The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-01-11

| bold. And he was not such that a woman
would delight in looking upon.
But he cast eyes upon my oma child
who WAS to become a woman.
He sent me away on u long trip with
the Gogs-you understand. he Was ii hard
/, man and without heart.
she was most white. and her soIl was
white. and-well. She died.
TT was bitter cold the night Of my ie-
turn. and l had been away months.
The Indians and breeds looked on me in
silence. and ! felt the fear Of know rot
what. but l said nothing till the dogs were
fed and had eaten Us a man win WORK
| before him should.
Then l spoke up. demanding tie VOID.
and they shrank from me. afraid uf my
anger; but the story came out. word :or
word. and act for act. and they marveled
that l should be so quiet.
When they had done. 1 went to the Fac
tors house, cainer than now IN the telling
OF 1t.
He had fed to the house of the priest.
'Thither l followed.
Blu when | was come to that place the
priest stood in my way, and spoke soft
words.
u asked by the right Of a fathers wrr:n
that he give me past. but he SAID Only
over his body. and besought .gitA me to
pray.
Look you, It was the church. always the
church, for l passed over his BODY ana sent
the Factor to meet my wOman-cnili lyiOre
his god. which Is a bad god.
Then was there hue and cry. for word
was sent to the station below, and l came
away.
Through the Land of the Great Slave.
down the valley Of the Mackenzie to the
never-opening ice. over the white EcC6es.
past the great curve of the Yukon. even
to this place, did l come.
And from that day to this yoITs Is the
first face OF my fathers people | have
looked upon.
May it be the last.
These people. which are my people, Ere
a simple folk. and l have been raised to
honor among them.
My word Is their law and heir priests
but do my bidding.
We ask to be let alone.
90 not want your kind. If we Kermit
you to sit by our fires after You will come
your church. your priests and your gods.
And know this. for each White nan who
comes to my village him will l make deny
his God.
You are the first. and I will sivc you
grace. Sc It were well you go. and so
quickly"
81 am not responsible for my brOthCrs."
the second man spoke up. filling MS pipe
in a meditative manner.
Hay Stockard was at times as thought
full Of speech as he was wanton OF action.
But know your breed responded the
other.
Your brothers are many. and It Is you
and yours who break the trail for them 10
follow.
IN time they shall come to possess the
land. but not in my time. You may 60 back
to your brothers.: but up the koyukulS You
shall not go while the priests and fighting
men do my bidding.
Thus do / command, !. Baptiste the Red.
whose word is law over this people
And should l not go down to the Rus
slams or back to my brothers,
Then shall you go swift-footed before
your God, which Is a bad God and the God
of the white men"
The red sun shot w above the northern
skyline. dripping and bloody.
Baptiste the Red came to his feet. nodded
CURLY and went back TO his camp.
Hay Stockard finished his pipe by the fire, !
picturing In smoke and coal the unknown
upper reaches of the Koyukuk. the strange
stream which ended here its arctic travels |
and merged Its waters with the muddy |
Yukon flood. |
Somewhere up there. II the dying words OF
a shipwrecked sailorman who had made the
fearful overland journey were to be be-
lieved, and IL the vial of golden grains in !
his pouch attested anything-somewhere up
there stood the Treasure House of the
North.
And as keeper Of the gate. Baptiste the
Red. English half-hreed and renegade.
barred the way. |
"Bah!" He picked the embers apart and
rose TO his full height. arms lazily out
stretched. facing the flushing north with
care less soul.
CHAPTER II.
Hay Stockard swore. harshly, In the