Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-05-21
CHAPTER Iv-continued.

Put her into the bank there. boys,
to the right" l commanded. Beyond
the roots Of that big oak. Wen
breakfast, and then rest awhile"
This was accomplished with a sweep
Of the paddles. and We stepped ashore,
the Indians drawing the light canoe
well up into the mud, Brady stamping
about to restore circulation. Schultz
collapsed In his seat, and stopped to
shake him.
Tired, man? Move about and you'll
feel better"
"Mein Gott," he moaned. rolling his
eyes up at mt imploringly. Il o mos
ded NIT der tire-ness. Mein feet won't
move already"
That will be all right, Schultz" ]
said kindly. I'll help you ashore( and
you can rest awhile. until you feel bet
ter. I'll do the cooking this morning"
We were still too close to the settle
ments to be in very much danger. and
felt little necessity for guarding our
presence. White hunters penetrated
DC LdI uOl IL dS lhc hc, n ~ AN
ing parties of hostile Indians would
have been reported. Brady shook his
head when | mentioned the possibility,
smoking calmly.
There amt nc redskins down in
yer" he returned confidently. "Or
some O. the boys along the river would
O. let me know"
How far have We Gomez
He spoke to the Delawares, and one
of them replied in his own language.
He reckons bout fifty miles, though
1t would be less than that straight
across country. 1t takes maybe two
days an a night ter make the forks
with good padding"
AS none of the toll Of our progress
up stream had thus far fallen upon me
! remained on guard over the tired
%sleepers, cleaning away the debris OF
the meal, and packing the cooking
utensils back in the canoe. The men
slept soundly. although l noticed how
any movement, ever the slight rustic
Of leaves in a sudden puff of wind,
served to rouse Brady or the Indiana
to instant consciousness. They pos.
seseed the instinct Of wild animals
ever alert to danger. It must have
been fully oon when I aroused them
and we again headed the canoe w
stream, Brady willingly taking the sol
| dier's place at the after paddle, while
! lay back in the stern, my coat serv
ing for a pillow, and finally fell asleep
The river narrowed rapidly as we
advanced northward, until the grea,
the sun overhead. The Delawares were
already exhibiting a disinclination tc
proceed, and we were compelled to
hold them by threats to their work
Each mile Of advance northward added
to their terror, and made our task
more difficult. Once Brady struck the
chief, driving him back to his place
in the anoe. This was when we dis
covered unmistakable signs that a par
ty OF Miamis had crossed the river
only shortly before we passed the spot
However, we ran the gauntlet safe
ly, a mere silent shadow slipping along
In the dark shade of the protecting
bank, and thus finally attained the
forks, and landed on the west shore
1t was dark when we got there, but the
Delawares were so eager to return,
that we Immediately put ashore all we
intended to pack with US, and parted
with them gladly. The canoe shot
swiftly away into the gloom. leaving
the three Of us alone. Bearing our
loads with US. we CROPPED a blind way
through the forest, back toward the
foot OF the bluff. where we made camp,
as best we might, at the mouth Of "a
ravine, well sheltered by underbrush,
and lay down, without v~enturing to
light a fire. For some time, scarcely q
memory Of Rene D'Auvray had re.
manned with me, my mind being fully
occupied with the increasing peril OF
our position; yet as I lay there in the
silence. looking up at the stars, her
eyes seemed suddenly to emile again
into mine, and / dreamed Of her as I
slept. The dawn found us safe, seem.
ingly alone in the wilderness.