Show r 1 1 Black Feather c Harold Titus By H Har Harold ar 0 I d Tit Titus u s U r c CHAPTER lTER V I Continued G 6 Yes small small a hand on the Frenchmans Frenchman's shoulder gripping and shaking Not for three but two men For Jacques and me and anda a cask of small goods Did you spy on them as they passed Yes Did you note the kegs Did you guess what theIr contents might mean t I should they be poured down hunters before I arrive to show the f token to Standing Cloud mon enfant and he sUpped slipped t an arm across Basile's shoulder and andI iu I drew him close and whIspered ex- ex excitedly ex La in his ear Basile stiffened with amazement and incredulity But not nol It Its It's a fools fool's venture master Fool I am then Its It's the chance the one chance You will follow with the goods when the canoes are finished We keep on we still move as tree free men and fight as men who starve without freedom And so two dawns later with Jacques before beCore him alcohol and weapons and presents and their blankets in the canoe Rodney shoved off in the wake of Rick RickI I mans man's brigade while Basile reo re- remained behind to hasten as best The could the canoe maker at hIs tasks I Burke Rickman was no empty braggart his reputation for compe tence was not without good foundation lion tion Convinced though he was that he had dealt Shaw a blow from which he never could recover in time to tom tomake m make ke his bid for the Pillager trade effective he drove his men desper desper- desperately on the next stage of the march But a light canoe makes twice the speed of a laden one And two men work more adroitly and with less contusion confusion than a score So Rodney gained with each hour he and Jacques plied their paddles or grunted over portages When Rodney saw the brigade In Inthe inthe the distance he went cautiously hugging the Inside ot of bends scout scouting ing ahead by foot o occasionally to de de- de determine termine that their progress was safe for still another hour from observant I INight ant eyes Night and Rodney Shaw wrig Tig on his belly beny through long grasses to look across and down upon the camp ot of his adversary Tutee nights Rodney crept up on ont t 1 camp but failed to find It possible to put his plan Into Lato exe exe- But the fourth night he returned and roused Jacques and they packed their baggage and embarked the canoe making no sound that was au ible above the murmur ot of the I f current Rickman had made an exception exception- exceptionally ally hard days day's march Both guards dozed beside the fire t L LAcross Across the stream was a lush rice bed and into this Rodney guid guid- guided ed the canoe At his whispered command Jacques censed ceased paddling Silently now he whispered Your task Is to remain silent And to o hold the canoe when I leave it nd to return the way we have come it f I fail to return The glow of the fire came abreast One guard lay prone by the blaze the other nodded on the opposite side Now I Hold the canoe sol so whispered Rodney and laid his pad die down while Jacques gathered rice blades In his hands for age Shaw as silent DS as a 1 shadow t lifted one one foot overs ide and felt for bottom And then from under his very nose as he swayed outward to stand erect a duck lifted into the air flapping and squawking I The sound La in the stillness silliness was by contrast tremendous Another took wings to their right and two more and in seconds a dozen ducks were in alarmed night flight females squawking drakes uttering their throaty notes of ala alarm rm And Use the sleeping guard across there was sitting up His compan compan- companion ion was tn on his feet teet rifle in hand Hold from Sh Rodney so They cannot see The two boatmen by the fire mut and then one spoke more loud ly A mink disturbing the fowl Cowl he said Or a fox slipping up for II a abile bile lie He stretched and yawned acrel But Dut this driving gives weight to n a mans man's lids he growled r arid putting his rifle down began to toI I pare pace slowly back and forth rub rub- bang bing sleep from his eyes f Rodney softly took his place In inthe the canoe Let go he whispered I glumly The chance has passed I F And back In her house at Mack Macki nac that night Annette's old aunt stormed and fumed while the girl I sat staring absently before beCore her look look- looking ing ine small and disconsolate What Is Is always worse the woman lamented First one is In a ati ti sweat ot al the way you ou risk your our vir rue tue with these stalwart young men Then Them one Is tn in a chill at the way c you sit at al home and will have none of them whatever and grow thin i 1 and white It Is like a sickness I I And for what she shrilled For yearning over a roving trader who stoops to murder that he may may- It was not the girl cut cutin cutin in color staining her face The post surgeon says sot sol He was told of the condition of the body And he says no knife knite could have entered the body while he lived and spilled so little blood or left such a wound ns as was It was a plot to thwart Rodney I The old woman grumbled and rummaged in the deep pockets of her great black skirt Better for you had you wed Ws this Rickman when he first came woo woo- wooing ing At least least he be Is respected and held law abiding and competent by bythe bythe the powers that rule this place A girl would be safe with him in years to come Two more days for Shaw of fol- fol following fol lowing closely and marking time and chafing The river narrowed became more tortuous in Its curving curving ing Then the northern sky clouded and rain began to fall in late after after- afternoon noon The downpour became heavier more insistent and Rodney went ashore alone to observe Rickman's men making camp lie He saw the ther 1 h r 2 a r r j j jei 3 ei t Silently Now lie De Whispered goods piled on shore and covered saw the canoes upturned and oil oil oil- oilcloths cloths stretched over them to shel shel- shel shelter ter the men saw Rickman's tent pitched and a fire started Rickman and Rich ate within the tent The men bolted their food and slunk beneath the The two men on guard made efforts to keep the fire going They were not successful and finally Shaw saw them draw blankets over their heads and sit together tight against one of the canoes Rodney crept clo closer er to the en- en encampment encampment A dark hulk rose above him which was the first mound of packages snug from the rain Cau- Cau Cautiously Cautiously he drew out the edge of oC oilcloth and felt for the cold sides of the oaken casks The first came out and he carried It quickly to the stream rolling it itin itin in The slight bump and splash were lost in larger noises lie He car car- carried carried ried another and surrendered it to the current and another and still another lie He warmed to the task He jerked casks from the pile and let them roll down the slope One and two and six and a dozen lie searched frantically with his hands for more That was nUl all Then chuckling a bit he slipped Into the current after aller them and crossed to the other side and made his way woy downstream Jacques curled like a wolf walt be- be beneath beneath neath the stretched cloth awoke with an alarmed grunt at Shaws Shaw's touch Come We march marchl Now Tonight In this storm Ayl AI Now And in In this storm we pass the camp ot of the brigade without suspicion I An hour later he was Indeed above Rickman's uncomfortable disastrous resting place lie He was cold and drenched and weary But Buthe Buthe he kept on until nearly dawn be- be before before fore landing for tor a snatch of sleep and a handful of food tood before beCore he resumed his way woy On a green and azure and golden morning Rodney Shaw emerged from the riCe choked rice choked stream which drained Into the lake of the Pillagers ers To his right which was the north north- northern ern side of the lake lay a clear clear- clearIng Ing on a gentle slope and the stock stock- stockade ade and buildings of a trading post gleamed against the background of forest a blockhouse perched above the gaping gapin gate gale Nor he muttered Too elaborate an establishment for an Independent And its it's Astor's by forced purchase We wont won't tres tres- trespass trespass pass Jacques A mile further on tucked behind a sheltering point he saw the sec and ond stockade and outlay of build build- buildings Ings and headed toward it The place was was all more more- than he could have hoped for The stockade was of stout pickets ten feet tall sharpened on the end Within was a storehouse traders trader's quarters with fireplace and wet wet- packed earthen floor and a house for the men ail of logs Once they had been washed with paint made of white clay and water but the stuff was flaked and dropping now Within an hour after he had land land- landed landed ed three canoes approached from as many directions Hunters these come to appraise this new trader and to give Rodney his first sight of the Pillagers lie He made his visitors meager pres pres- pres presents and explained that his canoes laden with goods were on the way But why does the trader take the small fort one asked A voice like a murmuring wind has come up the Mississippi It has told us that the company from the island of the Great Turtle will trade in the tort fort Is not the trader from the company A little stab of apprehension ran through Rodney That voice spoke what is true he said The great company does docs come It may be that its goods will arrive before mine arrive But the great grent company is like a raven wait wait- waiting ing to pick the bones of hunters I Iam Iam am not of it An old man grunted assent Voices have told here that the great company trading alone en en- en enslaves slaves the hunters he said The voices spoke truth I will give you tobacco He handed small amounts of twist to each They smoked and talked further and at what he be thought a proper time Rodney asked the loca loca- loca location tion of Standing Clouds Cloud's camp I bear for him a token of broth broth- brotherhood he said and was somewhat nettled that the grunts which fol fol- fol followed lowed the statement were not more enthusiastic But they pointed out the way to the chiefs chies lodge and soon Rodney was headed beaded there A tall gaunt Indian naked to the waist legs encased in finely tanned buckskin sat on a rush mot mat The I chiefs chies face tace betrayed no emotion neither animosity nor friendliness Rodney came to a halt before him bim his bis right hand upraised Standing Cloud he said I have come many leagues to have talk with you I have come to trade with you and your people But first I have come to bring you words of praise and friendship from my brother Leslie The other grunted Impassively his eyes busy bwy on Shaws Shaw's face Leslie hungered to come Rod Rod- Rodney Rodney ney continued Leslie waited many days to come with me But a great sickness of the breast was upon him He is departed They poured sand over him at the island of the Great Turtle Standing Cloud stirred slowly at attha tha that t Your words cast a cloud across the sun he said Leslie was my friend But for him sand would have been poured over Standing Cloud many moons ago at the prairie of dogs It is so Leslie spoke of this to tome tome me But he could not come So he sent me to bear beor you words of praise as a brother and to return this stone to you lie He reached into his pouch and extended the ornament The man took it eyed it turned it over He looked long at Shaw then and grunt grunt- grunted ed cd Let us smoke he said briefly and Rodney drew a sigh of vast reo re- relief lief knowing he had been accepted without further question He told then in detail the story of events leading up to hIs arrival there So the great company's goods I I will arrive before mine Flaming Hair will appear burdened with wilh presents while my hands are empty But the Pillagers must know what evil comes to hunters when the great company alone Is among them Will my new brothers await the coming of my canoes Standing C Iou l o u d pondered at length My pathway is clear and a n d bright he be said My eyes are not clouded There Is but one way for forme forme me to travel That is to help my I brothers brother's brother I go now to the lodge a 0 Black Beaver I will come cometo cometo to your place and talk in another sun CHAPTER VI I Who then Is Black Beaver 1 Shaw put this question to the Weasel Wensel a talkative Indian who had appeared early the next day to visit him taste his liquor smoke his to to- to tobacco bacco beg for presents Black Beaver was the medicine man the the Weasel io in- in informed formed him A mighty worker of magic Black Beaver Deaver A man of wealth and wisdom Black Beaver Deaver But not always a man who walked straight and in the light And the Weasel went on narrating the mis- mis misdeeds misdeeds deeds and evil practices of the jes jes- jes and Rodney grew sober and anda a bit dismayed Standing Cloud the t h e principal chief was respected Flat Mouth the war chief was acknowledged a great man But Black Beaver was the dominating influence Black Beaver had withheld hunt bunt bunter's hunter's ers er's medicine from Crom those who trad trad- trad traded ed with the independent he had even declared Windigo the river of the Laughing Musquash so that none of these hunters for whom it was a favorite ground dared go gothere gothere there So widely accepted was his edict that not only did the Indians believe In it but the little traders trader's traders trader's I engages would not venture up Laughing Musquash for the white whiteclay whiteclay clay with which the buildings had been washed For three days then Rodney campaigned d to establish in inthe inthe the good will of the Pillagers and awaited the promised coming of Standing Cloud and the expected call of Black Beaver Neither ap- ap appeared appeared much to his annoyance and dismay On the third morning he walked toward the encampment on the flat Approaching the small stream which headed In the spring outside hIs gate he heard voices Women were washing blankets there and he stopped to watch and l 1 i s ten t e n screened by bushes While the sun shines they talk taI to toa a young woman said While the stars are hanging they talk The talk of the chiefs is like the talk of geese An old woman spoke One hungers for the days before Black Beavers Beaver's words were the thoughts of all the warriors and hunters It Is sad to know that Black Beaver Deaver commands such num num- numbers bers We have not had pleasant days since ears turned to him in- in instead instead stead of to Standing Cloud That is so the other agreed Standing Cloud and Flat Mouth louth it II itis Is said talk loudly for the little trader They fear if many do not accept credits from Crom the little trader he will depart They fear the great company it if no other trader is pres pres- present eat ent Black Dlack Beaver closes his ears to their talk And many hunters await the words of Black Beaver That is true They will trade where he commands them He will command where gifts for him are the greatest Rodney went on then his mind filled with apprehension So his fate was being settled In a council of chiefs TO DE CONTINUED |