The National tribune., 1902-10-30

Swift Bear and his companions were
received witt, digniied silence by the
members of this town, the captiyes
| awakening less interest than had been
ing to them in the Indian tongue, prepara-
| tions were Immediately begun to afford the
travellers some food. This was offered in
what seemed short time for the work,
when the Chief began to eat, and mOtiOned
| for the captives to do the same.
In their state of mind they felt little
like answering the appeals of their ap-
petite, though both managed to eat spar
ingly of the plain food set before them.
| When their captors had eaten heartily of
the coarse viands, the leader lost no time
| in signifying his purpose of keeping on.
There was reason for this, as already the
| westering sun had transformed the white,
| f1eecy clouds into evening robes of Grim
son and bright gold, outrivaling in their
dazzling splenIOrs the fairest silks of
royalty. Over the wooded hills. where that
glorious queen of the forest, the Canadian
| maple, reigned supreme, the departing god
of day flung sheets of golden fire, and the
broad river rejecting its FURNISHED beams
shone like shimmering pathway of sun
| light leading to the throne of this king.
Another Indian joining the little party
now, tire canoe was pushed out from the
bank, as soon as the two captives had
| been seated in the bow. Merru-Alaqua.
leaving his companions to propel the craft,
took up his position in the stern, where
| he sat motiOnless and silent, his gaze not
ing every object as they swept along.
Though allowed an opportunity to con-
verse with each other, the two women,
their minds filled with vague fears, al
lowed minute after minute to slip away
without breaking the silence hanging over
the scene.
So rapt were they in the gloom Of their
thoughts that the twain did not fully
realize the change which was swiftly COM
ing over their situation. until they found
that the river was filled with craft of al.
most every kind, from the long, light birch
en- skiffs Of the Indians and the clumsier
boats of the yoyageurS, to the graceful
vessels lying at their mOorings in the dis
tance, with tall masts festooned with can
vas and flying the flags of the King of
| France.
| wondering captives was one of the grand
est to be found in the New World, and
even upon this hapless couple its beauty
and grandeur was not entirely lost. The
most conspicuous sight was the massive
/ promontory crowned with its picturesque
Notifications, renowned in song and story
as the pride and the safeguard of New
| France. Whi.c rot sure of the fact, they
anticipated tacy were approaching the
| walled city of the North. Qrebec. whose
military importance and splendor hid been
indefinitely known in their distant New
England homes-accounts brought to t .em
by captives who had suffered impr.son-
ment there and effected an escape through
the assistance of friends or by some mirac-
ulous circumstance been enabled to re-
turn to their anxious loved ones.
The river widened into n broad bay
glimmering in the dying sunlight like a
huge silver shield laid on the bosom of
the landscape, just below where it en-
circled with its mighty arm the group Of
the lofty Laurentides, lifting their bare
foreheads high above the grand old river
side and vale in the glorious raiment Of
the northlands.
The walls of the city ran along the brink
of that cliff made famous n few years later
when Wolfe and his gallant followers
scaled their nights and stormed the plains
be seen the massive front of the Castle Of
St Louis, topping which rose the lofty
citadel. a sturdy staff for the white ban
| ner of France that shone out against n
blue background with radiant glory. In
truth it was beautiful insignia, too beau
tiful and pure for the corrupt power that
was fast bedraggling it in the filth of
triumphantly above the ramparts of Que
bee the hearts of its faithful subjects were
cheered by the hope that sometime they
might escape the fate the wisest knew
was inevitable. The bold stone structure
named for the king of the old country
stood on the very brink of the precipice
overlooking the streets Of the lower town
On a broad strip of land lying between
the precipice and the beach of this river
bay stood another building as closely con-
nected with the welfare of New France as
the other, though in different way. This
was the. many-gabled Palace of the In
tendant, the most magnificent structure
in America. Over 800 feet in length. its
walls overlooked the gardens and royal
terraces of an estate any king might have
envied. Beyond these We're the quays and
magazines, where the ships of Havre, st.
Malo and Bordeaux lay at their moorings,
exchanging tho merchandise brought from
the Old World for the not less valuable
products of the new. These crafts were
generally weatherbeaten and storm-scarred
with briffeting the perils of their long and
hazardous passages Of the northern At
lantic.