Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1907-05-23
CHAPTER XXIY.
Blu A. CONAN DOYLE.


wv explained. The watchers in
W. the windows at the front
found that il was more than
Hesh and blood could endure to remain
waiting at their posts while the fates
Of their wives and children We're being
decided at the back. All was quiet at
the stockade and the Indians appeared
to be as absorbed as the Canadians in
what was passing upon the river. One
by one, therefore. the men on guard
had crept away and had assembled at
the back to cheer the shot and to groan
as the remaining canoe sped like a
bloodhound down the river in the wake
one at their head who was as full of
wiles and resource as Du Lhut him
self. The Flemish Bastard had
watched the house from behind the
stockade as a dog watches rat hole,
and he had instantly discovered that
the defenders had left their post. With
a score of other warriors he raised a
great log from the edge of the forest,
and, crossing the open space unchal-
lenged. he and his men rushed it
against the door with such violence
as to crack the bar across and tear
the wood from the hinges. The first
intimation which the survivors had Of
the attack was the crash Of the door
and the screams of two Of the negli-
gent swatchmen who had been seized
and scalped in the hall. The whole
basement floor was In the hands Of the
Indians, and De Catinat and his enemy
the friar were cut off from the foot of
the stairs.
Fortunately, however, the manor
houses Of Canada were built with the
one idea of defense against Indians
and even now there were hopes for
the defenders. A wooden ladder which
could be drawn up in case Of need
hung down from the upper windows to
the ground upon the river side. De
Catinat rushed round to this, followed
by the friar He felt for the ladder in
the darkness. 1t was gone.
Then. indeed. his heart sank In de-
spair. Where could he fly to? The
boat was destroyed. The stockades
lay between him and the forest, and
they were I'm the hands Of the Iroquois
Suddenly he heard voice from some
where in the darkness above him.
"Give me your gun, lad" 1t said. II
see the loom of some of the heather
down by the wall"
at is l! 1t is l. Amosw cried De
Cat;not with tho lad1ar. or I
am a dead mani"
"Have care. 1t may be a ruse,"
said the voice of On Lhut
"No. no: I'll answer for IT, cried
Amos, and an instant later down came
the ladder. De Catinat and the friar
rushed up it. and they hardly had their
feet upon the rungs when swarm Of
warriors burst out from the door and
poured along the river bank.
1t was a very small band who now
held the last point to which they could
retreat. Only nine of them remained
the seigneur, Du Lhut the two Ameri-
cans, the friar, De Catinat, Theuriet
taires The stone staircase ran straight
up from the kitchen to the main hall,
and the door which had been barricad-
ed across the lower part by two mat
tresses commanded the whole flight.
The cards were still laid out at one
end Of the table. with the tricks over
tapping each other, as they had left
them. But there was something else
there Of more interest to them, for the
breakfast had not been cleared away,
and they had been fighting all day
with hardly bite or sup Even when
face to face with death Nature still
cried out for her dues, and the hungry
men turned savagely upon the loaf.
the ham and the cold wild duck. A
little cluster OF wine bottles stood upon
the buffet, and these had their necks
Knocked Off and were mptied down
parched Threats.
For four hours sounds Of riot. Of
dancing and Of reveling rose up from
the storehouse, and the smell Of tho
open brandy casks filed the whole air.
More than once the savages quarreled
and fought among themselves. and It
seemed as II they had forgotten their
enemies above, but the besieged soon
FOUND that IL they attempted to pre-
sumo upon this they were as closely
watched as ever. The major domo.