Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-10-29
She held up one hand with four

She held up one hand with four
fingers outspread.
"Four days." she replied. "Time
when Mashkaugan came In the
night"
"Did you see him 2"
mo see him." she replied. "Canoe
gone and then canoe come back, 80
Mashkaugan here"
She shrugged her shoulders and
went up the sloping bank, bearing
her heavy black kettle.
Curran dashed off to the chiefs
tent. 1t suddenly struck him that he
had not seen Ameou for some time.
AS a rule, she was always busy be-
for the tent, over the cooking fire, or
doing some Of the endless jobs In
dian women always find waiting for
them. He must ask II she was Ill
or had disappeared.
This time he laid aside the usual
formality Of asking for admittance.
He found the old chief just returned
with big quarter of meat. The wife
and children were also in the tent,
but there was no sign Of the young
woman.
"Where's your daughter7" he de-
manded harshly.
with his thumb.
"Gone away with White Beard, the
Manitou Ilno," he answered quietly.
"Why didn't you tell me of this
I've been expecting all the time to
see her. What are you hiding from
me?"
"T hide nothing" replied the old
chief. "You never ask me-"
Curran swore loudly.
where have they gone? What
do you know about all this7 II
you're trying to play tricks on me
you'll go hungry this winter. Not a
pound Of -four will you get. You'll
just take up your tent and your wo-
man and the brats and get out Of
here. You knew wanted Ameou for
my wife, and now you've gone and
sent her away, have you? You're
going to have to deal with me
now"
He hammered the palm Of his left
hand with his fist, raging so that the
children covered in a corner of the
tent; but the old man looked at him
quietly, his serene and wrinkled face
displaying not the slightest trace
of emotion.
"Gone to camp of Atuk, the Mas
caupee, on Many Beaver Lake." he
answered. go look see, if you
want"
But Curran had already dashed
out of the tent,
"Here, Akitamck! Kaku! Hustle
along here! Get my canoe ready at
once and get your paddles! Run over
to the post and get bread and meat
and tea for a day or two! Never
mind the cooking things, for we're
going where we can borrow some!
Hurry up, and don't keep me wait
ing, or III pull the pelts off you!
He ran to the post, yelling orders
to old Cyprien. From his room he
took a pistol, which he stuck in his
hip-pocket. He was mad all through,
and felt that he was in the mood to
hurt somebody.
"Let any of these chaps play any
dog-tricks on me and they'd get
holes punched in themw he ex-
claimed.
When he entered the canoe he also
took a paddle. AS rule, he consd-
cred it against his dignity to work
when there were men to do the
sweating for him; but now he was
in hurry.
In another minute they were
afloat, and the canoe was going
downstream at a good pace. The
Indians seemed to work more easily
than the agent; doubtless they la
bored more effectively. But Curran
was not satisfied with the speed, and
kept urging them on ceaselessly.
"You men get confoundedly lazy,
sitting around the post for the whole
summer, doing nothing" he sneer-
ing. 81 could have taken your two
squaws and got better gait out of
| them"
The Indians made no reply. Their
faces remained impassive. Neverthe-
less, this sort of speech offended
them deeply and they made show
of urging the canoe to greater
speed.
Curran was too excited to notice
it, and. while they seemed to bend
harder to their toll, the canoe dis
tinctlv lost headway.
1t took them considerably over
two hours to reach Many Beaver
Lake. Atuk's camp was not visible
from the outlet. The men did not
know the exact spot where it was To-
Gated.
They shifted like moose scenting
an enemy and looked carefully over
the tree-tops at the margin of the
lake. Then one of them pointed and
the other nodded.
"Fire over there" he said.
Cu2ran stared, seeiny nothing;
but he knew the ability of the In
dians to smell smoke or to see thin
wisp of it far beyond the limits of a
white mans vision.
1t was not until they were half
way across the lake that he was
able to distinguish curling above the
dark frs and spruces tiny column
of smoke that rose above the trees.
When they landed the first person
Curran saw was Father Gregoire,
who was pacing up and down the lit
tie cleared space before the tent,
reading his breviary. He came to-
ward the agent, who approached
him truculently.
~ am glad you have come,"' said
the missionary pleasantly. "We are
all rejoicing over many blessings.