Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 57: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

WITHOUT FEAR. ‘““T will imprison the wretch!” exclaimed De Sauvole impetuously. D’Albret shook his head decisively. “T beg of you, monsieur!” he remon- strated. For reasons at present known only to myself I pray you not to let him know that he is suspected of being other than an objectionable character.” “ But, monsieur,” protested De Sauvole, ‘as governor of Fort Maurepas, I must in- sist upon knowing your reasons for sus- pecting the man, so that the safety of this garrison may not be imperilled.”’ D’Albret meditatively nodded his head. ‘“‘T will discuss the matter with you at some other time, monsieur,”’ he said. “ Mayhap a soldier of your wisdom and experience may know better than I what to do in the circumstances.” The door, which Bourdelais had closed behind him, opened at this juncture and Bienville reéntered the room. His black eyes rested resentfully for a moment upon the back of the handsome stranger who oc- cupied a seat beside Mlle. Paradis, and he walked over to where a chair lay vacant beside De Sauvole. D’Albret looked up with polite anticipa- tion as the youth took his seat at the table, and then both men—the dashing Gascon and the fiery young Canadian—arose simul- taneously to their feet and, with joyous ex- clamations, rushed into each other’s arms. ‘¢ Antoine D’Albret!” cried Bienville, his eyes wide with unbelief. ‘‘ What good spirit brought thee here?” ‘“‘ Jean Baptiste!” was D’Albret’s delight- ed rejoinder. “I thought thee still in France!” The two men held each other at arm’s length and looked delightedly into each other’s faces. Then they embraced again as each excitedly interrogated the other. “T thought thee in Spain, Antoine!”’ cried Bienville. ‘“‘ The fame of Sans Peur and his daring exploits have reached even to Quebec!” ; ‘When didst thou leave Paris, my little Jean—though not little any longer!” re- plied D’Albret as he affectionately squeezed the boy’s shoulders. ‘“‘ Hast forgotten the tricks I taught thee with the Duchess—the Moorish cut and the Galician parry? Thou 207 wert overly small to wield a heavy sword, I remember—marry, thou were not up to my shoulder in those days!” They laughingly regarded each other again—and at that moment Felice, over- wrought by the strain she had undergone during the past hour, sighed gently and swooned. The startled D’Albret reached down and raised the limp form of the girl in his arms while her anxious father held a glass of wine to her bloodless lips. Bienville, his face suddenly white with anxiety, darted to D’Albret’s side and as the Canadian looked into Felice’s face, the Gascon’s countenance went as pallid as the maiden’s, for he read in the eyes of Bienville a love as great as his own! For the better part of a week all hands Set to and cleared the Soliel of the supplies she had brought to the needy colony. To the fort’s armament of twelve cannon were added eight others and, in the square, log built bastion which did duty as a maga- zine, immense supplies of powder were stored. The addition of several score highly trained fighting men to his inadequate forces was most gratifying to De Sauvole, for he knew that, although the kingdoms of France and Spain were at peace with each other and that, although the latter country had benefitted hugely through the treaty of Ryswick three years before, the Spaniard eyed with disfavor the embryonic colony of Louisiana which separated the Spanish dominion of Mexico on the west from that of Florida on the east. He knew also that it was the Spanish way to act first and apologize afterward, and that, if they considered that there was a chance of successfully annihilating the little French garrison which stood between them and their dreams of empire, they would not hesitate a moment to put their designs into execution, and to reclaim again the land to which De la Salle had in 1683 given the title of Louisiana in honor of his sov- ereign, Louis XIV of France. Furthermore, the Chickasaw Indians, whose territory lay to the north of that of the Biloxis, the tribe whose name D’Iber- Conn LOOOLK CO