Show the ti wife f e ship sh ip woman WO man by uy HUGH PENDER author of kings of the missouri pay gravel gracea Grace 9 A virginia scout oft etc by rt pair nl n l 1 rr s yf rl anu carltie 1 CHAPTER X continued 13 I 1 she was coolly baying monsieur forgot hini himself self I 1 also will fort lie ile meant to be kind so BO we fault I 1 Is amiable il II will ace eo that inon Inori Bleur alear Is well paid for ills his time and fill 1 I worry and the dangers ile he encounters he shall be anid lu in gold I 1 hill nm without money just now I 1 may choose to t demean emedin myself by labor hut hut but I 1 always pay my debts I 1 knew two things as she uttered this preposterous talk she was adorable regardless of her past history Ill storY ind and tie deserved to he be slapped I 1 rose and bowed and said it Is IB all forgotten it if in anything I 1 have said or done I 1 fieve impressed you as ab ono one who would help a 0 hel hilpl idesS for so many pieces of gold or silver liver then lien you shall pity pay me life it if you yon decide to the contrary nry ou will never mention tile the pity again I 1 only ask that during tle tile rest of the trip neither of et us bo be foolish enough to remember this talk to be embarrassed by it she frowned na as it if puzzled by my words then pave gave a little shrug to show oie flie dismissed the whole matter but in ID the back of my mind was the amazing fact that I 1 had offered to marry her to extricate her from a hundred and one humiliations let alone dangers and had been coldly refused because of pride labrador returned and reported it damean visited tho the tunica village he be has hag not net left it no Choc choctaws tows have traveled inland from the river old six fingers come cursing till his way through the bushes bushe and snarled gnarled at me no gold fold no diamonds and no fl a gourd go bo you get no water 1 then we will move on and find the huron huma village I 1 will scout ahead and see bee if they will lift the pence peace calumet labrador hold back with avide moiselle niola mot elle selle until you get my signal to come on A moment monsieur brampton the she sharply demanded we will go together or not at all one brave gentleman has lost his life to servo nerve inc cio now we will till all share bhare alike she bhe was ns as regal tie as a marquise in hauteur and the tilt of the small head was suggestive of one used to authority it must be as an I 1 say ay I 1 told her hut but there will be no danger fear nothing because of me instantly her mood changed and the she was clinging to my iny arm and tearfully fearfully pleading let me go with you yon monsieur I 1 beg of you to let roe me go with you I 1 glanced at the lowering six sir fingers and murmured ile he con can harm you none he fie lei Is dependent on me hla his very life ite he aides you will have tay friend and you sou thought I 1 was waa thinking of myself I 1 the sadly remarked turning away with an order to labrador in choctaw to hold her back it if I 1 received a hostile welcome I 1 hurried up the path to the huma village half an hour was waa sufficient to bring me to the ten toot foot stockade surrounding the village there was loud singing inside the stockade blockade and I 1 remained at the edge of the forest wondering what could occasion it so early in the mir hirning ning for singing meant some gome ceremony evidently something of importance had bad happened or was aus about to happen and I 1 would have preferred seeking sanctuary therk then when the savages were not overrun by their heir emotions but to be found lurking outside of the rp would place ua as at a great disadvantage advantage anti and if such be tile the humus billni classify us ua fla as captives nor could we retreat to the river where Dat iloan and hla his choctaws would have hae but little trouble in gobbling us ua up so assuming my mv best air I 1 advanced and come came face to face with a warrior just inside the gate we stared at al each other oilier a moment then ills his race clicked in it a smile and lie he extended a ban annd all abid sold my illy white tilte brother Is in belcome the lite white indian has it a red heart when tie he Is with ith the ll unias I 1 had among indians enough to distinguish them as individuals just or as I 1 would white men and us as I 1 held his hand I 1 remembered him anti and replied the white indian cornea comes to renew his red heart with little turkey and his people and to smoke the calumet with strong how bow strong dow bow was head chief of the bumas and a very ery old man I 1 had smoked with him the year before and I 1 was aeilous to find him to my relief little turkey said strong bow Is now in his cabin after wint seeing the dance lie ai has smoked the calumet once this morning but he be to never too weary to lift the pipe to the white indian he turned and walked away and I 1 followed him we had bad an open path to the chin cabin which was built of posts poeta plain pl with clay split canes formed the root roof outside the opening was wag a i raised malsed platform on which were wen plied piled and hides bides through the entrance I 1 saw strong bow on a couch coach of skins and can cabi mats mati A equal sows warrior a candioa grandson rand ioa of at ur the chief I 1 later learned stood at the foot of the couch his girdle of colored feathers hanging down like a tall this man on beholding me m backed from tile the couch and in what wax was a roost most indecorous deportment for an in titan turned burled and bolted through the door little turkey glared after him reproachfully I 1 strong bow did not seem aelia to notice his grandsons III manners lie ile sat mat ui no I 1 squatted ch the lie floor and tile the two of ui tri stared at the beaten earth for nearly a minute then I 1 hen tho the chief sold the white indian does not forget the red allu in rim mn lie ile brings presents to them and ho fie Is welcome on my lust last visit I 1 brought presents and took nothing but your friendship that hint wn 4 elou gh today todar I 1 bring strung strong flow a present and promise anore e when I 1 coina bonit anxious to rv rie ire ills his gift he mo for little turkey to bring the pence peace calumet from froin its peg on a post little I 1 turkey brought it and filled nod and gave cave it to lie ile chief and then brought my white brother Is delcoma Wel Welo coma orns tho the white indian has haa a red rd heart when he li Is with the huma a coal from the fire in a split tick stick strong ilow bow did me the great courtesy of passing the pipe to me and light lighting ing it for me 1 I smoke for three friends nil fill white like myself I 1 stipulated ectore taking the first puff 1 I was so BO hungry to meet my red friends I 1 drew ahead of them they will bo be along soon oon and I 1 waited for him to include my friends in the smoke before putting the stem to my lips the pipe Is lifted to the white indian and hla his three friends lenda fr he gravely agreed then I 1 smoked to the sun and the four winds and the he earth and passed the pipe to him and not to he be out done in courtesy held it while he repented repeated the sacred obligation after the pipe had been hung on the post tile the chief salil it la Is tile the second pence I 1 bave we r smoked since the sun began shining little turkey lind said tile the same and a fall faint t apprehension of lunger danger dl disturbed me I 1 was keen to inquire who mho his first farst visitor altor was mas but this hla would to lie ft a grave social blunder so I 1 produced one olle of spy my pistols and placed it on oil his couch with a grunt of delight he fie selred upon the weapon illich was of if large bore anti and generously decorah ed with silver little turkey touched my arm to intimate the audience was ended I 1 followed fol folio loved ed him into tile the sun shine and lie he sald said my ml white brother s friends should come collie now the smoke of a i aleace e pipe cove coer those who can see or smell it they alii will be here soon boon I 1 assured hun him the smoke covers coren them it wax wn agreed that I 1 smoked for or the three thre of them he remained silent for hal a minute staring toward the entrance in the stockade blockade they ney smoked when you smoked booted be finally remarked but old alen sometimes forget it la is easier for them to forget if an evil bird whispers whimpers in their belr ear ile he had riven given me cne a friendly warning to ask him to interpret and go late into details would have been useless I 1 knew he was ray my friend just an ai I 1 knew the young warrior seen been in the chiefs cabin would be my enemy I 1 observed the slight alight straightening of ills his figure and a flash of his him eyes in a sidelong glance I 1 looked to one side and beheld damean the fox and a group croup of warriors approaching us u the chiefs grandson lind had informed roy my enemy of my iny presence tor for he stood at damians Da moans right hand bond and was ina at me among tho the humes were several of Dumon Damon nii rim choctaws Chocta wB and with his hand on a pistol thrust through hla his mash the fie fox gave a sharp order the acet darted forward but little turkey already sensing the hostility between the frenchman hman and me leaped before the Choc choctaws and nung flung up big right hand and cried they have smoked I 1 the choctaws fell back damjan c cursed in french and ordered them to seize melts me but even his new ally the chiefs grandson dand not see lee the pence peace of the pipe Tic violated I 1 heard beard him remind the vox flox that the stem item of the peace calumet did not extend beyond the stockade blockade in plain Il Inglish once outside the palings halings we could fight to our hearts heart desire and the savages savage would enjoy watching the spectacle but th the village tillage inalda the stockade like the th cherokee white towns was sanctuary and those who had been received in peace could not be disturbed with the first flush of anger succeeded by cold reason damann knew the uselessness useless nesa of opposing this ancient custom of tho the bumas with his him thumbs hooked in his bin red sash he swaggered up to me and quietly greeted so go english spy ive caught you at last trench freila spy you rnea mean you yon have caught up with me I 1 corrected and where tive ore the rest of your red friends aside from those feeding the catfish in the river lie ile showed his teeth in a thin lapped grin and informed me outside hunting for your friends no pipes have haie been smoked out there them I 1 told them not to hurt the bomal I 1 think I 1 shall keep her ile he desired to enrage me into an imprudence so he might shoot me in the plea of self defense I 1 did not rise to the bait he went on 1 I came here to smoke the calumet and get some red trackers I 1 never dreamed of this good luck my manito Is very strong I 1 knew you had bad landed for there were scraps scrap 18 0 of f meat and bones on a rock in the river where your lookout hail bad eaten I 1 mentally cursed old six fingers for leaving the signs although I 1 was the lie more mor to blame for not looking after him rh eh blen ca canaille nallie I 1 said when wo we meet again there will be no calumet stem between us nothing but red wampum hut but wait alens you yon would miss the brat best of it you will find it droll and from the medicine bag at his girdle lie le took out a green scalp and shook out the long blond hair switching it close to my face he said A souvenir of the crazy craz frenchman my heart pumped tumultuously but my 1113 nee face was frozen in its calm expression pres slon nev Beza Buee tise you took his hair I 1 will lift your scalp some rome day Damo my muneto tells me you will be hald haid headed tie adeil before the moon of turkeys october ile ho laughed but now hla his hate showed through his mirth fool I 1 baldhead bald head bead yourself I 1 I 1 will keep the woman till ah she tires me and I 1 will decorate her leggings legging with the hair of the road mad frenchman and with that of khe he white findlan Indi anone que scalp for each legging at this grossness grcar oeM my gorge boiled over and despite the calumet lumet CiL I 1 would have attacked him had 1 I not been confounded by a fresh 11 ll situation nothing les less then than the appearance of made mad e maleu mol selig Dahla gaarde running into the village closely followed by labrador and six pincers naturally believing that ang ns choctaws had hushed flushed them from their hiding place and were hot on their trail and that at any moment they would be pouring into the stockade blockade eager to kill because of their ignorance lenora ace of the pence smoke I 1 ran to meet the girl damjan must have also alio started forward for I 1 heard little turkeys mucous voice proclaiming they are to in the peace smoke lot let no one forget the shadow hadow of the peace calumet I 1 glanced back and observed red the human had filli glided ded in between da moan rind and hla his choctaws choctaw and me the next moment the girt had both ray my ban hands da and was crying oh monsieur eurl I 1 felt yon ym were in flanger danger they tried to stop atop me when they were not looking I 1 ran up the puth thank the good god CI od you yon a till live liver I 1 As mademoiselle la Is to gee much of me monsieur Brampton i supple you yon present me to b her suavely bavely suggested damann at my elbow the girl stared at him then began to shrink behind we me to escape bin evil gaze gaza she was waa gneo ing some of the truth of the climax and as a it wu was best that she should understand der stand all I 1 bowed to her and mademoiselle tills this it if the devil CHAPTER XI good lackl this will be deatel do I 1 hurried her to a cabin where a she he could be alone with two buna women wa en and took up my quarters with six fingers and labrador in an adjacent cabin VS attlA ne mel but to stop these red bullies from boarding us now anxiously demanded six fingers referring to the biloxi choctaws ChOc tAWN in the village we will not be molested while in the village I 1 assured them 1 1 I have smoked for all of you yom aye then god hies the growled six fingers with much relief in hla his voice but bat were landlocked here wheres the channel channels chan nelT anti and when do we UP with our hooks and calir salir go til rii find the channel before night we must get away tonight it it la is p possible ile he thrust his scrawny neck out of the opening and became absorbed in watching the men and women passing back and forth blow me and beach me I 1 heard him softly exclaim then without turning his head bead shipmate labrador you spoke by the book the beggars are loaded with gold labrador grinned at me because of tile the felio fellows ws ignorance in mistaking brass and copper for the precious metal six fingers grow grew bolder and walked outside and toward the girls cabin to I 1 abrader I 1 said there will he be a big feast tonight mademoiselle will not attend you und and six fingers leave the feast when I 1 give the signal and take her to the river and start up upstream stream in a pirogue make toi foi the notches village I 1 will overtake you hal that natchez vil village lagel 1 I 1 do not want to go there them my friend they have promised war against the french As my mv friend you will be safe tell serpent I 1 sent you yen bah I 1 I 1 do not care for their threats of war there Is another reason it Is a woman nornan she Is noble and she Is my wife now tin tile women of the natchez matches while single were grossly below any standard of morality as an measured by the white Lu euils ils civilization but once they married they became patterns of virtue what the white race would consider a demerit was held to be a virtue hy by the natcher as it was by parting with chastity that the natchez matches woman accumulated her marriage dower tile the nobles could not marry within their order and many of the women refused to |