You need your strength.
We have hours to get through here before we leave, and little to do to
help us through the time. We must wait here for Pierre."
"What do you mean? We must go at once."
"No, we wait for Pierre. It may be dusk before he returns. I sent him
over the portage yesterday with orders to explore some leagues to the
south. We must wait for him. He can tell us whether Pemaou went east
by way of the portage."
"But we lose time!"
"We gain it. If Pemaou did not go by way of the portage, he went west.
He would not dare go north, for fear of the Pottawatamies, and he would
have no object in going south. He went east or west. We can learn
from Pierre."
The man's shoulders heaved. "Your men were cowards," he muttered.
I looked at him. So a coward could despise a coward! "My men were
wise," I corrected. "With Simon killed there were only two men
left,--one, rather, for Leclerc is a nonentity. Labarthe, left alone,
was wise to surrender. He is skillful with Indians. Monsieur, tell me
of your dealings with Pemaou. Tell me your trip here. I need details."
He measured me. "You dictate, monsieur?"
I pointed to Simon's body. "That is my claim."
He gulped at that, and turned his back on the red horror to fix his
steady, critical gaze on my face.
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