Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1904-01-23
CHAPTER IL.
RIENNHIE

Musing on this strange story, and the
old mans unWonted fear, L walked on
down to the water'e edge where my IN
dian friends, already in the pirogue,
awaited me. Another half hour and
we were in Biloxi.
When we reached the barracks I
found orders to attend the governor at
once.
Bienville stood before his fire alone,
quiet, but in a very different mood
from any in which / had heretofore
seen him.
Captain de Mouret," the rough old
warrior began, without any prelude or
indirection, Il desire to send you at
once to Paris on an errand of the ut
most Importance to myself and to this
colony. / select you for this task,
though l can I'll spare you here, be-
cause it is a delicate matter. ! be-
lieve you to be honest, 1 know you are
courageous"
l bowed, and he went on. Something
had evidently occurred to vex-and irri-
tate him..
you know the people who surround
me here, the weak, the vicious, the Ii
centious of all the earth. A band of
unprincipled Adventures, vile Cana
dams and ~half-breeds, all too lazy to
work, or even to feed themselves out
of the bountiful earth which would
give everything we need almost for
the asking. The air is full now of
rumors of a Spanish war, and a
NatcheZ-Chickasaw alliance. If these
things are true we would find ourselves
entirely cut off from French supplies,
and this colony would literally starve
TO death. Yes, starVe to death with UNI
old millions of fruitful acres all about
us. Had we strength to fight 1 would
not care so much. With but two COM
panies Of undisciplined troops, a mere
struggling handful, Differed by drunk
ards, we could not defend this post a
day against any organized attack"
All this l knew to be true, so l made
no comment. He pursued the CONVEX
sation and evidently relieved his mind
of much. hat had troubled him for
months.
Then this beggarly commissary of
mine, and the trafficking priest, de la
Vente, they are constantly stirring up
strife against me here, n putting lies
in the hands of my enemies at court.
The king, too, is wearied out with this
endless drain Upon his treasury for
money and supplies, and is now, so
am informed, almost ready to acCede to
Crozat's proposition, and turn over ia
him the revenues and government of
the colonies"
The DID man grew earnest and elo
quent.
What! turn over an empire such as
this to q miserable trading huckster,
the son of q peasant-permit him to
name the governors and officers! Why,
under his rule, such cattle as la Sale
and de la Vente would feed fat upor
the miseries of the people! Great God
Placide, do you appreciate what this
means? To create this peddler of silks
md laces lord Of a boundless domain
more magnificent than Louis in his
widest schemes of conquest ever
dreamed? Why, boy, the day will come
when for a thousand leagues the silver
lilies will signal each other from every
hill top; marts of m will thrive
and flourish; the land will smile with
farms and cities, with proud palaces
and with granite castles. The white
sails of our boats will fleck every lake
and sea n river with their rich bur
dens of trade, pouring a fabulous an6
a willing wealth into the Golfers of the
king. Gold and silver mines will yield
their precious stores, while from these
niggard natives we will wrest with
mighty arm the tribute they SO con
temptuously deny the weakling ours
who snap and snarl at my heels. Grey
tower and fortress will guard every in
let, and watch this sheltered coast. Ir
every vale the low chant of holy nuns
will breathe their benediction upon 6
happy people. And hordes of nations
yet unknown and races yet unborn, il
future legends, in song, in story and in
rhyme, will laud the name of Bourbon
and the glory of the French. oh lad.
lad! It's an ambition worthy a god"
The governor had risen, and waving
his long arms this way n that
pointed outHthe confines of his mighty
dreamland empire with as much as.
surance as If cities and towns would
spring up at his bidding.
His whole frame spoke the most in
tense emotion. The face. glori1ed and
TRANSPORTED by the allurement of his
brilliant mirage, seemed hat of an
other man.
"Ah, Placide! Placide! 1t stings me