^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ilo A y- ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■ 4 5 2.0 1^ tii ^ U£ ■A ill 1.6 P <^ /i 'c> f >:) ^;. ^ "^ w //a ,\ ^ # c1>^ v> CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Certains difauts susceptibles de nuire d la quality de la reproduction sont notis ci-dessous. D D Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couleur Coloured maps/ Cartes g^ographiques en couleur D D Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Coloured plates/ Planches en couleur D Pages discoloured, stained or foxed. Pages d6color6es, tachet6es ou piqu^es D Show through/ Transparence D Tight binding (may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin)/ Reliure serrd (peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intdrieure) D Pages damaged/ Pages endommag^es D Additional comments/ Commentaires suppl6mentaires Bibliographic Notes / Notes bibliographiques D D n Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Plates missing/ Des planches manquent □ D D Pagination incorrect/ Erreurs de pagination Pages missing/ Des pages manquent IMap«t missing/ ' Des cartes gdographiques manquent D Additional comments/ Commentaires supplAmentaires The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduces avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet* de I'exemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de fllmage. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol •-^-(meaning COI^TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la der- nidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ', le symbole V signifie "FIN". The original copy was borrowed from, and filmed with, the kind consent of the following institution: National Library of Canada L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grfice d la g6n6rosit6 de I'dtabllssement pr§teur suivant : Bibliothdque natlonale du Canada Maps or plates too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper Iflft hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour 6tre reproduites en un seul cliche sont film6es d partir de I'angle sup^rieure gauche, de gauche d dt'olte et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Le diagramme suivant iliustre la m6thode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 BY THE SAME AUTHOR JEANNE LA FILEUSE — Episode de I'Emigration Franco- Canadienne auz Etats-Unis — Premiere edition t878 — Deuxieme ^ition — Montreal, 1888.^ ^ J* LE VIEUX MONTREAL, 1611-1803 — Album historique. chronologique et topographique de la ville de Montreal depuis sa fondation — J3 planches en couleurs — Dea- sins de P. L. Morin — Montr^l, I884<^ S J* MELANGES — Trois Conferences— Montreal, 1888,^ J* J» LETTRES DE VOYAGE— France - Italie - Sidle — Malte — Tunisie — Algerie — Espagne — Montreal, 1889^ ^ ^ SIX MOIS DANS LES MONTAGNES ROCHEUSES — Colorado — Uleih — NotfbeAu Mexique — Edition illustree — Montreal, 1890^ .^ <^ r II III wm^^fKf^i^- ^ -^"IM"* t 291268 , 1 ^J CONTENTS LA CHASSE-GALERIE THE WERWOLVES . LA QUfeTE DE L'ENFANT JESUS 9 39 69 ILLUSTRATIONS By Henri Julien, Sandham and Raoul Barrt U LA CHASSE GALERIE 2. THE DANCE AT BATISSETTE AUGE'S 3. LA DEGRINGOLADE 4. FORT RICHELIEU 5. THE DELIVERANCE 6. LIGHTS OUT I .... 7. STARITNG FOR THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS . 9. GOING TO MIDNIGHT MASS . 8 23 31 38 6) 67 89 97 ,M C37 (3; o > '5 a- o •.^' -\ The following story was published in French in La. Pairit^ some years ago, and in English in the Century Magazine of New York, in August, J 892, with illustrations by Henri JuUen. The narrative is founded on a popular superstition dated back to the days of the courevrs des bois, under the French regime, and perpetuated among the 'voyageurs in the Otnadian Nortn^(rest. The shantymen of a later date have taken up the tradition, and it is in the French settlements, bordering the St. Lawrence River, that the legends of la chasse-galerie lite specially well known at the present tiine. The writer has met many an old <2:'03)d^eur who affirmed most positively that he had seen bark canoes traveling in mid-air, full of men paddling and singing away, under the protection of Beelzebub, on their way from me timber camps of the Ottawa to pay a Hying visit to their sweethearts at home<^ J^ J^ It is hardly necessary to apologize for tiaving used in the niirrative expressions typical of the rude life and character of tte men whose language and superstition it is the intention of tie writer to portray. H. B. LA CHASSE-GALERIE 'ELL, then, since you seem to desire it so very much, I will tell you a roarin' story that ought to be a lesson to all of you. K there is among the crowd any ren- egade who intends to run la. chasse-galerie or the loup-garoUf he had better skip and go outside to see whether the owls are screeching in the storm, in converse with Old Nick himself, because I intend to begin Ca my story by making a big sign of the cross. iKhassC' That will be a regular set-back to le diablet 6alerlc ^^j^q always tries, at this time, to snatch a poor shantyman^s soul by promising him all kinds of nonsense^^ I have had enough of that in my young days to understand his trickss^ ^ ^ Not a man moved^ On the contrary, all gathered closer round the fireplace, where the cook had dragged the provision-chest, and upon which he had taken his seat on a camp-stool, preparatory to relating his ex- perience under the wiles of the maavais esprit*!*' f^ ^ It was on New Year's eve of the year 1858, in the depth of the forest, in the Ross timber camp, at the head of the Gatineau River^^ The winter had fairly set in, and the snow outside had already piled up to the roof of the shanty.^ The boss, accord- ing to custom, had ordered the distribution of the contents of a small barrel of Jamaica rum among the men, and the cook had terminated early his preparations of a suc- culent ragout of pig's feet and of a large tin 10 full of glissantes for the New Year's dinner. A big kettle, half full of molasses, was Ca already simmering on the fire, as there was 5 ?^!^' to be a candy-pull to finish the evening's entertainment.^ jf- ^ Every man had filled his pipe with good strong Canadian tobacco, and a thick cloud of smoke darkened the interior of the shanty. A few pine-branches thrown at intervals on the fire produced a reddish glare that illu- minated the rude faces of the men with curious effects of cldir-obscurj^ ^ ^ Joe, the cook, was a homely little man who laughed at his own physical defects, and who did not take offense when his comrades chaffed him on the subject, and called him le hossuy the hunchback.^ He had worked in the shanties for the last forty years and his experience was only equaled by the facility with which he could relate his adventures when he had taken a glass of bonne 1>ieille Jamaiquet^ j^ ^ "I was telling you,'* said Joe, **that I was a pendard in my youth, but it is long since I mended my ways, and now I never joke about religious matters.^ I go to con- , fcssion regularly every year, and what I am U Ca about to relate took place years and years £l)a$$C' ago, when I feared ni IHeu, ni dUblej^ It ealeiie ^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^-^^ ^ ^^^ Year's eve, thirty-four or thirty-five years ago. Gathered round the fireplace with all the camaradeSf we made merry ; and if it is true, as we say in French, that * small rivulets make large rivers,' it is just as true that small drinks empty large barrelst^ And in those days, people drank more than to-day, and evenings of this kind generally ended in a boxing-match, outside, in the snow.^ The rhum was no better than it is to-night, but it was bougrement botif I can assure you. I will be frank with you and tell you that about eleven o'clock my head began to feel dizzy f and I lay down on my buffalo-robe to take a nap, while waiting for the mid- night jump that we always take over the head of a pork-barrel, from the old year into the new onc.^ We will repeat the same thing to-night before we go to visit the ' neighboring camps to wish them the com- ! pliments of the season.^ *i^ ^ 'i' 12 '^ m »* .ji ' K:: ^^ ^ < r ^ t m wMU K ..uv m Ki»j t j i 9r imKiameaim " Ea "I had slept for quite a while, when I fl,|*«j* was rudely awakened by a second boss, Baptiste Durand, who said to me : Joe, it is past midnight, and you are late for the barrel-jump^ The camarades have gone to the other camps, and I am going to Laval- trie to see my sweethearts Will you come with m&} " ^ ^ Jt . ** * To Lavaltrie,' said I, * are you crazy ? We are three hundred miles away from there, and you could not travel the distance in two months, through the forest, when there are no roads beaten in the snow. And what about our work the day after to- morrow ? * S .^ S ** * Imbecile ! don't you understand me ? We will travel in our bark canoe, and to- morrow morning at six o'clock we will be back here for breakfast/ S S S " I understood. Baptiste Durand proposed that I should Join him and run la chasse- galerie ; risk the salvation of my soul for the fun of going to give a New Year's kiss to my blonde at LavaltrieS That was a little J3 ^^ too much for mc^ It was true that I was a^^lll ^ fnaul^dis su/et, that I did not practise U reUgiorit and that I took a drink too much now and then ; but between that and the fact of selling my soul to le diable there was a big difference, and I said: *No, sireel Pas an tonnerre V ^ ,^ j^ "*Oh, you are a regular old woman/ answered Baptiste tauntingly.^ * There is no danger whatever. We can go to Laval- trie and back in six hours. Don^t you know that with la chasse-galerie we can travel 150 miles an hour, when one can handle the paddles as well as we all do.^ All there is to it is that we must not pronounce le nom da bon Diea during the voyage, and that we must be careful not to touch the crosses on the steeples when we travel. That's easy enough, and, to be all right, all a man has to do is to look where he goes, think about what he says, and not touch a drop of liquor on the way.^ I have made the trip five times, and le diable has not got me yet.^ Come, mon vieaXf stiffen up your courage, and in two hours we will be J4 at Lavakrie.^ Think of Li^a Guimbette, icavannaa and the pleasure you will have in kissing £4 her ''a happy New Year/' There are al- CDasic- ready seven of us to make the trip, but we 84Uii« must be two, four, six, or eight, to make up the crew of the canoe/ jf^ ^ ^ "'Yes, that's all right, but you must make an engagement with le diable, and he is not the kind of a bourgeois that I want to make any bargain with/ ^ ^ ^ *'A simple formality if we are careful where we go and not to drinks A man is not a child, pardiea ! Come on I The ca- marades are waiting outside, and the canoe is already in the clearing^ G>me, come I * ** And I was led outside of the shanty, where I saw the six men who were await- ing us, paddle in hand^ The large canoe was lying on a snowbank, and before I had time to think twice about it, I was seated in the bow, awaiting the signal to go^ I must say that my mind was somewhat confused, but Baptiste Durand, who was a hard customer,— for, it was said, he had not been to confession for seven years, — gave me no time for reflection.^ He was IS C4 Standing in the stem, and exclaimed in a Chasse- ringing voice : .^ ^ ^ eaUrle * * Are you ready ? ' ^ ^ ^ ** * Ready/ .^ ^ ^ [ i *** Repeat after me/ ^ ^ ^ ** * And '^ /e repeated together \ ^ ^ ^ ** * Satan I king of the infernal regions, we promise to sell you our souls, if within the following six hours we pronounce le nom du bon DieUt your master and ours, or if we touch a cross on the voyage. On that condition you will transport us through the air, wherever we may want to go, and bring us back sound and safe to the shanty. e4'cabnst Acabras, Acabram I Fats-nous voyager par-dessus les montagnes !* j^ ^ M III **The last words were hardly pronounced, when we fek the canoe rising in the air to a height of five or six hundred feet^ I fek as light as a feather, and at Baptiste's com- mand, we commenced paddling like sor- cerers that we were.?* At the first stroke of the paddle, the canoe shot out like an arrow, \6 and off we went under the protecting wing oi le diableh.imst]i» It fairly took my breath Ca away, and I could hear the bow of the Chissi' canoe whizzing through the crisp air of the ^*'^w night.^ J^ «^ "We went faster than the wind, and during the first fifteen minutes we sailed over the forest, without perceiving anything else than the dark heads of the great pines. It was a beautiful night, and a full moon lighted up the sky like the midday sun^ It was terribly cold though, and our mus- taches were fairly frozen, while our bodies were all in a perspiration^ We were pad- dling like demons at work in the lower regionsi3* We soon perceived a bright, glis- tening belt of clear ice, that shone like a mirror.^ That was the Gatineau River; and then the lights in the farm-houses, which were mostly lit up on New Year's eve. We began passing the tin-covered steeples as quickly as telegraph-poles fly past in a rail- way-train, and the spires shone in the air like the bayonets of the soldiers drilling on the Champ de Mars, in Montreal. On we went like tous les diableSt passing over forests, rivers, towns, villages, and leaving behind 17 Ca us a trail of sparks. It was Baptiste Durand, £h4$$e- the possedCf who steered the canoe because Baietic j^g knew the route, and we soon came to the Ottawa River, which we followed down to the Lac des Deux Montagues I ^ j^ J- ** * Look out there ! said Baptiste ; * we will just skim over Montreal and frighten some of the fellows who may be out at this hour of the night«^ Joe, clear your whistle and get ready to sing your best canoe-song, ** Canot d*ecorce" my boy/ ^ ^ ^ ** The excitement of the trip had braced me up, and I was ready for anything^ Al- ready we could see the lights of the great city, and with an adroit stroke of his paddle, Baptiste brought us down on a level with the summit of the towers of Notre-Dame. I cleared my throat and sang * Canot d" ecorce* while my camarades joined heartily in the chorus^ jf> J- ** * Mon pere n'avait fille que moi, Canot d'fecofce qui va voler, Et dessus la mer il m'envoie : Canot d'ecorce qui vole» qui vole* Canot d'^orce qui va voler ! ' 18 64lctit Et desstis la mer il m'envoie» £4 Canot d'ecorce qui va voter, £h4$${< Le marinier qui me menait t Canot d'^rce qui vole, qui vole, Canot d'ecorce qui va volerl Le marinier qui me menait, Canot d'^rce qui va voler, Me dit ma belle embrassez-moi : Canot d'^rce qui vole, qui vole, Canot d'ecorce qui va voler 1 Vie dit ma belle embrassez-moi, Canot d'^orce qui va voler, Non, non, monsieur, je ne saurais t Canot d'ecorce qui vole, qui vole, Canot d'fecorce qui va volerl Non, non, monsieur, je ne saurais, Canot d'ecorce qui va voler, Car si mon papa le savait: Canot d'teorce qui vole, qui vole, Canot d'fecoree qui va voler 1 Car si mon papa le savait, Canot d'^rce qui va voler. Ah 1 c'est bien sur qu'il me buttrait { Canot d'^rce qui vole, qui vole, Canot d'ecorce qui va voler 1 19 D IV 0jll(|.{{ Although It was well on toward two o'clock in the morning, we saw some groups of men who stopped in the middle of the street to watch us go by, but we went so fast that in a twinkle we had passed Mon- treal and its suburbs^^ We were nearing the end of our voyage, and we commenced counting the steeples, ^ Longue-Pointe, Pointe-aux-Trembles, Repentigny, St. Sul- pice, ^ and at last we saw the two shining; spires of Lavaltrie that gleamed among the dark-green pines of the domain.^ ^ jf> ** * Look out over there' shouted Baptiste. * We will land on the edge of the wood, in the field of my godfather, Jean-Jean-Gabriel. From there we will proceed on foot to go and surprise our acquaintances in some fricot or dance in the neighborhood/ ^ ^ "We did as directed, and five minutes later our canoe lay in a snowbank, at the edge of the wood of Jean-Jean-Gabriel. We started in Indian file to go to the village. It was no small job, because the snow reached to our 20 waists and there was no trace of any kind of a foad.3» Baptiste, who was the most Ca daring of the crowd, went and knocked at Cbasse- the door of his godfather's house, where we ^^'^^''^ could see a light, but there was no one there except a servant, who told us that the old folks had gone to a snaque at old man Ro- billard's place, and that the young people of the village— boys and girls — were across the St. Lawrence at Batissette Augers, at the Petite Misere^ below Gjntrecoeur, where there was a New Year's hop^ ^ ^ '' ' Let us go to the dance at Batissette Auge's,' said Baptiste ; * we are sure to find our sweethearts over thcre^ ^ ^ ** * Let us go to Batissette Auge's l*^ ^ "And we returned to our canoe, while cau- tioning one another against the great danger that there was ^ in pronouncing certain words, in touching anything in the shape of a cross, and especially in drinking liquor of any kind.^ We had only four hours before us, and we must return to the shanty before six o'clock in the morning, if we wanted to escape from the clutches of Old Nick, with whom we had made such a desperate bar- 2 1 Ea gain^ And we all knew that he was not GiiiU' the kind of a customer to let us off, in the Bdlctie event of any delay on our part.^ .^ j^ *** > ** * Come and take a smile/ ^ ^ d^ ** Baptiste came to the rescue by saying : * First and foremost, let us take our coats off, and give us a chance to dance. That's what we came here for, and if you still feel curious in the morning, I will answer all your questions/ ^ ^ ^ " For my part, I had already spied Liza Guimbettc, who was chatting away with little Boisjoli, of Lanoraie^ I made my rev- erence in due style, and at once asked for the favor of the next dance, which was a four-handed reel. She accepted with a smile that made me forget that I had risked the salvation of my soul to have the pleasure of pressing her soft white hand in mine and of €h(i$$C' Valerie 25 Ca cutting pigconwings as her partner. During Clwssc* two hours the dancing went on without fiaUrU stopping, and, if I do say so myself, we shanty fellows cut a shine in the dance that made the hayseeds tired before morning. I was so busy with my partner that at first I did not notice that Baptiste was visiting the buffet rather often with some of the other boys, and once I caught him lifting his elbow in rather a suspicious manner^ But I had no idea that the fellow would get tipsy, after all the lecturing he had given us on the road. When four o'clock struck, all the members of our crew began to edge out of the house without attracting attention, but I had to drag Baptiste before he would con- sent to go^ At last we were all out, with just two hours before us to reach the camp, and three hundred miles to ride in our canoe, under the protection of Beelrebub. We had left the dance like wild Indians without saying good-bye to anybody, not even to Liza Guimbette, whom I had in- vited for the next cotillon, I always thought that she bore me a grudge for that, because 26 t ■JH..-U ' ... , ' . . -j^ii ' Ba :; when I reached home the next summer she C4 was Madame Boisjoli.^ ^ ^ Clw$i«- "We found our canoe ail right in the ^^^^^ hummocks, but I need hardly tell you that we were all put out when we found that Baptiste Durand had been drinking^ He was to steer the boat, and we had no time to lose in humoring the fancies of a drunken man«56 The moon was not quite so bright as when we started from the camp, and it was not without misgivings that I took my place in the bow of the canoe, well decided to keep a sharp lookout ahead for accidents. Before starting I said to Baptiste : ^ .^ ^ *' * Look out, Baptiste, old fellow I Steer straight for the mountain of Montreal, as soon as you can get a glimpse of it/ c^ .^ ** * I know my business,* answered Bap- tiste sharply, 'and you had better mind yours/ ^ j^ j^ ** What could I do ? ^ And before I had time for further reflections i ^ ^ ii* ** *AcabnSf AcahraSt Acabram I Fats- nous 7f onager par-dessus les montagnes I ' 27 ta VI 64iet1e ** An^ "P wc went again like lightning, steering southwest, if the wild way in which Baptiste managed our boat could be called steering.^ We passed over the steeple of the church of Contrecoeur, coming pretty close to it, but instead of going west Bap- tiste made us take a sheer toward the Richelieu River.^ A few minutes later we were skimming over Beloeil Mountain, and we came within ten feet of striking the big cross that the bishop of Quebec planted there, during a temperance picnic held a few years before by the clergy of his diocese. •!* '* * To the right, Baptiste I steer to the right, or else you will send us all to le diable if you keep on going that way/.^ ^ ** And Baptiste did instinctively turn to the right, and we steered straight for the mountain of Montreal, which we could perceive in the distance by the dim lights of the city.^ I must say that I was becoming frightened, because if Baptiste kept on steer- ing as he had done, we would never reach 28 the Gatineau alive, and ^e diable was prob- ably smacking his lips, as I supposed, at the Ca bare idea of making a New Year's mess of €Da$$«' us. And I can tell you that the disaster was ^alcrU not long in comingt^ While we were pass- ing over the city, Baptiste Durand uttered a yell, and, flourishing his paddle over his head, gave it a twist that sent us plung- ing into a snowdrift, in a clearing on the mountain-side. Luckily the snow was soft, and none of us were hurt, nor was the the canoe injured in anyway. But Baptiste got out and declared most emphatically that he was going down-town to have un verrejf- We tried to reason with him, but our efforts proved useless, as is generally the case with les ivtognes^ He would go down if le diahle himself were to catch hold of him oil :he way.^ I held a moment's consultation with mes camaradeSt and be- fore Baptiste knew what we were about, wc had him down in the snow, where we bound him hand and foot so as to render him incapable of interfering with our move- ments^ We placed him in the bottom of the canoe, and gagged him so as to prevent C^ him from speaking any words that might ^«C- gi^g „s ^jp to perdition,^ ^ ^ eaicrie ,, ^ ^ ^c/^ca^rts / c4cabras ! c4cabram I * up we went again, this time steering straight for the Gatineau^ I had taken Baptiste^s place in the stcrn.^ We had only a little over an hour to reach camp, and we all paddled away for dear life and eternal sal- vation. We followed the Ottawa River as far as the Pointe-Gatineau, and then steered due north by the polar star for our shanty. We were fairly flying in the air, and every- thing was going well when that rascal of a Baptiste managed to slip the ropes we had bound him with and to pull off his gag. We had been so busy paddling that, the first thing we knew, he was standing in the canoe, paddle in hand, and was swearing like a pagan. I felt that our end had come if he pronounced a certain sacred word, and it was out of the question to appease him in his frenzy. We had only a few miles to go to reach camp, and we were floating over the pine forest.^ The position was really terrike^ Baptiste was using his paddle 30 like a shillalah and making a mouUnet La d^grin^olade that threatened every moment to crush in ^^ some one's head. I was so excited that by ^Jf !!^' a false movement of my own paddle I let the canoe come down on a level with the pines, and it was upset as it struck the head of a big tree.^ We all fell out and be- gan dropping down from branch to branch like partridges shot from the tamarack-tops. I don't know how long I was coming down, because I fainted before we reached the snow beneath, but my last recollection was like the dream of a man who feels himself drop- ping down a well without ever reaching bottom ^ ^ ^ VII ** About eight o'clock the next morning, I awoke in my bunk, in the cabin, whither some of our camarades had conveyed us after having found us to our necks in a neighboring snow-bank, at the foot of a monster pine-tree.^ Happily, no one was seriously hurt, akhough we were air more or less bruised and scratched, some having secured even black eyes in our way down from the tree-top^ We were all thankful 33 Li that* nothing worse had befallen us, and £})is%i' when the camarades said that they had i&mm found us sleeping away in the snow the effects of the previous night's frolic, not one of us had anytliing to say to the con- trary.!* We all felt satisfied that our esca- pade with Old Nick remained unknown in the camp, and we preferred leaving our chums under the impression that we Iiad taken un vene too many, to telling them of the bargain we had made to satisfy a passing fancy.3* So far as Baptiste Durand was concerned, there is no doubt that he had forgotten the latter part of his voyage, but he never alluded to the fact, and we fol- lowed his example.^ It was not till many years afterward that I related the story of our aventureSf just as they happened on that memorable New Year's eve.^ j^ j^ " All I can say, my friends, is that it is not so amusing as some people might think, to travel in mid-air, in the dead of winter, under the guidance of Beelzebub, running la chasse-galeriey and especially if you have un tProgne to steer your bark canoe. Take 34 my advice, and don't listen to any one who would try to rope you in for such a trip. ^^ Wait until summer before you go to see 5J?!!^' your sweethearts, for it is better to run all the rapids of the Ottawa and the St. Lawrence on a raft, than to travel in partnership v/ith le diable himself.'* And Joe, the cook, dipped a la- dleful of boiling molasses from , the big kettle on the fire, and declared that every- / thing was now ready for the candy- puIL / 35 • » 3 o u. mmt ^i^^ THE WERWOLVES MOTLEY and ^ picturesque- looking crowd had gathered within the walls ^ of Fort Richelieu to attend the an- nual distribution of powder and lead, to take part in the winter drills and target prac- tice, and to join in the Christ- mas festivities, that would last until the fast-approaching New Year.3* ^ ^ Couretxrs des bois from the Western country, scouts, hunt- ers, trappers, militiamen, and habitants from the surrounding settlements, j^ Indian warriors from the neighboring tribe of friendly Abenakis, ^ were all placed under the military in- struction of the company of regular marine infantry that 39 tbe garrisoned the fort constructed In 1665, by mrwm$ M, ^je Saurel, at the mouth of the Richelieu River, where it flows into the waters of the St. Lawrence, forty-five miles below Mon- treal.3» j» j* It was on Christmas eve of the year J 706, and the dreaded Iroquois were com- mitting depredations in the surrounding country, bumingt^ farm-houses, stealing cattle and horses, and killing every man, woman, and child whom they could not carry away to their own villages to torture at the stakes* ^ ^ The Richelieu River was the natural highway to the Iroquois country during the open season, but now that its waters were ice-bound, it was hard to tell whence the attacks from those terrible savages could be expected.^ j^ j^ The distribution of arms and ammuni- tion having been made, under the joint supervision of the notary royal and the commandant of the fort, the men had re- tired to the barracks, where they were drinking, singing, and telling stories.^ ^ 40 Tales of the most extraordinary adven- ,A turcs were being unfolded by some of the Che hunters, who were vying with one another lUtwolvw in their attempts at relating some unheard- of and fantastic incidents that would create a sensation among their superstitious and wonder-loving comrades^ .^ ^ A sharp lookout was kept outside on the bastions, where four sentries were pa- cing up and down, repeating every half- hour the familiar watch-cry i j^ j^ ^ ** Sentinelle ! prenez garde a vous !** j^ Old Sergeant Bellehumeur of the regu- lars, who had seen forty years of service in Guiada, vnd who had come over with the regiment of Carignan-Salieres, was quietly sitting in a comer of the guard- room, smo|king his Indian calumet, and watching over and keeping order among the men who were inclined to become boisterous over the oft-repeated libations. One of the men, who had accompanied La Salle in his first expedition in search of the mouths of the Mississippi, was in the act of reciting his adventures with the hos- i tile tribes that they had met in that far-oH country, when the crack of a musket was 41 Che heard from the outside, through the battle- Olcrwolvcs ments^ A second report immediately fol- lowed the first one, and the cry: ** c4ux arwes I " was soon heard, with two more shots following close on each other^^ ^ The four sentries had evidently fired their muskets at some enemy or enemies, and the guard tumbled out in a hurry, fol- lowed by all the men, who had seized their arms, ready for an cmergencytM ^ j^ The officer on duty was already on the spot when Sergeant Bellehumeur arrived to inquire into the cause of all this tur- moils ^ ^ The sentry who had fired the first shot declared excitedly that all at once, on turn- ing round on his beat, he had seen a party of red devils dancing around a bush fire, a couple of hundred yards away, right across the river from the fort, on the point covered with tall pine-trees. He had fired his mus- ket in their direction, more with the inten- tion of giving alarm than in the hope of hitting any of them at that distance*^ ^ The second, third, and fourth shots had 42 been successively fired by the other sen- tries, who had not seen anything of the CDe Indians, but who had joined in the firing Werwelw with the idea of calling the guard to the spot, and scaring away any enemy who might be prowling around.^ .M ,^ '* But where are the Indians now ? " in- quired the officer, who had climbed on the parapet, ** and where is the fire of which you speak }" j» ^ jfi ** They seem to have disappeared as by enchantment, sir,*' a:?swered the soldier, in astonishment ; "but they were there a few moments ago, when I fired my musket at them/'.^ j^ ^ ''Well, we will see''; and, turning to Bellehumeurj "Sergeant, take ten men with you, and proceed over there cau- tiously, to see whether you can discover any signs of the presence of Indians on the points Meanwhile, see to it that the guard is kept under arms until your return, to prevent any surprise/'^ ,j* ^ Bellehumeur did as he was ordered, picking ten ot his best men to accompany him^ The gate of the fort was opened, and the drawbridge was lowered to gLvt 43 tM passage to the party, who proceeded to UlcrwoH>e$ ^ross the river, over the ice, marching at first in Indian file.^ When nearing the op- posite shore, near the edge of the wood, the men were seen to scatter, and to advance carefully, taking advantage of every tree to protect themselves against a possible ambusht^ t^ j* The night was a bright one, and any dark object could be plainly seen on the white snow, in the clearing that surrounded the fort^ J* .^ The men disappeared for a short time, but were soon seen again, coming back in the same order and by '^e same routed ^^ ** Nothing, sir, " said the sergeant, in saluting the officer.?* " Not a sign of fire of any kind, and not a single Indian track, in the snow, over the point/'.^ .^ .^ ** Well, that is curious, I declare I ^ Had the sentry been drinking, sergeant, before going on post ? "j* J^ «^ ** No more than the rest of the men, sir ; and I could see no sign of liquor on him when the relief was sent out, an hour 44 ago '*^ ^ J^ **WcII, the man must be a fool or a Cfte poltroon to raise such an alarm without Werwolves any cause whatever.^ See that he is im- mediately relieved from his post, sergeant, and have him confined in the guard-house until he appears before the commandant in the morning **jfi ^ Jt The sentry was duly relieved, and calm was restored among the garrison.!* The men went back to their quarters, and the conversation naturally fell on the peculiar circumstances that had just taken place.^ II An old weather-beaten trapper who had / fust returned from the Great Lakes volun- teered the remark that, for his part, he was not so very sure that the sentry had not acted in perfect good faith, and had not been deceived by a band of toups-garoas, — ^wer- wolves, — who came and went, appeared and disappeared, just as they pleased, under the protection of old Nick himself.^ j* Jt ** I have seen them more than once in my travels,*' continued the trapper; ** and only last year I had occasion to fire at just such 45 V)t a band of miscreants^ up on the Ottawa Werwolm River, above the portage of the Grandes- Chaudieres "»i^ ^ «^ ** Tell us about it ! ** chimed in the crowd of superstitious adventurers, whose credu- lous curiosity was instantly awakened by the promise of a story that would appeal to / their love of the supernatural^ *i^ j^ I And every one gathered about the old I trapper, who was evidently proud to have i the occasion to recite his exploits before as I distinguished an assemblage of dare-devils I as one could find anywhere, from Quebec to I Michiiimackinact^ t^ .^ **We had left Lachine, twenty-four of us, in three war-canoes, bound for the Illinois country, by way of the Ottawa River and the Upper Lakes ; and in four days we had reached the portage of the Grandes-Qiaudicres, where we rested for one day to renew our stock of meat, which was getting exhaustedt^ Along with one of my companions, I had followed some deer-tracks, which led us several miles up the river, and we soon succeeded in killing 46 a splendid animal*^ We divided the meat so as to make it easier for us to carry, and it Cl)« was getting on toward nightfall when we W«"WlWf began to retrace our steps in the direction of the camp.1* Darkness overtook us on the way, and as we were heavily burdened, we had stopped to rest and to smoke a pipe in a clump of maple-trees on the edge of the rivers All at once, and without warning of any kind, we saw a bright fire of balsam boughs burning on a small island in the middle of the river.^ Ten or twelve ren- "i egades, half human and half beasts, with ' heads and tails like wolves, arms, legs, and bodies like men, and eyes glaring like burn- ing coals, were dancing around the fire, and barking a sort of outlandish chant that was now and then changed to peals of in- fernal laughter^ We could also vaguely perceive, lying on the ground, the body of a human being that two of the imps were engaged in cutting up, probably getting it ready for the horrible meal that the miscre- ants would make when the dance would be over^ Although we were sitting in the shadow of the trees, partly concealed by the underbrush, wc were at once discov- 47 ClK crcd by the dancers, who beckoned to us to UlerwolMt go and join them in their disgusting feast.** That is the way they entrap unwary hunters for their bloody sacrifices. Our first impulse was to fly toward the woods ; but we soon realized that we had to deal with toups-ga- rotts ; and as we had both been to confes- sion and taken holy communion before em- barking at Lachine, we knew we had noth- ' ing to fear from them.^ While toups-garous arc bad enough at any time, and you all know that only those who have remained seven years without performing their Eas- ter duties are liable *i^ to be changed into wolves, condemned to prowl about at night until they are delivered by some Christian drawing blood from them by inflicting a / wound on their forehead in the form of a I cross, «^ but we had to deal with Indian renegades, who had accepted the sacra- ments only in mockery, and who had never , since performed any of the duties comman- ed by the Church.^ They are the worst loups-garous that one can meet, because they are constantly .3* intent on capturing 48 some misguided Christian, j^ to drink his blood and to eat his flesh in their horrible ^^^ fricotsj^ Had we been in possession of holy W^rwolm water to sprinkle at them, or of a four- leaved clover to make wadding for our muskets, we might have exterminated the whole crowd, after having cut crosses on the lead of our bullets^^ But we were pow- erless to interfere with them, knowing full ' well that ordinary ammunition was useless, and that bullets would flatten out on their tough and impenetrable hidest^ Wolves at night, those devils would assume again, during the day, their appearance of ordinary Indians ; but their hide is only turned inside , out, with the air growing inward.^ We /^, /u were about to proceed on our way to the camp, leaving the loups-garous to continue their witchcraft unmolested, when a thought struck me that we might at least try to give them a couple of parting shots^ We both withdrew the bullets from our muskets, cut crosses on them with our hunting-knives, placed them back in the barrels, along with two dizaines (a score) of beads from the blessed rosary which I carried in my pocket. 49 ■vf^na CM That would surely make the renegades Werwolves sick, if it did not kill them outright^ ^ j» ** We took good aim, and fired together. Such unearthly howling and yelling I have never heard before or since^ Whether we killed any of them I could not say ; but the fire instantly disappeared, and the island was left in darkness, while the howls grew fainter and fainter as the loups-garous seem- ed to be scampering in the distaricci^ We returned to camp, where our companions were beginning to be anxious about our safety.^ We found that one man, a hard character who bragged of his misdeeds, had . disappeared during the day, and when we ^ left on the following morning he had not yet returned to camp, neither did we ever hear of him afterward.^ In paddling up the river in our canoes we passed close to the island where we had seen the loups-garous the night before.^ We landed, and searched around for some time ; but we could find no traces of fire, or any signs of the passage of werwolves or of any other animalse^ I knew that it would turned out just so, because it 50 is a well-known fact that those accursed brutes never leave any tracks behind them* Cht My opinion was then, and has never chang- Wcrwolwi ed to this day, that the man who strayed from our camp, and never returned, was captured by the loups-garous and was being: eaten up by them when we disturbed their horrible feast "j^ Jf- J> ** Well, is that all ? " inquired Sergeant Bellehumeur, «^ with an ill-concealed con- temptt^ jf' ^ ** Yes, that is all ; but is it not enough to make one think that the sentry who has just been confined in the guard-house by the lieutenant for causing a false alarm has been deceived by a band of toups-garous who were picknicking on the point, and who dis- appeared in a twinkle when they found out that they were discovered }**^ j^ ^ III A murmur of assent greeted these last re- marks of the speaker, and a number of cou- rears des bois were ready to corroborate the absolute likelihood of his story by relating some of their own experiences with the toups-garous^ ^ j^ j 5 J I n^irMi T-w«<-iiirin iw Ml » CDc One of them, however, in his dislike for Ujerwoiocs anything connected with military discipline, ventured to add some offensive remarks for the young officer who had ordered the sentry to be placed in confinement*^ ^ ^ ''Ha/fe-/a*' growled the sergeant.^ '*The first one who dares insinuate anything con- trary to the discipline, or show a want of respect for any of our officers, will be placed in the dungeon without further ado.^ Tell as many stories as you please, but as long as you are under my orders you will have to remember that you are not roaming at large in the wilderness, and that you are here in one of the forts of His Majesty the King of France **.^ ^ ^ This had the effect of producing an im- mediate silence, and the sergeant continued : " I am not ready to gainsay the truthful- ness of the story that has just been told, be- cause I am myself inclined to believe in (oups-garoaSf although I have never met one face to face ; but I will not suffer any one to sp^ak disrespectfully of my superior off icers.1* I will however, if you desire it, tell 52 you the experience of one of my old copatnSf now dead and gone these many years, with Che a female toup-garou, j» who lived in the Wcrwoim Iroquois village of Caughnawaga, j^ mat Montreal^ ^ ^ At the unanimous request of the crowd, the sergeant went on : ^ i^ «^ ,^^ " Baptiste Tranchcmontagne was a cor- \^ poral with me, in the company of M. de Saurel, in the old regiment of drignan- Saliercs.^ We had come from France to- gether, and he and I made a pair in every- thing connected with the service, having fought side by side in many an encounter with the redskins.^ The poor fellow fell into the hands of the Iroquois at Cataracoui, and he was tortured at the stalce in the village of the Mohawks.3* He died like a man, smiling when they tore the flesh from his body with red-hot tongs, and spitting in the faces of his tormentors when they ap- proached him to cut off his lips and to pull out his eyes. May God have mercy on his brave soul V*j^ ^ »i^ And the sergeant devoutly crossed him- self.^ J^ J^ ** Baptiste, in one of our expeditions on 53 Cbe the south shore of Lake Ontario, had made Wtnvolm the acquaintance of a young Indian maiden who was known as La-Unotte-qui-chante among the warriors of her tribe«^ An inti- macy sprang up between Baptiste and the young squaw, and they were married, In- dian fashion, without much ceremony, the father's consent having been obtained by the gift of an old muskets The girl follow- ed us back, and joined the tribe that had settled at Caughnawaga, ^ under the pro- tection of the guns of Fort St. Louis, oppo- site Lachine, j^ where our company was stationed for nearly a whole year.^ Every- thing went well as long as we remained at Fort St. Louis, although, Indian-like, the young squaw was fearfully jealous of Bap- tiste, and at times would threaten him with acts of direful vengeance if he ever became unfaithful to herj* t^ j^ ** One day our command was ordered to Fort St. Frederic, on Lake Champlain, and our captain gave the strictest order that no camp-follower of any kind, men, women, or children, should be allowed to accompany 54 us in the expedition.^ We started in the middle of the night, and Baptistc hurriedly CDe said good-by to his Indian wife, telling her UI«rwolw$ that he would return to see her in a short time.^ The squaw answered sulkily that she would follow him anywhere, and that, in spite of the captain or any one else, she would reach the fort before we did^ We knew the Indian character too well to doubt that she would do as she promised, and when we marched over the drawbridge of Fort St. Frederic, five days afterward, we were not too much astonished to see, among the throng of Indians who had gathered to see us arrive, the face of Baptiste's squaw, half concealed under her blanket.^ Baptiste was slightly annoyed at her presence, be- cause he feared that the officers might think that, contrary to orders, he had encouraged her to follow the company.^ But we had no time to reflect on the situation before our company was ordered to embark in canoes, to proceed at once to Lake St. Sacrament (now Lake George)^ Baptiste did not even have the chance to speak to his squaw be- fore wc got under way, with three more companies of our regiment, under the com- 55 Che mand of GiloncI dc Ramezay*^* We were lUcrwoives away for three months, engaged in an expe- dition against the Mohawks ; and we gave the red devils such a thrashing that they pleaded for peace, and we returned victorious to enjoy a few weeks of well-earned repose in the garrison of Montreal^ Baptiste had lost sight of La-tinotte-gui-chante, and he supposed that she had either returned to her tribe or else formed new ties with' some of the trappers who regularly visited the forts to sell their furs and squander the proceeds in riotous living^ ^ ^ ** The Indians having buried the toma- hawk, there came a period of peace, when the governor-general at Quebec offered a grant of land to any soldier who would quit the regular service, and a dowry of eighty pistoles in money to any woman, provided that they got married and settled in the country.^ I never had any taste for wedded life or for the career of a pekin, but Baptiste was not slow in casting his eyes upon a pretty girl who lived at Laprairie across the river from Montreal^ He told me confi- 56 dentially that he had made up his mind to leave the service and to profit by the liberal Cfte offers of the government.?' I attempted to UlcrwolPW dissuade him from his project, because I hated to part with my best friend ; but he was smitten, and I had to make up my mind to bow to the inevitable when strange and unexpected occurrences soon took place that upset all his plans^ One day, when we were both lounging about the market-place, Baptiste suddenly found himself face to face with La-Unotte-qui-chantef whom he had last seen some six months before at Fort St. FrcdcriCi^ To say that he felt embarrassed would be putting it very mildly ; Lut he as- sumed a bold countenance, and spoke words of welcome that were leceived with apparent indifference by the Indian girl. She had re- turned to Caughnawaga, where she was now living, and she had come to Montreal with some Indian hunters who had brought their furs to market.^ She spoke not a word, but looked reproachfully at her old lover with her piercing black eyes, and disappear- ed in the crowds Baptiste was seriously annoyed at this unexpected meeting, but as the girl had left without uttering any re- 57 the proaches, he took it for gtanizd that she had Ulerwclm become reconciled to the idea of a final separation between them.^ My chum had applied for his discharge, and was to be married on the coming Easter Monday, and, as a matter of course, I was to act as his best man — his garcon (Thonneur^ Pre- parations were being made for the wedding, and there was hardly a day that Baptiste did not cross over the river to go and see his fiancee.^ Ten days before the date appointed for the ceremony, Baptiste return- ed one night in great trouble.^ His intended had been taken ill, seriously ill, with a violent fever, and no one at Laprairie seem- ed to understand the nature of her sickness. He would ask the post surgeon to go and see her in the morning. And besides, on leaving Laprairie, that very night, he had met La-linotte-qui-chante at the cross-road that led to Caughnawagat^ No words had been exchanged between them, but her pres- ence there at such a time was sufficient to give him food for presages of no pleasant nature.^ Accompanied by the surgeon, he 58 repaired to Laprairie on the following mom- ing, and he was horrified to learn that his Cft« fiancee had been stricken down with the WenwiPW smallpox, that was then raging among our Indian allies encamped about Fort St. Louis. Baptiste insisted at once that he should nurse his sweetheart through her dangerous ilbess, and the doctor returned to Montreal after having prescribed the necessary treat- ment.^ It was useless, however, for five days later my friend returned to Montreal with the sad news that his fiancee was dead.^ The poor fellow, in despair, rein- listed at once in our company, and declared that he would end his life in the ranks. He then took me aside and related to me the following incidents that had occurred on the night before the death of his betrothed.^ During the day he had been astonished, on entering the large family living-room, to find La-Unotte-gai-chante sitting by the fire- place, as the Indians are wont to do, coming and going oftentime without asking per- mission of any kind from the inmates, and even without speaking a single word«i* Sus- picious of her presence at such a place and under such circumstances, he immediately 59 ClK went to her and asked her what she was W«rwolm doing there^ ^ ^ ** * I have come to offer you help in your trouble and consolation in your sorrow.^ The white maiden whom you love so much will be dead before morning, if I do not come to the rescue*^ I will go back to Caughna- waga, and ask for a potion tliat will cure her, from our medicine-man^ Meet me to- night, at twelve o'clock, at the first turn of the road, among the pine trees on the river- side/ ** And before Baptiste could answer she had left the house, going in the direction of the Indian village.^ Although he did not half like the mysterious ways of the squaw, Baptiste said to himself that no harm could come of trying the decoction as a last resort, because the dreadful disease had made such progress that it was evident that his sweet- heart was likely to die at any moment. ** Shortly before midnight Baptiste took his musket and went out to the rendez-vous. He had been waiting for some time, and was getting impatient, when he heard a 60 noise behind him, and in turning round The Delivrance perceived a pair of eyes glaring at him from ClK a small distance in the underbrush. It could ttlcrwolPW not be the squaw, and he supposed that it was some wild animal prowling about, probably a bear, a wolf, or a wild-cat j* He instinctively shouldered his musket, and although he could not take a good aim in the dark, he fired, missing the beast, who sprang at him with a terrible growl.^ j^ ** It was a wolf of enormous size, and for the first time Baptiste thought of a toap- garoa^ He was too well accustomed to danger to lose his presence of mind, and throwing his empty musket in the snow, he seized his hunting-knife, and made a lunge at the beast ; but the blade bent on the hide of the animal as if it had been thrust into a side of sole-leather. Baptiste now bethought himself of the only way of getting at the wolf, by drawing its blood in cutting a cross in its foreheadt^ The wolf seemed to realize the fact, and fought at paw's length with its powerful claws, tearing Baptiste's flesh into shreds, and trying to strike at his face so as to blind him, if possible, while keeping its own head out of the reach of the gleaming 63 Cft* knifeii* The fight had lasted for some time, Ulerwoloci ^^^ Baptiste was getting exhausted, when by an adroit stroke of his weapon* always as sharp as a razor, he completely cut off one of the fore paws of the animal, who uttered a terrible yell resembling the scream of a woman, and fled through the woods, where it disappeared in an instant.^ .^ j^ " Baptiste now understood the situation in a moment.3* La.-linotte-qai-cha.ntet who had been baptized and duly received in our holy religion, having afterward relapsed into idolatry, had been turned into a loup-garout condemned to roam by night, while keeping her usual apparance during the day^ Jeal- ousy and revenge had induced her to attack her former lover, hoping to take him un- awares, and to kill him in the woods, while his new love was lying on her death-bed, a victim to the terrible scourge that the squaw had brought to the house. Baptiste learned that La-tinotte-qui-chante had been a fre- r quent visitor for some time past, having pA' succeed in ingratiating herself with the poor dead girl, undoubtedly bringing to her the 64 germ of the disease that was raging at the Indian village.^ Such was the savage re- CiM vengc of the young squaw to punish the UIre-feu to be sounded, and that I shall ex- pect every one of you to be snoring at the bugle- call, so as to observe the rules of this ' 1 garrison. I I ** Lights out ! and silence in the barracks I ** I !- 66 ■•■is,.. *■*,'■ Lijihis Out ! ^m!mr LA QU&TE DE ae oe oe ^ L'SNFANT JESUS II est n^ le divin Enfant, Joucz hautbois 1 Rfeonnez musette I U est nfc le divin Enfant, Chantons tous son avenement. (.Old French NoeL) I [HEN Fanfan Dalcour received a message from M'siea le Cure of Lanoraie, asking him to call at the presbyfere on the follow- ing Sunday, after Vespers, he hardly knew what to say, and hesitated for a moment or two before lifting his eyes towards the beadle, who stood waiting for an answer : ** Well, teU Wsiea le Cure that I will go : " and after another pause : ''that's all **Jt ** "Bonjour, STsieu S'anfan ' > ** c4u revoir, pere Landry ! ** Fanfan Dalcour was a robust and hand- some young farmer, who had lately returned 69 Ca from the North-west country, where he had Qucte dc t>een hunting and trapping ^ among the 11 Indians and Half-breeds on the head waters of the Saskatchewan River^ j^ His 3udden departure from home, some two years before, had been connected with a scandal in the rural parish of Lanoraie, and since his return he had not yet been to pay his respects to the venerable old priest who had baptized him twenty years before. Fanfan was sulking, and even appeared inclined to forego his allegiance to his old parish church^ Instead of accompanying his father and mother to the church at La- noraie, as he was wont to do with pride in the days of his boyhood, he had always, since his return, started alone, before the others, to go to the neighbouring village of Lavaltrie to perform his Sunday devotions. And that, much to the chagrin and disap- pointment of the old asfCf who had always taken great interest in him, and who, pro- bably, wanted to give him a bit of pastoral advice.^ ^ >^ There was no way of avoiding the meet- 70 ing since he had form*: y promised to go. and Fanfan began at once to build up a Ca defensive arg'iment against the reproaches ^"^^^ ^* that he thought would surely fall upon his ''^"'^"^ guilty head^ ^ ^ ^""^ II Fanfan Dalcour, from his earliest boy- hood, had always been considered as a pro- tege of Wsica le Cure, and specially so> when at the age of ten he became an enfant de choear, with a black soutanelle and a little daintily plaited white muslin surplice that M^amselle Marguerite, the carets house- keeper, had made expressly for him^ He had then learned his catechism and made his first communion, and had soon become noted as the favorite akar boy who could most prettily make a bow and a genuflec- tion, and most carefully pour the wine out of the burettes for the holy sacrifice of the the massi^ «^ ^ His father, Pierrichc Dalcour, who was a well-to-do habitant, took great pride in the accomplishments of his son, and his heart fairly thumped with delight when, one evening at the service of the cl\iois de 71 Ca odariCt he recognized the voice of Fanfan QMetc dc leading the first verse of a sacred song to the ''*;|j;; Virgin :^^ Salut 1 O vierge immaculee I Brillante itoile du matin. And Fanfan had also become the smart- est pupil of the old village schoolmaster, and it had even been rumoured that he had begun to study Latin with the intention of going to college to become a priest, a lawyer, a doctor or a notary.^ But that was only idle talk, and old Pierriche Dalcour declared that he wanted his first-bom to stay at home to till the farm as he and his father and his fore-fathers had done for two hundred years before him, on the banks of the St. Law- rence.^ And that suited Fanfan^s inclin- ations.^ He loved to rise with the lark in summer, and to work in the broad fields with the farm hands.^ In the evening he enjoyed boating and swimming in the waters of the big river that flowed lazily and majestically past his father^s old homestead.^ He would shoot ducks and wild geese as they passed every spring and autumn in their regular 72 migrations, and in winter time he loved to li. m speed his horse on the polished surface of D the ice-bound rivcr.^ Fanfan had grown to 0"^*^ <** be a strong, active lad who took the lead in L'^"'^"^ all the sports of the parish, but as he reached manhood he remained faithful in his attend- ance at church, and in his gratitude for the unbounded kindness of Wsieu le Cure^ He had also become the leading singer in the church choir, and the whole congrega- tion was proud of his deep, powerful voice when he led the Kyrie Elebon, the Gloria in excelsis, the Credo or the Sanctas. Ill The old secular parish church of Lanoraie had ever been without an organ, and it was an eventful Sunday when Wsieu le Cure announced from the pulpit that, after due consultation with ces messieurs du banc- d'oeuvre,* he had come to the conclusion of purchasing an instrument in Montreal, and that it would be put up in the juhe* during the following week, in time for the approaching Christmas celebration.^ J^ * Literally " those gentlemen of the work bench '*J« The expression is popularly used in French Canadian churches to designate the Board of ChurchwardensJ* Jt Ji 73 Ca The daughter of the village trader, Ju- Quetc dc liette Leblanc, who had fust completed her renfant gt^jjigg ^t the convent of Berthier, had vo- lunteered her services as organist gratuitous- ly, for the first year^ ^ ^ This naturally brought Fanfan Dalcourt in contact with Juliette Leblanc, who was a pretty girl just budding into womanhood. And the usual result followed. La. vieille, vieille histoire was repeated^ ^ ^ A few rehearsals became necessary before the inauguration of the organ, which would take place on the occasion of the midnight mass on Christmas Eve, and Fanfan and Juliette, who had merely known each other by sight from childhood, were now brought together almost every day for the purpose of choral practice and service organization. Juliette Leblanc, who was naturally en- dowed with musical talents, had received a fairly good training from her teachers at school, and with much patience and a few days' hard work, she succeeded in prepar- ing a Messe Bordelaise that was sure to create a sensation among the music-loving 74 population of a French-Canadian parish^ Fanfan now assumed the duties of maitre- Ca chantre in the choir,^ and naturally took ttw«te di great pride in his new position^ ^ ^ r€nf4iit Every thing was in readiness for ta messe *'^*"* de minuiU and the church had been elab- orately decorated and illuminated ^ for the occasion.^ When the last stroke of the bell had finished tolling ^ the midnight hour, every pew was filled^ with a pious and expectant congregation.^ A soft prelude was heard, and every one instinctively held breath to listen to Fanfan's voice, accom- panied by the swelling chords of the organ, in the ancient canticle.^ announcing the coming of the Messiah \jft' j^ ^ (^f bergers, assemblons-nous t Allons voir le Messie. Cherchons cet enfant si douz Dans les bras de Marie. Je Tentendst il nous appelle tous, 1 O sort digne d'envie I Wsieu le Qure, who was putting on his sacred vestments in the sacristies stopped and wept like a child and declared that his musique was sweeter than any thing he had ever heard in the cathedral of Notre Dame, in Montreal.** .^ jt 75 ra The old choral serviced was indeed a Quitt dc success, ^ as well as the rendering; of the cnmni ^^cient Noels, .^ sacred echoes of distant France, that had, from time immemorial, been sung in the old church^ during the Christmas festivities.^ .^ .^ And when the service was over, the old priest in a simple allocution ^ related the incidents of the birth of the Infant Saviour, and the whole congregation.^ joined with him in a sacred song of exaltation :.^ .^ > Nouvelle agreable I Un Sauveur enfant nous est ne. Cest dans une itable> Qu'il nous est donn^. At the reveillon that followed the mid- night mass, at the residence of Jean-Jean Lcblanc, Juliette and Fanfan *^ were con- gratulated and toasted on the success that they had achieved in so short a time of practice.^ ^ j^ And the old people, in returning home that night, declared that such a talented young man .^ and such a pretty girl who could so well sing and play together, would 76 naturally fall in love with each other and that there certainly was a new mariage a. V horizon^ jf- j^ The prediction was soon realized, for at the New Year's gatherings, it became a matter of public gossip ^ that Fanfan and Juliette were fiances and that they were to be married aux jours gras^ at carnival time. Both families were respectable and well to do, and it was universally acknowledged that it was a manage de hon sens ^ as well as a mariage d* amour j^ «^ .^ The old priest was all smiles when he heard the news, and he sent for Fanfan and Juliette to tell them of the gladness of his heart and to give them his blessing in an- ticipation of the marriage ceremony.^ J^ ^ His protege and master-singer wedded to his organist I— what a boon for the church and what a happy realization of his own dreams I.^ .^ ^ But '* he that reckons without his host must reckon twice,'* says an old French proverb, and W sieu le Cure had not reck- oned with *' politics,*' when he had con- sidered the future organization of his choir U Qucte de r enfant 3e$u$ 77 ti as settled beyond ^ paradventure by the OuHt dc marriage of Fanfan and Juliette^ ^ ^ 3e$M$ IV Early in January, the news came that an election to choose a member of Parliament for the county of Bcrthier would take place on the first day of the following month, to replace ^ the old member, who had been called to the Senate*?* .^ j^ And with the new election came a host of stump speakers and district canvassers from Montreal, with the usual accompani- ment of committee-meetings and other evils inseparable from the free and untrammelled judgment of the people on such occasions^ The parish soon became infested with a spirit of acrimonious discussion that often- times degenerated into enmity and quarrels among the younger voters*^* ^ .^ Old Pierriche Dalcour was an outspoken liberal, an rouge tJ^ and Jean-Jean Leblanc always voted with les bleus, the conserva- tivest^ Fanfan, as a matter of course, fol- lowed his father's political proclivities, but 78 on the other hand, it is hardly necessary to i\ 3c$u$ state that Juliette knew nothing of party Ca preferences and intrigues, and that she was <^"^*^ <*< absolutely indifferent to the burning topics that were discussed around her^ She was all wrapped up in Fanfan's love, and was awaiting with delight the hour when she would become his wife.^ ^ ^ Not so with the old folks, who generally became quite excited when, ^nce in four years, they were called to vote against each other's favorite candidate.^ ^ ^ Pierriche Dakour had said to Fanfan : " Until after election, you had better be on your guard, when you go to see Juliette, You know that her father's house is looked upon as the headquarters of the conserva- tives, and that it is always filled with can- vassers and speakers from the city^ They might think it to their advantage to say that you have joined the bleus and use your name in connection with their party«^ My father fought at St. Denis, under Papineau, and I would not have it said J^ for all the world that one of us has gone back on the party ".^ ^ ^ ** Never fear, father," answered Fanfan, 79 wrm ti smiling.^ ** Juliette and I never talk *poIi- others/V-* .^ .^ 3c$u » V There was to be a grand rally of the voters on the following Sunday afternoon, after Vespers, when speakers of both parties were to meet at the church door to discuss public mattersii* ^ j^ Two young advocates from Montreal hzd =ilready arrived and were the guests of Jean-Jean Leblanc^ One of them had even offered to join the church choir for the occa- sion.^ As he was known as a singer of considerable repute in the great city,.^ the offer was ti-ankfully accepted by Fanfan, and at High Mass, the congregation were delighted to hear a stranger sing an c4ve cMaria in a clear, cultivated tenor voice.^ It was even acknowledged, after the service, that the young man j^ from the city could sing almost as well as Fanfan Dalcour.^ Fanfan himself had been the first to offer his congratulations as he was leaving the 80 church to go *^ and take his dinner with ■■■I M'sieu le Curct as he had been in the habit Ca of doing, every Sunday, for many years Q"^*^ <*< past^ ^ ^ renfant The repast over, and after a few mo- "* ment's conversation with the priest, Fanfan lighted his pipe and walked leisurely towards Jean-Jean Leblanc^s, to have a chat with his comrades, before Vespers.^ The house was full of people and when he entered it he heard the voice of his new acquaintance, the tenor, rehearsing ^ a Magnificat, with piano accompaniment, in the sitting-room, up stairs^ The men down stairs were dis- cussing the political situation, and one of them, at the sight of Fanfan, said taunt- ingly :^ ^ .^ ** Look out, Fanfan, mon garqon Ijf^ The Conservatives are going to defeat you in this election, and if you are not very careful the young advocate, up there, after disput- ing your laurels as a singer, will also beat you out of your sweetheart.^ Don't you hear them warbie together }**ji^ jft ^ A peal of laughter greeted these remarks, because, politically, Fanfan found himself alone among his opponents, at this particular 8 J ti moment.^ He felt somewhat embarrassed Qucte d« and he hardly knew whether to laugh or I tnTanf ^q ^^ vexed, but he passed on without an- swering.^ With his accustomed familiarity he walked up stairs, where the women had been listening' to the music that had just stopped.^ .^ *i^ Ji'Iiette Leblanc was sitting at the piano with her back turned to the door, and the young advocate, with the assumed freedom of an old acquaintance, was just bending over her and whispering in her ears words that made the young girl laugh and blush at the same time.^ And then, raising his voice so that he could be heard by every one in the room \j^ j^ ^ ** I have been told. Mademoiselle Juliette, that you are engaged to be married to the Maitre-chantre of your choir, an obstinate liberal who surely does not deserve such a prize, the prettiest girl of conservative par- entage in the parish ".3* ^ j^ ** But Monsieur I pleaded the girl.i* ** Well, Mademoisellet I am sorry to see it, and were it not for the fact that I am 82 probably too late, I would myself 1 " ■HI " What would you do yourself Monsieur Ca le godetureau ? ** interrupted Fanfan, taking 0»ictc ac a step forward toward the speaker, who J'^"^*'^* was somewhat ^ nonplussed at his ap- *"^ pearance, but who prided himself as a poli- tician, in never being taken by surprise ^ ** I would enter the field against you, Monsieur Fanfan, and with a little patience, I think I would be as sure of winning the contest against you as we are of beating you and your friends in the coming election "•!* This was said with an air of conceit and sarcasm that put Fanfan fairly beside him- selft^ 1^ ^ Poor Juliette naw that a quarrel was im- minent, and she got up pale and trembling, and attempted to interpose herself between the two men.^ But before she had time to act, Fanfan had stepped up to the young politician and with glaring eyes and clench- ed fits : — "You are both a braggart and a mal- dppris, Wsteu Ca'bocat / ^ to act and speak as you have done.^ And if it were not for the respect I have for the ladies here present, and for the house of Mr. Leblanc, 83 Ca I would give you a thrashing tliv would Quctc dc ^^i^g ^j^g conceit out of you before you re- *'^ac$u! *"''" *° Montreal ''^ ^ ^ The advocate turned pale, but did not lose his self-controls With a constrained smile : — ** Oh, you arc also a village bully. Mon- sieur Fanfan, but need I tell you that such as I are not afraid of such as you '*S «^ The words were hardly out of his mouth before Fanfan had caught him by the throat, and heedless of the shrieks of the women present, and before any one could interfere, he lifted him from his feet, carried him towards the door at the head of the stairs and flung him down among the crowd be- All this had happened so quickly that Fanfan had time to run down stairs himself and to make his way out of the house before the people knew what it was all about S Juliette had fainted upstairs and could not answer the inquiries of her father, who had come to see what was the trouble, and it took fully ten minutes before the circum- 84 stances were explained.^ .^ S The lawyer was not seriously hurt, al- U though badly shaken up, but the scandal Ouctc de was greats The news spread like wildfire ''C"^^«< among the crowd that were now wending *^^^"^ their way toward the church to attend the afternoon serviced ^ ^ The psalms and the hymns, at Vespers, that afternoon, were chanted without the organ accompaniment, and the old care who inquired the cause, was told that Mam'selle Juliette had suddenly been taken sick and that there was no one to replace her^ *^ ** But where is Fanfan Dakour ? " conti- nued the pastor^ ^ ^ No one seemed to know, or cared to tell him the news.M ^ ^ Fanfan, on coming out of the house of Jean-Jean Leblanc, had driven home at iuU speed, and had told to his father about what had just taken place.^ ^in > ** Oh / les bleus I les bteus I the rascals I Did I not tell you to look out for them I You did right, Fanfan, to resent the insult of that young coxcombs But what are you going I to do now ? ** Do ? I don't knoT , but I suppose that 85 isrsjrr'j;'' .■■ig^ ^^^jj—. . ' , i^ssm ssi^mamgm ta the best thing that the lawyer can do him- QiKfc ac ggjf jg jQ jj^^g j^g arrested for assault, and „. put in jail, but I won't give him the chance to do that.^ I will keep away from home for some time to let the thing blow over^ Anyhow, my engagement with Juliette is at an end, and I don't care what I do now. What, if I go to Manitoba to see uncle Thomas, who lives at St. Boniface ?^ He has often written to us inviting me to go. Now is the time ; I can leave for Montreal by the next train and escape the vengeance which that pettifogger of a lawyer will surely try to take on me.''.^ ^ ^ ** Well, I suppose it is the best thing that you can do under the circumstances^ Get your things ready, and I will drive you to the station.^ I will write soon to let you know the effects of your escapade.".^ ^ And Fanfan had disappeared from La- noraie without giving any explanations to the care or to his fiancee^ ^ ^ Poor Juliette Lcblanc had been ill for some time after Fanfan's departure and it had been fully three months before she had 86 resumed her place at the organ** ^ ^ She had never spoken about Fanfan^ had ^ never even pronounced his name, but she "J^*^ "* was known to have said that "politics" Ijfj„, ^ were not only delusive, but they were also mendacious and pitiless.^ She never would permit any one to allude to the trouble be- tween her lover and the Montreal politician, and when the young man had called to say good-by before leaving Lanoraie, she had refused to see hime^ ^ .^ The old care had called to comfort her, and she had resigned herself to a state of apparent indifference that puzzled her father. Fully half-a-dozen offers of marriage had since been made to her, but she had refused every one, declaring that she would not marry^ That was alU ^ j* VI Such were the causes of Fanfan Dalcour's trip to the North- West country, whence he had lately returned after a two years* absence, when the Cure of Lanoraie had sent him that message, to ask his presence at the presbytire on the following Sunday, after Vespers^ ^ jf> 87 td Fanfan kept his own counsel until the Quctc de appointed hour, when he simply said to his ''entant old mother:— 3^"^ ** I am going to harness up to pay a visit to cliPsieu le Care^ I will return for supper/' And he went, wondering what reception the good old care would give him ; because, apart from the scandal his departure had caused, the church choir had been very badly disorganized by his absence^ j^ j* j I When Fanfan drove up to the presbytere, he found the old priest awaiting him alone in his reception roomi^ He embraced him affectionately, asked him about [the most important events that had taken place dur- ing his journey, but never alluded to the cause of his sudden departure for the North- Westii* ^ .^ ** Now that you are back among your friends, I hope to see you take your place in the parish among your old comrades.^ Meanwhile, I desire you to accompany me next week for td quete de Venfantjesus^ I Fanfan was deeply moved by the kind- ness of his old pastor, and could not refuse 88 ill e .0 u Ji "0 ft (9 c his request, although he dreaded the ordeal ^^ of facing every household in the parish.?* ""^^^ "* La quete de t Enfant Jesus—** the col- lj^^"J^^"^ lection for the Infant Jesus/' — is an annual visit made in every French parish in Can- ada, for the purpose of gathering candles for the illumination of the church at the Christmas midnight mass«^ The women also contribute bits of lace, and ribbons, and artificial flowers, for decoration of the holy manger, where a scene representing the birth of the infant Saviour is exposed for the veneration of the faithfuls .»* j^ The parish priest makes that his annual call, and is usually accompanied by the marguiller en charge^ the oldest among the church- wardens M'sieu le Cure fin his father- ly affection for Fanfan, had selected him this year, for the purpose of facilitating his first meeting, since his return, with all the pa- rishioners, who would be sure to welcome him cordially on such an errand, and es- pecially in such company t^ .^ «^ The following Monday, Fanfan harness- ed his favorite horse to his best sleigh, and at the hour appointed, 9 o'clock in the mom- 9 1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■ 2.8 i ■^ il 2.5 us iU u 140 2.0 1.4 ill 1.6 P^^' <% v: V °m /A \, Ca ing, knocked at the door of the presbytere, QM• **• Few words were spoken, and scarcely any allusions were made to the misunder- standing that had estranged them from one another*!* ^ ^ ** Will you forgive me, Juliette ? said Fan- fan, simply, in taking a hand that she did not attempt to withdraw.!* .M .!* "I was probably as indiscreet as you were hasty*!* Let us forget the past,'* in- genuously answered the young girl*!* .!* And the conversation turned on the in- cidents of Fanfan's journey and his life among the Indians and Half-breeds*!* When the priest returned, half an hour later, he found his young friends quietly conversing together.!* .!* *!* " Now, Fanfan, with the permission of Mademoiselle Juliette, I expect you to take your place as leader of our choir for the coming midnight Mass, and I think that U Quctc (U renfiint Oesus 99 Ca you might take this occasion to have a little Qttcte dc practice together. What say you, Juliette?" r Enfant ^A voire service, M*siea le Cutej^ I am J^** entirely at your disposal." J* a» j» And the reconciliation was sealed by Fan- fan and Juliette going to the organ and sing- ing together the old Christmas song of joy and praise : — La anges dans nos cafflpagaet» Ont entonn^ I'hynune dea cieuz ; Et VtcSao de nos moatagnea Redit ce cliant mtlodffux GlorU tn excelsis 'Dto, vn Among the public announcements that were made from the pulpit by the pastor at the Giristmas midnight service, was the following : — **l call the banns of marriage between Francis Dalcour, minor son, bom of the sacred wedlock of Pierre Dalcour and Ma- deleine Hervieu, of the first part ; and Ju- liette Leblanc, minor daughter, bom of the sacred wedlock of Jean-Jean Leblanc and Angelique Lafontaine, of the second part. 100 First and last banns. The marriage will be IhM celebrated J* on the second day of January ^ next, at the parish church of Lanoraie, at ^*^^ ^ 9 o'clock in the morning/'^ ^ ji ''^"'^"* And again at the reveillon that followed the Mass, the fiancis were toasted and congratulated by their friends, and Jean-Jean Leblanc and Picr- riche Dalcour united their voices in the solemn decla- ration that no " politics," could interfere this time wiih the happiness of their chil- dren* S5>l«« 101 r. So here endeth the stories of La Chasse-Galerie, printed under the direction of the author, by Pelletier, the printer, at his shop, number 36 St. Lawrence Main St., Montreal, Canada.