Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-09-28
CHAPTER XVIII.

DEALS MAINLY WITH A GAME OF
CHANCE IN WHICH FRONTENAC
SHUFFLES- THE CARDS.
Tonti was welcomed by FrontCnac
with great rejoicing. The many tales
of death and disaster, industriously
circulated by La Salle's enemies, had
caused many moments of anxiety TO
the comte's mind, and he had come to
fear lest, after all, they might be true,
and he had lost both friend and fu-
ture fortune.
Accordingly after dinner, the night
of Tonti's arrival, they drew near the
table, on which was laid the only map
that Frontenac possessed of the west
ern wilds. Having spread this out
carefully before him, he turned to
TOnti, saying:
Come, mon ami, to your narrative.
l am consumed to know each step Of
your perilous journey"
Then did Tonti commence and re-
late in full all that had happened to
the haDless party in it's wanderings,
pointing out from time to time on the
map the course of their progress.
Frontenac interrupted him often with
eager questionings, with eXclamations
of rage and alarm at moments Of peril,
and with chuckles of delight and roars
of giant laughter as he learned how
difficulties had been overcome or enc
mics duped.
"Parbleu!" he exclaimed, "a worthy
blow! And with your iron fist. A
Mohegan chief?"
Eyes, beset in the street at Montreal
by half score drunken Iroquois as
La Sale and | passed by. They went
too far in their tcrmentings and tried
to cut his ear with a hunting knife.
l could not stand it and went to his
aid. They fed, splitting out broken
teeth as they ran, leaving the Mohe-
gan brave with us. He begged permis-
sion to accompany us. 1t is he,
Akiesko by name, who, with Pompon,
has braved the dangers of our return
to Quebec"
THAT droll Pompon! His wit and
cunning must have helped you many
times"
"Certaincment! Had it not been for
him We should never have returned.
His quick eye it was that saw some
thing was amiss on Christmas eve, as
we sailed from Fort Frontenac across
the lake, and perceived the rocks the
treacherous pilot, bought with Duchess
neau's gold, was driving us straight
upon. He it was who, following La
Sales tracks in the snow, found him
gazing at the great falls with the as
sassin creeping close behind him, and
who fired the shot that pierced the
brain of the wretch and sent him
tumbling into the abyss as he was
about to strike our leader his death
blow. He it was, too, when on the
banks Of the river of the Illini La
Sale informed us that one must re-
main and hold the fort with the
men, while the other two must force
their way back to Quebec for aid, that
volunteered to accompany me. | can
also witness to his cunning when, our
journey eastward half completed we
were caught by the Hurons and would
have perished miserably, both he and
| and Akiesko, had he not had the
lucky thought of feigning madness and
leading the whole tribe merry dance
about the village. aifordine us an op-
portunity to escape Ma fol, at times
| believe he holds something more
than brains within his head, methlnks
he has a deyill He also auointed his
face that might with phosphorus paste
so that when tho sayagos followed
him into the woods he turned upon
them, his features all agloW ia the
dark and they fled giving him time 10
reiain us. Then, too. the contents Cf
his leather pouch afforded am anti
dofe 20 the poison La Sale had eaten
with his food placed there by another
Of the iutendauts accured agents
asu.ssz. our men,"