Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1912-10-10

Nehtur ., boufuOn, crleu tefsHOHl,
as soon as the brief greetings We're
over, sand she tells me alls right,
herabouts. Three canoe-loads OF
Injins passed alongshore, goin' up
the lake, she tells me, this very
afternoon; but they didn't see the
smoke, the fire bein' out, and must
have thought. the hut empty; if,
indeed, they knew anythin' Of it.
at ALL"
'sThe last is the most likely" re-
marked Margery; 'for i watched
them narrowly from the beeches
on the shore, and there was no
pointing, or looking up, as would
have happened had there been any
one among them who could show
the others cabin. Houses ant SO
plenty, in this part of the country,
that travellers pass without turn
ing around to look at them. An In
jim has curiosity as well as white
man, though he manages so often
to conceal it,"
didn't you say, Blossom, that
one OF the canoes was much be-
hind the others, and that war
rior in that canoe did look up to-
wards this grove, as if searching
for the cabin?" asked Dorothy.
"Either il was SO, or my fears
made it seem SO. The two canoes
that passed first We're well filled
with Injins, each having eight in
it; while the one that came last
held but four warriors. They were
a mile apart, and the last canoe
seemed to be trying to overtake
the others. / did think that moth
ing nut their haste prevented the
men in the last canoe from land
ing, but my fears may have made
that seem so that was not sou
AS the cheek of the charming
girl flushed with excitement, and
her face became animated, Mar
gerry appeared marvellously hand
some; more so, the bee-hunter
fancied, than any other female he
had ever before SEEN But her
words impressed him quite as
much as her looks; for he at once
saw the Importance of such an
event, to persons in their situa-
ton. The wind was rising on the
lake, and il was ahead for the
canoes; should the savages feel
the necessity of making harbor
they might return to the mouth
OF the Kalamazoo; step that
would endanger all their lives, in
the event OF these Indians proving
to belong to those whom there
was now reason to believe were
in British pay. In times of peace,
the intercourse between the whites
and the redmen was usually ami
cable, and seldom led to violence,
unless through the effects Of
liquor; but. price being placed
on scalps, very different state
of things might be anticipated, as
a consequence of the hostilities.
This was then a matter to be look
ed to; and, as evening was APP
preaching, no time was to be lost.
The shores of Michigan are gen
orally low, nor are harbors either
numerous or very easy of access.
1t would be difficult, indeed, to
find in any other part of the
world. so great an extent of coast
that possesses SO little protection
Tor the navigator as that of this
very lake. There are a good many
rivers, it is true, but usually they
have bars, and are not easy of
entrance. This is the reason why
that very convenient glove, the
Constitution, which can b. made
to fit any hand, has been discover
ed TO have an extra finger in it,
which points mode by which
the Federal Government can create
ports wherever nature has for
gotten to perform this beneficent
office.
But to return TO the narrative !:
The Kalamazoo could be entered
by canoes, though il offered no
very available shelter for a vessel
OF any size. There was no other
shelter for several miles to the
southwark; and, should the wind
increase, of which there were
strong indications, it was not only
possible, but highly probable, that
the canoes would return. Accord
ing to the account of the females,
they had passed only two hours
before, and the breeze had been
gradually gathering strength ever
since. 1t was not unlikely, indeed,
that the attention paid to the war
rior in the last canoe may have
had reference to this very state
of the weather, and his haste to
overtake his companions been con-
nected with a desire to induce