Show 0 wife MW ship 0 woman aft imam by hush Pen denier a W a or timna SCOUT OV a my tk 1921 SYNOPSIS traveling by canoe cancle on the mississippi on his way to biloxi in the early days of the settlement Bettl omin b f louisiana willi william a m fi Ef rampton english spy py known t to 0 indians and settlers as th the white indian sees bees a indian post a declaration of war against the french for his own purposes he hastens to biloxi to carry the news to Blen villo french governor brampton meets meats a an n old friend joe labrador indian I albreada who warns him Bl enville has threatened to it hang 1 R him as a spy brampton ref refuses T to turn back he falls in with jules julea nd basile mattor matter on their way to biloxi to secure wives from a ship the malre bringing women woman froba prance france at brampton protects a woman from IL a server ser gesn Wil brutality abc CHAPTER 1 II 11 I continued 3 will you walk to where the boats are re so BO you may so go to the main I 1 asked godl she shivered cored staring blaring frantically about to the main to the wildern wilderness esal I 1 to the eava sav gesl ageal anything to escape thail and her gaze followed the group or of forlorn creatures now pawing and mauling the two Mat matters tors my name Is brampton im english something of an outlaw from virginia you came to help make Loul louisiana slana great 1 I am claire rye ive come to die she ehe simply replied you tear fear that they misrepresented conditions to youl you she gave me a quick sidelong glance no aw sharp wino penetrating as ao tile tho point of a needle and with more cor control tirol of tier her voice informed me 1 I was picked up in a raid my first thought was that she must be the daughter of some poor fornier farmer for the companas comp anys agents in rounding up tip the lie friendless to ship overseas had no scruples in taking the daughters of the poor be bb they ever so virtuous hut but a glance at the allin white hands so aristocratic and so unused to labor sent a chill to tny my heart she was poor but no daughter of poor but honest people site she had been picked up in ft A raid mid that was easily understood tooti but a young women with allin soft hands handi who had not worked and yet there was infinite appeal in tile the face ond and ballent grief her utter helplessness the lie inevitable suspicion anyway it wits not for me to condemn damn her I 1 broko the silence by offering 1 I will milk with you ou to tile the shore arid see ai you start in one of the farst laats her hend head jerked up tip as I 1 spoke because of some aloo aloofness in my tone I 1 four fear I 1 had not meant to be cruel for ohe was heartsick and body sick a wry ry young woman as helpless is a child and marooned in a land which must inest be to tier her a perpetual revelation of horrors it will be good to go in tie the boat she managed to say 11 but perhaps not tile the first boat I 1 it t depends it arill largely depend on his excel lences orders I 1 corrected but they the emen said there would be much waiting too few boats boata I 1 can tell bett beatr r when I 1 see them loading here wits fine picking and choosing for one ne of her world your name la Is not french I 1 remarked tor for the take inke of saying something as we walked along the shore danish I 1 am danish site she softly rep I 1 d and from paris or one of the villages lateer from clarit last I 1 have no home not nothing hinc we were now on the outskirts of a clamorous da mob where mn men and women fought to he be first to leave the island I 1 saw Blet iville calmly directing his soldiers eold lers one packet was filled and starting for the main another had room for two or three and Bleh ville ran his cool gaze over the pushing jostling crowd ills his eyes rested 0 on we me for a moment without a sign of then his arm shot out and ad a finger pointed in my direction and aad his voice rose above tho the concu sion lon to command that woman back there them no the one on in black come mademoiselle she paused for a moment and anxiously examined those hose aboard the boat and then glided forward without a word or a glance for me there was a commotion behind me and a short spider of a man who walked like a sailor na and whose withered face denoted a long life evilly spent if there la Is anything in physiognomy snarled aloud and with unexpected strength hurled two men and it ft woman from his bis path in ills his efforts to follow her she heard the animal ilke cry and turned her head and there was an awful horror in her gazo gaze as she beheld the man ma a and her eyes sought mine and pleaded ded protection instantly I 1 knew she did not want tills this fellow to follow tier her intuition told me her fear of him was the reason she was unwilling to make for the boats until she had seen him depart or knew he was left behind instinctively my long leg shot out and the toe of my moccasin caught his bis instep and he was down on his bis face in the sand by the time he scrambled to his feet she was in the boat and blen ville also was aboard the governor was calling back to the sergeant the others must wait till the rhex next trip get them rations from the ship the boat drew away from the shore and the hideous little man was at my throat I 1 leaped back and he attacked for the second time he had very long arms and one hand held a dirk I 1 guarded with the barrel of my musket and flung him film back on the sand this time lime he rose more slowly his small deep set eyes glowing with murder its as he took time to 0 o inspect me much wiser I 1 told him your voyage boyage made you bloodthirsty drown tile me in blige bilge but youre english 1 he exclaimed some of the malevolence le leaving his puckered face then venomously blast your eyell you stopped me from making the main ile he stood with his long arms hanging limply at his bis bides and I 1 noticed the little linger on each hand was missing lie ile had the appearance of great age and yet he hod had been as active as a monkey when he sought my thront throat ll 11 ills his excellency would have turned yo you u buck back the boat wits filled they taken off all the domed women yet I 1 sold said women 1 he chuckled turning 0 o three women who had been attracted by tile tho scene I 1 the three lost their brazen boldness and shrank back from froin his leering gaze women 1 lie he repented repeated ive seen eni em afloat and ive seen cm ashore and the dear creatures always took kindly to old lull bill 0 o old ld six fingers Is your name one cre cried d making the sign of the cross crosa you came over on the malre I 1 inquired aye mate come because it was my choice A man who sailed with caan davis and helped sack pensacola in ove aint to be made to take any voyages he dont fancy I 1 want to git ashore and hunt for some of them mines all england and france Is talking about mines mines I 1 yelled a clear voice and a young man in tattered finery came rushing from the direction of one of the ponds his yellow cutis curls blowing in the breeze his pale dissolute face redeemed by a whimsical smile the mad mississippian I 1 screamed one of the wenches wenche throwing herself in his path and clawing at his ragged cloak which he be wore jauntily although the sun poured down terrific heat beat the fellow brushed her aside and stared at rue roe recognizing me as ii a stranger then arranging his cloak and tenderly caressing the broken plume in his cap he be lustily began proclaiming behold a mississippian who wants some mississippi ten thousand shares at sixteen thousand livres a share chare I 1 who buys mississippi you fair air with the chestnut hair and beard ten thousand shares at sixteen thousand livres I 1 who wants any the land discovered by johnny lax where silver is so plentiful it is only used in paying paving roads roada where lumps lamps of gold are strewn so thickly that no one on cares to dig beneath the surf surface surfaced acel 1 six fingers crowded by me his eyes eye wolfish with greed creed as he listened to thui this fantastic harangue just as he bave listened to it many times as a tholo the loynab accost abrou ni be appeared to be hav been cut into intha by the th nimble nimbi mounting of rich uj bb edol stitt glittering stuttering ering and ne nete vot leaving thai of speak ors era wild cou countenance counte nanc A U the speech ended six fingers shook his head to shake hake off the 00 spell pell and burneo turned to lower lover at the th emaiL main now the tattered follow fellow wa was strutting strut tint toward me doffing his worn cap and bowing low A As I 1 acknowledged his bis dilatation dala tatIon he be courteously informed me 1 11 I am francois narbonne Nar bonna these off say bay I 1 am mad perhaps Per hapa it is in so I 1 was poisoned in rue roe quin campola I 1 sold bold my heritage livres and bought an estate in this land of gold I 1 paid alvres a square league for land I 1 never saw now I 1 pay you my respects as an I 1 take it you must be seme sane overlord or do 00 you bold hol donly only socage tenure I 1 began to sense tragedy in the pale face and reckless speech he was not mad I 1 decided but close to it I 1 put him down as a young rol roisterer back in parts who had become fascinated by the ridiculous tales he bad invested life his entire patrimony in the land he bad never seen the island the view of the main the nature mature of his bis fellow voy toy agers had awakened him to the truth the stock jobbers patter was his fashion of showing self derision perhaps was him bis only safeguard against insanity I 1 concluded I 1 liked him I 1 briefly stated my name and my reasons for being on the mississippi he threw back his head and laughed laughed until the tears ran down his bis thin face at last he be gasped A runaway englishman forced to live here berel I 1 and a frenchman who gives all he be hath bath for the same blessed privilege legel I 1 I 1 must go without food for a day and say may 12 and as many aves at the shrine of the virgin no no not all that ive been without food tor for three days dayl I 1 owe nothing more than candles to the altar 11 ill 11 turn here heretic ill turn indian eli eh brampton would you kindly convince me with a display of the latest steps of the war dance 1111 H 11 ll dut but hes an odd fish flohl I 1 11 muni mumbled bled six fingers he was dull enough coming over with his moping and groaning until we wap two days from the coast then he began his him talk about gold till ones mouth would water ali ah now he begins narbonne who was addressing nonsense to the circle suddenly gave his attention to me and explained 1 I was thirsty and wandered to one of the lakes of rare wine which bless this island and so was not here when the boats set sail I 1 was so busy gathering diamonds formed from dewdrops that I 1 lost sight of the precious jewels among us here I 1 missed one jewel in particular nor do I 1 see tier her now site she was dressed in black most moat unholy of colors for one entering this land of enchantment did site she go to the maln main inn or Is she WaD wandering dering about the island in the second boat I 1 coldly in formed him the effect of the question on six ringers fingers was amazing ile he became transformed into a demon of hate bate his squat body seeming to dilate as he crouched and glared at D n your lugs 1 he cried so that Is your game eha eh youre after tier her the old six toed rat dares address the mississippian without uncovering I 1 must have one of those withered ears and out came the cut cul and thrust sword and narbonne was lunging playfully and dexterously nt at the ancient with a scream of rage six fingers leaped backward and yanked out hla his dirk and catching it by the tip hurled it nt lit his tormentor only by dropping to the ground did narbonne escape it before the matter could proceed to more serious results sergeant suarez was between the two men and hoarsely bawling ills his excellency rules that blood will have blood hanging for a killing the galleys tor for the man who attempts to kill hill you two are so full of life you shall come with me and help bury two dead men and a woman the rest of you stay here and as for you englishman his excellences orders are that you be here when he returns 1 I came purposely to meet him I 1 sald said till we meet again monsieur narbonne monsieur Is very polite I 1 repeat his words and look ahead to meeting him on the golden silver mainland pardi I 1 A grave grate I 1 rol hel he bel come along little six toed rat we may find gold CHAPTER ill III bad new and sad news newa two years before nicholas do de for fer under directions from the company com pally had prepared a map of the mississippi country which flamed the fever tor for speculation the company also made changes in the old map made by john fenex the englishman so as to picture the country a wonderful el dorado while herman heman moll prominent english cartographer marked across his map of the country west of the mississippi this country Is rail full of mines it Is true thit that my own countrymen la in petitioning the lords of trade to establish military posts posta on the be ba babai ih ani rort port royal to the rill of grancea activity la in colonizing the hi valloy ralley urged ur the cort ad of thew these JCU pot could be met by gold god shined in the Appalachian su If only explorations exploration ars are made to ducouer cism st guch ucha but unlike the french toy my vw peo pie never delibe deliberately fooled themselves that the company would resort to almost any deception to lure colonists to louisiana was shown when sliver silver was carried from mexico to the upper waters of the mississippi and latex later discovered there as an proof pt the rich mines yr waiting alting to be uncovered Ble oville appeared at last and ones onee more he kept me waiting until ho be had loaded the two packets packet only this time he did not leave with oem acm I 1 saw law alb and six sit fingers return from burying the dead and clamber aboard the second boat their grew some task seemed to have made them excellent friends for they laughed and talked in an uproarious fash fashion lon ills his excellency now approached in me his steady gaze never leaving my face he abruptly begin began monsieur PAI ampton lampton l your coming gives me a disagreeable duty to perform I 1 could sentence you to be hung bung I 1 have had bad 12 deserters hung and a spy la Is worse that depends on the point of view your excellency I 1 replied rising and facing him you would never consider one of your spies to be as deplorable plo rable a creature as an one of your deserters ser may I 1 assume from your words that you do not intend to hang me it will be the galleys gal leya he coldly answered 1 I should prefer tn ta send fiend you and other malefactors to ork in the silver mines in the went but that cannot be until rye ive complo completed ted negotiations got lations with the Span spaniards lards soldiers from santa fe fc have already come to the missouri I 1 informed him so there Is a trail that might be safer than the gulf route sol he exclaimed and I 1 knew I 1 had bad his Inte interest resL then be returned to my mj case and said bald monsieur brampton you know me it must always be that an eye calls for an eye blood demands blood treachery calls for exacting punishment I 1 will be just which means the price must be paid whether its one of my soldiers a poor savage or a runaway english the price must be paid your excellency I 1 was told on pont font chartrain chartr aln that you yon were grieved at something I 1 was supposed to have done I 1 was warned that you would deal with me severely it if I 1 fell luto futo your hands I 1 asked where I 1 could find you and the answer was shiv ship island behold I 1 am here suppose you tell me what I 1 have done to merit your displeasure I 1 have waited long here to be told no no monsieur 1 your assurance ais urance 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