The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1906-10-08


denly from the only surviving censi-
taire.
1T is an Iroquois canoe" he cried.
'Impossible"'
"Alas. your eXcellency. it is so. and
1t is the same one which passed us
last night"
"Ah. then the women have escaped
them"
II trust SO. But. alas, seigneur, l
fear that there are more in the canoe
now than when they passed u.s."
The little group Of survivors waited
in breathless anxiety while the canoe
sped swiftly up the river, with line
of foam on either side of her and
long forked swirl in the waters behind.
They could see that she appeared to be
very crowded, but they remembered
that the wounded of the other boat
were aboard Of her. On she came, and
on, until as she came abreast Of the
fort she swung round. and the rowers
raised their paddles and burst into
shrill yell Of derision. The stern of
the canoe was turned toward them
now, and they saw that two women
were seated in it. The one was Omega
and the other Adele.
Charles de la NOue. seigneur de Ste.
Marie was a hard and self contained
man. but a groan and a bitter curse
burst from him when he saw his In
dian wife in the hands of her kinsmen,
from whom she could hope for little
mercy. Yet even now his Old fashioned
courtesy to his guest had made him
turn to De Catinat with some words of
sympathy, when there was a clatter of
wood. something darkened the light of
the window, and the young soldier was
gone. Without a word he had lowered
the ladder and was clambering down it
with frantic haste. Then, as his feet
touched the ground, he signaled to his
comrades to draw it up again, and,
dashing into the river. he swan toward
the canoe Without arms and without
a plan, he had but the one thought. that
his place was by the side of his wife in
this the hour Of her danger.
But there was another whose view of
duty led him from safety into the face
Of danger All night the Franciscan
had watched De Catinat as a miser
watches his treasure, filled with the
thought that this hereto was the one
little seed which might spread and
spread until 1t choked the chosen vine
yard of the church. He, too. clambered
down at the very heels of his prisoner
InI iy,tn In CT, nf fny1
PAGES behind him.
And so the watchers at the window
saw the strangest of sights. There in
midstream lay the canoe. with its bur
den of dark warriors, and the two wo
men crouching in the midst of them.
Swimming madly toward them was De
Catinat, rising to the shoulders with
the strength of every stroke, and be-
hind him again was the tonsured head
of the friar. with his dark capot and
long trailing gown floating upon the
surface of the water. But in his zeal
he had thought too little Of his own
powers. He was a good swimmer. but
he was weighed and Lampered by his
unwieldy clothes. Slower and slower
grew bis stroke and lower and lower |
his head until ut last, with great
shrek of In malus tuas. Domino" !
he threw m his hands and vanished il |
the swirl of the river. \ minute later
the watchers, hoarSe with S"-2a ming TO |
him TO return. saw De Catinat pglle | |
aboard the IroQuois canoe. which vas |
instantly turned and continued its
course up the river.
My God" cried Amos hoarsely !
'They have taken him. lie is lost"
Il have seen some strange things in !
these forty years. but never the like |
of that" said Du Lhut.
The seigneur took little pinch of |
snuff from his gold box and ficked |
the wandering grains from his shirt
front with his dainty lace handker-
chief.
M de Catinat has acted like a gen.
tleman of France" said he
Du Lhut glanced round him and
shook his head I'VE are only six
now" said he. Il fear that they are
up to some deviltry because they are so
very still"
They are leaving the house," cried
the censitaire, who was peeping
through one of the side windows.
"What can it mean? Holy Virgin, is
1t possible that we are saved? See
how they throng through the trees!
They are making for the canoe"
IN the river the single Iroquois ca
noe. which held the captives. was
speeding south as swiftly as twenty
paddles could drive it; but, save this
one dark streak upon the blue stream,
not sign was to be seen of their en-