Show T H L oa ahi m aa CHAPTER XI continued 15 ills outburst broke the spell with insane fristine howls the blumas crowded in from all al sides I 1 leaped toward the point I 1 hod selected when the tha circle first ifor mcd and bowled over two men end and was running toward my cabin where I 1 had left my musket with the squeal of a cornered rat the lie murderer attempted to follow me and ho to must have used his knife to some profit for I 1 heard a death howl flow DR da moan was yelling for tits ills choctaws to chase tile me hut but the bulk of them were back it at tile the exit and the others wore were tardy in taking up tip the pur pursuit sult As for the huens they paused to tic six fingers hands behind ills hla back by the time they yore were pounding after me I 1 had secured my niu musket and was at the patch of vines behind tile the girls cabin while lie entire mass of infuriated fur furia ted savages were sweeping down on my cabin I 1 risked calling the girls name the silence and the failure of Ln labrador brador to make nn an appearance satisfied me they yore were well on their way to tho river I 1 cautiously worked in behind tile vines and found the hole scarcely largo large enough for my bulk to pass through thrusting my lily feet through I 1 was clear except my shoulders when tile the wild mot passed the cabin and surrounded the one I 1 had find occupied the women had snatched burning brandi from the fires and those illuminated tile the scene through the mesh of vines I 1 saw six fingers being dragged between two warr warriors fors mid and as tile savages came to a halt I 1 heard him good lack 1 tills this will be deli death 1 pirate and murderer that hy he wits wila I 1 could not help the wish that lie ho might find a quick death ruther rather than to roust slowly on tile bed of torture utterly bat bad as lie ho was lie ile was borelan englishman and if it hod had not been for narrowing the girls chances oc 00 escape I 1 should have been tempted to shoot him film because once lie ha had been an english lad tile grandson grauds on bolder than the others ran forward with ax and torch and thrust uel lila fits head fiend inside the cabin turning back lie ho shouted that I 1 wits was gone almost tho the same moment damean ran into the cabin in front of me and yelled to tho the red men that labrador and the woman were gone when lio lie upp appeared eared in the torchlight torch light lie he was insane with rage and catching a glimpse of six fingers writhing figura lie he screeched like a panther and fell ell upon him na as it intending to tear him to pieces with tits his bare hands 1 I can tell their plans I 1 screamed six fingers in english na As dajoana Da moana moans fingers began ripping ills face tell them I 1 tell them I 1 or pick you joint from joint I 1 lica damann bending over the craven outstretched hands hooked like claws save mol met save met me I 1 gasped st ab fingers take mo me with you ill lead you to them I 1 1 I speak Spen kl 1 yelled veiled damann hunching bunching hun ching his hie shoulders and wriggling tits his long fingers before the murderers blooding bleeding face they planned for Ln labrador brador and the woman to get away while we was ea eating I 1 panted six fingers flioy they planned but now it wits purely a question of itle girls bins safety and not of tills this snakes suffering aladj and I 1 fired nn an ounce ball through his wicked skull anti through tile the hole and away into tile the block black forest CHAPTER XII the proud ones slater dies ailed I 1 led tile the chase that night toward the cast and so long ns as I 1 traveled in that direction I 1 took pains occasionally to betray my position tills procedure gave tile the girl and labrador more time to escape for or I 1 knew w da moan would bend every endeavor to overtake me morning I 1 swung hack back in a wide circle planning to strike the near the lie aunica village at tho ilip upper end of the portage of the cross there I 1 was sure feura to find a canoe in which to push on after my iny friends that light I 1 skirted the tunica village anti stole some corn front from nn outlying village and was fortunate eno enough agh to ind find a small email canoe containing a elsh sh net made of linden bark fiber aind s some me lines iines t with hooks and fishbone sh I 1 ande nde excellent progress pro giess that night nor did I 1 observe anything to indicate my illy toes foes had find discovered my return to tile the river it was not until I 1 reached the clifta s of natchez and was the mouth of little river that I 1 made two important discoveries one brought great joy tile lie other impelled me to paddle with desperate haste into tile the tributary tributary ahead of me some dds arnce up little river was a n pirogue containing two persons one of the couple looked like a boy and was not u using sing a paddle in tile the next moment I 1 hod had glimpsed a long pirogue turning a bend of the ole big river below mo me it ilfeld nt at least a n doan indians and their six foot paddles were flashing rapidly I 1 did not believe I 1 had been seen its as I 1 was disappearing into the tributary when WB his strange craft howrd its nose around the bend tile the canoe ahead liow bow discovered me and the slim figure vanished hed by dropping flat anti and tile the other abandoned tile the paddle to 10 pick up lip a musket I 1 waved my fay cap and labrador turned about nd began padd paddling linAl to meet nic me 1 gestured for him bim to to go baft bade and in panto nAme announced the peril behind we As aa tie swung his pirogue by hugh t er author of kings illings of the missouri pay graver gravel A virginia scout etc copyright by hush III about to liend head upstream up stream again lie must mus t have told tile girl for sho she reappeared and stretched clied out both hands to me we were within miles ot of white apple tile principal town of tile the notches which in turn was within three miles of fort Ilo salle lot let us ug but got get inside the village and I 1 would have no fear of either the french at the fort or of damoon and tile the choctaws pursuing mo me the natchez were on tho the eve of war with the ho french they were a very haughty people there would bo be no subtle evasion of their laws to please Ble aville even it the rod red warriors post did not stand be tween them the three of us would have full monsure measure of protection from the great sun wid ills brother and war chief tattooed serpent so ao my illy henri heart was light when I 1 drew up alongside labradors adors piragua and was greeted by its ills amiable grin und and a tremulous handclasp from tile the girl they noticed the absence of six fingers und and both began asking questions he was wan shot anil and killed while escaping coiling from the village I 1 said anid it a 8 he swung his pirogue about to head upstream again he must have told the girl for she reap heap feared and stretched out her hands hand to me he had obeyed orders lie he could have escaped with me tile the girls face was sober at hearing such violent news and yet I 1 fancied there was relief relict in tier bearing we dragged the canoes under some bushes hu alies and being in familiar country took the shortest cut to white apple sometimes called white harth earth when we had find all but conie come to tile the village we heard a peculiar howl which startled Ln librador brador and tile me because we knew what it meant and which frightened ali tha girl because she could imagine it to moan mean alinosi anything unwholesome I 1 motioned for labrador to make a detour but before we know knew it we were through the bushes and in tin nn opening close to the village and the girl was staring with wide eyel eye at the strange scene some of tits the dutchez were rehearsing for a funeral ceremony I 1 whispered as much to her and she became aust qu et nud curlon sly watched clied the peculiar proceedings ce cea there wore were five victims vic tima three women and two men and forty execl rs thu arlin office being eagerly sought because it ennobled all the executioners execution ers had their fiands painted red and had red fen feathers thrust through tho the long of hair hanging down the left slue shie of the head the five vict victims lins had their hair painted red the girl taw aw no significance in tile the red hands the alie red hair the rope and red or r but the gestures of the man with the weapon frightened tier her it Is all ronke make believe I 1 whispered spere d trying io to hurry tier on we will go to tile hie village if damjan did not see gee me enter the river lie he will learn from the fort that diat none of us ua have passed so we walked toward the village ond and the rehearsal being finished the natchez came after us hut but such was wag their courted cour lejay ay that hint they boulli not no t pass pasa us ua and those who to reagh reach the village quickly swung far to one side as if taking an entirely dIf different Terent course labrador was frowning heavily anti and in choctaw said friend there was no word bearer nor any medicine man among those to ho be sacrificed the dead must be a women the three old women were tier her kinswomen kinswoman kins women the ali two men were her servants if it was la glorieuse there would be many more servants ile ho named a woman of noble rank called P the ahe proud by the french because of tier her aristocratic bearing her contempt for commoners and tier her ig of rl any ny frenchman unless lie he possessed rank it was known that tattooed serpent wa enamored of tier her but both being nobles marriage between them was impossible no the funeral procession wits scarcely worthy ot a woman who enjoyed the favor of head war chief as well as a bather of theareal the great areat sun hun it to Is not ln la Olor louse I 1 said labrador sighed ali ah that grande grando damet dame I 1 why it be I 1 her h crl that la Is queer talk I 1 rebuked illow how has the proud one ever harmed you it Is I 1 who harmed her as she thinks I 1 married tier her sister she never forgave tier her sister for marrying beneath tier lier never forgave me for looking so hight we entered tile the village a collection of square huts made of timbers plastered with mud moss and sand san the roofs of reeds and grass woven to so ns as to be weatherproof weather proof the natchez were much dIf diffene fere f 11 from any indian tribe I 1 ever encountered enco ilu or heard of the practice of human fluman sacrifices on the death of the elect smack smacked ed of ancient eastern civilizations and the worship of the sun run reminded one of the stories brought back from central and south america and yet their language wag wa linked up with the dialects of tile the choctaws chickasaws and creeks I 1 accosted nu an ancient warrior so called to distinguish him film from young warriors and apprentice warriors and referring to skill rather than to ago and asked if I 1 could secure an audience with the grent great sun lie ile told tile me the great sun still was absent inspecting the temple and sacred fire in a neighboring vil village luge ilo ho believed I 1 could see tattooed serpent however I 1 told Ln labrador brador to take tile girl to fro the edge of the village and wait while I 1 paid our respects to my old acquaintance tile the chief site she was glad to do tills nor did labrador regret escaping an audience with the great chief whose c r tress sister lie had married and fa 0 led aed I 1 went to the thin next to the temple and informed an ngel aged man the serpents word bearer that I 1 wished to see the chief ile he alsap feared through the low doorway and very soon returned and motioned for me to enter As the door furnished the only light and as the room was thirty feet square I 1 could not make out the interior until the alie sun suil glure left my eyes then I 1 saw the serpent nid and ln la glorieuse tile the proud As Lent I 1 entered lettered ered silo she swept by me ine with barely a flicker of recognition in tier her cold face ola balke came forward und and cordially cordial I 1 y greeted me finding me a fatool white tie ho seated himself on the edgo edge ol of ills bed lie clapped its ills hands and u servant brought a pipe h tile chief lighted for me to gmo se ceremoniously mou after lie had done one likewise lie he said tile the proud one la Is grieving for tile dead ainan woman oi nan site she was tile the proud ones onea sister had the hie wild war whoop or of tho the choe choctaws taws filled the cabin I 1 could not have been taken more by surprise then came dismay outside was ln la glorieuse Glorie who had been dt when tier sister bad married a title tega lesa frenchman and outside was waa pimple joe labrador and tile the dainty french girl what A clash of eyes there would be should red meet white and tho the red behold tier lier dead birters sla siR tera careless spouse barlog to return to white apple la in company with a white woman it Is many moons since the white indian was here the serpent remarked eyeing me sharply I 1 should have waited until I 1 could bring gifts tor for the th great sun and ills his brother but choctaw dogs have chased me up the river and I 1 come here to be among friends the choctaws hunt so far as tills this lie he cried ills hand closing on a bis big war ax a gift from the french tile the man known as the fox for lends them I 1 replied he may come now the whole choctaw nation cannot harm you here my white brother la Is safe there la Is a white woman with me neither english nor french but kin to the E english I 1 nm am taking tier her to the Hil english glish towns far in the past east beyond the country of tile the cherokees it la Is well lie sold sald absentminded absent minded ly site she will bo be safe here now came tho the hardest portion of my task I 1 said and there Is a white man with me A frenchman but my brother ile he la ix Ln labrador brador 11 the serpents Ser penta form elongated although lie he did not move from the bed nud and his head swung back and forth fort nervously your four friend took a natchez woman as lils hla wife lie he softly informed me that woman la Is dead iio will be heavy of heart to learn it ile he must prove litin himself worthy of mating with a noble nibble a sister of tile the proud one undoubtedly I 1 promptly assured him film frantic to get outside and have a talk with labrador anti and agree upon some plan for immediate night flight I 1 managed to close tho the interview without sacrificing ceremony and politeness lit Itt eness and hastened to find my friends when aheu I 1 camo came to tile edge of the village my roving gaze halted on a dramatic scene labrador flat eat on a log tearing at ills his long hair while la glorieuse and mademoiselle fa faced cod pach other both declaiming in F rench french I 1 heard la glorieuse Glorie euse uso jeering ile he was unworthy to murry marry a natchez woman yet you ou take him for a husband lie ile Is not my hus husband bandIll 1 cried mademoiselle mon illon dieu dieul I 1 what a terrible reathie rea orea tuie ture you aret are why do you iou tall talk to mel I 1 would be alono alon have you ou no corn to pound no mans man work to do you will soon be alone so far as this french runaway is to be counted hissed biased the proud one throwing up tier her head licad nud and stalking away away I 1 stepped forward labrador gro groaned nned you fayou know who the dead woman is I 1 asked him film in CIoc choctaw taw tile alie furious one line has told me mon dieu I 1 slie she says they watt wait for me to paint my lapir and be strangled by tour four men at tocci end of the ropel speak in franch Fran cli and be careful I 1 warned observing that tua mademoiselle demot selle was about to break bounds her taste for battle whetted by tier her talk with the natchez woman in french I 1 remarked there Is 13 to be a funeral tomorrow I 1 think we better start away before then let us go |