Far Past the Frontier

by James A. Braden

  CHAPTER XVII.

  Danger.

  As Ree spoke, a war whoop sounded clear and strong, instantly followed bya weird, chanting song. In a minute or two this ceased, and then withfiercer war whoops than before, broke out afresh. Quickly the youngpioneers floated nearer the scene of these warlike outbursts, and soonran the nose of their canoe upon the gravelly beach. With fast-beatinghearts they climbed the little bank which rose gradually a few feet backfrom the shore.

  The boys had approached so quietly, and the Indians were so intent onthe war dance that their coming had not been discovered. And wellmight the lads pause in uncertainty as to the manner of the receptionthey would receive; for now they came into full view of the assembledsavages--half-naked warriors in paint and fighting costume, forming acircle and dancing and yelling like the wild barbarians they were, whileold men and young braves and squaws and children looked on in savagerapture. Before either boy could speak Big Buffalo espied them andleaped forward brandishing a tomahawk.

  Instinctively Ree seized his rifle in both hands, ready for instantaction. John did the same, and with an ugly leer the Indian paused. Hisaction had attracted attention, however, and at this critical junctureCapt. Pipe discovered the presence of the visitors, and called angrily toBuffalo to put up his weapon.

  The chief was in full war costume himself, making anything but apeaceable appearance as he met the boys half way, when they obeyed hissignal to approach. But without a word he conducted them to a place inthe circle of spectators gathered around the forty or fifty warriors, andat once the dance went on as though there had been no interruption.

  With terrible gestures of their arms and throwing their bodies into allsorts of warlike attitudes, the Indians danced about in a circle,striking their feet down with great force as they kept time to thebeating of two rude drums and the uncanny song they sang. With a warwhoop a dance was begun and continued for about two minutes, theoutlandish music making the forest ring. Then the singing and dancingstopped and the Indians walked more slowly around the circle.

  In a minute or so another war-cry would sound and the fierce, weird musicand dance would be resumed. Then some old Indian among the spectatorswould clap his hands, signifying that he wished to speak. The dance wouldcease and the dancers walk slowly 'round again, while a speech was made.The address would occupy only a half minute or a minute perhaps, and thenwith another of the horrifying war cries the dancing and singing werestarted afresh.

  Ree and John might have been a thousand miles away for all the attentionthat was given them at first.

  "Perhaps it is merely a festival dance," John whispered to his chum.

  "No, it would be given in the evening if that were true," was the answer."It means the warpath, I am sure."

  John was replying that, whether merely for entertainment or for war, thedance was enough to scarce a civilized person into a trance, when Capt.Pipe suddenly clapped his hands and, as the music ceased, stepped forwardand spoke. All the other speeches had been made in the Delaware tongue,but the first man of the tribe now spoke partly in English. This was forthe purpose of giving them to understand just what was going on, the boyswere quite certain, and frequently the chief pointed toward them.

  In substance Capt. Pipe said that the whites were encroaching too farupon the lands of the Indians and preparations were being made for agreat union of tribes to drive the "Long Knives" back. He promised tolead a large party of his people to join with other Delawares and theWyandots, Shawnees and Miamies in a war which, he boastfully said, wouldsecure to the Indians again the forests in which the Palefaces hadalready settled. He referred to the defeat of the whites eight yearsbefore and the burning of Col. Crawford, and said there would be scalpsand plunder for every warrior who accompanied him.

  John found himself wondering whether the Indians might not undertake towhet their appetites for blood by killing himself and Ree. It was of theterrible torture of Col. Crawford which Ree was thinking, and he found ithard to keep from hating the savages before him, horrible and cruel intheir war paint.

  And could he have looked but a few months into the future and have seenthe awful carnage in which Capt. Pipe and his braves had a prominentpart, at the defeat of General St. Clair near Fort Jefferson, in what isnow Mercer County, Ohio, he could not have restrained his hatred as hedid. He knew in after years what that battle was, and knew that theIndians boasted that their arms ached from their work with the scalpingknife.

  The frightful dance went on when Capt. Pipe had finished speaking, hiswords inspiring the warriors with new vigor who now whirled around thecircle with great rapidity, going through all the motions of attacking,vanquishing and scalping an enemy. At a call from the chief, otherwarriors, who were standing by, sprang into the ring, joining in thesinging and contortions of faces and bodies with furious energy. More andmore followed as from among the dancers Capt. Pipe called from time totime, urging all who wished to win renown as warriors, and to hang scalpsof the hated whites at their belts, to join him.

  Each addition to the whirling, shrieking, blood-thirsty band was greetedwith thunderous whoops and in the end nearly one hundred and fifty braveswere going through all the barbarous awe-inspiring motions of the horridcelebration.

  Well might Ree and John feel alarm for their own safety; but they lookedupon the terrifying scene quite calmly, notwithstanding that, as theirpassions were kindled and their savage patriotism aroused by the fervorof the dance, the Indians gave them many a glance which was far fromfriendly.

  There were two things which Ree could not help but notice as the revelcontinued; one was that Big Buffalo had not joined the dancers, the otherthat Gentle Maiden kept her eyes downcast or looked away across the lake,not once turning toward her father's painted braves. He could not helpthinking it strange that the Buffalo had not signified his intention ofjoining the warriors, and sincerely wished the unfriendly fellow had doneso. There was no other Indian whom he had so much reason to dislike, norone whose absence was so greatly to be desired.

  For more than two hours the dance went on, interrupted only when someone--usually an old Indian whose fighting days were past--clapped hishands as a signal that he wished to make a speech. But at last Capt. Pipecalled a halt and stepped out from among the dancers. With a fierce looktoward Big Buffalo he demanded to know of him why he would not join thewar party.

  Ree and John could not understand all that was said, but they saw plainlythat the chief was angry. In substance the reason of Big Buffalo was thatit would not do for all the strong men to leave the village; that someone must remain to provide meat for the women and children, and toprotect the town.

  Capt. Pipe heard these excuses with a scowl black as a thunder cloud. Hisgiant frame stretched itself to its greatest height and his voice wasfilled with contempt as he flung forth but one word:

  "Squaw!"

  Perhaps the chief thought, as Ree was at that moment thinking, that theBuffalo's main reason for wishing to remain at home, was that he might benear Gentle Maiden. But had the truth been made known, it would have beenshown that the treacherous rascal had other and more wicked reasons inhis heart, as the young settlers were destined soon to learn.

  With a wave of his arm Capt. Pipe dispersed his followers as Big Buffalomade no reply to his contemptuous outburst. The Indians threw themselveson the ground to rest, or went away to their lodges to more fully preparefor the warpath, and the chief, turning to Ree and John, motioned to themto follow. He led the boys to his cabin and his wife placed food beforethem. When they had eaten, Capt. Pipe produced pipes and all threesmoked. It was a silent compact of peace, and pleased indeed were thePaleface lads that the Indian showed this disposition.

  Though it was not this act of friendship which made him bold, for hewould have spoken in the same way under other circumstances, Ree quietlyasked Capt. Pipe why he had determined to go on the warpath.

  The chief made no answer.

  "It is wrong," Ree continued gravely. "You are living here in happines
sand security. No Palefaces have molested you. Your people are contented;they have but to step into the forests for an abundance of game; but toapproach the waters for all the fish they may desire. The ground yieldsrich returns from the labor of the planting season. The Delawares arewell fed and well clothed. Why, then, should they give up the hunt andthe pleasures of their present pursuits to take up the hatchet? Whyshould they seek the lives of others, whether white men or redmen? Theywill only bring sorrow and weeping to their own villages, and sorrow andweeping in many a Paleface home for those who never return. More thanthis, Chief Hopocon, the Great Spirit looks with unhappy eyes upon hischildren who go on the warpath not in defense of their own, but to killand murder those who have not harmed them."

  Knowing Ree even well as he did, John was surprised to hear him speakthus fluently and strongly, but he greatly feared his friend had beenunwise in speaking so boldly.

  For a few seconds Capt. Pipe did not answer. And then he said:

  "The young brother speaks well, but he does not know. His heart is right,but he does not know. With the young men who have come among us astraders and hunters we have no quarrel. They will remain here. They willsend no word of the war dance to the forts. Other Palefaces are crowdingfurther and further. Faster and faster, they are driving the people ofthe forest before them. The young brother does not know this. The youngbrother does not know of the word which every day the runners bring,which tells of the crowding of the Long Knives more and more upon theforest. Now must they be warned to come no further. Now must they bedriven back to the eastward. Else the setting sun will be the home of theDelawares. Too long--too long, have the hands of Hopocon and his warriorsbeen idle; too long--too long, have the Delawares borne in silence."

  Capt. Pipe spoke with emphasis but not violently. As he concluded he roseslowly to his feet. Ree and John followed his example, and with meaningin his gesture far greater than words could have expressed, the chieftainmotioned to them to depart.

  With shoulders thrown back, head erect as proud and dignified as theIndians whom he felt had thus insulted him Ree turned to leave the cabin.But John had no such feeling, nor was he so quick to see that Capt. Pipewas offended by the words of one whom he probably considered a mere boy.He saw only that the object of their visit was not likely to beaccomplished and turning to the Indian said: "Capt. Pipe, we wanted tobuy a little more land, and we need a horse."

  With an impatient, violent sweep of his right hand, the chief touchedJohn's shoulder with his left, and pointed across the lake in thedirection of the cabin by the river.

  Even in this brief time Ree's temper had cooled, and with proud dignityhe turned and offered Capt. Pipe his hand. The Indian took it and alsoshook hands with John. His manner was haughty but not altogetherunfriendly. The boys still felt that they had nothing to fear from him asthey walked away.

  Fishing Bird was near by as usual, as the lads went down to the water'sedge. He was naked to the waist and was bedecked with paint and feathers.He looked really fierce as he strode up to shove off the canoe, not inhis customary happy mood, but with cool indifference. He spoke to Ree inan undertone as the canoe glided free of the beach.

  It was late in the day, and this fact taken in connection with theunpleasant events of the afternoon caused the boys to decide to godirectly to their cabin rather than to go on to the Tuscarawas river uponwhich the Indians were accustomed to travel toward the Ohio, and whichthe lads had planned to explore.

  "What did Fishing Bird say to you, Ree?" asked John as they reachedmid-lake.

  "He said we should watch out for Big Buffalo."

  "Thunderation! I wonder if he isn't jealous of Big Buffalo that he isalways warning us against him? He must know that we know the old roguedoesn't like us, and that is all there is of it!"

  "Oh, I guess Fishing Bird means well; and I'm sorry enough that BigBuffalo isn't going with the war party. It may be that the chief'sdaughter has something to do with his remaining at home, but I do notthink Fishing Bird is jealous. As for us, why the Buffalo has no reasonto hate us on the girl's account. We never even spoke to her."

  "But she has spoken to you, Ree."

  "Never."

  "Yes, she has--with her eyes."

  "What nonsense!" Ree ejaculated. "Big Buffalo is ugly by disposition andhas never forgotten the mistake I made when I overlooked him and supposedFishing Bird to be in command of the hunting party I met that time theymade me prisoner."

  Presently the talk drifted to other subjects, especially to thedisposition of the furs that had accumulated, and the plan to take themto Detroit now seemed the best to follow.

  "But after all," Ree suggested, "we may be able to get a horse from theDelawares when Capt. Pipe and his men have gone."

  "No, he is going to take all the horses. They will dance and feastto-night, and to-morrow they start," John answered.

  "How do you know that?"

  For a moment there was no answer; and then in a hesitating way, "GentleMaiden told me," John confessed.

  "Oh, ho! You've been making love behind my back, have you? When did youtalk with her?"

  "Why, there was no love about it!" exclaimed John with some pretense ofindignation. "We were only talking as anybody has a right to talk. It waswhile they were dancing. And Ree, she speaks better English than herfather. The missionaries among the Moravians who were massacred severalyears ago, taught her. And she thinks it was right that Col. Crawford wasburned because of that massacre, too."

  "I guess you have talked to the Indian girl before to-day, haven't you?Why didn't you tell me?"

  "She spoke to me first, and I--I didn't think you would be interested."

  Ree smiled but said no more. The canoe grated on the lake shore towardtheir home, and the boys took up their task of carrying it overland tothe river.

  "We will write some letters to send home from Pittsburg; for I still hopewe will be able to take our furs there," said Ree, as they trampedalong.

  But in those days of more than one hundred years ago, as at the presenttime, none could tell what changes another sunrise would bring; andneither Ree nor John dreamed of the terrible danger which was closing inaround them, the story of which is told in "Two Boy Pioneers".

  THE END.W.B.C.