Show OR I 1 DIE SYNOPSIS Travel lne by canoe on th on hie way to in the early day at the battlement of louisiana william brampton epy known to indian and as tb white indian fees a natchez indian poat a declaration of war the french for his own purpose he hastens to to carry the news to french Bran ipton meets an old friend joe labrador indian halfbreed who warns him has threatened to hang him as brampton refuses to turn bach he falls in with jules and baille matter on their way to to secure wives from a chip the matre bringloe bring lne women france at brampton protects a woman from a sergeants brutality she tells him she Is claire picked up in a raid in paris evl dently well bred and educated she Is a mystery to brampton he intervenes to present a man english known as old six 1 aers following her to bew orleans frenchman francois Nir bonne slightly demented by stories he has heard of the riches of the new world introduces himself accuses brampton of treachery CHAPTER ill continued 1 I can hold deceit to be excusable when you are fighting against the gal leys he answered I 1 have not la tended to insult you simply to speak what Is in my heart monsieur brama ton you know the indians of the val ley you must know that a declara alon of war posted within the limits of any french settlement would never be left for you to bring to me and I 1 have heard the new s from no one else enough of this I 1 trust the english BS I 1 would that lying recollect priest hennegin hennepin Henn epin who did so much mischief by ate cursedly false description of this country there was nothing for me to say and I 1 stood and stared out over the ulu the governor continued in a cold brittle voice pennsylvania has sent out scouts for three ears on the ohio and the mississippi to leam what the french re doing yet governor spotswood only this last spring reported to the lords of trade that the french have a settlement at I 1 told this in canada by a friendly it shotts that scouts have been ten veirs in learning of the french occupation of alabama it would seem that the english scouts are a small danger he wrinkled his brows in perplexity if I 1 bere what he charged then I 1 must be of but small value to the english for pot having reported the alabama settler n 1717 athen I 1 first visited the lower river As a matter of fact I 1 hid never dreamed that my country men acre in of conditions which had existed ever since 1710 a brief he you say the spaniards have visited the missouri by an overland trail from santa they joined the near the kansa river intending to raid fort chartreau Ch artrea the entire invading force billed by the osage indians ltd not cay this before that they sicre killed that they came 0 attack chartress Char tresi life cried now betrayed into a bit of excitement 1 ww iacued the thing most imbor tant to yon to be the fact that there Is an bertand oer tand trail to santa cal for troops I 1 save unimportant but interesting details for friends abere Is no danger to fort chartres we ft ill go back in your boat he mf uttered leading the way to where the two matters were impatiently waiting for me with them were two worn en how do I 1 know the natchez haie declared war the question satisfied me he was beginning to weaken to doubt my guilt impose our cursed sentence and hae done with it I 1 exploded but 40 not insult roe further unless you tre ready to give me satisfaction As I 1 grew hot he grew cold and eed me curiously he governor of louisiana can hardly fight with a felon he will not tight with a friend he quietly remarked if the natchez hae struck the warriors post and I 1 will eoon earn the truth I 1 shall suspend sen lence on you until I 1 can probe deeper into the desertions here you jules matter we go back at once we have no room for women they must go in p he packets but please monsieur your axcel lency pleaded old jules these will he our wives kot while you have indian wives on lake borgne growled the gov anor 1 I will not hae the choctaws nebout my because aielo adopted tr othera are playing fast and lose l ose falth their women you two young women will return to your compan tons biot a word matter I 1 am in a bad mood up with that sail and set me across with all haste the voyage was uneventful until we drew near the deer island channel and sighted a mall pirogue rounding the eastern end rose to his feet snatched up one of my robes and waved it bok and forth until the two in the pirogue the sag ani A moment of hesitation and then they shifted their course and paddled briskly toward they were thia artry complexioned fellow s of th i hugh Pend exier author kings of the missouri A scout etc by hutli lt benrice pronounced french type and both w ere strangers to me jean demouy what brings you here demanded A speaking bark from monsieur ie page du pratz of bayou st jean your excellency replied the fellow holding to the side of our boat and using the indian term for the written message the governor read the com munica alon with compressed lips then asked you have just arrived all haste yes your excel lency we were making tor the tort when we saw the bolts and turned back thinking to find enough I 1 go to the fort and get food and drink I 1 w have a message for you to take back As the pirogue dropped away bien valle reread the message with frowning brows du pratz had spent much time among the natchez knowing the mes sage was from him I 1 was not surprised when came aft and informed me o 0 heard the boatman monsieur du pratz writes to inform me the natchez have declared war for the month ot peaches some of his men brought the new e down the riter they must have been close on our heels I 1 recalled my impression of the ob eject in the river moving behind the mass of drift As I 1 remained silent stiffly added 1 I make my apologies for seeming to doubt your word you owe me no apologies I 1 owed it to myself to tell you with all haste seeing that I 1 make free of the lower mississippi where you rule perhaps my motive was a selfish one perhaps I 1 feared the natchez in going to war might mistake me tor a frenchman and stick an ax in my head we will have a talk later he mut his powerful mind already forecasting the future and seeking ways and means to mollify or block the natchez 1 I do not say I 1 shall lift the peace calumet to you but just now I 1 feel more tolerant like the shares of the mississippi company my stock was going up I 1 knew my promptness in bringing the natchez news had proved to be the strongest kind of medicine for me and in a like manner have I 1 often escaped a dangerous climax by stumbling upon some situation which I 1 could twist to my own use and benefit I 1 was entire ly composed by the time we landed on the east shore of the bay near fort maurepas Mau led the way to a grove of pines and threw himself on the needles ind motioned me to take my case began monsieur Brar opton I 1 have decided that I 1 believe you when you eay you had nothing to do with the desertion of mv soldiers there would be no re on your personal honor if I 1 were forced to believe to the contrary nor have I 1 any proof that you are an english spy biow monsieur you have lived much along the river tell me what you consider to be frances greatest help and her greatest bin drance in developing the mississippi vall eyt promptly and truthfully I 1 answered you are her greatest help your ex cel lency frances belief in matlis and fairy tales is tier greatest hindrance but your governors believe in among your mountains that la not believing in myths and fairy stories there may be mines there mines are often found in rhoun bains but we do not colonize for mines clear the forests make plant crops they press forward slowly making sure of the ground they spread oer when the first colonists came to virginia there were many adventurers among them like the spanish and french in flor idi and I 1 slana they wanted quick wealth some went road in their huat for pearls after finding them in corn mon use among the indians ehrp came men and women who built cabins and planted crops they no time hunting pearl with he eald true the good god knows I 1 have always urged that colonists be sent oer who would work the soil and raise families my brother iberville prophesied that the english would con arol the whole continent within years if we french did not take root up and down the valley and you imy have seen today what kind of colonists they send met what are your plans our wandering alk ending with the pointed question satisfied me lie had been inking an ambush for me I 1 ned sleepily and said I 1 have none by and by back to canada perhaps a trip into the among the indians of the plains you dare not go back to the english colonies I 1 laughed grimly V virglnia or carolina would give many pounds to get me there which was true in a fashion for my budget of newa was easily worth a good price now that alie english were awakening to the fact that the french were thick among the roe and brushed the needle from bli cot and said you are english monsieur I 1 have made my decision the english have their spies up and down the river I 1 too have on the coast one ot should be showing up any time nov lf he has not been killed he will bring your complete history lou are what iou claim to be or an enemy of france I 1 must know the truth I 1 think your excellency I 1 only hope your man Is painstaking and hon est he Is what he Is but he will bring an honest talk to me he la very vise lou must stay here until he returns 1 I am under arrest no no my guest until I 1 cin give vou a clean bill demoin will he most careful to get the facts right chere was a mist before my that was not from the steaming water there was a chill in my heart that even the louisiana sun could not dis pel yet force of habit permitted me to wear a mask of indifference but it was a moment before I 1 dared trust my voice then I 1 said 1 I am glad damean Is the man to look me up he will make no mistake he will not hold back tor fear of dis covery and then come here and report lies to you 1 I rejoice you accept tt so amiably it encourages me you are free to wander about with a laugh I 1 accepted the situation and humorously remarked it your excellency had not placed me on bounds I 1 would have been con tent to idle away a month here now I 1 am itching to go somewhere else that would be unwise most un healthy monsieur the climate Is bad for those who exert themselves it a man should lose himself I 1 call and the natives from the to the mouth of the mississippi hear me and look for that man I 1 shall be pleased to have you dine with me in the cool of the evening I 1 must leave you now and arrange for the grants to start on their journeys as another ship Is due to arrive any time I 1 was thinking of the girl in black and asked what of mademoiselle bahls gaarde does she return to france on the maire or must she wait until you verify her story he halted and stared at me blankly her story return her to france god s mercy but we ve already returned two thousand out of the seven thousand sent over by the company it would require a most excellent story to get mademoiselle back to france let decency and justice demand her return if she was illegally seized by the police in their raid I 1 persisted he smiled slightly and coolly ad seek some deep shade monsieur the sun has made you believe in fairy tales the young woman made no claim on my indulgence she said nothing to me about being taken in a raid it is too much to expect to find a virtuous woman among those frail ones but she Is young and has much room to mend her morals over here 0 o I 1 shall see her married to one of du gratza men and sent to a cabin near the natchez I 1 was astounded the girl had rep re seated herself to me as the victim of an indiscriminate raid I 1 thought of her soft handa 1 bought of the monotonous corn rations which the canadian french would eat but which alie lower mississippi french refused except as a famine diet I 1 was astounded I 1 say and set why should I 1 expect one of her caste to tell the truth nevertheless there was some thing infinitely pathetic in picturing one so soung and so unused to the ovll bernes being held a prisoner in the forest cubin of a demouy her frailty was the fault of her environment but a loncle mississippi cabin was a ter price for her to pay unless the men were similarly owing to the disturbing revelations his excellency had made about damean the fox I 1 could not give the girl much of my thoughts the of my own affairs demanded my most careful attention so as the governor strode away to the fort I 1 wandered toward the shore to concentrate on my predicament di damean was deep in my confidence it was imperative that my canadian data should be delivered and his trip up the ohio afforded me an excellent and safe opportunity and I 1 had placed in his hands conclusive evidence of my guilt and the moment he returned it would not be the galleys I 1 but the noose had it been any other than the fox 1 might hac retained same hope but damean would be most cunning I 1 could see him presenting my budget of news and thereby winning confidence I 1 could see hini accepted as my trusted friend eager to sell france for english gold he would have my history complete once he finished with my countrymen over my lidid hung the shadow of a noose monsieur murmured a voice he hind me I 1 turned but there was no one ex capt a lout of a soldier standing with hie back to ine the butt of hl snap I 1 haunce flintlock resting on the ground thing for you under the butt of my musket walt till I 1 before 5 ou pick it up 4 I 1 pretended to V 81 group about narbonne I 1 heard the soldier ing away and ulm half a minute before leaning hackon one elbow and securing a paper stamped into the sand by the gun satisfied no spying ees ere on me I 1 opened it it was written in ang elsh and read monsieur the monsieur 1 bibbed a soldier to give this to you he promised on the cross I 1 must escape up the river and to the settlements if one generous heart in this horrible land to help roe I 1 know the good god will rem ard hen you get this I 1 be on the way to ew orleans his excel lency says I 1 am to mate with a creature of the forest I 1 either go to the english settlements or I 1 die L CHAPTER IV one acason for leaving I 1 tore the message into tiny pieces and burled them deep under the sand and endeavored to analyze the wom ans reasons for so dramatically announcing noun cing she must make the english settlements or die why not canada being of paris I 1 would have expected her to make for canada and from there take a boat home she had made no request to be sent back to france however although she had told she was the victim of a police raid I 1 should have felt much better about her could I 1 have reconciled her soft hands with a theory of honest poverty however it was not for me to set up as a moralist her loneliness and suffering made her human I 1 knew I 1 should help her it it was within my power A voice disturbed my meditations by ironically saying monsieur Is burled beneath admira alon for this golden bay I 1 am told that it one skim on the top six inches i of water it changes to solid gold over night it was the tattered narbonne back of him was six fingers his ment face leering malevolently farther in the background were several of the women I 1 lazily remarked tou two have composed your differences with a nod toward the pirate lal we are brothers 1 simpered simp ered narbonne he goes with me to my estate he Is to be my gold steward you know we are to find much gold and many precious stones six came nearer and in eng elsh said monsieur and I 1 start at once for new orleans will you ship with us that tar I 1 know the coast to the east I 1 know all the spanish ports but clew me to the anchor and dump me overboard it I 1 know this d d river with its many months 1 that narbonne understood my language was shown by his swiftly cutting in we would |