Show U black we at t ft dt r a harold uy bly IM rollel service CHAPTER I 1 I 1 two weeks of toilsome travel behind two leagues of gently riffled raffled water before the great canoe swung on to the end of its march bearing a lamb iamb to the slaughter that is what donald maciver was to say when the leagues had been cut to canoe lengths but rodney shaw looked like no sheep no innocent as he sat there with one arm thrown easily over the mess basket he looked like no beaten trader either though the number of packs was small indeed he had more the look and bearing of an emperor in his royal barge despite his youth and apparent poverty though of course emperors have been young and poor his eight boatmen sang so in lusty voices as they sent the 40 foot north canoe along eight boatmen gaily dressed as voyageurs voya geurs should be for the rendezvous roaring home after a year inland minds and hearts fixed ahead behind the canoe was the broad expanse of lake northern extremity against its birch bottom botto m pattered the indigo waters of the narrowing strait and that island mackinac was the great depot of the fur trade the chief gateway to the old northwest and in this year of 1818 the seat of a monopoly which was making aimless wanderers or mere employees of traders such as this rodney shaw not all mackinac slept late that june morning the place was active few had slept late as had donald maciver Ma clver but then he had wintered at fond du lac for ramsay crooks however there was no rest when others stirred he was early at his desk across which flowed a record of that bitter struggle that bitter scramble for fur conrad rich an elderly clerk toiled at another desk men came and went but toward none did crooks so much as look he was preoccupied with what lay on his desk and what might come from the westward yonder so preoccupied that when the fight which began outside with a yelp and a shout grew until a thousand men were close pressed about the battle crooks gave little heed true he looked closely before the affray was over even moved to the window to stare none with warm blood in his veins could have been wholly immune to such excitement he watched men under Ma marivers Macl cIvers vers direction start up the hill with a heavy limp burden donald maciver entered removing his beaver hat wiping his broad forehead crooks nodded A brawl Is required to wake the revelers he observed not ill but still with a tone of implied rebuke brawn brawl ramsay id not ve missed yon fer mooch th boatman roussel bryin his strength wi my own nadeau nadeau yell ken carried the black feather off wi us last summer what men nadeau th strongest fighter til itil now nd rouss roussel L th untried Y ye e should ve seen them strain id V a risked mooch on nadeau heart nd strength th mon has but he could nae e compare wi roussel A horse he is a buffalo of a mon men he left lef t my poor nadeau in such condition id sky a copper for his chances I 1 had him lugged tae th post surgeon like lug a pac package kagel yon goes roussel noo wi th black feather in his bis own cap rodney shaw will arrive today Comi comini comial nl youre informed then while you danced he is come donald nodding impressively and the last challenge to our superiority perio rity in the northern department is removed crooks began to pace the floor slowly ay hes been a burr a thorril thorn courageous audacious the last ol of the independent traders to yield it II will be heartening to report this achievement to mr astor during his stay with us perhaps he has it clos in in on him one by one the unattached forts have given up since congress helped us drive the nor back into canada but this shaw he shrugged A mon A trader to put shame on all but th one of our coom pany had it nae been for rickman but burke rickman hes th best e st mon weve had to drive oot obstinate opposition from outside came the sound ot of wheels and a gig drawn by a pair of horses drove past a girl alone on the high seat yon goes one that makes a child ot of rickman indeed poor rickman in an bettes toils crooks confronted maciver Ma clver mark you donald not a bad asset having one like she is here for two seasons now V A VO A ile be found his balance there and charged head down every unmarried trader young enough to hope for her smiles has struggled to make a record that he might be outstanding in her eyes and for his pains been made to suffer th tair ments of th damned dom ned 1 laughed maciver and the cle clerk k cleared his throat sharply but there are duties donald crooks said sorting papers from his desk the schooner will be laden by night the captain will sail with the first fair wind mr astor and I 1 will be gone and you will be in command and A shrill whoop floated in from the beach A shout A rifle cracked A strange canoe was out there deep voices of the singing oarsmen oarsman sounding up the wind rodney shaw stared at the colorful spectacle before him lodge and tent and dwelling crafts mans yard and shop and the high perched white walled fort itself ern emptied pitied to join the welcome mackinac welcomed this arrival as it had welcomed many another oars were boated now and voy waist deep in water sh shoved oved the canoe gently into the shallows guarding its tender birch bottom from boulders old basile put down the steering oar with its carven blade stepped over the side and bowed a long back tor for his trader shaw lowered himself to the firm shoulders and his calves clasped by babiles Ba siles wiry hands was borne ashore his well rubbed boots thus kept dry the crowd pressed closely about but one was making his way through it now impatiently cursing hoarsely this was roussel with the black feather insignia of invin civility cibil ity thrust into the knot of the yellow kerchief which covered his shaggy head make way he shouted make aside for the black fe feather atherl but what a strange brigade is this his great hands grasped shoulders his stout elbows prodded ribs basile was directing the placing of packages his eyes and attention an all for that labor he did not see roussel because his back was toward the man if he heard the fellows orders he gave no heed so the hand on his arm spun him about roughly does one shout in your ear old ma man na I 1 roussel demanded did you not hear the voice of the black feather commanding you to stand aside basile struggled to release the arm he put up his other hand in a gesture of protest but for the inflamed eyes of the bully it was a move of resistance a challenge to superiority the hand was struck aside a fist crushed into babiles Ba siles chest and he went down hold this was shaw striding forward hold you but roussel would not hold he stopped great hands clutching to seize upon and break babiles Ba siles body shaw rushed he grappled for roussel adeptly one foot set itself quickly behind the boutmans boat mans his hands clamped the mans body at the gay sash and with a twist and a shove the bully went reeling backward roaring against the press of the crowd he found his balance there and charged head down but a hand on his neck deflected him a swooping foot tripped him he stumbled and would have fallen but for the quick arms which seized him and lifted him and turned him over as he writhed and raised him high and let him drop his length on the shingle I 1 his heels were grasped by angry hands his back scrubbed through loose gravel as he was jerked to the waters edge one foot was dropped a wrist caught up instead he was swung once twice thrice in widening arcs he was let go and fell with a cry and a splash into knee deep water under the bow of the unloading canoe then rodney shaw turned the rage already dying in his gray eyes he brushed his palms together briskly as though to free them from the dust of an empty honor briskly at first and then the movements slowed until he stood there hands half extended and motionless staring up at her she sat on the high seat of her two wheeled vehicle looking at him across the heads of the murmuring crowd her horses pawed but she held them with firm rein body swaying a bit as their restlessness moved the gig she smiled fire in that smile incitement and challenge and defiance because shaw had opened his mouth as if to speak as though to let an amazed incredulous ejaculation be jolted between his lips A voice then said to him I 1 1 I am ramsay Cro crooksy Crook sl shaw came back to controlled faculties slowly a bit bewildered perhaps somewhat abashed A man looked twice at ramsay crooks As tors liege man dominant figure in the trade of the northwest 1 I am shaw he be replied simply crooks stopped he picked from the gravel at his feet a black ostrich plume the one knocked from houssels Ro cap he extended it with a gracious and graceful gesture yours he said and smiled A stir behind crooks distracted shaws steady gaze the tandem team was moving away the head of the driver turned ever so slightly and the pert chin lifted in tantalizing challenge shaw took the black feather absently night with logs blazing on the hearth because the strait winds are cold even in june they sat before the fireplace in the high room rodney shaw independent trader and john jacob astor who ruled a territory that was to be the heart of a nation ramsay crooks was there as well but in the background A german bakers boy who had become t the he richest american through his handling of fur was astor fur and tea and ships and land la nd but always fur there had been no talk of the errand which brought shaw hither until after the meal and then not until pipes had followed the gorging As mr astor talked in his broken english ramsay crooks listened closely and toyed with a rosette ot of gay ribbons so said astor with a shrug das vat crooks asked you to come here jal shaw had scarcely moved since astor began and that Is what I 1 came to bear he said quietly and yet the words carried a ring of excitement thatis that is what I 1 expected to cheari dearv your proposal mr astor is that i surrender my independence the th 1 offer to come and trade at your ac count andrick and i risk is scent to the bait astor asto r nodded casually but perhaps in his eyes was a glint of something not casual 1 I came to hear this I 1 came all this way the length of 0 lake michigan si sir r voice mounting and trembling ever so slightly to say to you nol to say no a thousand times I 1 came all this way sir to say that you may rob me badger me persecute me but I 1 am not to be driven out that mr astor is what I 1 came to say but now actors short stocky body bent forward a bit and his harsh strong mouth loosened somewhat as with incredulity was you coomb yov you coomb lifting a plump hand to say no to me his brows browa were gathered close puzzled rather than angered aal ayl and ten thousand times no A slow flush had crept into As tors face and he gripped his chair arms you vink tink dots you vink fink dots good sense you vink tink when all iss amalgamation a young man shows sense to TO BE CONTINUED |