Show Ws T ine wife W if 0 ship woman by HUGH I 1 author of kings of the missouri pay gravel A virginia scout scot etc ate coarr copyright by br hash tl omee CHAPTER VIII continued 11 ahl ah he muttered Alon monsieur I 1 im m al shocked lockel ill aly hundred thousand livres ivres will rever mer come back to me ali ah well we must say nothing to lip ile old rut rat below ile he hall ahall think the III d I 1 Is it ml 1 I it re und he bo shall go ft gnp le ati mill go co oil ant I 1 and after till nil there here ore mary things not kriN krown tills country of the th doi damned nned aprim i 1 I colfi narbonne Nar honne may amny find r after idill if not I 1 will he be ag well off IT na aft lit fit the iio ho dmn tilli tl thorp bere iere old antl aro are you on lost 1 I hour henr you tint hut batten hatten down your batch or well lime lieve n hoarding boarding party after our bri indy A canoe passed downstream a fill ago too lark dark to ninke out their rigg hur hut hilt they naoke it n foreign I 1 ilni I 1 n sv li neither elther Sparil sh nor good old lingl Krig lili lish wild le logged it one lie of my canoes scouting the hink back trull rall I 1 whispered to narbonne Nar hotine ills illg choctaws must have dimou bcd lily dinv smoke and some of thein fire are out to tc it I 1 must make lie rut cut ot off fit at point couppe ns as quickly us it take n lay of bard if vou von anre still minded to help forgot forget her fears 1 would gladly jahile through hell to ense ease mind mon eldir lie gravely interrupted I 1 walled waited for six ringers fingers to come up tip tile lie hunk bank chich lalih lip lie mounted with the agility of it it monkey ile he reeked of crundy anti and wits will in a beastly humor libeer li leer eer up lip I 1 said with mall malicious clous enjoyment 1 there here Is gold attend a told gold mine aye ayea why tile the devil blips nie nic lie he grunted theres two gold cold mines ahead find I 1 chiji cant t take both of this 1 his n arnzy tool fool if hed told the airn id laughed lauR lied nt at it hut the hie second of the malic alithe bel bellowes loves 11 1 lie lind find talked with this aiho ho visited the land and tile second rold gold mine dont you iou fisli enli yott m knew my illy brave cock lip lie modi Oil ills his brandy rising giving him auguran assur nii p alark eel A anfin who helped sack st augu Aunus lne aej mh alio has acen fit en utility it 11 stout blout ind some women too try to to walk alk on the alie ocean with their eyes blindfolded knows how to keel licop lils ills hutch hatch closed ile he aming on alit nd of me and I 1 knew the lie braudy brandy lind hall stirred up thoughts oe 01 ill lie old days for in a low volee bolcs lie was whining about low 1 briw enill 1 1 do flown n bail we n aff ff for r ello 1 0 31 voin n and d drink ana lith inui llna 1 and aal our capi cap i s very aniellow 0 ac H vas na as pol rInous us ua a swamp moccasin bu b use age had drawn ills fangs lie he wits merely a shell tilled filled with wicket picked memories lue morlea and evil long ings if not for the dauger of his babbling to danisan I 1 would have act him adrift adi ift with ills his brandy with ns as little compunction ng as I 1 would shoot nn an when laii I 1 came to the tire fire the tip gri girl fill and harhon Nr lionne e were seated title tide fly t sije bide ir bt fore orp the dying beit bed of cruzii tin the ruddy light playing on their faces tin anil aking me file the impression slon lie hp atas its more inure nl lit vase cai e in fit tits his company than linn in III mine slip mie nihed ed i vi v to n nam 0 o nn in tonight it b Is 1 li 1 1 if c e can nn travel till near irla daill lii rt ve vali ain gnip for the kreiter greater pait ani 1 rf aw i d ty anil reach point iolet cou fit lt lit fit tivi light you ii can un slept sleep lit in the liaro gue t 1 ton toni liht glit 1 I mils ali not thinking of slit slie of 11 lie I 1 1 I I 1 w Is s thi likIng of you ni lumi mm ani lie so weary cari anil and I 1 amm nil all this lily extra labor Is tt nasf of tile me A man nr neer n r takes t ikes abisi the hie filly pit tin ani s rl of it 11 ii inn lio hr nn mn deride in lilt li it and lit lie n i know diio ile he Is not dv lirine of nf it il ln bill IMP deep in ill ills heart tr he ilie flip notion and feels like purring Hir rini tor lir it i li Is one form borni of it ci ires I 1 mumbled somi something thing intended to unlike light of it slie she wits mils foolish Kli to li I 1 re resented tier so livi lude Ile hercus herc ns I 1 was as pleasurably confused and ami appear appeared eI to ile be greult to ner coer up lily so I 1 ushered elx down dmn tile the bunk and left the lie Fren liman to 0 o escort mademoiselle alt alie lie girl on the blankets blan kots behind tile me I 1 led lie way after warning narbonne and six flukers to keel close and alid indulge liidi ilse in nu no talking six inkers fingers wits its on singing some of if his ev evil 11 of old sea songs und find Nur boune was quick to lo curse cui se liliu him out for tits indis re letlon tion I 1 1 was patiently pitt lenth exi explaining daining the lie bangers d jan inkers gers of if their carelessness when otlien tile lie kirl girl a shriek that could have hae been beef heard for a loui long distance I 1 dropped ni fit paddle find and stretched clied out a hand to arouse tier her from her bad dremin breall all hut but Is as I 1 touched her she seemed to be crawling overboard and her voice was suddenly stilled clil nonplused nonplus ed I 1 could not compel my m mind to function fu nillon until tier her olac voice nok noliea ed out sine save tile kiei 1 then I 1 detected del etel h i thing in the ster ater alongside the pirogue which had 0 o 0 ou business siness enere ind my fingers on en Moni vont moniereh ered a brawny arm As I 1 clutched thed tile oie caked flesh ten lingers fingers seized my albi atia an file girl carl released sed screamed again tin the pirogue careened as a the tiling thing in the tb water sought bought to drag me overboard Clear clearing lug my ax I 1 relieved lie file strain by leaping over the side fide yelling 1 ell lug as I 1 went sit still I 1 As an I 1 struck the water the hand re gengul my wrist and two hands bands grabbed my throat down wt sink and down swung my ax as we were going under tinder I 1 felt elt the ax register und find tile grip on my throat loosened I 1 kicked about and wrenched the ax al free mid find satisfied myself the united body wits tax lax and limp and then shot to the surface allush mademoiselle it Is all right I 1 softly told tier before attempting to climb into the pirogue pl rogue hush your noise noire le I 1 e lion hon aleu I 1 she moaned Is IB it indeed thou monsieur no other all la Is well and I 1 washed the ax and stuck it in my lily bell am aid climbed aboard abil in began bean anxiously peering about to see from what craft my amini funt had swum lint la Is it I 1 heard narbonne cry stand by to repel boar boarders derst I 1 howled six fingers I 1 ali ah the lie devil I 1 row how blind I 1 am ami V snapped narbonne and I 1 heard ills his sword slithering against iron lit in your throat ilow how does it taste cried cl led six fingers god help URI ual they light between themselves veal 1 faintly the girl attacked I 1 corrected sweeping the pirogue about anti and head ing downstream where I 1 could make out tile lie vague shapes of two no canoes some distance apart with a wild war whoop the canoe of the enemy began closing in on my two companions their first assailants assailant heing being choctaws who thought to tule them hy by surprise by swimming A flight of arrows hissed over my hend head and one or two no stuck in the side of my pirogue I 1 bruit elied my pistols up from the bottom of the pirogue and emptied them and then braced myself to use the musket aft a a club narbonne fired two pistols and six fin geri let oft off a musket and the pirogue frantically retreated toward mid hannel channel and downstream naked men in the water attack od J is monsieur explained narbonne nai bonne ia aft our pl drifted together 1 I 1 got one and the old rat another ilow how Is mademoiselle nieu dieu mercil I 1 think I 1 shall live but I 1 wits was dying of the fright site nhe whispered cited hands bands at my illy throat I 1 can I 1 ever forget when they would drag me into the river 1 hut but they lid did not mademoiselle I 1 sharply reminded her A danger passed Is as aa though it never happened ue ile film they hie have all gone there Is no more danger narbonne Nar bunne asked what I 1 purposed doing mademoiselle Is nervous we will land find and wait until she recovers tier lier composure I 1 said bald iler her fingers closed on my arm and site she whispered after all it was only death that stalked me death Is clean it was its ita coming oming while I 1 slept that ened me file monsieur llon lur you prefer to make a certain distance before light pro deed do not consider me I 1 am my self now it to Is nothing after reloading my m musket and pl and seeing that six alx lx 1 infers fingers uld did tile the same I 1 again took ahr ill evad it ad this time linit there was no need to cau can cioll my lily as to the lie value of sli clience ence nor or tild did we e again tin the Ind indians lans pirogue although wo we kept to ti tin the river until well into the gray mom ing CHAPTER IX the fight at the bayou e camped find rested rei ted fill and the re bainder of tile the journey to tile lie hig big ip lo 10 p was thil finished shed litte late in tile the afternoon ik sa h W 41 U an ale with nothing occurring to disturb mademoiselle the river talked to me it taunted me with threats of ambus ambuscades cades along alone the silent brooding shore it whig of damean the pox fox cunningly awaiting us up at the big loop tile the influence of the mighty waters water cutlet worked on tny my nerves ond end when au an unusually large area of drift alist rp ap feared around the next bond bend I 1 paddled to the hank bank and leaped ashore to re con it from a tree I 1 was slid bud denly taken with the he notion that we had been seen been and ami that damiana Da Dail moana loans ca noes were stealing upon us under lover rf cf the mass I 1 hurriedly explained nay my purpose to narbonne Nar honne and the girl and had them th in t come ashore and hide while I 1 threw green boublis over the pl pt rogues with out bothering to extricate six fingers from the bottom of his canoe near lie bank I 1 found a talt tall tree anil and climbed elfin bed it until I 1 had an excellent view of the river beyond tile solid amiss of drifting trees my aly fears were eibi empty apty pty there was no sign of da moans rod red hunters Aalia imd of my panic yn yet greatly relieved I 1 descended only it ii few feet from the tree I 1 ca tame me lion tie he cane t of a recent tragedy a dead de nl A fen feathered cliatt stuck from between lils naked 1 shoulders find lie he lanil d fallen wh e in the h e act of setting seth an arrow to how bow string the dead inan was inas a natchez ile he BUS its in the country of the humus wh ulio 0 were of choctow Choc tuNy hood and included in that confederacy confider con feder acy As ali I 1 reconstructed tile the tru edy edhe he had find been shot down front from behind by a giuma and had run A As he leaped erect I 1 released the arrow awny away and escaped discovery although ultimately dropping lend dead I 1 took the lie how bow of acacia wood and tile the quler of iced nr arris ris the heads bends of the lie latter fashioned front from borie bone ere not barbed like the afir wn lint hill were nere such au li us its were used lit in limiting hunting leer deer and buffalo the dead nion had find not heen been on oil the karpath warpath path carrying Currl ng the bow bovi and ar rows rous I 1 returned to my ni companions lint and to spare the girls feelings ex I 1 had found the weapons n tile mod woo 1 clearing the lie of brush I 1 set orf off alth tile girl ith tit iiii ninne fol imming cloe clipp clo e we corked hard for only a short period of din dalig light glit re mulled fur for us its it was the hemling hemi begin ing of dusl dusk when we panie to the lip tin bayou I 1 drove droe my lily piro gite to tile the et east ern side of the blok nile aile slid and lumped jumped out to ily 11 cam carrying in the lie pirogues pi rogues a hundred feet MC could tale take the open water again I 1 aroused six fingers from hla his alum birs by the shalle ie process of taking him by the shoulders and rousing him up op and down in the river ile he began bedran a of fearful auries curies but bat by thrusting tili his monkey ym head bead under water I 1 soon oon took the heart out of him tossing him ashore I 1 ordered him to help narbonne with one end of the pirogue while I 1 took the other I 1 was elated at having buying rained gained the cutoff without having to fight my way I 1 felt 0 o sats with that hundred feet of drift biding me from the river that I 1 directed narbonne slowly to paddle cay m r pirogue and the girl along the bayou with six sit fingers bringing up the be other while I 1 tried my luck hunting bunting pointing out a dead tree tar far ahead I 1 told narl Nur lonne onne to halt there and build a neull i ire fire taking care to shield it with blankets well camp long enough to rest and eat and then push posh on I 1 told them 1 1 I I will ave tave t a afuli I 1 full days day a paddling and a possible encounter with damean and ills his Choe choctaws taws then taking the bow und ind arrows and my ox x I 1 scouted t iward tile the main river in the hope of finding some waterfowl hut but move as silently as 28 1 I would I 1 could find no birds when I 1 was about opposite the dead tree I 1 decided it was growing too dark for foi hunting und and began making for the camp at As I 1 turned my taik nick a rustling in the un behind me revived my hopes and an d I 1 glided behind a clump of bushes an und d slipped an from the hie quiver the ground was clear of growth for a few rods and as tile the sound was repent repeated I 1 fully expected to see a rabbit enter the opening with tile the silence of a shadow a choctaw surrior emerged from the growth and stood as if listening then he dropped on ills hla knees and began examining the ground I 1 realized that he ha had found my tracks and would know at the first glume glance that a white man had been there litre uy my next neit wua wu 4 the necessity of preventing the fellow from reporting ills hla As aj he leaped erect I 1 released the arrow ur HIS yell of discovery was it a second ahead of tile the reed shift shaft and although he be won went down with the arrow ticking sticking through his hl neck he had bad done what I 1 intended to prevent present that his companions were close at hand was proved by the almost immediate response to ills will wild cry then there came the sound of f men crashing recklessly through the growth K iset at they buy were pouring from cover in single ingle file until I 1 counted an even dozen and there were more behind among the hushes bushes rhe first warrior in the opening came to tho the dead warrior and dropped beside him and examined the arrow another was casting about for a trull trail I 1 what do you find spoke up a soft fort voice from the bushes it was ramonn the lie fox speaking before lift lie could receive his answer I 1 sounded the he shrill war nar cry of the natchez and begun began discharging the th arrows ill rows as fust fast as I 1 could manipulate tile bow with cries of alarm and nige mige th the Clip taws swept back into cover coer for the moment bellei bellying bel leing ing the natchez had taken the red path against the french and their allies the 1 ill indiana andla na As I 1 loosed tile the last 1 1 row I 1 turned and made toward the load t tree r ee voice rose in a cry of triumph and in choctaw he shouted the white indian I 1 its the man were after these are hunting arrows ile |