American Family Robinson

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  Chapter Fifth.

  Preparing a Supper. Heavy Storm. The Place of their Encampment.Straggling Indians seen. Apprehensions of an Attack. Preparations ofdefense. Approach of the Crows. A Fight. The Camp Attacked. Capture ofFive in the Camp. The Pursuit. Recovery of some of the Captured. Thepursuit Continued. Tabagauches meet the Crows, and defeat them. Theyare discovered. Encampment.

  Tired and sleepy, our travelers provided themselves with supper, havingpitched their tents, and laid down to court sleep the great restorerfor body and mind. The sky was cloudless betokening a clear night; andpresuming on this they had not re-covered their wagons, intending toleave it until they had slept off their fatigue. But in this, even Howehad something to learn. People under such circumstances should presumeon nothing, but make everything sure, for at one hour they are notcertain that the next will find them secure. It did not them, for theyhad slumbered scarcely three hours, when the whistling winds andcreaking of their tent poles aroused them from their slumbers.Springing from their beds they were almost blinded by the lightnings'glare, as flash followed flash, in quick succession, each accompaniedby a deafening peal of thunder that reverberated portentously throughthe forest. Mr. Duncan hastened into the open air. The sky was overcastwith fleecy clouds, while from the northwest came slowly up a darkheavy cloud stretching over the whole of that part of the sky. Ashigher and higher it rose, louder grew the thunder, and more vivid thelightning, the wind sweeping round in angry blasts until it seemed asif every element in nature was in commotion.

  Immediately every hand was brought in requisition to fasten the tentpoles more securely, and by the time it was accomplished, the storm,with all its fury burst upon them, while they were straining everynerve to fasten the tarpaulin covers on the wagons to protect thecontents from the storm, should the rain penetrate the tent. The coveron Mrs. Duncan's wagon they had succeeded in fastening, and wereproceeding to the next, when a terrible crash was heard near them, thatshook the ground.

  "There is high wind to-night," said Howe. "It must have taken more thanordinary force to have blown down that tree--there goes another--crash!what a fearful night it is!"

  "The smoke from the burning prairie has formed itself in clouds, which,becoming overcharged with moisture, are discharging themselves,"remarked Mr. Duncan.

  "A glorious cooling we shall get, after being nearly baked," remarkedSidney.

  "Oh! what is that!" cried Mrs. Duncan, as a heavy body fell against thetent, crushing it as if it had been a feather.

  But no one could answer, for in a twinkling their light was out, andthe rain in torrents pouring in upon their water-proof wagons. Thewhole family had taken refuge in Mrs. Duncan's wagon, after havingsecured the covers in their proper places; and it is well they did, orthey would have been deluged in an instant; for it seemed as if theheavens had opened their windows, and were pouring from thence a floodof water. They could only catch a glimmering of the mischief done totheir tent by the flashes of lightning; but they saw enough toascertain that a tree had fallen across it, and had crushed one of thewagons beneath its weight. They had escaped unhurt, being buriedbeneath the falling canvass by its splitting in the centre. Graduallythe storm spent itself, and by morning, but a few flitting clouds wereseen above the horizon.

  Less stouter hearts than those of our pioneers would have been dismayedat the destruction which had been going on in the night, and which thelight revealed. Their tent, rent in a dozen pieces, one of the wagonsbadly broken, and everything out of the wagons saturated with water.Right manfully, however, they went to work. The tent was spread wherethe sun would fall upon it, and everything that had been wet during thenight, together with the blackened suits that went through the fieryordeal the day before, were taken to the brook-side by Mrs. Duncan andJane, and very soon were waving in spotless purity from the busheswhere they had been hung to dry, giving the scenery around theencampment a home-like appearance.

  The place of their encampment was a lovely spot; but truly refreshingafter their tiresome journey over the prairie; and though their firstnight was exceedingly uncomfortable, it was owing to the warringelements, and not to any fault of the place. Before the night again setin, busy hands had been at the tent, and once more it reared itsconical shaped head among the forest trees, but bearing marks in itsnumerous patches, of the tempest that had raged so fiercely through thepast night.

  Day after day wore away, and still the cattle exhibited a great deal oflassitude, so much so, as to preclude the possibility of moving on.This was no great annoyance to the travelers, as it was early in thesummer, and their only object was to find a place that would suit themfor a permanent settlement, before cold weather set in, which they weresure of not effecting, should they be detained a month in their presentencampment. Besides, their camp being in a lovely valley, on theborders of a clear stream, surrounded by everything that could make thelordly groves enchanting, game of almost every kind abounded, to whichthey paid particular attention, as their stock of dried meat androasted ribs, broiled steaks, and savory soups, could testify.

  Howe's time was spent, when not following game, in giving the boyslessons in distinguishing one kind of game from another by signs beforethey were near enough to see it; and then the best mode of bringing itdown and disposing of it. They practised shooting at a target, withboth gun and bow, hurling a knife or tomahawk, and handling theIndian's war club daily. Mrs. Duncan's tent bore more the semblance ofa large room in a thriving farmer's house, than a temporary camp in thewilderness, so homelike was its appearance. A cupboard made by standingtwo boards perpendicular, with cleats nailed across, in which were laidthe shelves, held her crockery and tinware; a temporary table, made inequally as primitive a style, but now covered with a table cloth, stoodat one side, while at the left, was a barrel covered also by a whitecloth, on which was set a dressing glass, the top wreathed withmountain laurel, and wild flowers, and placed in that post of honor bylittle Anne, who was sure to renew it every day. Camp stools stoodaround the tent, while the whole surface of the ground in the tent wasmatted with dried buffalo skins, making it free from dampness, and notaltogether uncomely in appearance.

  Mrs. Duncan, had ever been noted for a love of orderly householdarrangements, and now, as ever, they developed themselves in a thousandlittle comforts that she had thoughtfully stowed away; and now thatthey were needed, added essentially to their comfort and pleasure.Hardly an article was desired that she did not produce from somecorner, its whereabouts unknown to the rest of the family, untilwanted; and when she one day brought out an old familiar boot-jack, onebeing wished for, Mr. Duncan said he believed she was in possession ofAladin's lamp.

  They often saw around their camp a straggling Indian of the friendlytribes, to whom some of them were known. But this was not always tocontinue, for a few had been spies, that had carried to their tribes anaccount of the emigrants, their heavily loaded wagons containing acoveted prize, and the owners too few to protect it from any greatforce against them. Some of these were "Crows," a tribe noted fortreachery, and others "Arapahoes," in whose professions of friendshipHowe and Mr. Duncan had great confidence. They were under noapprehension of being molested, and retired every night as usual, withthe precaution of a single guard. Everything went on as usual for aweek, when they were aroused with caution, and armed by Howe, who wassentinel that night, who said he saw things in the forest that, at theleast, looked very suspicious. Nothing transpired, however, to confirmhis suspicions until daylight, when Howe cautiously reconnoitered theground around. He discovered traces where they had been, but soartfully had they covered their trail, that, without the tact ofdetecting it, possessed by the trapper, it would have passedunobserved, for the rest of the travelers declared they could seenothing.

  "Their designs are against us; their approaching and then returningwithout coming into camp, proves it a certainty," remarked Howe, aftersatisfying himself that they had not only been there and gone away, butwere anxious to obliterate all traces of their presence.


  "We must not be taken by surprise," replied Mr. Duncan. "Courage hasmore effect in subduing an Indian than even a ball. However, I do notapprehend that they really intend to make an assault on us."

  "Perhaps not," said Howe, "but they act very suspiciously, prowlingabout like beasts. Why don't they show themselves, if friendly? But,"he continued, "if they want to skulk about, and pounce upon us, letthem take the consequences, our rifles do not miss fire."

  "We had better use great precaution about wandering from camp, for afew days, or they will carry all off while we are away. Perhaps it isonly a straggling war party returning home, and in a few days we willbe rid of them."

  That night they retired, but Howe was too suspicious of treachery toallow any one else to be sentinel but himself, and as he had slept awhile during the day, he was equal to the self-imposed task. As theshades deepened, his practised ear detected sounds that others wouldhave thought little of, but which he considered, unmistakably to beproduced by the stealthy tread of Indians. As hour after hour went by,shadows were flitting from tree to tree, and then Howe knew for acertainty that the camp was surrounded by hostile foes.

  Stealthily every one in the camp was awakened, and armed with rifles,with the exception of Benny and Anne, who were placed in a secureposition. Mrs. Duncan and Jane could handle a rifle with as muchprecision as was necessary to protect themselves in an emergency. Mr.Duncan and Howe, disposed their little band so as to bring their armsto bear on three different points from which they were certain, in caseof an attack, the foe would come, by the moving figures in the shadowsbut dimly seen, but which could be traced by keeping the eye intentlyfixed upon them.

  "Make no movement or noise," was the order, "but at the first soundfrom the savages, every one be ready to fire; probably when they findtheir fire anticipated, they will retreat, if not, give them anothervolley on the moment." They had stood in this position for half anhour, when a single savage stept from behind a tree, advanced a yard ortwo into the open glade that lay for a few rods around, and divestinghimself of his tomahawk, scalping knife, bow and arrows, laid them onthe ground, and after pointing at them, as if to draw attention tothem, advanced with finger on his lip towards the camp.

  Howe had observed his movements, but when he saw him lay down his armsand come towards them, he felt certain the Indian desired a conference.Duncan thought it a ruse to draw some of them from the camp where theambushed Indians could make a sure target of them.

  "I agree with you that it is not safe to go out of the camp, but therecan be no harm in letting the savage in. He is unarmed, and at thefirst appearance of hostility, he must be dispatched," replied Howe.

  "If he enters the camp to-night, he must not return until daylight,"said Mr. Duncan.

  "Certainly not! Hark! he is close to us; see, he pauses: what can hemean?"

  "Arapahoe! white man's friend," distinctly they heard him pronounce.

  "What are you doing here, then?" said Howe, "don't you see I couldshoot you like a dog, that comes stealing around, as if afraid ofdaylight?"

  "The son of the 'Great Medicine' would not hurt Whirlwind," replied theIndian.

  "Ha! Whirlwind, what are you doing here, you are indeed, safe," saidHowe, lowering the barrel of his rifle.

  "Whirlwind, returning to his village with his braves, found a snakeencircling his white brother's wigwam, and has crept within the circleto save them," returned the Indian.

  "What is that you say? are there other Indians beside your own, about?"

  "The hills are dark with 'Crows,' who stand ready at the sound of thewar-whoop, to sweep down on my brothers, drink their blood, and stealtheir goods."

  "Perhaps it is not so easily accomplished," said Howe, "you know we areno cowards, to give our lives and property without striking a blow tosave them."

  "My brothers are a handful, the Crows cover the hills; but my warriors,though but few, are brave and will fight for their white brothers."

  "If things are as bad as you represent, this is very kind of you; but,how are we to know that the 'Crows' are around in large numbers toattack us?"

  "The tongue of Whirlwind is not forked; he cannot lie;" returned theIndian proudly.

  "I know it, Whirlwind, I know you are true, as well as brave. Thedanger forced the thought, though I really did not doubt your truth fora moment. I will take your advice, Whirlwind. What is the mosteffectual mode of protecting ourselves?"

  "My white brothers will guard their camp, and should the Crows press ustoo hard, help to repel them," said the Indian, and by his tone, heevidently had not forgotten the suspicion cast upon his veracity.

  "You do not intend to stand the brunt of the fight, do you?" said Howe."No, Whirlwind, I can't allow that."

  "The braves of the Arapahoes have, for many moons longed to meet the'Crows' in battle; now, surely, my white brother will not go betweenthem."

  "I certainly shall not consent to any blood being shed," interposed Mr.Duncan, "without provocation. We wish to be on friendly terms with allthe tribes, and will not do anything that will have a tendency toirritate them."

  "Yonder, the Crows, in numbers, await the signal of their chief, todrink the blood of my brothers, and carry their wives and childrenprisoners to their wigwams; when this is done, it will be too late tostrike a blow. But it shall not be; see, yonder in the thicket, ahundred Arapahoe warriors are panting for the onset. The children ofthe 'Great Medicine' shall be saved. They are in Whirlwind's huntinggrounds, and he will protect them." So saying, the irritated Chieftainturned on his heel, and strode away, pausing to collect his arms, whenhe disappeared in the thicket.

  A council was immediately held in camp; but before any decision wasdetermined upon, a deafening war-whoop was heard from the hills, at thesame moment the battle-cry of the Arapahoes broke from the thicketsaround the camp. Then a charge was heard and the combatants' yells,shrieks and groans were mingled with the fierce war-whoop, as theIndians rushed on each other. The Crows astounded to find they wereconfronted by their deadly foes, at first broke and retreated; but thetaunting jibes of the Arapahoes as they pressed on them aroused thedemon in their natures, and turning, they charged on their pursuers,driving them back before them, towards the camp, at the same momentmaking the forest re-echo their cry of victory. Howe heard the hoarsenote, as it swelled fiercely on the air, and springing from the camp,cried, "Come! now is our time: follow me!" and dashing into the forest,followed by Mr. Duncan, Sidney and Lewis, he met the retreatingArapahoes who, encouraged by this timely assistance, faced about, andthe rifles of the pioneers telling with fearful effect, caused theCrows to fly with terror; and as their pursuers loaded running, theconstant volleys prevented the Crows rallying, and in a few minutes thewhole band was either killed, wounded or dispersed through the forest.

  "Back to your camp, there is trouble there," cried Whirlwind, "mybraves will pursue the Crows," and calling a dozen warriors to hisside, he bade them follow on with him after the pioneers.

  When the Crows gave the cry of victory, about a dozen of them rushedthrough to secure the whites prisoners, and having been unobserved bythe Arapahoes, or our pioneers, when they heard their own tribe asecond time driven back, they determined to carry them off as firstintended, hoping to secrete themselves before the victors returned.

  With varying sensations of hope and dismay, Mrs. Duncan heard thecombatants advance, retreat, advance again, and at last retreat,followed by their rescuers, and at the moment when she supposed theywere freed from danger, the swarthy robbers burst into her camp, andwere in the act of seizing her when the sharp crack of a rifle washeard, and the foremost savage leaped in the air with a hoarse yell,and fell dead at her feet. Martin had saved his mother, for steppingback on the instant, she raised her rifle and another fell beneath heraim; at the same moment Jane's rifle disabled another; but the savagesclosed so fast around them that they were disarmed and overpowered,their hands bound and they were hurried away over the stream towardsthe South. Not ten minutes had elapsed before they we
re pursued bytheir friends; but in that short time their captors had effected theirescape, and morning dawned on the agonized pioneers still scouring theforest in search of the lost ones. They were ably seconded by theArapahoes, a few of them having been left in charge of Anne and Bennywho, having been concealed in one of the wagons, had been saved. Thosestolen were Mrs. Duncan, Jane, Edward and Martin.

  At daylight the dogs were let loose, and mounting the horses and mulesthey renewed the pursuit with hearts determined to perish or bring backthe fugitives. After two hours' hard riding they over-hauled two of thesavages who had Mrs. Duncan in charge, and she was borne backtriumphantly to camp. She could give no account of her children, nothaving seen them since their capture, but thought they had gone in amore westerly direction. Every art was used to persuade the Crows takento give some intelligence of them, but they were obstinate, and werefinally placed, bound, into the hands of the Arapahoes, who had chargeof the camp, for safe keeping.

  About noon they came up with two more Indians having Martin in charge;but he knew nothing further; the two that carried him off havingseparated from the rest, the more easily to escape detection; and theCrows, like those that had charge of his mother, refused to give anyintelligence, and were placed with the others in custody. The pursuerswere again bewildered and were obliged to find a new trail, before theycould proceed further, which they succeeded in doing as the eveningshades were setting in; but as it was impossible to follow it in thedark they reluctantly returned to camp to spend the night. At the firstdawn of light they were again in the saddle, provisioned for a numberof days, as they anticipated a long chase, from the fact that thefugitives had a long start of them, and they could scarcely hope toovertake them the first day. But the other pursuers were more sanguine;they knew not the stratagems of the Indians so well as the trapper.After five hours' hard riding they came to a spring of water in a deepglen where the Indians had evidently breakfasted the day before. Andfrom the quantity of bones around, and the trampled grass, it wasapparent that there was a number of them.

  "Some six or eight persons, certainly. I think this time we shallsecure both the missing ones," said Howe.

  "We will do as they did, take a lunch, and let our horses feed on thisgrass by the spring. Perhaps we shall overtake them very soon if werest and then ride hard," replied Mr. Duncan.

  "We shall not see them before to-morrow, depend upon it. They travel,when pursued, like bloodhounds."

  Refreshed, and again in the saddle, they went over hill and valley,forded streams, and crept through narrow defiles, still keeping thetrail, by the aid of the dogs, without much difficulty. About three inthe afternoon, they came to the place where the Indians had encampedfor the night. The pursuers were evidently gaining on the pursued.Again they rested themselves and horses for awhile and then continuedthe pursuit. After two hours rapid riding, while going through adefile, they came to a spot which gave indications of a struggle havingtaken place. Dismounting and examining closely, they found places whereevidently some heavy body had laid and bled profusely. The blade of abroken scalping knife lay among the leaves, with a broken bow and awar-club. These the Arapahoes identified as belonging to the Crows.Searching a thicket of laurel, a little farther on, they found three ofthe Crows dead. They had probably been mortally wounded, and crawledthere to die. They had been scalped, perhaps, while still alive, as thescalp on the crown of the head was gone.

  "Tabagauches! Tabagauches!" yelled the Arapahoes, as they discovered afragment of a blanket, on which was embroidered, in gay colours, thecrest of that tribe. "There, away where the sun sets, over the MedicineBow Mountains, they are. They have conquered the Crows and taken themalive, with the pale faces, prisoners, to their village."

  "We must follow them. We may overtake them, for evidently, the fightoccurred this morning," said Mr. Duncan.

  "Is my brother mad, that he thinks to compel a great nation to give upits prisoners, with a handful of warriors?" interposed Whirlwind.

  "Can you think I would desert my children?" said Mr. Duncan, in asevere tone. "No! we white men are made of sterner stuff than that. Iwill save them, or die with them."

  "If my white brother is brave Whirlwind is braver," returned theChieftain. "What you would attempt and fail to accomplish by force, Iwill accomplish by stratagem. Let my white brother return, and leavethe recovery of the children to me."

  "Never!" replied Mr. Duncan, decidedly. "My children are prisoners, inthe power of merciless foes, and until I recover them, I will neveragain turn my back on their path."

  "My brother has spoken, but has not spoken well," said the chief.

  "We will lose no time in delay--an hour may be of the utmostimportance," was all the answer of Mr. Duncan.

  At nightfall, as they were casting their eyes around for a good andsecure position to encamp in, they discovered smoke arising from a deepravine that lay below them.

  "The camp-fire of the Tabagauches," said Whirlwind.

  "Ha! we have overtaken them, at last," exclaimed the trapper. "We mustfall back to a secure covert, and send out scouts to see if they havethe children, and ascertain their numbers."

  Selecting a pine grove, they secured their horses, and sat down to takea lunch of cold bread and meat they had brought with them, not daringto light a fire, knowing it would be a beacon to guide their foes totheir retreat. After resting a moment, a guard was posted, and Howe andWhirlwind set out to ascertain the desired information respecting theirfoes, while the rest of the party threw themselves on the ground totake an hour's repose.