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Title: The Border Watch
       A Story of the Great Chief's Last Stand

Author: Joseph A. Altsheler

Release Date: April 26, 2008 [EBook #25186]

Language: English

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_The_ BORDER WATCH


BOOKS BY JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER


THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR SERIES

The Hunters of the Hills
The Rulers of the Lakes
The Lords of the Wild
The Shadow of the North
The Masters of the Peaks
The Sun of Quebec


THE YOUNG TRAILERS SERIES

The Young Trailers
The Forest Runners
The Keepers of the Trail
The Eyes of the Woods
The Free Rangers
The Riflemen of the Ohio
The Scouts of the Valley
The Border Watch


THE TEXAN SERIES

The Texan Scouts
The Texan Star
The Texan Triumph


THE CIVIL WAR SERIES

The Guns of Bull Run
The Guns of Shiloh
The Scouts of Stonewall
The Sword of Antietam
The Star of Gettysburg
The Rock of Chickamauga
The Shades of the Wilderness
The Tree of Appomattox


THE GREAT WEST SERIES

The Lost Hunters
The Great Sioux Trail


THE WORLD WAR SERIES

The Forest of Swords
The Guns of Europe
The Hosts of the Air


BOOKS NOT IN SERIES

Apache Gold
The Quest of the Four
The Last of the Chiefs
In Circling Camps
The Last Rebel
A Soldier of Manhattan
The Sun of Saratoga
A Herald of the West
The Wilderness Road
My Captive
The Candidate




[Illustration: "He saw two warriors, and he lay in the bush while they
passed only twenty yards away." Page 214.]




_The_ BORDER WATCH

A STORY OF THE GREAT
CHIEF'S LAST STAND


BY

JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER

AUTHOR OF

"THE YOUNG TRAILERS," "THE FREE RANGERS,"
"THE SCOUTS OF THE VALLEY," ETC.


D. APPLETON-CENTURY COMPANY
INCORPORATED
NEW YORK          LONDON
1941


COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

Printed in the United States of America




PREFACE


"The Border Watch" closes the series which began with "The Young
Trailers," and which was continued successively in "The Forest Runners,"
"The Keepers of the Trail," "The Eyes of the Woods," "The Free Rangers,"
"The Riflemen of the Ohio," and "The Scouts of the Valley." All the
eight volumes deal with the fortunes and adventures of two boys, Henry
Ware and Paul Cotter, and their friends Shif'less Sol Hyde, Silent Tom
Ross and Long Jim Hart, in the early days of Kentucky. The action moves
over a wide area, from New Orleans in the South to Lake Superior in the
North, and from the Great Plains in the West to the land of the Iroquois
in the East.

It has been the aim of the author to present a picture of frontier life,
and to show the immense hardships and dangers endured by our people, as
they passed through the wilderness from ocean to ocean. So much of it
occurred in the shadow of the forest, and so much more of it was taken
as a matter of course that we, their descendants, are likely to forget
the magnitude of their achievement. The conquest of the North American
continent at a vast expense of life and suffering is in reality one of
the world's great epics.

The author has sought to verify every statement that touches upon
historical events. He has read or examined nearly all the books and
pamphlets and many of the magazine articles formerly in the Astor and
Lenox, now in the New York Public Library, dealing with Indian wars and
customs. In numerous cases, narratives written by observers and
participants have been available. He believes that all the border
battles are described correctly, and the Indian songs, dances and
customs are taken from the relations of witnesses.

But the great mass of material dealing with the frontier furnishes
another striking illustration of the old saying that truth is stranger
than fiction. No Indian story has ever told of danger and escape more
marvelous than those that happened hundreds of times. The Indian
character, as revealed in numerous accounts, is also a complex and
interesting study. The same Indian was capable of noble actions and of
unparalleled cruelty. As a forest warrior he has never been excelled. In
the woods, fighting according to his ancient methods, he was the equal
alike of Frenchman, Englishman and American, and often their superior.
Many of the Indian chiefs were great men. They had the minds of
statesmen and generals, and they prolonged, for generations, a fight
that was doomed, from the beginning.

We lost more people in our Indian wars than in all the others combined,
except the Civil War. More American soldiers fell at St. Clair's defeat
by the Northwestern Indians than in any other battle we had ever fought
until Bull Run. The British dead at Braddock's disaster in the American
wilderness outnumbered the British dead at Trafalgar nearly two to one.
So valiant a race has always appealed to youth, at least, as a fit
subject of romance.

The long struggle with the brave and wary red men bred a type of white
foresters who became fully their equals in the craft and lore of the
wilderness. Such as these stood as a shield between the infant
settlements and the fierce tribes, and, in this class, the author has
placed his heroes.




TABLE OF CONTENTS


CHAPTER                           PAGE

    I PASSING FLEET                  1

   II THE SILVER BULLET             16

  III THE HOT SPRING                30

   IV THE SEVEN HERALDS             39

    V THE WYANDOT COUNCIL           51

   VI THE RUINED VILLAGE            63

  VII THE TAKING OF HENRY           79

 VIII THE NORTHWARD MARCH           96

   IX AT DETROIT                   109

    X THE LETTER OF THE FOUR       126

   XI THE CRY FROM THE FOREST      143

  XII THE CANOE ON THE RIVER       157

 XIII ON THE GREAT LAKE            173

  XIV A TIMELY RESCUE              188

   XV THE PAGES OF A BOOK          205

  XVI THE RIVER FIGHT              226

 XVII THE ROAD TO WAREVILLE        241

XVIII THE SHADOWY FIGURE           265

  XIX A HERALD BY WATER            282

   XX THE COUNTER-STROKE           316

  XXI THE BATTLE OF PIQUA          336

 XXII THE LAST STAND               359




THE BORDER WATCH




CHAPTER I

THE PASSING FLEET


A late sun, red and vivid, cast beams of light over a dark river,
flowing slowly. The stream was a full half mile from shore to shore, and
the great weight of water moved on in silent majesty. Both banks were
lined with heavy forest, dark green by day, but fused now into solid
blackness by the approach of night.

The scene was wild and primordial. To an eye looking down it would have
seemed that man had never come there, and that this was the dawn of
time. The deep waters lapped the silent shore until a gentle sighing
sound arose, a sound that may have gone on unheard for ages. Close to
the water a file of wild ducks flew like an arrow to the north, and, in
a little cove where the current came in shallow waves, a stag bent his
head to drink.

The sun lingered in the west and then sank behind the vast wall of
forest. The beams of red and gold lasted for a little space on the
surface of the river, and then faded into the universal night. Under the
great cloak of the dark, the surface of the river showed but dimly, and
the rising wind blew through the forest with a chill and uncanny sound.

The ordinary soul would have been appalled by the mighty isolation of
the wilderness, yet the river itself was not without the presence of
human life. Close to the northern shore, where the shadow of the tall
forest lay deepest, floated a long boat, containing five figures that
rested easily. Two of the crew were boys, but as tall and strong as men.
The other three were somewhat older. The boat carried four pairs of
oars, but only one man rowed, and he merely pulled on an oar from time
to time to give direction, while the current did the work. His comrades
leaned comfortably against the sides of the boat, and with keen eyes,
trained to the darkness, watched for a break in the black battlement of
the trees.

It was Henry Ware who first saw the opening. It was nearly always he who
was the first to see, and he pointed to the place where the dark line
made a loop towards the north.

"It's a wide break," he said a moment or two later. "It must be the
mouth of the river."

"You're shorely right, Henry," said Shif'less Sol, who sat just behind
him, "an' from the looks o' the break thar, it's a good, big river, too.
S'pose we pull up in it a spell afore we make a landin'."

"It seems a good idea to me," replied Henry. "What say you, Paul?"

"I'm for it," replied Paul Cotter. "I'd like to see this new river
coming down from the north, and it's pretty sure, too, that we'd be
safer camping on it for the night than on the Ohio."

Jim Hart had been guiding with a single oar. Now he took the pair in his
hands and rowed into the mouth of the tributary stream. The smaller
river, smaller only by contrast, poured a dark flood into the Ohio, and,
seeing that the current was strong, the others took oars and rowed also,
all except Paul, who was at the helm. Driven by powerful arms, the boat
went swiftly up the new river. Henry in the prow watched with all the
interest that he had for new things, and with all the need for watching
that one always had in the great forests of the Ohio Valley.

The banks of this river were higher than those of the Ohio, but were
clothed also in dense forests, which, from the surface of the stream no
human eye could penetrate in the darkness of the night. They rowed in
silence for a full hour, seeing no good place for an anchorage, and
then, at a sign from Henry, came to rest on the stream. Shif'less Sol,
strong of eye and mind, saw an unusual expression on the face of the
leader.

"What is it, Henry?" he whispered.

"I thought I heard the sound of an incautious paddle, one that splashed
water, but I'm not sure."

"Ah," said the shiftless one, "then we'll listen a little longer."

The others heard the words also, but, saying nothing, they, too,
listened. Very soon all heard the splashing of the single paddle and
then the swishing sound of many moved steadily in the waters by strong
and practiced hands.

"It's a fleet behind us," said Henry, "and a fleet on this river can
mean only Indians. Shall we pull ahead with all our might?"

"No," said Shif'less Sol. "Look how thick the bushes grow at the water's
edge. We can run our boat in among them and in all this darkness, the
Indians, whether Wyandot, Miami or Shawnee, will not know that we are
thar. Besides, curiosity is gnawin' at me hard. I want to see what's in
this Indian fleet."

"So do I," said Silent Tom Ross, speaking for the first time, and the
others also gave their assent. The boat shot diagonally across the
stream towards the dark mass of bushes, into which it was pushed slowly
and without noise by the guiding arms of the rowers. Here it came to
rest, completely hidden in the dense covert of leaves and twigs, while
its occupants could see anything that passed on the surface of the
river.

"They'll come soon," said Henry, as the sound of the paddles grew
louder, "and I should judge that they are many."

"Maybe a hundred boats and canoes," said Shif'less Sol. "It's my guess
that it's a big war party of some kind or other."

"The allied Indian nations, no doubt," said Henry thoughtfully. "Despite
their defeats in the East, they are yet almost supreme here in the
valley, and they hang together."

"Which means," said Shif'less Sol, a warlike tone coming into his voice,
"that ef some big movement is afoot, it's our task to find out what it
is an' beat it if we kin."

"Certainly," Henry whispered back. "It's what we've been doing, Sol, for
the last two or three years, and we won't stop until the work is done."

The tone of the great youth was low, but it was marked by the resolution
that he always showed in times of danger. He and his comrades were on
the return journey to Wareville, after taking part in the campaigns of
Wyoming and the Chemung, but it was scarcely the thought of any one of
the five that they would travel the vast distance without interruption.
Henry, as he sat in the boat in the darkness, felt that once more they
were on the verge of great events. Used so long to the life of the
wilderness and its countless dangers, the sudden throb of his heart told
not of fear, but rather of exultation. It was the spirit rising to meet
what lay before it. The same strength of soul animated his comrades, but
everyone took his resolution in silence.

The boat, hidden deep in the mass of foliage, lay parallel with the
current of the stream, and it tipped a little on one side, as the five
leaned forward and watched eagerly for the fleet that was coming up the
river. The regular and rhythmic sound of oars and paddles grew louder,
and then the head of the fleet, trailing itself like a long serpent,
came into view. A great canoe with many men at the paddles appeared
first, and behind it, in lines of four, followed the other canoes, at
least a hundred in number, bearing perhaps five hundred warriors.

The five thrilled at the sight, which was ominous and full of majesty.
The moon was now coming out, and the surface of the dark stream turned
to melted silver. But the high banks were still in darkness, and only
the savage fleet was thrown into relief.

The paddles rose and fell in unison, and the steady swishing sound was
musical. The moonlight deepened and poured its stream of silver over
hundreds of savage faces, illuminating the straight black hair, the high
cheek bones, and the broad chests, naked, save for the war paint. None
of them spoke, but their silence made the passing of this savage array
in the night all the more formidable.

Henry's attention was soon caught by a figure in the large boat that
led. It was that of a man who did not use the paddle, but who sat near
the prow with folded arms. The upper half of his body was so rigidly
upright that in another place he might have posed for a figurehead of
some old Roman galley. He was of magnificent build. Like the others, he
was naked to the waist, and the moonlight showed the great muscles upon
his powerful shoulders and chest. The pose of the head expressed pride
that nothing could quench.

Henry recognized the man at once. Had he not seen the face, the figure
and attitude alone were sufficient to tell him that this was
Timmendiquas, the great White Lightning of the Wyandots, returning from
the East, where he had helped the Indians in vain, but at the head of a
great force, once more in his own country.

Henry put his hand upon that of Shif'less Sol.

"I see," whispered his comrade very low. "It is Timmendiquas, an' whar
he comes, big things come, too."

Henry knew in his heart that the shiftless one was right. The coming of
Timmendiquas with so large an army meant great events, and it was good
fortune that had placed himself and his comrades there that night that
they might see. His old feeling of admiration for the chief was as
strong as ever, and he felt a certain sympathy, too. Here was a man who
had failed despite courage, energy and genius. His help had not been
able to save the Iroquois, and his own people might some day meet the
same fate.

The long line of the fleet passed on in silence, save for the musical
swishing of the paddles. That sound, too, soon died away. Then all the
canoes blended together like a long arrow of glittering silver, and the
five in the bushes watched the arrow until it faded quite away on the
surface of the stream.

Henry and his comrades did not yet come forth from their covert, but
they talked frankly.

"What do you think it means?" asked the young leader.

"Another raid on Kentucky," said Tom Ross.

"But not jest yet," said the shrewd and far-seeing Shif'less Sol.
"Timmendiquas will go North to gather all the warriors in the valley if
he kin. He may even get help in Canada."

"I think so, too," said Paul.

"'Pears likely to me," said Long Jim.

"That being the case," said Henry, "I think we ought to follow. Do you
agree with me?"

"We do," said the four together, speaking with the greatest emphasis.

The decision made, nothing more was said upon the point, but they
remained fully an hour longer in the covert. It would not be wise to
follow yet, because a canoe or two might drop behind to serve as a rear
guard. Nor was there any need to hurry.

The five were in splendid shape for a new campaign. They had enjoyed a
long rest, as they floated down the Ohio, rarely using the oars. They
carried a large supply of ammunition and some extra rifles and other
weapons, and, used to success, they were ready to dare anything. When
they thought the Indian fleet was several miles ahead, they pulled their
boat from the covert and followed. But they did not take the middle of
the stream. Theirs was not a large force which could move rapidly,
fearing nothing. Instead, they clung close to the eastern shore, in the
shadow of the bank and trees, and rowed forward at an even pace, which
they slackened only at the curves, lest they plunge suddenly into a
hostile force.

About midnight they heard faintly the splash of the paddles, and then
they drew in again among the bushes at the bank, where they decided to
remain for the rest of the night. Henry was to watch about three hours
and Shif'less Sol would be on guard afterward. The four wrapped
themselves in their blankets, lay down in the bottom of the boat, and
were sound asleep in a few minutes. Henry, rifle across his knees,
crouched in the stern. Now that he did not have the exercise of the
oars, the night felt cold, and he drew his own blankets over his
shoulders.

Henry expected no danger, but he watched closely, nevertheless. Nothing
could have passed on the stream unnoticed by him, and every sound on the
bank above would have attracted his attention at once. Despite the fact
that they were about to embark upon a new task attended by many dangers,
the boy felt a great peace. In the perilous life of the wilderness he
had learned how to enjoy the safety and physical comfort of the moment.
He looked down at his comrades and smiled to himself. They were merely
dark blurs on the bottom of the boat, sleeping soundly in their
blankets. What glorious comrades they were! Surely no one ever had
better.

Henry himself did not move for a long time. He leaned against the side
of the boat, and the blanket remained drawn up about his neck and
shoulders. The rifle across his knee was draped by the same blanket, all
except the steel muzzle. Only his face was uncovered, but his eyes never
ceased to watch. The wind was blowing lightly through the trees and
bushes, and the current of the river murmured beside the boat, all these
gentle sounds merging into one note, the song of the forest that he
sometimes heard when he alone was awake--he and everything else being
still.

Henry's mind was peaceful, imaginative, attentive to all the wonders of
the forest, beholding wonders that others could not see, and the song
went on, the gentle murmur of the river fusing and melting into the wind
among the leaves. While he watched and listened, nothing escaping him,
his mind traveled far, down the great rivers, through the many battles
in which he had borne his share, and up to those mighty lakes of which
he had often heard, but which he had never seen.

The moonlight brightened again, clothing all the forest and river in a
veil of silver gauze. It was inexpressibly beautiful to Henry who, like
the Indians, beheld with awe and admiration the work of Manitou.

A light sound, not in unison with the note of the forest, came from the
bank above. It was very faint, nothing more than the momentary
displacement of a bough, but the crouching figure in the boat moved ever
so slightly, and then was still. The sound was repeated once and no
more, but Henry's mind ceased to roam afar. The great river that he had
seen and the great lakes that he had not seen were forgotten. With all
the power of his marvelous gift he was concentrating his faculties upon
the point from which the discord had come once, twice and then no more.
Eye, ear and something greater--divination, almost--were bent upon it.

He listened several minutes, but the sound did not come a third time.
Forest and river were singing together again, but Henry was not
satisfied. He rose to his feet, laid the blanket softly in the boat, and
then with a glance at the river to see that nothing was passing there,
leaped lightly to the land.

The bank rose above him to a height of thirty feet, but the bushes were
thick along its face, and the active youth climbed easily and without
noise. Before he reached the crest he flattened himself against the
earth and listened. He was quite confident that someone had been passing
and was, perhaps, very near. He was too good a forester to ignore the
event. He heard nothing and then drew himself up cautiously over the
edge of the cliff.

He saw before him thick forest, so heavy and dark that the moon did not
light it up. An ordinary scout or sentinel would have turned back,
satisfied that nothing was to be found, but Henry entered the woods and
proceeded carefully in the direction from which the sound had come. He
soon saw faint signs of a trail, evidently running parallel with the
river, and, used from time to time, by the Indians. Now Henry was
satisfied that his senses had not deceived him, and he would discover
who had passed. He judged by the difference between the first and second
sounds that the journey was leading northward, and he followed along the
trail. He had an idea that it would soon lead him to a camp, and he
reckoned right, because in a few minutes he saw a red bead of light to
his right.

Henry knew that the light betokened a camp-fire, and he was sure that he
would find beside it the cause of the noise that he had heard. He
approached with care, the woods offering an ample covert. He soon saw
that the fire was of good size, and that there were at least a dozen
figures around it.

"More warriors," he said to himself, "probably bound for the same place
as the fleet."

But as he drew yet nearer he saw that not all the men around the
camp-fire were warriors. Three, despite their faces, browned by wind and
rain, belonged to the white race, and in the one nearest to him, Henry,
with a leap of the heart, recognized his old enemy, Braxton Wyatt.

Wyatt, like Timmendiquas, had come back to the scene of his earlier
exploits and this conjunction confirmed Henry in his belief that some
great movement was intended.

Wyatt was on the far side of the fire, where the flames lighted up his
face, and Henry was startled by the savagery manifested there. The
renegade's face, despite his youth, was worn and lined. His black hair
fell in dark locks upon his temples. He still wore the British uniform
that he had adopted in the East, but sun and rain had left little of its
original color. Wyatt had returned to the West unsuccessful, and Henry
knew that he was in his most evil mind.

The short, thick man sitting by Wyatt was Simon Girty, the most famous
of all the renegades, and just beyond him was Blackstaffe. The Indians
were Shawnees.

The three white men were deep in conversation and now and then they
pointed towards the north. Henry would have given much to have heard
what they said, but they did not speak loudly enough. He was tempted to
take a shot at the villain, Simon Girty. A single bullet would remove a
scourge from the border and save hundreds of lives. The bullet sent, he
might easily escape in the darkness. But he could not pull the trigger.
He could not fire upon anyone from ambush, and watching a little while
longer, he crept back through the forest to the boat, which he regained
without trouble.

Henry awakened his comrades and told them all that he had seen. They
agreed with him that it was of the utmost importance. Wyatt and Girty
were, no doubt, coöperating with Timmendiquas, and somewhere to the
north the great Wyandot intended to rally his forces for a supreme
effort.

"This leaves us without the shadow of a pretext for going on to
Wareville," said Henry.

"It shorely does," said Shif'less Sol. "It's now our business to follow
the Indians an' the renegades all the way to the Great Lakes ef they go
that fur."

"I hope they will," said Paul. "I'd like to see those lakes. They say
you can sail on them there for days and days and keep out of sight of
land. They're one of the wonders of the world."

"The trail may lead us that far," said Henry. "Who knows! But since the
enemy is on both land and water, I think we'll have to hide our boat and
take to the forest."

The truth of his words was obvious to them. The renegades or Indians in
the woods would certainly see their boat if they continued that method
of progress, but on land they could choose their way and hide whenever
they wished. Reluctantly they abandoned their boat, which was staunch
and strong, but they hid it as well as possible among bushes and reeds.
In such a vast wilderness, the chances were twenty to one that it would
remain where they had put it until they returned to claim their own. Too
wise to burden themselves, they buried all their extra weapons and
stores at the base of a great oak, marked well the place, and then,
everyone with a blanket and light pack, started forward through the
forest. They intended to go ahead of the renegades, observe the
anchorage of the boats, and then withdrawing some distance from the
river, let Wyatt, Girty and their friends pass them.

Although it was yet several hours until daylight, they resumed their
journey along the eastern bank of the stream, Henry leading and Silent
Tom Ross bringing up the rear. In this manner they advanced rapidly and
just when the first beams of dawn were appearing, they saw the Indian
fleet at anchor on the west shore.

They examined them at their leisure from the dense covert of the
thickets, and saw that their estimate of five hundred warriors, made the
night before, was correct. They also saw Timmendiquas more than once and
it was evident that he was in complete command. Respect and attention
followed wherever he went. Paint and dress indicated that warriors of
all the tribes inhabiting the Ohio Valley were there.

The Indians seemed to be in no hurry, as they lighted fires on the bank,
and cooked buffalo and deer meat, which they ate in great quantities.
Many, when they had finished their breakfast, lay down on the grass and
slept again. Others slept in the larger canoes.

"They are waiting for more of their friends to come up," whispered Henry
to his comrades. A few minutes later, Wyatt, Girty and their party
hailed the great war band from the east bank. Canoes were sent over for
them, and they were taken into the Indian camp, but without much sign of
rejoicing.

"We know that Timmendiquas does not like Wyatt," said Henry, "and I
don't believe that he really likes any of the renegades, not even
Girty."

"Red man ought to stick to red man, an' white man to white," said
Shif'less Sol, sententiously. "I think that's the way Timmendiquas looks
at it, an' I'd like to stan' ez high ez a white man, ez he does ez a red
man."

"I kin smell that cookin' buffler an' venison all the way across the
river," said Jim Hart, "an' it's makin' me pow'ful hungry."

"It'll have to be cold meat for us this time, Jim," said Henry.

They had been so engrossed in the spectacle passing before them that
they had forgotten food until the savory odors came across the stream
and recalled it to Jim Hart's attention. Now they took out strips of
dried venison with which they were always provided, and ate it slowly.
It was not particularly delicious to the taste, but it furnished
sustenance and strength. All the while they were lying in a dense
thicket, and the sun was steadily climbing to the zenith, touching the
vast green forest with bright gold.

A shout came from a point far down the river. It was faint, but the five
in the covert heard it. Someone in the fleet of Timmendiquas sent back
an answering cry, a shrill piercing whoop that rose to an extraordinary
pitch of intensity, and then sank away gradually in a dying note. Then
the first cry came again, not so remote now, and once more it was
answered in a similar way from the fleet of Timmendiquas.

"Another fleet or detachment is comm'," said Shif'less Sol, "an' its
expected. That's the reason why White Lightnin' has been lingerin' here,
ez ef time didn't hev no meanin' at all."

Many of the Indians, and with them Girty, Wyatt and Blackstaffe were
looking down the stream. The eyes of the five followed theirs and
presently they saw a fleet of thirty or forty canoes emerge into view,
welcomed with loud shouts by the men of Timmendiquas. When the
re-enforcement was fused into the main fleet, all took their place in
line and once more started northward, the five following in the woods on
shore.

Henry and his comrades kept up this odd pursuit for a week, curving back
and forth, but in the main keeping a northern course. Sometimes they
left the river several miles away to the left, and saved distance by
making a straight line between curves, but they knew that they would
always come back to the stream. Thus it was easy traveling for such
capable woodsmen as they. They saw the fleet joined by three more
detachments, two by water and one by land. One came on a small tributary
stream flowing from the West, and the total force was now increased to
nearly a thousand warriors.

On the sixth night of the parallel pursuit the five discussed it sitting
in a thicket.

"We must be drawing near to a village," said Henry.

"I believe with you," said Shif'less Sol, "an' I think it likely that
it's a Wyandot town."

"It's probable," said Paul, "and now for what purpose is such a great
Indian force gathering? Do they mean to go South against Kentucky? Do
they mean to go East against New York and Pennsylvania, or do they mean
to go northward to join the British in Canada?"

"That's what we've got to find out," said Long Jim tersely.

"That's just it," said Henry. "We've got to stick to 'em until we learn
what they mean to try. Then we must follow again. It's my opinion that
they intend to go further northward or they wouldn't be gathering at a
point two or three hundred miles above the Ohio."

"Reckon you are right, Henry," said Shif'less Sol. "Ez for me I don't
care how fur north this chase takes us, even ef we come right spang up
ag'in' the Great Lakes. I want to see them five wonders o' the world
that Paul talks about."

"We may go to them," said Henry, "but it seems probable to me that we'll
reach a big Wyandot village first."

The Indians resumed their voyage in the usual leisurely fashion the next
morning, and the five on shore followed at a convenient distance. They
observed that the water of the river was now shallowing fast. The Indian
boats were of light draft, but they could not go much further, and the
village must be near.

That evening just before sunset long cries were heard in the forest, and
those in the boat replied with similar signals. Then the fleet swung to
the bank, and all the warriors disembarked. Other warriors came through
the woods to meet them, and leaving a guard with the boats the whole
army marched away through the forest.

The five were observers of all that passed, and they knew that the
Indian village was at hand--perhaps not more than three or four miles
away. Still keeping their distance, they followed. The sun was now gone,
and only a band of red light lingered on the horizon in the West. It,
too, faded quickly as they marched through the woods, and the night came
down, enveloping the forest in darkness. The five were glad that the
landing had occurred at such a time, as it made their own pursuit much
safer and easier.

The Indians, feeling perfectly safe, carried torches and talked and
laughed with great freedom. The five in the covert had both the light
and the noise to guide them, and they followed silently.

They passed over a gently rolling country, heavily wooded, and in a half
hour they saw lights ahead, but yet at some distance. The lights, though
scattered, were numerous, and seemed to extend along an arc of half a
mile. The five knew that the Indian village now lay before them.




CHAPTER II

THE SILVER BULLET


The village, the largest belonging to the Wyandots, the smallest, but
most warlike of the valley tribes, lay in a warm hollow, and it did not
consist of more than a hundred and fifty skin tepees and log cabins. But
it was intended to be of a permanent nature, else a part of its houses
would not have been of wood. There was also about it a considerable area
of cleared land where the squaws raised corn and pumpkins. A fine creek
flowed at the eastern edge of the clearing. Henry and his comrades
paused, where the line of forest met the open, and watched the progress
of the army across the cleared ground. Everybody in the village, it
seemed, was coming forward to meet the chief, the warriors first and
then the old men, squaws and children, all alive with interest.

Timmendiquas strode ahead, his tall figure seeming taller in the light
of the torches. But it was no triumphant return for him. Suddenly he
uttered a long quavering cry which was taken up by those who followed
him. Then the people in the village joined in the wail, and it came over
and over again from the multitude. It was inexpressibly mournful and the
dark forest gave it back in weird echoes. The procession poured on in a
great horde toward the village, but the cry, full of grief and lament
still came back.

"They are mournin' for the warriors lost in the East," said Tom Ross. "I
reckon that after Wyomin' an' Chemung, Timmendiquas wasn't able to
bring back more than half his men."

"If the Wyandots lost so many in trying to help the Iroquois, won't that
fact be likely to break up the big Indian league?" asked Paul.

Tom Ross shook his head, but Henry answered in words:

"No, the Indians, especially the chiefs, are inflamed more than ever by
their losses. Moreover, as Timmendiquas has seen how the allied Six
Nations themselves could not hold back the white power, he will be all
the more anxious to strike us hard in the valley."

"I've a notion," said Shif'less Sol, "that bands o' the Iroquois,
'specially the Mohawks, may come out here, an' try to do fur
Timmendiquas what he tried to do fur them. The savages used to fight
ag'in' one another, but I think they are now united ag'in' us, on an'
off, all the way from the Atlantic to the Great Plains."

"Guess you're right, Sol," said Long Jim, "but ez fur me, jest now I
want to sleep. We had a purty hard march to-day. Besides walkin' we had
to be watchin' always to see that our scalps were still on our heads,
an' that's a purty wearyin' combination."

"I speak for all, and all are with you," said Paul, so briskly that the
others laughed.

"Any snug place that is well hid will do," said Henry, "and as the
forest is so thick I don't think it will take us long to find it."

They turned southward, and went at least three miles through heavy woods
and dense thickets. All they wanted was a fairly smooth spot with the
bushes growing high above them, and, as Henry had predicted, they
quickly found it--a small depression well grown with bushes and weeds,
but with an open space in the center where some great animal, probably a
buffalo had wallowed. They lay down in this dry sandy spot, rolled in
their blankets, and felt so secure that they sought sleep without
leaving anyone to watch.

Henry was the first to awake. The dawn was cold and he shivered a little
when he unrolled himself from his blanket. The sun showed golden in the
east, but the west was still dusky. He looked for a moment or two at his
four friends, lying as still as if they were dead. Then he stretched his
muscles, and beat his arms across his chest to drive away the frost of
the morning that had crept into his blood. Shif'less Sol yawned and
awoke and the others did likewise, one by one.

"Cold mornin' fur this time o' year," said Shif'less Sol. "Jim, light
the fire an' cook breakfast an' the fust thing I want is a good hot cup
o' coffee."

"Wish I could light a fire," said Long Jim, "an' then I could give you a
cup shore 'nuff. I've got a little pot an' a tin cup inside an' three
pounds o' ground coffee in my pack. I brought it from the boat, thinkin'
you fellers would want it afore long."

"What do you say, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol. "Coffee would be pow'ful
warmin'. None o' us hez tasted anything but cold vittles for more'n a
day now. Let's take the chances on it."

Henry hesitated but the chill was still in his blood and he yielded.
Besides the risk was not great.

"All right," he said; "gather dead wood and we'll be as quick about it
as we can."

The wood was ready in a minute. Tom Ross whittled off shavings with his
knife. Shif'less Sol set fire to them with flint and steel. In a few
minutes something was bubbling inside Jim Hart's coffee pot, and sending
out a glorious odor.

Shif'less Sol sniffed the odor.

"I'm growin' younger," he said. "I'm at least two years younger than I
wuz when I woke up. I wish to return thanks right now to the old Greek
feller who invented fire. What did you say his name was, Paul?"

"Prometheus. He didn't invent fire, Sol, but according to the story he
brought it down from the heavens."

"It's all the same," said the shiftless one as he looked attentively at
the steaming coffee pot. "I guess it wuz about the most useful trip
Promethy ever made when he brought that fire down."

Everyone in turn drank from the cup. They also heated their dried
venison over the coals, and, as they ate and drank, they felt fresh
strength pouring into every vein. When the pot was empty Jim put it on
the ground to cool, and as he scattered the coals of fire with a kick,
Henry, who was sitting about a yard away suddenly lay flat and put his
ear to the earth.

"Do you hear anything, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol, who knew the meaning
of the action.

"I thought I heard the bark of a dog," replied Henry, "but I was not
sure before I put my ear to the ground that it was not imagination. Now
I know it's truth. I can hear the barking distinctly, and it is coming
this way."

"Some o' them ornery yellow curs hev picked up our trail," said
Shif'less Sol, "an' o' course the warriors will follow."

"Which, I take it, means that it is time for us to move from our present
abode," said Paul.

Long Jim hastily thrust the coffee pot, not yet cold, and the cup back
into his pack, and they went towards the South at a gait that was half a
run and half a walk, easy but swift.

"This ain't a flight," said Shif'less Sol. "It's just a masterly
retreat. But I'll tell you, boys, I don't like to run away from dogs. It
humiliates me to run from a brute, an' an inferior. Hark to their
barkin'."

They now heard the baying of the dogs distinctly, a long wailing cry
like the howling of hounds. The note of it was most ominous to Paul's
sensitive mind. In the mythology that he had read, dogs played a great
rôle, nearly always as the enemy of man. There were Cerberus and the
others, and flitting visions of them passed through his mind now. He was
aware, too, that the reality was not greatly inferior to his fancies.
The dogs could follow them anywhere, and the accidental picking-up of
their trail might destroy them all.

The five went on in silence, so far as they were concerned, for a long
time, but the baying behind them never ceased. It also grew louder, and
Henry, glancing hastily back, expected that the dogs would soon come
into sight.

"Judging from their barking, the Wyandots must love dogs of uncommon
size and fierceness," he said.

"'Pears likely to me," said Shif'less Sol. "We're good runners, all five
o' us. We've shaken the warriors off, but not the dogs."

"It's just as you say," said Henry. "We can't run on forever, so we must
shoot the trailers--that is--the dogs. Listen to them. They are not more
than a couple of hundred yards away now."

They crossed a little open space, leaped a brook and then entered the
woods again. But at a signal from Henry, they stopped a few yards
further on.

"Now, boys," he said, "be ready with your rifles. We must stop these
dogs. How many do you think they are, Tom?"

"'Bout four, I reckon."

"Then the moment they come into the open space, Tom, you and Paul and
Jim shoot at those on the left, and Sol and I will take the right."

The Indian dogs sprang into the open space and five rifles cracked
together. Three of them--they were four in number, as Tom had said--were
killed instantly, but the fourth sprang aside into the bushes, where he
remained. The five at once reloaded their rifles as they ran. Now they
increased their speed, hoping to shake off their pursuers. Behind them
rose a long, fierce howl, like a note of grief and revenge.

"That's the dog we did not kill," said Paul, "and he's going to hang
on."

"I've heard tell," said Tom Ross, "that 'cordin' to the Indian belief,
the souls o' dead warriors sometimes get into dogs an' other animals,
an' it ain't fur me to say that it ain't true. Mebbe it's really a dead
Injun, 'stead o' a live dog that's leadin' the warriors on."

Paul shuddered. Tom's weird theory chimed in with his own feelings. The
fourth dog, the one that had hid from the bullets, was a phantom,
leading the savages on to vengeance for his dead comrades. Now and then
he still bayed as he kept the trail, but the fleeing five sought in vain
to make him a target for their bullets. Seemingly, he had profited by
the death of his comrades, as his body never showed once among the
foliage. Search as they would with the sharpest of eyes, none of the
five could catch the faintest glimpse of him.

"He's a ghost, shore," said Tom Ross. "No real, ordinary dog would keep
under cover that way. I reckon we couldn't kill him if we hit him, 'less
we had a silver bullet."

The savages themselves uttered the war cry only two or three times, but
it was enough to show that with the aid of the dog they followed
relentlessly. The situation of the five had become alarming to the last
degree. They had intended to pursue, not to be pursued. Now they were
fleeing for their lives, and there would be no escape, unless they could
shake off the most terrible of all that followed--the dog. And at least
one of their number, Silent Tom Ross, was convinced thoroughly that the
dog could not be killed, unless they had the unobtainable--a silver
bullet. In moments of danger, superstition can take a strong hold, and
Paul too, felt a cold chill at his heart.

Their course now took them through a rolling country, clad heavily in
forest, but without much undergrowth, and they made good speed. They
came to numerous brooks, and sometimes they waded in them a little
distance, but they did not have much confidence in this familiar device.
It might shake off the warriors for a while, but not that terrible dog
which, directed by the Indians, would run along the bank and pick up the
trail again in a few seconds. Yet hope rose once. For a long time they
heard neither bark nor war cry, and they paused under the branches of a
great oak. They were not really tired, as they had run at an easy gait,
but they were too wise to let pass a chance for rest. Henry was hopeful
that in some manner they had shaken off the dog, but there was no such
belief in the heart of the silent one. Tom Ross had taken out his
hunting knife and with his back to the others was cutting at something.
Henry gave him a quick glance, but he did not deem it wise to ask him
anything. The next moment, all thought of Tom was put out of his mind by
the deep baying of the dog coming down through the forest.

The single sound, rising and swelling after the long silence was uncanny
and terrifying. The face of Tom Ross turned absolutely pale through the
tan of many years. Henry himself could not repress a shudder.

"We must run for it again," he said. "We could stay and fight, of
course, but it's likely that the Indians are in large numbers."

"If we could only shake off the hound," muttered Tom Ross. "Did you pay
'tention to his voice then, Henry? Did you notice how deep it was? I
tell you that ain't no common dog."

Henry nodded and they swung once more into flight. But he and Shif'less
Sol, the best two marksmen on the border, dropped to the rear.

"We must get a shot at that dog," whispered Henry. "Very likely it's a
big wolf hound."

"I think so," said Shif'less Sol, "but I tell you, Henry, I don't like
to hear it bayin'. It sounds to me jest ez ef it wuz sayin': 'I've got
you! I've got you! I've got you!' Do you reckon there kin be anything in
what Tom says?"

"Of course not. Of course not," replied Henry. "Tom's been picking up
too much Indian superstition."

At that moment the deep baying note so unlike the ordinary bark of an
Indian dog came again, and Henry, despite himself, felt the cold chill
at his heart once more. Involuntarily he and the shiftless one glanced
at each other, and each read the same in the other's eyes.

"We're bound to get that dog, hound, cur, or whatever he may be!"
exclaimed Henry almost angrily.

Shif'less Sol said nothing, but he cast many backward glances at the
bushes. Often he saw them move slightly in a direction contrary to the
course of the wind, but he could not catch a glimpse of the body that
caused them to move. Nor could Henry. Twice more they heard the war cry
of the savages, coming apparently from at least a score of throats, and
not more than three or four hundred yards away. Henry knew that they
were depending entirely upon the dog, and his eagerness for a shot
increased. He could not keep his finger away from the trigger. He longed
for a shot.

"We must kill that dog," he said to Shif'less Sol; "we can't run on
forever."

"No, we can't, but we kin run jest as long as the Injuns kin," returned
the shiftless one, "an' while we're runnin' we may get the chance we
want at the dog."

The pursuit went on for a long time. The Indians never came into view,
but the occasional baying of the hound told the fleeing five that they
were still there. It was not an unbroken flight. They stopped now and
then for rest, but, when the voice of the hound came near again, they
would resume their easy run toward the South. At every stop Tom Ross
would turn his back to the others, take out his hunting knife and begin
to whittle at something. But when they started again the hunting knife
was back in its sheath once more, and Tom's appearance was as usual.

The sun passed slowly up the arch of the heavens. The morning coolness
had gone long since from the air, but the foliage of the great forest
protected them. Often, when the shade was not so dense they ran over
smooth, springy turf, and they were even deliberate enough, as the hours
passed, to eat a little food from their packs. Twice they knelt and
drank at the brooks.

They made no attempt to conceal their trail, knowing that it was
useless, but Henry and Shif'less Sol, their rifles always lying in the
hollows of their arms, never failed to seek a glimpse of the relentless
hound. It was fully noon when the character of the country began to
change slightly. The hills were a little higher and there was more
underbrush. Just as they reached a crest Henry looked back. In the far
bushes, he saw a long dark form and a pointed gray head with glittering
eyes. He knew that it was the great dog, a wolf hound; he was sure now,
and, quick as a flash, he raised his rifle and fired at a point directly
between the glittering eyes. The dog dropped out of sight and the five
ran on.

"Do you think you killed him, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol breathlessly.

"I don't know; I hope so."

Behind them rose a deep bay, the trailing note of the great dog, but now
it seemed more ferocious and uncanny than ever. Shif'less Sol shuddered.
Tom Ross' face turned not pale, but actually white, through its many
layers of tan.

"Henry," said Shif'less Sol, "I never knowed you to miss at that range
afore."

The eyes of the two met again and each asked a question of the other.

"I think I was careless, Sol," said Henry. His voice shook a little.

"I hope so," said Shif'less Sol, whose mind was veering more and more
toward the belief of Tom Ross, "but I'd like pow'ful well to put a
bullet through that animal myself. Them awful wolf howls o' his hit on
my nerves, they do."

The chance of the shiftless one came presently. He, too, saw among the
bushes the long dark body, the massive pointed head and the glittering
eyes. He fired as quickly as Henry had done. Then came that silence,
followed in a few minutes by the deep and sinister baying note of the
great hound.

"I reckon I fired too quick, too," said Shif'less Sol. But the hands
that grasped his rifle were damp and cold.

"'Tain't no use," said Tom Ross in a tone of absolute conviction. "I've
seen you and Henry fire afore at harder targets than that, an' hit 'em
every time. You hit this one, too."

"Then why didn't we kill the brute?" exclaimed Henry.

"'Cause lead wuzn't meant to kill him. Your bullets went right through
him an' never hurt him."

Henry forced a laugh.

"Pshaw, Tom," he said. "Don't talk such foolishness.'"

"I never talked solider sense in my life," said Ross.

Henry and Shif'less Sol reloaded their rifles as they ran, and both were
deeply troubled. In all their experience of every kind of danger they
had met nothing so sinister as this, nothing so likely to turn the
courage of a brave man. Twice sharpshooters who never missed had missed
a good target. Or could there be anything in the words of Tom Ross?

They left the warriors some distance behind again and paused for another
rest, until the terrible hound should once more bring the pursuers near.
All five were much shaken, but Tom Ross as usual in these intervals
turned his back upon the others, and began to work with his hunting
knife. Henry, as he drew deep breaths of fresh air into his lungs,
noticed that the sun was obscured. Many clouds were coming up from the
southwest, and there was a damp touch in the air. The wind was rising.

"Looks as if a storm was coming," he said. "It ought to help us."

But Tom Ross solemnly shook his head.

"It might throw off the warriors," he said, "but not the dog. Hark,
don't you hear him again?"

They did hear. The deep booming note, sinister to the last degree, came
clearly to their ears.

"It's time to go ag'in," said Shif'less Sol, with a wry smile. "Seems to
me this is about the longest footrace I ever run. Sometimes I like to
run, but I like to run only when I like it, and when I don't like it I
don't like for anybody to make me do it. But here goes, anyhow. I'll
keep on runnin' I don't know whar."

Sol's quaint remarks cheered them a little, and their feet became
somewhat lighter. But one among them was thinking with the utmost
concentration. Tom Ross, convinced that something was a fact, was
preparing to meet it. He would soon be ready. Meanwhile the darkness
increased and the wind roared, but there was no rain. The country grew
rougher. The underbrush at times was very dense, and one sharp little
stony hill succeeded another. The running was hard.

Henry was growing angry. He resented this tenacious pursuit. It had
been so unexpected, and the uncanny dog had been so great a weapon
against them. He began to feel now that they had run long enough. They
must make a stand and the difficult country would help them.

"Boys," he said, "we've run enough. I'm in favor of dropping down behind
these rocks and fighting them off. What do you say?"

All were for it, and in a moment they took shelter. The heavy clouds and
the forest about them made the air dim, but their eyes were so used to
it that they could see anyone who approached them, and they were glad
now that they had decided to put the issue to the test of battle. They
lay close together, watching in front and also for a flank movement, but
for a while they saw nothing. The hound had ceased to bay, but, after a
while, both Henry and Sol saw a rustling among the bushes, and they knew
that the savages were at hand.

But of all the watchers at that moment Silent Tom Ross was the keenest.
He also occupied himself busily for a minute or so in drawing the bullet
from his rifle. Henry did not notice him until this task was almost
finished.

"Why, in the name of goodness, Tom," he exclaimed, "are you unloading
your rifle at such a time?"

Tom looked up. The veteran scout's eyes shone with grim fire.

"I know what I'm doin'," he said. "Mebbe I'm the only one in this crowd
who knows what ought to be did. I'm not unloadin' my rifle, Henry. I'm
jest takin' out one bullet an' puttin' in another in its place. See
this?"

He held up a small disc that gleamed in the dim light.

"That," said Tom, "is a silver bullet. It's flat an' it ain't shaped
like a bullet, but it's a bullet all the same. I've been cuttin' it out
uv a silver sixpence, an' now it exactly fits my rifle. You an' Sol--an'
I ain't sayin' anything ag'in' your marksmanship--could shoot at that
dog all day without hurtin' him, but I'm goin' to kill him with this
silver bullet."

"Don't talk foolishness, Tom," said Henry.

"You'll see," said the veteran in a tone of such absolute conviction
that the others could not help being impressed. Tom curled himself up
behind one rock, and in front of another. Then he watched with the full
intensity that the danger and his excitement demanded. He felt that all
depended upon him, his own life and the lives of those four comrades so
dear to him.

Tom Ross, silent, reserved, fairly poured his soul into his task.
Nothing among the bushes and trees in front of them escaped his
attention. Once he saw a red feather move, but he knew that it was stuck
in the hair of an Indian and he was looking for different game. He
became so eager that he flattened his face against the rock and thrust
forward the rifle barrel that he might lose no chance however fleeting.

Silent Tom's figure and face were so tense and eager that Henry stopped
watching the bushes a moment or two to look at him. But Tom continued to
search for his target. He missed nothing that human eye could see among
those bushes, trees and rocks. He saw an eagle feather again, but it did
not interest him. Then he heard the baying of a hound, and he quivered
from head to foot, but the sound stopped in a moment, and he could not
locate the long dark figure for which he looked. But he never ceased to
watch, and his eagerness and intensity did not diminish a particle.

The air darkened yet more, and the moan of the wind rose in the forest.
But there was no rain. The five behind the rocks scarcely moved, and
there was silence in the bushes in front of them. Tom Ross, intent as
ever, saw a bush move slightly and then another. His eyes fastened upon
the spot. So eager was he that he seemed fairly to double his power of
sight. He saw a third bush move, and then a patch of something dark
appear where nothing had been before. Tom's heart beat fast. He thought
of the comrades so dear to him, and he thought of the silver bullet in
his rifle. The dark patch grew a little larger. He quivered all over,
but the next instant he was rigid. He was watching while the dark patch
still grew. He felt that he would have but a single chance, and that if
ever in his life he must seize the passing moment it was now.

Tom was staring so intently that his gaze pierced the shadows, and now
he saw the full figure of a huge hound stealing forward among the
bushes. He saw the massive pointed head and glittering eyes, and his
rifle muzzle shifted until he looked down the barrel upon a spot
directly between those cruel eyes. He prayed to the God of the white man
and the Manitou of the red man, who are the same, to make him steady of
eye and hand in this, their moment of great need. Then he pulled the
trigger.

The great dog uttered a fierce howl of pain, leaped high into the air,
and fell back among the bushes. But even as he fell Tom saw that he was
stiffening into death, and he exclaimed to his comrades:

"It got him! The silver bullet got him! He'll never follow us any more."

"I believe you're right," said Henry, awed for the moment despite his
clear and powerful mind, "and since he's dead we'll shake off the
warriors. Come, we'll run for it again."




CHAPTER III

THE HOT SPRING


Bending low, they ran again swiftly forward toward the south. A great
cry rose behind them, the whoop of the warriors, a yell of rage and
disappointment. A dozen shots were fired, but the bullets either flew
over their heads or dropped short. The five did not take the trouble to
reply. Confidence had returned to them with amazing quickness, and the
most confident and joyous of all was Tom Ross.

"I had the big medicine that time," he exclaimed exultantly. "It's lucky
I found the silver sixpence in my pocket, or that hound would have had
the savages trailing us forever."

Henry was cooler now, but he did not argue with him about it. In fact,
none of them ever did. Both he and Sol were now noting the heavens which
had become more overcast. The clouds spread from the horizon to the
zenith. Not a ray of sunlight showed. The wind was dropping, but far
into the southwest the earth sighed.

"It's the rain," said Henry. "Let it come. It and all this blackness
will help our escape."

Low thunder muttered along the western horizon. There were three or four
flashes of lightning but when the rain came presently with a sweep, both
thunder and lightning ceased, and they ran on clothed in a mantle of
darkness.

"Let's stay close together," said Henry, "and after awhile we'll turn to
the east and bear back toward the village. Nobody on earth can trail us
in all this gloom, with the rain, too, washing out every trace of our
footsteps."

Henry's judgment was good. Now that the hound was gone they shook off
the savages with ease. The rain was coming down in a steady pour, and,
as the twilight also was at hand, they were invisible to anyone fifty
yards away. Hence their speed dropped to a walk, and, in accordance with
their plan, they turned to the right. They walked on through dark woods,
and came to a smoother country, troubled little by rocks and underbrush.
The night was fully come, and the rain, that was still pouring out of a
black sky, was cold. They had paid no attention to it before except for
its concealment, but, as their figures relaxed after long effort, chill
struck into the bone. They had kept their rifles dry with their hunting
shirts, but now they took their blankets from the packs and wrapped them
about their shoulders. The blankets did not bring them warmth. Their
soaked clothing chilled them more and more.

They had become inured long since to all kinds of hardships, but one
cannot stand everything. Now and then a spurt of hail came with the
rain, and it beat in their faces, slipped between the blankets and down
their necks, making them shiver. Their weariness after so much exertion
made them all susceptible to the rain and cold. Finally Henry called a
halt.

"We must find shelter somewhere," he said. "If we don't, we'll be so
stiff in the morning we can't walk, and we'll be lucky to escape chills
and pneumonia, or something of that kind."

"That's right," said Shif'less Sol. "So we'll jest go into the inn,
which ain't more'n a hundred yards further on, git dry clothing, eat a
big supper, have a steaming hot drink apiece of something strong an'
then crawl in on feather beds with warm dry blankets over us. Oh, I'll
sleep good an' long! Don't you worry about that!"

"Solomon Hyde," said Long Jim Hart indignantly, "ef you don't stop
talkin' that way I'll hit you over the head with the barrel uv my rifle.
I'm cold enough an' wet enough already without you conjurin' up happy
dreams an' things that ain't. Them contrasts make me miserabler than
ever, an' I'm likely to get wickeder too. I give you fair warning'."

"All right," replied Shif'less Sol resignedly. "I wuz jest tryin' to
cheer you up, Jim, but a good man never gits any reward in this world,
jest kicks. How I wish that rain would stop! I never knowed such a cold
rain afore at this time o' the year."

"We must certainly find some sort of shelter," Henry repeated.

They searched for a long time, hoping for an alcove among the rocks or
perhaps a thick cluster of trees, but they found nothing. Several hours
passed. The rain grew lighter, and ceased, although the clouds remained,
hiding the moon. But the whole forest was soaked. Water dripped from
every twig and leaf, and the five steadily grew colder and more
miserable. It was nearly midnight when Henry spied the gleam of water
among the tree trunks.

"Another spring," he said. "What a delightful thing to see more water.
I've been fairly longing for something wet."

"Yes, and the spring has been rained on so much that the steam is rising
from it," said Paul.

"That's so," said Jim Hart. "Shore ez you live thar's a mist like a
smoke."

But Henry looked more closely and his tone was joyous as he spoke.

"Boys," he said, "I believe we're in luck, great luck. I think that's a
hot spring."

"So do I," said Shif'less Sol in the same joyous tone, "an' ef it is a
hot spring, an' it ain't too almighty hot, why, we'll all take pleasant
hot baths in it, go to bed an' sleep same ez ef we wuz really on them
feather beds in that inn that ain't."

Sol approached and put his hand in the water which he found warm, but
not too hot.

"It's all that we hoped, boys," he exclaimed joyfully. "So I'm goin' to
enjoy these baths of Lucully right away. After my bath I'll wrap myself
in my blanket, an' ez the rain hez stopped I'll hang out my clothes to
dry."

It was really a hot spring of the kind sometimes found in the West. The
water from the base of a hill formed a large pool, with a smooth bottom
of stone, and then flowed away in a little brook under the trees.

It was, indeed, a great piece of luck that they should find this hot
bath at a time when it was so badly needed. The teeth of both Paul and
Sol were chattering, and they were the first to throw off their clothes
and spring into the pool.

"Come right in and be b'iled," exclaimed the shiftless one. "Paul has
bragged of the baths o' Caracally but this beats 'em."

There were three splashes as the other three hit the water at once. Then
they came out, rolled themselves lightly in the warm blankets, and felt
the stiffness and soreness, caused by the rain and cold, departing from
their bodies. A light wind was blowing, and their clothes, hung on
boughs, were beginning already to dry. An extraordinary sense of peace
and ease, even of luxury, stole over them all. The contrast with what
they had been suffering put them in a physical heaven.

"I didn't think I could ever be so happy, a-layin' 'roun' in the woods
wrapped up in nothin' but a blanket," said Shif'less Sol. "I guess the
baths o' Rome that Paul tells about wuz good in their day, which wuz a
mighty long time ago, but not needin' 'em ez bad ez we did, mebbe, them
Roman fellers didn't enjoy 'em ez much. What do you say to that, Paul,
you champion o' the ancient times which hev gone forever?"

The only answer was a long regular breathing. Paul had fallen asleep.

"Good boy," said Shif'less Sol, sympathetically, "I hope he'll enjoy his
nap."

"Hope the same fur me," said Long Jim, "'cause I'm goin' to foller him
in less than two minutes."

Jim Hart made good his words. Within the prescribed time a snore, not
loud nor disagreeable, but gentle and persistent, rose on the night air.
One by one the others also fell asleep, all except Henry, who forced
himself to keep awake, and who was also pondering the question of
Timmendiquas. What were the great chief's plans? What vast scheme had
been evolved from the cunning brain of that master Indian? And how were
the five--only five--to defeat it, even should they discover its nature?

The light wind blew through all the rest of the night. The foliage
became dry, but the earth had been soaked so thoroughly with water that
it remained heavy with damp. The night was bright enough for him to
observe the faces of his comrades. They were sleeping soundly and
everyone was ruddy with health.

"That was certainly a wonderful hot bath," said Henry to himself, as he
looked at the pool. He moved a little in his blanket, tested his muscles
and found them all flexible. Then he watched until the first tinge of
gray appeared in the east, keeping his eyes upon it, until it turned to
silver and then to rose and gold, as the bright sun came. The day would
be clear and warm, and, after waiting a little longer, he awakened the
others.

"I think you'd better dress for breakfast," he said.

Their clothing was now thoroughly dry, and they clothed themselves anew,
but breakfast was wholly lacking. They had eaten all the venison, and
every man had an aching void.

"The country hez lots o' deer, o' course," said Shif'less Sol, "but jest
when you want one most it's pretty shore that you can't find it."

"I'm not so certain about that," said Henry. "When you find a hot spring
you are pretty likely to find a mineral spring or two, also, especially
one of salt."

"And if it's salt," finished Paul, "we'll see the deer coming there to
drink."

"Sound reasonin'," said Tom Ross.

They began the search. About a hundred yards east of the hot spring they
found one of sulphur water, and, two hundred yards further, one of salt.
Innumerable tracks beside it showed that it was well patronized by the
wilderness people, and the five, hiding in a clump of bushes at a point
where the wind would not betray them, bided their time. Some small
animals came down to drink at the healing salt spring, but the five did
not pull a trigger. This was not the game they wanted, and they never
killed wantonly. They were waiting for a fine fat deer, and they felt
sure that he would come. A great yellow panther padded down to the
spring, frightening everything else away and lapped the water greedily,
stopping now and then for suspicious looks at the forest. They longed to
take a shot at the evil brute, and, under the circumstances, everyone of
the five would have pulled the trigger, but now none did so. The panther
took his time, but finally he slunk back into the forest, leaving the
salt spring to better wilderness people than himself.

At last the sacrifice came, a fat and splendid stag, walking proudly and
boldly down to the pool. He sniffed the morning air, but the wind was
not blowing from the fire toward him, and, with no feeling of danger,
he bent down his regal head to drink. The five felt regret that so noble
an animal must give his life for others, but hunger was hunger and in
the wilderness there was no other way. By common consent they nodded
towards Henry, who was the best shot, and he raised his rifle. It
reminded him of the time far back, when, under the tutelage of Tom Ross,
he had shot his first stag. But now, although he did not say it to
himself or even think of it, he was Tom Ross' master in all the arts of
hunting, and in mind as well.

Henry pulled the trigger. The stag leaped high into the air, ran a few
yards, fell and was still. They dressed his body quickly, and in a half
hour Long Jim Hart, with all the skill and soul of a culinary artist was
frying strips of deer meat over the coals that Shif'less Sol had
kindled. There was danger of Indians, of course, but they kept a sharp
watch, and as they ate, they neither saw nor heard any sign.

"It is pretty sure," said Henry, "that no savage was lingering about
when I fired the rifle, because we would have heard something from him
by this time."

"You are shorely right," said Shif'less Sol. "Jim, give me another
strip. My appetite hez took a fresh hold ez I'm eatin' now with a free
mind."

"Here you are, Sol," said Long Jim. "It's a pow'ful pleasure to me to
see you eat my cookin'. The health an strength uv a lazy man like you
who hez been nourished by my hand is livin' proof that I'm the best cook
in the woods."

"We all give you that credit, Jim," said Shif'less Sol contentedly.

After breakfast they took with them as large a supply of the meat as
they could carry with convenience and regretfully left the rest to the
wolves and panthers. Then they began their journey toward the Wyandot
village. Their misadventure and their long flight from the terrible
hound had not discouraged them in the least. They would return directly
to the storm center and keep watch, as well as they could, upon the
movements of Timmendiquas and his allies.

But they chose another and more easterly course now and traveled all day
through beautiful sunshine and a dry forest. Their precautions of the
night before had served them well, as the rain and cold left no trace of
ill, and their spirits rose to heights.

"But thar's one thing we've got to guard ag'in'," said Shif'less Sol. "I
don't want to be tracked by any more dogs. Besides bein' dangerous, it
gives you a creepy uncomf'table feelin'."

"We'll keep a good watch for them," said Henry.

As they saw no reason for haste, they slept in the woods another night,
and the next night thereafter they approached the Indian village. They
hung about it a long time, and, at great risk, discovered that a new
movement was on foot. Timmendiquas would soon depart for a journey
further into the North. With him would go the famous chiefs, Yellow
Panther of the Miamis, and Red Eagle of the Shawnees, and the renegades,
Simon Girty, Braxton Wyatt and Blackstaffe. They would have a retinue of
a hundred warriors, chosen from the different tribes, but with
precedence allotted to the Wyandots. These warriors, however, were
picked men of the valley nations, splendidly built, tall, lean and full
of courage and ferocity. They were all armed with improved rifles, and
every man carried a tomahawk and hunting knife. They were also amply
supplied with ammunition and provisions.

The five having watched these preparations by night when they could come
close to the village, considered them carefully as they lay in a dense
covert. So far they had not been able to discover anything that would
indicate the intention of Timmendiquas, except that he would march
northward, and there were many guesses.

"I'm thinking that he will go to Detroit," said Henry. "That's the
strongest British post in the West. The Indians get their arms and
ammunition there, and most of the raids on Kentucky have been made from
that point."

"Looks ez likely ez anything to me," said Shif'less Sol, "but I'm
guessin' that ef Timmendiquas goes to Detroit he won't stop there. He's
a big man an' he may then go westward to raise all the tribes o' the
Great Lakes."

"It may be so," said Henry.




CHAPTER IV

THE SEVEN HERALDS


Henry, late the next night, was near the Wyandot village, watching it
alone. They had decided to divide their work as the border watch. Part
of them would sleep in the covert, while the others would scout about
the village. That night it was the turn of Shif'less Sol and himself,
but they had separated in order to see more. The shiftless one was now
on the other side of the town, perhaps a mile away.

Henry was in a thick clump of bushes that lay to the north of the house
and tepees. Dogs might stray that way or they might not. If they did, a
rifle shot would silence the first that gave tongue, and he knew that
alone he was too swift in flight to be overtaken by any Indian force.

Although past midnight the heavens were a fine silky blue, shot with a
myriad of stars, and a full rich moon hanging low. Henry, lying almost
flat upon his stomach, with his rifle by his side, was able to see far
into the village. He noted that, despite the lateness of the hour, fires
were burning there, and that warriors, carrying torches, were passing
about. This was unusual. It was always characteristic of his mind not
only to see, but to ask where, when and, above all, why? Now he was
repeatedly asking why of himself, but while asking he never failed to
observe the slightest movement in the village.

Presently he saw Timmendiquas walk from a large lodge and stop by one of
the fires. Standing in the rays of the moon, light from above and
firelight from his side falling upon him the figure of the chief was
like that of some legendary Titan who had fought with the gods. A red
blanket hung over his shoulder, and a single red feather rose aloft in
the defiant scalp lock.

Henry saw the renegade, Simon Girty, approach, and talk with the chief
for a few moments, but he was much too far away to hear what they said.
Then six warriors, one of them, by his dress, a sub-chief, came from the
lodges and stood before Timmendiquas, where they were joined, an instant
later, by the renegade Blackstaffe. The chief took from beneath his
blanket four magnificent belts of wampum, two of which he handed to the
sub-chief and two to the renegade. Timmendiquas said a few words to
every one of them, and, instantly leaving the village they traveled
northward at the swift running walk of the Indian. They passed near
Henry in single file, the sub-chief at the head and Blackstaffe in the
rear, and he noticed then that they carried supplies as if for a long
journey. Their faces were turned toward the Northwest.

Timmendiquas and Girty stood for a moment, watching the men, then turned
back and were lost among the lodges. But Henry rose from his covert and,
hidden among the bushes, came to a rapid conclusion. He knew the
significance of wampum belts and he could guess why these seven men had
departed so swiftly. They were heralds of war. They were on their way to
the far northwest tribes, in order that they might bring them to the
gathering of the savage clans for the invasion of Kentucky.

Henry felt a powerful impulse, an impulse that speedily became a
conviction. Every delay and every reduction of force was a help to the
white men and white women and children down below the Ohio. A week of
time, or the difference of twenty warriors might be their salvation. He
must turn back the messengers, and he must do it with his single hand.
How he longed for the help of the brave and resourceful Shif'less Sol.
But he was a mile away, somewhere in the dark woods and Henry could not
delay. The seven heralds were speeding toward the Northwest, at a pace
that would soon take them far beyond his reach, unless he followed at
once.

Dropping his rifle in the hollow of his arm he swung in behind them. One
could not pick up a trail in dense woods at night, but he had observed
their general direction, and he followed them so swiftly that within a
half hour he saw them, still traveling in Indian file, the chief as
before at the head of the line and Blackstaffe at the rear. The moon had
now faded a little, and the light over the forest turned from silver to
gray. Many of the stars had withdrawn, but on sped the ghostly
procession of seven. No, not of seven only, but of eight, because behind
them at a distance of two hundred yards always followed a youth of great
build, and of wilderness instinct and powers that none of them could
equal.

Chaska, the sub-chief, the Shawnee who led, was an eager and zealous
man, filled with hatred of the white people who had invaded the hunting
grounds of his race. He was anxious to bring as many warriors as he
could to their mighty gathering, even if he had to travel as far as the
farthest and greatest of the Great Lakes. Moreover he was swift of foot,
and he did not spare himself or the others that night. He led them
through bushes and weeds and grass and across the little brooks. Always
the others followed, and no sound whatever came from the file of seven
which was really the file of eight.

The seven heralds traveled all night and all of the next day, always
through forest, and at no time was the eighth figure in the file more
than four hundred yards behind them.

The Indian, through centuries of forest life, had gifts of insight and
of physical faculties amounting to a sixth sense, yet the keenest among
them never suspected, for an instant, that they were eight and not
seven. At noon they sat down in the dry grass of a tiny prairie and ate
dried deer meat. Henry, in the edge of the woods a quarter of a mile
away, also ate dried deer meat. When the seven finished their food and
resumed the march the eighth at the same time finished his food and
resumed the march. Nothing told the seven that the eighth was there, no
voice of the wood, no whisper from Manitou.

The stop had not lasted more than half an hour and the journey led on
through great forests, broken only by tiny prairies. Game abounded
everywhere, and Henry judged that the Indians, according to the custom
among some of the more advanced tribes, had not hunted over it for
several seasons, in order that it might have plenty when they came
again. Ten or a dozen buffaloes were grazing on nearly every little
prairie, splendid deer were in the open and in the woods, but the seven
and also the eighth stopped for none of these, although they would have
been sorely tempted at any other time.

Their speed was undiminished throughout the afternoon, but Henry knew
that they must camp that night. They could not go on forever, and he
could secure, too, the rest that he needed. It might also give him the
chance to do what he wished to do. At least he would have time to plan.

In the late afternoon the character of the day changed. The sun set in a
mackerel sky. A soft wind came moaning out of the Southwest, and drops
of rain were borne on its edge. Darkness shut down close and heavy. No
moon and no stars came out. The rain fell gently, softly, almost as if
it were ashamed, and the voice of the wind was humble and low.

Chaska, Blackstaffe and their men stopped under the interlacing boughs
of two giant oaks, and began to collect firewood. Henry, who had been
able to come much nearer in the dark, knew then that they would remain
there a long time, probably all night, and he was ready to prepare for
his own rest. But he did not do anything until the seven had finished
their task.

He kept at a safe distance, shifting his position from time to time,
until the Indians had gathered all the firewood they needed and were
sitting in a group around the heap. Chaska used the flint and steel and
Henry saw the fire at last blaze up. The seven warmed their food over
the fire and then sat around it in a close and silent circle, with their
blankets drawn over their bodies, and their rifles covered up in their
laps. Sitting thus, Blackstaffe looked like the others and no one would
have known him from an Indian.

Henry had with him, carried usually in a small pack on his back, two
blankets, light in weight but of closely woven fiber, shedding rain, and
very warm. He crouched in a dense growth of bushes, three or four
hundred yards from the Indian fire. Then he put one blanket on the
ground, sat upon it, after the Indian fashion, and put the other blanket
over his head and shoulders, just as the warriors had done. He locked
his hands across his knees, while the barrel of the rifle which rested
between his legs protruded over his shoulder and against the blanket.
Some of the stronger and heavier bushes behind him supported his weight.
He felt perfectly comfortable, and he knew that he would remain so,
unless the rain increased greatly, and of that there was no sign.

Henry, though powerful by nature, and inured to great exertions, was
tired. The seven, including the eighth, had been traveling at a great
pace for more than twenty hours. While the Indians ate their food,
warmed over the fire, he ate his cold from his pocket. Then the great
figure began to relax. His back rested easily against the bushes. The
tenseness and strain were gone from his nerves and muscles. He had not
felt so comfortable, so much at peace in a long time, and yet not three
hundred yards away burned a fire around which sat seven men, any one of
whom would gladly have taken his life.

The clouds moved continually across the sky, blotting out the moon and
every star. The soft, light rain fell without ceasing and its faint
drip, drip in the woods was musical. It took the last particle of strain
and anxiety from Henry's mind and muscles. This voice of the rain was
like the voice of his dreams which sometimes sang to him out of the
leaves. He would triumph in his present task. He was bound to do so,
although he did not yet know the way.

He watched the fire with sleepy eyes. He saw it sink lower and lower. He
saw the seven figures sitting around it become dim and then dimmer,
until they seemed to merge into one solid circle.

As long as he looked at them he did not see a single figure move, and he
knew that they were asleep. He knew that he too would soon be sleeping
and he was willing. But he was resolved not to do so until the darkness
was complete, that is, not until the fire had gone entirely out. He
watched it until it seemed only a single spark in the night. Then it
winked and was gone. At the same time the darkness blotted out the ring
of seven figures.

Henry's eyelids drooped and closed. He raised them weakly once or twice,
but the delicate voice of the light rain in the forest was so soothing
that they stayed down, after the second attempt, and he floated
peacefully to unknown shores, hidden as safely as if he were a thousand
miles from the seven seated and silent figures.

He awoke about midnight and found himself a little stiff from his
crouching position, but dry and rested. The rain was still falling in
gentle, persistent fashion. He rolled up the blanket that had lain
under him but kept the other around his shoulders. All was dark where
the fire and the ring of seven had been, but he knew instinctively that
they were there, bent forward with the blankets about their heads and
shoulders.

He stole forward until he could see them. He was right. Not one in the
circle was missing and not one had moved. Then he passed around them,
and, picking his way in the darkness, went ahead. He had a plan, vague
somewhat, but one which he might use, if the ground developed as he
thought it would. He had noticed that, despite inequalities, the general
trend of the earth was downward. The brooks also ran northward, and he
believed that a river lay across their path not far ahead.

Now he prayed that the rain would cease and that the clouds would go
away so that he might see, and his prayers were answered. A titanic hand
dragged all the clouds off to the eastward, and dim grayish light came
once more over the dripping forest. He saw forty or fifty yards ahead,
and he advanced much faster. The ground continued to drop down, and his
belief came true. At a point four or five miles north of the Indian camp
he reached a narrow but deep river that he could cross only by swimming.
But it was likely a ford could be found near and he looked swiftly for
it.

He went a mile down the stream, without finding shallow water, and, then
coming back, discovered the ford only a hundred yards above his original
point of departure. The water here ran over rocks, and, for a space of
ten or fifteen yards, it was not more than four feet deep. The Indians
undoubtedly knew of this ford, and here they would attempt to cross.

He waded to the other side, rolled up the second blanket, crouched
behind rocks among dense bushes, ate more cold food, and waited. His
rifle lay across his knees, and, at all times, he watched the woods on
the far shore. He was the hunter now, the hunter of men, the most
dangerous figure in the forest, all of his wonderful five senses attuned
to the utmost.

The darkness faded away, as the dawn came up, silver and then gold.
Golden light poured down in a torrent on river, forest and hills. Every
leaf and stem sprang out clear and sharp in the yellow blaze. The
waiting youth never stirred. From his covert in the thicket behind the
rocks he saw everything. He saw a bush stir, when there was no wind, and
then he saw the face of the Indian chief Chaska, appear beside the bush.
After him came the remainder of the seven and they advanced toward the
ford.

Henry raised his rifle and aimed at Chaska. He picked a spot on the
broad and naked chest, where he could make his bullet strike with
absolute certainty. Then he lowered it. He could not fire thus upon an
unsuspecting enemy, although he knew that Chaska would have no such
scruples about him. Pursing his lips he uttered a loud sharp whistle, a
whistle full of warning and menace.

The seven sprang back among the bushes. The eighth on the other side of
the river lay quite still for a little while. Then a sudden puff of wind
blew aside some of the bushes and disclosed a portion of his cap. Chaska
who was the farthest forward of the seven saw the cap and fired. The
Indian is not usually a good marksman, and his bullet cut the bushes,
but Henry, who now had no scruples, was a sharpshooter beyond compare.
Chaska had raised up a little to take aim, and, before the smoke from
his own weapon rose, the rifle on the other side of the river cracked.
Chaska threw up his hands and died as he would have wished to die, on
the field of battle, and with his face to the foe. The others shrank
farther back among the bushes, daunted by the deadly shot, and the
hidden foe who held the ford.

Henry reloaded quietly, and then lay very close among the bushes. Not
only did he watch the forest on the other shore, but all his senses were
keenly alert. For a distance of a full half mile none of the Indians
could cross the river unseen by him, but, in case they went farther and
made the passage he relied upon his ears to warn him of their approach.

For a time nothing stirred. Boughs, bushes and leaves were motionless
and the gold on the surface of the river grew deeper under the rising
sun. Blackstaffe, after the fall of Chaska, was now commander of the
seven heralds, who were but six, and at his word the Indians too were
lying close, for the soul of Blackstaffe, the renegade, was disturbed.
The bullet that had slain Chaska had come from the rifle of a
sharpshooter. Chaska had exposed himself for only an instant and yet he
had been slain. Blackstaffe knew that few could fire with such swift and
deadly aim, but, before this, he had come into unpleasantly close
contact with some who could. His mind leaped at once to the conclusion
that the famous five were in front of him, and he was much afraid.

An hour passed. The beauty of the morning deepened. The river flowed, an
untarnished sheet, now of silver, now of gold as the light fell. Henry
crept some distance to the right, and then an equal distance to left. He
could not hear the movement of any enemy in front of him, and he
believed that they were all yet in the bushes on the other side of the
river. He returned to his old position and the duel of patience went on.
His eyes finally fixed themselves upon a large bush, the leaves of which
were moving. He took the pistol from his belt, cocked it, and put it
upon the rock in front of him. Then he slowly pushed forward the muzzle
of his long and beautiful Kentucky rifle.

It was certainly a duel to the death. No other name described it, and
hundreds of such have been fought and forgotten in the great forests of
North America. The Indian behind the bush was crafty and cunning, one of
the most skillful among the Shawnees. He had marked the spot where an
enemy lay, and was rising a little higher for a better look.

Henry had marked him, too, or rather the movement that was the precursor
of his coming, and when the Shawnee rose in the bush he raised a little
and fired. There was a terrific yell, a figure leaped up convulsively,
and then falling, disappeared. Five shots were fired at Henry, or rather
at the flame from his rifle, but he merely sank back a little, snatched
up the pistol, and sent a second bullet, striking a brown figure which
retreated with a cry to the woods. The remainder, Blackstaffe first
among them, also sprang to cover.

The renegade and the four remaining Indians, one of whom was severely
wounded, conferred as they lay among the trees. Blackstaffe was no
coward, yet his heart was as water within him. He was absolutely sure
now that the terrible five were before them. Two shots had been fired,
but the others were only waiting their chance. His own force was but
five now, only four of whom were effective. He was outnumbered, and he
did not know what to do. The Indians would want to carry out the
important orders of Timmendiquas, but there was the river, and they did
not dare to attempt the crossing.

Henry, in his old position, awaited the result with serene confidence.
The seven heralds were now but five, really four, and not only the
stars, but the sun, the day, time, circumstance and everything were
working for him. He had reloaded his weapons, and he was quite sure now
that Blackstaffe and the Indians would stay together. None of them nor
any two of them would dare to go far upstream or down stream, cross and
attempt to stalk him. Nevertheless he did not relax his vigilance. He
was as much the hunter as ever. Every sense was keenly alert, and that
superior sense or instinct, which may be the essence and flower of the
five was most alert of all.

The duel of patience, which was but a phase of the duel of death, was
resumed. On went the sun up the great concave arch of the heavens,
pouring its beams upon the beautiful earth, but on either side of the
river nothing stirred. The nerves of Blackstaffe, the renegade, were the
first to yield to the strain. He began to believe that the five had gone
away, and, creeping forward to see, he incautiously exposed one hand. It
was only for an instant, but a bullet from the other side of the river
cut a furrow all the way across the back of the hand, stinging and
burning as if a red hot bar had been laid upon it.

Blackstaffe dropped almost flat upon the ground, and looked at his hand
from which the blood was oozing. He knew that it was not hurt seriously,
but the wound stung horribly and tears of mingled pain and mortification
rose to his eyes. He suggested to the warriors that they go back, but
they shook their heads. They feared the wrath of Timmendiquas and the
scorn of their comrades. So Blackstaffe waited, but he was without hope.
He had been miserably trapped by his belief that the five had gone. They
were there, always watching, deadlier sharpshooters than ever.

It was noon now, and a Wyandot, the most zealous of the remaining
Indians, lying flat on his stomach, crept almost to the water's edge,
where he lay among the grass and reeds. Yet he never crept back again.
He stirred the grass and weeds too much, and a bullet, fired by
calculation of his movements, and not by any sight of his figure, slew
him where he lay.

Then a great and terrible fear seized upon the Indians as well as
Blackstaffe. Such deadly shooting as this was beyond their
comprehension. The bullets from the rifles of the unseen marksmen were
guided by the hand of Manitou. The Great Spirit had turned his face away
from them, and helping their wounded comrade, they fled southward as
fast as they could. Blackstaffe, his blazed hand burning like fire, went
with them gladly.

In that journey of twenty hours' northward the seven heralds had
traveled far from the Wyandot village and it was equally as far back to
it. Going northward they had zeal and energy to drive them on, and going
southward they had terror and superstition to drive them back. They
returned as fast as they had gone, and all the time they felt that the
same mysterious and deadly enemy was behind them. Once a bullet, cutting
the leaves near them, hastened their footsteps. The renegade wished to
abandon the wounded man, but the Indians, more humane, would not allow
it.

Henry could have reduced the number of the heralds still further, but
his mind rebelled at useless bloodshed and he was satisfied to let
terror and superstition do their work. He followed them until they were
in sight of the village, guessing the surprise and consternation that
their news would cause. Then he turned aside to find his comrades in the
covert and to tell them what he had done. They admired, but they were
not surprised, knowing him so well.

Meanwhile they waited.




CHAPTER V

THE WYANDOT COUNCIL


Henry and his comrades, spying anew from the woods and seeing the
village full of stir, thought Timmendiquas and his warriors would depart
that day, but they soon gathered that some important ceremonial was at
hand, and would be celebrated first. It reminded Henry of the great
gathering of the Iroquois before the advance on Wyoming. He was as eager
now as then to enter the village and see the rites, which it was quite
evident were going to be held at night. Already the dangers of his
adventure with the seven heralds were forgotten and he was ready for new
risks.

"If I only had a little paint for my face and body," he said, "I could
go into the place without much danger, and I'd learn a lot that would be
of use to us."

No one answered, but Shif'less Sol, who had been listening attentively,
stole away. The sun was then about an hour high, and, a little after
twilight, the shiftless one returned with a package wrapped in a piece
of deerskin. He held it aloft, and his face was triumphant.

"What have you been doing, Sol?" exclaimed Henry.

"Me? I've been stealin'. An' I tell you I've been a good thief, too, fur
a lazy man. You said you wanted paint, Henry. Well, here it is an' the
little brushes an' feathers with which you put it on, too. The people
are all driftin' toward the center o' the village, an' without any
partic'lar trouble to myself or anybody else I entered an outlyin'--an'
fur the time empty--lodge an' took away this vallyble paintin' outfit."

"Good," said Henry with delight. "Now you shall paint me, Sol, and in an
hour I'll be among the Wyandots. Let's see the paint."

But Shif'less Sol firmly retained his precious package.

"Takin's are keepings," he said. "These paints are mine, an' I 'low you
to make use o' them on one condition only."

"What is that?"

"When I paint you, you paint me, an' then we'll go into this mighty
Injun metropolis together. Mebbe you'll need me, Henry, an' I'm goin'
with you anyway. You've got to agree to it."

Henry and the shiftless one looked each other squarely in the face.
Henry read resolve, and also an anxious affection in the gaze of his
comrade.

"All right, Sol," he said, "it's agreed. Now let's see which is the
better painter."

While the others stood by and gave advice Sol painted Henry. The great
youth bared himself to the skin, and Sol, with a deft hand, laid on the
Wyandot colors over chest, shoulders, arms, face and hands. Then Henry
painted the shiftless one in the same fashion. They also, but with more
difficulty, colored their hair black. It was artistic work, and when all
was done the two stood forth in the perfect likeness of two splendid
Wyandot warriors.

"I think," said Henry, "that if we keep away from Timmendiquas, Wyatt,
Girty and those who know us so well, nobody will suspect us."

"But don't run any unnecessary risks," said Paul anxiously. "You know
how hard it will be on us waiting out here in the woods, an' if you were
captured it's not likely we could save you."

"We'll take every precaution, Paul," said Henry, "and we'll rejoin you
here in the morning."

"All right," said Paul, "we'll wait at this point."

They were in an exceedingly dense part of the forest about two miles
from the Indian village, and Tom Ross, the phlegmatic, was already
selecting a place for his blanket. The moon was not yet out and the
light over the forest was dim, but Paul, Long Jim and Silent Tom could
see very distinctly the two magnificent young Wyandots who stood near
them, bare to the waist, painted wondrously and armed with rifle,
tomahawk and knife.

"Henry," said Long Jim, "ef I didn't see your face I could swear that
you wuz Timmendiquas his very self. I see Timmendiquas--his shoulders
an' the way he carries himself."

"An' I guess you see somethin' gran' an' wonderful in me, too, don't
you, Saplin'?" said Shif'less Sol in his most ingratiating tone.

Long Jim gazed at him in his most scornful manner, before he deigned to
reply.

"No, I don't see no great chief in you, Sol Hyde," he replied. "I see
nothin' but an ornery Wyandot, who's so lazy he has to be fed by squaws,
an' who ef he saw a white man would run so fast he'd never stop until he
hit Lake Superior an' got beyond his depth."

Shif'less Sol laughed and held out his hand.

"Put 'er thar," he said. "You wouldn't abuse me ef you didn't like me,
an' ef I never come back I guess a tear or two would run down that brown
face o' yours."

Long Jim returned in kind the iron grasp of his friend.

"Them words o' yours is mighty near to the truth," he said.

Both Henry and Sol said all their good-byes, and then they slid away
through the thickets toward the town. As they came to its edge they saw
a multitude of lights, fires burning here and there, and many torches
held aloft by women and children. There was also the chatter of hundreds
of voices, melting into a pleasant river of sound and the two, not even
finding the Indian dogs suspicious, advanced boldly across the maize
fields. Henry, remembering his size, which was the chief danger, now
stooped and held himself in a shrunken position as much as possible.
Thus they came to the town, and they saw that all its inhabitants were
converging upon the common in the center.

Both Henry and Sol looked anxiously at the village, which was of a
permanent character, containing both single and communal wigwams. The
permanent wigwams were of an oblong form, built of poles interwoven with
bark. Many were, as Shif'less Sol called them, double-barreled--that is,
in two sections, a family to each section, but with a common hall in
which the fire was built, each family sitting on its side of the fire.
But all these were empty now, as men, women and children had gone to the
open space in the center of the village. The communal lodges were much
larger, often holding six or seven families, but with entirely distinct
partitions for every family. Here in the woods was a rude germ of the
modern apartment house.

Henry and Sol drew near to the common, keeping concealed within the
shadow of the lodges. The open space was blazing with light from big
fires and many squaws carried torches also. Within this space were
grouped the guests of the Wyandots, the Shawnees and the Miamis, with
their chiefs at their head. They were painted heavily, and were in the
finest attire of the savage, embroidered leggings and moccasins, and red
or blue blankets. From every head rose a bright feather twined in the
defiant scalp lock. But the Shawnees and Miamis stood motionless, every
man resting the stock of his rifle upon the ground and his hands upon
the muzzle. They were guests. They were not to take any part in the
ceremony, but they were deeply interested in the great rites of an
allied and friendly nation, the great little tribe of the Wyandots, the
woman-ruled nation, terrible in battle, the bravest of the brave the
finest savage fighters the North American continent ever produced, the
Mohawks not excepted. And the fact remains that they were ruled by
women.

The Wyandot warriors had not yet entered the open, which was a great
circular grassy space. But as Henry and Shif'less Sol leaned in the
shadow of a lodge, a tall warrior painted in many colors came forth into
the light of the fires, and uttered a loud cry, which he repeated twice
at short intervals. Meanwhile the torches among the women and children
had ceased to waver, and the Shawnees and Miamis stood immovable, their
hands resting on the muzzles of their rifles. The great fires blazed up,
and cast a deep red light over the whole scene. A minute or so elapsed
after the last cry, and Henry and Shif'less Sol noticed the expectant
hush.

Then at the far side of the circle appeared the Wyandot warriors, six
abreast coming between the lodges. They were naked except for the breech
cloth and moccasins, but their bodies were gorgeously painted in many
colors. Mighty men were they. Few among them were less than six feet in
height, and all were splendidly built for strength, skill and endurance.
They held their heads high, too, and their eyes flashed with the haughty
pride of those who considered themselves first. Not in vain were the
woman-ruled Wyandots the bravest of the brave.

The Wyandot people advanced and waited on the outer rim of the circle in
the order of their gentes or clans. Their rank like that of all the
leading North American tribes was perfect and was never violated. There
were eleven clans with the following names in their language: The Bear,
the Deer, the Highland Striped Turtle, the Highland Black Turtle, the
Mud Turtle, the Large Smooth Turtle, the Hawk, the Beaver, the Wolf, the
Snake, and the Porcupine. The rank of the sachem of the nation was
inherent in the clan of the Bear, and the rank of military chief had
always belonged hitherto to the clan of the Porcupine, but now the right
was about to be waived and for an ample reason.

The Wyandot warriors continued to march steadily into the circle until
all were there, and then a deep murmur of approval came from the
watching Shawnees and Miamis.

The flower of the Wyandot nation here in its own home was all that
wilderness fame had made it. At the head of the first clan, that of the
Bear, stood Timmendiquas, and Henry and Shif'less Sol had never seen him
appear more commanding. Many tall men were there, but he over-topped
them all, and his eyes shone with a deep, bright light, half triumph and
half expectancy.

Now all the Wyandots were within the circle, standing as they always
camped when on the war path or the hunt. They were arranged in the form
of a horseshoe. The head was on the left and the clans ran to the right
in this way: The Bear, the Deer, the Highland Striped Turtle, the
Highland Black Turtle, the Mud Turtle, the Large Smooth Turtle, the
Hawk, the Beaver, the Wolf, the Snake and the Porcupine. These clans
were also incorporated into four phratries, or larger divisions. The
first phratry included the Bear, the Deer, and the Highland Striped
Turtle; the second, the Highland Black Turtle, the Mud Turtle, and the
Large Smooth Turtle; the third, the Hawk, the Beaver, and the Wolf, and
the fourth, the Snake, and the Porcupine.

Every clan was ruled by a council of five, and of those five, four were
women. The fifth, the man, was chosen by the four women from the men of
their clan. The four women of the Board of Council had been selected
previously by the married women or heads of families of the clans. The
wife, not the husband, was the head of the family, nor did he own
anything in their home except his clothes and weapons. He was merely a
hunter and warrior. All property and rank descended through the female
line. The lands of the village which were communal were partitioned for
cultivation by the women. The clan council of five was called the
Zu-wai-yu-wa, and the lone man was always deferential in the presence of
the four women who had elected him. The men councilors, however, had
some privilege. When it became necessary to choose the Grand Sachem of
the whole nation, they alone did it. But they were compelled to heed the
voices of the women who constituted the whole voting population, and who
also owned all the property. There was, too, a separate military council
of men who chose the military chief. Every clan had a distinctive way of
painting the face, and the four women councilors and their man comrade
wore on state occasions distinctive chaplets of wild flowers, leaves and
grass.

Much of this lore Henry and Shif'less Sol knew already and more they
learned later. Now as they watched the impressive ceremonies they often
divined what was to come.

After the horseshoe was formed, forty-four women and eleven men in a
compact body advanced to the inside of the circle. The women were mostly
middle-aged, and they were better looking than the women of other
tribes. Seen in the firelight they had primitive dignity and a
wilderness majesty, that was brightened by the savage richness of their
dress. They wore their hair in long dark braids, adorned by shells and
small red and blue feathers. Their tunics, which fell nearly to the
knee, were made of the finest dressed deerskin, fastened at the waist
with belts of the same material, dyed red or blue. As they watched, the
little beads on their leggings and moccasins tinkled and gave forth the
colors of the firelight. The expression of all was one of great gravity
and dignity. Here was the real senatorial body of the nation. Though
they might not fight nor lead in war, they were the lawmakers of the
Wyandots. Great deference was paid to them as they passed.

Henry and Shif'less Sol, flattened in the dark against the side of a
tepee, watched everything with eager interest. Henry, a keen observer
and quick to draw inferences, had seen other but somewhat similar
ceremonies among the Iroquois. Women had taken a part there also and
some of them had the rank of chieftainess, but they were not predominant
as they were among the Wyandots.

The council of the eleven clans stopped in the center of the circle, and
a silence, broken only by the crackling of the fires and the sputtering
of the torches, came once more over the great assembly. But a thousand
eager faces were turned toward them. The Shawnees and Miamis apparently
had not yet moved, still standing in rows, every face an impenetrable
bronze mask.

The tall warrior of the clan of the Wolf who had made the signal for the
ceremony now came forward again. His name was Atuetes (Long Claws) and
he was at once the herald and sheriff of the nation. He superintended
the erection of the Council House, and had charge of it afterwards. He
called the council which met regularly on the night of the full moon,
and at such other times as the Grand Sachem might direct. The present
was an unusual meeting summoned for an unusual purpose, and owing to the
uncommon interest in it, it was held in the open instead of in the
Council House.

Timmendiquas, already by common consent and in action the Grand Sachem
of the Wyandots, was now about to be formally invested with the double
power of Grand Sachem and military chief. The clan of the Porcupine in
which the military chieftainship was hereditary had willingly yielded it
to Timmendiquas, whose surpassing fitness to meet the coming of the
white man was so obvious to everybody.

Atuetes, the herald, advanced to the very center of the ring and shouted
three times in loud, piercing tones:

"Timmendiquas! Timmendiquas! Timmendiquas!"

Then the whole nation, with their guests the Shawnees and Miamis,
uttered the name in one great cry. After that the deep breathless
silence came again and the eager brown faces were bent yet further
forward. Timmendiquas standing motionless hitherto at the head of his
clan, the Bear, now walked forth alone. The shout suddenly rose again,
and then died as quickly as before.

Timmendiquas had thrown aside his magnificent blue blanket, and he stood
bare to the waist. The totem of the bear tattooed upon his chest shone
in the firelight. His figure seemed to grow in height and to broaden.
Never before in all the history and legends of the Wyandots had so
mighty an honor been conferred upon so young a warrior. It was all the
more amazing because his predominance was so great that none challenged
it, and other great warriors were there.

Among the famous chiefs who stood with the councilors or the clan were
Dewatire (Lean Deer), Shayantsawat (Hard Skull), Harouyu (The Prowler),
Tucae (Slow Walker), and Tadino (Always Hungry).

Timmendiquas continued to walk slowly forward to the point, where the
long row of the chieftainesses stood. He would not have been human had
he not felt exaltation, and an immense pride as he faced the women, with
the hundreds and hundreds of admiring eyes looking on. He came presently
within a few feet of them and stopped. Then Ayajinta (Spotted Fawn), the
tallest and most majestic of the women, stepped forward, holding in both
hands a woven chaplet of flowers and grass. The entire circle was now
lighted brilliantly by the fires and torches, and Henry and Shif'less
Sol, although at a distance, saw well.

Ayajinta, holding the chaplet in her outstretched hands, stood directly
before Timmendiquas. She was a tall woman, but the chief towered nearly
a head above her. Nevertheless her dignity was the equal of his and
there was also much admiration in her looks.

"Timmendiquas," she said, in tones so clearly that everyone could hear,
"you have proved yourself both a great chief and a mighty warrior. For
many moons now you have led the Wyandots on the war trail, and you have
also been first among them in the Council House. You have gone with our
warriors far toward the rising sun and by the side of the great kindred
nation, the Iroquois, you have fought with your warriors against the
Long Knives. After victory the Iroquois have seen their houses
destroyed, but you and your warriors fought valiantly to defend them.

"We, the women of the Wyandots, chosen to the council by the other
women, the heads of the families, look upon you and admire you for your
strength, your courage and your wisdom. Seldom does Manitou give so much
to a single warrior, and, when he does give, then it is not so much for
him as it is for the sake of his tribe."

Ayajinta paused and the multitude uttered a deep "Hah!" which signified
interest and approval. But Timmendiquas stood upright, unchanging eyes
looking at her from the impenetrable brown mask.

"So," she said, "O Timmendiquas, thou hast been chosen Grand Sachem of
the Wyandots, and also the leader of the war chiefs. We give you the
double crown. Wear it for your own glory, and yet more for the glory of
the Wyandot nation."

Timmendiquas bent his lofty head and she put upon it the great flowery
crown. Then as he raised his crowned head and looked proudly around the
circle, a tremendous shout burst from the multitude. Once more they
cried:

"Timmendiquas! Timmendiquas! Timmendiquas!"

Before the third utterance of the name had died, fifty young girls, the
fairest of the tribe, dressed in tanned deerskin adorned with beads and
feathers, streamed into the inner circle and began to dance before the
great chief. Meanwhile they sang:--

    Behold the great Timmendiquas!
    Mightiest of great chiefs,
    Wisest of all in council,
    He leads the warriors to battle,
    He teaches the old men wisdom,
    Timmendiquas, first of men.

    Behold the great Timmendiquas!
    As strong as the oak on the mountain,
    As cunning as the wolf of the valley,
    He has fought beside the great Iroquois,
    The Yengees flee at the sound of his name,
    Timmendiquas, first of men.

Then they joined hands and circled about him to a tune played by four
men on whistles, made from the bones of eagles. The song died, and the
girls flitted away so quickly through the outer ring that they were gone
like shadows.

Responsive as they were to wilderness life, the scene was making a
mighty impression upon Henry and Shif'less Sol. With the firelight about
him and the moonlight above him, the figure of Timmendiquas was
magnified in every way. Recognized long since as the most redoubtable of
red champions, he showed himself more formidable than ever.

The crowd slowly dispersed, but Atuetes of the clan of the Hawk called a
military council in the Council House. Timmendiquas, as became his rank,
led the way, and the renegades, Simon Girty, Braxton Wyatt, and Moses
Blackstaffe were admitted. Inside the Council House, which was hung with
skins and which much resembled those of the Iroquois, the chiefs, after
being called to order by Atuetes, the herald and sheriff, sat down in a
circle, with Timmendiquas a little further forward than the others.

Atuetes took a great trumpet-shaped pipe, lighted it with a coal that
was burning in a small fire in a corner, and inhaled two whiffs of
smoke. He breathed out the first whiff toward the heavens and the second
toward the earth. He handed the pipe to Timmendiquas, who inhaled the
smoke until his mouth was filled. Then, turning from left to right, he
slowly puffed out the smoke over the heads of all the chiefs. When the
circle was complete, he handed the pipe to the next chief on his left,
who puffed out the smoke in the same manner. This was done gravely and
in turn by every chief. Then the Grand Sachem, Timmendiquas, announced
the great military subject for which they were called together, and they
proceeded to discuss it.




CHAPTER VI

THE RUINED VILLAGE


The military council, presided over by Timmendiquas, sat long in the
Council House, and about the moment it had concluded its labors, which
was some time after midnight, Henry and Shif'less Sol skipped away from
the village. Wyandot warriors had passed them several times in the
darkness, but they had escaped close notice. Nevertheless, they were
glad when they were once more among the trees. The forest had many
dangers, but it also offered much shelter.

They rejoined their comrades, slept heavily until daylight, and when
they scouted again near the Wyandot village they found that Timmendiquas
and his force were gone, probably having started at the dawn and
marching swiftly. But they knew that they would have no trouble in
finding so large a trail, and as long as they were in proximity of the
village they traveled with great care. It was nearly night when they
found the broad trail through the woods, leading north slightly by east.
All five were now of the belief that the destination of the savages was
Detroit, the British post, which, as a depot of supplies and a rallying
point for the Indians, served the same purpose as Niagara and Oswego in
the East. To Detroit, Wyandots, Shawnees, Miamis, and all the others
turned for weapons and ammunition. There went the renegades and there
many Kentuckians, who had escaped the tomahawk or the stake, had been
taken captive, including such famous men as Boone and Kenton. It was a
name that inspired dread and hate on the border, but the five were full
of eagerness to see it, and they hoped that the march of Timmendiquas
would take them thither.

"I hear they've got big forts thar," said Shif'less Sol, "but ef we
don't lose our cunnin', an' I don't think we will, we five kin spy among
'em an' read thar secrets."

"There are many white men at Detroit," said Henry, "and I've no doubt
that we can slip in among them without being detected. Tories and
renegades who are strangers to the British officers at Detroit must be
continually arriving there. In that lies our chance."

Later in the night they approached the Wyandot camp, but they did not
dare to go very close, as they saw that it was everywhere guarded
carefully and that but few lights were burning. They slept in the woods
two or three miles away, and the next day they followed the trail as
before. Thus the northward march went on for several days, the great
White Lightning of the Wyandots and his warriors moving swiftly, and
Henry and his comrades keeping the same pace six or seven miles in the
rear.

They advanced through country that none of the five had ever seen
before, but it was a beautiful land that appealed alike to the eye and
ear of the forest runner. It was not inferior to Kentucky, and in
addition it had many beautiful little lakes. Game, however, was not
abundant as here were the villages of the Indian tribes, and the forests
were hunted more. But the five found deer and buffalo sufficient for
their needs, although they took great risks when they fired. Once the
shot was heard by a detachment of the Shawnees who also were after game,
and they were trailed for a long time, but when night came they shook
them off, and the next morning they followed Timmendiquas, as usual,
though at a much greater distance.

Their escape in this instance had been so easy that they took enjoyment
from it, but they prudently resolved to retain their present great
distance in the rear. The trail could not be lost and the danger would
be less. The course that Timmendiquas maintained also led steadily on
toward Detroit, and they felt so sure now of his destination that they
even debated the advisability of passing ahead of the column, in order
to reach the neighborhood of Detroit before him. But they decided
finally in the negative, and maintained their safe distance in the rear.

As they continued northward the Indian signs increased. Twice they
crossed the trails of Indian hunting parties, and at last they came to a
deserted village. Either it had been abandoned because of warfare or to
escape an unhealthy location, but the five examined it with great
curiosity. Many of the lodges built of either poles or birch bark were
still standing, with fragments of useless and abandoned household goods
here and there. Paul found in one of the lodges a dried scalp with long
straight hair, but, obeying a sensitive impulse he hid it from the
others, thrusting it between two folds of the birch bark.

They also found fragments of arrows and broken bows. The path leading
down to a fine spring was not yet overgrown with grass, and they
inferred from it that the Indians had not been gone many months. There
was also an open space showing signs of cultivation. Evidently maize and
melons had grown there.

"I wonder why they went away?" said Long Jim to Shif'less Sol. "You've
made two guesses--unhealthiness or danger from Injuns. Now this site
looks purty good to me, an' the Injun tribes up here are generally
friendly with one another."

"Them's only guesses," said Sol, "an' we'll never know why. But I take
it that Delawares lived here. This is just about thar country. Mebbe
they've gone North to be near Detroit, whar the arms an' supplies are."

"Likely enough," said Henry, "but suppose we populate this village for
to-night. It looks as if rain were coming on, and none of us is fond of
sleeping out in the wet."

"You're talkin' wisdom," said Shif'less Sol, "an' I think we kin find a
place in the big wigwam over thar that looks like a Council House."

He pointed to a rough structure of bark and poles, with a dilapidated
roof and walls, but in better state of preservation than any of the
wigwams, probably because it had been built stronger. They entered it
and found that it originally had a floor of bark, some portions of which
remained, and there was enough area of sound roof and walls to shelter
them from the rain. They were content and with dry bark beneath them and
on all sides of them they disposed themselves for the night.

It yet lacked an hour or so of sunset, but the heavy clouds already
created a twilight, and the wind began to moan through the forest,
bringing with it a cold rain that made a monotonous and desolate patter
on leaves and grass. The comrades were glad enough now of their shelter
in the abandoned Council House. They had made at Pittsburg a purchase
which conduced greatly to their comfort, that is, a pair of exceedingly
light but warm blankets for everyone--something of very high quality.
They always slept between these, the under blankets fending off the cold
that rose from the ground.

Now they lay, dry and warm against the wall of the old Council House,
and listened to the steady drip, drip of the rain on the roof, and
through the holes in the roof upon the floor. But it did not reach them.
They were not sleepy, and they talked of many things, but as the
twilight came on and the thick clouds still hovered, the abandoned
village took on a ghostly appearance. Nearly all the wall opposite that
against which they lay was gone, and, as it faced the larger part of the
village, they could see the ruined wigwams and the skeleton frames that
had been used for drying game. Out of the forest came the long lonesome
howl of a wolf, some ragged, desolate creature that had not yet found
shelter with his kind. The effect upon everyone was instantaneous and
the same. This flight from the Indians and the slaying of the great
hound by Tom Ross with his silver bullet came back in vivid colors.

But the howl was not repeated and the steady drip of the cold rain
remained unbroken. It gathered finally in little puddles on the floor
not far from them, but their own corner remained dry and impervious.
They noticed these things little, however, as the mystic and ghostly
effect of the village was deepening. Seen through the twilight and the
rain it was now but a phantom. Henry's mind, always so sensitive to the
things of the forest, repeopled it. From under his drooping lids he saw
the warriors coming in from the hunt or the chase, the women tanning
skins or curing game, and the little Indian boys practicing with bows
and arrows. He felt a sort of sympathy for them in this wild life, a
life that he knew so well and that he had lived himself. But he came
quickly out of his waking dream, because his acute ear had heard
something not normal moving in the forest. He straightened up and his
hand slid to the breech of his rifle. He listened for a few minutes and
then glanced at Shif'less Sol.

"Someone comes our way," said Henry.

"Yes," said Shif'less Sol, "but it ain't more'n two or three. Thar, you
kin hear the footsteps ag'in, an' their bodies brushing ag'in' the wet
bushes."

"Three at the utmost," said Henry, "so we'll sit here and wait."

It was not necessary to tell them to be ready with their weapons. That
was a matter of course with every borderer in such moments. So the five
remained perfectly still in a sitting position, every one with his back
pressed against the bark wall, a blanket wrapped around his figure, and
a cocked rifle resting upon his knees. They were so quick that in the
darkness and falling rain they might have passed for so many Indian
mummies, had it not been for the long slender-barreled rifles and their
threatening muzzles.

Yet nobody could have been more alert than they. Five pairs of trained
ears listened for every sound that rose above the steady drip of the
rain, five pairs of eyes, uncommonly keen in their keenness, watched the
bushes whence the first faint signals of approach had come. Now they
heard more distinctly that brushing of clothing against the bushes, and
then a muttered oath or two. Evidently the strangers were white men,
perhaps daring hunters who were not afraid to enter the very heart of
the Indian country. Nevertheless the hands still remained on their
rifles and the muzzles still bore on the point whence the sounds came.

Three white men, dripping with rain, emerged from the forest. They were
clad in garb, half civilized and half that of the hunter. All were well
armed and deeply tanned by exposure, but the attention of the five was
instantly concentrated upon the first of the strangers, a young man of
medium height, but of the most extraordinary ugliness. His skin, even
without the tan, would have been very dark. His eyes, narrow and
oblique, were almost Oriental in cast and his face was disfigured by a
hideous harelip. The whole effect was sinister to the last degree, but
Henry and his comrades were fair enough to credit it to a deformity of
nature and not to a wicked soul behind. The two with him were a little
older. They were short, thickly built, and without anything unusual in
their appearance.

The three strangers were dripping with water and when they came into the
abandoned village they stood for a few moments talking together. Then
their eyes began to roam around in search of shelter.

"They'll be coming this way soon," whispered Henry to Paul, "because
it's about the only place large enough to keep three men dry."

"Of course they'll come here," Paul whispered back; "now I wonder who
and what they are."

Henry did not reply and the five remained as motionless as ever, five
dusky figures in a row, sitting on the bark floor, and leaning against
the bark wall. But every sense in them was acutely alive, and they
watched the strangers look into one ruined lodge after another. None
offered sufficient shelter and gradually they came toward the Council
House. Always the man with the harelip and ugly face led. Henry watched
him closely. The twilight and the rain did not allow any very clear view
of him, just enough to disclose that his face was hideous and sinister.
But Henry had a singularly clear mind and he tried to trace the
malignant impression to the fact of physical ugliness, unwilling to do
injury, even in thought merely, to anyone.

At last the eyes of the three alighted upon the old Council House, and
they came forward quickly toward the open end. They were about to enter,
but they saw the five figures against the wall and stopped abruptly. The
man with the harelip bent forward and gazed at them. Henry soon saw by
the expression of his face that he knew they were no mummies. He now
thrust his rifle forward and his hand slipped down toward the trigger.
Then Henry spoke.

"Come in," he said quickly; "we are white like yourselves, and we claim
no exclusive rights to this Council House, which is about the only real
shelter left in the Indian town. We are hunters and scouts."

"So are we," said the man with the harelip, speaking grammatically and
with a fair degree of courtesy. "We are hardened to the wilderness, but
we are thankful for the shelter which you seem to have found before us."

"There is room for all," said Henry. "You will observe the large dry
place at the south end. The bark floor there is solid and no matter how
the wind blows the rain cannot reach you."

"We'll use it," said the ugly man, and now his teeth began to chatter,
"but I confess that I need more than mere shelter. The rain and cold
have entered my system, and I shall suffer severely unless we have a
fire. Is it not possible to build one here near the center of the
Council House? The dry bark will feed it, until it is strong enough to
take hold of the wet wood."

"It is the Indian country," said Henry, and yet he pitied him of the
harelip.

"I know," replied the man, "I know too that all the tribes are on the
war path, and that they are exceedingly bitter against us. My name is
Holdsworth, and I am from Connecticut. These are my men, Fowler and
Perley, also from the East. We're not altogether hunters, as we have
seen service in the Eastern army, and we are now scouting toward Detroit
with the intention of carrying back news about the British and Indian
power there. But I feel that I must light the fire, despite all Indian
danger."

He shook violently and Henry again felt sorry for him. So did the rest
of the five. These three had become their comrades for the night, and it
would not be fair to prevent the fire that the man so evidently needed.

"We can see that what you say is true," said Henry, "and we'll help you
kindle a blaze. These friends of mine are Tom Ross, Jim Hart, Solomon
Hyde, and Paul Cotter. My own name is Henry Ware."

He saw the ugly man start a little, and then smile in a way that made
his disfigured lip more hideous than ever.

"I've heard the names," said the stranger. "The woods are immense, but
there are not many of us, and those of marked qualities soon become
known. It seems to me that I've heard you were at Wyoming and the
Chemung."

"Yes," said Henry, "we were at both places. But since we're going to
have a fire, it's best that we have it as soon as possible."

They fell to work with flint and steel on the dry bark. The two men,
Fowler and Perley, had said nothing.

"Not especially bright," said Holdsworth to Henry in a whisper, as he
nodded toward them, "but excellent foresters and very useful in the work
that I have to do."

"You can't always tell a man by his looks," replied Henry in the same
tone.

It was not a difficult matter to light the fire. They scraped off the
inside of the bark until they accumulated a little heap of tinder. It
was ignited with a few sparks of the flint and steel, and then the bark
too caught fire. After that they had nothing to do but feed the flames
which grew and grew, casting a luminous red glare in every corner of the
old Council House. Then it was so strong that it readily burned the wet
bark from the dismantled lodges near by.

The cold rain still came down steadily and the night, thick and dark,
had settled over the forest. Henry and his comrades were bound to
confess that the fire was a vivid core of cheer and comfort. It thrust
out a grateful heat, the high flames danced, and the coals, red and
yellow, fell into a great glowing heap. Holdsworth, Fowler and Perley
took off nearly all their clothing, dried their bodies, and then their
wet garments. Holdsworth ceased to shiver, and while Fowler and Perley
still fed the fire, the five resumed their places against the wall,
their rifles again lying across their knees, a forest precaution so
customary that no one could take exception to it. Apparently they
dozed, but they were nevertheless wide awake. Holdsworth and his men
reclothed themselves in their dry raiment, and when they finished the
task, Henry said:

"We've three kinds of dried meat, venison, bear and buffalo, and you can
take your choice, one kind, two kinds, or all kinds."

"I thank you, sir," said Holdsworth, "but we also carry a plentiful
supply of provisions in our knapsacks, and we have partaken freely of
them. We are now dry, and there is nothing else for us to do but sleep."

"Then we had better put out the fire," said Henry. "As we agreed before,
we're in the heart of the Indian country, and we do not wish to send up
a beacon that will bring the savages down upon us."

But Holdsworth demurred.

"The Indians themselves would not be abroad on such a night," he said.
"There can be no possible danger of an attack by them, and I suggest
that we keep it burning. Then we will be all the stronger and warmer in
the morning."

Henry was about to say something, but he changed his mind and said
something else.

"Let it burn, then," he acquiesced. "The flame is hidden on three sides
anyhow and, as you say, the savages themselves will keep under cover
now. Perhaps, Mr. Holdsworth, as you have come from the East since we
have, you can tell us about our future there."

"Not a great deal," replied the man, "but I fear that we are not
prospering greatly. Our armies are weak. Although their country is
ruined, war parties under Brant came down from the British forts, and
ravaged the Mohawk valley anew. 'Tis said by many that the Americans
cannot hold out much longer against the forces of the king."

"Your words coming from a great patriot are discouraging," said Henry.

"It is because I cannot make them otherwise," replied Holdsworth.

Henry, from under the edge of his cap, again examined him critically.
Holdsworth and his men were reclining against the bark wall in the
second largest dry spot, not more than ten feet away. The man was ugly,
extremely ugly beyond a doubt, and in the glow of the firelight he
seemed more sinister than ever. Yet the young forest runner tried once
more to be fair. He recalled all of Holdsworth's good points. The man
had spoken in a tone of sincerity, and he had been courteous. He had not
said or done anything offensive. If he was discouraged over the patriot
cause, it was because he could not help it.

While Henry studied him, there was a silence for a little space.
Meantime the rain increased in volume, but it came straight down, making
a steady, droning sound that was not unpleasant. The heavy darkness
moved up to the very door of the old Council House, and, despite the
fire, the forest beyond was invisible. Holdsworth was still awake, but
the two men with him seemed to doze. Shif'less Sol was also watching
Holdsworth with keen and anxious eyes, but he left the talk to his young
comrade, their acknowledged leader.

"You know," said Henry at length, "that some great movement among the
Indians is on foot."

Holdsworth stirred a little against the bark wall, and it seemed to
Henry that a new eagerness came into his eyes. But he replied:

"No, I have not heard of it yet. You are ahead of me there. But the
Indians and British at Detroit are always plotting something against us.
What particular news do you have?"

"That Timmendiquas, the Wyandot, the greatest of the western chiefs,
accompanied by the head chiefs of the Shawnees and Miamis, and a body of
chosen warriors is marching to Detroit. We have been following them,
and they are now not more than twenty-five or thirty miles ahead of us.
I take it that there will be a great council at Detroit, composed of the
British, the Tories, the Western Indians with Timmendiquas at their
head, and perhaps also the Iroquois and other Eastern Indians with
Thayendanegea leading them. The point of attack will be the settlements
in Kentucky. If the allied forces are successful the tomahawk and the
scalping knife will spare none. Doesn't the prospect fill you with
horror, Mr. Holdsworth?"

Holdsworth shaded his face with his hand, and replied slowly:

"It does inspire fear, but perhaps the English and Indian leaders will
be merciful. These are great matters of which you tell me, Mr. Ware. I
had heard some vague reports, but yours are the first details to reach
me. Perhaps if we work together we can obtain information that will be
of great service to the settlements."

"Perhaps," said Henry, and then he relapsed into silence. Holdsworth
remained silent too and gazed into the fire, but Henry saw that his
thoughts were elsewhere. A long time passed and no one spoke. The fire
had certainly added much to the warmth and comfort of the old house.
They were all tired with long marches, and the steady droning sound of
the rain, which could not reach them, was wonderfully soothing. The
figures against the bark walls relaxed, and, as far as the human eye
could see, they dropped asleep one by one, the five on one side and the
three on the other.

The fire, well fed in the beginning, burned for two or three hours, but
after awhile it begun to smolder, and sent up a long thin column of
smoke. The rain came lighter and then ceased entirely. The clouds parted
in the center as if they had been slashed across by a sword blade, and
then rolled away to left and right. The heavens became a silky blue, and
the stars sprang out in sparkling groups.

It was past midnight when Holdsworth moved slightly, like one half
awakening from a deep sleep. But his elbow touched the man Fowler, and
he said a few words to him in a whisper. Then he sank back into his
relaxed position, and apparently was asleep again. Fowler himself did
not move for at least ten minutes. Then he arose, slipped out of the
Council House, and returned with a great armful of wet leaves, which he
put gently upon the fire. Quickly and quietly he sank back into his old
position by the wall.

Dense smoke came from the coals and heap of leaves, but it rose in a
strong spire and passed out through the broken part of the roof, the
great hole there creating a draught. It rose high and in the night, now
clear and beautiful, it could be seen afar. Yet all the eight--five on
one side and three on the other--seemed to be sound asleep once more.

The column of smoke thickened and rose higher into the sky, and
presently the man Fowler was at work again. Rising and stepping, with
wonderful lightness for a thick-set heavy man, he spread his open
blanket over the smoke, and then quickly drew it away. He repeated the
operation at least twenty times and at least twenty great coiling rings
of smoke arose, sailing far up into the blue sky, and then drifting away
over the forest, until they were lost in the distance.

Fowler folded the blanket again, but he did not resume his place against
the wall. Holdsworth and Perley rose lightly and joined him. Then the
three gazed intently at the five figures on the other side of the smoke.
Not one of them stirred. So far as the three could see, the five were
buried in the most profound slumber.

Holdsworth made a signal and the three, their rifles in the hollows of
their arms, glided from the Council House and into the forest.

As soon as they were lost in the darkness, Henry Ware sprang to his
feet, alive in every nerve and fiber, and tingling with eagerness.

"Up; up, boys!" he cried. "Those three men are Tories or English, and
they are coming back with the savages. The rings of smoke made the
signal to their friends. But we'll beat them at their own trick."

All were on their feet in an instant--in fact, only Jim Hart and Paul
had fallen asleep--and they ran silently into the forest in a direction
opposite to that which the three had chosen. But they did not go far. At
Henry's whispered signal, they sank down among some dense bushes where
they could lie hidden, and yet see all that passed at the Council House.
The water from the bushes that they had moved dropped upon them, but
they did not notice it. Nor did they care either that the spire of smoke
still rose through the roof of the old Council House. Five pairs of
uncommonly keen eyes were watching the forest to see their enemies come
forth.

"I saw the fellow make the big smoke," said Shif'less Sol, "but I knowed
that you saw, too. So I jest waited till you give the word, Henry."

"I wanted them to go through to the end with it," replied Henry. "If we
had stopped the man when he was bringing in the leaves he might have
made some sort of excuse, and we should have had no proof at all against
them."

"Them's false names they gave o' course."

"Of course. It is likely that the man who called himself Holdsworth is
somebody of importance. His manner indicated it. How ugly that
harelipped fellow was!"

"How long do you think it will be before they come back?" asked
Shif'less Sol.

"Not long. The Indian force could not have been more than a mile or so
away, or they would not have relied on smoke signals in the night. It
will be only a short wait, Sol, until we see something interesting. Now
I wish I knew that harelipped man!"

Henry and his comrades could have slipped away easily in the darkness,
but they had no mind to do so. Theirs was a journey of discovery, and,
since here was an opportunity to do what they wished, they would not
avoid it, no matter how great the risk. So they waited patiently. The
forest still dripped water, but they had seldom seen the skies a
brighter blue at night. The spire of smoke showed against it sharp and
clear, as if it had been day. In the brilliant moonlight the ruined
village assumed another ghostly phase. All the rugged outlines of
half-fallen tepees were silvered and softened. Henry, with that
extraordinary sensitiveness of his to nature and the wilderness, felt
again the mysticism and unreality of this place, once inhabited by man
and now given back to the forest. In another season or two the last
remnant of bark would disappear, the footpaths would be grown up with
bushes, and the wild animals would roam there unafraid.

All these thoughts passed like a succession of mental flashes through
the mind of the forest dreamer--and a dreamer he was, a poet of the
woods--as he waited there for what might be, and what probably would be,
a tragedy. But as these visions flitted past there was no relaxation of
his vigilance. It was he who first heard the slight swishing sound of
the bushes on the far side of the Council House; it was he who first
heard the light tread of an approaching moccasin, and it was he who
first saw the ugly harelipped face of a white man appear at the forest
edge. Then all saw, and slow, cold anger rose in five breasts at the
treacherous trick.

Behind the harelipped man appeared Perley and Fowler, and six savage
warriors, armed fully, and coated thickly with war paint. Now Henry knew
that the sinister effect of Holdsworth's face was not due wholly to his
harelip, and the ugliness of all his features. He was glad in a way
because he had not done the man injustice.

The three white men and the six Indians waited a long time at the edge
of the woods. They were using both eye and ear to tell if the five in
the old Council House slept soundly. The fire now gave forth nothing but
smoke, and they could not see clearly into the depths. They must come
nearer if they would make sure of their victims. They advanced slowly
across the open, their weapons ready. All the idealist was gone from
Henry now. They had taken these three men into what was then their
house; they had been warmed and dried by their fire, and now they came
back to kill. He watched them slip across the open space, and he saw in
the moonlight that their faces were murderous, the white as bad as the
red.

The band reached the end of the Council House and looked in, uttering
low cries of disappointment when they saw nothing there. None of the
five ever knew whether they had waited there for the purpose of giving
battle to the raiding band, but at this moment Paul moved a little in
order to get a better view, and a bush rustled under his incautious
moccasin. One of the savages heard it, gave a warning cry, and in an
instant the whole party threw themselves flat upon the earth, with the
wall of the Council House between themselves and that point in the
forest from which the sound had come. Silence and invisibility followed,
yet the forest battle was on.




CHAPTER VII

THE TAKING OF HENRY


"I'm sorry my foot slipped," whispered Paul.

"Don't you worry, Paul," Henry whispered back. "We're as anxious to meet
them as they are to meet us. If they are willing to stay and have the
argument out, we're willing to give them something to think about."

"An' I'd like to get a shot at that harelipped villain," interjected
Shif'less Sol. "I'd give him somethin' he wouldn't furgit."

"Suppose we move a little to the right," said Henry. "They've noted the
direction from which the sound came, and they may send a bullet into the
bushes here."

They crept quietly to the right, a distance of perhaps ten yards; and
they soon found the precaution to be a wise one, as a crack came from
the forest, and a bullet cut the twigs where they had lately been.
Shif'less Sol sent a return bullet at the flash of the rifle and they
heard a suppressed cry.

"It doesn't do to be too keerless," said the shiftless one in a
contented tone as he reloaded his rifle. "Whoever fired that shot ought
to hev known that something would come back to him."

Several more bullets came from the forest, and now they cut the bushes
close by, but the comrades lay flat upon the ground and all passed over
their heads.

After Shif'less Sol's single shot they did not return the fire for the
present, but continued to move slowly to the right. Thus a full half
hour passed without a sign from either side. Meanwhile a wind, slowly
rising, was blowing so steadily that all the trees and bushes were
drying fast.

Neither Henry nor his comrades could now tell just where their enemies
were, but they believed that the hostile band had also been circling
about the open space in which the ruined village stood. They felt sure
that the Indians and the three white men would not go away. The Indians
were never keener for scalps than they were that year, and with a force
of nearly two to one they would not decline a combat, even if it were
not the surprise that they had expected.

"We may stay here until daylight," whispered Henry. "They are now sure
we're not going to run away, and with the sunrise they may think that
they will have a better chance at us."

"If the daylight finds them here, it will find us too," said Shif'less
Sol. They shifted around a little further, and presently another shot
was fired from a point opposite them in the forest. Henry sent a bullet
in return, but there was nothing to indicate whether it had struck a
foe. Then ensued another long silence which was broken at last by a shot
from the interior of the old Council House. It was sent at random into
the bushes, but the bullet cut the leaves within an inch of Henry's
face, and they grew exceedingly cautious. Another bullet soon whistled
near them, and they recognized the fact that the Indians who had
succeeded in creeping into the Council House had secured an advantage.

But they succeeded in keeping themselves covered sufficiently to escape
any wounds, and, turning a thought over in his mind, Henry said:

"Sol, don't you think that this wind which has been blowing for hours
has dried things out a good deal?"

"It shorely has," answered Sol.

"And you have noticed, too, Sol, that we are now at a point where the
old village touches the forest? You can reach out your hand and put it
on that ruined wigwam, can't you?"

"I kin shorely do it, Henry."

"You have noticed also, Sol, that the wind, already pretty fair, is
rising, and that it is blowing directly from us against the old Council
House in which some of the savages are, and across to the forest at the
point where we are certain that the rest of the enemy lie."

"Sounds like good and true reasonin' to me, an eddicated man, Henry."

"Then you and I will get to work with our flint and steel and set this
old wigwam afire. It's still high enough to shelter ourselves behind it,
and I think we ought to do the task in two or three minutes. Tom, you
and Paul and Jim cover us with your rifles."

"Henry, you shorely hev a great head," said Sol, "an' this looks to me
like payin' back to a man what belongs to him. That harelipped scoundrel
and his fellows warmed by our fire in the Council House, and now we'll
jest give 'em notice that thar's another warmin'."

Lying almost flat upon their faces they worked hard with the flint and
steel, and in a minute or two a little spark of light leaped up. It laid
hold of the thin, dry bark at the edge of the old wigwam and blazed up
with extraordinary rapidity. Then the flames sprang to the next wigwam.
It, too, was quickly enveloped, and the bark cracked as they ate into
it. Not even the soaking given by the rain offered any effective
resistance.

Henry and Shif'less Sol put away their flint and steel and quickly
slipped into the bushes whence they looked with admiration at the work
of their hands. The lodges were burning far faster than they had
expected. All the old Indian village would soon go, and now they watched
attentively the Council House where the sharpshooters lay. Meanwhile
several shots were fired from the forest without effect and the five
merely lay close, biding their time.

The flames made a great leap and caught the Council House. It burned so
fast that it seemed to be enveloped all at once, and three men, two red
and one white burst from it, rushing toward the forest. Henry and his
comrades could easily have shot down all three, but Silent Tom Ross was
the only one who pulled a trigger and he picked the white man. At the
crack of his rifle the fugitive fell. By the flare of the flames Henry
caught a glimpse of his face and saw that it was Perley. He fell just at
the edge of the forest, but where the fire would not reach him.

The village was now a mass of flames. The whole open space was lighted
up brilliantly, and the sparks flew in myriads. Ashes and burning
fragments carried by the wind fell thickly through the forest. The vivid
flare penetrated the forest itself and the five men saw their foes
crouching in the bushes. They advanced, using all the skill of those to
whom the wilderness is second nature and a battle from tree to tree
ensued. The five were more than a match for the eight who were now
against them. The man who had passed as Fowler was quickly wounded in
the shoulder, the harelipped leader himself had his cap shot from his
head, and one of the Indians was slain. Then they took to flight, and,
after a pursuit of some distance, the five returned toward the village,
where the flames were now dying down.

Paul had been flicked across the hand by a bullet and Jim Hart shook two
bullets out of his clothing, but they were practically unhurt and it was
their object now to see the man Perley, who had been left at the edge of
the forest. By the time they reached the open where the village had
stood, the day was fully come. The Council House had fallen in and the
poles and fragments of bark smoked on the ground. Nothing was left of
the wigwam but ashes which the wind picked up and whirled about. The
wounded man lay on his side and it was quite evident that his hurt was
mortal, but his look became one of terror when the five came up.

"We do not mean to hurt you," said Henry; "we will make it as easy for
you as we can."

"And the others," gasped the man. "You have beaten them in the battle,
and they have fled, the Colonel with them."

"Yes," replied Henry, "they are gone, and with them Colonel--?"

The man looked up and smiled faintly. At the edge of death he read
Henry's mind. He knew that he wished to obtain the name of the
harelipped man and, sincere enemy of his own people though Perley was,
he no longer had any objection to telling.

"Prop me up against that tree trunk," he gasped.

Henry did so, and Paul brought some water from the spring in his cap.
The man drank and seemed a little stronger.

"You're better to me perhaps than I'd have been to you if it had been
the other way round," he said, "an' I might as well tell you that the
man with the harelip was Colonel Bird, a British officer, who is most
active against your settlements, and who has become a great leader among
the Indians. He's arranging now with the people at Detroit to strike you
somewhere."

"Then I'm sorry my bullet didn't find him instead of you," said Tom
Ross.

"So am I," said the man with a faint attempt at humor.

Paul, who had been trying to remember, suddenly spoke up.

"I heard of that man when we were in the East," he said. "He fell in
love with a girl at Oswego or some other of the British posts, and she
rejected him because he was so ugly and had a hare lip. Then he seemed
to have a sort of madness and ever since he's been leading expeditions
of the Indians against our settlements."

"It's true," said Perley, "he's the man that you're talking about and
he's mad about shedding blood. He's drumming up the Indian forces
everywhere. His--"

Perley stopped suddenly and coughed. His face became ghastly pale, and
then his head fell over sideways on his shoulders.

"He's dead," said Shif'less Sol, "an' I'm sorry, too, Tom, that your
bullet didn't hit Colonel Bird 'stead o' him."

"Do you think," asked Paul, "that they are likely to come back and
attack us?"

"No," replied Henry, "they've had enough. Besides they can't attack us
in broad daylight. Look how open the forest is. We'd be sure to see them
long before they could get within rifle shot."

"Then," said Paul, "let's bury Perley before we go on. I don't like to
think of a white man lying here in the forest to be devoured by wild
beasts, even if he did try to kill us."

Shif'less Sol heartily seconded Paul's suggestion, and soon it was done.
They had no spades with which to dig a grave for Perley's body, but they
built over him a little cairn of fallen timber, sufficient to protect
him from the wolves and bears, and then prepared to march anew.

But they took a last look at the large open space in which the abandoned
Indian village had stood. Nothing was left there but ashes and dying
coals. Not a fragment of the place was standing. But they felt that it
was better for it to be so. If man had left, then the forest should
resume its complete sway. The grass and the bushes would now cover it up
all the more quickly. Then they shouldered their rifles and went ahead,
never looking back once.

The morning was quite cool. It was only the second week in April, the
spring having come out early bringing the buds and the foliage with it,
but in the variable climate of the great valley they might yet have
freezing and snow. They had left Pittsburg in the winter, but they were
long on the way, making stops at two or three settlements on the
southern shore of the Ohio, and also going on long hunts. At another
time they had been stopped two weeks by the great cold which froze the
surface of the river from bank to bank. Thus it was the edge of spring
and the forests were green, when they turned up the tributary river, and
followed in the trail of Timmendiquas.

Now they noticed this morning as they advanced that it was growing quite
cold again. They had also come so much further North that the spring was
less advanced than on the Ohio. Before noon a little snow was flying,
but they did not mind it. It merely whipped their blood and seemed to
give them new strength for their dangerous venture. But Henry was
troubled. He was sorry that they had not seen an enemy in the man Bird
whose name was to become an evil one on the border. But how were they to
know? It is true that he could now, with the aid of the dead man's story
recall something about Bird and his love affair, his disappointment
which seemed to have given him a perfect mania for bloodshed. But again
how were they to know?

They pressed on with increased speed, as they knew that Timmendiquas,
owing to their delay at the abandoned village must now be far ahead. The
broad trail was found easily, and they also kept a sharp watch for that
of Bird and his band which they felt sure would join it soon. But when
night came there was no sign of Bird and his men. Doubtless they had
taken another course, with another object in view. Henry was greatly
perplexed. He feared that Bird meant deep mischief, and he should have
liked to have followed him, but the main task was to follow
Timmendiquas, and they could not turn aside from it.

They would have traveled all that night, but the loss of sleep the night
before, and the strain of the combat compelled them to take rest about
the twilight hour. The night winds were sharp with chill, and they
missed the bark shelter that the ruined Council House had given them. As
they crouched in the bushes with their blankets about them and ate cold
venison, they were bound to regret what they had lost.

"Still I like this country," said Jim Hart. "It looks kinder firm an'
strong ez ef you could rely on it. Then I want to see the big lakes. We
come pretty nigh to one uv them that time we went up the Genesee Valley
an' burned the Iroquois towns, but we didn't quite git thar. Cur'us so
much fresh water should be put here in a string uv big lakes on our
continent."

"And the Canadian _voyageurs_ say there are big lakes, too, away up in
Canada that no white man has ever seen, but of which they hear from the
Indians," said Paul.

"I reckon it's true," said Jim Hart, "'cause this is an almighty big
continent, an' an almighty fine one. I ain't s'prised at nothin' now. I
didn't believe thar wuz any river ez big ez the Missip, until I saw it,
an' thar ain't no tellin' what thar is out beyond the Missip, all the
thousands uv miles to the Pacific. I'd shorely like to live a thousand
years with you fellers an' tramp 'roun' and see it all. It would be
almighty fine."

"But I wouldn't like to be spendin' all that thousan' years tryin' to
keep my scalp on top o' my head," said Shif'less Sol. "It would be
pow'ful wearin' on a lazy man like me."

Thus they talked as the twilight deepened into the night. The feel of
the North was in them all. Their minds kindled at the thought of the
vast lakes that lay beyond and of the great forest, stretching, for all
they knew, thousands of miles to the great ocean. The bushes and their
blankets protected them from the cold winds, and it was so dark that no
enemy could trail them to their lair. Moreover the five were there,
intact, and they had the company of one another to cheer.

"I imagine," said Paul, "that Timmendiquas and the officers at Detroit
will make this the biggest raid that they have ever yet planned against
Kentucky."

"By surprise an' numbers they may win victories here an' thar," said
Shif'less Sol, "but they'll never beat us. When people git rooted in the
ground you jest can't drive 'em away or kill 'em out. Our people will
take root here, too, an' everywhar the Injuns, the British an' the
Tories will have to go."

"An' as our people ain't come up here yet, we've got to look out for our
scalps before the rootin' season comes," said Tom Ross.

"An' that's as true as Gospel," said Shif'less Sol, thoughtfully.

After that they spoke little more, but they drew and matted the thick
bushes over their heads in such manner that the chill winds were turned
aside. Beneath were the dry leaves of last year which they had raked up
into couches, and thus, every man with a blanket beneath and another
above him, they did not care how the wind blew. They were as snug as
bears in their lairs, but despite the darkness of the night and the
exceeding improbability of anyone finding them both Henry and Tom Ross
lay awake and watched. The others slept peacefully, and the two
sentinels could hear their easy breathing only a few feet away.

In the night Henry began to grow uneasy. Once or twice he thought he
heard cries like the hoot of the owl or the howl of the wolf, but they
were so far away that he was uncertain. Both hoot and howl might be a
product of the imagination. He was so alive to the wilderness, it was so
full of meaning to him that his mind could create sounds when none
existed. He whispered to Tom, but Ross, listening as hard as he could,
heard nothing but the rustling of the leaves and twigs before the wind.

Henry was sure now that what he had heard was the product of a too vivid
fancy, but a little later he was not so sure. It must be the faint cry
of a wolf that he now heard or its echo. He had the keenest ear of them
all, and that Tom Ross did not hear the sound, was no proof. A vivid
imagination often means a prompt and powerful man of action, and Henry
acted at once.

"Tom," he whispered, "I'm going to scout in the distance from which I
thought the sounds came. Don't wake the boys; I'll be back before
morning."

Tom Ross nodded. He did not believe that Henry had really heard
anything, and he would have remonstrated with him, but he knew that it
was useless. He merely drew his blanket a little closer, and resolved
that one pair of eyes should watch as well as two had watched before.

Henry folded his blankets, put them in his little pack, and in a minute
was gone. It was dark, but not so dark that one used to the night could
not see. The sounds that he had seemed to hear came from the southwest,
and the road in the direction was easy, grown up with forest but
comparatively free from undergrowth. He walked swiftly about a mile,
then he heard the cry of the wolf again. Now, the last doubt was gone
from his mind. It was a real sound, and it was made by Indian calling to
Indian.

He corrected his course a little, and went swiftly on. He heard the cry
once more, now much nearer, and, in another mile, he saw a glow among
the trees. He went nearer and saw detached cones of light. Then he knew
that it was a camp fire, and a camp fire built there boldly in that
region, so dangerous to the Kentuckian, indicated that it was surely the
Indians themselves and their allies. He did not believe that it was the
force of Timmendiquas which could only have reached this spot by turning
from its course, but he intended to solve the doubt.

The camp was in one of the little prairies so numerous in the old
Northwest, and evidently had been pitched there in order to secure room
for the fires. Henry concluded at once that it must be a large force,
and his eagerness to know increased. As he crept nearer and nearer, he
was amazed by the number of the fires. This was a much larger band than
the one led by Timmendiquas. He also heard the sound of many voices and
of footsteps. From his place among the trees he saw dark figures passing
and repassing. He also caught now and then a metallic glitter from
something not a rifle or a tomahawk, but which he could not clearly make
out in the dark.

This was a formidable force bent upon some great errand, and his
curiosity was intense. The instinct that had sent him upon the journey
through the woods was not wrong, and he did not mean to go away until he
knew for what purpose this army was gathered. He lay upon the ground in
the thickest shadow of the woods, and crept forward a little closer.
Then he saw that the camp contained at least five hundred warriors. As
nearly as he could make out they were mostly Shawnees, probably from the
most easterly villages, but there seemed to be a sprinkling of Delawares
and Miamis. White men, Tories, Canadians and English, fifty or sixty in
number were present also and a few of them were in red uniform.

All the Indians were in war paint, and they sat in great groups around
the fires feasting. Evidently the hunters had brought in plenty of game
and they were atoning for a fast. They ate prodigiously of buffalo,
deer, bear and wild turkey, throwing the bones behind them when they had
gnawed them clean. Meanwhile they sang in the Shawnee tongue a wild
chant:

    To the South we, the great warriors, go
    To the far, fair land of Kaintuckee;
    We carry death for the Yengees,
    Our hands are strong, our hearts are fierce;
    None of the white face can escape us.

    We cross the river and steal through the woods;
    In the night's dark hour the tomahawk falls,
    The burning houses send flames to the sky,
    The scalps of the Yengees hang at our belts;
    None of the white face can escape us.

Henry's heart began to pump heavily. Little specks danced before his
eyes. Here was a great war party, one that he had not foreseen, one that
was going to march against Kentucky. Evidently this enterprise was
distinct from that of Timmendiquas. In his eagerness to see, Henry crept
nearer and nearer to the utmost verge of the danger line, lying in a
clump of bushes where the warriors were passing, not twenty feet away.
Suddenly he started a little, as a new figure came into the light,
thrown into distinct relief by the blazing background of the fires.

He recognized at once the harelipped man, Bird, now in the uniform of a
Colonel in the King's army. His ugliness was in no whit redeemed by his
military attire. But Henry saw that deference was paid him by white men
and red men alike, and he had the walk and manner of one who commanded.
The youth was sorry now that they had not hunted down this man and slain
him. He felt instinctively that he would do great harm to those
struggling settlers south of the Ohio.

While Henry waited three loud shouts were heard, uttered at the far end
of the camp. Instantly the eating ceased, and all the warriors rose to
their feet. Then they moved with one accord toward the point from which
the shouts proceeded. Henry knew that someone of importance was coming,
and he crept along the edge of the forest to see.

Colonel Bird, several subordinate officers, and some chiefs gathered in
front of the mass of warriors and stood expectant. Forth from the forest
came a figure more magnificent than any in that group, a great savage,
naked to the waist, brilliantly painted, head erect and with the air of
a king of men. It was Timmendiquas, and Henry realized, the moment he
appeared, that he was not surprised to see him there. Behind him came
Red Eagle and Yellow Panther, Simon Girty, Braxton Wyatt and
Blackstaffe. Bird went forward, eager to meet them, and held out his
hand in white man's fashion to Timmendiquas. The great Wyandot took it,
held it only a moment, and then dropped it, as if the touch were hateful
to him. Henry had noticed before that Timmendiquas never seemed to care
for the white allies of the Indians, whether English, Canadian or Tory.
He used them, but he preferred, if victory were won, that it should be
won by men of his own race. The manner of the chief seemed to him to
indicate repulsion, but Wyatt, Girty and the others greeted the Colonel
with great warmth. They were birds of a feather, and it pleased them to
flock together there in the great forest.

Timmendiquas and his chiefs walked toward the larger and central fire,
whither Bird and his men showed the way. Then pipes were lighted and
smoked by all who were high enough in rank to sit in the Council, while
the mass of the warriors gathered at a respectful distance. But the
fires were replenished, and they blazed up, filling all the camp with
ruddy light. Then Henry found the meaning of the metallic gleam that he
had seen from the forest. Near the center of the camp and standing in a
row were six cannon, fine, bronze guns of large caliber, their dark
muzzles, as if by some sinister chance, pointing toward the South. Then
full knowledge came in all its gloomy truth. This was an expedition
against Kentucky more formidable than any of the many that had yet gone.
It carried a battery of large cannon, and plenty of white gunners to man
them. The wooden palisades of the new settlements could not stand five
minutes before great guns.

In his eagerness to see more of these hateful cannon, Henry, for the
first time in years, forgot his customary caution. He made a bush rustle
and he did not notice it. A scouting Indian passed near, and he did not
hear him. But the scouting Indian, a Shawnee, alert and suspicious,
heard the rustling of the bush. He dropped down, crept near and saw the
long figure among the bushes. Then he crept away and signaled to his
comrades.

Henry was straining forward for a better view of the cannon, when there
was a sudden sound behind him. He drew his body quickly together like a
powerful animal about to spring, but before he could reach his feet a
half dozen warriors hurled themselves upon him.

He fell under the impact of so great a weight and the rifle which he
could not use at close quarters was torn from his hands. The warriors
uttered a triumphant shout which caused all those sitting by the fire to
spring to their feet.

Henry was at the very summit of his youthful strength. There was no one
in the forest who matched him in either height or muscular strength,
save, possibly Timmendiquas, and with a tremendous effort he rose to his
feet, the whole yelling pack clinging to him, one on each arm, one at
each leg, and two at his shoulders and waist. He hurled loose the one on
his right arm and snatched at a pistol in his belt, but quick as a
flash, two others loosing their hold elsewhere, seized the arm. Then
they pressed all their weight upon him again, seeking to throw him.
Evidently they wished to take him a captive. But Henry remained erect
despite the immense weight pulling at him. He was bent slightly forward,
and, for a few moments, his efforts exactly balanced the strength of the
six who sought to pull him down. In that brief space they remained
immovable. The sweat broke out on his forehead in great beads. Then with
an effort, convulsive and gigantic, he threw them all from him, standing
clear for one brief instant. His hand was on the pistol butt, but the
yelling pack were back too quick, leaping at him like wolves. He was
dragged to his knees, but once more he struggled to his feet, drenched
in perspiration, his heart beating loudly as he made his mighty efforts.

In their struggle they came free of the woods, and out into the open
where the light from the fires cast a red glow over the tall figure of
the white youth, and the six naked and sinewy brown forms that tore at
him. The chief and the white men in the camp rushed forward.

Braxton Wyatt cried exultingly: "It is Ware!" and drew his pistol, but
Timmendiquas struck down his arm.

"It is not for you to shoot," he said; "let him be taken alive."

Bird was commander in that camp, and the Wyandot was only a visitor
there, but the tone of Timmendiquas was so strong and masterful that
Bird himself recognized his predominance, and did not resist it.

And there were others among the Indians who looked with admiration upon
the tall youth as he made his magnificent struggle for life and liberty.
A deep hum ran through the great circle that had formed about the
fighters. Excitement, the joy of a supreme sport, showed upon their
savage faces. One or two started forward to help the six, but
Timmendiquas waved them back. Then the circle pressed a little closer,
and other rows of dark faces behind peered over brown shoulders. Henry
was scarcely conscious that hundreds looked on. The pulses in temples
and throat were beating heavily, and there was a mist before his eyes.
Nobody was present for him, save the six who strove to pull him down.
His soul swelled with fierce anger and he hurled off one after another
to find them springing back like the rebound of a rubber ball.

His anger increased. These men annoyed him terribly. He was bathed in
perspiration and nearly all the clothing was torn from his body, but he
still fought against his opponents. The ring had come in closer and
closer, and now the savages uttered low cries of admiration as he sent
some one of his antagonists spinning. They admired, too, his massive
figure, the powerful neck, the white shoulders now bare and the great
muscles which bunched up as he put forth supreme efforts.

"Verily, this is a man," said the old chief, Yellow Panther.

Timmendiquas nodded, but he never took his absorbed eyes from the
contest. He, too, uttered a low cry as Henry suddenly caught one of the
warriors with his fist and sent him like a shot to the earth. But this
warrior, a Wyandot, was tough. He sprang up again, the dark blood
flowing from his face, but was caught and sent down a second time, to
lay where he had fallen, until some of the watchers took him by the legs
and dragged him out of the way of the struggle. Henry was rid of one of
his opponents for the time, and the five who were left did not dare use
their weapons in face of the command from Timmendiquas to take him
alive. Yet they rushed in as full of zeal as ever. It may be that they
enjoyed the struggle in their savage way, particularly when the prize to
be won was so splendid.

Henry's successful blow with his fist reminded him that he might use it
again. In the fury of the sudden struggle he had not thought before to
fight by this method. A savage had him by the left shoulder. He struck
the up-turned face with his right fist and the warrior went down
unconscious.

Only four now! The hands of another were seeking his throat. He tore the
hands loose, seized the warrior in his arms, and hurled him ten feet
away, where he fell with a sprained ankle. A deep cry, and following it,
a long-drawn sigh of admiration, came from the crowd.

Only three now! He tripped and threw one so heavily that he could not
renew the combat, and the terrible fist sent down the fifth. Once more
came that cry and long-drawn sigh from the multitude! A single opponent
was left, but he was a powerful fellow, a Wyandot, with long thick arms
and a mighty chest. His comrades had been much in his way in the
struggle, and, now comparatively fresh and full of confidence, he closed
with his white antagonist.

Henry had time to draw a breath or two, and he summoned his last reserve
of will and strength. He grasped the Wyandot as he ran in, pinned his
arms to his sides, tripped his feet from under him, and, seizing him by
shoulders and waist, lifted him high above his head. He held him poised
there for a moment while the multitude gazed, tense and awed. Then,
hurling him far out, he turned, faced the Wyandot chief, and said:

"To you, Timmendiquas, I surrender myself."




CHAPTER VIII

THE NORTHWARD MARCH


The great Wyandot chief inclined his head slightly, and received the
pistol, hatchet, and knife which Henry drew from his belt. Then he said
in the grave Wyandot tongue:

"It is the second time that Ware has become my prisoner, and I am proud.
He is truly a great warrior. Never have I seen such a fight as that
which he has just made, the strength of one against six, and the one was
triumphant."

A murmur of approval from the warriors followed his words. Like the old
Greeks, the Indians admired size, symmetry and strength, qualities so
necessary to them in their daily lives, and Henry, as he stood there,
wet with perspiration and breathing heavily, exemplified all that they
considered best in man. Few of these savage warriors had any intention
of sparing him. They would have burned him at the stake with delight,
and, with equal delight, they would have praised him had he never
uttered a groan--it would only be another proof of his greatness.

Braxton Wyatt pressed nearer. There was joy in his evil heart over the
capture of his enemy, but it was not unalloyed. He knew the friendship
that Timmendiquas bore for Henry, and he feared that through it the
prisoner might escape the usual fate of captives. It was his part to
prevent any such disaster and he had thought already of a method. He
dreaded the power of Timmendiquas, but he was bold and he proposed to
dare it nevertheless.

"Will you take the prisoner South with you," he said to Colonel Bird.

"I have surrendered to Timmendiquas," said Henry.

"This is the camp of Colonel Bird," said Wyatt in as mild a tone as he
could assume, "and of course anyone taken here is his prisoner."

"That is true," said Simon Girty, whose influence was great among the
Indians, particularly the Shawnees.

Timmendiquas said not a word, nor did Henry. Both saw the appeal to the
pride of Bird who pulled his mustache, while his ugly face grew uglier.

"Yes, it is so," he said at last. "The prisoner is mine, since he was
taken in my camp."

Then Timmendiquas spoke very quietly, but, underlying every word, was a
menace, which Wyatt, Girty and Bird alike felt and heeded.

"The prisoner surrendered to me," he said. "The Wyandot warriors helped
in his capture--their bruises prove it. Colonel Bird even now marches
south against Kaintuckee, and he has no need of prisoners. The words of
Wyatt are nothing. Girty has become one of our chiefs, but it is not for
him to judge in this case. When the council is finished and Timmendiquas
resumes his march to Detroit, Ware goes with him as a captive, the prize
of his warriors."

His fierce eyes roamed around the circle, challenging one by one those
who opposed him. Braxton Wyatt's own eyes dropped, and fear was in his
soul. He, a renegade, an enemy to his own people could not afford to
lose the favor of the Indians. Girty, also, evaded. Full of craft, it
was no part of his policy to quarrel with Timmendiquas. Bird alone was
disposed to accept the gage. It was intolerable that he, a colonel in
the British army, should be spoken to in such a manner by an Indian. He
wrinkled his ugly hare lip and said stubbornly:

"The prisoner was taken in my camp, and he is mine."

But Girty said low in his ear:

"Let Timmendiquas have him. It is not well to alienate the Wyandots. We
need them in our attack on Kentucky, and already they are dissatisfied
with their heavy losses there. We can do nothing for the king without
the Indians."

Bird was not without suppleness. He spoke to Timmendiquas, as if he were
continuing his former words:

"But I give up my claim to you, White Lightning of the Wyandots. Take
the prisoner and do with him as you choose."

Timmendiquas smiled slightly. He understood perfectly. Braxton Wyatt
retired, almost sick with rage. Timmendiquas motioned to two of his
warriors who bound Henry's arms securely, though not painfully, and led
him away to one of the smaller fires. Here he sat down between his
guards who adjusted his torn attire, but did not annoy him, and waited
while the council went on.

After the glow of physical triumph had passed, Henry felt a deep
depression. It seemed to him that he could never forgive himself when so
much depended upon him. He had full knowledge that this expedition was
marching southward, and now he could send no warning. Had he returned to
his comrades with the news, they might have solved the problem by
dividing their force. Two could have hurried to Kentucky ahead of Bird's
army, and three might have gone to Detroit to watch what preparations
were made there. He condemned himself over and over again, and it is
only just to say that he did not think then of his personal danger. He
thought instead of those whom he might have saved, but who now would
probably fall beneath the Indian tomahawk, with no one to warn them.

But he permitted none of his chagrin and grief to show in his face. He
would not allow any Indian or renegade to see him in despair or in
anything bordering upon it. He merely sat motionless, staring into the
fire, his face without expression. Henry had escaped once from the
Wyandots. Perhaps it was a feat that could not be repeated a second
time--indeed all the chances were against it--but in spite of everything
his courage came back. He had far too much strength, vitality and youth
to remain in despair, and gradually new resolutions formed almost
unconsciously in his mind. Under all circumstances, fate would present
at least a bare chance to do what one wished, and courage gradually
became confidence.

Then Henry, remembering that there was nothing he could do at present,
lay down on his side before the fire. It was not altogether an assumed
manner to impress his guard, because he was really very tired, and, now
that his nerves were relaxing, he believed he could go to sleep.

He closed his eyes, and, although he opened them now and then, the lids
were heavier at every successive opening. He saw the camp dimly, the
dark figures of the warriors becoming shadowy now, the murmur of voices
sinking to a whisper that could scarcely be heard, and then, in spite of
his bound arms and precarious future, he slept.

Henry's two guards, both Wyandots, regarded him with admiration, as he
slept peacefully with the low firelight flickering across his tanned
face. Great in body, he was also great in mind, and whatever torture the
chief, Timmendiquas, intended for him he would endure it magnificently.
Braxton Wyatt and Simon Girty also came to look at him, and whispered to
each other.

"It would have been better if they had made an end of him in the fight
for his capture," said Wyatt.

"That is true," said Girty thoughtfully. "As long as he's alive, he's
dangerous. Timmendiquas cannot tie him so tight that there is no
possibility of escape, and there are these friends of his whom you have
such cause to remember, Braxton."

"I wish they were all tied up as he is," said Wyatt venomously.

Girty laughed softly.

"You show the right spirit, Braxton," he said. "To live among the
Indians and fight against one's own white race one must hate well. You
need not flush, man. I have found it so myself, and I am older in this
business and more experienced than you."

Wyatt choked down words that were leaping to his lips, and presently he
and Girty rejoined the white men, who were camped around Bird, their
commander. But neither of them felt like sleeping and after a little
while there, they went to look at the cannon, six fine guns in a row,
constituting together the most formidable weapon that had ever been
brought into the western forest. When they looked at them, the spirit of
Wyatt and Girty sprang high. They exulted in the prospect of victory.
The Kentucky sharpshooters behind their light palisades had been able
hitherto to defeat any number of Indians. But what about the big guns?
Twelve pound cannon balls would sweep down the palisades like a
hurricane among saplings. As there is no zeal like that of the convert,
so there is no hate like that of the renegade and they foresaw the easy
capture of settlement after settlement by Bird's numerous and
irresistible army.

Henry, meanwhile, slept without dreams. It was a splendid tribute to his
nerves that he could do so. When he awoke the sun was an hour above the
horizon and the camp was active with the preparations of Bird's army to
resume its march southward. Timmendiquas stood beside him, and, at his
order, one of the Wyandot guards cut the thongs that bound his arms.
Henry stretched out his wrists and rubbed them, one after the other,
until the impeded circulation was restored. Then he uttered his thanks
to the chief.

"I am grateful to you, Timmendiquas," he said, "for insisting last night
that I was your prisoner, and should go with you to Detroit. As you have
seen, the renegades, Girty and Wyatt do not love me, and whatever I may
receive at your hands, it is not as bad as that which they would have
incited the warriors to do, had I remained in the power of Bird."

"Neither do I care for Girty or Wyatt," said Timmendiquas, as he smiled
slightly, "but they help us and we need all the allies we can get. So we
permit them in our lodges. I may tell you now that they debated last
night whether to go South with Bird, or to continue to Detroit with me.
They go to Detroit."

"I do not care for their company," said Henry, "but I am glad that they
are not going to Kentucky."

"I have also to tell you now, Ware," continued Timmendiquas, "that
parties were sent out last night to search for your comrades, the four
who are always with you."

Henry moved a little and then looked inquiringly at Timmendiquas. The
chief's face expressed nothing.

"They did not find them?" he said.

"No," he replied. "The friends of Ware were wary, but we are proud to
have taken the leader. Here is food; you can eat, and then we march."

They brought him an abundance of good food, and fresh water in a gourd,
and he ate and drank heartily. The morning had become clear and crisp
again, and with it came all the freshness and courage that belong to
youth. Time was everything, and certainly nothing would be done to him
until they reached Detroit. Moreover, his four comrades would discover
why he did not return and they would follow. Even if one were helpless
himself, he must never despair with such friends free and near at hand.

After he had eaten, his hands were bound again. He made no resistance,
knowing that under the Indian code he had no right to ask anything
further of Timmendiquas, and he began the march northward in the center
of the Wyandot force. At the same time, Bird and his army resumed their
southern advance. Henry heard twigs and dead boughs cracking under the
wheels of the cannon, and the sound was a menacing one that he did not
forget for a long time. He looked back, but the savage army disappeared
with amazing quickness in the forest.

They marched all day without interruption, eating their food as they
marched. Timmendiquas was at the head of the column, and he did not
speak again with Henry. The renegades, probably fearing the wrath of the
chief, also kept away. The country, hilly hitherto, now became level and
frequently swampy. Here the travelling was difficult. Often their feet
sank in the soft mud above the ankles, Briars reached out and scratched
them, and, in these damp solitudes, the air was dark and heavy. Yet the
Indians went on without complaint, and Henry, despite his bound arms,
could keep his balance and pace with the rest, stride for stride.

They marched several days and nights without interruption through a
comparatively level country, still swampy at times, thickly grown with
forest, and with many streams and little lakes. Most of the lakes were
dotted with wild fowl, and often they saw deer in the shallow portions.
Two or three of the deer were shot, but the Indians devoted little time
to the hunting of game, as they were well provided with food.

Henry, who understood both Wyandot and Shawnee, gathered from the talk
of those about him that they were at last drawing near to Detroit, the
great Northwestern fort of the British and Indians. They would arrive
there to-morrow, and they spent that last night by camp fires, the
Indians relaxing greatly from their usual taciturnity and caution, and
eating as if at a banquet.

Henry sat on a log in the middle of the camp. His arms were unbound and
he could eat with the others as much as he chose. Since they were not to
burn him or torture him otherwise, they would treat him well for the
present. But warriors, Shawnees, Miamis and Wyandots, were all about
him. They took good care that such a prisoner should not have a chance
to escape. He might overthrow two or three, even four or five, but a
score more would be on him at once. Henry knew this well and bore
himself more as if he were a member of the band than a captive. It was a
part of his policy to appear cheerful and contented. No Indian should
surpass him in careless and apparent indifference, but to-night he felt
gloomier than at any time since the moments that immediately followed
his capture. He had relied upon the faithful four, but days had passed
without a sign from them. There had been no chance, of course, for them
to rescue him. He had not expected that, but what he had expected was a
sign. They were skillful, masters of wilderness knowledge, but accidents
might happen--one had happened to him--and they might have fallen into
the hands of some other band.

Waiting is a hard test, and Henry's mind, despite his will, began to
imagine dire things. Suppose he should never see his comrades again. A
thousand mischances could befall, and the neighborhood of Detroit was
the most dangerous part of all the Indian country. Besides the villages
pitched near, bands were continually passing, either coming to the fort
for supplies, or going away, equipped for a fresh raid upon the
settlements.

The laughter and talk among the Indians went on for a long time, but
Henry, having eaten all that he wanted, sat in silence. Besides the
noise of the camp, he heard the usual murmur of the night wind among the
trees. He listened to it as one would to a soft low monotone that
called and soothed. He had an uncommonly acute ear and his power of
singleness and concentration enabled him to listen to the sound that he
wished to hear, to the exclusion of all others. The noises in the camp,
although they were as great as ever, seemed to die. Instead, he heard
the rustling of the young leaves far away, and then another sound
came--a faint, whining cry, the far howl of a wolf, so far that it was
no more than a whisper, a mere under-note to the wind. It stopped, but,
in a moment or two, was repeated. Henry's heart leaped, but his figure
never moved; nor was there any change in the expression of his face,
which had been dreamy and sad.

But he knew. Just when he wished to hear a voice out of the dark, that
voice came. It was the first part of a signal that he and his comrades
often used, and as he listened, the second part was completed. He longed
to send back a reply, but it was impossible and he knew that it would
not be expected. Joy was under the mask of his sad and dreaming face. He
rejoiced, not only for himself, but for two other things; because they
were safe and because they were near, following zealously and seeking
every chance. He looked around at the Indians. None of them had heard
the cry of the wolf, and he knew if it had reached them, they would not
have taken it for a signal. They were going on with their feasting, but
while Henry sat, still silent, Timmendiquas came to him and said:

"To-morrow we reach Detroit, the great post of the soldiers of the king.
We go there to confer with the commander, de Peyster, and to receive
many rifles and much ammunition. It is likely, as you already know, that
we shall march against your people."

"I know it, Timmendiquas," said Henry, "but I would that it were not so.
Why could we not dwell in peace in Kentucky, while the Wyandots, the
Shawnees, the Miamis and others ranged their vast hunting grounds in
the same peace on this side of the Ohio?"

A spark of fire shot from the dark eyes of Timmendiquas.

"Ware," he said, "I like you and I do not believe that your heart
contains hatred towards me. Yet, there cannot be any peace between our
races. Peace means that you will push us back, always push us back. Have
I not been in the East, where the white men are many and where the
mighty confederation of the Six Nations, with their great chief,
Thayendanegea, at their head, fight against them in vain? Have I not
seen the rich villages of the Indians go up in smoke? The Indians
themselves still fight. They strike down many of the Yengees and
sometimes they burn a village of the white people, but unless the king
prevails in the great war, they will surely lose. Their Aieroski, who is
the Manitou of the Wyandots, and your God, merely looks on, and permits
the stronger to be the victor."

"Then," said Henry, "why not make peace with us here in the West, lest
your tribes meet the same fate?"

The nostrils of Timmendiquas dilated.

"Because in the end we should be eaten up in the same way. Here in the
West you are few and your villages are tiny. The seed is not planted so
deep that it cannot be uprooted."

Henry sighed.

"I can see the question from your side as well as from mine, White
Lightning," he replied. "It seems as you say, that the white men and the
red men cannot dwell together. Yet I could wish that we were friends in
the field as well as at heart."

Timmendiquas shook his head and replied in a tone tinged with a certain
sadness:

"I, too, could wish it, but you were born of one race and I of another.
It is our destiny to fight to the end."

He strode away through the camp. Henry watched the tall and splendid
figure, with the single small scarlet feather set in the waving scalp
lock, and once more he readily acknowledged that he was a forest king, a
lofty and mighty spirit, born to rule in the wilderness. Then he took
the two blankets which had been left him, enfolded himself between them,
and, despite the noises around him, slept soundly all through the night.
Early the next morning they began the last stretch of the march to
Detroit.

It was with a deep and peculiar interest that they approached Detroit,
then a famous British and Indian post, now a great American city.
Founded by the French, who lost it to the British, who, in turn, were
destined to lose it to the Americans, it has probably sent forth more
scalping parties of Indians than any other place on the North American
continent. Here the warlike tribes constantly came for rifles,
ammunition, blankets and other supplies, and here the agents of the king
incited them with every means in their power to fresh raids on the young
settlements in the South. Here the renegades, Girty, Blackstaffe and
their kind came to confer, and here Boone, Kenton and other famous
borderers had been brought as prisoners.

The Indians in the party of Timmendiquas already showed great
jubilation. In return for the war that they had made and should make,
they expected large gifts from the king, and with such great chiefs as
White Lightning, Red Eagle and Yellow Panther at their head, it was not
likely that they would be disappointed.

As they drew near, they passed several Indian camps, containing parties
from the Northwest, Sacs, Winnebagoes and others, including even some
Chippewas from the far shores of the greatest of all lakes. Many of
these looked admiringly at the prisoner whom Timmendiquas had brought,
and were sorry that they had not secured such a trophy. At the last of
these camps, where they stopped for a little while, a short, thick man
approached Henry and regarded him with great curiosity.

The man was as dark as an Indian, but he had a fierce black mustache
that curled up at the ends. His hair was black and long and his eyes,
too, were black. His dress differed but little from that of a warrior,
but his features were unmistakably Caucasian.

"Another renegade," thought Henry, and his detestation was so thorough
that he scorned to take further notice of the fellow. But he was
conscious that the stranger was eyeing him from head to foot in the most
scrutinizing manner, just as one looks at an interesting picture. Henry
felt his anger rise, but he still simulated the most profound
indifference.

"You are the prisoner of Timmendiquas, _mon petit garcon, mais oui_?"

Henry looked up at the French words and the French accent that he did
not understand. But the tone was friendly, and the man, although he
might be an enemy, was no renegade.

"Yes," he replied. "I am the prisoner of Timmendiquas, and I am going
with him and his men to Detroit. Do you belong in Detroit?"

The man grinned, showing two magnificent rows of strong white teeth.

"I belong to Detroit?" he replied. "Nevaire! I belong to no place. I am
ze Frenchman; le Canadien; voyageur, coureur du bois, l'homme of ze wind
ovair ze mountains an' ze plain. I am Pierre Louis Lajeunais, who was
born at Trois Rivières in ze Province of Quebec, which is a long way
from here."

The twinkle in his eye was infectious. Henry knew that he was a man of
good heart and he liked him. Perhaps also he might find here a friend.

"Since you have given me your name," he replied, "I will give you mine.
I am Henry Ware, and I am from Kentucky. I was captured by Timmendiquas
and his warriors a few days ago. They're taking me to Detroit, but I do
not know what they intend to do with me there. I suppose that you, of
course, are among our enemies."

No Indian was within hearing then, and Lajeunais replied:

"W'y should I wish you harm? I go to Detroit. I sell furs to ze
commandaire for powder and bullets. I travel an' hunt wit' mes amis, ze
Indians, but I do not love ze Anglais. When I was a boy, I fight wit' ze
great Montcalm at Quebec against Wolfe an' les Anglais. We lose an' ze
Bourbon lilies are gone; ze rouge flag of les Anglais take its place.
Why should I fight for him who conquers me? I love better ze woods an'
ze rivière an' ze lakes where I hunt and fish."

"I am glad that you are no enemy of ours, Mr. Lajeunais," said Henry,
"and I am certain that my people are no enemies of the French in Canada.
Perhaps we shall meet in Detroit."

"Eet ees likely, mon brav," said Lajeunais, "I come into the town in
four days an' I inquire for ze great boy named Ware."

Timmendiquas gave the signal and in another hour they were in Detroit.




CHAPTER IX

AT DETROIT


Henry missed nothing as he went on with the warriors. He saw many lodges
of Indians, and some cabins occupied by French-Canadians. In places the
forest had been cleared away to make fields for Indian corn, wheat and
pumpkins. Many columns of smoke rose in the clear spring air, and
directly ahead, where he saw a cluster of such columns, Henry knew the
fort to be. Timmendiquas kept straight on, and the walls of the fort
came into view.

Detroit was the most formidable fortress that Henry had yet seen. Its
walls, recently enlarged, were of oak pickets, rising twenty-five feet
above the ground and six inches in diameter at the smaller end. It had
bastions at every corner, and four gates, over three of which were built
strong blockhouses for observation and defense. The gates faced the four
cardinal points of the compass, and it was the one looking towards the
south that was without a blockhouse. There was a picket beside every
gate. The gates were opened at sunrise and closed at sunset, but the
wickets were left open until 9 o'clock at night.

This fortification, so formidable in the wilderness, was armed in a
manner fitting its strength. Every blockhouse contained four
six-pounders and two batteries of six large guns each, faced the river,
which was only forty feet away and with very steep banks. Inside the
great palisade were barracks for five hundred men, a brick store, a
guard house, a hospital, a governor's house, and many other buildings.
At the time of Henry's arrival about four hundred British troops were
present, and many hundreds of Indian warriors. The fort was thoroughly
stocked with ammunition and other supplies, and there were also many
English and Canadian traders both inside and outside the palisade.

The British had begun the erection of another fort, equally powerful, at
some distance from the present one, but they were not far advanced with
it at that time. The increase in protective measures was due to a
message that they had received from the redoubtable George Rogers Clark,
the victor of Vincennes and Kaskaskia, the man who delivered the
heaviest of all blows against the British, Indian and Tory power in the
Northwest. He had said that he was coming to attack them.

Henry asked no questions, but he watched everything with the most
intense curiosity. The warriors of Timmendiquas stopped about three
hundred yards from the palisade, and, without a word to anyone, began to
light their camp fires and erect lodges for their chiefs. Girty,
Blackstaffe, and Wyatt went away toward the fort, but Henry knew well
that Timmendiquas would not enter until messengers came to receive him.
Henry himself sat down by one of the fires and waited as calmly as if he
had been one of the band. While he was sitting there, Timmendiquas came
to him.

"Ware," he said, "we are now at the great post of the King, and you will
be held a prisoner inside. I have treated you as well as I could. Is
there anything of which you wish to complain?"

"There is nothing," replied Henry. "Timmendiquas is a chief, great alike
of heart and hand."

The Wyandot smiled slightly. It seemed that he was anxious for the good
opinion of his most formidable antagonist. Henry noticed, too, that he
was in his finest attire. A splendid blue blanket hung from his
shoulders, and his leggings and moccasins of the finest tanned deerskin
were also blue. Red Eagle and Yellow Panther, who stood not far away,
were likewise arrayed in their savage best.

"We are now about to go into the fort," said Timmendiquas, "and you are
to go with us, Ware."

Four British officers were approaching. Their leader was a stocky man of
middle age in the uniform of a colonel. It would have been apparent to
anyone that the Wyandot chief was the leader of the band, and the
officers saluted him.

"I am speaking to Timmendiquas, the great White Lightning of the
Wyandots, am I not?" he asked.

"I am Timmendiquas of the Wyandots, known in your language as White
Lightning," replied the chief gravely.

"I am Colonel William Caldwell of the King's army," said the chief, "and
I am sent by Colonel de Peyster, the commandant at Detroit, to bid you
welcome, and to ask you and your fellow chiefs to meet him within the
walls. My brother officers and I are to be your escort of honor, and we
are proud of such a service."

Henry saw at once that Caldwell was a man of abundant experience with
the Indians. He knew their intense pride, and he was going to see that
Timmendiquas and the other chiefs were received in a manner befitting
their station among their own people.

"It is well," said Timmendiquas. "We will go with you and Ware will go
with us."

"Who is Ware?" asked Caldwell, as Henry stood up. At the same time the
Englishman's eyes expressed admiration. The height and splendid figure
of the youth impressed him.

"Ware, though young, is the greatest of all the white warriors," replied
Timmendiquas. "He is my prisoner and I keep him with me until Manitou
tells me what I shall do with him."

His tone was final. Caldwell was a clever man, skilled in forest
diplomacy. He saw that nothing was to be gained, and that much might be
lost by opposing the will of Timmendiquas.

"Of course he comes with you if you wish it, White Lightning," he said.
"Now may we go? Colonel de Peyster awaits us to do you honor."

Timmendiquas inclined his head and he, with nine other chiefs, including
Yellow Panther and Red Eagle, and with Henry in the center, started
toward the fort. The British officers went with Colonel Caldwell,
marching by the side of Timmendiquas. They approached the western gate,
and, when they were within a few yards of it, a soldier on top of the
palisade began to play a military air on a bugle. It was an inspiring
tune, mellow and sweet in the clear spring air, and Caldwell looked up
proudly. The chiefs said not a word, but Henry knew that they were
pleased. Then the great gate was thrown open and they passed between two
files of soldiers, who held their rifles at attention. The music of the
bugle ceased, the great gate closed behind them, and the Indians and
their escort marched on towards an open square, where a corps of honor,
with the commander himself at their head, was drawn up to receive them.

Henry's gaze turned at once towards the commander, whose name filled him
with horror and detestation. Arent Schuyler de Peyster had succeeded to
Hamilton, the "hair buyer," captured by George Rogers Clark and sent in
chains to Virginia. He had shown great activity in arming and inciting
the Indians against the settlers in Kentucky, and Henry hated him all
the more because he was an American and not an Englishman. He could not
understand how an American, Tory though he might be, could send his own
people to fire and the stake, and doom women and little children to a
horrible death.

Arent Schuyler de Peyster, born in the city of New York, was now a man
of middle years, strongly built, haughty in manner, proud of his family
and of his rank in the army of the King. He was confident that the royal
arms would triumph ultimately, and, meanwhile he was doing his best to
curb the young settlements beyond the Ohio, and to prevent the rebel
extension to the West. Now the expedition of Bird had gone forth from
Detroit against Kentucky and he was anxious to send another and greater
one which should have as its core the Wyandots, the bravest and most
daring of all the western tribes. He had never seen Timmendiquas before,
but he was familiar with his name, and, after a single glance, it was
impossible to mistake him. His roving eye also saw the tall white youth,
and, for the present, he wondered, but his mind soon turned to his
welcome to the warlike chief.

A salute of four guns was fired from one of the batteries in the
bastion. Then Colonel de Peyster greeted Timmendiquas and after him, the
other chiefs one by one. He complimented them all upon their bravery and
their loyalty to the King, their great white father across the ocean. He
rejoiced to hear of their great deeds against the rebels, and promised
them splendid rewards for the new deeds they would achieve. Then, saying
that they had marched far and must be hungry and tired, he invited them
to a feast which he had prepared, having been warned by a runner of
their coming.

Timmendiquas, Red Eagle, and Yellow Panther heard him in silence and
without a change of countenance, but the eyes of the other chiefs
sparkled. They loved blankets of brilliant colors, beads, and the many
gaudy trinkets that were sold or given away at the post. New rifles and
fresh ammunition, also, would be acceptable, and, in order to deserve
than in increasing quantities, they resolved that the next quest for
scalps should be most zealous.

Having finished his address, which had been studied carefully, de
Peyster nodded toward Henry.

"A new recruit, I suppose," he said. "One who has seen the light. Truly,
he is of an admirable figure, and might do great service in our cause.
But he bears no arms."

Henry himself answered before Timmendiquas could say a word, and he
answered all the more promptly, because he knew that the renegades,
Girty, Wyatt and Blackstaffe had drawn near and were listening.

"I am no recruit," he said. "I don't want to die, but I'd sooner do it
than make war upon my own people as you and your friends are doing,
Colonel de Peyster, and be responsible for the murder of women and
children, as you and your friends are. I was at Wyoming and I saw the
terrible deeds done there. I am no renegade and I never can be one."

The face of the well-fed Colonel flushed an apoplectic purple, and
Braxton Wyatt thrust his hand to the butt of the pistol in his belt, but
Girty, inured to everything, laughed and said:

"Don't take it so hard, young man."

"Then tell us who you are!" exclaimed Colonel de Peyster angrily.

Now it was Timmendiquas who replied.

"He is my prisoner," he said. "He is the most valiant of all the
Kentuckians. We took him after a great struggle in which he overthrew
many of our young men. I have brought him as a present to you at
Detroit."

Did the words of Timmendiquas contain some subtle irony? De Peyster
looked at him sharply, but the coppery face of the great chief expressed
nothing. Then the diplomacy which he was compelled to practice
incessantly with his red allies came to his aid.

"I accept the present," he replied, "because he is obviously a fine
specimen of the _genus_ rebel, and we may be able to put him to use. May
I ask your name, young sir?"

"Ware--Henry Ware."

"Very well, Master Ware, since you are here with us, you can join in the
little banquet that we have prepared, and see what a happy family the
King's officers and the great chiefs make."

Now it was de Peyster who was ironical. The words of Henry about
renegades and Wyoming and the slaying of women and children had stung
him, but he would not show the sting to a boy; instead, he would let him
see how small and weak the Kentuckians were, and how the King's men and
the tribes would be able to encompass their complete destruction.

"Timmendiquas has given you to me as my prisoner," he said, "but for an
hour or two you shall be my guest."

Henry bowed. He was not at all averse. His was an inquiring mind, and if
de Peyster had anything of importance to show, he wished to see it.

"Lead the way, Catesby," said the commandant to a young officer,
evidently an aide.

Catesby proceeded to a large house near the north end of the court.
Colonel de Peyster and Timmendiquas, side by side, followed him. The
others came in a group.

Catesby led them into a great room, evidently intended as a public
banquet hall, as it had a long and wide table running down its center.
But several large windows were opened wide and Henry conjectured that
this effect--half out of doors--was created purposely. Thus it would be
a place where the Indian chiefs could be entertained without feeling
shut in.

Colonel de Peyster evidently had prepared well. Huge metal dishes held
bear meat, buffalo meat and venison, beef and fish. Bread and all the
other articles of frontier food were abundant. Four soldiers stood by
as waiters. De Peyster sat at the head of the table with Timmendiquas on
his right and Simon Girty on his left. Henry had a seat almost at the
foot, and directly across the table from him was the frowning face of
Braxton Wyatt. Colonel Caldwell sat at the foot of the table and several
other British or Tory officers also were present. The food was served
bountifully, and, as the chiefs had come a long distance and were
hungry, they ate with sharp appetites. Many of them, scorning knives and
forks, cracked the bones with their hands. For a long time the Indians
preserved the calm of the woods, but Colonel de Peyster was bland and
beaming. He talked of the success of the King's army and of the Indian
armies. He told how the settlements had been destroyed throughout
Western New York and Pennsylvania, and he told how those of Kentucky
would soon share the same fate. A singular spirit seemed to possess him.
The Americans, patriots or rebels, as they were variously called, always
hated the Tories more bitterly than they hated the English, and this
hatred was returned in full measure.

Now it seemed to Henry that de Peyster intended his remarks largely for
him. He would justify himself to the captive youth, and at the same time
show him the power of the allied Indians, Tories, and English. He talked
quite freely of the great expedition of Bird and of the cannon that he
carried with him.

"I don't think that your palisades will stand before heavy cannon balls,
will they, Ware?"

"I fear not," replied Henry, "and it is likely that many of our people
will suffer, but you must bear in mind, Colonel de Peyster, that
whenever a man falls in Kentucky another comes to take his place. We are
fighting for the land on which we stand, and you are fighting for an
alien ruler, thousands of miles away. No matter how many defeats we may
suffer, we shall win in the end."

De Peyster frowned.

"You do not know the strength of Britain," he said, "nor do you know the
power of the warriors. You say that you were at Wyoming. Well, you have
seen what we could do."

Girty broke into a sneering laugh at Henry and then seconded the words
of his chief.

"All we want is union and organization," he said. "Soon our own troops
and the red warriors will form one army along the whole line of the war.
The rebel cause is already sinking in the East, and in another year the
King will be triumphant everywhere."

Girty was a crafty man, something of a forest statesman. He had given
the Indians much help on many occasions and they usually deferred to
him. Now he turned to them.

"When Colonel Bird achieves his victories south of the Ohio, as he is
sure to do," he said, "and when Timmendiquas and his great force marches
to destroy all that is left, then you, O chiefs, will have back your
hunting grounds for your villages and your people. The deer and the
buffalo will be as numerous as ever. Fire will destroy the houses and
the forests will grow where they have been. Their cornfields will
disappear, and not a single one of the Yengees will be found in your
great forests beyond the Beautiful River."

The nostrils of the chiefs dilated. A savage fire, the desire for
scalps, began to sparkle in the dark eyes of the wilderness children. At
this crucial moment of excitement Colonel de Peyster caused cups to be
brought and wine to be passed. All drank, except Henry and the great
chief, the White Lightning of the Wyandots. De Peyster himself felt the
effect of the strong liquor, and Girty and Wyatt did not seek to hide
it.

"There is fire in your veins, my children," exclaimed de Peyster. "You
will fight for the King. You will clear the woods of the rebels, and he
will send you great rewards. As a proof of what he will do he gives you
many presents now."

He made a signal and the soldiers began to bring in gifts for the
chiefs, gifts that seemed to them beautiful and of great value. There
were silver-mounted rifles for Timmendiquas, Red Eagle, Yellow Panther,
and also for another Shawnee chief of uncommon ferocity, Moluntha. Their
eyes sparkled as they received them, and all uttered thanks except
Timmendiquas, who still did not say a word. Then came knives, hatchets,
blankets--always of bright colors--beads and many little mirrors. The
Indians were excited with the wine and the variety and splendor of the
presents. A young chief, Yahnundasis, a Shawnee, sprang from the table
and burst into a triumphant chant:

    The great chief beyond the seas
    Sends us the rifle and the knife;
    He bids us destroy the hated Yengees,
    And the day of our wrath has come.

    We search the forest for white scalps;
    The cannon, the great guns will help us,
    Not a foe in Kentucky will be left,
    None can escape the rage of the warriors.

He sang other verses in the Shawnee tongue, and all the while he was
growing more excited with his chant and leapings. He drew his tomahawk
and swung it in a glittering circle above his head. The red and black
paint upon his face, moistened by his own perspiration, dripped slowly
upon his shoulders. He was a wild and terrible figure, a true exponent
of primitive savagery, but no one interfered with him. In the minds of
the renegades he awoke corresponding emotions.

Caldwell at the foot of the table looked inquiringly at de Peyster at
the head of it, but de Peyster raised neither hand nor voice to stay
dance and song. It may be that the wine and the intoxication of so wild
a scene had gone to his own head. He listened attentively to the song,
and watched the feet of the dancer, while he drummed upon the table with
his forefingers. One of the chiefs took from his robe a small whistle
made of the bone of an eagle, and began to blow upon it a shrill
monotonous tune. This inflamed the dancer still further, and he grew
wilder and wilder. The note of the whistle, while varying but little,
was fierce, piercing, and abundant. It thrilled the blood of red men and
white, all save Timmendiquas, who sat, face and figure alike unmoving.

Yahnundasis now began to gaze steadily at Henry. However he gyrated, he
did not take his eyes from those of the captive youth. Henry's blood
chilled, and for a moment stopped its circulation. Then it flowed in its
wonted tide, but he understood. Yahnundasis was seeing red. Like the
Malay he was amuck. At any moment he might throw the glittering hatchet
at the prisoner. Henry recognized the imminence of his danger, but he
steeled his nerves. He saw, too, that much depended upon himself, upon
the power of the spirit that radiated from his eyes. Hence, he, too,
looked steadily into the eyes of Yahnundasis. He poured all his nervous
strength and force into the gaze.

He felt that he was holding the dancing chief in a sort of a spell by
the power of a spirit greater than that of Yahnundasis. Yet it could not
last; in a minute or two the chief must break the charm, and then,
unless someone interfered, he would cast the tomahawk. Obviously the
interference should come from de Peyster. But would he do it? Henry did
not dare take his eyes from those of Yahnundasis in order to look at the
Tory Colonel.

The savage now was maddened completely with his song, the dance, and
the wine that he had drunk. Faster and faster whirled the hatchet, but
with his powerful gaze deep into the eyes of the other, Henry still
sought to restrain the hand that would hurl the deadly weapon. It became
a pain, both physical and mental, to strain so. He wanted to look aside,
to see the others, and to know why they did not stop so wild a scene. He
was conscious of a great silence, save for the singing and dancing of
the Indian and the beating of his own heart. He felt convinced now that
no one was going to interfere, and his hand stole towards one of the
large knives that had been used for cutting meat.

The voice of Yahnundasis rose to a shriek and he leaped like a
snake-dancer. Henry felt sure that the tomahawk was going to come, but
while he yet stared at the savage he caught a glimpse of a tall,
splendidly arrayed figure springing suddenly upright. It was
Timmendiquas and he, too, drew a tomahawk. Then with startling quickness
he struck Yahnundasis with the flat of the blade. Yahnundasis fell as if
he had been slain. The tomahawk flew wildly from his hand, and dark
blood from his broken crown mingled with the red and black paint on his
face. Timmendiquas stood up, holding his own tomahawk threateningly, an
angry look darting from his eyes.

"Take him away," he said, indicating Yahnundasis, in a contemptuous
tone. "To-morrow let him nurse his bruised head and reflect that it is
not well to be a fool. It is not meet that a warrior, even be he a
chief, should threaten a prisoner, when we come to a feast to talk of
great things."

As a murmur of assent came from the chiefs about him, he resumed his
seat in dignified silence. Henry said nothing, nor did he allow his
countenance to change, but deep in his heart he felt that he owed
another debt to the Wyandot chieftain. De Peyster and Caldwell exchanged
glances. Both knew that they had allowed the affair to go too far, but
both alike resented the stern rebuke contained in the words of
Timmendiquas. Yet each glance said the same, that it was wise to
dissimulate and take no offense.

"You have spoken well, as usual, Timmendiquas," said Colonel de Peyster.
"Now as you and the other chiefs are rested after your long march we
will talk at once of the great things that we have in mind, since time
is of value. Colonel Bird with the cannon has gone against Kentucky. As
I have already said we wish to send another force which will seek out
and destroy every station, no matter how small, and which will not even
leave a single lone cabin unburned. Colonel Caldwell will command the
white men, but you, Timmendiquas, and the allied tribes will have the
greater task and the greater glory. The King will equip you amply for
the work. He will present a rifle, much ammunition and a fine blanket to
every warrior who goes. Rifles, blankets and ammunition are all in our
storehouses here in Detroit, and they will be distributed the moment the
expedition starts."

The renegades clapped their hands. Most of the chiefs uttered cries of
approval and shook their tomahawks in exultation, but Timmendiquas
remained silent.

"Does it not appeal to you, Timmendiquas?" said de Peyster. "You have
been the most zealous of all the chiefs. You have led great attacks
against the settlers, and you have been most eager in battle."

Timmendiquas rose very deliberately and speaking in Wyandot, which
nearly all present understood, he said:

"What the Colonel of the King says is true. I have fought many times
with the Kentuckians, and they are brave men. Sometimes we have beaten
them, and sometimes they have beaten us. They have great warriors,
Clark, Boone, Kenton, Harrod and the tall youth who sits here, my
captive. Let not the colonel of the King forget that with Clark at their
head they crossed the Ohio, took Vincennes and Kaskaskia and him who
was then the commander of Detroit, Hamilton, now held prisoner in a far
land beyond the mountains."

De Peyster's face flushed darkly, and the other white men moved
uneasily.

"The things you tell are true, Timmendiquas," said de Peyster, "but what
bearing do they have upon our expedition?"

"I wish to speak of many things," resumed the chief. "I am for war to
the end against those who have invaded our hunting grounds. But let not
Colonel de Peyster and Caldwell and Girty forget that the villages of
the Indians lie between Kaintuckee and Detroit."

"What of it?" said de Peyster. "The Kentuckians reduced so low will not
dare to come against them."

"That we do not know," said Timmendiquas. "When we destroy the men in
Kaintuckee others come to take their places. It is the duty of the
Wyandots and all the allied tribes to look into the future. Listen, O
Colonel of the King. I was at Wyoming in the East when the Indians and
their white friends won a great victory. Never before had I seen such a
taking of scalps. There was much joy and feasting, dancing and singing.
It was the Iroquois, the great Six Nations who won the victory, and they
thought that their Aieroski, who is our Manitou, would never forsake
them. They swept the whole valley of Wyoming and many other valleys.
They left the country as bare as my hand. But it was not the end."

Timmendiquas seemed to grow in stature, and he looked fiercely into the
eyes of the English officers. Despite themselves de Peyster and Caldwell
quailed.

"It was not the end," continued Timmendiquas, and his tone was severe
and accusing. "The Iroquois had destroyed the rear of the Yengees and
great were the thanks of the King's men. The mighty Thayendanegea, the
Mohawk, was called the first of all warriors, but the great chief of
the Long Knives far away in the East did not forget. By and by a great
army came against the Iroquois. Where were the King's men then? Few came
to help. Thayendanegea had to fight his battle almost alone. He was
beaten, his army was scattered like sand before the wind, and the army
of the Long Knives trod out the Iroquois country. Their great villages
went up in flames, their Council Houses were destroyed, the orchards
that had been planted by their grandfathers were cut down, their fields
were deserted, the whole Iroquois country was ruined, and the Six
Nations, never before conquered, now huddle by the British posts at
Niagara and Oswego for shelter."

"It is a great misfortune, but the brave Iroquois will repair it," said
de Peyster. "Why do you tell of it, Timmendiquas?"

"For this reason," replied the chief. "The Iroquois would not have been
without a country, if the King's men had helped them as they had helped
the King's men. Shall we, in the West, the Wyandots, the Shawnees, the
Miamis and the others meet the same fate? Shall we go against
Kaintuckee, destroy the settlements there, and then, when an avenging
army comes against our villages, lose our country, because the King's
men who should help us are far away, as the Iroquois lost theirs?"

He folded his arms across his broad chest and, stern and accusing,
awaited the answer. De Peyster quailed again, but he quickly recovered.
He was a flexible man skilled in diplomacy, and he saw that he must
promise, promise much and promise it in convincing tones. He noticed
moreover the deep murmur of approval that the chiefs gave to the words
of White Lightning. Then he in turn rose also and assuming his most
imposing manner said:

"On behalf of the King, Timmendiquas, I promise you the help of his full
strength. It is not likely that the Kentuckians will ever be able to
come against your villages, but if they do I will march forth with all
my force to your help. Nay, I will send East for others, to Niagara and
Oswego and to Canada. It shall never be said of us that we deserted the
tribes in their hour of need, if such an hour should come. I myself
would gladly march now against these intruders if my duty did not hold
me here."

He looked around the table and his eye encountered Caldwell's. The
officer instantly saw his cue and springing to his feet he cried:

"What our brave commander says is true, Timmendiquas. I myself and some
of our best men, we will fight beside you."

Now the chiefs murmured approval of the words of de Peyster and
Caldwell, as they had approved those of Timmendiquas. The great Wyandot
himself seemed to be convinced, and said that it was well. Henry had
listened to it all in silence, but now de Peyster turned his attention
to him.

"I think that we have given enough of our hospitality to this prisoner,"
he said, "and since you have turned him over to me, Timmendiquas, I will
send him to a place which will hold him for a while."

Henry rose at once.

"I am willing to go," he said. "I thank you for your food and drink, but
I think I shall feel more at home in any prison that you may have than
here among those who are planning the destruction of my people."

Girty was about to speak, but de Peyster waved his hand, and the words
stopped unsaid.

"Take him to the jail, Holderness," he said to one of the younger
officers. "He can wait there. We shall have plenty of time to decide
concerning his fate."

Henry walked by the side of the officer across the court. Holderness was
quite young, ruddy, and evidently not long in America. He looked with
admiration at Henry's height and magnificent shoulders.

"You are from that far land they call Kaintuckee?" he said.

"Yes."

"One of the best of the countries belonging to the Indians?"

"It is a good country, but I do not know that it ever belonged to the
Indians. No doubt they have hunted there and fought there for hundreds
of years, but so far as I know, they've never lived there."

"Then it belongs to the King," said Holderness.

Henry smiled. He rather liked this ingenuous young man who was not much
older than himself.

"A country like Kentucky," he replied, "belongs to those who can hold
it. Once the French King claimed it, but how could he enforce a claim to
a country separated from him by thousands of miles of sea and
wilderness? Now the English King makes the same claim, and perhaps he
has a better chance, but still that chance is not good enough."

The young officer sighed a little.

"I'm sorry we have to fight you," he said. "I've heard ugly tales since
I came about the savages and the white men, too."

"You're likely to hear more," said Henry. "But this I take it is our
jail."

"It is. I'll go in and see that you're as comfortable as possible."




CHAPTER X

THE LETTER OF THE FOUR


The building into which Henry was taken was built of brick and rough
stone, two stories in height, massive and very strong. The door which
closed the entrance was of thick oak, with heavy crosspieces, and the
two rows of small windows, one above the other, were fortified with iron
bars, so close together that a man could not pass between. Henry's quick
eye noticed it all, as they entered between the British guards at the
door. The house inside was divided into several rooms, none containing
more than a rude pallet bed, a small pine table, a tin pitcher, a cup of
water, and a pine stool.

Henry followed Holderness into one of these rooms, and promptly sat on
the pine stool by the window. Holderness looked at him with a mixture of
admiration and pity.

"I'm sorry, old chap," he said, "that I have to lock you up here. Come
now, do be reasonable. These rebels are bound to lose, and, if you can't
join us, take a parole and go somewhere into Canada until all the
trouble is over."

Henry laughed lightly, but his heart warmed again toward young
Holderness who had come from some easy and sheltered spot in England,
and who knew nothing of the wilderness and its hardships and terrors.

"Don't you be sorry for me," he said. "As for this room, it's better
than anything that I've been used to for years. And so far as giving a
parole and going into Canada, I wouldn't dream of such a thing. It would
interfere with my plans. I'm going back into the South to fight against
your people and the Indians."

"But you're a prisoner!"

"For the present, yes, but I shall not remain so."

"You can't escape."

"I always escape. It's true I was never before in so strong a prison,
but I shall go. I am willing to tell you, Lieutenant Holderness, because
others will tell you anyhow, that I have outside four very faithful and
skillful friends. Nothing would induce them to desert me, and among us
we will secure my escape."

Into the look of mingled admiration and pity with which Holderness had
regarded Henry crept a touch of defiance.

"You're deucedly confident, old chap," he said. "You don't seem to think
that we amount to much here, and yet Colonel de Peyster has undoubtedly
saved you from the Indians. You should be grateful to him for that
much."

Henry laughed. This ingenuous youth now amused him.

"What makes you think it was Colonel de Peyster or any other English or
Tory officer who saved me from the Indians? Well, it wasn't. If Colonel
Bird and your other white friends had had their way when I was taken I
should have been burned at the stake long before this. It was the
Wyandot chief, Timmendiquas, known in our language as White Lightning,
who saved me."

The young officer's red face flushed deeper red.

"I knew that we had been charged with such cruelties," he said, "but I
had hoped that they were not true. Now, I must leave you here, and, upon
my soul, I do not wish you any harm."

He went out and Henry felt a heavy key turn in the lock. A minute or two
after he had gone the prisoner tried the door, and found that it was
made of heavy oak, with strong crosspieces of the same material. He
exerted all his great strength, and, as he expected, he could not shake
it. Then he went back to the pine stool, which he drew up near a barred
window, and sitting there watched as well as he could what was passing
in the great court.

Henry had too much natural wisdom and experience to beat his head
uselessly against bars. He would remain quiet, preserving the strength
of both body and mind, until the time for action came. Meanwhile he was
using his eyes. He saw some of the chiefs pass, always accompanied by
white officers. But he saw officers alone, and now and then women, both
red and white. He also saw the swarthy faces of woods runners, and among
them, one whose face and figure were familiar, that same Pierre Louis
Lajeunais, whom he had met outside the fort.

Lajeunais carried his rifle on one shoulder and a pack of furs on the
other. It was a heavy pack, probably beaver skins, but he moved easily,
and Henry saw that he was very strong. Henry regarded him thoughtfully.
This man had been friendly, he had access to the fort, and he might be
induced to give him aid. He did not see just then how Lajeunais could be
of help to him, but he stored the idea in the back of his head, ready
for use if there should be occasion.

He presently saw Timmendiquas go by with Colonel de Peyster on one side
of him and Colonel Caldwell on the other. Henry smiled. Evidently they
were paying assiduous court to the Wyandot, and well they might. Without
the aid of the powerful Indian tribes the British at Detroit could do
nothing. In a few moments they were gone and then the twilight began to
come over the great western post. From his window Henry caught a view of
a distant reach of the broad river, glittering gold in the western sun.
It came ultimately from one great lake and would empty into another.
Paul's words returned to him. Those mysterious and mighty great lakes!
would he live to see them with his comrades? Once in his early
captivity with the Indians he had wandered to the shores of the farthest
and greatest of them all, and he remembered the awe with which he had
looked upon the vast expanse of waters like the sea itself. He wished to
go there again. Hundreds of stories and legends about the mighty chain
had come from the Indians and this view of the river that flowed from
the upper group stirred again all his old curiosity. Then he remembered
his position and with a low laugh resumed his seat on the pine stool.

Yet he watched the advance of the night. It seemed that the vast
wilderness was coming down on Detroit and would blot it out completely,
fortress, soldiers, village and all. In a little while the darkness
covered everything save a few flickering lights here and there. Henry
sat at the window a while, gazing absently at the lights. But his mind
was away with his comrades, Paul, Shif'less Sol, Long Jim and Silent
Tom, the faithful four with whom he had passed through a world of
dangers. Where were they now? He had no doubt that they were near
Detroit. It was no idle boast that he made to Colonel de Peyster when he
said they would help rescue him. He awaited the result with absolute
confidence. He was in truth so lacking in nervous apprehension that when
he lay down on the rude pallet he was asleep in two minutes.

He was awakened the next morning by Lieutenant Holderness who informed
him that in the daytime, for the present at least, he would be allowed
the liberty of the court. He could also eat outside.

"I'm grateful," said Henry. "I wish to thank Colonel de Peyster, or
whoever the man may be who has given me this much liberty."

"It is Colonel de Peyster, of course," said the ruddy one.

But Henry shrewdly suspected that his modicum of liberty was due to
Timmendiquas, or rather the fear of de Peyster that he would offend
Timmendiquas, and weaken the league, if he ill treated the prisoner.

Henry went outside and bathed his face at a water barrel. Then at the
invitation of Holderness he joined some soldiers and Canadian Frenchmen
who were cooking breakfast together beside a great fire. They made room
readily at the lieutenant's request and Henry began to eat. He noticed
across the fire the brown face of Lajeunais, and he nodded in a friendly
manner. Lajeunais nodded in return and his black eyes twinkled. Henry
thought that he saw some significance in the twinkle, but when he looked
again Lajeunais was busy with his own breakfast. Then the incident
passed out of his mind and he quickly found himself on good terms with
both soldiers and woods runners.

"You give your parole," said Lajeunais, "an' go North wiz me on the
great huntin' an' trappin'. We will go North, North, North, beyon' the
Great Lakes, an' to other lakes almost as great, a thousan', two
thousan' miles beyon' the home of white men to trap the silver fox, the
pine marten an' the other furs which bring much gold. Ah, le bon Dieu,
but it is gran'! an' you have ze great figure an' ze great strength to
stan' ze great cold. Then come wiz me. Ze great lakes an' woods of ze
far North is better zan to fret your life out here in ze prison. You
come?"

He spoke entreatingly, but Henry smiled and replied in a tone full of
good humor:

"It's a tempting offer, and it's very kind of you, Monsieur Lajeunais,
but I cannot accept it. Neither am I going to fret my life out within
these walls. I'm going to escape."

All the soldiers and woods runners laughed together except Lajeunais.
Henry's calm assurance seemed a great joke to them, but the Frenchman
watched him shrewdly. He was familiar with men of the woods, and it
seemed to him that the great youth was not boasting, merely stating a
fact.

"Confidence is ze gran' thing," he said, "but these walls are high an'
the ears are many."

While Henry sat there with the men, Colonel de Peyster passed. The
commander was in an especially good humor that morning. He was convinced
that his negotiations with the Indian were going well. He had sworn to
Timmendiquas again that if the Western tribes would fight for the King,
the King would help them in return should their villages be attacked.
More presents had been distributed judiciously among the chiefs. The
renegades also were at work. All of Girty's influence, and it was large,
had been brought to bear in favor of the invasion, and it seemed to de
Peyster that everything was now settled. He saw Henry sitting by the
fire, gave him an ironical look, and, as he passed, sang clearly enough
for the captive to hear a song of his own composition. He called it "The
Drill Sergeant," written to the tune of "The Happy Beggars," and the
first verse ran:

    Come, stand well to your order,
    Make not the least false motion;
          Eyes to the right,
          Thumb, muzzle height;
    Lads, you have the true notion.
          Here and there,
          Everywhere
    That the King's boys may be found,
          Fight and die,
          Be the cry,
    'Ere in battle to give ground.

De Peyster was not only a soldier, but being born in New York and having
grown up there he prided himself upon being a man of the world with
accomplishments literary and otherwise. The privilege of humming one's
own poetry is great and exalting, and the commander's spirits, already
high, rose yet higher. The destruction of Kentucky was not only going to
be accomplished, it was in fact accomplished already. He would extirpate
the impudent settlers west of the mountains, and, when the King's
authority was reestablished everywhere and the time came for rewards, he
would ask and receive a great one.

As Colonel de Peyster walked toward the western gate a Tory soldier,
with bruises and excitement upon his face, and a torn uniform upon his
body, hurried toward him, accompanied by Lieutenant Holderness.

"This is Private Doran, sir," said Holderness, "and he has an important
letter for you."

Colonel de Peyster looked critically at Private Doran.

"You seem to have been manhandled," he said.

"I was set upon by a band of cutthroats," said Private Doran, the memory
of his wrongs becoming very bitter, "and they commanded me upon pain of
death to deliver this letter to you."

He held out a dirty sheet of folded paper.

Colonel de Peyster felt instinctively that it was something that was
going to be of great interest, and, before he opened it, he tapped it
with a thoughtful forefinger.

"Where did you get this?"

"About five o'clock this morning," replied Private Doran with hesitation
and in an apologetic tone, "I was on guard on the western side of the
village, near the woods. I was watching as well as I could with my eyes
open, and listening too, but I neither heard nor saw anything when four
men suddenly threw themselves upon me. I fought, but how could I
overcome four? I suffered many bruises, as you can see. I thought they
were going to kill me, but they bound me, and then the youngest of 'em
wrote this note which they told me to give to you, saying that they
would send a rifle bullet through my head some dark night, if I
disobeyed 'em, and I believe, sir, they would do it."

"Report to your sergeant," said de Peyster, and Private Doran gladly
went away. Then the commander opened the letter and as he read it his
face turned a deep red with anger. He read it over again to see that he
made no mistake, but the deep red of anger remained.

"What do you think of such impertinence as this, Holderness?" he
exclaimed, and then he read:

    "To Colonel Arent Schuyler de Peyster, Commander of the King's
    forces at Detroit:

    "_Sir_:

    "You have a prisoner in your fort, one Henry Ware, our comrade. We
    warn you that if he is subjected to any ill-treatment whatever, you
    and your men shall suffer punishment. This is not an idle threat. We
    are able to make good our promises.

                                              "SOLOMON HYDE.
                                              "PAUL COTTER.
                                              "THOMAS ROSS.
                                              "JAMES HART."

"It's impertinence and mummery," repeated de Peyster, "I'll have that
man Doran tied to a cannon and lashed on his bare back!"

But Lieutenant Holderness was young and impressionable.

"It's impertinent, of course, Colonel," he said, "and it sounds wild,
too, but I believe the signers of this paper mean what they say.
Wouldn't it be a good idea to treat this prisoner well, and set such a
good watch that we can capture his friends, too? They'll be hanging
about."

"I don't know," said de Peyster. "No, I think I have a better plan.
Suppose we answer the letter of these fellows. I have had no intention
of treating Ware badly. I expected to exchange him or use him profitably
as a hostage, but I'll tell his friends that we are going to subject him
to severe punishment, and then we'll draw them into our net, too."

"I've heard from Girty and Wyatt that they do wonderful things," said
Holderness. "Suppose they should rescue Ware after all?"

De Peyster laughed incredulously.

"Take him away from us!" he said. "Why, he's as safely caged here as if
he were in a stone prison in England. Just to show him what I think of
their threat I'll let him read this letter."

He approached Henry, who was still sitting by the fire and handed him
the sheet of paper.

"A letter from some friends of yours; the four most delightful humorists
that these woods can furnish, I take it."

Henry thrilled with delight when he read the paper, but he did not
permit his face to show his joy. Like de Peyster he read it over twice,
and then he handed it back to the Colonel.

"Well," said de Peyster, "what do you think of it?"

"It speaks for itself," replied Henry. "They mean exactly what they
say."

De Peyster chose to adopt a light, ironical tone.

"Do you mean to tell me, my good fellow," he asked, "that four beggarly
rebels, hiding for their lives in the wilderness, can punish me for
anything that I may do to you?"

"I do not merely tell you so, I know it."

"Very well; it is a game, a play and we shall see what comes of it. I am
going to send an answer to their letter, but I shall not tell you the
nature of that answer, or what comes of it."

"I've no doubt that I'll learn in time," said Henry quietly.

The boy's calmness annoyed de Peyster, and he left him abruptly,
followed by Holderness. While his temper was still warm, he wrote a
letter to the four stating that Henry Ware would be delivered to the
savages for them to do with as they chose,--the implication being
torture and death--and that unless the four gave Detroit a very wide
berth they would soon be treated in the same way. Then he called the
miserable Doran before him, and told him, when he took the late watch
again the next night, to hook the letter on the twig of a tree near
where he had been attacked before, and then watch and see what would
occur. Doran promised strictly to obey, and, since he was not called
upon to fight the terrific four, some of his apprehension disappeared.

Henry meanwhile had left the fire beside which he had eaten breakfast,
and--though closely guarded--strolled about the great enclosure. He felt
an uncommon lightness of heart. It was almost as if he were the jailer
and not the jailed. That letter from his four comrades was a message to
him as well as to de Peyster. He knew that the soldiers of de Peyster
and the Indians would make every effort to take them, but the woods
about Detroit were dense and they would be on guard every second. There
was no certainty, either, that all the French-Canadians were warmly
attached to the King's cause. Why should they be? Why should they fight
so zealously for the country that had conquered them not many years
before? He saw once more in the afternoon the square, strong figure of
Lajeunais, crossing the court. When the Frenchman noticed him he stopped
and came back, smiling and showing his great white teeth.

"Ah, mon brav," he said, "doesn't the great North yet call to you?"

"No," replied Henry, with an answering smile. "As I told you, I am going
to escape."

"You may," said Lajeunais, suddenly lowering his voice. "I met one of
your friends in the forest. I cannot help, but I will not hinder. C'est
une pitie that a garcon so gran' an' magnificent as you should pine an'
die within prison walls."

Then he was gone before Henry could thank him. Toward nightfall he was
notified that he must return to his prison and now he felt the full
weight of confinement when the heavy walls closed about him. But
Holderness came with the soldier who brought his supper and remained to
talk. Henry saw that Holderness, not long from England, was lonesome and
did not like his work. It was true also that the young Englishman was
appalled by the wilderness, not in the sense of physical fear, but the
endless dark forest filled him with the feeling of desolation as it has
many another man. He had found in Henry, prisoner though he was, the
most congenial soul, that he had yet met in the woods. As he lingered
while Henry ate the hard-tack and coffee, it was evident that he wanted
to talk.

"These friends of yours," he said. "They promise wonderful things. Do
you really think they will rescue you, or did you merely say so to
impress Colonel de Peyster? I ask, as man to man, and forgetting for the
time that we are on opposing sides."

Henry liked him. Here, undoubtedly, was an honest and truthful heart. He
was sorry that they were official enemies, but he was glad that it did
not keep them from being real friends.

"I meant it just as I said it," he replied. "My friends will keep their
words. If I am harmed some of your people here at Detroit will suffer.
This no doubt sounds amazing to you, but strange things occur out here
in the woods."

"I'm very curious to see," said Holderness. "Colonel de Peyster has sent
them a message, telling them in effect that no attention will be paid to
their warning, and that he will do with you as he chooses."

"I am curious about it too," said Henry, "and if there is nothing in
your duty forbidding it, I ask you to let me know the result."

"I think it's likely that I can tell if there is anything to be told.
Well, good night to you, Mr. Ware. I wish you a pleasant sleep."

"Thank you. I always sleep well."

The night was no exception to Henry's statement, but he was awake early
the next morning. Colonel de Peyster also rose early, because he wished
to hear quickly from Private Doran. But Private Doran did not come at
the usual hour of reporting from duty, nor did he return the next hour,
nor at any hour. De Peyster, furious with anger, sent a detachment which
found his letter gone and another there. It said that as proof of their
power they had taken his sentinel and they warned him again not to harm
the prisoner.

De Peyster raged for several reasons. It hurt his personal pride, and it
injured his prestige with the Indians. Timmendiquas was still
troublesome. He was demanding further guarantees that the King's
officers help the Indians with many men and with cannon, in case a
return attack should be delivered against their villages, and the White
Lightning of the Wyandots was not a chief with whom one could trifle.

Timmendiquas had returned to the camp of his warriors outside the walls
and de Peyster at once visited him there. He found the chief in a fine
lodge of buffalo skin that the Wyandots had erected for him, polishing
the beautiful new rifle that had been presented to him as coming from
the King. He looked up when he saw de Peyster enter, and his smile
showed the faintest trace of irony. But he laid aside the rifle and
arose with the courtesy befitting a red chief who was about to receive a
white one.

"Be seated, Timmendiquas," said de Peyster with as gracious a manner as
he could summon. "I have come to consult with you about a matter of
importance. It seems to me that you alone are of sufficient judgment and
experience to give me advice in this case."

Timmendiquas bowed gravely.

De Peyster then told him of the threatening letter from the four, and of
the disappearance of Private Doran. The nostrils of Timmendiquas
dilated.

"They are great warriors," he said, "but the white youth, Ware, whom you
hold, is the greatest of them all. It was well done."

De Peyster frowned. In his praise of the woodsmen Timmendiquas seemed to
reflect upon the skill of his own troops. But he persisted in his plan
to flatter and to appeal to the pride of Timmendiquas.

"White Lightning," he said, "you know the forest as the bird knows its
nest. What would you advise me to do?"

The soothing words appealed to Timmendiquas and he replied:

"I will send some of my warriors to trail them from the spot where your
man was taken, and do you send soldiers also to take them when they are
found. It is my business to make war upon these rangers from Kentucky,
and I will help you all I can."

De Peyster, who felt that his honor was involved, left the lodge much
more hopeful. It was intolerable that he, a soldier and a poet, should
be insulted in such a manner by four wild woodsmen, and he selected ten
good men who, following two Wyandot trailers, would certainly avenge
him.

Henry heard the details of Private Doran's misadventure from Lieutenant
Holderness, who did not fail to do it full justice.

"I should not have believed it," said the young Englishman, "if the
facts were not so clear. Private Doran is not a small man. He must weigh
at least one hundred and eighty, but he is gone as completely as if the
earth had opened and swallowed him up."

Henry smiled and pretended to take it lightly. At heart he was hugely
delighted at this new proof of the prowess of his friends.

"I told you what they were," he said. "They are keeping their promises,
are they not?"

"So far they have, but they will reach the end very soon. The Chief
Timmendiquas, the tall one, who thinks he is as good as the King of
England, has furnished two Wyandot trailers--they say the beggars can
come pretty near following the trail left by the flight of a bird
through the air--and they will take a detachment of ten good men against
these four friends of yours."

The prisoner's eyes sparkled. It did not seem to Holderness that he was
at all cast down as he should be.

"Shif'less Sol will lead them a glorious chase," said Henry. "The
Wyandots are fine trailers, but they are no better than he, maybe not as
good, and no detachment of heavy-footed soldiers can surprise him in the
woods."

"But if overtaken they will certainly be defeated. All of them will be
slain or captured," said Holderness. "There can be no doubt of it."

"It is to be seen," said Henry, "and we must wait patiently for the
result."

Henry was allowed to go in the court again that day. He knew that strong
influences were working for his good treatment, and with the
impossibility of escape in broad daylight under scores of watchful eyes
there was no reason why he should be confined in the big jail. He hoped
to see Timmendiquas there, but the chief still stayed outside with his
Wyandot warriors. Instead he met another who was not so welcome. As he
turned a corner of a large log building he came face to face with
Braxton Wyatt. Henry turned abruptly away, indicating that he would
avoid the young renegade as he would a snake. But Wyatt called to him:

"Henry, I've got a few words to say to you. You know that you and I were
boys together down there in Wareville, and if I've done you any harm it
seems that the score is about even between us. I've helped to make war
on the rebels in the East. I had gathered together a fine band there. I
was leader of it and a man of importance, but that band was destroyed
and you were the chief instrument of its destruction."

"Why do you say all this?" asked Henry shortly.

"To show you that I am in the right, and that I am now a Loyalist not
for profit, but in face of the fact that I suffer for it."

Henry looked at him in amazement. Why should Braxton Wyatt say these
things to him whom he hated most? Then he suddenly knew the reason. Deep
down in the heart of everyone, no matter how perverted he may become, is
some desire for the good opinion of others. The renegade was seeking to
justify himself in the eyes of the youth who had been for a while a
childhood comrade. He felt a sort of pity, but he knew that nothing good
could come of any further talk between Braxton Wyatt and himself.

"Of course you are entitled to your opinion, Braxton," he said, "but it
can never be mine. Your hands are red with the blood of your people, our
people, and there can never be any friendship between us."

He saw the angry light coming into Wyatt's eyes, and he turned away. He
felt that under the circumstances he could not quarrel with him, and he
knew that if they were in the forest again they would be as bitter
enemies as ever. It was a relief to him to meet Holderness and another
young officer, Desmond, also a recent arrival from England, and quite as
ignorant as Holderness of wilderness ways and warfare. He found them
fair and generous opponents and, in his heart, he absolved them from
blame for the terrible consequences following upon the British alliance
with the Indians.

They took Henry on the entire inside circuit of the walls, and he, as
well as they, was specially interested in the outlook over the river. A
platform four feet wide was built against the palisade the same distance
from the top. It was reached at intervals by flights of narrow steps,
and here in case of attack the riflemen would crouch and fire from their
hidden breastwork. Close by and under the high bank flowed the river, a
broad, deep stream, bearing the discharge from those mighty inland seas,
the upper chain of the Great Lakes. The current of the river, deep, blue
and placid and the forests beyond, massive, dark, and green, made Henry
realize how bitter it was to be a prisoner. Here separated from him by
only a few feet was freedom, the great forest with its sparkling waters
that he loved. In spite of himself, he sighed, and both Holderness and
Desmond, understanding, were silent.

Near them was a sort of trestle work that ran out toward the river,
although it did not reach it by many feet.

"What is that?" asked Henry, as he looked at it curiously.

"It was intended to be a pier or wharf for loading or unloading boats,"
replied Holderness. "They tell me that Colonel Hamilton started it, in
the belief that it would be useful in an emergency, but when Colonel de
Peyster succeeded to the command he stopped the work there, thinking
that it might be of as much service to an enemy as to a friend."

Henry took little more notice of the unfinished pier, and they descended
from the platform to the ground, their attention being attracted by a
noise at the most distant gate. When they took a second look at the
cause of the tumult, they hurried forward.




CHAPTER XI

THE CRY FROM THE FOREST


The spectacle that met the eyes of Henry and his English friends was one
likely to excite curiosity and interest. The party of ten soldiers and
two Wyandots that had gone forth to take the youth's four comrades was
returning, but they brought with them no prisoners, nor any trophies
from the slain. Instead, one of the Wyandots carried an arm in a rude
sling, one soldier was missing, and four others bore wounds.

Henry laughed inwardly, and it was a laugh full of satisfaction and
triumph. The party had found the four, but his prevision had not failed
him. Shif'less Sol and the others were on watch. They had been found,
because they permitted themselves to be found, and evidently they had
fought with all the advantage of ambush and skill. He felt instinctively
that they had not suffered any serious harm.

"They do not bring your friends," said Holderness.

"No," said Henry, "nor do they bring back all of themselves. I do not
wish to boast, gentlemen, but I warned you that my comrades would be
hard to take."

Henry saw Colonel de Peyster join the group and he saw, too, that his
face expressed much chagrin. So, not wishing to exult openly, he deemed
it wise to turn aside.

"If you don't mind," he said to the young officers, "I'm willing to go
into my cell, and, if you care to tell me later about what has happened,
you know I shall be glad to hear it."

"It might be advisable," said Holderness, and accordingly they locked
him in, where he waited patiently. He heard the noise of many voices
outside, but those to whom the voices belonged did not come within the
range of his window, and he waited, alive with curiosity. He did not
hear until nearly night, when Holderness came in with the soldier who
brought him his supper. Holderness seemed somewhat chagrined at the
discomfiture of de Peyster's party, and he sat a little while in
silence. Henry, knowing that the young Englishman must have a certain
feeling for his own, waited until he should choose to speak.

"I'm bound to confess, old chap," said Holderness at last, "that you
were right all the way through. I didn't believe you, but you knew your
own friends. It was a facer for us and, 'pon my word, I don't see how
they did it. The Wyandots, it seems, found the trail very soon, and it
led a long distance through the woods until they came to a deep creek.
Our men could wade the creek by holding their rifles and muskets above
their heads, which they undertook to do, but a man standing in water up
to his neck is not ready for a fight. At that point fire was opened upon
them, and they were compelled to beat as hasty a retreat as they could.
You must admit, Mr. Ware, that they were taken at a disadvantage."

"I admit it freely enough," said Henry. "It's a dangerous thing to try
to cross a deep stream in the face of a bold enemy who knows how to
shoot. And of course it was an ambush, too. That is what one has to
beware of in these woods."

"It's a truth that I'm learning every day," said Holderness, who left,
wishing the prisoner, since he would not give a parole and go into
Canada, a speedy exchange with the Americans for some British captive of
importance. Henry was not sorry to be left alone as he was trying to
fathom through their characters the plan of his comrades. Paul would
seek speedy action, Jim Hart would agree with him, but the crafty
Shif'less Sol, with a patience equaling that of any Indian, would risk
nothing, until the time was ripe, and he would be seconded by the
cautious temperament of Silent Tom. Undoubtedly Shif'less Sol would have
his way. It behooved him also to show extreme patience; a quality that
he had learned long since, and he disposed himself comfortably on his
pallet for his night's rest.

The second exploit of his comrades had encouraged him wonderfully. He
was not talking folly, when he had said to more than one that he would
escape. The five had become long since a beautiful machine that worked
with great precision and power, and it was their first principles that,
when one was in trouble, all the rest should risk everything for him.

He fell asleep, but awoke some time before midnight. A bright moon was
shining in at his window and the little village within the walls was
very quiet and peaceful. He turned over and closed his eyes in order
that he might go to sleep again, but he was restless and sleep would not
come. Then he got up and stood by the window, looking at the part of the
court that lay within range. Nothing stirred. There were sentinels, of
course, but they did not pass over the area commanded by his window. The
silence was very deep, but presently he heard a sound very faint and
very distant. It was the weird cry of the owl that goes so far on a
still night. No wilderness note could have been more characteristic, but
it was repeated a certain number of times and with certain intonations,
and a little shiver ran down Henry's back. He knew that cry. It was the
signal. His friends were speaking to him, while others slept, sending a
voice across the woods and waters, telling him that they were there to
help.

Then, a strange, capricious idea occurred to him. He would reply. The
second window on the side of the river, too narrow for a man to pass
through, was open, and putting his face to it, he sent back the
answering cry, the long, weird, wailing note. He waited a little and
again he heard a voice from the far shore of the river, the exact
rejoinder to his own, and he knew that the four out there understood.
The chain of communication had been established. Now he went back to his
pallet, fell asleep with ease, and slept peacefully until morning.

The next day, superstition assailed the French-Canadians in the village,
and many of the Indians. A second private who had a late beat near the
forest had been carried off. There were signs of a struggle. No blood
had been shed, but Private Myers had vanished as completely as his
predecessor. To many of the people who sat about the lodges or cabins it
seemed uncanny, but it filled the heart of de Peyster with rage. He
visited Timmendiquas a second time in his lodge of skins and spoke with
some heat.

"You have great warriors," he said, "men who can trail anything through
the forest. Why is it that they cannot find this petty little band of
marauders, only four?"

"They did find them," returned Timmendiquas gravely; "they took your
soldiers, but your soldiers returned without them. Now they hold two of
your men captive, but it is no fault of the Wyandots or their brethren
of the allied tribes. We wait here in peace, while the other presents
that you have promised us come from Niagara."

De Peyster bit his lip. He had rashly promised more and greater gifts
for which he would have to send to Niagara, and Timmendiquas had
announced calmly that the warriors would remain at Detroit until they
came. This had made another long delay and de Peyster raged internally,
although he strove to hide it. Now he made the same effort at
self-command, and replied pacifically:

"I keep all my promises, Timmendiquas, and yet I confess to you that
this affair annoys me greatly. As a malignant rebel and one of the most
troublesome of our enemies, I would subject Ware to close confinement,
but two of my men are in the power of his friends, and they can take
revenge."

"De Peyster speaks wisely," said Timmendiquas. "It is well to choose
one's time when to strike."

Getting no satisfaction there, de Peyster returned to the court, where
he saw Henry walking back and forth very placidly. The sight filled him
with rage. This prisoner had caused him too much annoyance, and he had
no business to look so contented. He began to attribute the delay in the
negotiations to Henry. He, or at least his comrades, were making him
appear ignorant and foolish before the chiefs. He could not refrain from
a burst of anger. Striding up to Henry he put his hand violently upon
his shoulder. The great youth was surprised but he calmly lifted the
hand away and said:

"What do you wish, Colonel de Peyster?"

"I wish many things, but what I especially don't wish just now is to see
you walking about here, apparently as free as ourselves!"

"I am in your hands," said Henry.

"You can stay in the prison," said de Peyster. "You'll be out of the way
and you'll be much safer there."

"You're in command here."

"I know it," said de Peyster grimly, "and into the prison you go."

Henry accordingly was placed in close confinement, where he remained for
days without seeing anybody except the soldier who brought him his food
and water, and from whom he could obtain no news at all. But he would
make no complaint to this soldier, although the imprisonment was
terribly irksome. He had been an entire week within walls. Such a thing
had never happened before in his life, and often he felt as if he were
choking. It seemed also at times that the great body which made him
remarkable was shrinking. He knew that it was only the effect of
imagination, but it preyed upon him, and he understood now how one could
wither away from mere loneliness and inaction.

His mind traveled over the countless scenes of tense activity that had
been crowded into the last three or four years of his life. He had been
many times in great and imminent danger, but it was always better than
lying here between four walls that seemed to come closer every day. He
recalled the deep woods, the trees that he loved, the sparkling waters,
lakes, rivers and brooks; he recalled the pursuit of the big game, the
deer and the buffalo; he recalled the faces of his comrades, how they
jested with one another and fought side by side, and once more he
understood what a terrible thing it is for a man to have his comings and
goings limited to a space a few feet square. But he resolved that he
would not complain, that he would ask no favor of de Peyster or Caldwell
or any of them.

Once he saw Braxton Wyatt come to a window and gaze in. The look of the
renegade was full of unholy triumph, and Henry knew that he was there
for the special purpose of exultation. He sat calm and motionless while
the renegade stared at him. Wyatt remained at the window a full half
hour, seeking some sign of suffering, or at least an acknowledgment of
his presence, but he obtained neither, and he went on, leaving the
silent figure full of rage.

On the tenth day Holderness came in with the soldier. Henry knew by his
face that he had something to say, but he waited for the lieutenant to
speak first. Holderness fidgeted and did not approach the real subject
for a little while. He spoke with sympathy of Henry's imprisonment and
remarked on the loss of his tan.

"It's hard to be shut up like this, I know," he said, "but it is the
fortune of war. Now I suppose if I were taken by the Americans they
would do to me what Colonel de Peyster has done to you."

"I don't know," replied Henry, truthfully.

"Neither do I, but we'll suppose it, because I think it's likely. Now
I'm willing to tell you, that we're going to let you out again. Some of
us rather admire your courage and the fact that you have made no
complaint. In addition there has been another letter from those impudent
friends of yours."

"Ah!" said Henry, and now he showed great interest.

"Yes, another letter. It came yesterday. It seems that there must be
some collusion--with the French-Canadians, I suppose. Woodsmen, I'm
sure, do not usually carry around with them paper on which to write
notes. Nor could they have known that you were locked up in here unless
someone told them. But to come back to the point. Those impudent rascals
say in their letter that they have heard of your close imprisonment and
that they are retaliating on Privates Doran and Myers."

Henry turned his face away a little to hide a smile. He knew that none
of his comrades would torture anybody.

"They have drawn quite a dreadful picture, 'pon honor," continued
Lieutenant Holderness, "and most of us have been moved by the sufferings
of Doran and Myers. We have interceded with Colonel de Peyster, we have
sought to convince him that your confinement within these four walls is
useless anyhow, and he has acceded to our request. To-morrow you go
outside and walk upon the grass, which I believe will feel good to your
feet."

"Lieutenant Holderness, I thank you," said Henry in such a tone of
emphatic gratitude that Holderness flushed with pleasure.

"I have learned," continued Henry, "what a wonderful thing it is to
walk on a little grass and to breathe air that I haven't breathed
before."

"I understand," said Lieutenant Holderness, looking at the narrow walls,
"and by Jove, I'm hoping that your people will never capture me."

"If they do, and they lock you up and I'm there, I shall do my best to
get you out into the air, even as you have done it for me."

"By Jove, I think you would," said Holderness.

The hands of the two official enemies met in a hearty clasp. They were
young and generous. The delights of life even as a prisoner now came in
a swelling tide upon Henry. He had not known before that air could be so
pure and keen, such a delight and such a source of strength to the
lungs. The figure that had seemed to shrink within the narrow walls
suddenly expanded and felt capable of anything. Strength flowed back in
renewed volume into every muscle. Before him beyond the walls curved the
dark green world, vital, intense, full of everything that he loved. It
was there that he meant to go, and his confidence that he would escape
rose higher than ever.

A swart figure passed him and a low voice said in his ear: "Watch the
river! Always watch the river!"

It was Lajeunais who had spoken, and already he was twenty feet away,
taking no notice of either Henry or Holderness, hurrying upon some
errand, connected with his business of trapping and trading. But Henry
knew that his words were full of meaning. Doubtless he had communicated
in some manner with the four, and they were using him as a messenger. It
looked probable. Lajeunais, like many of his race, had no love for the
conquerors. He had given the word to watch the river, and Henry meant to
do so as well as he could.

He waited some time in order to arouse no suspicion, and then he
suggested to Holderness that they walk again upon the platform of the
palisade. The lieutenant consented willingly enough, and presently they
stood there, looking far up and down the river and across at the forests
of Canada. There were canoes upon the stream, most of them small,
containing a single occupant, but all of these occupants were Indians.
Some of the savages had come from the shores of the Northern waters.
Chippewas or Blackfeet, who were armed with bows and arrows and whose
blankets were of skins. But they had heard of Detroit, and they brought
furs. They would go back with bright blankets and rifles or muskets.
Henry watched them with interest. He was trying to read some
significance for him into this river and its passengers. But if the text
was there it was unintelligible. He saw only the great shining current,
breaking now and then into crumbling little waves under the gentle wind,
and the Indian canoes, with their silent occupants reflected vividly
upon its surface, like pictures in a burnished mirror. Again he strained
with eye and mind. He examined every canoe. He forced his brain to
construct ingenious theories that might mean something, but all came to
naught.

"Strange people," said Holderness, who thought that Henry was watching
the Indians with a curiosity like his own, merely that of one who sees
an alien race.

"Yes, they're strange," replied Henry. "We must always consider the
difference. In some things like the knowledge of nature and the
wilderness, they are an old, old race far advanced. In most others they
are but little children. Once I was a captive among them for a long
time."

"Tell me about it," said Holderness eagerly.

Henry was willing for a double reason. He had no objection to telling
about his captivity, and he wished to keep Holderness there on the
palisade, where he could watch the river. While his eyes watched his
tongue told a good tale. He had the power of description, because he
felt intensely what he was saying. He told of the great forests and
rivers of the West, of the vast plains beyond, of the huge buffalo herds
that were a day in passing, and of the terrible storms that sometimes
came thundering out of the endless depths of the plains. Holderness
listened without interruption, and at the end he drew a long breath.

"Ah! that was to have lived!" he said. "One could never forget such a
life, such adventures, but it would take a frame of steel to stand it!"

"I suppose one must be born to it," said Henry. "I've known no life but
that of the wilderness, but my friend Paul, who has read books, often
tells me of the world of cities beyond."

"Wouldn't you like to go there?" asked Holderness.

"To see it, yes, perhaps," replied Henry thoughtfully, "but not to stay
long. I've nothing against people. I've some of the best friends that a
man ever had, and we have great men in Kentucky, too, Boone, Kenton,
Harrod, Logan, and the others, but think what a glorious thing it is to
roam hundreds of miles just as you please, to enter regions that you've
never seen before, to find new rivers, and new lakes, and to feel that
with your rifle you can always defend yourself--that suits me. I suppose
the time will come when such a life can't be lived, but it can be lived
now and I'm happy that this is my time."

Holderness was quiet. He still felt the spell of the wilderness that
Henry had cast over him, but, after a moment or two, it began to pass.
His nature was wholly different. In his veins flowed the blood of
generations that had lived in the soft and protected English lands, and
the vast forests and the silence, brave man though he was, inspired him
with awe.

Henry, meanwhile, still watched the passing canoes. The last of them was
now far down the river, and he and Holderness looked at it, while it
became a dot on the water, and then, like the others, sank from sight.
Then he and his English friend walked out from the palisade upon the
unfinished pier, and watched the twilight come over the great forest.
This setting of the sun and the slow red light falling over the branches
of the trees always appealed to Henry, but it impressed Holderness, not
yet used to it, with the sense of mystery and awe.

"I think," said he, "that it is the silence which affects me most. When
I stand here and look upon that unbroken forest I seem face to face with
a primeval world into which man has not yet come. One in fancy almost
could see the mammoth or great sabre tooth tiger drinking at the far
edge of the river."

"You can see a deer drinking," said Henry, pointing with a long
forefinger. Holderness was less keen-eyed, but he was able at length to
make out the figure of the animal. The two watched, but soon the
deepening twilight hid the graceful form, and then darkness fell over
the stream which now flowed in a slow gray current. Behind them they
heard the usual noises in the fort, but nothing came from the great
forest in front of them.

"Still the same silence," said Holderness. "It grows more uncanny."

The last words had scarcely left his lips when out of that forest came a
low and long wailing cry, inexpressibly sad, and yet with a decisive
touch of ferocity. It sounded as if the first life, lonely and fierce,
had just entered this primitive world. Holderness shivered, without
knowing just why.

"It is the cry of a wolf," said Henry, "perhaps that of some outcast
from the pack. He is probably both hungry and lonesome, and he is
telling the world about it. Hark to him again!"

Henry was leaning forward, listening, and young Holderness did not
notice his intense eagerness. The cry was repeated, and the wolf gave it
inflections like a scale in music.

"It is almost musical," said Holderness. "That wolf must be singing a
kind of song."

"He is," said Henry, "and, as you notice, it is almost a human sound. It
is one of the easiest of the animal cries to imitate. It did not take me
long to learn to do it."

"Can you really repeat that cry?" asked Holderness with incredulity.

Henry laughed lightly.

"I can repeat it so clearly that you cannot tell the difference," he
said. "All the money I have is one silver shilling and I'll wager it
with you that I succeed, you yourself to be the judge."

"Done," said Holderness, "and I must say that you show a spirit of
confidence when you let me, one of the wagerers, decide."

Henry crouched a little on the timbers, almost in the manner of a wolf,
and then there came forth not three feet from Holderness a long whining
cry so fierce and sibilant that, despite his natural bravery, a
convulsive shudder swept over the young lieutenant. The cry, although
the whining note was never lost, rose and swelled until it swept over
the river and penetrated into the great Canadian forest. Then it died
slowly, but that ferocious under note remained in it to the last.

"By Jove!" was all that Holderness could say, but, in an instant, the
cry rose again beside him, and now it had many modulations and
inflections. It expressed hunger, anger and loneliness. It was an almost
human cry, and, for a moment, Holderness felt an awe of the strange
youth beside him. When the last variation of the cry was gone and the
echo had died away, the lieutenant gravely took a shining shilling from
his pocket and handed it to Henry.

"You win with ease," he said. "Listen, you do it so well that the real
wolf himself is fooled."

An answering cry came from the wolf in the Canadian woods, and then the
deep silence fell again over forest and river.

"Yes, I fooled him," said Henry carelessly, as he put the shilling in
his pocket. "I told you it was one of the easiest of the animal cries to
imitate."

But he was compelled to turn his face away again in order that
Holderness might not see his shining eyes. They were there, the faithful
four. Doubtless they had signaled many times before, but they had never
given up hope, they had persisted until the answering cry came.

"Shall we go in?" he said to Holderness.

"I'm willing," replied the lieutenant. "You mustn't think any the less
of me, will you, if I confess that I am still a little bit afraid of the
wilderness at night? I've never been used to it, and to-night in
particular that wolf's howl makes it all the more uncanny to me."

The night had come on, uncommonly chill for the period of the year, and
Henry also was willing to go. But when he returned to his little room it
seemed littler than ever. This was not a fit place to be a home for a
human being. The air lay heavy on his lungs, and he felt that he no
longer had the patience to wait. The signal of his comrades had set
every pulse in his veins to leaping.

But he forced himself to sit down calmly and think it over. Lajeunais
had told him to watch the river; he had watched and from that point the
first sign had come. Then Lajeunais beyond a doubt meant him well, and
he must watch there whenever he could, because, at any time, a second
sign might come.

The next day and several days thereafter he was held in prison by order
of Colonel de Peyster. The commander seemed to be in a vacillating
mood. Now he was despondent, and then he had spells of courage and
energy. Henry heard through Holderness that the negotiations with
Timmendiquas were not yet concluded, but that they were growing more
favorable. A fresh supply of presents, numerous and costly, had arrived
from Niagara. The Shawnees and Miamis were eager to go at once against
Kentucky. Only the Wyandots still demurred, demanding oaths from the
King's commanders at Montreal and Quebec that all the tribes should be
aided in case of a return attack by the Kentuckians.

"But I think that in a week or so--two weeks at the
furthest--Timmendiquas will be on the march," said Holderness. "A few of
our soldiers will go with them and the whole party will be nominally
under the command of Colonel William Caldwell, but Timmendiquas, of
course, will be the real leader."

"Are you going with them?" asked Henry.

"No, I remain here."

"I am very glad of that."

"Why?"

"Because you do not really know what an Indian raid is."

Henry's tone was so significant that Holderness flushed deeply, but he
remained silent. In a little while he left, and Henry was again a prey
to most dismal thoughts. Bird, with his army and his cannon, doubtless
had reached Kentucky by this time and was doing destruction.
Timmendiquas would surely start very soon--he believed the words of
Holderness--and perhaps not a single settlement would escape him. It was
a most terrible fate to be laid by the heels at such a time. Before, he
had always had the power to struggle.




CHAPTER XII

THE CANOE ON THE RIVER


Two more weeks passed and de Peyster's conduct in regard to Henry was
regulated again by fits and starts. Sometimes he was allowed to walk in
the great court within the palisade. On the fourth night he heard the
signal cry once more from the Canadian woods. Now, as on the first
night, it was the voice of the owl, and he answered it from the window.

On the sixth day he was allowed to go outside, and, as before,
Holderness was his escort. He noticed at once an unusual bustle and all
the signs of extensive preparations. Many Indians of the various tribes
were passing, and from the large brick building, used as a storehouse of
arms and ammunition, they were receiving supplies. Despite their usual
reserve all of them showed expectancy and delight and Henry knew at once
that the great expedition under Timmendiquas, Caldwell and Girty was
about to depart. If he had not known, there was one at hand who took a
pleasure in enlightening him. Braxton Wyatt, in a royal uniform, stood
at his elbow and said:

"Sorry to bid you good-by, Henry, because the stay at Detroit has been
pleasant, but we go to-morrow, and I don't think much will be left of
Kentucky when we get through. Pity that you should have to spend the
time here while it is all going on. Timmendiquas himself leads us and
you know what a man he is."

Lieutenant Holderness, who was with Henry, eyed Wyatt with strong
disfavor.

"I do not think it fitting, Captain Wyatt, that you should speak in such
a manner to a prisoner," he said.

But Wyatt, at home in the woods and sure of his place, had all the
advantage. He rejoined insolently:

"You must realize, Lieutenant Holderness, that war in the American woods
is somewhat different from war in the open fields of Europe. Moreover,
as a lieutenant it is hardly your place to rebuke a captain."

Holderness flushed deeply and was about to speak, but Henry put his hand
on his arm.

"Don't pay any attention to him, Lieutenant," he said. "He's a sort of
mad dog, ready to bite anything that gets in his way. Come on, let's
take another look at the river."

Holderness hesitated a moment, and then went with Henry. Wyatt's face
was black with anger, but he did not dare to follow them and create a
scene. While they were in the court the tumult was increased by an
unexpected arrival at the western gate. Private Doran, unarmed, his
hands bound behind him, his eyes bandaged, but otherwise undamaged, had
suddenly appeared in the village, and was at once taken to the fort.
Now, surrounded by a curious crowd, he seemed to be dazed, and to be
frightened also. Henry saw at once that his fear was of his officers,
and that it had not been caused by any suffering in captivity. In truth,
Private Doran looked very well, having suffered no diminution of either
girth or ruddiness. His fears in regard to his officers were justified,
as he was taken at once before Colonel de Peyster, who examined him with
the greatest severity.

But Private Doran's apprehensions gave him ready and clear answers. He
had been taken, it was true, but it was by men of superhuman skill and
intelligence. Then, blindfolded and arms bound, he had been driven away
in the woods. How far he traveled he did not know, but when a camp was
made it was in a dense forest. Nor did he have any idea in what
direction it lay from Detroit. He was joined there by Private Myers who
had been abducted in the same way. Their four captors had told them that
they were held as hostages, and had many terrible threats, but they had
not really suffered anything. One man called Shif'less Sol by the others
had been menacing them with strange punishments of which they had never
heard before, but with the juice of some herb he cured Private Myers of
a bruise that he had received in the struggle when he was captured.

This examination was held in public in the court and Henry heard it all.
He smiled at the mention of Shif'less Sol, knowing his flow of language,
and his genuine aversion to all forms of cruelty. Finally, according to
the continuation of Doran's tale, they had decided that the hostages
were no longer necessary. Evidently they believed their friend had
suffered no ill treatment, or some important movement was pending.
Accordingly he was blindfolded, his arms bound, and he was led away in
the night by the two men called Long Jim and Silent Tom. They left him
toward morning, saying that the other captive would be delivered on the
day following. When curs began to snap at his ankles he knew that he was
near the village outside Detroit, and he shouted for help. The rest told
itself.

Doran, after a severe rating, was sent about his business. Henry was
very thoughtful. Private Doran had not told of crossing any river and
hence the camp of his comrades must be on this side of the Detroit. But
all the signals had come from the far shore. Doubtless Shif'less Sol had
crossed over there to utter the cries and they must possess a boat, a
supposition that chimed in well with the warning to him to watch the
river. Reflection only deepened his conviction, and he resolved if
possible to avoid the anger of de Peyster, as to be shut up again might
ruin everything. He felt that the time to act, although he did not know
just how and where, was coming soon.

A strong watch was set about both fort and village in order to trap the
four the following night, when they came to deliver Private Myers. Both
Girty and Blackstaffe told Colonel de Peyster that the forest runners
would keep their promise, and the commander was exceedingly anxious to
take the impudent rovers who had annoyed him so much. Henry heard
something of it from Holderness and, for a moment, he felt apprehension,
but he recalled all the skill and craft of his comrades. They would
never walk into a trap.

The night turned quite dark with fleeting showers of rain. There was no
moon and the stars were hidden. But about two hours before daylight
there was a great outcry, and the sentinels, running to the spot, found
a white man blindfolded and hands bound, tied in a thicket of briers. It
was Private Myers, and his tale was practically the same as that of
Private Doran. He had been led in the night, he knew not whither. Then,
one of his captors, which one he could not say, as he was blindfolded,
gave him a little push and he neither saw nor heard them any more. He
had tried to come in the direction in which he thought Detroit lay, but
he had become tangled among the briers, and then he had shouted at the
top of his voice.

Colonel de Peyster was deeply disgusted. He addressed stern reproofs to
the wretched private, who was not to blame, and bade him join his
comrade in disgrace. The best Indian trackers were sent to seek the
trail of the forest runners, which they found and followed only to end
against the wide and deep river. The Indian trailers concurred in
Henry's belief that the four had secured a boat, and they felt that it
was useless to search on the other side.

Henry heard of it all very early, and that day during his hours of
liberty in the court he kept a close watch on the river, but nothing
occurred. Evidently the hour had not come for his friends to make
whatever attempt they had in mind. He was convinced of it when from the
palisade he saw that de Peyster had instituted a patrol on the river.
Several Indian canoes, containing warriors, were constantly moving up
and down. Henry's heart sank at the sight. He had felt sure all the time
that his line of escape lay that way. Meanwhile Timmendiquas, the
renegades and their powerful force were marching southward to destroy
what Bird had left. He was seized with a terrible impatience that became
a real torture. He learned that the patrol on the river had been
established as a guard against the dreaded George Rogers Clark, who had
made the threats against Detroit. Clark was so crafty that he might
circle above the town and come down by the river, but in a week or so
the alarm passed.

Henry spent the period of alarm in his prison, but when de Peyster's
fears relaxed he was allowed the liberty of the court again. Neither
Holderness nor Desmond was visible and he walked back and forth for a
long time. He had grown thinner during his imprisonment, and much of the
tan was gone from his face, but he did not feel any decrease of
strength. As he walked he tested his muscles, and rejoiced that they
were still flexible and powerful like woven wire. That morning he heard
the call of the wolf from the Canadian shore, but he did not dare reply.
A half hour later Colonel de Peyster himself accosted him.

"Well," said the commander in a tone of irony, "I see, young Mr. Ware,
that you have not yet escaped."

"Not yet," replied Henry, "but I shall certainly do so."

Colonel de Peyster laughed. He was in great good humor with himself. Why
should he not be? He had smoothed away the doubts of Timmendiquas and
now that formidable chieftain was gone with a great force against
Kentucky. The settlements would be destroyed, men, women and children,
and de Peyster would have the credit of it.

"You are surely a confident youth," he said. "This boast of yours was
made some time ago, and I do not see that you have made any progress.
I'm afraid that you're a great talker and a small performer."

Henry was stung by his words, but he did not show any chagrin.

"I'm going to escape," he said, "and it will not be long, now, until I
do so."

Colonel de Peyster laughed again and more loudly than before.

"Well, that's a proper spirit," he said, "and when you've gone you shall
tell your friends that on the whole I have not treated you badly."

"I make no complaint," said Henry.

"And now, to show my generous feeling toward you," continued de Peyster,
in whom the spirit of humor was growing, "you shall have luncheon with
me in honor of your coming escape."

"I'm willing," said Henry, adapting himself to his mood. A life such as
his and wonderful natural perception had endowed him with a sort of
sixth sense. He began to have a premonition that what de Peyster
intended as a joke would be the truth, and it made him all the more
willing to join in what the commander intended should be a mockery.

De Peyster led the way to the room in which the first banquet with the
Indian chiefs had been held, but now only Henry and he were present,
except a soldier who brought food from the kitchen and who waited upon
them.

"Sit down, Mr. Ware," said de Peyster with a flourish of both hand and
voice. Henry quietly took the seat indicated on the opposite side of the
table, and then the commander took his own also, while the attendant
brought the food and drink. Henry saw that de Peyster was in an uncommon
mood, and he resolved to humor it to the full.

"I regret more than ever that you're not one of us, my young friend,"
said the commander, surveying his prisoner's splendid proportions.
"Expert as you are in the woods, you could soon rise to high command."

"Having started in on one side," said Henry lightly, "I cannot change to
the other."

"Wyatt, who I understand was a youthful comrade of yours, has done it."

"Pray do not ask me to imitate any example furnished by Braxton Wyatt."

Colonel de Peyster laughed again.

"He is not an attractive youth, I confess," he said, "but you would
count for much more than Braxton Wyatt with us."

"I shall never count at all," replied Henry. "I am for my own people
always."

Colonel de Peyster, the Tory, flushed, but he continued:

"Think of the rewards under the King. This is a vast and fertile
continent, and those who hold it for him will surely receive vast
estates. Any one of us may be as great a feudal lord as Sir William
Johnson has been."

"If you triumph," said Henry, although he spoke purposely in a light
tone.

"There is no 'if'; we are bound to succeed, and now, sir, as we have
eaten we shall drink to your escape."

The attendant poured two glasses of wine and Colonel de Peyster raised
his, looking for a minute or two at the little bubbles as they broke.

"Here's to your escape," he said, casting an ironical glance over the
edge.

"Here's to my escape," said Henry, meeting his gaze firmly and
earnestly.

Then they drank.

"Upon my word, I believe that you mean what you say."

"Certainly."

De Peyster looked curiously at Henry.

"Come," he said, "we'll go outside. I think I'll keep my own eye on you
for a little while."

When they emerged from the house a long plaintive howl came from the
Canadian forest. A sort of shiver, as if he were looking into the
future, ran through Henry's veins. All his premonitions were coming
true.

"Did you hear that wolf?" asked de Peyster. "It is but a wilderness
after all, and this is merely a point in it like a lighthouse in the
sea. Come, we'll walk that way; it's about the only view we have."

Again that strange quiver ran through Henry's veins. Colonel de Peyster
himself was leading exactly where the captive wished to go.

"I have often noticed you walking on the palisade with Lieutenant
Holderness," said Colonel de Peyster; "now you can go there with me."

"I thank you for the invitation," said Henry, as the two climbed up one
of the little ladders and stood side by side on the palisade. "Does not
this view of the great river and the limitless forest beyond appeal to
you, Colonel?"

"At times," replied Colonel de Peyster in a somewhat discontented tone.
"It is the edge of a magnificent empire that we see before us, and I
like the active service that I have been able to do for the King, but
there are times when I wish that I could be back in New York, where I
was born, and which the royal troops occupy. It is a trim city, with
wealth and fashion, and one can enjoy life there. Now I wonder if that
is one of the Indians whom I have had on watch on the river."

A light canoe containing a single warrior put out from the farther
shore, where evidently it had been lying among the dense foliage on the
bank. No particular purpose seemed to animate the warrior who sat in it.
Both Colonel de Peyster and Henry could see that he was a powerful
fellow, evidently a Wyandot. With easy, apparently careless strokes of
the paddle, he brought his canoe in a diagonal course to a point near
the middle of the stream. Then he began to play with the canoe, sending
it hither and thither in long, gliding reaches, or bringing it up with a
sharp jerk that would have caused it to overturn in hands less skillful.
But so keen was the judgment and so delicate the touch of the warrior
that it never once shipped water.

"Wonderful fellows, those Indians," said Colonel de Peyster. "How they
do handle a canoe! It is almost like magic! I verily believe the fellow
is showing off for our benefit."

"Maybe," said Henry.

"And it is a good show, too. Ah, I thought he would go that time; but
look how quickly and delicately he righted himself. Such skill is truly
marvelous!"

"It is," said Henry, who was watching the canoe and its occupant with an
interest even greater than that of de Peyster. Up at the far corner of
the palisade a sentinel was walking back and forth, his rifle on his
shoulder, and at the other end another was doing likewise. Three or four
officers off duty had also mounted the palisade and were watching the
Indian's exhibition of skill.

Suddenly the warrior turned the canoe in toward the palisade at the
point where the unfinished pier ran out toward the river. Raising
himself on the canoe he uttered the long weird cry of the wolf, the same
that had come more than once from the depths of the Canadian woods.

Then an extraordinary thing occurred. De Peyster was standing on the
platform nearest the unfinished pier. Henry suddenly seized him by the
shoulders, thrust him down as if he were shot, ran along the platform
and down the unfinished pier at his utmost speed. De Peyster was on his
feet in an instant, and both sentinels on the alert, raised their rifles
to take aim.

Henry did not check his speed for a second. A marvelous power, born of
great strength and a great spirit, infused his whole frame. He rushed to
the end of the pier, and concentrating his whole strength in one mighty
effort, he leaped.

Never before had Detroit seen such a leap. The long body shot outward,
the arms thrown parallel with the head, pointing toward the water. It
was many feet from the head of the unfinished pier to the river, a leap
that seemed superhuman, but Henry had the advantage of the run down the
incline and the bracing of every nerve for the supreme effort. After he
sprang, and for the few brief moments that he was cutting the air, he
was scarcely conscious of what was passing, but he heard the crack of a
rifle, and a bullet whizzing by him zip-zipped upon the surface of the
water. One of the sentinels, exceeding alert, had fired instantly, but
the other, finger on trigger, waited. Colonel de Peyster also drew a
pistol and waited. Low cries, half of admiration, came from most of
those on the battlements. The warrior in the canoe shot his little craft
nearer in shore and then dropped gently over the far side. The canoe
moved slowly down stream but its recent occupant was invisible.

Henry, flying like an arrow taking its downward slope, fell into the
deep water. The tremendous leap was accomplished. He was dazed for a few
moments and he was conscious of nothing except that his body was cutting
through the current of the river. Then strength and memory came back,
and he knew that the marksmen were watching. Turning slightly on his
side he swam down stream but bearing toward the farther shore as fast as
he could. The crack of that rifle shot, by some sort of mental
reproduction roared in his ears, and the waters sang there also, but he
was swimming for his life, and he still swam, while head and chest
seemed ready to burst. Suddenly he saw a dark shape above him and at
first he thought it was some huge fish. Then he saw that it was the body
of a man hanging from another dark shape that seemed to rest upon the
surface of the river.

Light came to him in an instant. It was the warrior in the canoe who had
given him the signal. It could be none other than the incomparable
Shif'less Sol. He shot upward, panting for air, and rose directly by the
man and the canoe.

"Keep your head low, Henry," exclaimed the undoubted voice of the
shiftless one. "So long as they can't see us behind the canoe they can't
take certain aim, and we've more than a chance."

Henry held lightly to the side of the canoe and panted.

"That wuz shorely a mighty jump o' yourn," continued Shif'less Sol. "I
don't think anybody else could hev done it, an' you come true ez a
bullet when I give the signal. We've won, Henry! We've won ag'in' all
the odds. Look out! Duck! that second fellow's goin' to shoot!"

The second sentinel had fired with good aim, so far as the canoe was
concerned, as his bullet went through the upper part of it, but he could
catch only glimpses of the figures behind it, and they were untouched.
Colonel de Peyster also fired his pistol, but the bullet fell short. Two
or three others on the battlements had rifles and they also took shots,
without avail. The canoe was going very fast now, and always it bore
steadily toward the further shore.

Henry felt the great tension relax. Glancing over the canoe he saw
figures running up and down the palisade, but he knew that they were out
of range. Blessed freedom! Once more before him lay the wilderness that
he loved, and in which he was free to roam as he pleased. He had told
de Peyster that he would escape and he had kept his word. He looked now
at Shif'less Sol, his faithful comrade, and, despite himself, he
laughed. The water had washed most of the paint off the face of the
shiftless one, leaving only stripes and bars.

"Sol," he said, "you're the best and smartest friend a man ever had, but
just now you don't look like either an Indian or a white man."

"O' course not," replied Shif'less Sol readily, "an' fur the minute I
ain't either. I'm a water dog, trampin' 'roun' in the Detroit River, an'
enjoyin' myself. Ain't you happy, too, Henry?"

"I was never more so in my life," replied Henry emphatically, "and I can
say, too, that this is about the finest swim I ever took. Are the others
all right, Sol?"

"They shorely are. They're settin' over thar in the bushes waitin' for
our boy Henry, who hez been out late, to come back home. I reckon, too,
that they've seen everything that hez happened, includin' that
everlastin' mighty big jump o' yourn."

"When a fellow jumps for his life he is apt to jump well," said Henry.

"I know I would," said Shif'less Sol. "Look, Henry, we're goin' to be
pursued."

Henry glanced back toward the palisade, and saw troops and Indians at
the water's edge, jumping into two boats. The Indians were especially
quick, and, in a few moments, a boat under the influence of many
paddles, shot far out into the stream. The Detroit is a wide river, and
Henry glanced anxiously at the farther shore. Shif'less Sol noticed the
look and he said:

"Tom an' Jim an' Paul haven't forgot how to shoot. Besides, my rifle is
lyin' in the canoe, an' ez them fellers are comin' within range I think
I'll give 'em a hint."

Henry held the boat steady with one hand and maintained their diagonal
course toward the farther shore. Sol lifted his rifle from the canoe,
and holding it across the gunwale with a single arm took aim and fired.
One of the paddlers in the pursuing boat sprang up convulsively, then
fell over the side and disappeared. But the boat came steadily on, the
paddlers probably knowing that it would be a matter of great difficulty
for the marksman to reload while in the water. The second boat
containing the soldiers was also now coming fast.

But the shiftless one made no attempt to reload. He took another look at
the Canadian shore and said to Henry:

"Both o' them boats will soon be in the range o' three fellers who are
settin' on somethin' that don't move, an' who won't miss when they
shoot."

He put his unloaded rifle back in the canoe, and the two, still keeping
the little boat between them and their pursuers, swam with all their
might. But the big boats filled with rowers or paddlers were gaining
fast, when a crack came from the Canadian shore, and a warrior fell in
the boat. A second shot wounded another in the shoulder. The boat
hesitated, and when a third bullet found a mark, it stopped. The second
boat stopped also. Henry and Sol made another great spurt, and in ten
seconds their feet touched the earth.

"Quick, in here among the bushes!" cried the voice of Tom Ross.

Shif'less Sol, first taking his rifle from it, gave the canoe a push
that sent it floating with the current, then he and Henry ran through
the shallow water and up among the bushes and trees, just as bullets
fired from both boats fell in the water behind them. Strong hands
grasped Henry's and again the same strong hands pounded him on the back.
Paul, Long Jim and Silent Tom welcomed him jubilantly.

"We thought it a risky scheme, but it's gone through," said Paul.

"So it has," said Shif'less Sol, "an' now we won't waste any time
waitin' here for Injuns, Tories an' British to come an' take us."

He led the way into the deep forest, which closed completely about them
after the first three or four steps, and Henry followed. Little streams
of water ran from them as if they were young water gods, but Henry
thought only of that most precious of all gifts, his recovered freedom,
and, drawing deep breaths of delight, ran at Shif'less Sol's heels. Paul
was just behind him, Long Jim followed Paul, and Tom Ross covered the
rear.

Thus they continued for a long time. They had little fear of pursuit by
the soldiers, but they knew the Indians might pick up the trail and
follow. Yet it would be a hard thing to do, as Shif'less Sol led across
brooks and through thickets and deep wood. He did not stop for a full
hour, when they all sat down on fallen logs, and drew deep breaths.
Henry did not notice until then that Long Jim carried an extra rifle.
Shif'less Sol observed Henry's glance and he laughed with quiet
satisfaction.

"It's fur you, Henry," he said. "We took it from one o' them soldiers we
captured. He had no business with a good Kentucky rifle, which must hev
been took from some o' our own people, an' so we saved it fur you. Paul
has a double-barreled pistol fur you which we got from a Frenchman, Tom
has an extra hatchet an' knife, an' among us we hev plenty o' ammunition
fur both rifle an' pistol."

They passed over the complete equipment and again Henry rejoiced. He had
not only escaped, but once more he was fully armed, ready to dare
anything, and able to do anything.

"What a good lot of fellows you are!" he said to his comrades.

"But we couldn't hev done anything ef you hadn't been such a terrible
long jumper," said Shif'less Sol with a grin.

"Do you hear any sounds of pursuit?" asked Paul.

None could detect anything, and Tom went back a little space on their
trail, returning in a few minutes with the news that there were no
indications of a hostile presence. Hence they rested a while longer and
the clothing of Henry and Shif'less Sol dried in the sunshine. When they
renewed their flight they proceeded at ease, all the while through a
densely wooded country, and Paul gave Henry a brief account of the
doings of the four.

"We could tell by the signs just how you were captured," he said, "and
we followed close. We came to the very walls of Detroit and we secretly
made friends with some of the French in the town."

"There was one Pierre Louis Lajeunais, was there not?"

"Yes, and he was the most valuable. We took the two sentinels, because
we did not know what de Peyster would do with you, and, as we wrote, we
wanted hostages against ill-treatment. When we found at last that you
were to be held only as a prisoner we sent them back, and, for the rest,
we trusted to luck, skill and the chance that you might see the warrior
in the canoe on the river and understand."

"Fortune seemed to favor us through everything," said Henry, "and now I
suppose we had better keep on until we are absolutely sure the Indians
will not pick up our trail and give us a fight. As you boys probably
know, we have no time to waste."

"We know," said Paul. "Kentucky is calling to us and we are going there
as fast as we can."

The night found them far from Detroit. When the twilight turned into the
night they were in woods so dense that it seemed as if man had never
been there before. There was no turf under the close, spreading
branches, but the ground was densely covered with the fallen leaves of
last year. Everywhere they lay, a soft, dry carpet, and the five sank
down upon them luxuriously.

"Here we rest," said Paul.

"Yes, here we rest, all except one who will watch," said Shif'less Sol,
who for the present was in command. "Now we'll eat a little, an' then I
think sleep will be the most welcome thing in the world to us."

Nobody said no, and the dried venison was brought from their packs. They
also gave further proofs of their foresight for Henry by producing a
pair of fine blankets from Tom's roll.

"It was Lajeunais who got those for us," said Tom. "That wuz shorely a
fine Frenchman. I hope that some day I'll go huntin' an' trappin' with
him."

It was arranged that Tom should keep the first watch and Jim the second,
and the others disposed themselves in silence between their blankets. It
was summer now, but the nights were cool and they were very snug within
the blankets.

Henry, as he relaxed mentally and physically, felt a deep sense of
gratitude. It seemed to him in this life of his in the wilderness,
engaged in a cause surrounded by dangers, that a protecting hand was
constantly stretched out in his behalf. He saw through a narrow opening
in the leaves the blue sky and the great stars sailing high. The intense
feeling, half religious and half poetic, that often swayed woodsmen,
both red and white, stirred him now. Surely there was a divinity in the
skies, the God of the white man, the Aieroski of the Mohawk, the Manitou
of the Wyandot, one and the same! Never would he despair when that
mighty hand could stretch itself forth from the infinite and save him.
Thinking thus, he fell asleep and slept peacefully all through the
night.




CHAPTER XIII

ON THE GREAT LAKE


When Henry awoke at dawn, all the weariness from his great efforts was
gone, and he looked upon a world full of beauty. The unbroken forest of
deep green bore a luminous tint, light and golden, from the early
sunshine. Free of body and soul, it was the brilliant world that he had
known so long, and he was ready once more for any task that might lie
before them. Long Jim had already prepared breakfast, and he turned a
benevolent gaze upon Henry.

"Ain't it fine," he said, "to have all the family reunited ag'in?"

"It certainly is," said Henry joyously, "and you surely stuck by the
missing member in masterly fashion."

"Wa'al, you've stuck by us jest ez hard many a time," said Long Jim
meditatively. "Paul, what wuz the name uv the feller that stuck by the
other feller, the only big one, that got away from Troy after the Greeks
rode into the town inside a hoss?"

"You're thinking of the faithful Achates, Jim," replied Paul, "and Æneas
was the name of the big one to whom he was faithful."

"Yes, that's the feller. Henry, you're our Æneas, an' I'm an Achates;
Paul's another, Tom's another and Sol's another. Uv course we couldn't
go away without our Æneas, an' while I'm talkin' I want to say, Paul,
that the tale about the takin' uv Troy is the tallest hoss story ever
told. Ef it wuzn't writ in the books I wouldn't believe it. Think uv
your fightin' off a hull army fur ten years or so, an' then draggin'
that army into your town inside a wooden hoss. It can't be so. I've
knowed some pow'ful liars myself, but the tribe must hev gone down hill
a lot since the days uv them ancients."

Paul merely laughed and took another bite out of his venison steak.

"Anyway, Henry," said Shif'less Sol, "ef you've been Æneas you're goin'
to be the wandering 'Lysses fur a while, an' we're goin' to be fightin'
Greeks, sailin' right along with you."

"What do you mean?" asked Henry in astonishment.

"Tell him, Paul," said the shiftless one. "Saplin' hez cooked so well,
an' I'm so busy eatin' I can't spare time fur talk."

"We felt sure we'd rescue Henry," said Paul, "and we arranged everything
so we could get back South as fast as we could. Knowing that the woods
were full of warriors and that we didn't want to be interrupted in our
travels, we took a big boat one night from Detroit--I suppose we stole
it, but you have a right to steal from an enemy in war--and carried it
off down the river, hiding it among thick bushes at the mouth of a
creek, where we're sure it's now resting securely, say five or six miles
from this spot. We also gathered a lot of stores, food and such things,
and put them on the boat. It was another risk, but we took that also,
and I'm confident that our good genius will save the boat and stores for
us. If they're there waiting for us all right we're going down the river
and then across Lake Erie. It will save us a lot of time."

"Fine! fine!" exclaimed Henry with enthusiasm. "You've done well. It
will be a lot easier and faster for us going so far by boat."

"An' we'll see one uv the big lakes, too," said Long Jim.

"We shorely will," said Shif'less Sol.

In a few minutes they were on the march again, and found the boat
undisturbed at the mouth of the creek. It was a stout craft with a sail,
and lockers for stores. Doubtless Colonel de Peyster had attributed its
disappearance to some of his own Indians who could not always be
trusted, but in the press of military preparations he had found no time
to seek it.

"Now," said Shif'less Sol, "we'll take to the river. We may meet enemies
thar, but it won't be ez long a trip ez the one we took down the Missip.
Besides, ef we do meet enemies they ain't likely to be in big force ez
most all the warriors seem to be drawed off fur the expeditions ag'inst
Kentucky."

"At any rate we'll risk it, as we have risked many other things," said
Henry.

The five embarked, and set sail fearlessly upon the river. Nevertheless,
they did not neglect caution. They kept close to the Canadian shore,
where they were in the shadow of the dense forest, and at least three
were always on the watch with ready rifles across their knees. Yet they
saw no enemy. This was the heart of the Indian country and the canoes of
the warlike Northwestern tribes often floated on these waters, but
to-day the five had the river to themselves. Peace was everywhere. Birds
sang in the neighboring woods. Now and then a fish leaped from the water
and sank back in a mass of bubbles. The broad river was a sheet of gold,
and then a sheet of silver as the sun shifted.

Henry appreciated all this rest and ease. He admired still more the
foresight and daring of his comrades which enabled them to travel in
such a luxurious way and so far. He examined carefully the weapons they
had secured for him and saw that they were all of the first class. He
also opened the various lockers and found them filled with venison,
jerked buffalo meat, such luxuries as bread and coffee, and large
quantities of powder and lead.

"We found part of these in the boat," said Paul, "and it was your friend
Lajeunais, who helped us to get the remainder. We do not go to sea
unprovided."

"You've all done so well," said Henry lazily, "that I'm not going to
bother myself about anything."

He put his double blankets under his head as a pillow and lay back
luxuriously. Their good boat moved steadily on, the sail doing the work,
while one of their number steered.

"I hope the wind will continue to blow," said Jim Hart, gazing
admiringly at Henry, "'cause ef it don't we'll then hev to git our oars
an' row. An' it would spoil the purtiest picture uv a lazy feller I ever
saw. Why, I never saw Shif'less Sol hisself look lazier or happier."

Henry laughed. He knew that Jim Hart would have died in his defense.

"I am lazy, Jim," he admitted. "I never felt so lazy in my life before.
I like to lie here and look at the river and the country."

"It's a fine big river," said Shif'less Sol, "but we can't see much of
the country because of the trees, which shoot up so thick an' close on
either bank, but I've heard that it ain't really a river, jest the
stream o' water pourin' out o' them mighty lakes to the north into them
lakes to the south, which ain't so mighty as the others, but which are
mighty anyhow."

"It's true," said Paul. "All of this is lake water which runs through
the other lakes, too, and then out by a tremendous big river, hundreds
of miles to the Atlantic Ocean."

"When God made this chain uv lakes an' rivers he done one uv his biggest
an' finest jobs," said Tom Ross reverentially.

They moved on their course slowly but steadily. Once they saw a canoe
near the further shore, containing a lone occupant.

"It's a squaw," said Shif'less Sol, "an' she's pulled in near the land
so she kin jump an' run ef we make for her."

"Like ez not she thinks we're hunters or French from the fort," said
Long Jim.

"At any rate, we'll soon leave her far behind," said Henry.

The breeze stiffened and she quickly dropped out of sight. Nor did they
see any other human being that day. At night they anchored close
inshore, among bushes and reeds, where they remained undisturbed until
the morning. The remainder of the journey down the river passed in the
same peace and ease, and then Paul, who was in the prow, caught a
glimpse of a broad expanse which looked silvery white in the distance.

"The lake! the lake!" he cried eagerly.

They swept triumphantly over the last reach of the river and out upon
the broad bosom of Lake Erie. In their earlier voyage down the
Mississippi they had learned how to use a sail, and now when they were
about a mile from land they took in the sail and looked about them.

The great inland fresh water seas of North America aroused the greatest
interest, even awe, among the earlier explorers, and there was not one
among the five who did not look with eager eyes upon the ocean of
waters. They were better informed, too, than the average woodsman
concerning the size and shape of this mighty chain.

"You look west and you look south an' you don't see nothin' but water,"
said Long Jim.

"And they say that the whole grand chain is fifteen hundred miles long,"
said Paul, "and that Lake Superior reaches a width of three hundred
miles."

"It's a lot o' water," said Shif'less Sol, trailing his hand over the
side, "an' while I'd like to explore it, I guess that the sooner we
cross it the better it will be for what we're tryin' to do."

"You're right," said Henry. "We'll set the sail again and tack as fast
as we can to the south."

The sail was set, and the boat, heeling over under a good breeze, moved
rapidly. Paul and Henry watched with pleasure the white water foaming
away on either side of the prow, and Long Jim also watched the trailing
wake at the stern. Used to rivers but not to lakes, they did not really
appreciate what dangers might await them on the bosom of Erie. Meanwhile
the lake presented to them a most smiling surface. The waters rippling
before the wind lay blue under a blue sky. The wind with its touch of
damp was fresh and inspiring. Behind them the shore, with its great wall
of green, sank lower and lower, until at last it passed out of sight.
Long Jim, who sat in the stern watching, then spoke.

"Boys," he said, "fur the fust time in the life uv any uv us thar ain't
no land. Look to the east an' look to the west, look to the north an'
look to the south an' thar ain't nothin' but water. The world uv land
hez left us."

There was a certain awe in Jim's tone that impressed them as they looked
and saw that he spoke the truth. Their world was now one of water, and
they felt how small was the boat that lay between them and the
tremendous power of the lake.

It was now somewhat past midday and the sun was uncommonly bright. The
wind began to die, and the little waves no longer chased one another
over the surface of the lake. No air gathered in the sail and presently
the boat stopped.

"Now wouldn't this make you mad?" exclaimed Shif'less Sol. "We can't
move at all unless we git out the oars an' row, an' a lazy man like me
ain't fond o' rowin' seventy or eighty miles across a big lake."

Nor was the prospect pleasant to any of them. A little while ago they
were moving swiftly at ease; now they rocked slightly in the swell, but
did not go forward an inch. Hopeful that the wind would soon rise again
they did not yet take to the oars. Meanwhile it was growing warmer. The
reflection of the sun upon the water was dazzling, and they spread the
sail again, not to catch the wind but as an awning to protect them from
the burning rays.

They also used the interval for food and drink, and as the wind still
did not rise they were thinking of taking to the oars as a last resort
when Henry called their attention to the southwest.

"See that black spot down there," he said. "It seems to be only a few
inches either way, but it doesn't look natural."

"I'd call it a cloud," said Tom Ross judicially.

"An' clouds ain't what we're wantin' jest now," said Jim Hart.

Henry rose from his luxurious reclining position and gazed long and with
great care at the black spot. He knew as well as Jim Hart that it was a
cloud and he saw that it was growing. But a few inches across the
horizon before, it stretched to feet and then to yards. Meanwhile not a
breath of air stirred, the deep waters were waveless and the air hung
hot and heavy about them. Henry had heard that dangerous storms came up
very fast on the great lakes, and, although with no experience as a
sailor except on rivers, he believed that one would soon be upon them.

"Boys," he said, "look how that cloud grows. I believe we're in for a
big wind and storm. We'd better take down our mast, make everything
tight and strong, and get ready with the oars."

All at once Henry resumed command, and the others instantly accepted it
as the most natural and proper thing in the world. The mast was
unshipped, it and the sail were lashed down, everything that was loose
was put in the lockers, or was tied securely. Meanwhile the cloud grew
with amazing rapidity. While the east and north were yet full of blazing
light the south and west were darkening. A draught of cold wind came.
The waters, motionless hitherto, suddenly heaved convulsively. Low
thunder rolled, and the lightning flashed across the troubled waters.
The five felt awe. They were familiar with great storms, but never
before had they been in one with no land in sight. The little boat,
which alone lay between them and the depths of the lake, became smaller
and smaller. But the five, although they felt more tremors than when
going into battle, sat with their oars in the thwarts, ready to fight as
best they could the storm which would soon rush down upon them.

The cold wind came in raw gusts, and there was rain on its edge which
cut like hail. The boat rose and fell with the increasing waves. Henry
took the helm, and, with the others at the oars, strove to keep the boat
as steady as possible. With the usual foresight of borderers, they had
already covered up their rifles, pistols and ammunition. Even on the
water they would not neglect this precaution. Now the darkness spread to
the entire heavens, the thunder crashed heavily, like invisible
batteries firing, the lightning flared two or three times, showing the
surface of the lake far and wide tinted a ghastly gray, and then, with a
shriek and a roar, the wind struck them.

The boat heeled over so far on its side that Henry thought at first they
were gone, but after hanging for a moment or two, seemingly undecided,
it righted itself, and the five uttered simultaneous sighs of relief.
Yet the boat had shipped water which Paul began to bail out with his
cap, while the others strove at the oars, seeking to meet and ride the
waves which followed one another swiftly. The rain meanwhile was driving
hard, and they were drenched, but they had no time to think of such
things. Every effort was bent towards keeping afloat the boat, which was
rushing before the wind they knew not whither.

"There's a pail in that little locker," shouted Henry to Paul, "you can
do better with that than with your cap."

Paul opened the locker, and took out the pail. Then with great
difficulty he closed the locker again, and set to work keeping the boat
clear of water. He made much better progress with the pail, but now and
then wind, rain and the rocking of the boat together threw him to his
knees. His comrades were working full as hard. They made up for lack of
experience with strength, intuitive quickness and courage. Often the
boat seemed to be submerged by the crest of a great wave, but every time
it emerged right side up with the industrious Paul still bailing.

Meantime the wind kept up a continuous screaming, almost like that of a
wild animal, a fearful sound which got upon the nerves of them all.
Except when the lightning flared they were surrounded by a darkness like
that of night. Suddenly Tom Ross shouted in a voice that could be heard
above the whistling of the wind:

"Jim, you're seein' the Great Lakes at last!"

Then he bent grimly to his oar.

Luckily the boat they had taken was a strong one, built partly for the
storms which sometimes drive with such force across Erie, the shallowest
of the five Great Lakes, and with the aid of the strong arms at the helm
and oars she managed to ride every wave and swell. But it was a long
time before the wind began to abate and they were half dead with
exhaustion. Moreover they were covered with bruises where they had been
hurled against the sides of the boat, and now and then they were almost
blinded by the water dashing into their faces. Shif'less Sol afterward
said that he felt as if some strong-armed man were slapping his cheek
every minute or two.

Yet hope began to return. They had kept afloat so long that they felt
sure of keeping afloat all the time. There came a moment when the water
from the lake ceased to enter the boat, although the rain still drenched
them. The darkness lightened somewhat and Henry looked anxiously about
them. He was trying to reckon in what direction they had come, but there
was nothing that would enable him to tell. He saw nothing but the waste
of waters. He knew that the wind had changed its course and they might
now be driving back toward Detroit. He longed for light that might show
them whence they had come.

Now the storm, after declining, suddenly acquired new strength. The
darkness closed in again thicker than ever and the hearts of the five
sank. They were so tired that they felt they could not repel a second
attack. Yet they summoned their courage anew and strove even more
desperately than before. Another hour passed and Henry, who was looking
ahead, suddenly saw a dark mass. He recognized it instantly and gave the
sharp cry:

"Land!"

The three who were straining at the oars looked up, and Paul in his
surprise let drop his tin pail. Henry had made no mistake. They could
see that it was land despite the darkness and the driving rain. There
was a low shore, with trees growing almost to the water's edge, and they
thought at first that it was the western coast of the lake, but as they
swiftly drove nearer Henry saw water both to right and left, and he knew
that it was a little island. If they kept a straight course they would
strike upon it, but with such violence that shipwreck was inevitable.
Strong and agile as they were they might possibly escape with their
lives.

"Boys!" cried Henry, above the shouting of the wind, "we must make that
island or we'll surely be lost in the storm!"

"It's so!" Shif'less Sol shouted back, "but how are we to do it?"

"Paul, you take the helm," said Henry, "and steer to the left of the
island. The wind is blowing straight ahead and if we can come in behind
the land we may strike a little stretch of comparatively smooth water."

Paul took the helm and Henry seized a pair of oars. Paul could steer
well, but Henry's strength would be needed now. On they drove, the rain
beating hard on their backs, and the surf from the lake also driving
into the boat. Paul steered steadily and the four bent powerfully on the
oars, driving the boat in a wide curve to the left, where it would avoid
possible rocks and shoals.

Yet it was hard to bring the boat even diagonally against the wind. The
waves turned it on its side and it trembled violently. The four labored
at the oars until every pulse in their temples throbbed. Now the low
shore and the green forest were coming very near, and Henry glanced at
them from time to time. He was afraid that the wind and the waves would
bring them back again and dash them upon the island, despite all their
efforts. But the boat shot past fifty yards to the left, ran for a
quarter of a mile along the edge of a low green island, and then with a
mighty effort they brought it in behind the land.

Here in a little space where the wind was beating itself to pieces
against the trees in front of it, the sea was comparatively calm, and
Paul deftly swung the boat about. His sharp eyes noticed a little cove,
and, the four at the oars pulled for it with all their might. A minute,
two minutes and they were in the cove and in safety. They had entered it
by a channel not more than a dozen feet wide, and Paul's steering had
been delicate and beautiful. Now the four drew in their oars and they
swung in waters as quiet as those of a pond ruffled only by a little
breeze. It it was an inlet not more than twenty yards across and it was
sheltered about by mighty trees. The rain still poured upon them, but
there was no longer any danger of shipwreck.

The momentum had carried the boat to the far edge of the pool, and Henry
sprang out. His muscles were so stiff and sore that, for a moment or
two, he reeled, but he seized a bough and held fast. Then Tom tossed him
a rope from the locker and in a minute the boat was secured head and
stern to the trees. Then they stood upon land, wet but solid land, and
in every heart was devout thankfulness.

"The land for me every time," said Long Jim. "I like to feel something
under my feet that I don't sink into. Ef an accident happens on land,
thar you are, but ef an accident happens on the water, whar are you?"

"What I need most is a pair o' kid gloves," said Shif'less Sol. "I've
got purty tough hands, but I think them oars hez took all the skin off
the inside o' 'em."

"What we all need most," said Henry, "is shelter. We are soaked through
and through, and we are stiff with bruises and exertion. Suppose we bail
out the boat and try to use the sail as a sort of roof or cover."

They were wedged in so closely among the trees that together with the
boughs and the mast, which they set in place again, they managed to
fasten the sail in such a manner that it caught most of the rain as it
drove towards them. Everyone also gave up one of his pair of blankets
for the same purpose, and then they were protected fairly. Still fearing
colds and stiffness of the muscles they took off all their wet clothing
and rubbed their bodies long and thoroughly. While they were at this
work the rain decreased, and after a while ceased. The wind still blew
and they heard branches crashing down from the trees, but none fell
over them. They did not reclothe themselves but hung their soaked
garments on boughs, and then everyone wrapped himself about with the dry
blanket that he had left from his pair, the other still doing duty as a
rain shield. Although the air was quite cool after the heavy rain, the
blankets protected them and they began to feel a pleasant warmth. Their
spirits indeed were improved so much that they could jest.

"One would scarcely expect to see five Roman senators in their togas
cast away on this little island in Lake Erie," said Paul, "but here we
are."

Long Jim with his bare legs as far as his knees protruding from his
blanket was prowling among the lockers.

"What's the noble senator lookin' fur?" asked Shif'less Sol.

"I'm lookin' fur somethin' to help you an' all uv us," replied Long Jim,
"while you're settin' thar lazy an' wuthless. We didn't search this boat
very well when we took it, hevin' other pow'ful important matters on
hand, but them that owned it wuz men uv sense. Lots uv useful things are
hid away in these little lockers. Ah, look at this! Shorely it's
industry an' enterprise that gits the rewards!"

He drew triumphantly from the corner of a locker an iron coffee pot and
a large package of ground coffee.

"Now I've got the coffee an' the coffee pot," he said, "an' ef the rest
uv you hev got sense enough to build a fire I'll hev you feelin' like
kings ten minutes after that fire is built. Thar are two pewter cups in
that locker also, so nothin' is lackin'."

"You've certainly done your part, Jim," said Henry, "an' now we'll try
to do ours, although it won't be any easy job."

They had not been woodsmen all their lives for nothing. The ground under
the trees was covered more than a foot deep with leaves, the
accumulation of many years. It is difficult for water to penetrate all
the way through such a carpet, and turning them over they found here and
there some leaves fairly dry, which they put in a heap. They also cut
off all the wet outside from some dead boughs with their strong hunting
knives, and then shaved off dry splinters which they put with the
leaves.

The four gathered in a group about the little heap, looking very odd in
their blankets, with their bare ankles and shoulders projecting, and
Henry began work with the flint and steel. After many efforts he set
fire to the finer of the splinters, and then the flames spread to the
leaves and larger pieces of wood. They had succeeded, and as Shif'less
Sol fed the fire, he said triumphantly to Long Jim:

"Now, Jim, everything's ready fur you. Bring on your coffee an' b'il it.
I want fourteen cups myself."

Jim set to work at once, showing with pride his skill in such a task.
The flames were not permitted to rise high, but they burned rapidly,
making a fine bed of coals, and within ten minutes the coffee was ready.
Then they drank, warming themselves through and through, and receiving
new life. They also warmed some of the deer and buffalo steaks over the
coals, and ate real bread from the lockers.

"All things must come to an end," said Shif'less Sol, with a sigh, when
he could eat no more. "It's on sech 'casions ez this that I realize it.
I wish I wuz ez hungry ez I wuz a little while ago, an' could eat all
over ag'in."

"We've been in big luck," said Henry. "If it hadn't been for this little
island I believe we would have been wrecked. It's true, too, that we'll
have to go around in our blankets for a while yet, because I don't
believe those clothes of ours will dry before morning."

"Suits me," said Jim Hart, as with proverbial caution he put out the
fire after finishing cooking. "I wouldn't mind goin' 'roun' in a blanket
in summer. Injuns do it an' they find it pow'ful healthy. Now the wind
is dyin' an' the clouds are passin' away, but it's goin' to be dark
anyhow. Jedgin' from the looks uv things the night is right here."

The wind undoubtedly was sinking fast. The great storm was blowing
itself away as rapidly as it had blown up. The trees ceased to shake and
moan, and looking down the channel whence they had entered, the five saw
that the high waves no longer rolled across the surface of the lake. In
a few minutes more the last breath of the wind whistled off to eastward.
A cold twilight fell over the little isle of safety and the great lake,
of whose rage they had been such vivid witnesses.




CHAPTER XIV

A TIMELY RESCUE


Jim Hart sat down in the boat, drew his legs up under his blanket,
shivered as he took a long look down the channel at the cold gray lake,
and said:

"Boys, you know how I wanted to see one of the great lakes; well, I hev
saw, an' hevin' saw I think the look will last me a long time. I think
Injuns wuz right when they put pow'ful spirits on these lakes, ready to
make an end of anybody that come foolin' with thar region. The land fur
me hereafter. Why, I wuz so skeered an' I had to work so hard I didn't
hev time to git seasick."

"But we have to go on the lake again, Jim," said Henry. "This is an
island."

Jim sighed.

Henry looked at the dense forest that enclosed the cove, and he thought
once of exploring the islet even if it were in the night, but the woods
were so thick and they still dripped so heavily with the rain, although
the latter had ceased some time ago, that he resolved to remain by the
boat. Besides it was only an islet anyway, and there was no probability
that it was inhabited.

"I think," he said, "that we'd better fasten our clothes so tightly that
they won't blow away, and sleep in the boat. Two will keep watch, and as
I have had the most rest I'll be sentinel until about one in the
morning, and then Tom can take my place."

The agreement was quickly made. They took down the sail and the wet
blankets, spread them out to dry, while the four, disposing themselves
as best they could, quickly went to sleep. Henry sat in the prow, rifle
across his knees, and thought that, despite dangers passed and dangers
to come, Providence had been very kind to them.

The darkness thinned by and by and a fine moon came out. Beads of water
still stood upon the leaves and boughs, and the moonshine turned them to
silver. The bit of forest seemed to sparkle and in the blue heavens the
great stars sprang out in clusters. The contrast between the night and
the day was startling. Now everything seemed to breathe of peace, and of
peace only. A light wind rose and then the silver beads disappeared from
leaf and bough. But it was a friendly wind and it sang most pleasantly
among the trees. Under its influence the garments of the five would dry
fast, and as Henry looked at them and then down at his comrades, wrapped
in their "togas" he felt an inclination to laugh. But this desire to
laugh was only proof of his mental relaxation, of the ease and
confidence that he felt after great dangers passed.

Certainly his comrades were sleeping well. Not one of them moved, and he
saw the blankets across their chests rising and falling with regularity.
Once he stepped out of the boat and walked down to the entrance of the
channel, whence he looked out upon the surface of the lake. Save for the
islet he saw land nowhere, north, south, east or west. The great lake
stretched away before them apparently as vast as the sea, not gray now,
but running away in little liquid waves of silver in the moonlight.
Henry felt its majesty as he had already felt its might. He had never
before appreciated so keenly the power of nature and the elements.
Chance alone had put in their way this little island that had saved
their lives.

He walked slowly back and resumed his place in the boat. That fine
drying wind was still singing among the trees, making the leaves rustle
softly together and filling Henry's mind with good thoughts. But these
gave way after a while to feelings of suspicion. His was an exceedingly
sensitive temperament. It often seemed to the others--and the wilderness
begets such beliefs--that he received warnings through the air itself.
He could not tell why his nerves were affected in this manner, but he
resolved that he would not relax his vigilance a particle, and when the
time came for him to awaken Tom Ross he decided to continue on guard
with him.

"'Tain't wuth while, Henry," remonstrated Ross. "Nothin's goin' to
happen here on an islan' that ain't got no people but ourselves on it."

"Tom," replied Henry, "I've got a feeling that I'd like to explore this
island."

"Mornin' will be time enough."

"No, I think I'll do it now. I ought to go all over it in an hour. Don't
take me for an Indian when I'm coming back and shoot at me."

"I'd never mistake a Roman senator in his togy for an Injun," replied
Tom Ross grinning.

Henry looked at his clothes, but despite the drying wind they were still
wet.

"I'll have to go as a Roman after all," he said.

He fastened the blanket tightly about his body in the Indian fashion,
secured his belt with pistol, tomahawk and knife around his waist, and
then, rifle in hand, he stepped from the boat into the forest.

"Watch good, Tom," he said. "I may be gone some time."

"You'll find nothin'."

"Maybe so; maybe not."

The woods through which Henry now passed were yet wet, and every time he
touched a bough or a sapling showers of little drops fell upon him. The
patch of forest was dense and the trees large. The trees also grew
straight upward, and Henry concluded at once that he would find a
little distance ahead a ridge that sheltered this portion of the island
from the cruel north and northwest winds.

His belief was verified as the rise began within three hundred yards. It
ascended rather abruptly, having a total height of seventy or eighty
feet, and seeming to cross the island from east to west. Standing under
the shadow of a great oak Henry looked down upon the northern half of
the island, which was quite different in its characteristics from the
southern half. A portion of it was covered with dwarfed vegetation, but
the rest was bare rock and sand. There were two or three inlets or
landing places on the low shore. As the moonlight was now good, Henry
saw all over this portion of the island, but he could not detect any
sign of human habitation.

"I suppose Tom is right," he said to himself, "and that there is nothing
to be seen."

But he had no idea of going back without exploring thoroughly, and he
descended the slope toward the north. The way led for a little distance
among the shrub bushes from which the raindrops still fell upon him as
he passed, and then he came into an open space almost circular in shape
and perhaps thirty yards in diameter. Almost in the center of the rock a
spring spouted and flowed away through a narrow channel to the lake. On
the far side of the spring rose four upright stakes in a row about six
feet apart. Henry wondered what they meant and he approached cautiously,
knowing that they had been put there by human hands.

Some drifting clouds now passed and the moonlight shone with a sudden
burst of splendor. Henry was close to the stakes and suddenly he
shuddered in every vein. They were about as high as a man's head, firmly
fastened in the ground, and all of them were blackened and charred
somewhat by fire, although their strength was not impaired. At the base
of every one lay hideous relics. Henry shivered again. He knew. Here
Indians brought their captives and burned them to death, partly for the
sake of their own vengeance and partly to propitiate the mighty spirits
that had their abode in the depths of the great lakes. He was sure that
his comrades and he had landed upon a sacrificial island, and he
resolved that they should depart at the very first light in the morning.

This island which had seemed so fine and beautiful to him suddenly
became ghastly and repellent, but his second thought told him that they
had nothing to fear at present. It was not inhabited. The warriors
merely came here for the burnings, and then it was quite likely that
they departed at once.

Henry examined further. On the bushes beyond the stakes he found amulets
and charms of bone or wood, evidently hung there to ward off evil
spirits, and among these bushes he saw more bones of victims. Then he
noticed two paths leading away from the place, each to a small inlet,
where the boats landed. Calculating by the moon and stars he could now
obtain a general idea of the direction in which they had come and he was
sure that the nearest part of the mainland lay to the west. He saw a
dark line there, and he could not tell whether it was the shore or a low
bank of mist.

Then he made a diligent exploration of all this part of the island,
assuring himself further that it had never been occupied permanently. He
saw at one place the ruins of a temporary brush shelter, used probably
during a period of storm like that of the night before, and on the beach
he found the shattered remains of a large canoe. Henry looked down at
the broken canoe thoughtfully. It may have been wrecked while on its way
with a victim for the stake, and if the warriors had perished it might
have been due to the wrath of the Great Spirit.

He walked slowly back over the ridge through the forest and down to the
boat. Tom saw him coming but said nothing until he stepped into the boat
beside him.

"You stayed a long time," he said, "but I see you've brought nothing
back with you."

"It's true that I've brought nothing with me, but I've found a lot."

"What did you find, Henry?"

"I found many bones, the bones of human beings."

"Men's bones?"

"Yes. I'm sure that it is an island to which Indiana come to burn their
prisoners, and although none are here now--I've looked it all over--I
don't like it. There's something uncanny about it."

"An' yet it's a pretty little islan', too," said Tom Ross, thoughtfully,
"an' mighty glad we wuz to see it yes'day, when we wuz druv before that
howlin' an' roarin' storm, with but one chance in a hundred uv livin'."

"That's so," said Henry. "We owe the island a debt of gratitude if
others don't. I've no doubt that if it were not for this little piece of
land we should have been drowned. Still, the sooner we get away the
better. How have the others been getting on, Tom?"

"Sleepin' ez reg'lar an' steady ez clocks. It's wuth while to see
fellers snoozin' away so happy."

Henry smiled. The three, as they lay in the boat, breathing deeply and
unconscious of everything, were certainly a picture of rest.

"How long do you calculate it is to daylight?" asked Henry.

"Not more'n two hours, an' it's goin' to come bright an' clear, an' with
a steady wind that will take us to the south."

"That's good, and I think that you and I, Tom, ought to be getting
ready. This drying wind has been blowing for a long time, and our
clothes should be in condition again. Anyway I'm going to see."

He took down the garments from the bushes, and found that all were quite
dry. Then he and Tom reclothed themselves and laid the apparel for the
other three by their sides, ready for them when they should awake. Tom
puckered up his lips and blew out a deep breath of pleasure.

"It may be mighty fine to be a Roman senator in a togy," he said, "but
not in these parts. Give me my good old huntin' shirt an' leggings.
Besides, I feel a sight more respectable."

Shortly, it was dawn, and the three sleepers awoke, glad to have their
clothes dry again, and interested greatly in Henry's exploration of the
island.

"Jim, you do a little more cooking," said Henry, "and Sol, Tom and I
will go over to the other end of the island again. When we come back
we'll hoist our sail, have breakfast, and be off."

They followed the path that Henry had taken during the night, leaving
Paul and Jim busy with the cooking utensils. The little patch of forest
was now entirely dry, and a great sun was rising from the eastern
waters, tingeing the deep green of the trees with luminous gold. The
lake was once more as smooth and peaceful as if no storm had ever passed
over its surface.

They stopped at the crest of the transverse ridge and saw in the west
the dark line, the nature of which Henry had been unable to decipher by
moonlight. Now they saw that it was land, and they saw, too, another
sight that startled them. Two large canoes were approaching the island
swiftly, and they were already so near that Henry and Shif'less Sol
could see the features of their occupants. Neither of the boats had a
sail. Both were propelled wholly by paddlers--six paddlers to each
canoe--stalwart, painted Indians, bare of shoulders and chest. But in
the center of the first canoe sat a man with arms bound.

"It's a victim whom they are bringing for the stake and the sacrifice,"
said Henry.

"He must be from some tribe in the far North," said Shif'less Sol,
"'cause all the Indian nations in the valley are allied."

"He is not from any tribe at all," said Henry. "The prisoner is a white
man."

"A white man!" exclaimed Shif'less Sol, "an' you an' me, Henry, know
that most o' the prisoners who are brought to these parts are captured
in Kentucky."

"It's so, and I don't think we ought to go away in such a hurry."

"Meanin' we might be o' help?"

"Meaning we might be of help."

Henry watched the boats a minute or two longer, and saw that they were
coming directly for one of the little inlets on the north end of the
island. Moreover, they were coming fast under the long sweep of the
paddles swung by brown and sinewy arms.

"Tom," he said to Ross, "you go back for Paul. Tell Jim to have the sail
up and ready for us when we come, and meanwhile to guard the boat.
That's a white man and they intend to burn him as a sacrifice to Manitou
or the spirits of the lake. We've got to rescue him."

The others nodded assent and Tom hurried away after Paul, while Henry
and Sol continued to watch the oncoming boats. They crept down the slope
to the very fringe of the trees and lay close there, although they had
little fear of discovery, unless it was caused by their own lack of
caution.

The boats reached the inlet, and, for a few moments, they were hidden
from the two watchers, by the bushes and rocks, but they heard the
Indians talking, and Henry was confirmed in his opinion that they did
not dream of any presence besides their own on the island. At length
they emerged into view again, the prisoner walking between two warriors
in front, and Henry gave a start of horror.

"Sol," he said in a whisper, "don't you recognize that gray head?"

"I think I do."

"Don't you know that tall, slender figure?"

"I'm shore I do."

"Sol, that can be nobody but Mr. Silas Pennypacker, to whom Paul and I
went to school in Kentucky."

"It's the teacher, ez shore ez you're born."

Henry's thrill of horror came again. Mr. Pennypacker lived at Wareville,
the home of his own family and Paul's. What had happened? There was the
expedition of the harelipped Bird with his powerful force and with
cannon! Could it be possible that he had swept Wareville away and that
the teacher had been given to the Indians for sacrifice? A terrible
anger seized him and Shif'less Sol, by his side, was swayed by the same
emotion.

"It is he, Sol! It is he!" he whispered in intense excitement.

"Yes, Henry," replied the shiftless one, "it's the teacher."

"Do you think his presence here means Wareville has been destroyed by
Bird?"

"I'm hopin' that it doesn't, Henry."

Shif'less Sol spoke steadily, but Henry could read the fear in his mind,
and the reply made his own fears all the stronger.

"They are going to sacrifice that good old man, Sol," he said.

"They mean to do it, but people sometimes mean to do things that they
don't do."

They remained in silence until Tom returned with Paul, who was excited
greatly when he learned that Mr. Pennypacker was there a prisoner.

"Lie perfectly still, all of you, until the time comes," said Henry.
"We've got to save him, and we can only do it by means of a surprise and
a rush."

The Indians and their prisoner were now not more than a hundred yards
away, having come into the center of the open circle used for the
sacrifice, and they stood there a little while talking. Mr.
Pennypacker's arms were bound, but he held himself erect. His face was
turned toward the South, his home, and it seemed to Henry and
Paul--although it was fancy, the distance being too great to see--that
his expression was rapt and noble as if he already saw beyond this life
into the future. They loved and respected him. Paul had been his
favorite pupil, and now tears came into the eyes of the boy as he
watched. The old man certainly had seen the stakes, and doubtless he had
surmised their purpose.

"What's your plan, Henry?" whispered Shif'less Sol.

"I think they're going to eat. Probably they've been rowing all the
morning and are tired and hungry. They mean after that to go ahead with
their main purpose, but we'll take 'em while they're eating. I hate to
fire on anybody from ambush, but it's got to be done. There's no other
way. We'll all lie close together here, and when the time comes to fire,
I'll give the word."

The Indians sat on the ground after their fashion and began to eat cold
food. Apparently they paid little attention to their prisoner, who stood
near, and to whom they offered nothing. Why should he eat? He would
never be hungry again. Nor need they watch him closely now. They had
left a man with each of the boats, and even if he should run he could
not escape them on the island.

Henry and Paul saw Mr. Pennypacker walk forward a few steps and look
intently at the posts. Then he bowed his gray head and stood quite
still. Both believed that he was praying. Water again rose in Paul's
eyes and Henry's too were damp.

"Boys," whispered Henry, "I think the time has come. Take aim. We'll
pick the four on the left, Sol the first on the end, the second for me,
Tom the third and Paul the fourth. Now, boys, cock your rifles, and take
aim, the best aim that you ever took in your life, and when I say
'Fire!' pull the trigger."

Every man from the covert did as he was directed. When Henry looked down
the sights and picked out the right place on the broad chest of a
warrior, he shuddered a little. He repeated to himself that he did not
like it, this firing from ambush, but there was the old man, whom they
loved, doomed to torture and the sacrifice. His heart hardened like
flint and he cried "Fire!"

Four rifles flashed in the thicket. Two warriors fell without a sound.
Two more leaped away, wounded, and all the others sprang to their feet
with cries of surprise and alarm.

"Up and at 'em!" cried Henry in a tremendous voice. "Cut them to
pieces!"

Drawing their pistols they rushed into the open space and charged upon
the warriors, firing as they came.

The Indians were Wyandots, men who knew little of fear, but the surprise
and the deadly nature of the attack was too much for them. Perhaps
superstition also mingled with their emotions. Doubtless the spirits of
the lake were angry with them for some cause, and the best thing they
could do was to leave it as soon as they could. But one as he ran did
not forget to poise his hatchet for a cast at the prisoner. The Reverend
Silas Pennypacker would have seen his last sun that day had not Henry
noticed the movement and quickly fired his pistol at the uplifted hand.
The bullet pierced the Indian's palm, the tomahawk was dashed from his
hand, and with a howl of pain he sped after the others who were flying
for the boats.

Henry and his comrades did not pursue. They knew that they must act with
all speed, as the Wyandots would quickly recover from their panic, and
come back in a force that was still two to one. A single sweep of his
knife and his old schoolmaster's arms were free. Then he shouted in the
dazed man's ears:

"Come, Mr. Pennypacker, we must run for it! Don't you see who we are?
Here's Paul Cotter, and I'm Henry Ware, and these are Sol Hyde and Tom
Ross! We've got a boat on the other side of the island and the sooner we
get there the better!"

He snatched up a rifle, powder horn and bullet pouch from one of the
fallen warriors and thrust them in the old man's hands. Mr. Pennypacker
was still staring at them in a dazed manner, but at last the light broke
through.

"Oh, my boys! my brave boys!" he cried. "It is really you, and you have
saved me at the eleventh hour! I had given up all hope, but lo! the
miracle is done!"

Henry took him by the arm, and obeying the impulse he ran with them
through the wood. Already Henry heard shouts which indicated to him that
the Wyandots had turned, and, despite his anxiety about Wareville, he
asked nothing of Mr. Pennypacker for the present.

"You lead the way, Paul," he cried. "Jim, of course, has the boat ready
with the sail up and the oars in place. We'll be out on the lake in a
few minutes, Mr. Pennypacker. There, do you hear that? The Wyandots are
now in full pursuit!"

A long piercing cry came from the woods behind them. It was the Wyandot
leader encouraging his warriors. Henry knew that they would come fast,
and Mr. Pennypacker, old and not used to the ways of the wilderness,
could go but slowly. Although Long Jim was sure to be ready, the
embarkation would be dangerous. It was evident that Mr. Pennypacker,
extremely gaunt and thin, was exhausted already by a long march and
other hardships. Now he labored heavily, drawing long breaths.

"Those fellows will be on us in a minute or two, Sol," Henry whispered
to the shiftless one, "unless we burn their faces."

"I reckon we're able to do the burnin'," replied Shif'less Sol.

Henry, Tom and Sol dropped to a walk, and in a few moments stopped
altogether. Paul, with Mr. Pennypacker by his side, kept on for the boat
as fast as the old man's strength would allow. Henry caught a glimpse of
a figure running low in the thicket and fired. A cry came back, but he
could not tell whether the wound was mortal. Shif'less Sol fired with a
similar result. Two or three bullets were sent back at them, but none
touched. Then the three, keeping themselves hidden resumed their flight.
They reckoned that the check to the Wyandots would give Paul, with Mr.
Pennypacker, time to reach the boat before the warriors could come
within range of the latter.

The three now ran very swiftly, and, in a few minutes, were at the edge
of the inlet, where the boat lay, just in time to see Paul pick up the
old schoolmaster, who had fallen with exhaustion, and lift him into the
boat. The three sprang in after them.

"We'll watch with the rifles, Sol," exclaimed Henry. "The rest of you
row until we're outside, when the sail can do most of the pulling."

It was quick work now and skillful. Mr. Pennypacker, scarcely able to
draw a breath, lay like a log in the bottom of the boat, but in less
than a half minute after the three leaped on board they were gliding
down the inlet. Before they reached the open lake the Indians appeared
among the trees and began to shout and fire. But they were in such
haste that nothing was struck except the boat, which did not mind.
Silent Tom, who had restrained his fire, now sent a bullet that struck
the mark and the warriors rushed to cover. Then they were out of the
inlet, the fine wind filled the sail, and away they sped toward the
south.

The warriors appeared at the edge of the water while the boat's crew
were still within range, but when Henry and the shiftless one raised
their rifles they shrank back. They had tested already the quality of
their foes, and they did not like it. When they reappeared from the
shelter of the trees the boat was out of range. Nevertheless they fired
two or three shots that spattered on the water, waved their tomahawks
and shouted in anger. Shif'less Sol stood up in the boat and shouted
back at them:

"Keep cool, my red brethren, keep cool! We have escaped and you see that
we have! So do not waste good bullets which you may need another time!
And above all keep your tempers! Wise men always do! Farewell!"

It is not likely that they understood the words of the shiftless one,
but certainly the derisive gestures that he made as he sat down were not
lost upon them.

"Sol, can't you ever be serious?" said Henry to his comrade.

"Be serious? O' course I kin at the right time," replied the shiftless
one, "but what's the use o' bein' serious now? Haven't we rescued
ourselves an' the schoolmaster, too? Ain't we in a boat with a sail that
kin leave the two boats o' them warriors far behind, an' ain't we got a
bee-yu-ti-ful day to sail over a bee-yu-ti-ful lake? So what's the use
o' bein' serious? The time fur that wuz ten minutes ago."

It was evident that the Wyandots considered pursuit useless or that they
feared the Kentucky rifles, as they gathered in a group on the beach and
watched the flying boat recede.

"Didn't I tell you it wuzn't wuth while to be serious now, Henry?" said
Shif'less Sol. "We're hevin' the easiest kind o' a time an' them
warriors standin' thar on the shore look too funny for anything. I wish
I could see their faces. I know they would look jest like the faces o'
wolves, when somethin' good had slipped from between their teeth."

Paul and Henry were busy reviving Mr. Pennypacker. They threw fresh
water from the lake over his face and poured more down his throat. As
they worked with him they noted his emaciated figure. He was only a
skeleton, and his fainting even in so short a flight was no cause for
wonder. Gradually he revived, coughed and sat up.

"I fell," he said. "It was because I was so weak. What has happened? Are
we not moving?"

His eyes were yet dim, and he was not more than half conscious.

"You are with us, your friends. You remember?" said Henry. "We rescued
you at the place of the stakes, and we all got away unhurt. We are in a
boat now sailing over Lake Erie."

"And I saved you a rifle and ammunition," said Paul. "Here they are,
ready for you when you land."

Mr. Pennypacker's dim eyes cleared, and he gazed at the two youths in
wonder and affection.

"It is a miracle--a miracle!" he said. Then he added, after a moment's
pause: "To escape thus after all the terrible things that I have seen!"

Henry shivered a little, and then he asked the fateful questions.

"And what of Wareville, Mr. Pennypacker? Has it been destroyed? Do
Paul's people and mine still live? Have they been taken away as
captives? Why were you a prisoner?"

The questions came fast, then they stopped suddenly, and he and Paul
waited with white faces for the answers.

"Wareville is not destroyed," replied Mr. Pennypacker. "An English
officer named Bird, a harelipped man, came with a great force of
Indians, some white men and cannon. They easily took Martin's and
Ruddle's stations and all the people in them, but they did not go
against Wareville and other places. I think they feared the power of the
gathering Kentuckians. I was at Martin's Station on a visit to an old
friend when I was captured with the others. Bird and his army then
retreated North with the prisoners, more than three hundred in number,
mostly women and children."

The old man paused a moment and put his hands over his face.

"I have seen many terrible things," he resumed, "and I cannot forget
them. They said that we would be taken to Detroit and be held as
prisoners there, but it has been a long and terrible march, many
hundreds of miles through the wilderness, and the weak ones--they were
many--could not stand it. They died in the wilderness, often under the
Indian tomahawk, and I think that less than half of them will reach
Detroit."

The old schoolmaster paused, his voice choked with emotion, and every
one of the five muttered something deep and wrathful under his breath.

"I did the best I could," he resumed. "I helped whenever they let me,
but the hardships were so great and they permitted us so little rest
that I wasted away. I had no more than the strength of a little child.
At last the warriors whom you saw took me from the others and turned to
the east. We went through the woods until we came to the great lake. A
terrible storm came up, but when it died we embarked in two boats and
went to the island on which you found me. I did not know the purpose for
which I was intended until I saw the stakes with those ghastly relics
about them. Then I made up my mind to bear it as best I could."

"You were to be made a burnt offering to the spirits of the lakes," said
Henry. "Thank God we came in time. We go now to warn of another and
greater expedition, led by Timmendiquas, the famous chief of the
Wyandots."




CHAPTER XV

THE PAGES OF A BOOK


None of the five knew how far they were down the lake, but they were
able to guide their course by the sun, and, keeping the low bank of
forest far beyond gunshot on their right, they moved before a favoring
wind. The schoolmaster regained his strength fast. He was old, but a
temperate life in the open air reënforced by plenty of exercise, had
kept him wiry and strong. Now he sat up and listened to the long tale of
the adventures of the five, whom he had not seen for many months
previous to their great journey to New Orleans.

"You have done well--you have done more than well," he said. "You have
performed magnificent deeds. It is a beautiful land for which we fight,
and, although our enemies are many and terrible and we suffer much, we
shall surely triumph in the end. Bird with his cannon was compelled to
go back. He could have battered down the palisade walls of any of the
stations, but he feared the gathering of the white hunters and fighters.
Above all he feared the coming of George Rogers Clark, the shield of the
border."

Henry's heart throbbed at the name of Clark, renowned victor of
Vincennes and Kaskaskia.

"Clark!" he exclaimed. "Is he in Kentucky?"

"There or to the northward. It is said that he is gathering a force to
attack the Indian villages."

"If it could only be true!" said Paul.

The others echoed the wish.

Henry remained silent, but for a long time he was very thoughtful. The
news that Wareville was untouched by the raid had relieved him
immensely, and he was very hopeful also that George Rogers Clark was
coming again to the rescue. The name of Clark was one with which to
conjure. It would draw all the best men of the border and moreover it
would cause Timmendiquas, Caldwell and their great force to turn aside.
Once more hope was in the ascendant. Meanwhile, the sparkling breeze
blew them southward, and the eyes of all grew brighter. Fresh life
poured into the veins of the schoolmaster, and he sat up, looking with
pleasure at the rippling surface of the lake.

"It reminds me in a way of the time when we fled from the place of the
giant bones," he said, "and I hope and believe that our flight will end
as happily."

"That looks like a long time ago, Mr. Pennypacker," said Tom Ross, "an'
we hev traveled a mighty lot since. I reckon that we've been to places
that I never heard uv until Paul told about 'em, Troy and Rome an'
Alexander--"

"Tom," broke in Shif'less Sol, "you're gettin' mixed. Troy's dead, an'
we may hev got close to Rome, but we never did ackshally reach the town.
An' ez fur Alexander, that wuz a man an' not a city."

"It don't make no difference," replied Tom, not at all abashed. "What do
all them old names amount to anyhow? Like ez not the people that lived
in 'em got mixed about 'em themselves."

Mr. Pennypacker smiled.

"It doesn't make any difference about Rome and Troy," he said. "You've
been all the way down to New Orleans and you've fought in the East with
the Continental troops. Your adventures have been fully as wonderful as
those of Ulysses, and you have traveled a greater distance."

They sailed on all through the day, still seeing that low shore almost
like a cloud bank on their right, but nothing save water ahead of them.
Henry was sure that it was not above sixty miles across the lake, but he
calculated that they had been blown about a great deal in the storm, and
for all they knew the island might have been far out of their course.

It was evident that they could not reach the south shore before dusk,
and they turned in toward the land. Shif'less Sol hailed the turning of
the boat's course with delight.

"Boats are all right fur travelin'," he said, "when the wind's blowin'
an' you've a sail. A lazy man like me never wants nothin' better, but
when the night comes on an' you need to sleep, I want the land. I never
feel the land heavin' an' pitchin' under me, an' it gives me more of a
safe an' home feelin'."

"Watch, everybody, for a landing place," said Henry, "and Paul, you
steer."

The green shore began to rise, showing a long unbroken wall of forest,
but the dusk was coming too, and all of them were anxious to make land.
Presently, they were only three or four hundred yards from the coast and
they skimmed rapidly along it, looking for an anchorage. It was full
night before Henry's sharp eyes saw the mouth of a creek almost hidden
by tall grass, and, taking down the sail, they pulled the boat into it.
They tied their craft securely to a tree, and the night passed without
alarm.

They resumed the voyage early the next morning, and that day reached the
southern coast of the lake. Here they reluctantly left the boat. They
might have found a river emptying into the lake down which they could
have gone a hundred or more miles further, but they were not
sufficiently acquainted with this part of the country to spend their
time in hunting for it. They drew their good little craft as far as they
could among the weeds and bushes that grew at the water's edge.

"That's two good boats we've got hid on the water ways," said Shif'less
Sol, "besides a half dozen canoes scattered here an' thar, an' mebbe
we'll find 'em an' use 'em some day."

"This cost us nothin'," said Jim Hart, "so I reckon we ain't got any
right to grieve, 'cause we're givin' up what we never paid fur."

They took out of the boat all the supplies that they could conveniently
carry, and then started toward the southwest. The course to Kentucky now
led through the heart of the Indian country. Between them and the Ohio
lay the great Indian villages of Chillicothe, Piqua and many others, and
the journey in any event would be dangerous. But the presence of the old
schoolmaster was likely to make it more so, since he could not travel
with any approach to the speed and skill of the others. Yet no one
thought, for a moment, of blaming him. They were happy to have rescued
him, and, moreover, he had brought them the good news that Wareville was
untouched by the Bird invasion. Yet speed was vital. The scattered
stations must be warned against the second and greater expedition under
Caldwell and Timmendiquas. Mr. Pennypacker himself perceived the fact
and he urged them to go on and leave him. He felt sure that with a rifle
and plenty of ammunition he could reach Wareville in safety.

"You can give me a lot of food," he said, "and doubtless I shall be able
to shoot some game. Now go ahead and leave me. Many lives may depend
upon it."

They only laughed, but Shif'less Sol and Henry, who had been whispering
together, announced a plan.

"This here expedition is goin' to split," said the shiftless one. "Henry
is the fastest runner an' the best woodsman of us all. I hate to admit
that he's better than me, but he is, an' he's goin' on ahead. Now you
needn't say anything, Mr. Pennypacker, about your makin' trouble,
'cause you don't. We'd make Henry run on afore, even ef you wuzn't with
us. That boy needs trainin' down, an' we intend to see that he gits the
trainin'."

There was nothing more to be said and the rest was done very quietly and
quickly. A brief farewell, a handshake for everyone, and he was gone.

Henry had never been in finer physical condition, and the feeling of
responsibility seemed to strengthen him also in both body and mind. In
one way he was sorry to leave his comrades and in another he was glad.
Alone he would travel faster, and in the wilderness he never feared the
loneliness and the silence. A sense, dead or atrophied in the ordinary
human being, came out more strongly in him. It seemed to be a sort of
divination or prescience, as if messages reached him through the air,
like the modern wireless.

He went southward at a long walk half a run for an hour or two before he
stopped. Then he stood on the crest of a little hill and saw the deep
woods all about him. There was no sign of his comrades whom he had left
far behind, nor was there any indication of human life save himself. Yet
he had seldom seen anything that appealed to him more than this bit of
the wilderness. The trees, oak, beech and elm, were magnificent. Great
coiling grape vines now and then connected a cluster of trees, but there
was little undergrowth. Overhead, birds chattered and sang among the
leaves, and far up in the sky a pair of eagles were speeding like black
specks toward the lake. Henry inhaled deep breaths. The odors of the
woods came to him and were sweet in his nostrils. All the wilderness
filled him with delight. A black bear passed and climbed a tree in
search of honey. Two deer came in sight, but the human odor reached them
and they fled swiftly away, although they were in no danger from Henry.

Then he, too, resumed his journey, and sped swiftly toward the south
through the unbroken forest. He came after a while to marshy country,
half choked with fallen wood from old storms. He showed his wonderful
agility and strength. He leaped rapidly from one fallen log to another
and his speed was scarcely diminished. Now and then he saw wide black
pools, and once he crossed a deep creek on a fallen tree. Night found
him yet in this marshy region, but he was not sorry as he had left no
trail behind, and, after looking around some time, he found a little
oasis of dry land with a mighty oak tree growing in the center. Here he
felt absolutely secure, and, making his supper of dried venison, he lay
down under the boughs of the oak, with one blanket beneath him and
another above him and was soon in a deep and dreamless sleep.

He awoke about midnight to find a gorgeous parade of the moon and all
the stars, and he lay for a while watching them through the leaves of
the oak. Powerful are nature and habit, and Henry's life was in
accordance with both. Lying alone at midnight on that little knoll in
the midst of a great marsh in the country of wary and cruel enemies, he
was thankful that it had been given to him to be there, and that his lot
had been cast among the conditions that surrounded him.

He heard a slight noise to the left of him, but he knew that it was only
another hungry bear stealing about. There was a light splash in the pool
at the foot of the knoll, but it was only a large fish leaping up and
making a noise as it fell back. Far to the south something gleamed
fitfully among the trees, but it was only marsh fire. None of these
things disturbed him, and knowing that the wilderness was at peace he
laid his head back on the turf and fell asleep again. At break of day he
was up and away, and until afternoon he sped toward the south in the
long running walk which frontiersmen and Indians could maintain for
hours with ease. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon, he stopped as
suddenly as if he had come to a river's brink. He had struck a great
trail, not a path made by three or four persons but by hundreds. He
could see their road a hundred yards wide. Here so many feet had trodden
that the grass was yet thinner than elsewhere; there lay the bones of
deer, eaten clean and thrown away. Further on was a feather trimmed and
dyed that had fallen from a scalp lock, and beyond that, a blanket
discarded as too old and ragged lay rotting.

These were signs that spoke to Henry as plainly as if the words
themselves were uttered. A great wilderness army had passed that way and
for a while he was in doubt. Was it the force of Bird coming back to the
North? But it was undoubtedly a trail several weeks old. Everything
indicated it. The bones had been bleached by the sun, the feather was
beaten partly into the earth by rain, and the tattered old blanket had
been pawed and torn still further by wolves. But none of these things
told what army it might be. He hunted, instead, for some low place that
might have been soft and marshy when the warriors passed, and which,
when it dried, would preserve the outline of a footstep. He advanced a
full mile, following the broad trail which was like an open road to him
until he came to such a place. Then he kneeled and examined it
critically. In a half dozen places he saw held in the hard earth the
outline of footsteps. They would have been traces of footsteps to most
people and nothing more, but he knew that every one of them pointed to
the south. A mile further on and in another low place he had full
verification of that, which, in fact, he already knew. Here the prints
were numerous. Chance had brought him upon the trail of Timmendiquas,
and he resolved, for the present, to follow it.

Henry came to this determination because it was extremely important to
know the location and plans of the invading army. More news of an attack
would not be nearly so valuable as the time and place at which the
attack was to be delivered. The course seemed plain to him and he
followed the broad trail with speed and ardor, noting all along the
indications that the army took no care to conceal itself or hide its
trail. Why should it? There was nothing in these woods powerful enough
to meet the Anglo-Indian combination.

For four days and for a part of every night he followed without a break.
He saw the trail grow fresher, and he judged that he was moving at least
twice as fast as the army. He could see where English or Tory boots had
crushed down the grass and he saw also the lighter imprints of
moccasins. He passed numerous camps marked by ashes, bones of deer,
buffalo, bear and smaller animals, and fragments of old worn-out
garments, such as an army casts away as it goes along. He read in these
things unlimited confidence on the part of both Indians and white men.

An unusually large camp had been made at one place and some bark
shelters had been thrown up. Henry inferred that the army had spent two
or three days here, and he could account for the fact only on the ground
that some division of counsels had occurred. Perhaps the weather had
been stormy meanwhile, and the bark shelters had been constructed for
the officers and chiefs.

He spent a night in this camp and used one of the shelters, as it began
to rain heavily just after dark. It was a little place, but it kept him
dry and he watched with interest as the wind and rain drove across the
opening and through the forest. He was as close and snug as a bear in
its lair, but the storm was heavy with thunder and vivid with lightning.
The lightning was uncommonly bright. Frequently the wet boughs and trees
stood out in the glare like so much carving, and Henry was forced to
shut his dazzled eyes. But he was neither lonely nor afraid. He
recognized the tremendous power of nature, but it seemed to him that he
had his part here, and the whole was to him a majestic and beautiful
panorama.

Henry remembered the fight that he and his comrades had had at the
deserted village, and he found some similarity in his present situation,
but he did not anticipate the coming of another enemy, and, secure in
the belief, he slept while the storm still blew. When morning came, the
rain had ceased. He replenished his food supplies with a deer that he
had shot by the way and he cooked a little on one of the heaps of stones
that the Indians had used for the same purpose. When he had eaten he
glanced at the other bark shelters and he saw the name of Braxton Wyatt
cut on one of them. Henry shuddered with aversion. He had seen so much
of death and torture done on the border that he could not understand how
Simon Girty, Braxton Wyatt and their like could do such deeds upon their
own countrymen. But he felt that the day was coming fast when many of
them would be punished.

He began the great trail anew upon turf, now soft and springy from the
rain, and, refreshed by the long night's sleep in the bark shelter, he
went rapidly. Eight or ten miles beyond the camp the trail made an
abrupt curve to the eastward. Perhaps they were coming to some large
river of which the Indian scouts knew and the turn was made in order to
reach a ford, but he followed it another hour and there was no river.
The nature of the country also indicated that no great stream could be
at hand, and Henry believed that it signified a change of plan, a belief
strengthened by a continuation of the trail toward the east as he
followed it hour by hour. What did it mean? Undoubtedly it was something
of great significance to his enterprise, but now he grew more wary.
Since the course of the army was changed bands of Indians might be
loitering behind, and he must take every precaution lest he run into one
of them. He noticed from time to time small trails coming into the
larger one, and he inferred that they were hunting parties sent off from
the main body and now returning.

The trail maintained the change and still bore toward the east. It had
been obliterated to some extent by the rains, but it was as wide as
ever, and Henry knew that no division had taken place. But he was yet
convinced that some subject of great importance had been debated at the
place of the long camp. On the following day he saw two warriors, and he
lay in the bush while they passed only twenty yards away, close enough
for him to see that they were Miamis. They were proceeding leisurely,
perhaps on a hunting expedition, and it was well for them that they did
not search at this point for any enemy. The most formidable figure on
all the border lay in the thicket with both rifle and pistol ready.
Henry heard them talking, but he had no wish for an encounter even with
the advantage of ambush and surprise on his side. He was concerned with
far more important business.

The two Indians looked at the broad trail, but evidently they knew all
about it, as it did not claim more than a half minute's attention. Then
they went northward, and when Henry was sure that they were a mile or
two away, he resumed his pursuit, a single man following an army. Now
all his wonderful skill and knowledge and developed power of intuition
came into play. Soon he passed the point where the trail had been made
fainter by the latest rains, and now it became to his eyes broad and
deep. He came to a place where many fires had been built obviously for
cooking, and the ashes of the largest fires were near the center of the
camp. A half circle of unburned logs lay around these ashes. As the logs
were not sunk in the ground at all they had evidently been drawn there
recently, and Henry, sitting down on one of them, began to study the
problem.

On the other side of the ashes where no logs lay were slight traces in
the earth. It seemed to him that they had been made by heels, and he
also saw at one place a pinch of brown ashes unlike the white ashes left
by the fire. He went over, knelt down and smelled of the brown pinch.
The odor was faint, very faint, but it was enough to tell him that it
had been made by tobacco. A pipe had been smoked here, not to soothe the
mind or body, but for a political purpose. At once his knowledge and
vivid imagination reconstructed the whole scene. An important council
had been held. The logs had been drawn up as seats for the British and
Tory officers. Opposite them on the bare ground the chiefs, after their
custom, had sat in Turkish fashion, and the pipe had been passed from
one to another until the circle was complete. It must have been a most
vital question or they would not have smoked the pipe. He came back to
the logs and found in one of them a cut recently made. Someone had been
indulging in the western custom of whittling with a strong clasp knife
and he had no doubt that it was Braxton Wyatt who had cut his name with
the same knife on the bark shelter. It would take one whittling casually
a long time to make so deep a cut. Then they had debated there for two
or three hours. This meant that the leaders were in doubt. Perhaps
Timmendiquas and Caldwell had disagreed. If it could only be true! Then
the little stations would have time to renew their breath and strength
before another great attack could be made.

He sat on the log and concentrated his mind with great intensity upon
the problem. He believed that the master mind in the council had been
that of Timmendiquas. He also had inspired the change of route and
perhaps Caldwell, Girty and Wyatt had tried to turn him back. Doubtless
the course of Timmendiquas had been inspired by news from the South.
Would the trail turn again?

He renewed the eager pursuit. He followed for a full day, but it still
ran toward the east, and was growing fresher much faster than before. He
argued from this fact that the speed of the army had slackened greatly.
On the day after that, although the course of the main body was
unchanged he saw where a considerable band had left it and gone
northward. What did this mean? The band could not have numbered less
than fifty. It must be making for some one of the great Indian towns,
Chillicothe or Piqua. Once more the reader of the wilderness page
translated. They had received news from the South, and it was not such
as they wished. The Indian towns had been threatened by something, and
the band had gone to protect or help them.

Shortly before nightfall he noticed another trail made by perhaps twenty
warriors coming from the south and joining that of the main body. The
briers and grass were tangled considerably, and, as he looked closely,
his eyes caught a tint of red on the earth. It was only a spot, and once
more the wilderness reader read what was printed in his book. This band
had brought wounded men with it, and the tribes were not fighting among
themselves. They had encountered the Kentuckians, hunters perhaps, or a
larger force maybe, and they had not escaped without damage. Henry
exulted, not because blood had been shed, but because some prowling band
intent upon scalps had met a check.

He followed the ruddy trail until it emerged into the broader one and
then to a point beside it, where a cluster of huge oaks flung a pleasant
shade. Here the wounds of the warriors had been bandaged, as fragments
of deerskin lay about. One of them had certainly suffered a broken arm
or leg, because pieces of stout twigs with which they had made splints
lay under one of the trees.

The next day he turned another page in his book, and read about the
great feast the army had held. He reached one of the little prairies so
common in that region. Not many days before it had been a great berry
field, but now it was trampled, and stripped. Seven or eight hundred
warriors had eaten of the berries and they had also eaten of much solid
food. At the far edge of the prairie just within the shade of the forest
he found the skeletons of three buffaloes and several deer, probably
shot by the hunters on that very prairie. A brook of fine clear water
flowed by, and both banks were lined with footsteps. Here the warriors
after eating heavily had come to drink. Many of the trees near by
contained the marks of hatchet strokes, and Henry read easily that the
warriors had practiced there with their tomahawks, perhaps for prizes
offered by their white leaders. Cut in the soft bark of a beech he read
the words "Braxton Wyatt." So he had been at work with the clasp knife
again, and Henry inferred that the young renegade was worried and
nervous or he would not have such uneasy hands.

Most of the heavier footprints, those that turned out, were on one side
of the camp and Henry read from this the fact that the English and
Tories had drawn somewhat apart, and that the differences between them
and the Indians had become greater. He concentrated his mind again upon
the problem, and at length drew his conclusion from what he had read.

The doubts of Timmendiquas concerning his allies were growing stronger,
so Henry construed. The great Wyandot chief had been induced with
difficulty to believe that the soldiers of the British king would repay
their red allies, and would defend the Indian villages if a large force
from Kentucky were sent against them. The indications that such a force
was moving or would move must be growing stronger. Doubtless the
original turn to the eastward had been in order to deflect the attack
against the settlements on the upper Ohio, most probably against Fort
Henry. Now it was likely that the second plan had been abandoned for a
third. What would that third be?

He slept that night in a dense covert about half a mile from the camp,
and he was awakened once by the howling of wolves. He knew that they
were prowling about the deserted camp in search of remnants of food, and
he felt sure that others also were following close behind the Indian
army, in order to obtain what they might leave at future camps. Perhaps
they might trail him too, but he had his rifle and pistol and, unafraid,
he went to sleep again.

The broad trail led the next day to a river which Henry reached about
noon. It was fordable, but the army had not crossed. It had stopped
abruptly at the brink and then had marched almost due north. Henry read
this chapter easily and he read it joyfully. The dissatisfaction among
the Indian chiefs had reached a climax, and the river, no real obstacle
in itself, had served as the straw to turn them into a new course.
Timmendiquas had boldly led the way northward and from Kentucky. He, Red
Eagle, Yellow Panther and the rest were going to the Indian villages,
and Caldwell and the other white men were forced either to go with them
or return to Detroit. He followed the trail for a day and a half, saw it
swing in toward the west, and theory became certainty. The army was
marching toward Chillicothe and Piqua.

After this last great turn Henry studied the trail with the utmost care.
He had read much there, but he intended to read every word that it said.
He noticed that the division, the British and Tories on one side and the
Indians on the other, continued, and he was quite sure now that he would
soon come upon some important development.

He found the next day that for which he was looking. The army had
camped in another of the little prairies, and the Indians had held a
great dance. The earth, trampled heavily over a regulated space, showed
it clearly. Most of the white men had stayed in one group on the right.
Here were the deep traces of military boot heels such as the officers
might wear.

Again his vivid imagination and power of mental projection into the dark
reconstructed the whole scene. The Indians, Wyandots, Shawnees, Miamis
and the others, had danced wildly, whirling their tomahawks about their
heads, their naked bodies painted in many colors, their eyes glaring
with the intoxication of the dance. Timmendiquas and the other chiefs
had stood here looking on; over there, on the right, Caldwell and his
officers had stood, and few words had passed between officers and
chiefs.

"Now the division will become more complete," said Henry to himself, as
he followed the trail anew into the forest, and he was so sure of it
that he felt no surprise when, within a mile, it split abruptly. The
greater trail continued to the west, the smaller turned abruptly to the
north, and this was the one that contained the imprints of the military
boot heels. Once more he read his text with ease. Timmendiquas and
Caldwell had parted company. The English and Tories were returning to
Detroit. Timmendiquas, hot with wrath because his white allies would not
help him, was going on with the warriors to the defense of their
villages.

Without beholding with his own eyes a single act of this army he had
watched the growth of the quarrel between red and white and he had been
a witness to its culmination. But all these movements had been
influenced by some power of which he knew nothing. It was his business
to discover the nature of this power, and he would follow the Indian
trail a little while longer.

Henry had not suffered for food. Despite the passage of the Indian army
the country was so full of game that he was able to shoot what he wished
almost when he wished, but he felt that he was now coming so near to the
main body that he could not risk a shot which might be heard by outlying
hunters or skirmishers. He also redoubled his care and rarely showed
himself on the main trail, keeping to the woods at the side, where he
would be hidden, an easy matter, as except for the little prairies the
country was covered with exceedingly heavy forest.

The second day after the parting of the two forces he saw smoke ahead,
and he believed that it was made by the rear guard. It was a thin column
rising above the trees, but the foliage was so heavy and the underbrush
so dense that he was compelled to approach very close before he saw that
the fire was not made by Indians, but by a group of white men, Simon
Girty, Blackstaffe, Quarles, Braxton Wyatt and others, about a dozen in
all. They had cooked their noonday meal at a small fire and were eating
it apparently in perfect confidence of security. The renegades sat in
the dense forest. Underbrush grew thickly to the very logs on which they
were sitting, and, as Henry heard the continuous murmur of their voices,
he resolved to learn what they were saying. He might discover then the
nature of the menace that had broken up or deferred the great invasion.
He knew well the great danger of such an attempt but he was fully
resolved to make it.

Lying down in the bushes and grass he drew himself slowly forward. His
approach was like that of a wild animal stalking its prey. He lay very
close to the earth and made no sound that was audible a yard away,
pulling himself on, foot by foot. Yet his patience conquered, and
presently he lay in the thickest of the undergrowth not far from the
renegades, and he could hear everything they said. Girty was speaking,
and his words soon showed that he was in no pleasant mood.

"Caldwell and the other English were too stiff," he said. "I don't like
Timmendiquas because he doesn't like me, but the English oughtn't to
forget that an alliance is for the sake of the two parties to it. They
should have come with Timmendiquas and his friends to their villages to
help them."

"And all our pretty plans are broken up," said Braxton Wyatt viciously.
"If we had only gone on and struck before they could recover from Bird's
blows we might have swept Kentucky clean of every station."

"Timmendiquas was right," said Girty. "We have to beware of that fellow
at the Falls. He's dangerous. His is a great name. The Kentucky riflemen
will come to the call of the man who took Kaskaskia and Vincennes."

The prone figure in the bushes started. He was reading further into this
most interesting of all volumes. What could the "Falls" mean but the
Falls of the Ohio at the brand new settlement of Louisville, and the
victor of Vincennes and Kaskaskia was none other than the great George
Rogers Clark, the sword of the border. He understood. Clark's name was
the menace that had turned back Timmendiquas. Undoubtedly the hero was
gathering a new force and would give back Bird's blows. Timmendiquas
wished to protect his own, but the English had returned to Detroit. The
prone figure in the bushes rejoiced without noise.

"What will be the result of it all?" asked Blackstaffe, his tone showing
anxiety.

Girty--most detested name in American history, next to that of Benedict
Arnold--considered. The side of his face was turned to Henry, and the
bold youth wished that they were standing in the open, face to face,
arms in hand. But he was compelled to lie still and wait. Nor could he
foresee that Girty, although he was not destined to fall in battle,
should lose everything, become an exile, go blind and that no man
should know when he met death or where his body lay. The renegade at
length replied:

"It means that we cannot now destroy Kentucky without a supreme effort.
Despite all that we do, despite all our sieges and ambuscades, new men
continually come over the mountains. Every month makes them stronger,
and yet only this man Clark and a few like him have saved them so far.
If Caldwell and a British force would make a campaign with us, we might
yet crush Clark and whatever army he may gather. We may even do it
without Caldwell. In this vast wilderness which the Indians know so well
it is almost impossible for a white army to escape ambush. I am, for
that reason, in favor of going on and joining Timmendiquas. I want a
share in the victory that our side will win at the Indian towns. I am
sure that the triumph will be ours."

"It seems the best policy to me," said Braxton Wyatt. "Timmendiquas does
not like me any more than he does you, but the Indians appreciate our
help. I suppose we'd better follow at once."

"Take it easy," said Girty. "There's no hurry. We can overtake
Timmendiquas in a day, and we are quite sure that there are no
Kentuckians in the woods. Besides, it will take Clark a considerable
time to assemble a large force at the Falls, and weeks more to march
through the forest. You will have a good chance then, Braxton, to show
your skill as a forest leader. With a dozen good men hanging on his
flank you ought to cause Mr. Clark much vexation."

"It could be done," replied Wyatt, "but there are not many white men out
here fighting on our side. In the East the Tories are numerous, and I
had a fine band there, but it was destroyed in that last fight at the
big Indian town."

"Your old playmate, Henry Ware, had something to do with that, did he
not?" asked Girty, not without a touch of sarcasm.

"He did," replied Wyatt venomously, "and it's a good thing that he's now
a prisoner at Detroit. He and those friends of his could be both the
eyes and ears of Clark. It would have been better if Timmendiquas had
let the Indians make an end to him. Only in that manner could we be sure
that he would always be out of the way."

"I guess you're right," said Girty.

The prone figure in the bushes laughed silently, a laugh that did not
cause the movement of a single muscle, but which nevertheless was full
of heartfelt enjoyment. What would Wyatt and Girty have thought if they
had known that the one of whom they were talking, whom they deemed a
prisoner held securely at Detroit, was lying within ten feet of them, as
free as air and with weapons of power?

Henry had heard enough and he began to creep away, merely reversing the
process by which he had come. It was a harder task than the first, but
he achieved it deftly, and after thirty yards he rose to his feet,
screening himself behind the trunk of an oak. He could still see the
renegades, and the faint murmur of their voices yet reached him. That
old temptation to rid the earth of one of these men who did so much harm
came back to him, but knowing that he had other work to do he resisted
it, and, passing in a wide circle about them, followed swiftly on the
trail of Timmendiquas.

He saw the Indian camp that night, pitched in a valley. Numerous fires
were burning and discipline was relaxed somewhat, but so many warriors
were about that there was no opportunity to come near. He did not wish,
however, to make any further examination. Merely to satisfy himself that
the army had made no further change in its course was enough. After
lingering a half hour or so he turned to the north and traveled rapidly
a long time, having now effected a complete circuit since he left his
comrades. It was his purpose now to rejoin them, which he did not
believe would prove a very difficult task. Shif'less Sol, the leader in
his absence, was to come with the party down the bank of the Scioto,
unless they found Indians in the way. Their speed would be that of the
slowest of their number, Mr. Pennypacker, and he calculated that he
would meet them in about three days.

Bearing in toward the right he soon struck the banks of the Scioto and
followed the stream northward all the next day. He saw several Indian
canoes upon the river, but he was so completely hidden by the dense
foliage on the bank that he was safe from observation. It was not a war
party, the Indians were merely fishing. Some of the occupants of the
boats were squaws. It was a pleasant and peaceful occupation, and for a
few moments Henry envied them, but quickly dismissing such thoughts he
proceeded northward again at the old running walk.

On the afternoon of the second day Henry lay in the bushes and uttered
their old signal, the cry of the wolf repeated with certain variations,
and as unmistakable as are the telegrapher's dots and dashes of to-day.
There was no answer. He had expected none. It was yet too soon,
according to his calculations, but he would not risk their passing him
through an unexpected burst of speed. All that afternoon and the next
morning he repeated the signal at every half hour. Still the same
silence. Nothing stirred in the great woods, but the leaves and bushes
swaying before the wind. Several times he examined the Scioto, but he
saw no more Indians.

About noon of the third day when he uttered the signal an answer, very
faint, came from a point far to the west. At first he was not sure of
the variations, the sound had traveled such a great distance, but having
gone in that direction a quarter of a mile, he repeated it. Then it
came back, clear and unmistakable. Once more he read his book with
ease. Shif'less Sol and the others were near by and they would await
him. His pulse leaped with delight. He would be with these brave
comrades again and he would bring them good news.

He advanced another two or three hundred yards and repeated the cry. The
answer instantly came from a point very near at hand. Then he pressed
boldly through the bushes and Shif'less Sol walked forward to meet him
followed by the others, all gaunt with travel, but strong and well.




CHAPTER XVI

THE RIVER FIGHT


Henry shook hands with them all in turn and they sat down under the
shade of an oak. Mr. Pennypacker looked him over slowly and rather
quizzically.

"Henry," he said, "I scarcely realize that you were a pupil of mine.
Here in the wilderness I see that you are the teacher and that I am a
pretty poor and limping sort of pupil."

"You can teach us all many and useful things," said Henry modestly.

"What did you learn, Henry?" asked Paul.

Henry told the tale in brief, concise words, and the others expressed
pleasure at his news.

"And so Clark is coming," said the schoolmaster thoughtfully. "It is
wonderful what the energy and directing mind of one man can do. That
name alone is enough to change the nature of a whole campaign. 'Tis
lucky that we have this Cæsar of the backwoods to defend us. What is
your plan now, Henry?"

Mr. Pennypacker, like the others, instinctively looked upon Henry as the
leader.

"We'll go straight to the Falls of the Ohio," replied Henry. "It will
take us two or three weeks to get there, and we'll have to live mostly
on our rifles, but that's where we're needed. Clark will want all the
men he can get."

"I am old," said the schoolmaster, "and it has not been my business
hitherto to fight, but in this great crisis of Kentucky I shall try to
do my part. I too shall offer my services to George Rogers Clark."

"He'll be glad to get you," said Tom Ross.

After the brief rest they began the long journey from what is now the
middle part of the state of Ohio to the Falls of the Ohio and the new
settlement of Louisville there. It was an arduous undertaking,
particularly for the schoolmaster, as it led all the way through woods
frequented by alert Indians, and, besides deep rivers there were
innumerable creeks, which they could cross only by swimming. Bearing
this in mind Henry's thoughts returned to the first boat which they had
hidden in the bushes lining the banks of one of the Ohio's tributaries.
As the whole country was now swarming with the warriors the passage down
the Ohio would undoubtedly be more dangerous than the path through the
woods, but the boat and the river would save a vast expenditure of
strength. Henry laid the two plans before the others.

"What do you say, Sol?" he asked.

"I'm fur the boat an' the river," replied the shiftless one. "I'd rather
be rowed by Jim Hart than walk five hundred miles."

"And you, Paul?"

"I say take to the boat. We may have to fight. We've held them off on
the water before and I'm sure we can do it again."

"And you, Tom?"

"The boat."

"And you, Jim?"

"The boat, an' make Sol thar do his share uv the work."

"What do you say, Mr. Pennypacker?"

"I'm not a forester, and as all of you are for the boat, so am I."

"That seems to make it unanimous, and in an hour we'll start for our
hidden navy. It's at the edge of the next big river east of the Scioto
and we ought to steer a pretty straight course for it."

They traveled at a good pace. Mr. Pennypacker, while not a woodsman, was
a good walker, and, despite his age, proved himself tough and enduring.
They crossed Indian trails several times, but did not come into contact
with any of the warriors. They swam three or four deep creeks, but in
four days they came to the river not many miles above the place at which
they had hidden the boat. Then they descended the stream and approached
the point with some anxiety.

"Suppose the boat isn't there," said Paul; "suppose the Indians have
found it."

"We ain't supposing'," said Shif'less Sol. "We're shore it's thar."

They waded among the bushes growing at the water's edge and the
shiftless one, who was in advance, uttered a suppressed cry of pleasure.

"Here it is, jest ez we left it," he said.

The boat had been untouched, but Henry knew all the time the chances
were in favor of their finding it so. With the keenest delight, they
pulled it out into the stream and looked it over. They had made of it a
cache and they had left in it many valuable articles which they would
need. Among these were four extra rifles, two fine fowling pieces, a
large supply of powder and lead, axes and hatchets, and extra clothing
and blankets. They had stocked the boat well on leaving Pittsburgh, and
now it was like retaking a great treasure. Shif'less Sol climbed aboard
and with a deep sigh of pleasure reclined against the side.

"Now, Saplin'," he said, "I'll go to sleep while you row me down to
Louisville."

"We'll do most of our traveling by night," said Henry, "and as we'll
have the current with us I don't think that you or Jim, Sol, will have
to work yourselves to death."

After their examination of the boat to see that everything was all
right, they pulled it back into the bushes, not intending to start until
the dark set in. There was a considerable supply of salted food, coffee
and tea on board, but Henry and Sol killed two deer farther up the river
bank which they quickly cleaned and dressed. They now thought themselves
provisioned for the trip to the Falls of the Ohio, and they carried, in
addition, fishing tackle which they could use at any time.

They pulled clear of the bushes about 8 o'clock in the evening and rowed
down the river. But as the stream was bank full and running fast, they
did not have to make any great effort. Toward midnight when they reached
some of the wider parts of the river they set the sail and went ahead at
a swifter pace. Henry calculated that they could reach the Ohio slightly
after dawn, but as the night was uncommonly clear, with the promise of a
very brilliant day to follow, they furled their sails at least two hours
before sunrise, and, finding another shallow cove, drew their boat into
it among the bushes.

"Now for a sleep," said Henry. "Tom and I will keep watch until noon and
then Sol and Paul will take our places. At night we will start again."

"And where does my watch come, pray?" asked Mr. Pennypacker.

"We want you to help us to-night," replied Henry. "We'll need your
knowledge of the sail and the oars."

"Very well," replied the unsuspicious schoolmaster. "It is understood
that I do extra work to-night, because I do not watch to-day."

Henry, when he turned his face away, smiled a little. It was understood
among them all that they were to spare the schoolmaster as much as
possible, and to do so, they used various little devices. Theirs was a
good roomy boat and those who were to sleep first disposed themselves
comfortably, while Henry sat in the prow and Tom in the stern, both
silent and apparently listless, but watching with eyes and ears alike.
The dawn came, and, as they had foreseen, it was a bright, hot day. It
was so close among the bushes that the sleepers stirred restlessly and
beads of perspiration stood on the faces of the watchers. Not a breath
of air stirred either in the woods or on the river. Henry was glad when
it was their turn to sleep, and when he awoke, night had come with its
cool shadows and a wind also that dispelled the breathless heat.

Then they pulled out of the bushes and floated again with the stream,
but they did not hoist their sail. The air after the close heat of the
day was charged with electricity, and they looked for a storm. It came
about 11 o'clock, chiefly as a display of thunder and lightning. The
flashes of electricity dazzled them and continued without a break for
almost an hour. The roar of the thunder was like the unbroken discharges
of great batteries, but both wind and rain were light. Several times the
lightning struck with a tremendous crash in the woods about them, but
the boat glided on untouched. About midnight they came out into the
flood of the Ohio, and, setting their sail, they steered down the center
of the stream.

All of them felt great relief, now that they were on the wide Ohio. On
the narrower tributary they might have been fired upon from either
shore, but the Ohio was a half mile and sometimes a full mile from bank
to bank. As long as they kept in the middle of the stream they were
practically safe from the bullets of ambushed Indians.

They took turns at sleeping, but it was not necessary now to use the
oars. The wind was still strong, and the sail carried them at great
speed down the river. They felt safe and comfortable, but it was a wild
and weird scene upon which they looked. The banks of the Ohio here were
high and clothed in dense forest which, in the glare of the lightning,
looked like gigantic black walls on either shore. The surface of the
river itself was tinted under the blaze as if with fire, and often it
ran in red waves before the wind. The darkness was intense, but the
flashes of lightning were so vivid that they easily saw their way.

"We're going back on our old path now, Paul," said Henry. "You remember
how we came up the river with Adam Colfax, fought the fleet of
Timmendiquas, and helped save the fort?"

"I couldn't well forget it," replied Paul. "Why, I can see it all again,
just as if it happened only yesterday, but I'm mighty glad that
Timmendiquas is not here now with a fleet."

"Will we tie up to the bank by day as we did on the other river?" asked
Mr. Pennypacker.

"Not on the Ohio," replied Henry. "As white immigrants are now coming
down it, Indians infest both shores, so we'll keep straight ahead in the
middle of the stream. We may be attacked there, but perhaps we can
either whip or get away from anything that the Indians now have on the
river."

While they talked Shif'less Sol looked carefully to their armament. He
saw that all the extra rifles and pistols were loaded and that they lay
handy. But he had little to say and the others, after the plan had been
arranged, were silent. The wind became irregular. Now and then gusts of
it lashed the surface of the giant stream, but toward morning it settled
into a fair breeze. The thunder and lightning ceased by that time, and
there was promise of a good day.

The promise was fulfilled and they floated peacefully on until
afternoon. Then shots were fired at them from the northern bank, but the
bullets spattered the water a full fifty yards short. Henry and Sol, who
had the keenest eyes, could make out the outlines of Indians on the
shore, but they were not troubled.

"I'm sure it's just a small hunting party," said Henry, "and they can do
us no harm. Their bullets can't reach us, and you can't run along the
banks of a great river and keep up with a boat in the stream."

"That's true," said Shif'less Sol, "an' I think I'll tell 'em so. I
always like to hurt the feelin's of a bloodthirsty savage that's lookin'
fur my scalp."

He opened his mouth to its widest extent and gave utterance to a most
extraordinary cry, the like of which had perhaps never before been heard
in those woods. It rose in a series of curves and undulations. It had in
it something of the howl of the wolf and also the human note. It was
essentially challenging and contemptuous. Anybody who heard it was bound
to take it as a personal insult, and it became most effective when it
died away in a growling, spitting noise, like the defiance of an angry
cat. Henry fairly jumped in his seat when he heard it.

"Sol," he exclaimed, "what under the sun do you mean?"

The mouth of the shiftless one opened again, but this time in a wide
grin of delight.

"I wuz jest tellin' them Injuns that I didn't like 'em," he replied. "Do
you reckon they understood?"

"I think they did," replied Henry with emphasis.

"That bein' so, I'll tell 'em ag'in. Look out, here she comes!"

Again the mouth of Shif'less Sol swung wide, and again he uttered that
fearful yell of defiance, abuse, contempt and loathing, a yell so
powerful that it came back in repeated echoes without any loss of
character. The Indians on the bank, stung by it, uttered a fierce shout
and fired another volley, but the bullets fell further short than ever.
Shif'less Sol smiled in deep content.

"See how I'm makin' 'em waste good ammunition," he said. "I learned that
trick from Paul's tales o' them old Greeks an' Trojans. As fur ez I
could make out when a Greek an' Trojan come out to fight one another,
each feller would try to talk the other into throwin' his spear fust,
an' afore he wuz close enough to take good aim. All them old heroes done
a heap o' talkin' an' gen'ally they expected to get somethin' out o'
it."

"Undoubtedly the Greeks and Trojans had thrilling war cries," said Mr.
Pennypacker, "but I doubt, Mr. Hyde, whether they ever had any as weird
as yours."

"Which shows that I'm jest a leetle ahead o' any o' them old fellers,"
said Shif'less Sol in tones of deep satisfaction.

The boat, moving swiftly before the wind, soon left the Indians on the
northern bank far behind, and once more they were at peace with the
wilderness. The river was now very beautiful. It had not yet taken on
the muddy tint characteristic of its lower reaches, the high and sloping
banks were covered with beautiful forest, and coming from north and
south they saw the mouths of creeks and rivers pouring the waters of
great regions into the vast main stream. Henry, as captain of the boat,
regarded these mouths with a particularly wary and suspicious eye. Such
as they formed the best ambush for Indian canoes watching to pounce upon
the immigrant boats coming down the Ohio. Whenever he saw the entrance
of a tributary he always had the boat steered in toward the opposite
shore, while all except the steersman sat with their rifles across their
knees until the dangerous locality was passed safely.

They anchored a little after nightfall. The current was very gentle and
fortunately their anchor would hold near the middle of the stream. Henry
wished to give rest to a part of his crew and he knew also that in the
night they would pass the mouth of the Licking, opposite the site of
Cincinnati, a favorite place of ambush for the Indian boats. All the
indications pointed to some dark hours ahead, and that was just the kind
they needed for running such a gauntlet.

This time it was he and Tom Ross who watched while the others slept, and
some hours after dark they saw fitful lights on the northern shore,
appearing and reappearing at three or four points. They believed them to
be signals, but they could not read them.

"Of course there are warriors in those woods," said Henry.
"Timmendiquas, knowing that Clark has gathered or is gathering his
forces at the Falls, will send his best scouts to watch him. They may
have seen us, and they may be telling their friends on the south side of
the river that we are here."

"Mebbe so," said Tom Ross.

Changing their plans they took up the anchor and the boat, driven by
wind and current, moved on at good speed. Tom steered and Henry sat near
him, watching both shores. The others, stowed here and there, slept
soundly. The lights flickered on the northern shore for a few minutes,
and then a curve of the stream shut them out. The night itself was
bright, a full moon and many stars turning the whole broad surface of
the river to silver, and making distinct any object that might appear
upon it. Henry would have preferred a dark and cloudy night for the
passage by the mouth of the Licking, but since they did not have it they
must go on anyhow.

They sailed quietly with the current for several hours, and the night
showed no signs of darkening. Once Henry thought he saw a light on the
southern shore, but it was gone so quickly that keen-eyed as he was he
could not tell whether it was reality or merely fancy.

"Did you see it, Tom?" he asked.

"I did, or at least I thought I did."

"Then, since we both saw it, it must have been reality, and it indicates
to my mind that Indians are on the south as well as on the north bank.
Maybe they have seen us here."

"Mebbe."

"Which renders it more likely that they may be on watch at the mouth of
the Licking for anything that passes."

"Mebbe."

"According to my calculation we'll be there in another hour. What do you
think?"

"I say one hour, too."

"And we'll let the boys sleep on until we see danger, if danger comes."

"That's what I'd do," replied Tom, casting a glance at the sleeping
figures.

No word was spoken again for a long time, but, as they approached the
dangerous mouth, Tom steered the boat further and further toward the
northern bank. Both remembered the shores here from their passage up the
Ohio, and Henry knew that the gap in the wall of trees on the south
betokened the mouth of the Licking. Tom steadily bore in toward the
northern bank until he was not more than thirty yards from the trees.
The moon and the stars meanwhile, instead of favoring them, seemed to
grow brighter. The river was a great moving sheet of silver, and the
boat stood out upon it black and upright.

Henry, with his eyes upon the black wall, saw two dots appear there and
then two more, and he knew at once their full significance. The ambush
had been laid, not for them in particular, but for any boat that might
pass.

"Tom," he said, "the Indian canoes are coming. Keep straight on down the
river. I'll wake the others."

The remaining four aroused, took their rifles and gazed at the black
dots which had now increased from four to six, and which were taking the
shape of long canoes with at least half a dozen paddlers in every one.
Two of the canoes carried sails which indicated to Henry the presence of
renegades.

"In a fight at close quarters they'd be too strong for us," said Henry.
"That force must include at least forty warriors, but we can run our
boat against the northern shore and escape into the woods. Are you in
favor of our doing that?"

"No," they answered with one accord.

Henry laughed.

"I knew your answer before I asked the question," he said, "and as we
are not going to escape into the woods we must prepare for a river race
and a battle. I think we could leave them behind without much trouble,
if it were not for those two boats with the sails."

"Let 'em come," said Shif'less Sol. "We've got plenty of rifles an' we
can hit at longer range than they can."

"Still, it's our business to avoid a fight if possible," said Henry.
"George Rogers Clark wants whole men to fight, not patients to nurse.
Tom, you keep on steering and all the rest of us will take a hand at the
oars."

The boat shot forward under the new impetus, but behind them the six
canoes, particularly the two on which sails had been fitted, were coming
fast. The night was so bright that they could see the warriors painted
and naked to the waist sending their paddles in great sweeps through the
water. It was evident also that they had enough extra men to work in
relays, which gave them a great advantage.

"It's to be a long chase," said Henry, "but I'm thinking that they'll
overtake us unless we interfere with them in some rude manner."

"Meaning these?" said Shif'less Sol, patting one of the rifles.

"Meaning those," said Henry; "and it's lucky that we're so well
provided. Those boats are not led by ordinary warriors. See how they're
using every advantage. They're spreading out exactly as Indian pursuers
do on land, in order that some portion of their force may profit by any
turn or twist of ours."

It was so. The pursuing fleet was spreading out like a fan, two boats
following near the northern shore, two near the southern and two in the
center. Evidently they intended neglecting no precaution to secure what
many of them must already have regarded as a certain prize. Mr.
Pennypacker regarded them with dilated eyes.

"A formidable force," he said, "and I judge by their actions that they
will prove tenacious."

"Shorely," said Shif'less Sol, as he tapped the rifle again, "but you
must rec'lect, Mr. Pennypacker, that we've oncommon good rifles an' some
o' us are oncommon good shots. It might prove better fur 'em ef they
didn't come so fast. Henry, kin you make out any white faces in them two
boats in the center?"

"It's pretty far to tell color, but a figure in the right-hand boat,
sitting close to the mast, looks to me mightily like that of Braxton
Wyatt."

"I had just formed the same notion. That's the reason I asked, an' ef I
ain't mistook, Simon Girty's in the other boat. Oh, Henry, do you think
I kin git a shot at him?"

"I doubt it," replied Henry. "Girty is cunning and rarely exposes
himself. There, they are firing, but it's too soon."

Several shots were discharged from the leading boats, but they fell far
short. Evidently they were intended as threats, but, besides Henry's
comment, the pursued took no notice of them. Then the savages, for the
first time, uttered their war cry, but the fugitives did not answer.

"Ef they mean by that yell that they've got us," said Shif'less Sol,
"then they might ez well yell ag'in."

"Still, I think they're gaining upon us somewhat," said Henry, "and it
may be necessary before long to give them a hint or two."

Now it was his turn to tap the rifle significantly, and Henry with a
calculating eye measured the distance between their own and the leading
boat. He saw that the warriors were gaining. It was a slow gain, but in
time it would bring them within easy rifle shot. The fleeing boat
carried many supplies which weighed her down to a certain extent, but
the pursuing boats carried nothing except the pursuers themselves. Henry
raised his rifle a little and looked again at the distance.

"A little too fur yet, Henry," said Shif'less Sol.

"I think so, too," said Henry. "We'd best wait until we're absolutely
sure."

A cry broke from Paul.

"Look ahead!" he cried. "We've enemies on both sides!"

The alarming news was true. Two large boats loaded with warriors had
shot out from the northern bank four or five hundred yards ahead, and
were coming directly into the path of the fugitives. A yell full of
malice and triumph burst from the savages in the pursuing canoes, and
those in the canoes ahead answered it with equal malice and triumph. The
fate of the fugitives seemed to be sealed, but the five had been in many
a close place before, and no thought of despair entered their minds.
Henry at once formed the plan and as usual they acted with swift
decision and boldness. Tom was now steering and Henry cried to him:

"Shelter yourself and go straight ahead. Lie low, the rest of you fire
at those before us!"

Their boat went swiftly on. The two ahead of them drew directly into
their path, but veered a little to one side, when they saw with what
speed the other boat was approaching. They also began to fire, but the
six, sheltered well, heard the bullets patter upon the wooden sides and
they bided their time. Henry, peeping over, marked the boat on the right
and saw a face which he knew to be that of a white man. In an instant he
recognized the renegade Quarles and rage rose within him. Without the
aid of the renegades, more ruthless than the red men themselves, the
Indians could never have accomplished so much on the border. He raised
his rifle a little and now he cocked it. Shif'less Sol glanced up and
saw the red fire in his eye.

"What is it, Henry?" he asked.

"The renegade Quarles is in the boat on the right. As we have to run a
gauntlet here, and there will be some shooting, I mean that one of the
renegades shall never trouble us any more."

"I'm sorry it's not Girty or Wyatt," said the shiftless one, "but since
it ain't either o' them it might ez well be Quarles. He might be missed,
but he wouldn't be mourned."

The boat, with Tom Ross steering, kept straight ahead with undiminished
speed, the wind filling out the sail. The Indians in the two boats
before them fired again, but the bullets as before thudded upon the
wooden sides.

But Henry, crouching now with his cocked rifle, saw his opportunity.
Quarles, raising himself up in the canoe, had fired and he was just
taking his rifle from his shoulder. Henry fired directly at the tanned
forehead of this wicked man, who had so often shed the blood of his own
people, and the bullet crashed through the brain. The renegade half
rose, and then fell from the boat into the stream, which hid his body
forever. A cry of rage and fear came from the Indians and the next
moment four other marksmen, two from the right and two from the left,
fired into the opposing canoes. The schoolmaster also fired, although he
was not sure that he hit any foe; but it was a terrible volley
nevertheless. The two Indian boats contained both dead and wounded.
Paddles were dropped into the water and floated out of reach. Moreover,
Tom Ross, when his cunning eye saw the confusion, steered his own boat
in such a manner that it struck the canoe on the right a glancing blow,
sidewiping it, as it were.

Tom and his comrades were staggered by the impact, but their boat,
uninjured, quickly righted itself and went on. The Indian canoe was
smashed in and sank, leaving its living occupants struggling in the
water, while the other canoe was compelled to turn and pick them up.

"Well done, Mr. Ross!" called Mr. Pennypacker. "That was a happy
thought. You struck them as the old Roman galleys with their beaks
struck their antagonists, and you have swept them from our path."

"That's true, Mr. Pennypacker," said Shif'less Sol, "but don't you go to
stickin' your head up too much. Thar, didn't I tell you! Ef many more
bullets like that come, you'd git a nice hair cut an' no charge."

A bullet had clipped a gray lock from the top of the schoolmaster's
head, but flattening himself on the bottom of the boat he did not give
the Indians a second shot. Meanwhile Henry and the others were sending
bullets into the crews of the boats behind them. They did not get a
chance at Girty and Wyatt, who were evidently concealing themselves from
these foes, whom they knew to be such deadly sharpshooters, but they
were making havoc among the warriors. It was a fire so deadly that all
the canoes stopped and let the boat pass out of range. The little band
sent back their own shout, taunting and triumphant, and then, laying
aside their rifles, they took up the oars again. They sped forward and
as the night darkened the Indian canoes sank quickly out of sight.

"I think we'll have the right of way now to the Falls," said Henry.




CHAPTER XVII

THE ROAD TO WAREVILLE


Henry made no mistake when he predicted that they would have the right
of way to the Falls. Days passed and the broad river bore them
peacefully onward, the wind blowing into ripples its yellow surface
which the sunshine turned into deep gold. The woods still formed a solid
bank of dark green on either shore, and they knew that warriors might be
lurking in them, but they kept to the middle of the current, and the
Ohio was so wide that they were fairly safe from sharpshooters. In
addition to the caution, habitual to borderers, they usually kept pretty
well sheltered behind the stout sides of their boat.

"Tain't no use takin' foolish risks," said Shif'less Sol wisely. "A
bullet that you ain't lookin' fur will hurt jest ez bad ez one that
you're expectin', an' the surprise gives a lot o' pain, too."

Hence they always anchored at night, far out in the water, put out all
lights, and never failed to keep watch. Several times they detected
signs of their wary enemy. Once they saw flames twinkling on the
northern shore, and twice they heard signal cries in the southern woods.
But the warriors did not make any nearer demonstration, and they went
on, content to leave alone when they were left alone.

All were eager to see the new settlement at the Falls, of which reports
had come to them through the woods, and they were particularly anxious
to find it a tower of strength against the fresh Indian invasion. Their
news concerning it was not yet definite, but they heard that the first
blockhouse was built on an island. Hence every heart beat a little
faster when they saw the low outline of a wooden island rising from the
bosom of the Ohio.

"According to all we've heard," said Henry, "that should be the place."

"It shorely is," said Shif'less Sol, "an' besides I see smoke risin'
among them trees."

"Yes, and I see smoke rising on the southern shore also," said Henry.

"Which may mean that they've made a second settlement, one on the
mainland," said Paul.

As they drew nearer Henry sent a long quavering cry, the halloo of the
woodsman, across the waters, and an answering cry came from the edge of
the island. Then a boat containing two white men, clad in deerskin, put
out and approached the five cautiously. Henry and Paul stood up to show
that they were white and friends, and the boat then came swiftly.

"Who are you?" called one of the men.

Henry replied, giving their identity briefly, and the man said:

"My name is Charles Curd, and this is Henry Palmer. We live at
Louisville and we are on the watch for friends and enemies alike. We're
glad to know that you're the former."

They escorted the five back to the island, and curious people came down
to the beach to see the forest runners land. Henry and his comrades for
their part were no less curious and soon they were inspecting this
little settlement which for protection had been cast in a spot
surrounded by the waters of the Ohio. They saw Corn Island, a low
stretch of soil, somewhat sandy but originally covered with heavy
forest, now partly cleared away. Yet the ax had left sycamores ten feet
through and one hundred feet high.

The whole area of the island was only forty-three acres, but it already
contained several fields in which fine corn and pumpkins were raised. On
a slight rise was built the blockhouse in the form of an Egyptian cross,
the blockhouse proper forming the body of the cross, while the cabins of
the settlers constituted the arms. In addition to the sycamores, great
cottonwoods had grown here, but nearly all of them had been cut down,
and then had been split into rails and boards. Back of the field and at
the western edge of the river, was a magnificent growth of cane, rising
to a height of more than twenty feet.

This little settlement, destined to be one of the great cities of the
West, had been founded by George Rogers Clark only two or three years
before, and he had founded it in spite of himself. Starting from
Redstone on the Monongahela with one hundred and fifty militia for the
conquest of the Illinois country he had been accompanied by twenty
pioneer families who absolutely refused to be turned back. Finding that
they were bound to go with him Clark gave them his protection, but they
stopped at Corn Island in the Ohio and there built their blockhouse. Now
it was a most important frontier post, a stronghold against the Indians.

Before they ate of the food offered to them Henry looked inquiringly at
the smoke on the southern shore. Curd said with some pride:

"We're growing here. We spread to the mainland in a year. Part of our
people have moved over there, and some new ones have come from Virginia.
On the island and the mainland together, we've now got pretty nearly two
hundred people and we've named our town Louisville in honor of King
Louis of France who is helping us in the East. We've got history, too,
or rather it was made before we came here. An old chief, whom the
whites called Tobacco, told George Rogers Clark that the Alligewi, which
is their name for the Mound Builders, made their last stand here against
the Shawnees, Miamis and other Indians who now roam in this region. A
great battle occurred on an island at the Falls and the Mound Builders
were exterminated. As for myself, I know nothing about it, but it's what
Tobacco said."

Paul's curiosity was aroused instantly and he made a mental note to
investigate the story, when he found an opportunity, but he was never
able to get any further than the Indian legend which most likely had a
basis of truth. For the present, he and his comrades were content with
the welcome which the people on Corn Island gave them, a welcome full of
warmth and good cheer. Their hosts put before them water cooled in
gourds, cakes of Indian meal, pies of pumpkin, all kinds of game, and
beef and pork besides. While they ate and drank Henry, who as usual was
spokesman, told what had occurred at Detroit, further details of the
successful advance of the Indians and English under Bird, of which they
had already heard, and the much greater but postponed scheme of
destruction planned by Timmendiquas, de Peyster, Girty and their
associates. Curd, Palmer and the others paled a little under their tan
as they listened, but their courage came back swiftly.

"At any rate," said Curd, "we've got a man to lead us against them, a
man who strikes fast, sure and hard, George Rogers Clark, the hero of
Vincennes and Kaskaskia, the greatest leader in all the West."

"Why, is he here?" exclaimed Henry in surprise. "I thought he was
farther East."

"You'll see him inside of half an hour. He was at the other blockhouse
on the southern shore, and we sent up a signal that strangers were here.
There he comes now."

A boat had put out from the southern bank. It contained three men, two
of whom were rowing, while the third sat upright in a military fashion.
All his body beneath his shoulders was hidden by the boat's sides, but
his coat was of the Continental buff and blue, while a border cap of
raccoon skin crowned his round head. Such incongruous attire detracted
nothing from the man's dignity and presence. Henry saw that his face was
open, his gaze direct, and that he was quite young. He was looking
straight toward the five who had come with their new friends down to the
river's edge, and, when he sprang lightly upon the sand, he gave them a
military salute. They returned it in like manner, while they looked with
intense curiosity at the famous leader of the border forces. Clark
turned to Henry, whose figure and bearing indicated the chief.

"You come from the North, from the depths of the Indian country, I take
it," he said.

"From the very heart of it," replied the youth. "I was a prisoner at
Detroit, and my comrades were near by outside the walls. We have also
seen Bird returning from his raid with his prisoners and we know that
Timmendiquas, de Peyster, Girty, Caldwell, and the others are going to
make a supreme effort to destroy every settlement west of the
Alleghanies. A great force under Timmendiquas, Caldwell and Girty came
part of the way but turned back, partly, I think, because of divisions
among themselves and partly because they heard of your projected
advance. But it will come again."

The shoulders in the military coat seemed to stiffen and the eyes under
the raccoon skin cap flashed.

"I did want to go back to Virginia," said Clark, "but I'm glad that I'm
here. Mr. Ware, young as you are, you've seen a lot of forest work, I
take it, and so I ask you what is the best way to meet an attack?"

"To attack first."

"Good! good! That was my plan! Report spoke true! We'll strike first.
We'll show these officers and chiefs that we're not the men to sit idly
and wait for our foe. We'll go to meet him. Nay more, we'll find him in
his home and destroy him. Doesn't that appeal to you, my lads?"

"It does," said five voices, emphatic and all together, and then Henry
added, speaking he knew for his comrades as well as himself:

"Colonel Clark, we wish to volunteer for the campaign that we know you
have planned. Besides the work that we have done here in the West, we
have seen service in the East. We were at Wyoming when the terrible
massacre occurred, and we were with General Sullivan when he destroyed
the Iroquois power. But, sir, I wish to say that we do best in an
independent capacity, as scouts, skirmishers, in fact as a sort of
vanguard."

Clark laughed and clapped a sinewy hand upon Henry's shoulder.

"I see," he said. "You wish to go with me to war, but you wish at the
same time to be your own masters. It might be an unreasonable request
from some people, but, judging from what I see of you and what I have
heard of you and your comrades, it is just the thing. You are to watch
as well as fight for me. Were you not the eyes of the fleet that Adam
Colfax brought up the Ohio?"

Henry blushed and hesitated, but Clark exclaimed heartily:

"Nay, do not be too modest, my lad! We are far apart here in the woods,
but news spreads, nevertheless, and I remember sitting one afternoon and
listening to an old friend, Major George Augustus Braithwaite, tell a
tale of gallant deeds by river and forest, and how a fort and fleet were
saved largely through the efforts of five forest runners, two of whom
were yet boys. Major Braithwaite gave me detailed descriptions of the
five, and they answer so exactly to the appearance of you and your
comrades that I am convinced you are the same. Since you are so modest,
I will tell you to your face that I'd rather have you five than fifty
ordinary men. Now, young sir, blush again and make the most of it!"

Henry did blush, and said that the Colonel gave them far too much
credit, but at heart he, like the other four, felt a great swell of
pride. Their deeds in behalf of the border were recognized by the great
leader, and surely it was legitimate to feel that one had not toiled and
fought in vain for one's people.

A few minutes later they sat down with Clark and some of the others
under the boughs of the big sycamore, and gave a detailed account of
their adventures, including all that they had seen from the time they
had left for New Orleans until the present moment.

"A great tale! a great tale!" said Clark, meditatively, "and I wish to
add, Mr. Ware, an illuminating one also. It throws light upon forest
councils and forest plans. Besides your service in battle, you bring us
news that shows us how to meet our enemy and nothing could be of greater
value. Now, I wish to say to you that it will take us many weeks to
collect the needful force, and that will give you two lads ample time,
if you wish, to visit your home in Wareville, taking with you the worthy
schoolmaster whom you have rescued so happily."

Henry and Paul decided at once to accept the suggestion. Both felt the
great pulses leap at mention of Wareville and home. They had not seen
their people for nearly two years, although they had sent word several
times that they were well. Now they felt an overwhelming desire to see
once again their parents and the neat little village by the river,
enclosed within its strong palisades. Yet they delayed a few days longer
to attend to necessary preliminaries of the coming campaign. Among
other things they went the following morning to see the overflow
settlement on the south shore, now but a year old.

This seed of a great city was yet faint and small. The previous winter
had been a terrible one for the immigrants. The Ohio had been covered
with thick ice from shore to shore. Most of their horses and cattle had
frozen to death. Nevertheless they had no thought of going away, and
there were many things to encourage the brave. They had a good harbor on
the river at the mouth of a fine creek, that they named Beargrass, and
back of them was a magnificent forest of gum, buckeye, cherry, sycamore,
maple and giant poplars. It had been proved that the soil was extremely
fertile, and they were too staunch to give up so fair a place. They also
had a strong fort overlooking the river, and, with Clark among them,
they were ready to defy any Indian force that might come.

But the time passed quickly, and Henry and Paul and the schoolmaster
were ready for the last stage of their journey, deciding, in order that
they might save their strength, to risk once more the dangers of the
water passage. They would go in a canoe until they came to the mouth of
the river that flowed by Wareville and then row up the current of the
latter until they reached home. Shif'less Sol, Jim and Tom were going to
remain with Clark until their return. But these three gave them
hand-clasps of steel when they departed.

"Don't you get trapped by wanderin' Indians, Henry," said the shiftless
one. "We couldn't get along very well without you fellers. Do most o'
your rowin' at night an' lay by under overhangin' boughs in the day. You
know more'n I do, Henry, but I'm so anxious about you I can't keep from
givin' advice."

"Don't any of you do too much talkin'," said Silent Tom. "Injuns hear
pow'ful well, an' many a feller hez been caught in an ambush, an' hez
lost his scalp jest 'cause he would go along sayin' idle words that told
the Injuns whar he wuz, when he might hev walked away safe without thar
ever knowin' he wuz within a thousand miles uv them."

"An' be mighty particular about your cookin'," said Long Jim. "Many a
good man hez fell sick an' died, jest 'cause his grub wuzn't fixed
eggzackly right. An' when you light your fires fur ven'son an' buffalo
steaks be shore thar ain't too much smoke. More than once smoke hez
brought the savages down on people. Cookin' here in the woods is not
cookin' only, it's also a delicate an' bee-yu-ti-ful art that saves
men's lives when it's done right, by not leadin' Shawnees, Wyandots an'
other ferocious warriors down upon 'em."

Henry promised every one of the three to follow his advice religiously,
and there was moisture in his and Paul's eyes when they caught the last
view of them standing upon the bank and waving farewell. The next
instant they were hidden by a curve of the shore, and then Henry said:

"It's almost like losing one's right arm to leave those three behind. I
don't feel complete without them."

"Nor do I," said Paul. "I believe they were giving us all that advice
partly to hide their emotion."

"Undoubtedly they were," said Mr. Pennypacker in a judicial tone, "and I
wish to add that I do not know three finer characters, somewhat
eccentric perhaps, but with hearts in the right place, and with sound
heads on strong shoulders. They are like some ancient classic figures of
whom I have read, and they are fortunate, too, to live in the right time
and right place for them."

They made a safe passage over a stretch of the Ohio and then turned up
the tributary river, rowing mostly, as Shif'less Sol had suggested, by
night, and hiding their canoe and themselves by day. It was not
difficult to find a covert as the banks along the smaller river were
nearly always overhung by dense foliage, and often thick cane and
bushes grew well into the water's edge. Here they would stop when the
sun was brightest, and sometimes the heat was so great that not refuge
from danger alone made them glad to lie by when the golden rays came
vertically. Then they would make themselves as comfortable as possible
in the boat and bearing Silent Tom's injunction in mind, talk in very
low tones, if they talked at all. But oftenest two of them slept while
the third watched.

They had been three days upon the tributary when it was Henry who
happened to be watching. Both Paul and the teacher slumbered very
soundly. Paul lay at the stern of the boat and Mr. Pennypacker in the
middle. Henry was in the prow, sitting at ease with his rifle across his
knees. The boat was amid a tall growth of canes, the stalks and blades
rising a full ten feet above their heads, and hiding them completely.
Henry had been watching the surface of the river, but at last the action
grew wholly mechanical. Had anything appeared there he would have seen
it, but his thoughts were elsewhere. His whole life, since he had
arrived, a boy of fifteen, in the Kentucky wilderness, was passing
before him in a series of pictures, vivid and wonderful, standing out
like reality itself. He was in a sort of twilight midway between the
daylight and a dream, and it seemed to him once more that Providence had
kept a special watch over his comrades and himself. How else could they
have escaped so many dangers? How else could fortune have turned to
their side, when the last chance seemed gone? No skill, even when it
seemed almost superhuman, could have dragged them back from the pit of
death. He felt with all the power of conviction that a great mission had
been given to them, and that they had been spared again and again that
they might complete it.

While he yet watched and saw, he visited a misty world. The wind had
risen and out of the dense foliage above him came its song upon the
stalks and blades of the cane. A low note at first, it swelled into
triumph, and it sounded clearly in his ear, bar on bar. He did not have
the power to move, as he listened then to the hidden voice. His blood
leaped and a deep sense of awe, and of the power of the unknown swept
over him. But he was not afraid. Rather he shared in the triumph that
was expressed so clearly in the mystic song.

The note swelled, touched upon its highest note and then died slowly
away in fall after fall, until it came in a soft echo and then the echo
itself was still. Henry returned to the world of reality with every
sense vivid and alert. He heard the wind blowing in the cane and nothing
more. The surface of the river rippled lightly in the breeze, but
neither friend nor enemy passed there. The stream was as lonely and
desolate as if man had never come. He shook himself a little, but the
spiritual exaltation, born of the song and the misty region that he had
visited, remained.

"A sign, a prophecy!" he murmured. His heart swelled. The new task would
be achieved as the others had been. It did not matter whether he had
heard or had dreamed. His confidence in the result was absolute. He sat
a long time looking out upon the water, but never moving. Anyone
observing him would have concluded after a while that he was no human
being, merely an image. It would not have seemed possible that any
living organism could have remained as still as a stone so many hours.

When the sun showed that it was well past noon, Paul awoke. He glanced
at Henry, who nodded. The nod meant that all was well. By and by Mr.
Pennypacker, also, awoke and then Henry in his turn went to sleep so
easily and readily that it seemed a mere matter of will. The
schoolmaster glanced at him and whispered to Paul:

"A great youth, Paul! Truly a great youth! It is far from old Greece to
this forest of Kaintuckee, but he makes me think of the mighty heroes
who are enshrined in the ancient legends and stories."

"That thought has come to me, too," Paul whispered back. "I like to
picture him as Hector, but Hector with a better fate. I don't think
Henry was born for any untimely end."

"No, that could not be," said the schoolmaster with conviction.

Then they relapsed into silence and just about the time the first shadow
betokened the coming twilight Paul heard a faint gurgling sound which he
was sure was made by oars. He touched the schoolmaster and whispered to
him to listen. Then he pulled Henry's shoulder slightly, and instantly
the great youth sat up, wide awake.

"Someone is near," whispered Paul. "Listen!"

Henry bent his head close to the water and distinctly heard the swishing
of paddles, coming in the direction that they had followed in the night.
It was a deliberate sound and Henry inferred at once that those who
approached were in no hurry and feared no enemy. Then he drew the second
inference that it was Indians. White men would know that danger was
always about them in these woods.

"We have nothing to do but lie here and see them as they pass," he
whispered to his companions. "We are really as safe among these dense
canes as if we were a hundred miles away, provided we make no noise."

There was no danger that any of them would make a noise. They lay so
still that their boat never moved a hair and not even the wariest savage
on the river would have thought that one of their most formidable
enemies and two of his friends lay hidden in the canes so near.

"Look!" whispered Henry. "There is Braxton Wyatt!"

Henry and Paul were eager enough to see but the schoolmaster was
perhaps the most eager of all. This was something new in his experience.
He had heard much of Braxton Wyatt, the renegade, once a pupil of his,
and he did not understand how one of white blood and training could turn
aside to join the Indians, and to become a more ruthless enemy of his
own people than the savages themselves. Yet there could be no doubt of
its truth, and now that he saw Wyatt he understood. Evil passions make
an evil face. Braxton Wyatt's jaw was now heavy and projecting, his eyes
were dark and lowering, and his cheek bones seemed to have become high
like those of the warriors with whom he lived. The good Mr. Pennypacker
shuddered. He had lived long and he could read the hearts of men. He
knew now that Braxton Wyatt, despite his youth, was lost beyond
redemption to honor and truth. The schoolmaster shuddered again.

The boat--a large one--contained besides Wyatt a white man, obviously a
renegade, and six sturdy Shawnee warriors who were wielding the paddles.
The warriors were quite naked, save for the breechcloth, and their broad
shoulders and chests were painted with many hideous decorations. Their
rifles lay beside them. Braxton Wyatt's manner showed that he was the
leader and Henry had no doubt that this was a party of scouts come to
spy upon Wareville. It was wholly likely that Braxton Wyatt, who knew
the place so thoroughly, should undertake such an errand.

Henry was right. Timmendiquas, de Peyster and Girty as leaders of the
allied forces preparing for invasion in case Clark could not gather a
sufficient force for attack, were neglecting no precaution. They had
sent forth small parties to examine into the condition of every station
in Kentucky. These parties were not to make any demonstration, lest the
settlers be put on their guard, but, after obtaining their information,
were to retire as silently as they had come. Braxton Wyatt had promptly
secured command of the little force sent toward Wareville, taking with
him as lieutenant a young renegade, a kindred spirit named Early.

Strange emotions agitated Wyatt when he started. He had a desire to see
once more the place where he had been a boy with other boys of his own
white race, and where he might yet have been with his own kind, if a
soul naturally turning to malice had not sent him off to the savages.
Because he was now an outcast, although of his own making, he hated his
earlier associates all the more. He sought somehow to blame them for it.
They had never appreciated him enough. Had they put him forward and
given him his due, he would not now be making war upon them. Foolish and
blind, they must suffer the consequences of their own stupidity. When
Wareville was taken, he might induce the Indians to spare a few, but
there were certainly some who should not be spared. His brow was black
and his thoughts were blacker. It may be that Henry read them, because
his hand slid gently forward to the hammer of his rifle. But his will
checked the hand before it could cock the weapon, and he shook his head
impatiently.

"Not now," he said in the softest of whispers, "but we must follow that
boat. It is going toward Wareville and that is our way. Since we have
seen him it is for us to deal with Wyatt before he can do more
mischief."

Paul nodded, and even the soul of the good schoolmaster stirred with
warlike ardor. He was not a child of the forest. He knew little of
ambush and the trail, but he was ready to spend his strength and blood
for the good of his own people. So he too nodded, and then waited for
their young leader to act.

Braxton Wyatt passed on southward and up the stream of the river. There
was no song among the leaves for him, but his heart was still full of
cruel passions. He did not dream that a boat containing the one whom he
hated most had lain in the cane within twenty yards of him. He was
thinking instead of Wareville and of the way in which he would spy out
every weak place there. He and Early had become great friends, and now
he told his second much about the village.

"Wareville is strong," he said, "and they have many excellent riflemen.
We were repulsed there once, when we made an attack in force, and we
must take it by surprise. Once we are inside the palisade everything
will soon be over. I hope that we will catch Ware and his comrades there
when we catch the others."

"He seems hard to hold," said Early. "That escape of his from Detroit
was a daring and skillful thing. I could hardly believe it when we heard
of it at the Ohio. You're bound to admit that, Braxton."

"I admit it readily enough," said Wyatt. "Oh, he's brave and cunning and
strong. He would not be so much worth taking if he were not all those
things!"

Early glanced at the face of his leader.

"You do dislike him, that's sure!" he said.

"You make no mistake when you say so," replied Wyatt. "There are not
many of us here in the woods, and somehow he and I seem to have been
always in opposition in the last two or three years. I think, however,
that a new campaign will end in overwhelming victory for us, and
Kaintuckee will become a complete wilderness again."

The stalwart Shawnees paddled on all that afternoon without stopping or
complaining once. It was a brilliant day in early summer, all golden
sunshine, but not too warm. The river flowed in curve after curve, and
its surface was always illumined by the bright rays save where the
unbroken forest hung in a green shadow over either edge. Scarlet
tanagers darted like flashes of flame from tree to tree, and from low
boughs a bird now and then poured forth a full measure of song. Braxton
Wyatt had never looked upon a more peaceful wilderness, but before the
sun began to set he was afflicted with a strange disquiet. An expert
woodsman with an instinct for the sounds and stirrings of the forest, he
began to have a belief that they were not alone on the river. He heard
nothing and saw nothing, yet he felt in a vague, misty way that they
were followed. He tried to put aside the thought as foolish, but it
became so strong that at last he gave a signal to stop.

"What is it?" asked Early, as the paddles ceased to sigh through the
water.

"I thought I heard something behind us," replied Wyatt, although he had
heard nothing, "and you know we cannot afford to be seen here by any
white scout or hunter."

The Indians listened intently with their trained ears and then shook
their heads. There was no sound behind them, save the soft flowing of
the river, as it lapped against either bank.

"I hear nothing," said Early.

"Nor do I," admitted Wyatt, "yet I could have sworn a few minutes ago
that we were being followed. Instinct is sometimes a good guide in the
forest."

"Then I suggest," said Early, "that we turn back for a few miles. We can
float with the current close up to the bank under the overhanging
boughs, and, if hunters or scouts are following us, they'll soon wish
they were somewhere else."

He laughed and Braxton Wyatt joined him in his savage mirth.

"Your idea is a good one," said Wyatt, "and we may catch a mouse or two
in our trap."

He gave another signal and the Shawnees turned the boat about,
permitting it to float back with the stream, but as Early had suggested,
keeping it in the shadow. Despite his experience and the lack of proof
that anyone else was near, Wyatt's heart began to beat fast. Suppose
the game was really there, and it should prove to be of the kind that he
wanted most to take! This would be indeed a triumph worth while, and he
would neglect no precaution to achieve it. They had gone back about a
mile now, and he signaled to the warriors to swing the boat yet a little
closer to the bank. He still heard no sound, but the belief was once
more strong upon him that the quarry was there. They drifted slowly and
yet there was nothing. His eye alighted upon a great mass of bushes
growing in the shallow water at the edge of the river. He told the
paddlers to push the boat among them until it should be completely
hidden and then he waited.

But time passed and nothing came. The sun dropped lower. The yellow
light on the water turned to red, and the forest flamed under the
setting sun. A light breeze sprang up and the foliage rustled under its
touch. Braxton Wyatt, from his covert among the bushes, watched with
anger gnawing at his heart. He had been wrong or whoever it was that
followed had been too wary. He was crafty and had laid his trap well,
but others were crafty, too, and would turn from the door of an open
trap.

The sun sank further. The red in the west deepened but gray shadows were
creeping over the east and the surface of the river began to darken.
Nothing had come. Nothing was coming. Braxton Wyatt said reluctantly to
himself that his instinct had been wrong. He gave the word to pull the
boat from the canes, and to proceed up the stream again. He was annoyed.
He had laid a useless trap and he had made himself look cheap before the
Indians. So he said nothing for a long time, but allowed his anger to
simmer. When it was fully dark they tied up the boat and camped on
shore, in the bushes near the water.

Wyatt was too cautious to permit a fire, and they ate cold food in the
darkness. After a while, all slept but two of the Shawnees who kept
watch. Wyatt's slumbers were uneasy. About midnight he awoke, and he was
oppressed by the same presentiment that had made him turn back the boat.
He heard nothing and saw nothing save his own men, but his instinct was
at work once more, and it told him that his party was watched. He lay in
dark woods in a vast wilderness, but he felt in every bone that near
them was an alien presence.

Wyatt raised himself upon his arm and looked at the two red sentinels.
Not a muscle of either had stirred. They were so much carven bronze.
Their rifles lay across their knees and they stared fixedly at the
forest. But he knew that their eyes and ears were of the keenest and
that but little could escape their attention. Yet they had not
discovered the presence. He rose finally to his feet. The Indians heard
the faint noise that he made and glanced at him. But he was their
commander and they said nothing, resuming in an instant their watch of
the forest.

Wyatt did not take his rifle. Instead, he kept his hand on the hilt of a
fine double-barreled pistol in his belt. After some hesitation he walked
to the river and looked at the boat. It was still there, tied securely.
No one had meddled with it. The moon was obscured and the surface of the
river looked black. No object upon it could be seen far away. He
listened attentively and heard nothing. But he could not rid himself of
the belief that they had been followed, that even now a foe was near. He
walked back to the little camp and looked at Early who was sleeping
soundly. He was impatient with himself because he could not do likewise,
and then, shrugging his shoulders, he went further into the forest.

The trees grew closely where Wyatt stood and there were bushes
everywhere. His concealment was good and he leaned against the trunk of
a huge oak to listen. He could not see fifteen feet away, but he did not
believe that any human being could pass near and escape his hearing. He
stood thus in the darkness for a full ten minutes, and then he was quite
sure that he did hear a sound as of a heavy body moving slightly. It was
not instinct or prescience, the product of a vivid fancy, but a reality.
He had been too long in the woods to mistake the fact. Something was
stalking something else and undoubtedly the stalker was a man.

What was the unknown stalking? Suddenly a cold sweat broke out on
Braxton Wyatt's face. It was he who was being stalked and he was now
beyond the sight of his own sentinels. He was, for the moment, alone in
the midnight woods, and he was afraid. Braxton Wyatt was not naturally a
coward, and he had been hardened in the school of forest warfare, but
superstitious terrors assailed him now. He was sorry that he had left
the camp. His curiosity had been too great. If he wished to explore the
woods, why had he not brought some of the Indians with him?

He called upon his courage, a courage that had seldom failed him, but it
would not come now. He heard the stalker moving again in the bushes, not
fifteen yards away, and the hand on the pistol belt became wet. He
glanced up but there was no moon and clouds hid the sky. Only ear could
tell when the danger was about to fall, and then it would be too late.

He made a supreme effort, put his will in control of his paralyzed
limbs, and wrenched himself away. He almost ran to the camp. Then
bringing his pride to his aid he dropped to a walk, and stepped back
into the circle of the camp. But he was barely able to restrain a cry of
relief as the chill passed from his backbone. Angry and humiliated, he
awakened four of the Shawnees and sent them into the woods in search of
a foe. Early was aroused by the voices and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"What is it, Braxton?" he asked. "Are we about to be attacked?"

"No," replied Wyatt, calming himself with a violent effort, "but I am
convinced that there is someone in the bushes watching us. I know that I
heard the noise of footsteps and I only hope that our Shawnees will run
afoul of him."

"If he's there they'll get him," said Early confidently.

"I don't know," said Braxton Wyatt.

The Indians came back presently, and one of them spoke to Wyatt, who
went with them into the bushes. The moon had come out a little and, by
its faint light, they showed him traces of footsteps. The imprints were
ever so light, but experienced trailers could not doubt that human
beings had passed. The renegade felt at the same time a certain relief
and a certain alarm, relief to know that he had not been a mere prey to
foolish fears, and alarm because they had been stalked by some spy so
skillful and wary that they could not follow him. The Indians had
endeavored to pursue the trail, but after a rod or so it was lost among
the bushes.

Wyatt, apprehensive lest his mission should fail, doubled the watch and
then sought sleep. He did not find it for a long time, but toward
morning he fell into a troubled slumber from which he was awakened by
Early about an hour after the sun had appeared above the eastern forest.

"We must be moving," said Early, "if we're going to spy out that
Wareville of yours and tell our people how to get in."

"You're right," said Wyatt, "but we must watch behind us now as well as
before. It is certain that we are followed and I'm afraid that we're
followed by an enemy most dangerous."

Neglecting no precaution, he ordered a warrior to follow along the bank
about two miles in the rear. An Indian in the deep brush could not be
seen and the renegade's savage heart thrilled at the thought that after
all he might be setting a trap into which his enemy would walk. Then his
boat moved forward, more slowly now, and hugging the bank more closely
than ever. Wyatt knew the way well. He had been several times along this
river, a fine broad stream. He meant to leave the boat and take to the
forest when within twenty miles of Wareville, but, before doing so, he
hoped to achieve a victory which would console him for many defeats.

The warrior left behind for purposes of ambush was to rejoin them at
noon, but at the appointed hour he did not come. Nor did he come at one
o'clock or at two. He never came, and after Wyatt had raged with
disappointment and apprehension until the middle of the afternoon he
sent back a second warrior to see what had become of him. The second
warrior was the best trailer and scout in the band, a Shawnee with a
great reputation among his fellows, but when the night arrived neither
he nor the other warrior arrived with it. They waited long for both.
Three of the Indians in a group went back, but they discovered no sign.
They returned full of superstitious terror which quickly communicated
itself to the others and Wyatt and Early, despite their white blood,
felt it also.

A most vigilant watch was kept that night. No fire was lighted and
nobody slept. The renegade still hoped that the two missing warriors
would return, but they did not do so. The other Indians began to believe
that the evil spirit had taken them, and they were sorry that they had
come upon such an errand. They wished to go back down the stream and
beyond the Ohio. Near morning a warrior saw something moving in the
bushes and fired at it. The shot was returned quick as a flash, and the
warrior, who would fire no more, fell at the feet of the others and lay
still. Wyatt and his men threw themselves upon their faces, and, after a
long wait, searched the bushes, but found nothing.

Now the Indians approached the point of rebellion. It was against the
will of Manitou that they should prosper on their errand. The loss of
three comrades was the gravest of warnings and they should turn back.
But Wyatt rebuked them angrily. He did not mean to be beaten in such a
way by an enemy who remained in hiding. The bullet had shown that it was
an earthly foe, and, as far as Manitou was concerned, he always awarded
the victory to courage, skill and luck. The Indians went forward
reluctantly.

The next night they tied up again by the wooded bank. Wyatt wanted two
of the warriors to remain in the boat, but they refused absolutely to do
so. Despite all that he could say their superstitious fears were strong
upon them, and they meant to stay close to their comrades upon the solid
earth. Dreading too severe a test of his authority the renegade
consented, and all of them, except the guards, lay down among the bushes
near the shore. It was a fine summer night, not very dark, and Wyatt did
not believe a foe could come near them without being seen. He felt more
confidence, but again he was sleepless. He closed his eyes and sought
slumber by every device that he knew, but it would not come. At last he
made a circuit with Early and two of the Indians in the forest about the
camp, but saw and heard nothing. Returning, he lay down on his blanket
and once more wooed sleep with shut eyes.

Sleep still refused obstinately to come, and in ten minutes the renegade
reopened his eyes. His glance wandered idly over the recumbent Indians
who were sound asleep, and then to those who watched. It passed from
them to the river and the black blur of the boat lying upon the water
about twenty yards away. Then it passed on and after a while came back
again to the boat.

Braxton Wyatt knew that optical illusions were common, especially in the
obscurity of night. One could look so long at a motionless object that
it seemed to move. That was why the boat, tied securely to low boughs,
did that curious trick of apparently gliding over the surface of the
river. Wyatt laughed at himself. In the faint light, brain was superior
to eye. He would not allow himself to be deceived, and the quality of
mind that saved him from delusions gave him pride. He did not have a
very good view of the boat from the point where he lay, but he saw
enough of it to know that when he looked again it would be lying exactly
where it had been all the time, despite that illusory trick of movement.
So, to show the superiority of will over fancy, he kept his eyes shut a
longer time than usual, and when he opened them once more he looked
directly at the boat. Surely the shifting light was playing him new
tricks. Apparently it was much farther out in the stream and was
drifting with the current.

Wyatt reproved himself as an unsteady fool. His nerves were shaken, and
in order to restore his calmness he closed his eyes once more. But the
eyes would not stay shut. Will was compelled to yield at last to impulse
and the lids came apart. He was somewhat angry at himself. He did not
wish to look at the boat again, and repeat those foolish illusions, but
he did so nevertheless.

Braxton Wyatt sprang to his feet with a cry of alarm and warning. It was
no trick of fancy. He saw with eyes that did not lie a boat out in the
middle of the stream and every moment going faster with the current. The
power that propelled it was unseen, but Wyatt knew it to be there.

"Fire! Fire!" he shouted to his men. "Somebody is carrying off our
boat!"

Rifles flashed and bullets made the water spout. Two struck the boat
itself, but it moved on with increasing swiftness. Wyatt, Early and the
Indians dashed to the water's edge, but a sharp crack came from the
further shore, and Early fell forward directly into the river. Wyatt and
the Indians shrank back into the bushes where they lay hidden. But the
renegade, with a sort of frightened fascination, watched the water
pulling at the body of his slain comrade, until it was carried away by
the current and floated out of sight. The boat, meanwhile, moved on
until it, too, passed a curve, and was lost from view.

Wyatt recovered his courage and presence of mind, but he sought in vain
to urge the Shawnees in pursuit. Superstition held them in a firm grasp.
It was true that Early had been slain by a bullet, but a mystic power
was taking the boat away. The hand of Manitou was against them and they
would return to the country north of the Ohio. They started at once, and
Wyatt, raging, was compelled to go with them, since he did not dare to
go southward alone.




CHAPTER XVIII

THE SHADOWY FIGURE


After Braxton Wyatt and the Indians had fled, their canoe proceeded
steadily up the stream. Henry Ware, with his head only projecting, and
sheltered fully by the boat, swam on. He heard neither shots nor the
sound of men running through the bushes along the bank in pursuit. Nor
did he expect to hear either. He had calculated well the power of hidden
danger and superstition, and, confident of complete victory, he finally
steered the boat toward the farther shore, bringing it under the
overhanging boughs, about a mile from the point where Braxton Wyatt's
canoe had been. As the prow struck the soft soil and he rose from the
water, Paul came forward to meet him. Paul carried in his hands a rifle
that he had just reloaded.

"It was a success, Henry, more thorough even than we had hoped," Paul
said.

"Yes," replied Henry as he stood up, a dripping water god. "Fortune was
surely good to us. I have not been pursued, and I know it is because the
Indians did not dare to follow. They will certainly flee as fast as they
can to their own country, and meanwhile we are the gainer by one fine
big boat, which I think is not empty."

"No, it is not," said Mr. Pennypacker, appearing from the bushes, "but I
will never again enter into such another enterprise. It may suit young
foresters like you two, but it is not for me, an old man and a
schoolmaster."

"Still, we have turned back a scouting party which might have carried
dangerous information," said Henry, "and I propose that we now look and
see what is in our new boat."

The spoils were richer than they had expected. They found two extra
rifles of good make, a large quantity of powder and bullets, some
blankets and much food.

"We can use all these things," said Henry, "and we'll go to Wareville in
this big canoe, tying our own little one behind. When we get there we'll
contribute the rifles and other things to the general store."

"Where they may be welcome enough," said Mr. Pennypacker. "Well, you
lads achieved this deed, while I filled the rôle of spectator and
well-wisher. I am very glad, however, that you have secured this boat.
It is a great improvement upon our own small one."

The schoolmaster was a fine paddler, and he insisted that Henry and Paul
rest, while he showed his skill. He was anxious, he said, to do his own
part in the return, and this offered him the only chance. Henry and Paul
acquiesced and he paddled stoutly on for a long time. But before morning
he gave in, and the lads relieved him. Paul had slept for an hour or
two, but Henry had remained wide awake.

The river now flowed very slowly, and with but little opposition from
the current, they were able to make good time. Both were full of eager
anticipation. By the following night they ought to reach Wareville, the
snug home of theirs that they had not seen in so long a time.

"I wonder if they will know us," said Henry.

"Not at first sight. Of that I am sure," replied Paul. "It seems to me,
Henry, that you have grown at least six inches since we were last at
Wareville."

"You haven't been any sluggard yourself, Paul, so far as growth is
concerned. They may or may not know us, but I feel quite certain that
they won't believe everything we tell them, although every word will be
gospel truth."

"No, it's not likely, and yet sooner or later we can bring the
witnesses. I suppose they'll find it hardest to believe about Wyoming. I
wish myself that it wasn't true."

Paul shuddered at the black memory.

"But we've already struck back for it," said Henry. "It caused the
destruction of the Iroquois power."

Then both were silent. The schoolmaster, lying on a roll of the captured
blankets, slept soundly. His breathing was steady and rhythmic, and the
two youths glanced at him.

"At any rate we're bringing him back," said Paul. "They'll be glad to
see him at Wareville. I've no doubt they gave him up for dead long ago."

The day came with a splendid sun shining on the green world. The spring
had been very rainy, and the summer thus far had rejoiced in frequent
showers. Hence no brown had yet appeared in the foliage, and the world
looked fresh and young. Although they were now approaching Wareville the
forest was unbroken, and no sound of civilization came to their ears.
Henry told Paul, who was very tired, to go to sleep as he could paddle
the boat alone. Paul lay down on the blankets beside the schoolmaster,
and in a couple of minutes was off to slumberland.

Henry paddled on. Before him was a long reach of the river almost
without current and the prow cut the still water, leaving behind it a
long trailing wake of liquid gold. Henry had never seen a finer sun.
Beneath it forest and river were vivid and intense. Birds of many kinds
chattered and sang in the boughs. Battle and danger seemed far away.
Peace and beauty were to attend their coming home and he was glad. His
strong arms swept the paddle through the water for a long time. The
action was purely mechanical. His muscles were so thoroughly trained
and hardened that he was not conscious of action. He was watching
instead for the first sign of Wareville's presence, and a little before
noon he saw it, a thin spire of smoke rising high, until it stopped like
the point of a spearhead against the sky. He knew at once that it hung
over Wareville, and his heart throbbed. He loved the great wilderness
with an intensity that few men felt for their own acres, but he had been
away a long time, a time, moreover, so crowded with events that it
seemed far greater than reality.

He did not yet awaken Paul and the schoolmaster, but, putting more power
in his arms, he sent the boat on more swiftly. When he turned a point
where a little peninsula, covered with forest, jutted into the river, he
let the paddle swing idly for a minute or two and listened. A steady
thudding sound, as regular as the beat of a drum, though slower, came to
his ears. It was the woodsman's ax, and, for a moment, Henry flinched as
if he himself lay beneath the blade. That ax was eating into his beloved
forest, and a hundred more axes were doing the same. Then he recovered
himself. The hundred axes might eat on, the hundred might become a
thousand, and the thousand ten thousand, but they could eat only the
edge of his wilderness which stretched away thousands of miles in every
direction. The trees, and with them the deer and the bear, would be
there long beyond his time, though he might live to be a hundred, and
beyond that of the generation after. He took comfort in the thought, and
once more felt deep content.

It was not solely as a hunter and scout that Henry loved the wilderness.
Forest and river and lake touched far deeper springs in his nature. They
were for him full of beauty and majesty. Green forest in spring and red
forest in autumn alike appealed to him. Brooks, rivers and lakes were
alive. When duty did not call he could sit perfectly motionless for
hours, happy to see the wilderness and to feel that it was all about
him.

He swung the paddle again, and the boat moved leisurely forward. The
ring of the ax grew louder, and he heard others to the right and to the
left. Presently something struck with a crash and, in spite of all his
reasoning with himself, Henry sighed. A great tree cut through by the ax
had fallen. Many others had gone in the same way, and many more would
follow. The spire of smoke was attended now by smaller spires and
Wareville could not be more than three miles away. He awakened Paul and
the schoolmaster.

"We shall be at home in less than an hour," he said. "Listen to the
axes!"

Paul glanced quickly at him. His fine and sensitive mind understood at
once the inflection in Henry's voice, and he sympathized.

"But they are our own people," he said, "and they are making homes which
we must help to defend."

"A stronghold in the wilderness, where man, woman and child may be safe
from wild beast and savage," said the schoolmaster oracularly. "Ah,
boys--boys! how much do I owe you! Truly I thought I should never see
this comfortable little village again, and here I am, sound and whole,
returning in triumph upon a captured vessel."

They saw at the right a cleared field, in which the young corn was
growing amid the stumps, and on the left was the sheen of wheat also
amid the stumps. Mr. Pennypacker rubbed his hands delightedly, but Henry
was silent. Yet the feeling was brief with the youth. Thoughts of his
people quickly crowded it out, and he swung the paddle more swiftly. The
other two, who were now helping him, did likewise, and the boat doubled
its pace. Through the thinned forest appeared the brown walls of a
palisade, and Henry, putting a hand in the shape of a trumpet to his
lips, uttered a long, mellow cry that the forest gave back in many
echoes. Faces appeared on the palisade and three or four men, rifle on
shoulder, approached the bank of the river. They did not know either
Henry or Paul, but one of them exclaimed:

"Ef that ain't Mr. Pennypacker riz right up from the dead then I'm a
ghost myself!"

"It is Mr. Pennypacker," said the schoolmaster joyfully, "and I'm no
more of a ghost than you are. I've come back from captivity, bringing
with me two of those who saved me, young citizens of this village, Henry
Ware and Paul Cotter."

They turned the head of the boat to the bank and the whole population
poured forth to meet them. Henry and Paul were greeted half with
laughter and half with tears by their parents--border stoicism was
compelled to melt away at this moment--and then they blushed at the
words that were said about them. Their stature and strength attracted
the attention of everybody. The borderers could not fail to note the
ease and grace of their movements, the lightness with which they walked,
and the dexterity with which they pulled the big boat upon the bank. It
was evident that these two youths were far above the average of their
kind, that naturally of a high quality they had been trained in a school
that brought forth every merit. Henry towered above his own father, who
no longer looked upon him as one to whom he should give tasks and
reproofs. And the admiration with which they were regarded increased
when the schoolmaster told how he had been rescued by them and their
comrades.

Henry sat that night in his father's house, and told long and true tales
of their great wanderings and of danger and escape on land and water. He
and Paul had eaten hugely, there was no escape, and he felt that he must
sit quiet for a while. He was loth to talk of himself, but there was no
escape from that either, and his story was so vivid, so full that it
fairly told itself. As he spoke of the great journey and its myriad
events between New Orleans and the Great Lakes, the crowd in the big
room thickened. No one was willing to lose a word of the magic tale, and
it was past midnight when he lay down on the blankets and sought sleep.

The next day and the next were passed in further welcome, but when Henry
sought the blankets the third night he became conscious that the first
flush of the return was over. The weather had turned very hot--it was
now July--and the walls and ceiling of the room seemed to press upon him
and suffocate him. He drew deep and long breaths, but there was not air
enough to fill a chest that had long been used to the illimitable
outside. It was very still in the room. He longed to hear the boughs of
trees waving over him. He felt that only such a sound or the trickle of
running water could soothe him to sleep. Yet he would make another
effort. He closed his eyes and for a half hour lay motionless. Then,
angry, he opened them again, as wide awake as ever. He listened, but he
could hear no sound in either the house or the village.

Henry Ware rose to his feet, slipped on his clothing, and went to the
window. He looked forth upon a sleeping village. The houses, built of
solid logs, stood in ordered rows, gray and silent. Nothing stirred
anywhere. He took his rifle from the hooks, and leaped lightly out of
the window. Then he slipped cautiously among the houses, scaled the
palisade and darted into the forest.

He lay down by the side of a cold spring about a mile from the village.
The bank of turf was soft and cool, and the little stream ran over the
pebbles with a faint sighing sound. The thick leaves that hung overhead
rustled beneath the south wind, and played a pleasant tune. Henry felt
a great throb of joy. His chest expanded and the blood leaped in every
vein. He threw himself down upon the bank and grasped the turf with both
hands. It seemed to him that like Antæus of old he felt strength flowing
back into his body through every finger tip. He could breathe here
easily and naturally. What a wonderful thing the forest was! How its
beauty shone in the moonlight! The trees silvered with mist stood in
long rows, and the friendly boughs and leaves, moving before the wind,
never ceased to sing their friendly song to him.

Deep peace came over him. Lying on his side and soothed by the forest
and flowing water his eyelids drooped of their own accord. Presently he
slept, breathing deeply and regularly, and drawing the fresh air into
his veins. But he awoke before daylight and reëntered the village and
his father's house without being seen by anyone. To the questions of his
parents he said that he had slept well, and he ate his breakfast with an
appetite that he had not known since he came within the palisade.

The news that Henry and Paul had brought of the great invasion
threatened by an allied Indian and British force disturbed Wareville.
Yet the settlers felt much safer when they learned that the redoubtable
George Rogers Clark intended a counterstroke. More than twenty of the
most stalwart colonists volunteered to go to Louisville and join Clark
for the blow. Henry told his father that he and Paul would return with
them.

"I suppose it is your nature," said Mr. Ware, "but do you not think,
Henry, that you have already suffered enough hardship and danger for the
sake of the border?"

"No, Father, I do not," replied Henry. "Not as long as hardship and
danger are to be suffered. And I know, too, that it is my nature. I
shall live all my life in the forest."

Mr. Ware said nothing more. He knew that words were useless. That
question had been threshed out between them long ago. But he gave him an
affectionate farewell, and, a week after their arrival in Wareville,
Henry and Paul departed again for the North, the whole population of
Wareville waving them good-by as they embarked upon the river.

But the two youths were far from being alone. A score of strong men,
mostly young, were with them in four boats, and they carried an ample
supply of arms and ammunition. Mr. Pennypacker wanted to go back with
them, but he was dissuaded from undertaking the task.

"Perhaps it is best that I stay in Wareville," he said regretfully. "I
am really a man of peace and not of war, although war has looked for me
more than once."

Their boats now had oars instead of paddles, and with the current in
their favor they moved rapidly toward the north. They also had a
favoring breeze behind them and Henry and Paul, who were in the first
boat, felt their hearts swell with the prospect of action. They were so
habituated now to an eventful life that a week of rest seemed a long
time to them. Already they were pining to be with George Rogers Clark on
the great expedition.

"How many men do you think Colonel Clark will be able to gather?" asked
Ethan Burke, one of the stoutest of the Wareville contingent.

"I don't know, but his name is something to conjure with," replied
Henry. "He ought to get together six or seven hundred at least, and that
many men, experienced in the woods, will make a formidable force."

They rowed down the river for three or four days, stopping at intervals
to beat up the woods for marauding Indian bands. They found no traces of
an enemy. Henry surmised that the experience of Braxton Wyatt's party
had been a warning, and that possibly also the chiefs had learned of
Clark's plan. The news that he was coming would alone suffice to put an
end for the time to the Indian raids.

The voyage continued in unbroken peace until they entered the Ohio. Here
they were assailed by a summer storm of great severity and one of the
boats, struck by lightning, narrowly escaped sinking. A rower was
knocked senseless, but nobody was seriously injured, and by great
efforts, they got the boat into condition to resume the journey.

The little fleet came to the Falls, and turned in to the southern shore,
where the main settlement of Louisville now stood. Several spires of
smoke rose, and they knew that no Indian disaster had befallen. As they
drew nearer they saw many boats along the bank, far more than the
inhabitants of a little village could use.

"A big force has gathered already," said Henry. "Ah, see there!"

A boat shot out from the mass and came rapidly toward them.

"Don't you know them?" said Henry to Paul.

"My eyes may be dim from old age," replied Paul, "and perhaps I only
guess, but I should say that the one nearest us is a shiftless character
whom I used to know in my youth, a man who, despite his general
worthlessness and incapacity, had a certain humorous and attractive
quality of mind that endeared him to his friends."

"I am of the opinion that you are right," said Henry, looking under his
hand, "and the second, I think, is a voluble person named Thomas Ross,
who has talked a wide circle of acquaintances nearly to death."

"Even so, and the third is a long thin fellow, one James Hart, noted for
his aversion to the delicacies of the table and his dismissal of cookery
as a triviality unworthy of the consideration of a serious man. Am I
right, Mr. Ware?"

"You are right, Mr. Cotter. Hey you, Sol, how have you been?"

His voice rose in a mellow peal across the waters, and three shouts
simultaneous and joyous came back.

"Hey, Henry!" cried Shif'less Sol in a voice that could have been heard
a mile. "We're mighty glad to see you, an' we're mighty glad that you've
brought such good company with you."

In a few more moments their boat was alongside and there was a mighty
shaking of hands. The three knew all the Wareville men and Shif'less Sol
said the reënforcement would be very welcome.

"But we've got an army already," he said. "You just come and see it."

As they tied their boats to the bank Henry noticed many tents along the
sloping shore. One larger than the rest was surmounted by the new flag
of the United States.

"That's Colonel Clark's tent," said Shif'less Sol, noticing the
direction of his eyes, "but the Colonel won't sleep in a tent many more
nights. We start soon up the Ohio and all these are to be left behind."

Henry was received that very day in the Colonel's tent. Clark, apt to
grow sluggish and careless in idleness, was now all energy and keenness.
The confidence of the borderer in him was not misplaced. Henry left his
comrades behind when he was summoned to the Colonel's presence, but when
he entered the big tent he saw others there whom he knew. A tall man,
much bronzed by weather, blue of eyes and gentle of manner, greeted him
warmly.

"It's pleasant to see you again, young Mr. Ware," he said, "an' it's
still more pleasant to know that we're to serve together under Colonel
Clark."

Daniel Boone, as gentle of speech as a woman, held out his hand and
Henry fairly blushed with pride as he grasped it. Another man, darkened
by weather like Boone, was Abe Thomas, also a celebrated scout, and
there were yet others whose names were household words all along the
border.

"Sit down, Mr. Ware, sit down," said Colonel Clark genially. "We're to
hold a council of war, and we felt that it would not be complete without
you."

Henry experienced another throb of gratified pride, but as he was much
the youngest present he spoke only when he was addressed directly. The
debate was long and earnest. Colonel Clark had assembled between six and
seven hundred good men, and he intended to go with this force up the
Ohio to the mouth of the Licking. There they would be joined by another
force under Colonel Benjamin Logan coming down the Licking. The united
army after camping on the north shore of the Ohio, on the site of the
present city of Cincinnati, would march straight for the Indian country.
Boone, Henry Ware and other accomplished scouts would go ahead and guard
against ambush. It was dark when the council ended, and when they
prepared to leave, Clark said in his most sanguine tones:

"If we do not strike a blow that will pay back Bird's and with interest
then I'm not fit to lead. Our Indian friends will find that though they
may destroy a village or two of ours their own villages will have to pay
for it. And this great invasion that they've been planning will have to
wait for another time."

"We'll strike, and you're the man to lead us," said the others.

It was night now and they stepped forth into the darkness. Henry passed
among the tents toward the edge of the woods where his comrades were
camped, and he saw a tall figure moving in the shadow of the trees. He
would not have looked twice at the figure had not something familiar
about it attracted his attention. It was the height, the breadth of the
shoulders, and a certain haughty poise of the head that struck him all
at once with the intensity of conviction. His friends had left him,
going their respective ways, but Henry immediately darted toward the
shadow.

The tall and dusky figure melted away immediately among the trees, but
the young forest runner pursued at his utmost speed. He did not doubt.
It was no figment of fancy. It was the great chief himself spying with
incredible daring upon his enemies. If he were permitted to escape, the
advance of Clark would be surrounded with numberless dangers. The
fertile brain and the invincible spirit of the great Wyandot would plant
an ambush at every turn. The thought made Henry increase his speed.

The figure flitted away among the oaks and beeches. Henry might have
called for help earlier, but he was now too far away for anyone to hear,
and, confident in his own strength and skill, he pressed on. The shadow
was running eastward, and the way grew rough. Yet he did not lose sight
of it flitting there among the trees. There was no swifter runner than
he, but the distance between them did not decrease. It seemed to him
that it remained always the same.

"Stop or I shoot," he cried.

The shadow did not stop and, raising his rifle, he fired. The figure
never wavered for an instant, but continued its rapid and even flight,
until it reached the crest of a little hill. There it suddenly turned
about, leveled a rifle and fired in its turn. The bullet burned Henry's
cheek and for a moment he hesitated, but only for a moment. Reloading
his own rifle he continued the pursuit, the figure running steadily
eastward, the gap between them remaining the same.

The fugitive reached Beargrass Creek, darted swiftly through the water,
climbed the opposite bank and was again among the trees. Henry crossed
also and hung on with tenacity. He knew that Timmendiquas had probably
reloaded also, but in the excitement and rush of the moment, he did not
think of another return bullet. When he did recall the fact, as the
chase lengthened, he felt sure that the chief would not stop to fight at
close quarters. He could not afford to risk his life in an encounter
with a single person, when he was the very keystone of the great Indian
campaign.

The chase still led northward through the deep woods that ran down to
the shore of the Ohio. Strive as he would Henry could not gain. He did
not forget that Timmendiquas had twice saved his life, but he in return
had spared that of Timmendiquas, and now greater things were at stake
than the feeling that one brave soul has for another. The light grew
worse in the shadow of the giant trees and only at times could he see
the flitting figure distinctly. At last was he able to secure what he
considered a good aim, and he pulled the trigger a second time.

Henry was an unerring marksman, perhaps the finest on all the border.
The target at that moment was good, a shaft of clear moonlight falling
directly upon the broad chest, and yet the bullet clipped a bush three
feet away. Henry was conscious that, at the supreme instant when his
finger pressed the trigger, he had been shaken by a sudden emotion. The
muzzle of the rifle which bore directly upon the body of the chief had
shifted just a little, and he was not surprised when the bullet went
wide.

Timmendiquas stopped, raised his own rifle, but fired straight up into
the air. Then uttering a long whoop which the night gave back in clear
echoes, he rushed directly to the river, and sprang far out into the
dark waters. Henry was too astonished to move for a few moments. Then
he, too, ran to the bank. He saw far out a dark head moving swiftly
toward the northern shore. He might have reloaded, and even yet he might
have taken a third shot with tolerable accuracy, but he made no effort
to do so. He stood there, silent and motionless, watching the black head
grow smaller and smaller until at last it was lost in the darkness that
hung over the northern bank. But though hidden now he knew that the
great chief had reached the far shore. In fancy he could see him as he
walked into the woods, the glistening drops falling from his tall
figure. Timmendiquas and he must fight on opposing sides, but real
enemies they could never be. He felt that they were sure to meet again
in conflict, and this would be the great decisive struggle. Timmendiquas
himself knew that it was so, or he would not have come to look with his
own eyes upon the force of Clark.

Henry walked slowly back toward the little settlement. He waded the
waters of Beargrass Creek, and soon saw the log cabins again. He and his
comrades, when the ground was not wet, slept in neither a cabin nor a
tent, but spread their blankets on the turf under a mighty beech. The
four were already waiting for him there, and, in the darkness, they did
not notice any unusual expression on Henry's face. He sat down beside
them and said quietly:

"I have just seen Timmendiquas."

"What!" exclaimed four voices together.

"I have just seen Timmendiquas. Moreover, I fired twice at him and he
fired once at me. All three bullets missed."

Then Shif'less Sol, experienced and wise, raised himself up on his
blanket, looked at Henry, and said in a tone of conviction:

"Henry Ware, you an' Timmendiquas together might miss with one bullet,
but miss with three is impossible. I believe that you've seen him ez you
say so, but I don't believe that you two missed three times."

"We fired three times, as I said, and I should add that Timmendiquas
fired a fourth time also, but he must have been aiming at a star, as he
pointed his rifle straight upward."

"Ah!" said four voices together again, but now the four understood.

"I think," said Henry, "that he came to see for himself what Colonel
Clark is doing. Now he is gone with the facts. I came here merely to
tell you first, and I leave at once to tell the Colonel next."

He found Colonel Clark still in the council tent, but alone and poring
over a rude map. A burning wick in a basin of tallow scarcely dispelled
the darkness, but Henry could see that the commander's face was knit and
anxious. He turned expectantly to the youth.

"You have some news of importance or you would not come back at this
hour," he said.

"I have," replied Henry. "When I left this tent I passed through the
edge of the woods and I saw a figure there. It was that of an Indian, a
chief whom I have seen before. It was Timmendiquas, the great Wyandot,
the bravest, wisest and most daring of all the Western chiefs. I pursued
him, fired at him, but missed. It was evidently not his object to fight
anyone here. He sprang into the Ohio, swam to the northern shore, and no
doubt is now on his way to his own people."

Colonel Clark gazed thoughtfully at the flickering candle and did not
speak for a long time.

"I am glad you saw him," he said finally. "We know now that the allied
tribes will be on their guard. They may meet us in force many days
before we reach the Indian towns. Timmendiquas is a born leader,
energetic and wary. Well, well hasten our own departure, and try to
strike before they're ready. What do you say to that, my lad?"

"My opinion is worth little, but I would say that we ought to strike as
soon as we can."

"I don't think a man among us will take any other view. We can leave
with seven hundred men now, and we'll meet Logan with three hundred more
at the mouth of the Licking. Then we shall have the largest white force
ever gathered in the West, and it will be strange if we do not pay some
of the debt we owe to the Indians and their allies. I wish, Mr. Ware,
that you and your friends would march with Boone on the southern bank of
the river. It is only a wish, however, as I have agreed that you should
choose your own method of helping us."

"It is just what we should wish most to do," said Henry, "and we shall
be with Mr. Boone when he crosses to the other side."

Henry walked back to the big beech and found his comrades yet wide awake
and glad to hear that they would march in thirty-six hours.

"We'll be back in the thick of it," said Shif'less Sol, "an' I'm
thinkin', Henry, that we'll have all we kin do."

"No doubt," said Henry.




CHAPTER XIX

A HERALD BY WATER


The start from Louisville was made and the great expedition began among
the cheers of the women and children of the little place and from the
men who were left behind. Most of the army were in boats which also
carried great quantities of arms, ammunition and food. All of the little
settlements buried in the deep woods of Kentucky, though exposed at any
time to sudden and terrible raids, had sent volunteers. They took the
risk nevertheless, and dispatched their best to the redoubtable hero,
George Rogers Clark. Few people have ever given more supreme examples of
dauntless courage and self-sacrifice than these borderers. Tiny outposts
only, they never failed to respond to the cry for help. There was
scarcely a family which did not lose someone under the Indian tomahawk,
but their courage never faltered, though for nearly twenty years no man
was safe a single hour from savage ambush. They stood fast and endured
everything.

Henry, Paul and their comrades were not in the boats, but were with
Daniel Boone who led a party of the best scouts on the southern shore.
It was not only their business to find their enemy if he should be
there, but to clear him out, unless he were in too great force, and it
was a task that required supreme skill and caution. Throughout its whole
course dense forests grew along the Ohio, and an ambush might be planted
anywhere. The foliage was still thick and heavy on the trees, as it was
not yet August, and one seldom saw more than a hundred yards ahead.

The boats, keeping near the southern shore where their flank was
protected by Boone's scouts, started, the sunlight streaming down upon
them and the water flashing from their oars. The scouts had already gone
on ahead, and the five were among the foremost. In a few minutes the
last sign of the new settlement disappeared and they were in the
wilderness. At Boone's orders the scouts formed in small bodies,
covering at least two miles from the river. The five formed one of these
little groups, and they began their work with zeal and skill. No enemy
in the underbrush could have escaped their notice, but the whole day
passed without a sign of a foe. When night came on they saw the boats
draw into a cove on the southern bank, and, after a conference with
Boone, they spread their blankets again under the trees, the watch not
falling to their share until the following night. Having eaten from the
food which they carried in knapsacks they looked contentedly at the
river.

"Well, this will be twice that we have gone up the Ohio, once on the
water, and once on the shore," said Paul. "But as before we have
Timmendiquas to face."

"That's so," said Shif'less Sol, "but I'm thinkin' that nothin' much
will happen, until we get up toward the mouth of the Lickin'. It's been
only two nights since Timmendiquas hisself was spyin' us out, an' afore
he strikes he's got to go back to his main force."

"Mebbe so an' mebbe not," said Tom Ross. "My eyes ain't so bad and this
bein' a good place to look from I think I see a canoe over thar right
under the fur shore uv the Ohio. Jest look along thar, Henry, whar the
bank kinder rises up."

The point that Tom indicated was at least a mile away, but Henry agreed
with him that a shape resembling a canoe lay close to the bank.
Shif'less Sol and the others inclined to the same belief.

"If so, it's a scout boat watching us," said Paul, "and Timmendiquas
himself may be in it."

Henry shook his head.

"It isn't likely," he said. "Timmendiquas knows all that he wants to
know, and is now going northeastward as fast as he can. But his warriors
are there. Look! You can see beyond a doubt now that it is a canoe, and
it's going up the river at full speed."

The canoe shot from the shadow of the bank. Apparently it contained
three or four Indians, and they had strong arms. So it sped over the
water and against the current at a great rate.

"They've seen all they want to see to-night," said Henry, "but that
canoe and maybe others will be watching us all the way."

A half hour later a light appeared in the northern woods and then
another much further on. Doubtless the chain was continued by more, too
far away for them to see. The men in the main camp saw them also, and
understood. Every foot of their advance would be watched until the
Indian army grew strong enough, when it would be attacked. Yet their
zeal and courage rose the higher. They begged Clark to start again at
dawn that no time might be lost. Boone joined the five under the tree.

"You saw the lights, didn't you, boys?" he said.

"We saw them," replied Henry, "and we know what they mean. Don't you
think, Mr. Boone, that for a while the most dangerous part of the work
will fall on you?"

"Upon those with me an' myself," replied Boone in his gentle manner,
"but all of us are used to it."

For two successive nights they saw the fiery signals on the northern
shore, carrying the news into the deep woods that the Kentucky army was
advancing. But they were not molested by any skirmishers. Not a single
shot was fired. The fact was contrary to the custom of Indian warfare,
and Henry saw in it the wisdom and restraint of Timmendiquas. Indians
generally attack on impulse and without system, but now they were
wasting nothing in useless skirmishing. Not until all the warriors were
gathered, and the time was ripe would Timmendiquas attempt the blow.

It gave the little white army a peculiar feeling. The men knew all the
time that they were being watched, yet they saw no human being save
themselves. Boone's scouts found the trail of Indians several times, but
never an Indian himself. Yet they continued their patient scouting. They
did not intend that the army should fall into an ambush through any
fault of theirs. Thus they proceeded day after day, slowly up the river,
replenishing their supplies with game which was abundant everywhere.

They came to the wide and deep mouth of the Kentucky, a splendid stream
flowing from the Alleghany Mountains, and thence across the heart of
Kentucky into the Ohio. Henry thought that its passage might be
disputed, and the five, Boone, Thomas and some others crossed cautiously
in one of the larger boats. They watched to see anything unusual stir in
the thickets on the farther shore of the Kentucky, but no warrior was
there. Timmendiquas was not yet ready, and now the land portion of the
army was also on the further shore, and the march still went on
uninterrupted. Paul began to believe that Timmendiquas was not able to
bring the warriors to the Ohio; that they would stand on the defensive
at their own villages. But Henry was of another opinion, and he soon
told it.

"Timmendiquas would never have come down to Louisville to look us over,"
he said, "if he meant merely to act on the defensive at places two or
three hundred miles away. No, Paul, we'll hear from him while we're
still on the river, and I think it will be before Logan will join us."

Boone and Thomas took the same view, and now the scouting party doubled
its vigilance.

"To-morrow morning," said Boone, "we'll come to the Licking. There are
always more Indians along that river than any other in Kentucky and I
wish Logan and his men were already with us."

The face of the great frontiersman clouded.

"The Indians have been too peaceful an' easy," he resumed. "Not a shot
has been fired since we left Louisville an' now we're nearly to
Tuentahahewaghta (the site of Cincinnati, that is, the landing or place
where the road leads to the river). It means that Timmendiquas has been
massing his warriors for a great stroke."

Reasoning from the circumstances and his knowledge of Indian nature,
Henry believed that Daniel Boone was right, yet he had confidence in the
result. Seven hundred trained borderers were not easily beaten, even if
Logan and the other three hundred should not come. Yet he and Boone and
all the band knew that the watch that night must miss nothing. The
boats, as usual, were drawn up on the southern shore, too far away to be
reached by rifle shots from the northern banks. The men were camped on a
low wooded hill within a ring of at least fifty sentinels. The Licking,
a narrow but deep stream, was not more than five miles ahead. Clark
would have gone on to its mouth, had he not deemed it unwise to march at
night in such a dangerous country. The night itself was black with
heavy, low clouds, and the need to lie still in a strong position was
obvious.

Boone spread out his scouts in advance. The five, staying together as
usual, and now acting independently, advanced through the woods near the
Ohio. It was one of the hottest of July nights, and nature was restless
and uneasy. The low clouds increased in number, and continually grew
larger until they fused into one, and covered the heavens with a black
blanket from horizon to horizon. From a point far off in the southwest
came the low but menacing mutter of thunder. At distant intervals,
lightning would cut the sky in a swift, vivid stroke. The black woods
would stand out in every detail for a moment, and they would catch
glimpses of the river's surface turned to fiery red. Then the night
closed down again, thicker and darker than ever, and any object twenty
yards before them would become only a part of the black blur. A light
wind moaned among the trees, weirdly and without stopping.

"It's a bad night for Colonel Clark's army," said Shif'less Sol. "Thar
ain't any use o' our tryin' to hide the fact from one another, 'cause we
all know it."

"That's so, Sol," said Long Jim Hart, "but we've got to watch all the
better 'cause of it. I've knowed you a long time, Solomon Hyde, an'
you're a lazy, shiftless, ornery, contrary critter, but somehow or other
the bigger the danger the better you be, an' I think that's what's
happenin' now."

If it had not been so dark Long Jim would have seen Shif'less Sol's
pleased grin. Moreover the words of Jim Hart were true. The spirit of
the shiftless one, great borderer that he was, rose to the crisis, but
he said nothing. The little group continued to advance, keeping a couple
of hundred yards or so from the bank of the Ohio, and stopping every ten
or twelve minutes to listen. On such a night ears were of more use than
eyes.

The forest grew more dense as they advanced. It consisted chiefly of
heavy beech and oak, with scattered underbrush of spice wood and pawpaw.
It was the underbrush particularly that annoyed, since it offered the
best hiding for a foe in ambush. Henry prayed for the moon and the
stars, but both moon and stars remained on the other side of
impenetrable clouds. It was only by the occasional flashes of lightning
that they saw clearly and then it was but a fleeting glimpse. But it was
uncommonly vivid lightning. They noticed that it always touched both
forest and river with red fire, and the weird moaning of the wind,
crying like a dirge, never ceased. It greatly affected the nerves of
Paul, the most sensitive of the five, but the others, too, were affected
by it.

Henry turned his attention for a while from the forest to the river. He
sought to see by the flashes of lightning if anything moved there, and,
when they were about half way to the mouth of the Licking, he believed
that he caught sight of something in the shape of a canoe, hovering near
the farther shore. He asked them all to watch at the point he indicated
until the next flash of lightning came. It was a full minute until the
electric blade cut the heavens once more, but they were all watching and
there was the dark shape. When the five compared opinions they were sure
that it was moving slowly northward.

"It's significant," said Henry. "Daniel Boone isn't often mistaken, and
the warriors are drawing in. We'll be fighting before dawn, boys."

"An' it's for us to find out when an' whar the attack will come," said
Shif'less Sol.

"We're certainly going to try," said Henry. "Hark! What was that?"

"Injuns walkin' an' talkin'," said Tom Ross.

Henry listened, and he felt sure that Ross was right. Under his
leadership they darted into a dense clump of pawpaws and lay motionless,
thankful that such good shelter was close at hand. The footsteps, light,
but now heard distinctly, drew nearer.

Henry had a sure instinct about those who were coming. He saw Braxton
Wyatt, Blackstaffe, and at least twenty warriors emerge into view. The
night was still as dark as ever, but the band was so near that the
hidden five could see the features of every man. Henry knew by their
paint that the warriors belonged to different tribes. Wyandots, Miamis,
Shawnees, and Delawares were represented. Wyatt and Blackstaffe were
talking. Henry gathered from the scattered words he heard that
Blackstaffe doubted the wisdom of an attack, but Wyatt was eager for it.

"I was at Wyoming," said the younger renegade with a vicious snap of his
teeth, "and it was the rush there that did it. We enveloped them on both
front and flank and rushed in with such force that we beat them down in
a few minutes. Nor did many have a chance to escape."

"But they were mostly old men and boys," said Blackstaffe, "and they had
little experience in fighting the tribes. Clark has a bigger force here,
and they are all borderers. You know how these Kentuckians can use the
rifle."

Wyatt made a reply, but Henry could not hear it as the two renegades and
the warriors passed on in the underbrush. But he did hear the click of a
gun lock and he quickly pushed down the hand of Shif'less Sol.

"Not now! not now, Sol!" he whispered. "Wyatt and Blackstaffe deserve
death many times over, but if you fire they'd all be on us in a whoop,
and then we'd be of no further use."

"You're right, Henry," said the shiftless one, "but my blood was mighty
hot for a minute."

The band disappeared, turning off toward the south, and the five,
feeling that they had now gone far enough, returned to the camp. On the
way they met Boone and the remainder of the scouts. Henry told what they
had seen and heard and the great frontiersman agreed with them that the
attack was at hand.

"You saw the war paint of four nations," he said, "an' that proves that
a great force is here. I tell you I wish I knew about Logan, an' the
men that are comin' down the Lickin'."

It was now nearly midnight and they found Colonel Clark sitting under a
tree at the eastern edge of the camp. He listened with the greatest
attention to every detail that they could give him, and then his jaw
seemed to stiffen.

"You have done well, lads," he said. "There is nothing more dangerous
than the calling of a scout in the Indian wars, but not one of you has
ever shirked it. You have warned us and now we are willing for
Timmendiquas and Girty to attack whenever they choose."

Many of the men were asleep, but Clark did not awaken them. He knew
fully the value of rest, and they were borderers who would spring to
their feet at the first alarm, alive in every sense and muscle. But at
least a third of his force was on guard. No attack was feared on the
water. Nevertheless many of the men were there with the boats. It was,
however, the semicircle through the forest about the camp that was made
thick and strong. Throughout its whole course the frontiersmen stood
close together and keen eyes and trained ears noted everything that
passed in the forest.

Henry and his four comrades were at the point of the segment nearest to
the confluence of the Ohio and the Licking. Here they sat upon the
ground in a close group in the underbrush, speaking but rarely, while
time passed slowly. The character of the night had not changed. The
solemn wind never ceased to moan among the trees, and far off in the
west the thunder yet muttered. The strokes of lightning were far
between, but as before they cast a blood red tinge over forest and
river. The five were some hundreds of yards beyond the camp, and they
could see nothing then, although they heard now and then the rattle of
arms and a word or two from the officers. Once they heard the sound of
heavy wheels, and they knew that the cannon had been wheeled into
position. Clark had even been able to secure light artillery for his
great expedition.

"Do you think them big guns will be of any use?" asked Shif'less Sol.

"Not at night," replied Henry, "but in the daytime if we come to close
quarters they'll certainly say something worth hearing."

It was now nearly half way between midnight and morning when the
vitality is lowest. Paul, as he lay among the pawpaws, was growing very
sleepy. He had not moved for so long a time and the night was so warm
that his eyes had an almost invincible tendency to close, but his will
did not permit it. Despite the long silence he had no doubt that the
attack would come. So he looked eagerly into the forest every time the
lightning flashed, and always he strained his ears that he might hear,
if anything was to be heard.

The melancholy wind died, and the air became close, hot and heavy. The
leaves ceased to move, and there was no stir in the bushes, but Henry
thought that he heard a faint sound. He made a warning gesture to his
companions, and they, too, seemed to hear the same noise. All of Paul's
sleepiness disappeared. He sat up, every nerve and muscle attuned for
the crisis. Henry and he, at almost the same moment, saw the bushes move
in front of them. Then they saw the bronze faces with the scalp lock
above them, peering forth. The five sat perfectly silent for a few
moments and more bronze faces appeared. The gaze of one of the Indians
wandered toward the clump of pawpaws, and he saw there one of the five
who had now risen a little higher than the rest to look. He knew that it
was a white face, and, firing instantly at it, he uttered the long and
thrilling war whoop. It was the opening cry of the battle.

The five at once returned the fire and with deadly effect. Two of the
warriors fell, and the rest leaped back, still shouting their war cry,
which was taken up and repeated in volume at a hundred points. Far above
the forest it swelled, a terrible wolfish cry, fiercest of all on its
dying note. From river and deep woods came the echo, and the warriors in
multitudes rushed forward upon the camp.

Henry and his comrades when they discharged their rifles ran back toward
the main force, reloading as they ran. The air was filled with terrible
cries and behind them dark forms swarmed forward, running and bounding.
From trees and underbrush came a hail of rifle bullets that whistled
around the five, but which luckily did nothing save to clip their
clothing and to sing an unpleasant song in their ears. Yet they had
never run faster, not from fear, but because it was the proper thing to
do. They had uncovered the enemy and their work as scouts was over.

They were back on the camp and among the frontiersmen, in less than a
minute. Now they wheeled about, and, with rifles loaded freshly, faced
the foe who pressed forward in a great horde, yelling and firing. Well
it was for the white army that it was composed of veteran borderers. The
sight was appalling to the last degree. The defenders were ringed around
by flashes of fire, and