Prisoners of Chance

Prisoners of Chance

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Prisoners of Chance, by Randall
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Title: Prisoners of Chance The Story of What Befell Geoffrey Benteen,
Borderman, through His Love for a Lady of France
Author: Randall Parrish
Illustrator: The Kinneys
Release Date: February 25, 2006 [EBook #17856]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK
PRISONERS OF CHANCE ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: I could merely clasp the hands she gave so unreservedly
into my keeping, gaze into the depths of her dark eyes, and murmur a
few broken words of confidence and farewell.]

PRISONERS OF CHANCE
THE STORY OF WHAT BEFELL GEOFFREY BENTEEN,
BORDERMAN, THROUGH HIS LOVE FOR A LADY OF FRANCE

BY
RANDALL PARRISH

Author of "When Wilderness was King," "My Lady of the North,"
"Bob Hampton of Placer," etc.

ILLUSTRATED IN FULL COLOR BY THE KINNEYS

CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1908

COPYRIGHT
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1908

Entered at Stationers' Hall, London
All rights reserved

Published March 28, 1908

THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.

CONTENTS
FOREWORD
CHAPTER
I
THE REQUEST FOR AID II A PERILOUS VENTURE III A VISIT
TO THE FLAG-SHIP IV WE HOLD A COUNCIL OF WAR V ON
THE DECK OF THE "SANTA MARIA" VI THE ROLE OF PÈRE
CASSATI VII THE CHEVALIER DE NOYAN VIII FAVORED OF
THE GODS IX THE BIRTH OF THE DEATH-DAWN X A COVERT
IN THE CANE XI A NIGHT IN THE BOAT XII WE LAND AN
ODD FISH XIII WE GAIN A NEW RECRUIT XIV THE MOUTH OF
THE ARKANSAS XV A PASSAGE AT ARMS XVI WE CHANGE
OUR COURSE XVII WE MEET WITH AN ACCIDENT XVIII A
HARD DAY'S MARCH XIX DEMON, OR WHAT? XX BACKS TO
THE WALL XXI THE STRONGHOLD OF THE NATCHEZ XXII
PRISONERS IN THE TEMPLE XXIII THE VOTE OF DEATH XXIV
THE DAUGHTER OF THE SUN XXV A VISITANT FROM THE
SUN XXVI THE CHRONICLES OF THE NATCHEZ XXVII A
VENTURE IN THE DARK XXVIII SPEECH WITH NALADI XXIX
IN AND OUT THE SHADOW XXX UNDERGROUND XXXI WE
MOUNT THE CLIFF XXXII CHIEF PRIEST OF THE SUN XXXIII
PERE ANDRÉ LAFOSSIER XXXIV THE TALE OF THE PRIEST
XXXV NIGHT AND THE SAVAGES XXXVI THE
INTERFERENCE OF THE JESUIT XXXVII THE DEAD BURY
THEIR DEAD

ILLUSTRATIONS
I could merely clasp the hands she gave so unreservedly into my
keeping, gaze into the depths of her dark eyes, and murmur a few
broken words of confidence and farewell. . . . Frontispiece
Had I ventured upon a smile at his predicament he would have popped
instantly forth again.
"I am the Daughter of the Sun. These are my children, given unto me
by the great Sun-god. . . . None of white blood may set foot in this
valley and live."
The woman stood gazing intently down, her red robe sweeping to her
feet; below the flaring torches in the hands of her barbaric followers
cast their light full upon her.

FOREWORD
The manuscript of this tale has been in my possession several years. It
reached me through natural lines of inheritance, but remained nearly
forgotten, until a chance reading revealed a certain historic basis; then,
making note of correspondences in minor details, I realized that what I
had cast aside as mere fiction might possess a substantial foundation of
fact. Impelled by this conviction, I now submit the narrative to public
inspection, that others, better fitted than I, may judge as to the worth of
this Geoffrey Benteen.
According to the earlier records of Louisiana Province, Geoffrey
Benteen was, during his later years, a resident of La Petite Rocher, a
man of note and character among his fellows. There he died in old age,
leaving no indication of the extent of his knowledge, other than what is
to be found in the yellowed pages of his manuscript; and these afford
no evidence that this "Gentleman Adventurer" possessed any
information derived from books regarding those relics of a prehistoric
people, which are widely scattered throughout the Middle and Southern
States of the Union and constitute the grounds on which our century

has applied to the race the term "Mound Builders."
Apparently in all simplicity and faithfulness he recorded merely what
he saw and heard. Later research, antedating his death, has seemingly
proven that in the extinct Natchez tribe was to be found the last
remnant of that mysterious and unfortunate race.
Who were the Mound Builders? No living man may answer. Their
history--strange,