The Trail of the Seneca

by Burt L. Standish

  CHAPTER IV--WATCHED

  "Peaceful as a Nanny goat," was Kingdom's declaration upon returningfrom his scouting expedition a quarter of an hour later, and both boyssat down to their evening meal feeling for the time quite secure. As wasnatural, however, their conversation still centered upon the strangenews and warning which had come to them and they discussed many plans ofpossible action.

  One thing seemed apparent; they must remain near the cabin or theIndians, finding it empty, would be very likely, under Lone-Elk'sleadership, to destroy it. Except to stay where they were, therefore,and face the Seneca and his charges, only one course was open. This wasto take their horses and such goods as could be carried, and seek theprotection of Fort Pitt or Gen. Wayne's army encamped near there.

  Of the whole evening's talk, however, but one thing, in addition to theplan argued at the very first, was settled. It was that John should bein readiness to make his escape if such a move were found necessary. Itwas he and he alone who was charged with witchcraft. Fishing Bird hadmade this plain. Ree would be in danger only as the friend of the"witch" and it was unlikely, considering the friendly relations the boyshad always sought to maintain with the Delawares, that harm would cometo the elder lad unless some specific charge were lodged against him, orunless he should be forced into the fight in defense of his friend.

  The latter situation was what Ree himself fully expected. If there wasto be trouble he would court his full share of it and he would not havethought of planning otherwise.

  Soon after supper the boys covered their fire with ashes, making theinterior of the cabin completely dark; and though they spent thesucceeding hours in conversation they watched the surrounding clearingfrom the loopholes.

  Neither had much desire to sleep, but at last John prevailed uponKingdom to lie down for awhile, and he alone remained on guard untilnearly morning. Once he was given a lively thrill when a dark objectemerged slowly and cautiously from the woods and crept toward the cabin.But the visitor proved to be only a wolf, which presently trotted awayand was lost in the shadows again, and Jerome was well pleased that hehad given Kingdom no chance to laugh by taking alarm when no dangerthreatened.

  Some time before daybreak, Ree, who had slept but little, arose andordered John to bed. The latter reluctantly obeyed. "For," he said, "ifa surprise is what the Seneca has in mind, it will be just beforemorning that they'll be most likely to come."

  But the long night passed without a disturbing sound. When Jeromebounced out of his bunk of blankets spread upon freshly gathered leaves,after troubled dreams in which Big Buffalo pursued him with an upraisedhatchet resembling a gorgeously colored sunset cloud, it was to find acheerful blaze in the fireplace and Ree washing up the dishes leftuntouched since supper. The door stood open and the cool, pure air withits scent of frost-nipped leaves was like a tonic. The tinkle of thewater along the banks of the river below rose musically in the almostperfect quiet prevailing in both the woods and clearing, and nowhere wasthere hint or sign that danger lurked near and nearer.

  Waiting--lingering over their breakfast, glancing often and anxiouslythrough the open door and frequently going out to scan the clearing fromside to side and from end to end--waiting, they hardly knew forwhat,--in the early morning the young settlers began to find timehanging heavily on their hands.

  They were not accustomed to such inactivity. To feel compelled to remainidle, too, when there were so many things they wished to be doing, wasalmost as trying as it was to bear up cheerfully under the constantthought that the next hour,--the next minute, even--might find themfighting for their very lives.

  "This certainly seems like a lot of foolishness," said John, at lastimpatiently.

  "But seeming and being are two altogether different things," Reeanswered. "Still, it's not very comfortable or enjoyable, I'll admit.But what else can we be doing?"

  "Some one's coming!" exclaimed John in an undertone, instantly changingthe trend of both his own thoughts and Ree's. He was standing out wherehe could command a view of the river, while Kingdom sat in the doorway.

  Quietly and with an appearance of unconcern Ree rose and went forward.Looking in the direction John in a whisper indicated, he saw threehalf-naked savages two hundred yards or more up the stream. They werehastily dragging a canoe out of the water and up onto the bank oppositethat on which the cabin stood.

  "Holler at them! Sing out something!" John urged, looking toward theIndians again himself. Not to attract their notice he had at firstpretended he did not see them. "Blest if I know any of them!" he added,looking more closely.

  Already the redskins were well up on the river bank and two of them hadlifted the canoe up to their shoulders.

  "I can't make out why they are leaving the water in that way," Reeanswered. "Maybe we can find out. Ho, there! Howdy, brothers!"

  Kingdom's voice was clear and strong. There could be no doubt of theIndians having heard him, but the only effect of his words, apparently,was to send them hurrying into the woods the faster and in anothersecond they had disappeared from sight.

  "Umph!" Kingdom ejaculated wonderingly, "I believe they're afraid ofyou, John,--afraid to sail down past us! But you can't tell much aboutit, either. It may be they thought they'd find us gone and were taken bysurprise to find out otherwise."

  "Well, it shows one thing, we never saw such a queer piece of businessbefore, and it simply proves that there's something wrong and mostlikely it's just what Fishing Bird told us," John answered, prettysoberly.

  "Yes, it proves that there's something up, sure, and I guess we're bothtired of waiting to find out more about it," said Kingdom decisively."So I'll tell you what we'll do: Just you keep yourself safe somewhereand I'll ride Phoebe over to the Delaware town and find out all aboutit. We'll surely get no news, good or bad, from Indians happening to goby if they all break into the woods on the far side of the river, beforegetting here!"

  "Ree, you've told me a thousand times, if you've told me once, to beprudent. Now how about being prudent yourself? We'd better wait! We'llget some word, yet."

  Kingdom made no answer at once, but he was still thinking of the plan hehad so impulsively proposed and the more he pondered the more itappealed to him. Then he began to give John the benefit of histhoughts--began to argue that they could not afford to waitindefinitely, with only their supposition that they would be attacked asa reason; began to point out that the time to win the favorableattention of Captain Pipe was before fighting took place, not afterward;began to regret that he had not gone to the town of the Delawaresearlier. But he would not admit that he himself would be in danger,though ever so anxious lest John should not properly take care ofhimself in his absence.

  As usual, Kingdom had his way, though in this case it might well bequestioned whether his was the right way, all things considered, andespecially in view of what happened afterward.

  With a final word of caution to John to keep himself safe by stayingwithin easy reach of the cabin's thick walls, Kingdom mounted the docilemare, given them by Theodore Hatch, the Quaker, and set off at a gallop.It was a delightfully warm, sunny autumn day and but for the load uponhis spirits the daring young rider, dashing in and out among the trees,where the rough trail crooked and curved, would have been buoyantlyhappy. The ground was carpeted with freshly fallen leaves. The foliageof the underbrush was still scarcely touched by the frost, and thecawing of the crows and chatter of numerous smaller birds imparted afeeling as if life were a long, bright holiday.

  Still, Ree could not rid his mind of the sense of danger which, like ashadow, followed always closely with him, and he turned over and over inhis thoughts plan after plan for laying the whole cause of his visitclearly before Captain Pipe, and asking his interference.

  Fresh and active, Phoebe kept a steady, rapid gallop, wherever theoverhanging branches would permit such speed, and in but little morethan an hour Kingdom drew rein within a short walk of the Indian town.

  It was Ree's intention to ascertain as fully as possible just wha
t theDelawares were doing, and then, if the situation were not too serious,ride up to and among the scattered collection of huts as boldly andfreely as he would have done on any other occasion.

  But his pause to reconnoiter was fortunate. He had left the portagetrail, an extension of which led to the village, and sheltered himselfamong some small, low trees thickly growing between the path and thelake. Dismounting, he listened closely but heard no sound. Even theIndian town must be very quiet, he thought, that not so much as a voiceor the bark of a dog was heard. However, he slipped the bridle rein overPhoebe's head and hung it loosely upon a short, projecting branch,preparatory to going forward to investigate on foot.

  A footstep, light as a feather, but instantly caught by his quick ear,made Ree start. Over his shoulder he saw, half hidden by some bushes, aface turned toward him and a hand upraised in a way commanding silence.

  "Gentle Maiden!" He spoke the name in an undertone, which showed bothhis surprise and his friendly feeling for the one addressed.

  "I heard the hoofs of your horse," said the Indian girl, drawingstealthily nearer and in the same manner looking all about her. "MyPaleface brother's friend--he is not here." Her words seemed to put aquestion she feared to more directly ask, and Kingdom realized at once,if he had ever doubted before, that the warning from Fishing Bird wasnot without most serious reason.

  While the young white man hesitated to speak, not knowing just how muchhe dared let the daughter of Captain Pipe understand that he knew, shecontinued:

  "My Paleface brother is in danger. Big Buffalo was found dead andLone-Elk, the stranger from afar, has said a witch has done it--killedBig Buffalo with a witch's hatchet that leaves no mark. Lone-Elk saysthe witch is Little Paleface, the friend of my brother here,--says hesaw Little Paleface, bewitched, strike the Delaware down. Even now haveLone-Elk and some others gone to seize him."

  "And Captain Pipe, your father--does Captain Pipe let them do this?" Reeasked, trying to remain calm.

  "The custom is that the witch must die," the girl made answer, turningher eyes away.

  "Gentle Maiden, you know that John Jerome--you know that Little Palefaceis no witch; that he no more killed Big Buffalo than you did." Kingdom'svoice was half angry in its impatient earnestness.

  "The customs of the Indians are not the customs of the white people,"the girl made answer. "Lone-Elk is powerful. What Gentle Maiden believeswould be as dipping water from the lake yonder with a cup--making nodifference one way, no difference another."

  "But Captain-Pipe knows better, Gentle Maiden."

  "Hopocon--my father, that you call Captain Pipe--wants none of thePaleface teachings. When the missionaries told Gentle Maiden long agothere were no witches, he only pitied them that they knew no better."

  "But--"

  "No, no!" the girl broke out hurriedly. "My Paleface brother must notwait talking here. That which is, must be. Not long has Lone-Elk beengone. By riding fast the White Fox can reach his cabin before the comingof the Seneca, and with Little Paleface soon be far away where Lone-Elkwill not find them. Haste! Gentle Maiden has done all she can. Palefacebrother must not remember who has told him this, but oh, he mustremember what he has heard! Hurry, hurry, now, or--"

  "I'll go, Gentle Maiden, I'll go. If I can ever pay back the kindnessyou have done both John and me, I'll not be slow to do it, you may besure. But it's a downright shame--no, what I mean is that you need neverfear anyone will so much as suspect that you told me this or anything.Good-bye, good-bye."

  With such feverish anxiety and haste did Ree speak, now that he was bentonly on flying to John's rescue, he scarce knew what he said; but in atrice he was in the saddle. And yet quickly as he moved, when he turnedto give a parting nod the Indian girl was gone.

  Long familiarity with the woods had made the beautiful, intelligentmare, Phoebe, almost as free and light-footed among the trees and brushand rough ground, often broken by rougher roots and fallen branches, asa deer. Kingdom placed all dependence in his horse's ability to avoid orclear every obstruction and urged the gentle creature to the utmost,paying little heed to anything save to escape the limbs of treesoverhead as he hastened on. He had at once concluded that Lone-Elk andhis band were undoubtedly traveling toward the cabin by the route to theeast of the lake and the swamp which bounded a considerable portion ofit, for otherwise he must have met them. He knew that they could easilyhave heard him approaching and hidden themselves until he passed, butlong training had made his ears sharp and his eyes the same. Maybe hehad this time, however, placed too much dependence in them.

  "Anyhow, we'll soon know, my pet," he murmured with teeth clenched, andPhoebe seemed to understand.

  Out upon the bluffs above the river, into the open for a moment, thendown the precipitous hills and across the water at a shallow place horseand rider went, and, emerging soon from the woods again, were in thenatural clearing--the clearing which had originally tempted the boypioneers to locate here.

  All was quiet. The cabin stood like a sentry at rest on the high bankrising abruptly from the river, then sloping down on all sides away fromit. The yellow, autumn sunlight made the whole scene appear evendrowsily tranquil. A sense of relief came to Kingdom, and he even feltchagrined that he had been so decidedly disturbed.

  Still it was strange that John did not show himself. Perhaps theexceeding quiet all about was, after all, fraught with greatest danger.Perhaps--but Ree was at the foot of the slope now and his mind hadscarcely time to present another thought before he was up the hill, andthrowing himself from the horse, quickly entered the open door of thelow log house.

  "John!" he called in a low tone--and a little catch in his throat whichhe could not control, gave his voice a tremulous quaver. "John!"

  "Yes, Ree;" the answer was scarcely more than a whisper, "I'm up here inthe loft, and listen! You can hear me?"

  "Every word."

  "Don't act surprised or excited or show that you have found out or heardanything, for they're watching now--Lone-Elk and a pack of Delawareshave surrounded the clearing. I've been peeking through a crack,watching 'em half an hour or more."