The National tribune., 1902-10-30

IeauS 10 IN. tttlranclS, ana tnen Dy the
Canada (St.dI.avrcncc) River to Quebec.
orally favor the French rather than the
English! You mnst pardon me for my
ignorance. as .yOu will remember that
have rot been ia ithis country long"
1T is better 70 declare your ignorance,
lad. than it. is TO previcate the truth by
claiming a. Knowledge you. in all con.
sistency o things. can ne'er know. II
mind you,gs I Say this with no wanton
thought ag'fh white nor red-but the Eng.
lish, in the narrOwness o their heart. ne'ei
felt like sharing the country with a race
they could FeSer love nor understand. To
a man they c0fne to make independent
should follow. As well as to clear away
the bresh and the trees to let the sunlight
i'll upon their homes. it was a necdcessity
that they should clear their trail o. that
race whose dusky figures belonged to the
forest rather than to the clearing. l be.
leve it, lad, swan l do jnst as 'em who
follow us will build heartbstones on the
embers o our ,campfres. though the eye be
dimIned that looks on the transformation
Aie5bc. when the warwhOOp o the red.
man rings 10 more down the forest trail
there ii be another song in better accord
with the change o nature. but it be n
wise providence that shall not suffer sici,
as me to hear it.
1.-The Frenchers came with different OBJ.
jects. The first to set foot in these prime
val haIints came to hunt, fish and trade
with the reds that they found sicl, will
ing victims. Then come the Fathers in
their black robes, with the crucifix and
the prayer book, expecting to plant in the
savage breast the seeds o civilization.
Neither cared nor intended to build homes.
but trading posts and missions were their
handicrafts. If their aims and ends be
better than the other, it be not for nc.
Il man with q cross. to read from the book
o nature. whose closing pages be sealed
| to him who looks backward rather than
forward. 80
But do believe. lad, swan do. that
the reds will lead the Frenchers winding
| trail. 1t he ag'in natur' to unite what has
always been broken. and while they may
hold some on 'em under their prayer book.
others will run wild. and. like wounded
painter. turn upon 'em. Ay, 'em as gets
others TO fight their scrimmng ges find in the
end that they have trained an inemy to
play wanton mischief with 'emselves But
here l am babblins like spring torrent
! that runs wantOn race with nat,lr.
The Forester proved himself to be well
verse;, Ill the situation of the New Eng
land colonists and these of New France,
as well as being an acute judge of human
nature. Nearly 10 years before the land
ing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth the fore
most of the French missionaries secured
4 fOOthod in Nova Scotia. The cOureur de
bois, runner of the forest" had already
preceded him. hunting and driving sharp
bargains with race that had TO idea of
the value of things. Believing that they
were given divine purpose these soldiers
of the cross Immediately hegan their work
of converting the sayages to the worship
of their God. That they might gain the
lr1r. Il ell
these jealous cyangelists set about mas
tering the language and the habits of the
people they EODed to save. In order to
do this successfully they entered earnestly
into their liyes. When the hunting party
set forth Upon its Summer wandefl=ss
they went, with the hunters. passing
months Mt 4 time this nomadic life. roam
| turning to the common rendezvous of the
tribe. During the long Winter months
they conteIitedly lived with their chosen
associates iii tho primitive homes eating
with them, sleeping with them, and as far
as possible becoming one of them. satisfied
if they. found their untamed and untam-
able companions lending listening ear to
their prayers for their salvation. So in
dustriously did this handful of mission
T! aries labor tint inside of century the na-
tives from the southern shores of Acadia
| (Nova Scotia) tor the western banks of the
st. LawreIite accepted the rites of faith
they could nt,diInly understand.
Thus the priests of New France won
over to their cause the red men. who
naturally became n Jealous ally to those
gay warriors of the Old World, who. su-
perior as they knew them to be, adopted
| with cheerfuiness their methods of living.
As n noted French writer aptly expressed
it: ''T'he savages did not become French
men; the Frenchmen became savages.'
| The result was the same
If on the other hand. the English
| scorned the task Of educating and reform
| ing the Indian, they did one thing the
French failed to do. That was to initiate
| the methods of forest warfare to n per.
| fectiOn that. the French found themselves
decidedly at a disadvantage from the es-
| tablishing of the frontier missions to the
| closing Of the cruel drama under the con-
| quest of ItOgers's Rangers.
| While the English learned much from
the SONS of the war trail in methods of
bush-fghting. the Indians obtained many
suggestions from the first in defending
| themselves, and acquired discretion they
had not known before. Before the coming
of the whites it was very seldom that
party of red men caused one of their
number to remain on watch while the
others slept, and this Over-cOnidence in
| their safety or lack of caution accounts
for some of the escapes of the earlier cap
| tiyes carried off by them. 1t is very doubt
full if the daring deed performed by Han
nah Dustin could have been accomplished
so years later.
A little past midday our trio reached the
northern shore of the lake, and entered n
narrow, lonely valley. with jagged rocks
overhanging the trail. which was easily
followed here by the sharp-eyed scouts.
Aware that they were in the enemy's
| country, and it was believed getting close
UPON the heels of those they were pursuing
| with such unfinching zeal. the Forester
| and the SokOkis moved with extreme eau
| ton, the first leading the way, with his
| frearm constantly in hand, while his COM
paniOns followed close behind him with
the canoe. As hound pursues fox the
white scout scented the trail of his mortal
| enemies, catching here and there some
| trace by which he was enabled to ad-
| vance almost with unbroken pace.
Finally, in n deep gorge where the trail
wound along the bank of Il small stream,
he suddenly paused, and pointed to the
ground where the soft earth showed two
or three tracks that appeared like a moe
casined foot, nor yet the track of wild
| animal.
Philips eye swiftly followed the direc-
| ton pointed out, and no sooner had he
caught sight of the print than he said in
a low. deep tone:
"Wolf devil"t
The words had barely left the lips of
the Chief before his companion raised his
long gun to his shoulder, while his
eye ran along its barrel. Scarcely
bod I,a toIon oim af Soma ohioot ohoyo