第3章

"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。