The Washington times., 1901-10-13

| would be better out IF the way. Anu
when he said that, there was murmur IN
the crowd from the warriors of the North
| and West: for even then they had no love
! for the white man, and to them the Span
| fards words seemed good. But Spanish
John got no further, for right there re
lecia Falisse stepped out of the crowd
and walked up in front of him ana stoou
there. still. looking at him
Spanish Johns face went all white anu
pasty in a second, and Lemastre threw
| IIp a hand to his throat and groaned. buO
Felicia just stood and looked for mn
ute more and then pointed toward the
river. And those two devils. that Wei
scheming to have him killed win 'ne
other brave bows Who had worked so hard
out there in the " ilderness all those ye"'s
inst turned without a word and sneaked
| out through the crowd like a PAIR Oh
whipped ours Felicia watched them until
| tbev were gone. and then in their own
tongue talked to those Indians in way
| that made them see things right again
in little while But it was an hour or
more before he and Mavot could get away
and start down the hill toward the can
in the way Spanish John and Lemastre
| had gone. They had no more than reach
ed the cover of the first trees than Fell
/
cia started on a dog trot.
| ''What are you hurrying for?' says Ma
vot too lazy TO run without need we
| can't catch them. and it's little hafn
they can do now, anyhow
..You fool; isn't Nontrun over on the
| bottom meadows and Correze, too? says
Felicia. over his shoulder, without stop
ping. There's nnhody at the cabin but
the boatmen, a.td what's to stop the
Spaniard from soaring them about the
Indians. so the7 will put off down the
river right aw.sy''
All. that grandfa ther of mine had quick
brains in his hea, to see through those
| rascaIs' schemes l'':e that. Mavot began
to run, then too, sure enough, for such
thought made him mad all through. as
indeed, it would any honest man. But.
after a mile or so. his lungs were that
sore he could keep up no longer, so Fe-
Iicia went on alone, and after awhile he
came to the clearing with his breath only
little faster than when he started. 1t
took only a glance to show him he was
too late, for there We're no boasts lying up
against the bank. nor sleeping men around
under the trees. and everything was still
and quiet. as If no one had been there for
a month He walked down to the river
bank and listened, but there was only the
swish swish of the eddying water and
the drone of locusts and off somewhere in
the timber, the creeping howl of a wolf.
That was all Felicia heard. but he saw,
away down the big bend where the track
Of the moonlight made the water bright,
something that lDoked too big for any
floating snag. As soon as he saw that,
he know where the boats had gone, and
ran up the bank looking for a canoe to
follow in; but Spanish John, the willy fox,
had seen to that and sent them all adrift
before he started. Felicia was wild for
a minute, and then he remembered that
Mavot and Correze had beached a canoe
up the st. Jacques couple of days be-
fore.
He was afraid the Spaniard had found
that. too. but when he looked, there 1t
was among the bushes, just where it had
been left. So he pushed 1t In and started
down the big river as fast as his paddle
would cut the water. II was weary
chase. for the bateaux had a long lead,
and Spanish John. you may warrant. was
getting all the speed out Of them he
could. II was well toward daylight and
the moon far down the western sky
when Felicia fetched up near the last
bateau He had gore in under the shad-
ow of the south bank, when near enough
to be seen. and kept there until he drew
abreast OF this boat. Then he turned out
into the current and shouted: Hi, there!
Where are you going so fast, this time
Of night" There was no answer for a
minute, and then he knew he had got the
very boat he wanted, for there came
great curse in Spanish Johns big, roar
ing voice. and then he yelled: Row,
boys, row. Don't stop. That's Felicia
1rFTn Tod D. afrF.fF
Then it was that Felicia shot his ca
noe alongside and caught hold Of the
bateaus gunwaIe and shook his fist at
the bunch of scared boatmen.
You nei Jean lie Diable, you lie, You
wanted to have US killed up there and
get away with the boats. you murderer
and thief; and now l am going to kill
YOU. Come ashore and fight like a mani
Hp hardly had the words out of his
mouth when Spanish John, with black
ora this splitting between his teeth, jumped
to the end of the bateau. big paddle in
his hand and cut it down at Felicia's
arm. where he held on to the gunwale.
But Felicia was too quick for that. He
ierked back his hand and the paddle flew
into the water Spanish John made
wild grab for his knife. but the sheath
had slipped back on his hip. and before
he could reach it Felicia, quick as cat,
was up and over the side among the
boatmen. gripping him by the throat.
There they swayed for a minute over the
edge of the water, the men crouching
back away from them and the drifting
boat swinging across the current Like
two tree trunks they stood, so evenly
matched, with every cord and tendon as
stiff as rope, that you would say they
were petrified. only for that little sway
back and forth. The blood was hot in
Felicia's veins, and at first his arms for
got the ache put into them by the long
row and his grip came on the others
throat like cold iron But the great Span |
lard had not had his hand to an oar that |
night. and his muscles were fresh as a
buffalo bulrs at Craze. Little by little, |
and little by little, Felicia began to give
back into the boat, and back and back |
toward the farther edge. Slowly his hand, |
gripped by the Spaniard's, came loose
from the others throat and crept toward |
his own. And always under the keel was |
the short lip-lap Of the water, waiting to |
swallow one or the other Of them. And |
still Felicia was pushed toward the edge, |
with his strength failing from him every |
second. till his back hung over the water |
and his face was staring up to the stars |
overhead. Then suddenly Spanish John |
gave way for a second. 1t was only to |
throw back his foot gainst the gunwaIe |
and brace il for the last shove. That was |
coming pretty close to the end then, and |
they both knew it. Spanish John began |
to grin and Felicia's teeth set hard under |
his white lips.