Adventure Magazine Cover, October 10, 1921 — page 126: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

116 He reluctantly withdrew his hand from his shirt, and offered me a folded square of heavy paper, stained with sweat. I opened it carefully, lest it tear, and saw these lines of fine, angular writing staring me in the face: “Montreal, ye 10th Sept., 1725. You said You wld. come if I calld for You. I Begge you now, in ye Name of All you Holde Deer, help Mee. I am to be Forcd to wed ye Chev. de Veulle. ’Tis ye Price he has Fixd for his Services to Mr. Murray. They have Procurd a Dispensation from ye Bishoppe of Quebec, and wee Retourn now to La Vierge du Bois. They will Marrie me whenne Pére Hyacinthe is retournd from a Visitt to ye Dionondadies by ye Huronne Lake. Help Mee. YMARJORY. Do notte Trust ye mesenjer who Carries this, but plese Pay him What he asks. Come by ye waye you Lefte throogh ye Woodde of ye False Faces. Stunned, I read it a second time, then handed it to Ta-wan-ne-ars. “What is your namer” I asked the mes- senger whilst Ta-wan-ne-ars scanned the paper. “Baptiste Meurier,” he said sullenly. “How long since is it that you started from Montreal?”’ “Six weeks more or less. been difficult to find.” “More,” I decided, remembering the date on the letter. “Do you know what the message said?” “How should I, monsieur?” he objected quickly. ‘Me, I do not read.” “Was there no other word?” “Mats, non.” “Who gave you the paper?” | “Who but the mademotselle herself?” “How did she happen to choose you?” He protruded his chest. ‘Who better ‘could she select than Bap- tiste Meurier?” he replied. ‘‘North of the Lakes every one knows Baptiste Meurier— and I am not unknown to the Iroquois.” “But how did the mademoiselle hear of you, Baptiste?”’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘“‘Who can say? I passed by the house of the Baron de Longueuil. One called to me. I entered. A beautiful young person says she has a mission of much importance and profit to be performed. I reply I will go anywhere for a price. Iam told I have only to name it. And soI am here, monsieur.” “And what is your price?” I inquired, amused despite myself by the cool insolence of the scoundrel. © Monsieur has Adventure “Two hundred livres,” he said instantly. “Very well. It shall be paid. You will be detained here for a time, and I will pur- chase for you a sufficient number of beaver- pelts to defray that sum. Is that satisfac- tory?” “Why should I have to wait?” he par- ried. | Peste, Winter draws on fast, and “You will wait,’ I cut him off. “And you will be paid.” And, turning to Ta-wan-ne-ars, I asked him to give the necessary instructions to the Onondagas. The messenger, a look of sour satisfaction on his cunning face, was marched off to undergo the restraint of an unwelcome visitor. “Well?” I said to Ta-wan-ne-ars. . The Seneca returned me the letter. “See,” he said, pointing to the wild geese flying in pairs to the south,” the cold weather is coming. For the last week the northern sky has been hard and clear. There has been snow beyond the Lakes.” ‘‘What does that mean?” I demanded. “That Black Robe will be delayed in re- turning from his visit to the Dionondadies. And that is a very good thing for us, brother. But for that I think we would be too late.” I looked again at the date of the letter. “How can we have time?” I asked in sud- den fear. “They must have traveled back to La Vierge du Bois after that,” he reassured me. “And Black Robe has a long, long journey, with snow underfodt.” “But we shall have fighting,” I exclaimed. ‘“‘The Keepers will soon discover us, and no matter how numerous we may be they will fight desperately. They may carry her away to Canada before we reach La Vierge du Bois.” “That is true,” he admitted. ‘And the thought Ta-wan-ne-ars had, brother, was that we might leave to Do-ne-ho-ga-weh and Corlaer the breaking of the Doom Trail whilst you and I with a handful of warriors marched around by the way we escaped, as the white maiden advises in her letter. That way is not guarded, for none has known it, and perhaps we may hide in the Wood of the False Faces and bear off the maiden in the confusion of a surprize at- tack.” 3 “It sounds reasonable,” I said doubt- fully. ‘“’Tis preferable to trusting to the main attack.” DOOLK C@