The Dakota Cipher

372 Pages·2009·1.411 MB·English

by  William Dietrich

— w i l l i a m d i e t r i c h —
t h e
d a k o t a
c i p h e r
an Ethan Gage Adventure
To my son-in-law, Sebastian
Contents
Map ix
Chapter 1
I SUPPOSE IT’S NOT PRECISELY TRUE THAT IT
WAS SOLELY… 1
Chapter 2
“YOU WOULD NOT CONSIDER RETURNING HOME,
THEN?” DAVIE asked me. 10
Chapter 3
THE TUILERIES PALACE, NEGLECTED AFTER THE
CONSTRUCTION of Versailles and… 17
Chapter 4
SOME FAME. THE ALPS IN SPRING, I LEARNED, ARE COLD,…24
Chapter 5
SO OFF I WENT, ON A CONFISCATED ITALIAN
HORSE (THAT’S… 29
Chapter 6
THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT. IT
DAWNED bright,… 36
Chapter 7
ONE OF THE PROMISES OF OUR NEW NINETEENTH
CENTURY IS… 41
Chapter 8
MAGNUS PUSHED ME INTO SHADOWS AT THE
EDGE OF THE… 48
Chapter 9
A NORTH ATLANTIC CROSSING IN AUTUMN IS
LIKE A LONG-WINDED… 57
Chapter 10
SO WE PUT TO SEA, AND IF THE SHIP HAD… 65
Chapter 11
THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN, LOGGED CLEAR OF
TREES BY British… 78
Chapter 12
NOT KNOWING HOW TO EXPLAIN THE NORWEGIAN
AND HIS odd… 86
Chapter 13
OUR HURRIED DEPARTURE WAS IN LATE FEBRUARY,
SHORTLY after Jefferson’s… 90
Chapter 14
SACRED MASONIC ARCHITECTURE, IT TURNED OUT,
WAS A STREET pattern… 96
Chapter 15
THE PRESIDENT’S HOUSE, SMART ENOUGH ON THE
OUTSIDE with its… 104
Chapter 16
FOR OUR JOURNEY WEST, MAGNUS CHOSE A
MUSKET THAT could… 119
Chapter 17
DETROIT WAS ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD WHEN I
ARRIVED, BUT… 128
Chapter 18
ALEXANDER DUFF’S HOUSE ON THE CANADIAN SHORE
WAS A three-story,… 134
Chapter 19
AND SO AURORA SOMERSET MADE HER ENTRY.
LIKE CECIL, SHE… 142
Chapter 20
I SENT COLONEL STONE A NOTE ANNOUNCING WE
WOULD accompany… 148
Chapter 21
MACKINAC ISLAND WAS A GREEN KNOB BETWEEN
THE reflecting blue… 153
Chapter 22
A NORTH WEST COMPANY FREIGHT BRIGADE OF SIX
CANOES fetched… 161
Chapter 23
EACH NIGHT ON OUR CANOE VOYAGE, AURORA AND
CECIL AND… 170
Chapter 24
WHILE THE VOYAGEURS SLEPT OFF THEIR SHRUB,
AURORA prodded me… 183
Chapter 25
WE PUSHED ON THE NEXT DAY, HUGGING THE
NORTH SHORE. 192
Chapter 26
INSIDE, THE STOCKADE WAS MEETINGS, LEDGERS,
FUR PRESSES, and warehouses. 203
Chapter 27
FEASTING BEGAN AT SUNSET, AND REVELRY WENT
ON INTO THE… 208
Chapter 28
MY MIND WAS IN TUMULT AS I SPRINTED AWAY IN… 212
Chapter 29
AT LEAST WE DIDN’T HAVE TO PADDLE. 220
Chapter 30
RED JACKET SNAPPED SOME ORDERS AND THE TRIBE
BEGAN backing… 227
Chapter 31
ONE MOMENT HE WAS PULLING ME TO THE STAKE, AND… 237
Chapter 32
THE REST OF THE DAY WAS AN EXHAUSTING BLUR. WE… 242
Chapter 33
SEEING NO SIGN OF THE ENEMY, WE SET OUT AGAIN,… 251
Chapter 34
WE TRAMPED INTO THE WORST COUNTRY YET, THICK
WOODS and… 261
Chapter 35
WE PADDLED AS FAR WEST AS WE COULD,
PASSING FROM… 267
Chapter 36
WE NOW WALKED WHERE NO WHITE MEN HAD
EVER GONE,… 276
Chapter 37
“WHAT CAVE IS HE TALKING ABOUT?” I DO DREAD THE… 284
Chapter 38
USING MY RIFLE AS A MEASURING STICK, I
ESTIMATED THE… 289
Chapter 39
IT WAS THE THIRD MORNING, NOT LONG AFTER
DAWN, THAT… 298
Chapter 40
THE NEXT MORNING DAWNED FOGGY AND QUIET.
WE COULDN’T see… 305
Chapter 41
I DESCENDED AS QUICKLY AS I COULD BUT A FALSE… 315
Chapter 42
“UNDER THE TREE,” MAGNUS CROAKED. HIS BEARD
WAS smoking. “Down… 327
Chapter 43
THE TREE TRUNK WAS A HORIZONTAL WALL AS
TALL AND… 332
Chapter 44
WHAT CAME NEXT I RECALL ONLY DIMLY. I WAS IN… 341
Historical Note 351
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