Adventure Magazine Cover, March 20, 1925 — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

The Bush Lopers evil things about me because they were jealous of my seeking the Miami trade. Then again the English rum has made the Ottawas sick. They have forgotten every- thing they owe to the French. But I be- lieve most of them will go with me. “They may not touch the ax for a few days. I will wait. It’s very important I take them with me. If I can get them to the Niagara then they must stand with us or suffer the vengeance of the Iroquois. If I am delayed here you shall go on ahead to tell Monsieur Durantaye that Iam coming.” Carcajou, still unbelieving, left him and turned back among the lodges. He was in time to see several Ottawas walking to the Potowatomi camp, and one of them had a keg of rum under his arm. Catching a glimpse of Papa La Blanche in a lodge, he signaled him to come out. La Blanche, in the act of giving an Ottawa woman a double handful of rassade, obeyed with much grumbling. “Never mind the love-making, Old Non- sense, or [’ll ask when you stole the ras- sade. Run as fast as your old legs will carry you to the fort and tell Perrot rum goes into the Potawatomi camp.” La Blanche showed no age in his heels as he made for the fort while Carcajou followed the keg. The rum was placed on the ground in front of the Potawatomis and the bearer began: ‘“‘We are all brothers. We are one body and spirit. The French ask us to carry an ax against the Iroquois. If we go with them and whip the Iroquois the French will use us like cattle. They will hitch us to plows and make us dig up the land. Let them do their own fighting. They did not help us when our warriors were prisoners of the Iroquois and made to paddle their canoes by the fort on Montreal and sing their death songs. Where was Onontio’s help thene They watched us from the top of the fort. Here is a keg of English strong water. It is better than a French keg. Drink with us.” Perrot came up on the run, flung himself between the two groups and passionately told the Potowatomi: ‘“‘My sons, this is the time to show you are men. Listen to the voice of your great father Onontio, who speaks through your little father Metaminens. He tells you to fight the Iroquois, or be killed by the Iro- quois. 8 113 “Other tribes look down on you. The Ottawas think you are like children or foolish men and will do as they say, even to drinking this bad water. Now you must show yourselves to be brave men. You will be sorry if you do not help carry Onontio’s bow and club against the Tsonnontouans —Senecas. “You are fighting men. Show the other tribes you are not soft and afraid. Do not drink this bad water. It will tie you up and make you prisoners. It will steal away your strength and make you sick. The Englishman is the father of the Iroquois. The English water is poisoned. Ottawa men are dead in their village after drinking it.” The Potawatomi men were strongly im- pressed by this talk and turned their backs on the keg and the Ottawas. The latter, much taken aback, said nothing as they picked up the keg and withdrew. Perrot commended Carcajou for realizing the danger. ‘They were dying to drink the rum,” he told the bush loper. ‘They prefer it to anything else. The Ottawas are up to their old tricks. They are like bad children. But I will stay here a few days. Like all children they are changeable. And yet they are wise in a way. When they know we are starting for the Niagara they will follow, I believe. They will not dare to have it said that they, of all the Upper Lakes tribes, held back from the fighting; for then they would be at the mercy of the tribes, whether we win or lose.” But the menace of the keg was not ended; and how strongly the Potawatomis were being tempted was shown at sundown when one of their men went to Perrot and said the Ottawas had paid a second visit to the camp and had left the keg in a skin lodge and that the Potawatomi men were “afraid oL-it,”’ Snatching Carcajou’s tomahawk from his belt, Perrot angrily made for the camp and unceremoniously entered the lodge where the liquor had been left. A circle of Pota- watomi warriors were seated around the sinister keg. In dead silence each man was staring at it. They were so absorbed in contemplating the keg that they did not appear to know Perrot had entered. The man who had notified him of the danger pointed at the rum and said: “Onontio’s son, Little Indian Corn, can see how it follows us like our shadows. GomiiGcdoo