The Island of Yellow Sands: An Adventure and Mystery Story for Boys

by Ethel C. Brill

  XXVII

  NANGOTOOK'S CAPTIVITY

  Nangotook had followed the caribou trail to the bog the animals were inthe habit of visiting, and there he had wounded a stag so badly that itfell in its tracks. He ran up to it, and, finding it still alive, wasstooping to give it the death stroke, when something struck him suddenlyon the back of the head, and he knew nothing more. This part of thestory he told somewhat shamefacedly. He was at a loss to understand howan enemy could have crept up on him, and blamed himself for allowing thecaribou he was stalking to occupy all of his senses, to the exclusion ofeverything else.

  When his spirit came back to his body, he was lying on his back, legsand arms bound, beside a fire, in a little open place surrounded bytrees. It was dark, but he could not tell how far advanced the nightwas, for no stars were visible. On the opposite side of the fire sat theCree Indian he had seen with Le Forgeron Tordu, and over the flames wasa scaffold where meat was drying, the flesh of the caribou he hadkilled, as he learned later. Nangotook lay still, and, his head being inshadow, his open eyes were not noticed by the Cree. Presently a figurecame out of the woods and up to the fire. Nangotook recognized thestrong, squat form and ugly, scarred face of Le Forgeron.

  After taking a look at the drying meat, the Frenchman came around thefire, and, standing directly over Nangotook, looked down at him.Thinking nothing was to be gained by feigning sleep, the Ojibwa staredback at Le Forgeron defiantly. He expected the taunt and ridicule thatare usually heaped upon the Indian captive, but Le Forgeron merelynodded in a friendly manner and sat down beside his prisoner. The reasonfor his friendliness was not long in appearing. He had a proposition tomake.

  He knew, he said, that Nangotook and his companions were seeking a richgold mine, but he, Awishtoya, intended to have that gold for himself.What could boys like the young Havard and the red-haired Kennedy do withsuch a mine, he asked. They were only lads without sense or judgment. Ifthey found the gold they would go back to Montreal and brag of it, andother men, wiser and cleverer than they, would get control of the mine.All that the boys would ever gain from the discovery would beexperience, but no riches. Then what would happen to Nangotook? If hethought he would share in the wealth of the mine, he was mistaken. Theyoung are always ungrateful, and the lads would have no use for theirguide once they had found the treasure. But even if they did not proveungrateful, it would make no difference. They would be powerless toreward him, while the rich and clever men, who would take the mine awayfrom them, would acknowledge no obligation to a poor savage. They wouldscorn him and kick him out when he went to plead for his share of thegold.

  While the white man was presenting his argument, Nangotook kept silent,knowing well what the other was leading up to. At that point, however,it occurred to him that he might gain time and also learn more aboutwhat Le Forgeron actually knew of their quest, if he appeared to beinfluenced by the Frenchman's arguments. So, when the latter describedthe treatment the poor Indian would receive at the hands of the men whowould gain control of the mine, the Ojibwa allowed his expression tochange and even gave a little grunt of assent. Thus encouraged, theBlacksmith began to show his purpose more plainly. He admitted withapparent frankness that, while he knew in general where to search forthe gold mine, he was not familiar with its exact location. Otherwise hewould not have troubled himself to bring Nangotook to his camp. His evilsmile conveyed the impression that he would merely have struck theIndian down at the first good opportunity, and so have got him out ofhis way. However, he had spared Nangotook's life and had brought himhere, because he had need of him. Undoubtedly he, Awishtoya, could findthe place if he searched closely enough, but the season was gettinglate, and he wanted to leave the lake before winter came. So he hadtaken this method, a harsh one he admitted, to have an interview withthe Ojibwa and make him a proposition. If Nangotook would abandon histwo companions and lead Le Forgeron to the gold mine, he would promisehim half of all the wealth obtained from it, a generous offer, for theIndian would share none of the expense of taking out and transportingthe gold.

  Le Forgeron paused impressively at this point to let the idea sink in.Nangotook appeared to consider the proposition for some moments, then,speaking for the first time, asked what he, a poor Indian, with simplewants, could do with such great wealth. His question was cleverly framedto give the impression that he knew the wealth in question would beindeed very great. He saw a gleam in the Frenchman's eyes that assuredhim his shot had struck home.

  In answer to the Indian's question, Le Forgeron launched into a long andvivid description of the delights of wealth and of all the wonderfulthings Nangotook could do with it. Though selfish and evil himself, hewas clever enough to realize that the Indian he was dealing with was ofa higher type than most of his fellows. He not only described thepleasures of personal indulgence that could be bought with riches, butenlarged upon the opportunity to obtain power and become the greatestchief of the Ojibwas and of all the Indian tribes, able to deal on termsof equality with the white men and their chiefs, even with the greatwhite father across the sea in England and the other white father whomthe men who called themselves Americans served! Nangotook could make hisown people the greatest, the most prosperous, the happiest of all theIndian nations. He could prevent them from ever knowing famine, or evenhunger again, though the game should disappear from the woods, the fishfrom the lakes, and the wild rice from the streams and the marshes, forhe could purchase from the white men great ship loads of flour, pork andall other articles of food. He could supply his people with the best ofguns and all the ammunition they needed, with an abundance of ironkettles, utensils and implements of all kinds, the thickest and warmestof blankets, clothes as good as the richest white men wore and luxuriesand ornaments that would arouse the envy of all the other tribes. TheOjibwas could tread under their feet their hereditary enemies, the greatSioux nation.

  It was a vivid and, to an Indian, an attractive picture Le Forgeronpainted, and Nangotook admitted that it would have moved him greatly ifhe had had any confidence in the good faith and promises of the manbeside him. But he knew Awishtoya, and as he lay looking up into hisface, appearing to drink in his words, he could see, he declared, thegreed and treachery and evil under the innocent expression.

  "His words were smooth and sweet to the ear as the maple sap in springis to the taste," said Nangotook, "yet I knew that he spoke with aforked tongue, and in his voice I could hear the hissing of the spottedsnake."

  The Ojibwa knew better than to refuse the proposition at once however.He must play for time until he could find some means of escape. So heappeared to consider the Blacksmith's offer, but said he could not makeup his mind on such an important matter so quickly. He must have timeto think. Perhaps by the next morning he would be able to give ananswer.

  Le Forgeron was familiar with Indian nature and knew he would gainnothing by arguing farther just then, but might lose some of theinfluence he had already acquired. So he dropped the subject, andleaving his captive's side, ordered the Cree to give "the guest"something to eat. The Cree did as he was commanded, bringing Nangotook alarge birch bowl of steaming caribou stew, and untying his hands so hecould eat it. After the prisoner had eaten, Le Forgeron offered him sometobacco. Nangotook did not feel that he could refuse it without excitingthe white man's suspicions. To have smoked it, however, would have beena sign of peace between them. The Ojibwa, being too honest for that,managed in the darkness to slip the tobacco into his pouch, and to takeout a little of his own kinni-kinnik instead. After he had smoked, theCree tied his hands again, and Nangotook closed his eyes and appeared tosleep.

  He had no chance to escape that night. Even if he had been able to loosehis bonds, he could not have got away, for one or the other of hiscaptors remained awake to tend the meat on the scaffold. The nextmorning he still delayed answering Le Forgeron Tordu's proposition,making the excuse that, though he had asked for counsel, his totem orguardian spirit had not signified either in a dream or in any other waywhat he should do. Awisht
oya's words and promises had sounded good tohim, he said, but the matter was a serious one. He had never deserted acompanion who trusted him, and he was bound especially to Jean Havard bygratitude to Jean's father, who had saved his life. What would become ofthe two white lads if he forsook them, he asked.

  Le Forgeron had been expecting that question, and had a ready answer. IfNangotook would lead him to the gold mine at once, he would then leavethe Ojibwa free to return to the two boys, whom he would pledge himselfnot to injure in the meantime. Of course Nangotook must promise not toreveal to them that he had found the mine. Instead he must tell themthat he could not find the place. Then he must take them awayimmediately to Grande Portage. "In that way," said the crafty Frenchman,"you can fulfill your agreement with me, and at the same time save thelives of your companions, and return the young Havard to his father."Again he smiled his evil smile, hinting that if Nangotook did not accepthis proposition, the lives of his comrades would most certainly not besaved.

  Again the Indian read the evil purpose underlying the smooth words. Hewas sure that no matter what agreement he made, the Blacksmith wouldnever, if he could help it, let any of the three escape alive. They knewtoo much about his plans and purposes. It would be much simpler for himto destroy them all, than to risk their telling tales against him if hefound the gold and did not share his fortune with them. The Ojibwa wasconvinced that Le Forgeron was not the kind of a man to share anything,whatever he might promise. He kept his thoughts to himself though, and,after appearing to consider for some time, answered that he would askhis totem for counsel again that night, and would give his reply thefollowing morning. Once more Le Forgeron, used to dealing with savageswho could not be hurried, consented. He had not used all his argumentsyet, but was saving the strongest for the last, and he felt very sure heshould succeed. Apparently, it did not occur to him that his prisonermight not know just where the gold mine was. He seemed perfectlyconfident that the Indian could lead him there speedily if he would, andNangotook was careful not to undeceive him. He knew that his life andthat of the two boys hung on the Frenchman's belief that the Ojibwacould be useful to him.

  The task of guarding the captive was left to the Cree that day, and heproved a careful and zealous guard. Not for one moment did he go out ofsight of his prisoner, and Nangotook, after sounding him cautiously,decided that he could not be tampered with. His loyalty to, or fear of,Awishtoya was too great.

  There was no drying meat to be watched that night, and the prisonerhoped for a chance of escape. He had carefully tried his bonds, and hadmade up his mind that there was no way of slipping or loosening them. Hemust gnaw through the thongs, cut them by drawing them across somethingsharp, or burn them by placing them against a live coal. The gnawingwould take a long time, and if he was found with partly severed bonds,he knew he would be tied more tightly as a result, his hands boundbehind his back probably so that he could not get at them. Up to thattime, though his wrists were firmly fastened together, his arms had notbeen tied to his body. No knives or sharp things were within reach, sohe resolved to try burning the thongs.

  He lay with his feet to the fire, and to reach it he must roll over andaround. He waited for a good opportunity to make the move, but thechance was slow in coming. The Cree slept close to him, and slept verylightly. Every time Nangotook made the slightest movement, the lattereither woke or stirred in his sleep as if about to wake. At last thecaptive succeeded in rolling over and turning part way around, but hisguard woke and gave him a brutal kick. It was some time before the Creesettled down to sleep again. As soon as the latter was breathing deeply,Nangotook attempted to turn a little farther, but a stick under himcracked, and the Cree was up in a moment. Probably he suspected what hisprisoner was trying to do, for, after giving him another savage kick, hereplenished the fire and sat close to it, wide awake, the rest of thenight.

  Balked in his attempts to escape, Nangotook had to fence for time again.He thought seriously of appearing to agree to Le Forgeron's proposal,and leading him somewhere, anywhere. His ankles would have to be unboundfor land traveling, but he knew that he would be forced to go ahead witha loaded weapon at his back. He might have to travel so far before hecould escape, that it would be difficult to get back to the boys.Moreover, before they started, either Le Forgeron or the Cree mightwaylay and destroy the lads. Why the Blacksmith had not done so beforethat, the Ojibwa could scarcely understand.

  Once more he tried to put Le Forgeron off, but this time he did notsucceed so well. The Twisted Blacksmith grew angry at the delay and toldhim sharply that he could not have another night to make up his mind. Hemust decide before sunset, so they might start that evening. TheFrenchman would delay no longer. He thought the time had come to trythreats as well as persuasion, so he told Nangotook that unless heagreed promptly it would be the worse for him and his friends. He hadthe Ojibwa in his power and could do what he willed with him. The twoboys were as good as in his hands. They could not escape him. When thethree were once "out of the way," he would find the gold anyway, heasserted. He knew the place was near by. A week's search at the farthestmust reveal it to him. Then Nangotook would have sacrificed his life andhis companions' lives all for nothing, when he might have had wealth andpower.

  The Indian appeared deeply concerned at these threats, and promised tomake up his mind by nightfall. From the white man's remarks he hadlearned two important things, first that Le Forgeron had no definiteidea where the gold mine was, and second that he did not associate itwith the Island of Yellow Sands. Whatever he had heard of the lads'conversation that night at the Grande Portage, he had not caughtanything that served to connect their search with the island of theIndian tales, tales he must have heard more than once. He knew merelythat they were seeking some rich deposit of gold, and he had beenfollowing them without any knowledge where they would lead him. It wasevident that he suspected the mine was either on or near the island ofMinong.

  Le Forgeron was both restless and ugly that morning, abusing the Creeuntil Nangotook wondered the latter did not turn on him. The Indianappeared to be a sort of slave to the white man, and was in deadly fearof him. Probably it was the magic power which the Indians, and many ofthe whites as well, supposed the Twisted Blacksmith to possess, that hisslave dreaded, rather than his brutality or physical strength.

  Some time after the sun had reached its height and had begun to declineagain, Le Forgeron told the Cree sharply to look to his charge. He wasgoing to leave the island a while he said, but he might be back anytime, and unless he found everything to his satisfaction, the Cree knewwhat would happen. Then he cast a threatening glance at Nangotook, andwent limping off among the trees. The captive had suspected from theappearance of the place that the camp was on a small island, but he hadnot been sure until now. The departure of Le Forgeron worried him, forhe feared his enemy might be going to work some evil on the two boys.The man hated Ronald, and would not be content, the Indian believed,with merely killing the lad, but would devise some especially cruel wayof getting rid of him. Yet Nangotook could not follow Le Forgeron. Evenif he could escape the watchful eyes of the Cree, or manage in some wayto overpower him, he could not get away until the Blacksmith came back,for the latter must have taken his canoe. There was nothing for thecaptive to do but to remain quiet and feign indifference.

  Nangotook did not have to give his decision at sunset, for Le Forgeronhad not returned. Darkness fell and night came on, but still theFrenchman did not come. The breeze brought the smell of smoke from thenortheast. Nangotook was sure the woods were burning somewhere. Thesmoke grew thicker, and the Cree became anxious, but would not leave hischarge even to find out if the fire was on the island.

  After a time the smoke thinned, and was hardly perceptible by the timeLe Forgeron returned. Nangotook feigned to be sleeping, and theBlacksmith did not disturb him. Le Forgeron seemed restless. He wouldsit by the fire for a few minutes, then get up and wander off throughthe woods. As long as his master was awake, the Cree feared to sleep,but both of them
quieted down at last. As if to make up for their formerwakefulness, they slept with unusual soundness.

  When his captors were snoring loudly, Nangotook made another attempt toreach the fire. That time he succeeded. Lying on his side, he stretchedhis arms out over the embers, and held the thongs against a glowing coaluntil they were so charred he could pull them apart. He burned hishands and wrists in the process, but he did not heed the pain. When hishands were free, he did not untie his feet immediately, but quietly andslowly, a few inches at a time, dragged himself over the ground, awayfrom the Cree and into the shadows of the trees. There, behind a bush,he untied the cords that were about his ankles, rose to his feet andslipped silently into the woods. The cry of an owl caused him to ducksuddenly. The noise must have disturbed Le Forgeron, for Nangotook heardhim mumble an oath.

  The Ojibwa remained motionless, expecting every moment that his absencewould be discovered, and that he would have to run or fight. His bow andarrows, knife and ax had been taken from him when he was first captured,before he regained consciousness. But neither Le Forgeron nor the Creeroused enough to think of the prisoner. He waited a while, until he wassure from their deep breathing that they were sleeping soundly, thenslipped away, going in the same direction the Frenchman had gone thatmorning. The goings and comings of the two had made a clear trail, andeven in the darkness Nangotook had no trouble in keeping it. It led himto a rocky shore where a canoe lay above water line.

  Day was dawning, and the Ojibwa knew he must hurry. Perhaps it was hishaste that prevented him from noticing whether there was another canoeanywhere near by. Indeed he never thought of there being more than one.Embarking at once, he paddled away swiftly but without sound. He couldsee that the island, where he had been held, was off the main shore ofthe big island, to the southwest of the cove mouth, and he made speedback towards the camp where he had left his comrades. He was steering torun between the burned island and the shore, when he heard Jean's callacross the water, the Indian call he had taught the lad when he was alittle child. Nangotook not only knew the call, but he recognized Jean'svoice and his way of uttering the syllables.