CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I. In which a Great Explorer Listens at Midnight to a Tale of Love[ 1]
II. In which de Sancerre is Confronted by a Mystery[ 9]
III. In which a Maiden Shows Her Heart[ 18]
IV. In which de la Salle Reaches a Fateful Decision[ 26]
V. In which a Daughter Grants a Father’s Wish[ 33]
VI. In which Juan Rodriquez Undergoes an Unpleasant Half-hour[ 40]
VII. In which Juan Rodriquez Takes His Revenge[ 49]
VIII. In which Satan has His Way with the Concepcion[ 58]
IX. In which Two Children of the Sun Astonish a Scoundrel[ 64]
X. In which the Cross is Carried to a City of Idolaters[ 72]
XI. In which the Brother of the Sun Welcomes the Children of the Moon[ 81]
XII. In which Chatémuc finds the Inspiration which He Lacked[ 92]
XIII. In which de Sancerre Runs a Stubborn Race[ 103]
XIV. In which the Results of Chatémuc’s Enthusiasm are Seen[ 114]
XV. In which the Gray Friar Dons the Livery of Satan[ 123]
XVI. In which a Spirit Saves de Sancerre from Death[ 133]
XVII. In which de Sancerre Breaks His Fast and Smiles[ 146]
XVIII. In which de Sancerre Hears News of the Great Sun[ 156]
XIX. In which Coheyogo Exhibits His Craftiness[ 167]
XX. In which a White Robe Fails to Protect a Black Heart[ 181]
XXI. In which de Sancerre Wields His Sword Again[ 194]
XXII. In which the City of the Sun Enjoys a Fête[ 206]
XXIII. In which de Sancerre Undergoes Many Varied Emotions[ 219]
XXIV. In which Spirits, Good and Bad, Beset a Wilderness[ 232]
XXV. In which de Sancerre Weeps and Fights[ 242]
XXVI. In which Doña Julia is Reminded of the Past[ 253]
XXVII. In which St. Eustace is Kind to de Sancerre[ 264]
XXVIII. In which de Sancerre’s Island is Besieged[ 277]
XXIX. In which the Great Spirit Comes from the Sea to Reclaim Coyocop[ 290]

ILLUSTRATIONS

“‘THE SWORD AND THE CRUCIFIX!’ WHISPERED DE SANCERRE, POINTING FROM THE SOLDIER TO THE PRIEST”[ Frontispiece]
“THE CAPTAIN HURLED HIM DOWN UPON THE DECK” Facing p. [ 46]
“THE FRENCHMAN, WITH A GRAY SMILE UPON HIS PALLID FACE, RUSHED PAST THE LINE, A WINNER OF THE RACE BY TWO FULL YARDS” “ [ 112]
“COOL, MOTIONLESS, WITH UNFLINCHING EYES, THE FRENCHMAN STOOD WATCHING THE CHIEF PRIEST” “ [ 176]
“A WHITE-FACED MAN PRESSING TO HIS BREAST A DARK-HAIRED MAIDEN” “ [ 238]
“HE FELT A LIGHT HAND UPON HIS ARM, AND GAZED DOWN INTO THE DARK EYES OF THE MAIDEN” “ [ 296]

WITH SWORD AND CRUCIFIX

CHAPTER I
IN WHICH A GREAT EXPLORER LISTENS AT MIDNIGHT
TO A TALE OF LOVE

“Louis le Grand, King of France and Navarre, has deserted pleasure to follow piety—and times are changed, monsieur.”

The speaker, Louis de Sancerre, of Languedoc, descendant of a famous constable of France, leaned against a tree near the shore of a majestic river, and musingly watched the moonbeams as they chased the ripples toward an unknown sea. A soft, cool breeze, heavy with the odor of new-born flowers, caressed his pale, clear-cut face, and toyed with the ruffles and trappings of a costume more becoming at Versailles than in the mysterious wilderness through which its wearer had floated for many weeks.

On the bank at the exiled courtier’s feet lay reclining the martial figure of a man, whose stern, immobile face, lofty brow, and piercing eyes told a tale of high resolve and stubborn will. Sieur de la Salle, winning his way to immortality through wastes of swamp and canebrake and the windings of a great river, had made his camp at a bend in the stream from which the outlook seemed to promise the fulfilment of his dearest hopes. On the crest of a low hill, sloping gently to the water, his followers had thrown up a rude fort of felled trees, and now at midnight the adventurous Frenchmen and their score of Indian allies were tasting sleep after a day of wearisome labor.