The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-29

TO assam, u OFeFWneIHl, 10 utterly ue-
stroy.
TO destroy what? Why this wild pro-
test of the wilderness? Was it this wide
blown, scattered fire, whose sparks and
ashes were sown broadcast, till but stub
born remnants chung under the sheltering
backlog of the bivouac hearth? Was 1t
this frail lodge, built upon plant, yielding
poles, covered cunningly with mats and
bark, carpeted with robe of elk and
buffalo?. Yet why should the elements
rage at tiny fire, and why should they
tear at little house of nomad man, since
these things were old upon the earth?
Was it somewhat else melted this ele
mental rage? This might have been; for
surely, builder Of this hearth-fire which
would not quench, master Of this house
which would not yield, there was now
come up to the door Of the wilderness the
white man, risen from the sea, heralding
the day which the tribes had for genera
lions blindly prophesied! The white man,
stern, stubborn, fruitful, had come to de-
spoil the west Of its secrets!
Let all the elements therefore join In
riotous revolt! Let earth and sea and
sky make common cause! Rage, waves,
and blaze, We fiery tongues, and threaten,
forests, with all your ominous voices!
Smite, destroy, or terrify into swift re-
treat this little band! Crush out their
tenement! Loosen and brush off this
feeble finger grasp at the ancient thres-
hold With banners of fame, with armies
Of darkness, with shoutings of the cap
tains Of the storms. assail, denude, de-
stroy, If. even by the agony. OF thelr
terrors, these feeble folk now come hltner!
And by this more especially, since they
would set the seal Of fruitfulness upon
the land, and bring upon the earth gem
Grafton vet to, follow. Hover about this
=. wing lodge OF bark
and boughs, all Se most terrifying splrlts'
Let not this thing be!
"Mother of Cod" cried Jean Breboeuf.
bending low and pulling his tunlc tlghter
by the belt, he came gasping into the
faint circle of light which still remained
at the fire log. "'TIs murderous, THIS
storm! All, Monsieur du Mesne, we are
dead men! But what matter? lis as
well now as later. Said not so to you all
the way down Michiganon from the
Straits? A rabbit crossed my pain at Inc
ST camp before Michilimackinac, ana
when we took boat to leave the mission a.
the Straits, three crows flew nrecty
across our way. Did not Deseecn you ~
turn back? Did not tell you, most OF ALL
that we had no right, honest voyageurs
that we are, to leave for the WOODS VIII" IN
Two Years now since have been proper
shriven, and two years is too long 1or d
vova geur to remain unabsolved. MotneI
Of God! When 1 see the l1ghtnlngs anu
listen to that wind, bethlnK me VI my
sins-my sins! I VOW bale or beaver
''Pish! jean" responded Du MeSne, VINO
had come in from the cover Of the wood
and was casting about In the darkness as
hest he might to see that all was made
secure. >.Thoull feel better when the sun
shines again. Cali Pierre Noir. and hurry,
or our canoe viii pound to bits upon the
beach, Gomez! $500 -,
All three went now knee-deep IN the
surf, and Du Mesne, clinging to the gun.
vale as he passed out was soon waist
deep, and time and again losI las 1oo'11ie
in the flood.
+ "Pullr' he cried at last. "Now, en-
avant!' He had flung himself over the
stern, and with his knife cut the hide rope
of the anchor-stone. Overheard again IN
an instant, he joined the others In their
rush up the beach, and the three bore
their ship upon their shoulders ABOVE the
reach Of the waves.
sMvself," said Pierre Noir, ''shaIll sleep
beneath the boat tonight, for since she
sheds water from below, she may 90 as
we'll from above
Given so, Pierre Noir,' said Du Mesne,
"but get YOU the boat farther toward
YOUR own camp tonight. Do you not see
that Monster Ias is not with us?'
'Eb bien?"
And were he not surely with us at
such time, unless.
ooh, assurement!" replied Pierre Noir.
"Jean Breboeuf, and me In taking the
boat back to our camp in the woods
Now came the rain. Not in steady and
even downpour, not with intermittent
showers, but in sidelong, terrifying tor
rent drenching, biting, cutting in Its
violence. The swift weight Of the rain
gave to the trees more burden than they
could bear. AS before the storm, when
all was STILL there had come time and
again the warning boom of a falling tree.
stricken with mysterious mortal dread
of that which was to come, so now, In the
riot of that arrived danger, first one and
then another wide armed monarch OF the
wood crashed down, adding with its down.
fall to the testimony Of the assa1l1ng
tempest's strength and fury. The light
ming now came not only In rugged blazes
and long ripping lines Of light, but in
bursts and shocks, and in bomb-like balls,
exploding with elemental detonations
Balls of this tense surcharged essence
rolled out over the comb Of the bluff,
fell upuon the shadows Of the
water, and seemed to bound from crest to
whitecapped crest, till at last they split
and burst asunder like some ominous mis-
siles from engines of wrath and destruc-
ton.
The sky took on lighter, Hvid tone, one
of pure venom. There came a whisper, a
murmur, rush as Of mighty waters, a
signing as Of an army of the condemned,
a shrieking as Of legions Of the lost, a
roaring as Of all the soul-felt tortures of
world. From the forest rose contin-
uous rending crash. The whiplash of the
tempest cracked the tree trunks as a child
beheads a row Of daisies. Piled up, fall
ing, riven asunder, torn out by the wind,
the giant trees Joined the toys which the
cynic storm gathered in it's hands and bore
along until such time as it should please
to crush and drop them.
There passed out over the black sea of
Michiganon a vast black wrath; thing
horrible, tremendous, titantfc in organic
power. It howled, execrated menaced;
missed its aim, and passed. The little
swaying house still stood! Under the
sheltered log some tiny sparks of fire still
burned. omen Of the unquenchabIe hearth
stones which the land was yet to know!
Holy God! what was it? What was that
which passed." cried Jean Breboeuf
crawling out from beneath the shelter
Saint Mary defend us all this night!
Twas the great Canoe Of the Damned,
running au large across the sky! Mary
Mother Of God, hear my vow! From this
time Jean Breboeuf shall lead better
Hfe!
The storm, banled. passed on. The rain
unsatisfed, sullenly ceased IN its attack.
The waves, hopeless but still indicative,
began to call back their legions from the
narrow shore. The ightnings, unsated in