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 TH E 
 
 CIIlEFTAmS OF CIIAMPLilK 
 
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 A Story of Adventure ii\ tl\e New World. 
 
 
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 THE CHIEFTAInCoMIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 A TALE OF ADVENTURE IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AN ADVENTCBE WITH WOLVES. 
 
 'Twas on the 26th of December, in the year 
 of grace one thousand six hundred and ninety- 
 six, about six o'clock in the evening, that I 
 met with the happy accident which was des- 
 tined to change the course of my life. 
 
 I was snugly ensconced in my arm-chair 
 close by the fireside, enjoying the cheerful 
 warmth of the bright winter fire, when a 
 ringing voice smote my ear from the foot of 
 the staircase, and growing in distinctness as it 
 came nerrer, admonished me that Marion and 
 Beaupoil were about to enter my room. 
 
 Marion was housekeeper, maid of all work 
 and cook. Beaupoil was her lieutenant, hus- 
 band and yoke-fellow. It was he who tended 
 the garden, took charge of the horse, spread 
 the manure, peeled the carrots and onions, 
 wrung the necks of the fowl, drove the cows 
 to pasture, clipped the vine, swept the kitchen 
 and the stairs, ran of errands, went on market 
 day to Tulle, sowed, mowed, reaped and gath- 
 ered the com into the granary ; but the most 
 purgatorial of his multifarious tasks and du- 
 ties was the necessity of submitting without 
 reply all day long to th* commands, the 
 lamentations, the reproaches, and gossip of 
 Marion. "Monsieur le Cure," he would 
 often say to me, "I am gomg through my 
 purgatory here on earth." 
 
 Beaupoil was an individual of medium 
 height, well built, his hair light in color, his 
 eyes gray, and his step slow and lazy, like 
 that of a cow returning at evening from the 
 pasture. His amiable temper, never ruffed, 
 would have done credit to a philosopher. 
 
 Beaupoil was not talkative; as a rule he 
 preferred silence, having observed, with the 
 Arabs, that if speech is silver, silence is gold. 
 Still, when pushed almost over the border of 
 patience, he would at times shrug his shoul- 
 ders, careful withal that his wife did not see 
 the gesture, for he was not a whit less prudent 
 than phlegmatic. However, he was a good 
 
 sort of fellow. He had married my house- 
 keeper, who was thirteen years older than he, 
 chiefly because she made good soup. 
 
 And so it was that, having Marion already 
 in my service, I was obliged to take at first 
 Beaupoil and afterward his mother, the aged 
 Jeannette Beaupoil, without counting aa 
 ancient hunting dog she had adopted nine 
 years before, whose spats with Marion's cat 
 kept the whole presbytery in one continued 
 uproar. 
 
 Despite all this, I was as happy as one can 
 be in this valley of misery, having attained 
 without sickness or infirmity the ,age of 
 thirty-five years, pastor of the parish of 
 Gimel, near Tulle, in the department of 
 Limousin, beloved by my parishioners, in 
 amity with my brethren of the clergy and my 
 bishop, and besides a cur^s income of at 
 least five himdred crowns, having for seven 
 years past, through the demise of an imcle, a 
 lawyer at Perigueux, been left sole heir to the 
 nice legacy of one hundred and seventy thou- 
 sand French livres. 
 
 Now, friendly reader, you are acquainted 
 with my presbytery and its inmates. I, ac- 
 cordingly, return to the loud exclamations of 
 Marion, which, had I known the good woman 
 less, might have occasioned me some dis- 
 quietude. 
 
 "Oh, miserable man!" she cried, as she 
 opened the door of my room; "there was 
 nothing more wanting but that. 'Tis the last 
 drop in the cup!" 
 
 Then, drawing aside a little on the corridor 
 and looking at the luckless Beaupoil, who 
 durst not show himself : 
 
 "You could not leave them where they 
 were, you great, big simpleton ! But M. 
 Beaupoil must play the role of the generous 
 man. Beaupoil tenders his services — he con- 
 ducts people into Monsieur le Cure''s house, as 
 if it were his own. . . . And what will 
 you give them to eat, I ask you ? Where will 
 they sleep? This costs you nothing; 'tis no 
 trouble or expense to you. It is Monsieur le 
 
2 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 Cure who mnst furaiHb the money; I must 
 incur the trouble ; but you, what are yon 
 doing here ? Answer, sir 1 ... Yes, 
 answer if you can !" 
 
 Here I interrupted Marion's tirade, partly 
 to come to the aid of hor husband, partly to 
 ascertain the cause of her anger. 
 
 " ^Vhat is the matter, Beaupoil ?" 
 Then he advanced to the centre of the room 
 and said . 
 
 ' ' You will recollect. Monsieur Ic Cure', that 
 you (old me yesterday to catch some trout at 
 the foot of the cascade of Gimol, and that 
 you were expecting to-morrow a visit from 
 Monsieur Taboumey, the King's notary at 
 Tulle, and your intimate friend, a rare con- 
 noisseur. Knowing that, after 'Vesi)ers and 
 Benediction I took my hne and carefully 
 descended to the cascade. It was no easy 
 task — even in summer it is sUppery on those 
 rocks ; but on account of the weather of yes- 
 terday — partly snowy and partly frosty — I had 
 to creep on all foure. At last I reach the 
 bottom, break the ice, which is not thick, 
 and cast out my line into the river. Once 
 . . . twice . . . three times. ... I don't 
 hook even a gudgeon. ... I fancy I am be- 
 witched." , 
 
 ' ' Come, I say, let us pass over your gud- 
 geons, and tell me what happened. " 
 
 ' ' This, Monsieur le Cure, " rephed Beaupoil. 
 "At the very last, through dint of casting 
 my line, I catch some gudgeons, and I desire 
 to come home.. But lo! the night is at 
 hand, the mist is spreading from Tulle to 
 Gimel, and the snow begins to fall heavier 
 than ever. I bethink myself: 'Beaupoil, 
 if you try to return the way you came hither, 
 you will have broken bones. The first fake 
 step, down you'll tumble two or three hun- 
 dred feet, and you shall be eaten up by the 
 gudgeons you had prepared yourself to eat.' 
 But I forgot to say my dog had come along 
 with me and watched my fishing. Poor 
 Fupiet I he would have done better to stay at 
 home at the fireside. But what's the use of 
 talking; his hour had come." 
 
 ' ' What happened Fupiet ?" I ask. ' ' Where 
 flid you leave him ?" 
 
 ' ' Ah ! monsieur, where you or I shall never 
 go after him. Poor, poor Fupiet! The 
 wolves strangled him, monsieur, and carried 
 him off under my eyes into the woods ; at this 
 moment there remain only his bones, nothing 
 more! 
 
 " But to resume my story. Fupiet, seemg 
 my basket full of trout, anticipates me, goes 
 first, ever and anon making sharp turns and 
 coming back now and then to ascertain if I 
 was following him. Carrying as I was the 
 
 basket and tlie fishing tackle, I wu moving 
 along more slowly, because I had to hang on 
 to the rocks, trees and bushes, to escape roll- 
 ing into the abyss below. All at once, as I 
 had just got to the top of the ascent, I noticed 
 Fupiet returning to me, his head down, his 
 tail curled between his legs, with a terrified 
 look, as if he had just seen something fright- 
 ful. . . . Observing that Fupiet was afraid 
 of fjomebody I could not see, I grew fearful 
 in turn, and remained without a stir, as if 
 rooted to the spot, for throe or four minutes. 
 I was desirous of pxishing ahead, but I durst 
 not ; I wanted to cry out, to call for help. I 
 did not dare to do it ; and I saw i)oor Fupiet 
 perishing from actual teiTor by my side. . . . 
 All of a sudden I hear at a distance a very 
 soft noise, hke the tinkling bells of several 
 horses. That arouses me. I say to myself: 
 That must be some good Christian approach- 
 ing, and even if it should be the Turks, one 
 will know at least what is the matter, and 
 what we have to contend with. . . . Then 
 my voice comes back and I cry out, 'Courage, 
 Fupiet !' 
 
 "But Fupiet did not budge, and fixed his 
 e / es upon me. . . . Ah ! the poor beast, they 
 w ere sad eyes which prayed to me, as if I had 
 been anxious to drive liim on to death. . . . 
 Then, in order that I may have my armt. 
 free, I put between the dog's teeth the basket 
 of ti'out, I carry my line on my left shoulder 
 as if I were about to cast it into the river, and 
 I march first in line. Ten feot distant, at the 
 turn of the path, what do I see ? . . . A pair 
 of blazing eyes glowering upon me, as if 
 eager to swallow me up. A huge wolf who 
 was lying in wait for us." 
 
 " Ah ! " sighed Marion, ' ' a wolf ! " 
 
 "Yes, a genuine wolf," reiterated Beaupoil, 
 ' ' and not alone either. His whole family was 
 with him, for there to the right and the left 
 of the way stood more than ten of them, the 
 great monster alone facing me as if to say: 
 'You shall not pass here.'" 
 
 "You must have been very much afraid, 
 my poor Beaupoil," Marion remarked. 
 
 "No, not much," rejoined Beaupoil, with 
 simpUcity. "I knew then what stopped 
 Fupiet. Do you see, monsieur, I am afraid 
 of the white wolf. * Yes, 'tis true, because I 
 don't know clearly what it is and have never 
 seen it ; but for real wolves and men, I know 
 what they are; so I fear them not." 
 
 "Did you have a gun?" I inquired. 
 
 "No, Monsieur le Cure'; and I regret that. 
 However, I looked at the wolves without say- 
 ing a syllable, and the wolves looked at me. 
 
 *A ghostly wolf much feared by the French 
 peasants of certain districts. 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 I wM mnrfng. During thiR panBe two or 
 throe of tho vicioua thieves I had not before 
 Boticed wore wheeling around bo as to get to 
 the rear of my position. Ah I monsieur, it 
 \?«fl a flight to Bee— my countenance and 
 theirs. The old wolf especially, the largest 
 of all of thorn, as one might call him tho head 
 cf the family, wore an air of serene gravity 
 and doubtless had an appetite calculated to 
 csTViG terror." 
 
 All at once Marion, who was growing im- 
 patient, inquired: "Monsieur le Cure', how 
 many covers shall bo placed for supper?" 
 
 •'As many as Beaupoil shall desire, Marion, 
 for it is he who has given the invitations." 
 • "Vroll," said Beaupoil, "put two on the 
 tablo beside Monseur le Cur(?'8 and a third in 
 the kitchen for the postillion. To conclude 
 
 turn ; fortunately the dog wore a fine oollat 
 with sharp points, which broke the wolfs 
 jaw in two. 
 
 "The man Tms closely following his dog. 
 Ah ! what a man, Monsieur le Cure' 1 Six feet 
 high at least, and shoulders to support a 
 house. With that, slender of limb like a 
 deer, and strong and daring, a man who foars 
 not to risk hi^ life for his neighbor. For the 
 rest, you BhaU see him presently. He was 
 running toward me, gun in hand, a?id making 
 terrible strides. At three feet distance he 
 halts, tires at a wolf, and stretches the brute 
 stark dead in the snow. One of the pack 
 tries to bite him in the leg ; he kills it with a 
 back sweep of his gun. . . And all this with- 
 out a word, except 'Ho! PhcebuH!! ho! my 
 good dog ! ' to encourage the Newfoundland, 
 
 'oh, misebable man!" she ckied. 
 
 my story, perceiving that the old wolf was 
 about to spring on Fupiet or myself and that 
 the others would follow his example, I pick 
 up my Une in my right hand and hurl it at 
 him as if he were a trout or a pike. In the 
 twinkle of an eye, the wolf found himself 
 caught in the snare and began to bellow and 
 roar in a way to make the hair stand on the 
 head of even a bald man. His whole family, 
 observing his condition, sprang upon Fupiet. 
 Immediately I hear a man's voice halloing at 
 about thirty paces distance: 'Courage, 
 friend ; hold on ! we shall be with you in a 
 second! Ho! Phoebus, ho! my good dog, at 
 him ! at him ! ' At the same moment I saw a 
 gteat Newfoimdland dog, black and white, 
 spring at a bound into the centre of the path, 
 seize by the throat one of the wolves, which 
 WBB already holding me by the blouse, and 
 strangle him with his teeth. Another of the 
 wolves tried to seize the Newfotmdiand in his 
 
 and also at intervals, 'This way, 1*>.U««kt 
 this way!' 
 
 "Toward the close of the scene, thai U two 
 minutes arter. Master Patrick came aiong, . . 
 A fine gentleman, too ; but he does not pos- 
 sess the mien of the other, although (I mupt 
 be just . . .) he has done me a good service, 
 for ho killed one of tho wolves with two shots 
 of his pistol and broke the jaw of buother 
 that took to his heels howling. The rest of 
 the pack, seeing that there was nothing to be 
 gained, followed in his track, carrying away 
 with them poor Fupiet half devoured. Phoe- 
 bus wanted to chase them ; but the gentleman, 
 (for he is one, I am sure of that) called him 
 back. Then I desired to thank him. He 
 interrupted me to inquire : 
 
 " ' What is your name?' 
 
 " ' Beaupoil, sir, at your service.' 
 
 " 'Are we far from Tulle?' 
 
 " ' More than two leagues.' 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 '"Can you condact us thither this even- 
 ing?' 
 
 " 'To-morrow morning, sir, with pleasure; 
 but to-night there are three feet of snow on 
 the mountain ; the road is not good even in 
 mimmer, but in winter it is no longer visible. 
 There will be no moon to-night and we shall 
 fall into some pit or hole. . . But if you 
 are willing to come with me as far as Gimel, 
 Monsieur le Cure' will be very glad to see and 
 have you sup with him. My wife Marion, 
 who is his cook, will do her best to satisfy 
 you, and I, whom you have just plucked out 
 of the wolves' jaws, I — ' 
 
 "Then he said to his companion: 'Well, 
 Patrick, what do you think about it? Will 
 you sup at the Cure' of Gimel's?' 
 
 " ' Yes, yes, I will,' replied Master Patrick. 
 
 "The tall one then said to me : 
 
 " 'Go before us, Beaupoil. We will go after 
 the postilh'on and the horses we left at three 
 hundred paces from here when we rushed to 
 your succor.' 
 
 " 'But, monsieur, do you know the road?' 
 
 "'Phcebus will recognize it easily and 
 point it out to us.' 
 
 "Thereupon, I came to apprise you of 
 their approach, and to tell Marion to prepare 
 supper. Marion would not listen to me." 
 
 "Well," cried Marion, "who could have 
 thought that Beaupoil had almost been eaten 
 up by the wolves?" 
 
 At the same moment there was a knock at 
 the hall door and Marion sped down to open 
 it. I followed close after her with Beaupoil 
 and stood in the presence of my guests. 
 
 Beaupoil had not said a word too much. 
 Although the door of my house was large and 
 high, the traveller who crossed the threshold 
 first seemed to me almost as tall and big as the 
 entrance. Everything in the man was strange 
 and attractive; his sun-bronzed complexion 
 rendered ruddy by the action of snow and 
 the cold air ; eyes green as ocean's depths, 
 the glance of which could, suiting the occa- 
 sion, be either smiling or terrible; his nose 
 thin and straight as a sword's blade; his chest 
 large Uke that of the famous Bohemond, 
 Prince of Tarentum and Antioch; a bright 
 bold countenance; and a voluminous over- 
 dress consisting of furs so fine and rare that I 
 have never seen anything like them, which 
 he wore with all the haughty nonchalance of 
 a great lord. 
 
 Upon entering he held forth his hand and 
 said: "Monsieur le Cure', excuse me for 
 coming to beg your hospitaUty." 
 
 "Sir," I repUed, "after the service you 
 have just rendered my poor Beaupoil, I am 
 too happy to receive you. My house is 
 
 yours ; but that is a trifle. At Gimel we are 
 far away from everything and I fear ooz 
 supper — " 
 
 "Tis true, indeed," said Marion, adjusting 
 her saucepan. ' ' Wo have nothing flue to-day. 
 Still, we shall receive you not according to 
 your merits, but according to our means " 
 
 During this interchange of compUmenta 
 Beaupoil and the postillion led the horses to 
 the stable and the second traveler entered 
 the house. 
 
 "Monsieur le Cure'," said the taller man, 
 "I have the honor of presenting to you 
 Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildnre, legiti- 
 mate descendant of the Kings of Ireland, 
 banished from his coimtry by the usurper, 
 WilUam of Orange, for his fldeUty to the 
 Catholic faith and to King James the Second. 
 He is a captain in the French service and my 
 intimate friend." 
 
 I gave my hand to Lord Kildare. ' ' For 
 me," continued the other, "I am Louis 
 of Montluc, great-grand-nephew of the cele- 
 brated Blaise of Montluc, who was a French 
 marshal. My father. Baron Hannibal, head 
 of a cadet branch of the family, is lord of 
 Montluc Tower, in panada, and lawful owner 
 of a himting-ground one hundred leagues 
 long and twenty-five wide on the banks of 
 Lake Erie." 
 
 "And I," said I in my turn, "I am the Cvai 
 Lefranc, of Gimel, one of the poorest parishes 
 in the whole diocese, but in one of the finest 
 countries in the world if you love books, soh- 
 tude, mountains, great dense woods, cascades, 
 and your parishioners. And now that we are 
 acquainted, gentlemen, here is your room. 
 When you will be ready, Marion, we'll be 
 ready too; and we shall take supper." 
 
 7Ialf an hour later we sat down to table, all 
 three. 
 
 Marion had surpassed herself. Everything 
 was charming, pastries, venison, fowl, flsh, 
 side-dishes; everything was cooked to a turn 
 and in a way to gratify the irritable self-love 
 of my servant. 
 
 If, reader, you are astonished that a coun- 
 try cure away in the depths of Bas-Limousin, 
 in one of the poorest parishes of the diocese 
 of Tulle, was able to offer two hungry trav- 
 elers in mid-winter, a supper which would 
 not have been unworthy of his bishop, you 
 must recall the fact that I was expecting the 
 next evening the visit of Monsieur Taboumey, 
 who commonly brought with him two or 
 three gentlemen of the chase with great 
 appetites like himself; that hospitality is the 
 sweetest of innocent pleasures, and lastly that 
 Marion, apprised of their expected arrival, had 
 already prepared two cold pate's, one of 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 THS PBIE8T WELCOMES BIS QUESTS. 
 
 hare and a second of venison, without reckon- 
 ing a stewed tiirkey, which was the triumph 
 of her art, and some other minor details. 
 
 Add, moreover, that Marion had a band as 
 ready as her tongue; that, like Caesar, who 
 could dictate, they say, four dispatches at a 
 tine to as nuuay diiferent secretaries, she could 
 
 operate at once on two pans and five sauce- 
 pans, fill the one with butter, the other with 
 grease, put them all together on the fire, beat 
 the eggs, powder the salt and pepper, roll 
 out the dough, melt the lard, mince the meat, 
 season it, sugar it, salt it, pepper it, dash all 
 roood nutmeg, thyme, p^Bley, taste the 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 ■anoe, add a little butter, water or flour, 
 wanh the veasela with a loud noise, pile up the 
 platcH one upon the other as if vhey were of 
 iron and not ohinaware, scour pots and 
 kettles, wipe them, shed a few tears by way 
 of change, quarrel with her mother-in-law, old 
 Jeannotte, administer a kick to the dog, a 
 blow of the broomstick to the cat, a sharp 
 lash of the tongue to poor Beaupoil, her hus- 
 band, and drive every one except me to dis- 
 traction. 
 
 You will imderstand that with such a 
 woman and such a preparation supper was 
 immediately served. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HOW BABOM HANNIBAL MONTLtJO FOUND OCT THE 
 WAT TO SEBVE THE KINO OF FRANCE AND MAKE 
 HIS OWN FORTUNE. 
 
 If the Baron Montluc and his fellow-travel- 
 er had, from the very first, appeared to me 
 to be gentlemen of high birth, that impression 
 was greatly heightened when they emerged 
 from their room, after having laid aside their 
 fur mantles. 
 
 The Baron was magnificently attired, but 
 after the fashion of the age of the late regent, 
 Anne of Austria. His sword, which he placed 
 aside in a comer as he prepared to take a seat, 
 was a long, large rapier of the IGth century, 
 the handle exquisitely chiseled by a pupil of 
 the celebrated Benvenuto Cellini. The sword- 
 belt of buffalo leather, was fastened with a 
 clasp of the purest gold, in which sparkled a 
 diamond of inestimable value. The buttons 
 of his dress-coat were of the same precious 
 metal as the clasp and were worth, at least, 
 a hundred livres apiece. As to his lace neck- 
 tie, I doubt if that worn by the King of 
 France could have borne a comparison with 
 it. But all that external adornment was 
 nothing beside the look of nobility, simplicity 
 and courage of the young gentleman. 
 
 The Earl of Eildare, his companion, wore 
 the uniform of the regiment of the Boyal- 
 Irish, which had passed over to the service of 
 Louis XrV., in 1690, after the battle of the 
 Boyne. He, too, was a noble-looking gentle- 
 man ; but although dressed in the latest court 
 fashion, Marion, Beaupoil and myself had eyes 
 but for one object, and that was the Baron 
 Moatiuo. 
 
 About the middle of supper, when the ap- 
 petites of my guests were somewhat appeased, 
 the Baron filled our glasses and proposed my 
 health — an honor I hastened to accept and 
 recognize by signing to Beaupoil to bring us 
 two bottles of my best Burgundy. 
 
 As the Baron raised his glass to drink with 
 me, I was struck with admiration by a mar- 
 
 velonsly carved ring on his right hand, upon 
 which were engraved these words: Ego et 
 Bex (I and the King). He observed my gaze 
 and passing the ring to me that I might have 
 a closer view of it, said : 
 
 "This legend or device is my father's. The 
 diamond, round which it was engraved, 
 formerly belonged to the famous Mar(piis of 
 Guast, a general of the Spanish army, who 
 was vanquished at Cerisoles in ir>44. Toward 
 the close of that battle my great-ancestor, 
 BlaiKc of Montluc, resolved to captu~o him if 
 possible, having sworn to seize and lead him 
 to the gallows, because that disloyal knight 
 had caused the assassination, at a time of per- 
 feet peace, of a French ambassador ; but the 
 Marquis, mounted on a Barbary coursev, 
 famed for its fleetness, swept over fence and 
 ditch at a galop, and as Montluc was hot in 
 pursuit and already crying out to the fugitive : 
 ' Face around. Marquis, face around, or I 
 shall shoot you in the back,' the Marquis still 
 fleeing, dropped his hat, the clasp of which 
 was ornamented with the diamond you see. 
 At this sight my great-uncle dismounted, 
 picked up the hat, kept the diamond and had 
 it mounted in gold with the legend you see, 
 which is that of my family, for the Montlucs 
 have never recognized op earth other com- 
 mand than that of the king." 
 
 "And yet," interposed the Irishman with 
 a laugh, ' ' the king is not always master, wit- 
 ness the day your father, with a troop of 
 cavalry, missed carrying him away forcibly 
 over the bridge of Gien, with the Regent and 
 the whole Court." 
 
 "These are old stories," rejoined the Baron, 
 " and my father paid dear for the pleasure of 
 causing the Kings of France and Spain suc- 
 cessively to tremble, and of crossing swords 
 with the Great Condd. His plans were ten 
 times within a hair's-breadth of miscarrying." 
 
 And as I was curious to know more, ha 
 resumed : — 
 
 "Monsieur le Cure, these things are old; 
 still, if you will kindly promise to have our 
 horses ready to start at daybreak to-morrow 
 morning, I shall, with g^reat pleasure, tell yon 
 the story." 
 
 I gave directions to Beaupoil, who, stand- 
 ing erect, with napkin in hand, was listening 
 with the liveliest attention to the discourse of 
 my guests. 
 
 "Well, 'twas thus." said the Baron: 
 
 "About the year 1661, the Prince, now de- 
 ceased, he who for distinction's sake was 
 called the Great Conde, spoke insulting words 
 in the assemblage of Grandees at the Louvre 
 of Cardinal Mazarin, the first minister, whom 
 he hated. Some days after the Prince was 
 
THE OHIEFTAINS OF CHAHPLAIK. 
 
 apprahended. As bood as this news was 
 spread a large number of nobles and gentle- 
 men armed themselves to deliver the Prince, 
 and among them was my father. 
 
 "Accordingly, my father, indignant that 
 the Begent and the Minister (a Spaniard and 
 an Italian) should have arrested the first 
 prince of the blood, raised at his own expense 
 a troop of cavalry to the cry of 'Long live the 
 King! Long live Uonde! Baicn with 
 Maearin;^ surprised tho King's troops at the 
 pasHoge of the Loire and put a large portion 
 of them to flight. If Turenne, pressing on 
 in all haste with the other portion of the army, 
 had not renewed the fight, my father on that 
 day would have placed the crown on the brow 
 of the Great Conde." 
 I could not contain myself. 
 "Monseiur le Baron, that would have been 
 a grave crime." 
 
 ' ' Do you think so, Father ? " said the Baron ; 
 "still, if it was a crime, my father suffered for 
 it, as you shall see. The first day so satisfied 
 was the Prince with my father's deeds that he 
 embraced him before the whole army, and 
 swore that Hannibal of Montluc was the most 
 valiant gentleman in France, and his own best 
 friend. A month later an envoy was seen ar- 
 riving at the camp from the King of Spain, 
 and people spoke of a treaty on foot to de- 
 liver up two provinces to Spain. My father 
 went straight to the Prince and said to him 
 before fifty gentlemen : 
 
 " 'My lord, it is reported that you have 
 promised to hand over two provinces to the 
 Spanish King, as the price of his alliance. . 
 . . Is this ^ru8 ?' . . . 
 
 ' ' The Priuce, haughty and impetuous as he 
 was, replied to him : ' What concern of yours 
 is it, Montluc ? Have you the right to ques- 
 tion my actions ? ' 
 
 " 'It so much concerns me,' said my 
 father, ' that if you decline to answer I will 
 cause the bugle to sound my men to boot and 
 saddle, and I will depart with my regiment." 
 Cond^, who became furious, shouted to him : 
 ' Traitor I You are about to rejoin Mazarin I ' 
 To which my father rejoined: 'My lord, 
 there never was a traitor in the family of 
 Montluc ; but the Constable of Bourbon, who 
 was willing to deliver the French kingdom to 
 Charles the Fifth, was your grand-uncle.' 
 At these worda Conde drew his sword. My 
 father followed suit, and they crossed swords. 
 The nobles present separated them, and my 
 father takes to horse, withdraws his regiment, 
 and returns to his domains in Perigord." 
 "Well, my lord, he was right that time." 
 "You think so, my dear Father? Well, 
 hear the sequ^ A jear later, the King, the 
 
 Queen and the Minister having re-entered 
 Paris, my father, who was leading a peaceful 
 country life, cultivating his vines, was in- 
 formed that the Parliament of Bordeaux was 
 enjoined to iu<iuue into his affairs and pro- 
 ceed against him. At this news he bestirred 
 himself. He saddled his best steed, put two 
 pairs of pistols in his holsterH, sixty thousand 
 gold livres in his pockets, summoned around 
 him ten or twelve of the bravest soldiers of 
 his old regiment, all staunch Gascons or Peri- 
 gordiauH, and said to them : 'My friends, the 
 King is after us. You are to be suspended from 
 a tree or serve him in the galleys. I am to 
 have my head cut off. It seems we were 
 wrong in fighting for Conde against Mazarin, 
 and Conde' is not the strongest power. Will 
 you await the execution in your dwellings or 
 follow me ? ' 
 
 "AH exclaimed that they would follow him. 
 My father added : ' The French Kingdom is 
 the King'H ; the sea is the prize of the bravest. 
 So let us be Kings on sea as he is in his 
 Louvre. Forward ! ' After which, without a 
 moment's loss, while the officers of the law 
 were looking for him on the Bordeaux side, 
 he took the Rochelle road, purchased a brig 
 of ten guns, fortified it with three hundred 
 small pieces, with a like number of pikes 
 and boarding-hatchets, enrolled for his crew 
 twenty hardy sailors, and declared his pur- 
 pose to wage war on the King of Spain, who 
 for twenty years previously had been fighting 
 with the King of France. As he was wind- 
 ing up his final preparations and raising the 
 anchor with his ship's crew, he learned that 
 the Parliament of Bordeaux, upon the requis- 
 ition of the Attorney General, had just con- 
 demned him to death and confiscated all his 
 goods; to which, of his own proper motion 
 (of his grace, as the provincial attorney of 
 Saintonje would put it^ his Majesty, King 
 Louis XIV, had vouchsafed to append an 
 order setting a price upon my father's head, 
 offering twenty thousand crowns to the person 
 who shoidd deliver him up dead or alive. 
 
 "My father declared he had learned, with 
 grief, about the price with which his Majesty 
 wished to reward his services ; that he hoped 
 time would open his Majesty's eyes, sooner or 
 later, and demonstrate to him that he never 
 had a more faithful and devoted servant than 
 Haimibal of Montluc ; and that while awaiting 
 the inevitable return of his Majesty to senti- 
 ments more in accordance with his usual 
 sense of equity, he was about to put to sea 
 and chastise upon all the waters all his 
 Majesty's enemies; that he thought, never- 
 thelesB, be ought to warn those who had pro- 
 cured his sentence of death, uot to coma 
 
8 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 wthin his reach, lest he might cut off their 
 CUTS, as he had sworn he would do so. 
 
 "Do you wish to know how my father kept 
 his promise and waged war on the King's 
 ficemies? I shall cite but one instance. It 
 ^Till give an idea of others. . . . 
 
 "Oue evening, at sunset, as he was sailing 
 along, a hundred leagues from Cadiz; he saw 
 approacliing him a Spanish ship from the 
 Indies, which was transporting to the Spanish 
 King the tribute of Mexico and Peru, that is 
 to say, eighty millions of gold and silver in 
 bars or coined money. Twelve men of war 
 were escorting this precious treasure, and the 
 galleon, broad and clumsy-looking, was slowly 
 advancing in the centre of this fleet with a 
 majesty truly royal. What a capture, if it 
 could only be seized ! And what a loss to the 
 King of Spain with whom France was still at 
 war ! My father did not hesitate. He waited 
 for the night which, by good luck, was moon- 
 less and almost starless, took advantage of the 
 careless watch of the Spaniards, glided noise- 
 lessly and without lighting his fires alongside 
 the galleon, and about midnight gave all of a 
 sudden the signal to board her. The officer 
 on watch, being startled, had only time to fire 
 two pistol shots before he was hurled over- 
 board with four sailors. Tht '-est of the crew, 
 surprised in sleep and without arms, were 
 forced to surrender and confined between 
 tlecks. It was the work of three miniites. At 
 the same time the other Spanish vessels ap- 
 prised, by the uprr/ar and cries, of the calamity 
 which had just befallen them, approached the 
 galleon to retake her. My father, although 
 victorious, was never in a greater danger. At 
 this moment the Spanish Admiral, Don Carlos. 
 Marquis of Santa Cruz, who was in command 
 of the fleet, summoned him to surrender if he 
 did not choose to be hanged like a pirate from 
 the loftiest spar of the galleon. 
 
 '* ' Marquis I ' answered my father through 
 his speaking-trumpet, ' you shall one day pay 
 dear for that insolent speech of yours. For 
 to-night let us converse politely as befits two 
 gentlemen. You think you have me, and that 
 would l)e near the tnith if you were doing 
 business with any other person than a Mont- 
 luc,' for you are twenty against one ; but I 
 liGve possession of the heart and soul of the 
 King of Spain, that is to say, his milUons. 
 We are then at each other's disposal or be- 
 hests. Now, here is the treaty I propose.' 
 
 "At the word treaty, the moustache of the 
 haughty Carlos bristled terribly like that i.i i* 
 tiger in its fury: *I have no commission,' 
 «aud he, 'to treat with the enemies of the 
 King, my master, but only to bang them.' 
 And tnmmg to his flag-captain, be was about 
 
 to give the signal for the combat, when my 
 father observed : 
 
 " 'Marquis, you are wrong in not hearken- 
 ing to me. You will regret it instantly. How 
 many millions had you in this galleon ? ' 
 
 ' ' ' How does that concern you, my Lord of 
 Monthic ? ' rejoined Santa Cruz. 
 
 " 'More than you think. Marquis. These 
 millions are mine and my brave friends' by 
 the right of war and conquest ; but if you are 
 wise, if you are prudent, if you faithfully and 
 carefully watch the interests of the King of 
 Spain, your august master, I will yield to 
 you one half or a moiety of all I have, on 
 condition that I shall be permitted to withdraw 
 in safety and set sail for San Domingo.' 
 
 ' ' ' Surrender ! ' cried the Spaniard. 
 
 "Then, my father caused the barrels of 
 gold and silver to be borne on deck. 
 
 "'If they fire upon us,' cried he, 'if a 
 single man of mine is killed or wounded, I 
 shall cause these barrels to be dashed over- 
 board, and if an attempt at boarding us be 
 made, I shall blow up the whole ship.' 
 
 "'Fire!' exclaimed Santa Cruz. Sixty 
 Spanish balls simultaneously bored the ship's 
 side and broke down the mainmast. 
 
 "At the same moment, for the two vessels 
 were not more than thirty paces distant, 
 twenty musket shots issued at once from the 
 gallaon and brought down on board the ad- 
 miral's vessel five or six Spaniards. 
 
 ' ' ' Now, cast overboard two of their barrels^' 
 ordered my father. And as his crew was hesitat- 
 ing, eyeing them wistfully, he added : ' Com- 
 rades, don't regret them ; it is the share of the 
 King of Spain ; ours is still untoiiched. ' Then, 
 giviug the example himself, he took one of 
 the two barrels and threw it into the sea. At 
 this sight Don Carlos caused the firing to be 
 suspended, and shouted again through his 
 trumpet : ' Surrender, Montluc ! I pledge 
 you my word of a Castillian noble, that you 
 will suffer no harm, any more than your 
 men.' 
 
 ' ' My, father replied : 
 
 "'Manpiis, I believe in year pledge; in 
 turn trust in mine. The galleon is mine with 
 all its precious contents. Actuated by a spirit 
 of generosity, I consent to share with the 
 King of Spain ; but if he wants all he shall 
 not have a single small crown. Don't be 
 misled then, but be persuaded, if yon don't 
 choose to reduce his Majesty, the CatnoUc 
 King, to the condition of a beggar from all 
 the bankers in Europe.' 
 
 "The proud CastiUian heaved a profound 
 sigh, and said : ' If it were but my own affair, 
 Baron of Montluc, I should founder you at 
 once, though all the treasures of India and 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 ••t,!!»/ 
 
 -^!'*THBN, GIVING THB BXAHFLE, HE TOOK ONB OF THE TWO BAKKELa AND TUKEVV IT INTO TlOt 8BA." 
 
 America should go down with you ; but who 
 knows what his Majesty would think of it? 
 Draw up your conditions, since it must be, 
 and I have lived long enough to see the 
 Spanish navy compelled to enter iipon terms 
 of treaty with a corsair.' 
 
 "At this word my father replied: 
 
 "' Kather elegant, Marquis. This corsair is 
 
 sprung from as noble an ancestry as all the 
 Santa Cruzes; besides, he is an officer of the 
 King of France, as you are of the King of 
 Spain. . . . But since you ask for my 
 conditions, here they are: — 
 
 ' ' ' Between Baron Hannibal of Hontluc, 
 Oommandant of the Ego et Rex, in the service of 
 his Majesty the King of France, and Mar- 
 
10 
 
 T]flE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAJUPLAIN. 
 
 qniB G*rio8 of Santa Oraz, Admiral of the 
 fleet of the King of Spain, the following 
 articles of agreement have been entered 
 npon: 
 
 ' ' ' First Article. — The brave men \mder Bar- 
 on Hannibal of Montluc's command and the said 
 Baron agree to yield up and surrender to the 
 King of Spain a moiety of the sum of money 
 won through their bravery, that is to say, 
 forty millions. 
 
 " 'Second Article. — From this sum so given 
 to the Spanish Sovereign must be deducted the 
 two barrels heretofore thrown overboard in 
 consequence of the obstinacy of the Admiral 
 Santa Cruz, and containing each a million 
 French livres in fine gold money and Mexican 
 dollars. 
 
 ' ' ' Third Article. — To ensure the faithful and 
 speedy execution of the two previous articles, 
 the Marquis of Santa Cruz, in the Admiral's 
 ship Santiago, will escort with all his fleet 
 the Baron of Montluc aboard his brig the Ego 
 et Hex, which will carry the barrels contain- 
 ing all the gold and silver on board the gal- 
 leon. The Baron and the Marquis contract 
 to travel alongside each other with a good 
 understanding in the direction of La Rochelle 
 and give reciprocal guarantees against all at- 
 tacks. At sight ot port the Spanish fleet will 
 salute the JSgo et Hex with a hundred guns 
 and she will return the salute with all her 
 artillery. After which the forty millions 
 which the present treaty concedes his Majesty 
 the King of Spain, will be carried on board 
 the Santiago and each of the two contracting 
 parties will have the right of going whither 
 he chooses without a single cannon being 
 fired, one upon the other, for eight days.' 
 
 " 'Agreed upon,' said Santa Cruz. 'Is that 
 aU?' 
 
 " * All,' replied my father. 
 
 " 'Well. . . . We shall meet soon again, 
 you and I, Lord Montluc' 
 
 "'Whenever it shall suit you. Marquis,' 
 politely rejoined my father. ' I shall always 
 be glad to meet you face to face, with glass 
 or sword in hand.' 
 
 "At the same time, as the galleon was siok- 
 ing little by little, he made haste to transfer 
 his precious booty on board the Ego et Jtex, 
 pa8i>ed again the whole Spcuiish fleet, and 
 beading the flotilla sailed to Rochelle along- 
 side the Santiago. When in sight of the har- 
 bor, he delivered to Santa Cruz as he had 
 promised, thirty-eight barrels full of gold and 
 silver, exchanged with him the most cere- 
 monious salutes and took leave of the Mar- 
 qnis of Santa Cruz. 
 
 "While Santa Oruz was sending his barrels 
 well guarded this time to Oorooa, and yfoa 
 
 cruising with five vessels a few iMgnes 
 from Bochelle, my father entered the harbor 
 with his brig and informed the city's Gover> 
 nor he was anxious to see him on board hia 
 ship, 'having to transmit through him a very 
 important message on the King's service.' 
 
 "The Governor having come on board, my 
 father said to him : 
 
 ' ' 'Sir, I have on board eight miUions in gold 
 for his Majesty, King Louis XIV. , will you 
 please to notify him about it and accept its 
 deUvery ?' 
 
 " ' Eight millions!' exclaimed the (Governor. 
 'Sir, the sum is large, but you have taken 
 forty millions.' 
 
 " 'Yes,' replied my father, 'but the ordi- 
 nances of his Majesty enact that he shall have 
 only the fifth of all prizes • now the fifth part 
 of forty is eight ; then — ' 
 
 " 'Lord Montluc,' the Governor then said, 
 pulling forth from his pocket an order signed 
 in advance, ' you are not aware, perhaps, that 
 the Parliament of Bordeaux has sentenced you 
 to death and confiscated all your present and 
 future goods ; then the galleon belongs to his 
 Majesty, and trust me, put your prize on the 
 dry land, take a million, if necessary, and de- 
 part without further delay. I shall close my 
 eyes to your flight.' 
 
 "At these words my father gathered to- 
 gether the crew of the Ego et Hex, and related 
 to them what the Governor had proposed. 
 There was a loud roar of laughter, or rather a 
 general hoot. Some wished to hang the 
 insolent fellow, others to throw him into the 
 sea. My father saved his life and kept him as 
 a hostage on board. 
 
 " Meanwhile he had dispatehed a messenger 
 to his Majesty charged to bear the following 
 letter, which was published a month later in 
 the Amsterdam Gazette, with the reply of his 
 Majesty. This is the letter : 
 
 " ' La Rochellb, October 18, 1863. 
 
 " ' SiBB : — In accordance with the offer I made 
 your Majesty to fight your eaemies on laud and 
 at sea, I have the honor to inform you that your 
 very loyal subject, the Baron Hannibal of Mont- 
 luc, captain of the brig Ego et Bex, has captured 
 a galleon from India, which ^as coming from 
 Carthaguna to Cadi:;, escorted by the entire 
 Spanish fleet. The >jooty is forty millions, dis- 
 tributed among a like number of liarrelB. The 
 fifth of it ii eight millions, which 1 hold subject 
 to your Majesty's order. 
 
 " ' May I be permitted, Sire, to atld to this 
 happy news a Buggestion that will not be useless. 
 It is to prevent your foreign courtiers from put- 
 ting their Angers on this treasure before it goes 
 into your coffers. 
 
 " ' Pardon me, Sire, for an advice which is in 
 spired by my ardent seal for the glory and in- 
 
THE CHIBFTAINS OF OHAMPLAjST. 
 
 It 
 
 teresta of your Majestj, whose very respectful 
 and devoted servant I shall ever be. 
 
 " 'MONTLUC' 
 
 "For answer Minister Mazarin gave orders to 
 arrest the Baron, and the Governor of Sain- 
 tonje, with the help of some troops, desired 
 to enter Bochelle. But the burgesses, won 
 over by the largesses and liberality of my 
 father, shut their gates. While there was a 
 parleying night came on, and the JP o et Rex 
 was enabled to leave the port unobstructed. 
 
 "Having succeeded in avoiding the Spanish 
 gqufldron, my father visited the American con- 
 tinent, married there, and became lord and 
 owner of Lake Erie and all the country sur- 
 rounding within a radius of one hundred 
 leagues." 
 
 At this moment J!"aupoil entered, bringing 
 coffee, and Lord Moi.Muc stopped in his nar- 
 rative. I replenished liio glasses, and I pro- 
 posed the health of the Baron, his father, who 
 was doubtless still aUve, although ho must be 
 very aged. 
 
 "My father," resumed the young man, "is 
 seventy years and upv -.rds, but the vigil of 
 our departure from France he killed with a 
 gun shot and two blows of his poniard a grizzly 
 bear which weighed nine hundred pounds. 
 But hunting is a family characterictic ; even 
 my mother herself has sometimes used the 
 gun during my father s absence, now against 
 the bears, and again against the savages." 
 
 "How!" I cried out astonished; "does 
 Madame the Baroness — " 
 
 "In Canada," interposed Monsieur de 
 Montluc, we are not hedged in like kings ; we 
 take care of ourselves. If my father has 
 carved out for himself in the midst of forests 
 a domain vaster than Anjou, Touraine, Brit- 
 tany and Normandy, taken together, it is to 
 hiB Bword in the first place he owes it, and 
 then to the courage of my ^aother, who has 
 followed him everywhere, up to the day when, 
 in the very middle of Lake Erie, he erected, 
 with the assistance of his companions, a 
 castle, or rather a fortress, which he christened 
 Montluc Tower, in memory of the home of 
 his ancestors. Ah ! my mother is not, Father, 
 one of those grand ladies at Versailles who 
 wear hoops and paint and powder and make 
 curtsies — never has a nobler woman, a more 
 beautiful or more worthy woman trod the soil 
 of Europe or America. . . . And my 
 Bisters, who are all married in Canada, except 
 one, the youngest, ask my friend Fitzgerald 
 if they will not bear comparison with your 
 marchionesses." 
 
 "Ohl yes," exclaimed the Irishmaii, "par- 
 ticolartj Mademoiselle Atheniis." 
 
 "Athenais, my d^ar Father," said Lord 
 Montluc, turning towards me, "is my young- 
 est sister, and this poor Fitzgerald is terribly 
 afraid she will marry in hia absence." 
 
 ' ' But, " I then inquired, ' 'was the Baroness, 
 your mother, a Canadian by birth ?" 
 
 Instead of answering, the young man in- 
 quired of me : 
 
 " Father, have you an assistant?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," 
 
 " Is he young and robust ?" 
 
 " Very young and very robust." 
 
 " You will know presently," he continued, 
 with a laugh, " why I put these questions. I 
 return to the marriage of my father, which 
 will interest you and give you an idea of the 
 way we live in Canada." 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HOW BABON BANNIBAIi OP MANTLUO WAS BE- 
 CEIVED IN CANADA. 
 
 "I have explained how my father left 
 France, pursued on land and sea by the 
 hatred of the two most powerful sovereigns in 
 Europe. It's true, indeed, that he was him- 
 self sovereign of his staunch brig the Ego et 
 Rex; but his companions soon grew weary of 
 leading such a wandering, unsettled life. The 
 capture of the Spanish vessel had made them 
 all rich, and they were anxious to enjoy their 
 new-found fortune. Most of them dreamed 
 of tranquilly settling down in some fine coun- 
 try, of marrying there and living happily and 
 prosperously in the bosom of their families. 
 And as France was shut against them, my 
 father gathered around him all those who had 
 remained faithful to his checkered fortunes, 
 and after conferring with them, it was resolved 
 that the Ego et Rex should head her course 
 for Canada. 
 
 "' We are eighty leagues from the mouth 
 of the Saint Lawrence,' said my father, 'and 
 shall sail up the river to Quebec. The Gov- 
 emor will demand our passports. I shall tell 
 him who I am. He will wink at the irregu- 
 larity and suffer us to proceed. He is a friend 
 of mine, Count Bonneval. I shall conduct 
 you to Montreal, sixty leagues further on. 
 There we shall be in the heart of Canada, iu 
 the middle of a forest eighty leagues long by 
 three himdred broad, where you'll find only 
 bears, snakes, wild deer, a few missionaries 
 and some savages. We shall be very unfor- 
 tunate if we don't find territory enough to 
 build our huts on.' 
 
 ' ' The whole crew shouted: ' Long live the 
 Baron of Montluc 1 — Long live our Captain!' 
 
 "And so the matter was determined. Five 
 days later, the Ego et Rex entered the Golf of 
 Stunt lAwrence, coasted along the ^land qf 
 
IS 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 Anticosd and sailed up the river, which at this 
 spot ia as wide as an arm of the sea and one 
 hundred fathoms deep. A hundred leagues 
 on the vessel stood under Quebec, at the base 
 of a magnificent rock called Cape Diamant." 
 
 ' ' Every one wanted to land forthwith, bat 
 my father was unwilling. 
 
 "'We must first,' he said, 'see if we shall 
 be received as friends or enemies; for his 
 Majesty Louis XIV. may very well have given 
 orders to have our heads cut off, which might 
 prove rather unwholesome for us just now.'* 
 
 ' ' Then, without further debate or delibera- 
 tion, my father went ashore to a place about 
 three hundred paces distant from the city with 
 half his crew, and advancing near to the 
 ramparts, besought a citizen of benevolent 
 mien, who was on guard, to inform Count 
 Bonneval, Gtovemor of new France, that the 
 Baron of Montluc, his kinsman, and Captain 
 of the Ego et Rex, in the service of his Majesty, 
 desired to pay his respects and take in pro- 
 visions and water. 
 
 " 'My lord,' said the burgess, 'you arrive 
 quite at the nick of time and the Coimt will 
 be very glad to see you.' 
 
 "At the same time he summoned the entire 
 watch to arms. In the twinkle of an eye the 
 news was circulated all over the town that a 
 considerable re-inforcement imder the com- 
 mand of Baron Hannibal of Montluc had just 
 arrived from France. 
 
 "Whereupon the whole town rushed forth, 
 followed by the garrison, the Governor and the 
 clergy. 
 
 ' ' My father was a little astonished at first. 
 He did not expect such a reception. 
 
 " 'My friend,' said the Governor as he em- 
 braced him, "tis God that sends you.' 'My 
 lord,' added the Bishop, 'you will save all our 
 lives.' 
 
 " ' Impossible,' exclaimed my father. *Are 
 you then quite tired of this coimtry ?• 
 
 " ' Tired,' said the Governor. 'Ah I would 
 to heaven we had nothing but that to dread! 
 Do you know, my friend, that every morning, 
 for three months past, we have expected noth- 
 ing short of death at the hands of the 
 savages? Do you know that half our citizen 
 soldiery spend the night on the ramparts, while 
 the other half sleep at home, sword in hand ? 
 Are you aware that but a day since two citi- 
 zens who had chanced outside the waUs of the 
 town were scalped? that three women and 
 five children had their throats cut last week in 
 a neighboring village? that Father Langlois, 
 of the Society of Jesus, was burned alive three 
 weeks ago by the Honnouthonans? that 
 Father Brebeuf had but a few days before re- 
 ceived the orown of loartyrdoio, fmc* ^at five 
 
 Iroquois tribes, secretly aided by the Puritans 
 of Massachusetts and the Dutch of New York, 
 are threatening to besiege us and put the torch 
 to our town of Quebec ? Do you know that 
 you are the first reinforcement his Majestj 
 has sent us in ten years ? ' 
 
 "At these words my father smiled. 
 
 "'My dear count,' said he, 'if the Very 
 Christian King knew I had landed on these 
 shores he would have my head cut oflf here 
 and now, close to my shoulders.' And he 
 related his story. 
 
 "'This being so, Montluc, we can take 
 each other's hand and form an aUiance,' re- 
 marked Bonneval as he smiled, too ; for, if 
 your head scarcely clings to your shoulders, 
 mine is none the more secure, and a thousand 
 leagues away from Kings and Parhaments it 
 is a happiness to meet again among the 
 •avages an unexpected friend. . . . But, 
 by the way, whither do you go ? East, West, 
 North, or South?' 
 
 "Saying which, my father and the rest 
 went to dinner; my father with the Bishop 
 at tha Governor's house, as was his right, 
 and his adherents with tho richest citizens of 
 Quebec, who were viemg with one another to 
 extend their hospitahty to the strangers. 
 Carregue, my father's lieutenant, and those 
 who had remained on board the Ego et R^x, 
 had their share in the general rejoicings and 
 were almost borne down with the hams of 
 bears, fillets of the elk, If os of the 'possum, 
 the turkey, the wild duck, puddingG, saus- 
 ages, birds of every kind, and all the meats 
 that Canada furnishes in such abundance. 
 
 "As to the salmon, they are so plentiful and 
 large in the St. Lawrence that one needs only 
 to stoop down to catch them, and the Cana- 
 dians sought to be excused for their poverty 
 in offering such a common kind of food, 
 
 "As they were going to table a savage of 
 the Erie tribe entered the room, requesting 
 speech with Bonneval. 
 
 "'It is the Father of prayers that sends 
 me,' said he. The Governor turned to my 
 father and said to him : 
 
 " "Tia the name the savages give to Father 
 Fleuiy, who is a missionary on the shores of 
 Lake Champlain, a hundred leagues away.* 
 
 "The savage handed the Governor a letter; 
 he opened it at once and read it quite low at 
 first, then in a loud voice : 
 
 " 'At thb Maplswood Cross, ) 
 On the Shore of Lake Ontario. ( 
 
 " ' Mr Lord Oovbrnor :— All is lost if you do 
 not come to oiu- aid. The village was surprised 
 this morning at daybreak by a band of four 
 hundred idolatrous Iroquois, of whom about 
 fifty are armed with guns wbich the New £ng- 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 IS 
 
 land heretics have sold them for the purpose of 
 extenniDatlng us. 
 
 " ' Thirty or forty of our Erie converts were 
 massacred before having had time to address 
 themselves to the task of defense. No one 
 would have escaped (for the enemy made the 
 attack from all sides at the same time), had not 
 M. Champlain, upon opening his window at 
 four in the morning, fortunately seen the Iro- 
 quois gliding along noiselessly among the apple 
 trees, and instantly given the alarm. His 
 brother, awakened by the noise, rushed to the 
 gate of the courtyard and both sounded the 
 trumpet to warn our faithful Erles and supply 
 them with an asylum in their dwelling, at the 
 same time that together with their servants they 
 were dispersing the Iroquois with their firearms. 
 
 " ' It was at this juncture that our venerable 
 Father Forbin, consulting only his natural 
 bravery, wished, despite the supplications of 
 the Erles and our own prayers, to go through 
 the village to give absolution to all the dying 
 faithful. While discharging this pious duty 
 the pagan Iroquois smote him thrice with their 
 tomahawks. He fell, exclaiming: "Father, 
 forgive them, for they know not what they do." 
 And he yielded his soul to the Lord. After 
 which the Iroquois wanted to scalp him, but at 
 this sight nothing could hold back our good 
 Erles. Notwithstanding their small number, 
 they sprang upon their savage enemy, the elder 
 Champlain at their head. Our party killed 
 seven of the enemy with the musket, nine with 
 battle-axe or tomahawk, took three prisoners, 
 and bore away the body of our sainted martyr. 
 
 " ' I regret to add they have bound their pris- 
 oners to the stake, and against all my persua- 
 sions, scalped, quartered, and cut them to 
 pieces. 'Tis the remains of their pagan training 
 which we have so far been unable to eradicate. 
 The Champlains themselves do not believe we 
 should oppose them in this terrible practice. 
 
 " ' However, and although the first assault has 
 been repulsed, the Iroquois are about to receive 
 reinforcements, and besides, taking what these 
 savages assert io be true, they are hired and 
 paid by the Massachusetts Yankees and have 
 already blockaded the house of the Messrs. 
 Champlain. Our fortifications consist of a stout 
 palisading fronted by a deep ditch. We num- 
 ber here twenty-five female savages, young and 
 old, three French women, the chief of whom is 
 Mademoiselle Champlain, who has given an 
 example of courage and all the virtues of her 
 sex, and seventeen men able to bear arms, 
 without counting the wounded, among whom 
 are the two Champlains. 
 
 " ' My Lord Governor, if you can prevent the 
 Christian seed we have sown in this country 
 from perishing under the attacks and at the 
 hands of pagans and heretics, if you will save 
 New France and give to the French nation, the 
 King and our Holy Catholic religion, a country 
 larger, more salubrious and fertile than half 
 Europe, you must send us at ouce all the help 
 you can afford. God grant that you may not 
 come too late 1 Flbuhy, Missionary,' 
 
 "At the foot of the letter another hand had 
 written :. 
 
 "'Reverend Father Fleury, who has told 
 you the whole affair, except about the three 
 wounds he received — one In the arm, another 
 in the head, and the third In the breast, but 
 happily none of them being mortal — wished to 
 set out with the messenger anJ demand help 
 from the Hurons, our allies ; but he can scarcely 
 keep up, so weakened has he become through 
 loss of biood. We have accordingly kept him 
 here by force. . . . We have provisions for a 
 month. If we pass the present crisis we shall 
 get along wltL the blessing of Providence. 
 
 " ' Champlain, Senior.' 
 
 "A long silence followed the reading of this 
 letter. Lord Bonneval, the Governor, seemed 
 to be struck with dismay at the tidings, as 
 well as the Bishop and the other guests. The 
 savage alone, with his arms crossed, was re* 
 garding the whole company with an impassive 
 air. 
 
 '"My father Ononthio (Ononthio is the 
 name the savages give all governors), what 
 shall I say to Champlain?' 
 
 '"What can I do?' repUed the Governor. 
 ' We have scarcely enough people, powder 
 and supplies to protect Quebec. Within an 
 hour the Iroquois may make an assault and 
 massacre all our people.' 
 
 "Then my father spoke: 'My cousin,' 
 said he, ' you can do nothing for these brave 
 souls at the Maplewood Cross?' 
 
 "'Nothing.' 
 
 " 'And you, my lord?' 
 
 " 'Alas,' replied the Bishop, *I am about to 
 order the Forty Hours' Devotions for the sal- 
 vation of their souls ; for, how little their life 
 is worth, you see yourself. . . .' 
 
 "Then my father turned toward the savage. 
 
 '"Is Lake Champlain far from here?' he 
 asked. 
 
 " ' A hundred leagues.' 
 
 '"By what road did you come here?' 
 
 '"I threw myself into the lake by night, I 
 played a trick and surprised a canoe of the 
 Iroquois which was not guarded. I took it, 
 rowed all night, and reached by morning the 
 river Bichelieu. The river bore me to the 
 Saint Lawrence, and the Saint Lawrence 
 hither.' 
 
 ' ' ' How deep is the Bichelieu ?' 
 
 " 'From ten to thirty feet from Lake Cham- 
 plain to the Saint Lawrence,' said the Gov- 
 ernor. 
 
 ' ' ' Then, my dear Bonneval, ' said my father, 
 ' accept oui thanks f oi' your generous hospi- 
 tality. We shall leave here in an hour, my- 
 self, my friend Carregue, and my entire crew, 
 and the Ego et Hex, whfch draws no more 
 than six feet of water and can go anywhere.' 
 
14 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP CH^MPLAIN. 
 
 "They wish to detain him. He listens to 
 no one. He gathers his sailors together, sets 
 sail, goes up again the Saint Lawrence with 
 the savage sent by Monsieur Ghamplain, and 
 arrives at Maplewood Cross precisely at the 
 hour the assault was about to commence. 
 Thirty or forty Iroquois had already broken 
 through the palisades and were combatting 
 hand to hand with the besieged. The others 
 were following hard by. 
 
 ' ' 'Si.y father perceives the danger. He an- 
 chors the Ego et Rex by the shore and rakes 
 the Iroquois with grape shot. At thirty feet 
 distant, forty-five or fifty were killed or 
 wounded. The rest, terrified and not know- 
 ing whence the deathly hailstorm came, flee. 
 My father then disembarks with his com- 
 panions, his sword in one hand and his pistol 
 in the other, hurls back into the ditch the 
 Iroquois, crosses it on a light drawbridge, kills 
 on his way a score more of the savage tribe 
 and would, without doubt, have slain far more, 
 had not those savages, who are fleeter than 
 hares, scattered themselves in the woods like 
 a flock of sparrows, pursued by a hawk. . ." 
 
 Here Montluc was interrupted in his re- 
 cital by an admiring exclamation of Beaupoil, 
 who had just returned imobserved, holding in 
 his hands two bottles of my best Burgundy. 
 
 "Ah! monsieur, that must be magnificent. 
 I should like to see that country. I have 
 never seen anything." 
 
 "But," I remarked to him, smiling, "do 
 you know, my boy, even where Canada is, 
 what sort of country it is, whether they would 
 receive you there, and Lord Montluc may have 
 other business than returning thither with 
 you." 
 
 "As to that. Father," Montluc remarked, 
 "be at rest. The country is a good one. Men 
 of Beaupoil's years and character are rare and 
 valuable, and as to taking him thither it is my 
 greatest wish, for I am going thither straight- 
 way, passing through Bordeaux, where the 
 frigate La Foudre is awaiting us, with sealed 
 orders from his Majesty. And we have no 
 no time to spare, for the fate of Canada hangs 
 upon our promptness of action, and it may 
 be, likewise, my parent's life. . . ." 
 
 "And Athenais' life," added the Irishman, 
 with a trembling voice. 
 
 "Without mentioning that of Lucy," 
 Montluc took up. 
 
 And as ^ontluc saw that I knew neither 
 Mile. Athv ^is nor Lucy, he said : 
 
 "Athenais is my sister. As to Lucy, 
 well — But it is a little late to talk to you 
 about the ladies. We are to set out on our 
 journey by five to-moJrrow morning. Let us 
 go to bed now." 
 
 At the.ie words he rose, then all at once, 
 seized with some recollection, he searched in 
 his pockets, found nothing and exclaimed: 
 
 "Heavens! I have lost his Majesty's 
 packet of instructions, which were in a leather 
 pouch. Some of those wolves taking the 
 leather for human flesh, will have torn it up 
 without a doubt, and carried it off into the 
 depth of the woods during the conflict." 
 
 "What shall we do?" said Lord Kildare. 
 "Instructions so important! And so zeal- 
 ously pressed upon us ! If the king know it, 
 he would thrust us both into the Bastille for a 
 hundred and fifty years." 
 
 There was a moment's silence. I was as 
 much affected by their loss as themselves. 
 
 Marion sighed, and after her old fashion, 
 threw all the blame on her husband. 
 
 "It is his fault," she said. "If you had 
 not gone out fishing, you should not have met 
 the wolves, you should not have lost Fupiet 
 and obliged these gentlemen to take you out 
 of trouble, and the Baron should not have 
 risked being sent a hundred and fifty years to 
 the Bastille." 
 
 During these remarks, the Canadian was 
 reflecting. All of a sudden he arose and said: 
 ' ' I must have this packet back. Await me 
 here, Kildare, and keep company with his 
 reverence." 
 
 "What will you do?" 
 
 ' ' Return to the scene of our battle at once. 
 Here, Pbcebus!" 
 I tried to detain him. 
 
 ' ' My lord, in Heaven's name, don't go out ! 
 It has been snowing since five o'clock, and 
 therearebandsof wolves in the mountains. . ." 
 "In such weather as this," added Beaupoil, 
 "a pagan would not be cast out doors. A 
 hundred feet from here there are perhaps six 
 feet of snow. You will stumble into some 
 abyss." 
 
 While Beaupoil was speaking, I double- 
 locked the door of the room, and resolutely 
 put the key in my soutane pocket to prevent 
 Montluc from leaving the house against my 
 will. 
 
 He commenced to laugh, clasped my hand 
 in a friendly way and said : 
 
 * ' You are right, perhaps. Father. Let us 
 see then if it is still snowing." 
 
 He opened the window, stretched his hand 
 toward the south-west in the direction of 
 TuUe, as if to ascertain from what point the 
 wind was blowing, ,ind looking at his dog, a 
 magnificent Newfoimdland, with his long 
 shaggy coat of hair, silky, half black, half 
 white, who was gazing at his master, with 
 eyes almost human in their expression : 
 "Phoebus," said he. 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 1« 
 
 THEN THE TOUNQ GENTLEMAN TOOK A SI'lilNU, A.NU WIXU A liOUNJU ALIUUTEl) IN THE DEEP SNOW. 
 
 The dog rose at once, wagging his tail with 
 an air of intelligence. ' ' You see what I have 
 lost I" And he pointed out to him with his 
 finger a piece of leather thong which was still 
 hinging from his belt. 
 
 Phcebus barked. 
 
 "Well, my good Phcebus, we must look 
 for it together." 
 
 TheB turning to me: "Father," he said, 
 "let no pass. Give me the key." 
 
 I replied: "My Lord, _ou see yourself 
 that jou are courting certain death. You 
 will be the prey of the wolves. To-morrow 
 morning we shall all go together with the 
 villagers in search of your lost dispatches." 
 
 I firmly resisted all his entreaties and 
 those of Lord Kildare, who wished at the 
 least to follow him, but was finally compelled 
 by him to sit down by the fire. 
 
 " Since nothing will persuade you, my dear 
 
16 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 cnr^," he said at last, "I t^ke the only course 
 that remaLva." And pointint; the open win- 
 dow to the dog: "Go," saiQ he, "go first, 
 FhcebuB i " Without hesitation the dog sprang 
 through the window of the first story and 
 disappeared. 
 
 Then the young g«intleman took his 
 spring, and with a bound ah^^'^ted on his feet 
 in the deep snow. 
 
 Marion shrieked with terror and admira- 
 tion while Lord Montluc was saying to his 
 friend: 
 
 "Gerald, throw my sword out the win- 
 dow, and you, Father Cure', wait coffee for 
 me. I shall be with you presently." 
 
 Lord Kildare complied with his request, 
 and the Canadian followed in the dog's tracks. 
 
 I exclaimed as I closed the window : ' ' Your 
 friend is lost!" Kildare began to laugh: 
 "Lost! he I You don't know Montluc I Just 
 now he has been speaking of his father, 
 through his innate modesty ; but if he were 
 willing to talk of himself, you should have to 
 listen three days to the recital of his achieve- 
 ments. Ah I he is of a bold stock, my friend 
 Montluc, and has wherewith to support it! 
 Ask him to relate only how he came from 
 Quebec to France last month, and how we 
 three, he and I and Phoebus (for Phoebus was 
 with us), boarded an English frigate." 
 
 I begged Lord Kildare to relate the inci- 
 dent himself, and he consented. 
 
 "Besides," he added, "that will keep us in 
 a patient mood awaiting the return of Mont- 
 luc and the coffee." 
 
 "Would he return?" I asked myself, ap- 
 prehensively. 
 
 CHAPTER rV. 
 
 HOW liOBD KILDAKX BBINOS A. SBBIOUS TBOU- 
 BLK UPON HIMBELP ON ACCOUNT OF SOME 
 BABBELS or WATEB, AND WHAT BB8ULTED 
 THEBEFEOM. 
 
 "Let me, first of all," said Lord Kildare, 
 "inform you how I made the acquaintance of 
 the Baron of Montluc. My father, like my- 
 self called Gerald, was Earl of Kildare, as 
 well as my grandfather. My grandfather, 
 who was a Catholic and a royalist, perished 
 fighting against Cromwell for his religion and 
 country. His goods were confiscated and 
 given to English Boundheads. Under Chdrles 
 II. my father returned from exile, and retook 
 with arms in his hand a portion of his lost 
 property. He was himself unfortunately slain 
 at the passage of the Boyne the day James 
 II. fled before the usurper William. 
 
 "I was twenty years old then, and I was 
 fighting at the side of my father when he fell. 
 
 stricken down by a ball. I rejoined the army 
 which was retiring to Dublin. Thereupon, 
 the conqueror, having confiscated my father's 
 property, and set -a price on my head, I waK 
 obliged to take refuge in France." 
 
 The young Irishman paused, overcome 
 with melancholy thoughts at this terrible 
 memory. 
 
 "But," he resumed, "King Louis XIV. 
 gave me a command in an Irish company, 
 'A hich I had raised among the Fitzgerald ten- 
 antry. I was at Steinkerk in the French army 
 with Marshal de Luxemburg, and I then and 
 there had the gratification of retiuning the 
 English the blows they had administered to 
 us in Ireland. 
 
 " I was then in the pay i>f the French King, 
 I, Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, and was 
 endeavoring to kill as many Englishi^en as I 
 could when I was despatched to Canada, 
 which the English were threatening with an 
 invasion. I set out with my Irish regiment. 
 It was there I became acquainted with the 
 father of Montluc, and under the following 
 circumstances : 
 
 "The Canadian governor had despatched 
 me with my Irish troops as a garrison for 
 Fort Calarocony, at the entrance of Lake On- 
 tario. I had always heard that the Indians 
 were treacherous and revengeful, but I had 
 little experience with them until de Frontenac 
 sent me among them. Once, in Upper 
 Canada, I found an imfortunate traveler al- 
 most dead by the wayside. He had suffered 
 greatly from a band of Iroquois returning from 
 the war-path, and they had left him for dead. 
 I dismotmted and assisted him to my house. 
 He could scarcely speak, and as he lay on the 
 ground, I thought he was dead ; but he re- 
 covered, and every year he writes a grateful 
 letter to me. From this, as you may imagine, 
 I had conceived no pleasant idea of the gentle 
 savage. To give you an idea of the country, 
 conceive five lakes, one pouring itself into 
 the other, and intersecting a great forest. 
 From the last lake issues a stream or river 
 which empties right into the Atlantic. But 
 the five lakes — Superior, Huron, Michigan, 
 Erie and Ontario — are lakes the largest of 
 which, Lake Superior, is fifteen hundred 
 miles in circumference, and seven or eight 
 hundred feet in depth; the smallest, Lake 
 Ontario, only half the former in depth, is six 
 hundred miles in circ imf erence. The forest 
 is Upper and Lower Canada. The stream is 
 the St. Lawrence, about tLree miles in width, 
 at least, at its spring from the Ontario, and 
 about ninety miles at its flow into the ocean. 
 The depth is, in some places, sixty, a him- 
 dred, two hundred, and three hundred feet. 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN, 
 
 17 
 
 *• The Canadisn ROTenior, de Prontenrvc, had 
 ^^rgod mo when Hettir g out : ' Be wary above 
 alJ things, Lord Kildare, of the Indians. You 
 are on the frontier. At any moment thoy 
 may feel diapcsed to attack you. The Eu^ilifth 
 and the Irotiuois are quite near. You may 
 have been massncred with all your men a 
 mouth before I receive any tidings of it.' 
 
 "'My lord Count,' I rejoined, 'be sure 
 that a Fitzgerald never BuflFerH himwelf to be 
 surprised, and that if the English sliould at- 
 tack me they will find that thoy have a man 
 to deal with.' As I was about to take my de- 
 parture Lord I'rontenao called mo back and 
 Haid : ' At least, if you are in danger, inform 
 Lord Moutluc, your neighbor. He is a gen- 
 tleman of the highest honor, courage and ex- 
 perience, a man whom all the savages fear 
 and respect even as they would a god. His 
 
 the roe and the buck in their own forests. 
 The AlgouquiuR were specially devoted to me. 
 Thirty or forty of them used to come every 
 moniiug to present me their complimeuts 
 I and ask for some bottles of French brandy. 
 At last, seeing my provisions run out and my 
 soldiers murmuring that every thing was 
 going to the savages, I refused downright to 
 continue these liberalities and the Algonciuins 
 came no more. For a month I had no tidings 
 of thenj. 
 
 "Suddenly, one evening at sundown, as I 
 was quietly thinking and making ready for a 
 fishing excursion with four or live of my men, 
 the keeper of the fort, an old French Cana- 
 dian called Briso-Caillon, looking down the 
 parapet on the lake side shouted, ' To arras I 
 to arms! the enemy approaches.' 
 
 "What enem,y ? I believed the man had be- 
 
 'mt fatheb fell, stbicken down by a ball. 
 
 friendship will profit you more than an army 
 of six thousand men.' 
 
 "Without replying, I set out on my jour- 
 ney, caring almost as little about making the 
 acquaintance of the Baron of Montluc as of 
 that of the Shah of Persia. Youth is natu- 
 rally presumptuous. It seemed to me that 
 a Fitzgerald had nothing whatever to 
 fear. 
 
 "I reached Calarocony, which is shaped 
 like a long quadrangle made up of six 
 or eight wooden barracks, and surround- 
 ed by a rampart and a ditch on the 
 land side and a high palisade on the Lake 
 Ontario side, with four small pieces at 
 the four angles of the figure. The fort 
 was not hard to capture but the country was 
 at peace. Even better than that, for I had 
 met there only friends. The Hurons feted 
 me. The Algonquins called me father. The 
 Iroquois invited me to the chase of the bear, 
 
 come crazy. But as he did not cease to shout 
 to arms, I mounted the parapet and directed 
 my glass to the lake. A flotilla of twenty or 
 thirty boats was approaching our fort, scuU- 
 iug along with all their might. 
 
 "They were my friends, the Algonquins. 
 I recognized them without difficulty by the 
 shape and lightness of their canoes, which 
 were skimming along the water. 
 
 '"Don't you see, sir,', said Brise-Cail- 
 lon, ' these people have a crow to pluck. with 
 you since you denied them the brandy, and 
 they are coming to take your scalp.' 
 
 " ' From what do you infer that ?' 
 
 " ' They have neither wives or children with 
 them. It is as if they had written on their 
 brows : ' Take heeed ! we are going to eat 
 the nose off your face !' 
 
 " Brise-Caillon was right. As the boats 
 approached I could count the Algonquins. 
 There were about a hundred or a hundred 
 
18 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 and twenty, lightly eqoipped as if for a hol- 
 iday or for battle. Thoy advancod in their 
 course with a show of gaiety, but the shrewd 
 observatious of the old Canadian upon the 
 absence from the .party of thoir wives and 
 young ones, and the custom of the savages to 
 surprise their enemies, dictated the "policy of 
 being on my guard against them. Accord- 
 ingly I put my whole force under arms — num- 
 bering almost forty men. I set each man at 
 his post and uneasily waited coming events. 
 However, the first move of my Algonquins 
 did not indicate any hostile intentions on their 
 part. Thoy came on to the sound of a music 
 that was festive, and not warlike. 
 
 "At the moment I was preparing to give 
 the signal for combat, the canoes of the Al- 
 gonquins were not distant more than fifty feet 
 from the wall of the fort, the base of which 
 ia bathed by the flow of the lake, which is at 
 this spot more than five hundred feet deep, 
 the largest of the canoes separated from the 
 flotilla, and a chief of haughty mien, making a 
 aign to the rest to remain stationary, pushed 
 on to the luay followed by two companions. 
 He had his carabine in hand and his toma- 
 hawk or hatchet slung across his shoulder 
 like a renowned warrior. He at once sprang 
 ashore, and having bowed majestically to me, 
 informed me that in accordance with the 
 usages of his tribe he and his companions 
 bad come to present me their compliments 
 and smoke with me the pipe of peace. 
 
 " My gentleman had the politeness to add 
 that being on the point of setting out on a 
 grand hunting excursion in the mountains of 
 Vermont, he and his friends invited me to go 
 jUong with them. He sat down, his legs 
 crossed and folded under him, hke a tailor. 
 His two companions followed his example, 
 and all three seemed to be waiting the pro- 
 duction of pipes and liquor. 
 
 "To be candid, I did not know what to do. 
 To send this gentleman and his two friends 
 back to their canoes was an easy task, but it 
 -would have proved an affront which the 
 savages would not pardon, for they are proud 
 and vindictive. To receive them with aU 
 their companions would be to deliver to the 
 enemy a place under my command, and cover 
 ^ith dishonor, through a cowardice having 
 all the appearances of treason, the name of 
 Fitzgerald. 
 
 ' ' I was silent a few moments. Fortunately 
 these savages never being over-anxious to 
 speak themselves, patiently awaited my re- 
 ply. At length, looking around me, I observed 
 at a short distance from the fort a glade 
 situated in the midst of a forest of stately 
 •oaks, and I proposed to receive my guests 
 
 upon neutral ground and smoke with them 
 a half dozen pipes, if need be. 
 
 "The Algonquin gentleman, who was called 
 Pied-de-Oerf, or Stag-Foot, as I learned later 
 on, for his great fleetness of foot, appeared 
 not to perceive my hesitancy and distrust. 
 He thanked me very politely for my invita- 
 tion, as if I had been quite free to act other. 
 wise, and returned to his tribe to report 
 progress. He was welcomed with cries of 
 joy, which I could hear from the shore, and 
 all my Algonciuins hastened to disembark and 
 betake themselves to the glade. 
 
 "Meanwhile, Brise-Caillon asked me what 
 I intended to do. 
 
 "'To keep my promise, Brise-Caillon! I 
 I shall smoke four or five pipes with them. 
 An Earl of Kildare has but his word of honor.* 
 
 " 'Well, then, and what shall we do in the 
 meantime ? ' 
 
 "'Thirty men will remain to guard the 
 fort. The other ten, well armed, will accom- 
 pany me to our place of meeting. There, 
 should they essay an attack, we shall defend 
 ourselves and beat a letreat.' 
 
 "Brise-Caillon shook his head in disap- 
 proval of my plan and said • 
 
 " 'Yon could not do anything more foolish, 
 With these people you must be alto- 
 
 sir. 
 
 gether friendly or altogether hostile. If you 
 are a friend, you must give them as much 
 drink as you can, and if you are an enemy, 
 you must shoot them down.' He scratched 
 his head a moment and resumed with a pro- 
 found sigh: 'Ah! if we could but find 
 Montluc le Kouge, or if only he could divine 
 our present danger, how he would extricntd 
 us from this embarrassing situation ! In an 
 instant ho would manipulate all these savages 
 hke a glove. But, then, where is he?' 
 
 '"Do you know where he lives ? We could 
 send for him.' 
 
 "'Ah! pshaw! The home of his father, 
 the old Baron, is more than fifty leagues 
 away, in the middle of Lake Erie. Before 
 he could be informed of our peril, we shall 
 be all simmering on the frj'ing pan.' 
 
 "I tried to comfort Brise-Caillon. I told 
 him that with forty determined, resolute 
 men we could easily overcome a hundred and 
 fifty of the enemy. He answered me by 
 saying: 
 
 " 'The savages in the wood below are only 
 the advance-guard of the tribe. The rest 
 are ten times as many and will be here in an 
 hour or two. I know them well; but go! 
 It is because they have designed to attack us 
 by surprise that they have not come all at 
 once, but you will see pretty soon.' 
 
 ' ' Then I formed a bold resolution : ' Kir 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAlfPLAIK. 
 
 19 
 
 cnldy, Uke th« oommand. I am going down 
 to the wood. If the Algonquinn are dovising 
 Home snare against mo, don't mind anything, 
 except to remut the assault and prevent them 
 from entering the fort. Adieu; and above 
 all consult with Brise-Caillon, who is a man 
 of good judgment, and well acquainted with 
 the country.' 
 
 "Thereupon I sallied forth from the fort. 
 Having reached the centre of the Algonquins, 
 I seated myself upon the trunk of a tree. 
 
 "I began my speech by repeating as briefly 
 as possible what I had said to Pied-de-Cerf, 
 and expressed my gratification at seeing them 
 once more. This discourse, interpreted to 
 thorn by their chief, produced a most desira- 
 ble effect. He responded on behalf of his 
 friends that their gratification surpassed mine, 
 and that they were glad the slight ripple of 
 dissatisfaction which had marred the har- 
 mony of our relations was at length to be 
 smoothed away. 
 
 "It was then he touched upon the slight I 
 had put upon the whole tribe when I refused 
 them two casks of brandy, of which they 
 knew I had a supply on hand. A general 
 outcry was raised against me at this reminder, 
 and I began to feel I was lost. I could not 
 moke any effective resistance, being all alone 
 and having only my sword and two pistols 
 for defense. As to yielding, that is, giving 
 these savages the two casks of brandy they 
 demanded, it would cause them to believe I 
 wan afraid and serve to redouble their inso- 
 lence. Besides, who could calculate what 
 they might do in their drunkenness ? In my 
 perplexity I believed it better to display firm- 
 ness. 
 
 "I, therefore, replied that I should never 
 retract my resolution, that I was the friend 
 of the Algonquins, quite ready to smoke with 
 them the pipe of peace and alliance, but that, 
 as far as my brandy was roucemed, they 
 should never taste of it. My reply was fol- 
 lowed by a terrible uproar. All the Algon- 
 quins rose up, brandishing their hatchets, 
 yelling their war-cry and throwing themselves 
 headlong upon me. "Without waiting for their 
 attempt to seize me, I drew from my belt a 
 pistol, which I took in my left hand; with 
 the right I drew my sword, I sprang at a 
 bound across the trunk of the tree I had been 
 sitting upon from the beginning of our con- 
 ference and ran direct to the fort, crying out 
 to my Irish troops : ' Open ! open ! ' which 
 they did at once. But I was not entirely out 
 of the wood for all that. The Algonquins, as 
 fleet as myself, were right on my heels in hot 
 pursuit, and a leader of their tribe who had 
 thrown himself in my path to cut off my re- 
 
 treat, flought to atop me. As I sprang poHt 
 him he dealt me a blow of his hatchet which 
 would have cleft my head in twain, but, 
 luckily, it only swept my hat away. I re- 
 sponded with a sharp stroke of the butt-end 
 of my pistol, which caused my man to recoil. 
 
 "I was not more than twenty paces from 
 the gate, and in two seconds had cleared the 
 distance. Brise-Caillon, who held the gate 
 open, was watching me and shut it the mo- 
 ment I got inside the fort. The drawbridge 
 was raised and my fine friends, the Algon- 
 quins, quite out of sorts at having suffered 
 me to escape their clutches, showered arrows 
 and curses upon the walls and ramparts of 
 the fort. 
 
 "*You have escaped by a miracle!' said 
 the Canadian to me. ' I was afraid I should 
 be obliged to attend your funeral.' And he 
 added as he gazed upon the lake: 'Well, 
 sir ; what did I tell you an hour ago ? That 
 these rogues were only the advance guard, 
 and that the rest of the horde would soon be 
 at hand. Look ! ' 
 
 "And, in truth, we soon perceived on the 
 lake countless canoes manned by Indians who 
 were steering rapidly for the fort. 
 
 "Luckily, the Algonquins, strengthened by 
 the new comers' arrival, (whether it was that 
 they desired at first to lull us into a false 
 security and then surprise us, or that they 
 were engaged in consultation), kept quiet all 
 night. For my part, I kept half my com- 
 mand under arms and let the others sleep on 
 bear-skins or deer-skins, of which we had 
 quite a number. 
 
 "At sunrise every man was up and the 
 firing began on both sides. The chiefs were 
 almost the only savages who had guns, pow- 
 der, and balls. The rest had arrows and 
 tomahawks, which are skiill-crackers of a 
 hard, seasoned wood, as hard as iron itself. 
 On our side we were all provided with mus- 
 kets, but I had given orders to husband the 
 ammunition. To sustain a siege of several 
 days and hours, whether with good or bad 
 results, could not last any shorter, we had 
 only sixty bullets a man. Certainly that was 
 quite enough if each shot struck an Algonquin 
 in the head or heart; but my brave Irish, 
 daring soldiers were bad shots and needed to 
 be kept under a strict watch. Besides, take 
 into account that our Algonquins, in order to 
 ensure safer aim at us, climbed to the tops of 
 trees, from which point of vantage they com- 
 manded the wall of the fort. At the same 
 time they sheltered themselves behind the 
 trunk or thick branches, so as to offer no 
 point for our aim, for they are not less wary 
 and cunning than brave. 
 
so 
 
 THK CHIEt'TAINB OF OHAMPLAJN. 
 
 "l PBESENT TO YOU LOBD EILDABE, AN IRISH GENTLEMAN." 
 
 "Suddenly, in the midst of our troubles, 
 Brise-Caillon came to me with an air of tri- 
 umph and whispered in my ear: 'We are 
 safe, monaieiir; Montluc le Rouge is coming 
 to our assistance.' And preceding me to the 
 lake side of the fort he pointed out a sailing 
 boat which was rapidly coming toward us. 
 
 "To my great astonishment I saw the boat 
 swerve aside from the direction of the fort 
 
 and make for the camp of the Algonquins in 
 the very midHt of the hailstorm of shots. 
 'Sir,' said Brise-Caillon, who had become my 
 chief adviser, ' don't be uneasy ; the Baron of 
 Montluc has begun the business with his 
 usual address.' 
 
 " Brise-Caillon was right ; for in the twinkle 
 of an eye the firing of the savages stopped, 
 cheers resounded from all sides, and Moutluo 
 
v> 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINH OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 SI 
 
 ftupres8<Hl me with the idea of a king return- 
 iug to hia capital. I know not what Moutluo 
 could have Haid to the AlgoiiquinH, hut hn wiin 
 not long before he preHented hiiuHelf alone at 
 the gate of the fort, which wau throwu open 
 to him by the Canadian. 
 
 "Ho advanced to me without ceremony and 
 said: 
 
 *"8ir, you are Oerald FitzKorald, Earl of 
 Kildarc, and Lieutenant of the King of Franco 
 iu Canada, are you not?' 
 
 " 'YcH, monweur.' 
 
 '"I am Louis, Baron of Montluc, Bon of 
 the Baron Hannibal, whose Castle of Moutluo 
 Tower \h Hituated iu the centre of Lake Erie, 
 pn the Island of Turtles, sixty leagues to the 
 west of this fort. My mother, a French- 
 woman, through her grandfather Lord Cham- 
 plain, he who founded Quebec, is the 
 daughter through her grandmother of the 
 last ^pcat chief of the Erics, who used to 
 llwoll on the lake of that name, and who were 
 ppread all over the country. So I have the 
 blood of Champlaiu and of Erie in my veins, 
 ts well as that of Montluc; my barbarian 
 great-graudfather was the host and friend of 
 my French ancestors, and it is for that reasou 
 I am everywhere called the 'red Montluc' 
 
 "Montluc seeing the Canadian near me, 
 pressed his hand, saying : 
 
 "'Ah I it is you, Brise-Caillon ? Close the 
 gate behind us, for we are going forth.' 
 
 '"What for?' I inquired. 
 
 " 'To talk with the Algonquins.' 
 
 "'But—' 
 
 "'Yes, I know;' said Montluc, with a 
 smil<>, 
 
 " 'They have told me what happened, and 
 that they designed to scalp you this very 
 night. Fortunately I had been thinking so, 
 too. Yesterday morning about seven o'clock 
 I was bear-hunting forty leagues from here, 
 when I was accidentally informed that my 
 friends, the Algonquins, were preparing an 
 expedition. Against whom ? No one knew. 
 I thought that it might be you. My 
 father, Hannibal, (to whom, without any 
 reproach, you owed a neighborly visit) said 
 to me : ' Kildare is a gentleman ; my friends 
 in France have spoken well of him, but he is 
 somewhat foolhardy. He thinks he needs no 
 help from any one. He imwittingly offends 
 the Algonquins, and will get into some trouble 
 of which the English will take advantage. 
 Lend him all the aid you can and watch 
 over him.' So yesterday morning I was out 
 hunting when I learned of this attack. I was 
 then in the woods. I at once proceeded to 
 the chief village of the Algonquins, where I 
 was ioformed that the warriors of the tribe 
 
 had gone forth to oat the throats of younel/ 
 and your garrision. I crowded on all sail aud 
 readied here, as you see, just in good time." 
 
 ' ' Full of confidence in hia infiuenue with the 
 savages, I followed him to the middle of the 
 glade, where the Algonquins were expecting 
 his return with glad couiitenauces. When ho 
 entered the circle of warriors, he was woU 
 uomed with mmiberloss acclamations. You 
 would have thought ho was the natural head 
 of all the savages assembled. 
 
 "Ho seated himself and made me sit at his 
 side on the trunk of the trcv, where I had sat 
 the previous evening, and from which I waa 
 obliged to floe for my life. Then having 
 made a sign with his hand that he desired to 
 speak, ho said : 
 
 ' ' ' My Algonquin brothers, T present to 
 yoii Lord Kildare, an Irish gentleman in the 
 Horvice of the King of France, and my Inti- 
 mate friond, in order that you may receive 
 him as an ally, and that henceforth there may 
 be no cause of war between you and him.' 
 
 ' ' Their several voices all together explained 
 the affront I had offered the Algomjuins in 
 refusing them the two casks of brandy, al- 
 though the fort was stocked with a hundred 
 of them. 
 
 " I protested then were only two, and that 
 I had the King's order to keep them for my 
 men. 
 
 "After several minutes' confusion, a voice 
 whose European accent struck me came out 
 of the crowd: 
 
 " 'After all,' this voice said, 'the English 
 in Boston have whiskey which is as good as 
 the brandy of the King of France, and thoy 
 will give it in abundance for our bear-skins 
 and fox-Hkins 1' 
 
 ' ' This speech produced a wonderful effect 
 on his hearers. I did not know what re- 
 ply to make, for it was the truth. I began to 
 reflect: 'How shall my new friend answer 
 that?" 
 
 "Batllittle knew Montluc, to think him 
 embarrassed for so little. AVhile th« other 
 was speaking, from his hiding place in the 
 third line of the crowd, Montluc had per- 
 ceived and recognized him. With a bound 
 he cleared the two front lines, seized the 
 squatting figure by the ears, lifted him up 
 without an effort, and threw him, despite his 
 cries, into the centre of the crowd. I waa 
 astonished to behold a tall, fair.looking man, 
 of German rather than Enpliah build, and in 
 no way resembling the otk'^i .Algonquins. 
 
 "After having disarmed i\nd bound his 
 prisoner, Montluc turned aroand and said: 
 ' Brothers, Algonquins, I guess alL I know 
 who has incited you against Fnuioa, the 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 King, and my friend Kildare ; it is this man, 
 this old deserter from the (German army, and 
 now spy in the service of the English, this 
 Kronmork. ... Is that he? speak, am I 
 right?' 
 
 " ' Yes, 'tis he I' was heard from all sides. 
 
 '« 'This man,' he continued, 'is a traitor 
 who wishes to incite you to make war on your 
 friends and deliver you up to your enemies. 
 Is that true ?' 
 
 " 'Yo8, the truth indeed.' 
 
 "'Well, you will judge presently what 
 kind pf crime he designed to perpetrate 
 against you. As to the crime he has com- 
 mitted against me, 1 despise it. I^or the rest, 
 you will lose nothing. The cellars of Mont- 
 luc Tower are well filled. You wanted to 
 take from Lord Kildare two casks which he 
 could not give you. I shaU give you ten in 
 my father's house. Come for them. Follow 
 me.' 
 
 "This proposal was greeted with genuine 
 transports of joy. 
 
 " ' Let us set,' said Montluc, ' who will say 
 that the gift of a friend is good, but the bribe 
 of an enemy better ?' " 
 
 '"My Algonquin brothers,' continued 
 Montluc, ' what punishment does that man 
 deserve who has labored to sow the seeds of 
 disunion between two friends, and by false- 
 hood and lying stories drive them to slaughter 
 upon the field of battle ?' 
 
 " They all shouted : 
 
 "'Death!' 
 
 "Stag-foot, who had been instructed by 
 the missionaries, spoke : 
 
 " 'It is not the death of the warrior that 
 such a man deserves, but the death of the 
 vile, that which was earned by the traitor, 
 Barabas ! The gibbet ! ' 
 
 " * Yes, yes — the gibbet 1' 
 
 " Montluc touched the spy with his foot, 
 and said to him : 
 
 " ' You hear that, Kronmark ?' 
 
 " The wretch uttered a low groan and with 
 his teeth endeavored to cut the cords he was 
 bound by, but the Algonquins compelled him 
 with their long staves to keep quiet. 
 
 "Still he had strength to cry for ' Mercy.' 
 This cowardice, a new thing to the Indians, 
 who await patiently and submit bravely to the 
 most exquisite tortures, excited the wondor 
 of the Algonquins, but not their compassion. 
 Stag-foot declared that this miserable creature 
 disgraced his race. 
 
 ' 'At length, MonUuo stretched forth his hand 
 •ndsaid: 
 
 " 'If you are willing, Algonquin brothers, 
 I shall question this man concerning his ac- 
 complices and the sincerity of his respoaees 
 
 will settle the qnjstion of his fat«. . . . 
 Speak! . . . Are you willing?' 
 
 "•We are!' 
 
 ' ' And in fact, aside from the good sense be^ 
 trayed in the suggestion, this Montluc has the 
 gift of persuading the savages to do whatever 
 he bkes. 
 
 "'And before speaking,' said Montluc to 
 the spy 'remember that your first lie will 
 be the signal for hanging you.' 
 
 " The prisoner intimated that he would be 
 mindful of the warning, and Montluc demanded 
 whence he came ? 
 
 " 'From Boston, in Massachusetts.' 
 
 " ' By whom commissioned ?' 
 
 " 'By the Governor.' , 
 
 " ' Received any money ?' 
 
 " ' Five thousand pounds sterling.' 
 
 " ' Who gave it ?' 
 
 '"The Governor and the Colonial Assem- 
 bly.' 
 
 " ' What were the instructions?' 
 
 " ' To sow discord and dissensions among 
 the Indian tribes of Canada, especially the 
 Iroquois and Algonquins on one side and 
 the French on the other, in order to stir them 
 up to mutual extermination and secure the 
 country for the English.' 
 
 ' ' Had he succeeded in his mission ? 
 
 "He had succeeded among the Iroquois, 
 who were about to arm themselves, but had 
 at first need to come to an understanding 
 about the plan of the war. . . . He had 
 almost succeeded with the Algonquins when 
 Montluc's arrival deranged all his projects. 
 
 " "Tis well,' remarked Montluc; 'we do 
 not desire to know any more about them. For 
 my part, iu exchange for the revelations you 
 have made, I accord you mercy. It is for my 
 Algonquin brothers to consider what they will 
 do with you.' 
 
 "But Pied-de-eerf (Stag-toot), and others 
 wished him to be hanged. Some even were 
 anxious to bum him aUve, and others were 
 already whetting their long knives for the 
 execution. 
 
 " ' Let us obey a good impulse, Algonquin 
 brothers,' said Montluc. 'Be satisfied with 
 scalping him without taking^ away his life, 
 and suffer him to depart for his own country. 
 He will bear the token of your generosity all 
 his life upon his scalped cranium.' 
 
 "There was a moment of doubt, then the 
 suggestion was accepted and ten of the most 
 renowned warriors drew lots for the happy 
 fortune of scalping the German. At length, 
 Stag-foot drew the prize and with a glad coun- 
 tenance, smiling and z^ous, he drew forth 
 his knife and having drawn the prisoner aside, 
 deftly raised his scalp, despite the bowlings of 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 » 
 
 tbe poor wretch. Then he returned with this 
 bloody trophy suspended from his belt. 
 
 " I looked at my new friend, Montluc. He 
 was no more moved by the sight than a cook 
 would be who saw a chicken killed by a cook. 
 
 " ' Even much less than the cook,' he re- 
 marked in a whisper to me, for a chicken is 
 innocent and gentle and it is only superior 
 force that gives us any right over it. But the 
 traitor is an enemy and a knave over whom I 
 have justly the power of death. . . .'" 
 
 Here Lord Kildare turned to Marion who 
 was Ustening to him with open mouth. 
 
 "There I charming Marion, it was thus I 
 became acquainted with my friend Montluc, 
 precisely as the swimmer does with a man 
 who extends a pole to him and pulls him 
 ashore. 
 
 "You may judge what thanks I showered 
 
 strangle my Irish friends, and please your 
 enemies and mine, the English and thfr 
 Iroquois. ... Is not that true?' 
 
 " The savages, ashamed of their oondnot,. 
 kept silent. Stag-foot, who was an orator^ io~ 
 .plied : 
 
 "'We were deceived, brother Montlao. 
 The most virtuous men may be deceived.' 
 
 "'Well, there is but one way to mak» 
 amends for your fault, ' said Montluc. ' It is. 
 to go with me.' 
 
 " ' Where?' demanded the assembly, happy 
 to be able to justify themselves. 
 
 " ' To Hudson Bay. The English have built a 
 fort. There are five hundred soldiers in garrisoa 
 and two men-of-war of fifty guns a-piece- 
 They do not expect us. We shall take thent 
 by surprise, scale the fort, and capture the- 
 frigates at the mere boarding. And we shall 
 
 ' THET ALL SHOUTED ' DEATH I 
 
 upon him for my garrison and myself, for he 
 was not merely satisfied with having extricated 
 us from our trouble, but he wished with all 
 his energetic nature to reconcile us to the 
 Algonquins as he said, and his success was 
 perfect. It cost me a himdred bottles of 
 good brandy, which he promised to replace 
 at his own expense. The savages supplied 
 the roast meat (not that it is not plentiful 
 in Oanada), and after the feast prepared for 
 their departure, Eronmark was set at Uberty, 
 his wallet was filled with five days' food, be 
 was provided with a two-oared boat which 
 was launched on the lake and Montluc called 
 out to him as he pushed from the shore : 
 ' Rascal, go and be hanged in some other 
 place.' 
 
 "As soon as Eronmark was out of hearing, 
 MonUao spoke again and said : ' My Algon- 
 quins, we are among our own now and may 
 kpeak aloud. ' You set out for war, and not 
 the chase. You wanted to capture Calaraoony, 
 
 have dinner, for the English are always sup* 
 plied with abundance of pudding and roast 
 beef.' 
 
 " ' Finally— for I don't want to teU aU be- 
 forehand — we shall become masters of the 
 warehouses of the Hudson Bdy Company, and 
 have enough of merchandise and goods to en- 
 able us to purchase a hundred thousand casks 
 of the best French brandy, if that ia oar 
 taste.' 
 
 "(Ah ! most assuredly it was their taste t Alt 
 this picture they gaped with laughter, and 
 their eyes sparkled in daylight like those of 
 wolves in the dark \ 
 
 " It was then agreed that th<;y should follow 
 him to Hudson Bay, but to go at first for or- 
 ders and directions to the old Baron Montluc^ 
 who was the recognized and revered head of 
 all the savage tribes who were friends of 
 France, and in particular of the Algonquins. 
 
 "Montluc said to me: 'Hand over tha 
 command of your garrison to your L'^uteoan^ 
 
S4 
 
 THE CHEHPTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 Kirculdy, and accompany me, Kildare. There 
 is room in my little craft for a friend. And 
 then you will be well pleased to become ac- 
 quainted with mv father and be presented to 
 the ladieB.' 
 
 ' ' I needed no further solicitations, and af r 
 ter giving my orders to Kirculdy, I embarked 
 with Monthic. 
 
 ' ' Twelve hundred Algonquins — who had 
 just come near scalping me — followed us in 
 their fishing canoes and ascended in ourwr-ke 
 Lake Ontario, to the very foot of the famous 
 cascade where Lake Erie dashes along through 
 a deep channel into Lake Ontario. This chan- 
 nel is called the Niagara River. 
 
 "There we made a defile by the right 
 bank, bearing our skiffs on our shoulders 
 nearly three leagues, which is anything but 
 pleasant ; we took to the water again in Lake 
 Erie, and as a favorable wind filled our sails, 
 arrived in two days at the Island of Turtles, 
 at the foot of the rock on which stands the 
 celebrated Montluc Tower, the baronial resi- 
 dence of my new friend's family. It was 
 there I encountered my destiny. Father — met 
 her who one day will be Countess of Kildare." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 which tbeatb of the powers of phcebus and 
 mabion's coffee. 
 
 Xiord Kildare had gone thus far with his 
 story and was perhaps about to continue. I 
 was enjoying the grateful warmth of the fire 
 with my feet on the fender, comfortably 
 wrapped in my soft cloak, my coffee properly 
 sugared, and thanking God who had vouch- 
 jsafed me birth in a country far from the Iro- 
 fjuois, the heretical English, and even Catho- 
 lic Algonquins, who scalp their enemies in any- 
 thing but a Catholic manner, when a bold 
 voice suddenly rang forth from the outside, 
 although its tone was a little muffled by the 
 «i.ow 
 
 •'Marion! Marion! if you have a little 
 coffee remaining still for me, if his reverence 
 and Lord Kildare have not swallowed it all, 
 open the door ! Phcebus and myself are almost 
 frozen. But, thank God, I have regained my 
 despat.'hcs." 
 
 It was the Baron. You may judge whether 
 Bi^anpoil and Marion rushed down stairs to 
 cpeu the door, take his sword to a safe 
 corner and relieve him of the bag of despatch- 
 es which he was holding in his hand. 
 
 All this was done in an instant. Phoebus 
 was made the recipient of nearly similar at- 
 tentions, and he fully deserved them, for he 
 •vBs a brave and courageous animal ; but 
 UoDtlQO did not wish to keep him in the room. 
 
 " It is too warm here," he said. " Phoebua 
 is a Greeulander and loves only snow and ice. 
 . . . I am sure that with his instinct as 
 a dog, he despises my friend Kildare ^/arming 
 himself by the fire like a genuine dandy." 
 
 " And what of me ?" I asked with a smile, 
 but with some shame at having earned the 
 character of an exquisite in the eyes of Ph(B- 
 bus. . . . 
 
 "Oh ! you, Father," replied Montloo, wjth a 
 smile also. ' ' Phoebus would not dare to thiuk 
 other than with respect for yourself and 
 gratitude for the hospitality you have offered 
 him and the marrowy bones which Beaupoil 
 has been heaping upon him. Is not that so, 
 Phoebus ?" 
 
 The dog gazed at him wagging his tail with 
 a look of inteUigence. 
 
 " Right, Phoebus — right, my good dog I 
 Go kiss the hand of the Cure' of Gimel." 
 
 And Phoebus kissed, or, if you prefer it, 
 licked my hand without giving me a chance to 
 be excused. 
 
 I inquired of Montluc if he had much 
 trouble in his search after the bag and his de. 
 spatches. 
 
 "Not the least," he said. "Phoebus, to 
 whom I had given his lesson, conducted me 
 right to the scene of battle, where we found 
 twenty or thirty wolves devouring the remains 
 of their slain comrades. When they saw ua, 
 and after my first pistol shot, they took to 
 their heels. Phoebus, guided by his instinct, 
 which is surer than the reason of many people, 
 found my despatch bag, took it in his mouth 
 . . . and here we are ! Marion, your 
 coffee is excellent." 
 
 At these words Marion, at once vain and 
 modest, answered : 
 
 " You are very kind ; I have done my best. 
 You know when we do what we can, we do 
 what we ought." «;J «""t 
 
 "Well spoken, Marion I Well, I wiU give 
 you with my own hand two or three packages 
 of it and of the best (next to yours, to be 
 sure), that will come from Mochadirect /ound 
 the Cape of Good Hope ; -it will cost you no 
 more than me — a big thank you. 
 That astonishes you, Father. " 
 
 ' ' Not particularly. I suppose you have an 
 estate in that country and that your tenants — " 
 
 At these words Montluc and Kildare burst 
 into a laugh. 
 
 "An estate!" exclaimed Montl'tc. . . 
 "Tenants — I have something better than that. 
 I have a friend 1 my friend Gandar of Mar- 
 seilles. This friend, who is rich, has built a 
 little brig lighter than the wind, which skims 
 along the sea as Phoebus flies along the plain. 
 In times of war, as at present, he eooun tb« 
 

 THE CHIEFTAJI-iS OF CHAMPLAI^. 
 
 25 
 
 BTA(J-FOOT HETUBN8 WITH HIS BLOODY TBOPHT. 
 
 eea, the great pot as he calls it, and he carries 
 away all the cargoes of English or Dutch 
 vessels returning from India, Persia, the Red 
 Sea or elsewhere. He goes out to watch 
 them on the African coast, hidden behind the 
 Cape of Good Hope, like a huntsman in his 
 carnage. He possesses himself of all the best 
 things in the cargo, coffee, silh, ivory, gold and 
 silver. He puts the goods taken ashore at the 
 nearest place of landing, invariably taking care 
 
 to bum their vessels to prevent them from re 
 turning to Europe for two or three years, and 
 my faith, he has met with great successes and 
 the king also, for he takes his part. Also his 
 warehouses at Marseilles are always full and 
 he can make presents to all his friends." 
 
 "Then it is in this way you have your share 
 in these things?" I was shocked. 
 
 "Precisely so, Father. On my last voyage 
 to Europe, I had an opportunity to render 
 
26 
 
 TEffi CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 him a alight Berrice with the aid of Kildare 
 and Fhcebus. . . ." 
 
 "How? of Phoebus?" 
 
 " Yes, my Father, of Phcabus whom you see 
 there and who is not any more proud on 
 account of it. But I will tell you of it later 
 on. What were yon iaiking about on my 
 arrival, Gerald ?" 
 
 "I was giving" said Kildare, "an account 
 of my first visit to your father at- Montluc 
 Tower." 
 
 " Ah ! ah I" said the Baron, smiling, " wtll, 
 continue the story if it is not too fatiguing for 
 his reverence." 
 
 I protested that I coiild hear nothing more 
 interesting. But I wished to send for Marion 
 and Beaupoil, who begged me to let them hear 
 the stories of the travelers. Then I caused 
 more firewood to be brought, for the weather 
 was sharp, the cold piercing and the stars 
 were shining over the forest of Gimel ; in the 
 country abroad nothing was heard but the 
 noise of the cascade and the distant howling 
 of the wolves. Indeed, although it was al- 
 most midnight, we felt ourselves happy sitting 
 up by the fire and talking cheerfully with 
 barred doors. And besides what can be more 
 agreeable than to listen to the story of the 
 adventures of the chase or war in winter ; 
 when you have your feet on the fender and a 
 good-humored guest to look at ?" 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IiOBD KILOABB ABBIVE8 AT THE CASTIiK OF 
 MONTLtJC. 
 
 Lord Kildare proceeding with his story, 
 said: 
 
 "I shall never forget that it was on a Satur- 
 day in the month of April Montluc and my- 
 selif, with our train of twelve hundred Algon- 
 quins, came in sight of the Isle of Turtles. It 
 was almost half-past five in the afternoon, 
 v/hen I beheld with a feeling of astonishment 
 Montluc Tower; a regular castle built upon 
 the model of those in France, with four great 
 towers at the comers, and two little turrets 
 like pepper-boxes crowning each of the greal 
 towers. I beUeve it is unique in the two 
 Americas. The only differehee between it and 
 those in Europe is that it is built of hard 
 wood, with neither mortar nor stone used in 
 its construction. What struck me most in the 
 castle was its situation, standing as it does on 
 a single lofty rock sixty feet high, on three 
 sides surrounded by Lake Erie, and having 
 no communication with the rest of the island, 
 save by a road thirty feet wide, which, with a 
 gentle slope, leads to the castle ramparts. Be- 
 fore entering Montluc Tower, we were, of 
 Gouzse, obliged under range of two heavily 
 
 charged cannon, to cross a deep, wide ditch 
 fed by the waters of the Lake. When within 
 five hundred paces of the Island we could notice 
 that we had been seen, and that the inhabi- 
 tants were preparing to receive us. Montluc 
 blew like a huntsman upon his horn, and a 
 response came from the siunmit of the rock. 
 
 "'My father is there,' said Montluc; 'I 
 was afraid he might be hunting, or making a 
 tour of the country as he usually does. He 
 must have had bad news about the Iroquois, 
 and is therefore on the look-out. Perhaps 
 he is disturbed about me; I must reassure 
 him.' 
 
 ' ' At the same time he sounded his bngl« once 
 more, and the castle-hom sent forth a joy- 
 ous welcome in reply. As we neared the 
 Island I observed a venerable-looking gentle- 
 man with a snow-white moustache and flowing 
 beard, clad in the fashion of the late King, 
 Louis XIII, who stooil leaning against the 
 parapet close to one of the ^annon, and kept 
 watehing us as we entered the bay and steered 
 up to the castle. It was Baron Haunibal 
 himself, the old enemy of the Great Conde', 
 Turenne and Mazarin ; the man who van- 
 quished Santa Cruz, the famous Admiral of 
 Spain ; the grandest looking and most impos- 
 ing gentleman I have ever met. 
 
 ' 'After my friend Montluc, who is here with 
 us, had given the requisite orders for the land- 
 ing and roception of the Algonquins, he took 
 me by the J'rm and presented me to his father, 
 who received me as a king receives a subject, 
 a father, his son. 
 
 "After the first words of courtesy were ex- 
 clianged, he was kind enough to say: ' Lord 
 Kildare, you will look upon yourself as at 
 home here. ... I have been aware of 
 your arrival in this part of the world. Father 
 Fleury, my chaplain, who knows everything, 
 knew that you were coming from France, 
 and that M. de Fronte^iac, the Ctovemor of 
 Quebec, had given you letters of introduction 
 to me. . . . Please, where are those let- 
 ters?' 
 
 "I confessed in a somewhat embarrassed 
 manner that they were at Calaracony. The 
 old gentleman smiled. He observed that no 
 harm was done, and continued: ' You were iu 
 no hurry to make the acquaintance of an old 
 gentleman of a century almost gone by, is 
 not that BO ? . . . But wait a little and 
 you will see that in this laud we always need 
 all our friends, even those we do not know.' 
 
 " ' My Lord Baron,' I hastened to say, ' the 
 garrison of Calaracony and myself are both 
 already indebted to your son for our Uves.' 
 
 "And in a few words I described the din- 
 gers we had escaped and our happy de'' ' 
 
26 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP GHAMPLAm. 
 
 Eince by Loois de Montluc. The old baron 
 replied gravely that his son had only done his 
 duty, possessing, as he did, all the rights of 
 high magistrate over Lake Ontario as well as 
 Lake Erie, on condition of recognizing the 
 ittzeraiuship of the King of France. 'But,' 
 he added, 'while he is arranging for the 
 reception of our friends, the Algonquins, with 
 whom I must have a little talk myself this 
 evening, come Avith me. Lord Kildare ; while 
 waiting supper, I shall present you to my wife 
 and daughters.' " 
 
 Here Lord Kildare broke off a moment and 
 said: 
 
 " Assuredly you have seen many things in 
 your day, Father. . . ." 
 
 "Yes, my Lord," I replied, " I have seen 
 the Cathedral of Tulle." 
 
 "But have you not seen something even 
 more beautiful than the Cathedral ?" 
 
 "Yes," said Montlno, smiling, "do just 
 fancy that; nothing morel . . . But 
 fancy Mrith me at the same time, also, that my 
 sister 'Athenais is not so big as lam— although, 
 indeed, she is far handsomer, which makes up 
 for her lack of size ; that Gerald three months 
 ago demanded her hand in marriage ; that 
 she has consented, subject to certain condi- 
 tions she has imposed, which he has declined 
 to tell me, and that the ceromony will be sol- 
 emnized the day after we return to the castle, 
 that is to say about the month of June — at 
 least we all hope so. . „ . But if I suf- 
 fer my friend to tell you in detail concerning 
 all the fine things he enjoyed that day, we 
 shall never finish the story, and Marion, who 
 is now trying to keep her eyes open, will fall 
 asleep in her chair ! " 
 
 "Lord Montluc, why stop my praises of 
 those I love? But hear the sequel of my 
 
 MONTLUC SOTTNDS HIS HOBM. 
 
 " I have seen the peak of Sancy, which is 
 the grandest of all the mountains in France, 
 and the Dordogne, which takes its source there, 
 and is the noblest of all our rivers. Why do 
 yon put this question ? . , ." 
 
 "Father," said he, "the day I set foot in 
 the Castle of Montlnc, away in the very bosom 
 of Lake Erie, my eyes were greeted by a vision 
 a thousand times more beautiful than the finest 
 cathedral^ the grandest mountain, or the 
 noblest river in France; I beheld the most 
 amiable, dignified, charming creature that 
 ever came upon earth to brighten Europe or 
 America. She had magnificent black hair, 
 blue eyes, an aqniUne nose, aud a smile proud, 
 but gracious. But excuse ine. Father, this 
 description can scarcely interest yon. . . . 
 Fancy that she greatly resembles my friend, 
 Louis of Montluc, and leam that she is bis 
 nster." 
 
 story — I am bold enough to hope it will afford 
 you some interest. 
 
 "For my part, when the old gentleman 
 had spoken of presenting me to his daughters, 
 I was no less surprised than curious, for my 
 friend Montluc had not breathed a syllable 
 about his mother or his sisters. I did not even 
 know that they were living. The Baron led 
 the way and intvoduced me into the grand sa- 
 loon, in which the Baroness was seated, sur- 
 rounded by several ladies. 
 
 " 'Ladies,' said Lord Montlnc, advancing a 
 few paces, ' I present you Monsieur Gerald 
 Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare in Ireland, captain 
 in the service of his Very Christian Majesty, 
 the King of France, and Commandant of Fort 
 Calaracony. Lord Kildare, this is my wife — 
 these my two daughters, Athenais and Lucy.' 
 
 " Her ladyship held out her band, which I 
 respeotfoUy kissed. 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 27 
 
 '"Lord Kildare,' she said, 'we have been 
 expecting y iu for two months. I see, at last, 
 that Louis ] .as gone after yon and been fortu- 
 nate enoupa to take yon back with him.' 
 
 ' ' I stammered forth at random some wcA-ds 
 of explanation, so dazzled was I by the majes- 
 tic presence of Madame Montluc, and still 
 more by the sight of her daughter, Athenais. 
 Nevertheless I had sufficient presence of mind, 
 or rather instinct, to understand that the best 
 means to enter into the good graces of the 
 ladies was to recoimt the service Louis had 
 rendered me ; and I did relate it. It was a 
 happy stroke of genius. I had no sooner 
 pronounced the name of this gentleman, 
 whom you see so carelessly stretched before 
 the fire, trying hard to feign sleep, than the 
 three ladies (for there were three, mother and 
 two daughters) fastened upon me their eyes 
 beaming with pleasure, joy, and curiosity to 
 learn what achievements he had accompUshed 
 at the Fort of Calaracony, and how he had 
 saved from the tomahawk of the savages my- 
 self and my garrison. 
 
 ' * I repeated in few words what I had already 
 told Monsieur de Montluc, which produced 
 great wonder and joy. 
 
 "I now remember I have said nothing to 
 you about Mademoiselle, or rather Miss Lucy, 
 for she is Irish like myself, as I learned that 
 very evening, and connected with the Mont- 
 luc family only by the ties of the closest ten- 
 derness. The old Baron had picked her up 
 when but a year old, during the burning of a 
 Massachusetts village, and wrapped her in his 
 cloak, after the savages, his allies, had massa- 
 cred her parents. He took her with him to 
 his Castle of Montluc, educated her with his 
 own children, and treated her always as his 
 own daughter. Yoii may easily conjecture that 
 it will not be long before she shall be bound 
 to him by a nearer tie, and that the marriage 
 of my friend, Montluc, is to come off at the 
 same time as mine, that is to say, the day we 
 shall plant our feet together on the Isle of 
 Turtles. The ceremony is waiting only for 
 us. 
 
 "After all these introductions and the ex- 
 change of compUments (for I had my share 
 of them. Lord Montluc having had the good- 
 ness to say that he had heard me spoken of in 
 very flattering terms by his friends at Quebec, 
 among others, de Frontenac, the Governor 
 of that town), we were summoned to supper, 
 and I offered my arm to Lady Montluo with 
 all the reverence and respect I should have 
 manifested at Versailles toward Marie Therese, 
 had I enjoyed the honor of having been pre- 
 lOented to her. 
 
 ' ' The chaplain of the castle, Father Fleoiy , 
 
 just then rejoined us with my friend Montluc, 
 whom here and hereafter, to distinguish from 
 his father as well as because it is the name he 
 hears in all Canada and in the English Colonies 
 down to Chesapeake Bay, I shall call the red 
 Montluc. 
 
 "Toward the end of supper, the Baron said 
 to me: 
 
 ' ' ' Lord Kildarc, we are going to speak freely 
 about ova own affairs in your presence, and 
 the dangers to which we are all exposed. I 
 know you ; you are not out of place here.' 
 
 ' ' I thanked him for his confidence. 
 
 "'I know you,' he resumed; 'as for my 
 wife and daughters, who are daughters and sis- 
 ters of soldiers, they may also share in our 
 conference. Besides, the danger is too great 
 to allow of dissimulation. Only one member 
 of my family is absent : Charles, my youngest 
 son, who asked my permission three months 
 ago to make a voyage of discovery along the 
 lUinois river and the Ohio under the conduct 
 of Father Lallemand, one of our most devoted 
 missionaries. Charles, who is only fourteen 
 years old, but like his brother in physique, 
 wished to go, rifle in hand, to the Gulf of 
 Mexico. Thence he hopes to cross the Isth- 
 mus of Panama, strike America in the south, 
 and return to Canada by the Pacific Ocean and 
 the Polar Sea. Children have no misgivings, 
 but beUeve all is possible to them. 
 
 " ' Father Lallemand has promised to watch 
 over him all the time he shall not be engaged 
 preaching the Gospel to the Iroquois, the HH- 
 nois and the Esquimaux. 
 
 ' ' ' Three months ago we had nothing to 
 fear; I permitted Charles to depart on his 
 journey. . , . Who knows where he is 
 now ? In the country of the white bear and 
 the seal or in the Sea of Mexico. Perhaps he 
 is occupied discovering the passage of the 
 North Pole, which will one day be the great 
 highway between Europe, America and Asia. 
 
 " ' What consoles me for his absence is that 
 he shall not be able to be at the battle I fore- 
 see. Young and ardent as he is, he could not 
 be kept back, and who knows but we should 
 have some calamity to bewail ? It is enough to 
 have lost my eldest bom seven years ago in 
 the service of the King, and to have had two 
 other Uttle ones massacred, long ago, by the 
 savages. ... I wish to keep what I now 
 have, or at least run no unnecessary risks. 
 . . . Ah! If the Great Monarch, Louis 
 XIV, instead of erecting palaces all around 
 Paris, and throwing away millions of money 
 and the hvesof four hundred thousand picked 
 soldiers in order that he might reap the bar- 
 ren glory of capturing a half dozen little vil- 
 lages iu the Netiierlauds, had all these years 
 
26 
 
 THE OHISFTAINS OF OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 MADAUK MONTLUO. 
 
 sent here ten thougand poor families to people 
 this continent, wliich will one day be tbe 
 mightiest empire in the universe, he would 
 become the greatest sovereign in the world, 
 and in one hundred years, with or without our 
 wishes, we should have made converts of all 
 the nations to the Catholic faith, commencing 
 with our neighbors, the English Puritans of 
 
 Massachusetts and Connecticut, 
 
 What do you say to that. Monsieur Fleury ? 
 
 ' ' The aged missionary, who was looking 
 out at Lake Erie through the open window and 
 seemed absorbed in his reflections, raised his 
 head and answered: 
 
 " 'Monsieur le Baron, these are views of hu- 
 man policy which Monsieur Colbert would 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 29 
 
 ^onbUess have approved, if he were miffored 
 by his master to do so ; but Divine Providence 
 has His views also, which He wraps in impene>i< 
 trable mystery, and which the mind of man 
 cannot pierce. Perhaps He is unvrilling to 
 give the empire of the earth to a single race, 
 in the fear that puffed up by pride in its 
 strength, it might follow the example of the 
 rebel angels, and forget the respect it owes 
 the Creator.' 
 
 " ' Well,' said the Baron, with a smile, 'Let 
 us do our best. What do you think, Louis?' 
 
 '"I think you are right, father, now as ever, 
 and I am ready to execute your orders what- 
 ever they are.' 
 
 " The old Baron then said: 
 
 " 'Before coming to any definite determina- 
 tion, we most ascertain where we stand, and 
 no one knows that better than our good chap- 
 lain, who plays the role of the modest man, 
 and would feign have us believe he leaves all 
 things to the will of Gk»d ; but, in reality, no 
 one digs more industriously — nay, devotedly 
 — in the Lord's vineyard. Let us hear. Fa- 
 ther Fleury, what the Iroquois, among whom 
 yon have lately been, are doing? . . , 
 The tidings were not assuring when you set 
 out on your tour last month, and, indeed, to 
 speak frankly, you had been threatened with 
 such menaces that I scarcely dared hope to 
 see you again when you gave us your blessing.' 
 
 ' ' Father Fleury smUed sweetly, and replied : 
 
 " ' I was not myself sure of returning ; but 
 when one has passed his eighty-fourth year, 
 and is fuU of trust in the promises of Him 
 who has said: "Go and teach all nations," 
 martyrdom suggests hope rather than fear. 
 I was starting then direct for the country of 
 the Agniers.' 
 
 "I interrupted Father Fleury to inquire 
 who the Agniers were. 
 
 "He answered: 
 
 " ' Lord Kildare, the Iroquois are a nation 
 of savages; cunning, proud, intrepid, and 
 divided into five tribes, the chief of which is 
 the Agniers, who dwell to the south of Lake 
 Ontario, about a hundred leagues from here. 
 I had been informed that I must commence 
 with these, or, if you will, take the bull by 
 the horns. I embarked here. I landed 
 about fifty feet from the first village of the 
 Agniers; get lost in a by-way; and luckily 
 meet a good Indian squaw, who, at ever so great 
 a distance from me, made the sign of the 
 cross, cast herself upon her knoes, asked my 
 benediction, and cried out: " Father Fleury, 
 whence do you come ? Whither are you go- 
 ing ? Will you accept the hospitality of your 
 servant ?" 
 
 '"1 cordially accept this very reasonable 
 
 offer. She was a poor widow, whose only 
 son, a boy of ten years, I had cured of a 
 wound which he had received the year before 
 in the chase. Upon the same occasion, I had 
 converted and baptized mothpr and son. . . . 
 
 " ' Mo/eover, God was with me, for every, 
 thing seemed to succeed that day. l%e vil- 
 lage, usually quite full, seemed then almost 
 deserted, or at least there were none but wo- 
 men and children around. I inquired if they 
 were hunting or on a warlike expedition. 
 
 "'"They are hunting," answered the 
 friendly squaw, ' ' and preparing provisions, 
 for they won't be long before they set out to 
 make war." 
 
 ' ' 'At these words I suspected what had hap. 
 pened ; I interrogated the good woman, and 
 ascertained that a low, cowardly fellow named 
 Kronmark, in the employment of the Massa- 
 chusetts, English and the Hudson Bay Com. 
 pany, had arrived among them ten days ago ; 
 that he proposed to the Iroquois an alliance with 
 the English against France ; that the Iroquois 
 signed the treaty, and that twelve thousand of 
 them, fully equipped, and provided with arms 
 by the English, are about to march on Que- 
 bec, which is garrisoned by not more than a 
 hundred militiamen, and that they purpose to 
 exterminate all the French. You may con- 
 ceive my uneasiness. I reflect for a moment, 
 while the poor Indian was hastening to serve 
 me with % little smoked 'possum, the only kind 
 of food I believe she had in her larder. 
 
 " ' At length I took my departure, for time 
 pressed, and I desired my hostess to summon 
 all the other women to the open space in the 
 village, and inform them that I wished to an- 
 nounce something of serious moment to them, 
 on behalf of the Great Spirit. As all the hus- 
 bands were absent, the squaws were engaged 
 gossiping at the doors of their wigwams, 
 and the news that I had arrive! brought them 
 crowding in in five miautes. 
 
 " 'Then I prayed God to inspire me, and I 
 told them that they must, above all things, 
 beware of the English, who entertained no 
 other purpose than the extermination of the 
 red man, and supplied them, in the sale of 
 whisky, with the means of cultivating drunk- 
 enness, the mother of all vices. I had no 
 trouble in convincing them that all the 
 bad treatment they received from their hus- 
 bands was attributable to brandy and whis- 
 ky, and if these foolish creatures contented 
 themselves with water or cider — two beverages 
 which, thank God, this coimtry abundantly 
 supplies — they, the women, would be ten times 
 happier. 
 
 " 'They were so struck all round by this 
 part of my discourse, that they went for all 
 
80 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF GHAMPLAIN. 
 
 the brandy and whisky their husbandR had 
 left in the cabins, and threw it all, under my 
 eyes, into Lake Ontario. 
 
 " *I praised them for this courageous act, 
 and closed my remarks by telling them that 
 they had no other way to prevent the replao- 
 bg of the whisky, than by keeping the Iro- 
 quois from making terms with iiie English. 
 This they promined to do. 
 
 ' ' ' This was not, however, easy, for the treaty 
 of alliance was signed after the fashion of the 
 lavages, and according to their customs. 
 
 '"In fifteen days I visited the whole coun- 
 try, village after village ; I succeeded in 
 bringing together secretly the principal chiefs 
 on an island in Lake Ontario ; I made them 
 comprehend that they could gain nothing by 
 destroying the French, that the English, if 
 they became any stronger, would exterminate 
 them, and that, without asking them to break 
 the treaty they had recently signed, they 
 might be satisfied with taking their time in 
 executing it. 
 
 ' ' ' They swore they should do as I suggested, 
 and I know they will not break their oath. 
 
 " 'Then having fulfilled the mission which 
 I had undertaken in the interest of France and 
 of our holy religion, I have returned in good 
 health, as you see, Lord Montluc.'" 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 LORD KXLDABE CONTINUES THE NABRATTVE OF 
 HIS ADVENTURES, AND UNDER THE EXCITE- 
 MENT OP THE STORY THE CURE OF OIMEL IS 
 LED TO FORM A BOLD PURPOSE. 
 
 "The old Baron rose, and affectionately 
 embracing the venerable missionarj', said to 
 him: 'Father Fleury, what fear we all had 
 of losing you ! . . . But are you sure the 
 other tribes of the Iroquois will follow the 
 example of the Agniers?' The aged mission- 
 ary smiled with his usual good nature, and re- 
 plied: 'Do you think I have left my work 
 unfinished ? Do you know me so little ? I 
 made the tour of the five tribes in the wake of 
 the principal chiefs of the Agniers, who were 
 charged with the task of preparing the other 
 tribes to listen with favor to my proposals, 
 and I have the promise of all.' 
 
 " ' God be praised !' said Montluc ; ' for it 
 was none too soon. It is reported from Quebec 
 that seven thousand English soldiers are about 
 to sail from Boston; that five thousand militia 
 from Massachusetts are going to join them; 
 that the Iroquois are with them (but as to the 
 latter, thanks to you, 1 am satisfied now), and 
 that all together are about to precipitate 
 themselves upon the colony and sweep away 
 the entire Frenoh people in Canada. Monaieiir 
 
 Frontenac writes that he has not exceeding 
 five hundred men in Quebec — soldiers or 
 militia — to defend the St. Lawrence, and 
 hardly twice as many more to preserve the 
 frontiers of Acadia. Fortunately, my son-in- 
 law, M. Ville-Castin, is there with his Abena- 
 quis. He protects Acadia as I protect the 
 great lakes, and La Ville-Castin is not to be 
 trifled with — he is a terrible sentinel. He is 
 in his peninsula like the angel armed with a 
 flaming sword at the entrance to the earthly 
 paradise. And it is not La Ville-Castin who 
 wiU falter 1' 
 
 " And thus it was, Father, that I became 
 little by httle acquainted with the whole 
 family and the friend of all, even before I 
 saw them, for in Canada five hundred leagues 
 cannot separate hearts. Down there, at the 
 first summons, brothers, friends, rush for- 
 ward, arms in hand, to one's assistance. Is it 
 a hunting excursion, an expedition, or a ball — 
 it matters not — every one is always ready. 
 Sometimes it is for all three together, for the 
 Canadians have time for everything. Look 
 at my friend, Moutluu tuu ivcu ; ue la a fine 
 specimen of the race, and a high-spirited gen- 
 tleman ? What do you say, Beaupoil ?" 
 
 "Ah! Lord Kildare." answered Beaupoil, 
 admiringly, "after what I have seen him do 
 against the band of wolves that were hunger- 
 ing to devour me, I believe he can do any- 
 thmg." 
 
 Then Montluc, whom his friend called 
 Montluc the Bed, and who was either asleep 
 at the fire or pretended to be asleep, arose 
 and said with a smile : 
 
 "So! so! Beaupoil, and you, Kildare, will 
 you soon finish your eulogy upon me ? The 
 cure of Gimel must be anxious to retire." 
 
 But I protested that nothing was more in- 
 teresting to me than his adventures, and Lord 
 Kildare added : 
 
 " I shall be brief, but by St. Gerald my 
 patron I nothing will prevent me from relat- 
 ing how we, or rather you, captured Fort 
 Hudson, in the Bay of that name, despite the 
 cold, snow, storm, English artillery, three 
 men-of-war, five hundred of a garrison, pro- 
 visions for a year, powder for forty thousand 
 discharges of cannon, and fifteen hundred 
 thousand musket shots, furs enough to clothe 
 all the women in the British Isles, a million 
 francs, and I know not what more. 
 
 " We were only forty setting out, Father — 
 forty and no more I . . . Then, we had only 
 cur muskets, our snow-shoes to glide along 
 the ice, ten days' rations, and fifty rounds of 
 ammunition each. It was not much, as you 
 see, but time was preoeisg. We must oon- 
 qii«r or perish. 
 
THE CHIEPTAIN8 OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 dl 
 
 "The day following the arrival of Montlnc 
 and luyHelf iit the GaHtle of Muntluc, there 
 wiiH II council of war for hIx hourH iu the fore- 
 uoou, and the principal AlKouquius were ad- 
 luiHod to it. The old Barou explained that 
 an early attack by the Engliuh was expected, 
 that we niUKt arm ourHelvoK, that bowH and 
 touiahawkH would not Hufflce for kuccchh, that 
 there was not ouounh of f,'uns and powder for 
 every one, that the arsonal at Qviebec waH 
 empty, and that tliere waH but one way to 
 provide ourHolves with what we wanted : and 
 that was to take it from the enemy. He 
 added that forty men would be enough, led by 
 hia Hon, whom tlicy all knew, and that the 
 latter would himself Holect his companionH, 
 one-half of whom would bo French and the 
 other half Algon(iuius. 
 
 ' ' Every one prcHeut raised his hand for en- 
 rollment, for with such a leader all appeared 
 Kure, iu advance, of victory ; but Montluc le 
 Rouge declared that, to afford no ground for 
 jealousy, he \rould take the forty best shots. 
 Then, and without any one drawing back from 
 the trial, commenced the competition with the 
 Algon<iuiuR. 
 
 ' ' You have heard, Father, of the olden 
 tournaments, where lances were broken in the 
 light of fair ladies' eyes. This was something 
 similar. The only difference was, that our 
 lances were muskets. 
 
 "And for our ladies, the judges, they were 
 Madame de Montluc and her daughters. 
 
 ' ' All these savages entertain an extraor- 
 dinary respect for them, and especially for 
 their mother, regarding her as the last de- 
 scendant of the ancient chiefs of the race of 
 the Fries, and the resj/cct of the French- 
 Canadians is none the less, for she is grand- 
 daughter of Samuel Champlain, founder of 
 Quebec, and was born in Canada. 
 
 ' ' But I shall not weary you with an ac- 
 count of our trial at the target. Stag-foot 
 won the first place. He fired three shots 
 (that was the number agreed upon), and hit 
 with all three a white mark of four uiches 
 diameter at three hundred feet distance. Next 
 came Carragamy, fifth son of Monsieur de 
 Montluc's aged lieutenant on board the Ego et 
 Hex. Who took third place I know not. 
 
 "Having then chosen his companions, 
 among whom he did me the honor of in- 
 cluding, Montluc made the following address : 
 'Brothers, French and Canadian, I do not 
 thank you for taking me as your leader. It is 
 not to me personally that you award this 
 honor, but to the blood which flows in my 
 veins, to my father, who has fought for you 
 for forty years, and whose house has always 
 been open to you; to my mother, my sister, 
 
 and my dear Luoy, \ehom att«ntioiui have 
 never been wanting in your affectioun. llien, 
 myself, I have no other right among you than 
 to march in the advance-guard against the 
 English. Upon our return you will know if 
 Montluc le llonge is worthy of this honor, and 
 fit to be called your leader.' Every one 
 shouted out : ' Yes I yec 1 Long live Montluc 
 le llouge !' 
 
 "A few minutes after, our preparations 
 having been ended, the Algouquins were sent 
 baik to their own territory, ladou down with 
 all kinds of presents and compliments, the 
 most prized of which was an immeuse supply 
 of brandy. We then took our leave, myself 
 first, of the Baron and the ladies, and set 
 forth with the blessing of Father Fleury, 
 whose advanced jears would not suffer him 
 to accompany us. 
 
 "Thus we loft that hospitable house, and 
 procei^ded, snow-shoes in hand, to Hudson 
 Bay, where the English awaited us with bayo- 
 net and gun. 
 
 ' ' You do not know. Father, that stretch of 
 table-land which separates Lake Erie from the 
 Bay of Hudson, which is three hundred leagues 
 further north. 
 
 "Fancy at the close of spring time — we 
 then were in that season, but the Canadian 
 spring is like the winter in Auvergne — fancy, 
 I say, something like the upland Mille- Vaches, 
 that great stretch of high ground which we 
 traversed yesterday, January 15th, 161)7, on 
 our way from Aubossin to Tulle, covered with 
 ten feet of snow. Suppose the same depth of 
 snow and a country sixty times vaster, no pro- 
 tecting shadow of a mountain, immense for- 
 ests of naked oak and beech, and you will 
 liave some idea of the route we had to travel 
 iu order to attack Fort Hudson. The wind 
 blew from the North Polo morning and even- 
 ing, for this country — which is wonderfully 
 fertile, where plagues and sickness of any 
 kind are unknown, where man could easily 
 live to the age of Methusalem, that is, pro- 
 vided he had no need to be suspicious of 
 his own kind, and fearful every morning and 
 evening of being scalped — this country, I say, 
 has the disadvantage that morning and even- 
 ing a furious wind blows, that is not a whit 
 mitigated or diminished by the forests around. 
 
 "And what a wind I It comes across the 
 ice-bound waters of the Arctic Ocean, and car- 
 ries with it all the refreshing coolness of ice. 
 When the snow falls, it beats against your face 
 so as to blind you, and accumulates such heaps 
 of snow at a time that it buries an entire vil- 
 lage at a sweep. When it has fallen for a while, 
 it hardens and that is the favorable time for 
 men-hunters or deer-hunters. Away we start 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 THE AQED MISSIONARY BMU£D. 
 
 on onr snow-shoes, shooting along and skat- 
 ing faster than a horse at a galop. . . But 
 nothing can give you an idea of this pleasure ! 
 " Some day, Father, if you will leave for an 
 instant your good parish of Gimel, where the 
 fire burns so brightly, the soup tastes so deU- 
 cious, the wine drinks so agreeably, and Ma- 
 rion makes such a perfect cook — and should 
 you choose to come with us among the sava- 
 
 ges to preach the holy word, I promise yon 
 that ray friend Montluc and myself will show 
 you in three days more game, elks, bears, 
 deer, caribous, beavers and coyotes than you 
 could kill in thirty years, and a hundred times 
 more savages than you could baptize in six 
 months. But this is too good a place to leave. 
 Our poor Canada could not hold out any al> 
 lurements to you." 
 
 ^ 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 *b 
 
 I felt a little piqued at my Lord Kilduru'N 
 pli'iiwintry, and nuHwnred pretty Hharply : 
 
 ' ' Why then Hhonld I not go to Oanadii, Lord 
 Kildur«, if it M God'H will ?" 
 
 "Certainly," Haid the IriHhmau with a Hinile, 
 " if it is Ood'8 will ; but everything proves to 
 mo that it iH not God'H will." 
 
 I fancied that Lord Kildare wau poking a lit- 
 tle (piiet fun at nio, or perhaps it waH the re- 
 wult of a mystcriouH vocation which all at once 
 was rovealed to me, and which was destined 
 to c(-aduct me where I am now, evor so far 
 away from my beloved parish of Gimel. . 
 All at once I exclaimed, as if seized with a 
 sudden inspiration of the Holy Ghost : 
 
 ' ' ^Vhat would you say of me. Lord Kil- 
 dare, if I should accompany you back to 
 Canada ?" 
 
 III! burst into such a good-humored laugh, 
 that I was fully disconcerted. 
 
 ' ' Who will make your soup every forenoon, 
 your very fine soup ?" 
 
 ' • I don't want soup. Father Fleury has no 
 soup many a day, I suppose. And yet ho 
 lives." 
 
 "That is so," said he; "but he became 
 hardened by sixty years' practice." 
 
 ' ' Well, in sixty years I shall have acquired 
 hardiness, tool" 
 
 ' ' Then you are decided ? You have duly 
 reflected on the step ?" 
 
 Frankly, I had spoken somewhat hastily, as 
 people often will, and I was far from being 
 resolved upon the subject, but the (^aestion 
 of Lord Kildare chafed me so, that I made up 
 luy mind on the spot. 
 
 Marion stood up and said : ' ' Then, Father, 
 jou are about to go alone ?" 
 
 I scarcely know what rejoinder I should 
 have made, when Beaupoil broke in: "His 
 reverence will not go alone," and he spoke 
 anhesitatingly ; "for I shall accompany 
 him." 
 
 Was this a wish on his part to follow my 
 fortunes, or to abandon his wife? I knew 
 not. Besides, Marion, just as promptly as 
 he had done, cried put : ' ' Well, that is so. 
 We shall aU go together." 
 
 This time Lord Kildare fairly roared with 
 7.iughter, and asked : 
 
 "Is there no one else to go ?" 
 
 Beaupoil replied, stiflfly: "Lord Kildare, 
 •when the reverend Cure of Gimel took me 
 into his service, there was a sort of tinder- 
 standing entered into (the notary did not wit- 
 ness it, but it is a just one), that neither of 
 ns would ever leave this place without the 
 other, except, to be sure, when the question 
 of going to .paradise would arrive, where 
 his reverence has his place already marked 
 
 for him; but, indeed, it depends on Go<i 
 whether I shall follow him thither; and as 
 Marion causos mo to swear a hundred times a 
 day, I am greatly afraid that when I quit thiH 
 world, I shall be obliged to pass through pur- 
 gatory." 
 
 While Beaupoil was speaking, Marion could 
 scarciily keep (piiet. 
 
 ' ' How is that ?" she said ; "I make you 
 curse a hundrod times a day ! You should be 
 too happy, you great good-for-nothing, to have 
 iiiot mo, and to be, by the Diviuo permission, 
 the authority of tho reverend cure and my 
 goodness, tied to my apron-striugs 1 . . . 
 Without mo, what could you do in that coun- 
 try, will you be good enough to answer? 
 . . . Do you know even a trade ? Aro 
 you in a condition to earn your own liv- 
 ing ?" 
 
 She would have said much more ; and as I 
 was wholly engaged just then in reflecting on 
 the step I had ahnost thoughtlesly resolved to 
 tako, I was not listening, Ijut the Baron who 
 for a long time had said nothing, but seemed 
 to be wrapped in a revery, suddenly ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 "Marion, I shall take you!" 
 
 " Ah ! now you see ! " she said to her hus- 
 band, with an air of triumph. 
 
 "You will be our cook, Marion." 
 
 "And his reverence ?" asked Marion, " who 
 will attend to Lim ?" 
 
 "He stays with us. You shall not leave 
 him. . . . Nor you, either, Beaupoil. " 
 
 "Ah! ah! listen! Nor you, either, my 
 beloved!" continued Marion, ever happy to 
 show that her husband could not be sepa- 
 rated from her. 
 
 But Beaupoil said : 
 
 "Who will take care of my mother, Ma- 
 rion? My poor old mother, who has not 
 three months to live, according to Monsieur 
 Fovrachaux, the physician at Tulle." 
 
 "Well," said Marion, "take care of her 
 yourself. I am no daughter of her's, you 
 know. I am her daughter-in-law. She is not 
 my mother; she is my mother-in-law !" 
 
 Lord Montluc arose, stretching his arm ; 
 and yawning pretty audibly. "Marion," ho 
 said, "you are right." Marion stepped back 
 to Beaupoil with an air of triumph. 
 
 "You understand," she said, "lam right." 
 
 Beaupoil retorted : 
 
 * ' I well understand that the Barou Mont- 
 luo le Bouge said you are right. It is a 
 proof — " . . . 
 
 "Proof of what?" . . . 
 
 "Proof that he does not know you." 
 
 "How so? he does not know me?" cried 
 Marion, in a fit of anger. *' Perhaps ho does 
 
M 
 
 THE 0HIEFTAIN8 OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 not know I am the eervant of bia rovereuoc, 
 ihe Ciir6 of Gimol." . . . 
 
 "Ho kuowH that." 
 
 "Well, thon?" 
 
 "YoH, but b« does not know that yon 
 6m~" . . , 
 
 Beaupoil paused with all the appearance 
 Df not liking to €niHh the Hentence. 
 
 "Say thon what I am," said Marion, •'just 
 <o lot n#i Hoe." 
 
 ' ' IJo you wiHh it ?" 
 
 •' Yes " 
 
 "WoU, ray Lord does not know that you 
 tiro half crazy.'' 
 
 "Iliilf crazy!" cried Marion, advancing to- 
 ward bini with her nails in readinens. " Say 
 that again, Beaupoil, just dare repeat it, that 
 I am half crazy." 
 
 Then the poor henpecked follow mastered 
 up courage enough and said 
 
 "Yes I do dare and shall always dare it. 
 And, in truth, it is only through poUteness 
 that I say Aa^ crazy, for you are not merely 
 half a fool, but a full, thorough-going one." 
 
 At this, Marion sprang to arms. Her 
 eyes shone like a tiger's before battle. She 
 uttered a sharji cry which ahuoHt froze the 
 marrow in my bones, and prepared herself 
 to spring upon Beaupoil, whom she would 
 have, perhaps, fearfully scratched, but ho 
 being not less wary than brave, opened the 
 door of the room, sU h down the stairs, enter- 
 ed the kitchen, boltei the door, and kept this 
 barricade between hi iself and his enraged 
 spouse for more than a ; hour. 
 
 This explosion serve.? as a signal for my 
 tired guests to retire for Uie night. Montluc 
 said to me: 
 
 "Father, we are about to retire. Think 
 over the promise you ha ^e just made my 
 friend Kildare to follow us l.i Canada. If you 
 persist in your determinatioit by to-morrow, 
 in ten days we shall be at Bordeaux, where 
 our friend Glandas is waiting to carry us to 
 the mouth of the Mississippi. We shall wait 
 for you twenty-four hours, two days if neces- 
 sary, we shall put you aboard, cross the At- 
 lantic, enter the Mississippi, a river twenty 
 times larger and deeper than the Seine, which 
 flows through boundless forests of pine and 
 larch, we shall turn to the right into the 
 Ohio, the finest river in the world, which re- 
 ceives fifteen tributaries, navigable rivers, and 
 whose banks are covered with forests of oak, 
 and the noblest prairies in America, thence 
 we shall go to Lake Erie, where my father is 
 lord and master, where old Father Fleury is 
 only waiting for his successor; you will con- 
 vert theHurons, tha Algonquins, the Iroquois, 
 the Sioux, the Mohawks, and all the unfortu- 
 
 nate red -skiuH who know not yet the Having word 
 of tbeOospel, you will be our preacher, our 
 cur6, our bishop. . , . You shall have a 
 diocese larger than a kingdom in Europe, you 
 will scatter upon a fruitful soil the Divine 
 seed, and should any heretic, pagan, or ill- 
 advised savage menace you, count upon us!" 
 
 "Oh I yes— count upon us!" added Kil- 
 ibire, with a smile, . . . upon Montluc 
 le llouge, particularly. He is the best and 
 most generous fellow living, but he ciinnot 
 bear the sight of a wilful heretic. His dis- 
 like for them overpowers him. When he 
 hoars one speak ill of our holy religion, he 
 becomes terrible, and it is not good for such 
 a one to cross his path. . . . But wluii 
 his friends are attacked, he is far worse. Ho 
 then becomes a very jaguar. It is, indeed, 
 the Erie blood which flows in his veins." 
 
 Just then the clock (or rather the little 
 cuckoo) whicih was lazily marking the seconds 
 in the ante-cbamber, struck two o'clock in the 
 morning. 
 
 Montluc held out his hand, and said: 
 
 ' ' Father, let us retire, for we shall be 
 obliged to depart early in the morning." 
 
 To which I replied with feeling; 
 
 •*C!ouIdyou not delay your departure ?" 
 
 He said: 
 
 "It is the King's order 1 Besides, the 
 safety of Canada depends on it." 
 
 And as I looked at him with an uncertain, 
 disturbed countenance, he added: 
 
 "To-morrow, Monsieur le Cure, I shall 
 tell you all — our mission, our adventures, the 
 urgent need of our departure, despite wind 
 or tide. . . . Good night!" 
 
 He went to rest at the same time as big 
 companion. 
 
 CHAPTEL VIII. 
 
 LORD KIIiDABE BESUMES THE 8T0EY OFHIS ADVEN- 
 TUBES, WHEBEIN MABTEE CHABLOT COMES UP- 
 ON THE STAGE. 
 
 HappUy my guests were obliged by the force 
 of the wind, cold and snow combined, to stay 
 with me. Accustomed to the Canadian ch- 
 mate, tlie wind and cold were of small conse- 
 quence to them, but the snow fell so thick 
 and grew so deep that it surpassed by five 
 feet the stature of a man on horseback, and 
 we should have been forced to cut a path in the 
 mountain, with the fear that at the first ray 
 of sunshine an avalanche might swallow the 
 venturesome travellers. 
 
 Fortunately too, provisions were not want- 
 ing at the presbytery. After Mass, we sat 
 down to table. A stewed tumey appeared 
 and disappeared. A roast bare followed. A 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 so 
 
 half dozen of the finest trout that ever glided 
 with their silvery backs in the limpid waters 
 of the river just served to urge on the 
 turkey and the hair. The veal pate! with its 
 mixture of ham, made a brave resistance to 
 our assault , for it was of reasonable dimen- 
 sions, twenty-five inches in length by fourteen 
 in width and ten inches deep ; but finally it 
 Kuccombed to our repeated onslaught, and the 
 Earl of Kildare declared, scornfully pushing 
 aside the napkin, that we might do something 
 better than eat all day. 
 
 I inquired what that better thing was. 
 He answered that if eating was good, drink- 
 ing was still better. 
 
 And he held forth his glass so pleasantly 
 that I sent Marion to the cellar, for I feared 
 that Beaupoil might conceive an idea similar 
 to that of Lord Kildare and that, by active 
 experience discovering that to drink was bet- 
 ter than to eat, drain some flasks of my best 
 Burgundy. 
 
 When we had all heartily breakfasted or 
 dined (whatever you choose to call such a re- 
 past as I have described), as the snow was 
 falling in thick flakes and covering the whole 
 country so that every one was kept indoors, 
 and only the wolves were abroad, I begged 
 my guests, for their occupation and diversion, 
 and partly too that I might know them better, 
 to finish the account of their adventure. 
 
 Montluc thanked me for my interest in their 
 exploits and said ; " It is for you to talk, Kil- 
 dare! You are eloquent, because you are 
 Irish besides." 
 
 At the same moment Marion entered under 
 a pretext. She had overheard all. She had 
 her arms laden with a pile of plates and 
 dishes, enough to fill a chest three feet long, 
 six feet wide, and three feet deep. She 
 placed upon the side-board this huge mass of 
 c.iina, and placing her shut fists upon her 
 hips she began to smile as she knew how to 
 du, that is to say, in a way to terrify a war- 
 rior less vahant than Beaupoil. 
 
 I tliought to prevail upon her to attend to 
 the premises, but she would do nothing, and 
 gave as her reason ; "It does not inconven- 
 ience me at all. Father, to have the gentle- 
 man speaking while I am here, that does not 
 ■'^ hinder me from arrangmg my plate and china 
 on the side-board. On the contrary, talk 
 away. Lord Kildare, talk on. I am not hsten- 
 ing. On the contrary !" 
 
 Lord Kildare regarded her with a smile, as 
 he usually did, and said: "Since that is so, 
 Marion, and you give me permission, I shall 
 take up my narrative. But at first (it was a 
 stroke of maUce on the part of the Irishman), 
 fet..!i Beaupoil. I wish Beaupoil to hear me. 
 
 If Beaupoil does not come, I shall say noth- 
 ing." 
 
 She shrugged her shoulders and went after 
 her nusband, who was himself hastening to 
 come up as soon as he could. Coffee having 
 been served, the Earl of Kildare began where 
 he had left off: "We were at the Bay of 
 Hudson expedition, isn't that so ?" I ex- 
 plained that it was a matter of going a hun- 
 dred leagues from Montluc Tower, Lake Erie, 
 and all our friends, of capturing without ar- 
 tillery a fort mounted with sixty cannon, pro- 
 tected by five hundred men, three frigates 
 and their crews, prepared for a long siege. 
 To be candid, it was absurd, for the EngUsh 
 were on their guard, and they had thirty 
 times as many men as wo. But it was an 
 heroic task. The old Baron of Montluc said 
 tliis expedition was necessary for the salva- 
 tion of the colony, which needed arms and 
 ammunition. Montluc le Kouge added that 
 it was safe and that he took the responsibihty. 
 Then we had confidence in him, and so we 
 set out forty strong, believing that tmder his 
 leadership we were equal to four thousand of 
 the enemy. As for myself, who had known 
 him only five days, yet loved him already as 
 a brother, I followed him with a beUef in hini 
 which would have astonished our old Euro- 
 pean captains. 
 
 "If you inquire of me why I followed him, 
 and reposed this confidence in him, I, whom 
 nothing except my own will placed under his 
 command, I must confess that my motives 
 were rather difficult to analyse even for my- 
 self, but, in the main, I had a fierce desire 
 to demonstrate to Mademoiselle Athenais of 
 Montluc, who seemed to think no one in the 
 world could equal her father and brother, that 
 Gerald Fitzgerald bad nothing to fear from 
 comparison with any man, and that if there 
 was a question of risking his life, he was as 
 ready as any living man to do so. 
 
 "And, by the faith of Kildare 1 I was not 
 wrong in embarking at hazard in this enter- 
 prise, for I had scarcely announced my reso- 
 lution, when I was regarded with a glance of 
 those blue eyes, which would have given me 
 courage, not only to face single-lianded the 
 whole EngUsh army, but also go from Hud- 
 sou Bay to the North Polo and thence to the 
 South Pole. 
 
 "But to leave these beautiful blue eyes 
 which have no great interest for you, Father, 
 and to proceed with my story we marched 
 along for nine days toward Hudson Bay, 
 across forests, ponds, and frozen rivers, andn 
 deep, but hard snow, upon which we glided 
 along with our snow shoes, when, one night, 
 as we had just cut down a number of tree* 
 
3() 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 to erect a temporary log cabin and sleep 
 around the fire under the protection of our 
 two sentinels, lo ! we heard a moumfol hov;l 
 in the depths of the wood. 
 
 " Immediately every one sprang to his feet 
 and looked at his arms, Montluc le Bouge 
 tirst of all. He Ustened. A second shriek 
 more terrible and sinister than the first was 
 heard, and if I must confess, it made me 
 rfUiver to the very marrow in my bones. 
 
 Indeed, in this forest three hundred leagues 
 vide, in the midst of wild beasts of every 
 kini, far from any human creature, town or 
 village, those great tall, leafless trees resem- 
 bled monstrous burnt skeletons stretohing out 
 their blackened stumps, and then two shrieks 
 a]i)peared to come from yawning churchyards. 
 I believe that several of our company had the 
 same impression. 
 
 "A third shriek broke upon the the ear, 
 nearer than the itvo former. One of our sav- 
 ages cried out: "l*ieyare the coyotes, and are 
 attracted by the sc«nt of the venison. 
 
 '"I inquired: 'What are the coyotes?' 
 Montluc answered very quickly, * They are 
 the wolves of this country.' But he is mista- 
 ken ; if they were coyotes, I should hear their 
 pattering on the snow. 
 
 "Just then a fourth howl was heard, fol- 
 lowed up by a strange caterwaul. You would 
 have said it was a wild cat facing a wolf. 
 
 "Montluc then signed to all to sit or lie 
 down, and said: 'It is Buffalo 1' At these 
 words every one seemed at ease.' 
 
 "Buffalo was, without doubt, the friend of 
 all who were that night gathered under the 
 oak trees. I, without knowing why, was 
 satisfied to know that Buffalo was approach- 
 ing. 
 
 "Is he alone?" I inquired of Montluc, 
 "No, there are two. He who howls is Buf- 
 falo ; he who miaws is Chariot." 
 
 " What Chariot ?" 
 
 ' ' My young brother, whom you don't know 
 yet. Buffalo is the sole survivor of the Erie 
 tribe of which he formerly was the priest. 
 As my mother is a descendant of the last chief 
 of the tribe Buffalo, when all the others were 
 extermina^d (his escape was almost miracu- 
 lous) attached himself to our family. Father 
 Fleury, who would have eonverted the false 
 prophet Mahomet, if the old rascal had passed 
 his door, desired to convert Bulfalo. 
 
 < 'The trial lasted a long time — Buffalo did not 
 wish to be converted. Fathe^ Fleury is per- 
 severing. Buffalo is obstinate. There were 
 fierce controversies between th«m, and my 
 mother, who loved them both, uised to have 
 great difficulty in reconciling thom. Ouess 
 what prevented his ooavereion. fioffolo was 
 
 quite willing to believe and follow in every* 
 thing the counsels of Father Fleury, but he 
 wished also to preserve the right to scalp hia 
 enemies. 
 
 When he was told that we must love one 
 another, he observed: "Do you mean to Kay 
 that the Iroquois love us, they who massacred 
 all my brothers of the Erie tribe ? Do the 
 English love us — they who shoot us down 
 wherever they meet us ? . . . No, no ; I 
 scalp my enemies while I shall be able, and if 
 Father Fleury won't have me use my scalpiug- 
 knife, I will not embrace his religion." At 
 last, one day, while Father Fleury was away, 
 my father, who laughed at Buffalo's expres- 
 sions, said to him "listen Buffalo, you and I 
 are too old companions in war, is it not so? 
 . . . . And you never saw me do anything 
 unworthy a man of honor, white or red, eh ?" 
 And as Buffalo agreed with him. "Well," 
 continued my father, " you also know that I 
 am a good CathoUc, although I have not always 
 acted up to my faiM\, and Father Fleury is 
 pretty sure of it now, and he will tell you so 
 whenever you ask him. . . . Still have 
 you ever seen me fly before those who would 
 unexpectedly massacre my friends and child, 
 ren ? . . , Our reUgion allows us to de- 
 fend ourselves." 
 
 " ' Since it is so,' said Buffalo, 'I shall get 
 baptised at once.* And he did so, was bap. 
 tised and became a very good Cathohc. And 
 in proving his faith, my mother is often 
 obUged to put a check to his zeal. But when 
 she has spoken, it is as if he had heard the word 
 of God himself ; he can do nothing but obey. 
 
 You understand now how Buffalo has uu. 
 dertaken the education of my brother, Char, 
 lot. He has taught him how to run, k> chmb 
 tree6, to swim, to shoot with the musket, to 
 fish — in a word, everything he knows. And 
 Chariot, who has extraordinary aptitudes, 
 very speedily surpassed his tutor. He has 
 learned the bear dance, the bark of the Es. 
 quimeaux dog, the miawl of the wild cat, the 
 cry of the beaver and firve or six other accom. 
 pllshments of which you of European de. 
 scent have no conception, but which are 
 prized in this country just as much as the 
 art of bowing, dancing and playing the gal. 
 lant at Versailles. Another thing — Chariot 
 and Buffalo are scarcely ever apart. Buffala 
 is after Father Flenry, our oldest friend. 
 When requisite, he acts as our interpreter 
 and embassador with the savages. Above 
 all, he is the sentinel who watohes over Lake 
 Erie, whom nothing could terrify or corrupt. 
 
 When my father and myself go forth on 
 any expedition, it is Buffalo who takes com. 
 mand of Montlao Tower. Now, as my father 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAlN. 
 
 ' TOU DID NOT EXPECT BIE, BBOTHEB ! " 
 
 is at home, Bnffalo has been enabled to act as 
 guide fcr Chariot . . . And hold I here 
 they come, both. 
 
 Immediately we saw gUde over the frozen 
 snow two figures, as rapidly as two streaks of 
 lightning. Montluo le Rouge was not mis- 
 taken, it was Buffalo and Chariot. 
 
 While the old redskin stood motionless at a 
 
 distance, in an attitude full of respect and 
 dignity, the boy sprang into his brother's 
 arms, saying: "You did not expect me, 
 brother!" 
 
 " No, Chariot," said Montluo smiling ; but 
 since you have come, you are welcome. I 
 thought you were on the banks of the Missis, 
 dppi wiUi Father Lallemand. 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 tr 
 
 " Ah !" rejoined the boy with a sigh, " In- 
 deed, I should be there; but we cannot al- 
 ways do what we wish." 
 
 ' ' Father Laliemand did not wish to be in- 
 commoded by yon ?" inquired Montluc. "You 
 embarrassed him in the work of his conver- 
 sions." 
 
 "Father Lollomand will never more con- 
 vert any one,' replied Chariot. 
 
 ' ' ' What has happened V 
 
 "'He was scalped. To tell you in two 
 words, it '" ippened thus. The ninth day after 
 •ur depai he and I were on the bank of 
 
 the river Ih.i.ois and had just (that is Father 
 Laliemand h;vd) erected a little cross upon a 
 hillock aud said Mass. 
 
 ' ' As soon as mass was over, I went to himt 
 for something for breakfast, for we had with 
 Its only salt aud a little dried meat. Father 
 Laliemand began to look around for wood to 
 light a fire and cook any game we could pro- 
 cure. At the end of au hour, I came across a 
 flock of ^rild turkeys ; I shot two on the wing, 
 and was talcing them to the good Father. But 
 misfortune I a baud of Illinois who were 
 hunting in the locahty met aud questioned 
 him. The good father had been preaching to 
 them. Taking him for a sorcerer, they had 
 bound him to a tree, half-scalped him and 
 were dancing around him. One of them, 
 without doubt, the chief of the tribe, approach- 
 ed with a knife and began to carve him ahve 
 as he was. His companions laughed, sang 
 imd yelled. Seeing that, I crawled througli 
 the grass, which was tall aud thick, (I could 
 not be seen) covered the savage at the mo- 
 ment Father Laliemand was about to give up 
 the ghost, and I hit him square in the fore- 
 head. His business in this life was of no long 
 duration. Ho fell stark dead. The lUinois 
 not knowing where this sudden shot came 
 came from, fancied they saw the visible hand 
 of the Lord chastising them for their crime. 
 Every one of them fled without even looking 
 behind. As soon as I was left alone, I loos- 
 ened Father Flenry,who gave me his blessing 
 and died in my arms, exhorting me with his 
 last breath to return to Montluc Tower. What 
 could I do, being aU alone ? I took his advice, 
 after having buried his remains at the foot of 
 the cross he had himself erected, and I arriv- 
 ed home ju.it twenty-four hours after your de- 
 parture. My mother wished me to stay ; my 
 father hesitated a Uttle. Father Fleury said 
 that God, who so visibly protected us on that 
 unhappy expedition, woiUd no doubt never 
 tire of watching over me. 
 
 "And you," asked Montluc, " what did you 
 think?" 
 
 " I," aaid the boy, " was burning with im- 
 
 patience to join you, and afraid you might 
 take Fort Hudson without me; but, thank 
 God, here I am, here you are, and here are 
 we all ! . . . Thanks to God and old Buffa 
 lo, who has kindly served as a guide, in spite- 
 of his sixty-five years. . . . By the way, 
 when will the attack be made ?" 
 
 " After to-morrow," answered Montluc. 
 
 "I almost forgot," said Chariot, "my 
 father gave me a letter for you. Here it is." 
 
 ' ' My Dear Son — Chariot has just arrived. 
 He will inform you concerning the martyr- 
 dom of good Father Laliemand ; it is a great 
 misfortune to the colony. He was not 
 merely content himself with converting 
 the savages, but he made them friends 
 of yours and gained many faithful allies for 
 France. Chariot wished to join you. I have 
 permitted him to do so. Watch over him 
 carefully, as a Montluc should be watched 
 over. Keep him ouly out of useless perils. 
 In a word, show him his duty, as I have showed 
 it to you when you where of his age. Father 
 Fleury has gone again among the Iroquois ; 
 iu a little while we shall have some news from 
 him. With what imi)atieuce we are awaiting 
 tidings from you, you may fancy. Your sis- 
 ter, Athenais, does not sleep. Your mother 
 spends half the day at the foot of the cruci- 
 fix. As for Lucy, she says nothing, but is 
 every moment studying our old map of Hud- 
 son Bay Territorj', formerly drawn by Father 
 Fleury; she measures the distances, and 
 counts the days required to go and return ; iu 
 a word, she is scarcely^Uve to anything else. 
 For my part, I expect you in fifteen days aud 
 a conqueror. Your enterprise is of such a 
 nature that there is no middle course between 
 victory aud death ; but I have entire confi- 
 dence that you will succeed. 
 
 Montluc. " 
 My compliments to Lord KUdare. 
 
 Having read this letter, Montluc desired 
 Chariot and me to go to rest, and we remained 
 alone with Buffalo. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 WBEBEIN liOBD KILDABE MEETS A TAIitTABLK 
 ALLY AMONG HIB ENEMIES. 
 
 After a moment's silence. Lord Kildare con- 
 tinued his recital iu these words : 
 
 Five hours later we resumed our journey. 
 We now had not more than fifteen or twenty 
 leagues to accomplish and should arrive by 
 midnight at the environs of the fort. 
 
 The weather was so severe that we had na 
 fear the EngUsh would be on their guard. 
 They believed us a hundred leagoes away. 
 
40 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 and Montlac, who knew this well, counted 
 lather upon surprise than force to capture the 
 fort and three frigates. For my part, to be 
 candid, quite determined as I was faithfully to 
 discharge my duty, I was not without some 
 misgivings as to the success of the enterprise. 
 But I was very far from knowing the mental 
 resources of my friend, Montluc. The coming 
 day was destjr&d to confer honor on France 
 and Ireland, and I returned with interest the 
 blows I had received at the battle of the 
 Soyue. 
 
 "About five in the morning we were under 
 urms, hidden behind deep snow ridges and 
 blowing on our fingers while we waited for the 
 •ignal. Fort HudBon was two hundred paces 
 away, on the shore of the bay, and the ram- 
 part, half-wall, half-paUsade, like all their 
 •onstmctions in that country, was washed by 
 the waves in summer. 
 
 '* But at this time the cold was so intense 
 jSiat the whole bay was sheeted with a thick 
 coating of ice at least two feet deep. Of the 
 three English men-of-war we were calculating 
 apon finding in the bay, two had returned to 
 Europe. The third alone watched the fort, 
 and looked herself like a fortress — held at an- 
 chorage by huge cables to the shore. Through 
 the open port-holes we could see peeping 
 forth the mouths of forty-eight pieces ready 
 to belch forth ball and shell upon the enemy. 
 The officer of the watch was pacing the bridge 
 wrapped from head to foot in an immense 
 brown bear-skin, such as is found in the 
 forests of Canada. His dark profile was 
 sketched upon the white snowy back-ground of 
 earth, sky, and sea. 
 
 "I shall reserve him with the frigate for my- 
 aelf" whispered Montluc le Bouge. "To you 
 «ho are a land officer I shall assign the fort. 
 Weigh well what I now say, that we have but 
 ane moment to succeed, and if that rliigie 
 Bwament is lost we shall leave our bones at the 
 loot of this fort. For my part, in such an 
 «vent, I shall not be found aUve." 
 
 "Montluc le Rouge," I answered, "You 
 shall see co-day what a Fitzgerald can do. " 
 
 Then he called Pied-de-Cerf and two other 
 Algonquin chiefs, and gave them his instruc- 
 tions in my presence. I looked around for 
 Buffalo and young Chariot. Both had van- 
 ished. 
 
 " They are at work already," said Montluc 
 ■miliug. "Their task is to open the ball, 
 and if you knew them, you would be confl- 
 uent of their success! Old Buffalo is as 
 wary and cunning as a rattlesnake. And 
 Chai'Iot, he is supple and vigorous as a leo- 
 pacd." 
 
 JoBi then we perceived two men; one of 
 
 them very tall but unarmed, appeared to be 
 marching as if pushed on by the other, who 
 was rather small, yet who kept digging the 
 other's ribs with a sword. 
 
 Montluc stepped a little forward to ascer- 
 tain who they were, and said as he turned 
 round with an appearance of great satisfac- 
 tion: 
 
 "Hold, 'tis Chariot. What has he got? 
 A prisoner 9" 
 
 "You have said it, brother," replied the 
 boy. " I thought you would like a prisoner. 
 'Tis the sentinel. While his back was turned 
 we sprang upon him, half choking him, to 
 prevent any outcry. As he had his gun in 
 his arms and his two hands crossed in his 
 cuffs, he could neither call for help nor de- 
 fend himself ; we gagged and disarmed him. 
 There he is. What will you do with him ?" 
 
 "Very good," said Montluc; "father will 
 be content with you. What have you done 
 with Buffalo?" 
 
 "I left him in the sentry box," said the 
 boy with a smile, "wrapped up in the bear- 
 skin, and armed with the enemy's musket. 
 He is on duty for the English now, but awaits 
 your orders." 
 
 Montluc then caused the gag to be removed 
 from the prisoner's mouth, and interrogated 
 him. He was a fine soldier, strong and well 
 built, who had been surprised at his post. 
 Otherwise, it would have been necessary to kill 
 him ; he was just the sort of fellow to make a 
 bold defence. At the first words, I recognized 
 the Irish accent. I then asked permission to 
 question him myself which Montluc willingly 
 acceded, and I addressed him. in the Oeltic 
 tongue : 
 
 "Your name?" 
 
 "Patrick." 
 
 "Country?" 
 
 " Ireland— County Kildare." 
 
 "Religion?" 
 
 " Roman Catholic." 
 
 "How! — rascal!" I cried out, with indig- 
 nation. ' ' You are a CathoUo, and from the 
 County Kildare, and you are in the service of 
 King William— a heretic and usurper!" He 
 appeared confounded. 
 
 "Did you ever hear," I asked, " of Oerald 
 Fitzgerald, Eari of Kildare ?" 
 
 He regarded me closer, recognized me, and 
 exclaimed as he kissed my hands : 
 
 " Why, it is yourself, my lordl" 
 
 "Yes, 'tis I. But what do you do here, 
 miserable traitor to Ireland?" 
 
 "Ah! my lord," he replied, " if yon ootlld 
 but know all. I was with you, you remem- 
 ber, at the Battle of the Boyne, where King 
 James (Qod guard him), saved himself hke a 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 41 
 
 hare. The day following, there was nc one 
 to be seen ; no officers, no king ; in a word, 
 nothing; and into the bargain, not even a 
 morsel of black bread to put under one's 
 teeth. I did what others have done in the 
 like circumstances. I took to the road ; that 
 is to say, I levied a toll upon the farmers and 
 travelers, especially those who were English. 
 I was taken myself, at last, and sentenced to 
 be hanged. Fortunately recruits were wanted 
 for ring WiUiam's service. So I got the 
 choice to enlist or be hanged. I decided up- 
 on the former. What would you have done 
 in ray place, my lord? I am but a poor 
 man, and with little wit. I do what I am 
 told to do. I fight when I am told to fight. 
 What have I got to do with the matter, pro- 
 vided I am paid ? Do I know the men I kill ? 
 And if I should not obey my officer, would 
 not the cat-o'-nine tails descend on my 
 shoulders ? Should I not be whipped Uke a 
 little boy, or shot for a coward ?" 
 
 "The poor fellow is right," said Montluc. 
 "What does he know about the quarrels of 
 King James and King WilUam ?" 
 
 Then, turning to Patrick : "H«arme,"he 
 said, "You will not fight for James, who is 
 too much of a coward ; nor for William, who 
 is too much of a villain ; but for Lord Kil- 
 dare, who is your natural chief, takes you 
 into his service, and is himself fighting for 
 green Ireland, the Very Christian monarch, 
 and the Holy Catholic rehgion. Will you 
 come with us ?" 
 
 " Ahl" exclaimed Patrick, "I ask nothing 
 else!" 
 
 And he furnished us with a thousand val- 
 uable points of information upon the condi- 
 tion and internal arrangements of the fort, 
 the BuppUes, and the general lack of disciphne 
 of the whole garrison ; he informed us upon 
 a point that was highly valuable, that nine- 
 tenths of the garrison took exercise every 
 morning outside the ramparts ; that the rest 
 stayed close around the fire in a large guard- 
 room to escape the cold, and that a sentinel 
 was the only protection they spent upon the 
 powder magazine, which contained three him- 
 dred thousand poirnds of powder, without at 
 all mentioning the bullets, shells, and other 
 ammunition. He told us that the commandant 
 of the fort, an old German colonel in the 
 EngUsh service, spent his days smoking 
 drinking in his quarters playing cards 
 with his lieutenant-colonel; that, moreover, 
 the French and the Savoys were believed to 
 be three hundred leagues away, and that no 
 one was keeping guard. 
 
 Then, as Montluo was still a Uttle distrust- 
 fol, he drew from his pocket a Uttle medal of 
 
 the Blessed Virgin, and said to me: "My 
 Lord, when I was leaving Ireland, my poor 
 mother pave me this medal, making me swear 
 at the same time that I should never forget 
 it. . . . Well, my lord, I swear by this medal 
 that I have spoken nothing but the truth, and 
 I swear, too, that I shall follow the Earl of 
 Kildare wherever he is pleased to lead me." 
 
 Indeed the poor fellow was cdnoere, and 
 could be relied on. Montluc felt it, and said : 
 ' ' Give back his arms. Patrick, you shall 
 guide us to the fort." This he did at once. 
 
 We followed, one by one, in Indian file, 
 each placing his feet in Patrick's tracks, in 
 such a manner as not to betray our advance 
 on the fort, and march along in a sort of path- 
 way between two ridges of snow, from twelve 
 to fifteen feet high. 
 
 Chariot went first behind Patrick, in order 
 to identify the path he had already traversed. 
 Montluc, his sword in one hand, his pistol iu 
 the other, followed Chariot, and I, Montluo. 
 The rest kept in my wake. It was in this or- 
 der of battle that at the end of one hundred 
 paces we arrived quite near Buffalo, who, 
 wrapped in Patrick's heavy coat, was pacing 
 slowly like a sentinel, keeping his ear alive 
 on the side of the fort to what was going on 
 there, and impatiently awaiting us. Just then 
 we heard the roll of the drum. 
 
 " That is the signal to relieve guard," said 
 Patrick, ' ' and quit the fort to take exercise 
 in the plain below." 
 
 ' ' Attention ! " cried Montluc, ' ' Here cornea 
 tbe game. Silence in the ranks. If a single 
 word is uttered I shall send a ball through the 
 speaker's head." 
 
 And, my faith for it, he would have done 
 BO, for he does not imderstand pleasantry iu 
 moments of seriousness. At the same time he 
 took Patrick aside, put a few questions to 
 him, seemed satisfied with the answers he 
 got, signed to me to approach, and said in a 
 low voice: "Kildare, this is what you will 
 have to do. Listen attantively and don't lose 
 a word. All our lives depend on this. . . . 
 Yon will put on the skin of an English ser* 
 geant." 
 
 I interrupted him, thinking he was sUghtly 
 crazy or that he was making fun of me, but 
 he was in perfect possession of all his senses 
 and speaking seriously. 
 
 "But we have no Englishman to flay," I 
 exclaimed, "and if we had." . . . 
 
 "You would not do it?" itdded Montluo, 
 smiUng, "and you would not be wrong. 
 What I call the skin of an Englishman is his 
 hairy coat, or, if you prefer it, his bear-skin 
 overcoat. Just, for example, Uke the one my 
 friend Buffalo has only i«oently borrowed 
 
42 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 from my other friend Patrick. . . . You 
 will possess yourself, accordiugly, of the skiu 
 of uu EugUsh sergeant, I shiill provide the 
 Euglishmau and the skin. You will charge 
 yourself with the task of putting it on, and 
 enter the fort with Patrick, who will act as 
 guide as soon as the garrison shall have come 
 out. You will both proceed to the guard- 
 room where the poor fellows who stay in are 
 forced, on account of the cold, to crowd 
 around the fire ; take hold of the guns that 
 must be hanging on the rack, shoot down 
 whoever attempts to prevent you, keep the 
 loaded pieces, with the priming in order, and 
 await my arrival to support you. " 
 
 "But I shall be recognized at the first 
 glance." 
 
 " You will not," said Montluc, "for I shall 
 
 give you a sergeant's big overcoat 
 
 These Fitzgeralds, they always fancy that one 
 can see written on the tips of their noses that 
 they are Earls of Kildare I Go to, my lord, 
 go to — when you shall be recognized it will 
 be too late for that recognition to profit the 
 enemy." 
 
 "Then, with a gesture enjoining silence 
 on all, he glided toward Bulialo with his 
 friend Pied-de-Cerf aud made ine a sign not to 
 breathe a word of his instructions to any one. 
 At the same moment I heard the hard snow 
 crackle under the measured tread of the sol- 
 dier. I moved my head forward aud saw a 
 sergeant and a private come out of the fort 
 and advance toward Buffalo, who was pre- 
 tending to be walking to and fro, but who 
 kept watching from cue corner of his eve. 
 Frankly speaking, my heart was beating a 
 httle, for these two doomed soldiers must be 
 not only killed, but killed noiselessly. The 
 least outcry would have roused the fort and 
 ruined our game, I understood then why 
 Montluc had been unwilling to entrust this 
 task to any of us." 
 
 "The path followed by the -sergeant and 
 the rehef -guard took a sharp turn to the right, 
 where, from the depth of the snow, it was 
 impossible for them to see the danger that 
 lay in their way. All at once I saw Montluc 
 stretch out his arms, and with two iron palms, 
 seize the sergeant around the neck and bring 
 him to the ground without giving him time 
 to speak. Pied-de-Cerf, on his side, had a 
 httle more trouble ; but the sight of the bayo- 
 neted-gun which Buffalo placed near his 
 throat before he had time to make a defense 
 reduced the soldier to silence. 
 
 " 'Now, 'said Montluc, to his two prisoners, 
 'off with your uniforms and bearskins . . . 
 Let yon, Kildare, put on the sergeant's uni- 
 form, eaxd Patrick will put on the private's. 
 
 for we must respect order, and go together to 
 the guard-room like a good sergeant and a 
 good private who have just come on rehef. 
 Patrick will point the way and you will do 
 what I have said. Above aU, let tliere bo no 
 undue haste . . . Wait until the garrison 
 shall have left the fort for their exercise.' " 
 
 '•Just then a second roU of the dnum was 
 heard." 
 
 "That means," said Patrick, "that Colonel 
 Boz Kareutbock is passing down the hues, 
 aud examining if the uniforms are aU but- 
 toned according to ordinance. 'Tis the most 
 important part of the day's service. It will 
 last at least half an hour. 
 
 " 'And after inspection,' inquired Montluc, 
 'what conies next?' 
 
 '"At the third roll of the drum,' said 
 Patrick, ' the whole garrison begins to move 
 out of the fort, except the fifty men in the 
 guard-room, and the Colonel goes to his room 
 to drink, smoke, and play cards with his heu- 
 tenant.' 
 
 "There was a long silence. We awaited 
 impatiently the third roU of the drum. At 
 length a ra-ta-ta was heard, somewhat muf- 
 fled by the snow, and we could hear the 
 regular tread of the soldiers as they marched 
 in silent rows before faUing into line in the 
 plain. It was the decisive moment. They 
 passed within thirty feet without seeing us, 
 for a bulwark of snow completely hid us 
 from view, and it was fortunate for them and 
 us. They were ten times more numerous 
 than we, and if we joined battle we should 
 have perished without doubt, but not without 
 a deadly struggle." 
 
 "When they had got about five hiindred 
 paces away, Patrick and I assumed the role of 
 advance guard, entering with the air of good 
 fellows, the guard-house, which was at the 
 entrance of the fort, under a wooden cover- 
 ing. Patrick, who knew every nook and cor- 
 ner of the room, went first. As he was 
 known by his comrades he showed his face. 
 I followed him closely, taking care to show 
 only my profile ; and the sergeant's bear-skin 
 coat almost entirely concealed my figure. The 
 men who were guarding the post were all 
 seated or stretched and symmetrically arrang- 
 ed near the great fire-place, where an old oak 
 was blazing, trunk and branches together. 
 The soldiers that were reclining or a pile of 
 planks, were sleeping or yawning or trying to 
 sleep. Those who were seated were playing 
 cards and drinking, for what can a man do at 
 Hudson Bay if he does not play cards and 
 has a parched throat ? One of the players, 
 an Irishman, saw Patrick and said to him— 
 "You've been fortunate, Paddy." 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 4ft 
 
 'halt, (OMBADE 
 
 t " 
 
 Patrick turned about with an air of indif- 
 ference. 
 
 " How fortunate, Jemmy ?" 
 
 "Not to be in the ranks when old Boz 
 Earentbock was inspecting the ranks." 
 
 "Why?" asked Patrick, approaching the 
 gun-rack where the muskets were hung, 
 while I was executing the same little man- 
 asayer. 
 
 "Oh !" replied Jemmy, '*the old fellow was 
 in a murderous humor to-day. He distrib- 
 uted, right and left, more than five hundred 
 cuffs. And if you had been there you should 
 have had your share." 
 
 "Ah!" said Patrick, looking at me to see 
 if it was time to throw off the mask ; " then 
 you got it in my absence, yon glutton !" 
 
 Everyone burst out laughing. Mean> 
 
44 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 while Patrick and I had got to the two ex- 
 tremities of the gun-rack, and no one could 
 come near it without our consent. I looked 
 to the door, to see if Montluc was at hand. I 
 had left it half opened, so that a cold breeze 
 was coming in. 
 
 " Come, Patrick," cried one of the soldiers, 
 " it is freezing in here ; go shut the door." 
 
 ' Close it yourself, if you want to," said 
 Patrick; " Am I your servant ?" 
 
 The soldier arose, grumbling at Patrick's 
 ill-nature. All of a sudden, as he was shoot- 
 ing the bolt of the door, Montluo appeared, 
 pistol in one hand and sword in the other, 
 and cried out, "Halt ! Comrade." 
 
 These two words: '"Halt comrade!" — 
 continued Lord Eildare — spoken in French, 
 and in a loud commanding voice, had an ex- 
 traordinary effect upon the whole guard. 
 There was astonishment, fright and almost 
 admiration among the soldiers. 
 
 Montluo dropped the bearskin he wore, and 
 presented himself just as you now see him, in 
 his fine Louis XIII. costume, with its silver 
 lace and gold buttons, magnificent as a prince, 
 yet terrible and imposing as a lion. 
 
 The soldier in his fright shouted : ! ' To armsl 
 the enemy 1 " At once all the others rushed 
 forward to get their guns; but I administered 
 such a blow with my sword to the firdt that 
 he fell sprawling on the floor, and the others 
 were discouraged by the fate of their com- 
 rade. As for Patrick, he was satisfied with 
 drawing his bayonet without firing. Mont- 
 luc, who was closely followed by his men, 
 said to Pied-de-Cerf : "Kill any one that 
 moves, but don't use firearms, lest you be 
 heard by the men on the plain. Don't fire 
 till everything else fails." This order, which 
 was so wise, was obeyed as well as it could 
 be. Unfortunately, twelve or fifteen of their 
 soldiers were old Germans, used to surprises 
 and sudden defences ; they seized the wooden 
 benches they had been sitting upon and of- 
 fered battle. Two of our men were killed, 
 a Frenchman and an Algonquin. Then 
 Montluo showed no further consideration. 
 He said to the soldiers who remained: "I 
 brought you peace. You have desired war. 
 80 much the worse ! let all those who wish to 
 surrender he down and not stir. The rest 
 shall be put to death." Only seven refused to 
 obey. Two of the bravest of these picked rp 
 a hatchet and a gun which had fallen in the 
 scuffie, and tried to spring upon him. He 
 shot down one of them, and run the other 
 through with hia sword. At th^ same time 
 the other five, who made a stout fight for 
 their lives, were slaiu. AH those who had 
 ob^«d the order of Montluo were spared, 
 
 and left together in a comer, their feet and 
 hands bound. 
 
 Unfortimately poor Patrick suffered the 
 penalty of his courage and loyalty to Kildare. 
 One of the soldiers who had surrendered, and 
 was lying on the ground, glided on his hands 
 and feet behind him, and stabbed him with a 
 poniard while poor Patrick was disposed to 
 fight like a brave man. 
 
 " Traitor!" cried the soldier, as he plunged 
 his knife into the poor fellow's side. 
 
 I was greatly afflicted at the loss ; the fel- 
 low was brave and a good hitter ; I could see 
 it that day. Had he lived he would have 
 rendered great services to our dear coun- 
 try. 
 
 While I was receiving the last sigh of poor 
 Patrick, Montluc was having the gates of the 
 fort closed. He placed four sentinels in the 
 guard-room with instructions to kill instantly 
 the first prisoner who should make any dis- 
 turbance or cry out loud. He took posses- 
 sion of the powder magazine and fortifica- 
 tions, which were scarcely guarded at all on 
 account of the cold and the distance it was 
 beUeved the French were from the fort, and 
 without noise (for the wonderful part of the 
 whole undertaking was, that thanks to his 
 precautions, except four or five shots which 
 could not be avoided in the guard-room, everj'. 
 thing was done with the hatchet, the sword or 
 the bayonet), became absolute master of the 
 whole place. I must add that the snow dead- 
 ened all noises, and the savages, except on 
 rare occasions, when they bark like wolves, 
 are by habit the most silent of men. As to 
 the soldiers of Colonel Bozkarentbock, they 
 would doubtless have made an outcry but for 
 the certainty that at the first sound they 
 would be shot down. Montluo le Bouge was 
 too well known in Canada and all the EugHsh 
 Colonies to have his word doubted. Accord* 
 ingly he was obeyed, and he said to me : 
 
 "Friend Kildare, to finish our work, we 
 have but one thing more to do; that is to 
 take Colonel Bozkarentbock prisoner." 
 
 I volunteered on the spot. 
 * Montluo rejoined with a smile: "If that 
 were all, I should let you do it and afford you 
 all the pleasure of the enterprise. But the 
 essential thing is to work without noise, for 
 we have but gone thro^igh the first stage of 
 the business, and if t>xe soldiers who are out- 
 side and the marines un the man-of-war should 
 assault us all together, our expedition would 
 wind up worse than it has begun Re- 
 main here then, keep the gate closed, main- 
 tain discipline, prevent my good Algonquins 
 from scalping the prisoners or pillaging, for I 
 perceive tiiey are boraiog with impatience for 
 
THE gHIEPTAlNS 
 
 this double enjoyment But I am off to 
 
 Colonel Bozkarentbock." 
 
 He went up, followed by two men, into the 
 Golouera room, entered without knocking, 
 and found this brave superior officer engaged 
 at a game of ecarte with his lieutenant. The 
 room was spacious, but badly furnished, con- 
 taining only an oak bedstead, a table and a 
 few plain rustic chairs. 
 
 At the noise of. the door opening, the Colo- 
 nel, who had just lost in the game, and was 
 therefore in a testy humor, cried out in a brusk 
 tone of voice : ' ' Who's there ? What do you 
 want?" At the same moment Montluc entered, 
 followed by his two Canadians, and said to 
 him ; ' ' Colonel Bozkarentbock, in the name of 
 the King of France, surrender your sword." 
 And ho advanced to receive it. 
 
 But Bozkarentbock no longer exhibited any 
 hesitation ; he was an old soldier, a German 
 it is tnie, but a courageous man and a fighter 
 for thirty years in Europe and America. -He 
 arose, pushed aside his chair with his foot, 
 took down two loaded pistols which were 
 hung over his head like a pair of antlers, 
 armed himself promptly with them, pointed 
 them at Montluc and his companions, crying 
 out: "Reitenfels! attention! Help!" Poor 
 Keitenf els would have been very glad to ren- 
 der him assistance, but he was fat, rather 
 clumsy in his movements, and did not have 
 time even to unsheath his sword. 
 
 But the affair was already over. Montluc, 
 who had his sword in hand, observing the 
 Colonel grasping his pistols, saw that he 
 would have to cut off his head at once ; so 
 the very instant the Colonel raised his pistol 
 to take aim, Montluc ran his sword through 
 his heart, killing him outright. The poor Ger- 
 man fell, letting his arms drop out of his stiff- 
 ening fingers. 
 
 By a singular chance one of the pistols, the 
 one aimed at Montluc, which might have 
 killed him, hung fire altogeth-r so as to be 
 perfectly useless. The other, on the con- 
 trary, on falling to the earth, went off without 
 being aimed at any one, and struck Keitenf els' 
 foot just at the very moment he was making 
 ready to help his chief. He raised his leg, 
 cursing : 
 
 "Awkward simpleton," he shouted; "he 
 aims at you and he hits me !" 
 
 Then Montluc, who is the most serious gen- 
 tleman you can find in Europe or America, 
 observed gravely to him : ' ' Excuse the poor 
 dead man, monsieur. He did not do it inten- 
 tionally, and has been pimished enough for 
 his want of skill." Then turning to the two 
 Canadians who had accompanied him : ' ' Take 
 away Colonel Bozkarentbock and put him 
 
 OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 i& 
 
 with the rest rf the dead, after having firut 
 shown the remains to the prisoners, ko tivit 
 they may fully know they cannot count uu 
 him any more. As for you, Beitenfels, sui-- 
 reuder your sword." And Beitenfels obeyed, 
 and was in no wise obstreperous, for he well 
 knew that he was at the mercy of one stronger 
 than himself. 
 
 llie fort was taken but the undertaking 
 was not yet complete. Far from it, indeed I 
 There was the English frigate, the Valormin, 
 a ship of fifty great guns, with t^vx) hundred 
 and fifty picked marines on board, and uutler 
 the command of Captain John Smith, a gei^^ 
 uine sea-dog who had ten times over given 
 proof of his ability and courage. 
 
 The morsel was hard to bray, enormous to 
 swallow, and fearful to digest ; but, as Father 
 Fleury says, Montluc le Rouge, aye, thin fine 
 gentleman with Ihe biuillutj luuo n'Lom >uu 
 see there. Monsieur le Rouge would grind, 
 swallow and digest iron and bronzej 
 
 He chose twenty of his followers, half of 
 them French, half our allies, the Algonqiiins, 
 picked them out one by one, and when they 
 were ready to set forth said to me: 
 "Kildare, to you I confide the care of the 
 fort. ..." 
 
 I interrupted him. I wanted to follow him 
 and share his perils, but he said to me in a 
 low voice : 
 
 " If we both went together, the Algonquina 
 whom I leave with you, no longer having any 
 one to restrain them, would amuse themselves 
 by scalping our prisoners, which would be 
 dishonorable in the first place, and further- 
 more might stir up contention between them 
 and my good Canadians. Blood would flow, 
 the EngUsh who are outside would reap the 
 profit of the disorder, and occupy the fort 
 once more. Remain here." 
 
 But how will you with twenty men attack 
 a frigate manned by a crew of ten. times your 
 number, and equipped with artillery to boot. 
 
 "I shall tell you," he replied, smiling, "on 
 my return, that is, if I should ever return. 
 Au revoir." 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 WHEEEIN IT IS SEEN THAT SPLEEN IB A DAN- 
 QEBOTJ8 ENEMY. 
 
 Montluc having chosen twenty men, made 
 them put on fho red coats and furred coats of 
 the English soldiers, attired himself similarly, 
 ordered the gate to be opened, and gave the 
 word to march. The little band marched 
 toward the frigate Valorous, which was gently 
 dozing on the sea like »* child in its cradle, 
 held firmly in its place at first by its anchors, 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMP;LAIN. 
 
 TH£ DEATH 07 THS COhOKEL. 
 
 but later on by the ice which clung to its 
 sides. 
 
 What took place afterwards I did not see, 
 the fort, from which I looked, being five or 
 six hundred feet distant from the frigate, but 
 I h^d all the details from Chariot and Buf- 
 falo. But let me explain to you in the first 
 place how things went aboard the English 
 
 ship. You win thereby the better understand 
 what follows. 
 
 The luckless vessel had been ice-bound for 
 five months and the entire crew were wearied 
 to death. Their only distraction was eating 
 salt beef, salt pork, salt mutton and salt seal. 
 Everything that they ate was salty, except 
 the herring, and that was smoked. When one 
 
THE CHIIFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 Mts food that is alwayn salty, and too Halty, 
 and ib redaoed to eating npoilod victualH at 
 every meal, then every man reveals his true 
 disposition. Borne catch the spleen, others 
 the scurvy. 
 
 Spleen, or, if you like the word better, hy- 
 pochondria — Father — is a maludy of the soul ; 
 scurvy, a disense of the body. That is the 
 difference. But they have a terrible resem- 
 blance, both put you in the same box. 
 So the aavaiUt, and especially Father Fleury, 
 got alrQ08t the same estimate upom them. 
 
 They, the crew of the Valorous, were af- 
 flictod by symptoms of the two malndies, and 
 were likely to melt away in this laud of snow 
 like a lump of sugar in a glass of water. Five 
 Bailors died of the scurfy in the first month, 
 some of half spleen half scurvy, at the end of 
 the second month twelve others, at the end of 
 the third month matters were growing worse, 
 as you see, every day. 
 
 Old John Smith, who loved his men, and 
 was in turn loved by them, became sadder and 
 sadder. He felt that discipline was growing 
 lax, and yet dared not be too rigorous lest he 
 might drive his men to despair. At last, to 
 aniuso and at the same time afford them ex- 
 ercise, he permitted them to himt the seal 
 and the bear, gave two or three holidays at a 
 time to the officers — a permission that seemed 
 unaccompanied by any danger, this was so re- 
 mote f I'om any of the French colonies ; even 
 himself, he now and then rambled about, en- 
 tnisting his command sometimes to his lieu- 
 tenant, and sometimes to a mere midship- 
 man. 
 
 From Father Fleury and the Algouquins, 
 Moutluc le Rouge ascertained all these de- 
 tails before leaving home ; 'twas this infomia. 
 lion which had furnished his father and him- 
 self with the idea of an expedition so ven- 
 turesome yet so glorious, and in the event of 
 Kuccess, BO beneficial, for all the provisions 
 and BuppUes of the English in food, arms, 
 costly merchandise and furs were stored in 
 Fort Hudson. To seize the fort by strategy was 
 to ruin for a year all their enterprises in that 
 immense country that lies to the north of 
 Canada. 
 
 In all the amusements which old John 
 Smith had been obhged to accord his crew 
 foi« their distraction and enlivenment but one 
 was wanting — and that was boxing. This 
 was the reason for the omission : John Smith 
 was a zealous puritan of the strait-laced 
 Bchool of the Scottish Cameronians, who be- 
 lieve that it is unlawful to enjoy the smallest 
 pleasure in this world, unless it is of the 
 strictest and gloomiest kind. Dancing, box- 
 iug, breaking heads and noses or contributing 
 
 thereto in any manner, were joya too de- 
 lightful for old John Smith to permit to 
 his crew. Hunting and fishing— well and 
 good. And still so great was the passion for 
 this sport that the poor sailors of the Volar' 
 oua were obliged to box in secret, in obscure 
 comers, Hko sweet-toothed little girls who 
 particularly prey on sweetmeats and jam- 
 pots. Moutluc was a w^are c* this, and calcn< 
 lated upou it as an element of his enteqiribo. 
 
 He also knew that John Smith, rigid and 
 severe as he was, was not at the same time 
 adverse to hunting the white bear. On the 
 contrary, he was passionately fond of that 
 pastime ; and just a Uttle distance from the 
 fort and the frigate, not more than thirty or 
 forty leagues, he had been informed that ho 
 should find a discreet place, a perfectly ex- 
 quisite httle retreat, where thirty families of 
 white bears had taken up their quarters. 
 There, at least, one would not run the danger 
 of starving. 
 
 Upon this report, furnished by an Esqui- 
 meaux, whom Father Fleury had converted to 
 the Catholic faith. Captain John Smith set out 
 in all haste with his entire staff, save the young 
 midshipman, scarcely eighteen years old, who 
 was left to take charge of the ship and was 
 angry at not being able to accompany tho 
 others on the chase. While he was chafing 
 with vexation and from the top of the frigate 
 aimlessly regarding the horizon (except the 
 fort nothing was to be seen but a great illiniit- 
 able stretch of plain, covered all over with 
 snow and ice), Montluo debouched slowly 
 with his little band of followers, with no visi- 
 ble arms, their pistols and swords being con- 
 cealed by their cloaks, and halted at thirty 
 feet from the frigate. 
 
 CHAPTER :^.— {Continued.) 
 
 now A BOXINQ MATCH MAY BK USED TO CAPTURB 
 A MAN-OF-WAB. 
 
 The astonished midshipman, Kildare, went 
 on and asked himself what the red-coats 
 were doing there on his grounds. I say hi» 
 grounds, although, in point of fact, it was 
 rather his ice, for Montluc was five hundred 
 feet from the shore ; you could not distin- 
 guish land and sea, both being frozen. He 
 looked through his telescope at the newcom. 
 ers, recognized none of them, but observed 
 that they had come to a halt, that half a 
 dozen of the party had taken off their bear- 
 skins, and that two of the number were un- 
 dressing themselves. 
 
 The midshipman was surprised. 
 
 A boatswain who was a little behind him, 
 at a respectable distan«e, as in duty bound, 
 
48 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF CUAMFLAIN. 
 
 but who was watching the prooeedinga juHt 
 RH attentively an hiu Huperior ofticer, was uh 
 uinch Hurpriued uh hiu couipauion. 
 
 Ah the iiiiilHhipiuuu turued round toward 
 the hoHtNwain, the latter muHt have thought 
 that it waH an iuvitatiou to couverHO with his 
 chief, and exclaimed: '• Tliere'H fun !" 
 
 " Johnny," rejoined the officer, "it lookH 
 to nio nH if they were getting ready for a box- 
 ing match. What do you think ?" 
 
 "That is my idea," miid the boatswain. 
 
 Just then the two CanadiauH, who had di- 
 ■yested themselvos of their vests, made a 
 movement aH if to take oflF their Hhirts and 
 dispense with everything but their trowsers 
 and boots. 
 
 "Decidedly," said the midshipman, "these 
 fellows are going to enjoy themselves more 
 than wo do." 
 
 "I think BO too, sir," said the boatswain, 
 heaving a deep sigh. ' ' But if you would 
 only allow" — 
 
 "What?" 
 
 ' ' We might have a little boxing match 
 aboard, while the Captain is away." 
 
 "Oh I" the midshipman indignantly ex- 
 claimed, "and the instructions, Johnny! 
 You know your duty." 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied the abashed boatswain. 
 
 "You take command of the vessel, then," 
 said the middy, " for I am going down to see 
 this match." 
 
 And with that he spoke through his speak- 
 ing trumpet to the Canadians : 
 
 " Hallo, friends I Wait a moment." 
 
 Moutluc was gravely reading from a paper 
 the conditions of the match. 
 
 He turned aside his head, began to laugh, 
 and remiu-ked to his men: "Attention! the 
 gudgeon has taken the bait." 
 
 At the same time he made a sign to suspend 
 the preparations for the match, and with a de- 
 ferential air awaited the arrival on the scene 
 of the midshipman, who, in order that he 
 might reach the place the sooner, and not 
 lose the sport, had cleared the bulwarks of 
 the frigate, and rushed on headlong, like a 
 race horse, in his course. 
 
 Montluc held out his hand to the midship- 
 man, who clasped it cordially, and remarked — 
 
 "From what I can see, lieutenant" (Monthio 
 had assumed a lieutenant's uniform) "your- 
 self and your men are having a holiday ! " 
 
 "As you say," replied Montluc, in good 
 English; "and you, sir?" 
 
 "Oh ! as to us," said the middy, with a sad 
 expression of face, ' ' we are doing penance. " 
 
 "For Captain Smith's sins to all appear- 
 ances ?" added Moutluc. with a smile. 
 
 "Just as you say^lieuteuant, for his sins. 
 
 The worst of it is, that old Smith Is mont 
 zealous to convert us, while he denioN himself 
 no kind of pleasure. . . . Would you be- 
 lieve tlmt at this very moment he is off bear- 
 hunting, and has loft me alone with thirty- 
 three men to watch the V(ii<»'ous. But it 
 seems that you are more fortunate, and that 
 old Bo/karentbock does not keep you under 
 such restraint?" . . . 
 
 "Indeed," said Montlnc, "the Colonel puts 
 no restraint on his men. ' 
 
 ' ' And he is not trying to convert you ?'* 
 
 "No, indeed; ho uovor again will convert 
 any one," Montluc replied, gravely. 
 
 The midshipman, wlio know nothing al>out 
 what had taken place in the fort, was not as- 
 tonished at this reply. Montlno was pur- 
 posely protracting the conversation awaiting 
 some further development. 
 
 Meanwhile this was what was happening on 
 board the Valorous. Seeing his superior 
 officer descend from the ship, the boatswain 
 thought of following his example and wit- 
 nessing the fight. Accordingly ho, in his 
 turn, had come down. The soldiers had fol- 
 lowed the boatswain, and oven the watch on 
 guard himself, laying aside his musket and 
 attracted by the general curiosity, had hur- 
 ried along, hiding behind ail the others. At 
 the same moment. Chariot and Buffalo, ghd- 
 ing along behind the snow-heaps, boarded the 
 Valorous, set fire to the Captain's berth, the 
 berths of the officers, the quarter-deck, and a 
 barrel of whiskey which they rolled up against 
 the powder-magazine, and sliding with all 
 speed down a rope which hung down the hull 
 of the frigate, retraced their stops to the 
 place where Montluc was, just as the two 
 Canadians were i^osturing for the combat. 
 
 "Fire! fire 1" cried Chariot. 
 
 At this cry the midshipman turned round 
 and beheld a dense smoke issuing from the 
 frigate. This time he forgot the boxing and 
 boxers, looked around him, recognized his 
 crow who hud followed him, and full of alarm 
 rushed toward the vessel, commanding his 
 men to follow. At the same time Montluc 
 made a sign to his men tc dress as speedily as 
 possible and betake themselves to the fort. 
 
 I saw them returning at full si>eed, while 
 the English soldiers were running in the oppo- 
 site direction, toward the frigate, Pid I could 
 scarcely comprehend this double a id unique 
 movement of the two leaders. But all at once 
 a huge flame leaped from the frigate midships, 
 and was almost instantly follo\vod by a teiti- 
 ble explosion. The Valorous haiheen; — but 
 it was no more. Two or tliree sailors, who 
 were cpiicker than the others to reach their 
 ports, were blown up at the same time. The 
 
TH£ CHI£VrAIN8 OF OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 4t 
 
 THE OBOXJP ON THE ICE. 
 
 rest, wfth the midshipman, were only splashed 
 all over with muddy water. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE PBOLOOUE OF THE THIRD ACT. 
 
 I had caused the gate of the ^ort to be 
 thrown open, and Monluo ' Roi\,^ and his 
 men came tumbUng in, panting and out of 
 breath, but full of rejoicing. We hastened to 
 re-lock, barricade and load the cannons. 
 
 Montluc's first word was: " The piece con- 
 sists of three acts. The first and second have 
 been completely successful. Now, for the 
 third. . . , Beware of the assault I We no 
 longer have to make the attack, but to with- 
 stand it." 
 
 He distributed among his men a double al- 
 lowance of salt beef and ham, of whioh there 
 was abundant supply in the storehouKe of the 
 fort, a double allowance of beer and whiskey, 
 
so 
 
 THIS CHIEPTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 put &I1 hie* priBoners in a sort of cell or dungeon 
 — dark, but j>iot iinwholesome — so tliat we 
 might not have to fear an enemy inside as 
 well as outside, and issued the order that no 
 one, under pain of death, should leave his 
 post. 
 
 Having taken these precautions, he awaited 
 the English with the same serenity and gaiety 
 of manner with which he would receive the 
 visit of a friend or relative. Accordingly, 
 we were all on our guard, full of confidence 
 in our success, when suddenly the roll of the 
 drum was heard at a short distance. 
 
 " There's the enemy," exclaimed Montluc. 
 
 The gai rison of the fort scattered over the 
 plain at their exercise, formed into Une at 
 once upon hearing the explosion of the Val- 
 orotiH. An officer had nm on to ascertain the 
 cause of the disaster, and the others were 
 hurrying forward their men in all parts to the 
 fort, not knowing what danger could be men- 
 acing them. 
 
 The officer who h'ad gone to ascertain about 
 the frigate, returned almost immediately. He 
 had met the crew all terror-stricken at the 
 mysterious disaster, and the midshipman who 
 was tearing his hair in despair. At this news 
 the soldiers altered their course, and under 
 officers' commands went to bear succor to the 
 marines of the Valorous. But there was 
 nothing for them to do. Everything was 
 scattered about, demolished into little pieces. 
 
 When the two branches of the service had 
 came together, the major, who had been di- 
 recting the manoeuvers of the regiment, de- 
 manded of the midshipman : 
 
 ' How did this disaster occur, Jones ?" 
 
 ' ' Can any one tell ?" replied the midshipman. 
 Does any one e ,'er know how these things oc- 
 cur? 'Tis the devil that is intermeddling 
 with our affairs." 
 
 " Then you were not aboard the frigate since 
 you saw nothing ?" rejoined the Major, who 
 wfw an old soldier, and not without great 
 presence of mind. 
 
 "What business of yours is it. Major," 
 ahaiply replied Jones, much embarrassed, 
 " to know where I was; you are not my su- 
 perior officer. Am I obliged to render an ac- 
 count of ray actions to a land officer?" 
 
 "Jones," cried the captain, "if you won't 
 an.swer the questions of an officer of the land 
 forces (and I believe it would be neither 
 ju8t nor expedient), perhaps you will answer 
 mine." 
 
 "I am ready, Captain," modestly replied 
 the unlucky midshipman. 
 
 "Jonas," continued Smith, "who is the 
 gbutloman to whom I entrusted the command 
 of the Valorous during my absence ?" 
 
 "I am the person, Captain. ** 
 
 "Jones, what is the princip^ ^a*^ ^<f A 
 gentleman in the commission of his Majesty, 
 and delegated by his superior to guard a fort 
 in time of war ?" And as Jones bowed his 
 head and remained silent — "Shoulditnot be," 
 continued Smith, "to guard that fortnight 
 and day?" . . . Jones did not budge. "If 
 this is so, " continued the Captain, ' ' does not 
 the gentleman who has failed in duty expose 
 hunself to the punishment of high treason?" 
 
 ' ' Captain, " said Jones, raising his head at 
 this accusation, "I was absent, it is true ; but 
 others besides me, of higher grade in the 
 service, were absent also. I am not the only 
 gentleman in his Majesty's service who has 
 taken leave. " 
 
 This was such a home thrust that Captain 
 Smith, whose conscience was not at ease,, any 
 more than the rest of the officers of the frigate, 
 hastened to interrupt Jones, saying : ' ' My 
 lad, 'tis a generous matter; every one has 
 his faults, and each must repair his own as 
 well as he can. But, upon my soul, there 
 never was a more terrible or unforsecn calam- 
 ity. Where were yon during the burning ?" 
 
 "Alas, Captain," answered Jones modestly ; 
 "I had left the ship to look on at a most mag- 
 nificent boxing match between two hearty 
 fellows." 
 
 " A boxing match !" cried Smith; "well 
 I knew that boxing was and will be a tempta- 
 tion of BeLzebub." But, then, you know at 
 least — he said after a moment's reflection — 
 " who won the match ?" 
 
 " I do not know," replied Jones. The 
 fighters, the seconds and some soldiers who 
 accompanied them, vanished when we cried 
 out: "Fire I" 
 
 "'Tis strange," said the Major, " no one 
 spoke of boxing this morning. Well, we 
 shall doubtless find them in the fort. Come 
 with us. Captain, you and your brave ma- 
 rines ; our soldiers will make room for them 
 at the fire and the candle light while forming 
 some resolution ; you need have no fear about 
 either your men or yourself. Captain Smith. 
 We have two years' provisions in the fort. And, 
 meanwhile, I shall order a breakfast that will 
 serve as a dirmer." 
 
 John Smith thanked him with feeling. 
 
 ' ' Should we not, " replied the Major, ' ' treat 
 our friends in this way ? Would not you do 
 the same for me if I were in the same unfor- 
 tunate circumstances!" 
 
 "I should try to do even more if it were in 
 my power," rejoined Smith, but that will not 
 prevent us from fully appreciating all your 
 kindness. 
 
 "By the way," added Major Steingold, 
 
THE CHIEPTAIN8 OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 fil 
 
 "the blowing up of the frigate must have ear- 
 ned off your clothes and money." 
 
 "Everything, even my three changes of 
 •wigs," said Smith. "Oh, the devil does 
 many a thing when his hand is once in." 
 
 And thus the two officers were philosophiz- 
 ing as they approached the fort. (You will 
 presently know how I have been able to re- 
 peat even to the least detail of their conver- 
 sation.) The last words of Steingold were 
 these : "I promise you a bowl of turtle soup 
 that you will lick your fingers after. My 
 head cook is a marvel at turtle soup." 
 
 Then he raised his eyes suddenly to the 
 entrance of the fort, and saw floating in the 
 breeze the white flag with the Fleur de lyse. 
 If ever man was amazed, it was the Major. 
 
 "My God!" he cried, " what flag is that ?" 
 
 Then Montluc, who from the height of the 
 ramiiarts, was surveying the plain, began to 
 speak and poUtely answered : 
 
 "Major,' 'tis the flag of his Majesty the 
 King of France and mine. Salute it I" 
 
 CHAPTER X.—(Co7icitwt(W.) 
 
 ONE AGAINST A THOUSAND. 
 
 LoBD Klldabe, with a smile, continued his 
 vwrrative, which filled me with the liveUest 
 Interest. 
 
 " The amazement of Major Steingold," said 
 he, "soon gave way to fury." 
 
 "'Surrender, rascals!' he shouted, 'or I 
 will put you to the sword!' " 
 
 "'Major,' replied Montluc, 'an English 
 gentleman should always be poUte.' " 
 
 " ' I don't want to be poUte,' rejoined the 
 Major ; ' I am no Englishman. I am Major 
 Steingold, a gentleman of Westphalia. Sur- 
 render the fort, or I will have you hanged!' ' 
 
 " 'Be off, * said Montluc, ' or I will give you 
 a dose of grapeshot, and if I take you alive, 
 I shall employ you to black my boots.' " 
 
 " At this time he directed six guns to be so 
 placed that they might cover the soldiers and 
 marines who were in the rear of Steingold 
 and John Smith. But the latter, who had a 
 cooler head than Steingold, and, besides, was 
 not involved in any dispute with Montluc, 
 raised his hand as if to iutuuate that he 
 viflhed to ask a queston : 
 
 "'Sir?'" 
 
 " 'I am Montluc le Bouge, oldest son of 
 Boron Hannibal of Montluc. ' " 
 
 "At these words Steingold seemed to be 
 confoundeiL The name of Montluc le Bouge 
 was ao dre«ded in all North America, that he 
 saw all hia soldiers shudder, and old John 
 Snith frowned uneasily. For all that he 
 continued to speak:" 
 
 " ' It is you, then, Monsieur Montluc, who 
 have just burned my frigate ?' " 
 
 " ' So it seems.'" 
 
 ' ' ' And you have tfiken the fort ?' " 
 
 " ' As you see.' " 
 
 " ' What has become of Colonel Bozkarent- 
 bock ?' " 
 
 '"He is dead.'" 
 
 " 'And Lieutenant-Colonel Eeitenfels?' " 
 
 " ' He has a ball in the heel. Otherwise he 
 is well, and presents you his compliments.' " 
 
 ' ' ' What have you done with the gar- 
 rison?'" 
 
 "'Killed twelve of them, and wounded 
 tv7enty-four. There are seventeen others who 
 are my prisoners. The wounded and the 
 prisoners are as well treated as the place and 
 the means at hand will permit. As to the 
 dead, if you wish to bury them with miUtary 
 honors, I am ready to deliver their remains to 
 you.'" 
 
 ' ' ' And in order to bum the frigate and 
 take the fort,' asked John Smith, with a 
 heavy sigh, 'how many men did you have?' " 
 
 " 'How does that concern you, Captain 
 Smith?' Montluc asked. "Does a bold Enghsh 
 mariner count his enemies ? We may be four, 
 we may be forty; perhaps we number four 
 hundred, perhaps four thousand, or forty 
 thousand. Who will ever know our numbers 
 excepting yoiu-self, if you make an attack?' ' 
 
 ' ' John Smith took Steingold aside and con- 
 ferred with him." 
 
 " 'By the way,' said Montluc, 'let me give 
 you some advice. Captain Smith. ' " 
 
 "'Advice to me,' said the Englishman, 
 haughtily, drawing himself up to liis full 
 height." 
 
 ' ' ' Yes, to you, Captain. You have not 
 had breakfast, is not that so ?' " 
 
 "'Montluc le Rouge,' said the Captain, 
 'we have provisions for six months, and if 
 you do not deliver up the place gracefully, 
 we shall proceed with the assault. ' " 
 
 ' ' ' You are wrong,' retorted Montluc. ' You 
 have but one way to get your breakfast, that 
 is, to give up your arms, pile them in a heap 
 thirty paces hence, where I shall cause them 
 to be taken, and obey me in everything ; for, 
 by my honor, except some deer, which are 
 better runners than you, there is not within 
 two hundred leagues in circumference* a 
 pound of meat or bread. I don't speak, to 
 bo sure, of the provisions in the fort, which 
 are immense, as I have just assured my 
 eyes. Surrender your arms, if you don't chose 
 to die of hunger.' " 
 
 " Steingold began to blaspheme. To Bur- 
 render or die of hunger I For what did they 
 take him ? for some poor peasant? Yet, his 
 
£0 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 principal grief was the idea of losing his break- 
 fast. John Smith, a practical kind of fellow, 
 neither swore nor blasphemed. He took a 
 clear, dispasKionate view of the situation, and 
 he said, " Comrades, we are all unfortunate, 
 and I have lost my frigate ; you have lost your 
 fortress out and out ! " 
 
 "'I have lost it!' exclaimed the German. 
 ♦Not I, — I did not suflfer the fort to be cap- 
 tured, but Colonel Bozkarentbock — '—^ " 
 
 " ' Just exactly my case,' said Smith, burst- 
 ing into a laugh. 'I did not allow the Val. 
 orous to be burned up, but Jones did. 
 In your case, it is your superior who was 
 guilty of folly; in mine, my inferior. It 
 comes to the same after all, Steingold.' " 
 
 "'Then why talk to me about it?' de. 
 manded the still furious WestphaUan." 
 
 ' • ' To tell you, dear friend, that, not hav- 
 ing bread, wine, beer, vegetables, nor even 
 water fit to drink — for the only well here is in 
 the fort — we must make a desperate assault 
 on the enemy, or perish ; or, on the other 
 hand, surrender unconditionally, for there is 
 no other means of procuring our breaklast in 
 this life.'" 
 
 '♦ ' Well, let us storm the fort. Have you 
 any ladders ? ' " 
 
 " ' I have not,' answered Smith; 'but my 
 brave sailors will make them presently out of 
 the debris of the Valorous, and you will see 
 what they can do, Steingold.'" 
 
 " ' I can do better than that,' remarked the 
 cunning Westphaliau ; you shall see, Smith.' " 
 
 "At the same time he went from rank to 
 rank and gave secret instructions. We be- 
 held the German soldiers little by little ap- 
 proaching the drawbridge. They must have 
 calculated upon rushing headlong across it, 
 before we should have time to raise it, break- 
 ing open with the butts of their muskets the 
 gate and retaking the fort by a surprise. As 
 they were just springing on the drawbridge 
 Montluc, who seemingly indifferent, was still 
 all on the alert, cried out: ' Fire ! ' " 
 
 "Six pieces, charged to the muzzle and 
 levelled at the same point, went off in one 
 boom. It was Uke a heap of heads and legs 
 all round. Thirty or forty men fell at once. 
 The others took flight and did not halt until 
 they were five hundred paces from the fort, 
 quite near the relics of the frigate where the 
 marines, headed by John Smith, already pre 
 ceeded them. This time the two commanders 
 halted to consult, and this was their conver- 
 sation as I heard it related since then : 
 
 'Major,' said John Smith to Steingold, 
 'you are a brave man. Your idea would 
 have been a good one if it had succeeded ; 
 but '" 
 
 " ' What shall we do?' inquired Steingold-, 
 for we are not here for reproaches.' " 
 
 " ' Attention! ' repUed Smith, at the same 
 time turning to his men. ' My lads,' he said, 
 ' we have no luck to-day, and old England 
 will not be pleased with us when she learns 
 we have allowed the Valorous to be burned. 
 But let us say no more about this mishap. 
 Let us try to repair it, if we can. Stick up 
 all the hatchets and cordage yon can find 
 among the remains of the VaUrrotts and con- 
 struct horn-ladders as speedily as you can ; 
 for if we loiter twenty-four hours, with the 
 cold of this land and the coming snow, himger 
 will prove unendurable. There are no pro- 
 visions except in the fort. We must re-take 
 it if we want to get anything to eat. ' " 
 
 " At this terrible announcement every one 
 set to work. From the summit of the ran- 
 parts we could observe these brave lads dig- 
 ging with a will, picking up hatchets here 
 and there, pulling in a heap all the boards 
 they could find, spUtting, sawing, and boring 
 holes. 
 
 " Montluc took me aside and said: 'Kil- 
 dare, I may be slain.' And as I was exclaim- 
 ing, ' Every one else maybe slain,* he con- 
 tinued : 
 
 " ' In such event, you shall assume the 
 command. Meanwhile, you shall take charge 
 of the Smith side of our fortress. I gueas 
 that Steingold, who is a devil, will desire to 
 attack us iu the rear, and that John Smith, 
 quite the contrary, will face us with his sail- 
 ors. They will undoubtedly make the assault 
 from two opposite quarters, and I should like 
 to find myself face to face with John Smith, 
 who is a brave man and has won a reputa- 
 tion.'" 
 
 ' ' ' Then you leave Steingold to me because 
 he is inferior game ?' " 
 
 "' What would you have Kildare,' replied 
 Montluc, with a smile ; ' I am Commander-ia- 
 Chief, and naturally I chose the best morsels 
 for myself. Go, to I You shall have your 
 turn. Besides, you would be wrong to com- 
 plain. Steingold is a brute, 'tis true, but a 
 brave brute, or, speaking more accurately, 
 he is an ill-bred gentleman, as you can see.' 
 He broke off abnptly, looked at the enemy, 
 and lending me his glass, observed : ' What 
 did I predict? Look this way at John Smith, 
 who is approaching stealthily under cover of 
 the snow-ridges, but face front, nevertheless, 
 Uke a brave, solid English marine, who has 
 no doubt of the hardness of his fists and the 
 weight of his hatchet. Look at these men 
 carrying along beams, ladders, hammers and 
 ropes, and in the advance rank the men who 
 were hunting the white bear, and have not 
 
THE OeiEFTAlKS OF CHAMPLAlK. 
 
 69 
 
 V'.^ -J: 
 
 "OOMS. B0X8, B£ QUIOE, OlilHB ABBAS I' 
 
 eaten a morsel in five days. Look! notice 
 their long, sharp, biting teeth ! By Jupiter's 
 locki they art) gallant fellows!' " 
 
 " And, ai I pointo I on ■ another band more 
 nnmerous, whicli wan making a detour to the 
 left, aul pursuinj thi bye-pathfl, creeping 
 ftlonf, no ni nci t» lio seen — 
 
 " ' Thesij follows.' said Montluc, 'are 
 Steingold's commaud. They will approach on 
 
 yonr side of the fort. Be it yours to make it 
 hot for them. Go and command your post." 
 
 " 'I am going with Lord Kildare, brother, 
 exclaimed Chariot." 
 
 " 'Why? Rtay with me. Father will not 
 bo pleased if ho learns you left my 
 side.' " 
 
 '" With you,'— waitWy echoed the boy — 
 ' ' there is no glory to be won by any one bat 
 
S4 
 
 THE OHIEFTAINS OF OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 yon. With Lord Kildare there is a chance to 
 have a share of fame, at least 1' " 
 
 "I did not take his freedom in bad part, 
 and held out my hand to him, saying : 
 
 " ' Chariot, I shall not leave you any more 
 than your brother, you will see!' " 
 
 "Naturally, Buffalo followed his pupil, for 
 they were never asunder. 
 
 '* In five minutes the assault began, each of 
 us being at our post and quite ready to do our 
 duty ; the drum beat on th$ side the marines 
 were advancing with Captain Smith at their 
 head, and, by a very natural ruse, as the 
 snow, which was fifteen feet where deep 
 pathways had been formed, concealed them 
 often from our view, they took advantage of 
 this fact to beat the charge on one side, so as 
 to bewilder us the best way they could, while 
 their men, drawn up in good order, were 
 moving on the other. But Montluc had fore- 
 seen it What is there that he does not 
 foresee? Accordingly, when he heard the 
 drum beating on one side, he looked at the 
 other, and saw all at once, at ten feet from 
 the moat, thirty-five or forty guns covering 
 him at the same time. He had barely time to 
 lower himself behind the bulwarks. A volley 
 was poured along the whole line at once ; the 
 bullets whistled over his head, and rebounded 
 thirty feet beyond the fort. 
 
 "A prolonged hurrah followed upon this dis- 
 charge. As he was seen no more — the EngUsh 
 believed him dead, and John Smith thinking 
 we were all in despair at so terrible a misfor- 
 tune, sprang toward the rampart, ciying to 
 his men:" 
 
 " ' Hurrah 1 my boys, you have just made a 
 fine hit ! Montluc le Rouge is dead ! Hurrah ! 
 Forward! Place the ladders!' " 
 
 "Indeed, it seemed as if there Tas nothing 
 more to be done than raise the ladders, and 
 that no further resistance would be encoun- 
 tered. No one showed himself this side of 
 the fort, and Montluc, ctiU down and sheltered 
 by the bulwarks, gave commands by signs." 
 
 "On the English side you could hear the 
 ringing voice of John Smith :" 
 
 " 'Come, boys, be quick, climb ahead! 
 Don't lose time reloading, use your boarding- 
 hatchets and cutlasses. ' " 
 
 "At this moment poor Jones solicited the 
 honor to lead the storming party, for he was 
 eager to repair his fault and avenge the loss 
 of the Vaiarotia. Old Smith looked cross at 
 him and said : ' Master Jones, you are not 
 worthy of this honor. No — you are not 
 worthy of t; but I shall not prevent you 
 from getting killed in the service of their 
 Majesties, King William and Mary, whom 
 Qod defend I Go and do your best 1' " 
 
 "The young midshipman did not wait for a 
 repetition of the order. He seized hold of 
 the first ladder (there were five or six planted 
 against the walls), sprang up the steps more 
 nimbly than a squirrel, and was the first to 
 place his foot upon the rampart with the cry: 
 'Hurrah for old England!' But his joy 
 was short-Uved. Montluc, who was watching 
 and waiting for him, rose up suddenly, seized 
 him by the throat with one hand, and with 
 the other struck him with his sword and 
 threw him fainting and almost dying into the 
 interior of the fort." 
 
 "At the same time he gave this command : 
 'Hurl the ladders into the moat.' It was 
 done on the spot ; but as the ladders were 
 long, sixty or eighty arms or thighs were 
 broken in the fall, and the enthusiasm of the 
 besiegers was cooled." 
 
 ' ' Montluc, who had caused the great guns to 
 be reloaded, then sent a heavy fire of 
 grape-shot into the sailors of the Valorous. 
 It was a genuine massacre which did not last 
 six seconds, but in which John Smith saw a 
 fifth of his crew perish." 
 
 "Upon witnessing this first disaster, he 
 caused a retreat to be beaten, or rather he 
 sheltered his men behind the ridges of snow, 
 formed by the paths which furrowed the 
 plain. In this asylum of retreat, whither no 
 one desired to follow him, he execrated the 
 dehberations of Steingold, who should have 
 come to his assistance, yet suffered the brave 
 warriors of the Valorous to perish, perhaps 
 that he might reserve for himself the sole 
 credit of victory." 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 A SPEEDY VICTOBT — BABON STEINGOLD OOME8 
 DOWN A LITTLE FROM HIS LOFTY STATION. 
 
 ' ' At the same time, went on Kildare, or 
 perhaps five minutes later, the combat com> 
 menced on my side. Steingold, as Montluc 
 had predicted, craftily sought to surprise me 
 from the rear. Cunning, Uke pII the people 
 of his country, this good Westphalian be- 
 lieved that no one could suspect his strata- 
 gem. As he told me himself, later on, he 
 wanted to make a cork-screw movement." 
 
 "There is. Father, a strong and a weak 
 point with great captains. When it succeeds 
 it is their strong point, but when it fails, it if 
 their weak point. Yoa are about to ascer- 
 tain what success Steingold had that day." 
 
 ' ' I must tell you in the first place, that 
 Montluc's orders were not to fire until the 
 enemy should reach the bank of the moat. 
 The reason was that the result would b« 
 greater, all our shots being Ukely to tell at 
 
THE OHIEl-'TAINS OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 that distance, while hidden behind the para- 
 pet, ve should afford the enemy little chance 
 of taking aim at us." 
 
 ' ' At twenty feet from the moat, Major 
 Steingold, brandlBhing his sword, cried to 
 his men: 'Forward! forward!' and was 
 already standing aside to let them pass, when 
 an accident compelled him to pause a mo- 
 ment, and delay the assault." 
 
 " The fort, on that side, had no door or 
 window, the dwelling portion being closed 
 from within, and without communication 
 with the ramparts. Accordingly, he must 
 either make a breach with his artillery (an 
 impossibility, for Steingold had no cannon), 
 or attempt the assault with ladders." 
 
 ' ' But why should I protract the narrative 
 of the battle, Father ? You may well dis- 
 trust it, seeing Moutluc and myself in such 
 good health and with such hearty appetites 
 in your presbytery. In two words, I may 
 say that we suffered six assaults the same 
 day; that old John Smith was slain upon the 
 rampart by Montluc himself, after having 
 wounded him with a poniard; that Steingold 
 was neither slain nor wounded, but repulsed 
 with his men, for we returned cannon balls 
 and grape shot for their bullets, and that 
 seeing their ammunition exhausted, night 
 approaching and hunger preying on their 
 vitals, they finished by capitulation." 
 
 "It is here you will appreciate the pro- 
 found wisdom of my friend Montluc. When 
 the envoy of the Major presented himself, 
 for Steingold, by Captain Smith's death, 
 had become chief of the two forces, Montluc 
 would grant no other condition than this one: 
 ' That the English and Oermaus should have 
 their lives spared.'" 
 
 " Steingold swore and blasphemed accord- 
 ing to his wont. (We could hear him from 
 the fort. ) Then night came as bright as it 
 ordinarially is in Polar regions, but bitterly 
 cold and fraught with the saddest reflections. " 
 
 " The soldiers, having left the fort with- 
 out knapsacks, for they thought in the morn- 
 ing of only going on parade, were shivering 
 in their red coats. Mustered with the 
 marines, they built with great difficulty, a 
 wooden barrack, out of the wreck of the 
 Valorous; but as the barrack was only three 
 himdred feet from the fort, Montluc waited 
 until the fire was lighted, and the soldiers 
 and sailors seated or stretched all around, 
 half-frozen, hungry, overcome by the mis- 
 fortunes of the day, and disheartened at 
 those which they foresaw for the morrow. 
 . , . When he was sure they wanted 
 nothing more, officers and soldiers, than a 
 little rest, he caused the artillery of the fort 
 
 to play on the barrack. The first discharge 
 swept away the frail shelter, killed four or 
 five men, extinguished the fire, scattered the 
 firebrands, and put the whole party to flight." 
 
 " As I was reproaching him for his severity, 
 for, indeed, these unfortunate fellows were 
 no longer to be feared, they asked only to 
 sleep, he observed: ' Kildare, my dear friend, 
 I applaud your generosity; it is good to be 
 generous when one is brave; I would be gen- 
 erous if I had time for it.' " 
 
 " 'Howl' what do you mean? 'if you had 
 time for it.'" 
 
 ' ' I mean what I say. . . . My father, 
 when I was setting out from here, imparted 
 to me secrets I must keep to myself. But know 
 this, that the safety of Canada depends on a 
 delay or a start of twenty-four hours. If we 
 had not surprised the fort or taken it three 
 days later, twenty savage tribes with whom 
 we have treaties of aUiance, would have gone 
 over to the English, believing us ruined. 
 We get nothing from France — neither re- 
 inforcements, ammunition, money. We can 
 only hold out by the force ot audacity. My 
 father makes war on the EngUsh at his own 
 expense. He sends the Canadian Governor, 
 Frontenac, money which the king will never 
 repay. He knows it, laughs at it, and says he 
 likes it better that the King of France should 
 be under an obligation to him, than that he 
 should be beholden to the King of France. 
 There's the situation, my dear Kildare. Stein- 
 gold must surrender before the night closes, 
 with all his men, so that I may be able to set 
 out at ten o'clock to-morrow morning for 
 Montluc Tower. My father is impatiently 
 awaiting my return to take command of the 
 Algonquin warriors, the Hurons, and all our 
 western Canadians, who obey only him. In 
 his absence, I watch Montluo Tower. If the 
 tower was without a protector a single instant 
 my mother, sister and Lucy would run very 
 serious dangers. Understand now, Gerald, 
 why I cannot be generous to-day. My gen- 
 erosity, my good Kildare, might cost the 
 Uves of all I love in this world." 
 
 " I agreed that he was right and that it was 
 better to shoot the enemy than suffer the 
 death of his father, mother or sister. As I 
 made this avowal, we heard a single blast of 
 the trumpet. It was Steingold's envoy come 
 to open parley." 
 
 " Tlie poor fellow was frost-bitten, his eyes 
 moist , he was shivering in Ins overcoat, and 
 his teeth were chattering. He was perishing 
 of cold and hunger. Montluc himself took 
 pity on him and gave him a glass of whiskey. 
 The unfortunate man thanked him and ap- 
 peared revived." 
 
«6 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 THE ENVOY. 
 
 " 'Speak now,' said Montluc." 
 
 "'My Lord,' Raid the envoy, 'I have a 
 scheme of treaty which Major Steiogold com- 
 mission me to propose to you.' " 
 
 "Let us see." 
 
 "These are Lord Steingold's conditions: 
 
 "First . . . ." 
 
 " ' You need not go further,' saidMontluo ; 
 ' does he surrender at discretion, the only 
 ooodition being to spare life ?' " 
 
 "Not quite He would de- 
 
 sire . . . ." 
 
 ' ' Tell him then, I shall make no other con- 
 ditions, and you may depart." 
 
 "But the ambassador did not budge. He 
 drew from his pockets full powers and a 
 blank signed by Steingold." 
 
 "Montluc burst out laughing, and said to 
 him : ' My pc or comrade, you do well to come 
 to a dooieion at once ; for upon my sool, yon 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLATN 
 
 57 
 
 wonld hare to negotuite for thirty years, be- 
 fore obtaining from me anything other than 
 
 your lives Writer" 
 
 ' ' He dictated and the envoy wrote and 
 filled in the blank under his dictation. " 
 
 " 'Now,' added Montluc, after having 
 signed, ' you want supper, don't you ?' " 
 
 " 'Oh, yes,' exclaimed the envoy; 'with- 
 out that do ;fou suppose — ' " 
 
 ' ' ' You would have surrendered your arms ? 
 
 No, I do not believe you would 
 
 Also, I thank God, the Blessed Virgin and 
 Saint Louis, my patron, for the protection 
 they have accorded us. . . . You, my 
 friend, go to Steingold ; tell him to withdraw 
 his own men and the marines of the Valorous 
 a distance of three hundred feet, without 
 arms. I am about to send food and clothing 
 for your men, who must be in sore need of 
 them. Go!'" 
 
 "'Ah, Lord Montluc,' cried the envoy, 
 'you B;ive our lives, for we are famishing of 
 hunger and cold.' " 
 
 ' ' Then, without delay, the German regi- 
 ment and the crew of the Valorous having 
 laid aside their arms, and retired far enough, 
 Montluc directed the guns, pistols and swords 
 to be taken to the fort, and five barrels of 
 salt seal, salt pork, salt beef, more than two 
 thousand pounds of biscuit and five casks of 
 beer to be distributed among the men ; but 
 he rfuseed to give whiskey. 'Whiskey,' he 
 remarked, 'would turn the heads of these 
 poor fellows and stimulate them perhaps to 
 try a new assault, which would be dangerous, 
 although they no longer have guns ; we 
 should be obliged to kill a himdred of them 
 before making the others listen to reason, for 
 number and despair can make up for all. Be- 
 sides, I have no time to write. 'And now,' he 
 added, ' the commissioned officers are about 
 to repair to the fort and become hostages. In 
 the event of any soldier or non-commissioned 
 officer disobeying my orders, I shall have him 
 hanged without quarter, and if it is impossi- 
 ble to hang him, I shall have an officer 
 hanged in his place.' " 
 
 '"I sought to soften down these condi- 
 tions," but he replied : " 
 
 "My friend Kildare's generosity is out of 
 place in this matter. My prisoners are ten 
 times more numerous than my men. If I did 
 not use a rod of iron, they would strangle us. 
 I don't desire to do them any harm, but be- 
 tween their life and that of my brave Canadi- 
 ans, I shall not hesitate ; my choice is made. 
 Go to rest. To-morrow morning, at ten 
 o'clock we shall leave this.* " 
 
 *' • And you — will you not retire, too ? ' " 
 
 " ' Yet^ whan you shall arise at five, to take 
 
 my place. As for the rest, I am at ease ; 
 Old Buffalo, who never sleeps but with one 
 eye open and can hear the deer frisking about 
 at thirty leagues away, is on the watch for a:I 
 of us.'" 
 
 ' ' Thus we passed the night, friends and 
 enemies. Our men were lying down, but 
 with their hands on their arms and sleeping, 
 except four sentinels posted at the four cor- 
 ners of the fort. The English and the Ger- 
 mans, less comfortable, biit satisfied at hav- 
 ing supped (for they were afraid they should 
 never sup again), were sleeping, also, under 
 a sort of barrack constructed from the Valor- 
 ous, and lying close to one another in five 
 thick rows around the fire." 
 
 "Luckily a heavy snow fell all night and 
 prevented the north wind from attacking 
 them — which would have frozen them alive. 
 The barrack was without partition or wall, 
 but its roof, rather deftly constructed by the 
 carpenter, and the sail of the Valorous, pre- 
 served them from the snow." 
 
 "It was a terrible night, and dragged along 
 slowly, Uke all nights ia the vicinity of the 
 pole, where the sunlight even reflected by 
 the sun, is scarcely brighter than that of a 
 dark lantern. Conquerors and conquered, 
 we were all very ill at ease, except two, Mont- 
 luc and Buffalo. They had, no doubt, been 
 made of peculiar metal by the Almighty and 
 cast into a mould different from ordinary 
 Christians." 
 
 ' ' About five o'clock, as I was fast asleep, 
 stretched near the fire-place beside the oth- 
 ers, I was awakened by Montluc, who lightly 
 touched my anu and notified me to take his 
 place in a sort of sentry-box, placed on the 
 rampart, from which you could command the 
 whole plain. For recreation, I had the right, 
 wrapped in thick furs, to march double-quick 
 as if charging an invisible enemy with the 
 bayonet. From time to time I rubbed my 
 nose with snow for fear of getting frost- 
 bitten." 
 
 " ' Ah ! ' assuredly I was glad to have taken 
 or assisted to take Fort Hudson, which, I 
 dare say, is an achievement by the side of 
 which those of Alexander and Caesar would 
 pale, but I could not help thinking of my old 
 Fitzgerald in the beautiful county of Kildare, 
 where an entire oak is tnrown on the hearth 
 to make a fire, and from the window of which 
 the greenest and most fertile meadows in the 
 whole world are seen. But I had no choice." 
 "Moreover, God, who leads us whither He 
 lists, and by the paths that please Him best, 
 had doubtless resolved to conduct me to hap- 
 piness by this ; bo that the snow, the frost 
 the gunshots and the forced ma r ohfO wore 
 
£8 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF OHAMFLAIK. 
 
 'ah, I SHAXiIi WEVEB FOK GET THAT AWFUL SCENE !" 
 
 only unusual means to give mo this knowledge 
 of paradise upon earth. You shall see how. " 
 
 "About nine in the morning, Montluc 
 arose, had the drum beat, and our men stand 
 under anus. He then said: 'We are now 
 about to divide the booty,'" 
 
 " At these words the eyes of our Canadians, 
 Algonquin's or French sparkled with pleasure. 
 It is quite natural, for the King of France, 
 
 for vhom we were fighting, had rarely given 
 any pay, and yet one must live ; is not that 
 true ?" 
 
 " 'Certainly,' I answered ; "but in a coun- 
 try so wild and savage, where only ico can be 
 seen, of what could the booty consist ?' " 
 
 " 'The Hudson-Bay Fort was filled with 
 merchandise of great value, beaver and other 
 skins, the finest and most valuable in two 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF GHAMPLAIK. 
 
 h«mi«pherea. Oar GanAdiana are savageH, 
 bat they are not dolts ; they knew well what 
 they were doing in marching with Montlnc to 
 the conquest of the fort. In victuals, auiniu- 
 iiition, guns, every kind of arms, skins and 
 hides, gold and silver coin, brandy, whiskey 
 and other commodities, there were about eight 
 or ten millions of French livres' worth. The 
 single item of silver coin was quarter of this 
 sum, for the store houses in the fort served as 
 warehouse and treasury ; or, if you prefer, as 
 bank for the great English Company trading 
 with all the savages, when certain it is to be 
 paid cash down in advance. The great diffi- 
 culty was to transport this precious booty. 
 To burthen ourselves with it was to place 
 ourselves at the mercy of our prisoners, who, 
 their hands once free, would not have faUed 
 to fall upon us. To abandon or bum it was 
 very hard, for our Algonquin braves and Caua- 
 dian hunters had no other reward for their 
 bravery. " 
 
 "Montluc reflected. At last a sudden 
 thought flashed across his mind, and he sum- 
 moned Baron, or Major Steingold, and Mid- 
 shipman Jones, the only officers of the Valar- 
 mcs who had sui'vi ved the last evening's assault. " 
 
 "'Major,' said Montluc, "I desire to 
 make a proposition. ' " 
 
 "'Ah! ah!' said the Westphalian, who 
 thought he wanted him and wished to show 
 his worth, 'let us hear that proposition. Baron 
 Montluc.'" 
 
 " 'Will you enter my service?' said Montluc." 
 
 " The other was so astonished that he did 
 not believe his ears, though they were natur- 
 ally large enough, and shaped like window 
 shutters." 
 
 " ' My lord, I cannot have properly under- 
 stood you, I have no doubt ? It is impossi- 
 ble that ' " 
 
 " ' On the conti-ary. Major Steingold, it is 
 BO possible that it is true. I propose to you 
 to enter my service. ' " 
 
 " ' Oh !' cried Steingold, indignantly, "the 
 service of the King of France, do you mean ?' " 
 
 " ' No, no, into my service, the service of 
 Montuc leKouge, here present.' " 
 
 "'But the truth,' implored Steingold, 
 ' what do you understand by entering your 
 service. Baron?'" 
 
 "' Nothing' more simple and easy. Major. 
 You will personally black my shoes every 
 morning at sunrise, light the fire, make the 
 soup, brush my clothes, my hat, my bearskin, 
 and you shall be polite, devoted and respect- 
 ful, like a good servant. ' " 
 
 " 'Then,' exclaimed Steingold, ' you intend 
 thp.tmy soldiers and myself are to e your 
 domestics?' ' 
 
 " 'Yes, if you desire to eat an^ drink.'" 
 
 " 'Never!' said Steingold. " 
 
 " ' As you please. Major. ' " 
 
 ' ' The Westphalian was about to leave the^ 
 fort when Montluc re-called him. ' I forgot 
 to tell you two things: One, that your sol- 
 diers and yourself will carry our booty on 
 your backs; the other, that you will receive 
 wages for your work.' " 
 
 " 'Wages for me. Von Steingold of West- 
 phalia!'" 
 
 " ' Do you prefer not ?' asked Montluc, 
 with his customary serenity. ' At your pleas- 
 ure, Major.'" 
 
 "'Never! never! better die of hunger!' 
 said Steingold." 
 
 "He was crossing the drawbridge; but 
 after reflection, he turned back to the fort, 
 and demanded: ' What are those wages. 
 Monsieur le Baron ?' " 
 
 "'I shall give you,' said Montluc, 'half 
 what you carry on your backs, plunder, 
 victuals and provisions.' " 
 
 ' ' To this answer Steingold did not maka 
 any rejoinder, except by closing the door 
 with a savage air, and rejoining his men." 
 
 ' ' Montluc looked at his watch and said: 
 ' It ten o'clock, Steingold is a punctual 
 man and very methodical, he dines at twelve 
 every day. Mind me, Kildare, he will come 
 here about a quarter to twelve. ' " 
 
 ' ' He was mistaken by a good quarter of an 
 hour, for Steingold arrived, as will be seen, 
 pimctually, when it was only twenty-five 
 minutes past eleven." 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 WHICH DESCKIBES HOW THE LITTLE BAND OF 
 HEROES EETtlRNED TO MONTLUC TOWEE.— 
 8TBANOE TIDINGS AND A BTBANGE MESSENOBB. 
 
 Lord Kildare having paused a moment to 
 empty a bumper of my old wine, went on 
 with his story : 
 
 "'As soon,' he continued, 'as Steingold 
 had left, Montluc turned to the young mid- 
 shipman and said :' " 
 
 "'Your turn now, sir.' 'You are the 
 commanding officer of the Valor<ms f " 
 
 " 'Y^es, sir,' replied Jones mournfully. 
 'AH my superior officers were killed in the 
 assault. I am the only officer now. Ah, I 
 shall never forget that awful scene, when I 
 saw the frigate blown up through my care- 
 lessness !' " 
 
 " 'Fortune is fickle,' said Montluc. 'You 
 are young ; the next time you will have your 
 revenge. Meanwhile you must imitate Stein, 
 gold and help to transport my booty home.' " 
 
 "Never I" said Jones 
 
60 
 
 THE CHIEPTAmS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 "Yon too!" . . . Well, as you ploaHO ! 
 T shall force no one. Liberty, Ubertas / 
 But if you die of hunger, it will be your owu 
 fault. However, observe this, Jones, 1 am 
 offering you more honorable terms than to the 
 insolent Steingold. You should not have to 
 black my boots, you . , . V/ell, it is 
 true that you did not threaten to hang me." 
 
 " 'My Lord,' said Jones, 'my comrades, 
 the gallant marines of the VaUyrmii and your 
 humble servant are not beasts of burden. . . 
 We prefer to remain alone and without re- 
 sources in this frozen desert than submit to 
 your dishonorable conditions.' " 
 
 " 'You are right, Jones,' said Montluc 
 after a moments thought, ' you speak like a 
 man of honor ; but you quite embarrass me. 
 To leave you here is out of all question ; it 
 would be to bury you alfve, for I propose to 
 blow up the fort and burn up everything I 
 ehall not take away. To give you provisions 
 would be to furnish you the means to rebuild 
 the fort, and that would make my expedition 
 useless. ... By my faith 1 I will set 
 you free ; I shall give you three hatchets to 
 cut wood for a fire, and the bear, elk and 
 coyote for your subsistence. After that, let 
 God take care of you. I wish you no harm, 
 but you are really too headstrong.' " 
 
 "The young midshipman thanked him 
 cordially, received two days' rations for him- 
 self and his men, about seventy, all told, and 
 set out in the direction of Lake Superior, for 
 the illimitable West. The marines of the 
 Valorous, having been supplied with only 
 two days' provisions, probably perished of 
 hunger and cold before the end of the week. 
 Anyhow, Montluc heard no more about them. 
 As to Steingold's bold Germans, they did not 
 need pressing. They carried on their shoul- 
 ders goods and commodities of all kinds, gold 
 and whiskey being reserved for the Canadians 
 and Algonquins, and slowly bent their labor- 
 ious march to Montluc Tower and Lake Erie." 
 
 "But before leaving we blew up the fort 
 with all it contained and whatever we could 
 not take with us ; all the artillery was buried 
 in Hudson Bay in a spot over three thousand 
 feet deep; indeed, Montluc had taken all 
 possible precautions to obliterate every trace 
 or mark of cinders or unsightly debris, so 
 that the English could never ascertain the site 
 of their ancient strong-hold." 
 
 " And now, father, I approach the sweetest 
 and solemnest period of my life. But let me 
 tell you in the first place why I am detailing 
 to you our history and adventures, as if you 
 were a friend of a hundred years, and our 
 eonfessor." 
 
 " Last night before going to bed we talked 
 
 a good deal about you, and formed certain 
 plans in your regard." 
 
 "What plans?" 
 
 " You will learn presently. You please us. 
 you suit us ; your hospitable ways have won 
 over and charmed us ; in a word, you are just 
 the man wo need, and it is God Himself, I 
 feel sure of it, who has placed you in our 
 path." 
 
 "But to return to our expedition. We 
 were pretty near Lake Ontario — about a days' 
 journey— when, to my great astonishment, 
 we received strange news from Montluc Tow- 
 er, and by a messenger no less strange. 
 Fancy who was the messenger." 
 
 " Doubtless a savage." 
 
 " A savage ! Not at all. A being, the gen- 
 tlest, bravest and boldest that ever consorted 
 with earthly mortals. One of those who, 
 though they walk on four feet, are still our 
 devoted friends. . . , Come here, Phcebus, 
 come, you understand the Cure' of Gimel 
 who calls you a savage. He is wrong, and 
 will confess it presently. But you must not 
 harbor any ill-feeling toward him. When he 
 knows you better, he will love you just as we 
 do, . . . You understand me, PhLbbus." 
 
 " The great Newfoundland, big and strong 
 as a lion, supple as a deer, graceful as a cat, 
 stood upon his hind feet, his fore-paws upon 
 Lord KUdare's shoulders, looked him earnest- 
 ly and tenderly in the face, as a friend looks 
 upon his friend, and at a sign of my Lord's 
 came over to my side and began to fawn 
 upon me. I warmly patted him in return." 
 
 Lord Kildare continued his story : 
 
 " One moniing, then, while our little band 
 was slowly wending its way through an open 
 space in the woods and fully taken up es- 
 corting our prisoners who were bending un- 
 der the weight of the luggage, I was in the 
 van, between old Buffalo who was our guide 
 through the forest, and young Chariot, Mout- 
 luc's brother, who, true to his wandering in- 
 stincts, would now keep a hundred paces 
 ahead of all the others and then drop back 
 into our lines, when Buffalo stopped short as 
 if he heard something, and said ' Phoe- 
 bus!'" 
 
 " Chariot listened, yet heard nothing. 
 Buffalo repeated : ' Phoebus,' a league away 
 — he has recognized us — and is lurking and 
 approaching at full speed." 
 
 "Four or five minutes afterward Chariot 
 heard the barking and ran forward to meet the 
 dog, who was shooting through the air like an 
 arrow, having just recognized his friend." 
 
 "No words can describe the mutual joy 
 of Phoebus and Chariot. Phosbus kept bark- 
 ing, Obarlot oiying and laaghing. The boy 
 
THE CHIEPTAIN8 OP CHAMPLAIK 
 
 threv hiH arms round the dog's neck; the 
 dog with his paws returned the em- 
 brace." 
 
 " This lasted some time, during which we 
 wexe glad to enjoy a bttle rest, quite tired aH 
 we all were. Montluc, who was in the rear 
 forcing in the laggards, ran up to the head of 
 the column and saw Phoibus." 
 
 "The good dog sprang to his neck, then 
 sat down gravely on his haunches, and with 
 his right fore-paw rubbed his spiked collar, 
 to indicate that something was troubling him 
 there." 
 
 "Moutluc took it off and found a note 
 inside, then re-fastened it, and Phoebus, satis- 
 fied at having discharged his commission, 
 looked up at his master with an attentive air, 
 like an aide-de-camp who has fulfilled an im- 
 portant mission, and is awaiting the answer 
 of his general." 
 
 "Moutluo read the note, summoned old 
 Buffalo, and said to us :" 
 
 " ' These are my father's orders :' " 
 " ' MoNTLUO TowEB, 15th Oct., 1G96.'" 
 
 " 'Startling news!'" 
 
 " ' Six thousand English troops on foot. 
 Fort Richelieu taken; Montreal threatened. 
 The Saint Lawrence blocked up with ice. 
 No hope of assistance from France. Quebec 
 unprovisioned. Farms everywhere ravaged 
 and fired. Lord Frontenac entreats me to 
 join him. ' " 
 
 " 'Victorious or not, come to the fork of 
 the Eiver Renard, upon Lake Ontario. If 
 you have prisoners, leave them in charge of 
 Lord Kildare. I shall await you five days. 
 I shall be alone with two of our Canadians, 
 the two Currizaray brothers. I have left 
 their father, with his three other sons, at Fort 
 Montluc, to protect your mother, sister, and 
 Lucy from any sudden attack, t and also 
 thirty men as a garrison. As for me, I can 
 travel alone. From the great lakes to Quebec 
 there is not a man bold enough to put finger 
 upon me. HANNiBAii of Montluc. ' " 
 
 "'P. S.— No definite tidings about the 
 Iroquois. There's a report that they have 
 again joined the English, and are all marching 
 to:'ether on Quebec. But Father Fleury has 
 confidence in them, and I have confidence in 
 Father Fleury. Yet, if any calamity should 
 strike our house, my son, you must watch 
 over it. I send you this note by Phoebus, the 
 swiftest and truest of aides-de-camp. He will 
 suffer death in any business if necessary, and 
 should he be taken captive, he will revea 
 nothing, for he is no prattler. Your mother 
 sends a thousand kisses to Chariot, and two 
 thousand to you. Chariot has lost a third of 
 
 his caresses, for he set out in ipitA o*' her 
 entreaties. For myself, I can only My I love 
 you both. As to Lucy and Athenaia, not 
 knowing of the departure of Phoebus and 
 myself, who propose to travel by night so 
 that our journey may be ascertained only the 
 last moment in the enemy's country, they 
 have not written, but they hold on to their 
 vigilB, bravely offering up morning and night 
 ardent prayers and novenas for the happy 
 return of yourself and your comrades.' " 
 
 "Montluc tore up the letter, then he 
 turned to Phoebus, and said to him : ' Tis well 
 done, my friend I will carry the answer 
 myself. Go to your dinner meanwhile.' 
 And indeed poor Phoebus wanted it. He 
 hud made a hundred leagues on foot, which 
 is as trying for dogs as men, and even more 
 so, for they use the sole of the foot, while 
 men use the sole of leather. On his journey 
 he devoured a fox and a coyote, or at least 
 Buffalo, who is a learned adept in these mat- 
 ters, thought ho saw the traces of such a ban- 
 quet round the dog's mouth. But, as Chariot 
 correctly remarked, Phoebus carried no napkin 
 about his neck like tlie crier. Monsieur Dubois' 
 dog — ready for a fashionable city dinner — so 
 he seldom wiped his mouth after meals. Yon 
 will excuse him when you consider he is 
 only a quadruped, bom in Newfoundland— an 
 island where you find only uneducated seals 
 — and that he had never seen the Court." 
 
 "Phoebus having taken advantage of the 
 permission to dine plentifully— for Chariot 
 cared for him like a brother — Montluc said to 
 Buffalo, who was his confidential adviser, the 
 uudaimted Pied de Cerf who commanded the 
 Algoncjuins, and swore only by him, and to 
 me, his designated successor— ' My friends, 
 you must travel faster, and accompany me as 
 far as the fork of Eiver Renard. My father 
 will give us his orders. I can gather from 
 the tone of his letter that a terrible danger 
 hangs over the whole colony. Otlierwise 
 nothing could have caused him to quit my 
 mother and sister, who are themselves in the 
 centre of enemies.' " 
 
 "Then, collecting his prisoners, he spoke 
 in a loud voice : ' We must move forward at 
 a sharp trot, and cover two leagues an 
 hour.'" 
 
 "Most of them cried out as they were fall- 
 ing from fatigue. " 
 
 " Montluc resumed, without a trace of feel- 
 ing: 'I promised you life, but I did not 
 promise to sustain it. Whoever stops here 
 will be left without food or arms. These 
 forests are full of famished wolves, whose 
 barks you hear, and who follow in our fcot- 
 steps,'" 
 
B2 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 " Then, and at a atrotoh — oaoh ono having; 
 oatfln heartily — we roHumed our journey to 
 Lake Ontario, making two loaguoH au 
 hour." 
 
 " The wretched Oenuan priHonern bent 
 under thoir weighty burdouH ; they puflfod 
 away like Hea-poq)oiHOH, grow rod in the face, 
 and, doHpite the bitter weather, were bathed 
 in Hweat. Ah to our CanadianH and the bravo 
 AlgouqiiinH, our allieH, you would have Haid if 
 you saw them running over the frozen kuuw, 
 that they were not men half frozen, but fluh 
 Hwiuimiug in water, ho inured were they to 
 forced marches and this rude climate." 
 
 "At ten at night wo arrived at the fork of 
 the river lleuard, whore the old Baron Mont- 
 luc had lixed the meeting. FhcBbus, with 
 Chariot and Buffalo, had gone ahead of us— 
 throe friends who were Boldom asunder — luad 
 Hoemed to have the same taste for adventure 
 and distant journeys." 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MAJOU BTEINOOLD LOSES HIS CAUSE — FATHEU 
 FliEUKY AND THE IBOQUOIS. 
 
 " We were quite surprisod on our arrival," 
 resumed Lord Kildare. ' ' Instead of finding 
 the Baron Hamiibal all alone with two luou, 
 as he had written, wo beheld au oucampinont 
 of sjivages aud numberless fires. I was 
 somewhat disgusted at the sight, but Montluc 
 removed luy appreheusions." 
 
 " Pied-de-Corf . our friend, the Algouqniu, 
 blew the hunter's hom. The camp rang out 
 a response at once. " 
 
 "'These are our friends, the Algonquius,' 
 said Montluc. ' But who could have brought 
 them thither. My father wished to come 
 alone.'" 
 
 "Just then the old Baron, who was await- 
 ing us on the border of the lake observed our 
 arrival aud took a few steps forward to wel- 
 come us." 
 
 "After the first embraces, Montluc le 
 Bouge said : ' Father, I have made you 
 wait.'" 
 
 " ' Five days only,' answered the old Barou, 
 ' and I was afraid it would be umch longer ; 
 but, as you see, I have not wasted any time. 
 I notified our frieuds, the Algonquius, that I 
 needed their services. They came at once, 
 aud there they are. . . . Lord Kildare, I 
 am glad to see you again. Chariot has told 
 me, you behaved very well in the affair of 
 Fort Hudson. I expected nothing less from 
 you, and the blood of the Fitzgerald's whih 
 flows in your veins.' " 
 
 " This compliment afforded me much 
 pleasure, but I had no time to reply, icv 
 
 without a moment's delay, he demanded on 
 account of the whole expedition. He aji- 
 proved the entire proceeding, taking exce])- 
 tions, however, to Home details, and in ])ar- 
 ticular the im]inideuce of his hou in entrust- 
 ing the burning of the VnUrroun to Chariot 
 aud Buffalo. . . . Montluc modestly ex- 
 cused himsolf for yielding to the ungoverna- 
 ble nvshness of Chariot." 
 
 " This over, the old Barou said in a com- 
 manding tone : ' Now to rest. You will start 
 at five in the morning. The Algonquius 
 shall take care of the prisoners.' " 
 
 "Then Major Von Steingold, who since 
 our dopartiuo from Hudson Bay, had not ut- 
 tered a single syUablo, yet punctually lUs- 
 chargod the lowly functions imposed upon 
 him by Mouthic lo Ilougo, approached the 
 old Barou, aud having saluted him, said ; 
 " 'Baron, I come to complain, . . .'" 
 " 'Of whom?'" 
 " ' Your sou !' " 
 
 " Ilauuibal looked at him with disdain and 
 called Montluc lo Ilougo." 
 " ' Now,' said he, speak.' " 
 " The Major from Wostplialia wont on :" 
 '"Ho has treated me with indignity, my 
 Lord Baron, in such a fashion that, in my 
 person he dishonors the entire Gorman no- 
 bility." 
 
 "And he explained how Montluc hivd 
 obligtid him to jjolish his boots for the past 
 fifteen days." 
 
 " 'Really,' said the Baron;' 'and why?'" 
 " Then Montluc exi^lained that before the 
 assault Steingold had threatened to hang him, 
 if ho did not surrender." 
 " The Barou paused." 
 " ' Then he still insulted—' " 
 " ' Was it with a stick or a whip, or such 
 other weajwu he compelled you to do this 
 blacking business ? . , . How did he go 
 al)out it ?' " 
 
 " 'He prevented me from getting anything 
 to eat before his shoes were pohshed.' " 
 " ' Aud you obeyed ?' " 
 " 'How could I have disobeyed in a land 
 where there is nothing but snow and ice.' " 
 '' ' Well, Steingold, bo gratefiil for my son's 
 moderation and clemency, for if you had threat- 
 ened me, not only should you have pohshed 
 my shoes for a whole month, but I would 
 have you hanged at the end. . . .'" 
 
 ' ' At these words poor Steingold shuddered, 
 and withdrew, followed by old Buffalo, who, 
 to console him, said:" 
 
 "'Too silly. Major. Tongue too long. 
 Avoid the Great Black Bear. (This is the 
 old Baron's name among the savages in Can- 
 ada). Hand opens, and full of present for 
 
TI!E OmEPTAINR OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 "they wzbb thbee wabbiobs or lofty statue and commanding aspect." 
 
 Uie friend, Great Black Bear, Naked Sword, 
 flenched fist for the enemy. Generous al- 
 ways, but never forgiving. And hard as 
 ron. Sharp as steel.' " 
 
 "I did not wait to hear the other objurga- 
 ions of Buffalo, who was amusing himself, I 
 fancy, by enhancing the "Westphalians, fright, 
 ad at a sign of the old Baron, I rejoined him 
 »ith his son. There we held council, or 
 sther he gave us his orders." 
 
 ' ' He said, in the first place, to his son : ' I 
 am satisfied with you, Rongeot. (It was hia 
 term of affection). You executed your tank 
 speedily and well. It was also necessary, for 
 everything is giving way in this colony. The 
 King sends no "upplies. The Minister, Pont. 
 Chartrain, writes to Frontenac, Governor of 
 the Colony, that he reUes upon his courage, 
 administration and military talents. Frontd- 
 nac shmgs his shoulders, forwards ou the 
 
64 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 despatch, and writeu that he has neither men 
 nor money, that a body of three hundred 
 militia mdn were surprised and defeated by 
 the English army, that half of them perished 
 after a terrible struggle, and the rest have 
 been taken to Boston, where, however, they 
 are well treated. He finishes by saying that 
 he has 10 one to hope in but me, and that I 
 must furnish everything, even arms and 
 money.' Accordingly you shall set-out.' " 
 
 •"Alone, father?'" 
 
 '"No, with Lord Kildare.' " 
 
 '"For Quebec?'" 
 
 " 'No. For Montluc Tower. You will see 
 your mother, and sister and Lucy. Take five 
 himdred thousand hvres of the Spanish gold 
 ormces, that were once aboard the famous 
 galleon, which I captured from the Castillian 
 Admiral, and of which you will take it by 
 water to Quebec, together with two hundred 
 of the muskets you captured in the fort. The 
 rest will remain in our arsenal for the Algon- 
 quins, who, for the most part, have only 
 their bows and arrows.'" 
 
 '"But you, father?'" 
 
 ' ' ' Don't be uneasy for me. I remain with 
 lay savages and your prisoneix, v/hom I shall 
 myself conduct to within thirty leagues of 
 Boston. Then I shall propose the exchange 
 of our unfortunate militiamen.' " 
 
 '"But, Baron,' I venttired to say, 'our 
 prisoners are three times as many as those of 
 the English. There is no equality.' " 
 
 ' ' ' My dear Kildare. ' he answered, ' you 
 don't know our men. Each of them is worth 
 four English mercenaries for sobriety, strength, 
 activity, and skill in the use of arms, and as 
 to their coiirage — no one surimsses, if any 
 one ec]^iials them, wliich I don't believe. Our 
 (Canadians ! Did you not see them the day 
 of the assault ? The bargain will be a good 
 one for US, and the Enghsh will accept it with 
 pleasure, believing it still more advantageous 
 to them.' " 
 
 " 'B>it who will command Fort Calaracony 
 in my absenjo ?' " 
 
 " ' Your lieutenant. As for yourself, in my 
 absence, you will take command of Montluc 
 Tower, and be admiral and commander-in- 
 chief over Lake Erie, until myself and my 
 scm return. Does this arrangement suit you ? 
 Montluc le Rouge will take care that Lord 
 Forteuac gives his consent.' " 
 
 "Ahi yes, indeed, the an-angement did 
 suit me. It did even more; it made me 
 happy, and I already flattered myself with 
 the pleasure of going over my exploits and 
 those of Montluc with the ladies. But I was 
 far from foreseeing what did await me 
 there.' 
 
 r " The next day, at dawn, we took leave of 
 Baron Hannibal, who, on his side, allowed us 
 to take away the men who had followed us to 
 Hudson Bay. He set out himself for Boston 
 with his prisoners, whom the Algonquins had 
 in a few seconds despoiled of everything, 
 except their most indispensable articles of 
 clothing. They were led along in a leash hke 
 dogs. Little was wanting to make them mas- 
 sacre the poor unarmed Germans ; but old 
 Montluc prevented them, not without saying 
 to me, ' I am not sorry at this beginning. 
 We must terrify these fellows to make them 
 march on, and I must go quick.' " 
 
 " As for Montluc le Rouge, he was so 
 earnest also, but for other reasons, to reach 
 the end of his journey, that he did not allow 
 us a moment's rest, and, whether on land or 
 by water (some rowing, while others were re- 
 posing) we made a hundred leagues in three 
 days, and set foot '^n land in the Island of 
 Turtle, at nine o'clock in the morning, on the 
 fourth day." 
 
 "I shall not say how we were received, 
 especially Montluc le Rouge, for the three 
 ladies gave him the most enthusiastic wel- 
 come on the pretext that he was their son, 
 their brother and betrothed. Old Carri- 
 zaray, himself a Basque, eighty-four years 
 old, who guarded the Castle and. watched the 
 lake in Baron Hannibal's absence, threw 
 liimself into the arms of Rongeot (he used the 
 same name as hi father), and observed 
 quite loud:" 
 
 " 'The son will equal the father. It is all 
 a Christian can do, for the Great Black Bear, 
 look you, is a man who never had a master 
 in the order of nature. If the King only 
 knew what he was doing, it is he who should 
 be named Governor of Canada, and things 
 would get along differently, I assure you, my 
 children.'" 
 
 "To which my friend Montluc replied, 
 with a smile and embrace in his turn, ' Father 
 Carrizaray, sons never have been as good as 
 their fathers in any age or any chme, but we 
 shall do our best, my sons and myself, to 
 come near it!'" 
 
 "Despite the joy of seeing us again, wliich 
 was fully ei^ual on both sides, our company 
 did not appear to be at ease. Father Fleurj' 
 was telling anecdotes that fell flat on us, and 
 was himself pre-occupied with some controll- 
 ing thought. He was expecting something. 
 Finally, as he arose to survey the lake, 
 Chariot, who stood up at the same time, but 
 being younger, had better sight, cried out: 
 ' Smoke 1'" 
 
 "It was far enough, for we were three 
 leagues from the shore, but I took the sea 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 Gr, 
 
 glass and saw, in fact, at thirty feet almoHt, 
 from one another (as well as I could dis- 
 tinguish from the distance) three big fires lit 
 along the very same Une." 
 
 "Then Father Fleury raised his hands 
 to heaven, and said in a voice broken yet 
 strong, ' God be praised. Carrizaray, get my 
 boat ready. I wish to go below.'" 
 
 "We wanted to keep him back, but he in- 
 sisted, when we saw a boat suddenly sh»TOt- 
 ing from the opposite shore and steer for us 
 at ftill speed. The boat was manned by 
 three savages." 
 
 " ' They are my friends, the Iroquois,' said 
 Father Fleury, ' They have kept their word, 
 and are come to announce the fact to me. 
 The Colony is saved.' " 
 
 " ' I knew his negotiation with the Iroquois 
 would not be barren,' remarked Monthic to 
 me. ' You are about to see its fruits.' " 
 
 " Some minutes afterward the three Iro- 
 quois came ashore. They were three war- 
 riors of lofty statue and commanding aspect. 
 Each of them carried his tomahawk upon his 
 shoulder, his scalping-knife and six scalps 
 hung from his belt, and his gun in hand. 
 They moved majestically through the saloon, 
 saluted, after the Iroquois fashion, Madame 
 Montluc and requested audience from Mont- 
 hic le Rouge and Father Fleury." 
 
 " Then the three Iroquois, who were in- 
 vited by Father Fleury and my friend Mont- 
 luc, to take seats, squatted themselves on the 
 floor, and the eldest of the number spoke:" 
 
 " ' Father of prayers,' he said (it was 
 Father Fleury's name among the savages) ' it 
 is despite our efforts that war has broken out. 
 We desired only peace, but the Pale Faces 
 whose reason the Great Spirit has obscured, 
 desired distinction. Two thousand five 
 hundred have perished and are buried on the 
 banks of the great river.' " 
 
 " This is how it happened: The six Iro- 
 quois tribes had promised to send three 
 thousand warriors to help the English to take 
 Quebec, and cut down the French to a man. 
 They kept their word. We stopped on the 
 banks of the river Richelieu— we to hunt, the 
 English to await supplies, tor these Pale 
 Faces do not rely upon the Great Spirit to 
 maintain them, but upon store-houses stocked 
 with meats, bread and whiskey. We were 
 encamped higher up the river, the English, 
 lower down. Four days later a pestilence 
 broke out in the English camp and lap'^ed six 
 days. After this, all the men who were still 
 alive, took the road back to Boston. Mean- 
 while two thousand five hundred of them 
 perished, that is to say, a third of the anny." 
 
 "'And how many of your own men?' 
 
 asked Montliic le Rouge, who was Usteuing 
 attentively to this recital." 
 
 " ' Not one,' answered the Iroquois. ' The 
 Great Spirit protects his red childi'eu. 
 Father of Prayers, we promised you the 
 English would not go to Quebec. You see 
 we have kept our faith with you.' " 
 
 " ' You have done well,' said Father Fleury. 
 And as I wished to inquire what had caused 
 the pestilence, he closed my mouth with a 
 word: ' My sou, it is the will of God, whose 
 ways are mysterious.'" 
 
 "I was obliged to be satisfied with this ex- 
 planation, the Iroquois not having shown aiy 
 disposition to say more about it, and Father 
 Fleurj' exhibiting no curiosity to hear more. 
 Some days later, we ascertained the truth 
 from Buffalo, who /ent to hunt up informa- 
 tion on the point. The Iroquois by dint of 
 heaping around the camp the carcasses of 
 animals slain in the chase, poisoned a stream 
 hard by from which the unfortunate fellows 
 used to draw water. Thereupon a horrible 
 typhus fever spread through the camp, and 
 while it destroyed the third part of the army 
 disabled for some time the rest. Fathe 
 Fleury, who had some suspicions of this 
 abominable stratagem which made him 
 shudder, was quite cautious about making 
 inquiries which would have raised none of 
 the dead to hfe, and might serve to aUenate 
 from us the Iroquois." 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 a hvntino pabty — oubiotjs use made of an 
 kle's back. 
 
 " 'Two hours later,' resumed Lord Kil- 
 dare, ' our Iroquois friends departed laden 
 down with presents, of which the most pre 
 cious in their eyes was a small case of brandy, 
 coutammg about three pints, which they 
 promised to drink to the health of the Great 
 Black Bear, the name by which, as I have 
 already said, the Baron was known to the 
 savages." 
 
 " Soon after, in accordance with the direc- 
 tions of Montluc le Rouge, I assumed the 
 command of the island and all Lake Erie. 
 Montluc prepared for his journey; sliipped 
 five hundred muskets with the requisite am- 
 munition, and stowed away in the hold the 
 two hundred tho".sand livres in gold, which 
 his father had instructed him to bring to 
 Quebec. He then proposed an excursion on 
 the lake." 
 
 ' It being a time of peace, the ladies shed 
 to be of the party, and Montluc willingly ac- 
 ceded to their wishes. We each took a canoe. 
 Mademoiselle Atheuais going with me, aud 
 Mademoiselle Lucy with Montluc. He and I 
 
«6 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 rowed, and the ladies steered. Chariot de- 
 sired to join in our excursion with Buffalo, 
 Madame Montluc and old Carrizaray, who, 
 notwithstanding his great age, was not the 
 last or least skilful pilot among us." 
 
 ' ' We had resolved to fish by torch light at 
 the mouth of a little river, which flows into 
 Lake Erie, two leagues from Montluc Tower, 
 salmon in which is as plentiful as gudgeons 
 are in France; but, as it was not the proper 
 time (which is in the night), we carried some 
 provisions ashore, and enjoyed a merry sup- 
 per." 
 
 ' ' Father Fleury had not been able to start 
 with us, being engaged in rehgious colloquy 
 witli some of the Algouquius; but he arrived 
 iu good season in his own canoe, which was 
 rowed by two stout Canadians. To amuse us 
 and while away the time till durk, he re- 
 counted some of his travels among the sav- 
 ages, upon which he had — and he sighed as 
 he jaade the assertion — escaped martyrdom a 
 hundred times." 
 
 "'Then,' said Montluc le llouge, with a 
 laugh, ' you don't still hope to become a 
 martyr ?' " 
 
 "'Alas! no, not at my age. Think only, 
 my child, that I am over ninety years of age. ' 
 And as he perceived that this thought only 
 saddened all his hearers, ho added : ' Instead 
 of begging nio to stay always here below, a 
 tliiug which wholly depend upon God's will, 
 you should, my dear children, be looking out 
 lor niy successor. ' " 
 
 "'Never, never!' cried Montluc. 'And 
 first of all who could marry us, Lucy and me, 
 if you should forsake us ? ' " 
 
 " ' Oh ! no one,' said Lucy, laughing. 'I 
 should prefer never to be iiiamed at all.' " 
 
 " ' I hope I may see you happy,' said Father 
 Fleury." 
 
 ' ' I was considering Mademoiselle Montluc, 
 her mother, her brother, this grand lake of 
 emerald green, these fertile islands where 
 you can see only the brier and the grass, and 
 the deer, squirrel, elk, and kino grazing at 
 will. I was thinking of that old Baron, head 
 of an illustrious race, who had been driven 
 from his country and condemned to death, who 
 had come here with his good sword in his 
 hand and some brave companions iu search of 
 freedom; who had carved out for himself a 
 territory larger than three provinces, which 
 he governed under the triple authority of 
 magistrate, chosen for his eijuity by his fel- 
 low-citizens; hero, who protects his friends 
 and himself, and citizen who bears on high 
 the arms and glory of his country, and se- 
 cures for the future new generations. I was 
 reflecting upon this aged priest who possessed 
 
 nothing on earth — if you except a wooden 
 crucifix — yet preached to the most ferocious 
 savages the Christian precept: ' Love one 
 another.' Who gave the example in his own 
 hfo, going alone without arms and without 
 fear, into the midst of scores of hostile natives 
 with the most horrible tortures ever staring 
 him the face, who dreamt of martyrdom as 
 his only reward; yet was covered by the Lord 
 wherever he went with a buckler, not fearing 
 blows, or wounds, or the most atrocious and 
 last discovered tortures, but with sadness 
 and sinking of heart, hoping for heaven as 
 his recompense, yet not hastening a whit the 
 day of deUvery." 
 
 " I was looking also at my friend, Montluc 
 lo Kouge — a friend of six weeks, whom I be- 
 lieved I had loved before my birth — the son 
 of old Baron Hannibal, the pupil of Father 
 Fleury, sprung from the union of two illustri- 
 ous races of France and Canada, just as the 
 Ohio, the finest river in North America, springs 
 from the confluence of the Allegheny and 
 Mouangahela, first of Pale Faces by his 
 father, first of redskins by his mother, feared 
 by his eueuiies as a thunderbolt, worshipped 
 by his friends and followers in battle with a 
 blind trust, hke a god of war among the 
 savages, the friend who had once already 
 saved my life, as if for amusement ; and I 
 thought, in the depths of my soul, shall I 
 again see the homa of the Fitzgerald and my 
 verdant County of Kildare ? Shall I be for 
 life a wandering, unhappy exUe, without fam- 
 ily home or friends, when these, my new- 
 found acquaintances, open their arms to me 
 and bid me welcome as a brother ? And 
 then, these reflections, and others, sadder 
 which I shall not describe, Father, as they 
 suit my state rather than yours, and ihe 
 desire to found a new family, a new race 
 of Fitzgerald and a nev County of Kildare, a 
 new homo in the ©udlesri forests of the New 
 World, and draw thither all the Cathohc peo- 
 ple of Ireland, suggested a project which I 
 shall soon talk over with you." 
 
 "Lord Kildare was at this stage of his nar- 
 rative, when Lord Montluc arose and said:" 
 
 "'The sun is shining, Father. While my 
 friend Gerald is detaihng our history and his 
 own particular views, which you must learn 
 sooner or later, I shall go with Phoebus to see 
 if the snow begins to melt, so that we shall 
 have it soon in our power to set out. The 
 mission entrusted to me by the King is ur- 
 gent, and we shall depart as soon as possi. 
 bla.' Then turning to Beauf oil: 'Come with 
 me,' he said, 'You shall point out the way to 
 Tulle, and like me, take your rifle. We can't 
 know what may happen. Our wolveu of yes- 
 
THE OHIKlf'TAlNS OF CHAMPLAIN. i' 
 
 67 
 
 ' MT liOBD KILDABE, IS IT LONG SINCE TOU LEFT IRELAND ? " 
 
 terday will perhaps be looking out for re- 
 prisals. ' " 
 
 " 'Ah I my Lord,' said Marian, raising her 
 voice, ' don't take him with you, I beseech 
 you, or if you do, take good care of hira. My 
 poor Beaufoil will be lost in the snow. ' " 
 
 " 'I shall bring him back again, take my 
 word for it,* answered Montluo, laugh- 
 ing." 
 
 " 'Yes, Marian,' cried Beaufoil, irritated, 
 
 * if you don't keep your mouth closed, and con- 
 tinue maligning me, spending your days dis- 
 gracing me with your tongue, I shall leave you 
 here all alone with my mother. You will 
 live on forever wrangling. His reverence, 
 too, will leave you here, preferring to convert 
 savages and cannibals than hear you, night 
 and morning, scolding and teasing a man a 
 h indred times better than you.' " 
 
 ' ' This threat either appeased or frightened 
 
en 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 Marian, I don't know which, bnt it nuEule her 
 Kt'cp (tilent, and afforded Beanfoil a chance to 
 {^o with Lord Montluo and Phcebns without 
 further molestation. Then Bhe went down to 
 tLu kitchen, and left me alone with Lord 
 KilJare, who took up the thread of his story, 
 and went on in these words:" 
 
 " 'We were chatting pleasantly, as you have 
 just seen, thinking of the future, here below 
 and in the hereafter, and of paradise where 
 we all hoped, without doubt, to secure a place 
 some day, when Chariot, who could brook but 
 ill any kind of serious talk, arose and said to 
 his sister:" 
 
 '"Athenais, will you come with me? I 
 see Phoebus full of hfe, scenting around after 
 something, he wags his tail and looks at me 
 a<) if to say that he has discovered some big 
 game. Certainly there is something or some 
 one in the neighborhood. I know not whom 
 or what, but there is some thing, surely. ' " 
 
 " ' Perhaps a bear,' said the mother. And 
 she wanted to keep them back. But Montluo 
 said to me, with a soft laugh, ' Kildare, I en- 
 trust them to you. Athenais is not a great 
 shot with the rifle, but Chariot, if he took 
 time to aim, would be perfect, but he is 
 always too much in a hurry. Remember to 
 reserve your shot for the last moment and to 
 fire at close range. If you should encounter 
 a bear, he will bo a tough customer,'" 
 
 "Fortified with these instructions, we all 
 foiu: set out, for I coimt Phoebus, who I should 
 confess, led, rather than followed us. He 
 leaped about to the right and to the left; into 
 the woods, and into the heath, and into the 
 open spaces in the wood where the savages 
 had encamped; but very different from us 
 v.ho were proceeding at random, he seemed to 
 be following a fixed track, and hunting some 
 game which his instinct hadlong since located. 
 Chariot followed, encouraging, cheering, call- 
 ing him back again and again, and both dash- 
 ing here and there through the forest. All 
 this time I was walking by the side of Mad- 
 emoiselle Montluc. I am not eloquent by 
 nature, God knows, I leave that to advocates 
 and those who live by it. Yet, I can talk, if 
 necessary, and even very fairly, as judges 
 will say, five languages — I can speak the 
 Gaelic, the language of the ancient Hiber- 
 nians and of all true Irishmen. I am 
 passable at Latin; I could speak English as my 
 mother-tongue if I wished; but I do not, for 
 fear of growing like the Saxon enemies of my 
 race. And I speak French, as you see, that 
 is to say— very tolerably. However, I make 
 myself intelligible, which is the main point. 
 "Well, would you believe that with such gifts 
 and means at hand to say agreeable things. I 
 
 did not find a word to utter, when I per- 
 ceived I had a chance of chatting with 
 Mademoiselle Montluo in the forest; for Char- 
 lot and Phoebus were at times so far away 
 that you might have looked upon them as 
 absent, if you did not hear, at intervals, the 
 cry of the one and the joyous bark of the 
 other." 
 
 "Why could I find nothing to say? I 
 know not. But I was as silent as a pitcher 
 at a well, and this silence easily lasted over a 
 quarter of an hour. When the young lady 
 observed that I was not speaking, she opened 
 the conversation with a voice clear and dis- 
 tinct as crystal : 
 
 " 'My Lord Kildare, is it long since you left 
 Ireland ?' 
 
 " 'Six years. Mademoiselle.' 
 
 "This question afforded me lively pleasure ; 
 it broke the oppressive silence which lay like 
 a pall over me, and gave me at the same time 
 hfe and breath. 
 
 "But she did not confine her curiosity to 
 that, the beautiful girl. She wished to know 
 if the Coimty Kildare was a fine country. 
 
 "Certainly, Madeiuoiselle, the finest in 
 the universe.' 
 
 " ' Finer than Canada?' 
 
 "I answered that it was impossible to be- 
 lieve that a country she Uved in was not the 
 finest on earth. 
 
 "Then she began to laugh, and inquired 
 if Kildare Castle, the home of my ancestors, 
 was also the finest of all castles. 
 
 " 'After Montluo Tower, yes, Mademoi- 
 selle.' 
 
 "Then she asked how many towers the 
 castle had, how many windows or casements 
 were in each tower, how many principal 
 apartments there were, whether we had a 
 fine guard-room, armors, swords, lances, old- 
 time arquebuses, which I regretted next to 
 my father and the tenantry of the Fitzger- 
 alds. 
 
 ' ' I replied to each, glad that so beautiful 
 a creature, my best friend's sister, took such 
 an interest in all my affairs. 
 
 "Just then. Chariot, without speaking, 
 made a sign from a distance to stop, and with 
 a motion ordered Phoebus down. 
 
 I carefully examined the priming of my 
 rifle, which Mademoiselle Montluc also did 
 for herself, and we waited in silence. 
 
 ' ' Chariot approached us, creeping throagh 
 the tall shrubs. He was followed by Phoebus, 
 who seemed to have understood, or rather 
 given some sign that something serious was 
 occurring in the neighborhood. 
 ' ' ' The forest we were in was traversed by 
 the river at whose mouth we had encamped. 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 69 
 
 Like most Canadian forests, ifc consisted of 
 oak trees twice as lofty and bulky as those in 
 France, running back for the most part to 
 the early days of Christianity. Among these 
 stately trees rose still finer beeches whose 
 leafy branches reflected, in fine weather, the 
 thousand rays of the sun. Beneath and 
 around the oak and beech trees which grew 
 far apart you discovered a velvety sward, 
 where the stag, deer, elk, squirrel and all the 
 beasta of the forest were wont to browse. In 
 the open spaces the grass is almost as tall as 
 a man. From this you can form a picture of 
 the scenes, Father. 
 
 "You must know also that we were not 
 more than five hundred feet from the lake 
 where the river has its inlet. This will 
 enable you to understand the catastrophe 
 that took place. As soon as Chariot was 
 within fifty feet of us he straightened himself 
 up, for he had been crawling through the 
 long grass, and exclaimed : 
 
 •"Attention! Beware! There they are ! ' 
 
 "'Who?' 
 
 " But Chariot made no reply. He was too 
 much absorbed in deciphering some invisible 
 object. Mademoiselle de Montluc caused me 
 in turn to look to the West, on the forest 
 side, and showed me two fine elks approach- 
 ing us slowly, like two philosophers, with 
 their flanks exposed to Chariot. 
 
 "The elk. Father, is a rare animal now, 
 although it once covered the whole continent. 
 It is four-legged, mammiferous, full-horned, 
 akin to the deer and therefore to the hind, 
 whom he resembles; but his antlers .",re 
 larger and stronger. He is about as tall as a 
 large Normandy horse and unsurpassed for 
 fleetness of foot. In striking with his antlers 
 (or, if you prefer, his horns), he far excels 
 the fiercest bull, and with his hoofs he could 
 break an anvil. No animal can hope to out- 
 strip him in a gallop. Very gentle when let 
 alone, he is terrible when attacked. 
 
 "The two elks approached us at an easy 
 trot, without heeding the barks of Phcebus 
 or seeing us. 
 
 "All of a sudden Mademoiselle de Montluc 
 raised her rifle to her shoulder, took slow 
 aim, and was about to fire at the larger of the 
 two animals, when Chariot anticipated her 
 and fired at the first, the other elk. Then, 
 without further aim she fired in her turn. 
 
 ' ' Following the recommendations of Mont- 
 luc le Bouge, I had reserved my fire and was 
 awaiting, finger on trigger, the result of the 
 first shock. The two animals were hit, but 
 in a different mamier. Chariot's ball broke 
 half way one of the antlers of the smaller elk, 
 which appeared to be the female, and stag- 
 
 gered the animal just as a stout blow would 
 have done. 
 
 ' ' In reality, however, it was not wounded, 
 but the affront it had received rendered it 
 furious. It turned on Chariot and charged 
 with such impetuosity that Chariot, who was 
 only seven or eight feet from the enemy, did 
 not have time to load his piece, or even put 
 himself on his defense. 
 
 "I could not come to his assistance, for I 
 was myself otherwise occupied, as you shall 
 see, and assuredly I needed all my strength 
 and presence of mind. 
 
 ' ' But good blood cannot belie itself. He 
 was of too good a stock to be confused. 
 Above all, as he fully perceived, that he 
 could not sustain the shock, he bethought 
 himself of going round the tnink of a big 
 oak to let the elk pass by, for the latter was 
 advancing like a storm, overturning or 
 clearing at a bound the bushes which separ- 
 ated him from Chariot. 
 
 "Phoebus, who had gone a round-about 
 way, followed him, but at a distance of twenty 
 feet. If the elk had succeeded in striking 
 the boy with his hoof or horns, he would have 
 disembowelled him or broken all his bones. 
 Now see what occurred." 
 
 ' ' Chariot did not have time to wheel round 
 the tree. The animal was already so near 
 that felt almost its breath. Accordingly, he 
 resolved himself at once, and springing al- 
 most four feet, he seized a branch of the oak, 
 raised himself by the wrists, so as to sit on 
 the branch and thus see passing beneath him 
 his astonished enemy." 
 
 "He then began to laugh, clapping his 
 hands to make fun of the elk; then ho 
 wanted to load his rifle, but he had no time 
 for it. The masterful animal, which in its 
 furious attack had shot by the oak several 
 feet, came again to the charge, and rising on 
 its hind legs, with its forefeet against the 
 trunk of the tree, endeavored to strike it 
 with the antlers, which were still quite re- 
 doubtable weapons, although one was half 
 broken." 
 
 " Chariot, who was quite composed, climbed 
 to a higher branch, and thence, as from the 
 top of tower, bade defiance to the foe." 
 
 "Unfortunately, the branch, being too 
 weak to support his weight, broke all of a 
 sudden. He was loading his rifle and trying 
 to keep his balance, but this mishap obhged 
 him to let it drop, together with the powder 
 and bullets, and so resulted m leaving him 
 unarmed." 
 
 But, still worse, he came tumbling down 
 on the elk, and in his efforts to stop his de- 
 scent he caught hold of the antlers with his 
 
70 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 hands — a comical bat dangerous position bat 
 for Lis presence of mind. 
 
 "The elk, indignant and restive at this 
 nnwonted burden, tried to horn him, by toss- 
 ing her head back, but did not succeed, and 
 Oharlot, now astride her back, seeing that 
 he had no arms and that his adversary could 
 make use of hers no longer, gaily shouted, 
 as he spurred her forward with his heels. " 
 • '''Hoy! Hoy! au galop r" 
 
 "For her part, the elk, as if understanding 
 French, at once obeyed and dashed away at 
 a furious gallop. By good luck, she took the 
 direction of the valley on the lake side, and 
 was accompanied all along her mad course 
 by Fhcebus, who was endeavoring to catch 
 her, but could not succeed. " 
 
 " After racing thus about three quarters of 
 a mile, they arrived all together at the place 
 where Montluc le Houge, Madame Montluc 
 and Lucy were encamped with our Canadians. " 
 " You may imagine the cries and amaze- 
 ment of the whole party, the fright of the 
 mother and the delight of our brave Chariot, 
 who, flushed in the face, and mad with mer- 
 riment, was almost as much out of breath as 
 the elk herself. He cried out as he approach- 
 ed, ' Make way ! clear the course for my 
 horse and myself I' They did indeed make 
 way, for the elk swept through the encamp- 
 ment like a streak of lightning and plunged 
 into the waters of Lake Erie. " 
 
 "All the spectators uttered a shriek of ter- 
 ror, all, I mean save Montluc lo Bouge, and 
 old Buffalo, who, without a particle of excite- 
 mant, ran, the one for his rifle, the other for 
 his canoe." 
 
 "Carrizaray and his two sons untied the 
 boat in the twinkling of an eye, and plied 
 their oars in pursuit of Chariot and his strange 
 mount." 
 
 "Phoebus, who was swimming close behind 
 the elk, forced her to change her course and 
 return to the shore. But there to the right 
 and to the left were old Carrizaray and Buf- 
 falo, each in his canoe, and Montulc le Bouge 
 covering her between the eyes with that rifle 
 of his that never misses." 
 
 "Then the poor beast perceived that her 
 fate was sealed, and wished at heart to ren- 
 der her last sigh on the soil where her ances- 
 tors had lived. And as she swam at each 
 stroke nearer her shore of doom, she kept 
 moaning in a pitiful fashion. 
 
 " Chariot was touched by her distress, and 
 when Boilalo was drawing his bow to dis- 
 patch her, ho cried out: ' Don't hurt her, 
 Buffalo I don't hurt her, I beg. She cannot 
 harm me.' " 
 
 "Scarcely had the eUt planted her foot on 
 
 the shore than Chariot jumped from her back 
 at a bound, and the poor animal, being set 
 free, shot off at full speed, tired fhough she 
 must have been after her previous race and 
 bath in Lake Erie. She was anxious, I sup- 
 pose, to rejoin her companion with whom 
 Mademoiselle Montluc and myself found it 
 hard to part. You shall learn why." 
 
 CHAPTEB XVI. 
 
 A HIBAOULOCS TAKE OF FISH FOLLOWED BT k. 
 DISQUIETING VISIT. 
 
 "' This did not end, ' said Lord Kildare, 'jthat 
 unexpected hunt, during which we successive- 
 ly experienced so many and such various 
 emotions ; but I will, by way of variety, finish 
 it later.'" . , .,, ,,, ,, 
 
 "Night had approached, and the 
 fish began to show in the liver. This 
 time and for precautions sake, as the water 
 was very deep, it was agreed upon that those 
 who had acquired a reputation for rashness 
 should not be allowed to engage in the enter- 
 prise and run the risk of being drowned. 
 This ukase was aimed at Chariot and Mad- 
 emoiselle Montluc. Their brother was com- 
 missioned to watch over them, for he is nat- 
 urally a guardian wherever he goes, being 
 bom to direct and command, just as others 
 are borne to follow and obey. I, being more 
 staid in my habits, received permission 'o 
 keep beside the sportsmen." 
 
 " We lighted torches whose flames were re- 
 flected by the river. The stars were bright 
 in the heavens, the evening, very cold and a 
 wind from the North began to breathe its 
 frozen breath over Lake Erie." 
 
 ' ' While the Canadians were swinging their 
 torches along the surface of the water, we ob- 
 served a strange movement like that of. 
 carps, which dart headlong after a morsel of 
 bread. It was the light attracting all the 
 large fish, especially the salmon. They came 
 in shoals, hasty and hungry. While we were 
 waiting to see them flock toward a huge bait 
 which old Carrizaray had cast into the river, 
 the Canadians had been stretching across 
 from bank to bank, two nettings, which were 
 lowered to the bed of the river so as not to 
 disturb them. One of the two nets prevent- 
 ed their escape into the lake. The other, 
 about three hundred feet higher up the river, 
 was designed to cut off their retreat." 
 
 ' ' These precautions taken, Carrizaray with 
 his sons, threw the light upon the river, and 
 the great piece of fresh meat which served 
 for bait, and we saw the salmon advance. 
 Some approached, coquetted, drew back, 
 turned to the right, to the left, were appar 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 ,n 
 
 enUy undecided, then, slashing the water 
 with their tails and cojuing finally to a deter- 
 mination, they went to ioform the rest of the 
 tribe that there was a 1f> rorable opportunity 
 of enjoying a good repast, o£ which it would 
 be foolish not to take advantage, although 
 they coTild not make out where the wind-fall 
 came. And as proof of the sincerity of their 
 Invitation, having given this advice to their 
 relations and friends, they made haste to re- 
 turn, conducting all their guests with them." 
 
 " We raised the nets, and drove more than 
 three hundred salmon into a little creek where 
 we had already decided to do our fishing." 
 
 "Montluc le Rouge in the first place took 
 the largest salmon in the whole shoal by the 
 tail and sent it whirling to the bottom of the 
 big fishing boat; then, old Carrizaray, who in 
 his younger days, had been a professional 
 salmon catcher; then myself, who had quite 
 often already fished in our fine rivers in Ire- 
 land, and finally Chariot and the two young 
 ladies who performed wonders on their part." 
 
 ♦ 'You may say that I subject your credulity to 
 a test I Nevertheless, nothing is more true. 
 The ladies, Athtenais and Lucy, hunted the 
 salmon with the rifie, as did Chariot also. 
 They all took the salmon on the wing." 
 
 "You have never seen these magnificent 
 creatures out of water ? Well, when they go 
 up a river and try to shoot a dam, they halt 
 like well-tempered steeds full of fire, back 
 thirty or forty paces, then prepare their 
 spring and jump clear over the barrier. It is 
 at this lightning movement that you must 
 fire, and Chariot calls it, ^^ Shooting on the 
 toing." 
 
 " Twenty-five or thirty were wounded and 
 caught while trying to clear the netting. The 
 bullet had broken their backs and so they 
 fell again into the river between the two net- 
 tings. All that then remained to be done was 
 to take them in your hand and keep out of the 
 way of their tails, which were still flapping. 
 The others, killed by a blow from the oar, or 
 pierced with a three-pronged fork, or impris- 
 oned and huddled into a small space, were 
 taken aboard the canoe, and as the wind be- 
 gan to blow colder and sharper, old Carriza- 
 ray cried out to us that it was time to ouit, 
 for there was fear of a storm before iight 
 ended, and perhaps a bitter frost, and that in 
 either case, the return to Montluc Tower 
 would be attended with no small diflaculty." 
 
 " 'Then let us be quick,' said Montluc to 
 me, ' for the old man knows the lake as if he 
 had made it, and when he says there will be a 
 storm, you can believe, my friend, that it will 
 oome. Carrizaray is not scared at trifles. 
 FhttboH, ioto the boat, be quick, wir, uuleas 
 
 you choose to swim! But, my fine fellow, 
 you are tired. Come, sir, in and be quick!'" 
 
 "Everything being settled to the general 
 satisfaction, with oar and sail we returned to 
 the Island of Montluc Tower, where we 
 counted, I Especially, upon enjoying a well- 
 earned repose. But this repose was not des 
 tined to last long, as you shall see pre- 
 sently. 
 
 "Next morning at five o'clock, Montluc, 
 who slept in the room next mine, and whom 
 I had heard all through the night going iu 
 and out, giving orders, and full of business, 
 came to awaken me and said: 
 
 . " ' I am oflF, my boat is ready. If you wish 
 to accompany me, get up.' " 
 
 "I arose and followed him. Every one 
 in the house wa^ already astir. Montluc em- 
 braced his mother, sister and Lucy. Ha 
 shook hands with all the rest." 
 
 The mother and Lucy were a little pale, 
 Mademoiselle Athenais, of a more courag- 
 eous fibre, was also affected but not with fear. 
 Chariot wanted to follow him. 
 
 "Father Fleury, who had just said Mass 
 for him and for the succtss of his journey, 
 said: 
 
 " ' My child, God is with you, but don't ex- 
 pose yourself unnecessarily I Think that the 
 colony needs your strong arm.' 
 
 "At the same time he imparted to him the 
 benediction and we set out together in the 
 same boat, which was laden with arms, silver 
 and all kinds of supplies. 
 
 "A smaller boat followed to take me back, 
 for I was to be absent only a few hours from 
 the happy island. 
 
 "He took with him three Canadians and 
 three Algouquius to Quebec. Old Carrizaray 
 and Buffalo were alone in my boat, which 
 they sent whizzing along the lake with the 
 speed of a swan. 
 
 " Then Montluc made me sit at the stem of 
 the boat and gave me many and various in- 
 structions, assuring me that he should return 
 in three weeks at farthest, and that he put 
 under my care what was dearest to him 
 in the world, namely, his mother, his sister 
 and Lucy. 
 
 "I swore by all that was posssible, and 
 with all sincerity, you may well beUeve, that 
 I should lay down my Ufe iu their defence — 
 to which protestations he replied with a smile : 
 ' It is very fine to die for one's friends, but it 
 is better to Uve and fight for them ... To 
 have an ardent love of life and a lofty con- 
 tempt for death, is what we should all aspire 
 after ... I believe you shall not be killed, 
 but that you shall score up many heaps of 
 slain savages. For your reward, I hereby in- 
 
.72 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 'MONTLUO BIDDINO FAREWELL TO KILDAKE. 
 
 vite you to my marriage which will come off 
 as soon a« I return.' " 
 
 " ' Has it beeu all arranged?' " 
 
 "'This very morning, in my mother's 
 presence. MTio conld oppose it ? My father 
 and mother desire it. So does Lucy, and as 
 for me, I should seek her out amid a hundred 
 thousand swords 1'" , . . 
 
 "He thought a moment and began again 
 " ' However, I don't set out now with my 
 usual hopefulness. I am almost in a melan- 
 choly mood, and I know not why. It is not my 
 wont, for sadness is the sister of faint-heart- 
 edness and cowardice. 1 think, however, 
 that some misfortune threatens me, or rather, 
 her.' " 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 " 'What U it?'" 
 
 '"Do I know? And, strange enough too, 
 old BnfFalo, who is something of S sorcerer 
 or at least, was so before his conversion by 
 Father Fleury, is a little disturbed like my- 
 self." 
 
 ' ' I tried to laugh down this presentment. 
 But Montluc was serious. 
 
 "He made a sign to the old savage, who 
 kept in our wake, to come into our boat and 
 6aid to him : 
 
 " ' Buffalo, repeat for my friend Lord Kil- 
 daj.v, what you told me this morning.'" 
 
 '.' The savage collected himself, dropped his 
 hand in the waters of Lake Erie, and made 
 eccentric signs opposite the four points of the 
 compass. He pronounced some cabalistic 
 terms, and went on : 
 
 " 'Montluc le Rouge, mighty chief." 
 
 "'I know him." 
 
 "' Invincible chief." -., ■ r .. 
 
 '"Next?" 
 
 '"Threatened with a great misfortune." 
 
 " 'Death perhaps?" inquired Montluc. 
 
 "'Not death," said Buffalo, shaking his 
 head. 
 
 " ' Aworse calamity. Maid with pale face." 
 
 "'Well, conclude." 
 
 " ' Will be the cause of terrible things." 
 
 "'Who is the girl with the pale face? 
 There are only two in my father's house. 
 My sister and Lucy. . .,-■■> ■ ■ •> i 
 
 Is it my sister?" 
 
 '"Oh! no! cried Buffalo," Athenais always 
 happy." , , . 
 
 '"Lucy, then?" ' 
 
 "The old sorcerer indicated that it was she. 
 
 "'You see, Kildare I " said Montluc, "you 
 see, or rather hear!" 
 
 " 'This old savage is crazy," I answered 
 quite low. 
 
 " ' Pale Face," said Buffalo who had an ear 
 more acute than a European has, "high no- 
 biUty, Uttle wisdom, light head, incautious 
 tongue." 
 
 "I believe he would have said much more 
 of me, to take revenge for my incredulity, if 
 Montluc had not made a sign to stop. 
 
 "Dear friend, "he added, "what disquiets 
 me, who am never disturbed, is that I slept 
 scarcely an hour last night and during that 
 short sleep, I had frightful dreams. I arrived 
 suddenly from a distant voyage ... My 
 father's house had disappeared. My father 
 himself was I know not where, in the land of 
 spirits ... My mother and sister had joined 
 him, and Lucy, carried away by brigands, 
 was stretching out her arms to me in the dis. 
 tance. I tried to rush upon them, but I re- 
 mained glued to where I stood despite my 
 
 7!J 
 
 efforts ; and they were fleeing farther and far- 
 ther all the time." 
 
 '"Bah! a dream. You must have Uun on 
 your left side I'" 
 
 '" Indeed, it may be so; but these intima- 
 tions of Buffalo, who has the same presenti- 
 ment too! Really, if I could forget it, I 
 should not go away this morning. I would 
 have awaited my father's return. But you, 
 Kildaro, watch you over all my family during 
 my father's absence, and distrust all the strat- 
 agems of the EngUsh and the savages m their 
 fury.'" 
 
 " Ho then embraced me and proceeded on 
 his journey, while I returned to Montluc 
 Tower." 
 
 " The ten days which followed were among 
 the happiest of my life. Fishing, hunting, 
 walks by the lake, the joy of seeing my 
 friends and especially Mademoiselle Montluc, 
 the cordial and generous hospitality of this 
 noble family who almost from the first had 
 became my own, the hope I was beginning 
 to form that I should never leave it, the de- 
 light I felt at being placed there as a sentinel 
 to watch over and defend them: all that 
 plunged me in a sea of happiness. " 
 
 "Father Fleury who, in the absence of 
 old Montluc and his son, appeared to direct 
 the whole colony, encouraged me in projects 
 which I did not yet disclose, but which it 
 was only too easy to divine." 
 
 " One day, as we were seated together in 
 a boat, for I made my regular nightly rounds 
 on the lake, around the island and three or 
 four little islets which were two or three 
 leagues away, he interrupted me in a pane- 
 gyric of Mademoiselle Athenais, and said:" 
 
 "'My lord, you are right; Mademoiselle 
 Montluc is worthy of her father, her mother 
 and her brother, and you would have great 
 difficulty to find her equal in Europe or 
 America; but,' he added, with a smile, 'sha 
 has one great fault.'" ^v 
 
 "I protested indignantly:" ' 
 
 '5 'She I a fault!'" •■• '. • •-/; 
 
 " ' Yes, yes— a great fault, my lovd.' " 
 
 ' ' ' Impossible 1 She is only too perfect. ' " 
 
 " ' A fault, my lord, and the most terrible 
 that can exist; that which ruined Satan and 
 hurled him from high heaven into the bottom- 
 less abysses of hell — pride ! ' " 
 
 " Here I began to grow troubled." 
 
 ' ' Father Fleury added : " 
 
 " ' And it is a pride that nothing can eradi- 
 cate, for it is hereditary. Her mother, Mad- 
 ame Montluc, whom you behold hero re- 
 spected by all as if she were Queen of France 
 and savage land, was just like Athenais when 
 she was the same age. She had the pride of 
 
f4 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 the danghter of Samnel Gbamplain, the 
 founder of the colony, and of the grand- 
 daoghter of the great chief of the Eries, who 
 probably were the firnt iubabitantH of Canada. 
 Onr princeBseB of the royal blood of France, 
 which is indeed the noblest in the universe 
 next to that of the GhinoHe ernpreHHen, would 
 have received at her hands only the salutatio!} 
 
 of an equal And yet ' " 
 
 " As I laughed, he added :" 
 ** 'I often said to her, when she was a 
 yonng girl, that she would never find the 
 hero she dreamed of, for she dreamed of a 
 hero for her husband.'" 
 
 •••Ah! but Providence, who does every- 
 thing well, had His views about her, sent 
 to Canada, Montluo, who from the first 
 won the affections Mid admiration of the 
 French and savages so entirely that she clearly 
 saw her fate had come, and she married him '" 
 "I then asked, but rather carelessly, and 
 from the pleasure of talking than any curios- 
 ity I had:" 
 
 *• 'She has not repented her choice, I sup- 
 pose?'" 
 
 «" Repented 1' said Father Fleury. 'My 
 lord, never was wife prouder of husband than 
 she. No 1 never 1 never I Never had wife 
 so much love for a husband! She has but 
 one soul with him, one heart, one thought I 
 She has centred in him her joy and pride at 
 the same time as her tenderness. When she 
 was young she was with him everywhere, at 
 the chase and even in battle.' " 
 
 " I cut short the speech of Father Fleury, 
 who was never done praismg Lady Monthio, 
 and I reach his conclusion, which was that 
 Mademoiselle Athenais, not being less haughty 
 than her mother (and perhaps still more so, 
 for she combined in one the pride of the 
 MontlucB, the Champlains and the Eries), 
 would never wed except the man who, to win 
 her, should have performed prodigies of 
 valor." 
 
 "Thereupon, perhaps you think. Father, 
 that Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of KUdare grew 
 disheartened and gave up all hope of obtain- 
 ing her hand? That would be quite a mis- 
 taken idea. So far from being discouraged, 
 I was filled with an ardent desire to show her 
 that a Fitzgerald who counts among his an- 
 cestors, kings, was capable of anything, and I 
 swore iu my soul to deserve her or perish in 
 the attempt. 
 
 "And you will presently see that I was very 
 near doing both at the same time. Montluo 
 le Rouge, who was there, will be able to say 
 what h» thinks of it." 
 
 " You may well conceive that the words of 
 Father Fleury, who read my soul as he would 
 an open^book, yet did not boast of the gift, 
 plunged me into a deep silent meditation. 
 While he was reciting his breviary, looking 
 upwards at the stars, and our boat borne 
 along by a favorable wind, was conveying ua 
 almost without effort, to Montluo Tower, I, 
 all df a sudden, saw a bright light, like the 
 beacon of a light-house, on the top of the high- 
 est tower which overlooked the lake. Divers 
 signals followed in succession, like warnings 
 to hasten back, and without suggesting a 
 present danger, showed that something 
 strange had just taken place." 
 
 " A hundred feet from the there, old Buf- 
 falo, always a sentry, cried out to us:" 
 
 '"Yankees! Yankees!' The name of the 
 English as the savages pronounce it." 
 
 ' ' I was very much surprised and asked 
 through my speaking trumpet :" 
 " ' Friends or enemies?' " 
 "Buffalo did not answer; bo I began to be 
 sensibly disturbed. I took my gun, already 
 loaded, and approached the shore where the 
 first figure I perceived was that of an EngUsh 
 officer in full uniform, who addressed me in 
 good French :" 
 
 " ' We aj« friends. Earl of Kildare,'" 
 ' ' And as he saw I feared a knave, he added:" 
 "' You may believe me. lam the Gover- 
 nor of Massachusetts. A treaty has been 
 concluded between us preparatory to a defin- 
 itive peace, and I have come to pay 
 a visit to the Baron of Montluo and his 
 lady, and also to make the acquaintance of 
 my cousin. Miss Lucy Carroll.'" 
 
 "This speech which informed me of many 
 things in very few words, one of which the 
 most singular, although the easiest to com- 
 prebend, was that Miss Lucy, the betrothed 
 of Montluo le Rouge, was niece of the very 
 Governor of the English province of Massa- 
 chusetts, redoubled the astonishment into 
 which all these incidents and the conversation 
 of Father Fleury had plunged me." 
 
 " I went ashore with Father Fleury. I left 
 the task of mooring to the two Algonquius 
 who had steered for us and shook hands with 
 our unknown guest, the Governor, who 
 in my absence had arrived and installed him- 
 self in tie Castle of Montluc." 
 
 "But as I was pointing out to the English- 
 man the road to the Castle, old Buffalo caught 
 7aie hastily by tha hand and said :" 
 ' ' • Beware ! beware ! ' " 
 "I turned around to interrogate him, but 
 he had vanished." 
 
THE 0HIEFTAIN8 OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 7« 
 
 CHAPTER XVIl. 
 
 EOW IfADKHOIBILLK MONTLTJO SUBDTTMD AN 
 UUK, AND WHAT FOLLOWKD. 
 
 Lord Kildare oontiQuing his story, said: 
 
 "Now I will tell you why I had reoHon to 
 remember the elk hunt: Whilo Chariot waH 
 firing at his elk, Mademoiselle AthenaiH had 
 fired at hers. Chariot broke an antler, Mad- 
 •moiHelle Atheuaia wounded a Hhoulder. 
 As Chariot's elk was sovagely springing upon 
 him, that of Mademoiselle was furiously 
 rushing upon us— I say us, for Ithrew myself 
 before Mademoiselle to defend her more 
 easily. The elk came plunging along with 
 angry bellowings, like that of a bull. But, 
 thank Qod his bellowings and rage were not 
 enough to disturb me. " 
 
 ♦•Accordingly, without any faltering, I 
 took Mademoiselle by the hand, and placed 
 her behind an immense tree which threw its 
 shade over the scene of the combat. Then, 
 kneeling on one knee, I awaited the charge, 
 and covering with my rifle the foe, now not 
 more than tweuty feet distant, I pulled the 
 trigger." 
 
 " I have a steady nerve. Father, and an ex- 
 cellent aim, for I have never tired myself out 
 reading Greek and Roman authors, or works 
 treating on Geometry; I am, thank heaven, 
 abundantly endowed with presence of mind; 
 as a shot with the rifle, leaving out Montluc 
 le Rouge and two or three other of my Cana- 
 dian acquaintances. I have met no superiors, 
 few equals; then I was not distracted by any 
 thought, save that of rescuing Mademoiselle 
 Montluc. The form of the foe, as you are 
 pleased to call him, was of splendid dimen- 
 sions, with almost the shape and color of a 
 grand Norman steed; you must then think that 
 with my rifle on my shoulder, my finger on 
 the trigger, and several seconds infinite care, 
 taking aim at an object not twenty feet dis- 
 tant, I must have killed him at the first shot, 
 or at least severely wounded him. No such 
 thing." 
 
 ' ' I pulled the trigger. It snapped fire, and 
 of course, did not go oflf. At the very mo- 
 ment I was about to fire, or rather half a 
 second previously, a mysterious drop of 
 water fell into the pan, dampened the pow- 
 der and completely disarmed me. My rifle 
 was now no more than a stick, to be sure it 
 was longer, heavier, dearer and clumsier than 
 an ordinary stick, but it was just as httle 
 adapted to protect me against the elk." 
 
 " The elk came rushing on, quite unaware 
 of my mishap. Quick as the thunder-bolt he 
 Bwept down upon me, and to avoid the shock 
 I threw myself flat oa th^ ground. He re- 
 
 turned again. I avoidfld him again and In the 
 same fashion. I have no doubt that he be- 
 lieved me the cause of his wounds and sought 
 revenge. I did not like to undeceive bin. 
 Was I not too happy to turn upon myself tb« 
 rage of this ferocious animal ?" 
 
 "This little strategy to avoid the brunt of 
 the attack — for my rifle being now only a use- 
 less piece of furniture — engaged both of ns 
 for some minutes which seemed the toughest 
 of my hfe. To fire on the elk was iinpoHsi- 
 ble. To seize the animal round the body like 
 a bear and stab him in the grasp was even 
 more impossible, for the animal was of very 
 unusual figure. Fancy a man trying to hold 
 in his arms and smother a great Norman 
 horse I Madness, is it not ? Well, sir, I had 
 no other resource to extricate myself from my 
 dangerous situation." 
 
 "To be frank, I was happy to be able to 
 give my life for Mademoiselle Montluc; but, 
 frankly also, I would have been still more 
 happier to preserve it for her, and unfortu- 
 nately I was afraid I had the choice no 
 longer." 
 
 " It was at this moment that Mademoiselle 
 Montluc all at once conceived an idea, to 
 which 1 owe my Ufe, and which finished th» 
 combat. But before explaining this idea and 
 the success which concerned it, I must give 
 you a brief description of the ground. You 
 may judge if I was at my ease. " 
 
 "In the centre of the thicket where we 
 were both struggling — the elk and myself — 
 there was a magnificent oak tree, from whose 
 roots sprang four immense trunks, or, rather, 
 four bulky trees between which, a man of 
 ordinary size could easily slip and shelter 
 himself from the elk's horns. I wheeled 
 round the oak and entered this open space 
 whither the elk, blinded by his fury, and 
 wishing at any price to kill me, tried to fol- 
 low, but he got entangled by the horns so that 
 he could get only one of them through with 
 difiSculty. I had anticipated him, and avoid- 
 ed the charge by going out at the opposite 
 opening." 
 
 "The fearless beast wished then to re- 
 lease himself, but as it often happens to us 
 when we try to unravel a skein of tangled 
 thread, he embarrassed himself only the more. 
 His second antler got fastened in another 
 trunk, and he stood motionless, yet tossing 
 and shaking his head like a madman. He 
 bowed his h-'ad; he raised it; he struck with 
 his head a third trunk which was in front of 
 him and prevented hia going forward, as the 
 others hindered him from going back; iu one 
 word he was a prisoner, and that was pre- 
 cisely what I had been hoping for." 
 
7B 
 
 ;. THE CHIEFTAINS OP OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 don't fibeI 
 
 "I cried ont to Mademoiselle Montluc, 
 who had just re-loaded her rifle, to lend me it 
 a moment, for I was quite sure of being able 
 to fire close upon him before he could get out 
 of the scrape. She passed it over to me. But 
 at the very moment I was about to fire, she 
 stood face to face with the elk, and the poor 
 beast, beholding Mademoiselle Athenais, be- 
 gan to wail BO pathetically that she was 
 touched by it, aod cried out quickly, while I 
 
 was putting my finger on the trigger: 'Don't 
 fire ! The poor animal has a look so sorrowful 
 and appealing; look at his beautiful eyes, as 
 they appeal to me for mercy !' " 
 
 " I paused; and while the elk was still toss- 
 ing about impatiently, but still unable to 
 change his position, Mademoiselle Montluc 
 carressed and stroked him down like a pet dog. 
 
 "That lasted ^or a few minutes. For 
 greater security I kept holding on to the right 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 ?t 
 
 Hitler with all my Rtrength. Bnt thin ponl- 
 tion waa very painftU, and the elk might 
 eHoapfl And flee away any moment, or even re- 
 nm again. Accordingly it was iici < HHary to 
 comn to Home determination at oncf. 
 
 *'I took off my necktie, which luckily wan 
 very long and pretty Htrong. I made a run- 
 ning knot, which I paHHod around the antler 
 and tied it to one of the HtoutoHt bruuchttg of 
 tho tree. MailomoiHolle AthcnaiH did the 
 Biime with her Bcarf and attached the other 
 antler in the name way." 
 
 •' We had been 8o far victors certainly; but 
 we were rather uneasy and did nof know what 
 to do with our spoils, when we suddenly 
 heard something or somebody who rushed 
 upon us at full speed. It was our friend, 
 Phoebus, the best and most intelligent of 
 dogs, who, upon seeing Chariot all safe, came 
 to see about Athenais, and, if necessary, help 
 us." 
 
 " But his zeal was very near causing us 
 trouble, for the elk, seeing this new foe 
 arrive, made a terrible effort to release him- 
 self, and with his forepaws beat the earth 
 furiously. Then Mademoiselle made a sign 
 with her hand to Fhcebus to keep quiet. 
 For more seouriiy she took him by the col- 
 lar with one hand, and threatening him with 
 the other, but in a friendly admonishing way. " 
 
 '• 'Phcebus,' she said, *be wise I Look me 
 in the face I Try to understand 1 Here is a 
 friend whom I have conquered, with my Lord 
 Kildare's assistance. And now I think of it, 
 Phoebus, I want you always to love Lord Kil- 
 dare for my sake. He saved my life, while 
 you were with Chariot scouring the forest, 
 want you to thank him.' " 
 
 "Upon my faith, I think the dog under- 
 tood this little speech from beginning to 
 end, for, before I could thank Mademoiselle 
 for her kind words, Phoebus was licking or, 
 as she said, kissing my hands and gambolling 
 around me to show his joy and gratitude for 
 the service I had rendered his mistress." 
 
 "Their waa a long silence, during which 
 ModemoiBelle took care of the poor elk. She 
 ffether pocket handkerchief in the water of a 
 stream hard by, and bathed his wound, which, 
 luckily, was not serious. The bullet had 
 broken no bone, but merely passing through 
 the skin twice dropped a short distance from 
 08. Indeed, she tended him as a nurse does 
 an infant; staunched the blood and removed 
 the necktie, which was keeping his head too 
 high." 
 
 " A new sound was heard in the forest, 
 and I presently saw Chariot, who had scarcely 
 came out of Lake Erie, rush again into the 
 forest to search for his sister." 
 
 " For further caution, Monilno le Rouge 
 and the two sons of Carrizivray followH<l hiiu 
 at the top of their speed, skimming the snow 
 with their snow shoos." 
 
 ''Montluo beheld our elk taken and tied to 
 the tree, and congratulated us upon our dex- 
 terity. He commended his sister for not 
 suffering me to kill the poor animal." 
 
 " As the reward of my courage and address, 
 I had the honor and happiness of walking be- 
 side Mademoiselle Montluc, which was more 
 to me than the conquest of a province iu the 
 country of the I'urks. I thought so at least, 
 and my belief would have been approved by 
 every gentleman who could have stfon the 
 charming damsel, who, for beauty, graoe, wit 
 and attractions, has scarcely an equal iu the 
 wide world." 
 
 "Unhappily, among so many fine qualities 
 which would awaken the jealousy of twenty 
 crowned queens and forty princesses in their 
 own sight, she has a slight defect — if that can 
 be called a defect, or fault, which is an addi- 
 tional charm. Besides it is the fault of her 
 race. In two words: she lives to command, 
 and it is therefore that I am here against my 
 inclinations, I aKsure you, greatly as your 
 generous and cordial hospitality has touched 
 my heart. Yes, it is no fault of mine that I 
 have re-crossed the Atlantic with Montluc le 
 Kouge; it is because she so commanded, and 
 I could do no less than obey. Know that 
 next to the pleasure of commanding those we 
 do not love, there is nothing more delightful 
 than to obey those whom we love. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 LOBD EILDABE HAS AN IMPOBTAMT OOMVEBSA- 
 TION WITH THEOOVBBNOB OF MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 ' ' I had great confidence, " continued Mon- 
 sieur de Kildare, "in Buffalo's instinct which 
 was akin to genius, and Montluo le Rouge 
 had always impressed upon me the fact that 
 the aged savage was a half wizard or sorcer- 
 er. Accordingly I narrowly watched the un- 
 expected guest of Montluc Tower." 
 
 "He was a large, robust looking gentleman, 
 red as a brick in the face from underdone 
 roast beef and whiskey, of which he imbibed 
 large quantities. His black hair was thick, 
 his limbs strong, his eyes gray, bold and re- 
 morseless. He had an air of respectability, 
 that is to say, as they understand the term in 
 England, an appearance of wealth and self- 
 complacency. You could see at a glance that 
 he was no borrower or lender of money; but 
 that he was ready to give or lend his friends 
 all sorts of other things more precious than 
 silver or gold, though generally less esteemed 
 
m 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 by people; I mean sound advice and moral 
 exhortations." 
 
 ' ' In two words, the respectable gentleman 
 had the appearance of a rich, healthy, power- 
 ful, somewhat avariciouB man. ThcHe qual- 
 ities are, as you know, often found united, 
 •wealth and avarice CKpecially, which are 
 Bcarcely ever separated and seem to loan on 
 one another like beloved sisters." 
 
 " Tlie Goverr'^r began to walk by my side 
 and explain the motives of his journey. Be 
 good enough to listen attentively to this part 
 of my story, Father, 1 am sure it will interest 
 you. I shall not alter a word of it. " 
 
 '"Itis to theEarlof Kildare I have the 
 honor of speaking ?' he inquired." 
 
 '"To himself, sir,' I repUed. Then, after 
 a pause: 'But you must have known that 
 alreaily, for only just a moment ago you ad- 
 dressed me by v\y name V " 
 
 "'My loid," he replied, gravely, 'it is 
 never wrong to be very cautious.'" 
 
 ' ' I looked at him, and in the glare of the 
 torches which were lighting our path, the 
 Canadians who bore them, and the meaning 
 of his Biuile, I recognized that the gentleman's 
 appearance was in keeping with his words. 
 Evidently he was afraid of compromising his 
 busiuess and plans by explaining them at 
 hazard and to the first comer." 
 
 '"First, Sir,' I asked, 'can you explain 
 ■what brings you into this country and islaiul, 
 and hdw it has happened that you were not 
 welcomed with powder and shot r" " 
 
 "He looked at me with a smile, and 
 answered :" 
 
 " 'My lord, we were received in that fash- 
 ion and every one of my retinue has been 
 fatally shot. But then, without responding 
 we hoiiitcd the white flag of parley, and Mon- 
 sieur Can-izaray, an old white-haired gentle- 
 tlemau, who appears to connnaud in your 
 place, suspended the fire and signed us to ap- 
 proach. We assured him that we came to 
 bring peace and harmony, and when he de- 
 manded our arms we wilUngly surrendered 
 them to remove all grounds of H»easiness. He 
 begged us to await your return so that we 
 might together enter the castle and be pre- 
 .setited to Madame de Montluc' " 
 
 " 'But, Governor, who can have prsTniled 
 npou you to come to visit us in tiire of war, 
 in the garb of a friend, at the risk of being 
 shot like your followers?' " 
 
 ' ' ' My conscience, ' he answered. " 
 
 "I began to think ho was a little crazy, and 
 I behevo he suspected my thought, for he 
 went on:" 
 
 " 'Ye«, my conscience! But first of all, 
 my lord, permit me to inform you that I pro- 
 
 posed to Monsieur de Frontenao, Governor of 
 Quebec and New France, an eight day's 
 treaty for upper Canada, from Montreal to 
 the western borders of Lake Superior, and 
 that ho has accepted my proposal. ' " 
 
 "'Strange!'" 
 
 " And Buffalo's whisper came back to my 
 mind: ' Treachery ! ' " 
 
 " ' My business is this:' resumed the Gov- 
 ernor. ' In the first place the war between 
 the King of France and the King of Enghiud 
 is very nearly finished. Our young readers 
 must not regard all Lord Kildare's state- 
 meuts as strictly historical. Peace will 
 be concluded in the spring. Hence, 
 it would be folly for us to fight in the 
 snow and frost while our reflective and re- 
 spected sovereigns, the one in London, the 
 other in Versailles, with their feet on the fen- 
 der, are calmly conferring like lawyers to 
 asoertain if such a province, which makes no 
 return except reports of skirmishes, belongs 
 to one or the other. So as they are going to 
 consult instead of fight in Europe, let us lay 
 aside our arms ! What do you say ?' " 
 
 ' ' I confess that he had the appearance of a 
 reasonable man, and that his reasoning was 
 that of a sensible one. But I still doubted." 
 
 "He went on:" 
 
 ' ' ' Why I have come here and to the house 
 of Monsieur de Montluc rather than < 
 where. Ah! there comes in my concern; or, 
 if you pie' cr it, that of my conscience.' " 
 
 " And as I seemed astonished at his refus- 
 ing confidence in me without knowing me, he 
 added: 
 
 " 'I know you, my Lord Kildare, and I 
 shall soon need your good services, only hear 
 my history. You are more interested your- 
 self in it than you think.' " 
 
 " He paused a moment and then asked:" 
 
 " ' Do you not know my name ?' " 
 
 "I ponder the question in my turn, and 
 then a vague memory of things long since 
 forgotten comes back to me." 
 
 ' ' ' You are Sir Richard Carroll, of Carroll 
 Castle in Ireland; is not that so ?'" 
 
 " 'The very person,' he replied." 
 
 "'Your grandfather was a Catholic and 
 land owner in County Mayo ?'" 
 
 "'Yes.'" 
 
 ' ' ' Your father was his younger son?' " 
 
 "'True.'" 
 
 " ' In Oliver Cromwell's time, your grand- 
 father's head was cut off for fighting for our 
 holy re'igion?' " 
 
 " ' Yes. OUver Cromwell was without pity 
 and spared none of his enemies.' " 
 
 "Here I hesitated a Uttle, from a sense of 
 politeness. Sir Richard begged me to go on." 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 Tl» 
 
 "tbeachkbxI" 
 
 "Then your father, Beeing that the im- 
 miiufle estates of tlie family were about to be 
 CO ifiBcated, hastened to be converted to Pro- 
 t<>stamsm, and was put by Cromwel! into 
 Carroll Castle and all the paternal property, 
 Mill the Btuarts who were refitored later on, 
 ia''<s never thought of doing justice to the 
 eldest brother of your uncle." 
 
 " Sir Bichard Carroll looked at me fixedly, 
 and said with his impassible air: 
 
 "My Lord Kildare, you are right How 
 
 do you know all these details?' " 
 
 " 'In ibe simplest way in the world, ftut 
 I don't know that I ought in a time of 
 truce.' " 
 
 •'It was hard to say it, but the baronet, 
 with emotion, made me a gestur*. to speak 
 freely." 
 
 "'Hundreds of times I have heard your 
 father called by one of the two names: Car- 
 roll the Traitor, or Carroll the Apostate.' " 
 
 "Although this was a bitter pill, hard <• 
 
80 
 
 THE CHmFTAIKfl OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 swallow, harder to digest, he made a motion 
 that I wau riijlit, and that indeed it was after 
 thiH fashion they tjpoke of his fnther in Mayo. 
 He merely added, doubtless to justify the 
 memory of the old baronet:" 
 
 *♦ "Tis true, my lord, that disagreeable 
 mmors were circulated about my father at 
 the time of his conversion. It is true, too, 
 that his enemies related that he had suc- 
 cumbed to the desire of possessing the im- 
 mense fortune of his father and despoiling 
 his eldest brother, the lawful heir, Well, my 
 lord, if even this report were true, instead 
 of being a contemptible lie, don't you think 
 it was better by a conversion feigned or sin- 
 cere, to keep in the family immense estates 
 than leave them in the hands of the grasping 
 soldiers of Cromwell?' " 
 
 "He paused and said:" 
 
 " '^^^lat do you say, my lord?' " 
 
 "I Kmiply ajiswered:" 
 
 '"He should have kept Carroll CJastle and 
 tirsc^pon the Cromwellian soldiers.'" 
 
 "Then Sir Richard went on:" 
 
 " 'Sly father did better. When his fath- 
 er's domains had been confiscated, he became 
 a convert to the new doctrines; he procured 
 the restoration of his paternal estates, while 
 his eldest brother, always faithful to the Stu- 
 arts, who cared very little about him, was 
 forced to take refuge at first in France, then 
 in Massachusetts, where, in 1G80, he perished 
 in an invasion of savages and Canadians, who 
 took him for an Englishman and slew him 
 with •>!! his family, except a httle girl two 
 years old, my first cousin Lucy, who was 
 adopted by Baron de Montluc' " 
 
 " 'So MiBS Carroll is your cousin?' " 
 
 '"Yes."' 
 
 "'Who told you?"' 
 
 "'My father, he whom you have heard 
 culled Carroll the Traitor, Carroll the Apos- 
 tate but who never forgot his brother.' " 
 
 "'My uncle, proscribed in England 
 and Ireland, forced to flee to Massachusetts, 
 and work with his hands for a Uving ; more- 
 over, indignant at what he regarded as his 
 brother's treachery, took good care to keep 
 the fact of his existence a dead letter.' " 
 
 " * Hidden in the forests, occupied build- 
 ing a wooden house — his log-cabir —and in 
 securing it against the attacks of the savages, 
 (you Bee he was always nnluc\y); certain 
 likewise that the Stuarts would nover do him 
 justice, he took no interest in what happened 
 in England or Ireland. Meanwhile my father 
 became a baronet and a respecter of English 
 law and the decrees of Cromwell— and after 
 all, the decrees of the Usurper were better 
 than those of the lawful kings.' " 
 
 " 'You think so?'" I interrupted. 
 
 " 'A little later on, thanks to the favor of 
 King William,' he continued, 'I was made 
 Governor of Massachusetts, and by a strange 
 chance which it would be too long to describe 
 in detail, I learned that Miss Lucy was my 
 cousin, own child of Sir Henry Carroll, my 
 uncle, and his sole heir ' " 
 
 "And as I gazed upon him with astonish- 
 ment, awaiting the conclusion of his story, 
 he remarked:" 
 
 " 'And it is to obey the last wishes of my 
 father and my own conscience that I have 
 come here.' " 
 
 ' ' I asked : ' What do you intend to do ?' " 
 
 " 'Introduce myself to my cousin, in the 
 first place. For the rest, I shall be guided by 
 circumstances.' " 
 
 ' ' I observed : ' Doubtless you wish to make 
 restitution?' " 
 
 '"No. . . ."' 
 
 " I involuntarily placed my Land on the hilt 
 of my sword." 
 
 " ' I have nothing to restore.' " 
 
 "And then?" 
 
 "'Then . . . then . . . OUver 
 Cromwell's decrees are immutable as those of 
 Providence itself, and the property that great 
 man gave to my father could noi be taken 
 from him or his lawful heirs without a forcible 
 violation of ^11 laws, human and divine . . . 
 but . . .'" 
 
 "But . . ." 
 
 " ' But there is perhaps a way to restore to 
 Lucy the wealth of which a rigorous decree, 
 I avow, has despoiled her to the advantage of 
 my father and myself.' " 
 
 '"What means?'" ' ' 
 
 "I pretended te have no suspicion. In 
 reality I guessed his reply. " 
 
 "He said with a lofty, dogmatic air:" 
 
 " *My Lord, have you read the Bible?'" 
 
 " ' Seldom, Sir Richard,' " 
 
 " 'Do you know it is said somewhere in 
 Genesis, I think, that between husband and 
 wife everything should be common.' " 
 
 " ' I was ignorant of that, Sir Richard. But 
 even if that were so, what do you uaderstand 
 by it ? What do you mean ?' " 
 
 " ' I mean that Lucy Carroll is not married, 
 and that I am not married. ' " 
 
 " ' And that a lawful marriage will merge the 
 rights of two branches of the Carroll family. 
 Is not that it ?' " 
 
 "'Perfectly conceived I Do you see any 
 obstacle?'" 
 
 ' ' Then I thought of my friend Moutluo le 
 Rouge, o';cupied in Quebec with the affairs of 
 the colony, who had entrusted to me the de- 
 fence of his family and of his interests." 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 81 
 
 "I said to Sir Bichard: 'Monsieur, your 
 project is excellent and wise. To restore and 
 at the same time keep the goods of another is 
 admirable work, or rather a master-stroke of 
 policy. It is awarding justice with interest. 
 Ako, I am sure Miss Lucy would bo enchanted 
 by your proposal, if . , ." 
 
 " I paused. Ho asked:" 
 
 " ' If she were not already betrothed to my 
 friend, Louis do Moutluc:'" 
 
 ■'At this news Sir Richard cried out :" 
 
 ** 'Montluc lo Rouge.'" 
 
 "Yes, Monsieur." 
 
 " 'That barbarian?'" 
 
 " I bowed. You flatter my friend." 
 
 ' ' ' That red-skin ! that cannibal ' " 
 
 " He would have said more depreciatory of 
 his rival, but I saw Chariot coming at a race 
 toward me, and I made a sign to be silent if 
 he did not wish to get into a quarrel ; for the 
 boy was not of a disposition to suffer his 
 brother to be insulted in his absence, and 
 there were plenty of Canadians and savages 
 on the island who would not have asked better 
 sport then scalping his Excellency, Sir Rich- 
 ard Carroll, Governor of Massachusetts." 
 
 "The baronet iinderstood my gesture, and 
 kept silent." 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A BPT IN TOWKB MONTLUO — SIB BIOHABD 
 CABROLL BETIRES. 
 
 "Upon joining US," Lord Kidare contin- 
 ued, ' ' Chariot shook my hand warmly, 
 American fashion, and said:" 
 
 " ' Ah I Gerald I my dear friend ! How I 
 longed to see yon 1 I have so much to tell 
 you. We have had a great deal of news in 
 your absence. We have had a friend call 
 upon us, who says he is a cousin of Lucy's.' " 
 
 "Then, noticing Sir Richard, who was 
 keeping a little out of the way, he recognized 
 him and added:" 
 
 "'Yes, there he is, Sir Richard Carroll, 
 why don't you come here? One would 
 think you were hiding I Don't be so retiring! 
 They are making supper for you inside. How 
 did you find the fishing and huntings Gerald ? 
 Good? Eh?'" 
 
 "I pointed at some wild duck slung across 
 the shoulders of one of our Algonquins." 
 
 "The boy then chattered away:" 
 
 " 'Sir Richard brings good news. A 
 treaty is concluded and peace is to follow 
 speedily. My father and brother are goiag 
 to return, and Lucy will bo married in less 
 than a fortnight. She is greatly pleased, and 
 so are we all, mother, myself and sister 
 Atheuais. We shall dance for three weeks. 
 
 I have already invited three hundred Algon- 
 quins with Uieir squaws, and I am counting 
 upon Iroquois and Hurons. If necessary, I shall 
 go after the Patagouiaus to South Amerioa.'" 
 
 "We were thus far in the description of 
 Chariot's plans, when we arrived in front of 
 the Castle, which stands, as I believe I Lave 
 explained, on one side upon a lofty cliff of 
 perpendicular granite, which sentinel-like, 
 looks down upon Lake Erie, while on the 
 other, it commands a gently sloping plain, a 
 distance of a quarter of a league." 
 
 "The draw-bridge, as in time of war, was 
 lowered to receive us. Sir Richard appeared 
 surprised at this display of vigilance, and re- 
 marked upon it pretty audibly. " 
 
 " Old Carrizaray, who was there, sword iu 
 hand and pistol in his belt, to receive us, 
 answered as i* to a question." 
 
 " 'English Lord, while Baron Montluc and 
 his son are not on this island, and the Etirl of 
 Kildar-: is out hunting or fishing, I, who rep- 
 resent tbem here, shall suffer no one to enter 
 without demanding his name, his anus and 
 his passport. . . . And if any one does not 
 like that ..." 
 
 ' ' bir Richard, seeing that the old Basque 
 was waxing wrathy, answerec':" 
 
 " ' I am quite satisfied with your rule.'" 
 
 " ' Well, BO much the bettor,' rejoined Car- 
 rizaray, ' because it would be all the same 
 anyhow. You should have to submit to it.'" 
 
 "The old Basfiue was plainly no better 
 pleased than Buffalo at the Englishmau's 
 visit 
 
 ' ' To soften his ill-hnmor, I made a sign to 
 Sir Richard to precede me, and drawing Car- 
 rizaray aside, asked bin:" 
 
 " ' What has happened this evening?'" 
 
 "•Scarcely anything. We killed an Eng- 
 lishman, that's all.'" 
 
 ' ' ' But you appear in bad sorts, Carri- 
 zaray ?' " 
 
 '"Yesl indeed 1 but not because wo 
 killed an Englishman. Why did he come 
 here without permission in time of war ?' " 
 
 "'Well?'" 
 
 " * But it is on account of the man we hav« 
 opened our gates to." " 
 
 " 'Then he should not have been re. 
 ceived.'" 
 
 '" True, my lord; but when he displayed 
 the fls.g of truce and made all kinds of sign* 
 that he came as a friend, we could not pre- 
 vent fiis entering. He shouted: ' Great news! 
 pe-^ce 1 p'jace 1 ' and did not return our fire. 
 Then Madame Montluc, who is good, said:'* 
 
 '"Don't fire, Carrizaray!'" 
 
 '"I replied'" 
 
 ' ' ' Madame, iu Lord Kildare'a absence, I 
 
83 
 
 THE (!HIKH'AINH Ol' (JIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 am auswerable for you. What would the 
 I{;ir(juHny if lie loiiriunl that in tiiuo of war 
 Iho Ku^jlish wore oiiablod to visit thiHlHlund?' " 
 
 " ' She answered :'" 
 
 " 'diirrizaray, you shall not bo accountable.'" 
 
 ' ' ' You knoM(5 Lord Kildaro, that Madaino 
 flio IJaronesH is clothed withaiuhnrity in such 
 iiiattors. . . . Finally, I procured her consent 
 io Bend my two sons to the Enf^lishinan who 
 showed his passjiorts — but what ^ood was 
 tliivty The poor boys never learned to read, 
 any Mons than myself.'" 
 
 ' ' The elder, however, who is no fool, de- 
 manihid the Englishman's i)aj)ers and took 
 them to MaiLime Montluc who is a scholar. 
 She said i'ir Hichard was reguLir; that there 
 was a tnico; that Lord Montluc, the Governor 
 of (iuebee, had attached his name and seal 
 to the paper, in fine, that all the necessary 
 f.trniations appeared on the face of the pass- 
 ports. So I permitted the Enj.;lishmiin and his 
 retinue to enter. But for in-ocautiou I have 
 taken their rifles and i)istols — for no one 
 knows wliiit may hai)])('n."' 
 
 " ' Why do you suspect the party, Can-i- 
 zaray, when, their papoi-s are regular?'" 
 
 "'Ah! there it is. They are more than 
 twenty, and their appearances don't please 
 uie. But there's a coat! Look!'" 
 
 "'Where?'" 
 
 " 'There, my lord.'" 
 
 "Just then wo saw coming towards us a 
 man, of a forbidding miim, who wore a big 
 wig and walked with a curious, searching 
 ftlanco which lie cast from right to left as if 
 he were counting the stones in the walls or 
 a'iipraising the price of Montluc Tower with 
 rt view to pur(Oiasing it." 
 
 "I was quito astonished at the sight of 
 this man, Iliad Been him before, but where 
 I could not tell. Yet I believed I knew him." 
 
 "When ho perceived that I was attentively 
 regarding him, and that (Jarrizaray was 
 pointing him out with his finger, he rocog- 
 ui/ed me without doubt, for ho turned on his 
 lict 1 and walked back." 
 
 " ' V/lio is he?' I asked the old Basque." 
 
 " ' The major domo of Kir Hichard, accord- 
 ing to their joint story; for, so far as I am 
 coacemed, I distrust both Governor and 
 major domo. This one is a me-o spy!*" • 
 
 "This terra and the wig opened my eyes at 
 once, I remembered; it was tho German 
 Kronmark whom our good friend, Pied-de- 
 Cerf, tlio Algonquin, had so deftly saUped at 
 tho Fort." 
 
 " Accordingly I said to Carrizaray:" 
 
 " ' Koep au eye on him. Ho is a Hpy,' " 
 
 ' ' ' You are sure of that, my lord?' " 
 
 "'VeryBuru.'" 
 
 "And I related to him tho history of Kron- 
 mark. Carrizaray reilectod a minute and said:" 
 
 " 'If he is a spy, we have only one thing 
 to do.'" 
 
 "'What?'" 
 
 "'Putas'ono round his neck and drown 
 him.'" 
 
 "That was exacitly my opinion. But, if 
 Sir Kichard had come in the faith of any trea- 
 ties, it was rather hard to drown his major 
 domo like a miserable <log." 
 
 " Hence, i opposed Carrizaray's resolution 
 am? was contentiul with admonishing him to 
 bo very watchful." 
 
 "'Oh! as far as that goes, my lord! My- 
 self and liuiTalo sleep with one eye open; if 
 the German, this Kronmark, tho rascal 
 should try to play any of his games on u-i, in 
 less than a minute ho would find himself 
 dead.'" 
 
 " And he would have done as ho said, for 
 the (jld JJasque had a quick wit and a quicker 
 hai'd despite his years; and as to scrnpio, he 
 had some, it is true;, but not in regard to 
 spins, or traitors, as ho said himself." 
 
 "Having again cautioned great vigilance, 
 I entered tho largo castle -here;, wlua'o suj). 
 per was laid out, Madame Montluc and Mad- 
 emoiselle Athenais awaited us, with Miss 
 Lucy." 
 
 " Tho Englishman was enjoying their com- 
 pany. Chariot was moving about uneasily, 
 always having a great app(dit(!, as his fatluif 
 would say, and jjarticularly on Bueh a day 
 and at such an hour, for tho orrival of the 
 Englishman and tho various little incidents 
 of the afternoon had delayed supper." 
 
 " What occasioned still more delay was the 
 absence of Fathi^r Floury, who had come 
 home at the samotinio asl had but by another 
 path, ho Boomed to bo in no hurry to leave 
 his room!" 
 
 " They wont after him Boveral times. Ho 
 said nothing, except that ho was coming down, 
 but was detained looking for something." 
 
 " No one, save the baron himself, being held 
 in higher respect in tho household, and indeed 
 in all Canada, they waited patiently, for tlie 
 good priest must have unknown but strong 
 reasons for not using greater expedition, ai"' 
 the more bo (an observation I made later) as 
 when leaving tho boat he avoided meeting 
 Sir Kichard." 
 
 "At length ho did come down, but last of 
 all, holding in his hand a bag or wallet which 
 contained all sorts of papers— ^tlio character 
 of which it womd bo hard to guess." 
 
 " Madame Montluc advanced to meet him 
 with h(!r usual grace and majet;ty, and pre- 
 ' seated Sir Bichard to him." 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 8,'! 
 
 'BON VOYAGE.' 
 
 "TIo rospcctfnlly bowod to tho Futber, 
 and Kiiid ho wiih very liaijpy to know a nmii, 
 whoKe reputation for knowler'}.^ and holimiKH 
 had boon ho long eRtahliHluul in New Franco 
 and p''">i in tho EngliHh colonioH." 
 
 "Tho apfod prioHt regarded him with oyeR 
 which wore j'ontle, yet piereing, and replicid 
 to the couipliiuentR:" 
 
 " 'I have tho honor also of slightly know- 
 ing your Excnllonoy, Sir Ilichard, for in my 
 young days I was iiitiniiitely acquainted with 
 Hir Edward Carroll of Carroll Castle, Ireland, 
 your grandfather. Ho was a zealous Cath- 
 olic, sir, and a martyr who shed his blood for 
 tho faith of his an'.^estors.' " 
 
 " tiir Kichard bit his lip at this compliment.'* 
 
04 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 " In the moantime we had taken our places 
 at the table." 
 
 ' ' We were silent during the earlier part of 
 tlio Bupper, for in the first place, all the com- 
 ]iiiiiy had good appetites and besides we were 
 n-.vuiting with curiosity the explanation of 
 Sir Ilichard's strange journey." 
 
 " Indeed everyone was embarrassed. The 
 suspicions of old Buffalo and Father Fleury 
 had worked upon me. Although it had been 
 2)roved by documentary evidence and genuine 
 signatures that the treaty had been made, I 
 began to fear some snare ! " 
 
 ' 'At length wo rose from the table, and sat 
 in the balcony which overhung the chff and 
 Lake Erie, and his Excellency having no one 
 save Montluc's family. Father Fleury and my- 
 self to hear him, related what he had already 
 told me and added that he came for Miss 
 Lucy to take her back with him to Boston, 
 restore the inheritance of her father and if 
 she pleased marry her." 
 
 "To be sure, the one would not go with- 
 out the other, for just as he had lAken pains 
 to repeat it several times, if his conscience 
 admonished restitution, his interest prompted 
 him to keep it, and he should steer a fair 
 middle course between his duty and his 
 interest." 
 
 ' ' Madame Montluc and Mademoiselle Ath- 
 enais said nothing. Miss Lucy listened at- 
 tentively." 
 
 "At the end, she broke the silence and in- 
 quired :" 
 
 " ' Sir Bichard Carroll you are my cousin?" ' 
 
 "'Yes, Miss Lucy.'" 
 
 " ' And you will not make restitution imless 
 on condition of marrying me, that is to say, 
 keeping all ?' " . . . 
 
 " The Englishman seemed embarrassed." 
 
 " 'Your silence is an answer,' she said, 
 * Keep all, I will remain here. ' " 
 
 "At these words Athena'is embraced her 
 exclaiming :" 
 
 " ' Dont be uneasy. My brother will give 
 you a hundred times more.' " 
 
 " Then Father Fleury raised his voice and 
 said:" 
 
 " 'Sir Bichard Carroll, I know your his- 
 tory as well as yourself. It is not to restore, 
 even one-half, the estates of Miss Lucy you 
 have come here; it is because you are aware 
 that her uncle, indignant at Boeing her de- 
 spoiled of everything by abominable laws, 
 has bequeathed to her large estates in Kent, 
 England, of which she is not to take posses- 
 sion till the date of her marriage. It is not 
 the fortut 1 you already enjoy that brings 
 you here it is the other, the one you can 
 fie vflr take . ros i Lucy except by marrying her. " 
 
 "This unexpected revelation caused th« 
 Englishman to blush." 
 
 " 'How do you know it?' he demanded." 
 
 ' ' Father Fleury began to laugh, and an- 
 swered:" 
 
 " ' Don't I know everything ?' " 
 
 " 'Since you know everything," rejoined 
 Sir Bichard, " I have nothing more to do 
 than to say my adieus , . . Lucy, you see 
 what I offer you : and immense fortune com- 
 posed of two inheritances. I am also Gover- 
 nor of Massachusetts, which is equivalent to 
 a vice royalty in America. " 
 
 " 'Sir,' said Miss Lucy, as we all escorted 
 him to his boat, ' I have the honor to bid you 
 adieu. ... If you please to restore my 
 father's fortune, I shall accept it joyfully. If 
 you do not, I shall direct my future husband, 
 Lord Montluc, to retake it.'" 
 
 "Then Sir Bichard signed to his boatmen 
 to take the oars, and remarked :" 
 
 " ' Miss Lucy, you shall repent youi impu- 
 dent speech!'" 
 
 "Every one shouted to him:" 
 
 " ' Bon voyage! Safe passage.' " 
 
 " The moment the boat got into the open 
 water I was astonished to see at the stern, a 
 strange figure, the chin and almost the nose 
 wrapped in a red woolen muffler, the fore- 
 head and eyes covered with a shaggy wig, just 
 Uke a merry andrew." 
 
 " I thought I had seen that figure some- 
 where." 
 
 "'But where?'" 
 
 " All at once old Buffalo touched my elbow, 
 Jid said again:" 
 
 ' ' ' Treachery ! treachery ! ' " 
 
 " And our friend Pied-de-Cerf ynho was be- 
 hind him added:" 
 
 ' ' ' Lord Kildare, did you not see the man 
 with the wig ? I recognized him at once. It 
 was Kronmark !'" 
 
 '"Kronmark?"' 
 
 ' ' ' That German spy I scalped at the Fort. ' " 
 
 "'I said I remembered too; and had 
 already recognized him.' " 
 
 "Buffalo remarked:" 
 
 " 'That man prowled around all the even- 
 ing. A questioner — pale face. Bad sign. 
 He who never questions, don't tell him every- 
 thing.'" 
 
 ' " But what did he ask, Buffalo ?' " 
 
 "' Where was tlo treasure ?' " 
 
 '"What treasure?'" 
 
 " 'The treasure of Montluc, taken from the 
 Spaniards forty years ago by the Great Black 
 Bear. Hidden here or elsewhere. No one 
 knows except old Montluc, his son and old 
 Buffalo. When the three die, the treasure is 
 lost forever." 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 ur, 
 
 *' As to Father Fleury, he only said:" 
 •' ' Be vigilaut, Lord Kildare, I feel we are 
 ou the eve of a great danger. Perhaps you 
 were wrong in suffering Sir Richard Carroll 
 to depart. ' " 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 BOW LORD KILDABI AND MONTLT70 LE BOUQE 
 ACCOMPMHHED THXIB MISSION — THE PASTOR 
 OF OIMEL, 8U0CEEDH KATHEU rLEURY. 
 
 Lord Kildare continued his story as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 "Two days after, serious news reached 
 our happy Island of Montluc Tower. Thin 
 news, or rather the letter containing it, was 
 written by my friend, Montluc lo Rouge. It 
 fan thus:" 
 
 Quebec. 
 
 "' My Dear Gerald — Whet your sword, 
 gird your loins, and make ready to start with 
 me for Europe. You will, no doubt, inquire 
 by what route; for the Saint Lawrence has 
 been tiozen these two days. We could travel 
 on foot from here to Newfoundland if the 
 onornious ice-bergs, that are ever moving and 
 whose sole weight would crush to pieces the 
 largest man-of-war, t'id not render such trav- 
 elling imposriible.'" 
 
 ' ' ' But no matter; we must go at all haz- 
 ards. Lord Frontenac, the Governor, has 
 entreated me — adding that, if I refused, New 
 France, attacked on all sides by the English 
 and the savages, and without provisions of 
 money, must succumb to her foes.' " 
 
 '"This is true. And so I do not hesi- 
 tate.'" 
 
 " ' But I want a companion, a King's officer; 
 for a Canadian savage like me, the son, more- 
 over, of an ancient rebel, would not win much 
 favor in the eyes of Louis XIV. I saw this 
 at once, and de Frontenac did not try to 
 cloak it either. He has left me the choice of 
 my companion; and I have pitched upon you, 
 Gerald. There are twenty chances tp one 
 that we shall perish before reaching our 
 destination; but I saw at Hudson what you 
 were capable of; I told Lord Frontenac, and 
 he said:'" 
 
 "♦That is the man I want The Irish 
 and French were always first cousins; and 
 more than ten years ago became brothers. 
 Do prevail upon him to go.'" 
 
 " ' I am trying to do so now, and hope, my 
 dear Kildare, you won't disappoint me.' " 
 
 "'In thrte days I shall be at Montluc 
 Tower. We shall depart the next day, for 
 time presses, and the English now reconciled 
 with the Iroquois and other savages, might 
 
 invade No^/ France during Winter. In such 
 an event our brave Canadians would perish, 
 borne down by numbers. ' " 
 
 ' ' ' Affectionately, Kildare, yours, 
 
 "'Montluc le Rouqe.'" 
 
 "Montluc arrived five days later at the 
 Castle. He had made a detoir of twenty 
 leagues to consult his father, who was return- 
 ing from his expedition after having exchanged 
 the prisoners, one hundred and forty-three 
 Canadians for five hundi'cd Englishmen or 
 Germans." 
 
 "On their arrival, we held council. The 
 whole of the Montluc family was admitted, 
 including Father Fleury, old Buffalo and 
 myself." 
 
 "Thiscovmcil lasted three days, of which 
 the two first were devoted to pubUc interests, 
 the third to my private affairs." 
 
 ' ' In other words, father, it was decided, 
 among other things which are the secrets of 
 de Frontenac, the Lords of Montluc and King 
 Louis XIV., and consequently not to be di- 
 vulged — that if Mademoiselle Athenais did not 
 entertain too lively a regret at changing hor 
 name to that of Countess of Kildare, we 
 should be married at the same time as Mont- 
 luc le Rouge and Miss Lucy. Mademoiselle 
 Athenais was good enough not to say no. 
 Madame Montluc consented with pleasure (at 
 least she said 8o\ the old baron, her father, 
 said that my conduct in Ireland and in the 
 attack at Fort Hudson gave the good opinion 
 that this marriage would be alike honorable 
 to France and Ireland. Montluc le Rouge 
 declared he looked upon me as a brother, and 
 Carrizaray and his sons confirmed the re- 
 murks by the assurance that they had never 
 seen a lord such a ' bon enfant ' as I was. 
 Father Fleury added a single word: ' Go, but 
 return speedily if you wish to receive my 
 nuptial benediction.' And really at ninety 
 years of age, however robust we may be, we 
 cannot but mistrust the future." 
 
 "IshallBotgo over the affecting adieus 
 next day of every one, men and women, 
 when we set out on our journey by way of 
 the Mississippi, accompanied by only ten 
 Canadians. Enough to say that we seemed 
 to be carrying away the hearts of the colony." 
 
 "Some other day I shall relate to you our 
 adventures on this great river still so Httle 
 known, and yet fed by fifty navigable rivers, 
 the smallest of which is wider and deeper 
 than the Seine at Paris. Fancy a valley of 
 at least six hundred leagues almost flat, which 
 drains itself completely into a canal, and you 
 see Louisiana, a country wherein is four hun- 
 dred leagues from north to south, seven hun- 
 dred from east to west, which contains almoHt 
 
80 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OP CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 two hundred and fifty to three hundred 
 thouHHud HdvageH, iuiuicUHu prairioH upuu the 
 right bunk of the river, deubo foresta ou tlic 
 left, and a« luuch game as all the rest of tlu; 
 globe. If I could Bummou thither all my 
 poor Iritih countrymon, aud joiu them with 
 the Freuch, who already poswsH America 
 from the St. Lawrence iu the North to the 
 outlet of the MiBHissippi in the Bouth, before 
 two huudn^d yotirH the Ci Us of Paris and 
 Dublin would bo the masters of the earth, 
 and the King of France the king of kings." 
 
 "It was this Bchtimo that old LordMoutluc 
 aud Father Fleury unfolded to mo and charged 
 me to repeat to the ministerB at Versailles; 
 but the wind did not blow that way. Neither 
 Lord Pontchartrain, with his self-conceit, nor 
 Madame do Maiutenon could comprehend it. 
 They were absorbed in a project that looked 
 to the coiKiuust of some little town iu Fku- 
 ders or ou tho Rhine, and they were willing 
 in order to accomphsh it to sacrifice three 
 hundred thousand men instead of giving 
 homes to twelve or thirteen thousand on the 
 Mississippi, who should become the fathers 
 of the most powerful nation iu the universe!" 
 
 "Here Lord Kildare paused to ask me:" 
 
 " ' What do you think of it Father ?' " 
 
 " To which I modestly answered: 'My lord, 
 1 think you are right, but I cannot give you 
 any assurances, for I am not in politics. ' " 
 
 " This made Lord Kildare laugh, and Beau- 
 foil, bolder than I was, said: ' My lord, I think, 
 with due deference, that His Majesty lacks 
 common sense.' " 
 
 "At this rather uncivil opinion, Lord Kil- 
 dare laughed, and then went on. " 
 
 " Of all our adventures I shall relate but 
 one, Father, because it will explain how 
 without brig, man-of-war, frigate or money 
 nor even merchant vessel in our service, but 
 on the contrary, a great English aud Dutch 
 fleet to bar our progress, we arrived in 
 France." 
 
 "Hatchets, rifles, powder and ball, pistols 
 and swords, with some fishing lines composed 
 our ecpiipment, except three or four barrels 
 of biscuit and smoked salmon, which were 
 our sole means of subsistence. " 
 
 ' ' Thus, with a crew of ten men, not includ- 
 ing Moutluc aud myself, wo arrived at the 
 mouth of the Mississippi, which we easily 
 recognized, for tho waters of the Atlantic, es- 
 pecially about there, a/e green as an emerald, 
 while tho river is of the hue of coffee with 
 milk in it." 
 
 "The Mississippi becomes so swollen in 
 high flood time that you cannot see one bank 
 from the other." 
 
 " Awived there, that is at the mouth of the 
 
 river, wo held council, for it was hard to ven- 
 ture across the ocean and make seven 
 hundred leagues in a small boat adapted to 
 iukud waters, but which the first big hvh ou 
 tho Atlantic would fill up aud founder with all 
 tho crew." 
 
 ' ' Accordingly Montluc lo llouge held con- 
 ference, or rather said:" 
 
 " ' We have no time to lose. It is the 15th 
 ofJauuary. We nnist reach Fran<^o in two 
 months and return to Quebec by the 20th of 
 May. So wo must set out. ' " 
 
 " You would have thought to hear him 
 speak, that wo were going in a ferry boat 
 across a river ten feet wide and six deep." 
 
 "I iiKjuired:" 
 
 " ' Shall we go in this boat ?'" 
 
 " He answered without showing any sur- 
 prise:" 
 
 " ' Yes, if necessary.' " 
 
 ' ' Aud all his Canadians, who beUeved him 
 capable of anything, applauded the reply." 
 
 "He added:" 
 
 " 'But it is unnecessary! We shall pres- 
 ently possess a splendid vessel, well-rigged, 
 and well-manned, which will only cost us the 
 trouble of taking it. ' " 
 
 " That made the whole crew laugh." 
 
 "I must tell you, Father, that the sea of 
 the Antilles belongs almost wholly to the 
 EngUsh and Spaniards, who are enemies to 
 the King of France, and if you ojicept two or 
 three small islands which belong to the 
 French, and occupy in this sea, about as 
 much space as two or three sea-gulls or a big 
 lake. His Majesty's •fficors and soldiers have 
 not an inch of ground upon which to raise 
 tho flag of France." 
 
 "However, as uiy friend Montluc appeared 
 sanguine of success, I did not hesitate to fol- 
 low him." 
 
 "Almost at the beginning he ascertained 
 from San Domingo buccaneers who prowl 
 about these seas, after their prey — the gold- 
 laden Spanish galleons— that a great flotilla 
 of English, Dutch and Spanish vessels were 
 cruising fifty leagues away, and were making 
 some prizes among tho French merchantmen; 
 but were specially engaged in convoying Span- 
 ish galleons to Cadiz. " 
 
 "At this news, Montluc said to me:" 
 
 " 'Kildare, am I not unlucky ?' " 
 
 "'How.'" 
 
 " ' Because, like my father, I should carry 
 away one of these galleons right under the 
 nose of tho convoy, but if I try I shall arrive 
 too late in Franco, which would niin tho col- 
 ony; or (much worse) I shall not arrive at 
 all.'" 
 
 "'WeU?'" 
 
THE CHIEFTAINS OF CHAMrLAIN. 
 
 81 
 
 "'Well, I forego *lio eutorprise; but we 
 must biivo Hoiiio roward for our abstiiiouco.' " 
 " And wo did hivvo it. Two diiyH Inter, wo 
 met a fiue, larj^e Dutch morchautmnu iuoviu(,' 
 slowly alouf^ liko a w«!iiltliy, bi^,'-pauul•b*■d 
 burf^her ruturuiug from market boruo down 
 with Hupplies." 
 
 " The poor follows having no BUspicionH of 
 danger and fancying theniBelves protected by 
 their flec-t, were captured at night by the 
 mere act of boarding. Am they had no arms 
 we did not harm th(!m, beyond putting them 
 ashore in Louisiana, and warning tiiem to bo 
 on the look out for the savages who massa- 
 cred every stran|,'er. Wo also left them three 
 guns, some amnnition and provisions for two 
 weeks. After this mastor-sti'oko we sailed 
 under the French ilag straight down upon a 
 frigate which was as trim and coquettish as a 
 young damsel — armed withal with frrty great 
 cannon, and which, perceiving our approach, 
 bore down upon us and at the first sweep 
 ran alongside of us." 
 
 ' ' The frigate— we already knew of her 
 from the report of the San Domingo pirates, 
 in cousetpience of which Montluehad cast his 
 eyes upon her — was called the Mouette, and 
 like the bird whose name she bore, she 
 skimmed the waters. She was also a scent or 
 light-ship for the great cruising Anglo-Dutch 
 fleet." 
 
 "The first move of the Captain of the 
 Mouette, who was an Englishman, was to dis- 
 charge a cannon at us. The ball shattered a 
 soup tureen on deck the very moment the 
 master cook had come to pour out the soup. 
 To tell you that we bore this mishap in silence 
 would be to lie to the Eternal, for the chief 
 cook was a fine, big Hollander, who knew, as 
 he admitted when we engaged him, but two 
 things in the line of cookery, that is to make 
 turtle soup and sanr kraut. So for two days 
 we had nothing else in the way of dishes. 
 But as the turtle soup is far harder to get 
 ready than the Sauet Kraut it is impossible to 
 describe the rage of tlio cook. And the Cana- 
 dians, who had lived for two weeks on smoked 
 salmon, were just as infuriated." 
 
 "Montluo remarked to us:" 
 
 " ' We must dine; but we shall have a bet- 
 ter dinner before night. Let all get ready 
 without noise. ' " 
 
 "Then he quietly directed the manoeuvre 
 which was to obey the Englishman's order, 
 and TWO. our big merchantman c'^se alongside 
 the frigate." 
 
 ' 'AH that, without saying a word in reply to 
 the Captain of the Mouette, who must have 
 believed us resigned to our fate, and was 
 himself rejoicing at such a fine, easy prize." 
 
 ' ' But scarcely had twenty well-armed Eng- 
 lish sailors boarded us, thinking they had 
 merely to take possession of tlia merchant 
 vessel, than Montluc, who till thou wore a 
 grieved and almost despairing countenance, 
 cried out, 'Forward, boys.' With a boun.l, 
 ho cleared from our vessel to the other, whieU 
 was an easy task for the hulls were tilose to- 
 gether." 
 
 "We all followed him, boarding hatchets 
 in one hand, double-barrelled pistols in the 
 other, and in less than a minute, thanks to 
 the confusion of the English wo cut down 
 thirty of their men. In the hand to haml . 
 struggles our Canadians have no equals. 
 Their hateh(!ls fell with terrifying rapidity on 
 the heads of their opponents. The blood of 
 the wounded splashed on our garments. 
 The pistol shots did wonders." 
 
 "Luckily, the English crew, although ten 
 times more numerous than ours, was not 
 keeping watch. Believing that he was deal- 
 ing only with peaceable merchants, the Cap- 
 tain of the Mouette had taken no precautions, 
 which was the chief cause of our victory." 
 " That and something else." 
 " While the Captain, a little recovered from 
 his surprise, was rallying his men, and gal- 
 lantly defending himself, chance threw Mont- 
 luc in the way of hearing, in the middle of 
 the bloody conflict and crash of rifle and pis- 
 tol, strange cries proceeding from betweeu- 
 decks." 
 
 "'Help! help 1" 
 "He said to me:" 
 
 " 'Kildare, go on with the conflict don't 
 mind me. I have a suspicion. I hear 
 French spoken below. ' " 
 
 "And, beckoning to another Canadian, he 
 forced his way down the hatchway, knocked 
 down two sentinels, broke the" door open and 
 discovered thirty French prisoners who were 
 crying as loud as they could, to make them- 
 selves heard by us." 
 
 " He said but a word to them:" 
 "'Come!" 
 
 "Fortunately it needed no more." 
 "These brave fellows followed him at 
 once, picking up every sort of weapon they 
 could And on the decks, hatchets, pikes hand- 
 spikes, swords, broken doors and Montluc iu 
 front, arrived just in time to turn the tide of 
 battle in our favor, for we were beginning to 
 give way to numbers and the Canadians them- 
 selves seeing their leader no longer, beUeved 
 him dead and lost hope of victorj'." 
 
 " But when he re-appeared with a new and 
 fiery band, the face of the combat was 
 changed. The Captain of the Mouette and 
 his ofi&cers were slain with more tlir.u fifty of 
 
€8 
 
 THE CHIEFTAINS OF OHAMPLAIN. 
 
 the crew. The rcHt Burrendered and wunt ; 
 down betwocn docks to fill the placeH lately 
 occupied l)y the French prisonorH." 
 
 "Among those, one especially, Gandar, the 
 lUarNeilleu Captain, had given a heroic exam- 
 ple. When wo were maHters of the Mourttf,, 
 Monthic, who had noticed bis conduct in the 
 £ght, asked him his name:" 
 
 "'I am Gandar, the former owner of the 
 Moiutte. And you ?' " 
 
 " ' I ! I am Moutluc le Rouge. . . . What 
 were you doing down their?' " 
 
 "'In that hold' said the Marseillese, 'in 
 that cavern ? Well, I have travelled the seas 
 for ten years for uiy own profit and that of 
 the King of France. I kill his enemies, and 
 give him silvoi coins, althouj^h he has more 
 money than I have, and four hundred thous- 
 and men besides me, to fight his enemies. 
 But I am generous, 'tis my disposition. You 
 don't change at uiy age — fifty years — is not 
 that BO ? In two words, I am a pirate; and I 
 have letters from His Majesty to rundown all 
 those who are not willing to grant that the 
 very Christian king is the greatest king on 
 earth. . . . Ten years, as I Imve said, I have 
 plied this trade which pays well and furnishes 
 a fortune for my little one, a lad I shall one 
 day show you, when you come to Marseilles, 
 whose mother, my poor dear dead wife was 
 in the divys of her life, queen of one of the 
 Islands situated between Java and China. . . 
 I have already earned more than nine mil- 
 lions, of which the King has had his fifth, to 
 play great lord at Versailles, and my crew the 
 half to encourage them in well-doing. And 
 then — 
 
 " ' But you have suffered yourself to be 
 taken,' said Montluc." 
 
 " 'Ah what would you do ? We are not al- 
 ways in hick, was cruising here last month, 
 in search of some merchantmen, like a hunter 
 after his game. All of a sudden a hurricane 
 arose which lasted three days. At the end of 
 the third day, I found myself without know- 
 ing it in the middle of the great Anglo-Dutch 
 fleet — one against fifty. The cowards! They 
 at ; eked me, and took me. And then ! You 
 ha ve saved me ! You look like a good fellow! 
 And when you shall come to Marseilles, I shall 
 welcome you more heartily than the King, and 
 show you the boy. If you are not pleased, 
 you will surprise me. And now, between us 
 two it is for life ! for death !'" 
 
 ' 'Twas thus we became acquainted with 
 our friend Gandar." 
 
 " Thanks to him, his rescued crew and his 
 frigate which in speed beats the wind, we 
 reached Havre in five weeks without any mis- 
 bap." 
 
 "'Where shall I Await you,' Mked (}an< 
 dar.'" 
 
 " 'At Bayonne,' answered Montluc.'" 
 
 " Gandar again to sea. We went to Ver- 
 sailles whore Lord Pontuhartrain the Minister 
 of the Marine did not deign to receive us; but 
 Montluc le llouge unconcerned, drew out of 
 his pocket a handful of Hpanish doubloons, 
 gave them to the usher of the king's anto> 
 chamber and entered the waitmg-room with 
 me. Upon seeing Louis XIV., a little old 
 man« with a majestio countenance pass, he 
 advanced and said: 
 
 "'Sire!'" 
 
 ' ' The little old man looked at him with an 
 expression of astonishment." 
 
 " 'Sire.' continued my friend, Montluc, 
 who is not the son of old Baron Hannibal for 
 nothing ' we have journeyed, the Earl of Kil- 
 dare and myself, three thousand leagues in a 
 hostile country and in the midst of the Eng> 
 lish fleets to see Your Majesty and bring you 
 news from Canada. ' " 
 
 "'Ah!' said the King, growing attentive." 
 
 " 'Well, sire. Lord Pontchartrain has shut 
 his door upon us as if we had come to ask 
 alms.' " 
 
 ' ' His Majesty frowned." 
 
 " ' Who are you, sir?' " 
 
 " ' Sire, I am the son of Baron Hannibal of 
 Montluc, who has fought for Your Majesty 
 for fifty years. My mother is the daughter 
 of Samuel Champlain, who has given you a 
 kingdom, Now-France, six times, larger than 
 this, and grand-daughter of the great Chief of 
 the Savage Eries. I am Montluc le llouge, 
 and if Your Majesty has not heard of me, 
 your enemies know me and often saw me 
 sword in hand.'" 
 
 "The King turned to an usher and said:" 
 
 '"Call Lord Pontchartrain. You, sir, fol- 
 low me.'" 
 
 "Then he inquired my name and appeared 
 to remember me." 
 
 " 'Your father. Count Kildare, was a brave 
 gentleman; he was killed at the battle of the 
 Boyne, in King James' service. You were 
 wounded yourself in my service at Steinkerk. 
 I am glad to see you.' " 
 
 "For Montluc he had not the slightest 
 compUment. The King, who is spiteful, 
 remembered his father had been rebellious, 
 and discovered in the son ail the pride of the 
 father." 
 
 "Notwithstanding, after the arrival of 
 Pontchartrain and the perusal of the de- 
 spatches of Lord Frontenac, his majestio 
 brow cleared. Lord Frontenac had written 
 such an eulogy of Montluc and his exploits 
 that the King dismissed him, saying:" 
 
THE CHIEPTAIKR OF CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 "'Lord Moutluc, in reoompooHe of your 
 serviceR, I am willing to forget the past faultu 
 of your father.'" 
 
 "At these words, Montluo arose indig- 
 nant." 
 
 " ' Sire, my father and myself regret noth- 
 ing, if it is not having loHt the good wishes of 
 Your Majesty, and we ask nothing, if it bo 
 not the favor of shedding our blood against 
 the enemies of France and retaining a prov- 
 ince which shall ouo day become the greatcHt 
 empire in the universe. My friend, Lord 
 Kildare, will take Your Majesty's orders and 
 load the troops you deign to send to Quebec. 
 For my part, I take my leave. It is too 
 much to suffer in one day the insolence of a 
 Minister and the favor of a King.' " 
 
 "Thus having spoken he left the room." 
 
 "I did not follow. I felt I must mend 
 matters. I already heard Fontchartraiu sug- 
 gest in a whisper to send this rebel to the 
 fiastile. Then I began to speak and 
 said:" 
 
 "'Sire, pardon Lord Montluc's warmth. 
 His father is in his eyes and those of half 
 the Canadian people, the defender and real 
 bulwark of New-France. Twenty times al- 
 most alone has he preserved the colony with 
 loss of his own money and blood.'" 
 
 "And indeed I urged his cause with all 
 eloquence of friendship. The King sent for 
 him, and said graciously:" 
 
 " ' Lord Savage, son of a rebel, I do not 
 pardon you; I give you my hand, and I re- 
 store to your father all his goods that were 
 confiscated forty years ago. Bay to him that 
 I appreciate your services and his own. I 
 know that at all times and even when he 
 felt coldly to Cardinal Mazarin he valiantly 
 defended, sword in hand, the honor and the 
 rights of the French crown. Say to him that 
 I r«store him my friendship. As a proof, I 
 confer upon you the order of the Holy Ghost, 
 which is conferred upon only the most illus- 
 trious and bravest gentleman in my kingdom. 
 Lord Pontchartrain is about to equip six 
 vessels of troops for Canada. Lord Kildare, 
 on his arrival, will take command of the 
 Royal-Ldsh, vacant since the death of the 
 gallant Lord Sarsfield. Lord Kildare, I 
 make you Colonel, and charge myself with the 
 expenses of the regiment.' " 
 
 " As I kissed his hand to thank him and 
 take my leave, he added:" 
 
 " 'Lord Kildare, if you prefer to stay in 
 France " 
 
 " T declined. He appeared astonished and 
 I explained my motives for declining — the 
 
 chiof of which was my marriage with Made- 
 moiselle Montluc." 
 
 "His Majesty was pleased to smile and 
 regretted he could not be on hand to sign my 
 marriage contract." 
 
 "Then, as my friend Montluo bowed re- 
 spectfully to leave with me, the King deignod 
 to say:" 
 
 "'Are you satisfied. Lord Savage, Lord 
 Montluc le Ilouge?' " 
 
 "To which he answeretl:" 
 
 "'Sire, I expected nothing less from your 
 justice and bounty. ' " 
 
 " 'And,' added the King, who escorted us 
 to the door of his chamber, in sight of all 
 the Court, ' I desire to reconcile you to Lord 
 Pontchartrain.' " 
 
 " 'Sire,' rejoined Montluc, 'I thank you. 
 It is unnecessary. Lord Pontchartrain will 
 be my friend so long as he serves Your Ma- 
 jesty faithfully.' " 
 
 ' 'Pontchartrain winced, and the King smiled, 
 saying:" 
 
 "'Savage!'" 
 
 ' ' That very evening we set out with his in- 
 structions signed by himself, and here we 
 are!" 
 
 " As Lord Kildare finished his story, Mont- 
 luc le Rouge came in with Phoebus." 
 
 " 'We must go, he said, I have examined 
 the road. It is not a good one, but we have 
 worse in Canada." 
 
 "It was in vain that I pressed him to 
 stay." 
 
 " ' My dear Cur^,' he said, ' you have shown 
 me such splendid, hearty hospitaUty, yourelf, 
 Marian and Beaufoil, that I shall take you to 
 Canada all three, if you wish. We need a 
 good pastor to console us for the approaching 
 loss of Father Fleury. Will you corao ?' " 
 
 "To my great surprise, this proposal 
 appeared to please every one. Beaufoil's 
 mother having left him for a better world, he 
 had nothing to leave behind him, and he 
 longed for adventures. Marian followed 
 Beaufoil as his shadow, while a hundred 
 times a day storming at him. As to myself, I 
 was dreaming of the exploits of Father Fleurj' 
 and the conversion of idolaters. I envied the 
 death of Saint Ignatius of Antioch and many 
 other saints. Indoed, I rather liked adven- 
 tures, and 1 loved to see new lands." 
 
 " Hence it was, that nine days later (in the 
 meantime Montluc le Bouge had gone to take 
 possession of the old Castle of Montluc, for- 
 merly confiscated, but now restored) I 
 arrived at Bayenne, which Lord Montluo also 
 reached the bame time." 
 
c . ;■ . '.>' 
 
 J M !• .■-.'' ■■,> «.•■ "'■ 
 
 t. . ^ I ' 
 
 SWEET REVENGE. ' 
 
 11. . ' ' 
 
 "So the children have a now governess!" ] 
 
 "Yes — a French girl. She is a nice little 
 thing, too; but, of course, there is no saying 
 how long she may stay. Not a great while, I 
 expect — she'll be a startlingi excerAion to a 
 well-established nile if she does. 1 defy any- 
 one falling far short of angelic perfection to 
 put np with Connie's temper for long to- 
 gether." 
 
 "Oh, I say, Will, I can't stand that, yon 
 know. Yon must speak respectfully of your 
 sister in my presence, or you and I will quar- 
 rel." 
 
 "All right, old fellow," said Will, lazily. 
 "I'll be as mute as a fish— if you like— it's 
 too hot to argue— and I'm far too much ex- 
 hausted to point out that I had just paid you 
 a delicate compliment." 
 
 "How?" asked Gordon Letheby, smiling at 
 the idle youth before him. 
 
 "Why, by admitting your near approacn 
 to perfection, of course. You have managed 
 to get on with Constance for a considerable 
 period. May it continue, that's all I say." 
 
 "Of course it will. When does she come 
 home? In her last letter she said it was un- 
 certain when she would be back, but I quite 
 expected to find her here when I came 
 down," 
 
 "Or else you wouldn't have come down I 
 suppose," growled Will. "Well, cJiacum a 
 son gont. Anyhow I hope you won't run 
 away again. My sweet sister writes that she 
 has promised to stay for some theatricals or 
 something of the kind, but expects to be 
 home in two or three days. Like us she 
 didn't think you would be back from Ger- 
 many for another week." 
 
 "I finished my business sooner than I ex- 
 pected, and ran down unannounced, being 
 vain enough to hope I might give you all a 
 pleasant surprise," said Gordon, with a little 
 laugh. 
 
 "So you have," said Will, heartily, as he 
 rose from his recumbent position on the 
 grass; "and I'm precious glad Con is away, 
 because I shall perhaps have the pleasur** of 
 seeing something of you this time. We'll 
 have a jolly long day's shooting to-morrow, 
 and no women to spoil the fun, by turning 
 up with the luncheon baskets." 
 
 "Well, I'm ashamed of youl You're a 
 regular young misogynistJ" 
 
 "Not I. I like some women," replied 
 Will, with lofty tolerance. "Women hke tluit, 
 for instance" — and he nodded in the direction 
 of the house, approaching which, in company 
 with three robust, rosy-cheeked children, 
 was a graceful girl of about nineteen years 
 of age, simply but elegantly attired in a dress 
 of some cool-looking grey material." 
 
 "The new gcvemess?" qutried Gordon. 
 
 "Yes. Come along, and I'll introduce you. 
 You'll have to know her, staying in the house 
 — and she's a perfect lady — not like some of 
 them we've had." 
 
 So, in a few minutes the two young men 
 met the advancing group, and Will Markham 
 presented Gordon Letheby to Mademoiselle 
 Dovalle. 
 
 The young Frenchwoman raised a pair of 
 very large dark, innocent-looking eyes to the 
 handsome face of this new acquaintance, 
 whose great height caused him to tower far 
 above her o\in modest proportions; and Gor- 
 don told himself at once that i*-. v. *3 not won- 
 derful that Will liked her, for the sweet, 
 truthful exprerision of her pretty face was sin- 
 gularly attractive — perhaps because its frank 
 simplicity was so rare in the days when af- 
 fected "baby -stares" on the one hand, and 
 looks of almost defiant boldness on the other, 
 are so unhappily common. 
 
 They chatted on the terrace for a short 
 time, the children clamoring for Gordon's 
 recognition, and then a bell gave warning of 
 the school-room tea. 
 
 "Will you give us a cup of tea this after- 
 noon. Mademoiselle?" pleaded Will. "There's 
 no five o'clock tea in the drawing-room when 
 Connie is away— and I've discovered that the 
 governor generally finds hie way to the 
 school-room about this time." 
 
 "Yes; do come, both of you," broke in Ju- 
 M». without giving her governess time to re- 
 ply. "Papa often does, and it is such fun. 
 Mam'selle sings to us after tea always." 
 
 "May we?" asked Gktrdon, smiling. 
 
 "Assuredly, if you wish it, monsieur," re- 
 pUed the governess, politely; and they all 
 went in together. 
 
 Mr. Markham was a widower for the sec- 
 ond time. By his first marriage he had two 
 ctdldren— Will and the Constance, of whom 
 frequent mention has been made, an exceed, 
 ing handsome young lady of imperious dis- 
 
BWEET EEVENGB. 
 
 poBition, and a considerable fortane in her 
 right, nhe having been made the sole heiress 
 of a childless uncle. Since the death of the 
 second Mrs. Markham, shortly after the birth 
 of the youngest child, the whole household 
 had been under the supreme rule of Miss 
 Markham; her father, an elderly, studious 
 man, constantly engaged in scientifio re- 
 searches, having gladly placed all domestic 
 power and authority in her hands. Will 
 had not long returned from college, and did 
 not agree with his sister quite as well as 
 would have bsen desirable. 
 
 They made a merry party in that cool old 
 school- room that afternoon ; and when the 
 children's appetites for bread-and-butter and 
 fruit had been appeased, Mr. Markham called 
 for some music, and the time sped away till 
 the dinner hour approached. 
 
 "Don't you call it a shame ?" said Will in- 
 dignantly, as the three gentlemen assembled 
 in the drawing room. To exclude a lady like 
 Mademoiselle Dovalle from our table at late 
 dinner? I call it an insult — it's treating her as 
 if she were a servant. I Jmve protested— but 
 Con declares it is necessary ; so that the poor 
 girl has to spend her evenings alone in that 
 dreary school-room after the children go to 
 bed — at least, unless Con wants some one to 
 play her accompaniments for her, when she 
 is politely asked into the drawing-room for 
 half-an-hour." 
 
 "It is usual, I believe. Will," remarked his 
 father mildly. "At any rate, i have no 
 doubt Mademoiselle Dovalle prefers the 
 present arrangement during Constance's ab- 
 sence." 
 
 Will muttered something about "gross in- 
 humanity" and "unfeeling disposition" — but 
 as he was known to be a youth of rather ex- 
 treme views no one took any notice of him, 
 and they adjourned to the dining room. 
 
 Next day a letter came from Constance say. 
 ing that the theatrical entertainment bad been 
 postponed for a few days, but that she hoped 
 to return at the end of the week ; and that 
 if Gordon should arrive ho was to be induced 
 to remain and await her coming. 
 
 Will was a lazy fellow and had a very pro- 
 found antipathy to early rising. Not as Gor- 
 don Letheby, who made a point, when in the 
 country, of being up with the lark and revel- 
 ling in solitary enjoyment of the first sweet 
 dewy hours of day. 
 
 It chanced that Mademoiselle Dovalle was 
 also an early riser. She was a Catholic, and 
 a devout one ; and every morning when the 
 weather permitted she walked half a mile to 
 the ohapel of a neighboring convent, where 
 she heard Mass at seven o'clock, and was 
 
 back in ample time to preside at the children's 
 breakfast table. This Gordon casually dis- 
 covered on the morning after his arrival at 
 Fernwood ; and it seemed only natural that 
 his morning stroll should afterwards take tbt) 
 direction of the convent and that the two 
 should walk home together. 
 
 I must do Gordon the justice of saying that 
 he had no intention of acting disloyally at 
 lirst. He was much attracted by this mode.st 
 and refined young girl, but that attraction was 
 merely friendly, he thought. Besides it was 
 such excellent practice for him in speaking 
 French that he really ought not to neglect 
 any opportunity of doing so. For this rea- 
 son doubtless, although Armando Dovalle's 
 English was exceedingly good, Gordon always 
 addressed her in her own language — some- 
 what to Will's annoyance, it must bo con- 
 fessed, for that young gentleman's French 
 was decidedly insular in expression and pro- 
 nunciation, and he became conscious of the 
 fact to the extent of mortification, when his 
 sister's ^wce rattled away so gaily and care- 
 lessly. 
 
 Gordon Letheby went farther than he in- 
 tended. Carried away by his admiration for 
 Armande's piety, grace and simplicity be 
 plunged into wbat he called "flirtation"— 
 while she, innocent soul, vaguely believed it 
 to be the dawn of a happy and honored life, 
 in which she should be loved and cherished 
 as she never had been since she was left a 
 lonely orphan. 
 
 One afternoon, Gordon and Will had joined 
 Armando and her pupils in the wood near the 
 house, as they returned from shooting. Will 
 was instantly seized upon by Alfred and his 
 sisters to aid them in discovering the abode of 
 a squirrel, which had eluded their efforts to 
 trace it. Armande rose from her mossy seat 
 to follow t^em. 
 
 "Sit aown," said Gordon. "Sit down, 
 Armande. The children are safe with Will 
 — and I want to speak to you." 
 
 She flushed at his using her first name — but 
 not with anger — he spoke so gently and res- 
 pectfully. Besides, the children were within 
 sight — surely there was no necessity to refusa 
 to listen to Mr. Letheby. 
 
 So she resumed her seat and (rordon began 
 what he intended to be an explanation. But 
 it was rather a difficult business, he found. 
 This young girl was so innocent and trustful 
 that it was not agreeable to have to tell her 
 that all his attentions to her counted for 
 nothing, and that he was betrothed to 
 another. He had never felt so thoroughly 
 ashamed of himself before ; and so he 
 foollBhly tried to pave the way by using a. 
 
SWEET REVENGE. 
 
 'great many half-tender phrases, to which 
 Armande listened with downcast eyes and a 
 flattering heart. 
 
 "So this is the manner in which yon take 
 care of children placed in your charge, Made- 
 moiselle Dovalle!" exclaimed an angry 
 Boomfnl voice beside them. 
 
 Both started up to confront the indigna- 
 tion of Constance Markham. 
 
 * 'Constance ! " cried Gordon. ' 'Is it really 
 you ; we did not expect you till '.ater." 
 
 "So it appears," she retorted, her lips 
 quivering with passion. "Mademoiselle, be 
 kind enough to take the children to the 
 house. I will speak to you presently." 
 
 Trembling with undefined fears, and only 
 partly aware of her offense, Armande did as 
 she commanded; leaving Gordon and Con- 
 stance together. 
 
 Half an hour later the latter entered the 
 school-room and said coldly, with angry, 
 glittering eyes : 
 
 "This envelope contains a cheque in pay- 
 meat of your services, Mademoiselle Dovalle. 
 I shall be glad if yon can make it convenient 
 to leave here by the first train to-morrow 
 morning." 
 
 "Leave? Oh, Miss Markham, why? What 
 have I done ?" asked the poor girl, her face 
 blanching to a deith-like pallor. 
 
 "Done! echoed Constance, passionately. 
 "How can you ask me such a question, girl ? 
 Your artfulness is really beycnd belief 1 I 
 think you were to be trusted ; but I find you 
 are nothing better than a heartless and de - 
 ceiiful coquette!" 
 
 "Mademoiselle 1" gasped Armande, in 
 breathless supplication. 
 
 "It is true," Constance went on furiously. 
 "Not content with doing your utmost to en- 
 trap my brother, you could not even allow 
 
 my afllanoed husband " 
 
 Armande interrupted her with a little cry. 
 "Mr. Letheby is your afllanced husband?" 
 he asked. 
 "Oh, doc't pretend you did not know," re 
 torted Constance scornfully. "You will de- 
 ceive me no longer — I understand you now. 
 I have heard about your morning walks and 
 all the rest of it; and I tell you candidly that 
 jou ought to be ashamed of yourself." 
 
 Armande for a moment struggled painfully 
 with her emotion. Then she found sufficient 
 calmness to reply quietly : 
 
 "You are doing me an injustice. I was 
 not aware of your engagement to Mr. Lethe- 
 by, no one ever told me of it — and I saw no 
 impropriety in his walking by my side if he 
 chanced to meet me as I came from Mass. If 
 it was wrong I did not know it. I never 
 
 soui^ht his society, nor did I ever ende;ivor 
 to attract your brother's attention. But, of 
 course, after this, I can no longer r*>mttin 
 here. I will go to-morrow morning." * 
 
 The children were inconsolable when they 
 were told that their patient gentle governess 
 was about to leave them ; but Constance said 
 nothing about it to the other members of the y 
 family until after A.rmande'8 departure. 
 Whereupon Will had a fresh quarrel with his 
 sister, and left home for an indefinite period; 
 and even quiet Mr. Markham felt impelled to 
 asks bis daughter's reasons for such a sum- 
 mary proceeding. 
 
 Of coarse she did not give the real ones ; | 
 but in a short time the rupture between Gor- j 
 don and herself was healed and the wedding, 
 day was fixed. 
 
 Gordon was by no means ardently in love, 
 but he admired his bride's beauty, accom- 
 plishments, and fortune, while she liked him 
 perhaps better than anybody else and con- 
 sidered that his probable succession to a bar- 
 onetcy was a strong point in his favor. 
 How many marriages daily take place actua- 
 ted by similar motives 1 
 
 « « m ♦ * * «... 
 
 Terror and confusion reigned in a hand- 
 some London House. The servants were 
 talking in hurried whispers in the intervals 
 of packing their boxes and preparing for a 
 precipitate flight. The terrible enemy small, 
 pox had taken up his abode there, and no 
 entreaty or persuasion would induce them to 
 remain. 
 
 "I am sure I don't know what is to be 
 done," cried Mrs. Letheby.helplessly. "There 
 is not a nurse to be had— and I dare not go 
 into the room. I have always had such a 
 horror of small-pox, and they say your are 
 more likely to take it when you are afraid, 
 don't they? What can we do Dr. Eade? 
 None of the servants will stay now they 
 know what my poor husband's illness is — ex- 
 cept the cook, and although she has had it, 
 she positively refuses to go into his room. It 
 is horrible how these selfish people are I" 
 
 Dr. Eade could hardly repress a smile ; but 
 the matter was a serious one, and his half- 
 bitter amusement was short-lived, 
 
 "I called at the convent of the Sisters of 
 Mercy as I came along jast now, and stated 
 the case to the superior," he said. "There 
 was no sister disengaged just then, but she 
 promised to send one as soon as possible." 
 
 "I wish she would," said Mrs. Letheby in 
 tones of fretful weariness. "I feel half ill 
 myself— no wonder, with all this worry. I 
 can't sleep and my hands barn as though I 
 had a fever. Feel them.'* 
 
SWEET KEVENGE. 
 
 The dootor took one of her jewelled handu 
 in his own ana quietly felt her pulse. 
 
 "You most endeavor to keep yonrself quiet 
 and calm. But don't think of trying to go 
 away — you are really not well enough to 
 iravel." 
 
 "You don't think I am going to have it, Dr. 
 Eade ?" she exclaimed in violent alarm, clutch- 
 ing him eagerly by the sleeve, "Say you don't 
 think so 1 Oh it would be too horrible, too — " 
 
 "A person to speak to you ma'am," inter- 
 rupted a servant flinging open the door. 
 
 "Ah, sister, you are a welcome sight," said 
 the Doctor heartily, as a young woman, in 
 the quaint distinctive garb of a Sister of Mer- 
 cy, entered the room. 
 
 Mrs. Letheby had thrown herself upon a 
 sofa, pallid and shivering, and she offered no 
 greeting. The Sister glanced enquiringly 
 from her to the Dootor, who drawing her 
 aside, whispered: 
 
 "You will have your hands full. Husband 
 and wife; both, I fear. It is a bad business. 
 "You are not afraid ?" 
 
 "Afraid 1" repeated the Sister, with the 
 faintest foreign accent imaginable, as she 
 smiled a quiet fearless smile "Certainly 
 not. It is, however, my first case of this 
 'kind, BO you must forgive me if I requiro 
 much teaching. Perhaps a more experienced 
 Sister will join me in a day or two." 
 
 So Sister Mary Qabriel was installed as 
 nurse; and next day, as Dr. Eade predicted, 
 she had two patients on her hands. Some- 
 how, as the Doctor left the house, be was 
 thinking more how pitiful it would be to be- 
 hold the Sister's sweet peaceful face seamed 
 and disfigured by the h.'deous disease, than 
 of the sadness of a similar v^Atastrophe destroy- 
 ing the proud beauty of the future Lady 
 Letheby. 
 
 * « « 4t * 
 
 Neither of the patients died. Dr. Eade 
 declared that the recovery was chiefly owing 
 to the wonderful nursing they had had — nurs- 
 ing which had worn the tireless, devoted 
 young sister to a mere shadow of her former 
 self. 
 
 Mrs. Letheby had recognized her from the 
 first — had known her for the same Armande 
 Dovalle she had treated, as she afterwards 
 found, with such harsh injustice five years 
 before but she could not resist, and she had 
 to submit to the humiliation of availing her- 
 self of the priceless services of one whom she 
 had wronged. 
 
 "Yon need me no longer — I am to return 
 to the convent to-morrow," remarked Sister 
 Mary Oabriel, when Gordon Letheby had 
 
 feebly crawled to a chair in his wife's boudoir, 
 where she equally feeble, though her attack 
 had been much slighter, awaited him; aud 
 after a few half-sad jests upon their weakneH» 
 and mutual congratulations upon their re- 
 covery had passed. 
 
 "To-morrow? What shall we do without 
 you?" said Constance. I can't let you go," 
 she continued, with a hasty glance at her hus- 
 band, "without mentioning a very painful 
 subject. I want to apologize for " 
 
 "Not only you, but I also, Constance," in. 
 terposed Gordon, with a dark flush rising on 
 his pale face. 
 
 "Hush I" said Sister Mary Gabriel, lifting 
 her finger admonitorily, with a bright smile 
 "I must not allow any mention of painful 
 subjects. But, of course, I know what you 
 mean and so I will say that all is forgiven and 
 forgotten. Perhaps I was foolish and a little 
 vain— very likely it was so — I did not under- 
 stand. And you believed yourself justified, 
 madam. But I have long been glad that it 
 happened so. It made me think seriously, 
 and I believe it led to my discovering my true 
 vocation. I thank the good Qod for it. It 
 is impossible that I could ever have been so 
 happy otherwise as lam now." 
 
 They could not doubt her happiness as they 
 gazed at her placid face with its quietly joy- 
 ous smile, and looked into the depths of her 
 earnest innocent, child-hke eyes. 
 
 "You have revenged yourself nobly," mur- 
 mured Gordon, feeling humbled and shame- 
 stricken as he thought of the past. 
 
 "Do you call this revenge ?" asked the Sis- 
 ter, laughing. "Then the saying is true that 
 'revenge is sweet' for I have found it very 
 pleasant." 
 
 ***** 
 
 It is a trite remark that "Time works won- 
 ders," but perhaps it was never more clearly 
 exemplified than in the fact that the once 
 lazy, half-cynical Will Markham has become 
 not only a Catholic, but a most energetic and 
 hard-working priest. Gtordon Letheby has 
 succeeded to the baronetcy now; but though 
 Constance has thus attained the summit of 
 her ambition, she is no longer as selfishly 
 haughty and imperious as of old. Her illness 
 did her good, people say, and her beauty suf, 
 f ered but little. 
 
 As for Sister Mary Gabriel she pursues he» 
 chosen career of holy self-devotion with peace- 
 ful mian and happy heart. The Lethebya 
 never knew that she had entreated and ob- 
 tained permission to exchange duties with the 
 Sister who was to have been sent to the small- 
 pox-stricken house, acd so had intentionally 
 earned her "Sweet Revenge." 
 
LEGEND OF ST. CHRISTOPHER. 
 
 In olden times there was a man named Of- 
 fei'UB, of Buob immense Hize and strength 
 that men looked upon him almost as a giant; 
 but they loved him greatly for his kiuduesH 
 and good nature. OflForns determined to 
 employ himself in Berviuj others, and while 
 he was very young he set forth on a journey 
 t<:> Und the mobt mighty prince the woald 
 contained, to whom he might oflfor himself. 
 He was directed to the Court of a powerful 
 king, who rejoiced in possessing a servant of 
 Buch enormous size and strength; and Offems 
 was well content, until one day he saw his 
 royal master, at the mention of the name of 
 tbe devil, make the sign of the Gross in evi- 
 dent alarm. 
 
 "What is that for?" asked Ofiferus. 
 
 "Because I fear the devil," replied the 
 king. 
 
 ' 'Then if you fear him, he is more power- 
 ful thp.n you, and I willseive you no more," 
 said Ofiferus. "I have resolved to give my 
 Btrength to him who is mightiest; so I must 
 take the devil for my master," and with that 
 Le left the Court. 
 
 After having travelled far, Offerus came 
 upon a large company of horsemen, whose 
 chief was black, and who spoke to him, ask- 
 ing what he sought. 
 
 "Oh, I am seeking the devil. I wish to 
 serve him.'' 
 
 "I am he. If you wish to belong to my 
 servants, I will receive you. Follow me." 
 And thus Offerus was enrolled amongst the 
 servants of Satan. 
 
 It happened that in one of their journeys 
 the troop came to a large Cross standing at 
 the corner of a road. The devil ordered them 
 to retreat. 
 
 "What is that for?" said Ofiferus. 
 
 "Because I fear the image of Christ." 
 
 "Then you are not so mighty as He; so I 
 will serve this Christ." And Ofiferus passed 
 alone before the Cross, and continued his 
 journey. 
 
 After awhile he met a holy hermit, of 
 whom he inquired where he should find 
 Christ. 
 
 "Everywhere," was the answer. 
 
 "I don't understand that," said Ofiferus; 
 "but if such is the truth, can a strong man 
 like myself be of use to Him?" 
 
 •*You can serve Him by prayer, by fast- 
 ing, by vigils, my son," replied the holy man. 
 But a shadow passed across the face of Offer- 
 us: 
 
 "Is there no other way in which to please 
 Him?" he asked. 
 
 The hermit took him to the edge of a tor* 
 rent, which came down from the mountains, 
 and said: "The poor pilgrims who wish to f 
 cross this stream get wet, and are almost 
 borne away by its force sometimes. Btay 
 here, and bear across all those who come to 
 the bank; and if you do this simple service 
 for the love of Christ, He will one day ac- 
 knowledge you among His followers," 
 
 The plan pleased Offerus, and he began 
 to build a little cabin, in which he dwelt by 
 the water's edge, and by day and by night 
 he carried across the torrent any pilgrim who ' 
 asked his help. 
 
 One night, when he was sleeping, Offerus 
 heard a childish voice calling him by his ' 
 name three times. It was a dark night, and 
 the stream was very deep and strong ; but 
 the great powerful man had no fear, and • 
 taking the little child who had called to him 
 upon his shoulders, he stepped into the water. 
 
 When he reached the middle of the stream 
 tbe torrent was unusually strong, and as he 
 struggled through it with difficulty he had 
 never felt before, it seemed as if the child he 
 carried became as heavy as a leaden weight. 
 The thunder rolled overhead, lightning 
 gleamed upon the water, and Offerus felt as 
 if his burden increased every moment. 
 
 "How is it, little child, that you appear so 
 heavy ?" he said at last. "It seems as if I 
 was carrying the world itself." 
 
 "Not only the world, but He who made 
 it," said the little silvery voice. "I am 
 Christ, thy Maker, thy God, thy Master. In" 
 return for tb ^ service thou hast offered Me, 
 I baptize thee, in the Name of the Father, of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and I name 
 thee 'Christopher,' the bearer of Christ." 
 
 They gained the shore, and a sweetness 
 filled the seal of the newly-made Christian, 
 He fell prostrate in adoration before the Di- 
 vine Child, Who thus addressed him : 
 
 "Rise, Christopher, and fix thy staff in 
 the earth. To-morrow it shall bloom with 
 white and fragrant roses, as a token that 
 Christ has been thy burden this night," and 
 then the Holy Child disappeared amidst the 
 bright and glowing flame. 
 
 The sun's earliest ray fell upon Christo- 
 pher, still kneeling in silent adoration as he 
 had knelt before his Lord and Master, and 
 by his side was the staff, which had been dry 
 and withered, now covered with fragrant 
 roses such as once bloomed in Eden. 
 
LEGEND OF THE ENTRANCE TO HEAVEN, 
 
 According to an old, old story, there was 
 a day when the Holy ApoHtle St. Peter placed 
 along the golden streeta of the Heayeuly City 
 with a look of pain upon bin tiice, as if he 
 was Ro-ely troubled,aud St. John, meeting him 
 thus, inquired what ailed him. 
 
 " Hast thon not seen here the faces of 
 many who seem scarcely fitted for so glorious 
 a home ?" replied St. Peter, sadly. "Little 
 has it cost me to enter here, and yet we know 
 that heaven must be gained by many a battle 
 bravely won, by many a struggle and pain 
 and temptation conquered." 
 
 " But .thou dost guard the keys of heaven?" 
 said St. John. 
 
 " I dt. But though such is my post, it is 
 St. Joseph who causes me this distress. No 
 matter how sinful his life may be, 12 in death 
 a person cries to him in faith and love, he 
 brings them here. How thpy enter I 
 can scarcely tell, for they do not pass 
 the gate at which I stand; but I see 
 them here, and it perplexes me, and I must 
 speak to our Divine Master, lest He may 
 think me careless in my guarding the en- 
 trance to the Heavenly City." 
 
 St. John smiled. "Thou art Peter, and 
 the Lord Jesus loves thee well," he said ; "and 
 yet I tell thee that if St. Joseph plead against 
 thee, thy cause is lost." 
 
 The great Apostle bethought him then of 
 the night upon which St. John had rested his 
 head upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus when 
 He was on earth. Surely the love of the 
 Lord for John was as great as He would feel 
 for His foster-father. 
 
 " Come with me," he said; "thou hast 
 ever been called the Beloved Apostle ; no fear 
 but the Master will listen if thou art by my 
 side." 
 
 Together they stood before Jesus, who had 
 Mary and Joseph on either side of Him. 
 
 "What is it, Peter ?" said the gentle Voice. 
 
 " I am troubled, dear Lord," replied the 
 Apostle, raising his eyes to the Divine Face. 
 " It seems to me scarce just to those who 
 serve Thee well on fanrth, if so many who 
 spend their life in sin, gain heaven after all. 
 
 And yet it is St. Joseph who does this. All 
 who call to him when they have to die are 
 sure of his protection, and he brings them 
 here among TLy martyrs and Thy saints." 
 
 ''O Petor! dost thou not yet know that 
 when 1 1 ardon the greatest sinner he wins 
 life eternal? No soul is brought to heaven 
 by St. Joseph which has not first sought Me, 
 and been cleansed by the Blood which flowed 
 on Calvary for the salvation of the world." 
 
 "Lord, I know that those who die in Thy 
 grace shall surely see Thee," replied St. 
 Peter. " I know that thus the dying thief 
 found an entrance here, and many, many 
 more. Yet, surely, it is not well for 
 the Church on earth that St. Joseph should 
 so easily gain admittance for all who cry to 
 him. How, then, will sinners believe in the 
 punishment of sin, and the judgment, severe 
 and just, which follows death?" 
 
 "True, Peter," said the Master; "yet 
 what can I refuse my father, who guarded 
 My childhood on earth, who worked and suf- 
 fered for Me when I was a weak and helpless 
 Babe?" 
 
 The Apostle bowed his head, still but half 
 convinced, and, seeing this, the sweetest 
 smile illumined the face of the Saviour. 
 
 "Ah, Peter, Peter," He said, "Thou 
 wouldst have none here but My chosen few 
 who gain heaven by true and faithful service. 
 Dearly I prize this service, justly I reward it ; 
 but know also that I give heaven for love 
 that I who suffered so much to save man- 
 kind will have here in glory every sinner who 
 dies contrite ; nor do I wish that one should 
 be shut out, however guilty, however miser- 
 able, who has turned in his last moments to 
 Me, the lover of sinners. Does this mercy 
 indeed displease thee ? Wouldst thou choose 
 a company of thine own, and not admit those 
 who cry, 'Jesus, Mary, Joseph,' as they pass 
 from earth ?" 
 
 Then the Apostle bowed low at the feet of 
 his Saviour and EiLg : 
 
 "Lord, Thouknowes beet, "he murmured. 
 "Thy Will I love, and to tha Will I bend." 
 
■ .ii r/mtli f: 
 
,# 
 
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