The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Chase Of Saint-Castin And Other Stories
Of The French In The New World, by Mary Hartwell Catherwood

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Title: The Chase Of Saint-Castin And Other Stories Of The French In The New World

Author: Mary Hartwell Catherwood

Release Date: April 29, 2004 [EBook #12199]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE CHASE OF SAINT-CASTIN

AND OTHER STORIES OF

THE FRENCH IN THE

NEW WORLD

BY

MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD

[Illustration]

1894

THE CHASE OF SAINT-CASTIN.

The waiting April woods, sensitive in every leafless twig to spring,
stood in silence and dim nightfall around a lodge. Wherever a human
dwelling is set in the wilderness, it becomes, by the very humility of
its proportions, a prominent and aggressive point. But this lodge
of bark and poles was the color of the woods, and nearly escaped
intruding as man's work. A glow lighted the top, revealing the faint
azure of smoke which rose straight upward in the cool, clear air.

Such a habitation usually resounded at nightfall with Indian noises,
especially if the day's hunting had been good. The mossy rocks lying
around, were not more silent than the inmates of this lodge. You could
hear the Penobscot River foaming along its uneasy bed half a mile
eastward. The poles showed freshly cut disks of yellow at the top; and
though the bark coverings were such movables as any Indian household
carried, they were newly fastened to their present support. This was
plainly the night encampment of a traveling party, and two French
hunters and their attendant Abenaquis recognized that, as it barred
their trail to the river. An odor of roasted meat was wafted out like
an invitation to them.

"Excellent, Saint-Castin," pronounced the older Frenchman. "Here
is another of your wilderness surprises. No wonder you prefer an
enchanted land to the rough mountains around Bearn. I shall never go
back to France myself."

"Stop, La Hontan!" The young man restrained his guest from plunging
into the wigwam