IV
LAUNCHED ON THE GREAT ADVENTURE
On the morning of the third day after the departure of the last brigadeof the fleet, Etienne appeared at the Sault. At the post he purchased asupply of corn, a piece of fat pork, some ammunition and tobacco and twoblankets, and was given credit for them, promising to pay in beaverskins from his next winter's catch. Of the two lads he took no noticewhatever, but his behavior did not surprise them. They knew exactly whatwas expected of them, and in the afternoon of the day he made hispurchases, they left the post quietly. Wishing to give the impressionthat they were going for a mere ramble, they took no blankets, but eachhad concealed about him fish lines, hooks, as much ammunition as hecould carry comfortably and various other little things. The fact thatthey were carrying their guns, hunting knives and small, light axes, didnot excite suspicion. Game was extremely scarce, especially at that timeof year, in the vicinity of the post, the Indians and whites livinglargely on fish. One of the half-breeds laughed at the boys for goinghunting, but they answered good-naturedly that they were not looking foreither bears or moose.
While in sight of the post and the Indian camp, the two lads went at adeliberate pace, as if they had no particular aim or purpose, but assoon as a patch of woods had hidden the houses and lodges from view,they increased their speed and made directly for the place where theywere to meet Etienne. The spot agreed upon was above the rapids, out ofsight of the post, where a thick growth of willows at the river's edgemade an excellent cover. There they found the Ojibwa, in an openingamong the bushes, going over the seams of his canoe with a piece ofheat-softened pine gum. He grunted a welcome, but was evidently not in atalkative mood, and the boys, knowing how an Indian dislikes to bequestioned about his affairs, forbore to ask what had caused his longdelay. They had expected to start at once, but Etienne seemed in nohurry. When he had made sure that the birch seams were all water-tight,he settled himself in a half reclining position on the ground, took sometobacco from his pouch, cut it into small particles, rubbed them intopowder and filled the bowl of his long-stemmed, red stone pipe. Hestruck sparks with his flint and steel, and, using a bit of dry fungusas tinder, lighted the tobacco. After smoking in silence for a fewminutes, he went to sleep.
"He thinks it best not to start until dark," whispered Jean to hiscompanion. "Doubtless he is right. We might meet canoes on the river andhave to answer questions."
Ronald nodded, but inaction made him restless, and presently he slippedthrough the willows and started to make his way along the shore of theriver. In a few moments Jean joined him, and they rambled about untilthe sun was setting. When they returned to the place where Etienne andthe canoe were concealed, they found the Indian awake. He had made asmall cooking fire and had swung his iron kettle over it. As soon as thewater boiled, he stirred in enough of the prepared corn and fat to makea meal for the three of them. While they ate he remained silent anduncommunicative.
Dusk was changing into darkness when the three adventurers launchedtheir canoe. They carried it into the water, and Ronald and Jean held itfrom swinging around with the current while Nangotook loaded it. Todistribute the weight equally he placed the packages of ammunition,tobacco, corn and pork, a birch-bark basket of maple sugar he hadprovided, the blankets, guns, kettle and other things on poles restingon the bottom and running the entire length of the boat. A very littleinequality in the lading of a birch canoe makes it awkward to manage andeasy to capsize. When the boat was loaded Ronald held it steady, whilethe Indian and Jean stepped in from opposite sides, one in the bow, theother in the stern. Ronald took his place in the middle, and they wereoff up the River Ste. Marie, on the first stage of their adventure.
Where the river narrows opposite Point aux Pins, which to this dayretains its French name meaning Pine Point, there was a group of Indianlodges, but the canoe slipped past so quietly in the darkness that eventhe dogs were not disturbed. The voyageurs rounded the point and,turning to the northwest, skirted its low, sandy shore. The water wasstill, and in the clear northern night, traveling, as long as they keptout from the shore, was as easy as by daylight.
As they neared Gros Cap, the "Big Cape," which, on the northern side,marks the real entrance from Ste. Mary's River into Whitefish Bay,Nangotook, in the bow, suddenly made a low hissing sound, as a warningto the boys, and ceased paddling, holding his blade motionless in thewater. The others instantly did the same, while the Indian, with raisedhead, listened intently. Evidently he detected some danger ahead, thoughno unusual sound came to the blunter ears of the white boys.
Suddenly resuming his strokes, Nangotook swerved the canoe to the right,the lads lifting their blades and leaving the paddling to the Ojibwa. Asthey drew near the shadow of the shore, the boys discovered the reasonfor the sudden change of direction. Very faintly at first, then withincreasing clearness, came the sound of a high tenor voice, singing. Itwas an old song, brought from old France many years before, and Jeanknew it well.
"Chante, rossignol, chante, Toi qui a le cocur gai; Tu as le coeur a rire, Moi je l'ai-t-a pleurer,"
sang the tenor voice. Then other voices joined in the chorus.
"Lui ya longtemps que je t'aime, Jamais je ne t'oublierai."
A rough translation would be something like this:
"Sing, nightingale, sing, Thou who hast a heart of cheer, Hast alway the heart to laugh, But I weep sadly many a tear. A long, long time have I loved thee, Never can I forget my dear."
By the time these words could be heard distinctly, the adventurers hadreached a place of concealment in the dark shadow of the tree-coveredshore. There they remained silent and motionless, while three canoes,each containing several men, passed farther out on the moonlit water.They were headed for the Sault, and were evidently trappers or tradersfrom somewhere along the north shore, coming in to sell or forward theirfurs and to buy supplies. Not until the strangers were out of sight andhearing, did the treasure-seekers put out from the shadows again.
At sunrise they made a brief halt at Gros Cap for breakfast, entering anarrow cove formed by a long, rocky point, almost parallel with theshore. There, well hidden from the lake among aspen trees and raspberryand thimbleberry bushes, they boiled their corn and finished the mealwith berries. The thimbleberries, which are common on the shores andislands of Superior, are first cousins to the ordinary red raspberry,though the bushes, with their large, handsome leaves and big, whiteblossoms, look more like blackberry bushes. The berries are longer inshape than raspberries, and those the boys gathered that morning, withthe dew on them, were acid and refreshing. Later, when very ripe, theywould become insipid to the taste.
Anxious to take advantage of the good weather, the three delayed onlylong enough for a short rest. The sun was bright and a light breezerippled the water, when they paddled out from the cove. Jean started avoyageur's song.
"La fill' du roi d'Espagne, Vogue, marinier, vogue! Veut apprendre un metier, Vogue, marinier! Veut apprendre un metier. Vogue, marinier!
"The daughter of the king of Spain, Row, canoemen, row! Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen! Some handicraft to learn is fain, Row, canoemen."
Ronald joined in the chorus, though his voice, not yet through changingfrom boy's to man's, was somewhat cracked and quavering. The Indianremained silent, but his paddle kept time to the music.
They were still in the shadow of the cliff of Gros Cap, rising abruptlyfrom the lake, while to the north, eight or ten miles away across thewater, they could see a high point of much the same general appearance,Goulais Point, marking the northern and western side of a deep bay. Thewater was so quiet that, instead of coasting along the shores of GoulaisBay, they risked running straight across to the point, saving themselvesabout fifteen miles of paddling.
The traverse, as the voyageurs called such a short cut across the mouthof a bay, was made safely, although the wind had risen before the pointwas gained. They proceeded along G
oulais Point, past the mouth of alittle bay where they caught a glimpse of Indian lodges, and through achannel between an island and the mainland. The lodges doubtlessbelonged to Indians who had camped there to fish, but the travelerscaught no glimpse of them and were glad to escape their notice.
The wind, which was from the west, was steadily rising, and by the timethe point now called Rudderhead was reached, was blowing with such forcethat the traverse across the wide entrance to Batchewana Bay was out ofthe question. The voyageurs were obliged to take refuge within the mouthof the bay, running into a horseshoe shaped indentation at the foot of ahigh hill. There a landing was made and a meal of mush prepared.
By that time the adventurers were far enough away from the Sault not tofear discovery. Any one going out from the post in search of them mighteasily follow the two boys' trails to the spot where they had metEtienne. The lads chuckled to think how their aimless wanderings afterthat, while they were waiting for darkness, might confuse a searchparty. It was unlikely, however, that any one would worry about them ormake any thorough search for them, until several days had passed. Theywere now fairly launched on their adventure and their hopes were high.
The Island of Yellow Sands: An Adventure and Mystery Story for Boys Page 4