ow of rumors of a Spanish
war, and a Natchez-Chickasaw alliance. If these things are true we
would find ourselves entirely cut off from French supplies, and this
colony would literally starve to death. Yes, starve to death with
untold millions of fruitful acres all about us. Had we strength to
fight I would not care so much. With but two companies of
undisciplined troops, a mere straggling handful, officered by
drunkards, we could not defend this post a day against any organized
attack."

All this I knew to be true, so I made no comment. He pursued the
conversation and evidently relieved his mind of much that had troubled
him for months.

"Then this beggarly commissary of mine, and the trafficking priest, de
la Vente, they are constantly stirring up strife against me here, and
putting lies in the hands of my enemies at court. The king, too, is
wearied out with this endless drain upon his treasury for money and
supplies, and is now, so I am informed, almost ready to accede to
Crozat's proposition, and turn over to him the revenues and government
of the colonies."

The old man grew earnest and eloquent.

"What! turn over an empire such as this to a miserable trading
huckster, the son of a peasant--permit him to name the governors and
officers! Why, under his rule, such cattle as la Salle and de la Vente
would feed fat upon the miseries of the people! Great God, Placide, do
you appreciate what that means? To create this peddler of silks and
laces lord of a boundless domain, more magnificent than Louis in his
wildest schemes of conquest ever dreamed? Why, boy, the day will come
when for a thousand leagues the silver lilies will signal each other
from every hill top; marts of commerce will thrive and flourish; the
land will smile with farms and cities, with proud palaces and with
granite castles. The white sails of our boats will fleck every lake
and sea and river with their rich burdens of trade, pouring a fabulous
and a willing wealth into the coffers of the king. Gold and silver
mines will yield their precious stores, while from these niggard
natives we will wrest with mighty arm the tribute they so
contemptuously deny the weakling curs who snap and snarl at my heels.
Grey tower and fortress will guard every inlet, and watch this
sheltered coast. In every vale the low chant of holy nuns will breathe
their benediction upon a happy people. And hordes of nations yet
unknown and races yet unborn, in future