Auguste Chouteau

“ But M. de Neyon's real reasons to take a great group with him and go down the Mississippi in triumph was to make the government believe that all these people were following him entirely out of respect for him, and in that way gain the trust of the authorities and win a seat he had his eye on.
But when he found out, upon his arrival in New Orleans, that the country had been ceded to Spain, he decided to go to Europe, forgetting all the promises he had made to all the poor incredulous people stuck there with no idea of what to do. ”

“ You, Missouris, you will not be eaten by eagles, but men have been at war with you for some time, and there are many against you, who are few. They will kill your warriors because they will wish to defend themselves, and will turn your women and children into slaves. This shall come to pass for following, as you say, in the steps of the ducks and the bustards instead of those of men who know how to think. ”

“ Page 5 "If you men insist on settling here, I warn you, as a good Father that there are 6 or 7 hundred soldiers at Fort de Chartres, there to fight the English, who are keeping them busy at the moment, because they also remain on the alert all around the fort, in the rooms from which they wait for the English. ”

“ And you will start clearing the land and building a great hangar in which to store the provisions and the tools, and small cabins to lodge the men, and you shall give to your trustiest men, who will be able to help you the most. ”

“ A good Father speaks to you. Reflect well on what he has told you, give him your answer this evening. I do not think I can give you a longer deadline because I must go to Fort de Chartres."
That evening the whole Nation, men, women and children found M. de Laclède and told him that they had opened their ears to his discourse and that they followed all his advice, and asked him to take pity on the women and children and give them some provisions and some gunpowder and bullets for the men so that they could hunt while going up the Missouri and to defend themselves in case of attack. ”

“ I will answer your discourse with few words, and I shall tell you that if you follow the way of the ducks and the bustards to find yourselves a place, you follow bad guides with lack of foresight, because if they had any, they would not settle down onto clear waters, because the eagles, all the carnivorous birds would find them easily, which they would not be able to do if they were hidden away and covered with underbrush. ”

“ During the winter of 1764 to 1765, the Savages in the north of this country found out that the English were gathering munitions at New Orleans to take possession of the different nations of the Illinois country.
These savages, wanting to oppose them, went to Fort de Chartres, 400 men strong, with the famous Pontiac of the Outarrois nation at their head, who had absolute power over all these tribes, for having commanded them in many takings of forts occupied by the English, against whom he fought a cruel war since the peace of 1762. ”

“ And in the following days, the whole Missouri village left to go back up the Missouri to their old village.
Page 6 After having stayed here 15 days, during which I had the basement of the house dug and then built by the women and the children. I paid them in Alêne vermillion, and in copper. They did most of the digging, hauling out the earth in large wooden plates and in baskets they balanced on their heads. M. de Laclède left for the Fort de Chartres a few days after the savages, after having left instructions he deemed necessary to the work on his settlement. ”

“ Open your ears and remind yourselves that it is Pontiac who is speaking to you." After that moment, the Illinois seemed to join the others, I think because they could not do otherwise.
After diverse talks, Pontiac went to see M. de St Ange, taking the braves with him, and while looking at him, said: "my Father, I and my warriors have long wanted to take your hand and smoke the peace pipe together, while speaking of all the campaigns that we have led together. From this meeting and these words served against the Savages and these English dogs." ”

“ He found Ste. Genevieve unacceptable because of its distance from the Missouri river, and unsanitary location. Consequently he left Fort de Chartres in December, taking along a trusted young man, and surveyed all the land from Fort de Chartres to the Missouri river.
Page 2 He was enchanted to see the location where St. Louis presently stands. He did not hesitate a moment to found the settlement he planned. In addition to the beauty of the site, it had all the advantages one could wish for in a place which might become very important in the future. ”

“ Chouteau without difficulty. I have not yet determined on the line of conduct to be pursued with him; but believe, on his giving a positive refusal, I shall use military law. What the result will be is uncertain; but to be thus braved by a scoundrel will be lessening the dignity of our government. He is married into a powerful family, and appears, next to White Hair, to have the most influence in the Grand [Osage] village. The general will please to observe that much of the foregoing rests on conjecture, and therefore will give it its due weight. ”

“ The hour had struck; let the whole city go up in flame, let its people be cleansed by the fiery purification! But a sight that he saw presently filled him with surprise: a band of five or six men came hurrying out of the building, headed by a tall varlet in whom he recognized Chouteau, his former comrade in the squad of the 106th. He had seen him once before, after the 18th of March, wearing a gold-laced kepi; he seemed by his bedizened uniform to have risen in rank, was probably on the staff of some one of the many generals who were never seen where there was fighting going on. ”

“ The squad was out of sorts and sulky. Men couldn’t be expected to be lively on an empty stomach. And then there was the rain that poured down incessantly, and the mud in which they had to make their beds.
Observing Pache make the sign of the cross after mumbling his morning prayer, Chouteau captiously growled:
“Ask that good God of yours, if he is good for anything, to send us down a couple of sausages and a mug of beer apiece.”
“Ah, if we only had a good big loaf of bread!” sighed Lapoulle, whose ravenous appetite made hunger a more grievous affliction to him than to the others. ”

“ Chouteau continued, with an ugly look at Jean; “dirty, miserable skunks, who treat us worse than beasts, and, when a man’s back is broken with the weight of his knapsack and Brownbess, aïe! aïe! object to his planting them in the fields to see if a new crop will grow from them. What do you suppose they would say, comrades, hein! now that we are masters, if we should pitch them all out upon the track, and teach them better manners? ”

“ Chouteau continued. “I wonder if that is the advance against the enemy that they have been dinning in our ears of late! Strikes me as rather queer! No sooner do we get into camp than we turn tail and make off, never even stopping to taste our soup.” ”

“ Lieutenant Rochas was quite indignant: 'Wait a bit, you bandits!' he shouted, 'I'll teach you to guzzle while we others are risking our skins!'
Chouteau, however, would have none of his reprimand. 'Just remember, you old lunatic,' said he, 'that there are no lieutenants left now; we are all free men! ”

“ Pache, who had finished his sewing, replied to his name in a scarcely audible voice as though he were mumbling a prayer. Chouteau, without even rising, let his answer drop disdainfully from his lips, and then stretched himself out more comfortably. Meanwhile, Rochas, the lieutenant on duty, stood waiting, motionless, a few yards off. When the roll had been called, and Sergeant Sapin came to tell him that there was no one missing, he protruded his chin in the direction of Weiss, who was still chatting with Maurice, and growled from under his moustache, 'There's even one man too many. ”

“ Jean and Maurice had averted their eyes in horror from the disgusting spectacle; still, however, the pangs of hunger were gnawing at their vitals, and when the band slunk rapidly away, so as not to be caught in the vicinity of the incriminating carcass, they followed it. Chouteau had discovered three large beets, that had somehow been overlooked by previous visitors to the field, and carried them off with him. ”

“ When he has finished this trip he declares he will return and settle on his estates on the Loire which he says have been returned to him by Bonaparte. Whether Black Hawk meant him when he bade me beware of the White Wolf I know not. I could get very little information when I spoke to him before leaving Pierre Chouteau's, and I am not sure he had any to give me, yet I think he knows something. I confess I have been suspicious of this fellow from the first, arriving, as he did, on the heels of my letter of warning. And now what think you 'tis best to do? ”

“ And, indeed, on a shot being fired from a window above him, he looked up and again saw Chouteau and his men, who were now frantically climbing the stairs of the corner houses on either hand, carrying lighted torches as well as cans of petroleum. Half an hour later, the whole crossway was flaring under the black sky, and Maurice, still reclining behind the barrels and the bags, profited by the vivid light to shoot down any of the soldiers who were imprudent enough to leave the shelter of the doorways and show themselves in the street. ”

“ The people of Fiesole followed. Countess Martin recognized Choulette among them. With a candle in one hand, a book in the other, and blue spectacles on the end of his nose, he was singing. His unkempt beard moved up and down with the rhythm of the song. In the harshness of light and shade that worked in his face, he had an air that suggested a solitary monk capable of accomplishing a century of penance.
“How amusing he is!” said Therese. “He is making a spectacle of himself for himself. He is a great artist.”
“Darling, why will you insist that Monsieur Choulette is not a pious man? ”

“ Just before we reached Pierre Chouteau's house he dropped back and walked beside Dr. Saugrain and myself. I thought he wished to pay me some of the respect he had been showing my captain, and I felt flattered accordingly. But I was mistaken; he had something to say to Dr. Saugrain. With many premonitory grunts he said it finally, and it had a startling effect upon the little doctor.
"Let great medicine-man watch," said Black Hawk, solemnly; "White Wolf will steal Little Black Eyes. Black Hawk has many ears and many eyes ”

“ And when Chouteau growled out that when men had a corporal like that they waited for a day of battle to lodge a stray bullet in his head, Maurice, quite maddened, distinctly saw himself smashing Jean's skull behind a wall. ”

“ Jean, who like a well-disciplined veteran soldier held his peace, was looking at Maurice, who seemed amused by Chouteau's malignant, passionate raillery: and he was astonished that a gentleman who had received so much schooling should approve of things which, however true they might be, were certainly not things to be said. If each soldier began blaming the generals and giving his opinion, they would certainly not get on together. ”

“ It is true the life here is simple and delightful. There one has a good deal of sharp dealing to fight against, since he must meet men of all governments and all sorts of schemes. If M’sieu Chouteau could go—but he cannot. Do not for a moment think it is the gayety and the pretty women.”
“Then you will go. There is no use in arguing.”
She turned away. How distractingly pretty she was this morning in the old garden, herself a part of its bloom! Over the gate she had given him a rose, and renewed friendship after a dispute.
“I must go. I have passed my word. Renée—” in a beseeching tone. ”

“ The whole car laughed and applauded, and Lapoulle, who did not know who Badinguet [1] was, and could not have told whether it was a king or an emperor in whose cause he was fighting, repeated like the gigantic baby that he was:
[1] Napoleon III.
“Of course, let ’em fight it out, and take a drink together afterward.”
But Chouteau had turned to Pache, whom he now proceeded to take in hand.
“You are in the same boat, you, who pretend to believe in the good God. He has forbidden men to fight, your good God has. Why, then, are you here, you great simpleton?” ”

“ Judith stood up.
"Bed!" she said, speaking with the note of smiling, kindly discipline, with which she ruled the Imps, and, when she chose, even Uncle Bond and himself. "You will be able to sleep now, Alfred."
The King rose obediently to his feet to find, with a certain dull, dazed surprise, that he was stiff and sore, and hardly able to stand.
Dazed as he was, he did not fail to see the look of sharp anxiety which shone, for a moment, in Judith's eyes.
"Lean on me, old man!" she exclaimed. "You are done up. I'll see you to your room. They have been working you too hard. ”

“ And Chouteau labored with Loubet and Lapoulle to stir up bad feeling against the comrade, with the latter more particularly. Hein! wasn’t he a dirty dog, if he had something to eat, not to go snacks with the comrades! He ought to have a lesson that he would remember, for his selfishness.
“To-night we’ll keep a watch on him, don’t you see. We’ll learn whether he dares to stuff himself on the sly, when so many poor devils are starving all around him.” ”

“ As the carriage moved forward, the Duke dropped his left hand on to the seat, between the King and himself.
"Take my hand. Grip it, sir!" he said. "I am real! Do not hesitate, sir. We are quite unobserved. A time comes in most men's lives when they need—the grip of the hand of a friend. I am an old man, sir; old enough to be your father. When you take my hand, it is as if you reached out and gripped your father's hand—
"I would have spared you all this, I would have spared you the ordeal of the wild enthusiasm which awaits you, a little further on, if it had been possible, sir. ”