Balle-Franche. English

by Gustave Aimard

  CHAPTER VI.

  THE DEFENCE OF THE CAMP.

  The Redskins have a mode of fighting which foils all the methodsemployed by European tactics. In order to understand their systemproperly, we must, in the first place, bear in mind that the Indianidea of honour is different from ours. This understood, the rest may beeasily admitted. The Indians, in undertaking an enterprise, have onlyone object--success, and all means are good to attain it. Gifted withincontestable courage, at times rash to an excess, stopping at nothing,and recoiling before no difficulty--for all that, when the successof these enterprises appears to them dubious, and that consequentlythe object is missed, they retire as easily as they advanced, notconsidering their honour compromised by a retreat, or by leaving thebattlefield to an enemy more powerful than themselves, or well on hisguard.

  Thus, their system of fighting is most simple, and they only proceed bysurprises. The Redskins will follow the enemy's trail for entire monthswith unequalled patience, never relaxing their watch for a moment,spying him night and day, while ever careful not to be themselvessurprised: then, when the occasion at last presents itself, and theyfancy the moment arrived to execute the project, all the chances for oragainst which they have so long calculated, they act with a vigour andfury which frequently disconcert those they attack; but if after thefirst onset they are repulsed--if they see that those they attack willnot let themselves be intimidated, and are prepared to resist, then, ona given signal, they disappear as if by enchantment, and, without anyshame, begin watching again for a more favourable moment.

  Black, on the advice of the stranger, had placed himself and hisparty in such positions that they could survey the prairie in everydirection. The stranger and himself were leaning on their rifles inthe angle that faced the river. The prairie at this moment presenteda singular appearance. The breeze, which at sunset had risen with acertain strength, was gently dying out, scarce bending the tops of thegreat trees. The moon, almost departed, only cast over the landscape anuncertain and timorous gleam, which, in lieu of dissipating the gloom,only rendered the darkness visible, through the striking contrastsbetween the obscurity and the pale and fugitive rays of the decliningplanet.

  At times, a dull roar or sharp bark rose in the silence, and, like asinister appeal, reminded the emigrant that implacable and ferociousenemies were on the watch around, although invisible. The purity of theatmosphere was so great, that the slightest sound could be heard for animmense distance, and it was easy to distinguish the enormous blocks ofgranite that formed black dots on the ground.

  "Do you know for certain that we shall be attacked this night?" theAmerican asked, in a low voice.

  "I was present at the last council of the chiefs," the unknown replieddistinctly.

  The emigrant bent on her a scrutinising glance, which she recognised,and immediately understood; she shrugged her shoulders disdainfully.

  "Take care," she said to him, with a certain emphasis, "let not doubtinvade your mind; what interest should I have in deceiving you?"

  "I know not," he replied dreamily "but I also ask myself what interestyou have in defending me?"

  "None; since you place the matter on that footing, what do I carewhether your wealth is plundered, your wife, your daughter, andyourself scalped? it is a matter of supreme indifference to me; butmust the affair be only regarded from that side? Do you imagine thatmaterial interests have a great weight with me? If that is youropinion, I shall withdraw, leaving you to get out of your presentposition in the best way you can."

  While uttering these words, she had thrown her rifle over her shoulder,and prepared to climb over the palisade, but Black quickly checked her.

  "You do not understand me," he said; "any man in my place would act asI do; my position is fearful, you allow it yourself; you entered mycamp, and it is impossible for me to guess how. Still, I have hithertoput the utmost confidence in you, as you cannot deny; but I do notknow who you are, or what motive causes you to act. Your words, farfrom explaining, plunge me, on the contrary, into greater uncertainty;the safety of my entire family and all I possess is at stake: reflectseriously on all this, and I defy you to disapprove of my not puttingutter confidence in you, although you are, doubtlessly, deserving ofit, so long as I do not know who you are."

  "Yes," she answered, after a moment's reflection, "you are right, theworld is so, people must first of all give their name and quality;egotism is so thoroughly the master over the whole surface of theglobe, that even to do a person a service, you require a certificateof honesty, for no one will admit disinterestedness of heart,--thataberration of generous minds, which practical people brand as madness.Unfortunately, you must take me for what I appear, at the risk ofseeing me go away, and hence any confidence on my part would besuperfluous. You will judge me by my acts, the only proof I can andwill give you of the purity of my intentions; you are free to accept ordecline my assistance, and after all is over, you can thank or curse meat your choice."

  Black was more perplexed than ever; the stranger's explanations onlyrendered the fog denser, instead of affording him light. Still, inspite of himself, he felt himself attracted toward her. After a fewmoments of serious reflection, he raised his head, struck his riflebarrel smartly with his right hand, and looking his companion well inthe face, said in a firm voice,--

  "Listen, I will no longer try to learn whether you come from God or thedevil; if you are a spy of our enemies, or our devoted friend--events,as you said, will soon decide the question. But bear this in mind, Iwill carefully watch your slightest gesture, your every word. At thefirst suspicious word or movement, I will put a bullet through yourhead, even if I am killed the moment after. Is that a bargain?"

  The stranger began laughing.

  "I accept," she said. "I recognise the Yankee in that proposition."

  After this, the conversation ceased, and their entire attention wasconcentrated on the prairie. The most profound calm still continuedto brood over the desert; apparently, all was in the same state as atsunset. Still the stranger's piercing eyes distinguished on the riverbank several wild beasts flying precipitately, and others escapingacross the river, instead of continuing to drink. One of the truestaxioms in the desert is:--there can be no effect without a cause.Everything has a reason in the prairie, all is analysed or commentedon; a leaf does not fall from a tree, a bird fly away, without theobserver knowing or guessing why it has happened.

  After a few moments of profound examination, the stranger seized theemigrant's arm, and bending down to his ear, said in a weak voice, likethe sighing of the breeze, one word which made him tremble, as shestretched out her arm in the direction of the plain.

  "Look!"

  Black bent forward.

  "Oh!" he said a minute after, "what is the meaning of this?"

  The prairie, as we have already mentioned, was covered in severalplaces by blocks of granite and dead trees; singularly enough, theseblack dots, at first a considerable distance from the camp, seemedapproaching insensibly, and now were only a short way from it. As itwas physically impossible for rocks and trees to move of their ownaccord, there must be a cause for this, which the worthy emigrant,whose mind was anything but subtle, cudgelled his brains in vainto guess. This new Birnam Wood, which moved all alone, made himexcessively uncomfortable; his son and servants had also noticed thesame fact, though equally unable to account for it. Black remarkedspecially that a tree he remembered perfectly well seeing that sameevening more than one hundred and fifty feet from the mound, hadsuddenly come so close, that it was hardly thirty paces off. Thestranger, without evincing any emotion, whispered--

  "They are the Indians!"

  "The Indians?" he said, "impossible!"

  She knelt behind the palisade, shouldered her rifle, and after taking acareful aim, pulled the trigger. A flash traversed the darkness, and atthe same moment the pretended tree bounded like a deer. A terrible yellwas raised, and the Redskins appeared, rushing toward the camp like aherd of wolves, brandishing their weapons, and
howling like demons.The Americans, very superstitious people, reassured by seeing thatthey had only to deal with men, when they feared some spell, receivedtheir enemies bravely with a rolling and well-directed fire. Still,the Indians, probably knowing the small number of white men, did notrecoil, but pushed on boldly. The Redskins were hardly a few yards off,and were preparing to carry the barricades, when a shot, fired by thestranger, tolled over an Indian ahead of the rest, at the instant heturned to his comrades to encourage them to follow him.

  The fall of this man produced an effect which the Americans, whofancied themselves lost, were far from anticipating. As if byenchantment, the Indians disappeared, the yells ceased, and the deepestsilence prevailed again. It might be supposed that all that had passedwas a dream. The Americans regarded each other with amazement, notknowing to what they should attribute this sudden retreat.

  "That is incomprehensible," Black said, after assuring himself by ahasty glance that none of his party were wounded; "can you explainthat, mistress, you, who seem to be our guardian angel, for it is toyour last shot we owe the rest we at present enjoy?"

  "Ah!" she said, with a sarcastic smile, "you are beginning to do mejustice, then."

  "Do not speak about that," the emigrant said, with an angry voice; "Iam a fool; pardon me, and forget my suspicions."

  "I have forgotten them," she replied. "As for that which astounds you,it is very simple. The man I killed, or, at any rate, wounded, was anIndian chief of great reputation; on seeing him fall, his warriors werediscouraged, and they ran to carry him off the field, lest his scalpshould fall into your hands."

  "Oh, oh!" Black said, with a gesture of disgust; "do these Pagans fancywe are like themselves? No, no! I would kill them to the last man, inself-defence, and no one could blame me for it; but as for scalping,that is a different matter. I am an honest Virginian, without a drop ofred blood in my veins. My father's son does not commit such infamy."

  "I approve your remarks," the stranger said, in a sorrowful voice;"scalping is a frightful torture; unfortunately, many white men on theprairies do not think like you; they have adopted Indian fashions, andscalp, without ceremony, the enemies they kill."

  "They are wrong."

  "Possibly; I am far from justifying them."

  "So that," the emigrant joyfully exclaimed, "we are free from these reddevils."

  "Do not rejoice yet; you will soon see them return."

  "What, again?"

  "They have only suspended their attack to carry off their killed andwounded, and probably to invent some other plan, to get the better ofyou."

  "Oh, that will not be difficult; in spite of all our efforts, it willbe impossible for us to resist that flock of birds of prey, who rush onus from all sides, as on a carcass. What can five rifles effect againstthat legion of demons?"

  "Much, if you do not despair."

  "Oh, as for that, you may be easy, we will not yield an inch; we areresolved to die at our posts."

  "Your bravery pleases me," the stranger said, "perhaps all will endbetter than you suppose."

  "May Heaven hear you, my worthy woman."

  "Let us lose no time; the Indians may return to the charge at anymoment, so let us try to be as successful this time as the first."

  "I will."

  "Good! Are you a man of resolution?"

  "I fancy I have proved it."

  "That is true. How many days' provisions have you here?"

  "Four, at the least."

  "That is to say, eight, if necessary."

  "Pretty nearly."

  "Good! Now, if you like, I will get rid of your enemies for a longtime."

  "I ask nothing better."

  Suddenly the war cry of the Redskins was again heard, but this timemore strident and unearthly than the first.

  "It is too late!" the stranger said, sorrowfully, "All that is left isto die bravely."

  "Let us die, then; but first kill as many of these Pagans as we can,"John Black answered. "Hurrah! my boys, for Uncle Sam!"

  "Hurrah!" his comrades shouted, brandishing their weapons.

  The Indians responded to this challenge by yells of rage, and thecombat recommenced, though this time it was more serious. After risingto utter their formidable war cry, the Indians scattered, and advancedslowly toward the camp, by crawling on the ground. When they foundin their road the stump of a tree or a bush capable of offering themshelter, they stopped to fire an arrow or a bullet. The new tacticsadopted by their enemies disconcerted the Americans, whose bullets weretoo often wasted; for, unluckily, the Indians were almost invisible inthe gloom, and, with that cunning so characteristic of them, shook thegrass so cleverly, that the deceived emigrants did not know where toaim.

  "We are lost," Black exclaimed despondingly.

  "The position is indeed becoming critical; but we must not despairyet," the stranger remarked; "one chance is left us; a very poor one,I grant; but which I shall employ when the moment arrives. Try to holdout in a hand-to-hand fight."

  "Come," the emigrant said, shouldering his rifle, "there is one of thedevils who will not get any further."

  A Blackfoot warrior, whose head rose at this moment above the grass,had his skull fractured by the American's bullet. The Redskins suddenlyrose, and rushed, howling, on the barricade, where the emigrantsawaited them firmly. A point-blank discharge received the Indians, anda hand-to-hand fight began. The Americans, standing on the barricadesand clubbing their rifles, dashed down every one who came within theirreach. Suddenly, at the moment when the emigrants, overpowered bynumbers, fell back a step, the stranger rushed up the barricade, with atorch in her hand, and uttering such a savage yell, that the combatantsstopped, with a shudder. The flame of the torch was reflected on thestranger's face, and imparted to it a demoniac expression. She held herhead high, and stretched out her arm, with a magnificent gesture ofauthority.

  "Back!" she shrieked. "Back, devils!"

  At this extraordinary apparition, the Redskins remained for a momentmotionless, as if petrified, but then they rushed headlong down theslope, flying, with the utmost terror. The Americans, interestedwitnesses of this incomprehensible scene, gave a sigh of relief. Theywere saved! Saved by a miracle! They then rushed toward the stranger,to express their gratitude to her.

  She had disappeared!

  In vain did the Americans look for her everywhere; they could notimagine whither she was gone: she seemed to have suddenly becomeinvisible. The torch she held in her hand, when addressing the Indians,lay on the ground, where it still smoked; it was the only trace sheleft of her presence in the emigrants' camp.

  John Black and his companions lost themselves in conjectures on heraccount, while dressing, as well as they could, the wounds they hadreceived in the engagement, when his wife and daughter suddenlyappeared in the camp. Black rushed toward them.

  "How imprudent of you!" he exclaimed. "Why have you left your hidingplace, in spite of the warnings given you?"

  His wife looked at him in amazement.

  "We left it," she replied, "by the directions of the strange woman towhom we are all so deeply indebted this night."

  "What! have you seen her again?"

  "Certainly; a few moments back she came to us; we were half deadwith terror, for the sounds of the fighting reached us, and we werecompletely ignorant of what was occurring. After reassuring us, shetold us that all was over, that we had nothing more to fear, and that,if we liked, we could rejoin you."

  "But she--what did she do?"

  "She led us to this spot; then, in spite of our entreaties, she wentaway, saying that as we no longer needed her, her presence was useless,while important reasons compelled her departure."

  The emigrant then told the ladies all about the events of the night,and the obligations they owed to this extraordinary female. Theylistened to the narrative with the utmost attention, not knowing towhat they should attribute her strange conduct, and feeling theircuriosity aroused to the utmost pitch. Unfortunately, the peculiarway in which the s
tranger had retired, did not appear to evince anygreat desire on her part to establish more intimate relations with theemigrants.

  In the desert, however, there is but little time to be given toreflections and comments; action is before all; men must live anddefend themselves. Hence Black, without losing further time intrying to solve the riddle, occupied himself actively in repairingthe breaches made in his entrenchments, and fortifying his camp morestrongly, were that possible, by piling up on the barricades all thearticles within reach. When these first duties for the common safetywere accomplished, the emigrant thought of his cattle. He had placedthem at a spot where the bullets could not reach them, close to thetent, into which his wife and daughter had again withdrawn, and hadsurrounded them by a quantity of interlaced branches. On entering thiscorral, Black uttered a cry of amazement, which was soon changed into,a yell of fury. His son and the men ran up; the horses and one-half thecattle had disappeared. During the fight the Indians had carried themoff, and the noise had prevented their flight being heard. It seemedprobable that the stranger's interference, by striking the Indians withterror, had alone prevented the robbery being completed, and the wholeof the cattle carried off.

  The loss was enormous to the emigrant; although all his cattle had notdisappeared, enough had been carried off to render further progressimpossible. His resolution was formed with that promptitude socharacteristic of the Northern Americans.

  "Our beasts are stolen," he said; "I must have them back."

  "Quite right," William answered; "at daybreak we will go on theirtrack."

  "I, but not you, my son," the emigrant said. "Sam will go with me."

  "What shall I do then?"

  "Stay in the camp, to guard your mother and sister. I will leave Jameswith you."

  The young man made no reply.

  "I will not let the Pagans boast of having eaten my oxen," Black said,wrathfully. "By my father's soul, I will get them back, or lose myscalp!"

  The night had passed away while the camp was being fortified. The sun,though still invisible, was beginning to tinge the horizon with apurple light.

  "Ah, look!" Black continued, "here's day; let us lose no time, but setoff. I recommend your mother and sister to your care, Will, as well asall that is here."

  "You can go, father," the young man said. "I will keep good watchduring your absence; you may be easy."

  The emigrant pressed his son's hand, threw his rifle, over hisshoulder, made a sign to Sam to follow him, and walked towards theentrenchment.

  "It is useless to wake your mother," he said, as he walked on; "whenshe comes out of the tent, you will tell her what has occurred, andwhat I have done; I am certain she will approve of it. So, good-bye, myboy, and mind you are on the watch."

  "And you, father--good luck!"

  "May Heaven grant it, boy," the emigrant said, sorrowfully. "Suchsplendid cattle!"

  "Stay!" the young man exclaimed, holding his father back, at the momentthe latter was preparing to climb over the barricades. "What is that Isee down there?"

  The emigrant turned quickly.

  "Do you see anything, Will---whereabouts?"

  "Look, father, in that direction. But what is the meaning of it? Itmust be our cattle."

  The emigrant looked in the direction his son indicated.

  "What!" he exclaimed joyfully; "why, those are our cattle. Where onearth do they come from? And who is bringing them back?"

  In fact, at a great distance on the prairie, the American's cattle werevisible, galloping rapidly in the direction of the camp, and raising acloud of dust behind them.