth to convey it once more upon his shoulders to 
 quieter waters above. 
 
 But the travellers still stood fascinated by the won- 
 derful beauty of the scene. Father Fritz broke suddenly 
 into speech. 
 
 " Think of it, boys ! All these thousands of years 
 from the creation that water has been falling in sheets 
 of foam ; those glorious rainbow tints — like unto the 
 rainbow encircling the throne of God — have been light- 
 ing up this wilderness, and only God Almighty to look 
 down upon its wild beauty. Is it not wonderful to 
 think of ? That He should have made all this beauty, 
 without any human eye to revel in it. Surely He must 
 Himself love this earth, and regard it with fatherly 
 tenderness and pride ! And think of the glories which 
 He will reveal to us when He shall make all things 
 new, and when His kingdom shall be set up for ever ! " 
 
 But ere the boys could frame any answer the quick 
 eyes of the Indian had espied something, and with a 
 sudden gesture of caution he threw himself down upon 
 the grass, and motioned to his companions to do the 
 same. They obeyed, thinking at the first that he had 
 seen some wild beast approaching ; but almost im- 
 mediately perceived that it was some Indians in a canoe, 
 coming as near to the head of the fall as it was safe to 
 approach. A naked savage stood in the prow of the 
 canoe making wild, fierce gestures, and suddenly he 
 
IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 119 
 
 flung something into the boiling water, whilst im- 
 mediately his companions turned their paddles and 
 made rapidly for the shore. 
 
 " What did he do ? " asked Claude, wonderingly. 
 
 " Threw in tobacco," answered Swanalulu. " It is 
 what our people always do — to make an offering to the 
 spirit of the waters for a safe voyage. I would have 
 done the same myself, but that Father Fritz has taught 
 me that there is only one God, and that He is the Great 
 Spirit to which all the rest are subject." 
 
 Gaspard would have asked more of this custom, but a 
 sudden sound smote upon their ears and distracted their 
 attention. 
 
 It was like the sound of fighting. Wild cries arose 
 upon the stillness of the air — cries of rage and pain and 
 terror, and the Indian war-whoop, which always meant 
 battle. 
 
 Swanalulu seemed instantly to understand. 
 
 " Some Iroquois have been lying in wait ! " he cried, 
 springing to his feet. " They wait for our canoes here 
 at the falls, and if we give our offering to the spirit of 
 the water, they think our canoes are laden with furs, 
 and they fall upon us and slay and rob us. Let me go 
 to the aid of my brethren. Let me strike a blow for 
 them, else will they be murdered by our foes, and their 
 goods will be spoiled." 
 
 " We will go with thee ! We will help thee ! " cried 
 the boys, who, well armed and full of generous impulse, 
 were eager to help the weak against the strong. 
 
i2o IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 Swanalulu, with a yell and a whoop which sounded 
 terrible even in the ears of his comrades, sprang 
 forward towards the place whence the sounds of warfare 
 issued, and the two lads were after him in a second. In 
 three more they had reached the spot where a fierce 
 fight was being waged by about a dozen naked Indians, 
 all struggling together with their savage weapons up- 
 lifted, and rending the air with their cries. But without 
 the guidance of Swanalulu the boys would not have 
 known friend from foe, and would have feared to join 
 the conflict. As it was, Swanalulu indicated to them 
 whom to attack, and they fell with right good will upon 
 a pair of swarthy savages, whose faces were painted in a 
 hideous manner, and who were dancing and yelling in 
 so ferocious a manner that they could not hear the 
 approach of these new foes. 
 
 In a few minutes, however, the Iroquois saw that 
 they were outnumbered, and they fled to the forest with 
 yells of rage and defeat. One of their number lay upon 
 the ground, and the victors eagerly pounced upon him, 
 bound him hand and foot, and conveyed him to their 
 canoe. 
 
 " They will torture him to death to-night ! " said 
 Swanalulu to his companions, with a certain satisfaction 
 in his tone ; but the lads looked appealingly at Father 
 Fritz, whose face had grown grave and almost stern. 
 
 " We will see about that," he said briefly, and the 
 next minute they were all surrounded by the eager and 
 curious Indians, who had heard from Swanalulu that 
 
IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 121 
 
 these white men were coming as visitors to their tribe, 
 and who were filled at once with the most lively 
 curiosity and pleasure. 
 
 When they found that Father Fritz could speak to 
 them in their own language they were more delighted 
 than ever, and soon brought from their canoe a present 
 of beaver skins, which they begged of him to accept. 
 He answered them that he came not as a trader, but to 
 bring them some good news, and gently put aside their 
 gifts, telling them that he would rather they kept them 
 for their own use. 
 
 This was strange teaching to such a people, but 
 Father Fritz had a gentle and conciliatory way with 
 him that won affection and confidence, and for the rest 
 of their voyage along the upper Ottawa the party was 
 attended by this new contingent, who altered the course 
 of their canoe, and decided to return to their village, 
 escorting the white visitors with them. 
 
 It was certainly a wonderful journey for the boys. 
 The falls of the Chat, with their sixteen cataracts, filled 
 them with astonishment and admiration one day ; upon 
 another, they came across the path of a forest tornado, 
 and saw huge trees levelled to the ground like matchwood, 
 and caught glimpses of the glistening eyes of the wild 
 cat as it peered at them through the branches and then 
 dashed headlong away. The natives caught wild duck 
 for them to eat, and prepared it native fashion, and they 
 fraternized with these dusky creatures, grew familiar 
 with their language, and insisted (to the surprise and 
 
122 IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 disgust of their friends) in making advances to the 
 sullen Iroquois prisoner, in giving him food and dressing 
 his wounds, and getting him to speak to them in his 
 tongue. 
 
 However, the white men were regarded as benignant 
 spirits who might do what they would, and after a few 
 days of travel the Algonquin Indians, with great show of 
 triumph and joy, marched them into the little clearing 
 which they had made by the edge of Muskrat Lake, 
 and where they had erected a rude settlement for them- 
 selves, which they dignified by the name of a town. 
 
 But it had been a bad season for the Indians here. 
 Not only had their adventurous enemies the Iroquois 
 made frequent raids upon them, but they had been 
 attacked by the malady of which Swanalulu had spoken, 
 and many had died, whilst others had been terribly ill, 
 and were even now only able to crawl about in a feeble 
 fashion. 
 
 The village was a strange place. It consisted of rows 
 of bark huts or wigwams, the largest of these being in 
 the centre and reserved for the chief. Blackened 
 stumps of trees encumbered the ground, the people 
 having been too idle to do more than burn down the 
 trees to effect the clearing, leaving the charred stumps 
 standing grimly all round. 
 
 The chief, having been warned of their approach, 
 came out to greet the strangers, bearing the calumet, or 
 peace-pipe, in his hand, and he and Father Fritz ex- 
 changed friendly words, after which the three white 
 
IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 123 
 
 men were conducted into his hut, and a feast spread 
 before them. 
 
 It was not a very sumptuous refection certainly, but 
 the boys were wonderfully entertained to see the various 
 queer dishes brought in by the wild-looking squaws 
 and presented to them with solemn ceremony. They 
 did not find the cooking bad, and ate as much as they 
 could ; rings of curious Indians standing round them all 
 the while, sometimes daring to advance and touch them 
 or their clothes or their weapons, and then moving off 
 again, grinning and chattering like so many monkeys. 
 
 Father Fritz meantime talked with the chief, and 
 having heard of the sad condition of the sick, he told 
 them that he would see if he could in any wise help 
 them. First he bade the chief assemble the people 
 together, whilst he addressed himself to them. He 
 told them very simply that he himself could do nothing, 
 but that he served the great God of heaven and earth 
 — the Great Spirit, as they called Him, and that He 
 could do everything, and loved all His creatures, even 
 though they knew nothing of Him. After seeking to 
 make his hearers understand something of the nature of 
 prayer, he bade them all kneel down, and then prayed 
 for a blessing upon the means he was about to use. 
 
 This being done — greatly to the edification of the 
 Indians, who were impressed by the little ceremony as 
 well as by Father Fritz's manner — he took his herbs and 
 preparations and went amongst the sick, giving to each 
 what he judged best, and adding a few words of cheer 
 
i2 4 IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 and blessing. Afterwards they all retired to the wig- 
 wam which Swanalulu had prepared for their accommo- 
 dation, and which they found lined with beaver skins 
 and almost luxurious in its accommodation, and passed 
 a night of sound sleep in the heart of this strange 
 Indian village. 
 
 In the morning they were greeted by the news that 
 the patients were much better. The man who had ap- 
 peared to be dying yesterday was sitting up and eating 
 to-day. The village was in a state of excitement and 
 joy because the chief had declared that the Iroquois 
 prisoner should be done to death at the stake to-day in 
 sight of all the people, and already the drums were 
 being beaten to assemble the community to witness his 
 agonies in the fire. 
 
 " Father Fritz, Father Fritz ! you won't let them ! " 
 cried Claude, rushing up to the father in a state of 
 great excitement ; and Father Fritz came out of the 
 tent, bare-headed and with a strange look upon his face, 
 and placed himself beside the stake which was being 
 set up in the midst of the village. 
 
 The Indians looked wonderingiy at him ; but he spoke 
 no word until all were assembled around the stake, 
 whither the captive was being led, bound with thongs, 
 and wearing a look of mingled defiance and baffled fury 
 upon his face. 
 
 Then the father stretched out his hand and laid it 
 upon the shoulder of the captive. 
 
 " This man belongs to the great God of heaven and 
 
IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 125 
 
 earth, of whom I told you but yesterday. He made 
 him, He loves him ; if you put him to this death in 
 cold blood you will provoke the sorrow and anger of 
 Him whom you yesterday desired to serve. We have 
 bent our knees in prayer to Him to spare and save your 
 sick. If you disobey His laws in cruelly slaying this 
 His servant, how can you ask His blessing ? My 
 children, what the Lord pardons in your ignorance, He 
 will not pardon to men who have been told that it is 
 against His will. You are His servants ; you may 
 become His children. He has made you all, even as 
 He has made this enemy. Do His will, and He will 
 abundantly bless you. Turn your back upon His com- 
 mandments, and He will be forced (though with pain 
 and grief) to turn His back upon you. For He does 
 not compel obedience — He asks it of all, and He abun- 
 dantly blesses all who yield it to him." 
 
 Not once, not twice, but many, many times, and in 
 varying words did the father impress his teaching upon 
 the astonished ears of the Indians. So strange did this 
 gospel sound that it was long ere they could grasp even 
 the most elementary of its truths. But they loved the 
 speaker. They could not help it. His perfect fearless- 
 ness impressed them with the idea that he bore a 
 charmed life and came with a divine message ; his re- 
 luctance to accept gifts seemed to indicate miraculous 
 ways of possessing himself of riches ; whilst his tender 
 gentleness of manner and address touched what was soft 
 and human in their hearts. They did not want to 
 
126 IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 offend this man. They wanted to keep him amongst 
 them, and so the prisoner was taken away by the chief's 
 command, and upon the next day was actually released 
 and permitted to make for his native solitudes un- 
 harmed. 
 
 For several weeks did the travellers remain in the 
 Algonquin village. The sick recovered, partly through 
 the action of the remedies and partly from the better 
 attendance they received through the instructions of 
 Father Fritz and the two lads, who both interested 
 themselves greatly in the welfare of the village. They 
 taught the Indians how to build better huts, and how to 
 clear and till their plots of ground. They learned from 
 them many clever ways of snaring and hunting the 
 wild creatures of the wood, and lived a free and happy 
 life of adventure, whilst the father gave teachings and 
 earnest exhortations to the people, and brought into 
 their darkened lives some of the first faint glimmerings 
 of Christianity. 
 
 But time passed on with wonderful rapidity, and the 
 snows of winter began to fall. The boys quickly 
 learned the art of skimming along upon snow-shoes, 
 and found the progress a delightful one. Father Fritz 
 had learned it in past years, and could rival even the 
 active boys in feats of strength and endurance. The 
 time came when they must say adieu to the friendly 
 natives, and begin their journey by land — for they 
 decided upon that as the easier method of transit, 
 now that the snow and ice were blocking the water- 
 
IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 127 
 
 ways — to Fort Frontenac, to join the rest of the party 
 there, and carry their crusade to other Indian settle- 
 ments. 
 
 The friendly Indians looked very serious as they 
 heard something of the plan sketched out by La Salle. 
 They feared it would end in death and disaster to all 
 concerned. They said that the great river was haunted 
 by terrible demons as well as by hostile tribes ; that 
 it changed its course from season to season, and that 
 the perils were more than mortal man could contend 
 with. All this was but the tradition and legendary 
 lore of the Indian tribes, who implored their friends 
 hot to adventure themselves on such a terrible enter- 
 prise, and would gladly have kept them always with 
 them, except for the resolve they all had to keep to 
 their plan, and .meet their fellow-countrymen at the ap- 
 pointed place. 
 
 But the father promised that this Indian settlement 
 should not be forgotten. Wherever there were baptized 
 Indians confessing their faith in Christ, there the hardy 
 friars and priests penetrated as occasion served, to keep 
 them in mind of their profession, and teach them more 
 and more of the true faith. The chief and his household 
 were baptized by Father Fritz before he left, together 
 with a number more of the Indians, and they promised 
 to go from time to time to Montreal or to the little col- 
 ony at Fort Frontenac to attend service and visit the 
 fathers there. Their names were enrolled in a book 
 carried by Father Fritz, and would be reported to the 
 
i28 IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 
 
 friars at Fort Frontenac, of which there were several. 
 These neophytes should not be forgotten. 
 
 Indeed, the chief and some of his picked warriors 
 resolved to escort the party to Fort Frontenac, and right 
 glad were the travellers of their company. The faith- 
 ful Swanalulu had attached himself to them permanently, 
 and was only eager to be their servant for life. 
 
 It was a wonderful and mysterious journey, through 
 the fairy forest land, and over plains of trackless snow. 
 The boys were enchanted, and particularly so when the 
 track of a bear gave them the keen excitement of a 
 hunt, and an excellent supper at the day's end. 
 
 They were hardly ready for the close of these pleasant 
 hunting days, when at last the buildings of Fort Fron- 
 tenac rose up before them. But the hearty welcome 
 they received from the hospitable friars went far to 
 satisfy them, and they also heard news of the expedition, 
 which drove all other matters from their minds. 
 
 Two parties had already passed Fort Frontenac, and 
 gone onwards up the Lake of Ontario towards the river 
 and majestic fall of Niagara, where it was said that La 
 Salle was about to build, at the head of the fall, a ship 
 which should give him the command of all the upper 
 waters and lakes of that vast continent. 
 
 Father Hennepin, together with La Salle's second-lieu- 
 tenant, La Motte, had been the first to reach the fort and 
 pass onwards to Niagara. La Salle himself, with Tonty 
 and the bulk of his men, had passed a little later. The 
 friars reported that the attitude of the Indians was 
 
IN THE WILDS WITH FATHER FRITZ. 129 
 
 hostile, that they were very jealous of this new plan, 
 and that they feared misfortunes would follow from the 
 fact that La Salle's followers were themselves becoming- 
 disheartened, and that there were dissensions and strifes 
 among them. 
 
 All these things the travellers eagerly listened to 
 during the days they were forced to remain at Fort 
 Frontenac. It was the Christmas season for one thing, 
 and the hospitable friars were resolved to keep them 
 over that festal tide ; and Father Fritz was anxious 
 that his newly-baptized converts should be brought into 
 touch with their future pastors and priests, and attend 
 the religious ceremonies of the season. In addition to 
 this, the lake was lashed with a series of hurricanes so 
 severe that any attempt to launch a canoe upon it would 
 end in disaster and death to all concerned. They must 
 therefore be content to remain for the present where 
 they were, and await a favourable moment for the 
 passage of the stormy lake, and a junction with the 
 rest of their party. 
 
 (574) 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE " GRIFFIN." 
 
 JULES ! Is it thou ? Oh, it is good to see thy 
 face again ! " 
 " Gaspard ! Claude ! Why, lads, I should scarce 
 have known ye ! Ye be grown into veritable men ! 
 Ah, how I have been waiting and watching for you. 
 Methought some hurt must surely have befallen you. 
 But here you are, safe and sound at last !" 
 
 " Yes ; and Father Fritz too. He has come with us. 
 We have been with him all the time. But so many 
 things conspired to hinder us, and the friars at Fort 
 Frontenac begged us so hard to stay. The Sieur de la 
 Salle arrived there but ten days ere we left, worn and 
 wan and half starved." 
 
 " Ah ! Then he has arrived safely ? " questioned 
 Jules, eagerly. " We were sore afraid of the perilous 
 journey for him, over untrodden snow-fields, trackless 
 forests haunted by fierce Iroquois, and the treacherous 
 ice of the lake. He arrived safe, say you ? " 
 
 " Yes ; but worn out and almost starved, for their 
 food had failed two days before they reached the fort. 
 
THE "GRIFFIN" 131 
 
 Why did he leave the camp here ? He seemed full of 
 anxious cares when he arrived, but we understood not 
 well the matter in hand." 
 
 " Matter enough, in truth. We are sore beset here, 
 and have had all manner of disaster. We brought up 
 provisions in our little vessel, and the wherewithal to 
 build a fine vessel at the head of the fall, of which ye 
 shall hear more anon ; but when we had landed, and 
 had come up hither to set about making blockhouses 
 and shelters for ourselves, hard by the spot chosen as 
 our shipyard, the dolt of a pilot left in charge of the 
 vessel below loosed her from her moorings, in direct 
 defiance of the commands laid upon him, and she was 
 dashed in pieces and wrecked ere we heard a word of 
 his treachery or folly." 
 
 " And all stores lost ? " 
 
 " Almost all, and, what was worse, the bulk of the 
 stores and materials for the building of the vessel. We 
 have been sore pressed for food, and have been hindered 
 and balked at every turn. It is to gather together 
 fresh provisions for the further journey and the need- 
 ful plenishings for the ship that our commander has 
 gone to Fort Frontenac. Heaven speed him on his 
 mission, and bring him safely back to us again ! " 
 
 " And in his absence who is master here ? " asked 
 Gaspard. " We heard at Fort Frontenac that Father 
 Hennepin had gone forward to Niagara." 
 
 " Yes, he is here, and works valiantly at any task ; 
 but the Sieur de la Tonty is commander now. We 
 
132 THE "GRIFFIN." 
 
 love him well, for he has ever a kind word for all 
 around him, and never looks black and careworn as 
 the commander does. Yet, in truth, there is plenty to 
 give him sorrow and care ; for we have enemies abroad 
 who are seeking to stir up the enmity and jealousy of 
 the Indians, and there have been times when we have 
 had fears for our very lives." 
 
 Jules then proceeded to relate to his eager brothers 
 a few details as to the Indian policy and method of 
 procedure. Left to themselves, it is possible that the 
 wild denizens of the woods would have cared but little 
 for the doings of the white men amongst them, the 
 more so that they had hitherto been on friendly terms 
 with the French settlers. 
 
 But this new and audacious scheme of La Salle's, and 
 the colossal nature of the enterprise, was stirring up 
 bitter jealousy and hostility in the minds of his own 
 countrymen not concerned in it, and also of all traders 
 of other nationalities, of whom there was a sprinkling 
 in these parts of the country. 
 
 It was believed that if La Salle succeeded in his 
 enterprise the other traders of Canada would all be 
 ruined ; and their anger and enmity were deeply stirred. 
 They therefore sought to put every kind of hindrance 
 in his way. Some believed that they had tampered 
 with his pilot, and had caused the wreck of the vessel. 
 It was certain that seeds of discontent and jealousy had 
 been sown amongst his band ; and, more serious than 
 all this, there was a regular movement on foot to stir 
 
THE "GRIFFIN." 133 
 
 up the jealous hostility of the Indians against the 
 expedition, and to rouse in them those race hatreds 
 against each other which formed the mainspring of 
 their most ferocious deeds. 
 
 The neighbourhood of the chain of northern lakes 
 was the home of the fierce Iroquois, who were divided 
 into many tribes — such as Senecas, Cayugas, Onon- 
 dagas, Oneidas, Mohawks, and so forth. But along 
 the banks of the Mississippi and its tributary streams 
 lay the home of the Illinois, also divided into various 
 tribes ; and between Iroquois and Illinois there lay a 
 deep-rooted and bitter enmity and jealousy. 
 
 It was therefore an easy matter to stir up in the 
 hearts of the Iroquois hostility to any project which 
 was said to be for the prosperity and betterment of the 
 tribes of the Illinois. The enemies of La Salle and his 
 enterprise cunningly suggested these ideas to the fierce 
 warriors of the Iroquois. They told them that their 
 enemies would flourish and prosper, whilst they them- 
 selves dwindled and starved ; that all the trade of the 
 upper lakes would be diverted to another channel ; and 
 that these white men were only the friends of the river 
 tribes, who would grow rich and fat in proportion as 
 their rivals failed and died out. It was easy to play 
 upon the irrational jealousy of Indians, to whom the 
 doings of the white men were always more or less 
 enveloped in mystery. Jules told all this to his 
 brethren in few words, but added that, had it not been 
 the hunting season of the Iroquois, when they were 
 
i 3 4 THE "GRIFFIN." 
 
 scattered right and left throughout the forest regions, 
 he did not think they would ever have been per- 
 mitted to finish their work, or to remain unmolested 
 in their huts. 
 
 As it was, they had been right glad when the vessel 
 was forward enough to enable them to launch her on 
 the water and to sleep on board ; for an Indian squaw, 
 to whom kindness had been shown, had warned them 
 that her tribesmen had threatened to burn the vessel on 
 the stocks, and the huts of the workers with their 
 sleeping occupants inside ; and a close watch and guard 
 had to be kept up night and day, which had been a 
 serious tax upon the strength and patience of the 
 explorers. 
 
 The brothers had met just above the magnificent 
 Falls of Niagara, and it was whilst the younger pair 
 were gazing in amazement upon that majestic and 
 wonderful sight that Jules had suddenly come upon 
 them, on his way to the encampment below. Now, 
 however, he turned back with them, delighting to have 
 his brothers once more with him, eager to bring them 
 to their father, and to show them the vessel, so well 
 forward now as to look quite finished, and to afford a 
 safe place of refuge for the whole small colony during 
 the night. 
 
 Right glad was the father to see his sons again, and 
 to hear the story of their adventures. Right glad were 
 the boys to be now in the heart of the projected enter- 
 prise, having been so well seasoned by the past six 
 
THE "GRIFFIN" 135 
 
 months of forest life that Gaspard looked a man in 
 strength and size, and Claude was not far behind 
 him. 
 
 By day they all worked with a will at the final 
 finishing of the vessel, eagerly awaiting the return of 
 the commander and the commencement of the voyage. 
 His lieutenant, Tonty, was the cheeriest and bravest of 
 men, working almost as deftly with one hand as others 
 with two, superintending every detail, cheering all who 
 began to fear for the result of the enterprise, and sing- 
 ing gay songs to the tired workmen when, at the close of 
 the day, they gathered on deck for the evening meal. 
 
 But it was easy to see that harmony was far from 
 prevailing amongst the men themselves, and that some 
 of them were growing disheartened and discontented. 
 Then, too, Father Hennepin was inclined to be jealous 
 of Tonty, and to. seek to draw away the men's allegi- 
 ance from him. That bold friar had a good deal of 
 worldly ambition intermingled with his ecclesiastical 
 ardour, and there was often a considerable amount of 
 friction between him and the lieutenant. 
 
 The gentle influence of Father Fritz, however, did 
 much to preserve peace. He strove always to keep 
 before the eyes of the party their dependence upon one 
 another, and their duties one to the other ; and whilst 
 Father Hennepin contented himself by saying mass for 
 all who would listen, in the little bark chapel which 
 he had built upon shore, he was ready enough to let 
 Father Fritz address the men when he could find any 
 
136 THE "GRIFFIN" 
 
 to listen, and as many of this party were of the Prot- 
 estant persuasion, and coldly regarded by the friar, 
 the larger-hearted and more truly catholic priest could 
 obtain a far greater influence over them. 
 
 Spring had merged into summer, however, before La 
 Salle reappeared. The boys had been out hunting in 
 the woods, and were returning laden with game of 
 various sorts, when they were aware of a great excite- 
 ment and commotion in the camp. Rushing forward 
 to ascertain the cause, they found La Salle in the 
 midst of a circle of excited countrymen, all shaking 
 him by the hand, and eager to learn what news he 
 brought — eager, also, to show him the vessel, of which 
 they were justly proud ; and for the moment all was 
 goodwill and enthusiasm, and even the dark and melan- 
 choly La Salle unbent and was genial and complimentary 
 to all. 
 
 Nevertheless he brought back tidings of a disquieting 
 kind. His enemies in Quebec and Montreal were doing 
 all that was possible to undermine his credit and to 
 ruin his finances. It is true that he was in debt, for 
 he had raised money in various ways in order to obtain 
 funds for his cherished scheme. Now, taking advantage 
 of his absence, his creditors had seized his goods and 
 lands, and were making havoc of his private property ; 
 yet all the more was he bent on going forward and 
 proving to the world that a great and mighty enter- 
 prise was to be accomplished by him. 
 
 The ship was indeed a source of pride and joy to 
 
THE " GRIFFIN." 137 
 
 him. In compliment to Count Frontenac, his patron, 
 the prow had been carved into the similitude of a 
 gigantic griffin, and by that name the vessel was called. 
 La Salle had brought with him a fair provision in 
 stores and necessaries of various sorts. These had 
 been left for the time being below the fall at the 
 blockhouses there ; but the whole party set to work 
 now to drag them up to the heights, and an arduous 
 task they found it. But they worked with a will, 
 and in a few days all was transported to the vessel 
 and safely stowed. 
 
 La Salle had also brought with him two more 
 Recollet friars, Father Zenobe Membre and Father 
 Gabriel Ribourde, who were eager for the conversion 
 of the Indians, and the founding of the true faith in 
 the untrodden lands whither they were bent. The 
 fathers all lent aid to the men during their labours, 
 and assisted with their own hand in bearing the 
 burdens along the rough and steep road. For the time 
 being all was harmony and goodwill, and the sanguine 
 Tonty expressed a hope that their troubles were fading 
 away at last. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude presented themselves before the 
 commander, and craved permission to be of the explor- 
 ing party. The dark eyes of La Salle lighted with 
 approval as he took stock of Gaspard's fine proportions, 
 and heard the eager protestations of both boys. His 
 eyes fell upon the father, standing a little apart. He 
 had come to regard Dautray and his son as amongst 
 
138 THE "GRIFFIN? 
 
 his most loyal and trusted followers. Indeed all the 
 Dautrays had given him the greatest satisfaction. 
 
 " With all my heart, boys ; with all my heart ! " he 
 said. " It is of such as you that I would fain make up 
 my company. Stout hearts and loyal spirits can alone 
 carry us through all that lies before us. If your hearts 
 are in this thing, come, and welcome. I have heard 
 from M. de Tonty of the use you have been to him in 
 my absence, and from Father Fritz of your hardihood 
 and endurance." 
 
 The boys glowed with pleasure, made their bow, and 
 retired. Their hearts were beating high with excite- 
 ment and pleasure. Even the lips of the silent Jules 
 seemed to be opened at last, and the three brothers, 
 with their cousin Louis, sat far into the night looking 
 down into the flowing waters below them, and planning 
 all that they would dare and do when the moment for 
 'action should have come. 
 
 The morrow dawned fair and bright and clear— a 
 glorious August morning, the seventh of the month. 
 At the first flush of dawn the camp was astir ; the 
 willing band were jostling and hustling in eager desire 
 to get all in order by the time the commander should 
 appear. Tow ropes were attached to the vessel, and 
 ready volunteers pressed forward, clamouring for the 
 honour of towing her up stream to the lake above. 
 Her sails were set to catch the favouring breeze, and 
 as La Salle appeared on deck with Tonty at his side, a 
 great cheer arose from the throats of the whole party, 
 
THE "GRIFFIN." 139 
 
 followed almost immediately by the strong voices of the 
 four fathers, all raised in chanting the solemn words of 
 the " Te Deum." Instantly every head was bared, and 
 the men took up the solemn and soul-stirring strain. 
 As the last words were sung, the anchor was heaved up, 
 and the vessel glided with swan-like motion from its 
 moorings along the glassy current of the upper Niagara. 
 
 As she left her moorings she boomed forth a salute 
 from her cannon, and the gaping Indians lining the 
 bank of the river leaped high into the air in astonish- 
 ment, yelping like dogs in admiration and fear. 
 
 Swanalulu was of the party, and so were a few other 
 Indians, two of them being Mohegan hunters, who had 
 already attached themselves to La Salle's party, and 
 done excellent service in supplying it with game dur- 
 ing the inclement winter weather. The whole party 
 was in high spirits ; the sun shone down cheerily, and 
 rapid progress was made owing to the favouring con- 
 dition of the wind. 
 
 Runners in advance came hurrying back presently to 
 announce that the blue waters of Lake Erie were in 
 sight, and with another cheer of triumph the vessel 
 for a brief while was arrested in its course whilst all 
 those who had assisted to tow it along the upper 
 river embarked. Then with a swan-like motion the 
 little craft bounded forward again, and in another half- 
 hour had shot out upon the virgin water of Lake Erie, 
 where never sail had been seen before. 
 
 Again the strains of the " Te Deum " burst forth, and 
 
140 THE " GRIFFINS 
 
 the happy explorers felt that a voyage so auspiciously 
 begun could not but continue happily to the end. 
 
 Father Fritz moved thoughtfully to and fro on 
 deck, and Claude and Gaspard gravitated towards him 
 naturally. 
 
 " Is it not glorious ? Is it not beautiful, my father ? " 
 they asked. " Surely God is giving us His blessing ! 
 Surely He will be with us to the end ! " 
 
 " Truly He will, my children ; never doubt that," 
 was the ready answer. " But we must learn to feel 
 and know Him close beside us in storm and in tempest, 
 in hunger and peril, as well as in sunshine and success. 
 So alone can we truly know Him for the Unchangeable 
 Father. We must learn to see beauty in all things, and 
 to find contentment in His love, whether He lay upon 
 us a chastening hand, or give us pleasure to drink as 
 out of a river." 
 
 And the boys, who had learned much, and were 
 always learning, from Father Fritz, laid this lesson to 
 heart, and strove to act upon it in days to come, when 
 the clouds had gathered round them, and the sun of 
 success seemed shrouded for ever. 
 
 For three days the brave little Griffin skimmed over 
 the blue waters of the lake, and, having reached the 
 western extremity, turned up the strait of Detroit, and 
 crossed the Lake of St. Claire till the shining waters of 
 Lake Huron unrolled themselves before their eyes. 
 
 All through the strait, game had been abundant. The 
 hunters and some of the party, including the Dautray 
 
THE "GRIFFIN." 141 
 
 boys, had landed and had fine times chasing the quarry 
 through the woods and over the borders of the prairies. 
 Bears were found, which were so timid as to fall an 
 easy prey, and whose flesh was pronounced excellent. 
 The vessel was well laden with provision when at last 
 she shot out into Lake Huron. 
 
 But soon the clouds gathered ominously overhead. 
 First came a long sullen peal of thunder, and then a gale 
 of wind sprang up and lashed the water into a boiling 
 foam. The planks of the Griffin strained and creaked. 
 The men who were unskilled in seamanship hid them- 
 selves below decks, and cried helplessly upon their patron 
 saints. The good fathers lost courage, and gave them- 
 selves up for lost, all save Father Fritz, who walked 
 calmly to and fro, encouraging those who were seeking 
 to manage and guide the ship, and trying to inspire 
 resignation and courage amongst those lying in deadly 
 fear of death. 
 
 The pilot was cursing aloud, vituperating La Salle 
 for having taken him away from the brave salt ocean 
 to drown him on a miserable fresh-water lake ; and 
 even La Salle, though in no wise daunted, gave up for 
 a while all hope of saving themselves, and stood with his 
 hand on Tonty's shoulder, prepared to die bravely at 
 his post. 
 
 At the height of the storm Father Fritz stood in the 
 midst of the quaking crew, and a strange light seemed 
 to shine from his face. Suddenly he uplifted his voice 
 and cried aloud, — 
 
142 THE "GRIFFIN." 
 
 " O Lord Jesus Christ, who in Thine own Person didst 
 still the tempest at the earnest cry of Thy terrified 
 disciples ; Thou who hast promised that Thou wilt hear 
 prayer, and wilt give unto those who ask in faith that 
 which they shall agree together to desire at Thy hand : 
 Here we present ourselves before Thee in all our weak- 
 ness and our peril, knowing that Thou canst hear, and 
 that Thou alone canst save. Hear us, then, we beseech 
 Thee, who come to Thee trusting in nothing but Thine 
 own gracious promise. We take Thee at Thy word, 
 Lord. We pray of Thee to allay this storm, and to 
 succour and save us, and we doubt not that Thou wilt 
 do it for Thine own Name's sake — because Thine 
 eternal word can never fail. We commend ourselves 
 to Thee now and always, and pray Thy blessing upon us. 
 Amen." 
 
 Those who looked upon the father's face, afterwards 
 declared that it shone like the face of Moses when he 
 came down from the mount. Hardly had the prayer 
 been uttered before, with another violent peal of 
 thunder, the wind, which had so suddenly sprung up, 
 died down almost as suddenly. The sun shone out ; 
 the Griffin sped along over the tumbling waves, no 
 longer staggering and reeling in peril of foundering. 
 The frightened men came crowding up once more, 
 crying, " A miracle ! a miracle ! " and gathering round 
 Father Fritz ; but he looked at them with his calm 
 blue eyes, and answered, — 
 
 " Nay, my children, is it a miracle that we take the 
 
THE "GRIFFIN." 143 
 
 Lord at His own word, and that he fulfils His own 
 promise ? Shame upon us if we trust His word so little 
 that the fulfilling of it seems a miracle in our eyes." 
 
 After that the Griffin sped upon her way without 
 further disaster, and reached the head of the lake, 
 where stood the settlement of Michili Mackinac — a 
 small colony of Jesuits and traders, their buildings 
 enclosed in palisades, whilst clustering around lay the 
 Huron village, and at a little distance an Ottawa village 
 with its wigwams and bark huts. 
 
 Disquieting news reached them at Michili Mackinac. 
 Although the Indians swarmed out in their canoes to 
 see the Griffin, and expressed the liveliest interest and 
 fear when she fired her salute, and although the Jesuits 
 gave the party an ostensibly friendly welcome, it was 
 plain that deep suspicion and jealousy had taken root 
 even in this far-off place. La Salle had sent men on in 
 advance in the summer to trade with the natives and 
 lay up supplies against his arrival ; but these men had 
 been tampered with, and had nearly all proved faithless, 
 whilst they had betrayed the nature of the enterprise 
 to the settlers, and filled them with jealous fears. 
 
 It soon became evident that it was useless to linger 
 here for the return of the faithless messengers. Indeed 
 they had already stayed too long, for the Jesuits had 
 tampered with La Salle's men, and had tried hard to 
 sow the seeds of disunion and discontent amongst them. 
 With loyal spirits such as the Dautrays their insidious 
 attempts were useless and abortive ; but they succeeded 
 
i 4 4 THE "GRIFFIN." 
 
 only too well in other cases, and it was with heavy- 
 hearts that the brothers saw the change coming over 
 the faces and manners of their comrades. 
 
 " They will desert us in stress of peril," said Gaspard, 
 with a flush of indignation on his face. " They will 
 turn traitor to our commander, and perchance ruin his 
 enterprise. I would that he would sift amongst us even 
 as Gideon did, and send away all who are faint-hearted, 
 for I like not the looks that these men bend upon our 
 commander, nor the way in which they mutter and 
 murmur amongst themselves ! Ill will come of it one 
 of these days — I am sure of it." 
 
 Whether or not La Salle and Tonty knew all the 
 harm that was being done amongst the crew, they at 
 least saw that it was useless to linger longer here, so 
 took ship and passed into Lake Michigan, where, after 
 sailing for some days, a luckless piece of good luck 
 befell them. 
 
 As they approached a settlement of Indians, a number 
 of canoes darted out from shore to greet them, and an 
 old chief of the Pottawatamie tribe came on board, and 
 told them that he was a devoted servant of the great 
 Onontio (which is the Indian name of the governor of 
 Canada), and that he had a great store of beaver skins 
 laid up for them on shore. So the Griffin was turned 
 to land, and a great feast was made amongst the 
 Pottawatamies, the men danced and capered and sang 
 all night, and their visitors sat on heaps of beaver 
 skins, and were served with dishes of curious flavour 
 
THE "GRIFFIN." 145 
 
 by kneeling squaws ; whilst La Salle talked with the 
 chief of his journey, and received piles upon piles of 
 skins, which if sold at a good market would go far 
 to set him up in funds again — a thing of no small 
 moment to the expedition. 
 
 " But of what use is this cargo of skins to a party 
 of explorers ?" questioned Gaspard of Father Fritz, as he 
 saw the canoes of the Indians plying backwards and 
 forwards with their loads of furs, bearing them on 
 board the Griffin, where La Salle stood directing the 
 storage. They noted too that the return canoes bore 
 loads of provisions from the larger vessel, and this 
 greatly surprised many who stood by. 
 
 The face of Father Fritz was grave as he replied to 
 the questions of the Daiitrays, who stood in a group 
 around him. 
 
 " The commander has resolved to send back the 
 vessel to the colony upon the Niagara River, under the 
 charge of the pilot and crew, to deposit this cargo of 
 furs for transport to Fort Frontenac and Quebec. He 
 purposes to prosecute the voyage for a while in canoes, 
 and on reaching the head of the lake nearest to the 
 territory of the Illinois, to wait there for the return of 
 the Griffin with fresh supplies, meantime building a fort 
 upon the mouth of a river of which he has heard, which 
 will serve for a base of future operations and a place 
 of safety." 
 
 The listeners heard this news in dismay, 
 
 " Trust the Griffin to the treacherous pilot who 
 
 (574) 10 
 
146 THE "GRIFFIN." 
 
 wrecked the other ship ! " they exclaimed. " Ah, but 
 that is madness ! And already the men are disheartened 
 and half mutinous ! What will they say when they 
 hear that the vessel is going back, and that they must 
 trust to frail canoes for the remainder of the voyage ? " 
 
 Father Fritz shook his head gravely. He had himself 
 remonstrated with La Salle upon this sudden resolve, 
 but without avaiL Tonty, who alone had power to 
 influence him, was absent, having been dispatched by 
 La Salle himself to seek for some of the treacherous 
 messengers of whom mention has already been made, 
 and he was to join the rest of the party at the head 
 of the lake, travelling himself by land. The friars 
 shook their heads, the men grumbled, but no one had 
 power to bend the iron will of La Salle. 
 
 The canoes obtained by barter from the Indians were 
 heavily loaded with tools, a forge under the charge of 
 the brothers Dautray, merchandise and provisions, but 
 the faces of many of the men were dark and lowering. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude watched with a heavy heart as 
 the Griffin spread her white sails, and, after firing a 
 parting shot, began to skim gracefully along the water. 
 
 " Poor, beautiful Griffin ! " cried Claude. " Good-bye, 
 good-bye. My heart tells me that we shall never see 
 thee again ! " 
 
 Gaspard drew his brother a little aside, for there 
 were many standing near to watch the departure of 
 the vessel. 
 
 " Claude," he said, " I have a great fear that ill is 
 
THE "GRIFFIN." 147 
 
 meant to our commander by some amongst our own 
 party. Before Jules went away with M. de Tonty, he 
 bade me keep a sharp eye upon yon black -browed fellow 
 Duplessis. He told me he was certain that he meant 
 mischief. And to-day I have watched his face, and 
 when he heard himself named as one to remain with 
 the canoes, such a look of hate and malice came into his 
 eyes as I shall not soon forget. We must be watchful, 
 brother ; we must keep an eye on that evil man. For 
 methinks he has a heart full of bitterness and treachery, 
 and of hatred towards our commander." 
 
 Indeed it was no easy matter to keep the party in 
 anything like cheerful spirits at this juncture. The men 
 resented the departure of the Griffin. La Salle, in the 
 absence of his cheerful, kindly lieutenant, was grave 
 and sombre, and unwontedly imperative in his com- 
 mands. The weather changed, and fierce storms of 
 wind and rain lashed the waters continuously. The 
 canoes were often half-swamped, and had to be driven 
 ashore, and sometimes to be dragged along with their 
 heavy burdens for considerable distances. Provisions 
 ran short at times, and there were perils from Indians 
 which required a constant watchfulness from all the 
 party. La Salle was far more successful in dealing 
 with his dusky enemies than with his own followers. 
 His commanding way and fearless look subdued the 
 Indians quickly, the more so as he was always kindly 
 and friendly when possible. But his curt commands and 
 taciturn gravity were uncongenial to his followers, and 
 
148 THE " GRIFFIN." 
 
 though some, like the Dautrays, admired and revered 
 him for his dauntless courage and immense genius, 
 others looked more and more gloomily upon him, and 
 murmured openly against the hardships his resolve had 
 entailed upon them. 
 
 Little as La Salle knew it, the lads Gaspard and 
 Claude kept an almost constant watch upon him both 
 by night and day. Their brother Jules, whose silent 
 nature had seemed to find kinship with that of the 
 taciturn commander, had enjoined them to this 
 watchfulness, and they were resolved to exercise it 
 unceasingly. 
 
 It was towards the close of a long and most trying 
 day. The ice upon the lake had thickened much, 
 and threatened to close altogether upon the canoes, so 
 that the order had been given to drag them out and 
 pull them along the thick crust of ice which fringed 
 the margin of the lake, and where alone safe foothold 
 could be had. The wearied and hungry men had 
 petitioned to bivouac for the night and obtain a good 
 rest, but La Salle with characteristic energy had resolved 
 to push on a few leagues before calling a halt. 
 
 The men sullenly obeyed, and Father Fritz, together 
 with the three friars, did his best to cheer and help 
 them. Indeed Father Fritz was wont to load himself 
 too heavily, so that he was sometimes exhausted at 
 night, and hardly fit for the toils of the succeeding 
 day. But though his kind and encouraging words 
 did much to cheer some of the men, there were others 
 
THE "GRIFFIN." 149 
 
 who shut their ears, and brooded angrily in their 
 hearts. 
 
 At last the halt was called, fires were lighted, the 
 scanty supper devoured with the ravenous hunger of 
 famine, and then the party lay down to sleep. Claude's 
 weary eyes closed almost the moment he had laid down 
 his head. He knew not how long a time had elapsed 
 before he heard a whisper in his ear, — 
 
 " Hist, Claude ! hist ! Wake up ! — what is that 
 sound ? " 
 
 The habit of watchfulness was strong upon the boy 
 in his weariness and semi-sleep. In a moment his eyes 
 were wide open, his ears eagerly attent. He and 
 Gaspard were lying side by side ; it was his brother's 
 voice which had aroused him. 
 
 All around lay the sleeping forms of their companions. 
 At the outer edge of the camp stood the rude wigwam 
 of bark which the Mohegan hunter was wont to build 
 with wonderful celerity for La Salle's occupation at 
 night, and which one of the fathers generally shared 
 with him. To-night he had prevailed upon Father Fritz 
 to be his companion, and it was well known that, unless 
 the commander set himself to watch against Indians, 
 he was wont to sleep the profound sleep of a practised 
 traveller. Father Fritz also slept the peaceful, dream- 
 less sleep of a mind at peace with God and man. 
 Within that little shelter no watchful eye would be 
 on the alert. 
 
 What was it Gaspard had heard ? Claude turned a 
 
ISO THE "GRIFFIN." 
 
 questioning eye upon him without moving hand or foot. 
 Was it Indians, or some wild beast prowling, or what ? 
 
 " Hush ! " said Gaspard, scarce breathing the word. 
 " Watch and listen ! I am sure some one is astir ! " 
 
 Lying side by side, yet scarce drawing breath, the 
 brothers waited and watched. When at last a stealthy 
 movement was heard in the camp, they could hardly 
 restrain a start. Deep darkness reigned in the forest 
 around them, but the camp fires shed a ruddy glow 
 about the sleeping figures. One of these figures was 
 slowly and very cautiously moving — working along 
 the ground in snake-like fashion, and casting quick 
 and malevolent glances around upon the recumbent 
 figures lying beside the fires. The flickering flames 
 fell upon his face as he moved, and revealed the sinister 
 features and evil eyes of the man Duplessis. 
 
 Silently and cautiously he worked his way along the 
 ground in the direction of the little bark wigwam where 
 the commander lay. He did not appear to be armed, 
 but there was so evil a look upon his face that the 
 brothers exchanged meaning glances in certainty of 
 intended evil. 
 
 " Be cautious, be careful ; let him not see us," whis- 
 pered Gasparcl ; " but when he is a little farther off let 
 us slip behind this tree, and so make a circuit, and come 
 nigh the place ere he can have done his wicked will." 
 
 The boys had learned from Swanalulu to creep along 
 the ground in veritable Indian fashion. When the face 
 of their enemy was turned the other way they crept 
 
THE "GRIFFIN." 151 
 
 from the ring of sleepers, and were immediately outside 
 the ring of firelight. Then rising to their feet they 
 ran lightly in a circle round the camp under the shadow 
 of the protecting firs, and came to the place where the 
 wigwam stood. 
 
 No sound issued from thence ; all seemed still and 
 peaceful ; but a sudden pungent smell assaulted Gas- 
 pard's keen nostrils, and he cried in a suppressed voice, — 
 
 " The fiend ! he has set fire to the place. He would 
 stifle them in their sleep ! " 
 
 It was even so. .As the boys dashed in, flinging the 
 frail bark right and left, they Avere only just in time to 
 save the occupants from a terrible death. The blankets 
 in which they were wrapped had already caught fire. 
 A few moments, and all would have been over ; for the 
 stifling fumes of the burning bark had deadened the 
 faculties of the sleepers, and would have rendered them 
 an easy prey. 
 
 But the shouts of the boys awoke them, and instantly 
 La Salle was on his feet, fighting his way out, whilst 
 Gaspard helped Father Fritz to rise, and pressed out 
 with his hands the flames that were smouldering around 
 him. The whole camp was astir at once, and many 
 were the exclamations of dismay and surprise at the 
 terrible nature of the " accident," as all supposed it, 
 which had so nearly had a tragic termination. 
 
 The lads said nothing as to what they knew or 
 suspected, and it did not appear as though Duplessis 
 was aware of their prompt interference being due to 
 
152 THE "GRIFFIN." 
 
 anything but a sudden awakening at the smell of 
 the smoke. 
 
 When Gaspard whispered in Father Fritz's ear the 
 true story, it was gravely listened to, but when asked if 
 the story should be told to the commander, the father 
 answered thoughtfully, — 
 
 " I think not. We will strive to have patience and 
 mercy. I will speak to this poor creature myself, and 
 see if I cannot work upon his better nature, and drive 
 out this demon of hatred. We must learn to love our 
 enemies, and to forgive those who do us evil. You 
 were right to speak to me of this, my son ; but let it go 
 no further. God may even yet will that he should be 
 plucked as a brand from the burning." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 " f~^ ASPARD ! Gaspard ! Indians ! Indians ! " 
 
 V_JT Claude was white and breathless as he rushed 
 back into the camp with these warning words upon his 
 lips. 
 
 Gaspard sprang to his feet in eager excitement, and 
 both he and Jules dashed forward to meet the returning 
 Claude, half expecting to see him pursued by a host of 
 dusky denizens of the woods. 
 
 " Where, Claude ? Where ? " they cried. 
 
 " Over yonder, a mile away, there is an Indian 
 village. Swanalulu saw it first as we tracked a deer. 
 He bade me come and look and take word back to the 
 commander. He is watching still. He says they are 
 Illinois — a hunting party : perhaps the people who 
 belong to the town from which we took the corn a month 
 ago. Will they be angry ? Will they be our enemies ? 
 They are camped in wigwams on both sides of the river. 
 There are many of them, but how many I cannot tell." 
 
 " We must tell the commander," said Jules at once, and 
 Gaspard, at a sign from him, went off with the news : for 
 
i54 WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 the bright-eyed lad, so full of courage, loyalty, and 
 endurance, had won his way to favourable notice from 
 La Salle, especially since that occurrence, now many 
 months old, when the promptitude of Gaspard and Claude 
 had saved him from the peril of a fiery death. 
 
 Many and great had been the hardships through 
 which this band of pioneers had passed since they had 
 parted from the Griffin, of which no tidings had been 
 received, and which had never rejoined them at the 
 southern extremity of Lake Michigan as agreed. Tonty 
 had, after many perils, succeeded in reaching his party, 
 and a fort had been built at the mouth of the river of 
 St. Joseph, in the country of the Miamis, which was called 
 Fort Miamis, and which had sheltered the party during 
 the most inclement portion of the bitter winter. 
 
 With the first melting of the ice they had started 
 once again to seek for the source of ' the Kankakee, 
 which they knew to be a tributary of the Illinois, which 
 in turn emptied itself into the mighty waters of the 
 Mississippi. They had found this river at last, so narrow 
 when first they reached it, that a man could stride across, 
 but widening; into a lame stream as it ran its course, and 
 now they were floating down the greater waters of the 
 Illinois, and had passed the lake-like widening of that 
 river, then called Pimitoui, and now Peoria Lake. 
 
 Often they had been sorely beset for food, and the 
 utmost endeavours of the Indian hunters had only just 
 saved the party from starvation. They had seen almost 
 nothing of the Indians all this while, it being the winter 
 
WITH THE INDIANS. 155 
 
 hunting season, when the tribes left their towns and vil- 
 lages and scattered about the forests in search of game. 
 Once in their greatest extremity they had found a 
 silent and deserted Illinois town without a single living 
 inhabitant, and guided by their Indian followers, they 
 had discovered a great store of corn laid up by the tribe 
 after the autumn harvest, to last till the grain again 
 ripened. To touch these corn stores was a dire offence 
 in the eyes of Indians ; but necessity knows no law, 
 and the party helped themselves to a certain number of 
 measures, resolving to seek to propitiate the tribe, if ever 
 they should come across its members, by ample gifts in 
 repayment. 
 
 But naturally this incident, which might already have 
 reached the ears of the natives, made them somewhat 
 anxious as to their next encounter with the denizens of 
 the forest. Their little party of some two score against 
 the whole of the innumerable tribe of the Illinois ! It 
 was indeed a fearful thing to contemplate ; but the 
 hardy and adventurous pioneers never permitted craven 
 fears to overcome them. Hitherto their dealings with 
 the Indians had been amicable. Why not take courage 
 and hope for the future ? 
 
 In a few minutes from the time when the news was 
 brought in that there were Indians in the vicinity, all 
 the camp was astir, and Claude was called upon to tell 
 his tale to a whole ring of eager listeners. La Salle's 
 face was grave and determined ; that of Tonty full of 
 eagerness and excitement. The men were divided in 
 
156 WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 feeling — some glad at any price to find signs of life in this 
 immense wilderness, others somewhat apprehensive of the 
 result of the encounter, and half desirous to turn back. 
 
 These, however, were quite in the minority, and it 
 was only the faint-hearted and unfaithful members of 
 the party who even dreamed of such a thing. Father 
 Fritz offered to go forward alone, and to hold a parley 
 with the chief of the tribe, but La Salle would not 
 permit it. He had reason to believe that his enemies 
 had warned the Illinois tribes against him, and had 
 represented him as being the ally of their bitter foes, the 
 Iroquois. He was very uncertain what kind of 
 reception they would get, and he made his preparations 
 accordingly. 
 
 Swanalulu en his return confirmed Claude's report. 
 There were a considerable number of huts on either side 
 of the river, and the party was plainly a large one. At 
 present they appeared to have no inkling of the near 
 presence of the white men, but they were certain to 
 discover it quickly, and perhaps the best policy was to 
 take them by surprise. 
 
 La Salle had eight canoes, and he at once ordered his 
 men into them. He placed Tonty in the one next to the 
 right bank of the river, and himself in the one nearest 
 to the left bank ; then he instructed his men to paddle 
 lustily, keeping the eight canoes all abreast until in full 
 sight of the Indians, and then to lay down their paddles 
 and take up their arms in readiness, though on no 
 account to use them until he gave the word. 
 
WITH THE INDIANS. 157 
 
 In this way the little flotilla rapidly approached the 
 Indian settlement, the Dautray boys, who occupied one 
 canoe, with their respective fathers — a party of six in 
 all — gazing with eager eyes along the banks, waiting for 
 the first indication of the settlement. 
 
 Suddenly the canoes shot round a bend in the river. 
 
 " There they are ! there they are ! " cried Claude, 
 who was at the prow ; and they heard La Salle's ringing 
 voice giving; the word, — 
 
 " Paddles down — to your arms, men ! " 
 
 The swift current carried the canoes onwards into the 
 startled camp of the Indians, who at once set up a 
 tumult like that of so many forest jackals or parrots. 
 The squaws and children screeched in terror ; the men 
 seized their clubs and tomahawks and rushed towards 
 the strand. But La Salle kept cool and calm in all the 
 hubbub, and driving his canoe ashore, leaped lightly out, 
 immediately followed by the six Dautrays, and afterwards 
 by the rest of his party, who stood with their guns in 
 their hands passively waiting for orders. 
 
 In his hands La Salle held the magic calumet, or peace- 
 pipe, and at sight of that the chief threw down his 
 weapons and advanced with another, whilst the other 
 warriors rushed to the banks and checked by their 
 authoritative gestures the hasty flight of arrows which 
 the young men on the farther side were preparing to 
 launch. Father Fritz, whose knowledge of Indian 
 languages and Indian ways was almost equal to that of 
 La Salle, whilst his personal charm was infinitely greater, 
 
158 WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 picked up one or two screaming children, and after 
 pacifying them with smiles and caresses, handed them 
 back to their trembling and admiring mothers. The 
 other fathers, following this lead, spoke kindly and 
 encouragingly to the people, and in a few minutes the 
 crisis had passed, and for the present all was harmony. 
 
 The guests were led into the camp with every mark 
 of honour. They were taken to the wigwam of the chief, 
 and seated in a circle round it. Then the inevitable feast 
 was prepared, which was rather more trying than usual, 
 for the ordinary bowls in which the food was placed were 
 dispensed with by this tribe, who regarded it as a mark 
 of courtesy to place the morsels of food in the mouths of 
 their guests with their own lingers, whilst others rubbed 
 their feet with bear's grease in token of good-fellowship. 
 
 La Salle, as soon as he was able to get a hearing in 
 the tumult, endeavoured to explain the object of his visit, 
 and the great good which would come to the Illinois if 
 they would become the friends and allies of the French. 
 He unfolded his great scheme to the eager ears of those 
 more or less able to grasp its import, and spoke of the 
 hardships he and his men had passed through in order 
 to secure their end. He adroitly mentioned the " loan " 
 of some of their corn, and his willingness to pay amply 
 for everything taken, and the gifts were brought in and 
 spread before the brightening eyes of the chief and his 
 warriors. Then La Salle added that if the Illinois people 
 would not befriend him, he should be forced to carry his 
 offer of friendship and goodwill to the neighbouring tribe 
 
WITH THE INDIANS. 159 
 
 of the Osages, who would doubtless be overwhelmed 
 with joy at the prospect opened before them of such an 
 increase of prosperity. 
 
 This was a master-stroke upon the part of La Salle, 
 and Tonty's eyes gleamed with amusement as he heard 
 the commander's harangue. The jealousy of this tribe 
 against the Osages was deeply rooted and bitter. At 
 once the chief professed himself devoted to the interests 
 of the white man. The sparkling eyes of the squaws 
 and warriors, who were gazing greedily upon the presents 
 displayed, spoke an equally eloquent language. The 
 alliance of friendship was sealed with promises and 
 presents, and the strangers were conducted with pomp 
 and ceremony to certain huts set apart for them, where 
 they were requested to pass the night. 
 
 The party, wearied by the exertions of the day, and 
 by the clamour of the Indian camp, sank at last into 
 profound slumber. That the noise without continued 
 still did not disturb them. Nature exhausted sought 
 repose, and the travellers had learned by this time to 
 sleep pretty well anywhere and everywhere, to the 
 thunder of falling waters or the breathless silence of a 
 snowbound forest. 
 
 Towards dawn Gaspard was awakened by a soft touch 
 upon his hand. Housing himself quickly he saw the 
 crouching figure of Swanalulu beside him. The rest of 
 his party lay sleeping wrapped in their blankets. The 
 Indian laid a hand upon his lips in token of silence and 
 caution. 
 
160 WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 Swanalulu had attached himself especially to Gaspard 
 during the months he had been with the party. He 
 almost always, when not hunting at night in the forest, 
 slept at his feet, and divided his services of personal 
 devotion between Father Fritz and the lad. A strong 
 bond of quick mutual understanding existed between the 
 Indian and the French-Englishman, and the moment 
 Gaspard's eyes fell upon the crouching figure beside him, 
 he knew that Swanalulu had something important to tell 
 or to show him. 
 
 Quickly and cautiously therefore he arose and slipped 
 from among his sleeping companions, following the Indian, 
 who crept along the ground in snake-like fashion, making 
 for a large circle illumined by the rays of a big fire, where 
 it seemed as though the whole tribe had gathered to listen 
 to the oration of a tall dusky Indian who stood in their 
 midst, his painted body well lit up by the dancing flame 
 of the fire. 
 
 " It is Monso," whispered Swanalulu, " wicked, false 
 Monso, the chief of the Mascoutins. He is telling false 
 tales to the Illinois. Listen to him now ! He is seeking 
 to persuade them that we are enemies and treacherous 
 to boot. Hark to what he says ! " 
 
 Gaspard wriggled a little nearer and listened with in- 
 tensity. He was able to understand the drift of the 
 speech, which was being delivered with a great deal of 
 the impassioned eloquence which stamped the Indian 
 orator. 
 
 Monso had evidently been well primed by the enemies 
 
WITH THE INDIANS. 161 
 
 of La Salle. He was persuading the Illinois that the 
 Frenchmen were their deadly enemies ; that they were 
 the friends of the Iroquois ; that they were now going 
 south and west to stir up all the river tribes against them ; 
 and that soon the Illinois would be attacked on all sides 
 by these hordes of foes and totally exterminated, so 
 that their only hope lay in absolutely putting a stop to 
 the march of the French through their country. 
 
 Gaspard listened with flashing eyes and heaving chest. 
 He longed to rise and thrust the false words of the Indian 
 down his throat ; but a warning touch from Swanalulu 
 withheld him from any such rash act, and he lay perfectly 
 still till the oration was ended. 
 
 Then he and his Indian friend crept back to their own 
 quarters, just as the first ray of light penetrated the forest 
 and paled the light of the camp fire. 
 
 The meeting broke up. The Mascoutin chief vanished 
 into the forest, apparently having no desire to be con- 
 fronted by the Frenchmen whom he had maligned. 
 Gaspard found his way to the tent of La Salle, and told 
 the whole story to him, Tonty, and the fathers, who were 
 sharing the largest of the huts allotted to the party. 
 
 La Salle's face grew dark. It seemed as though at 
 
 every turn the jealous enmity of his foes was to pursue 
 
 and thwart him. But at least his was a nature that never 
 
 drooped or quailed before the buffets of adverse fortune. 
 
 He called up Swanalulu and questioned him closely as to 
 
 all he knew of the matter. The Indian said that the false 
 
 Monso had brought many gifts for the Illinois, which had 
 (57<n 11 
 
1 62 WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 been buried under the floor of the chief's hut so that the 
 French might not see them. He told more fully than 
 Gaspard had been able to do the words and arguments 
 used to persuade the Illinois to retard the Frenchmen 
 in their progress, or failing that, to seek to dishearten 
 their followers, so that they might desert the expedition 
 and cause its failure. It was a story that could not but 
 make the leaders look grave and anxious, for amongst 
 their party there were men of whose fidelity they 
 were none too sure. A little tampering with such as 
 these might do untold harm. Still, forewarned was fore- 
 armed, and La Salle spoke words of commendation to 
 Swanalulu and Gaspard for their prompt action in this 
 matter. 
 
 It was plain enough, when they rose and went out in 
 the morning, that a change had come over their enter- 
 tainers. They no longer hastened to offer them food and 
 friendly attentions, but looked cold and sullen and 
 suspicious. Father Fritz and the other friars went about 
 from hut to hut, speaking kindly to the women, and 
 seeking to win their confidence in return. The poor 
 creatures seemed half afraid to speak or commit them- 
 selves, but they listened with some eagerness when Father 
 Fritz began to speak to them very simply and tenderly 
 about the universal brotherhood of the human family, 
 and how it was the desire of the great God, who had 
 made them all, that they should love and trust one 
 another. It was a difficult creed to receive, for they had 
 grown up amid bloodshed and cruel warfare ; but there 
 
WITH THE INDIANS. 163 
 
 were those amongst the listeners who drank in eagerly 
 this gospel of good-will, one of the most intelligent being 
 the wife of Nicanope, the brother of the chief. She was 
 a really beautiful woman, and had a strain of white blood 
 in her, as began to be the case sometimes with Indians, 
 owing to the intermarriage of some of their women with 
 the coureurs de bois. Perhaps it was this that gave to her 
 such a quick understanding of the beautiful message of 
 peace and goodwill to men that Father Fritz was so well 
 qualified to give. She asked many questions, listened 
 with the greatest attention to the replies, and finally said 
 that if the French believed and taught such beautiful 
 things, it would be a great and happy thing for the 
 Indian people when they came to settle amongst them. 
 
 Towards noon there came an invitation for La Salle 
 and his party to a feast at the house of this same 
 Nicanope. The invitation was promptly accepted, and 
 in course of time the commander ushered in his men, and 
 they were provided with white and red mats to sit upon, 
 whilst to-day (perhaps because they were not in such 
 favour as on the former occasion) a wooden bowl was 
 provided for each, and his share of bear meat or boiled 
 corn was placed in it. 
 
 Whilst they ate, the host made them a speech. He 
 said he had asked them less to refresh their bodies than 
 because he had to warn them seriously of the dangers to 
 which they were exposed if they persisted in this mad 
 expedition. The banks of the great Mississippi, which 
 they hardily expected to navigate, swarmed with ferocious 
 
1 64 WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 tribes, so numerous, so savage, so inimical to any stranger, 
 that certain death, and that a most horrible one, awaited 
 them if they persisted in tempting fortune. Then the 
 river itself was full of dangers — mighty cataracts, 
 foaming rapids, and like perils. In addition to this, 
 it was swarming with serpents, alligators, and terrible 
 monsters the very names of which were unknown, and 
 which fed on human flesh and were gifted with almost 
 human intelligence and ferocity. Not only this, but the 
 river itself never reached the sea at all, but after a while 
 ran into a series of terrific whirlpools, the like of which 
 was never seen elsewhere, and ended by plunging head- 
 long into an unfathomable gulf, which, like a live thing 
 greedy of prey, would inevitably swallow them and their 
 vessels for ever if they dared to approach even within ten 
 miles of it ; for so swift and sudden was the current 
 that there was no escaping from it. From floating in 
 calm and peaceful waters, the luckless mariner suddenly 
 found himself in the vortex of such a mighty volume of 
 water, that he was helpless as an infant, and after being 
 dashed about and hurried along with a velocity there was 
 no resisting, he would at the last be hurled into this 
 bottomless abyss, and perish terribly with his work all 
 undone. 
 
 La Salle waited patiently till the orator, warming up 
 with his subject, had finished his graphic speech. He 
 trusted that his followers did not understand the gist of 
 it, but feared that some amongst them at least were able 
 to follow the rapid utterances of the chief. Then when 
 
WITH THE INDIANS. 165 
 
 Nicanope had finished, he rose in his calm and com- 
 manding way, and made a straightforward answer. 
 
 He thanked his host for the friendly warning, but 
 told him that Frenchmen had never shrunk from danger 
 yet, and that, the greater were the perils, the greater 
 would be the glory. Then suddenly changing his tone, 
 and fixing his eyes upon the principal men who sat round, 
 he broke into a torrent of eloquence equal to their own, — 
 
 " My friends," he said, " ye have been deceived by lies. 
 Think ye that we saw not the false Monso when he stole 
 hither by night to poison your minds against those who 
 had smoked the peace-pipe in your midst ? Think ye 
 that we saw not the rich gifts he brought to you to buy 
 you over to his false policy towards us — gifts that for 
 very shame ye buried yonder beneath the lodge of your 
 chief ? " 
 
 The men exchanged wondering glances, drew together, 
 and felt indeed that a miraculous power was possessed 
 by these wonderful men. 
 
 " If it was the truth that he told you," pursued La 
 Salle, " why did he not stay to face me like a man ? 
 Why did he skulk away in the dimness of the dawn, like 
 the guilty liar that he is ? He would persuade you that 
 we were your enemies ; but have we acted as such ? 
 Did we not find your camp all in confusion yesterday ? 
 — could we not have fallen upon you and killed you 
 before your warriors from the woods could have come to 
 your aid ? If we desired to do you hurt, could we not 
 do it now ? As for the Iroquois, we need not wait for 
 
1 66 WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 them. Our fire machines could slay you all as you sit, 
 did we but wish it. The Iroquois have already felt our 
 heavy hand ere now. They are no friends and allies of 
 ours. We wage not war with any Indian nation who 
 will live at peace with us, but the Illinois are more to us 
 than the Iroquois, and we have come to you laden with 
 goods and merchandise, as friends and not as foes. Go 
 after that false Monso, bring him back hither, and let him 
 make good his words. Let us speak with him face to 
 face before your eyes, for he never saw us or the 
 Iroquois. The stories he tells have been put into his 
 mouth by our enemies and slanderers. He has been 
 bribed by them to deceive you with lies, and to sunder 
 you from your best and truest friends." 
 
 The warriors and such principal men as the camp 
 contained listened with understanding and pleasure to 
 these words. They were glad enough to remain on 
 friendly terms with their white visitors, whom they 
 feared and admired, and the dauntless bearing of La 
 Salle always commanded the respect of the Indians. 
 
 The feast proceeded merrily, and it was hoped by the 
 leaders that things were taking a better turn. Never- 
 theless the commander thought it wise at night to post 
 sentinels around the huts where they were lodged, in case 
 of treachery on the part of the natives. 
 
 Gaspard volunteered for this duty, and his comrades 
 were two recruits who had joined the expedition at 
 Niagara. They were, in fact, coureurs de bois, and 
 excellent men for the rough and tumble life they had to 
 
WITH THE INDIANS. 167 
 
 lead in the wilds, being well used to hardships and 
 privation. But they also were very well acquainted with 
 the Indian language, and when Gaspard went to summon 
 them to come on duty, he found them sitting amid a 
 ring of long-faced comrades, to whom they were recounting 
 in detail the speech of Nicanope, in which he recounted 
 all the perils and dangers that lay before them in the 
 savage wilderness into which they were about to penetrate. 
 
 When he had got his men outside Gaspard spoke to 
 them with some heat of manner. 
 
 " How can you be so foolish as to stuff their heads 
 with the lies of that false Monso ? You know better 
 yourselves. You know it was but said to scare us and 
 keep us from our goal. If peril threatens, are we not 
 men enough to meet and grapple it 1 But to frighten 
 ourselves with false fire — that is unworthy of our man- 
 hood. Shame upon you, to seek to raise the fears of our 
 ignorant countrymen, who are but too ready to believe 
 all they hear ! " 
 
 The men looked sullen and ashamed, but made no 
 reply, and each took up his station as marked out by La 
 Salle. The commander visited his sentinels the last 
 thing at night, and conversed a little with Gaspard. 
 Then he retired to his tent, and darkness fell upon the 
 camp, the Indians themselves sleeping sound and deep 
 after their vigil of the previous night. 
 
 Gaspard paced up and down his beat with scrupulous 
 exactitude, ears alert for any unwonted sound, eyes 
 straining through the gloom for the sight of creeping 
 
1 68 WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 foe. He felt certain that Swanalulu would not be far 
 off, though he might not see him. He heard from time 
 to time the footsteps of his fellow- watchers, and exchanged 
 a challenge with them ; but towards daybreak the silence 
 was so deep, that he fancied the other sentinels must be 
 sleeping at their posts, and he uttered a low whistle, 
 which instantly brought the Indian leaping to his 
 side. 
 
 " Where are Robert and Stephen ? " he asked. " Go 
 see, and rouse them if they be sleeping. I have heard 
 nought of them this last hour. I fear they have been 
 overcome by drowsiness. The commander must not find 
 them thus." 
 
 Swanalulu bounded away, but quickly returned. In 
 the dim grey of the early dawn his ivory teeth gleamed 
 white. 
 
 " They are gone, gone, gone ! They have taken their 
 arms and run to the forest ! I see their tracks. There 
 are five have gone, those two and three others, and some 
 bags of meal with them." 
 
 Gaspard uttered a quick exclamation of dismay. 
 
 " Gone ! deserted, dost thou mean ? Gone altogether ? 
 not to return ? " 
 
 " It was because they were frightened. They were 
 frightened because of the stories Monso told. They told 
 them to the rest, and it has frightened them. They have 
 agreed to run away together. The men in the big tent 
 say so. They wanted them all to desert, but some are 
 more afraid of the winter-forest. But all are full of 
 
WITH THE INDIANS. 169 
 
 fears for the task that lies before them. They hate 
 the commander, and declare that he has led them out 
 into the wilderness to perish." 
 
 This was the gist of Swanalulu's story, and Gaspard 
 with a heavy heart went to the hut where La Salle slept, 
 to impart the tidings to him. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 FORT CREVECCEUR. 
 
 LA SALLE stood upright in the midst of his fol- 
 _v lowers, wan and pale, but with the light of an 
 indomitable courage shining in his sombre eyes. He 
 leaned upon a staff as he confronted the thinned ranks 
 of his followers. He looked like a man who had passed 
 through some severe ordeal, both physical and mental. 
 Yet there was nothing but the old dauntless purpose 
 and resolve stamped upon his face and his whole 
 personality. 
 
 Before him stood his men in rank. Upon some faces 
 there was a look of sullen depression, upon others that 
 of suspicion and dislike, whilst in the eyes of a few 
 there burnt the fire of devoted loyalty and unflinching 
 courage. Notable amongst the latter class were the six 
 Dautrays, upon whom La Salle had come to look with 
 gratitude and trust. The two elder men, Jean and 
 Pierre, had proved themselves able and resolute work- 
 men, willing to turn their hand to anything, and con- 
 tented and brave in adversity and hardship. The elder 
 brother, Pierre, was by trade a blacksmith, and was 
 
FORT CREVECCEUK. 171 
 
 unequalled at the forge. His son, Louis, followed in 
 his footsteps, and was growing into a brawny and 
 muscular young fellow, of no small value in the 
 diminished camp. Jean had proved his skill in the 
 shipbuilding above Niagara, and La Salle had already 
 taken counsel with him as to the possibility of con- 
 structing another vessel here on the waters of the 
 Illinois, which should be strong and large enough 
 to convey the whole party down the waters of the 
 Mississippi to the sea. Jules was in all things his 
 father's right hand, and his silent energy and intense 
 loyalty and love towards La Salle had made him some- 
 thing of a power in the camp. Those keen hawk's eyes 
 saw everything that passed, and evildoers strove to keep 
 out of their radius. If Gaspard and Claude were the 
 greater favourites, owing to their bright faces and readi- 
 ness of speech, Jules was regarded with great respect, 
 and by the Indians with a species of reverence which 
 gave him influence and authority over them. 
 
 Amongst the faithful might now be counted the dark- 
 en o 
 
 browed Duplessis, upon whose sullen nature Father Fritz 
 had succeeded in making a deep impression. He made 
 no protestations, but he began to show himself worthy 
 of trust, and he had stood firm when others had turned 
 traitors and cowards and had fled. The party had also 
 been reinforced and gladdened by the arrival of a young 
 and cheerful Frenchman, a traveller in search of adven- 
 ture, the Sieur de Boisrondet, who was eager to be one 
 of La Salle's party, and who, with his servant l'Esperance, 
 
172 FORT CREVECCEUR. 
 
 had clone much towards encouraging the failing spirits of 
 La Salle. 
 
 The fathers were, of course, trusty and faithful. 
 Father Fritz, with untiring patience, gathered the 
 Indians together daily for instruction, and was begin- 
 ning to see some small fruits of his labours amongst 
 them. But the other friars found them too disgusting 
 in their habits, and too hopelessly blind and ignorant to 
 be amenable to their influence. They did not possess 
 the power of their less orthodox brother of extending 
 a real and unfeigned love towards the most degraded of 
 human creatures, and drawing out all that was best and 
 noblest in that savage nature. They contented them- 
 selves with saying mass in the camp as often as occasion 
 permitted, and addressing words of encouragement and 
 admonition to the French and Flemings of their number. 
 
 Yet these fatherly admonitions had not hindered the 
 spirit of insubordination and lawlessness. Not only had 
 desertions been numerous, but there had been a delibe- 
 rate attempt made to poison La Salle — an attempt which 
 had wellnigh succeeded ; and but for the promptitude 
 with which Father Fritz had sought for and found heal- 
 ing herbs as an antidote, the commander's bones would 
 have been left in the wilderness, and the expedition have 
 come to a tragic end. 
 
 Even now he looked wan and weak and shaken, 
 although his energy was unquenched and unquenchable. 
 He eyed the ranks of men before him, and asked in his 
 clarion voice, — 
 
FORT CREVECCEUR. 173 
 
 " Who is on my side ? — who ? For let all faint-hearted 
 and unwilling return the way they came. I want none 
 with me save those whose arms are strong and whose 
 hearts are stout. Such as are fearful and wavering, and are 
 scared by any bogus tale of imaginary perils invented by 
 our foes, are not men for me. Let them go their own 
 way. I ask none to follow me but those whose hearts 
 beat with patriotism and courage, and who are ready to 
 face danger and death for the glory of our enterprise, 
 and the honour and wealth of France ! " 
 
 A cheer broke from the lips of the whole group of 
 the Dautrays, and was taken up by Tonty, Boisrondet, 
 and the friars. After a momentary wavering, the rest 
 joined in, and for a moment La Salle's face softened and 
 took a gentler expression, as the men crowded about 
 him, and expressed their devotion to the cause. It had 
 been rather a bold challenge to throw down, with his 
 camp so broken and divided ; but La Salle never shrank 
 from danger, and he was sick at heart with the deser- 
 tions which had so greatly reduced his numbers. It 
 seemed to him better to send his men away, than see 
 them stealing off to the forest by ones and twos. And 
 indeed it might now be the lesser peril to push on into 
 milder latitudes than to attempt to brave the rigours of 
 the Canadian winter forests. It was possible that some 
 of the waverers felt this when they elected to stay and 
 see the expedition through. 
 
 All this time La Salle and his party had been the 
 guests of the Indians, though dwelling in separate 
 
174 FORT CREVECCEUR. 
 
 quarters ; but on that very day, the ice on the river 
 having yielded to a sudden thaw— though it was only 
 January — he decided to set forth in his canoe, taking 
 Tonty, Father Fritz, and Boisrondet with him, to seek 
 for a place where a fort might be built, and where he 
 could house his men and stores safely till the inclement 
 season was past, thus removing them from the influ- 
 ence of the Indians, who were still very much disposed 
 to work upon their fears, and hold them back from the 
 enterprise. 
 
 Jules, Gaspard, and Swanalulu were selected as the 
 crew, and eagerly did they send the light canoe down 
 the swift stream, avoiding the ice-blocks in the river, 
 and fetching many a compass to obtain a clear chan- 
 nel. Whilst the boys paddled, and Swanalulu stood 
 in the prow directing their course, the four men 
 talked earnestly together, and the boys heard their 
 counsels. 
 
 The Sieur de Boisrondet brought evil tidings, inasmuch 
 as he brought no tidings of the Griffin. He declared 
 certainly that she had never reached Michili Mackinac, 
 and that she was not upon Lake Michigan. He had 
 been long wandering in the region of the lake, and had 
 neither heard nor seen a sign of her. La Salle had sent 
 his faithful Mohegan hunter to try to bring back 
 news of her, but he was already steeling himself to 
 the thought of her loss. It would indeed be a crush- 
 ing blow, for the stores on board were the mainstay of 
 the expedition ; but he would not yet allow himself to 
 
FORT CREVECCEUR. 175 
 
 despair of her safety, though it was plain that he was 
 deeply anxious about her. 
 
 The canoe descended the river rapidly. They had 
 gone perhaps a half- league from the Indian camp, 
 when Father Fritz, whose watchful eyes were ever on 
 the alert, pointed to a rising eminence upon the bank 
 and said, — ■ 
 
 " Surely that is just such a spot as we are in 
 search of ! " 
 
 All turned and looked. Upon the southern bank of 
 the river rose a low knoll with a flat top, situated 
 between two rather deep ravines, and with a marshy 
 tract in front some two hundred yards across dividing 
 it from the river. Tonty, with his soldier's eyes, in- 
 stantly exclaimed that it was almost in itself a natural 
 fortification. The party speedily disembarked, and, 
 before another hour had passed, Jules and Gaspard 
 were paddling back to the Indian camp in great excite- 
 ment to muster the men at this spot, in order to com- 
 mence the task of constructing the fort. 
 
 After a period of idleness, all were ready to recom- 
 mence work ; and to those who had been scared by 
 tales of invasion of the fierce Iroquois tribes, it was 
 satisfactory to contemplate the thought of dwelling in 
 a fortified place, instead of in bark huts and wigwams. 
 
 The spot chosen was speedily made into an excellent 
 wooden fortress. The two ravines were joined together 
 by a deep ditch ; the sides of the mound were sloped 
 steeply down, and the top, which was almost square, 
 
176 FORT CREVECCEUR. 
 
 was levelled and protected by a strong palisade and an 
 embankment of earth. At each corner of the square 
 thus enclosed was a building — a strong timber house 
 made of a stout wood of the forest which had proved 
 itself to be musket-proof. In two of these houses the 
 men had their quarters ; La Salle, Tonty, and the fathers 
 occupied the third ; whilst the fourth was given up to 
 the forge and workmen's sheds. This fort was rapidly 
 erected by men who looked forward with satisfaction to 
 sleeping safely within its sheltering walls ; and La Salle 
 called it Fort Crevecceur, perhaps in somewhat scornful 
 remembrance of the events which had just gone before. 
 
 Every day he watched for the return of his hunter, 
 and at length sent Swanalulu after him to try to find 
 and bring him back. Upon the safety of the Griffin 
 almost everything now depended, and his anxious fears 
 communicated themselves to the rest of his followers, 
 who watched and waited with ever-increasing anxiety. 
 
 " I see them ! I see them ! They are coming back ! " 
 shouted Claude one bright February morning, as he 
 kept his eager outlook from the turret of the com- 
 mander's house, which commanded the widest view over 
 the surrounding country. "There is Nimrod, and Swana- 
 lulu with him ! They are coming straight here ! They 
 will be with us directly ! " 
 
 All was hubbub and excitement. The men swarmed 
 out from their worksheds, where they were busy. La 
 Salle strode forth from his house, with Tonty and Bois- 
 rondet beside him. The sentry on duty fired a salute 
 
FOR T CREVECCEUR. 177 
 
 as the two dusky figures of Nimrod (as La Salle had 
 called his hunter) and Swanalulu appeared, whilst their 
 way was pointed out to them by the shouts of the 
 whole community. 
 
 " What news ? " asked La Salle, with difficulty con- 
 trolling his anxious apprehension. 
 
 Swanalulu looked at him with melancholy eyes, and 
 shook his head several times, — 
 
 " Gone, gone, gone ! " he said, " gone to the bottom of 
 the lake. No man has seen her. No man knows aught 
 of her. She must have perished in some tempest. She 
 is nowhere above the waters now ! " 
 
 A quiver passed over the face of La Salle, and the 
 faces of his men grew dark and long. He asked no 
 more questions in public, but beckoned the Indians into 
 his own house, and there in the presence of the fathers 
 and Tonty asked them more of their discovery. 
 
 They had met Indians of all tribes, and had made 
 searching inquiries. The Hurons declared she was not 
 on their lake, and had never returned from her first 
 voyage there. Those from Michili Mackinac declared 
 that she had never returned even as far as that place. 
 It was whispered by some that the jealous Jesuits had 
 bribed the crew to scuttle and sink her ; by others, that 
 the Indians had fired her ; by others still, that the treach- 
 erous pilot had landed with the furs and stores, which he 
 had buried in some place for his own future enrichment, 
 and that he had afterwards sunk the vessel. A dozen 
 different stories were circulated about it, but the truth 
 
 (574) 1 2 
 
i73 FOR T CREVECCEUR. 
 
 6- 
 
 was never known. All that was plain to the commander 
 was that his vessel was hopelessly gone, with all its 
 stores for the expedition, and that he was left here with 
 his handful of discouraged men in this wild abode of 
 suspicious Indians, with utterly inadequate means for 
 carrying on the enterprise. 
 
 Even the cheerful friars were silent and gloomy when 
 this certainty became known to them. Tonty and Bois- 
 rondet exchanged glances, but spoke no word. Only 
 Father Fritz approached and laid a kindly hand upon 
 La Salle's shoulder, as he said, — 
 
 " Take courage, my son ; we know that no hurt can 
 befall us save by the permission of the Lord. If He 
 thinks well to try our faith and endurance, let us not 
 murmur. We are here as His ambassadors. It may be 
 He has work for us, of which we know nothing. Shall 
 we take good from His hand, and not evil ? Nay, but 
 we will take both alike, and find good in all, because it 
 His doing." 
 
 La Salle grasped the hand of the father in silence, 
 but attempted no reply. 
 
 " I would be alone," he said ; " I must think." 
 
 And forthwith he strode from the camp, signing only 
 to Jules and Swanalulu to follow him ; for it was against 
 his own rule that any person, save an Indian, should go 
 forth into the forest alone, and he never made a rule for 
 others which he did not abide by himself. 
 
 The silent one and the Indian followed him at a 
 respectful distance, the latter telling Jules in greater 
 
FORT CREVECCEUR. 179 
 
 detail the rumours respecting the ill-fated Griffin. 
 From time to time he raised bow and arrow, and shot 
 down some passing game to take home, which Jules 
 shouldered and carried along. Suddenly, as he was 
 about to shoot after hearing a sound in the brushwood, 
 he paused and said, — 
 
 " That is no bird ; that is an Indian in the thicket." 
 
 In another moment he had dashed in and dragged out 
 a young Illinois, who was in a very enfeebled condition, 
 looking half starved and ready to faint. 
 
 La Salle's attention being attracted, he came to the 
 spot, and asked what was the matter. 
 
 After the young man had swallowed a few mouthfuls 
 from the flask presented to him by Jules, he revived 
 enough to be able to explain that he had been absent a 
 long while from the camp hunting ; but having been 
 stricken by an intermittent fever, he had been deserted 
 hy the rest of the tribe, and had been gradually making 
 his way back as best he could. Some days he could 
 travel well, whilst on others he was so weak that he 
 could do nought but lie still in the bushes till the 
 shiverings left him, on which days, having nothing to 
 eat, he often became terribly enfeebled, and was almost 
 afraid he would die before reaching home. 
 
 A sudden idea entered the mind of La Salle. 
 
 " Help this young man to the camp, and we will feed 
 and cure him," he said briefly, and the sufferer was glad 
 enough to be helped thither. He was taken to the 
 house of the commander, where a plentiful meal was 
 
180 FORT CREVECCEUR. 
 
 set before him, and Father Fritz gave him some of 
 his valuable medicines, which soon allayed the fever, 
 and restored him in a wonderful way. Then La Salle 
 went to him, and began to question him, not with any 
 apparent purpose, about the countries he had visited in 
 his wanderings, and especially about the Mississippi 
 River, with which he seemed well acquainted. The 
 youth, who had been long away from his tribe, and 
 knew nothing of what had passed there, spoke freely 
 and truthfully to the white man who had been kind to 
 him. He described everything he was asked to do, 
 ffave a favourable and most encouraging account of 
 the great river and its inhabitants, and had not a word 
 as to monsters of the deep, whirlpools, or any other 
 extraordinary perils. La Salle's powerful personality 
 attracted him, as it did almost all Indians ; and he asked, 
 with sparkling eyes, whether he might not lead the ser- 
 vant of the great Onontio to this river, and show him 
 the truth of all that he had spoken. 
 
 La Salle answered the youth kindly, and brought out 
 from his stores a hatchet, at sight of which the eyes of 
 the young savage shone with longing and delight. 
 
 " This shall be yours, my friend," said the com- 
 mander, " and you shall join our party if you will. 
 But first you shall learn to know my men. So whilst 
 I go forth upon my own business, you shall go with 
 Swanalulu to see them at work. Tell to them the 
 things that you have told to me, and you shall be 
 amply rewarded." 
 
FORT CREVECCEUR. 181 
 
 Jules and Gaspard were called in then, and La Salle 
 spoke with them for a few minutes earnestly. Then, 
 whilst Gaspard and Swanalulu took the young man, 
 gave him some clothing;, and showed him round the fort, 
 La Salle, with Tonty and Jules in attendance, made 
 his way to the Indian camp they had quitted, where 
 Father Fritz was now the only regular visitor, and 
 where, but for his regular ministrations and teachings, 
 an ill feeling might have arisen between its inhabitants 
 and those at the fort. 
 
 With a stern face and commanding air La Salle bid 
 the men assemble themselves together, as he had some- 
 thing to say to them. They obeyed him at once, 
 exchanging wondering looks of apprehension. 
 
 When he stood in the midst of the dusky throng, he 
 regarded them sternly, and then asked in a loud voice, — 
 
 " How is it that you, to whom all kindness and 
 friendship have been shown, have banded together to 
 seek to deceive the children of the great Onontio ? 
 Think you to blind the eyes that can see everything. 
 Listen, and I will prove your falseness unto you." 
 
 Then he began to describe with such minuteness and 
 accuracy the river Mississippi, which he had never seen, 
 that the Indians gazed upon him with wondering eyes, 
 looked at each other in awe ; and, clapping their hands 
 to their mouths in token of wonder and shame, made a 
 humble confession of their falsehood, declaring that their 
 motive had been the hope of keeping these children 
 of the light always with them, whilst now they would 
 
1 82 FORT CREVECCEUR. 
 
 remove afar off, and perhaps they would never see them 
 again. 
 
 La Salle's face relaxed at this, and, having o-ained his 
 point, he graciously forgave the imposture. He carried 
 off one or two of the chief Indians to come to a spot 
 near to his camp, tell their tale, and make confession in 
 the ears of his followers ; whilst Jules ran forward and 
 brought them out to listen, only taking care that the 
 young Indian should not make his appearance among them. 
 
 The friars laughed heartily at the ruse adopted by 
 La Salle, and commended him heartily. Only the 
 gentle face of Father Fritz looked grave, though he 
 spoke no word. And when Gaspard asked him if he 
 did not approve of what had been done, he replied 
 gravely and thoughtfully, — 
 
 " Let us be very slow to condemn our brethren, and 
 especially those who are in a great strait. It is not for 
 us to judge anything before the time, but always to 
 hope, and use patience and brotherly love. Yet I 
 would rather our commander had simply spoken the 
 truth, and had admitted the source of his information. 
 We who go amongst these poor benighted creatures in 
 the name of the Holy One of God should fear to stoop 
 to any smallest act of deceitfulness. We may not do 
 evil that good may come. If yon Indians learn by-ancl- 
 by how this knowledge came to us, will they not say in 
 their hearts, ' They pretended to a power which they did 
 not possess. We too may pretend to such things if they 
 advantage us.' " 
 
FORT CREVECCEUR. 183 
 
 Gaspard nodded his head gravely. He understood 
 what was meant. He saw again and again that the 
 taint of expediency marred and poisoned the actions 
 and the words of the Romanist friars, whilst deceit and 
 subterfuge of any kind seemed to have no place in 
 Father Fritz's soul. Evil seemed to roll away from 
 him, as though it could find no resting-place there. 
 Even the Indians felt his power, and loved him with 
 a strange and earnest love. 
 
 " He has the power of the Great Spirit with him," 
 they said ; and well did Gaspard understand their 
 meaning. 
 
 A few days later the camp was further cheered by 
 the arrival of a deputation of Indians from various 
 tribes — Chickasaw, Arkansas, and Osage warriors — who 
 came on a friendly visit, and who told the white men 
 that a warm welcome awaited them from the tribes 
 along the river banks, who had heard rumours of their 
 coming, and assured them that its waters were navi- 
 gable quite to the mouth, and no dangers such as they 
 had heard of were to be apprehended. 
 
 This confirmation of the good news put the men into 
 better spirits than they had been in for long. La Salle 
 took courage and heart, but still the problem faced him, 
 how were cables and anchors and stores for the new 
 vessel to be obtained, now that the Griffin had sunk ? 
 And more than this, how was the vessel herself to be 
 built, when his best carpenters and all his sawyers had 
 deserted him, and taken to the forest ? 
 
1 84 FORT CREVECCEUR 
 
 With his men about him he spoke of these things, 
 and said, — 
 
 " If we have to wait to get others from Montreal a 
 year will be wasted. Shall that be ? Now, my friends, 
 I am no sawyer myself, and yet, methinks, I could turn 
 to and learn the art, if I can find a couple amongst your 
 number that will help me ! " 
 
 Hardly had the words left his lips before Jules stood 
 at his side. Jean Dautray and the sailor Colin followed 
 quickly. None of them had ever clone this particular 
 work, but all were eagerly willing to try. Others 
 pressed forwards offering to do their best, and in a 
 short while the place rang with the sound of steady 
 sawing : plank after plank was sawn, practice soon giv- 
 ing finish to the work, till the material for the vessel 
 was almost all in readiness, and the labour of placing 
 her upon the stocks began. 
 
 But where and how could she be fitted up ? That 
 was the problem exercising the mind of the dauntless 
 La Salle. The forest would furnish timber enough for 
 a fleet, but the needful iron was not to be had. Many 
 a time and oft did he turn this problem over in his 
 mind, and at last he spoke openly to Tonty. 
 
 " There is but one thing for it. I, with a couple of 
 followers, must return on foot to Fort Frontenac, and 
 obtain the needful supplies from thence. Think you 
 that you can hold this place safely, and finish the vessel 
 in my absence ? I will speed over the ground as fast 
 as foot of mortal man can travel ; and then will return 
 
FORT CREVECCEUR. 185 
 
 with all needful supplies, and we will forth upon our 
 voyage with some hope of ultimate success." 
 
 Tonty knew not the meaning of fear. Certainly to be 
 left in this wilderness with even less faithful men than the 
 fort at present held — for La Salle must take away fol- 
 lowers upon whose undoubted good faith he could rely — 
 was a prospect from which many a stout-hearted man 
 might shrink ; but Tonty agreed without a murmur, and 
 even made no objection when La Salle suggested that 
 Father Hennepin (who was complaining of the monotony 
 of life in the camp, and the impossibility of getting hold 
 of the Indians) should take a canoe and go upon a pre- 
 paratory voyage of discovery along the lower Illinois 
 and the upper Mississippi, and bring them word again 
 what they might have to encounter there. 
 
 Bold as Father Hennepin was, he rather staggered at 
 this proposition, but finally consented to undertake the 
 expedition, provided that he might pick out two com- 
 panions on whose fidelity he could rely. The Dautrays 
 wondered if they would be selected as his companions, 
 but their devotion to Father Fritz and their Protest- 
 antism rendered them slightly uncongenial to Father 
 Hennepin. He chose Antoine Auguel and Picard du 
 Gay, men who had been stanch to La Salle through- 
 out ; and just before La Salle set forth upon his jour- 
 ney, the father asked the prayers and blessings of his 
 brethren, received a benediction from old Father Gabriel, 
 and was seen to shoot away in his canoe into the midst 
 of the stream, which quickly carried him out of sight. 
 
1 86 FORT CREVECCEUK. 
 
 Then came La Salle's turn to choose his companions 
 for this difficult journey through the perils of the forest, 
 where famine, treachery, and death seemed to await him 
 on every side. Long and earnestly did he debate the 
 matter with Tonty as to whom they could best spare 
 from the camp, whilst the Italian declared it was for 
 La Salle to take those upon whom he could most fully 
 depend. 
 
 At last the choice was made. Jean Dautray and his 
 son Jules were selected first, then the sailor Colin, and a 
 useful fellow of not especial talent called Hunaut. La 
 Salle asked Father Fritz to give them his blessing, and 
 address all the men in one of those quiet but eloquent 
 pastoral speeches which he had known before to work 
 so excellently upon them. 
 
 Then with many embraces, tears, good wishes, and 
 hopes for a prosperous reunion, La Salle and his men 
 loaded themselves with the few necessaries for their jour- 
 ney, and, escorted by the whole party to the edge of the 
 forest, disappeared within its gloomy recesses ; whilst 
 Tonty, with a look of care and gravity upon his cheerful 
 face, marched back to his fort with his diminished band, 
 saying to himself as he did so, — 
 
 " Half a dozen trusty fellows, and a dozen knaves. 
 That is about my garrison. But I will hold on to the 
 end, so long as one will stand by me ! '"' 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 
 
 N' OW, my men, our leader has left us for a while ; 
 but we have our work cut out before us in 
 his absence. Let us set to work with a will upon our 
 vessel, and let every day see an advance in our task. 
 Let us put our hearts into our labour, that when the 
 commander comes back with all needful plenishings, he 
 may find her fair and fit for the wonderful voyage that 
 lies before her down the great river, robbed of all its 
 fanciful terrors." 
 
 So spoke Tonty to the assembled camp at the fort, 
 and the Sieur de Boisrondet raised a cheer, in which the 
 voices of the Dautrays were heard quickly joining. 
 Then the young fellow began trolling out a gay song 
 as he led the way to the stocks on which the vessel 
 lay. Pierre Dautray went to his forge with his son, 
 and the blows of the anvil rang cheerily out through 
 the sunny air. There was a faint breath as of coming 
 spring wafted through the forest that day, and it 
 brought with it a thrill of hope and joy which pene- 
 trated all hearts. And although the more experienced 
 
1 88 A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 
 
 knew that the winter was not over yet, and that ice 
 and snow might again close them in, yet they had 
 reached a latitude rather more genial than the one they 
 had left behind at Fort Frontenac, or Montreal and 
 Quebec, and might look for an earlier season than 
 residents there could hope for. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude would have worked willingly at 
 the vessel had it not been that they were told off 
 as hunters, to supply the camp with provisions. The 
 Mohegan hunter, Nimrod, had gone with La Salle, 
 who had, of course, one or two Indians with him in 
 addition to the Frenchmen chosen. Swanalulu remained 
 at Fort Crevecceur, and the young Illinois warrior who 
 had been brought in by La Salle also craved leave to 
 remain, and was of great service in the tracking of 
 came. His name was Tessouat, and he knew the 
 forests well, and as the French boys roved far and wide 
 in search of provisions for their fellows, he would tell 
 them long, strange tales of the wonders he had seen, 
 and in particular of a certain green valley, away many 
 leagues to the south, where he declared there dwelt a 
 colony of white men, who lived to themselves, spoke a 
 strange tongue, and cultivated their land in ways 
 unknown to the Indians, although they kept on friendly 
 terms with them, and had never been molested. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude accepted this story with a 
 certain reservation, for Tessouat was endowed with a 
 vivid imagination, and had a trick of embellishing and 
 exao-geratino - . Nevertheless they listened with a decided 
 
 DO O «/ 
 
A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 1S9 
 
 sense of fascination to the story told them of this shut- 
 in valley with its pale-skinned inhabitants, and had 
 there been less pressing need for them at the fort, they 
 might even have asked permission to go and visit it. 
 By land through the forest it was about a three clays' 
 journey, but it could be accomplished much more 
 quickly by water — that is, from the fort to the valley 
 — along the quick current of the river, now brawling 
 along, swelled to the brink by melting snows. The 
 journey from the valley to the fort would be more 
 quickly undertaken on foot, as it was no light matter 
 to urge any craft upwards against the flood. However, 
 the lads had no present intention of verifying Tessouat's 
 statement, for their hands and time were fully occupied 
 in providing food for the camp, and they knew well 
 how important it was to keep the larder well supplied 
 if the men were to remain content, and to do their 
 work cheerfully and well. 
 
 Not far from the fort, by a rather intricate path 
 through the forest, a stretch of green prairie could be 
 gained, which was just beginning to put on its spring 
 dress of verdure, and to become the resort of the 
 buffalo herds, of which the French boys had often 
 heard, but which they had never seen until now. A 
 supply of buffalo meat would be of the greatest value 
 to the camp, and eagerly they pursued and stalked the 
 shaggy monsters, sometimes running hairbreadth escapes 
 of being tossed or trampled upon, but meeting with 
 good success on the whole, and keeping their comrades 
 
190 A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 
 
 well pleased by the quantities of smoked buffalo meat 
 now stored in the larder, whilst themselves growing 
 more strong and hardy and skilful every week of their 
 lives. 
 
 Upon one bright day, rather late in February, Gaspard 
 and Claude had been separated from their Indian com- 
 panions by a charge of angry bull buffaloes, which had 
 forced the party to scatter hither and thither, and the 
 brothers had had some trouble to escape the furious 
 charge of one infuriated fellow, against whom they had 
 fruitlessly discharged their muskets. The shots only 
 served to enrage the monster still more. With a bellow 
 which sounded almost in their very ears he dashed at 
 them, and it was only with the exercise of extreme 
 agility that the pair contrived to avoid him, and let 
 him blunder on past them, his head almost on the 
 ground, his red eyes gleaming through his thick mane, 
 his breath snorting from his nostrils in steaming jets. 
 
 " This way, Claude, this way ! quick ! quick ! " shouted 
 Gaspard, seizing his brother by the hand, and darting 
 away in a diagonal direction. His quick eyes had seen 
 the huge cavity of a blasted oak tree standing some few 
 hundred yards away to the right, which if they could 
 gain, they could shelter within its encircling walls until 
 the perplexed buffalo had moved off elsewhere. 
 
 Claude caught at this idea in a second, and the pair 
 were quickly speeding over the plain ; whilst the buffalo, 
 finding his quarry no longer in front of him, paused, 
 pulled up and stared round him, afterwards renewing 
 
A STRANGE DISCO VER Y. 191 
 
 his headlong gallop in pursuit of the fleeing foe. But 
 the lads had now a good start, and although the bull 
 tore after them at a speed which would soon have 
 brought him up with them, they were able to gain the 
 covert of the hollow tree, and to slip into its dark 
 interior several seconds before the furious animal rushed 
 past with louder snortings of rage. 
 
 The change from the level glories of the dawn, the 
 rays of which had been shining in their eyes, to the dark- 
 ness of the hollow tree rendered their retreat as black 
 as pitch to them, and it was no wonder that they both 
 started violently when the sound of a little frightened 
 scream almost in their ears told them that they were 
 not alone in this hiding-place. But the curious thing 
 was that this little cry was not like that of any wild 
 animal, nor yet like that of an Indian. It brought 
 flashing back to Gaspard's memory the voice of a little 
 girl playmate he had known in England— in that life 
 which now seemed more like a dream to him than a 
 reality. Perhaps this was the reason why he suddenly 
 spoke aloud, and in English, although for so long he 
 had used no language save that of the Indians or of his 
 French comrades. 
 
 " Is anybody here ? " he asked, his heart beating 
 rather fast, partly from the hasty flight, partly from a 
 queer feeling of present excitement and curiosity. 
 
 Imagine the astonishment of both brothers when 
 suddenly, with a rustle and a bound, there sprang up 
 from a heap of leaves lying at the bottom of the hollow 
 
1 92 A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 
 
 tree a slim, graceful figure, whilst a silvery voice 
 replied in the familiar English tongue, — 
 
 " Oh, thank God ! thank God ! I have found our 
 saviours ! I have not journeyed in vain ! " 
 
 The boys gazed in astonishment at this sudden 
 apparition. In the dimness of the sheltering tree trunk 
 they could only see that they were confronted by a 
 young girl — a white-skinned girl — a girl such as they 
 had not seen since they left the shores of England. 
 She was clad in a long plain dress of some dark-hued 
 stuff, and a small dagger was stuck in the leather belt 
 she wore. Her head was crowned by a mass of rich 
 golden curls, which hung down as far as her shoulders, 
 whilst her eyes were the colour of wood violets, and her 
 skin, though somewhat embrowned by sun and wind, 
 was soft and delicate like the skin of a peach. 
 
 She had taken Gaspard's hand, and had carried it to 
 her lips almost as though she did not know what she 
 was doing. The lad blushed crimson, and took the soft 
 little hand between both of his own, saying in an eager, 
 rapid way, — 
 
 " Maiden, fair maiden, how come you in these wilds ? 
 Who art thou ? Art thou a creature of flesh and blood ? 
 I can scarce believe that it is not some strange dream. 
 How comest thou hither in these wilds alone and 
 unprotected, and why dost thou speak of us as saviours ? 
 I am sore bewildered by all this." 
 
 " I am not quite alone," answered the girl, in the 
 same soft voice. " My young brother is with me ; but 
 
A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 193 
 
 he went forth ere daybreak to prospect, and see if he 
 could rind traces of the white men of whom we are in 
 search. We heard from the Indians that they were to 
 be found here, and in our dire necessity he and I set 
 forth to seek them. And though he has not come back 
 yet, God has surely sent you to me. O sirs, will you 
 not come to our aid ? for if help reach us not, we 
 shall assuredly all perish miserably ! " 
 
 " The Lord do so to us, and more also, if we answer 
 not such a call ! " cried Gaspard, in sudden excitement. 
 " Maiden, art thou from yon far Green Valley of which 
 we have heard a whisper ? Tell me — tell us more of 
 thyself and thy people. We had scarce believed the 
 tale before. But now that mine eyes have looked upon 
 thee, I doubt no longer. Come out into the sunshine 
 and refresh thyself, and tell us thy tale ere thy brother 
 come back to seek thee. Then when we know all, we 
 will hie back to our camp and arm ourselves, and see 
 how many may be spared for this mission, and we will 
 forth with thee to the succour of thy people. Upon 
 the honour of France and England I promise it ! " 
 Gaspard's boyhood seemed suddenly to fall away from 
 him as he spoke, and he looked every inch a man as he 
 stood before the beautiful girl, his face all aglow with 
 generous emotion. 
 
 The buffalo was far enough away by this time. The 
 sun had risen over the plain. In this belt of woodland 
 it was bright and sunny as the two boys and the girl 
 stepped out of their dusky retreat. Gaspard gazed in 
 
 (574) 1 3 
 
i 9 4 A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 
 
 admiration at the fair face of the maiden, and still 
 holding her small, soft hand, he asked again, — 
 
 " Who art thou, fair lady ? Tell us of thyself and 
 thy people." 
 
 And she made answer in her soft, sweet voice : " We 
 have come from a great way off, from over wide oceans 
 whose shores I have never seen. I have heard our old 
 people talk of the homes in England, which they quitted 
 long ago, to find for themselves a place of rest and 
 safety, where they might worship God in peace and 
 quietness without fear of man. That is what first 
 brought them to these far-off lands. But for me, I 
 have never known aught else save the Green Valley 
 between the hills, where I was born. There are not 
 many of us, for our young men wander away to hunt 
 or trade, or to dwell amongst the haunts of men. They 
 go forth, and ofttimes we see them no more. But the 
 old people love the valley, and we have made friends 
 of the Indians around, and they bring us meat and 
 furs, and we grow an abundance of corn and flax, 
 and weave garments for ourselves and for them. We 
 hoped to have lived in peace with all men, but the 
 Indians are ever striving and warring amongst them- 
 selves, and we cannot hinder them. Thus it is that 
 many amongst the friendly Indian tribes have almost 
 become exterminated. And new tribes infest the land, 
 who, though not molesting us, cannot be counted upon 
 as friends. And now we hear that very soon a party 
 of fierce Sioux are on their way to our country. They 
 
A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 195 
 
 have vowed vengeance, especially upon all white men, 
 because we have sometimes saved prisoners from their 
 cruel hands — at least our young men have done so, 
 when they have been far away hunting, and have 
 reached the country of the Sioux." 
 
 " We have heard of the fierce Sioux," struck in 
 Gaspard quickly. " Men say that they live along the 
 banks of the upper Mississippi, and that they and the 
 Iroquois are the most fierce and cruel of all the Indian 
 tribes." 
 
 " I can believe that indeed ! " answered the girl with 
 a shudder. " I have heard fearful tales of what they can 
 do when provoked, or when a hapless enemy falls into 
 their clutches. Once that awful fate befell one of our 
 young men. I have heard them tell of his torture and 
 death ; and the remembrance of that tale has scared 
 sleep from my eyes many and many a night when it 
 has been whispered that the Sioux are abroad." 
 
 " And they say that they are coming once more ? " 
 asked Gaspard, with quivering excitement. 
 
 " Yes, truly they do. And the tribes by whom we 
 are surrounded are fleeing this way and that. They 
 care not that we are left unprotected. They are not 
 friendly as the Indians before them. They buy our 
 goods and trade with us, and have no desire to harm us, 
 but they will not stand by us in time of danger. They 
 will flee to the fastnesses of the forest and leave us to 
 repel the invaders alone." 
 
 " And will you not flee too ? " asked Claude quickly. 
 
196 A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 
 
 " We scarce can do so," replied the girl ; " there are 
 many aged amongst us, and several feeble women. 
 Our homes and our all lie within the sheltering Green 
 Valley. If we are driven forth from it, I fear me we 
 shall indeed perish, and our sons and brothers will 
 know not where to find us. The fathers have talked it 
 over times and again, and they keep saying, ' Let us 
 trust in the Lord, who has hitherto kept and guarded 
 us. Let us pray night and day to Him to save us. 
 He can save with many or with few, and He will hear 
 and answer according to His good pleasure. He can 
 hide us from the eyes of the savages. He can assuage 
 their fury. We will trust to Him, as we have ever 
 done ; He has never failed us yet.' And so methinks 
 there will be no running away to hide ourselves. And 
 yet I fear ! I fear ! " 
 
 She was shaking all over, and Gaspard and Claude 
 cried out in one breath, " Fear not, you shall have help ! 
 You shall not be permitted to perish in the wilderness ! " 
 
 A little sob rose in the girl's throat. She looked 
 from one face to the other, and the tears stood in her 
 eyes. 
 
 " Ah, you are good ! you are brave ! I knew it. We 
 had heard it. But our people said that the white men 
 were but traders ; that they cared only for gain, for 
 furs and riches, and the glory of conquest. The 
 Indians told how many had deserted their own leader, 
 and my grandfather said — the old man who is like the 
 father of our valley — ' Men who have not the fear of 
 
A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 197 
 
 God before their eyes can never be trusted in times of 
 danger. If these men fall away from him they have 
 promised to follow, because there be dangers to be faced, 
 will they stand by us in our time of peril ? Nay, they 
 will flee like smoke before the wind ; therefore we will 
 abide by ourselves under the shadow of the Almighty.' " 
 
 " But we are not all cowards and traitors," cried 
 Gaspard, hotly. " It was our commander himself who 
 bid the faint-hearted take themselves away, after a few 
 had run to the woods. And some amongst us are the 
 servants of the Almighty God, and ye shall see whether 
 we will not come to the aid of our brethren when they 
 ask our aid." 
 
 " That is what I said," cried the girl with a light in 
 her eyes. " I said to Harold, my brother, ' It may be 
 that God will make of us the instruments of salvation. 
 It has come into my heart to go to these our brethren 
 and ask their aid.' And Harold said he would go forth 
 with me ; so, unknown to all, we crept away, telling our 
 secret only to Ruvanni, my foster-sister, and she was to 
 make light of our absence, as though we were out 
 hunting, as sometimes we are. Then we started, and 
 have travelled wellnigh day and night, and believed 
 that we were already nearing our goal." 
 
 At this moment a boy was seen speeding towards 
 them, light of foot as a young fawn. When he saw 
 that his sister was not alone he redoubled his speed, 
 laying his hand upon his dagger as he approached ; but 
 in a moment he discovered that these were friends, 
 
1 98 A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 
 
 not foes, and after a rapid colloquy between brother 
 and sister, the whole part}?- moved across the grassy 
 plain in the direction of the fort. 
 
 Harold and Claude walked in advance ; Gaspard 
 followed, leading the girl gently and chivalrously by the 
 hand, assisting her steps over any impediments (albeit 
 she was so much the child of the forest as to be almost 
 independent of his aid), for it was sweet to him, after 
 all these years of wild life, to speak again with a fair- 
 faced English maiden, and he asked her eagerly of her- 
 self, hanging on her words with keen delight. 
 
 Her simple story was soon told. She was the grand- 
 daughter of the father of the camp, as the eldest 
 amongst these settlers was called. She had three 
 brothers, but no sister of her own. Harold was the 
 youngest of the brothers, and was seventeen. She her- 
 self was nearly eighteen — the same age as Gaspard. 
 Her parents were dead, her father having been killed in 
 a raid of Indians some six years before, and her mother 
 having pined away and died within two years of his 
 death. When asked her name, she smiled and said 
 that it was Mary, but that her grandfather and brothers 
 called her their Mayflower, because she had been born 
 in May. 
 
 Mayflower ! what innumerable sweet memories the 
 name called up in the mind of the youth who walked 
 beside her ! His heart swelled at the remembrance of 
 sweet-scented country lanes, of happy May-day revels, 
 of a hundred things belonging to the old life of which 
 
A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 199 
 
 he had scarce thought since he had sailed from England's 
 shores. He spoke of these things to the girl beside 
 him, she listening with parted lips and shining eyes. 
 It was almost like a new language to her, and one that 
 was full of sweetest interest. Ere the timber ramparts 
 of the fort rose before them, the youth and maiden felt 
 that they had long been friends, and could never more 
 be strangers. 
 
 Great was the excitement at the camp when the lads 
 appeared with these white-skinned companions beside 
 them. The men swarmed out to meet and question 
 them. The news was quickly passed on to the lieuten- 
 ant, and Tonty himself appeared to inquire into the 
 matter, and see what all this stir and excitement meant. 
 
 Harold and Mary Neville could speak French as 
 easily as English, as amongst the settlers in the Green 
 Valley there were families of each nationality. They 
 were taken into the house now occupied by Tonty, 
 Boisrondet, Father Fritz, and the two friars ; and 
 whilst food and drink were set before them, they told 
 their story frankly and fully, Gaspard and Claude 
 standing respectfully in the background, but evincing 
 by their eager faces and quivering muscles the keenest 
 desire to be permitted to go to the assistance of their 
 white brethren in the Green Valley. 
 
 Tonty's face was very grave and thoughtful. On 
 the one hand he could ill spare faithful men from his 
 little garrison ; on the other the claims of race were 
 very strong, and, above and beyond this, he instantly 
 
200 A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 
 
 recognized the fact that this infant colony upon or near 
 to the upper Mississippi might be of infinite value to La 
 Salle's projects if it could be saved from present danger, 
 and made perhaps a nucleus of further adventure. 
 
 If they sent help now to these people in their present 
 peril, surely in days to come they would repay the 
 kindness by forwarding La Salle's project as far as in 
 them lay. To found colonies along the river banks 
 was one of his pet schemes. Doubtless he must approve 
 the alliance with one already in existence, and would 
 certainly sanction the measure now contemplated. 
 
 Father Fritz meantime was gently questioning the 
 girl about herself and her people, and his face was full 
 of tenderness and interest as he listened to her replies. 
 After a short time he drew Tonty aside and said, — 
 
 " Let me go to this place ; I think I have received a 
 call thither. There are God-fearing men there who are 
 in some peril of falling away into pious superstition and 
 fatalism through lack of clearer light. Let me go to 
 them ; I have a strong desire to do so. To my good 
 brethren, the friars, they would be but heretics and 
 outcasts, yet in the sight of God their souls are pre- 
 cious. Of the Indians I have no fear ; I have learned 
 how to deal with them. I have been amongst the 
 Sioux before this ; methinks I could avert the threat- 
 ened danger. Let me, at least, be one to go. Send 
 
 a 7 3 O 
 
 whom else thou wilt." 
 
 Tonty looked thoughtfully at Father Fritz, for whom 
 he had the warmest good-will and personal affection. 
 
A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 201 
 
 " I would sooner spare anybody but thee, father," 
 he said. " I shall feel that my sheet-anchor is gone with 
 the men when thy back is turned ; yet I know that 
 thou art the man for this mission." 
 
 He spoke eagerly and earnestly to him about the 
 advisability of forming an infant colony faithful to La 
 Salle down in the south, along the course of the river. 
 If Father Fritz went he was certain to win the settlers, 
 and to keep them faithful to their new allies. And 
 albeit the father himself was full of other thoughts and 
 purposes, he heard all that Tonty said with attention, 
 and was ready to strive to do his best for La Salle in 
 this matter. 
 
 " But thou shalt not go alone," said Tonty ; " that 
 were indeed to tempt Providence. A few sturdy and 
 fearless comrades must go with you well supplied with 
 arms and ammunition. I fear I must spare my two 
 brave boys for this ; I can see they are aching for the 
 adventure. Our larder is filled with meat. Food will 
 become more plentiful week by week now. I must 
 send Gaspard, and Claude, and Swanalulu at least — and 
 that will be few enough for what lies before you, if this 
 maiden's fears be true." 
 
 It was with a beating heart and eyes that glowed 
 with joy that Gaspard heard the decision of their 
 deputy-leader. His whole heart was bent upon this 
 new adventure, and now that Father Fritz was also to 
 take part in it, his satisfaction was complete. 
 
 The news of what was happening spread like wild- 
 
202 A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 
 
 fire through the camp, and caused the greatest excite- 
 ment there. Most of the men far preferred the shelter 
 of their wooden walls to the thought of a fierce 
 onslaught from the Sioux ; but there were some bold 
 spirits who longed to be of the number to go forth to 
 the Green Valley, and amongst these was Louis 
 Dautray, the cousin of Gaspard and Claude. 
 
 " There is nought to keep me here," he cried to 
 Gaspard ; " the forge and anvil work is wellnigh done. 
 We have hammered the bolts and nails needed for the 
 ship. We have nearly exhausted our slender store of 
 iron. My father could accomplish all the rest of the 
 work alone. Would that I might go forth with you to 
 the Green Valley, and wield my weapons against the 
 Indian foe ! " 
 
 In fact, so eager did Louis become, that he made his 
 appeal to Tonty himself, and obtained permission to 
 accompany the little band, on the condition that he 
 should be willing to return if he received orders to do 
 so through some Indian messenger sent to convey them. 
 
 A large canoe Avas to convey the party down to the 
 Green Valley — a canoe well provided with weapons and 
 ammunition, of which the fort had a large stock, con- 
 sidering its diminished numbers. Tonty was not sorry 
 to make, as it were, an arsenal in some other place. 
 He was very doubtful as to the constancy and faithful- 
 ness of some of his men, and thought it no bad move to 
 send off a large consignment to safer quarters elsewhere. 
 Father Fritz was in command of the party, and was 
 
A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 203 
 
 entrusted with the responsibility of the enterprise. 
 Tonty begged him to remain in the Green Valley, the 
 friend and ally of La Salle, until that leader should 
 return from his journey, and visit it in person. 
 
 These preliminaries being settled, the canoe, with 
 its heavy load and its six white and two dark- 
 skinned occupants — for Tessouat was to go to the 
 valley and return to the fort with news of the safe 
 arrival of the party — pushed off into the swollen waters 
 of the Illinois, and the men in the fort fired a parting 
 salute, which was answered by a hearty English cheer 
 from Gaspard and Claude, and then the little frail bark 
 slid rapidly down the river, and was lost to view behind 
 the trees of the forest. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE GREEN VALLEY. 
 
 THE Green Valley ! It lay before them like a 
 verdant basin — a circular hollow lying amongst 
 rolling hills. It was just the place for a home and a 
 settlement, watered by a trickling stream, and surrounded 
 by fertile meadows and the sloping sides of the hills. 
 Fine timber trees surrounded it on every side, and gave 
 shelter and shade to the little village clustering in the 
 hollow. The houses were strongly built of timber, and 
 thickly thatched with reeds from the river. The 
 gardens were divided by neat fences, and in them 
 bloomed many a gay spring flower such as the boys 
 had not seen since leaving England. 
 
 Indeed the whole place wore so much the air of a 
 peaceful English village that Gaspard's eyes gleamed 
 with a sudden sense of joy, and grasping Mayflower's 
 hand in his, he whispered, — 
 
 " I never thought to see again a place that looked 
 so like home ; I could indeed love a home such as 
 that ! " 
 
 There was only one easy way of entrance into the 
 
THE GREEN VALLEY. 205 
 
 cup-like hollow, and that was through the little ravine 
 which ran from the great river up into the country 
 beyond, and through which the streamlet trickled after 
 it had watered the Green Valley itself. 
 
 Louis Dautray, who had much of the soldier in him, 
 looked narrowly about him as they moved along the 
 narrow path. It seemed to him that if that pathway 
 could be held against the advancing foe, they would 
 hardly care to scale the hills and advance upon them 
 over their lofty crests. Indians could do it, doubtless ; 
 but it would be tedious and troublesome, and they would 
 be a ready prey for the marksmen of the valley as they 
 crossed the open spaces of cultivated land. 
 
 The little colony had been well placed for self-pro- 
 tection by the original settlers ; but it seemed at the 
 present moment as though the martial spirit had been 
 exchanged for one of a somewhat fatalistic pietism, 
 such as not unfrequently falls upon a decaying race. 
 
 That, indeed, was the idea which Father Fritz had 
 received in the first instance, and further talks with the 
 frank and fearless pair on the voyage had intensified 
 this opinion. 
 
 " A dozen stout-hearted French and English men well 
 armed, and with plenty of powder and lead, ought to 
 hold this valley against a whole horde of savages," 
 cried Louis, eagerly ; and Mary flashed him a grateful 
 smile as she replied, — 
 
 " My brothers will fight shoulder to shoulder with 
 you, and there be some others besides who will follow 
 
2o6 THE GREEN VALLEY. 
 
 them. It is because we have so few young men 
 amongst us now, and the old men are averse to righting, 
 that the peril is so sore. But if our white brothers 
 come to our aid, then indeed all will take courage ! " 
 
 Suddenly there burst upon them from the thicket a 
 graceful, fawn-like creature, with a clear olive skin, 
 eyes as dark as night, and a cloud of dusky hair falling 
 like a mantle over her shoulders. She was dressed in 
 European fashion, yet there must have been Indian 
 blood in her veins, for there was something in all her 
 movements which suggested the lithe grace of the un- 
 tamed child of the woods, and though her speech was 
 pure and clear, there was the soft sibilant intonation 
 which betokened just a strain of the native race. But 
 she was strangely beautiful, and instinct with an activity 
 and sylph-like grace that is never seen amongst Indian 
 girls themselves. She sprang from the thicket in which 
 she had been watching, with a little cry of pure rapture, 
 and flung herself into the arms of Mary with an aban- 
 donment of joy. 
 
 " Darlino- ! — darling ! — darling ! Ah, how I have 
 hungered and feared for thee. And thou hast really 
 accomplished the great deed ! Thou hast brought de- 
 liverers to us in our extremity. Ah ! indeed, ye are 
 not too soon. They say the fierce Sioux are close at 
 hand. We cannot sleep at night for fear we should be 
 awakened by their hideous war-whoop ! Are these 
 men our brave brethren and deliverers come to help 
 us ? " 
 
THE GREEN VALLEY. 207 
 
 At that question, Louis, who had been gazing with 
 mute admiration at the dark-skinned girl, took off his 
 cap and advanced with a courtly grace. 
 
 " We have indeed come with intent to save you, and 
 if that may not be, we can but die for and with you. 
 But we have had many dealings with Indians of all 
 kinds in these wilds, and methinks we shall not fail 
 here, having succeeded so well heretofore." 
 
 The dark-eyed girl looked eagerly at him, and 
 answered softly in the French tongue. Mary pre- 
 sented her to Father Fritz and the little band as her 
 foster-sister Ruvanni. She had been found in the 
 forest a tiny, helpless babe, about whom nothing was 
 known, and being just the same age as Mary, had been 
 taken by Mary's mother and brought up as her own 
 child ; but the semi-Indian name had been given to 
 her, as at first she was taken for an Indian child, 
 although soon it became evident that she was far more 
 European than Indian. 
 
 Whilst all this was going on, the party was approach- 
 ing the little settlement, and the moment their advance 
 was noted from there, it was hailed by a wondering 
 shout : women ran out of the houses exclaiming in 
 amaze, whilst the few young men who were at work in 
 the fields, sowing the spring corn, threw down their 
 implements, and ran forward to meet the new-comers. 
 
 For a moment there was such confusion of voices, 
 rapid talking in French and English, explanations, eager 
 questions, quick replies, that no further progress could 
 
208 THE GREEN VALLEY. 
 
 be made. But when the settlers understood that these 
 were a part of La Salle's exploring party, and had come 
 with arms and ammunition to aid them against the 
 onslaught of the Sioux, and to become their friends 
 and allies, there was nothing, but the warmest of wel- 
 comes for them, and they were escorted in a sort of 
 triumph down the steep declivity which led direct to 
 the homesteads of this strange little colony, and ushered 
 with some small pomp into the presence of the Patriarch 
 himself. 
 
 His house was the most important in the place. It 
 was beautiful, clean, and home-like, austerely plain, 
 yet not without a charm of its own. It was such an 
 abode as the travellers had not seen since they left 
 the shores of Europe, as unlike the buildings of Quebec 
 and Montreal as it was to the huts and wigwams of 
 the Indians. The snowy-headed old man, who looked 
 exceedingly aged, though in reality not above seventy- 
 five years, received them with a grave courtesy. He 
 would not commit himself to any opinion for a con- 
 siderable time, but ordered food to be set before the 
 guests, and questioned them and his grandchildren some- 
 what closely before himself pronouncing any judgment 
 upon what was to be done. His face indeed was some- 
 what stern and irresponsive at first, although the 
 young men standing silent in the background ex- 
 changed glances of unmixed approval and satisfaction, 
 and showed every eagerness for the proposed plan of 
 defence. It was not until Father Fritz spoke, and 
 
THE GREEN VALLEY. 209 
 
 pointed out in his clear and spiritual way that the 
 servants and children of the Most High God must 
 guard as a precious gift from Him the life which He 
 had bestowed, and not throw it away in the wilderness 
 through slothfulness or timidity, that the countenance 
 of the old man unbent, and he looked with a more 
 friendly and benignant glance upon the strangers. 
 
 Father Fritz looked straight into the eyes of the 
 Patriarch, his own kindling as he did so, and asked 
 him if he truly believed it to be the will of God that 
 His baptized children, sworn to His service, should be 
 to all intents and purposes handed over to ferocious 
 Indians to die a death of agony, not for the faith that 
 was in them, nor to glorify God by any testimony, but 
 simply to glut the fiendish rage of men who, when 
 roused to frenzy of \var, were fiends rather than 
 men ? With stern piercing gaze he stretched out his 
 hand towards the two beautiful girls clmo-ino- together 
 and eagerly drinking in his words, and asked if those 
 innocent and tender maidens were to be given over to 
 the cruelty of the barbarous Indians. 
 
 Then the Patriarch replied that they had meant to 
 strive and defend themselves, but had trusted mainly 
 in the Lord for succour ; and at that Father Fritz 
 replied, with his wonderful beaming smile, that the 
 Lord had indeed sent succour, but that His first law 
 of human life was that men were to strive, and to 
 fight, and to battle with the enemy themselves, whether 
 that enemy came to them in the form of a spiritual 
 
 (574) 14 
 
210 THE GREEN VALLEY. 
 
 tempter, or as a carnal and fleshly foe to be overcome 
 by force of arms. God would fight for His children ; 
 but they must fight for themselves. So it had been 
 in days of old, and so it would be now. He had sent 
 to their aid to-day. He had put it into the heart of 
 the brave maiden to go in search of help. Now that 
 that help had come, doubtless sent by God Himself, all 
 must strive might and main to utilize it and employ 
 it to the best advantage. That was doing the will of 
 God, not sitting down to pray to Him without using 
 those means to the utmost which He has provided. 
 
 And at these words a murmur of approval ran round 
 the assembly. The old men, who had sunk into a 
 species of pious fatalism, were roused by this appeal 
 to see things in a nobler light ; whilst the few young- 
 men, who had always been on the side of organized 
 resistance, broke into open exclamations of approval, 
 and at once a new spirit seemed to energize the whole 
 colony. 
 
 Whilst Father Fritz remained for the present with 
 the Patriarch and his friends, finding passages and 
 precedents in the Word of God for such times of need, 
 the rest filed out of the house, and eagerly began a 
 consultation with their allies as to the best fashion of 
 fortifying themselves against the expected attack. 
 
 Louis Dautray at once took the lead. He pointed 
 out to the men the half-filled-up ditch or moat which 
 had once surrounded their houses. He set the strongest 
 of the party to work at once in clearing out and 
 
THE GREEN VALLEY. 211 
 
 deepening it. There was a quantity of wood — solid 
 beams sawn out ready for building purposes — stacked 
 in piles not far away. Louis at once ordered a palisade 
 to be erected within the ditch, which would prove a 
 valuable rampart of defence if the valley itself should 
 be invaded. The timber was both arrow and musket 
 proof, and a small garrison could easily protect itself 
 within those stout walls. 
 
 But Louis meant, if possible, to keep the enemy alto- 
 gether out of the valley itself. As has been said before, 
 this spot had been very well chosen by the original 
 settlers, and was surrounded by high hills, the farther 
 sides of which were precipitous and not easy to be 
 scaled. Through the little ravine whence the stream 
 found its way to the broad tide of the Mississippi, was 
 the only real opening through which any sort of army 
 could find a way ; and just before the valley was 
 reached, this ravine narrowed and passed through a 
 rocky aperture, which could be easily barred by a 
 strong rampart, and guarded from above and behind. 
 
 But first the heavy contents of the canoe lying 
 hidden in a bed of reeds, under the charge of Tessouat, 
 must be transported hither, and for that office the 
 girls and women eagerly volunteered. Leaving the 
 men hard at work over the building of the ramparts, 
 Mayflower, hand in hand with Ruvanni, led the way 
 along the gorge and down to the canoe, and when once 
 there the women and girls loaded themselves with arms 
 and ammunition, and came toiling back a^ain, singing a 
 
212 THE GREEN VALLEY. 
 
 triumphal hymn as they did so, and piling their loads 
 within the palisade, now rapidly rising, whilst they set 
 forth with undiminished cheerfulness for another. 
 
 And now they had many helpers ; for the friendly 
 Indians of the neighbouring villages, who were also 
 in deadly fear of the invasion threatened by the fierce 
 Sioux, came flocking down at the news that the servants 
 of the great Onontio had arrived, and that the enemy 
 was to be met and driven backwards. So long as the 
 white men were despondent and unready, they had 
 held aloof from them, but the sight of these prepara- 
 tions filled them with ardour, and the work went for- 
 ward as if by magic. 
 
 And indeed it was none too soon, for flying scouts 
 from the forest beyond came in at sunset with the 
 news that the Sioux were close at hand. They had 
 encamped themselves for the night in a valley only 
 about two miles distant, and were holding one of their 
 savage orgies, such as was the usual harbinger of a 
 battle. 
 
 But thanks to the skill and willingness of their 
 Indian friends, combined with the hardy labour of the 
 French and English, the fortifications were almost com- 
 pleted ere the sun sank, and the men toiled on with 
 undiminished energy by the white light of the moon. 
 
 There was no fear of attack that night. The Sioux 
 were engrossed in their unholy rites, singing, dancing, 
 working themselves up into mad frenzy by their own 
 devices, and would certainly not be ready to move 
 
THE GREEN VALLEY. 213 
 
 before morning. Scouts had been posted to give 
 warning of attack, and the frightened Indian squaws, 
 children, and girls had been permitted to shelter them- 
 selves within the palisade round the buildings, where 
 a great barn, now almost empty, had been allotted 
 to them as quarters. 
 
 A few hours of rest the little garrison was able to 
 obtain, when the work was completed to the satisfac- 
 tion of Louis and Gaspard, and had been approvingly 
 examined by Father Fritz and the Patriarch. The 
 Dautray boys were surprised to find how much Father 
 Fritz knew about such matters as building and forti- 
 fying. He had given them many most valuable hints 
 during their operations, and had shown a sagacity and 
 astuteness in placing the peep-holes for the guns, and 
 settling the arrangement of the garrison which had 
 astonished Louis, who had an idea that friars and 
 men of religion had scant knowledge of such matters 
 as these. Father Fritz smiled a little as the youth 
 once spoke his surprise, and his answer was one which 
 gave all who heard it food for reflection afterwards. 
 
 " My son, if the great God of heaven and earth — 
 who is the God of battles as well as the Prince of 
 Peace — looks down with infinite interest upon every 
 occupation which can engross His children, it is our 
 duty and our privilege to observe and to study every- 
 thing that comes at any time beneath our ken. God 
 may have sent us the opportunity for some purpose 
 of His own. If we neglect that opportunity the fault 
 
2i 4 THE GREEN VALLEY. 
 
 is ours, and the responsibility ours when, in days to 
 come, we need that very item of knowledge which we 
 let slip by us carelessly when we might have made 
 it ours." 
 
 Gaspard listened, and his face grew deeply thought- 
 ful. Now he began to understand something of the 
 reason for that marvellous faculty of observation which 
 he had observed from the first in Father Fritz. Had 
 not his knowledge of herbs saved many lives in the 
 Indian village, and that of La Salle himself ? had not 
 his careful study of Indian character been the safety 
 of himself and others on many occasions ? And now, 
 had not his keen powers of reasoning and observation 
 shown them all just the weakest places in their own 
 defences, and pointed out the best means of remedying 
 them ? 
 
 The night passed in silence and in sleep after toil. 
 With the first of the dawn the camp was astir, and 
 all assembled together to hear the Patriarch read aloud 
 a stirring chapter from the Book of Joshua, and to 
 listen to a brief but earnest prayer from Father Fritz. 
 
 Hardly had these exercises been finished before a 
 breathless scout came rushing in to say that the Sioux 
 had broken up their camp, and were in full inarch 
 for the valley, whooping and yelling, and evincing 
 every mark of savage fury. 
 
 The Indian women and children screamed and ran 
 into the shelter of their barn. The cheeks of the 
 white girls and women paled slightly, but none either 
 
THE GREEN VALLEY. 215 
 
 trembled or flinched. Gaspard was to command the 
 garrison on the inside of the palisade, which consisted 
 chiefly of Indians, and the old men, who could fire 
 steadily from their loopholes, but not move actively in 
 open ground. Louis was in command of the outer 
 rampart across the mouth of the ravine, and of the 
 small body of settlers able and willing to be posted 
 in the more open and dangerous situation. It had 
 been thought best to give the command to the visitors 
 — the youths of La Salle's party — to avoid jealousies 
 and emulations. Also their recent life had engendered 
 in the lads quickness of decision and readiness of action, 
 and they had seen enough of peril to be cool and fear- 
 less in the midst of it. 
 
 Mary Neville, who had been one of the hardest 
 workers amongst the girls and women, came up to 
 Gaspard with a fearless light in her eyes, as he stood 
 upon the little platform erected for him, which gave 
 him a view of the whole of his enclosure. 
 
 " Let me stand here and load your pieces for you," 
 she said ; " I can do that, and save your time. I am 
 not frightened at the sound of guns. Let me be near 
 you and help you." 
 
 Gaspard leaped down and took her hand in his. 
 
 " You will be safer within the walls of the house, 
 Mayflower," he said tenderly. 
 
 " But I do not wish for safety whilst our brave men 
 — whilst you — are in peril. Let me stay here with 
 you. I shall be happier so." 
 
216 THE GREEN VALLEY. 
 
 With a sudden impulse of tender joy Gaspard carried 
 the little hand he held to his lips, and kissed it 
 thrice. 
 
 " Stay, then, here beside me, my Mayflower," he said ; 
 " but promise me first that, if I order thee within the 
 walls, thou wilt go without a murmur." 
 
 She looked at him with a world of tender, wistful 
 love in her child-like eyes, and answered simply, — ■ 
 
 " I promise." 
 
 Then a sudden silence fell between them and over 
 the whole valley, for in the distance could be heard 
 the wild war-whoops and yells of an advancing host, 
 and the scouts posted along the sides of the ravine 
 came rushing back with the news that the o-reat band 
 of Indian warriors, in full war-paint and feathers, 
 brandishing their weapons and excited to the highest 
 pitch of savage fury, were advancing along the ravine, 
 ready to fall upon the inhabitants of the Green Valley 
 and exterminate them. 
 
 " Steady, men, steady ! " cried Gaspard to those 
 within. " Reserve your fire, whatever you may see, 
 till I give the word ! " 
 
 " Steady, men, steady ! " Louis's voice was heard trum- 
 pet-like above. " Keep close hidden in your ambush- 
 ments till the first man mounts the barricade. Then 
 each man pick off in turn those that leap within it. 
 Never mind the mass without. Deal only with those 
 within. Let not one of them escape. But silence now 
 — and watchfulness ! " 
 
THE GREEN VALLEY. 217 
 
 The tone and manner of the young general com- 
 manded confidence and respect. The Indians, who had 
 wavered and seemed disposed to scatter in panic (for 
 let it be borne in mind that these Illinois tribes of 
 this part of the country were the least fierce and war- 
 like of any of the Indians of North America) at the 
 first sound of their approaching foes, now regained their 
 courage, and gathered together at the appointed spots, 
 some armed with muskets, but more with bows and 
 arrows or tomahawks, ready to obey the fearless white 
 man, and to trust in his power to save them. 
 
 The yelling and terrible war-whoops came nearer and 
 nearer. All was so silent and still that the Sioux 
 plainly believed themselves masters of the situation 
 already. The white men had either fled, or were 
 cowering like rabbits in their burrows. To burn and 
 steal and slay would be the delightful task of the 
 conquerors. 
 
 Suddenly they turned a corner of the rocky path, 
 and saw the barrier raised in front of them. That 
 pulled them up short for a moment. That looked like 
 resistance. But all was perfectly still and silent. Not 
 even the keen eyes of the Indians could detect one 
 of the men lying hidden in the cleverly arranged 
 ambushes. After a brief parley with each other one 
 of the chiefs gave the word, and in a moment a 
 dozen painted savages were swarming over the bar- 
 ricade. 
 
 " Bang 1 ! — ban£f ! — bansr ! " 
 
218 THE GREEN VALLEY. 
 
 The dusky forms the moment before carelessly swing- 
 ing over the rampart now lay wallowing in their blood 
 upon the other side. Not a man of the whole number 
 rose to his feet ; all lay dead or dying in the dust. 
 This indeed was a reception not expected. The war- 
 whoop of triumph died away, though savage yells of 
 execration rent the air. 
 
 Again came a pause for consultation. And then a 
 far more furious and determined onrush. Instead of 
 a dozen, there were a hundred men flinging themselves 
 against and upon the rampart. And now came the 
 moment when Louis's contingent could not cope with 
 the rush of Indians over the barrier, and Gaspard gave 
 his command. 
 
 " Every man that comes within range of the palisade 
 shall be shot down by the gun nearest to him. Steady, 
 boys, steady. This will not last. Pick your men, and 
 keep cool and steady. Yon fellow is mine. I will give 
 you the lead." 
 
 Although Louis and his party were firing as rapidly 
 as possible, and the ground was covered with slain, yet 
 the numbers behind kept pressing on, and already there 
 were many savage painted Sioux warriors who had 
 succeeded in getting through that first peril safely, and 
 were now forming up to fling themselves into the fort, 
 doubtless hoping that the bulk of the enemy were 
 posted above the first rampart, where such slaughter 
 had been done. 
 
 But at once a dozen ringinc- shots from within the 
 
THE GREEN VALLEY. 219 
 
 palisade told them a different tale. Gaspard and his 
 veterans fired with steady rapidity and accuracy. The 
 oncoming ranks were decimated by the first volley. 
 At the second, they paused and wavered ; at the third, 
 they scattered and fled. 
 
 The friendly Indians, who had hitherto watched trem- 
 blingly the fortunes of the day, now rushed headlong 
 down the heights, and fell with their tomahawks upon 
 the wavering and discomfited foe. They spared none 
 in their furious onslaught, and would have set about 
 scalping the living with the dead, had not Father 
 Fritz advanced, bearing the peace-pipe, and making 
 his way to the rampart without, where the remaining 
 mass of the foe stood wavering and uncertain, and he 
 commanded the friendly savages to desist from their 
 hideous vengeance, in tones so full of benignant auth- 
 ority, that they submitted almost without a murmur. 
 
 The victory was practically won. Father Fritz, if 
 once he could obtain a hearing, was certain to impose 
 his will upon the discomfited and leaderless Sioux — for 
 almost all their notable chiefs had been slain in this 
 furious attack and repulse. But yet the day would 
 have been one of mourning and loss for the little camp 
 had it not been for the courage and watchfulness of 
 Ruvanni. 
 
 Unknown to all, she had slipped from the enclosure 
 where all the girls and women had sheltered, and had 
 posted herself in a hollow tree — a secret haunt of hers 
 — near to the spot which Louis had chosen as his own 
 
220 THE GREEN VALLEY. 
 
 especial coign of vantage. Here, with her bright dark 
 eyes fixed full upon him, she had marked every order 
 and seen every turn of the battle, her heart swelling 
 within her in pride and joy. 
 
 But even as Father Fritz advanced to hold parley, 
 with the calumet in his hand, she heard a snake-like 
 movement in the grass beside her, and became suddenly 
 aware that a bold young Sioux chieftain and a score of 
 hardy followers had crept up the rocky sides of the ravine, 
 and were now creeping with cat-like steps upon Louis, 
 who stood openly on a knoll, watching the events 
 below, scarcely even on his guard. It was plain what 
 was intended. These fierce men would make a sudden 
 rush upon him, would overcome and bind him hand and 
 foot ere any could come to his aid, and would carry him 
 off" rapidly and secretly into the depths of the forest, 
 where they would put him to a death of unspeakable 
 agony, during which they would seek to wreak upon 
 him all the vengeance due for the defeat and slaughter 
 of their tribe. 
 
 And what could one helpless girl do against a score 
 of these warriors ? The blood left her cheek and her 
 lips for an instant — but only for one. The next 
 moment with a wild shriek she had sprung down- 
 wards to the knoll where Louis stood, and seizing his 
 musket, turned it full upon the advancing chieftain 
 and shot him to the heart. 
 
 Louis, roused in a second, and at once seeing and 
 understanding the imminent peril in which he had stood, 
 
THE GREEN VALLEY. 221 
 
 snatched the weapon from the now trembling hands of 
 Ruvanni, and levelled it at the first of the dusky train, 
 all of whom had started to their feet at the girl's cry. 
 Gaspard, hearing the shots above, and realizing in a 
 moment what had happened, made an upward rush at 
 the head of a small band of his countrymen. The 
 Indians, their chief killed, their hope of prey snatched 
 from them, uttered a wild cry and fled the way they 
 had come ; whilst Ruvanni, who had been shaking like 
 an aspen and clinging to a sapling that stood near, 
 suddenly collapsed as Gaspard and his band dashed up, 
 and would have fallen to the ground had not Louis 
 caught her in his arms exclaiming;, — 
 
 " Ruvanni ! sweetheart ! I owe thee my life ! " 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 ^\ A HE victory was won. But it was not yet assured. 
 X The Indians had been checked and baffled, but 
 it by no means followed that they would consider them- 
 selves beaten. The party in the Green Valley was very 
 small as compared with the multitudes of painted warriors 
 swarming upon the hills outside, thirsting for vengeance 
 upon those who had slain their brethren. Yet so many 
 of their best and bravest chiefs had been killed during 
 that fierce onset, that the savages hesitated about attack- 
 ing the white settlers a second time. They had begun 
 to feel a great dread of their occult powers. They hung 
 about the neighbourhood, and showed themselves here 
 and there ; but no attack was made upon the fortified 
 village, and though great vigilance was necessary there, 
 its inhabitants were left unmolested. 
 
 Then Father Fritz came forward and offered to attempt 
 mediation. He had no fears for his life in adventur- 
 ing amidst the savage Indians, for he went forth in a 
 strength stronger than any which could be brought to 
 bear against him. His calm and dignified mien, his 
 quiet fearlessness, and his unspeakable gentleness and 
 
EVIL TIDINGS. 223 
 
 kindliness, always won upon the fierce yet susceptible 
 natures of the Indians. To and fro he went between 
 the Green Valley and their camps, and each time he 
 returned in safety, and with better news. 
 
 The Sioux warriors were disarmed by his benignity. 
 They listened with eager attention to his talk. They 
 began to believe that the white men could be their 
 friends, and to desire an alliance with them. They 
 spoke eagerly of the pleasant lands farther south, and 
 the rich and fertile tracts of country only waiting, as 
 it were, for the advent of the white conqueror. Why 
 should not these Frenchmen come and settle there, and 
 teach their arts and their religion to the Indian tribes 
 along the banks of the great river, which might be 
 made the highway of all the trade of the vast continent ? 
 Something of the purpose of La Salle had found its 
 way to the ears of most of the Indian tribes. Some 
 of them it filled with fear and fury, but there were 
 others who were eager to welcome and form alliance 
 with the white conquerors ; and intercourse with Father 
 Fritz almost invariably ended in an eager desire on the 
 part of the Indians for the friendship of the wonderful 
 strangers from over the great sea. 
 
 Soon the painted warriors began to pay friendly visits 
 to the Green Valley, and to hold amicable converse with 
 its inhabitants. More than this, a party of Shawanoes 
 found their way thither, and amongst them were a few 
 Natches and Oumes from the extreme south, and all 
 joined together to tell one tale. 
 
224 EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 They had heard flying rumours respecting the coming 
 of the white men. They had been told that wherever 
 they came they conquered all before them, and that 
 great and wonderful cities sprang up like magic in 
 their path. Some had heard of the wonders of Montreal 
 and Quebec, and desired to see their own land enriched 
 by palaces and mighty buildings. Why should all the 
 trade and the riches of the land be drawn away by the 
 great waterways of the north ? Why should not their 
 own mighty river become a highway of wealth equal 
 to that of Canada ? The Indians were astute enough 
 to appreciate the value of white settlers along their 
 giant river ; and though jealousy and fear often con- 
 quered all other feelings, yet the desire to share in the 
 advantages which had accrued to their dusky brethren 
 of the north, by trading with the white man, impelled 
 them to desire his presence amongst them. 
 
 With this trading question Father Fritz had nothing 
 to do. His mission was to seek to brino- the light of 
 the gospel to shine upon the darkness of their heathen 
 hearts. But there were others in the camp willing and 
 eager to discuss this question ; and Louis Dautray 
 kindled into enthusiasm as he spoke of La Salle and his 
 project, and invited certain of the Indian chiefs to pay a 
 visit to Fort Crevecoeur themselves, and have an an inter- 
 view with Lieutenant Tonty upon that very subject. 
 
 This, however, seemed to them superfluous, and they 
 preferred to deal with those persons in the Green Valley 
 with whom they had established friendly terms. 
 
EVIL TIDINGS. 225 
 
 " Why should not that small colon}- remove itself 
 farther south, and become a colony of pioneers ready 
 for La Salle when he should accomplish his mission, 
 and navigate the great river to its mouth ? " asked the 
 Indian warriors. " Why wait longer here, in peril of 
 the threatened invasion of the Iroquois, which would 
 certainly not be much longer delayed ? Had the white 
 men not heard of the deadly jealousy of the Iroquois 
 towards the Illinois and all the southern tribes ? If 
 they had not, they soon would, and then, perhaps, it 
 might be too late. Better be warned now ; better break 
 up their camp and remove at leisure, than wait to be 
 slain and see their lands devastated by the fiercest and 
 most relentless of all the Indians of the north." 
 
 And then, on being more closely questioned as to the 
 meaning of this saying, the Indian chiefs explained the 
 matter more fully. 
 
 Hitherto the Iroquois had considered themselves the 
 chief gainers through the advent of the white man to 
 Canada. They supplied him with beaver skins and 
 other furs, and received in exchange arms and spirits 
 and tobacco. Now, however, they had heard with in- 
 dignation and dismay that a new field of enterprise 
 was to be opened, and that the Illinois, their rivals and 
 hated enemies, were to be enriched at their expense, and 
 the trade of the upper rivers diverted clown the broad 
 stream of the Mississippi, far away from their land, and 
 where no good would accrue from it to them. 
 
 Always ready for a brush with their rivals, and now 
 
 (574) 1 5 
 
226 EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 goaded to fury by believing themselves outwitted by 
 their less warlike foes, they were preparing for an 
 invasion of the enemy's country on a scale altogether 
 larger and more important than anything which had 
 been yet attempted. It might probably end in the al- 
 most complete extermination of the Illinois, and none 
 of their white friends and allies would be spared. If 
 the occupants of the Green Valley were once discov- 
 ered, they would most certainly be slaughtered to a 
 man. 
 
 This was very disquieting news, not only for the 
 Patriarch and the little colony itself, but for the Dau- 
 trays and Father Fritz. That the story told by the 
 Indians was true in the main they could not doubt. 
 Swanalulu had heard the same from other quarters, 
 and the thing was too probable to be disbelieved. The 
 attack might not be made immediately, but probably 
 would not be delayed longer than the autumn of the 
 present year. Would La Salle have returned with 
 reinforcements by that time, and have passed beyond 
 this threatened country ? Or was it possible that he 
 and his followers would become involved in the general 
 massacre that would certainly follow a great Iroquois 
 victory ? 
 
 "' The captain ought to know this," said Gaspard, 
 when the matter was fully made known to those at 
 the Green Valley. " What say you, friends ? shall I go 
 back and tell him what has befallen us, and take him 
 the news of what may be expected ? If we have to 
 
EVIL TIDINGS. 227 
 
 hold Fort Crevecoeur against all the hordes of the 
 Iroquois, we must needs strengthen our defences. How 
 thinkest thou, Louis ? Would the men of Green Valley 
 be willing to join forces with us there ? If they would, 
 we should be a goodly band, and could make a gallant 
 show for the general when he returns." 
 
 Louis, however, shook his head doubtfully. 
 
 " I misdoubt me if it would answer. These men 
 have been too long their own masters to take kindly 
 to the rule of a camp like ours, and we have already 
 too many disaffected ones to desire to add more to their 
 numbers. Let them settle their own affairs in their 
 own way. They are weary of the Green Valley. That 
 is very plain. Already some talk of going to Canada, 
 and settling amongst their countrymen in Quebec or 
 Montreal. They are aweary of the sway of the Patri- 
 arch, and having heard of life in other places, have a 
 thirst to seek it for themselves. Let them go their 
 own way. We can charge them with messages for La 
 Salle, and let him know what has happened and is 
 like to happen here. But if they desire not to join 
 with us, I would not ask it of them. They are brave 
 fellows enough, but they are somewhat too like savages 
 themselves. I would let them go their own way. La 
 Salle is not the master that all care to serve." 
 
 This was only too true. Those who loved him best, 
 best knew how little he was able to endear himself to 
 the majority of his followers. Gaspard sighed and said 
 no more ; but eagerly waited for some decision to be 
 
228 EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 made ere he returned to Fort Crevecceur with news 
 for Tonty. 
 
 It was upon the very morning following that he was 
 awakened from sleep by a quick, frightened cry in a 
 voice that he well knew, and springing from his couch, 
 and rushing out into the early morning sunshine, he 
 beheld Mary Neville running out of the house with a 
 white, scared face, down which the tears were coursing 
 freely. 
 
 " What is it, Mayflower ? " he cried anxiously, catch- 
 ing her by the hand, whilst a great sob burst from her. 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! My grandfather, my dear grandfather ! " 
 she cried, clinging to him and shaking like an aspen. 
 
 Gaspard placed his arm about her, and drew her 
 towards the open door, whence came the sound of 
 startled voices. 
 
 " He is quite dead," said one. " Cold and stiff," added 
 another. " It must have happened in the night. He 
 has been dead many hours," added a third. 
 
 It was only too true. James Neville, the hoary 
 Patriarch of that little community, had passed away 
 in his sleep that very night, without warning of any 
 kind. Perhaps the excitement of the past weeks had 
 been too much for him. Perhaps a slight injury re- 
 ceived during the tight had been more serious than was 
 supposed. But the fact remained, he was gone ; and 
 the little colony, deprived of its head, was likely to 
 dissolve itself into atoms, and break up like ice before 
 the sun. 
 
EVIL TIDINGS. 229 
 
 Father Fritz solemnly committed the remains of the 
 old man to the earth upon the third day, and sincere 
 was the mourning of those who had known and loved 
 him, especially on the part of the few old men left, 
 and of his grandchildren, who had grown up at his 
 knee, and to whom he had always been a tender, though 
 stern guardian. 
 
 Gaspard stood beside Mary at the open grave, and 
 held her hand in his, and when she looked at him with 
 streaming eyes, as at last they turned away, whis- 
 pering below her breath, " There seems nobody now 
 to care for us," he took her hands closely in his and 
 whispered back, — 
 
 " Say not so, sweet Mayflower. Only give me the 
 right to care for you and protect you against all 
 dangers." 
 
 She gave him a shy, startled look. He hardly knew 
 if she had understood him. He hardly knew what he 
 himself meant to say. But he knew that from that 
 moment life had somehow changed for him, and that 
 life without Mary would never be life at all. She 
 must always be bound up in the future with any- 
 thing in which he was concerned. 
 
 Back from the little burial-ground of the community 
 came the whole party. Many friendly Indians had 
 watched with stolid reverence the funeral of the white 
 man, much impressed, as it seemed, by the simple and 
 touching ceremony. But they did not offer to return 
 to the village with the mourners. Doubtless these 
 
230 . EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 would have many things to discuss, and would wish 
 to discuss them with closed doors. 
 
 In truth the death of the Patriarch had made a vast 
 difference in the feelings of many of his " children," as 
 he had been wont to call them. It seemed like a break 
 up of the old life, and practically settled the question 
 of the abandomnent of the Green Valley. There was 
 nobody to take the place of the departed Neville. 
 None desired the office of Patriarch, nor were the 
 young men disposed to obey another ruler. 
 
 The old men had had enough of the wilderness and 
 of fighting with the Indians. In face of this anticipated 
 invasion of the Iroquois, they had quite decided to 
 abandon their homes, and seek the shelter of the cities 
 which had sprung up since they were young. They 
 and their wives and families would wait for a short 
 time until the season should be a little more advanced, 
 and then they would journey under the protection of 
 some of their Indian 'allies back to the regions of civiliza- 
 tion. They would take up seigniories along the river 
 St. Lawrence, where land was granted to settlers, and 
 every help and inducement held out to them to colonize 
 the country. Their past life fitted them well for this, 
 and they were likely to thrive and succeed. They had 
 had enough of peril and adventure. Something more 
 safe and civilized was of greater attraction to them now. 
 
 But there were others in the small community whose 
 views were widely different from this. 
 
 Louis Dautray listened with sparkling eyes whilst 
 
EVIL TIDINGS. 231 
 
 the elder members spoke, and when they had done, and 
 those who agreed with them had gathered together at 
 one side of the large room where they had met for 
 discussion, he sprang to his feet and addressed the 
 remainder with eager impetuosity. 
 
 " But what shall the rest of you do ? Will all re- 
 turn to the cold lands of the north, whilst the great 
 and fertile south lies, as it were, awaiting us with open 
 arms ? It is well, doubtless, for those whose meridian 
 has passed to return to their countrymen and to the 
 haunts of peace and plenty. But shall the world be 
 conquered and discovered thus ? Shall none of us be 
 found willing to adventure ourselves to be the first in 
 the great work which lies before us ? Friends, ye do 
 all know for what purpose the Sieur de la Salle has 
 set forth into these wilds. I need speak no more par- 
 ticularly of that. Let me speak but of that thought 
 which has come into my mind. Will ye give me a 
 hearing whilst I unburden myself to you ? " 
 
 "We will! we will!" cried the young men eagerly. 
 These had not sided with the party who desired to 
 return to civilization, and they mustered some dozen of 
 hardy fellows, English, Scotch, and French by nation- 
 ality, though now much mixed in blood through the 
 intermarriages which had taken place in the little 
 community. Amongst these were the three brothers 
 of Mary Neville, and a few women, the wives of some 
 amongst the younger men, with their young children. 
 Mary Neville and Ruvanni stood clinging together in 
 
232 EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 the background, eagerly listening to every word that 
 passed, their eyes fixed on the face of the speakers, 
 and their slim frames palpitating with excitement and 
 eagerness. 
 
 Then Louis spoke once again, in clear and rapid 
 tones. He had been formulating his scheme for some 
 time. He had taken counsel, indeed, with Father Fritz 
 and with one or two of the bolder hearted amongst 
 the men, and now he spoke like one who knows well 
 what he has to propose, and how he means to carry out 
 his plan. 
 
 His idea was this : that he, together with all those 
 who were willing to accompany him, should act the 
 part of pioneers down the great river, and go as the 
 vanguard of the expedition which would presently 
 follow. The Sieur de la Salle might have many diffi- 
 culties to overcome. Troubles beset him on every side. 
 He was absent now, and none knew when he would 
 return. But why should valuable time be lost ? The 
 Indians were friendly. They desired to see white men 
 on their coasts. The lands of the south were full of 
 fertile plains and valleys more green and smiling than 
 this. Why should they not go forth and found a fresh 
 colony there, ready to welcome the great explorer when 
 he should come ? Were they not all young and strong 
 and full of courage ? Why should they tarry longer, 
 and lose, perhaps, the favourable moment for the 
 attempt ? They had with them men and women of 
 good lives and repute, and of courage and endurance. 
 
EVIL TIDINGS. 233 
 
 They had a holy man of God, who would doubtless go 
 with them, and bring God's blessing with him. The 
 Sieur de la Salle had his friars to accompany him, and 
 to strive to convert the heathen Indian to the faith of 
 Christ. If Father Fritz would go with them, they 
 would carry the message of peace and good-will to 
 the land whither they should go. And having founded 
 for themselves a young colony, like to the one which 
 had had a home so long in the Green Valley, they 
 would be in a position to assist the great explorer 
 when he should come on his way, and to form the 
 nucleus of a little centre of civilization and trade when 
 the time for the great enterprise should have come. 
 
 Such was the gist of Louis's speech, and it made its 
 mark instantly. It was something definite and feasible 
 to attempt. It gave present occupation and interest, 
 and the possibility of a golden future. The Indians 
 were ready to escort them. They were full of friendly 
 promises. They were eager to see the advent of white 
 men in their midst. Men and women alike were inured 
 to the hardships of a life in the wilderness, and down 
 in the sunny south these hardships would be greatly 
 mitigated. They could found a little colony in some 
 favourable spot. They could make friends with the 
 Indians, who were far less fierce, if they were not less 
 treacherous, than those of the north, and they could 
 carry the news of salvation with them as they went ; 
 this being invariably the pious accompaniment of any 
 exploring enterprise in those days. 
 
234 EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 Eagerly did they press round Louis, tendering their 
 services to him, as though he were their leader. Eagerly 
 did they press round Father Fritz, begging him to 
 accompany them. This he was ready to do. For the 
 moment there was nothing further for him amongst 
 La Salle's men. He did not actually belong to that 
 expedition, and he had observed that his greater success 
 in dealing with the Indians had awakened a little 
 jealousy in the breasts of the friars. They might prefer 
 to be rid of him. He might be wanted more here. More- 
 over he had heard from the Sioux that Father Hennepin 
 was a captive amongst their tribes, not ill treated, but 
 still in some danger. If he accompanied this party he 
 might see his way to effecting his rescue, and for the 
 moment this appeared to be the most pressing need. 
 
 " My friends, I will go with you," he said ; " it may 
 be that the Lord has given us this thing to do. We 
 must go forth not to enrich ourselves, not merely to 
 win empty fame and glory, but to seek to do His 
 will, and to brino- the liffht of His truth wherever we 
 go. If you will go forth in that spirit, I will go with 
 you, and I think the Lord will be with us." 
 
 All assented willingly and eagerly. All were fired 
 by zeal and piety. The influence of Father Fritz during 
 these weeks had not been lost. They all had come to 
 love and revere him, and to desire to show forth in 
 their own lives some of the beauty of holiness which 
 was so marked a feature in his. 
 
 " And, father, wilt thou do one thing for us ere we 
 
EVIL TIDINGS. 235 
 
 start ? " said Louis, leading forward the blushing Ruvanni 
 by the hand. " We love each other. I owe my life to 
 her. Make us man and wife ere we start forth into 
 the wilderness. Then can we travel fearlessly and 
 happily together ; and Mary Neville can come with us, 
 for she longs to do so. Her brothers are all going, and 
 Ruvanni is as a sister ; and she has no kindred left in 
 the world but these." 
 
 And so before many days were over, Louis Dautray and 
 the maiden Ruvanni were made man and wife by Father 
 Fritz, and received his fatherly blessing on their union. 
 The Indians danced and yelped with joy, and the 
 building of canoes went merrily forward. The whole 
 of the Green Valley seemed to have changed its char- 
 acter and to be alive with new forms of energy and 
 industry ; and only Gaspard went about with a grave 
 and rather troubled face, till asked by Louis what the 
 matter was, and whether he would not join their party. 
 
 " I would fain do so for many reasons," he answered ; 
 " but methinks my first duty is to the Sieur de la Salle. 
 He needs stout hearts and faithful men about him. 
 Thou canst well lead this expedition without me, and 
 duty bids me return to the fort, at least for a while, 
 to tell what has befallen, and to seek counsel of the 
 captain. I doubt not that all will rejoice to think that 
 some of our countrymen have gone forward to prepare 
 the minds of the Indians for the coming of the greater 
 expedition. But I feel that I must return to tell the 
 news in person, and then let others decide whether I 
 
236 EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 rejoin you or remain with them. If our men were all 
 true of heart I should not feel as I do. But there be 
 so few that can be trusted, and it is ill work to be left 
 in the desert with traitors." 
 
 Louis nodded his head in assent. 
 
 " Very true, very true. I would fain know myself 
 how they are faring at the fort. Go thy ways then, 
 good Gasparcl. Thou art a trusty fellow, and worth thy 
 weight in gold to any party. Perchance thou and Claude 
 will be wanted there even more than we can want you. 
 For my fellows all seem stanch enow, and their hearts 
 are in the project, which is much more than can be 
 said, I fear, for the men with our good Captain Tonty." 
 
 So whilst the preparations for the voyage down the 
 river proceeded merrily forward, Gaspard and Claude 
 prepared to return through the forest to Fort Crevecceur, 
 to learn what had happened there, and to bear tidings 
 of what they had accomplished in Green Valley. 
 
 But just one day before they started there came in 
 hot haste to the camp an Indian messenger, dispatched 
 by Swanalulu, bringing evil tidings with him. And 
 hardly had he delivered his message before Tessouat 
 came up, with confirmation terrible and fearsome. 
 
 " The fort is destroyed ! the fort is destroyed ! The 
 Sieur de Boisrondet is holding out against the mutineers 
 almost single handed ! They have risen against him. 
 They are plundering and destrojdng. He has sent us in 
 hot haste to see if we can bring help ; but alas ! alas ! 
 it will come too late ! " 
 
EVIL TIDINGS. 237 
 
 " The fort destroyed ! " cried Gaspard, his face paling 
 with astonishment and indignation. " Who has dared, 
 who has dared to lay a finger upon it ? Where is 
 Captain Tonty ? Why speak ye not of him ? They 
 have not slain him ? surely they have not slain him ? " 
 and the youth's voice grew hoarse with the anxiety 
 which consumed him. 
 
 Tessouat shook his head reassuringly. 
 
 " He is not dead, at least not at Fort Crevecceur. He 
 is away. He received a message from the commander. 
 What that message was I know not. It was brought 
 by two men who had met the Sieur de la Salle upon his 
 journey back. They brought a letter for the captain. 
 And when he had read it, he chose out some few of 
 the best men — thy father for one, and Duplessis, and 
 others-— and he set forth from the fort, leaving the 
 Sieur de Boisrondet in command. As soon as he was 
 gone an evil spirit seemed to possess the men. They 
 gathered together in groups. They refused to work, 
 and stood about muttering angrily and discontentedly 
 together. The Sieur de Boisrondet was brave and 
 cheerful, yet his heart was heavy within him, and we 
 knew that mischief was in the air. Last night it broke 
 out. The men rose and surrounded the blockhouse 
 where the Sieur and the servant were sleeping. Could 
 they have got in, they would doubtless have murdered 
 them, but the doors were shut fast, and it was plain 
 that there was danger in attacking those within. Then 
 in their wrath they set to destroying the fort, and the. 
 
238 EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 Sieur called from the window, and bade me fly like an 
 arrow from the bow, and bring word of what was pass- 
 ing to you. I have come as fast as canoe may speed 
 down these deep waters, but, alas ! I fear already I come 
 too late. They were making but short work of the fort. 
 Fire and axe were laid against it. Doubtless ere now 
 it lies a waste, and the destroyers have fled with such 
 spoil as they can lay hands upon to the woods. But if 
 you will return with me, I will lead you safely back. 
 It may be that the Sieur de Boisrondet has escaped 
 with life. He had arms and ammunition, and his heart 
 is brave and firm. They feared to go within range of 
 his windows. But they may have burned the whole 
 place about his ears in their senseless fury." 
 
 This was in substance the dread tale which the 
 Indian had to tell, though he spoke it not all at once, 
 but bit by bit, interrupted by innumerable questions 
 and exclamations. The reason for this sudden mutiny 
 of malcontents was unknown to him. It seemed to 
 have sprung up since the visit of La Salle's messengers, 
 who had been the cause of the departure of Tonty. 
 Why he had left the fort Tessouat could not say. He 
 believed he was expected back ; but meantime the 
 timorous and discontented men left behind there, with- 
 out any authorized head, had risen either in despair or 
 in despite, and it seemed as though already La Salle's 
 laborious toil had been destroyed in a single night. 
 
 Gaspard hesitated not a moment. 
 
 " I return with you this very instant," he said. 
 
EVIL TIDINGS. 239 
 
 " Claude, thou wilt come with me. We and these two 
 faithful Indians may yet accomplish something, if it 
 be not already too late. Louis may not now change 
 his plans. They are too far fixed now ; but thou and 
 I are free. I fear me it may be too late to accomplish 
 much ; but we must at least go back and see what lies 
 before us. If all is over, and there is no trace of our 
 comrades, we can but return hither and join this party 
 for the south ; but Heaven grant we may find our 
 brethren alive and safe ! " 
 
 A brief and earnest colloquy followed ; but Gaspard's 
 scheme was the one decided upon. It was something 
 of a forlorn hope even now to return to the fort, de- 
 stroyed and dismantled by mutinous hands, but help 
 must be sent to the brave young Boisrondet. The 
 canoe which Tessouat had brought down would hold 
 four persons, and the vigorous Indians would be able 
 to paddle it against the stream with greater rapidity 
 than the party could cover the distance on foot. The 
 river was no longer in flood, and they might hope to 
 reach the fort upon the morrow. 
 
 Louis was all on fire to return, but his duty to the 
 other party restrained him. Father Fritz was of opinion 
 that it would be better to send Gaspard and Claude on 
 in advance at least, and let them send word by Tessouat 
 if they needed further help. It began to appear to 
 many that the present expedition of La Salle was hope- 
 lessly broken up and scattered, and that until he re- 
 turned with reinforcements nothing could be done. 
 
2 4 o EVIL TIDINGS. 
 
 Therefore there was more reason to expedite this little 
 pioneer colony bound for the south, which might be of 
 infinite service to La Salle in days to come. The men 
 from the Green Valley would never submit to the harsh 
 and somewhat tyrannical rule of La Salle. It was 
 better they should act independently, and await him 
 with friendly eagerness upon his arrival at last, than 
 grow weary and mutinous as others had done who 
 served in his company. 
 
 The Dautrays listened with conviction to these words, 
 and Louis bade his cousins an affectionate farewell, hop- 
 ing for a speedy and happy meeting. Mary's face was 
 very white, but it was brave and calm as she said her 
 last farewell to Gaspard. 
 
 " Go where duty calls thee, beloved," she whispered. 
 " I shall think of thee and pray for thee every day. 
 And we shall wait and watch always, and trust that 
 thou wilt come again ! " 
 
 Gaspard held her in his arms, and felt his eyes grow- 
 ing dim with unaccustomed tears. Then he gently 
 placed her between Louis and Ruvanni. 
 
 " Take care of her," he said, hoarsely, " take care of 
 her, till I come to claim her." 
 
 Then bending his knee for a moment to receive a 
 blessing from Father Fritz, he sprang into the waiting 
 canoe beside Claude, and the next moment the flashing 
 paddles were driving clouds of spray along the surface 
 of the shining river, as the canoe sprang along its 
 upward course. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 GASPARD !— Claude ! Is it truly you I see? 
 Now welcome, good friends, to our demolished 
 fortress ! Would that ye had come in time to save it ; 
 and yet I fear that nothing could have saved it or us. 
 For when men turn themselves into savages, what hope 
 is there for those who remain ? " 
 
 It was the Sieur de Boisrondet who thus spoke, 
 standing beside the river bank, and stretching out a 
 warm grasp of welcome to each youth as he bounded 
 ashore. The brave young face was pinched and drawn. 
 He looked like a man who had been through much 
 peril and anxiety of mind. As he spoke, he pointed 
 significantly to the unfinished vessel lying upon the 
 stocks close beside the river, where it was soon to have 
 been launched ; and upon one of the planks, written in 
 great black letters, were the words, — 
 
 " NOUS SOMMES TOUS SAUVAGES." * 
 
 The brothers looked in silence at the significant 
 legend, and Gaspard asked, — ■ 
 
 ""' We are all savages. 
 (574) 16 
 
242 DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 " Was that the doing of the mutineers ? " 
 
 " Their last act before they fled to the woods, taking 
 with them everything upon which they could lay hands 
 that was portable — furs, provisions, stores of every 
 kind. I and the friars and l'Esperance were left alone 
 in the one blockhouse which we managed to secure 
 and fortify and store for ourselves. Afterwards we 
 were joined by Laurent and Messier, who were dis- 
 gusted by the violence and savagery of their comrades, 
 and preferred to throw in their lot with us. We are 
 all that are left in the fort now, and that is scarce a 
 shelter for us longer. We must leave it and seek 
 Tonty, and bring to him the news of this fresh disaster. 
 Verily this is but one chapter of accidents after the 
 other ! Was ever leader so unlucky before ? " 
 
 " Where is Captain Tonty ? " asked the brothers in a 
 breath. 
 
 " Ah, that must I tell you whilst you are feeding and 
 resting from your journey. And I must hear your 
 story too. Doubtless we both have much to tell. It 
 may not be safe to linger long in this place. We must 
 seek to join our comrades on the morrow. But for the 
 moment we will banish fear, and eat and drink and 
 talk. Afterwards we must plan what is best to be 
 done." 
 
 The one blockhouse which was still standing was all 
 that remained of Fort Crevecceur, and even this was not 
 in its former good condition, as fire and savage blows 
 had left their marks upon it. 
 
DAYS OF PERIL. 243 
 
 The two friars who were seated within gave a warm 
 welcome to the lads, and listened eagerly to the news 
 they brought from the Green Valley ; but far more 
 eager were the latter to hear than to tell, and soon 
 they were seated at the table with food before them, 
 whilst Boisrondet sat opposite to them and told his tale. 
 
 " It was a short while after you left that it began," 
 he said. " The longer the time was, the more discon- 
 tented did the men appear to become, and I suppose the 
 influence of Father Fritz was greater than any of us 
 knew ; for in his absence the mutterings of rebellion 
 and anger increased from day to day. But the cheerful 
 patience of our captain, and his friendliness with the 
 men, kept them under control so long as he remained 
 . with us." 
 
 " Tessouat spoke of his having gone," said Gaspard 
 quickly. " But what took him away ? " 
 
 " That is what I am coming to. There arrived at 
 the fort one day two of our countrymen, La Chapelle and 
 Leblanc by name ; and they brought with them a letter 
 and much news from La Salle. The letter was to 
 Tonty. In it La Salle told him of a certain rock he 
 had seen a little higher up the river, near to the great 
 Illinois town ; and he was convinced that no better site 
 could be found for the first of his proposed chain of 
 fortresses along the course of the river than this place. 
 He gave orders to Tonty to go and inspect it, and 
 perhaps to commence the task of fortifying it ; and 
 although Tonty was somewhat loth to leave the fort here, 
 
244 DA YS OF PERIL. 
 
 he was soldier enough to obey unhesitatingly the com- 
 mands laid upon him by his superior ; so he chose out 
 a couple of men — your father and Duplessis — and one 
 or two Indians, and went forth, the two messengers 
 accompanying him, leaving the rest of us here with 
 diminished party in the fort." 
 
 " My father went with him ! " spoke Gaspard, 
 eagerly. " Then at least he had one faithful servant 
 who would not desert him." 
 
 " Yes, and of late Duplessis has shown himself 
 faithful too. Perhaps it is the loss of these two which 
 had a bad effect upon the rest. However that may be, 
 there were other causes at work, although I did not know 
 them then, which made the men ripe for mutiny." 
 
 " What causes ? " asked the brothers, breathlessly. 
 
 " Why, that is soon told. The messengers who 
 brought the letter brought other things beside. They 
 brought with them evil tidings ; and these evil tidings 
 they poured into the ears of the men, and they entered 
 like poison into their veins. This we have learned 
 since from Laurent and Messier. I knew it not when 
 Tonty went and left me in charge of the fort." 
 
 " What tidings ? " 
 
 " Firstly, that the loss of the Griffin was now an 
 assured fact. Secondly, that the whole country was 
 very ill affected towards La Salle and his schemes, and 
 that the Iroquois Indians were about to rise and wage 
 unceasing warfare with all who attempted to divert 
 the trade of the upper rivers from the old outlets at 
 
DAYS OF PERIL. 245 
 
 Albany and along the St. Lawrence. Lastly, and 
 worst, that La Salle himself was irretrievably ruined ; 
 that his lands and goods in different places had been 
 seized upon by creditors ; that he would never be able 
 to pay any wages to those who served him, and that 
 probably he would sooner or later desert them, and 
 leave them to perish miserably in the wilderness by 
 famine or at the hands of the Indians ; that, in fact, 
 his means and his honour were alike ruined, and not to 
 be trusted by any." 
 
 Gaspard flushed angrily. Like all those who had 
 come to trust and reverence La Salle, despite his cold- 
 ness and sternness of bearing, the Dautray brothers 
 were devoted body and soul to him and to the cause 
 so near his heart, and resented with deep indignation 
 any aspersions cast upon him by his detractors. 
 
 " The mean hounds ! " hissed Gaspard between his 
 teeth, " and pitiful cowards who believed them ! Has 
 he not given proof enough that, whilst his life lasts, 
 he will never abandon the cause to which he is 
 pledged ? " 
 
 " True, but these fellows were half-hearted, and 
 ripe for mutiny before. These tidings did but give 
 them the impetus they had long been desiring. Perhaps 
 we are even well rid of them. It is ill work living 
 with traitors in the camp. The Indians are friendly. 
 La Salle will return ere lono; with fresh men and the 
 needful stores. Let us join Tonty, and keep together, 
 a small but trusty band, till our leader returns to us. 
 
246 , DA YS OF PERIL. 
 
 It is something to feel that pioneers have gone down 
 before us. It is much to know that the great river 
 can he navigated to the mouth without perils greater 
 than those already surmounted. We can afford to wait 
 and be patient. To-morrow we will join forces with 
 our captain, and take counsel with him. Methinks, 
 after all, the loss of these discontented and mutinous 
 fellows is no such grave misfortune ! " 
 
 So spoke the brave young Boisrondet, his elastic 
 spirits already rising, his resolve to see everything 
 through rose-coloured spectacles standing him in good 
 stead at this juncture. Gaspard and Claude, with the 
 bright confidence of youth, fell at once into his way 
 of thinking, and Father Gabriel himself, brave and 
 cheery old man, applauded this view of the situation, 
 and declared that they should soon see the turn of the 
 tide now. 
 
 That night they slept in peace in the dismantled fort. 
 The next morning they rose betimes, and after loading 
 themselves with everything that remained to them, the 
 forge and such tools as had escaped the plundering 
 hands of the mutineers, they set themselves to track 
 the footsteps of Tonty, and to join forces with him in 
 some place which offered more security than the now 
 demolished fort. 
 
 The Indians very well knew the rock which had been 
 the goal of Tonty 's expedition. " Starved Rock " was 
 the name it went by in their parlance, and it was an 
 object of considerable mark for some miles around. It 
 
DA YS OF PERIL. 247 
 
 was possible that they might be able to entrench them- 
 selves there, and fortify the place in the manner 
 suggested by La Salle. To find Tonty, however, was 
 the first consideration, and that would best be done by 
 sending the heavy goods up stream in one of the canoes, 
 under the charge of the friars, two Frenchmen, and 
 Swanalulu ; whilst the rest of the party under the 
 guidance of Tessouat, who had accompanied Tonty a 
 part of the way before, should take the forest track, 
 all agreeing to make the rendezvous at the base of the 
 " Starved Rock." 
 
 It was pleasant travelling now through the green 
 forest, bright with the tints of spring-tide. The ground 
 was dry and easy to travel over, and there were meat 
 and game in abundance. On the second day they came 
 in sight of signs of Indian habitation. 
 
 In point of fact they came in sight of the great 
 Illinois town which they had passed through before on 
 their journeyings, and which had then been deserted. 
 Now it was swarming with life. The tribe, returned 
 from their winter hunting, had settled themselves in 
 their habitations. The bulk of the warriors were 
 absent, it is true, gone forth upon one of their inter- 
 minable wars with other tribes. But there were plenty 
 of young and old men left at home, and women 
 and children innumerable. The town was capable of 
 holding some eight thousand inhabitants, and prob- 
 ably there were quite six thousand Indians mustered 
 there now. 
 
248 DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 But it was not the sight of this strange swarming 
 community which first struck astonishment into the 
 hearts of the little band suddenly advancing upon it 
 from the shelter of the thick belt of trees, which had 
 hitherto concealed the approach to it. It was not this 
 that caused sudden exclamations of surprise and delight 
 to escape from their lips. For upon emerging un- 
 expectedly upon the wide prairie land, after traversing 
 miles and miles of tangled forest, the first object that 
 met the eyes of Gaspard, Boisrondet, and their com- 
 panions, was a small group of white men standing upon 
 a knoll only fifty yards distant, and making a careful 
 survey from that vantage ground of the whole situation 
 of the town and its environs. 
 
 " The captain ! the captain ! " shouted Gaspard, bound- 
 ing forward like an arrow from a bow. At the sound 
 of that cry the men wheeled round, and next minute 
 Tonty was shaking hands warmly with Boisrondet and 
 his companions, and was listening with grave and 
 troubled face to the story of the devastation and loss of 
 the luckless Fort Crevecceur. 
 
 It was indeed a tale of woe; but Tonty was possessed 
 of the true soldier spirit, which is not cast down by 
 failure and defeat. To spend time and energy in 
 useless lamentation over what was past was no part of 
 his nature. With that they had no longer any concern. 
 It was the future which lay before them. And now it 
 behoved this gallant but diminished little band to con- 
 sider seriously what they could do, left alone in this 
 
DAYS OF PERIL. 249 
 
 wilderness amid thousands of partially friendly, and yet 
 treacherous savages, who might upon small provocation 
 be turned into deadly foes. 
 
 " How many are we?" asked Tonty, looking round 
 upon the little band. " Thou, Boisrondet, who art as my 
 right hand ; Gaspard and Claude, both true to the core, 
 as is also their father here " — and he laid his hand upon 
 the shoulder of the elder Dautray with an expressive 
 gesture of trust ; " Duplessis yonder has served us trustily 
 these last months ; and you have the friars also, is it 
 not so ? " 
 
 " Father Gabriel and Father Zenobe are with us in 
 the canoe," answered Boisrondet, " and Laurent and 
 Messier with them. These, with the Indians, Swanalulu 
 and Tessouat, are all our party, and the servant 
 l'Esperance, who has served us well and trustily." 
 
 Tonty paused awhile in deep thought. 
 
 " It is hard to know, with so small a band, what it 
 were best to do," he said at length. " Let us sit here 
 awhile, and you shall tell me all your tale. Then I 
 must think what the next step should be, and how La 
 Salle must be acquainted with these matters." 
 
 The stories which we know were soon told, Tonty 
 listening with close attention to all, and showing a 
 lively interest in the fate of the colony of the Green 
 Valley, and the projected enterprise of its emigrant 
 inhabitants. He was almost disposed to regret that a 
 junction with these sons of the wilderness had not been 
 effected ; but a little more talk with Gaspard convinced 
 
250 DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 him that only friction and perhaps mutiny would have 
 been the result. The pioneers might succeed in their 
 enterprise, in which case they would doubtless be helpful 
 to La Salle when he arrived ; or they might fail and 
 perish, as many before them had done. In either case, 
 it was better, perhaps, that they should take their own 
 way and follow their own desires. Louis Dautray 
 would not forget to forward the interests of La Salle in 
 every way open to him. 
 
 As for himself, Tonty said that he had made a careful 
 survey of the great rock overhanging the river just 
 above the Illinois town. It was the very spot for a 
 fortress, being only accessible on one side, and that by 
 a difficult path, whilst the flat top would permit the 
 erection of solid fortifications when there was power 
 sufficient to build them. But, as he sorrowfully con- 
 cluded, any such attempt as that was now utterly out 
 of the question. Stores and workmen had alike disap- 
 peared. They were but a small handful of men in the 
 midst of thousands of natives, and they must do nothing 
 that could by any means inspire a feeling of suspicion 
 or distrust. 
 
 The attempt to intrench themselves upon the rock 
 would certainly arouse both these feelings, and would 
 defeat its own end. For the present the Indians were 
 friendly enough, and had given Tonty a hut for himself 
 and his companions. They would doubtless receive 
 these other white guests with the same hospitality, and, 
 in fine, there was only one thing now to do — to send 
 
DAYS OF PERIL. 251 
 
 some of their number, by different routes, in search of 
 La Salle, with tidings of what had befallen them, whilst 
 the rest remained peaceably in the Indian town, culti- 
 vating the friendship of the natives, and gaining their 
 confidence and good-will, until La Salle should himself 
 return, and take command once again of the scattered 
 and hapless expedition. 
 
 There was much discussion before this conclusion was 
 arrived at. The friars and the two Frenchmen joined 
 the party on the knoll, having sighted them from the 
 river's bank, and the situation was discussed afresh, but 
 with the same result. Father Gabriel declared that he 
 should rejoice to live for a while actually in the very 
 homesteads of the Indians, and occupy himself with seek- 
 ing to redeem their souls and bring them within the pale 
 of the Church. Boisrondet was for a while desirous 
 that all the party should keep together and seek to 
 track the footsteps of La Salle ; but Tonty was firm in 
 his resolution to remain where the commander had left 
 him. Nobody could tell where he was, nor how soon 
 he might return. Messengers must certainly be sent 
 after him ; but for himself he should remain in the 
 locality where he had been left. La Salle would 
 certainly seek him first, either at Fort Crevecceur or 
 near to this projecting rock, and nothing short of com- 
 pulsion should drive him from the spot. 
 
 When it was plain that there was no moving him, 
 Boisrondet declared his intention to remain with him ; 
 and then the matter of the selection of messengers was 
 
252 DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 discussed amongst them. Finally it was decided that 
 Dautray and Duplessis should take one route, and 
 Laurent and Messier another, and seek to find traces 
 of La Salle, which they were to follow up till they 
 came upon him. Then they would break to him the 
 news of the utter disaster and loss which had fallen 
 upon the contingent at Fort Crevecceur, and urge him 
 to bring with him, if possible, such things as would 
 make good that loss. La Salle might be near, or he 
 might be far away. It was impossible to forecast. 
 But it seemed probable that the evil tidings which had 
 reached him at Fort Frontenac (as related by the 
 messengers he had sent to Tonty) would have obliged 
 him to go as far as Montreal — perhaps even to Quebec 
 to interview the governor there — and even the sanguine 
 and courageous Tonty could not reasonably expect to 
 see him back before July or August. Still there was 
 no knowing, and he would remain here to be ready. 
 
 So the little party, after spending one night together 
 in the Indian lodge, amid strange surroundings and 
 strange sounds, broke up upon the morrow ; the four 
 messengers departing with such store of provision as 
 they were able to carry, while the rest of the party 
 prepared themselves for the unfamiliar, yet monotonous 
 existence of the Indian village. 
 
 It was a strange and picturesque sight- which was 
 presented by this great Illinois town. The lodges, of 
 which there were many hundreds, were long, low 
 structures of wood, covered by mats which the squaws 
 
DAYS OF PERIL. 253 
 
 wove from the reeds and rushes growing by the river. 
 In shape they were like long tunnels, with roofs arched 
 like those of a wag-on. As a rule, several families 
 inhabited one of these lodges ; but to the white men 
 was accorded a large and commodious one for them- 
 selves, and it was carpeted for them with the skins of 
 buffaloes, and otherwise made as comfortable as was 
 possible. They set up their forge at one end, and 
 occupied themselves with such trifles of work as they 
 found it possible to accomplish, and fraternized with 
 the youthful warriors, who might be seen employing 
 themselves in the manufacture of their rude weapons, 
 binding a stone arrow-head upon its shaft with the 
 sinews of a freshly-killed buffalo, or shaping a mur- 
 derous-looking club from a newly-felled tree or sapling. 
 Some sat quiet under the manipulations of the skilled 
 tattooer, whilst others roamed about the woods in search 
 of game, or chased the buffaloes across the rolling 
 prairies. 
 
 The women did much of the field work, and employed 
 themselves with the manufacture of mats, and with pre- 
 parations for the perpetual feasts which celebrated any 
 small event, even to the capture of a larger quantity of 
 game than usual. It was an idle, monotonous existence, 
 and little to the liking of the white men. who were per- 
 force compelled to share it ; but they made the best of 
 it, and went hunting with their hosts, keeping up friendly 
 relations with them, yet all the while maintaining a cease- 
 less and eager watch for the return of La Salle, whose. 
 
2 54 DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 advent would release them from this uncongenial exist- 
 ence, and set them once more upon the path of discovery, 
 which had grown so absorbing to each one of them. 
 
 In spite of the monotony and aimlessness of the life, 
 the little party kept up their spirits wonderfully. They 
 made themselves moccasins, mended their clothes and 
 their weapons, learned to talk the language of their 
 hosts with ease and fluency, and lived with them on 
 terms of friendliness and equality. 
 
 The friars sought earnestly to teach them the truths 
 of Christianity, but with such singularly small success 
 that they grew discouraged at last. It appeared quite 
 impossible to make any impression upon the minds of 
 the people, and at last they gave up the attempt in 
 despair. 
 
 " We cannot teach them — they will not learn from 
 us," they said in despair. " We can but retire apart into 
 some retreat and pray for them. Let us make for our- 
 selves an abode a league away in the wilderness, and 
 there wrestle in prayer for them, and spend our days 
 and nights in devotion. So alone can we help them, 
 and refresh our own weary spirits." 
 
 Any form of toil was welcome to the men, weary of 
 idleness, and very quickly a comfortable hut was built 
 for the friars at some distance from the Indian town, 
 with its ceaseless squalling and yelping and revelry. 
 The friars and the servant l'Esperance took up their 
 abode there, whilst the rest remained in their matted 
 lodge, and waited with ever-increasing impatience for 
 
DAYS OF PERIL. 255 
 
 news of the absent commander, who might now be 
 looked for at any time. 
 
 September had come ; the summer was waning ; it 
 was important indeed that La Salle should appear before 
 the Indians broke up their camp and went forth for 
 their winter hunting. Anxiously did the few French- 
 men and their two faithful Indians watch and wait for 
 tidings, but the first tidings which reached that lonely 
 spot were not those of any arrival of friends, but 
 rumours of horror and terror. 
 
 Tessouat had gone prospecting, and had been absent 
 for three days. Suddenly he appeared in their midst, 
 panting and pale. At his side was a Shawanoe Indian, 
 who had been a visitor to the Illinois camp and had 
 only recently left. The faces of both men were filled 
 with a lively terror and dismay. 
 
 " The Iroquois — the Iroquois ! they are upon us ! 
 They are bearing down upon us in thousands. They 
 have sworn to slay and exterminate. They will spare 
 neither man nor woman, young nor old. They will 
 sweep the Illinois off from the face of the earth, even 
 as they have swept away the Hurons, the Eries, and the 
 Andastes. They will be upon us ere morning dawns, 
 and who may withstand their fury when they come ? " 
 
 In an instant the whole town was in confusion and 
 panic. The Illinois were at no time a warlike race, 
 no match for the fierce Iroquois, and at present their 
 stoutest and hardiest warriors were absent from the 
 tribe. The squaws rushed forth from their huts yelling 
 
256, BAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 and screeching ; children ran about howling, and the 
 men danced wildly, and encouraged each other by 
 singing their war-songs and uttering loud discordant 
 war-whoops, whilst all the while their hearts were 
 filled with fear, and they knew not which way to turn 
 for help. 
 
 Tonty stood looking on at this wild, barbaric scene 
 with a look of keen anxiety upon his face. He had his 
 hand upon Boisrondet's arm ; he motioned to Gaspard 
 and Claude to keep close together beside him. 
 
 " My friends," he said in a low voice, " we are in 
 great peril at this moment. There is a deeply-planted 
 suspicion in the hearts of the Illinois that we are the 
 friends of the Iroquois, and therefore their enemies. It 
 is true that France is at peace with the Iroquois, and 
 that in Canada they are our friends. That is enough 
 at such times as these to convince the Illinois that we 
 are in league with their foes against them. It will 
 need all our courage and resource to pacify these 
 suspicions. Can you not see how they glower and 
 frown at us, and shake threatening weapons in our 
 direction ? They will be upon us ere long. Have a 
 care every man of you. Strike no blow ; but be 
 watchful and wary. Our lives hang upon a thread ! " 
 
 Hardly had he so spoken when the truth of his 
 words became only too apparent in a sudden rush of 
 the Illinois warriors in their direction. They swarmed 
 about the lodge, uttering savage cries and threats. 
 They took possession of the forge and tools, and flung 
 
DAYS OF PERIL. 257 
 
 them into the river. They hooted and danced and 
 yelled, and accused their guests of being in league with 
 their foes, and of having brought this invasion upon 
 them ; and had the little band showed the smallest trace 
 of shame or fear, the savages would have sprung upon 
 them with clubs and tomahawks and dashed out their 
 brains in an instant. 
 
 But Tonty remained calm and firm and resolute. 
 He told them that this was not so — that they knew 
 nothing of this invasion, but that they would stand by 
 them in the fight, and do all in their power to help 
 them. Something in his manner quieted the Indians 
 and restored a certain amount of confidence ; but the 
 lull was not to be trusted, and there was no sleep for 
 the little party of white men in the Indian camp that 
 night. 
 
 Sleep, indeed, would in any case have been impossible. 
 The whole place blazed with fires. The warriors were 
 singing, drinking, painting, and feathering themselves 
 for the coming fray, and resorting to all the artifices of 
 savage songs and wild dances by which the Indian 
 warrior prepares himself for battle. 
 
 With the first light of the day so eagerly waited for, 
 came more news. Young warriors had been sent forth 
 as scouts, and now they came leaping back into the 
 camp. The Iroquois were close at hand. They were 
 on the opposite side of the river, and would almost 
 immediately come in sight. But over and above this 
 direful news the scouts brought back word that La 
 
 (574) 1 7 
 
25a DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 Salle himself was in their midst, with a Jesuit priest 
 or two, and that he was leading them on against the 
 Illinois ! 
 
 A yell of horrid fury arose as these words were 
 heard. The infuriated savages, declaring themselves 
 betrayed by those perfidious white men whom they 
 had befriended, rushed wildly upon the devoted little 
 knot of Frenchmen, brandishing their weapons, crouch- 
 ing, bounding, gesticulating, uttering savage yells of 
 menace, and for a moment it seemed as though nothing 
 could save them from instant death. 
 
 But Tonty had faced the perils and chances of war too 
 often to be daunted now. Raising his hand and his voice 
 at once, he cried to the savage warriors that they were 
 wrong — that the French were not their foes — and he 
 offered that very moment to place himself in the fore- 
 front of the battle with his companions, and to lead 
 them against the enemy. 
 
 Upon hearing this offer made with evident good-will, 
 the screeching grew less clamorous, the faces of the 
 savages took a different expression. They realized to 
 the full the advantage of being led by white men with 
 guns in * their hands. And they rushed off to their 
 canoes, to prepare to cross the river and place them- 
 selves in battle array. Tonty and his companions were 
 hustled forward, and with them such of the Indians 
 as possessed firearms. These first crossed the river 
 and put themselves in position upon the opposite 
 bank ; the crowd of lesser warriors, with their bows 
 
DAYS OF PERIL. 259 
 
 and arrows and tomahawks, crowding swiftly on their 
 heels. 
 
 Soon the ranks of the advancing foe were seen 
 through the belt of woodland, and the air was rent 
 with war-whoops and wild yellings. If the Illinois 
 were faint at heart, at least they made every outward 
 show of courage and daring ; but the answering yells 
 of the Iroquois were every whit as fierce, and the 
 two naked armies approached, leaping and screeching, 
 and discharging bullets and arrows wildly at each 
 other. Tonty scanned the ranks of the advancing 
 foe with anxious eyes, wondering if by any chance it 
 could be possible that La Salle was in their midst 
 either as ally or prisoner, and taking in with the 
 skill of practice the numbers and capabilities of the 
 advancing host. 
 
 It was plain that the Illinois were no match for their 
 foes. If his allies were to be saved, the fight must at 
 at all costs be stopped. What could be done ? A well- 
 nigh desperate notion flashed into Tonty's brain. He 
 turned to his companions and spoke rapidly to them, — 
 
 " There is but one thing to do. The French are at 
 peace with the Iroquois — that is true enough. I must 
 go to them and seek to mediate. The Illinois do not 
 really wish to fight. At heart they are afraid. If I 
 can stop the fight they will bless us in their hearts. I 
 will speak to the chief and see what I can do. If the 
 fight once begins, they will certainly be vanquished, and 
 we shall be involved in their ruin." 
 
260 DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 " Where you go, I go," was all Boisrondet's reply. 
 
 " And I ! " - And I ! " answered Gaspard and Claude 
 in a breath. 
 
 Tonty pressed their hands and answered nothing. 
 He went and spoke awhile with a knot of chieftains in 
 the Illinois ranks, and then with a wampum belt in his 
 hand as a flag of truce, and with his faithful comrades 
 by his side, he walked steadily and fearlessly forward 
 with rapid steps towards the now silent and astonished 
 ranks of the Iroquois warriors. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 
 
 THE Iroquois Indians, silent for a moment from 
 sheer astonishment, suddenly raised a great yell. 
 Arrows and bullets flew thickly round the devoted little 
 knot of peace-makers striving to reach the hostile ranks. 
 The missiles, aimed somewhat at random, did little hurt, 
 but all at once Claude gave a short gasping cry, and 
 Boisrondet flung his arm around him, else he would have 
 fallen. 
 
 Tonty turned and looked. The lad had received an 
 ugly wound in the neck, from which the blood was 
 flowing freely. The Indians yelled louder than ever at 
 the sight, and Tonty spoke with an air of authority and 
 inflexible command. 
 
 " Boisrondet, take the lad back to the lodge. We 
 must not needlessly throw away lives. Like enough all 
 will shortly perish, but we must show no foolhardiness. 
 Take him away, and thou, Gaspard, go back also. I will 
 carry this through alone, and if I perish, I perish. But 
 for the sake of La Salle, and our loyalty to him, we 
 must husband our resources and be wary and cautious." 
 
262 TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 
 
 For a moment there was dismay upon the faces of 
 his companions. It seemed impossible to let him go 
 alone into that swarm of yelling fiends in human shape. 
 Boisrondet urged that the two lads should be sent back, 
 and that he should accompany his friend. But Tonty 
 knew that if he fell, there was no man save Boisrondet 
 who could do anything towards leading and guiding the 
 Illinois, and helping them to outwit and overcome the 
 enemy ; so he was firm that he must return to the other 
 side of the river, consenting at last, and that reluctantly, 
 that Gaspard should accompany him on his desperate 
 mission to the camp of the Iroquois. 
 
 There was no disputing the final decision of the 
 captain. Boisrondet wrung his hand, and led Claude's 
 staggering steps back to the canoes which had brought 
 them across. So soon as they were in safety, Tonty 
 and his one companion walked quietly forward to the 
 accompaniment of savage yells and flights of arrows ; 
 and Gaspard's astonished eyes beheld such a spectacle as 
 they had never looked upon in quite such a measure 
 before. 
 
 He had seen Indians in war-paint and feathers 
 dancing and yelling and working themselves up to the 
 fighting frenzy many times ; but he had never seen 
 anything quite so ferocious in aspect as the contorted 
 forms and glittering eyes of these wild Iroquois. They 
 twisted and writhed their agile forms this way and that 
 like so many living human snakes. They leaped and 
 crouched and bounded backwards and forwards around 
 
TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 263 
 
 the intruders, hissing, screeching, threatening, in most 
 appalling fashion. 
 
 " Have a care, Gaspard," said Tonty suddenly, in a 
 low voice of warning ; " they take us for Indians, we 
 have grown so like our friends of the wilderness." 
 
 And in truth their swarthy complexions, tanned by 
 the hot suns and biting winds of the forest, and their 
 half-Indian dress, had for a moment deceived the Iro- 
 quois, who were now thronging round them with gesticu- 
 lations of fury. Gaspard felt his hair lifted by hands 
 from behind, and the sharp edge of a scalping-knife 
 pressed against his skin. He turned quickly round to 
 find himself confronted by a painted savage of herculean 
 frame, who brandished his knife and sang some fiendish 
 song of triumph ; whilst all around voices were clamour- 
 ing that they should be tied up to stakes and done to 
 death by fire in the approved method of the fighting 
 Indian when prisoners were in his power. 
 
 Gaspard felt his blood run cold, and he laid his hand 
 upon his dagger, resolved to sell his life dearly at the 
 last and to die fighting tooth and nail rather than 
 become the victim of that hideous fate. The clamour 
 was growing terrific. It seemed as though any moment 
 might see a bloody termination to this scene of wild 
 confusion. Gaspard tried to lift his heart in prayer to 
 God, and thought of his father, his brothers, Mary, 
 Father Fritz, bidding as it were an earthly adieu to them 
 in his heart. Then on a sudden the tumult died clown 
 slightly. Gaspard pressing towards the side of Tonty, 
 
264 TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 
 
 from whom he had been momentarily separated, saw 
 that two chiefs were approaching him and quelling the 
 wild yells of their followers. One of these wore a 
 frowning aspect, and Gaspard heard him reply to the 
 cries of the Indians by a brief promise that they should 
 soon have the prisoners to burn ; but the younger chief 
 (who was an Onondaga) cried out that these were not 
 Indians, but Frenchmen, and that if any hurt were done 
 to them, the great Onontio would wreak a fearful 
 vengeance upon themselves. 
 
 This information produced a great excitement, and 
 when Tonty bared his head and showed himself as a 
 white man indeed, a considerable sensation was produced, 
 and some alarm was aroused by the fact that this 
 Frenchman had already received many blows from the 
 infuriated mob, and was bleeding at the mouth from the 
 effect. 
 
 He and Gaspard were now hurried to the rear, where 
 a parley began to take place. Tonty, cool and self- 
 contained as ever, despite the rough handling he had 
 received, spoke with perfect assurance when he could 
 make himself heard. He warned the Iroquois that the 
 Illinois were under the protection of the King of France 
 and the Onontio, or governor of Canada, and demanded 
 that they should be left in peace. An impression was 
 beginning to be produced upon the chiefs (for the 
 Iroquois were fully aware of the advantages accruing 
 to them from their alliance with the French in Canada), 
 when an ill-timed act on the part of some ardent Iroquois 
 
TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 265 
 
 chieftain went near to destroying all the good which 
 had already been done. He had seized Tonty's hat, 
 this young brave, and now strutted forth with it upon 
 a pole and showed it flauntingly to the Illinois on the 
 other side of the river. Naturally they believed that 
 their white ally had been killed, and in a moment the 
 firing which had ceased for a while recommenced with 
 redoubled fury. 
 
 The panic and fury quickly ran throughout the camp 
 and reached the rear, when all the ferocious threats and 
 struggles began once more around the captives. Again 
 and again it was demanded that they should be burned, 
 and the young Onondaga had much ado ere he could 
 make his voice heard, as he cried out that to burn 
 two Frenchmen would sunder for ever the alliance be- 
 tween that nation and their tribes. Tonty, still speak- 
 ing with calm nonchalance, warned the Iroquois to take 
 heed what they were about, since there were at least 
 twelve hundred stout Illinois warriors encamped hard 
 by, and sixty Frenchmen with them, ready to lend them 
 firearms and lead them to battle if need be. 
 
 Gaspard heard this audacious invention with a qualm 
 of dismay. For the moment it seemed likely to serve 
 its point, and it was all in keeping with the spirit of 
 the times, which permitted any diplomatic falsehood in 
 order to effect a laudable end. But Gaspard had a 
 feeling that Father Fritz would never have stooped to 
 utter a false word, had his peril been ever so great ; 
 and he wondered if it were justifiable to do so, even 
 
266 TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 
 
 when so much seemed to hang upon the possibility of 
 effecting a cessation of hostilities. 
 
 For the moment there was certainly a lull. Whether 
 or not the Iroquois fully believed the statement made,, 
 they were ready now to listen to Tonty's proposals for 
 peace. They had certainly found the Illinois better 
 armed and more warlike in spirit than they had ex- 
 pected. This pointed to the supposition that they might 
 have white allies in their midst, and it was no part of 
 the Iroquois policy to break the friendly relations which 
 existed between them and the French of Canada. 
 
 In the end, Tonty and Gaspard were set free to re- 
 turn to the Illinois camp, bearing a belt of peace as 
 a token. Tonty had a shrewd suspicion that the truce 
 would be a very hollow one, but he proceeded cheerfully 
 with his mission nevertheless. Before departing he 
 asked of the friendly Onondaga chieftain if he could 
 explain the rumour brought to the Illinois camp of 
 there being white men with the Iroquois, and then, with 
 a grin of humorous amusement, his savage champion 
 showed him a suit of European clothing and a friar's 
 habit which had come into their possession, and which 
 they carried with them stuffed with straw, and displayed 
 from time to time with a certain grim and savage 
 pleasantry. 
 
 The Illinois received the ambassadors of peace with 
 open arms, and the firing along the river banks ceased. 
 But there was no trust to be placed in the pledge of 
 the Iroquois, and the Illinois at once set about removing 
 
TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 267 
 
 their women and children to a great island in the midst 
 of the river, where they hoped to find sanctuary. 
 
 The friars, Father Gabriel and Father Zenobe, came 
 out to meet Tonty, and gave him fervent blessings, 
 rejoicing in the marvellous escape that he had had. 
 They had heard news in their log hut of this savage 
 fight, and had hurried forth to take their part in it, but 
 were only in time to hear that Tonty and Gaspard were 
 in the hands of the Iroquois, no one could say whether 
 alive or dead. 
 
 It was an anxious time indeed for all. The French- 
 men boldly remained in their lodge in the now deserted 
 town, which had been partially burned before the Illinois 
 decided to abandon it. The Iroquois swarmed all about, 
 sometimes coming to buy provisions, sometimes spying 
 round as though in search of their foes, always with 
 a look of treacherous ferocity upon their faces that was 
 anything but reassuring. 
 
 Presently they all crossed the river in a body and 
 took possession of the deserted town, building themselves 
 a sort of fort of the materials saved from the burning, 
 and showing themselves anything but peaceable in their 
 preparations. 
 
 " It looks bad," said Tonty, who had surveyed their 
 operations with grave attention. " They profess friendli- 
 ness to us, but I do not trust them for a moment. We 
 must keep all together, and above all things show no fear. 
 They are afraid to do anything to break the alliance 
 with France, but save for that fear they would murder 
 
268 TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 
 
 the whole of us with the greatest pleasure any day. 
 We must be wary and watchful." 
 
 Two days later came a rather peremptory invitation 
 to the Frenchmen to take up their abode within the 
 fort itself. Tonty looked grave, but decided that re- 
 sistance would be useless, and that a show of courage 
 and confidence gave them their best chance. He calmly 
 told the messenger that if they would provide a separate 
 lodge where he and his companions might dwell together, 
 they would come ; and this being arranged, the little 
 party, including the two friars, found themselves the 
 guests of the Indians within the wooden walls of their 
 redoubt. 
 
 Claude was still weakened by loss of blood, and 
 Father Gabriel was his kind and attentive nurse. The 
 wound was healing rapidly, but both he and Tonty 
 were suffering somewhat from the rough handling they 
 had received. This life of inaction, therefore, was not 
 altogether unwelcome, were it not for the constant sense 
 of uncertainty and anxiety. 
 
 They were relieved, however, to find that their foes 
 were also rather uneasy. They knew very little as to 
 the strength of their Illinois adversaries, and had been 
 partially deceived by the stories told them by Tonty. 
 When an army of Illinois suddenly appeared advancing 
 over the low hills, as though to give battle and win 
 back their township from the occupation of the invaders, 
 the Iroquois warriors, despite their boldness, were filled 
 with fear, and eagerly demanded of Tonty whether he 
 
TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 269 
 
 would go out as an ambassador, and make a truce with 
 the foe. 
 
 This he gladly undertook to do, and chose the genial 
 Father Gabriel as his companion. The Illinois set up 
 a cry of rapture at sight of him, and rushed forward to 
 meet him. A young Iroquois Indian had been sent as 
 a hostage, and this proof of apparent good faith disposed 
 the Illinois to trust in the overtures now made to them 
 by their savage foes. They led their guests into a 
 tent, and squatted down to hear what they had to 
 tell them. 
 
 Tonty rose and made the first speech. 
 
 He said that the Iroquois desired peace rather than 
 war, and that they regarded the Illinois now as under 
 the protection of the Onontio of Canada. He laid 
 certain proposals before them, to which they appeared 
 ready to agree— indeed they would have agreed to 
 anything in their real fear of the Iroquois, had Tonty 
 not warned them by various signs and whispered words 
 not to betray themselves — and after having offered 
 refreshment to the ambassadors, they sent them away 
 with presents for the Iroquois, together with a young 
 man of their tribe as a return hostage. 
 
 It was a pity that this youth had been sent. Tonty 
 instructed him on the way back to keep up a bold front 
 before the invaders, but so soon as he was taken from 
 the sheltering wing of the Frenchmen, he displayed the 
 greatest fear and dread of the Iroquois. He was 
 present at the council, but instead of comporting himself 
 
270 TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 
 
 with dignity and reserve, showed such eager desire to 
 yield everything asked, and betrayed in such a number 
 of ways the fears and weaknesses of his tribe — which 
 Tonty had carefully kept a secret — that the eyes of 
 the Iroquois chiefs began to gleam with anger, and their 
 old insolence to return. 
 
 " Where are the twelve thousand trained warriors ? " 
 they asked with menacing gestures. " Where are the 
 sixty Frenchmen who will lead them to battle against 
 us ? " 
 
 They gathered round Tonty, clamouring for an answer, 
 and Gaspard again felt a renewal of the qualm which 
 had assailed him when first he had heard the audacious 
 statement made. 
 
 " Surely the truth would have hurt us less," he said 
 to himself, preparing for death at the hands of the 
 infuriated Iroquois, who were now thoroughly suspicious 
 and angry. 
 
 But Tonty was " equal to the occasion. His stout 
 heart never failed him even in moments of peril and 
 extremity. 
 
 " Go and look for them in the ranks of the Illinois ! " 
 he answered defiantly. " Go out to fight, and see what 
 reception you will meet. Go and make war upon the 
 tribes the Onontio has promised to protect, and upon 
 the white men of his own country, and see what will 
 come of it. As for me and these my friends, we will 
 befriend all those who are loyal to the King of France 
 and the Onontio. But let them show themselves untrue 
 
TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 271 
 
 to him — and we will show what sort of vengeance the 
 white man can take upon the Indian." 
 
 A bold and threatening aspect and great swelling 
 words were never lost upon the Indians. The angry 
 faces grew quiet again. The chiefs exchanged glances 
 and became calm. The negotiations were carried on, 
 and the treaty was concluded ; but the keen eye of the 
 trained soldier saw at once that the Iroquois had no 
 intention of keeping it. 
 
 They were busy from morning till night constructing 
 canoes of bark, and well did Tonty know that so soon 
 as the flotilla was complete they would make a furious 
 attack upon the island retreat of the squaws and children, 
 placed for safety on the reedy island. 
 
 Gaspard stole away in the dead of night with 
 Swanalulu and gave warning to the Illinois of this 
 probable attack. But as they returned stealthily to 
 the camp before dawn, they saw fierce eyes gleaming 
 out at them through the thickets, and knew that they 
 had been watched and perhaps followed, and that their 
 hosts were bitterly suspicious of them. 
 
 " If we do not soon get away from this place, we be 
 all dead men," said Swanalulu, as they crept within the 
 walls of their lodge. 
 
 Indeed, had it not been for the fear the Iroquois felt 
 of the wrath of the governor of Canada did they hurt 
 French subjects, the Iroquois would have fallen upon the 
 little band and cut them in pieces with the greatest 
 good-will. 
 
272 TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 
 
 Instead of this, however, they invited them to a 
 solemn council. Tonty was given a seat of honour 
 amongst the chiefs, and the friars and two Dautrays 
 were allotted lower seats on buffalo mats on the 
 opposite side of the hut. After some rather grave 
 and silent feasting had been got through, one of the 
 leading chieftains arose, and upon his making a sign 
 to his subordinates, a large object was borne into the 
 room, which proved to be six packs of beaver skins. 
 
 These packs were laid down solemnly before Tonty, 
 and the chief proceeded to make his speech. 
 
 It must be remembered that no Indian compact was 
 considered to be binding without presents having been 
 given. Promises without some more substantial tokens 
 of good- will were regarded as so much empty air. 
 These beaver skins, then, were to be given as a guarantee 
 of good faith, and the chief proceeded in his verbose 
 and flowery fashion to explain their meaning. 
 
 The first two packs being placed on one side close 
 to Tonty's feet, the speaker declared that the Illinois, 
 being now regarded by them as the children of Count 
 Frontenac, the Onontio, should not be warred upon nor 
 eaten. A third pack was placed almost in Tonty's arms, 
 and it was intimated to him that this was a peace 
 offering, intended to salve the wound which he had 
 received. The next was a like offering to the rest of 
 his comrades for any evil treatment they had suffered. 
 As for the fifth and sixth, they were offered with rather 
 more reserve, and it was said to the guests that the sun 
 
TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 273 
 
 was bright, that the weather was favourable for travel- 
 ling, and in plain language they were recommended to 
 go home the way they had come and trouble the wilder- 
 ness no more ! 
 
 Tonty fully understood the gist of the last recom- 
 mendation. His hosts would have none of their advice 
 or their espionage. They intended to go their own 
 way, and to work their own will upon the natives of 
 these wilds, and these were only bribes to get the white 
 men out of their path before they commenced their 
 raids. 
 
 Rising with dignity to his feet, Tonty expressed 
 gratitude for the good-will shown him, but then fixing 
 his eyes firmly upon one chief after another, he sternly 
 demanded when they were going back to their own 
 country, leaving the inoffensive Illinois in peace. 
 
 This query caused an instant change to come over 
 the bland and passive faces of the Indians. Their eyes 
 began to sparkle, their lithe frames contorted themselves, 
 and losing their self-restraint, and forgetting the solemn 
 pledge just made, they answered fiercely that they would 
 fatten themselves upon the flesh of the Illinois ere they 
 would return to their own land. 
 
 At that word an answering flash glowed in Tonty 's 
 eyes. His frame seemed to dilate in his anger, and 
 suddenly he sent the packs of beaver skins flying this 
 way and that, as he spurned them with an indignant 
 foot. 
 
 " Think you," he cried in ringing accents, " that I will 
 
 (574) 18 
 
274 TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 
 
 accept your gifts, when ye tell me to my very face that 
 ye will eat the flesh of the governor's children ? Are 
 they not your own brethren, since ye are also his 
 children ? Shame upon you — you are false to your own 
 pledges ! In one and the same breath ye vow to live 
 at peace with the Illinois, and to plunder, kill, and eat 
 them. Have a care that ye do not so offend the great 
 Onontio, that he take direful vengeance upon you. As 
 for me and my comrades, we will remain with you no 
 longer. The sun indeed is bright. The way, if long, 
 has been trodden by our feet before. We will go forth 
 to find the Onontio himself and tell him of your doings. 
 Have a care, then, what those doings are, lest he fall 
 upon you and smite you to destruction." 
 
 It was a bold line to take, but perhaps Tonty knew 
 that in their desperate strait nothing but a bold show 
 could possibly save them. Too faithful and true to 
 accept presents which were little other than bribes, he 
 was not afraid to scorn and spurn them, and speak up 
 to the very last for his allies. 
 
 Nor were his bold words quite without effect, for the 
 moment at least. The chiefs eyed each other, and none 
 seemed ready to speak. Tonty, having done all that 
 lay in his power for the timid and unwarlike Illinois, 
 had now no option but to retreat into the wilderness 
 with his little band. His life was not safe for a day, 
 now that the Iroquois had made up their minds to 
 attack. He had done what he could, and must leave 
 the rest. With the Illinois he would be even less safe, 
 
TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 275 
 
 for having lived so long amongst their foes here, it 
 would be regarded as a certainty that he and his men 
 had become their allies and friends. Upon the first 
 outbreak of the war, they would certainly be killed. 
 
 " We must go forth into the forest before they have 
 time to change their minds," he said to his companions, 
 when they reached their lodge, and looked into each 
 other's faces. " To remain here beyond a day or two 
 is to court certain death. They have given us a dis- 
 missal. The time has come when we must accept it 
 and go." 
 
 This was all too evident, and the conduct of the 
 Iroquois showed it at every turn. Swanalulu was beset 
 on all hands as he strove to pitch their canoe, to 
 make it fit for the voyage up the river, which was their 
 best method of travel. It was with great difficulty that 
 he and Tessouat could carry on their work, so hustled 
 and gibed and insulted were they. The Frenchmen 
 within the lodge put together the few belongings still 
 remaining to them, and sometimes walked out by twos 
 together, so as to show their enemies that they had no 
 fear. But sullen glowering looks met them on every 
 side. Only the Onondaga chieftain kept up any show 
 of friendliness, and he was feverishly eager to see the 
 last of them. 
 
 " Make haste, make haste, before they change their 
 minds ! " he would say, and it was at the last his hands 
 which held the prow of the canoe as the party stepped 
 into it one by one, in the clear sunshine of an autumn 
 
276. TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 
 
 morning, just as the first crispness of the coming frost 
 began to sharpen the air. 
 
 The banks were lined by savage-looking Iroquois, all 
 regarding with sombre ferocity their departing guests. 
 Tonty looked round at the crowds with stern and 
 anxious eyes, reading something of menace in their 
 aspect, which could not but render him uneasy. He 
 was the last to step into the canoe, and scarcely had he 
 done so before the paddles of the two faithful Indians 
 were flashing through the water. Gaspard and Claude 
 were also assisting with all their skill, and the little 
 craft shot out into the stream at a right good pace. 
 
 Yet ere it reached the middle of the river there came 
 a sharp report of a musket, fired by some unseen hand 
 along the banks. The smoke issued from a reedy patch 
 where no human form could be seen. But doubtless a 
 pair of eager wolf-like eyes were gleaming from the 
 tangled thicket, as the unseen marksman discharged his 
 deadly weapon. 
 
 Was the bullet meant for Tonty, that conspicuous 
 figure standing and regarding with stern and gloomy 
 eyes the place which had been so long his home ? 
 Probably it was ; but it missed its mark, and a grim 
 smile flickered over Tonty's face. But the expression 
 changed in a moment, as he heard a gasping cry, and 
 saw that the good old Father Gabriel had sunk down in 
 a helpless heap along the bottom of the canoe, the blood 
 streaming from a small orifice in his temple. 
 
 " He is dead ! " spoke Father Zenobe in an awe-stricken 
 
TREACHEROUS INDIANS. 277 
 
 voice. " May God rest his soul. He has trodden a 
 thorny road to glory, but the peace of the just will be 
 upon him for ever and ever." 
 
 With pallid faces and heavy hearts the little band 
 rowed vigorously onwards, till they could find a place 
 where they could bury their faithful comrade with such 
 simple rites as were possible. 
 
 Then they recommenced their journey northward, 
 which proved to be one of much hardship and peril, 
 and which might indeed have ended by a death of 
 starvation in the wilderness for all, had it not been 
 that at last they fell in with the kindly Pottawatamies 
 who had befriended them a year before, and who now 
 took them under their protection, and conducted them 
 in triumph to their village upon Lake Michigan, where 
 the old chief, who so greatly admired and revered 
 Count Frontenac and La Salle, received them with open 
 arms. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 " f~** LAUDE, I have a plan ! I have a great desire 
 \^y to accomplish something. Wilt thou share the 
 adventure with me ? " 
 
 Claude sprang up from before the fire, beside which 
 he had been sitting, working hard at a new pair of 
 moccasins which he was making for himself, and of 
 which he certainly stood in need. His answer was 
 to be pretty easily read in the sparkling glance of his 
 eyes, before he pronounced it with his lips. 
 
 " Wherever thou dost go, I will go. I too am longing 
 for something to do. We are safe here, and we are 
 well fed and at ease, yet I long for action, for adven- 
 ture, for some sort of pressing forward to the goal. 
 What is it, Gasparcl ? What hast thou seen or heard ? 
 What is the plan in thy head ? " 
 
 Gaspard looked round cautiously, as though to be 
 sure there were no listeners ; and yet there was no such 
 great need of secrecy, for their hosts were quite ignorant 
 of the French tongue, albeit they showed themselves so 
 well disposed towards the French. 
 
A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 279 
 
 " Listen, Claude," said Gaspard, " I may be wrong in 
 my surmise ; but I have a strong belief that our great 
 commander, the Sieur de la Salle, is at this moment not 
 so very far away, and that he is searching the country 
 round in the diminishing hope of finding his brave lieu- 
 tenant, Tonty, and the few followers remaining with 
 him." 
 
 Claude looked at his brother with wide-open eyes. 
 
 " Dost thou indeed think that ? " 
 
 " Verily I «do. Whilst thou hast been here in the 
 village, tending our sick captain and brave Boisrondet, 
 I have been abroad with the hunters, here, there, and 
 all over in the forests. Swanalulu and Tessouat have 
 likewise been abroad, and they had heard rumours and 
 whispers from many of the Indian tribes, similar to those 
 that I have caught whilst listening to the talk between 
 the hunting parties we have met with and our friendly 
 Pottawatamies." 
 
 Claude's face kindled with eagerness. 
 
 " You have heard of La Salle ? " 
 
 " We have heard of white men — a small company — 
 a divided company : men of whom the description tallies 
 with that of La Salle himself, and our father, Claude, 
 and the hunter Nimrod. There be others doubtless, but 
 the words I have heard make me believe in very sooth 
 that La Salle has turned back upon hearing of our peril 
 and the destruction of Fort Crevecceur, and is now 
 seeking us in the wilds, and, perhaps, even lamenting us 
 as dead." 
 
280 A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 " And thy plan ? " asked Claude, breathlessly. 
 
 " Marry, that is soon told. My plan is to seek and 
 to find him, to tell him of our safety, and bring him 
 hither to the bedside of our brave captain, who has 
 done and suffered so much in his service. I trow that 
 that would be the best medicine that we could find for 
 Captain Tonty." 
 
 For Tonty had, soon after reaching the shelter of the 
 friendly Pottawatamie village, fallen ill of a fever, a 
 slight attack of which had prostrated him during their 
 journey, and helped to add to their anxieties and perils. 
 Boisrondet also, who had been devoted in his attentions, 
 had caught a milder form of the same malady ; and the 
 two patients lay in a warm and comfortable hut together, 
 kindly tended by their Indian hosts, and watched over 
 also by Claude, who with his gentle voice and quick 
 understanding made a first-rate nurse, and who had 
 picked up his strength rapidly during this period of 
 rest and ease. 
 
 Gaspard, who had stood the long, inclement journey 
 better than anybody save the Indians themselves, had 
 spent his time for the most part in hunting with them ; 
 Swanalulu being, as usual, his devoted adherent and 
 attendant. These hunting expeditions had often taken 
 them far away from home, and brought them into 
 contact with Indians from other localities, for during 
 the winter months the forests were full of wandering 
 tribes, seeking food and stores of furs amongst the 
 denizens of the wintry wilds. Wherever he had a 
 
A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 281 
 
 chance, Gaspard asked questions of these wandering- 
 Indians, and Swanalulu followed his example. Thus 
 it came to pass that they gathered a number of isolated 
 bits of information, which, when pieced together, seemed 
 to make a tolerably connected tale, and to point strongly 
 to the conclusion Gaspard had quickly leaped to. 
 
 " I fear me that our commander has had but ill 
 success in the gathering together of such a band as 
 he desires. I have heard it said that at Fort Frontenac 
 he is surrounded by enemies, and that until he can 
 return to Quebec and have speech with the friendly 
 governor there, his affairs will never be on a better 
 footing. He has enemies on all sides, and these stir 
 up the Iroquois against him and against the Indians 
 of the West ; but at least there is this good in it, that 
 these Indians around us here cling to us more and more 
 closely, for they begin to say that the Sieur de la Salle 
 is their only hope now against the raids of the jealous 
 Iroquois, so they look to him and his proposed under- 
 taking to make of them a strong and a rich nation." 
 
 " That is good," answered Claude, eagerly. " Methinks 
 the jealous foes of the noble La Salle may chance to 
 outwit themselves one of these days. But of him, 
 himself, what hast thou heard ? And what can we 
 do to find him, if indeed he is in these parts ? " 
 
 " I think that it must be himself from the respect 
 and admiration which he seems to be winning from the 
 Indian tribes as he moves along. The men we meet 
 have not seen him themselves. But they speak of 
 
282 A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 white men who are travelling hither and thither, and 
 who speak comfortable words of friendship to all as 
 they go." 
 
 " Truly that sounds like our La Salle," answered 
 Claude, quickly. " But where is he ? and how shall 
 we find him ? " 
 
 " My purpose is," answered Gaspard, " if the captain 
 will permit us leave of absence, to strive to cross the 
 waters of the lake, and to travel to Fort Miami. Some 
 say it has been destroyed ; others, that it is rebuilt, 
 and that white men are occupying it now. At least we 
 know that La Salle looked upon it as the basis of his 
 future operations. What more likely than that he 
 should make of it headquarters now, whilst pursuing 
 his search after us ? We ourselves .should have sought 
 to reach it in our extremity, had not the friendly 
 Pottawatamies offered to convey us to their own village. 
 Methinks that, if news is to be had anywhere of him, 
 it will be there. My plan, therefore, is to seek to cross 
 the lake, and to make our way thither, ask if he 
 has not been heard of there, and bring him news of our 
 safety." 
 
 Claude looked admiringly at his brother, and his eyes 
 kindled ; yet as he glanced towards the icebound shores 
 of the lake, and the tumbling waves and great ice-floes 
 beyond the frozen margin, his face took a different ex- 
 pression, and he asked, — 
 
 " But is it possible to cross the lake before the ice 
 melts ? " 
 
A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 283 
 
 " It will be difficult, and even dangerous," answered 
 Gaspard at once, " but Swanalulu says it is not im- 
 possible, and that he will come with us." 
 
 " But would it not be safer and better to attempt the 
 journey by land ? " 
 
 Gaspard shook his head. 
 
 " They say not. I have spoken to many. They are 
 all agreed. It is the time of all others when land 
 travelling is like to be worst. Now there is frost and 
 cold and snow. But at any time the wind may change 
 and brino: deludes of rain, or melting snow, and the 
 tracks in the forests will be obliterated, and the place 
 become one giant morass which may well swallow us up, 
 and through which we can never force our way. Then 
 fevers and agues are begotten in these localities at these 
 seasons — as indeed we have cause to know. Nay, the 
 perils of the lake, though great, are less than the perils 
 by land ; and the way is far shorter. It must be the 
 lake or nothing. What dost thou say, brother ? " 
 
 " I will go with thee to the world's end ! " cried 
 Claude, who was weary indeed of inaction, and who 
 was as fearless by nature as his stronger brother. " To 
 find La Salle and our father and uncle ! To bring him 
 hither to cheer and encourage our brave captain ! Oh, 
 it would be worth all perils to succeed ! When wilt 
 thou start, brother ? And whom beside wilt thou take 
 with us ? We must not leave our friends here quite 
 alone. Can Ave not suffice with our two selves and 
 Swanalulu ? " 
 
284 A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 " That is my intention," answered Gaspard. " Swana- 
 lulu himself says that the lighter the burden the better 
 the chance of success. Ofttimes we may have to carry 
 our canoe and provisions over fields of floating ice. 
 Therefore must it be light and easy to lift. Moreover, 
 Tessouat and l'Esperance must be left to attend upon 
 the sick and Father Zenobe. We must not rob them 
 of more than we can help. And we must obtain per- 
 mission ere we take ourselves away." 
 
 " Go then and ask," cried Claude, eagerly, " and I 
 will look over our small store of clothing, and see what 
 will serve us best. The captain is awake and better 
 to-day. He gains strength every week ; but he will 
 not be fit to undertake any such journey himself yet. 
 If it is to be done, we must be the ones to attempt it." 
 
 Gaspard nodded, and went forth into the keen outer 
 air, where the brightness of the sunshine upon the snow 
 was dazzling to the eyes. February was well advanced, 
 but the cold was still piercing and intense. A thaw 
 might at any time take place, but for the present the 
 icy reign of winter was unbroken. 
 
 Tonty and Boisrondet with Father Zenobe occupied 
 a large and commodious hut, which the Pottawatamie 
 chief had made over to them for their use, having some- 
 what unceremoniously ejected therefrom his own wives 
 in favour of the white guests. 
 
 When Gaspard entered, it was to find Tonty extended 
 upon a pile of buffalo rugs beside the glowing fire of 
 logs ; whilst Boisrondet sat beside him, amusing himself 
 
A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 285 
 
 and his friend by a game of dominoes, which he had 
 ingeniously contrived out of small slabs of wood, marked 
 by a charcoal stick. 
 
 At sight of Gaspard both turned towards him with 
 expectant looks, and the friar, who sat close to the fire 
 with his breviary in his hand, laid it down and smiled 
 kindly and benevolently, whilst Gaspard involuntarily 
 bent his knee for the accustomed blessing of the kindly 
 and adventurous ecclesiastic. Gaspard was to them the 
 chief medium of communication with the world outside, 
 and his visits were always hailed with pleasure and 
 interest. 
 
 He did not speak to the captain with the confidence 
 he had employed towards his brother. The name of 
 La Salle did not pass his lips, for he did not wish to 
 arouse hopes and expectations which possibly might not 
 be justified. But he spoke of the rumours current as to 
 the proximity of white men upon the farther side of the 
 lake, and hazarded a suggestion that La Forest at least 
 might be there, at Fort Miami, and that he might have 
 news of La Salle. La Forest was one of the few faith- 
 ful lieutenants upon whom La Salle could rely. It was 
 possible enough that the party of white men who had 
 been seen might be under his command. Tonty thought 
 the suggestion well worth consideration. It certainly 
 seemed of the first importance that the forces of the 
 Frenchmen should be concentrated as far as was possible 
 in one place. Their own band was a very tiny one 
 now, but four or five stout hearts outweighed in value 
 
286 A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 a score of half-hearted knaves. If the thought came 
 into Tonty's mind that La Salle might himself have 
 returned, he did not give it utterance in Gaspard's 
 hearing, but listened quietly and attentively whilst the 
 latter sketched his plan of attempting the passage of 
 the lake, and at the end held out his hand and gripped 
 that of the youth in a warm clasp. 
 
 " Thou art a right trusty comrade, and we shall miss 
 both thee and thy brother sorely ; but yet thou shalt 
 go. Peril lies before you. But you all have stout 
 hearts and strong arms, and have passed through too 
 much danger before to be daunted now. Swanalulu is 
 a good man, and true-hearted. He is wary and skilled 
 in all the crafts of the forest. Go then, and our good 
 wishes shall attend you. But seek us not here when 
 you return with your tidings, whether for good or ill, 
 for it is our purpose, so soon as I am able to travel — 
 which Heaven send may be in a short time now ! — to 
 journey to Michili Mackinac, to the colony there. That 
 being in the direct line between Canada and the west, 
 all those passing from one to the other must needs tarry 
 there. Thus we shall gain news of La Salle, if we find 
 him not there in person, and there we will await you, or 
 any messengers that you may despatch to us." 
 
 This being understood and agreed upon, Gaspard lost 
 no time in setting about his simple preparations. 
 
 First Swanalulu had to make choice of the lightest 
 and strongest canoe which was to be had, the friendly 
 Pottawatamies vieing with each other in placing their 
 
A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 287 
 
 goods and chattels at the service of their guests. The 
 canoe being chosen, it was next carefully laden with 
 provisions securely tied up in bladders, so that no water 
 should get at them, and they could be easily carried on 
 the shoulders if necessary. Strong paddles were selected, 
 and a pair of snow-shoes for each traveller was added to 
 the cargo. The excited Pottawatamies crowded round 
 the travellers with small presents of tobacco, or with 
 items of advice and information which Gaspard strove 
 to take in and remember. The wind was still blowing 
 keenly, but without the violence which had characterized 
 it during the previous weeks. The sun was gaining in 
 power ; and there was a chance that the voyage might 
 be a favourable one, although the ice-floes in the lake 
 must be a source of danger. 
 
 Upon the morning of departure, Tonty himself came 
 out for the first time, leaning on the arm of Boisrondet, 
 and full of good wishes for the voyagers, whom doubt- 
 less he greatly desired to join. Father Zenobe gave 
 them all his blessing before they stepped on board, 
 and commended them to heaven in a pious prayer, the 
 Indians all kneeling upon the frozen ground with every 
 outward mark of reverence. The old Pottawatamie 
 chief followed the example of Tonty and Boisrondet and 
 warmly grasped the hands of the voyagers ; and then, 
 instructing his men to tow them over the frozen margin 
 and launch them safely in the deeper water beyond, he 
 stood like a motionless statue whilst his orders were 
 carried out, and led the way in the matter of a grand 
 
288 A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 whoop of triumph, as the light canoe glided smoothly off 
 the ice at length, and shot out into a channel of clear 
 green water beyond. 
 
 Gaspard sprang up and waved his cap, and Tonty 
 and Boisrondet gave a cheer, which the Indians 
 strove to imitate. The sun shone with such dazzling 
 effulgence upon the water that the little frail bark could 
 soon scarce be distinguished as it rapidly glided on its 
 way. Presently it disappeared altogether behind a great 
 floe of floating ice, and Tonty turned back towards his 
 hut with a long-drawn sigh. 
 
 " Pray Heaven I have not sent those brave lads to 
 their death ! " he said. " But I would that I could have 
 shared with them the peril and the quest." 
 
 To the boys, out upon the lake, in the midst of 
 sparkling ice and unfathomable green water, it was as 
 though they had suddenly been launched into a glitter- 
 ing fairyland. 
 
 Soon the illusion was enhanced by wonderful fairy 
 music which assailed their ears on all sides. It was 
 just like peals of silvery bells ringing around them — 
 ting ! — ting ! — ting ! and then a perfect shower of 
 liquid notes of unspeakable sweetness. They looked at 
 each other in amazement. What could it be ? Were 
 there really ice and water nymphs and fairies, and 
 had they steered into the midst of a magical concert ? 
 
 Swanalulu saw their bewilderment, and grinned from 
 ear to ear. He stood paddle in hand in the prow of 
 the little craft, and guided it with extraordinary skill 
 
A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 289 
 
 through the masses of floating ice. Gradually the boys 
 began to understand from whence came the fairy music. 
 The floating fragments striking against the sides of the 
 canoe each gave forth a sweet ringing note, and as the 
 little craft kept her course, these notes were indefinitely 
 multiplied, till all the air was alive with sound. Many 
 splinters were under the water, and invisible to those in 
 the boat, but all rang the peal as they encountered canoe 
 or paddle, and the boys listened in a maze of enchant- 
 ment, which lasted far through the first day of travel. 
 
 So far all had gone well ; and with the approach of 
 night they took counsel together. The cold was intense ; 
 but they were provided with buffalo robes, and were 
 inured to the severity of the climate. Hardship did not 
 daunt them ; but the question of caution came in, and 
 they took counsel together whether to land upon a mass 
 of ice, drag up their canoe, and camp there, or whether 
 — since the moon would soon give sufficient light, and 
 the wind had lulled — they should continue their journey 
 through the water, striving to get as much of the 
 voyage accomplished as was possible, whilst these favour- 
 able conditions lasted. 
 
 It was settled at last to continue the voyage. Swana- 
 lulu was untiring in his energies, and Gaspard and 
 Claude had willing hearts and strong arms. They took 
 turns to propel the little craft, and sang songs to the 
 accompaniment of the fairy music. The moon shone 
 down upon them with a steady, luminous brightness, 
 and lit up the great solemn floes of ice, and the 
 
 (574) 19 
 
2 9 o A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 mysterious stretches of black water with a weird and 
 wondrous beauty. On, on, and on they glided, turning 
 this way and that to find a channel for themselves. 
 The intense cold, though it chilled their limbs, could not 
 touch their spirits. But the face of Swanalulu began 
 to look grave as he noted the increasing pack of the 
 ice, and just before morning dawned he suddenly called 
 out, — 
 
 " Jump out for your lives ! — quick ! — quick ! " 
 
 Claude had been dozing amid his furs, but he was 
 awake upon an instant, and Gaspard was out of the 
 canoe and upon the ice almost before the words were 
 out of Swanalulu's mouth. In a twinkling they had 
 hauled up the little craft to a place of safety beside 
 them, and scarcely had they done so before the two 
 gigantic masses of ice closed upon each other with a 
 dull scrunching roar, and the air seemed for a moment 
 to be full of pistol shots echoing round and round them. 
 
 " That was a near thing ! " said Claude, with a little 
 shiver. 
 
 " What is to be done next ? " asked Gaspard, as he 
 looked round him at the great packed masses of ice 
 upon which they stood. 
 
 " Light a fire and wait for daylight," was Swanalulu's 
 practical advice, and welcome enough was the thought 
 of fire to the half-frozen travellers. They had brought 
 a supply of wood with them, enough at least for one 
 or two such bivouacs. True, it might have to be left 
 behind if things went ill with them ; but for the present 
 
A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 291 
 
 there it was, and the Indian quickly selected a spot where 
 the ice walls rose up, giving shelter from the wind, and 
 soon a leaping fire was illumining the ice-fields with 
 rosy splendour, and Claude almost lost sense of cold and 
 hunger in watching the beautiful effects of the red 
 flickering light upon the white and green walls of their 
 shelter. 
 
 They laid down their buffalo robes, and stretched 
 themselves luxuriously before the fire, whilst they partook 
 with keen appetite of their provisions, boiling down lumps 
 of ice in their pan, and mixing for themselves some hot 
 strong cordial to keep out the cold, and then sleeping pro- 
 foundly beside the fire until the sun peeped over the 
 horizon at them, and lit up the fields of ice with a 
 million sparkling points of fire. 
 
 The boys sprang up from their couch, and looked 
 earnestly about them. They found themselves indeed 
 in an arctic world. The frozen lake stretched around 
 them as far as eye could see, sometimes in a compara- 
 tively smooth plain, but more often encumbered with 
 masses of packed ice, where it had come down in the 
 shape of icebergs after partial thaw, and had become 
 welded together in solid masses. There was no open 
 water to be seen near at hand, and it was plain that 
 the only mode of progression was the slow and toilsome 
 one of carrying or dragging their canoe and provisions 
 over the frozen surface of the lake. 
 
 " Never mind," cried Gaspare!, cheerfully, " it is no 
 more than we expected and prepared for. At least it. 
 
2 9 2 A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 will be hard work, and will keep us warm, and that is 
 something to be thankful for in such a place as 
 this." 
 
 So the little party started bravely forward, sometimes 
 carrying and sometimes dragging their canoe with them. 
 They would not part with their precious store of wood, 
 although it made their labours more arduous. They 
 looked forward to camping again at night beside a 
 glowing fire, and that was worth to them the toil of 
 the day. 
 
 It was slow work and hard, but the novelty and 
 interest of the scene bore the youths bravely along. 
 Swanalulu showed the customary Indian sagacity in 
 picking out the best tracks, and here and there a 
 narrow thread of water enabled them to launch their 
 vessel for a brief spell, and ease themselves of their 
 heavy load. 
 
 How far they progressed that day the boys found it 
 very hard to guess. Swanalulu could not say exactly, 
 but he hoped that only one more night's camping might 
 be necessary after this second one. The moon arose 
 with a haze around her, which caused Swanalulu to look 
 anxious as he scanned the line of the horizon. The 
 wind too had changed its direction, and blew in softer 
 puffs from the south, instead of sweeping along in giant 
 force from the north. 
 
 " It is the thaw coming," cried Claude, gladly. " Now 
 we shall skim along merrily." 
 
 But Swanalulu, though he smiled cheerfully, shook 
 
A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 293 
 
 his head and muttered something about a storm being 
 no joke for a light canoe in the midst of masses of 
 floating, drifting ice ; and Gaspard realized that the 
 thaw might not be welcome at such a moment 
 as this. 
 
 However for that night they slept at ease beside 
 their fire. It would freeze hard enough so long as the 
 sky kept clear. Fatigue lulled their senses and drowned 
 all anxiety, and both Gaspard and Claude slept the deep, 
 dreamless sleep of exhaustion, and only awoke the next 
 morning to strange sharp sounds in the air resem- 
 bling shots more than anything else. 
 
 They started up to find themselves wrapped in a 
 moist, warm fog, whilst the sun glimmered faintty in 
 the sky above, and something like a warm drizzle 
 seemed to fall upon their faces. The sounds in the 
 air continued to ring out, and Gaspard exclaimed with 
 sudden comprehension, — 
 
 " It is the ice cracking and splitting. The thaw has 
 come indeed ! " 
 
 So it had, and most rapidly. Before long they saw 
 before them a wide expanse of open water, upon which 
 they eagerly launched their canoe. Ice was about and 
 around them, and strange sounds filled the air, but the 
 warm drizzling rain continued to fall, and the air felt 
 wonderfully soft and mild. It was March by this time, 
 and the sudden thaws of these regions were well known 
 to the travellers, but seldom indeed had a thaw come 
 with such marvellous celerity. 
 
294 A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 Until nightfall their journey was prosperous ; but 
 with the sinking of the sun there came a rise of wind, 
 and the moon being obscured by masses of angry-look- 
 ing clouds, the darkness surrounded them, and their frail 
 bark was tossed like a cockleshell upon the troubled 
 waves. Often they saw looming before them the ghostly 
 outline of a mass of drifting ice, and it needed all 
 Swanalulu's quickness and Gaspard's strength to avoid 
 a collision with the dangerous mass. 
 
 There was no sleep for the crew that night, and how 
 long the night seemed to them can better be imagined 
 than described. Many a time did they make up their 
 minds that they could not escape from being swamped 
 by the angry waves, or ground and crushed between the 
 ice-floes now hurtling along before the gale. Moreover, 
 it was impossible to keep a regular course, or to know 
 often what their course was. They could only seek to 
 keep their craft alive in the turmoil of the storm, and 
 to let it drive whither it would, so long as they kept it 
 afloat. 
 
 But the wind had much of west in it — Gaspard was 
 certain of that, and thankful for it. Perhaps it would 
 help them across the lake, even though it might drive 
 them ashore much higher up than they had intended. 
 But in that case they could coast along with the shore 
 in sight, without any great danger, and his spirits began 
 to rise, as towards the dawn of the morning the wind 
 seemed disposed to fall, and the sun rose strong and 
 bright despite the drifting clouds, showing him the faint 
 
A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 295 
 
 outline of land in front, at sight of which he uttered a 
 joyous shout. 
 
 Yes, it was land sure enough, the farther shore of the 
 great Lake Michigan. Swanalulu scanned the line of 
 the shore with great attention as they urged their canoe 
 towards it, and then, heading the little vessel almost 
 due south, declared that before nightfall, if they worked 
 hard, they might be within a day's journey of Fort 
 Miami. 
 
 Despite the fact of having had no sleep the previous 
 night, the brave-hearted party desired nothing better 
 than to pursue their course with unabated energy. For 
 the time being the wind had gone down, but none knew 
 when it might rise again. To cover as many miles as 
 possible in the lull was certainly the wisest course to 
 pursue ; and strenuously did they all work at the 
 paddles, only resting when forced to do so by sheer 
 exhaustion, and enjoying the satisfaction of seeing head- 
 land after headland swiftly passed by, and knowing 
 that every stroke of the paddle brought them nearer to 
 their destination. 
 
 The clay began to sink. Angry clouds piled them- 
 selves in the west and south. It was plainly going to 
 blow another storm at sundown, and the little party, 
 anxiously scanning sky, water, and land, determined to 
 drive their little craft ashore and spend the night there, 
 deciding upon the morrow whether to continue their 
 journey by water or on foot. 
 
 Quickly the canoe sped to the land. A small bay, 
 
296 A BOLD ENTERPRISE. 
 
 fringed to the water's edge with pine trees, seemed to 
 give invitation and harbourage. As the daylight fell, 
 the glare of a fire not far in the forest told of the 
 proximity of some Indian camp. 
 
 " They will doubtless be Outagamies," said Swanalulu, 
 who had a wide knowledge of the people of the lake 
 and their habits. " They are our friends. They will 
 give us welcome and shelter and food." 
 
 Gaspard and Claude had found the sagacity of Swana- 
 lulu always to be trusted in these matters, and after 
 having made fast their canoe, and taken from it a roll 
 of tobacco as a present for their prospective hosts, they 
 marched fearlessly for the fire, and were quickly sur- 
 rounded by dusky faces, all grinning a welcome, whilst 
 Swanalulu talked to the Outagamies with a rapidity 
 which it was impossible to follow. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude drew near to the friendly fire, 
 and warmed their numbed fingers. The red glow fell 
 full on their faces as they did so. Suddenly there was 
 a stir close at hand. A recumbent figure, hitherto lying 
 extended upon a heap of leaves and covered by a buffalo 
 robe, started up into an erect posture, a sudden cry 
 escaping from his lips. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude turned with a start — and found 
 themselves face to face with their brother Jules ! 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 " T ULES ! " — " Gaspard ! Claude ! my brothers ! " 
 | The words came all together in gasps of as- 
 
 tonishment, and the brothers, regardless of the 
 surrounding ring of dusky Indians, fell into each 
 other's arms with sounds of mingled laughter and 
 weeping, hugging each other and exchanging kisses, as 
 those must do who, after long parting and grave fears 
 for each other's safety, find themselves once more united. 
 Even the silent Jules found his tongue in the excite- 
 ment of this encounter. 
 
 " my brothers ! my brothers ! We had begun to 
 mourn you as dead ! We have been seeking you 
 through the wilderness, and amid such sights of horror 
 as made our blood run cold. It seemed impossible that 
 ye could have escaped, and yet our lion-hearted com- 
 mander hoped on ever against hope. Ah, where have 
 ye hidden yourselves ? where have ye been all this 
 while ? Tell me — tell me all ! Where is the brave 
 Sieur de Tonty ? Where the rest of the little band ? 
 Say that ye are not the only survivors." 
 
298 HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 " Nay, nay, God has been merciful and good to us. 
 Tonty lives, and Boisrondet too. They are safe with 
 the friendly Pottawatamies at this moment, and will 
 soon take their way to Michili Mackinac, there to wait 
 for tidings of La Salle. Tell us of him, brother, tell us 
 of him ! For we have heard naught but rumours of 
 disaster and trouble. Where is he ? Has his lion 
 heart failed before the tactics of his foes ? Has — " 
 
 " Need ye ask ? " cried Jules, almost indignantly. 
 " When did ever his great heart fail ? True, things 
 have gone against him in a terrible way. He has 
 enemies on all sides, enemies who traduce him to the 
 State and even to the King of France, and who stir up 
 the Indians against him when his back is turned. But 
 does he ever lose heart ? Never, never, never ! He 
 knows not the meaning of the word. When his hand 
 is on the plough, his eyes know not how to look back. 
 He is pledged to the navigation of this great river ; to 
 the discovery of the country which is watered by its 
 broad stream ; and from that purpose he will not turn 
 back, nay, not for all the enemies in the world, until he 
 has brought it to a successful issue." 
 
 " But where is he now ? where is he ? " asked the 
 brothers in one breath. 
 
 " Stricken down with snow blindness not three 
 leagues hence," was Jules's answer. " The glare of the 
 snow has served several of our party the same. Our 
 father is with him tending him. I set forth with 
 Nimrod — trusty huntsman — to find game, and also to 
 
HAPPY MEETINGS. 299 
 
 seek for a certain herb which is said to give relief in 
 such cases. In doing so we hit the trail of these 
 Outagamies, and whilst Nimrod went back with the 
 game, I came after them to see if they could help me to 
 the remedy needed, and perhaps supply us with more 
 provisions. They are a kindly and hospitable race to 
 their friends, and La Salle desires to gather about him 
 representatives from all the western tribes, that he may 
 speak with them seriously of the perils which are now 
 threatening them, and seek to establish amongst them 
 an alliance with the French, and a consolidation amongst 
 themselves, so that instead of wasting their resources in 
 petty warfare against each other, they may draw closer 
 and closer in bonds of amity, and be able to turn a bold 
 front upon the real foe of these latitudes — the fierce 
 and aggressive Iroquois." 
 
 Strange indeed was it to hear the silent one speak 
 with such fullness and eloquence. The brothers hung 
 upon his words, and poured out question upon question. 
 
 How was it with their father ? How was it with 
 their uncle, the father of Louis ? When and how had 
 they heard the news of the misfortune which had fallen 
 upon Fort Crevecceur ? What reception had La Salle 
 met with in Canada ? How went it with the little 
 colony at Niagara ? and was it true that Fort Frontenac 
 had been seized by the commander's creditors ? 
 
 These and a hundred more questions were eagerly 
 poured out upon Jules, and he on his side was equally 
 anxious to learn how it had fared with his brothers 
 
3 oo HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 after the destruction of Fort Crevecoeur, news of which 
 had been brought to them at Fort Frontenac by Jean 
 Daufcray and another of the messengers, after La Salle's 
 return with supplies from Montreal. 
 
 Sitting beside the fire, and partaking of an excellent 
 meal of cooked buffalo meat provided by the Indians, 
 Gaspard and Claude told their tale to Jules; he listening 
 with the keenest attention, and growing almost excited 
 when he heard of the colony in the Green Valley, and 
 their emigration to the south to act as pioneers for La 
 Salle and his party. 
 
 " Nay, but that will be good hearing for our gallant 
 commander," he cried. " It is just such news as he 
 needs to give him fresh heart and hope after all these 
 many discouragements. It sometimes seems as though 
 all the world were against us. Now he can think of 
 these unknown allies building up a place of refuge for 
 us, waiting our arrival. And wherever Father Fritz is, 
 there will loyalty and good faith abound. The miser- 
 able strifes and jealousies which have so embittered his 
 life will not find entrance amid a community that has 
 so good a man as pastor and teacher." 
 
 " And now, Jules, tell us thy tale," urged Gaspard. 
 When the meal was over, the lads wrapped themselves 
 in their buffalo robes, and drew close together in the 
 shelter of a great hollow tree, not out of reach of the 
 warmth of the fire. This was indeed ease and luxury, 
 a soft couch of leaves, warmth all around them, and to 
 be once again all together after long parting, the winter 
 
HAPPY MEETINGS. 301 
 
 frost yielding, and the glad summertide before them, 
 their commander amongst them again, their father and 
 brother restored. 
 
 " Tell us all," echoed Claude, laying his curly head 
 upon Jules's knee in child fashion. Jules put his strong, 
 thin fingers upon the sunny head, and stroked the soft 
 hair with tender touch as he complied with this eager 
 request. 
 
 " To tell all would indeed be a long story, but I will 
 tell you what is most important in our adventures. The 
 journey was unspeakably difficult and trying, as at that 
 time of year it must be. Often we were stopped by 
 wild tempests ; sometimes we could not cross the rivers 
 save by constructing rafts to carry us over, they were 
 so swollen with the melting snows. Then, again, ice 
 sometimes barred our way and broke up our canoes, and 
 the prairies were often no better than quaking bogs, into 
 which we sank more than knee-deep, and the traversing 
 of which was so exhausting that our men almost dropped 
 from fatigue, fell ill, and had to be nursed and tended 
 ere they could proceed on their way. Sometimes un- 
 friendly Indians hung upon our rear and harassed us 
 sadly^ so that we dared not light fires at night. We 
 then had to take off our wet clothes and wrap ourselves 
 in our blankets, and in the morning sometimes our 
 clothes had frozen so stiff that we could not put them 
 on again." 
 
 " And did you fall ill with all that ? " asked Gaspard. 
 
302 HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 " No, but I was the only one who did not — 1 and the 
 great La Salle himself," answered Jules. " We struggled 
 desperately on, and at last reached the little colony we 
 had left on the Niagara ; but there our spent and 
 exhausted men could do nothing except to lay down 
 their weary limbs, as though they would never rise again. 
 It was there that our uncle breathed his last — " 
 
 Gaspard started, and Claude raised his head suddenly. 
 
 " Our uncle — Louis's father ! Is he then dead ? " 
 
 " Alas ! yes. He had struggled and fought bravely 
 against illness, and had not given in, even though he 
 could scarce trail one foot after the other, and his 
 example had encouraged the sick as much as the brave 
 words of La Salle. But once within the shelter of the 
 huts, with white faces round him, and the consciousness 
 that the commander could now choose other followers 
 with whom to complete his journey, he seemed to lose 
 all hold on life. He fell into a stupor of exhaustion 
 which we at first thought sleep ; but he never woke 
 from it again, and passed away quietly two days later." 
 
 " Poor uncle ! " said Claude, quietly. " He was a 
 brave and good man. Our father had not joined you 
 by that time, of course. Go on, Jules ; what happened 
 then ? " 
 
 " La Salle could not tarry. But he left the rest of us 
 to refresh ourselves, regain our strength on Niagara, 
 and rejoin him later at Fort Frontenac. He took with 
 him two or three of the men we found there, and 
 pushed on alone. After we had buried our poor com- 
 
HAPPY MEETINGS. 303 
 
 rade, and the sick had recovered themselves, we went 
 on to Fort Frontenac, but La Salle had left it by that 
 time for Montreal. Things were bad, we found. Greedy 
 creditors had seized his seigniories, and had traduced his 
 good name. Another great misfortune had happened. 
 A vessel from France, laden with stores for La Salle 
 and his colony, was wrecked in the great St. Lawrence's 
 mouth, before she made harbour. The men escaped 
 with their lives, and found their way to Quebec, ready 
 to join La Salle and his enterprise. But there his 
 enemies got hold of them, some declaring that he was 
 dead, others that he was bankrupt and ruined, and 
 would never be able to carry out his intentions, or to 
 pay those who were foolish enough to trust him. And 
 those foolish fellows, instead of seeking speech with 
 Count Frontenac — always the friend of La Salle — and 
 hearing the truth from him, took in every spiteful 
 rumour that they heard, and believing themselves to 
 have been made fools and dupes of, lost heart and 
 returned to France in an outgoing ship, without so 
 much as troubling to find out whether the stories they 
 had heard were true or not." 
 
 " Alack ! alack ! " cried Gaspard. " Misfortune seems 
 to dog the steps of the brave commander ! Lost he not 
 heart at such evil tidings ? " 
 
 " Nay, it seemed but to spur him to fresh endeavours. 
 He had not lingered at Fort Frontenac, but had hurried 
 to Montreal, whence he shortly returned with men and 
 stores, which, despite the desperate condition of his 
 
3 o4 HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 finances, he had contrived to gather together. It was 
 whilst we were setting things in order for a second start 
 that our father and Laurent arrived with the evil news 
 of the wreck of Fort Crevecceur, and the destruction of 
 all the slender stores there, and of the peril in which 
 Tonty and the rest of you had been left. Greatly did 
 La Salle now blame himself for having sent that 
 message to Tonty, which had resulted in his leaving 
 the Fort, and had given to the mutineers their chance. 
 But as usual, he lost no time in fruitless lamentations, 
 and resolved to start off at once in search of his few 
 remaining followers left in peril in the wilderness. 
 Almost at the same time came news that the mutineers 
 had made a raid upon the fort at the mouth of the 
 St. Joseph, and had plundered it of all the stores of 
 furs there, after which they had destroyed it. It was 
 said, too, that some of the mutineers were in the 
 neighbourhood of Fort Frontenac, and we set forth at 
 once in the hope of finding them ; and in fact we 
 caught several of them, and left them in prison there, 
 to be dealt with by the governor, whilst we ourselves 
 set forth into the west, to search for Tonty and his 
 little party there." 
 
 " And how many were you then ? " 
 
 " La Salle and La Forest were our leaders, and we 
 have about five-and-twenty Frenchmen and a number 
 of Indians, some of whom insisted on bringing their 
 wives with them, to the annoyance of the commander. 
 After a time it became evident that we could not travel 
 
HAPPY MEETINGS. 305 
 
 quickly enough with such a large company. La Salle 
 bid La Forest take the command of the main body, and 
 make his way as he could to Fort Miami, whilst he 
 himself with a few picked men pushed on ahead in 
 search of Tonty." 
 
 " And you went with him, Jules, and our father also, 
 I doubt not ? " 
 
 " Yes, truly, and we took Nimrod with us, and faith- 
 ful Hunaut, who is stanch to the core. We made our 
 way to the Illinois — found the deserted city, which is 
 half in ashes now. We climbed to the great rock in 
 eager hope that Tonty and his band might have made 
 a stand there, but it was silent and deserted, and there 
 was no trace of any sort of habitation having ever been 
 attempted. Then we tracked the footsteps of the 
 Indians down the stream. We saw deserted camps on 
 both sides of the river. It was as if Illinois and 
 Iroquois had moved along, one on each side of the 
 river, afraid to come to close quarters, yet unwilling to 
 leave each other alone." 
 
 " That is likely enough," answered Gaspard. " We 
 did what we could to make peace, but it ended in both 
 sides distrusting us and growing unfriendly. Then we 
 gave it up and came away. What happened I know 
 not ; but I fear that, if it came to blows, the fierce 
 Iroquois would score a bloody victory over our fainter- 
 hearted allies. If these could but have been loyal to us, 
 and true-hearted and courageous, we mio'ht have saved 
 them yet, methinks ; but they cannot trust — they have 
 
 '574) 20 
 
3 o6 HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 grown up so long in an atmosphere of treachery and 
 deceit." 
 
 " Poor souls ! they have suffered for it," answered 
 Jules, with a slight shudder at the recollection of the 
 sights he had witnessed. Our attention was attracted 
 at last to the circling of vultures and other evil birds 
 round a certain plain beside the river's bank. We hast- 
 ened on, and there saw terrible traces of battle and ven- 
 geance. The ground was strewn with scalped corpses 
 of Indian warriors, their flesh almost stripped from 
 their bones by this time. But more horrible still, a 
 little lower down was the sight of innumerable stakes 
 set in rows together, where charred bodies — mostly of 
 women — told a frightful tale of Iroquois cruelty. Car- 
 cases of children strewed the ground. The horror of 
 the sight I can never forget, for we could not pass it 
 by with shuddering horror as we would fain have done. 
 We knew not but that the bodies of our faithful 
 friends and countrymen might be lying amongst 
 the slain, or strung up to these awful torture stakes. 
 We could not leave the place without examining the 
 sickening sights displayed there ; but at least this drop 
 of comfort was left to us — in no case could we find 
 any but Indian corpses upon either field. Our hearts 
 were still full of anxious fears, but there was room for 
 hope yet. We followed the course of the river. We 
 came to Fort Crevecceur, silent and deserted, with the 
 unfinished vessel on its stocks charged with its ill- 
 omened message. Then downward we went till we 
 
HAPPY MEETINGS. 307 
 
 saw before us the flowing waters of the great Mississippi 
 — the bourne of all our hopes. But it was no time 
 then to seek to navigate its mighty waters. No traces 
 of white men could be found anywhere there. We had 
 but one hope now, and that was to retrace our steps, and 
 seek news of you at Fort Miami or Michili Mackinac." 
 
 " Poor foolish Illinois ! " murmured Claude, compas- 
 sionately. " If they could but have shown a bolder face, 
 and have let us lead them out to battle, methinks that 
 horror would have been spared them. But go on with 
 thy story, Jules." 
 
 " It is wellnigh done. Having failed here to trace 
 you, we returned to Fort Miami, cheered sometimes by 
 seeing the mark of a saw here and there in the wood, 
 or by hearing a rumour that white men had been seen, 
 yet quite unable to obtain any definite information. 
 The winter set in very hard. We had some trouble in 
 getting back to Fort Miami ; but once there, La Salle 
 set about making friends of all the scattered Indian 
 tribes of the neighbourhood, and seeking to draw 
 them into an alliance with the French and with each 
 other. This has been all the easier to do since the 
 frequent Iroquois raids have stirred up the alarm of 
 the natives of these wilds. No one is more clever and 
 skilful than La Salle in dealing with the Indians. He 
 wins their confidence and respect in a wonderful way. 
 Even the distant Shawanoes have sent a chieftain to 
 seek the protection of La Salle. He has answered that 
 he cannot come to them, they are too distant, but 
 
3 o8 HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 that if they will meet him on the Illinois later on, they 
 shall share in the glory of the expedition ; and the 
 warrior retired, promising to be there with his band at 
 Fort Miami in the autumn." 
 
 " The autumn ! " cried Gaspard, quickly. " Why, it is 
 scarce spring now. Surely we shall not lose the whole 
 of the bright summer weather ere we start for the 
 great river ! " 
 
 Jules shook his head gravely. 
 
 " That is the misfortune. We must have more stores 
 and men than we have gathered yet. The tactics of 
 La Salle's foes have been only too successful. He will 
 have to go again in person to Canada ere he can hope 
 to start. It is thus that precious time is lost. But if 
 we have friends down south, making ready for us — 
 why, that is a thought which will cheer the heart of the 
 commander as nothing else has cheered it these many 
 days. That, and the news that Tonty is safe, will be 
 the best medicine he could have." 
 
 Lono; did the brothers talk together in the shelter of 
 their tree. The night was far spent before their eyes 
 closed in sleep ; and yet with the first dawn of day 
 they were astir again, and eager to be taken to the 
 camp in the forest, where La Salle was awaiting the 
 melting of the snows to restore to him his lost eyesight. 
 
 Joyful indeed was the meeting in the bark hut, when 
 Jules presented his two brothers, and Gaspard, with a 
 break in his voice, assured La Salle that Tonty was 
 safe and sound, and was preparing to make his way to 
 
HAPPY MEETINGS. 309 
 
 Michili Mackinac, to await there the news he hoped to 
 gain of the whereabouts of his commander. La Salle's 
 bandaged eyes shed tears of gratitude at hearing this 
 news, and Swanalulu was sent forward to Fort Miami 
 to bear the joyful tidings to La Forest there, with in- 
 structions that he should go to Michili Mackinac to 
 meet Tonty on his arrival, and tell him all the news of 
 the party. 
 
 La Salle himself was bent upon a mission to the 
 Miami town on the St. Joseph, near to the portage 
 of the Kankakee. It was of the first importance that 
 the Miamis should be thoroughly convinced of the 
 advantages of the French alliance, and be made their 
 trusty friends. If they were won, most likely the 
 smaller tribes would follow. Much good seed had been 
 sown amongst them during these past months. Now a 
 solemn council was to be held, in which La Salle was 
 to address them, and from which much fruit was 
 hoped. 
 
 The main object of the council was, of course, to 
 induce the Miamis to lay aside their jealousy of the 
 Illinois, and to unite with them in favouring La Salle's 
 project, and in holding back the raids of the Iroquois in 
 the north. Various other tribes were to be represented 
 at this council, and it was La Salle's wish to appear at 
 it almost unattended, that he might demonstrate at once 
 his own confidence in these allies, and his fearlessness in 
 their midst. 
 
 He had selected Jules, Dautray, Hunaut, and the 
 
3 io HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 Indian hunter as his companions, but he permitted 
 Gaspard and Claude to accompany him now. It was a 
 pleasure to see the joy of that long-sundered family 
 in this strange meeting in the wilds, and as soon as the 
 melting of the snow had restored to La Salle his eye- 
 sight, the little camp was broken up, and the party 
 made their way to the Miami town, which was filled to 
 overflowing. 
 
 Indians from all the neighbourhood had flocked 
 in to be present at this solemn council ; but amongst 
 these visitors had come three insolent young ■ chiefs 
 from the Iroquois. These braves had spent their time 
 1 — so reported Nimrod, who had been sent on in advance 
 to glean intelligence — in speaking scornfully of the 
 French, in declaring that they would never dare to 
 show their faces here, and had strutted and swaggered 
 about the place with the aggressive insolence of a 
 conquering race, greatly disturbing the minds of the 
 Miamis, and causing some of them to repent in their 
 hearts of their promised support of the white men. 
 
 This was just such a critical situation as La Salle 
 loved to grapple with. Without losing a moment's 
 time, other than what was needed to arrange his dress 
 and present an imposing appearance, he marched forth 
 from his lodge, with the Dautrays behind him, and 
 came face to face with the three young Iroquois in the 
 great square before the tents of the chiefs. Their faces 
 changed at sight of him, and they ceased suddenly the 
 swelling words they were uttering. But before they 
 
HAPPY MEETINGS. 311 
 
 could slink away, as they seemed desirous to do, La 
 Salle had sternly confronted them, and in a voice of 
 thunder he dared them to repeat before his face the lies 
 and calumnies they had uttered behind his back. 
 
 Thus brought within radius of the lightning gleam of 
 those fiery eyes, the warriors grew faint-hearted and 
 ashamed. They dared not meet the glance of La Salle ; 
 they stood mute and confounded, images of guilty 
 fear. The rest of the Indians set up hooting shouts of 
 anger and triumph, and when it became known that, as 
 soon as night fell, the youthful braves had slunk away 
 to the forest again, a revulsion of feeling possessed all 
 hearts, and men said to each other that La Salle must 
 indeed be endowed with wonderful strength and power, 
 since he had tamed by a word and a look the agres- 
 sive insolence that not the presence of hundreds of 
 armed warriors of hostile tribes had been able to quell 
 or subdue. 
 
 This was as favourable a beginning as could have 
 been wished, and the rest of the day was spent by the 
 Frenchmen in receiving visits from various chiefs, and 
 in laying before them the advantages of the projected 
 alliance between themselves and the Illinois, and the 
 necessity for a concentrated banding together to repress 
 the haughty and aggressive Iroquois. 
 
 The way being thus paved, the party retired to rest, 
 and upon the morrow the council was solemnly held in 
 the great lodge occupied by the chief, which was so 
 arranged as to hold as many as possible, whilst the 
 
3 i2 HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 matted walls were taken away, so that the crowd 
 without might be able to hear all that was spoken. 
 
 La Salle had become a mighty orator by this time, 
 and was well versed in the Indian ways. First he sent 
 around rolls of tobacco, and then a canoe load of presents 
 was brought in, upon which all eyes were eagerly 
 fastened. There was cloth in which to bury their 
 dead, coats in which to clothe them, hatchets wherewith 
 to raise the grand scaffolds on which it was the custom 
 to lay them after death, and all sorts of baubles and 
 trinkets to deck their funeral feasts. This was a 
 delicate and graceful way of making gifts. The living 
 seized them for their own uses, but preserved the 
 pious fiction that they were dedicated to the departed. 
 La Salle spoke of the clemency and bounty of the 
 great monarch whose servant he was, and told them how 
 it extended to all the tribes of the forest who would 
 receive him as their friend and king. Not only were 
 the living remembered, but also the dead ; and here 
 La Salle dexterously introduced a panegyric upon a 
 lately departed chieftain, and ended by declaring 
 that he himself would step into the vacant place and 
 become their chief, and in token of his sincerity and 
 good-will would assume the late chieftain's name and 
 take upon himself the support of his wives and children. 
 
 This noble generosity provoked a chorus of delighted 
 wonder and admiration, and when that had died down 
 La Salle came to the pith of his speech ; and whilst he 
 was making it, the Dautray brothers, each carrying two 
 
HAPPY MEETINGS. 313 
 
 guns apiece, made a round of the principal chieftains — 
 six in number — and presented each with one of these 
 coveted weapons. 
 
 " He who is my master, and the master of all this 
 country," spoke La Salle with a fine effrontery, " is a 
 mighty chief, feared by the whole world ; but he loves 
 peace, and the words of his lips are for good alone. He 
 is called the King of France, and is the mightiest among 
 the chiefs beyond the great water. His goodness reaches 
 even to your dead, and his subjects come among you to 
 raise them up to life. But it is his will to preserve 
 the life he has given ; it is his will that you should 
 obey his laws, and make no war without the leave of 
 the Onontio, who commands in his name at Quebec, 
 and who loves all the nations alike, because such is 
 the will of the great king. You ought then to live 
 at peace with your neighbours, and above all with 
 the Illinois. You have had causes of quarrel with 
 them, but their defeat has avenged you. Though they 
 are still strong, they wish to make peace with you. 
 Be content with the glory of having obliged them to 
 ask for it. You have an interest in preserving them ; 
 since, if the Iroquois destroy them, they will next 
 destroy you. Let us all obey the great king, and 
 live together in peace under his protection. Be of my 
 mind, and use these guns that I have given you, not to 
 make war, but only to hunt and defend yourselves ; so 
 shall you win the praise and favour of the great king 
 who sends you this message by me." 
 
3i4 HAPPY MEETINGS. 
 
 With these words he paused and held out two belts 
 of wampum in confirmation of his words, and with cries 
 and shouts of approval and joy the assembly broke up, 
 promising an answer on the morrow. 
 
 When that answer came it was such as caused the 
 eyes of La Salle to sparkle with joy. 
 
 " The Illinois is our brother, because he is the son of 
 our father the great king. We make you, his servant, 
 the master of our beaver and our lands, of our minds 
 and our bodies. We cannot wonder that our brothers 
 of the east wish to live with you. We should have 
 wished it too, if we had known what a blessing it is to 
 be the children of the great king." 
 
 While the chiefs spoke these words, and many 
 others of like import, the people without sang and 
 leaped for joy. A mighty feast was made, which 
 lasted three days, and La Salle and his Frenchmen had 
 much ado to satisfy their hosts in the matter of appetite. 
 
 Then taking leave of them with many expressions of 
 good- will, and accompanied by them almost as far as 
 Fort Miami, they returned in triumph thither ; and 
 taking canoe thence made their way without further 
 mishap to Michili Mackinac. There Tonty was await- 
 ing them, tears of welcome shining in his honest eyes, 
 and as he held La Salle's hand once more in his own, he 
 exclaimed in his native tono-ue, — ■ 
 
 " The Lord be praised ! " 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE GREAT RIVER. 
 
 T last ! At last ! At last ! " 
 
 Such was the voiceless cry of many hearts, as 
 the three canoes, bearing the foremost of the pioneers, 
 glided from the current of the Illinois out upon the 
 wide, majestic bosom of the Mississippi. 
 
 Gaspard was standing in the bow of the foremost 
 canoe — the one which contained La Salle, Father Ze- 
 nobe, and four of the new recruits. Just behind came 
 Tonty and Boisrondet, with Jules and Claude in their 
 company. A little behind followed another larger vessel, 
 more deeply laden, and manned by fine-looking white 
 men, French for the most part, who broke into excited 
 shouts and cheers as the three frail crafts paused in 
 their course, whilst their occupants gazed with wonder- 
 ing eye upon the vast volume of water pouring down 
 through this mighty channel. 
 
 The initial perils and difficulties had been passed. 
 Here was La Salle, with a compact little company of 
 trusty followers, the perilous and exhausting toil of the 
 many hazardous portages past, his goods and his canoes 
 safely transported from Canada, an attendant company 
 
316 THE GREAT RIVER. 
 
 of Indian allies close behind, launched at last upon the 
 vast tide of the majestic river, ready to follow its course 
 down to the ocean, and open a grand highway from 
 thence to France. 
 
 A year — or, to be quite accurate, eleven months — 
 had elapsed, since the meeting of Tonty and La Salle at 
 Michili Mackinac. La Salle had been forced once more 
 to go back to Canada to set his affairs in order, and to 
 beat up recruits and lay in stores. Thanks to the warm 
 support he always received from Count Frontenac, who 
 was heart and soul with him in his desire for the suc- 
 cess of the enterprise, he had succeeded in his mission. 
 Tonty with a few faithful followers, amongst whom he 
 numbered the Dautrays and Boisrondet as the most 
 trusty, had wintered upon Lake Michigan, spending in 
 fact the whole of that time between Michili Mackinac 
 and Fort Miami, laying in stores of furs, making 
 friendly overtures to all the Indian tribes within reach, 
 and cementing the good understanding which now 
 existed between them. They had also constructed 
 canoes and collected supplementary stores. Fain would 
 they have tried to build another vessel, but the many 
 failures of the past had decided La Salle against another 
 attempt. The immense difficulty of portage to the 
 Illinois River would in itself have been almost enough 
 to thwart the success of the measure, and La Salle had 
 openly announced that his next voyage must certainly 
 be performed in canoes. No one knew exactly what 
 perils from shoals or rapids they might not meet on 
 
THE GREAT RIVER. 317 
 
 their way, although it was pretty well determined now 
 that the river was navigable in Indian fashion to its 
 very mouth. That a ship must be built for the trans- 
 mission of furs and feathers for the French trade 
 before the success of the cherished scheme could be in 
 any way demonstrated, was an obvious fact ; but La 
 Salle had learned by experience that he must not 
 attempt too much at once. 
 
 His object upon this journey was to discover be- 
 yond all doubt that the Mississippi was navigable, even 
 for vessels of considerable size — a thing he fully be- 
 lieved. Having once made sure of this, he intended to 
 return up the river forthwith, and establish a colony 
 upon the great rock overlooking the main Illinois town, 
 building there a fortress which should hold at bay any 
 raids from the hostile Iroquois against the friendly 
 tribes who were to help him in his great achievement. 
 
 After doing this, he might probably himself return 
 to Canada, or even to France itself, to lay his plans 
 before the king, and obtain further supplies and patents 
 of power. Armed with these, he would return — pos- 
 sibly by the southern sea route — to the mouth of the 
 Mississippi, and after establishing another garrisoned 
 fort at the mouth, he would commence to plant his 
 line of colonies all along the course of the great river, 
 whilst his ships would ply to and fro from the Gulf of 
 Mexico to France, taking eastward the stores of beaver 
 skins and other precious commodities which he should 
 gather from the Indians all along the banks of the 
 
3i 8 THE GREAT RIVER. 
 
 Illinois, the Missouri, and the Ohio, and bearing west- 
 ward those stores of ammunition and supplies so need- 
 ful to the white man dwelling in the Far West. 
 
 Once let him be free from the perils of transport 
 through Canada, where enemies, both white and dusky, 
 lay in wait for his messengers at every turn, and 
 where rapids and cataracts engulfed many a consign- 
 ment of costly merchandise — and wealth and success 
 must flow towards him and his colony as a matter 
 of course. He had made his plans with care. Count 
 Frontenac had warmly approved and promised every 
 assistance. His heart was burning now with the 
 foretaste of . this long-deferred triumph. Reverses of 
 all sorts had met him before. Surely Fortune's 
 wheel was about to turn, and he would see his new 
 enterprise crowned with success. 
 
 Feelings and aspirations such as these possessed the 
 hearts of all the party, as the frail little crafts glided 
 out upon the turbulent waves of the mighty river. 
 Swanalulu, in the prow of the second canoe, gave a 
 warning shout, almost simultaneous with one from 
 Nimrod in La Salle's, — 
 
 " Ice, ice, ice ! Have a care ! Make for the shore 
 and let the ice-packs go by. The current is too swift 
 for us to pilot our way amongst them." 
 
 " To the shore, then," answered La Salle readily. 
 " We will wait for the ice to melt and go by. Our 
 Indian comrades have lagged behind. We will rest 
 awhile, and give them time to come up." 
 
THE GREAT RIVER. 319 
 
 So the three canoes paddled ashore, and an encamp- 
 ment was quickly made in the forest, other canoes con- 
 taining French recruits coming up one after the other 
 as the day advanced. 
 
 Altogether the party numbered nearly fifty French- 
 men, the bulk of whom were trusty fellows, eager for 
 the success of the enterprise. There were some dozen 
 Indians with them, amongst whom were Swanalulu, 
 Tessouat, and the Mohegan hunter, Nimrod, whose dog- 
 like devotion to La Salle had become proverbial by now. 
 
 But in addition to these there were quite a hundred 
 denizens of the woods, who had been picked by 
 La Salle from the multitudes offering themselves, as 
 best fitted for the work. Many of these were Sha- 
 wanoes, faithful to their promise to meet him at Fort 
 Miami on his return ; others were drawn from sur- 
 rounding tribes ; and almost all were skilled in the use 
 of the gun, and were entrusted to carry these coveted 
 weapons. 
 
 The Indians could not be persuaded to leave all 
 their squaws behind, and some delay naturally arose, 
 owing to the rather overcrowded state of the canoes. 
 La Salle in his eagerness had outstripped his allies in 
 his desire to reach the Mississippi. But having done 
 this he was ready to rest his men, to give his Indians 
 time to come up, and to let the ice melt and disperse 
 before attempting further navigation. 
 
 In a week his objects were accomplished, and the sun 
 had beo'un to shine out bright and warm. It was about 
 
3 2o THE GREAT RIVER. 
 
 the middle of February, in the year 1682. They were 
 leaving behind the cold and snowy regions of the north, 
 and every day was bringing them nearer and nearer to 
 the genial warmth of the green south. 
 
 The spell of rest was pleasant, and gave them oppor- 
 tunity to stock their larder with fresh meat ; but it 
 was with eager delight that the party took to their 
 canoes again, and at daybreak set forth upon the 
 now smiling waters of the great river, to follow its 
 many windings to the ocean itself. 
 
 Towards evening Gaspard shouted that they were 
 approaching the junction of another great river, and 
 Swanalulu and the other Indians, to whom the pad- 
 dling was entrusted, exchanged many warning cries 
 and signals. But Tessouat shouted out that there 
 were no rapids — only a great volume of swirling 
 muddy water to be encountered, where the Missouri 
 poured its waters into the Mississippi ; and he led the 
 way downwards, keeping rather closely to the left 
 bank, whilst the voyagers gazed in wonderment at 
 the vast torrent of leaping brown water that flung 
 itself into the widening waterway which they were 
 navigating. 
 
 Down, down, down they flew, the mighty current 
 sweeping them along. They passed the Indian town 
 of Tamaroas, now deserted, the Indians not yet having 
 returned from the winter hunting. It took them a 
 week to reach the junction with the great Ohio, by 
 which time they had almost exhausted their supplies 
 
THE GREAT RIVER. 321 
 
 of meat, and calling a halt near to the third Chickasaw 
 Bluffs, they made an encampment and scattered in 
 search of game. 
 
 It was a wonderful country, and there was a warmth 
 and fragrance in the air, which struck with a soothing 
 kind of charm upon the senses of those who had long 
 been inured to the sharp and bracing cold of the hardy 
 north. The Dautray brothers wandered forth together 
 to hunt and explore, delighted by the beauty and glamour 
 of this New World ; and they planned how they would, 
 in days to come, settle together and form the nucleus 
 of one of the chain of colonies that was to play so 
 great a part in the history of the New France. Gaspard 
 dreamily pictured life here, with Mary as his wife, 
 bringing up their children in this wonderful wilderness, 
 and living a beautiful free life, with none to make 
 them afraid. 
 
 They were detained some days here, owing to the 
 disappearance of one of their party, who lost himself 
 whilst straying in search of game. La Salle, energetic as 
 ever, employed the interval of search in constructing 
 a fort, as a commencement of the colony which might 
 some day be planted here. And when the missing 
 man was found at last, and brought back exhausted 
 and half starved to the camp, the commander sought 
 to atone to him for his sufferings by calling the build- 
 ing by his name, and Fort Prud'homme it remained 
 in memory of this incident. 
 
 Down, down, down went the flotilla of canoes, and 
 (574) 21 
 
322 THE GREAT RIVER. 
 
 now the sunshine became strong and hot ; the scented 
 air was laden with drowsy sounds of insect life. The 
 verdure of the forest took a new beauty, and the tree 
 trunks were often encircled by the twining tendrils of 
 some beautiful flowering creeper. The hiss of a snake 
 in the grass was not unfrequently heard by those who 
 landed, and the forest was alive with many forms of 
 animal life unknown in the colder north. The wild 
 cat glared at them through the branches of laurel, 
 magnolia, and myrtle trees. Sometimes they could 
 see lynxes slinking through the semi-tropical forest ; 
 and numbers of graceful deer of many varied families 
 and tribes bounded away at their approach, or gazed 
 from a distance at the white intruders with wide and 
 frightened eyes. 
 
 As they descended they saw sleeping in the mud 
 the giant alligator, whilst huge turtles basked upon 
 sunken logs lying in the sedges. The river began to 
 team with fish ; they saw the fierce and restless gar 
 with his horny scales, and the catfish blinking at 
 them from the muddy depths of the pools. Here 
 and there they would sight a solemn pelican, standing 
 motionless at the river's brink, whilst the blue and the 
 white heron flashed and skimmed hither and thither, 
 together with the whooping crane and ducks of many 
 colours and varieties. The golden and white-headed 
 eagle were seen from time to time sailing aloft in the 
 sky, and the woods at dawn were rendered clamorous 
 by the harsh cries of the wild turkey. 
 
THE GREAT RIVER. 323 
 
 It was indeed a wonderful region, and the travellers 
 never wearied of observing and admiring. Often the 
 river was wrapped in a thick soft haze which rendered 
 the shores invisible, but by noon this had generally 
 cleared away, and the sun shone out with a power and 
 glory seldom seen in the north. Sometimes they were 
 forced to camp in the forest, the heat being too great 
 upon the water ; and when this was so, they plied 
 their paddles far into the night, and often swept down 
 the black and glassy waterway to the golden light of a 
 wondrous tropic moon. 
 
 All this while they had received no molestation of 
 any kind from Indians, nor had they encountered any 
 perils from the nature of their waterway. No foam- 
 ing cataract barred their progress, nor did dangerous 
 rapids impede their prosperous voyage. Nothing could 
 have been more favourable than the journey had so far 
 been, and each day the look upon La Salle's face became 
 more tranquil and content. The heavy shadow which 
 had rested upon him for so long seemed to be lightening 
 at last. 
 
 It was now the middle of March. The canoes were 
 skimming along through the thick haze of the early 
 morning, when, for the first time since their voyage 
 upon the Mississippi itself commenced, their ears were 
 assailed by the rattle of Indian drums. This sound, to- 
 gether with the shrill cries of the war-dance, came from 
 the right bank of the river. La Salle instantly ordered 
 his party to land upon the opposite side, and to throw 
 
324 THE GREAT RIVER. 
 
 up as rapidly as possible a fort of felled trees. So 
 quick and dexterous had his followers become by this 
 time, that in an incredibly short space of time this had 
 been done ; and when the haze cleared away shortly 
 after noon, the Indians on the opposite bank beheld, 
 to their unspeakable amazement, a party of white men 
 and a strange new building which appeared to have 
 been brought there by magic. 
 
 Chattering and screaming in astonishment and affright, 
 they came crowding down to the water's edge, gesticu- 
 lating and yelping in their wild amaze. La Salle made 
 friendly signals to them, held out the calumet and a wam- 
 pum belt, and invited them by signs to come over to him. 
 
 This, after some delay, they did ; and being assured 
 of the peaceful intentions of the invaders, they examined 
 them with the greatest interest, and invited them to 
 cross to their own town. 
 
 La Salle, whose policy it was always to show con- 
 fidence in the Indians, accepted this invitation at once ; 
 and his whole party of Frenchmen crossed the river, 
 leaving only the Indians behind in the fort, and were 
 warmly welcomed by the natives, who gave them huts 
 and placed food before them, and told them that they 
 had heard that white men were coming, and that great 
 joy and prosperity were to accrue to all the land from 
 their advent. 
 
 La Salle, after much close questioning, heard that 
 almost two years before a small band of white men 
 had passed that way and had told them this. They 
 
THE GREAT RIVER. 325 
 
 had dwelt amongst them for a while like brethren, and 
 a holy man had instructed them in the religion of the 
 white man, and had planted a cross in their midst. 
 Once since then he had come to visit them, and they 
 knew that he and his white men were living in some 
 favoured spot lower down the windings of the great 
 river, beloved and trusted of all. 
 
 This was excellent news for La Salle, and greatly 
 was he pleased by the bearing and manners of this 
 people, who were Kappas, of the tribe of Arkansas. 
 They were exceedingly beautiful to look at, but most 
 modest and respectful in their bearing, never intruding 
 into the huts of their visitors without invitation, and 
 otherwise comporting themselves with a decorum and 
 gentleness very unusual amongst Indians. It appeared, 
 indeed, as though the truths of Christianity had made a 
 greater impression on this people than upon any other 
 they had ever come across. Father Zenobe, who spoke 
 with them, declared that the seed sown by Father Fritz 
 had borne fruit in a marvellous manner, and when he 
 gathered them together round the cross and addressed 
 them in a brief homily, he was listened to with a com- 
 prehension and sympathy utterly different from any- 
 thing he had ever met with in Indians before. 
 
 But another ceremony was enacted there before La 
 Salle took up his journey. He spoke to the assembled 
 tribe of the temporal monarch who was the servant of 
 the cross they had come to reverence as a sacred 
 symbol. He then displayed before their admiring eyes 
 
326 THE GREAT RIVER. 
 
 the arms of France, and presently heading a procession 
 he solemnly went forth, and planted these upon another 
 knoll in close proximity to the one upon which Father 
 Fritz had erected the sacred emblem of the Christian 
 world. 
 
 The Frenchmen raised a shout of " Yive le Roi ! " 
 The Indians took up the cry, and shouted themselves 
 hoarse with loyal acclamations. Then, bidding adieu 
 to their new allies, now calling themselves French 
 subjects, they took to their canoes again, eager to 
 reach the great Indian town of Tensas, of which their 
 new allies now told them. 
 
 It took them several days to reach it, and they saw 
 many signs of Indian habitation along the river's 
 banks as they glided by. When at last they reached 
 the neighbourhood of the town, and after a two hours' 
 walk succeeded in reaching it — the Kappas having 
 sent an envoy on to announce their coming — they 
 were lost in astonishment at what they beheld. 
 
 Instead of mere huts and lodges of mats and straw, 
 this town was built of brick made of sun-baked mud, 
 and thatched in dome -like shape with golden straw. 
 The houses were of fine proportion, and placed in 
 regular order round great enclosures. The main room 
 of the chief was forty feet square, and opposite to his 
 lodge was a great temple or house of the sun. 
 
 The chief sat awaiting them in a dim light — for 
 there was no opening, save the door, to his reception- 
 room — seated upon a throne which resembled a bed- 
 
THE GREAT RIVER. 327 
 
 stead. Around him were sixty of the oldest men of 
 the tribe, arrayed in white cloaks made out of the 
 bark of mulberry trees. Several of his wives were 
 seated just behind him, and when he spoke they all 
 raised their voices in a howl, Avhich was their fashion 
 of showing him honour and reverence. 
 
 His reception of the white visitors was very gracious, 
 as was also his manner of receiving the presents they 
 had brought. As an answering courtesy they were 
 conducted at the close of the interview to the temple 
 of the sun, and gazed curiously at this strange erection, 
 over which seemed to flutter the forms of three giant 
 eagles cleverly carved in wood, and all facing the east. 
 A palisade of stakes surrounded it, and upon these 
 stakes were fixed the heads or skulls of enemies sacri- 
 ficed to the sun, whilst the braided hair of the victims 
 was twisted round great shells which were ranged on a 
 block before the door. Within was a structure of 
 wood, something like an altar, before which a fire was 
 kept continually burning, tended by two old men devoted 
 to the office. 
 
 There was said to be a treasure chamber in this temple, 
 where the vast riches of the tribes of the south were 
 stored ; but this was not shown to the visitors. 
 
 Upon the following day the chief condescended to 
 return the visit paid him, and again accepted a number 
 of presents from the strangers. He promised his good- 
 will to all white men comino- in the name of the King 
 of France and of La Salle. But the commander did 
 
328 THE GREAT RIVER. 
 
 not seek to plant any standard here. He felt sure 
 that such a request would be refused, and that it 
 might stir up jealousy and distrust. 
 
 Resuming their voyage upon the morrow, the travellers 
 quickly found themselves drawing near to a more popu- 
 lated region. Some canoes darted suddenly out upon 
 them, and seemed disposed to show a hostile attitude, 
 the bank of the river being quickly lined with Indians, 
 but La Salle displayed the peace-pipe and addressed the 
 warriors in his usual gracious and successful fashion. 
 Immediately their anger was appeased, and they 
 begged the intruders to land and accept of their hos- 
 pitality, and quickly set before them a sumptuous 
 feast, whereat La Salle spoke to them of his plans 
 and projects, whilst they listened with delight and 
 admiration. 
 
 These were the Natchez Indians, and they too spoke 
 of the little colony of white men, and how they loved 
 and revered them. Father Fritz had lived amongst 
 them for a month on two different occasions, and though 
 they did not show the same growth in spiritual compre- 
 hension which had struck the party so much in the 
 Kappas, they were very friendly, and were quite ready 
 that the cross and the arms of France should be set 
 up by La Salle with solemn pomp ; though, as they 
 themselves were still devoted to the worship of the 
 sun, the meaning of the cross was still something of 
 a mystery to them. 
 
 The Natchez told La Salle that the next two tribes 
 
THE GREAT RIVER. 329 
 
 along the river's bank were the Coroas and the Oumas. 
 These were both friendly towards the white men, and 
 traded peacefully with the settlers who had made 
 their home a little south of the territory of the Oumas, 
 but before you came to the lands of the Quinipissas, 
 who were a treacherous race, and would probably 
 prove unfriendly to the Frenchmen. The Quinipissas 
 lived near to the mouth of the great river, where it 
 discharged itself by several outlets into the sea. The 
 Natchez cautioned La Salle to have a care how he 
 trusted himself to these people, as they were treacherous 
 and unfriendly, and would doubtless do him a mischief 
 if they could. 
 
 Glad to have so much information as to what to 
 expect, La Salle bid a friendly farewell to his enter- 
 tainers, and after leaving behind a goodly number of 
 presents to be distributed at the discretion of the chief, 
 pursued his journey once again, eager now to reach the 
 goal of his voyage — the little pioneer colony of white 
 men, and the mouth of the mighty river. 
 
 The information given them by the Natchez proved 
 to be correct. The Coroas and the Oumas received 
 them with friendly welcome ; were able even to address 
 them in a few phrases of their own tongue ; and told 
 them that their countrymen had made a small settle- 
 ment in a pleasant and fertile valley some few leagues 
 above the limits of the Quinipissas boundary. 
 
 The ardent impatience of the Dautray brothers to 
 see the face of their cousin and Father Fritz once a^ain 
 
33° THE GREAT RIVER. 
 
 had become almost unbearable ; whilst Gaspard's heart 
 beat high at the thought of seeing Mary face to face. 
 The long night seemed interminable, as they lay in 
 the lodges of the friendly Oumas, too excited to sleep, 
 and wishful only for the dawn of day, which should 
 enable them to take their journey through the tropical 
 forest, and bring them to the place their countrymen 
 had found. 
 
 The winds sighed in the trees above their heads ; 
 the soft air came charged with aromatic scents. Gas- 
 pard whispered to Jules the story of his love for Mary, 
 which had begun as a boyish admiration and chivalrous 
 devotion, but had ripened with his growth, till it was 
 the most earnest desire of his heart to win her for 
 his wife. 
 
 His heart had never swerved in its allegiance ; but 
 how about hers ? Two years had passed since they 
 parted, and that is a long space in a maiden's life. 
 There were many fine youths and stalwart men in the 
 company, who would doubtless fain win such a treasure 
 themselves. Could she have forgotten the half-made 
 pledge ? Would he find her the wife of another ? He 
 set his teeth at the bare thought ; yet resolved all the 
 while that no reproach should pass his lips, even if this 
 were so. He could but leave her and seek for forget- 
 fulness. Nay, Avas he not pledged even now to La 
 Salle and his plans ? Marriage might not be possible 
 for such a one as he. 
 
 In thoughts like these the night slipped away. The 
 
THE GREAT RIVER. 331 
 
 sun began to climb the eastern sky in great bounds, 
 and the voices of the wood announced the new-born 
 day. 
 
 Gaspard arose, resolved to plunge himself into the 
 clear waters of the river and so wash away the mists and 
 cobwebs from his brain ; and stepping from the lodge, 
 he summoned Swanalulu to watch the water and warn 
 him of the approach of alligator or other foe. 
 
 But hardly had he done so — hardly had he made a 
 forward step — when he suddenly stopped short, and 
 uttered such a cry of joy and welcome as brought his 
 brothers and many others tumbling forth out of the 
 dwelling-houses. For there, in the clear morning sun- 
 shine, his fine and gentle face illumined by the old 
 sweet smile of welcome, stood Father Fritz, and Gaspard, 
 with another fitful cry of welcome and delight, flung 
 himself bodily into the arms of his old friend and 
 father. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE HOME OF PEACE. 
 
 IT is wonderful ! " said La Salle. 
 " How beautiful ! " exclaimed many voices, as the 
 little party, under the escort of Father Fritz, stood 
 looking down upon the scene lying like a map before 
 their eyes^ 
 
 They had left their canoes in the river, and had 
 struck inland on foot about an hour ago. They had 
 climbed a gentle ascent of wooded hill, terminating in 
 a rather sharp pitch, and now stood looking over the 
 ridge, upon the country lying below them, spread out 
 before their eyes like a map. 
 
 It was beautiful indeed, as so many had said. In 
 its way it was wonderful too, as the commander's eagle 
 eye had not failed to detect upon the instant. 
 
 A wide and undulating plain of green lay stretched 
 at their feet, dotted with abundance of giant trees, and 
 watered by a rippling rivulet — one of the innumerable 
 small tributaries of the giant Mississippi. But the great 
 feature of this valley was the erratic course run by the 
 stream, which, towards the centre of the plain, made a 
 
THE HOME OF PEACE. 333 
 
 great loop or horse-shoe, the ends of which were so close 
 together that they could be guarded by a palisade and 
 gates. This great loop enclosed an area of quite a 
 hundred acres in extent — a hundred acres of rich 
 pasture land, rising gently above the river level, and 
 shaded by noble trees. 
 
 It almost looked like a green island surrounded by 
 a ribbon of water, and to all practical intents it was an 
 island, guarded on all sides by the water, save just at 
 the one small isthmus, where it was protected by its 
 gates and strong walls. 
 
 A further protection than the river afforded was 
 given by a palisade, not very high, but sufficiently 
 strong, running all the way round on the inside of the 
 water-ring ; just within this palisade was a belt of 
 ground some fifty yards deep, which looked from the 
 distance like a bright, variegated ribbon. This was, 
 in fact, the garden ground of the little colony, now a 
 blaze of gorgeous blossom. Within this line of border, 
 came a row of buildings — the homes of the colonizers. 
 These houses were substantial in form, and built in two 
 curved lines, following the course of the river, one on 
 either side of the loop. They were composed of the 
 sun-baked bricks of river mud, such as the travellers 
 had seen lately amongst the Indians ; but they were 
 ornamented and diversified by beams of wood, and 
 carved pediments and lintels, such as brought back 
 to the memory the timbered houses of Old England. 
 
 The roofing of these houses was of golden thatch, 
 
334 THE HOME OF PEACE. 
 
 which gave to the place a homely and picturesque 
 aspect. The centre of the island was all green pasture 
 land, where cattle and sheep — the llama-like sheep of 
 the country — fed peacefully and in safety, or lay be- 
 neath the shadow of the trees chewing the cud. In 
 the centre a fountain tossed its sparkling waters into 
 the air. The sun seemed to rest lovingly upon this 
 favoured spot, and to bring forth all good things out 
 of the well- tilled ground. 
 
 Besides the houses were two buildings of more re- 
 markable size and proportion, upon which the eyes of 
 the travellers gazed in wonder. One was a large square 
 erection, almost like a fortress, standing just within the 
 protecting gates, at the west end of the isthmus. The 
 other was exactly opposite to it, at the eastern extremity 
 of this oval loop, and at a glance its character could be 
 determined. It was a beautiful little church, cruciform 
 in shape, built partly of bricks and partly of timber, 
 but with such loving care, that it was, with all its 
 simplicity an exquisite structure, and its graceful, 
 tapering spire a marvel of patient and skilful work- 
 manship. 
 
 The church was crowned by its cross. The corre- 
 sponding building at the western extremity flew the flag 
 of France from its centre turret. The church was 
 flanked by two smaller buildings, one on each side. 
 These were in fact a schoolhouse and the house where 
 Father Fritz dwelt, and where he showed hospitality to 
 strangers of every nationality who might come that 
 
THE HOME OF PEACE. 335 
 
 way. The other houses of which mention has been 
 made formed two curving- lines, running round the 
 loop and converging again towards the western fort. 
 They were independent buildings in themselves, but 
 were built for safety in a solid block, and were con- 
 nected by a long thatched veranda which was the 
 common property of all the inhabitants. 
 
 In the wonderfully clear air all these details could be 
 plainly seen, even from a considerable distance, and 
 La Salle took all in with the eye of a general, and 
 exclaimed again, — 
 
 "It is wonderful ! " 
 
 Beyond the river boundary lay the cultivated lands 
 of the colonists — fields of maize, wheat, and other grain, 
 flax for their weaving, hemp for rope-making — and 
 here and there a railed enclosure, where young buffalo 
 calves, caught upon the plains in their babyhood, 
 browsed peacefully, and were taught to wear the yoke 
 and to plough the fertile lands. Beyond, again, were 
 signs of Indian habitations — little clusters of huts and 
 cabins peeping out from the thick foliage of the sur- 
 rounding forest. It appeared as though the green 
 isthmus were a centre from which radiated peace and 
 blessing and goodwill towards all men, and as though 
 the Indians sought to place themselves within the 
 charmed circle. 
 
 Gaspard's heart beat high with a sense of eager 
 anticipation, as he gazed downwards into this favoured 
 valley. Fit home, indeed, did it seem to him to be for 
 
336 THE HOME OF PEACE. 
 
 his Mayflower — his darling. He had heard of her 
 welfare from Father Fritz. He knew that she was 
 true and loving and faithful. But one short half -hour 
 more and he would hold her in his arms, and pour forth 
 all his story into her ears ! How eagerly he pressed to 
 the side of Father Fritz to hear what he was telling 
 La Salle, respecting the little colony ! Was not every 
 detail of immense interest to him, since Mary had heen 
 doubtless concerned in every item of it ? 
 
 " We have been singularly blessed by peace," Father 
 Fritz said, in reply to a quick question from the com- 
 mander. " From the first we strove to show the Indians 
 that we came as friends, and not as foes. We took 
 precautions, as you see. We have not left ourselves 
 defenceless in case of attack ; but no serious attempt 
 to molest us has ever been made. The Quinipissas are 
 the only tribe with whom we have had trouble, and 
 that has not been serious, although we have not been 
 able to place confidence, so far, in the protestations of 
 friendship which from time to time they proffer." 
 
 " And is that square building a fort ? Have you any 
 ordnance secreted behind its stout walls ? " 
 
 " No ; we have some guns, and a small supply of 
 ammunition which we use as sparingly as we can, 
 keeping it against a possible time of peril. That 
 building could doubtless serve as a fortress, if need 
 be, but it is our common storehouse for our supplies 
 of grain, flax, and so forth ; and the top story is 
 devoted to the consignments of furs and dressed skins, 
 
THE HOME OF PEACE. 337 
 
 over and above what we need for ourselves, and which 
 are to be dispatched to His Majesty of France when 
 once navigation has been opened between the river's 
 mouth and that country." 
 
 La Salle's eyes sparkled. He grasped Father Fritz 
 by the hand, and exclaimed, — 
 
 " You are really laying up stores for that purpose, 
 my noble-hearted friend ? Do you mean to tell me 
 that your children yonder are content to set aside a 
 part of their valuables, and send them into France, 
 without asking anything in return ? " 
 
 " We have all that we need," answered Father Fritz 
 quietly, the light deepening in his clear blue eyes as he 
 spoke. " We are learning every day to manufacture 
 for ourselves all that we require. Why should we 
 burden ourselves with this world's goods, when at any 
 moment we may be called upon to leave them behind 
 us?" 
 
 La Salle looked curiously at the speaker, and then 
 said, questioning^ and tentatively, — 
 
 " Leave them behind ! Surely you do not contem- 
 plate moving from this place of peace ? " and catching a 
 look, which he could not interpret, upon the face of the 
 other, he added quickly : " Surely you are not in any 
 imminent peril of death from hostile tribes ? " 
 
 " I believe not," answered Father Fritz quietly. 
 " Thank God, I believe that from peril of that sort we 
 are singularly safe, and that His blessing is with us and 
 will rest upon us. But, my friend, how if the Lord 
 
 (574) 22 
 
338 THE HOME OF PEACE. 
 
 Himself should come, and we should be caught away 
 to meet Him in the air ? That blessed promise is yet 
 unfulfilled — yet to be looked for by those who take 
 the Lord at His word. Has He not said that He will 
 so come ? Has He not promised a special blessing to 
 those who shall be found watching and waiting for 
 His coming ? " 
 
 La Salle was silent. He had no words with which 
 to answer such a question. Father Zenobe was like- 
 wise silent, this thing not having been considered by 
 him in his meditations upon the Scriptures. The 
 brothers Gaspard and Claude fixed earnest eyes upon 
 the beloved face of their former teacher, and perhaps 
 it was the eagerness of their looks which caused Father 
 Fritz to speak again. 
 
 " We have been studying the blessed Scriptures much 
 together, my children and I, since we found rest in 
 this home of peace. And greatly have we been struck 
 by the continual words of promise, and of the hope 
 of the coming of the Lord with which the teachings 
 of the apostles are full. That was the hope of the 
 early Christian church — to see the Lord return. Surely 
 it was a blessed and a glorious hope, and should never 
 have been forgotten. The Lord, for His own good 
 purposes doubtless, has delayed His return these many 
 hundreds of years, but His word cannot fail. Did 
 He not Himself say that He would come at an hour 
 when no man looked — in a time of carelessness and 
 unbelief ? Did He not say that, when we saw evil 
 
THE HOME OF PEACE. 339 
 
 days coming upon the earth, nation rising against 
 nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and abominations 
 and desolations everywhere, we were not to be faint- 
 hearted ; but rather to lift up our heads, because 
 our redemption was drawing nigh ? And what is 
 this redemption, save the redemption of the body 
 spoken of by St. Paul ? — when, instead of being 
 unclothed by death, we shall be clothed upon with 
 immortality — caught up to meet the Lord in the air, 
 and changed into the likeness of His glory ? Did not 
 even the Psalmist speak of this when he declared : 
 ' When I wake up in the likeness of Thy glory, I 
 shall be satisfied with it ' ? " 
 
 Claude's liquid eyes were full of feeling. Gaspard's 
 heart seemed to give a responsive bound. There was 
 something in the simple earnestness and directness of 
 Father Fritz's words — something in the overflowing 
 affection and piety of the man which brought home 
 to their hearts his teaching, as it was never brought 
 home by the good friars who spoke to the company 
 Sunday by Sunday, and read the various offices of 
 the church as occasion permitted. It was as though 
 Father Fritz saw in the spirit the things of which he 
 spoke — as though some sacred fire descended upon him, 
 and gave to his words a power and convincing impulse 
 such as cannot be understood by those who read the 
 mere record of them. That he spoke from the very 
 depth of his heart — that in spirit he rose into heavenly 
 places, and looked upon things unspeakable in glory — - 
 
340 THE HOME OF PEACE. 
 
 could not be doubted by those who lived with him. 
 The fruit of this singleness of heart and spotlessness of 
 life was seen in what had been accomplished by that 
 little feeble colony. In a strange and savage country 
 they lived at peace with all ; and instead of clinging to 
 their worldly goods, and seeking wealth and fame, as 
 all other pioneer communities — instead of suffering from 
 jealousies, mutual distrust, lust of individual gain — they 
 had all needful things in common, and all superfluities 
 were stored away for the benefit of others. The clog of 
 riches was not even desired by them. 
 
 " How can it be ? " spoke Father Fritz, with a lumin- 
 ous and indescribable smile upon his face. " When the 
 Lord comes, no man may even go down into the house 
 to fetch anything out ? Is not that another way of 
 saying that our hearts must be free and unfettered 
 from the clog of deceitful riches. We must be look- 
 ing upwards ever for the appearing of the Lord — not 
 earthwards, to see what treasure we have accumulated 
 here. The band of first-fruits, who follow the Lamb 
 whithersoever He goeth, and stand redeemed from 
 among men on Mount Zion, have every one of them 
 virgin hearts. What does that mean, but that they 
 are not wedded to the world, nor weighed down by its 
 cares and riches ? They are ready at a moment's notice 
 to answer the call of the Lord, and follow Him whither- 
 soever He goeth. Is that not the aim and object of 
 every Christian heart ?— to be ready and waiting for 
 the Lord, with nothing between us and Him. That 
 
THE HOME OF PEACE. 341 
 
 is how I read the Scriptures, and my children are one 
 with me in this blessed and glorious hope ! " 
 
 The men of the world answered nothing. The day 
 for mockery and scorn of such things had not yet come. 
 They regarded the father as a mystic as well as saint ; 
 but they revered him for his singleness of heart, and 
 would perhaps have followed him gladly had not other 
 matters engrossed them. Father Zenobe slightly shook 
 his head, as though a little uncertain whether there 
 might not be some underlying heresy lurking in this 
 doctrine, which Holy Church (so far as he was aware) 
 did not advocate, save in a very vague and cursory 
 fashion. But no one could fail to be impressed by the 
 earnestness of Father Fritz's language, nor by the 
 heavenly expression upon his face. 
 
 " If all our priests and friars taught after such a 
 fashion," muttered Tonty to Boisrondet, " the world 
 would be a different sort of place. I should not object 
 to be a religious son myself." 
 
 All this while they were descending the pathway 
 towards the isthmus, and Father Fritz was answering 
 La Salle's inquiries as to how he had accomplished so 
 much in the short space of two years. 
 
 " We received much friendly help from the Indians," 
 he answered, " particularly from the Kappas, who are 
 my very dear children, and who begin to enter into a 
 greater comprehension of the truths of Christianity 
 than any of the natives I have yet met. We dwelt 
 amongst them for a while upon our downward journey, 
 
342 THE HOME OF PEACE. 
 
 and they helped us to fix upon this favoured site, and 
 to build our houses there. It was they who taught us 
 the art of brick-making, and they hewed us timber 
 from the woods. We ourselves were not idle. All 
 worked with a will, and our reward was the rapidity 
 with which we saw our houses rising round us. At 
 first we used the square fort — as you call it — for a 
 common dwelling-place ; then when we had houses, we 
 held our services there whilst the church was building. 
 That was our last erection, for we wished it to be the 
 best, and we had by that time learned more of the art 
 of construction. Our maidens have woven hansine'S 
 for it within, and our young men have made carved 
 work to adorn it both within and without. Not a 
 living being here but has contributed to the structure 
 — and that of his best. Like the tabernacle in the 
 wilderness, it is a free-will offering of love ; and being 
 this, it is doubly hallowed, and the presence of God 
 abides continually upon us." 
 
 Father Fritz went on to say that, although the little 
 colony expected the arrival of La Salle and his company 
 in a vague way — as they had been expecting it now for 
 above a year — they had received no intimation of his 
 being in the neighbourhood, and were not especially 
 watching for him now. News of the appearance upon 
 the river of a great company of white men and of 
 Indians had been brought to Father Fritz by a hunt- 
 ing party returning home, as he was journeying, after 
 his custom, to some of the outlying hamlets of the 
 
THE HOME OF PEACE. 343 
 
 Indians, where he had converts or inquirers or cate- 
 chumens. From the description of the party, he felt 
 certain that it could be no other than that of La Salle, 
 and he had at once postponed his own visits, none of 
 which were urgent for the moment, to give a welcome 
 to his old friends, and to conduct them to his little 
 colony, where so many were waiting to give him also 
 a grateful welcome. 
 
 " And as to the river's mouth — where is that ? " 
 asked La Salle eagerly. " Is it far distant ? and do 
 any great difficulties and dangers lie betwixt us and it?" 
 
 " No danger, save what you may encounter from the 
 semi-hostile Quinipissas," answered Father Fritz. " I 
 myself have navigated it more than once to the great 
 gulf into which it empties itself. It is as you have 
 always surmised ; it finds its way at last, amid a region 
 of swampy land, and by three branches, into the Gulf 
 of Mexico. The Quinipissas are the last tribe you will 
 have to encounter, and they have shown themselves 
 jealous and distrustful of the white man. But if you 
 will permit me to accompany you, I think you will not 
 have serious trouble. They have never shown them- 
 selves as open enemies. They have never seriously 
 threatened to disturb the home of peace." 
 
 Father Fritz, in speaking of his colony, used an 
 Indian name, the interpretation of which was " Home 
 of Peace." It appeared that the Indians had bestowed 
 it upon the little colony, soon after its establishment 
 amongst them, and it had gradually come to be adopted 
 
344 THE HOME OF PEACE. 
 
 by the community, and now the Home of Peace was its 
 distinctive appellation. 
 
 Gaspard, despite the earnestness with which he 
 listened to all this, felt wonderfully impatient for 
 their arrival at the spot where Mayflower would be 
 found awaiting him. 
 
 Suddenly a great stir appeared in the little enclosure, 
 hitherto so quiet and still. The people were indoors 
 partaking of their mid-day meal, and had been unaware 
 of the approach of the party. Now some children 
 running out first, gave a shout of wonder, and in a 
 moment the place was alive with human forms, and 
 the sound of English and French voices rent the air 
 in exclamations of wonder and joy. 
 
 Father Fritz waved his hand in token of a happy 
 recognition, and the next moment the gates which 
 guarded the entrance to the isthmus were flung back, 
 as the whole population streamed out to meet and 
 welcome the new-comers. 
 
 Gaspard caught sight of a slim, girlish form in a 
 fluttering white dress, and he was off like an arrow 
 from a bow. The next minute he had Mary clasped 
 tightly in his arms, shedding tears of joy as she felt 
 his kisses on her face. 
 
 " Mayflower ! my sweetest Mayflower ! You have 
 not forgotten me, then ? " 
 
 " Gaspard ! O Gaspard ! as though I ever could ! " 
 
 " Sweetheart, I have thought of you night and day." 
 
 " Beloved, I have prayed for you without ceasing, 
 
THE HOME OF PEACE. 345 
 
 that you might be delivered from all perils, and that 
 I might look upon your face again." 
 
 He strained her to his heart, and his answer was 
 spoken with earnest gravity. 
 
 " And I have needed your prayers, my Mayflower, 
 for I have been in perils many and great. There have 
 been moments when I have said adieu to you in my 
 thoughts, for it seemed as though I were never to look 
 upon your sweet face again in this world. And yet 
 God has brought me safely through all dangers, and I 
 hold you once more in my arms ! " 
 
 She hid her face, and her tears bedewed his breast, 
 but they were tears of pure happiness. 
 
 " my love, my love, thank God I have you safe ! 
 What perils brave men are called upon to endure ! 
 Would that you could be one of us in this sweet 
 place ! Methinks God has been very good in giving us 
 this blessed asylum of peace wherein to wait, far from 
 the turmoils and terrors of the great world around, for 
 the fulfilment of His blessed promise ! " 
 
 He understood her, and pressed kisses on her face. 
 
 " Thou shalt teach me more of thy hope, sweetheart, 
 when our warfare is accomplished, and our commander 
 has succeeded in the magnificent scheme to which he is 
 pledged, and of which this happy little colony seems to 
 be a sort of first-fruits. So long as he has to toil and 
 •labour, so long must I be his servant and follower. 
 But we are young. We can wait for our happiness. 
 Thou wilt be safe and happy in this blessed place, and 
 
346 THE HOME OF PEACE. 
 
 it will be to me as the goal to which to look forward 
 when our object shall have been accomplished, and 
 when each man may choose for himself the spot whereon 
 he will make his home." 
 
 She looked at him wistfully, yet without reproach. 
 
 " Then thou canst not stay with us now ? " 
 
 " I think not, dearest ; not unless it be part of our 
 commander's plan to reinforce the company here, and 
 that I doubt. He, when once he has found the mouth 
 of the river, and can report having traced the whole 
 of its course, must return awhile to more northern 
 latitudes, and communicate with Count Frontenac, and 
 even with His Majesty of France. This is but the 
 beo-inuino-. We have immense labours before us ere 
 the giant enterprise shall be carried out. Yet fear not, 
 my Mayflower, and be not faint-hearted, for I will 
 return to thee yet, and we will spend our latter days 
 in peace and happiness here ; and that happiness will 
 be but the greater for having been somewhat deferred." 
 
 " I may not seek to keep thee from thy duty, dear 
 love," she answered, gently, " but my heart will oft- 
 times be heavy with fears for thee." 
 
 Thus far had the lovers been alone and uninterrupted, 
 but now they were surrounded by an eager group, and 
 Gaspard found his hands taken and held by Louis — 
 grown to be a wonderfully fine man of herculean pro- 
 portions — whilst the eager, dark-eyed Ruvanni, with a 
 child in her arms, gave him sisterly welcome. They bade 
 him admire the fine eyes of the infant Gaspard, and 
 
THE HOME OF PEACE. 347 
 
 the Neville brothers pressed round him to give him 
 welcome, and hear his adventures since last they had 
 been together. 
 
 The women in the houses below, who had not rushed 
 out, were busy preparing a meal for the travellers in 
 one of the most spacious rooms of this comfortable 
 home. It was indeed to the house of Father Fritz 
 that they were taken, where a long guest-room was 
 always in readiness ; though, for the most part, the 
 unexpected bands of visitors to be entertained were 
 Indians returning from, or going forth to, their hunting- 
 grounds. 
 
 The travellers cast curious glances round them as 
 they passed through the gates, and along the sheltered 
 veranda of the long street — if such a name could be 
 given it — the pillars of which were wreathed with a 
 wealth of flowering creepers breathing forth sweet 
 odours. The sun was by this time very hot, but 
 beneath the veranda and under the thatched roof of 
 the guest-chamber it was cool and pleasant, and the 
 murmur of the river in their ears made a perpetual 
 rippling music. 
 
 It was wonderful to the travellers to be served by 
 white women, to sit to a civilized meal with the imple- 
 ments to which they had so long been strangers, and to 
 hear the familar intonation of soft feminine voices. 
 
 La Salle told his hosts of all the perils and troubles 
 which had beset him, and spoke very fully of his 
 enterprise, its enormous scope, and the difficulties 
 
348 THE HOME OE PEACE. 
 
 with which it was surrounded. But although he 
 gave full heed to these, and never sought to ignore 
 them, his heart was filled with confidence and hope, 
 and he was possessed by a great certainty that the 
 worst of his troubles were now over. 
 
 In a few days more he would have actually navi- 
 gated the river from source to mouth, and could set at 
 defiance the lies and insinuations of his enemies. He 
 had done a great work amongst the Indians, and had 
 won all the great southern and western tribes over to 
 his interest. In Canada, troubles and difficulties might 
 still lie before him. But once let him open a method 
 of transport direct from the mouth of the Mississippi 
 to the French ports, and he could snap his ringers at 
 Canada and the Iroquois, and carry out a gigantic 
 commerce which should enrich his king and country, 
 and render his name famous for ever in the annals 
 of history. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 DOWN TO THE SEA. 
 
 IT was upon a Saturday that La Salle and his com- 
 pany had arrived at the Home of Peace. He 
 had arranged with the rest of his party to meet him 
 upon the Monday morning, an hour after daybreak, at 
 a certain island in the river described to them by 
 Father Fritz as a suitable rendezvous. Tonty, Bois- 
 rondet, the Dautrays, and one or two more had accom- 
 panied him upon his expedition to this small pioneer 
 colony ; and, as soon as they had finished their meal, 
 La Salle was eager to look round him, and especially to 
 inspect the stores of furs and skins ready for export to 
 France, when once he should be able to navigate a 
 vessel either down the river to fetch them, or across 
 the seas to its mouth. 
 
 Father Fritz therefore led the way back towards 
 the square solid building, and there the travellers beheld, 
 in the first instance, grand stores of golden grain, more 
 than enough to last the whole community until the 
 harvest should be ripe once more. Flax and hemp, 
 straw and hav, and various sorts of edible roots, were 
 
35o DOWN TO THE SEA. 
 
 lying in heaps, in orderly fashion in the great magazine. 
 No count was taken of the store, each household took 
 what it required ; and in times of scarcity — which cer- 
 tainly seemed likely to be few and far between — these 
 people had always enough to give to their Indian 
 neighbours, who were less provident. La Salle, whose 
 stores were running low, was promised a bountiful 
 supply whenever he chose to come for it, and he decided 
 to accept the generous offer upon his return journey 
 up the river again, which would be far more tedious 
 and arduous than the voyage now just past. 
 
 Then the party was conducted up a winding stairway, 
 ingeniously contrived, and into a great upper room, 
 where a stove had been erected to ensure dryness during 
 the heavy tropical rains which, at certain times of the 
 year, deluged the place, and made an atmosphere of hot, 
 steamy moisture, which was detrimental to the preser- 
 vation of stores. 
 
 Here, upon long shelves, were laid layer upon layer 
 of costly furs : beaver furs from the north, brought 
 down by wandering Indians, who bartered them for 
 golden grain, or brought them as freewill offerings to 
 their friends of the Home of Peace ; soft, well-dressed 
 skins of deer, buffalo, lynx, wild cat, and many a name- 
 less denizen of the forest, brought in by their own 
 people, and prepared by them in the slack seasons of 
 the year. Wonderful feather ornaments, manufactured 
 by the skilful fingers of the younger women, and whole 
 carefully-removed skins of strange and bright-hued 
 
DOWN TO THE SEA. 351 
 
 birds, all prepared and preserved with the greatest care, 
 ready for exportation to Europe. In one corner, too, 
 stood a casket of carved wood, and within that was a 
 small but increasing collection of jewels, such as came 
 from time to time into the possession of the colonists, 
 either through the Indians, or by discovery along the 
 beds of rivers, or turned up by the plough from some 
 ancient Indian burial-place. Some of these were ex- 
 ceedingly curious, and the eyes of La Salle brightened 
 as he looked at them, and then round the walls of this 
 storehouse. 
 
 " Do you really mean that you have laid by these 
 things for us — for me and my countrymen to take away 
 • — and that you ask nothing in exchange for them ? " he 
 questioned once again. 
 
 " We have enough, and more than enough for our- 
 selves," replied Father Fritz. " It is our pleasure to 
 prepare these furs for our brethren at home. You are 
 welcome to them, and if they will help in the furthering 
 of your plans, we shall all rejoice — that is, if good is to 
 come from the colonization of this mighty realm by 
 Christendom, and that we may hope will be soon. I 
 doubt not that the younger men would tell you they 
 would fain have an increased supply of arms and am- 
 munition, so that they may hunt more freely, and feel 
 better prepared against assaults from possible foes. 
 But beyond this we have all, and more than we need." 
 
 " You are wonderful people ! " said La Salle, with 
 earnest admiration in his eyes. " But you shall surely 
 
352 DOWN TO THE SEA. 
 
 have what you ask. Indeed it is part of my scheme 
 that my vessels from France shall be laden with such 
 things as are needful for the hunter and the warrior, 
 whilst they return with the spoils of these mighty lands, 
 which fetch such high prices in France. Why, I be- 
 lieve that a hundred thousand francs would not buy the 
 contents of this room ! It puts heart into me to find 
 such true and generous friends ! " And the reserved and 
 distrustful La Salle suddenly held out his hand, and 
 took that of Father Fritz in a close clasp, whilst there 
 was even something like a moisture upon his eyelashes. 
 
 The father held the hand extended, and looked into 
 the thin, careworn face of the commander with those 
 penetrating yet tender eyes which seemed to read the 
 very soul. 
 
 " My friend," he said in a low voice, he and La Salle 
 being alone together at one end of the long room, " it 
 has pleased Almighty God to give to you a great genius, 
 a stout heart, and a dauntless energy. These are great 
 gifts, yet they can be misused if not employed above all 
 things in His service. Take heed lest the love of this 
 world's fame and glory come betwixt you and Him. 
 Take heed lest the joy of exploring new lands, and 
 opening a mighty commerce, transcend not the hope of 
 seeing the kingdoms of this world gradually become the 
 kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ. In you He 
 has found an instrument to His hand — be always sub- 
 missive to that hand, and seek not to act without its 
 guiding and leading. Think always of the Lord first, 
 
DOWN TO THE SEA. 353 
 
 and of self last. Remember to cherish the hope of 
 His coming and kingdom, which blessed promise cannot 
 fail. Be true to Him, and then thou wilt be true to 
 thine own self and to every man ; and may He give to 
 thee the help without which we can do nothing, and such 
 meed of success and glory as He knows to be best." 
 
 La Salle bent his head, and a tear stood in his eye. 
 For a moment a wave of most unwonted emotion swept 
 over him. 
 
 " Pray for me, father," he answered hoarsely ; " pray 
 for me always. For I ofttimes forget to pray for my- 
 self, and I fear me that I stand in greater perils than 
 those from the tomahawks of Indians, or from the 
 machinations of jealous countrymen." 
 
 Father Fritz looked earnestly at him as he answered, — 
 . "I do, my son, and I will, unceasingly. Thou dost 
 speak truth indeed. It is not the foes from without 
 whom we have most to dread. It is those things that 
 come from within. They, defiling the heart and spirit of 
 man, are the deadliest foes that he can have to combat. 
 But to know and feel that this is so, is one step towards 
 successfully repelling such foes." 
 
 Gaspard meantime, with his arm about Mary, and 
 Claude straying upon her other side, was exploring the 
 limits of the little settlement, and wandering away 
 across the bridge, into the great rolling meadow and 
 corn lands beyond. 
 
 The coolness of the evening was coming, and all was 
 very beautiful. Mary spoke to them freely of her 
 
 (574) 23 
 
354 DOWN TO THE SEA. 
 
 happy life in this peaceful place, of the wonderful 
 change wrought upon all the young men by Father 
 Fritz's presence and teaching, and the contentedness of 
 the whole community. 
 
 " He is such a saint, that sometimes I fear lest he 
 will not be left to us much longer," she said. " There 
 are moments when, as he stands before us, sometimes in 
 the church, sometimes out in the open air, talking to us, 
 and speaking of the glories of that kingdom for which 
 he is waiting and watching, the light falls upon his 
 beautiful white hair, and upon his saintly face, till it 
 seems as though he were transfigured before us. I hold 
 my breath sometimes, for it seems as though he would 
 be taken away from us as he stands — as though the 
 chariot of fire and the horses of fire must be close at 
 hand to carry him away ! And, O Gaspard ! to think 
 that at any moment — if the Lord were to come — that 
 wondrous change might pass upon all who are waiting 
 and watching for Him ! Oh, dear love, think of it morn- 
 ing and night ! Do not be one who mockingly says, 
 ' My Lord delayeth His coming.' Be not as a virgin 
 whose lamp has gone out for lack of oil. If we are 
 sundered for a while in body, let us know ourselves one 
 in spirit ; and if the Lord should come ere we meet 
 again in the flesh, let it not be said of us that one shall 
 be taken and the other left ! " 
 
 There was something like a sob in her voice as she 
 spoke these last words, and Gaspard clasped her in his 
 arms in a sudden transport of affection. 
 
DOWN TO THE SEA. 355 
 
 " Dear love, dearest love ! " he cried passionately, 
 " teach me to see and believe as thou dost, and then 
 indeed we can fear no evil, for we shall know ourselves 
 safe in the unity of the Spirit." 
 
 " You shall hear Father Fritz speak to us of it on the 
 morrow," she answered, with tears of happiness in her 
 eyes. " Oh, we love our peaceful, happy Sundays here, 
 when we all gather together to read and pray, and 
 receive his teaching and the blessed sacrament ! Oh, 
 how I have longed that you should be with us, if it were 
 only for once ! " 
 
 Father Zenobe was a little shocked and scandalized 
 to hear upon the morrow that it was not exactly mass 
 that would be celebrated in the church. 
 
 " My flock," answered Father Fritz, with his gentle 
 smile, " are for the most part Protestants — Huguenots. 
 While seeking to lead them to greater comprehension 
 of, and loving reverence for the blessed sacrament, I 
 have sought also to teach them in that fashion which 
 reaches their understanding and touches their hearts 
 most nearly. The Latin tongue is unknown to them. 
 They revolt from the thought of giving anything more 
 than reverence to the Virgin Mother, and so long as they 
 are willing, with all generations, to call her blessed, I 
 ask no more of them. The Christian faith is full 
 enough and wide enough to supply the needs of all the 
 faithful. The holy catholic church embraces within 
 its arms all the baptized without distinction. That, 
 brother, I have alwavs maintained, albeit I have been 
 
356 , DOWN TO THE SEA. 
 
 called heretic for so doing. There is but one baptism, 
 in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; and 
 whosoever receives it is a member of Christ's body from 
 that time forth — our part is to minister to him, and 
 teach him to walk worthy of his calling, and not to 
 fall away from the standing into which he has been 
 brought." 
 
 Father Zenobe slightly shook his head, though not 
 attempting to argue the matter out, having something 
 of a fear that Father Fritz, with the Word of God at 
 his fingers' ends, might get the best of the discussion. 
 La Salle burst into a slight laugh, and laid his hand 
 on the friar's shoulder, saying, — 
 
 " Father Fritz has reached a conclusion which you 
 priests of Rome are slow to believe, that the catholic 
 church of Christ is a wider covenant than the Church 
 of Rome of the Popes. For my own part, I believe 
 that he is in the right of it, and that if we are to con- 
 vert the heathen world, it must be by weapons more 
 powerful, and a comprehension more full and sym- 
 pathetic, than can be claimed by you holy men who 
 will look to the Pope before you look to the 
 Lord." 
 
 Father Zenobe hastily crossed himself, as though 
 fearful that his ears had listened to some subtle blas- 
 phemy, whilst others looked at La Salle in amaze, for 
 he was a man who very seldom spoke on such themes, 
 albeit accounted a worthy son of the church. As for 
 Father Fritz, his calm and beautiful face glowed with 
 
DOWN TO THE SEA. 357 
 
 that radiance which comes from within, as he said in 
 his quiet, earnest way, — 
 
 " Yes ; we must look first to Christ, yet let us be- 
 ware, even in so doing, of rejecting those whom He hath 
 sent to minister His word of truth. He hath set in the 
 church His ministering servants. To reject these, and 
 to seek to minister the things of God ourselves, may 
 be as great a rejection of His ordinances as to forget to 
 look to Him above all other. Satan tempts men by 
 many a subtle device to fall into error, and to be snared 
 in the devices of their own heart. But the Word of 
 the Lord is a sure and safe lamp in the darkness. 
 If we will but take it all — one part with another, re- 
 jecting naught, and giving no undue supremacy to one 
 part over another, then indeed shall we find that, little 
 by little, it will guide us into all truth." 
 
 It would be hard, indeed, for any sincere believer not 
 to be impressed by the service held in the beautiful 
 little church upon that Sunday morning. The sun 
 shone in through a row of small pointed apertures, 
 which took the place of windows high up above the 
 heads of the people, and fell upon woven hangings 
 wrought in many a mystic and symbolic device, and 
 upon cunning carvings in wood that displayed the loving- 
 care and skill of many a trained hand. The hangings 
 of the altar were very beautiful, and the holy vessels 
 were all of gold — gold offered by the Indians themselves, 
 and consecrated to the service of God with their won- 
 dering and awed consent. 
 
358 DOWN TO THE SEA. 
 
 The congregation was more than half composed of 
 Indians, who flocked thither from their camps around, 
 eager to hear Father Fritz discourse, and to be instructed 
 in the tenets of the faith which was besdnnino' to illu- 
 mine the darkness of their hearts. Father Fritz differed 
 from his Romanist brethren in that he was very slow to 
 baptize. The Jesuits sought rapid conversions and 
 consent to the rite, and then perhaps the newly-baptized 
 person was left for months or ever* years unvisited and 
 untaught, till, as a natural result, he relapsed into 
 heathendom, from which he had not really been plucked. 
 
 Father Fritz would baptize none, till he was assured 
 that those desirous of the holy rite had grasped some 
 real and true comprehension of the baptismal standing 
 of the Christian, and were really in earnest in desiring 
 it. Thus it was that his converts appeared very slow 
 in their advance, and very few in numbers ; but once 
 made, they were likely to stand fast in the. faith, for 
 their hearts and spirits were truly touched and stirred 
 before they were permitted to enter the fold of the 
 Christian church. 
 
 The service compiled by Father Fritz for the use of 
 his flock was very simple and beautiful. It comprised 
 prayers derived from ancient sources, many of them 
 common to the Romish Mass and the English Prayer- 
 book, some taken from each of these sources, some from 
 liturgies more ancient still, with which Father Fritz 
 was intimately acquainted. All were simple, beautiful, 
 devotional, and evidently familiar to the congregation, 
 
DOWN TO THE SEA. 359 
 
 who devoutly responded, and listened with great atten- 
 tion to the whole service. The discourse, or sermon, 
 was given in the Indian tongue, now familiar to all, and 
 was a homely exposition of the simple but infinitely 
 mysterious doctrines of the Christian faith, combined 
 with an earnest entreaty to those gathered together 
 before him not to forget the hope and the promise of 
 the coming of the Lord, and to seek to be found ready 
 at any moment should He appear. 
 
 Thanksgiving was made in the appropriate place for 
 the safety of their brethren from the perils of the 
 long journey, and they were commended to the mercy 
 and protection of the Lord for the remainder of that 
 arduous undertaking. 
 
 Then the Indians were dismissed with a blessing, save 
 the few who had been baptized ; and the holy com- 
 munion was administered to the remainder of the 
 congregation, La Salle and all his party reverently 
 receiving it, and with great joy. 
 
 Father Zenobe was a^ain somewhat shocked and 
 scandalized to note that the cup was given to all alike, 
 and offered a gentle remonstrance at the close of the 
 service. 
 
 Father Fritz looked at him with his direct and 
 luminous glance as he replied, — 
 
 " Yes, my brother, I know well all that you would 
 say. I have spent many an hour of prayer and sup- 
 plication upon my knees for light and guidance in these 
 matters, for the grace of obedience as well as for the 
 
3 6o DOWN TO THE SEA. 
 
 illumination of spirit which shall enable me rightly to 
 discern the purposes of God. But the answer seemed 
 to me so plain that I could not but obey. Our Lord 
 took the cup and gave it to His disciples, and said, 
 ' Drink ye all of it.' After that how dare we say to 
 brother or to sister, ' Thou shalt not drink ' ? " 
 
 " Well, well, well," answered Father Zenobe, with 
 good-humoured tolerance, " I will say no more. Out in 
 these lone wilds thou art safe enough. And perhaps it 
 matters little. But take my advice, and stay here amid 
 thine own flock ; for if thou dost venture with these 
 crazes of thine within the territory of the Pope, or 
 within the pale of the church, methinks thou wilt find 
 thyself quickly in some noisome dungeon, if thou dost 
 not suffer at the stake for a blasphemous heretic." 
 
 Gaspard and his brothers, standing not far away, 
 chanced to hear these words, and exchanged meaning 
 glances. There rose up within their hearts a sudden 
 sense of revolt and indignation against a system of 
 spiritual tyranny which could condemn to death such 
 a man as Father Fritz for obeying the clear commands 
 of God, because they did not conform to the traditions 
 of man. It seemed to make a new severance for them 
 from the life of the Old World lon^ left behind. Never 
 had they felt any real desire to return thither. Now 
 it seemed as though their destiny were finally settled. 
 They would, when their duty to La Salle was at an end, 
 return hither to this peaceful spot, ruled in fatherly love 
 by Father Fritz, and here would they spend their days. 
 
DOWN TO THE SEA. 361 
 
 seeking no earthly riches and aggrandizement, but learn- 
 ing day by day how to grow in grace, and in patient 
 waiting for the fulfilment of the promises of God. 
 
 Upon the morrow all was stir and excitement in the 
 little colony. Although most of its inhabitants had, at 
 one time or another, been down in canoes as far as the 
 mouth of the mighty river, it was felt that there was 
 something altogether different in this journey of La 
 Salle's ; and those who could be spared for a few days 
 from their homes eagerly volunteered to accompany the 
 party. 
 
 La Salle was glad enough to be so accompanied. 
 The presence of Father Fritz and a few of his men 
 would ensure immunity from the hostilities of the 
 Quinipissas, and the sight of recruits would enliven 
 the expectations and hopes of his own men. 
 
 Louis and his wife were amongst those who desired 
 to come, and Mary pleaded so earnestly to be present 
 at the projected planting of the standard that she was 
 permitted to join the party, she and Ruvanni, however, 
 being the only women taken. 
 
 Mary was as light of foot as of old, and walked 
 beside Gaspard step for step upon the hour's march 
 that divided them from the river. Here they quickly 
 joined the rest of their party, and a gay and prosperous 
 voyage commenced down the rapid and ever-widening 
 river, which seemed to be growing impatient to pour 
 itself into the ocean beyond. 
 
 They had no hostile encounters with the Quinipissas, 
 
362 DOWN TO THE SEA. 
 
 although they saw dusky men in canoes hovering about, 
 and heard the roll of the drum amongst the cane brake 
 on the river banks. 
 
 Once Father Fritz landed, and was met by one of the 
 chiefs, who professed great interest in the white strangers, 
 and promised that they should not be molested. 
 
 Some men, landing in search of game one day, were 
 met by a shower of arrows shot from behind a wooded 
 knoll ; but they retired to their canoe unhurt, and La 
 Salle, whose policy it was to keep the peace all along 
 the river banks, ordered his men away, and kept at a 
 safe distance from the Indians for the future, hoping 
 thus to disarm their jealousy, and to show them that no 
 evil was intended. 
 
 At the very close of the voyage the river divided 
 itself into three channels, and the canoes divided, some 
 taking one passage, and others the remaining two. 
 
 The Dautray family, with Ruvanni and Mary, were 
 the occupants of one canoe, and they followed the eastern 
 branch, Father Fritz and La Salle taking the western, 
 and Tonty and Boisrondet the centre one. The rest of 
 the canoes divided as they would, following in the wake 
 of the leading vessels. 
 
 The water of the river had been growing gradually 
 brackish. Now Mary, trailing her hand in the water, 
 and from time to time putting it to her lips, declared it 
 to be Salter than anything she had imagined possible. 
 The shores on either bank became more marshy and 
 sedge-grown. The wind, which blew from time to time 
 
DOWN TO THE SEA. 363 
 
 in their faces, had that crisp freshness which bespeaks 
 the proximity of the sea. 
 
 The young men plied their paddles with renewed 
 vigour. Mary stood up in the bow, shading her eyes 
 with her hand, and gazing earnestly and eagerly before 
 her. Far away there seemed to stretch out before her 
 eyes a thin blue line. White gulls began to wheel 
 above their heads, uttering their strange, harsh cries, 
 and seeming to question the right of this flotilla to enter 
 their hunting grounds. 
 
 Suddenly the girl exclaimed, — 
 
 " The sea ! the sea ! I am sure it is the sea ! " 
 
 And lo ! in a few more minutes the low, unmistakable 
 sound of the booming of waves along the shore was 
 borne to their ears by the light breeze. 
 
 Down and down they went, the channel still turning 
 and twisting in a tortuous course, although the waters 
 were salt as the sea itself, and the splash of the in- 
 rolling tide could plainly be heard. 
 
 Then came a thin line of surf, over which the canoe 
 shot bravely. The motion changed to a peculiar rocking, 
 which caused Ruvanni to cling instinctively to Louis, 
 though Mary laughed as if rejoicing in the motion. 
 
 " The sea ! the sea ! " she cried triumphantly. "Am I 
 not a true daughter of England, for I feel as though I 
 were on my native element, albeit I have never seen 
 the white crested waves before ! Oh, beautiful sea ! 
 Oh, glorious sea ! How I love you ! Saw you anything 
 so strangelv grand before ? " 
 
364 DOWN TO THE SEA. 
 
 Ere the close of that day the flotilla had gathered 
 together in the great river's mouth. La Salle's giant 
 task was accomplished ! He had navigated the mighty 
 river from source to mouth. He had proved beyond 
 all doubt that what he had long set his heart upon was 
 no fancy of a diseased imagination. He had set 
 himself a colossal, but not an impossible task. Success 
 — the first taste of that sweet nectar — had been his at 
 last. Now, with renewed courage and a fresh heart, 
 he would be able to return and gather together the 
 needful resources for the carrying out of his magnificent 
 scheme. 
 
 One day more was spent by him in coasting about 
 the river's mouth, prospecting for the best harbourage 
 for vessels. Meantime some of his men were hewing 
 down a tree, and forming of it a colossal column which 
 was to play a part in the ceremony of the morrow. 
 
 Upon this column, on the day following, were solemnly 
 fixed the arms of France, together with the following 
 inscription, — ■ 
 
 LOUIS LE GRAND, ROI DE FRANCE ET DE NAVARRE, 
 REGNE : LE NEUVIEME AVRIL 1682. 
 
 As La Salle, pointing to the inscription, read out 
 these words, a volley of musketry was fired, and the 
 company broke into loud cheering, and cries of, " Vive le 
 Roi ! " The Indians stared in silent admiration and 
 amazement, whilst the column was placed in position to 
 the accompaniment of renewed plaudits ; and iminedi- 
 
DOWN TO THE SEA. 365 
 
 ately afterwards the " Te Deum " was solemnly chanted, 
 together with other hymns of thanksgiving. 
 
 Then La Salle, advancing to the column, laid his hand 
 upon it, and, in a loud voice, proclaimed that, in the 
 name of the great King Louis, and by virtue of the 
 commission held from him, he took possession of all this 
 great territory, henceforward to be known as Louisiana, 
 with its harbours, seas, bays, rivers, its peoples, provinces, 
 fisheries, mines and minerals, its towns, villages, and 
 provinces, and that this territory extended all along 
 the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Ohio, from the sources 
 of these rivers to this spot where they discharged into 
 the Gulf of Mexico ; and that from henceforth no Euro- 
 pean may lay claim to any of these lands, which are 
 taken lawful possession of by the King of France through 
 him that day. 
 
 After this comprehensive and simple annexation of 
 a territory of this enormous magnitude, La Salle con- 
 cluded his speech amid salvos of musketry and loud 
 vivas of the people, and, after another hymn had been 
 sung, at the instigation of Father Fritz — the grand 
 " Vexilla Rex," — 
 
 " The banners of Heaven's king advance, 
 The mystery of the cross shines forth," 
 
 the little party broke up, and separated to their canoes, 
 leaving behind them the lonely column, standing in the 
 broad sunshine of the marshy desert, a strange tribute 
 to the ambition and the perseverance of man. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 DA YS OF REST. 
 
 THOU art a good and trusty lad. I value the 
 services of all of you Dautrays too much to 
 dispense with them. I cannot say, ' Go, settle in the 
 Vale of Peace, marry, and live happily there from 
 thenceforth.' " 
 
 " Nay, sir," interposed Gaspard, eagerly, " that would 
 I not do, even though you did give me permission. I 
 know that our task is yet hut commenced. I would 
 not leave your service at such a moment as this." 
 
 La Salle in his turn lifted his hand with a smile, as 
 though to impose silence upon the eager youth. Gas- 
 pard checked the words on his lips, and the commander 
 continued to speak, — 
 
 " I know that thou wouldst not do any such thing. 
 I have tested thy fidelity, and that of thy father and 
 brothers, many a time ere now. It was a kind freak of 
 Dame Fortune's which sent me such recruits as you 
 have been, when least I looked for such. Mine own 
 sworn followers have failed me again and yet again, 
 and many are there in this present company whom I 
 
DAYS OF REST. 367 
 
 cannot trust. But all who bear your name have proved 
 themselves stanch and true ; and La Salle, if not a 
 man of many words, is not unobservant — does not 
 forget." 
 
 " Sir, we have but striven to do our duty," said 
 Gaspard, beneath his breath, as one who disclaims 
 praise. 
 
 La Salle smiled his slight, enigmatic smile. 
 
 " And how many be there in this world who do as 
 much ? Nay, lad, I will not praise thee more, since 
 thou dost tingle with honest shame at hearing thyself 
 lauded. Long may it be so with thee ! But listen 
 once again. Albeit I cannot part from thee altogether, 
 I would not be a harsh taskmaster. I would not show 
 myself ungrateful towards one who has been ever faith- 
 ful to me. It has been told to me that thou art be- 
 trothed to the bright-haired maiden, Mary Neville, who 
 dwells at the Home of Peace ? " 
 
 " True, sir," answered Gaspard, with glowing cheek. 
 " We have loved each other almost since we met ; but 
 she will wait till our task is accomplished, and you have 
 no further need of my services, ere we speak of wedding 
 one another." 
 
 " I have heard that also. It is more than most men 
 would give up for my sake, and again I thank thee. 
 But now to what I desire to say. This voyage up the 
 river with so large a company must needs be tedious. 
 It will take us weeks, if not months, to gain our goal at 
 Fort Miami. Thou and thv brothers are exnert with 
 
368 DAYS OF REST. 
 
 the paddle, and excellent strong fellows, friendly with 
 the Indians, and well versed in their ways. Swanalulu, 
 your servant, is true to the core. Then why not remain 
 for a week, or even two, at ease and rest in the Home 
 of Peace, and then follow us swiftly in your light and 
 well-manned canoe ? You would reach us long ere we 
 had accomplished our journey ; for we shall certainly 
 be detained by friendly Indians for feasts, even if no 
 more serious hindrances beset us. You have my free 
 leave for this well-earned spell of rest and peace. Take 
 it, good lads, and enjoy it to the full ; and when the 
 time has passed that I have named, follow us up the 
 river, and join us there. It may well be that we shall 
 halt a while to rest and victual afresh at Fort Prud'- 
 homme. Seek, then, to meet us again there. Since the 
 river is our highway, we need not fear to miss each 
 other." 
 
 Gaspard's face glowed with pleasure at this welcome 
 prospect. He had never thought of asking such a 
 thing. It had never entered his head to separate him- 
 self from the rest of the company, and remain behind 
 in the happy valley with Father Fritz and the colony 
 there. But the prospect thus opened out by La Salle's 
 words was delightful to him. He saw at once how 
 easy it would be, by the exercise of strength and skill, 
 to catch up the large party of canoes. It had often 
 chafed him as it was to watch the tardy progress of the 
 Indians, who could not be made to estimate time at its 
 true value, and who were constantly lagging behind, 
 
DAYS OF REST. 369 
 
 often for a whole clay. Experience and the resolve to 
 keep on good terms with his allies had taught patience 
 to La Salle and his company, and they put up good- 
 temperedly enough with the hindrance, which was 
 inevitable, and strove to make light of the annoyance 
 it caused from time to time. 
 
 But certainly there would be no difficulty about gain- 
 ing a fortnight of delightful rest and happiness in the 
 colony which was Mary's home, and joining the party 
 by the time they reached Fort Prud'homme. 
 
 Gaspard rushed off to his brothers to tell them of the 
 permission thus graciously volunteered, and Claude's 
 eyes brightened like stars as he listened. But Jules 
 said nothing, only stood looking down in thoughtful 
 attitude ; and when he spoke at last, it was to say, — 
 
 " It is a gracious and a kindly thought ; it is like our 
 noble commander. You stay on, brothers, and take 
 your fill of happiness when it comes in your way. 
 But as for me, I will go with him. I have learned to 
 love him with so great a love, that I am not happy 
 away from him. Where he goes, there will I go. I 
 have no wish but to serve him. It has been joy indeed 
 to be together all this while, but I am only truly happy 
 when I can see his face, and hear his voice, and feel 
 that I am serving him. Therefore I will go with him, 
 and not remain behind here." 
 
 Gaspard was not surprised. He had long noted Jules's 
 doglike devotion to La Salle. During the time that 
 they had been parted, just before the commencement of 
 
 (574) " 24 
 
37o DAYS OF REST. 
 
 this enterprise, Jules had been restless, anxious, some- 
 times almost morose. La Salle was one of those men 
 who attracted the personal love of few ; but those who 
 did give it to him, gave it in no stinted measure. 
 
 Jules had not the same strong affection for Father 
 Fritz that possessed the hearts of Gaspard and Claude, 
 who had been so much with him at the susceptible 
 period of their life. He revered and respected him ; 
 but the desire to be within reach of him and his teach- 
 ing was nothing like the desire to be with La Salle, and 
 to act as his servant upon every possible occasion. 
 
 The party had returned to the Home of Peace, after 
 having planted the standard of possession at the mouth 
 of the Mississippi. They had remained there nearly a 
 week, taking in the generous stores of provisions made 
 ready for them. Now they were about to start forth 
 upon their arduous task of ascending the river in frail 
 canoes. But success is a wonderful tonic, and the 
 thought of what they had at last accomplished had put 
 heart and spirit into all, and there was no murmuring 
 and no discontent in the ranks as yet — a wonderful 
 thing for any party headed by the saturnine and silent 
 La Salle. 
 
 So upon the morrow there was a great gathering 
 beside the river banks. Mary, with a face glowing 
 with joy in the thought of the reprieve granted her in 
 the parting with her betrothed, pressed up to La Salle, 
 as he stood watching the embarkation of his company, 
 and presented to him a bouquet of beautiful flowers, 
 
DAYS OF REST. 371 
 
 which she had sought amid the rocks of the valley, and 
 had arranged with a wonderful artistic taste. 
 
 He turned at the pressure of her light fingers on his 
 arm, and his dark face softened as he met the mild 
 glances of her appealing eyes. He took the flowers 
 with a gesture of thanks, and then looking down into 
 her fair face, he said, — 
 
 " And so thou art to be the bride of Gaspard Dautray 
 one day, fair maiden ? " 
 
 " I trust and hope so, if it be the will of God," an- 
 swered Mayflower, with simple directness and childlike 
 candour. 
 
 " The woman who weds him will have a true and 
 faithful husband," said La Salle, with an approving- 
 glance at Gaspard, who stood by. " Strive to be as 
 true and as faithful as he has shown himself to be, and 
 you will be happier than most women upon this earth 
 can call themselves." 
 
 He took the girl's hand in his, raised it to his lips in 
 the customary salutation of his nation, gave a warm 
 clasp to Gaspard, and stepped into the canoe held for 
 him by Jules. 
 
 " So thou wilt not remain with thy brothers, my 
 trusty comrade ? " he said, with a kindly gleam in his 
 sombre eyes. 
 
 " I would sooner be with thee, sir," was Jules's brief 
 answer, and the next moment he had sprung into the 
 light craft, and had seized a paddle with the skill of 
 an Indian. 
 
372 DAYS OF REST. 
 
 The canoe shot out into the water — the last of the 
 little flotilla. The crowd gathered on the banks gave a 
 hearty cheer. Mary looked after the vessel bearing 
 away La Salle, with a mist of tears in her eyes. 
 
 " What is it, sweetheart ? " asked Gaspard, softly. 
 
 " I can scarce tell ; but my heart is heavy within me. 
 He is a great man and has a noble heart ; yet some- 
 thing tells me that misfortune and failure lie before him. 
 I fear me that I shall look upon his grand face no 
 more." 
 
 " Nay, be not a prophetess of evil, dear love," said 
 Gaspard, with playful raillery. " Think of all that he 
 has accomplished in the teeth of so many and great diffi- 
 culties. Is not that an earnest of a greater success to 
 come f 
 
 Mary's eyes were turned towards the vanishing canoes. 
 They were wistful and dreamy still. 
 
 " I scarce know. My heart misgives me. Sometimes 
 I wonder whether it will be God's will to crown with 
 full success great enterprises which have so little of Him 
 in their scope. Men talk indeed of converting the 
 Indians to the faith of Christ ; but methinks that far 
 more do they desire to win fame and wealth for them- 
 selves and the king of France. I heard much talk from 
 yon bold men whilst they were here. They talked 
 freely to our people ; but it was all of the trade to be 
 established, and the stores of wealth that were to be 
 transported across the seas. It seemed to us that there 
 was little other than this in their minds. How, then, 
 
DAYS OF REST. 373 
 
 can God be other than grieved and sad to find Him- 
 self so much forgotten ? " 
 
 Gaspard had no reply to make. Had he not felt 
 the same again and yet again ? True, the interest and 
 excitement of the daily life, and the nobility and gener- 
 osity of character displayed by men like Tonty, Bois- 
 ronclet, La Salle, and many others, diverted his thoughts 
 continually from the selfishness and sordidness of the 
 bulk of the adventurers. But, stripped of all high- 
 sounding phrases, and of all the unintentional hypo- 
 crisies engendered by the notion that the few friars 
 accompanying such expeditions were going to convert 
 the countless tribes of Indians to the faith of Christ, 
 the purpose of these adventurers was little more than a 
 system of organized plunder and robbery. The Indians 
 were to pour their stores of valuable furs and skins into 
 the lap of Europe, in return for the murderous weapons 
 and fiery spirits which were already commencing to be 
 the curse of their race, and which would in time exter- 
 minate them from the face of the earth. Had not the 
 sale of drink in Canada become such a curse that enact- 
 ment after enactment was passed to endeavour to put a 
 check upon it ; yet was it not known that the very 
 Jesuits and priests who openly condemned it, carried it 
 on themselves in secret, because it was such a source of 
 profit to those engaged in it ? And now, would not this 
 curse be brought by La Salle's vessels to the untainted 
 tribes of the south ? Had he not heard Father Fritz 
 solemnly warning La Salle of the possible consequences 
 
374 DAYS OF REST. 
 
 of his scheme, if he could not show himself a man of 
 iron, and hold the accursed traffic in check ? 
 
 La Salle himself was of noble nature, only desirous 
 of his country's welfare, and the civilization and 
 elevation of this vast continent. His ambition was not 
 sordid in character. If he desired fame, he did not 
 crave after wealth. He would truly strive that good, 
 and not evil, should follow upon the steps of his mighty 
 enterprise ; but, as Father Fritz sadly asked him, had 
 he the power to stem the tide of avarice and greed 
 which would burst in upon the country like a flood so 
 soon as the new highway was opened, and the riches of 
 the Indian lands poured out into the Gulf of Mexico ? 
 
 Gaspard had heard some of this talk, and Mary also. 
 It seemed to throw a shadow over their present happi- 
 ness. But soon the shadow was for the time forgotten. 
 It was such joy to be together, to wander hand in hand 
 through the sunny valley, to sit at the feet of Father 
 Fritz and listen to his teaching, and to think of the day, 
 even though it might be long delayed, when they would 
 be together, united in the holy bonds of wedlock — one 
 flesh, even as they felt sometimes that they were already 
 one spirit. 
 
 The days fled by, all too fast for the lovers ; but they 
 were days of rest and refreshment. Sometimes Mary 
 and Gaspard and Claude would accompany Father Fritz 
 on his visits to the Indian hamlets, where he was wel- 
 comed with joy and reverence. Mary was well known 
 in all the homesteads of the valley, and had come to be 
 
DA YS OF REST. 375 
 
 the friend of the Indian girls and women to a remark- 
 able extent. 
 
 These Indians were all more or less under the influ- 
 ence of Christianity, and were seeking to fathom some 
 of its unfathomable truths. 
 
 " Is it possible for them to understand our creed ? " 
 Gaspard asked once, after he had been seeking to reply 
 to some earnest but not too intelligible queries from a 
 young chief. 
 
 " Is it possible for any one of us to understand the 
 truth ? " Father Fritz had replied, with his inward smile. 
 " Can any of us understand the incarnation, the death, 
 the resurrection, ascension, or glorification of the Lord ? 
 Not the greatest intellect upon the earth can fathom 
 such depths, or understand the infinite mysteries of God. 
 But the faith of a child can apprehend them, and 
 faith is what is asked of us, not comprehension. Even 
 these benighted heathens can little by little be brought 
 to the faith. It is a slow process. Distrust, deceit, vice, 
 and selfish greed are deeply implanted in their natures. 
 But the germ of the divine is in them, even as in us. 
 At last they come — if they are in earnest — to a glim- 
 mering of what faith and true love mean ; and when 
 that is reached, the rest follows as a matter of course. 
 For when once the light of God can penetrate, He takes 
 the work out of our feeble hands and does it Himself 
 instead. Then indeed we bow our heads in thankfulness, 
 and the angels rejoice over the lost one found." 
 
 And Gaspard himself bowed the head in reverence and 
 
376 DAYS OF REST. 
 
 a new sense of comprehension, and began to think he 
 better understood the failure of the good friars who had 
 accompanied the expedition, and who had so bitterly 
 complained that they could make no way with the 
 Indians, their ignorance and depravity were so in- 
 vincible ; for they appeared to lack the insight, and 
 human sympathy, and almost divine patience, in dealing 
 with them which were so characteristic of Father Fritz. 
 
 " When we think for a moment of what infinite value 
 every human soul is in the eye of Almighty God," he 
 once said to Gaspard, " how can we cease to care for 
 each one of these degraded heathen, even as for a 
 beloved brother ? If the Redeemer of the world came 
 down to die for them as well as for us, how can we 
 stand aside afar off, and stretch out no hand to draw 
 them within reach of that atonement in which to 
 believe is to find salvation ? True, the Almighty may 
 have mysterious ways of dealing with the heathen world 
 which He has not revealed unto us ; but He has given 
 the church a command which may not lightly be set 
 aside — preach the gospel to every creature." 
 
 Gaspard, Claude, and their father — who had taken 
 the place of his son when Jules declined the proffered 
 favour of a fortnight's rest, preferring to remain with 
 his master — studied with close attention the workings 
 of this little colony on the river. For, if the scheme 
 of planting a chain of forts along the mighty river's 
 banks became anything beyond a dream in the mind of 
 a man of genius, what model could be better than that 
 
DAYS OF REST. 377 
 
 presented before them in this peaceful and thriving 
 community. 
 
 And yet, as Jean Dautray said to his sons, towards 
 the close of their happy visit, — 
 
 " My heart misdoubts me that we shall ever see the 
 like ao-ain. Where can we find men willing to sink all 
 thoughts of private wealth and aggrandizement, and live 
 for each other and for the Lord as they do here ? How 
 different is the spirit of the world ! What power will 
 suffice to leaven the sinful mass of self-seeking humanity 
 with which we are surrounded ? If in every priest and 
 friar we could find a Father Fritz, perhaps more might 
 be done. Yet he would say that to put faith in him, 
 instead of in the Lord he serves, is a great and terrible 
 error. Alas ! I fear me we shall never see the like of 
 this spot again. Yet the commander has high hopes of 
 planting a cordon of such colonies all along the great 
 waterway." 
 
 The youths were to the full as much aware as their 
 father of the difference in spirit which existed in these 
 people and in the adventurers who formed La Salle's 
 company. Honest and brave men were not lacking 
 amidst these latter ; yet in every heart the hope of per- 
 sonal advantage was the ruling passion. La Salle him- 
 self was perhaps of all men the most ambitious, albeit 
 his ambition was of a less selfish and self-seeking kind. 
 But the same taint was upon all ; it was not the honour 
 and glory of God which was their first and great con- 
 cern, but the aggrandizement of self or of country. 
 
378 DAYS OF REST. 
 
 Here the atmosphere was altogether different. Self 
 was sunk in brotherly love for all men, even for the 
 degraded Indians and for their foes, most of whom had 
 been disarmed by the gentleness and kindliness received. 
 And over all and above all was the ardent desire to do 
 in all things the will of the Lord, and to be ready to 
 receive Him at His coming, and to pray that that com- 
 ing might be near at hand. 
 
 " I fear me we shall never see that spirit working 
 amongst our company," said Dautray with a sigh ; but 
 Claude looked at him with something of Father Fritz's 
 burning light in his eyes as he made answer, — 
 
 " Dear father, if others will not think of the Lord, 
 and seek Him and His ways first, at least let us try 
 ourselves to be true and faithful in all things. Every 
 one can seek to brino; the Lord's kingdom a little nearer 
 to the earth by keeping His commandments, and striv- 
 ing in all things to do His holy will." 
 
 " True, my son, most true," answered Dautray, gravely 
 and earnestly. " May He give us grace to hold closely 
 to Him ; for I sometimes fear that there be dark days 
 awaiting us, and that perils of many sorts will beset and 
 surround us ere we see the goal of our hopes." 
 
 The spirits of the youths were more sanguine than 
 that of the father, who perhaps had seen more of the 
 temper of La Salle's men, and knew better the difficul- 
 ties that beset all operations when success has to be 
 deferred, and a time of patient waiting endured. 
 
 Gaspard was full of joyous anticipation of glad days 
 
DAYS OF REST. 379 
 
 to come, when La Salle's purposes should become actual 
 fact, when the chain of forts and colonies should spring 
 up along the great river's banks, and when he could 
 return to this Home of Peace, and settle himself there 
 with his sweet young wife, to a life of simple toil and 
 tranquillity of spirit, such as seemed to him the best 
 existence possible to a human being in this sinful and 
 troublous world. 
 
 Mary shared all his aspirations and longings, and 
 spoke with eager joy of his return, which might perhaps 
 be looked for, if all went well, in another year, or at 
 latest two. 
 
 The White Mayflower, as he was fond of calling her, 
 had one little fear and trouble on her own account, 
 which, during the last days of their visit, she confided to 
 her betrothed. 
 
 This trouble was a growing conviction and fear that 
 the greatest and most powerful of the Quinipissa 
 chieftains desired her for the wife of his eldest son. 
 
 This youth was kept apart in a strange sort of bar- 
 baric splendour. It was said that he was white — 
 almost as white as the denizens of the Home of Peace. 
 There were whispers that his mother had been " a 
 daughter of the sun-god " — a woman dazzlingly fair. 
 Most likely she had been some Spanish or English 
 woman of great fairness and beauty, captured by the 
 Indians in some raid into Florida or Mexico. There were 
 by this time small colonies of adventurous Europeans in 
 many parts of the New World, and from time to time 
 
380 DAYS OF REST. 
 
 there was an admixture of white blood in that of the 
 Indian races. 
 
 However that might be, rumour declared that this 
 youth was as white as any child of the sun, and that 
 his father meant to find for him a white maiden as a 
 bride, to rear up a race of beings half divine by nature, 
 who should rule all the sun-worshipping tribes of the 
 south by the power of their beauty and divinity. 
 
 Several times had this old chieftain — the father — 
 visited the Home of Peace, under pretext of desiring to 
 learn more of the doctrines of Christianity. But this 
 Mary believed to be only a pretext. 
 
 " And Father Fritz knows that he is false," she added, 
 earnestly. " Never have I heard him speak so sternly 
 as he doth to yon wily old man. He can read through 
 his crafty soul, and he knows that in his heart he is 
 but mocking. Methinks his words would scathe and 
 pierce the heart of any not hardened in sin : but as for 
 him — he sits and smiles, and fixes his eyes first upon 
 one of our maidens, and then upon another ; for he 
 presents himself from time to time at the church, and 
 from the house of God none may be shut out, albeit 
 they come with evil thoughts in their hearts. Of late 
 I have noted that his eyes dwell more oft upon me than 
 upon any other, and twice he has sought to speak with 
 me, but I have shrunk from him in fear and loathing. 
 It may be nought but my fantasy, yet there comes a 
 fear into my heart lest he should desire to have me for 
 the wife of his son. He looks like a man who, by 
 
DAYS OF REST. 381 
 
 subtlety and guile, if not by force, could accomplish 
 many things. And sometimes my heart sinks with 
 fear at the thought of what may chance to me." 
 
 Gaspard caught her in his arms, and pressed her close 
 to his heart. 
 
 " Sweetheart, sweetheart, such words fall like a weight 
 upon my spirit. Hast thou spoken of this to any 
 other ? Hast thou told thy fear to Father Fritz ? " 
 
 " Yes," responded Mary, simply, " and since I spoke 
 he has visited the city of the Quinipissas, and the old 
 chieftain has been seen here no more. My brothers 
 also know, and they declare that they will not permit 
 any Quinipissa to approach me. I am foolish to fear ; 
 and when thou art beside me, or when Father Fritz is 
 amongst us, then indeed I can smile at my nervous 
 terrors. But sometimes when he is gone from hence, 
 and when our people are busy hither and thither about 
 the fields, and I find myself in moments of forgetfulness 
 somewhat far from home and in some lonely meadow, 
 perchance, then a wave of fear comes over me, and I 
 fly hastily homewards, scarce daring to look behind me, 
 for I fear that every hillock may hide a lurking foe, and 
 I resolve that I will never again cross the river alone." 
 
 " Ay, sweetheart, promise me that. Promise to use 
 all care and discretion," cried Gaspard, urgently. " Me- 
 thinks in this home of peace and rest thou must needs 
 be safe. For my sake, as well as for thine own, stray 
 not away from it alone. And even in the company of 
 others be watchful, be cautious. Would that I needed 
 
382 DAYS OF REST. 
 
 not to leave thee ! — that I could take thee with me ! But 
 for the present that may not be, and duty calls me hence." 
 
 " Yes, dear love, and I would not have thee disobey 
 the call of duty through any fears for me. A safer place 
 and a sweeter place than this could not be found upon 
 God's earth. We will daily pray to Him for each other. 
 Methinks He will watch over and guard us both. And 
 we will think of the happy time which we trust is in 
 store, when we shall meet again, and shall not have to 
 say adieu." 
 
 This confidence of Mary's troubled Gaspard's parting 
 somewhat, but he charged her brothers most seriously 
 to guard her ; and they, being somewhat of the same 
 opinion regarding the desires of the cunning old chief- 
 tain, promised earnestly that every care should be taken 
 Force was not likely to be employed, and they would 
 watch most carefully against any wile or stratagem. 
 The chief's son was but a lad. The Indian nature sel- 
 dom hurried itself. The plan might not be abandoned 
 for long, yet it might be long before any step was taken. 
 
 Gaspard might be certain that Mary should be guarded 
 like the apple of the eye. None should be suffered to 
 do her harm if loving care could shield her, and all the 
 community loved her as a sister. 
 
 So he said adieu with a lightened heart, and with 
 many promises of as speedy a return as duty permitted ; 
 and after obtaining the blessing of Father Fritz, the 
 Dautrays set forth on their journey to join the company 
 of La Salle once again. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A DEADL Y FOE. 
 
 THE light canoe containing the three Dautrays — 
 father and sons— and the faithful Swanalulu 
 sped up the current of the mighty Mississippi with 
 tireless energy. After the welcome spell of rest and 
 refreshment, all the travellers were in the most excellent 
 health and spirits. 
 
 The days were becoming very hot, so they slept and 
 rested for the most part between nine in the morning 
 and five in the afternoon, and then taking to their 
 canoe again, they drove it through the water 
 throughout the glorious summer night of those southern 
 latitudes, the stars overhead giving them ample light, 
 and the four voyagers taking alternate shifts with the 
 paddles and shooting along at a high rate of speed. 
 
 From time to time they fell in with friendly Indians, 
 who gave them news of their party. They found they 
 were gaining on them rapidly, as was likely to be the 
 case ; and they felt certain of reaching them by the 
 time they had covered the distance of Fort Prud'homme. 
 
 They were now, perhaps, two days' journey from that 
 
384 A DEADLY FOE. 
 
 place — they were not sure of the exact locality — and 
 were preparing to set out after their day's camping, 
 when they saw a very small canoe shooting down the 
 river at a marvellous speed, as though the Indian 
 traveller were fleeing for his very life ; and as he 
 neared the party on the bank, Gaspard, who was 
 steadily regarding him, exclaimed, — 
 
 " It is Nika ! he must be bringing some message from 
 La Salle or his party ! " 
 
 Nika was a Shawanoe Indian, a hunter by calling, 
 who had joined the party with his chief the previous 
 autumn, and had attached himself to La Salle, much 
 after the fashion that Nimrod had done. These two 
 Indians attended him everywhere, ran errands for him, 
 supplied his table with meat, and slept at the door of 
 his tent when the party encamped. 
 
 Seeing him approaching thus at headlong speed, 
 Gaspard felt certain he was the bearer of urgent tidings, 
 and hailed to the man with all the force of his strong 
 young voice, waving his arms and striving to attract 
 his attention by every means in his power. 
 
 Although far away in the middle of the river where 
 the current was strongest, the keen-sighted Indian at 
 once observed the signals, and turning his canoe, shot 
 towards the shore with all the strength he possessed. 
 
 " Bring you tidings of good or of evil ? " cried Gaspard, 
 as the man came within earshot ; and the answer was 
 one of those wailing sounds used by the natives to 
 express sorrow and mourning. 
 
A DEADLY FOE. 385 
 
 Gaspard's cheek whitened with a sudden fear. 
 
 " Is it the commander ? " he asked breathlessly, as he 
 helped the exhausted Indian to step upon firm ground ; 
 and Nika, pulling a missive from the pouch at his side, 
 thrust it into Gaspard's hands and sank face downwards 
 upon the ground, still uttering wails expressive of a 
 sorrow akin to despair. 
 
 Gaspard tore open the paper with trembling fingers. 
 His father and brother pressed up to look. Swanalulu 
 bent over Nika, and the two spoke together in their 
 own tongue. 
 
 The words upon the paper were written by Jules, 
 and were very few ; for the youth was no scholar, 
 although just able to write when necessity urged. 
 
 " Our commander is stricken by a deadly fever. He 
 lies sick almost to death. Come quickly, as you value 
 his life ; for Father Fritz has taught you the use of 
 the healing herbs. It may be ye can save him, if ye do 
 but come in time. Hasten ! " 
 
 That was all ; but no more was needed. In a 
 
 moment all was haste and eager confusion. Nika had 
 
 explained to Swanalulu that La Salle was not yet at 
 
 Fort Prud'homme, although they were seeking to convey 
 
 him thither. He had been stricken with the fever 
 
 above a week ago, but with his iron will and plenitude 
 
 of strength he had fought against it to the last, and 
 
 almost before his company realized that he was in any 
 
 wise ailing, he had become so alarmingly prostrate that 
 
 fears were entertained for his life. 
 (574) -25 
 
386 A DEADLY FOE. 
 
 Still retaining his powers of command, he had ordered 
 the party to move onwards and upwards ; and even, 
 when forced himself to remain behind, he sent Tonty on 
 with the bulk of the vessels, only permitting a few 
 canoes to remain behind to accompany him. He had 
 insisted upon making a short voyage each day, but 
 was growing so alarmingly worse that his party had 
 insisted upon a halt. Father Zenobe had issued com- 
 mands to that effect, and now the sick man lay some 
 five leagues away up the river, in a state that seemed 
 like one of impending dissolution ; and the last and 
 only slender hope seemed to be in the possibility of 
 obtaining some of those herbs and simples which 
 Father Fritz had taught Gaspard and Claude to seek 
 and decoct, and which were essential in allaying the 
 fevers and malarias that prevailed at certain seasons 
 along the swampy banks of the rivers in these latitudes. 
 
 Most fortunately Father Fritz had himself bethought 
 him of the possibility of illness amongst the party, and 
 before the Dautrays left, he had bestowed upon them a 
 large quantity of such febrifuges and medicaments as 
 were most likely to be wanted by the party during the 
 next months. 
 
 There was therefore no delay to be suffered in the 
 gathering of the herbs nor the preparation of them. 
 They had simply to fly to the aid of their commander 
 with the precious phials and powders, and see if these 
 remedies, so carefully prepared, could cure or allay his 
 deadly fever. 
 
A DEADLY FOE. 387 
 
 The canoe seemed fairly to fly through the water. 
 Although Nika lay exhausted at the bottom, his weight 
 appeared to impede them not a whit. They had but 
 five leagues to accomplish. That was a mere trifle. 
 They plied their paddles with a right good will, and 
 the shores looked to be flying past them. 
 
 Presently Nika lifted his head and gazed eagerly 
 about him. He had partaken of food and drink, and 
 his elastic frame had recovered its normal activity. He 
 gave a glad cry, and pointed to a distant object a long 
 way in advance. 
 
 " It is the glow of the camp-fire," said Swanalulu, 
 who had keener sight than even the far-sighted Gaspard. 
 " The Lord be praised ! We are almost there ! " 
 
 The rowers redoubled their efforts ; the spray flashed 
 from the prow of the canoe ; the brave little craft 
 seemed to fly through the water. The glow of the 
 camp fire was plainly visible to all eyes now. In a few 
 minutes more the course of the canoe was altered 
 slightly. It was headed towards shore, and Claude — 
 the only one of the party not at that moment engaged 
 in paddling, put his hands to his mouth and uttered 
 a long, peculiar cry, which was a signal often employed 
 by the Dautray brothers as a hail to one another. 
 
 Next moment a dark figure emerged from one of 
 the huts, and ran down towards the river's bank. 
 
 " It is Jules ! " cried Claude, waving his arms wildly. 
 " Brother, brother ! we are here ! We have come ! " 
 
 " Thank God ! " was the answer spoken in Jules's deep 
 
388 ' A DEADLY FOE. 
 
 voice ; " he is yet breathing — he is yet alive. But 
 without some aid beyond what we can give him, he can 
 scarce live till morning. Have ye any of the remedies 
 with you ? " 
 
 " Plenty, plenty ! Father Fritz saw to that. O 
 brother, our gallant commander ! our great La Salle ! 
 Oh, it cannot be that he is cut off in the midst of his 
 days. Surely the Lord will spare him ! Oh, I pray 
 that he may live ! " 
 
 Gaspard had the medicine chest, and it was he who 
 had profited most by the instructions given him on 
 various occasions by Father Fritz, when he had visited 
 the sick, in company with the two lads, upon their first 
 landing in these regions. 
 
 Gaspard had a retentive memory, and moreover 
 during these last few days he had received considerable 
 instruction in the treatment of the river-side fever both 
 from Father Fritz himself and from his betrothed, who 
 feared lest he himself might fall a victim to it upon the 
 journey. So he felt able to administer such remedies 
 as should be needful, when he should have noted the 
 condition of the sick man. 
 
 Three or four small huts had been hastily built upon 
 a piece of rising ground, well away from the sedges of 
 the river. In the largest of these a bed of fragrant 
 leaves and dried mosses had been prepared for La Salle, 
 and here he lay, rigid and death-like. A small lamp 
 burned in the room, and threw its gleam upon the 
 sunken and ghastly face of the great explorer. Already 
 
A DEADLY DOE. 389 
 
 it seemed as though the wings of the death-angel were 
 overshadowing it. It was ashy grey in colour, and the 
 features were set and rigid. 
 
 Gaspard stepped forward with a low exclamation of 
 dismay, and knelt down beside the prostrate figure, 
 feeling the pulse and laying his hand upon the heart 
 to see if it still beat. Father Zenobe was muttering 
 rapid prayers in a corner, his eyes red with weeping, 
 whilst Jules's white, rigid face bespoke the misery that 
 he was suffering. 
 
 " Can you do aught for him ? " he asked, in a voice of 
 strained misery. 
 
 Gaspard was busy opening a phial of pungent and 
 aromatic scent. 
 
 " Rub this upon his temples, and seek to get him to 
 inhale it,'' he replied, thrusting the phial into Jules's 
 hands. " Claude, do thou chafe his feet, and if hot 
 water can be obtained, fill some vessel, and set it close 
 to them to retain the warmth. Give me brandy, too, in 
 a spoon. I will mix some of this powder with it. If 
 he can swallow it, it may bring back the action of the 
 heart, which has wellnigh ceased. I have seen Father 
 Fritz restore men even from a state as terrible as this. 
 If only I had his skill ! but we will do what we can." 
 
 Silently, or with a whispered word now and again to one 
 another, the brothers worked, their father standing over 
 them and lending a hand whenever there was aught 
 that he could do, the Indians stepping backwards and 
 forwards like shadows in the gloom, and bringing 
 
39o A DEADLY FOE. 
 
 what was asked for by those busied around the sick 
 man. 
 
 Nimrod suddenly appeared, bearing with him a kid 
 newly slain, and in the savage fashion of his tribe, he 
 thrust the cold feet of the almost dying man into the 
 hot carcase of the still palpitating beast, which he 
 had cut open for the purpose. It was a savage method 
 of restoring animal heat ; yet Gaspard gave a nod of 
 satisfaction, for he had seen good results from such 
 methods before now. 
 
 Claude vigorously chafed the hands of the patient. 
 Gaspard put a few drops of medicated stimulant down 
 his throat every five minutes, and became more and 
 more sure that it was swallowed. Jules rubbed the 
 temples and nostrils with the pungent fluid, and 
 gradually all thought that the death-like hue of the 
 face began to change to something more natural and 
 life-like. The voice of the friar repeating his offices 
 of prayer formed a running accompaniment to their toil. 
 It was a strange, long hour thus passed beside the 
 almost dying man, for the thread of life was such a 
 slender one that it seemed as though a breath might 
 sunder it. But when, after long waiting for the 
 summons which did not come, Father Zenobe arose 
 from his knees and approached the patient, wondering 
 if duty did not demand of him the last commendatory 
 office, he uttered a slight exclamation of astonishment, 
 and said, — ■ 
 
 " He has changed ! the Lord be praised ! He will 
 
A DEADLY FOE. 391 
 
 not die, but live ! That is not the face of a dying- 
 man ! " 
 
 Neither was it. The imminent peril had passed. 
 The powerful restoratives were acting ; the fever was 
 abating through the use of the cooling and healing 
 herbs. The condition of the patient was critical in the 
 extreme. He must be watched and tended hour by 
 hour — almost minute by minute ; but there was now 
 room for hope. 
 
 Upon hearing the father's words, the self-contained 
 Jules uttered a little sob, and threw his arms across his 
 brother's neck. 
 
 " Gaspard, thou hast saved him ! Thou hast saved 
 him ! Our noble-hearted, brave commander ! How 
 can France and the world rejoice enough that he is 
 spared ! " 
 
 " Say rather that God has saved him," answered 
 Gaspard, gravely ; " and for the rest, it was thy 
 foresight in sending Nik a so swiftly forth to hurry us 
 that was the human instrument of his recovery. We 
 would not have been here for many an hour had it not 
 been for that urgent message of haste ; and truly I 
 think that before another hour had passed that noble 
 heart would have ceased to beat." 
 
 " Indeed I think so," answered Jules ; " for we had 
 tried everything, and he was dying fast. But now, 
 methinks, he will live, and his iron will will sustain him. 
 It held him up long after other men would have suc- 
 cumbed, and therein lay the chiefest of the mischief ; 
 
392 A DEADLY FOE. 
 
 for he went clown almost like a man struck by death 
 when once he was forced to give up the struggle. Now, 
 however, his will may stand him in good stead, and we 
 shall take care he does not use his strength too much 
 until it be fully recovered." 
 
 And, indeed, it was long ere La Salle could think 
 of taking any command himself again. For a whole 
 month he lay passive and hardly conscious of his sur- 
 roundings, taking what was given him like a child, but 
 asking no question, and hardly knowing where he was, 
 nor what was happening about him. 
 
 By very slow and easy stages during this time of 
 prostration, the stricken commander was taken upwards 
 by water to Fort Prud'homme. It was of the first 
 importance to get him to some place where he could 
 be better tended than was possible in the little en- 
 campments along the river-side. The devoted Indians 
 quickly constructed a canoe wherein he could lie at ease 
 upon a bed, wrapped around with buffalo skins, and 
 thus accomplish what remained of that journey without 
 greater risk than would be encountered did he remain 
 in the heavy vapours close beside the river. 
 
 Great anxiety had been felt by Tonty as to the con- 
 dition of La Salle, and he had stopped the party at Fort 
 Prud'homme, waiting for tidings. 
 
 Before the commander arrived, however, the bulk 
 of the Frenchmen had gone on, under command of 
 Boisrondet, together with the whole of the Indian con- 
 tingent ; and only Tonty and a dozen of faithful and 
 
A DEADLY FOE. 393 
 
 attached servants remained to prepare for the stricken 
 man, and seek to know his will. 
 
 It was long before La Salle could even attempt the 
 task of consecutive thought ; longer still before he could 
 contemplate resuming the journey. And when the fever 
 finally left him, as it did, thanks to the herb simples of 
 Father Fritz, he lay in so prostrate a condition for above 
 forty days, that grave fears were still entertained as to 
 his ultimate recovery. 
 
 Meantime a disquieting rumour was brought down to 
 this fort through a letter from Boisronclet, who had 
 returned with the party to Fort Miami, according to 
 orders. 
 
 In this letter he told Tonty that a rumour was rife 
 in the north that Count Frontenac was to be recalled, 
 or had resigned his office of governor of Canada, and 
 that a new governor was to be sent from France in his 
 place. 
 
 If this indeed were true, it might bode much evil for 
 La Salle and his plans. Count Frontenac had stood his 
 firm friend throughout, and had helped him when all 
 besides had failed or turned back upon their plighted 
 word. 
 
 It was long before he durst breathe a hint of this 
 rumour to La Salle himself, and then only spoke of it 
 as an idle tale, in which he trusted there was no 
 foundation. 
 
 La Salle hoped the same, but could not but be 
 anxious ; and he sent Tonty forward to Michili 
 
394 . A DEADLY FOE. 
 
 Mackinac once more, there to learn the whole truth, 
 and await his coming. For he must learn what was 
 about to befall in Canada, ere he could commence the 
 undertakings upon which his heart was set. 
 
 Most trying and tedious were the long days which 
 now followed. The ardent spirit of the commander 
 was chafed almost beyond bearing by the fetters of the 
 flesh. It seemed almost as though the struggle between 
 the two would wear out the life and sap the feeble 
 strength of the convalescent. Day by clay passed by 
 without any visible advance, and there were moments 
 when black despondency would settle upon the tameless 
 spirit of La Salle, and when he was tempted to turn his 
 face to the wall and pray for death to relieve him of 
 his burdens. 
 
 It was in such an hour as this, when Claude and 
 Jules were sitting beside him, and Gaspard had gone 
 forth to seek some fresh herb, which he hoped might do 
 good, that the sunlight of the doorway was suddenly 
 darkened by a figure standing there, and a familiar 
 voice spoke these words, — 
 
 " Peace be with you ! " 
 
 Claude sprang to his feet with an inarticulate cry, and 
 next moment was sobbing in the arms of Father Fritz. 
 
 Jules rose hastily with a light of welcome in his 
 sunken eyes, and even La Salle, turning his head 
 wearily to see the cause of the disturbance, suddenly 
 raised himself with more of energy than he had evinced 
 since the commencement of his illness. 
 
A DEADLY FOE. 395 
 
 Father Fritz gently put the boys out from the door, 
 and shut himself in with the sick man alone. They, 
 certain that the patient would now be well cared for, 
 dashed off in search of Gasparcl, and told the joyful news. 
 
 " Ah, now he will live ! now he will do well ! " cried 
 the latter, joyfully. " But what has brought him ? How 
 did he come ? " 
 
 " Nay, I know not. I have asked no question. 
 There has been no time. I only know that he is here ; 
 and that our noble commander will now do well." 
 
 Eagerly the brothers retraced their steps to the camp. 
 There they found their father, who told them that word 
 as to La Salle's condition had been passed down the 
 river, at Swanalulu's suggestion, in the hope that it 
 might reach Father Fritz's ears, and bring him if 
 possible to their aid. This it seemed had been the 
 case. He had been upon the northern limit of his 
 missionary wanderings when the tale had reached him ; 
 and guessing at the probable tedium of such a recovery, 
 he had pushed on to Fort Prud'homme in the hope of 
 being of service to his friend. 
 
 And indeed he was. From that day forward La Salle 
 commenced to gain ground. The fits of black depres- 
 sion yielded to the gentle and holy influence of Father 
 Fritz. Resignation took the place of dull despair, and 
 calm hopefulness replaced restless fretting. The spiritual 
 change and advance was instantly marked by a corre- 
 sponding improvement in the patient's physical con- 
 dition ; and every day saw him a little stronger. 
 
396 ( A DEADLY FOE. 
 
 Father Fritz was able to write for him several im- 
 portant letters, and to arrange, through his good under- 
 standing with the Indians, for their safe conveyance to 
 their destination. 
 
 All this eased the mind of La Salle, and tended to 
 his recovery ; and Father Fritz encouraged him to hope 
 for the best, even were this rumour true of a change of 
 governors, and at least to learn submission and patience 
 if the things of this life did go something contrary. 
 
 " We are but children at school here," he would say ; 
 " and the smoothest path is not always the best. It is 
 the rough tracks and the steep ascents that lead us 
 upward to the heights above. Who would not tread 
 the stonier road, and meet the chill winds and blinding 
 storm, if at the last he find himself raised above 
 the world, and nearer to the heavenly things than the 
 traveller who has sought always the pleasant, easy path, 
 and when night comes, finds himself still in the valley, 
 no nearer to the heights of glory than when he started 
 forth ? " 
 
 And La Salle would slightly shake his head, 
 remarking that he minded not trouble so that he might 
 achieve success, nor did he, perhaps, fully understand the 
 import of Father Fritz's words when he replied, — ■ 
 
 " Success, success — may the Lord give to all of us such 
 success as He has in store for each ; but let us take it — 
 let us ask it — at His hands alone, and not seek it from 
 our fellow-men." 
 
 But if La Salle did not fully enter into these 
 
A DEADLY FOE. 397 
 
 thoughts, he was yet greatly cheered by this visit from 
 Father Fritz. His real recovery dated from that arrival, 
 and the visitor remained with his old friend until the 
 latter was, at the beginning of August, able to resume 
 his journey northward, with the purpose of rejoining 
 Tonty at Michili Mackinac, and there taking counsel 
 with him as to the next step in the proposed campaign. 
 
 Father Fritz turned southward, back to his own more 
 immediate flock, though, had he not had so many to 
 visit, he would gladly have renewed his acquaintance 
 with the Indians on the Illinois, many of whom re- 
 membered him with warm affection yet. 
 
 When the travellers reached the great Illinois town, 
 they found that the Indians were beginning to return 
 to it, and to rebuild it. They rushed eagerly down 
 to the river to welcome La Salle, and to beg of him to 
 make his home amongst them, as he had once promised, 
 and to save them from the raids of the Iroquois, which 
 threatened to exterminate them. 
 
 La Salle saw in this appeal a favourable opportunity. 
 He was not able himself to remain with them ; but he 
 conceived the plan of leaving behind him some of his 
 followers, as a pledge of his return, and setting them to 
 commence the fortifications of the great rock overhang- 
 ing the river a little above the Illinois town, upon which 
 his eyes had been cast from the very first, as a probable 
 and likely spot for the first of his chain of fortresses. 
 
 Taking counsel with his little band, he found that 
 Dautray was willing to act as his lieutenant in this. 
 
398 , A DEADLY FOE. 
 
 All his sons, even Jules at La Salle's expressed wish, 
 would remain with him, and six more trusty white men, 
 together with Swanalulu, Tessouat, and a few more 
 Indians of tested fidelity. 
 
 La Salle would return as quickly as might be — he 
 hoped before the end of the year — and, meantime, they 
 would survey the rock, gather together materials, in- 
 struct the Indians how to assist them, and even, per- 
 haps, commence the construction of a fort. The Illinois 
 would see by this that their allies were in earnest, and 
 would give ready help in any undertaking that would 
 be instrumental in repelling the attacks of the Iro- 
 quois. A fortress almost in their midst would be a 
 guarantee of firm alliance, and when the plan was made 
 known to the Illinois, they yelped and danced for joy, 
 and placed themselves and their services unreservedly in 
 the hands of La Salle. 
 
 So the commander went forth, cheered and comforted, 
 to see what was passing in the world of Canada, and 
 Dautray with his little band took up their abode amongst 
 the Indians, in the commodious quarters allotted to 
 them, and commenced the survey of the great rock, and 
 the preparations for the construction of another fort. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 LA SALLE'S COLONY. 
 
 E is coming ! He is coming ! The Indians have 
 seen him ! He and Captain Tonty are both 
 on their way ! They will be here ere the sun has set ! " 
 
 Jules flung down the tools with which he was hard 
 at work, and faced his excited brother with a flushed 
 face. 
 
 " Who comes ? What sayest thou, Claude ? Who is 
 approaching ? " 
 
 " The commander, La Salle himself, and Captain Tonty 
 with him ! " panted the excited Claude. " We met a 
 number of Indians who had been to Fort Miami. The 
 party had been there three days ago, and had found La 
 Salle there, setting matters to rights before joining us 
 here. They must be on their way now. They must 
 be nia;h at hand. Shall we g;o to meet them, or shall 
 we give them welcome here ? " 
 
 All the party had by this time gathered round the 
 excited messenger, and behind that eager ring of white 
 men stood a larger circle of dusky Indians, gazing with 
 their stolid, immovable faces at the gesticulations of the 
 
400 t LA SALLE'S COLONY. 
 
 excited Frenchmen, and picking up here and there a 
 word of the rapid talk that passed between them. 
 
 The name of La Salle was caught and passed in a 
 whisper from mouth to mouth, and the eyes of the 
 Indians brightened at the sound. La Salle was re- 
 garded by them as a bulwark of protection from the 
 hated and dreaded Iroquois. If he were with them, 
 they felt no fear of their envious foes. 
 
 Dautray, the father, looked reflective, and began calcu- 
 lating in his own mind. 
 
 " Returning already — so soon as December — and he 
 left us not before September was well advanced. Then 
 it is plain that he has not gone in person to Canada to 
 see the new governor, as he purposed to do, if it were 
 possible to take the journey. It may be that his bodily 
 weakness has hindered him. I trust he may bring good 
 news of the friendly disposition of the new ruler." 
 
 For it was now known, even in these far-distant 
 regions, that the friendly Count Frontenac had been 
 removed from office, and had returned to France, whilst 
 Le Febre de la Barre, a man of naval celebrity, reigned 
 in his stead ; and as yet no whisper as to his disposition 
 towards La Salle and his giant undertaking had pene- 
 trated to these wilds. 
 
 Doubtless the commander himself would have some 
 news to bring them, and the excitement of the moment 
 was keen. 
 
 The scene was a strange one. 
 
 Mention has been made already of that gigantic rock 
 
LA SALLE'S COLONY. 401 
 
 jutting out into the waters of the Illinois, impregnable 
 on all sides save one, and only approached even from 
 behind by a tortuous, steep, and difficult path. The 
 flat top of this rock (sometimes called the " Starved 
 Rock," owing to the fact that a party of fugitive Indians 
 were starved out there) was about one acre in extent, 
 and a small spring welled up, as it were, from the very 
 heart of the stone, and fell trickling down to the base, 
 where it quickly lost itself in the river beneath. 
 
 The natural advantages of such a spot for a fortress 
 had struck La Salle the first moment he beheld it, and 
 with the tenacity of purpose so characteristic of him, he 
 had never for a moment lost sight of his original inten- 
 tion of planting around that great rock the first of his 
 chain of colonies. 
 
 It was in order to their acting as his pioneers in this 
 matter that he had left behind him, three months ago, 
 the Dautrays and some comrades of their own race ; and 
 well had they justified their fidelity to the cause by 
 what they had accomplished in his absence. 
 
 When La Salle left them, the rock had been crowned 
 with a tangled mass of trees. Now these were all cut 
 down, and with the timber thus procured a stout pali- 
 sade had been set up all round the edge of the rock, a 
 protection from the shots of hostile Indians, and from 
 the accidents which would otherwise certainly happen 
 to dwellers thereon, for all sides save one were abso- 
 lutely precipitous, and a slip on the edge would mean 
 almost certain death. 
 
 (-574) 26 
 
402 LA SALLE'S COLONY. 
 
 The flat surface which formed the crown of the rock 
 was now cleared ready for the construction of a fort. 
 A few temporary huts had been erected for the workers, 
 who preferred to remain there at nights, well out of 
 reach of the vapours which clung about the lower banks 
 of the river, instead of returning to their quarters in 
 the Indian settlement. There the Dautrays and their 
 countrymen, and a few of the attached Indians, had lived 
 almost ever since the departure of La Salle, and here 
 they had worked might and main every day and all 
 day long, seeking to accomplish as much as so small 
 a party could hope to do before the return of the 
 commander. 
 
 The Indians had been eager friends and allies. They 
 had furnished their guests with abundance of food, 
 so that hunting had been unnecessary to them, save as an 
 occasional interlude from hard work. Messengers from 
 many tribes had come to ask what was being done, and 
 to bring promises of alliance and support ; and already 
 there began to appear in several quarters little isolated 
 camps of Indians from other parts, gathering, as it were, 
 beneath the shelter of the white men's sovereignty and 
 protection, and forming fresh bonds of alliance one with 
 the other. 
 
 Gaspard had something of the same tact with the 
 Indians that La Salle possessed in such large measure, 
 and he had a comprehensive knowledge of their lan- 
 guage, which enabled him to make himself understood 
 in almost every dialect. 
 
LA SALLE'S COLONY. 403 
 
 He did his utmost to prove to the artless denizens 
 of the woods the nature of the great offensive and 
 defensive alliance that La Salle had projected, and to 
 induce them to enter into it with zeal and real com- 
 prehension. 
 
 It appeared that they did understand, and did desire 
 it ; for they were growing increasingly afraid of the 
 raids of the Iroquois, and were more and more certain 
 that in the white men lay their only hope of ridding 
 themselves of that peril. 
 
 It was not wonderful, therefore, that they set them- 
 selves joyfully to the task of preparing material for the 
 building of this new fortress, behind which they might 
 shelter themselves ; and from day to day the woods 
 resounded with the strokes of innumerable axes ; and 
 the spoils of the forest, after being roughly hewn into 
 shape, were laboriously dragged up the difficult and 
 sometimes dangerous path, till quite a store of beams 
 and timbers lay piled together awaiting the commence- 
 ment of the fort itself. 
 
 Hitherto that had not been attempted — the erection 
 of the palisade and the preparation of the stores being 
 sufficient for the strength of the workers. Jules had 
 set up the forge once more, and was manufacturing nails 
 and bolts by the dozen out of the rough material he 
 could collect to his hand. Moreover, they were laying 
 in stores to last them through the winter, in case the 
 Indians departed to their hunting-grounds as the season 
 advanced. But although many went off to range the 
 
4 o4 LA SALLE'S COLONY. 
 
 woods, a great number remained in the town, to rebuild 
 it, and to keep near to their friends. 
 
 The return of La Salle was eagerly watched for by 
 Indians and Frenchmen alike, and the news that he was 
 not far away was hailed with delight by all. 
 
 The Indians rushed to their friends to give notice, 
 and to prepare a great feast. The Frenchmen put the 
 finishing touch to their palisade, and hoisted upon the 
 little flag-turret the banner of France. The one small 
 fieldpiece which they possessed was loaded, ready to 
 fire a salute, and scouts were sent into the forest to 
 watch the paths, and give notice of La Salle's coming. 
 
 It wanted yet an hour to sundown before the shrill 
 signals echoing through the woods gave warning that 
 the party was approaching. 
 
 Then Dautray put his men in order upon the rock. 
 He sent Swanalulu down the path, to lead the party up 
 by the best ascent, he remaining just within the gateway 
 of the palisade, which was flung wide open, his brave 
 comrades in ranks around him, every face alight with 
 joy and anticipation. 
 
 Gaspard stood at the gun, ready to fire the salute 
 when the signal should be given. All hearts were 
 beating high with the excitement of happiness. 
 
 " They come ! They come ! " was shouted from below, 
 and sure enough, from out the gloomy forest track, the 
 little band of adventurers could be seen defiling in 
 orderly fashion — -the advance guard of the larger party 
 to follow. 
 
LA SALLE'S COLONY. 405 
 
 Was La Salle amongst these ? Of course he was ! 
 When was he ever known to be other than in the van 
 and forefront ? He could be singled out by his stately 
 height, and by the commanding dignity of his gait ; and 
 beside him strode his faithful lieutenant, Tonty, the one- 
 handed hero, as full of enthusiasm and firmness as his 
 chief. 
 
 Next moment the gun boomed forth overhead, and 
 the forest rang to the shouts and whoopings of French- 
 men and Indians. La Salle, raising his eyes to the 
 lonely rock, beheld its rocky crown bristling with the 
 palisade work that had been made, and he saw the puff 
 of smoke from the gun, even before the booming rattle 
 fell upon his ears. 
 
 With rapid and eager steps he followed the guide up 
 the path, now well defined owing to the transport of 
 heavy timbers, and stood as if in a trance, gazing at the 
 glowing faces of the faithful little band, and at the task 
 they had accomplished in his absence. 
 
 " My good friends ! my noble friends ! I never 
 thought to see the like of this ! " he cried, taking first 
 one and then another by the hand, and warmly clasping 
 each. 
 
 And indeed he had anticipated nothing more than 
 the possible clearing of the rock of encumbering timber. 
 He had been so well used to perfunctory service, which 
 ceased so soon as his eye was withdrawn, that he had 
 scarce realized what could be accomplished by a small 
 and resolute band, all working with a will. 
 
4 o6 LA SALLE'S COLONY. 
 
 Tonty was equally delighted and surprised, shook his 
 friends by the hand, embraced the lads he had grown to 
 love, and went from point to point examining the char- 
 acter of the work, and bestowing commendation freely 
 and fully. 
 
 The Indians were then visited in their encampment 
 at the base of the rock, and many presents were given 
 to them from the stores collected and brought by the 
 commander for his infant colony. All were joined in 
 amity and goodwill, joy and gladness. It was long 
 after dark before the commander was able to retire to 
 the hut prepared specially for himself, Tonty, and 
 Boisrondet on the rock, and to enjoy a civilized meal, 
 and converse with his friends. 
 
 There was much to hear, and much to tell. 
 
 La Salle had been unable to attempt the winter jour- 
 ney to Canada, as all agreed that it would be simply 
 suicide in the state of prostration which had succeeded 
 to the long fever. He had wintered, therefore, at 
 Michili Mackinac, and had sent messengers and letters 
 into Canada, soliciting aid, and unfolding more and 
 more his treasured plan. 
 
 His friends the Pottawatamies had supplied him 
 with a goodly store of furs in return for hatchets, 
 cloth, and other things of home manufacture, and he 
 had sent these stores into Canada by his messengers, 
 instructing them to barter them to the best advantage, 
 and to bring back with them those things most needful 
 to the infant colony. 
 
LA SALLE'S COLONY. 407 
 
 So far, however, none of these men had returned. 
 But the winter travelling was too slow and uncertain 
 for this fact to cause any present uneasiness. Doubt- 
 less they might even wait for the return of the spring- 
 before attempting to bring their supplies down the lake, 
 and up to the rock. 
 
 And the temper of the new governor ? That ques- 
 tion was eagerly put by those who sat by the fire and 
 heard La Salle's tale. 
 
 The commander spoke cheerfully on this point. 
 
 He had not heard anything definite on this point. 
 But the Comte de la Barre was a brave man, and he 
 had written to him a full account of his recent achieve- 
 ment, and of what it might lead to. No true son of 
 France, he maintained, could fail to be won over by the 
 glorious scheme of wealth and glory thus held out ; 
 and although La Salle had many bitter private enemies, 
 he confidently hoped that his own explanations to the 
 governor would do away with the false impressions and 
 libellous stories circulated by these, and would ensure 
 his continued friendship. 
 
 Tonty was perhaps, for once, a little less sanguine. 
 He said nothing, but Gaspard detected a shade of 
 anxiety upon his face ; and on another day, when they 
 were working together out of hearing of the rest, he 
 asked him what he thought of the chances of support 
 from La Barre. 
 
 Tonty slightly shook his head. 
 
 " The Sieur de la Salle may be right, more right than 
 
4 o8 LA SALLE'S COLONY. 
 
 I ; but I have great doubts. Count Frontenac was a 
 man of much wider and more generous spirit than most. 
 He looked beyond the petty small results of the enter- 
 prise to its ultimate great end. But other governors of 
 Canada will be less wide-minded, I fear. It does not 
 take any great amount of penetration to see that if the 
 stores of furs collected along these upper rivers are 
 diverted from the Canadian market, and sent down 
 the Mississippi, and so to France by another route, 
 Canada will lose at once one of her main sources of 
 wealth. To be sure, she will still command the fur-trade 
 of the north, and as all men are beginning to say and 
 to urge, if men do not commence in earnest to cultivate 
 the land, and to start industries such as there are at home, 
 if they go on idling away their time, always trusting to 
 the fur-trade to enrich them — the ruin of the colony is 
 inevitable. We all see that and say that, and Count 
 Frontenac would have looked with complacency on the 
 diverting of some of this doubtful trading, which is by 
 no means the source of wealth that many suppose, and is, 
 indeed, one of the curses of the colony. But others can- 
 not see it, and La Salle has more bitter and powerful 
 enemies than he quite knows. A man of such spirit as 
 he, is somewhat apt to despise and ignore opposition, till 
 at last it rises up, and is in danger of crushing him." 
 
 And upon another occasion Tonty opened the eyes 
 of Gaspard and his brothers to another source of peril 
 which threatened La Salle's colony. 
 
 The jealousy of the French Canadians was not the 
 
LA SALLE'S COLONY. 409 
 
 only element of clanger. There were Dutch and Eng- 
 lish settlers in Albany, who were equally set against 
 this scheme, as likely to be the ruin of their fur-trade, 
 if once it fairly succeeded. 
 
 There had always been bitter jealousy between the 
 settlers in Canada and those of Albany, and stores of 
 furs going to either place had been, whenever possible, 
 intercepted and carried off in triumph. 
 
 Now enemies will sometimes band together in a 
 common cause, and Tonty had heard a whisper to the 
 effect that the new governor would not object to seeing 
 war carried into La Salle's quarters by those who had 
 hitherto been his own foes. 
 
 Of course the white settlers themselves would make 
 no raids upon the new colony. That was not the way 
 they worked. Their part would be to stir up the 
 Iroquois — at no time a difficult task — to the fury of 
 warfare against the Illinois and the western tribes ; 
 and if once the power of these tribes could be broken, 
 and their alliance dissolved, there would be small chance 
 of success for La Salle and his project. 
 
 Also, if constant wars were breaking out amongst the 
 Indians on this account, it could easily be represented 
 to the King of France that La Salle was a disturber of 
 the public peace, and a dangerous man. It would be 
 easy to declare that he was infringing his patent, and 
 making himself a king in the western wilds, to the 
 great detriment of the king's pet Canadian colony. 
 Then it was probable that La Salle might be recalled 
 
4io LA SALLE'S COLONY. 
 
 in disgrace, and if once his hand were withdrawn from 
 the helm there seemed little hope of steering the ship 
 to the desired haven. 
 
 These things were not spoken all at once, but in 
 a whisper now and again, as news crept in from 
 Indians wandering hither and thither, and occasional 
 letters were brought from the various places whither 
 La Salle's messengers had been sent. 
 
 But the disquieting thing was that none of the 
 messengers themselves returned, and no one arrived 
 with the supplies of French goods, so needful to those 
 who had dealings with the Indian tribes. 
 
 The Indians were friendly and Avell disposed. They 
 came more and more with the advance of spring, and 
 built themselves small villages round the great rock, 
 which was now known as Fort Louis, in honour of the 
 King of France, who had done very little as yet to 
 deserve La Salle's gratitude. 
 
 There were disquieting rumours brought in from 
 time to time respecting the Iroquois and their intended 
 invasion ; but, hitherto, nothing had been seen of them, 
 and it was hoped that the presence of the French colony 
 would suffice to keep them away. 
 
 But La Salle knew well that he could not hope to 
 keep the Indians faithful, and continue to receive their 
 contributions of fur and provision, if he had nothing to 
 give in return, and his stores brought from Michili 
 Mackinac were rapidly dwindling away. 
 
 Why did his messengers not return ? Where were 
 
LA SALLE'S COLONY. 411 
 
 they ? Why did not the open spring weather bring them 
 back ? Was it possible that they had been caught and 
 detained by the governor or his myrmidons as lawless 
 coureurs de bois? La Salle knew well that the law 
 refused to recognize such persons as lawful traders, and 
 seized upon them and their goods whenever it was 
 possible. But surely they would not take his men and 
 treat them so — he who held the king's patent and 
 commission for what he was doing, and could not 
 hope to succeed if his messengers were treated in this 
 fashion ? 
 
 But there was no knowing, and his face began soon 
 to lose its first look of triumphant gladness, and to 
 grow pinched and haggard. His time was spent 
 gazing towards the forest from whence his messengers 
 ought to emerge, and he oftentimes scoured the woods 
 himself on the pretext of hunting, but really with the 
 hope of learning something about the tardy servants 
 upon whose arrival with stores so much depended. 
 
 At last the suspense became intolerable. He had 
 written and dispatched letter after letter to the 
 governor, but no answer had been returned to him. 
 The last he had sent by Swanalulu ; and he knew that 
 that trusty fellow would himself return, even though he 
 could bring no letter or good tidings back. 
 
 He longed himself to start for Canada, but he was 
 afraid to leave his colony. 
 
 " If in my absence the Iroquois attack," he had said 
 in one of his letters, explaining the situation, " the 
 
4 i2 LA SALLE'S COLONY. 
 
 distrustful Illinois will at once believe that I have 
 hounded them on to do so — perhaps even that I am 
 leading them in person." 
 
 Yes, that innate distrust so deeply implanted in the 
 Indian races, and especially marked in the tribes of the 
 Illinois, was one of the greatest drawbacks to the 
 success of La Salle's scheme. So long as they saw him 
 in their midst, they regarded him almost as a god, and 
 believed themselves safe under the shelter of his fort. 
 But if his personal presence were to be removed, as 
 Tonty had discovered on a former occasion, there was 
 no knowing: what wild rumours might not airain arise. 
 And although all began to see that it might be im- 
 possible for La Salle to avoid the journey to Canada, 
 and even a possible voyage back to France to appeal 
 to the king himself, yet all desired to postpone that 
 day as long as possible, and meantime to promote the 
 growth and well-being of the colony in every possible 
 way. 
 
 July had come before Swanalulu returned. And the 
 colony had grown and flourished in a marvellous way. 
 The Illinois had returned by thousands to their town, 
 which was now larger than ever. There was a great 
 colony of Shawanoes on the opposite side of the river, 
 another of Abenakis from Maine, and the friendly 
 Miamis from the upper Kankakee, as well as many 
 others with whose outlandish names the reader will 
 scarce care to be troubled. La Salle had gained one 
 of his main points. The various tribes were willing to 
 
LA SALLE'S COLONY. 413 
 
 sink their minor differences and to live at peace with each 
 other beneath the nominal sway of the French, and 
 under their protection, should the dreaded Iroquois 
 swoop down upon them. If only the supplies from 
 Canada would come, and. the support of the governor 
 be given him, all w T ould be well ; but with the arrival 
 of the faithful Swanalulu all hopes of this vanished. 
 
 The trusty Indian had delivered his letter, but had 
 waited in vain for an answer. He was always put off 
 with dubious messages, and. at last plainly told that the 
 governor would employ a messenger of his own, had he 
 any communication to send to the Sieur de la Salle. 
 
 Meantime Swanalulu had not been idle. He had 
 been picking up information everywhere, and all served 
 to convince him more and more of the bad feeling exist- 
 ing in Quebec and Montreal towards the project in the 
 West. The messengers sent by La Salle had not been 
 seized as he had feared ; but they had been seduced 
 from their allegiance, and had turned robbers and 
 cheats. They had sold the furs at absurdly low prices 
 to Canadian traders, and had for the most part returned 
 to France with the proceeds, which they chose to regard 
 in the light of their arrears of pay. 
 
 Every one there spoke of La Salle as a hare-brained 
 madman, and a source of danger to the colony. He 
 would involve it in an endless Indian war, and as for 
 his scheme, it was openly ridiculed by high and low ; 
 and Swanalulu heard that the new governor had 
 written to the king, begging him to withdraw his 
 
414 LA SALLE'S COLONY. 
 
 favour and commission, and to recall La Salle from 
 his petty kingdom, where he had set himself up as an 
 independent ruler. 
 
 The heart of La Salle burned within him as he 
 listened to the string of calumnies, of which these were 
 a part, invented by his enemies for his overthrow. 
 
 His resolute mind, however, was not long in reaching 
 a conclusion, and his iron will seemed to strengthen 
 itself anew to meet the buffets of adverse fortune. 
 
 " There is but one thing left for me to do," he said. 
 " I must to His Majesty of France in person. My 
 enemies and detractors would make me out a madman 
 and a usurper. But let me stand face to face with 
 the mighty Louis, and tell him mine own story, and I 
 doubt not he will not only renew my commission, but 
 enlarge my powers, so that I may openly triumph over 
 my foes. I have stood in the presence of that majesty 
 before, and have won my way when I had but my poor 
 surmises to offer him. Mine enemies have hinted that 
 it is but a fable, this voyage of mine, to the great river's 
 mouth. Let them all tell me so before the king's face, 
 and see to whom he will give the credence." 
 
 Tonty sat still and thoughtful. All faces were very 
 grave. 
 
 " It is a serious undertaking, and will take thee far 
 away from us. But yet methinks that thou must needs 
 go, if aught is to be accomplished." 
 
 " So think I; and thou wilt command here in my stead, 
 good Tonty ; and, methinks, if the Indians know whither 
 
LA SALLE'S COLONY. 415 
 
 I be gone, even to the realm of the great king beyond 
 the seas, they will no longer distrust and fear that I 
 have stirred up their enemies against them. I would, 
 indeed, that I had a vessel of mine own, and could glide 
 down the great river and sail across without facing the 
 wiles of my foes in Canada. But, perchance, if fortune 
 favours me, I may return that way. And thou wilt 
 hold St. Louis for me, and I shall know that there be 
 two faithful knots of men in these parts awaiting my 
 return — one here, and one in the Home of Peace, which 
 God grant I may live to visit once more ! " 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 HE was going to take only Jules with him all 
 the way — the faithful, silent, trusty Jules, 
 who would have followed him to the world's end, and 
 laid down his life for him a hundred times had it been 
 needful. 
 
 The two Indian hunters, Nimrod the Mohegan, and 
 Mka the Shawanoe, were permitted, at their own 
 earnest entreaty, to be of his party, for La Salle 
 realized that the arrival at the French Court of two 
 handsome, semi-civilized and Christianized Indians would 
 create both curiosity and approval, and give an air of 
 fidelity and truthfulness to the story he had to tell in 
 the ears of His Majesty of France. 
 
 But the rest of the Frenchmen and trusty Indians 
 must remain behind with Tonty in the fort. Tonty 
 must strive his utmost to keep together the colony 
 in the absence of La Salle ; and all knew that, if 
 indeed (as seemed most probable) he found it needful 
 to sail for France, his absence might be a very long 
 one — perhaps extending over a period of two years 
 or more. 
 
FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 417 
 
 It was tedious work crossing the ocean in those clays, 
 and more tedious still was it to obtain from the tardy- 
 king those needful patents and commissions, without 
 which the whole scheme must prove abortive. 
 
 Brave and resolute as Tonty was, and well as the 
 Indians received him, as La Salle's lieutenant and 
 substitute, when the whole situation was explained to 
 them in solemn council, yet the hearts of many present 
 were heavy within them. They knew the perils and 
 uncertainties of this life in the wilderness, and the 
 many foes that beset them on all sides. If the 
 governor of Canada proved inimical — and there was 
 every reason now to fear this — and if the English 
 and Dutch settlers sought to stir up the Iroquois 
 against the western tribes, whilst the governor of Canada 
 did not do all in his power to check the warlike move- 
 ment, things might indeed go hard with the little 
 colony, and it might be wellnigh exterminated before 
 La Salle had a chance of returning to it, armed with 
 the fuller powers and the larger supplies which he 
 sanguinely hoped to obtain through a personal appeal 
 to the king. 
 
 The more they discussed the situation, the more self- 
 evident did it appear that, if these powers and stores 
 were given to him, he must not adventure himself with 
 them through the inimical territory of Canada. He 
 must make straight for the Gulf of Mexico, and bring 
 his reinforcements up the great river ; and it might 
 be well, as time went on, if Tonty could spare any 
 
 (574) 27 
 
4 i 8 FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 of his men, to send them down the river to Father 
 Fritz's little community, there to await the news of the 
 coming of the vessels, which news could then be trans- 
 mitted to Tonty by some swift and trusty Indian scouts. 
 
 This, however, was looking a long way forward. 
 For the present the rocky fortress must be the home 
 of the gallant little band, environed by the hordes of 
 the wilderness, who at present were all well disposed 
 and friendly. How long this friendly confidence would 
 last, if perils and raids came to disturb the tranquillity 
 of the moment, or if supplies of French goods for 
 barter entirely failed, was a question none could im- 
 mediately answer. La Salle, however, was hopeful 
 and cheerful, and Tonty brave and resolute. It was 
 agreed between them that he should take a small 
 company with him as far as Michili Mackinac, and 
 seek to obtain there a certain amount of the goods so 
 greatly needed, which these returning ones might bring 
 back. After that they must wait in patience for the 
 result of the mission of La Salle to France. 
 
 Jean Dautray and his sons were chosen for this work, 
 and very gladly did they set forth in company with the 
 commander for the first stages of his long journey. 
 
 It was known by this time that Father Hennepin was 
 now safe in Canada, after having passed through many 
 hairbreadth perils amongst the Indians during the past 
 months. La Salle had some idea of persuading him to 
 accompany him to the French court, to corroborate his 
 tale, If he could not obtain his company (and Father 
 
FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 419 
 
 Hennepin was of rather a jealous disposition, and not 
 always too friendly towards La Salle), there was Father 
 Zenobe Membre, also in Canada, who could be perhaps 
 better depended upon. This father was known to be 
 meditating a return to France to report himself to his 
 superior, and rest awhile after his long labours amongst 
 the Indians. With an ecclesiastic beside him, La Salle 
 might effect a better impression than if he went alone. 
 He turned over many plans as they marched along, and 
 discussed the situation with his faithful followers in 
 unwonted freedom. He had come to trust the Dautrays 
 to a degree he seldom vouchsafed to any. It was his 
 misfortune and curse that he had so often been betrayed, 
 for it had warped his nature, and given him a saturnine 
 and cynical sense of suspicion towards almost all of those 
 about him. This made him unpopular with the bulk 
 of his followers, although they revered and feared him. 
 His failure to inspire affection and confidence in his 
 own countrymen was as remarkable as his success with 
 the Indians. But when once he did give his trust and 
 affection, he had the power of inspiring a very deep and 
 intense devotion. 
 
 At Michili Mackinac a most unwelcome surprise 
 awaited the travellers. 
 
 They had heard from Indian scouts that a party of 
 Frenchmen had just arrived from Canada, and upon 
 reaching the fort they found all excitement and con- 
 fusion there. 
 
 The cause of this excitement was easily explained. 
 
4 2o FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 A party of French Canadians, headed by an officer of 
 the king's dragoons, the Chevalier de Baugis, had 
 arrived there en route for Fort St. Louis ; and when 
 La Salle was ushered into his presence, he received 
 him with a species of lofty condescension, explaining 
 haughtily that he had come to take possession of the 
 fort in the king's name, and to order him (La Salle) 
 to repair immediately to Quebec, to answer to the 
 governor there concerning certain rumours and stories 
 which had come to the ears of the authorities. 
 
 La Salle's face grew somewhat pale as he heard this 
 injunction ; but he knew too well the critical condition of 
 his affairs to make it worse by any outbreak of passion at 
 this juncture. 
 
 He bowed ceremoniously to the chevalier ; wished 
 him well upon his errand ; remarked that the com- 
 mand to repair to Quebec was a little superfluous, 
 since he was already half-way there ; and asked leave 
 to pen a dispatch to his lieutenant, the Sieur de 
 Tonty, preparing him for the arrival of the chevalier, 
 and suggesting certain modifications of arrangements 
 already proposed. 
 
 The hearts of the Dautrays were filled with 
 indignation at this open and wanton insult to their 
 commander. Had he not by his own energy and 
 untiring zeal built Fort St. Louis, and gathered around 
 it a colony of wild Indians, all proud through his 
 influence and persuasion to call themselves the children 
 of the King of France ? And for his reward was he 
 
FOES WITH J N AND WITHOUT. 421 
 
 to be superseded in his command by this supercilious 
 chevalier, and sent, practically in disgrace, back into 
 Canada, to answer the frivolous charges brought against 
 him ? 
 
 Had this thing happened at the fort itself — had 
 this insult been offered to La Salle in the midst of 
 his colony, in the stronghold of his loyal dependants — 
 it is possible that the reception of the chevalier might 
 have been vastly different from what it was now. 
 
 La Salle's haughty spirit could at any time ill brook 
 contradiction and vexatious opposition, and his suprem- 
 acy over the Indians had fostered in him, perhaps, 
 a haughtiness of spirit which had always lain latent 
 within him. But just at this juncture, when every- 
 thing depended upon the favour of the King of France, 
 he realized that he must do nothing which could give 
 his enemies the chance of representing him as a rebel 
 against that monarch's authority. 
 
 The chevalier came as the king's representative, and 
 La Salle had no choice but to receive him as such. 
 When he retired to another room to discuss the situa- 
 tion with his faithful friends, he made this plain to 
 them, whilst not attempting to disguise from them his 
 indignation and hurt pride at the treatment his long 
 services had met with from those in authority. 
 
 But he still hoped to put things right by his per- 
 sonal presence ; if not in Canada, at least in France. 
 He therefore wrote a guarded letter to Tonty, asking 
 him to receive the chevalier with all due courtesy and 
 
422 FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 honour, yielding to him the command of the fort, since 
 he came to take that position, but begging Tonty to 
 remain on as his representative and friend ; for no one 
 knew better than La Salle how much the success of his 
 scheme depended upon the presence on the rock of some 
 one in authority trusted by the Indians. 
 
 This letter was to be entrusted to Gaspard and Claude 
 to deliver to Tonty as quickly as possible, whilst their 
 father was instructed to remain behind, and act as guide 
 to the party of the chevalier. 
 
 It was probable that the latter had with him a fair 
 supply of those things of which the little colony stood 
 most in need, and La Salle purposed to represent strongly 
 to him the necessity of being so provided, if he wished 
 to do any good there, or to hold his own with the 
 Indians. 
 
 That night was a sorrowful one for the three brothers, 
 who shared a rough log-cabin together, and sat far into 
 the night over their fire, discussing past, present, and 
 future with hopeful, yet rather heavy hearts. 
 
 They were about to part for an indefinite period — 
 Jules to accompany La Salle upon a long and perilous 
 journey, from which it was possible he might never 
 return ; the other pair to face, for the same indefinite 
 period, the dangers and hardships of a life in the 
 wilderness, with the additional peril of 'a new and 
 untried commander, who was a stranger to them, who 
 was plainly no friend to La Salle, and who might 
 very easily convert their Indian allies into bitter 
 
FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 423 
 
 enemies, especially if he were foolhardy enough to show 
 his hostility towards the ex-commander, and so perplex 
 the minds of the savages by an appearance of divided 
 rule. 
 
 " In sooth, I would the chevalier were at the bottom 
 of the sea ! " cried Claude, drawing a deep sigh. " It is 
 shameful that our great commander should be treated 
 in so evil a manner ! All France would cry shame 
 upon it if the thing were known ! He has adventured 
 life and fortune — everything — upon this enterprise; and 
 now, when the first step is taken, the first gleam of 
 success has come, he is recalled, forsooth, like a dis- 
 graced servant, and another is put in his place, who 
 knows no more of the life nor of the Indians than a 
 babe ! Heaven send the whole enterprise be not ruined 
 by him ! " 
 
 " We will seek the King of France himself, and tell 
 our tale to him — in his very ears," said Jules, with a 
 sombre gleam in his dark eyes. " The commander says 
 that in former days he was gracious and favourable. 
 It is scarcely likely he will be less so now, when so 
 much has already been accomplished." 
 
 " Yet I fear it will be a weary while ere you can 
 return," remarked Gaspard, in thoughtful tones. " I 
 wonder how it will fare with the colony all that while. 
 True, the Indians are not an impatient people. So long 
 as they dwell at ease and are safe from their foes, they 
 rest content with their life. But there is mischief afoot, 
 I greatly fear. I talked with some of the chevalier's 
 
424 , FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 followers, and I disliked many of the things they said. 
 It is plain that our commander has many bitter foes in 
 Canada, and these will seek to ruin his plans whilst he 
 is absent in France." 
 
 " What will they do ? " asked Claude quickly. 
 
 " Set on the Iroquois to scatter and disperse the 
 western tribes — our friends and allies," answered Gas- 
 pard. 
 
 " But surely it is bad for all Canada, and all persons 
 there, when the Indians fall upon each other. It 
 hinders the trade ; it — " 
 
 " Oh, yes ; it is bad for all," answered Gaspard, a 
 little bitterly. " But when the rancour is as great as 
 it now is, they will submit to a passing inconvenience, 
 rather than permit the carrying out of a project which 
 they think will permanently impoverish Canada. They 
 are too blind to see that in the end it will tend to 
 enrich the parent country, and so reflect glory and 
 prosperity on all her dominions. They are permitting 
 the English and Dutch in Albany to stir up the Iroquois 
 to war — a thing they strove to hold in check and keep 
 down until now. But they will make use of any un- 
 worthy tool to defeat the plans of our great commander. 
 It will need all the energy and strength and tact that 
 we possess to hold the colony together in his absence. 
 Methinks the chevalier will do but little to promote 
 its well-being." 
 
 With the first rays of daylight the brothers arose and 
 prepared to depart. Their hearts were too full for many 
 
FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 425 
 
 words. Jules stood over them as they endeavoured 
 to swallow the meal he had risen to prepare for them 
 whilst they slept. They had grown used to farewells, 
 and strove to keep up their courage now, but all knew 
 that this parting was a more serious one than any which 
 had gone before. 
 
 It was quite possible that they might never look 
 upon each other's faces on this side of the grave ; 
 and when they stood together, holding each other by 
 the hand, and afraid to trust their voices in speech, 
 it was with a manifest effort that Claude suddenly 
 said, — 
 
 " Let us not be cast down ; let us trust in the Lord. 
 Perchance the meeting may be nearer than we think. 
 If His coming be at hand, and if we strive to work 
 and to wait for it, perchance we shall meet in the air, 
 with all His risen saints. brothers, let us think of 
 that, and pray for that ; then we need not weep over 
 this parting." 
 
 The thought was a comforting and strengthening one, 
 and it helped the brothers through their last words and 
 tender embraces. La Salle strode in just as they rose 
 from their knees, after joining their voices together in 
 the Lord's Prayer ; and he entrusted his letter for Tonty 
 to Gaspard's care, together with many verbal messages 
 which he had neither the time nor the inclination to put 
 upon paper. 
 
 Many times did the youths turn back to look at the 
 little knot of friends standing to watch them as they 
 
426 FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 tramped away towards the lake, down which the friendly 
 Pottawatamies were ready to transport them. La Salle's 
 tall figure seemed to tower up in majestic height and 
 dignity. Jules stood beside him, and they noted that 
 the commander had laid his hand upon the shoulder of 
 his trusty servant. 
 
 A mist rose before Claude's eyes as the lads turned 
 for the last time to wave their hands, ere a bend in the 
 path shut them out from view. 
 
 " My heart misgives me," he suddenly exclaimed ; 
 " I feel as though I had looked for the last time upon 
 that noble face." 
 
 " Nay, say not so," answered Gaspard quickly. 
 " Heaven grant that there may be joyous and prosperous 
 days yet before us, and that we may meet again ere 
 many months have passed, to complete the noble 
 edifice of which the corner-stone is already laid ! " 
 
 The brothers met with no hindrances upon their 
 return journey. They were by this time seasoned 
 travellers, and the country was familiar to them. But 
 as they came near to the fort, and saw that their 
 approach had been observed, and that Tonty himself 
 was hurrying forth to meet them with a kindly wel- 
 come shining in his eyes, their hearts sank at the 
 thought of the tidings which they brought; and much 
 did they wonder how it would be received by the 
 deputy-commander, and whether he might not refuse 
 to remain in the fort if he no longer held the 
 command there. 
 
FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 427 
 
 Tonty very quickly saw that the messengers came 
 with some bad news, and after reading La Salle's 
 letter, he fully understood what this was. As they 
 walked up the steep path to the fort, he questioned 
 the brothers very closely and earnestly about the 
 chevalier and his company, and about all the news 
 they had gathered as to the state of affairs in 
 Canada. 
 
 When they stood once more upon the rock, with the 
 walls of the fort about them, Tonty suddenly threw back 
 his head and commanded the garrison and some of the 
 Indian chieftains to be summoned. 
 
 Whilst this was being done, he said to the brothers, in 
 quick and earnest tones, — 
 
 " There is but one course for us to take. We must 
 receive this new commander with honour and glory. 
 The men must never suspect that La Salle has been 
 flouted or disgraced. Leave all to me. Trust it in my 
 hands ; and whatever you hear me say, echo it, enlarge 
 upon it : never let the meanness, the cowardice, the 
 ingratitude of the authorities be known — else the labour 
 of all these years of toil will be thrown away." 
 
 The youths listened in silence and in some perplexity; 
 but when Tonty spoke and addressed the crowd gathered 
 about him, they began to understand better the nobility 
 of the man's nature, and the policy to which he pledged 
 himself with perfect self-abnegation. 
 
 He told the assembled people that the gracious and 
 fatherly King of France, who looked with such tender 
 
4 28 FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 care upon his far-off subjects and Indian children, had 
 shown his kind and gracious disposition by not leaving 
 them fatherless and headless by the absence of the great 
 and noble pioneer, the Sieur de la Salle. Although it 
 was needful for him to visit His Majesty, yet they were 
 not to be deprived of a protector. The king was send- 
 ing to them a brave chevalier, well trained in arms, and 
 of a noble house, and he would command the fort, and 
 watch over them, even as La Salle had done, until that 
 worthy leader could return to them. 
 
 Whatever the French may have thought of this 
 explanation, it completely satisfied the Indians, who 
 whooped and yelped with wonder and joy, as they 
 realized the interest taken in them by the King of 
 France ; and they prepared to welcome the new com- 
 mander with every show of honour, which was exactly 
 what Tonty had desired, for any feeling of distrust 
 amongst the Indians would be fatal to the life and 
 growth of the little colony. 
 
 A week later the chevalier and his train appeared. 
 La Salle's injunctions and hints had not been without 
 effect, as the new-comers were amply provided with 
 stores for the fort, and with articles of barter for the 
 Indians. 
 
 These latter crowded with curiosity and admiration 
 round the strangers, and saluted them with all manner 
 of strange shouts and cries. De Baugis stalked along 
 with a haughty gait, and recoiled with something very 
 like disgust from the attentions of his new subjects. 
 
FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 429 
 
 However, he ordered that a distribution of presents 
 should be promptly made, and that satisfied them for 
 any apparent lack of courtesy on the part of the 
 new commander. 
 
 De Baugis and his men filed up to the fort, where 
 they were welcomed by a salute, and by the greetings 
 of Tonty and his garrison. 
 
 Tonty nobly fulfilled La Salle's request. He had 
 vacated the house in the centre of the fort which had 
 been built for the commander, and had taken up his 
 own quarters in another place, with the Dautrays and 
 Boisrondet ; the last being intensely indignant at the 
 turn of affairs, though too loyal to Tonty to disobey 
 his desires and express commands. 
 
 The chevalier made his headquarters in the vacated 
 house, and soon began to show his disposition by chang- 
 ing and upsetting all La Salle's wisely-planned rules 
 and laws, sneering at everything he saw about him, 
 openly ridiculing the idea of these western colonies, 
 and doing all in his power to dishearten and disgust 
 the men, who had hitherto been stanch and faithful. 
 
 This was too much for Tonty's patience, and he 
 remonstrated vehemently with the chevalier. 
 
 Already the fruit of the new regime was being dis- 
 played in the lawlessness and self-indulgence of the 
 men. La Salle had always been able to keep a firm 
 hand over them. The presence of the Indians around 
 the fort had always been a source of danger. He had 
 absolutely refused to permit his followers to intermingle 
 
43o FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 freely with them ; but De Baugis cared for none of his 
 rules, and the men at once took advantage of his 
 foolishness, and lived in a manner obnoxious even 
 to the Indians ; they committed all sorts of eccen- 
 tricities in behaviour, discipline was relaxed, Tonty's 
 power was undermined, and, save for a faithful few, he 
 had none he could trust if emergency or peril were to 
 arrive. 
 
 " They have hit upon a cunning plan for undoing 
 La Salle's work," he would say bitterly to Boisronclet 
 and the Dautrays, as they watched the dispersion of 
 their men amongst the Indians, and saw how the life 
 was telling upon them, and unfitting them for their 
 daily duties. 
 
 " It makes one's blood boil in one's veins ! " cried 
 Boisrondet, hotly. " I would His Majesty of France 
 could see and know. Methinks he would soon set 
 things straight with a high hand if he could hear how 
 his best and bravest subjects are being treated." 
 
 The insolence of the chevalier became more and more 
 unendurable. It was very plain to the few who had 
 the interests of the colony at heart, that his object was 
 to so disgust and dishearten Tonty, as to drive him and 
 his faithful few away from the place, and then it would 
 be an easy task to so manage matters that the whole 
 colony should break up and dwindle away before the 
 return of La Salle. Of course, De Baugis would not 
 dare to take any open steps for this end so long as the 
 faithful followers of La Salle remained ; but if he could 
 
FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 431 
 
 succeed in rooting out these, and so be free to use 
 his unscrupulous methods without fear of their being 
 reported elsewhere, he would soon make short work of 
 this first achievement of La Salle's, and then, perhaps, 
 the whole of the chimerical plan would collapse like a 
 pricked bladder. 
 
 Tonty was keen enough to see through the workings 
 of his crooked mind, and was resolved that, come what 
 might, he would not be driven away. He would ignore 
 hints, despise insult, meet haughtiness with contemptuous 
 silence — do anything, in fact, rather than relinquish the 
 task he had undertaken, and leave Fort St. Louis to its 
 fate. 
 
 He had seen other forts destroyed by malicious hands 
 before now, and the labour of months, or even years, 
 thrown away in a few days. If he could save Fort 
 St. Louis from this fate, he would certainly do it ; and 
 he dispatched Swanalulu through the wilderness to try 
 to overtake La Salle in Canada, and warn him of 
 what was going on, that he might tell the king of the 
 machinations carried on by treacherous subjects in his 
 name. 
 
 The chevalier was very uneasy when he noted the 
 absence of Swanalulu, and was curtly told by Tonty 
 that he had been dispatched with letters for La Salle, 
 which it was important that he should receive before 
 he sailed for France. De Baugis tried to bluster out 
 something about Tonty's having no right to dispatch 
 messengers unknown to himself ; but the answer re- 
 
432 , FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 ceived was that Swanalulu was the servant of the 
 Dautrays, not one of the garrison, and for once the 
 chevalier was too uneasy to provoke Tonty further. 
 
 He modified his behaviour slightly after that, and was 
 rather less overbearing and supercilious ; but already he 
 was beginning to be disliked and distrusted by the 
 Indians, and their eager and pertinacious inquiries as 
 to when La Salle would return irritated him into very 
 unwise replies. 
 
 Do what Tonty could to prevent it, it became evident 
 to the Indian tribes that the new commander was 
 neither friendly towards themselves nor loyal to their 
 absent hero. 
 
 " Have a care, chevalier, how you betray yourself 
 before these people," said Tonty to him one day, with 
 something of cutting contempt in his tone. " We have 
 all striven to give you honour in the sight of these wild 
 Indians, whose enmity often means death ; but if you 
 persist in showing them contempt and unfriendliness, 
 on your own head be your blood, if they arise and 
 slay you. The Sieur de la Salle is the very apple of 
 their eye. For him they will do anything — even to 
 the laying down of their lives. If you show your 
 hostility to him, they will at once regard you as an 
 enemy. You may succeed in undoing the colony, and 
 in securing its final overthrow, but you run a great 
 chance of meeting death at their hands ; and the death 
 which infuriated Indians are wont to wreak upon their 
 foes is one which you would not care to court, if 
 
FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 433 
 
 you had seen as much of their methods as I have 
 done." 
 
 At those words the chevalier grew pale with fear, 
 and asked if these gentle-seeming Indians were fierce 
 and bloodthirsty like the Iroquois ? 
 
 " When their blood is up there is almost nothing to 
 choose between tribe and tribe," answered Tonty in the 
 same cool, curt fashion. " If you are wise, in your own 
 interests, chevalier, you will not make yourself out the 
 foe of La Salle." 
 
 The chevalier took the hint, and was more guarded 
 in the future, but his hatred and fear of Tonty increased 
 visibly, as did also his dislike to the life upon the rock, 
 and his impatience of the long monotony and endless 
 round of idle days. 
 
 He neither hunted nor put his hand to any toil, as 
 La Salle had always been foremost to do, whilst his dread 
 of the Indians now kept him almost entirely within the 
 fort, where he paced up and clown like a caged wild 
 beast. 
 
 " Perhaps we shall be rid of him soon after all," 
 Boisrondet would say sometimes with sparkling eyes, 
 as he watched the gloomy countenance of the chevalier 
 and his followers. " It needs men to be trained and 
 brought up to this sort of life that they may be able to 
 stand it." 
 
 Whether or no the chevalier was contemplating 
 withdrawal from his present position, at least he was 
 unable to make it immediately, for after a certain. 
 
 (574) 28 
 
434 FOES WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 
 
 number of disquieting rumours (to which, however, 
 they were growing accustomed) had been brought to 
 the fort concerning the threatened activity of the 
 Iroquois, a day came when Swanalulu himself, return- 
 ing post-haste from Canada, where he had found 
 La Salle, and to whom he had delivered his letters 
 and reports, brought serious tidings. 
 
 The Iroquois were indeed massing together with the 
 intent to fall upon the Illinois and the western tribes, if 
 possible, to exterminate them, or at least to drive them 
 far away to the south. 
 
 And only three days later, whilst Tonty was seeking 
 to do all in his power to guard his colony against these 
 inroads, white-faced scouts came fleeing up to the fort 
 with the cry upon their lips,- — - 
 
 " The Iroquois ! The Iroquois ! The Iroquois are 
 upon us ! " 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 ONFUSION and terror reigned everywhere. 
 
 From far and near terrified Indians came flee- 
 ing towards the fort to beg the protection of the 
 French against the common foe. 
 
 It was no false alarm this time. The Iroquois were 
 on the march, and had vowed to sweep the white men 
 from the face of the earth, and scatter the feeble alliance 
 which they had formed amongst the western tribes. 
 
 The Illinois, never a warlike race, and now with the 
 recollection of their late defeat and slaughter fresh in 
 their minds, were almost paralysed with terror ; and 
 their fear quickly communicated itself to the rest of 
 the colony, and caused some amongst the settlers around 
 the forest to betake themselves hastily away to their 
 own country, if this happened to lie outside the 
 probable inroads of the Iroquois aggressors. 
 
 At Fort St. Louis all was excitement and stir. De 
 Baugis was a soldier and a brave enough man in face 
 of a civilized foe, whose tactics he was able to under- 
 stand and repel ; but his heart misgave him sorely 
 
436 THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 in this lone wilderness, surrounded by hordes of wild 
 savages, with whose language he was unacquainted, in 
 whose ways he had no experience, and who looked upon 
 him with distrust, even whilst they clamoured for his 
 protection. 
 
 " By all that's fair," he exclaimed angrily to the 
 little knot of his own personal followers, who were as 
 much perturbed as himself — " by all that's right and 
 reasonable, I have had enough of this ! Let me but 
 once see my way to a safe journey back to Canada, and 
 this hope-forsaken rock in the wilderness shall see me 
 no more ! This is no place for His Majesty's soldiers. 
 It is only fit for madmen and savages ! La Salle may 
 be fool enough to throw away his life for a mere 
 shadow, but I have more respect for mine. Let me 
 get rid of these advancing savages, and drive them 
 back to their own country, and I will leave this place 
 as soon as travelling can be safely accomplished. Back 
 shall I go to Quebec, and give word to the governor what 
 sort of a colony this is. None but a madman would 
 remain in such a wilderness amongst a crew of howling 
 savages, who may rise at any moment and tear him in 
 pieces ! " 
 
 The men about him broke into exclamations of satis- 
 faction and joy. They were no more in love with the 
 life on the rock than their commander, and their words 
 were whispered abroad throughout the camp, to the in- 
 finite satisfaction of the older inhabitants. 
 
 For the moment, however, the pressing character of 
 
THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 437 
 
 the common peril drew all together. The commander 
 called for Tonty to take counsel with him, and it 
 was soon apparent to all that ho was the real head, 
 although De Baugis still held the nominal command 
 in the fort. 
 
 " We must put all the Indians upon the farther hank 
 of the river," Tonty said, having considered the situa- 
 tion beforehand, and knowing exactly the tactics he 
 meant to oppose to any invasion of the Iroquois. 
 " The enemy's advance must be from north and east, 
 therefore they will arrive first upon this left bank of the 
 river. All the Indians who cannot be accommodated 
 in the fort must cross the river and encamp along the 
 right bank, where they will have the protection of 
 the river ; and since the Iroquois cannot very well 
 have any number of canoes with them, it is probable 
 that they may not attempt to attack them under the 
 very noses of our guns." 
 
 For the fort was provided with six small fieldpieces 
 and a fair supply of ammunition. All the soldiers 
 had muskets and were trained marksmen, and numbers 
 of the Indians had firearms of their own, and knew how 
 to use them pretty effectively. 
 
 Just opposite to Fort St. Louis the little river Peste- 
 kouy found its way into the Illinois, and then doubled 
 back and ran parallel with it for some distance. In the 
 loop thus formed between the two rivers lay a number 
 of wooded knolls, and Tonty's soldier eye had long- 
 taken in this spot as the one which would afford mos"t 
 
433 * THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 shelter and protection to a body of persons encamped 
 there, should the danger of invasion threaten them. 
 
 All these things he quickly pointed out to De Baugis, 
 and the two combined to give orders accordingly. 
 
 Tonty had perforce to take the foremost place, since 
 he was acquainted with the language of the Indians, 
 and was accounted their friend, whilst the new com- 
 mander had contrived to inspire both dislike and dis- 
 trust. There were not lacking those who declared that 
 it was his doing that the Iroquois had come upon them, 
 and that they would not have dared to attack any place 
 defended by the gallant La Salle. Tonty checked these 
 whispers, and taught the people sense as far as he was 
 able ; but he could not inspire them with any respect or 
 confidence in their commander, and they would only 
 look to him and answer to his word. 
 
 " I retire in your favour, sir," said De Baugis, with 
 haughty nonchalance, when he began to realize the true 
 state of affairs. " What was reported in Canada is true. 
 The Sieur de la Salle has made himself a king ; and 
 none save those who rule in his name have a chance 
 with these savages. I leave you to do the best you 
 can. I will have nothing more to do with this mad 
 enterprise ; and so soon as the road is clear again, I 
 will leave you to your subjects, and return whence I 
 have come. The life upon this miserable rock is not fit 
 for a French soldier and gentleman." 
 
 Tonty flushed slightly and drew himself up with a 
 gesture of pride ; but all his reply was, — 
 
THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 439 
 
 " The chevalier is master of his own actions. With 
 them I have no concern. My place is here, where the 
 Sieur de la Salle left me. With the actions of others 
 not under my command I have nothing whatever 
 to do." 
 
 But he was busy enough during all those days of 
 alarm and anticipation. The Indians were scared and 
 unruly, and it needed all his tact and coolness to cope 
 with the situation. Gaspard and Claude were his right- 
 hand men at this juncture, for their long residence with 
 him before amongst the Illinois had o'iven them an influ- 
 ence with Indians that stood them in good stead now. 
 
 Some of the savages were full of warlike ardour, and 
 would do nothing but paint and feather themselves, and 
 indulge in wild dances and the exhibitions of mock 
 fury which seemed to be the necessary preparatory 
 for stirring their courage up to the fighting pitch. 
 These were professedly eager to be led forth against 
 the Iroquois, and were disposed to be indignant and 
 contemptuous when told that attack formed no part of 
 the Frenchmen's scheme ; they were to act only on 
 the defensive ; retiring behind the walls of their fort, 
 or behind the wide flowing river, and awaiting there 
 the advance of the enemy, as to go out and meet them 
 in the woods would be madness, and a needless running 
 into peril. But when the war-fever came upon the 
 warriors, and they had wound themselves up to a frenzy 
 of fury which drowned alike fear and caution, it was 
 difficult to pei^suade them to any sort of prudence and 
 
44o THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 obedience ; and Tonty and his men had hard work to 
 get their excited crew into anything like order. 
 
 A certain number of picked warriors from various 
 tribes were invited to form a part of the garrison of 
 the fort itself. These were all good marksmen, and 
 had guns of their own ; and when once they came 
 under the personal influence of Tonty and his trained 
 band of soldiers, they threw aside their wild excite- 
 ment and became steady and dependable. 
 
 They were perhaps elevated in their own estimation 
 at being thus selected for garrison duty, and in their 
 desire to emulate the white men, they assumed a grave 
 dignity of bearing which was eminently satisfactory to 
 those in command. 
 
 Then came the task of getting all the women and 
 children and old people across the river ; and this was a 
 matter of some difficulty, owing to the terror and ex- 
 citement which prevailed. Every moment some alarm 
 of the approach of the Iroquois arose, and the nervous 
 would scuttle off, like rabbits to their burrows, neces- 
 sitating a fresh collecting and marshalling before the 
 transit could be accomplished. 
 
 Tonty and his assistants showed great good temper 
 and patience under these delays, and as usual, succeeded 
 at last in inspiring confidence and courage. 
 
 After a time the rumours of attack ceased, and all 
 the Indians gave themselves up, heart and soul, to the 
 task of getting themselves and their belongings carried 
 across the river ; and then, feeling themselves for the 
 
THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 441 
 
 moment secure from the invaders, they were eager and 
 willing to intrench themselves according to the orders 
 of Tonty, and throw up in their rapid, clever fashion 
 huts and lodges by the score, so as to present in quite 
 a short time the aspect of a thriving colony. 
 
 The Illinois town, with its numerous population, lay 
 on the other side of the river, though not within the 
 sheltering fork formed by the tributary Pestekouy. 
 This place had been already intrenched and fortified 
 according to certain hints given by Tonty long ago, 
 and was in a tolerable state of defence, provided its 
 inhabitants were not seized with panic. After the 
 Indians had all been carried across — save a body of 
 warriors, who resolved to remain and repel the advance 
 of the enemy — there only remained Fort St. Louis 
 itself upon the left bank of the river ; and as Tonty 
 remarked to his men with a grim smile, they would 
 be wonderful warriors who forced themselves into the 
 fort, in the teeth of the fire which would be poured 
 down upon them. 
 
 The rock was absolutely impregnable on all sides 
 save the landward, and the approach from that was 
 only by a narrow pathway, precipitous and difficult, and 
 now raked by the fire of two field-pieces and many 
 muskets. 
 
 It would take, indeed, a bold company to storm that 
 rock, and for themselves the little garrison had no fears. 
 If the Iroquois directed their attacks upon it alone, all 
 would be well. The trouble would be if they should 
 
442 THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 attempt to build a fleet of canoes beyond gun range, 
 and seek to invade the Indians on the other side of the 
 river. The garrison might thus be forced to quit the 
 shelter of their rock to go to defend their allies, in 
 which case misfortune might befall them. But Tonty 
 had taken care that all the intrenchments should 
 be well within range of his fieldpieces, and therefore 
 any attack made upon these could be answered by a 
 smart cannonading from the fort ; and it was not prob- 
 able that the naked Iroquois warriors would care to sub- 
 mit long to the tearing of shot and shell among their 
 defenceless bodies. 
 
 Three days wore away, and the Indians worked with 
 a will at their ditches and mounds. The work pro- 
 gressed amain, and no sign had as yet been seen of the 
 approaching foe. 
 
 Night fell, and the warriors upon this left bank lit 
 their fires, and danced and shouted round them like so 
 many maniacs, waking the echoes of the forest, and 
 drowning all other sounds which might perhaps tell of 
 the stealthy approach of some foe. 
 
 Tonty, for whom there was no sleep that night, stood 
 with Gaspard beside him looking over the ramparts, and 
 gazing with a sort of pitiful contempt upon those dancing 
 painted figures just below. 
 
 " I wish they had crossed the river like the rest. 
 They have maddened themselves with their singing 
 and dancing ; but they will be no match for the Iroquois 
 when the day of battle comes. If they would but seek 
 
THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 443 
 
 shelter behind the palisade of the fort, we could make 
 shift to give them standing room there ; but nothing 
 will serve them save to go forth hand to hand against 
 the foe. I fear they will pay for their temerity with 
 their lives. But when the war-fever seizes hold upon the 
 young warriors, argument and entreaty are alike useless." 
 
 " I wish they would not make such a hideous clamour," 
 answered Gaspard, who was gazing intently out over 
 the forest. " Methought I saw a light over yonder not 
 long since ; but it flickered only a short while and went 
 out, or it has been swallowed up in the glare of these 
 nearer fires. I have a feeling that the Iroquois are 
 creeping, creeping very near us. They are wily as well 
 as savage foes ; and they know that they have white 
 men to deal with now. Doubtless they will use all 
 caution, and strive to take us unawares." 
 
 " They will not do that," answered Tonty, with a slight, 
 grim smile. " But they may fall unawares upon yon 
 shouting crowd beneath. Where is Swanalulu ? Canst 
 thou not send him thither to speak sense and seek to 
 quiet them. I would not have them throw away their 
 lives ; and they are more like madmen than warriors 
 now." 
 
 " Swanalulu crept to the forest at dusk to see if he 
 could discover any traces of the approach of the Iro- 
 quois," answered Gaspard. " I am on the watch for his 
 return every moment. I think he is too cunning and 
 astute to fall into the hands of the enemy; but woe 
 betide him if he do ! " 
 
444 THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 A few moments later and the youth pointed to some 
 object dimly discerned by him, which at first Tonty's 
 eyes could not distinguish, and he exclaimed excitedly,- — 
 
 " It is Swanalulu returning ! I am sure of it ! And 
 see ! he goes to the camp ; he is speaking to the warriors ! 
 Their singing dies suddenly down ; they stand quiet and 
 crowd round him. Now they are seizing their weapons, 
 and trampling out their fires ! That can mean but one 
 thing — the Iroquois are close at hand ! " 
 
 The next minute the dusky figure of the stalwart 
 Indian was seen running; with the ease of lono; famili- 
 arity up the steep and rugged path, answering the 
 challenge of the sentry as he did so. In another mo- 
 ment he had leaped the palisade without pausing for 
 the gate to be opened, and was standing before Gaspard 
 and Tonty. 
 
 " They are close at hand ! They are stealing like 
 wild cats through the forest ; they mean to fall upon 
 us unawares, and take the fort by sunrise. I crept 
 into the tree-tops overhead, and listened whilst some of 
 the chiefs conferred together. They know but little of 
 our strength and our plans ; but they know that 
 there is a white man's fortress here in the wilderness ; 
 and that fortress they have vowed to take and demolish, 
 so that they can then fall upon their Indian rivals and 
 slaughter them at their leisure. It is Fort St. Louis 
 which will be the mark for attack. They cannot believe 
 that a handful of men can hold out against their thou- 
 sands of bold warriors. They are pledged to the anni- 
 
THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 445 
 
 hilation of the fort. Methinks they have even received 
 bribes and presents from other white men. They spoke 
 of the riches and glory that would now in to them if 
 they succeeded ; yet I scarce think they expected to 
 take a rich spoil here in the wilderness." 
 
 Tonty's lips set themselves into firm lines, and Gas- 
 parcl exclaimed in hot indignation, — 
 
 " Now, is it not a shame that here in this wilderness 
 white man should league with treacherous and blood- 
 thirsty Indian against his own white brother ? Surely 
 so evil a scheme must come to naught. Surely the God 
 of heaven and earth will look down and give us the 
 victory." 
 
 " And whither go our friendly warriors?" asked Tonty 
 of Swanalulu. " You have given them warning of the 
 approach of the foe ? " 
 
 " Yes, and they vow they will go forward and fall 
 upon them suddenly, and put them to the rout. I have 
 cautioned them to use all care ; but their hearts are 
 hot with fury, and go they will." 
 
 Tonty slightly shook his head. 
 
 " They are maddened and blind. I can say no more. 
 They must go their own way. Gaspard, go rouse the 
 garrison. Bid every man to his post. The dawn will 
 break ere many hours have passed, and the Iroquois 
 may be upon us any moment." 
 
 In a few short minutes the fort was alive with 
 human forms. There was almost no noise, silence being 
 strictly enjoined; but it was known that the enemy 
 
446 , THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 was close at hand, and the hearts of all beat high with 
 anticipation and the excitement of coming battle. 
 
 Well did every man amongst them know that upon 
 the saving of Fort St. Louis hung the whole fate of the 
 promising little colony, and their own lives to boot. If 
 once the fierce and cruel Iroquois succeeded, through 
 sheer force of numbers, in forcing the palisade and 
 capturing the fort, then nothing but a hideous death 
 lay before every white man there ; a war almost of 
 extermination would follow, waged with the western 
 tribes ; and the notable scheme of La Salle for the 
 colonization of the great West would become nothing 
 but an idle dream. 
 
 Suddenly the silence of the night was broken by a 
 hideous din — yells, shrieks, war-whoops, the whizz of 
 arrows, the sound of ringing blows, and all that frantic 
 furious clamour that bespoke an Indian battle. 
 
 " The warriors have met the Iroquois in the forest," 
 exclaimed Tonty in a low voice. " The fight has already 
 begun. I fear me our allies will be cut clown and hewn 
 in pieces ere an hour has passed." 
 
 " Captain, let me forth ! " cried Gaspard, with sudden 
 eagerness. " Send me to their aid with a few picked 
 men who can handle guns. We cannot let our allies 
 bear all the onset, and stand at ease and idle behind 
 our entrenchments. Let us go to them. Bid me lead 
 forth a small band. We need not go far. They are 
 but in the fringe of the forest yonder ; and our guns 
 will cover our retreat if we are borne back." 
 
THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 447 
 
 Tonty hesitated a moment. He needed all his re- 
 sources within the walls ; and Gaspard was dear to 
 him, and too good a man to lose. But these warriors 
 were in very truth their allies and friends. If they 
 were rash and disobedient, that was their untrained 
 savage nature, and could not be regarded as a crime. 
 To let them be cut to pieces almost in sight, and send 
 no force out to their aid, was scarce to act as a worthy 
 ally. In days to come the Indians might think of 
 this, and seeds of distrust might be sown. After hastily 
 reviewing the situation for a few minutes, the captain 
 gave reply, — - 
 
 " Go then ; but use all discretion. Stand firm, and 
 depend on your guns. Come not at close quarters ; and 
 if the onrush be heavy, retire in order, till we can 
 protect you with the guns. Go, but be not rash. We 
 have no lives to throw away. I trust you, Gaspard 
 Dautray, so remember this." 
 
 Gaspard made a sign of assent. He was not likely 
 to forget. In another minute the palisade gate was 
 thrown open, and he was marching forth at the head 
 of a little compact band, seven of whom were white 
 men, and the rest Indians armed and clad after European 
 fashion, and looking as steady and well disciplined. 
 
 Gaspard knew every inch of the country, and could 
 judge exactly where the fight was raging. He defiled 
 his men carefully and noiselessly down the path, then 
 deflected his line a little, and brought them up towards 
 a woody knoll which he judged would overlook the 
 
448 , THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 scene of the struggle, whilst giving them shelter from 
 the enemy. 
 
 " The lad is a born soldier ! " exclaimed Tonty, who 
 from the ramparts was watching the manoeuvre. " He 
 could not have taken a better line." 
 
 And then he went amongst the gunners, directing 
 them how to place their guns so as to cover the path 
 which the little band would most likely have to take, 
 when forced to fall back and make for the fort, should 
 the Iroquois warriors charge them. 
 
 The pale light of the dawn was just beginning to 
 illumine the sky as Gaspard led his men cautiously 
 up the knoll, and came in sight of the fierce fight 
 raging between the rival tribes. It was easy to distin- 
 guish friend from foe, for the Iroquois, from their long 
 march, had been unable to adorn themselves with the 
 paint and feathers that the Indian warrior loves when 
 about to meet his foe. 
 
 " Steady, men," said Gaspare!, kneeling down, and 
 taking a careful aim. " Mark every one his man. Let 
 every shot tell. Fire a volley, load quickly, then fire 
 once more. After that, stand up ready for the word 
 of command. If they charge us, we must fall back 
 • — but always in order. Once free from the forest 
 belt, and our guns will cover our retreat. We must 
 rally our friends about us, and show a bold front, fire 
 steadily as we go, and get all safely back within the 
 fort." 
 
 The next moment the wood was ablaze with a line 
 
THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 449 
 
 of fire, as the little company let fly their bullets into 
 the midst of the advancing and triumphant Iroquois. 
 
 A yell of fury, pain, and terror instantly arose, and 
 it had not died away before a second volley poured 
 in upon the close ranks of the assailants, whilst the 
 bold warriors who had advanced to repel them, and 
 were being overmatched on all sides, knew now that 
 their allies had come to their aid, and sought to join 
 them, uttering shouts of triumph and joy. 
 
 " Steady, men, steady ! " said Gaspard once again, as 
 this rush of their own friends almost scattered and over- 
 whelmed them. " Rise and fire once again. Then fall 
 in and march towards the fort. They will be upon 
 us in a minute. Stand firm and give them a volley ; 
 then back-march as quickly as you can." 
 
 The Iroquois, taken aback for a moment, and thrown 
 into temporary confusion by the fall of one of their 
 most notable chiefs, had now rallied and gone after 
 their retreating Indian foes in a wild, blind charge. 
 It was well that Gaspard's nerve was good, and that 
 his little band was able to stand steady ; for it was 
 a terrible sight to see these furious Indians coming on 
 in a compact mass, brandishing their weapons, uttering 
 savage shouts and yells, and bent upon an indiscriminate 
 slaughter. 
 
 " Fire ! " said Gaspard, giving the word in firm tones, 
 and the next moment the volley rang out. It met the 
 oncoming rush, and the leading men dropped by the 
 score. For a minute the remainder wavered and re- 
 
 (574) 29 
 
45o THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 coiled, and during that minute Gaspard got his men out 
 from behind the thicket into the open space, cleared pur- 
 posely long since, around the fort ; and ere the leading 
 ranks of the Iroquois could form up and rush upon 
 them, a booming overhead told that a cannon shot was 
 hurtling through the air, and next moment a wild 
 shriek from the assailants showed that it had found 
 its mark amongst them. 
 
 " Back to the fort, men ; keep rank, but quick 
 march ! " ordered Gaspard, himself keeping in the rear, 
 and nearest to the Iroquois, and directing his men with 
 the coolness and steadiness of one long habituated to peril. 
 
 The Iroquois saw and understood the intention of their 
 foe, and made a rapid and vigorous onslaught, seeking 
 to cut them off from their place of safety. For one 
 moment it seemed as though nothing could stop their 
 rush, neither the steady fire from Gaspard's band, nor 
 the hurtling cannon shot roaring from the fort. Gasp- 
 ard found himself surrounded by furious, threatening 
 faces. Voices yelled in his ear, and hands were 
 stretched out to clutch at him and drag him from his 
 followers. He well knew that only the desire of cap- 
 turing him alive saved him from the fatal blow of the 
 tomahawks that were being brandished all around. 
 " Could anything save him ? " he asked of himself, 
 whilst still seeking to retire towards his men, but 
 finding himself hemmed in by a ring of fierce faces. 
 
 Suddenly there was a sense of fresh pressure, a 
 yelling and a firing so furious and so well directed that 
 
THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 451 
 
 the warriors about him suddenly dropped away one 
 after the other, and the clasp of the detaining hand 
 upon his limbs unbent. Gaspard wrenched himself free 
 with a violent effort, and sprang back towards his own 
 men, who had charged furiously clown the hill again to 
 his rescue. 
 
 From the fort there resounded a perfect voile}?" of 
 musket and cannon shot. The Iroquois wavered and 
 their lines broke. Next minute Gaspard was carried 
 through the gate of the fort, breathless, bleeding, dazed, 
 and only half conscious, to be received with open arms 
 by Tonty himself, who exclaimed with unwonted en- 
 thusiasm, — 
 
 " Well done ! well done, gallant Gaspard ! Our great 
 commander, La Salle himself, could not have achieved 
 a more brilliant success. Our friends are gathered in 
 and rescued from peril. Our foes have received a check 
 which has discomfited and alarmed them, and we have 
 not lost a man. Well done ! well done, good youth ! If 
 all had thy spirit and courage, w r e should have no fears 
 for the result of this campaign." 
 
 For the moment the enemy were discomfited, and 
 retired to the forest to recruit their numbers and to 
 decide upon their next step. For the whole of that 
 day they remained hidden amongst the trees, and Tonty 
 permitted no one to leave the fort. 
 
 At dawn of the following day a concerted and 
 furious attack was made upon Fort St. Louis, and the 
 resources of the o-arrison were taxed to the uttermost 
 
452 " THE DREAD IROQUOIS. 
 
 to repel it ; for although the Indians had few guns, and 
 were driven back and cut to pieces in a terrible way by 
 the well-directed fire of the garrison, yet their numbers 
 were so enormous, and their courage so ferocious, 
 that they swarmed up the path despite the volleys 
 poured into their ranks, and seemed at times as though 
 they would carry the palisade and force their way into 
 the fort through sheer weight. 
 
 It was a gallant display of courage on both sides ; 
 and within the fort great anxiety reigned. The 
 garrison's loss was not heavy, owing to their defences ; 
 but the constant watchfulness required both by day and 
 night made their duty very heavy. 
 
 For six long, weary days and nights did the siege 
 and assault last, and De Baugis was reduced to despair ; 
 even the courageous Tonty sometimes felt as though 
 the overpowering weight of numbers must tell at last. 
 
 But upon the seventh day it seemed as though the 
 power and perseverance of the enemy were exhausted. 
 No sign was heard from the forest ; and after a whole 
 day of silence, scouts were sent forth, and returned 
 with the news that the Iroquois were in retreat to 
 their own country. 
 
 They had had enough of European warfare. They 
 had been decimated by French guns. They would 
 henceforward, it might be hoped, leave the western 
 tribes and their alliance in peace. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 GASPAKD! Claude! Now what means this? 
 What spirits of the air have told you, that ye 
 come like ghosts or like dreams, just when we have 
 said, ' Oh, if Gaspare! were but here ' ? " 
 
 " Nay now, good Louis, but what means this con- 
 fusion and dismay in the Home of Peace ? And what 
 manner of greeting is this with which you meet us 
 after our long absence ? " 
 
 Louis Dautray, now a fine-looking man, and the 
 acknowledged civil head of this little southern colony, 
 looked from face to face, and put up his hand as though 
 bewildered and confused. 
 
 " You have heard naught, then ? Nay, but how 
 should you, seeing we have but just known it ourselves. 
 But what has brought you thus suddenly to our 
 valley ? " 
 
 " That will we explain anon. It is a long tale we 
 have to tell. But what is the reason of thy wild 
 looks ? Why doth Ruvanni stand aside with white 
 cheeks, and never a greeting for us ? What has hap- 
 pened ? Are we ghosts, that ye are terrified at the 
 
454 * LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 sight of us ? Where is Mary ? where is Father Fritz ? 
 Methinks they will have a warmer welcome for us. 
 Speak, good cousin, what aileth thee ? " 
 
 Ruvanni, who had stood mute all this while, gazing 
 at Gaspard as one half distraught, suddenly rushed 
 towards him and fell upon her knees at his feet, grasp- 
 ing his hand and crying out wildly, — 
 
 " Oh, Heaven be praised that thou art here ! Thou 
 wilt find her ! Thou wilt save her ! I said, when first 
 the terrible thing was made known to us, ' Alack, if 
 Gaspard were but here, all would be well ! ' and lo, 
 Heaven has sent thee as if at our call." 
 
 Gaspard's face suddenly paled. He grasped Ruvanni 
 by the hand and drew her to her feet. His own 
 bronzed face had caught the anxious fear of hers. 
 
 " What dost thou speak of, Ruvanni ? Tell me ! 
 What has befallen ? Where is Mary ? " 
 
 She covered her face with her hands. 
 
 " Alack ! alack ! " she wailed, " that is what we are 
 all asking to-day. Where is Mary ? Where is the 
 sweet Mayflower ? And what can we say to whom the 
 care of her was entrusted ? Where is she ? Where is 
 she ? Alas, none knows, none can say ! " 
 
 Gaspard's lips were very white as he turned suddenly 
 upon Louis, and demanded with a flash in his eye, — 
 
 " Tell me plainly the meaning of all this. I cannot 
 bear suspense. Something has happened to Mary. 
 What is it ? Hide nothing from me. I can bear every- 
 thing save ignorance." 
 
LOST AND FOUND. 455 
 
 " I will tell all I know," answered Louis ; " indeed, 
 I desire nothing better. Thou knowest that Mary is 
 an angel of mercy in this place, not only to the sick 
 amongst ourselves, but also if our Indian neighbours be 
 smitten. When fever or ague or any other ill smites 
 them, they send at once for Father Fritz, and where he 
 goes, Mary almost always goes with him. She has 
 become wellnigh as notable a leech as he, and for the 
 tending and nursing of the sick there is none like her. 
 It chanced that a week ago Father Fritz started to visit 
 some of his scattered converts, who dwell hither and 
 thither in these southern lands. Three days ago, in his 
 absence, there came a message from our friends, a com- 
 pany of Kappa Indians, with whom Mary has often 
 lived awhile, and who are singularly gentle and kind, 
 to say that illness had broken out amongst them, and 
 that they needed medicine for it. Mary at once said 
 she would go, and I took her myself, thinking no ill. 
 It is but over yonder, a mile away ; you can see the 
 smoke of their camp from yonder knoll. She had been 
 many times before. They loved her, and she loved 
 them, and was safe amongst them." 
 
 Gaspard drew a long breath. 
 
 " Where is she now ? " he asked, hoarsely. 
 
 " Would that I knew," answered Louis. " I left her 
 there after passing one night amongst them myself. It 
 was but yesterday. Just one short hour ago a message 
 came from them asking if Mary would not return to 
 them, as the sick were asking pitifully for her. We 
 
456 * LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 answered in amaze that she had never left them, that 
 she was still there. But the messengers shook their 
 heads, and answered that she had returned here in the 
 evening, promising to come again the following day." 
 
 " And she had not come ? " 
 
 " Alas ! no," answered Ruvanni ; " we have seen 
 nought of her." 
 
 Louis took up the thread of his narrative and 
 answered, — 
 
 " It is even as Ruvanni has said ; she has not been 
 here. When questioned, the messengers told this tale. 
 Yestere'en she went forth into the meadows to seek for 
 some herbs she wanted. Night fell and she came not 
 back ; but just at dark there came a message, brought 
 by an Indian— a stranger to the Kappas — to say that 
 Mary had been obliged to return hither in search of the 
 remedies she needed, but that after passing the night in 
 her own home, she would return upon the morrow to 
 her sick patients in the Indian village. This message 
 they received in good faith, and thought nothing of her 
 absence till noon to-day. Then, since she had not come, 
 they sent and asked for her, and thus it has come to 
 our knowledge that since eventide last night she has 
 vanished from our ken, no man knows whither." 
 
 Gaspard smote the palms of his hands together. 
 
 " I know," he cried ; " it is even what she once told 
 me. The treacherous Quinipissas have stolen her away. 
 Did she not speak of her fear of this ? They have 
 waited, and watched, and bided their time ; and now in 
 
LOST AND FOUND. 457 
 
 the absence of Father Fritz, whom they half fear and 
 half love, they have done this evil thing. But they 
 shall not succeed in their purpose. Mary is my be- 
 trothed wife, and I will save her from them." 
 
 Louis and his wife exchanged quick glances. 
 
 "Is it so, indeed ? It might be, truly. A year ago 
 I should have said the same, but of late we have 
 seen and heard nothing of the Quinipissas ; they have 
 troubled us not a whit. We thought they had forgotten 
 their desire ; even Mary herself had ceased to fear 
 them. We had heard a rumour that their sun-prince 
 had found him a bride." 
 
 " That might but be a ruse to deceive you, and lull 
 her into a false security," cried Gaspard. " That lying- 
 message brought by an unknown Indian tells a tale of 
 treachery. I am certain that she has been carried off; 
 let us lose not a moment, but follow after her. She is 
 no coward, my fair and faithful Mary. She will prove 
 no easy victim, even though they have her in their 
 hands. And ere they have ceased to seek to win her 
 by guile, and have resorted, to the harsher method of 
 force, we shall have come up with them, and have 
 wrested her from their power ; or, at least, if it is not 
 Heaven's will that I should save her, we can but die 
 too-ether." 
 
 " Nay, talk not of dying," cried Louis ; " we will stand 
 by you, and we will win back your bride for you. 
 But you must eat and drink, and rest a brief while ere 
 we start forth again ; for I shall muster the men, and 
 
458 . LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 we need to lay up provision for the way. No enterprise 
 is well done that is not well begun, and the Quinipissas 
 are an indolent and idle race. They will not hurry 
 along with their prize as would the warlike tribes of 
 the north. Be advised by me, good Gaspard ; we shall 
 rescue her yet, if indeed thy surmise be right, which now 
 I truly believe." 
 
 Gaspard could scarce endure the delay of an hour, 
 but he knew that Louis was right ; and, indeed, both 
 he and his brother stood in need of rest and refresh- 
 ment, though he could hardly be persuaded of it. 
 
 Ruvanni set food before them, and whilst she served 
 them, she asked eagerly of La Salle, of Tonty, of the 
 great enterprise to which they were pledged. It was 
 now nearly two years since the former had visited 
 them, and they hoped by this time to have received 
 news of some new success on his part, but nothing 
 save vague and shadowy rumours had reached them, 
 and eagerly did they desire tidings from the north. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude had but little news to give. 
 La Salle was still away. He had sailed for France, 
 but had not yet returned. From Canada came 
 vague rumours that he had been favourably received, 
 that the governor La Barre had been reprimanded by 
 the king, and that La Salle was preparing a fresh 
 company, and was coming west again with new and 
 increased powers. 
 
 " It is this rumour which brings us here," said 
 Gaspard, in telling his tale. " All men think that the 
 
LOST AND FOUND. 459 
 
 commander will this time avoid Canada and his enemies 
 there, and will land at the river's mouth, and so work 
 upwards. Captain Tonty has reckoned that he may be 
 expected perhaps this year, albeit it may not be till 
 next : there is no knowing what delays may arise in 
 the fitting out of such an enterprise. But be that as it 
 may, he has desired that we come down south to await 
 his return in these latitudes." 
 
 Ruvanni clasped her hands together in token of 
 delight. 
 
 " Nay, but that is welcome news. Then thou wilt 
 make a home with us till the commander returns ? " 
 
 " If you will have us," answered Gaspard, looking 
 with a smile into Ruvanni's eager face. " It is our 
 noble captain's wish that, since at Fort St. Louis all is 
 quiet, and seems likely to remain quiet, and since the 
 harassing by foes both within and without has ceased, 
 we should be on the watch for the expedition nearer to 
 the river's mouth ; and so soon as we receive news of 
 its approach, we shall send prompt word to him of its 
 arrival, and he will hasten down with all speed to greet 
 our commander in person. But, till he is known to be 
 in the country, the captain feels it not compatible with 
 duty and obedience to leave his rocky stronghold." 
 
 At that moment Louis reappeared, having given his 
 orders, and being all eagerness to learn something of his 
 cousins' story. 
 
 The existence of the far-away colony of St. Louis 
 was known to the inhabitants of the Home of Peace, 
 
460 LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 for Father Fritz had made the journey thither during 
 the last summer, shortly after the final departure (in 
 deep disgust at the whole thing) of De Baugis and his 
 men. He had brought word south of the thriving 
 nature of the little community, and had it not been for 
 the immense distance which separated the two colonies, 
 there would have been regular communication kept up. 
 As it was, only very vague rumours, passed from mouth 
 to mouth by the Indians, led them to believe that each 
 of them was flourishing and at peace. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude had not much to add to the 
 story heard by Father Fritz upon his visit the previous 
 summer. Since the rout of the Iroquois, and the 
 departure of De Baugis, life had flowed on peacefully 
 enough around the lonely rock. The Indians, relieved 
 from their terrors, and more and more convinced that 
 the French were their bulwark of defence, had collected 
 in considerable numbers around the rock, and had grown 
 increasingly friendly and contented beneath Tonty's 
 genial rule. They even showed no impatience or dis- 
 trust at La Salle's long absence. They were at peace 
 with one another, and relieved from pressing cares ; and 
 so long as they had food to eat, and a certain amount of 
 brandy to drink, and were appeased from time to time 
 by a small present of cloth, or beads, or knives, they 
 appeared in no way disposed to depart from their 
 present quarters. 
 
 Since the rumour of La Salle's kindly reception at 
 the French court had been brought to Canada, nobody 
 
LOST AND FOUND. 461 
 
 had sought to molest his little colony. The traders 
 sent with furs were permitted to return with the need- 
 ful goods for the community ; and though at present 
 Tonty contented himself with small undertakings, he 
 was laying by a goodly store of furs, ready to load a 
 vessel for France so soon as La Salle should bring it up 
 the river for that purpose. 
 
 Louis also told his cousins that their stores had grown 
 mightily during these past two years. Let La Salle 
 and his vessels appear, and he would find an immediate 
 reward for his long and patient toil. 
 
 All these things were hastily discussed whilst the 
 repast was being eaten. Gaspard could scarce give his 
 attention even to such interesting themes as these, he 
 was in such a fever to set off in search of his missing 
 love. 
 
 " Rest assured they will show her no violence," said 
 Louis to him, as they prepared to march to their canoes 
 — the best method of travelling towards the city where 
 the chieftain lived who was known to desire Mary as 
 his son's wife. " They are not a cruel race, and, more- 
 over, the maiden is destined as the bride of the chief's 
 son, himself a being they regard as half divine. They 
 will treat her with all reverence and care ; but it must 
 be our part, if possible, to discover where they take her 
 when they reach the camp, and to meet guile by guile 
 when we have the old chief to deal with, for he is as 
 crafty as a fox." 
 
 The river was reached, and there was Swanalulu 
 
462 LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 mending the canoe which had brought down Gaspard 
 and Claude from the rock of St. Louis to the Home of 
 Peace. He was at once told what had happened to 
 Mary, and was as full of eagerness as any of the party 
 to follow and rescue her. Many plans were talked 
 over between the cousins as they rapidly descended the 
 river, but Gaspard's was the one at length adopted. 
 
 " Listen," he said, after a good many projects had 
 been discussed, " if you will take my advice you will 
 breathe no word of the missing maiden when you reach 
 the town. Let the old fox guess what he will, your 
 pretext shall be something altogether different." 
 
 " What shall it be, then ? " asked Louis. 
 
 " You will tell him that it has come to -your ears 
 that La Salle is preparing, and may actually have 
 started upon a voyage from France to the mouth of the 
 Mississippi. None know how soon his sails may be 
 sighted off the coast. Go to him for news of this ; ask 
 him if he has heard or seen aught of it. Seem to be 
 occupied altogether with a matter of much greater 
 import than the loss of one maiden from the colony. 
 Take up his time with councils and discussions as to 
 how La Salle shall be received ; that will give me time 
 to carry out my project, and methinks I may even find 
 and rescue the maiden whilst the old fox is being 
 cajoled and cozened in the heart of his city." 
 
 " Then you come not with us yourself ? " 
 
 " Not to the city. I will not show my face there. 
 It mio;ht be known to some that I was the maiden's 
 
LOST AND FOUND. 463 
 
 lover, and that would ruin all. Methinks the party 
 that have taken her are travelling by land. We have 
 asked all along the river's banks, and none have seen 
 any canoe pass by. Probably they feared to meet 
 Father Fritz, or some other friendly Indians to whom she 
 might have cried for help, and have chosen the forest 
 tracks as offering more security. If this be so we shall 
 arrive first at the town, and whilst you engross the 
 chief in parley, Claude and I, with faithful Swanalulu, 
 will play our part warily and well. How we shall act 
 remains to be seen ; much depends on the temper of the 
 people, and what we find awaiting us. But never feai? 
 for us ; we have lived amongst Indians too long to be 
 in doubt or danger. Only let our lurking near at 
 hand be hidden from the chief, we will contrive the 
 rest." 
 
 Louis looked thoughtfully at his companions. 
 
 " I will do all I can. Of late the old chief and all 
 the Quinipissas have been much more friendly than of 
 old ; I trust them not altogether, but they plainly seek 
 rather to be our friends than our foes. It is possible 
 that the old fox will seek to arrange with me for the 
 marriage of his son with our Mayflower. He may 
 suggest it as the basis of an alliance with us and with 
 La Salle. I would that we had Father Fritz with us 
 to counsel us in this difficulty. If he should speak 
 thus to me, how shall I answer him ? " 
 
 " Father Fritz would always bid us speak the plain 
 truth," put in Claude, with sudden earnestness ; " of that 
 
464 . LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 I am very sure. Were he here with me, methinks he 
 would walk straight to the lodge of the chief, tell him 
 why and wherefore we had come, and bid him restore 
 the maiden to us." 
 
 " Ay, truly," cried Louis, fired with sudden enthusiasm, 
 " that is what he would do ; and his eyes would glow 
 with a holy fire, as he would show to the old chieftain 
 the evil he thought to do, and he would tell them how 
 the God who is the God of light, and the Creator of the 
 sun they worship, has no dealings with deeds of dark- 
 ness, and abhors all who do that which is evil in His 
 holy sight. That is how he would deal with him, 
 even as he deals with all who cross his path. He 
 speaks the truth from his heart, and the Indians them- 
 selves know it and fear, whilst they love and almost 
 worship him. He has spoken the truth when to do so 
 seemed as though it must mean instant death, and we 
 who have heard him have shrunk back in fear and 
 amazement. But in very truth the Lord watches over 
 the footsteps of such a man, and His angels guard him 
 in all his ways. But for the rest of us, what must we 
 do ? Can we hope to be guided and guarded even as 
 he is ? " 
 
 " We can, and we will ! " suddenly cried Gaspard, and 
 Claude's face lighted with eager fire. " Let us put 
 aside all cunning and all crooked dealing ; let us go 
 boldly forward and act even as Father Fritz would have 
 us to do ; let us be without fear and without reproach 
 in this matter. Mary herself would be first to say so. 
 
LOST AND FOUND. 465 
 
 Let us not .stoop to any crooked and unworthy methods 
 in bringing her back." 
 
 Louis sat awhile in silent thought. He had seen 
 again and again how Father Fritz's fearless methods 
 had triumphed over perils and difficulties in their deal- 
 ings with the Indians, and he had not lived beneath his 
 spiritual fathership all these years for nothing. He 
 lacked the power, the intense living faith, and wonder- 
 ful spiritual discernment which made Father Fritz such 
 a giant among men, but he was a man of much piety, 
 earnestness, and zeal ; and though he had often met 
 subtlety by subtlety and craft by craft, he had come to 
 believe and respect the higher and nobler methods, and 
 to desire to follow after them whenever he could. 
 
 " Father Fritz never thinks of results," said Claude, 
 musingly ; " he says that these do not rest with us. 
 What we have to do is to obey the law of Christ in 
 every detail, in childlike simplicity, without thinking 
 what will come of it. That is the Lord's part of the 
 work ; He will bring results to pass. All we have to do 
 is to obey." 
 
 Thus they talked together, seeking to lay aside all 
 thoughts of guile and craft, and to do what was 
 right and honest in the sight of God. And as they 
 spoke of these things earnestly and hopefully, Claude 
 suddenly broke out in a cry of rapture, — 
 
 " There he is ! there he is ! " 
 
 " And Mary with him ! " shouted Gaspare! , giving 
 such a bound as almost overturned the canoe. 
 
 (574) 30 
 
4 66 LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 It was growing dusk. All eyes were strained in the 
 direction indicated by the eager gaze of Claude and 
 Gaspard. The brothers were driving their frail bark 
 ashore with all the strength of their strong arms. 
 There upon the strand walked two figures side by side, 
 one clad in the long brown habit which was Father 
 Fritz's invariable dress ; the other a light female figure, 
 hooded and cloaked, whose form and features could 
 only have been discovered by a lover's eyes. The 
 pair were pacing side by side along the river's bank, 
 and in another moment Gaspard had leaped ashore, and 
 was racing towards them, crying out between his gasp- 
 ing breaths, — 
 
 " Mary ! Mary ! My Mayflower ! my sweetheart ! " 
 
 The two figures on the bank stopped suddenly — 
 stopped short as if in amazement. Then there came 
 a cry of startled rapture, and Mary darted forward and 
 flung herself into her lover's arms. 
 
 What a commotion of glad voices surrounded them 
 the next minute, as the party disembarked and came 
 crowding up ! Claude was on his knees beside Father 
 Fritz, embracing his hands and asking his blessing, tears 
 of joy and emotion running down his cheeks as he did 
 so. The father lifted him up and embraced him 
 tenderly, and then asked with great interest and affec- 
 tion of their well-being, and of their sudden appearance 
 here. 
 
 It was long before the succession of rapid exclama- 
 tions and eager hurried questions came to an end, and 
 
LOST AND FOUND. 467 
 
 meantime the Indians had dragged up the canoes, made 
 a great fire, and prepared, provisions for the hungry 
 travellers. 
 
 Mary and Gaspard were still clinging together as 
 though they would never be able to let go their hold. 
 Mary had been weeping on his shoulder in the plenitude 
 of her joy and relief, and had been able to answer none 
 of his torrent of eager questions. Only when Father 
 Fritz drew her towards him, and bid her sit down 
 between himself and Gaspard and compose herself, and 
 join in giving thanks for this wonderful meeting in the 
 wilderness, was she able to subdue her deep-drawn sobs 
 of excitement and emotion ; and even then it was 
 Father Fritz who had to give the account of his meet- 
 ing with her, and her rescue from the Quinipissas. 
 
 It seems that the father had changed the course of 
 his round of visits, owing to his having received 
 information that some amongst his Quinipissa con- 
 verts were in rather urgent need of his ministrations. 
 He had therefore turned aside and visited them, and 
 whilst he was there he had heard a rumour which 
 caused him some anxiety, and made him send out a 
 faithful Indian to inquire and bring him word again. 
 The man returned with a confirmation of the story. 
 Indeed, it seemed certain that an attempt had been 
 made to carry off Mary, and Father Fritz, having learned 
 what road the party was likely to take on the home- 
 ward journey, had quietly waited its return, and had 
 then, with his own peculiar fearlessness and authority, 
 
468 . LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 gone into the midst of the escort, demanded the release 
 of the maiden, and carried her away from them simply 
 by the force of that spiritual and moral power which 
 he possessed over the natives of the whole district. 
 
 He did not say this. His story was perfectly calm 
 and quiet ; to listen to it one might suppose that it 
 was no strange thing which he had done single-handed 
 against a dozen trusted followers of a o-reat chief. But 
 Mary, nestling up to Gaspard's side in the gathering 
 darkness, whispered in his ear, — 
 
 " my beloved, what shall I liken him to ? It was 
 as though an angel of God suddenly stood amongst us. 
 The men were very angry at being interrupted ; they 
 crowded about him with their gleaming weapons ; their 
 faces were full of anger and fury. He was quite 
 unarmed ; you know he never carries aught with him 
 save the staff in his hand. He looked at them with 
 those quiet, fearless, tender blue eyes of his, and he 
 said, — 
 
 " ' My children, you know that you are doing what is 
 wrong. You dared not do such an act in the light of 
 day, because it was evil, and your sun-god you thought 
 would have seen you. You do it in the night ; but the 
 great God who made your sun-god can see you by 
 night as well as by day.' 
 
 " And he spoke to them so beautifully, so clearly, 
 so tenderly, and yet so scathingly, that they stood 
 ashamed and abashed before him. And then he came 
 and loosed the bonds that bound me ; they had been 
 
LOST AND FOUND. 469 
 
 kind, but they had bound my hands so that I could not 
 use them freely. And it seemed as though some spell 
 had fallen upon them, for none moved to lay hands 
 upon him. 
 
 " ' Go, tell your chief what has happened. Tell him 
 that after I have taken the maiden home, I shall come 
 and see him, and talk with him on this very matter. 
 Fear not ; he is my friend, he will not hurt you.' And 
 so they let us go our way, and they went on their own 
 way themselves. And oh, it is so wonderful what Father 
 Fritz can do ! Was ever any man like him before ? " 
 
 Louis was telling the father all that had happened 
 since he left, and how Mary had been stolen away more 
 than twelve hours before any one had an idea of it. 
 Then he spoke of the sudden arrival of the two brothers, 
 of their hasty journey in search of the lost maiden, 
 and of their resolve at the last to do nothing unworthy 
 of that perfect honesty and truthfulness which he had 
 striven to inculcate in all his children. 
 
 Father Fritz listened in silence, and a sweet and 
 tender look came into his eyes as he heard the tale, and 
 saw the expressive faces bent upon him in the firelight. 
 
 " My children," he said at the close, very gravely and 
 sweetly, " I am happy in thinking that you have thus 
 judged, thus resolved ; for it makes me sure that your 
 hearts are in earnest, and that they are set upon things 
 above, rather than on those beneath. For all who are 
 truly looking and longing for the coming of the Lord 
 there can only be one great object in life, and that is to 
 
470 LOST AND FOUND. 
 
 be found ' His at His coming.' And how can this be if 
 we are tampering with His truth, fighting with the 
 devil's weapons, stooping to unholy and unworthy- 
 actions, and imitating those who through ignorance or 
 hardness of heart have no such hope as ours, and would 
 mock at us if we sought to tell them of it. Let us 
 never stoop to do any act from which we should shrink 
 back with a guilty sense were we to hear the trump of 
 the archangel sounding through the heavens, and know 
 that the day of the Lord had come." 
 
 That night the little party slept in peace and security 
 in their camp, and upon the morrow found their way 
 back to the Home of Rest. There Gaspard and Mary 
 were made man and wife by Father Fritz in the beauti- 
 ful little church, and there they settled down to a calm 
 and happy life, awaiting the news of that fresh enter- 
 prise of the ardent-spirited La Salle, which was to turn 
 this great river of the Mississippi into a highway for 
 the wealth of France. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 
 
 " 'HP* HEN you will still cast in your lot with mine, 
 
 X my faithful Jules ? I would have left you 
 master here, if you had elected to stay. You have 
 worn yourself out in my service. Twice have I owed 
 my life to your ceaseless care and attendance. You look 
 something too gaunt and worn for this long and weary 
 march which must lie before us. Art sure thou wilt 
 not remain here, till I can return with help from the 
 north ? " 
 
 " Sir," answered Jules, speaking as was his wont, but 
 few words at a time, " I will follow thee to the world's 
 end. I will never of mine own free will quit thy side." 
 
 La Salle looked upon the young man with a strange 
 softening of his dark, stern face. 
 
 " Thy faithful service has had as yet but a poor 
 reward, good lad. Thou hast indeed followed me to 
 the world's end in many a sense of the word : thou 
 hast stood by me alike in prosperity and in adversity. 
 Of late indeed it has seemed that adversity is to be 
 for ever my lot. Yet even now I do not despair. 
 
472 A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 
 
 Although for two long weary years we have been 
 seeking in vain for this lost river — the goal of our 
 hopes — and have found it not ; yet it cannot be that 
 we shall be foiled for ever. And once found, I will 
 show the world that I can yet achieve what I have 
 prophesied." 
 
 The dark face lighted. The eyes shone with a strange 
 anticipation of coming triumph. There was an answer- 
 ing hopefulness in Jules's smile as he said, — 
 
 " Sir, if indeed we cease these fruitless wanderings 
 after the river's mouth, and travel on and on in a 
 northerly and easterly direction without thinking 
 more of retracing our steps hither as heretofore, it 
 must needs be that at last we come to the great river 
 we have known and vanquished in past years ; and 
 once afloat upon its broad bosom it matters little 
 whether we go up or down ; we shall find friends 
 along its banks, awaiting our return." 
 
 " That is very true," answered La Salle ; " would we 
 had done this earlier ! Would we had not thought so 
 easily to find the river's mouth ! Ah, how fortune 
 has mocked and derided us. That noble armament; 
 those stores and munitions ; those two hundred bold 
 men all pledged to the enterprise. And now what have 
 we left ? Scarce fifty men ; a few hapless women and 
 maids, sick to death of banishment and dying off through 
 disease. This fortress and town of wood, but scantily 
 provisioned ; and discontent, discouragement, mutiny rife 
 everywhere. Ah, fickle Fortune, what a jade thou art !" 
 
A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 473 
 
 Small wonder that La Salle should speak thus 
 bitterly ; for seldom, perhaps, has one human being 
 encountered such a series of disasters. 
 
 Let us for a moment trace the course of his career 
 during the past four years, since he bade adieu to Tonty 
 on the rock of St. Louis and wended his way back to 
 Canada, and thence sailed to France. 
 
 His reception at the French court was all that he could 
 have desired. He came at a fortunate moment, when 
 France was greatly irritated by the aggressive attitude 
 of Spain with regard to the New World, and especially 
 by her monstrous claim to the entire rights over the 
 Gulf of Mexico, denying to other nations even the right 
 of entering it. 
 
 La Salle's old friend and lieutenant, La Forest, was 
 in France at this time, and brought early word to La 
 Salle of these irritating aggressions. Therefore the 
 latter added to his already colossal projects a new bait 
 in the form of a suggestion for the invasion of Mexico, 
 so soon as the French should have firm hold along the 
 banks of the Mississippi and Red River. And since no 
 scheme with regard to the great unknown New World 
 seemed too vast and fanciful for the ardent imagina- 
 tions of the French monarch and his counsellors, the 
 memorial presented by La Salle was eagerly read and 
 considered, and he himself was admitted to the royal 
 presence, and permitted to unfold his plans, and to give 
 his own account in person to the king of all his labours, 
 successes, and troubles. 
 
474 A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 
 
 The great monarch was keenly interested in all, and 
 greatly incensed by the conduct of the new governor 
 of Canada. He sent La Forest promptly back thither 
 with injunctions to La Barre to restore to La 
 Salle all the seigniories and properties that had been 
 seized by his creditors — Fort Frontenac amongst them ; 
 and speaking in scathing terms of his disapprobation 
 of the hindrances put in the way of La Salle's enter- 
 prise. 
 
 Moreover, having re-established his prestige in the 
 north, the king entrusted La Salle with a commission of 
 immense magnitude for the enterprise in the south, and 
 granted him vessels and munitions and men — every- 
 thing, in fact, that he required for the establishment of 
 his colony at the mouth of the great Mississippi. 
 
 Four vessels comprised the little armament, of which 
 the Joly was the largest — a vessel of thirty-six guns, 
 belonging to the royal navy. The king also presented 
 to La Salle a small frigate called the Belle, as his own 
 private and personal property. Another vessel, the 
 Amiable, was loaded with every sort of store that the 
 infant colony could require ; and above two hundred 
 colonists, including a number of women and girls, were 
 tempted by the king's promises to embark in the little 
 fleet, with a view to the rapid populating of these 
 new lands. 
 
 All these preparations had taken time, and it was 
 not till the year 1684 was well advanced that La 
 Salle was able to set sail from La Rochelle. Troubles 
 
A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 475 
 
 began almost immediately between him and his sailing- 
 masters and underlings. The voyage was one perpetual 
 succession of bickerings and mutual recriminations. 
 Disease broke out on board, and when they touched at 
 the West Indian Islands, La Salle himself fell sick of a 
 dangerous fever, whilst the expedition was delayed by 
 innumerable accidents and misunderstandings. 
 
 It was not till the following year that they reached 
 the shores of the Gulf of Mexico ; and then, alas ! 
 although they knew it not, they had missed the mouth 
 of the Mississippi, and were seeking it nearly four 
 hundred miles too far west. 
 
 Once, indeed, La Salle believed that he had found it, 
 and set to work to build a new fort of St. Louis at 
 the mouth of the Lavaca — which he later on christened 
 La Vache — where it empties into Matagorda Bay. The 
 character of the low-lying swampy lands and sand bars 
 was not at all unlike those surrounding the mouths of 
 the Mississippi, and for a brief period hope ran high. 
 
 But when Jules and the Indian hunters had explored 
 inland, where the Home of Peace should have been, 
 and had found instead only a new country, and Indians 
 whose language and manners were different from any- 
 thing they had encountered upon the Mississippi, then, 
 indeed, it had been too plain that they had mistaken 
 their course ; and many of the colonists lost heart and 
 sailed away secretly in one of the vessels whilst La 
 Salle was prospecting in search of familiar landmarks. 
 
 Misfortune followed upon misfortune. The sailing- 
 
476 A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 
 
 master of the Joly landed stores and guns, and offered 
 to coast along the shore in search of the Mississippi 
 mouth ; but stormy weather setting in, this became a 
 matter of danger and difficulty, and the sailors were 
 clamouring to return to their native country, having 
 done their appointed duty in landing La Salle and 
 his colonists. The Amiable, disobeying La Salle's 
 express commands, and entering the bay with her sails 
 spread, ran aground upon a sandbank, heeled over, and 
 became a wreck, and the bulk of the stores provided 
 for the colony perished beyond hope of rescue. 
 
 Then the captain of the Joly begged leave from 
 La Salle to return to Martinique, and bring fresh 
 provisions from thence ; but for some mysterious and 
 inscrutable reason La Salle refused this favour. And 
 shortly afterwards the Joly sailed away for France, 
 leaving only La Salle's little frigate Belle with her 
 provisions and munitions as the hope and stay of the 
 wretched castaways. 
 
 Then commenced a weary and mournful catalogue 
 of disasters. La Salle, confident of quickly finding the 
 Mississippi, spent two whole years in expeditions along 
 the coast or into the interior, every one of which cost 
 the lives of many faithful men, the hunter Nimrod 
 being one of these. Left behind, the colonists them- 
 selves did what they could for their own comfort and 
 security, built themselves houses out of the masses of 
 driftwood brought down by the river, hunted and 
 fished, and kept themselves as merry as circumstances 
 
A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 477 
 
 permitted, always hopeful of seeing the commander 
 return with the glad tidings of success. 
 
 But each time he returned more downcast than the 
 last, and twice he fell ill of malarial fever, which 
 was gradually undermining the health of the whole 
 colony. The dwindling numbers told a woful tale, 
 and the hearts of the survivors grew heavy and gloomy 
 within them. La Salle's indomitable courage animated 
 a few of his followers, and those few were devoted 
 to him, and never reproached him by word or look ; 
 but there were many who began to eye him with 
 unfriendly and hostile glances, and there were mutter- 
 ings from time to time in silent corners of the camp 
 which bespoke sinister thoughts and purposes, and 
 which sometimes caused the heart of the faithful Jules 
 to beat with sudden apprehension and dismay. 
 
 And now the Christmas of 1686 had passed, and had 
 been kept as gaily as circumstances permitted in the 
 southern fort of St. Louis. Twelfth-night had come, 
 and was to be celebrated by a banquet, the best that 
 the colony could furnish. And upon the morrow La 
 Salle, together with about a dozen of his most stout- 
 hearted followers was to start again, this time to 
 return no more till the river had actually been found. 
 Indeed it was now La Salle's purpose to go to Canada, 
 to meet La Forest there, to receive back the moneys 
 and lands which had been seized from him, but which, 
 at the king's command, would be now in the hands 
 of his lieutenant; and having thus the means to equip a 
 
478 A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 
 
 new armament up there in the north, he would return 
 down the Mississippi, and then find his way by sea 
 to this little colony, and carry the survivors back to 
 people some village upon the river. 
 
 This project appeared the most feasible — indeed the 
 only one now possible to the diminished garrison. Not 
 long before, the Belle, had been wrecked during one of 
 La Salle's absences, and therefore all hope of discovering 
 the Mississippi mouth by coasting had vanished. The 
 loss of the Belle had been very keenly felt — seeming 
 to cut the colony off from communication with the 
 rest of the world, and leaving it alone in the vast 
 wilderness. 
 
 Living was, however, not difficult down there in 
 the south. Buffalo abounded in the locality, and save 
 for the matter of clothing, the residents at the little 
 township could look forward without any very desperate 
 anxiety to another year of waiting. It is true the 
 fever was a merciless foe ; but Father Zenobe Membre 
 and Father Anastase Douay, who were again with La 
 Salle, had become skilled in the treatment of patients, 
 and understood the nature of the malady. They were 
 to remain behind, as heads and fathers of the diminished 
 community ; and La Salle pledged himself not to re- 
 turn again until he had accomplished the object of 
 his journey. 
 
 Anything was better than inaction, and the very 
 thought of this expedition had put fresh life into the 
 hearts of the colonists. It had been a matter of some 
 
A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 479 
 
 difficulty to provide clothing suitable to the travellers, 
 since all stores of such things had been lost in the 
 Amiable. But there was no lack of skins, and the 
 women and girls set to work in good earnest to 
 cut and shape the dressed deer-skins into garments. 
 Even the sails of the Belle were cut up and used to 
 make coats of for hot weather ; and curious and motley 
 was indeed the appearance presented by the party as 
 its various members walked up and down the great 
 courtyard of the fort upon the last evening, looking to 
 their last preparations, exchanging parting injunctions 
 with those left behind, indulging in hopeful auguries 
 for the future, and tending the five horses who were to 
 be their companions upon the long and toilsome journey. 
 
 The horses had been an acquisition brought back 
 by La Salle after one of his expeditions in search of 
 the Mississippi mouth. He had obtained them from 
 the Cenis Indians ; but as that expedition had cost 
 him twelve men from either fever or accident, the 
 creatures had been rather dearly purchased. 
 
 However, they would be useful enough, since they 
 could carry the provisions and arms of the party ; and 
 as there was to be no turning back now, but a con- 
 stant going forward in a north-easterly direction, be the 
 difficulties and dangers what they might, it was cer- 
 tainly an advantage to have strong beasts of burden 
 in the company, to save the strength of the travellers 
 themselves, many of whom had been sorely taxed 
 before. 
 
4 8o A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 
 
 La Salle, indeed, looked little fit for the journey 
 himself. He had been very ill not long since, and 
 Jules had nursed him with unwavering fidelity and 
 devotion. Neither looked in trim for a long and ardu- 
 ous journey; but the same unquenchable spirit was in 
 both, and neither shrank from what lay before him. 
 
 And who were to be their companions upon this last 
 forlorn hope ? 
 
 The reader has had perhaps too many names in- 
 flicted upon him in the course of this narrative, so he 
 shall be spared as far as possible from a number of new 
 ones now. But some must be mentioned that the 
 story of this episode may be understood. 
 
 When La Salle was in France, in favour with the 
 king, and the head of a promising expedition to the 
 New World, his relations, hitherto cold and careless 
 in their disposition towards him, began to come for- 
 ward with offers of assistance and of money ; and his 
 elder brother, the Abbe Cavelier, actually enrolled him- 
 self as one of the party, together with their nephew 
 Moranget, a young man of some promise, but of a 
 haughty and turbulent temper. 
 
 Brother and nephew were still with him, having 
 escaped perils both by land and water. Both were 
 in good health and desirous of joining in the proposed 
 journey, though La Salle would have preferred to 
 leave the abbe behind as his representative at the 
 fort. Then the hunter Nika was of the party, and 
 Jules, ever faithful and devoted, together with another 
 
A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 481 
 
 faithful servant called Saget, who had become personally 
 most attached to La Salle. 
 
 So far so good. These were all men who could 
 be depended on, but there were others of a different 
 temper. In particular was a man called Duhaut, a 
 person of considerable substance, who had risked rather 
 large sums of money in this enterprise, and who was 
 becoming not a little wrathful at seeing the disastrous 
 result of the undertaking. Oftentimes he had suddenly 
 launched out into vituperation of La Salle and his 
 methods, and had more than once openly accused him 
 of having lied to the King of France, and cheated 
 them all. The friars generally contrived to appease 
 him and smooth over the dispute, but Jules feared 
 and hated this man, and would have given much to 
 have left him behind. 
 
 But come he would, and he could not be ordered 
 back as though he had been a mere servant. He 
 himself had a servant that he called l'Archeveque, a 
 man whom Jules distrusted to the utmost ; and he also 
 appeared to have considerable influence over other 
 members of the party — Tessier, the pilot of the 
 Amiable, who had been suspected of treachery in the 
 matter of her loss ; Liotot, a young surgeon, a man of 
 some promise, but of a violent temper ; and Hiens, a 
 German, to whom La Salle had shown many kind- 
 nesses, but who had appeared of late to shrink away 
 from him, and to consort always with Duhaut and 
 
 his companions. 
 
 (574) 31 
 
482 A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 
 
 Jules had an uneasy feeling that the party was 
 practically divided into two camps, and that it would 
 behove them to keep a very sharp lookout upon the 
 others. La Salle did not appear to share these mis- 
 givings. He, perhaps, had not observed all that Jules 
 had done regarding the attitude of these men. But 
 Jules was certain that a deep rancour and discontent 
 possessed them, and he sometimes wondered whether 
 he ought to speak more plainly to his master before 
 they went forth into the wilderness with him. 
 
 Time, indeed, was growing short. If he were to 
 speak at all, it must be now. Suddenly he raised 
 his head, and looked full into the grave and serious 
 face of La Salle. 
 
 " Sir," he said, " can you trust the men who are of 
 our company, and start forth with us to-morrow ? " 
 
 A curious light crept into La Salle's eyes. 
 
 " I scarce know what it is to trust any man, save 
 thee, my faithful Jules, and here and there a simple 
 Indian, or such a man as the Sieur de Tonty — whom 
 Heaven send I may one day see again. For the rest, 
 I have grown used to working with tools which I know 
 at any time may give way beneath my hand and 
 pierce it. This is a thing which has happened again 
 and yet again. Why dost thou speak so ? Fear not 
 to tell me what is in thy faithful heart." 
 
 " I scarce know how to frame it in words," answered 
 Jules, " but I have an uneasy sense of impending 
 danger. I mislike yon Duhaut. He is no friend to 
 
A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 483 
 
 us. He would fain be master of all. I have heard 
 him say as much again and again, if not openly, at 
 least in veiled words. He speaks not so when you 
 are nigh. But ofttimes he doth not note my presence 
 when he speaks high-sounding words to others. And 
 he leads the rest with him. They think much of a 
 man who can boast ffreat things. I dislike and mis- 
 trust him." 
 
 Jules spoke with unwonted energy and earnestness. 
 La Salle regarded him fixedly for a while. 
 
 " Thinkest thou that the people here would sooner 
 have him for master than me ? " 
 
 " Nay, I know not — but I think not so," answered 
 Jules, with a shake of the head. 
 
 " Do they complain of me ? Do they say bitter and 
 hard things of me ? " continued La Salle, still thought- 
 fully. 
 
 " Not often in my hearing. At times they say they 
 are something too much chidden, and then they will 
 lament that they left their native land for this. But 
 they look ever to you, and regard you as their hope 
 and their head." 
 
 " If I did not chide — if I did not show that I would 
 and must be master — thinkest thou that we should be 
 what we are now ? " asked La Salle, with a slight grim 
 smile. 
 
 Jules looked up eagerly to answer, — 
 
 " If it had not been for the rules laid down and 
 kept in your absence by those left in charge, methinks 
 
484 A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 
 
 the whole colony would be by this time dispersed. 
 The men would have run away to the woods as 
 coureurs de bois ; the women would have been carried 
 off by the Indians, or have died of starvation here." 
 
 " So I think," answered La Salle, quietly ; " it has 
 been no light task ruling here ; that is why I ever 
 and again turned back when I failed to find our 
 goal. I could not leave my children without a head 
 for more than a few months at a time. Now, how- 
 ever, the time has come when this is our last and 
 only hope. I take with me those who would strive 
 most to undermine my authority and overthrow what 
 I have accomplished. I know well that there is danger 
 from these men. There is danger in taking them — 
 there is danger in leaving them. Of the two, I think 
 that to take them with us and have them beneath 
 our own eye is the less evil. But the choice is theirs, 
 not mine. They have said that they will come, and I 
 can scarce refuse them if I would. At least, if they 
 are faithless, we can depend upon our own little body ; 
 and thou and I, at least, shall feel at home once more 
 when we reach the basin of the Mississippi, which we 
 must come to at last. They know this as well as 
 we do, and self-interest alone will almost keep them 
 loyal, at least, until the worst of the perils are past. 
 It will be no light matter this journey. We shall 
 need all the courage, the hope, the endurance we 
 possess. But these have never failed us yet. I think 
 they will not fail us now." 
 
A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 485 
 
 Jules took La Salle's hand in his, and carried it to 
 his lips. It was his silent method of sealing his de- 
 votion by an involuntary act of affection, and La 
 Salle just touched the bowed head with his hand, as 
 though silently answering him. 
 
 It was the last quiet moment they had together before 
 the bustle of festivity and departure commenced. 
 
 A midnight mass was to be held in the chapel on 
 behalf of the travellers and their journey. The two 
 friars, together with the abbe and another priestly 
 brother, one Maxime le Clerc, all vested and robed — 
 for the holy vestments and vessels had been amongst 
 the things saved from the hapless Amiable — stood 
 before the altar, whilst the incense cloud arose, and the 
 voices of the priests chanted and intoned the sacred 
 offices. Within the body of the church all the com- 
 munity of worshippers knelt in adoration, and hearts 
 were uplifted and prayers arose, more earnest, per- 
 haps, if not so articulate as those going up from the 
 altar itself. 
 
 After the celebration of the mass the whole party 
 gathered in the great hall, where a banquet had been 
 prepared and laid out by the women. Although many 
 hearts were full of anxiety and foreboding dread, yet 
 an air of joviality pervaded everywhere. La Salle took 
 his place at the head of the great table, with the friars 
 and priests around him, and his party of the morrow 
 clustered near. Below, and at the lesser tables sat the 
 rest of the colonists. After all, they mustered not much 
 
486 , A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 
 
 above sixty souls — a sad diminution of the numbers 
 landed there two years before. But they tried not to 
 think of that, and when, according to time-honoured 
 custom, La Salle rose glass in hand to cry, " The king 
 drinks ! " the whole company sprang to their feet, 
 glasses were waved, cheers arose, and every semblance 
 at least of merriment and joviality prevailed at the 
 tables. 
 
 Dawn had come before the revelry ceased, and with 
 the dawn came the knowledge that the time of de- 
 parture drew near. 
 
 La Salle rose and lifted his hand. Instantly there 
 was a dead silence throughout the hall. 
 
 Then the great commander spoke his last address to 
 his hapless little colony, and spoke with a tenderness 
 and winning grace which few gave him credit for pos- 
 sessing. He gently touched upon past misfortunes, 
 but declared that he looked forward hopefully and con- 
 fidently to the future. The King of France would not 
 forget them. Probably he had already sent out supplies 
 and reinforcements which might arrive at any time. 
 In Canada his old officer and friend was awaiting him, 
 and when once he had received his own again, nothing 
 should hinder his rapid journey to the relief of his 
 children here. Already there was one fort and colony 
 upon the Illinois, and one near to the mouth of the 
 Mississippi. Here away in the west was another. 
 Soon the whole land should own the sway of the 
 King of France, and become a populous and prosperous 
 
A STRANGE FESTIVAL. 4S7 
 
 New France, whither the best and noblest of her sons 
 would flock with eager ardour. They need not fear 
 these early disasters. The alternative of partial failure 
 always awaited early pioneers ; but success crowned 
 their efforts at last, and with success came glory to all 
 concerned. They must not think of the gloomy present, 
 but seek to live in the glories of the future. That was 
 his charge to them on his departure — to keep their 
 hearts and hopes fixed on brighter days to come, and 
 to be faithful to him and to one another. 
 
 This speech was received with enthusiasm and ac- 
 clamation. Men and women alike crowded round 
 La Salle to press his hand, and wish him a safe journey 
 and speedy return. And then they all poured out 
 into the courtyard, where the horses, already laden, 
 stood impatiently pawing the ground. 
 
 La Salle looked round him once, gravely saluted the 
 people without attempting to speak another word ; and 
 then giving a sign to his immediate followers, set forth 
 into the wilderness to the uncertainties of his long and 
 arduous journey. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 " "If HATE those fellows ! " exclaimed Moranget to Jules, 
 JL looking across the small river which divided the 
 rear party from those in advance, and indicating by his 
 glance Duhaut, his servant, Liotot, and a few others, 
 who had crossed the river in the bull's-hide boat they 
 had made for the purpose, and were sending it back for 
 the rest of their number by Nika the Indian. 
 
 Jules, Moranget, and Saget were the three now re- 
 maining to cross, and as they stood together the former 
 broke out into almost savage words of anger and hatred. 
 " I hate and abominate them. They are liars every 
 one of them, and not a day passes but they give 
 us trouble. They dare not openly oppose my uncle ; 
 but they do everything to hamper and impede us. I 
 would to heaven we had left them behind ! They are 
 good-for-nothings and care only for themselves. Hast 
 thou not marked the way they draw together and keep 
 away from us ? In all sooth we do not want them and 
 their sullen looks. Yet I dislike them, and I long to 
 give them a taste of the discipline they deserve. Were 
 I in mine uncle's place, I would do it too." 
 
THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 489 
 
 Jules slowly shook his head. 
 
 "I dislike them too — none more so. Yet methinks 
 we must bear with them now. I have seen something 
 too much of ill-blood in the wilderness, and what it leads 
 to. It is better to bear and forbear. We cannot rid 
 ourselves of them here. Perchance if we show patience, 
 they will weary of their petty enmity/' 
 
 " Patience ! '' cried Moranget, hotly. " Patience is a 
 slave's virtue — I desire it not. Let them but speak to 
 me as they speak sometimes to others, and I will let 
 them see of what my patience is made ! Upstart curs .' 
 — canaille I Why, that fellow they call l'Archeveque, 
 he is but a servant himself, yet he would be treated as 
 one of us. He even dares to answer with insolence 
 when my uncles reprove him for his idleness — and his 
 master backs him ! They are an evil crew. I hate 
 them every one. If they mend not their manners I 
 will have a word with one of them some day that they 
 will not soon forget." 
 
 Jules looked a little anxious at this threat. 
 
 " Have a care, sir, have a care," he said. " It is ill 
 work stirring up strife in a camp out here in the wilder- 
 ness. Believe me I speak the truth. I have seen some- 
 thing of it in past days. I know what too often grows 
 from it." 
 
 " Well, what?" asked Moranget, with careless curiosity. 
 
 " Murder," answered Jules, gravely. " Murder, robbery, 
 desertion. It is better to bear patiently a small annoy- 
 ance, than to stir up such fiends as those ! " 
 
49o THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 " Small annoyance, quotha ! " exclaimed Moranget, 
 quickly. " My good fellow, thou may est be as patient 
 as the domestic ass ; but I am of another blood ! I 
 care not to submit tamely to such provocations as are 
 daily offered to us. Moreover, I fear not these men. 
 I was ever brought up to fear no man. And as for 
 murder, let them murder one another — and a good 
 riddance for the rest of us. I wish they would quarrel 
 and fall upon each other. So we should be freed from 
 them and their evil tongues and ways." 
 
 Jules said no more, partly because remonstrance was 
 plainly useless, partly because the boat had by this time 
 returned, and Moranget stepped at once on board. Jules 
 helped Saget to lead down to the river's brink the 
 horses he was holding, and when all were fairly embarked, 
 the faithful creatures took to the water of their own 
 accord, and swam after them like dogs. 
 
 The party had often to cross rivers in this fashion. 
 It was the time of the rains, and the streams, which 
 were numerous, were all swollen and rapid. At first 
 they had made a raft at each crossing-place, but this 
 had become too tedious a method of procedure, and 
 having come across a herd of buffalo, they had singled 
 some of the largest and toughest of the old bulls, and 
 having shot and skinned them, had proceeded to construct 
 a light boat of their hides, which the horses were able to 
 carry during the long marches across forest and prairie. 
 At night the boat made a shelter for some of them 
 from the rain, whilst the rest covered themselves with 
 
THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 491 
 
 the hides they took from their prey, and camped fairly 
 comfortably beneath. They had meat in abundance as 
 a rule, although there were days when it failed them. 
 One of their chief troubles was the rapid wearing out 
 of their shoes, and the difficulty of obtaining more. 
 They tried wrapping their feet in raw buffalo hide, but 
 this had to be kept constantly wet, or else it cased 
 round the feet like iron. By and by they fell in with 
 a tribe of Indians, from whom they were able to obtain 
 by barter some dressed deer-skins, and with these they 
 made themselves moccasins, and travelled with greater 
 comfort. 
 
 Sometimes the heavy rains delayed them for whole 
 days together, and then it was that the inharmonious 
 nature of the party most showed itself. La Salle was 
 impenetrably cold and reserved towards those he did 
 not trust ; whilst his nephew was so hot and fiery that 
 friction was constantly arising. The abbe sometimes 
 strove to keep the peace, but the hardships of the un- 
 accustomed journey told heavily upon him, and often he 
 had no attention to spare from his own grievances for 
 the condition of the company. 
 
 Jules became seriously uneasy at times ; for there 
 came often upon the faces of Duhaut and his companions 
 an ugly, threatening look which was much too significant 
 to be pleasant. They would often keep away from 
 the rest of the party for whole days together, and if 
 summoned to join them for any reason, observe a sullen 
 and obstinate silence, hardly answering even if addressed. 
 
492 THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 La Salle, however, was too much preoccupied by his 
 own purposes and endeavours to pay much heed to 
 what appeared sometimes to him in the light of trifles. 
 Of a sombre and silent nature himself, he perhaps took 
 less notice of these traits in others ; and he was growing 
 keenly eager, as days and weeks passed by, to hear some- 
 thing from the Indians they were constantly meeting 
 as to the neighbourhood of the great river, which he 
 knew he must eventually strike if he adhered to his 
 present line of march. 
 
 So far he had heard nothing definite ; but then he 
 was still ignorant of the languages spoken by these 
 tribes. He could ask a few questions, and make himself 
 understood when he spoke of bartering his beads and 
 knives for their corn and grain ; but when it came to 
 more abstract themes, it was almost impossible to obtain 
 any information. He was also a little afraid of being 
 guided into a colony of Spaniards, if he spoke too 
 much of white men. There was no knowing how far 
 the Spaniards might have penetrated into the interior 
 from Mexico, or by means of their coasting vessels. 
 They laid claim to the whole of this vast tract with the 
 same insistence as the French. La Salle knew that 
 no foes would prove so relentless towards him and his 
 party as the Spaniards, and therefore he was forced to 
 act warily, and hitherto had learned nothing of any 
 value to him either about the great river or the colonies 
 established there. 
 
 Meantime the party travelled on as fast as the season 
 
THE TRAGEDY IN THE 'WILDERNESS. 493 
 
 would permit, but were occasionally detained by weather 
 and the illness of one or another. La Salle himself was 
 once ill for a few days, and Jules was made seriously 
 uneasy by a suspicion which came to him that the young 
 surgeon, Liotot, had tried to poison, when he professed 
 to be doctoring him. 
 
 Jules distinctly saw him put with great caution some 
 drops from a phial into La Salle's drinking vessel, when 
 he believed everybody in the tent to be asleep. From 
 the extreme caution he observed, and from the stealthy 
 glances he threw around him, Jules felt certain that he 
 had some sinister purpose in hand. He therefore waited 
 and watched, and secretly removed and threw away the 
 potion. He had no animal on which to try its properties, 
 and he only ventured to touch it with his lips before 
 flinging it away. The draught that had been a cooling 
 one before, tasted hot and pungent then, and his lip 
 blistered where the fluid had touched it. After that he 
 kept so close a watch upon his master that Liotot had 
 no chance of renewing the attempt, but Jules felt himself 
 from that time forward regarded as an enemy, and knew 
 that he was included in those whom this band of allies 
 both hated and feared. 
 
 It had been told before to the youth that Liotot hated 
 La Salle, and had vowed vengeance upon him, holding him 
 responsible for the death of his brother. This unfortunate 
 young man had accompanied La Salle upon one of his 
 former journeys ; but his strength having failed, he had 
 been ordered back to the fort, from which they had not 
 
494 THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 travelled any very great distance. On the way back 
 he was murdered by a party of Indians, who chanced 
 to fall in with him. This accident had been laid by 
 Liotot at La Salle's door, and had turned the young 
 surgeon into his bitter enemy. 
 
 It was therefore no pleasant matter to be tied to such 
 travelling companions through a long and perilous march 
 through the trackless wilderness. Hitherto the country 
 had been partially familiar to La Salle. He had explored 
 much of the region lying east and north of the colony 
 of La Vache, and had often been several months absent 
 from the fort. Now, however, he was approaching the 
 limit of his farthest wanderings, and he was pushing 
 on somewhat hastily, because he had upon one occasion 
 left a quantity of Indian corn and beans in a cache in 
 the ground, and as provisions had for a few days been 
 running short, he was anxious to find and open this, and 
 replenish his stores before setting forth into unknown 
 regions. 
 
 But La Salle, in spite of his eagerness and readiness 
 of spirit, was not so robust as of old, and not unfre- 
 quently he received warnings that he could not overtax 
 his strength with impunity any longer, and must rest 
 himself from time to time. 
 
 One of these moments now came, and Jules was eager 
 that he should take a, couple of days' rest, letting some 
 of the other members of the party go forward to the 
 cache and unearth the hidden hoard, or at least make 
 sure that it was still there. 
 
THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 495 
 
 La Salle consented to this, feeling in sore need of 
 rest, and Duhaut with his friends volunteered for the 
 task of seeking the grain. If they found it, they 
 promised to send back Nika — who knew its where- 
 abouts best — to fetch the horses. Jules was glad to be 
 rid of the dark, saturnine faces of the men whom he 
 had come to regard as his enemies. 
 
 They had camped in a pleasant place beside a small 
 river. There was ample provender for the horses, and 
 Nika had constructed, with the assistance of Saget and 
 Jules, a comfortable hut where La Salle could lie at 
 ease on a pile of buffalo skins, and look across the 
 sunny prairie, which was beginning to assume its bright 
 green robe of March. 
 
 The rains were abating, the sun shone brightly ; 
 the ground was drying up, and travelling promised to be 
 pleasanter and less laborious. If they could secure a 
 store of provisions with which to load the horses, they 
 would be able to push along merrily enough, and there 
 was always the hope ever present with them of suddenly 
 seeing the rolling tide of the great Mississippi lying before 
 their eager eyes, as they mounted some new riclge of 
 rising ground and gazed upon the prospect unfolded. 
 
 La Salle lay dreaming of this upon his easy couch, the 
 sunshine about him seeming to gild not only the out- 
 ward landscape, but also the thoughts of his heart. His 
 brother lounged leisurely beside him, enjoying the respite 
 from travel, and listening with considerable interest to 
 La Salle's explanations of his future plans. 
 
496 THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 Moranget and Jules sought for game on the wide 
 plain, but met with very little success. They had 
 just enough to make a supper for themselves when 
 night fell, leaving the remnants for a scanty breakfast 
 on the morrow. But by that time Nika would have 
 come back with a bag of grain, and they would have 
 bread as well as meat for their repast. 
 
 Morning came, and Nika with it, but he brought no 
 corn with him. 
 
 " It was all spoiled," he told them. " It had rotted 
 in the cache. None was fit to eat." But he had good 
 news as well as bad, for upon their return they had 
 sighted buffalo. These they had patiently followed for 
 some distance, and had shot two. Nika had now come 
 for the horses, that they might bring the meat into the 
 camp to be dried and smoked. Then they could load 
 their horses again, and proceed upon their journey. 
 
 " I will go with the horses, and help to bring back 
 the meat," said Moranget, who was always eager for 
 any hunting that might be going, and had some hopes 
 of shooting buffalo himself. 
 
 La Salle made no objection. Ho sent both Saget 
 and Nika with Moranget and the horses. They were 
 instructed to bring back the meat that day if possible, 
 and then it could be prepared in the camp, ready for 
 transport as soon as they were able to start once 
 more. 
 
 For some reason which he could not define, Jules was 
 very uneasy. He wished that Moranget had not elected 
 
THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 497 
 
 to go — that La Salle had not permitted it. He could 
 not have explained why he felt such a qualm of fear ; 
 but he took Saget privately aside and begged him, if 
 possible, to keep beside Moranget, and to hold him back 
 from any rash undertaking. 
 
 " I will try," answered the servant at once. " But 
 thou dost know that he will go his own way. He will 
 scarce brook interference even from his uncle, still less 
 from me ; but I will keep beside him, and seek to hinder 
 him from any rashness. What dost thou fear, good 
 friend ? " 
 
 " I know not," answered Jules, with a little sigh. " I 
 only know that my heart is heavy within me, and that 
 I would we were all safe upon the banks of the great 
 Mississippi, where we seem now to have friends from 
 end to end, even though those be scattered and dis- 
 persed." 
 
 Moranget, however, appeared troubled by no fears. 
 He set forth gaily enough, and rode one of the horses — 
 Saget and Nika following upon two others. The way 
 lay over the sunny prairie, and the young man sang 
 and shouted in the exuberance of his spirits. The love 
 of adventure and travel was growing strong within him. 
 He was in excellent spirits as he rode up to the place 
 where the dead buffalo lay. 
 
 " Hullo ! " he cried, as they approached the spot, 
 '•' they have lighted fires. They have put up scaffolds ! 
 What is that for ? " 
 
 " They must be drying the meat themselves, sir," 
 
 (574) ' ^32 
 
498 THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 answered Saget, and Nika nodded his head, but pursed 
 up his lips in an expression of contempt for the ignor- 
 ance of the white men ; as the meat was not nearly 
 dry enough for this operation, as he well knew through 
 his long experience as a hunter. 
 
 " They will spoil it," he said. " It will not be ready 
 before to-morrow. It is madness to seek to smoke it 
 yet." 
 
 Moranget was of a quick and irritable temper, and 
 these men were at all times obnoxious to him. Any 
 handle of offence against them was at once taken hold 
 of with eagerness and zest. 
 
 Clapping spurs into the horse, he rode recklessly into 
 the midst of the party, and demanded in haughty and 
 insolent tones what they professed to be doing. 
 
 Instantly an angry parley commenced. Duhaut re- 
 plied with nonchalant contempt, bidding young Moran- 
 get mind his own business. He, furious at the tone 
 adopted towards him, and made more angry still by 
 observing that the hunters had set aside the marrow- 
 bones and certain portions of the meat for themselves 
 (to which, however, by the laws of forest hunting they 
 had a full right), broke into violent abuse and recrimina- 
 tion. He rode his horse at the fire, scattering the 
 embers right and left. His voice and manner became 
 so violent and ungovernable, that Nika and Saget, after 
 looking on awhile in dismay, strove by all the means in 
 their power to pacify him. But they pleaded and soothed 
 in vain. The reckless young man was in a most 
 
THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 499 
 
 thoughtless mood, and finally he seized upon the whole of 
 the meat, including the reserved hunters' portions, piled 
 it together in one great heap, and stood guard over it 
 in his own person, his eyes flashing defiance, his face 
 inflamed with passion. 
 
 Duhaut had suddenly lapsed into a silence that was 
 far more really ominous than his original angry remon- 
 strances. He drew aside with his companions, Liotot, 
 Hiens, and Tessier- — his own ill-favoured servant being 
 of the group — and they seemed to confer together, but 
 made no attempt to rescue the meat, nor to hinder their 
 visitors from making themselves at home in the camp, 
 as Moranget proceeded to do with an almost insolent air 
 of familiarity. 
 
 It was growing too late to attempt to remove the 
 meat that day. They must camp together here, and 
 return upon the morrow. So much was agreed by all. 
 Even Duhaut and his comrades raised no opposition. 
 Indeed they seemed to have recovered their tempers ; 
 they spoke quite freely, and almost pleasantly, to 
 Moranget and his companions, cooked provisions for 
 them, and all ate together, and discussed plans for the 
 next day, and how they should rejoin La Salle by an 
 early hour in the morning. 
 
 Little did Moranget and his companions suspect the 
 black treachery and murderous purposes lying dormant 
 in the hearts of those men who were talking thus freely 
 with them. 
 
 The night fell, and the watches were arranged 
 
500 THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 It was never safe for all to sleep at once, but one 
 sentinel could guard the camp, and each took his hour 
 in turn. Moranget was to have the first, Saget the 
 second, Nika the third. After that, Duhaut and his 
 companions would take their turns. Each sentinel as 
 his hour expired was to wake the next man, and so all 
 the dark hours would be provided for. 
 
 Moranget kept his watch, roused Saget, and quickly 
 fell asleep, wrapped in his blanket. Saget's turn being 
 over, Nika relieved him, and when his hour expired, he 
 too fell sound asleep beside his two comrades, Duhaut 
 standing gun in hand over the sleeping camp. 
 
 Sleeping ? It certainly seemed not. For hardly had 
 the Indian servant fallen asleep between his companions, 
 when, at a slight and almost imperceptible signal from 
 Duhaut, the rest of the party sat up, and exchanged 
 glances that boded no good to the sleeping men by 
 the fire. 
 
 Liotot rose with a silent snake-like motion, holding 1 
 in his hand a shining axe. He stood up and made 
 a few silent passes with it in the moonlight, as though 
 to test its balance. 
 
 " It will do its work," he muttered to himself ; and 
 then, whilst the rest looked on in breathless silence, he 
 stole up towards the three sleeping figures, and stood 
 over them like an avenging spirit. 
 
 Moranget was their enemy ; but the curse of crime 
 is that it involves the perpetrators in a succession of 
 evil deeds, the second becoming needful to cover the 
 
THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 501 
 
 first. If Moranget died, Saget and Nika must die with 
 him, else they would instantly flee with the tale to La 
 Salle, and warn him. 
 
 Liotot hesitated not. Twice — thrice, the fatal axe 
 descended. Nika and Saget never stirred. The blows 
 took instant effect. They passed from the sleep of 
 fatigue into the deeper sleep of death without a groan 
 or a struggle. But Moranget was perhaps more alert. 
 He might have heard through his slumbers the falling- 
 blows, for as Liotot struck at him, he moved, and the 
 blow was not immediately fatal. He half sprang up, 
 speechless, streaming with blood, and wildly threw out 
 his hands, feeling as it were for his weapons. 
 
 " At him — finish him ! " hissed Liotot to his comrades, 
 anxious perhaps that they should also stain their hands 
 in blood. They fell upon him like a pack of wolves. 
 Each man had a blow for the hapless, haughty youth, 
 who had succeeded in offending all. Moranget lay dead 
 beside the forms of his hapless comrades ; and Liotot, 
 looking grimly down upon the motionless forms, whis- 
 pered beneath his breath, — 
 
 " This is the beginning ! " 
 
 Duhaut, standing beside him, and hearing his words, 
 gave him a meaning look as he said, — 
 
 " After this there is no drawing back. La Salle must 
 be the next ! " 
 
 Then a deep silence fell upon the company. The 
 floodgates of murder were thrown wide. The murderers 
 had but one course open to them ; and yet there was 
 
50 2 THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 something terrible even to them in the inevitable crime 
 which their own actions had imposed upon them. 
 
 Away in the camp beside the river, La Salle awaited 
 the return of the party with the buffalo meat. They 
 came not ; and being a little uneasy and a little sur- 
 prised, he resolved upon the following morning to go 
 forth in search of them. 
 
 Jules was his companion as usual. They knew the spot 
 where the buffalo had been killed, for Nika had described 
 it to them. It was not very far away, which made the 
 delay on the part of the hunters the more remarkable. 
 
 It was a bright and beautiful morning, and yet a 
 heavy weight seemed to hang upon the spirit of Jules. 
 La Salle also was grave and thoughtful, and as the pair 
 walked along, he again asked Jules if he had heard 
 any complaints of late from the men as to his treatment 
 of them. 
 
 Jules spoke of the incipient hostility growing up be- 
 tween Duhaut and his comrades and the rest of the party; 
 but La Salle was too well used to small cabals amongst 
 his turbulent followers to think seriously of the matter. 
 Still he was grave and preoccupied, and sometimes heaved 
 a sigh, as though some burden lay upon his spirit. 
 
 They came at last within sight of the camp. They 
 did not at first see anybody about, but their attention 
 was attracted by the rather sinister sight of some large 
 birds circling overhead, as though scenting a prey some- 
 where in the bushes. 
 
THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS.. 503 
 
 Neither spoke as this was observed, but both pushed 
 on with some rapidity towards the spot indicated. 
 
 " There is Duhaut's servant, l'Archeveque," exclaimed 
 Jules, suddenly, and there, sure enough, was the man, 
 standing negligently beside a great clump of tall reed- 
 like grass, with which the prairies were often covered. 
 There was an air of insolence about him which 
 raised the ire of Jules, and caused La Salle to speak 
 to him with some sharpness. 
 
 " Where is my nephew, M. Moranget ? " he asked in- 
 cisively. 
 
 The man stretched himself leisurely, and made no 
 reply. La Salle repeated his question in a tone that 
 brooked no evasion. 
 
 " Strolling about somewhere ; it's no business of mine 
 what he's doing. You can go and look for him your- 
 self !" 
 
 There was such studied insolence in the fellow's 
 manner and words that La Salle's anger broke forth in 
 a quick gust of passion. 
 
 " How now, sirrah ! dost dare to take that tone with 
 me ? Thou mayest be the servant of another man ; but 
 all men upon this journey are my servants, and I brook 
 no impertinence from any. Take heed that thou dost 
 not feel the weight of my staff across thy shoulders — " 
 
 La Salle's words came to a sudden close. The fellow 
 addressed had drawn a little nearer to the clump of 
 reeds. La Salle had taken several strides towards him, 
 as though to inflict the threatened chastisement. 
 
5o 4 THE TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 Suddenly there came two tiny puffs of smoke from 
 the clump of reeds. La Salle threw up his arms and 
 staggered forward. Before Jules could reach his side, 
 he had dropped like a stone. A bullet had pierced his 
 brain. That great heart, so full of ambition and high 
 resolve, was still in the cold clasp of death. 
 
 A mist swam blood-red before Jules's eyes. He fell 
 prone to the ground as though he too had received a 
 bullet in his heart. He heard the sound of footsteps 
 close beside them, he heard a brutal voice exclaim, — 
 
 " There thou liest, great Bashaw ! the wolves and 
 eagles will soon give thee fitting burial ! " 
 
 He heard sounds as though the corpse were being 
 kicked and stripped, but for a moment he lay as one 
 dead, without power of life or motion. Then suddenly 
 his energy returned. He sprang up, and saw that 
 Duhaut and Liotot had indeed almost stripped the corpse 
 of his master, and were flinging it contemptuously and 
 brutally into the clump of reeds which had sheltered 
 them in their assassin's work. 
 
 With a hoarse cry of horror and fury he sprang upon 
 them, desiring only to die with his beloved master. At 
 sound of his cry the murderers turned. 
 
 " I thought he was dead — the young dog ! " cried one 
 voice. The next moment Jules was dimly conscious of 
 a crashing blow upon his head — sparks of fire danced 
 before his eyes. He fell prone once more across the 
 corpse of La Salle, and lay there as one dead. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 A STRANGE MEETING. 
 
 MAYFLOWER !— Mayflower !— where art thou ? 
 I have such news ! Is Father Fritz at 
 home ? I must tell him also. Mary, I believe I have 
 heard of La Salle ! " 
 
 Mary came quickly out of the house, her little 
 boy clinging to her dress and toddling sturdily 
 along. She looked at her husband in breathless ex- 
 pectancy. 
 
 " Gaspard, what sayest thou ? Hast thou heard news 
 of the great commander ? Oh, tell me ! — tell us ! " 
 
 For at the sound of Gasparcl's eager cry many persons 
 had come forth from their houses to hear the news. 
 Claude had darted to fetch Father Fritz, who came 
 forth quickly with the same look of eager interest upon 
 his face. All were keenly eager to hear what news 
 Gaspard had brought home. 
 
 " It may be but a false rumour," he said. " The thing 
 is hard to understand ; for if the commander is here in 
 very truth, why has he planted his colony so far away 
 from the mouth of the Mississippi ? Yet I have met 
 with Indians who aver strenuously that white men are 
 
506 A STRANGE MEETING. 
 
 there — over away in the west, at the mouth of one of 
 the many smaller rivers that pour themselves into the 
 great Gulf ; and the chieftain of the tribe, who seems to 
 be a man of some intelligence, declares that he is certain 
 these settlers are not Spaniards, but Frenchmen." 
 
 A murmur of surprise went round the circle of 
 listeners. 
 
 " Did any speak the name of La Salle ? " asked Louis, 
 quickly. 
 
 " Not till we had ourselves asked of him," answered 
 Claude. " But when Swanalulu, who best understood 
 their talk, spoke of him, they nodded their heads and 
 grinned, as though in token that the name was familiar. 
 But at least they all agree that Frenchmen are there — 
 in some western region, many, many weary days' march 
 from here. It is hard to guess the actual distance from 
 the accounts of Indians ; and if I mistake not greatly, 
 these men are some of La Salle's colonists, even if he 
 himself be not among them." 
 
 Father Fritz was looking very thoughtful. 
 
 " It is possible," he said. " If the king granted him 
 means to fit out his longed-for expedition, he would 
 have more than one vessel and crew with him. It is 
 possible — very possible — that the .ships have been sepa- 
 rated, and that some amongst the colonists have landed 
 far away from the true haven desired by La Salle. Or 
 some dispute may have arisen to break up the party — 
 there is no telling. We all know that such things have 
 been before." 
 
A STRANGE MEETING. 507 
 
 These words carried with them a sense of sudden 
 conviction to many hearts. It was indeed highly prob- 
 able that the little armament (if such had been sent) 
 had been parted and broken up by stress of weather, if 
 not by strivings between those in command, and that a 
 landing might have been made somewhere along the 
 coast other than the spot desired and appointed by La 
 Salle. The commander himself might possibly have 
 miscalculated the distance he had to traverse. He was 
 no trained sailor, albeit a man of great experience on land. 
 The more this hypothesis was debated, the more probable 
 did it seem that, if indeed these white men were French 
 — and of that the Indians had been positive — they must 
 surely belong in some way to La Salle and his long- 
 projected expedition. Eager interest and excitement 
 lighted the faces of the party as the matter was dis- 
 cussed, and Mary's voice was not the only one to cry, — 
 
 " But you will go in search of them ! You will go 
 and find them ! You will not leave them alone in the 
 wilderness leagues and leagues away from the desired 
 haven ! " 
 
 Gaspard smiled as he laid his hand caressingly upon 
 her shoulder, and then upon the head of the child. 
 
 " I would set forth this very minute in search of my 
 brother and of our great commander — for where one is, 
 the other will surely be also. I await only the advice 
 and permission of Father Fritz. I know that what 
 he decides will be the best and wisest course to 
 pursue." 
 
508 A STRANGE MEETING. 
 
 The little Jules catching some of the excitement of 
 the moment, and dimly understanding that his father 
 spoke of going away somewhere, stretched out his arms 
 to him, and cried, — 
 
 " Jules too, Jules too ! " which was one of the few 
 sayings that his lips had learned to frame, and which 
 he was fond of airing on every possible occasion, being 
 resolutely determined to have his share in whatever 
 might chance to be going on. 
 
 Gaspard took the bold little fellow in his arms. His 
 sixteen months of fatherhood had not dulled within him 
 the sense of wonder which continually possessed him at 
 the mystery of childhood, and the joy of possessing a 
 small image of himself to call him " father." 
 
 He pressed his lips to the boy's brow, and spoke 
 with unwonted earnestness to him, — 
 
 " Jules must stay at home with mother, and take care 
 of her. Father will go and fetch home Uncle Jules and 
 the Sieur de la Salle." 
 
 He spoke the words slowly and distinctly. It was 
 one of the names they most desired the little one to 
 learn to pronounce. He had never before attempted 
 the feat, but now he suddenly cried out at the pitch of 
 his shrill, little voice, — 
 
 " Vive La Salle !— Vive La Salle ! " 
 
 This cry was taken up by all who stood by : a sud- 
 den wave of enthusiasm coming over the men of the 
 Home of Peace, till they made the woods ring again 
 with the name of the great adventurer. 
 
A STRANGE MEETING. 509 
 
 Then they fell once more to discussion. 
 
 " Was any mention made of ships ? " asked Father 
 Fritz ; and Swanalulu being appealed to, replied that 
 the accounts of the Indians were very confused, and 
 that some of their information was only hearsay ; but 
 they gave him to understand that there had been a 
 vessel or vessels seen near the far-off river's mouth some 
 months before ; but that they had sailed away now — some 
 said one at least had been wrecked — and that the colony 
 in the fort was quite cut off and alone, without hope of 
 succour unless it should reach them by land. They 
 might be well supplied with food — upon that point the 
 Indians knew nothing. All they could absolutely vouch 
 for was the presence of white men at some distant point 
 westward along the coast, and that these settlers were 
 French and not Spaniards. 
 
 " What must we do?" asked Gaspard, eagerly. "Should 
 we not go in search of them ? " 
 
 " Truly, I think so," answered Father Fritz. " That 
 is to say, a few of us will do so. But we must not go 
 in great numbers. We cannot leave the women and 
 children here defenceless in case of attack from Indians 
 or Spaniards. We know that so soon as the Spaniards 
 hear of any enterprise of the French along the Gulf of 
 Mexico, they will seek to overthrow and bring it to 
 nought. It may be that the vessels seen along the coast 
 were their ships in pursuit of La Salle. Or it may be 
 that they were La Salle's ships in search of the mouth 
 of this river, which he plainly missed. At any moment 
 
5io '• A STRANGE MEETING. 
 
 we might hear of his safe arrival in the river's mouth ; 
 and we must not all be absent. He must have those 
 here to bid him welcome and give him shelter, should 
 he arrive in need and distress, as is like enough. We 
 will therefore only send a small party by land, to seek 
 for him at this new fort. The rest shall remain here — 
 where he will doubtless seek us, if indeed he have not 
 lost his way utterly in the mazes of the forest, and be 
 awaiting relief from hence." 
 
 All who knew the nature of the semi-tropical region 
 of swamp and forest land which lay around the sea- 
 board of the great Gulf well understood the difficulties 
 and perils which beset travellers who would of necessity 
 be unacquainted with the region, and perhaps hardly 
 able to do more than strive to journey in one given 
 direction. 
 
 It was by no means impossible that La Salle might 
 have missed the mouth of the river, if he were de- 
 pendent upon some incompetent or inexperienced sailing- 
 master. If he had landed to the westward, he might 
 well, after establishing his colony in temporary quarters, 
 start with a small band of pioneers to seek the desired 
 region. How joyfully, then, would he meet with a band 
 of friends come forth in search of him ! Gaspard's eyes 
 kindled at the thought, and he pressed up to Father 
 Fritz's side, and said, — 
 
 " Prithee, let me be one to go in search of the com- 
 mander and my brother." 
 
 " It shall be so, if you wish it," answered Father 
 
A STRANGE MEETING. 511 
 
 Fritz, looking with a smile from one brother to the 
 other ; for Claude had likewise advanced with the same 
 unspoken request in his eyes, and Father Fritz well 
 understood how much greater was the eagerness of those 
 who had served under La Salle, and had come to rever- 
 ence and love him, than that of men to whom he was 
 little more than a name — albeit they regarded both him 
 and his enterprise with great favour. 
 
 No large party could be spared from the valley, if 
 a watch were also to be kept upon the river's mouth, as 
 seemed advisable ; but then there was no need for many 
 to go, since travelling was safe enough for those who 
 had dwelt long upon friendly terms with the Indians. 
 They could get a few of the Kappas to accompany them 
 none being more faithful, better travellers, or more likely 
 to pick up information from the westerly tribes as they 
 journeyed on. 
 
 In two days the party was ready to start, and Mary 
 made no trouble of Gaspard's leaving her. She felt that 
 it was right he should go forth in search of his brother 
 and the great La Salle. What joy to see him arrive 
 in the Home of Peace, no matter what had been the 
 hardships through which he had passed before ! 
 
 " Would that brave Captain Tonty were here to join 
 us ! " cried Gaspard, as they stood in marching order ; 
 and Claude exclaimed eagerly, — 
 
 " Verily, if we find them, and return safe and sound, 
 Swanalulu and I will make the voyage back up the 
 river and take the glad tidings to him ! Doubtless, for 
 
512 A STRANGE MEETING. 
 
 such good news as that, he will even leave the rock 
 and go to meet the commander. What a meeting it 
 will be!" 
 
 " A foretaste, sometimes given to us here upon earth," 
 said Father Fritz, " of those wondrous meetings which 
 lie before us when the Lord shall call us to Himself, 
 either by His coming, or by the gentle hand of that 
 death from whom He has robbed the sting, when we 
 shall see again those who have gone before, or who are 
 waiting in faith and joyful hope for the call of the 
 Lord ; and then we shall know that there will never be 
 any parting beyond." 
 
 " Ah, but do not let us think of death," said Gaspard, 
 with the natural confidence of youthful manhood. " Let 
 us only think of the joy of finding those we love here 
 upon earth — unless, indeed, the Lord come and take us 
 all. That is even the greater joy. But with death let 
 us make no covenant." 
 
 Father Fritz smiled his gentle smile, and an- 
 swered, — 
 
 " Let us indeed hope all things, believe all things, 
 endure all things. That is the best preparation for 
 what may lie in store for us. Leave all to the Lord, 
 and let His holy will be ours." 
 
 Claude gave him a quick and earnest glance, but said 
 nothing then. Yet presently, as they marched along 
 towards the river, which they must cross ere they 
 reached the line of march settled upon, he asked with 
 a. touch of timidity and reserve in his voice, — 
 
A STRANGE MEETING. 513 
 
 " My father, dost thou think that aught has gone 
 amiss with our noble commander and his faithful 
 followers ? " 
 
 Father Fritz turned upon him the clear light of his 
 steadfast blue eyes. 
 
 " Nay, my dear lad, of what lies before us in the 
 future I have no knowledge. The Lord hides it from 
 us, save now and again when for His own merciful 
 purpose He lifts for a moment the veil. I am full of 
 hope that we may find our brethren sound and well, 
 and that our endeavours may be crowned with success. 
 Yet I would keep ever in mind, and have you also to 
 keep in mind, that earthly success is not always given 
 to those who most strive after it, and who seem to us 
 most to merit it. The Lord sees not as we see. His 
 purposes work out in a fashion we wot not of. I would 
 have us ever ready to submit our will to His, and to 
 let no sorrow or disappointment have power to shake 
 our faith or our confidence in His fatherly wisdom and 
 love. When the veil is taken from our eyes ; when it 
 is given us — as I doubt not it will one day be given 
 us — to see in some measure even as He sees, we shall 
 know then that many deeds the world has called noble 
 and mighty, have been but poor and paltry tri- 
 umphs; whilst failure, disappointment, pain, and sorrow 
 have led onwards and upwards to heavenly realms of 
 which we have no conception now. In the Kingdom, 
 how different will all things look ! Let us never be 
 cast clown by trials now. Who knows that they are 
 
 (574) 33 
 
514 A STRANGE MEETING. 
 
 not sent as the pledge and earnest of glory and happi- 
 ness to come ? " 
 
 Claude answered nothing, but he strove in his heart 
 to be ready for whatever lay before them. Whether it 
 should be success or sorrow, his heart should not fail 
 him, nor be puffed up. He would hope all things, but 
 he would strive to endure all things also. 
 
 The Kappa Indians were eager to do all they could, 
 and were most excellent companions and scouts. Fleet 
 of foot, well inured to forest journeys, and devoted to 
 Father Fritz, they took upon themselves all the arduous 
 labours, and the travellers were able to journey on at 
 wonderful ease, and with great personal enjoyment. 
 
 The forest was beautiful ; the rains, though they fell 
 heavily at times, did not seriously incommode them. 
 They fell in often with hunting parties from the western 
 districts, and all they heard tended to confirm the tidings 
 already received of the presence of Frenchmen away in 
 the west. 
 
 Presently fresh news was brought in. A party of 
 Indians affirmed that the white men were on the march, 
 that they were coming in search of their brethren, and 
 these men assured Father Fritz that, if he would only 
 persevere in his present line of march for perhaps 
 another week, he must certainly encounter them. 
 
 When questioned as to the number of the party, their 
 answers were rather vague ; but it was plain that it 
 could not be a large one. Was La Salle himself of 
 the number ? They could not be sure, but they had 
 
A STRANGE MEETING. 515 
 
 certainly heard the name. They thought he was there 
 himself ; if not, these were his followers. 
 
 Eager hope and joy now filled the hearts of all the 
 party. They learned all they could from the Indians 
 as to the line of march being taken by this company, 
 and then arranged their own so as to be almost certain 
 not to miss it. 
 
 The presence in the prairies of hunting parties of 
 Indians made it probable that they would learn fresh 
 news as they moved along, and so in fact it proved. 
 For all the Indians who met them told them that they 
 had seen white men, and many of them showed knives or 
 beads or some small token, which proved beyond doubt 
 that the party was moving onwards, and that it was not 
 destitute. 
 
 Every day Gaspard arose with the hope in his heart 
 of meeting his brother and La Salle. Every night as 
 they made their camp, he spoke with confidence of 
 entertaining guests upon the following night ; and so 
 they buoyed themselves up with hope from day to day. 
 
 Night had fallen. The camp had been pitched. The 
 Indians kept their silent guard whilst the white men 
 slept in confidence and peace. Suddenly the sound of a 
 stealthy footstep broke the silence of the surrounding 
 plain. The Indians started up and gazed about them in 
 the direction of the sound. It came nearer and nearer. 
 A dusky shape was seen creeping through the rank 
 grass. Suddenly it rose up before them, and they 
 beheld an Indian, clad in half-civilized garments, who 
 
516 A STRANGE MEETING. 
 
 came forward making signs of friendliness, but was 
 plainly in a condition of great exhaustion and fear. 
 
 When he heard that white men were in the camp, he 
 uttered a cry of joy that awoke all. Gaspard and 
 Claude were on their feet in an instant, and the next 
 minute the man had been brought in, and was eagerly 
 bidden to tell his tale. 
 
 It was one that caused all faces to blanch, and which 
 set the whole camp in commotion. 
 
 This strange Indian was one of the followers of La 
 Salle. He was greatly attached to Nika the hunter, and 
 seldom, if he could help it, left him alone. His tale 
 was this. When Nika had been sent forth by La Salle 
 with Moranget and Saget to bring in the buffalo meat, 
 this man had desired to be of the company, but had 
 been refused. When, however, Nika did not return that 
 night as had been expected, he grew very uneasy. He 
 dared not take himself off so long as any remained 
 awake in his camp ; but after his own watch had been 
 passed, when he had aroused the next man, he slunk off 
 into the wilderness himself, resolved to track and find 
 Nika and discover what detained him. 
 
 All this part of the story he explained at some length, 
 and then he put his hands before his eyes as though to 
 shut out some horrible sight. With many groans and 
 tears he next proceeded to say how he saw the horrid 
 death of Nika, Saget, and Moranget at the hands of 
 Duhaut and his party. So terrified had he been by the 
 sight of the white men slaying each other, that he had 
 
A STEANGE MEETING. 517 
 
 quite lost his wits for the moment, and believing that 
 his turn would come next, had fled for his very life 
 far away into the forest, not returning to the camp of 
 La Salle to give warning, as he should have done, but 
 running on and on like a wild creature, till exhaustion 
 came upon him, and he sank down on the ground and 
 lay like a log till the shades of night came upon him. 
 
 He was roused by the presence of other Indians in 
 the forest, and from them he learned that white men 
 were near. He hardly knew in his confusion of mind 
 whether it was La Salle's party he should find, or 
 Duhaut's, or strangers ; but he crept cautiously along 
 till he could make out something, and then the eager 
 desire to tell his tale to Frenchmen overcame all other 
 feeling, and now he fell at their feet and implored them 
 to come with him back to the camp, to reinforce the 
 party there, lest the murderers should seek to add crime 
 to crime, in order to escape the punishment so justly 
 their due. 
 
 The man had no need to urge this upon them. They 
 were as eager to start as he could wish them to be. 
 Stirred to the heart by the news of this outrage, fearful 
 and anxious lest more horrors should be impending, 
 they lost not a moment in striking camp and starting 
 forth under the escort of this man. As they marched 
 at a rapid rate, they questioned him closely as to what 
 he knew of the French colony in the west, and La Salle's 
 undertakings there. He was able to tell them many 
 things — how the colonists had been there a long time, 
 
5i8 » A STRANGE MEETING. 
 
 how La Salle had been hunting the country over and 
 over in search of some great river which seemed always 
 to elude him. The man himself had been one of those 
 Indians who had placed themselves under the friendly 
 protection of the French, and had gradually taken the 
 place of servants and followers. He could speak a little 
 broken French, and understand the Indian tongue familiar 
 to this party, which had also been the medium of com- 
 munication between him and La Salle. They made out 
 from him that the colonists had passed through many 
 hardships and were greatly reduced in numbers ; but 
 that La Salle was always confident of obtaining his 
 goal, and never lost hope, although he had suffered 
 hardship and disappointment enough to daunt any heart 
 less stout than his. He always managed to secure the 
 admiration and fidelity of the Indians, who regarded him 
 almost in the light of a god. This man was no excep- 
 tion to the rule, and was confident that great success 
 and glory would at last crown the endeavours of La 
 Salle. 
 
 But what they heard of the temper of the pioneer 
 party made all terribly anxious. That brutal murder 
 could be done upon fellow-countrymen out in those 
 lonely wilds was a thing most ghastly and terrible. It 
 had filled the Indian's heart with fear and horror, and 
 it was impossible not to see that if the Frenchmen 
 began to slay each other from trumpery motives of 
 jealousy, their prestige with the Indians would be gone 
 for ever. 
 
A STRANGE MEETING. 519 
 
 Through the remaining hours of the night they 
 journeyed, pushing on with all possible speed. The 
 dawn found them still many miles from the scene of 
 the tragedy ; but their guide told them they would 
 reach it before the sun was at the meridian, and in 
 spite of the heat of the plains, as the day advanced, they 
 pushed resolutely on. 
 
 As is often the case, the way proved longer than 
 the guide had thought ; but at last the man halted, 
 pointed to a clump of trees about a mile away, looked 
 earnestly towards them, and then triumphantly at his 
 companions, exclaiming, — 
 
 " There is the place ! That is the place ! " 
 
 With redoubled speed they pushed on. A very thin 
 smoke-wreath curled up from the hollow towards which 
 the Indian was making. As they drew nearer they 
 walked with greater caution, their arms ready in case 
 of attack, their eyes eagerly scanning the scene, wonder- 
 ing that there was no appearance of human life there 
 save that one thin thread of smoke. 
 
 " They have fled ! " spoke Gaspard, who a little in 
 advance was striding on with the utmost haste. " Heaven 
 send they have not gone back to the other camp with 
 murder in their hearts, to finish there the work of blood 
 begun here ! " 
 
 " Is this the place ? " asked Claude, with panting 
 breath, as at last they stood beside the remains of the 
 fire, and saw the ghastly traces of blood upon the 
 ground. The bodies no longer lay there. Doubtless 
 
52o A STRANGE MEETING. 
 
 they had been flung into the thicket, or perhaps given 
 a rude burial. Gaspard looked round and saw the slow 
 and sinister rise of a buzzard from a neighbouring 
 thicket. The hoarse cry of some carrion bird also near 
 the same spot sent a chill through his veins. 
 
 Without a word to the others he dived into the coarse 
 reed grass, which showed signs of having been already 
 trampled on that day. 
 
 Suddenly the air was rent by an agonised cry, which 
 startled the rest of the party gathered round the dying 
 fire, and caused a rapid move in the direction whence it 
 had come. 
 
 " It was Gaspard's voice ! " cried Claude, bounding along 
 with cheeks white through sudden fear and horror. 
 
 The rest were not slow to follow ; yet ere they had 
 reached the spot a second cry had gone up — a piercing- 
 cry of exceeding distress. 
 
 Father Fritz hurrying forward came upon a sad and 
 terrible picture. 
 
 Gaspard and Claude had flung themselves upon their 
 knees beside a half-stripped corpse. The white face and 
 sightless eyes turned up as if in mute appeal to the 
 heavens above were those of the man whom once to 
 have seen was always to remember — Robert Cavelier de 
 la Salle. Across his dead body lay another prostrate 
 form, looking at the first glance as dead as the murdered 
 man. 
 
 This was the faithful Jules, who for four years had 
 scarcely left his master day or night, and who now 
 
A STRANGE MEETING. 521 
 
 appeared to have sealed his devoted service by laying 
 down his life to save the corpse from outrage. 
 
 Low, deep sobs were breaking from Claude's lips. 
 Gaspard's face looked as if carved in marble, so white, 
 so stern, so motionless. 
 
 Father Fritz stooped down beside the prostrate figure, 
 and was silent for a few long seconds. 
 
 Then he lifted his head and said, — 
 
 " God be thanked ! your brother Jules is living yet ! " 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 AS this some new world ? Had merciful 
 
 death swallowed him up? AY as this the 
 
 awakening which awaited the human soul within the 
 
 gates of Paradise ? What did it mean ? Where 
 
 was he? Perchance it was all some strange fitful 
 
 dream, and he should awaken to find himself in the 
 heart of the wilderness again. 
 
 Having got as far as this in his dim and hazy 
 musings, Jules Dautray would generally close his tired 
 eyes, and drop back in the condition of semi-conscious- 
 ness and torpor in which he had remained now so long 
 that some began to despair of his recovery. 
 
 But there came a day at last, when the sick man's 
 eyes opened upon the world about him with a different 
 look in their hollow depths. It was a sunny and 
 beautiful day in the season after the winter rains, when 
 the earth was looking its fairest and brightest. From 
 where he lay upon a couch beneath the walls of a well- 
 built house — a couch drawn out upon the wide veranda, 
 where the sun could not touch him, but where the soft 
 
CONCLUSION. 523 
 
 winds of heaven could play freely round him — his eyes 
 commanded a glorious prospect of wood and mountain 
 and billowy green plain. 
 
 But about and around him were homelike sights and 
 sounds. A dog lay at the foot of his couch. Domesti- 
 cated animals cropped the green herbage beyond the 
 paling which bordered the brilliant garden. And what 
 was more wonderful still, a sturdy and beautiful little 
 boy of some two and a half summers sat not far away 
 from the end of the couch, alternately hugging a gam- 
 bolling puppy, and plucking at the flowers within reach 
 to make into posies which he tossed towards the couch, 
 as if to place them out of reach of his playfellow. 
 
 Jules looked about him with dreamy wonder. He 
 was dimly aware that his eyes had often opened upon 
 some such scene as this, but that he had never yet 
 made out what it meant nor where it was, nor how he 
 came to be a spectator of it. He had vague recollections 
 of being within house walls, of hearing kind and gentle 
 voices round him, of being tended by soft hands, fed and 
 cared for as young children are ; but he had had no 
 power to break the spell of deadly torpor which en- 
 wrapped him like a garment. His eyelids had always 
 seemed weighed down by leaden weights. His tongue 
 had been too stiff and heavy in his mouth for speech to 
 be possible. He had lost the ability to utter his floating 
 fancies in articulate speech. He was not even certain 
 whether he were himself — whether he were in or out of 
 the body. 
 
524 CONCLUSION. 
 
 But to-day there was a change in these conditions. 
 He suddenly felt the stirrings of life within him. He 
 felt strangely weak, as though all his limbs were tied 
 and bound by cords, but his brain was no longer 
 weighted by that dull load of torpor. He could look 
 about him, he could think, he could even speak, he 
 thought, if he were to try ; and fixing his eyes upon 
 the little child beside him, he asked in a low, strange 
 voice, — 
 
 " Who art thou, my little friend ? " 
 
 The child looked up quickly, revealing a pair of dark 
 eyes that made Jules involuntarily exclaim, — 
 
 " Gaspard ! " 
 
 " I am Jules," said the child, getting upon his feet. 
 " It is my father who is Gaspard. I am little Jules, 
 and thou art Uncle Jules." And then he ran a few 
 steps towards the door of the house and cried out, 
 " Mother, mother ! Uncle Jules is awake — and he called 
 me Gaspard." 
 
 From the open door there hurried out a sweet-faced 
 woman with a babe in her arms, whom Jules seemed to 
 recollect as a being seen in dreams and visions, but to 
 whom he could give no name. Her face was full of 
 eager interest and concern. She came and bent over 
 him and touched his brow and wrist. Meeting the 
 steady glance of his sunken eyes fixed upon her with 
 the light of reason beaming in them, her face kindled 
 joyously, and she exclaimed, — ■ 
 
 " Dear Jules, thou art thyself ! Thou art better. 
 
CONCLUSION. 525 
 
 Truly did Father Fritz say that he saw a change in 
 thee, when none of the rest of us could see it." 
 
 Jules lay and looked at her with a strange sense of 
 satisfaction. 
 
 " Father Fritz ! " he repeated, in a wondering voice. 
 " Methinks I should know that name. But I have for- 
 got so much. Wilt thou not sit beside me and tell me 
 somewhat of what all this means. It is as though I 
 awoke in some new world. Even though thy face seems 
 as the face of a friend, I know not how to name thee." 
 
 " I am thy sister Mary," she answered gently, seating 
 herself at the foot of the couch. " I am thy brother 
 Gaspard's wife. We have been wed these four years now, 
 and we have lived in the Home of Peace with Father 
 Fritz, happy and safe, and at peace with all men. It is 
 a beautiful life. I would all men could share it. Thou 
 wilt be one of us now, my brother, and this is now thy 
 home." 
 
 Memory was returning to Jules ; but though it came 
 upon him as a sudden flood, there was still too much 
 merciful deadening of the faculties for the tide to over- 
 whelm him, as Mary almost feared. She saw by his 
 eyes that he was thinking — that the powers of mind 
 were asserting themselves over the long numbing of the 
 faculties which had threatened to dull his mind for ever. 
 She almost trembled as she watched him, fearing a re- 
 turn of the fever flush, and a lapse into that delirium 
 which had so often threatened to extinguish the feeble 
 spark of life. 
 
526 CONCLUSION. 
 
 But on the contrary, to-day he lay quite still and 
 tranquil. Little Jules threw down the posies beside 
 him, and he touched them with tender, feeble fingers, 
 looking sometimes at the child, sometimes at Mary, but 
 thinking, thinking, thinking all the while, as she could 
 see, till at last he spoke once more. 
 
 " It is not all a dream, is it ? The great La Salle is 
 dead ? " 
 
 " Alas, yes, killed by treacherous hands in the wilder- 
 ness — the same hands as almost took thy life, dear 
 brother. But though thou hast lain a long time at the 
 gates of death, methinks the Lord has given thee back 
 to our prayers." 
 
 " How came I here ? " asked Jules. " I remember the 
 place well now. It is the haven nigh to the great river, 
 where we looked always to find friends. But I fell 
 beside him far away in the wilderness. How, then, 
 came I hither ? " 
 
 " Thy brothers and Father Fritz had gone in search 
 of La Salle and his party. The Indians had brought 
 tidings that Frenchmen were on the coast of the bay. 
 They reached you not in time to save the noble La 
 Salle from his fate ; but thou wert yet living, and 
 though for long it seemed as though thou wouldst die 
 too, yet they never despaired, and with many halts, and 
 after many months had passed by, they returned with 
 thee hither. And here thou hast lain ever since — all 
 through the hot summer, the winter rains, till now, 
 when the glad springtide is again upon the earth, and it 
 
CONCLUSION. 527 
 
 is even as Father Fritz has taught us to hope. The re- 
 viving of nature has brought revival to thee, and thou 
 wilt be once more thyself." 
 
 Whilst Jules lay pondering over this speech, recalling 
 a hundred scenes of wilderness life — and, above all, the 
 fearful closing scene, branded on his brain in characters 
 of fire, when his master fell to the ground pierced by 
 the treacherous bullet of the hidden foe— Mary whispered 
 to her little boy, who trotted off across the sunny en- 
 closure ; and in a few minutes the venerable form of 
 Father Fritz appeared, his snow-white hair glistening in 
 the sunlight, his kind eyes and tender strong face instinct 
 with lively emotion. 
 
 Jules saw his approach, and strove to lift himself. 
 
 " Bless me, even me also, O my father ! " he ex- 
 claimed, as though the words were forced from him by 
 some sudden gust of emotion. 
 
 Solemn and tender was the blessing he received. 
 Mary and the child slipped away into the house, and 
 Father Fritz took her vacant place. 
 
 " Tell me more," pleaded Jules, with tranquillity, yet 
 with some urgency of manner. " What more didst thou 
 find in the wilderness ? Dost thou know aught of the 
 fate of those murderers ? Dost know if they had other 
 victims than the four slain within those few hours — 
 those fatal hours ? " 
 
 " My son, those murderers met the fate that such as 
 they draw down upon their heads. Glutted' with 
 slaughter, and half afraid of what they- had done, they 
 
528 CONCLUSION. 
 
 added no fresh victims to the roll of slain. The Abbe 
 Cavelier and the rest implored mercy and submitted to 
 Duhaut as their leader, but the murderers ere long fell 
 out amongst themselves, and Duhaut and Liotot were 
 shot by their comrades. Of these, some fled to the 
 Indians and have since been lost sight of, whilst the 
 abbe and a few more fell in with the party we had sent 
 in search of any who might need assistance, and joined 
 our camp. We were able only to travel very slowly on 
 account of thy condition, my son, for the fever came 
 again and again, and many times it seemed as though we 
 must bury thee away in the wilderness, as though it 
 would be impossible for thee to endure the journey. 
 But the Kappa Indians were our good friends and allies 
 through all. They carried thee in a swinging hammock 
 whenever thou couldst bear it, and brought thee across 
 rivers and over burning plains with a skill and patience 
 that won our gratitude and love. The abbe and the 
 rest of the few followers of La Salle came with us, and 
 at last we reached the Home of Peace. Here thou hast 
 lain ever since ; but they went up the river, still under 
 the guidance and escort of the friendly Kappas, so soon 
 as they were rested and refreshed. For they had had 
 enough of these southern wilds, and were anxious to 
 get to Canada, and so back to France. Without the 
 dauntless energy and genius of La Salle, his project 
 must needs fall to the ground. It was ably planned ; 
 but perchance it was beyond the present powers of man 
 to realize so sreat a scheme. He has fallen in the 
 
CONCLUSION. 529 
 
 wilderness — a great-hearted, noble-minded man. Future 
 ages will give him honour and praise. But in his life- 
 time failure and disappointment were his portion." 
 
 Jules heaved a long sigh ; but physical weakness 
 hindered him from feeling too keenly the grief that else 
 might have borne him down. He had been near enough 
 to the gates of death to have come to regard mundane 
 matters as of less paramount importance. He could not 
 have explained the feeling, but he was conscious that it 
 underlay his thoughts about these things now. 
 
 " And Captain Tonty — does he know ? " 
 
 " Thy brother Claude set forth to carry him the news, 
 even when the Abbe Cavelier commenced his journey up 
 the river. They were to travel together as far as St. 
 Louis, after which Claude purposed to return hither. 
 We looked for him back ere now. But doubtless delays 
 have arisen. Perchance he has remained awhile at the 
 colony of St. Louis ; but we shall see him back in the 
 Lord's good time, if it be His will to send him." 
 
 " And Gaspard ? " 
 
 " Gaspard is here. He has journeyed once to the far- 
 off colony on the bay, which they have also called St. 
 Louis, in memory of a king who seems to think little 
 enough of his hapless subjects stranded on distant 
 shores. A few of the survivors returned with him ; but 
 the most were too downhearted and timid to face the 
 journey through the wilderness. They looked still for 
 help by sea from France, and preferred the present 
 comfort and safety of their little town to any further 
 
 (574) 34 
 
530 » CONCLUSION. 
 
 journeyings. I fear me that fever, or the Spaniards, or 
 even the Indians, will soon make short work of them, 
 and sweep them from off the face of the earth. But the 
 poor creatures refused the only help we could offer 
 them. I fear me they have chosen death and not life 
 (as too many of us do, whether we know it or not), and 
 that they will all perish in the wilderness." 
 
 Jules heaved a long sigh. It seemed a melancholy 
 termination to that grand expedition which had sailed 
 so hopefully from France to effect the subjugation 
 of a new world — La Salle lying in a nameless grave 
 in the trackless wilderness ; three-fourths of his men 
 likewise lying scattered up and down these wild 
 regions ; a handful of miserable exiles clinging to the 
 hope of a rescue by sea; a few more wending their weary 
 way to Canada with the news of the utter wreck of all 
 their fond hopes. 
 
 " Sic transit gloria mundi," spoke Father Fritz, softly, 
 seemino- to read the thoughts of his heart, and Jules 
 only replied by a quick and eloquent glance. 
 
 Days and weeks rolled away. The invalid recovered 
 his strength in a satisfactory if not very rapid fashion. 
 He remained a very silent man, thin, worn, and haggard. 
 He was often seen with little Jules upon his knee, 
 talking earnestly to him, telling him stories, to which 
 the boy listened with breathless eagerness, and strove to 
 relate afterwards to his parents. Sometimes he talked 
 a little with Father Fritz, but for the most part he was 
 a very silent man — more like the old taciturn Jules of 
 
CONCLUSION. 531 
 
 boyish days than lie had been since roused by the ex- 
 citements of travel. But he was always loving and 
 gentle to Gaspard and Mary, seeking to serve them in 
 every way he could, and growing into a place in that 
 household from which they soon felt they would never 
 be able to spare him. 
 
 Nor did he show any desire to go. He had lost all 
 ambition for further pioneer work. With the death 
 of La Salle had died within him the desire after 
 colonization and exploration. The Home of Peace, with 
 its daily round of duties and devotions, its unostenta- 
 tious missionary work amongst the natives around, its 
 simple life of brotherly love, satisfied him completely. 
 He came in time to attach himself to Father Fritz 
 almost as he had done to La Salle, and asked nothing 
 better than to follow him upon his rounds whenever he 
 travelled to his converts in outlying districts. His 
 knowledge of the life of the wilderness and of Indian 
 speech and ways made him always a valuable com- 
 panion, and in the absence of Claude and Swanalulu 
 (who had both gone to the rock of St. Louis) the father 
 was glad indeed of his company, and the bond between 
 them grew ever closer and more close. 
 
 But where was Claude all this while ? — and where 
 was the Sieur de Tonty ? Long absences were not 
 wont to excite undue anxiety amongst those who knew 
 the uncertainty of travelling and the many hindrances 
 which might arise in traversing such vast distances ; but 
 towards the end of that year a little uneasiness was 
 
532 * CONCLUSION. 
 
 growing up in the minds of the community in the Home 
 of Peace, and Gaspard had spoken more than once of 
 o'oinsf in search of his brother. 
 
 o o 
 
 But that was not needed after all ; for one day, 
 just as the shadows were beginning to lengthen and 
 the daylight to wane, a little band of travellers was 
 seen approaching the gateway, and Gaspard, hastening 
 forth to meet and greet them, uttered a quick cry of 
 joy, for he found himself face to face with his brother 
 Claude and the faithful ally of La Salle, Henri de Tonty ! 
 
 What was there not to hear and to tell ? 
 
 Claude, it seemed, had fallen ill of a fever at Fort 
 Prud'homme, and had remained behind with Swanalulu 
 to recover, whilst the abbe and his party had gone 
 onwards. These had dismissed the Indians shortly 
 before reaching the rock of St. Louis, their reason being 
 apparently that for some cause or other they were afraid 
 to announce the death of La Salle, and declared him to 
 be still in the south. 
 
 Tonty himself was away, engaged in warfare with 
 the Iroquois ; but Boisrondet was ruling the colony in 
 his absence, and, of course, received the tidings of La 
 Salle's presence at the mouth of the Mississippi with 
 satisfaction and pleasure. Tonty himself had encountered 
 the abbe as he returned from his victorious campaign, 
 and heard the same falsehood from him also. 
 
 He returned to his rock, and was in eager anticipa- 
 tion of direct communication from his chief, when Claude 
 arrived with the dread tidings of woe. 
 
CONCLUSION. 533 
 
 That the deathblow to all thoughts of colonization 
 had been struck at the moment when La Salle was laid 
 low, Tonty could not seriously doubt ; but yet he re- 
 solved to make one attempt to see if anything could be 
 done, or at least to visit and perhaps rescue the hapless 
 exiles in the other St. Louis. Boisrondet would continue 
 to hold the rock and govern the upper colony in his 
 absence, and it was hard for one so sanguine and devoted 
 as Tonty to give up hope all at once. 
 
 Sitting at Father Fritz's table, with the Dautrays 
 gathered round, this scheme was discussed again and 
 again. Jean Dautray had accompanied Tonty southwards 
 in the eager desire to see all his sons once again, and 
 perhaps to settle with them in the Home of Peace. It 
 had been a wonderful meeting — Jules given back as 
 from the dead ; Gaspard with a wife and two beautiful 
 children to display to the proud, fond grandfather. 
 Private joy had almost for the moment blotted out the 
 thought of loss and disappointment. There were bright 
 faces as well as grave ones around the board that night. 
 
 Gaspard told of his visit to the colony, and of the 
 despondent and unadventurous spirit prevailing there. 
 Tonty shook his head. He was well able to understand 
 it. Yet he still desired to pay a visit there, the last 
 tribute of faith and devotion which he could ever show 
 to his dead master. 
 
 " I will visit his grave in the wilderness, and see the 
 people he has left behind, if haply I can do aught for 
 them," he said. " And then I will return to St. Louis 
 
534 CONCLUSION. 
 
 in the north, and await the commands of His Majesty of 
 France. It may be we shall be helped ; it may be we 
 shall be deserted, and that I may return to this peaceful 
 place and ask for a home here. But let me at least do 
 my duty so long as any is left to me. That is all that 
 remains to me now." 
 
 He was silent a while, and then spoke slowly and 
 dreamily the same words that Father Fritz had uttered 
 not many months before upon this very subject, — 
 
 " Sic transit gloria mundi ! " 
 
 " True, my children, very true," answered Father 
 Fritz, looking round with his earnest, shining eyes upon 
 the group around him. " Let us therefore lift up our 
 hearts in thankfulness and joy in the knowledge that 
 the glories which shall be revealed at the coming and 
 kingdom of the Lord are glories which shall pass not 
 away, but are eternal as the faithful promises of the 
 Lord Himself ; and His last promise to His faithful 
 children is this — Surely I come quickly. Amen." 
 
 THE END. 
 
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 Moral Courage. By Rev. T. P. 
 Wilson, M.A., Vicar of Paven- 
 ham ; Author of "Frank Old 
 field," "True to His Colours, 
 etc. Small crown 8vo, cloth ex- 
 tra. Price 2s. 6d. 
 
 A tale illustrative of moral courage, 
 with examples taken from real life. 
 
 Aunt Judith. The Story of a Lov- 
 ing Life. By Grace Beaumont. 
 Post 8vo, cloth extra. Price 
 2s. 6d. 
 
 A simple and touching story of the 
 blessed influence exerted by a Christ-like 
 life (Aunt Judith's) on all who came in 
 contact with it. 
 
 Edith Raymond, and the Story of 
 Huldah Brent's Will. A Tale. 
 By S. S. Robbins. Post 8vo, 
 cloth extra. Price 2s. 6d. 
 
 A curious story of the forging of a 
 will, in his own interest, by an avari- 
 cious lawyer, of the immediate conse- 
 quences of the deed, and of the peculiar 
 way in whoch it ivas discovered, and the 
 humiliation of the forger. 
 
 Follow the Right. A Tale for 
 Boys. By G. E. Wyatt, Author 
 of "Archie Digby," "Lionel 
 Harcourt," "Harry Bertram," 
 etc. Post 8vo, cloth extra. 
 Price 2s. 6d. 
 
 The hero of this story is an Etonian 
 ivho is possessed of a moral nahcre re- 
 markable for its strength and power ; and 
 the book is written, with sprightliness 
 and vigour. 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS, LONDON. EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK. 
 
Favourite Stories, etc., by A. L„ O. E. 
 
 The Blacksmith of Boniface Lane. 
 
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 A tale having an historical basis. Its 
 hero is John Badby, the Lollard black- 
 smith, who perished at the stake. The 
 incidents and characters are portrayed 
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 common to A. L. 0. E.'s works. 
 
 Beyond the Black Waters. A 
 
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 A story illustrating the truth that 
 " sorrow tracketh wrong," and that there 
 can be no peace of conscience till sin has 
 been confessed both to God and man, and 
 forgiveness obtained. The scene is laid 
 chiefly in British Burmah. 
 
 Harold's Bride. Post 8vo, cloth 
 extra. Price 2s. 6d. 
 
 An interesting story, written in the 
 author's characteristic style, and afford- 
 ing instructive glimpses of the hardships 
 and dangers of missionary life in the 
 rural districts of India. 
 
 Pride and His Prisoners. Post 
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 A tale for the young, partly allegori- 
 cal, to show the fatal effects of pride on 
 character and happiness. 
 Rambles of a Rat. Illustrated. 
 Post 8vo, cloth extra, gilt edges. 
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 A rat telling his own story, with many 
 facts of the natural history and habits 
 of rats. 
 
 The Robbers' Cave. A Story of 
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 A tale for the young. The adventures 
 of an English youth among Italian 
 brigands. With tinted illustrations. 
 
 The Triumph over Midian. With 
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 A tale for the young, illustrative of 
 the Scripture history of Gideon. 
 
 Fairy Know-a-Bit ; or, A Nut- 
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 Fairy Frisket ; or, Peeps at Insect 
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 Fairy teachers (a sequel to "Fairy 
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 life and natural history. 
 
 The Holiday Chaplet of Stories. 
 With Eight Engravings. Post 
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 Thirty - eight short stories for the 
 young. 
 
 My Neighbour's Shoes ; or, Feel- 
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 A fairy tale, enforcing the duty and 
 happiness of kindness and sympathy to- 
 wards all around us. 
 
 Old Friends with New Faces. 
 Illustrated. Post 8vo, cl. ex. Is. 
 A tale for children, in which some old 
 favourite stories — Bluebeard, the Fisher- 
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 in an allegorical form, with incidents 
 that illustrate them. 
 
 Parliament in the Playroom ; or, 
 Law and Order made Amusing. 
 With Illustrations. Post 8vo, 
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 The Sunday Chaplet of Stories. 
 With Eight Engravings. Post 
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 The thirty-two stories in this volume 
 are suitable for Sunday reading. Chris- 
 tian principles are taught in them with- 
 out heaviness or dulness. It is a good 
 book for the home circle, or for the Sun- 
 day school. 
 
 The Golden Fleece ; or, Whc 
 Wins the Prize? New Edition. 
 Foolscap 8vo, cloth extra. Is. 6d. 
 
 The Story of a Needle. Illus- 
 trated. Foolscap 8vo, cloth ex- 
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 A tale for the young, interwoven with 
 a description of the manufacture, uses, 
 and adventures of a needle. 
 
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Good Purpose Tales and Stories. 
 
 What shall I be ? or, A Boy's 
 Aim in Life. With Frontispiece 
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 extra. Price 2s. 
 
 A tale for the young. The good results 
 of good home example and training ap- 
 pearing in the end, after discipline and 
 failings. 
 
 At the Black Rocks. A Story for 
 Boys. By the Rev. Edward A. 
 Rand, Author of ' ' Margie at the 
 Harbour Light," etc. Post 8vo, 
 cloth extra. Price 2s. 
 
 A story the leading characters of which 
 are two youths. One is always full of 
 great schemes, which invariably end in 
 smoke, and often bring their author into 
 trouble and humiliation; tvhile the other, 
 a simple, unassuming lad, says little, 
 but always does exactly what is needed, 
 and earns general respect and confidence. 
 
 The Phantom Picture. By the 
 Hon. Mrs. Greene, Author of 
 " The Grey House on the Hill," 
 ' ' On Angels' Wings, " etc. With 
 Illustrations. Post 8vo, cloth 
 extra. Price 2s. 
 
 A story of two brothers and the misery 
 brought upon both by one of tliem dis- 
 obeying a command of their father. Tlie 
 innocent boy is for a ivhile suspected and 
 made unhappy in consequence ; but at 
 last truth prevails and all ends well. 
 
 Archie Digby ; or, An Eton Boy's 
 Holidays. By G. E. W. , Author 
 of ' ' Harry Bertram and his Eighth 
 Birthday." Post Svo, cl. ex. 2s. 
 A very interesting talc for boys. The 
 hero, a clever, thoughtless young Etonian, 
 learns during a Christmas holiday time, 
 by humbling experience, lessons full of 
 value for all after life. 
 
 Rhoda's Reform; or, "Owe no 
 Man Anything." By M. A. 
 Pattll, Author of " Tim's 
 Troubles," " The Children's 
 Tour," etc. Post 8vo, cloth 
 extra. Price 2s. 
 
 Martin's Inheritance ; or, The 
 Story of a Life's Chances. A 
 Temperance Tale. By E. Van 
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 True Riches ; or, Wealth Without 
 Wings. By T. S. Arthur. Il- 
 lustrated. Post Svo, cloth extra. 
 Price 2s. 
 
 Teaches lessons such as cannot be 
 learned too early by those who are engaged 
 in the active and all-absorbing duties of 
 life. 
 
 Culm Rock ; or, Ready Work for 
 Willing Hands. A Book for Boys. 
 By J. W. Bradley. Foolscap 
 8vo. With Engravings. 2s. 
 
 It narrates the experiences and adven- 
 tures of a boy compelled by circumstances 
 to a hard life on a stern and stormy coast. 
 
 After Years. A Story of Trials 
 and Triumphs. By the Author 
 of, and forming a Sequel to, 
 "Culm Rock." With Illustra- 
 tions. Foolscap Svo, cloth extra. 
 Price 2s. 
 
 An American tale, the sequel to " Cidm 
 Rock," showing how well Noll Trafford, 
 in after years, fulfilled the fair promise 
 of his early boyhood. 
 
 Conquest and Self-Conquest ; or, 
 Which Makes the Hero ? Fools- 
 cap Svo. Price 2s. 
 
 A tale very suitable for a lad under 
 fifteen. It teaches the important lesson 
 that the greatest of victories is the victory 
 gained over self. 
 
 Home Principles in Boyhood. 
 
 Foolscap 8vo, cloth extra. 2s. 
 
 The story of a lad who, in spite of 
 apparent self-interest to the contrary, 
 held firmly to the principles in which 
 he had been instructed by Christian 
 parents. 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS, LONDON EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK. 
 
Classic Stories Simply Told. 
 
 Post 8vo, cloth extra, gilt edges. Price 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 OLD GREEK STORIES SIMPLY TOLD. 
 
 The Siege of Troy, and the 
 Wanderings of Ulysses. By 
 
 Charles Henry Hanson. With 
 97 Illustrations from Designs by 
 Flaxman and other Artists. 
 
 The endeavour of the author has teen 
 to present tlie legends connected with the 
 Trojan War in one connected story, lie- 
 ginning with the founding of Troy and 
 ending with Ulysses' safe return and Ids 
 vengeance on the enemies of his house. 
 
 STORIES OF OLD ROME. 
 
 The Wanderings of iEneas and 
 the Founding of Rome. By 
 Charles Henry Hanson. With 
 62 Illustrations. 
 
 "Spiritedly told, and shows the pre- 
 vious training of the author in the mod- 
 ernizing of classical fable." — Times. 
 
 Chaucer's Stories Simply Told. 
 By Mary Seymour, Author of 
 "Shakespeare's Stories Simply 
 Told, " etc. With 1 1 Illustrations 
 from Designs by E. M. Scannell. 
 "If any one is looking about for a 
 'gift-book' that shall combine profit with 
 pleasure, he will hardly do better than 
 pitch upon this." — Academy. 
 
 Stories of the Days of King 
 Arthur. By Charles H.Hanson, 
 Author of "The Siege of Troy, 
 and the Wanderings of Ulysses." 
 Illustrated by Gustave Dore. 
 
 A full selection from the great mass of 
 legends accumulated, round the mighty 
 though shadowy figure of King Arthur. 
 Such of these stories and traditions have 
 been selected as were most likely to capti- 
 vate the imagination or excite the atten- 
 tion of young readers. 
 
 Uniform with "Classic Stories." 
 
 Coleridge's Ancient Mariner. 
 With 25 Illustrations by David 
 Scott, R.S.A., and Life of the 
 Artist by the Rev. Dr. A. L. 
 Simpson, Derby. Square 16mo, 
 cloth extra, gilt edges. 3s. 6d. 
 
 These Designs were drawn when Scott 
 was only twenty-six years of age. They 
 received the warm commendation of the 
 author of the Poem — with whose mind, 
 indeed, his had much in common. No 
 subject more suitable to call forth his 
 peculiar powers could be imagined ; and 
 nobly has he succeeded in translating in- 
 to a kindred art this weird yet beautiful 
 creation. 
 
 The Shipwreck. A Poem in three 
 Cantos. By William Falconer. 
 With Twenty Illustrations by 
 Birket Foster. Post 8vo, cloth 
 extra, gilt edges. Price 3s. 6d. 
 
 *** Special attention is directed to the 
 fact that this Edition contains a Fac- 
 simile of Falconer's Log-Booh, or Journal, 
 of his Voyage from, Philadelphia to 
 Jamaica in February-March 1760, now 
 for tlie first time published. Also the 
 Chart of the "Britannia's" course from 
 Candia to Cape Colonna; and an En- 
 graving of a Merchant vessel, with tlie 
 names of her masts, sails, yards, and 
 rigging, and their various parts. 
 
 Shakespeare's Stories Simply 
 Told. Tragedies and Historical 
 Plays. By Mary Seymour. 
 With 83 Illustrations by the late 
 Frank Howard, R.A. Post 8vo, 
 cloth extra, gilt edges. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Shakespeare's Stories Simply 
 Told. Comedies. By Mary 
 Seymour. With numerous Il- 
 lustrations by the late Frank 
 Howard, R.A. Post 8vo, cloth 
 extra, gilt edges. Price 3s. 6d. 
 
 Note. — "Classic Stories Simply Told " Series can also be had, bound in cloth extra, 
 plain edges, price 3s. each. 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS, LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK.