As you may imagine, Uchichak and the rest were in huge consternation at this, but in the end they promised to follow my advice and form a peace-league among the peoples of the snows. Whether this was ever done I know not to this day.
As to the manner of our return, few of the Crees hereabouts had ever visited the shores of the Great Bay, for the trail led across the Barren Places and their hunting grounds lay rather to the west and south. Soan-ge-ta-ha, however, offered to guide us to one of the posts as soon as we should come to the Chippewa country, and this offer we accepted right willingly.
Talking Owl and his warriors remained a few days longer for a last grand hunt, and a dozen Crees, with Uchichak, arranged to accompany us to the Chippewa country. When the time of parting came, I told them that if possible I would send other messengers to them from the Great Spirit, who should tell them more of Him than could I; but I laid no great weight upon this promise, knowing the men who made up the Adventurers, and indeed the first to come among them with the Word after our leaving, were missionaries from the Canadas.
So once more we turned our backs upon friends and faced, this time eastward, the waste places. The trip to the Chippewa country was a hard one, but Ruth got through it well enough and Grim remained constant at our side. At the Chippewa villages we parted with Uchichak, and there still hang upon the wall before me the magnificent moccasins which he gave me as a parting gift, while to Ruth was given a shirt of doeskin with quill workings in many hues.
Brave Heart kept his promises faithfully, although the Chippewas were bitter against us for the loss of so large a party, and with some of his men led us eastward, thinking to hit upon the Bay and so cross the ice to Albany. But to the post we never came, for we had no sooner come to the Bay, a desolate waste of ice stretching into the distance, than we saw a smoke from a river-mouth, and when we had come to it found there a ship laid up for the winter, and near the ship a little fortified camp of men.
I left our party and advanced down the slope toward them, and when our coming was seen, a man came forth to meet me, while over the camp was run up the flag of France. The man was also French, and I greeted him in his own tongue, asking for refuge and shelter. He tendered us a warm greeting, and therewith we went down to the camp, wondering how this ship of France came to be in the territory of the Adventurers.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE END OF THE LONG TRAIL.
It was simple enough. The ship was the barque Pelican, out of New France, and her company were fur-pirates in the Bay. They had been caught by the ice, but as none at the Company's posts knew of their presence, they were safe enough. In the barque was great store of furs bartered from the Indians, and her master, one de Croissac, sought only to win home again safe ere the Company's ships came from England in the spring.
They were warm-hearted men, these Frenchmen, and gave us of their best. I told de Croissac all our tale, whereat he marveled much, and promised to take us safe to Montreal, whence we could get ship for France or New England, and so home again. Moreover, he knew of the de Courbelles, and that Ruth's heritance was great.