The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1904-10-01

age character, but the emergency now
upon him was startling. 1t confused
him. The fact that he had taken sol
cmn oath of allegiance to the American
government could have been pushed
aside lightly enough upon pressing oc.
casion, but he knew that certain conf
dental agents left in Nincennes Ivy
Governor Abbott had, upon the arrival
of Helm, gone to Detroit, and of course
they had carried thither full report
of all that happened in the Church of
st. Xavier when Father Gibault call
cd the people together, and at the fort
when the British flag was hauled down
and la banniere dAlice Roussillon run
up in its place. His expansive imagina.
ton did full credit to itself in eXaggcr.
atlng the Importance of his part in
handing the post over to the rebels.
And what would Hamilton think of
this? Would he consider it treason?
The question certainly bore tragic
suggestion.
NJ. Roussillon lacked everything of
being a coward. and treachery had no
rightful place in his nature. He was
however, SO in the habit of fighting
windmills and making mountains of
molehills that he could not at first
glance see any sudden presentment
with a normal vision. He had no love
for Englishmen, and he did like Amer
leans, but he naturally thought that
Helms talk of fighting Hamilton was,
as his own would have been in a like
case, talk and nothing more. The fort
could not hold out an hour, he well
knew. Then what? All, he but too
well realized the result
Resistance would intiame the English
soldiers and madden the Indians. There
would be "A massacre, and the belts of
savages would sag with bloody scalps.
He shrugged his shoulders and felt a
chill creep up his back.
The first thing NJ. Roussillon did was
TO see Father Beret and take counsel of
him; then he hurried home to dig a
great pit under his kitchen floor in
which he buried many bales of fur and
all his most valuable things. He work.
ed like giant beaver all night long.
Meantime Father Berct went about
over the town quietly notifying the in
habitants to remain In their houses I'M
! til after the fort should surrender,
which, he was sure, would happen the
next day.
"You will be perfectly safe, my chill
dren," he said to them. "No harm can
come TO you If you follow my direc-
tons"
Relying implicitly upon him, they
scrupulously obeyed in every particu,
| lar.
He did not think II necessary to call
at Rousslllon place, having already
given NJ. Roussillon the best advice he
could command.
Just at the earliest break Of day
while yet the gloom Of night scarcely
felt the suns approach, II huge figure
made haste along the narrow streets in
the northern part of the town. If any
person had been looking out through
the little holes called windows in those
silent and raNlcss huts it would have
been easy to Scognize NJ. Roussillon by
his stature and his gait, dimly outlined
us he was. A thought which seemed to
him an inspiration of genius had taken
possession of him and was leading him
as If by the nose straight away To Ham
ilton's lines. lie was freightS with ell
0quence for the ear of that commander
and as he STROBE along facing the crisp
morning air he was rehcarSing under
his breath, emphasizing his periods In
tragic whispers with sweeping gestures
and liberal facial contortions. So alb,
sorbed was he in his oratorical solilo,
guy that he forgot due military Necau
ton and ran plump into the face of a
savage picket guard, who, without re
spect for the great NJ. Roussillon's dig
nifty, sprang up before him, grunted
enormously, tlOurished tomahawk
and spoke in excellent and exceedingly
cultural Indian:
"Wah, surrender
1t is probable that no man ever com
piled with modest request in n more
docile spirit than did NJ. Roussillon
upon that occasion. In fact, his
promptness must have been admirable
for the savage grunted approval and
straightwaN conducted him to Hamil
tons Headquarters on batteau in the
river.
The British commander hale man
of sandy complexion and probably I'M
der middle age, was in no very pleas
ant humor. Some of his orders had
been misunderstood by the chief Of his
Indian allies, so that premature eX
posure of his approach had been made
TO the enemy.
"Wcll, sir who are you" he gruhly
demanded when NJ. Roussillon doomed
before him.
81 am Gaspard Roussillon, the mayor
of Vincennes," was the lofty reply, 81
have come to announce to you officially
that my people greet you Loyalty ant
that my town rs freely at your com
mand" He felt as important as If his
statements had been true.
"Humph! That's it, is IT? Well
Mr. Mayor, you have my congratula
lions, but | should prefer seeing the
military commander and accepting hi,