Heralds of Empire

lay the river. By that the way led back to M. Radisson's rendezvous. It was risky enough-that threading of the pathless

acked was natural enough; for whoever took first possession of no-man's-land in those days either mur

ough the thicket. Radisson's fire no longer shone. Indeed, I became mighty uncertain which direction to take, for the rush of the river merged with the beating of the wind. The ground slo

ar from the rear. I had become confused and was travell

At the same instant was a sibilant, human-dis

.~. then the warning~.~.~. "Hush!"~.~.~. then the wind and the river and~.~.~. "No-no!" with words like oaths.~.~.~. "No-I say, no!

past me in the dark with

the broken sword, lifted the severed blade, kicked leaves over all traces of conflict, and extinguishing the fire, carried off the broken weapon. An Indian can pick his way ov

n was high in mid-heaven when I came to the gravel patch where M. de Radi

ablaze with medals of honour-was M. Radisson. One hand deftly held his scabbard forward so that the jewelled hilt shone against the velvet, and the other

led their robes at his fe

for the pelts, G

a grin, "gab and a drop o' ru

e saying t

the fleetest runner"-this as M. Radisson fired a shot into mid-air that sent the Indians into ecstasies of childish wonder-"that the bottle in his hands contains death, and if the Indians bring their hunt to the white-man, the

tanding on the outer rim of the crowd. It was the f

that, Go

Borg

orgne knows the taste of fire-water! Le Borgne has been with the w

contemptuous "huh-huh's!"-a fitting rebuke, methought,

uld never justify any end. I would fain repress the ignoble faults of a noble leader, but I must even set down the facts as they are, so you may see why a man who was the greatest leader and trader and explorer of h

hen something grunted a "huff-huff" beside us. Le Borg

who gave me this," I began, takin

; but the fellow was straight, supple, and clean-timbered as a

s he say,

ded Godefroy of his own account. "Le Borgne was interpreter for the Fur C

n English. I would have drawn Godefroy aside to inform him of my adventure, but Le Borgne stuck to us like a burr. Jean wa

like silver, on one side; the autumn-tinted woods, brown and yellow and gold, on the other; M. de Radisson in his gay dress surrounded by a score of savages with their fa

e, I gave him hurried accou

for they spoke English. Pardieu! Poachers and thieves-we shall see! Where is that vagab

. "Le Borgne's gone," sa

repeated

ter Stanhope from one

l," repeated M. Radisso

not to be bitten tw

piracy on my part; I as surprised to learn that I had a well-wisher as I had been to discov

ry low and tense, "As you hope to live

pe to live-I-

e with doubting looks. I

our to satisfy yourself

!" sa

d, "gather up the pelts! It takes a man to trade well, but any fool can make fools drink! Godefroy-give the kn

ed withou

camp-fire were mar

s on the sand! A small

e the land fell sheer away to a dry, pebbl

er from the rain. They must

their foot-ma

ho is ever telling untruths sometimes deceives himself; for if the bank sheltered the

e shall make these Indians our friends

ed on the way, "the

it s

in," said he

d on li

nor foe your hand! Let the game tell! 'Twas the reined-in horse won

ed, wondering

the dust of mid-road to worry with a common dog like La Chesnaye-pish! Hold your self-respect

med hard sens

feet travel

and on!"

on-there's mett

, comprehended the whole of M. Radisson

whiffing of pipes among the stately, half-drunk Indian chiefs you never saw, with a pompous proffering of the stem to the four corners of the compass, which they thought would propitiate the s

but no man ever had greater need of pomp to h

set us all by the ears-the dull boomi

n peril. Godefroy implored the saints; but with that lying facility which was his doom, M.

ians, he took the rest of us ashore with one reds

r Company's ships arrive before we have a F