The Trail of the Seneca
Page 15
CHAPTER XV--THE GIFT OF WHITE WAMPUM
The effect on the minds of the boys of the discovery Kingdom had madewas much the same as if they had seen a ghost. A vague fear of somethingunexpressed and unknown took possession of them and they hastenedthrough the misty, sodden forest as though expecting every minute to bepursued. Kingdom remarked about their apprehensiveness.
"We act like a couple of thieves," he declared, "the way we are hurryingto get away! But suppose we were seen hunting around that camp and itwas noticed that I picked up this glove; it wouldn't be exactly healthyfor us, I suppose? Still, it's not that that makes us both nervous andfidgety as a fox in a trap; but what is it?"
"I don't know about you, but I'm thinking of those two dead men underthe brush pile; just can't help it;" said John. "The man that wore thosegloves knows how the bodies came there, I'll bet a buckskin!"
"Of course," was the answer, "but that's just what I have suspected allalong. The deuce of it now is to know what we're going to do about it."
The darkness was coming on most rapidly. The dark, gray clouds seemed tosettle down to the very ground. In half an hour it would be quiteimpossible to find one's way safely through the woods, for not a breathof wind was stirring; there would be absolutely nothing by which to beguided.
Seeing the importance of quickly reaching the neighborhood of theclearing, Kingdom proposed that John seek shelter for the night in theold whitewood while he continued on to the cabin. They would meet againsoon after daybreak in the morning.
Having had some such plan in mind when setting out from home, the boyshad blankets and provisions with them, and Jerome readily agreed toRee's suggestion.
As the hollow poplar was now not far away, they parted company at once.Kingdom promised to leave the cabin before daylight again, if he coulddo so without discovery, and to meet John at the whitewood for anothervisit to the camp in the gully.
"And you wait for me, whatever happens," Kingdom said in admonition."I'll be worrying all night if I think you're prowling around byyourself."
"Worry fiddlesticks!" ejaculated the younger lad, with a laugh. "What ifI were to be worried about you?"
So the good-byes were said and ten minutes later John was snugly settledin the protecting trunk of the big hollow tree, glad enough to restafter his long tramp.
Kingdom, meanwhile, was hurrying on at increased speed. He aimed totravel in a sort of semicircle so as to approach the cabin from adirection which would give no clue to the locality from which he hadcome. He had little doubt that Lone-Elk would be watching for him.Indeed, it was only the great probability that the Seneca would beprowling about the vicinity of the clearing that had made it seemnecessary that he return home instead of spending the night with John.The boys wished to keep the Indian in ignorance of the fact that the"witch" was in the neighborhood at all. If they could succeed in thisfor a time, the redskins, Lone-Elk particularly, would conclude at lastthat search for the missing boy was useless.
The complete darkness, the thick, cold mist and utter silence whichpervaded the clearing and made it seem certainly the most desolate placein the world as he entered it, would have depressed and frightenedbolder hearts than Kingdom's. He hurried up the familiar path, andascended the slope to the little log house with dread. A whinny camefrom the stable. What a welcome sound it was! And when, five minuteslater, the blaze in the big fireplace was dispelling the shadows, itseemed also to dispel the dreadful feeling of vague fear andhomesickness from Ree's mind. He was himself again.
Worn out with much work and little rest for two days, Kingdom retiredearly. He knew that the dispirited condition, which sapped his courageand destroyed his peace of mind and self-confidence, was due to hisbeing completely tired out, and that sleep would make all the next day'sproblems seem easy by putting him in shape to meet them. And so thinkinghe fell asleep.
It was near midnight, Kingdom thought, though really much earlier, whenhe was awakened. Some one rapped at the door,--quietly, secretly. Againhe heard it,--thump, thump!--two short, quick taps, sounding as if madewith finger tips.
"John!" was Ree's first thought; and he was out of his bunk in a second.
"Who is it?" he asked in a low tone, before opening the door.
"Fishing Bird has something to tell white brother," came the answer intones so guarded, that, filled with wonder and anxiety, Kingdom unbarredand opened the door in a trice.
Instantly the Indian entered and Ree closed the door again. He felt,rather than saw, that the redskin was bedraggled, wet, cold and weary.He drew the visitor to the fireplace and sat him down. Though coveredwith ashes, the warm bed of coals gave off a comfortable degree of heat,and while the Indian leaned over the warm hearth, his host, stillwondering, brought him meat and a dish of hominy.
Fishing Bird ate heartily. As he was doing so, a tiny flame, which for asecond blazed up above the ashes, showed that his condition was evenworse than Ree had pictured it. From the soles of his worn-out moccasinsto the top of the uncombed hair falling in coarse, untidy strings abouthis ears and down his back, he was very wet and very dirty.
"What news, Fishing Bird?" Ree asked, when he had dressed and thevisitor had eaten all he wished. "I've been wanting to see you for manydays."
"Ugh! Lone-Elk very bad!" the Indian replied, meditatively. "FishingBird watch him all day, watch him in the night, too. He goes manyplaces, and don't go nowhere."
Kingdom repressed a smile. He guessed at once that his friend had beentrying to follow the Seneca to the secret lead mine, and had only hislabor to show for it. A moment later the Indian confirmed thissupposition.
"Lone-Elk gone all day long and comes to the Delaware village in thenight," Fishing Bird went on. "Lone-Elk brings no lead. Nextmorning--today--Lone-Elk goes again and Fishing Bird follows behind.Maybe Lone-Elk be going to where lead is; maybe going to watch youngPalefaces. But him walk, walk, walk, all the time going on and on andnever getting anywhere at all. Never looking back; never knowing FishingBird comes on behind, so Lone-Elk went here, went there, all day. Nightcame and in the dark Lone-Elk got away and Fishing Bird couldn't watchhim any more."
"Maybe he was hunting for Little Paleface," Kingdom suggested.
"Lone-Elk bad--a mean, bad Seneca Indian!" the weary and disgustedDelaware made answer. "Now Fishing Bird will tell news he came for.White Fox knows how Lone-Elk found tomahawk in the corn--how Lone-Elktold that it was the witch's hatchet--same hatchet that killed BigBuffalo. So Lone-Elk hangs the tomahawk at the door of his lodge andsays with that hatchet he will kill the witch that killed the Delawarewarrior. One time, two times, three times, did tomahawk fall down whenLone-Elk had hung it up. One time Lone-Elk a little mad. Two timesLone-Elk pretty mad. Three times, when hatchet fall down, Lone-Elk heapmuch mad.
"Neoliaw tell Lone-Elk not to hang tomahawk up like that any more.Neoliaw knows much. No Delaware knows all things like Neoliaw; yetLone-Elk holds his head high and asks if Neoliaw thinks the Seneca isbut a squaw to be frightened by such talk."
The Indian paused. Much interested, Kingdom waited with impatience forhim to continue, but at length asked:
"And what did the medicine-man of the Delawares say to that? What didNeohaw say?"
"Neohaw tell Lone-Elk never mind. Some day tomahawk have more blood onit than now. Maybe it be Seneca blood."
"Do the Delawares still believe all that Lone-Elk tells them about howBig Buffalo was killed by a witch, and believe that the witch was ourfriend, John?" Kingdom inquired.
Fishing Bird nodded. "White brother shall hear more," he said, a momentlater, as if having decided to reveal something he had at first thoughthe would not tell. "Listen, White Fox. Lone-Elk knows where lead is.Lone-Elk is a mighty warrior. Hopocon, that you call Captain Pipe, wantsLone-Elk in the fighting that will come bime-by, and wants lead forDelawares, Chippewas, Wyandots,--all the Indians that will be in thefighting off yonder," waving his hand toward the west and north. "SoHopocon sends white wampum as presents to the Seneca tribe for squaw ofthe
warrior Lone-Elk killed. Because Lone-Elk killed a warrior, WhiteFox knows, he can go back never to his own people. Only if the presents,sent by Hopocon, are taken by the squaw of the warrior that was killed,will Lone-Elk be free to go here, go there, like other Indians. ThenHopocon will make him a Delaware."
Ree did not know until now the history of the outcast Seneca. He hadknown that Lone-Elk was a fugitive, but never before more than suspectedthe reason. In a general way he understood the Indian custom that if thenearest relative of one who was murdered received and accepted from themurderer or his friends a present in token of regret and sorrow--usuallywhite wampum--it meant that the crime was forgiven and fully wiped out.
He knew, also, that if such a present was refused by the relatives orfriends of the dead, that it meant but one thing--that at the firstopportunity they would have their revenge by taking the life of themurderer. The custom had prevailed among the Iroquois and many of theother Indians for generations. It was implicitly followed.
The refusal of the peace offering usually meant eternal unforgiveness.It meant the exile of the murderer from his own tribe and the villagesof his fathers forever. It meant death whenever one or more of thefriends of the person killed started out to seek vengeance,--death swiftand certain--unless the murderer succeeded in escaping them; but, onceon the trail, the avengers knew no pause, no rest, no hardship too greatto be undertaken, until their mission was accomplished.
Instantly realizing the great importance of Fishing Bird's information,Ree asked him to go on and tell more of the Seneca's history.
The friendly Delaware, however, seemed to believe that he had toldenough. Maybe he regretted that he had already been so confidential. Hesought to speak of other things, therefore, until Kingdom asked pointblank:
"Will the friends of the one whom Lone-Elk killed be likely to acceptthe presents that have been sent, Fishing Bird?"
The Delaware nodded decidedly in the affirmative at first, then shookhis head. He didn't know and couldn't guess, he stated, what view thedead man's relatives would take of the matter. It was the usual thing toreceive such presents and grant forgiveness. A great deal depended onthe nature of the crime, and the details of the murder Lone-Elk hadcommitted, Fishing Bird did not know, or if he did, he pretendedignorance.
He believed the Seneca had struck another down with a tomahawk, and hadafterward hidden the hatchet near the Delaware town to which he hadoriginally escaped, and whither he had again come after the battle withSt. Clair's army. At least that was the story the squaws had whisperedto one another. The warriors were too proud to take notice of suchmatters, especially since Lone-Elk, by his prowess, by his constantactivity, and afterward by his knowing of the lead mine, had become aleader among them.
All this information Fishing Bird rather reluctantly imparted. He wasvery tired and just a little cross. In response to some furtherquestioning he said, plainly showing his impatience:
"Fishing Bird has told the white brothers they must not stay here. Stillit has done no good. Fishing Bird is the friend of the two youngPalefaces, yet they must not ask of him what no Delaware can do."
"Come, Fishing Bird," Ree answered kindly, "we are not going to ask youto endanger yourself or any of your people on our account. We know andappreciate how much you have helped us, and but for one thing we wouldprobably go away as you suggest. And now there is only one more questionI want to ask you; then you must lie down and rest till morning. DoesFishing Bird know of any other Palefaces, besides White Fox and LittlePaleface, who are in the woods here; any who have been getting saltsomewhere?"
The Delaware had lost his spunky feeling entirely when he answered. Hedid not, he said, know of any other white persons in the woods anywhereabout. He was quite sure there was none; for the Indians were verywatchful now, lest Paleface spies come among them, and would be quitesure to discover any white persons who came near.
A little later Ree spread a blanket and some skins upon the floor andurged Fishing Bird to lie down; but instead, the Indian rose to go, norcould he be prevailed upon to remain. Thinking that perhaps he wished tobe back to the village before the Seneca returned, Kingdom reluctantlyopened the door for him, and he went forth into the cold and darkness,and the thick, raw mist swallowed him up immediately.