\"Yes——uncle——Iwillgo——Kate,wemust——go。\"
Anotherintervalofsilence,thenmoremurmurings。Hedistinguishedhisownname,andpresentlyshecalledclearly,asifansweringsomeinwardquestioner。
\"I——lovehim——yes——IloveJoe——hehasmasteredme。YetIwishhewere——likeJim——Jimwholookedatme——so——withhisdeepeyes——andI。\"
Joeliftedherasifshewereababy,andcarryingherdowntotheraft,gentlylaidherbyhersleepingsister。
Theinnocentwordswhichheshouldnothaveheardwerelikeablow。Whatshewouldneverhaveacknowledgedinherwakinghourshadbeenrevealedinherdreams。HerecalledtheglanceofJim\'seyesasithadrestedonNellmanytimesthatday,andnowthesethingsweremostsignificant。
Hefoundattheendoftheislandagreat,mossystone。Onthisheclimbed,andsatwherethemoonlightstreameduponhim。Graduallythatcoldbitternessdiedoutfromhisface,asitpassedfromhisheart,andoncemorehebecameengrossedinthesilversheenonthewater,thelappingofthewavesonthepebblybeach,andinthatspeaking,mysterioussilenceofthewoods。
Whenthefirstfaintraysofredstreakedovertheeasternhill—tops,andtherivermistarosefromthewaterinavaporycloud,JeffLynnrolledoutofhisblanket,stretchedhislonglimbs,andgaveaheartycalltothemorning。HischeerfulwelcomeawakenedallthevoyagersexceptJoe,whohadspentthenightinwatchingandtheearlymorninginfishing。
\"Wal,I\'llbedarned,\"ejaculatedJeffashesawJoe。\"Upaforeme,an\'
ketchedastringoffish。\"
\"Whatarethey？\"askedJoe,holdingupseveralbronze—backedfish。
\"Bass——blackbass,an\'thetbigfellerisalammin\'hefty\'un。How\'dyeketch\'em？\"
\"Ifishedforthem。\"
\"Wal,soit\'pears,\"growledJeff,oncemorereluctantlyyieldingtohisadmirationforthelad。\"How\'dyewakeupsoearly？\"
\"Istayedupallnight。Isawthreedeerswimfromthemainland,butnothingelsecamearound。\"
\"Tryyerhandatcleanin\'\'emferbreakfast,\"continuedJeff,beginningtobusyhimselfwithpreparationsforthatmeal。\"Wal,wal,ifheain\'tsurprisin\'！He\'lldosomethin\'outhereonthefrontier,sureasI\'mabornsinner,\"hemutteredtohimself,wagginghisheadinhisquaintmanner。
Breakfastover,Jefftransferredthehorsestothesmallerraft,whichhehadcutloosefromhisown,and,givingafewdirectionstoBill,starteddown—streamwithMr。Wellsandthegirls。
Theraftsremainedclosetogetherforawhile,butasthecurrentquickenedandwasmoreskillfullytakenadvantageofbyJeff,thelargerraftgainedconsiderableheadway,graduallywideningthegapbetweenthetwo。
Alldaytheydrifted。FromtimetotimeJoeandJimwavedtheirhandstothegirls;butthegreaterportionoftheirattentionwasgiventoquietingthehorses。Mose,Joe\'sbigwhitedog,retiredindisgusttothehut,wherehewatchedanddozedbyturns。Hedidnotfancythiskindofvoyaging。Billstrainedhissturdyarmsalldayonthesteering—oar。
AboutthemiddleoftheafternoonJoeobservedthatthehillsgrewmoreruggedandprecipitous,andtheriverranfaster。Hekeptaconstantlookoutforthewallofrockwhichmarkedthepointofdanger。Whenthesunhaddisappearedbehindthehills,hesawaheadagrayrockprotrudingfromthegreenfoliage。
Itwasponderous,overhanging,andseemedtofrowndownontheriver。ThiswasShawneeRock。Joelookedlongatthecliff,andwonderediftherewasnowanIndianscouthiddenbehindthepinesthatskirtedtheedge。Prominentonthetopofthebluffalarge,deadtreeprojecteditshoary,twistedbranches。
Billevidentlysawthelandmark,forhestoppedinhismonotonouswalktoandfroacrosstheraft,andpushinghisoaramidshipshelookedaheadfortheotherraft。Thefigureofthetallfrontiersmancouldbeplainlyseenashelaboredatthehelm。
Theraftdisappearedroundabend,andasitdidsoJoesawawhitescarfwavedbyNell。
Billworkedtheclumsycraftovertowardtherightshorewherethecurrentwasmorerapid。Hepushedwithallhisstrength,andwhentheoarhadreacheditswidestsweep,helifteditandranbackacrosstheraftforanotherpush。Joescannedtheriverahead。Hesawnorapids;onlyrougherwaterwhirlingoversomerocks。Theywerewherethechannelnarrowedandranclosetotheright—handbank。Underawillow—flankedledgewasasand—bar。ToJoethereseemednothinghazardousindriftingthroughthispass。
\"Badplaceahead,\"saidBill,observingJoe\'ssurveyoftheriver。
\"Itdoesn\'tlookso,\"repliedJoe。
\"Araftain\'taboat。Wecouldpoleaboat。Youhastohevwatertofloatlogs,an\'theriver\'srunoutconsiderable。I\'monlyafeerdferthehorses。Ifwehitordrag,theymightplungearoundabit。\"
Whentheraftpassedintotheheadofthebenditstrucktherocksseveraltimes,butfinallygainedthechannelsafely,andeverythingseemedpropitiousforaneasypassage。
But,greatlytoBill\'ssurprise,thewidecraftwascaughtdirectlyinthechannel,andswungroundsothatthesteering—oarpointedtowardtheoppositeshore。Thewaterroaredafootdeepoverthelogs。
\"Holdhardonthehorses！\"yelledBill。\"Somethin\'swrong。Ineverseenasnaghere。\"
Thestrainingmassoflogs,insecurelyfastenedtogether,rolledandthenpitchedlooseagain,buttheshortdelayhadbeenfataltothesteeringapparatus。
Joewouldhavefoundkeenenjoymentinthesituation,haditnotbeenforhishorse,Lance。Thethoroughbredwasdifficulttohold。AsBillwasmakingstrenuouseffortstogetinaluckystrokeoftheoar,hefailedtoseealonglengthofgrapevinefloatinglikeabrownsnakeofthewaterbelow。IntheexcitementtheyheedednotthebarkingofMose。Nordidtheyseethegrapevinestraightenandbecometautjustastheydrifteduponit;butthefelttheraftstrikeandholdonsomesubmergedobject。Itcreakedandgroanedandthefoamywatersurged,gurgling,betweenthelogs。
Jim\'smaresnortedwithterror,andrearinghigh,pulledherhalterlooseandplungedintotheriver。ButJimstillheldher,atriskofbeingdrawnoverboard。
\"Letgo！She\'lldragyouin！\"yelledJoe,graspinghimwithhisfreehand。
Lancetrembledviolentlyandstrainedattherope,whichhismasterheldwithastronggrip。
CRACK！
Thestingingreportofariflerangoutabovethesplashingofthewater。
Withoutacry,Bill\'sgraspontheoarloosened;hefelloveritlimply,hisheadstrikingthealmostsubmergedlog。Adark—redfluidcoloredthewater;
thenhisbodyslippedovertheoarandintotheriver,whereitsank。
\"MyGod！Shot！\"criedJim,inhorrifiedtones。
Hesawapuffofwhitesmokerisingabovethewillows。Thenthebranchesparted,revealingthedarkformsofseveralIndianwarriors。Fromtherifleintheforemostsavage\'shadaslightveilofsmokerose。Withtheleapofapanthertheredskinsprangfromthestripofsandtotheraft。
\"Hold,Jim！Dropthatax！We\'recaught！\"criedJoe。
\"It\'sthatIndianfromthefort！\"gaspedJim。
ThestalwartwarriorwasindeedSilvertip。Buthowchanged！Strippedoftheblankethehadwornatthesettlement,nowstandingnakedbutforhisbuckskinbreech—cloth,withhisperfectlyproportionedformdisclosedinallitssinewybeauty,andonhisswarthy,evilfaceanexpressionofsavagescorn,hesurelylookedawarriorandachief。
HedrewhistomahawkandflashedadarkglanceatJoe。Foramomenthesteadilyregardedtheyoungman;butifheexpectedtoseefearinthelatter\'sfacehewasmistaken,forthelookwasreturnedcoolly。
\"Palefacestealshirt,\"hesaidinhisdeepvoice。\"Foolpalefaceplay——Silvertipnoforget。\"
ChapterV。
Silvertipturnedtohisbraves,andgivingabriefcommand,sprangfromtheraft。Thewarriorsclosedinaroundthebrothers;twograspingeachbythearms,andtheremainingIndiantakingcareofthehorse。Thecaptiveswerethenledashore,whereSilvertipawaitedthem。
Whenthehorsewasclearoftheraft,whichtasknecessitatedconsiderablelaboronthepartoftheIndians,thechiefseizedthegrapevine,thatwasnowplainlyinsight,andsevereditwithoneblowofhistomahawk。Theraftdashedforwardwithalurchanddrifteddownstream。
IntheclearwaterJoecouldseethecunningtrapwhichhadcausedthedeathofBill,andinsuredthecaptivityofhimselfandhisbrother。Thecraftysavageshadtrimmedasix—inchsaplingandanchoreditunderthewater。Theyweightedtheheavyend,leavingtheotherpointingupstream。Tothislasthadbeentiedthegrapevine。Whenthedriftingraftreachedthesapling,theIndiansconcealedinthewillowspulledhardontheimprovisedrope;theendofthesaplingstuckuplikeahook,andtheaftwascaughtandheld。ThekillingofthehelmsmanshowedtheIndians\'foresight;evenhadtheraftdriftedondownstreamthebrotherswouldhavebeenhelplessonacrafttheycouldnotmanage。Afterall,Joethought,hehadnotbeensofarwrongwhenhehalffanciedthatanIndianlaybehindShawneeRock,andhemarveledatthisclevertrickwhichhadsoeasilyeffectedtheircapture。
Buthehadlittletimetolookaroundatthesceneofaction。Therewasamomentonlyinwhichtostudytherivertolearniftheunfortunateraftsman\'sbodyhadappeared。Itwasnottobeseen。Theriverranswiftlyandhidallevidenceofthetragedyunderitssmoothsurface。WhenthebravewhohadgonebacktotheraftforthegoodsjoinedhiscompanionthetwohurriedJoeupthebankaftertheothers。
OnceuponlevelgroundJoesawbeforehimanopenforest。OntheborderofthistheIndiansstoppedlongenoughtobindtheprisoners\'wristswiththongsofdeerhide。Whiletwoofthebravesperformedthisoffice,Silvertipleanedagainstatreeandtooknonoticeofthebrothers。Whentheywerethussecurelytiedoneoftheircaptorsaddressedthechief,whoatonceledthewaywestwardthroughtheforest。Thesavagesfollowedinsinglefile,withJoeandJiminthemiddleoftheline。ThelastIndiantriedtomountLance;butthethoroughbredwouldhavenoneofhim,andafterseveraleffortsthesavagewascompelledtodesist。Mosetrottedreluctantlyalongbehindthehorse。
Althoughthechiefpreservedadignifiedmien,hisbravesweredisposedtobegay。Theywereinhighgleeovertheirfeatofcapturingthepalefaces,andkeptupanincessantjabbering。OneIndian,whowalkeddirectlybehindJoe,continuallyproddedhimwiththestockofarifle;andwheneverJoeturned,thebrawnyredskingrinnedashegrunted,\"Ugh！\"Joeobservedthatthishugesavagehadabroadfaceofratheralightershadeofredthanhiscompanions。
Perhapsheintendedthoserifle—prodsinfriendliness,foralthoughtheycertainlyamusedhim,hewouldallownooneelsetotouchJoe;butitwouldhavebeenmorepleasinghadheshownhisfriendshipinagentlemanner。ThisIndiancarriedJoe\'spack,muchtohisowndelight,especiallyashiscompanionsevincedanenviouscuriosity。Thebigfellowwouldnot,however,allowthemtotouchit。
\"He\'sacheerfulbrute,\"remarkedJoetoJim。
\"Ugh！\"gruntedthebigIndian,jammingJoewithhisrifle—stock。
Joetookheedtothewarningandspokenomore。Hegaveallhisattentiontothecourseoverwhichhewasbeingtaken。HerewashisfirstopportunitytolearnsomethingofIndiansandtheirwoodcraft。Itoccurredtohimthathiscaptorswouldnothavebeensogayandcarelesshadtheynotbelievedthemselvessafefrompursuit,andheconcludedtheywereleisurelyconductinghimtooneoftheIndiantowns。Hewatchedthesupplefigurebeforehim,wonderingatthequickstep,lightasthefallofaleaf,andtriedtowalkassoftly。Hefound,however,thatwheretheIndianreadilyavoidedthesticksandbrush,hewasunabletomovewithoutsnappingtwigs。Nowandthenhewouldlookupandstudythelayofthelandahead;andashecamenearertocertainrocksandtreeshescrutinizedthemclosely,inordertoremembertheirshapeandgeneralappearance。Hebelievedhewasblazingoutinhismindthiswoodlandtrail,sothatshouldfortunefavorhimandhecontrivetoescape,hewouldbeabletofindhiswaybacktotheriver。Also,hewasenjoyingthewildscenery。
Thisforestwouldhaveappearedbeautiful,eventooneindifferenttosuchcharms,andJoewasfarfromthat。Everymomenthefeltstealstrongeroverhimasubtleinfluencewhichhecouldnotdefine。Halfunconsciouslyhetriedtoanalyzeit,butitbaffledhim。Hecouldnomoreexplainwhatfascinatedhimthanhecouldunderstandwhatcausedthemelancholyquietwhichhungoverthegladesandhollows。Hehadpicturedarealforestsodifferentlyfromthis。Herewasalonglanepavedwithspringymossandfencedbybright—greensassafras;thereasecludeddale,dottedwithpale—blueblossoms,overwhichthegiantcottonwoodsleanedtheirheads,jealouslyguardingthedelicateflowersfromthesun。Beechtrees,growingcloseinclannygroups,spreadtheirstraightlimbsgracefully;thewhitebirchesgleamedlikesilverwhereverastraysunbeamstolethroughthefoliage,andtheoaks,monarchsoftheforest,roseoverall,dark,rugged,andkingly。
Joesoonunderstoodwhythepartytraveledthroughsuchopenforest。Thechief,seeminghardlytodeviatefromhisdirectcourse,keptclearofbrokenground,mattedthicketsandtangledwindfalls。Joegotaglimpseofdarkravinesandheardthemusicoftumblingwaters;hesawgraycliffsgrownoverwithvines,andfullofholesandcrevices;steepridges,coveredwithdensepatchesofbriarandhazel,risingintheway。YettheShawneealwaysfoundaneasypath。
Thesunwentdownbehindthefoliageinthewest,andshadowsappearedlowintheglens;thenthetreesfadedintoanindistinctmass;apurpleshadesettleddownovertheforest,andnightbroughtthepartytoahalt。
TheIndiansselectedashelteredspotundertheleeofaknoll,atthebaseofwhichranalittlebrook。Hereinthisinclosedspaceweretheremainsofacamp—fire。EvidentlytheIndianshadhaltedtherethatsameday,forthelogsstillsmouldered。Whileonebravefannedtheembers,anothertookfromaneighboringbranchahaunchofdeermeat。Ablazewassooncoaxedfromthedullcoals,morefuelwasadded,andpresentlyacheerfulfireshoneonthecircleofduskyforms。
ItwasapicturewhichJoehadseeninmanyaboyishdream;nowthathewasapartofithedidnotdwellonthehopelessnessofthesituation,norofthehostilechiefwhoseenmityhehadincurred。Almost,itseemed,hewasgladofthischancetowatchtheIndiansandlistentothem。HehadbeenkeptapartfromJim,anditappearedtoJoethattheircaptorstreatedhisbrotherwithacontemptwhichtheydidnotshowhim。Silvertiphad,nodoubt,informedthemthatJimhadbeenonhiswaytoteachtheIndiansofthewhiteman\'sGod。
Jimsatwithdroopinghead;hisfacewassad,andevidentlyhetookthemostdishearteningviewofhiscapture。Whenhehadeatenthesliceofvenisongivenhimhelaydownwithhisbacktothefire。
Silvertip,inthesesurroundings,showedhisrealcharacter。Hehadappearedfriendlyinthesettlement;butnowhewastherelentlesssavage,asonofthewilds,freeasaneagle。Hisdignityasachiefkepthimalooffromhisbraves。Hehadtakennonoticeoftheprisonerssincethecapture。Heremainedsilent,steadilyregardingthefirewithhissombereyes。Atlength,glancingatthebigIndian,hemotionedtowardtheprisonersandwithasinglewordstretchedhimselfontheleaves。
JoenotedthesamechangelessnessofexpressionintheotherdarkfacesashehadseeninSilvertip\'s。Itstruckhimforcibly。Whentheyspokeintheirsoft,gutturaltones,orburstintoalow,notunmusicallaughter,orsatgazingstolidlyintothefire,theirfacesseemedalwaysthesame,inscrutable,likethedepthsoftheforestnowhiddeninnight。OnethingJoefeltratherthansaw——thesesavageswerefierceanduntamable。HewassorryforJim,because,ashebelieved,itwouldbeaseasytoteachthepanthergentlenesstowardhispreyastoinstillintooneofthesewildcreaturesabeliefinChrist。
Thebravesmanifestedkeenpleasureinanticipationastowhattheywouldgetoutofthepack,whichtheIndiannowopened。TimeandagainthebigbraveplacedhisbroadhandontheshoulderofacomradeIndianandpushedhimbackward。
Finallythepackwasopened。Itcontainedafewarticlesofwearingapparel,apairofboots,andapipeandpouchoftobacco。ThebigIndiankeptthelatterarticles,gruntingwithsatisfaction,andthrewthebootsandclothestotheothers。Immediatelytherewasascramble。Onebrave,afterastrugglewithanother,gotpossessionofbothboots。Heatonceslippedoffhismoccasinsanddrewonthewhiteman\'sfoot—coverings。Hestruttedaroundinthemafewmoments,buthisproudmannersoonchangedtodisgust。
Cowhidehadnoneofthesoft,yieldingqualitiesofbuckskin,andhurttheIndian\'sfeet。Sittingdown,hepulledoneoff,notwithoutdifficulty,forthebootswerewet;buthecouldnotremovetheother。Hehesitatedamoment,beingawareofthesubduedmerrimentofhiscomrades,andthenhelduphisfoottothenearestone。ThischancedtobethebigIndian,whoevidentlyhadakeensenseofhumor。Takingholdofthebootwithbothhands,hedraggedthelucklessbraveentirelyaroundthecamp—fire。Thefun,however,wasnottobeallone—sided。ThebigIndiangaveamorestrenuouspull,andthebootcameoffsuddenly。Unpreparedforthis,helosthisbalanceandfelldownthebankalmostintothecreek。Heheldontotheboot,nevertheless,andgettingup,threwitintothefire。
Thebravesquieteddownafterthat,andsoonlapsedintoslumber,leavingthebigfellow,towhomthechiefhadaddressedhisbriefcommand,acting,asguard。ObservingJoewatchinghimashepuffedonhisnewpipe,hegrinned,andspokeinbrokenEnglishthatwasintelligible,andmuchofasurprisetotheyoungman。
\"Paleface——tobac\'——heapgood。\"
Then,seeingthatJoemadenoefforttofollowhisbrother\'sinitiative,forJimwasfastasleep,hepointedtotherecumbentfiguresandspokeagainin。
\"Ugh！Palefacesleep——Injunwigwams——nearsettingsun。\"
OnthefollowingmorningJoewasawakenedbythepaininhislegs,whichhadbeenboundallnight。Hewasgladwhenthebondswerecutandthepartytookupitswestwardmarch。
TheIndians,thoughsomewhatquieter,displayedthesamecarelessness:theydidnothurry,noruseparticularcaution,butselectedthemostopenpathsthroughtheforest。Theyevenhaltedwhileoneoftheirnumbercreptuponaherdofbrowsingdeer。Aboutnoontheleaderstoppedtodrinkfromaspring;
hisbravesfollowedsuitandpermittedthewhiteprisonerstoquenchtheirthirst。
Whentheywereabouttostartagainthesinglenoteofabirdfarawayinthewoodssoundedclearlyonthequietair。Joewouldnothavegivenheedtoithadhebeenlessattentive。Heinstantlyassociatedthispeculiarbird—notewiththesuddenstiffeningofSilvertip\'sbodyandhisattitudeofintenselistening。Lowexclamationscamefromthebravesastheybenttocatchthelightestsound。Presently,abovethemurmurofthegentlefallofwateroverthestones,rosethatmusicalnoteoncemore。Itwasmadebyabird,Joethought,andyet,judgedbytheactionsoftheIndians,howpotentwithmeaningbeyondthatofthesimplemelodyofthewoodlandsongster！Heturned,halfexpectingtoseesomewhereinthetree—topsthebirdwhichhadwroughtsosuddenachangeinhiscaptors。Ashedidsofromcloseathandcamethesamecall,nowlouder,butidenticalwiththeonethathaddeceivedhim。Itwasanansweringsignal,andhadbeengivenbySilvertip。
ItflashedintoJoe\'smindthatothersavageswereintheforest;theyhadrunacrosstheShawnees\'trail,andwerethuscommunicatingwiththem。Soondarkfigurescouldbediscernedagainstthepatchesofgreenthicket;theycamenearerandnearer,andnowenteredtheopengladewhereSilvertipstoodwithhiswarriors。
Joecountedtwelve,andnotedthattheydifferedfromhiscaptors。Hehadonlytimetoseethatthisdifferenceconsistedinthehead—dress,andinthecolorandquantityofpaintontheirbodies,whenhisgazewasattractedandrivetedtotheforemostfigures。
Thefirstwasthatofaverytallandstatelychief,towardwhomSilvertipnowadvancedwitheveryshowofrespect。InthisIndian\'scommandingstature,inhisreddish—bronzeface,sternandpowerful,therewerereadablethecharacteristicsofaking。Inhisdeep—seteyes,gleamingfromunderaponderousbrow;inhismastiff—likejaw;ineveryfeatureofhishaughtyfacewerevisibleallthehighintelligence,theconsciousnessofpastvalor,andthepowerandauthoritythatdenoteagreatchieftain。
Thesecondfigurewasequallystrikingfortheremarkablecontrastitaffordedtothechief\'s。Despitethegaudygarments,thepaint,thefringedandbeadedbuckskinleggins——alltheIndianaccoutermentsandgarmentswhichbedeckedthisperson,hewouldhavebeenknownanywhereasawhiteman。Hisskinwasburnedtoadarkbronze,butithadnottheredtingewhichcharacterizestheIndian。Thiswhitemanhad,indeed,astrangephysiognomy。Theforeheadwasnarrowandslopedbackwardfromthebrow,denotinganimalinstincts。Theeyeswereclosetogether,yellowish—brownincolor,andhadapeculiarvibratingmovement,asthoughtheywerehungonapivot,likeacompass—needle。Thenosewaslongandhooked,andthemouthsetinathin,cruelline。Therewasintheman\'saspectanextraordinarycombinationofignorance,vanity,cunningandferocity。
Whilethetwochiefsheldashortconsultation,thissavage—appearingwhitemanaddressedthebrothers。
\"Who\'reyou,an\'whereyougoin\'？\"heaskedgruffly,confrontingJim。
\"MynameisDowns。Iamapreacher,andwasonmywaytotheMoravianMissiontopreachtotheIndians。Youareawhiteman;willyouhelpus？\"
IfJimexpectedtheinformationwouldpleasehisinterrogator,hewasmistaken。
\"Soyou\'reoneof\'em？Yes,I\'lldosuthin\'feryouwhenIgitbackfromthishunt。I\'llcutyourheartout,chopitup,an\'feedittothebuzzards,\"hesaidfiercely,concludinghisthreatbystrikingJimacruelblowonthehead。
Joepaleddeathlywhiteatthiscowardlyaction,andhiseyes,astheymetthegazeoftheruffian,contractedwiththeircharacteristicsteelyglow,asifsomepowerfulforcewithinthedepthsofhisbeingwereatwhiteheatandonlythispaleflashcametothesurface。
\"Youain\'tapreacher？\"questionedtheman,meetingsomethinginJoe\'sglancethathadbeenabsentfromJim\'s。
Joemadenoanswer,andregardedquestionersteadily。
\"Everseemeafore？EverhearofJimGirty？\"heaskedboastfully。
\"BeforeyouspokeIknewyouwereGirty,\"answeredJoequietly。
\"Howd\'youknow？Ain\'tyouafeared？\"
\"Ofwhat？\"
\"Me——me？\"
Joelaughedintherenegadesface。
\"How\'dyouknewme？\"growledGirty。\"I\'llseethetyouhevcausetoremembermeafterthis。\"
\"Ifiguredtherewasonlyoneso—calledwhitemaninthesewoodswhoiscowardenoughtostrikeamanwhosehandsaretied。\"
\"Boy,ye\'retoofreewithyourtongue。I\'llshetoffyourwind。\"Girty\'shandwasraised,butitneverreachedJoe\'sneck。
ThebigIndianhadanhourormorepreviouscutJoe\'sbonds,buthestillretainedthethongwhichwasleftattachedtoJoe\'sleftwrist。Thisallowedtheyoungmanfreeuseofhisrightarm,which,badlyswollenornot,hebroughtintoquickaction。
WhentherenegadereachedtowardhimJoeknockedupthehand,and,insteadofstriking,hegraspedthehookednosewithallthepowerfulgripofhisfingers。Girtyutteredafrightfulcurse;hewrithedwithpain,butcouldnotfreehimselffromthevise—likeclutch。HedrewhistomahawkandwithascreamaimedaviciousblowatJoe。Hemissedhisaim,however,forSilvertiphadintervenedandturnedthecourseofthekeenhatchet。ButtheweaponstruckJoeaglancingblow,inflictingapainful,thoughnotdangerouswound。
Therenegade\'snosewasskinnedandbleedingprofusely。Hewasfranticwithfury,andtriedtogetatJoe;butSilvertipremainedinfrontofhiscaptiveuntilsomeofthebravesledGirtyintotheforest,wherethetallchiefhadalreadydisappeared。
Thenose—pullingincidentaddedtothegayetyoftheShawnees,whoevidentlywerepleasedwithGirty\'sdiscomfiture。TheyjabberedamongthemselvesandnoddedapprovinglyatJoe,untilafewwordsspokenbySilvertipproducedasuddenchange。
WhatthewordswereJoecouldnotunderstand,buttohimtheysoundedlikeFrench。Hesmiledattheabsurdityofimagininghehadheardasavagespeakaforeignlanguage。Atanyrate,whateverhadbeensaidwastrenchantwithmeaning。TheIndianschangedfromgaytograve;theypickeduptheirweaponsandlookedkeenlyoneveryside;thebigIndianatonceretiedJoe,andthenallcrowdedroundthechief。
\"DidyouhearwhatSilvertipsaid,anddidyounoticetheeffectithad？\"
whisperedJim,takingadvantage,ofthemoment。
\"ItsoundedlikeFrench,butofcourseitwasn\'t,\"repliedJoe。
\"ItwasFrench。\'LeVentdelaMort。\'\"
\"ByJove,that\'sit。Whatdoesitmean？\"askedJoe,whowasnotascholar。
\"TheWindofDeath。\"
\"That\'sEnglish,butIcan\'tapplyithere。Canyou？\"
\"NodoubtitissomeIndianomen。\"
Thehurriedconsultationover,SilvertiptiedJoe\'shorseanddogtothetrees,andoncemoreledtheway;thistimeheavoidedtheopenforestandkeptonlowground。Foralongtimehetraveledinthebedofthebrook,wadingwhenthewaterwasshallow,andalwayssteppingwheretherewastheleastpossibilityofleavingafootprint。Notawordwasspoken。Ifeitherofthebrothersmadethelightestsplashinthewater,ortumbledastoneintothebrook,theIndianbehindrappedhimontheheadwithatomahawkhandle。
Atcertainplaces,indicatedbythecarewhichSilvertipexercisedinwalking,theIndianinfrontofthecaptivesturnedandpointedwheretheyweretostep。Theywerehidingthetrail。Silvertiphurriedthemoverthestonyplaces;wentmoreslowlythroughthewater,andpickedhiswaycarefullyoverthesoftgrounditbecamenecessarytocross。Attimeshestopped,remainingmotionlessmanyseconds。
Thisvigilancecontinuedalltheafternoon。Thesunsank;twilightspreaditsgraymantle,andsoonblacknightenvelopedtheforest。TheIndianshalted,butmadenofire;theysatclosetogetheronastonyridge,silentandwatchful。
Joepondereddeeplyoverthisbehavior。DidtheShawneesfearpursuit？WhathadthatIndianchieftoldSilvertip？ToJoeitseemedthattheyactedasifbelievingfoeswereonallsides。Thoughtheyhidtheirtracks,itwas,apparently,notthefearofpursuitalonewhichmadethemcautious。
Joereviewedtheafternoon\'smarchanddweltuponthepossiblemeaningofthecat—likesteps,thecarefulbrushingasideofbranches,therovingeyes,suspiciousandgloomy,theeagerwatchfulnessoftheadvanceaswellastotheear,andalwaysthestrainedefforttolisten,allofwhichgavehimtheimpressionofsomegrave,unseendanger。
Andnowashelayonthehardground,nearlyexhaustedbythelongmarchandsufferingfromthethrobbingwound,hiscouragelessenedsomewhat,andheshiveredwithdread。Thequietandgloomoftheforest;thesefierce,wildcreatures,freeintheheartoftheirownwildernessyetmenacedbyafoe,andthatstrangeFrenchphrasewhichkeptrecurringinhismind——allhadtheeffectofconjuringupgiantshadowsinJoe\'sfancifulmind。Duringallhislife,untilthismoment,hehadneverfearedanything;nowhewasafraidofthedarkness。Thespectraltreesspreadlongarmsoverhead,andphantomformsstalkedabroad;somewhereoutinthatdensegloomstirredthismysteriousfoe——the\"WindofDeath。\"
Nevertheless,hefinallyslept。Inthedull—graylightofearlymorningtheIndiansoncemoretookupthelineofmarchtowardthewest。Theymarchedallthatday,andatdarkhaltedtoeatandrest。SilvertipandanotherIndianstoodwatch。
SometimebeforemorningJoesuddenlyawoke。Thenightwasdark,yetitwaslighterthanwhenhehadfallenasleep。Apale,crescentmoonshowndimlythroughthemurkyclouds。Therewasneithermovementoftheairnorthechirpofaninsect。Absolutesilenceprevailed。
JoesawtheIndianguardleaningagainstatree,asleep。Silvertipwasgone。
Thecaptiveraisedhisheadandlookedaroundforthechief。TherewereonlyfourIndiansleft,threeonthegroundandoneagainstthetree。
Hesawsomethingshiningnearhim。Helookedmoreclosely,andmadeouttheobjecttobeaneagleplumeSilvertiphadworn,inhishead—dress。Itlayonthegroundnearthetree。Joemadesomeslightnoisewhichawakenedtheguard。
TheIndiannevermovedamuscle;buthiseyesrovedeverywhere。He,too,noticedtheabsenceofthechief。
Atthismomentfromoutofthedepthsofthewoodscameaswellingsigh,likethemoanofthenightwind。Itroseanddiedaway,leavingthesilenceapparentlyallthedeeper。