The Sun Maid: A Story of Fort Dearborn

by Evelyn Raymond

  CHAPTER IX.

  AT MUCK-OTEY-POKEE.

  Wahneenah did not lift her eyes. For the moment an unaccustomed fearheld her spellbound, and it was the Sun Maid's happy cry which rousedher at length, and restored them all to composure.

  "Black Partridge! My own dear Feather-man!"

  With a spring, the child threw herself upon the Indian's breast andclasped his neck with her trustful arms. It was, perhaps, thisconfidence of hers in the good-will of all her friends that made themin return hold her so dear. Certain it was that the chief's face nowassumed that expression of gentleness which was the attribute smallKitty ascribed to him, but which among his older acquaintances was notconsidered a leading trait of his character. Just he always was, butrather severe than gentle; and Wahneenah marked, with some surprise,the caressing touch he laid upon the Sun Maid's floating hair as hequietly set her down and himself dropped upon a ledge to rest.

  "You are welcome, my brother. Though, at first, I feared it was somealien who had discovered our cave."

  "It is not the habit of the Happy to fear. She who forebodes dangerwhere no danger is but paves the way to her own destruction."

  Wahneenah glanced at her brother sharply.

  "It is the Truth-Teller himself who has put foreboding into my soul.He--and the new-born love which the Sun Maid has brought."

  The face of Black Partridge fell again into that dignified gravitywhich was its habitual expression and he sat for a long time with the"dream-look" in his eyes, gazing straightforward into the embers oftheir little fire.

  "Is you hungry, Feather-man? We did have such a beau'ful supper. NiceOther Mother can cook fishes and cakes and--things. Shall she cook yousome fish, Black Partridge?"

  "Will my chief eat the food I prepare for him?" asked Wahneenah,seconding the child's invitation.

  "With pleasure. For one hour he will let the cares of his life slipfrom him. He will have this night of peace, and while the meal isgetting he will sleep."

  With a sigh of relief the tall Indian moved a few steps back into thecave and stretched himself at length upon the ground. His eyes closed,and before Gaspar had made ready his line to catch the fresh trout hehad sunk into a profound slumber.

  Wahneenah put her finger to her lip to signify silence, but she neednot have done so. Gaspar had long ago learned the red man's noiselessways, and the Sun Maid immediately placed herself beside the prostratechief, and clasping his hand that lay on his breast snuggled her cheekagainst it, and followed his example.

  The Black Partridge, like most of his race, could sleep anywhere, atany time, and for as long as he chose. He had elected to wake at theend of a half-hour, and he did so on the moment. Sitting up, he gentlyplaced the still slumbering Sun Maid upon the ground and moved forwardto the fire. While he ate the food she had provided for him, Wahneenahcontinued standing near, but a little behind him; ready to anticipatehis needs, and with a humility of demeanor which she showed toward noother person.

  Gaspar watched the pair, wondering if they could really be of the samerace which had destroyed his childhood's home, and now again thatsecond home of his adoption--the Fort. He liked, and was impelled totrust them both, and was already learning to love his foster-mother.But when they began to converse in their own dialect, and withoccasional glances toward himself and the sleeping Kitty, the nativecaution of his mind arose, and made him miserable. He remembered abyword of the Fort:

  "The only safe Indian is a dead one"; and with a sudden sense ofdanger leaped to his feet and ran to bend above the unconscious maid.

  "If you harm her, I'll--I'll--kill you!" he shouted fiercely.

  Wahneenah looked amazed, but the Black Partridge instantlycomprehended the working of the boy's thoughts, and a smile ofsatisfaction faintly illumined his sombre features.

  "It is well. Let every brave defend his own. The Dark-Eye is nocoward. His years are few, but he has the heart of a warrior and achief. He must begin, at once, to learn the speech of his new tribe.He that knows has doubled the strength of his arm. Draw near. There isgood and not evil in the souls of the chief and his sister. We areTruth-Tellers. We cannot lie. We have pledged our faith to theDark-Eye and the Sun Maid--though she needs it not."

  The sincerity and admiration in the Indian's eyes compelled the lad'sobedience; and when, as he stepped into the firelight, the chiefindicated that he should sit beside himself, and also nodded toWahneenah to take her own place opposite, his heart swelled with prideand ambition. So had the white Captain trusted and counselled withhim. He had been faithful through all that dreadful day of massacre,and he had felt the man's spirit within his child-body. Now again, acommander of others, the wise leader of a different people, washonoring him with a share in his council. There must be good in him,and some sort of wisdom--even though so young--else they had paid himno heed. His cheek flushed, his breast heaved, and his beautiful eyesshone with the exultation that thrilled him.

  "Let the chief pardon the child--which I was, but a moment ago. I ambecome a man. I will do a man's task, now and forever. If I suspectedevil where there was none, is it a wonder? I have told Wahneenah, theHappy, the story of my life. The Black Partridge knew it already."

  Quite unconsciously, Gaspar dropped into the Indian manner of speech,and he could not have done a better thing for himself had he ponderedthe matter for long. Black Partridge nodded approvingly, and remarked:

  "Another Sauganash is here! Well, while the Sun Maid sleeps, let usconsider the future. The evil days are near."

  "What is the evil that my brother, the chief, beholds with his innervision?" questioned the woman.

  "War and bloodshed. Still more of war, still more of death. In the endwill our wigwams lie flat on the earth as fallen leaves, while theremnant of my people moves onward, forever onward toward the settingsun."

  Wahneenah kept a respectful silence, but in her heart she resented thedire forebodings of her chief. At last, when her brooding thoughtforced utterance, she inquired:

  "Can not the wisdom of the Black Partridge hinder these days ofcalamity? If the great Gomo, and Winnemeg, and those white braves whohave lived among us, as the Sauganash, take counsel together, andcompel their tribes to keep the peace, and to copy of the pale-facesthe arts which have made them so powerful--will not this avert theevil? Why may there not in some time and place, a mighty grave bedigged in which may be buried all the guns that kill and the knivesthat scalp, with the arrows which fly more swiftly than a bird? Overall may there not be emptied the casks and bottles of the fearfulfire-water, that, passing through the lips of a warrior, changes himto a beast? Then the red man and his pale brother may clasp handstogether and abide, each upon the earth, where the Great Spirit placedhim."

  "It is a dream. Dreams vanish. Even as now the night speeds, and weare far from home. It avails us not to think of what might--but neverwill--be. Occasional friendships bridge the feud between our alienraces, but the feud remains. It is eternal. Endless as the years whichwill witness the gradual extinction of the weaker, because smaller,race. Let us dream no more. Has Wahneenah, my sister, observed how thestore she left in the old cave has grown? How the few sealed jars havebecome many, and how there are heaps of the good gifts which the GreatFather sent to his white children at the Fort for the red children'suse?"

  "Yes. I thought it was the miser, Shut-Hand, who had placed them herein our cave."

  "It was I, the Black Partridge."

  "For what purpose, my brother?"

  "Against the needs of the time I have foretold. It is a sanctuary.Here may Wahneenah, and the young son and daughter which have beengiven her, find shelter and sustenance."

  Something of her old tribal exultation seized the woman, who was agreat chief's daughter. Rising to her fullest height, her fine headthrown slightly back, she demanded, indignantly:

  "Is the heart of my brother become like that of the papoose upon itsmother's shoulders? Was it not to the red men that the victory came,but so brief time past? What were all the pale-faces, in th
eir gaudycostumes, with their music and their guns and their childish way ofbattle? The arrows of our people mowed them like the grass upon theprairie when a herd of wild horses feeds upon it. But yesterday theymarched in pride and insolence, scorning us. To-day, they are carrionfor the crows overhead, or they flee for safety like the cowards theywere born. The Black Partridge has tarried too long among such asthese. He has become their blood brother."

  The taunt was the fiercest she could give, and she gave it from a fullheart. In ordinary so gentle and peace-loving she had been roused, fora moment, to a pitch of emotion which astonished even herself. Yetwhen, as if she had been a fractious child, the chief motioned her toagain become seated, she obeyed him at once. She had set her thoughtsfree, indeed; but she would never presume to fight against theconditions which surrounded her; and obedience to tribal authority wasinborn.

  "The Snake-Who-Leaps will be at the tepee of my sister each day whenthe sun climbs to the point overhead. The three horses will be alwaysready. The children who do not know, and Wahneenah who has, maybe,forgotten how to ride, will practise as he instructs, until there willbe no horse they cannot master, or no spot to which a horse may beguided that they do not know. But here first. That is why the store offood and cloths. At the first assault upon our Muck-otey-pokee, mountand ride. Ride as no squaw nor papoose ever rode before. Here theBlack Partridge will seek them, and here, if the Great Spirit wills,they may be safe. Enough. Let the Dark-Eye go forward and make thehorses ready."

  The Black Partridge rose as he spoke, and striding toward the sleepingSun Maid, took her in his arms and left the spot. Gaspar, alreadydarting onward toward the beloved Tempest, paused, for an instant, andregarded his chief anxiously. But when he saw that the little girl hadnot awakened, he sped forward again, and by the time Wahneenah haddisposed of the remnants of the chief's supper and followed, he hadloosed the animals and led them to the nearest point for mounting.

  Still holding the Sun Maid motionless upon his breast, the BlackPartridge leaped to the back of his own magnificent stallion, whichwhinnied in affectionate welcome of his approach. Then he orderedGaspar:

  "Ride behind me on Tempest, and lead the Snowbird. Wahneenah willfollow all on Chestnut."

  By the time they were out upon the prairie the wind had risen and thesky was heavily clouded. It was so dark that the boy could not seebeyond the head of his own horse, but he could hear the steady,grass-softened footfall of the stallion as, with unerring directness,the Indian chieftain led the way homeward to the village.

  When they rode into it, all Muck-otey-pokee seemed asleep; but theperennially young, though still venerable, Snake-Who-Leaps, had beenprone before Wahneenah's wigwam, and silently rose from the ground asthey drew rein beside him.

  "Ah, the Sleepless! The Wise Man. Did he think his pupils had riddenaway to their own destruction?" asked the squaw, as she stepped downfrom her saddle.

  "No harm can happen the household of my chief save what the GreatSpirit wills."

  "And you think He will not waste time with three wild runaways?"

  "Wahneenah, the Happy, is in good spirit herself. I remembered hernot, save as the message may concern. That is for the ear of my friendand the father of his tribe, the Black Partridge."

  Handing the Sun Maid into his sister's embrace, he for whom themessage waited slipped the bridles of two horses over his arm whilethe Snake-Who-Leaps led the others. Whatever they had to say was notbegun then nor there, and if Wahneenah had any curiosity in the matterit was not to be gratified. Yet she stood, for a moment, listening tothe receding sounds as the darkness enveloped the departing group; andin her heart was born a fresh anxiety because of the little one shecarried, and for the orphan lad who followed so closely at her skirtsas she lifted her tent curtain and entered their home.

  But nothing occurred to suggest that the message of theSnake-Who-Leaps had been one of warning. He was at his post of teacherexactly on the hour appointed on the following day, and this time allhis pupils conducted themselves with a grave propriety that greatlypleased him; and thereafter, for many days, and even weeks, while thedry season lasted, did he instruct and they perform the marvellousfeats of horsemanship which have made the red man famous the worldover.

  "But," said Osceolo one day, tauntingly: "you were the pale-face whowould learn nothing from an Indian!"

  "Because a person is a fool once, need he remain so always?" answeredGaspar, hotly.

  "You were a fool then? I thought so. Once a fool always one."

  "Only an Indian believes that."

  "How? You taunt me? Fight, then!"

  Gaspar Keith was a curious mixture of courage and timidity. Hiscourage came by nature, and his timidity was the result of theterrible scenes through which he had passed now twice, young though hewas. The impress of this terror would remain with him forever; and ifever he became a hero in fact, it would be because of his will and nothis inclination. At present neither the one nor the other inspiredhim; and though he eyed the larger boy scornfully, and felt that hecould easily whip the bully, if he chose, he now turned his back uponhim and walked away haughtily.

  But Osceolo's sneer followed him:

  "The One-Who-Is-Afraid-Of-His-Shadow! Gaspar--Coward!"

  No boy could patiently endure this insult, even though it came fromone much larger and stronger than himself. Gaspar's jacket was off andhis arms bared on the instant; but before he could fling himselfagainst his enemy a strong hand was laid upon his own shoulder, and hewas tossed aside as lightly as a leaf.

  "Hold! Let there be none of this. It is a time for peace in ourvillage. Wait in patience. The hour is coming, is almost here, whenboth the pale-face and the son of my tribe will have need of all theirprowess. Go. Polish your arrows and point their heads, but let therebe none of this."

  It was the great chief himself, who had separated the combatants, andas he stalked majestically onward he left behind him two greatlyastonished and ashamed young warriors. In common, no grown bravebothered himself over the petty squabbles of striplings; unless,indeed, it might be to incite them to further conflicts. For the BlackPartridge to interfere now was significant of something far deeperthan a boyish fight.

  Gaspar put on his coat and walked thoughtfully home to Wahneenah andKitty, while Osceolo slunk away to his own haunts, to lie at lengthupon the grass and plot with a cunning worthy of better ends thevarious devices by which he could torment the young white lad of whomhe was so jealous.

  Wahneenah heard the tale with a gravity that impressed the chief'saction more strongly than before upon the lad's mind; while Kitty tookit upon herself to lecture him with all severity about the dreadful"naughtiness of striking that poor, dear Ossy boy."

  "Hmm, Sunny Maid! you needn't waste pity on him. He doesn't deserveit."

  "Maybe not, Dark-Eye. Maybe not. But heed you the warning. Thedwellers in one village should keep that village quiet," interruptedWahneenah.

  "Yes, but they don't. There are almost as many sorts of Indians hereas there are people. Some of them are horrible. I see them oftenwatching Kitty and me as if they would like to scalp us. It's beenworse within a little while. It grows worse all the time."

  "All the more reason why you should be wise and careful. But it isdark in the tepee, and that's a sign the Dust Chief is almost ready toshut up your eyes. Run, Gaspar, son, and Girl-Child. See which willsleep the first. And to the one who does, the bigger lump of my bestsugar in the morning."

  They ran, as she suggested, but there was to be no further haste tillKitty had made Gaspar kneel beside her and repeat with her the "Now Ilay me" little prayer, which her Fort mothers had taught her. Theshort, simple prayer, beloved of childhood the world over, that hascarried many a white soul upward to its Father. Even to Wahneenah,though her mission training had been of another creed, the childishpetition was full of sacredness and beauty; and as she stood nearthem, she bowed her head humbly and echoed it with all her heart.

  Each was in bed soon after, and each with a lump of the t
oothsomedainty they loved.

  "For Gaspar must have it because he was first; and my Girl-Childbecause she was the last. That equals everything."

  They thought it did, delightfully: if they stayed awake long enough tothink at all. But when they were both asleep, and the sound of theirsoft breathing echoed through the dusky tepee, Wahneenah took her seatat its entrance, and began to sing low and softly, with a sweetness ofvoice which rendered even their rudeness musical, the love songs ofher girlhood.

  As she sang and gazed upward through the trees into the starlit sky,an infinite peace stole over her. Indeed, the joy that possessed herseemed almost startling to herself. All that was sad in her memoriesdropped from them, and left but their happiness; while the presentclosed about her as a delight that nothing could disturb. Her love forthe Sun Maid had become almost a passion with her, and for herDark-Eye there was ever an increasing and comprehending affection.

  She remained so long, dreaming, remembering, and planning, that thefirst grayness of the dawn came before she could go within and takeher own bit of sleep. But Muck-otey-pokee was always early astir; andif for no other reason, because the dogs which thronged the settlementwould allow no quiet after daybreak. That morning they were unusuallyrestless.

  Cried Wahneenah, rising suddenly, and now feeling somewhat the effectsof her late sitting:

  "Can it be sun-up already? The beasts are wild this morning. I havenever heard them so deafening."

  Nor had anybody else. There was no cessation in their barking.

  "It's a regular 'bedlam,' isn't it? That's what the Fort mothers usedto say when there was target practice, and the children cheered theshooters. What makes them bark so?" answered Gaspar.

  Wahneenah shivered, and suggested:

  "Run out and play. Eh? What's that? The Snake-Who-Leaps? So early,and with the horses, too? But mind him not. Take the Sun Maidout-of-doors, but keep close to the green before the lodge. WhereI can see you now and then, while I get breakfast ready."

  Everybody was up; and more than one commented upon the strangeness ofthe three horses being brought to the tepee so early.

  The warning message which had come from the south, and had beendelivered to his chief by the Snake-Who-Leaps, on that dark night someweeks before, was now to be verified. "What the red men have done tothe pale-faces, the pale-faces will now do to them. Retaliation andrevenge!"

  Yet not one was quite prepared for the events which followed. Followedeven so swiftly that the women left their porridge cooking in theirkettles and their cows half-milked; while the men of the villagepromptly seized the nearest weapon, and rushed to the hopelessdefence.

  The rude sound that had startled every dweller in that prettysettlement was the report of a gun. Then came a galloping troop ofcavalry--more firing--incessant, indiscriminate!

  There was a babel of shrieks as the women and little ones fell wherethey stood, in the midst of their work or play. There were theblood-curdling war-whoops of the savages, answering the random shots.Above and through all, one cry rang clear to Wahneenah'sconsciousness.

  "The horses! The horses! Ride--ride--ride--as I have taught you! Foryour lives--Ride!"

  It was but an instant. Wahneenah and her children were amount andafield. But as, in an anguish of fear for his friends, and no thoughtof himself, once more the Snake-Who-Leaps shouted his warning, thewhistle of a death-dealing bullet came to him where he watched, andstruck him down across the threshold of Wahneenah's happy home.