Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-12-15
CHAPTER xV-Contlnued.

Madame cassIon, D'Artlgny and
earbeau are making their way In ca.
noe and on foot to Fort st. Louis.
- was but girl in years, excitement
was still to me a delight, and I had
listened to so many tales, romantic,
wonderful, of this wilderness fortress,
perched upon q rock, that my vivid
imagination had weaved about it an
atmosphere Of marvel. The beauty of
the view from its palisades, the vast
Goncourse Of Indians encamped on the
plains below. and those men guarding
Its safety-the faithful comrades of
La Sale in explorations Of the I'M
known, De Tonty, Boisrondet and all
the others, had long since become to
my mind the incarnation Of romantic
adventure. Wilderness born, l could
comprehend and appreciate their tolls
and dangers, and my dreams conferred
shout this great, lonely. rock, on which
they had established a home. But the
end was not yet. Just below the con-
fuence Of the rivers there was a vii
lage Of the TamarOas, and the PROV
OF our canoe touched the bank, while
D'Artigny stepped ashore amid a
tangle Of low-growing bushes, that he
might have speech with some of the
warriors, and thus learn conditions at
the fort. With his foot on the bank
he turned laughing, and held out his
hand to me.
"Come, madame" he said, pleasant
~, "you have never seen a village of
our western tribes; 1t will interest
you"
! I Joined him gladly, my limbs feel
ing awkward under me, from long
cramping In the boat, yet the climb
was not difficult, and he held back the
boughs to give me easy passage. Be
y0nd the fringe of brush there was an
open space, but as we reached this,
both paused, stricken dumb by horror
at the sight which met our view. The
ground before us was strewn with
dead, and mutilated bodies, and was
black with ashes where the tepees had
been burned, and their contents scat
tered broadcast.
! Never before had I seen such view
Of devastation, Of relentless, savage
cruelty. and gave utterance to sud-
den sob, and shrank back against
D'Artigny's arm, hiding my eyes with
my hand. He stood and stared, mo-
tionless, breathing heavily, uncon-
sciously gripping my arm.
"Mon Dieuw he burst forth, at last.
"What meaneth thisl Are the wolves
again loose in the valley?"
/ He drew me back, until we were
both concealed behind a fringe of
leaves, his whole manner alert, every
instinct of the woodsman instantly
awakened.
Remain here hidden" he whis-
pered, until I learn the truth; we
may face grave peril below"
He left me trembling and white
Tipped, yet l made no effort to re-
strain him. The horror Of those dead
bodies gripped me, but I would not
have him know the terror which held
me captive. With utmost caution he
crept forth, and l lay in the shadow
of the covert watching his move
ments. Body after body he ap-
preached, seeking some victim alive,
and able to tell the story. But there
was none. At last he stood erect,
satisfied that none beside the dead
were on that awful spot, and came
back to me.
"Not one lives" he said soberly,
"and there are men, women, and chill
dren there. The story is one easily
toid-an attack at daylight from the
woods yonder There has been no
fighting; a massacre Of the helpless
and unarmed."
"But who did such deed of blood?"
It's the work Of the Iroquois; the
,way they scalped tells that, and be-
ssesz saw other sigDs.~