by John V. Lane
CHAPTER XV
A WELCOME VOICE
Dense bushes fringed a bluff looking down on the Muskingum River. Inthese, concealed from view, lay a boy of fifteen. His face was wornand thin. His moccasins and leggins were frayed from much runningthrough undergrowth. He was peering through the branches to a bend inthe river. He had lain there hours, watching. That morning, a canoecontaining two savages came up past him. The Indians were paddlingvigorously. Why their haste? That was what the boy would know.
The reader has guessed the lad's name and so will readily understandthat Rodney Allison concluded if the Indians were being pursued it wasby white men.
Ah! was it? Yes, surely that was the shadow of a canoe. Now he couldsee its sides under the overhanging branches which concealed itsoccupants from his view.
"An' all tin twins o' thim great at shenannegan, An' all o' thim born in pairs. Pat an' Terry, Tom an' Tim, Peter, Mary Ann--"
"Halloa!"
"There's one of 'em coming down through the bushes now, Nick,"exclaimed a man in the stern of the canoe.
"I never could sing that song without interruption, Chevalier."
The speaker had shipped his paddle and grasped his rifle, saying as hedid so: "Look out, boys, the voice is white but there may be redshenannegan behind it."
Rodney Allison leaped to the beach below in full view of the party.There he stood, panting and staring as though at a ghost.
"I say, sonny, if ye've objections to our looks now's the time to put'em on file," said Nick.
"Dominick Ferguson! I thought you were dead!" gasped the boy.
"Aisy now, don't feel so bad bekase I'm not. Whereabout did ye findthe handle o' me name, lad?"
"So you're not the man the Indians killed, that day down on the Ohio,when they captured me?"
"Do I look loike I was?" Then dawning comprehension showed in theman's face. "Ah reckon poor Job Armistead was the unfortnit one; henever showed up. May your name be Allison?" he asked.
"It is. Have you room in the canoe for one more?"
"We'll make room," spoke two of the men at the same moment, turningthe craft to shore. Thus, after long months of captivity and days offleeing through a country infested with warlike savages, RodneyAllison came back to his own people.
"You must have seen my father, then, Mr. Ferguson?" said the boy as hestepped into the canoe.
"Sure; found him expectin' ye an' he was nigh crazy. You ought toheard him call us cowards an' knaves fer leavin' ye. He wanted tostart right off alone to bring ye back, an' would, but we told himthar were others in his family to think about."
"Where is he now, and have you any news from Charlottesville?"
"He went back to Virginny an' give up the enterprise down on theKanawha. Saw a man the other day who said he heard yer father hadjoined the men under Lewis. Now if he'd come along with us we'd had afamily gatherin' right out here in the woods. The family's well, Ireckon, or yer dad wouldn't hev gone sojerin'."
The next day the expedition left the river and began a march toward anIndian settlement known as Wappatomica Town. In the order of thismarch the division under Captain Wood went ahead, much to the disgustof some of the men with Morgan, for they were greedy for glory, and achance to win laurels and the consequent promotions.
As they were marching through a part of the country through whichRodney had passed in his flight, he remarked to Ferguson, "I don'tenvy the fellows on ahead when they come to a place about a mile fromhere. If I know anything about Indians, they'll lie in wait for usthere," and he described a locality where he had hidden from a partyof savages, one of the critical experiences in his flight.
"Me lad, you come with Ferguson," and Rodney was conducted by him toMorgan and introduced.
"Well, my boy, if you got out alive we ought to be able to get in."
"Captain Morgan, from where I lay in hiding that day a dozen men couldshoot down fifty marching below."
"This lad, Captain, knows what he's talking about. The chief of thevillage where he was captive was the redskin that shot ye through theneck and chased ye an' threw his hatchet at yer head."
"Yes, Ahneota said the Great Spirit turned the tomahawk aside so thatyou might live to persecute the Indians."
"I hope the old rascal was right. I think, young man, we'll need youfor scout duty."
"Askin' yer pardon, Captain, but the lad's had his share o' risk, tomy thinkin'."
"Nick, we are here to do something. Every man must do the best he can.This boy can do that work better than you or I. If you were the bestman would ye shirk it?"
"I'll go, Captain," replied Ferguson, "but don't send the boy."
"I want to do what I can, Captain Morgan," said Rodney.
"I can tell 'em, Ferguson, I can tell 'em," and the look of approvalMorgan gave the boy as he spoke was one for which Rodney Allison wouldhave stormed an Indian town alone and single handed.
"Now, young man, you run ahead and warn Wood. Tell him Morgan sentye."
Rodney ran forward with alacrity, proud of the responsibility that hadbeen placed on him. He had not gone far before he discovered that theplace of ambush was much nearer than he had thought, an error whollyexcusable, considering the conditions under which he had first seenthe country.
He ran at top speed, but was too late, otherwise he might have beenamong the men who fell under the volley which a band of about fiftyIndians, lying in ambush at the very place indicated by the boy,poured into the ranks of Captain Wood's men.
Rodney hesitated and then ran forward, joining in the melee.
A moment later there was yelling and commotion behind, and Morgan andhis men came running to their support. A heavy hand was laid on theboy's shoulder, and Captain Morgan demanded of him, "Do you know ofany place where we can get behind the red devils and dislodge 'em?"
"This way, Captain," and Rodney ran to the right. He recalled the wayhe had left the hiding place. Up that bluff they might attack theIndians in the rear.
"Come on, boys," Morgan shouted, and a rush was made upon the heels ofyoung Allison.
A shot from above warned them that the Indians had discovered theirapproach. Rodney heard the bullet singing. The next instant Morganseized him by the shoulder, saying, "Go back! You are ordered to therear;" then, with a yell, the leader charged up the hill, his menclose at his back. The charge dislodged the Indians and they fled.
The troops advanced toward the town more cautiously, but found theIndians had deserted it, carrying away everything movable.
"Why ain't we chasin' 'em, I'd like to know?" asked an ensign with animportant air.
"We first better find out whether they're running or hiding," repliedRodney, nettled at the fellow's importance.
"Sensible remark," said Captain Morgan, who had come up and heard theconversation. "You know something about this country, also aboutIndians. Suppose you slip along behind the trees an' cross the creekhalf a mile up stream and see what ye can find. Don't shoot unlessobliged to and don't hurry. Don't leave shelter until you are surethere ain't a redskin behind the trees in front."
It was a perilous task, and some might blame Morgan for assigning theboy to it. As it has already appeared, he would ask no one to attemptthat which he wouldn't do himself, and the conclusion must be that hethought the boy the best one he could send on the duty which some onemust do.
The boy had listened to Ahneota's descriptions of Indian methods inbattle and knew they would have scouts out. He believed the main bodywould simply cross the stream and lie in wait for the troops andattack them crossing so as to throw them into confusion. They would,however, send men to reconnoitre the main body of the troops, andthese scouts, assigned to a task similar to his, were the ones he mustavoid, a difficult thing to do, as will be readily understood.
Rodney made his way with extreme caution until he caught a glimpse ofan Indian stealthily advancing toward the main body of troops; then,believing that Indian would be the only one sent from that qua
rter andhaving eluded the redskin, he went hastily forward to the creek,crossing it at a narrow place fully half a mile above where thesavages had crossed.
Making his way down toward the ambush was nerve-racking work, butfinally the boy was rewarded by discovering a sentinel on guard.
The Indians were waiting just where he had supposed. Now to get backwithout meeting the scout he had passed! At last the feat wasaccomplished without a glimpse of a savage on the way. On his arrivalhe found the troops getting ready to advance, for another scout, sentout at the same time as he, had returned with the report that he foundno Indians and that they must have fled.
"Well, they are there," exclaimed Rodney, and he told what he hadseen.
"The youngster's got redskins on the brain, I calc'late," drawled onefellow, at which the boy got very red in the face.
Captain Morgan here appeared, saying, "You're back at last. What d'yesee?"
When the boy described what he had done Morgan promptly said, "You didyour duty, my boy," and proceeded to act on the information. A guardwas posted to make sure the savages did not recross and make anattack, for it was found they were in considerable force.
After several days, during which skirmishes were fought and theIndians beaten, the savages sued for peace and were asked to givehostages.
Rodney did not believe they wanted peace. They had been too angry tobe satisfied with no worse defeat than this. His opinion provedcorrect and, the troops being short of provisions, a retreat began,everything belonging to the savages being first destroyed even to thecorn, of which the troops took for their own use all they could carry.In fact, before they got back to Wheeling, they were obliged to liveon one ear per day to each soldier, very short rations for menmarching and fighting, as the savages dogged their footsteps andinflicted considerable losses on them.
There were times on the retreat when it seemed the troops would be cutoff and annihilated. In this struggle Rodney bore his part so well asto win the approval of his associates. One day on the retreat, whenthe boy and the "Chevalier" were acting as flankers, scouting aheadand outside the main body, Rodney saved his companion's life.
The "Chevalier" was not familiar with Indian methods of fighting andheld them in contempt. He and the boy had several arguments about thematter, the former contending that a savage was dangerous only whenone was running away from him.
In the work they were now assigned to, it was a part of wisdom toscreen one's self behind trees, advancing quickly from one toanother.
The "Chevalier" declared he was not out in that country for the "funof dodging." Rodney, however, adhered to the practice, luckily forboth.
The "Chevalier" was striding along as though an enemy were not withina hundred miles, when the lad's trained eye caught sight of the heelof a savage, who was kneeling behind a big tree and waiting for hisfoe to pass. The "Chevalier" was walking on, his head up, and in threepaces would have exposed himself to the redskin's rifle.
Rodney yelled an alarm and took a quick shot at the Indian's heel, theonly part of him exposed.
"Jump behind a tree and hold your fire," the boy had cried, for, if hemissed the savage, he would need the protection of the "Chevalier's"rifle before he could reload. But his shot went true, as a howl fromthe savage bore witness.
Startled by the cry and the report of the rifle, the "Chevalier," foronce, moved quickly to cover, and, between the two, they compelled theIndian to surrender. He had a painful wound in his ankle and finally,after being disarmed, was left behind, though some of the men wantedto kill him.
The "Chevalier" extended his hand to Rodney, saying, "I have you tothank for my poor existence. You did ill trying to do well, but ofcourse you didn't know it. Perhaps I will find a way to repay."
The man spoke seriously, not in a spirit of banter, and Rodneywondered. When he told one of the men later what the "Chevalier" hadsaid, the fellow remarked: "So the Chevalier was solemn, was he?Kain't be possible his mightiness is sufferin' from liver complaintwith only one ear o' corn a day."
All were glad to be back at Wheeling, where Major McDonald decided towait for the arrival of Governor Dunmore. The governor finally arrivedin all the pomp of war and with enough men to raise the total numberto about twelve hundred.
Up to the time of his arrival it had been supposed that he would takehis army down the Ohio River and join that of General Lewis beforemaking an attack on the Indians. Now he announced that the army wouldproceed in boats down the Ohio to the Hockhocking River and up thatriver to the falls, whence he would march across country to the Indiantowns on the Scioto River. He sent messengers to General Lewisordering him to join the main body at that point.
"If the redskins learn what's up they'll have a chance to wipe Lewisoff the earth," remarked one frontiersman in Rodney's hearing.
The Indians did learn Dunmore's plan and almost succeeded in defeatingthe division under Lewis.
