The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-02-05
CHAPTER III.
ABOARD LIE

~NSi " -
CHAPTER III.
ABOARD LIE DAUPHIN.
The morning dawned moist and cold,
with n stiff westerly wind. Just be-
fore daylight a small boat pushed off
the low beach. scraped along the shall
lows, skirted the western edge of the
island which there lies endwise across
the harbor, and put me aboard lie
IDauphin.
/ alone had no part in all the noisy
preparation for departure, but sat alb
sorbed in thought near an open port
listening to the straining of the masts,
the tapping sails, the low complaining
beat of the wind tormented waters.
Above the creak of the windlass rails
ing anchor, I could catch snatches OF
whispered conversation just outside
the port. The two men were beyond
my range of vision. One seemed to be
tossing in u boat, the other hung down
the vessels side by q ladder. l made
out, disjointedly:
Along in September-as soon as you
ireturrl-all win be in readiness-two
thousand Creeks, C~hicliasaws, Natchez
I'VE ought to have no Acknowledgements
Spanish ships. The fall OF Biloxi will
be a greater thing for u.s." And much
more that / could not hear clearly.
BuC i uuQ nGaTO Enough W hioW
there was some truth in the rumor OF
a Spanish-Indian alliance, and an at
tack on Biloxi. And the name Ward,
being unusual, chung somewhat to my
memory.
Immediately ran on deck and saun-
tered over towards that side, seeking to
discover the traitor. No one was there,
only a little group of officers walking
about; towards the shore were the
p ratfeatjpp oIltlioes of n light boat, l
know none Of these officers, any one of
whom might have been the man l over
heard, and so I burst ask no questions.
i could therefore confide in no one on
board for fear of making a mistake, but
muA rely upon giving Bienville prompt
warning upon my return, and l must
needs hide my reluctance and mlngle
with officers and men, for ~perchance
by this means / might uncover the
scoundrel.
Although 1 made free with the men,
pitched quoits, and joined in their
rough play, l trusted none, suspected
all. No, not all. There were two young
point Of calling to my confidence. but,
thinking 1t wiser, kept my W coun-
sci. Treason could ever wear a smiling
front and abr of franlSness.
~i,e%ert was a man much older than
myself, Of gloomy and taciturn man
ners, vet something there was SO mas
terful about him men obeyed him
wAother they would or no. a more ST.
lent man ] never knew, yet courteous
and stately withal, and well liked by
the men. But 1t was to Achille Brous-
sard my heart went out In those days
of loneliness. His limos childish light
ness of disposition and his friendly
ways won me completely, and we be-
carne fast comrades. A noble looking
lad, with the strength of a young Titan,
and the blonde curls of a woman. Dur
ing the long idle hours of the afternoon
1t was his custom to banter me for a
bout at swords, and Levert generally
acted as master OF the lists. Al
first he was much my superior with the
foils, for during his days with the m
bassy at Madrid, and in the schools at
Paris, he had learned those hundreds
of snowy and fancy little tricks Of
which we in the forests knew nothing.
However, I doubted not that on the
field u rougher ways and sterner
methods would coun for quite as
much.
With all the five long weeks of daily
practice, | gathered many things from
him, until one day we had an expert
tence which made US lay the foils aside
for good.
We a been sitting after the din
ner hour, discussing his early life ir
Paris. He wound up with his usua,
declaration. "As for myself, give me
the gorgeous plays, the fetes ant
smiles of the Montespan, rather thar
the prayers, the masses and the sober
own of de Maintenon. And now i
is your turn, comrade; let us know
something of your e%scapades, YOU,
days of folly in dear old Paris"
I have never seen Paris" I answered
simply.
What! Never been to Paris? Then
man, you have never lived. But wher
have 0 spent all your days?"
In the. colonies-Quebec, Montrea,
Biloxi. But now I will have an op
p~ortunity, for I am going"
] had almost told something Of m
mission, ere I checked a too fluent con
fidence.
Levert. who had been pacing up an
down the deck in his absorbed and in
attentive way. dropped his blade acros
my shoulder and challenged me to til
foils.
mo, 1t is too early yet" Achille re
piled, besides, we We're talking OF otf
er things. AS Q We're saying, con
race, you go-?"
s.Oh, you two talk too much" Leve,
broke iii again, 'let us have a bout; II
half a mind I can handle a foil m,
self. A5stilI tongue, a clear head and
sharp blade are the tools of fortune
1t seemed almost that he had twit
interrupted purposely to keep.me fro:
tallsing. ! thought j. read that deept
meaning in his eyes. Somehow / gre
to distrust him from that momen
What consequence was 1t to him {
what I spoke?
1t was not Levert's business to gov
ern my tongue for me, SO I only said
May, wen try u skill somewhs
later; not now" and resumed my con
versalion with AchiIle.
While his name showed a concer
]. deemed the matter little to warran
yet it did make me consider. sc I de
tertnined not to speak truly Of myself