XI THE FIRE-LIT ORGY
Before starting back the way they had come, the brothers had to haveprovisions. Early the next morning they went up the St. Louis River.Beyond the bar the river widened to two miles or more. In midstream thecurrent was strong, but Hugh steered into the more sluggish water justoutside the lily pads, reeds and grass of the low shore. About threemiles above the mouth, a village of bark lodges was passed, wheresharp-nosed dogs ran out to yelp and growl at the canoe.
A short distance beyond the Indian village stood the log fort and tradingpost of the Old Northwest Company's Fond du Lac station, one of severalposts that were still maintained in United States territory. The two boyslanded and attempted to buy provisions. Blaise was not known to the clerkin charge, and Hugh, when asked, gave his middle name of MacNair. JeanBeaupre had passed this post on his way down the river, and the lads didnot know what conversation or controversy he might have had with the OldCompany's men. So they thought it wise to say nothing of theirrelationship to the elder Beaupre. Brought up to be truthful andstraightforward, Hugh found it difficult to evade the clerk's questions.The older boy left most of the talking to the younger, who had his shareof the Indian's wiliness and secretiveness. Blaise saw nothing wrong indeceiving enemies and strangers in any way he found convenient. To Hugh,brother and comrade, Blaise would have scorned to lie, but he did notscruple to let the Northwest Company's man think that he and Hugh were ontheir way from the south shore to the Kaministikwia in the hope of takingservice with the Old Company.
The post could spare but little in the way of provisions. Less than ahalf bushel of hulled corn, a few pounds of wild rice, left from thesupply brought the preceding autumn from the south shore, and a verysmall piece of salt pork were all the clerk could be persuaded to partwith. As they were leaving he gave the boys a friendly warning.
"Watch out," he said, "for an Iroquois villain and his band. They arereported to be lingering along the north shore and they are a bad lot. Heused to be a hunter for the company, but he murdered a white man and isan outcast now, a fugitive from justice. The rascal is called Ohrante. Ifyou catch sight of a huge giant of an Indian, lie low and get out of hisway as soon and as fast as you can."
On the way back to the river mouth, the lads stopped at the Indianvillage. After much bargaining in Ojibwa, Blaise secured a strip of driedvenison, as hard as a board, and a bark basket of sugar. To these peoplethe lad spoke of the warning the clerk had given him, but they could tellhim no more of the movements of Ohrante than he already knew.
The brothers were glad to get away from the Indian encampment and out onthe river again. The village was unkempt, and disgustingly dirty and illsmelling. It was evident that most of the men and some of the squaws werejust recovering from a debauch on the liquor they had obtained from thetraders.
"They are ruining the Ojibwa people, those traders," Blaise said angrily,after the two had paddled a short distance down-stream. "Once an Ojibwagets the habit of strong drink, he will give all he has for it. The rivalcompanies contend for the furs, and each promises more and strongerliquor than the other. So the evil grows worse and worse. In the end, asour father said, it will ruin the Ojibwa altogether."
Hugh did not reply for a moment, then he said hesitatingly, "Did fatherbuy pelts with drink?"
"Not the way most of the others do," Blaise replied promptly. "Liquor hehad to give sometimes, as all traders must, now the custom is started,but our father gave only a little at a time and not strong. Whenever hecould he bought his furs with other things. Always he was a friend to theOjibwa. He became one of us when he married into the nation, and he was agood son, not like some white men who take Ojibwa wives. Many friends hehad, and some enemies, but few dared stand against him. He was a strongman and a true one."
Blaise spoke proudly. Once again Hugh, though glad to hear so much goodof his adventurous father, felt a pang of jealousy that the half-breedboy should have known and loved him so well.
Departure was delayed by rain and a brisk wind from the lake, that swayedand bent the trees on the exposed bar, drove the waves high on the outershore and blew the sand into food and cooking fire. Not until lateafternoon of the next day did Hugh and Blaise succeed in getting away.They paddled till midnight and, determined to make the greatest possiblespeed up the shore, took but four hours' rest. All the following day theytravelled steadily, then camped at a stream mouth and were away again atdawn. Bad weather delayed them that day, however, and caused a late startnext morning. Eager to get ahead, they did not land to prepare food untilmid-afternoon. After the meal and a rest of not more than a half hour,they resumed their paddles.
Even the going down of the sun did not persuade them to cease theirlabor. There would be no moon till towards morning, but the brotherspaddled on through the darkening twilight. The wind was light, merelyrippling the water, and they wanted to get as far on their way aspossible.
Blaise, in the bow, was still steadily plying his blade, when, throughthe blackness of the gathering night, he caught sight of a spark oflight. He uttered an exclamation and pointed to the light with hispaddle.
"A camp," he said, speaking softly as if he feared being overheard evenat that distance. "It is best to avoid it."
As they went on, the light grew stronger and brighter. A fire was blazingin an open spot on an island or point. Tiny black figures became visibleagainst the flames. The sounds of shouts and yells were borne across thewater. Something out of the ordinary was going on. That was no merecooking fire, but a huge pile, the flames lighting up the land and water.Around the blaze, the black figures were capering and yelling. Was itsome orgy of devils? Had the place where the fire burned been near theDevil Track River, even Hugh might have thought this a feast of fiends.But it was some miles away from the Devil Track. Moreover, his earsassured him that the yells, sounding louder and louder, were from thethroats of men, not of spirits.
Blaise had been considering his whereabouts. With the Indian's keen senseof location and accurate memory of ground he has been over, he hadconcluded that the place where the fire burned was the rocky end of anisland he remembered passing on the way down. The island lay close in,only a narrow waterway separating it from the heavily wooded main shorewhere trees grew down to the water's edge.
Paddles dipped and raised noiselessly, the canoe slipped through thewater. Blaise set the pace, and Hugh kept the craft close in the shadowof the wooded mainland. As they drew nearer the island, Blaise raised hisblade and held it motionless. Hugh immediately did the same. The canoe,under good headway, slipped by, without a sound that could bedistinguished from the rippling of the water on the rocks of the island.Hidden in the blackness beyond the circle of wavering firelight, the twogazed on a fear-inspiring scene.
Close to the leaping flames, lighted clearly by the glare, rose the whitestem of a tall birch. Tied to the tree was a man, his naked body redbronze in the firelight and streaked with darker color. Five or six otherfigures were leaping and yelling like fiends about the captive, dartingin on him now and again to strike a blow with club, knife or fire brand.The meaning of the horrid scene was plain enough. An unlucky Indiancaptive was being tortured to death.
It was not the tortured man, however, or the human fiends dancing abouthim that held Hugh's fascinated gaze. Motionless, arms folded, anotherfigure stood a little back from the fire, a towering form, gigantic inthe flickering light.
Paddles raised, rigid as statues, scarcely daring to breathe, the twolads remained motionless until the slackening and swerving of their craftmade it necessary for Blaise to dip his blade cautiously. They werebeyond the fire now and still in the deep shadow of the overhangingtrees. But the waterway between shore and island was narrow. Until theyhad put a greater distance between themselves and the hideous, fire-litpicture, they could feel no assurance of security. Keeping close toshore, they used the utmost caution. At last a bend in the mainland, witha corresponding curve in the island, hid the fire f
rom sight. Lookingback, they could still see the light of the flames through the trees andon the water, but the blazing pile itself was hidden from view.
Even then the two boys relaxed their caution but little. Near exhaustionthough they were, they paddled on and on, with aching muscles and headsnodding with sleep. Not until they were several miles away from theisland orgy of Ohrante and his band, did the brothers dare to land andrest. Too weary to cook a meal, each ate a lump of maple sugar, sucked abit of the hard, unchewable, dried venison, rolled himself in his blanketand slept.