hair by a crackling
fire, for continual dampness made the July night raw; and the crane was
swung over the blaze with a steaming tea-kettle on one of its hooks.
Several Indians also sat by the stone flags, opposite the host, moving
nothing but their small restless eyes; aboriginal America watching
transplanted Europe, and detecting the incompatible qualities of French
and English blood.

The bar-room had its orchestra of three banjos, making it a hall of
music every night in the year. And herein Africa added itself to the
civilization of the New World. Three coal-black slaves of the host's sat
on a bench sacred to them, and softly twanged their instruments,
breaking out at intervals into the wild chants of their people;
improvising, and stimulating each other by musical hints and
exclamations. It was evident that they esteemed their office; and the
male public of Kaskaskia showed them consideration. While the volume of
talk was never lessened during their glees, the talkers all listened
with at least one ear. There was no loud brawling, and the laughter
raised by argument rarely drowned the banjos. Sometimes a Frenchman was
inspired to cut a pigeon wing; and Father Baby had tripped it over every
inch of this oak floor, when the frenzy for dancing seized him and the
tunes were particularly irresistible. The bar-room gave him his only
taste of Kaskaskia society, and he took it with zest. Little wizened
black-eyed fellows clapped their hands, delighting, while their priest
was not by, in the antics of a disreputable churchman; but the bigger
and colder race paid little attention to him.

Various as were the home backgrounds of the lives converging at the
tavern, there were but two topics before that little public while the
cosy fire roared and the banjos rattled. A rumor of coming high water
was running down the Mississippi valley like the wind which is driven
before a rush of rain; and the non-separation party had suffered some
local defeat in the Indiana Territory. The first item of news took
greatest hold on those serious Anglo-Americans who had come from the
Atlantic coast to found estates in this valley. On the contrary, the
peasant tenant gave his mind to politics. It was still an intoxicating
privilege for him to have a say in the government.

"Dese Indiana Territory fellers," piped a grasshopper of a Frenchman,
springing from his chair in excitement, "dey want our slaves, dey want
our Territory,--dey want de hid