The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1901-08-22
CHAPTER 9.
ON THE ST. MARY'S.
fContinuatiOn)

They were conducted in pompous
state to large cabin of logs and seat
cd themselves on the ground in sol
emn silence, at the head of the room,
where the trader sat, the other in
vited guests being ranged on either
side and the squaws lingering in pro-
per humility at the outside of the
door All being seated the host hand
ed his pipe to the chief, who took a
Whit and passed it along, no word be-
ing spoken while it made the circuit
of the room and was returned to its
starting point, then the trader arose
and made a speech of welcome in the
Indian style in which he called the
Mohicans his children and praised
their prOwess as warriors and hunters:
to which Tullihas responded appro-
priately and declared that he was a
loyal son to his distant father, the
King of France. and would shortly re-
turn to the east and make the hated
English tremble.
The preliminaries duly discharged,
the feast was served and presently the
gloomy etiquette of the occasion yield
ed to good cheer and all was joy and
merriment by the time the liquor be-
Gan its rounds. Then followed the
dance. i'm which the Frenchmen joined
as heartily as the Indians, leaping
and yelling with the delighted saw
ages. until the half-crazed dancers
were overcome by their deep potations
and crept into the shadows to sleep.
Angus witnessed such proceedings
with mingled emotions of regret and
establishment. for he had seen moth
ing of similar character at Carlisle
and he felt a dim suspicion that the
traders excessive hospitality might
have some motive other than mere
good will.
On the morrow the red men return
edin gloriously but yet grandly to their
camp and after suffering the pangs of
thirst as long as they could endure it
they gathered up some furs and went
to the post to exchange them for a
supply of liquor. The trader met them
cordially. made the exchange with a
great air of liberality and threw in
some elittering medals and bright rib
bons for good measure, fiattering and
cajOling the supplemented barbara
ans and whispering friendly warnings
against the evil designsof the English.
From day to day the story was the
same, each trade bringing less whisky
for the skins bartered. until at length
the fruits of the winters hunt were
exhausted and the supply of whisky
ceased for want of the means to pur-
chase more.
In the meantime other movements
were in progress at Kikeonga and new
interests arose TO engross the atten-
ton of its inhabitants. AS spring
advanced Indian hunting parties came
in with increasing frequency aud
French coureurs DIES boiS passed to
and fro, stopping at the village for a
week S diversion whenever they came
within reach. As soon as the ice was
safely out of the way little garrison
of French soldiers came from Detroit,
or POntchartrain, as it was known at
first. guiding their bateaux down the
swift current of the Detroit river,
around the edge of the lake to the
mouth of the Maumee and up that
crooked and swollen stream through
the rapids to the palisaded fort at
its head. There being little or no
danger at this point from English or
Indians the time hung heavily upon
these vivacious soldiers and their days
were given to hunting and fishing,
target shooting. gambling, rioting and
drunkenness and an occasional rather
dangerous Irritation with the young
bellies OF the Indian camps. Other
companies of soldiers were expected
later on their way down to the Wa
bash posts at Ouiatenon and Vincen-
mes and new traders were already max
ing their way in the same direction
The flood of life abont him and the
ever-changing excitement was of in
tense interest to Shining Red Hair,
but he was less happy in it than he
had been in the woods. He was
faithful, to his friends but was power
less to restrain their wasteful Excess
ses during their protracted spree. He
kept close watch upon affairs at the
camp and did all he could to promote
the comfort of the poor wretches he
had learned to love, but in their
drunkenness they gave him poor pro-
lection against the indignities put
Upon him by the other Indians and
the Frenchmen, who hated him be-
cause of his nationality and lost no
chanco IN insult or heat him. He