Erskine Dale—Pioneer
Page 14
XIV
Straightway the lad sensed a curious change in the attitude of thegarrison. The old warmth was absent. The atmosphere was charged withsuspicion, hostility. Old Jerome was surly, his old playmates weredistant. Only Dave, Mother Sanders, and Lydia were unchanged. Thepredominant note was curiosity, and they started to ply him withquestions, but Dave took him to a cabin, and Mother Sanders brought himsomething to eat.
"Had a purty hard time," stated Dave. The boy nodded.
"I had only three bullets. Firefly went lame and I had to lead him. Icouldn't eat cane and Firefly couldn't eat pheasant. I got one from ahawk," he explained. "What's the matter out there?"
"Nothin'," said Dave gruffly and he made the boy go to sleep. His storycame when all were around the fire at supper, and was listened to witheagerness. Again the boy felt the hostility and it made him resentfuland haughty and his story brief and terse. Most fluid and sensitivenatures have a chameleon quality, no matter what stratum of adamant bebeneath. The boy was dressed like an Indian, he looked like one, and hehad brought back, it seemed, the bearing of an Indian--his wildness andstoicism. He spoke like a chief in a council, and even in English hisphrasing and metaphors belonged to the red man. No wonder they believedthe stories they had heard of him--but there was shame in many faces andlittle doubt in any save one before he finished.
He had gone to see his foster-mother and his foster-father--old chiefKahtoo, the Shawnee--because he had given his word. Kahtoo thought he wasdying and wanted him to be chief when the Great Spirit called. Kahtoohad once saved his life, had been kind, and made him a son. That hecould not forget. An evil prophet had come to the tribe and through hisenemies, Crooked Lightning and Black Wolf, had gained much influence.They were to burn a captive white woman as a sacrifice. He had stayed tosave her, to argue with old Kahtoo, and carry the wampum and a talk to abig council with the British. He had made his talk and--escaped. He hadgone back to his tribe, had been tied, and was to be burned at thestake. Again he had escaped with the help of the white woman and herdaughter. The tribes had joined the British and even then they wereplanning an early attack on this very fort and all others.
The interest was tense and every face was startled at this calmstatement of their immediate danger. Dave and Lydia looked triumphant atthis proof of their trust, but old Jerome burst out:
"Why did you have to escape from the council--and from the Shawnees?" Theboy felt the open distrust and he rose proudly.
"At the council I told the Indians that they should be friends, notenemies, of the Americans, and Crooked Lightning called me a traitor. Hehad overheard my talk with Kahtoo."
"What was that?" asked Dave quickly.
"I told Kahtoo I would fight with the Americans against the British andIndians; and with _you_ against _him_!" And he turned away and went backto the cabin.
"What'd I tell ye!" cried Dave indignantly and he followed the boy, whohad gone to his bunk, and put one big hand on his shoulder.
"They thought you'd turned Injun agin," he said, "but it's all rightnow."
"I know," said the lad and with a muffled sound that was half the gruntof an Indian and half the sob of a white man turned his face away.
Again Dave reached for the lad's shoulder.
"Don't blame 'em too much. I'll tell you now. Some fur traders came byhere, and one of 'em said you was goin' to marry an Injun girl namedEarly Morn; that you was goin' to stay with 'em and fight with 'emalongside the British. Of course I knowed better but----"
"Why," interrupted Erskine, "they must have been the same traders whocame to the Shawnee town and brought whiskey."
"That's what the feller said and why folks here believed him."
"Who was he?" demanded Erskine.
"You know him--Dane Grey."
All tried to make amends straightway for the injustice they had donehim, but the boy's heart remained sore that their trust was so little.Then, when they gathered all settlers within the fort and made allpreparations and no Indians came, many seemed again to get distrustfuland the lad was not happy. The winter was long and hard. A blizzard haddriven the game west and south and the garrison was hard put to it forfood. Every day that the hunters went forth the boy was among them andhe did far more than his share in the killing of game. But when winterwas breaking, more news came in of the war. The flag that had beenfashioned of a soldier's white shirt, an old blue army coat, and a redpetticoat was now the Stars and Stripes of the American cause. Burgoynehad not cut off New England, that "head of the rebellion," from theother colonies. On the contrary, the Americans had beaten him atSaratoga and marched his army off under those same Stars and Stripes,and for the first time Erskine heard of gallant Lafayette--how he had runto Washington with the portentous news from his king--that beautiful,passionate France would now stretch forth her helping hand. And Erskinelearned what that news meant to Washington's "naked and starving"soldiers dying on the frozen hillsides of Valley Forge. Then GeorgeRogers Clark had passed the fort on his way to Williamsburg to get moneyand men for his great venture in the Northwest, and Erskine got a readypermission to accompany him as soldier and guide. After Clark was gonethe lad got restless; and one morning when the first breath of springcame he mounted his horse, in spite of arguments and protestations, andset forth for Virginia on the wilderness trail. He was going to joinClark, he said, but more than Clark and the war were drawing him to theouter world. What it was he hardly knew, for he was not yet much givento searching his heart or mind. He did know, however, that some strangeforce had long been working within him that was steadily growingstronger, was surging now like a flame and swinging him between strangemoods of depression and exultation. Perhaps it was but the spirit ofspring in his heart, but with his mind's eye he was ever seeing at theend of his journey the face of his little cousin Barbara Dale.