from the canoe which
brought him across the river. When he had talked an instant old braves
bounded to their feet with furious cries, the tribes flocked out of
lodges, and women and children caught the panic and came screeching.

"What is the matter?" exclaimed Tonty, unable to understand their rapid
jargon. The Frenchmen drew together with the instinct of uniting in
peril, and, led by old men, the Indian mob turned on them.

"What is it?" cried Tonty.

"The Iroquois are coming! The Iroquois are coming to eat us up! These
Frenchmen have brought the Iroquois upon us!"

"Will you stand off!" Tonty warned them. And every brave in the town
knew what they called the medicine hand in his right gauntlet, powerful
and hard as a war club. They stood in awe of it as something more than
human. He put his followers behind him. The Frenchmen crowded back to
back, facing the savage crowd. Hampered by his imperfect knowledge of
their language, he hearkened intently to the jangle of raging voices,
his keen dark eyes sweeping from face to face. Tonty was a man of
impressive presence, who inspired confidence even in Indians. They held
back from slaying him and his people, but fiercely accused him. Young
braves dragged from the French lodge the goods and forge saved from Fort
Crevecoeur, and ran yelling to heave everything into the river.

"The Iroquois are your friends! The Iroquois are at peace with the
French! But they are marching here to eat us up!"

"We know nothing about the Iroquois!" shouted Tonty. "If they are coming
we will go out with you to fight them!"

Only half convinced, but panic-stricken from former encounters with a
foe who always drove them off their land, they turned from threatening
Tonty and ran to push out their canoes. Into these were put the women
and children, with supplies, and all were paddled down river to an
island, where guards could be set. The warriors then came back and
prepared for fighting. They greased their bodies, painted their faces,
made ready their weapons, and danced and howled to excite one another
to courage. All night fires along shore, and leaping figures, were
reflected in the dark river.

About dawn, scouts who had been sent to watch the Iroquois came running
with news that the enemy were almost in sight across the prairie on the
opposite side, slipping under cover of woods along a small branch of the
Illinois River. They had guns, pistols, and swords, and carried bucklers
of raw