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(716) 288 -5989 -Fox ^'--■r A Daughter of New France ^ithSome Account of the Gallant Sieur Cadillac and his Colony on the Detroit Mary Catherine Crowley Author of "An Every-Day Girl " ..H,^ /> J "Merry H«rt.and'^ru^»^r^Hea?;oTw°^^^^^^ " Apples Ripe and Rosy/'^^c ° "' Illustrated by Clyde O. De Land Toronto The Musson Book Ga 1901 V y Copyright, rgoi, Bv Little, Brown, and Company All right' rettrved X- UNIVERSITY PRESS • JOHN WILSON AND SON • CAMBRIDGE, U.S. A. DEDICATION To all who love the romantic^ chivalrous^ and hallowed traditions of our country and its sister- land^ this story of adventure, love, and loyalty is dedicated Pz3 c .a. Preface 'J^O-DAY, as the voyager from the Atlantic States, having sailed over the white-capped Lake Erie, enters upon the broad, shining expanse of the Detroit River, the Gateway of the North-West, he can scarcely fail to be impressed by the singular atmosphere of stillness which hangs over the Strait and invests the scene with a charm that has in it a quality of mystery. Silently the commerce of the world passes through these Gates, — a tonnage greater, it is said, than that which annually leaves our seaboard ports; silently, save when in a deep-voiced call one heavily laden vessel greets or turns aside for another. The din of the city's marts, of the many industries along the strand, dies away at the waters' edge. Silently, even as Time passes into Eternity, the great pleasure-steamer, too, and the light yachting- craft glide on; and it may be that the voyager, under the spell of the tranquil hour, queries to himself: "What were the thoughts, the emotions of the first civilized men who navigated this beautiful Strait, and found it to be the connecting chain of waters between viU PREFACE the Inland Oceans beyond, the Lower Lakes, and the Cataract of the Niagara ? What manner of men were the hardy French-Canadians who colonized these pro- ductive shores? What was the personality of their bold and dashing leader? Who were the women, the wives of the settlers, who made the first homes in the old palisaded fort upon the river bank?" These questions it is the object of this narrative to answer in part: to go back to the treasure-houses of French-Canadian history, Quebec and Montreal, — the former more especially; to sketch from its annals the society of the city of Champlain at the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eigh- teenth centuries ; to picture the brilliant Gascon chev- alier, who laid the foundations of our American city of Detroit, with his company of sturdy voyageurs, coureurs de bois, sons of proud seigneurs, — and the women who loved them and shared their fortunes. A story woven from threads c reality, "A Daugh- ter of New France" follows closely the historical and biographical records of the period and of later writers upon the subject, all available data having been care- fully studied. The authorities consulted include La Ronton, the Cadillac Papers, the Jesuit Relations, CharleJoix, Margry, Le Moyne, Hennepin, the Chronicles of the Ursuline Convent, the Abb6 Tanguay, Garneau, the Abb^ Casgrain, Shea, Sheldon, and Parkman. The PREFACE Ijj author wishes to express her indebtedness also to the invaluable researches and articles upon the early history of Detroit by Mr. Clarence M. Burton, the Rev. Christian Denissen, and Mr. Richard R. Elliott • Farmer's History, Ross and Gatlin's Landmarks of Detroit. Caroline Watson Hamlin's charming coUec tion of legends. Bancroft, Lambert. Lanman, Campbell Moore, and others. ' Although the recital keeps to fact in all important points. " A Daughter of New France " claims, how- ever, to be only a novel. Therefore the autnor asks that she be not taken to task by sage historians if in one or two minor instances she has availed herself of the novelist's privilege of romancing. Dated from "The Sparrow's Perch under the Eaves," The first day of the Twentieth Century. I -: I, Contents Chapter First. "I am found wanting" . . Chapter Second. At the Widow St. Armand's Chapter Third. The Stranger Chevalier . . Chapter Fourth. Our Sieur's Acadian Home . Chapter Fifth. A Messenger to Comte Frontenac Chapter Sixth. The Buccaneer's Siege . . . Chapter Seventh. Our English Demoiselle Chapter Eighth. From the Court of the Sun King Chapter Ninth. At the Intendant's Palace Chapter Tenth. Fire- Water Chapter Eleventh. A Great Surprise . . . Chapter TwEtrrH. Le Detroit Chapter Thirteenth. Place aux Dames . . . Chapter Fourteenth. An Interview with Miladi Chapter Fifteenth. The Red Dwarf . . . Chapter Sixteenth. Schemers Chapter Seventeenth. "The Company of New France Chapter Eighteenth. The Mysterious Fire Chapter Nineteenth. Our Pretty Commissioners Chapter Twentieth. The Lodestone of Love . Chapter Twenty-First. Every Lover is a Soldier Chapter Twenty-Second. The Lion Bearded . I 12 21 37 50 67 78 98 no 125 141 160 176 185 196 208 223 234 253 267 288 303 3di CHAm* Chapter Chaptir Chaftir Chaptbr Chapter Chapter CONTENTS Twentv-Third. To be Shot Rt Sunriie Twenty-Fourth. In the Recollet'. GRrden TwENTY.FirTH. TheRedyiiei TwE^TT-SuTH. W.mpum .nd Vermilion* Twentt-Seventh. AgRin the G.llRnt BottonnRi. TwENTy.EioHTH. Sweet ., the Arbutus BloMom Twenty-Ninth. A Ronunce to the End i*3 348 3S7 366 381 398 :»t'^- Illustrations From Drawings by ClyJi O. Dt UnJ " "' T'f'l "? ""' '"*'"'''' P'"* °^ •"«=•' »nd hurled it at the head ofthefopp»h lieutenant" . . . .Trantispha •• She advanced a step or two toward me and pointed at me with the staff" Page ii« " '" wh?7 °''^ .""°* "^ " y°""« ''°'"- ^-' " the white neurs-de-lis " " i8o " Casting upon me a malignant look, and with a last glance through the window, she turned away" . .. „g " ' ^°""''"' «*« Cadillac, I beg you to have mercy r " .. 30, "'Now listen to «,,Normand,' she began at last" . .. jg^ A Daughter of New France CHAPTER FIRST "I AM FOUND WANTING" IT happened one afternoon in the latter part of May, 1687. I, Denys Norniand Guyon, a youth of eighteen, student and clerk, was at work in the book-room of the old Recollet Monastery at Quebec. The old monastery, I say, meaning not the fine edi- fice that looks out from its sanctuary of ancient trees upon the Place d'Armes, opposite to the new Cha- teau of St. Louis, but the first small home of the brothers of St. Francis, which was situated at the foot of the cliff, on the margin of the little River St. Charles. My task was the copying of some manuscript notes upon the tongues of the Indian nations, set down by a Recollet missionary, after much painstaking obser- vation and study, during his years of labor among the savages. Usually I loved well the occupation, having a talent for the acquiring of languages and an ambition for the adventures of a life in the wilds, albeit no great longing to exchange my scalp for the crown of mar- tyrdom, as the author of this aboriginal grammar had done. For he was most cruelly put to death by the treacherous Iroquois, notwithstanding his message of ■"*''i ^ A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE peace and good-will, and his bones lie somewhere in the^IetteZ !/^^r"f °" «e„ m t,ying ,o imitate r..&r-|[rprj'-;--i.;?f H:c^^-r^-t.tt:a;r.Hr„r£ w.ndow near to which I had carried my wrtinf table -to gam a better Ught, I told myself. ^ And yet there was need of no excuse to draw one ^eft meTtCain" '"^ ^^ '^^' °---^ the monastery where I was at work.%he pleasin/ grounds of the Jesuits, and the Gardens of J! Intendant's Palace. Beyond them extended w5e meadows, and still farther to the west rose the Ilrk fore^sts, mysterious and impressive in the.V pltal seemed to me as a ghmpse of paradise; for over all the landscape was the beauty of spring, and the rays of the settmg sun shot golden arrows into the sombre woods, glided the rude houses of the villages of Lorette and Charlesbourg across the rivef and touched as with the blessing of a holy hand Ihe lofty mountains of Bonhomme and Tsoumonthuan ^ ^j-mtimt "I AM FOUND WANTING" 3 My father, Denys Guyon, a wealthy bourgeois, much respected in the town, had early married Eliz- abeth Boucher, a bright-eyed and thrifty Canadienne of his own rank in life. Being blessed with many sons and daughters, they, after the manner of the provident parents of New France in that day, laid out the future of these children according to 'their own best judgment, with but slight reference to the designs of Providence or the wishes of those most concerned, it appeared to me afterwards, although until within a (ew months of this memorable day^^I had not ventured, even in ^hought, to dispute their choice for myself. Me they had from my childhood destined for the Church, not only because I early recognized the splendor and dignity of the sacred ritual, the music of the holy office, but because I had ever loved the beauties of Nature. '' Normand will be a priest and a missionary." they Of a restless mind, eager for new ideas to feed upon, I took kindly to study, and dreamed many a dream of floatnig away down the St. Lawrence in a canoe manned by two hardy Algonquins, or of cross- ing the smiling plain whereon I now looked out, to plunge boldly into the forest, bearing the message of the Cross to the red man, who but awaited my coming to receive it with docility and faith. In these visions there were pictures of peril of strange lands and faces, of hardships, hunger, knd cold ; but, alack, among them all thefe was no dream of martyrdom ! On the contrary, of late, a doubt had sometimes crossed my mind as to whether there was in my soul a capability for so grand a mission as that for which ■iT' '^Miwsmv' ■UBk"! ^1 -' ¥1 \»m' .-m'-ii.'m^^MBmmi^ffsmm^'^^'m' • f 4 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE I was designed; but until to-day I had always put away the question as a temptation from the Evil Although my father had placed me with the Re- collets, I had not yet been formally accepted by them, nor had I entered upon my theological studies; nevertheless despite the occasional disquietude whereof I have spoken. I thought to continue to the end m the path my good parents had selected for me. My work forgotten. I continued staring out upon yet only half seeing, the beautiful panorama lyin^ before me in the sunshine. So absorbed was I in my reflections, that I took no notice of the entrance of some one into the shadowy room, until close be- side me a ri i voice, reproving but not unduly stern, said, — "^ ' " Dreaming again. Normand? " I started, and pushing the table from me. rose to my feet, crimsoning at having been thus caught dal- lying, and by Frere Constantin, who in mild firmness, virtue, and charm of manner ever seemed to me the living, breathing spirit of the blessed Francis of Assisi himself. On this occasion his smile assured me that my fault was not past condoning, and with his hand upon my shoulder, as a real brother might caress a younger, he drew me to the window once more. •* A love of Nature is, indeed, a characteristic of the sons of the gentle saint who was wont to hold con- verse with the birds and fishes, and the creatures of the field. — and in this respect at least. I am glad to think. I was not altogether unfitted to be numbered among his followers. "The heavens and earth declare the glory of mn ^t^g^^:^B:im^&^ 6 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE suited to a missionary, yet I fear me your strong right hand grasps more eagerly at the sword than at the Cross. Moreover, grave and quiet as you are, it has been remarked that even during the Sunday services, Normand, your glance has been wont to stray somewhat toward the young demoi- selles, the pupils of the Ursulines, who by reason of the recent havoc wrought by fire in the Convent Chapel come to our church for the grand Mass; also, that you do not altogether shun the society of those, among these same bright-eyed, merry maidens of New France, who as companions of your sister and cousins are to be met with sometimes in your home. Ah, Normand, Normand, the love of a good woman is a gracious gift and to many a man it has meant sal- vation," continued Frere Constantin abstractedly ; and his thoughts, I surmised, flew back to an episode of his own youth whereof I had heard report, and which I will set down later. " Yes, a noble gift," he went on earnestly, " and it behooves him who seeks, to guard worthily the treas- ure when once he has won it. But what has a mis- sionary to do with the treasures of earth, boy? He must be shackled by no human tie, — to him alone it is given to follow as perfectly as mere human nature can, the life of Christ. " Do not misunderstand me, lad. I have no mind to take you to task upon the matters I have men- tioned, — although such distractions at the services of the Church are most unseemly, — but I would point out that the turn of a straw shows from what quarter is the wind, and whither it will carry the chaff as well as the seed. In brief, my dear Normand, I am sent to tell you that for the life to which you have aspired you have no calling." ';m^F. "^im^m^- "I AM FOUND WANTING" 7 For a moment I stood as one dazed, stupidly re- garding the commanding figure of the priest, — my friend, as I even then felt assured. My heart seemed turned to ice ; scarcely could I credit that I had heard aright. " I thought it but just to inform you of this de- cision before it is conveyed to monsieur your father and madame your excellent mother," he concluded gravely, as I did not speak. Then, all at once, the chill in my breast became as fire, and my soul was swept by a torrent of emotion as tempestuous as the current of La Chine. How petty now appeared my ignoble shrinking from the life of zeal for which I had been bred, my foolish turning aside from the fair ideal even for an instant ! Alas, how true is the saying " Happiness is composed of so many pieces that one is always missing " ! Now, as the destiny marked out for me by my parents receded from me, I would have been will- ing to die to obtain it. That the decision was irrevocable, I well knew, however, and turning to the spot where lately I had been at work, — it now seemed to me so happily, I flung myself into the chair, and bending over the table rested my head upon my arms and burst into tears. How often one may do more good by his sym- pathy than even by his toil ! " Poor boy ! " exclaimed Father Constantin, com- passionately laying a gentle hand upon my hair, which little Barbe was wont to say was as thick as the fur of her pelisse. " Poor boy ! It is natural you should grieve to see your life's ambition swept away with as short warning as comes the springtime flood of our great river. Let this console you, in no j^vst^^^^^ W^~ 8 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE grave matter are you to blame. For the talent Gad has not given, He will not ask an account ^s to your disappointment, -the gem cannot be per! fected without friction, nor the man without rials and the voyageurs, you know, have a saying • Ever^ one must row with the oars he has ' " ^ Having essayed thus to comfort me. my eood Ilone trfa/'^^K^'T"^ ^^^^ ' --'h''' '".' °' ^^^ ^-- -- the dtr of^t^tow^"^"'^^^^'"^^-^-'h-ights wele 'hl7^''f " ^''. ^'''" ""°"^^' '^"t th^ accents were hose of a too familiar raillery; moreover the speech was greeted by an untimei; laughfrom his X^: ikiP^-'^^-' -^'%^^^'-- -'^•'••■^^' t -'^Q^i AT THE WIDOW ST. ARMAND'S 15 companions, who had begun to wax jocund from the effects of the wine they had drunk. For answer the foreign officer vouchsafed the cox- comb merely a scowl, and turning aw^v h-s .riP!!:CT-^flK^^?r«- THE STRANGER CHEVALIER »7 I sprang from the saddle and, bending down, kissed the sweet mouth which little Barbe held up to mc in ingenuous affection; and then, as she clung to me, taking another dancing step or two the while, I turned to grasp the hand of Robert, saying, — •' In truth nothing would please me better than to remain with you for a time ; to see the new ship and go canoeing on the river, Robert; to take you upon a hunt for wild-flowers, Barbc, and note how every day your golden beads gleam prettier upon your pretty throat. But unfortunately I cannot stay. I am come to bring Therese home." " Alack, your errand is like to temper the warmth of your reception within," replied Robert with a laugh, whereby he strove to conceal his own disap- pointment. "Thdr^se has been the Mfe of the house, and Francois Guyon says he is minded to keep her always as his daughter. With ' la bonne mere ' it is the same, since your sister is the one age of the daughter whom they lost by death, and the house is lonely without the younger demoiselles, who, as you know, will not return from the school of the Ursulines for some weeks yet." Af my explanation ot the why and wherefore of my coming, Babette had ceased to skip ; but she still hung fast to my hand as I wheeled about to go in. My entrance was impeded, however, by the ap- pearance of my two small boy cousins who came rushing around the corner of the building from the farmyard and cast themselves upon me. I could only free myself from the exuberance of their greet- ing by diverting their attention to Feu Follet, whom Robert still held by the bridle. At this juncture, too, the sagacious animal, as if to urge his own claim to Ml t 28 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE their notice, began to whinny for the rest and pleas- ant shelter of the stable. ^ snaTchei'^lL^'"^' T ^ ^'"^ ^""^^ ^' ^'« ^''sdom. awav ^th . T ^••°'"/°^>^'-t' and led the horse away with a chanson of triumph, as if it had been the charger of his Majesty, while I went into the house with Reaume and Barbe. " Hein, Normand, 't is good for the eyes to see you." cried my uncle Guyon from his chafr by the fire, as he took his pipe from his mouth and hdd out a hand to me in his bluff hearty way. "come Ma mie (to his wife). " have you ordered dinner "Ay, such as I always said he would be!" de- ^ared my aunt, who had risen from her place to Z ^^ ^"^ "^^ ''"^'""6 about with hospitab e reaTdin^d.'"" "'"''""""' *= ^^"^ "-'"g 'l! witt'l™^"" ''"*'*• ' """ ""' '" general ill-pleased with my own appearance. Although I was but a youth and little used to the ways of The high society of th"/rf /""'"• ""'' •'^'""■"-"t^ had always been of the best, for it was a pride with my father that the hab,tmgof his family should be an "^vide^ce o his prospenty I knew also that I was well built of ISrC '"' '°' °T °' ^'"'^'^ ^'-■'- «* oU wWc'h I had ir- ^:\" '^"^^ °' ^'^y "'^^k hair Which I had been thmkmg, as I rode along the wav I would begin to wear powdered and tied if a quiue' fj^' f!r" ^ '""■"^"'^O' consciousness of satis-' fachon at the impression I had made, I gave no con- siderafon to myself at all, but stood in the midd?c of the floor as though rooted to the spot, so ovel fwm^W' THE STRANGER CHEVALIER 29 whelmed was I with astonishment by the scene upon which I gazed. At first, upon coming in with my thoughts intent on the meeting with my uncle and aunt, I saw only them. But directly, as I turned about to look for Th^r^se, lo, there she was, busied with her embroidery at the other side of the fireplace, and, wonder of wonders ! there, bending over her, . was the self-same chevalier whose imprisonment I had lamented for the past week, — the stranger of the wine-shop, looking as dashing and picturesque, and handsomer even than when I had first seen him, for now his brow was unclouded and his eyes shone with a soft steady light, — the hero of my nightly visions and of my waking dreams, the mysterious Monsieur de la Mothe. " How now, Normand ! " exclaimed my uncle Fran- gois, at a loss to account for my bewilderment. " Ah, I was like to forget, — you are a stranger to our guest. Sieur Cadillac, this is my brother's son, a worthy lad, maugre, not good enough, it seems, to make a missionary." Thus I discovered that the intelligence of my dismissal from the Recollets had preceded me hither, — so swiftly does ill news travel. Discomfited and ashamed at his blurting it out in this manner, I shifted my cap from one hand to the other, wishing that, to hide my confusion, the floor might turn to a billowy sea and, opening, engulf me. But he to whom Francois Guyon had given the title of Sieur Cadillac, he, — the stranger whom I knew as the Chevalier de la Mothe, — with that strange power of attraction which was peculiar to him, forced me to meet the look he fixed upon me. If ; Ki '111: I 30 A DAUGHTER OF. NEW FRANCE Then straightway his countenance broke into a snnle so wmning that in my ardent, fooh'h boy's shTp^L"^^' '^ '^^"^^ ' -"^^ ^^" clown and .T As it was, I only stammered out some incoherent reply^as, striding forward, he grasped myta„'S! " Pardon friend Guyon, I must gainsay you The young gentleman and I have not only mefere now but I am m debt to him for a most^ti^e y semce' Th.s gallant nephew of yours is the youth who so opportunely mterposed the other evening. wTth the .Tecile |T-.°^--^ -y Hfe or LTof he imbecile Sabrevois. I scarce know which." Uf a surety not Sabrevois!" I reloined so a?er"tt' V^" ^^"^'^^^ whereuTon mo at ease, I shot a glance toward Th^r^se. and as mv eyes met hers I read there a pride in me that th"y had never shown me before. ^ "Eh! Is it indeed so?" ejaculated my uncle incredulous yet well pleased to be assured that I .n heTklnd?^""''' "^"^'' "^^^^ -y aunt paused sLe at "J^-^''Pr*'°"' ^^'^ "^y -"tertainment to stare at me m undisguised amazement. wh^r/ f ^ '^"y '""'■" ^"'""'^'- ^'th the ston. of what had transpired on that notable evening arthe wine-shop of the Widow St. Armand. ^ allv ""rn "k""' ^^ ^"''^^"^ ^"^ "^°^* ""looked for und'^r V J!""'^ ""^ "^"^^^'^^^ '" « bantering tone under which nevertheless I discerned a ring "f f T ??'' " ^° y°" ^°"der how it is that in stead of languishing in your Bastile of New Fran e" the donjon of yonder grim Castle of St. Louis,' guest at Frangois Guyon's hospitable fireside, and ^"1 THE STRANGER CHEVALIER 31 occupied after a fashion so eminently agreeable to my inclinations ? " He bowed to my sister with a courtliness and grace which I have never seen surpassed, and turning again to me, proceeded with his former debonair gayety,— " Bah, my Normand, you have yet to learn that a cask of Spanish sack is often a most eloquent advocate with the powers that be. As for my pres- ence here, your good uncle Guyon can tell you, we have braved the perils of the deep together with the laudable object of upholding the majesty of the King upon the high seas, and, at the same time, furthering our own fortunes. This voyage, I am come from my home in fair Acadia, drawn hither by tidings of a treasure compared to which all the wealth that sails the ocean is as nothing; and, in sooth, the report, alluring as it was, fell far short of the reality." Again his gaze sought Th^r^se, who blushed rosy red, and bowed her head lower over her tambour frame. For .the nonce anger got the better of my admira- tion of the man. Who was th's stranger ♦•hat upon a few days' acquaintance ventured to pay such bold court to the prettiest demoiselle of Quebec? Did he only trifle? Was this but a jest of love- making? If so — My hand sought the rapier I had worn, with a longing to find it of use, since the day following that whereon it was decided I had no calling for the r61e of messenger of peace. The Chevalier de la Mothe noted the action and also the frown upon my brow, but he returned my look of defiant interrogation with one so frank and noble that I felt my boyish fierceness soften. mm IS (5 32 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE " Ah, Normand, you are a brave PalJani- " h^ -j Thereupon he turned awav as fhn,.„i, ,. with the fair worker beside 'tehelrS,^" '"""" t.on that my entrance had interrupted "' ""^'"" not Ji;t:^eV%~'^°"'" ' '"-P-dgruffly, ' It IS my father's wish that you return wifh t«« » I snapped out brusquely. ^'^^ '"^' "Then I had best go at once," she reolied with dignity, making as if to set about immediKpI f tions to obey the behest prepara- thiff'- "cried he "'"Tr''''"'- " ^^^' ^^^'- - inis f cried he. The command of mv brother Denys meant no such haste. Normand was deTaved on the way by reason of the bad state of the roads you cannot get back by nightfall. To-morrow mJ dear niece, if so it must be, you have mnermT;si^n to go, but not before." permission "Ay that is it," seconded my aunf while lift?. te'nf thaf th'" T ^^^'^ ^^^'"^^ ^^ hl^dTw 1 co^ tent that they should carry the day. Bu Th^rAse turned contrary, would not have it so ' T ' A^^ »^^°"' ""y ""^'^' Jet me go now since I am sent for." she pleaded. -« My fafher will not H? V- THE STRANGER CHEVALIER 33 take the excuse of the bad roads, since the twilight is long; if we start betimes, we shall get home by seven of the clock." " Well, well, I dare say you are wise not to anger my brother," said Frangois Guyon, yielding, " and I know you will be coming again to Beauport very shortly." At this she blushed again ; as for Monsieur de la Mothe, he said no more to me, but stood studying the fire. Betimes, after telling my sister in a low voice that he would return to put her on her pillion (a most absurd care, to my mind), he called to Robert and set out with him f;r the ship at the wharf, whereon, I learned, he lived when at Beauport. Angry as I was against this Chevalier de la Mothe, when I saw Reaume go forth with him thus as his chosen companion, I was conscious of a pang of jealousy almost such, I fear, as a girl feels when she sees the lover whom she has enthroned in her heart prefer the society of another. But this emo- tion I checked, albeit it caused me to apply myself with the greater sullenness to the meal which the Pani woman servant had set forth for me on the table at the farther end of the room. Frangois Guyon having been called away to his fields without hearing the minor bits of town news I possessed, and for which he had kindly feigned to be so anxious, and Therese having disappeared, taking Barbe with her on the plea that she needed the child's help in making into a bundle her best gown and ribands, preparatory to departure, my aunt and I were left alone. As though unconscious of my moodiness, the dear soul chatted to me in her pleasant fashion, and ere- long grew confidential. 3 -^^ I I 34 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE " Ay, Normand, I am glad you are come, even for this brief stay," she said. " It is some time since we have seen you, by reason I dare say of your being so taken up with your books. Henceforth I hope you will come to us oftener. Your uncle has found great good fortune upon the seas and along the southern coast of late ; and, by no means the least of these fortunate happenings, in his opinion, was the meeting with yonder cavalier. " What an odd chance that you should already know him ; yet it is not over-strange either, since so dash- ing a man must have made an impression in Quebec, and then, of course, there was that fracas with Sabre- vois, albeit t the vain lieutenant is an experienced swordsman, and they should have been permitted to fight, I maintain. " My faith, but your uncle esteems greatly this La Mothe. A man of brilliant parts, he says, is the young Seigneur de Cadillac; ambitious, yet noble- minded ; fated to make a name for himself and those connected with him, — one born to achieve place and power. He holds commissions, both military and marine, from the King; a soldier of fortune now, to be sure, but, my dear, he looks to receive a rich grant of land in the vicinity of Acadia, in acknowledgment of his services to the government, — and, like the eagle, he is bound to soar high. " Well, Normand, it pleases me that you have dis- covered how matters stand. You have seen and heard for yourself how he regards Therese, and have noted, if I mistake not, how the roses bloom in her cheeks if he but turns his eyes upon her?" " Yes, and anon, I suppose, he will sail away with my uncle and leave her distraught and unhappy," I mumbled fiercely. THE STRANGER CHEVALIER 35 " Hein, not so ! " corrected " la bonne m&re," laughing at my spleen. " He is minded to wed her as soon as may be, and take her with him when he sails; while she, in truth, awaits the ringing of her marriage bells with much joy and content." " But my father and mother? " " They have to-day agreed to the marriage. The affair with Sabrevois troubled them much, especially as the latter was known to be a suitor for the hand of Therese. Had the accident been serious, the scandal of it would, I fear, have been fatal to Cadillac's hope of winning their consent to accept him as their son- in-law. But since the coxcomb has received only a broken head, that counts for nothing, and Therese will soon be a happy bride, God willing. Your parents demurred at the haste, indeed, but Cadillac's ardor, and the necessity that Guyon and he set sail again at an early date, have prevailed." Here was news truly. So it was all arranged, and until now I had been told nothing of what was going on! Bitter enough I felt, as I sat looking down at my plate. But presently, glancing up, I saw again beside the hearth Therese, whom I so dearly loved, — Therese, who stood motionless, her eyes fixed upon me with a half-deprecating, half-wistful expression of sisterly tenderness and regret at my chagrin. Thereat, un- able to withstand their mute appeal, I rose, shook off my selfish moroseness, strode across the room, and, taking in mine her kind hands that had ever been as ready as was her heart to lend me help and com- fort, I bent my head and kissed them, saying, — " Therese, no man's devotion, however exalted, is great enough to be worthy of you. But if you have given your love to this chevalier of whom all speak 36 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE so well, if you will to wed him, then may you pos- sess the homage of his life, and all good fortune and happiness." At this she made as if to protest my praise of her sweet self. " Foolish boy," she said caressingly, as for a mo- ment she leaned her head against my breast. " I wished for an opportunity to tell you, Normand; and — and — you see for yourself no one could help liking him." -": \u.v*' .'ff:^2a',.d£>>'ZE:' HFk^W^t^S^K. CHAPTER FOURTH OUR SIEUR'S ACADIAN HOME A FEW weeks later, on the 25th of June, 1687, Ther&se was married to Antoine de la Mothe Launay, Sieur de Cadillac. The ceremony was per- formed before the high altar of the cathedral, by the cur^, PSre Duprd, and the nuptials were long recalled as of the grandest of the time. Old Quebec has seldom seen a fairer bride than was this sweet sister of mine. My father gave, in her honor and in compliment to her gallant bridegroom, a wedding banquet, which was attended by Governor Denonville, the noble Bishop Laval, the Intendant, and all the distinguished society of the town. After the feast there were toasts and pleasantries apparently without end ; and among the guests, and foremost in the dance, was the whilom lover of Therese, — Sabre- vois, in the blithest of humors, and more agreeable because less consequential than hitherto. In faith, I opine there is many a man who would thus be the better for a broken head. Blue as were the skies, and prodigal the sunshine of that happy day and the week following, during which the festivities were kept up, both at our house in the town and at Beauport, yet ever drew nearer the hour when our dear girl was to set sail with her husband for his far-away home in Acadia. 'T.«^_». !'^»'/-«^Xi- ■:.', ^ ■■'«^ - ■ 38 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE My mother, to whom ThdrSse was as a right hand, kept up bravely and tried to see the romance of her youth renewed in the marriage of her daughter; my father would have no word spoken of the coming parting. As for myself, although I danced with the maid of honor and every pretty demoiselle of the company, and bandied merry speeches with all, there were moments when the spectres of the adieux to be said spoiled all the mirth for me. Not only would I miss Therese, the confidant of my boyish peccadillos and a most sage adviser, but, now that my momentary distrust of La Mothe was proved unjust, it seemed to me that with his going the star of my horizon would set, leaving me in dark- ness and discontent. " There will be for me not even the resource of escaping from life's prosiness to the Recollet book- room with its scanty treasures," I muttered to myself one morning. "Since my father has made me his clerk, my days henceforth must be spent in the office of his great warehouse at the foot of the Sault au Matelot. Ah, if I could but sail away with my hero ! Why, I will, go with him," I cried with sudden resolve, and sought him out forthwith. Cadillac stood on the deck of his ship at Beauport, watching his men as they stowed the cargo of vari- ous stores not procurable at Port Royal. "Mon chevalier, take me with you," I called to him. " Never can I abide the dulness of this place when you are gone ! " At my impulsive words he wheeled about in his alert way, gave me a searching glance, and laying a hand upon my shoulder, said with his captivating smile, — "Te, lad; dazzled by the glamour of an adven- OUR SIEUR'S ACADIAN HOME 39 turous life, you wot nothing of its realities. The uncertainties, the perils through storms and the cas- ualties of the seas ; the rigors of a climate as inhos- pitable as a Canadian winter joined with the privations and dangers of a still wilder land; at times actual poverty, — even hunger and cold." j " Surely I were a weakling not to be able to dare hardships wherefrom Therese, a mere girl, does not flinch," I protested hotly. He looked amused, and shook his head, as one not yet recovered from the half-awed surprise of a dawn- ing revelation of a true woman's heart ; as I remem- bered long afterwards. " Ah, Normand," he said gently, " the love of a devoted wife braves with loyal steadfastness priva- tions from which the strongest hero might well shrink. In sooth, I doubt if I did right to link the fate of your sweet sister with my own ; whether in- deed it might not have been better to have sailed away with my love unspoken, after all. However, the bond is made. For myself, I am richly content, and for her, — well, I will do my best to shield and make her happy. But you, — why should you cast away a tranquil existence, and the chance of acquir- ing honor and fortune in the King's strong town of Quebec, for the whim of following the hazards of a daredevil soldier of fortune? Your uncle Guyon follows the sea; but he is not so rich, nor has he so enviable a social position as your father, who re- mains quietly at home, giving his time to business and the best interests of his family." " Mine is no whim," I persisted with indignation. " Hein, beaufrere, I question neither your endur- ance nor your valor," laughed he. " I did but wish to warn you that the life you would fain take up is by .i»ir"»^".A .;AMb ^SBSBB^R 1^1 k 40 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE no means plain sailing, nor yet a matter of courting a fair demoiselle and winning a bride. It may per- chance hold great prizes, but the interval between is one of discouragement and struggle." " For that I care not," I broke out. " I am young and strong; and is it not the struggle that makes life worth the living?" And as he turned and walked with me to the stern of the vessel, I went on, — " Oh, if you but knew what fine castles in Spain I was wont to build when I was supposed to be at work in the peaceful book-room of the Recollets." When I paused to take breath, my dear Sieur said with a nod of the head, — " Well, well, a colt is good for nothing if it does not break its halter. Or rather, Normand, you are like a good sword of finely tempered steel that should not be left to rust in the scabbard. If you wish to go, come then. And should I attain the brilliant destiny the soothsayers predict and my ambition tells me I have power to achieve, you shall have a brother's share in my success." Extravagantly happy, I clasped his hand. In my joy I could have fallen upon his neck with a grateful embrace, or upon bended knee sworn fealty to him as a landholder pays homage to his lord ; but I felt intuitively that, whatever tribute he might require from other men, from me he liked better this simple hand clasp. He had named me brother, and by so doing had bound me to his interests forever. Thus it came about that I sailed away with the dashing Sieur de la Mothe to his Acadian home, as his clerk, but with the promise of having part at times in his voyages and expeditions. And in being thus selected I was given a preference over OUR SIEUR'S ACADIAN HOME 41 my cousin Robert de Reaume, who much desired to go. But at my departure little Barbe wept nearly all the brightness of her pretty eyes away, nor would she be comforted, even when I promised to bring her, when I came home again, a chain of gold set with rubies, like to the one the handsome bridegroom had bestowed upon my sister as a wedding gift. The occupation of privateering in which Sieur Cadillac and my uncle Guyon were engaged was esteemed in those days a lawful one. The French buccaneer considered himself in the King's employ, and, while his pay depended upon the fortune he met on the ocean, he received the protection of his own government. He was expected to take, pillage, or destroy as many good English or Spanish vessels as crossed his course ; but he was supposed to leave the sailing-craft of his countrymen alone, or give them assistance as to friends in distress. It is true, many of those engaged in this daring warfare on the high seas were pirates who hoisted the black flag and slew all who fell into their hands with barbarous cruelty ; but my uncle and La Mothe were by no means men of this stamp. They were well regarded by every one for their good service in his Majesty's for- eign wars, and as a I'ecognition of this service the Sieur de Cadillac, during the summer that followed his marriage, received from Governor Denonville and the Intendant de Champigny a grant of the Island of Mont Desert, and of Donaquec, a large tract of land on the coast of our province of Maine, which lies to the southeast of Quebec and between it and Acadia, as a glance at the chart will show. In the spring we went down from Port Royal to the island for a few months, and the next year we rdlSh' ' x - ..**',>' 42 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE did so agam; for. the King having confirmed the grant, Cadillac determined to use the dowry Therese had brought him to improve this seigneury. Already my brother-in-law was looked upon as a man of nnportance. Well too had he kept his prom- ise to me that I should have a share in his adventures and exploits. I had sailed with him upon several voyages visiting New England, and going southward, even to the shores of Virginia. The bays and rivers as also the settlements of the Atlantic seaboard from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to. the Bay of Chesapeake, were as familiar to him as were the banks of the little river St Charles and the streams about Beauport to me, in the days of my boyhood. At Mont Desert we were kept from ennui by the menaces of one Andros, the English Governor who claimed the province. It was the same Andros who later demanded from the settlers of Connecticut the surrender of their charter, which forthwith disap- peared as though plucked away by the hand of Liberty herself Years after there came to me, as upon the wind, a rumor that this document had been concealed by some stanch rebel in the hollow of a tree If so all honor to him for the deed. As for our Sieur,' he laughed to scorn the claims of the pompous Gov- ernor, and leaving Mont Desert to be defended by our Indian allies, returned with his household to Port Koyal after the festival of the Harvest. No sooner were we at home than there were begun preparations for the reception of some unknown visitor. The manor was hung with garlands; the orchards and our fertile farms were laid under gener- ous contribution; fat beeves were killed. TherSse brought out the finest of the store of table damask OUR SIEUR'S ACADIAN HOME 43 that formed part of her bridal outfit, burnished the silver plate, and still further busied herself in direct- ing the best cooks of the settlement, who had been pressed into service. One evening with our Sieur I paced the gallery of the house. Around about it lay the golden fields, and beyond them rose the dark forests of pine and hemlock. Before us the waters of the harbor reflected the sunset clouds, and danced in white waves along the shore, — sporting white waves that somehow made me think of the pretty feet of little Barbe, as once, of a summer's day, I saw her tripping unshod upon the sands of Beauport. And ever after it seemed to me that shoes were all too heavy for her dainty grace, although my uncle • 'as wont to bring her shapely footwear, upon his ret .; n from his voy- ages, — Spanish slippers and the like. But to resume my story. Taking my arm with the courtly dignity natural to him, Cadillac said: " Normand, there are great doings at hand. I am shortly to entertain the Sieur Meneval. " I shrugged a shoulder, for the Governor of Acadia had more than once been hospitably welcomed at our house without this ado. My brother gave a good-humored laugh over my incredulity. •* Hein ! You have not heard all," he proceeded. " With the Sieur Meneval is to come a stranger of wide repute, an Admiral but lately out from France." " Ah," I ejaculated, comprehending the gravity of the intelligence. " My expected guest is the Sieur de la Caffiniere," he pursued, sweeping the air with his right hand, as though it held a sabre and he was cleaving his way to glory. " He wishes me to sail away with him, no It |l| I! it ! ni !li !;;» 44 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE matter where, — in the service of the King. Mv knowledge of the North Atlantic and the shores r u 3. *^^'"^°"' '^ recognized by the ministers of his Majesty, and I am selected for an important As I listened, my ardent young blood glowed in my vems and rushed to my face in a crimson flush, while my heart throbbed exultantly at the hope of having a part, even if a humble one, in this new cruise. Reading my thoughts. La Mothe sighed. "You would fain go with me. Normand," he said hesitatingly.^ " And so it may be, provided the Sieur de la CaffinierQ consents. There is a service as oner- ous, if less dashing, I thought to ask of you ; but — " "What is it you would have me do?" I stam- mered with emotion. " My one anxiety is for my wife," returned Cadillac, moodily. " I am loath to leave Th^rSse here alone yet at present I have no way of sending her back to yuebec. My absence will be short, I trust; if I am delayed, Frangois Guyon will be here in the spring and she can return with him to visit her people. I might, indeed, at the expense of some degree of my state, send my wife and our infant child to stay with the Lady de Meneval, but in that event this house- hold would be broken up." Plainly enough I saw wherein lay my duty. " Say no more, mon chevalier," I interrupted in a voice that trembled somewhat, half from the bitter- ness of the disappointment I strove to conceal, half through the earnestness of my new resolve. " I will remain here, since it is your wish." He thanked me warmly and after a pause con tmued, — If Ml OUR SIEUR*S ACADIAN HOME 45 " To you, Normand, jointly with Ther^se, I com- mit my lands, and whatever of bullion, specie, or jewels have come to me as spoils of Spanish galleons or English merchantmen, and are still in my posses- sion. Above all, to your protection I confide the treasures beside which all else is dross, my precious Therlse and my little daughter Madeleine." " Am I not bound by the ties of nature to shield my sister and her child from all peril, even with my life?" I answered. "Be content, I now solemnly pledge myself so to do. With your Acadian men- servants, farm-laborers, and Indians, and myself to defend them, Therese and the little one will be as safe here as if under my father's roof in that secure town founded by the wise Champlain on the rocky promontory of the St. Lawrence." My brother pressed my hand and said once more, as on the day I ha d prayed to follow his fortunes, — "Normand, you are a good lad, and as brave as true. I thought you would respond as you have done, but when the spirit is troubled one craves a word of loyalty from a friend." At this commendation my heart grew light again. Our Sieur had honored me with his confidence, and my youthful vanity was well pleased that my sister would look to me to manage for her the considerable estates of La Mothe. As for the feast in honor of the Sieur de la Caffi- niSre, it was prepared for naught. A storm arose, and when the skies cleared, a wind so swept the sea that when the Admiral's ship, the Embuscade, was sighted, the impossibility of his effecting a landing was soon apparent. Cadillac went out to him in a canoe which every moment seemed about to become the prey of the waves. But the Indians who guided it ■iil 46 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE were themselves like children of the deep and took a savage pleasure in the danger. The ship sailed away, and after many weary weeks witT ' ^"','' '""""/"^ ^'^"^ *° Governor MeTieva brolh^h" '"'" ^°' ™^^^^' *^^^^ ^^"^rs being brought by a privateer who was scouring the waters of our latitude on the watch for foreign craft ofririZnf 'r"%''^P'^''^°" ^"^ ^^^" ^h^ outcome of a brilliant plan to proceed to the Gulf of Manathe TomTD 17 '''"^^"'^"'' *^^ ^^^y recentlyTken from the Dutch a second time by the Enelish and re-named for the Duke of York But the profe". Old World, taking Cadillac with him. J' .^^^"!y i° \ '%'^^ ^^'^ prolonged separation, ma me. wrote De la Mothe to my sister. "But I must follow my star, that one day its radiance may shine upon you whom I so dearly love. Only to the bold man does Fortune hold out a helping hand, and luck comes but to those who go after it. Be of good will, and there await my coming, which shall be be- fore the end of the summer." Thus it was that our Sieur went to the court of the Grand Monarque. Unhappily his resources became exhausted during this strange quest for employment Whatever there was. we sent to him; but although L^H ? , ''°'' '''' V^" ^''^' •" ^'^""' ^^ ^^s soon lorced to live upon borrowed money. How often does success take roads that lead well- nigh to despair ! Had Madame Cadillac returned to Quebec with my uncle Guyon when he came again to our province she might have escaped grave dan- ger But Therese ever believed that a wife is her husband s best steward, and was unwilling to intrust OUR SIEUR'S ACADIAN HOME 47 even to me the sole management of the fertile lands granted to her lord by the Crown. One May morning, as I looked out to sea, I saw through my lenses a strange ship approaching the harbor. Presently another came into view, and then a third. A few minutes later, a messenger upon a horse shod with fire tore down the road from the Governor's residence. " The English," he shouted to the peasants as they rushed out of their houses, "the English! Arm yourselves and to the ramparts, every man of you ! " It was as when a whirlwind threatens our crops in midsummer, or a wave of the treacherous sea breaks through the dikes. The Acadians sprang into their cabins, tore mus- kets, axes, pikes from the walls, and hurried to the fortifications. The women too, in their blue kirtles and with the .strings of their Normandy caps flying wild, followed to the stockade with the ardor of warriors. But I need not describe the defence of Port Royal against the assault of the freebooter Sir William Phipps. The story of the brave resistance which won for our small garrison honorable terms of surrender, is told in the annals of New France. Having fought my best, I now thought the time was come to keep my promise to our Sieur, for I distrusted the pledges of the English filibuster. Madame Cadillac would fain have remained to guard the interests of her hus- band, but I reminded her of my command to guard her safety and insisted that she take refuge in the woods. Our party consisted of Th^rlse and her child ; a little girl cousin, Elizabeth Brunet, whom my sister ^m 'fi^gSjff-'W.M-' 'tm.*' -.pgff'iVBliiiKgl^ 48 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE had brought from Montreal ; Gaspard, the Abenakai youth that Cadillac had rescued just as a band of sav- ages were about to burn him at the stake ; two Indian guides, and myself. In the forest we lived on into the summer, subsist- ing upon edible roots, upon rabbit's meat, and the fish of the pools and streams. Occasionally our In- dians shot a deer, and often their arrows or my own fusee brought down wild birds, whereof over our camp-fire Ther^se made a ragout that was most tasty. Madame Cadillac and the little girl Elizabeth en- dured the hardships of this rude life uncomplainingly, and the winsome baby chirped and twittered as gayly as any nestling in the trees above us, by her pretty ways beguiling her mother to merriment. Even I, who was wont to regard her with amused awe, like to a boy who sees in an aviary some pert bird of a rare species, — even I found her infant coquetries and smiling humors most diverting ; while, when she lifted up her voice and wept, her baby wail disconcerted and alarmed me more than would the prospect of a foe lurking in the underbrush. Ever we haunted the woods near the coast, and at last succeeded in signalling a French vessel. A boat came up to the beach for us, we were taken to the ship, and the gold I had brought purchased for us passage home. Bui alack, during the voyage we were seized by a corsair. For the sake of Therese I availed of the opportunity offered to send to Quebec and beg my father to ransom us, which he did at great price. On my own account I would never have asked it; and indeed I felt that I cut a sorry figure when, after our many vicissitudes, we reached our parent's roof. w^ ^j^^tmrEm^^^t^' OUR SIEUR'S ACADIAN HOME 49 Later we learned how the doughty Sir Phipps, dis- regarding the terms of capitulation, gave Port Royal over to pillage ; how our too credulous Governor Men- eval was himself held a prisoner, plundered of clothes and moneys, and carried off on board the conqueror's frigate to view the further spoliation of his people. The booty taken away from the province must have paid the cost of the expedition, and left besides a rich surplus to be divided among the soldiers, even though the commander kept the best of the spoils for himself. For the thrifty leader went so far that he actually plundered the kitchens and wardrobes, and Therlse often speculated as to how Madame Phipps was pleased with certain laced gowns clasped with silver, which had once been my sister's pride. As for our Sieur's home in fair Acadia, the house, spacious and imposing albeit built of pine logs, was, like the other principal buildings of the settlement, reduced to ashes. His fields were laid waste, his fine herds gone. Of all his estates there was left but a desolated tract of land ; and doubtless, had we not re- mained so long in the forest, we should never have gotten away at all. CHAPTER FIFTH A MESSENGER TO COMTE FRONTENAC P LEAS ANT it was to be at home again after our A three years of absence. Of the many friends and relatives who greeted our return none gave me a gayer welcome than little Barbe, grown taller and still more winsome, and who now, forsooth, assumed toward me a half-perverse, half-coaxing humor, — a pretty coquetry whereat I laughed, it being amusing in the little maid. Yet it tried my patience, too, and caused me to lend more thought to the pranks of the saucy minx than was merited by so frivolous a subject. What vexed me the more was that Robert de Reaume gave over-attention to her moods. I should have been better pleased to see him bantering pretty speeches with a demoiselle suited to him in age, rather than threatening to snatch a kiss from little Barbe at every opportunity. To be sure, she was ever so swift that he ne'er won the chance, but there was over-much parley about the matter, especially since, save for her greeting to me upon my home coming, she would never let me have a kiss either. This was truly absurd, for erstwhile, when I visited Beauport, she ever came with me to the house ojor, and insisted that I bend down and kiss her rosy mouth ere I rode away. Such airs do young maids put on when they turn from their merry games and romps to glance into a A MESSENGER TO FRONTENAC 51 mirror and discover that they are agreeable to the eye. My faith, how they then do magnify their own importance ! Soon, however, I had scant leisure to remark upon the whims of a much-indulged child. The welcome to Th^r^se and myself was scarce over, when the sen- sation created by our arrival was forgotten in the greater excitement of the news that I lamented it had not been our fortune to bring. One drowsy afternoon there was, all at once, a stir in the town. I had taken my hat and was about to go out to see what it meant, when my father came upstairs from his warehouse. "Hein, Normand!" he said, "here is startling in- telligence. It seems, while you were held by the cor- sair, an Indian has been making his way over-land from Acadia. His story is that the Abenakai have lea'-ned, from a pale -face woman captured near a village called Portsmouth, that a fleet has sailed from the south, under Sir William Phipps, to attack our city. Warning of the danger which threatens us has been cried in the Market Place, and a messenger has been despatched in all haste up the river to Montreal, where the Sieur Louis de Baude, Comte de Frontenac', but recently established himself at the head of his forces." " This is weighty information, surely ! " I cried striding up and down the floor and rattling my sword in Its sheath. " Still, our Royal Governor is more than a match for our white foes and the Five Nations combined. Keen is my impatience to see the great man agam. During his former term of office I, as a boy, looked on him with reverence as the reoresen- tative of the Sun King." ^ "Ay. ay, now above the murmurs of his oppo- > 52 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE nents, you will bear the voices of the people hailing him as the man destined to restore to hope and courage the colony prostrated by the mistakes of his predecessors, — mistakes tliit have brought about this war with the southerners and the Iroquois," de- clared Denys Guyon, sententiously. "But think you he will get back in time?" I queried. " Will he not be intercepted ? " " Never fear," answered my father. Within the next few days the seigneurial families flocked from far and near to the town, seeking its greater security; and among them came the family of my uncle ,Guyon, to avail of the protection of my fathe> s house during the expected siege. Frangois Guyon himself remained at Beauport in command of a body of armed peasantry who were ordered to watch the river below the village. The seigneurs brought with them their censi- taires. Early and late the streets resounded to the tread of armed men, some but rudely equipped with farm implements, which nevertheless had ere now proved in their hands formidable weapons. The commissary was busy provisioning the place ; tradespeople and housewives laid in supplies and, notwithstanding the anxiety dormant in every heart, the Mrrket Place was a scene of gayety and thrift, of barter and gossip, of meetings of old acquaintance, of flirtations between the soldiers and the bright-eyed young maids of the humbler order, — for where is the woman, gentle or simple, whose fancy is not caught by the color of a military coat or the cockade of a soldier's chapeau ? One morning, soon after sunrise, I was aroused by a confusion outside my window, a cry that swept through the Lower Town like the current of the river A MESSENGER TO FRONTENAC 53 lashing against the Rock after a storm. Throwing open the casement, I saw that the thoroughfare was thronged with eager townspeople all hurrying to the Esplanade. "What is it, — the enemy? " I shouted to a stout bourgeois who lagged behind his fellows. " The enemy ! " he echoed scornfully. " Do you think I would run myself into the risk of an apoplexy for an enemy, civilized or savage ? No, it is Comte Frontenac coming home. His bateaux have been sighted on the river." Forthwith I dressed, intending to fare forth also for the quay and with no thought of other comrade- ship than my trusty rapier; for what better society should be desired by a gallant who has seen both danger and adventure than the good sword that has served him well? As I passed out, who should catch sight of me but saucy Barbe, who thereupon cried to me in her most coaxing tones, and her voice was as sweet as a bird's in spring, — " Normand, Normand, take me with you ! " " Tee, Mignonne, it is no time for little maids to be abroad, when highways and squares are filled with rough folk," I answered with sternness. " You would be treated with scant courtesy, meet with rude speech, and mayhap even lose yourself amid the uncouth populace." "How can I lose myself?" returned the mischief, pertly. " But if your prowess, my chevalier of the raven locks, is not equal to the test of protecting me from the unmeaning gruffness of our humble good folk of the town, or your arni so weak you cannot keep me from being batted about like a shuttle- cock among the crowd, how can I believe the stories 54 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Th^rJsc tells of your courage, or but laugh when I see you taking on the airs of a hero ? " Now. this was audacious of the baggage, for well she knew 1 am not one to boast. oru)c!oZysJlf credit for the intrepidity which others affirm I have ever^ displayed in time of sudden extremity or As the prick of a sword will stir the blood of a man so that he rushes madly into any encounter with- out stoppmg to question whether it be rash or no so the sharpness of her woman's wit, even though ii were but l.ke to the sting of a honey-bee. -"f the j'd"^^^^^^^^^^ stings. ^pestered me out of my good '• Oh. welladay Mam'selle Malapert, come if you will, I responded with some impatience. " You sav aright, ,t were no very heroic position to constitute my- self the squire of a giddy little lass into whose foolish brain has entered the wish to cast aside her puppets and follow the music of fife and drum. But if vou persist, were the crowd a rabble of foreign soldiery or ,n sooth a band of Iroquois, 'twould pleasure me as well. I would fain show you that my claim ^ valor, poor as it may be. does not rest merely on the Idle gossip of my good sister, though perchance, if what she says be not true, she would not be here awaiting the return of her husband, who thought well enough of my spirit to commit to my charge her fn FrancT''^"^ '^""""'^ "^"""^ ^'' ^"^°'"^ ^^'^"*=« fh?L%AT^' T^ "^""^ ""^^ "° encouragement to the child to burden me with her company. Yet with Lr*^. ^'"?.^' '^.M S^y^y/^^^Sht at my permission, bade me wait until she should get the pretty new bonnet that Aunt Guyon had bought for her on the A MESSENGER TO FRONTENAC 55 arrival of the recent ship from France, and, returning in a trice, flitted before me into the street. Once out of doors, however, her mood changed, and she walked beside me with a maidenly sedate- ness that took me by surprise and yet pleased me well, for I saw how in annoying exigency a young maid's natural dignity and innocence might be to her an armor and defence against rude speech and usage. Thus the unwonted gravity of little Barbe interested mc by its strangeness even more than her roguish pranks had teased me, -- since Ul the while, as we pursued our way, she chattoicil as blithely as a bird sings. After all, I was glad I had humored the chih ; it was very pleasant to have her tripping beside n..; thus, and altogether I was more content than I had been since the day of my home-coming. With the throng, we made our way to the prome- nade on the river bank planted with trees, where in those days the King's ships landed. The fleet of canoes bearing the viceroy and his company of soldiers had been sighted afar off upon the broad waters of the St. Lawrence, and now the troops from the fort, followed by the populace, came down to welcome the one man who had the power and resource to render their defeat impossible. It was a fine sight indeed, — the long row of glitter- ing bayonets filing down from the Upper Town ; the brave Gascon soldiers in their blue and white uni- forms, tall caps, and long queues ; the gorgeous officers, the gleaming halberds in the hands of the sergeants. The street rang with the notes of tambour and flageolet, and as the marching men broke into a grand chorus, singing with spirit the martial song which rehearses the glories of our great King, Louis 56 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE the Fourteenth, I experienced a thrill of enthusiasm and httle Barbe', heart beat faster, I vent "^ ,o sav' as she clapped her hands, and her cheeks grewZ' color of a wild rose. ^ "* Now the chief canoe reached the shore, and the Governor landed. We could not see him because of the throng but from the shouts and cheers a„d the wavmg of caps, we knew that he had stepped ashore, and presently discovered that he willed 10*^^0 a once to mspect the fortifications, albeit great wa^ v^a^!" "' "^ """ "'"''""'"* "ft" h'' long For. having been met by a canoe from Quebec bnnging ,he message that the English had veri^ Cam*r:!"r''°'"'^'''r^"' ■■' '•''' »™' backword to aid wi h ',n7w ' °^ """"•'"'' '° ■=<""« down to our hif I^Li u 1°'"' "' ™"™-"d. and then urged l>» Indian boatmen onward throueh the nM„„ autumnal rain-storm which had continued for'^thl-ef Now, however, it was a glorious morning. For- ever m my memory is stored the picture of the fine o^d man as on foot he climbed the steep ascent of Mourn un Street. If I but close my bodiireyes I see agam with the eyes of my spiril the bfavfaid fi«y soldier whom the citizens ^eeted with joy a» the deliverer who would help them in this hour of tria^ Md to whom they cried out, doffing their tJU" ^-"^ can have all we possess and ourselves !h°:B"rnna[s •■ .^"'"''""'' '' ""' ""' -« "^ "o™ To these acclamations Monsieur le Comte in- proJinds' ^"""'^ ''"^'^ *•' ''''" ^^^ neighbor, of the .outhem u;^[ kfl R i 66 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE face the fury of the choleric Sir Phipps by the de- livery of so haughty a message. " Will your Excellency have the answer set down in writing, that I may carry it to my chief in due form?" he asked, as he saluted once more with cool formality. "No," returned Frontenac, decisively: " I will an- swer your General only by the mouth of my cannon, and thus will I teach him that a man such as I am is not to be summoned after this fashion. Let him do his best and I will do mine." So saying, he rose abruptly, — a signal for the dis- missal of the assembly. The Englishman was forthwith blindfolded again, led over the barricades once more, and sent back in his boat to the ship. After this there was an ominous quiet for some hours, during which, as we learned afterwards. Sir Phipps held a council of war and planned an attack upon Beauport, this intelligence being given to us by the Sieur de Granville, whom they had as a prisoner upon the flagship. Our resourceful Governor, on his part, employed this time of calm that preceded the swiftly ap- proaching storm, in completing all preparations and strengthening our defences CHAPTER SIXTH THE BUCCANEER'S SIEGE ^OR did Quebec trust alone to her strong posi- hood oft"; Xr"'^ °' '" ^°'''^'^' ^^ ^-^•- er^M 'n' 'r°^' '^\^°^ °^ *""'"•" ^"^d the ven- erable De Laval, as he stood in the pulpit of the cathedral with uplifted hands and eyL. Chi^e tt crowd of citizens, noble and humble, and the habi- tans who had sought protection within the city sank to their knees on the pavement, the women weeping in foreboding of the horrors of the coming siege, the re"siftance ""' '"''""'''"^ ^^^'^ ^"^^"tion of "Let us pledge ourselves." he continued, with the pa riofsm of his race. " vowing that if Go^ w U as- sist us to drive away the enemy at our gates we will Srever."' "'" °"^ ^'^"^ ^"^ '"^^ »^-- tW his^iTa^^dStlhfch'arrtJ^^^^^^ :Zr.^ through the nav^e^'atatd iot^ ^m^ of thl'IIav;.' ''^°'^ '^' ^"*'"^^"*' ^'•°"» '^' «*»»" «'de fei^id Tm; '•^"i^'' '^"^ '^""^•"2 congregation in lervid, impassioned acclamation. " Amen." I cried with those around me, drawing my sword and flashing it aloft, as did every office? i' ij H3 "s^-^^i ^w^i!!i'^m:m. MKatocorv resouition test chart (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 Ih |2£ |M ■■■ Ui 1^ tii. ■a^ IS ■a 14^ u •<' . ■tuS 1.4 |2. 1.8 1.6 ^ /APPLIED KVHGE ^Sr: 1653 Eo»t Main Str«et RoehMt«r, N«» York 14609 USA (716) ♦«2 - 0300 - PhofM (716) 288 - SM9 - F^ ^y '^^ -"rrent. " Who Will capture it?" cried Marincourt, chafing X»,o •^ THE BUCCANEER'S SIEGE wf post""" ""' ^° """"'"■ ■'^■■"S ""="'"« 'o '«ve in!T:^:ZT°' "^"""S -""««- for so dash. " By your leave, Sieur Capitaine, I will -ake with ■ne two otliers and go out and ge it," pleaded th^ sr ""''" J"=^" j°'^- "i- f- «''e"peMi:!;: "Eh bien, go!" tersely returned Marincourt arf dressing himself again to the firing. "'"""''' ^''- Chocsing his men, Jean f-reuoon n„f „ » • canoe and was paddled into .hTmid-s'^^ am Th' English saw and shot at the little craft h.,, . ! and reached the «ag lying VnZ water "' " ""P^" Then Jean Joly. dit Jolicceur, bending over from nd ?hr,ittre'"t:rk''d'™'"H V"' ""= '"^ - "bant" reached in afety with th^l ""^ '"""'■ *'''^'' '' fro™ beneatht r;;tt™:L-:mr '""''' It IS this banner that was hung up as a votive built in commemoration of the Dreserv;,f;«« r ^ bee in the Market Place of the I^^" ToZ "' ^''=- a wr«k •sTph""'"?L''^'"^<"=^'>'=<' -d another range ' ""PP' "'""'■■="' ^> his vessels out of befng'tli^^Id'tV'du^tnor'"" tZ Tb t^"--' steps toward my father. h^ouL^, ^ofkn^iVbu" th"X thrfi^e o X'\ "•'"' "^ "* "-= "-^"bofd o tha homf:„d°'sf„ int'eTrnitrtfe'l'^^H^ '"'" '"= °" about its hearthstone rLk God 1 ;""/«!><=««' and the dwell^rc ^uJ • , ' ^ "^""^ '^ intact prostrated^'Se's ;:;„" " For™1' ''1"°"''' "^^"^ / "le strain. For notwithstanding that ; * i'l I: ' ttl .f f ' f ! 74 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE gcr lo protect a child or rescue one thev Iovp .'f •s small wonder that so fiery an ordeal Z th^L action should have played hLc with the nrvet^ the ladies of my family so that nf fU • "^'^ves oi rSfh^tW^T ""^' ^^'^' ^^'"-nded pertly how It was that I had not been wounded. ^ T would pleasure you. mam'selle, and accord caped unscathed, was it not you who buckled on r^l ^etZrW^at: h""' 'Z ^^" "'""S "■■* '-- ih« smile: '"°"''' '" ""= ^""^'•'« °f "•" "Ay, I did pray for you, cousin, many times in and ' ' Wh"" '" "" "^^^ '"""^ these^^rdays! ;:ur"^an^';?'' '°'' '" "'""""^''^ ^ ">^ "'"od upon bletsoXtTflVH' ""^ ■""'"* "="' P^'^' '"d trem- faHen ""' ""^''* ""^ ^''' """'d have n JJ"''p *" a' " ' "'°'^' '"•"''•"g into a laurt. " 'T is nothing! A scratch I got at the gun in some wav I had not noticed it before." ^• ^wlt ^^i""' ■? "^ P"*^"' ^l-^ ""■=« "«ds bind it UD which I finally suffered her to do, in punishment of w^^^m>. : \,£i^_^,' 'i THE BUCCANEER'S SIEGE fright," sh^e ackn3e;g:d'af.erbea,'''"K"<' "'"• bush, and makin- as thn.Tk ^ I. }'"^ ''''°'" "■« "Set r" ^^ '"" ;Ltx j.^'- hew"' pSe" :S ""=' "' >■" ■■="»' h"ir she I wound ?he soft curi TlundTfi"^ "''"/'^^' "^ereat hand, and .hen, bethintn^'nTe Sht7 "f",""^ ness, shook it quickly offa|aiJi ^ '^°'"'>- wi^nei,,^!^^;.:;^^^^^^^^ i'i'^: i^:- -<>".•-■< "And after the first hn„r . t Guyon. stoutly, the household t^t hk the tT^' '"■' "" "^ h, tOKlay, when the firing was 11 ?' "'^'' ««"'gh balls fell into the warden ".nH^'^'"'' """^ twenty house. But, happly their for^r '' '"" "^^I' "■= did no damage save to ha«e. "'' 'P'"' ""<• "-ey When the bombardment ctall ?'"" °f "'^ "^''• ered up the balls and sentTem .r,,f '"'"• "= ^ath- est to us, who duly returnl?. TJ ^ ^""""^ "^ar- through the cannon's mouth '" '° ""''■• """"^ ernorFrontenacsaidto^hf *~^' °'" "='^"" ^ov- . "Ah, Normand! we can IT"'"'' *"' '•^' " tinued Barbe, a oi ifu^ l^^t • '""'^ "°*-" «"" "Vet it was aso rLtf I ^."°'''"K *■" ^"'"t face. abandoning th^e ZZtoT^ 'Z tot'' .t <"°''' were not this dwelling k-u. *°° "'"^^ have done neighbors to^k ref!ge^it"h °t e s"" """"^ "' -' ee wittnn the bemmary, others at III 76 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE are Wltd 'J^i'"' '^' ""'" °' *« ^rsuline Convent shelfe r "T'? '"" '='•''''"" "'«' ">"« sough snelter, the wood-pie s bcine userf r,.r ,._ t'' the beans and cab'bages fronf the co„ver.'^^^^^^^^ have all been taken to feed the soldiers Tn h one of the nuns had a corner of h.r o u^^ zz:.':'v'''''' through rs^hotLr" st ,r h^rw;rd"i:thou:'^^^ °' *''> ^^^ ^-^ -- those who 17 T "^^^''"^ ^°'' ^'^^ ^^on^fort of ^ Te^nd ^-d' "M^::;gn\"rd';La::ii7^^^^ seigneur de St Vallier. t'he new^^hop.' have te"n tireless, going about helping the peoole and /n. agmg them by their own fearlessness." '°"'- After a dinner at home, the first good meal I had had for some days, and having taken a short .1..^ t attacked th^' °"^'/"'^''" ^^°"tenac himself, attacked the mvaders, who with great brav^rv hill was ours; but alas, 'twas dearly bought for in the skirmish we lost the peerless Sainte-HlSe the mo,^ gallai^t ^officer of the famous regiment trtlrfg^ shinrTK^'TJ" '^' ''"'"^^•■^ ^"^e« back to their sh^s. They had suffered from the unusual cold of the season from the storm of wind and rain and some of the troops were sickening with the small pox, as we heard later. ^"" with'Sr'fate in thfK'^^^ °"r ''"^' ^""^^^ ^^-^'"ed But fhf 1 ^^^^"" ^'''' '^^^"^ ^«ys longer, tinued- then "'' ^'.'^ ^'^^ "^' the storm con- thel'M A"""! "'°'"'"^' ^^^ ^'°"ds rolled away, watefs of'th? sf r '""''^'^ ^'^^"^ "^^ ^^^ -^^ waters of the St. Lawrence, and glinted the towers I gr.^^ THE BUCCANEER'S SIEGE 77 and belfries of Oueber- nn,^ c- m.- great Tc Dc„™ .a, sL, CaU'L^f rd^i;;ercc' '■iil ml I '-11 M m^ '■ !i CHAPTER SEVENTH OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE f„M ,T.i!^ •! ',*■! ''""Shty Admiral on a scaf- foW at the Mde of his ship, plying his old trade of te«r'^he"r;7e:ri tf„f r^ -^"- thing of r.„y in theVir.: LZ'^Z^'^^Z"':: officer would rather die than work with his hands ;est he lose dignity or consideration thereby ' tha^arpJ^T". ''J"" ""' ^''P^''"'"" «-■ learned tnat Sir Phipps had sent another message anH «f , foT a bin/ f f ■" Quebec were to be exchanged c/n,;aig'nf °' '"•"'' ^"^""^'^ '^•<- » ^'-r I went at once, therefore, r.nd made my adienx to Mr. Davis, a brave Bostonnais who, having been riven at'Z"rtf' *' ''?'""'"^ °f ■''' captivi^. haS! ^ed at the Chateau as the guest of the Governor and w!s regarded by all as a "bon homme." When atWth !_ reached our house, little Barbe had much !: fell " Welcome, Normand ! " she cried blithely and for a wonder did not beat me off when I t^ed t ?W#' ^ ■J-^w OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE ;, Ta^e^'lTl'td^r^^^^^^^ T-'' T - '-- Slomng with its won eTcJor wf '^l^'^^^' ^"^ would have stolen a khsfrZ h '"' ^°^*^^*^^' ^ well, she pushed me awav ^w ' T^ "^°"^h ^ that was truly laughabr.'. h";'."^ '"*^ " ^^^"^ ^'> drew herself ip to her f^ll i u ^ '^'■^' ^'^'" ^nd look taller by a^good inch ^'^ '' ''^"'''' '^' ^'^ But her childish anger was shnrf I- ^ • I'ept up the quarrel with m ' k"'^''' ''"" '<' ^^e retailing of her news '^' '""^' ^""'^So the p-st;r^' 1° 11;;^ brerVo" ^'■"': -'^ ^^--^ 'ng whether to be el' d n? 7 i"'"'''' "°^ ''now- have grown to love we,l thf. ' ^' '^' ^""''"" I the Demoiselles Clarke whom our Go""^ «-tonnaise, ransomed from the in/ ? ^°''""°''Frontenac Bay. their fX , He ^na^V "T °' C-~ end. Much have these 1",? '."'""e *=" ">« bis the horrors of their ca„.ivrv., ''="«"\'"" '"'d rae of never did they tire of ev i^,^""""; ""= ''"B"- and Excellency inVa'ng freed tnd cl' "i""."'" °' •"' convent. But now they are i'^'' u^™ *' "« French soldiers, and ^L"l? ''5. "changed for of our poor fel ows. I stlf J "'"'"I"' ">e sake grievously. Then too ff. • ? "^ '^'™^^ most rish, whom Madame de ^h? " "".!""" ^arah Ger- red men and sent to livt at .he h!^^ n""^*" '""> *= ■-aid, frolicsome as alittln c*'r °/."' " a pretty hospital sisters, that whenToM t ""'' " '^^ °' *« them and sail awav 7nZ I- , ""■"' ""''' '"ve rairal, she vowed w 3, » V " .""' ^"^'''^ ^d- would not go Th^f ^ ""T'"' °f '«rs that she her, but it .f nit Lt'''^'"^^ '°^"' '" P^^ with her own people " ""' ""'"''' ^ =«« back to IH '«•« 8o A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Thus our winsome Barbe rattled on with naive ardor. While she spoke, I was conscious of a strange thrill at my heart, and then there swept over n"^ a chill, like to that which comes upon a man shot down in battle or one who in a duel succumbs to a dangerous thrust of his antagonist's sword. For in a trice there came to me the recollection of that whereof we had taken no heed during the siege, and which indeed had passed out of our thoughts as if it had never been, — the remembrance of the day whereon I, a prankish boy, had first beheld pretty Barbe, a tiny child of scarce two springtimes, — pretty Barbe, a soft, warm, s iling little creature, her chubby face pink-tinted like the sweet arbutus or May blossom of our Canadian woods ; her fair curls tossed and tangled ; her dimpled hands outstretched to my aunt Guyon from the detaining arms of the dark-visaged Indian chief who had brought the white baby captive from afar through the woods to Beauport, to barter her for a draught of French brandy. Had the infant prisoner been a boy, doubtless it would have been reared to savagery and would per- chance have become sachem of a tribe destined to war with relentless cruelty against his pale-faced brothers. But a squaw pappoose — of what avail to rescue it from having its brains beaten out against a tree, save to buy with the frisky squirrel-like being a cup of the maddening fire-water of the coureurs de bois? Yes, I had chanced to be there in the living-room of my uncle's house at Beauport when the strange bargain was made, and my aunt sent two Panis, servant men, to conduct the Indian beyond the settle- OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE g, set down thechild „Z Tk V. *." "■"" ""^ '^''^ge the skirts of t? aunt Ind h'"''"^'' '"' ''""^ '° her heTrt! a:d'*Violr:aToth°er "" ."^^■"^ daughter from that hour '"°"'" *"'' kneirSt".' r„°„.''n""'«l: '"O '"ough I was, I hair with a:kZd"; „ ,:i: t!t'?,= <="»"•= -n„y neas, and at the whifene « „f he"\Tn "^ % ' K """■ in It hirst^a: r:ht;"a„7f '"":i= ?"^<'" «- enthroned upon Dame r,, * ■? """"^ *' f^'O' still the bounteous b^rraboT^hich"'"' '' '"u '"''"^ "^ own numerous familv^f u ■ ""' gathered his he clapped his SLhh', '""J"? "'"<' *' '^«. done wSl to keep the child ■?" "l'^ ^°°^ ""^^ had she was. And mv aunt r ■-■ "^ demoiselle ««'e creature's Zments^rr: radlv^ *°"5'' *« torn, from the fineness of 7hl^ ,^ begnmed and well born. ThereuDon%h':^" •'!"!"* '''= """=* be rear her as the[r o °n a„J ^"'1'' *"' *=y ''""'d another daughSr ' '*'* ''''°"''' >« '° them hisli";^ &"ktw fro"'' H^ '° ^'^^" ^ ^'- *° "er few lisping words Z fel r "^ "T'"™"" ^-^ »he English. But readv /f h "" ''" "P^ ">« *he was when asked herTame sL r'."""' ''*''>' ?««'«- name she only shook her head and ,i 3 i 'ii 82 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE laughed roguishly. Therefore they called her Barbe after a child of their own who had died; also be- cause in the old French tongue Barbe means a pearl brought from afar. For notwithstanding that they had already many children, these worthy folk, my uncle and aunt Guyon, looked upon this nameless baby stranger, English though she was, as a pearl of great price sent to them by Providence, an addi- tion to their worldly possessions to be treasured and cherished. And as gold put out at interest grows and in- creases so during all these years had their generosity to Barbe been enriched by her love and filial devo- tion. Ever too sh^ bore their name, and it was under- stood, as a matter of course, that she was to share alike with the others in the inheritance my uncle Guyon would leave to his children. Thus it was that we had long ceased to think of the fair-haired, violet-eyed lass save as belonging to this swarthy brood ; for is there not sometimes seen a paler and a darker rose growing upon one stem? But Barbe was English, and it was the realization of the fact, now to us so momentous, that raised so strange a tumult within my breast, — one moment a flame which would break forth; the next, like ice in my veins. I had never experienced the like before, nor did I again for many a day, — not until — But that comes later in my story. When she paused for breath, I said, striving to speak quietly, yet in the saying feeling a strange tightening at my throat, — "And you, Barbe?" " And I?" she repeated wonderingly. " Yes ; are you not also of these people? " Scarce had the words passed my lips ere I re- OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE ., gretted them, for the t-irl ,, •, . -age crueUy dealt hf''/^^^'' - '"ough I had ,„ however, with crimsonerf rk I ^ "'''" moment, ^he turned up„„ "e '' ''"'' '^^ "^hing eyes, ^y do you re;:: ch c tr'i'!?"'''"'^'"^''''^' S'dmg with our enemierj '""^ ^""^ ""e of »how„ a sympathy ri,et:"r'' i""""*' ' ''»« af by the sea, upon an ,K '^t°' demoiselles cast glad, now when the tide km" "'°'=' ''^""« I am ^gain? For shame ! W.erl t v" '° "'" *=■" '"""- are unjust; you would havemrf""™'^' ^°" th.ng south of the French ho^ ^''! ^""^ ''Vng can not forget that r,oH, '''"'■ but — but -I as -el, as 'over New Fra™? Tl '!" -*ern land provinces are living wili „ 'J" '". """^^ <«^'ant watch and weep and^ray for '^u?' ''^r^'"'*''' "ho --as we do daily h^erTafhome """'" ""<>"• r'td r°;:^P ,tT7 °" *^ -ng maid bitterness, it w« okly natural f*: "'* a to^uch of W the stirring of her F„rK^'''°"'<' f«' thus of kindred stron|e°r'tha" ZTot'^' '"^ '-«-' Stance, or fortune. ^ ^ °^ ^°v. , or circum- ' She could not h*»ir^ -i. . 'he.south that have^niell ?■■'"• t' ">= »'>"= of agam presently to a sunn! " ? ' ""'"''^ "y ^°"" nature was biddine thrh " / , ?''' ^° ">= voice of Wast? """ ''■'' «4htX°tht1a;^^,r ^P-'' I cour„rt Ir-'^^ - "ame"' °' '"" '■'"'• fO; had ,:::. ^tr\'\^; "l" ■"'^J-^^^ - as ■ndignation wherewithal,. f """^ ^^^s, and the ---^-prettfp-nrrs::h^-::i I. r ,1 3 si' HI 84 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE so often found amusement, but rather a depth of feeling and a fire which made me understand that our demoiselle was no longer a child, but was fast growing into a noble woman. And never to me had she appeared so comely. So I said gravely, and with as much gentleness of manner as I could command, — " Not so fast, Babette ! And, I pray you, be more sparing of your upbraiding, lest you may regret it later. I had no thought to question your devotion to our cause; I only gave utterance to the truth which, albeit unwelcome, was brought forcibly to my mind by your chatter of the demoiselles your schoolmates. You too are a Bostonnaise." " And for this reason have you come to hate me, Normand?" she faltered tremulously; " have the mad fury of the conflict, the anxiety of these days of siege, crazed your brain and turned you against even poor little Barbe?" " No ! A thousand times, no ! But, my God, Barbe," I broke out, pressed beyond all patience, " your friends are overjoyed at the opportunity of being taken home ; what more natural than that you should wish to go with them ? " "Ha, ha, ha! Is that all?" cried Barbe, with *ierry laugh. " So you thought to see the last of -e, sir? Never fear, cousin," — here the tremor in her voice moved me as does the sound of gay music that yet has in it a plaintive note, — "never fear. Mayhap my parents whom I never knew, lived and married in New England, and I first saw the light in that far-away province which our Sieur Cadillac and you too, Normand, have told me of as fair. But it is God who gives to every one a country and a home. His providence has made me French; my heart OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE g, was in the defence nf n. u ^ own, .he ml Ji:rof tht,t::- ^-"''eless, ' ""«' <» my eyes because it Z To '""'''"" ''"f"'" brother against brother" B„^J^^\ ''^"gg'e of people are my dcodIp mA ^ *"*^ ^^st, your r w^n. no othe?h;r'thtrw 'F^^^cf- ="' "^ "'= them in ^^ o;n%nd rate? ?h^"" '"" ' "•»'' cavalier fashion, but with h If '° ""y "P^ in A weight was lifted off ""^"'herly tenderness. frank, inlenuo^s words1^h7hTolt " ^"^ T'^' *■= never, even in- her Lunl -l! ?* '" ^f«' «>at longed for the td'^o "fhe"st.h"'T:, '•'" ="<= assurance, -your peoole ^.f *' *•"'« at her unwonted happiness which "^ ^"P'^'' ^ f'" an a hope fulfilled, but rlthetl^ ""' '"" '""""'^ °f strive and pray for Tfu^^ " ™'" bidding me worthiness. ffTne dav ? ''°'f, a'°°f ^om all „„! chance a n'oble and tLhearted mT '" "'" ?"" fortune with mine in weSil '!! '" "^' ^er Siirut-o^e?---^^^^ £a rc fSi^ts--]^,'-,: t"- -s^%h";^rtist:^.Tvnh^"^ summer could not banish tk^°' ** Indian with emotion,- Therefore I answered " ^od be thanked, vou ai-^ i k.i- true a daughter of New Fr^nV!. ''^''=>'=' j!«'e one, as the land." And then !"::« <,r t="'°'''="^ '" e«hanged there are^ ^sf °XTo^~-^e If: '" I m 86 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE givt"'^""'' "" ^"«'"'' ""^y '•'='"^"<' *«« yo" be At this she uttered a shriek of dismay and ..n heeding my efforts to calm her, broke awavfr"- me and rushed from the little ^arbr wh'Tf I ™ad found her dusting with a brush of rabbu" fur the wood of the new chairs and tables my father h,H J^. over in the last ship from France if thetfyin^ i:^^'SiC--g:^:>;^£ H„ ^mtelhgence created consternation among^ the Scarce had they recovered from their first alarm agamst the contmgency, when, sure enoueh there can^e an imperative •• rat-ta-tat " at the house door' Anfcpahngwhat the knock might forebode I went down the stairs and opened the door It w^^, feared. Without, waited a posse of the Gormor's wht?chl:tdT *'■" *= English offir°o wnose cftarge had been committed the exchantre nf pnsoners and the business of effecting the return o the demoiselles to their native province. with T. '^""^ ^°""^ Bostonnais who had come with the message to which we had returned^o effective an answer; verily Sir Phippshad been more courteous toward him had he in'tfusted thl affa Adml^lT^"^" *° ^"°'^^^' but the doughty Admiral had no such delicacv anH f« tit . "&"/ Frontenar Jf «,o^^ J aeiicacy, and to Monsieur de iTontenac ,t mattered not. The officer was indeed hMt*;,: f\^ OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE . of good appearance, with the m, « gentleman. Mo eover hH""?" '"'' "'^"■"g of «"^ .ts band of gold beca' e h- " "" ^""^ «P Noting that I tore .h» v "" ""ghWy- "■oops, he »av» ™ "* uniform of the V;- . „ " k- MTm' t ™"'"^ -'"'e. ^'"^ ' Franto^ Guyon .hat he deI,Ver„ '^ '''™"'' "' ""e tier kmdred tlie vo„n„ "^''^ "P for safe convov t^ but known to bVorinSisf " ''"^' ^^^^^^ "uyon « command from Com?f^'^^^^^^^^ I have heS permitted to receive fTom me th!"'' ' '^'^^^" ^' At this, one of the l^rd ."'"'"^"•" showed to me a P^p.r 6^2fjl7rV'''^^'^ ^"d own hand. *^ ^ °"'^ ^'S^"ed by the Governor's How angered I wa.: • i,« t [or his audacity I Yet soh/ ?""^ ^^^ Bostonnais he was but engageJli'the ^e' ^"^^* ^^mindeS me Accordingly, with an effo^ to T'"'" °^ ^'« ^"^ replied, - ^"^'^ ^o restrain my choler. I "Sir, an you wish to find F., • "•"St seek him in his home 0^0?°;' ^"^°"' ^O" Beauport. As for th^ T • " ^'^ wharves af speak, she is indeed t thrdT ^ °' ^^^^ "ou enter, and wait in this room r "'"^- ^^ you wh" carry to her your me sageTnd j* ' '"^' ^P^^' ^ - to It with but short deJa/" "^ ^""^^you her answer therewith I usher^rl i,- the iittle par,or, ^^^^^ "P the stairs and i„to Lr-edssee?he:.s-n:rspters I would have liked f« -ord forhisimpuZe ° NeveSl f "'"''' >"■* -y - — of the Poiish'^re^^^S-^^^^ooJ fl^ III i 88 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Sieur Cadillac as I couIH m^o* notice and unde^such st L of'' "P°" '""'^ ^^^^ in search of Barbe slnrl k ^ ^'f^" '"Stance. I went news. *^^""^ ladies with my stamp of her foot. " Wh!t7 !; f ' ''<="=™ined With him. you say. CousVn N^^and? 'Sid".' '""" one hear the h'ke f Hnu, ,.^ "-^^^nac Did ever any his Excellency the GnZ "^ ^°"' ^°^ ^°"^d even regal courtesy lI^Tthfe^v^n^'" '" ^^^ ^^'^^ ^'^ but even if he should send hZV/- ''"'"" P^^^'*'^^' ~ yonder audience roora±^^^^^ *? "^^^ -« '"*<> not keep my eyes closed^^ mf^ulV''''' i all his ministers could not LJl/' ! ^'"^ ^"^ envoy, if I chose othemfse Tfl ""' *? '"' *^^'^ him, who, pray, could fTrce-f' ^^^ 'P""'^'"& ^'>h wished to remain dumb ? ' " '° ''^ " ^°^^' '^ ^ Thinking it wiser to fall in wifh fi,« u hVely lass. I said, forcing a Lu^h: X'^^Z' b[ ^^ your independent spirit is much to h^.A^.^''^^' commend your taste in not SnltnKr''^ """^ ^ and agreeable in conversation. Nevertheless i^"' do not yourself t*.n ft,;. ^^ cvercneiess, if you remain in New Flee hrj7 ^^ "' ''^"'"-^ t° and aunt Guyl W detarnert"''''°'V*"' ""^ ""''« nest of the Governor and receive him, you may i Ot^R ENGLISH DEMOISELLE Excellency wu, n,,,"^^^"; Boston forthwith, for his °"J"s a., „ powerfl^ "' opposition to h , know. Hi ^.iJ powerful man i„ ,h, ° *•» Whether little Barh. . ^«-c= and Zsl'LZ'"'°'^ *» '•""X of re. ceased „,y argu^'e^t ^hTh^ "'"•'• s'arce had'j ^Ts f;r -"" -»' " pa; zz:'"""''' ^'- "Well •^''""asion. "^^ "'" respect to my see and s;::"'.:'';;t'sra„^:?,*i,"'' '"'■ ' *"' even eapbvatmg air of docinry i i, ^=, '^"' «*«• a most Thereupon I conducted^. '"'' ""'"* ' officer rose from his "haiV . ""° *« Parlor. The Barbe a profound bow !L ." "" ^""^d and made breeding. As for„„, ^e mar.""''^ " "an o? "ataini • '""^^'he s^t"'^' ^^^l^'^'^ astonished training ,„ manners she hfj "^ ''onor to the for the occasi™ frTJ" ^""^ "'^"d- transformed her '"-"ing young ;::,„', «-'y ii«le lass in^^ ^ although she was ■^ii' 1^ III 90 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE paler than her wont, the tears that still gleamed in her eyes gave to her face a pathetic beauty. " I crave your pardon, young mistress," said the Englishman, " in that I have come to you upon a distressful errand. You have been made acquainted with its nature?" She inclined her head. " Then I will spare you the rehearsal of formal- ities. Suffice to say, in accordance with the arrange- ment between my Lord Admiral Sir William Phipps and his Excellency Governor Frontenac, I am come to bid you, an English maiden cast by the fortunes of war among thei people of New France, to make ready to return to your kinsfolk in the colonies of his Gracious Majesty the King of England, and to tell you that you will be safely convoyed thither in care of the wife of one of the exchanged prisoners, by the British fleet under the command of the Lord Admiral." Having suffered him to conclude his 'speech with- out interruption, — an ordeal for her impetuosity, — my little lady now involuntarily vouchsafed me another surprise. Instead of meeting his demand with the outburst of scorn I expected, she replied with demure self-possession. For one too who had averred she would keep her eyes shut rather than see the officer, it seemed to me she glanced at him oftener than was necessary, and even, confound his soldier luck, gave him a smile once or twice. Her answer, neverthe- less, was spoken with decision. " Sir," she said, " be so kind as to convey to your Admiral Sir William Phipps my thanks for his interest in my welfare. Say to him in addition, however, that although I may be the child of Fng- lish parents, Providence has made me a daughter I OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE 9, of New France and a subject of his August Malestv King Louis the Fourteenth. I desire neither t^ change my countiy nor my allegiance •' " '° The Bos onnais was not so easily to be dismissed a nL'TT''''" ^' ^^P''^^ ^'th another bow and JuU I "^'"'"*'°" fo*- ^vhich. respectful as it was t could have throttled him, -"Fair m;«fr! ' sp«ch does honor .„ .hi s.«dfe t ""nTr "wH bespeaks you to be indeed of the Engl sh race King Lou,s ni.ght well be loath to losV and hf^ a Set"' ^"f ""'—it well to g°a"; ^^ty^ o'^'^hUdhJ d'r";^s"r g" onhe°" T^"' "P rngl;:L:nTS is^t^s. /itf ,r tf- r sex. A little English baby 2| Im LI ^•'""" lovely Englishwoman. nolSe, Tn wS part o??h' world she mav be rear#.H v ^ "^ °^ '^« your national^, my to you^^ ,adv"tt "">" ""^"^ help the coIorTfyoj:rhairCdfy«^'*»» ^"^ "" Where had the fellow learned his trick „f - plimentf I had not thoueht out „f .1. > f ~"'' Sun King, there was so mu 'h pX„t '"''' "f *« of speech. Nathless it pleased 1!??.,^'' ^"" because Mademoiselle Barbe took dl ht Z"'"'^''' ■ngs with the utmost complai,l„t. "" ""= ^^^- sbe£g.r.-bp^!«^h\rn^;\-^^^^^^^ Ah, yes, the ties of afiV»rf.-r.n » u r* it 1 !T. iffi 92 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE chance the fine town of New York. Will you not be seated? At least it will not come amiss to you to hear something in regard to the country of you. birth." ' Fascinated for the nonce, Barbe sank down upon a chair, and dropping into another beside her, he discoursed long, both of the natural beauties and the many attractions of the province south of us, while I sat sulking and fuming in a corner, thinking that any moment Madame Cadillac wo/ld come sweeping into the room, or my aunt Guyon would make her appearance, so eager were they, I knew, for him to be gone. , At last, taking out his watch, — I had thought when he came to ask the surrender he had been taught a lesson iu that respect; but no, these Eng- lishmen must needs measure off the time as though they were arbiters of fate ; so, looking at his watch, the Bostonnais started up, saying, — " Excuse me, fair mistress, your courteous atten- tion has led me to- forget that our time ashore .'s short. If I wait upon you again within an hour, will you be ready to set off with our little company; or is it your preference to join us at the point of em- barkation on the Esplanade?" Within an hour! Flattered by his pretty speeches and smooth arguments, eager to gaze upon the scenes which she had now heard described with the enthusiasm of one who loved them well, would Barbe, hoping no doubt to come back to us some day, — would Barbe go, after all ? I sprang to my feet, determined to remind her of the resolution she had so recently formed, — to hold her to it, — to fight this man, if necessary, envoy though he was, and even at the risk of expiating the OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE 93 oflTence in the donjon of the ChAteau. And then with a s.nk.ng of the heart. I realized how futi e all Uns would be. No. the issue depended upon Barbe alone; her word must decide it. rilff ^ ''%''"^.>'. ^•'^•" »" hour ? " she repeated. TJ ■\u''^ !?''!"« ^""^^y- " ^" f»«th. no. good s.r. nor w.thm a lifetime. Look you ; although your country may be the land of my birth. I sho .Id be in It an alien and a stranger." "Believe me. we should find your kindred: there must be some clue to be followed up." he urged "My true kindred are here." returned the mrl firmly glancing round the small parlor as though it formed the horizon of her happiness. " A more ITL"""^!^^'' * T""-* '"d^'gent '■ather. than PSre and Mdre Guyon, I could not have had " "But your real father was an officer, ii is surmised, -there maybe -vaitirgyou in England some golden inheritance - ^ese times many such revert to the ^fX" New W.... . ' '' ''"PP^^^^^ '" *^^ -"^--s. "God's providence is my inheritance." she rc- aSdtdi.'?''''''^' ""' ^"^ P'°''''^ ^°^ "^^ '^^p^y ••My dear young lady." exclaimed the Bostonnais officer, at last losing patience. •• Comte Frontenac has civen his word that every British subject within he walls of Quebec shall be delivered o^er to my Lord Admiral Sir William Phipps. A I itish sub- must^°o "^''^' "^^^^^^^ ^''" "*"'" °'' "°'' 'h^^^fo^e you "^«5/ go!" cried Barbe. with a flash of anger which, whether it were French or English, disturbed the lieutenant mightily. •• Yes, or the Admiral will renew hostilities." ^^1! iiil 94 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE A scornful laugh broke from the lips of our spirited demoiselle, but with a discretion beyond her years she checked the retort that would have followed it •• I will go to Comte Frontenac." she said simply, turnmg toward me. " Normand, take me to him " And conduct her to the Chateau I did, the envoy and his escort following some hundred paces behind not obtruding upon us, yet keeping us in view lest perchance Barbe's friends might spirit her away and place her in hiding. Of her interview with the Governor, the recollec- tion will never fade from my memory. As I write there arises before ,the eyes of my mind the picture of the Castle's audience chamber, its wainscot and rafters of cedar wood, its background of the skins of France^^^*^' ^""^ *^P^^^"^s ^"d rich paintings from In his carved chair which he had just pushed back froni his Writing-table, sat Comte Frontenac, his noble head thrown back in surprise, the stern and imperious expression of countenance habitual to him now softened to a look of almost fatherly gentleness as he listened to the appeal of the young giri who had feariessly demanded admittance to his presence Never shall I forget how Barbe looked as she stood there. At one moment her eyes filled with tears and her voice trembled with emotion ; the next it thrilled with indignation as she protested that of her free will she would never go to live in the south And all the while she spoke with an artlessness, a maidenly modesty, yet with an eloquence that amazed me. As she went on, with a narve lack of self-con- sciousness, the Governor began to nod his head in assent to what she said. OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE ,5 When the la terVpea'ed Co JT°" '" "<'"'y- 'I will receive him" Forthwith the lieutenant was admitted. .T Het r;; h!st Ir-T ^-"^''T^ "^ - business brings you to „s'?~ "'' """ ''''"''" poSe"s?nto"nr;-^'^JitL':h1r"''*^^^ to be exchanged with fhf • ''^•^^'■^" '« Quebec was made to me oTtl ^"'°""''' ^^ ^^'■' "^^"tion your riht ha^d H ^°""^ "^^'^^^ ^^° stands at yyjur rignc Hand. Her name was on the li<5t «f n. whom you authorized me to escort t^lu \I .^°'^ ship where preparations ha^e b/eVmade^o^^^^^^^^^^ comfort and safe conduct to Boston " ' '"' '^'" And? queried Comte Frontenac, dryly " wl ' '^' "1" r ^°' ^°"^ Excellency.^- Well mdeed, then, it seems " said t - r -. while a gleam of humor :hot tm'-^-s^S qu'en^s'^t'not 'b'::; ^ifhf "^' ^'"'^ *^ ~"- also, there is^-ou" EU°le';^^3:<^rat:;t •J"""^^ •Monsieur lieutenant," said Comte F^nf rising and DreDarin,r .„ >-omte frontenac, when he was wont ?„ ^^ °"'' '°"' '' "^' ">= h"" descending ZT' !' "^^P^^ted in a tone of con- S si Wir "J?u!"^ "'^"y' "I promised your care tne return to their homes of any English ' ) ^ if ..r 3:; ■ ■-V«Vii- ■iPrV;i^ -'I^K^^I^S^aiKf^^Bfef ■•■^ftiifaj-.'^' 96 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE who might be found in this province, and I have kept my pledge. But, Lord of all Canada as I am, and Supreme Representative of King Louis in the Western World, I never presumed to consider it within my power to move a woman from her will. Nor do I thmlc. If rumor speaks true of his experience, would your valiant Admiral have the hardihood to attempt It. If this demoiselle wills not to go, she will not, and there 's the end of it." He laughed lightly, and then continued with gra- jiy: "In all seriousness, although I would le it be known that she is free to go if she so please, the agreement was never meant to cover this case. The demoiselle has been from her infancy the legally adopted daughter of Frangois Guyon and his good wife Tell your Admiral I would give up Quebec Itself rather than deliver over to his government, against her wish, this daughter of New France. Moreover, she is no longer a child, but almost a young woman of marriageable age, and she has de- clared It to be her intention to take a husband in Quebec. A woman may marry where she lists, lieu- tenant, if her parents select not otherwise ; and, since she becomes by law of the nationality of her spouse I must say, monsieur, I see small chance of your transforming into a British subject this most wilful demoiselle." Thus, with a polished and urbane sarcasm, he dis- missed the discomfited envoy. As the latter passed Barbe on his way out, how- ever, he said to her in a low tone, with a respectful obeisance: " Farewell, sweet mistress ; in your choice I wish you all content . nd happiness. Nevertheless a Bostonnaise you are, and a Bostonnaise you will discover yourself to be some day. Perchance that ?»?^^&l?l^vW# ■ OUR ENGLISH DEMOISELLE „ ttJ^ *^ '" <"•«-' f'-e. but co^e it m. For answer, Barbe mv#» h;^ and shook her pretty head ^" '"^^''edulous smile ••n thj^plg '^^^^^^^^^^^^ 3^ou another visit significant a courtesy ' ^ ^"^^^^ed with as When he was gone the a.vi *. emotion to find words of thJi ? ^^^''^^on^e with impulsively caughTthe hand of"r' l^" ^°^^'-"°^' kissed it. ^ ^^""^ °^ Comte Frontenac and ba:cf^5:;^:;T^-I^youaretotakeahus. graciousness. "'' Excellency, with smiling ber^t^^^^^^^^^^ :[ the audience cham- the old Chateau, we saw h.'m "^^ ^^"* ^^"^^ ^^^^ "unitary escort, crossing thrPla'ce 7?'""' '^ ^« waytothedeh^erationsVftLcound^^^^ on his ii.i nil t iff w 'm^!miw§sfm'wmmff CHAPTER EIGHTH FROM THE COURT OF THE SUN KING I TROW the lordly Sir Phipps swore roundly at the report the officer carried back to him. Still, he had clearly no mind to match his wit against that of our caustic Governor, in a wrangle '""er so trifling a matter as the guardianship of a saucy demoiselle who, despite her pretty airs and graces, had but anon passed the age of pinafores. With as proud a showing as might be, therefore, in view of his recent disasters, he sailed away to the south. A few days later, so close upon the departure of the British that but for the fogs at sea they must have met, the King's ship, known to be on its way from France, was sighted down the river. From the ramparts and the Esplanade, all Quebec watched her with rejoicing as she came up the broad expanse of the stream ; and foremost at the landing- place were Th^r^se and myself, since we had reason to hope that our Sieur would be one of the Embus- cade's half-score of passengers, — at this season she was not like to bring more. Happily, we were not disappointed, for he was come on the ship ; and never did he appear to me more distinguished than as he stepped again upon the soil of New France. He was habited in a coat of azure, broidered with gold and full plaited around the waist, with crimson epaulette. .d the sleeves turned up with crimson ; FROM COURT OF THE SUN Kim „ the apparel he had "or„ ^i'T '"'' "'^ "^'"^ presentation to the GraM M °"""'" "^ ^is there seemed to Hnger aSlrh"'"'''"^- ^""^ """y atmosphere of grander and ^^/"""'"""^ "^ ">« rounds the Court of thi T '^.'^''^"''■'t that sur- he appeared e^en handsom:? at"t ""' ^'"""'S'' clothed than of old, the heart "r r""^;?"'^ "'='">' PassengtVere^etLr inatr-- ^^ «>« gaferSf,r5jX-t;::f° ^-T *-• ^ -- the Thirise, anu when he Tft.^^^K'"' *' f^" °f "■ore and she pressed fori! ^ T" "'" S^°""'» <>"« their child in her arms .T, '°7^'<^°">e him with and kissed her with ,i ^^T."^ ''" to his breast good to see T^* be2t"v' f ""■°" *" *="' the soft cheek of tobv M^H^i ' '""''• ""^ touched ■ips, whereat the itUe L«„t iT T? *"'' '"'^"'«'' her chubby hands as thn,T "^''"'' ^"'l <='^PPed bered her father albekrhr^ '•" "■""" '^^ '•emem- ony a young infanTrh^lTerrw^^ '"^ "^'"^ «en'drsl'^::;;,^--^-tenac. N^Vmand, good my wife home and A^„ .''^'P'"^' "y hand. " Take Chteau." *^"' 'fy"" ''i". follow me to the hoLrLrdim': wrth'Si^^ri .'™^°^ *° «■« who accompanied them let I '^="'='''"=. ^"1 Barbe. that ere I could rS th r ', ''"'^'' ^y 'he fear entered, and I must perforce •'"' ""= """'''' "'-^e "•n the courtyard, !la^„,t Ms .T"" """"e ■"> heels But scar« w^r^we cltr of".'?^ ""'• we Clear of the crowd when ^1 11 r il we -t-"*.' ^-* 100 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE encountered Robert de Reaume, who forthwith con- stituted himself the cavalier of our dainty demoiselle. If he thought to annoy me by so doing, however, I quickly repaid him, resigned to him the care of both ladies, and turned back to Cadillac, who was still trying to make his way through the throng, supported by a posse of honor from the Governor's guard, which had been sent down to the ship to meet the bearer of the despatches, whoever the King's messenger might be. Despite this formality of a guard of honor, the good townspeople pressed close upon our Sieur, some anxious foi* news from the old country and the court, others eager to tell of the siege and to ask how the ship had eluded the English. Even one or two of the more prominent citizens walked by his side a few paces to put a question indirectly of political import, perhaps concerning the temper of Comte Pontchartrain and the other ministers. Bowing from right to left, and with a courteous word to those who addressed him, he yet told them nothing, beyond, perchance, to one the an- swer: "Saw I the King, you would know? Ay, truly, I was honored with an audience by his Au- gust Majesty, and he made many inquiries regarding his colonists of New France." To another, "Pardon, my friend, it would not be becoming of me to give you news before I have waited upon Comte Frontenac and delivered to him the despatches wherewith I am commissioned by the King's Ministers." " Ah, madame I you would know the fashions at Court? In sooth, the ladies are still wearing robes of velvet and brocade, with silken jupes ; and there is, as of yore, some small show of rouge, powder, and ■v> ■ FROM COURT OF THE SUN KING ,o, Cdillac, which I doubt „ot\hr'„°r '° "^''^■»« hibit to you." °''* """ ""^ "-"dy to ex- Af^r^TadTass^S'thtrtr''^'' '"' ^'■^•-• « the inner i^or L„ ulve had me""' r.""'" anteroom, but, saying curtlt - M """' '" *« dillac obtained thaf I fhou," wi.„e^f h""""^;" ""'■ Corote Frontenac o Jt ^"^f ^'s reception by part to gratrrm^;;. o 'gh"f rty t'^"^" '" unwillmg I should have Droof ofTu! T '"' ."'" "<>* he was held abroad and th, .1 ' "'t^^'""' '" which good graces of the viceroy "" ' ""'' "P™ "'^ -rtheTm:;iJr"'aUete ThaT "^""^ -""^O I had been condu«ed\th R k """ '^""^ """"'er when she had come to pr: tt agatsrh *' '^'"'"^ away by the English. ^ ''^'''^ carried Again the Governor esf «* u- was ever as ready with tV t wnting-table. - he and as our Sieur saluteHh? *\""* "'^ ''">'^. ~ ceremonious «pect of „■" """" ^ ^=^"-P"><'d yet that could oniyXe btnTeS « Vg°"''"""' Versailles, I watched with an ahll ■ • ™'^'" ""^ two men, now met for the first ttae '"'""' '"" peSd^ ml^;2:7^^' r'l r ^' ""-^ his handsom.. head with V u"', '™ ^^^ crowned face was seamed wUhX ?ecoM^''r' °/ '"'"'■ '"^ ^is beeTfre^fl'c S n^^t'^'^H'"'" '"^"' "'^ "^d the representative of thrKfn"",' '"^'"'"' '° '"'" ^^ the wall. While U.VX'tf. 'Zt^'-^T^I 4 .1- ^mms^s^imt£^^^^sm^^im^^^m. m^^^m!m^ '^^Si=iii 102 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE looked, I wondered how his Excellency, a man of courts and camps, had been willing to withdraw from the brilliant society of St. Germain and Versailles, to forego the prospect of adding to the glory of his mil- itary reputation upon European battle-fields, that he might rule over these distant lands of the Sun King, and live among plain ir^rchants and traders, wild bush-rangers or coureurs de bois, with savage In- dians for foes. A soldier at the age of fifteen, he had been a mar^chal de camp, or brigadier-general, at twenty- six; an audacious and notable figure at Court. Moreover, it was ^id that in his prime he had been ruined by his own extravagances and those of his wife, Anne de la Grange-Trianon. Rumor had it, too, that, proud and choleric as he was of disposition, he proved powerless to curb the temper of his beau- tiful Comtesse, and he was given the government of New France to deliver him from her, and also to afford him some means of living. However that may have been, despite the many manifestations of his pride and intolerance to which we in Quebec were continually treated, his endless quarrels with the clergy, with Champigny, the Iii- tendant CalHeres of Montreal, — in fact, with every one who dared oppose him, — he was the greatest governor New France has known in my day, or ever will know, to my thinking. Such was the man before whc n our Sieur now presented himself Turning from his letter-writing, Monsieur de Fron- tenac suffered his eyes to rest upon the King's mes- senger with a stern and searching gaze. La Mothe was at this time about thirty years old. Although his sojourn in France had idded to the ii^^^.^---Trr^ 5--r^^. FROM COURT OF THE SUN KING polish of his 03 G«con imf;.t,tt[r;;\^!,^ ""'' j'Pri«d him of ,h. first attracted me to him "^ '"'^ ''"°" "'""' had dis«?„?„te^;::„Trav':it'':\'?"r';''^' °' - he recognize in our Sieur C^d Ulac « fi"* '■""'' "'<' «Md^andres.,essanam^^^^rC.\-- ravoj XVr'oit'-^y^f 4rr s'V'™ ■■" pr:fT7tjrpfr„t^ Cadillac, bowing low and giving tr,l,/r' ""S'" me to you." returned U Motle " "'"• "■"■»«"<«ng sur:;:o^;%t=s:"mo^& tat r ^-^''^ srr-dd:,^-w~^^^ you to wait in the salon T' """"=>"•• I ««! ask peruse these ^ZSt^Z ^J^ZT^^'"' ' of my friend fh^ ;n.,e«. • X *"^ missive after ^hichf shall betp^to'^rr L'C''"'"'" ' .nformation you have acq'^redTbroad Z m^ ' "^ your judgment be of se^ice .0 N^^'F^iee ''or" nil ^:w2^^'Vi^ 104 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE go home, but come back and dine with me this evening. You may perhaps have forgotten the fla- vor of our bear's meat and venison. Moreover, I have no other guests bidden for to-night, and we can therefore discuss your news great and small over the viands such as they are, and the best eau de vie that Canada affords. I regret that I cannot offer you the fine wines to which, no doubt, you have been accustomed in the palaces of the great," he concluded bitterly. "Monsieur de Frontenac, your command is my pleasure," returned Cadillac, well understanding the compliment and promise of favor it implied. " Fur- ther, I beg to say, although it may occasionally of late have been my fortune to dine in high places, I have never esteemed myself more honored than I ani now by your invitation; nor more fortunate in being afforded an opportunity to sketch the course of events in France as they passed before my poor observation, —with the hope that they may be of some slight interest to so distinguished and noble a host." Comte Frontenac smiled, well pleased at this tribute to his dignity from one just out from the mother country. "Also," continued De la Mothe, "I beg to in- form your Excellency that my Lord the Comte de Pontchartrain has sent over by me to you a goodly present of Sillery and Burgundy, to which I have been so bold as to add a pipe of Hermitage, whereof I pray your acceptance. I will give orders to have it sent up from the ship without delay." "Thanks, thanks, chevalier. Then, when it is settled, you must taste the first of it with me," an- swered the Governor, with genial good humor. " ^h, ; ' -.^ *'.\,.,- •....!.■ I FROM COURT OF THE SUN KING .05 no. quite (or,otL the art of"g?„d° •"!," t°t ■■" more warming to his heart U thT T ^' ^^ ^^'" friends in France sm hoTA ■ *'''"'''"" ^^^^ ^^' now«„da./;^',;;t' 'rx;:;!'^^'^'' ' ''^tr !r;^-' -kt.--- -- - ia^g^lt'o^'^dt'^' ?1"^' t «'""""" of Acadia, JI^u»a;^^£c^?§t-Sen^rS F-ce. .i„ find i. r;„t„*;Sv',?;r r '.'Jr such emplovmenl as he m,„ « ^ ^ <-hevaher Cadillac U-. he ^nShTm'Lrc^l,"""'" <•- "» ^'vices, and i'H !,l pafrofage* which C„t"t^ °' "«= f"""''"? '"" brother DeTaMothrcrdTr" "'" 'i"""^" ""^ sc^ices recfived 3 dlnSV^ t^e ;St:i:;;' g |l ^-F^ ■tr-'i- io6 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE The keen repartee and ready speech of '• mon che- vaher" were like a piquant sauce to the brilliant din- ners which the Governor gave at the ChAteau ; but alack, he made the quarrels of his patron his own, fi? OM 5f"',i°'', °^*^" "^'PP*^^ '" g^"' *<^"t back to the Old World sketch of Comtc Frontenac's oppo- nents which even I recognized as much too highly colored, not to say, untrue. I will but mention the desperate straits of the Colony during the next year; also the plans for the descent upon the southern provinces in regard to which my brother was again summoned to France. Again the project came to naught, but, at De la Mothes recommendation, a fleet of small vessels was built, to repel any contemplated invasion of the St Lawrence. In the mean time our undaunted Governor had broken the English and Indian blockade of the Outawa which for ih. •, years had prevented the bringing down from Michilimackinac the great ac- cumulation of beaver skins, the delay whereof almost bankrupted New France and brought her people to famine. *^ It was my good fortune to go up with the Gov- ernors company to Montreal to witness the success of this enterprise. Truly, it was a spectacle to glad- den the heart. We found the town swarming with Indians, voyageurs, and coureurs de bois. Two hundred canoes had arrived laden with the precious pelts, and the citizens, wild with joy at sight of the wealth for which they had waited so long, again hailed Monsieur de Frontenac as the Father of the People, the Preserver of the Country. The winter that followed was a season of unusual gayety, especially among the young officers and :^^m^^:' i>P: FROM COURT OF THE SUN KING ,07 "to .he acting „f .hcatlLl, ^"""""^ "' m««' tk"* '«'° .P'«" »"'h flattering encouraee- cll, J^'l," •'"e'«"'"t arose between X r^rilaTcote't^ tt Caf ,1^; .^f ^ ^otf "TOrise, what tWnk yoT? Connt p '"'™P">''- jnstant read, for the^„„rne;.t^„^rfwaT3::;: dreary pace. Neither hr^»^ *^ . "'^ ^"^ and no food is to be had ^ ' """' '' "'"" ">"=• it. iTmo he' %'°°' '"" ""'=''• " D'dst doubt If I v I M >*-:i f;ff.'.ira^^T««33 io8 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE so ill in past stress that you think I am fit but for QiebecJ" ' "' '^'^ ^P*^"^ ''' '""^ '-* y-rt " Far from it, Th^rSse. God knows you have ever been most brave and steadfast; many a man m^h envy your courage and power of endurance. Yet 1"' nfX^'fl off hastily, but his glance at the cradle of b.rch bark fashioned like a tiny canoe, that stood before the hearti . completed the sentenc; as wdl as words would have done. In that cradle lay asleep their infant boy. vears mil'^ f ^^"'^>"^' ^°^ « ^Portive child of five years, might have been intrusted for a space to the charge of her aunts, my sisters, but how^ould this baby son. Cadillac's heir, be left behind to other than Its mother's care? Still less should this young hfe be exposed to the severity of the climate of Mi?hili! breast. Her heart was rent by a fierce struggle be- tween her w.fely devotion and her maternal love At this moment the child awoke and cried', and mother love conquered. Springing to the little canoe bed, The'rise caught up the baby Antoine. all rosy with sleep and sweet as a buddmg flower, pressed fond, impulsive kisses upon h,s soft neck and round cheek, and presently w.th a laugh that was half a sob, thrust him into his' proud father's arms. fnr?h '^•Il^'lu''"^^^'' *°° ^"^ "•'"^^d the child, who forthwith thrust out its little hands and grasped the mustaches of the bold captain. ^ "Ma foil my younf combatant, if such is thv manner of warfare th< . wouldst vanquish me in a rmothef '"^^ "^ '''' •' ^^^^^'^- ^-^ to q' .-. ■^~n FROM COURT OF THE SUN KING .09 on:."°;-„L7hVL"sbr ?.Thr,7 -■ -- not be dreary with vou tTh • u. . *''<'"'>«s would noplace fori: wotrr Besidt fshlil ■"":"-•"''-<' to look after ray affairs,^!.!: .1 ""'' 5'°" ■>"= have promised to take Norl^'" 'u" '"P^^ition I so, brother? " Norraand w.th me, - is it „ot h^'"n?ZTt S [re '■5.""'«"'. for I know generously; and '^rl Tf" ' '"'"P°'«' Therbe, could thus best seZ the ""'' '^"'""^ *« ^""^ whom she so dSriy loved r*" °!, '^' '"'^''^"d objection to staying at Quebec "" "° ^'"'^" : * ll S } ii CHAPTER NINTH AT THE INTENDANT'S PALACE HAPPY was I to have obtained from "mon chevalier" permission to accompany him to his new post. Although welcomed among the pleasant company at the Chateau, V found there little chance of per- sonal advancement. At home I missed my mother, who had died two years before, and my father, grown a decade older in sorrow at her loss, was dissatisfied with me, because I did not choose to take the part- nersiiip with my brothers which he offered me in his business. Had I obeyed his wish, no doubt I should be far better off in the matter of temporal provision than I am to-day. But I was young; and I longed for the stirring adventures of a roving life once more, even though it was like to be fraught with perils. To abandon this ambition and settle down to the humdrum and prosperous ease of a merchant trader of Quebec would be, it seemed to me, like to a man's selling his birthright of liberty for a mess of the pot- tage of material comfort. My temper being out of joint, even the frivolous moods and humors of my whilom childish friend, little Barbe, had chafed and vexed me, — little Barbe, now grown into a stately demoiselle whom all the young cavaliers of Quebec society were eager to wait upon, whom they sought out at fStes, filling m^sm [*,A»5 =:?^v^ r^ir AT THE INTENDANT'S PALACE ,ir her ears with pretty speeches and compliments until her head was wellnigh turned with their flatteries For a time Barbe had been removed from aTght to distract her from her studies, by being sen^ to dweU at the Convent of the Ursulines; and I meanwhUe had been much occupied, both with the papers of r^v aliavsToW^I^P ^ "'"' '° ^^^"P^^^- there was always Robert de Reaume paying court to the girl half m jest, yet finding an evident fascination^ her bright eyes and gay repartee. ' hoiset' r?" ""^ i^?^ ""y ""^'^ h^d taken a house m the town and bidden all his friends to a grand entertamment therein. Since then Barbe had been as a butterfly, with a taste only for ?he gor geous; or perhaps I might better compare her whh that tmy creature thrilling with the joy of existent the hummmg-bird. which craves but'^^he sweetness' stfiSt' ::nd'^^^ ''-'' ^" '^'-'^'^ ^^ th^ ^-th oTtt: Puzzled by the change from the merry pranks which she sometimes played upon me in le^eariy days after my return from Acadia tn *hJ u ^ .f her fancy had been caught by the fine unifo™ and pohte phrases of the Bostonnais officer who lon^ ago came to demand that the maid should be sen! back to her own people. Again, when I beheld her so sprightly and arch Cr Ltl^'^^i' ^°"^^' f ^^^ gallfntslho sougt Robert J; P ^^ '" ''P^^ '° '^' '"^"^ «^"'es that mmd he was but a shallow coquette without Lar^ I ) 'I 112 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Upon one point I was determined, — she might have all the world at her feet, that is, our very small world of Quebec, but she should not make sport of me. Accordingly, on many occasions I let her laiow I considered her frivolity most unbecoming. Thus, with me she never jested, but, on the other hand, I fear she held my sage advice but lightly, since she continued to do everything of which I dis- approved, as if with the special purpose to pro- voke me. On the same day that Cadillac spoke to me of his expedition, I begkn to make arrangements for the journey into the wilderness. The following evening there was a gathering at the Palace of the Intendant in honor of the fete-day of Madame de Champigny. Although Governor Frontenac and the Intendant de Champigny were during the greater part of the time at odds, their animosities did not create as in- surmountable a barrier between them as might be supposed. The wife of the Intendant was, moreover, greatly respected by every one, and on this occasion society, whatever its political views, came to pay its respects to her. For myself, I esteemed ft the more incumbent upon me to offer my devoirs to this good lady, since I was on the eve of leaving my native town for an indefinite period ; the opportunity was favorable also for mak- ing my adieux to many acquaintances of whom I might not otherwise have a chance to take leave. Then, too, Barbe would be there, and, despite the strangeness that had come between us, I wished to tell her the news. When I entered the Palace, my ears were greeted AT THE INTENDANT'S PALACE 113 by the melody of the inspiriting chanson to his Glorious Majesty, composed by LuUi, the King's favorite musician. I had, however, been too often a guest here to need the guidance of its strains, or of the servants in attendance, in order to find my way to the salon, where I forthwith presented myself. Madame de Champigny stood at one end of the room, surrounded by a little group of her friends. As I bent over her hand and murmured my con- gratulations, she said, — " Normand, it is long since we have had the pleas- ure of welcoming you. I fear you young officers find our evenings passing dull; nevertheless to-night," and she glanced toward a group of demoiselles and gallants engaged in the romping game of Le Pont d'Avignon, " perhaps to-night you may find the time pass pleasantly." " Madame," I replied with a bow, " a gathering at the Palace is always charming, and I shall often recall this scene wherein elegant hospitality and pleasant recreation are so well combined, when to remember will form a favorite pastime." She looked at me sharply, catching, no doubt, in my voice a more serious meaning than my words of themselves conveyed. " You speak as if you were on the point of leaving us, monsieur," she said curiously, yet with gracious kindness. " Yes, madame," I answered, smiling, but of a sud- den half regretful too. " You have perhaps already heard that my brother is to depart a fortnight hence to take command at Michilimackinac ? I am to eo with him." ^ "The Sieur de Cadillac is to succeed the Sieur de Louvigny ! " exclaimed Madame de Champigny, and 8 [ ^ \U .' ■ ' Mi » ,.C«:^>^ 114 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE '' InAlt'V '^^' ";r •"^°'''"^t''«n was news to her warl' '.'Vn !,^^"-^---d honor," she continued wdrmiy, an additional proof of the hJtrh «««.» Which the Governor ho,| the l^.fafd V:Zl^ o! the Chevaher de la Mothe P../* . r V . thedeadofwinteH Why''ct,d„o"tCo'°t ^^^^^^^^^^ suffer affairs to remain as they are until fhf ? 'igXnce' '"; """•"" °' P'--""y. y^t with provir '™A"ir/f' ''"""■"^ ""-^ °f °"^ Canadian hiT'T' K ^ '^"' """" ""''^ "° df"ni to arouse courage that he faces an army. Since to go you are deeded, I trust the elements will be kind to you Mons.eu, Normand, and that your sojourn at Sic£ mackmac may be to your advancement." Tnankmg Madame de Charapigny for her good wishes. I drew back to make way for others wh„ would fain extend to her their f^fel^ ^o^,! ic'fo'ii?"" °i *e appointment of the Sieur Cadillac to the important frontier post of the far west had I could see, created a sensation in the eWe about her, and began to be repeated through fte Now that I had leisure to look around me, my eyes mvoluntanly sought out Barbe, and I pres^ntLde! a milf^f V '5' f""' ''"'^'■'"S ^""^ "^'a-'. among a mirthful band of young people. They had been playing "Colin Mailiard." Le Moyne of Chateauguay, the whilom " Colin," had AT THE INTENDANT'S PALACE ,,5 made Barbe captive, and she must needs take his place in the centre of the ring. She did not see mo, for already he held up the have hked fo thrust him aside as over-bold when he proceeded to bind it about her brow, his awkward ^J'^r' °^^^'°"^' ' ^^^"^^^' "p- ^- However, luckily, he could not lengthen out the task by njore than a second or two. When it was done I slipped among the rompers as they joined hands anew, and with them circled around the dainty figure m the ring. ^ of^nl/rT^'fu ""''/ '^"''"'"^ P'^t"'-^ '■« her robe .nA ':u u ^ ?"" P°'"^'=^ ^^^'^^' '■^"nd at the neck and with short sleeves; the skirts being tucked up ornf"'','l?''^^' '^"^^^'^ ^^^- ^ coquettish pet?-' coat of pale blue satin embroidered with silver thread • lace'rii^^fr'"^ ^'°"''^^^ ^^^ ^ ™ of 'oft re.: A , ri h^*- P'-etty throat was clasped the brought hl"f'' "'"'''''' '^^' "^y ""^J- Guyon had brought her from across the seas when she was but a aftlrwards'^'^'Ir' t'' '°''"'"^ ^ ^'^^"^^ ^-^ her mrexpenUT " "'* "'^'^"^ ^^'"^ bantering at The white riband that hid her violet eyes showed to good advantage her flower-like English complexion and contrasted with the sunny glinf of her ha r thai somehow made me think of the King's golden fleur- de-hs above the white glory of the royal banner. bo of'f.?; T""^"^' '°°' ^ "^°-^* picturesque sym- sm linl . ,1' '' "^" ''°°^ '^''^ ^'^^ ^^'■'^-"-d eyes, smiling, allunng. yet trammelled, too often catching ii6 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE at nothing, made sport of by the ^ay world as with merry song it passed before her. Of a sudden, and so like fate, too, that I must confess I was conscious of a certain uneasiness, after tapping sharply with her Colin's stick three times upon the floor, thus bringing the players to a pause, she advanced a step or two toward me and pointed at me with the staff. In vain I dodged and made as if to elude it. "Fair play! fair play!" she called, in warning exultation. Thereupon I was forced to take hold of the end of the stick, as wai the rule of the game. " Who goes there?" she demanded gayly. " Your cavalier," I answered, imitating the voice of Le Moyne ; and right well, too. I trow, for a ripple of laughter went round, and the handsome demoiselle next to me whispered, " Cleverly done." Barbe, however, was not deceived. At the sound of my voice she relaxed her hold of the staff, so that between us it fell to the floor. " Normand ! " she exclaimed, tearing the bandage from her eyes and looking up at me archly, — in sooth, a very charming picture of blushing confusion and surprise, — " Normand I Why, how you frighted me! And no wonder, sir," she went on, summon- ing a mischievous sprightliness to hide her discom- fiture, "no wonder. Who ever thought to behold Sir Gravity playing at Colin Maillard, or to see him made captive by Folly?" And thereat she made me a deep curtsy. The jest was against me, but I said, with the best grace I could muster, — " Eh bien, mademoiselle, since I have played the fool for your sake, I claim a reward; will you not •^"^^siritsW y>rl%i\i!*?#*' .life* ^. h i 1 ■,*',.■ "»-"-• 'ril*..*^'~ »f ,. 'V-.SS')«J '•.*'.«" ■.iVm'Mt'i^'.'^mnev- -'it^wKMzm-z^rT^ni ■'!««„ »'t. 1^ ' AT THE INTENDANT'S PALACE ,,7 take a turn or two with mc about the room? Th.» games are so vastly heating-- ''"'''°°'"r These " What is seldom is wondprfitl onj »icur ha= condescended to ourfr^olUy i Z'u"""" After I had served mv turn ac r^r j prisoner .he vivacious ndghboTX h^d^mt "'fl had been but a ruse. Instead. I led her to an otfo man set over against one of the doors and^f h pos.t.on was conspicuous. I was too bu'sy with mv own thoughts to notice the fact ^ ^ resi ^fi" ^°" "°* '•' ''°"'" ^''^ ^ "^^"'ent. Barbe and rest after your romping?" I said " T '^^"""'^^^ thing to ten, and so'.fthin/tr'ask of ytu!" """" She gave me a roguishly demure yet apprehensiv- fce^sh'io*" "^'"'-"^ -^ dow/Cn r beL^etef .^rae';r' '''T'^'"' ^^''d "y^'f Ko. M^i„mrcLit■;'a:d^tm l^wi^^^^^^^^^^^ ^' her pav<» a i.'ffi^ , "'^"^'^ of no moment to a ladies' cavalter ^ ' '' S^''''™'^- "-ho was still '11 WSE-TWrtZTTP ••UP™- -rmjiTim^a^i' :/i^iE*»«'Kas'ar-j«P"""«>«'/"' "a"cj^-i*vwr:« WTiiE3^-.ajiia' n ^> 'f ii8 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE " The heat of the room, perchance," ventured Le Moyne. " May I bring a cup of water? or if mademoiselle would but touch with her lips a glass of red wine, I prophesy it would revive her," urged Sabrevois, while I remamed staring at her, too astonished to have my wits about me. "Thanks, messieurs, I am not ill. At least, so crowded is the room that some one in passing trod upon my foot, and without thinking, I cried out. T was childish of mc, I admit," she faltered. Glancing down at the little high-heeled slippers of yellow satin which peeped '"rom beneath her gown, Le Moyne said gallantly, — " Ah, mademoiselle, fairy feet are too often invis- ible. The poor offender is scarce to blame that he did not see them ; still offender he is, and did I but know his name, I would challenge him forthwith." -Then I am glad you do not know it, and no more do I, yet I am beholden to you for your champion- ship," replied Barbe with ready repartee, notwith- standing her recent discomfiture. The gentlemen turned away with a laugh, and now, apparently quite recovered from her sudden distress, Barbe leaned toward me, saying, — " See that pleasant corner over there in the shadow of those branches of evergreen wherewith Madame de Champigny has had the salon decorated ; let us ensconce ourselves there: thus, uninterrupted, you can tell me what you wish to say." We crossed the room and took possession of the little recess. " And are you really glad to go to Michilimackinac, Normand ? " Barbe asked with sympathetic interest. "Yes," I answered; " for although 't is a desplate AT THE INTENDANT'S PALACE 119 post, Monsieur de Cadillac looks upon it in the Ught whatever helps h.s fortunes shall help mine. More- comhin r/ ^''°''" discontented here; so much has combined to vex me, ~ even you. Barbe - " .nA ii V . *^^ ^^^S^" '" well-feigned surprise self. ^ Ah, Normand. I never meant to really vex wh^^r fTllT ""*=°"''^g^d "le to say that over which I had felt some misgiving " I believe you, dear Barbe. and therefore since beg ^o7 yi:! r ^ ^^^« ^ay fortnight. I am golnTS "Yes," she murmured, as I hesitated. I am going to beg of you not to be so eav gravefy'""'' °""^ *»«« I «" ""ay," I concluded back'^w1,ire''!?r'ii" "^'' "'T '■"= '■""'"'«<'■ ''""ing Dack, while all the radiance d ed out of her fac» Unaccountably, I felt as one upon whom a rav of sunlight has shone for a moment a'nd then has pLVd " Wh. 7' '"^';i,''™ »'""' '" the shadow. Wherefore!'" I blundered on, "Because ,n..,- becoming that you should coquet firstwith <^l"a„d agam with another. Tliere is Chateauguay • d?d you lard, I named him your cavalier? His devotion to you Ith";:L't'"tH"'= ''""^ ™°" gen^oLTof inoeed, it is a matter of some comment. You seem in no haste to keep the pledge you made to ?n°0ZZrrr' "■^' ^°" wLld'talTe "a hutan^ *!' ■ f * r 120 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE feet^nnT ' '"'"'•'■"P*^^ the girl, springing to her .)tt t *\'"y,^"'P'-'se. I saw that she was angered although why. I cannot even now imagine. -'^Nor-' mand Enough of this I If you have only fault To R"thTt'l' "°"^';'^"'^ '°" ^° ten tSrt'd: Keaume that I am ready to go home, since I came DlaLd M /^ interest.- 1 „,ean like this concern! plated departure of Sieur Cadillac, which is of su^h moment to Th^r^se. and so to all of us, -the neJ^ time you have intelligence of this kind t^ commu„" cate to any one let me advise you to choosHome oth occasion th^n a social gathering. As for vo^r rrhtlo'tak""' *° "^ '^'^^^-' ^^' A have^o right to take me to task, nor are you ever like to have. Therefore do not I nrav LrZ thoughts over my conduct, no'r my'^e^tietnTinT ^IXZ^-Z^P' --reisRohertri started away. But ere I had finished the sentence she was gone to seek her fur mantle and hood ore paratory to the walk home in the starlight Mj Reaume, m company with a merty party oryoun^ d'A^i' "^r ^'y '^y "P *h^ hiirt7the Placf d Armes, where stood the new house of my uncle Guyon. on the opposite side from the CasTle pretty Barbe for many a day. When the time of our ml KU" ^•\^"--'^-- came, Jhe tantalLing maid was absent, having gone to a seigneury on the St Lawrence to visit her friend Madeleine de Ver- who^tT '^™e beautiful Mademoiselle Madeleine who. the year .efore, with such determined cou"! 1.-^1 AT THE INTENDANT'S PALACE ,21 age and clever feminine ingenuity defended th^ f^.f against an attack of the Iroquois Tnd keortl . at bay until the arrival of ^ s'olSfe's C^^^^^^^^^ protection of Verch^res by Monsieur de Call Jes Governor of Montreal. '-aiiieres, Our departure was hastened by several dav, f,. k date first fixed upon. Nevertheless, I was forced to leave Quebec without a chance to speak anv further words of adieu to her, and much offendedTas U^: tamtrLT """^ "'"• '" °»'-'«»- ^ 'W of It was necessary that our Sieur should hasten hJ<, tte't^^k^ro^rt'^^ 'r-^^^ might~n Indians ^^^""^ '^^ *^°""*^ °f ^he Lake fhl H '"r* r '^^" "P°" *^^ intrepidity wherewith in de rt-M 1 :T'' °"'' ^^y Gascon; the Chevalier de Cadillac, led his small party of militia, coureurs de bo,s and voyageurs three hundred leagues across whU rt^hoTeT '° *^ '^^^'^ °^ MichSck :: oftt Chwesf"^ """^"'^' *^^ great fur trade' The feat has been set down as one nf n,. remarkable in the annals of Ne ^France and „" tjmes since have I marvelled that w'.Ved to rTaci: the dreary and isolated post where we were feted to reraam for some time. ^° '° ou?a;^fv!^ "' " °" ^''="''' '"«'"■•<'■> »°» after " This village " (he bade me set down) ■■ is one of *e largest in all Canada. There is a fine fort of pickets and sixty houses that form a street i„ s.ra.ght line along the Lake of the Hurons xiere m 5«! 122 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE is a garrison of well-disciplined soldiers, two hundred of the best formed and most athletic men to be found in the New Worid, besides other persons who reside here dunng a part of the year. Fish and smoked meat constitute the principal food of the inhabitants. The villages of the savages, wherein are six or seven thousand souls, are distant about a pistol-shot from ours; the lands are clear for about three leagues and produce sufficient Indian corn for the use of both the French and the savages. Michilimackinac IS very advantageously situated, for the Iroquois dare not venture in their sorry canoes to cross the Strait of he lUenese Lake, which is two leagues over, while that of the Lake of the Hurons is too rough fo^ such fra.1 craft. Neither can they approach us un- perceived by land because of the fens and marshes. Withm the enclosure of the fort are the chapel and the dwelling of the missionary, who has an onerous charge in the spiritual care, not only of the abo- ngmes, but of the scarcely less tractable white men of the post." The Indians were allied with all the tribes of the Lakes. Among them we found two powerful chiefs, !t^ .? ^^^ ^^^ ®^'°"- ^"^ Sieur soon discovered that the Baron was receiving peace belts from New York, and the people of Orange had agreed to build a trading-house upon the Lake of the Fries better known to our coureurs de bois as the Lake of the Cats, from the number of wildcats or panthers that infest the region. These messages and peace belts had been sent hither secretly, the Indian envoys being brought in under the guise of prisoners taken from the Hurons. Would that I could shut out from my memory a certain day when seven Iroquois were thus brought m AT THE INTENDANT'S PALACE 123 to the beach As they landed, some of our men sus- pecting treachery and determined to be forehanded attacked and killed two of them. ^nanaea, ' A tumult followed, the Indians of the place de- fending the others until, finding themselves like to be TnT ' J ^^""^ "/ °"^ °^ *^^ pretended prisoners, and our soldiers and traders, mad with rage at the,; deceit, invited our Hurons and Outawas to " drink the broth of an Iroquois." For not having prevented these cannibal doings our Sieur has since been much blamed, but I know of two other instances where similar means were availed ot to strike terror to the hearts of the to^Michihmackinac as emissaries ot our southern Meantime Madame Cadillac was not neglectful of our comfort^ Early in the first summer of our stay at the fort, she sent us a large quantity of goods and provisions by a band of voyageurs from Ville Marie writ thTshe i"; """T' ^"' ^^ ^^^ '-^' «-e «he writ that she had agreed to pay him for a year's ser- vice the sum of 300 livres, together with an Indian blanket, four shirts, two greatcoats, and a gun Again, in September of the same year, she'sent us supplies through the merchant Francois Hazeu Mo the amount of 2291 livres, 6 sols, and 4 deniers - for which payment was made a twelvemonth after- wards, when our voyageurs reached Montreal with their peltries. Indeed, she ever took advantage of the open season to provision us for the winter; my good sister was become an excellent woman of business. ^ Sometimes, among the delicacies which we found in the boxes that came direct from Quebec, — the if !* I ! h «• I " I t'i :. ^eCJTTtX. I J*. 124 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE compotes of cherries and pears and apples, the richly spiced cakes, stuffed Spanish citron and raisins, the meats of nuts candied in sugar from the maple- trees, -- frequently in the tastiness of these pleasant thrJirrp^u"'''"!^^'"' ^ ^'^^"Sht I recognized the skill of Barbe. who had ever a deft hand in the preparation of such confits. T lL7nZ Tu ?*" ^°"^ afterwards, however, that 1 learned I had surmised aright, for during all my Solseief ""'' ' ''' "° "°^' '^^"^ our^EnglisJ: 'miis^^^^m:'^ -s*^^:^ife^^ CHAPTER TENTH FIRE-WATER OFTEN, as in Cadillac's house at the fort, I sat at my rude table casting up accounts or copying letters to be sent to Governor Frontenac or to the King's Ministers in France, — often, indeed, at such times would the piquant face of pretty Barbe seem to peer between me and the paper I wrote upon. Yet, when I sent missives home, I made no in- quiries concerning her, of my sister or any one else. I was still hurt that she had not returned from Verchlres in season to bid me adieu and to wish me good fortune upon my coming away into the wilderness. One winter's evening Sieur Cadillac sat before the hearthst -"; of his home within the palisade smoking a pipe of -obacco, or Indian weed, — the pipe itself being of a curious pattern; the bowl of red clay decorated by bands and ornaments of lead ; the stem long, quaintly carved, and ornamented with gayly colored feathers of birds, — a gift from a friendly chief The room was lighted only by the great fire of forest pine, and opposite to my brother I was en- sconced in a chair like his own, — a section of a round log to which had been fastened, to serve as a back, a rude slab of bark. Oddly would this furniture have contrasted with the elegance of the upholstery of the salon of Ma- fil 126 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE dame de Champigny, the carved chairs of the Castle audience hall, the graceful ottomans ar.d tabourets of my uncle Guyon's new house, — all of which costly luxuries had been brought from France at ereat expense. Without raged a storm of sleet. Back of the fort with Its wooden bastions and strong palisade of ce- dar pickets, for leagues, extended the trackless snows and primeval forests ; in front lay the beach, at other seasons a long stretch of yellow sand, and the broad expanse of the Lake of the Illenese, which I believe is now known as Lake Michigannig. In many places stiff and shaggy fir-trees fringed the shore with an aspect of desolation ; in others they rose in a wall of woods from the water's edge. On clear days we could see, set like a jewel in the gleaming argent ot the strait, the enchanted Island of Mackinac, the reputed dwelling-place of the great Indian Spirit — an island that with its white cliffs, green foliage, and rainbow lights often recalled to my mind a splendid opal I once noticed in the gem-encrusted hilt of a sword much cherished by Comte Frontenac. On this evening whereof I write. La Mothe and I were talking of many things, -the probable yield of furs for the season, the chances of the future, the disposition of Governor Frontenac in regard to cer- tain measures which my brother had recommended, the^ state of our provisions. We chatted too of Therese and of home, in brotherly confidence and sympathy, — Cadillac smoking his pipe ; I, who could not abide the Indian weed, making no pretence of occupation, but gazing idly into the cheerful blaze The wind whistled and moaned, and the sleet drove agamst the sides of the cabin. All at once, above the noise of the storm I heard ■iMI FIRE-WATER 127 the sound of a step near by, and the next moment there came a sharp knock at the door. Starting up, I threw it open. In the doorway, with the darkness for a back- ground, stood a black-robed, ascetic figure; a fur cape was thrown carelessly about his slightly stooped shoulders, and over his head was drawn a capouch of beaver skin, beneath which showed a few thin locks of hair that bristled with sleet, as did also the beard that grew about his throat, the upper part of the face being close shaven. It was Father Estienne de Car- heil, who had come across the square of the fort, from his little dwelling beside the church. Cadillac looked up in surprise. He and the mis- sionary were not on such cordial terms as might lead him to expect a social visit from the good father upon such a night as this. In fact, there was much friction between them, and long before, I had noticed that they seemed to have agreed to hold as little inter- course as might be. while preserving each toward the other a punctilious if distant courtesy. On this oceasion, however, my brother's courtly manners appeared to have deserted him. Stretched out at ease before the glowing pine logs, he did not rise, but indolently motioned his unlooked-for guest to the place I had vacated, as though, foreknowing that his visitors errand was an unpleasant one, he would waste no time in polite amenities. Father Estienne was not in the least disconcerted by this rudeness, yet that he felt it I, whose gaze was upon him, could see by the flash that leaped into his usually rnild eyes. It was gone as quickly, and with a dignified bow he stepped farther into the room. I made fast the door, and hastened to possess my- i ; i »• r i 1 f| 1 M 1 ■i I 128 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE self of his cloak with its hood and to put the pelt distance before rne nre, for even in the shor traversed it was broidered with ice Instead of taking the place to which my brother tolhTftnt-^ "^' "^'^"^^^' '^'"^ ^'-'^''^ Knl' J^^^!"^ ^^^ ^°"'" ^o"*"*"/. Monsieur de Cadillac, but I w, 1 not tarry to sit down by your hearth." frJ^n^r" • :• ,f ^^" evenings more favorable for think not of wmd nor weather when they have an oo- portunity to aid our plans or advance our interests " answered La Mpthe. after his sarcastic fashion. I have the will to do you a service, if you choose but to look upon it in that light," proceeded the pnest. with calmness, "although my business is no agreeable affair. In short, Monsieur le Com- mandant, I am come to tell you of the scene which a lew moments since greeted my eyes." As the missionary stood beside our rough table he made an imposing picture, despite his lean face' the attenuation of frame caused by his long fasts' and vigils, and disciplinings. by the hardships of his frequent journeys to isolated settlements of Indians where he had established his missions. His clear-cut features and high-bred mien told of good lineage; above all. there was about him an air of the gentle authority which depends neither upon worldly patronage nor influence, but is commissioned by Heaven Itself; and now. as at other times, when I looked at him felt that Father Estienne was as the voice of God calling to man in the wilderness. Monsieur de Cadillac." continued the missionary fixing the eye of our Sieur by the sternness of his own more than a score of years ago. when this place tT-TfiiTiii JbrttEV- FIRE-WATER „^ where we now live was but a desolate extent of shore that knew not the foot of the white man. on the op- posite side of the strait a devoted missionary gathered together the remnant of the Huron nation includine among their many tribes, the Outawas. Here he raised a chapel of cedar boughs, and around this for- est sanctuary, h.s poor dwelling, and their own lodges the Indians built a palisaded fort which soon became known as St. Ignace of the Michilimackinacs. The cold was intense and cultivation difficult, but the Hurons had chosen this site because the neieh- boring waters teemed with fish, and the missionarv heeded not its disadvantages, since from this situa- tion It was easy to gain access to all the tribes of the Lake Country. "Here he lived and taught them. After a time this good man was called to seek in the Lands of the Great River new nations to instruct. He was suc- ceeded here by others who imitated his self-sacri- hcing toil. The Indians were most exemplary; the settlement flourished; traders from Ville Marie and 9rull ^'JT ^° *^^ ™'''^°"- "'*^^»- the red men of all the Lake Country brought the skins of the otter and beavers they had trapped during the long winter French M-Tr'°' 'J'"^'^ ^"'^ *^^ ^°°^^ °f the French; Michilimackinac became the great centre of the fur trade, the key to all the west. A mill- tary post was established upon the eastern shore of the strait. " i? "^y ^^'"'^ °" th« missions I was sent hither " Then you came. Monsieur de Cadillac. It has pleased you to encourage a trade most disastrous in this region; to bring from Montreal the strong waters that steal tongue and brains and render useless the hands of men. 9 !i ' fl 130 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE "Formerly when the Indians returned from the chase, the fisheries, their long trapping expeditions. ^7nv'?T^ ^'1 '° '^" church, there to render thanks to Heaven for the success of their enterprises. Now. look you. to-day a large band of Outawas came in rl M i^*"" '^.^"^i:"" '^*^ approaching storm. You beheld the goodly showing they made with their pel- thrfort^"' ^°^ ^* ^^"'"^ ^*'^ *° ^^^^ protection of T ''"^".^^^^f "«*' Monsieur de Cadillac? The trader Le Maire takes a cask of brandy into their village • he proposes a game of bowl, the sUkes to be drams of hquor against their furs. The Indians pile high the peltries before ur;tl - • • . "'- P^"""css, no One l„Z II ^^'^ *"« '»« "ords, the consecrated hand which the priest had raised in warning droDoS o h,s side, the light of prophecy died out of hK leavmg them mild as before ; the stern iudee and «i d.nZfL'': *" K *"■' 'If ^'°"' '"'°"' his shoul- th?;X*: ?s,°a:t: ri?i:ir.r ""'"^ -" which the Commandant CZTX:!^ C^'^;:'^ .urI9r-br;t;,^^r-^--:^x^^^ of opprobrious epithet. ^ ^***^' As for me I saw it was usele.ss to attempt to stav the torrent, the more since his expletives bein^ cai^ agamst the walls of the cabin hurt^o o"e a^^^jX* z':Zu:t ''' '^' ''' ' ^--^ ^^^ p^tht; In his excitement he had risen; now he paced the FIRE-WATER ,35 floor with quick strides. But the fiercest anger, like the wildest tempest, subsides at last; wearied by the force of his passion, Cadillac threw himself down in his chair and took to gloomily studying the fire. " Normand," he said gruffly, after an interval of oppressive silence, " is the door ajar?" "No, mon chevalier, it is fastened securely," I answered. The temperature of the room was summer-like: nevertheless he shuddered. "Pile on more logs, for the cold must be strengthen- ing," he muttered, and lapsed once more into moodi- ness. A disquiet harassed me. I felt it to be the startling insistence of the missionary's prediction which had caused the throbbing fire in my brother's veins to become as ice, — the warning that the crown of his ambition would be snatched away just as he thought to place it upon his brow. In fact, as I have many times since reflected, never since that night was De la Mothe quite the same as before. Often surrounded by the full splen- dor of fortune's sunshine, he appeared to me ever on the verge of shadow. The sword which he fancied hung over his head might have a jewelled hilt, but it was a sword of Damocles still. For myself, from that evening I saw many things with clearer eyes, — would that I could have influ- enced him to see them thus also ! If, as the years went by, my devotion to our Sieur may have lost something of the glamour of its romantic admiration, I loved him dearly to the end, and, I hope, served him faithfully. And although I could not but see his faults and deplore his mistakes, I yet ever found much in his character to esteem and respect 136 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE One evening, shortly after the occurrence which 1 have just set down, De la Mothe and I were again seated by the fire, he smoking, as was his wont, I meditatively watching the blaze. After a time Cadillac stirred impatiently and knocked the ashes from his pipe. "Normand," he exclaimed with abruptness, break- mg m upon my reverie, "how did the man know?" "Who? — what, mon chevalier?" I asked with a start, as if suddenly awakened. " Ha, ha, ha ! " he laughed in his debonair man- ner. " Did I arouse you from a doze ? Or were your thoughts perchance dancing attendance upon some fair but hard-hearted demoiselle of Quebec or Mon- treal? Ah, I see you do not relish the jest," he went on, noting my shrug of annoyance, " and in truth I am in no mood for mirth, my thoughts have been on weightier matters. One thing puzzles me. How came the man to be so familiar with my dreams, mv ambitions?" ^ As he spoke, he pointed with his thumb in the direction of the church and the missionary's cabin. " You mean Monsieur de Carheil? " Cadillac nodded. "Tis not like that he learned from me of any plan of yours." I answered, as my brother continued to regard me, I fancied, with a certain reproach. " Even had I the will to betray your confidence, I know not any projects you may have for the future." "Nor did I tell any one," murmured our Sieur; "yet. wittingly or not, he fathomed the desire of my heart, the design I have had in view for many a day." ^ " It was but a random shot, a surmise based upon his knowledge of your tireless activity and your re- FIRE-WATER »37 sources, as well as the value of your services to the government." " Perchance. But it is a strange coincidence," he continued. " Listen, Normand ! Do not think I meant to doubt you. You have ever been faithful to me, and now I would fain know how the scheme I have in mind would impress a man still young, cour- ageous, and fond of adventure as you are, since I shall have need of followers of this order. " You know that some ten years ago Monsieur de Lhut, then Commandant at Michilimackinac, erected a fortified trading-post at the southern extremity of our Lake of the Hurons, which he called Fort St. Joseph. You are also aware that it was abandoned two years later, with insufficient reason to my think- ing, for the climate proved milder than it is here, while the situation was very favorable, being at the first link, I may say, of that beautiful chain of lake and river which connects the five marvellous Inland Seas, which our intrepid explorers have given to New France, together with the greater part of the vast territory that borders upon them. " However, well chosen as was the position of Du Lhut's trading-fort, I have in mind a better site. You have heard how, long since, the missionaries DoUier de Casson and Galinee, and after them the gallant Chevalier de la Salle, followed up this con- necting chain of waters from Fort Frontenac. They found it as richly set with islands as is a queen's necklace with jewels, and the beautifully verdant shores of the mainland served to complete the pic- ture of a veritable earthly paradise. "Especially attractive was the region which lies south of the pearl-like lake to which they gave the name of St. Claire, the country bordering upon that f ii m m 138 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE clear, deep river, a quarter league broad, knoWn as i-e Detroit. "I have had from the Indians and the coureurs de bois glowing descriptions of this fair locality, and while affecting to treat their accounts with indiffer- ence, I made note of all in my mind. "On both sides of this strait of straits lie fine open plains where, the deer roam in graceful herds, where bears (by no means fierce, and exceedingly good to eat) are to be found, as are also the savor^ poules d'Indes.' wild duck, and other varieties of game. The islands are covered with trees: chest- nuts, walnuts, apples, and plums abound, and in the season the wild vines are heavy with grapes, wL .w '^' ^°?''. '""^"^ '^y '^^y have made a wine that, considering its newness, was not at all bad. •• What think you, Normand. do not all these excel- lences make the place a happy choice for a settle- ment? btay, ere you answer I will dwell upon far greater considerations. "The Hurons have a village on Le Detroit- NoTmr„!; m'^'vp"^ ?. '^''" """^^' ^^ advantages! Normand Michil.mackmac is an important post, but the climate will ever be against it, the place will never become a great settlement. Le Detroit is the re^ centre of the Lake Country, the gateway to the hi check ••' "^^ ''^" ^"* ^""^^ *^^ ^"Slish "And what would you do at Le Detroit?" I asked, sti 1 only half recovered from my surprise. 1 would make it a permanent post, not subject to changes, as are so many of the others," he replied his enthusiasm kindling. « To do this, it is but neces- sary to have a good number of the French, soldiere :n Mil FIRE-WATER 139 and traders, and to draw around it the tribes of friendly Indians, in order to conquer the Iroquois, who from the beginning have harassed us and pre- vented the advance of civih'zation. The French live too far apart; we must bring them together, that when necessary they may be able to oppose a large force to the savages and thus defeat them." " Yes, to be sure," I made answer, " if Le Detroit were well fortified, we could prevent the Iroquois from following the chase thereabouts, and thus drive them away from this upper country also." " I see that you take my meaning," said Cadillac, approvingly. "Moreover, look you, the waters of the Great Lakes pass through this strait, and it is the only path whereby the English can carry on their trade with the savage nations who have to do with the French. If we establish ourselves at Le Detroit, they can no longer hope to deprive us of the benefits of the fur trade." ** But how will you prevent the savages from going to the southrons, since they can get more for their peltries from them than from us? " I argued. "Now, Normand." cried La Mothe, with impa- tience, "do you not ki w that at Quebec and Montreal, although the Indian can exchange goods at a lower price with our enemi s he prefers to make his trade with us. This is parti) no doubt, because he is neighbor to the Frenchm-- «Pected as I made answer ' Monsieur le Lieutenant," ^^^Mo„sieur,you flatter me," he said with an ironical soIdi:;n\^toXt -<^a savage, .s^q^ranotief' matt^^^^ l^l^*"^ vein of sarcasm I had mVWn V *=°"*"»"«i i" the ciation with ouTsiet^ht:^^^^^^^^^ 7 ^^°" "^°- as the English say. '^''''''^ to the manner born," Sabrevois' sword flashed forth therewith Monsieur, take back your words or t ii , you eat them." he cried. ^^''^s. or I will make " Monsieur, you can best stomach them " r ,^- • ^ whipping out my own rapier. ' ' '"^J*""^*^' n A GREAT SURPRISE ,43 Our weapons met with a clash, and the next moment we were fighting as those fight between whom there is a bitter feud. We were of about the same weight, but Sabrevois still maintamed his reputation as one of the best blades of his regiment. No doubt he thought me an antagonist unworthy of his skill, yet therein he was mistaken. Having practised much with our Sicur I had acquired a facility in fence; in fact, so well pleased was my brother with his pupil that he was wont to say he would match me against any swords- man in New France. Soon the lieutenant discovered how greatly he had underrated my dexterity, even though he tried my steel most cleverly. The advantage lay first with one. then with the other; but ere many seconds he began to turn and thus lost ground. I gained by this and pressed him near to the wall; he forced his way out; I drove him back. We circled round ; he grew hot, more angered, and short of breath. I kept my head, and my coolness served me well. Once he nearly pricked me ; but I parried the thrust, and pres- ently lunging, touched his breast. h."i!' '*/"°"gJ' jnonsieur," I said, as he sprang backward, for I had no mind to seriously wound himt your honor and my humor are satisfied " " Nay, 't is but a scratch," he cried, enraged, and we closed once more. Now. however, there occurred an interruption upon which we had neither of us reckoned. A third rapier smote between our blades, striking them up so sharply that Sabrevois' flew from his grasp, while I, turning quickly to meet a new adversary, beheld the saturnine countenance of De Tonty scowling upon me. " Hold, I pray you, gentlemen," he said severely. t 144 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE th. secretary of Monll^ul'SrCadr •? '*"*" "'"■ dusky warriors. '* °' *'g"' With dignity I sheathed my weaoon wh.i- ^u lieutenant regained his. weapon, while the "Perhaps now Monsieur Guvon will fc«,. i^lLTeT" '" *' "- '^"-"« ' -tie" of Much to my own discomfiture and surorise fnr o spent histl;:arfH:";i„e.t'^Tru?^> i'.l nasty screed from ThgrJse to Cadillac, a few Iin». taken up with expressions of happines^ at Z hon^ of soon seeing him. One bit of .Xmatfen he h^H it m^y t Z. Uotl ' HeTad^^l^rd-str " ried, he could not remember." Was it possible that she had married Sabrevois? Yet why not? Although getting on to middle a^e was he not regarded as one of the best^' oarti" fn Quebec, a man of excellent lineage and someCune ? S/u ""T'f^' '^'' ^^'^ "'^ "° more than w"th Cadillac, he had never chimed? Is it not well for most of us that a woman does not see a mL^c i», acter as his fellows see it? If the^ " goTdVn £[ A GREAT SURPRISE ,45 she finds and fosters it with her love, God bless her ho?dsTnThecW° '^^^ '^^' '' ''''' ^^"^ *^« ""»"<; holds in check, and weeps over in secret, and in part atones for by her wifely prayers. So Barbe had ma^ ried Sabrevois ; and a moment since I was like to thh'l^r " ' "'""' "^'^ "°"^^ ""'^^ 8-*^ h-d "In sooth, monsieur, you are slow to offer your congratulations," he proceeded "Monsieur Sabrevois," I replied, with an effort rnastenng my choler, "pardon my hesitation, but oftheZHr'"?,' ^^^"^'"*^d me with the name of the fair demoiselle upon whom you have conferred the honor of your alliance, I know not if ^.« are to be congratulated; whereas, knowing you-" I paused significantly. ^ ^ * " Ho, ho, ho," he laughed in derisive triumph noT no'"'. T'"' ^"* ^ ^°^S'^^ *^« J"'- ««nc<^ we may not now fight out our quarrel. Another day- '' UriA^^'^'T?'' ^ ^"l """'^'"S: to hear the name of your oride and I pray she may not be made a widow over soon." I responded, striving to speak quietly? He gave me a quick look, and finding it better ^''!;?y^''P'°/okc me no -irther, said, - ^ Thanks for your interest, monsieur. It affords me pleasure to inform you that a few weeks since I s^erCnt^B^^r'^'ili^ *° ^°"^ cousfntademoi! SeVeddin"g'?°"^'"- ^^^^--lle Guyon was at for^tht "r;!!"*^"'"^' -^'^"'^ "^"^°^* h^^^ killed him chaJnn H^^'l "'"'^ '''''^. ^^'^^ ^^ ^^^'^^ niy at liast rhad^:. ' T'' *^°'-<>"gh'y defeated. But b 1^ it vf Tu^""" '° '^^ *^« f°"y °f ^y irrita- bility, — I who had been trained in ' ' -^ I 10 gentle spirit of II S 146 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE St Francis. So making my compliments to th^ lieu- tenant upon his recent nuptials with the best grace I could muster, and saying to Monsieur de Tonty that havmg delivered to him the books of accounts, I must beg to consider myself quit of all responsibility re- garding them, I strode from the cabin. Later, however, it seemed to me that mayhap, after all, I came not so badly out of the aflfair with Sabre- vois. He had chosen to make sport of my cousinly regard for a certain demoiselle, but perchance 'twsw done to ease an old hurt to his pride which on occa- sion galled him, since 'twas Mademoiselle Barbe Guyon whom he would have married had he been so fortunate as to win her. Soon after, with our Sieur I left Michilimackinac. Ah, how good it was to get back to the weather- beaten crag of Quebec once more ! It is true there grief awaited me. My father. Denys J^uyon, had died during our stay at the Fort of the Upper Lakes, and now every spot which had been associated with him seemed haunted by his dear familiar presence. But if many things were changed, I still found much to cheer me at home. My sweet sister, Madame Cadillac, was kind and affectionate as ever; my uncle Guyon as bluff and hearty ; ai 'Barbe? Well, when a man has lived more than three years amid the soli- tudes of Nature, shut in by the snows and ice during the winter and the leafage of the primeval forests in summer, he is not prone to cavil at a woman's rippling laughter, or to murmur because she makes lighter the hearts of those about her by her merry badinage. Although she coquetted with her cavaliers much after her old fashion, there was oftener to be remarked m her that air of sweet dignity whereof I had seen y^ A GREAT SURPRISE 14; glimpses in her early girlhood. Our dear Barbe was no longer but a piquant maiden, like our garden flowers growing taller day by day; she had become a graceful, gracious, and most lovely woman. Indeed, my aunt Guyon confided to me that in the V. -dding-chest which she had for years been preparing against the marriage day of this daughter of her heart, ij'< c ere .,ow stored away full twenty spoons of -sflvei, rach .oon denoting a year of the age of our prst.'y denu -lie, as near as it could be reckoned. Tluir in.! .noiselle would have been annoyed at t^'. U". mother's loquacity, I feel sure; but I be- t...v not the good dame's confidence, while making ^ »nent ' :iote of the same. pHfDe c .ten tantalized me still. She listened with 11.^1 c icspect to what I had to say, however, and re- membering that she had managed very well in regard to Sabrevois, I forbore to take her to task on the subject of her lovers; so there was less friction between us than formerly. Our illustrious Comte Frontenac was now in his last days, and everywhere I saw old differences for- gotten, in the attachment manifested for the fiery and lion-hearted soldier, by the people of all ranks, from the Bishop down to the poorest orphan whom he had befriended. But if a glorious sun was setting, the star of our Sieur was mounting higher in the skies of New l^rance. One afternoon he came home from the Castle in high spirits. "Normand," he said, "that great man yonder, who remains undaunted even at the approach of the King of Terrors, Frontenac, has entered into my plan of a settlement upon Le Detroit with a gleam of his whilom ardor. He bids me go to France, and lay the I 148 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE project before Comic Fontchartrain, before the Sun King himself. The next ship sails in two days We will sail with her. I say we, because many times I have promised to take you with me to the mother country; now I will keep my word. Make your preparations, then, without delay." At these words of his, my heart gave a bound ; but quicjcly my joy was succeeded by a strange sense of mental depression. From the day when I first took service with " mon chevalier," it had been my dream to accompany him to the Old World. Yet how contrary is our nature I Now that the ,wish I had cherished for years was granted to me, I would willingly have foregone it. Never had I been so content in Quebec, nor found ite social life more agreeable. Since my coming from the wilderness, as in the days long passed, I was not altogether averse to the society of the vivacious demoiselles who visited at our house, and Barbe bantered me much upon my interest in her friends, especially anent the beautiful Madeleine de VerchSres,' my admiration for whom it required no rare discern- ment to discover. However I said nothing to La Mothe of my new and extraordinary' reluctance to fare forth with him. And if I bitterly repented this reticence erelong, yet had I, on account of the beautiful Madeleine, for instance, given up the opportunity to go across the seas, perchance I should have been sorry in the end. For if a man abandons a just aim or ambition, even for the sake of the woman he loves, the sacrifice leaves behind it a regret that will grow keener as the years slip by; and for it, in his thoughts at least, he will ever reproach her. ■'"'«!S^-lHE1iHr ^tlf"^--i. ,^ 'iT"« he pricked you as a o..„- u ^^, ' ^ ^^''^^I not To ^hink o/Tn ILZTyZT ^^''^i' 'T"'^- crossing blades with th, L\ I ^^^ '^""ce w th the SiVnr ,?« T • ^^^"- ^ naa indeed fenced me htd.'Sl%t"^:^Xte°"a^'' "^H^ ~i. or the enco^nterrhaTcoi^i? ^ th:ia"Ti;;iii''::\HiT.^erHa?r.^^ apprising us of the b,.trothal°" "^ '"'*" to"o^^E!^n.^T:^-l°:: ^l '-« »-" P^'d court one day sL m.y^^'t tUtZ sl'""*' the grandest Lady of New France T ^'•,^''» « disapproved the s^uit of Sab^"o"" """'' ""' ^°" thant^V^s":r'^h?r^'^.rbr^--r'*'=^-'« Brusque as was my answer, it pleased LaMothe. «.. A GREAT SURPRISE '53 " Chut, you are a loyal fellow," he said with his rare smile. "But, in faith, it is a noble alliance. Chateauguay has graces of person and manner that would win the heart of any woman. I am glad Mademoiselle Barbe has shown a proper ambition, too, in her choice of a husband. For ambition is the true lodestone of life. Look at me, Normand ; I have drawn a prize in the lottery of love; yet, pardieu, Adam grew weary in paradise, once he learned there were other spheres beyond, while Eve would have drawn down the stars of heaven to make for herself a jewelled diadem. A good mar- riage, yes ! I trust others of our family will do as well; and while we are on the subject, my brother, I must congratulate you upon the favor you have found with a certain fair demoiselle at home. There is no finer seigneuryon the St. Lawrence than that of Verch&res, no name in the annals of New France that offers a prouder connection." " I will never wed a woman for her lands," I said hotly. " With all your worldly wisdom. La Mothe, I scarce think you considered the dower of Thcrese when you came wooing to Beauport." " Of a verity, I gave it not a thought," he returned, with a laugh at the overthrow of his own arguments. "But, well a-day, there is only one Theresa in the world. Nay, do not contradict me ; I am willing to yield that there is also only one Madeleine." The next packet of letters from Quebec put the truth of the report we had heard beyond a doubt. •' On the 28th of August," wrote Madame Cadillac, " Barbe, urged on by my aunt Guyon's loving com- plaint that the maid was growing old, and unless she made haste would be forced to write herself down as ' femme majeure ' in the marriage register, — THH PROPERT (I OF SCARBORO PUBLIC LIBRARY. 154 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE wedded at the cathedral to the noble Henri Le Moy„e.son of De Longueil and Sieur de Cha eau! ht7o a", "u """* "•"•"■, is it not. since the Seur t^h^r^ °°^ "f "■"' '""'*»• "O » i" h'Bh favor with Monsieur de Calliires, the new Governor CoZ7' T "'"""■""' "'«' «'«" her worH jTX T^""^ '° •*'«' » husband in Quebec." ht^e beautrtn' P ' '""T* """^^'^ """g". ' «" hive ««Tr.K "' V V'"»"'". "« «er should I Celled hwl, ■'u-'' °''" "'y '"■« ''«'' ""ce dis- After a short time, La Mothe announced that h« business with Comte Pontchartrain wrfinished tte l«t "'eh'fcrthwi'h set out for home On £ J? t^^J", ^"y' "5»' *= '«>>' horse from Pans ,0 Rochelle, and sailed, from that port a week Of the voyage westward I remember little. The seas were blue and calm, the days clear and sunny and m the tranquil June evenings the moo„lS shining upon the waste of waters made the whok ocean gleam as a mirror of silver baWethll?" "''"',* f"" "^"^ '"■' "y heart, a battle that I was resolved to fight and win; yet as in Ae contest at fence with Wernesson de L ancou" o leave no one the wiser of my victory. In the home welcome I missed the cordial greetine return, and which now seemed to my recollection wondrous sweet, even if at times I had^, avilkd a Tt as too careless, and at others as over-distant mI^I^IcTu ^"■'^ »-"■"" 'here, and my sister, Madame CadiUac, was so taken up with joy at the A GREAT SURPRISE 155 reunion with her husband, that I could get no speech of her. At length, an hour or two after our arrival, I said : " Come, Th^rSse, let us walk in the garden. I would fain see how near to ripening are the cherries, and I will describe to you how the flower plots are laid out in the King's Gardens of the Champs filys^es." Having reached the green enclosure, however, we paced the path between the trees once or twice with- out speaking. Then finding me still silent, Th^r&se said archly : " Eh bien, Normand, your stay in France has made you most eloquent and entertaining. Have you lost interest in the cherries so soon ? Or do our garden plots so eclipse the royal parterres as to leave you nothing to criticise?" " Pardieu, Th^r^se, you know I did not, of a truth, want you to come out that we might talk either of royalty or cherries," I answered testily. Madame Cadillac elevated her eyebrows. " Of what, then?" she inquired in pretended surprise. " Tell me of Barbe," I cried with some heat. " Why did you not prevent her marriage?" " Prevent it I " echoed Th^rSse, stopping short and staring at me in astonishment. " What has come over you, Normand? It was the best marriage in the Colonies for Barbe, and who could have foreseen how it has turned out?' " How it has turned out! " I repeated, catching at my blade. " Barbe has, as you say, made a great marriage. Nevertheless, if she still needs a protec- tor, a champion — " Th^rlse smiled and laid a gentle hand upon my arm. "Bless you, Normand," she said. "Quiet and 156 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE ■• H„M ?Ji lu . 'i'"'' ^'°*"'e "W with race wronged and unhappy. L? ^y"!" te Fo'^'did any other woman say half so m..rh «V ? .hoaM strangle h«; did a n. ° bret*;! Xb,^' b-^g scandal against Barbe, he shou d n.ve !ive to make his peaceiwith God." '° At my wrath, my sister fell to laughine and th,„ to weepmg. until I thought her bereftof all sense l^ifltfe^s^d atr^r^ ""' '''^ ' *''»^- re;on°d:i' 'ZC '""" ^°" '«"'"»«' '^ ■»«." ' tinuJi""" Lilif,'"l"''.r"='" '° "" >">"'" »h« «"- xte. b^r^i ot^^"-nrhjb^-: she was marned. The Sieur de ChateauX w« look SvTt '." 'r • '"" " <"■"<"""= """^t "" looR kindly, at least, on a man who worshios th, ground she treads upon. Thus of a sudH^n n k consented that the marriage should be ar^^g;d;„'S the eeremony took place without delay " ^ ' I said°«^^'';:^:«e:r''' "-" '""^ '""= *« ^'-^v,- •• ^fo, it is not the end," she insisted genUy • •• the marnage was hastened because Le MoyL"s «^™lnt A GREAT SURPRISE '57 was ordered out in the expedition against the Iro- quois. Even on his wedding-day Chateauguay was forced to take leave of his bride, and alas, brave chevalier, — poor Barbe, — he was killed two weeks later while fighting the Indians and the English, even as died two of his older brothers before him." I stopped short and gazed at Madame Cadillac in a bewildered horror. For the nonce I forgot myself, so appalled was I by the tragic fate of the noble De Chateauguay. "Alas, poor Le Moyne!" I slid with the same impulse that prompts one to lay a spray of laurel upon the bier of a hero. And in sympathy for her in the ordeal through which she had so recently passed, I added softly, " Poor Barbe ! " Th^rSse gave me a sharp, quick glance, and paced beside me silently for a few minutes. "You say Barbe is at the scigneury?" I queried at length. " Yes, she went there to be in solitude. You may go your way to Le D<§troit, Normand; she wishes not to see you nor any one. She was but a bride of a few hours, yet never have I seen a more grief- stricken widow. In his death Le Moyne seems to have gained the affection which somehow I scarce believe she gave him living. She talks of conse- crating her life to his memory. I should not greatly marvel were she to enter the Convent of the Ursu- lines ; you know — " " Th€rSse, Therese ! Where are you. ma ntie ? " rang out Cadillac's clear voice from the galleiy that looked out upon the garden. At the call Therese hurried away, and I was left to my own thoughts. Much had I to meditate upon. Small wonder that ii^ I5« A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE my brain was in a whirl I Barbc vcterrf.,, - ^^-i and now a vidowl Barbe. .k^'^A lent a joyous, care-free maid, now bcrl'^t^^^.u ^ head bowed with grief I ^'^-ved; her pretty The blank in our home circle caused bv the town. Th« great Co„^eFri"te„?rw^ "o"™*" and although ou, Si.ur brought a le"er 4^ tt^ Kmg to the new Governor, Monsieur de cXrt^ fte latter received him but coldly Nehh,! r* dar'tTreS^hf r"%'^'r^''-^«"^ *^^ ^ Mt^^. '^ t a^h\»s opposition; sometimes, of a fact hU .vl;f»ff not MQv ♦« ->-j ^. !. r • ""* 'n-itation was T wi LrH f r- ^,^^'^^^ ^^^ *^ft«n «n tears. ZZTi. t °'" *'^'' ^'^^y' ^'"<=^' »n"ch as Cadillac loved her he was ever fuming over some barrier to M::^r^:^::^^^' -' - ^^ «- p- of mv t^n ?^°'"*"^' "»y brother," he said in reply to my mquiries when I met him at the shio "Com!! Pontchartrain has presented me with a commtsTon as Commandant of the new Fort with a orTnT r iwst to establish the post I shaU proceed at onS A GREAT SURPRISE 159 to Montreal, and there complete my preparations for the expedition." The sight of this commission wrought a change in the attitude of both the Governor and the In- tendant. On the eve of Cadillac's departure he was bidden to an entertainment at the Castle, and I, as his relative and secretary, was invited with him. ,_ •^^wt^:' ■ .m:wK^^ ^if^-T^,^!^^ MICROCOPY RESOWTION TiST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) Ib |2^ l» !>■ iSi la |3j6 Ih u U' .. KUu ■ 22 1.8 ^ APPLIED IN/HGF I , 1653 Eo»l Main Street 70fh«»*«r. New York U609 USA (7t8) 482 - 0300 - Phon. ^ (716) 288- 5989 -ro» nc CHAPTER TWELFTH LE DETROIT ^HE banquet-hall of the old ChSteau presented A a picturesque scene to the Governor's euests upon the evening of this farewell dinner. TheS tap^s?ries"nd'"•'^°"' T" '""^ '^'^ Peltnes,The tapestries and paintings, the antlers and deer heads on the walls, and caught an answering ^eam from T.L X""T'^ "^°"^ '^' chimney-piece Th^ table with its fine napery, silver, and glass, for n'ch! the oS w'"m 'T"'^^ "^*^ *^°^^ ' ^-^ seen in gath^ed^'^'n ' '"^ ''^^^f '^' ^^"^--^"^ b°^^<^ were fn N TT ^^'"Pi"/ ^' illustrious as was to be met Cam "es r ^?T " '°^^ ^^^ ^^^^- Louis de fitrT' ?°^f Representative; on his left was nli T 'k' ? Cha^Pigny; in the circle I recog! mzed Jacob de Marsac. Dagneaux Douville De Montigny. the Sieur de Repentigny, Godfroy de Tonnancour. the Sieur de Lavallee Ren^. Mkhe! Trott.er. Sieur de Beaubien. and others. Monsieur de Cadillac of course occupied the olace Swiftly the time sped as the wine went round, and thf Sr""'"' '"'^ ''""''"' "'^^'''^ ""''' '^' °^^er " f attracted by a slight commotion at the door of the LE DETROIT i6i hall, and presently an attendant approaching the Governor said something to him in a low tone. " Messieurs," cried his Excellency, turning to the company, " an old sorceress asks permission to read the future for you ; shall she be admitted ? " " Verily yes ! by all means," rang the gay response around the table. " Monsieur le Gouverneur, would it not be well for us to change places that she may not recognize any one by the position he occupies at the board?" sug- gested Godfroy de Tonnancour. The proposal was quickly adopted, and when the party were once more seated, the fortune-teller was conducted into the room. She was a tall woman, almost masculine in appear- ance, dark-skinned, withered, and notwithstanding her erect bearing, evidently quite old. Upon her shoulder was perched a crow with draggled plumage. The bird cawed shrilly as it found itself in the midst of a blaze of light. At sight of this ugly and bizarre witch and her familiar of evil omen, I must confess I felt a slight uneasiness, and quietly crossed the first and second fingers of my right hand to ward off any harm that might threaten from the presence or auguries of the hag, whose piercing black eyes seemed to read the soul of every man, as her glance roved from one to another of the festive company. " How are you called, dame? " demanded his Excellency, leaning back in his chair, and looking as though he half regretted having permitted her to come in. " I am known as La Jongleuse," she answered in a voice that had not, despite her age, entirely lost its natural richness. " Well, sage woman, these gentlemen are willing II i62 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE to test your art," continued De Callidres, " but I warn you, read them good fortunes; for here in this New World, where life holds so many chances and mischances, we like not unpleasant auguries." " I decipher what is written in the palm and on the countenance of each one who consults me, your Excellency," replied the witch; "it is not for me either to add to or alter what I see there set down." The sorceress proceeded around the table, and as in turn each officer with some merry jest extended his hand for her keen scrutiny, she studied it closely, following its lines with her thin finger, sometimes breaking forth into guttural exclamations of satisfac- tion, again shaking her head ominously; nor did the attempt to disconcert her by the changing of places prove in the least effective. To each man she told some incident of his past, or matters that showed her to be at least marvellously shrewd in her divinations, and ventured also a prediction for the future. More than one of these latter I have since heard of as verified. At last she came to La Mothe, who had dropped into the chair beside me. As her sharp eyes peered into his handsome, strongly marked face, they flashed brighter, and when he held out his hand she caught it eagerly ; at the same moment the crow fluttering its wings stretched forward and viciously pecked at him. This attack was greeted by a round of lively sal- lies from his fellow officers ; but checking the bird by a tap upon its head, and with a look compelling silence, the sibyl began to read the destiny of my dear brother. Of what she said I remember wellnigh every word, so strange it was. "Ah, chevalier," she cried, "yours is, forsooth, LE DfiTROIT 163 no common fate. You will soon undertake a long and perilous voyage ; you will found a great city ; lands and money shall be yours." She hesitated and turned away. " Stay ! that is not all," urged Cadillac. " Alack, monsieur, I do not wish to tell you further; I was to predict for the gentlemen only pleasant things, is it not so?" " Chut, it is my will that you disclose to me all you can discern of my future," protested La Mothe, with impatience. " So be it then, mon chevalier," replied the hag. " Alas, now I see your star obscured by clouds. Your colony will be rent by dissensions; you will pursue a mistaken policy with the Indians and they will prove treacherous. The English will one day possess your city. They will tear down the fleur- de-lis, but their standard shall one day be torn down. Under a new flag your city will attain a pros- perity greater than will come to any town in New France. You, however, will wander far from it; for a season you will rule in a land of summer, but you will die in the country of your birth." " And my children, will they inherit these estates and riches whereof you speak? " murmured Cadillac, half to himself. " I cannot say for certain," answered the witch, cautiously. " It will depend upon your own course. Do not be reckless in your ambition. One day the Nain Rouge will cross your path. Have a care ; if you offend him, your property will be lost to your heirs, your name will be scarce known in the city you are to found." " Merci, wise mother, I shall not forget your warning," cried my brother in gay good-humor, as he i64 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE pressed a coin into her hand. "There is but one part of your forecast which I do not conceive pos- sible; namely, that the fleur-de-lis shall ever cease to float over any land I may settle. By a new flag you would say, I ween, but another Bourbon banner to replace the old, so long shall it wave," "A just interpretation, Sieur de la Mothe," said the Governor, graciously, "And now, gentlemen, allow me to propose a toast to the success of the venture whereof our friend the sorceress must of a surety have got wind." " A toast, a toast ! " echoed each guest, as he sprang to his feet. Once more the silver cups were filled to the brim with the deep-red winel once more they were raised aloft. All eyes turned upon Cadillac, as he stood before the company, bold, nonchalant, spirited, daring. " To the future beautiful city of Le Detroit," cried Monsieur de Calli^res, with enthusiasm. They drank the toast gayly. " And to the good fortune of our brave Sieur de Cadillac," continued his Excellency. The sentiment was readily applauded in still another bumper of Bordeaux, and forthwith the com- pany broke up. The next morning, it being the eighth day of March, 1 701, we left Quebec for Montreal. Although I had been at home since the summer before, on only a few occasic"s had I been able to see our dear Barbe, or, as I must now frequently name her in these memoirs, Madame de Chateau- guay. She had lived in great seclusion at her seigneury on the St. Lawrence, coming down to Quebec but two or three times. LE DISTROIT 165 When the date was set for our departure, however, Therese sent a letter to apprise her that Cadillac and I would stop at Chateauguay to bid her adieu, which we accordingly did. So pale and wan was she that my heart bled when I saw her thus, and I told her as much with gentle- ness, — I who had been wont to comfort the little griefs of her childhood. I begged her, too, not to be in over-haste to enter the convent, as it was rumored was her intention ; and she so far heeded my words as to demurely promise that she would consider well before taking so serious a step. Our Sieur and I made the voyage to Ville Marie without further incident of note. Three months passed ere the expedition was ready to start. To avoid a possible attack from the Iro- quois, Monsieur de Callieres had decreed that we should take the upper route, by way of the Grand River of the Outawas. At length, on the fifth da/ of June, we set out from La Chine with fifty soldiers and an equal num- ber of artisans and traders. Monsieur de Tonty, who had come back from Michilimackinac, was my brother's captain; Mes- sieurs Dugue and Chacornacle were the lieutenants ; Monsieur Vaillant came as missionary to the Indians, and for our chaplain at the post, I found, to my great joy, that we were to have one whose name has been indeed long absent from these memoirs, yet whose influence for good I might write down upon every page of my life. The dear friend of my boy- hood. Father Constantin del Halle, was to go with us as the first cur6 of Le Detroit. As we gathered for the start on that bright June »E :^:V;.r^^ -m -:^-4 i66 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE morning, our little convoy of twenty-five canoes made a brave pageant on the sparkling waters of the river. There in the sunshine were the soldiers in their blue coats with white facings, the artisans in their blouses, the voyageurs and coureurs de bois, with leathern jerkins brightly broidered with porcupine quills, red caps set jauntily on their dark heads, and upon their swift feet gaudy Indian moccasins ; the black-robed Jesuit and the gray-frocked Recollet missionaries holding aloft the Cross beside the banner of St. Louis; the officers resplendent in their gorgeous uniforms and white plumed cavalier's hats. Truly, the picture they presented must have delighted the eyes of the habitans and dignitaries who thronged upon the green banks of the stream to watch our departure. Monsieur de Cadillac was the last to embark. Having seen that all arrangements were complete, he stepped into his canoe and it was pushed out from the strand. Still, however, he stood erect, a most imposing figure in his azure habit with its crimson sash, a scarlet mantle thrown back from his shoul- ders, his sword by his side, and the breeze stirring the long thick locks of his black hair, as he waved his chapeau in a last adieu to the friends upon the shore. It was, I think, one of the most thrilling mo- ments of even his adventurous life, and as I looked upon him my jwn heart bounded with a sense of exultation. Were we not going to take possession of a new and most fair land; to plant a colony whither, according both to the missionary's prophecy and the prediction of the sorceress, the trade of all the world should one day come? Were we not going to set up the lilies of the Bourbon at the Gates LE DETROIT 167 of the West and say to the English, •' Ye shall come no farther ! " With a joyous " Hoop la ! " the bargemen bent to their task; there was a long sweep of gleaming oars; another and another, as though a brisk wind rippled the surface of the river. With light, strong strokes they clef": the sunlit urrent; freighted as were the canoes with supplies and men, they leaped forward like the deer of the forest; on, on we pressed up the tide, and as we passed, the people of the little c6tes along the water's edge came out to gaze after the expedition, and to cry out to us a " Dieu vous sauve," and a " Bon fortune." Soon the boatmen broke into a song, keeping time as they rowed to the refrain, — " Trois beaux canards s'en vont baignant, En roulant ma boule. Le fils du roi s'en va chassant, Rouli, roulant, ma boule roulant, En roulant ma boule. ** Le fils du roi s'en va chassant, En roulant ma boule — "Avec son grand fusil d'argent. Visa le noir, tua le blanc, Rouli, roulant, ma boule roulant. En roulant ma boule. " Oh fils du roi, tu es m^chant, En roulant ma boule — D'avoir tu^ mon canard blanc, Rouli, roulant, ma boule roulant " Par dessous I'aile il perd son sang, En roulant ma boule. Par les yeux lui sort'nt des diamantes, Et par le bee, Tor et I'argent, Toutes ses plumes s'en vont au vent, Rouli, roulant, ma boule roulant, En roulant ma boule." Ill i68 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE An interval of teady work followed, and then thev raised another folk song, — ' " Nous rftions trois marina ; Tra, lala, lala, lidera; Nous ^tions trois marins, Qui allions en voyaarc. Oh gai J Qui allions en voyage. Le vent nous a jet^s ; Tra, lala, lala, lidera; Le vent nous a jetds sur les c6tes d'Espagne." Thiis with stout hearts and merry chansons, we floated onward until the sun set, and above its rosy afterglow the evening star shone in the western sky, like a beacon of promise to guide us still. When it was nearly dark, for the moon rose late, the boatmen made for a point on the margin of the stream where there was a little' beach, and presently we stepped upon the sand, and the canoes were pulled up out of sight among the trees that skirted the shore. Here in the thicket the men built a fire and pre- pared our evening meal; and here, having dined, we posted a gitard against a surprise from the savages and encamped for the night. ' Day after day, we continued our route, pressing on during the hours of light, and resting in the darkness of the forest; ever in danger from a savage foe yet ever looking forward with glad hearts to the beautiful land of promise beyond. It being the summer season, the weather was for the most part clear and bright, and in the evenings when the moonlight shone upon the waters, or glanced lance-like through the openings of the woods, one grew almost content thus to woo Nature in the wilderness; but now and again we had days of rain, LE DflTROlT 169 with thunder and lightning, when, forsooth, the jade appeared sullen enough, and we endured no little discomfort. Often, too, by the way there were mutterings and complaint, several of the men and o ^ of the officers becoming disaffected. The other officers were, happily, good comrades and wasted no time in idle fault-finding. Among the men, too, there were not a few who be- longed of right to the estate of gentlemen, — younger sons of our Canadian seigneurs, who from a love of adventure and a desire to better their fortunes had come to us as bargemen, voyageuis, and even as arti- sans, albeit 't was afterwards discovered that these last must needs be apprenticed to their trades. The voyage was not without its pleasures and pas- times. By day there were always new scenes to charm the eye ; and at night, when on the border of some grove or upon a pleasant island our camp-fires were lighted, Monsieur de Cadillac and his brother officers gathered about the cheerful blaze. Well I recall those hours when we amused ourselves with gay conversation and reminiscences of bygone days, and my friends smoked many pipes of tobacco. The while, in th6 men's camp, there were laughter, jest, and frolicsome dancing, wherein the picturesque red-capped forms of the voyageurs mingled with the painted figures of our Indian scouts. From the river Creuse which falls with rapid cur- rent into the Outawa, we had a land carriage to another river, and thence a portage of two leagues to the Lake of the Nipicerines. Again, on the River " des Frangois " there were short portages to avoid the five cataracts of the stream. From this point, however, the navigation was easier, and in coasting * I70 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE along the Lake of the Hurons we met with many fair little islands which served us for shelter. At length, after the thirty portages we had had in all, the broad ocean of the lake opened before us Our voyageurs made objections to venturing on its expanse out of sight of land; therefore we kept along the eastern shore, and finally, some six weeks after we had left Montreal, our small flotilla reached the rums of Monsieur du Lhut's abandoned trading- post. Fort St. Joseph. Having tarried to examine the place, our Sieur gave orders that we embark anew, and ere long we entered upon the river which the Baron la Honton described to his friends at Quebec as " the Neck," but which we now know as the upper part of " the 3trait." It was a tranquil scene, and on either hand the green, level country stretched away as far as the eye could reach, except where here and there a fo. -st intervened. Next we came to a curious place, a multitude of half-submerged islets where we saw Indians spearing fish, and where wild ducks and other water-fowl abounded. VVe shot so great a number of the ducks that all available space in the canoes was taken up with them. Then we floated onward over the placid waters of the little lake of St. Claire. Entranced by its peaceful loveliness, I cried out,— " Ah, truly, mon chevalier, you did well to liken this clear lake to a shimmering pearl." "In its pure and retired beauty it forms to my mind a vraisemblance oi the Blessed Claire in her cell," exclaimed Father Constantin. with pious enthusiasm. On the margin of these fair waters we encamped, ll 4-' LE DfiTROn «7« and the following d;.y took to the canoes once more for the last stage of our voyage, — a short one, as it proved, for after two or three hours, as we rounded a pc'int at the southern extremity of the lake, we saw ahead of us two islands. " Sec yonder, illustrious Sieur, the two sentries set to challenge our progress," called Ren6 de Monteil, dit Sans R{>mission, one of the bargemen, to Mon- sieur de Cadillac. " The island to the left, in its habit of rich verdure, puts me in mind of the courtier in velvet who guards the sleeping-room of the King," I ventured in a low tone to Lieutenant Chacornacle, whose place in the boat was near to mine. " And that other enveloped in woods, has it not a likeness to a mysterious chief enwrapped in the folds of a fine pelt or blanket?" said Dugu^, leaning across to us. " Perchance the Manitou of the strait has stationed his spirits there to forbid our nearer approach to his resting-place," I heard the soldier La Girofle remark to his comrades in a neighboring boat. " We will render them powerless, if any such evil spirits there be," said Father Vaillant, in a loud voice ; and therewith he made the sacred sign over the island, while Frere Constantin murmured the formula used for the blessing of new lands. We passed the place unmolested. Anon, at a sig- nal from our Sieur, the boatmen rested their oars, and the graceful canoes of elm ba'-k drifted on the cur- rent, as with a keen interest mingled with a feeling of awe we looked before us down the broad shining river, the real Detroit! Monsieur de Cadillac rose from his place in the canoe and surveyed the scene. 172 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE It was a prospect to make the heart thrill with joy and thankfulness to God, who has made Nature so surpassing fair even in her remotest retreats and who had brought us safe through so many perils to this beautiful country. The time was about three hours after noon on the twenty-fourth day of July. The midsummer heat was oppressive, but for the nonce, I wot, not one of the company was conscious of it. Before us, with the sun shining full upon it, stretched the broad river, away, away, as far as the eye could reach; in the distance a glittering sea of gold and silver, — near by a swift current of sapphire waters. On either side of the strait (as former voyageurs had told Cadillac) lay fine verdant plains adorned with many fruit-trees. In the air was the fragrance of the wild vin-s of the grape and of sweet-growing plants, and at the sound of our voices a deer that had cone down to the margin of the waters to drink, bounded away and was lost in a clump of chestnut- trees. I was rejoiced that none of our party got a shot at his sylvan majesty; at the moment, it seemed to me, the report of a musket would have grated on the ear of any man with a love of Nature in his soul. And so I think would our Sieur have felt had he marked the circumstance. But he? As he stood looking down the river, he seemed for the moment as one exalted, so that the eyes of all in the boats were turned upon him. A light not from the sunshine shone upon his face, and his form took on a grandeur as if the archangel Michael had knighted him with his celestial sword. For he was upon the threshold of his heaven- LE DETROIT »73 given inheritance, and as he bared his head and raised his eyes to the sky, I knew his prayer was something such as this, — " O God, thou hast delivered unto me great pos- sessions. Praise and thanksgiving be unto Thee, and blessed be Thy name forever." So grand was his bearing that Chacornacle whis- pered me 't was like a king come to his realm ; and in truth, it greatly impressed all of the company. The moment passed; La Mothe looked down at the chart in his hand ; the captain of the voyageurs, who had before come through these waters, gave a word to his rowers which caused them to bring him quickly alongside the bark of Cadillac. According to the chart, a short distance below the two islands, there had once been an isolated Indian village called by the savages Teucha-Grondie. The captain spoke a few words to our Sieur and pointed to the shore. Then we glided on, until, at a favorable place on the westerly bank. Monsieur de Cadillac gave the word for the beaching of the canoes. It was obeyed with alacrity, and anon the men leaped out and, uniting in willing energy, amid laughter, jest, and singing, dragged the boats far up on the pebbly strand. A small number of Indians, Outawas, and Hurons whose lodges were near, startled yet friendly, came running down to meet us, and we gave them pres- ents of beads and cloth which we had brought from Montreal. On the crest of the green bank all of the company fell on their knees, while the missionaries Del Halle and Vaillant with prayer and chant set up the symbol of Christianity. % 174 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Beside the Cross stood Monsieur de Cadillac clasping the staff of the Royal Standard; indeed' to my mind the gold6n lilies gleaming on their white field never seemed fairer than as the silken banner floated m the summer breeze above this oasis in the wilderness. And now. as the resolute band of officers and soldiers, voyageurs, civilians, and coureurs de bois sprang to their feet once more, the clear rich voice of La Mothe awoke the echoes of the fair solitudes, — I hereby take possession of this site and of the lands on both sides of Le D^roit, from the Lake of the Hurons to the Lake of the Eries, in the name of his August Majesty, King Louis the Four- teenth of France, for the erection of a Fort and Irading-Post according to the power and authority granted to me by the Royal Minister, the most illustrious Comte Pontchartrain. And in virtue of the authority and powers vested in me as Command- ant of this same, I decree that this Post be called Fort Pontchartrain." At these words he thrust the end of the staff into the ground; the swords of Messieurs de Tonty, Dugu^, Chacornacle, and my own as well, flashed m the sunlight, and there pealed across the blue waters, and re-echoed from the woods the triumphant cry,— ^ "Vive le Roi ! Vive le Sieur Cadillac du Detroit! " " Thereafter the position for the stockade was se- lected, and in the near-by groves the axes of the woodsmen were soon ringing, that the first rude protection of the post might be established by night. ^ Thus there was work of some kind for every one while the sun sank to the west, leaving at last upon I LE DETROIT ^7S the face of the waters a rosy afterglow, wherein shone lights of amethyst and amber; and the stars came forth, and, later, "the moon shone down upon the sturdy band of weary and houseless men sleeping upon the river-bank, the first white settlers of Le Detroit" CHAPTER THIRTEENTH PLACE AUX DAMES 'T^HE winter that followed was dreary enough for -I all of us. Nevertheless our small rircie at l^ort Pontchartrain formed a congenial company There was Cadillac himself, brilliant in conversa- tion and repartee; there was Monsieur de Tonty suave elegant, and professing a devoted friendship for the Commandant; there were Dugu^ and Chi cornacle, ever gav comrades; and Fr^re Constantin learned, accompl. i. d, courtly, and a model of good- ness and zeal in nis daily life. Monsieur VaiUant and our Sieur unhappily did not chime. He was for the most part away with the Indians, and arduous and self-sacrificing was his work among them until he was recalled to France. For our divertissements, we officers had sword- practice and singing, and as I played a little upon the flageolet, my music was much in demand. There were dancing and card-playing as well, and eau de vie for those that wished. Ac for the garrison, and the mot.., .umber of artisans, boatmen, and wood-rangers who made up the population of our little town, the older men were wont to gather around the open fire in the great cabins of the Indian chiefs, smoking and tell- ing stories; while the youths passed the long even- ings in merriment, with dancing, feasting, when the PLACE AUX DAMES "77 wherewith was to be had, and, alack, too often in carousing. The first voyageurs who came through the strait after the breaking up of the ice brought news which gladdened the hearts of those among our officers and soldiers who had left wives in Montreal and Quebec. Madame Cadillac, Madame de Tonty, several other ladies, and a little band of the soldiers' wives, were on the way to join their husbands. Th^rSse with her wonted energy had gone to Three Rivers the September before, and, having according to La Mothe's previous instructions, bought up stores for the journey there and at Montreal, had, with her party, pressed on to Fort Frontenac, where they spent the inclement season. During the days that followed, the sentries who watched the river had a pleasant task. Many times also did Cadillac and I wander down the bank of the stream, beyond the fortifications, and gaze abroad upon the blue waters as far as the eye could reach, scanning the horizon for a sign of the bateaux that were bringing nearer the brave, true-hearted women who, leaving friends, and kindred, and the comforts of civilization, were coming to make homes in the wilderness for those to whom they were bound by the dearest ties. I too was eager to see Thirlse. Not only did I long for the society of my sister, but I knew she would be able to tell me of Barbe. Surely she, whom still in my thoughts I often called our dear demoiselle,-^ she who erstwhile had been so light- hearted, so dependent upon the company of her friends, — Barbe could not live on indefinitely in the seclusion of a lonely seigneury of the St. Lawrence ! Would she return to Beauport, or to the Guyon house IS 178 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE on the Place d'Armes at Quebec ; or, more probably, would she not take up her residence with the family of the noble De Longueil? Yes, I was impatient to ask Th^r^se concerning these matters. Early one afternoon, as I stood looking down the strait, my vigilance was rewarded by the sight of a dark object just at the line where the blue-gray clouds and the silver waters met. I might have thought it a wild duck which as it flew dipped its wings to the surface of the stream, but, at the dis- tance, only a much larger object would have been visible. The jovial Jolicoeur chanced to be the sentry of the time. "Look, Jolicoeur," I cried. "What is that dark speck upon the river, — a fog stealing up from the Lake of the Eries, think you, or is it the smoke of an Indian fire blown from the land?" The good fellow came up beside me and swept the horizon with his gaze. " No, pardieu, it is a canoe ! " he exclaimed. " Indian fishers, perchanc " I hazarded, not wish- ing to encourage him to give the signal over-soon. Presently, behind the canoe there came into view another, and then a third. Jolicoeur called the news in a loud voice ; it was taken up by the guard farther along, and within a few minutes every civilian in our little town was upon the river-bank watching the distant objects, which, albeit still indistinct, could only be a flotilla. It was possible, however, that the occupants of the canoes might be Indians, — a party of redskins returning from the lower lakes, or perhaps even a band of Iroquois come with treacherous offerings of peace belts as they had done at Michilimackinac. PLACE AUX DAMES ,79 Our Sieur Cadillac accordingly ordered the gar- rison under arms. The great bateaux came nearer; now a white banner waved from the prow of the fore- most craft as it glided up the shining pathway made by the sunlight. A sunbeam kissed the flag, and at the same moment we beheld its golden fleur-de-lis A glad shout went up from the spectators on the F^rtt-L;?;' " ""-' *= «"■= «- f~- The cry re-echoed from the woods and the oppo- site shore; a salute of welcome was fired from our tort the soldiers lined up to welcome the travellers with military formality. The canoes had almost reached the settlement. Monsieur de Cadillac and his officers went down to the waters edge. I followed in company with Fr^re Constantin; the small throng of settlers pressed for- ward likewise, and the savages hastened from their Villages, especially those from the village of the friendly Iroquois; for the Indians rightly regarded the coming of these valiant white women as an evi- dence of the continued good-will of the French towards their nations. Jl y^r ^^l "^^T ' ^'^^ ^"' J°^'^^ Canadiennes ! " shouted with enthusiasm our people on the shore. Their exuberantly happy greeting was answered by the boatmen of the canoe. ^ '' Vive, Vive ! les habitans du Detroit ! " Vive, Vive ! le Commandant du Roi I " Now we could distinguish the figures in the canoe. ^ans who f'" 'JT' '^' ''""'"^y ^^'•'"^ °f '^^ Cana- dians who formed the escort of the women, the happy rars'l'^v''""- .^"^ "^y ^^^^ P--^ - ^° the whrnL flT J:if'r ^"^ P^-^^^P^^y "^"^^^ the bark whence floated the fleur-de-lis. i8o A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE There I saw Madame de Tonty, buxom and comely, a charming picture of a young matron of New France, with several pretty children gathered about her; and Madame Cadillac, handsome and graciously digni- fied, as became the wife of our Sieur, yet with her old bright smile. Against her knee leaned little Jacques, her merry six-year-old son, who called out lustily at sight of his father and young Antoine, who had come to Le Detroit with us. How De la Mothe's stern visage lighted up as he saw his wife and boy ! Much as I admired him for his natural air of command, his haughty and even arrogant bearing, and the flashing glance that obtained from all an homage to his authority, I never thought him grander-looking, piore worthy of respect, than when his proud countenance softened thus with affection for his noble-hearted Therese and their children. But, my faith! my gaze strayed quickly even from the countenance of my sister. For there, just beyond Therese, I beheld as lovely a vision as ever the dream of a poet portrayed. In the stern of the canoe sat a young woman fair as the white fleurs-de-lis that grow in our garden at home in Quebe-, her uncovered head crowned with a wealth of Jght hair that now shone golden in the sunlight; a woman in the perfection of her youthful beauty. It was she whose dear face had been so often before my mind's eye during the past year. " Barbe ! " I exclaimed involuntarily under my breath; and so great was my astonishment that I stood stupidly staring at her, as if she were indeed an apparition. " Barbe ! " She was paler than in the old days, and the gown of white wool that she wore gave her a PLACE AUX DAMES i8i spirituelle appearance as, averting her gaze from the curious stare of the watchers on the river-bank, she looked down upon the swift current of the river and trailed a hand in the blue water. 'T was but one of the little graces of manner, as natural to her as breathing, and yet, self-contained man as I was, my eyes grew misty as I beheld her thus. To the other women this was a joyful coming ashore. It meant the reunion of husbands and wives, the re-kindling of home hearth-fires, the beginning of a new life with those they loved best. But to Barbe? She was come a stranger to a strange land. Why had she come.? To es ape from the haunting sorrow which had doubtles pur- sued her from Chateauguay to Beauport, and .hence to Quebec. Alack, poor girl, did she not remember that grief had come to her out of the wilderness? "Babette, dear Babette," cried the boy Antoine joyfully, after a glad recognition of his mother. His call aroused me. I sprang forward and reached the canoe just as the Indians ran it ashore. There were others almost as swift as I, and these with glad welcome assisted Th^rlse and Madame de Tonty to debark. For my part, having taken out little Jacques and passed him on to Jolicoeur, I turned to Barbe, and sweeping her a bow which might have satisfied a princess royal, said, — "A thousand greetings, fair chatelaine." Then, forthwith, ere she had a chance to protest, I lifted her in my arms, as I had often done when she was -. child, and carried her up the beach to where the sands were dry. So amazed was she that she did not get her breath to say a word until I had set her down again. She was angry, I couH see ; but presently her amuse- I i iRi A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE ment at my impetuosity gained the ascendancy, and she broke into a rippling laugh. " Mon dieu, Monsieur Normand," she cried, wavine ^lr\ 7u'^ ^'^'^'■'' °^ ^'' ^^^ sprighthness: are these the primitive manners that obtain in hesc parts? Tis not surprising perhaps to see the lonely exiles of Le Detroit welcome their wives with 5ron^'r:ti've '•• '' "°' ^°"^ ^°"^^"^>' ^^^^"^ -- Ja ^^u^^f '?' P^''^^'^»"&that she was quizzing me. and then kneeling upon one knee. I raised her hand to my hps, saying respectfully, yet with all the gal- lantry I could summon. — ** oti^ruA^fV '^^''"'''^ ^^"^ privilege, an Outawa or other rude fe low or mayhap one of the other officers would have lifted you out of the boat; therefore for-' give me albeit I am not sorry for my daring." * hh bien ! I have not come so far only to quarrel ^.th you. so I must needs forgive, little "Is you de serve such clemency, even according to your own showing." she answered archly, and suffered me to h^up rnetan^ ^'^" "' ^^ ^^^ ' ^^^^^ -duct But n(n my brother La Mothe came to greet her and with him De Tonty. Chacornacle. and Dugu? VeTs'rsTelf ^ '-''' ''^"^ ^ -^^^ --'^y of " Madame de Chateauguay," said Cadillac, with his grandest manner "a thousand welcomes to Fort Pontchartrainl We are proud that Madame CadHhc has been able to induce you to accompany her to Le heTfor'so'^H^'' I^ontchartrain is alrealy b^eholde„ t her for so charming a guest, whom now she bids me to conduct to the manor-house." "I thank you, Monsieur de la Mothe," answered PLACE AUX DAMES 183 tije young chatelaine with graceful dignity. " and for 1 have come with Madame Cadillac but as a sister- therefore let not your chivalrous courtesy an^th; gracousness of the Seigneuress of Le Dc[E^^ 3F^Z¥P^^*?i¥^^M^I^i CHAPTER FOURTEENTH AN INTERVIEW WITH MILADI O^l fair forenoon, shortly after the arrival of v^ the little company which had wrought such a transformation among us, the sun looked down to find the settlement again in gala array. It was the day appointed for the May games, postponed from the first of he month that they might be witnessed by the gentler sex, whose presence would also so greatly enhance the pleasure of the holiday dancing I had gone to live with Frire Constantin, but on this occasion I repaired early to the house of our iiieur which stood upon the crest of the knoll that sloped down to the Chemin du Ronde. As I approached, I saw the farmer-soldier La Girofle and the bargeman Sans Remission, digging a hole in the ground, while the small Pani slave Jules, a boy of seven or eight years, busied himself in picking the last shreds of bark from a straight young birch- tree which lay on the grass near by and was ?o serve as the May-pole. To the sides of the pole blocks had been nailed. Thus, later, a nimble man might climb to the top, where had been left the little tuft of branches called the bouquet. To this was attached a rainbow-painted staff whence would soon float the white banner of the Bourbons. T rr;^/°°f May-day to you, mes honnetes hommes," ill °,"^ ^^'J'^'^y *° *^^ ^^'-J^^^^- "A good aim at the pole and a pretty partner in the dance." n >;,M HmW^-'^mmt^s^: 1 86 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE " The same to you, Monsieur Guyon," returned La Girofle, with a familiarity whereat I could not take offence on this festive day. •• And for me, monsieur, please add the wish for a goodly draught of our Sieur's eau de vie," urged Sans Remission, looking up in a waggish manner. " La Girofle here is all for the maids, but I — phouff ! a draught of good liqueur fires my heart more than would the glances of the handsomest fillette of New France." " As you will, each man according to his fancy," I responded with a laugh. " Still, you know w^. have a saying from Holy Writ, ' Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging.' I fear it will use you worse than any fillette who holds Way over La Girofle." " Qui, oui, for my fillette is most gracious ; I have known her but three days, yet she has promised to marry me on the fete of St. Jean Baptiste," returned the latter, cheerily. " Ay, ay, the little waiting-maid of Madame Cadil- lac," said Sans Remission, as he shut one eye and looked at me knowingly with the other. " Bah, she will have promised to marry a score of others by this day fortnight." La Girofle was not dismayed by the prediction. " He who dares step in between us shall have scant quarter," he declared; and forthwith the daredevil fellow fell to singing with all his might, in a voice that was naturally rich and full, — " Vive la Canadienne et ses jolis yeux doux." Meantime the people had begun to gather upon the green. " Vive la Canadienne et ses jolis yeux doux.'* *i ^v, '!W*h^^-']^^-^J.^2iiss£-''" 'k: 'P ■yaf vs;: wit-i.. '£md' ^^3 AN INTERVIEW WITH MILAD! 187 To every man of New France the words of the old song will ever conjure up before his mind's eye the face he loves best ' " Ses jolis yeux doux," I repeated to myself, as I proceeded across the sward, " ses jolis yeux doux." At the moment the door of the house opened, and there came out, on the broad gallery that fronted on the river, the party of the Seigneur, — Monsieur de Cadillac, his wife Ther^se, their little sons Antoine and Jacques, and the young Chitelaine of Chateau- guay, Miladi Barbe, of whose sweet eyes I had been dreaming. Our company was soon joined by the wife of De Tonty, and her children, the lieutenant himself, and the other officers. When all were seated, a deputation of the habitans, headed by De Lorme the interpreter, came up to the step of the gallery. " Monsieur de Cadillac," began De Lorme, after a profound bow, — " Monsieur de Cadillac, we pray you accord us permission to plant our May-pole before your house, that it may bring you • Health, happiness, and cheer, With good fortune all the year.' " My brother the Commandant rose to his feet and ceremoniously granted the request The cur6 asked a blessing upon the festivities; then La Girofle, Sans Remission, and others slowly raised and planted the pole. When it was firmly in place, habitans, voyageurs, and soldiers broke forth again into the gay refrain, — " Vive la jolie Canadienne, Vive la jolie Canadienne.'' i88 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE After the chorus our Sieur advanced and eood- humoredly accepted the column of happy omen- oledt'In .U T- ^' "" "^^ ^^PP^^' and Cadillac pledged the King and wished prosperity to all present. During the short delay^aused V th's tappmg of the sph-its. the agile coureur de bois Sans ^^tX^ ''' ^°^^' -' '-- ^^^ ^°P ^e now " Vive le Roi, — Vive le Seigneur du Detroit." The cry was taken up by the throng below: the drum sounded, the bugler blew his most stirr ng blast, the voice of the little cannon of the on saluted the May-pole. ' " A brave holiday, is it hot, Madame la ChStelaine ? " I sa.d, approaching Miladi Barbe, who stood leaning agamst one of the cedar posts of the gallery. Thf other dames had gone forward to admire the pole and exchange greetings with the people, and now she remamed alone, viewing the scene with an in- genuous pleasure, as if she had put aside her own sadness that the least shadow might not be cast upon this gala day for others. " A brave holiday," I repeated. " Do you know of what I am reminded when I behold your interest in our simple merry-making? " " I am not a sibyl to read your thoughts, Monsierr JNormand," she replied with a flash of her old-time sportiveness, "yet — did I venture to try — " "What would you say?" I urged with the foolish eagerness of a boy. .u"^^^'?^ festivities recall to you by contrast the May-dances you saw in Old France, and the beauty of the great ladies who as spectators conde- scended to grace the scene with their presence " ■i^'^w^>^^mmmm^:^^wi^'.-p'w. AN INTERVIEW WITH MILADI 189 I gave her a quick glance; but her gaze was fixed upon the little tuft of green near the top of the May-pole, and if I fancied she was less pale than a moment before, perhaps it was the effect of the sun- light shining on the gallery. I opined she should have understood me better. But, though she was my sis- ter's guest, so taken up had she been since her arrival by the attentions of every one at the post that until now I had kept aloof from her. "Phouff! no, indeed, my reminiscences were not of Old France," I rejoined with a degree of im- patience, adding awkwardly: "And as for the ladies, assuredly my thoughts do not need to travel ac. ss the seas in order to pay homage to beauty." Miladi's eyes unmistakably twinkled with merri- ment " No," I continued, somewhat nettled ; " I was only thinking of certain springtimes now long past, when a dreaming schoolboy with his fusee across his shoulder went a-Maying with a gay little light-haired maid who danced and skipped before him all the way; laughing back at him as he stumbled abstract- edly after her, or challenging him to a race over the newly green meadows of Beauport, yet never ven- turing far from his side after all, lest some dark Indian form might spring out from a clump of bushes and snatch her away ere he could bring down the savage as one shoots a prowling wolf of the forest. And how the color of the early violets just matched her eyes and the arbutus her cheeks, as I teasingly told her; and how now and again she bade me hold a ' bouton d'or,' or buttercup, under her chin, that I might see, by its golden reflection there, whether she liked the famous galettes au beurre of Aunt Guyon, even though I knew very well 1 :?m 190 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE already she had ever a sweet tooth for the tooth- some cakes." •• Yes, yes," interposed Miladi softly, encircling the rough cedar pillar with her white arm, and inclining her pretty head towards me, — an artless and uncon- scious trick of manner natural to her from her childhood. Holding her attention, I went on : " And then my remembrance flew back to a day not in spring, altnough the morning was fair, and there was joyous commotion in Quebec. A pretty fillette chose as her cavalier a youth just home from Acadia, that she might go down with him to welcome the home- coming of the great Governor Frontenac. How en- thusiastic grew the little ' demoiselle at the cheering wherewith the populace greeted him who proved their deliverer during the siege that followed. And It was not in spring, either, yet there came to my niind, too, a day when, as by a touch of the wands of tne Dames Blanches (White Fairies), the pretty child was transformed into a fair demoiselle who, with the spirit of the Lady of Fort St. John, defied a Boston- nais officer, a doughty admiral, ay, a whole English fleet, and selected an obscure young Canadian lieu- tenant of militia to champion her cause before the Governor." As I proceeded, Miladi Barbe had averted her face- now, when she turned her eyes upon me once more', I saw that they glistened with tears. Nevertheless she shook her head and laughed lightly. " Ah, Nor- mand," she said, "how amiable and pleasant you were in those days ! What has so sadly changed you ? " -r b ''I changed! I exclaimed in unfeigned surprise " Twas not I, but the fair demoiselle, who altered. vSJ'Vr 'wrattiBc^ AN INTERVIEW WITH MILADI 19, Too quickly, alack, all the cavaliers of Quebec beeai to pay her court, and the dull friend of her childhood could not successfully vie with them for her favor " R.rh:°'."°'."°' '^Y.^' ^^"'^^^ changed," persisted Barbe; ''yet we will not argue the matter, for. Nor- mand, it is not on this point I now complain. It is this -- 1 knew you as the friend of my happy childhood at Beauport ; I knew you as the morose cousin of Quebec who was wont to take me to task because I was not sufficiently demure to please his fancy I knew the friend who laid his sympathy at my feet at Cha.eauguay. But since I have been here, since we have met again, my cousin, in sooth, I do not know you at all. ;; And why ? " I asked, at sea as to her meaning. Why ? Because in the old days I was ever to you Barbe or Babette, or the little demoiselle, and you were far more chary of praise than of blame, more straightforward than flattering. Now I am Madame le Moyne. de Chateauguay. or Madame la Chatelaine. And such a preux chevalier as you have become, -until now you have scarce spoken three words to me save in the language of compliment. You search for honeyed phrases, as if I had neither sense nor reason." And with a girlish pout she tapped her foot impatiently upon the floor of the gallery. Is there aught in the worid so like to be wide of the mark as a hazard of what will please a woman? But you ARE Madame de Chateauguay." I pro- tested stupidly. "Could I be such f chiri as to neglect to give you the title due to the position you hold as the daughter-in-law of the noble Sieur de Longueil Still, for the sake of old times. I will gladly call you Miladi Barbe, if you will grant me the w%iiM>tiMwmmiii.'*^isHsmjKmi.*. laSLMf^wmtT^t .1^ .'m 192 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE privilege. As for compliment, is it not the language of courtesy, the homage due to beauty everywhere? " With a droll little sigh of deprecation Miladi clapped her delicate hands over her ears. Normand." she cried, " formal compliments may be very well for strangers, as the current coin of our society of New France, that would fain ape the courtly manners of Versailles. But from you I ex- pect the simple sincerity of speech to which I have hitherto been accustomed. And— and you shall call me Barbe, or Babette, or else nothing at all, for you arc my cousin, my brother. Therefore remember that we may not be at odds. Ah, look ! They are going to salute the May-pole. Monsieur de Cadillac takes a fusee and prepares to fire; let us go nearer to watch the sport." ' Thereupon she stepped off the gallery and tripped across the grass to join Th^r^se and Madame de Tonty and the group about the May-pole. I followed slowly after, being betwixt two minds as to whether to be in a good or ill humor after this wordy passage at arms. 'Twas pleasant that she had asked me to call her by the name of her childhood, that she would fain re-establish the old friendliness between us; yet, on the other hand. I had no wish to be her brother, and liked not, therefore, the rdle she designed me to enact. For it was long since I had ceased to combat with my own heart, whose secret had been revealed to me upon the ever-memorable day in Paris when Cadillac thought I had been touched at fence. In my pride I was resolved to hide the truth from others, and most of all from Barbe herself, but her coming thus unexpectedly to Le Detroit had put me off my guard. AN INTERVIEW WITH MILADI 193 I had loved her always; at first, indeed, with the love one has for an engaging child, but for long with the devotion which a man gives only once, and to his Ideal of womanly purity and loveliness. It was a love so familiar that only at her marriage, when I found 1 must needs pluck it out, only then did I dis- cover that it had formed my happiness. Not to have struggled against it then would have been but to in- suit her. But when she was once more free, and ever since, she had reigned in my heart. Was It her pleasure or her kindness, now, to let me know that if she would not accept from me the lan- guage of flattery, still less would she have from me the speech of a lover ? My compliments, forsooth, were too ill-framed to please so fastidious a beauty ! What a fool I was to teel so elated a moment before! Well at least I would not be made the sport of her coquetries ' Now I know that these coquetries arose from a guileless wish to please, and not from any intent to deceive or deeply wound either the hearts or the vanity of those who paid her court ; but then I looked at the matter differently, and it was in a puzzled mood that I sauntered across the sward and, instead of joining the ladies, took up a position on the edge of the ring of spectators. ^ Cadillac had opened the sport of blackening the May-pole, by firing at it a gun loaded with powder only ; his wife Th^rgse, Madame de Tonty, and Miladi ^arbe shot at it with good aim ; next De Tonty and .he other officers, De Reaume. and I blazed away at the shining white mark; finally, all the soldiers and settlers took their turn, until the stately column was blackened its entire length. In the shade of the groves near by, tables were *3 f« ' 1 ll If M it J^STnr.V^"--'?'.. .'» -. iaf^'fT. -ZSmt.^ 'Viti 194 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE spread for a feast, and there was dancing upon the green. •' Was ever a more fascinating scene ? " I said to Frire Constantin, as we stood together, watching the merry-making. In the "ronde" wove in and out many pictur- esque forms, — the habitans and voyageurs in their holiday garb, their blue tunics fresh and bright, the seams of their deerskin trousers trimmed with yellow fringe, their moccasins ornamented with beads and porcupine quills, their scarlet caps and sashes con- spicuous bits of color ; the soldiers' wives in gayly tinted jupes and wonderful head-dresses; the sol- diers wearing proudly ^their uniforms of azure faced with white. Now, in front of the gallery Monsieur de Cadil- lac .leads Th^rSse to the dance also; they are quickly surrounded by their little circle, the officers resplen- dent in gold-laced habits, cavalier hats, and with powdered hair that iiangs down upon their shoulders in a queue tied with a riband ; Mesdames Cadillac and De Tonty, and the fair ChStelaine of Chateauguay, displaying the rich costumes they brought from the land of civilization for just these occasions, — silks and brocades sent over in the ships from the mother country, and cut according to the fashions of the most splendid court of Europe. I wished for the skill and colors of an artist that I might put it all upon canvas. " Ay, it is a joyous picture of an Arcadia in the wilderness," rejoined the gentle Recollet, well pleased to see his flock engaged in innocent recreation, and forgetting for the nonce the many hardships of their lives. " May Fort Pontchartrain long remain thus contented and happy 1 " AN INTERVIEW WITH MILADI 195 a^\^^^ cordially do I say Amen to your wish, good friend.'' I responded somewhat absently, for through all the mazes of the dance my eyes followed pI.J'"*" u ^^"T^ ^"^ P>^"^"^ ^acc of Miladi Rnw*^^ "i*" ""°^ '^^ ""^^'""^ ^>*h ^>er partner, orthloLde""'' " ^"^^^ ^ ^°"^^^^ '^ ^"«"^ I have heard since then of a painter lad who came up from an obscure village to Versailles some three years after we were there awaiting the pleasure of !o K ,,"^' ministers, -a young painter who made 80 bold as to depict the ladies of the Court thus dancing on the green, and even put into their hands the crooks of shepherdesses. One Antoine Watteau he was. and instead of being punished for his audacity muZft ?J"'\f'"°' ^y'^^ ^'"g' ^"d made much of by the nobles. Thus, by his rural scenes peopled with courtly Corydons and shepherdesses in rich attire, he has won both fame and fortune Yes, Watteau was his name; but never did his poetic brush depict fairer lady than was Barbe at the raising of the first May-pole of Le Detroit* CHAPTER FIFTEENTH THE RED DWARF ONE morning, having left my quarters at the habitation of Fr&re Constantin to go to our Sieur for my instructions as secretary, I found my- self among another gala throiig, assembled upon the green in front of the manor. We of New France dearly love a pageant of ceremony, and are ever ready to lighten our tasks with a holiday. I had been away for some weeks with the Recol- let upon one of his missionary journeys, — which I delighted to share since they lay through the beauti- ful, mysterious woods, and also because they gave me his close companionship. The significance of the present gathering was at first lost upon me, therefore, but soon all was made plain. The crowd divided to the right and left, and along the pathway thus formed a man, finely appar- elled, approached the house at a slow and stately pace. I recognized the stanch De Lorme, the King's interpreter, coming to render to our Sieur the tribute of faith and homage for the rich tract of farm-land above the fort which Monsieur de Cadillac had re^ cently granted to him. He was a handsome, rather pompous man, of about forty years of age, with flashing, restless eyes and long dark locks, and was well qualified in appearance for the rdle he played. tJWm >>. , y^;;: THE RED DWARF ,97 Arrived upon the gallery, De Lorme stood a mo- ment, faced the spectators, and then, wheeling about and assuming his most ostentatious air, gave three resonant knocks upon the oaken door. It was opened by Gaspard the Acadian, Cadillac's major-domo, who bowed low and ceremoniously waited to be told the errand of the visitor, albeit he knew it very well. Ere De Lorme could state it in due form, however, an mcident occurred which was not upon the program. From within came the sound of boyish laughter, and the next moment, out from the shadowed en- trance hall rushed Cadillac's young sons, Antoine and httle Jacques, brushing past Gaspard, and nearly overthrowing the pompous De Lorme, in the romp- ing excitement of a merry chase. Jacques in the lead but apparently fated to be quickly captured by his elder brother. " Fi done ! young messieur??, hoia ! Stop, 1 p-ay you I " cried the poor major-domo, while the older men in the crowd threw up their hands in horror that tradition and the conventions should be thus outraged. But, unheeding the sensation they had caused, the boys broke through the throng and came running in my direction. Ere I could intercept them, the soldier Jolicceur sprang forward, caught up little Jacques, and set the struggling child upon hi- shoulder. "Hist, petit bon homme!" he cried. "You will want to see what goes on." The bluff sergeant was the lads' especial friend- many the story he had to tell them, and many of his free hours were given to their amusement. ! i L ,. '&.'■'' m>~".ittS'C' "=;'-•■ :-''M.^s^'. 198 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Had they not no\v oeen stayed, much I fear me they would have repented their breach of discipline and their escape from the house; for Cadillac had alread)' begun to train them to military obedience, and Th^rese was a strict though a gentle mother. Meantime Jean Favart, dit De Lorme, having re- covered his breath and smoothed down his ruffled dignity, requested an interview with the lord of the manor, Gaspard retired to acquaint the Seigneur, and De Lornn stepped back upon the grass. Anon Monsieur de Cadillac came forth from the house, wearing his blue court uniform and cavalier's hat with its long white' plume, his sword, as ever, by his side. De Lorme uncovered his head, came up to the step of the gallery, and, kneeling upon both knees before our Sieur, said in a loud voice, — " Monsieur du Detroit, Monsieur du Detroit, Mon- sieur du Detroit, I render you fealty and the hom- age due to you on account of my fief of De Lorme which I hold of your Seigneury of Detroit; and I proclaim my willingness to acquit the seigneurial and feudal rentes and all other lawful claims in their season, beseeching you to be my good lord and to accept me in faith and homage." With the gracious condescension that so well became him. La Mothe accepted the fealty of De Lorme, bade him rise to his feet, and gave him a draught of wine in a silver goblet which Gaspard had set upon a rustic table close at hand. Then the sturdy interpreter, again bowing low, gave place to Pierre Malet, Jacob de Mersac, Jean Richard, and others who had also been granted lands and in turn offered their homage and received a THE RED DWARF 199 cup of wine, — Gaspard filling it from a great silver flagon the burnishing whereof was his especial pride. After, there was feasting ar j daruMng as on the May holiday. Pleasing as was the scent to me, I w .. more inter- ested to mark its effect upon the two boys, whose youthful chatter to Jolicoeur I plainly caught. " What is it all about, Jolicoeur," urged Jacques, from his perch on the soldier's shoulder. " De Lorme and the others are paying homage to Monsieur de la Mothe, as they will render fealty to you some day," replied the good fellow simply, as though this explanation was sufficient. . " But it is Antoine who will be seigneur after my father," protested the spirited boy, sportively strug- gling to free himself from the iron clasp of the sergeant. " Ay, to be sure, Master Antoine will be lord of Le Detroit," responded Jolicoeur, with an approving glance at the lithe, well-built lad by his side, while at the same time he shifted the restless Jacques to the other shoulder; "but you too, mon petit maltre, shall one day be a grand seigneur. This seigneury of the strait will grow too great for one man to manage, and our Sieur will partition it among his children, as the Sieur de Longueil divided his lands among his sons. You will be lord of the Ecorse and the Grosse Isle, down yonder." " No, that tract is foi Madeleine ; I have heard my father say as much," corrected Antoine, with a shake of the head. " Ay, ay, for one of the little demoiselles, your sisters, whom Madame Cadillac left at school with the Ursulines of Quebec? " said Jolicoeur, interroga- tively. " Eh bien, then perchance you will have the m :ii 200 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE rich lands of the Grosse Pointe and along the upper shore, Mattre Jacques, — yes, mon bon petit maitre, you are sure to be a rich seigneur, one day." '' When I am, Jolicoeur, you shall have the best fief in my gift, and when you come to pay me hom- age I will give you a draught of wine out of a gold goblet," declared the child, clasping the neck of the hardy soldier in an impulsive embrace. " Ah, verily you have the heart of a good seign- eur " answered Jean Joly, patting the little fellow with hearty affection. " Jolicoeur shall have a fief from me too," main- tained Antoine, stoutly. " I will nol give him up to you altogether, brother; the seigneur of Le Detroit cannot spare such men as he. And when he comes to acknowledge me lord, I will give him a golden fagon, full of wine for himself." The sergeant laid a hand caressingly upon the arm of the elder lad. "Thanks, thanks, my young gentlemen, if I live long enough, I shall be no lack-land," he said; "yet look you, so the wine be good, you need not trouble to buy the golden cup and flagon. Jean Joly asks nothing better than burnished silver to drink from ; but the wine, ah, that may be as grand as you please'. When I come into my fiefs, if you would fain treat me far beyond my deserts, a draught of Burgundy, "You shall have such wine as is served at the King's table," promised Antoine gravely, whereat Jolicoeur laughed again, — the pleasant, contagious laugh that wells up from a brave, cheerful, and un- selfish heart. I turned away, amused by the talk of the three merry comrades, for Jean Joly, despite his manly ■fii ^^■iWh'mm. THE RED DWARF 201 strength and fortituuc, was in his hght-heartedness as much a boy as either of the other two. Never- theless, by the involuntary sigh that followed his ^lappy laugh, I knew he was thinking he would either be dead or else a feeble old man by the time the sons of Cadillac would come into possession of their seigneuries. That evening I walked with our Sieur beside the river. In the clear summer sky the light of the stars began to pale before the rising moon, whose argent disk was appearing above the dark woods on the opposite shore. "I do not marvel at the faith of the habitans in the dames blanches,' the white fairies of the moon- light; such a night as this casts a spell upon a man, I remarked as we paced the strand. — he with measured tread, his hand wandering often to his sword-hilt, as if now and again some thought vexed him. I suiting my step to his, and glad to bear him company: for notwithstanding his high position, and the happiness of his domestic ties, he was often lonely, as are all men of a proud, imperious, and ambitious nature. "Yes, such surroundings are prone to break down one s habitual reticence and reserve," answered La Mothe, with a nod of the head. " The moon, the Queen of the ' Dames Blanches,' is, of a truth, very like a woman. Her soothing influence, her soft beams, like the gentle sympathy, the sweet smile of a wonnan beguile a man to confidence and too often to a foolish unburdening of the heart and his own undoing. Your loyalty to me and your discretion have, however, been well tested, my brother. There- fore at times I mention to you matters whereof I speak to no one else — no, not even to TherSse :tif-j:wi:^mw &f=t'.w^^f^Lr^^s^im3^'¥'!-. •I'Vift*'." "i; J^' 202 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE although, God knows, no man has a more devoted wife than I have. Still, this is no reason why a man should shift a heavy share of his anxieties upon the heart of this true friend, as if his own were not strong enough to carry them." Ke spoke in all sincerity, he who was wont to worry Therese full often with his moods. But if I smiled to myself, T highly prized his trust in me, and I said as much. "Normand," he continued, "you, better than any one on Le Detroit know what I have accom- plished since we came to this region. I have not only established a fort, but founded a colony that is already prosperof^.. In twelve months we have put ourselves v\ a position to do without provisions from Canada forever. And all this undertaking was car- ried out with the three months' provision we took when we set out from Montreal, the which was con- sumed on the journey. This should prove to the Ministers in France whether Le Detroit is a desirable or an undesirable country. Moreover, as you know, besides our own people, six thousand savages have wintered here. And yet this colony has not cost the King so much as a sou." " Your management has been extraordinary, mon chevalier," I replied, " since the savages who settle at Ville Marie and Quebec are allowed soldiers' rations, even to the little children, and are also given frequent presents." " Ay, and the Governor and the Intendant will not allow me so much as a pistole to use for presents," he said bitterly. " Were this not the fertile paradise of America, I could never have achieved what has been done since we landed upon this stretch of beach." THE RED DWARF 203 fh^Af r^^i' ? '*'^"* °" "^'^^ enthusiasm, " now that the foundations of your colony are well laid you will begin to reap the reward of "our abts' tach year henceforth should add to your wealth and mfluence Your name will become illustrious, your authority is supreme on Le Detroit, you are aUn? ^'^'-^orm^nd ! " caucioned De la Mothe. glancmg about him uneasily, as if he half expected a foe might be lurking in ambush near by "The wilderness has ears and a voice. Therefore say not too much of the power I hold. Power begets jealousy and plots, and calumnies. Have you given any heed to the demeanor of Monsieur de Tonty of " De Tonty ! " I exclaimed in surprise. " I have remarked him to be somewhat taciturn and low in spin s. but his wife says he has taken the ague clever^ ^d."''' '' "''""' ^°"' ^°°^ "">^ ""^ ^^'^ " He is called clever who cheats and plunders his he would brook no contradiction. " Monsieur de Tonty IS growing cold; an Italian, he is subtle like his astute countryman, Machiavelli. Say nothing to Nrrmand.''""" '"""^'^ "°' ""'"^ ^" '""'"y '° ^"°^' " He has ever been too reserved to hold much con- verse with me." I returned. " Then concern not yourself upon that score, save to be on your guard, as against a dog that sleeps with one eye open. But there is a trouble which galls me more, he continued. " It is the dispute with the missionanes of Michilimackinac. Monsieur de Car! heil remains firm in his resolution not to follow the i,«^£^n!w^!U»^s^K^k'za^^»'«^7iQ^i£ rr^ Il I 11 204 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Indians to this post; only a few Hurons are left to him there, and this fall I hope to pluck the last fea her from his wing. Yet I am persuaded this un- yieldmg old man will die in his parish without having a smgle parishioner to bury him." I sighed. Bold, enthusiastic, sometimes visionary, prompt in action, and impetuous of speech, my brother pos- sessed to a degree the art of alienating those with whom he should have worked in harmony. By bringing the Hurons and Outawas to Le Detroit he had destroyed the great Mission at Michilimacki- nac; and remembering his haughty manners to Mon- sieur de Carheil. I rtiarvelled not that the latter declined la come to our southern settlement, since discord between the Commandant and the missionary would present a deplorable spectacle to the abo- rigines. Still, I saw how Monsieur de Tonty and others were like to use this quarrel to their own advantage. " f^yJ'/P a policy of conciliation - " I hazarded. Jiut La Mothe interrupted me. " I asked not advice," he cried with angry impa- tience ; then, regretting the outburst of temper, pro- ceeded more quietly: "Well, no more of this I would but have you comprehend, Normand, that, notwithstanding all fair appearances, a demon of dis- content and misfortune stalks abroad. I use to be sure, a figure of speech; but Jules, the little Pani slave, and the coureurs de bois have been telling my young sons idle tales of some imp of the strait a hobgoblin of the Indians, to whom they say it ^ best to give a wide path." '• Ah, yes, ' le petit Homme Rouge.' I have heard of him too," I said with a laugh. f^ ..m THE RED DWARF 205 At the same moment there flashed upon me a recollection of the banquet given in honor of our T !.\J?u ^*'^''^" °^ Q"^^^^' ^"d I ^dded jest- ingly, Why, truly, is not this mischievous ' petit homme the very ' Nain Rouge ' whereof La Jongleuse Dade you beware, mon chevalier? " " Phouff! " exclaimed La Mothe, his good humor restored, •• I would all the evils in my way werHs imaguiary. Bah ! There is no satisfying these frivo- lous voyageurs and coureurs de bois whom I have sought to colonize. After all I have done for them, they grumble because I, a gentleman and a seigneur have silver-plate and fine damask for my table, and go well attired with a sword by my side. Yet it is I, not they, who have given this new province of Le Detroit to the King." He lapsed again into moroseness, and for some s^L^^ P^"^ the strand without further conver- Of a sudden, and so silently that I doubted if I saw aright, there appeared upon the beach, a short distance before us, a strange, uncouth figure Whether It arose from beneath the earth or .talked out from the shadow of a clump of bushes that overhung the bank I could not say; but Cadillac saw It too. and half drew his sword as I did mine In those days an enemy might spring up beside a man at any instant, and it behooved him to be ever prepared. The moon had been under a cloud, but now it shone full upon the repulsive form of the intruder A misshapen Indian," muttered Cadillac. " What IS he doing here? Is he a spy or a half-breed woods-ranger, who has sought to overhear us? If so, he will repent of his hardihood." ao6 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE 1 The creature approached nearer. It was neither In- dian nor white man, though perchance an embodiment of the worst natures of both; a being, apparently, half-human, half-gnome, short of stature, very red in the face, and with a blazing eye whose horrible stare, instead of burning, turned the blood in one's veins to ire. The apt irition was enwrapped from head to foot in a blanket that I took to be crimson, as well as I could see it in the moonlight, and his diabolical grin displayed a wide mouth and sharp fang-like teeth. " My faith ! the tradition of the savages was, after all, no fantastic story," I ejaculated in horror. "This can be no other than the Nain Rouge, the Demon of the Strait." ' " Demon or human, he shall not obstruct my way," cried our Sieur, enraged. The malevolent Red Dwarf came up close to us ; it stood directly in our road, and, taking off its wood- ranger's cap, bowed low to our Sieur in most ironical fashion. " Sacr6 ! " exclaimed Cadillac, in a fury. " Get out of my path, you spawn of Satan ! " and forthwith he dealt the creature a blow with the back of his sabre. Albeit the frame of the dwarf looked the concen- tration of a giant's strength, I thought to see him felled to the ground. Instead, however, a mocking discordant laugh rang out upon the air, and the creature vanished. " Alack, Cadillac, what have you done?" I cried. " You were warned to make friends with this demon, to beware of offending him ; now, alas, in giving way to your anger you have incurred his enmity." La Mothe broke into a peal of merriment. " Non- sense, Normand!" he said. "The moonlight has -j-S^hi = i'JKSi*.:>'fefi:«^;v*V,*''i.'?f ■'ikaeiiV^V'ii:^': •■*:«'" THE RED DWARF 207 tricked your eyes, or else over-much clerkly work has impaired their vision. The dwarf was but a hunch-back Indian. It had been better, perchance, ha J I struck him down with the sharp edge, rather than the back of my sword blade. A dead enemy cannot molest a man, whereas now this fellow will be as a thorn in my flesh." "Yes, yes, it must be so • my eyes served me false. It is strange what pranks the moonlight plays, investing some objects with a beauty they have not of a verity, and conjuring up weird forms out of the shadows," I answered. " But, mayhap, after all, my brother, it is better you did not kill the dwarf; I dare say he is half witted and can do you no harm." Thus did we both make pretence to pass over the occurrence as a trivial matter. Nevertheless I feel sure that no more than I, did our Sieur believe the Nain Rouge to be human. And although, I understand, he quietly caused search to be made, never was any such misshapen savage found among the Indian villages that cluster about Fort Pontchartrain. '>»,, iw*»x-';i!4;:-j^ ' ms^^mms&'^^m^mi^.-'^^^i^^^r-: CHAPTER SIXTEENTH SCHEMERS :; *-y. SEPTEMBER was come. At the river edge Indian boatmen were lading their canoes with peltries that had come in too late to be sent to Mon- treal earlier, and making other preparations for a voyage down the lakes. A convoy was to depart that day for Fort Fronte- nac and the St. Lawrence, with some score of voya- geurs, who were bound thither with the hope of being engaged to conduct a new f ?rty to Le Detroit after the winter, when the breakir^f; up of the ice should again leave the way navigable. Returning colonists, happily, there were none. The only passenger was to be Robert de Reaume, who had come as escort of Madame Cadillac and the other ladies. " You are resolved to go, Robert," I asked regret- fully, as I walked with him upon the prairie that lies be- tween the palisade of Fort Pontchartrain and the woods. " Since Monsieur de Cadillac has made you a grant of land, and fortune is like to offer a man better chances in a new country than in a town, where many are pushing and elbowing for preferment, why not decide to remain, even at the eleventh hour? " De Reaume shook his head. " No, I must go," he replied. " Doubtless you surmise why I so readily accepted the responsibility of escort to the ladies in their journey hither. I in- 4i SCHEMERS 209 deed esteemed it an honor to be chosen for the duty by Madame Cadillac. Ah, Normand, your sister TherSse is a noble woman ! Often did I admire her fortitude during that voyage of over three hundred leagues in an open canoe, with Indians and rough voyageurs ; for notwithstanding that we wintered at Fort Frontenac, the spring travelling was most diffi- cult, because of the winds and rains. Never shall I forget her answer to the dames of Quebec who came down to the Esplanade to bid her adieu when we set out. " 'Turn back,' they pleaded, ' this arduous voyage might be braved if you were going to a pleasant country, where you would have the comforts of life and good company; but why should you go into a wilderness where you will be like to die of ennui? * " Madame Cadillac only laughed at their lamenta- tions and answered with spirit, — " • Do not waste your pity upon me, my dear friends. I r,m more than content, I am anxious to go. A woman who loves her husband as she should, has no stronger attraction than his company, wherever he may be. Everything else should be a matter of in- difference to her.' " Ah, Normand, it is the love of such a wife that inspires a man to great deeds. I do not wonder Monsieur de Cadillac finds his courage sustained through many ordeals. Nevertheless, glad as I was to render service to my noble cousin Therese, it was because of the fair ChStelaine of Chateauguay I came to Le Detroit. xxru^°" ^"^"^ '^^"' ^ ^^^^ ^°"S *oved her. When she was but a young demoiselle, I asked her for her hand in marriage ; but so distressed wa she so sweetly confused at having to give me pain by *4 210 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE saying me nay, that I saw her heart was no longer her own to give. At first, indeed, I thought it be- longed to you, Normand, but I speedily discovered my mistake, for soon she wedded the Sicur de Chateauguay. " All the world knows how she mourned the death of the noble young bridegroom called by a soldier's duty so cruelly from her side. Yet youth does not grieve forever. And when I heard she was bent upon continuing her life of seclusion by withdrawing into the wilderness with Madame Th^r^se, I determined to come also, thinking I might give her aid and pro- tection during the journey, and hoping the stead- fastness of my affection might make an impression upon her in the end.' I meant to be patient, to bide my time, and perhaps take up the grant of land that Monsieur de Cadillac so kindly bestowed upon me. It was impossible, however, for me to see and speak with Barbe often and yet keep this sage resolution. " One day I went to the manor-house. Madame Cadillac was absent upon some errand of charity or kindness at the Huron village, but in the little salon T und Barbe. She was solitary, and her pretty eyes .. re dimmed by tears. " Impetuously I told her again of my love ; I begged her to marry me, and vowed I would do everything in my power to make her happy. " But, no ; she said to me gently, it could not be. She thanked me, with an appreciation that was almost tender, for my devotion, yet added with firmness, I must put the thought of her out of my mind, she could never be my wife ; and this answer she begged me to take as final and forget her. " Still I protested, I must needs remember; whereat she prayed me to forgive her then for whatever dis- ^ -.--lifec SCHEMERS J,, quietude she had unwittingly caused me. and to be as ever her good friend. A A ^^f^'V^*"'^ ^"' ^^^ "''' *° «"«Pt her decision? After what has passed, my presence here would only stay, and be so near yet so apart from her." from^De R^aLr^' '' '''' ""^''^"'^^ -"^-- h.-.^^»f " .i*" "^'^''^ *° 'P^^"*' ^ '«'d a hand upon warmth."^"' '" '"""^''^ ^^""'°"' ""^ ^^'^ ^'^^ Heaven '■?^h^^''ll'*''^°''°"• "^^^ ^"""^ ' *»"*' ^^ank Heaven, life holds other mtcrests than those of male- ing love. And were it not so. I have heard from Madame Cadillac that never did Quebec boast^ win fin^7'y *°gether. I under- stand, also, that two of his sons, Hyacinthe and Pierre afterwards took up their residence at the strait uoon the lands Sieur Cadillac had granted to him ^ Of the homage which Miladi Barbe received from the officers of Fort Pontchartrain there was, beside^ < -.4 '3 f'n 212 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE myself, another witness, to whom the beauty of the young chatelaine brought an unquiet heart. Over all the region of Le Detroit was the glory of autumn. The tall trees about the fort minded me of the spirits of departed Indian warriors of heroic mould, arrayed in their blankets of scarlet and decked in gold-color, umber, and vermilion. Already the savages were preparing to withdraw farther into the forest for the hunting. At the manor Therese was busied daily in super- intending the conserving of wild grapes, pears, plums, and quinces into sweetmeats for winter use, and the needle of Miladi Barbe flew swiftly, as she helped to fashion the garments of bright-hued c' ntz cloth which the ladies were accustomed to give as presents to the women of the Indian villages. Barbe, with a shrinking from the dark faces of the savages, induced by the tragedy of her infancy, would never consent to visit these villages. Yet, with a charity that, considering her antipathy, par- took of the heroic, she held, three times a week, in the outer kitchen of the manor-house, a class in sew- ing for young Indian girls; and on Sundays taught the prayers of the Church to the little red-skinned children, who loved her and named her, after their beneficent wood-spirits, "la Dame Blanche" (the White Lady), because of the exquisite fairness of her complexion. And she grew fond of them too, I know, and forgot the duskiness of their skins. For with Barbe all childhood was beautiful ; and ever, to this day, even in the most wretched and unsightly waif, she sees, I think, the image of the little Christ ; as often, when I behold her soothing some little one, she seems to me a picture of the sweet Madonna. SCHEMERS 213 Of the girls who came to her for instruction in needlework there was one, a slight, fawn-like maiden, handsome, as the Indians esteem beauty; at least her eyes were flashing, her black hair glossy and luxuriant, and her teeth as white as white wampum shells. So earnest though awkward at the task was this girl, that in teaching her the gentle chStelaine took more care than with any of the others. Fawn- hke. did I call her? Rather I should say. mayhap, she was graceful and pleasing as the span ow-hawk so admired for its bronze-tinted plumage and the flaunting beauty of its crest of scarlet and blue and Rn-2 R^f i""'"^'- ^^^ '^^ sparrow-hawk, too. Bright Bird she was named, or Ishkodah. It was remembered afterwards, that whenever Barbe took up the rude handiwork of Ishkodah. to show her the better way to set a stitch or turn a seam, she was sure to sharply prick her finger; and more than once the beauty of Miladi's white hands was marred by a long ugly scratch from the needle of the Indian. If Barbe suspected that these trivial happenings hao their origin in the pettiness of feminine malice rather than accident, she said nothing on the score to any one. Very sure am I that she did not for a moment dream of the cause, much less the extent, of the maiden s animosity to her. One evening I had chatted long with Frire Con- stantin over our simple dinner. It was therefore later than usual when, leaving him to the reading of his breviary, I took my w^y to the manor to spend an hour or two. ^ fJlT 'T^ '^'f*^"''^ °^ "^y '*^P^ ^e»-e g"ided by the blaze from the hearth-fire of the salon, or main apartment of the house. The night being warm for a fire and yet too damp without one, the shutters of M 214 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE the windows had been left open, to temper the air of the room to a pleasant balminess, there being, of course, no glass in the sashes. Other illumination of the interior there was none, but as I drew near I could plainly see the occupants : Cadillac smoking before the chimney ; opposite to him Th^rSse, in the stately high-backed chair brought for her from Quebec, knitting in the firelight; and near by, on the settle, whose rudeness was concealed by beaver skins, gaudy blankets, and gay-colored cushions of swansdown, sat Barbe, a charming pic- ture in her robe of sad-colored satin, with its long pointed waist and high ruff, her hair dressed high and rolled back frpm her face, save for the short locks that curled about her brow and shell-like ears, — after the coiffure of the fashion doll sent out from France, the which TherSse showed me. Beside her sat the handsomest man at the post, Dugu^, and she was apparently giving him a lesson in music (as well as in love), for between his hands he held her guitar in an ungainly manner, and thrummed upon the strings; whereat she laughed, and shook her head with a pretty affectation of a music-master's despair over a dull pupil. Now, though so picturesque, the scene was not to my liking; I paused as though stayed by the hand of fate, and stood without in the darkness, looking with moroseness upon the happiness and tranquil content within. While I contemplated the tableau, feeling that I must have a moment to recover my equanimity before entering, I heard near me a faint sigh, and glancing sharply about, I saw, crouching beside a lilac bush close by, a blanketed figure. My hand sought my rapier, but presently I noise- SCHEMERS 21^ lessly dropped the sword back into its scabbard ud aTVu r *J?^ ""^^^^^^ "^^ "°"e otf»er than Ishkodah. the Indian girl, the daughter of the chief Mawkwa, the Bear, and a belle among the braves of \ iT\r ^^^^°d^h' tl^e Bright Bird, but how heart-breakmg sorrow more clearly depicted than Tf fh- rV"'^?"^ P°'^'-^y^d upon the countenance of th.s dark maid of the forest as she remained mo- lonless her gaze riveted upon the beautiful white ady and the handsome lieutenant. And when at last the young chStelaine in gay desperation caught up the guitar from the cavalier, and their hands for a second met. the agony that shook the frame of the unhappy Indian girl caused me almost to forget the thrill of pain it had sent through my own heart. l-or there came to me the recollection of a story Dugu€ had told me the y->ar before. One day upon the prame, hearing a cr> of terror, he had followed it. and found this girl striving to keep at bay a wild- cat by the sheer force of her steady eye. while she screamed loudly for help. Calling to her not to change her position. Dugu€ with a shot from his fusee brought down the panther. Seeing it was indeed dead, the girl, in the reaction from her terror, caught the hand of her deliverer and pressed it to her heart, vowing eternal gratitude; the foi^ ^ ^^^'^ ^"^^y *° *^^ ""'"^^^ ^^°^« At the time we had rallied Dugu6 much over the adventure, and hinted that he had best complete the romance by taking a dusky bride. For Cadillac would fam have the unmarried men of the settlement wed the daughters of the forest, hoping thus to ren- der closer the friendship lifctween the Indians and the f ii*ii'«ri?-*ii«i"rf-:2 I I ;!f rS 216 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE French, and FrSre Constantin was ever ready to bless these marriages in due form before the altar Veron de Grand-Mesnil had, shortly before been chL rr^r"'\'\'^"^^^^^ °^ the Pottawatomie chiej Churhoa, but her stern old pagan father wouM a°la'rrio7oV' h"^^'"^' ''' ^'^^ to be'mated to a warrior of a distant tribe. Whether Dugu6, in the loneliness of our isolation would have succumbed to the charms of the ma den whom by his prowess he had saved from a cruel death, It IS useless to surmise. Soon after this incU dent Madame Cadillac and ner party reached For Pontchartrain, and at the first glimpse of the befut ful widow of the gallant Le Moyne. the lieutenant I verily bel eve, promptly forgot the existe^e "f lie ev"f That ,^^^;?,/«hkodah it was different, ho^! W A.r '*'\* ^''^^'"••^^ *h^ remembrance of her deliverer was only too evident to me as I beheW her now. Doubtless because of his prompt response to her cry for succor, she had ensh^rinTDugun: the Ideal warrior of her heart. For his sake oer brave of her tribe. She had seen one among her companions solemnly married in the church of Z good Ste. Anne to a Frenchman; why might not a Ike happy future with the fair-faced warrior be sent InZ t^^/if ^'"' ^'"'*"" °f ^^°«^ Father Con! btantm told her people? Thus no doubt had she cherished the day-dream- leStf her "'•'"' "'^?^'- Still. I liked „otthefier«: nesofth/rr'^'""'''2°''''' '" "P°" *' •=•>«"- ness of that home room. She might dog the footsteps peSirfoTanT'^ life as miserable ffr him as ^h'^ glance to rest longer on Barbe. Who could tell. SCHEMERS 2,7 mayhap she might cast upon Miladi the Evil Eye or weave about her some uncanny spell of forest wft'ch- Ah, had I but divined, had I so much as dimly uspiconed. the thoughts of vengeance that were TZ ing form m the mmd of the savage, what dire conse- quences might have been averted ! But I saw only a fhat 7h.°^^ Tu^ more than a child, disappointed the smile of la Dame Blanche. ^ thff°. ^^'^'^f^^ "^^ she in watching the firelit scene. Only the instinctive caution of her nature could have checked the exclamation of alarm and surpri e unt I -r'-ir.'" "P^' ^'^^ "^'^^ ^^<^ choked bTk! wood-bi^ '" ^""' '°^ ^'^ "°^^ °^ ^ fr'ghted "What does Ishkodah here?" I demanded in a low tone, yet with quiet sternness. "How is i she ,^ w.thm the palisade when, according to the order of the Commandant, the gates are closed at nightfaH and no Indian is permitted to remain inside the f" durmg the hours of darkness ? " The girl faced me with an air of defiance and said had learned to communicate with the savages and they Ch'i'erf Sr' ^tf ' ;r'i""^ '~ '°"S ■•" the Wh,te Fr»f K v,^ ^^^ '•'"' "=°'"« '» the fort of the IV,!.!'^ ^ ■ '"l" ^^^ '*' °"' '° ^""f home, it was already dark and the gates were fast barred." bhe had but to stand forth so that the light of the guard's lantern might fall upon her face, and he wol i •I ■ <] -i-F'f. •'i^M'.m-ttSm. xP'StS'-J m w 11 I iiipiii^ii I m-c -WT-L 1^ a m ,,-0. ! t i . 1 r , i i i ■• i 1 1 ' i i i 1 ^ f ^ ii ''3 21 8 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE have opened the wicket for her to go out," I answered severely. " But, be this as it may, I will now set Ish- kodah free, that she may return to the lodge of her mother as a bird to its nest." The maiden laughed softly but unmusically, — "The warrior of the Swan's Quill should know a young bird returns no more to the nest when once It has spread its wings; far more like is it to fall into «T t.r^'^"^^''^ woodsman." she responded bitterly. Ishkodah will gladly be released from this cage of the white man; in its air she scarce can breathe; her heart is oppressed as by a heavy burden, she longs for the peace and forgetfulness of the forest." " The Bright Bird will return to the kitchen then " I said. " She wifl ask one of the Pani women to go with her to the gate. If I find she has not departed within half an hour, I will have her locked up in the prison." The girl clenched her hands and tossed back her head proudly, but she had no choice save to obey Casting upon me a malignant look, and with a last glance through the window, she turned away towards the kitchen, while I, passing on to the gallery, entered the house by the main door. Later, I made inquiry of Sergeant JoliccEur after he had been the round of the sentries, and he told me he had himself opened the wicket in the pali- sade and let Ishkodah pass out, about nine of the clock. He volunteered the further information that she often brought fruit to the manor to exchange for some trifling article of feminine adornment, and was most eager to learn the graceful industries of the white women. This good account of the maid did much to dispel my uneasiness over the sullenness I had read in her i'FT''t\iir" ;i :t' i. ki??^ ■^y.j.. ■firz^ SCHEMERS 219 face. Moreover, a day or two later, I encountered her at the door of the church, and she flashed upon me a smile of rare radiance, while saluting me with respect. So guileless did she appear, that I gave my- self no further concern over the recent occurrence beyond a resolution to note her general behavior toward the ladies. And I reflected 'twas indeed a pity so bright a creature should have lost her heart to Dugu6, who bestowed not a thought upon her, al- though this was small wonder when he might haunt the sunlight of the presence of the loveliest lady in New France. A week or more later, I was at work of a morning m the Kmg's Storehouse, as it was called, though the goods stored therein, having been secured by our Sieur, belonged not to his Majesty, but to Cadillac. I had the ledgers upon the counter and was mak- ing entries of the trade of the post, when La Mothe came in. "Normand," he said, after making sure there were no eavesdroppers to carry away his words, "I have now positive proof that De Tonty is striving to ruin this settlement He has planned to establish a fort on the river of the Miamies and to draw thither the Indians of this neighborhood, in order that Fort Pont- chartrain must needs be abandoned. His pretext is that if the French do not seize upon the position, it Will be speedily occupied by the English. Of this, however, there is not the slightest danger. His real object IS to weaken my authority, that he may rule in my Stead." "Oh, what treachery sometimes lurks under the mask of loyalty!" I ejaculated, throwing down my quill, for here was a more important matter than the adding up of accounts of peltries. 220 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE II! "Yes,"continued my brother; "hehascarr.VH «« st^utt:z:jr' "■"' "-^ °"' "'°""' -"« nnl' ."i^' '' "°"''' '" ' "''J"' °f "I'mment truly were not the consequence, like to prove no lauS mat ter, returned our Sieur, grimly. ^ ^ *"*'• chev!lilr^""'T *■? J°" ^■'"' "f *«= 'themes, mon manner of the demand?" "^ ""P"°» '» *« moS/''?crieT"'^d"?hTH"'^ ^°'" '"P°"«- has shown /ou so' great a mart Tk"""' """'''" Wh.-u , so great a mark of his eood-will WhUe yoa possess his favor you have the far of tile 1 r/'i™*"''' y°" "« » *'se counsellor." reolierf n, la Mothe, with less of excitement. " You hJ^T rite o^t at my dicution the letter I send to Fr^ce a^d^ f the phrases grow too hot, I give you leave to tell m/ UPP aS m?"':r *"".. ^"' "-^ Italian wilcaTce supplant me m the confidence of the Count Unfor- rmt'^Ae"hrsS :^^ ^^^-^-^^ - "-" dians. , hatrntrmTny'r?„'::^,;ToVs'';o': them of late; we must beware of an at^ck I tS^ SCHEMERS 12, however, he has himself become a trifle alarmed, for . last evening when I gave orders that the guard should be doubled and the garrison sleep under arms, he assented most readily." "Nevertheless, this was not done," I declared, starting up. "Not done!" cried Cadillac, astonished and in a rage ; " how is that? Dugu6 and Chacornacle heard my order as well as De Tcnty. You know I retired eariy to my house to read this self-same letter, but it was reported to me duly that my commands were carried out." " Mon Sieur, I have heard something of this," I said, " for it was commented upon. If you remem- ber. Monsieur de Tonty walked with you to the manor after yo. r^r"^, *i%'^°* ^^^^"" '" *^^ ^'^^^t»°« Of the bar- r61e of gardener was new to me), prepared to go at once to La Mothe, surmising that he had need of my offices as amanuensis. ^ "111 news is a nimble messenger. Monsieur Gui n " continued sturdy Jean Joly. whose tongue the 1 i 1 i 224 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRAlJJCE rival of the coi. y had unloosed like wine. " The bargemen say there are great doings at Fort Fron- tenac over the claims of the new Fur Company of the Colony. I trust the like may not come to pass here. Not a week since, Sans Remission saw the Nam Rouge prowling about on the edge of the wood ; this he swears to ! " " Sans Remission had quaffed too deeply of the juice of the wild grape," I interrupted tersely. " That the Commandant has unwelcome intelligence may be ; that there is any connection between his letters from Quebec and the wanderings of an Indian gnome of the forest, it is absurd to imagine." " Eh bien, ' An old ape never made a pretty grimace * and I '11 warrant the appearance of the Nain Rougi bodes no good," muttered Jolicoeur. shaking his head. I waited to hear no more foolish speech from the brave sergeant, often as I had been wont to humor his loquacity. Arrived at Cadillac's quarters, I found myself in an atmosphere that was as the state of the air when the lightnings play over the strait and the roll of the still distant thunder gives warning of an impending storm. La Mothe was pacing the room like a lion goaded to fury. In his hand was a paper which bore the Governor's seal. " Read this, my chivalrous secretary, and see how I have been made to beat the bush that others may catch the birds, how I have sown seed in the wilder- ness that others may reap the harvest," he cried passionately. I took the document he thrust into my face and hastily ran my eyes over it. Thus it began: — " Be it known that the Governor General and Intendant, m consequence of the orders which they have received from ^S 4. 225 "THE COMPANY OF NEW FRANCE nf^ H • " m"^" ^J *^T P'*''^''*' ^^ acceptances, in the name Company of New France from this day forth the posts of Le Detroit and Fort Frontenac, in such condition as they noC T.u'Ju^ Company's use to traffic in furs, to the exclusion Dlefe R J"'''?"'' °^ '"^^ "°"°^' «> '«»« «« it shall please His Majesty." waf tavite/To**'*,""'";'' "°"''^" ^^ Cadillac was invited to confer with the directore and the Governor as to the sum to be fixed upon for hfa saiary as Commandant ; but the transfer was a «vere blow to hrni, since by it he lost his prestige^lole ruler of the region bordering on the stSfaS fh! pe™.ssion to trade, whi^h coLtitut^^ rldtantat' ^S'£ S-w^fe-" '" -"^ «^ ««- As It approached the shore, I perceived there w,,, several passengers, who by theij^dress I ,* k t^^ .ro^u"re:;crX°o7th'et''«' T'' ^'^^^^ be missed :^Tz^LTir'',-z^^:zrtt entertained. On such occasions 1 was oft« Let by a morose dissatisfaction with myself, because I • was sti I unknown and had made so Sof my We albeit I had mapped it out in glowing colors. A\^X' how well I had learned that "^golden^ d^^ms mti -uii laurels. Doubtless the strangers were travellers bound for the upper peninsula. The like adtenta" cTcleTf1h:Tf"'" "'"^^ °" -y- "- thTthe circle of the lakes was complete and there was a •i i f ■ 226 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE safe stopping-place upon Le Detroit. Who they were I should discover soon enough. I thought, as I betook myself again to the RecoUefs garden little Pani slave, came to announce that our Sieur desired my presence. In the room of the barracks usually occupied by the Commandant as a council chamber, sat De la TU I "P.? ^^^ '^^''' ^°°^'"g ^^^ personation of the Thunder Manitou turned to stone. Behind his chair of state, De Tonty and the other officers of the post had ranged themselves, and before him stood three men m the costume of civilians, beneath the thin veneer of whose courtesy of manner might be dis- cerned a certain arrogance and haughtiness. A man wears not his character like his coat upon the outside, and he is sure to err who would judge another by his gear alone. Nevertheless sometimes the fashion of a knave's garments may furnish a clue to the habit of his mind. Therefore I will set down a description of these worthies as they appeared at first sight to us at Fort Pontchartrain. though I took httle account of the details of their vesture until afterwards. The first, a swarthy man of some thirty years of age, wore a suit of fawn color faced with red and ornamented with gold and silver buttons. The short cape that hung over his shoulder was edged with a broad gold galloon, and wound jauntily around his hat was a scarlet riband. His companion to the right was a handsome fellow of a fresh, rosy complexion, merry blue eyes, and an easy, happy-go-lucky manner. The sombreness ot his coat of brown was relieved by facings of silk, havmg peach-tinted flowers and green leaves upon a "THE COMPA^fY OF NEW FRANCE" ^^■, buff ground. The waistcoat was of the same ,nt bat the breeches and stockines were nf h,^ .,' upon his finger he indole:^^ spu" T cap rf'bl " Th 'th' r '""" ""^ "-^ =«- «M "■' The third was a quiet gentleman, older than th^ others and more dignified in his bearing Wshawt was all of gray laced with silver; the quarter of I^ shoes were scarce more than an inch bro^d Id h s three-cornered hat had no feather. The two younger men were 'Dos Blancs ■ — little Jules had told me, -that is, they wore powde Id peruques,from which their shoulders werewhte L's rt.e coat of the mule when he returns from the mil The queue of their associate in gray was nea 1„ encased in an eelskin bac These n.t! ^ attired as they were in the 'newest ShfonHfThe Colony, and affecting in the texture of their A hrL J """l, *"'. '""' "'g"" '° ^"Persede tke^Lh brocades and satins of a decade na« .Li flaunt their modishness beforeTsthor-r^mTn^lvL" srp-ite zT^^^i, i?,i:^: ettT' -1 ^a^me 'a 1^^:\^ T^'^^:-^-^ sroc'r;. *" ' '"'^'" - ■'-" notes:r:h^^:: wa^a'ri'g oTil^ny!-'" ""^ '" " "^ *°'" ^'"^"' =„d ^^T ^^''^f" "' Messieurs Radisson, Amaud f1~ • '"Vr"""""°""^ °f ">= Compan; o? Net France. Then turning to the newcomers with I courtesy so elaborate as to have in it a de^ee of sarcasm, he continued,— oegree of 228 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE " Monsieur Arnaud, I will ask you to state more clearly what you have just said in part, that it may be duly recorded." Monsieur Arnaud, the man in fawn color, made a step in advance of his colleagues. " Monsieur de Cadillac," he said with a profound bow, at the same time awkwardly sawing the air with his chapeau, "in accordance with the recent grant to the Company of New France, as set forth in the documents lately forwarded to you, we are come as commissioners of the company, to take charge of the trade of Fort Pontchartrain ; and we respectfully demand that you turn the same over to us without delay, in compliancje with the order of the Governor and Intendant, and in obedience to the will of the King." '• 'Sdeath ! " I heard Cadillac mutter under his breath, and the veins in his forehead grew purple Howbeit he held his indignation in check as a master hand controls a fiery charger. He was saved from the necessity of replying im- mediately by Monsieur de Radisson. the man in gray who interposed amicably, — " Be pleased to understand, Monsieur dc la Mothe ; the company undertakes to keep this fine fort and all Its buildings in as good repair as they now are, thus relieving you of all expense for the maintenance of the same." " Hence, Monsieur de la Mothe," added Nolan, the young macaroni in brown, who must needs have his voice in the matter, — « hence my colleagues and myself are not only appointed overseers of the store- houses, but .u-e charged with the care of any advances m moneys and goods made by the King for this post. "THE COMPANY OF NEW FRANCE" 229 " "'sM^i^^ty has never made advances of moneys prouX ^^"t^h^rtrain." responded Cadillac, criXv^" Tf^ ^' ^'""J" ^^^"^ astonishment, scarce crediting. I dare say, that our Sieur had been so fool- ish ^ to maintain the post out of his private means. But his Majesty wi// make advances," he said after a moment of hesitation. La Mothe smiled sardonically. "Like enough," he rejoined with emphasis ; whereat Nolan grew less self-assertive. J.'r!i 'I ..^''° submitted to you. Monsieur le Com- t^ead of Z'- "".'' ^'''"°"' ^^''"S "P ^g-- the thread of their discourse, "that the King shall anSn ' ^'"1°' ^'^ '°^^' ^"^ the Command! company"" "' '^'" ^" maintained by the fnr'I^' neWier Co„„a„j^^j „or officers shall trade for furs with the savages nor the French, under pain of confiscation of said furs, and other penalties pr^ scribed by the King." interrupted Arnaud. ^ tenA^L I T'^^f *^^ company, however, the In- tendant shall deduct annually six thousand livres French money, being the gift of his Majesty for the support o honest families in the country who may need assistance," concluded Nolan. Cadillac rose to his feet. "Gentlemen," he said with a calmness that sur- SiTcal^nr r"'"' ^'' ^"»P^t"°^'ty. although 'twas the calmness of anger at a white heat, "you have come quickly on Uie heels of the Governor's messen! ger. The demands of the company are of a suretv most sweeping Not in this manner was Monsieur de la Salle rewarded by the Government for his foun- dation m the land of the lUenese; no such esX ftWF^v ^ii[sm-F^w "HK^jbh: 230 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE tions were placed upon Monsieur de Tonty when he would fain have established a post on the river of the Miamies." Here I saw De Tonty wince as at a poniard's thrust. " It is generous of the company to take off my shoulders the enormous expense of this colony which I have borne so long." proceeded Cadillac. Still, I am not altogether minded to give up my rights and privileges, especially when I have a good sword at my hand, laithful followers," - here he looked around at his officers, his gaze ignoring De Tonty, - •• and a well-fortified post to aid me in upholding my position." "Rash Sieur," protested Radisson, while his com- panions exchanged glances of uneasiness. .. The Commandant broke into a scornful laugh. ^^ Have no fear, my doughty commissioners," he said • It is not my intention to clap you into irons forthwith, even though the company proposes to place galling fetters upon me. However obtained, the order is genuine. My rights have been trampled upon, my possessions taken from me in one stroke. But there are things which La Mothe Cadillac prizes more than his possessions, more even than his rights; and among these things are his honor, and his fidelity to the King. My sword, my possessions, my life, have ever been at the service of his Gracious Majesty; he may do with them according to his pleasure. Until I can state my case to France and receive a reply, I will prove my loyalty by bowing to his Majesty's com- mand Howbeit, have a care that you encroach not m the least degree upon my military prerogative I am Commandant of Fort Pontchartrain and Seigneur of Le D^roit, and I shall enforce my authority." Thereupon he strode from the room with the air ©fan offended prince. "THE COMPANY OF NEW FRANCE" 23, Without doubt the commissioners expected no Hif ferent greeting, for when our Siear hadS^hdratn hus in sullen haughtiness, Arnaud depTecatS ^rugged h,s shoulders, and turned to De TonS^ Nolan studied the rafters, and hummed a fragme^; of a song; only Radisson looked uncomfortablf Dugue and Chacornacle, following the eTamoIe of their chief, stalked out of the chamh,? »,?• '^ furtter notice of the civilians ; b^ tirsi 'r de ToV*: L'ngerr" "'^'"^ '""'"" "^ approactl^S^ " Messieurs, your reception has been somewhat warm, but I trust there will be no serious cr,hbl suaveness. ^ "^ "^''^ * minister at \7r!!''.nf.''''^^f *° ^^'^'' "P "^y Papers, glared at him and tapped my sword. A hot speech wis upon my hps. but Monsieur Radisson quickly saTd "I would fain assure Monsieur de CadillS of m^ respect for his position and authority Ma^ I b^^ thflo ^^^'P^"!^"^ appeared surprised, and I read in the lowenng v.sage of De Tonty that he was not lik" to burden h.s memory with the commission ^ent^rr^K^ ^'^•''°"'" ^ ^^•^' ^dd^e^^'-ng that gentleman with a courteous bow, " I will be pleased LSrTrrrra; fofg:tt" " ^-^"^^^ De Radisson started, and a deep flush dved h;. cheek for a moment. But half comprehendtg th I had meant to warn him of the friction betwein Sfe !■■: 232 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Commandant and the captain of the post, with a di^- nified mchnation of the head, he replied, — fjti* '^*»^"'«f' monsieur, in any event it will bear repe- tition ; I gladly accept the service you offer " Then, with my notes in my hand, I went away. Sn newcomers to the society of the I found Cadillac at the manor. Our Sieur had bSrhUH '''.' ^' "•"?' *" '^ ^'°"^ ' nevertheless! wwL h JT^Z""' ^ ,T^^" ""y ^^y '° 'he salon .fxir ^f ^""S h""^^'- ^nto a chair. f»,. if ' ^°''"»^"^'" he cried, as I entered, " this is the hour of my humiliation. I must needs be pru' t^fl ""T' "S^""^^' ^"'^h my words as in a gold- smitii s scales. You remember the prediction of the old hag. La Jongleuse, tliat night at the ChSteau of St. Louis. Is this the first step in the fulfilment of her accursed augury? Father de Carheil is gone from Michdimackinac. Is his prediction come%o pass^ lU^'^ '"h«"'^«ee I have sought to gather for my children to be scattered like chaff? " rhlY?" *M^/ *°° ^^^'''"y * '''^^ °^ ^^ situation, mon chevaher ' I protested, for never had I seen him so sunTX of "" ' '^"'/°^ ^^ "^"'^"^ obscurerth^ sunlight of your good fortune, it will soon pass and the future will be all the fairer for the contrast '' started tnvT.^'.r* ^''°°^'"^' *en suddenly started to his feet with a new energy. ^ '•B„f v« * \ ?"I!°* "''^ '"^ ^^''^'" he cried. th!t H- K r ^'J'^' ' '^^'^" y°" have search made for «^at diabolical creature, that mcarnation of Indian malevolence the Red Dwarf. VVe shall have naugh" abroad ^ n h''"""" °" ^^ ^^'^^^'^ -hile he roams abroad. I will dig a prison deeper than the Mamer- S**s i>itm{j\- "THE COMPANY OF NEW FRANCE" 233 tine for him here within the fort; I will have him cast mto the depths of the strait, with the grindstone of my mill which this trading company would take from me —with this grindstone about his neck : I will send him as a gift to the Iroquois." "The creature will be indeed more than human if he survives this series of deaths to which you con- demn him," I responded dryly. Thereat my brother broke into a boisterous laugh Now a laugh, even though wrung from an angry heart, clears the air of the spirit, as the report of a powder-charged cannon clears the lowering atmos- phere. ** So, having fired off his artillery both of indignation and of half-hearted mirth, La Mothe grimly set him- self once more to conquer circumstance. CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE « PIRE ! Fire ! " fhTc-i ^^^ ^^^"[cy rang out in the night, breaking by tt'wLd ''"^ distinctness, and. borie onward by the w nd, carrying terror to the hearts of the white settlers upon the shore of Le D^roit. There was but one other evil to be more feared, an attack from the savages; dnd the colonists, aroused from bu this fiery vis.tat.on might be a forerunner of a still fiercer and more cruelly relentless foe. The house of Fr^re Constantin. where I lodged was out SKle the palisade, the good father havinf wished °hat' the Ch ;"/"'t^!1^ ^^"^^^ -'^ht be so^loca?ed tha oners m^h". I T '' "'" '' ^'« ^^^^^ P-'«h- oners might have free access to this little sanctuary "ons of";^^"""' '"^ '^ ^^^^ '° ^^-- the ministr^ tions of the missionary at any time "Fire! Fire!" The shout of the sentinels quickly awoke m^ nn^ r sfrand"^ "^^ r 1 'buffalo^ rtlTasSy dressed, and passing beyond the curtain of deerskin that separated my room from the main apartment opened the door of the cabin P«*riment. arm' t/'^""' ^"l* 'T^ °"^ ^"'^ ^ ^and upon my arm. It was FrSre Constantin in his gray cassock and cowl. calm, but as ever prompt and resourceful thmkmg only of hastening to the assistance o^Sose THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE 235 who^might stand in need of his services, physical or Once in the road, we saw before us a brieht hVht ent^: ofTh^f 1 'IT' r^'^^ proceeded from S^.' centre of the fort, while the air around us was thirt with smoke and flying sparks ""^ Together we ran to the ^ates of the palisade See- >ng us, the guard threw open the w^kct b'-^ " ma a swiftness which I noted as an evidence that he had been warned not to relax his vigilance at hi! "ht'ru* ""k"^." '"^ """"^ threatened": fa,.'" In truth, we had not advanced more than a few paces I dep:di?o7e*of ?hT^:[.t '°-"""''- ' •• the street oTo^'l'" *•"■• ■"»'•'=. but hurried down the street of Ste. Anne, guided by the fierce liuht crimson"" if'' '■" *=, ''"«"^- ^'"'"=1 them a S theTttiemtr " " ' ''""^-' "-O """g °ve? it tI:ongedThe'::..fers:r t '"-"''■ "'-' ""o-' LI . - aciiiers, some strivin'^ to nii*>nrVi frU- thr;renetef °' "''" ^™'" the ^^l.t mfn^of tne more energetic even attempting to brine it from ng "he";:a„ r'f " ''°°' ''"P="^"^'>' ""' '-™" thfn a!,U? l^u^ ™™ *"'' grain (more precious p ^36 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Inadequate as were the means of fighting the de- work that, had the night been still, I doubt not thev sTeidi'r ^'^^ '° ''''' ^^ destructionVrt:;: But there had been a storm the day before and a^h.gh^autumnal wind was blowing froij; the Ulce "f In ^n^"" 'i^^'^^'^g building the flames leaped up m angry defiance of the toil of the workers Like spints of Evil, or the furies of the pagan Hades thev flung up their long, cruel arms to fhe "ky "; dsT ever stretching out farther and farther er;sncd ai Tf s Tr''^''' '""f ^°' ^-th'rm'eic': o! death to those Who would restrain them their touch a seal of ruin and desolation. ' *^"' Withm a few minutes a brand cast high into the air from the caldron of flame fell back upon tte wKtT" ^"'' ''^ ^'"^'^ Storehouse' 1 re was^kept the mam quantity of grain garnered for the Here was indeed an appalling misfortune. How the Commandant, officers, cur^, and oeonle toned to arrest the ruthless havoc which threatened the very existence of Fort Pontchartrain ! Monsieur de Cadillac was here, and there and st^e^h o7a '''''" ''' "^"^ worked wTh the strength of a warrior, encouraging his people by his to": anSt-""' "'^ ''^^'^^^ --^' ^'^ P--Ptne mi^ht h^ f if "P.? ^"y position whence the flames might be fought with the best chance of success. W b^I Trt:; /wal'not J'h' S^?''""'"^ ' ^"^ , ^UL X irusc 1 was not behind in mv dutv anri afterwards many spoke of .y .fTortsZt/rl^rof THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE 237 All at once, however, from struggling on with mechanical earnestness, I was recalled to a strange acuteness of all my mental faculties by a cry that went up near me. "Another fire has started I Now it is the manor! See the smoke issuing from the house of the Commandant ! " Th^rSse, — her children, — Barbi* ! With a shout I led the way to rescue i:..ni. When called out by the alarm, ur SU .u hici It seems, enjoined his family to r<;f). i- ,j in. 1:01) ing them safest beneath the snoliCi o* rh ii u,, a roof, for at this time the mai ■ 1 wd'^ .: vj uin^e: from the conflagration. That this second fire had been kind)< d scp a itly and was the act of an incendiary, was p • J by iic blazing mass of straw which we found pjicd against the walls of the kitchen. The straw had communicated its flame to the thatch of dried grass, stealing along on the under side so that its ravages had not been apparent until in a light cloud of smoke and flame it broke out above. " Verily, Madame Cadillac is a most obedient wife to observe the command of her lord to stay at home, even when the rafters are burning over her head," cried' Sans Remission in wonder, as we ran forward. Cadillac was now the first to reach the door. It was barred, but with the strength of a great dread and excitement he and I together broke it in before the others came up ; and as the heavy oaken barrier fell, there poured from the interior a dense volume of blinding smoke. " Th^rlse, Th^r^se, Antoine, Jacques ! " cried La Mothe, in a voice of agony. There was no response. 1 M »38 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE serving the same caution ? °."'* '""'"■ Ob- jervicc could „e be ?o.So~'°:,°'^«7'« of what followed him close '"'P"' «° "ve?-I We found TherSse ...ni, »alon. her boys besde her T" -K"*^' '" ">= she had not made her esca„l ^^k^" ^PP^"'^ «•« the fateful cloud, seemed ^L *'"".' ^P"'*""" of wards it was most S r 1"^ P""'''*- After- wife, and battling th™u.h the ".""S*" "P ■"» into the open air r Tm ^ I .""°'"'' "'•"ed her and frJre'^^on ant n whTI, r"" ^"""8 Antoine, side us. brought SVcquef' """=" '" ''"^ "- into the house eroDiZ ^^*'" ^"'' '•"^''ed back toward the roomf SstZm^tL" ,'"' ' "'"•' ;Barbel„a.be,Mc4r..trre'r'- fea^rhir^rLTarn,"!;:;;; -r • r. ^ ^- not be able to find her I ■^'"' '"^ ' '■'""W nof°;nX'"wSh''tyrr'""'/ "" ~""»« "«"• tripped ovef som^hinTonrel':,;-" ""' ""^ ' w"njSlrs"s;lX„'d%L^t^\',:To^^^^^^^^^ nngleu and shining braids, or «dtnt Vin' nnro"Him."a„?U' rd"me'% ^ ''"■' "'" "-" where she lay •"efoifully guijed me to There was not a moment to be lost, the flame. THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE 239 Swiftly I raised her in my arms, and essayed to me rimbfed"M'%^"°'^ "^""'^'^ ^—^ me I s umbled. But -I triumpned over the fury of the element against which I fought ^ I approached the door; I staggered on. - beyond the burning nng of the gallery, out upon the preen laine of Chateauguay upon the beaver skin which a good woman who had been ministering to the others spread for her upon the grass Scarcely had I thus somewhat reluctantly relin- quished my precious burden, and as I stood for a moment stnvmg to get the smoke out of my lun^s and eyes a figure brushed past me. -a li^e shVh figure^^shroude^ from head to feet in an iS Involuntarily, yet impelled by a potent providence as I beheve. I stretched forth my hand caurh? a^ the^^cfoak. and pulled it away fro^ the visageff the brcfke frotf^' VK°'*'r^f'^^™'^'°" °^ astonishment broke from me. The falling back of the mantle re- vealed the long, plaited black hair of a woman and the face that looked out at me in malignant hatred was the face of the Indian girl Ishkodah.^ Imbecile! Dupe!" she hissed in a venomous whisper that minded me of the eld tradition of vipe"s leSrheci'w"-*'' ''""'"^ ^'""^ siipp:d r/y Itl !i i. '°^^ '" ""y S'^^P' Ere I could follow she had disappeared amid the confusion. ' Ha, ha. my pretty cockatrice, perhaps you know more of the ongin of this mysterio'us fire' tL c^her" wot of ! I muttered to myself, and would have imi^J^rti^rMi^*il 240 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE cried out to prevent her escape among the throne. b.,..th., moment there .a, a co.iotion a^:* My heart almost ceased to beat. Did they soeak musf '''h ' uT "^^^ '^^ group. feelKr J must needs challenge and combat with death for her as I had fought with the fire. " Poor lady, she is breathing her last si^h " rn- tmued the affrighted maiden Jompal'onlfet Milad, lay upon the pelt, her head pillowed upon the breast of an older woman ; truly it seemed as if^er gentle sp.nt was abput to wing its way to the land of kL rt"' "' ' ""'k' ^"^^ ^°^" '"*° *he sunHt Skies. The woman, who gently chafed the lady's Wver "^'' '" '^""' "" "^' ^'^^"-t-d! "Chut, chut," she said; "Madame le Moyne is not dymg; the cool air and the freshness of the wind are quickly reviving her." Happily it was so; the next moment Barbe opened «d rise"" ''^""'^"•''•°"™' -'»>■' "Normand, Normand, I knew you would come " she faltered, as if forsooth no one but I could have rescued her. "And did you save also the little creature who slept outside my door? " I knelt down beside her. '•What— whom do you mean, dear Barbe?" I in quired anxiously. '• Oh. the poor little child ! " she sobbed, and turn- ing away put her hands over her face as though to shut out from her mind the picture that arose THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE 241 " Madame means the little ?mi slave, Jules, who pesters her with his childish affection and is wont to bung his mat cf rushes and sleep every night before her door," volunteered Frangoise. " The servants are safe; they slept in a separate cabin. I had a bed in a room beyond that of Madame le Moyne I dis- covered the fire and, having called to the ladies, rushed out to give the alarm." All this which- 1 have set down happened quickly. Only three or four minutes had elapsed since I came out of the burning house. There might still be time to succor the boy. I sprang forward, but some one sought to restrain me. " Nonsense! " cried a m?- who himself feared no danger ; " nonsense ! would you lose your life for the sake of a miserable redskin?" It was Dugue. I shook off his grasp; I was determined to make the attempt. But as I broke away from him a woman's cry followed me,— "Normand! No, no. no ! It is too late ! Oh, my God, I have sent him to his death ! " It was the voice of Barbe. — Barbe, in an agony of fear for uiy safety, calling me back. Nevertheless I f?"?. '"y ^^""^ *« >^« pleading, for in my heart still thrilled the words she had uttered a moment before- •; Oh the poor little child ! Oh, the poor little child ! Like the sweet tones of Fr^re Constantin's silver altar bell, they reminded me that civilized and savage are alike before the Infinite. "A life is a life," I said to myself as I sped away (How much passes in the mind during a few seconds ») " If my friend, if P^re Marquette and others have 16 f w 242 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE ^Hold ! it is madness," shouted Cadillac a b^r;i:„?„r "'" '^' ^""'^ ^^^" - ^^^ ^- with '• I must go, not j^ou, Normand," he said I thrust h.m back as he strove to rise. To go in by the entrance was now impossible; through waves TW"' '.'"' "^^^ ^°"'"g -* '" g-at waves. There was. however, still a chance to reach where thTfi ''h'"/' ' "'"'°^ ^ ^^^ "-^V fde' Th! ^ .f ^^"^ "°^ y^* "'^^^ headway, others aiHenTl^T"^' ^^"^ R^milsion and o CO d ' . -^ *° '''■'^'' ^'^""^ '"• As the draught of cold outer a.r penetrated into the room, a volume of smoke poured forth, driving us back. San. R? ''•^""°^ ^°. '"' Monsieur Guyon," declared bans Remission ; •' it is folly to try " "«^*^^area For answer I signed to him to hand me the cloth dnppmg w,th water which he had made ready He Should I turn bade? ^ " ^""^ "°''''"^- CO^d'nn.T"'^ ""^^ ' "P°°'* ^'"^^ <=hild." whom I could not leave to perish. THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE aensc, l fell and for a second must have lost con- sciousness Again I revived and dragged riysdf ing to be all in vain? Alas. I could battle against Tater^tl'^^ "^ ^?^-' -^ stren^h Vaf r hausted. With a moan I sank prone on the floor- I stretched out my arms despairingly, thinking my hst hour was come Truly. I believe this would have been my end had not it been decreed otherwise But when, as though in an appeal to Heaven to hlndTT'K'' ' '.'' '°"^ "^ ^"^' ' ^^- flung out my hands I brought them down upon a small r^occas7 T J jV'^'^^f^^^^^^"^ farther and grasped a little foot' I had found the child. ^ i- - ""ic loot. .trlnL^^'fT^''^ °^ '^^ discovery renewed my strength. I drew myself along a few paces moTe n^'T^/^ll'^ - without,^thVl'c^ol^ At the present, of a truth. I cannot tdl how I accomplished the terrible journey. In the e^d hose who were near the window must have pressed forward and drawn us out pressed alive*"'' And Lh"7r / '"^ '''" ^^•"^' ^"^ '^' ^a"'' ''« hf n^rA • ^'' ^^ '°"S ^^° '■^"''^ed his liberty he persists in regarding himself as my slave and as o nf/t ^ watch-dog. For the foolish fellow says, to me belongs the life I gave him back by bringing h.m out of the fire at Fort Pontchartrain ^ ^ of 7hl '^^ '^y'"^°f the manor in ashes the disasters of the night were not over. While the house of Ca- y^ 244 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE raTastronhT u '""''" ^"^ *^" realization of this catastrophe come home to us, when a blood-curdling whoop -sounded above the din and confusion of thf hlTr T}"^ ^''^^^^^^<^ Indians of the neighborhood had combmed to attack us. "I will go out and bid them disperse; I have mmistered to them, they will heed my words "an nounced Frire Constantin. boldly. ^BeJdes my" save the Xrc7'^^^^'^' ' "^"^' '^ ^^ ^-^^ ^ caused hr^n ^"^l''^'' '^' P"'" °^^'^ ^'^^'^ ^"kle caused him to smk down upon the bench outside the from the smoke of the fire and my late exertions. h^t^A '^"^^^ y^" '■^"' '^^ ^•'•' ^«d a rain of flint- headed arrows pelted against the palisade. Fardieu, ny good friend, in face of such a storm the^fo^th' V ^°" '''"'^ y°"-"^^ g'^^ from returned r^.n',? ^°" T""" ^^ ^^'^^ ^^ Hermes?" returned Cadillac, grimly. " Rest assured, though your feet wert hod with wings and you were gS with immortal. I would not open the gates fo? you now. nor for ai . one, unless it were to^dmi so^me unfortunate French settler who found himself on the wrong Side of them and yet stood a chance of 1 fc a contingency not probable. As for your hope to dissuade the fiends without from their purpose, they wou d not listen to a messenger from the skies. You would but throw away your life to no avail." Jlnf T^^*l° '''''^^"* '^'^' ^^'^ ^^"'•^'^ "'"St burn without a hand being raised to save it Our Sieur quickly adopted his plan of defence, bo unflagging were his watchfulness and the strict- ness of the discipline maintained since he had knowl- THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE 245 edge that the savages were ill disposed toward us, that even during the conflagration the garrison had been kept under arms and ready for the emergency. ^ Now they received orders not to open fire upon the enemy until the Indians should be close to the palisade. All at once, however, the sharp crack of a shot from a fusee arose above the whizzing of the arrows. Cadillac started. thiTd ^ '^^°'' "^^ ^°"°'^^'^ ^^ ^"°'^^'' ^"'^ '^^" a "Sacr^, who has supplied the red devils with powder and ball ? " he exclaimed with fierceness. Ihere has been treachery within the fort as well as without. The savages were now close upon us. Clamoring ominously, they beat against the palisades with their battle-axes and strove to force the gates. The shrieks of the women and children within the enclosure, the spectacle of the burning church now a pillar of flame, the doom that to all appearances awaited the fort and all who were gathered therein were enough to appall the stoutest heart. La Mothe remained, notwithstanding, undismayed. His anger died away; with absolute coolness he gave the word to his troops. A volley of musketry poured down upon the foes now at such short range. Ere they could recover from their surprise, for they thought us unprepared, another volley swept through them with excellent back ^'^ ^"'^^^'^' ^'°"' ^^^ "'^""^' "^ *^*'*'" ^^"*"e Unaccustomed as they were to the use of firearms happily, their fusees sometimes failed them, whereas' 11 il m H(> A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE even their terrible arrows were ineffective before the deadly bullets of our soldiery. ^ They renewed the attack again and again each tune w.h a more desperate fury. Had thf Hurons Sfsaff^cteTpol''?"""""^^^^^^ ^'"^^^^ J--^ ^^ese disaffected Pottawatomies, doubtless the fate of Lc Detroit would have been sealed. But those strange neighbors retrained passive and indifferent: during the conflagration that Tad dyed the heaven with blood, during the pandemonium of stw'dttTlight ''''-'''' '-''-- ^'^'" ^o- The strength of the savage besiegers was broken Our soldiers still kept up a brisk peppering S their muskets, and in the streets of the little own the women and children knelt and prayed h;l .7 ^»f "''*"*'"' despite his disabled foot, dragged himself about, sustaining the courage of the mS and though an arrow grazed his haif. he was not iil .liv \ 1° ""y^^^^'^ y^^' ^fter all. did not his callmg demand as ..eat valor as that of the bravest I mJ'V*"" ^"^ ^'^^''''^ ^ ^''''^ »^^°"ght from France if 'iTlr ^ ^' ""' ^^^^'^"^ ^^ p--^-«^ - -; . ^^'^"5*^' finding themselves worsted, they turned and fled to the woods ; they had counted upon taWne u^s^unawares; instead, we repelled and pu't "hem to Our shout of triumph caused the forest to rin^ ^ain and again and was a taunt in their ears Z they ran - those who were left of them. As a precaution against their return in greater numbers. CaE k^p" the men stUi at their posts. ^«*""iac Kept it If THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE 247 It M^ broad day ere he permitted the gates to be opened and the wounded brought in as captives, m.t ° V ., P"*°"«'"« was the Chief Osawwane- Sld hi ^ ^ V^"."^"'' ^*^°' ''^•"g ««ghUy disabled, Had been abandoned on the field. "You are Osawwanemekee ? " questioned De la TK J^f" tl ''^''"°'' ^^^ '^d *>efore him. The Yellow Thunder sadly bowed his head. " If Lr •^'^''''T'"*^^'^'" ^^ '^^P"^^ haltingly, f you will provide me a faithful interpreter. I will tell you whatever I know that may be of service lo you; my people abandoned me, I will have ven- geance upon them." ^,.^?^»^°I?*^ was accordingly called, and through him the Commandant addressed the old chief as follows : — «-• tw "Yellow Thunder." he inquired with frowning sternness. '«how is it that you have forgotten^! at Orbe7h" ^'''^'^ '°. ?"°"*'°' y^"^ ^^--' f-^^^-r at Quebec, by many necklaces; that you have for- gotten the branch of porcelain you brought to me as a peace offering not long since ? Had you no pity upon the women and children of your tribe ? Now your life IS in my hands ; your furs must be given ud to me ; your children shall not have so much as a bone to gnaw. .r^'!l^Ju^^^''''^^l^'' ^^^ ^"y Osawwanemekee. " I stTen^h ''"^ '^'"^'' ^ ^"^^ "°^ 'f I «hall have strength to speak to you. Have pity on me my ather. for I am in despair at the bad conduc^wh^h I have committed. I have risked everything, hut I will die by the hand of my father. My people have Thev T ^ ^"f' 'l^ ^''^'^ '^' ^"^^^ ^^ 0«ontio. rhey abandoned me because I am old. but I will show them I am not too old to take vengeance I m 248 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE will tell my father everything T^f h;.» i oZr '"'' ''"'"" ^"" ''«'' with tJ,' " Know then, my father, this attack on the fnr, „f our wh,te brothers was long planned ■"• "' the' WnrorYeTa;!'" "T =* ""'-'on^X warning. ^ •'^' °' *= "™B= in fierce " Osawwanemeltee," he said, " if vou tell n„f .t Itab'Vrtm r^^'t '™"'- ' *"1 h"v:'"ou°'to™ " My father, I will tell you the truth •■ ,„ the Yellow Thunder ' "»*'"■«' me ly^threnS'ofTh/t"'*''^"''''' *° '^<= have held by the hand tST'' u°" """ y"" gates, indeed, but they weTeTotTnl " K "P*" ** wished to op« the ™tr VL^ angry because we to put our warrors off for I whuf o7 ""■"''" would not be put off 11° „ f„ i °"'' """O" their bidding, "a daught'^o Te S h^d '° *' her heart to the white ch-.f c ■ the sure aiLm ^'T But the white chief scorned her for fteTak^Xt^' woman whose cheek is like the r^d and :« e^o? the blossoms m the 'Moon of Flowers.'" ' my brtalS'"' """'' """ ^^'"^■" ' """'"«<' "'■der THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE 249 •' Ishkodah. the Fury." repeated Osawwanemekee, albeit my I.ps had scarce framed the name, man K "'^fj^'^'f ^ ^in the heart of the French- m^ by witchcraft; her spells were in vain; the r,hv 7r*" ,^^. * S'*^*^*^'' <^»*=hantress than she Ishkodah resolved to take revenge on the woman' She mvoked the Red Dwarf; she came to a Mcdic.ne Man of the tribe, and telling him her story, a ked what she should do to be rid of the flower-faced woman w.th shining hair. The Medicine Man wai n the counsels of the warriors. He put her ofl". say- ing he would consult his Manitou. He told the hfmTo K A^.l^'l^''''"^^' ^"^ '^'y commanded him to bid Ishkodah set fire to the fort. But with this alone • The Fury.' was not satisfied • Isca^" Thr^'H -^""'^ '?" "' '^^ -^'^ -'/h escape. The Medicme Man knew Ishkodah often went to the kitchens of the white men's lodges whh berr.es and plums for their women. He gave he/a powder made from the leaves of the poison blossom and bade her spill it in the dish of sweetmeats t^e Pan, woman .s wont to prepare for the table of my Thl^Tf^ ''7"^' P^^^^' ^^^^ ^^"^«« heavy sleep The fair-faced woman with shining hair would tasfe of the sweetmeats, she would sleep; her beautiful body would be consumed in the fire, her soul be carried off by the Blue Spirits of jealousy who came to the aid of the daughter of the forest " spee^rhld'hr''"^- Cadillac springing up when this speech had been interpreted to him. " So this in- "th 'p ^7^^ '" °"" °^ y^""- Medicine Men?" ,.• • ! ^ ^^^"^ *^ 'h^ D««»on o( the Strait " rejoined Osawwanemekee. imperturbably. ' Cadillac broke into a harsh laugh. " Chacornacle. have search made again for this i ^1 if '. *ti i. '.^JM^ ?. 'mas^f^^smm.'&r, i-^v^^^^: 'f-JSSP'-ii*&*A'i MKROCOTY RESOLUTION TBT CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) U^ ■ 23 tarn ■■■ UA 1^2 1^ in IS lAO u 1^ 2.0 1.8 ^ APPLIED IN/HGE Inc 16S3 East Main SIrMi f!och«st«r. New York U609 USA (716) 482 -0300- PhofH. (716) 288 -5989 -Fox 250 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Nain Rouge. We will show the savages promptly that he IS no more than human," he said. -Ma foi If he IS so great a curiosity. I will send him as a pres- ent to Onontio. Perhaps he may stir up troubles among my enemies at Quebec which will prevent them from meddling with me and my affairs here. As for this g,rl, see that she be apprehended with all speed. She shall be flayed alive ! She shall be consigned to the stake and suffer worse tortures than those she designed for Madame de Chateauguay since she shall have no soporific to deaden them! A fury indeed she is, thus to seek to destroy a lovely lady who never knowingly did harm to her nor to any one. A fury! she would have made my wife and children her victims as well ! And — " La Mothe stopjjed short; the extent of the plot was truly appalling. ^ "Yes. my father," proceeded the chief, reading his thoughts; "the braves whispered together 'Our father too will fall under the power !f the dream blossom.' they said ; ' he will be heavy with sleep, and cannot order the French soldiers when we come down upon them.' " -And providentially, I supped last night with K ^°"'*^."''" ^'^d you, Normand," murmured my brother, in an aside to me. Then, turning toward Yellow Thunder, he contin- ued: You see. Osawwanemekee, the great Manitou of whom Father Constantin has told you guards and protects me. The charms and herbs of vonr Medicine Men are powerless against me. They could not harm the fair-faced women of our fort, because the hearts of these women are white as the snows of the wilderness in winter, not black with hatred like to a nest of serpents in a noisome hole of the ^dwwm ^"W "*^ THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE 251 fens such as is the heart of this girl. Chacorn> s ill r^T'"" " l'^ '°^ '^^ '' -"= she „e escape?" "^ ""'^"^ '^^ ^"^^' ^^-^ ^«^ ^ould she •• You may search, my father, but you will not orders"' r"!rT"r' Osawwanemekee.':iivinrn" the orders of Cadillac from his gestures. " The Bright Bird does not stay to be captured ; it flies away ove he woods; .t will mate in another country. The^e s a young warnor who loves the beautiful Fury. He than 1.. f ^'"^y'' ^' ^^°"'^ J^-'H her rather than^let her return to look upon this white chief H ^K^'ir'.?^ P'°^ '^'^ ^^''- There could be no doubt that Monsieur de Tonty. if not directly impli cated, yet was not averse to any uprising of fhe Indians which would cause the ruin^fti post atS untifTh;'^^ ''"\^ ^"-^'°"^ ^° stave off': e attack until the spring, when his wife and children would be on their way to Montreal, whither he Tn dIS not' H ""' ' K^" ''' ^ *'"^^- And a su edly Le" did not design the destrnrHon «f u- , which was buLd .0 the grourasLll'lZ ''°""' for success uZ, ft r .^"'■' ""'' *^y h^id counted the cor:ara;rd'h?cl;;i^'^' ''''""" "--- thet xt i:if 1,- frishToir nU-ir wards , rted that having been carried awa7beyond the woods by the brave to whom her people had married her, she fled from him, an^ cast heS k o u ]-} ;. 1 ft *f:*^^.r 252 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE the Lake of Otsiekitah.i Tis said that from the depths of these placid waters may still be heard, on autumnal evenings, the sad voice of the unhappy daughter of the forest, by turns wailing, despairing or repentant ; and the answering lament of her Indian lover from the shore. » Ste. Claire. H CHAPTER NINETEENTH OUR PRETTY COMMISSIONERS 'T^HE red men had attacked us, and they had -i- been driven back. Above the bastions of Fort Pontchartrain the fleur-de-h's still waved, and the little colony of Le Detroit, far from being annihi- lated, was already planning to extend its boundaries. It is true Mesdames Cadillac and De Tonty and the Chatelaine of Chateauguay, left without shelter by the mcendiary fire, were compelled to spend the wmter in huts scarce better than the lodges of our Huron neighbors; but this they endured without complamt. Our Sieur designed to build in the spring a manor more imposing than the first; De Tonty too was to erect a larger house, and the new church and a residence for Frire Constantin were to be upon a more extensive scale than the struc- tures that had been destroyed. One afternoon at the beginning of the Moon of Beavers, while on a stroll through the settlement. I chanced to find myself upon a secluded path that lay behind the storehouses, which were already rebuilt in a temporary fashion. As I passed a cabin that had remained a ruin since the fire, I noted there was water in the cellar and, peering into the stagnant pool, caught a glimpse of a furry object which I took to be the yellow gray breast of a wolf. •f I i 254 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE ;• If it is a whelp, I will tame it as a present for M.lad. Barbe; if an old one, still I will takeTal ^e f possible. I soliloquized, as rapier ih hand I entered the cellar. Twas as well to be on guard aJnst a sudden spring from the creature, sho^uld it p^rove so ferocious as to be unmanageable otherwise. Ha ha. ha. It moves me to mirth to think of the adven ure. and of the jest upon myself. The furry animal stirred not. and concluding it must be dead had h'' 7'.'^^ ^"' °' "^y ^^^^^- Chut, how I had been fooled ! Miladi would not have for a plaything a cub of this breed; it was not a thing of flesh and blood at all that I fished out of the wLr on the point of rpy sword. It was a beaver skin, and bore the mark of the company, together with the number 229. I found another also, like to the first. They were not spoiled by the water, and the discovery of them in so strange a place convinced me that the stor:>house had been robbed. Accordingly I availed myself of a pretext to go there, and quietly made an examination. The result was. — I reported the matter to our Sieur " It is as I anticipated." he said, to my surprise, and presently proceeded to give me further instructions. The river being still open and free of ice save at the margins, that evening, with Jolicoeur and two other soldiers, I crossed.it in a canoe. The nieht was dark, and the paddles of our Indian boatman scarce made a sound as our craft of cedar bark shot swiftly across the current of the strait. We landed in silence, yet the savages, ever on the watch, knew of our coming ere we stepped ashore, and at the entrance to their village we were met by the chief yuarante Sols, in a quarrelsome mood. T.-^r^r5Fa^ OUR PRETTY COMMISSIONERS .jj lam as pledges that they mean'o keep faith ^Z"' ^^ t^ettS ''^Thr r?-''- -^^ Monsieur de Cadilla; i, Z""' °' y°'" F""'" .x rur.his"r;,iiTeen? ;r -^7 shri th^ . u'""^ ^^ ^°"^^ ""^^rth. and you wHl the sign to his followers '''"^^ ^^^^ our danger, be rgTnten^onth^ •''•''''' '^""^'^^ ^^ were sent. ^^ "'""°" °" which we Waving back his warriors wffli fi,« • ^ . prince. Quarante Sols now Is Jh ""^^"'^ ^'^ ^ tory tone what we wouIdTare^o'^C ""^ ^°"^"''^- 1 explained our errand I- i \7 ■iJl- 256 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE you speak. They will not cross the will of their Father. Go, do his bidding in the matter." Without hindrance, therefore, we proceeded on our way until we reached the farther extremity of the settlement. Here was a hut that had apparently been abandoned by some Huron for a more com- modious lodge. Into it we would have plunged but at the moment there rose up before us a man whom, even in the semi-darkness, we recognized as not an Indian. The light of a pine torch which one of our sol- diers quickly flashed upon him showed him to be a servant of the commissioner Arnaud. Seeing that resistance was useless, he surrendered himself a prisoner, and acknowledged that he was there by command of his master. In the hut we found a great quantity of beaver pelts which we brought back with us. Thus we had done a good night's work. On our return I presented myself before our Sieur. " Monsieur de la Mothe," I said, " I have the honor to report to you that in the Huron village we found nineteen packs of fine otter and beaver skins, con- cealed by the commissioners Arnaud and Nolan." " They are most audacious ; I did not expect so much from there," he exclaimed. "In truth, Normand, after you were gone, I regretted sending you upon so hazardous an expedition." " Tee, I had no fear of the Indians," I cried. " I have never done aught against them, and have been much among them with Frere Constantin. More- over, do they not always hold in respect those who maintain toward them a confident bearing? " La Mothe sighed. " Sometimes I think the good 9^m^ c riz,A. \ OUR PRETTY COMMISSIONERS 257 Recollet over-rash," he said musingly. " It is not tt^L'st::^" '-' ' ^^^"^ '^ ^^-' '^'-^ ^-^ ••- "Who would injure Monsieur del Halle?" T r..^ v.th h,m IS docle as children; and he is as devoted French 'Tthe 1 .'"p"^^' "'"P^^'" " '"he rrench at the fort. But as to these dishonest ence^STh?' '""'^ 1"'^ *"' "«<» "" their tnfl! b«:::itnT" *"" "^ "*■'" '""' p-'-'^-- My brother laughed sardonically. kJ'/^/' '", ^^ "° "'^''"' *^^ ^•'"•t o*" their stealings " ?urs to r. ." '''r^'^^^ '^'^^"^^^ ^^^^ companTof furs to the value of fourteen thousand francs They have re atjves among the directors of the company bu^ this fact shall not save them. It is my duty lo report To morrow mornmg you shall write out the letters accordmg to my dictation." After much dc!ay, Arnaud and Nolan were sum fXt^em''^"'"^!,'^"' ^^'^^^°" -^ insrctedTo follow them upon the arrival of the successors of the The Moon of Flowers was come. My sister tllftUe'inffntTH/^'' ll" ^°""^ ^^ Jacques and was to ^o to n T' " '" '^" ^°°" °' S"°^^' was to go to Quebec upon a visit to her olde,^ daughters at the Ursulines. The ChStelaine of Chateauguay was, of course, to accompany her Bu ere they left or the St. Lawrence, Miladi Barbe. pe^ chance for old time's sake, went a-maying with me upon the prairie of Le Detroit Never were the waters of the strait of so fair a 17 n n I 1; . r I I I' r i ^i 258 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE blue as upon that morning. From the woods came azure .^padow, strayed fleecy .^"Z^:'"^^! i.:to:xrr„yS= at;t„ri^:^^^^ returning fr„„ ^e south fleTso tw o'v'er fte s'ett" ment that their notes could be distinct y heard thH^I*'^ "^^'J" ^ ^^y ^"^ captivating mood. Never- theless, perchance because of Ishkodah. she lent but duskv malr '" '°. "^ '""'P*'- °^ Jhe be u y : dusky maidens, and was bent upon banterina m. anent my old fancy for her friend Made ?n^e de Vercheres, who was still unwed ^^^^eme de themes ^tn^'Ll "''' '"'' ^^^"^°"'"g these jesting rnemes, 1 fell mto an earnest tone. But. sacr6 » at h.s moment, who should cross our path but Dugu€ In h,s hand he swung a spray of budding eglantine which he must needs present to the young Chltelane of Chateauguay with many complimeL. thl which sLe capricious beauty, made no attempt to cut short ' Ihe sun-dial records only sunlit hours. Miladi -A. . - mt^ OUR PRETTY COMMISSIONERS 259 Barbe and Madame Cadillac went up to Quebec From the hand of fate the sorceress of the Chateau these were fast appro* » ing. By the first summer ,nvoy from Montreal came the company s three new commissioners. To my surpr.se. Monsieur de Radisson was not at the land- ing-F^ace of the canoes to greet these officials, but, lltV^'^T °u^' '^ ^°'^'' ' ^^"' thither to extend to them the civilities of the Commandant. h.s appearance. I wuh difficulty preserved my grav- afh: f \"?'"^te-looking man. attired in the height of the fashion as they knew it in New France; his tha'tb'erLrv °/ ' "'''^' '^°'°^' -^ ' ---ed tawnv h. u \"^P""^"^ ^^s a plentiful shock of Zl: V J^^'^'^^l^ '^^' ""^^'- ^i^ d'-a^Jing tone there lurked a shrewdness like to let no chance escape wh.ch m.ght be turned to his own advantage, and his sharp ferret eyes lost nothing of what took liltTe'latr"' ""'" ^''" ^"' observftions I made a As he came up the beach, I met him with a courteous salutation. could not help that into my voice crept a note of interrogation, so amusing was his self-satisfaction and conceit, as though the whole world must at a glance know him to be some great personage. Yes, of course I am Monsieur le Noyer," he re- plied. "But," he stopped short, looked me over from head to feet, and then added insolently. - " But who may I ask, are you, monsieur?" ^' '^t.tSt^ a6o A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE "I am a gentleman, deputed by Monsieur de l-adiUac to receive a gentleman who was expected by this convoy. If no gentleinan has arrived, I am released from my commission," I answered with naughtiness. " Phouff! How hot-headed are you officers here I Believe me, in Montreal such testincss is no longer the mode," he returned in a deprecating manner. t.h bien, I am Monsieur le Noyer, the chief commis- sioner for Le D^roit; and since I bring letters to your Commandant, Monsieur de la Mothe, I trust I may have the pleasure of meeting him as soon as may "The Sieur Cadillac has requested me to invite you to breakfast," I replied with more amenity. " Permit me to conduct you to the new manor, some rooms of which are ready for occupancy." The little man concluded to unbend a degree of his dignity. Doubtless in his self-complacency, he had expected my brother to be on the strand to welcome him; but the hospitable invitation of our Sieur restored his good humor for the time Monsieur de Cadillac received him with much courtesy in ine salon of the manor, where upon a table laid with snowy damask and such silver plate as had been saved from the fire were set forth the best of meats, and bread, and wine that the post afforded. Monsieur le Noyer presented his letters, and then De la Mothe, after an interchange of compliments with the stranger, said, glancing at the bulky pro- portion, of the packet he still held in his hand, — " I ask your pardon. Monsieur le Noyer; I am a prompt man by nature and by habit. In this packet no doubt are instructions that require immediate m : "=r.5tf^j#7^^-- :.t- OUR PRETTY COMMISSIONERS 261 consideration. You will hold mc excused if I with- uf'^in 'f*'^ ^.^^^^ documents. Monsieur Guyon will ably fill the r61c of dispenser of the best hospitality my poor house affords. Au revoir. Were it not that I must give my attention to the letters, I should ask no greater pleasure than to spend the remainder of the day m listening to your news of the doings in Montreal, and making inquiry for my friends in that good town of the King." Therewith he retired to examine the budget Whether Le Noycr had assumed the breakfast to be a formal feast prepared in his honor, to which all the gentlemen of the post would be invited. I do not know. At all events, though I strove to my utmost to play well the part of entertainer which was assigned me, the guest grew sullen and silent. Yet his ill- humor m no way interfered with his relish of the viands, or so it seemed. I ate more sparingly, but was ready to lengthen out the repast, esteeming it easier to cater to the palate of the gourmet than to divert him with con- versation. Within the hour our Sieur returned. We were just risen from the table, and Monsieur le Noyer had gone to a window and was looking out upon the river, that lay, a fair expanse of blue and silver, shin- mg in the sunlight of this perfect day in June " Monsieur le Commissionaire," began Cadillac, in his courtliest tone, "J dare say you are eager to be about the affairs of the company. I will not detain you from them, therefore. Be assured you shall have all the protection you may need from me as Commandant of this post, in the discharge of your duties. I would advise you to execute as quietly as possible any orders wherewith you may be charged I' [ r -;. I • ■ i ii- 3 %*-, 262 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Monsieur Guyon will give you whatever information you may require regarding our treatment of the savages. "Thanks. Monsieur le Commandant," returned his guest, with ill-concealed impatience. "I have need to ask no mformation. save to be shown the way to the house of the retiring commissioner. I marvel ne has not come to greet me " "Of Monsieur Radisson's acts I can make no ex- planation, not bemg on terms of amity with him I am sure, however, that Monsieur Guyon will' be happy to conduct you to his house " My brother glanced at me. a flash of amusement duty of host ' ' ' "'"^' '^ ^''""'y "^ °^ *h« "Monsieur." I said, turning to his guest with a grave bow, " I shall be pleased to do you a service. ^ .u^Tl^t^K"^^ "^^"^ *""' *°Sether. and down the de Radisson * ^""^^'"^ *^^ "^"^^"^"^ °^ Monsieur " I presume my predecessor in office is ready to deliver over to me at once the keys of the company's storehouse," remarked the little commissioner pom- pously as we proceeded; despite his announcement diately questioning me. From his manner one would have thought he had been appointed Commandant of Le Detroit, at least and I laughed in my sleeve as I answered, -1 ^ "No doubt Monsieur Radisson is prepared to give into your hands whatever insignia of office he may possess. It may be well for you to understand be^ fore meeting him that the storehouses have keys indeed, yet they are never locked, excepting only ':jM»i OUR PRETTY COMMISSIONERS 263 the cellars, where are stored the casks of brandy. The Indians have never seen seals placed upon coffers nor caskets, nor even upon the doors of the buildings; neither has a guard been placed there. They would consider such locks or seals an infringe- ment upon the liberty which is so precious among these nations." "What, what, what!" exclaimed the new com- missioner. "The company's goods are not kept under lock? This is laxity, indeed ! Of a truth, we must change matters." "If you make the attempt to do so, you will incur the enmity of the savages," I curtly responded. " Their likes and dislikes turn as a pair of scales, ac- cording as they have free range or are watched in their visits to even our dwellings. They come and go as they please, and, although persistent beggars of gifts from their white brothers, they have never stolen from our stores; they hold the goods of an- other sacred." " Ah, ha, ha ! trust an Indian, never unless he be a dead one," laughed Le Noyer, boisterously. " No no, i-est assured I shall lock up the storehouses.' And these lazy red dogs, what need is there to curry favor with them by presents? Let them fish and hunt, and buy what they require of the com- pany at a good profit to the directors. I shall not waste the company's goods in presents." "'Give to the birds crumbs, God gives you loaves," I rejoined absently. "A Recollet saying, I am willing to wager, a maxim of the Saint of Assisi," broke out Le Noyer clapping me on the shoulder, and shouting hilari- ously, as though he found in my words much wit, " I have heard, Monsieur Guyon, that you were once h t„ ( M m 264 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE minded to join the good FatherQ r.n^ *v not have you I'll v.nf ^'^^"' ^"^ 'he/ would «vc you. 1 II venture you are clerk- fr. *k are at riu^r'; SL'Tad"^- ""r^' Monsieur le Nover losf nr. f;«,^ , effect the policy he'^wa soLd to ^dlot'i/t"' J"'° with the savages He and 1,;!° ?, ^ " '"'''"6 toM the indLs th":4l^'':^•rrX^^tS^ or r^p;;; - ~- p''« ';rt>;^= -- af ^ /XXtr^at^ tre^thfLt'j brtrptstLt-?:Ve:^:^^^^ — -'^^ La Mothe. hoping to pacify them, begged of him to pay no heed to their request; but Le Nover t. rage accepted the token. ' "^ ^e jNoyer m a " Of a truth, I should die of ennui in th;. -i j OUR PRETTY COMMISSIONERS 265 Giving over his papers to his colleagues, he was hot to depart as speedily as might be. A day or two later our Sieur and I came upon the ex-commissioner as he stood on the strand directing the ladmg of a canoe for the voyage. "How now, monsieur? " inquired the Commandant, justly mdignant that these preparations were begun without his knowledge; "what is the meaning of "It means," responded Le Noyer, surlily, "that I shall remam no longer in this place, where I have been treated with scant courtesy." "When courtesy is all on one side, it cannot last long, answered La Mothe; "trouble not yourself over-much with plans for an early departure, mon- sieur, smce you are not to go at present." Le Noyer grew red in the face and swelled with choler, as does the wild turkey when enraged "Monsieur de Cadillac." he cried, catching at his rapier, " I would remind you I am chief commis- sioner of the Company of New France at this post " My brother laughed in his sarcastic fashion. "Not so fast, and have a care, for if you should draw your sword you would complete your own un- doing, Monsieur le Noyer," he said. "You were chief commissioner, but I will recall to your memory that you have resigned your authority." " But— but — " stammered the other. " Nevertheless," continued Cadillac, now cool and inflexible, " were you still in possession of the priv- ileges deputed to you when you came hither, were you the embodiment of the fulsome powers of the company itself, they would avail you nothing in this matter You are not to depart until the demand of the Indians for your resignation has been submitted i66 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE to the company and I have received instructions from then, as to whether it is to be accepted " And who or what shall detain me since I am re- it, m^nsi::'"""* '° "' ""' "^""^ ' -" "°t ?"">" " You, Monsieur de Cadillac," repeated the ex- comm.ss,oner. "I owe ^« „o obedience." rardon, monsieur," answered our Sienr with ■romeal politeness, "either you have beenilHn structed or you are wilfully insubordTnate Every one at Fort Pontchartrain owes obedience to SZ Commandant, and it is a standing order that no one vou d„Tn. 5- "k?* '!"*°'" "yP^n'i'^ion. See that r vo,° "° . 'H'l'^ "• A»y f-rther insubordination r your part will be strenuously dealt with. My pow- er- are ample; they give me authority to punish accordmg to circumstance, by reprimand arrest h^' pnsonment, suspension, or, ("„ cfs of a cllVr'Z positive disobedience of orders, to run my word tlirou^ the body of the offender. ThereVrrbe str^iVsrr ""■'■''' 'ff'l^' P^^ °» •J""" the street of St. Louis, and I followed, leaving the dis- comfited commissioner in an unavailing fur! m^. and for the nor ,r Sieur saw no more of -if '■-'■ !; t' :; ■■I }■ CHAPTER TWENTIETH THE LODESTONE OF LOVE pRE the end of the week a tragic incident brought '^ consternation to our little town of Le Detroit and caused the hearts of the bravest among our small garrison to quail at the thought that the like might be the fate of any one of them. One afternoon, as I passed through the gate, I was met by Sergeant Jean Joly. His usually jovial coun- tenance wore a troubled air, and his manner was grave and testy, as though he had a load on his mind. "What has gone wrong, Jolicoeur?" I asked in surprise, so seldom was his good humor ruffled. " In faith. Monsieur Guyon, I have cause enough for despondency," he replied, " and, since two heads are better than one, perhaps you will give me your counsel. On the one hand, I am loath to bring pun- ishment upon the poor lad; on the other, I can ro longer neglect to report the matter." "You speak in enigmas," I protested. " Here it is, then," he went on. " The soldier La Girofle disappeared this morning. You know, hav- ing been unsuccessful in his efforts to win for a wife the pretty waiting-maid of Madame Cadillac, he is minded to wed the Indian maiden Mekaia, the Star- flower. Father Constantin promised to marry them next Sunday. Well, when to-day the reckless fellow was missing, I bethought me he had slipped away 268 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE to see his sweetheart, and 't would be only a matter of some hours m the guard-house. He has not returned sen 'thif ;1 ^^°"^^' ^r '^ '"'^ '^' settlement to se 1 this afternoon. She had hoped to meet the OttZ'u'''' ^'^ "° ^"°-'^^g- °f h- whereabout run awa^"' '""'^'' '"* ""' ^"'^ -^^ be like to " Many a man has felt like running away on the sh Jot htheaTfa^;. ^^"^'^' '' ''^ J"^' ^"^ -" muttUed' '"''^' ^'^ ^'' *"""" ^°"">' ^^^^' ^^'h'" he "You have no, choice but to make known his d cS'"" H'i''r-r"'' "^^ '^ "^^^^•" ^ -'d -^ sava 's .r. nV •'"'"' 'u '"'"''" "'">^ ™^^" '^at the '' In T .v^! "'"^^T ^"°'^^' ^"^^'^ "P°n the fort." Jolicceur. ' ^"^ '''^'^ "° ^°"^^^'" ^"^^^^^^ forlhwi^h''"" °' ^' ^"'^' "'^ accordingly reported ff ht^:- •^''" ^^ ^' *'^' *^° "^'^ ^"^ SO in search By dusk the party icturned, and appeared before the Commandant, who had called together his offi- cers, anticipating ill tidings. "Well," demanded Monsieur de Cadillac, as Toli- coeur and his men saluted. " Mon Commandant," began the sergeant, his honest face working with emotion, " we have found proof that the soldier La Girofl6 was tortured and burned to death by the savages. About a league from here through the forest, we came upon a THE LODESTONE OF LOVE 269 cleared space where a band of red men had evi- dently but a few hours before held one of their terrible ceremonies. On the edge of the circle we found this." Thereupon he drew from the breast of his coat a fragment of a soldier's uniform, and laid it on the table before the Commandant. " In the centre of the ring was a stake ; near it were a few charred bones and a heap of ashes among which, here and there, a spark still glowed. That was all." Honest Jolicoeur, rough and stern as he was at times, now drew a hand across his eyes. His voice had grown husky, and towards the last of his recital the words had come brokenly from his lips. "Our Indian guides told us this was the act of strangers, Outawas from the North who have been lurking in the neighborhood of late," he added after a pause. For me, I must acknowledge that my blood ran cold but it was with horror, not fear. A wild eagerness to overtake these redskins who had done this terrible deed took possession of me; a fierce anxiety to hew them down with as little mercy as they had shown to our poor La Girofl^ ; to torture and maim and slaughter them, as they had tortured and maimed and slaugh- tered ; to hurl them into the depths of the Inferno ! I glanced around, and saw similar emotion depicted upon the countenances of the officers about me, while the hand of every one grasped the hilt of his sword. The frown upon the brow of our Sieur was ominous as a thunder-cloud. "These red demons have killed a soldier of the King," he exclaimed ; " verily, the crime shall be well avenged." Scarce had he ceased to speak when into the room strode the Miami chief, Wingeezee, the Eagle, m h I i I I »70 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE three eagle's feathtsr'and ^ htL " *'' ""' bright with porcupine quills moccasins for" uIu^L\\Toi ^Itr'"' *'CT'»-<'-t. Miami tongue to make th. .. ^ ,? "'^ *« °f "■« gible, with The hel^ow and C f.^- "'"•'" '»""'■ Lorme,-..My Father th, I .?' "" '«"?««" De mourn fortheLhrtehJK "1""' °' ^ Di'™it ing his fate. uTtyF trC hfthi^r'";" "^^S" that it is hiswish.Ldwrwm 1115 •."''."'''«" a hundred braves, to pursue ,nHK '"'° "" f""' the enemies who have put to tti'!::'' *°, «"g«nce Father, the soldi"/ of C r "" '""'"" °f my who lives h;;l".h1 W^f^aTe" ?' "" °"°"'-' fee?™ '"^ ''"•'''■*'' --""^«d. Cadillac rose to his yo;rz"%ie%or,r;*or=''''^'- ' *-■' time. My veneean„ Tnin ?u f* ""' « ""' this soldier StdeeTbV :m "th '"" '.!"''' Onontio at Quebec, of the GrMfn„„ !• T"" °' the Mighty Waters, Wl, be terrible when the r'' of this act of our enemies i 1 ! '^ ^'" knowing that you andTe othe/ wS oi^maf "' treKthtot .2Z r^-'P^Va^nreo Outawas,^d„V;fct''J^^^^^^^^ It shall be done," replied the Eagle •• But n,„ u^ thatT "' '"r °' f'-'F^-chmentogo'wft^ US, that these northern Outawac t«o„ i ^ come to avenge the death of ttrsoTdlnTto"' T war for ourselves." sowier, not to make The demand was an unwelcome one. Eager to go THE LODESTONE OF LOVE 271 as was every officer and soldier of the fort, with our il -paid garnson reduced by desertion and expiratbn teen nn ""^ ^^^^'^.^V^ '^' P^^*^>' """^^^^ of four" teen, not a man could be spared. I started forward. " Let me go," I pleaded. Mon chevalier waved me back. " No," he said curtly. He had however, decided what to do. The vov- ageurs and coureurs de bois who as servants of °he company enjoyed the protection of the fort had " Wingeezee, you ask but what is just. When dayhght comes again, and your braves ire ready to Fn"r.; Tk f "l.^i'^ ^'^^ "'^^^ g°°d Frenchmen." Forthwith the chief stalked away, to take back the message to the warriors who awaited him. When he was gone, De la Mothe turned to the captain Monsieur de Tonty," he directed, "assemble the temporary servants of the company anJ call for volunteers; of these volunteers select e ght good men and give them food and ammunition Vom^ the storehouse of the company, as is customary whelver the,r services are required in the cause of the kZ ifte expedition must start at dawn " An hour or two later, while our Sieur was dictat- mg to me an account of the sad occurrence to be sent to Quebec, and I was taking it down as fast as might be. Monsieur de Tonty returned re3?w"' ^' ^^"^'"^"^^"t'" he began. " I have to report that according to your orders. I called for vol- unteers from among the servants of the company. ■ 5 fl «7> A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Some twenty ™e„ responded, and of the,e I .elected Cadillac nodded his approval at;dt%h'^,,et^'""'"^'" --"- to .tan "They are willing to set out. Monsieur u r n>»ndant, but there i. a difficulty "" '' ^°'"- •^m!!"'"' '^V? ■'"" elance at his captain from theVrrSut h"'lete'td'"' '°if° ? '*'P decided that he will grant it ""' *"'' "^^ >•« » "»« 1 would have nlarvelled at my brother', i under such irritotion harf T n^.^a . coolness ..er^Jfthesmo"^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^-^ ^-^o" -■'en out agli„s7tt wmTf th"" *■" """ "" '« "Oered De T^nty half-h^rt^d,;':' commissioners," hesitated " I will show you how it is to be done then m„„ s.ear," returned Cadillac, with a sneer '"Ha' °h: men prepared to go, and tell Le Noyer I reotZ K- presence." ^^"yer i require his with°an'exl^7°"'-,'^ "-commissioner responded d.U"«u»-feiI~^^^^^ "Monsieur le Nover " saiH n,« n '^" "^ess. vou asserf fhnf r ^^'^' ^^'^ *n« Commandant, "do without your permission?" *^^ ^'"^ THE LODESTONE OF LOVE 273 pol?J'\ZTtH ^"^''' *^,*' y°" ^''' "° »"^h De Tonty *"°^^"' ^"*^*^' ^^^'''"S *°^"d n JhtVf ^'^ ''''?''^^'^ ^'' ^y*^' ^"' ^he manifest sym- pathy between them did not escape our Sieur Oh, ho monsieur, had you a hundred allies here castically. I will teach you to mend your conduct my ht le commissioner I You have neglected your own duty o act the seditious, and have attempted to ahenate others from their obedience. Fo^^hls in^ sdenceand insubordinaFon you will conside your- elf under arrest and w . pass the next three hours m the sergeant's room You may retire; Jean Jo"y look to the execution of the order " ^ ' At daybreak the expedition set out; the wane - mg Outawas were overtaken, and the fate of poor U S ack ur r"f ^ '^ promptly that the antkipateS attack upon the fort was averted He^ten^tll^^ 1:^1''^^' however.' instead of thanking Heaven that by the determined course of our Sieur we were saved from an imminent danger, and pe" haps thus his own precious life had been spaced 71 "''t' r "''^''" *^'™^^'^ "'^^^ deeply wrongeT I have before set down thatsometimesf when vexed with care, .t was the wont of La Moth^ to w Jk by the river, when all but the watches of the fort were asleep, save only myself also, who frequently bore him company. One night, when we thus paced the w'tedl^'' ^'^.^ '' ^^^ ^'"^'^ Garden. ?h e was wafted to us on the oreeze. from the sands below the ^ J What is this?" exclaimed my brother, stopping 18 i' 274 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE •• Two or more settlers, who having gone a-fishing with a wine-jug, find themselves belated outside the palisade," I rejoined. " No, those are not the accents of wine-bibbers," answered Cadillac; "there is plotting abroad." Through the darkness we followed the sounds, and thus came suddenly upon some six or more of the company's voyageurs, who were manifestly making preparations to leave the fort. The commissioner's canoe was already in the water and well stocked with provisions. " What, ho, varlets I " cried Cadillac, lustily. " Do you want to be ^hot as rebels, or hanged as breakers of the law ; to have your heads placed upon pikes at the gates of the palisade?" Emerging as he did out of the blackness of the night, our Sieur must, indeed, have seemed to the men an apparition sent to strike them down in their wrongdoing, and they were scarce less appalled, I thought, than had it been so, when they found themselves confronted with the Commandant in the flesh. " Pardon, monseigneur ! " implored the captain of the crew, falling upon his knees in abject terror, his example being quickly followed by his mates. ** Grace and pardon ! We were only carrying out the order of our masters the commissioners. Grace and pardon I We are between two fires ; as servants of the company, we are sworn to obey its officers under penalty of punishment by the civil law of Montreal. We mean no disrespect to the authority of Monsieur le Commandant; but what are we to do? " " The poor knaves are in truth hard pressed," I muttered aside to La Mothe ; " I pray you be merciful." THE LODESTONE OI LOVE 275 • " If you do not wish to be instantly flogged," said Cadillac, keeping the man on his knees, •• make a clean breast of this matter without delay. By whose order has this boat been provisioned and manned?" " By the command of Monsieur le Noyer and the other commissioners, gracious Sieur," replied the fel- low, glibly enough. " He was to meet us here, and embark with us by two of the clock," interposed another as eager for clemency. The villains could have overpowered and murdered us ; yet, despite the fact that many nearer to Cadil- lac's own rank in t"c conspired against him, such was the awe he inspir. that never did his own men or others, such as these, raise a hand to injure h»m. Putting a silver whistle to his lips, he now sum- moned the guards, and gave the men nito their custody. Before the prisoners were march'-i' "uy, nowever, he said to them, — "My men, your base offence me. c.pital pun- ishment; but since you were not altogether masters of your own actions, I commute the ;jenalty to fine and imprisonment. See that you do not offend again." As for Monsieur le Noyer, when he came down to embark at two of the clock, he walked into the arms of Jolicoeur, ixr.'^ suffered another imprisonment, together with his fellow commissioners, they having connived at his insubordination. A few weeks later, Cadillac received word from the company to send Le Noyer to Montreal, which he did forthwith. Le Detroit was as well rid of the little commissioner as it had been of Arnaud and Nolan. These three pretty scoundrels, nevertheless, it 276 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE promptly set their wits to work to be revenged upon the Commandant for his discovery of their villany. One day De la Mothe sat at his writing-table in the salon of his new manor, scratching away with his quill, wherewith he had such unusual facility as 1 soldier, and I was engaged in making copies of the letters he had already prepared, -^.s was my wont. Because of the pleasantness of the air, the door leading out upon the gallery was left open, and several times, as I raised my eyes, I noted a long, slanting ray of sunlight that played about his head and fell athwart him as though to transfix his stal- wart frame. Wliy was it that the sharp, lance-like sunbeam suggested to my mind an Indian tomahawk ; that, instead of my brother's dark thick locks (he had laid aside his peruque), I saw in a sickly fancy the ghastly adornments of a savage scalp-belt? Impatient at myself, I rose to shut-to the door; but, looking up, he said, — " Nay, nay, leave it ajar. The sunlight is cheerful and not at this hour over-warm, and the scent of the flowers Gaspard tends with such care is sweet as it comes to us on the breeze. To think that we have already nearly seen the last of the Moon of the Maize ! These balmy days for us are numbered ; soon enough shall we be forced to shut out the cold and the snow." At his protest, I sat me down again, and applied myself anew to my task. But ever the cruel sun- beam, glancing about the head and shoulders of our Sieur, distracted me from my occupation, and though I strove to banish the thought of ill by see- ing in its brilliancy an augury of honors and fortune to be showered upon my brother thus in a golden THE LODESTONE OF LOVE 277 profusion, still the long, sharp ray of light took on to my mind a form of menace. For a time we worked in silence. All at once darkness entered through the doorway, as if des- tiny swiftly crossed the threshold and with an eager haiid snatched away the gleaming spirit-weapon of the savage. Cadillac lifted his head quickly, and I started to my feet. Without, on the gallery, stood a stranger, whose shadow, thus projected into the room, had inter- rupted us. The fellow who intruded upon us in this fashion was a swarthy, keen-eyed Canadian, clad in a surtout of blue cloth that reached below the knees, and elk- skin trousers ornamented with fringe; around his waist was fastened a worsted sash of scarlet color amid the folds of which was thrust a broad hunting- knife, and crowning his shock of black hair was the jaunty red cap of the wood-ranger. "Sans Souci, my trusty coureur de bois," ex- claimed Cadillac, with the rare, bright smile of wel- come that was as cordial of ChStreuse to the hearts of those who served him faithfully, and caused them to forget his sometime haughtiness. " Sans Souci, and returned so soon," continued La Mothe, as his messenger came in and strode to the table. "You must have especial news wherewith you have hastened back from Montreal, giving your- self only time at the taverns on the way to quaff a cup for refreshment and another for good speed. As for trading, my faith, your customers for once must have got good bargains, since you tarried not to haggle. But have a care, have a care, or you will feel the company's bludgeon about your ears." |i 278 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE "A man must live, monseigneur, maugre the company," returned Sans Souci, taking the good- humored condescension of our Sieur as it was meant, for, all the world knows, a coureur de bois ac- knowledges no trading laws but those he makes for himself. " What would mon Sieur say to it if I were to swear that upon this last trip I have not traded to the value of a sou, and scarce have delayed for refreshment?" De la Mothe shook a finger at him in deprecation. "I should say, I would as soon expect you to turn monk, ^ns Souci, and eschewing all the follies of the world bind yourself to sobriety and obedience." Sans Souci chuckled with merriment at the por- trayal of himself in so unlikely a garb. " Ha, ha, ha ! the wit of mon Sieur is as keen as the edge of my knife," he cried, drawing the sleeve of his blouse across his eyes to wipe away the tears of laughter that gathered therein. " I will wait till I am sick to do penance in sackcloth and ashes. But what I have told to mon Sieur is true. Moreover, I did not go at all to Ville Marie." " You did not go to Ville Marie," repeated Mon- sieur de Cadillac, now grown grave, as he fixed upon the wood-ranger a look of stern inquiry. " What, then, of the packet of letters I gave into your keeping to be delivered to certain parties there? Also the documents for the directors of the company, and the mail to be forwarded to Monsieur de Vaudreuil?" " Monsieur de Cadillac will be angered, yet I intrusted them to another," rejoined the coureur de bois, unflinchingly. THE LODESTONE OF LOVE 279 " Sacre ! " ejaculated La Mothe, pushing back his chair and glaring at the ranger. " Sans Souci, is it in this manner you repay my confidence? Is it thus you execute the commission for which I paid you double? Are you, the coureurs de bois, become so lawless that there is not one among them worthy of trust?" " Monsieur de la Mothe may upbraid if he will, but I ask that he will first hear me," protested Sans Souci, folding his arms and tossing his head in an ggrieved fashion. " Eh bien, what have you to say ? " demanded my brother wearily, leaning an elbow on the table, and resting a finger upon his temple, as is a habit with men of a reflective turn of mind. " I did not go to Ville Marie," procet ed the coureur de bois, meeting the steady scrutiny to which he was subjected, " because at Fort Frontenac I learned something which I felt should be known to the Commandant of Le Detroit." " Ah ! " The exclamation broke from Cadillac like a sigh, " You must have remained some time at Fort Frontenac," he said inquiringly. "Only so long as to make sure, to acquire all possible information," answered Sans Souci. " Here is my news for mon Sieur. The Iroquois are plan- ning a descent upon the Indians of Le Detroit ; the Commandant at Fort Frontenac says he is power- less to prevent it, but to my mind it looks as if, since the company cannot have their way at Fort Pont- chartrain, they care not ; so Fort Pontchartrain must needs be abandoned. Their messengers may come to warn you, but I have come first." Here was informaticii to shake the fortitude of the stoutest heart ! i.v 28o A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE "Sans Souci," he said at length slowly to the man who stood motionless at his side, regardbg him whh senous attention, -'.Sans Souci, Wet my h^ sty to'mr o Fo:- P""'".'^^^ ""'^^^^ a gre^ser^S Iee?h.'M?- n °"*'^^^''^'"' ^° '^^ King. I will see that it is well rewarded." "It was for mon Sieur alone I did it" reolieH Sans Souci. stretching out his hands w'th the ardent demonstration natural to the people of New France ""ciufrTH"'^''"^ of Norm'anly and LaBre^gne' much moved. "Come, now thou shalt tell me al «^ou has learned of this matter, and how it came to thy knowledge. Meantime — " He rang a little silver bell that stood on the table close at his hand, and Gaspard appeared for's^n?!''^''' ""^"^ ^'l " ^"^" ''^^y "^^'^t ^"d wine cellar afford"' ' P''''"'^^' '^^ ^^'^ '^'^' '^^ harder and wit^tC ^^"' ^r'' ^^^ *°^^ ^'' ^'°^ ^"d was gone with the major-domo to partake of the cheer of the manor, my brother sighed once more. He was in Wm ^ "^^' '° ^°'^"^ ^'^"'^^^ ^ ^ ^^^ ^^^' seen " Normand," he said, pushing his chair out of the sunlight, as ,f its long bright lances were indeed levelled agamst him,-.'.Normand, shut-to the door." 1 did so, and resumed my place " I meant that Fort Pontchartrain should be to the IZTll V ""^'^^^ ^""^ ^°^^'"g f^t closed against them the Gates of the Northwest ' 'le continued iB^-^j^i^i sss^^s^s^ I I THE LODESTONE OF LOVE 281 " But now, when there is war again between England and France, and wilh our Outawas disaffected since they accepted the invitation of the English and went to Orange, this news threatens serious consequences." He lapsed into a melancholy cogitation, no doubt planning what to do ; and I fell silent as well, think- ing bitterly over these matters. Some minutes passed thus ; then, of a sudden, our Sieur sprang to his feet and began pacing the room with rapid strides. His despondent mood had passed, and he was once more full of energy and action. " Were all the world against me, I would fight it still ! " he burst out. " Good courage breaks ill luck ; soldiers in peace are like chimneys in summer; small as is our garrison, 't is as well that their arms should not gather rust. I will conciliate our savages by presents, but I will also overawe them by my author- ity. The company has persecuted me, deprived me of my prerogative of trading with the Indians, and sought to wrest from me all my rights and privileges. Nevertheless, I shall vanquish them in the end. And if the Iroquois come, we shall be ready for them." He threw back his head and drew forth his 'sword, as if impatient to be at his foes without delay. But, there being no one save myself in the peaceful salon, and no sign of an enemy without, either on the green or upon the sunlit expanse of the strait as far as the eye could see, with an impetuous ejaculation he dropped the blade back into its sheath and continued his pacing of the floor. A few moments later, Sans Souci returned. As he came, drawing the sleeve oi' his blue blouse across his lips, after a last generous draught from the wine- cup, he stammered effusively, — i i 282 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE " Pardon ! I forgot to tell Monsieur de Cadillac another morsel of news that I gathered in my ab- sence. At Fort Frontenac I learned that Madame de Cadillac and her children, with some lady or maid, I know not who, are on their way back to Le Detroit." La Mothe stopped short and stared at the cou- reur de bois in blank amazement. "A likely tale," he said scornfully. "Madame Cadillac and her party are not to come until the spring." "Ay, so it was to be, no doubt," insisted Sans Souci. "But Madame la Seigneuress became alarmed; she encountered some hostility toward Monsieur le Commandant at Quebec, she heard that the disgraced commissioners were plotting against him, she was not content to remain away any longer. A brave lady is madame, and she believes, I trow, that when a man is pushed by his enemies, his wife should be at his side." " My noble-hearted Th^r^se," murmured Cadillac to me under his breath, " nothing short of bolts and bars could keep her from setting out to join me, if she thought I was in trouble. Heaven reward her for her loyal love ! And yet, womanlike, she must needs add to my predicament by rushing into the midst of the danger ! My God, Normand, if she should fall into the hands of the Iroquois, if my children should become the victims of these merciless red hounds I " Overcome with emotion, he sank into a chair and covered his eyes with his hand. For me, my heart was torn with rage ; I felt a sicken- ing anxiety for Therese and her children. Barbe also was to have returned with them. Was it not she of whom the coureur de bois had spoken as being m^-^mm^r THE LODESTONE OF LOVE 283 the companion of my sister? There surged through my soul a wild longing to be off down the lakes and through the forest; to search the wilderness that lies between Le Detroit and Montreal, to rescue the woman who was to me more than all the world be- sides, from the danger that menacfed her; to protect and fight for her single-handed against all the Iro- quois of the land, and bring her to Le Detroit in safety. At the same time a horrible dread came upon me lest even now I should be too late, while, as I glanced about the room, as one who seeks a weapon for his foe, the sunlight, streaming in at the window, took, to my disordered fancy, the aspect of a bright lock of golden hair. Was the ruthless hand of a savage to be laid upon the shining hair I loved so well? " Barbe, Barbe ! " I exclaimed in a frenzy, snatching at my rapier. And then my anger turned against the coureur de bois. I leaped upon him ; but La Mothe the next moment wrested him from me and shook the poor wretch until I have since marvelled there was any breath left in the knave. "How is it, Sans Souci?" he cried at length, having flung the fellow from him with such force that the sturdy wood-ranger fell sprawling on the floor, — " How is it, Sans Souci, that you have come hither in such haste with your news of petty official malice, and left these helpless women, my wife and her friend, my beloved children, to make their way mto the very ambushes of the terrible Iroquois?" The hand of Sans Souci sought his knife, but fell to his side again empty, as he scrambled to his feet. " Monsieur de Cadillac wrongs me," he stated sul- lenly. "I thought it best to come on; but I have 284 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE already told him that I sent a messenger down to Montreal There is in the woods no better man than he. I bade him travel night and day and, arrived at Ville Marie, to seek out Madame Cadillac at once, or If she had departed, to follow her, to advise her h!m'"l/? S,"'*'''' ^"' '^ '^^ ^°"'^ "°*' to attach himself to her escort, and lead them through he forest by a way known only to the coureur de bois " Sans Souci, forgive me," said Cadillac, with impet- uous chivalry, laying a hand upon the woodsman's shoulder: I was beside myself with anxiety. You shall lead a party, headed by Monsieur Guyon, through the wooers or by the waters to meet the travellers who are so dear to me, and if they reach Le D^roit in safety, I will bestow upon you the best farm in my gift, should you be minded to relinquish your roving life and cultivate the soil like a christian." "Monsieur le Commandant has my thanks," an- swered Sans Souci. " If another had used me thus, he should rue the day." Here he glanced at me fiercely. "But one stabs not a man in his agony and there are worse agonies than the throes of death 1 had a wife, a gentle Miami maiden, faithful and lov- ing as any woman of New France. The Iroquois killed her; at the scalp-belt of some demon warrior hangs her beautiful crow-black hair. I know the fury that possesses the heart of a man at the dread of such a fate for the woman dear to him. As for the land --when I have found that fiend of an Iroquois, when 1 have hewn him down as one hews wood for the burning, then will I remind Monsieur de Cadillac of his promise But, until then. Sans Souci cannot keep away from the forest and the lakes; his own heart bids him avenge the fate of his Indian wife, but ^mMmmmm THE LODESTONE OF LOVE 28^ ever across the waters and from the glades and thickets he hears her sweet voice calling to him. The soft breezes seem like her spirit passing near him ; the plash of the woodland springs is like the music of her laugh ; at evening the light of the stars shining through the trees minds him of the bright- ness of her eyes; the fallen leaves rustled by the wind bring back to him her footfalls. And ever she bids him for her sake to save any woman, of high or low degree, who may be in danger from the Iroquois. Is it to be supposed, then, that I would abandon so noble a lady as Madame Cadillac to the mercy of these savage foes?" As he thus defended his conduct, the rude woods- man seemed transformed by the emotions that stirred his rugged nature, while his rude eloquence astonished us. . " Sans Souci," I said, taking from my belt a Spanish dagger cased in silver which had been given me by my uncle Guyon of old, — " Sans Souci, I too wronged you in my thoughts. I too fancied you had failed to warn my sister and the fair lady who is perchance her companion, a lady far dearer to me than my life. Accept this, a fit gift for a brave man, as a token that there is no ill will between us." At my words and act, the surliness of his manner vanished, and he grasped the poniard with delight. •' My faith, a fine dirk, monsieur," he cried. " I will remember nothing save that you gave it to me, and it will, in my hand, be ever at the service of the lady." And after this gallant speech, having promised to set out with our expedition in two hours' time, he took himself off. When he had gone, I set to gathering together cor- dials and such delicacies as might refresh the ladies 286 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE upon their journey, my own preparations being soon .h '\^V^^^ '"''*"''" '° Q"^**^^' ""' ^'J' *hey come on, that IS the question ? " mused La Mothe, aloud Ko.J . ""y ?*^'" '^^^'^^<'' she will never turn I replied '^ """^ ^"^ ^^^^ '"''^ °^ ^^' children," .km7°" f ^rf'^ll^' ^^'•'"^"d. Th^rtse may send the children to Quebec, but she will come at all hazards." ne added presently. she'n.nt'-^"'*""'' de Chateauguay, why should she run so immense a risk? T was a strange whim that prompted her, to choose a home with Th^r&se in the wilderness ; but now. 't were better, assuredly, that tL^ f^ T"" ?*'"'• ^* ^*^^"P°^' ^'^ w'th the family of De Longueil." "Better far." I echoed, honestly hoping for her sake that she had so decided. But. alack, how selfish we are even in the affections we esteem our noblest 1 What Therese would dare, why might not Barbe?" And then again it cried out in apprehension of the perils of her way. should she be so rash as to under' take the voyage. mvl^\il^'' ^ 'r^ ^""^ *^^ "^'"^ ^'^'^S'" continued wouM fam have opened my eyes some time since." heat '"*^'" ^''^' ^°''^'^ ^ •"omance," I answered with Our Sieur laughed. '• Be that as it may," he responded, " I venture not a hazard as to whether the fair Chatelaine inclines to you. since the heart of a good woman is as the mand ; the love of a swcc.Seart falls very far short of 'ii^Wgim THE LODESTONE OF LOVE 287 the devotion of a wife, and I doubt if your lady would come so far to see you slaughtered by the Iroquois." " I think she will not come ; why should she, in Heaven's name?" I retorted testily to his grim jest. " Perchance the companion said to be with Th^r&se may be only my sister's waiting-maid. Still, I shall on toward Montreal until I meet Th^r&se or obtain some news of herself and Barbe, by which my future course may be determined." " Yes, yes, I knew I could do no better than to send you," replied my brother. " Had you not, I should have deserted and gone, anyhow," I declared fiercely. Thereat he laughed again. " Ay, ay, he who has love in his breast has spurs to his heels," he said. "And I wager you will find Madame de Chateauguay if she be on the way hither, for love is the lodestone of love." CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST EVERY LOVER IS A SOLDIER TN order not to give notice of our plan to the Outa- A was, whose friendship for the French had grown cold, It was necessary that the party sent to meet and escort Madame Cadillac should set out secretly. ITierefore at the h,our named I went with Fr&re Con- stantm m his canoe across the strait, and thence tramped v ,th him into the forest, as if accompanying him upon some missionary errand, as was at times my wont. When we had gone about a league from the fort we were joined by Sans Souci, and in the cour.. of half an hour there gathered around us a band of some twenty Miami and Huron braves who had stolen away one by one from their villages. Our preparations complete, we — French and savage — fell upon our knees for the blessing of the Kecollet. ru^""-^ ^^i'^^ ^°"' "^y ch^dren I May the Almighty Christian Manitou, who holds the world in the hollow of his hand, preserve you and those whom you go to protect.'' said Father del Halle, impressively stretch- mg forth his arms over us. The next moment we sprang to our feet ready to depart. My kind friend turned to me again, with paternal affection. " God keep you, Normand," he continued; " may He give you success upon your errand." ^...^:^'t;:'^%EM. 4 m EVERY LOVER IS A SOLDIER 289 A wave of emotion swept over me. I could not speak, but on the impulie, and reserved man though I was, I knelt once more and, as is the custom of the lads of New France, raised the hand of the good curi to my lips. Thereat he was much moved, and making the sign of the cross upon my brow, blessed me again. Ah, that parting! How frequently since have I recalled it, and how thankful am I that, as time went on, the tie of friendship that bound me to Frere Con- stantin waxed stronger and our esteem for each other more tender. As I look back now, it seems to me that from this time the likeness I had ever observed in him to the gentle Francis of Assisi grew more marked ; the shy creatures of the woods, the squir- rels and the deer, fled not in timidity at his approach, nor did the birds fly away or cease their song. And with the Indians no one who ever toiled in this region, save only the revered Pjrc- Marquette, ever had greater influence. In Old France the people have a legend whereof I have often bethought me in our wilderness. At the season when the earth is in its glory, either with the freshness of spring or in Nature's ripened loveliness, — at such season, say the peasants, on the morning of some perfect day there comes to the forests an hour of holiness. The trees bend low their stately heads, the flowers give forth their sweetest fragrance, le soft breeze sweeps the green carpet of moss and vines, the birds awake yet forget to sing, and the streams flow with fainter music, as they wai' in reverence. At that hour, heralded by the first rays, of light, the blessed Christ walks through the Woods. Ay, of the legend I often thought as I beheld FrSre Constantin, so true a follower of the Divine Mission- 19 jamsiF-^^^'iiZ tr^'.wu.it£Sf't^i' ~'2k"j^~ 290 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE ary traversing our trackless forests of New France with his message of peace and good-will. Some ten days our party journeyed, through the heart of the Indian summer. The hand of God seemed to rest upon the forests, so glorious were they in their splendor of gold and crimson and rus- set Ever we pressed onward, keeping a sharp look- out for foes m ambush, yet animated by the happy of'dan ef "^"'"'^ ^hich finds a zest in th-. proximity Once we crossed the trail of a band of savages whom our Hurons said were Iroquois, from certain signs I wot not of^ for the children of the wilderness, like the wild creatures who share their haunts, are wondrous versed in the lore of Nature, and pay close heed to her ambassadors, the winds and waters To them a crushed vine, a broken twig, is often a clue to the designs of their enemies. On another day Sans Souci, hearing a sound in a thicket which he took to be the stir of a young elk, fired into the greenery. The next moment a hoarse whoop rent the air, and a savage leaped out upon him, but only, with another unearthly yell, to fall dead at his feet. It was Mawkwa, the father of Ishkodah the Fury who had dogged our way. ' This discovery showed us that our expedition .had, despite our precautions, become known to the hostile Outawas. and gave us some uneasiness, on account of the ladies whom we were hastening to " Pardieu ! That yell will bring the red inhabitants of the wilds upon us like a nest of hornets." ' ex- claimed as I drew my blade, ready for the others, should they leap forth. EVERY LOVER IS A SOLDIER 291 For answer, Sans Souci took his knife from his belt, rolled the i.ody of the dead savage out of our path with h;s foot, and /e pressed on, our Indians tollowing w: a hent bow :. The dyu.g -jtrry of the chief summoned no band of mfuriated redskins, however. Nor did aught cDme of our encounter with a small party of Iroquois, a day or two later, when we had a sharp hght and I laid low a brawny fellow who had raised his hatchet to hew down Sans Souci, and received an arrow that was meant for my heart but by a fortunate chance lodged in the fleshy part of my arm. From It. though the wound was slight. I should doubtless have suffered much, by reason of the poison, had not one of our allies made for the hurt a poultice of certain leaves which took from it much of the fire. Thus we went onward for above a week, over the wastes and across the inland waters, at the portages our men carrying the canoes upon their shoulders. One morning, after having floated down a small river, we landed, and crossed a valley where we had a shot at a grazing herd of buffaloes, and I brought down a fierce bull while one of our Indians laid low another. The remainder of the herd sped away, and were quickly lost to sight in a neighboring grove. *^ ^ Half . n hour later, the same Indian bent his bow at a stirring of the underbrush, as we wandered in the forest ; but ere he could let fly one of his fateful arrows, Sans Souci caugnt his arm. A moment after, out from among the bushes sprang a great gray dog, of the kind that is of the breed of the wolf, and a denizen of the wilderness. " Have a care. Sans Souci, the creature will tear 292 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE you as he would a rabbit; and this you well know " 1 cried, as the animal leaped upon the coureur de Dois in a frenzy of excitement. But it was not as I feared, the dog was not mad with rage; on the contrary, he was nearly crazed with joy. f 'Iff ^fl' ""^^^"^ •' ^' '" Mishawaha herself, my faithful Mishawaha," exclaimed Sans Souci, scarcely less delighted than the yelping beast. "Ah, mon- sieur, now we shall speedily have tidings of those whom you seek. I left Mishawaha among my friends m the woods some leagues from Fort Frontenac. bhe must have followed the coureur de bois whom I sent to escort Madame Cadillac. Madame la Seign- euress and her party must be in this neighborhood, unless- He shook his head ominously, and con- tinued under his breath, " Mishawaha is not wont to be so foolish ! Why does she menace the safety of those whom she undertook to guard, by straying away from them and raising this din? Unless — " He broke off abruptly, and it was with a sinking heart that I pushed ahead of him upon the trail to which the dog led us. Thank God, our dire forebodings came to naught Ihe sagacious animal had only discovered the ap- proach of her master, and had stolen away to greet Beyond a little hillock we entered presently a secluded ravine. Here we found the party we sought, just as they were about to break camp for the journey of the day. What a providence it is that the route from Mon- treal to Le Detroit and the Northwest is marked out by so many noble water-ways down which the voyaeer may float in restfulnessi Had it been otherwise, EVERY LOVER IS A SOLDIER 293 never could even the most valiant of women have attempted the journey. As I advanced through the greenery, I now saw before me a most captivating picture. Seated like a queen upon the bank of the ravine was my sister Ma- dame Cadillac, as serene as though posed for her'por- trait by that same young painter, Antoine Watteau, of whom I have erstwhile made mention ai having later won fame; my sweet sister Ther^se, in a robe of dun color laced with silver, her brown hair dressed low — for, happily, the fontange was going out of vogue — her hazel eyes shining softly as the starlight for which the Indians named her. The fresh breeze had brought a pink tint to her usually pale cheeks, and despite the sombreness of her attire, she looked younger and still more comely than when she went away. There beside her, was little Jacques, now playing with the dog, which had bounded back to them in an abandon- ment of glee the reason whereof they failed to under- '*-!wu '^^^'t "^^^ Frangoise, the maid, coquetting with their guide, a handsome young coureur de bois there, forming a circle of dark faces, were the Indians who made up the escort. And there— yes, verily and I felt my face flush red, as my eyes turned upon her, standing just beyond Thdr^se, and clasping in her arms a great bouquet of scarlet sumach sprays and golden maple leaves, - there was Barbe. also most quietly attired, and wearing upon her shining hair a little coif of velvet; Barbe, more lovely than I had ever beheld her. At my appearance both women screamed, doubting if It could be myself in the flesh. My voice speedily reassured them, however, and Thlr^se fell upon my breast with a glad cry. Young Jacques caught me by the coat; even Franjoise forgot her coureur de TH^ PROPERT OF SCARBORO PUBLIC LIBRARY. ^ i ^ 294 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE bois long enough to murmur an ecstatic "Oh. mon- f,r/ \u ^"/.^^^PPfd ^^' palms together as she iooked up to the fair sky m thankfulness. Only Barbe stood ^fn^ ^''^V^7"^^ '^y^^^^ '^^* y^^ g^^^ l^er, to my mind, an added grace. " Miladi Barbe, have j^ou not a welcome for me?" free '^'"^^'"g "ear to her when TherSse let me "A thousand. Normand," she said in a tremulous tone and thereat quickly turned away her gaze, thinkmg perhaps to hide from me the tears in he^ bright eyes, - tears that were like glistening dewdrops upon two purple violets. I took her hands in mine and, bending my head, touched them with my lips. b y ^, " Did you not know I would come, Barbe? " I whis- pered earnestly. Again those beautiful eyes met my own. '• Yes, Normand, I knew you would come." she answered gently. And then, as once before, in her girlhood's days «V?u"tf °^ ^"^^^^' '^^ ^^^ 'hat I was wounded. Oh, Normand, how came this? " she cried, going deathly white. "A scratch from an Indian arrow. rV7. ^'? y°" '"'^ 'h^ ^°""d has been properly tended? A dressing of some forest herb, moistened teVme ""^ ^'''^^ ^''^^'' '" ^^ remedy, they Thereupon she must needs hear all about the skirmish, and learn from the Miami what he had done for me; though 'twas of a far different matter I was minded to talk to her. Howbeit she gave me no chance. ~ neither then. nor during our journey back to Fort Pontchartrain. Moreover, she was at great pains to explain to me W^§-jlMi'¥M^-M-'. EVERY LOVER IS A SOLDIER 295 that she had come with Madame Cadillac because to her mind Th^r^se ran into peril by coming at all and she could not see her set out with no woman companion other than her maid. As if the com- panionship of so lovely a lady as the Chatelaine of Chateauguay u .uld make the way safer for my sister I ' By a special providence, or so it seemed, we reached Le Detroit in safety, and the wife of Cadillac was in- stalled in the new manor, with the Lady of Chateau- guay again as her guest. At the fort all were still on the watch and prepared as far as might be for the coming of the Iroquois. The savages of Le Detroit were warned by our Sieur of the threatened attack from their ancient foe; the tomahawk painted red was sent from village to village ; the Medicine Men consulted their Mani- tous. Bands of our warriors ranged the forests, or, taking to their canoes, floated down the strait and the Lake of the Eries, on the alert to discover the movements of the enemy. Saint Martin's Summer usually a time devoted to the annual games and thank offerings of the Indians, was become a season of practice for war. One starlight night a party of braves returned to Le Detroit m triumph, with scalps at their belts, and bringing some six or seven captives. They had met a band of Iroquois, had fought them, and slain a goodly number. At the gates of the palisade they demanded an interview with the Commandant. Albeit the hour was late, the chief, Wingeezee, was admitted, and con- ducted to the presence of De la Mothe, and the inter- preter De Lorme was summoned to the parley in the council room of the barracks. i ww.^Mms^^^'.:W'\-m J i96 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE . "My father," began the chief, "we have met a horde of Iroquois and have slain many. wthThLe our foes was a white warrior who fought with S cunnmg, ,t looked to us, since twice he spared two of our number who were wounded; an Indian deWnot Ii"eThe tSTs o"?he°'for"e t° flT h"" i"^"" <'°™ «o!, r J M lorest, fled, abandonini? their be angry with us. ,f we robbed him of his vengeance we have brought the white chid to our Father to do with him as h6 wills." ^a^ncr, to " Wingeezee. you and your warriors have done well replied Monsieur de Cadillac, inclining his head There ,s no braver chief on Le D^roit than th. great Eagle I will tell Onontio in qSIc 'ryour service to the French. Gifts you shall have ofTe ako. when you have delivered this captive into my the'Sief."'^^' ^' '^'" ^' ^'^"" *° ""y ^^'^^''" «^Jd "Let him be rendered to Sergeant Tolicceur at the gate, and Monsieur Guyon wUl furnish to lou Wingeezee. such stores from the King's ammuniS "stl^ctL? rr^ '""f '^^^^^' the'commaX Selecting a fusee and a small quantity of powder The white man had been bound hand and foot and was passed over to us like a log. .eing borne Tn' and laid upon the ground by two of the Indians I^hen presented the musket and ammunition to Wingeezee. -a dangerous gift, but he would have been satisfied with naught else. m^%4M^. vN EVERY LOVER IS A SOLDIER 297 When he and his followers were gone, I looked to- ward the prisoner. His head was turned to one side, and his chapeau had slipped down so as co partly conceal his face. I knew from his uniform, however, that he was English, and my heart grew hot with anger. " Bah ! the hardihood of these Bostonnais. thus to w wu? '""^V^^ wilderness," I muttered to myself. What could he hope for but to be abandoned by his alhes. should their opponents prove too strong for them? How little wit he had. to spare the lives of our savages, who know not the emotion of mercy ! bmall wonder he was taken captive." Muc h as I hated the red-coat, it was not seemly to leave him thus bound. No sooner did the thought occur to me than I strode over to where he lay and with a stroke of my rapier cut the thongs that held him rigid. " Rise, monsieur," I said. " Whatever indignities you may have suffered at the hands of the savages are now passed. Honor nec'^. no bonds. You are indeed still a prisoner, but a prisone. of the King of France; and whatever may be your fate, be assured you will be accorded the treatment of a gentleman, in so far as it is possible thus to treat an emissary of our foes. "^ Whether there was in my words aught of comfort for the unhappy man, I cannot say. No sooner did he feel himself free than he sprang to his feet and glanced about him. But his limbs were palsied from having been so long jjandaged, and a faintness came over him. caus- ing him to sink back upon the ground with a groan. " Phouff! The savages made him abstain from food more rigorously than an anchorite, and, I doubt I Hi 'II i ■r^r'3^?9 298 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE not, the poor wretch is vvellnigh crazed with thirst as well," quoth Jolicoeur. Compassion was not dead within me. I put a draught of water to the lips of the captive, and when he had I vived in a slight degree, gave him a cup of wme. *^ Soon his strength returned in part, and getting upon his feet once more, he straightened himself with a haughty air and gave me a glance wherein were blended gratitude for my service, pride, and courage. His countenance was strangely familiar to me Where had I seenthim before? ^^ " Monsieur," I said presently, in courteous fashion, I regret to behold a brave man in so sad a plight." " T is the fortune of war," he answered with sang- froid, as though in the outcome of his dilemma he had no concern, — a coolness as unlike the dashing gallantry of a Frenchman under similar circumstances as is the impenetrability of ice to the sparkling cool- ness of a forest spring. " But how have you con- cluded that I am not a poltroon?" he added with a calm smile. " Only a man brave unto rashness would rush into the heart of an enemy's country with a body of treacherous Indians and upon a fool's errand," I re- turned with sharp evasion. At my plain naming of his mission, he scowled defiantly, and. in obedience to the instinct of a soldier his hand sought his sword, then dropped to his side' as he despondently realized that the weapon had been taken from him. " If monsieur is ready, I will conduct him to the Commandant," I continued, regretting my bluntnes«= He bowed assent, and I led the way, the red-coat EVERY LOVER IS A SOLDIER 299 coming next, and Jolicoeur bringing up the rear, and keeping a close eye upon the prisoner, as was his duty. The council room of the barracks wore a funereal aspect as wo entered it. The rough walls were dark with shaiiows; the flickering light of the pine knots smoking ii. tneir sockets was veritably ghastly. Upon the dais at one end of the room sat Cadillac, majestic and imposing in his fine court dress. Evi- dently he would fain impress the Englishman with his dignity as the representative of the King of France, and his own sovereignty, I may say, over the region into which the stranger had intruded with such temerity. The scene minded me of a picture from a graver's plate that I saw in Paris, — a gravure of one Jacques Gallot, which represented the sombre chances of war, and was as far removed from gay little pastorals from the brush of the young Antoine Watteau, as is the sunshine from the gloom of dusk, when the rays of light die away, like the glow of a torch that is quenched. The prisoner saluted the assembly with quiet non- chalance, and then stood before them erect and with a scornful air, as one who minded not the stateliness of the tribunal nor cared to plead for clemency. " Monsieur," said Cadillac, addressing him, " you are a Bostonnais. What is your name ? " " Sir Commandant, I am an English officer ; this is all you need to know," he corrected suavely. '* With us, monsieur, the terms Bostonnais and Eng- lish are synonymous, though some among us are more versed in your southern geography than may be supposed," rejoined De la Mothe. " You decline to say how you are called ; well, Monsieur le Boston- 300 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE nais, hwe you any explanation to make ? How came you to be m this new province of the King of France at the time of your apprehension? " guarded]" ' '"''""'" '^^^" *'^ Englishman, "Nay, monsieur, these papers," interrupted our Sieur, tappmg with his finger a small packet that had been put mto his hand by Wingeezee, — " these papers, a diminutive but well-drawn map showing the country, these notes of our defences prove you had ere now ventured near enough to our fortifi- cations to observe them carefully. You are a sdv mon..eur, and the fate of a spy, you know, is The words of Cadillac were followed by a moment of terrible silence. There was no hope for the stranger; his papers had convicted him. At this time, in face of the danger that threatened the very existence of the fort, the Commandant would be inexorable, as a glance at the set visage of La Mothe assured me. The momentous stillness, during which we heard no sound save the breathing of one another, was broken at last by the prisoner himself "Monsieur le Commandant," he said, throwing back his head proudly, " it was not a love of glory that led me to undertake a journey into the country of those with whom my people are at war; yet fame I should have won had I been successful. I came in the service of my flag. You term me a spy, but in my own land I shall be honored as a hero. I fear not death and crave not your mercy. All I ask of your chivalry ,s as to the manner of my death. I am a gentleman and a soldier; let me die then to the roll of the drum and the report of a volley of musketry " I^^^M J\ji,:^'tzi "^Mi^MM'hd^M:..: ..: ^:M: EVERY LOVER IS A SOLDIER 301 "The punishment decreed for a .»py is not that he be shot," answered Monsieur de Cadillac, curtly. His words must have been as a cruel blow to the Englishman; nevertheless the latter lost not his coolness, but drew himself up more rigidly than before, if this were possible, and unflinchingly met the gaze of his foes. With all the dignity at his command, my brother arose and pronounced sentence. " Monsieur le Bostonnais," he said, " as the rep- resentative here at Fort Pontchartrain of his Majesty Louis the Fourteenth, King of France, and of the provinces of New France and Acadia, and of Le Detroit, and by virtue of the authority vested in me, I, Commandant and Seigneur, having in my posses- sion incontestable proofs of your guilt, do upon their evidence condemn you as a spy, and decree that to-morrow at sunrise, at the gate of the palisade, you shall be hanged by the neck until dead." A long-drawn sigh was the only sound heard in the room for some seconds after La Mothe had ceased to speak. The Commandant glanced sharply about, as he sank back into his chair, and straightway I found that all in the assembly were looking at me. For it was not the prisoner who had sighed ; it was I. His sentence was just; but my heart smote me that a man so young and gallant should meet so ignomin- ious a fate. By a lordly wave of his hand, Cadillac motioned to Jean Joly to remove the prisoner. Ere the sergeant took a s! -p forward, however, there was a commotion in the passage without, as of a woman's voice disputing with the guards and appealing to them. 3BIB>9L3Sitnr'lffMF' '/^Wln •'q^9^l^J*SlKi:WI0!' 302 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE The next moment the door of the room burst open reveahng a picture that caused every man o he assembly to start with astonishment. Ay. even the demeanor of Monsieur de Cadillac grew less composed, although this was scarce perceptible to any but myself, who knew him so we^l wh le the Englishman, who had not blanched at h s Ten ence now changed color and drew his hand across hfs brow m a confused manner. CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND THE LION BEARDED IN the doorway stood none other than Miladi Barbe, richly attired, as she ever was in the evening and at dinner, for the ladies at Fort Pontchar- train affected much of state and ceremony, in order to keep up the prestige of the post and the seigneury with the soldiery and settlers. Moreover, I have ever noted that when a woman has silken gowns and costly ornaments she will make occasion to display them. Yet the Lady of Chateauguay thought not of the impression she created as, a vision of life, youth, and beauty, she confronted the tomblike silence of the room with its weird shadows, its flickering torches, and the stern faces of the circle of men who sur- rounded the condemned. She had thrown back the hood of the long cloak of camlet cloth which she had plainly donned in great haste ; and the cloak, fallen open, now slipped to the ground. Her gown was one whereof I had often taken note, — a red and dove-colored damask flowered in large trees. Her hair was all in sweet disorder, and although still held partly in place by a jewelled dagger, had slipped low upon her shoulders, as if she had dragged it down in the frenzy of a great excitement. Her face was suffused with a delicate flush, like to the pink bloom of the eglantine ; tears sparkled in her eyes, and her white hands clutched 304 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE so nervously at the lace upon her bodice and the sprays of golden-rod she wore against her neck, that she heedlessly tore to shreds the fairy gossamer, as though It oppressed her breathing, and wantonly crushed the yellow flowers. " I crave your pardon. Monsieur de Cadillac, and that of all these gentlemen," she gasped, glancing from one to another of the tribunal in graceful and pathetic entreaty. " I know not what breach of the law I commit by intruding here, nor what may be the penalty. Nevertheless listen to me. Messieurs, I am a Bostonnaise. It came to my ears that a Boston- nais prisoner had been brc" ht in with the cap- tive Iroquois; that he is like to be condemned to death as a spy. Monsieur de Cadillac, I come to intercede for my countryman ! Monsieur de Cadillac, I beg you to have mercy ! " Therewith she stretched out her hands to him most piteously. The brows of La Mothe contracted with mental pain, but he made her no answer, and his visage grew harder than before. In desperation she glanced along the line of faces before her, as if seeking an ally. A moment her gaze rested upon me, then it travelled to the prisoner, to whose personality she now for the first time gave heed, so eager had she been to plead his cause. The beautiful eyes of Miladi Barbe shone with sympathy as she turned them upon the Bostonnais. All at once, however, she recoiled in bewilderment, clasped her trembling hands upon her breast, and uttered a low cry of astonishment. The officer condemned to die at sunrise was he who at Quebec had come to demand of my uncle Guyon that Barbe be suffered to go *o her own -^"=*v t^ W^"y^ Ar^a^/- xii,^.^««L' .^^'S THE LION BEARDED 305 people; the officer who had maintained the same demand at the Chdteau of St. Louis ; the officer who, as the envoy of Sir Phipps, had bearded Comte Fron- tenac in his own council hall, and undauntedly de- livered his haughty message at the peril of his life. Now, as the gaze of the gallant soldier met that of the Lady of Chateauguay in mutual recognition, her face assumed an expression of horror, but his cleared ; he held his head higher, as if proudly triumphant rather than crushed by defeat, while he so far forgot his situation as even to smile into those anxious eyes, as if forsooth 't was she who had need of cheer, and not himself. Whether those eloquent glances rekindled in the heart of each a flame awakened long ago, or whether the fact that the prisoner was not to her a stranger reinforced her courage, I could not determine. Again she turned to Cadillac, to renew her plea. He raised a hand in warning. " Madame de Chateauguay, this is unprecedented," he said sternly; "I beg of you to retire. This is a tribunal of justice, not a mercy-seat It is not meet that ladies, however fair, should interrupt the delib- erations of a military court." "For my audacity I again crave your pardon," she answered with a dignified humility. " As I have said, I am a Bostonnaise, and I pray you to grant me the life of this officer, who indeed is not unknown to me." As these last words fell from her lips, the counte- nance of La Mothe changed, and he shot at her a look of suspicion and inquiry. "What, the daughter of Francois Guyon, the daughter-in-law of De Longueil, the widow of a gal- lant Le Moyne who died fighting the English I — that 20 >Brt^.' 3o6 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE W„n''^- '^■"^'^ "^"^y '■«'"« herself to be a ^v1Z':fl-'J .f """ding truly," he said with pJt severity and it is scarce Uke to serve the man for whom she stoops to plead. That the Ldy of Cha teauguay knows aught of the prisoner I cannot credit r ^ern're:; """'" '■"■•">' •"'" ^-= '^ - '-^r:i;L' He looked from one to another of his subordinates wnelmed « th surprise, for so generally was Barbe known as the daughter of Francois Guyon and his wife Marguerite ,Marsolet, that few there were in Quebec who remembered she was their chTld bi" by adoption; while the family of De LongueU w^ so Identified with the fame and glories of New F ance none thought to find among them one of X From the faces of the company whereon were ttTed .r'"'"."!"' ''"'"-'""-"t and increduliTy, ! turned to regard the prisoner. ^ Once more he smiled, though the sword of fate was and he s^od '° '"' l"™ ""^ '" ""' ^'™"g --^^ and he stood weaponless, without power or oooor unity to pariy the blow. Ah, thaf confident" q'uie smile ! T was as if he would have said, " I declared of old that the lady was English at heart, now dTet she not prove the truth of my words? " face of "T^ff "ft!-'*'' « P"'"' "'^* ^"^ «™ in the fnifii ? i , ""^ °®"=" '■"""d satisfaction in the fulfilment of his supercilious assumption on a dav of years agone in Quebec. These Bostonnals so per^stent yet withal so loyal and truel ' her emo^ot "L^l"?"?""'' '*''"Sgl=d to control her emotion. She had, alas, chosen her words in a THE LION BEARDED 307 manner calculated to injure the prisoner, had not his cause been already hopeless. But only for a moment was she disconcerted. Raising her head with a gentle dignity worthy of the lovely La Mainte- non herself, she said, — "Monsieur de Cadillac, it is well known to you that fronr, my childhood I have loved New France Its people and its lilies, with all my heart; from' my marriage I have honored and kept unsullied the name of Le Moyne of Chatcauguay. Never until the exchange of the English prisoners at Quebec did I Kfnr TuW"^^" "°i ^°'*" ^ '"^J^^t °f the Sun and offered me, in the name of Sir William Phipps, the chaperonage of an estimable lady and safe con- wrnH K fT,"^' u'J^"^- "^ ^^^ ^'°q"^"t and most kind, but I laughed at him. I told him my country was New France; that beneath the banner of the fleur-de-hs I would live and die. Still he persisted saying he would lay the matter before the Governor .nH ""^^"^^^^ *° *=?"P<=1 n^e to rro agaiust my will.' and this was more than I could br. k with patience I too went to Comte Frontenac, who assured me of his protection, and added, half in jest but with some- thing of earnestness, that if I would prove myself a daughter of New France I must needs take a husband in Quebec; thus none but the French could ever claim me. Therewith, gladly and not in jest, I promised to follow the admonition of Mon- sieur le Comte, and the Bostonnais officer was dis- missed with Idle ceremony. When making his adieux woSs~"^^ '" courtesy— well I remember the Miladi Barbe paused, and the crimson glow of her cheeks deepened as she glanced, half timidly, at the Ls^l :-?^i^»f^.<« 3o8 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE prisoner. "Yes. thus he said: 'Sweet mistress, in your choice I wish you all content and happiness. Nevertheless a Bostonnaise you are, and a Boston- na.se you will discover yourself to be some day. Perchance the day lies in the far distant future, but come ,t will.' Monsieur de Cadillac, messieurs, the envoy was this officer before you, — this officer of whom I have seen or heard naught from that hour until the present. I kept my word given to Monsieur de Frontenac; I became the bride of one of the noblest scions of Quebec; I am the widow of a hero of New France. When I die, I wish to have the ground where I am laid sown with fleur-de-lis, that they may grow up out of my heart. I will not deny that when I became a woman I would fain have learned more of my parentage, that a longing to see the country of my birth has sometimes disquieted me. istill, in all things have I been loyal to the country of my adoption. Now I ask of my lily-crowned mother the life of this Bostonnais. Monsieur de Cadil- lac, I implore you, as her representative, do not deny me this boon." La Mothe was moved by this appeal and Miladi Barbes unconscious eloquence, as I could see by the expression of emotion that flitted over his fea- tures. It was quickly gone, however, and they be- came as rigid as before. ^ " Madame," he began austerely, " what you ask is impossible. Beauty may presume where even in- trepidity dares not. Did any one save so fair a lady thus interrupt this court, I should have the offender put in irons. Therefore, madame, in all courtesy to you as the representative of one of the most illus- trious families of New France and as the guest of Madame Cadillac, I again beg you to retire." /^. wJtr Wi. ^■^'Wt THE LION BEARDED 309 Pressing her hands together in her distress, Barbe looked toward me, as if praying me to add my in- tercession to hers. Freely would I have done so had I not known only too well it would be futile. Cadillac was resolved, and naught could alter his decision. At this juncture the prisoner took a step forward and turned to the woman who had so bravely cast to the winds the ceremonious observances of our little world in her effort to save him. "Lady," he said in a voice that now trembled slightly, albeit he had heard his sentence without fal- tering, — " Lady, I beseech you plead no more for me; your anxiety, and it alone, unmans me. A soldier does not fear death; in seasons of war he sometimes faces it daily. An officer of New Eng- land, I took my life in my hands when I came into this wilderness. Dying heroes have told us it is sweet to die for one's country, and I regret not that I am to taste of this sweetness. Ah, lady , were the cup as bitter as wormwood, it would become as nec- tar by virtue of the words you have spoken in my behalf. Did I say your prayers and tears unnerve me? Yes, because they stir the deepest feelings of my heart; and I reproach myself that unwittingly I have crossed the path of your life again, to give you even a moment of unselfish sadness. But for myself, ah, sweet mistress, your sympathy, your gentle in- terest, are as wine for the gods. Were I faint-hearted as the veriest craven, they would fill me with cour- age ; with so fair a hand to buckle on the armor of my valor, I would be coward indeed, did I not con- front fate boldly. From the day long since in Quebec, when you answered me with the grace of a demoiselle of New France, the spirit of an English ilfi Hi] 310 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE maid, your image has been ever in my heart; you and you alone have reigned therein from that day to the present. Madame, I thank and bless you ! What greater boon could a soldier ask than to die for his country, yet to have as his advocate the fair lady of his heart's devotion? Accept my gratitude. All I request further is that you will forget the ignoble manner of my death and — that you will remember me as your countryman." Barbe's gaze, which had been riveted upon the countenance of the Bostonnais, now swept the circle of the darker faces of the French officers in agonized distress. " The ignoble manner of his death," she repeated in a dazed fashion, as if but half comprehending, and forgetting the awkwardness of his strange avowal of love in the shock which appalled her. "The Bostonnais officer is already sentenced? And to be — " Her lips refused to frame the word, but again her trembwng hands clutched at the lace of the fichu about her throat, and tore away the flowers that rested against the pure whiteness of her neck. " My God, Monsieur de Cadillac," she broke out in desperation, "have you no mercy? Will naught move you? Is New France so niggardly that she will grant nothing to her daughters? Am I to find her, after all, but a cold foster-mother, who denies a mother's love to the stranger child at her hearth? If this be so — Oh, friends, my father, my own father, was mayhap, I have been told, an English officer such as is this gentleman. You bid me cease to plead, but can I be silent while one who is as of my kindred rests under sentence of a shameful death?" ^' - U- iU .imj- THE LION BEARDED 3" La Mothe slowly rose to his feet. " My Lady de Chateauguay," he said with deliber- ation, " your eloquence and perseverance do you honor; nevertheless, tempt not my patience further. It is impossible for me to grant your request and let this prisoner go free, or even to keep him in duress. He is a convicted spy, and as such has forfeited the right to clemency. As a warning to the English, he must pay the penalty of his temerity. The present safety, the future existence of Fort Pontchartrain may depend upon stringent measures now. Still, to prove to you that New France is not heedless of the prayer of a daughter, even a foster-daughter," he added with unnecessary sarcasm, " I will alter the sentence in so far as to accede to the request of Monsieur le Boston- nais. Monsieur, your petition is granted, you shall die like a gentleman and a soldier." At these words of the Commandant, a light almost of joy shone upon the face of the Englishman, and he bowed to his judge with a courtesy which I have never seen surpassed. But Barbe ! — dear Barbe saw not that she had won for her countryman the one favor he craved, and had removed from his fate its ignominy. For Miladi Barbe swayed blindly and would have fallen but that I sprang forward and caught her in my arms. She had fainted. On the instant La Mothe signalled Jolicoeur to remove the prisoner. Ere they passed out, however, the Bostonnais, without let or hindrance, strode across the room to the rude bench covered with a wolf's skin, whereon I had laid my lovely burden ; I being now engaged in chafing her limp hands. Kneeling upon one knee, he bent his head and kissed the hem of her robe. Then espying upon the 312 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE floor a spray of the golden-rod she had torn awav LTto'L'^r'"' '!, 't^"'^ ^^"^^^ •' up. press dk coat. ^^'' ^ '' '*' '"'° '**" ^^^*^' °f h« ■>^'.^'"r?>-«?^-*r*"-=-^??-:s^'iiPfia?.;^ •r"w-«^j^ CHAPTER TWENTY-THIRD TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE nrV) be shot at sunrise. M, It was a fate tragic enough, although the Bos- tonnais had welcomed it so gladly as a concession from the hangman's noose. One so brave, and but little ever thirty years of age, was to be shot as a spy in the wilderness! Yes, it was a hard fate for an honorable man who had only done his duty as he knew it. The consequences might indeed have been disastrous to us had he succeeded, yet, since he had failed — well, he had gained but the fortune of such service. Of this I thought as I sat alone in my room at the house of Fr^re Constantin, an hour after the breaking up of the court. Much as I pitied the Englishman, it had cut me to the heart to hear Barbe admit so deep an interest in him; while at his open avowal that she had been since the day of long ago the Lady of his Dreams, were it not for his position, I would fain have chal- lenged him by a look to a duel k I'outrance, — a challenge to be followed up in a more formal manner once we were out of the lady's presence. Still, I liked not at all the certainty of so soon being rid of him, either. He was a prisoner, sentenced to die at sunrise. Our good Recollet had gone to him now, to offer him such spiritual consolation as he would accept, and presently I would go and write down any last ■ i. TiL-J. "WW •2«ir.i:^ JB".'»«r Ok «w- 314 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE instructions he might wish to give; and if he desired companionship during these final hours. I would remain with him as long as might be. From these reflections I was aroused by a sound as of some one beating with a stick upon the oickets of the palisade which surrounded the^ouse S out, I found at the entrance Jules, the little Pani slave fh. fl y°"' M°"«»*^"^ Guyon." he said, as I opened nfn ^ I *"^' ^^'•"^^•"g a thin strip of birch bark int^ my hand, he was off again ere I could question Puzzled. I carried the strange little missive into the cabin and read it by the light of the hearth-fire. Be at the beech-tree in the King's Garden as soon as may be. This I saw writ in characters once to me familiar, albeit more elegant than when I knew them. And then I held the note nearer to the blaze and smiled ^ J ^ deciphered the signature, -a little Spanish "Miladi!" I exclaimed under my breath, and smiled again at the recollection of a day long, long ago, when my uncle Guyon had brought to little Barbe the dainty footgear affected by the beauties of Spam when they walk abroad. - little pattens or san- aals of velvet set upon plates of gold which raise the teet some inches from the ground. And the pretty child had sported them upon the beach of Beauport. leaving the story of her play writ m countless fairy-like footprints upon the strand. Taereat we had together traced in these footprints a likeness to the characters I wrote in my Latin themes; and afterwards sometimes I had found upon the margin of my fairest and most serious copies, slyly hmned there by a childish hand, a litUe shoe TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE 3»5 like to this, with mayhap a few let elded such as these, " Barbe, her mark." Barbe ! There was nothing untoward in her send- ing for me at this hour of nine in the evening, yet so extraordinary was it that but for this narve signature I might have suspected the ruse of an enemy, and have hesitated to play the fool by going alone to obey the summons. But the little shoe ! No one knew it stood for the name of Barbe but our two selves ; she had not made use of it to call me to her side since her early girl- hood, yet, had she now by it summoned me across the world, I should have gone, understanding that she had need of my aid. Perhaps, indeed, it would be but another message from her I should find in the King's Garden. By the river under the beech-tree it was Miladi herself who awaited me, however, although, muffled as she was in her cloak, I did not at first recognize her. I soon found that her thoughts were not of me, nor was this to be at all a lover's tryst. " Normand, Normand, I am so thankful you have come," she whispered anxiously. •' Oh, Normand, is not this most terrible ? He must not die ! We must save him ! " " Save the Bostonnats now ! It is impossible ! " I exclaimed. " Cadillac is inexorable. Did you not exhaust your, powers of pleading in vain?" " Yes, yes. I also besought Th^rese to plead with him ; and when he returned to the manor I prayed him on my knees to at least delay the execution of the sentence. He would n Nevertheless the Bostonnais must not die. Ah, why have I revealed to you even so much? But you, as a clerk, will, I 3'6 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE see him All T ,1^' 'O"' ana you alone, will Engi haVXL«o?rr„ -ir .t enemy well against usr " *"® "No, no, not treason!" she protesteH "V must require him to give his assu'rance ^ hel^ll that Z ^n'"'' "'/">' •"^^••'"ation he has acquh-rd that he w,Il not fight against us at all in this war Not even to save him would I commit treason '' "hMf^-T"^"' reasoning." I muttered withasiVh- Z?„f """"'"'. ^''"°^"' «>« safety of arfort of an enrn;"fNew Frtt '"" '° "^' °"'' *' "f^ airlrl?^^ "/''^ °J ''"" Pontchartrain, how can it be affected when the roan is required to talce oath thai he will be as one blind to what passed IW^,.!., de Cadillac may strike terror to the hearts of thi F.ve Nations by his threats, but. ha ha ha f^h/. cTude'd'T/" '""'' " B»'o"-- afr^d'^she c^ me andT i°l' °' "" P--=«y head which angered brusque^' -•tifr^f' •"'■"'■"^ "P"" l'" ^"^t needs aTk it -WhT"^" '"'"''°"' ^^^ ' ">"« Bostonn^er- "* ^°'' ''°*' ''«»='• <>r TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE 3»7 She caught her breath with a sob like an unhappy child. " Mon Dieu, Normand, in sooth I do not know," she faltered, wringing her hands. " Ever to this hour have I been French; but — but — if the Bostonnais is shot at sunrise, I will go to the English ; I will say to them: 'The people whom I have loved all my life have denied my prayer. I am of your race ; I will make my home among you.' Yes, yes, I will pluck the fleurs-de-lis from my heart, and trample them unJ^r my feet." "What! You, the widow of Chateauguay ! " I exclaimed hotly. At this she fell to weeping. " Oh Normand, Normand, I am talking wildly, I mean not what I say," she cried, burying her face in her hands. " But what — what am I to do?" I bent nearer to her. I gently laid hold of her jew.elled fingers and drew them away from her sweet eyes that still overflowed with tears, as I could see in the moonlight. "Barbe," I said abruptly, "you love this Bos- tonnais." " No, no," she answered. " It must be so," I went on obstinately, " else why this agony? Spies have been shot before in New France, yet you have not grieved in this fashion." "Oh, it was never brought home to me before," she urged. "This is not the reason. You love this Boston- nais," I repeated. " Years ago I feared it was the case; that as a young demoiselle at Quebec your maiden's fancy was caught by the splendor of his scarlet coat, the gold lace of his chapeau, and, per- 3i8 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE her^K'^t"'^' ^°''"^^"^'" She Stammered between her sobs, "you do not understand." " 1 understand only too well " I n^^rc'cf-^ is so plak? " *' '™* f™" ■"« "h« it bIe?„Vontef ,*nrofatX*r ^•^'"" '"^ With naive defiance .^JH f . * *"™'"^ *° "»« hands s, Jf ^r ;t .estt „t:r^ *' ""^ you that TLT """'"' '■*■ ' ^'"'"■<' --^knowledge to what would';:: ir "^ ""'' '° *^ ^-'---. ;; What would Ido.Barbe?" I echoed wonderingly »arbe I believe I would do anything rather »!,,- see you grieve or weep," I admitted ^ " *"■ Vou would save him?" " If I could in honor " ''You will save him." she whispered. It you love him, Barbe " T anc«,i.r«^ -..i. :t^t!d"rt^;!:^ht^rf■/l= ,have loved you^,i„ce';;rwere VSrUrf^' Wf^?^: TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE 3,9 knew the meaning of the words ' I love you.' This is indeed a death-blow to all my hopes. Still, if your happiness depends upon the saving of the life of this Bostonnais, why then, Barbe, I will do this, I will do everything you ask, I will cast all con- sequences to the winds, if only I can help you, if I can make you happy,". I cried recklessly. " No, you must keep as clear of the matter as possible," she replied, veering about on the instant. " Were there any one else to take the message, I would have kept you in absolute ignorance of my design." Then, in my folly, I set myself to plead that she would intrust me with the whole affair; I would accomplish her wish at all hazards, and thus she would do naught to draw upon herself the wrath of Cadillac. '• No, no," she reiterated ; " I will tell you no more than must needs be." " You love the Bostonnais," I persisted. " Oh. save him ! " she said again. " All I ask is that you will tell him to seize upon the chance for life when it is offered him to-night." And having thus answered me, she sped homeward towards the manor. After she had left me, and soberer thoughts suc- ceeded to the pained anger into which her admission of her lo"e for the Englishman had put me, I came to my senses. Already I had made more than one effort to succor the Bostonnais. I had sought my brother and begged his clemency; I had easily prevailed upon FrSre Constantin to do the same. But the Com- mandant remained obdurate. Now what had I promised? To become a party 1 w.'^ . .« 320 A i.^ I s DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE should i^o,.^ztZofTir^:^r^'^' j Yes. from the firsrsheS»H t ".'"/'i" ^°' "" f^v"--- had glowed solong „tr Zl h "T" *= "" *" great measure ev/„ by her'elf "wL""""?."'^" '» that he had ventured !„tf a • ' "" " '° "•« and now must e^^lTtl rgIt;Sn::3^ ""''""' ^:^emi„^.r^/ne|: ':^^^ all. how could she reluJT^' u- ^"°^'"g h'™ at would not Mnad?s"i;;artu?;t::^e:ria:[,*' -- meefh%"K.:f/::^,r ^'?o^sa'''t"''", ;r"'' done all I could in honT" "^ ■"■" ' ''»^« through me Vefslr""' ""''=''• *'« «'""^'' Miladf had « ^^,r'" ' l""^ ''"^' *' words "What.sitthar;ir„crhoS::^«^''«^^^^^^ from^eShTXTndTn'L'"" ^^r^"'- "'-""^ ■"= .e«™yse.rdet:eit;:s!.:?;&'^^^^^^^^^^ TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE 321 Two opposite courses were open to me. If I abetted in any way the escape of the prisoner, it would be a breach of fidelity towards my brother, an abuse of the confidence he reposed in me. But if I failed to keep my promise to Barbe. if I refused my aid to the Bostonnais, would I not be more culpable still, since It was to my advantage to be rid of this rival who stood between Miladi and me? In keeping to the letter of the code of honor by reframmg from giving to him the message that de- hverance was at hand, would I not at the same time violate every law of chivalry and act the part of a base churl? What if I left him to his fate and he should be swept from my path ; what if Barbe came to love me; what if some day I should call her wife .' With my earthly happiness thus crowned, yet wou d not the spirit of this man rise up before me; would It not C|yout against me, ' Churl, thou hasi purchased thy bliss at an ignoble price'? As one .hT 1^. . 'P u!' I "'^^"'^ °^ ^°"^y' so the knowl- ^ f u^! -J? ?'' ^^^^ ^'th h^t'-ed in my heart I had held ,dly back, would embitter all my after life. And then, there was my promise to Miladi, given under the spell of her eyes, it is true, but sfill a promise. My brain was sadly confused, and I could not determine which course was right or wrong At length one thought fixed my resolve. Miladi. in her feminine rashness, had plotted T knew not what ; this attempted rescue might fail, but it must not fail through me, because now it was not the life .1 Bostonnais, nor yet mine that was at stake, it was the life of Barbe. Should aught mischance in her scheme upon her fair head, upon her generous heart would fall the penalty. I hesitated no more, but praying that the just God would let the right 21 ' n 3" A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE come to pass, I took the way to the captive with mv inkhorn, portfolio, and quill ^ ""^ The prison wherein the condemned man was to spend this n,ght. decreed to be the last of his exist ence, was the blockhouse over the gate fadng "he The guard having previously been aoDrised of n,^ and J^ :, passed also the guard at the door above as a Ze oTf " ;'' ^°"^ '^^ ^-™ constructed the fii in / 7" ^^^ '^' ^"°"^^" ^"d <=»^'ldren of the fort in case of an attack from the savages with strong walls to keep out an enemy or to shuf o^rin as the case might be. ' treld'asTteir'^ vvas pacing the floor with measured etern,>v A. u"^ °^ *^^ P^"^ ^^*^^^" h'"'" and eternity. At the sound of my footstep he wheeled thou^h'^h' "/'" ''^ ^'^^ ^^^^-' - assa^si: It though h.s hours were numbered, he would fain die m the hght of day, with the first rays of the sun shimng upon him. and not be despatched quietly Tke thJ^l f ^™^ °^ *^ P'"^ *°'*^^ ^ <=«"»ed flashing into but wh "k °^ '^' ^°^' ^''"^^^ ^'"^ ^^^ the moment! but when he saw that I was his visitor his face I^ghted^up w_ith a frank smile and .. s^^ ^ will?'! ''i^'f ' ^°"''""'" ^"y°"' «"d right gladly thou Jh T °^ T' °^^'' °^ P^"' '"k. and paper^ though, if you will permit me, I will myself write fote Bn^H ' ''"' "^°^"^ *° compassionate my fate. Both, as must needs be. I shall leave unsealed. ^.. 1 y!«' k^'JI' TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE 323 that they may be read by whoso will. Otherwise It may be thought I have writ other news between the hnes, especially in the letter to the south." " It is a necessary precaution, monsieur," I an- swered, extending to him my hand, which he grasped warmly. '^ I then gave to him the writing materials. Sitting down upon the bench which ran along the sides of the blockhouse, he rested the portfolio upon his knee, and at once began to indite a letter, while I thrust the torch into a socket upon the wall. " It was before Quebec I first saw service. T is a strange fate that after the lapse of half-score years I should find a grave in a land over which floats the fleur-de-lis," he said presently, looking up from the paper whereon he had been writing with as steady a hand as though he were bidding his loved ones to his marriage feast. "Ay, monsieur; war makes strange companions and allotments," I replied absently, for I was casting about in my mind as to how I should fulfil my promise to Barbe without creating in his mind too great a revulsion of feeling. Ere many minutes he had finished the letter. A soldier's missive is apt to be brief. Moreover, these Bostonnais linger not over their adieux, even though they be for all time. ^ Before I had decided how to frame my speech he had taken up another length of the fair white paper I had brought to receive his last testament. "May I ask how the lady is called?" he inquired with uplifted pen. •' Madame de Chateauguay," I replied tersely. Ah ! I knew not that she was married," he sighed throwmg down the quill. " And yet, an arrant dolt I II m 'ffiOKPirii. : A r mt . .^^.tm- j:r5.VT??^i^afea¥ff' i 324 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE was to suppose otherwise, since one so lovely must of a surety have attracted many ehgible suitors." " She is the widow of the noble Henri le Moyne, who was killed by the English or their allies the Iroquois some years since." He sighed again, took up the pen, bit at its feather in mdecis.on, and after a few moments of reflection contmued, — " At least it is only becoming that I should express to her my gratitude for her noble pleading of my cause." Vou have already done so, monsieur; however if you w.sh to send her a message. I will pledge you my word that she shall have it - " I stopped short. Yes, after all is over," he said, thinking I was unwillmg to refar to what was to take place at the nsmg of the sun. " When all is over I I pray the gentle lady s slumber may be deep in the early hours of to-morrow morning. I would not wish their peace- fulness disturbed. Perchance, after all, the first sen- tence had been best." There was something weird, to my thinking, in the calm manner wherewith he spoke of his approaching end, his sole anxiety being, seemingly, to shut out from the pretty ears of the I^dy of Chateauguay the report of the volley of musketry that would brine him death. ^ " Your Fr^re Constantin has been here," he said in digression; <• I am of a harshe. creed than yours, iiut when these present matters are completed, and I am again alone, I will do as he counselled me, and turn my thoughts from the things of earth. Recalling the lessons my cor--ientious Puritan mother taught me in my early boyhood, I will prepare to meet my God " "Madame de Chateauguay," he continued, going back to his writing— "what a gracious act it was, thus -.■^^W).. ':^. TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE 325 to make the cause of an unknown soldier her own I This letter will disclose to her the name and lineage of the officer whom she strove to save from an in- glorious fate. Yet destiny, or providence if you will, has decreed otherwise." " Do not abandon all hope," I broke in abruptly. " The lady has not abated her interest ; she is still minded to save you." " What say you ? " he exclaimed, springing to his feet. " Oh, beg her to desist ! In her impetuosity in my behalf she will incur some fatal risk to herself. Say to her that I will not accept the aid which would compromise her and perchance imperil her life. Tell her it is an imputation upon my honor, since it seems she would assume that I fear death. Tell her a sol- dier would rather die when his heart beats high, his frame is stalwart, his grasp still strong, than live on to be mayhap set aside as too old to lead a command, to see the sword he loves so well drop from his pal- sied hand." " Monsieur, I shall not see her aga-'n to-night," I said, " nor am I a party to her plan, save only that I pledged myself to deliver to you this message. That her attempt may fail is very like ; therefore let not my words send back with too great a gladness the life blood through your veins. A brave man fears not death, yet the love of life is strong to the last in the nature of the most valiant. This only I will say, if the chance to escape is offered you and you let it pass, you are sure to bring great peril to the lady." He hesitated, now for the first time undecided. " I will remember your counsel," he said at last. " Come what may, I will now write her my farewell ; — it is also, I may almost say, my greeting." Forthwith he sat down again and penned a few i M I' . 326 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE lines which he handed me together with the letter to his mother, to be forwarded upon such occasion as might come in the future, after the missive should be as he knew, carefully scanned by the Commandant. Madame de Chateauguay! It is true, sir, what I avowed so inopportunely some hours since," pro- ceeded the Englishman, who was become restless since my communication. " Ever since the day at Quebec when I first beheld this lady, a fair young maiden scarce more than a child, she has seemed my Ideal of womanly loveliness, purity, and truth. Could I but venture to imagine that her gentle compassion sprang from even a passing interest in myself, did I but dare to think that the passionate love which burns in my heart finds even a transient reflection in hers I should die happy. Die, I say, for I see not how her plan can succeed." "A young maid's fancy is sometimes lightly caught, monsieur, and the lady has given you no small proof of her interest," I rejoined savagely. " Moreover, her marriage was arranged by her foster- mother, Madame Guyon." " She calls me Bostonnais," he went on musingly, •• and such indeed I am. Never have I beheld the land beyond the seas. The New World is the world I love; its spirit is my spirit. Ah, to woo and win this fair lady for my wife; to take her to the Tri- mountain city where I was born; to sail with her along the rocky coast where her forefathers and mine stepped ashore, after having crossed the ocean to escape from tyranny and injustice. Ah, to do this it would indeed be worth while to snatch again at the hfe that is so fast ebbing away from me I " " Monsieur, if a man finds his prison door un- locked, his gaoler negligent, he is a fool if he does mwA^^m TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE 327 not walk out; if good fortune waits without to lead him on, he is a fool if he does not accept her guidance. As for your dream castle, builded upon the verge of a precipice, I will remind you that the Lady of Chateauguay has suitors here in New France with whom you may have to reckon ere you can wed and take her away to your southern home." The bitterness in my voice betrayed me. "You love her, too?" he cried, starting up and peer- ing into my face. " You love her, yet you do not deny that I may have awakened an interest in her gentle heart ' You risk discredit in the eyes of your Commandant to hold out a hope of rescue to me, a rival ! " he exclaimed. " Monsieur," I replied with dignity, " if it happens that you regain your liberty, if in time of peace you return to New France to seek the favor of this lady, it may be I shall have occasion to challenge you to a duel to the death. At present, it is because you are my rival that I feel your claim upon my honor is above every other." For a moment he stared at me in silence. " Monsieur Guyon, yo.i are a noble gentleman," he said at length. " It is like enough you will not find me in your path after sunrise to-morrow. But if I am to live, I pray that I may not be outdone in gen- erosity. It is, after all, the lady herself who will choose her husband, if she be inclined to take one. And if we must needs be rivals, at least there will be fair play between us." "Good-night, monsieur," I said; and to my ears the words sounded truly a sad mockery. Yet how important was it, either for an escape into the wilHer- ness or a journey to the next world, that the hours should deal well with him ! " Good-night ! It was in i m 328 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE my mind to stay with you if so you would have me but now perchance it would serve you better for me 10 go. •• Good-night," he responded ; "remember, to your hand I commit the letters. You will see by the superscnption how that to my mother is to be sent A D;:u !' '"- ' "'^ ^°"^ '"^ ^^^"^»» word-:dieu ! It was now not far from twelve of the clock. The town was as eep. but as I approached the eastern flw \u I ^"^^''^ ^^^ •"^^"'"g °f that light. It told me that the good Recollet was keeping one of h.s austere vigils; that he would spend the mght ^n prayer for the stranger who had declined his miZ trations, the gallant Bostonnais who was to dTe a^ sunrise. •*•■ crr.^1 f -^""^l*" ^y '"^'"'^ ""^ '^'^^"- I would not go outs.de the fort again ere dawn. I would watch near the manor, and when Barbe came forth upon her errand of succor. I would persuade her to give it all into my charge or. this failing. I would follow to pro- tect and defend her if need should be But how poor a match is a man's dull brain against a woman's w.t! Within the shadow of the house I waited. An hour passed; another slipped away, and st.ll another. My heart reproached me in that I had aroused a delirious, vain hope of life in the breast of the prisoner, only to torture him the more in his last m he s\cy in the direction over against which lay Mi- ch,l.mack.nac Either the plot or Miladi's courage Lloltle! ^'''"^ '°' ''' ^"^'••^^-- -- -- Assuming an air as if fresh awakened for the day. ^al^S^ TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE 329 I made my way to the blockhouse, hoping for a word with the prisoner when he should be brought out. Everything there was silent. The doors were se- cured ; the guards on duty. Half an hour later a posse of soldiers came for the Bostonnais. The moment was come ; he was io be led away and presently shot. The doors were openeH j., ' they called to him to step forth. He did not come. Pardieu ! What a en ..p'ut.'- p. it d C'- fusion there was, then, what a Ik-iIl-Ji^ j^wl exciu ent, while I stood by as astoutiriru as ihc rcs^ \ i the prison was empty. The Jostom.i:- hr .1 dis ppeared, and not for many a aay liJ w ^(^r lalt or tidings of him. HowMiladi Barbe con.;. 'his ccape; whether he went through the woous or by the great waters, east or west, she has never told me even to this time of my writing (1735). And if I had then my own thoughts upon the subject, T kept them to myself. After this lapse of years, however, without peril to her safety I may freely set down that in my opinion the Lady of Chateauguay was not far from me on that evening when I left the prison, and kept a watch on me so I might not discover her ; that she sent a generous draught of eau de vie to the guards, a draught with which perchance was mingled a few drops of some harmless drug which yet induces sleep. During the brief time wherein they nodded at their post she herself released the prisoner, gave him an Indian blanket wherewith to disguise himself, and brought him through the water gate to the strand of the river. Either the guards at the shore had been stupefied by liquor too, or else madame, having gold ■ I ■ 33° A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE to cast away, had blinded them. Here she found th. coureur de bois who had guided the par^ of Sam! beauty of Miladi, was become her willing slave To 2^,r ""«' *" *»"'■"" ""»<" "nimftted the Bostonnais officer, having required the wood „neer fuirtast."' """ '""" *"' "« -" >« s The two men stepped into a waitine canoe- th. whth "'b'r */ *'""' ""^ P^'estatio" o? de™t*n which broke from her gallant countryman and waved h,m an adieu while the boat shot^away do™n the strait m the direction of the Lake of the Eri«! h Ji^!k "'"f^T^ i" h" camlet-cloak, Barbe ?tole t«es „„?r^K *'"^''*""». -"d crouched a^ong fte trees until she saw me depart from the manor when .t ;r r "" """^ "^ ' "'-■'- "-''i^" i "had Such is my theory. I will not attempt to depict the rage of the Com- goTe"^;^^^ ^^^* theWonnL'^r gone In truth I thmk the guards would have paid for he,r mebnety with their lives had not Barbe boldly declared that she alone was responsible for the escape of the English officer s»^e"nt' kI.^''?J" *"^ ^'^'■^" '"" ^*^^"t«f"l. or had S..C not been the guest of his wife. I believe mv ^t^asThlf '^^^ ^'"; '^^ "P •" the blolrouTe' As It was. she removed from the manor, and took uo her residence with the wife of the Sieu de Marsac St. t:S'" ''' '"^ ^^"^^^ ^^^ -t--d "the lat^ M^h""^' 'J'^^u'^ ' '"'"^ °^ imprisonment, but live; and ThM ^^^'^^"^"-y. by presents to their wives and children, recompensed them. I judge rm^Mr ::^'^^i^ TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE 331 for whatever ill fortune she brought upon them that night. So, after avoiding me most pointedly during the winter, Barbe. at the breaking up of the ice, re- turned to Quebec. And, albeit my brother was still angered against her, she did him good service there at this critical time in his fortunes, by reporting much of his sagacious management of the fort, and laughing to scorn the pretensions of the company's commissioners, while she enlightened many as to the manner in which the three rogues had borne them- selves during their stay at Le Detroit, — a revelation not wholly to the taste of the company, since " he sins as much who holds the bag as he who puts into it." miiPii Hi Mc CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH IN THE RECOLLET'S GARDEN NOTWITHSTANDING all our preparations for Our Hurons Miam.s, Outawas, and Pottawatomics went out to the hunt, and coming back in the pH„g with their wealth of beaver pelts and the fine skins ngs through the wmter. had they crossed the trail of their hereditao^ enemies. Neither had they seen nor heard aught of the English. ^cn nor Taking advantage of the peacefulness of the vu Z' ^."°'-^J"gJy' ^he Sieur Cadillac set out for Jf L^^H-'r^"'''' '° ^°"'^°"* ^'^ opponents ll n.. > .u^.^u^T?"^' ^^'^' '""'"g '^' Indians of Le Detroit that he left his wife and children at Fort Pon^chartram, as a proof of his good will toward Unfortunately, however, the absence of my brother La Mothe was prolonged beyond his expectation Thus It came about that he sent for his family to come to him. At the same time a temporary com- mandant was appointed from Montreal, a hot-headed young officer, of whom I make mention only because ° -i-u^ ^?P^"'"^^ "^^'^^ ^'^ ^°'"'"& brought about. Ih.s Monsieur de Bourgmont regarded the Indians but as a pack of hunting dogs. The Chevalier de Cadillac, having learned wisdom by experience, had shut up all the brandy in the cellars of his store- IN THE RECOLLET'S GARDEN 333 houses, and it could be obtained by red men or white only in small quantities. Now, however, it flowed freely, and the new Commandant spent much of his time in carousing. Upon the day of his arrival, as I was crossing the Place d'Armes, I encountered De Tonty. " Pardieu," grumbled the morose captain, " it augurs not well for Le Detroit when so quarrelsome a soldier is sent down to us." This gruff comment was uttered in the hearing of a group of Outawa warriors who were come into the town to trade, Jean le Blanc, Le Pasant, and others, yet I scarce noted its effect as I continued on my way to the barracks. I was to continue my duties as secretary for the post. In the course of half an hour the chii. came thither to salute the officer, as the representative of the power of the French. " My faith. Monsieur Guyon, what is this?" asked De Bourgmont, with an impatience he took no trouble to conceal. " A deputation of Indian sachems, who are come to pay you a visit of ceremony, Monsieur le Com- mandant," I replied. His ejaculation thereat was more vigorous than courtly, for he was in speech most profane. Filing into the council room, the warriors ranged them- selves before him. " O chief," began Le Pasant, stepping forward and throwing back his blanket as a token of greeting, " since you are come in the name of Onontio, we welcome you to Le Detroit. Have you brought us good news? Is the heart of our F^ather turned to us? And Monsieur de la Mothe, when will he come again to Fort Pontchartrain? " De Bourgmont had been looking over the accounts J), j ill i^ lii 334 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE from the Governor. As fo ,h, c"""!^*"''' ^'" y- not like to return before an^.K "' '^"'""«' he » This response and tfr "^ '^""8. '' « all." lieutenant, ^a^e great ^ffenceT/h*'- '"""'" "' *= I did not kno>f until aft^L:?r"°"-=" fow- led them to believe the hT";- ''°"""''' "■»' '' Vaudreuil was to be vtLd? '"!.' °' '^°«™« the killing of some roTuo ^ aEo^th";'""" '°' Catarocouy, and. that f„r .i!- """ °' 'he French at La Mothe^ad summoned SrT "^ ''™"'" »« Quebec. ""nioned his wife and children to -^gHiirgeslrLtVroIr ^'""" '"-"^ °f «>- a band of Miam s had k n h'"^ " ""■" ""■= '>ef°re they were away „" the hunl ''""'' °'"*"" "^ile Bou^mt r"^ °' '^'"" ^ f'" '■' "y duty to warn De they Join the M\°mtTr:;\'ii':nTH„;r''^-" '''^' the Sioux. This it seem» T Hurons against text for delive^^SS^;!^^ -girded ^ ^ P^- enemies. However IheZJrT '^^ P^^^*" ^^ their the warriors of Le D^J.I ^"^^ ^^' ^^'^' ^nd all take the war-path ^^aS ^ sTst d^F '^^^"^' ^° It was a beautifni of* ^"° Foxes. gone to the Tout „ t Moll"' !i"'^„^""'- ' "ad new Commandant had brought down many IN THE RECOLLET'S GARDEN 335 fine furnishings from the St. Lawrence, and also his wife, La Chenette, a bold, black-eyed woman, whom, notwithstanding her good looks and rich attire, the ladies of the post declined to visit. Madame de Bourgmont was not present on this occasion, nor was she usually when I went there ; and the Commandant and I kept steadily at work on the papers. Of a sudden, looking up, I beheld a dusky face staring in at the window. It was gone as quickly, but anon reappeared. This time De Bourgmont saw it, too, and reached for his fusee which stood in the corner behind him. I laughed. " The owner of that copper-colored visage has no sinister design in his prying, monsieur," I said. '• It is only Techeret, an Indian idler about the town who is fond of peering in at our domiciles thus, for our furnishings of civilization are ever a source of curiosity and wonder to the children of the woods." Doubtless there would have been no more of the matter but for a most unfortunate happening. A fine dog, belonging to the new Commandant, was stretched on the gallery basking in the sunlight. The footstep of the savage was noiseless, but the hound had scented the stranger and now warned him off by a low growl. Techeret paid small heed to the challenge. Once again I caught sight of his grinning face at the win- dow. The next moment the dog must have dashed around the corner of the house and sprung upon him, for there was a fierce snarl, then the sound of a blow, and the wounded animal dashed into the room where we were, and crouched yelping by the chair of his master. I it! . 336 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE With an oath the Commandant sprang to his feet caught up the fi,see, rushed out of the door anH "arhir^b^': 'f'^^u '" ^" -governable 'fS' muske? '°"' ''^ '^^^ ^'*»» ^- butt of the foSg. "" *^ *""" *" "'""^y ""and to'shil? '° °^ B""'^"""'- '" ^'"■» •>< strove when I disTrmeH^- ' 71 f"*ing at the mouth house. *"'' "•""' '•'"' ''»'='' '"to «« The luckless Techeret had, however, fallen sense- le>s upon the ground. sense- w,!d If th'T ^'ll'"* °"'*"*^ '■" "-e village had got :;o't1,en tcTd'firtatrff T? "^"H' *- exci..,. r^.^u.n J ' ' '"'"^ '° "■a'te some our «n n»^ Commandant " He did not know that fores- I said ; •■ ,t is not so in Montreal " I re- mmd.d tnem that Techeret had injured the dog L silence hey bent over the prostrate redman ^The" found h,m dead. They carried him away, and were still ominously silent. The next day was one of those perfect davs in June when Nature is at her loveliest Not TrL ^ appeared in the sun-lit heavens rabaimy^nd came sweeping up from the Uke of the Eries anj ripX the river, which shone like pliant silver ThJ » !h songs of the robin, the oriofe, the blu:bird^a:dte IN THE RECOLLET'S GARDEN 337 meadow-lark filled the air with melody. The verdant banks of the strait, the lawns of the King's Esplanade were far more beauteous in their velvety green than the carpets of Versailles. At the early-morning Mass in the church of " the good Ste. Anne " the choicest of the forest blossoms and of the garden blooms of the fort breathed forth their fragance before the shrine. The little woodland sanctuary seemed never to me more peaceful. I missed indeed the clear, sweet voice of Barbe, who was wont to lead the chanting of the Indian girls, and the rich contralto of Th^r^se. I missed the stately presence of my brother Monsieur de Cadillac, whose raised chair stood vacant in the chancel, for De Bourgmont troubled not himself to come hither. The other officers were present, how- ever, and the soldiers also, it being a matter of discipline. There were now a number of ladies at the fort, for some of our young nobles had gone back to Quebec for wives, and these pious ladies had no need of mili- tary command to enforce their attendance at the ser- vices in the church. Present too were a good number of settlers' wives, and the settlers themselves, come to ask a blessing upon their fields. I saw as well many dark-hued faces among the worshippers, though these belonged chiefly to squaws, Indian girls, and children ; the feather-crested warriors' heads sometimes seen about the door or thrust in at the windows, minding me of the bas-re- liefs of bronze I had noted in the cathedral of Paris, being to-day absent. The service was over, and the good missionary turned to pronounce a benediction upon his people. Mi i • "■. 22 I Ipiii 338 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Was the gentle radiance that illumined his benicrn countenance a reflection of the sunlight? Or was k the lines wrought by care anH M^ k ^ luxuriant; vigiUupon hisVunTvisL"^! ,i,K^ 'Tr«' f* Homeward we went together he anH T f^ *u morning meal. How of,!n sTnce ha ve I Ve^al W every n„nu.e occurrence of that forenoon I HUctt h„l,f 7 ^T rV ""= ""''J"' °f «''« Indian tVoubles CaS lU '?' '""""I. '■°™"'' 'o "•« return of Seur and i- ''""y/t ""= '""^'>'«' "><= «ng of bird, and the music of the river, the cheerfulness of a S whose tranquil depths were pure and sveet asT clear waters of the strait. "' After the simple breaking of our fast th,. r,„i akmg h s breviary, went out into h," g^d'en ^hHe f remamed indoors to indite a letter ,„i ^ ^t telling him that mattersTthe ?ort wlre^ot ,°'^'' would have them, and urging him no.To'Tema n^way' boU si„?l' •'" """'' "''■'' ^- The cou eur de the wfck ,n^T' "" ■"."' °"' f"-- """'real within to scTd't^hfm "" """"'' '° ""^^ -"^ ■"'-- «ady Having writ the letter.all but the closr, since I would fam leave it open until the last minute, to id Sle IN THE RECOLLET'S GARDEN 339 latest news I prepared to go up to the barracks and set about my duties as amanuensis of the Commandant. As I stepped into the garden, Fr^re Constantin was stondmg among his flowers. Jooking down at them as one looks into the innocent faces of httle Children, with a tenderness and love for their bright- ness and beauty; and talking to them with the narve simplicity which I have noted more than once in men ot high intellect and introspective nature. Anon some three or four Indian boys put their unshorn heads in at the gate to peer at him. A mo- ment after, culling among his floral treasures with a reckless generosity, he strode to the opening in the palisade, and put into the hands of the young red- skins the gaudy blooms that pleased them best ''FrSre Constantin. FrSre Constantin. would you defraud Ste. Anne of her flowers?" I cried to him with a laugh ; for well I knew he gave so much pains to the cultivation of the little parterre that there might ever be blooms for the decoration of the church. " I think the good Ste. Anne would have done the same herself ; she loved all children for the Virgin's sake, he answered for excuse. "But you have even plucked the blossoms of the holy herb (verbena), the flowers you have wavched for days in the hope that they would unfold for the coming of the Sunday." " Yes. yes," he admitted, nodding absently. •• You see. Normand. the Indian children like those scarlet blossoms best." In 'Iffll' Constantin." I said, shaking a finger at him in affectionate raillery. " to pleasure these beggarly savages you have robbed the altar of the Lord." 340 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE He laughed, as a boy laughs who has been caught in some innocent dilemma. But his discomfiture was of short duration. " Well, well, Normand, it may be that I have," he avowed contentedly; "since God grudges not His bounty, why should we? We pray for daily bread, but does He not grant us daily food for heart and eye as well? Why do the flowers fade so soon but that each day He may send down new beauty upon the earth? T is a law of their growth ; the more blooms you cull, the more the plant puts forth. It is only when the gardener is niggardly and clings avari- ciously to his floral wealth that it fails him. Nature is generous to prodigality. There is no miser upon the earth but man. If we have not new blooms of the ' holy herb,' for the Sunday, there will be fourfold the number betimes. The Lord will provide for His altar. Have you not noted in the forest that where one strong tree is cut down another presently begins to grow? Ever this will continue so long as the living roots remain in the ground." Here the good father bent over a patch of iris. " No need to ask the flower you fain would have as a favor for your coat," he said, plucking and reaching up to me two or three sprays of the delicate white fleur-de-lis. " I care to wear no other," I answered, fastening them over my heart, " unless indeed it be a bit of arbutus or a posie of violets." ' "But tKe -trbutus Frere ConstJ.ntin. "Yes, they are gone," I responded with a sigh. My friend regarded me with kindly solicitude ; he knew that to me the violets and arbutus meant only Barbe. ' and violets are gone," argued IN THE RECOLLET'S GARDEN 341 " For you they will come again, Normand, be not cast down," he said delicately. " They belong to the south ; there is left to me now n ught but the iris. I will wear only the fleur-de-lis, but I will wear it with pride," I rejoined. Fr&re Constantin smiled and nodded to his flowers, as if confiding to them his gentle opinion of the un- reasonableness of human passion. " Yes, yes, my son, wear worthily the fleur-de-lis, at all hazards," he counselled ; " it is a badge of honor, of patriotism. Yet in gilding the lily the Bourbons have too often forgotten its whiteness. Wear it, Normand, as the emblem of St. Louis, a knight without fear and without reproach." "I, too, love the fleurs-de-lis," he continued, thrust- ing a spray of the graceful blossoms into the bosom of his soutane. " I love them because to me they are redolent of happy memories of New France and of the mother country beyond the seas. I would fain die with them upon my breast. And then, they mind me of my own land also. You know, the emblem of La Bella Firenze, of beautiful Florence, is the iris, too, — not the pale fleur-de-lis we have here, but the stately crimson iris from the Levant." " Ah, Normand, give not your heart too much to vain regrets," he proceeded after a pause. " I, too, was young once, and the love of life and earthly happiness beat high in my breast." He broke oflf abruptly. " Yes, my Father," I cried with ardor. " Full well I know that in your fair Land of Flowers you were the heir of a princely race. A young cavalier of bril- liant talents, versed in all the accomplishments of the time, you were from early boyhood betrothed to a beautiful demoiselle, the daughter of a family as '^'!mrA^-.^^^.-'i^^im!^i^^7Tjn^rm^'i(^T^^^^-''mjK^. MICROCOPY RBourriON mr chart (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1h |Z8 !■■ ™" Li. ■ M tii, |3^ |40 u 1^ il.8 ^ /APPLIED IIVMGE Inc ,^^K )853 Eoit Main StrMi 'mS^S Roch«»t«f, Nam York 14609 USA [^^^ (716) 482 - oyw - Phone K^S (7t6) 2M - 5989 - Fax fl ■t 342 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE own temerl tv '• iT.' ^''''i'u'*"' ^«'°"ished at my the city one vasftoi^h S '"'""'"'• ="'' '«™g victims to th^^ *''" y""' P"="'s were fallen bride of de«h'^f"har"J '^"°!^"' "'^ ''«°">^«>« which tl^ttned llZ t'i"'!*'' '" *' T'°- you at times a, th„ v ' *"' ^"^ hefore a venerahl^'p u ^^^ ^ ""'*' *« ^^'""y face of heart to 'nitz:\y:zzi::z'ir T?', exoeriencpQ of fU^ • • "^^^nearsai ot the wonderful seeicing solace:;^:rk„octd tL' gate :fte"Lt,'' atS^n-rieXfr-^--^^^^^^^ Ay, and there found peace and fri.» »,» • edee Verilv i„ r ^°" have personal knowl- be'th„a'^^t^;;,o'"„^ 'Xe 7we^r'"^d °" '" IN THE RECOLLET'S GARDEN 343 am keeping you from the pruning of your shrubs and plants. In truth, my Father, you have made the wilderness to bloom as the rose." " Ay, ay ! Given good soil, one can with patient care cause the wildest spot to blossom into beauty," he rejoined. Again he was the humble Recollet, all other days and other lands forgotten for his present work here at the edge of the forest. At the gate of the palisade which, as I have said, surrounded the house, I was met by a horde of little redskins with hostile design upon the parterre of the missionary. " Here is another swarm of these red pests," I called back to him ; " best disperse them with a hom- ily, as the saint of Assisi was wont to dismiss the wild birds of the woods, and then, I pray you, shut the gates, my friend, or, better still, come to the fort. The Indians are evil-minded these times, and, to judge from the howling echoes of the war-songs chanted in their villages last night, from their gruesome prepa- rations for taking the war-path against the Sioux, it is not safe for you to remain here, at least unless protectee' by the palisade." He waved me a serene "au revoir," saying quietly: "Fear not, Normand, my life is as safe among the Indians as at the fort. The red men are my people also. My gate must remain open. They must be free to come to me to-day of all others. Were I to go among them now and harangue them, they would not listen to me. But when they see me here en- gaged in the peaceful cultivation of the earth, it may reassure them that the French are peaceably inclined toward them." Thuis I left the good cur€ working among his flowers. .1 IJtl ." ' 344 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Ah. did I but dream what would be the outcome cout I °""°°"' '°" ''^^^^"^ -"^d h-e beent; lea^nei 7"' u-^ "^V"' ^ ^"^^"ntered Sans Souci. and o T T ^u""' "^"^ '^^ 0"*^^^s h^d already aken motmn*^- ^^u^''''' ^ 'P^"^ *^^ remainder of the thrte of" uf "' "[ ?" Con,mandant, some two or euardtr '""°"''«"<^ D<= Bourgmont ordered the guard to throw open the gate to the fugitives. ^I savet ! !' "" P"!" '" ^''! "P°" *="■ ^-d killed fleet^Iss wf J?r? ^"^' "''° ""'Stripped them in " Th, n . ''""' '"' 'P*"' ^"d despairing, i he Outawas are slaying our people " he t,,i,t,A "Tht^Wm*^ ''^ ^-nd faintin'g fr^m^xtSn' ' wh^werestmrth'— n^"'""^^^ "" *^ ^iamis dren ^I^ i- r^"" '""^^^' '"^"' ^O'"^"' and chil- The n^vf ""' ^^^ ''^^ ^^^"^^ ^f ^^'^ stronghold return.^ f """T"' "" ''^^ ^"^^^^ ^a'-riors, having returned from the war-path, dashed out of th^ nel^h bonng groves upon them. ^ we?e"m^t T"""!""' ?^" ^" °''^^^' ^"^ ^he Outawas were met by a sharp fire from the garrison; several IN THE RECOLLET'S GARDEN 345 were killed, but the band, instead of being turned back, became more infuriated than before. The house of Fr^re Constantin stood farther up the brow of the hill, a little apart from the fort. He had mentioned to me some two hours earlier that he in- tended to lay out some plots at the rear of the dwell- ing. ^ He might not know of the wrath of the savages. " Frere Constantin ! I must go to warn him," I cried. " Impossible," exclaimed Dugue ; "the cur^ must shut himself up behind his palisade and there wait until this hurricane has swept by. It may destroy him ; but no one can hope to reach him now." " I must go," I reiterated, tearing myself from the grasp of the gallant officer, and knowing full well he would have said no word to deter me had not the exigency been indeed desperate. " Monsieur de Guyon, the savage hounds will run you down as they would a fox," seconded JoHcoeur. You must needs be fleeter than an arrow, you must have the wings of the wind, to reach the house of the Recollet alive." " I will go," I cried, breaking from them and dash- mg through a postern from which a by-path led to the church and the cabin of the cur^. The spiked door closed again with a thud, and, as I sped away, I heard the guard let the heavy bar fall into place. I was locked out, and might find the gate of the palisade about the Recollet's house barred, after all. Of this only was I certain, I was alone on the prairie and could not hope to get across the space between the fort and the cabin of Frere Constantin without being perceived by the maddened Outawas, who, undismayed by the fate of those shot down, were ill! ..ill 'I 346 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE ril™.'""'"'' *° "«"■"-' «■«• '"e iury of a Yet I must reach the Recollet if r.«e»-ui least get near enough to w"n h m^Stf " V' "' more than brother, my fa-hm^ ^^ '""'^' ""^ who doubtless knewTottn'ro^theCilrfcT Tx^os^rr tti-fs t;i °^ '^'"-"- 'r a^^^b^h^YoTair^, rt t' f ??■' savages had caught siZ of „. 1 bloodthirsty with a nendish ye!l th"y were aTer n^ ru "''"' "^■'^'' ferocious wolvqs. ^ ^' ""^ ^'^^ ^ P^^^ of A flight of arrows whizzed na«jf z^- a>ii u like the pelting of the w Ss M r f! ^T .""^ pain in ray side, but st." daTd -V ^^"!'"^ stumbled on with only o„e though? , ""'""u"'' ' save FrSre Constantin ^ *' *" '^'"'^ ^""^ yet eveo, second I felt myself'gro^ingCake^ ''"' Was It m vain that I cried out ? Was it possible that he whose defect of !,,,„„ shrieking savages f '^ *'" ^°"'""°" ^^ ^^^ of There he appeared now in the garden In CrsA* name, why did he not bar the gatef ^°^ ' Mercful Heaven ! he was coming out Wa. ,> f my sake ? Wa«j T fr. k<. 4.u ^ - '^^^ *' for all ? T r ^ ^^ *^^ '^^"s^ o^ liis death, after all? -I, who sought to warn him! Whv did hi come running toward me ? T r^.,M ^ "^ palisade alive^, The 1^ s Let at suTtim^f M* senses were all upon the alert^A ™it remed^I^ IN THE RECOLLET'S GARDEN 347 at 'y o, le f. I n y f call in my ear that I could save him yet, either by letting myself be torn to pieces by the savages before his eyes, or by falling upon the ground as if I were slain. The latter was no difficult rdle to enact, for I was faint from my wound ; if he saw me fall, thinking me dead (and how could the life of any one be pre- served against that rain of arrows!), thinking me dead, he would bar the gate and gain for himself pro- tection, at least for the time. Once more an arrow struck me ; I could no longer see. With a last shout to my friend to save himself, I cast my body flat upon the ground. The foremost of the Indians were close upon me; I was sure that my final moment was come and they would have my scalp. But these demons passed me by; they were so insanely eager to wreck their fury upon the gentle cur^. My God ! had he barred the gate? With this cry in my heart I lost consciousness ; had the Indians who came after taken my scalp, I would not have known, and would scarce have felt their barbarity. I CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH THE RED LILIES «pon my couch and fierce 1 ^ ''^ ""^ ^°' '°«'ngs about my worlc-strur/l!. u^^ " *" '"'« «nd be ously worsted by Gasp! ? l^""'" ' ^ 'e"""""'- Me Pan! slav/_strP^l,'"'' '™" by Jules, the Cadillac ordered me to f^ltatr;;'- ""^ ™'« »' as, great sternness as if he.^ "^'"^ P°"'°" ""h soldiery in an exoedit L '^°"""anded a body of other times, hoZer ^he^l'T' *\=^™g«. At enough to remain mo io"ts the^„"'''f '^<'' g''-" were gentle as a woman's "" "'^ "^ Sieur hefnam;''^:^:;,-^:,:'"'"!'^ ^ ^ ^^-ed learned. ' ^ ' " "''^ ""t Barbe, as 1 soon -atu'^ruret ^^^ri:,*;) *-^^ «- a,so, of what I had been r !^ 1 ' °' '^*^^'' a wreck little daughter TMrL com?i' m ° '*=" ^ "othe's room, where I lay uZ % bTd '°'^">'/'"«"g into the oflinen, for the^a"r'^^"/,tft 7"^ "'* "°' ^'>«t» albeit a grateful whiff of brl' r'" I '"""""■ ^"^ 'ts way in through the v „e S J""- ** """ fo^nd decided that, out under th.^'' T''""' ' ™g"ely stifling hot. " *= ="»• the day mult be ^'ZtCZZ:'"' ^™' --"--"^ if this might THE RED LILIES 349 The next moment she caught my gaze fixed in- tently upon her, and with a frightened cry fled beyond the curtain of the doorway. Presently I heard the woman's voice that had haunted my fevered fancy, a voice which I now recognized. It was not Barbe, but Madame Cadillac, who drew back the curtain and coming quickly to me, took my hand in hers. I heaved a sigh, and then my heart smote me that I could be so indifferent to the anxiety depicted upon the countenance of my dear Ther^se. What other woman save my mother had ever been to me so kind, so unselfish, so loving, as this dear sister ! She bent over me and lightly touched my forehead with her lips, but putting my arms about her neck, I drew her face down to mine and kissed her sweet mouth with brotherly affection. " Ah, Normand," she said, " this is a happy day, for the fever has left you. Now you will soon grow strong again." " Yes, yes," I faltered, " but what of Fr^re Con- stantin?" "Oh! all is well with him," Theresa answered evasively. I was not satisfied. "Did — did he close the gate?" I asked, sitting up, whereat a wave of excitement swept over me, followed by a sense of confusion, and a determi- nation to be off to the house of the Recollet with all speed. " Come, Normand, rest your head upon this pillow, and I will tell you about our dear Father del Halle," entreated my sister ; and thereat she pushed me down as if I were a man of straw. I ill T«iL#iAi?«^:;; - vr'"^ir'._^' - --m^hf^Jk ., 350 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE rr:Zy" '■"'' •■' '>»« '"e gate," , „p„.., 'uffering hu„,an being futd."' """ ''"""""' »/ But I was dead," I objected ■' A„H"H^"'r'"'" head. "• and a thirst for blood thev"Z Y" ""'' """' f-T ■nissionary had ever been fhl T- '"5"''' ""' «>at the They fell upon him _ •• ^ '"""^ °' "•"■■ People. an^pTucLiTt'he tlnd"'' "V """• ' '°"d "y them off. ' bandages of my wounds to tear pa^d^l^^Teat^aUr'^^'.^r/ot^'':',^^"'"^ ''" ^- age young Out >vas had h ^^ u°' ''""' The sav- they meant to klhfm tu^th ^ u "'^' ""<> ""'yhap Blanc and Le Pa ant ™ame ^n ,'wL''" ""'f'' J^^" '' cut the bonds of our deaT FrSe CotrT'"' ^^^ le B.anc prayed him to gHnd^e^t" ' '?'' ■'"" Bourgmont that the n.,tf " Monsieur de French, that the r quarrel wr.KT' "° ''" '<> 'he le Blanc besought^him „ h "' 5 n ^''""''- J"" stop the garrison frorfirin.^ *^ Commandant to " And did he go?" I „ ? T" "'= Outawas." •' He set oX he fort a7o ' "■"'"« "^ ^S'""- Cadillac. '"' "' °''^< "-eplied Madame "Th"!'i'" """^ "^^ stopped?" Ihefinng straightway ceasel v u Vou shall hear no further t^ .. "" ^ '^''^fied. sister, with decision ^'^' "n^-ded my ^^;-One word more," I implored. "Barbe, is she THE RED LILIES 351 "Not yet," answered Thdr^se, rejoiced, I could see, because I dwelt no more upon the theme of the Outawa uprising. " No, Barbe is in Quebec, but I hope she will soon come down to me ; .herefore you must make haste to grow strong, Non. tnd, against her coming. Ah ! here is little Ther^s^ again with a small portion of pigeon-broth that Gaspard has intrusted to her. Proud, indeed, she is to be your cup-bearer ! " How could I decline the food when it was so pret- tily offered by the kind, tiny hands of the child ! The little Hebe stood by until I had taken the last drop of the broth, stamping her baby foot in command when once I hesitated ; but it was Madame Cadillac who held the cup to my lips and er couraged me. Erelong, however, I was hungry enough, and able also to sit for a while daily by the vine-wreathed window. Then I began to wonder why Barbe delayed so strangely. How her sweet companionship would have brightened those weary days of convalescence ! At length a solution of the puzzle occurred to rne, and I upbraided myself for having been so slow to see. Barbe did not come, either because she awaited news of the Bostonnais, or else she had gone south to be married to him. Yes, she had gone to the friends of her girlhood, to the wife of Mr. Davis, or the ladies who were once the Demoiselles Clarke. From the home of one of these friends her wedding with the English officer would take place. It was plain enough why she cared no more for Le Detroit. Well, if she was joyously content, what mattered aught else? To secure her happiness, had I not risked all that was far dearer to me than life? Why should J'i Ml 4 iil- iJEE^ 'idEa&^^tBK-fKWM- : 3S2 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE /caMui;,""^"""'" "°" " '° '■"'""e« thi, insane I spoke no word to my patient nurse nor to anv spTrits " °' "" "'""'"y- "•" I '-""•e ddilj; "Where is FrSre Constantin?" I asked many times • why does he not come to visit me ? " ' £u^aed h^Jrh: ar^A,fi:t,,tr.tnr o^r R^:cX r;:; :,V:"' ^''^" - *» "•-- Ma°amf C,df.r l!"* T"'" ''""P^^'ed, I besought madame Cadillac to take a little of the rest sh, .^ g^^atly needed, and leave the Pani boy, jjl^ to l^;? After some demur she went awav fnr o« i, , repose,as I begged, and Jul^'tooT^f;,,^ X' my cha,r with a braneh of maple for a fan to coo Ih. .;• .^"t::rng"^hS7 '^= "■" "■^' ■>---- 'Jules." said I. turning to him abruptly and with „e,.. '° '" "■*' ' -' "nnot come to see boy'!tLd^t' ■?%'^°""'="'- G"yon." answered the thTu.hh K^- r"* »=» figure wrought in bronze ftough his bright eyes shone with interest: "no mv ^l"ltU:tT- '"' ■"""" '™^' """' ™^ "-'" w^^attf"?;-^^^:^^^^^^^^ n-ast^? sh^^ld 'ZZ rubte-- .-•: - 7 THE RED LILIES 353 I laughed. " Jules, it will not trouble me to see Monsieur le Curt'," I said. " Madame Cadillac is resting and must not be disturbed ; do as I bid you. Go find the cur6 and ask him to come to me at once. Go, do not be afraid to leave me ; I want nothing." Obedieiit as a spaniel, the lad sped away, and I set myself to wait. Half an hour passed. Content that I had caricd my point and was again master of my own actions, and in tranquil expectation of seeing so soon the face of my friend, the face of Fr^re Constantin, — a little worn perchance from his recent illness, but still the cheerful, noble countenance I loved, — soothed by these thoughts, I must have fallen asleep in my chair. AH at once I was aroused by the voice of Jules, saying, "This way, mon p^re, my master is here;* this way, if you please." A rich voice made some response, — a pleasant, musical voice, but it was unfamiliar; it was not the voice for whose tones I longed. Startled, I opened my eyes and turned my head, looking toward the gallery whereon my room bordered. A minute later there appeared in the doorway a benign figure in a gray robe and cowl, — a Recollet, but not the friend for whom I waited ; a stranger, not FrSre Constantin. "Here, my master, here is Monsieur le Cur6," joyously cried the childish treble of the Pani boy. In that moment I realized the truth which had been kept from me. My friend Fr&re Constantin was dead ; another was cur6 of Ste. Anne's. 23 ft 'A'i ill I ^«i«|ffv'aiHKW 11' ■(if IV i m I* ! 354 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE out of the chair, insensible ^ *" '^™"^ spe^^tite triVX-Se^ifr^ ' 7l!' '^"^ an.7rnn7SLt;^ri;rb?siL^^^^^^ her hand in mine, _ ' "°' '^'""g "'r!irtT'vI'"'t' M*-""' '''^'^ Constantin •• tearfully ^°" ""' Normand," she answered on;r'd:;fr2d"^^7o:rcrFair^^^^ left his flowers and « n / ^' ^'^^'' ^^^ ^a^Ie hm, that hr^divr„Th nTsarz';!Tr do r pre"/ "rf • ^' ""''"^'-rhe'could not rage at seein^th ^"""^ °"'''"=''' "'"ddened by ff ty^rdSrve-cXt r.'^ii-r "°'" ff blooming garden Three f;m«:K '"^° J/^^ Peaceful, then bou'ni hi.; inlt^^^^g^, "^^^ fecur^/"'' important a hostage. J' 5 " to nave secured so " But Jean le Blanc coming uo as T fr.u If' THE RED LILIES 355 " Jean le Blanc says that then, forgetting the wounds of the cur^, he begged the priest to go to Monsieur de Bourgmont and beseech him to stop the firing. Frere Constantin uncomplainingly set out, but, weak- ened by loss of blood, he toiled along with difficulty. " Some five or six soldiers rushed out to meet him and to bring you in, Normand, though you were thought to be killed. The Outawas had been driven back, but, just as the little party of rescuers reached the gate on their return, the big chief Le Pasant from behind a bush of sumach fired into the group. He nad aimed at the soldiers, but the bullet struck the Recollet, killing him on the instant. " Sadly they brought him into the fort and to the manor. On his breast, they say, together with the cross of his Order, they found a spray of fleur-de-lis whose once white petals were dyed red with his life blood. He rests in consecrated earth beneath the trees yonder. Shall we go there together when you walkout?" ' I bowed my head; I could not speak for emotion, as I thought of my friend, the humble Recollet, a hero to the last, — Frere Constantin, who, quickly pardoning the lU-use, the wounds the savage Outawas inflicted upon him, went forth so promptly to help those who had insulted and stabbed him; yes, he saved them, yet only to meet death at their hands. " And I ? The more you tell me, the more I mar- vel that I still live," I said at last. "A soldier bore you in, almost to the gate, and then another took his place," replied my sister Busied with memories of my friend, I asked no more. It was some days before I learned that the man to whom under providence I owed the continu- ance of my existence was the sergeant, Jean Joly, who ^\ ;r^ ••f •«!, > * i I .;ii 35* A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE th«e weet. °"^'" '° ^ ''°' ^im during all m CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH WAMPUM AND VERMILION /^UR Sieur Cadillac had returned to Le Detroit V-/ in triumph. Not only was he acquitted of the company's charges that he had infringed their rights, but orders had come from France depriving them of all privileges on the straits, and restoring to La Mothe his former authority, with permission to carry on all the trade of the region. Having brought back with him a garrison of two hundred men, besides a hundred new settlers, he now set himself to inquire into the causes of the Indian outbreak, and to bring the Outawas to an understanding of their crime in having so barbar- ously requited the labors of the gentle Recollet. To this latter end he summoned a great council of the chiefs. Never shall I forget the scene of the assembly, — the Indians wearing their crowns of eagle's feathers with the dignity of princes ; their brown faces daubed with vermilion and ochre, white lead and soot. Be- sides their bright-hued blankets, they were clad but in the breach-cloth of deerskin, leggins trimmed with small silver bells, and moccasins gay with por- cupine quills. The bodies of several were painted in many colors. Others had traced in white clay a lace-like pattern upon their skins, as if upon the seams of a coat, — a pattern that at a little distance might be taken for argent lace. Their breasts were 358 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE bSs'of' "f ''''"/ "^'"P""^ ' *heir arms with bracelets of silver. Some wore strings of silver inches, hanging from neck to ankles both in front and down the backhand the Outawas had, n addi nendedf^'"".^'''' ''°"^"^^"^' ^ ^^"le sione sus- pended from the nose. Altogether, they presented a terrible picture of savage power. cseniea On the other side of the hall were ranged the w!nt"to1*'f '"' ^" f ^'^ ^^^"^^- thty were wont to display on such occasions, to keep up the prestige of the French. ^ ^ The council being formally opened by the Com- mandant, Jean ,le Blanc, eager to present his plea that he was not to blame for the tragedy at the fort, begged leave ' rieak. "My father," ne began, "we have been to Quebec to see Onontio, but he has sent us back to you I will say to you now what I said to Onontio. We killed ourselves when we killed the Gray Robe, the child of the Great Father who gives us life. Have pity on us. We have killed the Gray Robe, but we hope to bring him to life again. Not with neck- laces and furs, for I know well that though we might have a houseful of them they would not be a recompense for the blood of our '^ther. What then can I do.? I can only satisf> ., my father, by giving you two captives, who are of our own blood, since we have adopted them. Receive them, my father, to cover the blood of the Gray Robe; else take my body. I can offer you nothing more; have pity upon me! Restore tranquillity to the lakes and rivers, that all the children of Onontio may be in peace, and may cook their meat and drink of the wave with all safety. My father Talon, whom you WAMPUM AND VERMILION 359 call the Rat, was the first chief who came from the Upper Lakes to find the French. Onontio gave him the key to the door of trade that led to them. It is the Outawas who have killed the Gray Robe, by mistake indeed, yet we have killed him and the soldier. But I have come at the bidding of Onontio. I am a child of obedience; I have come, if need be, to die with my brother the Gray Robe. " When the Outawa warrior had finished, Monsieur de Cadillac rose, and, adapting his mode of expres- sion to the manner of the savages, made to them the following address, whereof I have kept a faith- ful transcript : — "Jean le Blanc, Kinonge, and all of you, hear me. Monsieur de Vaudreuil writes me that he leaves me master of peace, and bids me do as I think best to restore tranquillity to the nations. Otontagon, hear me! I have lighted a great fire. I have planted four beautiful trees near this fire, two on my right hand and two on my left. Outawas, you are the largest tree. I have said to myself, ' It is well. I will re- pose under the shadow of this tree; there I shall have only good thoughts. ' Could I believe that any one had attached to the top of this tree a sharp and heavy hatchet, which I did not see, because it was covered with foliage.? While I slept peacefully and dreamed only of peace, a wicked bear climbed to the top of this tree. He shook it with all his might, and the hatchet fell upon my cabin and crushed it. "When I saw my cabin in ruins, my heart was displeased and I said, ' I will cut down this tree, I will root it out, I will reduce it to ashes. ' But after- wards I said, ' Why destroy this tree, its leaves and its fruit.? I pity the women and children. This II 36o A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE f^"!^^" n ^^' ^^1 ^°"^ ^" *^^ mischief; he must die and I will give the others life. ' ' "Outawas, listen to me. I demand that vou de hver up to me Le Pasant, him whom you Si the wicked bear; he it was who with his own^hand k 1 Ld the Gray Robe. Bring him hither, and give me ull TT "rfu^^™' '° S"-^"^ ^i*" li^e or put Mm i cut off i I'h "i"'" '' ^"^^^^' ' --"^'nd you to avoid the perils that threaten you. Have nitv „ ' your women and children. I m^t have /ou'r /er^" by the going down of the sun. Onontio and I h^v^ one heart and the same thoughts; he wi? t?/rm Tu ^\.^i^^t^«r for peace or for war." hJt J ^i^idrew, to ponder the words thevr had heard as was the custom, but in the XT noon of the same day they returned, and Jealje Blanc made answer to our Sieur "My father." said he. "the bear that you ask us to de iver up is very powerful in our village He lakes T^ '"''"''' "^^' ^" *^^ ^^'^onTof t"e lakes. He is a great tree. Who is strong enough to root It up.; But. my father, since your^eartt hurd as a rock, we must obey you Send ?K. ! Slant in:: -f ^^r^f "^^' "^ - '^" p-'r Pasant into ,t. If he refuses to em3ark. we will cut off his head. He is my brother, my own brother yet what can I do. You must be obeyed; t^Itf; what we have decided among ourselves." Otontagon, it is well," replied De la Mothe • "for Monsieur de Vaudreuil has said to me that th; two captives whom you have brought, though adopted by you. are of foreign b!ood Father R^niw and the soldier were ff my blood, my own bbod Onontio has told you that you should have brought WAMPUM AND VERMILION 361 him the head of Le Pasant. This bear who dreams upon his mat only of making war must not spoil your peaceful spirit. When you have delivered him up to me, you shall have peace, your women and children will rejoice, and I will forget the mischief you have done me. " The following day the Commandant held another council at which were present the Hurons, the Miamis, and two chiefs of the Kiskakons who ar- rived with a white flag from Michilimackinac, to the surprise of every one. The presence of these last was not reassuring, since they were the most powerful allies of the Outawas. Nevertheless Cadillac addressed them with severity. "What brings you here, Onaske.?" he demanded of the older chief. " Did Onontio tell you to come > Are we friends ? " "My father," replied Onaske, "I go everywhere with my head lifted up, because I never have any bad affairs ; I said within myself, * My father at Le Detroit knows me; I risk nothing by going to see him. ' " "Onaske, how dare you say you have no bad affairs.?" inquired La Mothe, sternly. "Did not your nation come hither to aid the Outawas who have killed me.> You are very bold to come here while my land is still smoking with my blood and that of my children. When chiefs grow old, they are wont to grow wise, but you have grown fool- ish. What is your true reason for cominff to Le D^roit.?" "My father," responded Onaske, seeing that con- cealment was useless, " it is misery that has caused us to throw ourselves into your arms. We are 362 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE wretched. Our children have eaten »«« .n mer; we are compelled to boil ft an^ i ' V'T' soup. Misery is a .«r»nl.- .?• ^^ *'""'' ""e everything, ev'en'd^t bT /tuf " di bv?h ".^'1 of my father, or perhaps he wU nitv^,/ I ^^"'^ son of the wars we .h,ii i, ^ ^ ""*• ^y "■«• and our chiTdren will di'e B„t"f """" ""^ '''"■ nation would have cl ^o ie DJtr"^ T^ "?? •"dnl'^'n""' """ --'-y -turn.- " '"' *" affai?-t?oi* rc"adt/V^h'"a^ " '' """ "^ great disp/easure. "You have kiUed^m'^TM "' you have struck me, and Heaven puLlshSVouorh Go away ! you ar^ very bold " P""'*"" y™ *" 't- coul^cn As'S """ '"^ ""™^' " '-' ««"a. dre^s°ed X ^ut^wa^'"^' '" """'"^ '«' «- ^O" J^Jp^ ----df-th. c.^^ •e^ o:^fe°S ■i^A^He'lrcirs'-'lLt^'™'^^^^ you have^rsSch rn,.^Lrhr;o:t:rwnr- to risk your life by coming here " "^ anjir*^"" ."'^V^'^'^d 'he demand of my brother and the prom.se the Outawas had given him. ' P„, . • ^™' "'y»=Phe"." answered Onask^ "I., Pasant ,s your flesh; Kinonge is also ™ur fles^ But if our father demands the life of Le Pasanf;; must be so. It is just that this dog who has btoen both of us to the bone should be desTroyed wZ can effect anything in my nation but m?> I slk .n the hearing of Manitouabe, of Kourouilib^of WAMPUM AND* VERMILION 363 Sakima, and of Nanakouena. I am strong. I thank my father for having declared to me his thought. I thank you, my brothers, for the promise you have made to him. We must either keep it and live in peace, or die. " Monsieur de Cadillac bowed his head. "It is well," he said. "But remember, Onask^, if you fail to fulfil your promise, you will fall into greater misery than before. I shall have dull ears forever, and will never again entertain thoughts of peace. Tell your people that peace will be con- cluded only when the satisfaction I demand shall be rendered. Until then they must me here no more. After Le Pasant has been given up to me, you may all come with a high head. I will smooth the way." Thus the council closed, and the following day the chiefs departed for Michilimackinac. Our Sieur had demanded the death of the warrior, and, in his own grief and anger, was determined to avenge the fate of his friend the Recollet. Whether during the interval he judged it wiser to be satis- fied with the utter submission of the Indians, or whether the spirit of our dear Frere Constantin pleaded with him for mercy rather than justice upon the slayer of the missionary, I cannot say. Be this as it may, Le Pasant was brought to Le D^roit by the chiefs Sakima, Meyaville, and Kouta- ouiliboe, who delivered him up to La Mothe in the Place d'Armes of the fort. It was an interesting and imposing ceremony. Le Pasant, who was seventy years old and very rotund, presented an appearance of terror unusual in an Indian, as he was brought within the palisade by the other chiefs, who were clad in their gaudiest attire. 1 ■ -'I '■"»! »^*itf: 1 3*4 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE le Blanc, at once SccJ to ^e^ h'"*""' °' ^'^ the old warrior bv a (5™ ''""' ""•PeHing to con,e Wi i„ ™ ^'P "P"" "" "•o-WerT power to put him to dea h h""""' '^°'' •■*« "-o can make'him eat under your ubi: CttT X"" picks up the bones " ^ ""^ ''"K that dignity. ' "'' ""^ 'P"''* "> hi" with great was so wei, 'relateTand >l Z'y''J:Z:^l'' Z'" ■t you who ate white bread even, IJ f ^" and drank of „y brandy ?„V™7wf„T, "yTi' 'aIS It was vou whnm T k^j , ""icr ]f es. And when yo^rweTe'-n/in/s^^u 1^7,1^!"^' your need, and took care of yCfamUvl aI''.'" cause of these benefits you have WHrf L„ ^: You who hide yourself and droop yo^feres r"'' ' It not you who went every dav to th„ r ^^^ 'r*' who was wont to ^ake much o/°you andlaf''' »'^yorther?r„o"^:i;^^tfkS^^^^^ Le Pasant had been overcome with fear but th;. WAMPUM AND VERMILION 365 r The other chiefs were highly pleased at the clem- ency of the Commandant. "Our father is kind," repeated Koutaouiliboe, stepping forward. " We want to come back to Le Detroit; give us again our fields that we have de- serted, and we will come to live in peace. The corn at Michilimackinac grows but a finger long, here it is a cubit long." For answer, our Sieur arose and presented to the chiefs a beautiful belt of wampum, saying, — "My children, your submission has gained my heart. Your obedience has made the ?xe fall out of my hand. It has saved your lives, ' id the lives of your women and children. And y^ i, Le Pasant, why have you fled from me in fear? /ou deserve to die, but I give you your life because of your sub- mission and obedience. You are as one dead, be- cause you have been given up to justice. But I stay my hand, and let you go to your family." This leniency of our Sieur's, though generous, proved most unfortunate. In his rage he had prom- ised the Miamis the head of the Outawa chief, and now, when they found that the Bear was permitted to live, they revolted. They were soon subdued, however, and an envoy of the government having stirred up some trouble among a few dissatisfied settlers at Le Detroit, my brother sent me up to Montreal to present his side of the story to Monsieur de Vaudreuil. I > : ir CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENTH AGAIN THE GALLANT BOSTONNAIS A'",hi"!ffv*"- ' P"' •"'<"•« Governor Vaudreuil to Quebec there t^^ ""tie delay as might be, further and oawaU Sil^'",' r" '"»'™«ion, stili Ctre '°P^ ™; -rnfX aJte-r'-i beh'elXrg rreforrmfth'*- ^"T^^ ^ whereon the intreoid rh°l i" "'* "'"SK"' "^"^ stronghold of Ne?Fra„ " " ?'" ?"""' ""* ™>"" roofs and gilded b^lfnV.^! •„,"'"" ' "* ""* P^^ed in the ligh ofthe .«? "■* "PP" ""'» X'e^^ing the grim d clstle of ^f »un; when I.gazed upon the Proudtnl^er 1 the^fle^rTl,Tfl T ^""^^ " breeze, even as it does to-day „,hL!^""« '" "■* and eve, shall, I ween ^ ^^ y""" '735. -efreeof ^L"tar';uhePaTacr" "'"^'^"^ -"^"^ hou« ±:?^"::L^7'"e '"« I -- not disposed to = myself with the great, would fain have me AGAIN THE GALLANT BOSTONNAIS 367 stay with them in their new monastery beside the church on the Place d'Armes, and I had a score of other invitations. Nevertheless I ihose to go quietly with my brother Jacques to the old residence above the Guyon warehouse, which, with its many associa- tions and its memories of my dear parents, was still home to me, albeit I now found there another generation of Guyons over whom my brother's wife ruled as "la bonne mSrc," — she who was pretty Louise Neil. ^ Still comely she was, and most good-natured, albeit now, I hear, there is a deal too much of her in the matter of avoirdupois. For my reception there was a ba..quet, to which our nearest friends were bidden, and auring all my visit Louise strove to her utmost to tempt my pal- ate with the delectable delicacies known to the housewives of New France, since she would have It I was not grown fully strong after my late ill- ness. It was not her fault, good soul, that her galettes au beurre and her croquecignoles, though truly delicious, were not quite equal to those I had tasted in this house in my boyhood days; since — even my wife (for I have a wife now) — even my wife scarce makes such perfect croquecignoles as those which my dear mother was wont to have for me of old when I came home fro.n my studies in the book-room of the Recollets. This I confide to the manuscript before me with the utmost secrecy, however; and if the reader chances to find at this point two of the pages adher- ing together, he will know the reason thereof. Or, if I must needs explain, well, then, I will set down that my wife has a spirit of her own, and moreover i .'I II iSi Jil 368 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE HcoLrf '^ ^"' '°?"'^- ^'^«' ^^^^ ™y brother Jacques, I am somewhat lacking in the imDerinnl manner of the elder Guyon. an/my wife hoKe TnllV"? Tf ^' ™y ^°°^ mother held my father indeed, she holds me not in awe at all ;,lh^ff t •» acknowledge, .y lightest .ZZ te'ig : 'th h"" anter'l' am'Zt' II " "^"^' "' '°™= '»" "'"> "« answer I am m -re than content. For if to somp i, may appear strange that, although I have been he ?;:rfrrro--rr;:^^r/s:1;•:o\^ e" s«™ta£Lf i'L^ToSt"---^ - should be writing of some twenty years ago. . On the morning after my arrival at Quebec hav ^fsTflirotre T r''''" ■"«"'"' ?^tTi^^. Lambreur ^nri,' '" °"'' "P"" ■'^'^'l''"' "-ay horse l-ambreur for Beauport and the home of my uncle F™to.s Guyon of the Meadows, as he wi S The seas jn was September, and as I took the o d road out by St. John's Gate. I looked 2 back at the gray churches and monasteries, the erim Castle and Palace, or the picturesque houses ofT dens by the river, but kept my face toward the open coun or and urged my horse to greater speed ^ hiitid«''bigartf Take'r rr"* '"f ^'^'"■'^ "«= ucgdn to rake on a tinge of russet anH across toward the cleft of MontmorenciTe Lple AGAIN THE GALLANT BOSTONNAIS 369 groves and thickets were aflame with crimson and gold, as if Nature had lighted a mighty camp-fire and bidden all her children to a harvest feast. But I am getting into the present again ; at the time it was not of feasting I thought, and the forests, so gorgeous in their foliage, seemed to me then as so many altars whereon were lighted sacrificial fires to the Most High. Their splendor too was half veiled in a soft haze, and how gloriously the wealth of color contrasted with the clear blue of the sky, and the violet mists that hung over Cap Tourmente and the distant mountains ! The road had been well travelled all summer, and the hoofs of Lambreur rang a cheery music out of the hard ground. After an hour's riding I caught sight of the red chimneys and white walls of my uncle's house in the valley. Presently I should be again face to face with Francois Guyon ; I should hear his hearty greeting, and feel the warm clasp of his hand. Here, too, I should find the Lady of Chateauguay, the sweet Babette of the olden time. Yes, she had come back to her childhood's home to help to soothe the last days of my aunt, — for the good Dame Guyon was no more. Barbe, however, had stayed on, I had been told, to comfort the grief of my uncle with a daughter's love. Anon I should see her; should note the sheen of her fair hair, the flush of her cheek, the light of her eyes; should hear her blitl e voice speak my name in happy- hearted welcome. But — my spirits sank as I brought myself back from my reverie and reined in Lambreur from the mad gallop to which I had spurred him. The truth confronted me once more. 24 1!| ii ill 370 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE find Ba.be arBeTuV^nrb^^'lZfdrd her tr was when I saw her last af T ^ n^/ •/ .i. ' ^"® Wife of the BostotauX^ rn;^dSir from the blockhouse prison. Pleased fh J?'" '^^''"°" ^^^ ^ike a dash of cold water in the face of a man hot with wine. It cooled ?he ex ties" Tfe^' VJrV'"' ^^'^^^^ "^ ^« '^^ -ali-' nnlV 1 ^^^ landscape lost something of its .lli7r\°" """'^ leisurely, and my thoughts tmv elled back to the day when I first met ou Sku Cadillac as a suitor for pretty Th^r^se A^ fi! . t e sa„,e hour I had arriv'ed, a'nd now Is I dr wleTn at the door I recalled how on that day myTrienS Robert de Reaume came hurriedly out of^ the house aroun7th^""^ '^^ ^^"^^"^ damorousy dashed around the corner to greet me. I remembered how little Barbe ran forth from withm and clung to mv arm h.^f u ^ ™ tu^ ( 1 . '""6 «^" tny arm, half shyly, yet with the frank, ingenuous liking of a child ^ How strong is the force of association » To-dav T looked about for Robert, though I knew him to L AGAIN THE GALLANT BOSTONNAIS 371 in Montreal, where I had seen him a few days betore. The boys were away on the high seas for they followed the calling of their father.^ ' served. Slowly I dismounted, and stood a moment n indecision upon the doorstone. Should I call or lead my horse to the stable, and returning, enter un- announced this my second home of former times? Were they all dead, that such silence reigned ? I retained my grasp mjon the bridle of Lambreur, and took a step upon tljc path. As I did so. there was a faint sound in the house as of some one approaching through the hall: a struggle of some one with the bar that secured Ihe heavy cedar panels; the next moment the door was thrown open, and involuntarily I uttered an ex- clamation of joy. *!, ^°L^^^'^ J" ^^^ ''°°'"^^y stood the lady of mv though s! Again Barbe had come hastening to ^d me welcome. -Barbe. no longer a child, but the loveliest woman in New France ' fori" iTZf '" ^^"'"^ '^^' '" this moment I torgot all but her sweet self; forgot that it was Frangois Guyon I had come especially to see or so I had told myself! forgot the Bostonnais and all the world save that here was Barbe whom I loved -. itL^^lT ''"''" u'^^°"^^^"^ ''^^"ty with the sun- ood ^ th^e"^'" ';' '^ '' '' singled her out. as she o d ho L f °P'" ^^''^y' '^^ ^i"^ interior of the ^ Lful L ''"^"Im 'u.'^"'^"^ background to her graceful figure and blushing, piquant face.? uarbe ! I cried joyously. « Barbe 1 " And before I well knew what I was doing I had caught her in my arms and kissed her ^' A moment her beautiful head rested upon my il-^ || ii iiiniii V ■■ ill iipiii I II 1 iiii ill i^ii imyiMiiiiiiiiifi III 372 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE llZT' *^t"'7^*^ ^ »J"I« "ppleof merriment, she gently pushed me away, her jewelled hand flihed before my eyes, and I felt a light blow on the chTek hea'rtn;. ''"^ °' ^ ^"^^' "^^^^^' ' laughed rigt I tied my horse to a tree opposite to the entrance and went into the farmhouse with her ^"^^"^^' "Normand, how you frighted me I" she said as she drew me along the passage. " Are you a ghist we might look for you some three weeks hence- we go httle to Quebec nowadays, and your brother' dTd not send us word that you were expected earlier " There was ^hort time," I answered. "He was pprised by a voyageur only the day before » I was strongly tempted to kiss her again, while we paused for this conversation. But now I emem bered the Bostonnais; and though I could not but be amused at her chastisement of my boldness, I had no mmd to provoke her resentment. With the gayety of a child, she once more put her hL" t 'Tli^ l"^ ^'^ "^" ^"'° '^' hearth-room, the heart of the house, where in the wide chimney glowed a stout pine log even on that day. The people of New France guard themselves well against the chill that sometimes creeps into the dwellings r„von ^"^.^^"S°^ *^« trees; moreover, my uncle Guyon on his last sea voyage had contracted a rheumatism which made him fonder of the "corner of the fire" than he was of old For whereas in other times, after his midday meal and pipe of tobacco, he was ever away to his fields or his ship now he often dozed through the afternoon by the hearth. ^ AGAIN THE GALLANT BOSTONNAIS 373 Here we found him in his great chair, only half aroused by the slight commotion that followed my arrival. ^ "Normand, is it indeed you, or am I dreaming of my dear ones of Le Detroit?" he exclaimed, rub- bing his eyes, and sitting erect with astonishment. "Heaven be thanked, it is no dream that I am here, my uncle," I responded, clasping the hand he stretched out to me. He drew me down to him and kissed me on both cheeks, after the hearty Norman fashion among the men « well as with the women of a family when they meet after a long separation. "You are well come truly, my nephew," he cried. " Now we will wake the old house up again, and have merry-making and good cheer. Babette, my daughter, order dinner for the lad. Ah, Normand," — here th*e jovial light died out of his countenance, and he rubbed his eyes again as if a mist had come over them, though his lips still snjiled, — "Ah, Normand, 't is, I fear, but meagre comfort we can offer you, after all. You miss the presence of your aunt, boy. I see it by the tristful look of your face. She is gone, and there is small content about the house. You would scarce know it for the same." "Well I know there is none can fill my aunt Guyon's place, sir," I made answer somewhat hoarsely. "Yet" — here I glanced at Barbe, and from her my gaze strayed around the bright, pleas- antly ordered room,— "Yet it would seem to my inexperienced eye, that her daughters, trained in her thrifty, comfort -making ways, keep bravely up the household, even as she would have it." "Ay, they do excellently for their youth," he *'i ■ «r ^*nf ant.*- ^li***'^ 374 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE s'oSJjT^h''''^ ^" '^°'*' '° ^^ '^'^'^^^ again. "In sooth they are most tender in their care f«. Bu, Norland when in the autulT ht Hfe a man loses the friend n'am,A\ „ j "® who™ God gave himrJhiEdentfTts sS""" when she, the mother of his children T^u™^' as the key of his house, Ts tak^rfrom J " " even though he reh»u n^f • „ " '""- — »jw -«,. ,,„«, ,., i'rL": -s; "Often enough I sailed away for the «;no„- u main and intn »-k« ;^ r V "^ opanish thought thaileftrnJ/ v^'"^"^' ^^^^ sn^a" Beauport, who ^iy^jLl ru^ ^'^^'^" "^^""^^^ ''" to Milad h^re ^cLT . " '^^^^^ ^^'^y' ^^ us be cheenr Barh? /''"'' ^'"""'•' ^^^' ^"^ ^et a goblet of^winf and 7 Z' P°"' ^"^ ^^"^ <^°"«in ^e:;^h:r&-r^B^^^^^^^ i^gorn^: • remain a wido^ eh ' S?? V°' "'"f ' «^« ^^^ays last I have brought ^rrou^^ *'" ^''' '"^ ^^ ing, I opine." ^ *° "'>' ^^>^ ^^ think- My uncle winked both eves at m^ .; -^ I was glad to see him thus cast nfr w ' , ^'!^?^r^- ■'^?5I AGAIN THE GALLANT BOSTONNAIS 375 I knew he referred to the Bostonnais whom she was soon to wed. Scarce conscious of the lapse of time, the good man still called me lad, albeit only that mornin^ I had noted some threads of gray among the locks which Barbe once called so black. Seldom did I affect the peruque. though often I wore my hair powdered. On this occasion, however, it had been my fancy to go down to Beauport showing in my attire at least as little change as might be from the time when I was wont to ride there frequently. My gaze turned toward the place where La Mothe stood beside the hearth on the day when I first met him here. Again with the eyes of my mind I saw him, handsome, debonair, ardent, yet with a re- spectful grace, bending his head to speak in an undertore words of love to my sister Therese, whose face sank lower and lower over her tambour frame,— Therese, then, to my thinking, the prettiest demoiselle in the world; Th^rlse, who was still so fair in her serene, matronly comeliness — but now my eyes turned back to Barbe, and I smiled to my- self, for now my ideal of womanly loveliness was — well, it was Barbe. A Pani woman brought food and put it upon the table. There was a meat pasty, if I mistake not, and the 'lalf of a capon, perchance, with sundry relishes. My uncle forced me to sit down to them, — though I had small appetite, both because it was feast enough to be there, with Miladi pressing the dishes upon me, and also because my brother's wife was right, I was not yet altogether robust. I strove to cover my deficiencies as to hunger, however, by entering into an animated recital of the news of Fort Pontchartrain, and so enlivened m°^mKimSB}^k^§i%.^'~' 376 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE waxed our conversation that «,.oi «me quite like blTTlomLu Z^^ """' ^' once he brolce into a br^^J i J"''"''' ">ore than thigh in his o d sailor f7.v "'"'• l""" "'PP*" h" pleased him. '*''"°"' *''«■' something he"s?r:ht'„"i tnfrd t r' r '« ^°"' '^'''•• "It has made me fee a loo^ , '* '""^ ""* ""^td- will go down to tZ P ^" >'^"» younger. I Yon must Tay wi h n^r" '"' ..'™'' "'"'« »>« "TKo 1, ' °^ course. ' CadUlac requ^J^Tht'ltJ"'""'' "' """-eur de bee," I mad^a'swe, 'tr",™^ ^"^-^"^ '" «"«■ evening, but. if" rwil, L" IJlTii.'I'l^d""' in Queh'ee''';:'„o?rmTS'..V''''' ^'l^^ Still, do as vou thint k1 . , ^'^ ""^ erumbled. to us as often' as may be'" ' °'"^-^°'' ""'^' -»« '^Wei^ "^rf f :in'H'°f ^^ '■™ ""' P"""- with te „g &rbe the ^ •'f'' '".^°" "« ''="f <)«« be co„tin„fd.^g^ri:^\-: f.rXfr "-^.I?!™"'" p^X^^rgstVhSL^ri? •uck'to some^'h •rbr.'^rd "^^^"^ "''"^^ - bien,eh^ie„,"M^h^ap^e^:Br;;^--,£'> AGAIN THE GALLANT BOSTONNAIS 377 tny dear. Thank you for both. Au revoir. Nor- mand, au revoir." ' ^ With a chuckle the old man went out, leaving me to as cosy a t6te-i-t4te with the Lady of Chateau guay as I had wished for. ^ '-nateau- into^he fir:. '''^"" ' '''"^ ''' ' "^^"'^"^ «^--g h"uu H^f^'" '^'^ ^'^^^'' motioning me to the thf arms 0I '^" '' "^ ""^^^' "^^^^ «hf sank il' the arms of its companion on the opposite side of the hearth. "Normand, you are pale, you eat scarce anything, for all your lingering over the viands; you must have been more seriouily ill than they would admit to me. " ^ a wS' '^7^^l ^ ""^^ "°' ^ ^^""'^^ ^" strength for a while. I made answer lightly; "but now. thank God. my grasp upon my blade is well-nigh as firm as ever it was. My native air. with thf whiff of sea breeze that comes up the river now and again together with the sight of you. madame. willToon prove all the tonic I need." whaf inZT'U "'"f '"■ T°" ^^""^ ^"'P^^^^d son^e- Toiishly ^^"^Pli^^ent," laughed Barbe, I wtLpir" ' '"' ''' '""" '° ^^"'^ ^^'" Miladi caught her breath and looked down at the ma. golds she had taken from the vase on the table and was wantonly tearing to pieces. Then pres- ently raismg her eyes and fixing them upon mei she said, leaning a little toward me, — J'Z^« ""^ ^.^°"' '^' Normand. Le D^roit, alas how different it must be without Fr^re Constantin r It beinf her will to hear, I told her how the P-col- ii?aK«5e**TP!'*ifcl^rT»Ml"^-«PL. 'W^MWi 'ir3»Br»^i^T'.Tri2, I 378 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE let had fallen a victim to his friendship for me, and his kindness toward the children of the forest. There were tears in her sweet eyes and upon her cheeks when I paused, and although I had passed over with but few words the small part I played in the incidents of the day, she returned to it again and again, and beset me with inquiries as to the duration of my illness. "Ah, Normand, Normand, I did not know," she repeated. "I had come here to care for mother Guyon. Had I known you were lying near unto death at Le Detroit — " "What would ^ou have done, Barbe?" I could not refrain from asking. " Ah, what indeed > " she cried piteously, wring- ing her hands. "My mother! You! My heart would have been torn with anguish. Did you not think hardly of me because I remained away from Fort Pontchartrain during all that distressful time?" "I missed you sadly; so much I will acknowl- edge," I said easily. "And I had no intelligence of the loving duty that kept you here at Beauport." " Pray, what was your opinion of me then ? " she insisted. " My opinion ? 'T was what it has always been, — that you are the sweetest and loveliest woman in the world, Barbe." "Nonsense!" said Barbe; but she gave a little sigh of content, as if a weight had slipped off her spirits. " And, — and, — what else did you think .> " she went on naively. "I am past the age of day-dreams," I rejoined, coming to myself, "so I only tried t , accustom my- :m-- 'y}r^'^:s^ AGAIN THE GALLANT BOSTONNAIS 379 self to the sternness cf life's realities. I thought of the gallant Bostonnais officer whose life you saved. I recalled how ardently you begged my help; the spirit with which you braved the anger of Mon- sieur de Cadillac, both in the council and by compassing the escape that so chagrined him. I thought of the Englishman so eager to return to Quebec when peace comes, that he may claim you ; I pictured the wedding festivities here in the old house — " "Say no more of the Bostonnais, I beg of you," broke in Miladi, imperiously. I looked at her in astonishment. " Love is a jealous taskmaster," I answered dryly, "but the war between France and England is not over. The Bostonnais is an honorable man, and if he come not, I dare say, it is not his fault." " Pray, why should he come ^ " cried Barbe, start- ing to her feet, while her blue eyes flashed and a deep color burned in her cheeks. " Why } " I echoed, rising too. " Are you not his affianced wife, Barbe.' Have you not promised to wed, and to follow him to the south, as a wife must leave her people to go with her husband .' " " No, no, no ! " she reiterated vehemently, and sank back into her chair. " But he acknowledged to me that he loved you ; he vowed that his dearest hope was to make you his wife," I persisted. " Surely he told you ? " Barbe sighed. "Oh yes, the Bostonnais are not such laggards in these matters as are others I have seen," she said. " He told you of his love ; he asked you to be his wife! You are not betrothed, yet you admitted to me that you loved him," I continued, perplexed. V 38o A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE Barbe shook her head. Plie^^ftly'""*" "' " " ■«""« gentleman." .he re- J1^'*^J ''°'' """»' understand how happy vou whTle^h Jl"-..*, '";;'" ?"'"« •«'*«■> "'. but the -^SJ^^r?M CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTH It SWEET AS THE ARBUTUS BLOSSOM BARBE, are you not coming back again to Th^- rdse at Le Detroit?" I queried stupidly, at length. "No, Monsieur Normand." " La Mothe no longer cherishes resentment tpward you for the chagrin you caused him by freeing the Bostonnais," I blundered on. "I am not afraid of Monsieur de Cadillac," Ma- dame de Chateauguay made answer with spirit. " Yet I — " Here she shot a sidelong look at me. " In truth, Normand, I may as well tell you — of late I have thought much of the convent again. My heart has been so oppressed with loneliness that, the last time I was in Quebec, I went to MSre Ang^lique de St. Jean, at the Ursulines, and prayed her to receive me among her daughters." "Barbe, Barbe," I cried aghast, and thereupon launched into a torrent of ^exhortation, begging her to reconsider, to be not over-hasty, — even as I had in the early days of her widowhood. She listened most demurely, with bent head, and pressing to her lips her little lace handkerchief as if she would choke back a bo.b; at times her graceful form even shook with emotion. At length, to my amazement, when I stopped a moment for breath, she broke into a peal of merry laughter. i i I lil it 382 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE "Spare your eloquence, cousin," she counselled bn,sh.ng her flushed cheek with the fi^y ""If he^r^he erdV^;%t~ " ''''' ""'" ^°" "The Reverend Mother gave no encouragement my fancy. She said my vocation was to HvTfn the world ' (so the good nuns call our part of God's H:S ' yL"'h° '"'" "P°" ^^^ b'orderland o meant it III ""^^ ^O'kind; she said I was S TnAfl ^^P'"''' °^ '^' ^°^^^' '^^' I would indeed 'ind thorns among my roses, but at least I should have the roses." ^ "A sensible woman, forsooth!" I ejaculated with satisfaction. "And now, Miladi, I presume vou will proceed to gather your roses?" ^ ^ " the UtLT ^T''J^ ^'^^^^red Barbe, spreading out the little lace handkerchief upon her knees 1 have only a hazy recollection of the sort of dress she wore on that day, but I have since been told it was a purple and gold gown of Atlas sk w^h a petticoat of mauve Atlas, edged with gold BnZT^''^'V^^:'^''''^y ^^^y ^^^ heard of the Bostonnais," I said savagely. "Roses grow better in the southern provinces than with usi Unle s indeed, you will return to Le De'troit, where as you know well the beautiful rose of the pairL twines in gay luxuriance around the door arches. aTd makes of the roughest stake-house a bower of beautT For Srdensrir.".""''' '' "^^' ^'^-"^^ '^e rose to me Barhl tk '^''''f ^^'^' ^^^^ ^^^^ seemed to me. Barbe, those we trod together long ago when seek'n^ th'eT ''' '"^^^J P^--« -^ into the' woods inf "^ t ^"^^'^"^ ^'^"^"^- Would you be will- SWEET AS THE ARBUTUS BLOSSOM 383 Miladi's head sank lower. "M^re Ang^lique said nothing ^bout the arbu- tus," she answered with averted ftcv:; yet there was a laugh in her voice that embolc :ned me. " The arbutus has not the th >rr.s of the rose, " I went on. "But it belongs to the May-time, and the May- time is passed," she argued. "It belongs to all seasons," I insisted. "Have we not found it, with its shining green leaves, living and hardy even beneath our Canadian snows, its sweetness stored in its valiant little heart to be one day given forth to those who await the gift with patience ? " I had seated myself upon an arm of madame's great chair; but as she persistently kept her face away from me, I had addressed myself to her tower of fair hair which she wore in several rows of close curls about her face,— a fashion named (I have since learned) '\ la Maintenon,' from its adoption by that beautiful and virtuous lady at the time the King first noticed her. But. albeit I had indited more than one rondeau to Miladi's bright tresses, they could give me no index of her mind or humor. Neither was I inclined to bend to her even then. No, she must look up to me. Accordingly I straightened myself before her. "Barbe," I said, "listen to me; look at me." Thereupon she turned to>/ard me, and raised her eyes to mine in the half-roguish, half-deprecating manner with which she had often heard me when she was a child. "Barbe," I went on, "long ago, when we went a-Maymg,— I an awkward boy, you a dainty little demoiselle,— do you remember that you always .-, v>v j.,it_.«- 384 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE • searched for the arbutus because I loved it and you would fain give it to me?" "Yes, yes," she assented readily ' I will remind you why I loved it. One day of he spnng-time, when I was a small lad, I stool liti/nrs/"^'^"^ "^^ ^""^ ^"^- -^^n^ " Of a sudden the door yonder burst open and ndiL" t\'^^^-''^y^'oo6 the bronze figu're of'L ever behe H .1 T" ""T 'u^ ^^''''' ^^"^^ ^^ild I ever beheld, a baby maid who stretched out her tinv hands to my aunt, as if sent to her by Providence as indeed was the truth. "vmence, nrZ)!f^^" !^^ ^"^'^" "^^^ S°"^' ™y aunt set the pretty creature upon her knees, and I knelt at her foT'sul" m" ' r '^^"^^ °' ^'^ ^^"^^ Bostonnais for such Dame Guyon said she was. But to me she was ever just a May-flower from the dark forest like the arbutus she was sweet and fair, with is own delicate blush, and her bright hair miided me of a ray of sunshine falling upon the forest blossoms. slinnVr /'r '^^' "^^y' ^^'^°"g^' a« the years s ipped away, I knew not when in my heart affer tmn for the child changed to devotion t'^Jhe woman When I saw her paid court to by many cavalieTs I did not understand that my moroseness at the sSh her with al my soul until I learned that another hourX '"^'^'l^-'^^'^ May-flower. In the sime hour wherein I became conscious of the passionate love which had entwined itself around eveVy fibre of TZtZr' r' ^^'^^^^"ted with the r^lization out and cast it away, or it would become a noisome Wi&Mm:W'^M SWEET AS THE ARBUTUS BLOSSOM 385 " After I had struggled with myself for weeks, I came home. For the gallant bridegroom fate had decried that the beauty of this May-flower should be but as the fair white snow-blossom he wore upon his breast; its sweetness but enwreathed his memory. "At this knowledge, the love which I supposed I had plucked out of my heart grew again; I thought to reveal it, to reach out for the May-flower, to vie with others to win it, like the eager young lover of Alpine lands who, outrivalling all competitors, climbs the rocky precipice, to gain the pure and snow-white edelweiss. "But ah, love abounds in honey and poison! Those who strove against me had so much more to offer than I; and ever I said to myself, 'Some day I will do some noble deed. Then, when I have attained success and honors and wealth, I will go to Miladi, — to Miladi who as a little child went a-Maying with me; who as a young demoiselle, un- thinking, and as she might have culled the blooms of her garden plot, gathered the best affections of my heart only to cast them aside; to Miladi, who now, as a widow, graces one of the proudest names of New France, and therefore is not to be lightly wooed nor easily won. "Time passed," I continued, for Barbe's eyes were fixed upon me with a gracious interest. "I have seen many adventures without having gained distinction, since to face dangers unflinchingly is but the usual lot of the man who, taking his life in his hand, plunges into an unknown country. With our Sieur I have wandered far and wide, yet my boyish dreams of achieving fame and fortune have been in no degree attained. I have been but a 25 m!Wp."goi*'^'ua 386 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE mines, and f hav^^tlt tTZl'"' "° '""' clouds. This being so I had tl,„ t^ ^""""^ ""^ Detroit ^he inte"esT he had 1." "^""""^ f" ^e Sst°dir;e.^sj:-- "-o^^s-^-^^^^ ha^dsLr!;:i-^drherpVn:r''^''^''''' But when I would have clasn^i i,„ • she held me off. her pates "^rtw '" ""^ '™»- breast, her rosy face averted ^ '^"*'" "">' so;frtTp,r«trdtrsK,^r;„r.^^ ">=: r ,et ;o:■Lr„^•:1:;dt^^cot:: ri year or two " course of a :''*>^>, iA l*'%v#fe 'Sk2H3SjiKfi%sjpqir.«^.:^^rii»v!92v&^in::jK:^'' SWEET AS THE ARBUTUS BLOSSOM 387 no one but myself by so doing. Let me hear my fate, I beg of you! Give me at least a moiety of hope!" Perhaps it was the look Miladi vouchsafed me, which resigned me to a sma)' degree of patience, as she forced me to sit down again, this time upon the settle, it being nearest, and then seating her- self, piled up between us its cushions of silk patch- work and pillows of fir balsam ere she would say more. " Now listen to me, Normand, " she began at last, when I had tacitly submitted to endure my suspense with as much fortitude as might be. " When I was a child, a certain handsome youth was kind to me, and took much trouble for my sake. We were friends in those days. He went away, and I grew to be a tall young maid, and then a woman. After a while he came back, but he was changed. Nothing I did pleased him. He cared not for me himself, it seemed, yet he wished not to have any one else care; he would not have me speak with or smile upon any one." "An audacious wretch he was, in faith," I inter- posed contritely. But she shook her finger at me in token that I must be silent. "I — I would have been as demure as he wished, if by so doing I could have gained his approval," she pursued. " Yet when I dismissed my cavaliers, he took me to task for that also. He set out for the northwest. After a time he came again. He was more like his old self, but soon he went to France. Kis every action showed that he was ia- different to me." " Nonsense, Barbe, how could that be } " I inter- rupted once more ; but again she checked me. ^:i aiSr-^^fwr' w^~ l¥7t T "life ^v^ ?;■ > 1 388 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE There was one," and here her voice shook as even thus indirectly she recalled Le Moyne, —" There was one who loved me well, who had loved me long. My mother, good Dame Guyon, urged me much to marry; I had bought my right to live in New France by a promise to Comte Frontenac that I would take a husband in Quebec. My noble and gallant lover pressed his suit, and I gave my hand and heart to Chateauguay. Yes, Normand, my heart too, honestly and wholly; to have withheld it would have been unworthy, and I willed that he should have it. "When, for the glory of New France, with a bridegroom's tenderhess he kissed and left me, I vowed again, as I had done before the altar, to be to him most true. "And during the weeks which followed, day and evening I prayed to God, with passionate entreaty, that I might love my husband with all my strength and power of loving. I cried out to the sweet Ma- donna to obtain for me this favor, only this! It may be, other brides have no need thus to pray; and yet again, perchance many who think them- selves the fondest have as much need as had I, since what is called love is so often but another name for selfishness. It may be that in my own pique and pride I was over-hasty, that my marriage was a mis- take; I cannot tell. Nevertheless this I feel and know: had Chateauguay lived, I should have loved him faithfully and well ; and if a remembrance of any other lover sought hiding in my heart, the hand of God himself would have plucked it out." As in her earnestness the clear eyes of Miladi met my own, to me she took on an added dignity and beauty; and I blessed God that the heart of B^ ' "f ';v,iQ^*-^-^i:iimsPBm^Qgs^m:9^sm:)fm^m^^m SWEET AS THE ARBUTUS BLOSSOM 389 our dear Barbe was as Madonna- like as her perfect face "Ay, ay! If women were ever wont to call upon God in their need, there would be fewer broken vows and broken hearts," I niurmured meditatively. "Yes, provided men did so as well," she retorted with a flash of her saucy spirit. " Howbeit " — and again she became pensive — " Le Moyne fell, fight- ing the English. From the hand of my own people came the blow that seemed to crush out all my youth; the blow that in itself would have separated me from the Bostonnais, so you should have re- flected, you foolish Normand! How could I wed an English officer, when the English killed Cha- teauguay ? " " The Bostonnais may not have been in that cam- paign," I felt it incumbent upon me to observe. She heeded not, but went on simply, — "I resolved to devote my life to the memory of Chateauguay; to remain his widow, though I was but in name his wife. I sought the seclusion of his seigneury on the river bnnk; I wanted to enter the convent of the Ursulines, but the good mother put me off. You came, but I did not care to see you. Merely to think of you seemed a wrong to Chateauguay, as if he still were living. "Yet the good mother of the Ursulines said, ' Wait. ' Indifferent as I thought myself, as time went on, your quiet sympathy became a pleasant recollection. Gradually, too, my spirits returned, for, O God, 1 was still so young to be plunged in sorrow ! I grew lonely at the seigneury ; Beauport and Quebec had their reminiscences ; besides, I did not wish to go yet into the gay world. Therese was about to set out for Le Detroit to join her husband; I i 390 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE she pressed me to bear her company. It was the one boon I would have asked, the chance to tret away into a new world; to leave, if possible, all sad associations; to teach the little children of the wilderness." ''A womanly ideal," I said tenderly. "But — but — there was one thought that de- terred me I must confess." she admitted; "it was the thought of you, Normand." She smiled a little at my start of discomfiture. btUl, I reasoned myself out of this reluctance " she went on " Chut, Cousin Normand was nev^r my lover, I argued to myself. " It will cure my morbidness to see hirt. He will scold me and take me to task, as formerly, and our encounters of wit will be as the striking of steel upon flint. Here no one ventures to contradict the Lady of Chateau- guay, but Normand will not stand upon any such ceremony. ^ "What a churl I must have been to have led you to this opinion • I deprecated with a laugh, all the while eager that she would have done with these details and speak the one word I longed to hear or, if she would not say it, that she would give me leave to plead my cause anew ; for it looked to me as if in this long history she did but seek to put me off. '^ "Now, monsieur, no impatience." she proceeded with most teasing deliberation, again piling up the barricade of pillows, which I had overturned " If a woman is ever to be heard out, I should like to know if It is not when a cavalier is waiting for her answer. "I pray he may not have to wait all his life. I hazarded with a sigh, whereat she was >My^^ <^''€- 'Mj*., SWEET AS THE ARBUTUS BLOSSOM 391 mightily amused, for of all the innocent coquetry I have ever seen, Miladi Barbe had, I think, the greatest share, nor has she lost it to this day, but continues to coquet with her husband in a most shameless fashion, for a woman of her years, as he has often remarked to me in friendly confidence. "No, Sir Gravity, I promise you he will not have to wait even until his locks turn gray," she rejoined nonchalantly. "When begets it, I know not if he will like it over-well." At this I caught her hands again, and would have taken the answer I wanted from her lips without more ado, but she drew back with dignity, and ris- ing, dropped me a stately curtsy, as if she would leave me altogether. I took two or three turns about the room, then came and stood before her where she had sunk down once more among the cushions and motioned me to resume my place. " I will not sit down again until you answer me ! " I cried. "I pray you may not grow over-weary of stand- ing, monsieur," she retaliated naively. I stamped my foot, and said something under my breath. "Ah, that is more like the Normand I remem- ber," Miladi exclaimed with the utmost serenity, "the contrast I needed to the picture in my mind's eye a moment since. Revenons ^ nos moutons, let us return to our viands. Are we not a practical people, we French ? We may neglect to return to our loves, our homes, our friends, but we never for- get to go back to our dinners. " "Barbe, this levity — " I began, in a deeply of- fended tone. 39» A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE "Well, Normand, as I was sayine," she nur.„.j •erencly. "wi.h that scowl up„^ your brow your appearance s quite natural; but when we m« atTe n^ ^'" 'r ' me/°" 'h-oneday. I,ca"cer«„g! nizca you. When you spoke to mc, it was a> if ltZZ''"^l ''"''^™ ""P"' '" » honey wmugh" by st.ngless bees, ,f perchance that might be sweeter than the common Icind. The mentor whomTex pected to meet was become anon a flat°e"cr and" agam diffident and distant toward me thourfi l^U and brave ever when there was cause f^'r ac°ion .1^" It was because I loved you so much Barbe " I broke out "I was proud, it is true. I had no mind to be numbered am6ng your discarded suitors let often too I laughed at my presumption. ,nThat I sometimes hoped you would leave you" manor on the St Lawrence for a home builded of mud and cedar bark upon the banks of Le Detroit B?,t now I ,ee that my very love gave me the Hght ",^ speak gave you the right to know and to 7ec dl d^r"it- - "-^ety"^^^^^^^^ Icrl^."^:s^kr^^rT?;„^'"si may either go or stay." ' ^^^^ ^ I feigned to take no notice of the ruse, however me with the docility of a child, laid a hand unon my arm, and looked up into my face. ^ SWEET AS THE ARBUTUS BLOSSOM 393 "Ah, Normand, mon amil" she said in a voice lanTT''^/ tenderness. "I have teased you be. yond all endurance, but it was only that in the end I might tell you this. When I was a ch Id and we went a-Maying together, often, after I had gone skipping on before, I came running back to yourmy arms laden with arbutus blossoms, and stretched the bTJ^^'a °"V°/°"' '^''' y°" "»'gh^ »^ke them, i you paid no heed ; you were lost in a day-dream and did not see that they were for you. And thu; I waited in vain until with childish impatience I was fain to fling the drooping buds away " I was ever a stupid fellow, of a surety " No no, only blind," she corrected. "You longed for my love, you say, yet you did not see that I was yours for the taking. My heart was youJs always, save only during the few weeks when it be- longed of right to another. " «h J^'^T'J" ^^'' '"^P"'s'^e and impetuous fashion, she reached up to me, as I bent my head, and tak- ing my bearded cheeks between her pretty hands, ./ /urse// kissed me squarely upon the mouth. to v^'k^Ti^^^u^' ^^^* '^^ ^^^ ^°"«' she sought my arms. " ""^ ^'^'''' ^"' ^ ^^"S^^ ^^^'^^ K,'?t?^•'' ^ ''"^^' ^'^^ ^ rapturous laugh, giving unllti'sed."' "' ''" '^"' '""^ """'"^ '^ ^"^ Perhaps I was a fool that I took not more than one. or two at the most; but in truth. I did not dare, and could scarce yet believe in my own good fortune. Nathless Miladi has told me since that in this instance she liked me all the better for my diriidence. •' Presently we were again sedately seated upon the 394 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE settle, but now the cushions of balsam and the duwn of the wild swan were fallen to the floor, and I hastily shoved them away with my foot, lest it might enter into Barbe's head to straightway build a wall between us again; since she had then, and has still, as many bewitching moods as a day in May. When we began to look our happiness quietly in the face and to plan for the future, I said half jest- ingly, yet with an undertone of earnestness, — " Well, well, Miladi, this is, after all, but a sorry match for you. Were you minded to marry again, you should have had a noble of New France for your husband." "I shall have a ntoble husband, never fear," she answered with archness. "Ah, my dear," I went on gravely, "now, more than ever, I wish for your sake that the prizes of ambition were mine. I would fain be a dashing sol- dier, reputed for my prowess, my skill as a swords- man; a leader of the troops of the province; the founder of a colony, like Monsieur de Cadillac." My sweet Barbe laughed, —a merry, happy laugh. "And will you find it hard to believe, Normand," she declared with a shake of the head, — " will you find it hard to believe that I love you just because you are not the swashbuckling cavalier you would forsooth have me wed, monsieur .> I have seen you ready enough with your blade upon occasion; but I scarce think it would add to my happiness to know that you were prone to run your friends through the body upon the lightest provocation. I have seen you brave, prompt to fight for and defend the helpless and those who claimed your love and duty. I do not know that I should admire you more were you ever eager to dash into broils and quarrels, -- if you SWEET AS THE ARBUTUS BLOSSOM 395 chafed always for wars and slaughter, as do some. You have not wealth, but would I respect you more If you had gained it, as do many, by cheating the King by oppressing the people, by tricking the poor Indians out of their peltries and luring them to their rum with eau de vie? As for the prizes of ambition, Normand, look you. Monsieur de Cadillac is an honest man and an able one : in ability, foresight, and plans for the development of New France, far in advance of these times. I am told. He has received honors, emoluments, gifts from his Majesty, and yet what has been his life.? One of disappointment, of bitterness, of fierce antag- onisms, of enir.ties. Have the prizes of ambition in his case been worth what they have cost him? If a man loves place and power, it becomes the duty of a good wife to aid him to attain it. if she ?";.i, .'' >f^ ™^' ^ "^^"^^ "°* have you like to Cadillac ! A restiveness such as his, as fiery a spirit would weary out my heart. I have not the sweet patience of Therese, nor yet the calmness that could soothe so imperious a nature. No, Normand, I ^nu t r>K.T/°" T^^' '^^" y°" ^^- I have seen you a faithful friend, serving the interests of De la Mothe better than your own, because of the boyi:*h pledge of fealty you gave him. I have seen you a tender brother to Th^rSse; a man gentle to beast and bird; as just to the red man as to his white brother; a student, preferring your few books and your quill to the pleasures of tae wine-cup and the beauty of women, - albeit indeed, sir, in other days your hkmg for the society of Madeleine de Verch^res and one or two other of my friends caused me no small uneasiness." "What folly, Barbe!" I interposed vehemently. 396 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE I'ave''^'^ ^"^ ^ ^'""^ ^ ^^^^^^ thought to any woman "Oh, oh, that is all very well to say now, mon- sieur, she protested. "I am told that every man save Adam has said the same to his fianc€e, and if one chose to consider the fable of Lilith, perhaps one might imagine Adam himself no more of an excep- tion m this respect than those who have come after hira However, we will let this pass, sir; I would not have you think me jealous now, nor like to be jealous of any woman in the world. And — and — I care not to see you a cavalier of courts and camps Normand, though La Mothe says you made a most excellent appearance even at Versailles on account of your gentle manners. Once I saw you plunce into the jaws of a fiery death to rescue a poor little Pani slave, and The'rise wrote me in much more glowing terms than you have described the circum- stance, telling me how you faced alone the horde of infuriated savages in your endeavor to save our dear Prere Constantin. Never fear, Normand," she re- peated, slipping her hand into mine with simple content, " I shall have as good reason to be proud of my husband as has any woman of New France." I bent my head and touched her white fineers with my lips. Is there anything in all the world sweeter to a man than to hear even his failures lauded as if they were victories by the tender voice of the woman he loves > In the peacefulness of the September evening, as I rode back to Quebec, the earth seemed to me a para- dise as my mind dwelt upon the incidents of the afternoon. The dream of my life had come true. Barbe was my promised wife. Of her own accord she had SWEET AS THE ARBUTUS BLOSSOM 397 kissed me, — as artlessly and with the same innocent frankness that she had been wont to come and kiss me when she was a child. I had looked into her heart and with half-awed delight found myself mir- rored there, as one sees his own reflection in the depths of a pure forest spring. Barbe had laid her hand in mine freely and with confidence. She had called me by that term of en- dearment, — the sweetest of all, to my thinking, — "mon ami" (my friend), she had said; choosing the name that the good dame of New France gives to her husband, as it is, in turn, the title of honor and affection he bestows upon her. " Mon ami " — " Ma mie," so it should be between us evermore. Under the stars, as I rode on, I vowed to God that as I would be ever her lover, ^er faithful husband, so also I would be to her the f.iend she had named me, as she would, I knew, be mine. For had ever man a truer friend than is a devoted wife ? And I set down here as my experience of some twenty-eight years, that a firm and tender friendship is the tie of wedded love which best stands the strain of time. iSi^ CHAPTER TWENTY-NINTH A ROMANCE TO THE END qpHUS it came about that Barbe and I were X married at Beauport one golden day of Octo- ber, as IS set down in the parish register. Thus It was that I, who had thought never to be wedded, took back a bride with me to Fort Pontchartrain through the heart bf the Indian summer; and ni fairer bride will the blue waters of Le Detroit ever look upon. Monsieur de Cadillac received us royally. " You went out of my jurisdiction, and therefore eluded the requirement to ask my consent, as Commandant ""c;tn^f "/"''. *° yo"r marriage," he said jovially, btill, I forgive you. Also, Miladi," he went on turning to my wife; "albeit I might never have quite pardoned the Lady of Chateauguay for having tam- pered with my gaoler and thus compassed the escape of the Bostonnais, I have only good-will for Madame Uarbe Guyon. You have foregone a proud title and a distinguished rank, Miladi, to many a simple gen- tieman, but I know that you account yourself still a gainer thereby. Moreover, Normand is not so poor as It may seem, even if 't is said a man should not take a wife until he has a house, and a fire burning Here upon Le D^roit are the lands I granted him long since, but which he has never redeemed from the wilderness. Now he shall put them under cul- tivation and build a commodious mansion thereon. ^^?i' ;:#st./*^^?,i8^. A ROMANCE TO THE END 399 Until it is ready for you, Madame Cadillac and I :L1T/"n ""'''''' '"' ^°"' «^"-^ h-band as ou ^tTm 7^ r.P'^^^''"' '"yPreux secretary." overdyed to hav/'.?''' ""''' ''^°"«^^' ^«^ «^« -as r^o'ce Jre ''^ companionship of my dear whln'?hf M^^ Winter we remained at the manor, but when the May-time came again we were domidled in our own home. ""^uca Then followed three tranquilly happy years. We were not rich, yet we had enough to live uprn Barbe would still ;,ave drawn a handsome ann^i"y from the se.gneury on the St. Lawrence, but at our marriage I persuaded her to relinquish it She nL J''1 ^1;^'!!"'"." ^y "°"^^^y' 'he title 'having K; f '^" ^'"'5 °J Chateauguay. to his young brother, Jacques, and thence in turn to Antoine with whom we had to do in the south later My uncle Guyon moreover, made her a handsome allowance and with the moneys which came to me saved from my salary as secretary to our Sieur and the profits from the lands I now cultivated we h^d comfort and content. It is strange that in those days, as often s nee, though I had ever been moder- chldTnl '^'?'^"^ '^ "^°"^^^' ^^^he was continually chiding me for my extravagance; since, by everJ convoy from Montreal. I ordered new silke^S for her until she declared I would thus was^e all my substance. But a lover's purse is tTedtifh cobwebs and it gave me great' siis act on tTat 7tLTi'r'' i" '^^ ^^^"'y' a« her husSnd I might deck It as richly as I chose These years, so peaceful for us wer*» «,/.,« troubled for Monsieur de Cadillac. ThlKing re! II m&^msi 400 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE fused him the marquisate upon which he had set his heart. The malevolent Red Dwarf whom he had beaten upon the strand in the moonlight seemed ever to dog his footsteps. The sale of brandy to the ur^T^t ^""r '" '"^" quantities brought them down upon the colony more than once like packs of mad- dened wolves, and in the harassments which came to him from the very tribes he had enticed away from Michilimackinac, it often seemed to me that the high-bred De Carheil was avenged. tiH^n]^"^*c.^°TT'' '^^'^ ^-^^ ^"°^her turn in the tide of our Sieur's fortunes : he was appointed Royal Governor of the vast province of Louisiana. All the properties of Fort Pontchartrain were the personal possessions of De la Mothe; but although this was acknowledged, he was forbidden to take any- thing away with him; neither would the government permit him to sell even the cattle he had brought from Montreal, nor his horse Colin, the only one in the settlement, the plea being that the new Command- ant. Monsieur de la Forat, needed these properties yet had not the moneys to buy them. Before the setting in of the winter Th^r^se and her children, Barbe and myself, with the little son and daughter who had come to us, left Le Detroit for yuebec, there to await " mon chevalier," who had gone to France. He arrived in the spring with a Shipload of girls, sent out to become the wives of settlers in the new province; and we sailed with him for Dauphine Island, the seat of government of Louisiana, where, on the seventeenth of May, he was installed as representative of his Majesty in a terri- tory many times greater in extent than the kingdom ot the Sun King. But how sadly disillusioned was my brother in this 5? -IC^''. A ROMANCE TO THE END 40* wild province! The settlers were for the most part lawless vagabonds, though some bore the names of families distinguished in our Canadian annals. His governorship was fruitful in naught but vexations, and he was not regretful, I trow, when after a few years he was relieved of it and called to Paris. Fain would I have gone with " mon chevalier; " but he bade me remain here in the western world, saying thus I could best serve his interests. A summer passed, and then the winter, and spring came again. One day I sat upon the gallery of my house on Dauphine Island, which commands a view of the haven of St. Louis de Mobile, a bay that is lost afar off in the wide expanse of the Gulf of Mexico. It was the month of May, yet the patch of grass I had sown early in the season was already parched ; the sandy soil thirsted for rain. Looking backward across the estuary that separates the island from the shore, I beheld an almost unbroken line of oak, bald and black cypress, and the long-leaved yellow pine, and I knew these primeval trees were hung with cur- tams of the mist-like gray moss which deepens the shade of these dark woods of the south. The scene, although lonely, was not unlovely ; the blackness of the forest contrasted with the bliie of the sky and the sparkling waters of the bay; the silver moss which I had brought from the woods and hung upon the rafters of the gallery, together with the vmes I had planted, made a pleasant screen agamst the sunlight " Almost a year has passed since our Sieur sailed away," I soliloquized, and thereat fell into a reverie wherein there arose before me an air-castle that far eclipsed the glories of the ancient ChSteau of St. Louis, within whose shadow I first encountered the 26 J j^r ..^'^ 402 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE dashing Chevalier de la Mothe. I saw my brother returning to us rich, powerful, the lord of all New France ! Under the spell of the fancy and of the balmy air of the forenoon, and lulled no doubt by the buzzing of the honey-bees about the vines, I must have fallen asleep. How long I slept, I cannot tell, but when I awoke I thought I must be dreaming still. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Yes, assuredly, upon the horizon was a fair frigate with her sails set making for the harbor, with the sun shining full upon her white pinions, and turning ^her masts and rigging to ropes and spars of gold. " A ship from France ! " I cried, starting to my feet, " a ship from France, and she was not due for ten days ! " At this moment a cannon-shot from the fort an- nounced that the vessel was sighted. An answering boom came to us ac— ss the waters, — a greeting from the Old World to the New. " A ship, ma mie, I am off to the quay," I called to Barbe, who sat within doors, in the cool of the salon, teaching some intricate stitch of needlework to our oldest daughter, Therese. "The sun is hot, men ami, and may give you a giddiness in the brain," protested my wife. "My faith, I would risk being stricken down rather than be absent from the coming in of a ship," I rejoined with enthusiasm; and clapping my chapeau upon my head, I sallied down to the Esplanade. When I again turned my steps homeward, it was long past the hour of the usual light mid-day meal, and I had broken my fast in the morning only with ^^^"^^ A ROMANCE TO THE END 403 sVawberHes °' ''''''' '" '^""^ ^"^ ^ ^'^^ "^ ^^^^ h Jtl^i*'*'^^' ''7^' "°' '*^^ "«^^ *>^ food which had rendered me dazed and ill, nor yet the rays of the sun. When I reached the galler^ once more, I sank down upon the bench in my favorite corner, and flung my hat upon the ground with a murmur of deep despondency. *^ Barbe. who must have felt rather than heard or ITL7 '■^^"'■"' ^^"^^ ^"'■'■>''"^ f^o"» th« other end ot the house, crying joyfully, — "You have missives from France, of course How fares the Sieur Cadillac, and to what good posi has the Regent appointed him ? ^ "But, Normand," she continued, catching sieht my handkerchief under pretence of the heat. ^ ThST"' ^'^'^ ^°"' ""^^^ ^^'''''^^ ^^""^ 3^°"-' "Thjr^se is well, at least as to bodily health " I responded quickly ^ ' •'And Monsieur de la Mothe-he is not dead?" He IS worse than dead." I made answer in desper- ation ; he is a prisoner in the Bastile " "A prisoner -the Bastile!" my wife repeated with a gasp of horror. Then, recovering hSelf she laid a caressing arm about my shoulders, as if % i?/^ 7''''^'^ ^^'■d off from me all sorrow. Think of it. Barbe!" I exclaimed. "My dear manv nnlV 1"' "^ ^" '^" ^'"^"^ ^°"^b' ^^^^e so many political prisoners are buried, lost to their lamilies and friends forever." " But of what offence is he accused ? " " He understands nut. Mayhap some spite of his enemies here in the province. " ii 404 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE "Our poor Th^rSse, may God comfort her!" said Barbe, softly. " What will you do, Normand ? " "Do?" i brolce out, starting up. "I will gather together whatever moneys I possess; I will go to France, and by my voice, my gold, my sword, if it can help, I will struggle for the release of my brother La Mothe. I will lay down my life for him, if need be, but he shall be freed from that awful prison, whose only echoes, I am told, are clanging chains and human sighs." "Yes, go, Normand," cried Miladi, with a self- forgetfulness truly heroic; "go, and if you have not enough of lucre, tak^ all that is mine also." Thus, when the frigate returned shortly with a cargo of tobacco, I sailed as her only passenger, carrying with me whatever of coin or bullion I had,' and also the generous legacy which Barbe had re'- ceived irom her adopted father, Francois Guyon. The sum of all these I spent to secure the release of our Sieur Cadillac from the accursed Bastile, and was thankful to Heaven that I accomplished the same. Fortunately for his content. La Mothe thought, as did Madame Cadillac as well, that the gold I brought him was gained by the sale of some part of his lands. Nor did I undeceive them. He retired to St. Nicholas de la Gr^ve, and thence to Caumont, his ancestral home ; and after a short sojourn there with "mon chevalier" and Ther&se, I recrossed the seas, returning, unknown to Cadillac and my sister, with an empty purse and no prospects. Soon, however, I obtained a minor official position under Bienville, brother of Henri le Moyne; and although it was a bitter potion, I never regretted my course in this matter, nor did Barbe, I know. The A ROMANCE TO THE END 405 days of straitened means which followed did but unite our hearts more closely, and our children are mayhap, all the better for having been reared w.th snnple tastes. Moreover. I cannot feel ttat I d 5 them injustice, since there is left for them the fine rS 1 ^'"^ "^" l^' ^^''''' ^^^'^ "^y brother De fnr K • K f ^ "'^,: ^'^ °^ '^^ ''^^^ ^^ ^omage. and for which I have the written concessions, duly siirned and witnessed. ^ a«gnca Now. too our fortunes are much improved by reason of the fact that the rich lands near Lake Pontchartrain wherewith Governor Bienville re- quited my services are close to the site whereon he has founded the city to be named La Nouvelle Orleans in compliment to the Regent of France- for ended are the glorious days of the Sun King ' On this plantation we now live. For a time I could not cultivate it. owing to a lack of laborers; but the company having brought over a cargo of blacks. I bought a score of them, and since then ^iT nJr?"'"'r '".'"'^ "°P^ ^' '^' government will permit us to raise. - namely, rice, indigo, tobacco, and cotton. ^ ' Thus in this southern country we have prospered. Our home faces the river; never. I think, would I be happy ,n a habitation whence I could not look out upon a stretch of beautiful water. All through the summer night the mocking-bird sings entrancingly among the magnolia and orange trees that surround the dwelling, —a long, low structure of timber and adobe, or sun-dried brick, with a roof of grasses, wherein are interwoven the tendrils of many blosl soming plants, so that often it is all abloom, like a parterre. * Around the cypress pillars of the gallery twine 4o6 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE luxuriant climbing roses. In Barbc's garden the air is sweet with the breath of the gieat variety of flowers, which in this climate unfold with a tropical profusion ; and even as I write, there comes to me on the breeze the intoxicating fragrance of the white jas- mine. The palisade, also of stout cypress wood, is overshadowed here and there by the dark plumes of the palmetto, the paler green of the banana-tree, and the gray-tinted foliage of the oak. In the near-by orchard grow fine pomegranates, peaches, figs, and pears, while around about, almost as far as the eye can reach, extends my rich farm. Within, the housq is brightened by the happy faces of young people, —-a fair half-dozen, ranging in ag. from our eldest son, who reached his majority awhile ago, to the little Babette, who is as like to Barbe in her childhood as is one sweet spray of arbutus like to another. As the years pass, however, it seems to me that ever my Barbe grows more beautiful, and so I tell her. Thereat she laughs, and shows me how the elves of time have stolen the gold from her hair, leaving in its place a sheen of silver; and how the first silken gowns I bought her will not now meet by a good two inches around her ample waist, the fabrics of Atlas which, by my order, were sent down for her from Quebec to Le Detroit, and which, woman-like, she has treasured to this day. But what though 't is as she says ! If her soft hair wants something of its olden brightness and luxuriance, and her whilom youthful grace is merged in a matronly comeliness, still to-day she is far hand- somer than she has ever been. For with the coming of every little child to our A ROMANCE TO THE END 407 home there has come to her face an added loveliness of expression, and to her heart a deeper tenderness ; so that even to my fond remembrance the charms of our violet -eyed demoiselle, the belle of New France, pale before the beauty of Madame Barbe Guyon, my wife and the mother of my children. Some years since, Barbe and I made a voyage un- usual in extent, even for these days of long cruises, when ladies are often as adventurous as the men. It came about that I must ,^0 north, and she sailed with me. We went to Acadia and also to the Eng- lish province of Massachusetts Bay, to the town of Trimountain, or Boston, and to Orange. For it had ever been in my heart to take my wife to see the land of her birth, and albeit she had never spoken the wish, I knew that she hoped sometime to obtain a clue to her true name and parentage. A child carried off by the Indians! Alas! it was too common a story to be remembered all these years, if, indeed, it could ever have been traced at all. The search undertaken for Miladi's sake availed nothing; and, save for her disappointment, I am as well content. My aunt Guyon ever maintained that the parents of our English demoiselle were gentle- folk, and I believe she was right. Yet, whatever their station, I know for certain that my dear Barbe belongs to the "vraie noblesse" which numbers those of virtuous thoughts and deeds, gracious manners, and unselfish, loving hearts. Moreover, such beauty as is hers blooms not from any wayside weed. We went to Quebec, and Beauport, too ; but whc i I fain would have Barbe continue on with me to Le Detroit, she said, — Vt' '-2k< 4o8 A DAUGHTER OF NEW FRANCE on"t^e Z' ^°""J"^' ^ <^^""ot go back to the Colony on the Strait where we were so ideally hanmr I cannot go back to miss The'r&se fromthe maSor* Mo h! T?h'' u ''^ P'^^^ °^ ^^« Chevalfer Ha Mothe. I should regret the old days too keenly •' Therefore I proceeded alone to Fort Pontchar tjain. But all n,y efforts to secure for "Lon cheyt lier the price of even a small pari of his lands were unsuccessful. Of his yast property upon'^he The revenge of the Red Dwarf, the oredicfi^n „f the witch of the Castle of St. Louis, thf^lS 0° one hl'T';' kT """' '" ^ '" "" points £« one the English have not obtained possession of the(^tewayof the Lakes, nor will the/ever, I ween Neither w.ll I believe that the fleur-de-lis wHl be oHhe r K ""' T'^" ''^"""^ ">» the bannS of the Bourbons w.ll ever float over Le Dltroit And how fared it with our Sieur Cadillac durne this penod? After a time the king's ministers gye him the governorship of Castel-Sarmin ; but being deposed erelong in favor of a native Sf the town, he took up his abode in a grim old chateau on close some five years since, and where my sister Madame Cadillac, still resides with her childrS, New F^^^^' ■"i;''^^'''? ™"" «as » gallant figure of New France. He had the courage of a great leader, and was ever honorable, honest, and loyal to th^ «rvice of the King. Passing over my own allegiance and affection, which he held from my youth, ?wm a ni,"^ *^'"- ■'"'^'•''"anding his failts. he wa^of a noble nature, as is proved by the devoted respect A ROMANCE TO THE END ,„, l-t adieu, althoughLkneV t no^'""' "' """' -» Normand, " he saiH « r -^Z , poor as whe'n I VrsMef ?t T'f '\''^ ^^^ ^-^^ honors, fortune, power vet nni 1 ^^ S^*^^" me them away. NeverThele^ss ^ r^. •'P"'^'^>' ^"^^^^ for Providence has spared ./^'"'"^^ '' '^^"^^^' greatly weighs down ?he k.u """ '^'' ^^^^^ «° companionship of my dear tI"'"' ""^'^^ ^°^« ^ncl both a cavalier and a sa'or /f""- , ^ ''^^^ *>«-" governor, and then Lit J T ^^""^' ^ '"oyal to make Ambition 'my "j/e Tf'%''' • ' ^^«"^ht tnent enough for an en!mv M vf ^'^^ ^^^ ^^r- romance, abounding in the „.^^ ^ ^ ^'^ ^"^" ^ turesque incident which k. I ' ''"'^'' ""^ P'<^- wilds of New France- th.r^^ '° '^' fascinating fortune. And numbe/ing Vorrhf k' ^ ^^^^'^^ «' »s set down my first visft to R ""^^^^^^ ^^^^ein page thereafter smiles forth . ^^^"P^'^' from every of my wife, Th^r^se Guyon '"rr. '^' '''' '''' Moving duty has followed me t^nf^'^' ^*^° '" ways, even as when inHJff °"^'' '"^"^ rough came across threfh^ndtd T^' '' ^'^''^^'P• «^« to make for me the firsJ wh'f^"^' °^ wilderness the banks of the belut f^uV^^o" ■' ^ '°"^"P^" THE END xT* 1