Show TH wa F S HIP wom AN CHAPTER XI continued lit Is nia iio outburst broke the spell pell with doaa h numa crowded in from rom all sides I 1 leaped toward the 6 n point thad I 1 had bladed when the circle flatt and bowled over oter two men and wax was running toward my cabin where I 1 had lt left nay my musket tet with the squeal of a cornered rat the murderer rat tempted to follow me and he must have used his knife to some proof prom tor for I 1 heard a death howl DR da moan way was yelling for his choctaws to chase mo me but the bulk of them were back ot at the exit and the others were tardy jn in inking up tip the pursuit As aa for or the Ilu they paused to tie six fingers hands behind tits his back by the time they were pounding after me I 1 had secured my musket and wits at t the patch of vines behind t tie the girls cabin while the entire mass of infuriated furia furt ateA ted savages were sweeping down on my cabin I 1 risked calling the girls a name ame the silence and the failure of labrador to make ianke an appearance battened satisfied bened roe me they were well on their way to the river I 1 cautiously worked in behind the vines anti and found the hole scarcely ic arcely cly large enough for my bulk to pass through liro thrusting my feet through I 1 avon clear except my shoulders when the wild mot moh the cabin find surrounded the one I 1 hod had occupied the women had snatched burning brands from the flip fires and these illuminated the scene through the me mesh h of vines I 1 saw six fingers being dragged between two warriors warr lora and as the sav ages come came to a halt I 1 heaird him acre cr iiri am good lack hinckl I 1 this will be death I 1 pirate and murderer that he was I 1 could not help the wish that he might find a quick death rather than to roat roast tin the bed of torture utterly bad as ai he hd was he was born an englishman and if it had not been for narrowing ahe girls chances of escape I 1 should have been tempted to shoot P him because once he had been an lad the chiefs grandson bolder than the others ran forward with fix ax and torch and thrust ills ls head bead inside the cabin turning back he shouted that I 1 was va gone e almost the same moment tan ahn ined the cabin in front of the me and yelled to lo the red men that flint librador Lp brador and the woman were gone when lie appeared in the light he vaa inona with rage and calming a of six lingers Pin gers writhing fig alg ure he screeched Brei lied like hk a fantl i und and fell upon lihi him tip as if intending to tear him to pieces a 4 matli ith his bare hands X 11 1 I can tell their plans I 1 screamed aft in n english ns as Da fingers begun began ripping tits ills alice tl 11 toll tell or ril ill mi wat froin jollit howled Dani oiin oun henIn gover oer the crmen craven tits ills outstretched hynds ninths hooked like claws dh me int I 1 save UK six Fing finstra tra lAte will matli boti i ill lead you ti them I 1 1 caled Dan ionn hun bunching hunching ching his fand wriggling his fill long fingers before the murderers murderer s bleed 1 ma I 1 1 I 1 ther planned for labrador and the woman naoman to get away while we wits was at 19 jk panted six fingers they but now t was purely a question of tk t girls badty and not of 0 tl tills snakes nake suffering and I 1 fired an ounce boy anch hla his wicked skull and through the hole and away into the lie macit thorest 1 I 1 CHAPTER all ahi ati prud proud anole sister dlf dies I 1 led the he biage that night toward the east nod auliso i so long ng as I 1 traveled travel d in that direction I 1 tonk tok fitins ly to betray iny in inaH lon tills this pro ledure gave the lie girl and labrador Lith more inure olie to for I 1 know knew da moon moan would bend tvr e arv cli deavor to ove rinke me e T r anek in a ide cicele in lf planning 10 0 o aviko ole jie near th the e alln billage at the upper wid nil of if alie e of if lio cr rs k time thre 1 I 11 n sure hiir to til fini find n in ill lili li to push on iny arli framl nils that night alit I 1 arkil tho flu tunica 0 11 toa rife and stole nini ane i urn arti from on nn outlying j vinar vin nr hinl MI s enough to tint find ninin lne 11 lih fish net et made 4 1 I irk liber li r aind some d 1 1 loriks annl hone bone I 1 etim s tha lint t night lio cor r did lit I 1 ilin thIng to indicate ni furs bov luil had my ill y mui cretu rh b to t abe lie arr aler i it wag amit antim I 1 the in allta of iipp i ing the ilie of lka elmr ant I 1 iii fiade nl two important dic orie ont brought great joy jo T the ther d uie tn 11 J 11 paddle with liale into tile the tributary sheild of some distance up tit little arher mis it pirogue containing two one of tile the like ft a boy mid ani it its s not fk 1 p A N jle in ID the c next at moment 1 and i a glimpsed a long inn 0 pengue gue turning I 1 of tto river below me file rt it held at least a loben indians find their six foot middles were fla illig rapidly I 1 did not believe I 1 had been I 1 1 71 goryll MP lia 9 Ittris disappearing into tile the ulla abis strange craft showed bowed its nose around the bend the canoe ahead now discovered me m haure ayure vanished by drop te fa abloff other obando abandoned ned the a musket I 1 waved dav tap op an and labrador abrader a turned tamed about ly to meet me I 1 im ya for him to KO go back i abd tbd g ir in p pan ame announced the peril behrnd 1 ind me IS As to swung his bis pirogue by hugh Ansh author oraf of klass of the missouri py pay grayd A scout etc copyright by nuh 1113 about to head upstream up stream again he mat mu have told the girl for she reappeared and stretched baret ched out both hands to me we were within three miles of white apple the principal town of the natchez which in turn was within three miles of port fort Hoi alle let I ct us but get inside the village and I 1 would have hare no fear of either the french at the fort or of damean and tho the pursuing me the natchez were on the evo eve of war ar with the french they were a very haughty people there would be no subtle evasion of their laws to please Bl enville even if the red warriors post did not stand between then them the three of us would have full measure of protection from the ireat grent sun and his big brother and war chief tattooed serpent so my heart won light when I 1 drew up alongside labradors adors pirogue and was greeted by his amiable grin and a tremulous from the girl they noticed the absence of six fingers and both began asking questions ile he was shot and killed while escaping fioro the village tillage I 1 said it if As he swung hla his pirogue about to head upstream again he must have told the girl for she reappeared and stretched out herlands her hand Hands to me lie had obeyed orders lie could have escaped with me the girls face was sober at hearing such violent news and yet I 1 fancied there was relief in her bearing we dragged the canoes under some bushes bublies bu and being in familiar country took the snori esi cut cm to apple sometimes called white earth when we had all but come to the village we hear heard a peculiar howl which startled labrador and me because we knew what it meant and which frightened the girl because she could imagine it to mean almost anything unwholesome I 1 motioned for labrador to make a detour but before we knew it wo we were through the bushes and in an opening close to the village and the he girl was staring with wide eyes eves at the strange cone some onie of the lie natchez were rehearsing for a funeral ceremony I 1 ered its HS iauch it to her anti and slie she bec became alile quiet anil curlon sly watched the pe peculiar vullar proc ce there wore nere five victims three women an and two nien men und and furty execl tion tio ners erss the lie gilm ilin gilloe being eagerly sought be betisie tivie it ennobled all the thel cerut loners had their immis pain painted tei red an and had rd feathers rs thrust through tin the long braids li elds of hair hang amii ing down the lie left s ade of ff the lorail the flie five lind had their imir hair faint td red d the girl saw no in abe reo red hands the A ifil hair the me rope and red m ax but bat the gestures of the mm man with the weapon frightened her it to IN all make believe I 1 trying to hurry her on we will so go to the village if damean did not see lee me enter the river he will learn from the fort that none of an 0 have passed so go we walked tofu toward r d the village and the rehearsal being finished the natchez came after us but such inch was their courtesy that they would not pass us ii and those who desired to reach the village quickly swung far to one tide side be as if taking an entirely different course labrador was frowning heavily and in choctaw said friend there wan wail no word bearer nor any medicine man among those to be sacrificed the dead must be a woman the three old women were her kinswomen kinswoman kins women the two men were her servants if it was la glorieuse there would be many more servants fler vanta lie ile named a woman of noble rank called the proud by the french because of her aristocratic bearing her contempt for commoners and her no of any frenchman unless he possessed rank it was known that tattooed serpent wa enamored of her but both being nobles marriage between them was impossible no the funeral procession was scarcely war worthy ot of a woman who enjoyed the favor of head war chief as well as a brother ot of the great sun it is 1 not la I 1 sold bald labrador sighed ah that gronde grande damel dame I 1 why it be her I 1 that la in queer talk I 1 rebuked how has the proud one ever harmed you it Is I 1 who harmed her as she thinks I 1 married her sister bister she never forgave her stater sister for marrying beneath her never forgave me for looking s BO 0 high 1 we entered the village a collection of square huts made of timbers plastered with mud moss and sand with the roofs of reeds and gratis grass woven so no as to be weatherproof weather proof the natchez were much dif differed feret from any indian tribe I 1 ever encountered or heard of the practice of human sacrifices on the death of t the he elect smacked of ancient hovern civilizations and the worship of fit the sun reminded deI one of the storks at 0 1 brought back from central and S h ara amer r lea and yet their to age was linked up tip with the bialt rt to 1 of the Choe choctaws taws aw anil lc creeks I 1 accosted nu an ancient warrior so called to distinguish him worn om younk young var tors and apprentice warriors find referring to skill rather than to age lind asked if I 1 coull coulta secure an auice nud lahce with the great sun ile he told m me e the me great sun wits ft its absent inspect ing the temple and sacred tire in a neighboring i village hinge lie ile believed I 1 could see tattooed serpent pent however I 1 told labrador to take the girl to the he edge of the village and wait while I 1 paid our respects to my old acquaintance the war chief she wits was glad to do this nor did labrador gret escaping an audience with the great rent chief whose mistress stater sister he had ad married and deserted I 1 went to the cabin next to the temple and informed an aged man the serpents word bearer that I 1 wished to see the chief he disappeared through the low doorway and very soon boon return returned ei and motioned for me to enter As the door deor furnished the only light and as the room was thirty feet square I 1 could not male inalee out the interior until the sun glare left my eyes then I 1 saw the lie serpent and la olor glorieuse ieuse the proud As I 1 entered slie she swept by me ith barely a flicker of recognition in her cold face oln if came forward and corl billy greeted erected me finding tue me a stool Nl ille lie seated himself on the edge bedr of ills bed lit HP clapped his hia hands an abid it a amant sr mint brought a pipe which the lie cliplef lighted for me ine to binok 0 ceremoniously after lie lind had ilone done likewise lie he said the ilie proud frond one 1 Is grieving fr for the lie dead jiunn silo was us alie conr 10 8 sister alad the wild war whoop of the ilie choctaws piled the cabin I 1 coull not lune liale been taken more by smarie sm prie then nine came dismay outside i ais w ln lit G who bad been dew demeaned e abed when her sister lifter bad ma married rr annida a leu less frenchman and ottilde W wa simple joe jo labrador and the dal ij j french girl what a dash clash of eyes eye there would be should hould red meet white and d the red behold her dead lateri carelou spouse daring to return to white apple in company with a white waman woman it is if many moons moona since the white indian agns w here the serpent remarked eyeing me sharply har ply I 1 should have waited until I 1 could bring gifts for the great sun anil his hl brother but choctaw dogs doga have chased me up the river and I 1 come here to be among friends the hunt bunt so BO far as aa thier he be cried his hand band closing on a big war ax a gaft from the french the man known as damean the fox leaah them I 1 replied ile he may come now the whole choctaw nation cannot harm you here my white brother to la a safe afe there la Is it a white woman with me neither english nor french but kin to the english I 1 am taking her to the english towns far in the east beyond the country of the cherokees Chero keea it to la well he said eald absentminded absent minded ly she will be safe here 1 now came the hardest portion of my task I 1 said and there la Is a white man with me a frenchman but my brother ue he la Is labrador the serpents form elongated at although he did not move from the bed and his head swung back and forth nervously your friend took a natchez wom an as hla his wife he softly informed me that woman la is dead he will be heavy of heart to learn it he must prove himself worthy of milting mating with a noble a sister of the he t proud one undoubtedly I 1 promptly assured him frantic to got get outside and have a talk with labrador and agree upon some borne plan for immediate flight I 1 managed to close the interview without sacrificing ceremony and politeness lit eness and hastened hait ened to find my friends lendt fr when I 1 came to the edge edg of the village my roving gaze gaw fitzge halted on oll a dramatic seene scene labrador sat bat on a log tearing at his long hair while la glorieuse and mademoiselle faced each other both declaiming in jP rench I 1 heard la glorieuse jeering he was unworthy to marry u natchez woman yet you take him for a husband he Is not my husband bus bandl cried mademoiselle mon dieul what it a terrible creature you arel why do you talk to me mea I 1 would be alone have you no corn to pound no mans work to do you will soon be alone so far as this french runaway Is to be counted bladel the proud one throwing throw ing up her head and stalking away I 1 stepped forward labrador groaned you know who the dead woman Is I 1 asked him in the furious one has bits told me mon dieu she says they wait tor for me to paint my hair and be strangled by tour four men at each end of the ropel speak in franch and be careful I 1 warned observing that made mademoiselle ano cselle iselle was about to break bounds her h or taste for battle whetted by her talk with the natchez woman in french I 1 remarked there Is to be a funeral tomorrow I 1 think we better start away before then let us go aside and talk it over we shifted our position to the shade of some trees the natchez were watching us furtively they had witnessed the scene between the two women and they were curious of course they also knew that labra dors dora return was likely to lend new interest to the funeral I 1 felt no concern for my personal safety nor did the matter of the girls escape press for my immediate attention labra dors predicament however dem demanded andea prompt action in choctaw I 1 told him they do not intend that you snail anal esc escape lipe before tie he could reply the girl |