New Orleans Republican., 1877-01-21


rainbOW-tinted trout caught as well as
broiled by her ewn hand, and the luscious
huokleberries in tasteful baskets of her own
braiding, and Tontz Main de Fer, the chi
valric companion and friend of La Sale,
was moved like Geraint, served by Enid,
ito stoop and kiss the dainty little thumb
that crossed the trencher." The salutation
was received with unconscious dignity by
little Marie; once only was Pere Francois
Xavier annoyed by the absence of display
of childish pleasure in an ever ready smile.
History tells how trial and privation of
every kind waited on this little band of he
rolc men-hOw hunger, and cold, and fever
dOgged their steps; how the Indians proved
treacherOus and hostile; how, having
reached Central Illinois after incredible
exertion, they found themselves in the
dead of winter unable to proceed further,
and surrounded by tribes that were melted
against them by some unknown enemy.
A fatality seemed to hang over them;
suspicious occurrences indicated that
they had traitor among their number,
but he was never discovered. La Sale did
not despair or abandon the enterprise, but
when SIX of his most trusted men mutinied
and deserted, he lest hope, and became
seized with presentiment that he would
never return from his expedition. Father
Xavier was his cOnfidant as we'll as CON
lessor, but he seems not to have been able
to disperse the gloom which settled over the
leaders mind. Perhaps he did not endeaVOr
to do so. Hopeless but still true to his trust,
La Sale constructed near Peoria q fort
which he named Creveceur, in token of his
dependency and disappointment. Leaving
Iontz Main de Fer in command here with
the greater part of his men, he set out with
tive for Frontenac, on the second OF March,
l6SO, intending to return with supplies to
take command again Of his party, and to
proceed southwark. 1t was at this point
that the most inexplicsble event of the en-
tire enterprise occurred. Before the party
divided sOme one attempted to poison the
Chevalier La Sale. The poison was a
subtle and slow one, similar in its
effects to those used by the Borgia family;
the secret of its man ufacture was thought
to be unknown ont of Italy. Fortunately
he had taken an under or overdose of it,
and the effects manifested themselves only
in long illness. He was too far on his
journey from Fort Heartbreak when striek-
en- down to return to 1t, and was mercifully
received and nursed back to health by the
friendly Pottawottamies.
While the leader was lying sick in an In
dian lodge, the knightly Tontz, ignorant of
the fate of his friend, was having his trOu-
bles at the little fort Of Heartbreak. Pere
Francois Xavier had remained with him.
and aided him with counsels and personal
exertions; he had made himself so indis-
pensable that he was now lieutenant; if
anything should happen to TOntz, he would
be commander. He was secretary of the
expedition, drew careful maps, and made
daily entries in q journal, which was after
ward found to be a marvel of pAinstaking
both in the facts and fotiOns which il CON
tanned. ScRnty mention was there of La
Sale and TOntz Main de Fer, and much of
Pere Francois Xavier, but it was clear, ex-
plicit, depicting the advantages of an &C.
QUESTION Of this territory to the crown of
France in glowing terms, and strongly ad-
vising that the man who had most distin-
guished himself in the difficulties of its dis
cOVery should be appointed as governor, or
baron, under the royal authority.
While Father Xavier was compiling this
remarkable piece of authorship, the Iro
qHOis descended in warlike array upon the
somewhat friendly disposed Illinois Indians,
in whose midst Fort Creveeeur had been
built The suspicious Indian mind imme-
diately connected the advent of their enc
mics with the building of the fort, and re.
garded the little garrison with distrust
TOntz, at the instance of Father Xavier, pre-
sented himself to their chief, and offered to
do anything in his power to prove his friend
ly intentions. The chief accepted his serv-
ices, and sent him as ambassador to
inquire into the cause of the coming of the
Iroquois. This mission had nearly been his
last, for TOntz was received with stabs, and
hardly allowed to give the message of the
chief His i'll treatment at the hands of
their enemies did not reassure the suspi-
ciOus Illinois, who ordered TOntz to imme-
diately evacuate the fort and Return with
his forces to the country whence he had
come. In his wounded condition such a
journey was extremely hazardous, and it
must have been with grave doubts as to his
surviving it that Father Xavier took tenn
pOrary command Of the returning expedi-
ton.
1t was the spring of 1851. Father Xavier
had been absent nearly two years. Father
Ignatious missed him sadly-all the life and
fire seemed to have gone out of the mis-
sion. Even Marie moved about her work
in listless, languid way, which contrasted
markedly with her once 1.-THE and rapid
movements. They had not once heard
from the explorers, and Father IRnatius
shook his head sadly, and feared that he
would never see his energetic colleague
again. The Black Beaver had slept through
the last months of winter, and as with the
general awakening of spring the bears
came out of their dens and the snakes
summed themselves near their holes, he too
stretched himself lazily and awoke to q
CONSEQUENCES of what was passing around
him. In the first place something was
amiss with Marie. When she came to the
wigwam it was not to chat merrily of the
affairs of the mission. She did not braid as
many baskets as formerly, and no longer
showed him new patterns in shell mosaic
on the lids of little boxes. he was curious
old man, and he soon drew her secret from
her. Marie loved Pere Francois, and he
had gone.
The Black Beaver went down to the
mission one evening and had q long
talk with Father Ignatius. He ascer-
tanned first that Pere Francois Xavier
really meant to return; then, with all
the dignity of an old feudal baron, he
offered Marie as q bride for his spiritual
son. Very gently the good Pere Ignsce ex.
planned that Romish priests we're so nearly
in the kingdom of heaven that the question
of marrying and giving in marriage was not
for them to consider. The Black Beaver
went home, told no one of his visit, and for
several days INDUCED in the worst drunken
spree of which he was capable. When he
came out of IL he announced to his wife and
Marie that he was going away on his an
nual trip for stores, but that they need not
accompany him.
Marie knelt as usual in the little church
on the evening of the day on which her
father had gone away. Pere Francois
Xavier had replaced the cameo on the Vir-
gins breast before he went; it was q safer
place than the vault of q bank would
have been, had such thing existed in the
country. There was no one in the island
saeFilegious enough to rob the church.
Marie had gazed at the stone each
time that she repeated the prayer which he
had taught her. She looked up now, and it
was gone.
Half way upon their nOrthward ronte,
Tontz's band were struggling wearily on
when they were met by solitary Indian,
who, though he carried long bow, had not
an unfriendly aspect. he eyed the little
band silently Ra they passed by him in de-