Adventure Magazine Cover, March 20, 1925 — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

The Bush Lopers were with me. You will say I did not leave the camp. That will pay for trying to kill me.” “To kill you? Who?” “T never meant to tell, Old Papa. At the Narrows, in the night, when you were drunk. 1 took your knife away and put you back in your blankets.” “Impossible! Drunk or sober, asleep or awake, I never harm my friends!” passion- ately cried La Blanche. “TI would as quick kill my own child.” ‘“‘Well, we won’ talk about that. Our camp at the Narrows must have been a medicine place and we had no business there. This new business is bad. I mean the killing; not the thought of that pig that I did it. The Tionontati man was killed on the Narrows. Now two are killed at Mackinac.”’ Then hopefully, ‘If they were killed after drinking brandy—.” “That is not it, my little one,” inter- rupted Carcajou. “They were found dead in a lodge with their heads split open. A new French ax was found between them. The Ottawas have refused to go with Durantaye to Niagara. They are afraid. The Hurons says it means the French will betray the tribes to the Iroquois. Durantaye writes that you are friendly to Corlaer, and that he believes you did it to stop the tribes from carrying a club into the Long House. You ran away that night. Durantaye knows no reason why you should run away. He does not know you listened at his win- dow and heard him order you into irons. So you see the business is bad. So we will cross to Sturgeon Bay and portage across to the lake and paddle down to Shekagua.* There is a big Miami village there. I have friends in the tribe. Father Marquette will help us if we go there as he went there once.” “‘As simple as you are ancient! We go to Mackinac. Do you think Old Empty Head, that Carcajou will leave dead men behind him a second time without knowing who swung the ax? Perrot said I was not a wolverene at the Narrows. I should have learned who killed the Tionontati man. He shall not again say I am foolish and have no cunning. “Can’t you understand that very strong medicine is at work to keep the Upper Lakes tribes from going against the Iro- ~ * Sauk-For—"The Place of the Skunk.” “Chicago” is derived from it. This was an important locality from very ey times. 97 quois? You have said that, but it doesn’t seem to mean anything to you. There was the Huron belt and calumet fer the Iro- quois. Durantaye knew nothing about it till I told him. He’s a fool to think I would tell him that if I was friendly to that bad Catholic Dongan. “‘May the holy saints help us! Dead men killed with French axes! The Ottawas and Hurons trying to make peace with the Long House. The tribés on this bay trying to rob and kill Perrot and all other French- men. And you, Old Simple, say we shall run away to a Miami village and leave the kettle to boilover. This business must be stopped. tah get back to Mackinac faster than we eft it.” CHAPTER VI SETTING THE STAGE po ST. IGNACE was unusually quiet as Carcajou drew the canoe ashore and gazed about him. Groups of silent In- dians were strung along the shore some dis- tance east of the two Frenchmen and ap- peared to be interested in the three-hundred feet of vertical rock that was the island of Mackinac. In the entrance of the fort steekade a sol- dier stood; he was shading his eyes with his hand and, like the Indians, was peering out on the strait. A short distanee from him were two more soldiers, similarly curious. Several soldiers stood some distance back of the Indians. But there was no sign of officers. “Now what has happened?” demanded Carcajou as he stared at the fort and the people along the shore. Papa La Blanche devoted his attention to the Ottawa and Huron villages and sug- gested: ““M’sieur Durantaye has sailed to Detroit. Some Ottawa and Huron men are with him.” Carcajou hastened to the stockade and asked the sentinel— “Where is m’sieur the commandant?” ““Bon Dieu! The wild man!’ gasped the sentinel, falling back a step. “If m’sieur the wild man had come a bit earlier he would be tied up.” “They do not tie wolverenes,” growled Carcajou. “And you may live to thank the holy saints I came in time to save your hair. What’s the matter here? What are you all waiting to see?” GOmiGcooo (©