"
But I would not look away from the west. "Some day I shall come back.
Not now. Father, I married Ambition. She lives in the wilderness. I
think I shall abide with her the next year."
He frowned at me. "Where has Madame de Montlivet gone?"
"She has started for her home in England, father."
He tapped his teeth with his forefinger. "You sent a curious guard
with her. Take the advice of an old man who has lived among Indians.
It is usually unwise to mix tribes."
"What do you mean?"
"You should have sent a guard of Ottawas with your wife and Starling."
"They were all Ottawas."
"No, they were more than half Hurons. I counted."
I jammed my teeth together and tried to think. I had just said that
the west was calling me, that I was untrammeled. Untrammeled! Why, I
was enmeshed, choked by conflicting duties. I put my head back, and
breathed hard.
"Father, are you sure? Cadillac himself saw to it that they were all
Ottawas."
The priest stepped forward and wiped his handkerchief across my face.
It was wet. "My son, take this more calmly. Cadillac does not know
one Indian from another. Does this mean harm?"
I shook the sweat from my fingers. "I do not know what it means.
Pages:
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371