Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1904-01-21
CHAPTER III.


Musing on this strange story. and the
old mans unwonted fear. 1 walked on
down to the water'e edge Where my In
dian friends, already in the pirogue,
awaited me. Another half hour and
we We're in Biloxi.
When We reached the barracks 1
found orders to attend the governor at
once.
Bianville stood before his fire alone.
Quiet. but in a very different mood
from any in which L had heretofore
seen him
Captain de Mourct the rough old
warrior began, without any prelude or
indirection, Il desire 10 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 ! can i'll spare YOU here, be
cause it is y delicate matter. l be
lieVe YOU to be honest, | know you are
coura geous.o
/ bowed, and he went on. Something
had evidently occurred to yeN and irrl-
tate him.
You know the people who surround
mo here, the weak, the vicious, the Ii
centious Of all the earth. A band of
uilp;incipled Adventures, vile Cana
dams and half breeds, all too lazy to
work or even to feed themselves out
OF the bountiful eai,til which would
give everything We need almost for
the asking. The air is fuil now of
i'umors of q Spanish war, and q
/ MatchQz-t 'hicHa&aw alliarce. II these
things are trile we would find ourselves
entirely cut off from French supplies,
and this colony would literally starve
to death. Yes, stHnVe To death with UNI
told millions OF fruitful acres all about
US. Had we strength to fight 1 would
not care so much. With but two COM
panies of undiscipiined troops, a mere
stragsling handful. otiieercd by drunk
| ards, we could hot defend this post q
day against any organized attack.
All this | knew to be true, so l made
no comlaent He pursued the conver-
sation and evidently relieved his mind
of much that had troubled him for
months.
Then this beggarly commissary of
mine, and the trafiicking priest, de la
| Nente, they are constantly stirring up
strife against me here. and putting lies
| in the hands of my enemies at court.
| The king, too, is Wcaried out With this
| endless drain upon his treasury for
/ money and supplies. and is now, so
am informed, almost ready to accede to
Crozats proposition, and turn over to
| him the revenues and government of
| the colonies.
TIE old man grew earnest and elo-
| quen..
What, turn over an empire such as
/ this to a miserable trading huchster,
| the son of a pcaSint-Eelmit him to
name the governors and officers. Why
under his rule. such cattle as la Sale
and de la Ncnte would feed fat upon
the miseries of the people! Great Cod,
/ placide, do You appreciate what this
/ means? TO create this peddler of silks
| mud laces lord OF a boundless domain
more magnificent than Louis in his
! widest schemes of conquest ever
1 dreamed? Why, boy, the day will come
/ when for Il thousand leagues the silver
lilies will signal each other from every
| hill top; marts of commerce 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 Heck every lake
| and sea and river with their rich bur
dens of trade, pouring a fabulous and
| a willing wealth into the Golfers of the
king. Gold and silver mines will yield
their precious stores, While from these
/ niggard natives we viii wrest with
mighty arm the tribute they SO con-
temptuously deny the wealiing ours
who snap and snarl at my heels. Grey
tower and fortress Will guard every in
let, and watch this sheltered coast. In
every vale the low chant of holy nuns
will breathe their benediction upon a
happy people. And hordes of nations
Yet unknown and races yet unborn, in
future legends, in song, in story and in
rhyme viii laud the name of Bourbon
and the glory of the French. oh lad!
lad! It's an ambition worthy q god"
The governor had risen, and waving
his long arms this way and that,
pointed out the confines of his mighty
d.camiand empire with as much as
suianee as if cities and towns would
spring up at his bidding.
His Whole frame spoke the most in
tense emotion. The face. glorified and
TRANSPORTED by the allurement OF his
brilliant mirage. seemed that OF am
other man.
| "Ah, platide! Placide 1t stings me