Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1907-05-23

Amos and the old seigneur had narrow
escapes
Slowly the light crept up the eastern
sky, little line of pearl. then band
Of pink, broadening. stretching. spread
ing, until it shot its warm color across
the heavens, tingeing the edges of the
drifting clouds. De Catinat stood at
the window looking out when suddenly
his eyes fell on a dark spot upon the
river to the north of them.
There is canoe coming up!' he
cried.
In an instant they had all rushed to
the opening, but Du Lhut sprang afte:
them and pulled them angrily toward
the door. do you wish to die before
your timer" he cried.
AYE, ayer said Captain Ephrainl,
who understood the gesture il not the
words. I'VE must leave watch on
deck. Amos, lad, lie here with me
and be ready If they show"
The two Americans and the old pio
neer held the barricade, while the eyes
Of all the others were turned upon thu
approaching boat. A groan broke sud
denly from the only surviving censi-
taire.
1T is an Iroquois canoe" he cried.
"Impossible!'
"Alas. your excellency, 1t is so, and
II is the same one which passed us
last night"
"Ah, then the women have escaped
them"
Il trust so. But, alas, seigneur, |
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 a
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 a
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 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 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 1t 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 clicked the chosen vine
yard OF the church. He. too, clambered
down at the very heels Of his prisoner
and rushed into the stream not ten
PAGES behind him.
And 80 the watchers ut 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 crouchlng 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 cap0t 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 hampered by his
unwieldy clothes. Slower and slower
grew his stroke and lower and lower
his head until at last, with great
shrek Of 'Tn manus tuas, Dominew
he threw up his hands and vanished In
the swirl of the river. A minute later
the watchers, hoarse with screaming to
him to return, saw De Catinat pulled
aboard the Iroquois canoe, which was
instantly turned and continued its
course up the river.
"My Godv' cried Amos hoarsely.
"They have taken him! He Is lostw
81 have seen some strange things In
these forty years, but never the like
Of that" said Du Lhut.
The seigneur took a little pinch of
snuff from his gold box and ficked
the wandering grains from his shirt
front with his dainty lace bandker-
chief.
an. de Catinat has acted like gen.
tlemaD Of France" said he.
Du Lhut glanced round him and
shook his head. Eve are only six
now" said he. 81 fear that they are
up to some deviltry because they are so
very STILL"
'.They are leaving the housev cried
the censitaire, who was peeping
through one of the side windows