336 files changed, 29839 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6833f05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto
+*.txt text
+*.md text
diff --git a/25596-8.txt b/25596-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..686d62c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,9903 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Keepers of the Trail, by Joseph A.
+Altsheler
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Keepers of the Trail
+       A Story of the Great Woods
+
+
+Author: Joseph A. Altsheler
+
+
+
+Release Date: May 25, 2008  [eBook #25596]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Josephine Paolucci, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL
+
+A Story of the Great Woods
+
+by
+
+JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER
+
+Author of "The Young Trailers," "The Forest Runners," Etc.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Appleton-Century
+New York
+
+Copyright, 1916, by
+D. Appleton and Company
+
+All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, must not be
+reproduced in any form without permission of the publishers.
+
+Copyright, 1944, by Sallie B. Altsheler
+
+Printed in the United States of America
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD
+
+
+"The Keepers of The Trail" deals with an episode, hitherto unrelated, in
+the lives of Henry Ware, Paul Cotter, Shif'less Sol Hyde, Long Jim Hart,
+and Silent Tom Ross. In point of time it follows "The Forest Runners,"
+and, so, is the third volume of the "Young Trailer" series.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER                                   PAGE
+
+      I. HENRY IN HIS KINGDOM                    1
+
+     II. THE BIG GUNS                           23
+
+    III. THE INDIAN CAMP                        41
+
+     IV. THE DEED IN THE WATER                  61
+
+      V. THE FOREST JOKER                       83
+
+     VI. THE KING WOLF                         101
+
+    VII. THE FOREST POETS                      123
+
+   VIII. THE PATH OF DANGER                    140
+
+     IX. THE KEEPERS OF THE CLEFT              164
+
+      X. BESIEGED                              187
+
+     XI. THE SHIFTLESS ONE                     207
+
+    XII. ON THE GREAT TRAIL                    230
+
+   XIII. FIVE AGAINST A THOUSAND               251
+
+    XIV. HOLDING THE FORD                      270
+
+     XV. THE GREAT CULMINATION                 293
+
+
+
+
+THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+HENRY IN HIS KINGDOM
+
+
+A light wind blew over the great, primeval wilderness of Kentucky, the
+dense, green foliage rippling under it like the waves of the sea. In
+every direction forest and canebrake stretched in countless miles, the
+trees, infinite in variety, and great in size, showing that Nature had
+worked here with the hand of a master. Little streams flashing in silver
+or gold in the sunlight, flowed down to the greater rivers, and on a
+bush a scarlet tanager fluttered like a flash of flame.
+
+A youth, uncommon in size and bearing, stepped into a little opening,
+and looked about with the easy, natural caution belonging to the native
+of the forest who knows that danger is always near. His eyes pierced the
+foliage, and would have noticed anything unusual there, his ear was so
+keen that he would have heard at once any sound not a part of the woods.
+
+Eye and ear and the indefinable powers of primitive man told him no
+enemy was at hand, and he stood on the green hill, breathing the fresh,
+crisp air, with a delight that only such as he could feel. Mighty was
+the wilderness, majestic in its sweep, and depth of color, and the lone
+human figure fitted into it perfectly, adding to it the last and
+finishing touch.
+
+He blended, too, with the forest. His dress, wholly of fine, tanned
+deerskin, was dyed green, the hunting shirt fringed, hunting shirt,
+leggings and moccasins alike adorned with rows of little beads. Fitting
+thus so completely into his environment, the ordinary eye would not have
+observed him, and his footsteps were so light that the rabbits in the
+bush did not stir, and the flaming bird on the bough was not frightened.
+
+Henry Ware let the stock of his rifle rest upon the ground and held it
+by the barrel, while he gazed over the green billows of the forest,
+rolling away and away to every horizon. He was a fortunate human being
+who had come into his own kingdom, one in which he was fitted supremely
+to reign, and he would not have exchanged his place for that of any
+titular sovereign on his throne.
+
+His eyes gleamed with pleasure as he looked upon his world. None knew
+better than he its immense variety and richness. He noted the different
+shades of the leaves and he knew by contrast the kind of tree that bore
+them. His eye fell upon the tanager, and the deep, intense scarlet of
+its plumage gave him pleasure. It seemed fairly to blaze against the
+background of woodland green, but it still took no alarm from the
+presence of the tall youth who neither stirred nor made any sound.
+
+Another bird, hidden behind an immense leaf, began to pour forth the
+full notes of a chattering, mocking song, almost like the voice of a
+human being. Henry liked it, too, although he knew the bird was flinging
+him a pretty defiance. It belonged in his world. It was fitting that one
+singer, many singers, should live in his wilderness and sing for him.
+
+A gray squirrel, its saucy tail curved over its back, ran lightly up an
+oak, perched on a bough and gazed at him with a challenging, red eye.
+Henry gave back his look, and laughed in the silent manner of the
+border. He had no wish to hurt the swaggering little fellow. His heart
+was bare of ill will against anything.
+
+A deep, clear creek flowed at the base of the hill, and a fish, snapping
+at a fly, leaped clear of the water, making a silver streak in the air,
+gone in an instant as he fell back into the stream. The glimpse pleased
+Henry. It, too, was a part of his kingdom, stocked with fur, fin and
+feather, beyond that of any other king, and far more vast.
+
+The brilliant sunlight over his head began to dim and darken. He looked
+up. The van of a host, the wild pigeons flying northward appeared, and
+then came the great wide column, millions and millions of birds,
+returning from their winter in the south. He had seen the huge flights
+before, but the freshness and zest of the sight never wore away. No
+matter how far they came nor how far they went they would still be
+flying over his forest empire. And then would come the great flocks of
+wild ducks and wild geese, winging swiftly like an arrow toward the
+north. They, too, were his, and again he took long, deep breaths of a
+delight so keen that it made his pulses leap.
+
+From the wood at the base of the hill came a crackling sound as of
+something breaking, and then the long crash of a tree falling. He went a
+little way down the slope and his moccasins made no sound in the grass.
+Gently pulling aside the bough of a sheltering bush he saw the beavers
+at work. Already they were measuring for lengths the tree they had cut
+through at the base with their long, sharp teeth.
+
+The creek here received a tributary brook of considerable volume, and
+the dam erected by the beavers had sent the waters far back in a tiny
+sheet like a little lake. But as Henry saw, they were going to raise the
+dam higher, and they were working with the intelligence and energy that
+belong so peculiarly to the beaver. Four powerful fellows were floating
+a log in the water, ready to put it into place, and others on the bank
+were launching another.
+
+It was one of the largest beaver colonies he had ever seen, and he
+watched it with peculiar enjoyment. He killed the beaver now and
+then--the cap upon his head was made of its skin--but only when it was
+needful. The industrious animals were safe from his rifle now, and he
+felt that his wilderness had no more useful people.
+
+He looked at them a long time, merely for the pleasure of looking. They
+showed so much skill, so much quickness and judgment that he was willing
+to see and learn from them. He felt, in a sense, that they were
+comrades. He wished them well in their work, and he knew that they would
+have snug houses, when the next winter came.
+
+He left them in their peace, returned to the brow of the hill, and then
+walked slowly down the other side. He heard a woof, a sound of
+scrambling, and a black bear, big in frame, but yet lean from the
+winter, ran from its lair in the bushes, stopped a moment at fifty or
+sixty yards to look hard at him, and then, wheeling again in frightened
+flight disappeared among the trees. Henry once more laughed silently. He
+would not have harmed the bear either.
+
+A puffing, panting sound attracted his attention, and, walking farther
+on, he looked into a glade, in which the grass grew high and thick. He
+had known from the character of the noise that he would find buffaloes
+there, and they numbered about a dozen, grazing a while, and then
+breathing heavily in content. He had seen them in countless herds on the
+western plains, when he was with Black Cloud and his tribe, but south of
+the Ohio, owing to the heavy forest, they were found only in small
+groups, although they were plentiful.
+
+The wind was blowing toward him, and standing partially behind a huge
+oak he watched them. They were the finest and largest inhabitants of his
+wilderness, splendid creatures, with their leonine manes and huge
+shoulders, beasts of which any monarch might be proud. He could easily
+bring down any one of them that he wanted with his rifle, but they were
+safe from all bullets of his.
+
+He looked at them a while, as a man would gaze at a favorite horse.
+There was a calf among them, and whenever it wandered from the middle of
+the glade toward the edge of the forest the mother would push it back.
+Henry, studying the woods there, saw just within their shadow the long
+slinking figures of two gray wolves. He knew their purpose, but he knew
+also that it would not be fulfilled.
+
+He watched the little forest drama with an interest none the less
+because it was not new to him. He saw the gray shadows creeping nearer
+and nearer, while the calf persistently sought the woods, probably for
+shade. Presently the leader of the herd, an immense bull, almost black,
+caught an odor, wheeled like lightning and rushed upon the wolves. There
+was a single yelp, as one was trampled to death, and the other fled
+through the forest to seek easier prey.
+
+The buffaloes returned to their grazing and the foolish calf, warned by
+the danger from which he had been saved, stayed in the middle of the
+glade, with his elders as a wall around him. Henry smiled. He had
+foreseen the result, and it was wholly to his liking. He passed around
+the opening, not wishing to disturb the animals, and went northward,
+always on soundless feet.
+
+A stag, catching the human odor on the wind, sprang from a thicket, and
+crashed away in wild alarm. Henry laughed again and waved his hand at
+the fleeting figure. The stag did not know that he had no cause to dread
+him, but Henry admired his speed. A flock of wild turkeys rose from a
+bough above his head, and uttering preliminary gobbles, sailed away in
+a low flight among the trees. He waved his hand at them also, and
+noticed before they disappeared how the sunlight glowed on their bronze
+feathers.
+
+It was a fine morning in his kingdom, and he was seeing many forms of
+its life. He remarked a bee tree, and thought it probable that the
+runaway bear would make a try there some day for honey. Then he stopped
+and looked at a tiny blue flower, just blooming in the shelter of a
+bush. He examined it with appreciation and touched the delicate leaf
+very gently, lest he break it away. Little and fragile, it had its place
+nevertheless in his realm.
+
+His course led him back to the creek, here very deep and clear and
+running over a gravelly bottom. After looking and listening for a little
+while, he undressed, laid his rifle and other weapons on the very edge
+of the bank, where he could reach them in an instant, and dropped
+silently into the water. It was cool and he shivered at first, but as he
+swam the warmth returned to his veins.
+
+He was a splendid swimmer, and he was careful not to splash or make any
+other sound that could be heard far. It was glorious there in the water,
+and he was loath to leave it. He lay on his back, floated a little with
+the current, and then with strokes strong, swift and silent, swam back
+again.
+
+His eyes looked up into a blue sky, sprinkled with many little white
+clouds golden at the edge. The huge flight of pigeons had passed and no
+longer dimmed the sun. He could just see the last of the myriads on the
+edge of the northern horizon. But there was a sudden flash of black
+across the blue, and a hawk shot down into the forest. A bald eagle
+sailed in slow majesty above the trees, and, well within the shelter of
+the foliage near him, many small birds were twittering. The air over his
+realm as well as the forests and waters was full of life.
+
+He came out, allowed himself to dry in the sun, while he flexed and
+tensed his powerful muscles. Then he dressed. The swim had been good,
+and he was glad that he had taken the risk. He was aware that the forest
+contained inhabitants much more dangerous than those he had looked upon
+that morning, but he had not yet seen any sign of them, and he was one
+who had learned to use his opportunities.
+
+After luxuriating for a little while on the grass, Henry, rifle on
+shoulder, walked swiftly forward. He had a definite purpose and it was
+to rejoin his four comrades, Paul Cotter, Shif'less Sol Hyde, Long Jim
+Hart and Tom Ross, who were not far away in the greenwood, the five,
+since the repulse of the great attack upon the wagon train, continuing
+their chosen duties as keepers of the trail, that is, they were
+continually on guard in the vast forest and canebrake against the
+Northwestern Indians who were making such a bitter war upon the young
+Kentucky settlements.
+
+Henry had known that they would come again. Kentucky had been a huge
+hunting ground, without any Indian villages, but for that reason it had
+been prized most highly by the savage. The same reason made the ground
+all the more dangerous for the white people, because the Indians,
+unhampered by their women and children, came only with chosen bands of
+warriors, selected for supreme skill in battle and forest lore. No
+seekers of new homes ever faced greater dangers than the little white
+vanguard that crossed the Alleghanies into the splendid new land beyond.
+Hidden death always lurked in the bush, and no man went beyond the
+palisade even on the commonest errand without his rifle.
+
+It was a noble task that Henry and his comrades had undertaken, to act
+as watchers, and it appealed to them all, to him most because he was
+continually in the wilderness that he loved so well, and he felt that he
+was doing a much greater work than when he was felling trees, and
+helping to clear a place for crops. As for himself he would never have
+cut down a single tree, although there were millions and millions of
+them. Nature held nothing that he admired more. He knew no greater
+delight than to stand on a high hill and look on the forest, deep green,
+waving in the wind, and stretching to the complete circle of the horizon
+and beyond.
+
+He was now in one of the loneliest stretches of the wilderness, far
+north of Wareville, and no great distance from the Ohio. A day's march
+would take him to a favorite crossing of the savages, and that was why
+he and his comrades were in this region. He increased his speed,
+settling into the long swinging gait which the scouts of the border
+always used, when they would hasten, but, in a half-hour, he stopped
+suddenly and his figure seemed to vanish utterly in a dense mass of
+green bushes.
+
+Henry, now hidden himself, had seen. It was only a trace that scarcely
+any eye save his would have noticed, but in a place where the earth was
+soft he had observed the faint imprint of a moccasin, the toes turning
+inward and hence made by an Indian. Other imprints must be near, but,
+for a little while, he would not look, remaining crouched in the
+thicket. He wished to be sure before he moved that no wearer of a
+moccasin was in the bush. It might be that Yellow Panther, redoubtable
+chief of the Miamis, and Red Eagle, equally redoubtable chief of the
+Shawnees, were at hand with great war bands, burning to avenge their
+defeats.
+
+He did not move for fully ten minutes. He had acquired all the qualities
+of those who live in constant danger in vast forests, and, like the
+animal that hides, his figure and dress blended completely with the
+green thicket. The air brought no menace to either eye or ear, and then
+he stepped forth.
+
+He found the imprints of five or six pairs of moccasins farther on, and
+then they became so faint that the best trailer in the West could not
+follow them, although he believed that they had been made by a hunting
+party. It was customary for the Indians on their great raids to detach a
+number of men who would roam the forests for food, but he decided that
+he would not try to follow them any longer. He would not be deflected
+from his purpose to join his comrades.
+
+Leaving the broken trail he sped north by west, the forests and thickets
+growing thicker as he advanced. At one point he came to a vast canebrake
+that seemed impassable, yet he made his way through it almost without
+slackening speed, and came to a grove of oaks, so large and so dense
+that the sunlight never entered there. He stopped at its edge and
+imitated the long, haunting cry of the owl. In a moment or two a note
+like it, but distant and faint, came. He uttered the cry a second time,
+and heard the reply.
+
+Hesitating no longer he entered the oak grove. These trees with their
+great mossy trunks were the finest that he had ever seen. Some peculiar
+quality of the soil, some fertilizing agency beneath had given them an
+unparalleled growth. The leafy roof was complete, and he advanced as one
+who walks down a limitless hall, studded with a myriad of columns.
+
+Two miles and turning around a hill he came to a cup in its far side,
+hidden so well that the unknowing would have passed it unseen. But he
+called and his four comrades answered from the cup. Parting the bushes
+Henry entered and they gave him a low but joyous welcome.
+
+The cup, almost circular, was not more than ten feet across, but the sun
+shone in it and the ground was warm and dry. Just beyond the far edge a
+little spring gushed from under a stone and trickled away, whispering
+gently through the bushes.
+
+Paul was the only one of the four who had risen. He stood now erect, the
+stock of his rifle resting on the ground, the customary attitude of the
+waiting borderer, his fine, intellectual face bright with interest.
+
+"Did you see anything, Henry?" he asked.
+
+"O' course he saw somethin'," drawled Shif'less Sol. "Did you ever know
+the time when Henry went anywhar without seein' anythin'?"
+
+"Paul meant did he see anythin' wuth tellin'," said Long Jim. "You're
+always talkin' too much, Sol. Why did you want to bust in on a boy that
+was askin' a decent question?"
+
+"I never talk too much, Long Jim Hart," said the shiftless one
+indignantly. "Now an' then I hev to talk a long time, 'cause I know so
+much that I can't git it all out between sunrise an' sunset, an' the
+hours then are mighty crowded, too. I reckon that you'd never need
+more'n five minutes to empty your head."
+
+"Mine's a good head an' it never has any swellin' either."
+
+"Give Henry a chance," said Paul smiling. "How can he ever tell us
+anything, when you two are filling all the woods with the roar of
+argument?"
+
+The debaters subsided. Silent Tom Ross said nothing. His chariness of
+speech often saved him much breath. Besides, Tom was contented. He knew
+that if Henry had found anything worth telling and thought fit to tell
+it he would do so at the right time.
+
+"Give me some venison," said Henry. "I've walked a long way, and I'm
+hungry."
+
+Paul produced a piece from a deerskin knapsack that he carried and
+Henry, sitting down in the circular opening, ate. Paul lay down again
+and all of them waited.
+
+"Indians," said Henry at length, waving his hands toward the east.
+
+"How many?" asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"I could not tell, but I think it's a large band, either Miamis or
+Shawnees. Perhaps Yellow Panther and Red Eagle have come back."
+
+"Like as not," said the shiftless one. "They're the kind to come."
+
+"Huntin' scalps," said Tom Ross, speaking for the first time.
+
+"And it's our business," said Paul, "to see that they don't get 'em."
+
+"So it is," said Long Jim. "A man hates to lose his hair, 'specially
+when he's got such thick, beautiful hair as mine. I've heard that a big
+prize fur my scalp has been offered to all the Injun nations across the
+Ohio. Still, danger heats up my courage, an' I'm right proud uv bein' a
+marked man."
+
+"We must find out all about that band," said Tom Ross. "Which way wuz
+they goin'?"
+
+"The trail so far as it showed led to the east," replied Henry, "but you
+couldn't tell anything by that. I'm quite sure it was made by hunters
+sent out for buffalo or deer to feed the main band. There's lots of game
+around here, which shows that the Indians haven't been roving over this
+region much."
+
+"I've seen all kinds," said Long Jim. "It jest walks or flies right up
+to our rifle barrels, an' ef it wuzn't fur the danger I'd like to show
+you fellers the grand way in which I could cook a lot uv it."
+
+"Right thar, old hoss, I stand up fur you ag'in' the world," said
+Shif'less Sol, "but I reckon we ain't lightin' any fires jest now."
+
+"No," said Henry. "I think we'd better stay here the rest of the day,
+and keep ourselves in hiding. The main band, whatever its size or
+wherever it is, seems to have plenty of flankers and hunters, and if we
+ran into them, as we surely would, we wouldn't have any chance to watch
+'em later on."
+
+"Right, o' course," said Shif'less Sol, and the others agreed in
+silence.
+
+The five lay back upon the dry leaves, depending upon hearing chiefly,
+to warn them of the possible coming of an enemy. The undergrowth was so
+dense about the cup that no one fifteen yards away could see them, and
+they were able to hear even a creeping warrior, before he could come
+that near. Hence they reposed without alarm, and, bold forest runners
+that they were, eternally on guard, they took their ease with a certain
+sense of luxury.
+
+It was about the middle of the afternoon, and the sun was at its
+brightest, the rays being vertical. From their woodland cup they looked
+up at a circle of shining blue sky, continually crossed by tiny white
+clouds, following one another in a regular procession from south to
+north. The majesty of the wilderness and the illimitable covering of
+forest green appealed to Paul but little less than to Henry. He, too,
+felt the great lift of the spirit, danger or no danger.
+
+The five enjoyed the wilderness, every one in his own way, Henry and
+Paul because their souls were stirred by it, Shif'less Sol because it
+was always unfolding to him some new wonder, Tom Ross because it was a
+hunting ground without limit, and Long Jim because nearly every kind of
+game found in it could be eaten, after it had been cooked by his master
+hand.
+
+But they did not speak now. The people of the border, save in their
+homes, never talked much. The caution bred by the necessity of the woods
+became a habit. They acquired an extraordinary power over voice and
+nerves. Like a Hindu, a man could lie silent and motionless for hours.
+In this respect they had the quality of the Indian and the five at least
+could match his native cunning and training, and, in addition, bring to
+their own aid a superior intellectual power. That was why they were
+kings of the woods.
+
+The sun passed the zenith and the rays were no longer vertical, but it
+was almost as bright in the cup as ever, while the sky itself had lost
+nothing of its shining blue tint. Paul presently said:
+
+"I notice a shred of brown or gray against that brilliant blue. Now all
+the little clouds are white, and this sadder color has no business
+there. Besides, it's a blur. Would you say it's smoke, Henry?"
+
+Henry, who had been listening rather than watching, opened his eyes and
+stared intently at the faint smudge on the sky.
+
+"Yes, it's smoke," he said, "and as the wind now comes from the south
+it, too, is traveling that way. Don't you think so, Sol?"
+
+"O' course, Henry. Now you see thar's a little bigger patch o' gray
+followin' the first, an' it ain't so mighty high above us, either."
+
+"Yes, I see it. Read the book for us, Sol."
+
+"Lookin' at them thar two bits o' gray which Natur' didn't put up in the
+sky, but which somehow came from the hand o' man, I kin spin the tale
+jest ez it is. That's smoke up thar. It can't come from any kind o' a
+forest fire, 'cause it's early spring an' the woods are too green to
+burn. Thar ain't no white people in these parts 'cept ourselves an' ef
+thar wuz they wouldn't be so foolish ez to build a fire that sends up
+smoke. So it's bound to be Injuns. They're a big band, so big that they
+ain't afeard o' bein' attacked. That's the reason why they're so
+keerless 'bout thar smoke. An' 'cause the band is so big it ain't jest
+hunters. It's a war band bound south ag'in the settlements to git scalps
+in revenge for all the braves they've lost. Do I tell the truth, Henry?"
+
+"To the last detail."
+
+"Thoroughly good logic," said Paul.
+
+"What's logic?" asked Long Jim.
+
+"I'll illustrate," replied Paul. "When you see a deer, take aim at him
+with your rifle and shoot him through the heart, you feel quite sure
+when he drops dead that it was you who killed him. Logic tells you that,
+and so that is logic."
+
+"I reckon I know now," said Long Jim, rubbing his chin.
+
+"Tom," said Henry, "about how far from us is the fire that makes that
+smoke?"
+
+"Smoke, 'less there's a terrible lot uv it, don't hang together long,"
+replied Ross, looking up thoughtfully at the little gray clouds. "But I
+reckon them two thar wuz broke off from a much bigger piece at the
+start, an' are gittin' smaller ez they come. But thar main camp ain't
+more'n two miles from here, Henry."
+
+"Just about that, I should say. We'd better look 'em over tonight,
+hadn't we?"
+
+"Jest ez you say. You're the leader, Henry."
+
+"We'll do it, if we can, but I'm thinking we'll have to be mighty
+careful. I've an idea that the woods are full of warriors. I don't want
+to be burned at the stake."
+
+"But Jim Hart here would make a most bee-yu-ti-ful torch," said
+Shif'less Sol. "Slim an' nigh on to six feet and a half tall he'd light
+up the whole woods, ef he wuz set on fire on top fust."
+
+"Ef you wuz set on fire on top," said Long Jim, "thar wouldn't be much
+burnin', 'cause a blaze can't feed on emptiness."
+
+"Thar goes another o' them little gray patches," said Silent Tom. "That
+means they're still feedin' the fire--fur cookin' too, 'cause they don't
+need it to warm by. The hunters must hev brought in a power o' game,
+'cause when the warriors do eat, an' they hev plenty o' it to last, they
+eat in a way no white man can match."
+
+"I suppose that was the way of the primitive man," said Paul, who was
+wont to think about origins and causes. "He was never sure of his food,
+and when he had it he ate all he could."
+
+Henry uttered a slight warning hiss, a sibilant breath, scarcely more,
+and the five shifting a little, grasped their rifles in such a manner
+that they could be pushed forward at once, and listened with all their
+ears. Henry had heard a light footfall, and then the faint sound of
+voices. He drew himself to the edge of the covert and he did it with so
+much skill that not a leaf or a blade of grass rustled.
+
+Lying flat on the ground, and, looking underneath the boughs of the
+trees and bushes, where only the trunks and stems were in the way, he
+saw the legs of four men, the upper parts of their bodies being
+completely hidden by the foliage. Henry knew, nevertheless, that they
+were three Indians and one white man. The white man was disclosed by his
+thicker legs and his toes which turned out. All were clothed much alike
+in deerskin leggings, but Henry could make no mistake.
+
+It was equally evident to him that the white man was not a prisoner,
+because he walked quite freely. Once he passed ahead of the three
+Indians, and then he dropped behind. If a captive, he would have walked
+just behind one warrior and the other two, in Indian file, would have
+walked close behind him.
+
+Henry saw also that they were carrying heavy weights, because they
+stepped slowly and with a certain stiffness. There was a rigidity and
+tension that strong men walking easily would not have shown.
+Unquestionably they were successful hunters, carrying game to a great
+gluttonous band feasting with energy two miles away.
+
+"Three Shawnees and Braxton Wyatt," whispered Shif'less Sol, who had
+crept to his side. "Don't you remember that he had jest the faintest bit
+o' bow in his legs? An' thar's that bow. Why, I'd know them legs anywhar
+in the world."
+
+"That's so," said Henry. "Now I wonder what his wicked mind is devising.
+There's no hater like a renegade."
+
+"You may be shore he's thinkin' o' harm to our people down below," said
+the shiftless one. "I'm glad we're here to see 'em."
+
+Henry nodded in agreement, and they whispered to the others that Wyatt
+and three Shawnees were passing. Henry and Sol knew that they were
+Shawnees, because they had red beads in a row on their leggings, where
+the Miamis wore blue ones.
+
+"Ef I wuz to steal down a bit through the bushes an' shoot that traitor
+right squar' through his black heart, ez I could do easy, I'd be savin'
+the lives o' innocent men, women an' children," said Shif'less Sol.
+
+"It is likely," said Henry, "but you mustn't do it. Somehow I can't see
+a man shot from ambush. Besides, it would give the alarm, an' we
+mightn't be able to carry on our work."
+
+"I didn't say I wanted to do it, but it's pow'ful temptin'."
+
+"Yes, I know, but it's silence and waiting for us."
+
+The four pairs of legs, three Indian and one white, passed on. Ten
+minutes later they heard a long whoop from one point, and a long whoop
+from another point answered. They were not war cries, merely signals,
+and the five appreciated more than ever the invisibility of their little
+retreat. There was not more than one chance in a hundred that a
+wandering warrior would stumble upon it.
+
+Other calls were heard through the forest, and then the faint sound of a
+chant dying swiftly.
+
+"They're merry," said Paul, with swift intuition. "Maybe they have some
+scalps already to rejoice over."
+
+It was a bitter reminder to Henry, and yet it might be true. A small
+band, traveling fast, might have struck an unguarded settlement, and,
+returning, might be here now with the great band, bearing their
+sanguinary trophies. Five only, no matter how brave and skillful, could
+not watch the whole border.
+
+"There's nothing to do," he said, "but wait for darkness."
+
+Not one of them had risen to his feet, and they merely sank back on
+their elbows, again relying more upon ear than eye. They relaxed, but
+they were ready for instant action, should the need come.
+
+They would not have very long to wait now. The sun was so far over in
+the west that it cast slanting rays and shadows were gathering at the
+base of the cup. It was growing colder and the rising wind sang among
+the green young leaves. A vast red sun hanging low over the western
+wilderness tinged the forest, as if with fire. To an ordinary human
+being it would have been an awful sun in its flaming majesty,
+frightening him, lost in the forest, by its mysterious immensity, but
+the five, either separately or alone were too familiar with the great
+spectacle to feel fear.
+
+"It's an uncommonly red sun," said Tom Ross.
+
+"And they say that means battle," said Paul, who had read much for a lad
+of the frontier.
+
+"I s'pose so," said the shiftless one, "an' it may mean a storm, but I
+reckon in this case it's more likely to p'int to rifles an' tomahawks."
+
+The splendor of the west in its crimson and gold deepened. Higher up in
+the heavens were glorious terraces of blue and pink. The boughs of the
+distant trees stood out as if they were wrapped in living fire.
+
+"Magnificent!" said Paul, for whom its magic never palled.
+
+"And now it's fading," said Henry.
+
+"The shoulder of the world is coming up between," said Paul.
+
+"What do you mean by that?" asked Long Jim, "when with your own eyes you
+kin see the sun movin' 'roun' behind the earth."
+
+"The sun doesn't move, Jim, that is, so far as we're concerned, but we
+do. We roll around ourselves every day and night. At the end of the day
+the earth is between us and the sun, and in the night when we roll back
+around we face the sun again."
+
+"You've read a lot of books, Paul, forty or fifty, I s'pose, an' I
+believe most that you say, but you can't make me believe a thing like
+that. Don't I see the sun set, an' don't I see it rise? What's print to
+a fellow's eyes? Print can lie, but your eyes don't."
+
+Paul did not deem it worth while to argue. In a few more minutes the sun
+was hidden behind the turning earth, leaving great bands of gold and
+blue and pink, which, in their turn, faded fast, giving place to the
+gray of coming twilight.
+
+The five ate venison, and drank from the tiny brook at the edge of the
+cup. Meanwhile, full night came, and they prepared to go forth and see
+what they might see.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE BIG GUNS
+
+
+Despite the brilliant sunset, the night was dark, drifting clouds
+veiling the moon at times, while the stars lay hidden behind mists and
+vapors, making the conditions suitable for those who wished to scout and
+spy upon an enemy, as fierce and implacable as the Indian.
+
+"All that color when the sun went down means rain," said Tom Ross, who
+was weatherwise.
+
+"But not tonight," said Henry.
+
+"No, not tonight, but tomorrow, sometime, it'll come, shore. Them
+warriors hev built up their fires mighty big. Can't you smell the
+smoke?"
+
+The wind was blowing toward them and upon it came the faint odor of
+burning wood.
+
+"They're indulging in what we would call a festival," said Paul. "They
+must have an immense bonfire, and it must be a huge camp."
+
+"Beyond a doubt," said Henry.
+
+Examining their weapons carefully they left the cup, dropping into their
+usual order, as they made their silent way through the forest, Henry
+leading, the shiftless one next, then Paul, followed by Long Jim while
+Silent Tom covered the rear. There was no noise as they passed. They
+slipped by the boughs and every moccasined foot instinctively avoided
+the rotten stick that would break beneath its weight.
+
+As they advanced the odor of burning wood grew stronger. It might not
+have been noticed by the dwellers in peaceful lands, but it was obvious
+at once to senses trained like theirs in the hardest of all schools,
+that of continuous danger. Henry twice heard the swish of a heavy night
+bird over their heads, but he knew the sound and paid no attention to
+it. Faint sliding noises in the thickets were made by the little
+animals, scuttling away in fright at the odor of man.
+
+They crossed a shallow valley, in which the forest was extremely dense,
+and emerged upon a low hill, covered with oak, maple and elm, without
+much undergrowth. Here Henry was the first to see a low, barely
+discernible light upon the eastern horizon, and he called the attention
+of the others to it. All of them knew that it was the glow of the Indian
+campfire, and apparently nothing but heavy forest lay between them and
+the flames.
+
+They held a consultation, and agreed that Henry and Shif'less Sol, the
+best two trailers, should go forward, while the other three should
+remain in reserve to cover their retreat, if it were forced, or to go
+forward to possible rescue, if they did not return before morning. The
+decision was reached quickly. The superiority was accorded at once and
+without jealousy to Henry and the shiftless one.
+
+But they moved forward in a group, until the glow rose higher and grew
+brighter. Then the three who were to stay lay close in a clump of bushes
+growing near the base of a great elm that Henry and Shif'less Sol marked
+well. Faint whoops or their echo came to them, and they knew that the
+warriors were rejoicing.
+
+"A mighty big camp, bigger even than we thought," said Silent Tom.
+
+"We'll soon see," said Henry, as he and his comrade in the daring
+venture slid away among the bushes. Then the two went forward with
+unbelievable skill. Not even the ear of a warrior could have heard them
+fifteen feet away, and they never relaxed their caution, although they
+did not believe that the Indians were keeping very close watch.
+
+They had seen at first a glow more pink than red. Now it was a deep
+scarlet, showing many leaping tongues against the forest. The odor of
+burning wood became strong, and they saw sparks and wisps of smoke
+flying among the leaves. Long fierce whoops like the cry of animals came
+at times, but beneath them was an incessant muttering chant and the low,
+steady beat of some instrument like a drum.
+
+"The war dance," whispered Henry.
+
+The shiftless one nodded.
+
+They redoubled their caution, creeping very slowly, lying almost flat
+upon the ground and dragging their bodies forward, like crawling
+animals. They were coming to one of the openings, like a tiny prairie,
+frequent in early Kentucky, sheltered on the side they were approaching
+by a dense canebrake, through which they were making their way.
+
+The open space was several acres in extent, and at the far end were
+tepees, which the two knew were intended for chiefs of high degree. In
+the center burned an immense bonfire, or rather a group of bonfires,
+merged into one, fed incessantly by warriors who dragged wood from the
+adjoining forest, and threw it into the flames.
+
+But it was not the sight of the fire or the tepees that stirred Henry.
+It was that of hundreds of Indian warriors gathered and indulging in one
+of those savage festivals upon which nobody could look at night without
+a thrill of wonder and awe. Here primeval man was in his glory.
+
+The Indians of North America were a strange compound of cruelty and
+cunning, leavened at times by nobility and self-sacrifice. Most of the
+tribes were perfect little political organizations, and the league of
+the Iroquois was worthy of a highly civilized race. They were creatures
+of circumstances, and, while loyal to friends, they were merciless to
+enemies, devising incredible methods of torture.
+
+It was this knowledge that made Henry shudder as he looked upon the
+great camp. He knew the Indian and liked him in many respects--his
+captivity in the northwest had been no pain--but he was white and he
+must fight for the white man, and hence against the red.
+
+The warriors were intoxicated not with liquor, but with the red fury of
+the brain. Vast quantities of game, freshly dressed, were heaped upon
+the earth. Every man would seize a piece to suit himself, broil it
+hastily on coals and then eat. He ate like the savage he was, and the
+amounts they devoured were astonishing, just as they could fast an
+amazing number of days, if need be.
+
+Whenever one had eaten enough for the time he would rush into a mass of
+dancers near the eastern edge of the opening. Then he would begin to
+leap back and forth and chant with unnatural energy. They could keep up
+this manner of dancing and singing for many hours, and they quit it only
+to obtain more food or to fall down exhausted.
+
+"It's the war dance," whispered Henry.
+
+Shif'less Sol nodded. It was, in truth, just approaching its height as
+the two crept near. Four powerful warriors, naked except for the breech
+clout, were beating incessantly and monotonously upon the Indian drums.
+These drums (Ga-no-jo) were about a foot in height and the drummer used
+a single stick. The dance itself was called by the Shawnees,
+Sa-ma-no-o-no, which was the name bestowed upon this nation by the
+Senecas, although the Iroquois themselves called the dance Wa-ta-seh.
+
+Few white men have looked upon such a spectacle at such a time, in the
+very deeps of the wilderness, under a night sky, heavy with drifting
+clouds. The whole civilized world had vanished, gone utterly like a wisp
+of vapor before a wind, and it was peopled only by these savage figures
+that danced in the dusk.
+
+Near the trees stood a group of chiefs, among whom Henry recognized
+Yellow Panther, the Miami, and Red Eagle, the Shawnee, imposing men
+both, but not the equals of an extremely tall and powerful young chief,
+who was destined later to be an important figure in the life of Henry
+Ware. They stood silent, dignified, the presiding figures of the dance.
+
+The war drums beat on, insistent and steady, like the rolling of water
+down a fall. The very monotony of the sound, the eternal harping upon
+one theme, contained power. Henry, susceptible to the impressions of the
+wilderness, began to feel that his own brain was being heated by it, and
+he saw as through a dim red mist. The silent and impassive figures of
+the chiefs seemed to grow in height and size. The bonfires blazed
+higher, and the monotonous wailing chant of the warriors was penetrated
+by a ferocious under note like the whine of some great beast. He glanced
+at the shiftless one and saw in his eyes the same intense awed look
+which he knew was in his own.
+
+The mass of men who had been dancing stopped suddenly, and the chant
+stopped with them. The warriors gathered into two great masses, a lane
+between them. Save the chiefs, all were naked to the breech clout, and
+from perspiring bodies the odor of the wild arose.
+
+The fires were blazing tremendously, sending off smoke, ashes and sparks
+that floated over the trees and were borne far by the wind. At
+intervals, prolonged war whoops were uttered, and, heavy with menace,
+they rang far through the woods, startling and distinct.
+
+Then from the edge of the forest emerged about forty warriors painted
+and decorated in a wildly fantastic manner and wearing headdresses of
+feathers. The drums beat again, furiously now, and the men began to
+dance, swinging to and fro and writhing. At the same time they sang a
+war song of fierce, choppy words, and those who were not dancing sang
+with them.
+
+The lane wound around and around, and, as the singers and dancers went
+forward they increased in vehemence. They were transported, like men who
+have taken some powerful drug, and their emotions were quickly
+communicated to all the rest of the band. Fierce howls rose above the
+chant of the war songs. Warriors leaping high in the air made the
+imaginary motions of killing and scalping an enemy. Then their long
+yells of triumph would swell above the universal chant.
+
+All the while it was growing darker in the forest. The heavy drifting
+clouds completely hid the moon and stars. The sky was black and
+menacing, and the circular ring of woods looked solid like a wall. But
+within this ring the heat and fury grew. The violence and endurance of
+the dancers were incredible, and the shouting chant of the multitude
+urged them on.
+
+Henry caught sight of a white figure near the chiefs, and he recognized
+the young renegade, Braxton Wyatt. Just behind him was another and older
+renegade named Blackstaffe, famed along the whole border for his cunning
+and cruelty. Then he saw men, a half-dozen of them, in the red uniforms
+of British officers, and behind them two monstrous dark shapes on
+wheels.
+
+"Can those be cannon?" he whispered to Shif'less Sol.
+
+"They kin be an' they are. I reckon the British allies o' the Injuns hev
+brought 'em from Detroit to batter down the palisades o' our little
+settlements."
+
+Henry felt a thrill of horror. He knew that they were cannon, but he had
+hoped that the shiftless one would persuade him they were not. They were
+probably the first cannon ever seen in that wilderness, the sisters of
+those used later with success by the Indians under English leadership
+and with English cannoneers from Detroit against two little settlements
+in Kentucky.
+
+But startled as Henry was, his attention turned back to the dancers. Old
+customs, the habits of far-off ancestors, slumbered in him, and despite
+himself something wild and fierce in his blood again responded to the
+primeval appeal the warriors were making. A red haze floated before his
+eyes. The tide of battle surged through his blood, and, then, with a
+fierce warning to himself, he stilled his quivering body and crouched
+low again.
+
+A long time they watched. When a dancer fell exhausted another leaped
+gladly into his place. The unconscious man was dragged to one side, and
+left until he might recover.
+
+"I think we've seen enough, don't you?" whispered Henry. "I'd feel
+better if I were further away."
+
+"Stirs me like that too," said Shif'less Sol. "It ain't healthy fur us
+to stay here any longer. 'Sides, we know all we want to know. This is a
+big war party, mostly Miamis and Shawnees, with some Wyandots an' a few
+Iroquois and Delawares."
+
+"And the English and the cannon."
+
+"Yes, Henry, an' I don't like the looks o' them cannon, the first, I
+reckon, that ever come across the Ohio. Our palisades can turn the
+bullets easy 'nuff, but they'd fly like splinters before twelve pound
+round shot."
+
+"Then," said Henry with sudden emphasis, "it's the business of us five
+to see that those two big guns never appear before Wareville or Marlowe,
+where I imagine they intend to take them!"
+
+"Henry, you hit the nail squar' on the head the fust time. Ef we kin
+stop them two cannon it'll be ez much ez winnin' a campaign. I think
+we'd better go back now, an' j'in the others, don't you?"
+
+"Yes, I don't see that we can do anything at present. But Sol, we must
+stop those cannon some way or other. We beat off a great attack at
+Wareville once, but we couldn't stand half a day before the big guns.
+How are we to do it? Tell me, Sol, how are we to do it?"
+
+"I don't know, Henry, but we kin hang on. You know we've always hung on,
+an' by hangin' on we gen'rally win. It's a long way to Wareville, an'
+while red warriors kin travel fast cannon can't get through a country
+covered ez thick with woods an' bushes ez this is. They'll hev to cut a
+road fur 'em nigh all the way."
+
+"That's so," said Henry more hopefully. "They'll have to go mighty slow
+with those big guns through the forests and thickets and canebrake, and
+across so many rivers and creeks. We'll hang on, as you say, and it may
+give us a chance to act. I feel better already."
+
+"They ain't likely to move fur a day or two, Henry. After the dances an'
+the big eatin' they'll lay 'roun' 'till they've slep' it all off, an'
+nobody kin move 'em 'till they git ready, even if them British officers
+talk 'till their heads ache. They're goin' on with the dancin' too. Hear
+them whoops."
+
+The long shrill cries uttered by the warriors still reached them, as
+they stole away. Henry passed his hand across his forehead. All that
+strange influence was gone now. He no longer saw the red mist, and his
+heart ceased to beat like a hammer. The healthy normal forest was around
+him, full of dangers, it was true, but of dangers that he could meet
+with decision and judgment.
+
+They returned rapidly, but occasionally they looked back at the red
+glare showing above the trees, and for most of the way the faint echoes
+of the whoops came to them. When they approached the bushes in which
+they had left the others Henry uttered a low whistle which was promptly
+answered in like fashion by Silent Tom.
+
+"What did you see?" asked Paul, as they emerged from their hiding place.
+
+"Nigh on to a thousand warriors," replied Shif'less Sol, "an' it was a
+mighty fine comp'ny too. We saw two chiefs, Yellow Panther, the Miami,
+an' Red Eagle, the Shawnee, that we've had dealin's with before, an' our
+old friend Braxton Wyatt, an' the big renegade Blackstaffe, an' British
+officers."
+
+"British officers!" exclaimed Paul. "What are they doing there?"
+
+"You know that our people in the East are at war with Britain," said
+Henry, "and I suppose these officers and some men too have come from
+Detroit to help the warriors wipe us out in Kentucky. They've brought
+with them also two very formidable allies, the like of which were never
+seen in these woods before."
+
+"Two new and strange allies, Henry?" said Paul. "What do you mean?"
+
+"Something that rolls along on wheels, and that speaks with a voice like
+thunder."
+
+"I don't understand yet."
+
+"And when it speaks it hurls forth a missile that can smash through a
+palisade like a stone through glass."
+
+"It must be cannon. You surely don't mean cannon, Henry?"
+
+"I do. The big guns have crossed the Ohio. The Indians or rather the
+English with 'em, mean to use 'em against us. It's our business to
+destroy 'em. Sol and I have agreed on that, and you are with us, are you
+not?"
+
+"O' course!" said Tom Ross.
+
+"Uv course!" said Long Jim.
+
+"Through everything," said Paul.
+
+"What do you think we'd better do right now?" asked Ross.
+
+"Go back to the cup and sleep," replied Henry. "It'll be safe. The
+Indians will be so gorged from their orgie, and will feel so secure
+from attack that they'll hardly have a scout in the forest tomorrow."
+
+"Good plan," said the shiftless one. "I expect to be in that shady
+little place in a half-hour. Long Jim here, havin' nothin' else to do,
+will watch over me all through the rest of the night, an' tomorrow when
+the sun comes out bright, he'll be settin' by my side keepin' the flies
+off me, an' me still sleepin' ez innercent ez a baby."
+
+"That won't happen in the next thousand years," said Long Jim. "Ef
+thar's anything fannin' you tomorrow, when you wake up, a Shawnee or a
+Miami warrior will be doin' it with a tomahawk."
+
+They quickly retraced their course to the cup, being extremely careful
+to leave no trail, and were about to make ready for the night. Every one
+of them carried a light blanket, but very closely woven and warm, upon
+which he usually slept, drawing a fold over him. The dry leaves and the
+blankets would make a bed good enough for any forest rover at that time
+of the year, but Henry noticed a stone outcrop in a hill above them and
+concluded to look farther.
+
+"Wait till I come back," he said, and he pushed his way through the
+bushes.
+
+The outcrop was of the crumbling limestone that imparts inexhaustible
+fertility to the soil of a great region in Kentucky. It is this decaying
+stone or a stone closely akin which makes it the most wonderful cave
+region in the world.
+
+Higher up the slope Henry found deep alcoves in the stone, most of them
+containing leaves, and also a strong animal odor, which showed that in
+the winter they had been occupied as lairs by wild animals, probably
+bears.
+
+Looking a little farther he found one that penetrated deeper than the
+rest. It might almost have been called a cave. It was so placed that at
+that time of night the opening faced a bit of the moon that had made a
+way through the clouds, and, Henry peering into the dusky interior,
+judged that it ran back about twenty feet. There was no odor to suggest
+that it had been used as a lair, perhaps because the animals liked the
+alcoves better.
+
+He threw in some twigs, but, no growl coming forth, he entered boldly
+through an aperture about three feet across and perhaps five feet high.
+He stepped on smooth stone, but as soon as he was inside he stopped and
+listened intently. He heard a faint trickling sound, evidently from the
+far side of the cave, which appeared to be both deeper and wider than he
+had thought.
+
+Henry surmised that the sound was made by running water, and standing a
+long time, until his eyes could grow used, in some degree, to the dusky
+interior, he, at length, made out the opposite wall which was of white
+stone. Stepping carefully he found that a tiny stream flowed in a groove
+made by itself, coming out of one side of the wall and disappearing in
+the other.
+
+It was such a thin little stream that it created no dampness in the cave
+and Henry, drinking some of the water from the palm of his hand, found
+it fresh and cold. He experienced a singular pleasure in discovering the
+water, one that he did not understand. Perhaps it was a prevision.
+
+He explored fully this room in stone, and found it dry and clean
+throughout. His ancestors, hundreds of thousands of years ago, would
+have rejoiced to find such a place, and Henry rejoiced now for reasons
+which were akin to theirs. He returned quickly to the cup.
+
+"We won't sleep here," he said.
+
+"Why not?" asked Paul.
+
+"Because I've found a better place."
+
+"But this is fine."
+
+"I know, but I have a finer."
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"A beautiful stone mansion, built generations ago. It has no furniture
+in it now, but we don't need any. It's built very solidly and it's been
+waiting for us a long time."
+
+"A hole in the limestone," hazarded Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Partly right. It's more than a hole. It's a room, and we've had great
+luck to find it, I tell you, this stone room specially made a million
+years ago for our use."
+
+"Well, it's been waitin' a good while, but we're here."
+
+"Come along, I'll lead you," said Henry, "and be sure not to leave any
+trace of a trail. This house is intended for us only, and we don't want
+any wandering warriors, no matter what their nation, knocking at our
+doors."
+
+"Hurry," said Shif'less Sol. "I'm gittin' pow'ful sleepy."
+
+Henry led the way, and, as he did so, taking a comprehensive look at the
+heavens, he was glad for other reasons as well as safety that they had
+found their stone house in the hill. The bit of a moon was gone and the
+clouds hung lower and darker. He felt the damp in the air.
+
+The mouth of the cave was almost hidden by a heavy growth of bushes, but
+Henry, pulling them aside a little, pointed to the opening.
+
+"In there with you," he said to Long Jim, who was nearest.
+
+"Who? Me?" said Long Jim, "an' run squar' into a b'ar's mouth? Let Sol
+go. He's the fattest, an' the b'ar would like him best."
+
+"No bear is inside," said Henry. "I've seen to that. A herd of about
+fifty was in there, the first bear herd I ever saw, but I killed them
+all with my knife and threw them down the cliff before I saw you."
+
+"Then ez you've cleared out the place, Henry," said Long Jim, "I guess
+it's all safe, an' here goes."
+
+He bent down from his mighty height and entered, the others following
+silently in single file, swallowed up by the dusk. Then they stood in a
+group, until they could see one another, the faint light from the door
+helping.
+
+"Well," said Henry, proudly, "haven't I done well by you? Isn't our new
+house equal to my announcement of it?"
+
+"Equal, and more than equal!" exclaimed Paul with enthusiasm. "Why, we
+haven't had such a place since that time we lived on the island in the
+lake, and this is a greater protection from danger."
+
+"An' we hev plenty o' water, too, I see," said Shif'less Sol. "Look at
+the river over thar, runnin' along ag'in the wall. 'Tain't more'n three
+inches wide, an' an inch deep, but it runs fast."
+
+"I've no doubt that a cave family lived here two or three hundred
+thousand years ago," said Paul, his vivid fancy blossoming forth at
+once.
+
+"What are you talkin' about, Paul?" said Long Jim. "People livin' here
+two or three hundred thousand years ago! Why, the world is only six
+thousand years old! The Bible says so!"
+
+"In the Biblical sense a year did not mean what a year does now, Jim. It
+may have been a thousand times as long. Men did live in caves several
+hundred thousand years ago. A book that Mr. Pennypacker has says so."
+
+"If the book says it, I reckon it's so," said Long Jim, with the
+borderer's sublime faith in the printed word.
+
+"The man of that time was a big, hairy fellow. He didn't have even bows
+and arrows. He fought with a stone club or ax of stone."
+
+"An' do you mean to tell me, Paul, that a man with jest a club could go
+out an' meet the arrers of the Injuns? Why, all uv them warriors kin
+shoot arrers pow'ful hard an' straight. What chance would the man with
+the club hev had?"
+
+"There were no Indians then, Jim."
+
+"No Injuns then!" exclaimed Long Jim indignantly. "Why the fust white
+man that ever come through these parts found the woods full uv 'em. I
+take a heap from you, Paul, 'cause you're an eddicated boy, but I can't
+swaller this."
+
+"I'll prove it to you some day," said Paul laughing, "but whether you
+believe me or not this place suits us."
+
+"How much venison have we got, Tom?" asked Henry.
+
+"'Nough in a pinch to last three days."
+
+"Now you fellers kin keep on talkin' ef you want to," said the shiftless
+one, "but ez fur me I'm a man o' sense, a lazy man who don't work when
+he don't hev to, an' I'm goin' to sleep."
+
+He spread his blanket on the stone floor, lay down and kept his word.
+
+"We might as well follow," said Henry. "Sol's a man of intelligence,
+and, as he says, when there's nothing to do, rest."
+
+"I ain't sleepy," said Tom Ross. "Guess there's no need uv a watch, but
+I'll keep it awhile, anyhow."
+
+He sat down on his blanket and leaned against the wall, near the mouth
+of the room. The others stretched out, even as Shif'less Sol had done,
+and breathing a sigh or two of satisfaction followed him into a land
+without dreams.
+
+Although Henry's sleep was dreamless, it did not last very long. He
+awoke in three or four hours. It was quite dark, but, as he lay on his
+back and gazed steadily, he was able to make out the figure of Silent
+Tom, crouched on his blanket beside the door, his rifle across his
+knees. Although saying nothing Henry had paid attention to what Paul had
+said about the ancient cave man, and now it was easy for his fancy to
+transform Ross into such a being. The rifle on his knees was his stone
+club, and he watched by the opening all through the night lest an enemy
+should come. For the present, at least, it was as much reality as
+fancy, because here was the cave, and here they were, guarding against a
+possible foe.
+
+"Tom," he called softly.
+
+Ross looked around.
+
+"What is it?" he asked.
+
+"I'm restless. I can't sleep any more, and, as I'm going to stay by the
+opening, you'd better persuade yourself to go to sleep."
+
+"Are you bent on watchin', Henry?"
+
+"Yes, I intend to sit up."
+
+"Then I'll go to sleep."
+
+He lay down on his blanket, and Henry took his place by the wall.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE INDIAN CAMP
+
+
+The position of the great youth was comfortable, as he sat upon his
+blanket, the curve of the wall fitting into the curve of his back, his
+rifle resting across his knee, and his figure motionless. He carried in
+his belt a pistol, the keen hatchet of the border and also a long
+hunting knife, but it was the rifle upon which he depended mainly, a
+beautiful piece, with its carved stock and long blue barrel, and in the
+hands of its owner the deadliest weapon on the border.
+
+Henry, like Tom, did not stir. He was a match for any Indian in
+impassivity, and every nerve rested while he thus retained complete
+command over his body. He could see from his position the bushes beyond
+the opening, and, above them, a broad belt of black sky. He rejoiced
+again that they had found this cave or rather stone room as they called
+it.
+
+The dark heavens were full of threat, the air heavy with damp, and low
+thunder was just beginning to mutter. Tom Ross had read the gorgeous
+sunset aright. It betokened a storm, and the most hardened hunters and
+scouts were glad of shelter when the great winds and rains came. The
+dryness and safety of the room made Henry feel all the more snug and
+content, in contrast with what was about to happen outside. It seemed to
+him that Providence had watched over them. Truly they had never known a
+finer or better place.
+
+His mind traveled again to those old, bygone people of whom Paul had
+talked, how they lived in caves, and had fought the great animals with
+stone clubs. But he had a better room in the stone than most of theirs,
+and the rifle on his knees was far superior to any club that was ever
+made. His nerves quivered beneath a thrill of pleasure that was both
+mental and physical. His eyes had learned to cope with the dusk in the
+room, and he could see his four comrades stretched upon their blankets.
+All were sleeping soundly and he would let them sleep on of their own
+accord, because there was no need now to move.
+
+The mutter of the thunder grew a little louder, as if the electricity
+were coming up on the horizon. And he saw lightning, dim at first and
+very distant, then growing brighter until it came, keen, hard and
+brilliant, in flashing strokes. Henry was not awed at all. Within his
+safe shelter his spirit leaped up to meet it.
+
+The thunder now broke near in a series of fierce crashes, and the
+lightning was so burning bright that it dazzled his eyes. One bolt
+struck near with a tremendous shock and the air was driven in violent
+waves into the very mouth of the cave. Shif'less Sol awoke and sat up.
+
+"A storm!" he said.
+
+"Yes," replied Henry, "but it can't reach us here. You might as well go
+back to sleep, Sol."
+
+"Bein' a lazy man who knows how an' when to be lazy," said the shiftless
+one, "I'll do it."
+
+In a few minutes he was as sound asleep as ever, while Henry continued
+to watch the storm. The sky was perfectly black, save when the lightning
+blazed across it, and the thunder rolled and crashed with extraordinary
+violence. But he now heard an under note, one that he knew, the swish of
+the wind. It, too, grew fast and he dimly saw leaves and the branches of
+trees flying past. It was certainly good to be in the snug stone covert
+that he had found for himself and his friends!
+
+The lightning became less bright and the thunder began to die. Then the
+wind came with a mighty sweep and roar and Henry heard the drops of
+rain, striking on leaf and bough like bullets. He also heard the crash
+of falling trees, and one was blown down directly in front of the
+opening, hiding it almost completely. He was not sorry. Some instinct
+warned him that this too was a lucky chance. The rain came in driven
+torrents, but it passed the mouth of the cave and they were as dry and
+comfortable as ever.
+
+The thunder and lightning ceased entirely, by and by, and Henry sat in
+the dark listening to the rush of the rain, which came now in a strong
+and steady sweep like the waves of the sea. He listened to it a long
+time, never moving, and at last he saw a thin shade of gray appear in
+the eastern sky. Day was near, although it would be dark with the storm.
+But that need not trouble them. On the other hand it would be to their
+advantage. The great camp of the Indians would be broken up for a while,
+and they must long since have sought what shelter they could find. They
+could not advance for two or three days at least, while the five lay in
+a splendid covert only two miles from them.
+
+Laggard day came, with a dusky sky, obscured by heavy clouds and the
+rain still pouring. It was several hours after sunrise before it ceased
+and the sky began to clear. Then the others awoke and looked out.
+
+"A big storm and I never heard a thing," said Paul.
+
+"No, Paul," said the shiftless one, "you didn't hear it but it came off
+anyway. You're a mighty good sleeper, you are, Paul. Put you atween fine
+white sheets, with a feather bed under your body an' a silk piller under
+your head, an' I reckon you'd sleep a week an' be happy all the time."
+
+"I suppose I would. It's a sound conscience, Sol."
+
+"I heard somethin' once," said Long Jim, "but knowin' I wuz in the best
+place in the world I didn't open my eyes. I jest went to sleep ag'in an'
+now, ef thar wuz anythin' to cook an' any place to cook it I'd git the
+finest breakfast any uv you fellers ever et."
+
+"We know that, Jim," said Henry, "but we'll have to stick to the dried
+venison for the present. You'll find plenty of drinking water over there
+by the wall. Do you notice that our river has risen a full inch?"
+
+"So it has," said Paul. "The rain, of course. Since we've had this noble
+inn I'm not sorry about the storm. It will stop the march of that Indian
+army."
+
+"And also hide any trail that we may have left yesterday or last
+night," said Henry with satisfaction.
+
+"What do you think we ought to do now, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Eat our breakfasts, that is, chew our venison. I don't believe we can
+do anything today, and there is no need, since the Indians can't move.
+We'll stay here in hiding, and at night we'll go out again to explore."
+
+"A whole day's rest," said the shiftless one, with deep approval.
+"Nothin' to do but eat an' sleep, an' lay back here an' think. I'm not
+eddicated like you an' Henry, Paul, but I kin do a power o' hard
+thinkin'. Now, ef Jim tries to think it makes his head ache so bad that
+he has to quit, but I guess he's lucky anyway, 'cause we're always doin'
+his thinkin' fur him, while he's takin' his ease an' bein' happy."
+
+"Ef I had been dependin' on your thinking', Shif'less Sol," said Long
+Jim, "my scalp would hev been hangin' from an' Injun lodge pole long
+ago."
+
+"Well, it would look well hangin' thar. You hev got good thick hair,
+Long Jim."
+
+They finished their breakfast, and all of them sat down near the
+opening. The fallen tree, while it hid the aperture, did not cut off
+their own view. They were so close to it that they could see well
+between the boughs and leaves. The rising sun, brilliant and powerful,
+had now driven away all the clouds. The sky was once more a shining
+blue, all the brighter because it had been washed and scoured anew by
+wind and rain. The green of the forest, dripping everywhere with water,
+looked deeper and more vigorous. Down in the valley they heard the
+foaming of a brook that had suddenly become a torrent, and which with
+equal suddenness would return to its usual size.
+
+They remained all day in their retreat, seeing thin threads of smoke
+three or four times against the blue sky, an indication that the
+warriors had built their campfires anew, and were trying to dry
+themselves out. Indians as well as white men suffer from rain and cold
+and Henry knew that they would be sluggish and careless that night.
+There was a bare chance that the five might get at the cannon and ruin
+them in some manner, although they had not yet thought of a way.
+
+It was decided that Henry and Shif'less Sol should make the second
+expedition, Paul, Tom Ross and Long Jim remaining as a reserve within
+their stone walls. The two did not disturb the fallen tree at the
+entrance, but slipped out between the boughs, and walking on dead leaves
+and fallen brushwood, in order to leave as little trace as possible,
+reached the valley below. This low area of land was studded for a long
+distance with new pools of water, which would disappear the next day,
+and the ground was so soft that they took to the bordering forest in
+order to escape the mud.
+
+"'Pears likely to me," said the shiftless one, "that them Britishers had
+tents. They wouldn't go on so long an expedition as this without 'em.
+It's probable then that we'll find the renegades in or about 'em."
+
+"Sounds as if it might be that way," said Henry. "The site of their camp
+is not more than a mile distant now, and the tents may be pitched
+somewhere in the woods."
+
+"Reckon we're near, Henry, I smell smoke, and it's the smoke that comes
+out of a pipe."
+
+"I smell it too. It's straight ahead. It must be one of the officers.
+We'll have to be slow and mighty particular. There's a big moon and all
+the stars are out."
+
+The night, as if to atone for the one that had gone before, was
+particularly brilliant. The dripping woods were luminous with silvery
+moonlight and the three used every tree and bush as they approached the
+point from which the tobacco smoke came. The woods were so dense there
+that they heard the men before they saw them. It was first a hum of
+voices and then articulated words.
+
+"It seems that these forest expeditions are not to be taken lightly,
+Wyatt," said a heavy growling voice.
+
+"No, Colonel Alloway," Braxton Wyatt replied in smooth tones. "There are
+no roads in the wilderness. If we want one we'll have to make it. It's
+the cannon that hold us back."
+
+"The Indians could move fast without them."
+
+"Yes, sir, but we must have 'em. We can't break through the palisades
+without 'em."
+
+"Why, young sir, these red warriors can annihilate anything to be found
+in Kentucky!"
+
+"They did not do it, sir, when we attacked Wareville last year."
+
+"Lack of leadership! Lack of leadership!"
+
+"If you'll pardon me, sir, I don't think it was. The Indians have to
+fight in their own way, and the Kentucky riflemen are the best in the
+world. Why, sir, the things they can do with their rifles are amazing.
+A musket is like an old-fashioned arquebus compared with their
+long-barreled weapons. I know one of them--and I must say it, though I
+hate him--who could kill running deer at two hundred yards, as fast as
+you could hand him the rifles, never missing a shot."
+
+"A William Tell of the woods, so to speak!" said the heavy, gruff voice,
+sounding an incredulous note.
+
+"You'll believe me, sir, if you meet 'em," said Wyatt earnestly. "I
+don't love 'em any more'n you do, much less perhaps, but I've learned
+enough to dread their rifles. I was telling you about the one who is
+such a terrible marksman, though the others are nearly as good. Last
+night before the rain one of the Wyandots found the trace of a footstep
+in the forest. It was a trace, nothing more, and not even an Indian
+could follow it, but I've an idea that it's the very sharpshooter I was
+telling you about."
+
+"And what of it? Why should we care anything for a stray backwoodsman."
+
+"He's very dangerous, very dangerous, sir, I repeat, and he's sure to
+have four others with him."
+
+"And who are the dreadful five?" There was a note of irony in the voice.
+
+"The one of whom I spoke is named Henry Ware. There is another, a youth
+of about his own age, named Paul Cotter. The third is Solomon Hyde, a
+man of amazing skill and judgment. The other two are Tom Ross, a
+wonderful scout and hunter, and Long Jim Hart, the fastest runner in the
+West. It was he who brought relief, when we had the emigrant train
+trapped. I think that all the five are somewhere near and that we
+should beware."
+
+The heavy, gruff voice was lifted again in an ironic laugh, and Henry,
+creeping a yard or two more, saw through the leaves the whole group. The
+English officer whom Wyatt had called Alloway, was a man of middle
+years, heavily built. His confident face and aggressive manner indicated
+that he was some such man as Braddock, who in spite of every warning by
+the colonials, walked with blinded eyes into the Indian trap at Fort
+Duquesne, to have his army and himself slaughtered. But now the English
+were allied with the scalp-takers.
+
+A half-dozen English officers, younger men, surrounded Colonel Alloway,
+silent and attentive, while their chief talked with Wyatt. The older
+renegade, Blackstaffe, was leaning against a tree, his arms folded
+across his chest, a sneering look upon his face. Henry knew that he
+thought little of European officers there in the woods, and out of their
+element.
+
+But the most striking figures in the scene were Yellow Panther, head
+chief of the Miamis, and Red Eagle, head chief of the Shawnees. They
+stood erect with arms folded, and they had not spoken either while
+Alloway and Wyatt talked. They were imposing men, not as tall as the
+young chief whom Henry had seen distantly, and who was destined to have
+a great part in his life later on, but they were uncommonly broad of
+shoulders and chest, and, though elderly they were at the very height of
+their mental and physical powers.
+
+They were in full war paint, their scalp locks were braided and each
+had flung about him somewhat in the manner of a Roman toga a magnificent
+blanket of the finest weave, blue for Yellow Panther, red for Red Eagle.
+
+Wyatt translated to them Alloway's words, and Red Eagle at length
+raising his hand said to Wyatt in Shawnee, which all three of the hidden
+scouts understood perfectly:
+
+"Tell our white ally that his words are not those of wisdom. The Indian
+when he goes upon the war path does not laugh at his enemy. He knows
+that he is not fighting with children and he heeds the warnings of those
+who understand."
+
+His tones were full of dignity, but Wyatt, when he translated, softened
+the rebuke. Nevertheless enough of it was left to make the arrogant
+Colonel start a little, and gaze with some apprehension at the two
+massive and silent figures, regarding him so steadily. It was likely too
+that the grim forest, the overwhelming character of the wilderness in
+which he stood, affected him. Without the Indians he and his men would
+be lost in that mighty sweep of country.
+
+"Tell the officers of the King, across the great salt water," continued
+Red Eagle to Wyatt, "that the word has come to us that if we go and
+destroy the settlements of the Yengees, lest they grow powerful and help
+their brethren in the East who are fighting against the King called
+George, we are to receive great rewards. We use the tomahawk for him as
+well as for ourselves, and while we listen to Alloway here, Alloway must
+listen also to us."
+
+Wyatt veiled his look of satisfaction. He had not fancied the haughty
+and patronizing manner of Alloway, and he was sure that the Colonel was
+making too little of the five and their possible proximity. Despite
+himself, and the young renegade was bold, he felt a shiver of
+apprehension lest the formidable group were somewhere near in the woods.
+But he added, speaking in a more persuasive tone to Alloway:
+
+"You'll pardon me, sir, but the Indian chiefs are in their own country.
+They're proud and resolute men, trusting in their own methods, and they
+must be humored. If you don't defer somewhat to them it's quite possible
+that they'll take all their warriors and go back to their villages."
+
+Alloway's face grew red with anger, but he had enough wisdom and
+resolution to suppress it. He looked around at the vast and somber
+forest, in which one could be lost so easily, and knew that he must do
+so.
+
+"Very well," he said, "the chiefs and I lead jointly. Ask them what they
+want."
+
+Wyatt talked with the two chiefs and then translated:
+
+"They wish to stop here a day or two, until they can obtain new supplies
+of food. They wish to send out all of their best trailers in search of
+the scout called Ware and his comrades. They are dangerous, and also
+Yellow Panther and Red Eagle have bitter cause to hate them, as have I."
+
+"Very well, then," said Alloway, making the best of it. "We'll halt
+while the warriors brush away these wasps, whom you seem to fear so
+much."
+
+He walked away, followed by his men, and Henry and Shif'less Sol drew
+back in the thicket. They were flattered by Braxton Wyatt's frank
+admission of their power, but they were annoyed that the footprint had
+been seen. Henry had felt that they could work much better, if the
+warriors were unaware of their presence.
+
+"Those two chiefs will act quickly," he whispered to his comrade. "Maybe
+they had already sent out the trailers, before they had the talk with
+the officer. It's possible that they're now between us and our new home
+in the cliff. It's always best to have a plan, and if they pick up our
+trail I'll run toward the east, and draw them off, while you make your
+way back to Paul and Jim and our room in the cliff."
+
+"You let me make the chase," said Shif'less Sol, protestingly. "They
+can't ketch me."
+
+"No! We've pretty well agreed upon our different tasks, and this, you
+know, is mine."
+
+The shiftless one was well aware that Henry was the most fitting, yet he
+was more than anxious to take the chief danger upon himself. But he said
+nothing more, as they withdrew slowly, and with the utmost caution,
+through the woods. Twice, the red trailers passed near them, and they
+flattened themselves against the ground to escape observation. Henry did
+not believe now that they could regain the stone room without a flight
+or a fight, as he was confirmed in his belief that Red Eagle and Yellow
+Panther had sent out numerous trailers, before their talk with the
+English colonel.
+
+A quarter of a mile away, and they were forced to lie down in a gully
+among sodden leaves and hold their breath while two Shawnees passed.
+Henry saw them through the screening bushes on the bank of the gully,
+their questing eyes eager and fierce. At the first trace of a trail,
+they would utter the war whoop and call the horde upon the fugitives.
+But they saw nothing and flitted away among the bushes.
+
+"Comin' purty close," whispered Shif'less Sol, as they rose and resumed
+their progress. "Warm, purty warm, mighty warm, hot! The next time
+they'll jest burn their hands on us."
+
+"Maybe there'll be no next time," said Henry as they approached the edge
+of a brook. But the bank, softened by the rain, crumbled beneath them,
+and the "next time" had come almost at once.
+
+Although they did not fall, their feet went into the stream with a
+splash that could be heard many yards away. From three points came
+fierce triumphant shouts, and then they heard the low swish of
+moccasined feet running fast.
+
+"Remember," said Henry, rapidly, "hide your trail and curve about until
+you reach the hidden home. Wait there for me!"
+
+He was gone in an instant, turning off at a sharp angle into the bushes,
+leading directly away from the cliff. Now the young superman of the
+forest summoned all his faculties. He called to his service his immense
+strength and agility, his extreme acuteness of sight and hearing, and
+his almost supernatural power of divination, the outgrowth of a body and
+mind so perfectly attuned for forest work.
+
+No fear that he would be caught entered his mind. Alone in the forest he
+could double and turn as he chose, and there was no Indian so fleet of
+foot that he could overtake him. A wild and exultant spirit flowed up in
+him. He was the hunted. Nevertheless it was sport to him to be followed
+thus. He laughed low and under his breath, and then, swelling the cords
+in his throat, he gave utterance to a cry so tremendous in volume that
+it rang like the echo of a cannon shot through the wilderness. But,
+after the Indian fashion, he permitted it to die in a long, fierce note
+like the whine of a wolf.
+
+It was an extraordinary cry, full of challenge and mockery. It said to
+those who should hear, that they might come on, if they would, but they
+would come on a vain errand. It taunted them, and aroused every kind of
+anger in their breasts. No Indian could remain calm under that cry and
+every one of them knew what it meant. Their ferocious shouts replied,
+and then Henry swung forward in the long easy gait of the woodsman.
+
+Mind and muscle were under perfect control. While he ran he saw
+everything in the bright moonlight and heard everything. He made no
+effort to conceal his trail, because he wanted it to be seen and he knew
+that the entire pursuit was strung out behind him. Probably Shif'less
+Sol was already safe within the stone walls.
+
+Lest the trail itself should not be enough he again uttered the defiant
+cry that thrilled through the forest, returning in many echoes. He
+listened for the answering shouts of the warriors, and felt relieved
+when they came. The spirit that was shooting through his veins became
+wilder and wilder. His blood danced and he laughed once more under his
+breath, as wild as any of the wild men of the forest.
+
+He was racing along a low ridge from which the rain had run rapidly,
+leaving fairly firm ground. Once more he disturbed the thickets.
+Startled wild animals sprang up as the giant young figure sped past. A
+rabbit leaped from under his raised foot. A huge owl looked down with
+red, distended eyes at the flying youth, and, in the face of the
+unknown, using the wisdom that is the owl's own, flew heavily away from
+the forest. Some pigeons, probably a part of the same flock that he had
+seen, rose with a whirr from a bough and streamed off in a black line
+among the trees. The undergrowth was filled with whimperings, and little
+rustlings, and Henry, who felt so closely akin to wild life, would have
+told them now if he could that they were in no danger. It was he, not
+they, who was being pursued.
+
+He caught a glimpse of a dusky figure aiming a rifle. Quickly he bent
+low and the bullet whistled over his head. Catching his own rifle by the
+barrel he swung the stock heavily and the red trailer lay still in the
+undergrowth. A little farther on a second fired at him, and now he sent
+his own bullet in reply. The warrior fell back with a cry of pain to
+which his pursuing comrades answered, and Henry for a third time sent
+forth his fierce, defiant shout. Those whom he had met must have been
+hunters coming in.
+
+He reloaded his rifle, running, and kept a wary eye as he passed into
+the canebrake. But he believed now that he had left behind the
+outermost fringe of the scouts and trailers. He would encounter nobody
+lying in ambush, and, after making his way for a long time through the
+dense thickets, he sat down on a little mound to rest and observe.
+
+He knew that the nearest of the warriors was at least four or five
+hundred yards away, and that none could come within rifle shot without
+his knowledge. So, he sat quite still, taking deep breaths, and was
+without apprehension. He was not really weary, the long swinging run had
+not been much more than exercise, but he wanted to look about and see
+the nature of the land.
+
+The canebrake extended a great distance, but he saw far beyond it the
+black shadow of forest, in the interminable depths of which he might
+easily lose himself if the pursuit continued. Whether it continued or
+not was a matter of sheer indifference to him. He had drawn them far
+enough, but if they wished to go farther he would be the hunted again,
+although it might be dangerous for the hunters.
+
+He saw the crests of the cane waving a little, and, rising, he resumed
+the race on easy foot, passing through the canebrake, and entering the
+forest, in which there was much rough, rocky ground. Here he leaped
+lightly from stone to stone, until he knew the trail was broken beyond
+the possibility of finding, when he sat down between two great upthrust
+roots of an oak and leaned back against turf and trunk together. He knew
+that the green of his deerskins blended perfectly with the grass, and he
+felt so thoroughly convinced that the pursuit had stopped that he
+decided to remain there for the night.
+
+He unrolled the blanket from his back, put it about his shoulders, and
+then he laughed again at the successful trick that he had played upon
+these fierce red warriors. It had been an easy task, too. Save the two
+hasty shots from the trailers he had never been in serious danger, and
+now, as he rested comfortably, he ate a little more of the dried venison
+from his knapsack. Then he fell asleep.
+
+The hours of the night passed peacefully. The soft turf supported his
+back, and only his head was against the trunk of the tree. It was a
+comfortable position for a seasoned forest runner. Toward morning the
+wind rose and began to sing through the spring foliage. Its song grew
+louder, and before it was yet dawn Henry awoke and listened to it. Like
+the Indian he heard the voice of the Great Spirit in the wind, and now
+it came to him with a warning note.
+
+He stretched his limbs a little and stood up, his hand on the hammer of
+his rifle. The darkness that precedes the dawn covered the woods, but he
+could see some distance into it, and he saw nothing. He listened a long
+time, and as the dusk began to thin away before the sun he heard a low
+chant. He knew that it was an Indian song, a song of triumph, coming
+from the south, and for a while he was puzzled.
+
+Clearly, this was no part of the great war band, which lay to the north
+of him, and he concluded that it must be a small expedition which had
+already gone into the South and which was now returning. But he did not
+like the character of the song. It indicated victory and he thrilled
+with horror and repulsion. The triumph must be over people of his own
+race.
+
+The blood in every vein grew hot with anger, and the pulses in his
+temples beat so hard that for a while it made a little singing in his
+head. The great figure stiffened and a menacing look came into his eyes.
+
+The chant was fast growing louder and the singers would pass within a
+few feet of his tree. He slipped aside, turning away a hundred yards or
+so, and crouched behind dense bushes. The singers came on, about twenty
+warriors in single file, Shawnees by their paint, and the first three
+brandished aloft three hideous trophies. Henry had more than suspected,
+but the reality made him shudder.
+
+The three scalps were obviously those of white people, and the first,
+long, thick, blonde and fine, was that of a woman. The warrior who waved
+it aloft, as he chanted, wore only the breech cloth, his naked body
+painted in many colors, and he exulted as he displayed his trophy, so
+fine to his savage heart.
+
+A mighty rage seized Henry. For a moment his eyes were clouded by the
+red mist that danced before them. The song of the wind before the dawn
+had aroused him to his coming danger, but there was nothing to tell the
+triumphant savage that his hour was at hand.
+
+The red mist cleared away from the great youth's eyes. The blood lately
+so hot in his veins became as cold as ice, and the pulses in his temples
+sank to their normal beat. Mind and nerves were completely attuned and
+he was a perfect instrument of vengeance. The rifle rose to his shoulder
+and he looked down the sights at a tiny bear painted in blue directly
+over the warrior's heart. Then he pulled the trigger and so deadly was
+his aim that the savage sank down without a cry, and the scalp fell and
+lay upon his own body, the long hair reddening fast with the blood that
+flowed from the warrior's heart.
+
+Henry turned instantly and darted into the depths of the forest,
+reloading as usual as he ran. A single backward glance had shown him
+that the warriors, confused and puzzled at first, were standing in an
+excited group, looking down at their dead comrade. He knew they would
+recover quickly and to hasten the moment he uttered that long, thrilling
+cry of defiance.
+
+He was willing for them to pursue, in truth he was anxious that they
+should. He had marked the other two warriors who waved the scalps, and
+he now had a cold and settled purpose. He intentionally made noise as he
+ran, letting the boughs of bushes fly back with a swish and soon he
+heard the Indians, two or three hundred yards away.
+
+He knew that their muskets or smooth bores could not reach him at the
+range and that his rifle had over them, an advantage of at least fifty
+yards. He let them come a little nearer, and, as the country was now
+more open they saw him and uttered cries of mingled rage and triumph.
+They were gaining perceptibly and they felt certain of capture.
+
+The fugitive permitted them to come a little nearer, and he watched them
+out of the corner of one eye. The second man in the pursuing group, a
+tall thin warrior, had been waving a scalp. Even now it was swinging at
+his belt, and as they gained, yard by yard, Henry wheeled for a second
+or two and shot the scalp-bearer through the head.
+
+Then he increased his speed, reloaded his rifle once more, and sent back
+that taunting cry which he knew inflamed the savage heart with ferocity
+and the desire for vengeance. The Indians had hesitated, but now they
+uttered the war whoop all together, and came on at their utmost speed.
+Henry noted the third scalp-bearer. He was a short, powerful fellow, but
+he did not have speed enough to keep himself in front. But Henry was
+resolved that he too should suffer.
+
+They were running now through forest comparatively free from
+undergrowth. The fugitive stumbled suddenly and then limped for a step
+or two. The simultaneous yell of the Indians was fierce and exultant,
+but the rifle of the great youth flashed, and the short, broad warrior
+was gone to join his two comrades.
+
+Then the speed of the fugitive increased at a great rate, and, as the
+warriors were no longer anxious to pursue, he soon disappeared in the
+forest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE DEED IN THE WATER
+
+
+Henry's pace sank into a long walk, but he did not stop for two hours.
+Then he drank at one of the innumerable brooks and lay down in the
+forest. His adventure with the returning war party made him think much.
+It was likely that other small bands had gone on the great adventure in
+the south. The young warriors, in particular, were likely to take to the
+scalp trail. It furnished them with excitement and at the same time
+destroyed the intruders upon their great hunting grounds.
+
+He was tempted to rejoin his comrades and go south at once with a
+warning, but second thought told him that the chief danger lay in the
+great war band under Yellow Panther and Red Eagle. He would adhere to
+his original plan and seek to destroy the cannon.
+
+He resolved to return at night, and since he had plenty of time he shot
+a small deer, taking all chances, and cooked tender steaks over a fire
+that he lit with his flint and steel. It refreshed him greatly, and
+putting other choice portions in his knapsack he started back on a wide
+curve, leaving the smoldering coals to arouse the curiosity of any one
+who might see them.
+
+It was now the second day after the great storm, and earth and the
+forest had dried completely. Henry, stepping lightly on the firm earth,
+and always using every stone or log or brook to hide any possible trace,
+had little fear of leaving a trail that even the keenest Indian could
+follow. But he picked up several trails himself. One was that of a small
+party coming from the east, and he thought they might be Wyandots bound
+for the great camp. Another had the imprints of two pairs of boots,
+mingled with the light traces of moccasins, and he knew that they were
+made by English soldiers, doubtless gunners, coming also with their
+Indian comrades to join the great camp.
+
+Nothing escaped his notice. He knew that not far to the eastward ran one
+of the great rivers that emptied into the Ohio, flowing northward, and
+he began to wonder why the band did not use it for the transport of the
+cannon, at least part of the way. Indians were usually well provided
+with canoes, and by lashing some of the stoutest together they could
+make a support strong enough for the twelve pounders. It was an idea
+worth considering, and he and his comrades would watch the stream. Then
+it occurred to him that he might go there now, and see if any movement
+in that direction had been begun by the warriors. The other four
+undoubtedly would remain in their little stone fortress, until he
+returned, or even if they should venture forth they knew all the ways of
+the forest, and could take care of themselves.
+
+To think of it was to act at once, and he began a great curve toward
+the east, slackening speed and awaiting the night, under cover of which
+he could work to far better effect and with much greater safety.
+
+Toward sunset he came upon a trail made by moccasins and two pairs of
+boots, and he surmised that it was Alloway and one of his young officers
+who had passed that way with the Indians. As they were going toward the
+river it confirmed him in his conjecture that they intended to use it,
+at least in part, for their advance into Kentucky.
+
+There had been no effort to hide the trail. What need had they to do so?
+Even with the belief that the five were in the vicinity they were in too
+large numbers to fear attack, and Henry, following in their footsteps,
+read all their actions plainly.
+
+They were not walking very fast. The shortness between one footprint and
+the next proved it, and their slowness was almost a sure indication that
+the party included Yellow Panther and Red Eagle, or at least one of
+them. They did not go faster, because they were talking, and Alloway
+would have discussed measures only with the chiefs.
+
+At one point four pairs of footsteps turned aside a little, and stopped
+in front of a large fallen log. Two of the traces were made by moccasins
+and two by boots. So, the two pairs of moccasins indicated that both
+chiefs were present. The four had sat on the log and talked some time.
+In the crevices of the bank he found traces of thin ash. The British
+officer therefore had lighted his pipe and smoked there, further proof
+that it had been a conference of length.
+
+The warriors had remained in a group on the right, thirty or forty yards
+away, and several of them had lain down, the crushed grass showing faint
+traces of their figures. Two small bones of the deer, recently covered
+with cooked flesh, indicated that several of them had used the
+opportunity to eat their supper.
+
+Unquestionably the movement intended by the white leader and the red
+chiefs was important, or they would not stop to talk about it so long.
+Hence it must mean the transportation of the cannon by water. He could
+not think of anything else that would divert them from the main route.
+
+About two miles farther on another trail joined the one that he was
+following. It was made wholly by moccasins, but it was easy enough for
+him to discern among them two pairs, the toes of which turned outward.
+These moccasins, of course, were worn by Blackstaffe and Wyatt, who,
+whatever the British colonel may have thought of them, were nevertheless
+of the greatest importance, as intermediaries between him and the Indian
+chiefs.
+
+A few yards beyond the junction they had stopped and talked a little,
+but they had not sat down. Nevertheless they had consulted earnestly as
+the footsteps were in an irregular group, showing that they had moved
+about nervously as they talked. Then they walked on, but the moccasins
+moved forward in a much straighter and more precise manner than the
+boots, which were now veering a little from side to side. The two
+British officers, not trained to it like the others, were growing weary
+from the long walk through the woods. But they persevered. Although
+they sagged more the trail led on, and, after a while, Henry saw a
+light, which he knew to be a campfire, and which he surmised was on the
+bank of the river.
+
+The night was fairly dark and under cover of bushes he approached until
+he could see. Then all his surmises were confirmed. The campfire was
+large and around it sat Alloway, the younger officer, Red Eagle and
+Yellow Panther, and at a little distance about twenty warriors. The two
+Englishmen seemed utterly exhausted, while the others showed no signs of
+weariness.
+
+"I admit, Wyatt, that walking seven or eight miles through the primeval
+wilderness is no light task," said Alloway, wiping his red, perspiring
+face.
+
+His tone was not haughty and patronizing. He felt just then, in this
+particular work, that he was not the equal of the renegades and the
+warriors. Henry saw a faint ironic smile upon the face of each of the
+renegades, and he understood and appreciated their little triumph.
+
+"You would do better, Colonel," said Blackstaffe suavely, "to wear
+moccasins in place of those heavy boots. They carry you over the ground
+much more lightly, and we have to follow the ways of the wilderness."
+
+The irritable red of Alloway's face turned to a deeper tint, but he
+controlled himself.
+
+"Doubtless you are right, Blackstaffe," he said, "but we are here at
+last."
+
+Wyatt had been speaking in a low tone to the chiefs, and it inflamed a
+choleric man like Alloway to hear anyone saying words that he could not
+understand. He was not able to restrain himself wholly a second time.
+
+"What is it, man? What is it that you're saying to the chiefs?" he
+exclaimed.
+
+"I was merely telling them," replied Wyatt, "that you and your aide,
+Lieutenant Cartwright, had been made weary by the long walk through the
+woods, and that we'd better let you rest a little before going down to
+inspect the canoes."
+
+A blaze of anger appeared in Alloway's eyes, but the younger officer who
+had been watching his chief with some apprehension, said deferentially:
+
+"Suppose, sir, that we do as they suggest. Campaigning in this
+wilderness is not like fighting on the open fields of Europe."
+
+They all sat down about the fire, and venison, jerked buffalo meat and
+roasted grain were served to them. The two chiefs were silent, and,
+holding themselves with dignity, were impressive. Presently one of them
+took from under his deerskin tunic a pipe, with a long stem, and a bowl,
+carved beautifully. He crowded some tobacco into it, put a live coal on
+top and took two or three long puffs. Then he passed it to the other
+chief who after doing the same handed it to Colonel Alloway.
+
+The officer hesitated, not seeming to understand the meaning of the pipe
+at that particular time, and Wyatt said, maliciously:
+
+"The pipe of peace, sir!"
+
+"Why should we smoke a pipe of peace when we're already allies?"
+
+"A little feeling has been shown on our march through the woods to the
+river. Indians, sir, are very sensitive. These two chiefs, Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle, are the heads of powerful tribes, and if their
+feelings are hurt in any manner they will resent it, even to the point
+of withdrawing all their warriors and returning north of the Ohio. I
+suggest, sir, that you smoke the pipe at once, and return it to them."
+
+Colonel Alloway did so, Cartwright took it readily, after them the two
+renegades smoked, and thus it was passed around the circle. It came back
+to Red Eagle, who knocked the coals out of the pipe and then gravely
+returned it to its resting place.
+
+Henry had watched it all with eager attention, and when the little
+ceremony was finished he made another short circle through the bushes
+that brought him close to the river, where he saw about twenty canoes
+and two boats much larger, built stoutly and apparently able to sustain
+a great weight. He knew at once that they were intended for the cannon
+and that they had been brought down the Ohio and then up the tributary
+stream. Both had oars and he surmised that the white gun crews would use
+them, since the Indians were familiar only with the paddle. These boats,
+scows he would have called them, were tied to the bank and were empty.
+Some of the canoes were empty also, but in seven or eight, Indian
+warriors were lying asleep.
+
+He was quite certain that the cannon would be brought up the next day,
+and be loaded on the scows, and he wished now for the presence of his
+comrades. The five together might accomplish something real before the
+dawn, and then he resolved that since he was alone he would attempt it
+alone. He withdrew to a considerable distance, and lay down in the
+bushes, very close.
+
+It was hard to think of a plan that seemed feasible, and he concentrated
+his mind upon it until his brain began to feel inflamed, as if with a
+fever. But the idea came at last. It was full of danger, and it called
+for almost supernatural skill, but he believed that he could do it. Then
+the fever went out of his brain and the tension of his nerves relaxed.
+He felt himself imbued with new strength and courage, and his soul rose
+to its task.
+
+He saw the two officers, the renegades and the chiefs come down to the
+edge of the river, and talk with the warriors there. No very strict
+watch was kept, because none seemed to be needed. Then blankets were
+spread for them under the trees, and they went to sleep. Most of the
+warriors followed their example, and not more than three or four
+sentinels were left on watch. These three or four, however, would have
+eyes to see in the darkness and ears to hear when a leaf fell.
+
+But Henry did not sleep. He was never more wide-awake. He made his way
+carefully through the bushes farther up the stream to a point where he
+noticed the last canoe lying empty near the shore, almost hidden in the
+shadows cast on the water by the overhanging boughs.
+
+He came to a point parallel with it and not more than ten feet away,
+and critically examining the river saw that the water was quite deep
+there, which suited his purpose. The light craft was held merely by a
+slender piece of bark rope. Then he began the most perilous part of his
+task. He returned toward the sleeping officers and chiefs, and, lying
+flat upon the ground in the deep grass and heavy shadows, began slowly
+to worm himself forward. It was a thing that no one could have
+accomplished without great natural aptitude, long training and infinite
+patience. He knew that risk of detection existed, but he calculated
+that, if seen, he might be up and away before any one of his enemies
+could find time for a good shot.
+
+The Englishmen in particular were the mark at which he aimed. He had
+noticed that the younger one carried a large horn of powder and he was
+likely to be careless about it, a belief that was verified as he drew
+near. The Englishman had taken off his belt, bullet pouch and powder
+horn, all of which now lay on the ground near him.
+
+A long arm was suddenly thrust from the grass and a hand closing on the
+powder horn took it away. Henry felt that it was well filled and heavy
+and he glowed with triumph. The first link in his chain had been forged.
+He crept back into the bushes, and stopped there twice, lying very
+still. He saw the Indian sentinels moving about a little, but evidently
+they suspected nothing. They were merely changing positions and quickly
+relapsed into silence and stillness.
+
+It was fully half an hour before Henry was back at his place opposite
+the swinging little canoe. Then he shook the powder horn triumphantly,
+put it down at the foot of a tree and covered it up with some leaves. As
+he did so he noticed that many of last year's leaves were quite dry and
+he remembered it.
+
+Then he went back to forge the second link, which was not so difficult.
+The fire around which the white men and the chiefs had eaten their
+supper was a little distance back of the present camp, where he was
+quite sure that it was still smoldering, although deserted. He found a
+stick the end of which was yet a live coal, and circling a little wider
+on his return he came back to the powder horn.
+
+Henry held the live point of the stick close to the ground where it
+could not cast a glow that the sentinels might see, and then waited a
+minute or so before taking any further action. Two links of the chain
+had been forged and he felt now that he would carry it to its full
+length and success. He had never been more skillful, never more in
+command of all his faculties, and they had never worked in more perfect
+coördination. There had never been a more perfect type of the human
+physical machine. Nature, in one of her happy moods, had lavished upon
+him all her gifts and now he was using them to the utmost, turning his
+ten talents into twenty.
+
+The third link would be one of great difficulty, much harder than the
+bringing of the fire, and that was the reason why he was considering so
+well. He could discern the figures of three of the sentinels on land.
+Two of them were brawny warriors naked to the waist, and painted
+heavily. The third was quite young, younger than himself, a mere boy,
+perhaps on his first war path. Henry understood the feelings of hope and
+ambition that probably animated the Indian boy and he trusted that they
+would not come into conflict.
+
+The sentinels were walking about, and when the one nearest him turned
+and moved away he gathered up quickly fallen brushwood which lay
+kiln-dry at the river's brink. Then he hid his rifle, other weapons and
+ammunition in the grass. For a brief space he must go unarmed, because
+he could not be cumbered in an effort to keep them dry.
+
+Carrying the powder horn, the dry sticks and the one lighted at the end,
+he dropped silently into the water and managed with one arm to swim the
+few feet that separated him from the canoe. Then he passed around it,
+putting it between him and the land, and carefully lifted everything
+inside. He knew that the dry wood would burn fast when he placed the
+torch against it, and he put the horn full of powder very near.
+
+Then he sank low in the water behind the canoe, and listened until he
+heard the faint sputter of the fire in the dry wood. Now new
+difficulties arose. He must time everything exactly, and for the sake of
+his enterprise and his own life he must keep the Indian alarm from
+coming too soon.
+
+The sputtering was not yet loud enough for the warriors on the bank to
+hear it, and he ventured to rise high enough for another look over the
+edge of the canoe. In two minutes, he calculated, the fire would reach
+the powder horn. Then he drew from his belt his hunting knife, the only
+weapon that he had not discarded, and cut the withe that held the canoe.
+
+Burying himself in the water to the nose he sent his fire ship down the
+stream toward the two scows intending for it to enter just between them.
+Now he needed all his skill and complete command over his will. The
+sputtering of the fire increased, and he knew that it was rapidly
+approaching the horn of powder. The flesh had an almost irresistible
+desire to draw away at once and swim for life, but an immense resolution
+held his body to its yet uncompleted task.
+
+The canoe was moving with such a slight ripple that not an Indian
+sentinel had yet heard, but when it was within ten yards of its
+destination one happened to look over the river and see it moving. There
+would have been nothing curious in a canoe breaking its slender thong
+and floating with the current, but this one was floating against it. The
+Indian uttered a surprised exclamation and instantly called the
+attention of his comrades.
+
+Henry knew that the supreme moment was at hand. The Indian warning had
+come, and the sputtering told him that the fire was almost at the powder
+horn. Giving his fire ship a mighty shove he sent it directly between
+the scows and then he made a great dive down and away. He swam under
+water as long as he could, and just as he was coming to the surface he
+heard and saw the explosion.
+
+The two scows and the canoe seemed to leap into the air in the center of
+a volcano of light, and then all three came down in a rain of hissing
+and steaming fragments. The crash was stunning, and the light for a
+moment or two was intense. Then it sank almost as suddenly and again
+came the darkness, in which Henry heard the steaming of burning wood,
+the turmoil of riven waters and the shouts of warriors filled with
+surprise and alarm.
+
+It was easy in all the confusion for him to reach the bank, recover his
+arms and speed into the forest. He had forged with complete success
+every link in his chain of destruction. The scows intended for the
+transportation of the cannon were blown to splinters, and while they
+might lash enough canoes together to sustain their weight, they must
+move slowly and at much risk.
+
+Although he was dripping with water, Henry was supremely happy. When he
+undertook this feat he had believed that he would succeed, but looking
+back at it now it seemed almost incredible. But here he was, and the
+deed was done. He laughed to himself in silent pleasure. Wyatt,
+Blackstaffe and the others would undoubtedly trace it to him and his
+comrades, and he hoped they would. He was willing for them to know that
+the five were not only on watch but could act with terrific effect.
+
+A half-mile away from the river and he heard a long fierce yell, uttered
+by many voices in unison. He knew they had picked up at the edge of the
+stream the tale that he had not sought to hide, and were hoping now for
+revenge upon the one who had cost them so much. But he laughed once more
+back of his teeth. In the darkness they might as well try to follow a
+bird of the air. He curved away, reached one of the numerous brooks
+intersecting the stream, and ran for a long time in its bed. Then he
+emerged, passed into a dense canebrake and stopped, where he took off
+his wet clothing and spread it out in the dark to dry. The blanket which
+he had left on the bank with his arms was warm and dry and he wrapped it
+around his body. Then he lay down with his weapons by his side.
+
+The satisfied blood ran swiftly and proudly in the veins of the great
+forest runner. He had done other deeds as bold, but perhaps none as
+delicate as this. It had demanded a complete combination of courage and
+dexterity and perfect timing. A second more or less might have ruined
+everything. He could imagine the chagrin of the choleric colonel. Unless
+Wyatt and Blackstaffe restrained him he might break forth into
+complaints and abuse and charge the Indians with negligence, a charge
+that the haughty chiefs would repudiate at once and with anger. Then a
+break might follow.
+
+Whether the break came or not he had insured a delay, and since the
+cannon could not yet be put upon the river he might find a way to get at
+them. He rolled on one side, made himself comfortable on the dead leaves
+and then heard the wind blowing a song of triumph through the cane. He
+fell asleep to the musical note, but awoke at dawn.
+
+His clothing was dry, and, unwrapping himself from the tight folds of
+the blanket, he dressed. Then, stretching his muscles a little, to
+remove all stiffness or soreness he emerged from the canebrake. After
+examining a circle of the forest with both eye and ear to see that no
+warrior was near, he climbed a tree and looked over a sea of forest.
+
+To the north where the great camp lay he saw spires of smoke rising, and
+to the east, where a detachment guarded the boats in the river, another
+column of smoke floated off into the blue dawn. So he inferred that they
+were yet uncertain about their campaign and that their forces would
+remain stationary for a little while. But he was sure that warriors were
+ranging the forest in search of him. Red Eagle and Yellow Panther would
+not let such an insult and loss pass without many attempts at revenge.
+
+He descended and ate the last of his venison. He would have returned at
+once to his comrades, but he believed that many warriors were in between
+and he did not wish to draw danger either upon them or himself. He began
+another of his great curves and it took him away from the refuge in the
+cliff, coming back in two or three hours to the stream that bore the
+little Indian fleet. His triumph of the night before increased his
+boldness, and he resolved to return the following night and annoy
+further the detachment by the river. It would serve his cause, and it
+would be a pleasure to vex the dogmatic European colonel.
+
+Weather was a great factor in the operation he was carrying on, and the
+coming night, fortunately for his purpose, promised to be dark. Spring
+is fickle in the valley of the Ohio, and toward evening clouds gathered,
+although there was not a sufficient closeness of the air to indicate
+rain. But the moon was feeble and by and by went away altogether. Then
+the stars followed, leaving only a black sky which hid Henry well, but
+which did not hide the smaller camp by the river from him.
+
+Watchers had been spread out in a wider circle, but he had no difficulty
+in approaching the fire, built on the bank of the river, around which
+sat the two chiefs, the renegades and the British officers. Henry saw
+that the faces of all of them expressed deep discontent, and he enjoyed
+the joke, because joke it was to him. He understood the depths of their
+chagrin.
+
+"We'll have to carry the cannon on the canoes, and maybe they'll fall
+into the river," said Alloway querulously. "How in thunder the blowing
+up of those scows was managed I don't understand!"
+
+"Several of the warriors saw a canoe floating down, sir, just before the
+explosion," said Cartwright, "and it must have been no illusion, as a
+canoe is gone."
+
+Cartwright had missed his horn of powder after the excitement from the
+explosion was over, but he supposed some Indian had used the opportunity
+to steal it, and he said nothing about his loss from fear of creating a
+breach.
+
+"In my opinion, sir," said Braxton Wyatt, smoothly but with just a trace
+of irony, "it was done by Ware and his comrades."
+
+"Impossible! Impossible!" said Alloway, testily. "The careless Indians
+left powder in the scows and in some manner equally careless it's been
+exploded. The tale of the canoe that floated upstream of its own accord
+was an invention to cover up their neglect."
+
+"Do you wish us to translate for you and to state that opinion to the
+chiefs?" asked Blackstaffe.
+
+Alloway gave him an angry glance, but he had prudence enough to say:
+
+"No, of course not. After all, there may have been a canoe. But whatever
+it was it was most unfortunate. It delays us greatly, and it preys upon
+the superstitions of the warriors."
+
+"They are very susceptible, sir, to such things," said Wyatt. "They
+dread the unknown, and this event has affected them unpleasantly. But
+I'm quite sure it was done by Ware, although I don't know how."
+
+"Ware! Ware!" exclaimed Alloway, impatiently. "Why should a force like
+ours dread a single person?"
+
+"Because, sir, he does things that are to be dreaded."
+
+Yellow Panther, who had been sitting in silence, his arms folded across
+his great bare chest, arose and raised his hand. Braxton Wyatt turned
+toward him respectfully and then said to Colonel Alloway:
+
+"The head chief of the Miamis wishes to speak, sir, and if you will
+pardon me for saying so, it will be wise for us to listen."
+
+"Very well," said Alloway. "Tell us what he says."
+
+Thus spoke Yellow Panther, head chief of the Miamis, veteran of many
+wars, through the medium of Braxton Wyatt:
+
+"We and our brethren, the Shawnees, have come with many warriors upon a
+long war path. Our friends, the white men whom the mighty King George
+has sent across the seas to help us, have brought with them the great
+cannon which will batter down the forts of the Long Knives in
+Kaintuckee. But the signs are bad. The boats which were to carry the
+cannon on the river have been blown up. An enemy stands across our path
+and before we go farther we must hunt him down. If we cannot do it then
+Manitou has turned his face away from us."
+
+Wyatt translated and Alloway sourly gave adhesion. It was hard for him
+to think that a single little group of borderers could hold up a great
+force like theirs, armed with cannon too. But he was acute enough to see
+that the menace of a rupture would become a reality if he insisted upon
+having his own way.
+
+Henry had watched them while they talked, and then he turned aside to a
+point nearer the river's brink, from which he could see two pairs of
+their strongest canoes lashed together in the stream, ready for the
+reception of the cannon when they should come. How was he to get at
+them? He knew that he could not use a fire boat again, but these rafts,
+for such they were, must be destroyed in some manner.
+
+Lying deep in the thickets he considered his problem. One of the reasons
+why he excelled nearly all the scouts of the border was because he
+thought so much harder and longer, and now he concentrated all his
+faculties for success.
+
+It did not take him long to mature his plan, and when he had done so he
+moved down the stream, where the chance of an Indian sentinel
+discovering him was much smaller. There he waited a space, while the
+night darkened still more, the moon and stars being shut out entirely. A
+wind arose and little crumbling waves pursued one another on the
+surface of the river, which was flooded and yellow from spring rains.
+
+He saw only one or two sentinels and they showed but dimly. Farther down
+the Englishmen, the chiefs and the renegades were sitting about the low
+fire, and he felt sure that the white men, at least, would sleep there
+by the coals. From his covert in the bushes he saw them presently
+spreading their blankets, and then they lay down with their feet to the
+smoldering fire. The chiefs soon followed them and elsewhere the
+warriors also rolled themselves in their blankets. They seemed to think
+that he would not come back, reasoning like the white men that the
+lightning would not strike in the same place twice.
+
+So he waited long and patiently. This quality of patience was one in
+which the Caucasian was usually inferior to the Indian, but in the
+incessant struggle on the border it was always needed. Henry, through
+the power of his will and his original training among the Northwestern
+Indians, had acquired it in the highest degree. He could sit or lie an
+almost incredible length of time, so still that he would seem to blend
+into the foliage, and now as he lay in the bushes some of the little
+animals crept near and watched him. A squirrel, not afraid of the fire
+in the distance, came down the trunk of a tree, and hanging to the bark
+not five feet away regarded him with small red eyes.
+
+Henry caught a glimpse of the little gray fellow and turning his head
+ever so slightly regarded him. The red eyes looked back at him half bold
+and half afraid, but Henry had lived in the wild so much that the two
+felt almost akin. The squirrel saw that the gigantic figure on the
+ground did not move, and that the light in the eyes was friendly. He
+crept a little nearer, devoured by curiosity. He had never seen a human
+being before, and instinct told him that he could escape up the tree
+before this great beast could rise and seize him. He edged cautiously an
+inch nearer, and the blue eyes of the human being smiled into the little
+red eyes of the animal.
+
+The two gazed at each other for a half minute or so. It was a look of
+the utmost friendliness, and then the squirrel went noiselessly back up
+the tree. It was a good omen, thought Henry, but he still waited with
+the illimitable patience which is a necessity of the wild. He saw the
+fire, before which the white men and the chiefs lay sleeping, sink lower
+and lower. The night remained dark. The heavy drifting clouds which
+nevertheless were not ready to open for rain, moved overhead in solemn
+columns. The surface of the river grew dim, but now and then there was a
+light splash as a strong fish leaped up and fell back into the current.
+The Indian guards knowing well what made them, paid no attention to
+these sounds.
+
+The wind increased and Henry saw all the canoes, including those lashed
+together, rocking in the current. The blast made a whistling sound among
+the bushes and boughs and he concluded that the time for him to act had
+come. He took off all his clothing, made it, his weapons and ammunition
+in a bundle which he fastened on his head, and then swam across the
+river. He went some distance down the bank, deposited everything except
+his heavy hunting knife securely in the bush, and then, with the knife
+in his teeth, dropped silently into the river.
+
+The lashing of the wind and the perceptible rise of the stream from
+flooded tributaries farther up, made a considerable current, and Henry
+floated with it. But the bank on the camp side of the river was
+considerably higher than the other and first he swam across to its
+shelter.
+
+It was so dark now that not even the keen eye of an Indian could have
+seen his dark head on the dark surface of the stream, and he was so
+powerful in the water that he swam like a fish without noise. Once or
+twice he caught the gleam of the fire on the bank, but he knew that he
+was not seen.
+
+In a few minutes he dropped in behind the lashed canoes, and with the
+heavy hunting knife cut holes in their bark bottoms. He was skillful and
+strong, but it took him a half-hour to finish the task, and he stopped
+at intervals to see if the sentinels had noticed anything unusual.
+Evidently they dreamed as little of this venture as of that of the fire
+boat.
+
+He cut a small hole in every one at first, and then enlarged them in
+turn, and when he saw the water rising in the boats he swam rapidly
+away, still keeping in the shelter of the near shore. Then he dived,
+rose just behind a curve and walked out on the opposite bank, his figure
+gleaming white for a moment before he crept into the woods where his
+clothes and weapons lay. He dressed with rapidity and still lying hidden
+he heard the first Indian cry.
+
+The sentinels, hearing the gurgling of the water, had looked over and
+seen the sinking canoes. Even as they looked, and as the alarm brought
+others, the canoes filled with water and sank fifteen feet to the bottom
+of the stream.
+
+A few rays of moonlight forced their way through the clouds just at that
+moment, and Henry saw the amazement on the faces of the warriors, and
+the anger on the faces of the white men, because Alloway and the others,
+awakened by the alarm, had hurried to the banks of the river.
+
+He laughed low to himself but with deep and intense satisfaction. He was
+enough a son of the wild to understand the emotions of the Indians. He
+knew that the second destruction of the boats, but in a different way,
+would fill them with awe. They could attach no blame to the sentinels
+who watched as only Indians could watch.
+
+Henry saw them lift the remaining canoes upon the bank for safety, and
+then send out scouts and runners in search of the dangerous foe who had
+visited them twice. None had yet come to his side of the river, but he
+knew that they would do so in time, and feeling that the deed was
+sufficient for the night, he fled away in the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE FOREST JOKER
+
+
+It was Henry's first thought to return to his comrades, but the way was
+long and he must pass by the greater Indian camp, which surely had out
+many sentinels. So he changed his mind and resolved to spend the night
+in the woods. Shif'less Sol and the others would not be alarmed about
+his absence. They too had acquired the gift of infinite patience and
+would remain under cover, until he returned, content with their stone
+walls and roof, having plenty of venison, and fresh water running
+forever in their home itself.
+
+It was his idea to seek some thicket at a distance and lie hidden there
+until the next night, when he might achieve a fresh irruption upon the
+enemy. He had succeeded so far that he was encouraged to new attempts,
+and all the wilderness spirit in him came to the front. The civilization
+of the house and the city sank quite away. He was for the time being
+wholly a creature of the primeval forest, and while his breath was the
+very breath of the wild he felt with it a frolic fancy that demanded
+some outlet. He must sleep, but he would like to play a new trick upon
+his enemies before he slept.
+
+The spirit of the Faun, in which the old Greeks believed, was re-created
+within him, and where could a better place for its re-creation have been
+found than in this vast green wilderness stretching from east to west a
+thousand miles, and from north to south fifteen hundred miles, a region
+almost untouched by the white man, the like of which was not to be found
+elsewhere on the globe.
+
+He laughed a little in his triumph, though silently. As he strode along
+a stray ray of moonlight fell upon him now and then, and disclosed the
+tall, splendid figure, the incarnation of magnificent youth, the forest
+superman, one upon whom Nature had lavished every gift for the life that
+he was intended to live. Although his step was light and soundless, his
+figure expressed strength in every movement. It was shown in the swing
+of the mighty shoulders, and the long stride which without effort
+dropped the miles behind him.
+
+It was destined, too, that he should have his wish for another
+achievement that night, one that would please the sportive fancy now so
+strong in him. After recrossing the river he saw on his left an opening
+of considerable size, and he heard grunts and groans coming from it. He
+knew that a buffalo troop was resting there. The foolish beasts had
+wandered into the Indian vicinity, but they would learn the proximity of
+the warriors the next day and wander away. Meanwhile Henry needed them
+and would use them. Now and then he reverted to the religious imagery
+which he had learned when he was with Red Cloud and his Northwestern
+tribe. Manitou had really sent this buffalo herd there for his
+particular benefit. It was the largest that he had ever seen in
+Kentucky. Fully five hundred of the great brutes rested in the opening
+and he needed numbers.
+
+He passed into the thick forest near them, and then with infinite
+patience lighted a fire with his flint and steel. Securing long sticks
+of dead wood he ignited them both until they burned with a steady and
+strong flame. Strapping his rifle upon his back and holding aloft a
+flaming torch in either hand, and uttering fierce and wild shouts he
+charged directly upon the buffaloes.
+
+He showed prodigious activity. All the extraordinary life that was in
+him leaped and sang in his veins. He rushed back and forth, uttering
+continuous shouts, whirling each torch until it made a perfect circle of
+fire. Doubtless to the heavy eyes of the buffaloes the single human
+being seemed twenty, every one enveloped in bursts of flame which they
+dreaded most of all things.
+
+A big bull buffalo, the leader of the herd, crouched at the very edge of
+the opening, decided first that it was time to move. The whirling
+circles of fire with living beings inside of them filled him with
+terror. His ton of flesh quivered and quaked. He rose with a mighty
+heave to his feet and then with a bellow of fright took flight from the
+flashing devils of fire.
+
+The whole herd was in a panic in an instant and followed the leader.
+They might have scattered in their fright, but they were shepherded by a
+human mind, which had allied with it a body without an equal in all
+that million and a half square miles of forest. As he leaped to and fro,
+shouting and whirling his torches, he drove the herd straight toward the
+camp on the river where the English officers and chiefs were even now
+asleep.
+
+A few animals broke off from the herd and were lost in the bushes, but
+the rest ran, packed close, a long column, tapering at the front like an
+arrow head, with the big bull as its point. They bellowed with fright
+and made a tremendous crashing as they raced over the mile that divided
+them from the Indian camp. Warriors heard the uproar, like the bursting
+of a storm in the night, and leaped to their feet.
+
+Now Henry fairly surpassed every effort that he had made hitherto. He
+leaped more wildly than ever, and redoubled his fierce shouting. He was
+so close upon the flank of the last buffaloes that they felt the torches
+singeing their hair, and, mad with fear lest they go to their buffalo
+heaven sooner than they wished they charged directly upon the Indian
+camp.
+
+The wild yells of the warriors joined with Henry's shouts. Alloway,
+Cartwright and the others leaped up to see the red eyes, the short
+crooked horns and the huge, humped shoulders of the buffaloes bearing
+down upon them. Nothing could withstand that rush of mighty bodies and
+white men and Indians alike ran for their lives.
+
+The buffaloes came up against the river, and blocked by its deep flood,
+turned, and, running over the camp again, crashed away toward the west.
+Henry, stopping at a convenient distance, tossed his torches into the
+river, and taking the rifle from his back sank into the bushes. Here he
+laughed once more, under his breath, but with the most intense delight.
+It was the hugest joke of all.
+
+Without any great danger to himself he had made the buffaloes serve him,
+and he could still hear them bellowing and crashing in their frantic
+flight. Although no lives had been lost, everything in the camp had been
+trodden flat. All of their cooking utensils had been smashed, many of
+their rifles had been broken, and, the canoes drawn upon the bank, had
+been ground under the hoofs of the buffaloes. A hurricane could not have
+made a wreck more complete.
+
+Henry saw Alloway emerge from the forest and come back to the scene of
+ruin. He had taken off his coat before he lay down, but only fragments
+of it remained now. He was red with anger and he swore violently. Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle had lost their blankets, but, whatever they felt,
+they kept it to themselves. They looked upon the trodden camp, but they
+did not lose their dignity.
+
+"What is this? What is this? What is this?" stuttered Alloway in his
+wrath.
+
+"We seem, sir, to have been run over by a herd of buffaloes," said
+Wyatt, smoothly.
+
+"And does this sort of thing happen often in these woods?"
+
+"I can't say that I've heard of such a case before, but even if it's a
+single instance we're the victims of it."
+
+Alloway glared at Wyatt, but he knew that he could not afford to quarrel
+with the young renegade, who had great influence with the tribes. He
+picked up the fragments of his red coat and looked at them ruefully.
+
+"I didn't know that the herds were ever so large in this forest
+country," he said to Blackstaffe.
+
+"It's seldom so," said the older renegade.
+
+"Is it their habit to rise up at midnight and gallop over men's camps?"
+
+"It is not."
+
+"Then how do you account for such behavior?"
+
+Blackstaffe shrugged his shoulders and spoke a few words in their own
+tongue to the chiefs. Then he turned back to Colonel Alloway.
+
+"The chiefs tell me," he said, "that the buffaloes were driven by a
+demon, an immense figure, preceded by whirling circles of fire. The evil
+spirit, they say, is upon them."
+
+"And do you believe such nonsense?"
+
+"A continuous life in the deep woods gives one new beliefs. I thought I
+caught a glimpse of such a figure, but when I tried for a second look it
+was gone. But whether right or wrong you can see what has happened. Our
+camp has been destroyed and with it most of the canoes. We have lost
+much, and the Indians are greatly alarmed. It is superstition, not fear,
+that has affected them."
+
+"In my opinion," said Braxton Wyatt, "it was a trick of Henry Ware's. He
+drove those buffaloes down upon us."
+
+"Very likely," said Blackstaffe, "but you can't persuade the Indians
+so."
+
+"Nor me either," said Alloway gruffly. "You can't tell me that a
+backwoods youth can do so much."
+
+"But," said Blackstaffe, "our scows were blown up, our lashed canoes
+were sunk, and now the buffaloes have been driven over us. It couldn't
+be chance. I think with Wyatt that it was Ware, but the chiefs are not
+willing to stay here longer. They demand that we return to the great
+camp in the morning, and that we abandon the attempt to take the cannon
+up the river."
+
+"Which means an infinite amount of work with the ax," growled Alloway.
+"Well, let it be so, if it must, but I will not move tonight for
+anything. At least grass and trees are left, and I can sleep on one and
+under the other."
+
+The chiefs, Yellow Panther and Red Eagle, thought they ought to march at
+once, but they yielded to Alloway who was master of the great guns with
+which they hoped to smash the palisades around the settlements. Complete
+coöperation between white man and red man was necessary for the success
+of the expedition, and sometimes it was necessary for one to placate the
+other.
+
+They chose places anew upon ground that looked like a lost field of
+battle. The buffaloes had practically trampled the camp into the earth.
+The Indians had lost most of their blankets and in taking the canoes
+from the river and putting them upon the bank to escape one form of
+destruction they had merely met another. But they did the best they
+could, seeking the most comfortable places for sleep, and resolved to
+secure rest for the remainder of the night.
+
+But Red Eagle and Yellow Panther, great chiefs though they were, were
+troubled by bad dreams which came straight from Ha-nis-ja-o-no-geh, the
+dwelling place of the Evil Minded. An enemy whom they could not see or
+hear, but whose presence they felt, was near. He had brought misfortune
+upon them and he would bring more. They awoke from their dreams and sat
+up. The white men were sleeping heavily, but then white men were often
+foolish in the forest.
+
+Everything that stirred in the wilderness had a voice for the Indian.
+North wind or south wind, east wind or west wind all said something to
+him. The flowing of the river, and the sounds made by animals in the
+darkness had their meaning. Yellow Panther and Red Eagle were great
+chiefs, mighty on the war path, filled with the lore of their tribes,
+and they knew that Manitou expressed himself in many ways. They spoke
+together and when they compared their bad dreams straight from
+Ha-nis-ja-o-no-geh they felt apprehension. The wind was blowing from the
+northwest, and its voice was a threat. Then came the weird cry of an owl
+from a point north of them, and they did not know whether it was a real
+owl or the same evil spirit that had sent the bad dreams.
+
+The two chiefs, wary and brave, were troubled. They could fight the
+seen, but the unseen was a foe whom no warrior knew how to meet. Then
+they heard the owl again, but from another point, farther to the west,
+and after a while the cry came from a point almost due west.
+
+They sent the boldest and most skillful warrior to scout the forest in
+that direction and they waited long for his return, but he never came
+back. When the second hour after his departure had been completed the
+chiefs awakened all the others and announced that they would start at
+once for the great camp.
+
+Alloway growled and cursed under his breath.
+
+"What is it?" he said to Braxton Wyatt, who had been talking with Red
+Eagle and Yellow Panther. "Can't we finish in peace what's left of the
+night?"
+
+"We must yield to the chiefs, sir," said Wyatt. "If we don't there will
+be trouble, and the whole expedition will fail before it's fairly
+started. While we were asleep they heard an owl hoot from several
+different points of the compass, and they think it an omen of evil. They
+may be right, because a scout, a man of uncommon skill, whom they sent
+out two hours ago with instructions to return in an hour or less, has
+not come back. If you consider the misfortunes that have befallen us
+tonight, you can't blame 'em."
+
+The hoot of the owl, much nearer, came suddenly through the forest. To
+the chiefs and to the white men as well it had a long menacing note. It
+was an omen of ill and it came from the Place of Evil Dreams. Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle, great chiefs, victors in many a forest foray,
+shuddered. Fear struck like daggers at their hearts.
+
+"Gray Beaver, our scout, will never come back," said Yellow Panther, and
+Red Eagle nodded.
+
+The surcharged air affected Alloway and the other white men also. The
+obvious fears of the chiefs and the black wilderness about him created
+an atmosphere that the colonel could not resist. He glanced at the dark
+files of the trees and listened to the low moaning of the river as it
+flowed past. Then from a point in the south came that warning, plangent
+cry of the evil bird. Perspiration stood out on the brows of the chiefs
+and Alloway himself was shaken. Superstition and fears bred of the
+wilderness and its darkness entered into his own soul. The place
+suddenly became hateful to him.
+
+"Let us go," he said. "Perhaps it is better that we rejoin the main
+force."
+
+Braxton Wyatt had his own opinion, but he was as willing as the others
+to depart. He felt that on this expedition he would be safer with the
+warriors all about him. He had saved his own rifle from the rush of the
+herd, and putting it on his shoulder he fell in behind the chiefs.
+
+The whole party started, but they found that although they had left an
+evil place they had also begun an evil march. The owl, which the Indians
+were quite sure contained the soul of some great dead warrior, followed
+and continually menaced them. Its cry was heard from one side and then
+from the other. Colonel Alloway, a brave man, though choleric and cruel,
+was exasperated beyond endurance. He raged and swore as they marched
+through the dark thickets, the Indians moving lightly and surely, while
+he often stumbled. He insisted at last that they stop and take action.
+
+"Do you think this is a real owl following us?" he said to Wyatt, whom
+he invariably used as an interpreter.
+
+"I think it is Ware, of whom I told you."
+
+"You're as bad in your way as the Indians are in theirs. Why, the fellow
+would be superhuman!"
+
+"That would not keep it from being true."
+
+Alloway knew from Wyatt's tone that he meant what he said.
+
+"We must hunt down this forest rover!" he exclaimed. "I can see that he
+is striking a heavy blow at the Indians through their superstitions."
+
+"No doubt of that, sir."
+
+"Tell the chiefs for me that we must send out a half dozen trailers
+while the rest of us remain here. I'm not as used as you are to midnight
+marches in the forest, and every bone in me aches."
+
+Wyatt translated and Yellow Panther and Red Eagle consented. A
+half-dozen of the best trailers slipped away in different directions in
+the forest, and the rest sat down in a group. They waited a long time
+and heard nothing. The owl did not cry, nor did any human shout come
+from the haunted depths of the wilderness.
+
+"At least they've driven him away," said Alloway to Cartwright.
+
+"I think so, sir."
+
+Out of the forest, low at first, but swelling on a long triumphant note,
+came the solemn voice of the owl. Alloway, despite himself, shuddered.
+The sinister cry expressed victory. His own mind, like those of the
+Indians, had become attuned to the superstitions and fears bred of
+ignorance and the dark. His heart paused, and when it began its work
+again the beat was heavy.
+
+A darker blot appeared on the darkness and two warriors, bearing a
+third, came through the bushes. The man whom they bore was a
+dark-browed, cruel savage who had carried the scalp of a white woman at
+his belt. But he would hunt or scalp no more. He had been cloven from
+brow to chin with the blow of a tomahawk wielded by an arm mighty like
+that of Hercules. Colonel Alloway looked upon the slain savage and
+shuddered again.
+
+"Ask them how it happened," he said to Wyatt.
+
+The young renegade, after speaking with the Indians, replied:
+
+"Black Fox, the dead warrior, turned aside to look into a willow
+thicket. The others heard the beginning of a cry, that is one that was
+checked suddenly, and the sound of a blow. Then they found Black Fox as
+you see him there."
+
+"And the one who struck him down?"
+
+"There was no trace of him, but I, at least, have no doubt about him.
+Colonel Alloway, sir, I tell you he is the greatest forester that ever
+lived. He has all the different kinds of strength of the red man and the
+white man united, and something more, a power which I once heard a
+learned man say must have belonged to people when they had no weapons
+but clubs, and beasts far bigger than any of our time roamed the woods.
+It must have been a sort of feeling or sense that we can't understand,
+like the nose of a hound, and this Ware has it."
+
+"Pshaw! Pshaw! Pshaw!" exclaimed Alloway violently. But Wyatt saw that
+his violence of speech was assumed to hide his own growing belief. The
+two chiefs beckoned to him, and he talked with them briefly. Then he
+turned to Alloway.
+
+"Red Eagle and Yellow Panther ask me to say to you, sir, that they'll
+send no more warriors into the forest. The Evil Spirit is there and
+while they're ready to fight men they will not fight devils."
+
+"I don't blame 'em," said Alloway reluctantly. "We've been outwitted and
+made fools of, and the best thing we can do is to get back to the great
+camp as soon as we can. Tell the chiefs we're ready to march."
+
+But the way was long and the night was still black. The cry of the owl
+came several times, first on the right and then on the left. Every time
+he heard it the heart of the colonel beat with anger, tinged with awe.
+It was a strange world into which he had come, and while he would not
+have acknowledged it to another, he knew that he was afraid. And afraid
+of what? Of a single figure, lurking somewhere in the dusk, that seemed
+able to strike at any moment wherever and whenever it wished.
+
+The band, with its chiefs, its white men and its renegades marched on,
+the two English officers panting from such unusual exertion, and
+tripping often as they grew weaker. It hurt Alloway to ask them to stop
+and let him rest, and he put off the evil moment as long as he could,
+but at last, as his breath became shorter and shorter, he was compelled
+to do so.
+
+The chiefs acquiesced silently and the whole band stopped. Alloway sat
+down on one of those fallen logs to be found everywhere in the primeval
+forest, and his breath came in long painful sobs. He was just a little
+too stout for wilderness work, that is for the marching part of it, and
+he was hurt cruelly in both body and spirit. As his general weakness
+grew, the cry of the owl directly in their path and not far away was
+like fire touched to an open wound.
+
+"Can't some of the warriors go forward, ambush and shoot that fiend?" he
+exclaimed in desperation to Blackstaffe.
+
+"You saw what happened when we tried it an hour ago," replied the
+renegade. "In the darkness one man has an opportunity over many. He
+knows that all are his enemies, and he can shoot the moment he hears a
+sound or sees a rustle in the bush. Besides, sir, we are confronted, as
+Wyatt has told you, by the one foe who is the most dangerous in all the
+world to us. There is something about him that passes almost beyond
+belief. I'm not a coward, as these Indians will tell you, but nothing
+could induce me to go into the forest in search of him."
+
+Alloway made no reply, but he took off a cocked hat that he wore even in
+the wilderness, and began to fan his heated face. A rifle cracked
+suddenly, and the hat flew from his hand into the air. The Indians
+uttered a long wailing cry like the Seneca "Oonah," but did not move
+from their places or show any sign that they wished to pursue.
+
+The colonel's empty hand remained poised in the air, and he gazed with
+mingled anger and wonder at his hat, lying upon the ground, and
+perforated neatly by a bullet. Wyatt, Blackstaffe and Cartwright looked
+at him but said nothing. Even Wyatt felt a thrill of awe.
+
+"That, sir, was a warning," he said at last. "He could have shot you as
+easily."
+
+"But why don't the warriors pursue? He could not have been much more
+than a hundred yards away!"
+
+"They're afraid, sir, and I don't blame 'em."
+
+Wyatt himself showed apprehension. He knew the bitter hatred the
+borderers felt toward all renegades. The name of Girty was already one
+of loathing. Blackstaffe was another who could expect little mercy, if
+he ever fell into their hands, and Wyatt himself knew that he had fully
+earned the Kentucky bullet. He did not feel the superstition of the
+warrior, but he regarded the gloomy depths of the forest with just as
+much terror. There was no reason why the silent marksman who hung upon
+them should not pick him out for a target.
+
+They came to a creek running three feet deep, but they waded it and then
+stood for a minute or two on the bank, wringing the water out of their
+clothing. Colonel Alloway still cursed under his breath, and bemoaned
+the fate that had befallen him. It seemed a cruel jest that he, who had
+served in Flanders and Germany, in open country that had been civilized
+many centuries, should be sent from Detroit to march as an ally of
+savages in that enormous and unknown wilderness.
+
+The cry of the owl came from a point straight ahead, and not more than
+four hundred yards away. Not a savage moved. But Alloway's whole frame
+shook with furious anger. It was preposterous that they should be
+harried so on their march by a single enemy. Once more he turned to
+Wyatt and said:
+
+"Can't we spread out in some manner and catch this impudent fellow? Are
+thirty men to be driven all night through the woods by a single border
+rover?"
+
+"I can put your question to the chiefs," Wyatt replied, "but I doubt
+whether anything will come of it."
+
+He talked a little with Yellow Panther and Red Eagle and found that they
+were willing to try again. They were pursued by a devil, but, mysterious
+as he was, they would send forth the warriors, and perhaps they might
+trap him. They gave the signal and a dozen savages plunged at once into
+the bush, spreading out like a fan, and advancing toward the point from
+which the owl had sent his haunting cry.
+
+The others waited a long time by the creek, and Alloway's rage still
+burned. It was past endurance that a gentleman and an officer should be
+hunted through the woods in such a manner, insulted even by a bullet
+through his fine cocked hat, and hope being the father of belief, he was
+sure that the warriors would finish him this time.
+
+He heard a sudden sharp report in the woods behind them, on the other
+side of the creek that they had crossed, and a bullet buried itself in
+the tree against which he was leaning, not very far from his face. He
+uttered a deep oath, but Yellow Panther and Red Eagle signaled to their
+forces to take the trail once more. The one in whom the Evil Spirit
+dwelled and who had come to mock them could not be caught. They would
+waste no more time, but would march as fast as they could to the main
+camp. They sent out cries that called in the warriors and then they set
+off at a great pace.
+
+But all through the remainder of the night the Evil Spirit hung upon
+them, sometimes beside them, and sometimes behind them, and the terror
+of the warriors grew. Upon more than one face the war paint was damp
+with perspiration, and Colonel Alloway, his red face dripping, was
+forced to keep up with them, stride for stride.
+
+Their terror did not diminish at all until the daylight came. Red Eagle
+and Yellow Panther, great chiefs, were glad to see the glow over the
+eastern forest that told of the rising sun. Even then they did not stop,
+but kept on at high speed, until the morning was flooded with light,
+when they stopped for fresh breath.
+
+The English officers threw themselves upon the ground and gasped. They
+were not ashamed to show now to the Indians that they were weary almost
+to death.
+
+"I think I left at least twenty pounds in that cursed forest," said
+Alloway.
+
+"I'm not anxious for another such march," said Cartwright with sympathy.
+"But, sir, you can see a big smoke rising not more than a mile ahead.
+That must be the main camp."
+
+"It is," said Braxton Wyatt, "and there are some of the scouts coming to
+meet us."
+
+Far behind them rose the long hoot of the owl, but Wyatt knew that they
+would hear it no more that day. He regarded the English officers grimly.
+They had patronized him and Blackstaffe, and now they made the poorest
+showing of all. In the woods they were lost.
+
+Alloway and Cartwright rose after a long rest and limped into the camp.
+The colonel reflected that he had lost prestige but there were the
+cannon. The warriors could not afford to march against Kentucky without
+them, and only he and his men knew how to use them. In a huge camp, with
+a brilliant sun driving away many of the fancies that night and the
+forest brought, his full sense of importance returned. He began to talk
+now of pushing forward at once with the guns, in order that they might
+strike before the settlers were aware.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE KING WOLF
+
+
+When the two chiefs, Alloway and the smaller force, were driven into the
+great camp, Henry turned aside into the forest and felt that he had done
+well. All the fanciful spirit of the younger world created by the Greeks
+had been alive in him that night. He had been a young Hercules at play
+and he had enjoyed his grim jokes. He was not only a young Hercules, he
+was a primeval son of the forest to whom the wilderness was a book in
+which he read.
+
+He went back a little on their path, and he marked where the European
+leader had fallen twice through sheer weariness or because he could not
+see well enough in the dusk to evade trailing vines. A red thread or two
+on a bush showed that he had torn his uniform in falling, and the young
+woods rover laughed. He could not recall another such gratifying night,
+one in which he had served his own people and also had annoyed the enemy
+beyond endurance.
+
+He went deep into the forest, hiding his trail as usual, and lay down in
+a covert to rest, while he ate some of the venison that he had left.
+Here he saw again his friends of the little trails, with which he was so
+familiar. The shy rabbits were creeping through the bushes and
+instinctively they seemed to have no fear of him. Two little birds not
+ten feet over his head were singing in intense rivalry. Their tiny
+throats swelled out as they poured forth a brilliant volume of song, and
+Henry, lying perfectly still, looked up at them and admired them. It
+would have required keen eyes like his to have picked them out, each of
+whom a green leaf would have covered, but he saw them and recognized
+them as friends of his. He did not know them personally, but since all
+their tribe were his comrades they must be so too.
+
+Although he was one of mighty prowess with the rifle, and a taker of
+game, Henry always felt his kinship with the little people of the
+forest. No one of them ever fell wantonly at his hands. The gay birds in
+their red or blue plumage and all the soberer garbs between, were safe
+from him. It seemed that they too at times recognized him as a friend
+since he would hear the flutter of tiny wings over his head or by his
+ear, and see them pass in a flash of flame, or of blue or of brown.
+
+Those old tales of Paul floated once more through his mind. He had no
+doubt that Paul was right. The Biblical six thousand years might be six
+million years as men thought of them now. And he knew himself, from his
+own eye, that huge monsters, larger than any that lived now, did roam
+the earth once. He had seen their bones in hundreds at the Big Bone
+Lick, where they had come to get the salty water scores of thousands of
+years ago. It seemed to him then that in those days men and the little
+animals and the little birds must have been allies against the monsters.
+Here, in the woods so far from civilization, this friendship must be
+continued. The light wind which so often sang to him through the leaves
+sprang up and joined its note to that of the birds. The fierce, wild
+spirit that had made him haunt the flying trail the night before, and
+that had sent the tomahawk so deep, departed. He felt singularly
+friendly to all created beings.
+
+Lying on his back and looking upward into the green roof, Henry listened
+to the forest concert. The two over his head were still singing with
+utmost vigor, but others had joined. From all the trees and bushes about
+him came a volume of song, and the shadow of no swooping hawk or eagle
+fell across the sky to disturb them.
+
+He had a little bread in his pouch, and he threw some crumbs on the
+grass a few feet away. The hand and arm that had cast them sank by his
+side, remained absolutely still and he waited. The wonder that he was
+wishing so intensely came to pass. A bird, brown and tiny, alighted on
+the grass and pecked one of the crumbs. Beyond a doubt, this was a bold
+bird, a leader among his kind, an explorer and discoverer. He had never
+seen a crumb before, but he picked up one in his tiny bill and found it
+good. Then he announced the news to all the world that could hear his
+voice, and there was much fluttering of small wings in the air.
+
+More birds, red, green, yellow and brown, settled upon the grass and
+began to pick the crumbs eagerly. It was new food, but they found it
+good. Nor did they pay any attention to the great figure in buckskin
+dyed green lying so near and so still. The instinct given to them in
+place of reason, which warned them of the presence of an enemy, gave
+them no such warning now, because there was none against which they
+could be warned.
+
+Henry always believed that the birds felt his kinship that morning, or
+perhaps it was the crumbs that drew them to a friend and gave them
+hearts without fear. One of them, perhaps the original bold explorer,
+seeking vainly for another crumb, hopped upon his bare hand as it lay in
+the grass, but feeling its warmth flew away a foot, hung hovering a
+moment or two, then came back and took a peck.
+
+It was not sufficient to hurt Henry's toughened hand, and exerting the
+great strength of his will over his body he continued to lie perfectly
+motionless. The bird, satisfied that this food was beyond his powers,
+stood motionless for a few moments, then flapped his wings two or three
+times to indicate that he was a prince and an ornament of the forest,
+and began to pour forth the fullest and deepest song that Henry had yet
+heard.
+
+It gave him a curious thrill as the bird, perched on his hand, and
+extended to his utmost, sang his song. The other birds having finished
+all the crumbs stood chirping and twittering in the grass. Then, as if
+by a given signal, all of them, including the one on Henry's hand,
+united in a single volume of song and flew up into the crevices of the
+green roof. He felt that a serenade had been given to him, one that few
+human kings ever enjoyed. The little flying people of the forest had
+united to do him honor, and he was pleased, hugely pleased.
+
+They were hidden from him now in the green leaves, but where the sky was
+clear he saw a sudden, dark shadow against the blue. He sprang up in an
+instant and raised his rifle. But it was too late for the eagle to stop.
+The heavy figure with the tearing beak and claws swooped downward, and
+there was silence and terror among the green leaves. But before the
+eagle could clutch or rend, Henry's rifle spoke with unerring aim, and
+the body fell to the ground dead.
+
+He was sorry. He did not like his morning party to be broken up in such
+a manner, and for his guests to be disturbed and frightened. Nor was it
+wise to fire his rifle in that neighborhood. But he had acted on an
+impulse that he did not regret. He looked at the beak and claws of the
+dead eagle and he was glad that he had shot him. The fierce bird had
+broken up his forest idyl, and knowing that he could stay no longer he
+set off at a great pace, again curving about in a course that led him
+somewhat toward the house in the cliff.
+
+He crossed several trails and he became rather anxious. Doubtless they
+were made by hunters, because the Indians while they remained at the
+great camp would eat prodigiously, and bands would be continually
+searching the forest for buffalo and deer. It was from these that the
+chief danger came. He suspected also that their proximity had compelled
+Shif'less Sol and the others to keep close within their little shelter.
+He doubted whether he could reach them that day.
+
+The need of rest made itself felt at last, and, hiding his trail, he
+crept into another small but very dense thicket. He felt that he was
+within a lair and his kinship with bird and beast was renewed. No wolf
+or bear could lie snugger in its den than he.
+
+He put his rifle by his side, where he could reach it in a second, and
+was soon asleep. A prowling bear came into the far edge of the thicket,
+sniffed the man-smell and went away, not greatly alarmed, but feeling
+that it was better, in case of doubt, to avoid the cause of the doubt.
+Two Indians, carrying the cloven body of a deer, passed within three
+hundred yards of the sleeping youth, but they saw no trail and went on
+to the camp with the spoils of the hunt.
+
+Henry slept lightly, but a long time. The forest quality was still
+strong within him. Although his sleep had all its restoring power, the
+lightest noise in the undergrowth near him would have awakened him. But
+he slept on through the morning, and into the afternoon.
+
+A second party of savage hunters passed, five men carrying wild turkeys,
+and they too did not dream that the enemy whom they dreaded so much lay
+near. They had left the camp only that morning, and, the warriors
+arriving from the river, had told before they left how they had been
+pursued all through the night by one upon whom the Evil Spirit had
+descended. Even in the day they would have avoided this being, and the
+old medicine men who were in the camp were making charms to drive him
+away.
+
+It was the most brilliant part of the afternoon now. Nevertheless they
+looked with a tinge of superstitious terror at the forests. The highly
+imaginative mind of the Indian, clothes nearly all things with
+personality, and for them an evil wind was blowing. The events of the
+preceding night had been colored and enlarged by those who told them.
+One or two had seen the form, gigantic and flaming-eyed, that had hung
+upon their trail, and these warriors, fearing that they too might see
+it, and in the open day, hung close as they bore their load of turkeys
+back to the camp.
+
+Henry did not awake until the west was growing dim, and then after the
+fashion of the borderers he awoke all at once, that is, every nerve and
+faculty was alive at the same time. Nothing had invaded his haunt in the
+brushwood. His keen eyes showed him at once that no bush had been
+displaced, and, with his rifle ready, he walked out into the opening.
+
+He must get back into the little fortress that night. He had been gone
+so long that Shif'less Sol and the others, although having the utmost
+confidence in his powers, would begin to worry about him. Yet he knew
+that it was unwise to approach the place until night came. Delay was all
+the more necessary, because while he saw on the northern horizon the
+smoke from the great camp, he saw also a smaller smoke rising from
+another camp nearer their fortress. It was so near, in truth, that the
+four must find it necessary to hide close within the walls.
+
+The second smoke aroused Henry's apprehension. Perhaps a portion of the
+camp had been moved forward merely to be nearer water or for some
+kindred reason, but that did not keep it from being nearer the stone
+fortress, nor from impeding his entrance into it. Yet he believed that
+he could slip past. His skill had triumphed over greater tests.
+
+After dark he began his journey, buoyant and strong from his long sleep,
+and continued his wide circuit intending to approach his destination
+from the west. Distance did not amount to much to the borderer, and his
+long, easy gait carried him on, mile after mile.
+
+It was another night, brilliant with moon and stars, and Henry was able
+to see the larger trail of smoke still traced on the northern horizon.
+His sense of direction was perfect, but he looked up now and then at the
+smoky bar, always keeping it on his right, and three or four hours after
+sunset he began to curve in towards his friends. The country into which
+he had come was similar in character to that which he had left, heavy
+forest, rolling hills and many creeks and brooks. He had never been in
+that immediate region before, and he judged by the amount of game
+springing up before him that it had not been visited by anybody in a
+long time. It was always a cause of wonder to him that a region as large
+as Kentucky, four fifths the size of all England, should be totally
+without Indian inhabitants.
+
+The fact that Indians from the North and Indians from the South were
+said to fight there when on their hunting expeditions, and that hence
+they preferred to leave it as a barrier or neutral ground, did not
+wholly account for the fact to him. Farther north and farther south the
+Indians occupied all the country and fought with one another, but in
+this beautiful and fertile land there was no village, and not even a
+stray lodge.
+
+He had often asked himself the reason, and while he was asking it he
+came to a long low mound, covered with trees of smaller growth than
+those in the surrounding forest. At first he took it for a hill just
+like the others, but its shape did not seem natural, and, despite the
+importance of time he looked again, and once more. Then he walked a
+little way up the mound and his moccasined foot struck lightly against
+something hard. He stooped, and catching hold of the impediment pulled
+from the earth a broken piece of pottery.
+
+It seemed old, very old, and wishing to rest a little, Henry sat down
+and gazed at it. The Indians of the present day could not possibly have
+made it, and it was impossible also that any white settler or hunter
+could have left it there. He dropped the fragment and rising, looked
+farther, finding two more pieces buried almost to the edge, but which
+his strong hands pulled out. They seemed to him of the same general
+workmanship as the others, and he surmised that the long mound upon
+which he was standing had been thrown up by the hand of man.
+
+What was inside the mound? Perhaps the skeletons of men dead a thousand
+years or more, men more civilized than the Indians, but gone forever,
+and leaving no trace, save some broken pieces of pottery. Possibly the
+Indians themselves had destroyed these people, and they did not come
+here to live because they feared the ghosts of the slain. But it was no
+question that he could solve. He would talk about it later with Paul and
+meanwhile he must find some way to reach the others.
+
+He threw down the pottery and left the hill, but, as he swung swiftly
+onward, the hill and its contents did not disappear from his mind. He
+had a strange sense of mystery. The new land about him might be an old,
+old land. He had never thought of it, except as forest and canebrake, in
+which the Indians had always roamed, but evidently it was not so. It was
+strange that races could disappear completely.
+
+But as he raced on, the feeling for these things fell from him. He was
+not so much for the past as Paul was. He was essentially of the present,
+and, dealing with wild men in a wild country, he was again a wild man
+himself. Among the Indians at the great camp or about it there was not
+one in such close kinship with the forest as he. Despite danger and his
+anxiety to reach his comrades, he felt all its beauty and majesty, in
+truth fairly reveled in it.
+
+He noticed the different trees, the oaks, the elms, the maples, the
+walnuts, the hickories, the sycamores, the willows at the edges of the
+stream, the dogwoods, and all the other kinds which made up the
+immeasurable forest. They were in the early but full foliage of spring,
+and the light wind brought odors that were like a perfumed breath.
+
+It was past midnight, when he stopped to enjoy again the fine flavor of
+his kingdom. Then he suddenly lay flat among the dead leaves of the year
+before, and thrust forward the barrel of his rifle. He had heard a
+footfall, the footfall of a moccasin, not much heavier than the fall of
+a leaf, and every nerve and faculty within him was concentrated to meet
+the new danger.
+
+The sound had come from his right, and raising his head just a little he
+looked, but saw nothing, that is nothing new in the waving forest. Yet
+Henry was sure that a man was there. His ear would not deceive him.
+Doubtless it was a stray hunter or scout from the bands, and, while he
+did not fear him, he was annoyed by the delay. It might keep him from
+reaching his comrades that night.
+
+He waited a long time, using all the patience that he had learned, and
+he began to believe that his ear after all might have deceived him.
+Perhaps it had been merely a rabbit in the undergrowth, but while he was
+debating with himself he heard a faint stir in the bush, and he knew
+that it was made by a man seeking a new position.
+
+Then his intuition, the power that came from an extreme development of
+the five senses, reinforced by will, gave him an idea. Still lying on
+his back he uttered the lonesome howl of the wolf, but very low. He
+waited a moment or two, eager to know if his intuition had told him
+truly, and back came the wolf's low but lone cry. He gave the second
+call and the cry of the wolf came in like answer.
+
+Then he stood up with rifle at trail and walked boldly forward. A tall
+figure, rifle also at trail, emerged from the bush and advanced to meet
+him. Two hands met in the strong clasp of those who had shared a
+thousand dangers and who had never failed each other.
+
+"I thought when I made the call that it would be you, Sol," said Henry.
+
+"An' I knowed it must be you, Henry," said the shiftless one, showing
+his double row of shining white teeth, "'cause you're the only one in
+the woods who kin understan' our signals."
+
+"And that means that Paul, Long Jim and Tom are safe in the cave."
+
+"When I left two nights ago, hevin' gone back thar after we separated,
+they wuz safe, but whether they are now I can't tell. Decidin' that they
+wuz foulin' the water too much, part o' the band has moved up to a place
+mighty close to our own snug house. They don't know yet that the hole in
+the wall is thar, but ef they stay long they're boun' to run acrost it.
+That's why I've come out lookin' fur you, an' mighty glad I am that I've
+found you. I'd a notion you'd take this circuit, after doin' all the
+deviltry you've done."
+
+The shiftless one's mouth parted in a wide grin of admiration. The two
+rows of white teeth shone brightly.
+
+"Henry," he said, "you're shorely the wild catamount o' the mountains."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Well, I'm somethin' o' a scout an' trailer, ez you know, an' that ain't
+no boastin'. I've been hangin' 'roun' the Injun camp, an' they're
+terrible stirred up. An evil sperrit has been doin' 'em a power o' harm
+an' I know that evil sperrit is you. Ef it wuzn't fur them cannon on
+which they build such big hopes the chiefs would take all their warriors
+and go home. But the white men are urgin' 'em on. Henry, you're shorely
+the king o' these woods. How'd you stir 'em up so?"
+
+Henry modestly told him all that he had done, and the shiftless one
+chuckled again and again, as proud of his comrade's deeds as if he had
+done them himself.
+
+"But the Indians will march against Kentucky?" said Henry. "You don't
+doubt that, do you?"
+
+"Yes, they'll go. Hevin' brought the cannon so fur they won't turn back,
+but mebbe we kin hold 'em a while longer. There are tricks an' tricks,
+an' we kin work some o' 'em."
+
+"And it's our object to stop those cannon. Unless they have 'em we can
+beat the Indians off as we did last year, even if they are led by the
+English."
+
+"So we kin, Henry, an' we'll git them guns yet. Scoutin' 'roun' thar
+camp I learned enough to know that you've broke up thar plan o' tryin'
+to carry 'em part o' the way by the river. You must hev done mighty
+slick work thar, Henry. The warriors are plum' shore now that river is
+ha'nted. It's all the way through the woods now fur them cannon, an' the
+English will hev to use the axes most o' the time."
+
+"Then we'll be going back as fast as we can. I want to tell you again,
+Sol, that your face was mighty welcome."
+
+"I ain't no beauty," grinned the shiftless one, "but them that's
+bringin' help do be welcome when they come. That's the reason you looked
+so pow'ful well to me, Henry, 'cause I wuz gettin' mighty lonesome,
+prowlin' 'roun' in these woods all by myself, an' no comp'ny to call,
+'cept them that would roast me alive when they'd j'in me."
+
+"The cliff is straight north, isn't it?"
+
+"Jest about. But thar's an Injun band in the way. They're jerkin' a lot
+o' venison fur the main camp, but bein' ez you've stirred 'em up so
+they're keepin' a mighty good watch too. You know we don't want no
+fights, we jest want to travel on ez peaceful ez runnin' water."
+
+"That's so, Sol, but it means a much farther curve to the west."
+
+"Then we've got to take it. It ain't hard for you an' me. We've got
+steel wire for muscles in our legs, and the night is clear, cool an'
+life-givin'. Paul hez talked 'bout parks in the Old World, but we've got
+here a bigger an' finer park than any in Europe or Asyer, or fur that
+matter than Afriker or that new continent, Australyer. An' thar ain't
+any other park that hez got so many trees in it ez ourn, or ez much big
+game all fur the takin'. Now lead on, Henry, an' we'll go to our new
+home."
+
+"No, you lead, Sol. I've been on a big strain, an' I'd like to follow
+for a while."
+
+"O' course you would, you poor little peaked thing. I ought to hev
+thought o' that when I spoke. Never out in the woods afore by hisself
+an' nigh scared to death by the trees an' the dark. But jest you come
+on. I'll lead you an' I won't let no squirrel or rabbit hurt you
+neither."
+
+Henry laughed. The humor and unction of the shiftless one always amused
+him.
+
+"Go ahead, Sol," he said, "and I'll promise to keep close behind you,
+where nothing will harm me."
+
+Thus they set off, Sol in front and Henry five feet away, treading in
+his footsteps.
+
+"There wuz a time when I'd hev been afraid o' the dark," said Shif'less
+Sol, whose conversational powers were great. "You've been to the Big
+Bone Lick, an' so hev I, an' we've seen the bones o' the monsters that
+roamed the earth afore the flood, a long time afore. I wouldn't hev
+believed that such critters ever tramped around our globe ef I hadn't
+seen their bones. I come acrost a little salt lick last night--we may
+see it in passin' afore mornin'--but thar wuz big bones 'roun' it too. I
+measured myself by 'em an' geewhillikins, Henry, what critters them wuz!
+Ef I'd been caught out o' my cave after night an' one o' them things got
+after me I'd hev been so skeered that I'd hev dropped my stone club
+'cause my hands trembled so, my teeth would hev rattled together in
+reg'lar tunes, an' I'd hev run so fast that I'd only hev touched the
+tops o' the hills, skippin' all the low ones too, an' by the time I
+reached the mouth o' my cave, I'd be goin' so swift that I'd run clear
+out o' my clothes, leavin' 'em fur the monster to trample on an' then
+chaw up, me all the while settin' inside the cave safe, but tremblin'
+all over, an' with no appetite. Them shore wuz lively times fur our
+race, Henry, an' I guess we did a pow'ful lot o' runnin' an' hidin'."
+
+"It was certainly time to run, Sol, when a tiger eight feet high and
+fifteen feet long got after you, or a mammoth or a mastodon twenty feet
+high and fifty feet long was feeling around in the bushes for you with a
+trunk that could pick you up and throw you a mile."
+
+"Henry, ef we wuzn't in a hurry I'd stop here an' give thanks."
+
+"What for?"
+
+"'Cause I didn't live in them times, when the beast wuz bigger an'
+mightier than the man. I guess stone caves that run back into mountains
+'bout a mile wuz the most pop'lar an' high-priced. Guess those boys an'
+gals didn't go out much an' dance on the green, ez they do back East.
+I'd a heap ruther hunt the buff'ler than that fifteen foot tiger o'
+yours, Henry."
+
+"So had I, Sol. If those beasts were living nowadays we wouldn't be
+roaming through the forest as we are now. We have only the Indians to
+fear."
+
+"An' thar's a lot about them to be afeard of at times, ez you an' me
+know, Henry."
+
+"If we keep on this curve, Sol, about what time do you think we ought to
+reach the boys?"
+
+"Afore moonrise, jest about when the night is darkest, 'less somethin'
+gits in the way. Here's another branch, Henry. Guess we'd better wade in
+it a right smart distance. You can't ever be too keerful about your
+trail."
+
+The branch, or brook, as it would have been called in older communities,
+was rather wide, about six inches deep and flowing over a smooth,
+gravelly bed. It was flowing in the general direction in which they
+wished to go, and they walked in the stream a full half mile. Then they
+emerged upon the bank, careless of wet feet and wet ankles, which they
+knew would soon dry under severe exercise, and continued their swift
+journey.
+
+The curiosity of the shiftless one about the primeval world had passed
+for the time, and like Henry he was concentrating all his energy and
+attention upon the present, which was full enough of work and danger. He
+and the young Hercules together made a matchless pair. He was second
+only to Henry in the skill and lore of the wilderness. He was a true son
+of the forest, and, though uneducated in the bookish sense, he was so
+full of wiles and cunning that he was the Ulysses of the five, and as
+such his fame had spread along the whole border, and among the Indian
+tribes. Hidden perhaps by his lazy manner, but underneath that yellow
+thatch of his the shiftless one was a thinker, a deep thinker, and a
+nobler thinker than the one who sat before Troy town, because his
+thoughts were to save the defenseless.
+
+"Henry," he said, "we're followed."
+
+Henry glanced back, and in the moonlit dusk he saw a score of forms,
+enlarged in the shadows, their eyes red and their teeth bare.
+
+"A wolf pack!" he exclaimed.
+
+"Shore ez you live," replied the shiftless one. "Reckon they've been
+follerin' us ever since we left the branch. Mebbe they never saw men
+afore an' don't know nothin' 'bout guns that kill at a distance, an'
+ag'in mebbe they've been driv off thar huntin' grounds by the warriors,
+an' think we kin take the place o' their reg'lar game."
+
+"Anyway I don't like it."
+
+"Neither do I. Look at that old fellow in the lead. Guess he's called a
+giant among 'em. I kin see the slaver fallin' from his mouth. He's
+thinkin' o' you, Henry, 'cause there's more meat on you than there is on
+me."
+
+"I don't know about that. You'd make a fine dish for the table of the
+wolf king. Roasted and served up whole they'd save you for the juicy
+finish, the last gorgeous touch to the feast."
+
+"Don't talk that way, Henry. You make me shiver all over. I ain't afeard
+o' a wolf, but ef I didn't hev a rifle, an' you wuzn't with me, I'd be
+plum' skeered at them twenty back thar, follerin' us lookin' at us an'
+slaverin'."
+
+The shiftless one shook his fist at the king wolf, an enormous beast,
+the largest that they had ever seen in Kentucky. The whole troop was
+following them, their light feet making no noise in the grass and
+leaves, but their red eyes and white teeth always gleaming in the
+moonlight. They were showing an uncommon daring. Lone hunters had been
+killed and eaten in the winter by starving wolves, but it was seldom
+that two men in the spring were followed in such a manner. It became
+weird, uncanny and ominous.
+
+"I know what's happened," said the shiftless one suddenly. "I kin tell
+you why they follow us so bold."
+
+"What's the reason, Sol?"
+
+"You know all them 'normous tigers and hijeous monsters we've been
+talkin' 'bout, that's been dead a hundred thousan' years. Thar souls
+comin' down through other animals hev gone straight into our pack o'
+wolves thar. They ain't wolves really. They're big tigers an' mammoths
+an' sech like."
+
+"I'm not disputing what you say, Sol, because I don't know anything
+about it, but if it wasn't for raising an alarm I'd shoot that king wolf
+there, who is following us so close. I can tell by his eyes that he
+expects to eat us both."
+
+"What kind o' tigers wuz it that Paul said lived long ago, an' growed so
+monstrous big?"
+
+"Saber-toothed."
+
+"Then that king wolf back thar wuz the king o' the saber-toothed tigers
+in his time. He wuz twelve feet high and twenty-five feet long an' he
+could carry off on his shoulder the biggest bull buffaler that ever wuz,
+an' eat him at a meal."
+
+"That would have been a good deal of a dinner, even for an emperor among
+saber-toothed tigers."
+
+"But I'm right about that wolf, Henry. I kin see it in his eye, an' them
+behind him are nigh ez bad. They wuz all saber-toothed tigers in thar
+time. I reckon that in thar wolf souls or tiger souls, whichever they
+be, they expect to eat us afore day. I'd like pow'ful well to put a
+bullet atween the eyes o' thar king--jest ez you said you would, Henry."
+
+"But it's not to be thought of. Sound would travel far on a still night
+like this, and the warriors might be within hearing. It's hard on the
+nerves, but we've got to stand it."
+
+They hoped that the wolves would drop the trail soon, but their wish
+did not come true. However they twisted and turned, whether they went
+slow or fast, the sinister pack was always there, the king wolf a foot
+or so in advance, like the point to the head of an arrow. Often the
+flickering shadows exaggerated him to twice his usual size, and then in
+truth he suggested his saber-toothed predecessor of long, long ago.
+
+"This is becomin' pow'ful w'arin' to the nerves, Henry," said the
+shiftless one. "I'd ruther hev a clean fight with a half-dozen warriors
+than be follered this way. It teches my pride. I've got a mighty lot o'
+pride, an' it hurts me awful to hev my pride hurt."
+
+"Because we don't shoot or do anything I think they've assumed that
+we're powerless to fight. Still, there is something about the human odor
+that deters 'em."
+
+"S'pose you're right, but I'm goin' to try a trick. When you see me
+stumble, Henry, you go right on, till I'm eight or ten feet behind you."
+
+"All right, Sol, but don't stumble too much."
+
+"I ain't likely to do it at sech a time. Look out, now! Here I stumble!"
+
+He caught his foot in a root, plunged forward, almost fell, recovered
+his balance slowly and with apparent difficulty. Henry ran on, but in a
+half minute he turned quickly. With a horrible snarl and yelp the king
+wolf sprang, and the others behind him sprang also. Henry's rifle leaped
+to his shoulder, and then the king wolf jumped away, the others
+following him.
+
+The shiftless one rejoined Henry and they ran a little faster. His face
+was pale and one or two drops of perspiration fell from it. His breath
+was longer than mere flight would make it.
+
+"I ain't goin' to try that ag'in, Henry," he said. "No more foolin' with
+sudden death. He's shorely the big tiger, the biggest o' them all that
+wuz. Why, when I stumbled he leaped like lightnin'. I didn't think
+anythin', not even a wolf, could be so quick."
+
+"The rifle frightened them off. They didn't know what it was, but they
+were afraid it had something to do with wounds and death. Still, they're
+running a little closer to us than they were. That's about all that's
+come of your experiment, Sol."
+
+"I ain't goin' to try it over ag'in, Henry, but it shorely begins to
+look ez ef we'd hev to use the bullets on 'em. I don't think anythin'
+else will stop 'em."
+
+"A little while longer, Sol, and they may abandon the chase. We must
+hold our fire just as long as possible. A shot may bring a cloud of the
+red hornets about us."
+
+The shiftless one was silent. He knew as well as Henry that a shot was
+unwise. They were bearing back now toward the stone fortress and the
+Indian camps, and the forests near might be full of warriors. Yet it was
+a tremendous strain upon one's nerves to be followed in such a manner.
+The wolves had come so close now that they could hear the light pad of
+their feet. Once Shif'less Sol picked up a stone and hurled it at the
+king wolf. The great shaggy beast leaped aside, but it struck a wolf
+behind him, drawing an angry snarl, in which all the wolves joined.
+
+Henry felt relief when they gave tongue, although the snarl was not
+loud. Hitherto they had pursued in total silence, which he had deemed
+unnatural and that angry yelp made them real wolves of the forest again.
+
+"About how far would you say it is now to the cave?" he asked the
+shiftless one.
+
+"Three or four miles, but with our lope it won't take us long to cover
+it. What hev you got in mind, Henry?"
+
+"I think we've got to kill the king wolf. I didn't think so a little
+while ago, but they follow us hoping that some accident, a fall perhaps,
+will make us their prey."
+
+"Do it then, Henry, an' take all the chances. I'm growin' mighty tired
+o' bein' follered by wolves that are re'ly tigers. After you shoot,
+we'll turn to the left an' run ez hard ez we kin."
+
+Henry whirled suddenly about and raised his rifle. The king wolf, as if
+divining his purpose, sheered to one side, but he was confronting the
+deadliest marksman in the woods. The muzzle of Henry's rifle followed
+him, and when he pulled the trigger the bullet crashed through the great
+beast's skull.
+
+When the king wolf fell dead the others stopped, stricken with terror,
+but from a point to the east came the long thrilling note of the war
+whoop. The warriors had heard the shot, and, knowing they would come
+swiftly to its sound, Henry and the shiftless one, turning due west, ran
+with amazing speed through the forest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE FOREST POETS
+
+
+Henry and the shiftless one knew that they had drawn danger upon
+themselves, but they had nothing to regret. The pursuit by the wolves
+had become intolerable. In time it was bound to unsettle their nerves,
+and it was better to take the risk from the warriors.
+
+"How far away would you say that war whoop was?" asked Henry.
+
+"'Bout a quarter o' a mile but it'll take 'em some little time to find
+our trail. An' ef you an' me, Henry, can't leave 'em, ez ef they wuz
+standin', then we ain't what we used to be."
+
+Presently they heard the war cry a second time, although its note was
+fainter.
+
+"Hit our trail!" said the shiftless one.
+
+"But they can never overtake us in the night," said Henry. "We've come
+to stony ground now, and the best trailers in the world couldn't follow
+you and me over it."
+
+"No," said the shiftless one, with some pride in his voice. "We're not
+to be took that way, but that band an' mebbe more are in atween us an'
+our fine house in the cliff, an' we won't get to crawl in our little
+beds tonight. It ain't to be risked, Henry."
+
+"That's so. We seem to be driven in a circle around the place to which
+we want to go, but we can afford to wait as well as the Indian army can,
+and better. Here's another branch and we'd better use it to throw that
+band off the trail."
+
+They waded in the pebbly bed of the brook for a long distance. Then they
+walked on stones, leaping lightly from one to another, and, when they
+came to the forest, thick with grapevines they would often swing from
+vine to vine over long spaces. Both found an odd pleasure in their
+flight. They were matching the Indian at his tricks, and when pushed
+they could do even better. They knew that the trail was broken beyond
+the hope of recovery, and, late in the night, after passing through
+hilly country, they sat down to rest.
+
+They were on the slope of the last hill, sitting under the foliage of an
+oak, and before them lay a wide valley, in which the trees, mostly oaks,
+were scattered as if they grew in a great park. But the grass everywhere
+was thick and tall, and down the center flowed a swift creek which in
+the moonlight looked like molten silver. The uncommon brightness of the
+night, with its gorgeous clusters of stars, disclosed the full beauty of
+the valley, and the two fugitives who were fugitives no longer felt it
+intensely. Henry was an educated youth of an educated stock, and
+Shif'less Sol, the forest runner, was born with a love and admiration
+in his soul of Nature in all its aspects.
+
+"Don't it look fine, Henry?" said the shiftless one. "Ef I hed to sleep
+in a house all the time, which, thanks be, I don't hev to do, I'd build
+me a cabin right here in this little valley. Ain't it jest the nicest
+place you ever saw? Unless I've mistook my guess, that's a lot o'
+buff'ler lyin' down in the grass in front o' us."
+
+"Eight of 'em. I can count 'em," said Henry, "but they're safe from us."
+
+"I wouldn't fire on 'em, not even ef thar wuzn't a warrior within a
+hundred miles o' us. I don't feel like shootin' at anythin' jest now,
+Henry."
+
+"It's the valley that makes you feel so peaceful. It has the same effect
+on me."
+
+"I think I kin see wild flowers down thar bloomin' among the bushes, an'
+ain't that grass an' them trees fine? an' that is shorely the best creek
+I've seen. Its water is so pure it looks like silver. I've a notion,
+Henry, that this wuz the Garden o' Eden."
+
+"That's an odd idea of yours, Sol. How can you prove it's so?"
+
+"An' how can you prove it ain't so? An' so we're back whar we started.
+Besides, I kin pile up evidence. All along the edge o' the valley are
+briers an' vines, on which the berries growed. Then too thar are lots o'
+grapevines on the trees ez you kin see, an' thar are your grapes. An' up
+toward the end are lots o' hick'ry an' walnut trees an' thar are your
+nuts, an' ef Adam an' Eve wuz hard-pushed, they could ketch plenty o'
+fine fish in that creek which I kin see is deep. In the winter they
+could hev made themselves a cabin easy, up thar whar the trees are
+thick. An' the whole place in the spring is full o' wild flowers, which
+Eve must hev stuck her hair full of to please Adam. The more I think o'
+it, Henry, the shorer I am that this wuz the Garden."
+
+The shiftless one's face was rapt and serious. In the burnished silver
+of the moonlight the little valley had a beauty, dreamlike in its
+quality. In that land so truly named the Dark and Bloody Ground it
+seemed the abode of unbroken peace.
+
+"I reckon," said Shif'less Sol, "that after the fall Adam an' Eve left
+by that rift between the hills, an' thar the Angel stood with the
+Flamin' Sword to keep 'em out. O' course they might hev crawled back
+down the hillside here, an' in other places, but I guess they wuz
+afeard. It's hard to hev had a fine thing an' then to hev lost it,
+harder than never to hev had it or to hev knowed what it wuz. I guess,
+Henry, that Adam an' Eve came often to the hills here an' looked down at
+their old home, till they wuz skeered away by the flamin' o' the Angel's
+sword."
+
+"But there's nothing now to keep us out of it. We'll go down there, Sol,
+because it is a garden after all, a wilderness garden, and nothing but
+Indians can drive us from it until we want to go."
+
+"All right, Henry. You lead on now, but remember that since Adam an' Eve
+hev gone away this is my Garden o' Eden. It's shore a purty sight, now
+that it's beginnin' to whiten with the day."
+
+Dawn in truth was silvering the valley, and in the clear pure light it
+stood forth in all its beauty and peace. It was filled, too, with life.
+Besides the buffaloes they saw deer, elk, swarming small game, and an
+immense number of singing birds. The morning was alive with their song
+and when they came to the deep creek, and saw a fish leap up now and
+then, the shiftless one no longer had the slightest doubt.
+
+"It's shorely the Garden," he said. "Listen to them birds, Henry. Did
+you ever hear so many at one time afore, all singin' together ez ef
+every one wuz tryin' to beat every other one?"
+
+"No, Sol, I haven't. It is certainly a beautiful place. Look at the beds
+of wild flowers in bloom."
+
+"An' the game is so tame it ain't skeered at us a bit. I reckon, Henry,
+that 'till we came no human foot hez ever trod this valley, since Adam
+an' Eve had to go."
+
+"Maybe not, Sol! Maybe not," said Henry, trying to smile at the
+shiftless one's fancy, but failing.
+
+"An' thar's one thing I want to ask o' you, Henry. Thar's millions an'
+millions an' billions an' billions o' acres in this country that belong
+to nobody, but I want to put in a sort o' claim o' my own on the Garden
+o' Eden here. Thar are times when every man likes to be all by hisself,
+fur a while. You know how it is yourself, Henry. Jest rec'lect then that
+the Garden is mine. When I'm feelin' bad, which ain't often, I'll come
+here an' set down 'mong the flowers, an' hear all them birds sing, same
+ez Adam an' Eve heard 'em, an' d'rectly I'll feel glad an' strong
+ag'in."
+
+"Where there's so much unused country you ask but little, Sol. It's your
+Garden of Eden. But you'll let the rest of us come into it sometimes,
+won't you?"
+
+"Shorely! Shorely! I didn't mean to be selfish about it. I've got some
+venison in my knapsack, Henry, an' I reckon you hev some too. I'd like
+to hev it warm, but it's too dangerous to build a fire. S'pose we set,
+an' eat."
+
+The soil of the valley was so fertile that the grass was already high
+enough to hide them, when they lay down near the edge of the creek.
+There they ate their venison and listened to the musical tinkle of the
+rushing water, while the sun rose higher, and turned the luminous silver
+of the valley into luminous gold. They heard light footfalls of the deer
+moving, and the birds sang on, but there was no human sound in the
+valley. Their great adventure, the Indian camp, and the manifold dangers
+seemed to float away for the time. If it was not the Garden of Eden it
+was another garden of the same kind, and it looked very beautiful to
+these two who had spent most of the night running for their lives. They
+were happy, as they ate venison and the last crumbs of their bread.
+
+"If the others wuz here," said Shif'less Sol, "nothin' would be lackin'.
+I'm in love with the wilderness more an' more every year, Henry. One
+reason is 'cause I'm always comin' on somethin' new. I ain't no
+tied-down man. Here I've dropped into the Garden o' Eden that's been
+lost fur thousands o' years, an' tomorrow I may be findin' some other
+wonder. I rec'lect my feelin' the first time I saw the Ohio, an' I've
+looked too upon the big river that the warriors call the Father o'
+Waters. I'm always findin' some new river or creek or lake. Nothin's
+old, or all trod up or worn out. Some day I'm goin' way out on them
+plains that you've seed, Henry, where the buff'ler are passin' millions
+strong. I tell you I love to go with the wind, an' at night, when I
+ain't quite asleep, to hear it blowin' an' blowin', an' tellin' me that
+the things I've found already may be fine, but thar's finer yet farther
+on. I hear Paul talkin' 'bout the Old World, but thar can't be anythin'
+in it half ez fine ez all these woods in the fall, jest blazin' with red
+an' yellow, an' gold an' brown, an' the air sparklin' enough to make an
+old man young."
+
+The face of the shiftless one glowed as he spoke. Every word he said
+came straight from his heart and Henry shared in his fervor. The wild
+men who slew and scalped could not spoil his world. He had finished his
+venison, and, drinking cold water at the edge of the creek, he came back
+and lay down again in the long grass.
+
+"Perhaps we'd better stay here the most of the day," said Henry. "The
+valley seems to be out of the Indian line of march. The buffaloes are
+over there grazing peacefully, and I can see does at the edge of the
+woods. If warriors were near they wouldn't be so peaceful."
+
+"And there are the wild turkeys gobblin' in the trees," said Shif'less
+Sol. "I like wild turkey mighty well, but even ef thar wuz no fear o'
+alarm I wouldn't shoot any one in my Garden o' Eden."
+
+"Nor I either, Sol. I'm beginning to like this valley as well as you do.
+Your claim to it stands good, but when we're on our hunting expeditions
+up this way again the five of us will come here and camp."
+
+"But we'll kill our game outside. I've a notion that I don't want to
+shoot anythin' in here."
+
+"I understand you. It's too fine a place to have blood flowing in it."
+
+"That's jest the way I feel about it, Henry. You may laugh at me fur
+bein' a fool, but the notion sticks to me hard an' fast."
+
+"I'm not laughing at you. If you'll raise up a little, Sol, you can see
+the smoke of the main Indian campfire off there toward the northeast. It
+looks like a thread from here, and it's at least five miles away."
+
+"It's a big smoke, then, or we wouldn't see it at all, 'cause we can't
+make out that o' the smaller one nearer to the cave, though I reckon
+it's still thar."
+
+"Perhaps so, and the warriors may come this way, but we'll see 'em and
+hear 'em first. Look, Sol, those buffaloes, in their grazing, are coming
+straight toward us. The wind has certainly carried to them our odor, but
+they don't seem to be alarmed by it."
+
+"Jest another proof, Henry, that it's the real Garden o' Eden. Them
+buff'ler haven't seen or smelt a human bein' since Adam an' Eve left,
+an' ez that wuz a long time ago they've got over any feelin' o' fear o'
+people, ef they ever had it. Look at them deer, too, over thar, loafin'
+'long through the high grass, an' not skeered o' anythin'. An' the
+wolves that follered us last night don't come here. Thar ain't a sign o'
+a wolf ever hevin' been in the valley."
+
+Henry laughed, but there was no trace of irony in the laugh. The
+shiftless one's vivid fancy or belief pleased him. It was possible, too,
+that Indians would not come there. It might be some sacred place of the
+old forgotten people who had built the mounds and who had been
+exterminated by the Indians. But the Indians were full of superstition,
+and often they feared and respected the sacred places of those whom they
+had slain. For the boldest of the warriors, avenging spirits might be
+hovering there, and they would fear them more than they would fear the
+white men with rifles.
+
+"Let's go up to the head of the valley," he said to Shif'less Sol. "If
+we keep back among the bushes we won't be seen."
+
+"All right," said his comrade. "I want to see that gate between the
+hills, that the creek comes from, an' I want to take a look, too, at
+that grove o' big trees growin' thar."
+
+Henry reckoned the length of the valley at two miles and its width at a
+half mile on the average, with the creek flowing down almost its exact
+center. At the head it narrowed fast, until it came to the gash between
+the hills, where grew the largest oaks and elms that he had ever seen.
+It was in truth a magnificent grove and it gave the shiftless one
+extreme delight which he expressed vocally. He surveyed the trees and
+the hills behind them with a measuring and comprehensive eye.
+
+"Them hills ain't so high," he said, "but they're high enough to shut
+out the winds o' winter, bein' ez they face the north an' west, an' here
+curves the creek atween 'em, through a gap not more'n ten feet wide.
+An' look how them big trees grow so close together, an' in a sort o'
+curve. Why, that's shorely whar Adam an' Eve spent thar winters. It
+wouldn't take much work, thatching with poles an' bark to rig up the
+snuggest kind o' a bower. These big trees here ag'inst the cliff almost
+make a cabin themselves."
+
+"And one that we'll occupy the rest of the day. It would be impossible
+for a warrior ten yards away to see us in here, while we can see almost
+the whole length of the valley. I think we'd better stay here, Sol, and
+make ourselves comfortable for the rest of the day. You need sleep, and
+so will I later. It's easy to make beds. The dead leaves must lie a foot
+thick on the ground."
+
+"It's a wonder they ain't thicker, gatherin' here ever since Adam an'
+Eve moved."
+
+"They rot beneath and the wind blows away a lot on top, but there's
+plenty left. Now, I'm not sleepy at all. You take a nap and I'll watch,
+although I'm sure no enemy will come."
+
+"Reckon I will, Henry. It's peaceful an' soothin' here in the Garden o'
+Eden, an' ef I dream I'll dream good dreams."
+
+He heaped up the leaves in the shape of a bed, giving himself a pillow,
+and, sinking down upon it luxuriously, soon slept. Henry also piled the
+leaves high enough against the trunk of one of the largest trees to form
+a cushion for his back, and settled himself into a comfortable position,
+with his rifle across his knees.
+
+Although he had been up all the night he was not sleepy. The shiftless
+one's striking fancy had exerted a great effect upon him. This was the
+Garden of Eden. It must be, and some ancient influence, something that
+he would probably never know, protected it from invasion. He marked once
+more the fearless nature of its inhabitants. He could see now three
+small groups of buffaloes and all of them grazed in perfect peace and
+content. Nowhere was there a sign of the wolves that usually hung about
+to cut out the calves or the very old. He saw deer in the grass along
+the creek, and they were oblivious of danger.
+
+But what impressed him most of all was the profusion of singing birds
+and their zeal and energy. The chorus of singing and chattering rose and
+fell now and then, but it never ceased. The valley itself fairly sang
+with it, and in the opening before him there were incessant flashes of
+red and blue, as the most gaily dressed of the little birds shot past.
+
+His eyes turned toward the gap, where the shiftless one had placed the
+Angel with the Flaming Sword. It was only a few hundred yards away, and
+he was able to see that it was but a narrow cleft between the hills.
+While he looked he saw a human figure appear upon the crest of the hill,
+outlined perfectly against the sun which was a blazing shield of gold
+behind him.
+
+It was a savage warrior, tall, naked, save for the breech cloth, his
+face and body thick with war paint, the single scalp lock standing up
+defiantly. The luminous glow overcoming the effect of distance,
+enlarged him. He seemed twice his real height.
+
+The warrior was gazing down into the valley, but Henry saw that he did
+not move. His figure was rigid. He merely looked and nothing more.
+Presently two more figures of warriors appeared, one on either side, and
+they too were raised by the golden glow to twice their stature. All
+three stared intently into the valley. Henry put his hand on the
+shoulder of his comrade and shook him.
+
+"What? What? What is it?" exclaimed the shiftless one sleepily.
+
+"Three Indian warriors on the highest hill that overlooks the valley,
+but they're not coming in. I think that the Angel with the Flaming Sword
+is in the way."
+
+Shif'less Sol was all awake now, and he stared long at the motionless
+warriors.
+
+"No, they ain't comin' down in the valley," he said at last. "I don't
+know how I know it, but I do."
+
+"Perhaps it's because they don't see the remotest sign of an enemy
+here."
+
+"Partly that I reckon, an' fur other reasons too. Thar, they're goin'
+away! I expect, Henry, that them warriors are a part o' the band that
+wuz lookin' fur us. They don't keer to come into the valley, but they
+might hev been tempted hard to come, ef they'd a' saw us. Mebbe it's a
+good thing that we came here into Adam's an' Eve's home."
+
+"It was certainly not the wrong thing. Those warriors are gone now, and
+I predict that none will come in their place."
+
+"That's a shore thing. Now, ez I've had my nap, Henry, you take yourn.
+Rec'lect that it's always watch an' watch with us."
+
+Henry knew that the shiftless one would not like it, if he did not take
+his turn, and, making his leafy bed, he was soothed to quick sleep by
+the singing of the birds.
+
+Then the shiftless one propped his back against a bank of leaves between
+him and the trunk of a tree, and, with the rifle across his knees,
+watched. The great peace that he had felt continued. The fact that the
+Indians had merely come to the crest of the hill and looked into the
+valley, then going away, confirmed him in his beliefs. As long as Henry
+and he stayed there, they would be safe. But safety beyond that day was
+not what they were seeking. That night they must surely reach the other
+three, although they would enjoy the present to the full.
+
+Shif'less Sol's plastic and sensitive mind had been affected by his
+meeting with Henry. Despite his great confidence in the skill and
+strength of the young leader, he had been worried by his long absence
+and his meeting with him had been an immense relief. This and their
+coming into the happy valley had put him in an exalted state. The
+poetical side of nature always met with an immediate response in him,
+and like the Indian he personified the winds, and the moon and stars and
+sun, and all the objects and forces that were factors in wild life.
+
+Lying closely among his leaves he watched the buffaloes and the deer.
+Some of the bigger animals as the day grew and the sun increased, lay
+down in the grass near him, showing no sign of fear, although they must
+have been aware of his presence. A flight of wild geese descended from
+the sky, drank at the stream, swam a little, then rose again and were
+gone, their forms blending into a single great arrow shooting northward
+through the blue.
+
+Shif'less Sol did not wonder that they had dropped down into the valley
+for a moment or two, breaking their immeasurable flight into the far
+north. They had known that they would be safe in this little way
+station, and it was yet another confirmation of his beliefs. He watched
+the arrow so sharply outlined against the blue until it was gone in the
+vast sky, and a great wonder and awe filled the soul of the shiftless
+one. He had seen such flights countless times before, but now he began
+to think about the instinct that sent them on such vast journeys through
+the ether from south to north and back again, in an endless repetition
+as long as they lived. What journeys and what rivers and lakes and
+forests and plains they must see! Man was but a crawler on the earth,
+compared with them. Then wild ducks came, did as the geese had done, and
+then they too were gone in the same flight into the illimitable north
+that swallowed up everything.
+
+It was in the mind of the shiftless one that he too would like to go
+into that vast unknown North some day, if the fighting in Kentucky ever
+came to an end. He had been in the land of the Shawnees and Miamis, and
+Wyandots and he knew of the Great Lakes beyond, but north of them the
+wilderness still stretched to the edge of the world, where the polar ice
+reigned, eternal. There was no limit to the imagination of Shif'less
+Sol, and in all these gigantic wanderings the faithful four, his
+friends, were with him.
+
+Henry did not awaken until well after noon, but as usual his awakening
+was instantaneous, that is, all his faculties were keenly alert at once.
+He glanced down the valley and saw the buffalo and deer feeding, and the
+great chorus of birds was going on. The shiftless one, leaning against
+his bank of leaves, his rifle on his knee, was regarding the valley with
+an air of proprietorship.
+
+"What's happened while I slept?" asked Henry.
+
+"Nothing. You don't expect anything to happen here. It's got to happen
+when we leave tonight."
+
+"I think you're right about it, and as it's watch and watch, you must go
+to sleep again now."
+
+His comrade without any protest stretched himself in the leaves and soon
+slept soundly. Meanwhile Henry maintained vigilant watch. In order to
+keep his muscles elastic he rose and walked about a little at times, but
+he did not leave the shelter of the thick little grove that the
+shiftless one had called a bower. It well deserved the name, because the
+trees were so close and large, and the foliage was so dense that the
+sunlight could not enter. Indians on the hills could not possibly see
+the two resting there.
+
+The afternoon drew on, long and warm. Save within their shelter the
+sunlight blazed brilliantly. The buffaloes suddenly charged about for a
+little while and Henry at first thought they had been alarmed by the
+coming of man, but on second thought he put it down as mere playing.
+They were well fed, full of life, and they were venting their spirits.
+They ceased soon and lay down in the shade.
+
+Later in the afternoon another Indian appeared on the summit and looked
+for a little while into the valley, but like the others he went away.
+Henry had felt sure that he would.
+
+Toward night the shiftless one awoke, and they ate the last of their
+food. But the failure of the supply did not alarm them. This army was
+very small and if hunger pressed them hard there was the forest, or they
+might filch from the Indian camp. Such as they could dare anything, and
+achieve it, too.
+
+The sun set, the shadows gathered, and it would soon be time to go. The
+waters of the creek sang pleasantly in the ears of the shiftless one,
+and drawing a long breath of regret he said good-bye to the happy
+valley.
+
+"Nuthin' happened while we wuz here, Henry," he said, "and I knowed it
+wouldn't happen. Our troubles are comin' when we cross that line o'
+hills over thar."
+
+He pointed toward the crests. Beyond them, even in the twilight, the
+column of smoke from the great Indian camp was still visible, although
+it disappeared a few moments later, as the dusk turned into the dark.
+
+"The place in the cliff lays to the right o' that smoke," said the
+shiftless one, "an' jest about ez fur from here."
+
+"We ought to reach it in two hours."
+
+"Ef nothin' comes in the way."
+
+"If nothing comes in the way."
+
+They crossed the valley speedily and soon stood on one of the crests
+that hemmed it in.
+
+"We've had one fine day when we wuzn't thinkin' about fightin'," said
+the shiftless one, looking back.
+
+"A restful day," said Henry.
+
+Then the two plunged into the deep forests that lined the far slopes,
+and started on their journey.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE PATH OF DANGER
+
+
+Both Henry and Shif'less Sol had a clear idea of direction, and they
+could lay a line, like a chain bearer, toward the rock fortress, where
+they felt sure their comrades were lying in comfortable and hidden
+security. But back now in the deep forest the atmosphere of peace and
+content that they had breathed in the happy valley was gone, instead it
+was surcharged with war and danger.
+
+"I miss our Garden o' Eden," whispered Shif'less Sol regretfully. "We're
+already back where men are fightin' an' tryin' to kill."
+
+"I thought perhaps most of the army had already gone south, but there's
+the column of smoke as big as ever, and also the second column nearer to
+our home."
+
+"An' here's a creek that we'll hev to cross. Looks deep too. Strike a
+feller 'bout the middle."
+
+"Maybe we can find a shallower place or a tree that has fallen all the
+way across it."
+
+They ran along its bank for some distance, but finding no place where
+the water looked shallow plunged in, holding their weapons and
+ammunition clear of the surface. As they emerged on the other shore, a
+warrior standing in the bushes about forty yards away uttered a shout
+and fired at them. But the Indian is never a good marksman and in the
+dusk his bullet cut the leaves at least three feet over their heads.
+
+His warning shout and shot was followed by a yell from at least twenty
+others who lay about a small fire in a glade a hundred yards beyond.
+Thick bushes had hid the coals from the sight of Henry and the shiftless
+one and now, taking no time to reply to the bullet of the warrior, who
+stood, empty gun in hand, they turned and ran swiftly toward the north,
+while after them came the whole yelling pack.
+
+"We've shorely left the Garden o' Eden, Henry," said the shiftless one.
+"They didn't do sech things ez these thar in Adam or Eve's times, nor in
+ourn. We come purty nigh walkin' plum' into a trap."
+
+"And we've got to shake 'em off. We mustn't run toward the stone hollow,
+because that would merely draw 'em down on all of us. We must lead away
+to the west again, Sol."
+
+"You're right, Henry, but that confounded creek's in the way. I kin see
+it off on the left an' I notice that it's growin' wider an' deeper, ez
+it flows on to the Ohio. They've got us hemmed in ag'inst it."
+
+"But Sol, they'll have to do a lot before they catch such as you and
+me."
+
+"That's so, Henry. I guess we're right hard to ketch. I'm proud to be a
+fugitive 'long o' you."
+
+Henry glanced back and saw the long line of dusky figures following them
+through woods over hills and across valleys with all the tenacity of a
+pack of wolves pursuing a deer. He knew that they would hang on to the
+last, and while he was sure that he and Shif'less Sol could distance
+them, if they used their utmost speed, he was in continuous apprehension
+lest they stir up some other band or at least stray warriors, as the
+forest was full of them. The creek was a bar holding them to an almost
+straight line. It was wide and too deep except for swimming, rising
+almost to the proportions of a river. Henry calculated too that the
+creek did not flow far west of their hollow in the rock, and thus they
+were forced, despite their wishes, to run toward the very place they
+wished to avoid.
+
+"We've certainly had bad luck," he said to Sol, "and I think we've
+stirred up a regular hornet's nest. Hark to that!"
+
+From their right came a swelling war whoop with the ferocious whining
+note at the end, and the eyes of the two fugitives met. Each, despite
+the dark, could read the alarm in the face of the other. They had not
+run out of the trap. Instead the trap was about to be sprung upon them.
+With the unfordable stream on one side of them, an Indian band on the
+other, and an Indian band behind them their case was indeed serious. The
+transition from the Garden of Eden to a world of danger was sudden and
+complete.
+
+The band in the rear gave answer to the cry of their comrades in the
+west, and Henry and the shiftless one had never before heard a whoop so
+full of exultation and ferocity. Henry understood it as truly as if it
+had been spoken in words. It said that the fugitives were surely theirs,
+that they would be caught very soon, that they would be given to the
+torture and that all the warriors should see the flames lick around
+their bare bodies.
+
+A red mist appeared before the eyes of Henry. The wonderful peace, and
+the kindness toward all things that had enwrapped him, as he lay all day
+long in the happy valley, were gone. Instead his veins were flushed with
+anger. The warriors would exult over the torture and death of his
+comrades and himself. Well, he would show them that a man could not be
+burnt at the stake, until he was caught, and it was easy to exult too
+soon.
+
+He whirled for an instant, raised his rifle, fired, whirled back again
+and then ran on. The whole motion, the brief curve about, and then the
+half circle back, seemed one, and yet, as the two ran on, they heard a
+warrior utter a death shout, as he fell in the forest.
+
+"I reckon they'll keep back a little when they learn how we kin shoot,"
+said Shif'less Sol. "Yes, they're not so close, by at least thirty
+yards. Now, how foolish that is!"
+
+The Indians fired a dozen shots, but all their bullets flew wild. Then a
+pattering upon leaves and bark, but neither of the flying two was
+touched.
+
+"Foolish, so it was," said Henry, "but it was anger too. Now, hark to
+that, will you!"
+
+The shots were succeeded by a war cry, again on their right, but much
+nearer than before. Henry took a longing to look at the creek, but if
+they attempted to ford it the warriors would almost certainly shoot them
+while swimming. He and his comrade must make a great spurt to escape
+being cut off by the second force.
+
+"Now, Sol," he said, "you're a good runner. So am I, and we need to fly
+like deer. You know why."
+
+"I reckon I do."
+
+The speed of the two suddenly increased. They went forward now, as if
+they were shot from a bow. Fortunately there were no pitfalls. The
+ground was not strewn with vines and brush to entrap them, and seeing
+that the two fugitives would be well ahead before the junction of the
+two bands could be formed, the band behind them sent forth its war
+whoop. But to Henry with his sensitive ear attuned to every shade of
+feeling that night the cry was not so full of exultation and triumph as
+the one before.
+
+"Afraid the trap will fail to shut down on us," he said to the shiftless
+one.
+
+"I read it that way."
+
+"A little faster, Sol! A little faster! We must make sure!"
+
+Fortunately the creek now curved to the left, which enabled them to draw
+away from the second band, and both feeling that the crisis was at hand
+put forth their utmost powers. Under a burst of magnificent speed the
+ground spun behind them. Trees and bushes flitted past. Then they heard
+the disappointed yell, as the two bands joined, and the firing of shots
+that fell short.
+
+"One danger escaped," breathed Henry as they slackened speed.
+
+"But thar's more to come. Still, I'm glad I don't hev to run so fast fur
+a time. It's fine to be a race horse, but you can't be a racin' all the
+days an' nights o' your life."
+
+"We must cross the creek some way or other, Sol. I don't think our rock
+fortress can now be more than ten miles away and we can't afford to
+bring the warriors down on it."
+
+Shif'less Sol nodded. They kept very near to the creek and he noticed
+suddenly that the current was shallowing, and had grown much swifter. He
+inferred that rapids were ahead, but this was surely the place to cross,
+and he called Henry's attention to it. The bank was about six feet above
+the water and Henry said instantly:
+
+"Jump, Sol, jump! But be sure that you land squarely on your feet!"
+
+The shiftless one nodded. Certainly a man could not choose a poorer time
+to turn an ankle. Without stopping speed but balancing himself perfectly
+he sprang far out, and Henry sprang with him. There were two splashes,
+as they sank almost to the waists in the water, but they were able to
+keep their powder and weapons dry, and in an instant they were at the
+far bank climbing up with all the haste of those who know they are about
+to become targets for bullets.
+
+They heard the yell of disappointment anew, and then the scattering fire
+of bullets. Two or three pattered on the stream, but they did not hear
+the whizz of the others, and in an instant they were safely up the bank
+and into the forest.
+
+"Hit, Sol?" said Henry.
+
+"Nary a hit. An' you?"
+
+"Untouched."
+
+"Come down straight on your feet in the creek?"
+
+"Straight as straight can be. And you?"
+
+"Split the water like a fish. Wet to the middle, but happy. I reckon we
+kin slow down a little now, can't we? I'm a good runner, but I wuzn't
+made up to go forever."
+
+"We'll stop a little while in these bushes until we can get the fresh
+breath that we need so badly. But you know, Sol, they'll cross the
+creek, hunt for our trail and follow us."
+
+"Let 'em come. We ain't hemmed in now, an' with a thousand miles o'
+space to run in I reckon they won't git us."
+
+They lay panting in the bushes a full ten minutes. Then their hearts
+sank to a normal beat, strength flowed back into their veins, and,
+rising they stole away, keeping a general course toward the west. They
+went at a rather easy gait for an hour or more, but when they rested
+fifteen minutes they heard at the end of that time sounds of pursuit.
+The warriors were showing their usual tenacity on the trail, and knowing
+that it was not wise to delay longer they fled again toward the west,
+though they took careful note of the country as they went, because they
+intended to come back there again.
+
+Twice the Indian horde behind them gave tongue, sign that the pursuit
+would be followed to the bitter end, but Henry and the shiftless one now
+had little fear for themselves. Their chief apprehension was lest they
+be driven so far to the west they might not return in time to allay the
+doubts and fears of their comrades.
+
+They soon passed from hills into marshy regions which to their skilled
+eyes betokened another creek, flowing like its parallel sister into the
+Ohio. All these creeks overflowed widely in the heavy spring rains, and
+they judged that the swampy territory had been left by the retreating
+waters.
+
+"Ez I think I told you before," said Shif'less Sol, "I'm a mighty good
+runner. But thar are some things I kin do besides runnin'. Runnin' all
+night, even when you slow up a bit, gits stale. Your mind grows mighty
+tired o' it even if your feet do plant themselves one after another jest
+like a machine. Now, my mind is sayin' enough, so I think, Henry, we
+might git through this swamp, leavin' no trail, o' course, an' rest on
+some good solid little bit o' land surrounded by a sea o' mud."
+
+"That's right, Sol. It's what we must do, but we must cross to the other
+side of the creek before we find our oasis."
+
+"Oasis! What's an oasis?"
+
+"It's something, surrounded by something else," Henry explained. "Come
+on now, Sol. Watch your footing. Don't get yourself any muddier than
+you can help."
+
+"I'm follerin', steppin' right in your tracks, over which the soft mud
+draws the minute my foot has left 'em. I'm glad thar are lots o' bushes
+here, 'cause they'll hide us from any warriors who may be in advance o'
+the main band."
+
+The creek was not as deep and wide as the other, and they crossed it
+without trouble. Two hundred yards further on they found a tiny island
+of firm ground set thick with saplings and bushes, among which they
+crawled and lay down, until regular breathing came back. Then they
+scraped the mud off their moccasins and leggings and sat up on the hard
+earth.
+
+"An' so this is an oasis?" said Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Yes, solid ground, surrounded for a long distance by mud."
+
+"An' with saplin's an' bushes so thick that the sharpest eyed warrior
+ever born couldn't see into it. Henry, I'm thinkin' that we've found
+another little home."
+
+"One that hides us from people passing by, but that does not put a roof
+over our heads or give us food to eat."
+
+"Do you care to rec'lect, Henry, that all our venison is gone?"
+
+"Don't talk to me about it now. I know we'll be hungry soon, but we'll
+just have to be hungry, and that's all."
+
+"I wish it _wuz_ all. I'm hungry right now, an' I know that the longer
+I lay here the hungrier I'll git. I'm lookin' ahead, Henry, an' I see
+the time when we'll hev to shoot a deer, even ef thar are ten thousand
+warriors in a close ring about us."
+
+"Peep between those vines, Sol, and you can see them now among the
+bushes on the far side of the creek."
+
+The shiftless one raised himself up a little, and looked in the
+direction that Henry had indicated. There was sufficient moonlight to
+disclose four or five warriors who had come to the edge of the swamp and
+stopped. They seemed at a loss, as the mud had long since sunk back and
+covered up the trail, and perhaps, also, they hesitated because of the
+dreaded rifles of the two white men, which might be fired at them from
+some unsuspected place. As they hesitated another figure emerged from
+the background and joined them.
+
+"Braxton Wyatt!" said Shif'less Sol. "He must hev been in the second
+band that come up. Do you think I could reach him with a long shot,
+Henry?"
+
+"No, and even if you could you mustn't try. We are well hidden now, but
+a shot would bring them down upon us. Let Braxton Wyatt wait. His time
+will come."
+
+"Here's hopin' that it'll come soon. I'm beginnin' to feel a sight
+better, Henry. Lookin' over all that mud they don't dream that the
+fellers they're lookin' fur are layin' here in this little clump o'
+bushes, like two rabbits in their nests."
+
+"They won't find us because there is no trail leading here. They'll be
+searching the forests on the other side, and we can stay here until they
+go away."
+
+"Which would leave us happy ef I wuzn't so hungry. It's comin' on me
+strong, Henry, that hungry feelin'. You know that I'm gen'ally a pow'ful
+feeder."
+
+"I know it, but this is a time when you'll have to resist."
+
+"I ain't so shore. I notice that them that want things pow'ful bad an'
+go after 'em pow'ful hard are most always them that gits 'em, an' that's
+me tonight."
+
+"Well, lie close, and we'll see what happens, there's Wyatt within reach
+of my rifle right now, and it's a strong temptation to put a bullet into
+him. The temptation is just as strong in me, Sol, as it has been in
+you."
+
+"Then why don't you do it an' take the chances? We kin git away anyhow."
+
+"For several reasons, Sol. I doubt whether we could get away, and escape
+is important not only to ourselves--I like my life and you like
+yours--but to others as well. Besides, I can't draw trigger on Braxton
+Wyatt from cover. Cruel as he is, and he's worse than the savages,
+because he's a renegade, I can't forget that we were boys at Wareville
+together."
+
+"Still your bullet, most likely, would save the life o' many a man an'
+o' women an' children too. But it's too late anyhow. He's gone, an' them
+warriors hev gone with him. By the great horn spoon, what wuz that!"
+
+They had now gone to the extreme eastern edge of their little covert and
+a sudden floundering and gasping there startled them. A large black
+figure rose up from a dense thicket of alders, pawpaws and small willows
+and gazed at them a moment or two with frightened red eyes.
+
+"A bear," exclaimed Shif'less Sol. "Oh, Henry, let me shoot! I kin see
+his steaks fryin' over the coals now. Thar's our supper, settin' on its
+hind legs not ten feet from us."
+
+"Don't you dare do such a thing!" exclaimed Henry, laughing. "Why, your
+shot would bring a whole tribe of Indians down upon us!"
+
+"I know it, but I do want that bear, an' I want to put the
+responsibility o' not gittin' him on you."
+
+"All right. I take it. There he goes and your chance, too, is lost."
+
+The bear threshed out of his den, clattered across the mud flats and
+entered the forest, whence came in a minute the sound of a shot.
+
+"Thar, the warriors hev got him!" exclaimed Shif'less Sol, deep
+disappointment showing in his tone, "and in two or three hours they'll
+be cookin' him. An' he was our bear, too. We saw him first. I could see
+that he was nice an' fat, even ef it wuz early in the year, an' them
+steaks belong to us."
+
+"Maybe they did, but we've lost 'em. Now, I think we'd better keep
+quiet. The Indians are probably far ahead of us, thinking that we've
+gone that way."
+
+The shiftless one subsided into an indignant silence. The oasis was an
+ideal place for two situated as they were, and having the wisdom of the
+woods they remained still and quiet in its cover. But after three or
+four hours the shiftless one became restless. He was a man of great
+strength, and despite his lazy manner, of wonderful bodily activity. It
+took much food to satisfy the demands of that powerful frame, and he was
+growing hungrier and hungrier. Moreover a light wind began to blow from
+the west, bringing upon its edge a faint aroma that caused him to sit up
+and sniff inquiringly. The odor grew stronger, and he no longer had need
+to ask questions with his nose. He knew, and he knew too well.
+
+"Henry," he said, "thar's our bear jest as I expected. They're cookin'
+him, an' it's not so fur away either!"
+
+"I think you're right, but we can't help it. We have to be resigned."
+
+"Mebbe we can't help it, an' then ag'in mebbe we kin, but anyway I ain't
+goin' to be resigned. I'm protestin' all the time, 'cause it's my bear.
+I saw him first."
+
+The savory odor grew stronger, and the anger and indignation of the
+shiftless one increased. And with these two emotions came a third which
+hardened into a resolution.
+
+"Henry," he said, "you're our leader, an' we most always do what you
+say, but this time I reckon I've decided fur myself what I'm goin' to
+do. I'm growin' hungrier an' hungrier. Sometimes I put that hunger down
+but in a minute it bounces back up ag'in stronger than ever. It's my
+master, gittin' control over ev'ry inch o' me, an' I've got to listen to
+what it says. I know I'm makin' a long speech, talkin' like an Injun
+chief at a council, but I've got to explain an' make clear ez day why
+I'm goin' to do the thing I'm goin' to do."
+
+"Go on, Sol. Talk as much as you please. We've all night before us."
+
+"Which is good. Ez I said, hunger has laid hold o' ev'ry inch o' me, an'
+is workin' mighty fast. When I git into that state I'm plum' distracted
+on the question o' food, though it makes me smarter an' more keerful
+than ever on the ways to git it. I jest wanted to tell you, Henry, that
+I'm goin' to leave this oasis an' come back with a load o' them bear
+steaks that rightfully belong to me."
+
+"Have you lost your mind, Sol? You'd be killed and scalped in an hour!"
+
+"I knowed you'd say that. That's the reason I come around to it gradual
+like, an' in a circle, but Henry, it ain't no use talkin'. I'm goin'. My
+mind is clean made up. Besides, I won't be scalped an' I won't be
+killed. Jest you lay down an' afore long I'll be back here with my
+property."
+
+Henry saw that it was no use to argue. The mind of the shiftless one was
+made up, and occasionally he could be as resolute as Henry himself.
+
+"If you're bound to go I can't help it," Henry said. "I don't know your
+plan of action, and I won't ask it, but if you don't come back I'll feel
+pretty bad, Sol."
+
+"But I'll come back. That's shore. The night has jest this minute turned
+darker, which is a sign. Darkness is what I need, an' it tells me that
+I'm goin' to git through."
+
+Henry saw his comrade depart with keen regret. He did not look upon him
+as lost, because his skill was great. But so was the danger, and he
+thought the risk was out of proportion to the purpose. But there was
+nothing more for him to say and he watched the shiftless one as he left
+the oasis, glided over the mud flat and disappeared in the forest to the
+west.
+
+Then came a long and painful wait. Twice he heard the warriors, through
+the medium of the wolf's howl, calling to one another, but he did not
+believe the cries had any bearing upon the adventure of Shif'less Sol.
+Then he heard a faint chorus of yells in the western forest, whence his
+comrade had gone, and he knew that something had happened. He was filled
+with apprehension, but he could do nothing, except to lie still in the
+covert.
+
+The yell was not repeated, but he intently watched the edge of the
+forest on all sides except the west. After a while he saw the faint
+figure of a man, scarcely a tracery, appear in the north, and then come
+skipping like a swift shadow across the flat. His heart did not rise
+merely, but took a sudden jump upward. It was the shiftless one
+returning to their lair, and doubtless in triumph.
+
+He had not time to think much about it before Shif'less Sol was on the
+oasis, crouched among the bushes, laughing low, but in a tone that was
+fairly redolent of triumph.
+
+"I done done it, Henry!" he exulted. "I done done it!"
+
+He held up the hind quarter of a bear that had been cooked to a turn
+over a bed of coals.
+
+"I haven't tasted it yet," he said, "but jest smell it! Did sech an odor
+ever afore tickle your nose? Did your mouth ever afore water so much?
+Here, Henry, fall on!"
+
+He took out his knife, cut off a big piece and handed it to Henry, who
+began to eat eagerly. Then the shiftless one fell to in like fashion.
+
+"How did you manage it?" he asked.
+
+The shiftless one grinned.
+
+"Didn't I tell you that the sudden darkness wuz a sign favorin' me?" he
+said. "Paul is always tellin' about them old Greeks an' Romans not goin'
+into battle till they had talked with the omens, mostly the insides o'
+cows an' sheep. I believe in signs too. Mine wuz a lot better, an' it
+worked. I found that they hed jest finished roastin' the bear on the
+coals, after hevin' dressed him an' cut him into four quarters. 'Pears
+that most o' 'em hed gone deeper into the woods to look fur somethin'. I
+come close up in the bushes, an' began a terrible snarlin' an' yelpin'
+like a hull pack o' wolves. The three that wuz left, the cooks, took
+torches from the fire, an' run in after me. But I hed flew like
+lightnin' 'roun' to the other side, jumped in, grabbed up one o' the
+quarters by the leg, an' wuz away afore they could fairly see what had
+happened, an' who had made it happen. Then they set up one yell, which I
+guess you heard, but I kept on flyin' through the woods to the north,
+curved about, came over the mud flats whar no trail kin last a minute,
+an' here I am with our bear, or ez much of it ez we want o' him."
+
+"You've done a great deed, Sol. I didn't think you could go through with
+it, but you have, and this bear is mighty fine."
+
+"He wuz ourn, an' I wuz bound to hev a part o' him."
+
+"We'll put the rest in our knapsacks and there ought to be enough for
+two days more. It relieves us of a great anxiety, because we couldn't go
+without food, and we really needed it badly."
+
+"I'm feelin' like two men already. I wonder what the boys are doin' up
+thar in the holler? A-layin' 'roun' on the stone floor, I s'pose,
+eatin', drinkin' cold water, an' hevin' a good time."
+
+"But remember their anxiety about us."
+
+"I do. They shorely must hev worried a lot, seein' that we've been gone
+so long a time. Them are three fine fellers, Henry, Paul with all his
+learnin' an' his quiet ways, an' Long Jim, with whom I like so pow'ful
+well to argy an' who likes so pow'ful well to argy with me, ez good a
+feller ez ever breathed, an' Tom Ross, who don't talk none, givin' all
+his time to me, but who knows such a tremenjeous lot. We've got to git
+back to 'em soon, Henry."
+
+Henry agreed with him, and then, having eaten heartily they took turn
+and turn in sleeping. Their clothing had dried on them, but their
+blankets had escaped a wetting entirely, and they were able to make
+themselves comfortable.
+
+In the morning Henry saw that the larger column of smoke was gone, but
+that the smaller remained, and the fact aroused his curiosity.
+
+"What do you make of it?" he asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"I draws from it the opinion that the main band with the cannon hez
+started off into the south, but that part o' the warriors hev stayed
+behind fur some purpose or other."
+
+"My opinion, too. But why has the big force gone and the small one
+remained?"
+
+"I can't say. It's too much fur me."
+
+Henry had an idea, but hoping that he was mistaken he did not utter it
+just then.
+
+"If the big band has started south again," he said, "and the absence of
+the column of smoke indicates it, then all the Indians in this part of
+the forest have been drawn off. They've long since lost us, and they
+wouldn't linger here in the hope of running across us by chance, when
+the great expedition was already on its way."
+
+"That's sound argument, an' so we'll leave our islan' an' make fur the
+boys."
+
+They picked a path across the mud flats, recrossed the creek and entered
+the deep forest, where the two felt as if they had come back to their
+true home. The wonderful breeze, fresh with a thousand odors of spring
+in the wilderness, was blowing. It did not come across mud flats, but it
+came through a thousand miles of dark green foliage, the leaves
+rippling like the waters of the sea.
+
+"The woods fur me," said Shif'less Sol, speaking in a whisper, with
+instinctive caution. "I like 'em, even when they're full o' warriors
+lookin' fur my scalp."
+
+The forest here was very dense, and also was heavy with undergrowth
+which suited their purpose, as they would be able to approach the
+hollow, unseen and unheard. Henry still did not like the presence of the
+smaller column of smoke, and when he reached the crest of their first
+hill he saw that it was yet rising.
+
+"You had a sign last night, and it was a good one," he said to Shif'less
+Sol, "but I see one now, and I think it is a bad one."
+
+"We'll go on an' find it."
+
+They approached the hollow rapidly, the forest everywhere being
+extremely dense, but when they were within less than a mile of it both
+stopped short and looked at each other.
+
+"You heard it?" said Henry.
+
+"Yes, I heard it."
+
+"It wasn't much louder than the dropping of an acorn, but it was a rifle
+shot."
+
+"O' course it wuz a rifle shot. Neither you nor I could be mistook about
+that."
+
+"And you noticed where it came from?"
+
+"Straight from the place where Paul and Tom and Long Jim Hart are."
+
+"Which may mean that their presence has been discovered and that they
+are besieged."
+
+"That's the way I look at it."
+
+"And we must make a rescue."
+
+"That's true, an' we've got to be so mighty keerful about it that we
+ain't took an' scalped and burned by the savages, afore we've had a
+single chance at makin' a rescue."
+
+The thought in the minds of the two was the same. They were sure now
+from the absence of the larger smoke column that the main force had gone
+south, but that the smaller had remained to take their comrades, whose
+presence, by some chance, they had discovered. They lay closely hidden
+for a while, and they heard the report of a second shot, followed by a
+mere shred of sound which they took to be an Indian yell, although they
+were not sure.
+
+"Ef the boys are besieged, an' we think they are," said the shiftless
+one, "they kin hold out quite a while even without our help. So I think,
+Henry, we'd better go an' see whether the main camp has broke up an' the
+cannon gone south. It won't be so hard to find out that, an' then we kin
+tell better what we want to do."
+
+"You're right, of course," replied Henry. "We'll have to leave our
+comrades for the time and go to the big camp."
+
+They curved again toward the south and west, keeping to the thickest
+part of the forest and using every possible device to hide their trail,
+knowing its full necessity, as the day was brilliant and one, unless
+under cover, could be seen from afar. Game started up in their path and
+Henry took it as new proof that the main body of the Indians had gone.
+Deer, scared away by the hunters, were so plentiful that they would
+return soon after the danger for them departed. Nevertheless both he and
+the shiftless one were apprehensive of wandering warriors who might see
+them from some covert, and their progress, of necessity, was slow.
+
+They came to several grassy openings, in one of which the buffalo were
+feeding, but Henry and his comrade always passed around such exposed
+places, even at the cost of greatly lengthening their journey. At one
+point they heard a slight sound in the forest, and being uncertain
+whether it was made by an enemy they remained crouched in the thicket at
+least a half-hour. Then they heard another faint report in the north and
+their keen ears told them it came from a point near the rocky hollow.
+
+"I can't make anything of it," whispered Henry, "except that the boys
+are besieged as we feared. I've tried to believe that the shots were
+fired by Indians at game, but I can't force my belief. The reports all
+come from the same place, and they mean exactly what we wish they didn't
+mean."
+
+"But they mean too," said the shiftless one, courageously, "that so long
+as we hear 'em the boys are holdin' out. The warriors wouldn't be
+shootin' off their guns fur nothin'."
+
+"That's true. Now, we haven't heard that sound again. It must have been
+made by a wildcat or a wolf or something of the kind. So let's press
+on."
+
+The great curve through the forest took them late in the afternoon to
+the site of the big camp. They were sure, long before they reached it
+that it had been abandoned. They approached very carefully through the
+dense woods, and they heard no sound whatever. It was true that a little
+smoke floated about among the dense leaves, but both were certain that
+it came from dying fires, abandoned many hours ago.
+
+"You don't hear anything, do you?" asked Henry.
+
+"Not a sound."
+
+"Then they're gone."
+
+Rising from the undergrowth they boldly entered the camp, where perhaps
+a thousand warriors had danced and sung and feasted and slept for days.
+Now the last man was gone, but they had left ample trace of their
+presence. In the wide open space lay the charred coals of many fires,
+and everywhere were heaps of bones of buffalo, bear, dear and wild
+turkey. Feathers and an occasional paint box were scattered about.
+
+"The feast before the fight," said the shiftless one. "I've a good
+appetite myself, but it won't hold a candle to that of a hungry
+warrior."
+
+A low snarling and a pattering of many feet came from the surrounding
+forest.
+
+"The wolves," said Henry. "They've been here to glean, and they ran away
+at our approach."
+
+"An' they'll be back the moment we leave."
+
+"Like as not, but we don't care. Here are the wheel tracks, Sol, and
+there is the road they've cut through the forest. A blind boy could
+follow the trail of the cannon, and do you know, Sol, I'm bothered
+terribly."
+
+"Yes, I know, Henry. We've got to turn back, an' save the boys while
+them warriors, with the English an' the cannon, are goin' on into the
+south to attack our people."
+
+"And time is often the most precious of all things."
+
+"So it is, Henry."
+
+Henry sat down on one of the logs and cupped his chin in his hands. The
+problem presented to him was a terrible one, and he was thinking with
+all his powers of concentration. Should he and Shif'less Sol follow and
+continue his efforts to destroy the cannon, or return and help their
+comrades who might be besieged for a week, or even longer? But it was
+likely that Paul, Long Jim and Silent Tom, with all their resources of
+skill and courage, would hold out. In the face of a defence such as they
+could make it would be almost impossible to force the cleft in the
+cliff, and they had some food and of course unlimited water.
+
+They could be left to themselves, while Shif'less Sol and he hurried on
+the trail of the Indian army and made their great attempt. Shif'less Sol
+watched him, as he sat, his chin sunk in his hand, the deep eyes very
+thoughtful. Presently both looked at the column of smoke not more than a
+mile away that marked the presence of the smaller camp, the one that had
+remained and which was undoubtedly conducting the siege. As they looked
+they heard once more the faint report of a shot, or its echo coming down
+the wind. Henry stood up, and there was no longer a look of doubt in his
+eyes.
+
+"Sol," he said, "those three have been with us in a thousand dangers,
+haven't they?"
+
+"Nigher ten thousand, Henry."
+
+"And they never left us to look out for ourselves?"
+
+"Never, Henry."
+
+"And they never would do it, either."
+
+"Never. Warriors, an' fires, an' floods, an' earthquakes all together
+couldn't make 'em do it."
+
+"Nor can they make us. We've got to go back and rescue our comrades,
+Sol, and then we'll try to overtake their army and destroy the cannon."
+
+"I thought you'd decide that way, Henry. No, I knowed you'd do it."
+
+"Now, we've got to bear back toward the left, and then approach the
+cliff."
+
+"An' on our way find out jest what the warriors attackin' it are up to."
+
+They began a new trail, and with the utmost exercise of skill and
+caution undertook to reach their comrades.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE KEEPERS OF THE CLEFT
+
+
+Henry and the shiftless one had not gone far, before they were deeply
+grateful that the undergrowth was so dense. They distinctly heard three
+shots and twice the war whoop. A small gully, so thickly covered with
+vines and bushes, that it was almost like a subterranean channel,
+allowed them to go much nearer. There lying hidden until twilight, they
+distinctly heard scattered firing, war whoops and then a long piercing
+shout which had in it the quality of the white man's voice. Shif'less
+Sol laughed low, but with intense pleasure.
+
+"I can't hear his words," he said, "but I'd know that yell in a million.
+It's Long Jim's ez shore ez shootin'. It's so pow'ful loud 'cause it's
+drawed up from a long distance, an' when it does come free it comes
+a-poppin'. It's Jim tellin' them warriors what he thinks of 'em. He's
+tellin' 'em what scalawags they are, an' how their fathers an' mothers
+an' grandfathers an' grandmothers afore 'em wuz ez bad or wuss. He's
+tellin' 'em they're squaws painted up to look like men, an' ez he talks
+Shawnee an' Miami they're hoppin' mad."
+
+Henry even could not refrain from laughing. It was Long Jim's voice
+beyond a doubt, and his note of triumph showed that he and his comrades
+were safe--so far. Evidently he was in great fettle. His words shot
+forth in a stream and Henry knew that the savages were writhing in anger
+at his taunts. The report of a rifle came suddenly and echoed through
+the darkening forest. When the last echo died there was a moment of
+silence, and then to their welcome ears came the voice of Long Jim
+again, pouring forth a stream of taunt and invective with undiminished
+speed and power.
+
+"Ain't he the great one?" whispered Shif'less Sol, admiringly. "Didn't I
+tell you that voice o' his was so strong 'cause it come up so fur. An'
+did you ever hear him do better? Thar ain't a word in the hull Shawnee
+an' Miami languages that he hasn't used on 'em an' a sprinkling o'
+Wyandot an' Delaware too. They're so mad I kin see 'em bitin' their lips
+an' t'arin' at thar scalp locks. Good old Jim, give it to 'em!"
+
+The voice went on a quarter of an hour with amazing force and speed.
+Then it ceased abruptly and silence and darkness together came over the
+woods. Henry and his comrade debated as they lay in the little gully.
+Should they try to get in to their comrades? Or should they try to get
+their comrades out? Either would be a most difficult task, but as the
+night deepened, and they talked they came to a decision.
+
+"It has to be me," said Henry.
+
+"I s'pose so," said Sol, regretfully. "You're the likeliest hand at it,
+but you always take the most dangerous part. It's nothin' fur me to lay
+'roun' here in the night till you fellers come."
+
+Henry's smile was invisible in the dusk.
+
+"Of course, Sol," he said, "you run no risk. I read once in a book, that
+our teacher had at Wareville, about an outdoor amusement they called a
+lawn festival. That's what you're going to have, a lawn festival. While
+I'm gone you'll walk about here and pick flowers for bouquets. If any
+savage warrior wanting your scalp should come along he'd change his mind
+at once, and help you make your bouquet."
+
+"Stop your foolishness, Henry. You know it ain't no hard job fur me to
+hang 'bout in the woods an' keep out o' danger."
+
+"Yes, but you may have a lot to do when you hear the signals. Keep as
+close as you reasonably can, Sol, and if we come out and give the howl
+of the wolf you answer, according to our custom, and we'll know which
+way to run."
+
+"All right, Henry. I won't be sleepin'. Thar they are shootin' ag'in,
+but not doin' any yellin'. So they haven't hit anythin'. Good-bye, an'
+rec'lect that I'll be waitin' here."
+
+Strong hands clasped in the darkness and Henry slipped away on his
+perilous mission, reaching without event the valley that the cliff
+overlooked. Then he used all the caution and skill that the superman of
+the forest possessed, creeping closer and closer and ever closer, until
+he could see, despite the darkness, the painted forms of Miami and
+Shawnee warriors in the thickets, all looking up at the point where the
+crevice in the cliff was practically hidden by the foliage. It was an
+average night, quiet and dark up there, but Henry knew that three pairs
+of good eyes in the coign of the crevice were watching everything that
+went on below.
+
+He crouched lower and lower, until he blended with earth and thicket and
+still watched. He saw one of the warriors raise his rifle and fire at
+the hidden mark. Then he heard two impacts of the bullet, first as it
+struck upon stone, and then as glancing, it fell among the leaves. Out
+of the mouth of the fissure came a great booming voice, speaking Shawnee
+and ridiculing their lack of skill with the rifle.
+
+The voice said that if they did not improve in their firing he would
+come outside, sit in the best moonlight he could find, and let them take
+turns at him as a target. He would even mark off spots on his chest and
+offer prizes to any one who might hit them, but he knew very well that
+none of them would ever succeed. If he had a six-year-old boy who should
+do as badly as they were doing he would take him away and whip him with
+willow switches.
+
+Henry, lying close in his covert, laughed inwardly. Long Jim was in good
+form. Upon occasion he had a wonderful command of language, and the
+present occasion was better than any other that Henry could remember.
+Events, chief of which was a successful defense, had inspired in him a
+wonderful flow of language. His great sonorous voice again pealed out
+wrath, defiance and contempt.
+
+"Oh, you dogs! sons uv dogs! an' grandsons uv dogs!" he shouted. "Why
+don't you come an' take us? Here we are, only a few, jest settin' an'
+waitin' fur you! An' thar are twenty or more uv you! Oh, you Shawnees
+an' Miamis, an' Wyandots, why are you waitin' down thar when jest a few
+uv us are up here, ready to give you welcome? I don't think you're
+re'lly warriors. You're jest old squaws painted up to look like 'em, an'
+the real fightin' men uv your tribe are at home, asleep in the lodges,
+afraid to face the bullets uv the white men, while they send thar old
+women here to make a noise!"
+
+Henry laughed again that soundless laugh behind his teeth. He read
+everything as plainly as if it had been written in a book before him.
+Nobody in the stony hollow had been hurt, else Long Jim's voice would
+not have been so exultant. They were confident, too, that they could
+hold the narrow opening indefinitely, else he would not have sent forth
+such intolerable taunts. He made his position a little easier and again
+laughed deep in his throat and with unction. He had never known Long Jim
+to be in finer form. Shif'less Sol was the acknowledged orator of the
+five, but tonight the cloak of inspiration was spread over the shoulders
+of Long Jim Hart.
+
+"Why don't you come into our little house?" he shouted. "It's a nice
+place, a warm place, an' the rain can't git at you here. Won't you walk
+into our parlor, ez the spider said to the fly! It's a good place,
+better than any wigwam you've got, nice an' warm, with a roof that the
+rain can't get through, an' plenty of cool runnin' water! An' ef you
+want our scalps you'd never find grander heads uv ha'r. They're the
+finest an' longest an' thickest that ever grew on the head uv man.
+They're jest waitin' to be took. Any warrior who took one uv 'em would
+be made a chief right away. Why don't you come on an' git 'em? It can't
+be that you're afraid, you Shawnees and Miamis an' Delawares an'
+Wyandots. Here's our gyarden, jest waitin' fur you, the door open an'
+full uv good things. Why don't you come on? Ef I had a dog an' told him
+to run after a b'ar cub an' he wouldn't run I'd kill him fur a coward!"
+
+Henry heard a roar of rage from the thickets, and once more he laughed
+behind his teeth. Long Jim Hart was still in his grandest form, and
+although many Indian chiefs were great orators, masters of taunt and
+satire, Long Jim, inspired that night, was the equal of their best. The
+gift of tongues had come to him.
+
+"I heard a noise down thar in the holler!" he shouted. "Wuz it made by
+warriors, men? No! it wuz dogs barkin' an' crows cawin' an' wolves
+whinin' an' rabbits squeakin'. Sech ez them would never come up ag'in a
+white man's rifle. I hear the wind blowin' too, but it don't bring me no
+sound 'cept that uv dogs barkin', low-down curs that would run away from
+a chipmunk with their tails atween their legs. I'm gittin' mighty tired
+now uv waitin' fur them that called theirselves warriors, but are
+nothin' but old squaws in war paint. Ef I don't hear from 'em ag'in
+soon I'll go to sleep an' leave here my little boy, ten years old, to
+meet 'em with a switch ez they come up."
+
+There was another roar of rage from the brush, and Henry said under his
+breath:
+
+"Well done, Long Jim! Well done, twice and again!"
+
+Long Jim now softened his voice and began to beg.
+
+"Why don't you come up here, you red Indian fellers?" he cried. "All my
+friends, knowin' thar is no danger, hev gone to sleep, leavin' me to
+welcome the guests, when they stan' afore our door. I'm waitin'! I've
+been waitin' a long time, an' ef you don't come soon I'll hev to go to
+sleep leavin' you outside our door."
+
+The Indians were always susceptible to oratory and now another shout of
+rage came from them. The taunts of Long Jim were too much, and a dozen
+dusky forms sprang from the undergrowth and rushed up the slope. There
+was a puff of smoke from the cleft in the cliff and the foremost warrior
+fell, shot squarely through the forehead. A second puff and a second
+warrior was gone to a land where the hunting is always good. Before such
+accurate shooting with only the moonlight to aid, the other warriors
+shrank back appalled, and quickly hid themselves in the undergrowth.
+
+"Good boys! Good boys!" exclaimed Henry under his breath. "Splendid
+shooting! They're bold warriors who will now face the Keepers of the
+Pass."
+
+All the warriors save the two who had been slain were hidden in the
+dense thicket or behind stony outcroppings, and again the tremendous
+voice of Long Jim floated on waves of air above them.
+
+"Why don't you keep comin'?" he shouted. "I invited you to come an' you
+started, but you've stopped! Everythin' is waitin' fur you, all the
+gaudy Roman couches that my friend Paul has told me about, an' the
+gushin' fountains, an' the wreaths uv rose leaves to wrap aroun' your
+necks, an' the roses droppin' from the ceilin' on the table loaded with
+ven'son, an' turkey, an' wild pigeons, an' rabbits an' more other kinds
+uv game than I kin tell you about in a night. Why don't you come on an'
+take the big places you're invited to at our banquet, you miserable,
+low-down, sneakin', wrinkled old squaws!"
+
+A wild yell of rage came once more from the bushes, and again Henry
+laughed deep in his throat. He knew how the taunt stung the Indians, and
+Long Jim's eloquence, the dam now having been taken down, flooded on.
+
+"Here, you red-skinned barbarians!" he shouted. "Come into our house an'
+we'll teach you how to live! The tables are all set an' the couches are
+beside 'em. The hummin' birds' tongues are done to a turn an' the best
+singers an' dancers are all on hand to entertain you!"
+
+Henry knew that Jim's patter had come from Paul's stories of the old
+Romans, and now he was applying it with gusto to the wild scene lost in
+the vast green wilderness. But he was sure that the Indians would not
+return to a headlong charge. The little fortress in stone was
+practically impregnable to frontal attack and they would resort instead
+to cunning and subterfuge.
+
+"Ain't you comin'!" thundered the voice of Long Jim. "I hev done give
+you an invite to the banquet an' you stop an' hang 'roun' thar in the
+woods, whar I can't see you. Five minutes more an' the invites are all
+withdrawed. Then the eatin' an' the singin' an' the playin' will all go
+on without you, an' ef you are found hangin' 'roun' our door I'll hev
+the dogs to chase you away."
+
+No answer came from the woods, but Henry knew how the hearts of the
+warriors were consumed with rage. Those whom they wished to take were so
+near and so few and yet they held an almost invincible fortress. Rage
+stabbed at the Indian heart.
+
+Long Jim continued his taunts for some time, speaking both Shawnee and
+Miami, and also a little Wyandot and Delaware. His vocabulary acquired a
+sudden richness and depth. He called them names that implied every
+manner of cowardice and meanness. Their ancestors had been buzzards
+feeding on offal, they themselves were mangy, crippled and deformed,
+and, when the few that were left alive by the white men returned home,
+they would be set to work cooking, and caring for the lodges. When they
+died they would return to the base forms of their ancestors. They would
+be snakes and toads and turtles, and the animals that walked on four
+legs and looked straight before them would laugh at them whenever they
+saw them.
+
+Long Jim had never before been so eloquent, and never before had his
+voice been so unctuous. He thundered forth challenges and insults after
+the Indian fashion. He told them that he and his comrades found it a
+poor amusement to fight with such men, but when they finished with their
+eating and drinking and sleeping they might go north to the Indian
+villages and whip the warriors in the presence of their squaws with
+willow switches. Meanwhile they intended to sleep and rest, but if any
+of the old women out there came into their cavern and annoyed their
+slumbers he would chase every one of them out with a switch.
+
+Henry laughed long in his throat. Long Jim was proving himself a forest
+warrior of the first quality. It was the way of the woods, and these
+taunts stung the red men to the quick. He knew that they were lying in
+the bushes, their hearts beating heavily with anger and the hot breath
+burning their lips. Two, unable to restrain themselves, fired, but their
+bullets merely rebounded from the stone walls of the grotto, and the
+defenders did not deign to answer.
+
+Then came a long period of silence and Henry made himself as small and
+obscure as possible, lest the warriors, moving about, might see him.
+But, fortunately the night had now turned quite dark, and where eyes
+might fail his acute sense of hearing would reveal the approach of any
+enemy. But as he lay close he again laughed inwardly more than once. The
+three were certainly holding the grotto in most gallant fashion, and
+Long Jim was fast becoming one of the greatest orators of the woods. He
+did not believe that the Indians could carry the fortress, but to get
+them out and away was another and much harder problem.
+
+Absolute silence save for the whispering of a light wind through the
+leaves came over the forest. The night, to Henry's great joy, grew much
+darker. No sound came from the room in the cliff, nor did any come from
+the Indians in the thickets. Apparently the whole place was a
+wilderness, as lone and desolate as it was when it first emerged from
+the sea. Nowhere was the sign of a human being visible, but Henry knew
+that vigilant eyes watched at the mouth of the stone cleft and that eyes
+equally as keen peered continually from the thickets.
+
+But he meant to join his comrades before dawn. He did not know yet just
+how he would do it, but such was his confidence that he felt quite sure
+he would be with his comrades before the rising of the sun.
+
+Luckily the forest and thickets in the valley were extremely dense,
+enabling him to lie within a couple of hundred yards of the besieging
+force, and not fear detection. His figure in its green clothing blended
+perfectly with the green bushes.
+
+The night turned colder, and after a while a chilly drizzle began to
+fall. Henry, hardened to all kinds of weather, and intent upon his task,
+took no note of it, except to be glad that it had come, because it would
+further his aims. Night and storm might enable him to slip past the
+besiegers and join his friends.
+
+But the Indians, who do not despise comfort when there is no danger in
+it, gathered in a cup in the side of the hill, beyond rifle shot from
+the hollow, and built a fire. Henry, from his lair in the bushes, saw
+them distinctly, about thirty warriors, mostly of the Shawnee tribe,
+with their head chief, Red Eagle himself, present as a leader, and the
+two renegades Braxton Wyatt and Blackstaffe. Henry noted Blackstaffe and
+Wyatt closely and his heart thrilled with anger that they should turn
+against their own people and use the tomahawk and scalping knife, and
+even stand beside the stake to witness their slow death by the torture
+of fire.
+
+Blackstaffe[A] was one of the worst of all the renegades, second only to
+Girty in cruelty and cunning, a scourge of the border destined to meet
+his fate from an avenging bullet years later, just after the Fallen
+Timbers, where Wayne crushed the allied tribes. Now he was a young man,
+tall, heavily built and tanned almost as dark as an Indian by weather.
+He and Braxton Wyatt had become close friends, and both stood high in
+the councils of the Indians. Henry saw them clearly now, outlined
+against the firelight, engaged in close talk with the middle-aged
+Shawnee chief, Red Eagle.
+
+[Footnote A: The fate of Blackstaffe is told in the author's novel, "The
+Wilderness Road."]
+
+Henry had much more respect for Red Eagle than for the renegades. The
+Indian might be cruel, he might delight in the terrible sufferings he
+inflicted upon a captured enemy, but it was the immemorial custom of his
+race and, in fighting the white people, he was fighting those who would
+some day, far distant though it might be, turn the great hunting grounds
+into farms. Henry, so much a son of the wild himself, could understand
+him, but for the renegades he had no sympathy whatever. In all lands
+and in all the history of the world renegades have been hated and
+detested.
+
+He judged by the fact that the head chief of the Shawnees and the two
+renegades had remained that they considered the taking of the little
+fort in the cliff of great importance. Doubtless they imagined that all
+of the five were now inside, and it would rejoice the heart of Shawnee
+and Miami alike if they could slay them all, or better still, take them
+alive, and put them to the torture. There were some old defeats that yet
+galled and stung, and for which revenge would be sweet. Henry recalled
+these things and he knew that the siege would be close and bitter.
+
+The Indians, feeling secure from any enemy, presently sat in a circle
+about the fire, drawing their blankets over their shoulders to protect
+themselves from the drizzling rain. Henry surmised that several warriors
+were on watch near the mouth of the cave, and that those in the main
+body would take their ease before the coals. His surmise proved to be
+correct, as they appeared to relax and to be talking freely. They also
+took venison from deerskin pouches and ate. It reminded Henry that he
+was hungry and he too took out and ate a portion of Shif'less Sol's
+stolen bear steak that he had saved.
+
+He did not move for another hour. Meanwhile the wind rose, driving the
+drizzling rain like sleet, and moaning down the gorge. Save for the
+Indians crouched around the fire no more desolate scene might have been
+witnessed on the continent. The old, primeval world had come back, and
+forgotten monsters ranged the woods while man, weaponless save for his
+club, crouched in his cave and listened with terror to the snarls of the
+great animals, so much more powerful than himself.
+
+It seemed to him then, when the influence of the wilderness and its
+immensity and desolation were so strong, that he might have lived in
+some such time himself, ages and ages ago. It might have been the
+stories of Paul or it might have been some dim heritage from a dimmer
+past that made him, as he lay there under the soaking bushes, call up
+visions of the great beasts that once stalked the earth, the mammoth and
+the mastodon, the cave bear, the saber-toothed tiger, gigantic leopards
+and hyenas, and back of them the terrific stegosaurus in his armor-like
+hide and all his awful kin. Henry was glad that he had not lived in such
+a time.
+
+The fire, even though it was that of men who would gladly scalp him and
+torture him to death, brought back the present and the living and
+throbbing realities of life. With his rifle he was more than a match for
+any beast that roamed the North American wilderness, and in cunning and
+craft he could meet the savages at their own game.
+
+Apparently the Indians around the fire had now ceased to talk. They sat
+in a circle, bent a little forward, and some had drawn their blankets
+over their heads. The fire was a great mass of coals and Henry knew that
+it threw out an abundant heat. He envied them a little. He was just
+beginning to feel the effects of the cold rain, but their bodies glowed
+with warmth.
+
+Meantime the roaring of the wind in the valley was growing and in the
+confined space there were many tones in its voice, now a shriek, and now
+a howl. In spite of himself the ancient monsters of the primeval world
+came back again and these were the sounds they uttered in their rage. He
+shuddered a little, then shook himself and by the mere power of will
+forced the return of the present.
+
+He reckoned that the time had come for him to make his attempt.
+Doubtless the sentinels were on the slope near the mouth of the cleft,
+but they must be chilled to some extent by the cold rain, and, after
+such a long silence, would naturally relax their vigilance. He had
+protected his weapons from the rain with his buckskin hunting shirt, and
+he flexed his arms and muscles to see that they had not grown stiff from
+such a long stay in one position.
+
+He began to creep through the bushes to the bottom of the valley and
+then up the slope toward the little fortress, and in the task he called
+into play all his natural and acquired powers. An eye looking down would
+have taken him for a large animal stalking his prey with infinite
+cunning and cleverness. The bushes scarcely moved as he passed, and he
+made no sound but the faintest sliding motion, audible only four or five
+feet away.
+
+The strain upon his body was very great. He did not really crawl, but
+edged himself forward with a series of muscular efforts. It was
+painfully slow, but it was necessary, because the Indian ears were
+acute, and the rustling of a bush or the breaking of a twig would draw
+their instant attention.
+
+As he drew himself slowly on, like a great serpent, he watched for the
+Indian sentinels, and at last he saw one, a Shawnee warrior crouched in
+the lee of a huge tree trunk to shelter himself from the driving rain,
+but always looking toward the mouth of the hollow in the cliff.
+
+Henry, inch by inch, bore away and curved about him. Twice he thought
+the sentinel had heard something unusual, but in each case he lay flat
+and silent, while the wind continued to shriek down the valley, driving
+the chill rain before it. Each time the suspicions of the watcher passed
+and Henry moved slowly on, infinite patience allied with infinite skill.
+If there was anything in heredity and reincarnation he was the greatest
+tracker and hunter in that old primeval world, where such skill ranked
+first among human qualities. As always with him, his will and courage
+rose with the danger. Crouched in the bush fifteen feet away he looked
+at the warrior, a powerful fellow, brawny in the chest but thin in the
+legs, as was usual among them. The Indian's eyes swept continuously in a
+half circle, but they did not see the great figure lying so near, and
+holding his life on the touch of a trigger.
+
+Henry laughed deep in his throat. All the wild blood in him was alive
+and leaping. He even felt a certain exultation in the situation, one
+that would have appalled an ordinary scout and stalker, but which drew
+from him only supreme courage and utmost mastery in woodcraft. He felt
+within him the supreme certainty that he would succeed, and bending away
+from the sentinel he resumed that slow, sliding motion.
+
+He was sure that he would find on his right another warrior on watch,
+and, as he was moving in that direction, he looked closely. He saw him
+presently, a tall fellow, standing erect among some bushes, his rifle in
+the crook of his arm. He seemed discontented with his situation--even
+the savage can get too much of cold and wet--and presently he moved a
+little further to the right, as if he would seek some sort of shelter
+from the rain. Then Henry crept straight forward toward the fortress of
+his friends, a scant fifty yards away.
+
+But he did not assume that he had yet succeeded. He knew how thoroughly
+the Indians kept watch upon a foe, whom they expected to take, and there
+must be other sentinels, or at least one, and bearing that fact in mind
+his progress became still slower. He merely went forward inch by inch,
+and he was so careful that the bushes above him did not shake. All the
+while his eyes roved about in search of that lone last sentinel whom he
+was sure the Indians had posted near the entrance, in order to check any
+attempt at an escape.
+
+Although it was very dark his eyes had grown used to it and he could see
+some distance. Yet his range of vision was not broken by the figure of
+any warrior, and he began to wonder. Could the vigilance of the savages
+have relaxed? Was it possible that they were keeping no guard near the
+entrance? While he was wondering he crept directly upon the sentinel.
+
+He was a huge savage, inured to cold and wet and he had lain almost flat
+in the grass. Hearing a slight sound scarce a yard away he turned and
+the eyes of red forest runner and white forest runner looked into one
+another. Henry was the first to recover from his surprise and the single
+second of time was worth diamonds and rubies to him. Dropping his rifle
+he reached out both powerful hands and seized the warrior. The loud cry
+of alarm that had started from the chest never got past the barrier of
+those fingers, and the compressing grasp was so deadly that the Indian's
+hands did not reach for tomahawk or knife. Instead they flew up
+instinctively and tried to tear away those fingers of iron. But the man
+of old might as well have tried to escape from the jaws of the
+saber-toothed tiger.
+
+The great forest runner was exerting all his immense strength, and he
+was nerved, too, by the imminent danger to his friends and himself. No
+slightest sound must escape from the red throat. A single cry would
+reach the warriors below, and then the whole yelling pack would be upon
+him. The warrior's hands grasped his wrists and pulled at them
+frantically. He was a powerful savage with muscles like knotted ropes,
+but there was no man in all the wilderness who could break that grasp.
+His breath came fitfully, his face became swollen and then Henry,
+turning him over on his back, took his fingers away.
+
+The warrior was not dead, but he would revive slowly and painfully and
+for days there would be ten red and sore spots on his throat, where the
+fingers had sunk in. An ordinary scout would have thrust his knife at
+once into the heart of the warrior. It would have been the safest way,
+but Henry could not do it. He saw the great chest of the savage
+trembling as the breath sought a way to his lungs. He took his rifle,
+powder horn, bullet pouch, tomahawk and knife, and, bending low in the
+foliage, ran swiftly for the mouth of the cave.
+
+He was quite confident that the fallen warrior was the last sentinel,
+and as he approached the entrance he called again and again in a loud
+whisper:
+
+"Don't fire! Don't fire! It's me, Henry!"
+
+At last came the whisper in reply:
+
+"All right, Henry, we're waitin'."
+
+He recognized the voice of Silent Tom, and the next instant he was
+inside, his hand and that of Tom Ross meeting in a powerful grasp, while
+Paul and Long Jim, aroused from sleep, expressed their delight in low
+words and strong handshakes.
+
+"How in thunder did you git in, Henry?" asked Long Jim.
+
+"I was brought in a sedan chair by four strong Indians, Wyatt walking on
+one side and Blackstaffe on the other as an escort. I told them that of
+all places in the world this was the one to which I wished most to come,
+and they put me down at the door, their modesty compelling them to
+withdraw."
+
+"It's mighty good to see you again, Henry, no matter how you got here,"
+said Paul. "Where is Sol?"
+
+"Safe outside, just as I'm safe inside. I think I'll let him know that
+I've been successful."
+
+Standing just within the entrance he emitted the long-drawn howl of the
+wolf, piercing and carrying singularly far. They waited a moment or two
+in breathless silence, and then on the edge of the shrieking wind came a
+similar reply, fierce, long and snarling. Henry gave the howl again and
+as before came the answer in like fashion. It was the wilderness signal,
+made complete.
+
+"It's Sol," Henry said. "I know now that he's there, and he knows that
+I'm here. The first part of our task is done."
+
+A yell of rage and disappointment came from the valley below. It was so
+fierce that the air seemed to pulse with angry waves.
+
+"What's the matter down there, I wonder," exclaimed Paul.
+
+"Before I could get in here," replied Henry, "I had to choke the breath
+out of one of their best warriors. I fancy he has just come to and has
+told the others."
+
+Then the war cry died away and there was nothing but the shriek of the
+wind that drove drops of rain into the opening.
+
+"How long have you been besieged here?" asked Henry.
+
+"Today and tonight," replied Paul. "Either they struck our trail or some
+one of them may have been in this grotto once. At any rate a band
+started up here and we were compelled to fire into 'em. That's our
+history, since. What have you seen?"
+
+"The main army has gone south with the cannon, but Red Eagle, Braxton
+Wyatt and Blackstaffe are here. If they can't rush us they'll at least
+hold us three or four days, or try mighty hard. But I want a drink of
+water I hear trickling over there. I'm thirsty from all the crawling and
+creeping I've done."
+
+He knelt and drank deep at the pure little stream.
+
+"Now, Henry," said Silent Tom, "sence you've come I reckon you're mighty
+tired. You've been trampin' about in the woods a heap. So jest stretch
+out an' go to sleep while we watch."
+
+"I don't mind if I do," replied Henry, who at last was beginning to feel
+the effects of his immense exertions. "How are you fellows fixed for
+food?"
+
+"This ain't no banquet hall an' we ain't settin' dinners fur kings,"
+replied Long Jim, "but we've got enough to last a good while. Afore they
+found out we wuz here Tom went out one night an' killed a deer an'
+brought him in. While he wuz gone I took the trouble to gather some
+wood, which is in the back part uv the place, but 'cause o' smoke an'
+sech we ain't lighted any fire, an' no part of the deer hez been
+cooked."
+
+"I brought a big piece of bear myself," said Henry, unhooking it from
+his back, "and it was cooked by an Indian, the best cook in all these
+woods except you, Jim. He wasn't willing for me to take it, but here it
+is."
+
+Long Jim deposited it carefully in a corner and covered it with leaves.
+
+"Ef people always brought somethin' when they come visitin'," he said,
+"they'd shorely be welcome ez you are, Henry."
+
+But before he lay down Henry listened a while at the fortress mouth, and
+the others listened with him. If they heard shots it would indicate that
+the Indians in some manner had caught sight of Shif'less Sol and were
+pursuing him. But no sound came out of the vast dark void, save the
+shriek of the wind and the beat of the rain. Henry had no doubt that the
+warrior whom he had choked nearly to death was now with his comrades,
+raging for vengeance, and yet he had been spared when few in like case
+would have shown him mercy.
+
+The wilderness, black, cold and soaking, looked unutterably gloomy, but
+he felt no worry about those whom he had left behind. The shiftless one
+like himself was a true son of the wilderness and he would be as clever
+as a fox in finding a warm, dry hole. They had forged the first link in
+their intended chain, and Henry felt the glow of success.
+
+"I think I'll go to sleep now," he said. "I'm pretty well soaked with
+the rain, but I managed to keep my blanket dry. If the warriors attack,
+Jim, wake me up in time to put on my clothes. I wouldn't like to go into
+a battle without 'em."
+
+He removed his wet buckskins and spread them out on the stone floor to
+dry. Then he wrapped himself in his blanket, raked up some of the dry
+leaves as a couch, and lay down, feeling a double glow, that of warmth
+and that of success. What a glorious place it was! All things are
+measured by contrast. After the black and cold wilderness, swarming
+with dangers, this was the other extreme. The Cæsar in his palace hall
+and the Persian under his vaulted dome could not feel so much comfort,
+nor yet so much luxury, as Henry in this snug and warm room in the stone
+with his brave and faithful friends around him.
+
+Truly it was a noble place! He heard the trickle of the little stream,
+like a jet of water flowing over marble, and into a marble fountain.
+Above him was a stone ceiling, carved by the ages, and beneath him was a
+stone floor made by the same master hand. The leaves were very soft to
+one so thoroughly hardened of body as he, and the blanket was warm. The
+roaring of the wind outside was turned to music here, and it mingled
+pleasantly with the trickle of the little stream.
+
+While the forest runner was capable of tremendous and long exertions, he
+also had acquired the power of complete relaxation when the time came.
+Now all of Henry's nerves were quiet, a deep peace came over him
+quickly, and he slept.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+BESIEGED
+
+
+Henry did not awake the next day after his usual fashion, that is with
+all his faculties and senses alert, for the strain on him had been so
+great that the process required a minute or two. Then he looked around
+the little fortress which so aptly could be called a hole in the wall.
+Many dried leaves had been brought in and placed in five heaps, the
+fifth for Shif'less Sol when he should come. The dressed deer, rolled in
+leaves, lay at the far end. The little stream was trickling away,
+singing its eternal pleasant song, and a bright shaft of sunlight,
+entering, illuminated one part of the cave but left the other in cool
+dusk.
+
+Silent Tom sat by the side of the door watching, his rifle on his knees.
+Nothing that moved in the foliage in front of them could escape his
+eyes. Long Jim was slicing the cooked venison with his hunting knife,
+and Paul, sitting on his own particular collection of leaves with his
+back against the wall, was polishing his hatchet. It looked more like a
+friendly group of hunters than a band fighting to escape death by
+torture. And despite the real fact the sense of comfort was strong.
+
+Henry knew by the sunlight that the rain had passed and that a warm
+clear day was at hand. He inferred, too, that nothing had happened while
+he slept, and rising he drank at the stream, after which he bathed his
+face, and resumed his buckskin clothing which had dried.
+
+"Good sleep," said Paul.
+
+"Fine," said Henry.
+
+"You showed great judgment in choosing your inn."
+
+"I knew that I would find here friends, a bed, water, food and a roof."
+
+"Everything, in fact, except fire."
+
+"Which we can do without for a while."
+
+"But I would say that the special pride of the inn is the roof.
+Certainly no rain seems to have got through it last night."
+
+"It's fifteen or twenty feet thick, and you will notice that the ceiling
+has been sculptured by a great artist."
+
+Henry had seen it before, but he observed it more closely now, with all
+its molded ridges and convolutions.
+
+"Nature does work well, sometimes," he said.
+
+Long Jim handed him strips of venison.
+
+"Eat your breakfast," he said. "I'm sorry, Mr. Visitor, that I kin offer
+you only one thing to eat, but as you came late an' we haven't much
+chance to git anythin' else you'll hev to put up with it. But thar's
+plenty uv water. You kin drink all day long, ef you like."
+
+Henry accepted the venison, ate heartily, drank again, and went to the
+door where Silent Tom was watching.
+
+"Look through the little crack thar," said Tom, "an' you kin see
+everythin' that's to be seen without bein' seen."
+
+Henry took a long and comprehensive look. He saw the thick foliage down
+the slope, and the equally thick foliage on the other side. It looked
+beautiful in its deep green, still heavy with the rain drops of the
+night before, despite a brilliant sun that was rising. The wind had died
+down to a gentle murmur.
+
+"Anything stirring, Tom?" he asked.
+
+"Nothin' fur some time. 'Bout an hour ago I caught the shine o' a red
+blanket 'mong them trees over thar, four hundred yards or so from us an'
+too fur fur a shot."
+
+"Do you think they'll try to rush us?"
+
+Silent Tom shook his head.
+
+"Not 'less they're pushed," he replied. "'Pears to me they'll settle
+down to a long siege. They know we're after thar cannon an' they mean to
+see that we don't git near 'em. Ef they could keep us holed up here fur
+two or three weeks they'd willin' enough spare twenty warriors or so fur
+the job."
+
+"But why are such important men as Red Eagle and Blackstaffe left here?"
+
+"Mebbe, they thought they'd git at us an' finish us in a day or two.
+Look at that, Henry. What do you make it out to be?"
+
+"It's a spot of white in the foliage, and it's coming nearer. They want
+to talk with us. Somebody has hoisted a piece of old cloth on a gun
+barrel and is approaching. It's Braxton Wyatt."
+
+"Yes, I see him, an' he's within range now. May I send a bullet squar'ly
+through his head, Henry?"
+
+"No, no! You mustn't do that! We'll observe all the rules of war,
+whether they do or not. There's Blackstaffe behind Wyatt, and two more
+Indians. Let them come within a hundred yards, Tom, then hail 'em. Paul,
+you do the talking, but say I'm not here."
+
+The two renegades and the two Indians came on with confidence, until
+they were halted by Tom's loud command.
+
+The four stopped and Wyatt called out:
+
+"We want to talk with you and it's better for you to do it."
+
+"It may or may not be better for us," said Paul. "We're the best judges
+of that. But what do you want?"
+
+"You know me, Paul Cotter," said Wyatt, who recognized the voice, "and
+you know I keep my word. Now, we have you fellows shut up there. All
+we've got to do is to wait until your food gives out, which'll be very
+soon, and then you'll drop into our hands like an apple from a tree."
+
+"Oh, no," said Paul airily. "We've always had this place in mind for
+some such use as the present, and from time to time we've been stocking
+it up with food. We could live here a year in comfort. Long Jim is
+cooking deer steaks now, and the smoke is going out through a hole,
+which leads clear through the hill. If you'll go around to the other
+side, about a mile from here, you'll see the smoke."
+
+Paul merely followed the Indian fashion of taunting one's enemies. He
+believed that in the forest it was best to follow its ways.
+
+"Aren't you going, Braxton?" he called. "Long Jim is letting the fire
+die down and if you don't hurry around there you won't see the smoke."
+
+"You think you're smart, Paul Cotter," Braxton Wyatt called back in
+anger. "You've read too many books. Drop your high and mighty ways and
+come down to facts."
+
+"Well, what do you want? You're in our front yard and we have the right
+to shoot you, but we won't do it until you tell what you're doing
+there."
+
+"As I said, we've got you shut up. We're sure that you haven't food for
+more than two or three days. Surrender and we'll spare your lives and
+take you as prisoners to the British at Detroit--that is, all except
+Henry Ware."
+
+"And why except Henry?"
+
+"He has done so much against the warriors that I don't think we could
+induce them to spare him."
+
+"But what makes you think he's here?"
+
+Wyatt hesitated and he and Blackstaffe spoke together a few moments in a
+low voice. Then he replied:
+
+"One of our largest and strongest warriors was strangled nearly to death
+last night. Nobody could have done it but Ware."
+
+Paul laughed loud.
+
+"And so that's your evidence!" he cried. "Well, you're mistaken. I did
+that myself. I was needing a little exercise and so I went out, found
+this warrior in the grass and manhandled him. Then I came back feeling a
+lot better."
+
+Wyatt's face blazed.
+
+"You lie, Paul Cotter," he exclaimed. "You couldn't do such a thing!"
+
+"Oh, yes, I could," said Paul merrily, "but you're losing your temper
+again, Braxton. You should never call anybody a liar when you're within
+range of his gun. No, we're not going to shoot. We always respect a flag
+of truce, though we doubt whether you would. Now, I want to ask you what
+have we ever done to make you think we'd betray a comrade like Henry?
+Are you judging us by yourself? You might have a thousand warriors out
+there and our answer would be the same. Try to take us and see what will
+happen. We give you just two minutes to get out of range."
+
+Wyatt, Blackstaffe and the two Indians retired hurriedly. Long Jim
+uttered an indignant exclamation.
+
+"What's the matter with you, Jim?" asked Henry.
+
+"I've been insulted."
+
+"Insulted? What do you mean?"
+
+"To think anybody could have reckoned that me an' the others would be
+mean enough to give you up jest to save our own hides!"
+
+Henry's eyes twinkled.
+
+"I know you wouldn't give me up, Jim, but how do you know, if our
+places had been changed, that I wouldn't have given you up?"
+
+"You're talkin' like Shif'less Sol," said Long Jim in the utmost good
+humor. "Now I wonder whar that ornery, long-legged cuss is."
+
+"Not so far away, it's safe to say. He'll be hanging around, ready to
+help whenever help is needed most."
+
+"That's shore. Thar's a heap o' good in Shif'less Sol, though it don't
+always 'pear on the surface. Wish he wuz here. Now, what's next, Henry?"
+
+"Waiting, waiting, and then more waiting."
+
+"You don't think they'll give it up an' go away?"
+
+"Not for two or three days anyhow, and I think it likely also that
+they'll make another general attack."
+
+"An' you think, too, that they've all gone some distance out of rifle
+shot?"
+
+"Not a doubt of it, but why do you ask, Jim?"
+
+"You see a lot uv dead wood layin' in the bushes not twenty feet from
+the door uv our manshun. I'd like to drag it in an' cook that thar deer
+afore it sp'ils. We've some wood already, but we need more. I think we
+could manage so most uv the smoke would go out in front an' we wouldn't
+choke. Ef we're held here fur a long time we'll need that thar deer."
+
+"Go ahead, Jim, and get it. We three will cover you with our rifles."
+
+Jim stole forth, and making a number of trips under the muzzles of his
+comrades, brought in a plentiful supply of wood. It was not until he was
+returning with his last load that the Indians noticed him. Then they
+sent up a war cry, and fired several distant shots. But it was too late.
+Long Jim was safely inside the next moment, and the warriors, knowing
+how deadly were the rifles that guarded him, were afraid to return to
+the attack.
+
+"Him that does at once what he oughter do don't have to do it when it's
+too late," said Long Jim. "I'm goin' to build a fire close to the door,
+where most uv the smoke will go out. Ef it gits too strong fur us we'll
+jest hev to put it out. But ef things work smooth I mean to cook that
+deer."
+
+They cut up the deer in slices with their big hunting knives. Then they
+heaped the dry wood near the door and cut off many shavings and
+splinters, building up the heap at least part of the way outside, in
+such a position that they were sure the wind would take the smoke and
+most of the heat down the valley. Then Long Jim, feeling that the rest
+of the task was his, and having a certain pride, lighted the heap with
+his flint and steel. It blazed up rapidly, and, as they had hoped, the
+wind carried nearly all the smoke out of the mouth of the cave.
+
+The dry wood burned rapidly and a great mass of coals soon gathered. It
+was very hot in the cave, but liberal applications of the cold water
+enabled them to stand it. Meanwhile all except the one on guard were
+busy broiling big steaks on the ends of sticks and laying them away on
+the leaves. The whole place was filled with the pleasant aroma.
+
+"Warriors!" said Tom Ross, who happened to be on guard at that
+particular moment. "They've seen our smoke, an' mebbe our fire, an'
+they don't understan' it."
+
+"You see that they keep on failing to understand it," said Henry, "and
+if curiosity makes any of them too curious just give him a hint."
+
+The three went on with their cooking, "storing up like Noah against the
+flood," Paul said, knowing that Silent Tom would keep a watch beyond
+which no warrior could pass.
+
+"Our beautiful stone house will need a good airing after all this is
+over," said Paul. "Smoke will gather and ashes too are flying about. But
+it's a grand cooking."
+
+"So it is," said Long Jim, who was in his element. "That wuz shorely a
+fine fat deer. You kin pile more on that shelf in the rock, thar, Paul.
+Wrap the dry leaves 'roun' 'em, too. They're clean an' good. I guess
+that old-timer uv yourn that you've told us about often--'Lysses, wuzn't
+it?"
+
+"Yes, Ulysses."
+
+"That's right. Well, old 'Lysses in them roamings uv his, lastin' a
+thousand years or some sech time, would hev been glad to come upon a
+place like this to rest his wanderin' an' sleepy head. I've a notion uv
+my own too, Paul."
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"That Greece ain't the land it's cracked up to be. I've never heard you
+tell uv any rivers thar like the Ohio or Missip. I ain't heard you say
+anythin' about the grand forests like ourn, an' all the hundreds an'
+thousands uv branches an' creeks an' springs."
+
+"No, Jim, it's a dry country, mostly bare."
+
+"Then the wilderness here fur me. I like a big woods, a thousand miles
+every way, an' the leaves so thick you kin hardly see the sky above in
+spring. I don't see what the herds of buff'ler found thar to live on."
+
+"They didn't have our kind of buffalo."
+
+"Ef they didn't hev our kind they didn't hev any kind."
+
+Paul did not argue the question with him, because it was useless to talk
+to Long Jim about ancient glories, when modern glories that he
+considered so much greater were before his eyes. Moreover, Paul himself
+had a love of the greenwood, and the deep streams, so numerous.
+
+"Maybe you're right, Jim," he said.
+
+"I guess I am," returned Long Jim emphatically. "An' I don't think so
+much uv them old Greek fighters 'long side the fellers that fight the
+warriors nowadays in these woods. You rec'lect we talked that over once
+before. Now, how would A-killus, all in his brass armor with his shinin'
+sword an' long spear come out try in' to stalk an' Injun camp. Why,
+they'd hear his armor rattlin' a quarter uv a mile away, an', even ef
+they didn't, he'd git his long spear so tangled up in the bushes an'
+vines that he couldn't move 'less he left it behind him. An' s'pos'n' he
+had to run fur it an' come to a creek or a river, which he would shorely
+soon do, ez thar are so many in this country, an' then he'd have to jump
+in with 'bout a hundred pounds uv brass armor on. Why, he'd go right to
+the bottom an' stick down so deep in the mud that the Injuns would hev
+to dive fur his scalp."
+
+"There's no doubt of the fact that this country would not have suited
+Achilles."
+
+"Not by a long shot, nor would it hev suited any other uv them fellers,
+be they Greek or be they Trojan. S'pose the Injuns didn't git after 'em,
+then think uv huntin' the buff'ler with your long spear, an' your
+hundred pounds uv brass clothes on. Why, the Shawnees an' Miamis are a
+heap more sensible than them old Greeks wuz. An', think what it would be
+on a real hot day to hev to wear our metal suits! Paul, I'm givin'
+thanks ev'ry few minutes that I wuzn't born in them times."
+
+"A movement in the woods opposite!" announced Henry, who was on watch
+now.
+
+"Tell us about it," said Long Jim. "I'm too busy to stop my work and
+look."
+
+"I can see warriors stirring among the trees and bushes. They can't
+understand our smoke, and they're all looking at it."
+
+"Maybe they take it for a signal," said Paul. "Almost anyone would do
+so."
+
+"That's true," said Henry. "It looks natural. Well, let 'em wonder.
+Meanwhile we'll go on with the provisioning of our army."
+
+"'Tain't such a terrible task," said Long Jim. "Me bein' the best cook
+in the world, it'll all be done in a couple uv hours more, an' bein'
+sparin' we kin hold out on it two or three weeks ef we hev to."
+
+"I don't think it will be that long," said Henry confidently. "In fact
+we mustn't let it be too long. We've got to be out and away, following
+that red army with the cannon."
+
+They continued their work without interruption, although at intervals
+they saw the Indians on the far slope, well out of range, but
+attentively watching the smoke that came from the mouth of the cavern.
+When the task was nearly over Long Jim took a good long look at them.
+Then he laughed deeply and a long time, doubling over with merriment.
+
+"'Scuse me, Henry," he said, "but this life is so full uv jokes. I enjoy
+it all the time, ev'ry minnit uv it. A little while ago I wuz laughin'
+at the notion of A-killus with a hundred pounds or more uv brass on him,
+runnin' away from the warriors, jumpin' in a creek an' stickin' in the
+mud at the bottom clean down to his waist."
+
+"That was the joke then, Jim, what's the joke now?"
+
+"It's them Injuns out thar. They know we're here, an' that thar's a kind
+uv long narrow mouth to this bee-yu-ti-ful stone house uv ourn. They see
+smoke comin' out uv it, an' they don't understand it. They wonder ef
+fire hez busted right out uv the bowels uv the earth an' burnt us all
+up, an' ag'in they're 'fraid to come an' see lest they meet rifle
+bullets ez well ez smoke. I pity them red fellers."
+
+"I think that pity is wasted on men who want to kill us and take our
+scalps."
+
+"It ain't that. I know they want to do them things to us, but I know,
+too, that they ain't goin' to do 'em. It's 'cause they're so onsartain
+in thar minds. Onsartainness is the greatest uv all troubles. Keeps you
+so you can't eat an' sleep, nor keep still neither. Jest plum' w'ars you
+out. Ef you know what you're goin' to do you're all right, but ef you
+don't you're all wrong. That's the reason I feel sorry fur them Injun
+fellers, lookin' at our smoke an' a-guessin', an' a-guessin', an'
+a-guessin' an' never guessin' right. We'll be all through in a half-hour
+an' then we kin let the fire die."
+
+"Right glad I'll be, too," said Paul, who was standing near the door for
+air, and glad they all were when the last of the deer was cooked, and
+the last of the coals were shoved out to die among the green bushes.
+While the work was going on they had frequently thrown water from the
+little stream over themselves to check the heat, but now they took their
+blankets and standing in a line at the far end of the cavern swept out
+all the smoke save that which lingered in the crannies until, in its own
+good time, it too departed.
+
+Then all sat down near the door. A lucky turn of the wind sent the pure
+sweet air, crisp with the touch of spring, pouring into their cavern. It
+was like the breath of Heaven, taking away the sting of smoke from
+nostrils and throat. The place itself soon filled entirely with a new
+atmosphere, vital and strong. Then, one by one, they bathed their eyes
+and faces at the rill, and soon they were all gathered together again at
+the door, feeling as if they had been re-created. Indians were still
+visible on the opposite slope, and pity swelled once more in Long Jim's
+heart.
+
+"Now they're a-guessin', an' a-guessin', an' a-guessin' ag'in," he said,
+"an' a-guessin' wrong ev'ry time. A little while ago our smoke bothered
+'em, an' now they're bothered 'cause thar ain't no smoke. They're
+wonderin' ef the volcano that busted right under us hez quit so soon,
+an' whether we're all charred ruins, or real live fellers with rifles in
+our hands that kin shoot an' hit. That I call a state uv mind that would
+draw pity from anybody."
+
+"Whatever it is," said Paul, "they'll not guess what has really
+happened, and ac our army of four is now provisioned indefinitely, we
+can bid them defiance."
+
+"I like them words 'bid them defiance,'" said Long Jim. "Ef I met
+'defiance' all by itself I wouldn't know what it meant, but speakin' ez
+you do, Paul, an' with all the surroundin's you give it I understan' it,
+an' it sounds mighty fine. Braxton Wyatt, I bid you defiance;
+Blackstaffe, I bid you defiance; Red Eagle, I bid you defiance, an' I
+bid defiance to ev'ry warrior an' renegade in all these woods, east uv
+the Missip, west uv the Missip, north uv the Ohio an' south uv the
+Ohio."
+
+"But not the lightning, Jim," said Paul. "Ajax did that and got hurt."
+
+"You needn't tell me that, Paul. I don't need the example of no Ajax to
+teach me sense. I ain't defyin' no lightnin', past, present or future. I
+know lightnin', an' I've too much respeck fur it. It's about the only
+thing that kin hit you an' you can't hit back."
+
+"The Indians have retreated further into the woods," said Henry.
+"They're probably lying down and resting. They won't do anything today,
+but tonight they'll act. They have every incentive to finish their task
+here as soon as they can and join the main force. When dark comes we
+must watch two by two."
+
+Night came slowly, the great sun blazing in red and gold in the west.
+Henry, with all his lore of the forest and wilderness, never failed to
+observe a brilliant sunset, and while he watched against an ambush he
+also watched the deep, rich colors as they faded. The wind had blown
+gently all day long, but now with the coming of the darkness it swelled
+into the song which he alone heard, that playing of the breeze upon the
+leaves, which his supersense translated into notes and bars and
+harmonies. Whenever he heard it he was uplifted and exalted in a
+singular manner, as if the distant heralds were already blowing the
+trumpets of victory. He was sure now of success.
+
+He and Long Jim kept the first watch, which would last until some time
+after midnight, and he chose it for himself, because he felt certain the
+attack would come before it was over. Paul and Tom went to sleep on the
+leaves inside, but he and Jim lay down just within the door, where they
+could see some distance and yet remain well sheltered. Now and then they
+exchanged a word or two.
+
+"It's eyes an' ears both, Henry," said Long Jim. "Uv course, they'll
+come a-creepin', an' a-slidin', an' I reckon it'll be ears that'll tell
+us fust they're a-knockin' at our front door."
+
+"Right, Jim. Our ears have saved us more than once, and they're going
+to do it again. I've an idea that they'll spread out and approach from
+different points."
+
+"I think it likely. Red Eagle, their leader, is a chief uv sense, and
+he'll scatter his forces so we won't be able to concentrate our fire."
+
+They waited a long time, the wind meanwhile blowing steadily, and
+playing its song upon the leaves. There was no other sound, but, when it
+was nearly midnight, a long howl, inexpressibly dreary and weird, came
+out of the depths of the forest.
+
+"That's a mighty lonely wolf," whispered Long Jim.
+
+"Listen!" Henry whispered back. "That's no wolf. It's Shif'less Sol."
+
+"Mebbe it's so, but he's shorely howlin' like the king of all wolves."
+
+Long Jim was right. Perhaps no wolf had ever before howled with such
+vigor and endurance. The long yelping, whining note filled the whole
+valley and quivered on the air. It rose and sank and rose again, and it
+was uncanny enough to make any ordinary hearer shiver to his bones.
+
+"Now what in thunder does he mean by sech an awful howl ez that?"
+whispered Long Jim.
+
+"I know," replied Henry, with a flash of intuition. "He's hanging
+somewhere on the outskirts of the Indian camp, and he's warning us that
+the attack is at hand."
+
+"Uv course! Uv course! I might 'a' knowed. That thar Shif'less Sol is
+one uv the smartest men the world hez ever seed, an' while part uv our
+band is inside a big part uv it is outside, a-helpin' us."
+
+"Wake up Paul and Tom and tell 'em the time has come."
+
+In an instant all four were crouching beside the opening, their rifles
+ready. The extra rifle that Henry had brought in was lying loaded at his
+feet, and all the while the wolf on the far ridge, moving from place to
+place, whined and howled incessantly. Despite Henry's knowledge of its
+source it made his hair rise a little, and a quiver ran along his spine.
+What then must be its effect upon red men, who were so much more
+superstitious than white men? They might think it the spirit of some
+great forgotten warrior that had gone into a wolf which was now giving
+warning.
+
+Nevertheless he listened with all the power of his hearing for what
+might happen closer by, and presently he heard a rustling in the grass
+that was not caused by the wind. A moment later, and the rustling came
+from a second point and then a third. As he had surmised, Red Eagle had
+spread out his men until they were advancing like the spokes of a wheel
+toward a hub, the hub being the mouth of the cavern. And from the far
+ridge the warning cry of the wolf never ceased to come.
+
+"Do you hear them creeping?" whispered Henry to Ross.
+
+Silent Tom nodded and shoved forward the muzzle of his rifle.
+
+"They'll be on us in a minute," he whispered back.
+
+Paul and Long Jim had heard and they too made ready with their rifles.
+But all of them relied now on Henry, whose hearing was keenest. The
+faint, sliding sounds ceased, and he knew that the warriors had stopped
+to listen for their enemies, hoping to catch them off guard. The howling
+of the wolf also ceased suddenly, and the wind was again supreme.
+
+At least ten minutes passed in almost intolerable waiting, and then
+Henry heard the renewal of the faint sliding sounds, coming from many
+points.
+
+"Be ready," he whispered to his comrades. "When they're near enough
+they'll all jump up, utter a mighty yell and rush for us."
+
+The rustlings came closer, then they ceased all at once, there was a
+half minute of breathless silence, and the air was rent by a tremendous
+war whoop, as twenty warriors, springing up, rushed for the opening.
+Henry fired straight at the heart of the first man, and snatching up the
+second rifle sent a bullet through another. The other three fired with
+deadly aim and all the assailants fell back, save one who, standing on
+the very edge of the opening, whirled his tomahawk preparatory to
+letting it go straight at Henry's head. But a moment before it could
+leave his hand a rifle cracked somewhere and he fell dead, shot through
+the head, his figure lying directly across the entrance. From the other
+Indians came a yell of rage and dismay, and then after a groan or two
+somewhere in the grass, all were gone.
+
+But the four were reloading with feverish haste. Henry, however, found
+time to say to Silent Tom Ross:
+
+"Thank you for the shot that saved me."
+
+Tom shook his head.
+
+"'Twuzn't me," he said.
+
+"Then you, Paul."
+
+"I shot at an Indian, but not that one. It was a warrior ten yards
+away."
+
+"Then it must hev been you, Jim."
+
+"It wuzn't, though. I wuz too busy with a warrior off thar to the left.
+When that feller wuz about to throw his tomahawk I'd done fired."
+
+"And so it was none of you. Then I'm to be thankful that we've a friend
+outside. Nobody but Shif'less Sol could have fired that shot."
+
+"An' jest in time," said Long Jim. "Good old Sol. He's settin' off
+somewhar in the bushes now, laughin' at the trick he's played 'em."
+
+"They'll look for him," said Henry, "but whenever they come to a place
+he won't be there."
+
+"They can't besiege us here," said Paul, "and catch Shif'less Sol at the
+same time. But I think we ought to remove the body of that fallen
+warrior at the door. I don't like to see it there."
+
+"Neither do I," said Long Jim, and stepping forward he lifted the slain
+man in his arms and tossed him as far as he could down the side of the
+hill. They heard the body rolling and crashing some distance through the
+grass and bushes, and they shuddered.
+
+"I hated to do it," said Long Jim, "but it had to be done. Besides,
+they'll get it now and take it away."
+
+"You look for no other attempt tonight?" said Paul.
+
+"No," said Henry. "They've lost too many men. They may try to starve us
+out."
+
+"Now you an' Jim take your naps," said Silent Tom, "while me an' Paul
+keep the watch till day."
+
+"All right," said Henry, "but I want to wait eight or ten minutes."
+
+"What fur?"
+
+"You'll see--or rather you'll hear."
+
+Before the appointed time had passed the long howling note of a wolf
+came from a point a quarter of a mile or more away.
+
+"Shif'less Sol is safe," said Henry, and five minutes later he and Long
+Jim were sound asleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE SHIFTLESS ONE
+
+
+The next day dawned as brilliant as the one that had gone before, a
+golden sun clothing the vast green forest in a luminous light. It seemed
+to Henry that each day, as the spring advanced, deepened the intense
+emerald glow of the leaves. Down in the valley he caught the sparkle of
+the brook, as it flowed swiftly away toward a creek, to be carried
+thence to the Ohio, and on through the Mississippi to the sea.
+
+Further up the opposite slope, five or six hundred yards away, were
+gathered the Indians around a fire in an opening, eating breakfast.
+Henry saw Wyatt and Blackstaffe with them, and he counted eighteen
+figures. As they had already suffered severe losses he concluded that
+they had received a small reinforcement, since they must have out four
+or five scouts and spies watching the little fortress.
+
+Evidently they had not been daunted by their repulse of the night
+before, as they were broiling venison on the ends of sharpened sticks
+and eating heartily. The two white men finishing their food lay down on
+the grass and rested lazily. By and by the red members of the band did
+likewise.
+
+"It's just as we thought last night," said Henry, "They will not try to
+carry us by assault again, but will undertake to starve us out with a
+long siege. Even if they've guessed the meaning of our smoke they don't
+know that we have in here running water that runs on forever."
+
+"Would they care to carry on a long siege?" asked Paul.
+
+"Maybe not, if Wyatt were not there. You know how he hates us all, and
+he will be continually urging them to attack us. Perhaps Red Eagle and
+Blackstaffe will now go on and join the main army, leaving Wyatt with a
+chosen band to take us by siege."
+
+"'Pears likely to me," said Long Jim, who was listening. "It's easy
+enough for them to set thar out uv range an' hold us in here, but they
+forget one mighty important thing."
+
+"What's that, Jim?"
+
+"Shif'less Sol. He's in the bush, an' he kin stalk 'em when he pleases.
+They don't know that the warrior killed at the door last night fell
+afore his bullet, an' he kin bring down one uv 'em any time he feels
+like it. Thar's a panther in the bushes right by the side uv 'em an'
+they don't know it. An' it's a panther that will bite 'em, too, an' git
+away ev'ry time. Hark to that, will you?"
+
+They heard the distant sound of a rifle shot and saw one of the Indians
+around the campfire sink over in the grass. The others uttered a
+terrific yell of rage, and a half-dozen darted away in the bushes.
+
+"I ain't no prophet, nor the son uv a prophet," said Long Jim, "but I'll
+bet my scalp that in an hour or two they'll come back without Shif'less
+Sol."
+
+"I won't take your bet," said Paul. "Six warriors started away in
+pursuit, and now we'll see how many return."
+
+"The first will be back in an hour," said Long Jim, "'cause Sol won't
+leave no trail a-tall, a-tall. He made shore uv that afore shootin'."
+
+"I believe you are a prophet, Jim," said Paul. "Let's watch together."
+
+Within the appointed hour two warriors returned, bringing with them
+nothing that they had not taken away, and sat down in the opening, their
+attitude that of dejection.
+
+"They never struck no sign of no trail, nowhere, nohow," said Long Jim,
+exultantly.
+
+"Too many negatives, Jim," said Paul, reprovingly.
+
+"Too many what?" exclaimed Long Jim, staring. "I never heard of them
+things afore!"
+
+"It's all right anyhow. There comes another warrior, and he too bears no
+bright blonde scalp, such as adorns the head of our faithful and
+esteemed comrade, Solomon Hyde."
+
+"That's three 'counted fur, an' three to come. I know, Paul, that Sol
+will git away, that they can't foller him nohow, but I'd like fur them
+three to come back empty handed right now. It would be awful to lose
+good old Sol. Uv course he's always wrong when he argys with me, but I'm
+still hopin' some day to teach him somethin', an' I don't want to lose
+him."
+
+Paul saw deep anxiety on the face of Long Jim. These two were always in
+controversy, but they were bound together by all the ties of the border,
+and the loss of either would be a crushing blow to the other.
+
+Long minutes dragged by and became an hour, and the face of Jim Hart
+expressed apprehension.
+
+"It's time fur at least one more to come back," he said.
+
+"Well, there he is," said Paul. "Don't you see him stepping out of those
+bushes on the east?"
+
+"Has he anything at his belt?" asked Long Jim eagerly.
+
+"Nothing that he doesn't usually carry. He has no yellow scalp, nor any
+scalp of any kind. Empty he went away and empty he has returned."
+
+"So fur, so good. Two more are left out, an' it'll now be time fur them
+to come trampin' back."
+
+"Be patient, Jim, be patient."
+
+"I am, but you must rec'lect, Paul, that thar comin' back soon means the
+life uv a man, a man that's one uv us five, an' that we could never
+furgit ef so be the Injuns took him."
+
+"I'm not forgetting it, Jim, but I've every confidence in Shif'less Sol.
+I don't believe those warriors could possibly get him."
+
+Another half-hour dragged away, and Long Jim became more uneasy. He
+scanned the woods everywhere for the two missing warriors, and, at last,
+he drew a mighty sigh of relief when a tufted head appeared over the
+bushes, and a warrior returned to the opening.
+
+"He's a Shawnee," said Long Jim. "I marked him when he went away. I kin
+see that he's tired an' I could tell by the bend in his shoulders that
+he wuz comin' back with nothin'. He's set down now, an' ez he 'pears to
+be talkin' I guess he's tellin' the others, to 'scuse his failure, that
+it wuzn't really a man that he wuz follerin', but jest a ghost or a
+phantom, or suthin' uv that kind. Thar ain't but one left an' he ought
+to be in in a few minutes."
+
+But the few minutes and many more with them slid into the past, without
+bringing back the last warrior, and once more that look of deep
+apprehension appeared on the face of Long Jim Hart. The man should have
+returned long before, and Jim held him to personal accountability for
+it.
+
+"I didn't like his looks when he went away," he complained to Paul. "He
+wuz a big feller, darker than most uv the others, an' he wuz painted
+somethin' horrible. I guessed by his looks that he wuz the best scout
+an' trailer in the band an' that he would hang on like a wolf. Ugly ez
+he is his face would look nice to me now, 'pearin' in that openin'. He's
+done outstayed his leave."
+
+"I wouldn't be worried, Jim," said Paul. "We know what a man Sol is in
+the woods. No single warrior could bring him down."
+
+"That's so. Sol's terrible smart, but then anybody might be ambushed. I
+tell you, Paul, that wuz the wickedest lookin' warrior I ever saw. His
+eyes wuz plum' full uv old Satan."
+
+"Why, Jim, we are too far away for you to have seen anything of that
+kind."
+
+"I know that's so at usual times, but them eyes uv his wuz shinin' so
+terrible bright with meanness that I caught thar look like the gleam uv
+a burnin' glass. I reckon he wuz the wust savage in all these woods. All
+but him hev come back more 'n a half-hour ago, an' I'm beginnin' to hev
+a sort uv creepy feelin'."
+
+"Hark!" exclaimed Henry, who had been standing almost in the mouth of
+the opening.
+
+"What is it, Henry? What is it?" exclaimed Long Jim eagerly.
+
+"That strong wind brought the sound of a rifle shot. It was so faint and
+far away that it was no more than the snapping of a little twig, but it
+was a rifle shot and no mistake. Sol and that warrior have met."
+
+"And who fired the bullet? And who received it? That's what we'd like to
+know!" said Paul.
+
+Complete silence succeeded the shot. Evidently the Indians around the
+campfire had not heard it, as they showed no signs of interest, but the
+four in the mouth of the cavern waited in painful anxiety, their eyes
+turned toward the point from which the report had come. At last the
+scalp lock appeared above the bushes and four hearts sank. Then the
+figure of the warrior came completely into view and four hearts sprang
+up again. The man's left arm was held stiffly by his side and he was
+walking with weakness. Nor did any bright blonde scalp hang from his
+waist or any other part of his body.
+
+"I knowed it! I knowed it!" exclaimed Long Jim, triumphantly. "He come
+too close to Sol, an' got a bullet in his arm. It must hev been a long
+shot or he must hev been nearly hid, else he would now be layin' dead in
+the bushes. But ez it is he's shorely got enough to last him fur a long
+time."
+
+Paul was less vocal, but like the others he shared in the triumph of the
+shiftless one.
+
+"I'll admit I was worried for a while," he said, "but Sol has given us
+one more proof that he can take care of himself any time and anywhere."
+
+"And he has also proved to our besiegers," said Henry, "that every hour
+they spend there they're in peril of a bullet from the bush. I think it
+will give them a most disturbing feeling."
+
+Henry was right, and he was also right in some of his earlier surmises.
+Red Eagle and Blackstaffe departed to join the main army, leaving
+Braxton Wyatt in command of the besieging band which had been reinforced
+by a half-dozen warriors. Wyatt, animated by wicked passion, was
+resolved not to leave until he could kill or take those in the little
+fortress, but he was upset by the certainty that one of the terrible
+five was outside. He had believed from the first that it was Henry Ware,
+and, when their best warrior came in shot through the arm, he was sure
+of it.
+
+The warriors shared his state of mind. Their losses had inflamed them
+tremendously and all of them were willing to stay and risk everything
+for eventual triumph. Yet a terror soon fell upon them. The single
+marksman who roamed the woods sent a bullet singing directly through the
+camp, and the search for him failed as before. An hour later another
+who went down to the brook for water was shot through the shoulder.
+Wyatt saw that in spite of their desire for revenge superstitious fears
+were developing, and in order to prevent their spread he organized a
+camp, surrounded by sentinels whom nothing could escape. Then he awaited
+the night.
+
+Henry and his comrades had heard the second shot and they had seen the
+man whose shoulder had been pierced by the bullet, run toward the others
+leaving a red trail behind him, but they were not alarmed this time, as
+nobody left the camp. Evidently the warriors, stout-hearted though they
+were, did not care to trail the shiftless one once more, and in the
+growing dusk, too, when they would be at the mercy of his rifle.
+
+"He's got 'em stirred up a lot," said Henry, "and if they come again he
+will surely be a host on our side."
+
+Another attack was made that night, but it did not come until late,
+halfway between midnight and morning, and, as Henry had suspected, it
+was not an assault, but an attempt by sharpshooters, hidden in the dark
+brush, to pick off watchers at the opening. The bullets of the besiegers
+were fired mostly at random and did nothing but chip stone. The besieged
+fired at the flash of the rifles and were not sure that they hit an
+enemy, but believed that they succeeded more than once. Then, as the
+night before, came the report of the lone rifle in the thicket, and a
+warrior, throwing up his hands, uttered his death cry, making it
+apparent to the defenders that the shiftless one was neither idle nor
+afraid.
+
+Then the Indians withdrew and the primeval silence returned to the
+valley. The four remained for a while without speaking, watchful, their
+rifles loaded anew and their fingers on the trigger.
+
+"Sol could come in now," said Long Jim. "He must know that the way will
+be clear for a little while."
+
+"He doesn't want to come in," said Henry. "He's our link with the
+outside world, and when they attack he can be of more help to us because
+they don't know from what point he will strike. The besiegers are also
+besieged."
+
+"I'm thinkin' they won't attack ag'in fur a long time," said Long Jim,
+"an' that bein' the case, I'm goin' to eat some uv my own cookin',
+knowin' that it's the finest in the world, an' then go to sleep."
+
+"All right, Jim," said Henry, "you deserve both."
+
+Long Jim was soon asleep, but Henry remained awake until daylight. He
+considered whether they should not attempt to escape now, join Shif'less
+Sol, and follow as fast as they could the main Indian army with the
+cannon. But he decided in the negative. The savages, despite their
+repulse, would certainly be on watch, and they were still too numerous
+for a fight in the bush.
+
+Hence they entered upon another day in the cavern, which was beginning
+to assume some of the aspects of home. It looked cosy, with the supply
+of venison and bear meat, the pleasant rill of cold water, the dry
+leaves upon which their blankets were spread for beds, and it was filled
+with cold fresh air that poured in at the opening. Henry felt once more
+that they had had luck, and he chafed at nothing but the long delay.
+
+And delay now it was certainly going to be, as Braxton Wyatt refrained
+from attack, both that day and the next, although he drew his lines so
+close to them that they had no chance to slip out. But cultivating
+Indian patience, they kept one man always on guard while the others lay
+at their ease on their beds of leaves, and, after the fashion of those
+who had much time, talked of many and various things. On the third day
+when the siege seemed to have settled down to a test of endurance, the
+day being clear and sharply bright, the four sat near the door of the
+fortress. Silent Tom was keeping watch with an eye that never failed,
+but he was able at the same time to hear what his friends said, and,
+when he felt the impulse, he joined in with a monosyllable or two.
+
+They were speaking of the main band going south with the cannon for the
+great attack upon the settlements, a subject to which Henry's mind
+returned constantly. Alloway and the chiefs had a start of days, but he
+was incessantly telling himself that his comrades and he, as soon as
+they were released from the siege, could overtake them quickly. The
+cannon which made their great strength also made their march slow.
+
+"Besides," he said to the others, "they will have to cross many rivers
+and creeks with them, and every crossing will take trouble and time. As
+I figure it, they could go four-fifths of the way and we could still
+overtake them before they reached the settlement."
+
+"I hope we'll ruin the cannon fur 'em," said Long Jim earnestly, "an'
+that at last the settlers will beat 'em so bad that they'll never cross
+the Ohio ag'in. All this fightin' with 'em breaks up my plans."
+
+"What are your plans, Jim?" asked Paul.
+
+"They're big ones, but thar's nary one uv 'em that don't take in you
+three here an' Shif'less Sol that's outside. I want to git in a boat,
+an' go on one uv the rivers into the Ohio an' then down the Ohio to the
+Missip, an' down the Missip to New Or-lee-yuns whar them Spaniards are.
+I met a feller once who had been thar an' he said it wuz a whalin' big
+town, full uv all kinds uv strange people, an' hevin' an' inquirin' mind
+I like to see all kinds uv furriners an' size 'em up. Do you reckon,
+Paul, that New Or-lee-yuns is the biggest city in the world?"
+
+"Oh, no, Jim. There are many much larger cities in the old continents,
+Europe, Asia and Africa."
+
+"Them are so fur away that they hardly count nohow. An' thar's a lot uv
+big dead cities, ain't thar?"
+
+"Certainly. Babylon, that our Bible often speaks of, and Nineveh, and
+Tyre, and Memphis and Thebes and----"
+
+"Stop, Paul! That's enough. I reckon I ain't sorry them old places are
+dead. It took a heap uv ground fur 'em to stand on, ground that might be
+covered with grass an' bushes an' trees, all in deep an' purty green
+like them out thar. Me bein' what I am, I always think it's a pity to
+ruin a fine forest to put a town in its place."
+
+"Those cities, I think, were mostly in desert countries with an
+artificial water supply."
+
+"Then I don't want ever to see 'em or what's left uv 'em. People who
+built cities whar no water an' trees wuz ought to hev seen 'em perish.
+Wouldn't me an' Sol look fine trailin' 'roun' among them ruins an' over
+them deserts? Not a buff'ler, nor a deer, not a b'ar anywhar, an' not a
+fish; 'cause they ain't even a good big dew fur a fish to swim in.
+
+"But leavin' out them old places that's plum' rusted away, an' comin'
+back to this here favored land o' ours, I want, after seein' everythin'
+thar is to be seen in the great city of New Or-lee-yuns, to go straight
+west with you fellers, an' Shif'less Sol that's outside, clean across
+the great buff'ler plains that we've talked about afore."
+
+"Cross 'em!" said Silent Tom, speaking for the first time. "You can't
+cross 'em. They go on forever."
+
+"No, they don't. Once I come across a French trapper who had been clean
+to the edge uv 'em, tradin' with the Injuns fur furs. I don't know how
+many weeks an' months it took him, but cross 'em he did, an' what do you
+think he found on the other side, Tom Ross?"
+
+"The sea."
+
+"Nary a sea. He found mountains, mountains sech ez we ain't got this
+side the Missip, mountains that go right up to the top uv the sky,
+cuttin' through clouds on the way, mountains that are covered always
+with snow, even in the summer, an' not a half-dozen or a dozen
+mountains, but hundreds uv 'em, ridges an' ranges runnin' fur hundreds
+an' thousands uv miles."
+
+"An' beyond that?" asked Silent Tom.
+
+"Nobody knows. But think what a trip it would be fur us five! Why it
+raises the sperrit uv romance mighty high in me. Paul hez often told us
+how them old Crusaders from France an' England an' Germany an' all them
+Old World countries started off, wearin' their iron clothes even on the
+hottest days, to rescue the Holy places from the infidel. I guess the
+sperrit uv adventure helped a heap in takin' 'em, but thar travels
+wouldn't be any greater, an' grander than ourn across all them great
+plains an' into them almighty high mountains beyond. You couldn't even
+guess what we'd find."
+
+Long Jim drew a deep breath, as his spirit leaped before him into the
+vast unknown spaces, and Paul's eyes sparkled. The seed that Jim was
+sowing fell upon fertile ground.
+
+"I believe I'd rather travel in the unknown than the known," the boy
+said. "We'd come to rivers, big ones and lots of 'em, too, that no white
+man had ever seen before, and, when at last we reached the mountains,
+we'd explore in there for months and months, a year, two years may be.
+And we'd name the highest five peaks for ourselves."
+
+"An' I'd want a river named after me, too, Paul, an' I don't want it to
+be any little second rate river, either. I want it to be long an' broad
+an' deep an' full uv mighty clear water, an' when after a while, fur
+hunters come along in thar canoes, I'd say to 'em, 'Dip down! Dip down
+with your paddles an' don't be afeard. This is the Long Jim Hart river,
+an' me bein' Jim Hart, the owner, I give you leave.'"
+
+"I heard the sound o' a shot," said Silent Tom.
+
+"And there goes another," said Henry. "It seemed to be up the valley. Is
+it possible that Shif'less Sol has let himself be trapped in broad
+daylight?"
+
+All crowded into the doorway and looked and listened, intense anxiety,
+despite themselves, tearing at their hearts. Shots at such a time were
+deeply significant. The Indians at the camp opposite, Braxton Wyatt with
+them, had risen and were looking fixedly in the same direction.
+
+A long triumphant shout suddenly came from a point in the forest up the
+valley, and then was succeeded by another in which six or seven voices
+joined, the Indian chant of victory. The hearts of the four dropped like
+plummets in a pool, and they gazed at one another, aghast.
+
+"It can't be that they've got him!" exclaimed Long Jim.
+
+"Listen to that song!" faltered Paul. "It celebrates the taking of a
+scalp!"
+
+"I'm afeared fur good old Sol," said Tom Ross.
+
+Henry was silent, but a great grief oppressed him. The Indian chant was
+so triumphant that it could mean nothing but the taking of a scalp, and
+there was no scalp but that of the shiftless one to take.
+
+Louder swelled the song, while the singers were yet invisible among the
+bushes, and suddenly, the band gathered in the opening, began to sing a
+welcome, as they danced around the coals of their low campfire. Around
+and around they went, leaping and chanting, and the songs of both bands
+came clearly to those in the cave.
+
+Henry's face darkened and his teeth pressed closely together. An
+accident must have happened or the shiftless one would never have
+allowed himself to be trapped in the day. Yet he had hope, he said
+resolutely to himself that he must retain hope, and he watched
+continually for the smaller band that was approaching through the
+bushes.
+
+They emerged suddenly into view, and as his heart sank again, he saw
+that the leading warrior was whirling a trophy swiftly around his head.
+The cries of the others at sight of the scalp redoubled.
+
+"It's Sol's, uv course!" growled Long Jim. "He's gone an' a better man
+never trod moccasin!"
+
+The others were silent, overwhelmed with grief. The two bands now joined
+and the dance of a score of warriors became wilder and wilder. At
+intervals they caught a glimpse of the scalp as it was waved aloft, and
+they raged, but were powerless.
+
+"We can't go after them cannon now," said Long Jim. "We've got to stay
+an' git revenge fur poor old Sol."
+
+"An' that's shore," said Tom Ross.
+
+Henry and Paul were silent. It was the most terrible irony to stand
+there and see the savages rejoicing over the cruel fate of their
+comrade, and, as the water rose in their eyes, there came at the same
+time out of the depths of the forest the long lone howl of the wolf, now
+a deep thrilling note, something like a chord.
+
+"It's Shif'less Sol! he's safe!" cried Long Jim. "It's jest a trick
+they're workin', tryin' to beat down our sperrits, an' good old Sol is
+tellin' us so!"
+
+"It's shorely time," said Silent Tom, "an' that's an old scalp they're
+whirlin'."
+
+They had never before known the cry of a wolf to have such a deep and
+thrilling quality, but it came again as full and resounding as before,
+and they were satisfied. Not a doubt remained in the heart of any one of
+them. The shiftless one was safe and he had twice told them so. How
+could they ever have thought that he would allow himself to be trapped
+so easily? The savages might dance on and sing on as much as they
+pleased, but it did not matter now.
+
+"After lookin' at them gyrations," said Long Jim, "I needs refreshment.
+A dancin' an' singin' party always makes me hungry. Will you j'in me in
+a ven'son an' water banquet, me noble luds?"
+
+"Go ahead the rest o' you," said Tom Ross, "I'll watch."
+
+They drank from the rill, lay down on their couches and ate the deer
+meat with splendid appetites. The revulsion was so great that anything
+would have been good to them.
+
+"That wuz a purty smart trick, after all," said Long Jim. "Ef they'd
+made us think they'd got Shif'less Sol's scalp they'd make us think,
+too, that they'd git our own soon. An' they reckoned then, mebbe, that
+we'd be so weak-sperrited we'd come out an' surrender."
+
+"I foresee another dull and long period of inaction," said Henry.
+
+And what he said came to pass. They remained two more days in their
+little fortress, besieged so closely that they did not dare to move.
+Yet the besiegers themselves were kept in a constant state of alarm. One
+of their best hunters, sent out for deer, failed to come back, and his
+body was found in the forest. The others began to be oppressed by
+superstitious fears, and it required all of Wyatt's eloquence and force
+to keep them to their task.
+
+It was in Henry's mind to wait for a wet night and then risk all and go.
+It was the rainy time of the year, and on their sixth night in the
+cavern the storm that they wished for so earnestly came, preceded by the
+usual heralds, deep thunder and vivid lightning.
+
+The four made ready swiftly. Every one carried upon his back his blanket
+and a large supply of venison. The locks of rifles and other weapons and
+powder were kept dry under their hunting shirts. Henry thrust the extra
+rifle into a crevice, having an idea that he might need it some day, and
+would find it there. Then as the thunder and lightning ceased and the
+deep darkness and rushing rain came they took a last look at the strong
+little castle that had been such a haven to them. Only eyes like theirs
+trained to dusk could have made out its walls and roof and floor.
+
+"It's like leaving home," said Paul.
+
+"Thar's one good thing," said Long Jim. "The savages in thar meanness
+can't destroy it."
+
+Henry led, and, Silent Tom bringing up the rear, they slipped into the
+open air, keeping close to one another lest they be lost in the thick
+darkness. Despite the pouring rain and the lash of the wind it felt good
+out there. They had been so long in one small close place that it was
+freedom to have again the whole open world about them. The four stood a
+little while to breathe it in and then Henry led through the underbrush
+to the top of the hill.
+
+"Bend low," he whispered to Paul, who was just behind him. "They must
+have a sentinel near here somewhere, and we don't want to run into him."
+
+Paul obeyed him and went on, but none of them noticed that Tom Ross, who
+was last, turned softly aside from the path, and then swung the butt of
+his rifle with all his might. But all heard the impact and the sound of
+a fall, and, as they whirled around, Henry asked:
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"The sentinel," replied Ross. "He won't bother us."
+
+On they went in single file again, but Paul shuddered. As their flight
+lengthened they increased their speed, and, when they were a half mile
+away, Paul jumped, as the long piercing howl of the wolf rose directly
+in front of him. It was Henry sending the signal to the shiftless one,
+and in an instant they heard a similar note in answer from a distant
+point.
+
+As they advanced further the signals were repeated and then the
+shiftless one came with swiftness and without noise through the bushes,
+rising up like a phantom before them. There were happy handshakes and
+the five, reunited once more, fled southward through the darkness and
+rain.
+
+"I thought you'd come out tonight, Henry," said Shif'less Sol. "An' I
+wuz waitin' on the ridge 'til I heard your signal. Ain't it grand fur
+all o' us to be together ag'in, an' to hev beat Braxton Wyatt?"
+
+"It was you, Sol, who were our greatest help."
+
+The shiftless one chuckled, pleased at the compliment.
+
+"Guess I wuz the flyin' wing o' our little army," he said. "Mebbe Wyatt
+an' them warriors will hang 'roun' thar two or three days afore they
+find out we've gone."
+
+"Not that long. The head of a warrior met Tom's clubbed rifle as we came
+away, and if they don't find him tonight they certainly will in the
+morning."
+
+"I don't care anyway. That band can't overtake us, an' it can't trail us
+on a night like this. Thar! They've found the warrior!"
+
+The faint sound of a yell, more like an echo, came on the wind and rain,
+but it brought no fears to the five. They were quite sure that no
+pursuit could overtake them now. After a while, they let their gait sink
+to a walk, and began to pick their way carefully through the dripping
+forest. As they were wet, all save their ammunition, they did not
+hesitate to wade many flooded brooks and they felt that when day came
+their trail would still be hidden from even the keenest of the Indian
+trailers.
+
+Henry did not believe that Wyatt and his warriors could find them unless
+by chance, and as they were now many miles from the cavern, and the day
+was not far away, he began to think of a stopping place. Continued
+exertion had kept them warm, despite the rain, but it would not be wise
+to waste their strength in a rapid flight, continued a long time.
+
+"All of you keep an eye for shelter," he said "Maybe we can find a
+windrow that will at least shut off a part of the rain."
+
+He alluded to the masses of trees sometimes thrown down by a hurricane,
+often over a swath not more than two hundred yards wide. Where men did
+not exist to clear them away they were numerous in Kentucky,
+accumulating for uncounted years. But it was more than an hour before
+they came upon one of these heaps of tree trunks thrown thickly
+together.
+
+Yet it was a good den or lair. Many of the fallen leaves had sifted in
+and lay there. Perhaps bears had used these recesses in the winter, but
+the five were not scrupulous. Their lives were passed in the primitive,
+and they knew how to make the most of everything that nature offered, no
+matter how little.
+
+"I reckon we den up here," said Long Jim.
+
+"We do," said Henry, "and we might go farther and find a much worse
+place."
+
+The trees evidently had been thrown down a long time, as great masses of
+vines had grown over them, forming an almost complete roof. Very little
+rain came through, and, as they had managed to keep their ammunition as
+well as their blankets dry, the lair was better than anything for which
+they had hoped. Trusting to the darkness and their concealment, all five
+wrapped themselves in their blankets and went to sleep.
+
+Now and then drops of rain forced their way through the vines and fell
+on the sleepers, but they did not awake. Such trifles as these did not
+disturb them. They were a part of the great wilderness, used to its
+ways, and troubled little by the ordinary hardships of human beings. The
+mental tension and the anxieties from which they had suffered were gone.
+The siege broken, and reunited, they could pursue the main force and the
+cannon with speed.
+
+The great revulsion made their sleep easy and untroubled. Not one of
+them stirred as he lay beneath the covering made by the ancient
+hurricane, and every one of them breathed long and deep.
+
+Nature was watching over them while they slept. They belonged to the
+forest, and the forest was taking care of its own. The rain increased
+and it was driven harder by the wind, but folded in their blankets they
+remained snug, while their clothing dried upon them. A bear that had
+hibernated there, fleeing from the rain sought his own den, but he was
+driven away by the man smell. A bedraggled panther had an idea of taking
+the same shelter, but he too was repelled in like manner.
+
+The forest watched over its own not only through the night but after the
+sun rose. Braxton Wyatt and his warriors, consumed with rage, could find
+no sign of a trail. They had entered the cavern and seized upon the
+portions of venison left there, although the rifle escaped their notice,
+and then they had begun the vain pursuit. Long before day they gave it
+up, and started after the main army.
+
+It had been Henry's intention to sleep only the two hours until dawn,
+but the relaxation, coming after immense exertions and anxieties, kept
+him and all the others sound asleep long after the dripping forest was
+bathed in sunlight. It was a bright ray of the same sunlight entering
+through a crevice and striking him in the eye that awakened him. He
+looked at his comrades. They were so deep in slumber that not one of
+them stirred.
+
+He heard a light swift sound overhead and saw that it was a gray
+squirrel running along their roof. Then came a song, pure and sweet,
+that thrilled through the forest. It was sung by a small gray bird
+perched on a vine almost directly over Henry's head, and he wondered
+that such a volume of music could come from such a tiny body.
+
+The squirrel and the bird together told him that nothing unusual was
+stirring in the forest. If warriors were near that morning song would
+not be poured forth in such a clear and untroubled stream. The bird was
+their warder, their watchman, and he told them that it was sunrise and
+all was well. Feeling the utmost confidence in the small sentinel, and
+knowing that they needed more strength for the pursuit, Henry closed his
+eyes and went to sleep again.
+
+The little gray bird was the most redoubtable of sentinels. Either the
+figures below were hidden from him or instinct warned him that they were
+friends. He hopped from bough to bough of the great windrow, and nearly
+always he sang. Now his song was clear and happy, saying that no enemy
+came in the forest. He sang from sheer delight, from the glory of the
+sunshine, and the splendor of the great green forest, drying in the
+golden glow. Now and then the gray squirrel came down from a tree and
+ran over the windrow. There was no method in his excursions. It was just
+pure happiness, the physical expression of high spirits.
+
+The shiftless one was the next to awake, and he too looked at his
+sleeping comrades. His task had been the hardest of them all. Although
+his body had acquired the quality of steel wire, it had yielded
+nevertheless under the strain of so many pursuits and flights. Now he
+heard that bird singing above him and as it told him, too, that no
+danger was near, he shifted himself a little to ease his muscles and
+went to sleep again.
+
+A half-hour later Long Jim came out of slumberland, but he opened only
+one eye. The bird was trilling and quavering in the most wonderful way,
+telling him as he understood it, to go back whence he had come, and he
+went at once. Then came Paul, not more than half awakened, and the music
+of the song lulled him. He did not have time to ask himself any question
+before he had returned to sleep, and the bird sang on, announcing that
+noon was coming and all was yet well.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+ON THE GREAT TRAIL
+
+
+An hour after the little gray bird had announced that it was noon and
+all was well Henry awoke, and now he sat up. The bird, hearing rustlings
+below, and feeling that his task of watchman was over, flew away. His
+song was heard for a moment or two in the boughs of a tree, then it grew
+faint and died in the distance. But his work was done and he had done it
+well.
+
+Henry put his hand on Sol's shoulder, and the shiftless one also sat up.
+
+"You've slept a week, Sol," Henry said.
+
+"That's a whopper. I just laid down, slept a minute, waked up, heard a
+bird singin', then slept another minute."
+
+"Just the same happened to me, but it's past midday. Look through the
+vines there and see the sun."
+
+"It's so. How time does pass when the warriors are lettin' your scalp
+alone."
+
+"Wake up, Jim."
+
+Shif'less Sol poked Long Jim with his moccasined foot.
+
+"Here you, Jim Hart," he said. "Wake up. Do you think we've got nothin'
+to do but set here, an' listen to you snorin' fur two days an' two
+nights, when we've got to overtake an Injun army and thrash it?"
+
+"Don't tech me with your foot ag'in, Sol Hyde, an' don't talk to me so
+highfalutin'. It's hard to git me mad, but when I do git mad I'm a lot
+wuss than Paul's friend, A-killus, 'cause I don't sulk in my tent,
+specially when I haven't got any. I jest rises up an' takes them that
+pesters me by the heels an' w'ar 'em out ag'in the trees."
+
+"You talk mighty big, Saplin'."
+
+"I'm feelin' big. I think I'll go out an' stretch myself, bein' ez it's
+a fine day an' these are my woods."
+
+The talk awoke Paul also and all went outside. Henry and Silent Tom
+scouted for some distance in every direction, and, finding no sign of an
+enemy, the five ate cold venison and drank from one of the innumerable
+streams. Then they deliberated briefly. They must find the trail of the
+Indian army and they were quite sure that it lay toward the east. If it
+were there they could not miss it, as a way for the cannon had to be cut
+with axes. Hence their council lasted only five minutes, and then they
+hastened due eastward.
+
+Speed was impeded by the creeks and brooks, all of which were swollen
+yet further, compelling them in several cases to swim, which had to be
+done with care, owing to the need of keeping their ammunition dry. Night
+came, the great trail was still unfound, and they thought they might
+possibly have been mistaken in going to the east, but when they debated
+it again they resolved to continue their present course. Every
+probability favored it, and perhaps the Indian army had taken a wider
+curve than they had thought.
+
+"I've had so much rest and sleep that I'm good fur all night," said Long
+Jim, "an' the ground bein' so soft from so much rain them cannon wheels
+will cut ruts a foot deep."
+
+"That's so," said Shif'less Sol. "Why we could blindfold ourselves an'
+hit that trail. Out o' the mouths o' men like Long Jim wisdom comes
+sometimes, though you wouldn't think it."
+
+"All that you are, Solomon Hyde," said Long Jim, "I've made. When I fust
+knowed you a tow-headed boy you didn't have sense enough to come in out
+uv the rain. Now, by long years uv hard trainin', mixin' gentleness with
+firmness, I've turned you into somethin' like a scout an' trailer an'
+Injun fighter, fit to travel in the comp'ny uv a man like myself. Now
+an' then when I look at you, Solomon Hyde, I'm proud uv you, but I'm
+prouder uv myself fur makin' a real man out uv sech poor stuff to start
+with."
+
+"I'm still willin' to learn, Jim," grinned Shif'less Sol.
+
+"The trail! The trail!" suddenly exclaimed Henry.
+
+They had emerged from heavy forest into a stretch of canebrake through
+which ran a long swath, trampled by many feet and cut by deep ruts. Here
+the cannon had passed perhaps a week ago, and they could follow the
+ruts as easily as the wheel of an engine follows the rails.
+
+"I 'low they can't make more'n ten or fifteen miles a day," said Silent
+Tom.
+
+"While we, if we were hard pressed, could go thirty or forty, or more,"
+said Paul.
+
+"We could overtake 'em in three days," said Henry.
+
+"An' hevin' done it," said the shiftless one, "what are we goin' to do
+next?"
+
+"It's the cannon we're after, as we all know," said Henry, "and I
+confess that I can't see yet how we're going to get at 'em."
+
+"I fancy we can tell more about it when we approach the Indian army,"
+said Paul.
+
+"There's no other way," said Henry. "If we keep close beside 'em we may
+get a chance at the cannon, but we've got to look out for Braxton Wyatt
+and his gang, who will be just behind us, on the same trail."
+
+"Then we go straight ahead?" said Paul.
+
+They followed the great trail nearly all night, under the clear moon and
+stars, a fine drying wind having taken away all the dampness. As usual
+Henry led and Silent Tom brought up the rear, the one in front keeping
+an eye for a rear guard and the one behind watching for the advance of
+Braxton Wyatt's force. The trail itself was leisurely. The speed of the
+cannon had to be the speed of the army, and there was ample time for
+parties to leave on hunting expeditions, and then rejoin the main band
+with their spoils.
+
+"They're living well," said Henry, as he pointed to the dead coals of
+numerous fires, and the quantities of bones scattered about "They've
+had buffalo, bear, deer, turkey and lots of small game."
+
+"It's an ideal country for an Indian army to travel in," said Paul. "The
+game fairly swarms in it."
+
+"An they don't spare it neither," said Shif'less Sol. "These warriors
+are jest eatin' thar way down to the settlements."
+
+"Here's where they kept their cannon," said Henry, pointing to a place
+near the edge of the opening, "and they covered them for the night with
+strong canvas."
+
+"How do you know that?" asked Long Jim.
+
+"See this thorn bush growing just beside the place. The edge of the
+canvas caught on the thorns and when they pulled it away it left these
+threads. See, here are three of 'em."
+
+"But how do you know it was strong canvas?"
+
+"Because if it hadn't been, more than these three threads would have
+been left. I'm astonished at you! What have you done with your wits? It
+was just over there, too, that Alloway and Cartwright sat with the
+chiefs and held a council. Two or three bushes were cut down close to
+the ground in order that a dozen men or so might sit comfortably in a
+ring. They smoked a pipe, and came to some agreement. Here are the ashes
+that were thrown from the pipe after they were through with it. Then
+Alloway and Cartwright walked off in this direction. You can see even
+now the imprint of their boot heels. Moccasins would leave no such
+trace. It must have rained that night, too, because they spread their
+tent and slept in it."
+
+"You're guessing now, Henry," said Long Jim.
+
+"I don't have to guess. This is the simplest thing in the world. One has
+only to look and see. Here are the holes where they drove the tent pegs.
+But the two officers did not go to sleep at once after the council. They
+sat in the tent and talked quite a while."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"More ashes, and on the ground covered by the tent. Evidently they have
+pipes of their own, as most all English officers do, and they wouldn't
+have sat here, and smoked, while on a hard march, if they did'nt have
+something important to talk about. I take it that the leaders of the
+Indian army are trying to solve some question. Perhaps they don't know
+which of the settlements to march against first."
+
+"Over here is where they kept the horses fur the big guns," said Silent
+Tom. "Mebbe we might git at them horses, Henry."
+
+"We might, but it wouldn't help us much. The warriors are so many that,
+although they don't like work, they could take turns at pulling 'em
+along with ropes. They could do that too, with the wagons that carry the
+ammunition for the cannon. Come on, boys. It don't pay us to linger over
+dead campfires. Here goes the trail which is as broad as a road."
+
+He led the way, but stopped again in a few minutes.
+
+"They had their troubles when they started the next morning," he said,
+as he pointed with a long forefinger.
+
+They saw flowing directly across the road one of the innumerable creeks,
+swollen to a depth of about four feet by the rain, and with rather a
+swift current. Hundreds of footprints had been left in the soft soil
+near the stream, and they examined them carefully. In two places these
+traces were packed closely.
+
+"About twenty warriors gathered at each of these spots," said Henry,
+"and lifted the cannon into the wagons. Look how deep some of these
+footmarks are! That was when the weight of the cannon sank them down.
+The Indians could have gone across the creek without the slightest
+trouble, but the cannon and the wagons delayed them quite a while. Come,
+boys, we've got to do some wading ourselves."
+
+Reaching the opposite bank they found where the cannon had been lifted
+out again, and saw the deep ruts made by their wheels running on through
+the forest.
+
+"I don't find the traces of no boot heels," said Silent Tom. "What's
+become uv them English?"
+
+"They're riding now," replied Henry. "They're not as used as the Indians
+to forest marches, and they've all been compelled to take to the wagons
+for a while. But they won't stay in 'em long."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Because Alloway won't want the warriors to look down on him or his men,
+and the Indians are impressed by physical strength and tenacity. As soon
+as they're fairly rested he'll get out and make all the others get out
+too."
+
+In a half-hour he called their particular attention to a point in the
+great trail.
+
+"All of them got out of the wagons here," he said. "Look where the boot
+heels cut into the ground. What's this? A warrior coming out of the
+forest has joined them here. Perhaps he was a man sent by Braxton Wyatt
+or Blackstaffe to tell how they were getting along in their siege of us,
+and here is another trail, where a dozen warriors split from the band."
+
+"A huntin' party, o' course," said the shif'less one as he looked at it.
+"They send 'em off on ev'ry side, ev'ry day, an' we've got to watch
+mighty close, lest some o' them light on us."
+
+"Still," said Henry, "when they got their game they wouldn't come
+straight back to a trail already old. They'd go on ahead to catch up.
+It's lucky that we've got plenty of venison and don't have to do any
+hunting of our own. Jim, you certainly did noble work as a cook back
+there."
+
+"Which reminds me," said Long Jim, "that I'll chaw a strip uv venison
+now."
+
+"Jim wuz always a glutton," said the shiftless one, "but that won't keep
+me from j'inin' him in his pleasant pursuit."
+
+Daylight found them in dense canebrake with the road that the army had
+been forced to cut for the cannon leading on straight and true.
+
+"We'll find another camp about a half mile ahead," said Henry.
+
+"Now that's a guess," said Long Jim.
+
+"Oh, no, it isn't. Jim, you must really learn to use your eyes. Look up
+a little. See, those buzzards hovering over a particular spot. Now, one
+darts down and now another rises up. I suppose they're still able to
+pick a few shreds of flesh from the under side of the big buffalo
+bones."
+
+"I reckon you're right, Henry."
+
+They reached the old camp presently, within the indicated distance, but
+did not linger, pressing on over little prairies and across streams of
+all sizes. They noticed again and again where the hunting parties left
+the main army, and then where they came back.
+
+"They've lots of ammunition," said Henry. "They must have the biggest
+supply that was ever yet furnished by Detroit."
+
+"Mebbe we kin git some uv it fur ourselves later on," said Tom Ross.
+
+"That's not a bad idea, to get ammunition at the expense of the enemy.
+Their bullets might not fit our rifles, but we could use their powder.
+We may have our chance yet to raid 'em."
+
+At noon they turned aside into the forest and sought a deep recess where
+they could rest and plan. Foliage and earth were dry now and they
+stretched themselves luxuriously, as they ate and talked. They reckoned
+that they could overtake the army on the following night or at least on
+the morning after, as its progress had been manifestly slower even than
+they had thought. Taking cannon through the great woods in which not a
+single road existed was a most difficult task. But every one of the five
+felt the need of exceeding great caution. Besides the hunters they might
+have to deal with the party that had left under Blackstaffe and Red
+Eagle. For all they knew, this band might have taken a shorter course
+through the woods, and chance might bring on an encounter at any time.
+
+"If they should strike our trail they're likely to follow it up," said
+the shiftless one. "Some o' 'em in lookin' fur game are shore to be far
+in the rear, an' them too may stumble on us."
+
+"'Pears to me," said Long Jim, "that we've come knowin' it, plum' into a
+big hornet's nest, but we ain't stung yet."
+
+"An' we ain't goin' to be," said the shiftless one confidently.
+
+Thus did the knights of the forest discuss their chances, and they were
+as truly knights as any that ever tilted lance for his lady, or, clothed
+in mail, fought the Saracen in the Holy Land, and, buried in the vast
+forest, their dangers were greater, they so few against so many.
+
+Knowing now that they had no need to hurry and that to hurry was
+dangerous, they lay a long time in the woods, and some of them slept a
+little, while the others watched. But those who slept awoke when they
+heard the haunting cry of the owl. The five sat up as another owl far to
+the left hooted in answer. Not one of them was deceived for an instant,
+as the signals were exchanged three times. Indian, they knew, was
+talking to Indian.
+
+"What do you think it means, Henry?" asked the shiftless one.
+
+"I've a notion that a small band has struck our trail and that it's
+signaling to a bigger one."
+
+"I'm sorry o' that."
+
+"So am I, because it will put the great band on guard against us. Our
+best weapon would have been the ignorance of the Indians that we were
+near."
+
+"Ef troubles git in our way we kin shoot 'em out uv it," said Long Jim
+philosophically.
+
+"So we can," said Henry, "but there goes one of the owls again, and it's
+much nearer to us than it was before."
+
+"An' thar's the other answerin' from the other side," said Shif'less
+Sol, "an' it, too, is much nearer."
+
+"'Pears ez ef they knowed more about us than we thought they did, an'
+are tryin' to surround us," said Long Jim.
+
+"An' we jest won't be surrounded," said Shif'less Sol. "We ain't trained
+to that sort o' thing an' it ain't a habit that we'd like."
+
+"Come on," said Henry, and, rifle on shoulder, he flitted through the
+thickets. The others followed him in single file, and they advanced
+toward a point mid-way between the opposing bands. Their line formed
+according to its invariable custom, Henry leading, the shiftless one
+next, followed by Paul, with Long Jim following, and Silent Tom covering
+the rear.
+
+They traveled now at high speed, and Henry felt that the need was great.
+He was sure that the bands, besides signaling to each other, were also
+calling up wandering hunters. The circle about them might be more nearly
+complete than they had thought. They kept to the darkest of the forest
+and fled on like a file of phantoms. A rifle suddenly cracked in the
+thicket and a bullet whistled by. Henry's rifle flashed in reply and no
+further sound came from the bushes. Then the phantoms sped on faster
+than ever.
+
+Henry reloaded his rifle, and all of them listened to the chorus of the
+owls, as they cried to one another in a circle the diameter of which
+might have been a third of a mile. The heart of every one beat faster,
+not alone because they were running, but because of that demon chorus.
+All the warriors had heard the rifle shots and they knew now just about
+where the fugitives were. The cry of an owl has a singularly weird and
+haunting quality, and when so many of them came together, coming as the
+five knew, from the throats of those who meant them death, its effect
+was appalling even upon such hardy souls as theirs.
+
+"I wish they'd stop them cries," growled Long Jim. "They git into my
+bones, an' give me a sort uv creepy weakness 'bout the knees."
+
+"Don't let your knees buckle," said Shif'less Sol. "Good knees are
+mighty important, jest now, 'cause you know, Jim, we'll hev to make a
+pow'ful good run fur it, an' ef your legs give out I'll hev to stay back
+with you."
+
+"I know you would, Sol, but that creepy feelin' 'bout my knees don't
+weaken the muscles an' j'ints. Runnin' is my strongest p'int."
+
+"I know it. I don't furgit the time your runnin' saved us all when the
+emigrant train wuz surrounded by the tribes."
+
+"Down!" suddenly called Henry, and the five dropped almost flat, but
+without noise, in the bushes. Two dusky figures, evidently scouts, were
+running directly across their line of flight about fifty yards ahead of
+them. But Henry was quite sure that the two warriors had not seen them
+and the five, lying close and scarcely breathing, watched the dusky
+figures. The warriors paused a moment or two, looked about them, but,
+seeing nothing went on, and were quickly lost to sight in the brush.
+
+"It was lucky," said Henry, as they rose and resumed their flight, "that
+the warriors didn't look more closely. I think fortune is favoring us."
+
+"It ain't fortune or luck," said Shif'less Sol. "It's jedgment, an' our
+long an' hard trainin'. I tell you jedgment is a power."
+
+A fierce yell arose behind them, a yell full of savagery and triumph.
+
+"They've hit our trail in the moonlight," said Henry, "and as we have no
+time to dodge or lie in cover, there's nothing to do but run faster."
+
+"An' keep a good lookout to both right an' left," said Shif'less Sol.
+"They're comin' now from all directions."
+
+The owls now began to hoot in great numbers, and with extraordinary
+ferocity. The cry made upon Paul's sensitive mind an impression that
+never could be effaced. He associated it with cruelty, savagery and
+deadly menace. His ear even multiplied and exaggerated the sinister
+calls. The woods were filled with them, they came from every bush, and
+the menacing circle was steadily and surely drawing closer.
+
+Henry heard the heavy panting breaths behind him. They were bound to
+grow weary before long. Even if one were made of steel he could not run
+on forever. But he recalled that while they could not do so neither
+could the warriors. His keen ear noted that no cry of the owl came from
+the point straight ahead, and he concluded therefore that the circle was
+not yet complete. There was a break in the ring and he meant to drive
+straight through it.
+
+"Now, boys," he said, "slow up a little to let your breath come back,
+then we'll make a great burst for it and break through."
+
+Their pace sank almost to a walk, but the beat of their hearts became
+more nearly regular, and strength came back. Meanwhile the cries of the
+owls never ceased. They drummed incessantly on the ears of Paul, and
+made a sort of fury in his brain. It was a species of torture that made
+him rage more than ever against his pursuers.
+
+They stopped in a clump of cane and watched a single warrior pass near.
+When he was gone they stepped from the cane and began to run at high
+speed toward the opening in the circle which Henry judged could not be
+more than a hundred yards away. It was fortunate for them that the
+forest here contained little undergrowth to impede them.
+
+It was a great burst of speed to make after so long a flight, but the
+brief rest had helped them greatly, and they spurned the earth behind
+them. Now the Indian warriors caught sight of them, and rifles flashed
+in the night. The last owl ceased to hoot, and instead gave forth the
+war hoop. The forest rang with fierce yells, many anticipating a triumph
+not yet won. Many shots were fired on either flank, and leaves and
+twigs fell, but the five, bending low, fled on and did not yet reply.
+
+The young leader in those desperate moments was cool enough to see that
+no shots came from the point straight ahead, making it sure that the
+opening was still there. He counted, too, on the dusk and the generally
+poor markmanship of the savages. A single glance backward showed him
+that none of his comrades was touched. Farther away on either side he
+saw the leaping forms of the warriors and then the flash of their wild
+shots. And still his comrades and he were untouched.
+
+"Now, boys," he cried, "let out the last link in the chain!" and the
+five bounded forward at such speed that the Indians in the dusk could
+not hit the flying targets, and, still untouched they drove through the
+opening, and beyond. But the warriors behind them joined in a mass and
+came on, yelling in anger and disappointment.
+
+"Now, Sol," said Henry, "we might let 'em have a couple of bullets. The
+rest of you hold your fire!"
+
+Henry and the shiftless one, wheeling swiftly, fired and hit their
+targets. A cry of wrath came from the pursuers, but they dropped back
+out of range, and stayed there awhile. Then they crept closer, until a
+bullet from Silent Tom gave them a deadly warning to drop back again,
+which they did with great promptness.
+
+Then the five, summoning all their reserves of strength, sped southward
+at a rate that was too great for their pursuers. Paul soon heard the
+owls calling again, but they were at least a half mile behind them, and
+they no longer oppressed him with that quality of cruelty and certain
+triumph. Now they only denoted failure and disappointment, and, as his
+high tension relaxed, he began to laugh.
+
+"Stop it, Paul! Stop it!" said the shiftless one sharply. "It's too soon
+yet to laugh! When the time comes I'll tell you!"
+
+Paul checked himself, knowing that the laugh was partly hysterical, and
+closely followed Henry who was now turning toward the west, leading them
+through rolling country, clothed in the same unbroken forest and
+undergrowth. It was his idea to find a creek or brook and then wade in
+it for a long distance to break the trail, the simplest of devices, one
+used a thousand times with success on the border, and they ran at their
+utmost speed, in order to be out of sight of even the swiftest warrior
+when they should come to water.
+
+They passed several tiny brooks too small for their purpose, but, in a
+half-hour, came to one two feet deep, flowing swiftly and with muddy
+current. Henry uttered a sigh of satisfaction as he stepped into the
+water, and began to run with the stream. He heard four splashes behind
+him, as the others stepped in also, and followed.
+
+"As little noise as you can," he said. "There may be a lurking warrior
+about somewhere."
+
+After the first hundred yards they waded slowly, in order to avoid more
+splashing, and, after another hundred, stopped to listen. They heard
+faint cries from the warriors, but they were very far away, at least a
+mile, they thought, and the hearts of every one of the five rose with
+the belief that the Indians had taken the wrong course. But they
+neglected no precaution, wading in the middle of the brook for a long
+distance, the water enclosed on either side with a thick and heavy
+growth of willows and bushes so dense, in truth, that one could not see
+into the stream without parting the foliage.
+
+"Didn't I tell you we were lucky!" said Henry. "This branch poked itself
+right across our path at the right moment to help us break our trail."
+
+"Jedgment, Henry! Jedgment!" said the shiftless one. "We knowed that it
+wuz best fur us to find a branch, an' so we jest run on till we found
+one."
+
+"It 'pears to me," said Long Jim, "that we're takin' to water a heap.
+Always jumpin' into some branch or creek or river an' wadin', I feel
+myself turnin' to a fish, a great big long catfish sech as you find in
+the Ohio. Fins are comin' out on my ankles right now."
+
+"An' your face is plum' covered with scales already," said Shif'less
+Sol. "You're shorely a wonder, Jim."
+
+Long Jim involuntarily clapped his hand to his face, and then both
+laughed.
+
+"At any rate," said Long Jim, "I'll be glad when we take to dry ground
+ag'in."
+
+But Henry led them a full mile, until he parted the bushes, and stepped
+out on the west bank. The others followed and all five stood a moment or
+two on the bank, while the water dripped from their leggings.
+
+"Them fins has done growed on me, shore," whispered Long Jim to
+Shif'less Sol. "Cur'us how water sticks to deerskin."
+
+"How much further do we go, Henry?" asked Paul.
+
+"Far enough to be safe," replied Henry. "I think two or three miles more
+will put us out of their range. The walking won't be bad, and it will
+help to dry our leggings."
+
+"Wish I had one o' their hosses to ride on," said Shif'less Sol.
+"'Twould jest suit me, a lazy man. I guess hosses wuzn't ever used in
+these parts afore, but I'd ride one like the old knights that Paul talks
+about, an' you, Long Jim, could hang on to the tail."
+
+"I wouldn't hang on to the tail of nobody's hoss, an' least uv all to
+the tail uv yourn, Sol Hyde."
+
+"You'd hev to, Jim Hart, 'cause you'd be my serf. Knights always had
+serfs that wuz glad to hang on to the tails o' their hosses, when the
+knights would let 'em. Wouldn't I look grand, chargin' through the
+forest on my war hoss, six feet high, me in my best Sunday brass suit,
+speckled with gold scales, with my silver spear twenty feet long, an' my
+great two-handed, gold-hilted sword beside me, an' Long Jim tied to the
+tail o' my hoss, so he wouldn't git tired an' fall behind, when I wuz
+chargin' the hull Shawnee tribe?"
+
+"You'll never see that day, Sol Hyde. When we charge the Shawnee tribe
+I'll be in front, runnin' on these long legs uv mine, an' you'll be
+'bout a hundred yards behind, comin' on in a kinder doubtful an'
+hesitatin' way."
+
+"Here is good dry ground now," said Henry, "and I don't think we need to
+go any farther."
+
+They were on a small hilltop, densely covered with trees, and the five
+gladly threw themselves down among the trunks. They were sure now that
+they were safe from pursuit, and they felt elation, but they said
+little. All of them took off their wet leggings and moccasins, and laid
+them out to dry, while they rested and ate venison.
+
+"I'm gittin' tired, paddlin' 'roun' in wet clothes," said Long Jim, "and
+I hope them things uv mine will dry fast, 'cause it would be bad to hev
+to run fur it ag'in, b'ar-footed this time, an' with not much of
+anythin' on up to your waist."
+
+"But think how much harder on you it would be ef it wuz winter," said
+the shiftless one. "Ef you hed to break the ice in the branch ez you
+walked along it, an' then when you come out hed nothin' but the snow to
+lay down in an' rest, it would be time fur complainin'. Ez Henry says,
+we're shorely hevin' luck."
+
+"That's true, an' we've found another fine inn to rest an' sleep in.
+Ain't this nice solid dry groun'? An' them dead leaves scattered 'bout
+which we kin rake up fur pillows an' beds, are jest the finest that ever
+fell. An' them trees are jest ez big an' honest an' friendly ez you
+could ask, an' the bushes are nice an' well behaved, an' thar shore is
+plenty of water in the forest fur us to drink. An' we hev a good clean
+sky overhead. Oh, we couldn't come to a nicer inn than this."
+
+"I'm going to sleep," said Paul. "I'm going to wrap my blanket around
+the lower half of me, and if the warriors come please wake me in time,
+so I can put on my leggings before I have to run again."
+
+All soon slept save Henry and Ross, and, after a while, Henry clothed
+himself fully, everything now being dry, and with a word to Ross,
+started eastward through the forest. He believed that Blackstaffe, Red
+Eagle and their party were somewhere in that direction, and he meant to
+have a look at them. He was thoroughly refreshed by their long rest, and
+alone he felt able to avoid any danger.
+
+He advanced through the forest, a great flitting figure that passed
+swiftly, and now, that he was the trailer and not the trailed, all of
+his marvelous faculties were at their zenith. He heard and saw
+everything, and every odor came to him. The overwhelming sense of
+freedom, and of a capacity to achieve the impossible, which he often
+felt when he was alone, fairly poured in upon him. The feeling of
+success, of conquest, was strong. He and his comrades, so far, had
+triumphed over every difficulty, and they had been many and great. The
+omens were propitious and there was the rising wind singing among the
+leaves the song that was always a chant of victory for him.
+
+He inhaled the odors of the forest, the breath of leaf and flower. They
+were keen and poignant to him, and then came another odor that did not
+belong there. It was brought on the edge of the gentle wind, and his
+nostrils expanded, as he noticed that it was growing stronger and
+stronger. He knew at once that it was smoke, distant, but smoke
+undeniably, and that it must come from a campfire. In all probability
+it was the fire of Blackstaffe, Red Eagle and their band.
+
+He went at once toward the smoke, and gradually the light of a fire
+appeared among the trees. Approaching cautiously, he saw the correctness
+of his surmise that it was Blackstaffe, Red Eagle and their band. Most
+of the warriors were lying down, all save two or three asleep, but the
+renegade and the chief were talking earnestly. Henry was eager to hear
+what they were saying, as it might prove of great value to him in the
+little campaign that he was leading. Since Wyatt and the rest of the
+band had not had time to come up, they could not yet know that it was
+the five with whom they had been in battle that night.
+
+He resolved that he would overhear them at all costs, and lying down in
+the bushes he began to edge himself forward in the slow and difficult
+manner of which only an accomplished scout is capable. Fortunately the
+fire was near the edge of a thicket, from which he could hear, but it
+took him a long time to gain the position he wished, creeping forward,
+inch by inch, and careful not to make a bush or a leaf rustle.
+
+When he was at last in place, he lay hidden by the foliage and blended
+with it, where he could easily see the faces of Blackstaffe and Red
+Eagle, in the firelight, and hear what they said.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+FIVE AGAINST A THOUSAND
+
+
+Red Eagle and Blackstaffe were talking in Shawnee, every word of which
+Henry heard and understood. They sat in Turkish fashion upon the ground,
+on the same side of the fire, and the blaze flickered redly over the
+face of each. They were strong faces, primitive, fierce and cunning, but
+in different ways. The evil fame of Moses Blackstaffe, second only to
+that of Simon Girty, had been won by many a ruthless deed and undoubted
+skill and cunning. Yet he was a white man who had departed from the
+white man's ways.
+
+Red Eagle, the great Shawnee chief, was older, past fifty, and his
+bronzed face was lined deeply. His broad brow and the eyes set wide
+apart, expressed intellect--the Indian often had intellect in a high
+degree. He too was cruel, able to look upon the unmentionable tortures
+of his foes with pleasure, but it was a cruelty that was a part of his
+inheritance, the common practices of all the tribes, bred into the
+blood, through untold generations of forest life.
+
+Henry felt a certain respect for Red Eagle, but none at all for
+Blackstaffe. Him he hated, with that fierceness of the forest, some of
+which had crept into his blood, and if he met him in battle he would
+gladly send a bullet through his heart. The man's face, burnt almost as
+dark as that of an Indian, showed now in its most sinister aspect. He
+was suffering from chagrin, and he did not take the trouble to hide it,
+even from so great a man as Red Eagle, head chief of the Shawnees.
+
+They were talking of Wyatt and the band they had left behind for the
+siege, and Henry, with a touch of forest humor, enjoyed himself as he
+listened.
+
+"We did not see well those with whom we fought tonight and who escaped
+us," said Red Eagle, "but they showed themselves to be warriors, great
+white warriors. They were more than a match for my young men."
+
+"It is true," said Blackstaffe. "I didn't see them at all, but only the
+five whom we left besieged in the cave could do what they did."
+
+"But Wyatt and good warriors hold them there."
+
+"So they hoped, but do they, Red Eagle? The manner in which those scouts
+escaped from our circle makes me believe their leader could have been
+none but this Henry Ware."
+
+"One of them was outside the cave. He may have come through the forest
+and have met other white men."
+
+"It might be so, but I'm afraid it isn't. They have broken the siege in
+some manner and have eluded Wyatt. I had hoped that if he could not kill
+or capture them he would at least hold them there. It is not well for
+us to have them hanging upon our army and ambushing the warriors."
+
+"You speak wisely, Blackstaffe. The one they call Ware is only a youth,
+but he is full of wisdom and bravery. There was an affair of the belt
+bearers, in which he tricked even Yellow Panther and myself. If we could
+capture him and make him become one of us, a red warrior to fight the
+white people to whom he once belonged, he would add much to our strength
+in war."
+
+Blackstaffe shook his head most emphatically.
+
+"Don't think of that again, great chief," he said. "It is a waste of
+time. He would endure the most terrible of all our tortures first. Think
+instead of his scalp hanging in your wigwam."
+
+The eyes of Red Eagle glistened.
+
+"It would be a great triumph," he said, "but our young men have chased
+him many times, and always he is gone like the deer. We have set the
+trap for him often, but when it falls he is away. None shoots so quickly
+or so true as he, and if one of our young men meets him alone in the
+forest it is the Shawnee over whom the birds sing the death song."
+
+"It's not his scalp that we want merely for the scalp's sake. You are a
+brave and great chief, O Red Eagle, and you know that Ware and his
+comrades are scouts, spies and messengers. It's not so much the warriors
+whom we lose at their hands, but they're the eyes of the woods. They
+always tell the settlements of our coming, and bring the white forces
+together. We must trap them on this march, if we have to spread out a
+belt of a hundred warriors to do it."
+
+"I hope the net won't have any holes in it. We overtake the great band
+tomorrow, and then you'll have all the warriors you need. They can be
+spread out on the flank as we march. Hark, Red Eagle, what was that?"
+
+Henry himself in his covert started a little, as the long whine of a
+wolf came from a point far behind them. One of the warriors on the other
+side of the fire returned the cry, so piercing and ferocious in its note
+that Henry started again. But as the chief, the renegade and all the
+warriors rose to their feet, he withdrew somewhat further into the
+thicket, yet remaining where he could see all that might pass.
+
+The far wolf howled again, and the near wolf replied. After that
+followed a long silence, with the renegade, Red Eagle and his men,
+standing waiting and eager. The signals showed that friends were coming
+to join friends, and Henry was as eager as they to see the arrivals. Yet
+he had a shrewd suspicion of their identity.
+
+Dusky figures showed presently among the trees, as a silent line came
+on. Red Eagle and Blackstaffe were standing side by side, and the
+renegade broke into a low laugh.
+
+"So Wyatt comes with his men, or most of them," he said.
+
+"I see," said the chief in a tone of chagrin.
+
+"And he comes without any prisoners."
+
+"But perhaps he brings scalps."
+
+"I see no sign of them."
+
+"It is yet too far."
+
+"If they came bearing scalps they would raise the shout of victory."
+
+Red Eagle, great chief of the Shawnees, shook his head sadly.
+
+"It is sure that those whom we pursued in vain tonight were those whom
+we left besieged in the cave."
+
+"I fear that you speak the truth. They bring no scalps, nor any
+prisoners to walk on red hot coals."
+
+He spoke sadly and Henry noted a certain grim pathos in his words, which
+were the words of a savage. Yet the attitude of Red Eagle was dignified
+and majestic as he waited.
+
+The file came on fast, Braxton Wyatt at its head. When the younger
+renegade reached the fire, he flung himself down beside it, seized a
+piece of deer meat, just cooked, and began to eat.
+
+"I'm famished and worn out," he said.
+
+"What did you do with the scalps, Braxton?" asked Blackstaffe, in silky
+tones--it may be that he thought the younger renegade assumed too much
+at times.
+
+"They're on the heads of their owners," growled Wyatt.
+
+"And how did that happen? You had them securely blockaded in a hole in a
+stone wall. I thought you had nothing to do but wait and take them."
+
+"See here, Blackstaffe, I don't care for your taunting. They slipped
+out, although we kept the closest watch possible, and as they passed
+they slew one of our best warriors. I don't know how it was managed,
+but I think it was some infernal trick of that fellow Ware. Anyway, we
+were left with an empty cave, and then we came on as fast as we could.
+We did our best, and I've no excuses to make."
+
+"I do not mock you," said Red Eagle gravely. "I have been tricked by the
+fox, Ware, myself, and so has Yellow Panther, the head chief of the
+Miamis. But we will catch him yet."
+
+"It seems that we have not yet made any net that will hold him," said
+Blackstaffe with grim irony. Since it was not he directly, but Red Eagle
+and Wyatt who had failed, he found a malicious humor in taunting them.
+"It is the general belief that it was this same youth, Ware, who blew up
+the scows on which we were to carry our cannon, and then sank the lashed
+canoes. He seems to be uncommonly efficient."
+
+Among the broken men and criminals who fled into the woods joining the
+Indians and making war upon their own kind, Moses Blackstaffe was an
+outstanding character. He was a man of education and subtle mind. It was
+understood that he came from one of the oldest of the eastern provinces,
+and that there was innocent blood on his hands before he fled. But now
+he was high in the councils of the Indian nations, and, like the white
+man of his type who turns savage, he had become more cruel than the
+savages themselves.
+
+His gaze as he turned it upon Braxton Wyatt was lightly ironical, and
+his tone had been the same. Again the younger renegade flushed through
+his tan.
+
+"I have never denied to him wonderful knowledge and skill," he said. "I
+have warned you all that he was the obstacle most to be dreaded. He has
+just proved it. Had he not been there to help 'em at the cave we should
+have got 'em all."
+
+"And they are giving the laurels of Shif'less Sol to me," said Henry to
+himself in the thicket. "I shall have to hand them over to him when we
+go back."
+
+But the great Shawnee chief, Red Eagle, had heard enough talk between
+the two white men. He was full of the wisdom of his race, and he did not
+intend that Blackstaffe and Wyatt should impair their value to the
+tribes by creating ill feeling against each other.
+
+"Peace, my sons," he said in his grave and dignified manner. "It is not
+well for those who march with us to taunt each other. Words that may be
+light in the village, breed ill will on the war path. As head chief of
+the Shawnees it is for me to say these things to you."
+
+As Red Eagle stood up with his arms folded across his broad breast and
+his scarlet blanket hooked over his shoulder, he looked like a forest
+Roman. Henry thought him an impressive figure and such a thought, too,
+was most likely in the mind of Blackstaffe, as he said:
+
+"The words of the chief are wise, and I obey. Red Eagle has proved many
+and many a time that he is the best fitted of all men to be the head
+chief of the Shawnees. Wyatt, I was only jesting. You and I must be good
+comrades here."
+
+He held out his hand and as Wyatt took it, his face cleared. Then the
+three turned to animated talk about their plans. It was agreed that they
+should push on in the morning at all speed, and join the main band and
+the artillery. Dangerous as these cannon were, Henry saw that the
+Indians gave them almost magic powers. They would completely blow away
+the settlements, and the forests would soon grow again, where the white
+man had cut a little open place for himself with the ax.
+
+The conference over, Red Eagle wrapped himself in his blanket and lay
+down with his feet toward the fire. Again Henry felt an impulse of
+respect for him. He was true to his race and his inheritance, while the
+renegades were false in everything to theirs. He did not depart from the
+customs and thoughts bred into him by many generations, but the
+renegades violated every teaching of their own race that had brought
+civilization to the world, and he hated and despised them.
+
+He saw Blackstaffe and Wyatt wrap themselves in their blankets and also
+lie down with their feet to the fire. All the Indians were at rest save
+two sentinels. Henry watched this strange scene a few minutes longer.
+The coals were dying fast and now he saw but indistinctly the figures of
+white men and red men, joined in a compact to destroy his people
+utterly, from the oldest man and woman to the youngest child.
+
+Henry did not know it, but he was as much a knight of chivalry and
+romance as any mailed figure that ever rode with glittering lance.
+Beneath the buckskin hunting shirt beat a heart as dauntless as that of
+Amadis of Gaul or Palmerin of England, although there were no bards in
+the great forest to sing of his deeds and of the deeds of those like
+him.
+
+He intended to stay only two or three minutes longer, but he lingered
+nevertheless. The Indian campfire gave forth hardly a glimmer. The
+figures save those of the sentinels became invisible. The wind blew
+gently and sang among the leaves, as if the forest were always a forest
+of peace, although from time immemorial, throughout the world, it had
+been stained by bloodshed. But the forest spell which came over him at
+times was upon him now. The rippling of the leaves under the wind he
+translated into words, and once more they sang to him the song of
+success.
+
+This new task of his, straight through the heart of danger, had been
+achieved, and in his modesty, which was a modesty of thought as well as
+word, he did not ascribe it to any strength or skill in himself, but to
+the fact that a Supreme Being had chosen him for a time as an
+instrument, and was working through him. Like nearly all who live in the
+forest and spend most of their lives in the presence of nature, he
+invariably felt the power of invisible forces, directed by an omniscient
+and omnipotent mind, which the Indian has crystallized into the name
+Manitou, the same as God to Henry.
+
+For that reason this forest spell was also the spirit of thankfulness.
+He had been guided and directed so far, and he felt that the guidance
+and direction would continue. All the omens and prophecies remained
+good, and, with the wind in the leaves still singing the song of victory
+in his ears, he silently crept away, inch by inch, even as he had come.
+Well beyond the Indian ear, he rose and returned swiftly to his
+comrades.
+
+Ross was still on guard and the others sleeping when Henry's figure
+appeared through the dusk, but they awoke and sat up when he called,
+low, to them.
+
+"What are you wakin' us up fur, Henry?" asked the shiftless one, as he
+rubbed a sleepy eye. "Are the warriors comin'? Ef so, I'd like to put on
+my silk knee breeches, an' my bee-yu-ti-ful new silk stockin's an' my
+new shoes with the big silver buckles, afore I run through the forest
+fur my life."
+
+"No, they're not coming, Sol," said Henry. "They're asleep off there and
+tomorrow morning Blackstaffe, Braxton Wyatt, Red Eagle and the others
+hurry on to join the main band."
+
+"How do you know that, Henry?"
+
+"They told me."
+
+"You've been settin' laughin' an' talkin' with 'em, right merry, I
+reckon."
+
+"They told me, just as I said. They told me their plan in good plain
+Shawnee."
+
+"An' how come Braxton Wyatt with Red Eagle and Blackstaffe?"
+
+"Leaving a fruitless quest, he overtook them. I was lying in the
+thicket, in hearing distance, when Wyatt came up with his men, joined
+Blackstaffe and Red Eagle, and had to tell them of his failure."
+
+"You shorely do hev all the luck, Henry. I'd hev risked my life an'
+risked it mighty close, to hev seed that scene."
+
+Then Henry told them more in detail of the meeting and of the plans that
+Red Eagle and the two renegades had talked over, drawing particular
+attention to the net the Indians intended to spread for the five.
+
+"'Pears to me," said Shif'less Sol, "that the right thing fur us to do
+is to make a big curve--we're hefty on curves--an' go clear 'roun' in
+front of the band. They'll be lookin' fur us everywhere, 'cept right
+thar, an' while they're a-plottin' an' a-plannin' an' a-spreadin' out
+their nets, we'll be a-plottin' an' a-plannin' an' mebbe a-doin' too
+what we've undertook to do."
+
+"The very thing," said Henry.
+
+"A true strategic march," said Paul.
+
+"Looks like sense," said Silent Tom.
+
+"You do hev rays o' reason at times, Sol," said Long Jim.
+
+"Then it's agreed," said Henry. "We'll take a little more rest, and,
+soon after daylight, we'll start on one of our great flying marches."
+
+Paul and Long Jim kept the watch, and, not long after the sun rose, they
+were up and away again. They were now beginning to forge another link in
+their chain, and, as usual, the spirits of all five rose when they began
+a fresh enterprise. Their feet were light, as they sped forward, and
+every sense was acute. They were without fear as they marched on the arc
+of the great circle that they had planned. They were leaving so wide a
+space between themselves and the great trail that they could only meet a
+wandering Indian hunter or two, and of all such they could take care
+easily.
+
+In truth, so free were they from any kind of apprehension, that plenty
+of room was left in their minds to take note of the wilderness, which
+was here new to them. But it was their wilderness, nevertheless, all
+these fine streams and rolling hills, and deer that sprang up from their
+path, and the magnificent forest everywhere clothing the earth in its
+beautiful robe of deepest green, which in the autumn would be an equally
+beautiful robe of red and yellow and brown.
+
+Their curve was toward the west, and all that day they followed it. They
+saw the golden sun go creeping up the blue arch of the heavens, hang for
+a while at the zenith, as if it were poised there to pour down
+perpendicular beams, and then go sliding slowly down the western sky to
+be lost in a red sea of fire. And the view of all the glory of the
+world, though they saw it every day, was fresh and keen to them all. The
+shiftless one was moved to speech.
+
+"When I go off to some other planet," he said, "I don't want any new
+kind o' a world. I want it to be like this with big rivers and
+middle-sized rivers and little rivers, all kinds o' streams an' lakes,
+and the woods, green in the spring an' red an' yellow in the fall, an'
+winter, too, which hez its beauties with snow an' ice, an' red roarin'
+fires to keep you warm, an' the deer an' the buff'ler to hunt. I want
+them things 'cause I'm used to 'em. A strange, new kind o' world
+wouldn't please me. I hold with the Injuns that want to go to the Happy
+Huntin' Grounds, an' I 'xpect it's the kind o' Heaven that the Book
+means fur fellers like me."
+
+"Do you think you're good enough to go to Heaven, Sol?" asked Long Jim.
+
+The shiftless one deliberated a moment and then replied thoughtfully:
+
+"I ain't so good, Jim, but I reckon I'm good enough to go to Heaven.
+People bein' what people be, an' me bein' what I am, all with a pow'ful
+lot to fight ag'inst an' born with somethin' o' the old Nick in us, an'
+not bein' able to change our naturs much, no matter how hard we try, I
+reckon I hev a mighty fine chance o' Heaven, which, ez I said, I want to
+be a world, right smart like this, only a heap bigger an' finer. But I
+don't mean to go thar for seventy or eighty years yet, 'cause I want to
+give this earth a real fa'r trial."
+
+In which the shiftless one had his wish, as he lived to be a hundred,
+and his eyes were clear and his voice strong to the last.
+
+"That's a mighty fine picture you draw, Sol," said Long Jim,
+appreciatively, "an' if you're up thar settin' on the bank uv a river
+that looks plum' like runnin' silver with green trees a thousand feet
+high risin' behind you, you ketchin' fish thirty or forty feet long, an'
+ef you should happen to turn an' look 'roun' an' see comin' toward you a
+long-legged ornery feller that you used ter cahoot with in the
+wilderness on both sides uv the Ohio, would you rise up, drop them big
+fish an' your fishin' pole, come straight between the trunks uv them
+green trees a thousand feet high toward that ornery lookin' long-legged
+feller what wuz new to the place, stretch out your right hand to him,
+an' say: 'Welcome to Heaven Long Jim Hart. Come right in an' make
+yourself to home, 'cause you're goin' to live with us a million an' a
+billion years, an' all the rest uv the time thar is. Your fishin' pole
+is down thar by the bank. I've been savin' it fur you. Henry is 'bout a
+mile farther up the stream pullin' in a whale two hundred feet long that
+he's had his eye on fur some time. Paul is down thar, settin' under a
+bush readin' a book uv gold letters on silver paper with diamonds set in
+the cover, an' Tom Ross is on that hill, 'way acrost yonder, lookin' at
+a herd uv buff'ler fifty miles wide which hez been travelin' past fur a
+month.' Now, Sol, would you give your old pardner that kind uv a
+welcome?"
+
+"Would I Jim? You know I would. I'd blow on a trumpet an' call all the
+boys straight from what they wuz doin' to come a-runnin' an' meet you.
+An' I'd interduce you to all our new friends. An' I'd show you the best
+huntin' grounds an' the finest fishin' holes right away, an' when night
+come all o' us with our new friends would hev a big feast an'
+celebration over you. An' all o' us thar in Heaven that knowed you, Jim,
+would be right proud o' you."
+
+"I knowed that you'd take me right in, Sol," said Long Jim, as they
+shook hands over the future.
+
+"Now for the night," said Henry. "We must be at least fifteen miles west
+of the great trail, and as the woods are so full of game I don't think
+any of the Indian hunters will find it necessary to come this far for
+it. So, I propose that we have a little warm food ourselves. We need it
+by this time."
+
+"That's the talk," said Long Jim. "It would be jest a taste uv Heaven
+right now. What wuz you thinkin' to hev fur our supper table, Henry?"
+
+"I had an idea that all of us would like turkey. I've been noticing
+turkey signs for some time, and there, Jim! don't you hear that
+gobbling away off to the right? They're settling into the trees for the
+night, and it should be easy to get a couple. Just now I think turkey
+would be the finest thing in the world."
+
+"I've a mighty strong hankerin' after turkey myself an' the way I kin
+cook turkey is a caution to sinners. Ever since you said turkeys a half
+minute ago, Henry, I'm famishin'. Bring on your turkey, the cook's
+ready."
+
+"Me an' Sol will go an' git 'em," said Tom Ross, and the two slipped
+away in the twilight toward the sound of the gobbling. Presently they
+heard two shots and then the hunters came back, each with a fat bird.
+Selecting a dip from which flames could be seen only a little distance,
+they dressed the turkeys in frontier fashion and Long Jim, his culinary
+pride strong within him, cooked them to a turn. Then they ate long, and
+were unashamed.
+
+"Jest a touch o' Heaven right now," said Shif'less Sol, in tones of deep
+conviction. "This is the healthy life here, an' it makes a feller jump
+when he oughter jump. Me bein' a naterally lazy man, I'd be likely to
+lay 'roun' an' eat myself so fat I couldn't walk, but the Injun's don't
+give me time. Jest when I begin to put on flesh they take after me an' I
+run it all off. You wouldn't think it, but Injuns has their uses, arter
+all."
+
+"Keep people from comin' out here too fast," said Ross. "Think they wuz
+put in the wilderness to save it, an' they will, long after my time."
+
+"Why, Tom," said the shiftless one, "you're becomin' real talkative. I
+think that's the longest speech I ever heard you make."
+
+"Tom is certainly growing garrulous," said Paul.
+
+Silent Tom blushed despite his tan.
+
+"I'm through, anyway," he said.
+
+"Guess Sol thought Tom wuz takin' part uv his time," said Long Jim Hart.
+"That's why he spoke up. Sol claims all uv his own time fur talkin', all
+uv Tom's, an' all the rest that may be left over by any uv us."
+
+"Mighty little you ever leave over, Jim," said the shiftless one.
+"Besides, there's a dif'rence between you an' me talkin'. When I talk
+I'm always sayin' somethin'; but yourn is jest a runnin' gabble, like
+the flowin' uv a creek, always the same an' meanin' nothin'."
+
+"Well," said Henry, "we've had plenty of good fat turkey, an' it was
+cooked mighty fine, in Long Jim's best style, but there's some left,
+which I think we'd better pack in our knapsacks for tomorrow."
+
+After putting away the food for a later need, they carefully smothered
+the last coal of the fire, and then, as a precaution, should the flame
+have been seen by any wandering warrior, they moved a mile farther west
+and sat down in a little hollow where they remained until well past
+midnight, all sleeping save a guard of one, turns being taken. About two
+o'clock in the morning they started again, traveling at great speed, and
+did not stop until noon of the next day. They delayed only a half-hour
+for food, water and rest, and pressed on at the long, running walk of
+the border that put miles behind them at an amazing rate.
+
+Late in the afternoon they came to high hills clothed, like the rest of
+the country, in magnificent forest, and, while the others watched below,
+Henry climbed the tallest tree that he could find. The sun was
+declining, but the east was yet brilliant, and he saw faintly across it
+a dark line that he had expected. The great Indian camp surely lay at
+the base of the dark line, and when he descended he and his comrades
+began to curve toward the east.
+
+Morning would find them ahead of the Indian army, and between it and the
+settlements. Every one of them felt a thrill of excitement, even
+elation. The forging of the new link in the chain was proceeding well,
+and brilliant success gives wonderful encouragement. They did not know
+just what they would do next, but four trusted to the intuition and
+prowess of their daring young leader.
+
+Their minds were at such high tension that they did not sleep much that
+night, and when dawn came again they had traveled so far that they
+calculated they had arrived at the right point of the circle. It was a
+question, however, that could be decided easily. Henry again climbed the
+highest tree in the vicinity, and looking toward the north now saw the
+smoke of the same campfire apparently three or four miles away.
+
+"Are they thar, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol, as he climbed down.
+
+"Yes. They haven't moved since sundown yesterday, and I judge they're in
+no hurry. I fancy the warriors suppose the cannon can easily secure
+them the victory, no matter how much we may prepare against them, and
+the Englishmen are probably weary from hard traveling through the
+forest."
+
+"I guess all that's true, but they'll shorely start in an hour or two
+anyway, an' then what are we to do to stop 'em?"
+
+The eyes of the great youth filled with sudden fire.
+
+"We're five against a thousand," he said. "We've rifles against cannon,
+but we can do something. We're coming to the edge of a country that I
+know. Three miles to the south of us is a river or deep creek that can't
+be waded, except at a place between two hills. The Indians know that
+ford, and so they'll make for it. We'll be on the other side, and we'll
+hold the ford."
+
+The others stared at him.
+
+"Henry," exclaimed Paul, "you just said that we were five against a
+thousand, and rifles against cannon, now how could we possibly hold the
+ford against such an army? Besides, the Indian warriors, by scores,
+could swim the river elsewhere, and flank us on either side."
+
+"I don't mean that we shall hold it a long time. We'll make 'em give
+battle, stop 'em for a while, and then, when the flankers swim the
+stream we'll be gone. We will not let ourselves be seen, and they may
+think it a large force, retiring merely because their own army is
+larger."
+
+"That is, we've got to give 'em a skeer," said Long Jim.
+
+"Exactly. We want to make those Indians think that Manitou is against
+'em. We want to sow in their minds the seeds of fear and superstition.
+You know how they're influenced by omens and things they can't
+understand. If we give 'em a brisk little fight at the ford, and then
+get away, unseen, it will set them to doubting, and plant in their minds
+the fear of ambush by large forces."
+
+The face of the shiftless one shone.
+
+"That suits me clean down to the ground," he said. "It's wile an'
+stratagem which I like. Lead on to this ford, Henry, an' we'll lay down
+an' rest beside it till they come up."
+
+The others showed as much enthusiasm, and, carefully hiding their trail,
+they reached the ford, which they found highly favorable to their
+purpose. Save here the banks of the river were high on both sides, and
+the gorge, through which the red army with its cannon and wagons must
+approach the ford, was not more than twenty feet wide. On both banks the
+forest was unbroken and there were many dense thickets.
+
+"This place was shorely made fur an ambush," said the shiftless one as
+they waded across. "Ef we had a hundred good men we could turn back
+their whole army for good, 'cause they can't flank so easy, ez them high
+banks on both sides run ez fur ez I kin see."
+
+"And here is the thicket in which we can lie," said Paul.
+
+"They can't catch a glimpse of us from the other side. They can see only
+the fire and smoke of our rifles," said Henry.
+
+"An' since we're here in our nest," said Shif'less Sol, "we'd better set
+still an' rest till they come up. I 'low we'll need all our strength an'
+nerves then."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+HOLDING THE FORD
+
+
+The five lay down in the thicket, completely hidden themselves, but
+commanding a splendid view of the deep, clear stream and the gorge by
+which the red army must approach. They were calm in manner, nevertheless
+their hearts were beating high. The sunshine was so brilliant that every
+object was distinct far up the gorge, and Henry felt sure the Indian
+army would come into sight, while it was yet beyond rifle shot. Nor were
+the leaders likely to send forward scouts and skirmishers, as they
+apprehended no danger in front. It was on their flank or rear that they
+expected the five to hang.
+
+The five did not speak and the silence was complete, save for the usual
+noises of the forest. Birds chattered overhead. Little animals rustled
+now and then in the thickets, fish leaped in the river, but there was no
+sound to indicate that man was near. They were not nervous nor restless.
+Inured to danger, waiting had become almost a mechanical act, and they
+were able to lie perfectly still, however long the time might be.
+
+They saw the column of smoke fade, and then go quite away. There was
+not a fleck on the sky of blazing blue, and Henry knew that the red army
+had broken up its camp, and was on the march. He had a sudden fear that
+they might send ahead scouts and skirmishers, but reflection brought him
+back to his original belief that they would not do so, as they would not
+foresee the transference of the five to their front.
+
+The hours passed and Shif'less Sol, who had been lying flat upon the
+ground, raised his head.
+
+"I hear wheels," he said laconically.
+
+Henry put his own ear to the ground.
+
+"So do I," he said.
+
+"Wheels of cannon and wagons."
+
+"Beyond a doubt."
+
+"Them that we're lookin' fur."
+
+"There are no others in the wilderness. Long Jim, how's your voice
+today?"
+
+"Never better, Henry. I could talk to a man a mile away. Why?"
+
+"Because I may want you to give out some terrible yells soon, the white
+man's yells, understand, and, as you give 'em, you're to skip about like
+lightning from place to place. This is a case in which one man must seem
+to be a hundred."
+
+"I understand, Henry," said Long Jim proudly, tapping his chest. "I
+reckon I'm to be the figger in this fight, an', bein' ez so much is
+dependin' on me, I won't fail. My lungs wuz never better. I've had a new
+leather linin' put inside 'em, an' they kin work without stoppin', day
+an' night, fur a week."
+
+"All right, Jim. Do your proudest, and the others are to help, but
+you're to be the yell leader, and the better you yell the better it will
+be for all of us."
+
+"I'll be right thar Henry."
+
+"They'll soon be in sight," said the shiftless one, who had not taken
+his ear from the ground. "I kin hear the wheels a-creakin' and
+a-creakin', louder an' louder."
+
+"And they have not sent forward anybody to spy out the country, which is
+better for us," said Henry.
+
+"An' now I kin hear somethin' else," said Shif'less Sol. "They're
+singin' a war song which ain't usual when so many are on the march, but
+they reckon they've got at least two or three hundred white scalps ez
+good ez took already."
+
+Now the ferocious chant, sung in Shawnee, which they understood, came
+plainly to them. It was a song of anticipation, and when they translated
+it to themselves it ran something like this:
+
+    To the land of Kaintuckee we have come,
+    Wielders of the bow and the tomahawk, we,
+    Shawnee and Miami, Wyandot and Delaware
+    Matchless in march and battle we come,
+        Great is Manitou.
+
+    The white man will fall like leaves before us,
+    His houses to the fire we will give,
+    All shall perish under our mighty blows,
+    And the forest will grow over his home,
+        Great is Manitou.
+
+It went on in other verses, rising above the creak of the wheels, a
+fierce, droning chant that drummed upon the nerves and inflamed the
+brain. Much of its power came from its persistency upon the same beat
+and theme, until the great chorus became like the howling of thousands
+of wolves for their prey.
+
+"Ef I couldn't feel my scalp on my head right now," said Shif'less Sol,
+"I'd be shore that one o' them demons out thar had it in his hands,
+whirlin' it 'roun' an' 'roun'."
+
+"Guess I won't need nothin' more to make me yell my very darndest," said
+Long Jim.
+
+"They'll be in sight in a minute or two," said Paul, "and I'm truly
+thankful that we have ground so favorable. We wouldn't have a chance
+without it."
+
+"That's so," said Henry, "and we must never lose our heads for a minute.
+If we do we're gone."
+
+"Anyway, surprise will be a help to us," said Shif'less Sol, "'cause all
+the signs show that they don't dream we're here. But jest to ourselves,
+boys, I'm mighty glad that river is between us an' them. Did you ever
+hear sech a war chant? Why, it freezes me right into the marrer!"
+
+"They've gone mad with triumph before they've won it," said Henry. "They
+intoxicate themselves with singing and dancing. Look at those fellows on
+the outer edges of the line jumping up and down."
+
+"An' did you ever see savages more loaded down with war paint?" said
+Long Jim. "Why, I think it must be an inch thick on the faces uv them
+dancers an' jumpers!"
+
+The forest, in truth, had beheld few sights as sinister as this Indian
+army advancing, keeping step to its ferocious chant. Henry saw Yellow
+Panther come into view, and then Red Eagle, and then the rumbling guns
+with their gunners, and then Blackstaffe and Wyatt, and then the English
+Colonel, Alloway, his second, Cartwright, and three or four more
+officers riding. After them came the caissons and the other ammunition
+wagons, and then more warriors, hundreds and hundreds, joining in that
+ferocious whining chorus. The red coats of the British officers lent a
+strange and incongruous touch to this scene of forest and savage
+warfare.
+
+"I don't like to shoot a white man from ambush," said Henry, "but I'd be
+perfectly willing to send a bullet through the head of that Colonel
+Alloway. It would help our people--save them, perhaps--because without
+the British the Indians can't use the guns."
+
+"You won't git a chance, Henry," said Long Jim. "He's too fur back. The
+warriors will come into range fust, an' we'll hev to open fire on 'em. I
+don't see no signs of flankers turnin' off from the crossin'."
+
+"No, they won't send 'em up such high hills when they don't think any
+enemies are near. Make ready, boys. The foremost warriors are now in
+range. I hate to shoot at red men, even, from ambush, but it has to be
+done."
+
+Five muzzles were thrust forward in the bushes, and five pairs of keen
+eyes looked down the sights, as on came the chanting army, painted and
+horrible. The vanguard would soon be at the water.
+
+"Be sure you don't miss," said Henry. "The more deadly our first blow
+the better chance we have to win."
+
+Every one of the five concentrated all his faculties upon his target. He
+saw or thought of nothing but the painted chest or face upon which he
+directed his aim.
+
+"Ready," said Henry.
+
+Five gunlocks clicked.
+
+"Fire!"
+
+Five triggers were pulled, and five streams of flame darted from the
+bushes. Never had the five aimed bullets to better purpose, since their
+targets, broad and close, lay before them. Five warriors flung up their
+arms, and uttering the death howl, fell. A tremendous yell of surprise
+and rage arose from the Indians, and they crowded back upon one another,
+appalled, for the moment, by the sudden and deadly messengers of death.
+
+"Now, Jim, now!" exclaimed Henry. "Yell as if you were a thousand men.
+Run up and down in the bushes that your yells may come from point to
+point! Shout, man, shout!"
+
+Long Jim needed no command. His tremendous battle cry burst out, as he
+rushed back and forth in the thickets. It was some such shout as the old
+Vikings must have uttered, and it pealed out like the regular beat of a
+big drum. It expressed challenge and defiance, victory and revenge, and,
+to the ears of the red hearers on the other shores, the thickets seemed
+fairly to swarm with fighting men. The four added their efforts to
+those of Long Jim, but their cries formed merely a chorus, above which
+swelled the thundering note of the forest Stentor.
+
+The cords in Long Jim's throat swelled, his cheeks bulged, his eyes
+stood out, but his voice never broke. Without failing for an instant, it
+poured forth its mighty stream of challenge and invective, and the
+others, as they reloaded in all haste, looked at him with pride. It was
+their own Long Jim, he of the long legs and long throat, who had made
+many a great effort before, but none like this.
+
+The warriors had recoiled still further. Both Yellow Panther and Red
+Eagle drew back in the ruck. The singing of the warriors ceased, and,
+with it, ceased the creaking wheels of the cannon and ammunition wagons.
+Henry saw Alloway and his officers stop, and he looked once more at the
+colonel, but it was too far for certainty, and they must not send
+forward any shots that missed. In front of the recoiling army lay five
+dark figures on the green, and they must continue with the deadliness of
+their fire to create the impression of great numbers.
+
+"Now boys!" exclaimed Henry. "Again! Steady and true!"
+
+Five rifles cracked together and Long Jim, who had ceased only long
+enough to aim and pull the trigger resumed his terrific chant. This time
+three of the warriors were slain and two wounded. Henry, a true general,
+quickly changed the position of his army, Long Jim still shouting, and
+no missile from the fire poured out now by the Indians, touching them. A
+few of the bullets entered the portion of the thicket where they had
+crouched, but the rest fell short. A great flight of arrows was sent
+forth, but the distance was too great for them, and with most of the
+bullets they fell splashing into the water.
+
+"Now, boys," said Henry, "creep back and forth, and pick your warriors!
+There's plenty for all of us, and nobody need be jealous! If you can get
+any of the white gunners so much the better!"
+
+And they responded with all the fire and skill and courage belonging to
+such forest knights, knights as brave and true and unselfish as any that
+ever trod the earth. Five against a thousand! Young forest runners
+against an army! Rifles against cannon they yet held the ford and flung
+terror into the hearts of their foes! Before that rain of death, and
+that thundering chorus of mighty voices, coming from many points, the
+warriors recoiled yet farther, and were stricken with superstitious
+dread by the sudden and mortal attack from an invisible foe. Even the
+face of Alloway, and he was brave enough, blanched. This was something
+beyond his reckoning, something of which no man would have dreamed, he
+was not used to the vast and sinister forest--sinister to him--and the
+invisible stroke appalled him. His courage soon came back, but he cursed
+fiercely under his breath, when he saw one of his gunners go down, shot
+through the heart, and a moment later another fall with a bullet through
+his head. Like the Indians, he saw a numerous and powerful foe on the
+opposite bank, and the ford was narrow and steep.
+
+"They're drawing back for a conference," said Henry. "I believe we've
+made 'em think we're not a hundred only, but two hundred. Long Jim, your
+title as king of yellers is yours without dispute as long as you live.
+You've done magnificent work."
+
+"I think I did shout a little," said Long Jim triumphantly, "but Henry,
+I'm just plum' empty uv air. Every bit uv it hez been drawed up from my
+lungs, an' even from the end uv ev'ry toe an' finger."
+
+"Well, sit down there, Jim, and refill yourself, because we may have
+need of your lungs again. There's no better air than that we find in the
+forest here, and you'll have plenty of time, as they won't be through
+with that conference yet for at least five minutes."
+
+Henry saw the savages gathered in a great mass, well out of rifle shot,
+and, on a little hill back of them, the British officers, the renegades
+and the chiefs were talking earnestly. Beyond all possible doubt they
+had agreed that they were confronted by a formidable force. The proof of
+it lay before them. Valiant warriors had fallen and the two slain
+gunners could not be replaced. Henry knew that it was a bitter surprise
+to them, and they must think that the settlers, hearing of the advance
+against them, had sent forward all the men they could raise to form the
+ambush at the ford.
+
+He was full of elation, and so were his comrades. Five against an army!
+and the five had stopped the army! Rifles against cannon. And the rifles
+had stopped the cannon! The two slain gunners were proof of an idea
+already in his mind, and now that idea enlarged automatically. They
+would continue to pick off the gunners. What were a few warriors slain
+out of a mass of a thousand! But there were only seven or eight gunners,
+no, five or six, because two were gone already! He whispered to his
+comrades to shoot a gunner whenever there was a chance, and they nodded
+in approval.
+
+The conferences lasted some time, and the gorge in front of them was
+filled with savages, a great mass of men with tufted scalp locks, some
+bare to the waist, others wrapped in gaudy blue or red or yellow
+blankets, a restless, shifting mass, upon which the sun poured brilliant
+rays, lighting up the savage faces as if they were shot with fire. It
+was a strange scene, buried in the green wood, one of the unknown
+battles that marked the march of the republic from sea to sea. As the
+five stared from their covert at the savage army the vivid colors were
+like those of shifting glass in a kaleidoscope. The whole began to seem
+unreal and fantastic, the stuff of dreams. To Paul, in particular, whose
+head held so much of the past, it was like some old tale out of the
+Odyssey, with Ulysses and his comrades confronting a new danger in
+barbaric lands.
+
+"They're about to do somethin'," whispered the shiftless one.
+
+"So I think," said Henry.
+
+The British officers, the renegades and the chiefs walked down from the
+mound. Among the savages arose a low hum which quickly swelled into a
+chant, and Henry interpreted it as a sign that they now expected
+victory. How! He wondered, but he did not wonder long.
+
+"They're goin' to use the cannon," said the shiftless one.
+
+It seemed strange to Henry that he had not thought of this before, but
+now that the danger was imminent his mind met it with ready resource.
+
+"We must crawl into a hole, boys," he said, "and stay there while the
+cannon balls pass over us."
+
+"Here's a gully," said the shiftless one, "and it will hold us all."
+
+"The rest of you go into it," said Henry. "I've changed my mind about
+myself."
+
+"What are you thinking of?" asked Paul.
+
+"Do you see that big tree growing further down the slope, a little
+closer to the river. It's hidden to the boughs, by the bushes growing
+thick all around it, and above them the foliage of the tree is so heavy
+that nobody twenty yards away could see into it. I mean to climb up
+there and make it hot for those gunners. This rifle of mine will reach
+pretty far."
+
+Henry had a beautiful long-barreled weapon, and the others, although
+knowing the danger, could say nothing in opposition.
+
+"Suppose we let them fire two or three shots first," said Henry. "Then,
+as we make no reply, they may bring the cannon up closer."
+
+Again four heads nodded in approval, and Henry, creeping forward through
+the bushes, climbed rapidly up the tree. Here, hidden as if by walls, he
+nevertheless saw well. The gunners, helped by the Indians, were bringing
+forward both of the cannon. They were fine bronze guns, glistening in
+the sun, and their wide mouths looked threatening. Spongers, rammers
+and the real gunners all stood by.
+
+Henry saw a twelve pound ball hoisted into each bronze throat, and then,
+as the gunners did their work, each mass of metal crashed through the
+thickets, the savages yelling in delight at the thunderous reports that
+came back, in echo after echo. There was no reply from the thickets, and
+they began to reload for the second discharge. Then Henry marked the
+gunner at the cannon on his right, and slowly the long muzzle of the
+beautiful blue steel barrel rose until it bore directly upon the man.
+Paul, from his position, could see Henry in the tree, and he was sorry
+for the gunner who was about to die there in the forest, four thousand
+miles from his native land, a good-natured soldier, perhaps, but sent by
+his superiors on an errand, the full character of which he did not
+understand.
+
+The sponger and rammer did their work. The shot was fired and the gunner
+leaned forward, looking eagerly at the dense woods and thickets to see
+what damage his shot had done. No reply came save a rifle shot, and the
+gunner fell dead upon his gun. Paul in the thickets shivered a little,
+but he knew that it must be done.
+
+The allied tribes again gave forth a whoop of rage and chagrin, and
+Henry from his place in the tree clearly saw Alloway, waving his sword
+and encouraging them. "If he would only come a little nearer," grimly
+thought the young forest runner, as he reloaded rapidly, "he might by
+the loss of his own life save the lives of many others." But Alloway
+kept back.
+
+They were now making ready the second cannon, but as the rammer stepped
+forward the deadly marksman in the tree reached him with his bullet,
+and, falling beside his gun, he lay quite still. Once more the thousand
+voices of the warriors joined in a terrible cry of wrath and menace, but
+the young forester reloaded calmly, and the sponger, smitten down, fell
+beside his comrade.
+
+Long Jim and the shiftless one, who lay side by side, gazed at the tree
+in silent admiration. They knew the ability of their comrade as a
+sharpshooter, but never before had he been so deadly at such long range.
+
+"They'll hev to draw them cannon back," whispered Shif'less Sol, "or
+he'll pick off every one o' the white men that manage 'em."
+
+"Then I hope they won't draw 'em back," said Long Jim.
+
+But Alloway and the chiefs saw the necessity of taking the gun beyond
+rifle range, and they withdrew them quickly, although not quickly enough
+to keep another of the white men from receiving a painful wound. The
+savages discharged a volley from their rifles and muskets, and flights
+of arrows were sent into the thickets, but arrows and bullets alike fell
+short. Many of the arrows merely reached the river, and Paul found a
+curious pleasure in watching these feathered messengers fly through the
+air, and then shoot downward into the water, leaving bubbles to tell for
+a moment where they had gone.
+
+"They're goin' to shoot them cannon ag'in," said Shif'less Sol, "but
+they're puttin' a different kind o' ammunition in 'em."
+
+"It's grape," said Paul.
+
+"What's grape?" asked Long Jim.
+
+"All kinds of metal, slugs and suchlike, that scatter."
+
+"Like a handful uv buckshot, only bigger an' more uv it."
+
+"That describes it."
+
+"Then it 'pears to me that we'd better back water a lot, an' give all
+them grape a chance to bust an' fly whar we ain't."
+
+"Words of wisdom, Jim," said Henry, "and we'd better get behind trees,
+too."
+
+"An' good big ones," said Shif'less Sol. "Ef I've got an oak seven feet
+through in front o' me they kin go on with thar fireworks."
+
+They retreated hastily and lay down behind the great trunks, none too
+soon either, as the cannon roared and the grapeshot whistled all about
+them, cutting off twigs and leaves and ploughing the earth.
+
+"That shorely is dang'rous business--fur us," said Shif'less Sol. "I'm
+glad they didn't start with it. It's like a swarm o' iron bees flyin' at
+you, an' ef you ain't holed up some o' 'em is bound to hit you."
+
+"Back there!" exclaimed Henry to the shiftless one, who was peeping
+behind his oak, "they're about to fire the second gun!"
+
+The discharge of grapeshot again fell in the thicket, but it hurt no
+one, and the five did not reply. Two more shots were fired, doing great
+damage to the forest at that spot, but none of the five. Then came a
+pause.
+
+"The white men and the chiefs have gone into consultation again,"
+announced Henry.
+
+"Why haven't they sent out flankers to cross the river?" said Paul. "I
+haven't seen a single warrior leave the main band."
+
+"They've been confident that the cannon would do the work," replied
+Henry, "and besides, the warriors don't like those high banks. Now you
+mustn't forget, either, that they think we're a big force here."
+
+"But they'll come to that," said the shiftless one. "They don't dare
+charge down that narrow gorge, on through the river, an' up the hill
+ag'inst us. Sooner or later, warriors will cross the stream out o' our
+sight, both above an' below us, an' that's just what we've got to look
+out fur."
+
+"Right you are, Sol," said Henry, "but I don't think they will do it for
+a while. They'd like to force the passage without waste of time and go
+right ahead with their march."
+
+Several more charges of grape were fired into the thickets, and leaves
+and twigs again rained down, but the five, sheltered well, remained
+untouched by the fragments of hissing metal. Then the guns relapsed into
+silence.
+
+"Likely the redcoat colonel has ordered 'em to stop shooting," said
+Paul. "He won't want 'em to waste their ammunition here, but to save it
+for the palisades of our settlements."
+
+"Sounds most probable," said Henry. "They can't get any new supply of
+gunpowder and cannon balls and grapeshot, in these woods."
+
+"What'll they do now?" asked Tom Ross.
+
+"I don't know," replied Henry.
+
+"I wish I had one uv them spyglasses I saw back east, when I wuz a boy,"
+said Long Jim.
+
+"What's a spyglass?" asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"It's two magnifyin' glasses in short tubes fastened side by side, what
+you put to your eye an' then you bring things near to you an' see 'em
+big."
+
+"Then I wish I had one too, Jim. I'd like to see the face o' that
+British colonel. I know that the blood hez all run to his head an' that
+he's hoppin' mad. Them reg'lar army orficers ain't never much good in
+the woods. I've heard how Braddock had all his forces cut plum' to
+pieces by a heap smaller number o' warriors, 'cause he wouldn't use our
+forest ways. An' I'd like through them glasses to see the face o'
+Braxton Wyatt too, 'cause I know he's turned blue with rage, an' I'd
+like to hear him grindin' his teeth, 'cause I know he's grindin' 'em
+hard, and Blackstaffe must be grindin' in time with him too. An' I'd
+like to see them two chiefs, Yellow Panther an' Red Eagle so mad that
+they're pullin' away at their scalp locks, fit to pull them clean out o'
+their heads."
+
+"Since we ain't got any spyglass," said Long Jim, with a sigh, "we've
+got to imagine a lot uv it, but I've got a fine an' pow'ful imagination,
+an' so hev you, Sol Hyde."
+
+"Yes, I'm seein' the things I want to see. It's cur'us how you kin do
+that sometimes, ef you want to hard enough."
+
+"I think," said Henry, "that they're going to try the flankers now. I
+can see the leaders talking to warriors whom they've called to 'em."
+
+"And does that mean that it's time fur us to light out?" asked Shif'less
+Sol.
+
+"Not yet. The banks on both sides are high and steep for a long
+distance, and we can see anyone who tries to pass. We must spread out.
+Long Jim, our great yeller, the prize yeller of the world, we must leave
+here, and, if any of us bring down any warrior who tries to cross, he
+must yell even better than he did before. Stretch those leather lungs of
+yours, Long Jim, as if you were a pair of bellows."
+
+"You kin depend on me," replied Long Jim complacently. "I'm one that's
+always tryin' to do better than he did before. Ef I've yelled so I could
+be heard a mile then I want to yell the next time so I kin be heard a
+mile an' a half."
+
+Henry and Paul went upstream and Shif'less Sol and Silent Tom down
+stream, taking good care to keep hidden from the very best eyes in the
+savage army. It was not merely the youthful general's object to make a
+delay at the ford--that in itself was of secondary importance--but he
+must turn into a cloud the veil of fear and superstition that he knew
+already enveloped the savage army. They must be smitten by unknown and
+mysterious terrors. The five must make the medicine men who were surely
+with them believe that all the omens were bad. Henry, although the word
+"psychology" was strange to him, knew the power of fear, and he meant to
+concentrate all the skill of the five upon its increase. He felt that
+already many doubters must be in the ranks of the red and superstitious
+army.
+
+"Paul," he said, when they had gone three or four hundred yards, "you
+stay here, and if you see any warriors trying to cross the stream take
+your best aim. I'm going a little farther, and I'll do the same. With
+our great advantages in position we should be able to drive back an
+attack, unless they go a very long distance to make the crossing."
+
+"I'll do my best," said Paul, and Henry went about three hundred yards
+farther, lying close in a clump of laurel, where he could command a
+perfect view of the opposite shore, noticeable there because of a
+considerable dip. It was just such a place as the flanking warriors
+would naturally seek, because the crossing would be easier, and he
+intended to repel them himself.
+
+He lay quite still for a quarter of an hour. Nothing stirred in the
+forest on the other shore, but he had expected to wait. The Indians,
+believing that a formidable force opposed them, would be slow and
+cautious in their advance. So he contained himself in patience, as he
+lay with the slender muzzle of his rifle thrust forward.
+
+Finally, he saw the bushes on the opposite shore move, and a face,
+painted and ghastly, was thrust out. Others followed, a half-dozen
+altogether, and Henry saw them surveying the river and examining his
+own shore. The muzzle of his rifle moved forward a few inches more, but
+he knew that it would be an easy shot.
+
+The leader of the warriors presently began to climb down the bank. He
+was a stalwart fellow and Henry knew by his paint that he was a Miami.
+Again the great youth was loath to fire from ambush, but a desperate
+need drives scruples away, and the rifle muzzle, thrusting forward yet
+an inch or two more, bore directly upon the Indian's heart.
+
+The man was halfway down the bank, about thirty feet high at that point,
+when Henry pulled the trigger. Then the Indian uttered his death yell,
+plunged forward and fell head foremost into the stream. His body shot
+from sight in the water, came up, floated a moment or two with the
+current and then sank back again. The other warriors, appalled, climbed
+back hastily, while from the bushes that fronted the ford below came a
+series of triumphant and tremendous shouts, as Long Jim, hearing the
+shot, poured forth all the glory of his voice.
+
+Truly he surpassed himself. His earlier performance was dimmed by his
+later. The thickets, where he ranged back and forth, shouting his
+triumphant calls, seemed to be full of armed men. His voice sank a
+moment and then came the report of a shot down the stream, followed by
+the death cry. Long Jim knew that it was Shif'less Sol or Silent Tom who
+had pulled the fatal trigger and he began to sing of that triumph also.
+Clear and full his voice came once more, moving rapidly from point to
+point, and Henry in his covert laughed to himself, and with
+satisfaction, at the long man's energy and success.
+
+The great youth did not fail to watch the opposite shore, quite sure
+that the party would not retire with the loss of a single warrior, but
+would make an attempt elsewhere. His eyes continually searched the
+thickets, but they were so dense that they disclosed nothing. Then he
+moved slowly up the stream, believing that they would go farther for the
+second trial, and he was rewarded by the glimpse of a feather among the
+trees. That feather, he knew was interwoven with a scalp lock, and, as
+the slope of the bank there was gradual, he was sure that they were
+coming.
+
+It seemed to Henry that verily the fates fought for him. He knew that
+they were going to try the crossing there, and they would be easy prey
+to the concealed marksman. Even as he knelt he heard Long Jim's voice
+raised again in his mighty song of triumph, and although he could not
+hear the shot now, he was certain that the rifle of Silent Tom or
+Shif'less Sol had found another victim. So they, too, were guarding the
+ford well, and he smiled to himself at the courage and skill of the
+invincible pair.
+
+He saw another scalp lock appear, then another and another, until they
+were eight in all. The warriors remained for several minutes partly
+hidden, scanning the opposite shore, and then one only emerged into full
+view, as if he were feeling the way for the others. Henry changed his
+tactics, and, instead of waiting for the man to begin the descent of the
+cliff, fired at once. The warrior fell back in the bushes, where his
+body lay hidden, but the others set up the death cry, and Henry was so
+sure that they would not try the crossing again soon--at least not
+yet--that he went back to Paul's covert, and the two returned to Long
+Jim. Shif'less Sol and Silent Tom were called in and the leader said:
+
+"I think we've done all we can here. We've created the impression of a
+great force to hold the ford. We've also made them think it can stretch
+far enough to watch its wings. Four warriors just fallen prove that.
+They'll probably send scouts miles up and down the stream to cross, and
+then hunt us out, but that'll take time, until night at least, and maybe
+they won't know positively until morning, because scouting in the
+thickets in the face of an enemy is a dangerous business. So, I propose
+that we use the advantage we've gained."
+
+"In what way?" asked Paul.
+
+"We'll go now. We don't want 'em to find out how few we are, and we
+don't want 'em to learn, either, that we're we."
+
+"That is, they must continue to think that we're behind 'em or on their
+flanks, and that this is another and larger force in their front."
+
+"That's the idea. What say you?"
+
+"I'm for it," said Paul.
+
+"Votin' ez a high private I say too, let's leg it from here," said Long
+Jim.
+
+"The jedgment o' our leader is so sound that thar ain't nothin' more to
+say," quoth the shiftless one.
+
+"Let's go," said Silent Tom.
+
+Then the little band, five against a thousand, rifles against cannon,
+that had victoriously held the ford, stole away with soundless tread
+through the greenwood. But they did not travel southward long. When
+darkness came they turned toward the east, and traveling many miles,
+made camp as they had done once before on a little island in a swamp,
+which they reached by walking on the dead and fallen trees of many
+years. There when they sat down under the trees they could not refrain
+from a few words of triumph and mutual congratulation, because another
+and most important link in the chain had been forged with brilliant
+success.
+
+"Although it's dark and it's seven or eight miles away," said Shif'less
+Sol, "I kin see that Indian army now, a-settin' before the ford, an'
+wonderin' how it's goin' to git across."
+
+"An' I kin hear that savage army now, movin' up an' down, restless
+like," said Long Jim. "I kin hear them redcoat officers, an' them
+renegades, an' them Injun chiefs, grindin' thar upper teeth an' thar
+lower teeth together so hard with anger that they won't be able to eat
+in the mornin'."
+
+"And I can see their wrath and chagrin tomorrow, when their scouts tell
+them no enemy is there," said Paul. "I can tell now how the white
+leaders and the red leaders will rage, and how they will wonder who the
+men were that held them."
+
+"And I can read their minds ahead," said Henry. "The five of us will
+become not a hundred, but two hundred, and every pair of our hands will
+carry forty rifles."
+
+"We've fooled 'em well," said Silent Tom, tersely.
+
+"And now to sleep," said Henry, "because we must begin again in the
+morning."
+
+Soon the five slept the deep sleep that comes after success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE GREAT CULMINATION
+
+
+It could almost be said of them, so sensitive were they to sound or even
+to a noiseless presence, that usually when sleeping they were yet awake,
+that, like the wild animals living in the same forest, warnings came to
+them on the wind itself, and that, though the senses were steeped in
+slumber, the sentinel mind was yet there. But this morning it was not
+so. They slept, not like forest runners, who breathe danger every hour,
+both day and night, but like city dwellers, secure against any foe.
+
+It was Silent Tom who awoke first, to find the day advanced, the sun
+like a gigantic shield of red and gold in the western heavens, and the
+wind of spring blowing through the green foliage. He shook himself,
+somewhat like a big, honest dog, and not awakening the others, walked to
+the edge of their island in the swamp, the firm land not being more than
+thirty feet across.
+
+But on this oasis the trees grew large and close and no one on the
+mainland beyond the swamp could have seen human beings there. The swamp
+was chiefly the result of a low region flooded by heavy spring rains,
+and in the summer would probably be as dry and firm as the oasis itself.
+But, for the present, it was what the pioneers called "drowned lands"
+and was an effective barrier against any ordinary march.
+
+Silent Tom looked toward the north, and saw a coil of smoke against the
+brilliant blue of the sky. It was very far away, but he was quite sure
+that it came from the Indian camp, and its location indicated that they
+had not yet crossed the river. He felt intense satisfaction, but he did
+not even chuckle in his throat, after the border fashion. He had not
+been named Silent Tom for nothing. He was the oldest of the five,
+several years older than Long Jim, who was next in point of age, and he
+was often called Old Tom Ross, although in reality the "old" in that
+case was like the "old" that one college boy uses when he calls another
+"old fellow."
+
+But if Silent Tom did not talk much he thought and felt a very great
+deal. The love of the wilderness was keen in him. Elsewhere he would
+have been like a lion in an iron-barred cage. And, like the rest of the
+five, he would have sacrificed his life to protect those little
+settlements of his own kind to the south. It has been said that usually
+when the five slept they were yet almost awake, but this morning when
+Silent Tom was awake he was also dreaming. He was dreaming of the great
+triumph that they had won on the preceding day: Five against a thousand!
+Rifles against cannon! A triumph not alone of valor but of intellect, of
+wiles and stratagems, of tactics and management!
+
+He did not possess, in the same great degree, the gift of imagination
+which illuminated so nobly the minds and souls of Henry and Paul and the
+shiftless one, but he felt deeply, nevertheless. Matter-of-fact and
+practical, he recognized, that they had won an extraordinary victory, to
+attempt which would not even have entered his own mind, and knowing it,
+he not only gave all credit to those who had conceived it, but admired
+them yet the more. He was beginning to realize now that the impossible
+was nearly always the possible.
+
+Life looked very good to Tom Ross that day. It was bright, keen and full
+of zest. A deeply religious man, in his way, he felt that the forest,
+the river, and all the unseen spirits of earth and air had worked for
+them. The birds singing so joyously among the boughs sang not alone for
+themselves, but also for his four comrades who slept and for him also.
+
+He listened awhile, crossed the swamp on the fallen trees, scouted a
+little and then came back, quite sure that no warrior was within miles
+of them, as they were marching in another direction, and then returned
+to the oasis. The four still slept the sleep of the just and victorious.
+Then Tom, the cunning, smiled to himself, and came very near to uttering
+a deep-throated chuckle.
+
+Opening his little knapsack, he took out a cord of fishing line, with a
+hook, which, with wisdom, he always carried. He tied the line on the end
+of a stick, and, then going eastward from the oasis, he walked across
+the fallen or drifted trees until he came to the permanent channel of a
+creek, into which the flood waters drained. There he dropped his hook,
+having previously procured bait, worms found under a stone.
+
+Doubtless no hook had ever been sunk in those waters before, and the
+fish leaped to the bait. In fifteen minutes he had half a dozen fine
+fellows, which he deftly cleaned with his hunting knife. Then he
+returned, soft-footed, to the island. The four, as he wished, still
+slept. After all, he did have imagination and, a feeling for surprise,
+and the dramatic. Had his comrades awakened then, before his
+preparations were complete, it would have spoiled his pleasure.
+
+It was a short task for one such as he to use flint and steel, and
+kindle a fire on the low side of the island, facing toward the east, but
+yet within the circle of the trees. Dead wood was lying everywhere and
+it burned rapidly. Then, quickly broiling the fish on sharpened ends of
+twigs and laying them on green leaves, he went back and awakened the
+four, who opened their eyes and sat up at the same time.
+
+"What's the smell that's ticklin' my nose?" exclaimed Long Jim.
+
+"Fish," replied Silent Tom gruffly. "Breakfast's ready! Come on!"
+
+The four leaped to their feet, and followed the pleasant odor which grew
+stronger and more savory as they advanced.
+
+"Ain't cooked like you kin do it," said Silent Tom to Long Jim, "but I
+done my best."
+
+"Kings could do no more," said the shiftless one, "an' this is the
+finest surprise I've had in a 'coon's age. I wuz gettin' mighty tired o'
+cold vittles. A lazy man like me needs somethin' hot now an' then to
+stir him up, don't he Jim?"
+
+"Guess he does, an' so do I," said Long Jim, reaching hungrily for a
+fish.
+
+All fell to. The fish were of the finest flavor, and they had been
+cooked well. Silent Tom said nothing, but he glowed with satisfaction.
+
+"How'd you do it, Tom?" asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Line, hook, bait, water, fish," replied Ross, waving his hand in the
+direction of the creek.
+
+"Ain't he the pow'ful talker?" laughed the shiftless one. "When Tom dies
+an' goes up to heaven to take his place in them gran' an' eternal
+huntin' groun's that we've already talked about, the Angel at the gate
+will ask him his name. 'Tom Ross,' he'll say. 'Business on earth?'
+'Hunter an' scout,' 'Ever betrayed a friend?' 'Never,' 'Then pass right
+in,' That's all old Tom will say, not a word wasted in explanations an'
+pologies."
+
+"It'll be shorter than that," said Long Jim.
+
+"How's that?"
+
+"The Angel will ask him jest one question. He'll say, 'Who's your best
+friend on earth?' an' Tom will answer 'Long Jim Hart, what's comin' on
+later,' an' the Angel will say: 'That's enough. Go right in and pick out
+the best place in Heaven fur yourself an' your friends who will be here,
+some day.'"
+
+Silent Tom blushed under the praise which was thoroughly sincere, and
+begged them, severally, to take another fish. But they had enough, and
+prepared to travel again, to forge another link in the chain which they
+were striving so hard to complete.
+
+"What's the plan, Henry?" asked the shiftless one in his capacity as
+lieutenant.
+
+"I think we ought to complete that circle around the Indian army,
+curving to the west and then to the north, until we're in their rear.
+Then we can complete the impression that two forces are attacking 'em,
+one in front and the other behind. What do you think?"
+
+"I'm hot fur roundin' out the circle," replied Shif'less Sol. "I always
+like to see things finished, an' I want to make the warriors think a
+couple o' hundred white riflemen march where only five really make
+tracks."
+
+"Same here," said Jim Hart, "Suits me 'cause I've got long legs, made
+out uv steel wire, close wrapped. I see clear that we've got to do a
+power o' marchin', more of it than fightin'."
+
+"I don't believe any one can think of a better plan," said Paul, "and
+yours, Henry, certainly promises well."
+
+"I'm for it," said Silent Tom.
+
+"Then we go now," said Henry.
+
+The smoke that Tom had seen earlier was gone, and the five believed that
+the Indian army, discovering the absence of their foe, had probably
+crossed the river.
+
+"Since they're on the march again," said Henry, "we can take it slowly
+and need not exhaust ourselves."
+
+"Jest dawdle along," said Shif'less Sol, "an' let 'em pass us.
+
+"Yes, that's it."
+
+"We'll keep far enough away to avoid their scouts and hunters," said
+Paul.
+
+It was really the hunters against whom they had to keep the most
+watchful guard, as so numerous a force ate tremendous quantities of
+game, and, the men seeking it had to spread out to a considerable
+distance on either flank. But if the hunters came, the five were sure
+that they would see them first, and they felt little apprehension.
+
+They passed out of the swampy country, and entered the usual rolling
+region of low hills, clothed in heavy forest, and abounding in game.
+Here they stopped a while in their task of completing the circle, and
+waited while the Indian army marched. Henry calculated that it could not
+go more than a dozen miles a day, since the way had to be cut for the
+cannon, and even if they remained where they were, the Indian army when
+night came, would be very little farther south than the five.
+
+"I vote we turn our short stop into a long one," said Shif'less Sol,
+"since, ef we went on we'd jest have to come back again. An' me bein' a
+lazy man I'm ag'in any useless work. What do you say, Saplin'?"
+
+"I'm with you, Sol, not 'cause I'm lazy, which I ain't, an' never will
+be, but cause it ain't wuth while to go back on our tracks an' then come
+forward ag'in. What I do say is this; since Tom Ross is such a good
+fisher I reckon he might take his hook an' line an' go east to the
+creek, which can't be fur from here, an' ketch some more fish jest ez
+good ez them we had this mornin'. After dark I'll cook 'em, takin' the
+trouble off his hands."
+
+All fell in with the suggestion, including Tom himself, and after a
+while he went away on the errand, returning in due time with plenty of
+fish as good as the others. This time Long Jim cooked them when night
+came, in a low place behind the trees, and once more they had warm and
+delicate food.
+
+When the moon rose in a clear sky, they were able to trace the smoke of
+the Indian campfire, almost due west of them, as they calculated it
+would be, and a long distance away. Henry regarded it thoughtfully and
+Paul knew that his mind was concentrated upon some plan.
+
+"What is it?" he asked at last.
+
+"I think some of us ought to go late tonight and see what chance we have
+at the guns."
+
+"You'll take me with you, Henry?"
+
+"No, Paul. It'll have to be Shif'less Sol, while the rest of you stand
+by as a reserve. What call shall we use, the owl or the wolf?"
+
+"Let it be the wolf," said the shiftless one, "'cause I feel like a wolf
+tonight, ready to snap at an' bite them that's tryin' to hurt our
+people."
+
+"Sol gits mighty ferocious when thar ain't anythin' more terrible than a
+rabbit close by," said Long Jim.
+
+"It ain't that. It's my knowin' that you'll run to my help ef I git into
+trouble," said Shif'less Sol.
+
+Paul felt a little disappointment, but it disappeared quickly. He knew
+that Shif'less Sol was the one who ought to go, and in the high tasks
+they had set for themselves there were enough dangers for all.
+
+"Then it will be the cry of the wolf," said Henry. "To most people their
+yelps are alike, but not to us. You won't forget the particular kind of
+howl that Sol and I give forth?"
+
+"Never," said Long Jim. "Thar ain't another sech wolf in the woods ez
+Shif'less Sol."
+
+A few more brief words and Henry and his comrade were gone, traveling at
+a swift rate toward the Indian camp. Dark and the forest separated the
+two from the three, but they could send their signal cries at any time
+across the intervening space, and communication was not interrupted.
+They advanced in silence several miles, and then they became very
+cautious, because they knew that they were within the fringe of scouts
+and hunters. With so many to feed it was likely that the Indians would
+hunt by night, especially as the wild turkeys were numerous, and it was
+easy to obtain them in the dark.
+
+Both Henry and Shif'less Sol saw turkey signs, and their caution
+increased, when they noticed a dozen dusky figures of large birds on
+boughs near by, sure proof that the warriors would soon be somewhere in
+the neighborhood, if they were not so already. They began to stoop now,
+and use cover all the way, and presently Henry felt that their
+precautions were well taken, as a faint but distant sound, not native to
+the forest, came to his ear.
+
+"There, Sol!" he whispered. "Did you hear it? To the right."
+
+The shiftless one listened a moment or two and replied:
+
+"Yes, I kin make it out."
+
+"I say it's the twang of a bowstring, Sol."
+
+"So do I, Henry."
+
+"They're probably shooting the turkeys out of the trees with arrows.
+Saves noise and their powder and lead, too."
+
+"Wherein the Injun shows a heap o' sense, Henry."
+
+"I can hear more than one bow twanging now, Sol. The turkeys must be
+plentiful hereabouts, but even with bows and arrows only used against
+'em they're bound to take alarm soon."
+
+"Yes, thar go some o' 'em gobblin' now, an' they're flyin' this way."
+
+They heard the whirr of wings carrying heavy bodies, and frightened
+turkeys flew directly over their heads. As the Indians might come in
+pursuit, Henry and Shif'less Sol lay down among the bushes. A shouting
+broke out near them, and the forest, for a wide space, was filled with
+the whirring of wings.
+
+"The biggest flock o' wild turkeys that ever wuz must hev roosted right
+'roun' us," said Shif'less Sol, "'cause I seem to see 'em by the
+dozens."
+
+"More likely fifteen or twenty flocks were scattered about through the
+woods, and now they have all joined in a common flight."
+
+"Mebbe so, but whether one flock or twenty j'ined, this is suttinly
+Turkeyland. An' did you ever see sech fine turkeys. Look at that king
+gobbler, Henry, flyin' right over our heads! He must weigh fifty pounds
+ef he weighs an ounce, an' his wattles are a wonder to look at. An' I
+kin see him lookin' right down at me, ez he passes an' I kin hear him
+sayin': 'I ain't afeared o' you, Sol Hyde, even ef you hev got a gun in
+your hand. I kin fly low over your head, so low that I'll brush you with
+my wings, and with my red wattles, which are a wonder to see, an' you
+dassn't fire. I've got you where I want you, Sol Hyde. I ain't afeard
+o' anything but Injuns tonight.'"
+
+Shif'less Sol's words were so lugubrious that Henry was compelled to
+laugh under his breath. It did look like an injustice of fate, when
+hunters so keen as they, were compelled to lie quiet, while wild turkeys
+in hundreds flew over their heads, and although the shiftless one may
+have exaggerated a little about the king gobbler, Henry saw that many of
+them were magnificent specimens of their kind. Yet to lie and stir not
+was the price of life, as they soon saw.
+
+Indians came running through the great grove, discharging arrows at the
+turkeys, many of which flew low, and the air was filled with the
+twanging of bow strings. Not a rifle or musket was fired, the warriors
+seeming to rely wholly upon their ancient weapons for this night hunt.
+They appeared to be in high good humor, too, as the two crouching scouts
+heard them laughing and chattering as they picked up the fallen birds,
+and then sent arrows in search of more.
+
+Shif'less Sol became more and more uneasy. Here was a grand hunt going
+well forward and he not a part of it. Instead he had to crouch among
+bushes and flatten himself against the soil like an earthworm, while the
+twanging of the bows made music, and the eager shouts stirred every
+vein.
+
+The hunt swept off to the westward. The dusky figures of warriors and
+turkeys disappeared in the brush, and Henry and Shif'less Sol, ceasing
+to be earthworms, rose to their knees.
+
+"They didn't see us," said the shiftless one, "but it was hard to stay
+hid."
+
+"But here we are alive and safe. Now, I think, Sol, we'd better go on
+straight toward their camp, but keep a lookout at the same time for
+those fellows, when they come back."
+
+They could not hear the twang of bowstrings now, but the shouts still
+came to them, though much softened by the distance. Presently they too
+died away, and with silence returning to the forest Henry and Shif'less
+Sol stood upright. They listened only a moment or two, and then advanced
+directly toward the camp. Crossing the brook they went around a cluster
+of thorn bushes, and came face to face with two men. Shif'less Sol,
+quick as a panther, swung his clubbed rifle like lightning and the
+foremost of the two, a Shawnee warrior, dropped like a log, and Henry,
+too close for action, seized the other by the throat in his powerful
+hands.
+
+It was not a great and brawny throat into which those fingers of steel
+settled, and its owner began to gasp quickly. Then Henry noticed that he
+held in his grasp not an Indian, but a white man, or rather a boy, a
+fair English boy, a youthful and open face upon which the forest had not
+yet set its tan.
+
+He released his grasp slowly. He could not bear the pain and terror in
+the eyes of the slender English youth, who, though he wore the uniform
+of a subaltern, seemed so much out of place there in the deep woods. Yet
+the forester meant to take no needless risk.
+
+"Promise that you will not cry out and I spare you," he said, his blue
+eyes looking straight into those of the lad, which returned his gaze
+with defiance. The steel grasp settled down again.
+
+"Better promise," said Henry. "It's your only chance."
+
+The obstinate look passed out of his eyes, and the lad nodded, as he
+could not speak. Then Henry took away his hand and said:
+
+"Remember your word."
+
+The English youth nodded again, gurgled two or three times, and rubbed
+his throat:
+
+"'Twas a mighty grip you had upon me. Who are you?"
+
+"The owners of this forest, and we've jest been tellin' you that you've
+no business here on our grounds," said the shiftless one.
+
+The boy--he was nothing more--stared at them in astonishment. It was
+obvious to the two forest runners that he had little acquaintance with
+the woods. His eyes filled with wonder as he gazed upon the two fierce
+faces, and the two powerful figures, arrayed in buckskin.
+
+"Your forest?" he said.
+
+"Yes," replied Henry quietly, "and bear in mind that I held your life in
+my hands. Had you been an Indian you would be dead now."
+
+"I won't forget it," said the youth, who seemed honest enough, "and I'm
+not going to cry out and bring the warriors down upon you for two very
+good reasons--because I've promised not to do so, and if I did, I know
+that your comrade there would shoot me down the next instant."
+
+"I shorely would," said Shif'less Sol, grimly.
+
+"And now," said Henry, "what is your name and what are you doing here?"
+
+"My name is Roderick Cawthorne, I'm a subaltern in the British army, and
+I came over to help put down the rebels, in accordance with my duty to
+my king and country. All this land is under our rule."
+
+"Do you think so?" asked Henry. "Do you think that this wilderness,
+which extends a thousand miles in every direction, is under your rule?"
+
+The young subaltern looked around at the dark forest and shivered a
+little.
+
+"Technically, yes," he replied, "but it's a long way from Eton."
+
+"What's Eton?"
+
+"Eton is a school in England, a school for the sons of gentlemen."
+
+"I see. And would I be considered the son of a gentleman?"
+
+Young Cawthorne looked up at the tanned and powerful face bent over him.
+He had already noted Henry's good English, and, feeling the compelling
+gaze of one who was born to be a master, he replied, sincerely and
+cheerfully:
+
+"Yes, the son of a gentleman, and a gentleman yourself."
+
+"An' I'm a gentleman too," said Shif'less Sol. "My good rifle says so
+every time."
+
+"It was the power of earlier weapons that started the line of
+gentlemen," said Cawthorne. "Now what do you two gentlemen propose to do
+with me?"
+
+"Do you know what would be done with us if things were changed about?"
+asked Henry, "and we were the prisoners of you and the colonel and the
+red men with whom you travel?"
+
+"No. What would it be?"
+
+"You'd have the pleasure of standing by and seeing the two of us burned
+alive at the stake. We wouldn't be burned quickly. It can be protracted
+for hours, and it's often done to our people by your allies."
+
+The young Englishman paled.
+
+"Surely it can't be so!" he said.
+
+"But surely it is so!" said the young forester fiercely.
+
+"I'm at your mercy."
+
+"We ain't goin' to burn you now," said Shif'less Sol. "We can't afford
+to set up a big torch in the forest, with our enemies so near."
+
+Cawthorne shivered.
+
+"Do you still feel," asked Henry, "that you're the ruler over the
+wilderness here, five thousand miles from London?"
+
+"Technically only. At the present time I'm making no boasts."
+
+"Now, you go back to your colonel and the renegades and the red chiefs
+and tell them they'll find no thoroughfare to the white settlements."
+
+"So, you don't mean to kill me?"
+
+"No, we don't do that sort of thing. Since we can't hold you a prisoner
+now, we release you. It's likely that you don't know your way to your
+own camp, but your red comrade here will guide you. My friend didn't
+break his skull, when he struck him with the butt of his rifle, though
+it was a shrewd blow. He's coming to."
+
+Cawthorne looked down at the reviving savage, and then looked up to
+thank the foresters, but they were gone. They had vanished so quickly
+and silently that he had not heard them going. Had it not been for the
+savage who was now sitting up he would not have believed that it was
+real.
+
+Henry and the shiftless one had dropped down in the bushes only a little
+distance away, and, by the moonlight, they saw the look of bewilderment
+on the face of the young Englishman.
+
+"It don't hardly look fair to our people that we should let him go,"
+said the shiftless one.
+
+"But we had to," Henry whispered back. "It was either kill him or let
+him go, and neither you nor I, Sol, could kill him. You know that."
+
+"Yes, I know it."
+
+"Now, the warrior has all his senses back, though his head is likely to
+ache for a couple of days. We don't lose anything by letting them have
+their lives, Sol. The talk of their encounter with us will grow mightily
+as they go back to the Indian army. The warrior scarcely caught a
+glimpse of us, and he's likely to say that he was struck down by an evil
+spirit. Cawthorne's account of his talk with us will not weaken him in
+his belief. Instead it will make him sure that we're demons who spared
+them in order that they might carry a warning to their comrades."
+
+"I see it, Henry. It's boun' to be the way you say it is, an' our luck
+is still workin' fur us."
+
+They saw the English lad and the warrior turn back toward the camp, and
+then they rose, going away swiftly at a right angle from their original
+course. After pursuing it a while, they curved in again toward the camp.
+
+In a half-hour they saw the distant flare of lights, and knew that they
+were close to the Indian army. They were able by stalking, carried on
+with infinite pains and skill, to approach so near that they could see
+into the open, where the fires were burning, but not near enough to
+achieve anything of use.
+
+Alloway, Cartwright, the renegades and the chiefs stood together, and
+Cawthorne, and the warrior who had been with him, stood before them.
+Evidently they had just got back, and were telling their tale. Both of
+the foresters laughed inwardly. Their achievement gave them much
+pleasure, and they felt that they were making progress toward forging
+the new link in the chain.
+
+"Can you see the cannon?" whispered Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Over there at the far edge. The ammunition wagons carrying the powder
+and the balls and the grapeshot are drawn up between them. But we can't
+get at 'em, Sol. Not now, at least."
+
+"No, but see, Henry, a lot of them warriors are beginnin' to dance, an'
+thar are two medicine men among 'em. They've overheard the news o' what
+we've done, an' they're gittin' excited. They're shore now the evil
+sperrits are all 'roun' 'em."
+
+"Looks like it, Sol, and those medicine men are not afraid of Alloway,
+the renegades, the chiefs or anybody else. They're encouraging the
+dancing."
+
+Henry and the shiftless one saw the medicine men through the glow of the
+lofty flames, and they looked strange and sinister to the last degree.
+One was wrapped in a buffalo hide with the head and horns over his own
+head, the other was made up as a bear. The glare through which they were
+seen, magnified them to twice or thrice their size, and gave them a tint
+of blood. They looked like two monsters walking back and forth before
+the warriors.
+
+"The seed we planted is shorely growin' up good an' strong," whispered
+Shif'less Sol.
+
+More and more warriors joined in the chant of the medicine men. The two
+saw Alloway gesture furiously toward them, and then they saw Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle shake their heads. The two interpreted the
+movements easily. Alloway wanted the chiefs to stop the chanting which
+had in it the double note of awe and fear, and Yellow Panther and Red
+Eagle disclaimed any power to do so.
+
+Again the foresters laughed inwardly, as the monstrous and misshapen
+figures of the two medicine men careered back and forth in the flaming
+light. They knew that at this moment their power over the warriors was
+supreme. The more Alloway raged the more he weakened his own influence.
+
+"An' now they're dancin' with all their might," whispered the shiftless
+one. "Look how they bound an' twist an' jump! Henry, you an' me have
+seed some wild sights together, but this caps 'em."
+
+It was in truth a most extraordinary scene, this wild dance of the
+hundreds in the depths of the primeval forest. Around and around they
+went, led by the two medicine men, the bear and the buffalo, and the
+hideous, monotonous chant swelled through all the forest. It did not now
+contain the ring of triumph and anticipation. Instead it was filled with
+grief for the fallen, fear of the evil spirits that filled the air, and
+of Manitou who had turned his face away from them.
+
+Alloway and the white men who were left, drew to one side. Henry could
+imagine the rage of the colonel at his helplessness, and he could
+imagine too that he must feel a thrill of awe at the wild scene passing
+before him. The time and the circumstances must work upon the feelings
+of a white man, no matter how stout his heart.
+
+"If we could strike another good strong blow now," said the shiftless
+one, "I think they would break into a panic."
+
+"True," said Henry, "but we must not depart from our original purpose to
+get at the cannon. I don't think we can do it tonight and so we'd better
+withdraw. Maybe we'll have another chance tomorrow night."
+
+"I'm agreein' with you, Henry, an' I'm beginnin' to think mighty like
+the warriors do, that Manitou, which is jest their name for our God,
+turns his face upon you or turns his face away from you."
+
+"It looks so, Sol. I suppose the Indians in most ways don't differ much
+from us. Only they're a lot more superstitious."
+
+Slowly they crept away, but when they finally rose to their feet in the
+depths of the forest they could still see the glow of the great fires
+behind them. Henry and the shiftless one knew that the Indians had been
+heaping logs upon coals until the flames sprang up fifteen or twenty
+feet, and that around them nearly the whole army was now dancing and
+singing. The wailing note of so many voices still reached them, shrill,
+piercing and so full of lament that the nerves of the forest runners
+themselves were upset.
+
+"I want to git away from here," said the shiftless one, and then he
+added wistfully: "I wish we could strike our big blow, whatever it is,
+tonight, Henry. Their state o' mind is terrible. They're right on edge,
+an' ef we could do somethin' they'd break, shore."
+
+"I know it," said Henry, "but we're not able to get at what we want to
+reach."
+
+Nevertheless they stood there, and listened some time to the wailing
+note of all the hundreds who were oppressed and afraid, because the face
+of Manitou was so obviously turned from them.
+
+Henry and the shiftless one, as they returned toward their comrades whom
+they had left behind, did not relax their caution, knowing that hunting
+parties were still abroad, and that veteran chiefs like Yellow Panther
+and Red Eagle had sent scouts ahead. Twice they struck trails, and
+fragments of feathers left on the bushes by warriors returning with
+turkeys.
+
+They were at least two miles from the camp when they heard noises that
+indicated the passage of a small body of the Indians, and as they
+stepped behind trees to conceal themselves Shif'less Sol's foot suddenly
+sank with a bubbling sound into an oozy spot. In an instant, all the
+Indians stopped. Henry and his comrade heard rustling sounds for a
+moment, and then there was complete silence. The two knew that the
+warriors had taken to cover, and that probably they would not escape
+without a fight. They were intensely annoyed as they wished to return to
+Paul, Long Jim and Silent Tom.
+
+The shiftless one withdrew his foot from the ooze, and he and Henry
+crouched on dry ground, watching with eye and ear for any movement in
+the thicket opposite. They knew that the warriors, with infinite
+patience, were waiting in the same manner, and it was likely that the
+delay would be long.
+
+"Luck has turned ag'in us fur a little bit," whispered Shif'less Sol,
+"but I can't think that after favorin' us fur so long it'll leave us fur
+good."
+
+"I don't think so either," said Henry. "I hear one of them moving."
+
+"That bein' the case we'll lay nearly flat," said Shif'less Sol.
+
+It was well they did so, as a rifle flashed in the thicket before them,
+and a bullet cut the leaves over their heads. They did not reply, but
+crept silently to one side. A few minutes later another bullet crashed
+through the bushes at the same place, and this time Henry fired by the
+flash. He heard a low cry, followed by silence and he was sure that his
+bullet had struck a target. Shif'less Sol held his rifle ready in case a
+rush should come, but there was none, and Henry reloaded rapidly.
+
+A full half-hour of waiting followed, in which only a single shot was
+fired, and that by the warriors, to go wide of the mark, as usual, and
+the wrath of Henry and the shiftless one, at being held there so long,
+became intense. It seemed the veriest piece of irony that this
+unfortunate chance should have occurred, but Henry presently recalled
+the arrangement they had made with the three, wondering why they had not
+thought of it sooner.
+
+"The warriors are before us," he whispered to Shif'less Sol, "and Long
+Jim, Paul and Tom are behind us. They may have heard the rifle shots or
+they may not, but at any rate there is something that will carry
+further."
+
+"You mean the howl of the wolf! O' course, that's our call to them."
+
+"Yes, and if we bring 'em up it won't be hard to drive off this band."
+
+"Let me give the signal then, Henry. Ef Long Jim is the best yeller
+among us mebbe I'm the best howler. I'm right proud o' bein' a wolf
+sometimes, an' I feel like one jest now."
+
+"Go back then some distance," said Henry. "When the boys come up you
+must meet 'em and not let 'em run into any ambush."
+
+The shiftless one glided away toward the rear, and Henry, lying almost
+flat on the grass and watching the thickets in front of him so intensely
+that no warrior could have crept out of them unseen, waited. At the end
+of five minutes he heard behind him a note, low at first, but swelling
+gradually so high that it pierced the sky and filled the forest. It was
+fierce, prolonged, seeming to come from the throat of a monster wolf,
+and, as it died away, a similar cry came from a point far back in the
+forest. The wolf near by howled again, and the wolf deep in the forest
+replied in like fashion. The signal was complete, and Henry knew that
+Paul, Silent Tom and Long Jim would come fast to help.
+
+There was a stirring in the thicket before him, evidently prompted by
+the signals, and another vain bullet crashed through the bushes. Henry
+fired once more at the flash, but he could not tell whether or not he
+had hit anything, although it was sufficient to hold the warriors in the
+bush. Evidently they did not consider themselves strong enough for a
+rush, and again he waited patiently, judging that the three would arrive
+in twenty minutes at the furthest.
+
+They came several minutes within the allotted time. He heard soft
+rustlings behind him, and then the five were reunited and ready for
+action.
+
+"Sol, you creep around on the right flank, and Tom, you take the left,"
+whispered the young general. "They're not in numbers and I think we can
+soon rout 'em without loss to ourselves."
+
+The flanking movement was carried out perfectly. Shif'less Sol and
+Silent Tom opened fire on the right and on the left at the same time,
+and the other three, sending in bullets from the center, began to shout
+the charge, although they did no charging. But it was sufficient. They
+saw dusky figures darting away, and then, rising from the bushes the
+three divisions of their small army met victoriously upon the field,
+abandoned by the enemy in such haste.
+
+They saw red stains, and then a dark form almost hidden in the grass, a
+powerful warrior, painted hideously and dead an hour. Henry looked down
+at him thoughtfully. The retreating warriors had taken away his weapons,
+but his paint bag and the little charms against evil spirits remained,
+tied to his belt. It was the paint bag that held Henry's eye, and,
+holding it, gave him the idea.
+
+He detached the bag, the waistcloth and moccasins, and calling to his
+comrades retreated farther into the forest. Every one of them, as they
+watched his actions, divined his intent.
+
+"You're going to disguise yourself and go into the Indian camp," said
+Paul, when they stopped. "I wouldn't do it. The risk is too great.
+Besides, what can you do?"
+
+"I went among 'em once and came back alive," said Henry, "and I think I
+can do it again. Besides, I mean to accomplish something."
+
+"I'm to go with you, o' course?" said Shif'less Sol, eagerly.
+
+Henry shook his head.
+
+"No, Sol," he said reluctantly. "There's only equipment for one, and it
+must be me. But the rest of you can hang on the outskirts, and if I give
+a cry for help you may come. It will be, as before, the howl of the
+wolf, and now, boys, we will work fast, because I must strike, while
+they're still in the frenzy, created by the medicine men."
+
+Henry took off his own clothing, and, with a shudder, put on the
+leggings and breechcloth of the dead Indian. Then Shif'less Sol and Tom
+Ross painted him from the waist up in a ghastly manner, and, with their
+heartfelt wishes for his safety and success, he departed for the camp,
+the others following in silence not far behind. He soon heard the sound
+of the chant and he knew that the orgie was proceeding. An Indian dance
+could last two days and nights without stopping, fresh warriors always
+replacing those who dropped from exhaustion.
+
+It was now far past midnight, and Henry was quite sure that all the
+hunters had gone. The little party which he and his comrades had fought
+had probably spread already the tale of a mysterious foe with whom they
+had met, and who had slain one of their number. And the story,
+exaggerated much in the telling, would add to the number and power of
+the evil spirits oppressing the red army.
+
+Keeping for the present well hidden in the forest, Henry approached the
+fires which had now been heaped up to an amazing height, from which
+lofty flames leaped and which sent off sparks in millions. The chant was
+wilder than ever, rolling in weird echoes through the forest, the
+dancers leaping to and fro, their faces bathed in perspiration, their
+eyes filled with the glare of temporary madness. The Englishmen and
+renegades had gone to small tents pitched at the edge of the wood, but
+Yellow Panther and Red Eagle stood and watched the dancers.
+
+All things were distorted in the mingled dusk and glow of the fires, and
+Henry, bending low that his great stature might not be noticed, edged
+gradually in and joined the dancers. For a while, none was more furious
+than he. He leaped and he swung his arms, and he chanted, until the
+perspiration ran down his face, and none looked wilder than he. In the
+multitude nobody knew that he was a stranger, nor would the glazed eyes
+of the dancers have noticed that he was one, anyhow.
+
+Nevertheless he was watching keenly, while he leaped and shouted, and
+his eyes were for the cannon, drawn up just within the edge of the
+forest, with the ammunition wagons between them. After a while he moved
+cautiously in their direction, threw himself panting on the grass, where
+others already lay in the stupor of exhaustion, and then, taking hold of
+one of the burning brands which the wind had blown from the bonfires, he
+edged slowly toward the forest and the wagons.
+
+This was the last link in the chain, but if it were not forged all the
+others would be in vain. Three or four times he stopped motion
+altogether, and lay flat on the ground. Through the red haze he dimly
+saw the figures of Yellow Panther and Red Eagle who stood side by side,
+and he saw also the two medicine men, the Bear and the Buffalo, who
+danced as if they were made of steel, and who continually incited the
+others.
+
+Henry himself began to feel the effect of the dancing and of the wild
+cheering, which was like a continuous mad incantation. His blood had
+never before leaped so wildly and he saw through a red haze all the
+time. He felt for the moment almost like an Indian, or rather as if he
+had returned to some primeval incarnation. But it did not make him feel
+one with those around him. Instead it incited him to extreme effort and
+greater daring.
+
+He edged himself forward slowly, dragging the torch upon the ground. He
+still saw Blackstaffe and Wyatt at the edge of the opening some distance
+away, but they were gazing at the great mass of the dancers. Alloway
+presently came from his tent and also stood looking on, though he did
+not join the renegades. Henry could imagine his feelings, his bitter
+disappointment. But then, one must know something about Indians before
+undertaking to go on campaigns with them. He hoped, however, that young
+Cawthorne would remain in his tent.
+
+His slow creeping lasted ten minutes. He felt now that he had reached
+the very crisis of the campaign made by the five, and he must not make
+the slightest slip of any kind. He reached the grass behind the wagons
+and lay there four or five minutes without stirring. He discovered then
+that besides those between the cannon there were four behind them loaded
+with powder. The horses were tethered in the woods two or three hundred
+yards away. He was glad that so much distance separated them from the
+cannon and powder.
+
+The torch, although he kept it concealed in the grass, was beginning to
+crackle. The problem was not yet simple, but he thought rapidly. The
+wagons were covered with canvas. Reaching up, he quickly cut off a long
+strip with his hunting knife. Then he inserted the strip inside the
+wagon and into the powder, driving the knife deep through canvas and
+wood, and leaving it, thrust there to hold the strip fast.
+
+The other end of the thick canvas fell from the wagon to the ground, a
+length of about a foot lying in the grass. He ignited this with his
+torch, and saw it begin to burn with a steady creeping flame. Then he
+moved swiftly away until he reached the edge of the forest, when he rose
+and ran with all his might. Three or four hundred yards distant, he
+stopped and uttered the cry of the wolf. The answer came instantly from
+a point very near, and in two minutes the four joined him.
+
+"Is it arranged?" exclaimed Paul.
+
+"Yes," replied Henry. "There's a chance of a slip, of course. The torch
+is set and burning. An Indian may see it and put it out, but I
+don't----"
+
+The sentence was never finished. The night was rent by a terrible crash,
+and as they were looking toward the Indian camp they saw a pyramid of
+fire shoot far up into the sky, and then sink back again. A half minute
+of dreadful silence followed, when every leaf and blade of grass seemed
+to stand still, and then through the distance came a long and piercing
+lament.
+
+"It's done!" said the shiftless one, speaking in a tone of awe.
+
+"The cannon are blown to pieces," said Paul.
+
+"Nothin' but scattered metal now!" said Long Jim.
+
+"Busted up, shore!" said Silent Tom.
+
+"They'll be running in a panic presently," said Henry, "and they won't
+stop until they're far across the Ohio."
+
+The hearts of the five swelled. They alone, five against a thousand,
+rifles against cannon, had defeated the great Indian army headed by
+artillery. They had equalled the knights of old--perhaps had surpassed
+them--although it was not done by valor alone, but also by wile and
+stratagem, by mind and leadership. Intellect had been well allied with
+bravery.
+
+But they said little, and turning back into the deeps of the forest,
+they slept until morning.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The five rose at dawn, and went swiftly to the place where the Indian
+camp had stood, to find there, as they had expected, complete silence
+and desolation. The ruin was utter. All the wagons had been blown to
+bits, and the cannon were shattered so thoroughly that they lay in
+fragments. Probably Indians near by had been killed, but the warriors,
+following their custom, had taken their dead away with them.
+
+Henry, looking near the edge of the forest, suddenly started back at a
+gleam of red among the bushes. He knew that it had come from a red coat,
+and when he looked again he saw the body of Colonel Alloway lying there.
+He had been hit in the head by a piece of flying metal and evidently had
+been killed instantly. Doubtless the other English had wanted to bury
+him, but the panic of the Indians had compelled them to leave him,
+although they took their own dead.
+
+"We'll bury him, because he was a white man," said Henry.
+
+They dug a grave with their knives and hatchets and laid him in it,
+putting stones over the dirt to keep prowling wild animals from digging
+there, and then took the Indian trail.
+
+It was a trail so wide and deep that a blind man could have followed it.
+The panic evidently had been terrible. The warriors had thrown away
+blankets, and in some cases weapons. Henry found a fine hunting knife,
+with which he replaced the one he had used to pin down his fuse, and
+Silent Tom found a fine green blanket which he added to his own.
+
+They followed to the Ohio River, and some distance beyond. Then,
+satisfied that this expedition was routed utterly, they came back into
+Kentucky.
+
+"I'd like to go to that little house of ours inside the cliff," said
+Paul.
+
+"So would I," said Long Jim. "It's the snuggest home we've ever found
+inside the wilderness."
+
+"An' Indian proof, ez we've proved," said the shiftless one.
+
+"Good fur rest," said Silent Tom.
+
+"Then we go there," said Henry.
+
+They reached the valley the next day and climbed up into the cleft which
+had been a home and a fortress for them. It was sweet and clean, full of
+fresh, pure air, and the tiny rill was trickling away merrily. Nothing
+had been disturbed.
+
+"Now ain't this fine?" said Long Jim, coming outside and looking over
+the hills. "Paul, I've heard you talk about palaces, them that the old
+Greeks an' Romans had, an' them that they hev now in Europe, but I know
+that thar has never been one among 'em ez snug an' safe an' cozy ez
+this."
+
+"At least," said the shiftless one, "I don't believe any o' 'em ever had
+a water supply like ourn, clean, cool, an' unfailin'."
+
+Silent Tom took something from his knapsack.
+
+"I'm goin' to git some fish in that creek farther down," he said. "You'd
+better hev your fire ready. Out here on the shelf is a good place."
+
+Long Jim, happy in the task that he liked, hurried away in search of
+dead wood. The others carried dried leaves into the hollow and made
+places for their beds.
+
+Silent Tom caught plenty of good fish, to which they added venison and
+buffalo steaks, and, sitting on the shelf they ate and were at peace.
+The glow of triumph was still in their hearts. Alone, they had achieved
+a great deed for the sake of humanity. They had been through their
+Iliad, and like the heroes of antiquity, they took their well-earned
+rest.
+
+The foliage was now in its deepest flush of green. Henry, as he looked
+over a vast expanse of wilderness, saw nothing but green, green, the
+unbroken green that he loved.
+
+A bird in a tree over their heads began to pour forth a volume of clear,
+triumphant song, and the five looked upon it as a voice meant for them.
+
+"It's the last touch," said Paul.
+
+"And the victory is complete," said Henry.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL***
+
+
+******* This file should be named 25596-8.txt or 25596-8.zip *******
+
+
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/5/9/25596
+
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://www.gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
diff --git a/25596-8.zip b/25596-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..30a2bbb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-8.zip
diff --git a/25596-h.zip b/25596-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c832dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-h.zip
diff --git a/25596-h/25596-h.htm b/25596-h/25596-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ede436
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-h/25596-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,10017 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+<head>
+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" />
+<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Keepers of the Trail, by Joseph A. Altsheler</title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+/*<![CDATA[  XML blockout */
+<!--
+    p {  margin-top: .75em;
+         text-align: justify;
+         margin-bottom: .75em;
+         }
+    h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {
+         text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+         clear: both;
+         }
+    hr { width: 33%;
+	 margin-top: 2em;
+	 margin-bottom: 2em;
+         margin-left: auto;
+         margin-right: auto;
+         clear: both;
+       }
+
+
+    body{margin-left: 10%;
+         margin-right: 10%;
+        }
+
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+            /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+                position: absolute;
+                left: 92%;
+                font-size: smaller;
+                text-align: right;
+              } /* page numbers */
+
+    .tocnum  {position: absolute; top: auto; right: 4%;}
+
+
+    .center   {text-align: center;}
+    .smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+
+    .footnotes        {border: dashed 1px;}
+    .footnote         {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;}
+    .footnote .label  {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;}
+    .fnanchor         {vertical-align: super; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;}
+
+    .poem             {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;}
+    .poem br          {display: none;}
+    .poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem span.i0     {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i2     {display: block; margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i4     {display: block; margin-left: 2em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+
+    hr.full { width: 100%;
+              margin-top: 3em;
+              margin-bottom: 0em;
+              margin-left: auto;
+              margin-right: auto;
+              height: 4px;
+              border-width: 4px 0 0 0; /* remove all borders except the top one */
+              border-style: solid;
+              border-color: #000000;
+              clear: both; }
+    pre      {font-size: 85%;}
+    // -->
+    /* XML end  ]]>*/
+    </style>
+</head>
+<body>
+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Keepers of the Trail, by Joseph A.
+Altsheler</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: The Keepers of the Trail</p>
+<p>       A Story of the Great Woods</p>
+<p>Author: Joseph A. Altsheler</p>
+<p>Release Date: May 25, 2008  [eBook #25596]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Josephine Paolucci,<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    (http://www.pgdp.net)</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h1><i>The</i> KEEPERS<br /> OF THE TRAIL</h1>
+
+<h2>A STORY OF THE GREAT WOODS</h2>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER</h2>
+
+<h4>AUTHOR OF "THE YOUNG TRAILERS," "THE FOREST RUNNERS," ETC.</h4>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>APPLETON-CENTURY</h3>
+
+<h4>NEW YORK</h4>
+
+
+<p class="center">
+<span class="smcap">Copyright</span>, 1916, <span class="smcap">by</span><br />
+D. APPLETON AND COMPANY<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><i>All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, must not be
+reproduced in any form without permission of the publishers.</i></p>
+
+<p>Copyright, 1944, by Sallie B. Altsheler</p>
+
+<p>Printed in the United States of America</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>FOREWORD</h2>
+
+
+<p>"The Keepers of The Trail" deals with an episode, hitherto unrelated, in
+the lives of Henry Ware, Paul Cotter, Shif'less Sol Hyde, Long Jim Hart,
+and Silent Tom Ross. In point of time it follows "The Forest Runners,"
+and, so, is the third volume of the "Young Trailer" series.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+<p>
+CHAPTER                                   <span class="tocnum">PAGE</span><br />
+<br />
+I. <span class="smcap">Henry in His Kingdom</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_1'>1</a></span><br />
+<br />
+II. <span class="smcap">The Big Guns</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_23'>23</a></span><br />
+<br />
+III. <span class="smcap">The Indian Camp</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_41'>41</a></span><br />
+<br />
+IV. <span class="smcap">The Deed in the Water</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_61'>61</a></span><br />
+<br />
+V. <span class="smcap">The Forest Joker</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_83'>83</a></span><br />
+<br />
+VI. <span class="smcap">The King Wolf</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_101'>101</a></span><br />
+<br />
+VII. <span class="smcap">The Forest Poets</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_123'>123</a></span><br />
+<br />
+VIII. <span class="smcap">The Path of Danger</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_140'>140</a></span><br />
+<br />
+IX. <span class="smcap">The Keepers of the Cleft</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_164'>164</a></span><br />
+<br />
+X. <span class="smcap">Besieged</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_187'>187</a></span><br />
+<br />
+XI. <span class="smcap">The Shiftless One</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_207'>207</a></span><br />
+<br />
+XII. <span class="smcap">On the Great Trail</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_230'>230</a></span><br />
+<br />
+XIII. <span class="smcap">Five Against A Thousand</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_251'>251</a></span><br />
+<br />
+XIV. <span class="smcap">Holding the Ford</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_270'>270</a></span><br />
+<br />
+XV. <span class="smcap">The Great Culmination</span>        <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_293'>293</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL</h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<h3>HENRY IN HIS KINGDOM</h3>
+
+
+<p>A light wind blew over the great, primeval wilderness of Kentucky, the
+dense, green foliage rippling under it like the waves of the sea. In
+every direction forest and canebrake stretched in countless miles, the
+trees, infinite in variety, and great in size, showing that Nature had
+worked here with the hand of a master. Little streams flashing in silver
+or gold in the sunlight, flowed down to the greater rivers, and on a
+bush a scarlet tanager fluttered like a flash of flame.</p>
+
+<p>A youth, uncommon in size and bearing, stepped into a little opening,
+and looked about with the easy, natural caution belonging to the native
+of the forest who knows that danger is always near. His eyes pierced the
+foliage, and would have noticed anything unusual there, his ear was so
+keen that he would have heard at once any sound not a part of the woods.</p>
+
+<p>Eye and ear and the indefinable powers of primitive man told him no
+enemy was at hand, and he stood on the green hill, breathing the fresh,
+crisp air, with a delight<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> that only such as he could feel. Mighty was
+the wilderness, majestic in its sweep, and depth of color, and the lone
+human figure fitted into it perfectly, adding to it the last and
+finishing touch.</p>
+
+<p>He blended, too, with the forest. His dress, wholly of fine, tanned
+deerskin, was dyed green, the hunting shirt fringed, hunting shirt,
+leggings and moccasins alike adorned with rows of little beads. Fitting
+thus so completely into his environment, the ordinary eye would not have
+observed him, and his footsteps were so light that the rabbits in the
+bush did not stir, and the flaming bird on the bough was not frightened.</p>
+
+<p>Henry Ware let the stock of his rifle rest upon the ground and held it
+by the barrel, while he gazed over the green billows of the forest,
+rolling away and away to every horizon. He was a fortunate human being
+who had come into his own kingdom, one in which he was fitted supremely
+to reign, and he would not have exchanged his place for that of any
+titular sovereign on his throne.</p>
+
+<p>His eyes gleamed with pleasure as he looked upon his world. None knew
+better than he its immense variety and richness. He noted the different
+shades of the leaves and he knew by contrast the kind of tree that bore
+them. His eye fell upon the tanager, and the deep, intense scarlet of
+its plumage gave him pleasure. It seemed fairly to blaze against the
+background of woodland green, but it still took no alarm from the
+presence of the tall youth who neither stirred nor made any sound.</p>
+
+<p>Another bird, hidden behind an immense leaf,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> began to pour forth the
+full notes of a chattering, mocking song, almost like the voice of a
+human being. Henry liked it, too, although he knew the bird was flinging
+him a pretty defiance. It belonged in his world. It was fitting that one
+singer, many singers, should live in his wilderness and sing for him.</p>
+
+<p>A gray squirrel, its saucy tail curved over its back, ran lightly up an
+oak, perched on a bough and gazed at him with a challenging, red eye.
+Henry gave back his look, and laughed in the silent manner of the
+border. He had no wish to hurt the swaggering little fellow. His heart
+was bare of ill will against anything.</p>
+
+<p>A deep, clear creek flowed at the base of the hill, and a fish, snapping
+at a fly, leaped clear of the water, making a silver streak in the air,
+gone in an instant as he fell back into the stream. The glimpse pleased
+Henry. It, too, was a part of his kingdom, stocked with fur, fin and
+feather, beyond that of any other king, and far more vast.</p>
+
+<p>The brilliant sunlight over his head began to dim and darken. He looked
+up. The van of a host, the wild pigeons flying northward appeared, and
+then came the great wide column, millions and millions of birds,
+returning from their winter in the south. He had seen the huge flights
+before, but the freshness and zest of the sight never wore away. No
+matter how far they came nor how far they went they would still be
+flying over his forest empire. And then would come the great flocks of
+wild ducks and wild geese, winging swiftly like an arrow toward the
+north.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> They, too, were his, and again he took long, deep breaths of a
+delight so keen that it made his pulses leap.</p>
+
+<p>From the wood at the base of the hill came a crackling sound as of
+something breaking, and then the long crash of a tree falling. He went a
+little way down the slope and his moccasins made no sound in the grass.
+Gently pulling aside the bough of a sheltering bush he saw the beavers
+at work. Already they were measuring for lengths the tree they had cut
+through at the base with their long, sharp teeth.</p>
+
+<p>The creek here received a tributary brook of considerable volume, and
+the dam erected by the beavers had sent the waters far back in a tiny
+sheet like a little lake. But as Henry saw, they were going to raise the
+dam higher, and they were working with the intelligence and energy that
+belong so peculiarly to the beaver. Four powerful fellows were floating
+a log in the water, ready to put it into place, and others on the bank
+were launching another.</p>
+
+<p>It was one of the largest beaver colonies he had ever seen, and he
+watched it with peculiar enjoyment. He killed the beaver now and
+then&mdash;the cap upon his head was made of its skin&mdash;but only when it was
+needful. The industrious animals were safe from his rifle now, and he
+felt that his wilderness had no more useful people.</p>
+
+<p>He looked at them a long time, merely for the pleasure of looking. They
+showed so much skill, so much quickness and judgment that he was willing
+to see and learn from them. He felt, in a sense, that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> they were
+comrades. He wished them well in their work, and he knew that they would
+have snug houses, when the next winter came.</p>
+
+<p>He left them in their peace, returned to the brow of the hill, and then
+walked slowly down the other side. He heard a woof, a sound of
+scrambling, and a black bear, big in frame, but yet lean from the
+winter, ran from its lair in the bushes, stopped a moment at fifty or
+sixty yards to look hard at him, and then, wheeling again in frightened
+flight disappeared among the trees. Henry once more laughed silently. He
+would not have harmed the bear either.</p>
+
+<p>A puffing, panting sound attracted his attention, and, walking farther
+on, he looked into a glade, in which the grass grew high and thick. He
+had known from the character of the noise that he would find buffaloes
+there, and they numbered about a dozen, grazing a while, and then
+breathing heavily in content. He had seen them in countless herds on the
+western plains, when he was with Black Cloud and his tribe, but south of
+the Ohio, owing to the heavy forest, they were found only in small
+groups, although they were plentiful.</p>
+
+<p>The wind was blowing toward him, and standing partially behind a huge
+oak he watched them. They were the finest and largest inhabitants of his
+wilderness, splendid creatures, with their leonine manes and huge
+shoulders, beasts of which any monarch might be proud. He could easily
+bring down any one of them that he wanted with his rifle, but they were
+safe from all bullets of his.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He looked at them a while, as a man would gaze at a favorite horse.
+There was a calf among them, and whenever it wandered from the middle of
+the glade toward the edge of the forest the mother would push it back.
+Henry, studying the woods there, saw just within their shadow the long
+slinking figures of two gray wolves. He knew their purpose, but he knew
+also that it would not be fulfilled.</p>
+
+<p>He watched the little forest drama with an interest none the less
+because it was not new to him. He saw the gray shadows creeping nearer
+and nearer, while the calf persistently sought the woods, probably for
+shade. Presently the leader of the herd, an immense bull, almost black,
+caught an odor, wheeled like lightning and rushed upon the wolves. There
+was a single yelp, as one was trampled to death, and the other fled
+through the forest to seek easier prey.</p>
+
+<p>The buffaloes returned to their grazing and the foolish calf, warned by
+the danger from which he had been saved, stayed in the middle of the
+glade, with his elders as a wall around him. Henry smiled. He had
+foreseen the result, and it was wholly to his liking. He passed around
+the opening, not wishing to disturb the animals, and went northward,
+always on soundless feet.</p>
+
+<p>A stag, catching the human odor on the wind, sprang from a thicket, and
+crashed away in wild alarm. Henry laughed again and waved his hand at
+the fleeting figure. The stag did not know that he had no cause to dread
+him, but Henry admired his speed. A flock of wild turkeys rose from a
+bough above<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> his head, and uttering preliminary gobbles, sailed away in
+a low flight among the trees. He waved his hand at them also, and
+noticed before they disappeared how the sunlight glowed on their bronze
+feathers.</p>
+
+<p>It was a fine morning in his kingdom, and he was seeing many forms of
+its life. He remarked a bee tree, and thought it probable that the
+runaway bear would make a try there some day for honey. Then he stopped
+and looked at a tiny blue flower, just blooming in the shelter of a
+bush. He examined it with appreciation and touched the delicate leaf
+very gently, lest he break it away. Little and fragile, it had its place
+nevertheless in his realm.</p>
+
+<p>His course led him back to the creek, here very deep and clear and
+running over a gravelly bottom. After looking and listening for a little
+while, he undressed, laid his rifle and other weapons on the very edge
+of the bank, where he could reach them in an instant, and dropped
+silently into the water. It was cool and he shivered at first, but as he
+swam the warmth returned to his veins.</p>
+
+<p>He was a splendid swimmer, and he was careful not to splash or make any
+other sound that could be heard far. It was glorious there in the water,
+and he was loath to leave it. He lay on his back, floated a little with
+the current, and then with strokes strong, swift and silent, swam back
+again.</p>
+
+<p>His eyes looked up into a blue sky, sprinkled with many little white
+clouds golden at the edge. The huge flight of pigeons had passed and no
+longer<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> dimmed the sun. He could just see the last of the myriads on the
+edge of the northern horizon. But there was a sudden flash of black
+across the blue, and a hawk shot down into the forest. A bald eagle
+sailed in slow majesty above the trees, and, well within the shelter of
+the foliage near him, many small birds were twittering. The air over his
+realm as well as the forests and waters was full of life.</p>
+
+<p>He came out, allowed himself to dry in the sun, while he flexed and
+tensed his powerful muscles. Then he dressed. The swim had been good,
+and he was glad that he had taken the risk. He was aware that the forest
+contained inhabitants much more dangerous than those he had looked upon
+that morning, but he had not yet seen any sign of them, and he was one
+who had learned to use his opportunities.</p>
+
+<p>After luxuriating for a little while on the grass, Henry, rifle on
+shoulder, walked swiftly forward. He had a definite purpose and it was
+to rejoin his four comrades, Paul Cotter, Shif'less Sol Hyde, Long Jim
+Hart and Tom Ross, who were not far away in the greenwood, the five,
+since the repulse of the great attack upon the wagon train, continuing
+their chosen duties as keepers of the trail, that is, they were
+continually on guard in the vast forest and canebrake against the
+Northwestern Indians who were making such a bitter war upon the young
+Kentucky settlements.</p>
+
+<p>Henry had known that they would come again. Kentucky had been a huge
+hunting ground, without any Indian villages, but for that reason it had
+been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> prized most highly by the savage. The same reason made the ground
+all the more dangerous for the white people, because the Indians,
+unhampered by their women and children, came only with chosen bands of
+warriors, selected for supreme skill in battle and forest lore. No
+seekers of new homes ever faced greater dangers than the little white
+vanguard that crossed the Alleghanies into the splendid new land beyond.
+Hidden death always lurked in the bush, and no man went beyond the
+palisade even on the commonest errand without his rifle.</p>
+
+<p>It was a noble task that Henry and his comrades had undertaken, to act
+as watchers, and it appealed to them all, to him most because he was
+continually in the wilderness that he loved so well, and he felt that he
+was doing a much greater work than when he was felling trees, and
+helping to clear a place for crops. As for himself he would never have
+cut down a single tree, although there were millions and millions of
+them. Nature held nothing that he admired more. He knew no greater
+delight than to stand on a high hill and look on the forest, deep green,
+waving in the wind, and stretching to the complete circle of the horizon
+and beyond.</p>
+
+<p>He was now in one of the loneliest stretches of the wilderness, far
+north of Wareville, and no great distance from the Ohio. A day's march
+would take him to a favorite crossing of the savages, and that was why
+he and his comrades were in this region. He increased his speed,
+settling into the long swinging gait which the scouts of the border
+always used, when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> they would hasten, but, in a half-hour, he stopped
+suddenly and his figure seemed to vanish utterly in a dense mass of
+green bushes.</p>
+
+<p>Henry, now hidden himself, had seen. It was only a trace that scarcely
+any eye save his would have noticed, but in a place where the earth was
+soft he had observed the faint imprint of a moccasin, the toes turning
+inward and hence made by an Indian. Other imprints must be near, but,
+for a little while, he would not look, remaining crouched in the
+thicket. He wished to be sure before he moved that no wearer of a
+moccasin was in the bush. It might be that Yellow Panther, redoubtable
+chief of the Miamis, and Red Eagle, equally redoubtable chief of the
+Shawnees, were at hand with great war bands, burning to avenge their
+defeats.</p>
+
+<p>He did not move for fully ten minutes. He had acquired all the qualities
+of those who live in constant danger in vast forests, and, like the
+animal that hides, his figure and dress blended completely with the
+green thicket. The air brought no menace to either eye or ear, and then
+he stepped forth.</p>
+
+<p>He found the imprints of five or six pairs of moccasins farther on, and
+then they became so faint that the best trailer in the West could not
+follow them, although he believed that they had been made by a hunting
+party. It was customary for the Indians on their great raids to detach a
+number of men who would roam the forests for food, but he decided that
+he would not try to follow them any longer. He would not be deflected
+from his purpose to join his comrades.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Leaving the broken trail he sped north by west, the forests and thickets
+growing thicker as he advanced. At one point he came to a vast canebrake
+that seemed impassable, yet he made his way through it almost without
+slackening speed, and came to a grove of oaks, so large and so dense
+that the sunlight never entered there. He stopped at its edge and
+imitated the long, haunting cry of the owl. In a moment or two a note
+like it, but distant and faint, came. He uttered the cry a second time,
+and heard the reply.</p>
+
+<p>Hesitating no longer he entered the oak grove. These trees with their
+great mossy trunks were the finest that he had ever seen. Some peculiar
+quality of the soil, some fertilizing agency beneath had given them an
+unparalleled growth. The leafy roof was complete, and he advanced as one
+who walks down a limitless hall, studded with a myriad of columns.</p>
+
+<p>Two miles and turning around a hill he came to a cup in its far side,
+hidden so well that the unknowing would have passed it unseen. But he
+called and his four comrades answered from the cup. Parting the bushes
+Henry entered and they gave him a low but joyous welcome.</p>
+
+<p>The cup, almost circular, was not more than ten feet across, but the sun
+shone in it and the ground was warm and dry. Just beyond the far edge a
+little spring gushed from under a stone and trickled away, whispering
+gently through the bushes.</p>
+
+<p>Paul was the only one of the four who had risen. He stood now erect, the
+stock of his rifle resting on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> the ground, the customary attitude of the
+waiting borderer, his fine, intellectual face bright with interest.</p>
+
+<p>"Did you see anything, Henry?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"O' course he saw somethin'," drawled Shif'less Sol. "Did you ever know
+the time when Henry went anywhar without seein' anythin'?"</p>
+
+<p>"Paul meant did he see anythin' wuth tellin'," said Long Jim. "You're
+always talkin' too much, Sol. Why did you want to bust in on a boy that
+was askin' a decent question?"</p>
+
+<p>"I never talk too much, Long Jim Hart," said the shiftless one
+indignantly. "Now an' then I hev to talk a long time, 'cause I know so
+much that I can't git it all out between sunrise an' sunset, an' the
+hours then are mighty crowded, too. I reckon that you'd never need
+more'n five minutes to empty your head."</p>
+
+<p>"Mine's a good head an' it never has any swellin' either."</p>
+
+<p>"Give Henry a chance," said Paul smiling. "How can he ever tell us
+anything, when you two are filling all the woods with the roar of
+argument?"</p>
+
+<p>The debaters subsided. Silent Tom Ross said nothing. His chariness of
+speech often saved him much breath. Besides, Tom was contented. He knew
+that if Henry had found anything worth telling and thought fit to tell
+it he would do so at the right time.</p>
+
+<p>"Give me some venison," said Henry. "I've walked a long way, and I'm
+hungry."</p>
+
+<p>Paul produced a piece from a deerskin knapsack that he carried and
+Henry, sitting down in the circular<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> opening, ate. Paul lay down again
+and all of them waited.</p>
+
+<p>"Indians," said Henry at length, waving his hands toward the east.</p>
+
+<p>"How many?" asked Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"I could not tell, but I think it's a large band, either Miamis or
+Shawnees. Perhaps Yellow Panther and Red Eagle have come back."</p>
+
+<p>"Like as not," said the shiftless one. "They're the kind to come."</p>
+
+<p>"Huntin' scalps," said Tom Ross, speaking for the first time.</p>
+
+<p>"And it's our business," said Paul, "to see that they don't get 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"So it is," said Long Jim. "A man hates to lose his hair, 'specially
+when he's got such thick, beautiful hair as mine. I've heard that a big
+prize fur my scalp has been offered to all the Injun nations across the
+Ohio. Still, danger heats up my courage, an' I'm right proud uv bein' a
+marked man."</p>
+
+<p>"We must find out all about that band," said Tom Ross. "Which way wuz
+they goin'?"</p>
+
+<p>"The trail so far as it showed led to the east," replied Henry, "but you
+couldn't tell anything by that. I'm quite sure it was made by hunters
+sent out for buffalo or deer to feed the main band. There's lots of game
+around here, which shows that the Indians haven't been roving over this
+region much."</p>
+
+<p>"I've seen all kinds," said Long Jim. "It jest walks or flies right up
+to our rifle barrels, an' ef it wuzn't fur<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> the danger I'd like to show
+you fellers the grand way in which I could cook a lot uv it."</p>
+
+<p>"Right thar, old hoss, I stand up fur you ag'in' the world," said
+Shif'less Sol, "but I reckon we ain't lightin' any fires jest now."</p>
+
+<p>"No," said Henry. "I think we'd better stay here the rest of the day,
+and keep ourselves in hiding. The main band, whatever its size or
+wherever it is, seems to have plenty of flankers and hunters, and if we
+ran into them, as we surely would, we wouldn't have any chance to watch
+'em later on."</p>
+
+<p>"Right, o' course," said Shif'less Sol, and the others agreed in
+silence.</p>
+
+<p>The five lay back upon the dry leaves, depending upon hearing chiefly,
+to warn them of the possible coming of an enemy. The undergrowth was so
+dense about the cup that no one fifteen yards away could see them, and
+they were able to hear even a creeping warrior, before he could come
+that near. Hence they reposed without alarm, and, bold forest runners
+that they were, eternally on guard, they took their ease with a certain
+sense of luxury.</p>
+
+<p>It was about the middle of the afternoon, and the sun was at its
+brightest, the rays being vertical. From their woodland cup they looked
+up at a circle of shining blue sky, continually crossed by tiny white
+clouds, following one another in a regular procession from south to
+north. The majesty of the wilderness and the illimitable covering of
+forest green appealed to Paul but little less than to Henry. He, too,
+felt the great lift of the spirit, danger or no danger.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The five enjoyed the wilderness, every one in his own way, Henry and
+Paul because their souls were stirred by it, Shif'less Sol because it
+was always unfolding to him some new wonder, Tom Ross because it was a
+hunting ground without limit, and Long Jim because nearly every kind of
+game found in it could be eaten, after it had been cooked by his master
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>But they did not speak now. The people of the border, save in their
+homes, never talked much. The caution bred by the necessity of the woods
+became a habit. They acquired an extraordinary power over voice and
+nerves. Like a Hindu, a man could lie silent and motionless for hours.
+In this respect they had the quality of the Indian and the five at least
+could match his native cunning and training, and, in addition, bring to
+their own aid a superior intellectual power. That was why they were
+kings of the woods.</p>
+
+<p>The sun passed the zenith and the rays were no longer vertical, but it
+was almost as bright in the cup as ever, while the sky itself had lost
+nothing of its shining blue tint. Paul presently said:</p>
+
+<p>"I notice a shred of brown or gray against that brilliant blue. Now all
+the little clouds are white, and this sadder color has no business
+there. Besides, it's a blur. Would you say it's smoke, Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>Henry, who had been listening rather than watching, opened his eyes and
+stared intently at the faint smudge on the sky.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, it's smoke," he said, "and as the wind now comes from the south
+it, too, is traveling that way. Don't you think so, Sol?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"O' course, Henry. Now you see thar's a little bigger patch o' gray
+followin' the first, an' it ain't so mighty high above us, either."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I see it. Read the book for us, Sol."</p>
+
+<p>"Lookin' at them thar two bits o' gray which Natur' didn't put up in the
+sky, but which somehow came from the hand o' man, I kin spin the tale
+jest ez it is. That's smoke up thar. It can't come from any kind o' a
+forest fire, 'cause it's early spring an' the woods are too green to
+burn. Thar ain't no white people in these parts 'cept ourselves an' ef
+thar wuz they wouldn't be so foolish ez to build a fire that sends up
+smoke. So it's bound to be Injuns. They're a big band, so big that they
+ain't afeard o' bein' attacked. That's the reason why they're so
+keerless 'bout thar smoke. An' 'cause the band is so big it ain't jest
+hunters. It's a war band bound south ag'in the settlements to git scalps
+in revenge for all the braves they've lost. Do I tell the truth, Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"To the last detail."</p>
+
+<p>"Thoroughly good logic," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"What's logic?" asked Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll illustrate," replied Paul. "When you see a deer, take aim at him
+with your rifle and shoot him through the heart, you feel quite sure
+when he drops dead that it was you who killed him. Logic tells you that,
+and so that is logic."</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon I know now," said Long Jim, rubbing his chin.</p>
+
+<p>"Tom," said Henry, "about how far from us is the fire that makes that
+smoke?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Smoke, 'less there's a terrible lot uv it, don't hang together long,"
+replied Ross, looking up thoughtfully at the little gray clouds. "But I
+reckon them two thar wuz broke off from a much bigger piece at the
+start, an' are gittin' smaller ez they come. But thar main camp ain't
+more'n two miles from here, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"Just about that, I should say. We'd better look 'em over tonight,
+hadn't we?"</p>
+
+<p>"Jest ez you say. You're the leader, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll do it, if we can, but I'm thinking we'll have to be mighty
+careful. I've an idea that the woods are full of warriors. I don't want
+to be burned at the stake."</p>
+
+<p>"But Jim Hart here would make a most bee-yu-ti-ful torch," said
+Shif'less Sol. "Slim an' nigh on to six feet and a half tall he'd light
+up the whole woods, ef he wuz set on fire on top fust."</p>
+
+<p>"Ef you wuz set on fire on top," said Long Jim, "thar wouldn't be much
+burnin', 'cause a blaze can't feed on emptiness."</p>
+
+<p>"Thar goes another o' them little gray patches," said Silent Tom. "That
+means they're still feedin' the fire&mdash;fur cookin' too, 'cause they don't
+need it to warm by. The hunters must hev brought in a power o' game,
+'cause when the warriors do eat, an' they hev plenty o' it to last, they
+eat in a way no white man can match."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose that was the way of the primitive man," said Paul, who was
+wont to think about origins and causes. "He was never sure of his food,
+and when he had it he ate all he could."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Henry uttered a slight warning hiss, a sibilant breath, scarcely more,
+and the five shifting a little, grasped their rifles in such a manner
+that they could be pushed forward at once, and listened with all their
+ears. Henry had heard a light footfall, and then the faint sound of
+voices. He drew himself to the edge of the covert and he did it with so
+much skill that not a leaf or a blade of grass rustled.</p>
+
+<p>Lying flat on the ground, and, looking underneath the boughs of the
+trees and bushes, where only the trunks and stems were in the way, he
+saw the legs of four men, the upper parts of their bodies being
+completely hidden by the foliage. Henry knew, nevertheless, that they
+were three Indians and one white man. The white man was disclosed by his
+thicker legs and his toes which turned out. All were clothed much alike
+in deerskin leggings, but Henry could make no mistake.</p>
+
+<p>It was equally evident to him that the white man was not a prisoner,
+because he walked quite freely. Once he passed ahead of the three
+Indians, and then he dropped behind. If a captive, he would have walked
+just behind one warrior and the other two, in Indian file, would have
+walked close behind him.</p>
+
+<p>Henry saw also that they were carrying heavy weights, because they
+stepped slowly and with a certain stiffness. There was a rigidity and
+tension that strong men walking easily would not have shown.
+Unquestionably they were successful hunters, carrying game to a great
+gluttonous band feasting with energy two miles away.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Three Shawnees and Braxton Wyatt," whispered Shif'less Sol, who had
+crept to his side. "Don't you remember that he had jest the faintest bit
+o' bow in his legs? An' thar's that bow. Why, I'd know them legs anywhar
+in the world."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Henry. "Now I wonder what his wicked mind is devising.
+There's no hater like a renegade."</p>
+
+<p>"You may be shore he's thinkin' o' harm to our people down below," said
+the shiftless one. "I'm glad we're here to see 'em."</p>
+
+<p>Henry nodded in agreement, and they whispered to the others that Wyatt
+and three Shawnees were passing. Henry and Sol knew that they were
+Shawnees, because they had red beads in a row on their leggings, where
+the Miamis wore blue ones.</p>
+
+<p>"Ef I wuz to steal down a bit through the bushes an' shoot that traitor
+right squar' through his black heart, ez I could do easy, I'd be savin'
+the lives o' innocent men, women an' children," said Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"It is likely," said Henry, "but you mustn't do it. Somehow I can't see
+a man shot from ambush. Besides, it would give the alarm, an' we
+mightn't be able to carry on our work."</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't say I wanted to do it, but it's pow'ful temptin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I know, but it's silence and waiting for us."</p>
+
+<p>The four pairs of legs, three Indian and one white, passed on. Ten
+minutes later they heard a long whoop from one point, and a long whoop
+from another point answered. They were not war cries, merely signals,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>
+and the five appreciated more than ever the invisibility of their little
+retreat. There was not more than one chance in a hundred that a
+wandering warrior would stumble upon it.</p>
+
+<p>Other calls were heard through the forest, and then the faint sound of a
+chant dying swiftly.</p>
+
+<p>"They're merry," said Paul, with swift intuition. "Maybe they have some
+scalps already to rejoice over."</p>
+
+<p>It was a bitter reminder to Henry, and yet it might be true. A small
+band, traveling fast, might have struck an unguarded settlement, and,
+returning, might be here now with the great band, bearing their
+sanguinary trophies. Five only, no matter how brave and skillful, could
+not watch the whole border.</p>
+
+<p>"There's nothing to do," he said, "but wait for darkness."</p>
+
+<p>Not one of them had risen to his feet, and they merely sank back on
+their elbows, again relying more upon ear than eye. They relaxed, but
+they were ready for instant action, should the need come.</p>
+
+<p>They would not have very long to wait now. The sun was so far over in
+the west that it cast slanting rays and shadows were gathering at the
+base of the cup. It was growing colder and the rising wind sang among
+the green young leaves. A vast red sun hanging low over the western
+wilderness tinged the forest, as if with fire. To an ordinary human
+being it would have been an awful sun in its flaming majesty,
+frightening him, lost in the forest, by its mysterious immensity, but
+the five, either separately or alone were too familiar with the great
+spectacle to feel fear.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It's an uncommonly red sun," said Tom Ross.</p>
+
+<p>"And they say that means battle," said Paul, who had read much for a lad
+of the frontier.</p>
+
+<p>"I s'pose so," said the shiftless one, "an' it may mean a storm, but I
+reckon in this case it's more likely to p'int to rifles an' tomahawks."</p>
+
+<p>The splendor of the west in its crimson and gold deepened. Higher up in
+the heavens were glorious terraces of blue and pink. The boughs of the
+distant trees stood out as if they were wrapped in living fire.</p>
+
+<p>"Magnificent!" said Paul, for whom its magic never palled.</p>
+
+<p>"And now it's fading," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"The shoulder of the world is coming up between," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean by that?" asked Long Jim, "when with your own eyes you
+kin see the sun movin' 'roun' behind the earth."</p>
+
+<p>"The sun doesn't move, Jim, that is, so far as we're concerned, but we
+do. We roll around ourselves every day and night. At the end of the day
+the earth is between us and the sun, and in the night when we roll back
+around we face the sun again."</p>
+
+<p>"You've read a lot of books, Paul, forty or fifty, I s'pose, an' I
+believe most that you say, but you can't make me believe a thing like
+that. Don't I see the sun set, an' don't I see it rise? What's print to
+a fellow's eyes? Print can lie, but your eyes don't."</p>
+
+<p>Paul did not deem it worth while to argue. In a few more minutes the sun
+was hidden behind the turning earth, leaving great bands of gold and
+blue and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> pink, which, in their turn, faded fast, giving place to the
+gray of coming twilight.</p>
+
+<p>The five ate venison, and drank from the tiny brook at the edge of the
+cup. Meanwhile, full night came, and they prepared to go forth and see
+what they might see.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<h3>THE BIG GUNS</h3>
+
+
+<p>Despite the brilliant sunset, the night was dark, drifting clouds
+veiling the moon at times, while the stars lay hidden behind mists and
+vapors, making the conditions suitable for those who wished to scout and
+spy upon an enemy, as fierce and implacable as the Indian.</p>
+
+<p>"All that color when the sun went down means rain," said Tom Ross, who
+was weatherwise.</p>
+
+<p>"But not tonight," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"No, not tonight, but tomorrow, sometime, it'll come, shore. Them
+warriors hev built up their fires mighty big. Can't you smell the
+smoke?"</p>
+
+<p>The wind was blowing toward them and upon it came the faint odor of
+burning wood.</p>
+
+<p>"They're indulging in what we would call a festival," said Paul. "They
+must have an immense bonfire, and it must be a huge camp."</p>
+
+<p>"Beyond a doubt," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>Examining their weapons carefully they left the cup, dropping into their
+usual order, as they made their silent way through the forest, Henry
+leading,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> the shiftless one next, then Paul, followed by Long Jim while
+Silent Tom covered the rear. There was no noise as they passed. They
+slipped by the boughs and every moccasined foot instinctively avoided
+the rotten stick that would break beneath its weight.</p>
+
+<p>As they advanced the odor of burning wood grew stronger. It might not
+have been noticed by the dwellers in peaceful lands, but it was obvious
+at once to senses trained like theirs in the hardest of all schools,
+that of continuous danger. Henry twice heard the swish of a heavy night
+bird over their heads, but he knew the sound and paid no attention to
+it. Faint sliding noises in the thickets were made by the little
+animals, scuttling away in fright at the odor of man.</p>
+
+<p>They crossed a shallow valley, in which the forest was extremely dense,
+and emerged upon a low hill, covered with oak, maple and elm, without
+much undergrowth. Here Henry was the first to see a low, barely
+discernible light upon the eastern horizon, and he called the attention
+of the others to it. All of them knew that it was the glow of the Indian
+campfire, and apparently nothing but heavy forest lay between them and
+the flames.</p>
+
+<p>They held a consultation, and agreed that Henry and Shif'less Sol, the
+best two trailers, should go forward, while the other three should
+remain in reserve to cover their retreat, if it were forced, or to go
+forward to possible rescue, if they did not return before morning. The
+decision was reached quickly. The superiority<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> was accorded at once and
+without jealousy to Henry and the shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>But they moved forward in a group, until the glow rose higher and grew
+brighter. Then the three who were to stay lay close in a clump of bushes
+growing near the base of a great elm that Henry and Shif'less Sol marked
+well. Faint whoops or their echo came to them, and they knew that the
+warriors were rejoicing.</p>
+
+<p>"A mighty big camp, bigger even than we thought," said Silent Tom.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll soon see," said Henry, as he and his comrade in the daring
+venture slid away among the bushes. Then the two went forward with
+unbelievable skill. Not even the ear of a warrior could have heard them
+fifteen feet away, and they never relaxed their caution, although they
+did not believe that the Indians were keeping very close watch.</p>
+
+<p>They had seen at first a glow more pink than red. Now it was a deep
+scarlet, showing many leaping tongues against the forest. The odor of
+burning wood became strong, and they saw sparks and wisps of smoke
+flying among the leaves. Long fierce whoops like the cry of animals came
+at times, but beneath them was an incessant muttering chant and the low,
+steady beat of some instrument like a drum.</p>
+
+<p>"The war dance," whispered Henry.</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one nodded.</p>
+
+<p>They redoubled their caution, creeping very slowly, lying almost flat
+upon the ground and dragging their bodies forward, like crawling
+animals. They were coming to one of the openings, like a tiny prairie,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>
+frequent in early Kentucky, sheltered on the side they were approaching
+by a dense canebrake, through which they were making their way.</p>
+
+<p>The open space was several acres in extent, and at the far end were
+tepees, which the two knew were intended for chiefs of high degree. In
+the center burned an immense bonfire, or rather a group of bonfires,
+merged into one, fed incessantly by warriors who dragged wood from the
+adjoining forest, and threw it into the flames.</p>
+
+<p>But it was not the sight of the fire or the tepees that stirred Henry.
+It was that of hundreds of Indian warriors gathered and indulging in one
+of those savage festivals upon which nobody could look at night without
+a thrill of wonder and awe. Here primeval man was in his glory.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians of North America were a strange compound of cruelty and
+cunning, leavened at times by nobility and self-sacrifice. Most of the
+tribes were perfect little political organizations, and the league of
+the Iroquois was worthy of a highly civilized race. They were creatures
+of circumstances, and, while loyal to friends, they were merciless to
+enemies, devising incredible methods of torture.</p>
+
+<p>It was this knowledge that made Henry shudder as he looked upon the
+great camp. He knew the Indian and liked him in many respects&mdash;his
+captivity in the northwest had been no pain&mdash;but he was white and he
+must fight for the white man, and hence against the red.</p>
+
+<p>The warriors were intoxicated not with liquor, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> with the red fury of
+the brain. Vast quantities of game, freshly dressed, were heaped upon
+the earth. Every man would seize a piece to suit himself, broil it
+hastily on coals and then eat. He ate like the savage he was, and the
+amounts they devoured were astonishing, just as they could fast an
+amazing number of days, if need be.</p>
+
+<p>Whenever one had eaten enough for the time he would rush into a mass of
+dancers near the eastern edge of the opening. Then he would begin to
+leap back and forth and chant with unnatural energy. They could keep up
+this manner of dancing and singing for many hours, and they quit it only
+to obtain more food or to fall down exhausted.</p>
+
+<p>"It's the war dance," whispered Henry.</p>
+
+<p>Shif'less Sol nodded. It was, in truth, just approaching its height as
+the two crept near. Four powerful warriors, naked except for the breech
+clout, were beating incessantly and monotonously upon the Indian drums.
+These drums (Ga-no-jo) were about a foot in height and the drummer used
+a single stick. The dance itself was called by the Shawnees,
+Sa-ma-no-o-no, which was the name bestowed upon this nation by the
+Senecas, although the Iroquois themselves called the dance Wa-ta-seh.</p>
+
+<p>Few white men have looked upon such a spectacle at such a time, in the
+very deeps of the wilderness, under a night sky, heavy with drifting
+clouds. The whole civilized world had vanished, gone utterly like a wisp
+of vapor before a wind, and it was peopled only by these savage figures
+that danced in the dusk.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Near the trees stood a group of chiefs, among whom Henry recognized
+Yellow Panther, the Miami, and Red Eagle, the Shawnee, imposing men
+both, but not the equals of an extremely tall and powerful young chief,
+who was destined later to be an important figure in the life of Henry
+Ware. They stood silent, dignified, the presiding figures of the dance.</p>
+
+<p>The war drums beat on, insistent and steady, like the rolling of water
+down a fall. The very monotony of the sound, the eternal harping upon
+one theme, contained power. Henry, susceptible to the impressions of the
+wilderness, began to feel that his own brain was being heated by it, and
+he saw as through a dim red mist. The silent and impassive figures of
+the chiefs seemed to grow in height and size. The bonfires blazed
+higher, and the monotonous wailing chant of the warriors was penetrated
+by a ferocious under note like the whine of some great beast. He glanced
+at the shiftless one and saw in his eyes the same intense awed look
+which he knew was in his own.</p>
+
+<p>The mass of men who had been dancing stopped suddenly, and the chant
+stopped with them. The warriors gathered into two great masses, a lane
+between them. Save the chiefs, all were naked to the breech clout, and
+from perspiring bodies the odor of the wild arose.</p>
+
+<p>The fires were blazing tremendously, sending off smoke, ashes and sparks
+that floated over the trees and were borne far by the wind. At
+intervals, prolonged war whoops were uttered, and, heavy with menace,
+they rang far through the woods, startling and distinct.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then from the edge of the forest emerged about forty warriors painted
+and decorated in a wildly fantastic manner and wearing headdresses of
+feathers. The drums beat again, furiously now, and the men began to
+dance, swinging to and fro and writhing. At the same time they sang a
+war song of fierce, choppy words, and those who were not dancing sang
+with them.</p>
+
+<p>The lane wound around and around, and, as the singers and dancers went
+forward they increased in vehemence. They were transported, like men who
+have taken some powerful drug, and their emotions were quickly
+communicated to all the rest of the band. Fierce howls rose above the
+chant of the war songs. Warriors leaping high in the air made the
+imaginary motions of killing and scalping an enemy. Then their long
+yells of triumph would swell above the universal chant.</p>
+
+<p>All the while it was growing darker in the forest. The heavy drifting
+clouds completely hid the moon and stars. The sky was black and
+menacing, and the circular ring of woods looked solid like a wall. But
+within this ring the heat and fury grew. The violence and endurance of
+the dancers were incredible, and the shouting chant of the multitude
+urged them on.</p>
+
+<p>Henry caught sight of a white figure near the chiefs, and he recognized
+the young renegade, Braxton Wyatt. Just behind him was another and older
+renegade named Blackstaffe, famed along the whole border for his cunning
+and cruelty. Then he saw men, a half-dozen of them, in the red uniforms
+of British officers,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> and behind them two monstrous dark shapes on
+wheels.</p>
+
+<p>"Can those be cannon?" he whispered to Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"They kin be an' they are. I reckon the British allies o' the Injuns hev
+brought 'em from Detroit to batter down the palisades o' our little
+settlements."</p>
+
+<p>Henry felt a thrill of horror. He knew that they were cannon, but he had
+hoped that the shiftless one would persuade him they were not. They were
+probably the first cannon ever seen in that wilderness, the sisters of
+those used later with success by the Indians under English leadership
+and with English cannoneers from Detroit against two little settlements
+in Kentucky.</p>
+
+<p>But startled as Henry was, his attention turned back to the dancers. Old
+customs, the habits of far-off ancestors, slumbered in him, and despite
+himself something wild and fierce in his blood again responded to the
+primeval appeal the warriors were making. A red haze floated before his
+eyes. The tide of battle surged through his blood, and, then, with a
+fierce warning to himself, he stilled his quivering body and crouched
+low again.</p>
+
+<p>A long time they watched. When a dancer fell exhausted another leaped
+gladly into his place. The unconscious man was dragged to one side, and
+left until he might recover.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we've seen enough, don't you?" whispered Henry. "I'd feel
+better if I were further away."</p>
+
+<p>"Stirs me like that too," said Shif'less Sol. "It ain't healthy fur us
+to stay here any longer. 'Sides, we know all we want to know. This is a
+big war party,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> mostly Miamis and Shawnees, with some Wyandots an' a few
+Iroquois and Delawares."</p>
+
+<p>"And the English and the cannon."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Henry, an' I don't like the looks o' them cannon, the first, I
+reckon, that ever come across the Ohio. Our palisades can turn the
+bullets easy 'nuff, but they'd fly like splinters before twelve pound
+round shot."</p>
+
+<p>"Then," said Henry with sudden emphasis, "it's the business of us five
+to see that those two big guns never appear before Wareville or Marlowe,
+where I imagine they intend to take them!"</p>
+
+<p>"Henry, you hit the nail squar' on the head the fust time. Ef we kin
+stop them two cannon it'll be ez much ez winnin' a campaign. I think
+we'd better go back now, an' j'in the others, don't you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I don't see that we can do anything at present. But Sol, we must
+stop those cannon some way or other. We beat off a great attack at
+Wareville once, but we couldn't stand half a day before the big guns.
+How are we to do it? Tell me, Sol, how are we to do it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know, Henry, but we kin hang on. You know we've always hung on,
+an' by hangin' on we gen'rally win. It's a long way to Wareville, an'
+while red warriors kin travel fast cannon can't get through a country
+covered ez thick with woods an' bushes ez this is. They'll hev to cut a
+road fur 'em nigh all the way."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Henry more hopefully. "They'll have to go mighty slow
+with those big guns through the forests and thickets and canebrake, and
+across so many rivers and creeks. We'll hang on, as you say,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> and it may
+give us a chance to act. I feel better already."</p>
+
+<p>"They ain't likely to move fur a day or two, Henry. After the dances an'
+the big eatin' they'll lay 'roun' 'till they've slep' it all off, an'
+nobody kin move 'em 'till they git ready, even if them British officers
+talk 'till their heads ache. They're goin' on with the dancin' too. Hear
+them whoops."</p>
+
+<p>The long shrill cries uttered by the warriors still reached them, as
+they stole away. Henry passed his hand across his forehead. All that
+strange influence was gone now. He no longer saw the red mist, and his
+heart ceased to beat like a hammer. The healthy normal forest was around
+him, full of dangers, it was true, but of dangers that he could meet
+with decision and judgment.</p>
+
+<p>They returned rapidly, but occasionally they looked back at the red
+glare showing above the trees, and for most of the way the faint echoes
+of the whoops came to them. When they approached the bushes in which
+they had left the others Henry uttered a low whistle which was promptly
+answered in like fashion by Silent Tom.</p>
+
+<p>"What did you see?" asked Paul, as they emerged from their hiding place.</p>
+
+<p>"Nigh on to a thousand warriors," replied Shif'less Sol, "an' it was a
+mighty fine comp'ny too. We saw two chiefs, Yellow Panther, the Miami,
+an' Red Eagle, the Shawnee, that we've had dealin's with before, an' our
+old friend Braxton Wyatt, an' the big renegade Blackstaffe, an' British
+officers."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"British officers!" exclaimed Paul. "What are they doing there?"</p>
+
+<p>"You know that our people in the East are at war with Britain," said
+Henry, "and I suppose these officers and some men too have come from
+Detroit to help the warriors wipe us out in Kentucky. They've brought
+with them also two very formidable allies, the like of which were never
+seen in these woods before."</p>
+
+<p>"Two new and strange allies, Henry?" said Paul. "What do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"Something that rolls along on wheels, and that speaks with a voice like
+thunder."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't understand yet."</p>
+
+<p>"And when it speaks it hurls forth a missile that can smash through a
+palisade like a stone through glass."</p>
+
+<p>"It must be cannon. You surely don't mean cannon, Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"I do. The big guns have crossed the Ohio. The Indians or rather the
+English with 'em, mean to use 'em against us. It's our business to
+destroy 'em. Sol and I have agreed on that, and you are with us, are you
+not?"</p>
+
+<p>"O' course!" said Tom Ross.</p>
+
+<p>"Uv course!" said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Through everything," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you think we'd better do right now?" asked Ross.</p>
+
+<p>"Go back to the cup and sleep," replied Henry. "It'll be safe. The
+Indians will be so gorged from their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> orgie, and will feel so secure
+from attack that they'll hardly have a scout in the forest tomorrow."</p>
+
+<p>"Good plan," said the shiftless one. "I expect to be in that shady
+little place in a half-hour. Long Jim here, havin' nothin' else to do,
+will watch over me all through the rest of the night, an' tomorrow when
+the sun comes out bright, he'll be settin' by my side keepin' the flies
+off me, an' me still sleepin' ez innercent ez a baby."</p>
+
+<p>"That won't happen in the next thousand years," said Long Jim. "Ef
+thar's anything fannin' you tomorrow, when you wake up, a Shawnee or a
+Miami warrior will be doin' it with a tomahawk."</p>
+
+<p>They quickly retraced their course to the cup, being extremely careful
+to leave no trail, and were about to make ready for the night. Every one
+of them carried a light blanket, but very closely woven and warm, upon
+which he usually slept, drawing a fold over him. The dry leaves and the
+blankets would make a bed good enough for any forest rover at that time
+of the year, but Henry noticed a stone outcrop in a hill above them and
+concluded to look farther.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait till I come back," he said, and he pushed his way through the
+bushes.</p>
+
+<p>The outcrop was of the crumbling limestone that imparts inexhaustible
+fertility to the soil of a great region in Kentucky. It is this decaying
+stone or a stone closely akin which makes it the most wonderful cave
+region in the world.</p>
+
+<p>Higher up the slope Henry found deep alcoves in the stone, most of them
+containing leaves, and also a strong animal odor, which showed that in
+the winter<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> they had been occupied as lairs by wild animals, probably
+bears.</p>
+
+<p>Looking a little farther he found one that penetrated deeper than the
+rest. It might almost have been called a cave. It was so placed that at
+that time of night the opening faced a bit of the moon that had made a
+way through the clouds, and, Henry peering into the dusky interior,
+judged that it ran back about twenty feet. There was no odor to suggest
+that it had been used as a lair, perhaps because the animals liked the
+alcoves better.</p>
+
+<p>He threw in some twigs, but, no growl coming forth, he entered boldly
+through an aperture about three feet across and perhaps five feet high.
+He stepped on smooth stone, but as soon as he was inside he stopped and
+listened intently. He heard a faint trickling sound, evidently from the
+far side of the cave, which appeared to be both deeper and wider than he
+had thought.</p>
+
+<p>Henry surmised that the sound was made by running water, and standing a
+long time, until his eyes could grow used, in some degree, to the dusky
+interior, he, at length, made out the opposite wall which was of white
+stone. Stepping carefully he found that a tiny stream flowed in a groove
+made by itself, coming out of one side of the wall and disappearing in
+the other.</p>
+
+<p>It was such a thin little stream that it created no dampness in the cave
+and Henry, drinking some of the water from the palm of his hand, found
+it fresh and cold. He experienced a singular pleasure in discovering the
+water, one that he did not understand. Perhaps it was a prevision.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He explored fully this room in stone, and found it dry and clean
+throughout. His ancestors, hundreds of thousands of years ago, would
+have rejoiced to find such a place, and Henry rejoiced now for reasons
+which were akin to theirs. He returned quickly to the cup.</p>
+
+<p>"We won't sleep here," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not?" asked Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Because I've found a better place."</p>
+
+<p>"But this is fine."</p>
+
+<p>"I know, but I have a finer."</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"A beautiful stone mansion, built generations ago. It has no furniture
+in it now, but we don't need any. It's built very solidly and it's been
+waiting for us a long time."</p>
+
+<p>"A hole in the limestone," hazarded Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"Partly right. It's more than a hole. It's a room, and we've had great
+luck to find it, I tell you, this stone room specially made a million
+years ago for our use."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it's been waitin' a good while, but we're here."</p>
+
+<p>"Come along, I'll lead you," said Henry, "and be sure not to leave any
+trace of a trail. This house is intended for us only, and we don't want
+any wandering warriors, no matter what their nation, knocking at our
+doors."</p>
+
+<p>"Hurry," said Shif'less Sol. "I'm gittin' pow'ful sleepy."</p>
+
+<p>Henry led the way, and, as he did so, taking a comprehensive look at the
+heavens, he was glad for other reasons as well as safety that they had
+found their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> stone house in the hill. The bit of a moon was gone and the
+clouds hung lower and darker. He felt the damp in the air.</p>
+
+<p>The mouth of the cave was almost hidden by a heavy growth of bushes, but
+Henry, pulling them aside a little, pointed to the opening.</p>
+
+<p>"In there with you," he said to Long Jim, who was nearest.</p>
+
+<p>"Who? Me?" said Long Jim, "an' run squar' into a b'ar's mouth? Let Sol
+go. He's the fattest, an' the b'ar would like him best."</p>
+
+<p>"No bear is inside," said Henry. "I've seen to that. A herd of about
+fifty was in there, the first bear herd I ever saw, but I killed them
+all with my knife and threw them down the cliff before I saw you."</p>
+
+<p>"Then ez you've cleared out the place, Henry," said Long Jim, "I guess
+it's all safe, an' here goes."</p>
+
+<p>He bent down from his mighty height and entered, the others following
+silently in single file, swallowed up by the dusk. Then they stood in a
+group, until they could see one another, the faint light from the door
+helping.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Henry, proudly, "haven't I done well by you? Isn't our new
+house equal to my announcement of it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Equal, and more than equal!" exclaimed Paul with enthusiasm. "Why, we
+haven't had such a place since that time we lived on the island in the
+lake, and this is a greater protection from danger."</p>
+
+<p>"An' we hev plenty o' water, too, I see," said Shif'less Sol. "Look at
+the river over thar, runnin' along<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> ag'in the wall. 'Tain't more'n three
+inches wide, an' an inch deep, but it runs fast."</p>
+
+<p>"I've no doubt that a cave family lived here two or three hundred
+thousand years ago," said Paul, his vivid fancy blossoming forth at
+once.</p>
+
+<p>"What are you talkin' about, Paul?" said Long Jim. "People livin' here
+two or three hundred thousand years ago! Why, the world is only six
+thousand years old! The Bible says so!"</p>
+
+<p>"In the Biblical sense a year did not mean what a year does now, Jim. It
+may have been a thousand times as long. Men did live in caves several
+hundred thousand years ago. A book that Mr. Pennypacker has says so."</p>
+
+<p>"If the book says it, I reckon it's so," said Long Jim, with the
+borderer's sublime faith in the printed word.</p>
+
+<p>"The man of that time was a big, hairy fellow. He didn't have even bows
+and arrows. He fought with a stone club or ax of stone."</p>
+
+<p>"An' do you mean to tell me, Paul, that a man with jest a club could go
+out an' meet the arrers of the Injuns? Why, all uv them warriors kin
+shoot arrers pow'ful hard an' straight. What chance would the man with
+the club hev had?"</p>
+
+<p>"There were no Indians then, Jim."</p>
+
+<p>"No Injuns then!" exclaimed Long Jim indignantly. "Why the fust white
+man that ever come through these parts found the woods full uv 'em. I
+take a heap from you, Paul, 'cause you're an eddicated boy, but I can't
+swaller this."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll prove it to you some day," said Paul laughing,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> "but whether you
+believe me or not this place suits us."</p>
+
+<p>"How much venison have we got, Tom?" asked Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"'Nough in a pinch to last three days."</p>
+
+<p>"Now you fellers kin keep on talkin' ef you want to," said the shiftless
+one, "but ez fur me I'm a man o' sense, a lazy man who don't work when
+he don't hev to, an' I'm goin' to sleep."</p>
+
+<p>He spread his blanket on the stone floor, lay down and kept his word.</p>
+
+<p>"We might as well follow," said Henry. "Sol's a man of intelligence,
+and, as he says, when there's nothing to do, rest."</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't sleepy," said Tom Ross. "Guess there's no need uv a watch, but
+I'll keep it awhile, anyhow."</p>
+
+<p>He sat down on his blanket and leaned against the wall, near the mouth
+of the room. The others stretched out, even as Shif'less Sol had done,
+and breathing a sigh or two of satisfaction followed him into a land
+without dreams.</p>
+
+<p>Although Henry's sleep was dreamless, it did not last very long. He
+awoke in three or four hours. It was quite dark, but, as he lay on his
+back and gazed steadily, he was able to make out the figure of Silent
+Tom, crouched on his blanket beside the door, his rifle across his
+knees. Although saying nothing Henry had paid attention to what Paul had
+said about the ancient cave man, and now it was easy for his fancy to
+transform Ross into such a being. The rifle on his knees was his stone
+club, and he watched by the opening all through the night lest an enemy
+should come. For the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> present, at least, it was as much reality as
+fancy, because here was the cave, and here they were, guarding against a
+possible foe.</p>
+
+<p>"Tom," he called softly.</p>
+
+<p>Ross looked around.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm restless. I can't sleep any more, and, as I'm going to stay by the
+opening, you'd better persuade yourself to go to sleep."</p>
+
+<p>"Are you bent on watchin', Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I intend to sit up."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I'll go to sleep."</p>
+
+<p>He lay down on his blanket, and Henry took his place by the wall.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<h3>THE INDIAN CAMP</h3>
+
+
+<p>The position of the great youth was comfortable, as he sat upon his
+blanket, the curve of the wall fitting into the curve of his back, his
+rifle resting across his knee, and his figure motionless. He carried in
+his belt a pistol, the keen hatchet of the border and also a long
+hunting knife, but it was the rifle upon which he depended mainly, a
+beautiful piece, with its carved stock and long blue barrel, and in the
+hands of its owner the deadliest weapon on the border.</p>
+
+<p>Henry, like Tom, did not stir. He was a match for any Indian in
+impassivity, and every nerve rested while he thus retained complete
+command over his body. He could see from his position the bushes beyond
+the opening, and, above them, a broad belt of black sky. He rejoiced
+again that they had found this cave or rather stone room as they called
+it.</p>
+
+<p>The dark heavens were full of threat, the air heavy with damp, and low
+thunder was just beginning to mutter. Tom Ross had read the gorgeous
+sunset aright. It betokened a storm, and the most hardened hunters and
+scouts were glad of shelter when the great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> winds and rains came. The
+dryness and safety of the room made Henry feel all the more snug and
+content, in contrast with what was about to happen outside. It seemed to
+him that Providence had watched over them. Truly they had never known a
+finer or better place.</p>
+
+<p>His mind traveled again to those old, bygone people of whom Paul had
+talked, how they lived in caves, and had fought the great animals with
+stone clubs. But he had a better room in the stone than most of theirs,
+and the rifle on his knees was far superior to any club that was ever
+made. His nerves quivered beneath a thrill of pleasure that was both
+mental and physical. His eyes had learned to cope with the dusk in the
+room, and he could see his four comrades stretched upon their blankets.
+All were sleeping soundly and he would let them sleep on of their own
+accord, because there was no need now to move.</p>
+
+<p>The mutter of the thunder grew a little louder, as if the electricity
+were coming up on the horizon. And he saw lightning, dim at first and
+very distant, then growing brighter until it came, keen, hard and
+brilliant, in flashing strokes. Henry was not awed at all. Within his
+safe shelter his spirit leaped up to meet it.</p>
+
+<p>The thunder now broke near in a series of fierce crashes, and the
+lightning was so burning bright that it dazzled his eyes. One bolt
+struck near with a tremendous shock and the air was driven in violent
+waves into the very mouth of the cave. Shif'less Sol awoke and sat up.</p>
+
+<p>"A storm!" he said.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Henry, "but it can't reach us here. You might as well go
+back to sleep, Sol."</p>
+
+<p>"Bein' a lazy man who knows how an' when to be lazy," said the shiftless
+one, "I'll do it."</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes he was as sound asleep as ever, while Henry continued
+to watch the storm. The sky was perfectly black, save when the lightning
+blazed across it, and the thunder rolled and crashed with extraordinary
+violence. But he now heard an under note, one that he knew, the swish of
+the wind. It, too, grew fast and he dimly saw leaves and the branches of
+trees flying past. It was certainly good to be in the snug stone covert
+that he had found for himself and his friends!</p>
+
+<p>The lightning became less bright and the thunder began to die. Then the
+wind came with a mighty sweep and roar and Henry heard the drops of
+rain, striking on leaf and bough like bullets. He also heard the crash
+of falling trees, and one was blown down directly in front of the
+opening, hiding it almost completely. He was not sorry. Some instinct
+warned him that this too was a lucky chance. The rain came in driven
+torrents, but it passed the mouth of the cave and they were as dry and
+comfortable as ever.</p>
+
+<p>The thunder and lightning ceased entirely, by and by, and Henry sat in
+the dark listening to the rush of the rain, which came now in a strong
+and steady sweep like the waves of the sea. He listened to it a long
+time, never moving, and at last he saw a thin shade of gray appear in
+the eastern sky. Day was near, although it would be dark with the storm.
+But that need not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> trouble them. On the other hand it would be to their
+advantage. The great camp of the Indians would be broken up for a while,
+and they must long since have sought what shelter they could find. They
+could not advance for two or three days at least, while the five lay in
+a splendid covert only two miles from them.</p>
+
+<p>Laggard day came, with a dusky sky, obscured by heavy clouds and the
+rain still pouring. It was several hours after sunrise before it ceased
+and the sky began to clear. Then the others awoke and looked out.</p>
+
+<p>"A big storm and I never heard a thing," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Paul," said the shiftless one, "you didn't hear it but it came off
+anyway. You're a mighty good sleeper, you are, Paul. Put you atween fine
+white sheets, with a feather bed under your body an' a silk piller under
+your head, an' I reckon you'd sleep a week an' be happy all the time."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose I would. It's a sound conscience, Sol."</p>
+
+<p>"I heard somethin' once," said Long Jim, "but knowin' I wuz in the best
+place in the world I didn't open my eyes. I jest went to sleep ag'in an'
+now, ef thar wuz anythin' to cook an' any place to cook it I'd git the
+finest breakfast any uv you fellers ever et."</p>
+
+<p>"We know that, Jim," said Henry, "but we'll have to stick to the dried
+venison for the present. You'll find plenty of drinking water over there
+by the wall. Do you notice that our river has risen a full inch?"</p>
+
+<p>"So it has," said Paul. "The rain, of course. Since we've had this noble
+inn I'm not sorry about the storm. It will stop the march of that Indian
+army."</p>
+
+<p>"And also hide any trail that we may have left yesterday<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> or last
+night," said Henry with satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you think we ought to do now, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"Eat our breakfasts, that is, chew our venison. I don't believe we can
+do anything today, and there is no need, since the Indians can't move.
+We'll stay here in hiding, and at night we'll go out again to explore."</p>
+
+<p>"A whole day's rest," said the shiftless one, with deep approval.
+"Nothin' to do but eat an' sleep, an' lay back here an' think. I'm not
+eddicated like you an' Henry, Paul, but I kin do a power o' hard
+thinkin'. Now, ef Jim tries to think it makes his head ache so bad that
+he has to quit, but I guess he's lucky anyway, 'cause we're always doin'
+his thinkin' fur him, while he's takin' his ease an' bein' happy."</p>
+
+<p>"Ef I had been dependin' on your thinking', Shif'less Sol," said Long
+Jim, "my scalp would hev been hangin' from an' Injun lodge pole long
+ago."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it would look well hangin' thar. You hev got good thick hair,
+Long Jim."</p>
+
+<p>They finished their breakfast, and all of them sat down near the
+opening. The fallen tree, while it hid the aperture, did not cut off
+their own view. They were so close to it that they could see well
+between the boughs and leaves. The rising sun, brilliant and powerful,
+had now driven away all the clouds. The sky was once more a shining
+blue, all the brighter because it had been washed and scoured anew by
+wind and rain. The green of the forest, dripping everywhere with water,
+looked deeper and more vigorous. Down in the valley they heard the
+foaming of a brook that had suddenly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> become a torrent, and which with
+equal suddenness would return to its usual size.</p>
+
+<p>They remained all day in their retreat, seeing thin threads of smoke
+three or four times against the blue sky, an indication that the
+warriors had built their campfires anew, and were trying to dry
+themselves out. Indians as well as white men suffer from rain and cold
+and Henry knew that they would be sluggish and careless that night.
+There was a bare chance that the five might get at the cannon and ruin
+them in some manner, although they had not yet thought of a way.</p>
+
+<p>It was decided that Henry and Shif'less Sol should make the second
+expedition, Paul, Tom Ross and Long Jim remaining as a reserve within
+their stone walls. The two did not disturb the fallen tree at the
+entrance, but slipped out between the boughs, and walking on dead leaves
+and fallen brushwood, in order to leave as little trace as possible,
+reached the valley below. This low area of land was studded for a long
+distance with new pools of water, which would disappear the next day,
+and the ground was so soft that they took to the bordering forest in
+order to escape the mud.</p>
+
+<p>"'Pears likely to me," said the shiftless one, "that them Britishers had
+tents. They wouldn't go on so long an expedition as this without 'em.
+It's probable then that we'll find the renegades in or about 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"Sounds as if it might be that way," said Henry. "The site of their camp
+is not more than a mile distant now, and the tents may be pitched
+somewhere in the woods."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Reckon we're near, Henry, I smell smoke, and it's the smoke that comes
+out of a pipe."</p>
+
+<p>"I smell it too. It's straight ahead. It must be one of the officers.
+We'll have to be slow and mighty particular. There's a big moon and all
+the stars are out."</p>
+
+<p>The night, as if to atone for the one that had gone before, was
+particularly brilliant. The dripping woods were luminous with silvery
+moonlight and the three used every tree and bush as they approached the
+point from which the tobacco smoke came. The woods were so dense there
+that they heard the men before they saw them. It was first a hum of
+voices and then articulated words.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems that these forest expeditions are not to be taken lightly,
+Wyatt," said a heavy growling voice.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Colonel Alloway," Braxton Wyatt replied in smooth tones. "There are
+no roads in the wilderness. If we want one we'll have to make it. It's
+the cannon that hold us back."</p>
+
+<p>"The Indians could move fast without them."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir, but we must have 'em. We can't break through the palisades
+without 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, young sir, these red warriors can annihilate anything to be found
+in Kentucky!"</p>
+
+<p>"They did not do it, sir, when we attacked Wareville last year."</p>
+
+<p>"Lack of leadership! Lack of leadership!"</p>
+
+<p>"If you'll pardon me, sir, I don't think it was. The Indians have to
+fight in their own way, and the Kentucky riflemen are the best in the
+world. Why, sir, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> things they can do with their rifles are amazing.
+A musket is like an old-fashioned arquebus compared with their
+long-barreled weapons. I know one of them&mdash;and I must say it, though I
+hate him&mdash;who could kill running deer at two hundred yards, as fast as
+you could hand him the rifles, never missing a shot."</p>
+
+<p>"A William Tell of the woods, so to speak!" said the heavy, gruff voice,
+sounding an incredulous note.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll believe me, sir, if you meet 'em," said Wyatt earnestly. "I
+don't love 'em any more'n you do, much less perhaps, but I've learned
+enough to dread their rifles. I was telling you about the one who is
+such a terrible marksman, though the others are nearly as good. Last
+night before the rain one of the Wyandots found the trace of a footstep
+in the forest. It was a trace, nothing more, and not even an Indian
+could follow it, but I've an idea that it's the very sharpshooter I was
+telling you about."</p>
+
+<p>"And what of it? Why should we care anything for a stray backwoodsman."</p>
+
+<p>"He's very dangerous, very dangerous, sir, I repeat, and he's sure to
+have four others with him."</p>
+
+<p>"And who are the dreadful five?" There was a note of irony in the voice.</p>
+
+<p>"The one of whom I spoke is named Henry Ware. There is another, a youth
+of about his own age, named Paul Cotter. The third is Solomon Hyde, a
+man of amazing skill and judgment. The other two are Tom Ross, a
+wonderful scout and hunter, and Long Jim Hart, the fastest runner in the
+West. It was he who brought relief, when we had the emigrant train
+trapped.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> I think that all the five are somewhere near and that we
+should beware."</p>
+
+<p>The heavy, gruff voice was lifted again in an ironic laugh, and Henry,
+creeping a yard or two more, saw through the leaves the whole group. The
+English officer whom Wyatt had called Alloway, was a man of middle
+years, heavily built. His confident face and aggressive manner indicated
+that he was some such man as Braddock, who in spite of every warning by
+the colonials, walked with blinded eyes into the Indian trap at Fort
+Duquesne, to have his army and himself slaughtered. But now the English
+were allied with the scalp-takers.</p>
+
+<p>A half-dozen English officers, younger men, surrounded Colonel Alloway,
+silent and attentive, while their chief talked with Wyatt. The older
+renegade, Blackstaffe, was leaning against a tree, his arms folded
+across his chest, a sneering look upon his face. Henry knew that he
+thought little of European officers there in the woods, and out of their
+element.</p>
+
+<p>But the most striking figures in the scene were Yellow Panther, head
+chief of the Miamis, and Red Eagle, head chief of the Shawnees. They
+stood erect with arms folded, and they had not spoken either while
+Alloway and Wyatt talked. They were imposing men, not as tall as the
+young chief whom Henry had seen distantly, and who was destined to have
+a great part in his life later on, but they were uncommonly broad of
+shoulders and chest, and, though elderly they were at the very height of
+their mental and physical powers.</p>
+
+<p>They were in full war paint, their scalp locks were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> braided and each
+had flung about him somewhat in the manner of a Roman toga a magnificent
+blanket of the finest weave, blue for Yellow Panther, red for Red Eagle.</p>
+
+<p>Wyatt translated to them Alloway's words, and Red Eagle at length
+raising his hand said to Wyatt in Shawnee, which all three of the hidden
+scouts understood perfectly:</p>
+
+<p>"Tell our white ally that his words are not those of wisdom. The Indian
+when he goes upon the war path does not laugh at his enemy. He knows
+that he is not fighting with children and he heeds the warnings of those
+who understand."</p>
+
+<p>His tones were full of dignity, but Wyatt, when he translated, softened
+the rebuke. Nevertheless enough of it was left to make the arrogant
+Colonel start a little, and gaze with some apprehension at the two
+massive and silent figures, regarding him so steadily. It was likely too
+that the grim forest, the overwhelming character of the wilderness in
+which he stood, affected him. Without the Indians he and his men would
+be lost in that mighty sweep of country.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell the officers of the King, across the great salt water," continued
+Red Eagle to Wyatt, "that the word has come to us that if we go and
+destroy the settlements of the Yengees, lest they grow powerful and help
+their brethren in the East who are fighting against the King called
+George, we are to receive great rewards. We use the tomahawk for him as
+well as for ourselves, and while we listen to Alloway here, Alloway must
+listen also to us."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Wyatt veiled his look of satisfaction. He had not fancied the haughty
+and patronizing manner of Alloway, and he was sure that the Colonel was
+making too little of the five and their possible proximity. Despite
+himself, and the young renegade was bold, he felt a shiver of
+apprehension lest the formidable group were somewhere near in the woods.
+But he added, speaking in a more persuasive tone to Alloway:</p>
+
+<p>"You'll pardon me, sir, but the Indian chiefs are in their own country.
+They're proud and resolute men, trusting in their own methods, and they
+must be humored. If you don't defer somewhat to them it's quite possible
+that they'll take all their warriors and go back to their villages."</p>
+
+<p>Alloway's face grew red with anger, but he had enough wisdom and
+resolution to suppress it. He looked around at the vast and somber
+forest, in which one could be lost so easily, and knew that he must do
+so.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," he said, "the chiefs and I lead jointly. Ask them what they
+want."</p>
+
+<p>Wyatt talked with the two chiefs and then translated:</p>
+
+<p>"They wish to stop here a day or two, until they can obtain new supplies
+of food. They wish to send out all of their best trailers in search of
+the scout called Ware and his comrades. They are dangerous, and also
+Yellow Panther and Red Eagle have bitter cause to hate them, as have I."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, then," said Alloway, making the best of it. "We'll halt
+while the warriors brush away these wasps, whom you seem to fear so
+much."</p>
+
+<p>He walked away, followed by his men, and Henry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> and Shif'less Sol drew
+back in the thicket. They were flattered by Braxton Wyatt's frank
+admission of their power, but they were annoyed that the footprint had
+been seen. Henry had felt that they could work much better, if the
+warriors were unaware of their presence.</p>
+
+<p>"Those two chiefs will act quickly," he whispered to his comrade. "Maybe
+they had already sent out the trailers, before they had the talk with
+the officer. It's possible that they're now between us and our new home
+in the cliff. It's always best to have a plan, and if they pick up our
+trail I'll run toward the east, and draw them off, while you make your
+way back to Paul and Jim and our room in the cliff."</p>
+
+<p>"You let me make the chase," said Shif'less Sol, protestingly. "They
+can't ketch me."</p>
+
+<p>"No! We've pretty well agreed upon our different tasks, and this, you
+know, is mine."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one was well aware that Henry was the most fitting, yet he
+was more than anxious to take the chief danger upon himself. But he said
+nothing more, as they withdrew slowly, and with the utmost caution,
+through the woods. Twice, the red trailers passed near them, and they
+flattened themselves against the ground to escape observation. Henry did
+not believe now that they could regain the stone room without a flight
+or a fight, as he was confirmed in his belief that Red Eagle and Yellow
+Panther had sent out numerous trailers, before their talk with the
+English colonel.</p>
+
+<p>A quarter of a mile away, and they were forced to lie down in a gully
+among sodden leaves and hold their breath while two Shawnees passed.
+Henry saw them<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> through the screening bushes on the bank of the gully,
+their questing eyes eager and fierce. At the first trace of a trail,
+they would utter the war whoop and call the horde upon the fugitives.
+But they saw nothing and flitted away among the bushes.</p>
+
+<p>"Comin' purty close," whispered Shif'less Sol, as they rose and resumed
+their progress. "Warm, purty warm, mighty warm, hot! The next time
+they'll jest burn their hands on us."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe there'll be no next time," said Henry as they approached the edge
+of a brook. But the bank, softened by the rain, crumbled beneath them,
+and the "next time" had come almost at once.</p>
+
+<p>Although they did not fall, their feet went into the stream with a
+splash that could be heard many yards away. From three points came
+fierce triumphant shouts, and then they heard the low swish of
+moccasined feet running fast.</p>
+
+<p>"Remember," said Henry, rapidly, "hide your trail and curve about until
+you reach the hidden home. Wait there for me!"</p>
+
+<p>He was gone in an instant, turning off at a sharp angle into the bushes,
+leading directly away from the cliff. Now the young superman of the
+forest summoned all his faculties. He called to his service his immense
+strength and agility, his extreme acuteness of sight and hearing, and
+his almost supernatural power of divination, the outgrowth of a body and
+mind so perfectly attuned for forest work.</p>
+
+<p>No fear that he would be caught entered his mind. Alone in the forest he
+could double and turn as he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> chose, and there was no Indian so fleet of
+foot that he could overtake him. A wild and exultant spirit flowed up in
+him. He was the hunted. Nevertheless it was sport to him to be followed
+thus. He laughed low and under his breath, and then, swelling the cords
+in his throat, he gave utterance to a cry so tremendous in volume that
+it rang like the echo of a cannon shot through the wilderness. But,
+after the Indian fashion, he permitted it to die in a long, fierce note
+like the whine of a wolf.</p>
+
+<p>It was an extraordinary cry, full of challenge and mockery. It said to
+those who should hear, that they might come on, if they would, but they
+would come on a vain errand. It taunted them, and aroused every kind of
+anger in their breasts. No Indian could remain calm under that cry and
+every one of them knew what it meant. Their ferocious shouts replied,
+and then Henry swung forward in the long easy gait of the woodsman.</p>
+
+<p>Mind and muscle were under perfect control. While he ran he saw
+everything in the bright moonlight and heard everything. He made no
+effort to conceal his trail, because he wanted it to be seen and he knew
+that the entire pursuit was strung out behind him. Probably Shif'less
+Sol was already safe within the stone walls.</p>
+
+<p>Lest the trail itself should not be enough he again uttered the defiant
+cry that thrilled through the forest, returning in many echoes. He
+listened for the answering shouts of the warriors, and felt relieved
+when they came. The spirit that was shooting through his veins<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> became
+wilder and wilder. His blood danced and he laughed once more under his
+breath, as wild as any of the wild men of the forest.</p>
+
+<p>He was racing along a low ridge from which the rain had run rapidly,
+leaving fairly firm ground. Once more he disturbed the thickets.
+Startled wild animals sprang up as the giant young figure sped past. A
+rabbit leaped from under his raised foot. A huge owl looked down with
+red, distended eyes at the flying youth, and, in the face of the
+unknown, using the wisdom that is the owl's own, flew heavily away from
+the forest. Some pigeons, probably a part of the same flock that he had
+seen, rose with a whirr from a bough and streamed off in a black line
+among the trees. The undergrowth was filled with whimperings, and little
+rustlings, and Henry, who felt so closely akin to wild life, would have
+told them now if he could that they were in no danger. It was he, not
+they, who was being pursued.</p>
+
+<p>He caught a glimpse of a dusky figure aiming a rifle. Quickly he bent
+low and the bullet whistled over his head. Catching his own rifle by the
+barrel he swung the stock heavily and the red trailer lay still in the
+undergrowth. A little farther on a second fired at him, and now he sent
+his own bullet in reply. The warrior fell back with a cry of pain to
+which his pursuing comrades answered, and Henry for a third time sent
+forth his fierce, defiant shout. Those whom he had met must have been
+hunters coming in.</p>
+
+<p>He reloaded his rifle, running, and kept a wary eye as he passed into
+the canebrake. But he believed now<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> that he had left behind the
+outermost fringe of the scouts and trailers. He would encounter nobody
+lying in ambush, and, after making his way for a long time through the
+dense thickets, he sat down on a little mound to rest and observe.</p>
+
+<p>He knew that the nearest of the warriors was at least four or five
+hundred yards away, and that none could come within rifle shot without
+his knowledge. So, he sat quite still, taking deep breaths, and was
+without apprehension. He was not really weary, the long swinging run had
+not been much more than exercise, but he wanted to look about and see
+the nature of the land.</p>
+
+<p>The canebrake extended a great distance, but he saw far beyond it the
+black shadow of forest, in the interminable depths of which he might
+easily lose himself if the pursuit continued. Whether it continued or
+not was a matter of sheer indifference to him. He had drawn them far
+enough, but if they wished to go farther he would be the hunted again,
+although it might be dangerous for the hunters.</p>
+
+<p>He saw the crests of the cane waving a little, and, rising, he resumed
+the race on easy foot, passing through the canebrake, and entering the
+forest, in which there was much rough, rocky ground. Here he leaped
+lightly from stone to stone, until he knew the trail was broken beyond
+the possibility of finding, when he sat down between two great upthrust
+roots of an oak and leaned back against turf and trunk together. He knew
+that the green of his deerskins blended perfectly with the grass, and he
+felt so thoroughly convinced that the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> pursuit had stopped that he
+decided to remain there for the night.</p>
+
+<p>He unrolled the blanket from his back, put it about his shoulders, and
+then he laughed again at the successful trick that he had played upon
+these fierce red warriors. It had been an easy task, too. Save the two
+hasty shots from the trailers he had never been in serious danger, and
+now, as he rested comfortably, he ate a little more of the dried venison
+from his knapsack. Then he fell asleep.</p>
+
+<p>The hours of the night passed peacefully. The soft turf supported his
+back, and only his head was against the trunk of the tree. It was a
+comfortable position for a seasoned forest runner. Toward morning the
+wind rose and began to sing through the spring foliage. Its song grew
+louder, and before it was yet dawn Henry awoke and listened to it. Like
+the Indian he heard the voice of the Great Spirit in the wind, and now
+it came to him with a warning note.</p>
+
+<p>He stretched his limbs a little and stood up, his hand on the hammer of
+his rifle. The darkness that precedes the dawn covered the woods, but he
+could see some distance into it, and he saw nothing. He listened a long
+time, and as the dusk began to thin away before the sun he heard a low
+chant. He knew that it was an Indian song, a song of triumph, coming
+from the south, and for a while he was puzzled.</p>
+
+<p>Clearly, this was no part of the great war band, which lay to the north
+of him, and he concluded that it must be a small expedition which had
+already gone into the South and which was now returning. But he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> did not
+like the character of the song. It indicated victory and he thrilled
+with horror and repulsion. The triumph must be over people of his own
+race.</p>
+
+<p>The blood in every vein grew hot with anger, and the pulses in his
+temples beat so hard that for a while it made a little singing in his
+head. The great figure stiffened and a menacing look came into his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>The chant was fast growing louder and the singers would pass within a
+few feet of his tree. He slipped aside, turning away a hundred yards or
+so, and crouched behind dense bushes. The singers came on, about twenty
+warriors in single file, Shawnees by their paint, and the first three
+brandished aloft three hideous trophies. Henry had more than suspected,
+but the reality made him shudder.</p>
+
+<p>The three scalps were obviously those of white people, and the first,
+long, thick, blonde and fine, was that of a woman. The warrior who waved
+it aloft, as he chanted, wore only the breech cloth, his naked body
+painted in many colors, and he exulted as he displayed his trophy, so
+fine to his savage heart.</p>
+
+<p>A mighty rage seized Henry. For a moment his eyes were clouded by the
+red mist that danced before them. The song of the wind before the dawn
+had aroused him to his coming danger, but there was nothing to tell the
+triumphant savage that his hour was at hand.</p>
+
+<p>The red mist cleared away from the great youth's eyes. The blood lately
+so hot in his veins became as cold as ice, and the pulses in his temples
+sank to their normal beat. Mind and nerves were completely attuned<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> and
+he was a perfect instrument of vengeance. The rifle rose to his shoulder
+and he looked down the sights at a tiny bear painted in blue directly
+over the warrior's heart. Then he pulled the trigger and so deadly was
+his aim that the savage sank down without a cry, and the scalp fell and
+lay upon his own body, the long hair reddening fast with the blood that
+flowed from the warrior's heart.</p>
+
+<p>Henry turned instantly and darted into the depths of the forest,
+reloading as usual as he ran. A single backward glance had shown him
+that the warriors, confused and puzzled at first, were standing in an
+excited group, looking down at their dead comrade. He knew they would
+recover quickly and to hasten the moment he uttered that long, thrilling
+cry of defiance.</p>
+
+<p>He was willing for them to pursue, in truth he was anxious that they
+should. He had marked the other two warriors who waved the scalps, and
+he now had a cold and settled purpose. He intentionally made noise as he
+ran, letting the boughs of bushes fly back with a swish and soon he
+heard the Indians, two or three hundred yards away.</p>
+
+<p>He knew that their muskets or smooth bores could not reach him at the
+range and that his rifle had over them, an advantage of at least fifty
+yards. He let them come a little nearer, and, as the country was now
+more open they saw him and uttered cries of mingled rage and triumph.
+They were gaining perceptibly and they felt certain of capture.</p>
+
+<p>The fugitive permitted them to come a little nearer, and he watched them
+out of the corner of one eye. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> second man in the pursuing group, a
+tall thin warrior, had been waving a scalp. Even now it was swinging at
+his belt, and as they gained, yard by yard, Henry wheeled for a second
+or two and shot the scalp-bearer through the head.</p>
+
+<p>Then he increased his speed, reloaded his rifle once more, and sent back
+that taunting cry which he knew inflamed the savage heart with ferocity
+and the desire for vengeance. The Indians had hesitated, but now they
+uttered the war whoop all together, and came on at their utmost speed.
+Henry noted the third scalp-bearer. He was a short, powerful fellow, but
+he did not have speed enough to keep himself in front. But Henry was
+resolved that he too should suffer.</p>
+
+<p>They were running now through forest comparatively free from
+undergrowth. The fugitive stumbled suddenly and then limped for a step
+or two. The simultaneous yell of the Indians was fierce and exultant,
+but the rifle of the great youth flashed, and the short, broad warrior
+was gone to join his two comrades.</p>
+
+<p>Then the speed of the fugitive increased at a great rate, and, as the
+warriors were no longer anxious to pursue, he soon disappeared in the
+forest.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE DEED IN THE WATER</h3>
+
+
+<p>Henry's pace sank into a long walk, but he did not stop for two hours.
+Then he drank at one of the innumerable brooks and lay down in the
+forest. His adventure with the returning war party made him think much.
+It was likely that other small bands had gone on the great adventure in
+the south. The young warriors, in particular, were likely to take to the
+scalp trail. It furnished them with excitement and at the same time
+destroyed the intruders upon their great hunting grounds.</p>
+
+<p>He was tempted to rejoin his comrades and go south at once with a
+warning, but second thought told him that the chief danger lay in the
+great war band under Yellow Panther and Red Eagle. He would adhere to
+his original plan and seek to destroy the cannon.</p>
+
+<p>He resolved to return at night, and since he had plenty of time he shot
+a small deer, taking all chances, and cooked tender steaks over a fire
+that he lit with his flint and steel. It refreshed him greatly, and
+putting other choice portions in his knapsack he started back on a wide
+curve, leaving the smoldering coals to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> arouse the curiosity of any one
+who might see them.</p>
+
+<p>It was now the second day after the great storm, and earth and the
+forest had dried completely. Henry, stepping lightly on the firm earth,
+and always using every stone or log or brook to hide any possible trace,
+had little fear of leaving a trail that even the keenest Indian could
+follow. But he picked up several trails himself. One was that of a small
+party coming from the east, and he thought they might be Wyandots bound
+for the great camp. Another had the imprints of two pairs of boots,
+mingled with the light traces of moccasins, and he knew that they were
+made by English soldiers, doubtless gunners, coming also with their
+Indian comrades to join the great camp.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing escaped his notice. He knew that not far to the eastward ran one
+of the great rivers that emptied into the Ohio, flowing northward, and
+he began to wonder why the band did not use it for the transport of the
+cannon, at least part of the way. Indians were usually well provided
+with canoes, and by lashing some of the stoutest together they could
+make a support strong enough for the twelve pounders. It was an idea
+worth considering, and he and his comrades would watch the stream. Then
+it occurred to him that he might go there now, and see if any movement
+in that direction had been begun by the warriors. The other four
+undoubtedly would remain in their little stone fortress, until he
+returned, or even if they should venture forth they knew all the ways of
+the forest, and could take care of themselves.</p>
+
+<p>To think of it was to act at once, and he began a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> great curve toward
+the east, slackening speed and awaiting the night, under cover of which
+he could work to far better effect and with much greater safety.</p>
+
+<p>Toward sunset he came upon a trail made by moccasins and two pairs of
+boots, and he surmised that it was Alloway and one of his young officers
+who had passed that way with the Indians. As they were going toward the
+river it confirmed him in his conjecture that they intended to use it,
+at least in part, for their advance into Kentucky.</p>
+
+<p>There had been no effort to hide the trail. What need had they to do so?
+Even with the belief that the five were in the vicinity they were in too
+large numbers to fear attack, and Henry, following in their footsteps,
+read all their actions plainly.</p>
+
+<p>They were not walking very fast. The shortness between one footprint and
+the next proved it, and their slowness was almost a sure indication that
+the party included Yellow Panther and Red Eagle, or at least one of
+them. They did not go faster, because they were talking, and Alloway
+would have discussed measures only with the chiefs.</p>
+
+<p>At one point four pairs of footsteps turned aside a little, and stopped
+in front of a large fallen log. Two of the traces were made by moccasins
+and two by boots. So, the two pairs of moccasins indicated that both
+chiefs were present. The four had sat on the log and talked some time.
+In the crevices of the bank he found traces of thin ash. The British
+officer therefore had lighted his pipe and smoked there, further proof
+that it had been a conference of length.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The warriors had remained in a group on the right, thirty or forty yards
+away, and several of them had lain down, the crushed grass showing faint
+traces of their figures. Two small bones of the deer, recently covered
+with cooked flesh, indicated that several of them had used the
+opportunity to eat their supper.</p>
+
+<p>Unquestionably the movement intended by the white leader and the red
+chiefs was important, or they would not stop to talk about it so long.
+Hence it must mean the transportation of the cannon by water. He could
+not think of anything else that would divert them from the main route.</p>
+
+<p>About two miles farther on another trail joined the one that he was
+following. It was made wholly by moccasins, but it was easy enough for
+him to discern among them two pairs, the toes of which turned outward.
+These moccasins, of course, were worn by Blackstaffe and Wyatt, who,
+whatever the British colonel may have thought of them, were nevertheless
+of the greatest importance, as intermediaries between him and the Indian
+chiefs.</p>
+
+<p>A few yards beyond the junction they had stopped and talked a little,
+but they had not sat down. Nevertheless they had consulted earnestly as
+the footsteps were in an irregular group, showing that they had moved
+about nervously as they talked. Then they walked on, but the moccasins
+moved forward in a much straighter and more precise manner than the
+boots, which were now veering a little from side to side. The two
+British officers, not trained to it like the others, were growing weary
+from the long walk through the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> woods. But they persevered. Although
+they sagged more the trail led on, and, after a while, Henry saw a
+light, which he knew to be a campfire, and which he surmised was on the
+bank of the river.</p>
+
+<p>The night was fairly dark and under cover of bushes he approached until
+he could see. Then all his surmises were confirmed. The campfire was
+large and around it sat Alloway, the younger officer, Red Eagle and
+Yellow Panther, and at a little distance about twenty warriors. The two
+Englishmen seemed utterly exhausted, while the others showed no signs of
+weariness.</p>
+
+<p>"I admit, Wyatt, that walking seven or eight miles through the primeval
+wilderness is no light task," said Alloway, wiping his red, perspiring
+face.</p>
+
+<p>His tone was not haughty and patronizing. He felt just then, in this
+particular work, that he was not the equal of the renegades and the
+warriors. Henry saw a faint ironic smile upon the face of each of the
+renegades, and he understood and appreciated their little triumph.</p>
+
+<p>"You would do better, Colonel," said Blackstaffe suavely, "to wear
+moccasins in place of those heavy boots. They carry you over the ground
+much more lightly, and we have to follow the ways of the wilderness."</p>
+
+<p>The irritable red of Alloway's face turned to a deeper tint, but he
+controlled himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Doubtless you are right, Blackstaffe," he said, "but we are here at
+last."</p>
+
+<p>Wyatt had been speaking in a low tone to the chiefs,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> and it inflamed a
+choleric man like Alloway to hear anyone saying words that he could not
+understand. He was not able to restrain himself wholly a second time.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it, man? What is it that you're saying to the chiefs?" he
+exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"I was merely telling them," replied Wyatt, "that you and your aide,
+Lieutenant Cartwright, had been made weary by the long walk through the
+woods, and that we'd better let you rest a little before going down to
+inspect the canoes."</p>
+
+<p>A blaze of anger appeared in Alloway's eyes, but the younger officer who
+had been watching his chief with some apprehension, said deferentially:</p>
+
+<p>"Suppose, sir, that we do as they suggest. Campaigning in this
+wilderness is not like fighting on the open fields of Europe."</p>
+
+<p>They all sat down about the fire, and venison, jerked buffalo meat and
+roasted grain were served to them. The two chiefs were silent, and,
+holding themselves with dignity, were impressive. Presently one of them
+took from under his deerskin tunic a pipe, with a long stem, and a bowl,
+carved beautifully. He crowded some tobacco into it, put a live coal on
+top and took two or three long puffs. Then he passed it to the other
+chief who after doing the same handed it to Colonel Alloway.</p>
+
+<p>The officer hesitated, not seeming to understand the meaning of the pipe
+at that particular time, and Wyatt said, maliciously:</p>
+
+<p>"The pipe of peace, sir!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Why should we smoke a pipe of peace when we're already allies?"</p>
+
+<p>"A little feeling has been shown on our march through the woods to the
+river. Indians, sir, are very sensitive. These two chiefs, Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle, are the heads of powerful tribes, and if their
+feelings are hurt in any manner they will resent it, even to the point
+of withdrawing all their warriors and returning north of the Ohio. I
+suggest, sir, that you smoke the pipe at once, and return it to them."</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Alloway did so, Cartwright took it readily, after them the two
+renegades smoked, and thus it was passed around the circle. It came back
+to Red Eagle, who knocked the coals out of the pipe and then gravely
+returned it to its resting place.</p>
+
+<p>Henry had watched it all with eager attention, and when the little
+ceremony was finished he made another short circle through the bushes
+that brought him close to the river, where he saw about twenty canoes
+and two boats much larger, built stoutly and apparently able to sustain
+a great weight. He knew at once that they were intended for the cannon
+and that they had been brought down the Ohio and then up the tributary
+stream. Both had oars and he surmised that the white gun crews would use
+them, since the Indians were familiar only with the paddle. These boats,
+scows he would have called them, were tied to the bank and were empty.
+Some of the canoes were empty also, but in seven or eight, Indian
+warriors were lying asleep.</p>
+
+<p>He was quite certain that the cannon would be brought up the next day,
+and be loaded on the scows,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> and he wished now for the presence of his
+comrades. The five together might accomplish something real before the
+dawn, and then he resolved that since he was alone he would attempt it
+alone. He withdrew to a considerable distance, and lay down in the
+bushes, very close.</p>
+
+<p>It was hard to think of a plan that seemed feasible, and he concentrated
+his mind upon it until his brain began to feel inflamed, as if with a
+fever. But the idea came at last. It was full of danger, and it called
+for almost supernatural skill, but he believed that he could do it. Then
+the fever went out of his brain and the tension of his nerves relaxed.
+He felt himself imbued with new strength and courage, and his soul rose
+to its task.</p>
+
+<p>He saw the two officers, the renegades and the chiefs come down to the
+edge of the river, and talk with the warriors there. No very strict
+watch was kept, because none seemed to be needed. Then blankets were
+spread for them under the trees, and they went to sleep. Most of the
+warriors followed their example, and not more than three or four
+sentinels were left on watch. These three or four, however, would have
+eyes to see in the darkness and ears to hear when a leaf fell.</p>
+
+<p>But Henry did not sleep. He was never more wide-awake. He made his way
+carefully through the bushes farther up the stream to a point where he
+noticed the last canoe lying empty near the shore, almost hidden in the
+shadows cast on the water by the overhanging boughs.</p>
+
+<p>He came to a point parallel with it and not more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> than ten feet away,
+and critically examining the river saw that the water was quite deep
+there, which suited his purpose. The light craft was held merely by a
+slender piece of bark rope. Then he began the most perilous part of his
+task. He returned toward the sleeping officers and chiefs, and, lying
+flat upon the ground in the deep grass and heavy shadows, began slowly
+to worm himself forward. It was a thing that no one could have
+accomplished without great natural aptitude, long training and infinite
+patience. He knew that risk of detection existed, but he calculated
+that, if seen, he might be up and away before any one of his enemies
+could find time for a good shot.</p>
+
+<p>The Englishmen in particular were the mark at which he aimed. He had
+noticed that the younger one carried a large horn of powder and he was
+likely to be careless about it, a belief that was verified as he drew
+near. The Englishman had taken off his belt, bullet pouch and powder
+horn, all of which now lay on the ground near him.</p>
+
+<p>A long arm was suddenly thrust from the grass and a hand closing on the
+powder horn took it away. Henry felt that it was well filled and heavy
+and he glowed with triumph. The first link in his chain had been forged.
+He crept back into the bushes, and stopped there twice, lying very
+still. He saw the Indian sentinels moving about a little, but evidently
+they suspected nothing. They were merely changing positions and quickly
+relapsed into silence and stillness.</p>
+
+<p>It was fully half an hour before Henry was back at his place opposite
+the swinging little canoe. Then he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> shook the powder horn triumphantly,
+put it down at the foot of a tree and covered it up with some leaves. As
+he did so he noticed that many of last year's leaves were quite dry and
+he remembered it.</p>
+
+<p>Then he went back to forge the second link, which was not so difficult.
+The fire around which the white men and the chiefs had eaten their
+supper was a little distance back of the present camp, where he was
+quite sure that it was still smoldering, although deserted. He found a
+stick the end of which was yet a live coal, and circling a little wider
+on his return he came back to the powder horn.</p>
+
+<p>Henry held the live point of the stick close to the ground where it
+could not cast a glow that the sentinels might see, and then waited a
+minute or so before taking any further action. Two links of the chain
+had been forged and he felt now that he would carry it to its full
+length and success. He had never been more skillful, never more in
+command of all his faculties, and they had never worked in more perfect
+co&ouml;rdination. There had never been a more perfect type of the human
+physical machine. Nature, in one of her happy moods, had lavished upon
+him all her gifts and now he was using them to the utmost, turning his
+ten talents into twenty.</p>
+
+<p>The third link would be one of great difficulty, much harder than the
+bringing of the fire, and that was the reason why he was considering so
+well. He could discern the figures of three of the sentinels on land.
+Two of them were brawny warriors naked to the waist, and painted
+heavily. The third was quite young,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> younger than himself, a mere boy,
+perhaps on his first war path. Henry understood the feelings of hope and
+ambition that probably animated the Indian boy and he trusted that they
+would not come into conflict.</p>
+
+<p>The sentinels were walking about, and when the one nearest him turned
+and moved away he gathered up quickly fallen brushwood which lay
+kiln-dry at the river's brink. Then he hid his rifle, other weapons and
+ammunition in the grass. For a brief space he must go unarmed, because
+he could not be cumbered in an effort to keep them dry.</p>
+
+<p>Carrying the powder horn, the dry sticks and the one lighted at the end,
+he dropped silently into the water and managed with one arm to swim the
+few feet that separated him from the canoe. Then he passed around it,
+putting it between him and the land, and carefully lifted everything
+inside. He knew that the dry wood would burn fast when he placed the
+torch against it, and he put the horn full of powder very near.</p>
+
+<p>Then he sank low in the water behind the canoe, and listened until he
+heard the faint sputter of the fire in the dry wood. Now new
+difficulties arose. He must time everything exactly, and for the sake of
+his enterprise and his own life he must keep the Indian alarm from
+coming too soon.</p>
+
+<p>The sputtering was not yet loud enough for the warriors on the bank to
+hear it, and he ventured to rise high enough for another look over the
+edge of the canoe. In two minutes, he calculated, the fire would reach
+the powder horn. Then he drew from his belt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> his hunting knife, the only
+weapon that he had not discarded, and cut the withe that held the canoe.</p>
+
+<p>Burying himself in the water to the nose he sent his fire ship down the
+stream toward the two scows intending for it to enter just between them.
+Now he needed all his skill and complete command over his will. The
+sputtering of the fire increased, and he knew that it was rapidly
+approaching the horn of powder. The flesh had an almost irresistible
+desire to draw away at once and swim for life, but an immense resolution
+held his body to its yet uncompleted task.</p>
+
+<p>The canoe was moving with such a slight ripple that not an Indian
+sentinel had yet heard, but when it was within ten yards of its
+destination one happened to look over the river and see it moving. There
+would have been nothing curious in a canoe breaking its slender thong
+and floating with the current, but this one was floating against it. The
+Indian uttered a surprised exclamation and instantly called the
+attention of his comrades.</p>
+
+<p>Henry knew that the supreme moment was at hand. The Indian warning had
+come, and the sputtering told him that the fire was almost at the powder
+horn. Giving his fire ship a mighty shove he sent it directly between
+the scows and then he made a great dive down and away. He swam under
+water as long as he could, and just as he was coming to the surface he
+heard and saw the explosion.</p>
+
+<p>The two scows and the canoe seemed to leap into the air in the center of
+a volcano of light, and then all three came down in a rain of hissing
+and steaming<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> fragments. The crash was stunning, and the light for a
+moment or two was intense. Then it sank almost as suddenly and again
+came the darkness, in which Henry heard the steaming of burning wood,
+the turmoil of riven waters and the shouts of warriors filled with
+surprise and alarm.</p>
+
+<p>It was easy in all the confusion for him to reach the bank, recover his
+arms and speed into the forest. He had forged with complete success
+every link in his chain of destruction. The scows intended for the
+transportation of the cannon were blown to splinters, and while they
+might lash enough canoes together to sustain their weight, they must
+move slowly and at much risk.</p>
+
+<p>Although he was dripping with water, Henry was supremely happy. When he
+undertook this feat he had believed that he would succeed, but looking
+back at it now it seemed almost incredible. But here he was, and the
+deed was done. He laughed to himself in silent pleasure. Wyatt,
+Blackstaffe and the others would undoubtedly trace it to him and his
+comrades, and he hoped they would. He was willing for them to know that
+the five were not only on watch but could act with terrific effect.</p>
+
+<p>A half-mile away from the river and he heard a long fierce yell, uttered
+by many voices in unison. He knew they had picked up at the edge of the
+stream the tale that he had not sought to hide, and were hoping now for
+revenge upon the one who had cost them so much. But he laughed once more
+back of his teeth. In the darkness they might as well try to follow a
+bird of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> the air. He curved away, reached one of the numerous brooks
+intersecting the stream, and ran for a long time in its bed. Then he
+emerged, passed into a dense canebrake and stopped, where he took off
+his wet clothing and spread it out in the dark to dry. The blanket which
+he had left on the bank with his arms was warm and dry and he wrapped it
+around his body. Then he lay down with his weapons by his side.</p>
+
+<p>The satisfied blood ran swiftly and proudly in the veins of the great
+forest runner. He had done other deeds as bold, but perhaps none as
+delicate as this. It had demanded a complete combination of courage and
+dexterity and perfect timing. A second more or less might have ruined
+everything. He could imagine the chagrin of the choleric colonel. Unless
+Wyatt and Blackstaffe restrained him he might break forth into
+complaints and abuse and charge the Indians with negligence, a charge
+that the haughty chiefs would repudiate at once and with anger. Then a
+break might follow.</p>
+
+<p>Whether the break came or not he had insured a delay, and since the
+cannon could not yet be put upon the river he might find a way to get at
+them. He rolled on one side, made himself comfortable on the dead leaves
+and then heard the wind blowing a song of triumph through the cane. He
+fell asleep to the musical note, but awoke at dawn.</p>
+
+<p>His clothing was dry, and, unwrapping himself from the tight folds of
+the blanket, he dressed. Then, stretching his muscles a little, to
+remove all stiffness or soreness he emerged from the canebrake. After
+examining<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> a circle of the forest with both eye and ear to see that no
+warrior was near, he climbed a tree and looked over a sea of forest.</p>
+
+<p>To the north where the great camp lay he saw spires of smoke rising, and
+to the east, where a detachment guarded the boats in the river, another
+column of smoke floated off into the blue dawn. So he inferred that they
+were yet uncertain about their campaign and that their forces would
+remain stationary for a little while. But he was sure that warriors were
+ranging the forest in search of him. Red Eagle and Yellow Panther would
+not let such an insult and loss pass without many attempts at revenge.</p>
+
+<p>He descended and ate the last of his venison. He would have returned at
+once to his comrades, but he believed that many warriors were in between
+and he did not wish to draw danger either upon them or himself. He began
+another of his great curves and it took him away from the refuge in the
+cliff, coming back in two or three hours to the stream that bore the
+little Indian fleet. His triumph of the night before increased his
+boldness, and he resolved to return the following night and annoy
+further the detachment by the river. It would serve his cause, and it
+would be a pleasure to vex the dogmatic European colonel.</p>
+
+<p>Weather was a great factor in the operation he was carrying on, and the
+coming night, fortunately for his purpose, promised to be dark. Spring
+is fickle in the valley of the Ohio, and toward evening clouds gathered,
+although there was not a sufficient closeness of the air to indicate
+rain. But the moon was feeble and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> by and by went away altogether. Then
+the stars followed, leaving only a black sky which hid Henry well, but
+which did not hide the smaller camp by the river from him.</p>
+
+<p>Watchers had been spread out in a wider circle, but he had no difficulty
+in approaching the fire, built on the bank of the river, around which
+sat the two chiefs, the renegades and the British officers. Henry saw
+that the faces of all of them expressed deep discontent, and he enjoyed
+the joke, because joke it was to him. He understood the depths of their
+chagrin.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll have to carry the cannon on the canoes, and maybe they'll fall
+into the river," said Alloway querulously. "How in thunder the blowing
+up of those scows was managed I don't understand!"</p>
+
+<p>"Several of the warriors saw a canoe floating down, sir, just before the
+explosion," said Cartwright, "and it must have been no illusion, as a
+canoe is gone."</p>
+
+<p>Cartwright had missed his horn of powder after the excitement from the
+explosion was over, but he supposed some Indian had used the opportunity
+to steal it, and he said nothing about his loss from fear of creating a
+breach.</p>
+
+<p>"In my opinion, sir," said Braxton Wyatt, smoothly but with just a trace
+of irony, "it was done by Ware and his comrades."</p>
+
+<p>"Impossible! Impossible!" said Alloway, testily. "The careless Indians
+left powder in the scows and in some manner equally careless it's been
+exploded. The tale of the canoe that floated upstream of its own accord
+was an invention to cover up their neglect."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Do you wish us to translate for you and to state that opinion to the
+chiefs?" asked Blackstaffe.</p>
+
+<p>Alloway gave him an angry glance, but he had prudence enough to say:</p>
+
+<p>"No, of course not. After all, there may have been a canoe. But whatever
+it was it was most unfortunate. It delays us greatly, and it preys upon
+the superstitions of the warriors."</p>
+
+<p>"They are very susceptible, sir, to such things," said Wyatt. "They
+dread the unknown, and this event has affected them unpleasantly. But
+I'm quite sure it was done by Ware, although I don't know how."</p>
+
+<p>"Ware! Ware!" exclaimed Alloway, impatiently. "Why should a force like
+ours dread a single person?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because, sir, he does things that are to be dreaded."</p>
+
+<p>Yellow Panther, who had been sitting in silence, his arms folded across
+his great bare chest, arose and raised his hand. Braxton Wyatt turned
+toward him respectfully and then said to Colonel Alloway:</p>
+
+<p>"The head chief of the Miamis wishes to speak, sir, and if you will
+pardon me for saying so, it will be wise for us to listen."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," said Alloway. "Tell us what he says."</p>
+
+<p>Thus spoke Yellow Panther, head chief of the Miamis, veteran of many
+wars, through the medium of Braxton Wyatt:</p>
+
+<p>"We and our brethren, the Shawnees, have come with many warriors upon a
+long war path. Our friends, the white men whom the mighty King George
+has sent across the seas to help us, have brought with them the great
+cannon which will batter down the forts<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> of the Long Knives in
+Kaintuckee. But the signs are bad. The boats which were to carry the
+cannon on the river have been blown up. An enemy stands across our path
+and before we go farther we must hunt him down. If we cannot do it then
+Manitou has turned his face away from us."</p>
+
+<p>Wyatt translated and Alloway sourly gave adhesion. It was hard for him
+to think that a single little group of borderers could hold up a great
+force like theirs, armed with cannon too. But he was acute enough to see
+that the menace of a rupture would become a reality if he insisted upon
+having his own way.</p>
+
+<p>Henry had watched them while they talked, and then he turned aside to a
+point nearer the river's brink, from which he could see two pairs of
+their strongest canoes lashed together in the stream, ready for the
+reception of the cannon when they should come. How was he to get at
+them? He knew that he could not use a fire boat again, but these rafts,
+for such they were, must be destroyed in some manner.</p>
+
+<p>Lying deep in the thickets he considered his problem. One of the reasons
+why he excelled nearly all the scouts of the border was because he
+thought so much harder and longer, and now he concentrated all his
+faculties for success.</p>
+
+<p>It did not take him long to mature his plan, and when he had done so he
+moved down the stream, where the chance of an Indian sentinel
+discovering him was much smaller. There he waited a space, while the
+night darkened still more, the moon and stars being shut out entirely. A
+wind arose and little crumbling<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> waves pursued one another on the
+surface of the river, which was flooded and yellow from spring rains.</p>
+
+<p>He saw only one or two sentinels and they showed but dimly. Farther down
+the Englishmen, the chiefs and the renegades were sitting about the low
+fire, and he felt sure that the white men, at least, would sleep there
+by the coals. From his covert in the bushes he saw them presently
+spreading their blankets, and then they lay down with their feet to the
+smoldering fire. The chiefs soon followed them and elsewhere the
+warriors also rolled themselves in their blankets. They seemed to think
+that he would not come back, reasoning like the white men that the
+lightning would not strike in the same place twice.</p>
+
+<p>So he waited long and patiently. This quality of patience was one in
+which the Caucasian was usually inferior to the Indian, but in the
+incessant struggle on the border it was always needed. Henry, through
+the power of his will and his original training among the Northwestern
+Indians, had acquired it in the highest degree. He could sit or lie an
+almost incredible length of time, so still that he would seem to blend
+into the foliage, and now as he lay in the bushes some of the little
+animals crept near and watched him. A squirrel, not afraid of the fire
+in the distance, came down the trunk of a tree, and hanging to the bark
+not five feet away regarded him with small red eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Henry caught a glimpse of the little gray fellow and turning his head
+ever so slightly regarded him. The red eyes looked back at him half bold
+and half afraid, but Henry had lived in the wild so much that the two<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span>
+felt almost akin. The squirrel saw that the gigantic figure on the
+ground did not move, and that the light in the eyes was friendly. He
+crept a little nearer, devoured by curiosity. He had never seen a human
+being before, and instinct told him that he could escape up the tree
+before this great beast could rise and seize him. He edged cautiously an
+inch nearer, and the blue eyes of the human being smiled into the little
+red eyes of the animal.</p>
+
+<p>The two gazed at each other for a half minute or so. It was a look of
+the utmost friendliness, and then the squirrel went noiselessly back up
+the tree. It was a good omen, thought Henry, but he still waited with
+the illimitable patience which is a necessity of the wild. He saw the
+fire, before which the white men and the chiefs lay sleeping, sink lower
+and lower. The night remained dark. The heavy drifting clouds which
+nevertheless were not ready to open for rain, moved overhead in solemn
+columns. The surface of the river grew dim, but now and then there was a
+light splash as a strong fish leaped up and fell back into the current.
+The Indian guards knowing well what made them, paid no attention to
+these sounds.</p>
+
+<p>The wind increased and Henry saw all the canoes, including those lashed
+together, rocking in the current. The blast made a whistling sound among
+the bushes and boughs and he concluded that the time for him to act had
+come. He took off all his clothing, made it, his weapons and ammunition
+in a bundle which he fastened on his head, and then swam across the
+river. He went some distance down the bank,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> deposited everything except
+his heavy hunting knife securely in the bush, and then, with the knife
+in his teeth, dropped silently into the river.</p>
+
+<p>The lashing of the wind and the perceptible rise of the stream from
+flooded tributaries farther up, made a considerable current, and Henry
+floated with it. But the bank on the camp side of the river was
+considerably higher than the other and first he swam across to its
+shelter.</p>
+
+<p>It was so dark now that not even the keen eye of an Indian could have
+seen his dark head on the dark surface of the stream, and he was so
+powerful in the water that he swam like a fish without noise. Once or
+twice he caught the gleam of the fire on the bank, but he knew that he
+was not seen.</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes he dropped in behind the lashed canoes, and with the
+heavy hunting knife cut holes in their bark bottoms. He was skillful and
+strong, but it took him a half-hour to finish the task, and he stopped
+at intervals to see if the sentinels had noticed anything unusual.
+Evidently they dreamed as little of this venture as of that of the fire
+boat.</p>
+
+<p>He cut a small hole in every one at first, and then enlarged them in
+turn, and when he saw the water rising in the boats he swam rapidly
+away, still keeping in the shelter of the near shore. Then he dived,
+rose just behind a curve and walked out on the opposite bank, his figure
+gleaming white for a moment before he crept into the woods where his
+clothes and weapons lay. He dressed with rapidity and still lying hidden
+he heard the first Indian cry.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The sentinels, hearing the gurgling of the water, had looked over and
+seen the sinking canoes. Even as they looked, and as the alarm brought
+others, the canoes filled with water and sank fifteen feet to the bottom
+of the stream.</p>
+
+<p>A few rays of moonlight forced their way through the clouds just at that
+moment, and Henry saw the amazement on the faces of the warriors, and
+the anger on the faces of the white men, because Alloway and the others,
+awakened by the alarm, had hurried to the banks of the river.</p>
+
+<p>He laughed low to himself but with deep and intense satisfaction. He was
+enough a son of the wild to understand the emotions of the Indians. He
+knew that the second destruction of the boats, but in a different way,
+would fill them with awe. They could attach no blame to the sentinels
+who watched as only Indians could watch.</p>
+
+<p>Henry saw them lift the remaining canoes upon the bank for safety, and
+then send out scouts and runners in search of the dangerous foe who had
+visited them twice. None had yet come to his side of the river, but he
+knew that they would do so in time, and feeling that the deed was
+sufficient for the night, he fled away in the darkness.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FOREST JOKER</h3>
+
+
+<p>It was Henry's first thought to return to his comrades, but the way was
+long and he must pass by the greater Indian camp, which surely had out
+many sentinels. So he changed his mind and resolved to spend the night
+in the woods. Shif'less Sol and the others would not be alarmed about
+his absence. They too had acquired the gift of infinite patience and
+would remain under cover, until he returned, content with their stone
+walls and roof, having plenty of venison, and fresh water running
+forever in their home itself.</p>
+
+<p>It was his idea to seek some thicket at a distance and lie hidden there
+until the next night, when he might achieve a fresh irruption upon the
+enemy. He had succeeded so far that he was encouraged to new attempts,
+and all the wilderness spirit in him came to the front. The civilization
+of the house and the city sank quite away. He was for the time being
+wholly a creature of the primeval forest, and while his breath was the
+very breath of the wild he felt with it a frolic fancy that demanded
+some outlet. He must sleep, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> he would like to play a new trick upon
+his enemies before he slept.</p>
+
+<p>The spirit of the Faun, in which the old Greeks believed, was re-created
+within him, and where could a better place for its re-creation have been
+found than in this vast green wilderness stretching from east to west a
+thousand miles, and from north to south fifteen hundred miles, a region
+almost untouched by the white man, the like of which was not to be found
+elsewhere on the globe.</p>
+
+<p>He laughed a little in his triumph, though silently. As he strode along
+a stray ray of moonlight fell upon him now and then, and disclosed the
+tall, splendid figure, the incarnation of magnificent youth, the forest
+superman, one upon whom Nature had lavished every gift for the life that
+he was intended to live. Although his step was light and soundless, his
+figure expressed strength in every movement. It was shown in the swing
+of the mighty shoulders, and the long stride which without effort
+dropped the miles behind him.</p>
+
+<p>It was destined, too, that he should have his wish for another
+achievement that night, one that would please the sportive fancy now so
+strong in him. After recrossing the river he saw on his left an opening
+of considerable size, and he heard grunts and groans coming from it. He
+knew that a buffalo troop was resting there. The foolish beasts had
+wandered into the Indian vicinity, but they would learn the proximity of
+the warriors the next day and wander away. Meanwhile Henry needed them
+and would use them. Now and then he reverted to the religious imagery
+which he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> had learned when he was with Red Cloud and his Northwestern
+tribe. Manitou had really sent this buffalo herd there for his
+particular benefit. It was the largest that he had ever seen in
+Kentucky. Fully five hundred of the great brutes rested in the opening
+and he needed numbers.</p>
+
+<p>He passed into the thick forest near them, and then with infinite
+patience lighted a fire with his flint and steel. Securing long sticks
+of dead wood he ignited them both until they burned with a steady and
+strong flame. Strapping his rifle upon his back and holding aloft a
+flaming torch in either hand, and uttering fierce and wild shouts he
+charged directly upon the buffaloes.</p>
+
+<p>He showed prodigious activity. All the extraordinary life that was in
+him leaped and sang in his veins. He rushed back and forth, uttering
+continuous shouts, whirling each torch until it made a perfect circle of
+fire. Doubtless to the heavy eyes of the buffaloes the single human
+being seemed twenty, every one enveloped in bursts of flame which they
+dreaded most of all things.</p>
+
+<p>A big bull buffalo, the leader of the herd, crouched at the very edge of
+the opening, decided first that it was time to move. The whirling
+circles of fire with living beings inside of them filled him with
+terror. His ton of flesh quivered and quaked. He rose with a mighty
+heave to his feet and then with a bellow of fright took flight from the
+flashing devils of fire.</p>
+
+<p>The whole herd was in a panic in an instant and followed the leader.
+They might have scattered in their fright, but they were shepherded by a
+human<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> mind, which had allied with it a body without an equal in all
+that million and a half square miles of forest. As he leaped to and fro,
+shouting and whirling his torches, he drove the herd straight toward the
+camp on the river where the English officers and chiefs were even now
+asleep.</p>
+
+<p>A few animals broke off from the herd and were lost in the bushes, but
+the rest ran, packed close, a long column, tapering at the front like an
+arrow head, with the big bull as its point. They bellowed with fright
+and made a tremendous crashing as they raced over the mile that divided
+them from the Indian camp. Warriors heard the uproar, like the bursting
+of a storm in the night, and leaped to their feet.</p>
+
+<p>Now Henry fairly surpassed every effort that he had made hitherto. He
+leaped more wildly than ever, and redoubled his fierce shouting. He was
+so close upon the flank of the last buffaloes that they felt the torches
+singeing their hair, and, mad with fear lest they go to their buffalo
+heaven sooner than they wished they charged directly upon the Indian
+camp.</p>
+
+<p>The wild yells of the warriors joined with Henry's shouts. Alloway,
+Cartwright and the others leaped up to see the red eyes, the short
+crooked horns and the huge, humped shoulders of the buffaloes bearing
+down upon them. Nothing could withstand that rush of mighty bodies and
+white men and Indians alike ran for their lives.</p>
+
+<p>The buffaloes came up against the river, and blocked by its deep flood,
+turned, and, running over the camp again, crashed away toward the west.
+Henry, stopping<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> at a convenient distance, tossed his torches into the
+river, and taking the rifle from his back sank into the bushes. Here he
+laughed once more, under his breath, but with the most intense delight.
+It was the hugest joke of all.</p>
+
+<p>Without any great danger to himself he had made the buffaloes serve him,
+and he could still hear them bellowing and crashing in their frantic
+flight. Although no lives had been lost, everything in the camp had been
+trodden flat. All of their cooking utensils had been smashed, many of
+their rifles had been broken, and, the canoes drawn upon the bank, had
+been ground under the hoofs of the buffaloes. A hurricane could not have
+made a wreck more complete.</p>
+
+<p>Henry saw Alloway emerge from the forest and come back to the scene of
+ruin. He had taken off his coat before he lay down, but only fragments
+of it remained now. He was red with anger and he swore violently. Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle had lost their blankets, but, whatever they felt,
+they kept it to themselves. They looked upon the trodden camp, but they
+did not lose their dignity.</p>
+
+<p>"What is this? What is this? What is this?" stuttered Alloway in his
+wrath.</p>
+
+<p>"We seem, sir, to have been run over by a herd of buffaloes," said
+Wyatt, smoothly.</p>
+
+<p>"And does this sort of thing happen often in these woods?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can't say that I've heard of such a case before, but even if it's a
+single instance we're the victims of it."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Alloway glared at Wyatt, but he knew that he could not afford to quarrel
+with the young renegade, who had great influence with the tribes. He
+picked up the fragments of his red coat and looked at them ruefully.</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't know that the herds were ever so large in this forest
+country," he said to Blackstaffe.</p>
+
+<p>"It's seldom so," said the older renegade.</p>
+
+<p>"Is it their habit to rise up at midnight and gallop over men's camps?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is not."</p>
+
+<p>"Then how do you account for such behavior?"</p>
+
+<p>Blackstaffe shrugged his shoulders and spoke a few words in their own
+tongue to the chiefs. Then he turned back to Colonel Alloway.</p>
+
+<p>"The chiefs tell me," he said, "that the buffaloes were driven by a
+demon, an immense figure, preceded by whirling circles of fire. The evil
+spirit, they say, is upon them."</p>
+
+<p>"And do you believe such nonsense?"</p>
+
+<p>"A continuous life in the deep woods gives one new beliefs. I thought I
+caught a glimpse of such a figure, but when I tried for a second look it
+was gone. But whether right or wrong you can see what has happened. Our
+camp has been destroyed and with it most of the canoes. We have lost
+much, and the Indians are greatly alarmed. It is superstition, not fear,
+that has affected them."</p>
+
+<p>"In my opinion," said Braxton Wyatt, "it was a trick of Henry Ware's. He
+drove those buffaloes down upon us."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Very likely," said Blackstaffe, "but you can't persuade the Indians
+so."</p>
+
+<p>"Nor me either," said Alloway gruffly. "You can't tell me that a
+backwoods youth can do so much."</p>
+
+<p>"But," said Blackstaffe, "our scows were blown up, our lashed canoes
+were sunk, and now the buffaloes have been driven over us. It couldn't
+be chance. I think with Wyatt that it was Ware, but the chiefs are not
+willing to stay here longer. They demand that we return to the great
+camp in the morning, and that we abandon the attempt to take the cannon
+up the river."</p>
+
+<p>"Which means an infinite amount of work with the ax," growled Alloway.
+"Well, let it be so, if it must, but I will not move tonight for
+anything. At least grass and trees are left, and I can sleep on one and
+under the other."</p>
+
+<p>The chiefs, Yellow Panther and Red Eagle, thought they ought to march at
+once, but they yielded to Alloway who was master of the great guns with
+which they hoped to smash the palisades around the settlements. Complete
+co&ouml;peration between white man and red man was necessary for the success
+of the expedition, and sometimes it was necessary for one to placate the
+other.</p>
+
+<p>They chose places anew upon ground that looked like a lost field of
+battle. The buffaloes had practically trampled the camp into the earth.
+The Indians had lost most of their blankets and in taking the canoes
+from the river and putting them upon the bank to escape one form of
+destruction they had merely met<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> another. But they did the best they
+could, seeking the most comfortable places for sleep, and resolved to
+secure rest for the remainder of the night.</p>
+
+<p>But Red Eagle and Yellow Panther, great chiefs though they were, were
+troubled by bad dreams which came straight from Ha-nis-ja-o-no-geh, the
+dwelling place of the Evil Minded. An enemy whom they could not see or
+hear, but whose presence they felt, was near. He had brought misfortune
+upon them and he would bring more. They awoke from their dreams and sat
+up. The white men were sleeping heavily, but then white men were often
+foolish in the forest.</p>
+
+<p>Everything that stirred in the wilderness had a voice for the Indian.
+North wind or south wind, east wind or west wind all said something to
+him. The flowing of the river, and the sounds made by animals in the
+darkness had their meaning. Yellow Panther and Red Eagle were great
+chiefs, mighty on the war path, filled with the lore of their tribes,
+and they knew that Manitou expressed himself in many ways. They spoke
+together and when they compared their bad dreams straight from
+Ha-nis-ja-o-no-geh they felt apprehension. The wind was blowing from the
+northwest, and its voice was a threat. Then came the weird cry of an owl
+from a point north of them, and they did not know whether it was a real
+owl or the same evil spirit that had sent the bad dreams.</p>
+
+<p>The two chiefs, wary and brave, were troubled. They could fight the
+seen, but the unseen was a foe whom no warrior knew how to meet. Then
+they heard the owl again, but from another point, farther to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> west,
+and after a while the cry came from a point almost due west.</p>
+
+<p>They sent the boldest and most skillful warrior to scout the forest in
+that direction and they waited long for his return, but he never came
+back. When the second hour after his departure had been completed the
+chiefs awakened all the others and announced that they would start at
+once for the great camp.</p>
+
+<p>Alloway growled and cursed under his breath.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?" he said to Braxton Wyatt, who had been talking with Red
+Eagle and Yellow Panther. "Can't we finish in peace what's left of the
+night?"</p>
+
+<p>"We must yield to the chiefs, sir," said Wyatt. "If we don't there will
+be trouble, and the whole expedition will fail before it's fairly
+started. While we were asleep they heard an owl hoot from several
+different points of the compass, and they think it an omen of evil. They
+may be right, because a scout, a man of uncommon skill, whom they sent
+out two hours ago with instructions to return in an hour or less, has
+not come back. If you consider the misfortunes that have befallen us
+tonight, you can't blame 'em."</p>
+
+<p>The hoot of the owl, much nearer, came suddenly through the forest. To
+the chiefs and to the white men as well it had a long menacing note. It
+was an omen of ill and it came from the Place of Evil Dreams. Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle, great chiefs, victors in many a forest foray,
+shuddered. Fear struck like daggers at their hearts.</p>
+
+<p>"Gray Beaver, our scout, will never come back," said Yellow Panther, and
+Red Eagle nodded.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The surcharged air affected Alloway and the other white men also. The
+obvious fears of the chiefs and the black wilderness about him created
+an atmosphere that the colonel could not resist. He glanced at the dark
+files of the trees and listened to the low moaning of the river as it
+flowed past. Then from a point in the south came that warning, plangent
+cry of the evil bird. Perspiration stood out on the brows of the chiefs
+and Alloway himself was shaken. Superstition and fears bred of the
+wilderness and its darkness entered into his own soul. The place
+suddenly became hateful to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go," he said. "Perhaps it is better that we rejoin the main
+force."</p>
+
+<p>Braxton Wyatt had his own opinion, but he was as willing as the others
+to depart. He felt that on this expedition he would be safer with the
+warriors all about him. He had saved his own rifle from the rush of the
+herd, and putting it on his shoulder he fell in behind the chiefs.</p>
+
+<p>The whole party started, but they found that although they had left an
+evil place they had also begun an evil march. The owl, which the Indians
+were quite sure contained the soul of some great dead warrior, followed
+and continually menaced them. Its cry was heard from one side and then
+from the other. Colonel Alloway, a brave man, though choleric and cruel,
+was exasperated beyond endurance. He raged and swore as they marched
+through the dark thickets, the Indians moving lightly and surely, while
+he often stumbled. He insisted at last that they stop and take action.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think this is a real owl following us?" he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> said to Wyatt, whom
+he invariably used as an interpreter.</p>
+
+<p>"I think it is Ware, of whom I told you."</p>
+
+<p>"You're as bad in your way as the Indians are in theirs. Why, the fellow
+would be superhuman!"</p>
+
+<p>"That would not keep it from being true."</p>
+
+<p>Alloway knew from Wyatt's tone that he meant what he said.</p>
+
+<p>"We must hunt down this forest rover!" he exclaimed. "I can see that he
+is striking a heavy blow at the Indians through their superstitions."</p>
+
+<p>"No doubt of that, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"Tell the chiefs for me that we must send out a half dozen trailers
+while the rest of us remain here. I'm not as used as you are to midnight
+marches in the forest, and every bone in me aches."</p>
+
+<p>Wyatt translated and Yellow Panther and Red Eagle consented. A
+half-dozen of the best trailers slipped away in different directions in
+the forest, and the rest sat down in a group. They waited a long time
+and heard nothing. The owl did not cry, nor did any human shout come
+from the haunted depths of the wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>"At least they've driven him away," said Alloway to Cartwright.</p>
+
+<p>"I think so, sir."</p>
+
+<p>Out of the forest, low at first, but swelling on a long triumphant note,
+came the solemn voice of the owl. Alloway, despite himself, shuddered.
+The sinister cry expressed victory. His own mind, like those of the
+Indians, had become attuned to the superstitions and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> fears bred of
+ignorance and the dark. His heart paused, and when it began its work
+again the beat was heavy.</p>
+
+<p>A darker blot appeared on the darkness and two warriors, bearing a
+third, came through the bushes. The man whom they bore was a
+dark-browed, cruel savage who had carried the scalp of a white woman at
+his belt. But he would hunt or scalp no more. He had been cloven from
+brow to chin with the blow of a tomahawk wielded by an arm mighty like
+that of Hercules. Colonel Alloway looked upon the slain savage and
+shuddered again.</p>
+
+<p>"Ask them how it happened," he said to Wyatt.</p>
+
+<p>The young renegade, after speaking with the Indians, replied:</p>
+
+<p>"Black Fox, the dead warrior, turned aside to look into a willow
+thicket. The others heard the beginning of a cry, that is one that was
+checked suddenly, and the sound of a blow. Then they found Black Fox as
+you see him there."</p>
+
+<p>"And the one who struck him down?"</p>
+
+<p>"There was no trace of him, but I, at least, have no doubt about him.
+Colonel Alloway, sir, I tell you he is the greatest forester that ever
+lived. He has all the different kinds of strength of the red man and the
+white man united, and something more, a power which I once heard a
+learned man say must have belonged to people when they had no weapons
+but clubs, and beasts far bigger than any of our time roamed the woods.
+It must have been a sort of feeling or sense that we can't understand,
+like the nose of a hound, and this Ware has it."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Pshaw! Pshaw! Pshaw!" exclaimed Alloway violently. But Wyatt saw that
+his violence of speech was assumed to hide his own growing belief. The
+two chiefs beckoned to him, and he talked with them briefly. Then he
+turned to Alloway.</p>
+
+<p>"Red Eagle and Yellow Panther ask me to say to you, sir, that they'll
+send no more warriors into the forest. The Evil Spirit is there and
+while they're ready to fight men they will not fight devils."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't blame 'em," said Alloway reluctantly. "We've been outwitted and
+made fools of, and the best thing we can do is to get back to the great
+camp as soon as we can. Tell the chiefs we're ready to march."</p>
+
+<p>But the way was long and the night was still black. The cry of the owl
+came several times, first on the right and then on the left. Every time
+he heard it the heart of the colonel beat with anger, tinged with awe.
+It was a strange world into which he had come, and while he would not
+have acknowledged it to another, he knew that he was afraid. And afraid
+of what? Of a single figure, lurking somewhere in the dusk, that seemed
+able to strike at any moment wherever and whenever it wished.</p>
+
+<p>The band, with its chiefs, its white men and its renegades marched on,
+the two English officers panting from such unusual exertion, and
+tripping often as they grew weaker. It hurt Alloway to ask them to stop
+and let him rest, and he put off the evil moment as long as he could,
+but at last, as his breath became shorter and shorter, he was compelled
+to do so.</p>
+
+<p>The chiefs acquiesced silently and the whole band<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> stopped. Alloway sat
+down on one of those fallen logs to be found everywhere in the primeval
+forest, and his breath came in long painful sobs. He was just a little
+too stout for wilderness work, that is for the marching part of it, and
+he was hurt cruelly in both body and spirit. As his general weakness
+grew, the cry of the owl directly in their path and not far away was
+like fire touched to an open wound.</p>
+
+<p>"Can't some of the warriors go forward, ambush and shoot that fiend?" he
+exclaimed in desperation to Blackstaffe.</p>
+
+<p>"You saw what happened when we tried it an hour ago," replied the
+renegade. "In the darkness one man has an opportunity over many. He
+knows that all are his enemies, and he can shoot the moment he hears a
+sound or sees a rustle in the bush. Besides, sir, we are confronted, as
+Wyatt has told you, by the one foe who is the most dangerous in all the
+world to us. There is something about him that passes almost beyond
+belief. I'm not a coward, as these Indians will tell you, but nothing
+could induce me to go into the forest in search of him."</p>
+
+<p>Alloway made no reply, but he took off a cocked hat that he wore even in
+the wilderness, and began to fan his heated face. A rifle cracked
+suddenly, and the hat flew from his hand into the air. The Indians
+uttered a long wailing cry like the Seneca "Oonah," but did not move
+from their places or show any sign that they wished to pursue.</p>
+
+<p>The colonel's empty hand remained poised in the air, and he gazed with
+mingled anger and wonder at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> his hat, lying upon the ground, and
+perforated neatly by a bullet. Wyatt, Blackstaffe and Cartwright looked
+at him but said nothing. Even Wyatt felt a thrill of awe.</p>
+
+<p>"That, sir, was a warning," he said at last. "He could have shot you as
+easily."</p>
+
+<p>"But why don't the warriors pursue? He could not have been much more
+than a hundred yards away!"</p>
+
+<p>"They're afraid, sir, and I don't blame 'em."</p>
+
+<p>Wyatt himself showed apprehension. He knew the bitter hatred the
+borderers felt toward all renegades. The name of Girty was already one
+of loathing. Blackstaffe was another who could expect little mercy, if
+he ever fell into their hands, and Wyatt himself knew that he had fully
+earned the Kentucky bullet. He did not feel the superstition of the
+warrior, but he regarded the gloomy depths of the forest with just as
+much terror. There was no reason why the silent marksman who hung upon
+them should not pick him out for a target.</p>
+
+<p>They came to a creek running three feet deep, but they waded it and then
+stood for a minute or two on the bank, wringing the water out of their
+clothing. Colonel Alloway still cursed under his breath, and bemoaned
+the fate that had befallen him. It seemed a cruel jest that he, who had
+served in Flanders and Germany, in open country that had been civilized
+many centuries, should be sent from Detroit to march as an ally of
+savages in that enormous and unknown wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>The cry of the owl came from a point straight ahead,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> and not more than
+four hundred yards away. Not a savage moved. But Alloway's whole frame
+shook with furious anger. It was preposterous that they should be
+harried so on their march by a single enemy. Once more he turned to
+Wyatt and said:</p>
+
+<p>"Can't we spread out in some manner and catch this impudent fellow? Are
+thirty men to be driven all night through the woods by a single border
+rover?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can put your question to the chiefs," Wyatt replied, "but I doubt
+whether anything will come of it."</p>
+
+<p>He talked a little with Yellow Panther and Red Eagle and found that they
+were willing to try again. They were pursued by a devil, but, mysterious
+as he was, they would send forth the warriors, and perhaps they might
+trap him. They gave the signal and a dozen savages plunged at once into
+the bush, spreading out like a fan, and advancing toward the point from
+which the owl had sent his haunting cry.</p>
+
+<p>The others waited a long time by the creek, and Alloway's rage still
+burned. It was past endurance that a gentleman and an officer should be
+hunted through the woods in such a manner, insulted even by a bullet
+through his fine cocked hat, and hope being the father of belief, he was
+sure that the warriors would finish him this time.</p>
+
+<p>He heard a sudden sharp report in the woods behind them, on the other
+side of the creek that they had crossed, and a bullet buried itself in
+the tree against which he was leaning, not very far from his face. He
+uttered a deep oath, but Yellow Panther and Red Eagle signaled to their
+forces to take the trail once more.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> The one in whom the Evil Spirit
+dwelled and who had come to mock them could not be caught. They would
+waste no more time, but would march as fast as they could to the main
+camp. They sent out cries that called in the warriors and then they set
+off at a great pace.</p>
+
+<p>But all through the remainder of the night the Evil Spirit hung upon
+them, sometimes beside them, and sometimes behind them, and the terror
+of the warriors grew. Upon more than one face the war paint was damp
+with perspiration, and Colonel Alloway, his red face dripping, was
+forced to keep up with them, stride for stride.</p>
+
+<p>Their terror did not diminish at all until the daylight came. Red Eagle
+and Yellow Panther, great chiefs, were glad to see the glow over the
+eastern forest that told of the rising sun. Even then they did not stop,
+but kept on at high speed, until the morning was flooded with light,
+when they stopped for fresh breath.</p>
+
+<p>The English officers threw themselves upon the ground and gasped. They
+were not ashamed to show now to the Indians that they were weary almost
+to death.</p>
+
+<p>"I think I left at least twenty pounds in that cursed forest," said
+Alloway.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not anxious for another such march," said Cartwright with sympathy.
+"But, sir, you can see a big smoke rising not more than a mile ahead.
+That must be the main camp."</p>
+
+<p>"It is," said Braxton Wyatt, "and there are some of the scouts coming to
+meet us."</p>
+
+<p>Far behind them rose the long hoot of the owl, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> Wyatt knew that they
+would hear it no more that day. He regarded the English officers grimly.
+They had patronized him and Blackstaffe, and now they made the poorest
+showing of all. In the woods they were lost.</p>
+
+<p>Alloway and Cartwright rose after a long rest and limped into the camp.
+The colonel reflected that he had lost prestige but there were the
+cannon. The warriors could not afford to march against Kentucky without
+them, and only he and his men knew how to use them. In a huge camp, with
+a brilliant sun driving away many of the fancies that night and the
+forest brought, his full sense of importance returned. He began to talk
+now of pushing forward at once with the guns, in order that they might
+strike before the settlers were aware.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE KING WOLF</h3>
+
+
+<p>When the two chiefs, Alloway and the smaller force, were driven into the
+great camp, Henry turned aside into the forest and felt that he had done
+well. All the fanciful spirit of the younger world created by the Greeks
+had been alive in him that night. He had been a young Hercules at play
+and he had enjoyed his grim jokes. He was not only a young Hercules, he
+was a primeval son of the forest to whom the wilderness was a book in
+which he read.</p>
+
+<p>He went back a little on their path, and he marked where the European
+leader had fallen twice through sheer weariness or because he could not
+see well enough in the dusk to evade trailing vines. A red thread or two
+on a bush showed that he had torn his uniform in falling, and the young
+woods rover laughed. He could not recall another such gratifying night,
+one in which he had served his own people and also had annoyed the enemy
+beyond endurance.</p>
+
+<p>He went deep into the forest, hiding his trail as usual, and lay down in
+a covert to rest, while he ate some of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> the venison that he had left.
+Here he saw again his friends of the little trails, with which he was so
+familiar. The shy rabbits were creeping through the bushes and
+instinctively they seemed to have no fear of him. Two little birds not
+ten feet over his head were singing in intense rivalry. Their tiny
+throats swelled out as they poured forth a brilliant volume of song, and
+Henry, lying perfectly still, looked up at them and admired them. It
+would have required keen eyes like his to have picked them out, each of
+whom a green leaf would have covered, but he saw them and recognized
+them as friends of his. He did not know them personally, but since all
+their tribe were his comrades they must be so too.</p>
+
+<p>Although he was one of mighty prowess with the rifle, and a taker of
+game, Henry always felt his kinship with the little people of the
+forest. No one of them ever fell wantonly at his hands. The gay birds in
+their red or blue plumage and all the soberer garbs between, were safe
+from him. It seemed that they too at times recognized him as a friend
+since he would hear the flutter of tiny wings over his head or by his
+ear, and see them pass in a flash of flame, or of blue or of brown.</p>
+
+<p>Those old tales of Paul floated once more through his mind. He had no
+doubt that Paul was right. The Biblical six thousand years might be six
+million years as men thought of them now. And he knew himself, from his
+own eye, that huge monsters, larger than any that lived now, did roam
+the earth once. He had seen their bones in hundreds at the Big Bone
+Lick, where<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> they had come to get the salty water scores of thousands of
+years ago. It seemed to him then that in those days men and the little
+animals and the little birds must have been allies against the monsters.
+Here, in the woods so far from civilization, this friendship must be
+continued. The light wind which so often sang to him through the leaves
+sprang up and joined its note to that of the birds. The fierce, wild
+spirit that had made him haunt the flying trail the night before, and
+that had sent the tomahawk so deep, departed. He felt singularly
+friendly to all created beings.</p>
+
+<p>Lying on his back and looking upward into the green roof, Henry listened
+to the forest concert. The two over his head were still singing with
+utmost vigor, but others had joined. From all the trees and bushes about
+him came a volume of song, and the shadow of no swooping hawk or eagle
+fell across the sky to disturb them.</p>
+
+<p>He had a little bread in his pouch, and he threw some crumbs on the
+grass a few feet away. The hand and arm that had cast them sank by his
+side, remained absolutely still and he waited. The wonder that he was
+wishing so intensely came to pass. A bird, brown and tiny, alighted on
+the grass and pecked one of the crumbs. Beyond a doubt, this was a bold
+bird, a leader among his kind, an explorer and discoverer. He had never
+seen a crumb before, but he picked up one in his tiny bill and found it
+good. Then he announced the news to all the world that could hear his
+voice, and there was much fluttering of small wings in the air.</p>
+
+<p>More birds, red, green, yellow and brown, settled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> upon the grass and
+began to pick the crumbs eagerly. It was new food, but they found it
+good. Nor did they pay any attention to the great figure in buckskin
+dyed green lying so near and so still. The instinct given to them in
+place of reason, which warned them of the presence of an enemy, gave
+them no such warning now, because there was none against which they
+could be warned.</p>
+
+<p>Henry always believed that the birds felt his kinship that morning, or
+perhaps it was the crumbs that drew them to a friend and gave them
+hearts without fear. One of them, perhaps the original bold explorer,
+seeking vainly for another crumb, hopped upon his bare hand as it lay in
+the grass, but feeling its warmth flew away a foot, hung hovering a
+moment or two, then came back and took a peck.</p>
+
+<p>It was not sufficient to hurt Henry's toughened hand, and exerting the
+great strength of his will over his body he continued to lie perfectly
+motionless. The bird, satisfied that this food was beyond his powers,
+stood motionless for a few moments, then flapped his wings two or three
+times to indicate that he was a prince and an ornament of the forest,
+and began to pour forth the fullest and deepest song that Henry had yet
+heard.</p>
+
+<p>It gave him a curious thrill as the bird, perched on his hand, and
+extended to his utmost, sang his song. The other birds having finished
+all the crumbs stood chirping and twittering in the grass. Then, as if
+by a given signal, all of them, including the one on Henry's hand,
+united in a single volume of song and flew up into the crevices of the
+green roof. He felt that a serenade<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> had been given to him, one that few
+human kings ever enjoyed. The little flying people of the forest had
+united to do him honor, and he was pleased, hugely pleased.</p>
+
+<p>They were hidden from him now in the green leaves, but where the sky was
+clear he saw a sudden, dark shadow against the blue. He sprang up in an
+instant and raised his rifle. But it was too late for the eagle to stop.
+The heavy figure with the tearing beak and claws swooped downward, and
+there was silence and terror among the green leaves. But before the
+eagle could clutch or rend, Henry's rifle spoke with unerring aim, and
+the body fell to the ground dead.</p>
+
+<p>He was sorry. He did not like his morning party to be broken up in such
+a manner, and for his guests to be disturbed and frightened. Nor was it
+wise to fire his rifle in that neighborhood. But he had acted on an
+impulse that he did not regret. He looked at the beak and claws of the
+dead eagle and he was glad that he had shot him. The fierce bird had
+broken up his forest idyl, and knowing that he could stay no longer he
+set off at a great pace, again curving about in a course that led him
+somewhat toward the house in the cliff.</p>
+
+<p>He crossed several trails and he became rather anxious. Doubtless they
+were made by hunters, because the Indians while they remained at the
+great camp would eat prodigiously, and bands would be continually
+searching the forest for buffalo and deer. It was from these that the
+chief danger came. He suspected also that their proximity had compelled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span>
+Shif'less Sol and the others to keep close within their little shelter.
+He doubted whether he could reach them that day.</p>
+
+<p>The need of rest made itself felt at last, and, hiding his trail, he
+crept into another small but very dense thicket. He felt that he was
+within a lair and his kinship with bird and beast was renewed. No wolf
+or bear could lie snugger in its den than he.</p>
+
+<p>He put his rifle by his side, where he could reach it in a second, and
+was soon asleep. A prowling bear came into the far edge of the thicket,
+sniffed the man-smell and went away, not greatly alarmed, but feeling
+that it was better, in case of doubt, to avoid the cause of the doubt.
+Two Indians, carrying the cloven body of a deer, passed within three
+hundred yards of the sleeping youth, but they saw no trail and went on
+to the camp with the spoils of the hunt.</p>
+
+<p>Henry slept lightly, but a long time. The forest quality was still
+strong within him. Although his sleep had all its restoring power, the
+lightest noise in the undergrowth near him would have awakened him. But
+he slept on through the morning, and into the afternoon.</p>
+
+<p>A second party of savage hunters passed, five men carrying wild turkeys,
+and they too did not dream that the enemy whom they dreaded so much lay
+near. They had left the camp only that morning, and, the warriors
+arriving from the river, had told before they left how they had been
+pursued all through the night by one upon whom the Evil Spirit had
+descended. Even in the day they would have avoided this being, and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>
+old medicine men who were in the camp were making charms to drive him
+away.</p>
+
+<p>It was the most brilliant part of the afternoon now. Nevertheless they
+looked with a tinge of superstitious terror at the forests. The highly
+imaginative mind of the Indian, clothes nearly all things with
+personality, and for them an evil wind was blowing. The events of the
+preceding night had been colored and enlarged by those who told them.
+One or two had seen the form, gigantic and flaming-eyed, that had hung
+upon their trail, and these warriors, fearing that they too might see
+it, and in the open day, hung close as they bore their load of turkeys
+back to the camp.</p>
+
+<p>Henry did not awake until the west was growing dim, and then after the
+fashion of the borderers he awoke all at once, that is, every nerve and
+faculty was alive at the same time. Nothing had invaded his haunt in the
+brushwood. His keen eyes showed him at once that no bush had been
+displaced, and, with his rifle ready, he walked out into the opening.</p>
+
+<p>He must get back into the little fortress that night. He had been gone
+so long that Shif'less Sol and the others, although having the utmost
+confidence in his powers, would begin to worry about him. Yet he knew
+that it was unwise to approach the place until night came. Delay was all
+the more necessary, because while he saw on the northern horizon the
+smoke from the great camp, he saw also a smaller smoke rising from
+another camp nearer their fortress. It was so near, in truth, that the
+four must find it necessary to hide close within the walls.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The second smoke aroused Henry's apprehension. Perhaps a portion of the
+camp had been moved forward merely to be nearer water or for some
+kindred reason, but that did not keep it from being nearer the stone
+fortress, nor from impeding his entrance into it. Yet he believed that
+he could slip past. His skill had triumphed over greater tests.</p>
+
+<p>After dark he began his journey, buoyant and strong from his long sleep,
+and continued his wide circuit intending to approach his destination
+from the west. Distance did not amount to much to the borderer, and his
+long, easy gait carried him on, mile after mile.</p>
+
+<p>It was another night, brilliant with moon and stars, and Henry was able
+to see the larger trail of smoke still traced on the northern horizon.
+His sense of direction was perfect, but he looked up now and then at the
+smoky bar, always keeping it on his right, and three or four hours after
+sunset he began to curve in towards his friends. The country into which
+he had come was similar in character to that which he had left, heavy
+forest, rolling hills and many creeks and brooks. He had never been in
+that immediate region before, and he judged by the amount of game
+springing up before him that it had not been visited by anybody in a
+long time. It was always a cause of wonder to him that a region as large
+as Kentucky, four fifths the size of all England, should be totally
+without Indian inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p>The fact that Indians from the North and Indians from the South were
+said to fight there when on their hunting expeditions, and that hence
+they preferred to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> leave it as a barrier or neutral ground, did not
+wholly account for the fact to him. Farther north and farther south the
+Indians occupied all the country and fought with one another, but in
+this beautiful and fertile land there was no village, and not even a
+stray lodge.</p>
+
+<p>He had often asked himself the reason, and while he was asking it he
+came to a long low mound, covered with trees of smaller growth than
+those in the surrounding forest. At first he took it for a hill just
+like the others, but its shape did not seem natural, and, despite the
+importance of time he looked again, and once more. Then he walked a
+little way up the mound and his moccasined foot struck lightly against
+something hard. He stooped, and catching hold of the impediment pulled
+from the earth a broken piece of pottery.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed old, very old, and wishing to rest a little, Henry sat down
+and gazed at it. The Indians of the present day could not possibly have
+made it, and it was impossible also that any white settler or hunter
+could have left it there. He dropped the fragment and rising, looked
+farther, finding two more pieces buried almost to the edge, but which
+his strong hands pulled out. They seemed to him of the same general
+workmanship as the others, and he surmised that the long mound upon
+which he was standing had been thrown up by the hand of man.</p>
+
+<p>What was inside the mound? Perhaps the skeletons of men dead a thousand
+years or more, men more civilized than the Indians, but gone forever,
+and leaving no trace, save some broken pieces of pottery. Possibly the
+Indians themselves had destroyed these people, and they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> did not come
+here to live because they feared the ghosts of the slain. But it was no
+question that he could solve. He would talk about it later with Paul and
+meanwhile he must find some way to reach the others.</p>
+
+<p>He threw down the pottery and left the hill, but, as he swung swiftly
+onward, the hill and its contents did not disappear from his mind. He
+had a strange sense of mystery. The new land about him might be an old,
+old land. He had never thought of it, except as forest and canebrake, in
+which the Indians had always roamed, but evidently it was not so. It was
+strange that races could disappear completely.</p>
+
+<p>But as he raced on, the feeling for these things fell from him. He was
+not so much for the past as Paul was. He was essentially of the present,
+and, dealing with wild men in a wild country, he was again a wild man
+himself. Among the Indians at the great camp or about it there was not
+one in such close kinship with the forest as he. Despite danger and his
+anxiety to reach his comrades, he felt all its beauty and majesty, in
+truth fairly reveled in it.</p>
+
+<p>He noticed the different trees, the oaks, the elms, the maples, the
+walnuts, the hickories, the sycamores, the willows at the edges of the
+stream, the dogwoods, and all the other kinds which made up the
+immeasurable forest. They were in the early but full foliage of spring,
+and the light wind brought odors that were like a perfumed breath.</p>
+
+<p>It was past midnight, when he stopped to enjoy again the fine flavor of
+his kingdom. Then he suddenly lay flat among the dead leaves of the year
+before, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> thrust forward the barrel of his rifle. He had heard a
+footfall, the footfall of a moccasin, not much heavier than the fall of
+a leaf, and every nerve and faculty within him was concentrated to meet
+the new danger.</p>
+
+<p>The sound had come from his right, and raising his head just a little he
+looked, but saw nothing, that is nothing new in the waving forest. Yet
+Henry was sure that a man was there. His ear would not deceive him.
+Doubtless it was a stray hunter or scout from the bands, and, while he
+did not fear him, he was annoyed by the delay. It might keep him from
+reaching his comrades that night.</p>
+
+<p>He waited a long time, using all the patience that he had learned, and
+he began to believe that his ear after all might have deceived him.
+Perhaps it had been merely a rabbit in the undergrowth, but while he was
+debating with himself he heard a faint stir in the bush, and he knew
+that it was made by a man seeking a new position.</p>
+
+<p>Then his intuition, the power that came from an extreme development of
+the five senses, reinforced by will, gave him an idea. Still lying on
+his back he uttered the lonesome howl of the wolf, but very low. He
+waited a moment or two, eager to know if his intuition had told him
+truly, and back came the wolf's low but lone cry. He gave the second
+call and the cry of the wolf came in like answer.</p>
+
+<p>Then he stood up with rifle at trail and walked boldly forward. A tall
+figure, rifle also at trail, emerged from the bush and advanced to meet
+him. Two hands met<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> in the strong clasp of those who had shared a
+thousand dangers and who had never failed each other.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought when I made the call that it would be you, Sol," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"An' I knowed it must be you, Henry," said the shiftless one, showing
+his double row of shining white teeth, "'cause you're the only one in
+the woods who kin understan' our signals."</p>
+
+<p>"And that means that Paul, Long Jim and Tom are safe in the cave."</p>
+
+<p>"When I left two nights ago, hevin' gone back thar after we separated,
+they wuz safe, but whether they are now I can't tell. Decidin' that they
+wuz foulin' the water too much, part o' the band has moved up to a place
+mighty close to our own snug house. They don't know yet that the hole in
+the wall is thar, but ef they stay long they're boun' to run acrost it.
+That's why I've come out lookin' fur you, an' mighty glad I am that I've
+found you. I'd a notion you'd take this circuit, after doin' all the
+deviltry you've done."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one's mouth parted in a wide grin of admiration. The two
+rows of white teeth shone brightly.</p>
+
+<p>"Henry," he said, "you're shorely the wild catamount o' the mountains."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I'm somethin' o' a scout an' trailer, ez you know, an' that ain't
+no boastin'. I've been hangin' 'roun' the Injun camp, an' they're
+terrible stirred up. An evil sperrit has been doin' 'em a power o' harm
+an' I know that evil sperrit is you. Ef it wuzn't fur<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> them cannon on
+which they build such big hopes the chiefs would take all their warriors
+and go home. But the white men are urgin' 'em on. Henry, you're shorely
+the king o' these woods. How'd you stir 'em up so?"</p>
+
+<p>Henry modestly told him all that he had done, and the shiftless one
+chuckled again and again, as proud of his comrade's deeds as if he had
+done them himself.</p>
+
+<p>"But the Indians will march against Kentucky?" said Henry. "You don't
+doubt that, do you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, they'll go. Hevin' brought the cannon so fur they won't turn back,
+but mebbe we kin hold 'em a while longer. There are tricks an' tricks,
+an' we kin work some o' 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"And it's our object to stop those cannon. Unless they have 'em we can
+beat the Indians off as we did last year, even if they are led by the
+English."</p>
+
+<p>"So we kin, Henry, an' we'll git them guns yet. Scoutin' 'roun' thar
+camp I learned enough to know that you've broke up thar plan o' tryin'
+to carry 'em part o' the way by the river. You must hev done mighty
+slick work thar, Henry. The warriors are plum' shore now that river is
+ha'nted. It's all the way through the woods now fur them cannon, an' the
+English will hev to use the axes most o' the time."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we'll be going back as fast as we can. I want to tell you again,
+Sol, that your face was mighty welcome."</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't no beauty," grinned the shiftless one, "but them that's
+bringin' help do be welcome when they come. That's the reason you looked
+so pow'ful well<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> to me, Henry, 'cause I wuz gettin' mighty lonesome,
+prowlin' 'roun' in these woods all by myself, an' no comp'ny to call,
+'cept them that would roast me alive when they'd j'in me."</p>
+
+<p>"The cliff is straight north, isn't it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Jest about. But thar's an Injun band in the way. They're jerkin' a lot
+o' venison fur the main camp, but bein' ez you've stirred 'em up so
+they're keepin' a mighty good watch too. You know we don't want no
+fights, we jest want to travel on ez peaceful ez runnin' water."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so, Sol, but it means a much farther curve to the west."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we've got to take it. It ain't hard for you an' me. We've got
+steel wire for muscles in our legs, and the night is clear, cool an'
+life-givin'. Paul hez talked 'bout parks in the Old World, but we've got
+here a bigger an' finer park than any in Europe or Asyer, or fur that
+matter than Afriker or that new continent, Australyer. An' thar ain't
+any other park that hez got so many trees in it ez ourn, or ez much big
+game all fur the takin'. Now lead on, Henry, an' we'll go to our new
+home."</p>
+
+<p>"No, you lead, Sol. I've been on a big strain, an' I'd like to follow
+for a while."</p>
+
+<p>"O' course you would, you poor little peaked thing. I ought to hev
+thought o' that when I spoke. Never out in the woods afore by hisself
+an' nigh scared to death by the trees an' the dark. But jest you come
+on. I'll lead you an' I won't let no squirrel or rabbit hurt you
+neither."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Henry laughed. The humor and unction of the shiftless one always amused
+him.</p>
+
+<p>"Go ahead, Sol," he said, "and I'll promise to keep close behind you,
+where nothing will harm me."</p>
+
+<p>Thus they set off, Sol in front and Henry five feet away, treading in
+his footsteps.</p>
+
+<p>"There wuz a time when I'd hev been afraid o' the dark," said Shif'less
+Sol, whose conversational powers were great. "You've been to the Big
+Bone Lick, an' so hev I, an' we've seen the bones o' the monsters that
+roamed the earth afore the flood, a long time afore. I wouldn't hev
+believed that such critters ever tramped around our globe ef I hadn't
+seen their bones. I come acrost a little salt lick last night&mdash;we may
+see it in passin' afore mornin'&mdash;but thar wuz big bones 'roun' it too. I
+measured myself by 'em an' geewhillikins, Henry, what critters them wuz!
+Ef I'd been caught out o' my cave after night an' one o' them things got
+after me I'd hev been so skeered that I'd hev dropped my stone club
+'cause my hands trembled so, my teeth would hev rattled together in
+reg'lar tunes, an' I'd hev run so fast that I'd only hev touched the
+tops o' the hills, skippin' all the low ones too, an' by the time I
+reached the mouth o' my cave, I'd be goin' so swift that I'd run clear
+out o' my clothes, leavin' 'em fur the monster to trample on an' then
+chaw up, me all the while settin' inside the cave safe, but tremblin'
+all over, an' with no appetite. Them shore wuz lively times fur our
+race, Henry, an' I guess we did a pow'ful lot o' runnin' an' hidin'."</p>
+
+<p>"It was certainly time to run, Sol, when a tiger eight<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> feet high and
+fifteen feet long got after you, or a mammoth or a mastodon twenty feet
+high and fifty feet long was feeling around in the bushes for you with a
+trunk that could pick you up and throw you a mile."</p>
+
+<p>"Henry, ef we wuzn't in a hurry I'd stop here an' give thanks."</p>
+
+<p>"What for?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Cause I didn't live in them times, when the beast wuz bigger an'
+mightier than the man. I guess stone caves that run back into mountains
+'bout a mile wuz the most pop'lar an' high-priced. Guess those boys an'
+gals didn't go out much an' dance on the green, ez they do back East.
+I'd a heap ruther hunt the buff'ler than that fifteen foot tiger o'
+yours, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"So had I, Sol. If those beasts were living nowadays we wouldn't be
+roaming through the forest as we are now. We have only the Indians to
+fear."</p>
+
+<p>"An' thar's a lot about them to be afeard of at times, ez you an' me
+know, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"If we keep on this curve, Sol, about what time do you think we ought to
+reach the boys?"</p>
+
+<p>"Afore moonrise, jest about when the night is darkest, 'less somethin'
+gits in the way. Here's another branch, Henry. Guess we'd better wade in
+it a right smart distance. You can't ever be too keerful about your
+trail."</p>
+
+<p>The branch, or brook, as it would have been called in older communities,
+was rather wide, about six inches deep and flowing over a smooth,
+gravelly bed. It was flowing in the general direction in which they
+wished to go, and they walked in the stream a full half mile.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> Then they
+emerged upon the bank, careless of wet feet and wet ankles, which they
+knew would soon dry under severe exercise, and continued their swift
+journey.</p>
+
+<p>The curiosity of the shiftless one about the primeval world had passed
+for the time, and like Henry he was concentrating all his energy and
+attention upon the present, which was full enough of work and danger. He
+and the young Hercules together made a matchless pair. He was second
+only to Henry in the skill and lore of the wilderness. He was a true son
+of the forest, and, though uneducated in the bookish sense, he was so
+full of wiles and cunning that he was the Ulysses of the five, and as
+such his fame had spread along the whole border, and among the Indian
+tribes. Hidden perhaps by his lazy manner, but underneath that yellow
+thatch of his the shiftless one was a thinker, a deep thinker, and a
+nobler thinker than the one who sat before Troy town, because his
+thoughts were to save the defenseless.</p>
+
+<p>"Henry," he said, "we're followed."</p>
+
+<p>Henry glanced back, and in the moonlit dusk he saw a score of forms,
+enlarged in the shadows, their eyes red and their teeth bare.</p>
+
+<p>"A wolf pack!" he exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"Shore ez you live," replied the shiftless one. "Reckon they've been
+follerin' us ever since we left the branch. Mebbe they never saw men
+afore an' don't know nothin' 'bout guns that kill at a distance, an'
+ag'in mebbe they've been driv off thar huntin' grounds by the warriors,
+an' think we kin take the place o' their reg'lar game."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Anyway I don't like it."</p>
+
+<p>"Neither do I. Look at that old fellow in the lead. Guess he's called a
+giant among 'em. I kin see the slaver fallin' from his mouth. He's
+thinkin' o' you, Henry, 'cause there's more meat on you than there is on
+me."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know about that. You'd make a fine dish for the table of the
+wolf king. Roasted and served up whole they'd save you for the juicy
+finish, the last gorgeous touch to the feast."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't talk that way, Henry. You make me shiver all over. I ain't afeard
+o' a wolf, but ef I didn't hev a rifle, an' you wuzn't with me, I'd be
+plum' skeered at them twenty back thar, follerin' us lookin' at us an'
+slaverin'."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one shook his fist at the king wolf, an enormous beast,
+the largest that they had ever seen in Kentucky. The whole troop was
+following them, their light feet making no noise in the grass and
+leaves, but their red eyes and white teeth always gleaming in the
+moonlight. They were showing an uncommon daring. Lone hunters had been
+killed and eaten in the winter by starving wolves, but it was seldom
+that two men in the spring were followed in such a manner. It became
+weird, uncanny and ominous.</p>
+
+<p>"I know what's happened," said the shiftless one suddenly. "I kin tell
+you why they follow us so bold."</p>
+
+<p>"What's the reason, Sol?"</p>
+
+<p>"You know all them 'normous tigers and hijeous monsters we've been
+talkin' 'bout, that's been dead a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> hundred thousan' years. Thar souls
+comin' down through other animals hev gone straight into our pack o'
+wolves thar. They ain't wolves really. They're big tigers an' mammoths
+an' sech like."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not disputing what you say, Sol, because I don't know anything
+about it, but if it wasn't for raising an alarm I'd shoot that king wolf
+there, who is following us so close. I can tell by his eyes that he
+expects to eat us both."</p>
+
+<p>"What kind o' tigers wuz it that Paul said lived long ago, an' growed so
+monstrous big?"</p>
+
+<p>"Saber-toothed."</p>
+
+<p>"Then that king wolf back thar wuz the king o' the saber-toothed tigers
+in his time. He wuz twelve feet high and twenty-five feet long an' he
+could carry off on his shoulder the biggest bull buffaler that ever wuz,
+an' eat him at a meal."</p>
+
+<p>"That would have been a good deal of a dinner, even for an emperor among
+saber-toothed tigers."</p>
+
+<p>"But I'm right about that wolf, Henry. I kin see it in his eye, an' them
+behind him are nigh ez bad. They wuz all saber-toothed tigers in thar
+time. I reckon that in thar wolf souls or tiger souls, whichever they
+be, they expect to eat us afore day. I'd like pow'ful well to put a
+bullet atween the eyes o' thar king&mdash;jest ez you said you would, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"But it's not to be thought of. Sound would travel far on a still night
+like this, and the warriors might be within hearing. It's hard on the
+nerves, but we've got to stand it."</p>
+
+<p>They hoped that the wolves would drop the trail<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> soon, but their wish
+did not come true. However they twisted and turned, whether they went
+slow or fast, the sinister pack was always there, the king wolf a foot
+or so in advance, like the point to the head of an arrow. Often the
+flickering shadows exaggerated him to twice his usual size, and then in
+truth he suggested his saber-toothed predecessor of long, long ago.</p>
+
+<p>"This is becomin' pow'ful w'arin' to the nerves, Henry," said the
+shiftless one. "I'd ruther hev a clean fight with a half-dozen warriors
+than be follered this way. It teches my pride. I've got a mighty lot o'
+pride, an' it hurts me awful to hev my pride hurt."</p>
+
+<p>"Because we don't shoot or do anything I think they've assumed that
+we're powerless to fight. Still, there is something about the human odor
+that deters 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"S'pose you're right, but I'm goin' to try a trick. When you see me
+stumble, Henry, you go right on, till I'm eight or ten feet behind you."</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Sol, but don't stumble too much."</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't likely to do it at sech a time. Look out, now! Here I stumble!"</p>
+
+<p>He caught his foot in a root, plunged forward, almost fell, recovered
+his balance slowly and with apparent difficulty. Henry ran on, but in a
+half minute he turned quickly. With a horrible snarl and yelp the king
+wolf sprang, and the others behind him sprang also. Henry's rifle leaped
+to his shoulder, and then the king wolf jumped away, the others
+following him.</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one rejoined Henry and they ran a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> little faster. His face
+was pale and one or two drops of perspiration fell from it. His breath
+was longer than mere flight would make it.</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't goin' to try that ag'in, Henry," he said. "No more foolin' with
+sudden death. He's shorely the big tiger, the biggest o' them all that
+wuz. Why, when I stumbled he leaped like lightnin'. I didn't think
+anythin', not even a wolf, could be so quick."</p>
+
+<p>"The rifle frightened them off. They didn't know what it was, but they
+were afraid it had something to do with wounds and death. Still, they're
+running a little closer to us than they were. That's about all that's
+come of your experiment, Sol."</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't goin' to try it over ag'in, Henry, but it shorely begins to
+look ez ef we'd hev to use the bullets on 'em. I don't think anythin'
+else will stop 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"A little while longer, Sol, and they may abandon the chase. We must
+hold our fire just as long as possible. A shot may bring a cloud of the
+red hornets about us."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one was silent. He knew as well as Henry that a shot was
+unwise. They were bearing back now toward the stone fortress and the
+Indian camps, and the forests near might be full of warriors. Yet it was
+a tremendous strain upon one's nerves to be followed in such a manner.
+The wolves had come so close now that they could hear the light pad of
+their feet. Once Shif'less Sol picked up a stone and hurled it at the
+king wolf. The great shaggy beast leaped aside, but it struck a wolf
+behind him, drawing an angry snarl, in which all the wolves joined.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Henry felt relief when they gave tongue, although the snarl was not
+loud. Hitherto they had pursued in total silence, which he had deemed
+unnatural and that angry yelp made them real wolves of the forest again.</p>
+
+<p>"About how far would you say it is now to the cave?" he asked the
+shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>"Three or four miles, but with our lope it won't take us long to cover
+it. What hev you got in mind, Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"I think we've got to kill the king wolf. I didn't think so a little
+while ago, but they follow us hoping that some accident, a fall perhaps,
+will make us their prey."</p>
+
+<p>"Do it then, Henry, an' take all the chances. I'm growin' mighty tired
+o' bein' follered by wolves that are re'ly tigers. After you shoot,
+we'll turn to the left an' run ez hard ez we kin."</p>
+
+<p>Henry whirled suddenly about and raised his rifle. The king wolf, as if
+divining his purpose, sheered to one side, but he was confronting the
+deadliest marksman in the woods. The muzzle of Henry's rifle followed
+him, and when he pulled the trigger the bullet crashed through the great
+beast's skull.</p>
+
+<p>When the king wolf fell dead the others stopped, stricken with terror,
+but from a point to the east came the long thrilling note of the war
+whoop. The warriors had heard the shot, and, knowing they would come
+swiftly to its sound, Henry and the shiftless one, turning due west, ran
+with amazing speed through the forest.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FOREST POETS</h3>
+
+
+<p>Henry and the shiftless one knew that they had drawn danger upon
+themselves, but they had nothing to regret. The pursuit by the wolves
+had become intolerable. In time it was bound to unsettle their nerves,
+and it was better to take the risk from the warriors.</p>
+
+<p>"How far away would you say that war whoop was?" asked Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"'Bout a quarter o' a mile but it'll take 'em some little time to find
+our trail. An' ef you an' me, Henry, can't leave 'em, ez ef they wuz
+standin', then we ain't what we used to be."</p>
+
+<p>Presently they heard the war cry a second time, although its note was
+fainter.</p>
+
+<p>"Hit our trail!" said the shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>"But they can never overtake us in the night," said Henry. "We've come
+to stony ground now, and the best trailers in the world couldn't follow
+you and me over it."</p>
+
+<p>"No," said the shiftless one, with some pride in his voice. "We're not
+to be took that way, but that band<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> an' mebbe more are in atween us an'
+our fine house in the cliff, an' we won't get to crawl in our little
+beds tonight. It ain't to be risked, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so. We seem to be driven in a circle around the place to which
+we want to go, but we can afford to wait as well as the Indian army can,
+and better. Here's another branch and we'd better use it to throw that
+band off the trail."</p>
+
+<p>They waded in the pebbly bed of the brook for a long distance. Then they
+walked on stones, leaping lightly from one to another, and, when they
+came to the forest, thick with grapevines they would often swing from
+vine to vine over long spaces. Both found an odd pleasure in their
+flight. They were matching the Indian at his tricks, and when pushed
+they could do even better. They knew that the trail was broken beyond
+the hope of recovery, and, late in the night, after passing through
+hilly country, they sat down to rest.</p>
+
+<p>They were on the slope of the last hill, sitting under the foliage of an
+oak, and before them lay a wide valley, in which the trees, mostly oaks,
+were scattered as if they grew in a great park. But the grass everywhere
+was thick and tall, and down the center flowed a swift creek which in
+the moonlight looked like molten silver. The uncommon brightness of the
+night, with its gorgeous clusters of stars, disclosed the full beauty of
+the valley, and the two fugitives who were fugitives no longer felt it
+intensely. Henry was an educated youth of an educated stock, and
+Shif'less Sol, the forest runner, was born with a love and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> admiration
+in his soul of Nature in all its aspects.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't it look fine, Henry?" said the shiftless one. "Ef I hed to sleep
+in a house all the time, which, thanks be, I don't hev to do, I'd build
+me a cabin right here in this little valley. Ain't it jest the nicest
+place you ever saw? Unless I've mistook my guess, that's a lot o'
+buff'ler lyin' down in the grass in front o' us."</p>
+
+<p>"Eight of 'em. I can count 'em," said Henry, "but they're safe from us."</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't fire on 'em, not even ef thar wuzn't a warrior within a
+hundred miles o' us. I don't feel like shootin' at anythin' jest now,
+Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"It's the valley that makes you feel so peaceful. It has the same effect
+on me."</p>
+
+<p>"I think I kin see wild flowers down thar bloomin' among the bushes, an'
+ain't that grass an' them trees fine? an' that is shorely the best creek
+I've seen. Its water is so pure it looks like silver. I've a notion,
+Henry, that this wuz the Garden o' Eden."</p>
+
+<p>"That's an odd idea of yours, Sol. How can you prove it's so?"</p>
+
+<p>"An' how can you prove it ain't so? An' so we're back whar we started.
+Besides, I kin pile up evidence. All along the edge o' the valley are
+briers an' vines, on which the berries growed. Then too thar are lots o'
+grapevines on the trees ez you kin see, an' thar are your grapes. An' up
+toward the end are lots o' hick'ry an' walnut trees an' thar are your
+nuts, an' ef Adam an' Eve wuz hard-pushed, they could ketch plenty o'
+fine fish in that creek which I kin see is deep. In the winter they
+could hev made themselves a cabin easy,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> up thar whar the trees are
+thick. An' the whole place in the spring is full o' wild flowers, which
+Eve must hev stuck her hair full of to please Adam. The more I think o'
+it, Henry, the shorer I am that this wuz the Garden."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one's face was rapt and serious. In the burnished silver
+of the moonlight the little valley had a beauty, dreamlike in its
+quality. In that land so truly named the Dark and Bloody Ground it
+seemed the abode of unbroken peace.</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon," said Shif'less Sol, "that after the fall Adam an' Eve left
+by that rift between the hills, an' thar the Angel stood with the
+Flamin' Sword to keep 'em out. O' course they might hev crawled back
+down the hillside here, an' in other places, but I guess they wuz
+afeard. It's hard to hev had a fine thing an' then to hev lost it,
+harder than never to hev had it or to hev knowed what it wuz. I guess,
+Henry, that Adam an' Eve came often to the hills here an' looked down at
+their old home, till they wuz skeered away by the flamin' o' the Angel's
+sword."</p>
+
+<p>"But there's nothing now to keep us out of it. We'll go down there, Sol,
+because it is a garden after all, a wilderness garden, and nothing but
+Indians can drive us from it until we want to go."</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Henry. You lead on now, but remember that since Adam an' Eve
+hev gone away this is my Garden o' Eden. It's shore a purty sight, now
+that it's beginnin' to whiten with the day."</p>
+
+<p>Dawn in truth was silvering the valley, and in the clear pure light it
+stood forth in all its beauty and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> peace. It was filled, too, with life.
+Besides the buffaloes they saw deer, elk, swarming small game, and an
+immense number of singing birds. The morning was alive with their song
+and when they came to the deep creek, and saw a fish leap up now and
+then, the shiftless one no longer had the slightest doubt.</p>
+
+<p>"It's shorely the Garden," he said. "Listen to them birds, Henry. Did
+you ever hear so many at one time afore, all singin' together ez ef
+every one wuz tryin' to beat every other one?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, Sol, I haven't. It is certainly a beautiful place. Look at the beds
+of wild flowers in bloom."</p>
+
+<p>"An' the game is so tame it ain't skeered at us a bit. I reckon, Henry,
+that 'till we came no human foot hez ever trod this valley, since Adam
+an' Eve had to go."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe not, Sol! Maybe not," said Henry, trying to smile at the
+shiftless one's fancy, but failing.</p>
+
+<p>"An' thar's one thing I want to ask o' you, Henry. Thar's millions an'
+millions an' billions an' billions o' acres in this country that belong
+to nobody, but I want to put in a sort o' claim o' my own on the Garden
+o' Eden here. Thar are times when every man likes to be all by hisself,
+fur a while. You know how it is yourself, Henry. Jest rec'lect then that
+the Garden is mine. When I'm feelin' bad, which ain't often, I'll come
+here an' set down 'mong the flowers, an' hear all them birds sing, same
+ez Adam an' Eve heard 'em, an' d'rectly I'll feel glad an' strong
+ag'in."</p>
+
+<p>"Where there's so much unused country you ask but little, Sol. It's your
+Garden of Eden. But you'll<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> let the rest of us come into it sometimes,
+won't you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Shorely! Shorely! I didn't mean to be selfish about it. I've got some
+venison in my knapsack, Henry, an' I reckon you hev some too. I'd like
+to hev it warm, but it's too dangerous to build a fire. S'pose we set,
+an' eat."</p>
+
+<p>The soil of the valley was so fertile that the grass was already high
+enough to hide them, when they lay down near the edge of the creek.
+There they ate their venison and listened to the musical tinkle of the
+rushing water, while the sun rose higher, and turned the luminous silver
+of the valley into luminous gold. They heard light footfalls of the deer
+moving, and the birds sang on, but there was no human sound in the
+valley. Their great adventure, the Indian camp, and the manifold dangers
+seemed to float away for the time. If it was not the Garden of Eden it
+was another garden of the same kind, and it looked very beautiful to
+these two who had spent most of the night running for their lives. They
+were happy, as they ate venison and the last crumbs of their bread.</p>
+
+<p>"If the others wuz here," said Shif'less Sol, "nothin' would be lackin'.
+I'm in love with the wilderness more an' more every year, Henry. One
+reason is 'cause I'm always comin' on somethin' new. I ain't no
+tied-down man. Here I've dropped into the Garden o' Eden that's been
+lost fur thousands o' years, an' tomorrow I may be findin' some other
+wonder. I rec'lect my feelin' the first time I saw the Ohio, an' I've
+looked too upon the big river that the warriors call the Father o'
+Waters. I'm always findin' some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> new river or creek or lake. Nothin's
+old, or all trod up or worn out. Some day I'm goin' way out on them
+plains that you've seed, Henry, where the buff'ler are passin' millions
+strong. I tell you I love to go with the wind, an' at night, when I
+ain't quite asleep, to hear it blowin' an' blowin', an' tellin' me that
+the things I've found already may be fine, but thar's finer yet farther
+on. I hear Paul talkin' 'bout the Old World, but thar can't be anythin'
+in it half ez fine ez all these woods in the fall, jest blazin' with red
+an' yellow, an' gold an' brown, an' the air sparklin' enough to make an
+old man young."</p>
+
+<p>The face of the shiftless one glowed as he spoke. Every word he said
+came straight from his heart and Henry shared in his fervor. The wild
+men who slew and scalped could not spoil his world. He had finished his
+venison, and, drinking cold water at the edge of the creek, he came back
+and lay down again in the long grass.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps we'd better stay here the most of the day," said Henry. "The
+valley seems to be out of the Indian line of march. The buffaloes are
+over there grazing peacefully, and I can see does at the edge of the
+woods. If warriors were near they wouldn't be so peaceful."</p>
+
+<p>"And there are the wild turkeys gobblin' in the trees," said Shif'less
+Sol. "I like wild turkey mighty well, but even ef thar wuz no fear o'
+alarm I wouldn't shoot any one in my Garden o' Eden."</p>
+
+<p>"Nor I either, Sol. I'm beginning to like this valley as well as you do.
+Your claim to it stands good,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> but when we're on our hunting expeditions
+up this way again the five of us will come here and camp."</p>
+
+<p>"But we'll kill our game outside. I've a notion that I don't want to
+shoot anythin' in here."</p>
+
+<p>"I understand you. It's too fine a place to have blood flowing in it."</p>
+
+<p>"That's jest the way I feel about it, Henry. You may laugh at me fur
+bein' a fool, but the notion sticks to me hard an' fast."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not laughing at you. If you'll raise up a little, Sol, you can see
+the smoke of the main Indian campfire off there toward the northeast. It
+looks like a thread from here, and it's at least five miles away."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a big smoke, then, or we wouldn't see it at all, 'cause we can't
+make out that o' the smaller one nearer to the cave, though I reckon
+it's still thar."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps so, and the warriors may come this way, but we'll see 'em and
+hear 'em first. Look, Sol, those buffaloes, in their grazing, are coming
+straight toward us. The wind has certainly carried to them our odor, but
+they don't seem to be alarmed by it."</p>
+
+<p>"Jest another proof, Henry, that it's the real Garden o' Eden. Them
+buff'ler haven't seen or smelt a human bein' since Adam an' Eve left,
+an' ez that wuz a long time ago they've got over any feelin' o' fear o'
+people, ef they ever had it. Look at them deer, too, over thar, loafin'
+'long through the high grass, an' not skeered o' anythin'. An' the
+wolves that follered us last night don't come here. Thar ain't a sign o'
+a wolf ever hevin' been in the valley."</p>
+
+<p>Henry laughed, but there was no trace of irony in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> the laugh. The
+shiftless one's vivid fancy or belief pleased him. It was possible, too,
+that Indians would not come there. It might be some sacred place of the
+old forgotten people who had built the mounds and who had been
+exterminated by the Indians. But the Indians were full of superstition,
+and often they feared and respected the sacred places of those whom they
+had slain. For the boldest of the warriors, avenging spirits might be
+hovering there, and they would fear them more than they would fear the
+white men with rifles.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's go up to the head of the valley," he said to Shif'less Sol. "If
+we keep back among the bushes we won't be seen."</p>
+
+<p>"All right," said his comrade. "I want to see that gate between the
+hills, that the creek comes from, an' I want to take a look, too, at
+that grove o' big trees growin' thar."</p>
+
+<p>Henry reckoned the length of the valley at two miles and its width at a
+half mile on the average, with the creek flowing down almost its exact
+center. At the head it narrowed fast, until it came to the gash between
+the hills, where grew the largest oaks and elms that he had ever seen.
+It was in truth a magnificent grove and it gave the shiftless one
+extreme delight which he expressed vocally. He surveyed the trees and
+the hills behind them with a measuring and comprehensive eye.</p>
+
+<p>"Them hills ain't so high," he said, "but they're high enough to shut
+out the winds o' winter, bein' ez they face the north an' west, an' here
+curves the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> creek atween 'em, through a gap not more'n ten feet wide.
+An' look how them big trees grow so close together, an' in a sort o'
+curve. Why, that's shorely whar Adam an' Eve spent thar winters. It
+wouldn't take much work, thatching with poles an' bark to rig up the
+snuggest kind o' a bower. These big trees here ag'inst the cliff almost
+make a cabin themselves."</p>
+
+<p>"And one that we'll occupy the rest of the day. It would be impossible
+for a warrior ten yards away to see us in here, while we can see almost
+the whole length of the valley. I think we'd better stay here, Sol, and
+make ourselves comfortable for the rest of the day. You need sleep, and
+so will I later. It's easy to make beds. The dead leaves must lie a foot
+thick on the ground."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a wonder they ain't thicker, gatherin' here ever since Adam an'
+Eve moved."</p>
+
+<p>"They rot beneath and the wind blows away a lot on top, but there's
+plenty left. Now, I'm not sleepy at all. You take a nap and I'll watch,
+although I'm sure no enemy will come."</p>
+
+<p>"Reckon I will, Henry. It's peaceful an' soothin' here in the Garden o'
+Eden, an' ef I dream I'll dream good dreams."</p>
+
+<p>He heaped up the leaves in the shape of a bed, giving himself a pillow,
+and, sinking down upon it luxuriously, soon slept. Henry also piled the
+leaves high enough against the trunk of one of the largest trees to form
+a cushion for his back, and settled himself into a comfortable position,
+with his rifle across his knees.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Although he had been up all the night he was not sleepy. The shiftless
+one's striking fancy had exerted a great effect upon him. This was the
+Garden of Eden. It must be, and some ancient influence, something that
+he would probably never know, protected it from invasion. He marked once
+more the fearless nature of its inhabitants. He could see now three
+small groups of buffaloes and all of them grazed in perfect peace and
+content. Nowhere was there a sign of the wolves that usually hung about
+to cut out the calves or the very old. He saw deer in the grass along
+the creek, and they were oblivious of danger.</p>
+
+<p>But what impressed him most of all was the profusion of singing birds
+and their zeal and energy. The chorus of singing and chattering rose and
+fell now and then, but it never ceased. The valley itself fairly sang
+with it, and in the opening before him there were incessant flashes of
+red and blue, as the most gaily dressed of the little birds shot past.</p>
+
+<p>His eyes turned toward the gap, where the shiftless one had placed the
+Angel with the Flaming Sword. It was only a few hundred yards away, and
+he was able to see that it was but a narrow cleft between the hills.
+While he looked he saw a human figure appear upon the crest of the hill,
+outlined perfectly against the sun which was a blazing shield of gold
+behind him.</p>
+
+<p>It was a savage warrior, tall, naked, save for the breech cloth, his
+face and body thick with war paint, the single scalp lock standing up
+defiantly. The luminous glow overcoming the effect of distance,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span>
+enlarged him. He seemed twice his real height.</p>
+
+<p>The warrior was gazing down into the valley, but Henry saw that he did
+not move. His figure was rigid. He merely looked and nothing more.
+Presently two more figures of warriors appeared, one on either side, and
+they too were raised by the golden glow to twice their stature. All
+three stared intently into the valley. Henry put his hand on the
+shoulder of his comrade and shook him.</p>
+
+<p>"What? What? What is it?" exclaimed the shiftless one sleepily.</p>
+
+<p>"Three Indian warriors on the highest hill that overlooks the valley,
+but they're not coming in. I think that the Angel with the Flaming Sword
+is in the way."</p>
+
+<p>Shif'less Sol was all awake now, and he stared long at the motionless
+warriors.</p>
+
+<p>"No, they ain't comin' down in the valley," he said at last. "I don't
+know how I know it, but I do."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps it's because they don't see the remotest sign of an enemy
+here."</p>
+
+<p>"Partly that I reckon, an' fur other reasons too. Thar, they're goin'
+away! I expect, Henry, that them warriors are a part o' the band that
+wuz lookin' fur us. They don't keer to come into the valley, but they
+might hev been tempted hard to come, ef they'd a' saw us. Mebbe it's a
+good thing that we came here into Adam's an' Eve's home."</p>
+
+<p>"It was certainly not the wrong thing. Those warriors are gone now, and
+I predict that none will come in their place."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That's a shore thing. Now, ez I've had my nap, Henry, you take yourn.
+Rec'lect that it's always watch an' watch with us."</p>
+
+<p>Henry knew that the shiftless one would not like it, if he did not take
+his turn, and, making his leafy bed, he was soothed to quick sleep by
+the singing of the birds.</p>
+
+<p>Then the shiftless one propped his back against a bank of leaves between
+him and the trunk of a tree, and, with the rifle across his knees,
+watched. The great peace that he had felt continued. The fact that the
+Indians had merely come to the crest of the hill and looked into the
+valley, then going away, confirmed him in his beliefs. As long as Henry
+and he stayed there, they would be safe. But safety beyond that day was
+not what they were seeking. That night they must surely reach the other
+three, although they would enjoy the present to the full.</p>
+
+<p>Shif'less Sol's plastic and sensitive mind had been affected by his
+meeting with Henry. Despite his great confidence in the skill and
+strength of the young leader, he had been worried by his long absence
+and his meeting with him had been an immense relief. This and their
+coming into the happy valley had put him in an exalted state. The
+poetical side of nature always met with an immediate response in him,
+and like the Indian he personified the winds, and the moon and stars and
+sun, and all the objects and forces that were factors in wild life.</p>
+
+<p>Lying closely among his leaves he watched the buffaloes and the deer.
+Some of the bigger animals<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> as the day grew and the sun increased, lay
+down in the grass near him, showing no sign of fear, although they must
+have been aware of his presence. A flight of wild geese descended from
+the sky, drank at the stream, swam a little, then rose again and were
+gone, their forms blending into a single great arrow shooting northward
+through the blue.</p>
+
+<p>Shif'less Sol did not wonder that they had dropped down into the valley
+for a moment or two, breaking their immeasurable flight into the far
+north. They had known that they would be safe in this little way
+station, and it was yet another confirmation of his beliefs. He watched
+the arrow so sharply outlined against the blue until it was gone in the
+vast sky, and a great wonder and awe filled the soul of the shiftless
+one. He had seen such flights countless times before, but now he began
+to think about the instinct that sent them on such vast journeys through
+the ether from south to north and back again, in an endless repetition
+as long as they lived. What journeys and what rivers and lakes and
+forests and plains they must see! Man was but a crawler on the earth,
+compared with them. Then wild ducks came, did as the geese had done, and
+then they too were gone in the same flight into the illimitable north
+that swallowed up everything.</p>
+
+<p>It was in the mind of the shiftless one that he too would like to go
+into that vast unknown North some day, if the fighting in Kentucky ever
+came to an end. He had been in the land of the Shawnees and Miamis, and
+Wyandots and he knew of the Great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> Lakes beyond, but north of them the
+wilderness still stretched to the edge of the world, where the polar ice
+reigned, eternal. There was no limit to the imagination of Shif'less
+Sol, and in all these gigantic wanderings the faithful four, his
+friends, were with him.</p>
+
+<p>Henry did not awaken until well after noon, but as usual his awakening
+was instantaneous, that is, all his faculties were keenly alert at once.
+He glanced down the valley and saw the buffalo and deer feeding, and the
+great chorus of birds was going on. The shiftless one, leaning against
+his bank of leaves, his rifle on his knee, was regarding the valley with
+an air of proprietorship.</p>
+
+<p>"What's happened while I slept?" asked Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing. You don't expect anything to happen here. It's got to happen
+when we leave tonight."</p>
+
+<p>"I think you're right about it, and as it's watch and watch, you must go
+to sleep again now."</p>
+
+<p>His comrade without any protest stretched himself in the leaves and soon
+slept soundly. Meanwhile Henry maintained vigilant watch. In order to
+keep his muscles elastic he rose and walked about a little at times, but
+he did not leave the shelter of the thick little grove that the
+shiftless one had called a bower. It well deserved the name, because the
+trees were so close and large, and the foliage was so dense that the
+sunlight could not enter. Indians on the hills could not possibly see
+the two resting there.</p>
+
+<p>The afternoon drew on, long and warm. Save within their shelter the
+sunlight blazed brilliantly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> The buffaloes suddenly charged about for a
+little while and Henry at first thought they had been alarmed by the
+coming of man, but on second thought he put it down as mere playing.
+They were well fed, full of life, and they were venting their spirits.
+They ceased soon and lay down in the shade.</p>
+
+<p>Later in the afternoon another Indian appeared on the summit and looked
+for a little while into the valley, but like the others he went away.
+Henry had felt sure that he would.</p>
+
+<p>Toward night the shiftless one awoke, and they ate the last of their
+food. But the failure of the supply did not alarm them. This army was
+very small and if hunger pressed them hard there was the forest, or they
+might filch from the Indian camp. Such as they could dare anything, and
+achieve it, too.</p>
+
+<p>The sun set, the shadows gathered, and it would soon be time to go. The
+waters of the creek sang pleasantly in the ears of the shiftless one,
+and drawing a long breath of regret he said good-bye to the happy
+valley.</p>
+
+<p>"Nuthin' happened while we wuz here, Henry," he said, "and I knowed it
+wouldn't happen. Our troubles are comin' when we cross that line o'
+hills over thar."</p>
+
+<p>He pointed toward the crests. Beyond them, even in the twilight, the
+column of smoke from the great Indian camp was still visible, although
+it disappeared a few moments later, as the dusk turned into the dark.</p>
+
+<p>"The place in the cliff lays to the right o' that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> smoke," said the
+shiftless one, "an' jest about ez fur from here."</p>
+
+<p>"We ought to reach it in two hours."</p>
+
+<p>"Ef nothin' comes in the way."</p>
+
+<p>"If nothing comes in the way."</p>
+
+<p>They crossed the valley speedily and soon stood on one of the crests
+that hemmed it in.</p>
+
+<p>"We've had one fine day when we wuzn't thinkin' about fightin'," said
+the shiftless one, looking back.</p>
+
+<p>"A restful day," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>Then the two plunged into the deep forests that lined the far slopes,
+and started on their journey.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE PATH OF DANGER</h3>
+
+
+<p>Both Henry and Shif'less Sol had a clear idea of direction, and they
+could lay a line, like a chain bearer, toward the rock fortress, where
+they felt sure their comrades were lying in comfortable and hidden
+security. But back now in the deep forest the atmosphere of peace and
+content that they had breathed in the happy valley was gone, instead it
+was surcharged with war and danger.</p>
+
+<p>"I miss our Garden o' Eden," whispered Shif'less Sol regretfully. "We're
+already back where men are fightin' an' tryin' to kill."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought perhaps most of the army had already gone south, but there's
+the column of smoke as big as ever, and also the second column nearer to
+our home."</p>
+
+<p>"An' here's a creek that we'll hev to cross. Looks deep too. Strike a
+feller 'bout the middle."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe we can find a shallower place or a tree that has fallen all the
+way across it."</p>
+
+<p>They ran along its bank for some distance, but finding no place where
+the water looked shallow<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> plunged in, holding their weapons and
+ammunition clear of the surface. As they emerged on the other shore, a
+warrior standing in the bushes about forty yards away uttered a shout
+and fired at them. But the Indian is never a good marksman and in the
+dusk his bullet cut the leaves at least three feet over their heads.</p>
+
+<p>His warning shout and shot was followed by a yell from at least twenty
+others who lay about a small fire in a glade a hundred yards beyond.
+Thick bushes had hid the coals from the sight of Henry and the shiftless
+one and now, taking no time to reply to the bullet of the warrior, who
+stood, empty gun in hand, they turned and ran swiftly toward the north,
+while after them came the whole yelling pack.</p>
+
+<p>"We've shorely left the Garden o' Eden, Henry," said the shiftless one.
+"They didn't do sech things ez these thar in Adam or Eve's times, nor in
+ourn. We come purty nigh walkin' plum' into a trap."</p>
+
+<p>"And we've got to shake 'em off. We mustn't run toward the stone hollow,
+because that would merely draw 'em down on all of us. We must lead away
+to the west again, Sol."</p>
+
+<p>"You're right, Henry, but that confounded creek's in the way. I kin see
+it off on the left an' I notice that it's growin' wider an' deeper, ez
+it flows on to the Ohio. They've got us hemmed in ag'inst it."</p>
+
+<p>"But Sol, they'll have to do a lot before they catch such as you and
+me."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so, Henry. I guess we're right hard to ketch. I'm proud to be a
+fugitive 'long o' you."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Henry glanced back and saw the long line of dusky figures following them
+through woods over hills and across valleys with all the tenacity of a
+pack of wolves pursuing a deer. He knew that they would hang on to the
+last, and while he was sure that he and Shif'less Sol could distance
+them, if they used their utmost speed, he was in continuous apprehension
+lest they stir up some other band or at least stray warriors, as the
+forest was full of them. The creek was a bar holding them to an almost
+straight line. It was wide and too deep except for swimming, rising
+almost to the proportions of a river. Henry calculated too that the
+creek did not flow far west of their hollow in the rock, and thus they
+were forced, despite their wishes, to run toward the very place they
+wished to avoid.</p>
+
+<p>"We've certainly had bad luck," he said to Sol, "and I think we've
+stirred up a regular hornet's nest. Hark to that!"</p>
+
+<p>From their right came a swelling war whoop with the ferocious whining
+note at the end, and the eyes of the two fugitives met. Each, despite
+the dark, could read the alarm in the face of the other. They had not
+run out of the trap. Instead the trap was about to be sprung upon them.
+With the unfordable stream on one side of them, an Indian band on the
+other, and an Indian band behind them their case was indeed serious. The
+transition from the Garden of Eden to a world of danger was sudden and
+complete.</p>
+
+<p>The band in the rear gave answer to the cry of their comrades in the
+west, and Henry and the shiftless<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> one had never before heard a whoop so
+full of exultation and ferocity. Henry understood it as truly as if it
+had been spoken in words. It said that the fugitives were surely theirs,
+that they would be caught very soon, that they would be given to the
+torture and that all the warriors should see the flames lick around
+their bare bodies.</p>
+
+<p>A red mist appeared before the eyes of Henry. The wonderful peace, and
+the kindness toward all things that had enwrapped him, as he lay all day
+long in the happy valley, were gone. Instead his veins were flushed with
+anger. The warriors would exult over the torture and death of his
+comrades and himself. Well, he would show them that a man could not be
+burnt at the stake, until he was caught, and it was easy to exult too
+soon.</p>
+
+<p>He whirled for an instant, raised his rifle, fired, whirled back again
+and then ran on. The whole motion, the brief curve about, and then the
+half circle back, seemed one, and yet, as the two ran on, they heard a
+warrior utter a death shout, as he fell in the forest.</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon they'll keep back a little when they learn how we kin shoot,"
+said Shif'less Sol. "Yes, they're not so close, by at least thirty
+yards. Now, how foolish that is!"</p>
+
+<p>The Indians fired a dozen shots, but all their bullets flew wild. Then a
+pattering upon leaves and bark, but neither of the flying two was
+touched.</p>
+
+<p>"Foolish, so it was," said Henry, "but it was anger too. Now, hark to
+that, will you!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The shots were succeeded by a war cry, again on their right, but much
+nearer than before. Henry took a longing to look at the creek, but if
+they attempted to ford it the warriors would almost certainly shoot them
+while swimming. He and his comrade must make a great spurt to escape
+being cut off by the second force.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Sol," he said, "you're a good runner. So am I, and we need to fly
+like deer. You know why."</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon I do."</p>
+
+<p>The speed of the two suddenly increased. They went forward now, as if
+they were shot from a bow. Fortunately there were no pitfalls. The
+ground was not strewn with vines and brush to entrap them, and seeing
+that the two fugitives would be well ahead before the junction of the
+two bands could be formed, the band behind them sent forth its war
+whoop. But to Henry with his sensitive ear attuned to every shade of
+feeling that night the cry was not so full of exultation and triumph as
+the one before.</p>
+
+<p>"Afraid the trap will fail to shut down on us," he said to the shiftless
+one.</p>
+
+<p>"I read it that way."</p>
+
+<p>"A little faster, Sol! A little faster! We must make sure!"</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately the creek now curved to the left, which enabled them to draw
+away from the second band, and both feeling that the crisis was at hand
+put forth their utmost powers. Under a burst of magnificent speed the
+ground spun behind them. Trees and bushes flitted past. Then they heard
+the disappointed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> yell, as the two bands joined, and the firing of shots
+that fell short.</p>
+
+<p>"One danger escaped," breathed Henry as they slackened speed.</p>
+
+<p>"But thar's more to come. Still, I'm glad I don't hev to run so fast fur
+a time. It's fine to be a race horse, but you can't be a racin' all the
+days an' nights o' your life."</p>
+
+<p>"We must cross the creek some way or other, Sol. I don't think our rock
+fortress can now be more than ten miles away and we can't afford to
+bring the warriors down on it."</p>
+
+<p>Shif'less Sol nodded. They kept very near to the creek and he noticed
+suddenly that the current was shallowing, and had grown much swifter. He
+inferred that rapids were ahead, but this was surely the place to cross,
+and he called Henry's attention to it. The bank was about six feet above
+the water and Henry said instantly:</p>
+
+<p>"Jump, Sol, jump! But be sure that you land squarely on your feet!"</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one nodded. Certainly a man could not choose a poorer time
+to turn an ankle. Without stopping speed but balancing himself perfectly
+he sprang far out, and Henry sprang with him. There were two splashes,
+as they sank almost to the waists in the water, but they were able to
+keep their powder and weapons dry, and in an instant they were at the
+far bank climbing up with all the haste of those who know they are about
+to become targets for bullets.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>They heard the yell of disappointment anew, and then the scattering fire
+of bullets. Two or three pattered on the stream, but they did not hear
+the whizz of the others, and in an instant they were safely up the bank
+and into the forest.</p>
+
+<p>"Hit, Sol?" said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"Nary a hit. An' you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Untouched."</p>
+
+<p>"Come down straight on your feet in the creek?"</p>
+
+<p>"Straight as straight can be. And you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Split the water like a fish. Wet to the middle, but happy. I reckon we
+kin slow down a little now, can't we? I'm a good runner, but I wuzn't
+made up to go forever."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll stop a little while in these bushes until we can get the fresh
+breath that we need so badly. But you know, Sol, they'll cross the
+creek, hunt for our trail and follow us."</p>
+
+<p>"Let 'em come. We ain't hemmed in now, an' with a thousand miles o'
+space to run in I reckon they won't git us."</p>
+
+<p>They lay panting in the bushes a full ten minutes. Then their hearts
+sank to a normal beat, strength flowed back into their veins, and,
+rising they stole away, keeping a general course toward the west. They
+went at a rather easy gait for an hour or more, but when they rested
+fifteen minutes they heard at the end of that time sounds of pursuit.
+The warriors were showing their usual tenacity on the trail, and knowing
+that it was not wise to delay longer they fled again toward the west,
+though they took careful<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> note of the country as they went, because they
+intended to come back there again.</p>
+
+<p>Twice the Indian horde behind them gave tongue, sign that the pursuit
+would be followed to the bitter end, but Henry and the shiftless one now
+had little fear for themselves. Their chief apprehension was lest they
+be driven so far to the west they might not return in time to allay the
+doubts and fears of their comrades.</p>
+
+<p>They soon passed from hills into marshy regions which to their skilled
+eyes betokened another creek, flowing like its parallel sister into the
+Ohio. All these creeks overflowed widely in the heavy spring rains, and
+they judged that the swampy territory had been left by the retreating
+waters.</p>
+
+<p>"Ez I think I told you before," said Shif'less Sol, "I'm a mighty good
+runner. But thar are some things I kin do besides runnin'. Runnin' all
+night, even when you slow up a bit, gits stale. Your mind grows mighty
+tired o' it even if your feet do plant themselves one after another jest
+like a machine. Now, my mind is sayin' enough, so I think, Henry, we
+might git through this swamp, leavin' no trail, o' course, an' rest on
+some good solid little bit o' land surrounded by a sea o' mud."</p>
+
+<p>"That's right, Sol. It's what we must do, but we must cross to the other
+side of the creek before we find our oasis."</p>
+
+<p>"Oasis! What's an oasis?"</p>
+
+<p>"It's something, surrounded by something else," Henry explained. "Come
+on now, Sol. Watch your<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> footing. Don't get yourself any muddier than
+you can help."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm follerin', steppin' right in your tracks, over which the soft mud
+draws the minute my foot has left 'em. I'm glad thar are lots o' bushes
+here, 'cause they'll hide us from any warriors who may be in advance o'
+the main band."</p>
+
+<p>The creek was not as deep and wide as the other, and they crossed it
+without trouble. Two hundred yards further on they found a tiny island
+of firm ground set thick with saplings and bushes, among which they
+crawled and lay down, until regular breathing came back. Then they
+scraped the mud off their moccasins and leggings and sat up on the hard
+earth.</p>
+
+<p>"An' so this is an oasis?" said Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, solid ground, surrounded for a long distance by mud."</p>
+
+<p>"An' with saplin's an' bushes so thick that the sharpest eyed warrior
+ever born couldn't see into it. Henry, I'm thinkin' that we've found
+another little home."</p>
+
+<p>"One that hides us from people passing by, but that does not put a roof
+over our heads or give us food to eat."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you care to rec'lect, Henry, that all our venison is gone?"</p>
+
+<p>"Don't talk to me about it now. I know we'll be hungry soon, but we'll
+just have to be hungry, and that's all."</p>
+
+<p>"I wish it <i>wuz</i> all. I'm hungry right now, an' I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> know that the longer
+I lay here the hungrier I'll git. I'm lookin' ahead, Henry, an' I see
+the time when we'll hev to shoot a deer, even ef thar are ten thousand
+warriors in a close ring about us."</p>
+
+<p>"Peep between those vines, Sol, and you can see them now among the
+bushes on the far side of the creek."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one raised himself up a little, and looked in the
+direction that Henry had indicated. There was sufficient moonlight to
+disclose four or five warriors who had come to the edge of the swamp and
+stopped. They seemed at a loss, as the mud had long since sunk back and
+covered up the trail, and perhaps, also, they hesitated because of the
+dreaded rifles of the two white men, which might be fired at them from
+some unsuspected place. As they hesitated another figure emerged from
+the background and joined them.</p>
+
+<p>"Braxton Wyatt!" said Shif'less Sol. "He must hev been in the second
+band that come up. Do you think I could reach him with a long shot,
+Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, and even if you could you mustn't try. We are well hidden now, but
+a shot would bring them down upon us. Let Braxton Wyatt wait. His time
+will come."</p>
+
+<p>"Here's hopin' that it'll come soon. I'm beginnin' to feel a sight
+better, Henry. Lookin' over all that mud they don't dream that the
+fellers they're lookin' fur are layin' here in this little clump o'
+bushes, like two rabbits in their nests."</p>
+
+<p>"They won't find us because there is no trail leading<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> here. They'll be
+searching the forests on the other side, and we can stay here until they
+go away."</p>
+
+<p>"Which would leave us happy ef I wuzn't so hungry. It's comin' on me
+strong, Henry, that hungry feelin'. You know that I'm gen'ally a pow'ful
+feeder."</p>
+
+<p>"I know it, but this is a time when you'll have to resist."</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't so shore. I notice that them that want things pow'ful bad an'
+go after 'em pow'ful hard are most always them that gits 'em, an' that's
+me tonight."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, lie close, and we'll see what happens, there's Wyatt within reach
+of my rifle right now, and it's a strong temptation to put a bullet into
+him. The temptation is just as strong in me, Sol, as it has been in
+you."</p>
+
+<p>"Then why don't you do it an' take the chances? We kin git away anyhow."</p>
+
+<p>"For several reasons, Sol. I doubt whether we could get away, and escape
+is important not only to ourselves&mdash;I like my life and you like
+yours&mdash;but to others as well. Besides, I can't draw trigger on Braxton
+Wyatt from cover. Cruel as he is, and he's worse than the savages,
+because he's a renegade, I can't forget that we were boys at Wareville
+together."</p>
+
+<p>"Still your bullet, most likely, would save the life o' many a man an'
+o' women an' children too. But it's too late anyhow. He's gone, an' them
+warriors hev gone with him. By the great horn spoon, what wuz that!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>They had now gone to the extreme eastern edge of their little covert and
+a sudden floundering and gasping there startled them. A large black
+figure rose up from a dense thicket of alders, pawpaws and small willows
+and gazed at them a moment or two with frightened red eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"A bear," exclaimed Shif'less Sol. "Oh, Henry, let me shoot! I kin see
+his steaks fryin' over the coals now. Thar's our supper, settin' on its
+hind legs not ten feet from us."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you dare do such a thing!" exclaimed Henry, laughing. "Why, your
+shot would bring a whole tribe of Indians down upon us!"</p>
+
+<p>"I know it, but I do want that bear, an' I want to put the
+responsibility o' not gittin' him on you."</p>
+
+<p>"All right. I take it. There he goes and your chance, too, is lost."</p>
+
+<p>The bear threshed out of his den, clattered across the mud flats and
+entered the forest, whence came in a minute the sound of a shot.</p>
+
+<p>"Thar, the warriors hev got him!" exclaimed Shif'less Sol, deep
+disappointment showing in his tone, "and in two or three hours they'll
+be cookin' him. An' he was our bear, too. We saw him first. I could see
+that he was nice an' fat, even ef it wuz early in the year, an' them
+steaks belong to us."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe they did, but we've lost 'em. Now, I think we'd better keep
+quiet. The Indians are probably far ahead of us, thinking that we've
+gone that way."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one subsided into an indignant silence.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> The oasis was an
+ideal place for two situated as they were, and having the wisdom of the
+woods they remained still and quiet in its cover. But after three or
+four hours the shiftless one became restless. He was a man of great
+strength, and despite his lazy manner, of wonderful bodily activity. It
+took much food to satisfy the demands of that powerful frame, and he was
+growing hungrier and hungrier. Moreover a light wind began to blow from
+the west, bringing upon its edge a faint aroma that caused him to sit up
+and sniff inquiringly. The odor grew stronger, and he no longer had need
+to ask questions with his nose. He knew, and he knew too well.</p>
+
+<p>"Henry," he said, "thar's our bear jest as I expected. They're cookin'
+him, an' it's not so fur away either!"</p>
+
+<p>"I think you're right, but we can't help it. We have to be resigned."</p>
+
+<p>"Mebbe we can't help it, an' then ag'in mebbe we kin, but anyway I ain't
+goin' to be resigned. I'm protestin' all the time, 'cause it's my bear.
+I saw him first."</p>
+
+<p>The savory odor grew stronger, and the anger and indignation of the
+shiftless one increased. And with these two emotions came a third which
+hardened into a resolution.</p>
+
+<p>"Henry," he said, "you're our leader, an' we most always do what you
+say, but this time I reckon I've decided fur myself what I'm goin' to
+do. I'm growin' hungrier an' hungrier. Sometimes I put that hunger down
+but in a minute it bounces back up ag'in stronger<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> than ever. It's my
+master, gittin' control over ev'ry inch o' me, an' I've got to listen to
+what it says. I know I'm makin' a long speech, talkin' like an Injun
+chief at a council, but I've got to explain an' make clear ez day why
+I'm goin' to do the thing I'm goin' to do."</p>
+
+<p>"Go on, Sol. Talk as much as you please. We've all night before us."</p>
+
+<p>"Which is good. Ez I said, hunger has laid hold o' ev'ry inch o' me, an'
+is workin' mighty fast. When I git into that state I'm plum' distracted
+on the question o' food, though it makes me smarter an' more keerful
+than ever on the ways to git it. I jest wanted to tell you, Henry, that
+I'm goin' to leave this oasis an' come back with a load o' them bear
+steaks that rightfully belong to me."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you lost your mind, Sol? You'd be killed and scalped in an hour!"</p>
+
+<p>"I knowed you'd say that. That's the reason I come around to it gradual
+like, an' in a circle, but Henry, it ain't no use talkin'. I'm goin'. My
+mind is clean made up. Besides, I won't be scalped an' I won't be
+killed. Jest you lay down an' afore long I'll be back here with my
+property."</p>
+
+<p>Henry saw that it was no use to argue. The mind of the shiftless one was
+made up, and occasionally he could be as resolute as Henry himself.</p>
+
+<p>"If you're bound to go I can't help it," Henry said. "I don't know your
+plan of action, and I won't ask it, but if you don't come back I'll feel
+pretty bad, Sol."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But I'll come back. That's shore. The night has jest this minute turned
+darker, which is a sign. Darkness is what I need, an' it tells me that
+I'm goin' to git through."</p>
+
+<p>Henry saw his comrade depart with keen regret. He did not look upon him
+as lost, because his skill was great. But so was the danger, and he
+thought the risk was out of proportion to the purpose. But there was
+nothing more for him to say and he watched the shiftless one as he left
+the oasis, glided over the mud flat and disappeared in the forest to the
+west.</p>
+
+<p>Then came a long and painful wait. Twice he heard the warriors, through
+the medium of the wolf's howl, calling to one another, but he did not
+believe the cries had any bearing upon the adventure of Shif'less Sol.
+Then he heard a faint chorus of yells in the western forest, whence his
+comrade had gone, and he knew that something had happened. He was filled
+with apprehension, but he could do nothing, except to lie still in the
+covert.</p>
+
+<p>The yell was not repeated, but he intently watched the edge of the
+forest on all sides except the west. After a while he saw the faint
+figure of a man, scarcely a tracery, appear in the north, and then come
+skipping like a swift shadow across the flat. His heart did not rise
+merely, but took a sudden jump upward. It was the shiftless one
+returning to their lair, and doubtless in triumph.</p>
+
+<p>He had not time to think much about it before Shif'less Sol was on the
+oasis, crouched among the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> bushes, laughing low, but in a tone that was
+fairly redolent of triumph.</p>
+
+<p>"I done done it, Henry!" he exulted. "I done done it!"</p>
+
+<p>He held up the hind quarter of a bear that had been cooked to a turn
+over a bed of coals.</p>
+
+<p>"I haven't tasted it yet," he said, "but jest smell it! Did sech an odor
+ever afore tickle your nose? Did your mouth ever afore water so much?
+Here, Henry, fall on!"</p>
+
+<p>He took out his knife, cut off a big piece and handed it to Henry, who
+began to eat eagerly. Then the shiftless one fell to in like fashion.</p>
+
+<p>"How did you manage it?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one grinned.</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't I tell you that the sudden darkness wuz a sign favorin' me?" he
+said. "Paul is always tellin' about them old Greeks an' Romans not goin'
+into battle till they had talked with the omens, mostly the insides o'
+cows an' sheep. I believe in signs too. Mine wuz a lot better, an' it
+worked. I found that they hed jest finished roastin' the bear on the
+coals, after hevin' dressed him an' cut him into four quarters. 'Pears
+that most o' 'em hed gone deeper into the woods to look fur somethin'. I
+come close up in the bushes, an' began a terrible snarlin' an' yelpin'
+like a hull pack o' wolves. The three that wuz left, the cooks, took
+torches from the fire, an' run in after me. But I hed flew like
+lightnin' 'roun' to the other side, jumped in, grabbed up one o' the
+quarters by the leg, an' wuz away afore they could fairly see what<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> had
+happened, an' who had made it happen. Then they set up one yell, which I
+guess you heard, but I kept on flyin' through the woods to the north,
+curved about, came over the mud flats whar no trail kin last a minute,
+an' here I am with our bear, or ez much of it ez we want o' him."</p>
+
+<p>"You've done a great deed, Sol. I didn't think you could go through with
+it, but you have, and this bear is mighty fine."</p>
+
+<p>"He wuz ourn, an' I wuz bound to hev a part o' him."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll put the rest in our knapsacks and there ought to be enough for
+two days more. It relieves us of a great anxiety, because we couldn't go
+without food, and we really needed it badly."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm feelin' like two men already. I wonder what the boys are doin' up
+thar in the holler? A-layin' 'roun' on the stone floor, I s'pose,
+eatin', drinkin' cold water, an' hevin' a good time."</p>
+
+<p>"But remember their anxiety about us."</p>
+
+<p>"I do. They shorely must hev worried a lot, seein' that we've been gone
+so long a time. Them are three fine fellers, Henry, Paul with all his
+learnin' an' his quiet ways, an' Long Jim, with whom I like so pow'ful
+well to argy an' who likes so pow'ful well to argy with me, ez good a
+feller ez ever breathed, an' Tom Ross, who don't talk none, givin' all
+his time to me, but who knows such a tremenjeous lot. We've got to git
+back to 'em soon, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>Henry agreed with him, and then, having eaten heartily they took turn
+and turn in sleeping. Their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> clothing had dried on them, but their
+blankets had escaped a wetting entirely, and they were able to make
+themselves comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning Henry saw that the larger column of smoke was gone, but
+that the smaller remained, and the fact aroused his curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you make of it?" he asked Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"I draws from it the opinion that the main band with the cannon hez
+started off into the south, but that part o' the warriors hev stayed
+behind fur some purpose or other."</p>
+
+<p>"My opinion, too. But why has the big force gone and the small one
+remained?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can't say. It's too much fur me."</p>
+
+<p>Henry had an idea, but hoping that he was mistaken he did not utter it
+just then.</p>
+
+<p>"If the big band has started south again," he said, "and the absence of
+the column of smoke indicates it, then all the Indians in this part of
+the forest have been drawn off. They've long since lost us, and they
+wouldn't linger here in the hope of running across us by chance, when
+the great expedition was already on its way."</p>
+
+<p>"That's sound argument, an' so we'll leave our islan' an' make fur the
+boys."</p>
+
+<p>They picked a path across the mud flats, recrossed the creek and entered
+the deep forest, where the two felt as if they had come back to their
+true home. The wonderful breeze, fresh with a thousand odors of spring
+in the wilderness, was blowing. It did not come across mud flats, but it
+came through a thousand<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> miles of dark green foliage, the leaves
+rippling like the waters of the sea.</p>
+
+<p>"The woods fur me," said Shif'less Sol, speaking in a whisper, with
+instinctive caution. "I like 'em, even when they're full o' warriors
+lookin' fur my scalp."</p>
+
+<p>The forest here was very dense, and also was heavy with undergrowth
+which suited their purpose, as they would be able to approach the
+hollow, unseen and unheard. Henry still did not like the presence of the
+smaller column of smoke, and when he reached the crest of their first
+hill he saw that it was yet rising.</p>
+
+<p>"You had a sign last night, and it was a good one," he said to Shif'less
+Sol, "but I see one now, and I think it is a bad one."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll go on an' find it."</p>
+
+<p>They approached the hollow rapidly, the forest everywhere being
+extremely dense, but when they were within less than a mile of it both
+stopped short and looked at each other.</p>
+
+<p>"You heard it?" said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I heard it."</p>
+
+<p>"It wasn't much louder than the dropping of an acorn, but it was a rifle
+shot."</p>
+
+<p>"O' course it wuz a rifle shot. Neither you nor I could be mistook about
+that."</p>
+
+<p>"And you noticed where it came from?"</p>
+
+<p>"Straight from the place where Paul and Tom and Long Jim Hart are."</p>
+
+<p>"Which may mean that their presence has been discovered and that they
+are besieged."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That's the way I look at it."</p>
+
+<p>"And we must make a rescue."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true, an' we've got to be so mighty keerful about it that we
+ain't took an' scalped and burned by the savages, afore we've had a
+single chance at makin' a rescue."</p>
+
+<p>The thought in the minds of the two was the same. They were sure now
+from the absence of the larger smoke column that the main force had gone
+south, but that the smaller had remained to take their comrades, whose
+presence, by some chance, they had discovered. They lay closely hidden
+for a while, and they heard the report of a second shot, followed by a
+mere shred of sound which they took to be an Indian yell, although they
+were not sure.</p>
+
+<p>"Ef the boys are besieged, an' we think they are," said the shiftless
+one, "they kin hold out quite a while even without our help. So I think,
+Henry, we'd better go an' see whether the main camp has broke up an' the
+cannon gone south. It won't be so hard to find out that, an' then we kin
+tell better what we want to do."</p>
+
+<p>"You're right, of course," replied Henry. "We'll have to leave our
+comrades for the time and go to the big camp."</p>
+
+<p>They curved again toward the south and west, keeping to the thickest
+part of the forest and using every possible device to hide their trail,
+knowing its full necessity, as the day was brilliant and one, unless
+under cover, could be seen from afar. Game started up in their path and
+Henry took it as new proof that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> the main body of the Indians had gone.
+Deer, scared away by the hunters, were so plentiful that they would
+return soon after the danger for them departed. Nevertheless both he and
+the shiftless one were apprehensive of wandering warriors who might see
+them from some covert, and their progress, of necessity, was slow.</p>
+
+<p>They came to several grassy openings, in one of which the buffalo were
+feeding, but Henry and his comrade always passed around such exposed
+places, even at the cost of greatly lengthening their journey. At one
+point they heard a slight sound in the forest, and being uncertain
+whether it was made by an enemy they remained crouched in the thicket at
+least a half-hour. Then they heard another faint report in the north and
+their keen ears told them it came from a point near the rocky hollow.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't make anything of it," whispered Henry, "except that the boys
+are besieged as we feared. I've tried to believe that the shots were
+fired by Indians at game, but I can't force my belief. The reports all
+come from the same place, and they mean exactly what we wish they didn't
+mean."</p>
+
+<p>"But they mean too," said the shiftless one, courageously, "that so long
+as we hear 'em the boys are holdin' out. The warriors wouldn't be
+shootin' off their guns fur nothin'."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true. Now, we haven't heard that sound again. It must have been
+made by a wildcat or a wolf or something of the kind. So let's press
+on."</p>
+
+<p>The great curve through the forest took them late<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> in the afternoon to
+the site of the big camp. They were sure, long before they reached it
+that it had been abandoned. They approached very carefully through the
+dense woods, and they heard no sound whatever. It was true that a little
+smoke floated about among the dense leaves, but both were certain that
+it came from dying fires, abandoned many hours ago.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't hear anything, do you?" asked Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a sound."</p>
+
+<p>"Then they're gone."</p>
+
+<p>Rising from the undergrowth they boldly entered the camp, where perhaps
+a thousand warriors had danced and sung and feasted and slept for days.
+Now the last man was gone, but they had left ample trace of their
+presence. In the wide open space lay the charred coals of many fires,
+and everywhere were heaps of bones of buffalo, bear, dear and wild
+turkey. Feathers and an occasional paint box were scattered about.</p>
+
+<p>"The feast before the fight," said the shiftless one. "I've a good
+appetite myself, but it won't hold a candle to that of a hungry
+warrior."</p>
+
+<p>A low snarling and a pattering of many feet came from the surrounding
+forest.</p>
+
+<p>"The wolves," said Henry. "They've been here to glean, and they ran away
+at our approach."</p>
+
+<p>"An' they'll be back the moment we leave."</p>
+
+<p>"Like as not, but we don't care. Here are the wheel tracks, Sol, and
+there is the road they've cut through the forest. A blind boy could
+follow the trail of the cannon, and do you know, Sol, I'm bothered
+terribly."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I know, Henry. We've got to turn back, an' save the boys while
+them warriors, with the English an' the cannon, are goin' on into the
+south to attack our people."</p>
+
+<p>"And time is often the most precious of all things."</p>
+
+<p>"So it is, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>Henry sat down on one of the logs and cupped his chin in his hands. The
+problem presented to him was a terrible one, and he was thinking with
+all his powers of concentration. Should he and Shif'less Sol follow and
+continue his efforts to destroy the cannon, or return and help their
+comrades who might be besieged for a week, or even longer? But it was
+likely that Paul, Long Jim and Silent Tom, with all their resources of
+skill and courage, would hold out. In the face of a defence such as they
+could make it would be almost impossible to force the cleft in the
+cliff, and they had some food and of course unlimited water.</p>
+
+<p>They could be left to themselves, while Shif'less Sol and he hurried on
+the trail of the Indian army and made their great attempt. Shif'less Sol
+watched him, as he sat, his chin sunk in his hand, the deep eyes very
+thoughtful. Presently both looked at the column of smoke not more than a
+mile away that marked the presence of the smaller camp, the one that had
+remained and which was undoubtedly conducting the siege. As they looked
+they heard once more the faint report of a shot, or its echo coming down
+the wind. Henry stood up, and there was no longer a look of doubt in his
+eyes.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Sol," he said, "those three have been with us in a thousand dangers,
+haven't they?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nigher ten thousand, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"And they never left us to look out for ourselves?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"And they never would do it, either."</p>
+
+<p>"Never. Warriors, an' fires, an' floods, an' earthquakes all together
+couldn't make 'em do it."</p>
+
+<p>"Nor can they make us. We've got to go back and rescue our comrades,
+Sol, and then we'll try to overtake their army and destroy the cannon."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought you'd decide that way, Henry. No, I knowed you'd do it."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, we've got to bear back toward the left, and then approach the
+cliff."</p>
+
+<p>"An' on our way find out jest what the warriors attackin' it are up to."</p>
+
+<p>They began a new trail, and with the utmost exercise of skill and
+caution undertook to reach their comrades.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<h3>THE KEEPERS OF THE CLEFT</h3>
+
+
+<p>Henry and the shiftless one had not gone far, before they were deeply
+grateful that the undergrowth was so dense. They distinctly heard three
+shots and twice the war whoop. A small gully, so thickly covered with
+vines and bushes, that it was almost like a subterranean channel,
+allowed them to go much nearer. There lying hidden until twilight, they
+distinctly heard scattered firing, war whoops and then a long piercing
+shout which had in it the quality of the white man's voice. Shif'less
+Sol laughed low, but with intense pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't hear his words," he said, "but I'd know that yell in a million.
+It's Long Jim's ez shore ez shootin'. It's so pow'ful loud 'cause it's
+drawed up from a long distance, an' when it does come free it comes
+a-poppin'. It's Jim tellin' them warriors what he thinks of 'em. He's
+tellin' 'em what scalawags they are, an' how their fathers an' mothers
+an' grandfathers an' grandmothers afore 'em wuz ez bad or wuss. He's
+tellin' 'em they're squaws painted up to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> look like men, an' ez he talks
+Shawnee an' Miami they're hoppin' mad."</p>
+
+<p>Henry even could not refrain from laughing. It was Long Jim's voice
+beyond a doubt, and his note of triumph showed that he and his comrades
+were safe&mdash;so far. Evidently he was in great fettle. His words shot
+forth in a stream and Henry knew that the savages were writhing in anger
+at his taunts. The report of a rifle came suddenly and echoed through
+the darkening forest. When the last echo died there was a moment of
+silence, and then to their welcome ears came the voice of Long Jim
+again, pouring forth a stream of taunt and invective with undiminished
+speed and power.</p>
+
+<p>"Ain't he the great one?" whispered Shif'less Sol, admiringly. "Didn't I
+tell you that voice o' his was so strong 'cause it come up so fur. An'
+did you ever hear him do better? Thar ain't a word in the hull Shawnee
+an' Miami languages that he hasn't used on 'em an' a sprinkling o'
+Wyandot an' Delaware too. They're so mad I kin see 'em bitin' their lips
+an' t'arin' at thar scalp locks. Good old Jim, give it to 'em!"</p>
+
+<p>The voice went on a quarter of an hour with amazing force and speed.
+Then it ceased abruptly and silence and darkness together came over the
+woods. Henry and his comrade debated as they lay in the little gully.
+Should they try to get in to their comrades? Or should they try to get
+their comrades out? Either would be a most difficult task, but as the
+night deepened, and they talked they came to a decision.</p>
+
+<p>"It has to be me," said Henry.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I s'pose so," said Sol, regretfully. "You're the likeliest hand at it,
+but you always take the most dangerous part. It's nothin' fur me to lay
+'roun' here in the night till you fellers come."</p>
+
+<p>Henry's smile was invisible in the dusk.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, Sol," he said, "you run no risk. I read once in a book, that
+our teacher had at Wareville, about an outdoor amusement they called a
+lawn festival. That's what you're going to have, a lawn festival. While
+I'm gone you'll walk about here and pick flowers for bouquets. If any
+savage warrior wanting your scalp should come along he'd change his mind
+at once, and help you make your bouquet."</p>
+
+<p>"Stop your foolishness, Henry. You know it ain't no hard job fur me to
+hang 'bout in the woods an' keep out o' danger."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but you may have a lot to do when you hear the signals. Keep as
+close as you reasonably can, Sol, and if we come out and give the howl
+of the wolf you answer, according to our custom, and we'll know which
+way to run."</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Henry. I won't be sleepin'. Thar they are shootin' ag'in,
+but not doin' any yellin'. So they haven't hit anythin'. Good-bye, an'
+rec'lect that I'll be waitin' here."</p>
+
+<p>Strong hands clasped in the darkness and Henry slipped away on his
+perilous mission, reaching without event the valley that the cliff
+overlooked. Then he used all the caution and skill that the superman of
+the forest possessed, creeping closer and closer and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> ever closer, until
+he could see, despite the darkness, the painted forms of Miami and
+Shawnee warriors in the thickets, all looking up at the point where the
+crevice in the cliff was practically hidden by the foliage. It was an
+average night, quiet and dark up there, but Henry knew that three pairs
+of good eyes in the coign of the crevice were watching everything that
+went on below.</p>
+
+<p>He crouched lower and lower, until he blended with earth and thicket and
+still watched. He saw one of the warriors raise his rifle and fire at
+the hidden mark. Then he heard two impacts of the bullet, first as it
+struck upon stone, and then as glancing, it fell among the leaves. Out
+of the mouth of the fissure came a great booming voice, speaking Shawnee
+and ridiculing their lack of skill with the rifle.</p>
+
+<p>The voice said that if they did not improve in their firing he would
+come outside, sit in the best moonlight he could find, and let them take
+turns at him as a target. He would even mark off spots on his chest and
+offer prizes to any one who might hit them, but he knew very well that
+none of them would ever succeed. If he had a six-year-old boy who should
+do as badly as they were doing he would take him away and whip him with
+willow switches.</p>
+
+<p>Henry, lying close in his covert, laughed inwardly. Long Jim was in good
+form. Upon occasion he had a wonderful command of language, and the
+present occasion was better than any other that Henry could remember.
+Events, chief of which was a successful defense, had inspired in him a
+wonderful flow of language.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> His great sonorous voice again pealed out
+wrath, defiance and contempt.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, you dogs! sons uv dogs! an' grandsons uv dogs!" he shouted. "Why
+don't you come an' take us? Here we are, only a few, jest settin' an'
+waitin' fur you! An' thar are twenty or more uv you! Oh, you Shawnees
+an' Miamis, an' Wyandots, why are you waitin' down thar when jest a few
+uv us are up here, ready to give you welcome? I don't think you're
+re'lly warriors. You're jest old squaws painted up to look like 'em, an'
+the real fightin' men uv your tribe are at home, asleep in the lodges,
+afraid to face the bullets uv the white men, while they send thar old
+women here to make a noise!"</p>
+
+<p>Henry laughed again that soundless laugh behind his teeth. He read
+everything as plainly as if it had been written in a book before him.
+Nobody in the stony hollow had been hurt, else Long Jim's voice would
+not have been so exultant. They were confident, too, that they could
+hold the narrow opening indefinitely, else he would not have sent forth
+such intolerable taunts. He made his position a little easier and again
+laughed deep in his throat and with unction. He had never known Long Jim
+to be in finer form. Shif'less Sol was the acknowledged orator of the
+five, but tonight the cloak of inspiration was spread over the shoulders
+of Long Jim Hart.</p>
+
+<p>"Why don't you come into our little house?" he shouted. "It's a nice
+place, a warm place, an' the rain can't git at you here. Won't you walk
+into our parlor, ez the spider said to the fly! It's a good place,
+better<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> than any wigwam you've got, nice an' warm, with a roof that the
+rain can't get through, an' plenty of cool runnin' water! An' ef you
+want our scalps you'd never find grander heads uv ha'r. They're the
+finest an' longest an' thickest that ever grew on the head uv man.
+They're jest waitin' to be took. Any warrior who took one uv 'em would
+be made a chief right away. Why don't you come on an' git 'em? It can't
+be that you're afraid, you Shawnees and Miamis an' Delawares an'
+Wyandots. Here's our gyarden, jest waitin' fur you, the door open an'
+full uv good things. Why don't you come on? Ef I had a dog an' told him
+to run after a b'ar cub an' he wouldn't run I'd kill him fur a coward!"</p>
+
+<p>Henry heard a roar of rage from the thickets, and once more he laughed
+behind his teeth. Long Jim Hart was still in his grandest form, and
+although many Indian chiefs were great orators, masters of taunt and
+satire, Long Jim, inspired that night, was the equal of their best. The
+gift of tongues had come to him.</p>
+
+<p>"I heard a noise down thar in the holler!" he shouted. "Wuz it made by
+warriors, men? No! it wuz dogs barkin' an' crows cawin' an' wolves
+whinin' an' rabbits squeakin'. Sech ez them would never come up ag'in a
+white man's rifle. I hear the wind blowin' too, but it don't bring me no
+sound 'cept that uv dogs barkin', low-down curs that would run away from
+a chipmunk with their tails atween their legs. I'm gittin' mighty tired
+now uv waitin' fur them that called theirselves warriors, but are
+nothin' but old squaws in war paint. Ef I don't hear from 'em ag'in
+soon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> I'll go to sleep an' leave here my little boy, ten years old, to
+meet 'em with a switch ez they come up."</p>
+
+<p>There was another roar of rage from the brush, and Henry said under his
+breath:</p>
+
+<p>"Well done, Long Jim! Well done, twice and again!"</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim now softened his voice and began to beg.</p>
+
+<p>"Why don't you come up here, you red Indian fellers?" he cried. "All my
+friends, knowin' thar is no danger, hev gone to sleep, leavin' me to
+welcome the guests, when they stan' afore our door. I'm waitin'! I've
+been waitin' a long time, an' ef you don't come soon I'll hev to go to
+sleep leavin' you outside our door."</p>
+
+<p>The Indians were always susceptible to oratory and now another shout of
+rage came from them. The taunts of Long Jim were too much, and a dozen
+dusky forms sprang from the undergrowth and rushed up the slope. There
+was a puff of smoke from the cleft in the cliff and the foremost warrior
+fell, shot squarely through the forehead. A second puff and a second
+warrior was gone to a land where the hunting is always good. Before such
+accurate shooting with only the moonlight to aid, the other warriors
+shrank back appalled, and quickly hid themselves in the undergrowth.</p>
+
+<p>"Good boys! Good boys!" exclaimed Henry under his breath. "Splendid
+shooting! They're bold warriors who will now face the Keepers of the
+Pass."</p>
+
+<p>All the warriors save the two who had been slain were hidden in the
+dense thicket or behind stony outcroppings,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> and again the tremendous
+voice of Long Jim floated on waves of air above them.</p>
+
+<p>"Why don't you keep comin'?" he shouted. "I invited you to come an' you
+started, but you've stopped! Everythin' is waitin' fur you, all the
+gaudy Roman couches that my friend Paul has told me about, an' the
+gushin' fountains, an' the wreaths uv rose leaves to wrap aroun' your
+necks, an' the roses droppin' from the ceilin' on the table loaded with
+ven'son, an' turkey, an' wild pigeons, an' rabbits an' more other kinds
+uv game than I kin tell you about in a night. Why don't you come on an'
+take the big places you're invited to at our banquet, you miserable,
+low-down, sneakin', wrinkled old squaws!"</p>
+
+<p>A wild yell of rage came once more from the bushes, and again Henry
+laughed deep in his throat. He knew how the taunt stung the Indians, and
+Long Jim's eloquence, the dam now having been taken down, flooded on.</p>
+
+<p>"Here, you red-skinned barbarians!" he shouted. "Come into our house an'
+we'll teach you how to live! The tables are all set an' the couches are
+beside 'em. The hummin' birds' tongues are done to a turn an' the best
+singers an' dancers are all on hand to entertain you!"</p>
+
+<p>Henry knew that Jim's patter had come from Paul's stories of the old
+Romans, and now he was applying it with gusto to the wild scene lost in
+the vast green wilderness. But he was sure that the Indians would not
+return to a headlong charge. The little fortress in stone was
+practically impregnable to frontal attack<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> and they would resort instead
+to cunning and subterfuge.</p>
+
+<p>"Ain't you comin'!" thundered the voice of Long Jim. "I hev done give
+you an invite to the banquet an' you stop an' hang 'roun' thar in the
+woods, whar I can't see you. Five minutes more an' the invites are all
+withdrawed. Then the eatin' an' the singin' an' the playin' will all go
+on without you, an' ef you are found hangin' 'roun' our door I'll hev
+the dogs to chase you away."</p>
+
+<p>No answer came from the woods, but Henry knew how the hearts of the
+warriors were consumed with rage. Those whom they wished to take were so
+near and so few and yet they held an almost invincible fortress. Rage
+stabbed at the Indian heart.</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim continued his taunts for some time, speaking both Shawnee and
+Miami, and also a little Wyandot and Delaware. His vocabulary acquired a
+sudden richness and depth. He called them names that implied every
+manner of cowardice and meanness. Their ancestors had been buzzards
+feeding on offal, they themselves were mangy, crippled and deformed,
+and, when the few that were left alive by the white men returned home,
+they would be set to work cooking, and caring for the lodges. When they
+died they would return to the base forms of their ancestors. They would
+be snakes and toads and turtles, and the animals that walked on four
+legs and looked straight before them would laugh at them whenever they
+saw them.</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim had never before been so eloquent, and never before had his
+voice been so unctuous. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> thundered forth challenges and insults after
+the Indian fashion. He told them that he and his comrades found it a
+poor amusement to fight with such men, but when they finished with their
+eating and drinking and sleeping they might go north to the Indian
+villages and whip the warriors in the presence of their squaws with
+willow switches. Meanwhile they intended to sleep and rest, but if any
+of the old women out there came into their cavern and annoyed their
+slumbers he would chase every one of them out with a switch.</p>
+
+<p>Henry laughed long in his throat. Long Jim was proving himself a forest
+warrior of the first quality. It was the way of the woods, and these
+taunts stung the red men to the quick. He knew that they were lying in
+the bushes, their hearts beating heavily with anger and the hot breath
+burning their lips. Two, unable to restrain themselves, fired, but their
+bullets merely rebounded from the stone walls of the grotto, and the
+defenders did not deign to answer.</p>
+
+<p>Then came a long period of silence and Henry made himself as small and
+obscure as possible, lest the warriors, moving about, might see him.
+But, fortunately the night had now turned quite dark, and where eyes
+might fail his acute sense of hearing would reveal the approach of any
+enemy. But as he lay close he again laughed inwardly more than once. The
+three were certainly holding the grotto in most gallant fashion, and
+Long Jim was fast becoming one of the greatest orators of the woods. He
+did not believe that the Indians could carry the fortress, but to get
+them out and away was another and much harder problem.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Absolute silence save for the whispering of a light wind through the
+leaves came over the forest. The night, to Henry's great joy, grew much
+darker. No sound came from the room in the cliff, nor did any come from
+the Indians in the thickets. Apparently the whole place was a
+wilderness, as lone and desolate as it was when it first emerged from
+the sea. Nowhere was the sign of a human being visible, but Henry knew
+that vigilant eyes watched at the mouth of the stone cleft and that eyes
+equally as keen peered continually from the thickets.</p>
+
+<p>But he meant to join his comrades before dawn. He did not know yet just
+how he would do it, but such was his confidence that he felt quite sure
+he would be with his comrades before the rising of the sun.</p>
+
+<p>Luckily the forest and thickets in the valley were extremely dense,
+enabling him to lie within a couple of hundred yards of the besieging
+force, and not fear detection. His figure in its green clothing blended
+perfectly with the green bushes.</p>
+
+<p>The night turned colder, and after a while a chilly drizzle began to
+fall. Henry, hardened to all kinds of weather, and intent upon his task,
+took no note of it, except to be glad that it had come, because it would
+further his aims. Night and storm might enable him to slip past the
+besiegers and join his friends.</p>
+
+<p>But the Indians, who do not despise comfort when there is no danger in
+it, gathered in a cup in the side of the hill, beyond rifle shot from
+the hollow, and built a fire. Henry, from his lair in the bushes, saw
+them distinctly, about thirty warriors, mostly of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> Shawnee tribe,
+with their head chief, Red Eagle himself, present as a leader, and the
+two renegades Braxton Wyatt and Blackstaffe. Henry noted Blackstaffe and
+Wyatt closely and his heart thrilled with anger that they should turn
+against their own people and use the tomahawk and scalping knife, and
+even stand beside the stake to witness their slow death by the torture
+of fire.</p>
+
+<p>Blackstaffe<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> was one of the worst of all the renegades, second only to
+Girty in cruelty and cunning, a scourge of the border destined to meet
+his fate from an avenging bullet years later, just after the Fallen
+Timbers, where Wayne crushed the allied tribes. Now he was a young man,
+tall, heavily built and tanned almost as dark as an Indian by weather.
+He and Braxton Wyatt had become close friends, and both stood high in
+the councils of the Indians. Henry saw them clearly now, outlined
+against the firelight, engaged in close talk with the middle-aged
+Shawnee chief, Red Eagle.</p>
+
+<p>Henry had much more respect for Red Eagle than for the renegades. The
+Indian might be cruel, he might delight in the terrible sufferings he
+inflicted upon a captured enemy, but it was the immemorial custom of his
+race and, in fighting the white people, he was fighting those who would
+some day, far distant though it might be, turn the great hunting grounds
+into farms. Henry, so much a son of the wild himself, could understand
+him, but for the renegades<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> he had no sympathy whatever. In all lands
+and in all the history of the world renegades have been hated and
+detested.</p>
+
+<p>He judged by the fact that the head chief of the Shawnees and the two
+renegades had remained that they considered the taking of the little
+fort in the cliff of great importance. Doubtless they imagined that all
+of the five were now inside, and it would rejoice the heart of Shawnee
+and Miami alike if they could slay them all, or better still, take them
+alive, and put them to the torture. There were some old defeats that yet
+galled and stung, and for which revenge would be sweet. Henry recalled
+these things and he knew that the siege would be close and bitter.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians, feeling secure from any enemy, presently sat in a circle
+about the fire, drawing their blankets over their shoulders to protect
+themselves from the drizzling rain. Henry surmised that several warriors
+were on watch near the mouth of the cave, and that those in the main
+body would take their ease before the coals. His surmise proved to be
+correct, as they appeared to relax and to be talking freely. They also
+took venison from deerskin pouches and ate. It reminded Henry that he
+was hungry and he too took out and ate a portion of Shif'less Sol's
+stolen bear steak that he had saved.</p>
+
+<p>He did not move for another hour. Meanwhile the wind rose, driving the
+drizzling rain like sleet, and moaning down the gorge. Save for the
+Indians crouched around the fire no more desolate scene might have been
+witnessed on the continent. The old, primeval<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> world had come back, and
+forgotten monsters ranged the woods while man, weaponless save for his
+club, crouched in his cave and listened with terror to the snarls of the
+great animals, so much more powerful than himself.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to him then, when the influence of the wilderness and its
+immensity and desolation were so strong, that he might have lived in
+some such time himself, ages and ages ago. It might have been the
+stories of Paul or it might have been some dim heritage from a dimmer
+past that made him, as he lay there under the soaking bushes, call up
+visions of the great beasts that once stalked the earth, the mammoth and
+the mastodon, the cave bear, the saber-toothed tiger, gigantic leopards
+and hyenas, and back of them the terrific stegosaurus in his armor-like
+hide and all his awful kin. Henry was glad that he had not lived in such
+a time.</p>
+
+<p>The fire, even though it was that of men who would gladly scalp him and
+torture him to death, brought back the present and the living and
+throbbing realities of life. With his rifle he was more than a match for
+any beast that roamed the North American wilderness, and in cunning and
+craft he could meet the savages at their own game.</p>
+
+<p>Apparently the Indians around the fire had now ceased to talk. They sat
+in a circle, bent a little forward, and some had drawn their blankets
+over their heads. The fire was a great mass of coals and Henry knew that
+it threw out an abundant heat. He envied them a little. He was just
+beginning to feel the effects<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> of the cold rain, but their bodies glowed
+with warmth.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime the roaring of the wind in the valley was growing and in the
+confined space there were many tones in its voice, now a shriek, and now
+a howl. In spite of himself the ancient monsters of the primeval world
+came back again and these were the sounds they uttered in their rage. He
+shuddered a little, then shook himself and by the mere power of will
+forced the return of the present.</p>
+
+<p>He reckoned that the time had come for him to make his attempt.
+Doubtless the sentinels were on the slope near the mouth of the cleft,
+but they must be chilled to some extent by the cold rain, and, after
+such a long silence, would naturally relax their vigilance. He had
+protected his weapons from the rain with his buckskin hunting shirt, and
+he flexed his arms and muscles to see that they had not grown stiff from
+such a long stay in one position.</p>
+
+<p>He began to creep through the bushes to the bottom of the valley and
+then up the slope toward the little fortress, and in the task he called
+into play all his natural and acquired powers. An eye looking down would
+have taken him for a large animal stalking his prey with infinite
+cunning and cleverness. The bushes scarcely moved as he passed, and he
+made no sound but the faintest sliding motion, audible only four or five
+feet away.</p>
+
+<p>The strain upon his body was very great. He did not really crawl, but
+edged himself forward with a series of muscular efforts. It was
+painfully slow, but it was necessary, because the Indian ears were
+acute,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> and the rustling of a bush or the breaking of a twig would draw
+their instant attention.</p>
+
+<p>As he drew himself slowly on, like a great serpent, he watched for the
+Indian sentinels, and at last he saw one, a Shawnee warrior crouched in
+the lee of a huge tree trunk to shelter himself from the driving rain,
+but always looking toward the mouth of the hollow in the cliff.</p>
+
+<p>Henry, inch by inch, bore away and curved about him. Twice he thought
+the sentinel had heard something unusual, but in each case he lay flat
+and silent, while the wind continued to shriek down the valley, driving
+the chill rain before it. Each time the suspicions of the watcher passed
+and Henry moved slowly on, infinite patience allied with infinite skill.
+If there was anything in heredity and reincarnation he was the greatest
+tracker and hunter in that old primeval world, where such skill ranked
+first among human qualities. As always with him, his will and courage
+rose with the danger. Crouched in the bush fifteen feet away he looked
+at the warrior, a powerful fellow, brawny in the chest but thin in the
+legs, as was usual among them. The Indian's eyes swept continuously in a
+half circle, but they did not see the great figure lying so near, and
+holding his life on the touch of a trigger.</p>
+
+<p>Henry laughed deep in his throat. All the wild blood in him was alive
+and leaping. He even felt a certain exultation in the situation, one
+that would have appalled an ordinary scout and stalker, but which drew
+from him only supreme courage and utmost mastery<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> in woodcraft. He felt
+within him the supreme certainty that he would succeed, and bending away
+from the sentinel he resumed that slow, sliding motion.</p>
+
+<p>He was sure that he would find on his right another warrior on watch,
+and, as he was moving in that direction, he looked closely. He saw him
+presently, a tall fellow, standing erect among some bushes, his rifle in
+the crook of his arm. He seemed discontented with his situation&mdash;even
+the savage can get too much of cold and wet&mdash;and presently he moved a
+little further to the right, as if he would seek some sort of shelter
+from the rain. Then Henry crept straight forward toward the fortress of
+his friends, a scant fifty yards away.</p>
+
+<p>But he did not assume that he had yet succeeded. He knew how thoroughly
+the Indians kept watch upon a foe, whom they expected to take, and there
+must be other sentinels, or at least one, and bearing that fact in mind
+his progress became still slower. He merely went forward inch by inch,
+and he was so careful that the bushes above him did not shake. All the
+while his eyes roved about in search of that lone last sentinel whom he
+was sure the Indians had posted near the entrance, in order to check any
+attempt at an escape.</p>
+
+<p>Although it was very dark his eyes had grown used to it and he could see
+some distance. Yet his range of vision was not broken by the figure of
+any warrior, and he began to wonder. Could the vigilance of the savages
+have relaxed? Was it possible that they were keeping no guard near the
+entrance? While he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> was wondering he crept directly upon the sentinel.</p>
+
+<p>He was a huge savage, inured to cold and wet and he had lain almost flat
+in the grass. Hearing a slight sound scarce a yard away he turned and
+the eyes of red forest runner and white forest runner looked into one
+another. Henry was the first to recover from his surprise and the single
+second of time was worth diamonds and rubies to him. Dropping his rifle
+he reached out both powerful hands and seized the warrior. The loud cry
+of alarm that had started from the chest never got past the barrier of
+those fingers, and the compressing grasp was so deadly that the Indian's
+hands did not reach for tomahawk or knife. Instead they flew up
+instinctively and tried to tear away those fingers of iron. But the man
+of old might as well have tried to escape from the jaws of the
+saber-toothed tiger.</p>
+
+<p>The great forest runner was exerting all his immense strength, and he
+was nerved, too, by the imminent danger to his friends and himself. No
+slightest sound must escape from the red throat. A single cry would
+reach the warriors below, and then the whole yelling pack would be upon
+him. The warrior's hands grasped his wrists and pulled at them
+frantically. He was a powerful savage with muscles like knotted ropes,
+but there was no man in all the wilderness who could break that grasp.
+His breath came fitfully, his face became swollen and then Henry,
+turning him over on his back, took his fingers away.</p>
+
+<p>The warrior was not dead, but he would revive slowly and painfully and
+for days there would be ten<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> red and sore spots on his throat, where the
+fingers had sunk in. An ordinary scout would have thrust his knife at
+once into the heart of the warrior. It would have been the safest way,
+but Henry could not do it. He saw the great chest of the savage
+trembling as the breath sought a way to his lungs. He took his rifle,
+powder horn, bullet pouch, tomahawk and knife, and, bending low in the
+foliage, ran swiftly for the mouth of the cave.</p>
+
+<p>He was quite confident that the fallen warrior was the last sentinel,
+and as he approached the entrance he called again and again in a loud
+whisper:</p>
+
+<p>"Don't fire! Don't fire! It's me, Henry!"</p>
+
+<p>At last came the whisper in reply:</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Henry, we're waitin'."</p>
+
+<p>He recognized the voice of Silent Tom, and the next instant he was
+inside, his hand and that of Tom Ross meeting in a powerful grasp, while
+Paul and Long Jim, aroused from sleep, expressed their delight in low
+words and strong handshakes.</p>
+
+<p>"How in thunder did you git in, Henry?" asked Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"I was brought in a sedan chair by four strong Indians, Wyatt walking on
+one side and Blackstaffe on the other as an escort. I told them that of
+all places in the world this was the one to which I wished most to come,
+and they put me down at the door, their modesty compelling them to
+withdraw."</p>
+
+<p>"It's mighty good to see you again, Henry, no matter how you got here,"
+said Paul. "Where is Sol?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Safe outside, just as I'm safe inside. I think I'll let him know that
+I've been successful."</p>
+
+<p>Standing just within the entrance he emitted the long-drawn howl of the
+wolf, piercing and carrying singularly far. They waited a moment or two
+in breathless silence, and then on the edge of the shrieking wind came a
+similar reply, fierce, long and snarling. Henry gave the howl again and
+as before came the answer in like fashion. It was the wilderness signal,
+made complete.</p>
+
+<p>"It's Sol," Henry said. "I know now that he's there, and he knows that
+I'm here. The first part of our task is done."</p>
+
+<p>A yell of rage and disappointment came from the valley below. It was so
+fierce that the air seemed to pulse with angry waves.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter down there, I wonder," exclaimed Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Before I could get in here," replied Henry, "I had to choke the breath
+out of one of their best warriors. I fancy he has just come to and has
+told the others."</p>
+
+<p>Then the war cry died away and there was nothing but the shriek of the
+wind that drove drops of rain into the opening.</p>
+
+<p>"How long have you been besieged here?" asked Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"Today and tonight," replied Paul. "Either they struck our trail or some
+one of them may have been in this grotto once. At any rate a band
+started up here and we were compelled to fire into 'em. That's our
+history, since. What have you seen?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The main army has gone south with the cannon, but Red Eagle, Braxton
+Wyatt and Blackstaffe are here. If they can't rush us they'll at least
+hold us three or four days, or try mighty hard. But I want a drink of
+water I hear trickling over there. I'm thirsty from all the crawling and
+creeping I've done."</p>
+
+<p>He knelt and drank deep at the pure little stream.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Henry," said Silent Tom, "sence you've come I reckon you're mighty
+tired. You've been trampin' about in the woods a heap. So jest stretch
+out an' go to sleep while we watch."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't mind if I do," replied Henry, who at last was beginning to feel
+the effects of his immense exertions. "How are you fellows fixed for
+food?"</p>
+
+<p>"This ain't no banquet hall an' we ain't settin' dinners fur kings,"
+replied Long Jim, "but we've got enough to last a good while. Afore they
+found out we wuz here Tom went out one night an' killed a deer an'
+brought him in. While he wuz gone I took the trouble to gather some
+wood, which is in the back part uv the place, but 'cause o' smoke an'
+sech we ain't lighted any fire, an' no part of the deer hez been
+cooked."</p>
+
+<p>"I brought a big piece of bear myself," said Henry, unhooking it from
+his back, "and it was cooked by an Indian, the best cook in all these
+woods except you, Jim. He wasn't willing for me to take it, but here it
+is."</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim deposited it carefully in a corner and covered it with leaves.</p>
+
+<p>"Ef people always brought somethin' when they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> come visitin'," he said,
+"they'd shorely be welcome ez you are, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>But before he lay down Henry listened a while at the fortress mouth, and
+the others listened with him. If they heard shots it would indicate that
+the Indians in some manner had caught sight of Shif'less Sol and were
+pursuing him. But no sound came out of the vast dark void, save the
+shriek of the wind and the beat of the rain. Henry had no doubt that the
+warrior whom he had choked nearly to death was now with his comrades,
+raging for vengeance, and yet he had been spared when few in like case
+would have shown him mercy.</p>
+
+<p>The wilderness, black, cold and soaking, looked unutterably gloomy, but
+he felt no worry about those whom he had left behind. The shiftless one
+like himself was a true son of the wilderness and he would be as clever
+as a fox in finding a warm, dry hole. They had forged the first link in
+their intended chain, and Henry felt the glow of success.</p>
+
+<p>"I think I'll go to sleep now," he said. "I'm pretty well soaked with
+the rain, but I managed to keep my blanket dry. If the warriors attack,
+Jim, wake me up in time to put on my clothes. I wouldn't like to go into
+a battle without 'em."</p>
+
+<p>He removed his wet buckskins and spread them out on the stone floor to
+dry. Then he wrapped himself in his blanket, raked up some of the dry
+leaves as a couch, and lay down, feeling a double glow, that of warmth
+and that of success. What a glorious place it was! All things are
+measured by contrast. After the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> black and cold wilderness, swarming
+with dangers, this was the other extreme. The C&aelig;sar in his palace hall
+and the Persian under his vaulted dome could not feel so much comfort,
+nor yet so much luxury, as Henry in this snug and warm room in the stone
+with his brave and faithful friends around him.</p>
+
+<p>Truly it was a noble place! He heard the trickle of the little stream,
+like a jet of water flowing over marble, and into a marble fountain.
+Above him was a stone ceiling, carved by the ages, and beneath him was a
+stone floor made by the same master hand. The leaves were very soft to
+one so thoroughly hardened of body as he, and the blanket was warm. The
+roaring of the wind outside was turned to music here, and it mingled
+pleasantly with the trickle of the little stream.</p>
+
+<p>While the forest runner was capable of tremendous and long exertions, he
+also had acquired the power of complete relaxation when the time came.
+Now all of Henry's nerves were quiet, a deep peace came over him
+quickly, and he slept.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> The fate of Blackstaffe is told in the author's novel, "The
+Wilderness Road."</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<h3>BESIEGED</h3>
+
+
+<p>Henry did not awake the next day after his usual fashion, that is with
+all his faculties and senses alert, for the strain on him had been so
+great that the process required a minute or two. Then he looked around
+the little fortress which so aptly could be called a hole in the wall.
+Many dried leaves had been brought in and placed in five heaps, the
+fifth for Shif'less Sol when he should come. The dressed deer, rolled in
+leaves, lay at the far end. The little stream was trickling away,
+singing its eternal pleasant song, and a bright shaft of sunlight,
+entering, illuminated one part of the cave but left the other in cool
+dusk.</p>
+
+<p>Silent Tom sat by the side of the door watching, his rifle on his knees.
+Nothing that moved in the foliage in front of them could escape his
+eyes. Long Jim was slicing the cooked venison with his hunting knife,
+and Paul, sitting on his own particular collection of leaves with his
+back against the wall, was polishing his hatchet. It looked more like a
+friendly group of hunters than a band fighting to escape death by
+torture.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> And despite the real fact the sense of comfort was strong.</p>
+
+<p>Henry knew by the sunlight that the rain had passed and that a warm
+clear day was at hand. He inferred, too, that nothing had happened while
+he slept, and rising he drank at the stream, after which he bathed his
+face, and resumed his buckskin clothing which had dried.</p>
+
+<p>"Good sleep," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Fine," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"You showed great judgment in choosing your inn."</p>
+
+<p>"I knew that I would find here friends, a bed, water, food and a roof."</p>
+
+<p>"Everything, in fact, except fire."</p>
+
+<p>"Which we can do without for a while."</p>
+
+<p>"But I would say that the special pride of the inn is the roof.
+Certainly no rain seems to have got through it last night."</p>
+
+<p>"It's fifteen or twenty feet thick, and you will notice that the ceiling
+has been sculptured by a great artist."</p>
+
+<p>Henry had seen it before, but he observed it more closely now, with all
+its molded ridges and convolutions.</p>
+
+<p>"Nature does work well, sometimes," he said.</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim handed him strips of venison.</p>
+
+<p>"Eat your breakfast," he said. "I'm sorry, Mr. Visitor, that I kin offer
+you only one thing to eat, but as you came late an' we haven't much
+chance to git anythin' else you'll hev to put up with it. But thar's
+plenty uv water. You kin drink all day long, ef you like."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Henry accepted the venison, ate heartily, drank again, and went to the
+door where Silent Tom was watching.</p>
+
+<p>"Look through the little crack thar," said Tom, "an' you kin see
+everythin' that's to be seen without bein' seen."</p>
+
+<p>Henry took a long and comprehensive look. He saw the thick foliage down
+the slope, and the equally thick foliage on the other side. It looked
+beautiful in its deep green, still heavy with the rain drops of the
+night before, despite a brilliant sun that was rising. The wind had died
+down to a gentle murmur.</p>
+
+<p>"Anything stirring, Tom?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothin' fur some time. 'Bout an hour ago I caught the shine o' a red
+blanket 'mong them trees over thar, four hundred yards or so from us an'
+too fur fur a shot."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think they'll try to rush us?"</p>
+
+<p>Silent Tom shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"Not 'less they're pushed," he replied. "'Pears to me they'll settle
+down to a long siege. They know we're after thar cannon an' they mean to
+see that we don't git near 'em. Ef they could keep us holed up here fur
+two or three weeks they'd willin' enough spare twenty warriors or so fur
+the job."</p>
+
+<p>"But why are such important men as Red Eagle and Blackstaffe left here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Mebbe, they thought they'd git at us an' finish us in a day or two.
+Look at that, Henry. What do you make it out to be?"</p>
+
+<p>"It's a spot of white in the foliage, and it's coming<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> nearer. They want
+to talk with us. Somebody has hoisted a piece of old cloth on a gun
+barrel and is approaching. It's Braxton Wyatt."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I see him, an' he's within range now. May I send a bullet squar'ly
+through his head, Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no! You mustn't do that! We'll observe all the rules of war,
+whether they do or not. There's Blackstaffe behind Wyatt, and two more
+Indians. Let them come within a hundred yards, Tom, then hail 'em. Paul,
+you do the talking, but say I'm not here."</p>
+
+<p>The two renegades and the two Indians came on with confidence, until
+they were halted by Tom's loud command.</p>
+
+<p>The four stopped and Wyatt called out:</p>
+
+<p>"We want to talk with you and it's better for you to do it."</p>
+
+<p>"It may or may not be better for us," said Paul. "We're the best judges
+of that. But what do you want?"</p>
+
+<p>"You know me, Paul Cotter," said Wyatt, who recognized the voice, "and
+you know I keep my word. Now, we have you fellows shut up there. All
+we've got to do is to wait until your food gives out, which'll be very
+soon, and then you'll drop into our hands like an apple from a tree."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no," said Paul airily. "We've always had this place in mind for
+some such use as the present, and from time to time we've been stocking
+it up with food. We could live here a year in comfort. Long Jim is
+cooking deer steaks now, and the smoke is going out<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> through a hole,
+which leads clear through the hill. If you'll go around to the other
+side, about a mile from here, you'll see the smoke."</p>
+
+<p>Paul merely followed the Indian fashion of taunting one's enemies. He
+believed that in the forest it was best to follow its ways.</p>
+
+<p>"Aren't you going, Braxton?" he called. "Long Jim is letting the fire
+die down and if you don't hurry around there you won't see the smoke."</p>
+
+<p>"You think you're smart, Paul Cotter," Braxton Wyatt called back in
+anger. "You've read too many books. Drop your high and mighty ways and
+come down to facts."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what do you want? You're in our front yard and we have the right
+to shoot you, but we won't do it until you tell what you're doing
+there."</p>
+
+<p>"As I said, we've got you shut up. We're sure that you haven't food for
+more than two or three days. Surrender and we'll spare your lives and
+take you as prisoners to the British at Detroit&mdash;that is, all except
+Henry Ware."</p>
+
+<p>"And why except Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"He has done so much against the warriors that I don't think we could
+induce them to spare him."</p>
+
+<p>"But what makes you think he's here?"</p>
+
+<p>Wyatt hesitated and he and Blackstaffe spoke together a few moments in a
+low voice. Then he replied:</p>
+
+<p>"One of our largest and strongest warriors was strangled nearly to death
+last night. Nobody could have done it but Ware."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Paul laughed loud.</p>
+
+<p>"And so that's your evidence!" he cried. "Well, you're mistaken. I did
+that myself. I was needing a little exercise and so I went out, found
+this warrior in the grass and manhandled him. Then I came back feeling a
+lot better."</p>
+
+<p>Wyatt's face blazed.</p>
+
+<p>"You lie, Paul Cotter," he exclaimed. "You couldn't do such a thing!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, I could," said Paul merrily, "but you're losing your temper
+again, Braxton. You should never call anybody a liar when you're within
+range of his gun. No, we're not going to shoot. We always respect a flag
+of truce, though we doubt whether you would. Now, I want to ask you what
+have we ever done to make you think we'd betray a comrade like Henry?
+Are you judging us by yourself? You might have a thousand warriors out
+there and our answer would be the same. Try to take us and see what will
+happen. We give you just two minutes to get out of range."</p>
+
+<p>Wyatt, Blackstaffe and the two Indians retired hurriedly. Long Jim
+uttered an indignant exclamation.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter with you, Jim?" asked Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"I've been insulted."</p>
+
+<p>"Insulted? What do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"To think anybody could have reckoned that me an' the others would be
+mean enough to give you up jest to save our own hides!"</p>
+
+<p>Henry's eyes twinkled.</p>
+
+<p>"I know you wouldn't give me up, Jim, but how do<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> you know, if our
+places had been changed, that I wouldn't have given you up?"</p>
+
+<p>"You're talkin' like Shif'less Sol," said Long Jim in the utmost good
+humor. "Now I wonder whar that ornery, long-legged cuss is."</p>
+
+<p>"Not so far away, it's safe to say. He'll be hanging around, ready to
+help whenever help is needed most."</p>
+
+<p>"That's shore. Thar's a heap o' good in Shif'less Sol, though it don't
+always 'pear on the surface. Wish he wuz here. Now, what's next, Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"Waiting, waiting, and then more waiting."</p>
+
+<p>"You don't think they'll give it up an' go away?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not for two or three days anyhow, and I think it likely also that
+they'll make another general attack."</p>
+
+<p>"An' you think, too, that they've all gone some distance out of rifle
+shot?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not a doubt of it, but why do you ask, Jim?"</p>
+
+<p>"You see a lot uv dead wood layin' in the bushes not twenty feet from
+the door uv our manshun. I'd like to drag it in an' cook that thar deer
+afore it sp'ils. We've some wood already, but we need more. I think we
+could manage so most uv the smoke would go out in front an' we wouldn't
+choke. Ef we're held here fur a long time we'll need that thar deer."</p>
+
+<p>"Go ahead, Jim, and get it. We three will cover you with our rifles."</p>
+
+<p>Jim stole forth, and making a number of trips under the muzzles of his
+comrades, brought in a plentiful supply of wood. It was not until he was
+returning with his last load that the Indians noticed him. Then<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> they
+sent up a war cry, and fired several distant shots. But it was too late.
+Long Jim was safely inside the next moment, and the warriors, knowing
+how deadly were the rifles that guarded him, were afraid to return to
+the attack.</p>
+
+<p>"Him that does at once what he oughter do don't have to do it when it's
+too late," said Long Jim. "I'm goin' to build a fire close to the door,
+where most uv the smoke will go out. Ef it gits too strong fur us we'll
+jest hev to put it out. But ef things work smooth I mean to cook that
+deer."</p>
+
+<p>They cut up the deer in slices with their big hunting knives. Then they
+heaped the dry wood near the door and cut off many shavings and
+splinters, building up the heap at least part of the way outside, in
+such a position that they were sure the wind would take the smoke and
+most of the heat down the valley. Then Long Jim, feeling that the rest
+of the task was his, and having a certain pride, lighted the heap with
+his flint and steel. It blazed up rapidly, and, as they had hoped, the
+wind carried nearly all the smoke out of the mouth of the cave.</p>
+
+<p>The dry wood burned rapidly and a great mass of coals soon gathered. It
+was very hot in the cave, but liberal applications of the cold water
+enabled them to stand it. Meanwhile all except the one on guard were
+busy broiling big steaks on the ends of sticks and laying them away on
+the leaves. The whole place was filled with the pleasant aroma.</p>
+
+<p>"Warriors!" said Tom Ross, who happened to be on guard at that
+particular moment. "They've seen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> our smoke, an' mebbe our fire, an'
+they don't understan' it."</p>
+
+<p>"You see that they keep on failing to understand it," said Henry, "and
+if curiosity makes any of them too curious just give him a hint."</p>
+
+<p>The three went on with their cooking, "storing up like Noah against the
+flood," Paul said, knowing that Silent Tom would keep a watch beyond
+which no warrior could pass.</p>
+
+<p>"Our beautiful stone house will need a good airing after all this is
+over," said Paul. "Smoke will gather and ashes too are flying about. But
+it's a grand cooking."</p>
+
+<p>"So it is," said Long Jim, who was in his element. "That wuz shorely a
+fine fat deer. You kin pile more on that shelf in the rock, thar, Paul.
+Wrap the dry leaves 'roun' 'em, too. They're clean an' good. I guess
+that old-timer uv yourn that you've told us about often&mdash;'Lysses, wuzn't
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Ulysses."</p>
+
+<p>"That's right. Well, old 'Lysses in them roamings uv his, lastin' a
+thousand years or some sech time, would hev been glad to come upon a
+place like this to rest his wanderin' an' sleepy head. I've a notion uv
+my own too, Paul."</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"That Greece ain't the land it's cracked up to be. I've never heard you
+tell uv any rivers thar like the Ohio or Missip. I ain't heard you say
+anythin' about the grand forests like ourn, an' all the hundreds an'
+thousands uv branches an' creeks an' springs."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No, Jim, it's a dry country, mostly bare."</p>
+
+<p>"Then the wilderness here fur me. I like a big woods, a thousand miles
+every way, an' the leaves so thick you kin hardly see the sky above in
+spring. I don't see what the herds of buff'ler found thar to live on."</p>
+
+<p>"They didn't have our kind of buffalo."</p>
+
+<p>"Ef they didn't hev our kind they didn't hev any kind."</p>
+
+<p>Paul did not argue the question with him, because it was useless to talk
+to Long Jim about ancient glories, when modern glories that he
+considered so much greater were before his eyes. Moreover, Paul himself
+had a love of the greenwood, and the deep streams, so numerous.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe you're right, Jim," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"I guess I am," returned Long Jim emphatically. "An' I don't think so
+much uv them old Greek fighters 'long side the fellers that fight the
+warriors nowadays in these woods. You rec'lect we talked that over once
+before. Now, how would A-killus, all in his brass armor with his shinin'
+sword an' long spear come out try in' to stalk an' Injun camp. Why,
+they'd hear his armor rattlin' a quarter uv a mile away, an', even ef
+they didn't, he'd git his long spear so tangled up in the bushes an'
+vines that he couldn't move 'less he left it behind him. An' s'pos'n' he
+had to run fur it an' come to a creek or a river, which he would shorely
+soon do, ez thar are so many in this country, an' then he'd have to jump
+in with 'bout a hundred pounds uv brass armor on. Why, he'd go right to
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> bottom an' stick down so deep in the mud that the Injuns would hev
+to dive fur his scalp."</p>
+
+<p>"There's no doubt of the fact that this country would not have suited
+Achilles."</p>
+
+<p>"Not by a long shot, nor would it hev suited any other uv them fellers,
+be they Greek or be they Trojan. S'pose the Injuns didn't git after 'em,
+then think uv huntin' the buff'ler with your long spear, an' your
+hundred pounds uv brass clothes on. Why, the Shawnees an' Miamis are a
+heap more sensible than them old Greeks wuz. An', think what it would be
+on a real hot day to hev to wear our metal suits! Paul, I'm givin'
+thanks ev'ry few minutes that I wuzn't born in them times."</p>
+
+<p>"A movement in the woods opposite!" announced Henry, who was on watch
+now.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell us about it," said Long Jim. "I'm too busy to stop my work and
+look."</p>
+
+<p>"I can see warriors stirring among the trees and bushes. They can't
+understand our smoke, and they're all looking at it."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe they take it for a signal," said Paul. "Almost anyone would do
+so."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true," said Henry. "It looks natural. Well, let 'em wonder.
+Meanwhile we'll go on with the provisioning of our army."</p>
+
+<p>"'Tain't such a terrible task," said Long Jim. "Me bein' the best cook
+in the world, it'll all be done in a couple uv hours more, an' bein'
+sparin' we kin hold out on it two or three weeks ef we hev to."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think it will be that long," said Henry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> confidently. "In fact
+we mustn't let it be too long. We've got to be out and away, following
+that red army with the cannon."</p>
+
+<p>They continued their work without interruption, although at intervals
+they saw the Indians on the far slope, well out of range, but
+attentively watching the smoke that came from the mouth of the cavern.
+When the task was nearly over Long Jim took a good long look at them.
+Then he laughed deeply and a long time, doubling over with merriment.</p>
+
+<p>"'Scuse me, Henry," he said, "but this life is so full uv jokes. I enjoy
+it all the time, ev'ry minnit uv it. A little while ago I wuz laughin'
+at the notion of A-killus with a hundred pounds or more uv brass on him,
+runnin' away from the warriors, jumpin' in a creek an' stickin' in the
+mud at the bottom clean down to his waist."</p>
+
+<p>"That was the joke then, Jim, what's the joke now?"</p>
+
+<p>"It's them Injuns out thar. They know we're here, an' that thar's a kind
+uv long narrow mouth to this bee-yu-ti-ful stone house uv ourn. They see
+smoke comin' out uv it, an' they don't understand it. They wonder ef
+fire hez busted right out uv the bowels uv the earth an' burnt us all
+up, an' ag'in they're 'fraid to come an' see lest they meet rifle
+bullets ez well ez smoke. I pity them red fellers."</p>
+
+<p>"I think that pity is wasted on men who want to kill us and take our
+scalps."</p>
+
+<p>"It ain't that. I know they want to do them things to us, but I know,
+too, that they ain't goin' to do 'em.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> It's 'cause they're so onsartain
+in thar minds. Onsartainness is the greatest uv all troubles. Keeps you
+so you can't eat an' sleep, nor keep still neither. Jest plum' w'ars you
+out. Ef you know what you're goin' to do you're all right, but ef you
+don't you're all wrong. That's the reason I feel sorry fur them Injun
+fellers, lookin' at our smoke an' a-guessin', an' a-guessin', an'
+a-guessin' an' never guessin' right. We'll be all through in a half-hour
+an' then we kin let the fire die."</p>
+
+<p>"Right glad I'll be, too," said Paul, who was standing near the door for
+air, and glad they all were when the last of the deer was cooked, and
+the last of the coals were shoved out to die among the green bushes.
+While the work was going on they had frequently thrown water from the
+little stream over themselves to check the heat, but now they took their
+blankets and standing in a line at the far end of the cavern swept out
+all the smoke save that which lingered in the crannies until, in its own
+good time, it too departed.</p>
+
+<p>Then all sat down near the door. A lucky turn of the wind sent the pure
+sweet air, crisp with the touch of spring, pouring into their cavern. It
+was like the breath of Heaven, taking away the sting of smoke from
+nostrils and throat. The place itself soon filled entirely with a new
+atmosphere, vital and strong. Then, one by one, they bathed their eyes
+and faces at the rill, and soon they were all gathered together again at
+the door, feeling as if they had been re-created. Indians were still
+visible on the opposite<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> slope, and pity swelled once more in Long Jim's
+heart.</p>
+
+<p>"Now they're a-guessin', an' a-guessin', an' a-guessin' ag'in," he said,
+"an' a-guessin' wrong ev'ry time. A little while ago our smoke bothered
+'em, an' now they're bothered 'cause thar ain't no smoke. They're
+wonderin' ef the volcano that busted right under us hez quit so soon,
+an' whether we're all charred ruins, or real live fellers with rifles in
+our hands that kin shoot an' hit. That I call a state uv mind that would
+draw pity from anybody."</p>
+
+<p>"Whatever it is," said Paul, "they'll not guess what has really
+happened, and ac our army of four is now provisioned indefinitely, we
+can bid them defiance."</p>
+
+<p>"I like them words 'bid them defiance,'" said Long Jim. "Ef I met
+'defiance' all by itself I wouldn't know what it meant, but speakin' ez
+you do, Paul, an' with all the surroundin's you give it I understan' it,
+an' it sounds mighty fine. Braxton Wyatt, I bid you defiance;
+Blackstaffe, I bid you defiance; Red Eagle, I bid you defiance, an' I
+bid defiance to ev'ry warrior an' renegade in all these woods, east uv
+the Missip, west uv the Missip, north uv the Ohio an' south uv the
+Ohio."</p>
+
+<p>"But not the lightning, Jim," said Paul. "Ajax did that and got hurt."</p>
+
+<p>"You needn't tell me that, Paul. I don't need the example of no Ajax to
+teach me sense. I ain't defyin' no lightnin', past, present or future. I
+know lightnin', an' I've too much respeck fur it. It's about the only
+thing that kin hit you an' you can't hit back."</p>
+
+<p>"The Indians have retreated further into the woods,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> said Henry.
+"They're probably lying down and resting. They won't do anything today,
+but tonight they'll act. They have every incentive to finish their task
+here as soon as they can and join the main force. When dark comes we
+must watch two by two."</p>
+
+<p>Night came slowly, the great sun blazing in red and gold in the west.
+Henry, with all his lore of the forest and wilderness, never failed to
+observe a brilliant sunset, and while he watched against an ambush he
+also watched the deep, rich colors as they faded. The wind had blown
+gently all day long, but now with the coming of the darkness it swelled
+into the song which he alone heard, that playing of the breeze upon the
+leaves, which his supersense translated into notes and bars and
+harmonies. Whenever he heard it he was uplifted and exalted in a
+singular manner, as if the distant heralds were already blowing the
+trumpets of victory. He was sure now of success.</p>
+
+<p>He and Long Jim kept the first watch, which would last until some time
+after midnight, and he chose it for himself, because he felt certain the
+attack would come before it was over. Paul and Tom went to sleep on the
+leaves inside, but he and Jim lay down just within the door, where they
+could see some distance and yet remain well sheltered. Now and then they
+exchanged a word or two.</p>
+
+<p>"It's eyes an' ears both, Henry," said Long Jim. "Uv course, they'll
+come a-creepin', an' a-slidin', an' I reckon it'll be ears that'll tell
+us fust they're a-knockin' at our front door."</p>
+
+<p>"Right, Jim. Our ears have saved us more than<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> once, and they're going
+to do it again. I've an idea that they'll spread out and approach from
+different points."</p>
+
+<p>"I think it likely. Red Eagle, their leader, is a chief uv sense, and
+he'll scatter his forces so we won't be able to concentrate our fire."</p>
+
+<p>They waited a long time, the wind meanwhile blowing steadily, and
+playing its song upon the leaves. There was no other sound, but, when it
+was nearly midnight, a long howl, inexpressibly dreary and weird, came
+out of the depths of the forest.</p>
+
+<p>"That's a mighty lonely wolf," whispered Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Listen!" Henry whispered back. "That's no wolf. It's Shif'less Sol."</p>
+
+<p>"Mebbe it's so, but he's shorely howlin' like the king of all wolves."</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim was right. Perhaps no wolf had ever before howled with such
+vigor and endurance. The long yelping, whining note filled the whole
+valley and quivered on the air. It rose and sank and rose again, and it
+was uncanny enough to make any ordinary hearer shiver to his bones.</p>
+
+<p>"Now what in thunder does he mean by sech an awful howl ez that?"
+whispered Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"I know," replied Henry, with a flash of intuition. "He's hanging
+somewhere on the outskirts of the Indian camp, and he's warning us that
+the attack is at hand."</p>
+
+<p>"Uv course! Uv course! I might 'a' knowed. That thar Shif'less Sol is
+one uv the smartest men the world<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> hez ever seed, an' while part uv our
+band is inside a big part uv it is outside, a-helpin' us."</p>
+
+<p>"Wake up Paul and Tom and tell 'em the time has come."</p>
+
+<p>In an instant all four were crouching beside the opening, their rifles
+ready. The extra rifle that Henry had brought in was lying loaded at his
+feet, and all the while the wolf on the far ridge, moving from place to
+place, whined and howled incessantly. Despite Henry's knowledge of its
+source it made his hair rise a little, and a quiver ran along his spine.
+What then must be its effect upon red men, who were so much more
+superstitious than white men? They might think it the spirit of some
+great forgotten warrior that had gone into a wolf which was now giving
+warning.</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless he listened with all the power of his hearing for what
+might happen closer by, and presently he heard a rustling in the grass
+that was not caused by the wind. A moment later, and the rustling came
+from a second point and then a third. As he had surmised, Red Eagle had
+spread out his men until they were advancing like the spokes of a wheel
+toward a hub, the hub being the mouth of the cavern. And from the far
+ridge the warning cry of the wolf never ceased to come.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you hear them creeping?" whispered Henry to Ross.</p>
+
+<p>Silent Tom nodded and shoved forward the muzzle of his rifle.</p>
+
+<p>"They'll be on us in a minute," he whispered back.</p>
+
+<p>Paul and Long Jim had heard and they too made<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> ready with their rifles.
+But all of them relied now on Henry, whose hearing was keenest. The
+faint, sliding sounds ceased, and he knew that the warriors had stopped
+to listen for their enemies, hoping to catch them off guard. The howling
+of the wolf also ceased suddenly, and the wind was again supreme.</p>
+
+<p>At least ten minutes passed in almost intolerable waiting, and then
+Henry heard the renewal of the faint sliding sounds, coming from many
+points.</p>
+
+<p>"Be ready," he whispered to his comrades. "When they're near enough
+they'll all jump up, utter a mighty yell and rush for us."</p>
+
+<p>The rustlings came closer, then they ceased all at once, there was a
+half minute of breathless silence, and the air was rent by a tremendous
+war whoop, as twenty warriors, springing up, rushed for the opening.
+Henry fired straight at the heart of the first man, and snatching up the
+second rifle sent a bullet through another. The other three fired with
+deadly aim and all the assailants fell back, save one who, standing on
+the very edge of the opening, whirled his tomahawk preparatory to
+letting it go straight at Henry's head. But a moment before it could
+leave his hand a rifle cracked somewhere and he fell dead, shot through
+the head, his figure lying directly across the entrance. From the other
+Indians came a yell of rage and dismay, and then after a groan or two
+somewhere in the grass, all were gone.</p>
+
+<p>But the four were reloading with feverish haste. Henry, however, found
+time to say to Silent Tom Ross:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Thank you for the shot that saved me."</p>
+
+<p>Tom shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"'Twuzn't me," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Then you, Paul."</p>
+
+<p>"I shot at an Indian, but not that one. It was a warrior ten yards
+away."</p>
+
+<p>"Then it must hev been you, Jim."</p>
+
+<p>"It wuzn't, though. I wuz too busy with a warrior off thar to the left.
+When that feller wuz about to throw his tomahawk I'd done fired."</p>
+
+<p>"And so it was none of you. Then I'm to be thankful that we've a friend
+outside. Nobody but Shif'less Sol could have fired that shot."</p>
+
+<p>"An' jest in time," said Long Jim. "Good old Sol. He's settin' off
+somewhar in the bushes now, laughin' at the trick he's played 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"They'll look for him," said Henry, "but whenever they come to a place
+he won't be there."</p>
+
+<p>"They can't besiege us here," said Paul, "and catch Shif'less Sol at the
+same time. But I think we ought to remove the body of that fallen
+warrior at the door. I don't like to see it there."</p>
+
+<p>"Neither do I," said Long Jim, and stepping forward he lifted the slain
+man in his arms and tossed him as far as he could down the side of the
+hill. They heard the body rolling and crashing some distance through the
+grass and bushes, and they shuddered.</p>
+
+<p>"I hated to do it," said Long Jim, "but it had to be done. Besides,
+they'll get it now and take it away."</p>
+
+<p>"You look for no other attempt tonight?" said Paul.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No," said Henry. "They've lost too many men. They may try to starve us
+out."</p>
+
+<p>"Now you an' Jim take your naps," said Silent Tom, "while me an' Paul
+keep the watch till day."</p>
+
+<p>"All right," said Henry, "but I want to wait eight or ten minutes."</p>
+
+<p>"What fur?"</p>
+
+<p>"You'll see&mdash;or rather you'll hear."</p>
+
+<p>Before the appointed time had passed the long howling note of a wolf
+came from a point a quarter of a mile or more away.</p>
+
+<p>"Shif'less Sol is safe," said Henry, and five minutes later he and Long
+Jim were sound asleep.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SHIFTLESS ONE</h3>
+
+
+<p>The next day dawned as brilliant as the one that had gone before, a
+golden sun clothing the vast green forest in a luminous light. It seemed
+to Henry that each day, as the spring advanced, deepened the intense
+emerald glow of the leaves. Down in the valley he caught the sparkle of
+the brook, as it flowed swiftly away toward a creek, to be carried
+thence to the Ohio, and on through the Mississippi to the sea.</p>
+
+<p>Further up the opposite slope, five or six hundred yards away, were
+gathered the Indians around a fire in an opening, eating breakfast.
+Henry saw Wyatt and Blackstaffe with them, and he counted eighteen
+figures. As they had already suffered severe losses he concluded that
+they had received a small reinforcement, since they must have out four
+or five scouts and spies watching the little fortress.</p>
+
+<p>Evidently they had not been daunted by their repulse of the night
+before, as they were broiling venison on the ends of sharpened sticks
+and eating heartily. The two white men finishing their food lay down<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> on
+the grass and rested lazily. By and by the red members of the band did
+likewise.</p>
+
+<p>"It's just as we thought last night," said Henry, "They will not try to
+carry us by assault again, but will undertake to starve us out with a
+long siege. Even if they've guessed the meaning of our smoke they don't
+know that we have in here running water that runs on forever."</p>
+
+<p>"Would they care to carry on a long siege?" asked Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe not, if Wyatt were not there. You know how he hates us all, and
+he will be continually urging them to attack us. Perhaps Red Eagle and
+Blackstaffe will now go on and join the main army, leaving Wyatt with a
+chosen band to take us by siege."</p>
+
+<p>"'Pears likely to me," said Long Jim, who was listening. "It's easy
+enough for them to set thar out uv range an' hold us in here, but they
+forget one mighty important thing."</p>
+
+<p>"What's that, Jim?"</p>
+
+<p>"Shif'less Sol. He's in the bush, an' he kin stalk 'em when he pleases.
+They don't know that the warrior killed at the door last night fell
+afore his bullet, an' he kin bring down one uv 'em any time he feels
+like it. Thar's a panther in the bushes right by the side uv 'em an'
+they don't know it. An' it's a panther that will bite 'em, too, an' git
+away ev'ry time. Hark to that, will you?"</p>
+
+<p>They heard the distant sound of a rifle shot and saw one of the Indians
+around the campfire sink over in the grass. The others uttered a
+terrific yell<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> of rage, and a half-dozen darted away in the bushes.</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't no prophet, nor the son uv a prophet," said Long Jim, "but I'll
+bet my scalp that in an hour or two they'll come back without Shif'less
+Sol."</p>
+
+<p>"I won't take your bet," said Paul. "Six warriors started away in
+pursuit, and now we'll see how many return."</p>
+
+<p>"The first will be back in an hour," said Long Jim, "'cause Sol won't
+leave no trail a-tall, a-tall. He made shore uv that afore shootin'."</p>
+
+<p>"I believe you are a prophet, Jim," said Paul. "Let's watch together."</p>
+
+<p>Within the appointed hour two warriors returned, bringing with them
+nothing that they had not taken away, and sat down in the opening, their
+attitude that of dejection.</p>
+
+<p>"They never struck no sign of no trail, nowhere, nohow," said Long Jim,
+exultantly.</p>
+
+<p>"Too many negatives, Jim," said Paul, reprovingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Too many what?" exclaimed Long Jim, staring. "I never heard of them
+things afore!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's all right anyhow. There comes another warrior, and he too bears no
+bright blonde scalp, such as adorns the head of our faithful and
+esteemed comrade, Solomon Hyde."</p>
+
+<p>"That's three 'counted fur, an' three to come. I know, Paul, that Sol
+will git away, that they can't foller him nohow, but I'd like fur them
+three to come back empty handed right now. It would be awful to lose
+good old Sol. Uv course he's always wrong when he argys with me, but I'm
+still hopin' some day to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> teach him somethin', an' I don't want to lose
+him."</p>
+
+<p>Paul saw deep anxiety on the face of Long Jim. These two were always in
+controversy, but they were bound together by all the ties of the border,
+and the loss of either would be a crushing blow to the other.</p>
+
+<p>Long minutes dragged by and became an hour, and the face of Jim Hart
+expressed apprehension.</p>
+
+<p>"It's time fur at least one more to come back," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, there he is," said Paul. "Don't you see him stepping out of those
+bushes on the east?"</p>
+
+<p>"Has he anything at his belt?" asked Long Jim eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing that he doesn't usually carry. He has no yellow scalp, nor any
+scalp of any kind. Empty he went away and empty he has returned."</p>
+
+<p>"So fur, so good. Two more are left out, an' it'll now be time fur them
+to come trampin' back."</p>
+
+<p>"Be patient, Jim, be patient."</p>
+
+<p>"I am, but you must rec'lect, Paul, that thar comin' back soon means the
+life uv a man, a man that's one uv us five, an' that we could never
+furgit ef so be the Injuns took him."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not forgetting it, Jim, but I've every confidence in Shif'less Sol.
+I don't believe those warriors could possibly get him."</p>
+
+<p>Another half-hour dragged away, and Long Jim became more uneasy. He
+scanned the woods everywhere for the two missing warriors, and, at last,
+he drew a mighty sigh of relief when a tufted head appeared over<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> the
+bushes, and a warrior returned to the opening.</p>
+
+<p>"He's a Shawnee," said Long Jim. "I marked him when he went away. I kin
+see that he's tired an' I could tell by the bend in his shoulders that
+he wuz comin' back with nothin'. He's set down now, an' ez he 'pears to
+be talkin' I guess he's tellin' the others, to 'scuse his failure, that
+it wuzn't really a man that he wuz follerin', but jest a ghost or a
+phantom, or suthin' uv that kind. Thar ain't but one left an' he ought
+to be in in a few minutes."</p>
+
+<p>But the few minutes and many more with them slid into the past, without
+bringing back the last warrior, and once more that look of deep
+apprehension appeared on the face of Long Jim Hart. The man should have
+returned long before, and Jim held him to personal accountability for
+it.</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't like his looks when he went away," he complained to Paul. "He
+wuz a big feller, darker than most uv the others, an' he wuz painted
+somethin' horrible. I guessed by his looks that he wuz the best scout
+an' trailer in the band an' that he would hang on like a wolf. Ugly ez
+he is his face would look nice to me now, 'pearin' in that openin'. He's
+done outstayed his leave."</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't be worried, Jim," said Paul. "We know what a man Sol is in
+the woods. No single warrior could bring him down."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so. Sol's terrible smart, but then anybody might be ambushed. I
+tell you, Paul, that wuz the wickedest lookin' warrior I ever saw. His
+eyes wuz plum' full uv old Satan."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Why, Jim, we are too far away for you to have seen anything of that
+kind."</p>
+
+<p>"I know that's so at usual times, but them eyes uv his wuz shinin' so
+terrible bright with meanness that I caught thar look like the gleam uv
+a burnin' glass. I reckon he wuz the wust savage in all these woods. All
+but him hev come back more 'n a half-hour ago, an' I'm beginnin' to hev
+a sort uv creepy feelin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Hark!" exclaimed Henry, who had been standing almost in the mouth of
+the opening.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it, Henry? What is it?" exclaimed Long Jim eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"That strong wind brought the sound of a rifle shot. It was so faint and
+far away that it was no more than the snapping of a little twig, but it
+was a rifle shot and no mistake. Sol and that warrior have met."</p>
+
+<p>"And who fired the bullet? And who received it? That's what we'd like to
+know!" said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>Complete silence succeeded the shot. Evidently the Indians around the
+campfire had not heard it, as they showed no signs of interest, but the
+four in the mouth of the cavern waited in painful anxiety, their eyes
+turned toward the point from which the report had come. At last the
+scalp lock appeared above the bushes and four hearts sank. Then the
+figure of the warrior came completely into view and four hearts sprang
+up again. The man's left arm was held stiffly by his side and he was
+walking with weakness. Nor did any bright blonde scalp hang from his
+waist or any other part of his body.</p>
+
+<p>"I knowed it! I knowed it!" exclaimed Long Jim,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> triumphantly. "He come
+too close to Sol, an' got a bullet in his arm. It must hev been a long
+shot or he must hev been nearly hid, else he would now be layin' dead in
+the bushes. But ez it is he's shorely got enough to last him fur a long
+time."</p>
+
+<p>Paul was less vocal, but like the others he shared in the triumph of the
+shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll admit I was worried for a while," he said, "but Sol has given us
+one more proof that he can take care of himself any time and anywhere."</p>
+
+<p>"And he has also proved to our besiegers," said Henry, "that every hour
+they spend there they're in peril of a bullet from the bush. I think it
+will give them a most disturbing feeling."</p>
+
+<p>Henry was right, and he was also right in some of his earlier surmises.
+Red Eagle and Blackstaffe departed to join the main army, leaving
+Braxton Wyatt in command of the besieging band which had been reinforced
+by a half-dozen warriors. Wyatt, animated by wicked passion, was
+resolved not to leave until he could kill or take those in the little
+fortress, but he was upset by the certainty that one of the terrible
+five was outside. He had believed from the first that it was Henry Ware,
+and, when their best warrior came in shot through the arm, he was sure
+of it.</p>
+
+<p>The warriors shared his state of mind. Their losses had inflamed them
+tremendously and all of them were willing to stay and risk everything
+for eventual triumph. Yet a terror soon fell upon them. The single
+marksman who roamed the woods sent a bullet singing directly through the
+camp, and the search for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> him failed as before. An hour later another
+who went down to the brook for water was shot through the shoulder.
+Wyatt saw that in spite of their desire for revenge superstitious fears
+were developing, and in order to prevent their spread he organized a
+camp, surrounded by sentinels whom nothing could escape. Then he awaited
+the night.</p>
+
+<p>Henry and his comrades had heard the second shot and they had seen the
+man whose shoulder had been pierced by the bullet, run toward the others
+leaving a red trail behind him, but they were not alarmed this time, as
+nobody left the camp. Evidently the warriors, stout-hearted though they
+were, did not care to trail the shiftless one once more, and in the
+growing dusk, too, when they would be at the mercy of his rifle.</p>
+
+<p>"He's got 'em stirred up a lot," said Henry, "and if they come again he
+will surely be a host on our side."</p>
+
+<p>Another attack was made that night, but it did not come until late,
+halfway between midnight and morning, and, as Henry had suspected, it
+was not an assault, but an attempt by sharpshooters, hidden in the dark
+brush, to pick off watchers at the opening. The bullets of the besiegers
+were fired mostly at random and did nothing but chip stone. The besieged
+fired at the flash of the rifles and were not sure that they hit an
+enemy, but believed that they succeeded more than once. Then, as the
+night before, came the report of the lone rifle in the thicket, and a
+warrior, throwing up his hands, uttered his death cry, making it
+apparent to the defenders that the shiftless one was neither idle nor
+afraid.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then the Indians withdrew and the primeval silence returned to the
+valley. The four remained for a while without speaking, watchful, their
+rifles loaded anew and their fingers on the trigger.</p>
+
+<p>"Sol could come in now," said Long Jim. "He must know that the way will
+be clear for a little while."</p>
+
+<p>"He doesn't want to come in," said Henry. "He's our link with the
+outside world, and when they attack he can be of more help to us because
+they don't know from what point he will strike. The besiegers are also
+besieged."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm thinkin' they won't attack ag'in fur a long time," said Long Jim,
+"an' that bein' the case, I'm goin' to eat some uv my own cookin',
+knowin' that it's the finest in the world, an' then go to sleep."</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Jim," said Henry, "you deserve both."</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim was soon asleep, but Henry remained awake until daylight. He
+considered whether they should not attempt to escape now, join Shif'less
+Sol, and follow as fast as they could the main Indian army with the
+cannon. But he decided in the negative. The savages, despite their
+repulse, would certainly be on watch, and they were still too numerous
+for a fight in the bush.</p>
+
+<p>Hence they entered upon another day in the cavern, which was beginning
+to assume some of the aspects of home. It looked cosy, with the supply
+of venison and bear meat, the pleasant rill of cold water, the dry
+leaves upon which their blankets were spread for beds, and it was filled
+with cold fresh air that poured in at the opening. Henry felt once more
+that they had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> had luck, and he chafed at nothing but the long delay.</p>
+
+<p>And delay now it was certainly going to be, as Braxton Wyatt refrained
+from attack, both that day and the next, although he drew his lines so
+close to them that they had no chance to slip out. But cultivating
+Indian patience, they kept one man always on guard while the others lay
+at their ease on their beds of leaves, and, after the fashion of those
+who had much time, talked of many and various things. On the third day
+when the siege seemed to have settled down to a test of endurance, the
+day being clear and sharply bright, the four sat near the door of the
+fortress. Silent Tom was keeping watch with an eye that never failed,
+but he was able at the same time to hear what his friends said, and,
+when he felt the impulse, he joined in with a monosyllable or two.</p>
+
+<p>They were speaking of the main band going south with the cannon for the
+great attack upon the settlements, a subject to which Henry's mind
+returned constantly. Alloway and the chiefs had a start of days, but he
+was incessantly telling himself that his comrades and he, as soon as
+they were released from the siege, could overtake them quickly. The
+cannon which made their great strength also made their march slow.</p>
+
+<p>"Besides," he said to the others, "they will have to cross many rivers
+and creeks with them, and every crossing will take trouble and time. As
+I figure it, they could go four-fifths of the way and we could still
+overtake them before they reached the settlement."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope we'll ruin the cannon fur 'em," said Long Jim earnestly, "an'
+that at last the settlers will beat<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> 'em so bad that they'll never cross
+the Ohio ag'in. All this fightin' with 'em breaks up my plans."</p>
+
+<p>"What are your plans, Jim?" asked Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"They're big ones, but thar's nary one uv 'em that don't take in you
+three here an' Shif'less Sol that's outside. I want to git in a boat,
+an' go on one uv the rivers into the Ohio an' then down the Ohio to the
+Missip, an' down the Missip to New Or-lee-yuns whar them Spaniards are.
+I met a feller once who had been thar an' he said it wuz a whalin' big
+town, full uv all kinds uv strange people, an' hevin' an' inquirin' mind
+I like to see all kinds uv furriners an' size 'em up. Do you reckon,
+Paul, that New Or-lee-yuns is the biggest city in the world?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, Jim. There are many much larger cities in the old continents,
+Europe, Asia and Africa."</p>
+
+<p>"Them are so fur away that they hardly count nohow. An' thar's a lot uv
+big dead cities, ain't thar?"</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly. Babylon, that our Bible often speaks of, and Nineveh, and
+Tyre, and Memphis and Thebes and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Stop, Paul! That's enough. I reckon I ain't sorry them old places are
+dead. It took a heap uv ground fur 'em to stand on, ground that might be
+covered with grass an' bushes an' trees, all in deep an' purty green
+like them out thar. Me bein' what I am, I always think it's a pity to
+ruin a fine forest to put a town in its place."</p>
+
+<p>"Those cities, I think, were mostly in desert countries with an
+artificial water supply."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I don't want ever to see 'em or what's left uv<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> 'em. People who
+built cities whar no water an' trees wuz ought to hev seen 'em perish.
+Wouldn't me an' Sol look fine trailin' 'roun' among them ruins an' over
+them deserts? Not a buff'ler, nor a deer, not a b'ar anywhar, an' not a
+fish; 'cause they ain't even a good big dew fur a fish to swim in.</p>
+
+<p>"But leavin' out them old places that's plum' rusted away, an' comin'
+back to this here favored land o' ours, I want, after seein' everythin'
+thar is to be seen in the great city of New Or-lee-yuns, to go straight
+west with you fellers, an' Shif'less Sol that's outside, clean across
+the great buff'ler plains that we've talked about afore."</p>
+
+<p>"Cross 'em!" said Silent Tom, speaking for the first time. "You can't
+cross 'em. They go on forever."</p>
+
+<p>"No, they don't. Once I come across a French trapper who had been clean
+to the edge uv 'em, tradin' with the Injuns fur furs. I don't know how
+many weeks an' months it took him, but cross 'em he did, an' what do you
+think he found on the other side, Tom Ross?"</p>
+
+<p>"The sea."</p>
+
+<p>"Nary a sea. He found mountains, mountains sech ez we ain't got this
+side the Missip, mountains that go right up to the top uv the sky,
+cuttin' through clouds on the way, mountains that are covered always
+with snow, even in the summer, an' not a half-dozen or a dozen
+mountains, but hundreds uv 'em, ridges an' ranges runnin' fur hundreds
+an' thousands uv miles."</p>
+
+<p>"An' beyond that?" asked Silent Tom.</p>
+
+<p>"Nobody knows. But think what a trip it would be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> fur us five! Why it
+raises the sperrit uv romance mighty high in me. Paul hez often told us
+how them old Crusaders from France an' England an' Germany an' all them
+Old World countries started off, wearin' their iron clothes even on the
+hottest days, to rescue the Holy places from the infidel. I guess the
+sperrit uv adventure helped a heap in takin' 'em, but thar travels
+wouldn't be any greater, an' grander than ourn across all them great
+plains an' into them almighty high mountains beyond. You couldn't even
+guess what we'd find."</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim drew a deep breath, as his spirit leaped before him into the
+vast unknown spaces, and Paul's eyes sparkled. The seed that Jim was
+sowing fell upon fertile ground.</p>
+
+<p>"I believe I'd rather travel in the unknown than the known," the boy
+said. "We'd come to rivers, big ones and lots of 'em, too, that no white
+man had ever seen before, and, when at last we reached the mountains,
+we'd explore in there for months and months, a year, two years may be.
+And we'd name the highest five peaks for ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>"An' I'd want a river named after me, too, Paul, an' I don't want it to
+be any little second rate river, either. I want it to be long an' broad
+an' deep an' full uv mighty clear water, an' when after a while, fur
+hunters come along in thar canoes, I'd say to 'em, 'Dip down! Dip down
+with your paddles an' don't be afeard. This is the Long Jim Hart river,
+an' me bein' Jim Hart, the owner, I give you leave.'"</p>
+
+<p>"I heard the sound o' a shot," said Silent Tom.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And there goes another," said Henry. "It seemed to be up the valley. Is
+it possible that Shif'less Sol has let himself be trapped in broad
+daylight?"</p>
+
+<p>All crowded into the doorway and looked and listened, intense anxiety,
+despite themselves, tearing at their hearts. Shots at such a time were
+deeply significant. The Indians at the camp opposite, Braxton Wyatt with
+them, had risen and were looking fixedly in the same direction.</p>
+
+<p>A long triumphant shout suddenly came from a point in the forest up the
+valley, and then was succeeded by another in which six or seven voices
+joined, the Indian chant of victory. The hearts of the four dropped like
+plummets in a pool, and they gazed at one another, aghast.</p>
+
+<p>"It can't be that they've got him!" exclaimed Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Listen to that song!" faltered Paul. "It celebrates the taking of a
+scalp!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afeared fur good old Sol," said Tom Ross.</p>
+
+<p>Henry was silent, but a great grief oppressed him. The Indian chant was
+so triumphant that it could mean nothing but the taking of a scalp, and
+there was no scalp but that of the shiftless one to take.</p>
+
+<p>Louder swelled the song, while the singers were yet invisible among the
+bushes, and suddenly, the band gathered in the opening, began to sing a
+welcome, as they danced around the coals of their low campfire. Around
+and around they went, leaping and chanting, and the songs of both bands
+came clearly to those in the cave.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Henry's face darkened and his teeth pressed closely together. An
+accident must have happened or the shiftless one would never have
+allowed himself to be trapped in the day. Yet he had hope, he said
+resolutely to himself that he must retain hope, and he watched
+continually for the smaller band that was approaching through the
+bushes.</p>
+
+<p>They emerged suddenly into view, and as his heart sank again, he saw
+that the leading warrior was whirling a trophy swiftly around his head.
+The cries of the others at sight of the scalp redoubled.</p>
+
+<p>"It's Sol's, uv course!" growled Long Jim. "He's gone an' a better man
+never trod moccasin!"</p>
+
+<p>The others were silent, overwhelmed with grief. The two bands now joined
+and the dance of a score of warriors became wilder and wilder. At
+intervals they caught a glimpse of the scalp as it was waved aloft, and
+they raged, but were powerless.</p>
+
+<p>"We can't go after them cannon now," said Long Jim. "We've got to stay
+an' git revenge fur poor old Sol."</p>
+
+<p>"An' that's shore," said Tom Ross.</p>
+
+<p>Henry and Paul were silent. It was the most terrible irony to stand
+there and see the savages rejoicing over the cruel fate of their
+comrade, and, as the water rose in their eyes, there came at the same
+time out of the depths of the forest the long lone howl of the wolf, now
+a deep thrilling note, something like a chord.</p>
+
+<p>"It's Shif'less Sol! he's safe!" cried Long Jim. "It's jest a trick
+they're workin', tryin' to beat down our sperrits, an' good old Sol is
+tellin' us so!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It's shorely time," said Silent Tom, "an' that's an old scalp they're
+whirlin'."</p>
+
+<p>They had never before known the cry of a wolf to have such a deep and
+thrilling quality, but it came again as full and resounding as before,
+and they were satisfied. Not a doubt remained in the heart of any one of
+them. The shiftless one was safe and he had twice told them so. How
+could they ever have thought that he would allow himself to be trapped
+so easily? The savages might dance on and sing on as much as they
+pleased, but it did not matter now.</p>
+
+<p>"After lookin' at them gyrations," said Long Jim, "I needs refreshment.
+A dancin' an' singin' party always makes me hungry. Will you j'in me in
+a ven'son an' water banquet, me noble luds?"</p>
+
+<p>"Go ahead the rest o' you," said Tom Ross, "I'll watch."</p>
+
+<p>They drank from the rill, lay down on their couches and ate the deer
+meat with splendid appetites. The revulsion was so great that anything
+would have been good to them.</p>
+
+<p>"That wuz a purty smart trick, after all," said Long Jim. "Ef they'd
+made us think they'd got Shif'less Sol's scalp they'd make us think,
+too, that they'd git our own soon. An' they reckoned then, mebbe, that
+we'd be so weak-sperrited we'd come out an' surrender."</p>
+
+<p>"I foresee another dull and long period of inaction," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>And what he said came to pass. They remained two more days in their
+little fortress, besieged so closely<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> that they did not dare to move.
+Yet the besiegers themselves were kept in a constant state of alarm. One
+of their best hunters, sent out for deer, failed to come back, and his
+body was found in the forest. The others began to be oppressed by
+superstitious fears, and it required all of Wyatt's eloquence and force
+to keep them to their task.</p>
+
+<p>It was in Henry's mind to wait for a wet night and then risk all and go.
+It was the rainy time of the year, and on their sixth night in the
+cavern the storm that they wished for so earnestly came, preceded by the
+usual heralds, deep thunder and vivid lightning.</p>
+
+<p>The four made ready swiftly. Every one carried upon his back his blanket
+and a large supply of venison. The locks of rifles and other weapons and
+powder were kept dry under their hunting shirts. Henry thrust the extra
+rifle into a crevice, having an idea that he might need it some day, and
+would find it there. Then as the thunder and lightning ceased and the
+deep darkness and rushing rain came they took a last look at the strong
+little castle that had been such a haven to them. Only eyes like theirs
+trained to dusk could have made out its walls and roof and floor.</p>
+
+<p>"It's like leaving home," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Thar's one good thing," said Long Jim. "The savages in thar meanness
+can't destroy it."</p>
+
+<p>Henry led, and, Silent Tom bringing up the rear, they slipped into the
+open air, keeping close to one another lest they be lost in the thick
+darkness. Despite the pouring rain and the lash of the wind it felt good
+out there. They had been so long in one small close<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> place that it was
+freedom to have again the whole open world about them. The four stood a
+little while to breathe it in and then Henry led through the underbrush
+to the top of the hill.</p>
+
+<p>"Bend low," he whispered to Paul, who was just behind him. "They must
+have a sentinel near here somewhere, and we don't want to run into him."</p>
+
+<p>Paul obeyed him and went on, but none of them noticed that Tom Ross, who
+was last, turned softly aside from the path, and then swung the butt of
+his rifle with all his might. But all heard the impact and the sound of
+a fall, and, as they whirled around, Henry asked:</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"The sentinel," replied Ross. "He won't bother us."</p>
+
+<p>On they went in single file again, but Paul shuddered. As their flight
+lengthened they increased their speed, and, when they were a half mile
+away, Paul jumped, as the long piercing howl of the wolf rose directly
+in front of him. It was Henry sending the signal to the shiftless one,
+and in an instant they heard a similar note in answer from a distant
+point.</p>
+
+<p>As they advanced further the signals were repeated and then the
+shiftless one came with swiftness and without noise through the bushes,
+rising up like a phantom before them. There were happy handshakes and
+the five, reunited once more, fled southward through the darkness and
+rain.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought you'd come out tonight, Henry," said Shif'less Sol. "An' I
+wuz waitin' on the ridge 'til I heard your signal. Ain't it grand fur
+all o' us<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> to be together ag'in, an' to hev beat Braxton Wyatt?"</p>
+
+<p>"It was you, Sol, who were our greatest help."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one chuckled, pleased at the compliment.</p>
+
+<p>"Guess I wuz the flyin' wing o' our little army," he said. "Mebbe Wyatt
+an' them warriors will hang 'roun' thar two or three days afore they
+find out we've gone."</p>
+
+<p>"Not that long. The head of a warrior met Tom's clubbed rifle as we came
+away, and if they don't find him tonight they certainly will in the
+morning."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care anyway. That band can't overtake us, an' it can't trail us
+on a night like this. Thar! They've found the warrior!"</p>
+
+<p>The faint sound of a yell, more like an echo, came on the wind and rain,
+but it brought no fears to the five. They were quite sure that no
+pursuit could overtake them now. After a while, they let their gait sink
+to a walk, and began to pick their way carefully through the dripping
+forest. As they were wet, all save their ammunition, they did not
+hesitate to wade many flooded brooks and they felt that when day came
+their trail would still be hidden from even the keenest of the Indian
+trailers.</p>
+
+<p>Henry did not believe that Wyatt and his warriors could find them unless
+by chance, and as they were now many miles from the cavern, and the day
+was not far away, he began to think of a stopping place. Continued
+exertion had kept them warm, despite the rain, but it would not be wise
+to waste their strength in a rapid flight, continued a long time.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"All of you keep an eye for shelter," he said "Maybe we can find a
+windrow that will at least shut off a part of the rain."</p>
+
+<p>He alluded to the masses of trees sometimes thrown down by a hurricane,
+often over a swath not more than two hundred yards wide. Where men did
+not exist to clear them away they were numerous in Kentucky,
+accumulating for uncounted years. But it was more than an hour before
+they came upon one of these heaps of tree trunks thrown thickly
+together.</p>
+
+<p>Yet it was a good den or lair. Many of the fallen leaves had sifted in
+and lay there. Perhaps bears had used these recesses in the winter, but
+the five were not scrupulous. Their lives were passed in the primitive,
+and they knew how to make the most of everything that nature offered, no
+matter how little.</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon we den up here," said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"We do," said Henry, "and we might go farther and find a much worse
+place."</p>
+
+<p>The trees evidently had been thrown down a long time, as great masses of
+vines had grown over them, forming an almost complete roof. Very little
+rain came through, and, as they had managed to keep their ammunition as
+well as their blankets dry, the lair was better than anything for which
+they had hoped. Trusting to the darkness and their concealment, all five
+wrapped themselves in their blankets and went to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>Now and then drops of rain forced their way through the vines and fell
+on the sleepers, but they did not awake. Such trifles as these did not
+disturb<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> them. They were a part of the great wilderness, used to its
+ways, and troubled little by the ordinary hardships of human beings. The
+mental tension and the anxieties from which they had suffered were gone.
+The siege broken, and reunited, they could pursue the main force and the
+cannon with speed.</p>
+
+<p>The great revulsion made their sleep easy and untroubled. Not one of
+them stirred as he lay beneath the covering made by the ancient
+hurricane, and every one of them breathed long and deep.</p>
+
+<p>Nature was watching over them while they slept. They belonged to the
+forest, and the forest was taking care of its own. The rain increased
+and it was driven harder by the wind, but folded in their blankets they
+remained snug, while their clothing dried upon them. A bear that had
+hibernated there, fleeing from the rain sought his own den, but he was
+driven away by the man smell. A bedraggled panther had an idea of taking
+the same shelter, but he too was repelled in like manner.</p>
+
+<p>The forest watched over its own not only through the night but after the
+sun rose. Braxton Wyatt and his warriors, consumed with rage, could find
+no sign of a trail. They had entered the cavern and seized upon the
+portions of venison left there, although the rifle escaped their notice,
+and then they had begun the vain pursuit. Long before day they gave it
+up, and started after the main army.</p>
+
+<p>It had been Henry's intention to sleep only the two hours until dawn,
+but the relaxation, coming after immense exertions and anxieties, kept
+him and all the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> others sound asleep long after the dripping forest was
+bathed in sunlight. It was a bright ray of the same sunlight entering
+through a crevice and striking him in the eye that awakened him. He
+looked at his comrades. They were so deep in slumber that not one of
+them stirred.</p>
+
+<p>He heard a light swift sound overhead and saw that it was a gray
+squirrel running along their roof. Then came a song, pure and sweet,
+that thrilled through the forest. It was sung by a small gray bird
+perched on a vine almost directly over Henry's head, and he wondered
+that such a volume of music could come from such a tiny body.</p>
+
+<p>The squirrel and the bird together told him that nothing unusual was
+stirring in the forest. If warriors were near that morning song would
+not be poured forth in such a clear and untroubled stream. The bird was
+their warder, their watchman, and he told them that it was sunrise and
+all was well. Feeling the utmost confidence in the small sentinel, and
+knowing that they needed more strength for the pursuit, Henry closed his
+eyes and went to sleep again.</p>
+
+<p>The little gray bird was the most redoubtable of sentinels. Either the
+figures below were hidden from him or instinct warned him that they were
+friends. He hopped from bough to bough of the great windrow, and nearly
+always he sang. Now his song was clear and happy, saying that no enemy
+came in the forest. He sang from sheer delight, from the glory of the
+sunshine, and the splendor of the great green forest, drying in the
+golden glow. Now and then the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> gray squirrel came down from a tree and
+ran over the windrow. There was no method in his excursions. It was just
+pure happiness, the physical expression of high spirits.</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one was the next to awake, and he too looked at his
+sleeping comrades. His task had been the hardest of them all. Although
+his body had acquired the quality of steel wire, it had yielded
+nevertheless under the strain of so many pursuits and flights. Now he
+heard that bird singing above him and as it told him, too, that no
+danger was near, he shifted himself a little to ease his muscles and
+went to sleep again.</p>
+
+<p>A half-hour later Long Jim came out of slumberland, but he opened only
+one eye. The bird was trilling and quavering in the most wonderful way,
+telling him as he understood it, to go back whence he had come, and he
+went at once. Then came Paul, not more than half awakened, and the music
+of the song lulled him. He did not have time to ask himself any question
+before he had returned to sleep, and the bird sang on, announcing that
+noon was coming and all was yet well.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p>
+<h3>ON THE GREAT TRAIL</h3>
+
+
+<p>An hour after the little gray bird had announced that it was noon and
+all was well Henry awoke, and now he sat up. The bird, hearing rustlings
+below, and feeling that his task of watchman was over, flew away. His
+song was heard for a moment or two in the boughs of a tree, then it grew
+faint and died in the distance. But his work was done and he had done it
+well.</p>
+
+<p>Henry put his hand on Sol's shoulder, and the shiftless one also sat up.</p>
+
+<p>"You've slept a week, Sol," Henry said.</p>
+
+<p>"That's a whopper. I just laid down, slept a minute, waked up, heard a
+bird singin', then slept another minute."</p>
+
+<p>"Just the same happened to me, but it's past midday. Look through the
+vines there and see the sun."</p>
+
+<p>"It's so. How time does pass when the warriors are lettin' your scalp
+alone."</p>
+
+<p>"Wake up, Jim."</p>
+
+<p>Shif'less Sol poked Long Jim with his moccasined foot.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Here you, Jim Hart," he said. "Wake up. Do you think we've got nothin'
+to do but set here, an' listen to you snorin' fur two days an' two
+nights, when we've got to overtake an Injun army and thrash it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Don't tech me with your foot ag'in, Sol Hyde, an' don't talk to me so
+highfalutin'. It's hard to git me mad, but when I do git mad I'm a lot
+wuss than Paul's friend, A-killus, 'cause I don't sulk in my tent,
+specially when I haven't got any. I jest rises up an' takes them that
+pesters me by the heels an' w'ar 'em out ag'in the trees."</p>
+
+<p>"You talk mighty big, Saplin'."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm feelin' big. I think I'll go out an' stretch myself, bein' ez it's
+a fine day an' these are my woods."</p>
+
+<p>The talk awoke Paul also and all went outside. Henry and Silent Tom
+scouted for some distance in every direction, and, finding no sign of an
+enemy, the five ate cold venison and drank from one of the innumerable
+streams. Then they deliberated briefly. They must find the trail of the
+Indian army and they were quite sure that it lay toward the east. If it
+were there they could not miss it, as a way for the cannon had to be cut
+with axes. Hence their council lasted only five minutes, and then they
+hastened due eastward.</p>
+
+<p>Speed was impeded by the creeks and brooks, all of which were swollen
+yet further, compelling them in several cases to swim, which had to be
+done with care, owing to the need of keeping their ammunition dry. Night
+came, the great trail was still unfound, and they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> thought they might
+possibly have been mistaken in going to the east, but when they debated
+it again they resolved to continue their present course. Every
+probability favored it, and perhaps the Indian army had taken a wider
+curve than they had thought.</p>
+
+<p>"I've had so much rest and sleep that I'm good fur all night," said Long
+Jim, "an' the ground bein' so soft from so much rain them cannon wheels
+will cut ruts a foot deep."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Shif'less Sol. "Why we could blindfold ourselves an'
+hit that trail. Out o' the mouths o' men like Long Jim wisdom comes
+sometimes, though you wouldn't think it."</p>
+
+<p>"All that you are, Solomon Hyde," said Long Jim, "I've made. When I fust
+knowed you a tow-headed boy you didn't have sense enough to come in out
+uv the rain. Now, by long years uv hard trainin', mixin' gentleness with
+firmness, I've turned you into somethin' like a scout an' trailer an'
+Injun fighter, fit to travel in the comp'ny uv a man like myself. Now
+an' then when I look at you, Solomon Hyde, I'm proud uv you, but I'm
+prouder uv myself fur makin' a real man out uv sech poor stuff to start
+with."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm still willin' to learn, Jim," grinned Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"The trail! The trail!" suddenly exclaimed Henry.</p>
+
+<p>They had emerged from heavy forest into a stretch of canebrake through
+which ran a long swath, trampled by many feet and cut by deep ruts. Here
+the cannon had passed perhaps a week ago, and they could follow<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> the
+ruts as easily as the wheel of an engine follows the rails.</p>
+
+<p>"I 'low they can't make more'n ten or fifteen miles a day," said Silent
+Tom.</p>
+
+<p>"While we, if we were hard pressed, could go thirty or forty, or more,"
+said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"We could overtake 'em in three days," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"An' hevin' done it," said the shiftless one, "what are we goin' to do
+next?"</p>
+
+<p>"It's the cannon we're after, as we all know," said Henry, "and I
+confess that I can't see yet how we're going to get at 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"I fancy we can tell more about it when we approach the Indian army,"
+said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"There's no other way," said Henry. "If we keep close beside 'em we may
+get a chance at the cannon, but we've got to look out for Braxton Wyatt
+and his gang, who will be just behind us, on the same trail."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we go straight ahead?" said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>They followed the great trail nearly all night, under the clear moon and
+stars, a fine drying wind having taken away all the dampness. As usual
+Henry led and Silent Tom brought up the rear, the one in front keeping
+an eye for a rear guard and the one behind watching for the advance of
+Braxton Wyatt's force. The trail itself was leisurely. The speed of the
+cannon had to be the speed of the army, and there was ample time for
+parties to leave on hunting expeditions, and then rejoin the main band
+with their spoils.</p>
+
+<p>"They're living well," said Henry, as he pointed to the dead coals of
+numerous fires, and the quantities of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> bones scattered about "They've
+had buffalo, bear, deer, turkey and lots of small game."</p>
+
+<p>"It's an ideal country for an Indian army to travel in," said Paul. "The
+game fairly swarms in it."</p>
+
+<p>"An they don't spare it neither," said Shif'less Sol. "These warriors
+are jest eatin' thar way down to the settlements."</p>
+
+<p>"Here's where they kept their cannon," said Henry, pointing to a place
+near the edge of the opening, "and they covered them for the night with
+strong canvas."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know that?" asked Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"See this thorn bush growing just beside the place. The edge of the
+canvas caught on the thorns and when they pulled it away it left these
+threads. See, here are three of 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"But how do you know it was strong canvas?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because if it hadn't been, more than these three threads would have
+been left. I'm astonished at you! What have you done with your wits? It
+was just over there, too, that Alloway and Cartwright sat with the
+chiefs and held a council. Two or three bushes were cut down close to
+the ground in order that a dozen men or so might sit comfortably in a
+ring. They smoked a pipe, and came to some agreement. Here are the ashes
+that were thrown from the pipe after they were through with it. Then
+Alloway and Cartwright walked off in this direction. You can see even
+now the imprint of their boot heels. Moccasins would leave no such
+trace. It must have rained that night, too, because they spread their
+tent and slept in it."</p>
+
+<p>"You're guessing now, Henry," said Long Jim.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't have to guess. This is the simplest thing in the world. One has
+only to look and see. Here are the holes where they drove the tent pegs.
+But the two officers did not go to sleep at once after the council. They
+sat in the tent and talked quite a while."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?"</p>
+
+<p>"More ashes, and on the ground covered by the tent. Evidently they have
+pipes of their own, as most all English officers do, and they wouldn't
+have sat here, and smoked, while on a hard march, if they did'nt have
+something important to talk about. I take it that the leaders of the
+Indian army are trying to solve some question. Perhaps they don't know
+which of the settlements to march against first."</p>
+
+<p>"Over here is where they kept the horses fur the big guns," said Silent
+Tom. "Mebbe we might git at them horses, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"We might, but it wouldn't help us much. The warriors are so many that,
+although they don't like work, they could take turns at pulling 'em
+along with ropes. They could do that too, with the wagons that carry the
+ammunition for the cannon. Come on, boys. It don't pay us to linger over
+dead campfires. Here goes the trail which is as broad as a road."</p>
+
+<p>He led the way, but stopped again in a few minutes.</p>
+
+<p>"They had their troubles when they started the next morning," he said,
+as he pointed with a long forefinger.</p>
+
+<p>They saw flowing directly across the road one of the innumerable creeks,
+swollen to a depth of about four feet by the rain, and with rather a
+swift current. Hundreds<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> of footprints had been left in the soft soil
+near the stream, and they examined them carefully. In two places these
+traces were packed closely.</p>
+
+<p>"About twenty warriors gathered at each of these spots," said Henry,
+"and lifted the cannon into the wagons. Look how deep some of these
+footmarks are! That was when the weight of the cannon sank them down.
+The Indians could have gone across the creek without the slightest
+trouble, but the cannon and the wagons delayed them quite a while. Come,
+boys, we've got to do some wading ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>Reaching the opposite bank they found where the cannon had been lifted
+out again, and saw the deep ruts made by their wheels running on through
+the forest.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't find the traces of no boot heels," said Silent Tom. "What's
+become uv them English?"</p>
+
+<p>"They're riding now," replied Henry. "They're not as used as the Indians
+to forest marches, and they've all been compelled to take to the wagons
+for a while. But they won't stay in 'em long."</p>
+
+<p>"Why not?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because Alloway won't want the warriors to look down on him or his men,
+and the Indians are impressed by physical strength and tenacity. As soon
+as they're fairly rested he'll get out and make all the others get out
+too."</p>
+
+<p>In a half-hour he called their particular attention to a point in the
+great trail.</p>
+
+<p>"All of them got out of the wagons here," he said. "Look where the boot
+heels cut into the ground.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> What's this? A warrior coming out of the
+forest has joined them here. Perhaps he was a man sent by Braxton Wyatt
+or Blackstaffe to tell how they were getting along in their siege of us,
+and here is another trail, where a dozen warriors split from the band."</p>
+
+<p>"A huntin' party, o' course," said the shif'less one as he looked at it.
+"They send 'em off on ev'ry side, ev'ry day, an' we've got to watch
+mighty close, lest some o' them light on us."</p>
+
+<p>"Still," said Henry, "when they got their game they wouldn't come
+straight back to a trail already old. They'd go on ahead to catch up.
+It's lucky that we've got plenty of venison and don't have to do any
+hunting of our own. Jim, you certainly did noble work as a cook back
+there."</p>
+
+<p>"Which reminds me," said Long Jim, "that I'll chaw a strip uv venison
+now."</p>
+
+<p>"Jim wuz always a glutton," said the shiftless one, "but that won't keep
+me from j'inin' him in his pleasant pursuit."</p>
+
+<p>Daylight found them in dense canebrake with the road that the army had
+been forced to cut for the cannon leading on straight and true.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll find another camp about a half mile ahead," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"Now that's a guess," said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, it isn't. Jim, you must really learn to use your eyes. Look up
+a little. See, those buzzards hovering over a particular spot. Now, one
+darts down and now another rises up. I suppose they're still able<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> to
+pick a few shreds of flesh from the under side of the big buffalo
+bones."</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon you're right, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>They reached the old camp presently, within the indicated distance, but
+did not linger, pressing on over little prairies and across streams of
+all sizes. They noticed again and again where the hunting parties left
+the main army, and then where they came back.</p>
+
+<p>"They've lots of ammunition," said Henry. "They must have the biggest
+supply that was ever yet furnished by Detroit."</p>
+
+<p>"Mebbe we kin git some uv it fur ourselves later on," said Tom Ross.</p>
+
+<p>"That's not a bad idea, to get ammunition at the expense of the enemy.
+Their bullets might not fit our rifles, but we could use their powder.
+We may have our chance yet to raid 'em."</p>
+
+<p>At noon they turned aside into the forest and sought a deep recess where
+they could rest and plan. Foliage and earth were dry now and they
+stretched themselves luxuriously, as they ate and talked. They reckoned
+that they could overtake the army on the following night or at least on
+the morning after, as its progress had been manifestly slower even than
+they had thought. Taking cannon through the great woods in which not a
+single road existed was a most difficult task. But every one of the five
+felt the need of exceeding great caution. Besides the hunters they might
+have to deal with the party that had left under Blackstaffe and Red
+Eagle. For all they knew, this band might have taken a shorter course
+through the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> woods, and chance might bring on an encounter at any time.</p>
+
+<p>"If they should strike our trail they're likely to follow it up," said
+the shiftless one. "Some o' 'em in lookin' fur game are shore to be far
+in the rear, an' them too may stumble on us."</p>
+
+<p>"'Pears to me," said Long Jim, "that we've come knowin' it, plum' into a
+big hornet's nest, but we ain't stung yet."</p>
+
+<p>"An' we ain't goin' to be," said the shiftless one confidently.</p>
+
+<p>Thus did the knights of the forest discuss their chances, and they were
+as truly knights as any that ever tilted lance for his lady, or, clothed
+in mail, fought the Saracen in the Holy Land, and, buried in the vast
+forest, their dangers were greater, they so few against so many.</p>
+
+<p>Knowing now that they had no need to hurry and that to hurry was
+dangerous, they lay a long time in the woods, and some of them slept a
+little, while the others watched. But those who slept awoke when they
+heard the haunting cry of the owl. The five sat up as another owl far to
+the left hooted in answer. Not one of them was deceived for an instant,
+as the signals were exchanged three times. Indian, they knew, was
+talking to Indian.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you think it means, Henry?" asked the shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>"I've a notion that a small band has struck our trail and that it's
+signaling to a bigger one."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sorry o' that."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"So am I, because it will put the great band on guard against us. Our
+best weapon would have been the ignorance of the Indians that we were
+near."</p>
+
+<p>"Ef troubles git in our way we kin shoot 'em out uv it," said Long Jim
+philosophically.</p>
+
+<p>"So we can," said Henry, "but there goes one of the owls again, and it's
+much nearer to us than it was before."</p>
+
+<p>"An' thar's the other answerin' from the other side," said Shif'less
+Sol, "an' it, too, is much nearer."</p>
+
+<p>"'Pears ez ef they knowed more about us than we thought they did, an'
+are tryin' to surround us," said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"An' we jest won't be surrounded," said Shif'less Sol. "We ain't trained
+to that sort o' thing an' it ain't a habit that we'd like."</p>
+
+<p>"Come on," said Henry, and, rifle on shoulder, he flitted through the
+thickets. The others followed him in single file, and they advanced
+toward a point mid-way between the opposing bands. Their line formed
+according to its invariable custom, Henry leading, the shiftless one
+next, followed by Paul, with Long Jim following, and Silent Tom covering
+the rear.</p>
+
+<p>They traveled now at high speed, and Henry felt that the need was great.
+He was sure that the bands, besides signaling to each other, were also
+calling up wandering hunters. The circle about them might be more nearly
+complete than they had thought. They kept to the darkest of the forest
+and fled on like a file of phantoms. A rifle suddenly cracked in the
+thicket and a bullet whistled by. Henry's rifle flashed in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> reply and no
+further sound came from the bushes. Then the phantoms sped on faster
+than ever.</p>
+
+<p>Henry reloaded his rifle, and all of them listened to the chorus of the
+owls, as they cried to one another in a circle the diameter of which
+might have been a third of a mile. The heart of every one beat faster,
+not alone because they were running, but because of that demon chorus.
+All the warriors had heard the rifle shots and they knew now just about
+where the fugitives were. The cry of an owl has a singularly weird and
+haunting quality, and when so many of them came together, coming as the
+five knew, from the throats of those who meant them death, its effect
+was appalling even upon such hardy souls as theirs.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish they'd stop them cries," growled Long Jim. "They git into my
+bones, an' give me a sort uv creepy weakness 'bout the knees."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't let your knees buckle," said Shif'less Sol. "Good knees are
+mighty important, jest now, 'cause you know, Jim, we'll hev to make a
+pow'ful good run fur it, an' ef your legs give out I'll hev to stay back
+with you."</p>
+
+<p>"I know you would, Sol, but that creepy feelin' 'bout my knees don't
+weaken the muscles an' j'ints. Runnin' is my strongest p'int."</p>
+
+<p>"I know it. I don't furgit the time your runnin' saved us all when the
+emigrant train wuz surrounded by the tribes."</p>
+
+<p>"Down!" suddenly called Henry, and the five dropped almost flat, but
+without noise, in the bushes. Two dusky figures, evidently scouts, were
+running<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> directly across their line of flight about fifty yards ahead of
+them. But Henry was quite sure that the two warriors had not seen them
+and the five, lying close and scarcely breathing, watched the dusky
+figures. The warriors paused a moment or two, looked about them, but,
+seeing nothing went on, and were quickly lost to sight in the brush.</p>
+
+<p>"It was lucky," said Henry, as they rose and resumed their flight, "that
+the warriors didn't look more closely. I think fortune is favoring us."</p>
+
+<p>"It ain't fortune or luck," said Shif'less Sol. "It's jedgment, an' our
+long an' hard trainin'. I tell you jedgment is a power."</p>
+
+<p>A fierce yell arose behind them, a yell full of savagery and triumph.</p>
+
+<p>"They've hit our trail in the moonlight," said Henry, "and as we have no
+time to dodge or lie in cover, there's nothing to do but run faster."</p>
+
+<p>"An' keep a good lookout to both right an' left," said Shif'less Sol.
+"They're comin' now from all directions."</p>
+
+<p>The owls now began to hoot in great numbers, and with extraordinary
+ferocity. The cry made upon Paul's sensitive mind an impression that
+never could be effaced. He associated it with cruelty, savagery and
+deadly menace. His ear even multiplied and exaggerated the sinister
+calls. The woods were filled with them, they came from every bush, and
+the menacing circle was steadily and surely drawing closer.</p>
+
+<p>Henry heard the heavy panting breaths behind him. They were bound to
+grow weary before long.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> Even if one were made of steel he could not run
+on forever. But he recalled that while they could not do so neither
+could the warriors. His keen ear noted that no cry of the owl came from
+the point straight ahead, and he concluded therefore that the circle was
+not yet complete. There was a break in the ring and he meant to drive
+straight through it.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, boys," he said, "slow up a little to let your breath come back,
+then we'll make a great burst for it and break through."</p>
+
+<p>Their pace sank almost to a walk, but the beat of their hearts became
+more nearly regular, and strength came back. Meanwhile the cries of the
+owls never ceased. They drummed incessantly on the ears of Paul, and
+made a sort of fury in his brain. It was a species of torture that made
+him rage more than ever against his pursuers.</p>
+
+<p>They stopped in a clump of cane and watched a single warrior pass near.
+When he was gone they stepped from the cane and began to run at high
+speed toward the opening in the circle which Henry judged could not be
+more than a hundred yards away. It was fortunate for them that the
+forest here contained little undergrowth to impede them.</p>
+
+<p>It was a great burst of speed to make after so long a flight, but the
+brief rest had helped them greatly, and they spurned the earth behind
+them. Now the Indian warriors caught sight of them, and rifles flashed
+in the night. The last owl ceased to hoot, and instead gave forth the
+war hoop. The forest rang with fierce yells, many anticipating a triumph
+not yet won. Many<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> shots were fired on either flank, and leaves and
+twigs fell, but the five, bending low, fled on and did not yet reply.</p>
+
+<p>The young leader in those desperate moments was cool enough to see that
+no shots came from the point straight ahead, making it sure that the
+opening was still there. He counted, too, on the dusk and the generally
+poor markmanship of the savages. A single glance backward showed him
+that none of his comrades was touched. Farther away on either side he
+saw the leaping forms of the warriors and then the flash of their wild
+shots. And still his comrades and he were untouched.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, boys," he cried, "let out the last link in the chain!" and the
+five bounded forward at such speed that the Indians in the dusk could
+not hit the flying targets, and, still untouched they drove through the
+opening, and beyond. But the warriors behind them joined in a mass and
+came on, yelling in anger and disappointment.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Sol," said Henry, "we might let 'em have a couple of bullets. The
+rest of you hold your fire!"</p>
+
+<p>Henry and the shiftless one, wheeling swiftly, fired and hit their
+targets. A cry of wrath came from the pursuers, but they dropped back
+out of range, and stayed there awhile. Then they crept closer, until a
+bullet from Silent Tom gave them a deadly warning to drop back again,
+which they did with great promptness.</p>
+
+<p>Then the five, summoning all their reserves of strength, sped southward
+at a rate that was too great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> for their pursuers. Paul soon heard the
+owls calling again, but they were at least a half mile behind them, and
+they no longer oppressed him with that quality of cruelty and certain
+triumph. Now they only denoted failure and disappointment, and, as his
+high tension relaxed, he began to laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop it, Paul! Stop it!" said the shiftless one sharply. "It's too soon
+yet to laugh! When the time comes I'll tell you!"</p>
+
+<p>Paul checked himself, knowing that the laugh was partly hysterical, and
+closely followed Henry who was now turning toward the west, leading them
+through rolling country, clothed in the same unbroken forest and
+undergrowth. It was his idea to find a creek or brook and then wade in
+it for a long distance to break the trail, the simplest of devices, one
+used a thousand times with success on the border, and they ran at their
+utmost speed, in order to be out of sight of even the swiftest warrior
+when they should come to water.</p>
+
+<p>They passed several tiny brooks too small for their purpose, but, in a
+half-hour, came to one two feet deep, flowing swiftly and with muddy
+current. Henry uttered a sigh of satisfaction as he stepped into the
+water, and began to run with the stream. He heard four splashes behind
+him, as the others stepped in also, and followed.</p>
+
+<p>"As little noise as you can," he said. "There may be a lurking warrior
+about somewhere."</p>
+
+<p>After the first hundred yards they waded slowly, in order to avoid more
+splashing, and, after another hundred, stopped to listen. They heard
+faint cries<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> from the warriors, but they were very far away, at least a
+mile, they thought, and the hearts of every one of the five rose with
+the belief that the Indians had taken the wrong course. But they
+neglected no precaution, wading in the middle of the brook for a long
+distance, the water enclosed on either side with a thick and heavy
+growth of willows and bushes so dense, in truth, that one could not see
+into the stream without parting the foliage.</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't I tell you we were lucky!" said Henry. "This branch poked itself
+right across our path at the right moment to help us break our trail."</p>
+
+<p>"Jedgment, Henry! Jedgment!" said the shiftless one. "We knowed that it
+wuz best fur us to find a branch, an' so we jest run on till we found
+one."</p>
+
+<p>"It 'pears to me," said Long Jim, "that we're takin' to water a heap.
+Always jumpin' into some branch or creek or river an' wadin', I feel
+myself turnin' to a fish, a great big long catfish sech as you find in
+the Ohio. Fins are comin' out on my ankles right now."</p>
+
+<p>"An' your face is plum' covered with scales already," said Shif'less
+Sol. "You're shorely a wonder, Jim."</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim involuntarily clapped his hand to his face, and then both
+laughed.</p>
+
+<p>"At any rate," said Long Jim, "I'll be glad when we take to dry ground
+ag'in."</p>
+
+<p>But Henry led them a full mile, until he parted the bushes, and stepped
+out on the west bank. The others followed and all five stood a moment or
+two on the bank, while the water dripped from their leggings.</p>
+
+<p>"Them fins has done growed on me, shore,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> whispered Long Jim to
+Shif'less Sol. "Cur'us how water sticks to deerskin."</p>
+
+<p>"How much further do we go, Henry?" asked Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Far enough to be safe," replied Henry. "I think two or three miles more
+will put us out of their range. The walking won't be bad, and it will
+help to dry our leggings."</p>
+
+<p>"Wish I had one o' their hosses to ride on," said Shif'less Sol.
+"'Twould jest suit me, a lazy man. I guess hosses wuzn't ever used in
+these parts afore, but I'd ride one like the old knights that Paul talks
+about, an' you, Long Jim, could hang on to the tail."</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't hang on to the tail of nobody's hoss, an' least uv all to
+the tail uv yourn, Sol Hyde."</p>
+
+<p>"You'd hev to, Jim Hart, 'cause you'd be my serf. Knights always had
+serfs that wuz glad to hang on to the tails o' their hosses, when the
+knights would let 'em. Wouldn't I look grand, chargin' through the
+forest on my war hoss, six feet high, me in my best Sunday brass suit,
+speckled with gold scales, with my silver spear twenty feet long, an' my
+great two-handed, gold-hilted sword beside me, an' Long Jim tied to the
+tail o' my hoss, so he wouldn't git tired an' fall behind, when I wuz
+chargin' the hull Shawnee tribe?"</p>
+
+<p>"You'll never see that day, Sol Hyde. When we charge the Shawnee tribe
+I'll be in front, runnin' on these long legs uv mine, an' you'll be
+'bout a hundred yards behind, comin' on in a kinder doubtful an'
+hesitatin' way."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Here is good dry ground now," said Henry, "and I don't think we need to
+go any farther."</p>
+
+<p>They were on a small hilltop, densely covered with trees, and the five
+gladly threw themselves down among the trunks. They were sure now that
+they were safe from pursuit, and they felt elation, but they said
+little. All of them took off their wet leggings and moccasins, and laid
+them out to dry, while they rested and ate venison.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm gittin' tired, paddlin' 'roun' in wet clothes," said Long Jim, "and
+I hope them things uv mine will dry fast, 'cause it would be bad to hev
+to run fur it ag'in, b'ar-footed this time, an' with not much of
+anythin' on up to your waist."</p>
+
+<p>"But think how much harder on you it would be ef it wuz winter," said
+the shiftless one. "Ef you hed to break the ice in the branch ez you
+walked along it, an' then when you come out hed nothin' but the snow to
+lay down in an' rest, it would be time fur complainin'. Ez Henry says,
+we're shorely hevin' luck."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true, an' we've found another fine inn to rest an' sleep in.
+Ain't this nice solid dry groun'? An' them dead leaves scattered 'bout
+which we kin rake up fur pillows an' beds, are jest the finest that ever
+fell. An' them trees are jest ez big an' honest an' friendly ez you
+could ask, an' the bushes are nice an' well behaved, an' thar shore is
+plenty of water in the forest fur us to drink. An' we hev a good clean
+sky overhead. Oh, we couldn't come to a nicer inn than this."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm going to sleep," said Paul. "I'm going to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> wrap my blanket around
+the lower half of me, and if the warriors come please wake me in time,
+so I can put on my leggings before I have to run again."</p>
+
+<p>All soon slept save Henry and Ross, and, after a while, Henry clothed
+himself fully, everything now being dry, and with a word to Ross,
+started eastward through the forest. He believed that Blackstaffe, Red
+Eagle and their party were somewhere in that direction, and he meant to
+have a look at them. He was thoroughly refreshed by their long rest, and
+alone he felt able to avoid any danger.</p>
+
+<p>He advanced through the forest, a great flitting figure that passed
+swiftly, and now, that he was the trailer and not the trailed, all of
+his marvelous faculties were at their zenith. He heard and saw
+everything, and every odor came to him. The overwhelming sense of
+freedom, and of a capacity to achieve the impossible, which he often
+felt when he was alone, fairly poured in upon him. The feeling of
+success, of conquest, was strong. He and his comrades, so far, had
+triumphed over every difficulty, and they had been many and great. The
+omens were propitious and there was the rising wind singing among the
+leaves the song that was always a chant of victory for him.</p>
+
+<p>He inhaled the odors of the forest, the breath of leaf and flower. They
+were keen and poignant to him, and then came another odor that did not
+belong there. It was brought on the edge of the gentle wind, and his
+nostrils expanded, as he noticed that it was growing stronger and
+stronger. He knew at once that it was smoke, distant, but smoke
+undeniably, and that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> it must come from a campfire. In all probability
+it was the fire of Blackstaffe, Red Eagle and their band.</p>
+
+<p>He went at once toward the smoke, and gradually the light of a fire
+appeared among the trees. Approaching cautiously, he saw the correctness
+of his surmise that it was Blackstaffe, Red Eagle and their band. Most
+of the warriors were lying down, all save two or three asleep, but the
+renegade and the chief were talking earnestly. Henry was eager to hear
+what they were saying, as it might prove of great value to him in the
+little campaign that he was leading. Since Wyatt and the rest of the
+band had not had time to come up, they could not yet know that it was
+the five with whom they had been in battle that night.</p>
+
+<p>He resolved that he would overhear them at all costs, and lying down in
+the bushes he began to edge himself forward in the slow and difficult
+manner of which only an accomplished scout is capable. Fortunately the
+fire was near the edge of a thicket, from which he could hear, but it
+took him a long time to gain the position he wished, creeping forward,
+inch by inch, and careful not to make a bush or a leaf rustle.</p>
+
+<p>When he was at last in place, he lay hidden by the foliage and blended
+with it, where he could easily see the faces of Blackstaffe and Red
+Eagle, in the firelight, and hear what they said.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p>
+<h3>FIVE AGAINST A THOUSAND</h3>
+
+
+<p>Red Eagle and Blackstaffe were talking in Shawnee, every word of which
+Henry heard and understood. They sat in Turkish fashion upon the ground,
+on the same side of the fire, and the blaze flickered redly over the
+face of each. They were strong faces, primitive, fierce and cunning, but
+in different ways. The evil fame of Moses Blackstaffe, second only to
+that of Simon Girty, had been won by many a ruthless deed and undoubted
+skill and cunning. Yet he was a white man who had departed from the
+white man's ways.</p>
+
+<p>Red Eagle, the great Shawnee chief, was older, past fifty, and his
+bronzed face was lined deeply. His broad brow and the eyes set wide
+apart, expressed intellect&mdash;the Indian often had intellect in a high
+degree. He too was cruel, able to look upon the unmentionable tortures
+of his foes with pleasure, but it was a cruelty that was a part of his
+inheritance, the common practices of all the tribes, bred into the
+blood, through untold generations of forest life.</p>
+
+<p>Henry felt a certain respect for Red Eagle, but none<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> at all for
+Blackstaffe. Him he hated, with that fierceness of the forest, some of
+which had crept into his blood, and if he met him in battle he would
+gladly send a bullet through his heart. The man's face, burnt almost as
+dark as that of an Indian, showed now in its most sinister aspect. He
+was suffering from chagrin, and he did not take the trouble to hide it,
+even from so great a man as Red Eagle, head chief of the Shawnees.</p>
+
+<p>They were talking of Wyatt and the band they had left behind for the
+siege, and Henry, with a touch of forest humor, enjoyed himself as he
+listened.</p>
+
+<p>"We did not see well those with whom we fought tonight and who escaped
+us," said Red Eagle, "but they showed themselves to be warriors, great
+white warriors. They were more than a match for my young men."</p>
+
+<p>"It is true," said Blackstaffe. "I didn't see them at all, but only the
+five whom we left besieged in the cave could do what they did."</p>
+
+<p>"But Wyatt and good warriors hold them there."</p>
+
+<p>"So they hoped, but do they, Red Eagle? The manner in which those scouts
+escaped from our circle makes me believe their leader could have been
+none but this Henry Ware."</p>
+
+<p>"One of them was outside the cave. He may have come through the forest
+and have met other white men."</p>
+
+<p>"It might be so, but I'm afraid it isn't. They have broken the siege in
+some manner and have eluded Wyatt. I had hoped that if he could not kill
+or capture<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> them he would at least hold them there. It is not well for
+us to have them hanging upon our army and ambushing the warriors."</p>
+
+<p>"You speak wisely, Blackstaffe. The one they call Ware is only a youth,
+but he is full of wisdom and bravery. There was an affair of the belt
+bearers, in which he tricked even Yellow Panther and myself. If we could
+capture him and make him become one of us, a red warrior to fight the
+white people to whom he once belonged, he would add much to our strength
+in war."</p>
+
+<p>Blackstaffe shook his head most emphatically.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't think of that again, great chief," he said. "It is a waste of
+time. He would endure the most terrible of all our tortures first. Think
+instead of his scalp hanging in your wigwam."</p>
+
+<p>The eyes of Red Eagle glistened.</p>
+
+<p>"It would be a great triumph," he said, "but our young men have chased
+him many times, and always he is gone like the deer. We have set the
+trap for him often, but when it falls he is away. None shoots so quickly
+or so true as he, and if one of our young men meets him alone in the
+forest it is the Shawnee over whom the birds sing the death song."</p>
+
+<p>"It's not his scalp that we want merely for the scalp's sake. You are a
+brave and great chief, O Red Eagle, and you know that Ware and his
+comrades are scouts, spies and messengers. It's not so much the warriors
+whom we lose at their hands, but they're the eyes of the woods. They
+always tell the settlements of our coming, and bring the white forces
+together. We<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> must trap them on this march, if we have to spread out a
+belt of a hundred warriors to do it."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope the net won't have any holes in it. We overtake the great band
+tomorrow, and then you'll have all the warriors you need. They can be
+spread out on the flank as we march. Hark, Red Eagle, what was that?"</p>
+
+<p>Henry himself in his covert started a little, as the long whine of a
+wolf came from a point far behind them. One of the warriors on the other
+side of the fire returned the cry, so piercing and ferocious in its note
+that Henry started again. But as the chief, the renegade and all the
+warriors rose to their feet, he withdrew somewhat further into the
+thicket, yet remaining where he could see all that might pass.</p>
+
+<p>The far wolf howled again, and the near wolf replied. After that
+followed a long silence, with the renegade, Red Eagle and his men,
+standing waiting and eager. The signals showed that friends were coming
+to join friends, and Henry was as eager as they to see the arrivals. Yet
+he had a shrewd suspicion of their identity.</p>
+
+<p>Dusky figures showed presently among the trees, as a silent line came
+on. Red Eagle and Blackstaffe were standing side by side, and the
+renegade broke into a low laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"So Wyatt comes with his men, or most of them," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"I see," said the chief in a tone of chagrin.</p>
+
+<p>"And he comes without any prisoners."</p>
+
+<p>"But perhaps he brings scalps."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I see no sign of them."</p>
+
+<p>"It is yet too far."</p>
+
+<p>"If they came bearing scalps they would raise the shout of victory."</p>
+
+<p>Red Eagle, great chief of the Shawnees, shook his head sadly.</p>
+
+<p>"It is sure that those whom we pursued in vain tonight were those whom
+we left besieged in the cave."</p>
+
+<p>"I fear that you speak the truth. They bring no scalps, nor any
+prisoners to walk on red hot coals."</p>
+
+<p>He spoke sadly and Henry noted a certain grim pathos in his words, which
+were the words of a savage. Yet the attitude of Red Eagle was dignified
+and majestic as he waited.</p>
+
+<p>The file came on fast, Braxton Wyatt at its head. When the younger
+renegade reached the fire, he flung himself down beside it, seized a
+piece of deer meat, just cooked, and began to eat.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm famished and worn out," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"What did you do with the scalps, Braxton?" asked Blackstaffe, in silky
+tones&mdash;it may be that he thought the younger renegade assumed too much
+at times.</p>
+
+<p>"They're on the heads of their owners," growled Wyatt.</p>
+
+<p>"And how did that happen? You had them securely blockaded in a hole in a
+stone wall. I thought you had nothing to do but wait and take them."</p>
+
+<p>"See here, Blackstaffe, I don't care for your taunting. They slipped
+out, although we kept the closest watch possible, and as they passed
+they slew one of our best warriors. I don't know how it was managed,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span>
+but I think it was some infernal trick of that fellow Ware. Anyway, we
+were left with an empty cave, and then we came on as fast as we could.
+We did our best, and I've no excuses to make."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not mock you," said Red Eagle gravely. "I have been tricked by the
+fox, Ware, myself, and so has Yellow Panther, the head chief of the
+Miamis. But we will catch him yet."</p>
+
+<p>"It seems that we have not yet made any net that will hold him," said
+Blackstaffe with grim irony. Since it was not he directly, but Red Eagle
+and Wyatt who had failed, he found a malicious humor in taunting them.
+"It is the general belief that it was this same youth, Ware, who blew up
+the scows on which we were to carry our cannon, and then sank the lashed
+canoes. He seems to be uncommonly efficient."</p>
+
+<p>Among the broken men and criminals who fled into the woods joining the
+Indians and making war upon their own kind, Moses Blackstaffe was an
+outstanding character. He was a man of education and subtle mind. It was
+understood that he came from one of the oldest of the eastern provinces,
+and that there was innocent blood on his hands before he fled. But now
+he was high in the councils of the Indian nations, and, like the white
+man of his type who turns savage, he had become more cruel than the
+savages themselves.</p>
+
+<p>His gaze as he turned it upon Braxton Wyatt was lightly ironical, and
+his tone had been the same. Again the younger renegade flushed through
+his tan.</p>
+
+<p>"I have never denied to him wonderful knowledge and skill," he said. "I
+have warned you all that he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> was the obstacle most to be dreaded. He has
+just proved it. Had he not been there to help 'em at the cave we should
+have got 'em all."</p>
+
+<p>"And they are giving the laurels of Shif'less Sol to me," said Henry to
+himself in the thicket. "I shall have to hand them over to him when we
+go back."</p>
+
+<p>But the great Shawnee chief, Red Eagle, had heard enough talk between
+the two white men. He was full of the wisdom of his race, and he did not
+intend that Blackstaffe and Wyatt should impair their value to the
+tribes by creating ill feeling against each other.</p>
+
+<p>"Peace, my sons," he said in his grave and dignified manner. "It is not
+well for those who march with us to taunt each other. Words that may be
+light in the village, breed ill will on the war path. As head chief of
+the Shawnees it is for me to say these things to you."</p>
+
+<p>As Red Eagle stood up with his arms folded across his broad breast and
+his scarlet blanket hooked over his shoulder, he looked like a forest
+Roman. Henry thought him an impressive figure and such a thought, too,
+was most likely in the mind of Blackstaffe, as he said:</p>
+
+<p>"The words of the chief are wise, and I obey. Red Eagle has proved many
+and many a time that he is the best fitted of all men to be the head
+chief of the Shawnees. Wyatt, I was only jesting. You and I must be good
+comrades here."</p>
+
+<p>He held out his hand and as Wyatt took it, his face cleared. Then the
+three turned to animated talk about their plans. It was agreed that they
+should push on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> in the morning at all speed, and join the main band and
+the artillery. Dangerous as these cannon were, Henry saw that the
+Indians gave them almost magic powers. They would completely blow away
+the settlements, and the forests would soon grow again, where the white
+man had cut a little open place for himself with the ax.</p>
+
+<p>The conference over, Red Eagle wrapped himself in his blanket and lay
+down with his feet toward the fire. Again Henry felt an impulse of
+respect for him. He was true to his race and his inheritance, while the
+renegades were false in everything to theirs. He did not depart from the
+customs and thoughts bred into him by many generations, but the
+renegades violated every teaching of their own race that had brought
+civilization to the world, and he hated and despised them.</p>
+
+<p>He saw Blackstaffe and Wyatt wrap themselves in their blankets and also
+lie down with their feet to the fire. All the Indians were at rest save
+two sentinels. Henry watched this strange scene a few minutes longer.
+The coals were dying fast and now he saw but indistinctly the figures of
+white men and red men, joined in a compact to destroy his people
+utterly, from the oldest man and woman to the youngest child.</p>
+
+<p>Henry did not know it, but he was as much a knight of chivalry and
+romance as any mailed figure that ever rode with glittering lance.
+Beneath the buckskin hunting shirt beat a heart as dauntless as that of
+Amadis of Gaul or Palmerin of England, although there were no bards in
+the great forest to sing of his deeds and of the deeds of those like
+him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He intended to stay only two or three minutes longer, but he lingered
+nevertheless. The Indian campfire gave forth hardly a glimmer. The
+figures save those of the sentinels became invisible. The wind blew
+gently and sang among the leaves, as if the forest were always a forest
+of peace, although from time immemorial, throughout the world, it had
+been stained by bloodshed. But the forest spell which came over him at
+times was upon him now. The rippling of the leaves under the wind he
+translated into words, and once more they sang to him the song of
+success.</p>
+
+<p>This new task of his, straight through the heart of danger, had been
+achieved, and in his modesty, which was a modesty of thought as well as
+word, he did not ascribe it to any strength or skill in himself, but to
+the fact that a Supreme Being had chosen him for a time as an
+instrument, and was working through him. Like nearly all who live in the
+forest and spend most of their lives in the presence of nature, he
+invariably felt the power of invisible forces, directed by an omniscient
+and omnipotent mind, which the Indian has crystallized into the name
+Manitou, the same as God to Henry.</p>
+
+<p>For that reason this forest spell was also the spirit of thankfulness.
+He had been guided and directed so far, and he felt that the guidance
+and direction would continue. All the omens and prophecies remained
+good, and, with the wind in the leaves still singing the song of victory
+in his ears, he silently crept away, inch by inch, even as he had come.
+Well beyond the Indian ear, he rose and returned swiftly to his
+comrades.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Ross was still on guard and the others sleeping when Henry's figure
+appeared through the dusk, but they awoke and sat up when he called,
+low, to them.</p>
+
+<p>"What are you wakin' us up fur, Henry?" asked the shiftless one, as he
+rubbed a sleepy eye. "Are the warriors comin'? Ef so, I'd like to put on
+my silk knee breeches, an' my bee-yu-ti-ful new silk stockin's an' my
+new shoes with the big silver buckles, afore I run through the forest
+fur my life."</p>
+
+<p>"No, they're not coming, Sol," said Henry. "They're asleep off there and
+tomorrow morning Blackstaffe, Braxton Wyatt, Red Eagle and the others
+hurry on to join the main band."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know that, Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"They told me."</p>
+
+<p>"You've been settin' laughin' an' talkin' with 'em, right merry, I
+reckon."</p>
+
+<p>"They told me, just as I said. They told me their plan in good plain
+Shawnee."</p>
+
+<p>"An' how come Braxton Wyatt with Red Eagle and Blackstaffe?"</p>
+
+<p>"Leaving a fruitless quest, he overtook them. I was lying in the
+thicket, in hearing distance, when Wyatt came up with his men, joined
+Blackstaffe and Red Eagle, and had to tell them of his failure."</p>
+
+<p>"You shorely do hev all the luck, Henry. I'd hev risked my life an'
+risked it mighty close, to hev seed that scene."</p>
+
+<p>Then Henry told them more in detail of the meeting and of the plans that
+Red Eagle and the two renegades had talked over, drawing particular
+attention<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> to the net the Indians intended to spread for the five.</p>
+
+<p>"'Pears to me," said Shif'less Sol, "that the right thing fur us to do
+is to make a big curve&mdash;we're hefty on curves&mdash;an' go clear 'roun' in
+front of the band. They'll be lookin' fur us everywhere, 'cept right
+thar, an' while they're a-plottin' an' a-plannin' an' a-spreadin' out
+their nets, we'll be a-plottin' an' a-plannin' an' mebbe a-doin' too
+what we've undertook to do."</p>
+
+<p>"The very thing," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"A true strategic march," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Looks like sense," said Silent Tom.</p>
+
+<p>"You do hev rays o' reason at times, Sol," said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Then it's agreed," said Henry. "We'll take a little more rest, and,
+soon after daylight, we'll start on one of our great flying marches."</p>
+
+<p>Paul and Long Jim kept the watch, and, not long after the sun rose, they
+were up and away again. They were now beginning to forge another link in
+their chain, and, as usual, the spirits of all five rose when they began
+a fresh enterprise. Their feet were light, as they sped forward, and
+every sense was acute. They were without fear as they marched on the arc
+of the great circle that they had planned. They were leaving so wide a
+space between themselves and the great trail that they could only meet a
+wandering Indian hunter or two, and of all such they could take care
+easily.</p>
+
+<p>In truth, so free were they from any kind of apprehension, that plenty
+of room was left in their minds to take note of the wilderness, which
+was here new<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> to them. But it was their wilderness, nevertheless, all
+these fine streams and rolling hills, and deer that sprang up from their
+path, and the magnificent forest everywhere clothing the earth in its
+beautiful robe of deepest green, which in the autumn would be an equally
+beautiful robe of red and yellow and brown.</p>
+
+<p>Their curve was toward the west, and all that day they followed it. They
+saw the golden sun go creeping up the blue arch of the heavens, hang for
+a while at the zenith, as if it were poised there to pour down
+perpendicular beams, and then go sliding slowly down the western sky to
+be lost in a red sea of fire. And the view of all the glory of the
+world, though they saw it every day, was fresh and keen to them all. The
+shiftless one was moved to speech.</p>
+
+<p>"When I go off to some other planet," he said, "I don't want any new
+kind o' a world. I want it to be like this with big rivers and
+middle-sized rivers and little rivers, all kinds o' streams an' lakes,
+and the woods, green in the spring an' red an' yellow in the fall, an'
+winter, too, which hez its beauties with snow an' ice, an' red roarin'
+fires to keep you warm, an' the deer an' the buff'ler to hunt. I want
+them things 'cause I'm used to 'em. A strange, new kind o' world
+wouldn't please me. I hold with the Injuns that want to go to the Happy
+Huntin' Grounds, an' I 'xpect it's the kind o' Heaven that the Book
+means fur fellers like me."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think you're good enough to go to Heaven, Sol?" asked Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one deliberated a moment and then replied thoughtfully:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I ain't so good, Jim, but I reckon I'm good enough to go to Heaven.
+People bein' what people be, an' me bein' what I am, all with a pow'ful
+lot to fight ag'inst an' born with somethin' o' the old Nick in us, an'
+not bein' able to change our naturs much, no matter how hard we try, I
+reckon I hev a mighty fine chance o' Heaven, which, ez I said, I want to
+be a world, right smart like this, only a heap bigger an' finer. But I
+don't mean to go thar for seventy or eighty years yet, 'cause I want to
+give this earth a real fa'r trial."</p>
+
+<p>In which the shiftless one had his wish, as he lived to be a hundred,
+and his eyes were clear and his voice strong to the last.</p>
+
+<p>"That's a mighty fine picture you draw, Sol," said Long Jim,
+appreciatively, "an' if you're up thar settin' on the bank uv a river
+that looks plum' like runnin' silver with green trees a thousand feet
+high risin' behind you, you ketchin' fish thirty or forty feet long, an'
+ef you should happen to turn an' look 'roun' an' see comin' toward you a
+long-legged ornery feller that you used ter cahoot with in the
+wilderness on both sides uv the Ohio, would you rise up, drop them big
+fish an' your fishin' pole, come straight between the trunks uv them
+green trees a thousand feet high toward that ornery lookin' long-legged
+feller what wuz new to the place, stretch out your right hand to him,
+an' say: 'Welcome to Heaven Long Jim Hart. Come right in an' make
+yourself to home, 'cause you're goin' to live with us a million an' a
+billion years, an' all the rest uv the time thar is. Your fishin' pole
+is down thar by the bank. I've been savin' it fur you. Henry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> is 'bout a
+mile farther up the stream pullin' in a whale two hundred feet long that
+he's had his eye on fur some time. Paul is down thar, settin' under a
+bush readin' a book uv gold letters on silver paper with diamonds set in
+the cover, an' Tom Ross is on that hill, 'way acrost yonder, lookin' at
+a herd uv buff'ler fifty miles wide which hez been travelin' past fur a
+month.' Now, Sol, would you give your old pardner that kind uv a
+welcome?"</p>
+
+<p>"Would I Jim? You know I would. I'd blow on a trumpet an' call all the
+boys straight from what they wuz doin' to come a-runnin' an' meet you.
+An' I'd interduce you to all our new friends. An' I'd show you the best
+huntin' grounds an' the finest fishin' holes right away, an' when night
+come all o' us with our new friends would hev a big feast an'
+celebration over you. An' all o' us thar in Heaven that knowed you, Jim,
+would be right proud o' you."</p>
+
+<p>"I knowed that you'd take me right in, Sol," said Long Jim, as they
+shook hands over the future.</p>
+
+<p>"Now for the night," said Henry. "We must be at least fifteen miles west
+of the great trail, and as the woods are so full of game I don't think
+any of the Indian hunters will find it necessary to come this far for
+it. So, I propose that we have a little warm food ourselves. We need it
+by this time."</p>
+
+<p>"That's the talk," said Long Jim. "It would be jest a taste uv Heaven
+right now. What wuz you thinkin' to hev fur our supper table, Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"I had an idea that all of us would like turkey. I've been noticing
+turkey signs for some time, and there,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> Jim! don't you hear that
+gobbling away off to the right? They're settling into the trees for the
+night, and it should be easy to get a couple. Just now I think turkey
+would be the finest thing in the world."</p>
+
+<p>"I've a mighty strong hankerin' after turkey myself an' the way I kin
+cook turkey is a caution to sinners. Ever since you said turkeys a half
+minute ago, Henry, I'm famishin'. Bring on your turkey, the cook's
+ready."</p>
+
+<p>"Me an' Sol will go an' git 'em," said Tom Ross, and the two slipped
+away in the twilight toward the sound of the gobbling. Presently they
+heard two shots and then the hunters came back, each with a fat bird.
+Selecting a dip from which flames could be seen only a little distance,
+they dressed the turkeys in frontier fashion and Long Jim, his culinary
+pride strong within him, cooked them to a turn. Then they ate long, and
+were unashamed.</p>
+
+<p>"Jest a touch o' Heaven right now," said Shif'less Sol, in tones of deep
+conviction. "This is the healthy life here, an' it makes a feller jump
+when he oughter jump. Me bein' a naterally lazy man, I'd be likely to
+lay 'roun' an' eat myself so fat I couldn't walk, but the Injun's don't
+give me time. Jest when I begin to put on flesh they take after me an' I
+run it all off. You wouldn't think it, but Injuns has their uses, arter
+all."</p>
+
+<p>"Keep people from comin' out here too fast," said Ross. "Think they wuz
+put in the wilderness to save it, an' they will, long after my time."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Tom," said the shiftless one, "you're becomin'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> real talkative. I
+think that's the longest speech I ever heard you make."</p>
+
+<p>"Tom is certainly growing garrulous," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>Silent Tom blushed despite his tan.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm through, anyway," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Guess Sol thought Tom wuz takin' part uv his time," said Long Jim Hart.
+"That's why he spoke up. Sol claims all uv his own time fur talkin', all
+uv Tom's, an' all the rest that may be left over by any uv us."</p>
+
+<p>"Mighty little you ever leave over, Jim," said the shiftless one.
+"Besides, there's a dif'rence between you an' me talkin'. When I talk
+I'm always sayin' somethin'; but yourn is jest a runnin' gabble, like
+the flowin' uv a creek, always the same an' meanin' nothin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Henry, "we've had plenty of good fat turkey, an' it was
+cooked mighty fine, in Long Jim's best style, but there's some left,
+which I think we'd better pack in our knapsacks for tomorrow."</p>
+
+<p>After putting away the food for a later need, they carefully smothered
+the last coal of the fire, and then, as a precaution, should the flame
+have been seen by any wandering warrior, they moved a mile farther west
+and sat down in a little hollow where they remained until well past
+midnight, all sleeping save a guard of one, turns being taken. About two
+o'clock in the morning they started again, traveling at great speed, and
+did not stop until noon of the next day. They delayed only a half-hour
+for food, water and rest, and pressed on at the long, running walk of
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span> border that put miles behind them at an amazing rate.</p>
+
+<p>Late in the afternoon they came to high hills clothed, like the rest of
+the country, in magnificent forest, and, while the others watched below,
+Henry climbed the tallest tree that he could find. The sun was
+declining, but the east was yet brilliant, and he saw faintly across it
+a dark line that he had expected. The great Indian camp surely lay at
+the base of the dark line, and when he descended he and his comrades
+began to curve toward the east.</p>
+
+<p>Morning would find them ahead of the Indian army, and between it and the
+settlements. Every one of them felt a thrill of excitement, even
+elation. The forging of the new link in the chain was proceeding well,
+and brilliant success gives wonderful encouragement. They did not know
+just what they would do next, but four trusted to the intuition and
+prowess of their daring young leader.</p>
+
+<p>Their minds were at such high tension that they did not sleep much that
+night, and when dawn came again they had traveled so far that they
+calculated they had arrived at the right point of the circle. It was a
+question, however, that could be decided easily. Henry again climbed the
+highest tree in the vicinity, and looking toward the north now saw the
+smoke of the same campfire apparently three or four miles away.</p>
+
+<p>"Are they thar, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol, as he climbed down.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. They haven't moved since sundown yesterday, and I judge they're in
+no hurry. I fancy the warriors suppose the cannon can easily secure
+them<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> the victory, no matter how much we may prepare against them, and
+the Englishmen are probably weary from hard traveling through the
+forest."</p>
+
+<p>"I guess all that's true, but they'll shorely start in an hour or two
+anyway, an' then what are we to do to stop 'em?"</p>
+
+<p>The eyes of the great youth filled with sudden fire.</p>
+
+<p>"We're five against a thousand," he said. "We've rifles against cannon,
+but we can do something. We're coming to the edge of a country that I
+know. Three miles to the south of us is a river or deep creek that can't
+be waded, except at a place between two hills. The Indians know that
+ford, and so they'll make for it. We'll be on the other side, and we'll
+hold the ford."</p>
+
+<p>The others stared at him.</p>
+
+<p>"Henry," exclaimed Paul, "you just said that we were five against a
+thousand, and rifles against cannon, now how could we possibly hold the
+ford against such an army? Besides, the Indian warriors, by scores,
+could swim the river elsewhere, and flank us on either side."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't mean that we shall hold it a long time. We'll make 'em give
+battle, stop 'em for a while, and then, when the flankers swim the
+stream we'll be gone. We will not let ourselves be seen, and they may
+think it a large force, retiring merely because their own army is
+larger."</p>
+
+<p>"That is, we've got to give 'em a skeer," said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Exactly. We want to make those Indians think that Manitou is against
+'em. We want to sow in their minds the seeds of fear and superstition.
+You know<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> how they're influenced by omens and things they can't
+understand. If we give 'em a brisk little fight at the ford, and then
+get away, unseen, it will set them to doubting, and plant in their minds
+the fear of ambush by large forces."</p>
+
+<p>The face of the shiftless one shone.</p>
+
+<p>"That suits me clean down to the ground," he said. "It's wile an'
+stratagem which I like. Lead on to this ford, Henry, an' we'll lay down
+an' rest beside it till they come up."</p>
+
+<p>The others showed as much enthusiasm, and, carefully hiding their trail,
+they reached the ford, which they found highly favorable to their
+purpose. Save here the banks of the river were high on both sides, and
+the gorge, through which the red army with its cannon and wagons must
+approach the ford, was not more than twenty feet wide. On both banks the
+forest was unbroken and there were many dense thickets.</p>
+
+<p>"This place was shorely made fur an ambush," said the shiftless one as
+they waded across. "Ef we had a hundred good men we could turn back
+their whole army for good, 'cause they can't flank so easy, ez them high
+banks on both sides run ez fur ez I kin see."</p>
+
+<p>"And here is the thicket in which we can lie," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"They can't catch a glimpse of us from the other side. They can see only
+the fire and smoke of our rifles," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"An' since we're here in our nest," said Shif'less Sol, "we'd better set
+still an' rest till they come up. I 'low we'll need all our strength an'
+nerves then."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>HOLDING THE FORD</h3>
+
+
+<p>The five lay down in the thicket, completely hidden themselves, but
+commanding a splendid view of the deep, clear stream and the gorge by
+which the red army must approach. They were calm in manner, nevertheless
+their hearts were beating high. The sunshine was so brilliant that every
+object was distinct far up the gorge, and Henry felt sure the Indian
+army would come into sight, while it was yet beyond rifle shot. Nor were
+the leaders likely to send forward scouts and skirmishers, as they
+apprehended no danger in front. It was on their flank or rear that they
+expected the five to hang.</p>
+
+<p>The five did not speak and the silence was complete, save for the usual
+noises of the forest. Birds chattered overhead. Little animals rustled
+now and then in the thickets, fish leaped in the river, but there was no
+sound to indicate that man was near. They were not nervous nor restless.
+Inured to danger, waiting had become almost a mechanical act, and they
+were able to lie perfectly still, however long the time might be.</p>
+
+<p>They saw the column of smoke fade, and then go<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span> quite away. There was
+not a fleck on the sky of blazing blue, and Henry knew that the red army
+had broken up its camp, and was on the march. He had a sudden fear that
+they might send ahead scouts and skirmishers, but reflection brought him
+back to his original belief that they would not do so, as they would not
+foresee the transference of the five to their front.</p>
+
+<p>The hours passed and Shif'less Sol, who had been lying flat upon the
+ground, raised his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I hear wheels," he said laconically.</p>
+
+<p>Henry put his own ear to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>"So do I," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Wheels of cannon and wagons."</p>
+
+<p>"Beyond a doubt."</p>
+
+<p>"Them that we're lookin' fur."</p>
+
+<p>"There are no others in the wilderness. Long Jim, how's your voice
+today?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never better, Henry. I could talk to a man a mile away. Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because I may want you to give out some terrible yells soon, the white
+man's yells, understand, and, as you give 'em, you're to skip about like
+lightning from place to place. This is a case in which one man must seem
+to be a hundred."</p>
+
+<p>"I understand, Henry," said Long Jim proudly, tapping his chest. "I
+reckon I'm to be the figger in this fight, an', bein' ez so much is
+dependin' on me, I won't fail. My lungs wuz never better. I've had a new
+leather linin' put inside 'em, an' they kin work without stoppin', day
+an' night, fur a week."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"All right, Jim. Do your proudest, and the others are to help, but
+you're to be the yell leader, and the better you yell the better it will
+be for all of us."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll be right thar Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"They'll soon be in sight," said the shiftless one, who had not taken
+his ear from the ground. "I kin hear the wheels a-creakin' and
+a-creakin', louder an' louder."</p>
+
+<p>"And they have not sent forward anybody to spy out the country, which is
+better for us," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"An' now I kin hear somethin' else," said Shif'less Sol. "They're
+singin' a war song which ain't usual when so many are on the march, but
+they reckon they've got at least two or three hundred white scalps ez
+good ez took already."</p>
+
+<p>Now the ferocious chant, sung in Shawnee, which they understood, came
+plainly to them. It was a song of anticipation, and when they translated
+it to themselves it ran something like this:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">To the land of Kaintuckee we have come,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Wielders of the bow and the tomahawk, we,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Shawnee and Miami, Wyandot and Delaware<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Matchless in march and battle we come,<br /></span>
+<span class="i4">Great is Manitou.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">The white man will fall like leaves before us,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">His houses to the fire we will give,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">All shall perish under our mighty blows,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And the forest will grow over his home,<br /></span>
+<span class="i4">Great is Manitou.<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span></div></div>
+
+<p>It went on in other verses, rising above the creak of the wheels, a
+fierce, droning chant that drummed upon the nerves and inflamed the
+brain. Much of its power came from its persistency upon the same beat
+and theme, until the great chorus became like the howling of thousands
+of wolves for their prey.</p>
+
+<p>"Ef I couldn't feel my scalp on my head right now," said Shif'less Sol,
+"I'd be shore that one o' them demons out thar had it in his hands,
+whirlin' it 'roun' an' 'roun'."</p>
+
+<p>"Guess I won't need nothin' more to make me yell my very darndest," said
+Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"They'll be in sight in a minute or two," said Paul, "and I'm truly
+thankful that we have ground so favorable. We wouldn't have a chance
+without it."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Henry, "and we must never lose our heads for a minute.
+If we do we're gone."</p>
+
+<p>"Anyway, surprise will be a help to us," said Shif'less Sol, "'cause all
+the signs show that they don't dream we're here. But jest to ourselves,
+boys, I'm mighty glad that river is between us an' them. Did you ever
+hear sech a war chant? Why, it freezes me right into the marrer!"</p>
+
+<p>"They've gone mad with triumph before they've won it," said Henry. "They
+intoxicate themselves with singing and dancing. Look at those fellows on
+the outer edges of the line jumping up and down."</p>
+
+<p>"An' did you ever see savages more loaded down with war paint?" said
+Long Jim. "Why, I think it must be an inch thick on the faces uv them
+dancers an' jumpers!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The forest, in truth, had beheld few sights as sinister as this Indian
+army advancing, keeping step to its ferocious chant. Henry saw Yellow
+Panther come into view, and then Red Eagle, and then the rumbling guns
+with their gunners, and then Blackstaffe and Wyatt, and then the English
+Colonel, Alloway, his second, Cartwright, and three or four more
+officers riding. After them came the caissons and the other ammunition
+wagons, and then more warriors, hundreds and hundreds, joining in that
+ferocious whining chorus. The red coats of the British officers lent a
+strange and incongruous touch to this scene of forest and savage
+warfare.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't like to shoot a white man from ambush," said Henry, "but I'd be
+perfectly willing to send a bullet through the head of that Colonel
+Alloway. It would help our people&mdash;save them, perhaps&mdash;because without
+the British the Indians can't use the guns."</p>
+
+<p>"You won't git a chance, Henry," said Long Jim. "He's too fur back. The
+warriors will come into range fust, an' we'll hev to open fire on 'em. I
+don't see no signs of flankers turnin' off from the crossin'."</p>
+
+<p>"No, they won't send 'em up such high hills when they don't think any
+enemies are near. Make ready, boys. The foremost warriors are now in
+range. I hate to shoot at red men, even, from ambush, but it has to be
+done."</p>
+
+<p>Five muzzles were thrust forward in the bushes, and five pairs of keen
+eyes looked down the sights, as on came the chanting army, painted and
+horrible. The vanguard would soon be at the water.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Be sure you don't miss," said Henry. "The more deadly our first blow
+the better chance we have to win."</p>
+
+<p>Every one of the five concentrated all his faculties upon his target. He
+saw or thought of nothing but the painted chest or face upon which he
+directed his aim.</p>
+
+<p>"Ready," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>Five gunlocks clicked.</p>
+
+<p>"Fire!"</p>
+
+<p>Five triggers were pulled, and five streams of flame darted from the
+bushes. Never had the five aimed bullets to better purpose, since their
+targets, broad and close, lay before them. Five warriors flung up their
+arms, and uttering the death howl, fell. A tremendous yell of surprise
+and rage arose from the Indians, and they crowded back upon one another,
+appalled, for the moment, by the sudden and deadly messengers of death.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Jim, now!" exclaimed Henry. "Yell as if you were a thousand men.
+Run up and down in the bushes that your yells may come from point to
+point! Shout, man, shout!"</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim needed no command. His tremendous battle cry burst out, as he
+rushed back and forth in the thickets. It was some such shout as the old
+Vikings must have uttered, and it pealed out like the regular beat of a
+big drum. It expressed challenge and defiance, victory and revenge, and,
+to the ears of the red hearers on the other shores, the thickets seemed
+fairly to swarm with fighting men. The four added their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> efforts to
+those of Long Jim, but their cries formed merely a chorus, above which
+swelled the thundering note of the forest Stentor.</p>
+
+<p>The cords in Long Jim's throat swelled, his cheeks bulged, his eyes
+stood out, but his voice never broke. Without failing for an instant, it
+poured forth its mighty stream of challenge and invective, and the
+others, as they reloaded in all haste, looked at him with pride. It was
+their own Long Jim, he of the long legs and long throat, who had made
+many a great effort before, but none like this.</p>
+
+<p>The warriors had recoiled still further. Both Yellow Panther and Red
+Eagle drew back in the ruck. The singing of the warriors ceased, and,
+with it, ceased the creaking wheels of the cannon and ammunition wagons.
+Henry saw Alloway and his officers stop, and he looked once more at the
+colonel, but it was too far for certainty, and they must not send
+forward any shots that missed. In front of the recoiling army lay five
+dark figures on the green, and they must continue with the deadliness of
+their fire to create the impression of great numbers.</p>
+
+<p>"Now boys!" exclaimed Henry. "Again! Steady and true!"</p>
+
+<p>Five rifles cracked together and Long Jim, who had ceased only long
+enough to aim and pull the trigger resumed his terrific chant. This time
+three of the warriors were slain and two wounded. Henry, a true general,
+quickly changed the position of his army, Long Jim still shouting, and
+no missile from the fire poured out now by the Indians, touching them. A
+few<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> of the bullets entered the portion of the thicket where they had
+crouched, but the rest fell short. A great flight of arrows was sent
+forth, but the distance was too great for them, and with most of the
+bullets they fell splashing into the water.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, boys," said Henry, "creep back and forth, and pick your warriors!
+There's plenty for all of us, and nobody need be jealous! If you can get
+any of the white gunners so much the better!"</p>
+
+<p>And they responded with all the fire and skill and courage belonging to
+such forest knights, knights as brave and true and unselfish as any that
+ever trod the earth. Five against a thousand! Young forest runners
+against an army! Rifles against cannon they yet held the ford and flung
+terror into the hearts of their foes! Before that rain of death, and
+that thundering chorus of mighty voices, coming from many points, the
+warriors recoiled yet farther, and were stricken with superstitious
+dread by the sudden and mortal attack from an invisible foe. Even the
+face of Alloway, and he was brave enough, blanched. This was something
+beyond his reckoning, something of which no man would have dreamed, he
+was not used to the vast and sinister forest&mdash;sinister to him&mdash;and the
+invisible stroke appalled him. His courage soon came back, but he cursed
+fiercely under his breath, when he saw one of his gunners go down, shot
+through the heart, and a moment later another fall with a bullet through
+his head. Like the Indians, he saw a numerous and powerful foe on the
+opposite bank, and the ford was narrow and steep.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"They're drawing back for a conference," said Henry. "I believe we've
+made 'em think we're not a hundred only, but two hundred. Long Jim, your
+title as king of yellers is yours without dispute as long as you live.
+You've done magnificent work."</p>
+
+<p>"I think I did shout a little," said Long Jim triumphantly, "but Henry,
+I'm just plum' empty uv air. Every bit uv it hez been drawed up from my
+lungs, an' even from the end uv ev'ry toe an' finger."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, sit down there, Jim, and refill yourself, because we may have
+need of your lungs again. There's no better air than that we find in the
+forest here, and you'll have plenty of time, as they won't be through
+with that conference yet for at least five minutes."</p>
+
+<p>Henry saw the savages gathered in a great mass, well out of rifle shot,
+and, on a little hill back of them, the British officers, the renegades
+and the chiefs were talking earnestly. Beyond all possible doubt they
+had agreed that they were confronted by a formidable force. The proof of
+it lay before them. Valiant warriors had fallen and the two slain
+gunners could not be replaced. Henry knew that it was a bitter surprise
+to them, and they must think that the settlers, hearing of the advance
+against them, had sent forward all the men they could raise to form the
+ambush at the ford.</p>
+
+<p>He was full of elation, and so were his comrades. Five against an army!
+and the five had stopped the army! Rifles against cannon. And the rifles
+had stopped the cannon! The two slain gunners were proof of an idea
+already in his mind, and now that idea enlarged automatically. They
+would continue to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> pick off the gunners. What were a few warriors slain
+out of a mass of a thousand! But there were only seven or eight gunners,
+no, five or six, because two were gone already! He whispered to his
+comrades to shoot a gunner whenever there was a chance, and they nodded
+in approval.</p>
+
+<p>The conferences lasted some time, and the gorge in front of them was
+filled with savages, a great mass of men with tufted scalp locks, some
+bare to the waist, others wrapped in gaudy blue or red or yellow
+blankets, a restless, shifting mass, upon which the sun poured brilliant
+rays, lighting up the savage faces as if they were shot with fire. It
+was a strange scene, buried in the green wood, one of the unknown
+battles that marked the march of the republic from sea to sea. As the
+five stared from their covert at the savage army the vivid colors were
+like those of shifting glass in a kaleidoscope. The whole began to seem
+unreal and fantastic, the stuff of dreams. To Paul, in particular, whose
+head held so much of the past, it was like some old tale out of the
+Odyssey, with Ulysses and his comrades confronting a new danger in
+barbaric lands.</p>
+
+<p>"They're about to do somethin'," whispered the shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>"So I think," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>The British officers, the renegades and the chiefs walked down from the
+mound. Among the savages arose a low hum which quickly swelled into a
+chant, and Henry interpreted it as a sign that they now expected
+victory. How! He wondered, but he did not wonder long.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"They're goin' to use the cannon," said the shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed strange to Henry that he had not thought of this before, but
+now that the danger was imminent his mind met it with ready resource.</p>
+
+<p>"We must crawl into a hole, boys," he said, "and stay there while the
+cannon balls pass over us."</p>
+
+<p>"Here's a gully," said the shiftless one, "and it will hold us all."</p>
+
+<p>"The rest of you go into it," said Henry. "I've changed my mind about
+myself."</p>
+
+<p>"What are you thinking of?" asked Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you see that big tree growing further down the slope, a little
+closer to the river. It's hidden to the boughs, by the bushes growing
+thick all around it, and above them the foliage of the tree is so heavy
+that nobody twenty yards away could see into it. I mean to climb up
+there and make it hot for those gunners. This rifle of mine will reach
+pretty far."</p>
+
+<p>Henry had a beautiful long-barreled weapon, and the others, although
+knowing the danger, could say nothing in opposition.</p>
+
+<p>"Suppose we let them fire two or three shots first," said Henry. "Then,
+as we make no reply, they may bring the cannon up closer."</p>
+
+<p>Again four heads nodded in approval, and Henry, creeping forward through
+the bushes, climbed rapidly up the tree. Here, hidden as if by walls, he
+nevertheless saw well. The gunners, helped by the Indians, were bringing
+forward both of the cannon. They were fine bronze guns, glistening in
+the sun, and their wide<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> mouths looked threatening. Spongers, rammers
+and the real gunners all stood by.</p>
+
+<p>Henry saw a twelve pound ball hoisted into each bronze throat, and then,
+as the gunners did their work, each mass of metal crashed through the
+thickets, the savages yelling in delight at the thunderous reports that
+came back, in echo after echo. There was no reply from the thickets, and
+they began to reload for the second discharge. Then Henry marked the
+gunner at the cannon on his right, and slowly the long muzzle of the
+beautiful blue steel barrel rose until it bore directly upon the man.
+Paul, from his position, could see Henry in the tree, and he was sorry
+for the gunner who was about to die there in the forest, four thousand
+miles from his native land, a good-natured soldier, perhaps, but sent by
+his superiors on an errand, the full character of which he did not
+understand.</p>
+
+<p>The sponger and rammer did their work. The shot was fired and the gunner
+leaned forward, looking eagerly at the dense woods and thickets to see
+what damage his shot had done. No reply came save a rifle shot, and the
+gunner fell dead upon his gun. Paul in the thickets shivered a little,
+but he knew that it must be done.</p>
+
+<p>The allied tribes again gave forth a whoop of rage and chagrin, and
+Henry from his place in the tree clearly saw Alloway, waving his sword
+and encouraging them. "If he would only come a little nearer," grimly
+thought the young forest runner, as he reloaded rapidly, "he might by
+the loss of his own life save the lives of many others." But Alloway
+kept back.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>They were now making ready the second cannon, but as the rammer stepped
+forward the deadly marksman in the tree reached him with his bullet,
+and, falling beside his gun, he lay quite still. Once more the thousand
+voices of the warriors joined in a terrible cry of wrath and menace, but
+the young forester reloaded calmly, and the sponger, smitten down, fell
+beside his comrade.</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim and the shiftless one, who lay side by side, gazed at the tree
+in silent admiration. They knew the ability of their comrade as a
+sharpshooter, but never before had he been so deadly at such long range.</p>
+
+<p>"They'll hev to draw them cannon back," whispered Shif'less Sol, "or
+he'll pick off every one o' the white men that manage 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I hope they won't draw 'em back," said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>But Alloway and the chiefs saw the necessity of taking the gun beyond
+rifle range, and they withdrew them quickly, although not quickly enough
+to keep another of the white men from receiving a painful wound. The
+savages discharged a volley from their rifles and muskets, and flights
+of arrows were sent into the thickets, but arrows and bullets alike fell
+short. Many of the arrows merely reached the river, and Paul found a
+curious pleasure in watching these feathered messengers fly through the
+air, and then shoot downward into the water, leaving bubbles to tell for
+a moment where they had gone.</p>
+
+<p>"They're goin' to shoot them cannon ag'in," said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> Shif'less Sol, "but
+they're puttin' a different kind o' ammunition in 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"It's grape," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"What's grape?" asked Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"All kinds of metal, slugs and suchlike, that scatter."</p>
+
+<p>"Like a handful uv buckshot, only bigger an' more uv it."</p>
+
+<p>"That describes it."</p>
+
+<p>"Then it 'pears to me that we'd better back water a lot, an' give all
+them grape a chance to bust an' fly whar we ain't."</p>
+
+<p>"Words of wisdom, Jim," said Henry, "and we'd better get behind trees,
+too."</p>
+
+<p>"An' good big ones," said Shif'less Sol. "Ef I've got an oak seven feet
+through in front o' me they kin go on with thar fireworks."</p>
+
+<p>They retreated hastily and lay down behind the great trunks, none too
+soon either, as the cannon roared and the grapeshot whistled all about
+them, cutting off twigs and leaves and ploughing the earth.</p>
+
+<p>"That shorely is dang'rous business&mdash;fur us," said Shif'less Sol. "I'm
+glad they didn't start with it. It's like a swarm o' iron bees flyin' at
+you, an' ef you ain't holed up some o' 'em is bound to hit you."</p>
+
+<p>"Back there!" exclaimed Henry to the shiftless one, who was peeping
+behind his oak, "they're about to fire the second gun!"</p>
+
+<p>The discharge of grapeshot again fell in the thicket, but it hurt no
+one, and the five did not reply. Two<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> more shots were fired, doing great
+damage to the forest at that spot, but none of the five. Then came a
+pause.</p>
+
+<p>"The white men and the chiefs have gone into consultation again,"
+announced Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"Why haven't they sent out flankers to cross the river?" said Paul. "I
+haven't seen a single warrior leave the main band."</p>
+
+<p>"They've been confident that the cannon would do the work," replied
+Henry, "and besides, the warriors don't like those high banks. Now you
+mustn't forget, either, that they think we're a big force here."</p>
+
+<p>"But they'll come to that," said the shiftless one. "They don't dare
+charge down that narrow gorge, on through the river, an' up the hill
+ag'inst us. Sooner or later, warriors will cross the stream out o' our
+sight, both above an' below us, an' that's just what we've got to look
+out fur."</p>
+
+<p>"Right you are, Sol," said Henry, "but I don't think they will do it for
+a while. They'd like to force the passage without waste of time and go
+right ahead with their march."</p>
+
+<p>Several more charges of grape were fired into the thickets, and leaves
+and twigs again rained down, but the five, sheltered well, remained
+untouched by the fragments of hissing metal. Then the guns relapsed into
+silence.</p>
+
+<p>"Likely the redcoat colonel has ordered 'em to stop shooting," said
+Paul. "He won't want 'em to waste their ammunition here, but to save it
+for the palisades of our settlements."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Sounds most probable," said Henry. "They can't get any new supply of
+gunpowder and cannon balls and grapeshot, in these woods."</p>
+
+<p>"What'll they do now?" asked Tom Ross.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," replied Henry.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish I had one uv them spyglasses I saw back east, when I wuz a boy,"
+said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"What's a spyglass?" asked Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"It's two magnifyin' glasses in short tubes fastened side by side, what
+you put to your eye an' then you bring things near to you an' see 'em
+big."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I wish I had one too, Jim. I'd like to see the face o' that
+British colonel. I know that the blood hez all run to his head an' that
+he's hoppin' mad. Them reg'lar army orficers ain't never much good in
+the woods. I've heard how Braddock had all his forces cut plum' to
+pieces by a heap smaller number o' warriors, 'cause he wouldn't use our
+forest ways. An' I'd like through them glasses to see the face o'
+Braxton Wyatt too, 'cause I know he's turned blue with rage, an' I'd
+like to hear him grindin' his teeth, 'cause I know he's grindin' 'em
+hard, and Blackstaffe must be grindin' in time with him too. An' I'd
+like to see them two chiefs, Yellow Panther an' Red Eagle so mad that
+they're pullin' away at their scalp locks, fit to pull them clean out o'
+their heads."</p>
+
+<p>"Since we ain't got any spyglass," said Long Jim, with a sigh, "we've
+got to imagine a lot uv it, but I've got a fine an' pow'ful imagination,
+an' so hev you, Sol Hyde."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I'm seein' the things I want to see. It's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span> cur'us how you kin do
+that sometimes, ef you want to hard enough."</p>
+
+<p>"I think," said Henry, "that they're going to try the flankers now. I
+can see the leaders talking to warriors whom they've called to 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"And does that mean that it's time fur us to light out?" asked Shif'less
+Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"Not yet. The banks on both sides are high and steep for a long
+distance, and we can see anyone who tries to pass. We must spread out.
+Long Jim, our great yeller, the prize yeller of the world, we must leave
+here, and, if any of us bring down any warrior who tries to cross, he
+must yell even better than he did before. Stretch those leather lungs of
+yours, Long Jim, as if you were a pair of bellows."</p>
+
+<p>"You kin depend on me," replied Long Jim complacently. "I'm one that's
+always tryin' to do better than he did before. Ef I've yelled so I could
+be heard a mile then I want to yell the next time so I kin be heard a
+mile an' a half."</p>
+
+<p>Henry and Paul went upstream and Shif'less Sol and Silent Tom down
+stream, taking good care to keep hidden from the very best eyes in the
+savage army. It was not merely the youthful general's object to make a
+delay at the ford&mdash;that in itself was of secondary importance&mdash;but he
+must turn into a cloud the veil of fear and superstition that he knew
+already enveloped the savage army. They must be smitten by unknown and
+mysterious terrors. The five must make the medicine men who were surely
+with them believe that all the omens were bad. Henry, although the word<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span>
+"psychology" was strange to him, knew the power of fear, and he meant to
+concentrate all the skill of the five upon its increase. He felt that
+already many doubters must be in the ranks of the red and superstitious
+army.</p>
+
+<p>"Paul," he said, when they had gone three or four hundred yards, "you
+stay here, and if you see any warriors trying to cross the stream take
+your best aim. I'm going a little farther, and I'll do the same. With
+our great advantages in position we should be able to drive back an
+attack, unless they go a very long distance to make the crossing."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll do my best," said Paul, and Henry went about three hundred yards
+farther, lying close in a clump of laurel, where he could command a
+perfect view of the opposite shore, noticeable there because of a
+considerable dip. It was just such a place as the flanking warriors
+would naturally seek, because the crossing would be easier, and he
+intended to repel them himself.</p>
+
+<p>He lay quite still for a quarter of an hour. Nothing stirred in the
+forest on the other shore, but he had expected to wait. The Indians,
+believing that a formidable force opposed them, would be slow and
+cautious in their advance. So he contained himself in patience, as he
+lay with the slender muzzle of his rifle thrust forward.</p>
+
+<p>Finally, he saw the bushes on the opposite shore move, and a face,
+painted and ghastly, was thrust out. Others followed, a half-dozen
+altogether, and Henry saw them surveying the river and examining<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> his
+own shore. The muzzle of his rifle moved forward a few inches more, but
+he knew that it would be an easy shot.</p>
+
+<p>The leader of the warriors presently began to climb down the bank. He
+was a stalwart fellow and Henry knew by his paint that he was a Miami.
+Again the great youth was loath to fire from ambush, but a desperate
+need drives scruples away, and the rifle muzzle, thrusting forward yet
+an inch or two more, bore directly upon the Indian's heart.</p>
+
+<p>The man was halfway down the bank, about thirty feet high at that point,
+when Henry pulled the trigger. Then the Indian uttered his death yell,
+plunged forward and fell head foremost into the stream. His body shot
+from sight in the water, came up, floated a moment or two with the
+current and then sank back again. The other warriors, appalled, climbed
+back hastily, while from the bushes that fronted the ford below came a
+series of triumphant and tremendous shouts, as Long Jim, hearing the
+shot, poured forth all the glory of his voice.</p>
+
+<p>Truly he surpassed himself. His earlier performance was dimmed by his
+later. The thickets, where he ranged back and forth, shouting his
+triumphant calls, seemed to be full of armed men. His voice sank a
+moment and then came the report of a shot down the stream, followed by
+the death cry. Long Jim knew that it was Shif'less Sol or Silent Tom who
+had pulled the fatal trigger and he began to sing of that triumph also.
+Clear and full his voice came once more, moving rapidly from point to
+point, and Henry in his covert<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> laughed to himself, and with
+satisfaction, at the long man's energy and success.</p>
+
+<p>The great youth did not fail to watch the opposite shore, quite sure
+that the party would not retire with the loss of a single warrior, but
+would make an attempt elsewhere. His eyes continually searched the
+thickets, but they were so dense that they disclosed nothing. Then he
+moved slowly up the stream, believing that they would go farther for the
+second trial, and he was rewarded by the glimpse of a feather among the
+trees. That feather, he knew was interwoven with a scalp lock, and, as
+the slope of the bank there was gradual, he was sure that they were
+coming.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to Henry that verily the fates fought for him. He knew that
+they were going to try the crossing there, and they would be easy prey
+to the concealed marksman. Even as he knelt he heard Long Jim's voice
+raised again in his mighty song of triumph, and although he could not
+hear the shot now, he was certain that the rifle of Silent Tom or
+Shif'less Sol had found another victim. So they, too, were guarding the
+ford well, and he smiled to himself at the courage and skill of the
+invincible pair.</p>
+
+<p>He saw another scalp lock appear, then another and another, until they
+were eight in all. The warriors remained for several minutes partly
+hidden, scanning the opposite shore, and then one only emerged into full
+view, as if he were feeling the way for the others. Henry changed his
+tactics, and, instead of waiting for the man to begin the descent of the
+cliff, fired at once. The warrior fell back in the bushes, where his
+body lay<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> hidden, but the others set up the death cry, and Henry was so
+sure that they would not try the crossing again soon&mdash;at least not
+yet&mdash;that he went back to Paul's covert, and the two returned to Long
+Jim. Shif'less Sol and Silent Tom were called in and the leader said:</p>
+
+<p>"I think we've done all we can here. We've created the impression of a
+great force to hold the ford. We've also made them think it can stretch
+far enough to watch its wings. Four warriors just fallen prove that.
+They'll probably send scouts miles up and down the stream to cross, and
+then hunt us out, but that'll take time, until night at least, and maybe
+they won't know positively until morning, because scouting in the
+thickets in the face of an enemy is a dangerous business. So, I propose
+that we use the advantage we've gained."</p>
+
+<p>"In what way?" asked Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll go now. We don't want 'em to find out how few we are, and we
+don't want 'em to learn, either, that we're we."</p>
+
+<p>"That is, they must continue to think that we're behind 'em or on their
+flanks, and that this is another and larger force in their front."</p>
+
+<p>"That's the idea. What say you?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm for it," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Votin' ez a high private I say too, let's leg it from here," said Long
+Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"The jedgment o' our leader is so sound that thar ain't nothin' more to
+say," quoth the shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's go," said Silent Tom.</p>
+
+<p>Then the little band, five against a thousand, rifles<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> against cannon,
+that had victoriously held the ford, stole away with soundless tread
+through the greenwood. But they did not travel southward long. When
+darkness came they turned toward the east, and traveling many miles,
+made camp as they had done once before on a little island in a swamp,
+which they reached by walking on the dead and fallen trees of many
+years. There when they sat down under the trees they could not refrain
+from a few words of triumph and mutual congratulation, because another
+and most important link in the chain had been forged with brilliant
+success.</p>
+
+<p>"Although it's dark and it's seven or eight miles away," said Shif'less
+Sol, "I kin see that Indian army now, a-settin' before the ford, an'
+wonderin' how it's goin' to git across."</p>
+
+<p>"An' I kin hear that savage army now, movin' up an' down, restless
+like," said Long Jim. "I kin hear them redcoat officers, an' them
+renegades, an' them Injun chiefs, grindin' thar upper teeth an' thar
+lower teeth together so hard with anger that they won't be able to eat
+in the mornin'."</p>
+
+<p>"And I can see their wrath and chagrin tomorrow, when their scouts tell
+them no enemy is there," said Paul. "I can tell now how the white
+leaders and the red leaders will rage, and how they will wonder who the
+men were that held them."</p>
+
+<p>"And I can read their minds ahead," said Henry. "The five of us will
+become not a hundred, but two hundred, and every pair of our hands will
+carry forty rifles."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We've fooled 'em well," said Silent Tom, tersely.</p>
+
+<p>"And now to sleep," said Henry, "because we must begin again in the
+morning."</p>
+
+<p>Soon the five slept the deep sleep that comes after success.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE GREAT CULMINATION</h3>
+
+
+<p>It could almost be said of them, so sensitive were they to sound or even
+to a noiseless presence, that usually when sleeping they were yet awake,
+that, like the wild animals living in the same forest, warnings came to
+them on the wind itself, and that, though the senses were steeped in
+slumber, the sentinel mind was yet there. But this morning it was not
+so. They slept, not like forest runners, who breathe danger every hour,
+both day and night, but like city dwellers, secure against any foe.</p>
+
+<p>It was Silent Tom who awoke first, to find the day advanced, the sun
+like a gigantic shield of red and gold in the western heavens, and the
+wind of spring blowing through the green foliage. He shook himself,
+somewhat like a big, honest dog, and not awakening the others, walked to
+the edge of their island in the swamp, the firm land not being more than
+thirty feet across.</p>
+
+<p>But on this oasis the trees grew large and close and no one on the
+mainland beyond the swamp could have seen human beings there. The swamp
+was chiefly the result of a low region flooded by heavy spring rains,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span>
+and in the summer would probably be as dry and firm as the oasis itself.
+But, for the present, it was what the pioneers called "drowned lands"
+and was an effective barrier against any ordinary march.</p>
+
+<p>Silent Tom looked toward the north, and saw a coil of smoke against the
+brilliant blue of the sky. It was very far away, but he was quite sure
+that it came from the Indian camp, and its location indicated that they
+had not yet crossed the river. He felt intense satisfaction, but he did
+not even chuckle in his throat, after the border fashion. He had not
+been named Silent Tom for nothing. He was the oldest of the five,
+several years older than Long Jim, who was next in point of age, and he
+was often called Old Tom Ross, although in reality the "old" in that
+case was like the "old" that one college boy uses when he calls another
+"old fellow."</p>
+
+<p>But if Silent Tom did not talk much he thought and felt a very great
+deal. The love of the wilderness was keen in him. Elsewhere he would
+have been like a lion in an iron-barred cage. And, like the rest of the
+five, he would have sacrificed his life to protect those little
+settlements of his own kind to the south. It has been said that usually
+when the five slept they were yet almost awake, but this morning when
+Silent Tom was awake he was also dreaming. He was dreaming of the great
+triumph that they had won on the preceding day: Five against a thousand!
+Rifles against cannon! A triumph not alone of valor but of intellect, of
+wiles and stratagems, of tactics and management!</p>
+
+<p>He did not possess, in the same great degree, the gift<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> of imagination
+which illuminated so nobly the minds and souls of Henry and Paul and the
+shiftless one, but he felt deeply, nevertheless. Matter-of-fact and
+practical, he recognized, that they had won an extraordinary victory, to
+attempt which would not even have entered his own mind, and knowing it,
+he not only gave all credit to those who had conceived it, but admired
+them yet the more. He was beginning to realize now that the impossible
+was nearly always the possible.</p>
+
+<p>Life looked very good to Tom Ross that day. It was bright, keen and full
+of zest. A deeply religious man, in his way, he felt that the forest,
+the river, and all the unseen spirits of earth and air had worked for
+them. The birds singing so joyously among the boughs sang not alone for
+themselves, but also for his four comrades who slept and for him also.</p>
+
+<p>He listened awhile, crossed the swamp on the fallen trees, scouted a
+little and then came back, quite sure that no warrior was within miles
+of them, as they were marching in another direction, and then returned
+to the oasis. The four still slept the sleep of the just and victorious.
+Then Tom, the cunning, smiled to himself, and came very near to uttering
+a deep-throated chuckle.</p>
+
+<p>Opening his little knapsack, he took out a cord of fishing line, with a
+hook, which, with wisdom, he always carried. He tied the line on the end
+of a stick, and, then going eastward from the oasis, he walked across
+the fallen or drifted trees until he came to the permanent channel of a
+creek, into which the flood waters drained. There he dropped his hook,
+having previously procured bait, worms found under a stone.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Doubtless no hook had ever been sunk in those waters before, and the
+fish leaped to the bait. In fifteen minutes he had half a dozen fine
+fellows, which he deftly cleaned with his hunting knife. Then he
+returned, soft-footed, to the island. The four, as he wished, still
+slept. After all, he did have imagination and, a feeling for surprise,
+and the dramatic. Had his comrades awakened then, before his
+preparations were complete, it would have spoiled his pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>It was a short task for one such as he to use flint and steel, and
+kindle a fire on the low side of the island, facing toward the east, but
+yet within the circle of the trees. Dead wood was lying everywhere and
+it burned rapidly. Then, quickly broiling the fish on sharpened ends of
+twigs and laying them on green leaves, he went back and awakened the
+four, who opened their eyes and sat up at the same time.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the smell that's ticklin' my nose?" exclaimed Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Fish," replied Silent Tom gruffly. "Breakfast's ready! Come on!"</p>
+
+<p>The four leaped to their feet, and followed the pleasant odor which grew
+stronger and more savory as they advanced.</p>
+
+<p>"Ain't cooked like you kin do it," said Silent Tom to Long Jim, "but I
+done my best."</p>
+
+<p>"Kings could do no more," said the shiftless one, "an' this is the
+finest surprise I've had in a 'coon's age. I wuz gettin' mighty tired o'
+cold vittles. A lazy man like me needs somethin' hot now an' then to
+stir him up, don't he Jim?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Guess he does, an' so do I," said Long Jim, reaching hungrily for a
+fish.</p>
+
+<p>All fell to. The fish were of the finest flavor, and they had been
+cooked well. Silent Tom said nothing, but he glowed with satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>"How'd you do it, Tom?" asked Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"Line, hook, bait, water, fish," replied Ross, waving his hand in the
+direction of the creek.</p>
+
+<p>"Ain't he the pow'ful talker?" laughed the shiftless one. "When Tom dies
+an' goes up to heaven to take his place in them gran' an' eternal
+huntin' groun's that we've already talked about, the Angel at the gate
+will ask him his name. 'Tom Ross,' he'll say. 'Business on earth?'
+'Hunter an' scout,' 'Ever betrayed a friend?' 'Never,' 'Then pass right
+in,' That's all old Tom will say, not a word wasted in explanations an'
+pologies."</p>
+
+<p>"It'll be shorter than that," said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"How's that?"</p>
+
+<p>"The Angel will ask him jest one question. He'll say, 'Who's your best
+friend on earth?' an' Tom will answer 'Long Jim Hart, what's comin' on
+later,' an' the Angel will say: 'That's enough. Go right in and pick out
+the best place in Heaven fur yourself an' your friends who will be here,
+some day.'"</p>
+
+<p>Silent Tom blushed under the praise which was thoroughly sincere, and
+begged them, severally, to take another fish. But they had enough, and
+prepared to travel again, to forge another link in the chain which they
+were striving so hard to complete.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the plan, Henry?" asked the shiftless one in his capacity as
+lieutenant.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I think we ought to complete that circle around the Indian army,
+curving to the west and then to the north, until we're in their rear.
+Then we can complete the impression that two forces are attacking 'em,
+one in front and the other behind. What do you think?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm hot fur roundin' out the circle," replied Shif'less Sol. "I always
+like to see things finished, an' I want to make the warriors think a
+couple o' hundred white riflemen march where only five really make
+tracks."</p>
+
+<p>"Same here," said Jim Hart, "Suits me 'cause I've got long legs, made
+out uv steel wire, close wrapped. I see clear that we've got to do a
+power o' marchin', more of it than fightin'."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe any one can think of a better plan," said Paul, "and
+yours, Henry, certainly promises well."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm for it," said Silent Tom.</p>
+
+<p>"Then we go now," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>The smoke that Tom had seen earlier was gone, and the five believed that
+the Indian army, discovering the absence of their foe, had probably
+crossed the river.</p>
+
+<p>"Since they're on the march again," said Henry, "we can take it slowly
+and need not exhaust ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>"Jest dawdle along," said Shif'less Sol, "an' let 'em pass us.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, that's it."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll keep far enough away to avoid their scouts and hunters," said
+Paul.</p>
+
+<p>It was really the hunters against whom they had to keep the most
+watchful guard, as so numerous a force ate tremendous quantities of
+game, and, the men seeking<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> it had to spread out to a considerable
+distance on either flank. But if the hunters came, the five were sure
+that they would see them first, and they felt little apprehension.</p>
+
+<p>They passed out of the swampy country, and entered the usual rolling
+region of low hills, clothed in heavy forest, and abounding in game.
+Here they stopped a while in their task of completing the circle, and
+waited while the Indian army marched. Henry calculated that it could not
+go more than a dozen miles a day, since the way had to be cut for the
+cannon, and even if they remained where they were, the Indian army when
+night came, would be very little farther south than the five.</p>
+
+<p>"I vote we turn our short stop into a long one," said Shif'less Sol,
+"since, ef we went on we'd jest have to come back again. An' me bein' a
+lazy man I'm ag'in any useless work. What do you say, Saplin'?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm with you, Sol, not 'cause I'm lazy, which I ain't, an' never will
+be, but cause it ain't wuth while to go back on our tracks an' then come
+forward ag'in. What I do say is this; since Tom Ross is such a good
+fisher I reckon he might take his hook an' line an' go east to the
+creek, which can't be fur from here, an' ketch some more fish jest ez
+good ez them we had this mornin'. After dark I'll cook 'em, takin' the
+trouble off his hands."</p>
+
+<p>All fell in with the suggestion, including Tom himself, and after a
+while he went away on the errand, returning in due time with plenty of
+fish as good as the others. This time Long Jim cooked them when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> night
+came, in a low place behind the trees, and once more they had warm and
+delicate food.</p>
+
+<p>When the moon rose in a clear sky, they were able to trace the smoke of
+the Indian campfire, almost due west of them, as they calculated it
+would be, and a long distance away. Henry regarded it thoughtfully and
+Paul knew that his mind was concentrated upon some plan.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?" he asked at last.</p>
+
+<p>"I think some of us ought to go late tonight and see what chance we have
+at the guns."</p>
+
+<p>"You'll take me with you, Henry?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, Paul. It'll have to be Shif'less Sol, while the rest of you stand
+by as a reserve. What call shall we use, the owl or the wolf?"</p>
+
+<p>"Let it be the wolf," said the shiftless one, "'cause I feel like a wolf
+tonight, ready to snap at an' bite them that's tryin' to hurt our
+people."</p>
+
+<p>"Sol gits mighty ferocious when thar ain't anythin' more terrible than a
+rabbit close by," said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"It ain't that. It's my knowin' that you'll run to my help ef I git into
+trouble," said Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>Paul felt a little disappointment, but it disappeared quickly. He knew
+that Shif'less Sol was the one who ought to go, and in the high tasks
+they had set for themselves there were enough dangers for all.</p>
+
+<p>"Then it will be the cry of the wolf," said Henry. "To most people their
+yelps are alike, but not to us. You won't forget the particular kind of
+howl that Sol and I give forth?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never," said Long Jim. "Thar ain't another sech wolf in the woods ez
+Shif'less Sol."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A few more brief words and Henry and his comrade were gone, traveling at
+a swift rate toward the Indian camp. Dark and the forest separated the
+two from the three, but they could send their signal cries at any time
+across the intervening space, and communication was not interrupted.
+They advanced in silence several miles, and then they became very
+cautious, because they knew that they were within the fringe of scouts
+and hunters. With so many to feed it was likely that the Indians would
+hunt by night, especially as the wild turkeys were numerous, and it was
+easy to obtain them in the dark.</p>
+
+<p>Both Henry and Shif'less Sol saw turkey signs, and their caution
+increased, when they noticed a dozen dusky figures of large birds on
+boughs near by, sure proof that the warriors would soon be somewhere in
+the neighborhood, if they were not so already. They began to stoop now,
+and use cover all the way, and presently Henry felt that their
+precautions were well taken, as a faint but distant sound, not native to
+the forest, came to his ear.</p>
+
+<p>"There, Sol!" he whispered. "Did you hear it? To the right."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one listened a moment or two and replied:</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I kin make it out."</p>
+
+<p>"I say it's the twang of a bowstring, Sol."</p>
+
+<p>"So do I, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"They're probably shooting the turkeys out of the trees with arrows.
+Saves noise and their powder and lead, too."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Wherein the Injun shows a heap o' sense, Henry."</p>
+
+<p>"I can hear more than one bow twanging now, Sol. The turkeys must be
+plentiful hereabouts, but even with bows and arrows only used against
+'em they're bound to take alarm soon."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, thar go some o' 'em gobblin' now, an' they're flyin' this way."</p>
+
+<p>They heard the whirr of wings carrying heavy bodies, and frightened
+turkeys flew directly over their heads. As the Indians might come in
+pursuit, Henry and Shif'less Sol lay down among the bushes. A shouting
+broke out near them, and the forest, for a wide space, was filled with
+the whirring of wings.</p>
+
+<p>"The biggest flock o' wild turkeys that ever wuz must hev roosted right
+'roun' us," said Shif'less Sol, "'cause I seem to see 'em by the
+dozens."</p>
+
+<p>"More likely fifteen or twenty flocks were scattered about through the
+woods, and now they have all joined in a common flight."</p>
+
+<p>"Mebbe so, but whether one flock or twenty j'ined, this is suttinly
+Turkeyland. An' did you ever see sech fine turkeys. Look at that king
+gobbler, Henry, flyin' right over our heads! He must weigh fifty pounds
+ef he weighs an ounce, an' his wattles are a wonder to look at. An' I
+kin see him lookin' right down at me, ez he passes an' I kin hear him
+sayin': 'I ain't afeared o' you, Sol Hyde, even ef you hev got a gun in
+your hand. I kin fly low over your head, so low that I'll brush you with
+my wings, and with my red wattles, which are a wonder to see, an' you
+dassn't fire. I've got you where I want you, Sol<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> Hyde. I ain't afeard
+o' anything but Injuns tonight.'"</p>
+
+<p>Shif'less Sol's words were so lugubrious that Henry was compelled to
+laugh under his breath. It did look like an injustice of fate, when
+hunters so keen as they, were compelled to lie quiet, while wild turkeys
+in hundreds flew over their heads, and although the shiftless one may
+have exaggerated a little about the king gobbler, Henry saw that many of
+them were magnificent specimens of their kind. Yet to lie and stir not
+was the price of life, as they soon saw.</p>
+
+<p>Indians came running through the great grove, discharging arrows at the
+turkeys, many of which flew low, and the air was filled with the
+twanging of bow strings. Not a rifle or musket was fired, the warriors
+seeming to rely wholly upon their ancient weapons for this night hunt.
+They appeared to be in high good humor, too, as the two crouching scouts
+heard them laughing and chattering as they picked up the fallen birds,
+and then sent arrows in search of more.</p>
+
+<p>Shif'less Sol became more and more uneasy. Here was a grand hunt going
+well forward and he not a part of it. Instead he had to crouch among
+bushes and flatten himself against the soil like an earthworm, while the
+twanging of the bows made music, and the eager shouts stirred every
+vein.</p>
+
+<p>The hunt swept off to the westward. The dusky figures of warriors and
+turkeys disappeared in the brush, and Henry and Shif'less Sol, ceasing
+to be earthworms, rose to their knees.</p>
+
+<p>"They didn't see us," said the shiftless one, "but it was hard to stay
+hid."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But here we are alive and safe. Now, I think, Sol, we'd better go on
+straight toward their camp, but keep a lookout at the same time for
+those fellows, when they come back."</p>
+
+<p>They could not hear the twang of bowstrings now, but the shouts still
+came to them, though much softened by the distance. Presently they too
+died away, and with silence returning to the forest Henry and Shif'less
+Sol stood upright. They listened only a moment or two, and then advanced
+directly toward the camp. Crossing the brook they went around a cluster
+of thorn bushes, and came face to face with two men. Shif'less Sol,
+quick as a panther, swung his clubbed rifle like lightning and the
+foremost of the two, a Shawnee warrior, dropped like a log, and Henry,
+too close for action, seized the other by the throat in his powerful
+hands.</p>
+
+<p>It was not a great and brawny throat into which those fingers of steel
+settled, and its owner began to gasp quickly. Then Henry noticed that he
+held in his grasp not an Indian, but a white man, or rather a boy, a
+fair English boy, a youthful and open face upon which the forest had not
+yet set its tan.</p>
+
+<p>He released his grasp slowly. He could not bear the pain and terror in
+the eyes of the slender English youth, who, though he wore the uniform
+of a subaltern, seemed so much out of place there in the deep woods. Yet
+the forester meant to take no needless risk.</p>
+
+<p>"Promise that you will not cry out and I spare you," he said, his blue
+eyes looking straight into those of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> the lad, which returned his gaze
+with defiance. The steel grasp settled down again.</p>
+
+<p>"Better promise," said Henry. "It's your only chance."</p>
+
+<p>The obstinate look passed out of his eyes, and the lad nodded, as he
+could not speak. Then Henry took away his hand and said:</p>
+
+<p>"Remember your word."</p>
+
+<p>The English youth nodded again, gurgled two or three times, and rubbed
+his throat:</p>
+
+<p>"'Twas a mighty grip you had upon me. Who are you?"</p>
+
+<p>"The owners of this forest, and we've jest been tellin' you that you've
+no business here on our grounds," said the shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>The boy&mdash;he was nothing more&mdash;stared at them in astonishment. It was
+obvious to the two forest runners that he had little acquaintance with
+the woods. His eyes filled with wonder as he gazed upon the two fierce
+faces, and the two powerful figures, arrayed in buckskin.</p>
+
+<p>"Your forest?" he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Henry quietly, "and bear in mind that I held your life in
+my hands. Had you been an Indian you would be dead now."</p>
+
+<p>"I won't forget it," said the youth, who seemed honest enough, "and I'm
+not going to cry out and bring the warriors down upon you for two very
+good reasons&mdash;because I've promised not to do so, and if I did, I know
+that your comrade there would shoot me down the next instant."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I shorely would," said Shif'less Sol, grimly.</p>
+
+<p>"And now," said Henry, "what is your name and what are you doing here?"</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Roderick Cawthorne, I'm a subaltern in the British army, and
+I came over to help put down the rebels, in accordance with my duty to
+my king and country. All this land is under our rule."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think so?" asked Henry. "Do you think that this wilderness,
+which extends a thousand miles in every direction, is under your rule?"</p>
+
+<p>The young subaltern looked around at the dark forest and shivered a
+little.</p>
+
+<p>"Technically, yes," he replied, "but it's a long way from Eton."</p>
+
+<p>"What's Eton?"</p>
+
+<p>"Eton is a school in England, a school for the sons of gentlemen."</p>
+
+<p>"I see. And would I be considered the son of a gentleman?"</p>
+
+<p>Young Cawthorne looked up at the tanned and powerful face bent over him.
+He had already noted Henry's good English, and, feeling the compelling
+gaze of one who was born to be a master, he replied, sincerely and
+cheerfully:</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, the son of a gentleman, and a gentleman yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"An' I'm a gentleman too," said Shif'less Sol. "My good rifle says so
+every time."</p>
+
+<p>"It was the power of earlier weapons that started the line of
+gentlemen," said Cawthorne. "Now what do you two gentlemen propose to do
+with me?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Do you know what would be done with us if things were changed about?"
+asked Henry, "and we were the prisoners of you and the colonel and the
+red men with whom you travel?"</p>
+
+<p>"No. What would it be?"</p>
+
+<p>"You'd have the pleasure of standing by and seeing the two of us burned
+alive at the stake. We wouldn't be burned quickly. It can be protracted
+for hours, and it's often done to our people by your allies."</p>
+
+<p>The young Englishman paled.</p>
+
+<p>"Surely it can't be so!" he said.</p>
+
+<p>"But surely it is so!" said the young forester fiercely.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm at your mercy."</p>
+
+<p>"We ain't goin' to burn you now," said Shif'less Sol. "We can't afford
+to set up a big torch in the forest, with our enemies so near."</p>
+
+<p>Cawthorne shivered.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you still feel," asked Henry, "that you're the ruler over the
+wilderness here, five thousand miles from London?"</p>
+
+<p>"Technically only. At the present time I'm making no boasts."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, you go back to your colonel and the renegades and the red chiefs
+and tell them they'll find no thoroughfare to the white settlements."</p>
+
+<p>"So, you don't mean to kill me?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, we don't do that sort of thing. Since we can't hold you a prisoner
+now, we release you. It's likely that you don't know your way to your
+own camp, but your red comrade here will guide you. My friend didn't
+break his skull, when he struck him with the butt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> of his rifle, though
+it was a shrewd blow. He's coming to."</p>
+
+<p>Cawthorne looked down at the reviving savage, and then looked up to
+thank the foresters, but they were gone. They had vanished so quickly
+and silently that he had not heard them going. Had it not been for the
+savage who was now sitting up he would not have believed that it was
+real.</p>
+
+<p>Henry and the shiftless one had dropped down in the bushes only a little
+distance away, and, by the moonlight, they saw the look of bewilderment
+on the face of the young Englishman.</p>
+
+<p>"It don't hardly look fair to our people that we should let him go,"
+said the shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>"But we had to," Henry whispered back. "It was either kill him or let
+him go, and neither you nor I, Sol, could kill him. You know that."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I know it."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, the warrior has all his senses back, though his head is likely to
+ache for a couple of days. We don't lose anything by letting them have
+their lives, Sol. The talk of their encounter with us will grow mightily
+as they go back to the Indian army. The warrior scarcely caught a
+glimpse of us, and he's likely to say that he was struck down by an evil
+spirit. Cawthorne's account of his talk with us will not weaken him in
+his belief. Instead it will make him sure that we're demons who spared
+them in order that they might carry a warning to their comrades."</p>
+
+<p>"I see it, Henry. It's boun' to be the way you say it is, an' our luck
+is still workin' fur us."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>They saw the English lad and the warrior turn back toward the camp, and
+then they rose, going away swiftly at a right angle from their original
+course. After pursuing it a while, they curved in again toward the camp.</p>
+
+<p>In a half-hour they saw the distant flare of lights, and knew that they
+were close to the Indian army. They were able by stalking, carried on
+with infinite pains and skill, to approach so near that they could see
+into the open, where the fires were burning, but not near enough to
+achieve anything of use.</p>
+
+<p>Alloway, Cartwright, the renegades and the chiefs stood together, and
+Cawthorne, and the warrior who had been with him, stood before them.
+Evidently they had just got back, and were telling their tale. Both of
+the foresters laughed inwardly. Their achievement gave them much
+pleasure, and they felt that they were making progress toward forging
+the new link in the chain.</p>
+
+<p>"Can you see the cannon?" whispered Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>"Over there at the far edge. The ammunition wagons carrying the powder
+and the balls and the grapeshot are drawn up between them. But we can't
+get at 'em, Sol. Not now, at least."</p>
+
+<p>"No, but see, Henry, a lot of them warriors are beginnin' to dance, an'
+thar are two medicine men among 'em. They've overheard the news o' what
+we've done, an' they're gittin' excited. They're shore now the evil
+sperrits are all 'roun' 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"Looks like it, Sol, and those medicine men are not afraid of Alloway,
+the renegades, the chiefs<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> or anybody else. They're encouraging the
+dancing."</p>
+
+<p>Henry and the shiftless one saw the medicine men through the glow of the
+lofty flames, and they looked strange and sinister to the last degree.
+One was wrapped in a buffalo hide with the head and horns over his own
+head, the other was made up as a bear. The glare through which they were
+seen, magnified them to twice or thrice their size, and gave them a tint
+of blood. They looked like two monsters walking back and forth before
+the warriors.</p>
+
+<p>"The seed we planted is shorely growin' up good an' strong," whispered
+Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>More and more warriors joined in the chant of the medicine men. The two
+saw Alloway gesture furiously toward them, and then they saw Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle shake their heads. The two interpreted the
+movements easily. Alloway wanted the chiefs to stop the chanting which
+had in it the double note of awe and fear, and Yellow Panther and Red
+Eagle disclaimed any power to do so.</p>
+
+<p>Again the foresters laughed inwardly, as the monstrous and misshapen
+figures of the two medicine men careered back and forth in the flaming
+light. They knew that at this moment their power over the warriors was
+supreme. The more Alloway raged the more he weakened his own influence.</p>
+
+<p>"An' now they're dancin' with all their might," whispered the shiftless
+one. "Look how they bound an' twist an' jump! Henry, you an' me have
+seed some wild sights together, but this caps 'em."</p>
+
+<p>It was in truth a most extraordinary scene, this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> wild dance of the
+hundreds in the depths of the primeval forest. Around and around they
+went, led by the two medicine men, the bear and the buffalo, and the
+hideous, monotonous chant swelled through all the forest. It did not now
+contain the ring of triumph and anticipation. Instead it was filled with
+grief for the fallen, fear of the evil spirits that filled the air, and
+of Manitou who had turned his face away from them.</p>
+
+<p>Alloway and the white men who were left, drew to one side. Henry could
+imagine the rage of the colonel at his helplessness, and he could
+imagine too that he must feel a thrill of awe at the wild scene passing
+before him. The time and the circumstances must work upon the feelings
+of a white man, no matter how stout his heart.</p>
+
+<p>"If we could strike another good strong blow now," said the shiftless
+one, "I think they would break into a panic."</p>
+
+<p>"True," said Henry, "but we must not depart from our original purpose to
+get at the cannon. I don't think we can do it tonight and so we'd better
+withdraw. Maybe we'll have another chance tomorrow night."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm agreein' with you, Henry, an' I'm beginnin' to think mighty like
+the warriors do, that Manitou, which is jest their name for our God,
+turns his face upon you or turns his face away from you."</p>
+
+<p>"It looks so, Sol. I suppose the Indians in most ways don't differ much
+from us. Only they're a lot more superstitious."</p>
+
+<p>Slowly they crept away, but when they finally rose to their feet in the
+depths of the forest they could still<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span> see the glow of the great fires
+behind them. Henry and the shiftless one knew that the Indians had been
+heaping logs upon coals until the flames sprang up fifteen or twenty
+feet, and that around them nearly the whole army was now dancing and
+singing. The wailing note of so many voices still reached them, shrill,
+piercing and so full of lament that the nerves of the forest runners
+themselves were upset.</p>
+
+<p>"I want to git away from here," said the shiftless one, and then he
+added wistfully: "I wish we could strike our big blow, whatever it is,
+tonight, Henry. Their state o' mind is terrible. They're right on edge,
+an' ef we could do somethin' they'd break, shore."</p>
+
+<p>"I know it," said Henry, "but we're not able to get at what we want to
+reach."</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless they stood there, and listened some time to the wailing
+note of all the hundreds who were oppressed and afraid, because the face
+of Manitou was so obviously turned from them.</p>
+
+<p>Henry and the shiftless one, as they returned toward their comrades whom
+they had left behind, did not relax their caution, knowing that hunting
+parties were still abroad, and that veteran chiefs like Yellow Panther
+and Red Eagle had sent scouts ahead. Twice they struck trails, and
+fragments of feathers left on the bushes by warriors returning with
+turkeys.</p>
+
+<p>They were at least two miles from the camp when they heard noises that
+indicated the passage of a small body of the Indians, and as they
+stepped behind trees to conceal themselves Shif'less Sol's foot suddenly
+sank with a bubbling sound into an oozy spot. In an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> instant, all the
+Indians stopped. Henry and his comrade heard rustling sounds for a
+moment, and then there was complete silence. The two knew that the
+warriors had taken to cover, and that probably they would not escape
+without a fight. They were intensely annoyed as they wished to return to
+Paul, Long Jim and Silent Tom.</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one withdrew his foot from the ooze, and he and Henry
+crouched on dry ground, watching with eye and ear for any movement in
+the thicket opposite. They knew that the warriors, with infinite
+patience, were waiting in the same manner, and it was likely that the
+delay would be long.</p>
+
+<p>"Luck has turned ag'in us fur a little bit," whispered Shif'less Sol,
+"but I can't think that after favorin' us fur so long it'll leave us fur
+good."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think so either," said Henry. "I hear one of them moving."</p>
+
+<p>"That bein' the case we'll lay nearly flat," said Shif'less Sol.</p>
+
+<p>It was well they did so, as a rifle flashed in the thicket before them,
+and a bullet cut the leaves over their heads. They did not reply, but
+crept silently to one side. A few minutes later another bullet crashed
+through the bushes at the same place, and this time Henry fired by the
+flash. He heard a low cry, followed by silence and he was sure that his
+bullet had struck a target. Shif'less Sol held his rifle ready in case a
+rush should come, but there was none, and Henry reloaded rapidly.</p>
+
+<p>A full half-hour of waiting followed, in which only<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> a single shot was
+fired, and that by the warriors, to go wide of the mark, as usual, and
+the wrath of Henry and the shiftless one, at being held there so long,
+became intense. It seemed the veriest piece of irony that this
+unfortunate chance should have occurred, but Henry presently recalled
+the arrangement they had made with the three, wondering why they had not
+thought of it sooner.</p>
+
+<p>"The warriors are before us," he whispered to Shif'less Sol, "and Long
+Jim, Paul and Tom are behind us. They may have heard the rifle shots or
+they may not, but at any rate there is something that will carry
+further."</p>
+
+<p>"You mean the howl of the wolf! O' course, that's our call to them."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and if we bring 'em up it won't be hard to drive off this band."</p>
+
+<p>"Let me give the signal then, Henry. Ef Long Jim is the best yeller
+among us mebbe I'm the best howler. I'm right proud o' bein' a wolf
+sometimes, an' I feel like one jest now."</p>
+
+<p>"Go back then some distance," said Henry. "When the boys come up you
+must meet 'em and not let 'em run into any ambush."</p>
+
+<p>The shiftless one glided away toward the rear, and Henry, lying almost
+flat on the grass and watching the thickets in front of him so intensely
+that no warrior could have crept out of them unseen, waited. At the end
+of five minutes he heard behind him a note, low at first, but swelling
+gradually so high that it pierced the sky and filled the forest. It was
+fierce,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> prolonged, seeming to come from the throat of a monster wolf,
+and, as it died away, a similar cry came from a point far back in the
+forest. The wolf near by howled again, and the wolf deep in the forest
+replied in like fashion. The signal was complete, and Henry knew that
+Paul, Silent Tom and Long Jim would come fast to help.</p>
+
+<p>There was a stirring in the thicket before him, evidently prompted by
+the signals, and another vain bullet crashed through the bushes. Henry
+fired once more at the flash, but he could not tell whether or not he
+had hit anything, although it was sufficient to hold the warriors in the
+bush. Evidently they did not consider themselves strong enough for a
+rush, and again he waited patiently, judging that the three would arrive
+in twenty minutes at the furthest.</p>
+
+<p>They came several minutes within the allotted time. He heard soft
+rustlings behind him, and then the five were reunited and ready for
+action.</p>
+
+<p>"Sol, you creep around on the right flank, and Tom, you take the left,"
+whispered the young general. "They're not in numbers and I think we can
+soon rout 'em without loss to ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>The flanking movement was carried out perfectly. Shif'less Sol and
+Silent Tom opened fire on the right and on the left at the same time,
+and the other three, sending in bullets from the center, began to shout
+the charge, although they did no charging. But it was sufficient. They
+saw dusky figures darting away, and then, rising from the bushes the
+three divisions of their small army met victoriously<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span> upon the field,
+abandoned by the enemy in such haste.</p>
+
+<p>They saw red stains, and then a dark form almost hidden in the grass, a
+powerful warrior, painted hideously and dead an hour. Henry looked down
+at him thoughtfully. The retreating warriors had taken away his weapons,
+but his paint bag and the little charms against evil spirits remained,
+tied to his belt. It was the paint bag that held Henry's eye, and,
+holding it, gave him the idea.</p>
+
+<p>He detached the bag, the waistcloth and moccasins, and calling to his
+comrades retreated farther into the forest. Every one of them, as they
+watched his actions, divined his intent.</p>
+
+<p>"You're going to disguise yourself and go into the Indian camp," said
+Paul, when they stopped. "I wouldn't do it. The risk is too great.
+Besides, what can you do?"</p>
+
+<p>"I went among 'em once and came back alive," said Henry, "and I think I
+can do it again. Besides, I mean to accomplish something."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm to go with you, o' course?" said Shif'less Sol, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>Henry shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Sol," he said reluctantly. "There's only equipment for one, and it
+must be me. But the rest of you can hang on the outskirts, and if I give
+a cry for help you may come. It will be, as before, the howl of the
+wolf, and now, boys, we will work fast, because I must strike, while
+they're still in the frenzy, created by the medicine men."</p>
+
+<p>Henry took off his own clothing, and, with a shudder,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span> put on the
+leggings and breechcloth of the dead Indian. Then Shif'less Sol and Tom
+Ross painted him from the waist up in a ghastly manner, and, with their
+heartfelt wishes for his safety and success, he departed for the camp,
+the others following in silence not far behind. He soon heard the sound
+of the chant and he knew that the orgie was proceeding. An Indian dance
+could last two days and nights without stopping, fresh warriors always
+replacing those who dropped from exhaustion.</p>
+
+<p>It was now far past midnight, and Henry was quite sure that all the
+hunters had gone. The little party which he and his comrades had fought
+had probably spread already the tale of a mysterious foe with whom they
+had met, and who had slain one of their number. And the story,
+exaggerated much in the telling, would add to the number and power of
+the evil spirits oppressing the red army.</p>
+
+<p>Keeping for the present well hidden in the forest, Henry approached the
+fires which had now been heaped up to an amazing height, from which
+lofty flames leaped and which sent off sparks in millions. The chant was
+wilder than ever, rolling in weird echoes through the forest, the
+dancers leaping to and fro, their faces bathed in perspiration, their
+eyes filled with the glare of temporary madness. The Englishmen and
+renegades had gone to small tents pitched at the edge of the wood, but
+Yellow Panther and Red Eagle stood and watched the dancers.</p>
+
+<p>All things were distorted in the mingled dusk and glow of the fires, and
+Henry, bending low that his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> great stature might not be noticed, edged
+gradually in and joined the dancers. For a while, none was more furious
+than he. He leaped and he swung his arms, and he chanted, until the
+perspiration ran down his face, and none looked wilder than he. In the
+multitude nobody knew that he was a stranger, nor would the glazed eyes
+of the dancers have noticed that he was one, anyhow.</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless he was watching keenly, while he leaped and shouted, and
+his eyes were for the cannon, drawn up just within the edge of the
+forest, with the ammunition wagons between them. After a while he moved
+cautiously in their direction, threw himself panting on the grass, where
+others already lay in the stupor of exhaustion, and then, taking hold of
+one of the burning brands which the wind had blown from the bonfires, he
+edged slowly toward the forest and the wagons.</p>
+
+<p>This was the last link in the chain, but if it were not forged all the
+others would be in vain. Three or four times he stopped motion
+altogether, and lay flat on the ground. Through the red haze he dimly
+saw the figures of Yellow Panther and Red Eagle who stood side by side,
+and he saw also the two medicine men, the Bear and the Buffalo, who
+danced as if they were made of steel, and who continually incited the
+others.</p>
+
+<p>Henry himself began to feel the effect of the dancing and of the wild
+cheering, which was like a continuous mad incantation. His blood had
+never before leaped so wildly and he saw through a red haze all the
+time. He felt for the moment almost like an Indian,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span> or rather as if he
+had returned to some primeval incarnation. But it did not make him feel
+one with those around him. Instead it incited him to extreme effort and
+greater daring.</p>
+
+<p>He edged himself forward slowly, dragging the torch upon the ground. He
+still saw Blackstaffe and Wyatt at the edge of the opening some distance
+away, but they were gazing at the great mass of the dancers. Alloway
+presently came from his tent and also stood looking on, though he did
+not join the renegades. Henry could imagine his feelings, his bitter
+disappointment. But then, one must know something about Indians before
+undertaking to go on campaigns with them. He hoped, however, that young
+Cawthorne would remain in his tent.</p>
+
+<p>His slow creeping lasted ten minutes. He felt now that he had reached
+the very crisis of the campaign made by the five, and he must not make
+the slightest slip of any kind. He reached the grass behind the wagons
+and lay there four or five minutes without stirring. He discovered then
+that besides those between the cannon there were four behind them loaded
+with powder. The horses were tethered in the woods two or three hundred
+yards away. He was glad that so much distance separated them from the
+cannon and powder.</p>
+
+<p>The torch, although he kept it concealed in the grass, was beginning to
+crackle. The problem was not yet simple, but he thought rapidly. The
+wagons were covered with canvas. Reaching up, he quickly cut off a long
+strip with his hunting knife. Then he inserted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span> the strip inside the
+wagon and into the powder, driving the knife deep through canvas and
+wood, and leaving it, thrust there to hold the strip fast.</p>
+
+<p>The other end of the thick canvas fell from the wagon to the ground, a
+length of about a foot lying in the grass. He ignited this with his
+torch, and saw it begin to burn with a steady creeping flame. Then he
+moved swiftly away until he reached the edge of the forest, when he rose
+and ran with all his might. Three or four hundred yards distant, he
+stopped and uttered the cry of the wolf. The answer came instantly from
+a point very near, and in two minutes the four joined him.</p>
+
+<p>"Is it arranged?" exclaimed Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Henry. "There's a chance of a slip, of course. The torch
+is set and burning. An Indian may see it and put it out, but I
+don't&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The sentence was never finished. The night was rent by a terrible crash,
+and as they were looking toward the Indian camp they saw a pyramid of
+fire shoot far up into the sky, and then sink back again. A half minute
+of dreadful silence followed, when every leaf and blade of grass seemed
+to stand still, and then through the distance came a long and piercing
+lament.</p>
+
+<p>"It's done!" said the shiftless one, speaking in a tone of awe.</p>
+
+<p>"The cannon are blown to pieces," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothin' but scattered metal now!" said Long Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Busted up, shore!" said Silent Tom.</p>
+
+<p>"They'll be running in a panic presently," said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> Henry, "and they won't
+stop until they're far across the Ohio."</p>
+
+<p>The hearts of the five swelled. They alone, five against a thousand,
+rifles against cannon, had defeated the great Indian army headed by
+artillery. They had equalled the knights of old&mdash;perhaps had surpassed
+them&mdash;although it was not done by valor alone, but also by wile and
+stratagem, by mind and leadership. Intellect had been well allied with
+bravery.</p>
+
+<p>But they said little, and turning back into the deeps of the forest,
+they slept until morning.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The five rose at dawn, and went swiftly to the place where the Indian
+camp had stood, to find there, as they had expected, complete silence
+and desolation. The ruin was utter. All the wagons had been blown to
+bits, and the cannon were shattered so thoroughly that they lay in
+fragments. Probably Indians near by had been killed, but the warriors,
+following their custom, had taken their dead away with them.</p>
+
+<p>Henry, looking near the edge of the forest, suddenly started back at a
+gleam of red among the bushes. He knew that it had come from a red coat,
+and when he looked again he saw the body of Colonel Alloway lying there.
+He had been hit in the head by a piece of flying metal and evidently had
+been killed instantly. Doubtless the other English had wanted to bury
+him, but the panic of the Indians had compelled them to leave him,
+although they took their own dead.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll bury him, because he was a white man," said Henry.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>They dug a grave with their knives and hatchets and laid him in it,
+putting stones over the dirt to keep prowling wild animals from digging
+there, and then took the Indian trail.</p>
+
+<p>It was a trail so wide and deep that a blind man could have followed it.
+The panic evidently had been terrible. The warriors had thrown away
+blankets, and in some cases weapons. Henry found a fine hunting knife,
+with which he replaced the one he had used to pin down his fuse, and
+Silent Tom found a fine green blanket which he added to his own.</p>
+
+<p>They followed to the Ohio River, and some distance beyond. Then,
+satisfied that this expedition was routed utterly, they came back into
+Kentucky.</p>
+
+<p>"I'd like to go to that little house of ours inside the cliff," said
+Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"So would I," said Long Jim. "It's the snuggest home we've ever found
+inside the wilderness."</p>
+
+<p>"An' Indian proof, ez we've proved," said the shiftless one.</p>
+
+<p>"Good fur rest," said Silent Tom.</p>
+
+<p>"Then we go there," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>They reached the valley the next day and climbed up into the cleft which
+had been a home and a fortress for them. It was sweet and clean, full of
+fresh, pure air, and the tiny rill was trickling away merrily. Nothing
+had been disturbed.</p>
+
+<p>"Now ain't this fine?" said Long Jim, coming outside and looking over
+the hills. "Paul, I've heard you talk about palaces, them that the old
+Greeks an' Romans had, an' them that they hev now in Europe,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span> but I know
+that thar has never been one among 'em ez snug an' safe an' cozy ez
+this."</p>
+
+<p>"At least," said the shiftless one, "I don't believe any o' 'em ever had
+a water supply like ourn, clean, cool, an' unfailin'."</p>
+
+<p>Silent Tom took something from his knapsack.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm goin' to git some fish in that creek farther down," he said. "You'd
+better hev your fire ready. Out here on the shelf is a good place."</p>
+
+<p>Long Jim, happy in the task that he liked, hurried away in search of
+dead wood. The others carried dried leaves into the hollow and made
+places for their beds.</p>
+
+<p>Silent Tom caught plenty of good fish, to which they added venison and
+buffalo steaks, and, sitting on the shelf they ate and were at peace.
+The glow of triumph was still in their hearts. Alone, they had achieved
+a great deed for the sake of humanity. They had been through their
+Iliad, and like the heroes of antiquity, they took their well-earned
+rest.</p>
+
+<p>The foliage was now in its deepest flush of green. Henry, as he looked
+over a vast expanse of wilderness, saw nothing but green, green, the
+unbroken green that he loved.</p>
+
+<p>A bird in a tree over their heads began to pour forth a volume of clear,
+triumphant song, and the five looked upon it as a voice meant for them.</p>
+
+<p>"It's the last touch," said Paul.</p>
+
+<p>"And the victory is complete," said Henry.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL***</p>
+<p>******* This file should be named 25596-h.txt or 25596-h.zip *******</p>
+<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br />
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/5/9/25596">http://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/5/9/25596</a></p>
+<p>Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.</p>
+
+<p>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.</p>
+
+
+
+<pre>
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license)</a>.
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's
+eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII,
+compressed (zipped), HTML and others.
+
+Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks replace the old file and take over
+the old filename and etext number.  The replaced older file is renamed.
+VERSIONS based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving
+new filenames and etext numbers.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a>
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+EBooks posted prior to November 2003, with eBook numbers BELOW #10000,
+are filed in directories based on their release date.  If you want to
+download any of these eBooks directly, rather than using the regular
+search system you may utilize the following addresses and just
+download by the etext year.
+
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/">http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/</a>
+
+    (Or /etext 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 00, 99,
+     98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90)
+
+EBooks posted since November 2003, with etext numbers OVER #10000, are
+filed in a different way.  The year of a release date is no longer part
+of the directory path.  The path is based on the etext number (which is
+identical to the filename).  The path to the file is made up of single
+digits corresponding to all but the last digit in the filename.  For
+example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at:
+
+http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/0/2/3/10234
+
+or filename 24689 would be found at:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/4/6/8/24689
+
+An alternative method of locating eBooks:
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/GUTINDEX.ALL">http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/GUTINDEX.ALL</a>
+
+*** END: FULL LICENSE ***
+</pre>
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/25596-page-images/f0001.png b/25596-page-images/f0001.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bbdd19f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/f0001.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/f0002.png b/25596-page-images/f0002.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8b6cc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/f0002.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/f0003.png b/25596-page-images/f0003.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..00fb81b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/f0003.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/f0005.png b/25596-page-images/f0005.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8df77ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/f0005.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0001.png b/25596-page-images/p0001.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6a9570
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0001.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0002.png b/25596-page-images/p0002.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96d37c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0002.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0003.png b/25596-page-images/p0003.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b505f87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0003.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0004.png b/25596-page-images/p0004.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edf90c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0004.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0005.png b/25596-page-images/p0005.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b61bce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0005.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0006.png b/25596-page-images/p0006.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..114d439
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0006.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0007.png b/25596-page-images/p0007.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..246bad9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0007.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0008.png b/25596-page-images/p0008.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c74618
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0008.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0009.png b/25596-page-images/p0009.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..71feb6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0009.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0010.png b/25596-page-images/p0010.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93b2c34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0010.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0011.png b/25596-page-images/p0011.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a23eff4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0011.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0012.png b/25596-page-images/p0012.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..442634a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0012.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0013.png b/25596-page-images/p0013.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6dafb0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0013.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0014.png b/25596-page-images/p0014.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45b4782
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0014.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0015.png b/25596-page-images/p0015.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d42244d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0015.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0016.png b/25596-page-images/p0016.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c440234
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0016.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0017.png b/25596-page-images/p0017.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fc5aad7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0017.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0018.png b/25596-page-images/p0018.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c77e12c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0018.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0019.png b/25596-page-images/p0019.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8641a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0019.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0020.png b/25596-page-images/p0020.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15dbce2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0020.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0021.png b/25596-page-images/p0021.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3cd5e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0021.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0022.png b/25596-page-images/p0022.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f366bdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0022.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0023.png b/25596-page-images/p0023.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2fa184f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0023.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0024.png b/25596-page-images/p0024.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d2804e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0024.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0025.png b/25596-page-images/p0025.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24c79a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0025.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0026.png b/25596-page-images/p0026.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..572ecda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0026.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0027.png b/25596-page-images/p0027.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e91ec6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0027.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0028.png b/25596-page-images/p0028.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ffd198
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0028.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0029.png b/25596-page-images/p0029.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..254042e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0029.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0030.png b/25596-page-images/p0030.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7110e7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0030.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0031.png b/25596-page-images/p0031.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..81582a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0031.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0032.png b/25596-page-images/p0032.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3541be1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0032.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0033.png b/25596-page-images/p0033.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..435f09d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0033.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0034.png b/25596-page-images/p0034.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2a5ffa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0034.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0035.png b/25596-page-images/p0035.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d0d440d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0035.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0036.png b/25596-page-images/p0036.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cb73eaf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0036.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0037.png b/25596-page-images/p0037.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e27075
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0037.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0038.png b/25596-page-images/p0038.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f47929a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0038.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0039.png b/25596-page-images/p0039.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bcc2aae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0039.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0040.png b/25596-page-images/p0040.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7dd19fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0040.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0041.png b/25596-page-images/p0041.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5fedb83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0041.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0042.png b/25596-page-images/p0042.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f6cd2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0042.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0043.png b/25596-page-images/p0043.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e555546
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0043.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0044.png b/25596-page-images/p0044.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..863ba83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0044.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0045.png b/25596-page-images/p0045.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fd83c0b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0045.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0046.png b/25596-page-images/p0046.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..13a1bdf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0046.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0047.png b/25596-page-images/p0047.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a026c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0047.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0048.png b/25596-page-images/p0048.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f6abb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0048.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0049.png b/25596-page-images/p0049.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aebb76f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0049.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0050.png b/25596-page-images/p0050.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..926528b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0050.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0051.png b/25596-page-images/p0051.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..639e101
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0051.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0052.png b/25596-page-images/p0052.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a4dffc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0052.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0053.png b/25596-page-images/p0053.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a1d740f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0053.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0054.png b/25596-page-images/p0054.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6498d7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0054.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0055.png b/25596-page-images/p0055.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3bd936a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0055.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0056.png b/25596-page-images/p0056.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2063bb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0056.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0057.png b/25596-page-images/p0057.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2447c87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0057.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0058.png b/25596-page-images/p0058.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b561220
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0058.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0059.png b/25596-page-images/p0059.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cbd5e56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0059.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0060.png b/25596-page-images/p0060.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fe019ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0060.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0061.png b/25596-page-images/p0061.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8907f8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0061.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0062.png b/25596-page-images/p0062.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aefece0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0062.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0063.png b/25596-page-images/p0063.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d907b05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0063.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0064.png b/25596-page-images/p0064.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f133d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0064.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0065.png b/25596-page-images/p0065.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1cd2414
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0065.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0066.png b/25596-page-images/p0066.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c65daa2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0066.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0067.png b/25596-page-images/p0067.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..599e085
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0067.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0068.png b/25596-page-images/p0068.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4694257
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0068.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0069.png b/25596-page-images/p0069.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73f2af9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0069.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0070.png b/25596-page-images/p0070.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2b2d58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0070.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0071.png b/25596-page-images/p0071.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e2efe60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0071.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0072.png b/25596-page-images/p0072.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..796c027
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0072.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0073.png b/25596-page-images/p0073.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..07e8410
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0073.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0074.png b/25596-page-images/p0074.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab51d95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0074.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0075.png b/25596-page-images/p0075.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..974904d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0075.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0076.png b/25596-page-images/p0076.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae877da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0076.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0077.png b/25596-page-images/p0077.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3aa3996
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0077.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0078.png b/25596-page-images/p0078.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65af6a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0078.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0079.png b/25596-page-images/p0079.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2fce3dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0079.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0080.png b/25596-page-images/p0080.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d98974d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0080.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0081.png b/25596-page-images/p0081.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7a79dda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0081.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0082.png b/25596-page-images/p0082.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cdd252a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0082.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0083.png b/25596-page-images/p0083.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..17b117b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0083.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0084.png b/25596-page-images/p0084.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..710768d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0084.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0085.png b/25596-page-images/p0085.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9dab630
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0085.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0086.png b/25596-page-images/p0086.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67e7d8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0086.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0087.png b/25596-page-images/p0087.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e00ebc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0087.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0088.png b/25596-page-images/p0088.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..84e34d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0088.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0089.png b/25596-page-images/p0089.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..91c1ba2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0089.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0090.png b/25596-page-images/p0090.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4cbd4e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0090.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0091.png b/25596-page-images/p0091.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a0e9268
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0091.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0092.png b/25596-page-images/p0092.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3cf3e6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0092.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0093.png b/25596-page-images/p0093.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb47841
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0093.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0094.png b/25596-page-images/p0094.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..284c2a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0094.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0095.png b/25596-page-images/p0095.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66c3e94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0095.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0096.png b/25596-page-images/p0096.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f27bf48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0096.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0097.png b/25596-page-images/p0097.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c0427e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0097.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0098.png b/25596-page-images/p0098.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..229211e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0098.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0099.png b/25596-page-images/p0099.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..27c1178
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0099.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0100.png b/25596-page-images/p0100.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..123c3a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0100.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0101.png b/25596-page-images/p0101.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..95270dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0101.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0102.png b/25596-page-images/p0102.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..484afa3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0102.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0103.png b/25596-page-images/p0103.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ebe421
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0103.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0104.png b/25596-page-images/p0104.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..00db965
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0104.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0105.png b/25596-page-images/p0105.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..26e57a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0105.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0106.png b/25596-page-images/p0106.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee0d7e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0106.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0107.png b/25596-page-images/p0107.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7eb73b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0107.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0108.png b/25596-page-images/p0108.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0681de2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0108.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0109.png b/25596-page-images/p0109.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f5ca2e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0109.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0110.png b/25596-page-images/p0110.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e80a3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0110.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0111.png b/25596-page-images/p0111.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab1736a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0111.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0112.png b/25596-page-images/p0112.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9949dcb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0112.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0113.png b/25596-page-images/p0113.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b2dfc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0113.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0114.png b/25596-page-images/p0114.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5af73e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0114.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0115.png b/25596-page-images/p0115.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..741c343
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0115.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0116.png b/25596-page-images/p0116.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8042d10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0116.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0117.png b/25596-page-images/p0117.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ced6f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0117.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0118.png b/25596-page-images/p0118.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..37039a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0118.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0119.png b/25596-page-images/p0119.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8bfbdc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0119.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0120.png b/25596-page-images/p0120.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..896dfa9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0120.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0121.png b/25596-page-images/p0121.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..547b116
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0121.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0122.png b/25596-page-images/p0122.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c30f9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0122.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0123.png b/25596-page-images/p0123.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a79278
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0123.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0124.png b/25596-page-images/p0124.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c615c82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0124.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0125.png b/25596-page-images/p0125.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aabde2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0125.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0126.png b/25596-page-images/p0126.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6845bb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0126.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0127.png b/25596-page-images/p0127.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff707b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0127.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0128.png b/25596-page-images/p0128.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d59661e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0128.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0129.png b/25596-page-images/p0129.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68a7408
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0129.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0130.png b/25596-page-images/p0130.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e84daa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0130.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0131.png b/25596-page-images/p0131.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b40f31f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0131.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0132.png b/25596-page-images/p0132.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e084073
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0132.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0133.png b/25596-page-images/p0133.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..43fa213
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0133.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0134.png b/25596-page-images/p0134.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3593e62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0134.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0135.png b/25596-page-images/p0135.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..306ee29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0135.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0136.png b/25596-page-images/p0136.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac9a652
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0136.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0137.png b/25596-page-images/p0137.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e257fd4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0137.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0138.png b/25596-page-images/p0138.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3408d5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0138.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0139.png b/25596-page-images/p0139.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..562ae5a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0139.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0140.png b/25596-page-images/p0140.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a07b5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0140.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0141.png b/25596-page-images/p0141.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..474ef56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0141.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0142.png b/25596-page-images/p0142.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..220f161
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0142.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0143.png b/25596-page-images/p0143.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..62ec825
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0143.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0144.png b/25596-page-images/p0144.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1d159f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0144.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0145.png b/25596-page-images/p0145.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..484ae63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0145.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0146.png b/25596-page-images/p0146.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..143229e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0146.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0147.png b/25596-page-images/p0147.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85bf1c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0147.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0148.png b/25596-page-images/p0148.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ed067d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0148.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0149.png b/25596-page-images/p0149.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e2e16d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0149.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0150.png b/25596-page-images/p0150.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..48e85f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0150.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0151.png b/25596-page-images/p0151.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dc4a956
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0151.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0152.png b/25596-page-images/p0152.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3efc666
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0152.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0153.png b/25596-page-images/p0153.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8755e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0153.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0154.png b/25596-page-images/p0154.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1d13eb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0154.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0155.png b/25596-page-images/p0155.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..298b78b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0155.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0156.png b/25596-page-images/p0156.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e5fef0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0156.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0157.png b/25596-page-images/p0157.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..88fb2ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0157.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0158.png b/25596-page-images/p0158.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..238bb3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0158.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0159.png b/25596-page-images/p0159.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..029fb40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0159.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0160.png b/25596-page-images/p0160.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a73a8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0160.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0161.png b/25596-page-images/p0161.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad87539
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0161.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0162.png b/25596-page-images/p0162.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..847647a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0162.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0163.png b/25596-page-images/p0163.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b623cff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0163.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0164.png b/25596-page-images/p0164.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d6ee68b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0164.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0165.png b/25596-page-images/p0165.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10882ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0165.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0166.png b/25596-page-images/p0166.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3dc2aee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0166.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0167.png b/25596-page-images/p0167.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c1712d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0167.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0168.png b/25596-page-images/p0168.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1f3935
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0168.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0169.png b/25596-page-images/p0169.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2bf77f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0169.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0170.png b/25596-page-images/p0170.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..024e312
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0170.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0171.png b/25596-page-images/p0171.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..81f6d25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0171.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0172.png b/25596-page-images/p0172.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8edd913
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0172.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0173.png b/25596-page-images/p0173.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..03fc538
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0173.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0174.png b/25596-page-images/p0174.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..62340ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0174.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0175.png b/25596-page-images/p0175.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e22440
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0175.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0176.png b/25596-page-images/p0176.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e3a26c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0176.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0177.png b/25596-page-images/p0177.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b18662
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0177.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0178.png b/25596-page-images/p0178.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fe0d771
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0178.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0179.png b/25596-page-images/p0179.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9a9eff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0179.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0180.png b/25596-page-images/p0180.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..db9660a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0180.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0181.png b/25596-page-images/p0181.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54f136d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0181.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0182.png b/25596-page-images/p0182.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e773521
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0182.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0183.png b/25596-page-images/p0183.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6c5230
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0183.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0184.png b/25596-page-images/p0184.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..270f5e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0184.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0185.png b/25596-page-images/p0185.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bb7bfda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0185.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0186.png b/25596-page-images/p0186.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2ca4a29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0186.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0187.png b/25596-page-images/p0187.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..31d6bb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0187.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0188.png b/25596-page-images/p0188.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ec1305
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0188.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0189.png b/25596-page-images/p0189.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a3cda8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0189.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0190.png b/25596-page-images/p0190.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d97d6f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0190.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0191.png b/25596-page-images/p0191.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e85a8ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0191.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0192.png b/25596-page-images/p0192.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..33cac32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0192.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0193.png b/25596-page-images/p0193.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2874720
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0193.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0194.png b/25596-page-images/p0194.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8dfeb34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0194.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0195.png b/25596-page-images/p0195.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..082d218
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0195.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0196.png b/25596-page-images/p0196.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a463129
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0196.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0197.png b/25596-page-images/p0197.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fcd0c14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0197.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0198.png b/25596-page-images/p0198.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d82184e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0198.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0199.png b/25596-page-images/p0199.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9d0ad7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0199.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0200.png b/25596-page-images/p0200.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b0e11dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0200.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0201.png b/25596-page-images/p0201.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3993047
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0201.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0202.png b/25596-page-images/p0202.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5683bbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0202.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0203.png b/25596-page-images/p0203.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a08e99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0203.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0204.png b/25596-page-images/p0204.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..972c2bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0204.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0205.png b/25596-page-images/p0205.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85e9236
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0205.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0206.png b/25596-page-images/p0206.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e9d88e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0206.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0207.png b/25596-page-images/p0207.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..021db98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0207.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0208.png b/25596-page-images/p0208.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bfeb047
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0208.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0209.png b/25596-page-images/p0209.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..babba28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0209.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0210.png b/25596-page-images/p0210.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c8c183
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0210.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0211.png b/25596-page-images/p0211.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..378ccff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0211.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0212.png b/25596-page-images/p0212.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75b2cbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0212.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0213.png b/25596-page-images/p0213.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..177fc62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0213.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0214.png b/25596-page-images/p0214.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dee4fa7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0214.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0215.png b/25596-page-images/p0215.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57b1a99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0215.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0216.png b/25596-page-images/p0216.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a935519
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0216.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0217.png b/25596-page-images/p0217.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5378ac2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0217.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0218.png b/25596-page-images/p0218.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7c07bf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0218.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0219.png b/25596-page-images/p0219.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8819e6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0219.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0220.png b/25596-page-images/p0220.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4b0e06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0220.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0221.png b/25596-page-images/p0221.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e08954
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0221.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0222.png b/25596-page-images/p0222.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96aa936
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0222.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0223.png b/25596-page-images/p0223.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f32da85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0223.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0224.png b/25596-page-images/p0224.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e145e46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0224.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0225.png b/25596-page-images/p0225.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d0a0516
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0225.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0226.png b/25596-page-images/p0226.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9ede10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0226.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0227.png b/25596-page-images/p0227.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e03cefd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0227.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0228.png b/25596-page-images/p0228.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4cd6cac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0228.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0229.png b/25596-page-images/p0229.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9aa1a89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0229.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0230.png b/25596-page-images/p0230.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d571f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0230.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0231.png b/25596-page-images/p0231.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6d0f3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0231.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0232.png b/25596-page-images/p0232.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4f063a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0232.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0233.png b/25596-page-images/p0233.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee7bcb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0233.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0234.png b/25596-page-images/p0234.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fdf31bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0234.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0235.png b/25596-page-images/p0235.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c34b332
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0235.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0236.png b/25596-page-images/p0236.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7837c5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0236.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0237.png b/25596-page-images/p0237.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..00de55d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0237.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0238.png b/25596-page-images/p0238.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8bc548
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0238.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0239.png b/25596-page-images/p0239.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dcaa41a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0239.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0240.png b/25596-page-images/p0240.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..819136b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0240.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0241.png b/25596-page-images/p0241.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..159d1eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0241.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0242.png b/25596-page-images/p0242.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aff1ac9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0242.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0243.png b/25596-page-images/p0243.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..908e2d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0243.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0244.png b/25596-page-images/p0244.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66e5b31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0244.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0245.png b/25596-page-images/p0245.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b1e4221
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0245.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0246.png b/25596-page-images/p0246.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8fd5afb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0246.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0247.png b/25596-page-images/p0247.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c88c22e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0247.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0248.png b/25596-page-images/p0248.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..02b6eae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0248.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0249.png b/25596-page-images/p0249.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57000a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0249.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0250.png b/25596-page-images/p0250.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d8d0ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0250.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0251.png b/25596-page-images/p0251.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..468cd0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0251.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0252.png b/25596-page-images/p0252.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35aff33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0252.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0253.png b/25596-page-images/p0253.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9044d48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0253.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0254.png b/25596-page-images/p0254.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69f97c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0254.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0255.png b/25596-page-images/p0255.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5fa6b63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0255.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0256.png b/25596-page-images/p0256.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..453795d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0256.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0257.png b/25596-page-images/p0257.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..268e1a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0257.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0258.png b/25596-page-images/p0258.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a81b1d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0258.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0259.png b/25596-page-images/p0259.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..03e252b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0259.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0260.png b/25596-page-images/p0260.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c2dfb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0260.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0261.png b/25596-page-images/p0261.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c2185fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0261.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0262.png b/25596-page-images/p0262.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..478841c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0262.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0263.png b/25596-page-images/p0263.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..34869dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0263.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0264.png b/25596-page-images/p0264.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..647a7c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0264.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0265.png b/25596-page-images/p0265.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1936469
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0265.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0266.png b/25596-page-images/p0266.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f63d3fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0266.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0267.png b/25596-page-images/p0267.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..139b33b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0267.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0268.png b/25596-page-images/p0268.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..045284f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0268.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0269.png b/25596-page-images/p0269.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..babaf58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0269.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0270.png b/25596-page-images/p0270.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cedf6aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0270.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0271.png b/25596-page-images/p0271.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3305f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0271.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0272.png b/25596-page-images/p0272.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..91fa7a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0272.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0273.png b/25596-page-images/p0273.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c51d18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0273.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0274.png b/25596-page-images/p0274.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea86d7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0274.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0275.png b/25596-page-images/p0275.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab4c970
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0275.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0276.png b/25596-page-images/p0276.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad28be9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0276.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0277.png b/25596-page-images/p0277.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7421e46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0277.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0278.png b/25596-page-images/p0278.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bdc53ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0278.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0279.png b/25596-page-images/p0279.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..476fa22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0279.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0280.png b/25596-page-images/p0280.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cdc4c2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0280.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0281.png b/25596-page-images/p0281.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..14001aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0281.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0282.png b/25596-page-images/p0282.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64e92a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0282.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0283.png b/25596-page-images/p0283.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..70594e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0283.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0284.png b/25596-page-images/p0284.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35092e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0284.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0285.png b/25596-page-images/p0285.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..56932e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0285.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0286.png b/25596-page-images/p0286.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..426492c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0286.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0287.png b/25596-page-images/p0287.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..76be84b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0287.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0288.png b/25596-page-images/p0288.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..262b29c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0288.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0289.png b/25596-page-images/p0289.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b886f09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0289.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0290.png b/25596-page-images/p0290.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f7994a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0290.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0291.png b/25596-page-images/p0291.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7b3b04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0291.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0292.png b/25596-page-images/p0292.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24edc6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0292.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0293.png b/25596-page-images/p0293.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c341ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0293.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0294.png b/25596-page-images/p0294.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d42916
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0294.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0295.png b/25596-page-images/p0295.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4aa90f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0295.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0296.png b/25596-page-images/p0296.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3487e5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0296.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0297.png b/25596-page-images/p0297.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65b252b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0297.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0298.png b/25596-page-images/p0298.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e580f3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0298.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0299.png b/25596-page-images/p0299.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..595d030
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0299.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0300.png b/25596-page-images/p0300.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..718eb64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0300.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0301.png b/25596-page-images/p0301.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52e9778
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0301.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0302.png b/25596-page-images/p0302.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..60e8473
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0302.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0303.png b/25596-page-images/p0303.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cee51d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0303.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0304.png b/25596-page-images/p0304.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c693583
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0304.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0305.png b/25596-page-images/p0305.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..224a5f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0305.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0306.png b/25596-page-images/p0306.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb4d757
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0306.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0307.png b/25596-page-images/p0307.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c700069
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0307.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0308.png b/25596-page-images/p0308.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58ee739
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0308.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0309.png b/25596-page-images/p0309.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..105e396
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0309.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0310.png b/25596-page-images/p0310.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25d3480
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0310.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0311.png b/25596-page-images/p0311.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b79e815
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0311.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0312.png b/25596-page-images/p0312.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e730dbb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0312.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0313.png b/25596-page-images/p0313.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3686d44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0313.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0314.png b/25596-page-images/p0314.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1cd9ac2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0314.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0315.png b/25596-page-images/p0315.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8772dee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0315.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0316.png b/25596-page-images/p0316.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52fda76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0316.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0317.png b/25596-page-images/p0317.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..faf649b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0317.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0318.png b/25596-page-images/p0318.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e7e9cb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0318.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0319.png b/25596-page-images/p0319.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d1edcff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0319.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0320.png b/25596-page-images/p0320.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12aa2fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0320.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0321.png b/25596-page-images/p0321.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2dcb81e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0321.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0322.png b/25596-page-images/p0322.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ce28e41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0322.png
diff --git a/25596-page-images/p0323.png b/25596-page-images/p0323.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7cb159a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596-page-images/p0323.png
diff --git a/25596.txt b/25596.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35957fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,9903 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Keepers of the Trail, by Joseph A.
+Altsheler
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Keepers of the Trail
+       A Story of the Great Woods
+
+
+Author: Joseph A. Altsheler
+
+
+
+Release Date: May 25, 2008  [eBook #25596]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Josephine Paolucci, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL
+
+A Story of the Great Woods
+
+by
+
+JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER
+
+Author of "The Young Trailers," "The Forest Runners," Etc.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Appleton-Century
+New York
+
+Copyright, 1916, by
+D. Appleton and Company
+
+All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, must not be
+reproduced in any form without permission of the publishers.
+
+Copyright, 1944, by Sallie B. Altsheler
+
+Printed in the United States of America
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD
+
+
+"The Keepers of The Trail" deals with an episode, hitherto unrelated, in
+the lives of Henry Ware, Paul Cotter, Shif'less Sol Hyde, Long Jim Hart,
+and Silent Tom Ross. In point of time it follows "The Forest Runners,"
+and, so, is the third volume of the "Young Trailer" series.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER                                   PAGE
+
+      I. HENRY IN HIS KINGDOM                    1
+
+     II. THE BIG GUNS                           23
+
+    III. THE INDIAN CAMP                        41
+
+     IV. THE DEED IN THE WATER                  61
+
+      V. THE FOREST JOKER                       83
+
+     VI. THE KING WOLF                         101
+
+    VII. THE FOREST POETS                      123
+
+   VIII. THE PATH OF DANGER                    140
+
+     IX. THE KEEPERS OF THE CLEFT              164
+
+      X. BESIEGED                              187
+
+     XI. THE SHIFTLESS ONE                     207
+
+    XII. ON THE GREAT TRAIL                    230
+
+   XIII. FIVE AGAINST A THOUSAND               251
+
+    XIV. HOLDING THE FORD                      270
+
+     XV. THE GREAT CULMINATION                 293
+
+
+
+
+THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+HENRY IN HIS KINGDOM
+
+
+A light wind blew over the great, primeval wilderness of Kentucky, the
+dense, green foliage rippling under it like the waves of the sea. In
+every direction forest and canebrake stretched in countless miles, the
+trees, infinite in variety, and great in size, showing that Nature had
+worked here with the hand of a master. Little streams flashing in silver
+or gold in the sunlight, flowed down to the greater rivers, and on a
+bush a scarlet tanager fluttered like a flash of flame.
+
+A youth, uncommon in size and bearing, stepped into a little opening,
+and looked about with the easy, natural caution belonging to the native
+of the forest who knows that danger is always near. His eyes pierced the
+foliage, and would have noticed anything unusual there, his ear was so
+keen that he would have heard at once any sound not a part of the woods.
+
+Eye and ear and the indefinable powers of primitive man told him no
+enemy was at hand, and he stood on the green hill, breathing the fresh,
+crisp air, with a delight that only such as he could feel. Mighty was
+the wilderness, majestic in its sweep, and depth of color, and the lone
+human figure fitted into it perfectly, adding to it the last and
+finishing touch.
+
+He blended, too, with the forest. His dress, wholly of fine, tanned
+deerskin, was dyed green, the hunting shirt fringed, hunting shirt,
+leggings and moccasins alike adorned with rows of little beads. Fitting
+thus so completely into his environment, the ordinary eye would not have
+observed him, and his footsteps were so light that the rabbits in the
+bush did not stir, and the flaming bird on the bough was not frightened.
+
+Henry Ware let the stock of his rifle rest upon the ground and held it
+by the barrel, while he gazed over the green billows of the forest,
+rolling away and away to every horizon. He was a fortunate human being
+who had come into his own kingdom, one in which he was fitted supremely
+to reign, and he would not have exchanged his place for that of any
+titular sovereign on his throne.
+
+His eyes gleamed with pleasure as he looked upon his world. None knew
+better than he its immense variety and richness. He noted the different
+shades of the leaves and he knew by contrast the kind of tree that bore
+them. His eye fell upon the tanager, and the deep, intense scarlet of
+its plumage gave him pleasure. It seemed fairly to blaze against the
+background of woodland green, but it still took no alarm from the
+presence of the tall youth who neither stirred nor made any sound.
+
+Another bird, hidden behind an immense leaf, began to pour forth the
+full notes of a chattering, mocking song, almost like the voice of a
+human being. Henry liked it, too, although he knew the bird was flinging
+him a pretty defiance. It belonged in his world. It was fitting that one
+singer, many singers, should live in his wilderness and sing for him.
+
+A gray squirrel, its saucy tail curved over its back, ran lightly up an
+oak, perched on a bough and gazed at him with a challenging, red eye.
+Henry gave back his look, and laughed in the silent manner of the
+border. He had no wish to hurt the swaggering little fellow. His heart
+was bare of ill will against anything.
+
+A deep, clear creek flowed at the base of the hill, and a fish, snapping
+at a fly, leaped clear of the water, making a silver streak in the air,
+gone in an instant as he fell back into the stream. The glimpse pleased
+Henry. It, too, was a part of his kingdom, stocked with fur, fin and
+feather, beyond that of any other king, and far more vast.
+
+The brilliant sunlight over his head began to dim and darken. He looked
+up. The van of a host, the wild pigeons flying northward appeared, and
+then came the great wide column, millions and millions of birds,
+returning from their winter in the south. He had seen the huge flights
+before, but the freshness and zest of the sight never wore away. No
+matter how far they came nor how far they went they would still be
+flying over his forest empire. And then would come the great flocks of
+wild ducks and wild geese, winging swiftly like an arrow toward the
+north. They, too, were his, and again he took long, deep breaths of a
+delight so keen that it made his pulses leap.
+
+From the wood at the base of the hill came a crackling sound as of
+something breaking, and then the long crash of a tree falling. He went a
+little way down the slope and his moccasins made no sound in the grass.
+Gently pulling aside the bough of a sheltering bush he saw the beavers
+at work. Already they were measuring for lengths the tree they had cut
+through at the base with their long, sharp teeth.
+
+The creek here received a tributary brook of considerable volume, and
+the dam erected by the beavers had sent the waters far back in a tiny
+sheet like a little lake. But as Henry saw, they were going to raise the
+dam higher, and they were working with the intelligence and energy that
+belong so peculiarly to the beaver. Four powerful fellows were floating
+a log in the water, ready to put it into place, and others on the bank
+were launching another.
+
+It was one of the largest beaver colonies he had ever seen, and he
+watched it with peculiar enjoyment. He killed the beaver now and
+then--the cap upon his head was made of its skin--but only when it was
+needful. The industrious animals were safe from his rifle now, and he
+felt that his wilderness had no more useful people.
+
+He looked at them a long time, merely for the pleasure of looking. They
+showed so much skill, so much quickness and judgment that he was willing
+to see and learn from them. He felt, in a sense, that they were
+comrades. He wished them well in their work, and he knew that they would
+have snug houses, when the next winter came.
+
+He left them in their peace, returned to the brow of the hill, and then
+walked slowly down the other side. He heard a woof, a sound of
+scrambling, and a black bear, big in frame, but yet lean from the
+winter, ran from its lair in the bushes, stopped a moment at fifty or
+sixty yards to look hard at him, and then, wheeling again in frightened
+flight disappeared among the trees. Henry once more laughed silently. He
+would not have harmed the bear either.
+
+A puffing, panting sound attracted his attention, and, walking farther
+on, he looked into a glade, in which the grass grew high and thick. He
+had known from the character of the noise that he would find buffaloes
+there, and they numbered about a dozen, grazing a while, and then
+breathing heavily in content. He had seen them in countless herds on the
+western plains, when he was with Black Cloud and his tribe, but south of
+the Ohio, owing to the heavy forest, they were found only in small
+groups, although they were plentiful.
+
+The wind was blowing toward him, and standing partially behind a huge
+oak he watched them. They were the finest and largest inhabitants of his
+wilderness, splendid creatures, with their leonine manes and huge
+shoulders, beasts of which any monarch might be proud. He could easily
+bring down any one of them that he wanted with his rifle, but they were
+safe from all bullets of his.
+
+He looked at them a while, as a man would gaze at a favorite horse.
+There was a calf among them, and whenever it wandered from the middle of
+the glade toward the edge of the forest the mother would push it back.
+Henry, studying the woods there, saw just within their shadow the long
+slinking figures of two gray wolves. He knew their purpose, but he knew
+also that it would not be fulfilled.
+
+He watched the little forest drama with an interest none the less
+because it was not new to him. He saw the gray shadows creeping nearer
+and nearer, while the calf persistently sought the woods, probably for
+shade. Presently the leader of the herd, an immense bull, almost black,
+caught an odor, wheeled like lightning and rushed upon the wolves. There
+was a single yelp, as one was trampled to death, and the other fled
+through the forest to seek easier prey.
+
+The buffaloes returned to their grazing and the foolish calf, warned by
+the danger from which he had been saved, stayed in the middle of the
+glade, with his elders as a wall around him. Henry smiled. He had
+foreseen the result, and it was wholly to his liking. He passed around
+the opening, not wishing to disturb the animals, and went northward,
+always on soundless feet.
+
+A stag, catching the human odor on the wind, sprang from a thicket, and
+crashed away in wild alarm. Henry laughed again and waved his hand at
+the fleeting figure. The stag did not know that he had no cause to dread
+him, but Henry admired his speed. A flock of wild turkeys rose from a
+bough above his head, and uttering preliminary gobbles, sailed away in
+a low flight among the trees. He waved his hand at them also, and
+noticed before they disappeared how the sunlight glowed on their bronze
+feathers.
+
+It was a fine morning in his kingdom, and he was seeing many forms of
+its life. He remarked a bee tree, and thought it probable that the
+runaway bear would make a try there some day for honey. Then he stopped
+and looked at a tiny blue flower, just blooming in the shelter of a
+bush. He examined it with appreciation and touched the delicate leaf
+very gently, lest he break it away. Little and fragile, it had its place
+nevertheless in his realm.
+
+His course led him back to the creek, here very deep and clear and
+running over a gravelly bottom. After looking and listening for a little
+while, he undressed, laid his rifle and other weapons on the very edge
+of the bank, where he could reach them in an instant, and dropped
+silently into the water. It was cool and he shivered at first, but as he
+swam the warmth returned to his veins.
+
+He was a splendid swimmer, and he was careful not to splash or make any
+other sound that could be heard far. It was glorious there in the water,
+and he was loath to leave it. He lay on his back, floated a little with
+the current, and then with strokes strong, swift and silent, swam back
+again.
+
+His eyes looked up into a blue sky, sprinkled with many little white
+clouds golden at the edge. The huge flight of pigeons had passed and no
+longer dimmed the sun. He could just see the last of the myriads on the
+edge of the northern horizon. But there was a sudden flash of black
+across the blue, and a hawk shot down into the forest. A bald eagle
+sailed in slow majesty above the trees, and, well within the shelter of
+the foliage near him, many small birds were twittering. The air over his
+realm as well as the forests and waters was full of life.
+
+He came out, allowed himself to dry in the sun, while he flexed and
+tensed his powerful muscles. Then he dressed. The swim had been good,
+and he was glad that he had taken the risk. He was aware that the forest
+contained inhabitants much more dangerous than those he had looked upon
+that morning, but he had not yet seen any sign of them, and he was one
+who had learned to use his opportunities.
+
+After luxuriating for a little while on the grass, Henry, rifle on
+shoulder, walked swiftly forward. He had a definite purpose and it was
+to rejoin his four comrades, Paul Cotter, Shif'less Sol Hyde, Long Jim
+Hart and Tom Ross, who were not far away in the greenwood, the five,
+since the repulse of the great attack upon the wagon train, continuing
+their chosen duties as keepers of the trail, that is, they were
+continually on guard in the vast forest and canebrake against the
+Northwestern Indians who were making such a bitter war upon the young
+Kentucky settlements.
+
+Henry had known that they would come again. Kentucky had been a huge
+hunting ground, without any Indian villages, but for that reason it had
+been prized most highly by the savage. The same reason made the ground
+all the more dangerous for the white people, because the Indians,
+unhampered by their women and children, came only with chosen bands of
+warriors, selected for supreme skill in battle and forest lore. No
+seekers of new homes ever faced greater dangers than the little white
+vanguard that crossed the Alleghanies into the splendid new land beyond.
+Hidden death always lurked in the bush, and no man went beyond the
+palisade even on the commonest errand without his rifle.
+
+It was a noble task that Henry and his comrades had undertaken, to act
+as watchers, and it appealed to them all, to him most because he was
+continually in the wilderness that he loved so well, and he felt that he
+was doing a much greater work than when he was felling trees, and
+helping to clear a place for crops. As for himself he would never have
+cut down a single tree, although there were millions and millions of
+them. Nature held nothing that he admired more. He knew no greater
+delight than to stand on a high hill and look on the forest, deep green,
+waving in the wind, and stretching to the complete circle of the horizon
+and beyond.
+
+He was now in one of the loneliest stretches of the wilderness, far
+north of Wareville, and no great distance from the Ohio. A day's march
+would take him to a favorite crossing of the savages, and that was why
+he and his comrades were in this region. He increased his speed,
+settling into the long swinging gait which the scouts of the border
+always used, when they would hasten, but, in a half-hour, he stopped
+suddenly and his figure seemed to vanish utterly in a dense mass of
+green bushes.
+
+Henry, now hidden himself, had seen. It was only a trace that scarcely
+any eye save his would have noticed, but in a place where the earth was
+soft he had observed the faint imprint of a moccasin, the toes turning
+inward and hence made by an Indian. Other imprints must be near, but,
+for a little while, he would not look, remaining crouched in the
+thicket. He wished to be sure before he moved that no wearer of a
+moccasin was in the bush. It might be that Yellow Panther, redoubtable
+chief of the Miamis, and Red Eagle, equally redoubtable chief of the
+Shawnees, were at hand with great war bands, burning to avenge their
+defeats.
+
+He did not move for fully ten minutes. He had acquired all the qualities
+of those who live in constant danger in vast forests, and, like the
+animal that hides, his figure and dress blended completely with the
+green thicket. The air brought no menace to either eye or ear, and then
+he stepped forth.
+
+He found the imprints of five or six pairs of moccasins farther on, and
+then they became so faint that the best trailer in the West could not
+follow them, although he believed that they had been made by a hunting
+party. It was customary for the Indians on their great raids to detach a
+number of men who would roam the forests for food, but he decided that
+he would not try to follow them any longer. He would not be deflected
+from his purpose to join his comrades.
+
+Leaving the broken trail he sped north by west, the forests and thickets
+growing thicker as he advanced. At one point he came to a vast canebrake
+that seemed impassable, yet he made his way through it almost without
+slackening speed, and came to a grove of oaks, so large and so dense
+that the sunlight never entered there. He stopped at its edge and
+imitated the long, haunting cry of the owl. In a moment or two a note
+like it, but distant and faint, came. He uttered the cry a second time,
+and heard the reply.
+
+Hesitating no longer he entered the oak grove. These trees with their
+great mossy trunks were the finest that he had ever seen. Some peculiar
+quality of the soil, some fertilizing agency beneath had given them an
+unparalleled growth. The leafy roof was complete, and he advanced as one
+who walks down a limitless hall, studded with a myriad of columns.
+
+Two miles and turning around a hill he came to a cup in its far side,
+hidden so well that the unknowing would have passed it unseen. But he
+called and his four comrades answered from the cup. Parting the bushes
+Henry entered and they gave him a low but joyous welcome.
+
+The cup, almost circular, was not more than ten feet across, but the sun
+shone in it and the ground was warm and dry. Just beyond the far edge a
+little spring gushed from under a stone and trickled away, whispering
+gently through the bushes.
+
+Paul was the only one of the four who had risen. He stood now erect, the
+stock of his rifle resting on the ground, the customary attitude of the
+waiting borderer, his fine, intellectual face bright with interest.
+
+"Did you see anything, Henry?" he asked.
+
+"O' course he saw somethin'," drawled Shif'less Sol. "Did you ever know
+the time when Henry went anywhar without seein' anythin'?"
+
+"Paul meant did he see anythin' wuth tellin'," said Long Jim. "You're
+always talkin' too much, Sol. Why did you want to bust in on a boy that
+was askin' a decent question?"
+
+"I never talk too much, Long Jim Hart," said the shiftless one
+indignantly. "Now an' then I hev to talk a long time, 'cause I know so
+much that I can't git it all out between sunrise an' sunset, an' the
+hours then are mighty crowded, too. I reckon that you'd never need
+more'n five minutes to empty your head."
+
+"Mine's a good head an' it never has any swellin' either."
+
+"Give Henry a chance," said Paul smiling. "How can he ever tell us
+anything, when you two are filling all the woods with the roar of
+argument?"
+
+The debaters subsided. Silent Tom Ross said nothing. His chariness of
+speech often saved him much breath. Besides, Tom was contented. He knew
+that if Henry had found anything worth telling and thought fit to tell
+it he would do so at the right time.
+
+"Give me some venison," said Henry. "I've walked a long way, and I'm
+hungry."
+
+Paul produced a piece from a deerskin knapsack that he carried and
+Henry, sitting down in the circular opening, ate. Paul lay down again
+and all of them waited.
+
+"Indians," said Henry at length, waving his hands toward the east.
+
+"How many?" asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"I could not tell, but I think it's a large band, either Miamis or
+Shawnees. Perhaps Yellow Panther and Red Eagle have come back."
+
+"Like as not," said the shiftless one. "They're the kind to come."
+
+"Huntin' scalps," said Tom Ross, speaking for the first time.
+
+"And it's our business," said Paul, "to see that they don't get 'em."
+
+"So it is," said Long Jim. "A man hates to lose his hair, 'specially
+when he's got such thick, beautiful hair as mine. I've heard that a big
+prize fur my scalp has been offered to all the Injun nations across the
+Ohio. Still, danger heats up my courage, an' I'm right proud uv bein' a
+marked man."
+
+"We must find out all about that band," said Tom Ross. "Which way wuz
+they goin'?"
+
+"The trail so far as it showed led to the east," replied Henry, "but you
+couldn't tell anything by that. I'm quite sure it was made by hunters
+sent out for buffalo or deer to feed the main band. There's lots of game
+around here, which shows that the Indians haven't been roving over this
+region much."
+
+"I've seen all kinds," said Long Jim. "It jest walks or flies right up
+to our rifle barrels, an' ef it wuzn't fur the danger I'd like to show
+you fellers the grand way in which I could cook a lot uv it."
+
+"Right thar, old hoss, I stand up fur you ag'in' the world," said
+Shif'less Sol, "but I reckon we ain't lightin' any fires jest now."
+
+"No," said Henry. "I think we'd better stay here the rest of the day,
+and keep ourselves in hiding. The main band, whatever its size or
+wherever it is, seems to have plenty of flankers and hunters, and if we
+ran into them, as we surely would, we wouldn't have any chance to watch
+'em later on."
+
+"Right, o' course," said Shif'less Sol, and the others agreed in
+silence.
+
+The five lay back upon the dry leaves, depending upon hearing chiefly,
+to warn them of the possible coming of an enemy. The undergrowth was so
+dense about the cup that no one fifteen yards away could see them, and
+they were able to hear even a creeping warrior, before he could come
+that near. Hence they reposed without alarm, and, bold forest runners
+that they were, eternally on guard, they took their ease with a certain
+sense of luxury.
+
+It was about the middle of the afternoon, and the sun was at its
+brightest, the rays being vertical. From their woodland cup they looked
+up at a circle of shining blue sky, continually crossed by tiny white
+clouds, following one another in a regular procession from south to
+north. The majesty of the wilderness and the illimitable covering of
+forest green appealed to Paul but little less than to Henry. He, too,
+felt the great lift of the spirit, danger or no danger.
+
+The five enjoyed the wilderness, every one in his own way, Henry and
+Paul because their souls were stirred by it, Shif'less Sol because it
+was always unfolding to him some new wonder, Tom Ross because it was a
+hunting ground without limit, and Long Jim because nearly every kind of
+game found in it could be eaten, after it had been cooked by his master
+hand.
+
+But they did not speak now. The people of the border, save in their
+homes, never talked much. The caution bred by the necessity of the woods
+became a habit. They acquired an extraordinary power over voice and
+nerves. Like a Hindu, a man could lie silent and motionless for hours.
+In this respect they had the quality of the Indian and the five at least
+could match his native cunning and training, and, in addition, bring to
+their own aid a superior intellectual power. That was why they were
+kings of the woods.
+
+The sun passed the zenith and the rays were no longer vertical, but it
+was almost as bright in the cup as ever, while the sky itself had lost
+nothing of its shining blue tint. Paul presently said:
+
+"I notice a shred of brown or gray against that brilliant blue. Now all
+the little clouds are white, and this sadder color has no business
+there. Besides, it's a blur. Would you say it's smoke, Henry?"
+
+Henry, who had been listening rather than watching, opened his eyes and
+stared intently at the faint smudge on the sky.
+
+"Yes, it's smoke," he said, "and as the wind now comes from the south
+it, too, is traveling that way. Don't you think so, Sol?"
+
+"O' course, Henry. Now you see thar's a little bigger patch o' gray
+followin' the first, an' it ain't so mighty high above us, either."
+
+"Yes, I see it. Read the book for us, Sol."
+
+"Lookin' at them thar two bits o' gray which Natur' didn't put up in the
+sky, but which somehow came from the hand o' man, I kin spin the tale
+jest ez it is. That's smoke up thar. It can't come from any kind o' a
+forest fire, 'cause it's early spring an' the woods are too green to
+burn. Thar ain't no white people in these parts 'cept ourselves an' ef
+thar wuz they wouldn't be so foolish ez to build a fire that sends up
+smoke. So it's bound to be Injuns. They're a big band, so big that they
+ain't afeard o' bein' attacked. That's the reason why they're so
+keerless 'bout thar smoke. An' 'cause the band is so big it ain't jest
+hunters. It's a war band bound south ag'in the settlements to git scalps
+in revenge for all the braves they've lost. Do I tell the truth, Henry?"
+
+"To the last detail."
+
+"Thoroughly good logic," said Paul.
+
+"What's logic?" asked Long Jim.
+
+"I'll illustrate," replied Paul. "When you see a deer, take aim at him
+with your rifle and shoot him through the heart, you feel quite sure
+when he drops dead that it was you who killed him. Logic tells you that,
+and so that is logic."
+
+"I reckon I know now," said Long Jim, rubbing his chin.
+
+"Tom," said Henry, "about how far from us is the fire that makes that
+smoke?"
+
+"Smoke, 'less there's a terrible lot uv it, don't hang together long,"
+replied Ross, looking up thoughtfully at the little gray clouds. "But I
+reckon them two thar wuz broke off from a much bigger piece at the
+start, an' are gittin' smaller ez they come. But thar main camp ain't
+more'n two miles from here, Henry."
+
+"Just about that, I should say. We'd better look 'em over tonight,
+hadn't we?"
+
+"Jest ez you say. You're the leader, Henry."
+
+"We'll do it, if we can, but I'm thinking we'll have to be mighty
+careful. I've an idea that the woods are full of warriors. I don't want
+to be burned at the stake."
+
+"But Jim Hart here would make a most bee-yu-ti-ful torch," said
+Shif'less Sol. "Slim an' nigh on to six feet and a half tall he'd light
+up the whole woods, ef he wuz set on fire on top fust."
+
+"Ef you wuz set on fire on top," said Long Jim, "thar wouldn't be much
+burnin', 'cause a blaze can't feed on emptiness."
+
+"Thar goes another o' them little gray patches," said Silent Tom. "That
+means they're still feedin' the fire--fur cookin' too, 'cause they don't
+need it to warm by. The hunters must hev brought in a power o' game,
+'cause when the warriors do eat, an' they hev plenty o' it to last, they
+eat in a way no white man can match."
+
+"I suppose that was the way of the primitive man," said Paul, who was
+wont to think about origins and causes. "He was never sure of his food,
+and when he had it he ate all he could."
+
+Henry uttered a slight warning hiss, a sibilant breath, scarcely more,
+and the five shifting a little, grasped their rifles in such a manner
+that they could be pushed forward at once, and listened with all their
+ears. Henry had heard a light footfall, and then the faint sound of
+voices. He drew himself to the edge of the covert and he did it with so
+much skill that not a leaf or a blade of grass rustled.
+
+Lying flat on the ground, and, looking underneath the boughs of the
+trees and bushes, where only the trunks and stems were in the way, he
+saw the legs of four men, the upper parts of their bodies being
+completely hidden by the foliage. Henry knew, nevertheless, that they
+were three Indians and one white man. The white man was disclosed by his
+thicker legs and his toes which turned out. All were clothed much alike
+in deerskin leggings, but Henry could make no mistake.
+
+It was equally evident to him that the white man was not a prisoner,
+because he walked quite freely. Once he passed ahead of the three
+Indians, and then he dropped behind. If a captive, he would have walked
+just behind one warrior and the other two, in Indian file, would have
+walked close behind him.
+
+Henry saw also that they were carrying heavy weights, because they
+stepped slowly and with a certain stiffness. There was a rigidity and
+tension that strong men walking easily would not have shown.
+Unquestionably they were successful hunters, carrying game to a great
+gluttonous band feasting with energy two miles away.
+
+"Three Shawnees and Braxton Wyatt," whispered Shif'less Sol, who had
+crept to his side. "Don't you remember that he had jest the faintest bit
+o' bow in his legs? An' thar's that bow. Why, I'd know them legs anywhar
+in the world."
+
+"That's so," said Henry. "Now I wonder what his wicked mind is devising.
+There's no hater like a renegade."
+
+"You may be shore he's thinkin' o' harm to our people down below," said
+the shiftless one. "I'm glad we're here to see 'em."
+
+Henry nodded in agreement, and they whispered to the others that Wyatt
+and three Shawnees were passing. Henry and Sol knew that they were
+Shawnees, because they had red beads in a row on their leggings, where
+the Miamis wore blue ones.
+
+"Ef I wuz to steal down a bit through the bushes an' shoot that traitor
+right squar' through his black heart, ez I could do easy, I'd be savin'
+the lives o' innocent men, women an' children," said Shif'less Sol.
+
+"It is likely," said Henry, "but you mustn't do it. Somehow I can't see
+a man shot from ambush. Besides, it would give the alarm, an' we
+mightn't be able to carry on our work."
+
+"I didn't say I wanted to do it, but it's pow'ful temptin'."
+
+"Yes, I know, but it's silence and waiting for us."
+
+The four pairs of legs, three Indian and one white, passed on. Ten
+minutes later they heard a long whoop from one point, and a long whoop
+from another point answered. They were not war cries, merely signals,
+and the five appreciated more than ever the invisibility of their little
+retreat. There was not more than one chance in a hundred that a
+wandering warrior would stumble upon it.
+
+Other calls were heard through the forest, and then the faint sound of a
+chant dying swiftly.
+
+"They're merry," said Paul, with swift intuition. "Maybe they have some
+scalps already to rejoice over."
+
+It was a bitter reminder to Henry, and yet it might be true. A small
+band, traveling fast, might have struck an unguarded settlement, and,
+returning, might be here now with the great band, bearing their
+sanguinary trophies. Five only, no matter how brave and skillful, could
+not watch the whole border.
+
+"There's nothing to do," he said, "but wait for darkness."
+
+Not one of them had risen to his feet, and they merely sank back on
+their elbows, again relying more upon ear than eye. They relaxed, but
+they were ready for instant action, should the need come.
+
+They would not have very long to wait now. The sun was so far over in
+the west that it cast slanting rays and shadows were gathering at the
+base of the cup. It was growing colder and the rising wind sang among
+the green young leaves. A vast red sun hanging low over the western
+wilderness tinged the forest, as if with fire. To an ordinary human
+being it would have been an awful sun in its flaming majesty,
+frightening him, lost in the forest, by its mysterious immensity, but
+the five, either separately or alone were too familiar with the great
+spectacle to feel fear.
+
+"It's an uncommonly red sun," said Tom Ross.
+
+"And they say that means battle," said Paul, who had read much for a lad
+of the frontier.
+
+"I s'pose so," said the shiftless one, "an' it may mean a storm, but I
+reckon in this case it's more likely to p'int to rifles an' tomahawks."
+
+The splendor of the west in its crimson and gold deepened. Higher up in
+the heavens were glorious terraces of blue and pink. The boughs of the
+distant trees stood out as if they were wrapped in living fire.
+
+"Magnificent!" said Paul, for whom its magic never palled.
+
+"And now it's fading," said Henry.
+
+"The shoulder of the world is coming up between," said Paul.
+
+"What do you mean by that?" asked Long Jim, "when with your own eyes you
+kin see the sun movin' 'roun' behind the earth."
+
+"The sun doesn't move, Jim, that is, so far as we're concerned, but we
+do. We roll around ourselves every day and night. At the end of the day
+the earth is between us and the sun, and in the night when we roll back
+around we face the sun again."
+
+"You've read a lot of books, Paul, forty or fifty, I s'pose, an' I
+believe most that you say, but you can't make me believe a thing like
+that. Don't I see the sun set, an' don't I see it rise? What's print to
+a fellow's eyes? Print can lie, but your eyes don't."
+
+Paul did not deem it worth while to argue. In a few more minutes the sun
+was hidden behind the turning earth, leaving great bands of gold and
+blue and pink, which, in their turn, faded fast, giving place to the
+gray of coming twilight.
+
+The five ate venison, and drank from the tiny brook at the edge of the
+cup. Meanwhile, full night came, and they prepared to go forth and see
+what they might see.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE BIG GUNS
+
+
+Despite the brilliant sunset, the night was dark, drifting clouds
+veiling the moon at times, while the stars lay hidden behind mists and
+vapors, making the conditions suitable for those who wished to scout and
+spy upon an enemy, as fierce and implacable as the Indian.
+
+"All that color when the sun went down means rain," said Tom Ross, who
+was weatherwise.
+
+"But not tonight," said Henry.
+
+"No, not tonight, but tomorrow, sometime, it'll come, shore. Them
+warriors hev built up their fires mighty big. Can't you smell the
+smoke?"
+
+The wind was blowing toward them and upon it came the faint odor of
+burning wood.
+
+"They're indulging in what we would call a festival," said Paul. "They
+must have an immense bonfire, and it must be a huge camp."
+
+"Beyond a doubt," said Henry.
+
+Examining their weapons carefully they left the cup, dropping into their
+usual order, as they made their silent way through the forest, Henry
+leading, the shiftless one next, then Paul, followed by Long Jim while
+Silent Tom covered the rear. There was no noise as they passed. They
+slipped by the boughs and every moccasined foot instinctively avoided
+the rotten stick that would break beneath its weight.
+
+As they advanced the odor of burning wood grew stronger. It might not
+have been noticed by the dwellers in peaceful lands, but it was obvious
+at once to senses trained like theirs in the hardest of all schools,
+that of continuous danger. Henry twice heard the swish of a heavy night
+bird over their heads, but he knew the sound and paid no attention to
+it. Faint sliding noises in the thickets were made by the little
+animals, scuttling away in fright at the odor of man.
+
+They crossed a shallow valley, in which the forest was extremely dense,
+and emerged upon a low hill, covered with oak, maple and elm, without
+much undergrowth. Here Henry was the first to see a low, barely
+discernible light upon the eastern horizon, and he called the attention
+of the others to it. All of them knew that it was the glow of the Indian
+campfire, and apparently nothing but heavy forest lay between them and
+the flames.
+
+They held a consultation, and agreed that Henry and Shif'less Sol, the
+best two trailers, should go forward, while the other three should
+remain in reserve to cover their retreat, if it were forced, or to go
+forward to possible rescue, if they did not return before morning. The
+decision was reached quickly. The superiority was accorded at once and
+without jealousy to Henry and the shiftless one.
+
+But they moved forward in a group, until the glow rose higher and grew
+brighter. Then the three who were to stay lay close in a clump of bushes
+growing near the base of a great elm that Henry and Shif'less Sol marked
+well. Faint whoops or their echo came to them, and they knew that the
+warriors were rejoicing.
+
+"A mighty big camp, bigger even than we thought," said Silent Tom.
+
+"We'll soon see," said Henry, as he and his comrade in the daring
+venture slid away among the bushes. Then the two went forward with
+unbelievable skill. Not even the ear of a warrior could have heard them
+fifteen feet away, and they never relaxed their caution, although they
+did not believe that the Indians were keeping very close watch.
+
+They had seen at first a glow more pink than red. Now it was a deep
+scarlet, showing many leaping tongues against the forest. The odor of
+burning wood became strong, and they saw sparks and wisps of smoke
+flying among the leaves. Long fierce whoops like the cry of animals came
+at times, but beneath them was an incessant muttering chant and the low,
+steady beat of some instrument like a drum.
+
+"The war dance," whispered Henry.
+
+The shiftless one nodded.
+
+They redoubled their caution, creeping very slowly, lying almost flat
+upon the ground and dragging their bodies forward, like crawling
+animals. They were coming to one of the openings, like a tiny prairie,
+frequent in early Kentucky, sheltered on the side they were approaching
+by a dense canebrake, through which they were making their way.
+
+The open space was several acres in extent, and at the far end were
+tepees, which the two knew were intended for chiefs of high degree. In
+the center burned an immense bonfire, or rather a group of bonfires,
+merged into one, fed incessantly by warriors who dragged wood from the
+adjoining forest, and threw it into the flames.
+
+But it was not the sight of the fire or the tepees that stirred Henry.
+It was that of hundreds of Indian warriors gathered and indulging in one
+of those savage festivals upon which nobody could look at night without
+a thrill of wonder and awe. Here primeval man was in his glory.
+
+The Indians of North America were a strange compound of cruelty and
+cunning, leavened at times by nobility and self-sacrifice. Most of the
+tribes were perfect little political organizations, and the league of
+the Iroquois was worthy of a highly civilized race. They were creatures
+of circumstances, and, while loyal to friends, they were merciless to
+enemies, devising incredible methods of torture.
+
+It was this knowledge that made Henry shudder as he looked upon the
+great camp. He knew the Indian and liked him in many respects--his
+captivity in the northwest had been no pain--but he was white and he
+must fight for the white man, and hence against the red.
+
+The warriors were intoxicated not with liquor, but with the red fury of
+the brain. Vast quantities of game, freshly dressed, were heaped upon
+the earth. Every man would seize a piece to suit himself, broil it
+hastily on coals and then eat. He ate like the savage he was, and the
+amounts they devoured were astonishing, just as they could fast an
+amazing number of days, if need be.
+
+Whenever one had eaten enough for the time he would rush into a mass of
+dancers near the eastern edge of the opening. Then he would begin to
+leap back and forth and chant with unnatural energy. They could keep up
+this manner of dancing and singing for many hours, and they quit it only
+to obtain more food or to fall down exhausted.
+
+"It's the war dance," whispered Henry.
+
+Shif'less Sol nodded. It was, in truth, just approaching its height as
+the two crept near. Four powerful warriors, naked except for the breech
+clout, were beating incessantly and monotonously upon the Indian drums.
+These drums (Ga-no-jo) were about a foot in height and the drummer used
+a single stick. The dance itself was called by the Shawnees,
+Sa-ma-no-o-no, which was the name bestowed upon this nation by the
+Senecas, although the Iroquois themselves called the dance Wa-ta-seh.
+
+Few white men have looked upon such a spectacle at such a time, in the
+very deeps of the wilderness, under a night sky, heavy with drifting
+clouds. The whole civilized world had vanished, gone utterly like a wisp
+of vapor before a wind, and it was peopled only by these savage figures
+that danced in the dusk.
+
+Near the trees stood a group of chiefs, among whom Henry recognized
+Yellow Panther, the Miami, and Red Eagle, the Shawnee, imposing men
+both, but not the equals of an extremely tall and powerful young chief,
+who was destined later to be an important figure in the life of Henry
+Ware. They stood silent, dignified, the presiding figures of the dance.
+
+The war drums beat on, insistent and steady, like the rolling of water
+down a fall. The very monotony of the sound, the eternal harping upon
+one theme, contained power. Henry, susceptible to the impressions of the
+wilderness, began to feel that his own brain was being heated by it, and
+he saw as through a dim red mist. The silent and impassive figures of
+the chiefs seemed to grow in height and size. The bonfires blazed
+higher, and the monotonous wailing chant of the warriors was penetrated
+by a ferocious under note like the whine of some great beast. He glanced
+at the shiftless one and saw in his eyes the same intense awed look
+which he knew was in his own.
+
+The mass of men who had been dancing stopped suddenly, and the chant
+stopped with them. The warriors gathered into two great masses, a lane
+between them. Save the chiefs, all were naked to the breech clout, and
+from perspiring bodies the odor of the wild arose.
+
+The fires were blazing tremendously, sending off smoke, ashes and sparks
+that floated over the trees and were borne far by the wind. At
+intervals, prolonged war whoops were uttered, and, heavy with menace,
+they rang far through the woods, startling and distinct.
+
+Then from the edge of the forest emerged about forty warriors painted
+and decorated in a wildly fantastic manner and wearing headdresses of
+feathers. The drums beat again, furiously now, and the men began to
+dance, swinging to and fro and writhing. At the same time they sang a
+war song of fierce, choppy words, and those who were not dancing sang
+with them.
+
+The lane wound around and around, and, as the singers and dancers went
+forward they increased in vehemence. They were transported, like men who
+have taken some powerful drug, and their emotions were quickly
+communicated to all the rest of the band. Fierce howls rose above the
+chant of the war songs. Warriors leaping high in the air made the
+imaginary motions of killing and scalping an enemy. Then their long
+yells of triumph would swell above the universal chant.
+
+All the while it was growing darker in the forest. The heavy drifting
+clouds completely hid the moon and stars. The sky was black and
+menacing, and the circular ring of woods looked solid like a wall. But
+within this ring the heat and fury grew. The violence and endurance of
+the dancers were incredible, and the shouting chant of the multitude
+urged them on.
+
+Henry caught sight of a white figure near the chiefs, and he recognized
+the young renegade, Braxton Wyatt. Just behind him was another and older
+renegade named Blackstaffe, famed along the whole border for his cunning
+and cruelty. Then he saw men, a half-dozen of them, in the red uniforms
+of British officers, and behind them two monstrous dark shapes on
+wheels.
+
+"Can those be cannon?" he whispered to Shif'less Sol.
+
+"They kin be an' they are. I reckon the British allies o' the Injuns hev
+brought 'em from Detroit to batter down the palisades o' our little
+settlements."
+
+Henry felt a thrill of horror. He knew that they were cannon, but he had
+hoped that the shiftless one would persuade him they were not. They were
+probably the first cannon ever seen in that wilderness, the sisters of
+those used later with success by the Indians under English leadership
+and with English cannoneers from Detroit against two little settlements
+in Kentucky.
+
+But startled as Henry was, his attention turned back to the dancers. Old
+customs, the habits of far-off ancestors, slumbered in him, and despite
+himself something wild and fierce in his blood again responded to the
+primeval appeal the warriors were making. A red haze floated before his
+eyes. The tide of battle surged through his blood, and, then, with a
+fierce warning to himself, he stilled his quivering body and crouched
+low again.
+
+A long time they watched. When a dancer fell exhausted another leaped
+gladly into his place. The unconscious man was dragged to one side, and
+left until he might recover.
+
+"I think we've seen enough, don't you?" whispered Henry. "I'd feel
+better if I were further away."
+
+"Stirs me like that too," said Shif'less Sol. "It ain't healthy fur us
+to stay here any longer. 'Sides, we know all we want to know. This is a
+big war party, mostly Miamis and Shawnees, with some Wyandots an' a few
+Iroquois and Delawares."
+
+"And the English and the cannon."
+
+"Yes, Henry, an' I don't like the looks o' them cannon, the first, I
+reckon, that ever come across the Ohio. Our palisades can turn the
+bullets easy 'nuff, but they'd fly like splinters before twelve pound
+round shot."
+
+"Then," said Henry with sudden emphasis, "it's the business of us five
+to see that those two big guns never appear before Wareville or Marlowe,
+where I imagine they intend to take them!"
+
+"Henry, you hit the nail squar' on the head the fust time. Ef we kin
+stop them two cannon it'll be ez much ez winnin' a campaign. I think
+we'd better go back now, an' j'in the others, don't you?"
+
+"Yes, I don't see that we can do anything at present. But Sol, we must
+stop those cannon some way or other. We beat off a great attack at
+Wareville once, but we couldn't stand half a day before the big guns.
+How are we to do it? Tell me, Sol, how are we to do it?"
+
+"I don't know, Henry, but we kin hang on. You know we've always hung on,
+an' by hangin' on we gen'rally win. It's a long way to Wareville, an'
+while red warriors kin travel fast cannon can't get through a country
+covered ez thick with woods an' bushes ez this is. They'll hev to cut a
+road fur 'em nigh all the way."
+
+"That's so," said Henry more hopefully. "They'll have to go mighty slow
+with those big guns through the forests and thickets and canebrake, and
+across so many rivers and creeks. We'll hang on, as you say, and it may
+give us a chance to act. I feel better already."
+
+"They ain't likely to move fur a day or two, Henry. After the dances an'
+the big eatin' they'll lay 'roun' 'till they've slep' it all off, an'
+nobody kin move 'em 'till they git ready, even if them British officers
+talk 'till their heads ache. They're goin' on with the dancin' too. Hear
+them whoops."
+
+The long shrill cries uttered by the warriors still reached them, as
+they stole away. Henry passed his hand across his forehead. All that
+strange influence was gone now. He no longer saw the red mist, and his
+heart ceased to beat like a hammer. The healthy normal forest was around
+him, full of dangers, it was true, but of dangers that he could meet
+with decision and judgment.
+
+They returned rapidly, but occasionally they looked back at the red
+glare showing above the trees, and for most of the way the faint echoes
+of the whoops came to them. When they approached the bushes in which
+they had left the others Henry uttered a low whistle which was promptly
+answered in like fashion by Silent Tom.
+
+"What did you see?" asked Paul, as they emerged from their hiding place.
+
+"Nigh on to a thousand warriors," replied Shif'less Sol, "an' it was a
+mighty fine comp'ny too. We saw two chiefs, Yellow Panther, the Miami,
+an' Red Eagle, the Shawnee, that we've had dealin's with before, an' our
+old friend Braxton Wyatt, an' the big renegade Blackstaffe, an' British
+officers."
+
+"British officers!" exclaimed Paul. "What are they doing there?"
+
+"You know that our people in the East are at war with Britain," said
+Henry, "and I suppose these officers and some men too have come from
+Detroit to help the warriors wipe us out in Kentucky. They've brought
+with them also two very formidable allies, the like of which were never
+seen in these woods before."
+
+"Two new and strange allies, Henry?" said Paul. "What do you mean?"
+
+"Something that rolls along on wheels, and that speaks with a voice like
+thunder."
+
+"I don't understand yet."
+
+"And when it speaks it hurls forth a missile that can smash through a
+palisade like a stone through glass."
+
+"It must be cannon. You surely don't mean cannon, Henry?"
+
+"I do. The big guns have crossed the Ohio. The Indians or rather the
+English with 'em, mean to use 'em against us. It's our business to
+destroy 'em. Sol and I have agreed on that, and you are with us, are you
+not?"
+
+"O' course!" said Tom Ross.
+
+"Uv course!" said Long Jim.
+
+"Through everything," said Paul.
+
+"What do you think we'd better do right now?" asked Ross.
+
+"Go back to the cup and sleep," replied Henry. "It'll be safe. The
+Indians will be so gorged from their orgie, and will feel so secure
+from attack that they'll hardly have a scout in the forest tomorrow."
+
+"Good plan," said the shiftless one. "I expect to be in that shady
+little place in a half-hour. Long Jim here, havin' nothin' else to do,
+will watch over me all through the rest of the night, an' tomorrow when
+the sun comes out bright, he'll be settin' by my side keepin' the flies
+off me, an' me still sleepin' ez innercent ez a baby."
+
+"That won't happen in the next thousand years," said Long Jim. "Ef
+thar's anything fannin' you tomorrow, when you wake up, a Shawnee or a
+Miami warrior will be doin' it with a tomahawk."
+
+They quickly retraced their course to the cup, being extremely careful
+to leave no trail, and were about to make ready for the night. Every one
+of them carried a light blanket, but very closely woven and warm, upon
+which he usually slept, drawing a fold over him. The dry leaves and the
+blankets would make a bed good enough for any forest rover at that time
+of the year, but Henry noticed a stone outcrop in a hill above them and
+concluded to look farther.
+
+"Wait till I come back," he said, and he pushed his way through the
+bushes.
+
+The outcrop was of the crumbling limestone that imparts inexhaustible
+fertility to the soil of a great region in Kentucky. It is this decaying
+stone or a stone closely akin which makes it the most wonderful cave
+region in the world.
+
+Higher up the slope Henry found deep alcoves in the stone, most of them
+containing leaves, and also a strong animal odor, which showed that in
+the winter they had been occupied as lairs by wild animals, probably
+bears.
+
+Looking a little farther he found one that penetrated deeper than the
+rest. It might almost have been called a cave. It was so placed that at
+that time of night the opening faced a bit of the moon that had made a
+way through the clouds, and, Henry peering into the dusky interior,
+judged that it ran back about twenty feet. There was no odor to suggest
+that it had been used as a lair, perhaps because the animals liked the
+alcoves better.
+
+He threw in some twigs, but, no growl coming forth, he entered boldly
+through an aperture about three feet across and perhaps five feet high.
+He stepped on smooth stone, but as soon as he was inside he stopped and
+listened intently. He heard a faint trickling sound, evidently from the
+far side of the cave, which appeared to be both deeper and wider than he
+had thought.
+
+Henry surmised that the sound was made by running water, and standing a
+long time, until his eyes could grow used, in some degree, to the dusky
+interior, he, at length, made out the opposite wall which was of white
+stone. Stepping carefully he found that a tiny stream flowed in a groove
+made by itself, coming out of one side of the wall and disappearing in
+the other.
+
+It was such a thin little stream that it created no dampness in the cave
+and Henry, drinking some of the water from the palm of his hand, found
+it fresh and cold. He experienced a singular pleasure in discovering the
+water, one that he did not understand. Perhaps it was a prevision.
+
+He explored fully this room in stone, and found it dry and clean
+throughout. His ancestors, hundreds of thousands of years ago, would
+have rejoiced to find such a place, and Henry rejoiced now for reasons
+which were akin to theirs. He returned quickly to the cup.
+
+"We won't sleep here," he said.
+
+"Why not?" asked Paul.
+
+"Because I've found a better place."
+
+"But this is fine."
+
+"I know, but I have a finer."
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"A beautiful stone mansion, built generations ago. It has no furniture
+in it now, but we don't need any. It's built very solidly and it's been
+waiting for us a long time."
+
+"A hole in the limestone," hazarded Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Partly right. It's more than a hole. It's a room, and we've had great
+luck to find it, I tell you, this stone room specially made a million
+years ago for our use."
+
+"Well, it's been waitin' a good while, but we're here."
+
+"Come along, I'll lead you," said Henry, "and be sure not to leave any
+trace of a trail. This house is intended for us only, and we don't want
+any wandering warriors, no matter what their nation, knocking at our
+doors."
+
+"Hurry," said Shif'less Sol. "I'm gittin' pow'ful sleepy."
+
+Henry led the way, and, as he did so, taking a comprehensive look at the
+heavens, he was glad for other reasons as well as safety that they had
+found their stone house in the hill. The bit of a moon was gone and the
+clouds hung lower and darker. He felt the damp in the air.
+
+The mouth of the cave was almost hidden by a heavy growth of bushes, but
+Henry, pulling them aside a little, pointed to the opening.
+
+"In there with you," he said to Long Jim, who was nearest.
+
+"Who? Me?" said Long Jim, "an' run squar' into a b'ar's mouth? Let Sol
+go. He's the fattest, an' the b'ar would like him best."
+
+"No bear is inside," said Henry. "I've seen to that. A herd of about
+fifty was in there, the first bear herd I ever saw, but I killed them
+all with my knife and threw them down the cliff before I saw you."
+
+"Then ez you've cleared out the place, Henry," said Long Jim, "I guess
+it's all safe, an' here goes."
+
+He bent down from his mighty height and entered, the others following
+silently in single file, swallowed up by the dusk. Then they stood in a
+group, until they could see one another, the faint light from the door
+helping.
+
+"Well," said Henry, proudly, "haven't I done well by you? Isn't our new
+house equal to my announcement of it?"
+
+"Equal, and more than equal!" exclaimed Paul with enthusiasm. "Why, we
+haven't had such a place since that time we lived on the island in the
+lake, and this is a greater protection from danger."
+
+"An' we hev plenty o' water, too, I see," said Shif'less Sol. "Look at
+the river over thar, runnin' along ag'in the wall. 'Tain't more'n three
+inches wide, an' an inch deep, but it runs fast."
+
+"I've no doubt that a cave family lived here two or three hundred
+thousand years ago," said Paul, his vivid fancy blossoming forth at
+once.
+
+"What are you talkin' about, Paul?" said Long Jim. "People livin' here
+two or three hundred thousand years ago! Why, the world is only six
+thousand years old! The Bible says so!"
+
+"In the Biblical sense a year did not mean what a year does now, Jim. It
+may have been a thousand times as long. Men did live in caves several
+hundred thousand years ago. A book that Mr. Pennypacker has says so."
+
+"If the book says it, I reckon it's so," said Long Jim, with the
+borderer's sublime faith in the printed word.
+
+"The man of that time was a big, hairy fellow. He didn't have even bows
+and arrows. He fought with a stone club or ax of stone."
+
+"An' do you mean to tell me, Paul, that a man with jest a club could go
+out an' meet the arrers of the Injuns? Why, all uv them warriors kin
+shoot arrers pow'ful hard an' straight. What chance would the man with
+the club hev had?"
+
+"There were no Indians then, Jim."
+
+"No Injuns then!" exclaimed Long Jim indignantly. "Why the fust white
+man that ever come through these parts found the woods full uv 'em. I
+take a heap from you, Paul, 'cause you're an eddicated boy, but I can't
+swaller this."
+
+"I'll prove it to you some day," said Paul laughing, "but whether you
+believe me or not this place suits us."
+
+"How much venison have we got, Tom?" asked Henry.
+
+"'Nough in a pinch to last three days."
+
+"Now you fellers kin keep on talkin' ef you want to," said the shiftless
+one, "but ez fur me I'm a man o' sense, a lazy man who don't work when
+he don't hev to, an' I'm goin' to sleep."
+
+He spread his blanket on the stone floor, lay down and kept his word.
+
+"We might as well follow," said Henry. "Sol's a man of intelligence,
+and, as he says, when there's nothing to do, rest."
+
+"I ain't sleepy," said Tom Ross. "Guess there's no need uv a watch, but
+I'll keep it awhile, anyhow."
+
+He sat down on his blanket and leaned against the wall, near the mouth
+of the room. The others stretched out, even as Shif'less Sol had done,
+and breathing a sigh or two of satisfaction followed him into a land
+without dreams.
+
+Although Henry's sleep was dreamless, it did not last very long. He
+awoke in three or four hours. It was quite dark, but, as he lay on his
+back and gazed steadily, he was able to make out the figure of Silent
+Tom, crouched on his blanket beside the door, his rifle across his
+knees. Although saying nothing Henry had paid attention to what Paul had
+said about the ancient cave man, and now it was easy for his fancy to
+transform Ross into such a being. The rifle on his knees was his stone
+club, and he watched by the opening all through the night lest an enemy
+should come. For the present, at least, it was as much reality as
+fancy, because here was the cave, and here they were, guarding against a
+possible foe.
+
+"Tom," he called softly.
+
+Ross looked around.
+
+"What is it?" he asked.
+
+"I'm restless. I can't sleep any more, and, as I'm going to stay by the
+opening, you'd better persuade yourself to go to sleep."
+
+"Are you bent on watchin', Henry?"
+
+"Yes, I intend to sit up."
+
+"Then I'll go to sleep."
+
+He lay down on his blanket, and Henry took his place by the wall.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE INDIAN CAMP
+
+
+The position of the great youth was comfortable, as he sat upon his
+blanket, the curve of the wall fitting into the curve of his back, his
+rifle resting across his knee, and his figure motionless. He carried in
+his belt a pistol, the keen hatchet of the border and also a long
+hunting knife, but it was the rifle upon which he depended mainly, a
+beautiful piece, with its carved stock and long blue barrel, and in the
+hands of its owner the deadliest weapon on the border.
+
+Henry, like Tom, did not stir. He was a match for any Indian in
+impassivity, and every nerve rested while he thus retained complete
+command over his body. He could see from his position the bushes beyond
+the opening, and, above them, a broad belt of black sky. He rejoiced
+again that they had found this cave or rather stone room as they called
+it.
+
+The dark heavens were full of threat, the air heavy with damp, and low
+thunder was just beginning to mutter. Tom Ross had read the gorgeous
+sunset aright. It betokened a storm, and the most hardened hunters and
+scouts were glad of shelter when the great winds and rains came. The
+dryness and safety of the room made Henry feel all the more snug and
+content, in contrast with what was about to happen outside. It seemed to
+him that Providence had watched over them. Truly they had never known a
+finer or better place.
+
+His mind traveled again to those old, bygone people of whom Paul had
+talked, how they lived in caves, and had fought the great animals with
+stone clubs. But he had a better room in the stone than most of theirs,
+and the rifle on his knees was far superior to any club that was ever
+made. His nerves quivered beneath a thrill of pleasure that was both
+mental and physical. His eyes had learned to cope with the dusk in the
+room, and he could see his four comrades stretched upon their blankets.
+All were sleeping soundly and he would let them sleep on of their own
+accord, because there was no need now to move.
+
+The mutter of the thunder grew a little louder, as if the electricity
+were coming up on the horizon. And he saw lightning, dim at first and
+very distant, then growing brighter until it came, keen, hard and
+brilliant, in flashing strokes. Henry was not awed at all. Within his
+safe shelter his spirit leaped up to meet it.
+
+The thunder now broke near in a series of fierce crashes, and the
+lightning was so burning bright that it dazzled his eyes. One bolt
+struck near with a tremendous shock and the air was driven in violent
+waves into the very mouth of the cave. Shif'less Sol awoke and sat up.
+
+"A storm!" he said.
+
+"Yes," replied Henry, "but it can't reach us here. You might as well go
+back to sleep, Sol."
+
+"Bein' a lazy man who knows how an' when to be lazy," said the shiftless
+one, "I'll do it."
+
+In a few minutes he was as sound asleep as ever, while Henry continued
+to watch the storm. The sky was perfectly black, save when the lightning
+blazed across it, and the thunder rolled and crashed with extraordinary
+violence. But he now heard an under note, one that he knew, the swish of
+the wind. It, too, grew fast and he dimly saw leaves and the branches of
+trees flying past. It was certainly good to be in the snug stone covert
+that he had found for himself and his friends!
+
+The lightning became less bright and the thunder began to die. Then the
+wind came with a mighty sweep and roar and Henry heard the drops of
+rain, striking on leaf and bough like bullets. He also heard the crash
+of falling trees, and one was blown down directly in front of the
+opening, hiding it almost completely. He was not sorry. Some instinct
+warned him that this too was a lucky chance. The rain came in driven
+torrents, but it passed the mouth of the cave and they were as dry and
+comfortable as ever.
+
+The thunder and lightning ceased entirely, by and by, and Henry sat in
+the dark listening to the rush of the rain, which came now in a strong
+and steady sweep like the waves of the sea. He listened to it a long
+time, never moving, and at last he saw a thin shade of gray appear in
+the eastern sky. Day was near, although it would be dark with the storm.
+But that need not trouble them. On the other hand it would be to their
+advantage. The great camp of the Indians would be broken up for a while,
+and they must long since have sought what shelter they could find. They
+could not advance for two or three days at least, while the five lay in
+a splendid covert only two miles from them.
+
+Laggard day came, with a dusky sky, obscured by heavy clouds and the
+rain still pouring. It was several hours after sunrise before it ceased
+and the sky began to clear. Then the others awoke and looked out.
+
+"A big storm and I never heard a thing," said Paul.
+
+"No, Paul," said the shiftless one, "you didn't hear it but it came off
+anyway. You're a mighty good sleeper, you are, Paul. Put you atween fine
+white sheets, with a feather bed under your body an' a silk piller under
+your head, an' I reckon you'd sleep a week an' be happy all the time."
+
+"I suppose I would. It's a sound conscience, Sol."
+
+"I heard somethin' once," said Long Jim, "but knowin' I wuz in the best
+place in the world I didn't open my eyes. I jest went to sleep ag'in an'
+now, ef thar wuz anythin' to cook an' any place to cook it I'd git the
+finest breakfast any uv you fellers ever et."
+
+"We know that, Jim," said Henry, "but we'll have to stick to the dried
+venison for the present. You'll find plenty of drinking water over there
+by the wall. Do you notice that our river has risen a full inch?"
+
+"So it has," said Paul. "The rain, of course. Since we've had this noble
+inn I'm not sorry about the storm. It will stop the march of that Indian
+army."
+
+"And also hide any trail that we may have left yesterday or last
+night," said Henry with satisfaction.
+
+"What do you think we ought to do now, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Eat our breakfasts, that is, chew our venison. I don't believe we can
+do anything today, and there is no need, since the Indians can't move.
+We'll stay here in hiding, and at night we'll go out again to explore."
+
+"A whole day's rest," said the shiftless one, with deep approval.
+"Nothin' to do but eat an' sleep, an' lay back here an' think. I'm not
+eddicated like you an' Henry, Paul, but I kin do a power o' hard
+thinkin'. Now, ef Jim tries to think it makes his head ache so bad that
+he has to quit, but I guess he's lucky anyway, 'cause we're always doin'
+his thinkin' fur him, while he's takin' his ease an' bein' happy."
+
+"Ef I had been dependin' on your thinking', Shif'less Sol," said Long
+Jim, "my scalp would hev been hangin' from an' Injun lodge pole long
+ago."
+
+"Well, it would look well hangin' thar. You hev got good thick hair,
+Long Jim."
+
+They finished their breakfast, and all of them sat down near the
+opening. The fallen tree, while it hid the aperture, did not cut off
+their own view. They were so close to it that they could see well
+between the boughs and leaves. The rising sun, brilliant and powerful,
+had now driven away all the clouds. The sky was once more a shining
+blue, all the brighter because it had been washed and scoured anew by
+wind and rain. The green of the forest, dripping everywhere with water,
+looked deeper and more vigorous. Down in the valley they heard the
+foaming of a brook that had suddenly become a torrent, and which with
+equal suddenness would return to its usual size.
+
+They remained all day in their retreat, seeing thin threads of smoke
+three or four times against the blue sky, an indication that the
+warriors had built their campfires anew, and were trying to dry
+themselves out. Indians as well as white men suffer from rain and cold
+and Henry knew that they would be sluggish and careless that night.
+There was a bare chance that the five might get at the cannon and ruin
+them in some manner, although they had not yet thought of a way.
+
+It was decided that Henry and Shif'less Sol should make the second
+expedition, Paul, Tom Ross and Long Jim remaining as a reserve within
+their stone walls. The two did not disturb the fallen tree at the
+entrance, but slipped out between the boughs, and walking on dead leaves
+and fallen brushwood, in order to leave as little trace as possible,
+reached the valley below. This low area of land was studded for a long
+distance with new pools of water, which would disappear the next day,
+and the ground was so soft that they took to the bordering forest in
+order to escape the mud.
+
+"'Pears likely to me," said the shiftless one, "that them Britishers had
+tents. They wouldn't go on so long an expedition as this without 'em.
+It's probable then that we'll find the renegades in or about 'em."
+
+"Sounds as if it might be that way," said Henry. "The site of their camp
+is not more than a mile distant now, and the tents may be pitched
+somewhere in the woods."
+
+"Reckon we're near, Henry, I smell smoke, and it's the smoke that comes
+out of a pipe."
+
+"I smell it too. It's straight ahead. It must be one of the officers.
+We'll have to be slow and mighty particular. There's a big moon and all
+the stars are out."
+
+The night, as if to atone for the one that had gone before, was
+particularly brilliant. The dripping woods were luminous with silvery
+moonlight and the three used every tree and bush as they approached the
+point from which the tobacco smoke came. The woods were so dense there
+that they heard the men before they saw them. It was first a hum of
+voices and then articulated words.
+
+"It seems that these forest expeditions are not to be taken lightly,
+Wyatt," said a heavy growling voice.
+
+"No, Colonel Alloway," Braxton Wyatt replied in smooth tones. "There are
+no roads in the wilderness. If we want one we'll have to make it. It's
+the cannon that hold us back."
+
+"The Indians could move fast without them."
+
+"Yes, sir, but we must have 'em. We can't break through the palisades
+without 'em."
+
+"Why, young sir, these red warriors can annihilate anything to be found
+in Kentucky!"
+
+"They did not do it, sir, when we attacked Wareville last year."
+
+"Lack of leadership! Lack of leadership!"
+
+"If you'll pardon me, sir, I don't think it was. The Indians have to
+fight in their own way, and the Kentucky riflemen are the best in the
+world. Why, sir, the things they can do with their rifles are amazing.
+A musket is like an old-fashioned arquebus compared with their
+long-barreled weapons. I know one of them--and I must say it, though I
+hate him--who could kill running deer at two hundred yards, as fast as
+you could hand him the rifles, never missing a shot."
+
+"A William Tell of the woods, so to speak!" said the heavy, gruff voice,
+sounding an incredulous note.
+
+"You'll believe me, sir, if you meet 'em," said Wyatt earnestly. "I
+don't love 'em any more'n you do, much less perhaps, but I've learned
+enough to dread their rifles. I was telling you about the one who is
+such a terrible marksman, though the others are nearly as good. Last
+night before the rain one of the Wyandots found the trace of a footstep
+in the forest. It was a trace, nothing more, and not even an Indian
+could follow it, but I've an idea that it's the very sharpshooter I was
+telling you about."
+
+"And what of it? Why should we care anything for a stray backwoodsman."
+
+"He's very dangerous, very dangerous, sir, I repeat, and he's sure to
+have four others with him."
+
+"And who are the dreadful five?" There was a note of irony in the voice.
+
+"The one of whom I spoke is named Henry Ware. There is another, a youth
+of about his own age, named Paul Cotter. The third is Solomon Hyde, a
+man of amazing skill and judgment. The other two are Tom Ross, a
+wonderful scout and hunter, and Long Jim Hart, the fastest runner in the
+West. It was he who brought relief, when we had the emigrant train
+trapped. I think that all the five are somewhere near and that we
+should beware."
+
+The heavy, gruff voice was lifted again in an ironic laugh, and Henry,
+creeping a yard or two more, saw through the leaves the whole group. The
+English officer whom Wyatt had called Alloway, was a man of middle
+years, heavily built. His confident face and aggressive manner indicated
+that he was some such man as Braddock, who in spite of every warning by
+the colonials, walked with blinded eyes into the Indian trap at Fort
+Duquesne, to have his army and himself slaughtered. But now the English
+were allied with the scalp-takers.
+
+A half-dozen English officers, younger men, surrounded Colonel Alloway,
+silent and attentive, while their chief talked with Wyatt. The older
+renegade, Blackstaffe, was leaning against a tree, his arms folded
+across his chest, a sneering look upon his face. Henry knew that he
+thought little of European officers there in the woods, and out of their
+element.
+
+But the most striking figures in the scene were Yellow Panther, head
+chief of the Miamis, and Red Eagle, head chief of the Shawnees. They
+stood erect with arms folded, and they had not spoken either while
+Alloway and Wyatt talked. They were imposing men, not as tall as the
+young chief whom Henry had seen distantly, and who was destined to have
+a great part in his life later on, but they were uncommonly broad of
+shoulders and chest, and, though elderly they were at the very height of
+their mental and physical powers.
+
+They were in full war paint, their scalp locks were braided and each
+had flung about him somewhat in the manner of a Roman toga a magnificent
+blanket of the finest weave, blue for Yellow Panther, red for Red Eagle.
+
+Wyatt translated to them Alloway's words, and Red Eagle at length
+raising his hand said to Wyatt in Shawnee, which all three of the hidden
+scouts understood perfectly:
+
+"Tell our white ally that his words are not those of wisdom. The Indian
+when he goes upon the war path does not laugh at his enemy. He knows
+that he is not fighting with children and he heeds the warnings of those
+who understand."
+
+His tones were full of dignity, but Wyatt, when he translated, softened
+the rebuke. Nevertheless enough of it was left to make the arrogant
+Colonel start a little, and gaze with some apprehension at the two
+massive and silent figures, regarding him so steadily. It was likely too
+that the grim forest, the overwhelming character of the wilderness in
+which he stood, affected him. Without the Indians he and his men would
+be lost in that mighty sweep of country.
+
+"Tell the officers of the King, across the great salt water," continued
+Red Eagle to Wyatt, "that the word has come to us that if we go and
+destroy the settlements of the Yengees, lest they grow powerful and help
+their brethren in the East who are fighting against the King called
+George, we are to receive great rewards. We use the tomahawk for him as
+well as for ourselves, and while we listen to Alloway here, Alloway must
+listen also to us."
+
+Wyatt veiled his look of satisfaction. He had not fancied the haughty
+and patronizing manner of Alloway, and he was sure that the Colonel was
+making too little of the five and their possible proximity. Despite
+himself, and the young renegade was bold, he felt a shiver of
+apprehension lest the formidable group were somewhere near in the woods.
+But he added, speaking in a more persuasive tone to Alloway:
+
+"You'll pardon me, sir, but the Indian chiefs are in their own country.
+They're proud and resolute men, trusting in their own methods, and they
+must be humored. If you don't defer somewhat to them it's quite possible
+that they'll take all their warriors and go back to their villages."
+
+Alloway's face grew red with anger, but he had enough wisdom and
+resolution to suppress it. He looked around at the vast and somber
+forest, in which one could be lost so easily, and knew that he must do
+so.
+
+"Very well," he said, "the chiefs and I lead jointly. Ask them what they
+want."
+
+Wyatt talked with the two chiefs and then translated:
+
+"They wish to stop here a day or two, until they can obtain new supplies
+of food. They wish to send out all of their best trailers in search of
+the scout called Ware and his comrades. They are dangerous, and also
+Yellow Panther and Red Eagle have bitter cause to hate them, as have I."
+
+"Very well, then," said Alloway, making the best of it. "We'll halt
+while the warriors brush away these wasps, whom you seem to fear so
+much."
+
+He walked away, followed by his men, and Henry and Shif'less Sol drew
+back in the thicket. They were flattered by Braxton Wyatt's frank
+admission of their power, but they were annoyed that the footprint had
+been seen. Henry had felt that they could work much better, if the
+warriors were unaware of their presence.
+
+"Those two chiefs will act quickly," he whispered to his comrade. "Maybe
+they had already sent out the trailers, before they had the talk with
+the officer. It's possible that they're now between us and our new home
+in the cliff. It's always best to have a plan, and if they pick up our
+trail I'll run toward the east, and draw them off, while you make your
+way back to Paul and Jim and our room in the cliff."
+
+"You let me make the chase," said Shif'less Sol, protestingly. "They
+can't ketch me."
+
+"No! We've pretty well agreed upon our different tasks, and this, you
+know, is mine."
+
+The shiftless one was well aware that Henry was the most fitting, yet he
+was more than anxious to take the chief danger upon himself. But he said
+nothing more, as they withdrew slowly, and with the utmost caution,
+through the woods. Twice, the red trailers passed near them, and they
+flattened themselves against the ground to escape observation. Henry did
+not believe now that they could regain the stone room without a flight
+or a fight, as he was confirmed in his belief that Red Eagle and Yellow
+Panther had sent out numerous trailers, before their talk with the
+English colonel.
+
+A quarter of a mile away, and they were forced to lie down in a gully
+among sodden leaves and hold their breath while two Shawnees passed.
+Henry saw them through the screening bushes on the bank of the gully,
+their questing eyes eager and fierce. At the first trace of a trail,
+they would utter the war whoop and call the horde upon the fugitives.
+But they saw nothing and flitted away among the bushes.
+
+"Comin' purty close," whispered Shif'less Sol, as they rose and resumed
+their progress. "Warm, purty warm, mighty warm, hot! The next time
+they'll jest burn their hands on us."
+
+"Maybe there'll be no next time," said Henry as they approached the edge
+of a brook. But the bank, softened by the rain, crumbled beneath them,
+and the "next time" had come almost at once.
+
+Although they did not fall, their feet went into the stream with a
+splash that could be heard many yards away. From three points came
+fierce triumphant shouts, and then they heard the low swish of
+moccasined feet running fast.
+
+"Remember," said Henry, rapidly, "hide your trail and curve about until
+you reach the hidden home. Wait there for me!"
+
+He was gone in an instant, turning off at a sharp angle into the bushes,
+leading directly away from the cliff. Now the young superman of the
+forest summoned all his faculties. He called to his service his immense
+strength and agility, his extreme acuteness of sight and hearing, and
+his almost supernatural power of divination, the outgrowth of a body and
+mind so perfectly attuned for forest work.
+
+No fear that he would be caught entered his mind. Alone in the forest he
+could double and turn as he chose, and there was no Indian so fleet of
+foot that he could overtake him. A wild and exultant spirit flowed up in
+him. He was the hunted. Nevertheless it was sport to him to be followed
+thus. He laughed low and under his breath, and then, swelling the cords
+in his throat, he gave utterance to a cry so tremendous in volume that
+it rang like the echo of a cannon shot through the wilderness. But,
+after the Indian fashion, he permitted it to die in a long, fierce note
+like the whine of a wolf.
+
+It was an extraordinary cry, full of challenge and mockery. It said to
+those who should hear, that they might come on, if they would, but they
+would come on a vain errand. It taunted them, and aroused every kind of
+anger in their breasts. No Indian could remain calm under that cry and
+every one of them knew what it meant. Their ferocious shouts replied,
+and then Henry swung forward in the long easy gait of the woodsman.
+
+Mind and muscle were under perfect control. While he ran he saw
+everything in the bright moonlight and heard everything. He made no
+effort to conceal his trail, because he wanted it to be seen and he knew
+that the entire pursuit was strung out behind him. Probably Shif'less
+Sol was already safe within the stone walls.
+
+Lest the trail itself should not be enough he again uttered the defiant
+cry that thrilled through the forest, returning in many echoes. He
+listened for the answering shouts of the warriors, and felt relieved
+when they came. The spirit that was shooting through his veins became
+wilder and wilder. His blood danced and he laughed once more under his
+breath, as wild as any of the wild men of the forest.
+
+He was racing along a low ridge from which the rain had run rapidly,
+leaving fairly firm ground. Once more he disturbed the thickets.
+Startled wild animals sprang up as the giant young figure sped past. A
+rabbit leaped from under his raised foot. A huge owl looked down with
+red, distended eyes at the flying youth, and, in the face of the
+unknown, using the wisdom that is the owl's own, flew heavily away from
+the forest. Some pigeons, probably a part of the same flock that he had
+seen, rose with a whirr from a bough and streamed off in a black line
+among the trees. The undergrowth was filled with whimperings, and little
+rustlings, and Henry, who felt so closely akin to wild life, would have
+told them now if he could that they were in no danger. It was he, not
+they, who was being pursued.
+
+He caught a glimpse of a dusky figure aiming a rifle. Quickly he bent
+low and the bullet whistled over his head. Catching his own rifle by the
+barrel he swung the stock heavily and the red trailer lay still in the
+undergrowth. A little farther on a second fired at him, and now he sent
+his own bullet in reply. The warrior fell back with a cry of pain to
+which his pursuing comrades answered, and Henry for a third time sent
+forth his fierce, defiant shout. Those whom he had met must have been
+hunters coming in.
+
+He reloaded his rifle, running, and kept a wary eye as he passed into
+the canebrake. But he believed now that he had left behind the
+outermost fringe of the scouts and trailers. He would encounter nobody
+lying in ambush, and, after making his way for a long time through the
+dense thickets, he sat down on a little mound to rest and observe.
+
+He knew that the nearest of the warriors was at least four or five
+hundred yards away, and that none could come within rifle shot without
+his knowledge. So, he sat quite still, taking deep breaths, and was
+without apprehension. He was not really weary, the long swinging run had
+not been much more than exercise, but he wanted to look about and see
+the nature of the land.
+
+The canebrake extended a great distance, but he saw far beyond it the
+black shadow of forest, in the interminable depths of which he might
+easily lose himself if the pursuit continued. Whether it continued or
+not was a matter of sheer indifference to him. He had drawn them far
+enough, but if they wished to go farther he would be the hunted again,
+although it might be dangerous for the hunters.
+
+He saw the crests of the cane waving a little, and, rising, he resumed
+the race on easy foot, passing through the canebrake, and entering the
+forest, in which there was much rough, rocky ground. Here he leaped
+lightly from stone to stone, until he knew the trail was broken beyond
+the possibility of finding, when he sat down between two great upthrust
+roots of an oak and leaned back against turf and trunk together. He knew
+that the green of his deerskins blended perfectly with the grass, and he
+felt so thoroughly convinced that the pursuit had stopped that he
+decided to remain there for the night.
+
+He unrolled the blanket from his back, put it about his shoulders, and
+then he laughed again at the successful trick that he had played upon
+these fierce red warriors. It had been an easy task, too. Save the two
+hasty shots from the trailers he had never been in serious danger, and
+now, as he rested comfortably, he ate a little more of the dried venison
+from his knapsack. Then he fell asleep.
+
+The hours of the night passed peacefully. The soft turf supported his
+back, and only his head was against the trunk of the tree. It was a
+comfortable position for a seasoned forest runner. Toward morning the
+wind rose and began to sing through the spring foliage. Its song grew
+louder, and before it was yet dawn Henry awoke and listened to it. Like
+the Indian he heard the voice of the Great Spirit in the wind, and now
+it came to him with a warning note.
+
+He stretched his limbs a little and stood up, his hand on the hammer of
+his rifle. The darkness that precedes the dawn covered the woods, but he
+could see some distance into it, and he saw nothing. He listened a long
+time, and as the dusk began to thin away before the sun he heard a low
+chant. He knew that it was an Indian song, a song of triumph, coming
+from the south, and for a while he was puzzled.
+
+Clearly, this was no part of the great war band, which lay to the north
+of him, and he concluded that it must be a small expedition which had
+already gone into the South and which was now returning. But he did not
+like the character of the song. It indicated victory and he thrilled
+with horror and repulsion. The triumph must be over people of his own
+race.
+
+The blood in every vein grew hot with anger, and the pulses in his
+temples beat so hard that for a while it made a little singing in his
+head. The great figure stiffened and a menacing look came into his eyes.
+
+The chant was fast growing louder and the singers would pass within a
+few feet of his tree. He slipped aside, turning away a hundred yards or
+so, and crouched behind dense bushes. The singers came on, about twenty
+warriors in single file, Shawnees by their paint, and the first three
+brandished aloft three hideous trophies. Henry had more than suspected,
+but the reality made him shudder.
+
+The three scalps were obviously those of white people, and the first,
+long, thick, blonde and fine, was that of a woman. The warrior who waved
+it aloft, as he chanted, wore only the breech cloth, his naked body
+painted in many colors, and he exulted as he displayed his trophy, so
+fine to his savage heart.
+
+A mighty rage seized Henry. For a moment his eyes were clouded by the
+red mist that danced before them. The song of the wind before the dawn
+had aroused him to his coming danger, but there was nothing to tell the
+triumphant savage that his hour was at hand.
+
+The red mist cleared away from the great youth's eyes. The blood lately
+so hot in his veins became as cold as ice, and the pulses in his temples
+sank to their normal beat. Mind and nerves were completely attuned and
+he was a perfect instrument of vengeance. The rifle rose to his shoulder
+and he looked down the sights at a tiny bear painted in blue directly
+over the warrior's heart. Then he pulled the trigger and so deadly was
+his aim that the savage sank down without a cry, and the scalp fell and
+lay upon his own body, the long hair reddening fast with the blood that
+flowed from the warrior's heart.
+
+Henry turned instantly and darted into the depths of the forest,
+reloading as usual as he ran. A single backward glance had shown him
+that the warriors, confused and puzzled at first, were standing in an
+excited group, looking down at their dead comrade. He knew they would
+recover quickly and to hasten the moment he uttered that long, thrilling
+cry of defiance.
+
+He was willing for them to pursue, in truth he was anxious that they
+should. He had marked the other two warriors who waved the scalps, and
+he now had a cold and settled purpose. He intentionally made noise as he
+ran, letting the boughs of bushes fly back with a swish and soon he
+heard the Indians, two or three hundred yards away.
+
+He knew that their muskets or smooth bores could not reach him at the
+range and that his rifle had over them, an advantage of at least fifty
+yards. He let them come a little nearer, and, as the country was now
+more open they saw him and uttered cries of mingled rage and triumph.
+They were gaining perceptibly and they felt certain of capture.
+
+The fugitive permitted them to come a little nearer, and he watched them
+out of the corner of one eye. The second man in the pursuing group, a
+tall thin warrior, had been waving a scalp. Even now it was swinging at
+his belt, and as they gained, yard by yard, Henry wheeled for a second
+or two and shot the scalp-bearer through the head.
+
+Then he increased his speed, reloaded his rifle once more, and sent back
+that taunting cry which he knew inflamed the savage heart with ferocity
+and the desire for vengeance. The Indians had hesitated, but now they
+uttered the war whoop all together, and came on at their utmost speed.
+Henry noted the third scalp-bearer. He was a short, powerful fellow, but
+he did not have speed enough to keep himself in front. But Henry was
+resolved that he too should suffer.
+
+They were running now through forest comparatively free from
+undergrowth. The fugitive stumbled suddenly and then limped for a step
+or two. The simultaneous yell of the Indians was fierce and exultant,
+but the rifle of the great youth flashed, and the short, broad warrior
+was gone to join his two comrades.
+
+Then the speed of the fugitive increased at a great rate, and, as the
+warriors were no longer anxious to pursue, he soon disappeared in the
+forest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE DEED IN THE WATER
+
+
+Henry's pace sank into a long walk, but he did not stop for two hours.
+Then he drank at one of the innumerable brooks and lay down in the
+forest. His adventure with the returning war party made him think much.
+It was likely that other small bands had gone on the great adventure in
+the south. The young warriors, in particular, were likely to take to the
+scalp trail. It furnished them with excitement and at the same time
+destroyed the intruders upon their great hunting grounds.
+
+He was tempted to rejoin his comrades and go south at once with a
+warning, but second thought told him that the chief danger lay in the
+great war band under Yellow Panther and Red Eagle. He would adhere to
+his original plan and seek to destroy the cannon.
+
+He resolved to return at night, and since he had plenty of time he shot
+a small deer, taking all chances, and cooked tender steaks over a fire
+that he lit with his flint and steel. It refreshed him greatly, and
+putting other choice portions in his knapsack he started back on a wide
+curve, leaving the smoldering coals to arouse the curiosity of any one
+who might see them.
+
+It was now the second day after the great storm, and earth and the
+forest had dried completely. Henry, stepping lightly on the firm earth,
+and always using every stone or log or brook to hide any possible trace,
+had little fear of leaving a trail that even the keenest Indian could
+follow. But he picked up several trails himself. One was that of a small
+party coming from the east, and he thought they might be Wyandots bound
+for the great camp. Another had the imprints of two pairs of boots,
+mingled with the light traces of moccasins, and he knew that they were
+made by English soldiers, doubtless gunners, coming also with their
+Indian comrades to join the great camp.
+
+Nothing escaped his notice. He knew that not far to the eastward ran one
+of the great rivers that emptied into the Ohio, flowing northward, and
+he began to wonder why the band did not use it for the transport of the
+cannon, at least part of the way. Indians were usually well provided
+with canoes, and by lashing some of the stoutest together they could
+make a support strong enough for the twelve pounders. It was an idea
+worth considering, and he and his comrades would watch the stream. Then
+it occurred to him that he might go there now, and see if any movement
+in that direction had been begun by the warriors. The other four
+undoubtedly would remain in their little stone fortress, until he
+returned, or even if they should venture forth they knew all the ways of
+the forest, and could take care of themselves.
+
+To think of it was to act at once, and he began a great curve toward
+the east, slackening speed and awaiting the night, under cover of which
+he could work to far better effect and with much greater safety.
+
+Toward sunset he came upon a trail made by moccasins and two pairs of
+boots, and he surmised that it was Alloway and one of his young officers
+who had passed that way with the Indians. As they were going toward the
+river it confirmed him in his conjecture that they intended to use it,
+at least in part, for their advance into Kentucky.
+
+There had been no effort to hide the trail. What need had they to do so?
+Even with the belief that the five were in the vicinity they were in too
+large numbers to fear attack, and Henry, following in their footsteps,
+read all their actions plainly.
+
+They were not walking very fast. The shortness between one footprint and
+the next proved it, and their slowness was almost a sure indication that
+the party included Yellow Panther and Red Eagle, or at least one of
+them. They did not go faster, because they were talking, and Alloway
+would have discussed measures only with the chiefs.
+
+At one point four pairs of footsteps turned aside a little, and stopped
+in front of a large fallen log. Two of the traces were made by moccasins
+and two by boots. So, the two pairs of moccasins indicated that both
+chiefs were present. The four had sat on the log and talked some time.
+In the crevices of the bank he found traces of thin ash. The British
+officer therefore had lighted his pipe and smoked there, further proof
+that it had been a conference of length.
+
+The warriors had remained in a group on the right, thirty or forty yards
+away, and several of them had lain down, the crushed grass showing faint
+traces of their figures. Two small bones of the deer, recently covered
+with cooked flesh, indicated that several of them had used the
+opportunity to eat their supper.
+
+Unquestionably the movement intended by the white leader and the red
+chiefs was important, or they would not stop to talk about it so long.
+Hence it must mean the transportation of the cannon by water. He could
+not think of anything else that would divert them from the main route.
+
+About two miles farther on another trail joined the one that he was
+following. It was made wholly by moccasins, but it was easy enough for
+him to discern among them two pairs, the toes of which turned outward.
+These moccasins, of course, were worn by Blackstaffe and Wyatt, who,
+whatever the British colonel may have thought of them, were nevertheless
+of the greatest importance, as intermediaries between him and the Indian
+chiefs.
+
+A few yards beyond the junction they had stopped and talked a little,
+but they had not sat down. Nevertheless they had consulted earnestly as
+the footsteps were in an irregular group, showing that they had moved
+about nervously as they talked. Then they walked on, but the moccasins
+moved forward in a much straighter and more precise manner than the
+boots, which were now veering a little from side to side. The two
+British officers, not trained to it like the others, were growing weary
+from the long walk through the woods. But they persevered. Although
+they sagged more the trail led on, and, after a while, Henry saw a
+light, which he knew to be a campfire, and which he surmised was on the
+bank of the river.
+
+The night was fairly dark and under cover of bushes he approached until
+he could see. Then all his surmises were confirmed. The campfire was
+large and around it sat Alloway, the younger officer, Red Eagle and
+Yellow Panther, and at a little distance about twenty warriors. The two
+Englishmen seemed utterly exhausted, while the others showed no signs of
+weariness.
+
+"I admit, Wyatt, that walking seven or eight miles through the primeval
+wilderness is no light task," said Alloway, wiping his red, perspiring
+face.
+
+His tone was not haughty and patronizing. He felt just then, in this
+particular work, that he was not the equal of the renegades and the
+warriors. Henry saw a faint ironic smile upon the face of each of the
+renegades, and he understood and appreciated their little triumph.
+
+"You would do better, Colonel," said Blackstaffe suavely, "to wear
+moccasins in place of those heavy boots. They carry you over the ground
+much more lightly, and we have to follow the ways of the wilderness."
+
+The irritable red of Alloway's face turned to a deeper tint, but he
+controlled himself.
+
+"Doubtless you are right, Blackstaffe," he said, "but we are here at
+last."
+
+Wyatt had been speaking in a low tone to the chiefs, and it inflamed a
+choleric man like Alloway to hear anyone saying words that he could not
+understand. He was not able to restrain himself wholly a second time.
+
+"What is it, man? What is it that you're saying to the chiefs?" he
+exclaimed.
+
+"I was merely telling them," replied Wyatt, "that you and your aide,
+Lieutenant Cartwright, had been made weary by the long walk through the
+woods, and that we'd better let you rest a little before going down to
+inspect the canoes."
+
+A blaze of anger appeared in Alloway's eyes, but the younger officer who
+had been watching his chief with some apprehension, said deferentially:
+
+"Suppose, sir, that we do as they suggest. Campaigning in this
+wilderness is not like fighting on the open fields of Europe."
+
+They all sat down about the fire, and venison, jerked buffalo meat and
+roasted grain were served to them. The two chiefs were silent, and,
+holding themselves with dignity, were impressive. Presently one of them
+took from under his deerskin tunic a pipe, with a long stem, and a bowl,
+carved beautifully. He crowded some tobacco into it, put a live coal on
+top and took two or three long puffs. Then he passed it to the other
+chief who after doing the same handed it to Colonel Alloway.
+
+The officer hesitated, not seeming to understand the meaning of the pipe
+at that particular time, and Wyatt said, maliciously:
+
+"The pipe of peace, sir!"
+
+"Why should we smoke a pipe of peace when we're already allies?"
+
+"A little feeling has been shown on our march through the woods to the
+river. Indians, sir, are very sensitive. These two chiefs, Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle, are the heads of powerful tribes, and if their
+feelings are hurt in any manner they will resent it, even to the point
+of withdrawing all their warriors and returning north of the Ohio. I
+suggest, sir, that you smoke the pipe at once, and return it to them."
+
+Colonel Alloway did so, Cartwright took it readily, after them the two
+renegades smoked, and thus it was passed around the circle. It came back
+to Red Eagle, who knocked the coals out of the pipe and then gravely
+returned it to its resting place.
+
+Henry had watched it all with eager attention, and when the little
+ceremony was finished he made another short circle through the bushes
+that brought him close to the river, where he saw about twenty canoes
+and two boats much larger, built stoutly and apparently able to sustain
+a great weight. He knew at once that they were intended for the cannon
+and that they had been brought down the Ohio and then up the tributary
+stream. Both had oars and he surmised that the white gun crews would use
+them, since the Indians were familiar only with the paddle. These boats,
+scows he would have called them, were tied to the bank and were empty.
+Some of the canoes were empty also, but in seven or eight, Indian
+warriors were lying asleep.
+
+He was quite certain that the cannon would be brought up the next day,
+and be loaded on the scows, and he wished now for the presence of his
+comrades. The five together might accomplish something real before the
+dawn, and then he resolved that since he was alone he would attempt it
+alone. He withdrew to a considerable distance, and lay down in the
+bushes, very close.
+
+It was hard to think of a plan that seemed feasible, and he concentrated
+his mind upon it until his brain began to feel inflamed, as if with a
+fever. But the idea came at last. It was full of danger, and it called
+for almost supernatural skill, but he believed that he could do it. Then
+the fever went out of his brain and the tension of his nerves relaxed.
+He felt himself imbued with new strength and courage, and his soul rose
+to its task.
+
+He saw the two officers, the renegades and the chiefs come down to the
+edge of the river, and talk with the warriors there. No very strict
+watch was kept, because none seemed to be needed. Then blankets were
+spread for them under the trees, and they went to sleep. Most of the
+warriors followed their example, and not more than three or four
+sentinels were left on watch. These three or four, however, would have
+eyes to see in the darkness and ears to hear when a leaf fell.
+
+But Henry did not sleep. He was never more wide-awake. He made his way
+carefully through the bushes farther up the stream to a point where he
+noticed the last canoe lying empty near the shore, almost hidden in the
+shadows cast on the water by the overhanging boughs.
+
+He came to a point parallel with it and not more than ten feet away,
+and critically examining the river saw that the water was quite deep
+there, which suited his purpose. The light craft was held merely by a
+slender piece of bark rope. Then he began the most perilous part of his
+task. He returned toward the sleeping officers and chiefs, and, lying
+flat upon the ground in the deep grass and heavy shadows, began slowly
+to worm himself forward. It was a thing that no one could have
+accomplished without great natural aptitude, long training and infinite
+patience. He knew that risk of detection existed, but he calculated
+that, if seen, he might be up and away before any one of his enemies
+could find time for a good shot.
+
+The Englishmen in particular were the mark at which he aimed. He had
+noticed that the younger one carried a large horn of powder and he was
+likely to be careless about it, a belief that was verified as he drew
+near. The Englishman had taken off his belt, bullet pouch and powder
+horn, all of which now lay on the ground near him.
+
+A long arm was suddenly thrust from the grass and a hand closing on the
+powder horn took it away. Henry felt that it was well filled and heavy
+and he glowed with triumph. The first link in his chain had been forged.
+He crept back into the bushes, and stopped there twice, lying very
+still. He saw the Indian sentinels moving about a little, but evidently
+they suspected nothing. They were merely changing positions and quickly
+relapsed into silence and stillness.
+
+It was fully half an hour before Henry was back at his place opposite
+the swinging little canoe. Then he shook the powder horn triumphantly,
+put it down at the foot of a tree and covered it up with some leaves. As
+he did so he noticed that many of last year's leaves were quite dry and
+he remembered it.
+
+Then he went back to forge the second link, which was not so difficult.
+The fire around which the white men and the chiefs had eaten their
+supper was a little distance back of the present camp, where he was
+quite sure that it was still smoldering, although deserted. He found a
+stick the end of which was yet a live coal, and circling a little wider
+on his return he came back to the powder horn.
+
+Henry held the live point of the stick close to the ground where it
+could not cast a glow that the sentinels might see, and then waited a
+minute or so before taking any further action. Two links of the chain
+had been forged and he felt now that he would carry it to its full
+length and success. He had never been more skillful, never more in
+command of all his faculties, and they had never worked in more perfect
+coordination. There had never been a more perfect type of the human
+physical machine. Nature, in one of her happy moods, had lavished upon
+him all her gifts and now he was using them to the utmost, turning his
+ten talents into twenty.
+
+The third link would be one of great difficulty, much harder than the
+bringing of the fire, and that was the reason why he was considering so
+well. He could discern the figures of three of the sentinels on land.
+Two of them were brawny warriors naked to the waist, and painted
+heavily. The third was quite young, younger than himself, a mere boy,
+perhaps on his first war path. Henry understood the feelings of hope and
+ambition that probably animated the Indian boy and he trusted that they
+would not come into conflict.
+
+The sentinels were walking about, and when the one nearest him turned
+and moved away he gathered up quickly fallen brushwood which lay
+kiln-dry at the river's brink. Then he hid his rifle, other weapons and
+ammunition in the grass. For a brief space he must go unarmed, because
+he could not be cumbered in an effort to keep them dry.
+
+Carrying the powder horn, the dry sticks and the one lighted at the end,
+he dropped silently into the water and managed with one arm to swim the
+few feet that separated him from the canoe. Then he passed around it,
+putting it between him and the land, and carefully lifted everything
+inside. He knew that the dry wood would burn fast when he placed the
+torch against it, and he put the horn full of powder very near.
+
+Then he sank low in the water behind the canoe, and listened until he
+heard the faint sputter of the fire in the dry wood. Now new
+difficulties arose. He must time everything exactly, and for the sake of
+his enterprise and his own life he must keep the Indian alarm from
+coming too soon.
+
+The sputtering was not yet loud enough for the warriors on the bank to
+hear it, and he ventured to rise high enough for another look over the
+edge of the canoe. In two minutes, he calculated, the fire would reach
+the powder horn. Then he drew from his belt his hunting knife, the only
+weapon that he had not discarded, and cut the withe that held the canoe.
+
+Burying himself in the water to the nose he sent his fire ship down the
+stream toward the two scows intending for it to enter just between them.
+Now he needed all his skill and complete command over his will. The
+sputtering of the fire increased, and he knew that it was rapidly
+approaching the horn of powder. The flesh had an almost irresistible
+desire to draw away at once and swim for life, but an immense resolution
+held his body to its yet uncompleted task.
+
+The canoe was moving with such a slight ripple that not an Indian
+sentinel had yet heard, but when it was within ten yards of its
+destination one happened to look over the river and see it moving. There
+would have been nothing curious in a canoe breaking its slender thong
+and floating with the current, but this one was floating against it. The
+Indian uttered a surprised exclamation and instantly called the
+attention of his comrades.
+
+Henry knew that the supreme moment was at hand. The Indian warning had
+come, and the sputtering told him that the fire was almost at the powder
+horn. Giving his fire ship a mighty shove he sent it directly between
+the scows and then he made a great dive down and away. He swam under
+water as long as he could, and just as he was coming to the surface he
+heard and saw the explosion.
+
+The two scows and the canoe seemed to leap into the air in the center of
+a volcano of light, and then all three came down in a rain of hissing
+and steaming fragments. The crash was stunning, and the light for a
+moment or two was intense. Then it sank almost as suddenly and again
+came the darkness, in which Henry heard the steaming of burning wood,
+the turmoil of riven waters and the shouts of warriors filled with
+surprise and alarm.
+
+It was easy in all the confusion for him to reach the bank, recover his
+arms and speed into the forest. He had forged with complete success
+every link in his chain of destruction. The scows intended for the
+transportation of the cannon were blown to splinters, and while they
+might lash enough canoes together to sustain their weight, they must
+move slowly and at much risk.
+
+Although he was dripping with water, Henry was supremely happy. When he
+undertook this feat he had believed that he would succeed, but looking
+back at it now it seemed almost incredible. But here he was, and the
+deed was done. He laughed to himself in silent pleasure. Wyatt,
+Blackstaffe and the others would undoubtedly trace it to him and his
+comrades, and he hoped they would. He was willing for them to know that
+the five were not only on watch but could act with terrific effect.
+
+A half-mile away from the river and he heard a long fierce yell, uttered
+by many voices in unison. He knew they had picked up at the edge of the
+stream the tale that he had not sought to hide, and were hoping now for
+revenge upon the one who had cost them so much. But he laughed once more
+back of his teeth. In the darkness they might as well try to follow a
+bird of the air. He curved away, reached one of the numerous brooks
+intersecting the stream, and ran for a long time in its bed. Then he
+emerged, passed into a dense canebrake and stopped, where he took off
+his wet clothing and spread it out in the dark to dry. The blanket which
+he had left on the bank with his arms was warm and dry and he wrapped it
+around his body. Then he lay down with his weapons by his side.
+
+The satisfied blood ran swiftly and proudly in the veins of the great
+forest runner. He had done other deeds as bold, but perhaps none as
+delicate as this. It had demanded a complete combination of courage and
+dexterity and perfect timing. A second more or less might have ruined
+everything. He could imagine the chagrin of the choleric colonel. Unless
+Wyatt and Blackstaffe restrained him he might break forth into
+complaints and abuse and charge the Indians with negligence, a charge
+that the haughty chiefs would repudiate at once and with anger. Then a
+break might follow.
+
+Whether the break came or not he had insured a delay, and since the
+cannon could not yet be put upon the river he might find a way to get at
+them. He rolled on one side, made himself comfortable on the dead leaves
+and then heard the wind blowing a song of triumph through the cane. He
+fell asleep to the musical note, but awoke at dawn.
+
+His clothing was dry, and, unwrapping himself from the tight folds of
+the blanket, he dressed. Then, stretching his muscles a little, to
+remove all stiffness or soreness he emerged from the canebrake. After
+examining a circle of the forest with both eye and ear to see that no
+warrior was near, he climbed a tree and looked over a sea of forest.
+
+To the north where the great camp lay he saw spires of smoke rising, and
+to the east, where a detachment guarded the boats in the river, another
+column of smoke floated off into the blue dawn. So he inferred that they
+were yet uncertain about their campaign and that their forces would
+remain stationary for a little while. But he was sure that warriors were
+ranging the forest in search of him. Red Eagle and Yellow Panther would
+not let such an insult and loss pass without many attempts at revenge.
+
+He descended and ate the last of his venison. He would have returned at
+once to his comrades, but he believed that many warriors were in between
+and he did not wish to draw danger either upon them or himself. He began
+another of his great curves and it took him away from the refuge in the
+cliff, coming back in two or three hours to the stream that bore the
+little Indian fleet. His triumph of the night before increased his
+boldness, and he resolved to return the following night and annoy
+further the detachment by the river. It would serve his cause, and it
+would be a pleasure to vex the dogmatic European colonel.
+
+Weather was a great factor in the operation he was carrying on, and the
+coming night, fortunately for his purpose, promised to be dark. Spring
+is fickle in the valley of the Ohio, and toward evening clouds gathered,
+although there was not a sufficient closeness of the air to indicate
+rain. But the moon was feeble and by and by went away altogether. Then
+the stars followed, leaving only a black sky which hid Henry well, but
+which did not hide the smaller camp by the river from him.
+
+Watchers had been spread out in a wider circle, but he had no difficulty
+in approaching the fire, built on the bank of the river, around which
+sat the two chiefs, the renegades and the British officers. Henry saw
+that the faces of all of them expressed deep discontent, and he enjoyed
+the joke, because joke it was to him. He understood the depths of their
+chagrin.
+
+"We'll have to carry the cannon on the canoes, and maybe they'll fall
+into the river," said Alloway querulously. "How in thunder the blowing
+up of those scows was managed I don't understand!"
+
+"Several of the warriors saw a canoe floating down, sir, just before the
+explosion," said Cartwright, "and it must have been no illusion, as a
+canoe is gone."
+
+Cartwright had missed his horn of powder after the excitement from the
+explosion was over, but he supposed some Indian had used the opportunity
+to steal it, and he said nothing about his loss from fear of creating a
+breach.
+
+"In my opinion, sir," said Braxton Wyatt, smoothly but with just a trace
+of irony, "it was done by Ware and his comrades."
+
+"Impossible! Impossible!" said Alloway, testily. "The careless Indians
+left powder in the scows and in some manner equally careless it's been
+exploded. The tale of the canoe that floated upstream of its own accord
+was an invention to cover up their neglect."
+
+"Do you wish us to translate for you and to state that opinion to the
+chiefs?" asked Blackstaffe.
+
+Alloway gave him an angry glance, but he had prudence enough to say:
+
+"No, of course not. After all, there may have been a canoe. But whatever
+it was it was most unfortunate. It delays us greatly, and it preys upon
+the superstitions of the warriors."
+
+"They are very susceptible, sir, to such things," said Wyatt. "They
+dread the unknown, and this event has affected them unpleasantly. But
+I'm quite sure it was done by Ware, although I don't know how."
+
+"Ware! Ware!" exclaimed Alloway, impatiently. "Why should a force like
+ours dread a single person?"
+
+"Because, sir, he does things that are to be dreaded."
+
+Yellow Panther, who had been sitting in silence, his arms folded across
+his great bare chest, arose and raised his hand. Braxton Wyatt turned
+toward him respectfully and then said to Colonel Alloway:
+
+"The head chief of the Miamis wishes to speak, sir, and if you will
+pardon me for saying so, it will be wise for us to listen."
+
+"Very well," said Alloway. "Tell us what he says."
+
+Thus spoke Yellow Panther, head chief of the Miamis, veteran of many
+wars, through the medium of Braxton Wyatt:
+
+"We and our brethren, the Shawnees, have come with many warriors upon a
+long war path. Our friends, the white men whom the mighty King George
+has sent across the seas to help us, have brought with them the great
+cannon which will batter down the forts of the Long Knives in
+Kaintuckee. But the signs are bad. The boats which were to carry the
+cannon on the river have been blown up. An enemy stands across our path
+and before we go farther we must hunt him down. If we cannot do it then
+Manitou has turned his face away from us."
+
+Wyatt translated and Alloway sourly gave adhesion. It was hard for him
+to think that a single little group of borderers could hold up a great
+force like theirs, armed with cannon too. But he was acute enough to see
+that the menace of a rupture would become a reality if he insisted upon
+having his own way.
+
+Henry had watched them while they talked, and then he turned aside to a
+point nearer the river's brink, from which he could see two pairs of
+their strongest canoes lashed together in the stream, ready for the
+reception of the cannon when they should come. How was he to get at
+them? He knew that he could not use a fire boat again, but these rafts,
+for such they were, must be destroyed in some manner.
+
+Lying deep in the thickets he considered his problem. One of the reasons
+why he excelled nearly all the scouts of the border was because he
+thought so much harder and longer, and now he concentrated all his
+faculties for success.
+
+It did not take him long to mature his plan, and when he had done so he
+moved down the stream, where the chance of an Indian sentinel
+discovering him was much smaller. There he waited a space, while the
+night darkened still more, the moon and stars being shut out entirely. A
+wind arose and little crumbling waves pursued one another on the
+surface of the river, which was flooded and yellow from spring rains.
+
+He saw only one or two sentinels and they showed but dimly. Farther down
+the Englishmen, the chiefs and the renegades were sitting about the low
+fire, and he felt sure that the white men, at least, would sleep there
+by the coals. From his covert in the bushes he saw them presently
+spreading their blankets, and then they lay down with their feet to the
+smoldering fire. The chiefs soon followed them and elsewhere the
+warriors also rolled themselves in their blankets. They seemed to think
+that he would not come back, reasoning like the white men that the
+lightning would not strike in the same place twice.
+
+So he waited long and patiently. This quality of patience was one in
+which the Caucasian was usually inferior to the Indian, but in the
+incessant struggle on the border it was always needed. Henry, through
+the power of his will and his original training among the Northwestern
+Indians, had acquired it in the highest degree. He could sit or lie an
+almost incredible length of time, so still that he would seem to blend
+into the foliage, and now as he lay in the bushes some of the little
+animals crept near and watched him. A squirrel, not afraid of the fire
+in the distance, came down the trunk of a tree, and hanging to the bark
+not five feet away regarded him with small red eyes.
+
+Henry caught a glimpse of the little gray fellow and turning his head
+ever so slightly regarded him. The red eyes looked back at him half bold
+and half afraid, but Henry had lived in the wild so much that the two
+felt almost akin. The squirrel saw that the gigantic figure on the
+ground did not move, and that the light in the eyes was friendly. He
+crept a little nearer, devoured by curiosity. He had never seen a human
+being before, and instinct told him that he could escape up the tree
+before this great beast could rise and seize him. He edged cautiously an
+inch nearer, and the blue eyes of the human being smiled into the little
+red eyes of the animal.
+
+The two gazed at each other for a half minute or so. It was a look of
+the utmost friendliness, and then the squirrel went noiselessly back up
+the tree. It was a good omen, thought Henry, but he still waited with
+the illimitable patience which is a necessity of the wild. He saw the
+fire, before which the white men and the chiefs lay sleeping, sink lower
+and lower. The night remained dark. The heavy drifting clouds which
+nevertheless were not ready to open for rain, moved overhead in solemn
+columns. The surface of the river grew dim, but now and then there was a
+light splash as a strong fish leaped up and fell back into the current.
+The Indian guards knowing well what made them, paid no attention to
+these sounds.
+
+The wind increased and Henry saw all the canoes, including those lashed
+together, rocking in the current. The blast made a whistling sound among
+the bushes and boughs and he concluded that the time for him to act had
+come. He took off all his clothing, made it, his weapons and ammunition
+in a bundle which he fastened on his head, and then swam across the
+river. He went some distance down the bank, deposited everything except
+his heavy hunting knife securely in the bush, and then, with the knife
+in his teeth, dropped silently into the river.
+
+The lashing of the wind and the perceptible rise of the stream from
+flooded tributaries farther up, made a considerable current, and Henry
+floated with it. But the bank on the camp side of the river was
+considerably higher than the other and first he swam across to its
+shelter.
+
+It was so dark now that not even the keen eye of an Indian could have
+seen his dark head on the dark surface of the stream, and he was so
+powerful in the water that he swam like a fish without noise. Once or
+twice he caught the gleam of the fire on the bank, but he knew that he
+was not seen.
+
+In a few minutes he dropped in behind the lashed canoes, and with the
+heavy hunting knife cut holes in their bark bottoms. He was skillful and
+strong, but it took him a half-hour to finish the task, and he stopped
+at intervals to see if the sentinels had noticed anything unusual.
+Evidently they dreamed as little of this venture as of that of the fire
+boat.
+
+He cut a small hole in every one at first, and then enlarged them in
+turn, and when he saw the water rising in the boats he swam rapidly
+away, still keeping in the shelter of the near shore. Then he dived,
+rose just behind a curve and walked out on the opposite bank, his figure
+gleaming white for a moment before he crept into the woods where his
+clothes and weapons lay. He dressed with rapidity and still lying hidden
+he heard the first Indian cry.
+
+The sentinels, hearing the gurgling of the water, had looked over and
+seen the sinking canoes. Even as they looked, and as the alarm brought
+others, the canoes filled with water and sank fifteen feet to the bottom
+of the stream.
+
+A few rays of moonlight forced their way through the clouds just at that
+moment, and Henry saw the amazement on the faces of the warriors, and
+the anger on the faces of the white men, because Alloway and the others,
+awakened by the alarm, had hurried to the banks of the river.
+
+He laughed low to himself but with deep and intense satisfaction. He was
+enough a son of the wild to understand the emotions of the Indians. He
+knew that the second destruction of the boats, but in a different way,
+would fill them with awe. They could attach no blame to the sentinels
+who watched as only Indians could watch.
+
+Henry saw them lift the remaining canoes upon the bank for safety, and
+then send out scouts and runners in search of the dangerous foe who had
+visited them twice. None had yet come to his side of the river, but he
+knew that they would do so in time, and feeling that the deed was
+sufficient for the night, he fled away in the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE FOREST JOKER
+
+
+It was Henry's first thought to return to his comrades, but the way was
+long and he must pass by the greater Indian camp, which surely had out
+many sentinels. So he changed his mind and resolved to spend the night
+in the woods. Shif'less Sol and the others would not be alarmed about
+his absence. They too had acquired the gift of infinite patience and
+would remain under cover, until he returned, content with their stone
+walls and roof, having plenty of venison, and fresh water running
+forever in their home itself.
+
+It was his idea to seek some thicket at a distance and lie hidden there
+until the next night, when he might achieve a fresh irruption upon the
+enemy. He had succeeded so far that he was encouraged to new attempts,
+and all the wilderness spirit in him came to the front. The civilization
+of the house and the city sank quite away. He was for the time being
+wholly a creature of the primeval forest, and while his breath was the
+very breath of the wild he felt with it a frolic fancy that demanded
+some outlet. He must sleep, but he would like to play a new trick upon
+his enemies before he slept.
+
+The spirit of the Faun, in which the old Greeks believed, was re-created
+within him, and where could a better place for its re-creation have been
+found than in this vast green wilderness stretching from east to west a
+thousand miles, and from north to south fifteen hundred miles, a region
+almost untouched by the white man, the like of which was not to be found
+elsewhere on the globe.
+
+He laughed a little in his triumph, though silently. As he strode along
+a stray ray of moonlight fell upon him now and then, and disclosed the
+tall, splendid figure, the incarnation of magnificent youth, the forest
+superman, one upon whom Nature had lavished every gift for the life that
+he was intended to live. Although his step was light and soundless, his
+figure expressed strength in every movement. It was shown in the swing
+of the mighty shoulders, and the long stride which without effort
+dropped the miles behind him.
+
+It was destined, too, that he should have his wish for another
+achievement that night, one that would please the sportive fancy now so
+strong in him. After recrossing the river he saw on his left an opening
+of considerable size, and he heard grunts and groans coming from it. He
+knew that a buffalo troop was resting there. The foolish beasts had
+wandered into the Indian vicinity, but they would learn the proximity of
+the warriors the next day and wander away. Meanwhile Henry needed them
+and would use them. Now and then he reverted to the religious imagery
+which he had learned when he was with Red Cloud and his Northwestern
+tribe. Manitou had really sent this buffalo herd there for his
+particular benefit. It was the largest that he had ever seen in
+Kentucky. Fully five hundred of the great brutes rested in the opening
+and he needed numbers.
+
+He passed into the thick forest near them, and then with infinite
+patience lighted a fire with his flint and steel. Securing long sticks
+of dead wood he ignited them both until they burned with a steady and
+strong flame. Strapping his rifle upon his back and holding aloft a
+flaming torch in either hand, and uttering fierce and wild shouts he
+charged directly upon the buffaloes.
+
+He showed prodigious activity. All the extraordinary life that was in
+him leaped and sang in his veins. He rushed back and forth, uttering
+continuous shouts, whirling each torch until it made a perfect circle of
+fire. Doubtless to the heavy eyes of the buffaloes the single human
+being seemed twenty, every one enveloped in bursts of flame which they
+dreaded most of all things.
+
+A big bull buffalo, the leader of the herd, crouched at the very edge of
+the opening, decided first that it was time to move. The whirling
+circles of fire with living beings inside of them filled him with
+terror. His ton of flesh quivered and quaked. He rose with a mighty
+heave to his feet and then with a bellow of fright took flight from the
+flashing devils of fire.
+
+The whole herd was in a panic in an instant and followed the leader.
+They might have scattered in their fright, but they were shepherded by a
+human mind, which had allied with it a body without an equal in all
+that million and a half square miles of forest. As he leaped to and fro,
+shouting and whirling his torches, he drove the herd straight toward the
+camp on the river where the English officers and chiefs were even now
+asleep.
+
+A few animals broke off from the herd and were lost in the bushes, but
+the rest ran, packed close, a long column, tapering at the front like an
+arrow head, with the big bull as its point. They bellowed with fright
+and made a tremendous crashing as they raced over the mile that divided
+them from the Indian camp. Warriors heard the uproar, like the bursting
+of a storm in the night, and leaped to their feet.
+
+Now Henry fairly surpassed every effort that he had made hitherto. He
+leaped more wildly than ever, and redoubled his fierce shouting. He was
+so close upon the flank of the last buffaloes that they felt the torches
+singeing their hair, and, mad with fear lest they go to their buffalo
+heaven sooner than they wished they charged directly upon the Indian
+camp.
+
+The wild yells of the warriors joined with Henry's shouts. Alloway,
+Cartwright and the others leaped up to see the red eyes, the short
+crooked horns and the huge, humped shoulders of the buffaloes bearing
+down upon them. Nothing could withstand that rush of mighty bodies and
+white men and Indians alike ran for their lives.
+
+The buffaloes came up against the river, and blocked by its deep flood,
+turned, and, running over the camp again, crashed away toward the west.
+Henry, stopping at a convenient distance, tossed his torches into the
+river, and taking the rifle from his back sank into the bushes. Here he
+laughed once more, under his breath, but with the most intense delight.
+It was the hugest joke of all.
+
+Without any great danger to himself he had made the buffaloes serve him,
+and he could still hear them bellowing and crashing in their frantic
+flight. Although no lives had been lost, everything in the camp had been
+trodden flat. All of their cooking utensils had been smashed, many of
+their rifles had been broken, and, the canoes drawn upon the bank, had
+been ground under the hoofs of the buffaloes. A hurricane could not have
+made a wreck more complete.
+
+Henry saw Alloway emerge from the forest and come back to the scene of
+ruin. He had taken off his coat before he lay down, but only fragments
+of it remained now. He was red with anger and he swore violently. Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle had lost their blankets, but, whatever they felt,
+they kept it to themselves. They looked upon the trodden camp, but they
+did not lose their dignity.
+
+"What is this? What is this? What is this?" stuttered Alloway in his
+wrath.
+
+"We seem, sir, to have been run over by a herd of buffaloes," said
+Wyatt, smoothly.
+
+"And does this sort of thing happen often in these woods?"
+
+"I can't say that I've heard of such a case before, but even if it's a
+single instance we're the victims of it."
+
+Alloway glared at Wyatt, but he knew that he could not afford to quarrel
+with the young renegade, who had great influence with the tribes. He
+picked up the fragments of his red coat and looked at them ruefully.
+
+"I didn't know that the herds were ever so large in this forest
+country," he said to Blackstaffe.
+
+"It's seldom so," said the older renegade.
+
+"Is it their habit to rise up at midnight and gallop over men's camps?"
+
+"It is not."
+
+"Then how do you account for such behavior?"
+
+Blackstaffe shrugged his shoulders and spoke a few words in their own
+tongue to the chiefs. Then he turned back to Colonel Alloway.
+
+"The chiefs tell me," he said, "that the buffaloes were driven by a
+demon, an immense figure, preceded by whirling circles of fire. The evil
+spirit, they say, is upon them."
+
+"And do you believe such nonsense?"
+
+"A continuous life in the deep woods gives one new beliefs. I thought I
+caught a glimpse of such a figure, but when I tried for a second look it
+was gone. But whether right or wrong you can see what has happened. Our
+camp has been destroyed and with it most of the canoes. We have lost
+much, and the Indians are greatly alarmed. It is superstition, not fear,
+that has affected them."
+
+"In my opinion," said Braxton Wyatt, "it was a trick of Henry Ware's. He
+drove those buffaloes down upon us."
+
+"Very likely," said Blackstaffe, "but you can't persuade the Indians
+so."
+
+"Nor me either," said Alloway gruffly. "You can't tell me that a
+backwoods youth can do so much."
+
+"But," said Blackstaffe, "our scows were blown up, our lashed canoes
+were sunk, and now the buffaloes have been driven over us. It couldn't
+be chance. I think with Wyatt that it was Ware, but the chiefs are not
+willing to stay here longer. They demand that we return to the great
+camp in the morning, and that we abandon the attempt to take the cannon
+up the river."
+
+"Which means an infinite amount of work with the ax," growled Alloway.
+"Well, let it be so, if it must, but I will not move tonight for
+anything. At least grass and trees are left, and I can sleep on one and
+under the other."
+
+The chiefs, Yellow Panther and Red Eagle, thought they ought to march at
+once, but they yielded to Alloway who was master of the great guns with
+which they hoped to smash the palisades around the settlements. Complete
+cooperation between white man and red man was necessary for the success
+of the expedition, and sometimes it was necessary for one to placate the
+other.
+
+They chose places anew upon ground that looked like a lost field of
+battle. The buffaloes had practically trampled the camp into the earth.
+The Indians had lost most of their blankets and in taking the canoes
+from the river and putting them upon the bank to escape one form of
+destruction they had merely met another. But they did the best they
+could, seeking the most comfortable places for sleep, and resolved to
+secure rest for the remainder of the night.
+
+But Red Eagle and Yellow Panther, great chiefs though they were, were
+troubled by bad dreams which came straight from Ha-nis-ja-o-no-geh, the
+dwelling place of the Evil Minded. An enemy whom they could not see or
+hear, but whose presence they felt, was near. He had brought misfortune
+upon them and he would bring more. They awoke from their dreams and sat
+up. The white men were sleeping heavily, but then white men were often
+foolish in the forest.
+
+Everything that stirred in the wilderness had a voice for the Indian.
+North wind or south wind, east wind or west wind all said something to
+him. The flowing of the river, and the sounds made by animals in the
+darkness had their meaning. Yellow Panther and Red Eagle were great
+chiefs, mighty on the war path, filled with the lore of their tribes,
+and they knew that Manitou expressed himself in many ways. They spoke
+together and when they compared their bad dreams straight from
+Ha-nis-ja-o-no-geh they felt apprehension. The wind was blowing from the
+northwest, and its voice was a threat. Then came the weird cry of an owl
+from a point north of them, and they did not know whether it was a real
+owl or the same evil spirit that had sent the bad dreams.
+
+The two chiefs, wary and brave, were troubled. They could fight the
+seen, but the unseen was a foe whom no warrior knew how to meet. Then
+they heard the owl again, but from another point, farther to the west,
+and after a while the cry came from a point almost due west.
+
+They sent the boldest and most skillful warrior to scout the forest in
+that direction and they waited long for his return, but he never came
+back. When the second hour after his departure had been completed the
+chiefs awakened all the others and announced that they would start at
+once for the great camp.
+
+Alloway growled and cursed under his breath.
+
+"What is it?" he said to Braxton Wyatt, who had been talking with Red
+Eagle and Yellow Panther. "Can't we finish in peace what's left of the
+night?"
+
+"We must yield to the chiefs, sir," said Wyatt. "If we don't there will
+be trouble, and the whole expedition will fail before it's fairly
+started. While we were asleep they heard an owl hoot from several
+different points of the compass, and they think it an omen of evil. They
+may be right, because a scout, a man of uncommon skill, whom they sent
+out two hours ago with instructions to return in an hour or less, has
+not come back. If you consider the misfortunes that have befallen us
+tonight, you can't blame 'em."
+
+The hoot of the owl, much nearer, came suddenly through the forest. To
+the chiefs and to the white men as well it had a long menacing note. It
+was an omen of ill and it came from the Place of Evil Dreams. Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle, great chiefs, victors in many a forest foray,
+shuddered. Fear struck like daggers at their hearts.
+
+"Gray Beaver, our scout, will never come back," said Yellow Panther, and
+Red Eagle nodded.
+
+The surcharged air affected Alloway and the other white men also. The
+obvious fears of the chiefs and the black wilderness about him created
+an atmosphere that the colonel could not resist. He glanced at the dark
+files of the trees and listened to the low moaning of the river as it
+flowed past. Then from a point in the south came that warning, plangent
+cry of the evil bird. Perspiration stood out on the brows of the chiefs
+and Alloway himself was shaken. Superstition and fears bred of the
+wilderness and its darkness entered into his own soul. The place
+suddenly became hateful to him.
+
+"Let us go," he said. "Perhaps it is better that we rejoin the main
+force."
+
+Braxton Wyatt had his own opinion, but he was as willing as the others
+to depart. He felt that on this expedition he would be safer with the
+warriors all about him. He had saved his own rifle from the rush of the
+herd, and putting it on his shoulder he fell in behind the chiefs.
+
+The whole party started, but they found that although they had left an
+evil place they had also begun an evil march. The owl, which the Indians
+were quite sure contained the soul of some great dead warrior, followed
+and continually menaced them. Its cry was heard from one side and then
+from the other. Colonel Alloway, a brave man, though choleric and cruel,
+was exasperated beyond endurance. He raged and swore as they marched
+through the dark thickets, the Indians moving lightly and surely, while
+he often stumbled. He insisted at last that they stop and take action.
+
+"Do you think this is a real owl following us?" he said to Wyatt, whom
+he invariably used as an interpreter.
+
+"I think it is Ware, of whom I told you."
+
+"You're as bad in your way as the Indians are in theirs. Why, the fellow
+would be superhuman!"
+
+"That would not keep it from being true."
+
+Alloway knew from Wyatt's tone that he meant what he said.
+
+"We must hunt down this forest rover!" he exclaimed. "I can see that he
+is striking a heavy blow at the Indians through their superstitions."
+
+"No doubt of that, sir."
+
+"Tell the chiefs for me that we must send out a half dozen trailers
+while the rest of us remain here. I'm not as used as you are to midnight
+marches in the forest, and every bone in me aches."
+
+Wyatt translated and Yellow Panther and Red Eagle consented. A
+half-dozen of the best trailers slipped away in different directions in
+the forest, and the rest sat down in a group. They waited a long time
+and heard nothing. The owl did not cry, nor did any human shout come
+from the haunted depths of the wilderness.
+
+"At least they've driven him away," said Alloway to Cartwright.
+
+"I think so, sir."
+
+Out of the forest, low at first, but swelling on a long triumphant note,
+came the solemn voice of the owl. Alloway, despite himself, shuddered.
+The sinister cry expressed victory. His own mind, like those of the
+Indians, had become attuned to the superstitions and fears bred of
+ignorance and the dark. His heart paused, and when it began its work
+again the beat was heavy.
+
+A darker blot appeared on the darkness and two warriors, bearing a
+third, came through the bushes. The man whom they bore was a
+dark-browed, cruel savage who had carried the scalp of a white woman at
+his belt. But he would hunt or scalp no more. He had been cloven from
+brow to chin with the blow of a tomahawk wielded by an arm mighty like
+that of Hercules. Colonel Alloway looked upon the slain savage and
+shuddered again.
+
+"Ask them how it happened," he said to Wyatt.
+
+The young renegade, after speaking with the Indians, replied:
+
+"Black Fox, the dead warrior, turned aside to look into a willow
+thicket. The others heard the beginning of a cry, that is one that was
+checked suddenly, and the sound of a blow. Then they found Black Fox as
+you see him there."
+
+"And the one who struck him down?"
+
+"There was no trace of him, but I, at least, have no doubt about him.
+Colonel Alloway, sir, I tell you he is the greatest forester that ever
+lived. He has all the different kinds of strength of the red man and the
+white man united, and something more, a power which I once heard a
+learned man say must have belonged to people when they had no weapons
+but clubs, and beasts far bigger than any of our time roamed the woods.
+It must have been a sort of feeling or sense that we can't understand,
+like the nose of a hound, and this Ware has it."
+
+"Pshaw! Pshaw! Pshaw!" exclaimed Alloway violently. But Wyatt saw that
+his violence of speech was assumed to hide his own growing belief. The
+two chiefs beckoned to him, and he talked with them briefly. Then he
+turned to Alloway.
+
+"Red Eagle and Yellow Panther ask me to say to you, sir, that they'll
+send no more warriors into the forest. The Evil Spirit is there and
+while they're ready to fight men they will not fight devils."
+
+"I don't blame 'em," said Alloway reluctantly. "We've been outwitted and
+made fools of, and the best thing we can do is to get back to the great
+camp as soon as we can. Tell the chiefs we're ready to march."
+
+But the way was long and the night was still black. The cry of the owl
+came several times, first on the right and then on the left. Every time
+he heard it the heart of the colonel beat with anger, tinged with awe.
+It was a strange world into which he had come, and while he would not
+have acknowledged it to another, he knew that he was afraid. And afraid
+of what? Of a single figure, lurking somewhere in the dusk, that seemed
+able to strike at any moment wherever and whenever it wished.
+
+The band, with its chiefs, its white men and its renegades marched on,
+the two English officers panting from such unusual exertion, and
+tripping often as they grew weaker. It hurt Alloway to ask them to stop
+and let him rest, and he put off the evil moment as long as he could,
+but at last, as his breath became shorter and shorter, he was compelled
+to do so.
+
+The chiefs acquiesced silently and the whole band stopped. Alloway sat
+down on one of those fallen logs to be found everywhere in the primeval
+forest, and his breath came in long painful sobs. He was just a little
+too stout for wilderness work, that is for the marching part of it, and
+he was hurt cruelly in both body and spirit. As his general weakness
+grew, the cry of the owl directly in their path and not far away was
+like fire touched to an open wound.
+
+"Can't some of the warriors go forward, ambush and shoot that fiend?" he
+exclaimed in desperation to Blackstaffe.
+
+"You saw what happened when we tried it an hour ago," replied the
+renegade. "In the darkness one man has an opportunity over many. He
+knows that all are his enemies, and he can shoot the moment he hears a
+sound or sees a rustle in the bush. Besides, sir, we are confronted, as
+Wyatt has told you, by the one foe who is the most dangerous in all the
+world to us. There is something about him that passes almost beyond
+belief. I'm not a coward, as these Indians will tell you, but nothing
+could induce me to go into the forest in search of him."
+
+Alloway made no reply, but he took off a cocked hat that he wore even in
+the wilderness, and began to fan his heated face. A rifle cracked
+suddenly, and the hat flew from his hand into the air. The Indians
+uttered a long wailing cry like the Seneca "Oonah," but did not move
+from their places or show any sign that they wished to pursue.
+
+The colonel's empty hand remained poised in the air, and he gazed with
+mingled anger and wonder at his hat, lying upon the ground, and
+perforated neatly by a bullet. Wyatt, Blackstaffe and Cartwright looked
+at him but said nothing. Even Wyatt felt a thrill of awe.
+
+"That, sir, was a warning," he said at last. "He could have shot you as
+easily."
+
+"But why don't the warriors pursue? He could not have been much more
+than a hundred yards away!"
+
+"They're afraid, sir, and I don't blame 'em."
+
+Wyatt himself showed apprehension. He knew the bitter hatred the
+borderers felt toward all renegades. The name of Girty was already one
+of loathing. Blackstaffe was another who could expect little mercy, if
+he ever fell into their hands, and Wyatt himself knew that he had fully
+earned the Kentucky bullet. He did not feel the superstition of the
+warrior, but he regarded the gloomy depths of the forest with just as
+much terror. There was no reason why the silent marksman who hung upon
+them should not pick him out for a target.
+
+They came to a creek running three feet deep, but they waded it and then
+stood for a minute or two on the bank, wringing the water out of their
+clothing. Colonel Alloway still cursed under his breath, and bemoaned
+the fate that had befallen him. It seemed a cruel jest that he, who had
+served in Flanders and Germany, in open country that had been civilized
+many centuries, should be sent from Detroit to march as an ally of
+savages in that enormous and unknown wilderness.
+
+The cry of the owl came from a point straight ahead, and not more than
+four hundred yards away. Not a savage moved. But Alloway's whole frame
+shook with furious anger. It was preposterous that they should be
+harried so on their march by a single enemy. Once more he turned to
+Wyatt and said:
+
+"Can't we spread out in some manner and catch this impudent fellow? Are
+thirty men to be driven all night through the woods by a single border
+rover?"
+
+"I can put your question to the chiefs," Wyatt replied, "but I doubt
+whether anything will come of it."
+
+He talked a little with Yellow Panther and Red Eagle and found that they
+were willing to try again. They were pursued by a devil, but, mysterious
+as he was, they would send forth the warriors, and perhaps they might
+trap him. They gave the signal and a dozen savages plunged at once into
+the bush, spreading out like a fan, and advancing toward the point from
+which the owl had sent his haunting cry.
+
+The others waited a long time by the creek, and Alloway's rage still
+burned. It was past endurance that a gentleman and an officer should be
+hunted through the woods in such a manner, insulted even by a bullet
+through his fine cocked hat, and hope being the father of belief, he was
+sure that the warriors would finish him this time.
+
+He heard a sudden sharp report in the woods behind them, on the other
+side of the creek that they had crossed, and a bullet buried itself in
+the tree against which he was leaning, not very far from his face. He
+uttered a deep oath, but Yellow Panther and Red Eagle signaled to their
+forces to take the trail once more. The one in whom the Evil Spirit
+dwelled and who had come to mock them could not be caught. They would
+waste no more time, but would march as fast as they could to the main
+camp. They sent out cries that called in the warriors and then they set
+off at a great pace.
+
+But all through the remainder of the night the Evil Spirit hung upon
+them, sometimes beside them, and sometimes behind them, and the terror
+of the warriors grew. Upon more than one face the war paint was damp
+with perspiration, and Colonel Alloway, his red face dripping, was
+forced to keep up with them, stride for stride.
+
+Their terror did not diminish at all until the daylight came. Red Eagle
+and Yellow Panther, great chiefs, were glad to see the glow over the
+eastern forest that told of the rising sun. Even then they did not stop,
+but kept on at high speed, until the morning was flooded with light,
+when they stopped for fresh breath.
+
+The English officers threw themselves upon the ground and gasped. They
+were not ashamed to show now to the Indians that they were weary almost
+to death.
+
+"I think I left at least twenty pounds in that cursed forest," said
+Alloway.
+
+"I'm not anxious for another such march," said Cartwright with sympathy.
+"But, sir, you can see a big smoke rising not more than a mile ahead.
+That must be the main camp."
+
+"It is," said Braxton Wyatt, "and there are some of the scouts coming to
+meet us."
+
+Far behind them rose the long hoot of the owl, but Wyatt knew that they
+would hear it no more that day. He regarded the English officers grimly.
+They had patronized him and Blackstaffe, and now they made the poorest
+showing of all. In the woods they were lost.
+
+Alloway and Cartwright rose after a long rest and limped into the camp.
+The colonel reflected that he had lost prestige but there were the
+cannon. The warriors could not afford to march against Kentucky without
+them, and only he and his men knew how to use them. In a huge camp, with
+a brilliant sun driving away many of the fancies that night and the
+forest brought, his full sense of importance returned. He began to talk
+now of pushing forward at once with the guns, in order that they might
+strike before the settlers were aware.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE KING WOLF
+
+
+When the two chiefs, Alloway and the smaller force, were driven into the
+great camp, Henry turned aside into the forest and felt that he had done
+well. All the fanciful spirit of the younger world created by the Greeks
+had been alive in him that night. He had been a young Hercules at play
+and he had enjoyed his grim jokes. He was not only a young Hercules, he
+was a primeval son of the forest to whom the wilderness was a book in
+which he read.
+
+He went back a little on their path, and he marked where the European
+leader had fallen twice through sheer weariness or because he could not
+see well enough in the dusk to evade trailing vines. A red thread or two
+on a bush showed that he had torn his uniform in falling, and the young
+woods rover laughed. He could not recall another such gratifying night,
+one in which he had served his own people and also had annoyed the enemy
+beyond endurance.
+
+He went deep into the forest, hiding his trail as usual, and lay down in
+a covert to rest, while he ate some of the venison that he had left.
+Here he saw again his friends of the little trails, with which he was so
+familiar. The shy rabbits were creeping through the bushes and
+instinctively they seemed to have no fear of him. Two little birds not
+ten feet over his head were singing in intense rivalry. Their tiny
+throats swelled out as they poured forth a brilliant volume of song, and
+Henry, lying perfectly still, looked up at them and admired them. It
+would have required keen eyes like his to have picked them out, each of
+whom a green leaf would have covered, but he saw them and recognized
+them as friends of his. He did not know them personally, but since all
+their tribe were his comrades they must be so too.
+
+Although he was one of mighty prowess with the rifle, and a taker of
+game, Henry always felt his kinship with the little people of the
+forest. No one of them ever fell wantonly at his hands. The gay birds in
+their red or blue plumage and all the soberer garbs between, were safe
+from him. It seemed that they too at times recognized him as a friend
+since he would hear the flutter of tiny wings over his head or by his
+ear, and see them pass in a flash of flame, or of blue or of brown.
+
+Those old tales of Paul floated once more through his mind. He had no
+doubt that Paul was right. The Biblical six thousand years might be six
+million years as men thought of them now. And he knew himself, from his
+own eye, that huge monsters, larger than any that lived now, did roam
+the earth once. He had seen their bones in hundreds at the Big Bone
+Lick, where they had come to get the salty water scores of thousands of
+years ago. It seemed to him then that in those days men and the little
+animals and the little birds must have been allies against the monsters.
+Here, in the woods so far from civilization, this friendship must be
+continued. The light wind which so often sang to him through the leaves
+sprang up and joined its note to that of the birds. The fierce, wild
+spirit that had made him haunt the flying trail the night before, and
+that had sent the tomahawk so deep, departed. He felt singularly
+friendly to all created beings.
+
+Lying on his back and looking upward into the green roof, Henry listened
+to the forest concert. The two over his head were still singing with
+utmost vigor, but others had joined. From all the trees and bushes about
+him came a volume of song, and the shadow of no swooping hawk or eagle
+fell across the sky to disturb them.
+
+He had a little bread in his pouch, and he threw some crumbs on the
+grass a few feet away. The hand and arm that had cast them sank by his
+side, remained absolutely still and he waited. The wonder that he was
+wishing so intensely came to pass. A bird, brown and tiny, alighted on
+the grass and pecked one of the crumbs. Beyond a doubt, this was a bold
+bird, a leader among his kind, an explorer and discoverer. He had never
+seen a crumb before, but he picked up one in his tiny bill and found it
+good. Then he announced the news to all the world that could hear his
+voice, and there was much fluttering of small wings in the air.
+
+More birds, red, green, yellow and brown, settled upon the grass and
+began to pick the crumbs eagerly. It was new food, but they found it
+good. Nor did they pay any attention to the great figure in buckskin
+dyed green lying so near and so still. The instinct given to them in
+place of reason, which warned them of the presence of an enemy, gave
+them no such warning now, because there was none against which they
+could be warned.
+
+Henry always believed that the birds felt his kinship that morning, or
+perhaps it was the crumbs that drew them to a friend and gave them
+hearts without fear. One of them, perhaps the original bold explorer,
+seeking vainly for another crumb, hopped upon his bare hand as it lay in
+the grass, but feeling its warmth flew away a foot, hung hovering a
+moment or two, then came back and took a peck.
+
+It was not sufficient to hurt Henry's toughened hand, and exerting the
+great strength of his will over his body he continued to lie perfectly
+motionless. The bird, satisfied that this food was beyond his powers,
+stood motionless for a few moments, then flapped his wings two or three
+times to indicate that he was a prince and an ornament of the forest,
+and began to pour forth the fullest and deepest song that Henry had yet
+heard.
+
+It gave him a curious thrill as the bird, perched on his hand, and
+extended to his utmost, sang his song. The other birds having finished
+all the crumbs stood chirping and twittering in the grass. Then, as if
+by a given signal, all of them, including the one on Henry's hand,
+united in a single volume of song and flew up into the crevices of the
+green roof. He felt that a serenade had been given to him, one that few
+human kings ever enjoyed. The little flying people of the forest had
+united to do him honor, and he was pleased, hugely pleased.
+
+They were hidden from him now in the green leaves, but where the sky was
+clear he saw a sudden, dark shadow against the blue. He sprang up in an
+instant and raised his rifle. But it was too late for the eagle to stop.
+The heavy figure with the tearing beak and claws swooped downward, and
+there was silence and terror among the green leaves. But before the
+eagle could clutch or rend, Henry's rifle spoke with unerring aim, and
+the body fell to the ground dead.
+
+He was sorry. He did not like his morning party to be broken up in such
+a manner, and for his guests to be disturbed and frightened. Nor was it
+wise to fire his rifle in that neighborhood. But he had acted on an
+impulse that he did not regret. He looked at the beak and claws of the
+dead eagle and he was glad that he had shot him. The fierce bird had
+broken up his forest idyl, and knowing that he could stay no longer he
+set off at a great pace, again curving about in a course that led him
+somewhat toward the house in the cliff.
+
+He crossed several trails and he became rather anxious. Doubtless they
+were made by hunters, because the Indians while they remained at the
+great camp would eat prodigiously, and bands would be continually
+searching the forest for buffalo and deer. It was from these that the
+chief danger came. He suspected also that their proximity had compelled
+Shif'less Sol and the others to keep close within their little shelter.
+He doubted whether he could reach them that day.
+
+The need of rest made itself felt at last, and, hiding his trail, he
+crept into another small but very dense thicket. He felt that he was
+within a lair and his kinship with bird and beast was renewed. No wolf
+or bear could lie snugger in its den than he.
+
+He put his rifle by his side, where he could reach it in a second, and
+was soon asleep. A prowling bear came into the far edge of the thicket,
+sniffed the man-smell and went away, not greatly alarmed, but feeling
+that it was better, in case of doubt, to avoid the cause of the doubt.
+Two Indians, carrying the cloven body of a deer, passed within three
+hundred yards of the sleeping youth, but they saw no trail and went on
+to the camp with the spoils of the hunt.
+
+Henry slept lightly, but a long time. The forest quality was still
+strong within him. Although his sleep had all its restoring power, the
+lightest noise in the undergrowth near him would have awakened him. But
+he slept on through the morning, and into the afternoon.
+
+A second party of savage hunters passed, five men carrying wild turkeys,
+and they too did not dream that the enemy whom they dreaded so much lay
+near. They had left the camp only that morning, and, the warriors
+arriving from the river, had told before they left how they had been
+pursued all through the night by one upon whom the Evil Spirit had
+descended. Even in the day they would have avoided this being, and the
+old medicine men who were in the camp were making charms to drive him
+away.
+
+It was the most brilliant part of the afternoon now. Nevertheless they
+looked with a tinge of superstitious terror at the forests. The highly
+imaginative mind of the Indian, clothes nearly all things with
+personality, and for them an evil wind was blowing. The events of the
+preceding night had been colored and enlarged by those who told them.
+One or two had seen the form, gigantic and flaming-eyed, that had hung
+upon their trail, and these warriors, fearing that they too might see
+it, and in the open day, hung close as they bore their load of turkeys
+back to the camp.
+
+Henry did not awake until the west was growing dim, and then after the
+fashion of the borderers he awoke all at once, that is, every nerve and
+faculty was alive at the same time. Nothing had invaded his haunt in the
+brushwood. His keen eyes showed him at once that no bush had been
+displaced, and, with his rifle ready, he walked out into the opening.
+
+He must get back into the little fortress that night. He had been gone
+so long that Shif'less Sol and the others, although having the utmost
+confidence in his powers, would begin to worry about him. Yet he knew
+that it was unwise to approach the place until night came. Delay was all
+the more necessary, because while he saw on the northern horizon the
+smoke from the great camp, he saw also a smaller smoke rising from
+another camp nearer their fortress. It was so near, in truth, that the
+four must find it necessary to hide close within the walls.
+
+The second smoke aroused Henry's apprehension. Perhaps a portion of the
+camp had been moved forward merely to be nearer water or for some
+kindred reason, but that did not keep it from being nearer the stone
+fortress, nor from impeding his entrance into it. Yet he believed that
+he could slip past. His skill had triumphed over greater tests.
+
+After dark he began his journey, buoyant and strong from his long sleep,
+and continued his wide circuit intending to approach his destination
+from the west. Distance did not amount to much to the borderer, and his
+long, easy gait carried him on, mile after mile.
+
+It was another night, brilliant with moon and stars, and Henry was able
+to see the larger trail of smoke still traced on the northern horizon.
+His sense of direction was perfect, but he looked up now and then at the
+smoky bar, always keeping it on his right, and three or four hours after
+sunset he began to curve in towards his friends. The country into which
+he had come was similar in character to that which he had left, heavy
+forest, rolling hills and many creeks and brooks. He had never been in
+that immediate region before, and he judged by the amount of game
+springing up before him that it had not been visited by anybody in a
+long time. It was always a cause of wonder to him that a region as large
+as Kentucky, four fifths the size of all England, should be totally
+without Indian inhabitants.
+
+The fact that Indians from the North and Indians from the South were
+said to fight there when on their hunting expeditions, and that hence
+they preferred to leave it as a barrier or neutral ground, did not
+wholly account for the fact to him. Farther north and farther south the
+Indians occupied all the country and fought with one another, but in
+this beautiful and fertile land there was no village, and not even a
+stray lodge.
+
+He had often asked himself the reason, and while he was asking it he
+came to a long low mound, covered with trees of smaller growth than
+those in the surrounding forest. At first he took it for a hill just
+like the others, but its shape did not seem natural, and, despite the
+importance of time he looked again, and once more. Then he walked a
+little way up the mound and his moccasined foot struck lightly against
+something hard. He stooped, and catching hold of the impediment pulled
+from the earth a broken piece of pottery.
+
+It seemed old, very old, and wishing to rest a little, Henry sat down
+and gazed at it. The Indians of the present day could not possibly have
+made it, and it was impossible also that any white settler or hunter
+could have left it there. He dropped the fragment and rising, looked
+farther, finding two more pieces buried almost to the edge, but which
+his strong hands pulled out. They seemed to him of the same general
+workmanship as the others, and he surmised that the long mound upon
+which he was standing had been thrown up by the hand of man.
+
+What was inside the mound? Perhaps the skeletons of men dead a thousand
+years or more, men more civilized than the Indians, but gone forever,
+and leaving no trace, save some broken pieces of pottery. Possibly the
+Indians themselves had destroyed these people, and they did not come
+here to live because they feared the ghosts of the slain. But it was no
+question that he could solve. He would talk about it later with Paul and
+meanwhile he must find some way to reach the others.
+
+He threw down the pottery and left the hill, but, as he swung swiftly
+onward, the hill and its contents did not disappear from his mind. He
+had a strange sense of mystery. The new land about him might be an old,
+old land. He had never thought of it, except as forest and canebrake, in
+which the Indians had always roamed, but evidently it was not so. It was
+strange that races could disappear completely.
+
+But as he raced on, the feeling for these things fell from him. He was
+not so much for the past as Paul was. He was essentially of the present,
+and, dealing with wild men in a wild country, he was again a wild man
+himself. Among the Indians at the great camp or about it there was not
+one in such close kinship with the forest as he. Despite danger and his
+anxiety to reach his comrades, he felt all its beauty and majesty, in
+truth fairly reveled in it.
+
+He noticed the different trees, the oaks, the elms, the maples, the
+walnuts, the hickories, the sycamores, the willows at the edges of the
+stream, the dogwoods, and all the other kinds which made up the
+immeasurable forest. They were in the early but full foliage of spring,
+and the light wind brought odors that were like a perfumed breath.
+
+It was past midnight, when he stopped to enjoy again the fine flavor of
+his kingdom. Then he suddenly lay flat among the dead leaves of the year
+before, and thrust forward the barrel of his rifle. He had heard a
+footfall, the footfall of a moccasin, not much heavier than the fall of
+a leaf, and every nerve and faculty within him was concentrated to meet
+the new danger.
+
+The sound had come from his right, and raising his head just a little he
+looked, but saw nothing, that is nothing new in the waving forest. Yet
+Henry was sure that a man was there. His ear would not deceive him.
+Doubtless it was a stray hunter or scout from the bands, and, while he
+did not fear him, he was annoyed by the delay. It might keep him from
+reaching his comrades that night.
+
+He waited a long time, using all the patience that he had learned, and
+he began to believe that his ear after all might have deceived him.
+Perhaps it had been merely a rabbit in the undergrowth, but while he was
+debating with himself he heard a faint stir in the bush, and he knew
+that it was made by a man seeking a new position.
+
+Then his intuition, the power that came from an extreme development of
+the five senses, reinforced by will, gave him an idea. Still lying on
+his back he uttered the lonesome howl of the wolf, but very low. He
+waited a moment or two, eager to know if his intuition had told him
+truly, and back came the wolf's low but lone cry. He gave the second
+call and the cry of the wolf came in like answer.
+
+Then he stood up with rifle at trail and walked boldly forward. A tall
+figure, rifle also at trail, emerged from the bush and advanced to meet
+him. Two hands met in the strong clasp of those who had shared a
+thousand dangers and who had never failed each other.
+
+"I thought when I made the call that it would be you, Sol," said Henry.
+
+"An' I knowed it must be you, Henry," said the shiftless one, showing
+his double row of shining white teeth, "'cause you're the only one in
+the woods who kin understan' our signals."
+
+"And that means that Paul, Long Jim and Tom are safe in the cave."
+
+"When I left two nights ago, hevin' gone back thar after we separated,
+they wuz safe, but whether they are now I can't tell. Decidin' that they
+wuz foulin' the water too much, part o' the band has moved up to a place
+mighty close to our own snug house. They don't know yet that the hole in
+the wall is thar, but ef they stay long they're boun' to run acrost it.
+That's why I've come out lookin' fur you, an' mighty glad I am that I've
+found you. I'd a notion you'd take this circuit, after doin' all the
+deviltry you've done."
+
+The shiftless one's mouth parted in a wide grin of admiration. The two
+rows of white teeth shone brightly.
+
+"Henry," he said, "you're shorely the wild catamount o' the mountains."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Well, I'm somethin' o' a scout an' trailer, ez you know, an' that ain't
+no boastin'. I've been hangin' 'roun' the Injun camp, an' they're
+terrible stirred up. An evil sperrit has been doin' 'em a power o' harm
+an' I know that evil sperrit is you. Ef it wuzn't fur them cannon on
+which they build such big hopes the chiefs would take all their warriors
+and go home. But the white men are urgin' 'em on. Henry, you're shorely
+the king o' these woods. How'd you stir 'em up so?"
+
+Henry modestly told him all that he had done, and the shiftless one
+chuckled again and again, as proud of his comrade's deeds as if he had
+done them himself.
+
+"But the Indians will march against Kentucky?" said Henry. "You don't
+doubt that, do you?"
+
+"Yes, they'll go. Hevin' brought the cannon so fur they won't turn back,
+but mebbe we kin hold 'em a while longer. There are tricks an' tricks,
+an' we kin work some o' 'em."
+
+"And it's our object to stop those cannon. Unless they have 'em we can
+beat the Indians off as we did last year, even if they are led by the
+English."
+
+"So we kin, Henry, an' we'll git them guns yet. Scoutin' 'roun' thar
+camp I learned enough to know that you've broke up thar plan o' tryin'
+to carry 'em part o' the way by the river. You must hev done mighty
+slick work thar, Henry. The warriors are plum' shore now that river is
+ha'nted. It's all the way through the woods now fur them cannon, an' the
+English will hev to use the axes most o' the time."
+
+"Then we'll be going back as fast as we can. I want to tell you again,
+Sol, that your face was mighty welcome."
+
+"I ain't no beauty," grinned the shiftless one, "but them that's
+bringin' help do be welcome when they come. That's the reason you looked
+so pow'ful well to me, Henry, 'cause I wuz gettin' mighty lonesome,
+prowlin' 'roun' in these woods all by myself, an' no comp'ny to call,
+'cept them that would roast me alive when they'd j'in me."
+
+"The cliff is straight north, isn't it?"
+
+"Jest about. But thar's an Injun band in the way. They're jerkin' a lot
+o' venison fur the main camp, but bein' ez you've stirred 'em up so
+they're keepin' a mighty good watch too. You know we don't want no
+fights, we jest want to travel on ez peaceful ez runnin' water."
+
+"That's so, Sol, but it means a much farther curve to the west."
+
+"Then we've got to take it. It ain't hard for you an' me. We've got
+steel wire for muscles in our legs, and the night is clear, cool an'
+life-givin'. Paul hez talked 'bout parks in the Old World, but we've got
+here a bigger an' finer park than any in Europe or Asyer, or fur that
+matter than Afriker or that new continent, Australyer. An' thar ain't
+any other park that hez got so many trees in it ez ourn, or ez much big
+game all fur the takin'. Now lead on, Henry, an' we'll go to our new
+home."
+
+"No, you lead, Sol. I've been on a big strain, an' I'd like to follow
+for a while."
+
+"O' course you would, you poor little peaked thing. I ought to hev
+thought o' that when I spoke. Never out in the woods afore by hisself
+an' nigh scared to death by the trees an' the dark. But jest you come
+on. I'll lead you an' I won't let no squirrel or rabbit hurt you
+neither."
+
+Henry laughed. The humor and unction of the shiftless one always amused
+him.
+
+"Go ahead, Sol," he said, "and I'll promise to keep close behind you,
+where nothing will harm me."
+
+Thus they set off, Sol in front and Henry five feet away, treading in
+his footsteps.
+
+"There wuz a time when I'd hev been afraid o' the dark," said Shif'less
+Sol, whose conversational powers were great. "You've been to the Big
+Bone Lick, an' so hev I, an' we've seen the bones o' the monsters that
+roamed the earth afore the flood, a long time afore. I wouldn't hev
+believed that such critters ever tramped around our globe ef I hadn't
+seen their bones. I come acrost a little salt lick last night--we may
+see it in passin' afore mornin'--but thar wuz big bones 'roun' it too. I
+measured myself by 'em an' geewhillikins, Henry, what critters them wuz!
+Ef I'd been caught out o' my cave after night an' one o' them things got
+after me I'd hev been so skeered that I'd hev dropped my stone club
+'cause my hands trembled so, my teeth would hev rattled together in
+reg'lar tunes, an' I'd hev run so fast that I'd only hev touched the
+tops o' the hills, skippin' all the low ones too, an' by the time I
+reached the mouth o' my cave, I'd be goin' so swift that I'd run clear
+out o' my clothes, leavin' 'em fur the monster to trample on an' then
+chaw up, me all the while settin' inside the cave safe, but tremblin'
+all over, an' with no appetite. Them shore wuz lively times fur our
+race, Henry, an' I guess we did a pow'ful lot o' runnin' an' hidin'."
+
+"It was certainly time to run, Sol, when a tiger eight feet high and
+fifteen feet long got after you, or a mammoth or a mastodon twenty feet
+high and fifty feet long was feeling around in the bushes for you with a
+trunk that could pick you up and throw you a mile."
+
+"Henry, ef we wuzn't in a hurry I'd stop here an' give thanks."
+
+"What for?"
+
+"'Cause I didn't live in them times, when the beast wuz bigger an'
+mightier than the man. I guess stone caves that run back into mountains
+'bout a mile wuz the most pop'lar an' high-priced. Guess those boys an'
+gals didn't go out much an' dance on the green, ez they do back East.
+I'd a heap ruther hunt the buff'ler than that fifteen foot tiger o'
+yours, Henry."
+
+"So had I, Sol. If those beasts were living nowadays we wouldn't be
+roaming through the forest as we are now. We have only the Indians to
+fear."
+
+"An' thar's a lot about them to be afeard of at times, ez you an' me
+know, Henry."
+
+"If we keep on this curve, Sol, about what time do you think we ought to
+reach the boys?"
+
+"Afore moonrise, jest about when the night is darkest, 'less somethin'
+gits in the way. Here's another branch, Henry. Guess we'd better wade in
+it a right smart distance. You can't ever be too keerful about your
+trail."
+
+The branch, or brook, as it would have been called in older communities,
+was rather wide, about six inches deep and flowing over a smooth,
+gravelly bed. It was flowing in the general direction in which they
+wished to go, and they walked in the stream a full half mile. Then they
+emerged upon the bank, careless of wet feet and wet ankles, which they
+knew would soon dry under severe exercise, and continued their swift
+journey.
+
+The curiosity of the shiftless one about the primeval world had passed
+for the time, and like Henry he was concentrating all his energy and
+attention upon the present, which was full enough of work and danger. He
+and the young Hercules together made a matchless pair. He was second
+only to Henry in the skill and lore of the wilderness. He was a true son
+of the forest, and, though uneducated in the bookish sense, he was so
+full of wiles and cunning that he was the Ulysses of the five, and as
+such his fame had spread along the whole border, and among the Indian
+tribes. Hidden perhaps by his lazy manner, but underneath that yellow
+thatch of his the shiftless one was a thinker, a deep thinker, and a
+nobler thinker than the one who sat before Troy town, because his
+thoughts were to save the defenseless.
+
+"Henry," he said, "we're followed."
+
+Henry glanced back, and in the moonlit dusk he saw a score of forms,
+enlarged in the shadows, their eyes red and their teeth bare.
+
+"A wolf pack!" he exclaimed.
+
+"Shore ez you live," replied the shiftless one. "Reckon they've been
+follerin' us ever since we left the branch. Mebbe they never saw men
+afore an' don't know nothin' 'bout guns that kill at a distance, an'
+ag'in mebbe they've been driv off thar huntin' grounds by the warriors,
+an' think we kin take the place o' their reg'lar game."
+
+"Anyway I don't like it."
+
+"Neither do I. Look at that old fellow in the lead. Guess he's called a
+giant among 'em. I kin see the slaver fallin' from his mouth. He's
+thinkin' o' you, Henry, 'cause there's more meat on you than there is on
+me."
+
+"I don't know about that. You'd make a fine dish for the table of the
+wolf king. Roasted and served up whole they'd save you for the juicy
+finish, the last gorgeous touch to the feast."
+
+"Don't talk that way, Henry. You make me shiver all over. I ain't afeard
+o' a wolf, but ef I didn't hev a rifle, an' you wuzn't with me, I'd be
+plum' skeered at them twenty back thar, follerin' us lookin' at us an'
+slaverin'."
+
+The shiftless one shook his fist at the king wolf, an enormous beast,
+the largest that they had ever seen in Kentucky. The whole troop was
+following them, their light feet making no noise in the grass and
+leaves, but their red eyes and white teeth always gleaming in the
+moonlight. They were showing an uncommon daring. Lone hunters had been
+killed and eaten in the winter by starving wolves, but it was seldom
+that two men in the spring were followed in such a manner. It became
+weird, uncanny and ominous.
+
+"I know what's happened," said the shiftless one suddenly. "I kin tell
+you why they follow us so bold."
+
+"What's the reason, Sol?"
+
+"You know all them 'normous tigers and hijeous monsters we've been
+talkin' 'bout, that's been dead a hundred thousan' years. Thar souls
+comin' down through other animals hev gone straight into our pack o'
+wolves thar. They ain't wolves really. They're big tigers an' mammoths
+an' sech like."
+
+"I'm not disputing what you say, Sol, because I don't know anything
+about it, but if it wasn't for raising an alarm I'd shoot that king wolf
+there, who is following us so close. I can tell by his eyes that he
+expects to eat us both."
+
+"What kind o' tigers wuz it that Paul said lived long ago, an' growed so
+monstrous big?"
+
+"Saber-toothed."
+
+"Then that king wolf back thar wuz the king o' the saber-toothed tigers
+in his time. He wuz twelve feet high and twenty-five feet long an' he
+could carry off on his shoulder the biggest bull buffaler that ever wuz,
+an' eat him at a meal."
+
+"That would have been a good deal of a dinner, even for an emperor among
+saber-toothed tigers."
+
+"But I'm right about that wolf, Henry. I kin see it in his eye, an' them
+behind him are nigh ez bad. They wuz all saber-toothed tigers in thar
+time. I reckon that in thar wolf souls or tiger souls, whichever they
+be, they expect to eat us afore day. I'd like pow'ful well to put a
+bullet atween the eyes o' thar king--jest ez you said you would, Henry."
+
+"But it's not to be thought of. Sound would travel far on a still night
+like this, and the warriors might be within hearing. It's hard on the
+nerves, but we've got to stand it."
+
+They hoped that the wolves would drop the trail soon, but their wish
+did not come true. However they twisted and turned, whether they went
+slow or fast, the sinister pack was always there, the king wolf a foot
+or so in advance, like the point to the head of an arrow. Often the
+flickering shadows exaggerated him to twice his usual size, and then in
+truth he suggested his saber-toothed predecessor of long, long ago.
+
+"This is becomin' pow'ful w'arin' to the nerves, Henry," said the
+shiftless one. "I'd ruther hev a clean fight with a half-dozen warriors
+than be follered this way. It teches my pride. I've got a mighty lot o'
+pride, an' it hurts me awful to hev my pride hurt."
+
+"Because we don't shoot or do anything I think they've assumed that
+we're powerless to fight. Still, there is something about the human odor
+that deters 'em."
+
+"S'pose you're right, but I'm goin' to try a trick. When you see me
+stumble, Henry, you go right on, till I'm eight or ten feet behind you."
+
+"All right, Sol, but don't stumble too much."
+
+"I ain't likely to do it at sech a time. Look out, now! Here I stumble!"
+
+He caught his foot in a root, plunged forward, almost fell, recovered
+his balance slowly and with apparent difficulty. Henry ran on, but in a
+half minute he turned quickly. With a horrible snarl and yelp the king
+wolf sprang, and the others behind him sprang also. Henry's rifle leaped
+to his shoulder, and then the king wolf jumped away, the others
+following him.
+
+The shiftless one rejoined Henry and they ran a little faster. His face
+was pale and one or two drops of perspiration fell from it. His breath
+was longer than mere flight would make it.
+
+"I ain't goin' to try that ag'in, Henry," he said. "No more foolin' with
+sudden death. He's shorely the big tiger, the biggest o' them all that
+wuz. Why, when I stumbled he leaped like lightnin'. I didn't think
+anythin', not even a wolf, could be so quick."
+
+"The rifle frightened them off. They didn't know what it was, but they
+were afraid it had something to do with wounds and death. Still, they're
+running a little closer to us than they were. That's about all that's
+come of your experiment, Sol."
+
+"I ain't goin' to try it over ag'in, Henry, but it shorely begins to
+look ez ef we'd hev to use the bullets on 'em. I don't think anythin'
+else will stop 'em."
+
+"A little while longer, Sol, and they may abandon the chase. We must
+hold our fire just as long as possible. A shot may bring a cloud of the
+red hornets about us."
+
+The shiftless one was silent. He knew as well as Henry that a shot was
+unwise. They were bearing back now toward the stone fortress and the
+Indian camps, and the forests near might be full of warriors. Yet it was
+a tremendous strain upon one's nerves to be followed in such a manner.
+The wolves had come so close now that they could hear the light pad of
+their feet. Once Shif'less Sol picked up a stone and hurled it at the
+king wolf. The great shaggy beast leaped aside, but it struck a wolf
+behind him, drawing an angry snarl, in which all the wolves joined.
+
+Henry felt relief when they gave tongue, although the snarl was not
+loud. Hitherto they had pursued in total silence, which he had deemed
+unnatural and that angry yelp made them real wolves of the forest again.
+
+"About how far would you say it is now to the cave?" he asked the
+shiftless one.
+
+"Three or four miles, but with our lope it won't take us long to cover
+it. What hev you got in mind, Henry?"
+
+"I think we've got to kill the king wolf. I didn't think so a little
+while ago, but they follow us hoping that some accident, a fall perhaps,
+will make us their prey."
+
+"Do it then, Henry, an' take all the chances. I'm growin' mighty tired
+o' bein' follered by wolves that are re'ly tigers. After you shoot,
+we'll turn to the left an' run ez hard ez we kin."
+
+Henry whirled suddenly about and raised his rifle. The king wolf, as if
+divining his purpose, sheered to one side, but he was confronting the
+deadliest marksman in the woods. The muzzle of Henry's rifle followed
+him, and when he pulled the trigger the bullet crashed through the great
+beast's skull.
+
+When the king wolf fell dead the others stopped, stricken with terror,
+but from a point to the east came the long thrilling note of the war
+whoop. The warriors had heard the shot, and, knowing they would come
+swiftly to its sound, Henry and the shiftless one, turning due west, ran
+with amazing speed through the forest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE FOREST POETS
+
+
+Henry and the shiftless one knew that they had drawn danger upon
+themselves, but they had nothing to regret. The pursuit by the wolves
+had become intolerable. In time it was bound to unsettle their nerves,
+and it was better to take the risk from the warriors.
+
+"How far away would you say that war whoop was?" asked Henry.
+
+"'Bout a quarter o' a mile but it'll take 'em some little time to find
+our trail. An' ef you an' me, Henry, can't leave 'em, ez ef they wuz
+standin', then we ain't what we used to be."
+
+Presently they heard the war cry a second time, although its note was
+fainter.
+
+"Hit our trail!" said the shiftless one.
+
+"But they can never overtake us in the night," said Henry. "We've come
+to stony ground now, and the best trailers in the world couldn't follow
+you and me over it."
+
+"No," said the shiftless one, with some pride in his voice. "We're not
+to be took that way, but that band an' mebbe more are in atween us an'
+our fine house in the cliff, an' we won't get to crawl in our little
+beds tonight. It ain't to be risked, Henry."
+
+"That's so. We seem to be driven in a circle around the place to which
+we want to go, but we can afford to wait as well as the Indian army can,
+and better. Here's another branch and we'd better use it to throw that
+band off the trail."
+
+They waded in the pebbly bed of the brook for a long distance. Then they
+walked on stones, leaping lightly from one to another, and, when they
+came to the forest, thick with grapevines they would often swing from
+vine to vine over long spaces. Both found an odd pleasure in their
+flight. They were matching the Indian at his tricks, and when pushed
+they could do even better. They knew that the trail was broken beyond
+the hope of recovery, and, late in the night, after passing through
+hilly country, they sat down to rest.
+
+They were on the slope of the last hill, sitting under the foliage of an
+oak, and before them lay a wide valley, in which the trees, mostly oaks,
+were scattered as if they grew in a great park. But the grass everywhere
+was thick and tall, and down the center flowed a swift creek which in
+the moonlight looked like molten silver. The uncommon brightness of the
+night, with its gorgeous clusters of stars, disclosed the full beauty of
+the valley, and the two fugitives who were fugitives no longer felt it
+intensely. Henry was an educated youth of an educated stock, and
+Shif'less Sol, the forest runner, was born with a love and admiration
+in his soul of Nature in all its aspects.
+
+"Don't it look fine, Henry?" said the shiftless one. "Ef I hed to sleep
+in a house all the time, which, thanks be, I don't hev to do, I'd build
+me a cabin right here in this little valley. Ain't it jest the nicest
+place you ever saw? Unless I've mistook my guess, that's a lot o'
+buff'ler lyin' down in the grass in front o' us."
+
+"Eight of 'em. I can count 'em," said Henry, "but they're safe from us."
+
+"I wouldn't fire on 'em, not even ef thar wuzn't a warrior within a
+hundred miles o' us. I don't feel like shootin' at anythin' jest now,
+Henry."
+
+"It's the valley that makes you feel so peaceful. It has the same effect
+on me."
+
+"I think I kin see wild flowers down thar bloomin' among the bushes, an'
+ain't that grass an' them trees fine? an' that is shorely the best creek
+I've seen. Its water is so pure it looks like silver. I've a notion,
+Henry, that this wuz the Garden o' Eden."
+
+"That's an odd idea of yours, Sol. How can you prove it's so?"
+
+"An' how can you prove it ain't so? An' so we're back whar we started.
+Besides, I kin pile up evidence. All along the edge o' the valley are
+briers an' vines, on which the berries growed. Then too thar are lots o'
+grapevines on the trees ez you kin see, an' thar are your grapes. An' up
+toward the end are lots o' hick'ry an' walnut trees an' thar are your
+nuts, an' ef Adam an' Eve wuz hard-pushed, they could ketch plenty o'
+fine fish in that creek which I kin see is deep. In the winter they
+could hev made themselves a cabin easy, up thar whar the trees are
+thick. An' the whole place in the spring is full o' wild flowers, which
+Eve must hev stuck her hair full of to please Adam. The more I think o'
+it, Henry, the shorer I am that this wuz the Garden."
+
+The shiftless one's face was rapt and serious. In the burnished silver
+of the moonlight the little valley had a beauty, dreamlike in its
+quality. In that land so truly named the Dark and Bloody Ground it
+seemed the abode of unbroken peace.
+
+"I reckon," said Shif'less Sol, "that after the fall Adam an' Eve left
+by that rift between the hills, an' thar the Angel stood with the
+Flamin' Sword to keep 'em out. O' course they might hev crawled back
+down the hillside here, an' in other places, but I guess they wuz
+afeard. It's hard to hev had a fine thing an' then to hev lost it,
+harder than never to hev had it or to hev knowed what it wuz. I guess,
+Henry, that Adam an' Eve came often to the hills here an' looked down at
+their old home, till they wuz skeered away by the flamin' o' the Angel's
+sword."
+
+"But there's nothing now to keep us out of it. We'll go down there, Sol,
+because it is a garden after all, a wilderness garden, and nothing but
+Indians can drive us from it until we want to go."
+
+"All right, Henry. You lead on now, but remember that since Adam an' Eve
+hev gone away this is my Garden o' Eden. It's shore a purty sight, now
+that it's beginnin' to whiten with the day."
+
+Dawn in truth was silvering the valley, and in the clear pure light it
+stood forth in all its beauty and peace. It was filled, too, with life.
+Besides the buffaloes they saw deer, elk, swarming small game, and an
+immense number of singing birds. The morning was alive with their song
+and when they came to the deep creek, and saw a fish leap up now and
+then, the shiftless one no longer had the slightest doubt.
+
+"It's shorely the Garden," he said. "Listen to them birds, Henry. Did
+you ever hear so many at one time afore, all singin' together ez ef
+every one wuz tryin' to beat every other one?"
+
+"No, Sol, I haven't. It is certainly a beautiful place. Look at the beds
+of wild flowers in bloom."
+
+"An' the game is so tame it ain't skeered at us a bit. I reckon, Henry,
+that 'till we came no human foot hez ever trod this valley, since Adam
+an' Eve had to go."
+
+"Maybe not, Sol! Maybe not," said Henry, trying to smile at the
+shiftless one's fancy, but failing.
+
+"An' thar's one thing I want to ask o' you, Henry. Thar's millions an'
+millions an' billions an' billions o' acres in this country that belong
+to nobody, but I want to put in a sort o' claim o' my own on the Garden
+o' Eden here. Thar are times when every man likes to be all by hisself,
+fur a while. You know how it is yourself, Henry. Jest rec'lect then that
+the Garden is mine. When I'm feelin' bad, which ain't often, I'll come
+here an' set down 'mong the flowers, an' hear all them birds sing, same
+ez Adam an' Eve heard 'em, an' d'rectly I'll feel glad an' strong
+ag'in."
+
+"Where there's so much unused country you ask but little, Sol. It's your
+Garden of Eden. But you'll let the rest of us come into it sometimes,
+won't you?"
+
+"Shorely! Shorely! I didn't mean to be selfish about it. I've got some
+venison in my knapsack, Henry, an' I reckon you hev some too. I'd like
+to hev it warm, but it's too dangerous to build a fire. S'pose we set,
+an' eat."
+
+The soil of the valley was so fertile that the grass was already high
+enough to hide them, when they lay down near the edge of the creek.
+There they ate their venison and listened to the musical tinkle of the
+rushing water, while the sun rose higher, and turned the luminous silver
+of the valley into luminous gold. They heard light footfalls of the deer
+moving, and the birds sang on, but there was no human sound in the
+valley. Their great adventure, the Indian camp, and the manifold dangers
+seemed to float away for the time. If it was not the Garden of Eden it
+was another garden of the same kind, and it looked very beautiful to
+these two who had spent most of the night running for their lives. They
+were happy, as they ate venison and the last crumbs of their bread.
+
+"If the others wuz here," said Shif'less Sol, "nothin' would be lackin'.
+I'm in love with the wilderness more an' more every year, Henry. One
+reason is 'cause I'm always comin' on somethin' new. I ain't no
+tied-down man. Here I've dropped into the Garden o' Eden that's been
+lost fur thousands o' years, an' tomorrow I may be findin' some other
+wonder. I rec'lect my feelin' the first time I saw the Ohio, an' I've
+looked too upon the big river that the warriors call the Father o'
+Waters. I'm always findin' some new river or creek or lake. Nothin's
+old, or all trod up or worn out. Some day I'm goin' way out on them
+plains that you've seed, Henry, where the buff'ler are passin' millions
+strong. I tell you I love to go with the wind, an' at night, when I
+ain't quite asleep, to hear it blowin' an' blowin', an' tellin' me that
+the things I've found already may be fine, but thar's finer yet farther
+on. I hear Paul talkin' 'bout the Old World, but thar can't be anythin'
+in it half ez fine ez all these woods in the fall, jest blazin' with red
+an' yellow, an' gold an' brown, an' the air sparklin' enough to make an
+old man young."
+
+The face of the shiftless one glowed as he spoke. Every word he said
+came straight from his heart and Henry shared in his fervor. The wild
+men who slew and scalped could not spoil his world. He had finished his
+venison, and, drinking cold water at the edge of the creek, he came back
+and lay down again in the long grass.
+
+"Perhaps we'd better stay here the most of the day," said Henry. "The
+valley seems to be out of the Indian line of march. The buffaloes are
+over there grazing peacefully, and I can see does at the edge of the
+woods. If warriors were near they wouldn't be so peaceful."
+
+"And there are the wild turkeys gobblin' in the trees," said Shif'less
+Sol. "I like wild turkey mighty well, but even ef thar wuz no fear o'
+alarm I wouldn't shoot any one in my Garden o' Eden."
+
+"Nor I either, Sol. I'm beginning to like this valley as well as you do.
+Your claim to it stands good, but when we're on our hunting expeditions
+up this way again the five of us will come here and camp."
+
+"But we'll kill our game outside. I've a notion that I don't want to
+shoot anythin' in here."
+
+"I understand you. It's too fine a place to have blood flowing in it."
+
+"That's jest the way I feel about it, Henry. You may laugh at me fur
+bein' a fool, but the notion sticks to me hard an' fast."
+
+"I'm not laughing at you. If you'll raise up a little, Sol, you can see
+the smoke of the main Indian campfire off there toward the northeast. It
+looks like a thread from here, and it's at least five miles away."
+
+"It's a big smoke, then, or we wouldn't see it at all, 'cause we can't
+make out that o' the smaller one nearer to the cave, though I reckon
+it's still thar."
+
+"Perhaps so, and the warriors may come this way, but we'll see 'em and
+hear 'em first. Look, Sol, those buffaloes, in their grazing, are coming
+straight toward us. The wind has certainly carried to them our odor, but
+they don't seem to be alarmed by it."
+
+"Jest another proof, Henry, that it's the real Garden o' Eden. Them
+buff'ler haven't seen or smelt a human bein' since Adam an' Eve left,
+an' ez that wuz a long time ago they've got over any feelin' o' fear o'
+people, ef they ever had it. Look at them deer, too, over thar, loafin'
+'long through the high grass, an' not skeered o' anythin'. An' the
+wolves that follered us last night don't come here. Thar ain't a sign o'
+a wolf ever hevin' been in the valley."
+
+Henry laughed, but there was no trace of irony in the laugh. The
+shiftless one's vivid fancy or belief pleased him. It was possible, too,
+that Indians would not come there. It might be some sacred place of the
+old forgotten people who had built the mounds and who had been
+exterminated by the Indians. But the Indians were full of superstition,
+and often they feared and respected the sacred places of those whom they
+had slain. For the boldest of the warriors, avenging spirits might be
+hovering there, and they would fear them more than they would fear the
+white men with rifles.
+
+"Let's go up to the head of the valley," he said to Shif'less Sol. "If
+we keep back among the bushes we won't be seen."
+
+"All right," said his comrade. "I want to see that gate between the
+hills, that the creek comes from, an' I want to take a look, too, at
+that grove o' big trees growin' thar."
+
+Henry reckoned the length of the valley at two miles and its width at a
+half mile on the average, with the creek flowing down almost its exact
+center. At the head it narrowed fast, until it came to the gash between
+the hills, where grew the largest oaks and elms that he had ever seen.
+It was in truth a magnificent grove and it gave the shiftless one
+extreme delight which he expressed vocally. He surveyed the trees and
+the hills behind them with a measuring and comprehensive eye.
+
+"Them hills ain't so high," he said, "but they're high enough to shut
+out the winds o' winter, bein' ez they face the north an' west, an' here
+curves the creek atween 'em, through a gap not more'n ten feet wide.
+An' look how them big trees grow so close together, an' in a sort o'
+curve. Why, that's shorely whar Adam an' Eve spent thar winters. It
+wouldn't take much work, thatching with poles an' bark to rig up the
+snuggest kind o' a bower. These big trees here ag'inst the cliff almost
+make a cabin themselves."
+
+"And one that we'll occupy the rest of the day. It would be impossible
+for a warrior ten yards away to see us in here, while we can see almost
+the whole length of the valley. I think we'd better stay here, Sol, and
+make ourselves comfortable for the rest of the day. You need sleep, and
+so will I later. It's easy to make beds. The dead leaves must lie a foot
+thick on the ground."
+
+"It's a wonder they ain't thicker, gatherin' here ever since Adam an'
+Eve moved."
+
+"They rot beneath and the wind blows away a lot on top, but there's
+plenty left. Now, I'm not sleepy at all. You take a nap and I'll watch,
+although I'm sure no enemy will come."
+
+"Reckon I will, Henry. It's peaceful an' soothin' here in the Garden o'
+Eden, an' ef I dream I'll dream good dreams."
+
+He heaped up the leaves in the shape of a bed, giving himself a pillow,
+and, sinking down upon it luxuriously, soon slept. Henry also piled the
+leaves high enough against the trunk of one of the largest trees to form
+a cushion for his back, and settled himself into a comfortable position,
+with his rifle across his knees.
+
+Although he had been up all the night he was not sleepy. The shiftless
+one's striking fancy had exerted a great effect upon him. This was the
+Garden of Eden. It must be, and some ancient influence, something that
+he would probably never know, protected it from invasion. He marked once
+more the fearless nature of its inhabitants. He could see now three
+small groups of buffaloes and all of them grazed in perfect peace and
+content. Nowhere was there a sign of the wolves that usually hung about
+to cut out the calves or the very old. He saw deer in the grass along
+the creek, and they were oblivious of danger.
+
+But what impressed him most of all was the profusion of singing birds
+and their zeal and energy. The chorus of singing and chattering rose and
+fell now and then, but it never ceased. The valley itself fairly sang
+with it, and in the opening before him there were incessant flashes of
+red and blue, as the most gaily dressed of the little birds shot past.
+
+His eyes turned toward the gap, where the shiftless one had placed the
+Angel with the Flaming Sword. It was only a few hundred yards away, and
+he was able to see that it was but a narrow cleft between the hills.
+While he looked he saw a human figure appear upon the crest of the hill,
+outlined perfectly against the sun which was a blazing shield of gold
+behind him.
+
+It was a savage warrior, tall, naked, save for the breech cloth, his
+face and body thick with war paint, the single scalp lock standing up
+defiantly. The luminous glow overcoming the effect of distance,
+enlarged him. He seemed twice his real height.
+
+The warrior was gazing down into the valley, but Henry saw that he did
+not move. His figure was rigid. He merely looked and nothing more.
+Presently two more figures of warriors appeared, one on either side, and
+they too were raised by the golden glow to twice their stature. All
+three stared intently into the valley. Henry put his hand on the
+shoulder of his comrade and shook him.
+
+"What? What? What is it?" exclaimed the shiftless one sleepily.
+
+"Three Indian warriors on the highest hill that overlooks the valley,
+but they're not coming in. I think that the Angel with the Flaming Sword
+is in the way."
+
+Shif'less Sol was all awake now, and he stared long at the motionless
+warriors.
+
+"No, they ain't comin' down in the valley," he said at last. "I don't
+know how I know it, but I do."
+
+"Perhaps it's because they don't see the remotest sign of an enemy
+here."
+
+"Partly that I reckon, an' fur other reasons too. Thar, they're goin'
+away! I expect, Henry, that them warriors are a part o' the band that
+wuz lookin' fur us. They don't keer to come into the valley, but they
+might hev been tempted hard to come, ef they'd a' saw us. Mebbe it's a
+good thing that we came here into Adam's an' Eve's home."
+
+"It was certainly not the wrong thing. Those warriors are gone now, and
+I predict that none will come in their place."
+
+"That's a shore thing. Now, ez I've had my nap, Henry, you take yourn.
+Rec'lect that it's always watch an' watch with us."
+
+Henry knew that the shiftless one would not like it, if he did not take
+his turn, and, making his leafy bed, he was soothed to quick sleep by
+the singing of the birds.
+
+Then the shiftless one propped his back against a bank of leaves between
+him and the trunk of a tree, and, with the rifle across his knees,
+watched. The great peace that he had felt continued. The fact that the
+Indians had merely come to the crest of the hill and looked into the
+valley, then going away, confirmed him in his beliefs. As long as Henry
+and he stayed there, they would be safe. But safety beyond that day was
+not what they were seeking. That night they must surely reach the other
+three, although they would enjoy the present to the full.
+
+Shif'less Sol's plastic and sensitive mind had been affected by his
+meeting with Henry. Despite his great confidence in the skill and
+strength of the young leader, he had been worried by his long absence
+and his meeting with him had been an immense relief. This and their
+coming into the happy valley had put him in an exalted state. The
+poetical side of nature always met with an immediate response in him,
+and like the Indian he personified the winds, and the moon and stars and
+sun, and all the objects and forces that were factors in wild life.
+
+Lying closely among his leaves he watched the buffaloes and the deer.
+Some of the bigger animals as the day grew and the sun increased, lay
+down in the grass near him, showing no sign of fear, although they must
+have been aware of his presence. A flight of wild geese descended from
+the sky, drank at the stream, swam a little, then rose again and were
+gone, their forms blending into a single great arrow shooting northward
+through the blue.
+
+Shif'less Sol did not wonder that they had dropped down into the valley
+for a moment or two, breaking their immeasurable flight into the far
+north. They had known that they would be safe in this little way
+station, and it was yet another confirmation of his beliefs. He watched
+the arrow so sharply outlined against the blue until it was gone in the
+vast sky, and a great wonder and awe filled the soul of the shiftless
+one. He had seen such flights countless times before, but now he began
+to think about the instinct that sent them on such vast journeys through
+the ether from south to north and back again, in an endless repetition
+as long as they lived. What journeys and what rivers and lakes and
+forests and plains they must see! Man was but a crawler on the earth,
+compared with them. Then wild ducks came, did as the geese had done, and
+then they too were gone in the same flight into the illimitable north
+that swallowed up everything.
+
+It was in the mind of the shiftless one that he too would like to go
+into that vast unknown North some day, if the fighting in Kentucky ever
+came to an end. He had been in the land of the Shawnees and Miamis, and
+Wyandots and he knew of the Great Lakes beyond, but north of them the
+wilderness still stretched to the edge of the world, where the polar ice
+reigned, eternal. There was no limit to the imagination of Shif'less
+Sol, and in all these gigantic wanderings the faithful four, his
+friends, were with him.
+
+Henry did not awaken until well after noon, but as usual his awakening
+was instantaneous, that is, all his faculties were keenly alert at once.
+He glanced down the valley and saw the buffalo and deer feeding, and the
+great chorus of birds was going on. The shiftless one, leaning against
+his bank of leaves, his rifle on his knee, was regarding the valley with
+an air of proprietorship.
+
+"What's happened while I slept?" asked Henry.
+
+"Nothing. You don't expect anything to happen here. It's got to happen
+when we leave tonight."
+
+"I think you're right about it, and as it's watch and watch, you must go
+to sleep again now."
+
+His comrade without any protest stretched himself in the leaves and soon
+slept soundly. Meanwhile Henry maintained vigilant watch. In order to
+keep his muscles elastic he rose and walked about a little at times, but
+he did not leave the shelter of the thick little grove that the
+shiftless one had called a bower. It well deserved the name, because the
+trees were so close and large, and the foliage was so dense that the
+sunlight could not enter. Indians on the hills could not possibly see
+the two resting there.
+
+The afternoon drew on, long and warm. Save within their shelter the
+sunlight blazed brilliantly. The buffaloes suddenly charged about for a
+little while and Henry at first thought they had been alarmed by the
+coming of man, but on second thought he put it down as mere playing.
+They were well fed, full of life, and they were venting their spirits.
+They ceased soon and lay down in the shade.
+
+Later in the afternoon another Indian appeared on the summit and looked
+for a little while into the valley, but like the others he went away.
+Henry had felt sure that he would.
+
+Toward night the shiftless one awoke, and they ate the last of their
+food. But the failure of the supply did not alarm them. This army was
+very small and if hunger pressed them hard there was the forest, or they
+might filch from the Indian camp. Such as they could dare anything, and
+achieve it, too.
+
+The sun set, the shadows gathered, and it would soon be time to go. The
+waters of the creek sang pleasantly in the ears of the shiftless one,
+and drawing a long breath of regret he said good-bye to the happy
+valley.
+
+"Nuthin' happened while we wuz here, Henry," he said, "and I knowed it
+wouldn't happen. Our troubles are comin' when we cross that line o'
+hills over thar."
+
+He pointed toward the crests. Beyond them, even in the twilight, the
+column of smoke from the great Indian camp was still visible, although
+it disappeared a few moments later, as the dusk turned into the dark.
+
+"The place in the cliff lays to the right o' that smoke," said the
+shiftless one, "an' jest about ez fur from here."
+
+"We ought to reach it in two hours."
+
+"Ef nothin' comes in the way."
+
+"If nothing comes in the way."
+
+They crossed the valley speedily and soon stood on one of the crests
+that hemmed it in.
+
+"We've had one fine day when we wuzn't thinkin' about fightin'," said
+the shiftless one, looking back.
+
+"A restful day," said Henry.
+
+Then the two plunged into the deep forests that lined the far slopes,
+and started on their journey.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE PATH OF DANGER
+
+
+Both Henry and Shif'less Sol had a clear idea of direction, and they
+could lay a line, like a chain bearer, toward the rock fortress, where
+they felt sure their comrades were lying in comfortable and hidden
+security. But back now in the deep forest the atmosphere of peace and
+content that they had breathed in the happy valley was gone, instead it
+was surcharged with war and danger.
+
+"I miss our Garden o' Eden," whispered Shif'less Sol regretfully. "We're
+already back where men are fightin' an' tryin' to kill."
+
+"I thought perhaps most of the army had already gone south, but there's
+the column of smoke as big as ever, and also the second column nearer to
+our home."
+
+"An' here's a creek that we'll hev to cross. Looks deep too. Strike a
+feller 'bout the middle."
+
+"Maybe we can find a shallower place or a tree that has fallen all the
+way across it."
+
+They ran along its bank for some distance, but finding no place where
+the water looked shallow plunged in, holding their weapons and
+ammunition clear of the surface. As they emerged on the other shore, a
+warrior standing in the bushes about forty yards away uttered a shout
+and fired at them. But the Indian is never a good marksman and in the
+dusk his bullet cut the leaves at least three feet over their heads.
+
+His warning shout and shot was followed by a yell from at least twenty
+others who lay about a small fire in a glade a hundred yards beyond.
+Thick bushes had hid the coals from the sight of Henry and the shiftless
+one and now, taking no time to reply to the bullet of the warrior, who
+stood, empty gun in hand, they turned and ran swiftly toward the north,
+while after them came the whole yelling pack.
+
+"We've shorely left the Garden o' Eden, Henry," said the shiftless one.
+"They didn't do sech things ez these thar in Adam or Eve's times, nor in
+ourn. We come purty nigh walkin' plum' into a trap."
+
+"And we've got to shake 'em off. We mustn't run toward the stone hollow,
+because that would merely draw 'em down on all of us. We must lead away
+to the west again, Sol."
+
+"You're right, Henry, but that confounded creek's in the way. I kin see
+it off on the left an' I notice that it's growin' wider an' deeper, ez
+it flows on to the Ohio. They've got us hemmed in ag'inst it."
+
+"But Sol, they'll have to do a lot before they catch such as you and
+me."
+
+"That's so, Henry. I guess we're right hard to ketch. I'm proud to be a
+fugitive 'long o' you."
+
+Henry glanced back and saw the long line of dusky figures following them
+through woods over hills and across valleys with all the tenacity of a
+pack of wolves pursuing a deer. He knew that they would hang on to the
+last, and while he was sure that he and Shif'less Sol could distance
+them, if they used their utmost speed, he was in continuous apprehension
+lest they stir up some other band or at least stray warriors, as the
+forest was full of them. The creek was a bar holding them to an almost
+straight line. It was wide and too deep except for swimming, rising
+almost to the proportions of a river. Henry calculated too that the
+creek did not flow far west of their hollow in the rock, and thus they
+were forced, despite their wishes, to run toward the very place they
+wished to avoid.
+
+"We've certainly had bad luck," he said to Sol, "and I think we've
+stirred up a regular hornet's nest. Hark to that!"
+
+From their right came a swelling war whoop with the ferocious whining
+note at the end, and the eyes of the two fugitives met. Each, despite
+the dark, could read the alarm in the face of the other. They had not
+run out of the trap. Instead the trap was about to be sprung upon them.
+With the unfordable stream on one side of them, an Indian band on the
+other, and an Indian band behind them their case was indeed serious. The
+transition from the Garden of Eden to a world of danger was sudden and
+complete.
+
+The band in the rear gave answer to the cry of their comrades in the
+west, and Henry and the shiftless one had never before heard a whoop so
+full of exultation and ferocity. Henry understood it as truly as if it
+had been spoken in words. It said that the fugitives were surely theirs,
+that they would be caught very soon, that they would be given to the
+torture and that all the warriors should see the flames lick around
+their bare bodies.
+
+A red mist appeared before the eyes of Henry. The wonderful peace, and
+the kindness toward all things that had enwrapped him, as he lay all day
+long in the happy valley, were gone. Instead his veins were flushed with
+anger. The warriors would exult over the torture and death of his
+comrades and himself. Well, he would show them that a man could not be
+burnt at the stake, until he was caught, and it was easy to exult too
+soon.
+
+He whirled for an instant, raised his rifle, fired, whirled back again
+and then ran on. The whole motion, the brief curve about, and then the
+half circle back, seemed one, and yet, as the two ran on, they heard a
+warrior utter a death shout, as he fell in the forest.
+
+"I reckon they'll keep back a little when they learn how we kin shoot,"
+said Shif'less Sol. "Yes, they're not so close, by at least thirty
+yards. Now, how foolish that is!"
+
+The Indians fired a dozen shots, but all their bullets flew wild. Then a
+pattering upon leaves and bark, but neither of the flying two was
+touched.
+
+"Foolish, so it was," said Henry, "but it was anger too. Now, hark to
+that, will you!"
+
+The shots were succeeded by a war cry, again on their right, but much
+nearer than before. Henry took a longing to look at the creek, but if
+they attempted to ford it the warriors would almost certainly shoot them
+while swimming. He and his comrade must make a great spurt to escape
+being cut off by the second force.
+
+"Now, Sol," he said, "you're a good runner. So am I, and we need to fly
+like deer. You know why."
+
+"I reckon I do."
+
+The speed of the two suddenly increased. They went forward now, as if
+they were shot from a bow. Fortunately there were no pitfalls. The
+ground was not strewn with vines and brush to entrap them, and seeing
+that the two fugitives would be well ahead before the junction of the
+two bands could be formed, the band behind them sent forth its war
+whoop. But to Henry with his sensitive ear attuned to every shade of
+feeling that night the cry was not so full of exultation and triumph as
+the one before.
+
+"Afraid the trap will fail to shut down on us," he said to the shiftless
+one.
+
+"I read it that way."
+
+"A little faster, Sol! A little faster! We must make sure!"
+
+Fortunately the creek now curved to the left, which enabled them to draw
+away from the second band, and both feeling that the crisis was at hand
+put forth their utmost powers. Under a burst of magnificent speed the
+ground spun behind them. Trees and bushes flitted past. Then they heard
+the disappointed yell, as the two bands joined, and the firing of shots
+that fell short.
+
+"One danger escaped," breathed Henry as they slackened speed.
+
+"But thar's more to come. Still, I'm glad I don't hev to run so fast fur
+a time. It's fine to be a race horse, but you can't be a racin' all the
+days an' nights o' your life."
+
+"We must cross the creek some way or other, Sol. I don't think our rock
+fortress can now be more than ten miles away and we can't afford to
+bring the warriors down on it."
+
+Shif'less Sol nodded. They kept very near to the creek and he noticed
+suddenly that the current was shallowing, and had grown much swifter. He
+inferred that rapids were ahead, but this was surely the place to cross,
+and he called Henry's attention to it. The bank was about six feet above
+the water and Henry said instantly:
+
+"Jump, Sol, jump! But be sure that you land squarely on your feet!"
+
+The shiftless one nodded. Certainly a man could not choose a poorer time
+to turn an ankle. Without stopping speed but balancing himself perfectly
+he sprang far out, and Henry sprang with him. There were two splashes,
+as they sank almost to the waists in the water, but they were able to
+keep their powder and weapons dry, and in an instant they were at the
+far bank climbing up with all the haste of those who know they are about
+to become targets for bullets.
+
+They heard the yell of disappointment anew, and then the scattering fire
+of bullets. Two or three pattered on the stream, but they did not hear
+the whizz of the others, and in an instant they were safely up the bank
+and into the forest.
+
+"Hit, Sol?" said Henry.
+
+"Nary a hit. An' you?"
+
+"Untouched."
+
+"Come down straight on your feet in the creek?"
+
+"Straight as straight can be. And you?"
+
+"Split the water like a fish. Wet to the middle, but happy. I reckon we
+kin slow down a little now, can't we? I'm a good runner, but I wuzn't
+made up to go forever."
+
+"We'll stop a little while in these bushes until we can get the fresh
+breath that we need so badly. But you know, Sol, they'll cross the
+creek, hunt for our trail and follow us."
+
+"Let 'em come. We ain't hemmed in now, an' with a thousand miles o'
+space to run in I reckon they won't git us."
+
+They lay panting in the bushes a full ten minutes. Then their hearts
+sank to a normal beat, strength flowed back into their veins, and,
+rising they stole away, keeping a general course toward the west. They
+went at a rather easy gait for an hour or more, but when they rested
+fifteen minutes they heard at the end of that time sounds of pursuit.
+The warriors were showing their usual tenacity on the trail, and knowing
+that it was not wise to delay longer they fled again toward the west,
+though they took careful note of the country as they went, because they
+intended to come back there again.
+
+Twice the Indian horde behind them gave tongue, sign that the pursuit
+would be followed to the bitter end, but Henry and the shiftless one now
+had little fear for themselves. Their chief apprehension was lest they
+be driven so far to the west they might not return in time to allay the
+doubts and fears of their comrades.
+
+They soon passed from hills into marshy regions which to their skilled
+eyes betokened another creek, flowing like its parallel sister into the
+Ohio. All these creeks overflowed widely in the heavy spring rains, and
+they judged that the swampy territory had been left by the retreating
+waters.
+
+"Ez I think I told you before," said Shif'less Sol, "I'm a mighty good
+runner. But thar are some things I kin do besides runnin'. Runnin' all
+night, even when you slow up a bit, gits stale. Your mind grows mighty
+tired o' it even if your feet do plant themselves one after another jest
+like a machine. Now, my mind is sayin' enough, so I think, Henry, we
+might git through this swamp, leavin' no trail, o' course, an' rest on
+some good solid little bit o' land surrounded by a sea o' mud."
+
+"That's right, Sol. It's what we must do, but we must cross to the other
+side of the creek before we find our oasis."
+
+"Oasis! What's an oasis?"
+
+"It's something, surrounded by something else," Henry explained. "Come
+on now, Sol. Watch your footing. Don't get yourself any muddier than
+you can help."
+
+"I'm follerin', steppin' right in your tracks, over which the soft mud
+draws the minute my foot has left 'em. I'm glad thar are lots o' bushes
+here, 'cause they'll hide us from any warriors who may be in advance o'
+the main band."
+
+The creek was not as deep and wide as the other, and they crossed it
+without trouble. Two hundred yards further on they found a tiny island
+of firm ground set thick with saplings and bushes, among which they
+crawled and lay down, until regular breathing came back. Then they
+scraped the mud off their moccasins and leggings and sat up on the hard
+earth.
+
+"An' so this is an oasis?" said Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Yes, solid ground, surrounded for a long distance by mud."
+
+"An' with saplin's an' bushes so thick that the sharpest eyed warrior
+ever born couldn't see into it. Henry, I'm thinkin' that we've found
+another little home."
+
+"One that hides us from people passing by, but that does not put a roof
+over our heads or give us food to eat."
+
+"Do you care to rec'lect, Henry, that all our venison is gone?"
+
+"Don't talk to me about it now. I know we'll be hungry soon, but we'll
+just have to be hungry, and that's all."
+
+"I wish it _wuz_ all. I'm hungry right now, an' I know that the longer
+I lay here the hungrier I'll git. I'm lookin' ahead, Henry, an' I see
+the time when we'll hev to shoot a deer, even ef thar are ten thousand
+warriors in a close ring about us."
+
+"Peep between those vines, Sol, and you can see them now among the
+bushes on the far side of the creek."
+
+The shiftless one raised himself up a little, and looked in the
+direction that Henry had indicated. There was sufficient moonlight to
+disclose four or five warriors who had come to the edge of the swamp and
+stopped. They seemed at a loss, as the mud had long since sunk back and
+covered up the trail, and perhaps, also, they hesitated because of the
+dreaded rifles of the two white men, which might be fired at them from
+some unsuspected place. As they hesitated another figure emerged from
+the background and joined them.
+
+"Braxton Wyatt!" said Shif'less Sol. "He must hev been in the second
+band that come up. Do you think I could reach him with a long shot,
+Henry?"
+
+"No, and even if you could you mustn't try. We are well hidden now, but
+a shot would bring them down upon us. Let Braxton Wyatt wait. His time
+will come."
+
+"Here's hopin' that it'll come soon. I'm beginnin' to feel a sight
+better, Henry. Lookin' over all that mud they don't dream that the
+fellers they're lookin' fur are layin' here in this little clump o'
+bushes, like two rabbits in their nests."
+
+"They won't find us because there is no trail leading here. They'll be
+searching the forests on the other side, and we can stay here until they
+go away."
+
+"Which would leave us happy ef I wuzn't so hungry. It's comin' on me
+strong, Henry, that hungry feelin'. You know that I'm gen'ally a pow'ful
+feeder."
+
+"I know it, but this is a time when you'll have to resist."
+
+"I ain't so shore. I notice that them that want things pow'ful bad an'
+go after 'em pow'ful hard are most always them that gits 'em, an' that's
+me tonight."
+
+"Well, lie close, and we'll see what happens, there's Wyatt within reach
+of my rifle right now, and it's a strong temptation to put a bullet into
+him. The temptation is just as strong in me, Sol, as it has been in
+you."
+
+"Then why don't you do it an' take the chances? We kin git away anyhow."
+
+"For several reasons, Sol. I doubt whether we could get away, and escape
+is important not only to ourselves--I like my life and you like
+yours--but to others as well. Besides, I can't draw trigger on Braxton
+Wyatt from cover. Cruel as he is, and he's worse than the savages,
+because he's a renegade, I can't forget that we were boys at Wareville
+together."
+
+"Still your bullet, most likely, would save the life o' many a man an'
+o' women an' children too. But it's too late anyhow. He's gone, an' them
+warriors hev gone with him. By the great horn spoon, what wuz that!"
+
+They had now gone to the extreme eastern edge of their little covert and
+a sudden floundering and gasping there startled them. A large black
+figure rose up from a dense thicket of alders, pawpaws and small willows
+and gazed at them a moment or two with frightened red eyes.
+
+"A bear," exclaimed Shif'less Sol. "Oh, Henry, let me shoot! I kin see
+his steaks fryin' over the coals now. Thar's our supper, settin' on its
+hind legs not ten feet from us."
+
+"Don't you dare do such a thing!" exclaimed Henry, laughing. "Why, your
+shot would bring a whole tribe of Indians down upon us!"
+
+"I know it, but I do want that bear, an' I want to put the
+responsibility o' not gittin' him on you."
+
+"All right. I take it. There he goes and your chance, too, is lost."
+
+The bear threshed out of his den, clattered across the mud flats and
+entered the forest, whence came in a minute the sound of a shot.
+
+"Thar, the warriors hev got him!" exclaimed Shif'less Sol, deep
+disappointment showing in his tone, "and in two or three hours they'll
+be cookin' him. An' he was our bear, too. We saw him first. I could see
+that he was nice an' fat, even ef it wuz early in the year, an' them
+steaks belong to us."
+
+"Maybe they did, but we've lost 'em. Now, I think we'd better keep
+quiet. The Indians are probably far ahead of us, thinking that we've
+gone that way."
+
+The shiftless one subsided into an indignant silence. The oasis was an
+ideal place for two situated as they were, and having the wisdom of the
+woods they remained still and quiet in its cover. But after three or
+four hours the shiftless one became restless. He was a man of great
+strength, and despite his lazy manner, of wonderful bodily activity. It
+took much food to satisfy the demands of that powerful frame, and he was
+growing hungrier and hungrier. Moreover a light wind began to blow from
+the west, bringing upon its edge a faint aroma that caused him to sit up
+and sniff inquiringly. The odor grew stronger, and he no longer had need
+to ask questions with his nose. He knew, and he knew too well.
+
+"Henry," he said, "thar's our bear jest as I expected. They're cookin'
+him, an' it's not so fur away either!"
+
+"I think you're right, but we can't help it. We have to be resigned."
+
+"Mebbe we can't help it, an' then ag'in mebbe we kin, but anyway I ain't
+goin' to be resigned. I'm protestin' all the time, 'cause it's my bear.
+I saw him first."
+
+The savory odor grew stronger, and the anger and indignation of the
+shiftless one increased. And with these two emotions came a third which
+hardened into a resolution.
+
+"Henry," he said, "you're our leader, an' we most always do what you
+say, but this time I reckon I've decided fur myself what I'm goin' to
+do. I'm growin' hungrier an' hungrier. Sometimes I put that hunger down
+but in a minute it bounces back up ag'in stronger than ever. It's my
+master, gittin' control over ev'ry inch o' me, an' I've got to listen to
+what it says. I know I'm makin' a long speech, talkin' like an Injun
+chief at a council, but I've got to explain an' make clear ez day why
+I'm goin' to do the thing I'm goin' to do."
+
+"Go on, Sol. Talk as much as you please. We've all night before us."
+
+"Which is good. Ez I said, hunger has laid hold o' ev'ry inch o' me, an'
+is workin' mighty fast. When I git into that state I'm plum' distracted
+on the question o' food, though it makes me smarter an' more keerful
+than ever on the ways to git it. I jest wanted to tell you, Henry, that
+I'm goin' to leave this oasis an' come back with a load o' them bear
+steaks that rightfully belong to me."
+
+"Have you lost your mind, Sol? You'd be killed and scalped in an hour!"
+
+"I knowed you'd say that. That's the reason I come around to it gradual
+like, an' in a circle, but Henry, it ain't no use talkin'. I'm goin'. My
+mind is clean made up. Besides, I won't be scalped an' I won't be
+killed. Jest you lay down an' afore long I'll be back here with my
+property."
+
+Henry saw that it was no use to argue. The mind of the shiftless one was
+made up, and occasionally he could be as resolute as Henry himself.
+
+"If you're bound to go I can't help it," Henry said. "I don't know your
+plan of action, and I won't ask it, but if you don't come back I'll feel
+pretty bad, Sol."
+
+"But I'll come back. That's shore. The night has jest this minute turned
+darker, which is a sign. Darkness is what I need, an' it tells me that
+I'm goin' to git through."
+
+Henry saw his comrade depart with keen regret. He did not look upon him
+as lost, because his skill was great. But so was the danger, and he
+thought the risk was out of proportion to the purpose. But there was
+nothing more for him to say and he watched the shiftless one as he left
+the oasis, glided over the mud flat and disappeared in the forest to the
+west.
+
+Then came a long and painful wait. Twice he heard the warriors, through
+the medium of the wolf's howl, calling to one another, but he did not
+believe the cries had any bearing upon the adventure of Shif'less Sol.
+Then he heard a faint chorus of yells in the western forest, whence his
+comrade had gone, and he knew that something had happened. He was filled
+with apprehension, but he could do nothing, except to lie still in the
+covert.
+
+The yell was not repeated, but he intently watched the edge of the
+forest on all sides except the west. After a while he saw the faint
+figure of a man, scarcely a tracery, appear in the north, and then come
+skipping like a swift shadow across the flat. His heart did not rise
+merely, but took a sudden jump upward. It was the shiftless one
+returning to their lair, and doubtless in triumph.
+
+He had not time to think much about it before Shif'less Sol was on the
+oasis, crouched among the bushes, laughing low, but in a tone that was
+fairly redolent of triumph.
+
+"I done done it, Henry!" he exulted. "I done done it!"
+
+He held up the hind quarter of a bear that had been cooked to a turn
+over a bed of coals.
+
+"I haven't tasted it yet," he said, "but jest smell it! Did sech an odor
+ever afore tickle your nose? Did your mouth ever afore water so much?
+Here, Henry, fall on!"
+
+He took out his knife, cut off a big piece and handed it to Henry, who
+began to eat eagerly. Then the shiftless one fell to in like fashion.
+
+"How did you manage it?" he asked.
+
+The shiftless one grinned.
+
+"Didn't I tell you that the sudden darkness wuz a sign favorin' me?" he
+said. "Paul is always tellin' about them old Greeks an' Romans not goin'
+into battle till they had talked with the omens, mostly the insides o'
+cows an' sheep. I believe in signs too. Mine wuz a lot better, an' it
+worked. I found that they hed jest finished roastin' the bear on the
+coals, after hevin' dressed him an' cut him into four quarters. 'Pears
+that most o' 'em hed gone deeper into the woods to look fur somethin'. I
+come close up in the bushes, an' began a terrible snarlin' an' yelpin'
+like a hull pack o' wolves. The three that wuz left, the cooks, took
+torches from the fire, an' run in after me. But I hed flew like
+lightnin' 'roun' to the other side, jumped in, grabbed up one o' the
+quarters by the leg, an' wuz away afore they could fairly see what had
+happened, an' who had made it happen. Then they set up one yell, which I
+guess you heard, but I kept on flyin' through the woods to the north,
+curved about, came over the mud flats whar no trail kin last a minute,
+an' here I am with our bear, or ez much of it ez we want o' him."
+
+"You've done a great deed, Sol. I didn't think you could go through with
+it, but you have, and this bear is mighty fine."
+
+"He wuz ourn, an' I wuz bound to hev a part o' him."
+
+"We'll put the rest in our knapsacks and there ought to be enough for
+two days more. It relieves us of a great anxiety, because we couldn't go
+without food, and we really needed it badly."
+
+"I'm feelin' like two men already. I wonder what the boys are doin' up
+thar in the holler? A-layin' 'roun' on the stone floor, I s'pose,
+eatin', drinkin' cold water, an' hevin' a good time."
+
+"But remember their anxiety about us."
+
+"I do. They shorely must hev worried a lot, seein' that we've been gone
+so long a time. Them are three fine fellers, Henry, Paul with all his
+learnin' an' his quiet ways, an' Long Jim, with whom I like so pow'ful
+well to argy an' who likes so pow'ful well to argy with me, ez good a
+feller ez ever breathed, an' Tom Ross, who don't talk none, givin' all
+his time to me, but who knows such a tremenjeous lot. We've got to git
+back to 'em soon, Henry."
+
+Henry agreed with him, and then, having eaten heartily they took turn
+and turn in sleeping. Their clothing had dried on them, but their
+blankets had escaped a wetting entirely, and they were able to make
+themselves comfortable.
+
+In the morning Henry saw that the larger column of smoke was gone, but
+that the smaller remained, and the fact aroused his curiosity.
+
+"What do you make of it?" he asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"I draws from it the opinion that the main band with the cannon hez
+started off into the south, but that part o' the warriors hev stayed
+behind fur some purpose or other."
+
+"My opinion, too. But why has the big force gone and the small one
+remained?"
+
+"I can't say. It's too much fur me."
+
+Henry had an idea, but hoping that he was mistaken he did not utter it
+just then.
+
+"If the big band has started south again," he said, "and the absence of
+the column of smoke indicates it, then all the Indians in this part of
+the forest have been drawn off. They've long since lost us, and they
+wouldn't linger here in the hope of running across us by chance, when
+the great expedition was already on its way."
+
+"That's sound argument, an' so we'll leave our islan' an' make fur the
+boys."
+
+They picked a path across the mud flats, recrossed the creek and entered
+the deep forest, where the two felt as if they had come back to their
+true home. The wonderful breeze, fresh with a thousand odors of spring
+in the wilderness, was blowing. It did not come across mud flats, but it
+came through a thousand miles of dark green foliage, the leaves
+rippling like the waters of the sea.
+
+"The woods fur me," said Shif'less Sol, speaking in a whisper, with
+instinctive caution. "I like 'em, even when they're full o' warriors
+lookin' fur my scalp."
+
+The forest here was very dense, and also was heavy with undergrowth
+which suited their purpose, as they would be able to approach the
+hollow, unseen and unheard. Henry still did not like the presence of the
+smaller column of smoke, and when he reached the crest of their first
+hill he saw that it was yet rising.
+
+"You had a sign last night, and it was a good one," he said to Shif'less
+Sol, "but I see one now, and I think it is a bad one."
+
+"We'll go on an' find it."
+
+They approached the hollow rapidly, the forest everywhere being
+extremely dense, but when they were within less than a mile of it both
+stopped short and looked at each other.
+
+"You heard it?" said Henry.
+
+"Yes, I heard it."
+
+"It wasn't much louder than the dropping of an acorn, but it was a rifle
+shot."
+
+"O' course it wuz a rifle shot. Neither you nor I could be mistook about
+that."
+
+"And you noticed where it came from?"
+
+"Straight from the place where Paul and Tom and Long Jim Hart are."
+
+"Which may mean that their presence has been discovered and that they
+are besieged."
+
+"That's the way I look at it."
+
+"And we must make a rescue."
+
+"That's true, an' we've got to be so mighty keerful about it that we
+ain't took an' scalped and burned by the savages, afore we've had a
+single chance at makin' a rescue."
+
+The thought in the minds of the two was the same. They were sure now
+from the absence of the larger smoke column that the main force had gone
+south, but that the smaller had remained to take their comrades, whose
+presence, by some chance, they had discovered. They lay closely hidden
+for a while, and they heard the report of a second shot, followed by a
+mere shred of sound which they took to be an Indian yell, although they
+were not sure.
+
+"Ef the boys are besieged, an' we think they are," said the shiftless
+one, "they kin hold out quite a while even without our help. So I think,
+Henry, we'd better go an' see whether the main camp has broke up an' the
+cannon gone south. It won't be so hard to find out that, an' then we kin
+tell better what we want to do."
+
+"You're right, of course," replied Henry. "We'll have to leave our
+comrades for the time and go to the big camp."
+
+They curved again toward the south and west, keeping to the thickest
+part of the forest and using every possible device to hide their trail,
+knowing its full necessity, as the day was brilliant and one, unless
+under cover, could be seen from afar. Game started up in their path and
+Henry took it as new proof that the main body of the Indians had gone.
+Deer, scared away by the hunters, were so plentiful that they would
+return soon after the danger for them departed. Nevertheless both he and
+the shiftless one were apprehensive of wandering warriors who might see
+them from some covert, and their progress, of necessity, was slow.
+
+They came to several grassy openings, in one of which the buffalo were
+feeding, but Henry and his comrade always passed around such exposed
+places, even at the cost of greatly lengthening their journey. At one
+point they heard a slight sound in the forest, and being uncertain
+whether it was made by an enemy they remained crouched in the thicket at
+least a half-hour. Then they heard another faint report in the north and
+their keen ears told them it came from a point near the rocky hollow.
+
+"I can't make anything of it," whispered Henry, "except that the boys
+are besieged as we feared. I've tried to believe that the shots were
+fired by Indians at game, but I can't force my belief. The reports all
+come from the same place, and they mean exactly what we wish they didn't
+mean."
+
+"But they mean too," said the shiftless one, courageously, "that so long
+as we hear 'em the boys are holdin' out. The warriors wouldn't be
+shootin' off their guns fur nothin'."
+
+"That's true. Now, we haven't heard that sound again. It must have been
+made by a wildcat or a wolf or something of the kind. So let's press
+on."
+
+The great curve through the forest took them late in the afternoon to
+the site of the big camp. They were sure, long before they reached it
+that it had been abandoned. They approached very carefully through the
+dense woods, and they heard no sound whatever. It was true that a little
+smoke floated about among the dense leaves, but both were certain that
+it came from dying fires, abandoned many hours ago.
+
+"You don't hear anything, do you?" asked Henry.
+
+"Not a sound."
+
+"Then they're gone."
+
+Rising from the undergrowth they boldly entered the camp, where perhaps
+a thousand warriors had danced and sung and feasted and slept for days.
+Now the last man was gone, but they had left ample trace of their
+presence. In the wide open space lay the charred coals of many fires,
+and everywhere were heaps of bones of buffalo, bear, dear and wild
+turkey. Feathers and an occasional paint box were scattered about.
+
+"The feast before the fight," said the shiftless one. "I've a good
+appetite myself, but it won't hold a candle to that of a hungry
+warrior."
+
+A low snarling and a pattering of many feet came from the surrounding
+forest.
+
+"The wolves," said Henry. "They've been here to glean, and they ran away
+at our approach."
+
+"An' they'll be back the moment we leave."
+
+"Like as not, but we don't care. Here are the wheel tracks, Sol, and
+there is the road they've cut through the forest. A blind boy could
+follow the trail of the cannon, and do you know, Sol, I'm bothered
+terribly."
+
+"Yes, I know, Henry. We've got to turn back, an' save the boys while
+them warriors, with the English an' the cannon, are goin' on into the
+south to attack our people."
+
+"And time is often the most precious of all things."
+
+"So it is, Henry."
+
+Henry sat down on one of the logs and cupped his chin in his hands. The
+problem presented to him was a terrible one, and he was thinking with
+all his powers of concentration. Should he and Shif'less Sol follow and
+continue his efforts to destroy the cannon, or return and help their
+comrades who might be besieged for a week, or even longer? But it was
+likely that Paul, Long Jim and Silent Tom, with all their resources of
+skill and courage, would hold out. In the face of a defence such as they
+could make it would be almost impossible to force the cleft in the
+cliff, and they had some food and of course unlimited water.
+
+They could be left to themselves, while Shif'less Sol and he hurried on
+the trail of the Indian army and made their great attempt. Shif'less Sol
+watched him, as he sat, his chin sunk in his hand, the deep eyes very
+thoughtful. Presently both looked at the column of smoke not more than a
+mile away that marked the presence of the smaller camp, the one that had
+remained and which was undoubtedly conducting the siege. As they looked
+they heard once more the faint report of a shot, or its echo coming down
+the wind. Henry stood up, and there was no longer a look of doubt in his
+eyes.
+
+"Sol," he said, "those three have been with us in a thousand dangers,
+haven't they?"
+
+"Nigher ten thousand, Henry."
+
+"And they never left us to look out for ourselves?"
+
+"Never, Henry."
+
+"And they never would do it, either."
+
+"Never. Warriors, an' fires, an' floods, an' earthquakes all together
+couldn't make 'em do it."
+
+"Nor can they make us. We've got to go back and rescue our comrades,
+Sol, and then we'll try to overtake their army and destroy the cannon."
+
+"I thought you'd decide that way, Henry. No, I knowed you'd do it."
+
+"Now, we've got to bear back toward the left, and then approach the
+cliff."
+
+"An' on our way find out jest what the warriors attackin' it are up to."
+
+They began a new trail, and with the utmost exercise of skill and
+caution undertook to reach their comrades.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE KEEPERS OF THE CLEFT
+
+
+Henry and the shiftless one had not gone far, before they were deeply
+grateful that the undergrowth was so dense. They distinctly heard three
+shots and twice the war whoop. A small gully, so thickly covered with
+vines and bushes, that it was almost like a subterranean channel,
+allowed them to go much nearer. There lying hidden until twilight, they
+distinctly heard scattered firing, war whoops and then a long piercing
+shout which had in it the quality of the white man's voice. Shif'less
+Sol laughed low, but with intense pleasure.
+
+"I can't hear his words," he said, "but I'd know that yell in a million.
+It's Long Jim's ez shore ez shootin'. It's so pow'ful loud 'cause it's
+drawed up from a long distance, an' when it does come free it comes
+a-poppin'. It's Jim tellin' them warriors what he thinks of 'em. He's
+tellin' 'em what scalawags they are, an' how their fathers an' mothers
+an' grandfathers an' grandmothers afore 'em wuz ez bad or wuss. He's
+tellin' 'em they're squaws painted up to look like men, an' ez he talks
+Shawnee an' Miami they're hoppin' mad."
+
+Henry even could not refrain from laughing. It was Long Jim's voice
+beyond a doubt, and his note of triumph showed that he and his comrades
+were safe--so far. Evidently he was in great fettle. His words shot
+forth in a stream and Henry knew that the savages were writhing in anger
+at his taunts. The report of a rifle came suddenly and echoed through
+the darkening forest. When the last echo died there was a moment of
+silence, and then to their welcome ears came the voice of Long Jim
+again, pouring forth a stream of taunt and invective with undiminished
+speed and power.
+
+"Ain't he the great one?" whispered Shif'less Sol, admiringly. "Didn't I
+tell you that voice o' his was so strong 'cause it come up so fur. An'
+did you ever hear him do better? Thar ain't a word in the hull Shawnee
+an' Miami languages that he hasn't used on 'em an' a sprinkling o'
+Wyandot an' Delaware too. They're so mad I kin see 'em bitin' their lips
+an' t'arin' at thar scalp locks. Good old Jim, give it to 'em!"
+
+The voice went on a quarter of an hour with amazing force and speed.
+Then it ceased abruptly and silence and darkness together came over the
+woods. Henry and his comrade debated as they lay in the little gully.
+Should they try to get in to their comrades? Or should they try to get
+their comrades out? Either would be a most difficult task, but as the
+night deepened, and they talked they came to a decision.
+
+"It has to be me," said Henry.
+
+"I s'pose so," said Sol, regretfully. "You're the likeliest hand at it,
+but you always take the most dangerous part. It's nothin' fur me to lay
+'roun' here in the night till you fellers come."
+
+Henry's smile was invisible in the dusk.
+
+"Of course, Sol," he said, "you run no risk. I read once in a book, that
+our teacher had at Wareville, about an outdoor amusement they called a
+lawn festival. That's what you're going to have, a lawn festival. While
+I'm gone you'll walk about here and pick flowers for bouquets. If any
+savage warrior wanting your scalp should come along he'd change his mind
+at once, and help you make your bouquet."
+
+"Stop your foolishness, Henry. You know it ain't no hard job fur me to
+hang 'bout in the woods an' keep out o' danger."
+
+"Yes, but you may have a lot to do when you hear the signals. Keep as
+close as you reasonably can, Sol, and if we come out and give the howl
+of the wolf you answer, according to our custom, and we'll know which
+way to run."
+
+"All right, Henry. I won't be sleepin'. Thar they are shootin' ag'in,
+but not doin' any yellin'. So they haven't hit anythin'. Good-bye, an'
+rec'lect that I'll be waitin' here."
+
+Strong hands clasped in the darkness and Henry slipped away on his
+perilous mission, reaching without event the valley that the cliff
+overlooked. Then he used all the caution and skill that the superman of
+the forest possessed, creeping closer and closer and ever closer, until
+he could see, despite the darkness, the painted forms of Miami and
+Shawnee warriors in the thickets, all looking up at the point where the
+crevice in the cliff was practically hidden by the foliage. It was an
+average night, quiet and dark up there, but Henry knew that three pairs
+of good eyes in the coign of the crevice were watching everything that
+went on below.
+
+He crouched lower and lower, until he blended with earth and thicket and
+still watched. He saw one of the warriors raise his rifle and fire at
+the hidden mark. Then he heard two impacts of the bullet, first as it
+struck upon stone, and then as glancing, it fell among the leaves. Out
+of the mouth of the fissure came a great booming voice, speaking Shawnee
+and ridiculing their lack of skill with the rifle.
+
+The voice said that if they did not improve in their firing he would
+come outside, sit in the best moonlight he could find, and let them take
+turns at him as a target. He would even mark off spots on his chest and
+offer prizes to any one who might hit them, but he knew very well that
+none of them would ever succeed. If he had a six-year-old boy who should
+do as badly as they were doing he would take him away and whip him with
+willow switches.
+
+Henry, lying close in his covert, laughed inwardly. Long Jim was in good
+form. Upon occasion he had a wonderful command of language, and the
+present occasion was better than any other that Henry could remember.
+Events, chief of which was a successful defense, had inspired in him a
+wonderful flow of language. His great sonorous voice again pealed out
+wrath, defiance and contempt.
+
+"Oh, you dogs! sons uv dogs! an' grandsons uv dogs!" he shouted. "Why
+don't you come an' take us? Here we are, only a few, jest settin' an'
+waitin' fur you! An' thar are twenty or more uv you! Oh, you Shawnees
+an' Miamis, an' Wyandots, why are you waitin' down thar when jest a few
+uv us are up here, ready to give you welcome? I don't think you're
+re'lly warriors. You're jest old squaws painted up to look like 'em, an'
+the real fightin' men uv your tribe are at home, asleep in the lodges,
+afraid to face the bullets uv the white men, while they send thar old
+women here to make a noise!"
+
+Henry laughed again that soundless laugh behind his teeth. He read
+everything as plainly as if it had been written in a book before him.
+Nobody in the stony hollow had been hurt, else Long Jim's voice would
+not have been so exultant. They were confident, too, that they could
+hold the narrow opening indefinitely, else he would not have sent forth
+such intolerable taunts. He made his position a little easier and again
+laughed deep in his throat and with unction. He had never known Long Jim
+to be in finer form. Shif'less Sol was the acknowledged orator of the
+five, but tonight the cloak of inspiration was spread over the shoulders
+of Long Jim Hart.
+
+"Why don't you come into our little house?" he shouted. "It's a nice
+place, a warm place, an' the rain can't git at you here. Won't you walk
+into our parlor, ez the spider said to the fly! It's a good place,
+better than any wigwam you've got, nice an' warm, with a roof that the
+rain can't get through, an' plenty of cool runnin' water! An' ef you
+want our scalps you'd never find grander heads uv ha'r. They're the
+finest an' longest an' thickest that ever grew on the head uv man.
+They're jest waitin' to be took. Any warrior who took one uv 'em would
+be made a chief right away. Why don't you come on an' git 'em? It can't
+be that you're afraid, you Shawnees and Miamis an' Delawares an'
+Wyandots. Here's our gyarden, jest waitin' fur you, the door open an'
+full uv good things. Why don't you come on? Ef I had a dog an' told him
+to run after a b'ar cub an' he wouldn't run I'd kill him fur a coward!"
+
+Henry heard a roar of rage from the thickets, and once more he laughed
+behind his teeth. Long Jim Hart was still in his grandest form, and
+although many Indian chiefs were great orators, masters of taunt and
+satire, Long Jim, inspired that night, was the equal of their best. The
+gift of tongues had come to him.
+
+"I heard a noise down thar in the holler!" he shouted. "Wuz it made by
+warriors, men? No! it wuz dogs barkin' an' crows cawin' an' wolves
+whinin' an' rabbits squeakin'. Sech ez them would never come up ag'in a
+white man's rifle. I hear the wind blowin' too, but it don't bring me no
+sound 'cept that uv dogs barkin', low-down curs that would run away from
+a chipmunk with their tails atween their legs. I'm gittin' mighty tired
+now uv waitin' fur them that called theirselves warriors, but are
+nothin' but old squaws in war paint. Ef I don't hear from 'em ag'in
+soon I'll go to sleep an' leave here my little boy, ten years old, to
+meet 'em with a switch ez they come up."
+
+There was another roar of rage from the brush, and Henry said under his
+breath:
+
+"Well done, Long Jim! Well done, twice and again!"
+
+Long Jim now softened his voice and began to beg.
+
+"Why don't you come up here, you red Indian fellers?" he cried. "All my
+friends, knowin' thar is no danger, hev gone to sleep, leavin' me to
+welcome the guests, when they stan' afore our door. I'm waitin'! I've
+been waitin' a long time, an' ef you don't come soon I'll hev to go to
+sleep leavin' you outside our door."
+
+The Indians were always susceptible to oratory and now another shout of
+rage came from them. The taunts of Long Jim were too much, and a dozen
+dusky forms sprang from the undergrowth and rushed up the slope. There
+was a puff of smoke from the cleft in the cliff and the foremost warrior
+fell, shot squarely through the forehead. A second puff and a second
+warrior was gone to a land where the hunting is always good. Before such
+accurate shooting with only the moonlight to aid, the other warriors
+shrank back appalled, and quickly hid themselves in the undergrowth.
+
+"Good boys! Good boys!" exclaimed Henry under his breath. "Splendid
+shooting! They're bold warriors who will now face the Keepers of the
+Pass."
+
+All the warriors save the two who had been slain were hidden in the
+dense thicket or behind stony outcroppings, and again the tremendous
+voice of Long Jim floated on waves of air above them.
+
+"Why don't you keep comin'?" he shouted. "I invited you to come an' you
+started, but you've stopped! Everythin' is waitin' fur you, all the
+gaudy Roman couches that my friend Paul has told me about, an' the
+gushin' fountains, an' the wreaths uv rose leaves to wrap aroun' your
+necks, an' the roses droppin' from the ceilin' on the table loaded with
+ven'son, an' turkey, an' wild pigeons, an' rabbits an' more other kinds
+uv game than I kin tell you about in a night. Why don't you come on an'
+take the big places you're invited to at our banquet, you miserable,
+low-down, sneakin', wrinkled old squaws!"
+
+A wild yell of rage came once more from the bushes, and again Henry
+laughed deep in his throat. He knew how the taunt stung the Indians, and
+Long Jim's eloquence, the dam now having been taken down, flooded on.
+
+"Here, you red-skinned barbarians!" he shouted. "Come into our house an'
+we'll teach you how to live! The tables are all set an' the couches are
+beside 'em. The hummin' birds' tongues are done to a turn an' the best
+singers an' dancers are all on hand to entertain you!"
+
+Henry knew that Jim's patter had come from Paul's stories of the old
+Romans, and now he was applying it with gusto to the wild scene lost in
+the vast green wilderness. But he was sure that the Indians would not
+return to a headlong charge. The little fortress in stone was
+practically impregnable to frontal attack and they would resort instead
+to cunning and subterfuge.
+
+"Ain't you comin'!" thundered the voice of Long Jim. "I hev done give
+you an invite to the banquet an' you stop an' hang 'roun' thar in the
+woods, whar I can't see you. Five minutes more an' the invites are all
+withdrawed. Then the eatin' an' the singin' an' the playin' will all go
+on without you, an' ef you are found hangin' 'roun' our door I'll hev
+the dogs to chase you away."
+
+No answer came from the woods, but Henry knew how the hearts of the
+warriors were consumed with rage. Those whom they wished to take were so
+near and so few and yet they held an almost invincible fortress. Rage
+stabbed at the Indian heart.
+
+Long Jim continued his taunts for some time, speaking both Shawnee and
+Miami, and also a little Wyandot and Delaware. His vocabulary acquired a
+sudden richness and depth. He called them names that implied every
+manner of cowardice and meanness. Their ancestors had been buzzards
+feeding on offal, they themselves were mangy, crippled and deformed,
+and, when the few that were left alive by the white men returned home,
+they would be set to work cooking, and caring for the lodges. When they
+died they would return to the base forms of their ancestors. They would
+be snakes and toads and turtles, and the animals that walked on four
+legs and looked straight before them would laugh at them whenever they
+saw them.
+
+Long Jim had never before been so eloquent, and never before had his
+voice been so unctuous. He thundered forth challenges and insults after
+the Indian fashion. He told them that he and his comrades found it a
+poor amusement to fight with such men, but when they finished with their
+eating and drinking and sleeping they might go north to the Indian
+villages and whip the warriors in the presence of their squaws with
+willow switches. Meanwhile they intended to sleep and rest, but if any
+of the old women out there came into their cavern and annoyed their
+slumbers he would chase every one of them out with a switch.
+
+Henry laughed long in his throat. Long Jim was proving himself a forest
+warrior of the first quality. It was the way of the woods, and these
+taunts stung the red men to the quick. He knew that they were lying in
+the bushes, their hearts beating heavily with anger and the hot breath
+burning their lips. Two, unable to restrain themselves, fired, but their
+bullets merely rebounded from the stone walls of the grotto, and the
+defenders did not deign to answer.
+
+Then came a long period of silence and Henry made himself as small and
+obscure as possible, lest the warriors, moving about, might see him.
+But, fortunately the night had now turned quite dark, and where eyes
+might fail his acute sense of hearing would reveal the approach of any
+enemy. But as he lay close he again laughed inwardly more than once. The
+three were certainly holding the grotto in most gallant fashion, and
+Long Jim was fast becoming one of the greatest orators of the woods. He
+did not believe that the Indians could carry the fortress, but to get
+them out and away was another and much harder problem.
+
+Absolute silence save for the whispering of a light wind through the
+leaves came over the forest. The night, to Henry's great joy, grew much
+darker. No sound came from the room in the cliff, nor did any come from
+the Indians in the thickets. Apparently the whole place was a
+wilderness, as lone and desolate as it was when it first emerged from
+the sea. Nowhere was the sign of a human being visible, but Henry knew
+that vigilant eyes watched at the mouth of the stone cleft and that eyes
+equally as keen peered continually from the thickets.
+
+But he meant to join his comrades before dawn. He did not know yet just
+how he would do it, but such was his confidence that he felt quite sure
+he would be with his comrades before the rising of the sun.
+
+Luckily the forest and thickets in the valley were extremely dense,
+enabling him to lie within a couple of hundred yards of the besieging
+force, and not fear detection. His figure in its green clothing blended
+perfectly with the green bushes.
+
+The night turned colder, and after a while a chilly drizzle began to
+fall. Henry, hardened to all kinds of weather, and intent upon his task,
+took no note of it, except to be glad that it had come, because it would
+further his aims. Night and storm might enable him to slip past the
+besiegers and join his friends.
+
+But the Indians, who do not despise comfort when there is no danger in
+it, gathered in a cup in the side of the hill, beyond rifle shot from
+the hollow, and built a fire. Henry, from his lair in the bushes, saw
+them distinctly, about thirty warriors, mostly of the Shawnee tribe,
+with their head chief, Red Eagle himself, present as a leader, and the
+two renegades Braxton Wyatt and Blackstaffe. Henry noted Blackstaffe and
+Wyatt closely and his heart thrilled with anger that they should turn
+against their own people and use the tomahawk and scalping knife, and
+even stand beside the stake to witness their slow death by the torture
+of fire.
+
+Blackstaffe[A] was one of the worst of all the renegades, second only to
+Girty in cruelty and cunning, a scourge of the border destined to meet
+his fate from an avenging bullet years later, just after the Fallen
+Timbers, where Wayne crushed the allied tribes. Now he was a young man,
+tall, heavily built and tanned almost as dark as an Indian by weather.
+He and Braxton Wyatt had become close friends, and both stood high in
+the councils of the Indians. Henry saw them clearly now, outlined
+against the firelight, engaged in close talk with the middle-aged
+Shawnee chief, Red Eagle.
+
+[Footnote A: The fate of Blackstaffe is told in the author's novel, "The
+Wilderness Road."]
+
+Henry had much more respect for Red Eagle than for the renegades. The
+Indian might be cruel, he might delight in the terrible sufferings he
+inflicted upon a captured enemy, but it was the immemorial custom of his
+race and, in fighting the white people, he was fighting those who would
+some day, far distant though it might be, turn the great hunting grounds
+into farms. Henry, so much a son of the wild himself, could understand
+him, but for the renegades he had no sympathy whatever. In all lands
+and in all the history of the world renegades have been hated and
+detested.
+
+He judged by the fact that the head chief of the Shawnees and the two
+renegades had remained that they considered the taking of the little
+fort in the cliff of great importance. Doubtless they imagined that all
+of the five were now inside, and it would rejoice the heart of Shawnee
+and Miami alike if they could slay them all, or better still, take them
+alive, and put them to the torture. There were some old defeats that yet
+galled and stung, and for which revenge would be sweet. Henry recalled
+these things and he knew that the siege would be close and bitter.
+
+The Indians, feeling secure from any enemy, presently sat in a circle
+about the fire, drawing their blankets over their shoulders to protect
+themselves from the drizzling rain. Henry surmised that several warriors
+were on watch near the mouth of the cave, and that those in the main
+body would take their ease before the coals. His surmise proved to be
+correct, as they appeared to relax and to be talking freely. They also
+took venison from deerskin pouches and ate. It reminded Henry that he
+was hungry and he too took out and ate a portion of Shif'less Sol's
+stolen bear steak that he had saved.
+
+He did not move for another hour. Meanwhile the wind rose, driving the
+drizzling rain like sleet, and moaning down the gorge. Save for the
+Indians crouched around the fire no more desolate scene might have been
+witnessed on the continent. The old, primeval world had come back, and
+forgotten monsters ranged the woods while man, weaponless save for his
+club, crouched in his cave and listened with terror to the snarls of the
+great animals, so much more powerful than himself.
+
+It seemed to him then, when the influence of the wilderness and its
+immensity and desolation were so strong, that he might have lived in
+some such time himself, ages and ages ago. It might have been the
+stories of Paul or it might have been some dim heritage from a dimmer
+past that made him, as he lay there under the soaking bushes, call up
+visions of the great beasts that once stalked the earth, the mammoth and
+the mastodon, the cave bear, the saber-toothed tiger, gigantic leopards
+and hyenas, and back of them the terrific stegosaurus in his armor-like
+hide and all his awful kin. Henry was glad that he had not lived in such
+a time.
+
+The fire, even though it was that of men who would gladly scalp him and
+torture him to death, brought back the present and the living and
+throbbing realities of life. With his rifle he was more than a match for
+any beast that roamed the North American wilderness, and in cunning and
+craft he could meet the savages at their own game.
+
+Apparently the Indians around the fire had now ceased to talk. They sat
+in a circle, bent a little forward, and some had drawn their blankets
+over their heads. The fire was a great mass of coals and Henry knew that
+it threw out an abundant heat. He envied them a little. He was just
+beginning to feel the effects of the cold rain, but their bodies glowed
+with warmth.
+
+Meantime the roaring of the wind in the valley was growing and in the
+confined space there were many tones in its voice, now a shriek, and now
+a howl. In spite of himself the ancient monsters of the primeval world
+came back again and these were the sounds they uttered in their rage. He
+shuddered a little, then shook himself and by the mere power of will
+forced the return of the present.
+
+He reckoned that the time had come for him to make his attempt.
+Doubtless the sentinels were on the slope near the mouth of the cleft,
+but they must be chilled to some extent by the cold rain, and, after
+such a long silence, would naturally relax their vigilance. He had
+protected his weapons from the rain with his buckskin hunting shirt, and
+he flexed his arms and muscles to see that they had not grown stiff from
+such a long stay in one position.
+
+He began to creep through the bushes to the bottom of the valley and
+then up the slope toward the little fortress, and in the task he called
+into play all his natural and acquired powers. An eye looking down would
+have taken him for a large animal stalking his prey with infinite
+cunning and cleverness. The bushes scarcely moved as he passed, and he
+made no sound but the faintest sliding motion, audible only four or five
+feet away.
+
+The strain upon his body was very great. He did not really crawl, but
+edged himself forward with a series of muscular efforts. It was
+painfully slow, but it was necessary, because the Indian ears were
+acute, and the rustling of a bush or the breaking of a twig would draw
+their instant attention.
+
+As he drew himself slowly on, like a great serpent, he watched for the
+Indian sentinels, and at last he saw one, a Shawnee warrior crouched in
+the lee of a huge tree trunk to shelter himself from the driving rain,
+but always looking toward the mouth of the hollow in the cliff.
+
+Henry, inch by inch, bore away and curved about him. Twice he thought
+the sentinel had heard something unusual, but in each case he lay flat
+and silent, while the wind continued to shriek down the valley, driving
+the chill rain before it. Each time the suspicions of the watcher passed
+and Henry moved slowly on, infinite patience allied with infinite skill.
+If there was anything in heredity and reincarnation he was the greatest
+tracker and hunter in that old primeval world, where such skill ranked
+first among human qualities. As always with him, his will and courage
+rose with the danger. Crouched in the bush fifteen feet away he looked
+at the warrior, a powerful fellow, brawny in the chest but thin in the
+legs, as was usual among them. The Indian's eyes swept continuously in a
+half circle, but they did not see the great figure lying so near, and
+holding his life on the touch of a trigger.
+
+Henry laughed deep in his throat. All the wild blood in him was alive
+and leaping. He even felt a certain exultation in the situation, one
+that would have appalled an ordinary scout and stalker, but which drew
+from him only supreme courage and utmost mastery in woodcraft. He felt
+within him the supreme certainty that he would succeed, and bending away
+from the sentinel he resumed that slow, sliding motion.
+
+He was sure that he would find on his right another warrior on watch,
+and, as he was moving in that direction, he looked closely. He saw him
+presently, a tall fellow, standing erect among some bushes, his rifle in
+the crook of his arm. He seemed discontented with his situation--even
+the savage can get too much of cold and wet--and presently he moved a
+little further to the right, as if he would seek some sort of shelter
+from the rain. Then Henry crept straight forward toward the fortress of
+his friends, a scant fifty yards away.
+
+But he did not assume that he had yet succeeded. He knew how thoroughly
+the Indians kept watch upon a foe, whom they expected to take, and there
+must be other sentinels, or at least one, and bearing that fact in mind
+his progress became still slower. He merely went forward inch by inch,
+and he was so careful that the bushes above him did not shake. All the
+while his eyes roved about in search of that lone last sentinel whom he
+was sure the Indians had posted near the entrance, in order to check any
+attempt at an escape.
+
+Although it was very dark his eyes had grown used to it and he could see
+some distance. Yet his range of vision was not broken by the figure of
+any warrior, and he began to wonder. Could the vigilance of the savages
+have relaxed? Was it possible that they were keeping no guard near the
+entrance? While he was wondering he crept directly upon the sentinel.
+
+He was a huge savage, inured to cold and wet and he had lain almost flat
+in the grass. Hearing a slight sound scarce a yard away he turned and
+the eyes of red forest runner and white forest runner looked into one
+another. Henry was the first to recover from his surprise and the single
+second of time was worth diamonds and rubies to him. Dropping his rifle
+he reached out both powerful hands and seized the warrior. The loud cry
+of alarm that had started from the chest never got past the barrier of
+those fingers, and the compressing grasp was so deadly that the Indian's
+hands did not reach for tomahawk or knife. Instead they flew up
+instinctively and tried to tear away those fingers of iron. But the man
+of old might as well have tried to escape from the jaws of the
+saber-toothed tiger.
+
+The great forest runner was exerting all his immense strength, and he
+was nerved, too, by the imminent danger to his friends and himself. No
+slightest sound must escape from the red throat. A single cry would
+reach the warriors below, and then the whole yelling pack would be upon
+him. The warrior's hands grasped his wrists and pulled at them
+frantically. He was a powerful savage with muscles like knotted ropes,
+but there was no man in all the wilderness who could break that grasp.
+His breath came fitfully, his face became swollen and then Henry,
+turning him over on his back, took his fingers away.
+
+The warrior was not dead, but he would revive slowly and painfully and
+for days there would be ten red and sore spots on his throat, where the
+fingers had sunk in. An ordinary scout would have thrust his knife at
+once into the heart of the warrior. It would have been the safest way,
+but Henry could not do it. He saw the great chest of the savage
+trembling as the breath sought a way to his lungs. He took his rifle,
+powder horn, bullet pouch, tomahawk and knife, and, bending low in the
+foliage, ran swiftly for the mouth of the cave.
+
+He was quite confident that the fallen warrior was the last sentinel,
+and as he approached the entrance he called again and again in a loud
+whisper:
+
+"Don't fire! Don't fire! It's me, Henry!"
+
+At last came the whisper in reply:
+
+"All right, Henry, we're waitin'."
+
+He recognized the voice of Silent Tom, and the next instant he was
+inside, his hand and that of Tom Ross meeting in a powerful grasp, while
+Paul and Long Jim, aroused from sleep, expressed their delight in low
+words and strong handshakes.
+
+"How in thunder did you git in, Henry?" asked Long Jim.
+
+"I was brought in a sedan chair by four strong Indians, Wyatt walking on
+one side and Blackstaffe on the other as an escort. I told them that of
+all places in the world this was the one to which I wished most to come,
+and they put me down at the door, their modesty compelling them to
+withdraw."
+
+"It's mighty good to see you again, Henry, no matter how you got here,"
+said Paul. "Where is Sol?"
+
+"Safe outside, just as I'm safe inside. I think I'll let him know that
+I've been successful."
+
+Standing just within the entrance he emitted the long-drawn howl of the
+wolf, piercing and carrying singularly far. They waited a moment or two
+in breathless silence, and then on the edge of the shrieking wind came a
+similar reply, fierce, long and snarling. Henry gave the howl again and
+as before came the answer in like fashion. It was the wilderness signal,
+made complete.
+
+"It's Sol," Henry said. "I know now that he's there, and he knows that
+I'm here. The first part of our task is done."
+
+A yell of rage and disappointment came from the valley below. It was so
+fierce that the air seemed to pulse with angry waves.
+
+"What's the matter down there, I wonder," exclaimed Paul.
+
+"Before I could get in here," replied Henry, "I had to choke the breath
+out of one of their best warriors. I fancy he has just come to and has
+told the others."
+
+Then the war cry died away and there was nothing but the shriek of the
+wind that drove drops of rain into the opening.
+
+"How long have you been besieged here?" asked Henry.
+
+"Today and tonight," replied Paul. "Either they struck our trail or some
+one of them may have been in this grotto once. At any rate a band
+started up here and we were compelled to fire into 'em. That's our
+history, since. What have you seen?"
+
+"The main army has gone south with the cannon, but Red Eagle, Braxton
+Wyatt and Blackstaffe are here. If they can't rush us they'll at least
+hold us three or four days, or try mighty hard. But I want a drink of
+water I hear trickling over there. I'm thirsty from all the crawling and
+creeping I've done."
+
+He knelt and drank deep at the pure little stream.
+
+"Now, Henry," said Silent Tom, "sence you've come I reckon you're mighty
+tired. You've been trampin' about in the woods a heap. So jest stretch
+out an' go to sleep while we watch."
+
+"I don't mind if I do," replied Henry, who at last was beginning to feel
+the effects of his immense exertions. "How are you fellows fixed for
+food?"
+
+"This ain't no banquet hall an' we ain't settin' dinners fur kings,"
+replied Long Jim, "but we've got enough to last a good while. Afore they
+found out we wuz here Tom went out one night an' killed a deer an'
+brought him in. While he wuz gone I took the trouble to gather some
+wood, which is in the back part uv the place, but 'cause o' smoke an'
+sech we ain't lighted any fire, an' no part of the deer hez been
+cooked."
+
+"I brought a big piece of bear myself," said Henry, unhooking it from
+his back, "and it was cooked by an Indian, the best cook in all these
+woods except you, Jim. He wasn't willing for me to take it, but here it
+is."
+
+Long Jim deposited it carefully in a corner and covered it with leaves.
+
+"Ef people always brought somethin' when they come visitin'," he said,
+"they'd shorely be welcome ez you are, Henry."
+
+But before he lay down Henry listened a while at the fortress mouth, and
+the others listened with him. If they heard shots it would indicate that
+the Indians in some manner had caught sight of Shif'less Sol and were
+pursuing him. But no sound came out of the vast dark void, save the
+shriek of the wind and the beat of the rain. Henry had no doubt that the
+warrior whom he had choked nearly to death was now with his comrades,
+raging for vengeance, and yet he had been spared when few in like case
+would have shown him mercy.
+
+The wilderness, black, cold and soaking, looked unutterably gloomy, but
+he felt no worry about those whom he had left behind. The shiftless one
+like himself was a true son of the wilderness and he would be as clever
+as a fox in finding a warm, dry hole. They had forged the first link in
+their intended chain, and Henry felt the glow of success.
+
+"I think I'll go to sleep now," he said. "I'm pretty well soaked with
+the rain, but I managed to keep my blanket dry. If the warriors attack,
+Jim, wake me up in time to put on my clothes. I wouldn't like to go into
+a battle without 'em."
+
+He removed his wet buckskins and spread them out on the stone floor to
+dry. Then he wrapped himself in his blanket, raked up some of the dry
+leaves as a couch, and lay down, feeling a double glow, that of warmth
+and that of success. What a glorious place it was! All things are
+measured by contrast. After the black and cold wilderness, swarming
+with dangers, this was the other extreme. The Caesar in his palace hall
+and the Persian under his vaulted dome could not feel so much comfort,
+nor yet so much luxury, as Henry in this snug and warm room in the stone
+with his brave and faithful friends around him.
+
+Truly it was a noble place! He heard the trickle of the little stream,
+like a jet of water flowing over marble, and into a marble fountain.
+Above him was a stone ceiling, carved by the ages, and beneath him was a
+stone floor made by the same master hand. The leaves were very soft to
+one so thoroughly hardened of body as he, and the blanket was warm. The
+roaring of the wind outside was turned to music here, and it mingled
+pleasantly with the trickle of the little stream.
+
+While the forest runner was capable of tremendous and long exertions, he
+also had acquired the power of complete relaxation when the time came.
+Now all of Henry's nerves were quiet, a deep peace came over him
+quickly, and he slept.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+BESIEGED
+
+
+Henry did not awake the next day after his usual fashion, that is with
+all his faculties and senses alert, for the strain on him had been so
+great that the process required a minute or two. Then he looked around
+the little fortress which so aptly could be called a hole in the wall.
+Many dried leaves had been brought in and placed in five heaps, the
+fifth for Shif'less Sol when he should come. The dressed deer, rolled in
+leaves, lay at the far end. The little stream was trickling away,
+singing its eternal pleasant song, and a bright shaft of sunlight,
+entering, illuminated one part of the cave but left the other in cool
+dusk.
+
+Silent Tom sat by the side of the door watching, his rifle on his knees.
+Nothing that moved in the foliage in front of them could escape his
+eyes. Long Jim was slicing the cooked venison with his hunting knife,
+and Paul, sitting on his own particular collection of leaves with his
+back against the wall, was polishing his hatchet. It looked more like a
+friendly group of hunters than a band fighting to escape death by
+torture. And despite the real fact the sense of comfort was strong.
+
+Henry knew by the sunlight that the rain had passed and that a warm
+clear day was at hand. He inferred, too, that nothing had happened while
+he slept, and rising he drank at the stream, after which he bathed his
+face, and resumed his buckskin clothing which had dried.
+
+"Good sleep," said Paul.
+
+"Fine," said Henry.
+
+"You showed great judgment in choosing your inn."
+
+"I knew that I would find here friends, a bed, water, food and a roof."
+
+"Everything, in fact, except fire."
+
+"Which we can do without for a while."
+
+"But I would say that the special pride of the inn is the roof.
+Certainly no rain seems to have got through it last night."
+
+"It's fifteen or twenty feet thick, and you will notice that the ceiling
+has been sculptured by a great artist."
+
+Henry had seen it before, but he observed it more closely now, with all
+its molded ridges and convolutions.
+
+"Nature does work well, sometimes," he said.
+
+Long Jim handed him strips of venison.
+
+"Eat your breakfast," he said. "I'm sorry, Mr. Visitor, that I kin offer
+you only one thing to eat, but as you came late an' we haven't much
+chance to git anythin' else you'll hev to put up with it. But thar's
+plenty uv water. You kin drink all day long, ef you like."
+
+Henry accepted the venison, ate heartily, drank again, and went to the
+door where Silent Tom was watching.
+
+"Look through the little crack thar," said Tom, "an' you kin see
+everythin' that's to be seen without bein' seen."
+
+Henry took a long and comprehensive look. He saw the thick foliage down
+the slope, and the equally thick foliage on the other side. It looked
+beautiful in its deep green, still heavy with the rain drops of the
+night before, despite a brilliant sun that was rising. The wind had died
+down to a gentle murmur.
+
+"Anything stirring, Tom?" he asked.
+
+"Nothin' fur some time. 'Bout an hour ago I caught the shine o' a red
+blanket 'mong them trees over thar, four hundred yards or so from us an'
+too fur fur a shot."
+
+"Do you think they'll try to rush us?"
+
+Silent Tom shook his head.
+
+"Not 'less they're pushed," he replied. "'Pears to me they'll settle
+down to a long siege. They know we're after thar cannon an' they mean to
+see that we don't git near 'em. Ef they could keep us holed up here fur
+two or three weeks they'd willin' enough spare twenty warriors or so fur
+the job."
+
+"But why are such important men as Red Eagle and Blackstaffe left here?"
+
+"Mebbe, they thought they'd git at us an' finish us in a day or two.
+Look at that, Henry. What do you make it out to be?"
+
+"It's a spot of white in the foliage, and it's coming nearer. They want
+to talk with us. Somebody has hoisted a piece of old cloth on a gun
+barrel and is approaching. It's Braxton Wyatt."
+
+"Yes, I see him, an' he's within range now. May I send a bullet squar'ly
+through his head, Henry?"
+
+"No, no! You mustn't do that! We'll observe all the rules of war,
+whether they do or not. There's Blackstaffe behind Wyatt, and two more
+Indians. Let them come within a hundred yards, Tom, then hail 'em. Paul,
+you do the talking, but say I'm not here."
+
+The two renegades and the two Indians came on with confidence, until
+they were halted by Tom's loud command.
+
+The four stopped and Wyatt called out:
+
+"We want to talk with you and it's better for you to do it."
+
+"It may or may not be better for us," said Paul. "We're the best judges
+of that. But what do you want?"
+
+"You know me, Paul Cotter," said Wyatt, who recognized the voice, "and
+you know I keep my word. Now, we have you fellows shut up there. All
+we've got to do is to wait until your food gives out, which'll be very
+soon, and then you'll drop into our hands like an apple from a tree."
+
+"Oh, no," said Paul airily. "We've always had this place in mind for
+some such use as the present, and from time to time we've been stocking
+it up with food. We could live here a year in comfort. Long Jim is
+cooking deer steaks now, and the smoke is going out through a hole,
+which leads clear through the hill. If you'll go around to the other
+side, about a mile from here, you'll see the smoke."
+
+Paul merely followed the Indian fashion of taunting one's enemies. He
+believed that in the forest it was best to follow its ways.
+
+"Aren't you going, Braxton?" he called. "Long Jim is letting the fire
+die down and if you don't hurry around there you won't see the smoke."
+
+"You think you're smart, Paul Cotter," Braxton Wyatt called back in
+anger. "You've read too many books. Drop your high and mighty ways and
+come down to facts."
+
+"Well, what do you want? You're in our front yard and we have the right
+to shoot you, but we won't do it until you tell what you're doing
+there."
+
+"As I said, we've got you shut up. We're sure that you haven't food for
+more than two or three days. Surrender and we'll spare your lives and
+take you as prisoners to the British at Detroit--that is, all except
+Henry Ware."
+
+"And why except Henry?"
+
+"He has done so much against the warriors that I don't think we could
+induce them to spare him."
+
+"But what makes you think he's here?"
+
+Wyatt hesitated and he and Blackstaffe spoke together a few moments in a
+low voice. Then he replied:
+
+"One of our largest and strongest warriors was strangled nearly to death
+last night. Nobody could have done it but Ware."
+
+Paul laughed loud.
+
+"And so that's your evidence!" he cried. "Well, you're mistaken. I did
+that myself. I was needing a little exercise and so I went out, found
+this warrior in the grass and manhandled him. Then I came back feeling a
+lot better."
+
+Wyatt's face blazed.
+
+"You lie, Paul Cotter," he exclaimed. "You couldn't do such a thing!"
+
+"Oh, yes, I could," said Paul merrily, "but you're losing your temper
+again, Braxton. You should never call anybody a liar when you're within
+range of his gun. No, we're not going to shoot. We always respect a flag
+of truce, though we doubt whether you would. Now, I want to ask you what
+have we ever done to make you think we'd betray a comrade like Henry?
+Are you judging us by yourself? You might have a thousand warriors out
+there and our answer would be the same. Try to take us and see what will
+happen. We give you just two minutes to get out of range."
+
+Wyatt, Blackstaffe and the two Indians retired hurriedly. Long Jim
+uttered an indignant exclamation.
+
+"What's the matter with you, Jim?" asked Henry.
+
+"I've been insulted."
+
+"Insulted? What do you mean?"
+
+"To think anybody could have reckoned that me an' the others would be
+mean enough to give you up jest to save our own hides!"
+
+Henry's eyes twinkled.
+
+"I know you wouldn't give me up, Jim, but how do you know, if our
+places had been changed, that I wouldn't have given you up?"
+
+"You're talkin' like Shif'less Sol," said Long Jim in the utmost good
+humor. "Now I wonder whar that ornery, long-legged cuss is."
+
+"Not so far away, it's safe to say. He'll be hanging around, ready to
+help whenever help is needed most."
+
+"That's shore. Thar's a heap o' good in Shif'less Sol, though it don't
+always 'pear on the surface. Wish he wuz here. Now, what's next, Henry?"
+
+"Waiting, waiting, and then more waiting."
+
+"You don't think they'll give it up an' go away?"
+
+"Not for two or three days anyhow, and I think it likely also that
+they'll make another general attack."
+
+"An' you think, too, that they've all gone some distance out of rifle
+shot?"
+
+"Not a doubt of it, but why do you ask, Jim?"
+
+"You see a lot uv dead wood layin' in the bushes not twenty feet from
+the door uv our manshun. I'd like to drag it in an' cook that thar deer
+afore it sp'ils. We've some wood already, but we need more. I think we
+could manage so most uv the smoke would go out in front an' we wouldn't
+choke. Ef we're held here fur a long time we'll need that thar deer."
+
+"Go ahead, Jim, and get it. We three will cover you with our rifles."
+
+Jim stole forth, and making a number of trips under the muzzles of his
+comrades, brought in a plentiful supply of wood. It was not until he was
+returning with his last load that the Indians noticed him. Then they
+sent up a war cry, and fired several distant shots. But it was too late.
+Long Jim was safely inside the next moment, and the warriors, knowing
+how deadly were the rifles that guarded him, were afraid to return to
+the attack.
+
+"Him that does at once what he oughter do don't have to do it when it's
+too late," said Long Jim. "I'm goin' to build a fire close to the door,
+where most uv the smoke will go out. Ef it gits too strong fur us we'll
+jest hev to put it out. But ef things work smooth I mean to cook that
+deer."
+
+They cut up the deer in slices with their big hunting knives. Then they
+heaped the dry wood near the door and cut off many shavings and
+splinters, building up the heap at least part of the way outside, in
+such a position that they were sure the wind would take the smoke and
+most of the heat down the valley. Then Long Jim, feeling that the rest
+of the task was his, and having a certain pride, lighted the heap with
+his flint and steel. It blazed up rapidly, and, as they had hoped, the
+wind carried nearly all the smoke out of the mouth of the cave.
+
+The dry wood burned rapidly and a great mass of coals soon gathered. It
+was very hot in the cave, but liberal applications of the cold water
+enabled them to stand it. Meanwhile all except the one on guard were
+busy broiling big steaks on the ends of sticks and laying them away on
+the leaves. The whole place was filled with the pleasant aroma.
+
+"Warriors!" said Tom Ross, who happened to be on guard at that
+particular moment. "They've seen our smoke, an' mebbe our fire, an'
+they don't understan' it."
+
+"You see that they keep on failing to understand it," said Henry, "and
+if curiosity makes any of them too curious just give him a hint."
+
+The three went on with their cooking, "storing up like Noah against the
+flood," Paul said, knowing that Silent Tom would keep a watch beyond
+which no warrior could pass.
+
+"Our beautiful stone house will need a good airing after all this is
+over," said Paul. "Smoke will gather and ashes too are flying about. But
+it's a grand cooking."
+
+"So it is," said Long Jim, who was in his element. "That wuz shorely a
+fine fat deer. You kin pile more on that shelf in the rock, thar, Paul.
+Wrap the dry leaves 'roun' 'em, too. They're clean an' good. I guess
+that old-timer uv yourn that you've told us about often--'Lysses, wuzn't
+it?"
+
+"Yes, Ulysses."
+
+"That's right. Well, old 'Lysses in them roamings uv his, lastin' a
+thousand years or some sech time, would hev been glad to come upon a
+place like this to rest his wanderin' an' sleepy head. I've a notion uv
+my own too, Paul."
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"That Greece ain't the land it's cracked up to be. I've never heard you
+tell uv any rivers thar like the Ohio or Missip. I ain't heard you say
+anythin' about the grand forests like ourn, an' all the hundreds an'
+thousands uv branches an' creeks an' springs."
+
+"No, Jim, it's a dry country, mostly bare."
+
+"Then the wilderness here fur me. I like a big woods, a thousand miles
+every way, an' the leaves so thick you kin hardly see the sky above in
+spring. I don't see what the herds of buff'ler found thar to live on."
+
+"They didn't have our kind of buffalo."
+
+"Ef they didn't hev our kind they didn't hev any kind."
+
+Paul did not argue the question with him, because it was useless to talk
+to Long Jim about ancient glories, when modern glories that he
+considered so much greater were before his eyes. Moreover, Paul himself
+had a love of the greenwood, and the deep streams, so numerous.
+
+"Maybe you're right, Jim," he said.
+
+"I guess I am," returned Long Jim emphatically. "An' I don't think so
+much uv them old Greek fighters 'long side the fellers that fight the
+warriors nowadays in these woods. You rec'lect we talked that over once
+before. Now, how would A-killus, all in his brass armor with his shinin'
+sword an' long spear come out try in' to stalk an' Injun camp. Why,
+they'd hear his armor rattlin' a quarter uv a mile away, an', even ef
+they didn't, he'd git his long spear so tangled up in the bushes an'
+vines that he couldn't move 'less he left it behind him. An' s'pos'n' he
+had to run fur it an' come to a creek or a river, which he would shorely
+soon do, ez thar are so many in this country, an' then he'd have to jump
+in with 'bout a hundred pounds uv brass armor on. Why, he'd go right to
+the bottom an' stick down so deep in the mud that the Injuns would hev
+to dive fur his scalp."
+
+"There's no doubt of the fact that this country would not have suited
+Achilles."
+
+"Not by a long shot, nor would it hev suited any other uv them fellers,
+be they Greek or be they Trojan. S'pose the Injuns didn't git after 'em,
+then think uv huntin' the buff'ler with your long spear, an' your
+hundred pounds uv brass clothes on. Why, the Shawnees an' Miamis are a
+heap more sensible than them old Greeks wuz. An', think what it would be
+on a real hot day to hev to wear our metal suits! Paul, I'm givin'
+thanks ev'ry few minutes that I wuzn't born in them times."
+
+"A movement in the woods opposite!" announced Henry, who was on watch
+now.
+
+"Tell us about it," said Long Jim. "I'm too busy to stop my work and
+look."
+
+"I can see warriors stirring among the trees and bushes. They can't
+understand our smoke, and they're all looking at it."
+
+"Maybe they take it for a signal," said Paul. "Almost anyone would do
+so."
+
+"That's true," said Henry. "It looks natural. Well, let 'em wonder.
+Meanwhile we'll go on with the provisioning of our army."
+
+"'Tain't such a terrible task," said Long Jim. "Me bein' the best cook
+in the world, it'll all be done in a couple uv hours more, an' bein'
+sparin' we kin hold out on it two or three weeks ef we hev to."
+
+"I don't think it will be that long," said Henry confidently. "In fact
+we mustn't let it be too long. We've got to be out and away, following
+that red army with the cannon."
+
+They continued their work without interruption, although at intervals
+they saw the Indians on the far slope, well out of range, but
+attentively watching the smoke that came from the mouth of the cavern.
+When the task was nearly over Long Jim took a good long look at them.
+Then he laughed deeply and a long time, doubling over with merriment.
+
+"'Scuse me, Henry," he said, "but this life is so full uv jokes. I enjoy
+it all the time, ev'ry minnit uv it. A little while ago I wuz laughin'
+at the notion of A-killus with a hundred pounds or more uv brass on him,
+runnin' away from the warriors, jumpin' in a creek an' stickin' in the
+mud at the bottom clean down to his waist."
+
+"That was the joke then, Jim, what's the joke now?"
+
+"It's them Injuns out thar. They know we're here, an' that thar's a kind
+uv long narrow mouth to this bee-yu-ti-ful stone house uv ourn. They see
+smoke comin' out uv it, an' they don't understand it. They wonder ef
+fire hez busted right out uv the bowels uv the earth an' burnt us all
+up, an' ag'in they're 'fraid to come an' see lest they meet rifle
+bullets ez well ez smoke. I pity them red fellers."
+
+"I think that pity is wasted on men who want to kill us and take our
+scalps."
+
+"It ain't that. I know they want to do them things to us, but I know,
+too, that they ain't goin' to do 'em. It's 'cause they're so onsartain
+in thar minds. Onsartainness is the greatest uv all troubles. Keeps you
+so you can't eat an' sleep, nor keep still neither. Jest plum' w'ars you
+out. Ef you know what you're goin' to do you're all right, but ef you
+don't you're all wrong. That's the reason I feel sorry fur them Injun
+fellers, lookin' at our smoke an' a-guessin', an' a-guessin', an'
+a-guessin' an' never guessin' right. We'll be all through in a half-hour
+an' then we kin let the fire die."
+
+"Right glad I'll be, too," said Paul, who was standing near the door for
+air, and glad they all were when the last of the deer was cooked, and
+the last of the coals were shoved out to die among the green bushes.
+While the work was going on they had frequently thrown water from the
+little stream over themselves to check the heat, but now they took their
+blankets and standing in a line at the far end of the cavern swept out
+all the smoke save that which lingered in the crannies until, in its own
+good time, it too departed.
+
+Then all sat down near the door. A lucky turn of the wind sent the pure
+sweet air, crisp with the touch of spring, pouring into their cavern. It
+was like the breath of Heaven, taking away the sting of smoke from
+nostrils and throat. The place itself soon filled entirely with a new
+atmosphere, vital and strong. Then, one by one, they bathed their eyes
+and faces at the rill, and soon they were all gathered together again at
+the door, feeling as if they had been re-created. Indians were still
+visible on the opposite slope, and pity swelled once more in Long Jim's
+heart.
+
+"Now they're a-guessin', an' a-guessin', an' a-guessin' ag'in," he said,
+"an' a-guessin' wrong ev'ry time. A little while ago our smoke bothered
+'em, an' now they're bothered 'cause thar ain't no smoke. They're
+wonderin' ef the volcano that busted right under us hez quit so soon,
+an' whether we're all charred ruins, or real live fellers with rifles in
+our hands that kin shoot an' hit. That I call a state uv mind that would
+draw pity from anybody."
+
+"Whatever it is," said Paul, "they'll not guess what has really
+happened, and ac our army of four is now provisioned indefinitely, we
+can bid them defiance."
+
+"I like them words 'bid them defiance,'" said Long Jim. "Ef I met
+'defiance' all by itself I wouldn't know what it meant, but speakin' ez
+you do, Paul, an' with all the surroundin's you give it I understan' it,
+an' it sounds mighty fine. Braxton Wyatt, I bid you defiance;
+Blackstaffe, I bid you defiance; Red Eagle, I bid you defiance, an' I
+bid defiance to ev'ry warrior an' renegade in all these woods, east uv
+the Missip, west uv the Missip, north uv the Ohio an' south uv the
+Ohio."
+
+"But not the lightning, Jim," said Paul. "Ajax did that and got hurt."
+
+"You needn't tell me that, Paul. I don't need the example of no Ajax to
+teach me sense. I ain't defyin' no lightnin', past, present or future. I
+know lightnin', an' I've too much respeck fur it. It's about the only
+thing that kin hit you an' you can't hit back."
+
+"The Indians have retreated further into the woods," said Henry.
+"They're probably lying down and resting. They won't do anything today,
+but tonight they'll act. They have every incentive to finish their task
+here as soon as they can and join the main force. When dark comes we
+must watch two by two."
+
+Night came slowly, the great sun blazing in red and gold in the west.
+Henry, with all his lore of the forest and wilderness, never failed to
+observe a brilliant sunset, and while he watched against an ambush he
+also watched the deep, rich colors as they faded. The wind had blown
+gently all day long, but now with the coming of the darkness it swelled
+into the song which he alone heard, that playing of the breeze upon the
+leaves, which his supersense translated into notes and bars and
+harmonies. Whenever he heard it he was uplifted and exalted in a
+singular manner, as if the distant heralds were already blowing the
+trumpets of victory. He was sure now of success.
+
+He and Long Jim kept the first watch, which would last until some time
+after midnight, and he chose it for himself, because he felt certain the
+attack would come before it was over. Paul and Tom went to sleep on the
+leaves inside, but he and Jim lay down just within the door, where they
+could see some distance and yet remain well sheltered. Now and then they
+exchanged a word or two.
+
+"It's eyes an' ears both, Henry," said Long Jim. "Uv course, they'll
+come a-creepin', an' a-slidin', an' I reckon it'll be ears that'll tell
+us fust they're a-knockin' at our front door."
+
+"Right, Jim. Our ears have saved us more than once, and they're going
+to do it again. I've an idea that they'll spread out and approach from
+different points."
+
+"I think it likely. Red Eagle, their leader, is a chief uv sense, and
+he'll scatter his forces so we won't be able to concentrate our fire."
+
+They waited a long time, the wind meanwhile blowing steadily, and
+playing its song upon the leaves. There was no other sound, but, when it
+was nearly midnight, a long howl, inexpressibly dreary and weird, came
+out of the depths of the forest.
+
+"That's a mighty lonely wolf," whispered Long Jim.
+
+"Listen!" Henry whispered back. "That's no wolf. It's Shif'less Sol."
+
+"Mebbe it's so, but he's shorely howlin' like the king of all wolves."
+
+Long Jim was right. Perhaps no wolf had ever before howled with such
+vigor and endurance. The long yelping, whining note filled the whole
+valley and quivered on the air. It rose and sank and rose again, and it
+was uncanny enough to make any ordinary hearer shiver to his bones.
+
+"Now what in thunder does he mean by sech an awful howl ez that?"
+whispered Long Jim.
+
+"I know," replied Henry, with a flash of intuition. "He's hanging
+somewhere on the outskirts of the Indian camp, and he's warning us that
+the attack is at hand."
+
+"Uv course! Uv course! I might 'a' knowed. That thar Shif'less Sol is
+one uv the smartest men the world hez ever seed, an' while part uv our
+band is inside a big part uv it is outside, a-helpin' us."
+
+"Wake up Paul and Tom and tell 'em the time has come."
+
+In an instant all four were crouching beside the opening, their rifles
+ready. The extra rifle that Henry had brought in was lying loaded at his
+feet, and all the while the wolf on the far ridge, moving from place to
+place, whined and howled incessantly. Despite Henry's knowledge of its
+source it made his hair rise a little, and a quiver ran along his spine.
+What then must be its effect upon red men, who were so much more
+superstitious than white men? They might think it the spirit of some
+great forgotten warrior that had gone into a wolf which was now giving
+warning.
+
+Nevertheless he listened with all the power of his hearing for what
+might happen closer by, and presently he heard a rustling in the grass
+that was not caused by the wind. A moment later, and the rustling came
+from a second point and then a third. As he had surmised, Red Eagle had
+spread out his men until they were advancing like the spokes of a wheel
+toward a hub, the hub being the mouth of the cavern. And from the far
+ridge the warning cry of the wolf never ceased to come.
+
+"Do you hear them creeping?" whispered Henry to Ross.
+
+Silent Tom nodded and shoved forward the muzzle of his rifle.
+
+"They'll be on us in a minute," he whispered back.
+
+Paul and Long Jim had heard and they too made ready with their rifles.
+But all of them relied now on Henry, whose hearing was keenest. The
+faint, sliding sounds ceased, and he knew that the warriors had stopped
+to listen for their enemies, hoping to catch them off guard. The howling
+of the wolf also ceased suddenly, and the wind was again supreme.
+
+At least ten minutes passed in almost intolerable waiting, and then
+Henry heard the renewal of the faint sliding sounds, coming from many
+points.
+
+"Be ready," he whispered to his comrades. "When they're near enough
+they'll all jump up, utter a mighty yell and rush for us."
+
+The rustlings came closer, then they ceased all at once, there was a
+half minute of breathless silence, and the air was rent by a tremendous
+war whoop, as twenty warriors, springing up, rushed for the opening.
+Henry fired straight at the heart of the first man, and snatching up the
+second rifle sent a bullet through another. The other three fired with
+deadly aim and all the assailants fell back, save one who, standing on
+the very edge of the opening, whirled his tomahawk preparatory to
+letting it go straight at Henry's head. But a moment before it could
+leave his hand a rifle cracked somewhere and he fell dead, shot through
+the head, his figure lying directly across the entrance. From the other
+Indians came a yell of rage and dismay, and then after a groan or two
+somewhere in the grass, all were gone.
+
+But the four were reloading with feverish haste. Henry, however, found
+time to say to Silent Tom Ross:
+
+"Thank you for the shot that saved me."
+
+Tom shook his head.
+
+"'Twuzn't me," he said.
+
+"Then you, Paul."
+
+"I shot at an Indian, but not that one. It was a warrior ten yards
+away."
+
+"Then it must hev been you, Jim."
+
+"It wuzn't, though. I wuz too busy with a warrior off thar to the left.
+When that feller wuz about to throw his tomahawk I'd done fired."
+
+"And so it was none of you. Then I'm to be thankful that we've a friend
+outside. Nobody but Shif'less Sol could have fired that shot."
+
+"An' jest in time," said Long Jim. "Good old Sol. He's settin' off
+somewhar in the bushes now, laughin' at the trick he's played 'em."
+
+"They'll look for him," said Henry, "but whenever they come to a place
+he won't be there."
+
+"They can't besiege us here," said Paul, "and catch Shif'less Sol at the
+same time. But I think we ought to remove the body of that fallen
+warrior at the door. I don't like to see it there."
+
+"Neither do I," said Long Jim, and stepping forward he lifted the slain
+man in his arms and tossed him as far as he could down the side of the
+hill. They heard the body rolling and crashing some distance through the
+grass and bushes, and they shuddered.
+
+"I hated to do it," said Long Jim, "but it had to be done. Besides,
+they'll get it now and take it away."
+
+"You look for no other attempt tonight?" said Paul.
+
+"No," said Henry. "They've lost too many men. They may try to starve us
+out."
+
+"Now you an' Jim take your naps," said Silent Tom, "while me an' Paul
+keep the watch till day."
+
+"All right," said Henry, "but I want to wait eight or ten minutes."
+
+"What fur?"
+
+"You'll see--or rather you'll hear."
+
+Before the appointed time had passed the long howling note of a wolf
+came from a point a quarter of a mile or more away.
+
+"Shif'less Sol is safe," said Henry, and five minutes later he and Long
+Jim were sound asleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE SHIFTLESS ONE
+
+
+The next day dawned as brilliant as the one that had gone before, a
+golden sun clothing the vast green forest in a luminous light. It seemed
+to Henry that each day, as the spring advanced, deepened the intense
+emerald glow of the leaves. Down in the valley he caught the sparkle of
+the brook, as it flowed swiftly away toward a creek, to be carried
+thence to the Ohio, and on through the Mississippi to the sea.
+
+Further up the opposite slope, five or six hundred yards away, were
+gathered the Indians around a fire in an opening, eating breakfast.
+Henry saw Wyatt and Blackstaffe with them, and he counted eighteen
+figures. As they had already suffered severe losses he concluded that
+they had received a small reinforcement, since they must have out four
+or five scouts and spies watching the little fortress.
+
+Evidently they had not been daunted by their repulse of the night
+before, as they were broiling venison on the ends of sharpened sticks
+and eating heartily. The two white men finishing their food lay down on
+the grass and rested lazily. By and by the red members of the band did
+likewise.
+
+"It's just as we thought last night," said Henry, "They will not try to
+carry us by assault again, but will undertake to starve us out with a
+long siege. Even if they've guessed the meaning of our smoke they don't
+know that we have in here running water that runs on forever."
+
+"Would they care to carry on a long siege?" asked Paul.
+
+"Maybe not, if Wyatt were not there. You know how he hates us all, and
+he will be continually urging them to attack us. Perhaps Red Eagle and
+Blackstaffe will now go on and join the main army, leaving Wyatt with a
+chosen band to take us by siege."
+
+"'Pears likely to me," said Long Jim, who was listening. "It's easy
+enough for them to set thar out uv range an' hold us in here, but they
+forget one mighty important thing."
+
+"What's that, Jim?"
+
+"Shif'less Sol. He's in the bush, an' he kin stalk 'em when he pleases.
+They don't know that the warrior killed at the door last night fell
+afore his bullet, an' he kin bring down one uv 'em any time he feels
+like it. Thar's a panther in the bushes right by the side uv 'em an'
+they don't know it. An' it's a panther that will bite 'em, too, an' git
+away ev'ry time. Hark to that, will you?"
+
+They heard the distant sound of a rifle shot and saw one of the Indians
+around the campfire sink over in the grass. The others uttered a
+terrific yell of rage, and a half-dozen darted away in the bushes.
+
+"I ain't no prophet, nor the son uv a prophet," said Long Jim, "but I'll
+bet my scalp that in an hour or two they'll come back without Shif'less
+Sol."
+
+"I won't take your bet," said Paul. "Six warriors started away in
+pursuit, and now we'll see how many return."
+
+"The first will be back in an hour," said Long Jim, "'cause Sol won't
+leave no trail a-tall, a-tall. He made shore uv that afore shootin'."
+
+"I believe you are a prophet, Jim," said Paul. "Let's watch together."
+
+Within the appointed hour two warriors returned, bringing with them
+nothing that they had not taken away, and sat down in the opening, their
+attitude that of dejection.
+
+"They never struck no sign of no trail, nowhere, nohow," said Long Jim,
+exultantly.
+
+"Too many negatives, Jim," said Paul, reprovingly.
+
+"Too many what?" exclaimed Long Jim, staring. "I never heard of them
+things afore!"
+
+"It's all right anyhow. There comes another warrior, and he too bears no
+bright blonde scalp, such as adorns the head of our faithful and
+esteemed comrade, Solomon Hyde."
+
+"That's three 'counted fur, an' three to come. I know, Paul, that Sol
+will git away, that they can't foller him nohow, but I'd like fur them
+three to come back empty handed right now. It would be awful to lose
+good old Sol. Uv course he's always wrong when he argys with me, but I'm
+still hopin' some day to teach him somethin', an' I don't want to lose
+him."
+
+Paul saw deep anxiety on the face of Long Jim. These two were always in
+controversy, but they were bound together by all the ties of the border,
+and the loss of either would be a crushing blow to the other.
+
+Long minutes dragged by and became an hour, and the face of Jim Hart
+expressed apprehension.
+
+"It's time fur at least one more to come back," he said.
+
+"Well, there he is," said Paul. "Don't you see him stepping out of those
+bushes on the east?"
+
+"Has he anything at his belt?" asked Long Jim eagerly.
+
+"Nothing that he doesn't usually carry. He has no yellow scalp, nor any
+scalp of any kind. Empty he went away and empty he has returned."
+
+"So fur, so good. Two more are left out, an' it'll now be time fur them
+to come trampin' back."
+
+"Be patient, Jim, be patient."
+
+"I am, but you must rec'lect, Paul, that thar comin' back soon means the
+life uv a man, a man that's one uv us five, an' that we could never
+furgit ef so be the Injuns took him."
+
+"I'm not forgetting it, Jim, but I've every confidence in Shif'less Sol.
+I don't believe those warriors could possibly get him."
+
+Another half-hour dragged away, and Long Jim became more uneasy. He
+scanned the woods everywhere for the two missing warriors, and, at last,
+he drew a mighty sigh of relief when a tufted head appeared over the
+bushes, and a warrior returned to the opening.
+
+"He's a Shawnee," said Long Jim. "I marked him when he went away. I kin
+see that he's tired an' I could tell by the bend in his shoulders that
+he wuz comin' back with nothin'. He's set down now, an' ez he 'pears to
+be talkin' I guess he's tellin' the others, to 'scuse his failure, that
+it wuzn't really a man that he wuz follerin', but jest a ghost or a
+phantom, or suthin' uv that kind. Thar ain't but one left an' he ought
+to be in in a few minutes."
+
+But the few minutes and many more with them slid into the past, without
+bringing back the last warrior, and once more that look of deep
+apprehension appeared on the face of Long Jim Hart. The man should have
+returned long before, and Jim held him to personal accountability for
+it.
+
+"I didn't like his looks when he went away," he complained to Paul. "He
+wuz a big feller, darker than most uv the others, an' he wuz painted
+somethin' horrible. I guessed by his looks that he wuz the best scout
+an' trailer in the band an' that he would hang on like a wolf. Ugly ez
+he is his face would look nice to me now, 'pearin' in that openin'. He's
+done outstayed his leave."
+
+"I wouldn't be worried, Jim," said Paul. "We know what a man Sol is in
+the woods. No single warrior could bring him down."
+
+"That's so. Sol's terrible smart, but then anybody might be ambushed. I
+tell you, Paul, that wuz the wickedest lookin' warrior I ever saw. His
+eyes wuz plum' full uv old Satan."
+
+"Why, Jim, we are too far away for you to have seen anything of that
+kind."
+
+"I know that's so at usual times, but them eyes uv his wuz shinin' so
+terrible bright with meanness that I caught thar look like the gleam uv
+a burnin' glass. I reckon he wuz the wust savage in all these woods. All
+but him hev come back more 'n a half-hour ago, an' I'm beginnin' to hev
+a sort uv creepy feelin'."
+
+"Hark!" exclaimed Henry, who had been standing almost in the mouth of
+the opening.
+
+"What is it, Henry? What is it?" exclaimed Long Jim eagerly.
+
+"That strong wind brought the sound of a rifle shot. It was so faint and
+far away that it was no more than the snapping of a little twig, but it
+was a rifle shot and no mistake. Sol and that warrior have met."
+
+"And who fired the bullet? And who received it? That's what we'd like to
+know!" said Paul.
+
+Complete silence succeeded the shot. Evidently the Indians around the
+campfire had not heard it, as they showed no signs of interest, but the
+four in the mouth of the cavern waited in painful anxiety, their eyes
+turned toward the point from which the report had come. At last the
+scalp lock appeared above the bushes and four hearts sank. Then the
+figure of the warrior came completely into view and four hearts sprang
+up again. The man's left arm was held stiffly by his side and he was
+walking with weakness. Nor did any bright blonde scalp hang from his
+waist or any other part of his body.
+
+"I knowed it! I knowed it!" exclaimed Long Jim, triumphantly. "He come
+too close to Sol, an' got a bullet in his arm. It must hev been a long
+shot or he must hev been nearly hid, else he would now be layin' dead in
+the bushes. But ez it is he's shorely got enough to last him fur a long
+time."
+
+Paul was less vocal, but like the others he shared in the triumph of the
+shiftless one.
+
+"I'll admit I was worried for a while," he said, "but Sol has given us
+one more proof that he can take care of himself any time and anywhere."
+
+"And he has also proved to our besiegers," said Henry, "that every hour
+they spend there they're in peril of a bullet from the bush. I think it
+will give them a most disturbing feeling."
+
+Henry was right, and he was also right in some of his earlier surmises.
+Red Eagle and Blackstaffe departed to join the main army, leaving
+Braxton Wyatt in command of the besieging band which had been reinforced
+by a half-dozen warriors. Wyatt, animated by wicked passion, was
+resolved not to leave until he could kill or take those in the little
+fortress, but he was upset by the certainty that one of the terrible
+five was outside. He had believed from the first that it was Henry Ware,
+and, when their best warrior came in shot through the arm, he was sure
+of it.
+
+The warriors shared his state of mind. Their losses had inflamed them
+tremendously and all of them were willing to stay and risk everything
+for eventual triumph. Yet a terror soon fell upon them. The single
+marksman who roamed the woods sent a bullet singing directly through the
+camp, and the search for him failed as before. An hour later another
+who went down to the brook for water was shot through the shoulder.
+Wyatt saw that in spite of their desire for revenge superstitious fears
+were developing, and in order to prevent their spread he organized a
+camp, surrounded by sentinels whom nothing could escape. Then he awaited
+the night.
+
+Henry and his comrades had heard the second shot and they had seen the
+man whose shoulder had been pierced by the bullet, run toward the others
+leaving a red trail behind him, but they were not alarmed this time, as
+nobody left the camp. Evidently the warriors, stout-hearted though they
+were, did not care to trail the shiftless one once more, and in the
+growing dusk, too, when they would be at the mercy of his rifle.
+
+"He's got 'em stirred up a lot," said Henry, "and if they come again he
+will surely be a host on our side."
+
+Another attack was made that night, but it did not come until late,
+halfway between midnight and morning, and, as Henry had suspected, it
+was not an assault, but an attempt by sharpshooters, hidden in the dark
+brush, to pick off watchers at the opening. The bullets of the besiegers
+were fired mostly at random and did nothing but chip stone. The besieged
+fired at the flash of the rifles and were not sure that they hit an
+enemy, but believed that they succeeded more than once. Then, as the
+night before, came the report of the lone rifle in the thicket, and a
+warrior, throwing up his hands, uttered his death cry, making it
+apparent to the defenders that the shiftless one was neither idle nor
+afraid.
+
+Then the Indians withdrew and the primeval silence returned to the
+valley. The four remained for a while without speaking, watchful, their
+rifles loaded anew and their fingers on the trigger.
+
+"Sol could come in now," said Long Jim. "He must know that the way will
+be clear for a little while."
+
+"He doesn't want to come in," said Henry. "He's our link with the
+outside world, and when they attack he can be of more help to us because
+they don't know from what point he will strike. The besiegers are also
+besieged."
+
+"I'm thinkin' they won't attack ag'in fur a long time," said Long Jim,
+"an' that bein' the case, I'm goin' to eat some uv my own cookin',
+knowin' that it's the finest in the world, an' then go to sleep."
+
+"All right, Jim," said Henry, "you deserve both."
+
+Long Jim was soon asleep, but Henry remained awake until daylight. He
+considered whether they should not attempt to escape now, join Shif'less
+Sol, and follow as fast as they could the main Indian army with the
+cannon. But he decided in the negative. The savages, despite their
+repulse, would certainly be on watch, and they were still too numerous
+for a fight in the bush.
+
+Hence they entered upon another day in the cavern, which was beginning
+to assume some of the aspects of home. It looked cosy, with the supply
+of venison and bear meat, the pleasant rill of cold water, the dry
+leaves upon which their blankets were spread for beds, and it was filled
+with cold fresh air that poured in at the opening. Henry felt once more
+that they had had luck, and he chafed at nothing but the long delay.
+
+And delay now it was certainly going to be, as Braxton Wyatt refrained
+from attack, both that day and the next, although he drew his lines so
+close to them that they had no chance to slip out. But cultivating
+Indian patience, they kept one man always on guard while the others lay
+at their ease on their beds of leaves, and, after the fashion of those
+who had much time, talked of many and various things. On the third day
+when the siege seemed to have settled down to a test of endurance, the
+day being clear and sharply bright, the four sat near the door of the
+fortress. Silent Tom was keeping watch with an eye that never failed,
+but he was able at the same time to hear what his friends said, and,
+when he felt the impulse, he joined in with a monosyllable or two.
+
+They were speaking of the main band going south with the cannon for the
+great attack upon the settlements, a subject to which Henry's mind
+returned constantly. Alloway and the chiefs had a start of days, but he
+was incessantly telling himself that his comrades and he, as soon as
+they were released from the siege, could overtake them quickly. The
+cannon which made their great strength also made their march slow.
+
+"Besides," he said to the others, "they will have to cross many rivers
+and creeks with them, and every crossing will take trouble and time. As
+I figure it, they could go four-fifths of the way and we could still
+overtake them before they reached the settlement."
+
+"I hope we'll ruin the cannon fur 'em," said Long Jim earnestly, "an'
+that at last the settlers will beat 'em so bad that they'll never cross
+the Ohio ag'in. All this fightin' with 'em breaks up my plans."
+
+"What are your plans, Jim?" asked Paul.
+
+"They're big ones, but thar's nary one uv 'em that don't take in you
+three here an' Shif'less Sol that's outside. I want to git in a boat,
+an' go on one uv the rivers into the Ohio an' then down the Ohio to the
+Missip, an' down the Missip to New Or-lee-yuns whar them Spaniards are.
+I met a feller once who had been thar an' he said it wuz a whalin' big
+town, full uv all kinds uv strange people, an' hevin' an' inquirin' mind
+I like to see all kinds uv furriners an' size 'em up. Do you reckon,
+Paul, that New Or-lee-yuns is the biggest city in the world?"
+
+"Oh, no, Jim. There are many much larger cities in the old continents,
+Europe, Asia and Africa."
+
+"Them are so fur away that they hardly count nohow. An' thar's a lot uv
+big dead cities, ain't thar?"
+
+"Certainly. Babylon, that our Bible often speaks of, and Nineveh, and
+Tyre, and Memphis and Thebes and----"
+
+"Stop, Paul! That's enough. I reckon I ain't sorry them old places are
+dead. It took a heap uv ground fur 'em to stand on, ground that might be
+covered with grass an' bushes an' trees, all in deep an' purty green
+like them out thar. Me bein' what I am, I always think it's a pity to
+ruin a fine forest to put a town in its place."
+
+"Those cities, I think, were mostly in desert countries with an
+artificial water supply."
+
+"Then I don't want ever to see 'em or what's left uv 'em. People who
+built cities whar no water an' trees wuz ought to hev seen 'em perish.
+Wouldn't me an' Sol look fine trailin' 'roun' among them ruins an' over
+them deserts? Not a buff'ler, nor a deer, not a b'ar anywhar, an' not a
+fish; 'cause they ain't even a good big dew fur a fish to swim in.
+
+"But leavin' out them old places that's plum' rusted away, an' comin'
+back to this here favored land o' ours, I want, after seein' everythin'
+thar is to be seen in the great city of New Or-lee-yuns, to go straight
+west with you fellers, an' Shif'less Sol that's outside, clean across
+the great buff'ler plains that we've talked about afore."
+
+"Cross 'em!" said Silent Tom, speaking for the first time. "You can't
+cross 'em. They go on forever."
+
+"No, they don't. Once I come across a French trapper who had been clean
+to the edge uv 'em, tradin' with the Injuns fur furs. I don't know how
+many weeks an' months it took him, but cross 'em he did, an' what do you
+think he found on the other side, Tom Ross?"
+
+"The sea."
+
+"Nary a sea. He found mountains, mountains sech ez we ain't got this
+side the Missip, mountains that go right up to the top uv the sky,
+cuttin' through clouds on the way, mountains that are covered always
+with snow, even in the summer, an' not a half-dozen or a dozen
+mountains, but hundreds uv 'em, ridges an' ranges runnin' fur hundreds
+an' thousands uv miles."
+
+"An' beyond that?" asked Silent Tom.
+
+"Nobody knows. But think what a trip it would be fur us five! Why it
+raises the sperrit uv romance mighty high in me. Paul hez often told us
+how them old Crusaders from France an' England an' Germany an' all them
+Old World countries started off, wearin' their iron clothes even on the
+hottest days, to rescue the Holy places from the infidel. I guess the
+sperrit uv adventure helped a heap in takin' 'em, but thar travels
+wouldn't be any greater, an' grander than ourn across all them great
+plains an' into them almighty high mountains beyond. You couldn't even
+guess what we'd find."
+
+Long Jim drew a deep breath, as his spirit leaped before him into the
+vast unknown spaces, and Paul's eyes sparkled. The seed that Jim was
+sowing fell upon fertile ground.
+
+"I believe I'd rather travel in the unknown than the known," the boy
+said. "We'd come to rivers, big ones and lots of 'em, too, that no white
+man had ever seen before, and, when at last we reached the mountains,
+we'd explore in there for months and months, a year, two years may be.
+And we'd name the highest five peaks for ourselves."
+
+"An' I'd want a river named after me, too, Paul, an' I don't want it to
+be any little second rate river, either. I want it to be long an' broad
+an' deep an' full uv mighty clear water, an' when after a while, fur
+hunters come along in thar canoes, I'd say to 'em, 'Dip down! Dip down
+with your paddles an' don't be afeard. This is the Long Jim Hart river,
+an' me bein' Jim Hart, the owner, I give you leave.'"
+
+"I heard the sound o' a shot," said Silent Tom.
+
+"And there goes another," said Henry. "It seemed to be up the valley. Is
+it possible that Shif'less Sol has let himself be trapped in broad
+daylight?"
+
+All crowded into the doorway and looked and listened, intense anxiety,
+despite themselves, tearing at their hearts. Shots at such a time were
+deeply significant. The Indians at the camp opposite, Braxton Wyatt with
+them, had risen and were looking fixedly in the same direction.
+
+A long triumphant shout suddenly came from a point in the forest up the
+valley, and then was succeeded by another in which six or seven voices
+joined, the Indian chant of victory. The hearts of the four dropped like
+plummets in a pool, and they gazed at one another, aghast.
+
+"It can't be that they've got him!" exclaimed Long Jim.
+
+"Listen to that song!" faltered Paul. "It celebrates the taking of a
+scalp!"
+
+"I'm afeared fur good old Sol," said Tom Ross.
+
+Henry was silent, but a great grief oppressed him. The Indian chant was
+so triumphant that it could mean nothing but the taking of a scalp, and
+there was no scalp but that of the shiftless one to take.
+
+Louder swelled the song, while the singers were yet invisible among the
+bushes, and suddenly, the band gathered in the opening, began to sing a
+welcome, as they danced around the coals of their low campfire. Around
+and around they went, leaping and chanting, and the songs of both bands
+came clearly to those in the cave.
+
+Henry's face darkened and his teeth pressed closely together. An
+accident must have happened or the shiftless one would never have
+allowed himself to be trapped in the day. Yet he had hope, he said
+resolutely to himself that he must retain hope, and he watched
+continually for the smaller band that was approaching through the
+bushes.
+
+They emerged suddenly into view, and as his heart sank again, he saw
+that the leading warrior was whirling a trophy swiftly around his head.
+The cries of the others at sight of the scalp redoubled.
+
+"It's Sol's, uv course!" growled Long Jim. "He's gone an' a better man
+never trod moccasin!"
+
+The others were silent, overwhelmed with grief. The two bands now joined
+and the dance of a score of warriors became wilder and wilder. At
+intervals they caught a glimpse of the scalp as it was waved aloft, and
+they raged, but were powerless.
+
+"We can't go after them cannon now," said Long Jim. "We've got to stay
+an' git revenge fur poor old Sol."
+
+"An' that's shore," said Tom Ross.
+
+Henry and Paul were silent. It was the most terrible irony to stand
+there and see the savages rejoicing over the cruel fate of their
+comrade, and, as the water rose in their eyes, there came at the same
+time out of the depths of the forest the long lone howl of the wolf, now
+a deep thrilling note, something like a chord.
+
+"It's Shif'less Sol! he's safe!" cried Long Jim. "It's jest a trick
+they're workin', tryin' to beat down our sperrits, an' good old Sol is
+tellin' us so!"
+
+"It's shorely time," said Silent Tom, "an' that's an old scalp they're
+whirlin'."
+
+They had never before known the cry of a wolf to have such a deep and
+thrilling quality, but it came again as full and resounding as before,
+and they were satisfied. Not a doubt remained in the heart of any one of
+them. The shiftless one was safe and he had twice told them so. How
+could they ever have thought that he would allow himself to be trapped
+so easily? The savages might dance on and sing on as much as they
+pleased, but it did not matter now.
+
+"After lookin' at them gyrations," said Long Jim, "I needs refreshment.
+A dancin' an' singin' party always makes me hungry. Will you j'in me in
+a ven'son an' water banquet, me noble luds?"
+
+"Go ahead the rest o' you," said Tom Ross, "I'll watch."
+
+They drank from the rill, lay down on their couches and ate the deer
+meat with splendid appetites. The revulsion was so great that anything
+would have been good to them.
+
+"That wuz a purty smart trick, after all," said Long Jim. "Ef they'd
+made us think they'd got Shif'less Sol's scalp they'd make us think,
+too, that they'd git our own soon. An' they reckoned then, mebbe, that
+we'd be so weak-sperrited we'd come out an' surrender."
+
+"I foresee another dull and long period of inaction," said Henry.
+
+And what he said came to pass. They remained two more days in their
+little fortress, besieged so closely that they did not dare to move.
+Yet the besiegers themselves were kept in a constant state of alarm. One
+of their best hunters, sent out for deer, failed to come back, and his
+body was found in the forest. The others began to be oppressed by
+superstitious fears, and it required all of Wyatt's eloquence and force
+to keep them to their task.
+
+It was in Henry's mind to wait for a wet night and then risk all and go.
+It was the rainy time of the year, and on their sixth night in the
+cavern the storm that they wished for so earnestly came, preceded by the
+usual heralds, deep thunder and vivid lightning.
+
+The four made ready swiftly. Every one carried upon his back his blanket
+and a large supply of venison. The locks of rifles and other weapons and
+powder were kept dry under their hunting shirts. Henry thrust the extra
+rifle into a crevice, having an idea that he might need it some day, and
+would find it there. Then as the thunder and lightning ceased and the
+deep darkness and rushing rain came they took a last look at the strong
+little castle that had been such a haven to them. Only eyes like theirs
+trained to dusk could have made out its walls and roof and floor.
+
+"It's like leaving home," said Paul.
+
+"Thar's one good thing," said Long Jim. "The savages in thar meanness
+can't destroy it."
+
+Henry led, and, Silent Tom bringing up the rear, they slipped into the
+open air, keeping close to one another lest they be lost in the thick
+darkness. Despite the pouring rain and the lash of the wind it felt good
+out there. They had been so long in one small close place that it was
+freedom to have again the whole open world about them. The four stood a
+little while to breathe it in and then Henry led through the underbrush
+to the top of the hill.
+
+"Bend low," he whispered to Paul, who was just behind him. "They must
+have a sentinel near here somewhere, and we don't want to run into him."
+
+Paul obeyed him and went on, but none of them noticed that Tom Ross, who
+was last, turned softly aside from the path, and then swung the butt of
+his rifle with all his might. But all heard the impact and the sound of
+a fall, and, as they whirled around, Henry asked:
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"The sentinel," replied Ross. "He won't bother us."
+
+On they went in single file again, but Paul shuddered. As their flight
+lengthened they increased their speed, and, when they were a half mile
+away, Paul jumped, as the long piercing howl of the wolf rose directly
+in front of him. It was Henry sending the signal to the shiftless one,
+and in an instant they heard a similar note in answer from a distant
+point.
+
+As they advanced further the signals were repeated and then the
+shiftless one came with swiftness and without noise through the bushes,
+rising up like a phantom before them. There were happy handshakes and
+the five, reunited once more, fled southward through the darkness and
+rain.
+
+"I thought you'd come out tonight, Henry," said Shif'less Sol. "An' I
+wuz waitin' on the ridge 'til I heard your signal. Ain't it grand fur
+all o' us to be together ag'in, an' to hev beat Braxton Wyatt?"
+
+"It was you, Sol, who were our greatest help."
+
+The shiftless one chuckled, pleased at the compliment.
+
+"Guess I wuz the flyin' wing o' our little army," he said. "Mebbe Wyatt
+an' them warriors will hang 'roun' thar two or three days afore they
+find out we've gone."
+
+"Not that long. The head of a warrior met Tom's clubbed rifle as we came
+away, and if they don't find him tonight they certainly will in the
+morning."
+
+"I don't care anyway. That band can't overtake us, an' it can't trail us
+on a night like this. Thar! They've found the warrior!"
+
+The faint sound of a yell, more like an echo, came on the wind and rain,
+but it brought no fears to the five. They were quite sure that no
+pursuit could overtake them now. After a while, they let their gait sink
+to a walk, and began to pick their way carefully through the dripping
+forest. As they were wet, all save their ammunition, they did not
+hesitate to wade many flooded brooks and they felt that when day came
+their trail would still be hidden from even the keenest of the Indian
+trailers.
+
+Henry did not believe that Wyatt and his warriors could find them unless
+by chance, and as they were now many miles from the cavern, and the day
+was not far away, he began to think of a stopping place. Continued
+exertion had kept them warm, despite the rain, but it would not be wise
+to waste their strength in a rapid flight, continued a long time.
+
+"All of you keep an eye for shelter," he said "Maybe we can find a
+windrow that will at least shut off a part of the rain."
+
+He alluded to the masses of trees sometimes thrown down by a hurricane,
+often over a swath not more than two hundred yards wide. Where men did
+not exist to clear them away they were numerous in Kentucky,
+accumulating for uncounted years. But it was more than an hour before
+they came upon one of these heaps of tree trunks thrown thickly
+together.
+
+Yet it was a good den or lair. Many of the fallen leaves had sifted in
+and lay there. Perhaps bears had used these recesses in the winter, but
+the five were not scrupulous. Their lives were passed in the primitive,
+and they knew how to make the most of everything that nature offered, no
+matter how little.
+
+"I reckon we den up here," said Long Jim.
+
+"We do," said Henry, "and we might go farther and find a much worse
+place."
+
+The trees evidently had been thrown down a long time, as great masses of
+vines had grown over them, forming an almost complete roof. Very little
+rain came through, and, as they had managed to keep their ammunition as
+well as their blankets dry, the lair was better than anything for which
+they had hoped. Trusting to the darkness and their concealment, all five
+wrapped themselves in their blankets and went to sleep.
+
+Now and then drops of rain forced their way through the vines and fell
+on the sleepers, but they did not awake. Such trifles as these did not
+disturb them. They were a part of the great wilderness, used to its
+ways, and troubled little by the ordinary hardships of human beings. The
+mental tension and the anxieties from which they had suffered were gone.
+The siege broken, and reunited, they could pursue the main force and the
+cannon with speed.
+
+The great revulsion made their sleep easy and untroubled. Not one of
+them stirred as he lay beneath the covering made by the ancient
+hurricane, and every one of them breathed long and deep.
+
+Nature was watching over them while they slept. They belonged to the
+forest, and the forest was taking care of its own. The rain increased
+and it was driven harder by the wind, but folded in their blankets they
+remained snug, while their clothing dried upon them. A bear that had
+hibernated there, fleeing from the rain sought his own den, but he was
+driven away by the man smell. A bedraggled panther had an idea of taking
+the same shelter, but he too was repelled in like manner.
+
+The forest watched over its own not only through the night but after the
+sun rose. Braxton Wyatt and his warriors, consumed with rage, could find
+no sign of a trail. They had entered the cavern and seized upon the
+portions of venison left there, although the rifle escaped their notice,
+and then they had begun the vain pursuit. Long before day they gave it
+up, and started after the main army.
+
+It had been Henry's intention to sleep only the two hours until dawn,
+but the relaxation, coming after immense exertions and anxieties, kept
+him and all the others sound asleep long after the dripping forest was
+bathed in sunlight. It was a bright ray of the same sunlight entering
+through a crevice and striking him in the eye that awakened him. He
+looked at his comrades. They were so deep in slumber that not one of
+them stirred.
+
+He heard a light swift sound overhead and saw that it was a gray
+squirrel running along their roof. Then came a song, pure and sweet,
+that thrilled through the forest. It was sung by a small gray bird
+perched on a vine almost directly over Henry's head, and he wondered
+that such a volume of music could come from such a tiny body.
+
+The squirrel and the bird together told him that nothing unusual was
+stirring in the forest. If warriors were near that morning song would
+not be poured forth in such a clear and untroubled stream. The bird was
+their warder, their watchman, and he told them that it was sunrise and
+all was well. Feeling the utmost confidence in the small sentinel, and
+knowing that they needed more strength for the pursuit, Henry closed his
+eyes and went to sleep again.
+
+The little gray bird was the most redoubtable of sentinels. Either the
+figures below were hidden from him or instinct warned him that they were
+friends. He hopped from bough to bough of the great windrow, and nearly
+always he sang. Now his song was clear and happy, saying that no enemy
+came in the forest. He sang from sheer delight, from the glory of the
+sunshine, and the splendor of the great green forest, drying in the
+golden glow. Now and then the gray squirrel came down from a tree and
+ran over the windrow. There was no method in his excursions. It was just
+pure happiness, the physical expression of high spirits.
+
+The shiftless one was the next to awake, and he too looked at his
+sleeping comrades. His task had been the hardest of them all. Although
+his body had acquired the quality of steel wire, it had yielded
+nevertheless under the strain of so many pursuits and flights. Now he
+heard that bird singing above him and as it told him, too, that no
+danger was near, he shifted himself a little to ease his muscles and
+went to sleep again.
+
+A half-hour later Long Jim came out of slumberland, but he opened only
+one eye. The bird was trilling and quavering in the most wonderful way,
+telling him as he understood it, to go back whence he had come, and he
+went at once. Then came Paul, not more than half awakened, and the music
+of the song lulled him. He did not have time to ask himself any question
+before he had returned to sleep, and the bird sang on, announcing that
+noon was coming and all was yet well.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+ON THE GREAT TRAIL
+
+
+An hour after the little gray bird had announced that it was noon and
+all was well Henry awoke, and now he sat up. The bird, hearing rustlings
+below, and feeling that his task of watchman was over, flew away. His
+song was heard for a moment or two in the boughs of a tree, then it grew
+faint and died in the distance. But his work was done and he had done it
+well.
+
+Henry put his hand on Sol's shoulder, and the shiftless one also sat up.
+
+"You've slept a week, Sol," Henry said.
+
+"That's a whopper. I just laid down, slept a minute, waked up, heard a
+bird singin', then slept another minute."
+
+"Just the same happened to me, but it's past midday. Look through the
+vines there and see the sun."
+
+"It's so. How time does pass when the warriors are lettin' your scalp
+alone."
+
+"Wake up, Jim."
+
+Shif'less Sol poked Long Jim with his moccasined foot.
+
+"Here you, Jim Hart," he said. "Wake up. Do you think we've got nothin'
+to do but set here, an' listen to you snorin' fur two days an' two
+nights, when we've got to overtake an Injun army and thrash it?"
+
+"Don't tech me with your foot ag'in, Sol Hyde, an' don't talk to me so
+highfalutin'. It's hard to git me mad, but when I do git mad I'm a lot
+wuss than Paul's friend, A-killus, 'cause I don't sulk in my tent,
+specially when I haven't got any. I jest rises up an' takes them that
+pesters me by the heels an' w'ar 'em out ag'in the trees."
+
+"You talk mighty big, Saplin'."
+
+"I'm feelin' big. I think I'll go out an' stretch myself, bein' ez it's
+a fine day an' these are my woods."
+
+The talk awoke Paul also and all went outside. Henry and Silent Tom
+scouted for some distance in every direction, and, finding no sign of an
+enemy, the five ate cold venison and drank from one of the innumerable
+streams. Then they deliberated briefly. They must find the trail of the
+Indian army and they were quite sure that it lay toward the east. If it
+were there they could not miss it, as a way for the cannon had to be cut
+with axes. Hence their council lasted only five minutes, and then they
+hastened due eastward.
+
+Speed was impeded by the creeks and brooks, all of which were swollen
+yet further, compelling them in several cases to swim, which had to be
+done with care, owing to the need of keeping their ammunition dry. Night
+came, the great trail was still unfound, and they thought they might
+possibly have been mistaken in going to the east, but when they debated
+it again they resolved to continue their present course. Every
+probability favored it, and perhaps the Indian army had taken a wider
+curve than they had thought.
+
+"I've had so much rest and sleep that I'm good fur all night," said Long
+Jim, "an' the ground bein' so soft from so much rain them cannon wheels
+will cut ruts a foot deep."
+
+"That's so," said Shif'less Sol. "Why we could blindfold ourselves an'
+hit that trail. Out o' the mouths o' men like Long Jim wisdom comes
+sometimes, though you wouldn't think it."
+
+"All that you are, Solomon Hyde," said Long Jim, "I've made. When I fust
+knowed you a tow-headed boy you didn't have sense enough to come in out
+uv the rain. Now, by long years uv hard trainin', mixin' gentleness with
+firmness, I've turned you into somethin' like a scout an' trailer an'
+Injun fighter, fit to travel in the comp'ny uv a man like myself. Now
+an' then when I look at you, Solomon Hyde, I'm proud uv you, but I'm
+prouder uv myself fur makin' a real man out uv sech poor stuff to start
+with."
+
+"I'm still willin' to learn, Jim," grinned Shif'less Sol.
+
+"The trail! The trail!" suddenly exclaimed Henry.
+
+They had emerged from heavy forest into a stretch of canebrake through
+which ran a long swath, trampled by many feet and cut by deep ruts. Here
+the cannon had passed perhaps a week ago, and they could follow the
+ruts as easily as the wheel of an engine follows the rails.
+
+"I 'low they can't make more'n ten or fifteen miles a day," said Silent
+Tom.
+
+"While we, if we were hard pressed, could go thirty or forty, or more,"
+said Paul.
+
+"We could overtake 'em in three days," said Henry.
+
+"An' hevin' done it," said the shiftless one, "what are we goin' to do
+next?"
+
+"It's the cannon we're after, as we all know," said Henry, "and I
+confess that I can't see yet how we're going to get at 'em."
+
+"I fancy we can tell more about it when we approach the Indian army,"
+said Paul.
+
+"There's no other way," said Henry. "If we keep close beside 'em we may
+get a chance at the cannon, but we've got to look out for Braxton Wyatt
+and his gang, who will be just behind us, on the same trail."
+
+"Then we go straight ahead?" said Paul.
+
+They followed the great trail nearly all night, under the clear moon and
+stars, a fine drying wind having taken away all the dampness. As usual
+Henry led and Silent Tom brought up the rear, the one in front keeping
+an eye for a rear guard and the one behind watching for the advance of
+Braxton Wyatt's force. The trail itself was leisurely. The speed of the
+cannon had to be the speed of the army, and there was ample time for
+parties to leave on hunting expeditions, and then rejoin the main band
+with their spoils.
+
+"They're living well," said Henry, as he pointed to the dead coals of
+numerous fires, and the quantities of bones scattered about "They've
+had buffalo, bear, deer, turkey and lots of small game."
+
+"It's an ideal country for an Indian army to travel in," said Paul. "The
+game fairly swarms in it."
+
+"An they don't spare it neither," said Shif'less Sol. "These warriors
+are jest eatin' thar way down to the settlements."
+
+"Here's where they kept their cannon," said Henry, pointing to a place
+near the edge of the opening, "and they covered them for the night with
+strong canvas."
+
+"How do you know that?" asked Long Jim.
+
+"See this thorn bush growing just beside the place. The edge of the
+canvas caught on the thorns and when they pulled it away it left these
+threads. See, here are three of 'em."
+
+"But how do you know it was strong canvas?"
+
+"Because if it hadn't been, more than these three threads would have
+been left. I'm astonished at you! What have you done with your wits? It
+was just over there, too, that Alloway and Cartwright sat with the
+chiefs and held a council. Two or three bushes were cut down close to
+the ground in order that a dozen men or so might sit comfortably in a
+ring. They smoked a pipe, and came to some agreement. Here are the ashes
+that were thrown from the pipe after they were through with it. Then
+Alloway and Cartwright walked off in this direction. You can see even
+now the imprint of their boot heels. Moccasins would leave no such
+trace. It must have rained that night, too, because they spread their
+tent and slept in it."
+
+"You're guessing now, Henry," said Long Jim.
+
+"I don't have to guess. This is the simplest thing in the world. One has
+only to look and see. Here are the holes where they drove the tent pegs.
+But the two officers did not go to sleep at once after the council. They
+sat in the tent and talked quite a while."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"More ashes, and on the ground covered by the tent. Evidently they have
+pipes of their own, as most all English officers do, and they wouldn't
+have sat here, and smoked, while on a hard march, if they did'nt have
+something important to talk about. I take it that the leaders of the
+Indian army are trying to solve some question. Perhaps they don't know
+which of the settlements to march against first."
+
+"Over here is where they kept the horses fur the big guns," said Silent
+Tom. "Mebbe we might git at them horses, Henry."
+
+"We might, but it wouldn't help us much. The warriors are so many that,
+although they don't like work, they could take turns at pulling 'em
+along with ropes. They could do that too, with the wagons that carry the
+ammunition for the cannon. Come on, boys. It don't pay us to linger over
+dead campfires. Here goes the trail which is as broad as a road."
+
+He led the way, but stopped again in a few minutes.
+
+"They had their troubles when they started the next morning," he said,
+as he pointed with a long forefinger.
+
+They saw flowing directly across the road one of the innumerable creeks,
+swollen to a depth of about four feet by the rain, and with rather a
+swift current. Hundreds of footprints had been left in the soft soil
+near the stream, and they examined them carefully. In two places these
+traces were packed closely.
+
+"About twenty warriors gathered at each of these spots," said Henry,
+"and lifted the cannon into the wagons. Look how deep some of these
+footmarks are! That was when the weight of the cannon sank them down.
+The Indians could have gone across the creek without the slightest
+trouble, but the cannon and the wagons delayed them quite a while. Come,
+boys, we've got to do some wading ourselves."
+
+Reaching the opposite bank they found where the cannon had been lifted
+out again, and saw the deep ruts made by their wheels running on through
+the forest.
+
+"I don't find the traces of no boot heels," said Silent Tom. "What's
+become uv them English?"
+
+"They're riding now," replied Henry. "They're not as used as the Indians
+to forest marches, and they've all been compelled to take to the wagons
+for a while. But they won't stay in 'em long."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Because Alloway won't want the warriors to look down on him or his men,
+and the Indians are impressed by physical strength and tenacity. As soon
+as they're fairly rested he'll get out and make all the others get out
+too."
+
+In a half-hour he called their particular attention to a point in the
+great trail.
+
+"All of them got out of the wagons here," he said. "Look where the boot
+heels cut into the ground. What's this? A warrior coming out of the
+forest has joined them here. Perhaps he was a man sent by Braxton Wyatt
+or Blackstaffe to tell how they were getting along in their siege of us,
+and here is another trail, where a dozen warriors split from the band."
+
+"A huntin' party, o' course," said the shif'less one as he looked at it.
+"They send 'em off on ev'ry side, ev'ry day, an' we've got to watch
+mighty close, lest some o' them light on us."
+
+"Still," said Henry, "when they got their game they wouldn't come
+straight back to a trail already old. They'd go on ahead to catch up.
+It's lucky that we've got plenty of venison and don't have to do any
+hunting of our own. Jim, you certainly did noble work as a cook back
+there."
+
+"Which reminds me," said Long Jim, "that I'll chaw a strip uv venison
+now."
+
+"Jim wuz always a glutton," said the shiftless one, "but that won't keep
+me from j'inin' him in his pleasant pursuit."
+
+Daylight found them in dense canebrake with the road that the army had
+been forced to cut for the cannon leading on straight and true.
+
+"We'll find another camp about a half mile ahead," said Henry.
+
+"Now that's a guess," said Long Jim.
+
+"Oh, no, it isn't. Jim, you must really learn to use your eyes. Look up
+a little. See, those buzzards hovering over a particular spot. Now, one
+darts down and now another rises up. I suppose they're still able to
+pick a few shreds of flesh from the under side of the big buffalo
+bones."
+
+"I reckon you're right, Henry."
+
+They reached the old camp presently, within the indicated distance, but
+did not linger, pressing on over little prairies and across streams of
+all sizes. They noticed again and again where the hunting parties left
+the main army, and then where they came back.
+
+"They've lots of ammunition," said Henry. "They must have the biggest
+supply that was ever yet furnished by Detroit."
+
+"Mebbe we kin git some uv it fur ourselves later on," said Tom Ross.
+
+"That's not a bad idea, to get ammunition at the expense of the enemy.
+Their bullets might not fit our rifles, but we could use their powder.
+We may have our chance yet to raid 'em."
+
+At noon they turned aside into the forest and sought a deep recess where
+they could rest and plan. Foliage and earth were dry now and they
+stretched themselves luxuriously, as they ate and talked. They reckoned
+that they could overtake the army on the following night or at least on
+the morning after, as its progress had been manifestly slower even than
+they had thought. Taking cannon through the great woods in which not a
+single road existed was a most difficult task. But every one of the five
+felt the need of exceeding great caution. Besides the hunters they might
+have to deal with the party that had left under Blackstaffe and Red
+Eagle. For all they knew, this band might have taken a shorter course
+through the woods, and chance might bring on an encounter at any time.
+
+"If they should strike our trail they're likely to follow it up," said
+the shiftless one. "Some o' 'em in lookin' fur game are shore to be far
+in the rear, an' them too may stumble on us."
+
+"'Pears to me," said Long Jim, "that we've come knowin' it, plum' into a
+big hornet's nest, but we ain't stung yet."
+
+"An' we ain't goin' to be," said the shiftless one confidently.
+
+Thus did the knights of the forest discuss their chances, and they were
+as truly knights as any that ever tilted lance for his lady, or, clothed
+in mail, fought the Saracen in the Holy Land, and, buried in the vast
+forest, their dangers were greater, they so few against so many.
+
+Knowing now that they had no need to hurry and that to hurry was
+dangerous, they lay a long time in the woods, and some of them slept a
+little, while the others watched. But those who slept awoke when they
+heard the haunting cry of the owl. The five sat up as another owl far to
+the left hooted in answer. Not one of them was deceived for an instant,
+as the signals were exchanged three times. Indian, they knew, was
+talking to Indian.
+
+"What do you think it means, Henry?" asked the shiftless one.
+
+"I've a notion that a small band has struck our trail and that it's
+signaling to a bigger one."
+
+"I'm sorry o' that."
+
+"So am I, because it will put the great band on guard against us. Our
+best weapon would have been the ignorance of the Indians that we were
+near."
+
+"Ef troubles git in our way we kin shoot 'em out uv it," said Long Jim
+philosophically.
+
+"So we can," said Henry, "but there goes one of the owls again, and it's
+much nearer to us than it was before."
+
+"An' thar's the other answerin' from the other side," said Shif'less
+Sol, "an' it, too, is much nearer."
+
+"'Pears ez ef they knowed more about us than we thought they did, an'
+are tryin' to surround us," said Long Jim.
+
+"An' we jest won't be surrounded," said Shif'less Sol. "We ain't trained
+to that sort o' thing an' it ain't a habit that we'd like."
+
+"Come on," said Henry, and, rifle on shoulder, he flitted through the
+thickets. The others followed him in single file, and they advanced
+toward a point mid-way between the opposing bands. Their line formed
+according to its invariable custom, Henry leading, the shiftless one
+next, followed by Paul, with Long Jim following, and Silent Tom covering
+the rear.
+
+They traveled now at high speed, and Henry felt that the need was great.
+He was sure that the bands, besides signaling to each other, were also
+calling up wandering hunters. The circle about them might be more nearly
+complete than they had thought. They kept to the darkest of the forest
+and fled on like a file of phantoms. A rifle suddenly cracked in the
+thicket and a bullet whistled by. Henry's rifle flashed in reply and no
+further sound came from the bushes. Then the phantoms sped on faster
+than ever.
+
+Henry reloaded his rifle, and all of them listened to the chorus of the
+owls, as they cried to one another in a circle the diameter of which
+might have been a third of a mile. The heart of every one beat faster,
+not alone because they were running, but because of that demon chorus.
+All the warriors had heard the rifle shots and they knew now just about
+where the fugitives were. The cry of an owl has a singularly weird and
+haunting quality, and when so many of them came together, coming as the
+five knew, from the throats of those who meant them death, its effect
+was appalling even upon such hardy souls as theirs.
+
+"I wish they'd stop them cries," growled Long Jim. "They git into my
+bones, an' give me a sort uv creepy weakness 'bout the knees."
+
+"Don't let your knees buckle," said Shif'less Sol. "Good knees are
+mighty important, jest now, 'cause you know, Jim, we'll hev to make a
+pow'ful good run fur it, an' ef your legs give out I'll hev to stay back
+with you."
+
+"I know you would, Sol, but that creepy feelin' 'bout my knees don't
+weaken the muscles an' j'ints. Runnin' is my strongest p'int."
+
+"I know it. I don't furgit the time your runnin' saved us all when the
+emigrant train wuz surrounded by the tribes."
+
+"Down!" suddenly called Henry, and the five dropped almost flat, but
+without noise, in the bushes. Two dusky figures, evidently scouts, were
+running directly across their line of flight about fifty yards ahead of
+them. But Henry was quite sure that the two warriors had not seen them
+and the five, lying close and scarcely breathing, watched the dusky
+figures. The warriors paused a moment or two, looked about them, but,
+seeing nothing went on, and were quickly lost to sight in the brush.
+
+"It was lucky," said Henry, as they rose and resumed their flight, "that
+the warriors didn't look more closely. I think fortune is favoring us."
+
+"It ain't fortune or luck," said Shif'less Sol. "It's jedgment, an' our
+long an' hard trainin'. I tell you jedgment is a power."
+
+A fierce yell arose behind them, a yell full of savagery and triumph.
+
+"They've hit our trail in the moonlight," said Henry, "and as we have no
+time to dodge or lie in cover, there's nothing to do but run faster."
+
+"An' keep a good lookout to both right an' left," said Shif'less Sol.
+"They're comin' now from all directions."
+
+The owls now began to hoot in great numbers, and with extraordinary
+ferocity. The cry made upon Paul's sensitive mind an impression that
+never could be effaced. He associated it with cruelty, savagery and
+deadly menace. His ear even multiplied and exaggerated the sinister
+calls. The woods were filled with them, they came from every bush, and
+the menacing circle was steadily and surely drawing closer.
+
+Henry heard the heavy panting breaths behind him. They were bound to
+grow weary before long. Even if one were made of steel he could not run
+on forever. But he recalled that while they could not do so neither
+could the warriors. His keen ear noted that no cry of the owl came from
+the point straight ahead, and he concluded therefore that the circle was
+not yet complete. There was a break in the ring and he meant to drive
+straight through it.
+
+"Now, boys," he said, "slow up a little to let your breath come back,
+then we'll make a great burst for it and break through."
+
+Their pace sank almost to a walk, but the beat of their hearts became
+more nearly regular, and strength came back. Meanwhile the cries of the
+owls never ceased. They drummed incessantly on the ears of Paul, and
+made a sort of fury in his brain. It was a species of torture that made
+him rage more than ever against his pursuers.
+
+They stopped in a clump of cane and watched a single warrior pass near.
+When he was gone they stepped from the cane and began to run at high
+speed toward the opening in the circle which Henry judged could not be
+more than a hundred yards away. It was fortunate for them that the
+forest here contained little undergrowth to impede them.
+
+It was a great burst of speed to make after so long a flight, but the
+brief rest had helped them greatly, and they spurned the earth behind
+them. Now the Indian warriors caught sight of them, and rifles flashed
+in the night. The last owl ceased to hoot, and instead gave forth the
+war hoop. The forest rang with fierce yells, many anticipating a triumph
+not yet won. Many shots were fired on either flank, and leaves and
+twigs fell, but the five, bending low, fled on and did not yet reply.
+
+The young leader in those desperate moments was cool enough to see that
+no shots came from the point straight ahead, making it sure that the
+opening was still there. He counted, too, on the dusk and the generally
+poor markmanship of the savages. A single glance backward showed him
+that none of his comrades was touched. Farther away on either side he
+saw the leaping forms of the warriors and then the flash of their wild
+shots. And still his comrades and he were untouched.
+
+"Now, boys," he cried, "let out the last link in the chain!" and the
+five bounded forward at such speed that the Indians in the dusk could
+not hit the flying targets, and, still untouched they drove through the
+opening, and beyond. But the warriors behind them joined in a mass and
+came on, yelling in anger and disappointment.
+
+"Now, Sol," said Henry, "we might let 'em have a couple of bullets. The
+rest of you hold your fire!"
+
+Henry and the shiftless one, wheeling swiftly, fired and hit their
+targets. A cry of wrath came from the pursuers, but they dropped back
+out of range, and stayed there awhile. Then they crept closer, until a
+bullet from Silent Tom gave them a deadly warning to drop back again,
+which they did with great promptness.
+
+Then the five, summoning all their reserves of strength, sped southward
+at a rate that was too great for their pursuers. Paul soon heard the
+owls calling again, but they were at least a half mile behind them, and
+they no longer oppressed him with that quality of cruelty and certain
+triumph. Now they only denoted failure and disappointment, and, as his
+high tension relaxed, he began to laugh.
+
+"Stop it, Paul! Stop it!" said the shiftless one sharply. "It's too soon
+yet to laugh! When the time comes I'll tell you!"
+
+Paul checked himself, knowing that the laugh was partly hysterical, and
+closely followed Henry who was now turning toward the west, leading them
+through rolling country, clothed in the same unbroken forest and
+undergrowth. It was his idea to find a creek or brook and then wade in
+it for a long distance to break the trail, the simplest of devices, one
+used a thousand times with success on the border, and they ran at their
+utmost speed, in order to be out of sight of even the swiftest warrior
+when they should come to water.
+
+They passed several tiny brooks too small for their purpose, but, in a
+half-hour, came to one two feet deep, flowing swiftly and with muddy
+current. Henry uttered a sigh of satisfaction as he stepped into the
+water, and began to run with the stream. He heard four splashes behind
+him, as the others stepped in also, and followed.
+
+"As little noise as you can," he said. "There may be a lurking warrior
+about somewhere."
+
+After the first hundred yards they waded slowly, in order to avoid more
+splashing, and, after another hundred, stopped to listen. They heard
+faint cries from the warriors, but they were very far away, at least a
+mile, they thought, and the hearts of every one of the five rose with
+the belief that the Indians had taken the wrong course. But they
+neglected no precaution, wading in the middle of the brook for a long
+distance, the water enclosed on either side with a thick and heavy
+growth of willows and bushes so dense, in truth, that one could not see
+into the stream without parting the foliage.
+
+"Didn't I tell you we were lucky!" said Henry. "This branch poked itself
+right across our path at the right moment to help us break our trail."
+
+"Jedgment, Henry! Jedgment!" said the shiftless one. "We knowed that it
+wuz best fur us to find a branch, an' so we jest run on till we found
+one."
+
+"It 'pears to me," said Long Jim, "that we're takin' to water a heap.
+Always jumpin' into some branch or creek or river an' wadin', I feel
+myself turnin' to a fish, a great big long catfish sech as you find in
+the Ohio. Fins are comin' out on my ankles right now."
+
+"An' your face is plum' covered with scales already," said Shif'less
+Sol. "You're shorely a wonder, Jim."
+
+Long Jim involuntarily clapped his hand to his face, and then both
+laughed.
+
+"At any rate," said Long Jim, "I'll be glad when we take to dry ground
+ag'in."
+
+But Henry led them a full mile, until he parted the bushes, and stepped
+out on the west bank. The others followed and all five stood a moment or
+two on the bank, while the water dripped from their leggings.
+
+"Them fins has done growed on me, shore," whispered Long Jim to
+Shif'less Sol. "Cur'us how water sticks to deerskin."
+
+"How much further do we go, Henry?" asked Paul.
+
+"Far enough to be safe," replied Henry. "I think two or three miles more
+will put us out of their range. The walking won't be bad, and it will
+help to dry our leggings."
+
+"Wish I had one o' their hosses to ride on," said Shif'less Sol.
+"'Twould jest suit me, a lazy man. I guess hosses wuzn't ever used in
+these parts afore, but I'd ride one like the old knights that Paul talks
+about, an' you, Long Jim, could hang on to the tail."
+
+"I wouldn't hang on to the tail of nobody's hoss, an' least uv all to
+the tail uv yourn, Sol Hyde."
+
+"You'd hev to, Jim Hart, 'cause you'd be my serf. Knights always had
+serfs that wuz glad to hang on to the tails o' their hosses, when the
+knights would let 'em. Wouldn't I look grand, chargin' through the
+forest on my war hoss, six feet high, me in my best Sunday brass suit,
+speckled with gold scales, with my silver spear twenty feet long, an' my
+great two-handed, gold-hilted sword beside me, an' Long Jim tied to the
+tail o' my hoss, so he wouldn't git tired an' fall behind, when I wuz
+chargin' the hull Shawnee tribe?"
+
+"You'll never see that day, Sol Hyde. When we charge the Shawnee tribe
+I'll be in front, runnin' on these long legs uv mine, an' you'll be
+'bout a hundred yards behind, comin' on in a kinder doubtful an'
+hesitatin' way."
+
+"Here is good dry ground now," said Henry, "and I don't think we need to
+go any farther."
+
+They were on a small hilltop, densely covered with trees, and the five
+gladly threw themselves down among the trunks. They were sure now that
+they were safe from pursuit, and they felt elation, but they said
+little. All of them took off their wet leggings and moccasins, and laid
+them out to dry, while they rested and ate venison.
+
+"I'm gittin' tired, paddlin' 'roun' in wet clothes," said Long Jim, "and
+I hope them things uv mine will dry fast, 'cause it would be bad to hev
+to run fur it ag'in, b'ar-footed this time, an' with not much of
+anythin' on up to your waist."
+
+"But think how much harder on you it would be ef it wuz winter," said
+the shiftless one. "Ef you hed to break the ice in the branch ez you
+walked along it, an' then when you come out hed nothin' but the snow to
+lay down in an' rest, it would be time fur complainin'. Ez Henry says,
+we're shorely hevin' luck."
+
+"That's true, an' we've found another fine inn to rest an' sleep in.
+Ain't this nice solid dry groun'? An' them dead leaves scattered 'bout
+which we kin rake up fur pillows an' beds, are jest the finest that ever
+fell. An' them trees are jest ez big an' honest an' friendly ez you
+could ask, an' the bushes are nice an' well behaved, an' thar shore is
+plenty of water in the forest fur us to drink. An' we hev a good clean
+sky overhead. Oh, we couldn't come to a nicer inn than this."
+
+"I'm going to sleep," said Paul. "I'm going to wrap my blanket around
+the lower half of me, and if the warriors come please wake me in time,
+so I can put on my leggings before I have to run again."
+
+All soon slept save Henry and Ross, and, after a while, Henry clothed
+himself fully, everything now being dry, and with a word to Ross,
+started eastward through the forest. He believed that Blackstaffe, Red
+Eagle and their party were somewhere in that direction, and he meant to
+have a look at them. He was thoroughly refreshed by their long rest, and
+alone he felt able to avoid any danger.
+
+He advanced through the forest, a great flitting figure that passed
+swiftly, and now, that he was the trailer and not the trailed, all of
+his marvelous faculties were at their zenith. He heard and saw
+everything, and every odor came to him. The overwhelming sense of
+freedom, and of a capacity to achieve the impossible, which he often
+felt when he was alone, fairly poured in upon him. The feeling of
+success, of conquest, was strong. He and his comrades, so far, had
+triumphed over every difficulty, and they had been many and great. The
+omens were propitious and there was the rising wind singing among the
+leaves the song that was always a chant of victory for him.
+
+He inhaled the odors of the forest, the breath of leaf and flower. They
+were keen and poignant to him, and then came another odor that did not
+belong there. It was brought on the edge of the gentle wind, and his
+nostrils expanded, as he noticed that it was growing stronger and
+stronger. He knew at once that it was smoke, distant, but smoke
+undeniably, and that it must come from a campfire. In all probability
+it was the fire of Blackstaffe, Red Eagle and their band.
+
+He went at once toward the smoke, and gradually the light of a fire
+appeared among the trees. Approaching cautiously, he saw the correctness
+of his surmise that it was Blackstaffe, Red Eagle and their band. Most
+of the warriors were lying down, all save two or three asleep, but the
+renegade and the chief were talking earnestly. Henry was eager to hear
+what they were saying, as it might prove of great value to him in the
+little campaign that he was leading. Since Wyatt and the rest of the
+band had not had time to come up, they could not yet know that it was
+the five with whom they had been in battle that night.
+
+He resolved that he would overhear them at all costs, and lying down in
+the bushes he began to edge himself forward in the slow and difficult
+manner of which only an accomplished scout is capable. Fortunately the
+fire was near the edge of a thicket, from which he could hear, but it
+took him a long time to gain the position he wished, creeping forward,
+inch by inch, and careful not to make a bush or a leaf rustle.
+
+When he was at last in place, he lay hidden by the foliage and blended
+with it, where he could easily see the faces of Blackstaffe and Red
+Eagle, in the firelight, and hear what they said.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+FIVE AGAINST A THOUSAND
+
+
+Red Eagle and Blackstaffe were talking in Shawnee, every word of which
+Henry heard and understood. They sat in Turkish fashion upon the ground,
+on the same side of the fire, and the blaze flickered redly over the
+face of each. They were strong faces, primitive, fierce and cunning, but
+in different ways. The evil fame of Moses Blackstaffe, second only to
+that of Simon Girty, had been won by many a ruthless deed and undoubted
+skill and cunning. Yet he was a white man who had departed from the
+white man's ways.
+
+Red Eagle, the great Shawnee chief, was older, past fifty, and his
+bronzed face was lined deeply. His broad brow and the eyes set wide
+apart, expressed intellect--the Indian often had intellect in a high
+degree. He too was cruel, able to look upon the unmentionable tortures
+of his foes with pleasure, but it was a cruelty that was a part of his
+inheritance, the common practices of all the tribes, bred into the
+blood, through untold generations of forest life.
+
+Henry felt a certain respect for Red Eagle, but none at all for
+Blackstaffe. Him he hated, with that fierceness of the forest, some of
+which had crept into his blood, and if he met him in battle he would
+gladly send a bullet through his heart. The man's face, burnt almost as
+dark as that of an Indian, showed now in its most sinister aspect. He
+was suffering from chagrin, and he did not take the trouble to hide it,
+even from so great a man as Red Eagle, head chief of the Shawnees.
+
+They were talking of Wyatt and the band they had left behind for the
+siege, and Henry, with a touch of forest humor, enjoyed himself as he
+listened.
+
+"We did not see well those with whom we fought tonight and who escaped
+us," said Red Eagle, "but they showed themselves to be warriors, great
+white warriors. They were more than a match for my young men."
+
+"It is true," said Blackstaffe. "I didn't see them at all, but only the
+five whom we left besieged in the cave could do what they did."
+
+"But Wyatt and good warriors hold them there."
+
+"So they hoped, but do they, Red Eagle? The manner in which those scouts
+escaped from our circle makes me believe their leader could have been
+none but this Henry Ware."
+
+"One of them was outside the cave. He may have come through the forest
+and have met other white men."
+
+"It might be so, but I'm afraid it isn't. They have broken the siege in
+some manner and have eluded Wyatt. I had hoped that if he could not kill
+or capture them he would at least hold them there. It is not well for
+us to have them hanging upon our army and ambushing the warriors."
+
+"You speak wisely, Blackstaffe. The one they call Ware is only a youth,
+but he is full of wisdom and bravery. There was an affair of the belt
+bearers, in which he tricked even Yellow Panther and myself. If we could
+capture him and make him become one of us, a red warrior to fight the
+white people to whom he once belonged, he would add much to our strength
+in war."
+
+Blackstaffe shook his head most emphatically.
+
+"Don't think of that again, great chief," he said. "It is a waste of
+time. He would endure the most terrible of all our tortures first. Think
+instead of his scalp hanging in your wigwam."
+
+The eyes of Red Eagle glistened.
+
+"It would be a great triumph," he said, "but our young men have chased
+him many times, and always he is gone like the deer. We have set the
+trap for him often, but when it falls he is away. None shoots so quickly
+or so true as he, and if one of our young men meets him alone in the
+forest it is the Shawnee over whom the birds sing the death song."
+
+"It's not his scalp that we want merely for the scalp's sake. You are a
+brave and great chief, O Red Eagle, and you know that Ware and his
+comrades are scouts, spies and messengers. It's not so much the warriors
+whom we lose at their hands, but they're the eyes of the woods. They
+always tell the settlements of our coming, and bring the white forces
+together. We must trap them on this march, if we have to spread out a
+belt of a hundred warriors to do it."
+
+"I hope the net won't have any holes in it. We overtake the great band
+tomorrow, and then you'll have all the warriors you need. They can be
+spread out on the flank as we march. Hark, Red Eagle, what was that?"
+
+Henry himself in his covert started a little, as the long whine of a
+wolf came from a point far behind them. One of the warriors on the other
+side of the fire returned the cry, so piercing and ferocious in its note
+that Henry started again. But as the chief, the renegade and all the
+warriors rose to their feet, he withdrew somewhat further into the
+thicket, yet remaining where he could see all that might pass.
+
+The far wolf howled again, and the near wolf replied. After that
+followed a long silence, with the renegade, Red Eagle and his men,
+standing waiting and eager. The signals showed that friends were coming
+to join friends, and Henry was as eager as they to see the arrivals. Yet
+he had a shrewd suspicion of their identity.
+
+Dusky figures showed presently among the trees, as a silent line came
+on. Red Eagle and Blackstaffe were standing side by side, and the
+renegade broke into a low laugh.
+
+"So Wyatt comes with his men, or most of them," he said.
+
+"I see," said the chief in a tone of chagrin.
+
+"And he comes without any prisoners."
+
+"But perhaps he brings scalps."
+
+"I see no sign of them."
+
+"It is yet too far."
+
+"If they came bearing scalps they would raise the shout of victory."
+
+Red Eagle, great chief of the Shawnees, shook his head sadly.
+
+"It is sure that those whom we pursued in vain tonight were those whom
+we left besieged in the cave."
+
+"I fear that you speak the truth. They bring no scalps, nor any
+prisoners to walk on red hot coals."
+
+He spoke sadly and Henry noted a certain grim pathos in his words, which
+were the words of a savage. Yet the attitude of Red Eagle was dignified
+and majestic as he waited.
+
+The file came on fast, Braxton Wyatt at its head. When the younger
+renegade reached the fire, he flung himself down beside it, seized a
+piece of deer meat, just cooked, and began to eat.
+
+"I'm famished and worn out," he said.
+
+"What did you do with the scalps, Braxton?" asked Blackstaffe, in silky
+tones--it may be that he thought the younger renegade assumed too much
+at times.
+
+"They're on the heads of their owners," growled Wyatt.
+
+"And how did that happen? You had them securely blockaded in a hole in a
+stone wall. I thought you had nothing to do but wait and take them."
+
+"See here, Blackstaffe, I don't care for your taunting. They slipped
+out, although we kept the closest watch possible, and as they passed
+they slew one of our best warriors. I don't know how it was managed,
+but I think it was some infernal trick of that fellow Ware. Anyway, we
+were left with an empty cave, and then we came on as fast as we could.
+We did our best, and I've no excuses to make."
+
+"I do not mock you," said Red Eagle gravely. "I have been tricked by the
+fox, Ware, myself, and so has Yellow Panther, the head chief of the
+Miamis. But we will catch him yet."
+
+"It seems that we have not yet made any net that will hold him," said
+Blackstaffe with grim irony. Since it was not he directly, but Red Eagle
+and Wyatt who had failed, he found a malicious humor in taunting them.
+"It is the general belief that it was this same youth, Ware, who blew up
+the scows on which we were to carry our cannon, and then sank the lashed
+canoes. He seems to be uncommonly efficient."
+
+Among the broken men and criminals who fled into the woods joining the
+Indians and making war upon their own kind, Moses Blackstaffe was an
+outstanding character. He was a man of education and subtle mind. It was
+understood that he came from one of the oldest of the eastern provinces,
+and that there was innocent blood on his hands before he fled. But now
+he was high in the councils of the Indian nations, and, like the white
+man of his type who turns savage, he had become more cruel than the
+savages themselves.
+
+His gaze as he turned it upon Braxton Wyatt was lightly ironical, and
+his tone had been the same. Again the younger renegade flushed through
+his tan.
+
+"I have never denied to him wonderful knowledge and skill," he said. "I
+have warned you all that he was the obstacle most to be dreaded. He has
+just proved it. Had he not been there to help 'em at the cave we should
+have got 'em all."
+
+"And they are giving the laurels of Shif'less Sol to me," said Henry to
+himself in the thicket. "I shall have to hand them over to him when we
+go back."
+
+But the great Shawnee chief, Red Eagle, had heard enough talk between
+the two white men. He was full of the wisdom of his race, and he did not
+intend that Blackstaffe and Wyatt should impair their value to the
+tribes by creating ill feeling against each other.
+
+"Peace, my sons," he said in his grave and dignified manner. "It is not
+well for those who march with us to taunt each other. Words that may be
+light in the village, breed ill will on the war path. As head chief of
+the Shawnees it is for me to say these things to you."
+
+As Red Eagle stood up with his arms folded across his broad breast and
+his scarlet blanket hooked over his shoulder, he looked like a forest
+Roman. Henry thought him an impressive figure and such a thought, too,
+was most likely in the mind of Blackstaffe, as he said:
+
+"The words of the chief are wise, and I obey. Red Eagle has proved many
+and many a time that he is the best fitted of all men to be the head
+chief of the Shawnees. Wyatt, I was only jesting. You and I must be good
+comrades here."
+
+He held out his hand and as Wyatt took it, his face cleared. Then the
+three turned to animated talk about their plans. It was agreed that they
+should push on in the morning at all speed, and join the main band and
+the artillery. Dangerous as these cannon were, Henry saw that the
+Indians gave them almost magic powers. They would completely blow away
+the settlements, and the forests would soon grow again, where the white
+man had cut a little open place for himself with the ax.
+
+The conference over, Red Eagle wrapped himself in his blanket and lay
+down with his feet toward the fire. Again Henry felt an impulse of
+respect for him. He was true to his race and his inheritance, while the
+renegades were false in everything to theirs. He did not depart from the
+customs and thoughts bred into him by many generations, but the
+renegades violated every teaching of their own race that had brought
+civilization to the world, and he hated and despised them.
+
+He saw Blackstaffe and Wyatt wrap themselves in their blankets and also
+lie down with their feet to the fire. All the Indians were at rest save
+two sentinels. Henry watched this strange scene a few minutes longer.
+The coals were dying fast and now he saw but indistinctly the figures of
+white men and red men, joined in a compact to destroy his people
+utterly, from the oldest man and woman to the youngest child.
+
+Henry did not know it, but he was as much a knight of chivalry and
+romance as any mailed figure that ever rode with glittering lance.
+Beneath the buckskin hunting shirt beat a heart as dauntless as that of
+Amadis of Gaul or Palmerin of England, although there were no bards in
+the great forest to sing of his deeds and of the deeds of those like
+him.
+
+He intended to stay only two or three minutes longer, but he lingered
+nevertheless. The Indian campfire gave forth hardly a glimmer. The
+figures save those of the sentinels became invisible. The wind blew
+gently and sang among the leaves, as if the forest were always a forest
+of peace, although from time immemorial, throughout the world, it had
+been stained by bloodshed. But the forest spell which came over him at
+times was upon him now. The rippling of the leaves under the wind he
+translated into words, and once more they sang to him the song of
+success.
+
+This new task of his, straight through the heart of danger, had been
+achieved, and in his modesty, which was a modesty of thought as well as
+word, he did not ascribe it to any strength or skill in himself, but to
+the fact that a Supreme Being had chosen him for a time as an
+instrument, and was working through him. Like nearly all who live in the
+forest and spend most of their lives in the presence of nature, he
+invariably felt the power of invisible forces, directed by an omniscient
+and omnipotent mind, which the Indian has crystallized into the name
+Manitou, the same as God to Henry.
+
+For that reason this forest spell was also the spirit of thankfulness.
+He had been guided and directed so far, and he felt that the guidance
+and direction would continue. All the omens and prophecies remained
+good, and, with the wind in the leaves still singing the song of victory
+in his ears, he silently crept away, inch by inch, even as he had come.
+Well beyond the Indian ear, he rose and returned swiftly to his
+comrades.
+
+Ross was still on guard and the others sleeping when Henry's figure
+appeared through the dusk, but they awoke and sat up when he called,
+low, to them.
+
+"What are you wakin' us up fur, Henry?" asked the shiftless one, as he
+rubbed a sleepy eye. "Are the warriors comin'? Ef so, I'd like to put on
+my silk knee breeches, an' my bee-yu-ti-ful new silk stockin's an' my
+new shoes with the big silver buckles, afore I run through the forest
+fur my life."
+
+"No, they're not coming, Sol," said Henry. "They're asleep off there and
+tomorrow morning Blackstaffe, Braxton Wyatt, Red Eagle and the others
+hurry on to join the main band."
+
+"How do you know that, Henry?"
+
+"They told me."
+
+"You've been settin' laughin' an' talkin' with 'em, right merry, I
+reckon."
+
+"They told me, just as I said. They told me their plan in good plain
+Shawnee."
+
+"An' how come Braxton Wyatt with Red Eagle and Blackstaffe?"
+
+"Leaving a fruitless quest, he overtook them. I was lying in the
+thicket, in hearing distance, when Wyatt came up with his men, joined
+Blackstaffe and Red Eagle, and had to tell them of his failure."
+
+"You shorely do hev all the luck, Henry. I'd hev risked my life an'
+risked it mighty close, to hev seed that scene."
+
+Then Henry told them more in detail of the meeting and of the plans that
+Red Eagle and the two renegades had talked over, drawing particular
+attention to the net the Indians intended to spread for the five.
+
+"'Pears to me," said Shif'less Sol, "that the right thing fur us to do
+is to make a big curve--we're hefty on curves--an' go clear 'roun' in
+front of the band. They'll be lookin' fur us everywhere, 'cept right
+thar, an' while they're a-plottin' an' a-plannin' an' a-spreadin' out
+their nets, we'll be a-plottin' an' a-plannin' an' mebbe a-doin' too
+what we've undertook to do."
+
+"The very thing," said Henry.
+
+"A true strategic march," said Paul.
+
+"Looks like sense," said Silent Tom.
+
+"You do hev rays o' reason at times, Sol," said Long Jim.
+
+"Then it's agreed," said Henry. "We'll take a little more rest, and,
+soon after daylight, we'll start on one of our great flying marches."
+
+Paul and Long Jim kept the watch, and, not long after the sun rose, they
+were up and away again. They were now beginning to forge another link in
+their chain, and, as usual, the spirits of all five rose when they began
+a fresh enterprise. Their feet were light, as they sped forward, and
+every sense was acute. They were without fear as they marched on the arc
+of the great circle that they had planned. They were leaving so wide a
+space between themselves and the great trail that they could only meet a
+wandering Indian hunter or two, and of all such they could take care
+easily.
+
+In truth, so free were they from any kind of apprehension, that plenty
+of room was left in their minds to take note of the wilderness, which
+was here new to them. But it was their wilderness, nevertheless, all
+these fine streams and rolling hills, and deer that sprang up from their
+path, and the magnificent forest everywhere clothing the earth in its
+beautiful robe of deepest green, which in the autumn would be an equally
+beautiful robe of red and yellow and brown.
+
+Their curve was toward the west, and all that day they followed it. They
+saw the golden sun go creeping up the blue arch of the heavens, hang for
+a while at the zenith, as if it were poised there to pour down
+perpendicular beams, and then go sliding slowly down the western sky to
+be lost in a red sea of fire. And the view of all the glory of the
+world, though they saw it every day, was fresh and keen to them all. The
+shiftless one was moved to speech.
+
+"When I go off to some other planet," he said, "I don't want any new
+kind o' a world. I want it to be like this with big rivers and
+middle-sized rivers and little rivers, all kinds o' streams an' lakes,
+and the woods, green in the spring an' red an' yellow in the fall, an'
+winter, too, which hez its beauties with snow an' ice, an' red roarin'
+fires to keep you warm, an' the deer an' the buff'ler to hunt. I want
+them things 'cause I'm used to 'em. A strange, new kind o' world
+wouldn't please me. I hold with the Injuns that want to go to the Happy
+Huntin' Grounds, an' I 'xpect it's the kind o' Heaven that the Book
+means fur fellers like me."
+
+"Do you think you're good enough to go to Heaven, Sol?" asked Long Jim.
+
+The shiftless one deliberated a moment and then replied thoughtfully:
+
+"I ain't so good, Jim, but I reckon I'm good enough to go to Heaven.
+People bein' what people be, an' me bein' what I am, all with a pow'ful
+lot to fight ag'inst an' born with somethin' o' the old Nick in us, an'
+not bein' able to change our naturs much, no matter how hard we try, I
+reckon I hev a mighty fine chance o' Heaven, which, ez I said, I want to
+be a world, right smart like this, only a heap bigger an' finer. But I
+don't mean to go thar for seventy or eighty years yet, 'cause I want to
+give this earth a real fa'r trial."
+
+In which the shiftless one had his wish, as he lived to be a hundred,
+and his eyes were clear and his voice strong to the last.
+
+"That's a mighty fine picture you draw, Sol," said Long Jim,
+appreciatively, "an' if you're up thar settin' on the bank uv a river
+that looks plum' like runnin' silver with green trees a thousand feet
+high risin' behind you, you ketchin' fish thirty or forty feet long, an'
+ef you should happen to turn an' look 'roun' an' see comin' toward you a
+long-legged ornery feller that you used ter cahoot with in the
+wilderness on both sides uv the Ohio, would you rise up, drop them big
+fish an' your fishin' pole, come straight between the trunks uv them
+green trees a thousand feet high toward that ornery lookin' long-legged
+feller what wuz new to the place, stretch out your right hand to him,
+an' say: 'Welcome to Heaven Long Jim Hart. Come right in an' make
+yourself to home, 'cause you're goin' to live with us a million an' a
+billion years, an' all the rest uv the time thar is. Your fishin' pole
+is down thar by the bank. I've been savin' it fur you. Henry is 'bout a
+mile farther up the stream pullin' in a whale two hundred feet long that
+he's had his eye on fur some time. Paul is down thar, settin' under a
+bush readin' a book uv gold letters on silver paper with diamonds set in
+the cover, an' Tom Ross is on that hill, 'way acrost yonder, lookin' at
+a herd uv buff'ler fifty miles wide which hez been travelin' past fur a
+month.' Now, Sol, would you give your old pardner that kind uv a
+welcome?"
+
+"Would I Jim? You know I would. I'd blow on a trumpet an' call all the
+boys straight from what they wuz doin' to come a-runnin' an' meet you.
+An' I'd interduce you to all our new friends. An' I'd show you the best
+huntin' grounds an' the finest fishin' holes right away, an' when night
+come all o' us with our new friends would hev a big feast an'
+celebration over you. An' all o' us thar in Heaven that knowed you, Jim,
+would be right proud o' you."
+
+"I knowed that you'd take me right in, Sol," said Long Jim, as they
+shook hands over the future.
+
+"Now for the night," said Henry. "We must be at least fifteen miles west
+of the great trail, and as the woods are so full of game I don't think
+any of the Indian hunters will find it necessary to come this far for
+it. So, I propose that we have a little warm food ourselves. We need it
+by this time."
+
+"That's the talk," said Long Jim. "It would be jest a taste uv Heaven
+right now. What wuz you thinkin' to hev fur our supper table, Henry?"
+
+"I had an idea that all of us would like turkey. I've been noticing
+turkey signs for some time, and there, Jim! don't you hear that
+gobbling away off to the right? They're settling into the trees for the
+night, and it should be easy to get a couple. Just now I think turkey
+would be the finest thing in the world."
+
+"I've a mighty strong hankerin' after turkey myself an' the way I kin
+cook turkey is a caution to sinners. Ever since you said turkeys a half
+minute ago, Henry, I'm famishin'. Bring on your turkey, the cook's
+ready."
+
+"Me an' Sol will go an' git 'em," said Tom Ross, and the two slipped
+away in the twilight toward the sound of the gobbling. Presently they
+heard two shots and then the hunters came back, each with a fat bird.
+Selecting a dip from which flames could be seen only a little distance,
+they dressed the turkeys in frontier fashion and Long Jim, his culinary
+pride strong within him, cooked them to a turn. Then they ate long, and
+were unashamed.
+
+"Jest a touch o' Heaven right now," said Shif'less Sol, in tones of deep
+conviction. "This is the healthy life here, an' it makes a feller jump
+when he oughter jump. Me bein' a naterally lazy man, I'd be likely to
+lay 'roun' an' eat myself so fat I couldn't walk, but the Injun's don't
+give me time. Jest when I begin to put on flesh they take after me an' I
+run it all off. You wouldn't think it, but Injuns has their uses, arter
+all."
+
+"Keep people from comin' out here too fast," said Ross. "Think they wuz
+put in the wilderness to save it, an' they will, long after my time."
+
+"Why, Tom," said the shiftless one, "you're becomin' real talkative. I
+think that's the longest speech I ever heard you make."
+
+"Tom is certainly growing garrulous," said Paul.
+
+Silent Tom blushed despite his tan.
+
+"I'm through, anyway," he said.
+
+"Guess Sol thought Tom wuz takin' part uv his time," said Long Jim Hart.
+"That's why he spoke up. Sol claims all uv his own time fur talkin', all
+uv Tom's, an' all the rest that may be left over by any uv us."
+
+"Mighty little you ever leave over, Jim," said the shiftless one.
+"Besides, there's a dif'rence between you an' me talkin'. When I talk
+I'm always sayin' somethin'; but yourn is jest a runnin' gabble, like
+the flowin' uv a creek, always the same an' meanin' nothin'."
+
+"Well," said Henry, "we've had plenty of good fat turkey, an' it was
+cooked mighty fine, in Long Jim's best style, but there's some left,
+which I think we'd better pack in our knapsacks for tomorrow."
+
+After putting away the food for a later need, they carefully smothered
+the last coal of the fire, and then, as a precaution, should the flame
+have been seen by any wandering warrior, they moved a mile farther west
+and sat down in a little hollow where they remained until well past
+midnight, all sleeping save a guard of one, turns being taken. About two
+o'clock in the morning they started again, traveling at great speed, and
+did not stop until noon of the next day. They delayed only a half-hour
+for food, water and rest, and pressed on at the long, running walk of
+the border that put miles behind them at an amazing rate.
+
+Late in the afternoon they came to high hills clothed, like the rest of
+the country, in magnificent forest, and, while the others watched below,
+Henry climbed the tallest tree that he could find. The sun was
+declining, but the east was yet brilliant, and he saw faintly across it
+a dark line that he had expected. The great Indian camp surely lay at
+the base of the dark line, and when he descended he and his comrades
+began to curve toward the east.
+
+Morning would find them ahead of the Indian army, and between it and the
+settlements. Every one of them felt a thrill of excitement, even
+elation. The forging of the new link in the chain was proceeding well,
+and brilliant success gives wonderful encouragement. They did not know
+just what they would do next, but four trusted to the intuition and
+prowess of their daring young leader.
+
+Their minds were at such high tension that they did not sleep much that
+night, and when dawn came again they had traveled so far that they
+calculated they had arrived at the right point of the circle. It was a
+question, however, that could be decided easily. Henry again climbed the
+highest tree in the vicinity, and looking toward the north now saw the
+smoke of the same campfire apparently three or four miles away.
+
+"Are they thar, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol, as he climbed down.
+
+"Yes. They haven't moved since sundown yesterday, and I judge they're in
+no hurry. I fancy the warriors suppose the cannon can easily secure
+them the victory, no matter how much we may prepare against them, and
+the Englishmen are probably weary from hard traveling through the
+forest."
+
+"I guess all that's true, but they'll shorely start in an hour or two
+anyway, an' then what are we to do to stop 'em?"
+
+The eyes of the great youth filled with sudden fire.
+
+"We're five against a thousand," he said. "We've rifles against cannon,
+but we can do something. We're coming to the edge of a country that I
+know. Three miles to the south of us is a river or deep creek that can't
+be waded, except at a place between two hills. The Indians know that
+ford, and so they'll make for it. We'll be on the other side, and we'll
+hold the ford."
+
+The others stared at him.
+
+"Henry," exclaimed Paul, "you just said that we were five against a
+thousand, and rifles against cannon, now how could we possibly hold the
+ford against such an army? Besides, the Indian warriors, by scores,
+could swim the river elsewhere, and flank us on either side."
+
+"I don't mean that we shall hold it a long time. We'll make 'em give
+battle, stop 'em for a while, and then, when the flankers swim the
+stream we'll be gone. We will not let ourselves be seen, and they may
+think it a large force, retiring merely because their own army is
+larger."
+
+"That is, we've got to give 'em a skeer," said Long Jim.
+
+"Exactly. We want to make those Indians think that Manitou is against
+'em. We want to sow in their minds the seeds of fear and superstition.
+You know how they're influenced by omens and things they can't
+understand. If we give 'em a brisk little fight at the ford, and then
+get away, unseen, it will set them to doubting, and plant in their minds
+the fear of ambush by large forces."
+
+The face of the shiftless one shone.
+
+"That suits me clean down to the ground," he said. "It's wile an'
+stratagem which I like. Lead on to this ford, Henry, an' we'll lay down
+an' rest beside it till they come up."
+
+The others showed as much enthusiasm, and, carefully hiding their trail,
+they reached the ford, which they found highly favorable to their
+purpose. Save here the banks of the river were high on both sides, and
+the gorge, through which the red army with its cannon and wagons must
+approach the ford, was not more than twenty feet wide. On both banks the
+forest was unbroken and there were many dense thickets.
+
+"This place was shorely made fur an ambush," said the shiftless one as
+they waded across. "Ef we had a hundred good men we could turn back
+their whole army for good, 'cause they can't flank so easy, ez them high
+banks on both sides run ez fur ez I kin see."
+
+"And here is the thicket in which we can lie," said Paul.
+
+"They can't catch a glimpse of us from the other side. They can see only
+the fire and smoke of our rifles," said Henry.
+
+"An' since we're here in our nest," said Shif'less Sol, "we'd better set
+still an' rest till they come up. I 'low we'll need all our strength an'
+nerves then."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+HOLDING THE FORD
+
+
+The five lay down in the thicket, completely hidden themselves, but
+commanding a splendid view of the deep, clear stream and the gorge by
+which the red army must approach. They were calm in manner, nevertheless
+their hearts were beating high. The sunshine was so brilliant that every
+object was distinct far up the gorge, and Henry felt sure the Indian
+army would come into sight, while it was yet beyond rifle shot. Nor were
+the leaders likely to send forward scouts and skirmishers, as they
+apprehended no danger in front. It was on their flank or rear that they
+expected the five to hang.
+
+The five did not speak and the silence was complete, save for the usual
+noises of the forest. Birds chattered overhead. Little animals rustled
+now and then in the thickets, fish leaped in the river, but there was no
+sound to indicate that man was near. They were not nervous nor restless.
+Inured to danger, waiting had become almost a mechanical act, and they
+were able to lie perfectly still, however long the time might be.
+
+They saw the column of smoke fade, and then go quite away. There was
+not a fleck on the sky of blazing blue, and Henry knew that the red army
+had broken up its camp, and was on the march. He had a sudden fear that
+they might send ahead scouts and skirmishers, but reflection brought him
+back to his original belief that they would not do so, as they would not
+foresee the transference of the five to their front.
+
+The hours passed and Shif'less Sol, who had been lying flat upon the
+ground, raised his head.
+
+"I hear wheels," he said laconically.
+
+Henry put his own ear to the ground.
+
+"So do I," he said.
+
+"Wheels of cannon and wagons."
+
+"Beyond a doubt."
+
+"Them that we're lookin' fur."
+
+"There are no others in the wilderness. Long Jim, how's your voice
+today?"
+
+"Never better, Henry. I could talk to a man a mile away. Why?"
+
+"Because I may want you to give out some terrible yells soon, the white
+man's yells, understand, and, as you give 'em, you're to skip about like
+lightning from place to place. This is a case in which one man must seem
+to be a hundred."
+
+"I understand, Henry," said Long Jim proudly, tapping his chest. "I
+reckon I'm to be the figger in this fight, an', bein' ez so much is
+dependin' on me, I won't fail. My lungs wuz never better. I've had a new
+leather linin' put inside 'em, an' they kin work without stoppin', day
+an' night, fur a week."
+
+"All right, Jim. Do your proudest, and the others are to help, but
+you're to be the yell leader, and the better you yell the better it will
+be for all of us."
+
+"I'll be right thar Henry."
+
+"They'll soon be in sight," said the shiftless one, who had not taken
+his ear from the ground. "I kin hear the wheels a-creakin' and
+a-creakin', louder an' louder."
+
+"And they have not sent forward anybody to spy out the country, which is
+better for us," said Henry.
+
+"An' now I kin hear somethin' else," said Shif'less Sol. "They're
+singin' a war song which ain't usual when so many are on the march, but
+they reckon they've got at least two or three hundred white scalps ez
+good ez took already."
+
+Now the ferocious chant, sung in Shawnee, which they understood, came
+plainly to them. It was a song of anticipation, and when they translated
+it to themselves it ran something like this:
+
+    To the land of Kaintuckee we have come,
+    Wielders of the bow and the tomahawk, we,
+    Shawnee and Miami, Wyandot and Delaware
+    Matchless in march and battle we come,
+        Great is Manitou.
+
+    The white man will fall like leaves before us,
+    His houses to the fire we will give,
+    All shall perish under our mighty blows,
+    And the forest will grow over his home,
+        Great is Manitou.
+
+It went on in other verses, rising above the creak of the wheels, a
+fierce, droning chant that drummed upon the nerves and inflamed the
+brain. Much of its power came from its persistency upon the same beat
+and theme, until the great chorus became like the howling of thousands
+of wolves for their prey.
+
+"Ef I couldn't feel my scalp on my head right now," said Shif'less Sol,
+"I'd be shore that one o' them demons out thar had it in his hands,
+whirlin' it 'roun' an' 'roun'."
+
+"Guess I won't need nothin' more to make me yell my very darndest," said
+Long Jim.
+
+"They'll be in sight in a minute or two," said Paul, "and I'm truly
+thankful that we have ground so favorable. We wouldn't have a chance
+without it."
+
+"That's so," said Henry, "and we must never lose our heads for a minute.
+If we do we're gone."
+
+"Anyway, surprise will be a help to us," said Shif'less Sol, "'cause all
+the signs show that they don't dream we're here. But jest to ourselves,
+boys, I'm mighty glad that river is between us an' them. Did you ever
+hear sech a war chant? Why, it freezes me right into the marrer!"
+
+"They've gone mad with triumph before they've won it," said Henry. "They
+intoxicate themselves with singing and dancing. Look at those fellows on
+the outer edges of the line jumping up and down."
+
+"An' did you ever see savages more loaded down with war paint?" said
+Long Jim. "Why, I think it must be an inch thick on the faces uv them
+dancers an' jumpers!"
+
+The forest, in truth, had beheld few sights as sinister as this Indian
+army advancing, keeping step to its ferocious chant. Henry saw Yellow
+Panther come into view, and then Red Eagle, and then the rumbling guns
+with their gunners, and then Blackstaffe and Wyatt, and then the English
+Colonel, Alloway, his second, Cartwright, and three or four more
+officers riding. After them came the caissons and the other ammunition
+wagons, and then more warriors, hundreds and hundreds, joining in that
+ferocious whining chorus. The red coats of the British officers lent a
+strange and incongruous touch to this scene of forest and savage
+warfare.
+
+"I don't like to shoot a white man from ambush," said Henry, "but I'd be
+perfectly willing to send a bullet through the head of that Colonel
+Alloway. It would help our people--save them, perhaps--because without
+the British the Indians can't use the guns."
+
+"You won't git a chance, Henry," said Long Jim. "He's too fur back. The
+warriors will come into range fust, an' we'll hev to open fire on 'em. I
+don't see no signs of flankers turnin' off from the crossin'."
+
+"No, they won't send 'em up such high hills when they don't think any
+enemies are near. Make ready, boys. The foremost warriors are now in
+range. I hate to shoot at red men, even, from ambush, but it has to be
+done."
+
+Five muzzles were thrust forward in the bushes, and five pairs of keen
+eyes looked down the sights, as on came the chanting army, painted and
+horrible. The vanguard would soon be at the water.
+
+"Be sure you don't miss," said Henry. "The more deadly our first blow
+the better chance we have to win."
+
+Every one of the five concentrated all his faculties upon his target. He
+saw or thought of nothing but the painted chest or face upon which he
+directed his aim.
+
+"Ready," said Henry.
+
+Five gunlocks clicked.
+
+"Fire!"
+
+Five triggers were pulled, and five streams of flame darted from the
+bushes. Never had the five aimed bullets to better purpose, since their
+targets, broad and close, lay before them. Five warriors flung up their
+arms, and uttering the death howl, fell. A tremendous yell of surprise
+and rage arose from the Indians, and they crowded back upon one another,
+appalled, for the moment, by the sudden and deadly messengers of death.
+
+"Now, Jim, now!" exclaimed Henry. "Yell as if you were a thousand men.
+Run up and down in the bushes that your yells may come from point to
+point! Shout, man, shout!"
+
+Long Jim needed no command. His tremendous battle cry burst out, as he
+rushed back and forth in the thickets. It was some such shout as the old
+Vikings must have uttered, and it pealed out like the regular beat of a
+big drum. It expressed challenge and defiance, victory and revenge, and,
+to the ears of the red hearers on the other shores, the thickets seemed
+fairly to swarm with fighting men. The four added their efforts to
+those of Long Jim, but their cries formed merely a chorus, above which
+swelled the thundering note of the forest Stentor.
+
+The cords in Long Jim's throat swelled, his cheeks bulged, his eyes
+stood out, but his voice never broke. Without failing for an instant, it
+poured forth its mighty stream of challenge and invective, and the
+others, as they reloaded in all haste, looked at him with pride. It was
+their own Long Jim, he of the long legs and long throat, who had made
+many a great effort before, but none like this.
+
+The warriors had recoiled still further. Both Yellow Panther and Red
+Eagle drew back in the ruck. The singing of the warriors ceased, and,
+with it, ceased the creaking wheels of the cannon and ammunition wagons.
+Henry saw Alloway and his officers stop, and he looked once more at the
+colonel, but it was too far for certainty, and they must not send
+forward any shots that missed. In front of the recoiling army lay five
+dark figures on the green, and they must continue with the deadliness of
+their fire to create the impression of great numbers.
+
+"Now boys!" exclaimed Henry. "Again! Steady and true!"
+
+Five rifles cracked together and Long Jim, who had ceased only long
+enough to aim and pull the trigger resumed his terrific chant. This time
+three of the warriors were slain and two wounded. Henry, a true general,
+quickly changed the position of his army, Long Jim still shouting, and
+no missile from the fire poured out now by the Indians, touching them. A
+few of the bullets entered the portion of the thicket where they had
+crouched, but the rest fell short. A great flight of arrows was sent
+forth, but the distance was too great for them, and with most of the
+bullets they fell splashing into the water.
+
+"Now, boys," said Henry, "creep back and forth, and pick your warriors!
+There's plenty for all of us, and nobody need be jealous! If you can get
+any of the white gunners so much the better!"
+
+And they responded with all the fire and skill and courage belonging to
+such forest knights, knights as brave and true and unselfish as any that
+ever trod the earth. Five against a thousand! Young forest runners
+against an army! Rifles against cannon they yet held the ford and flung
+terror into the hearts of their foes! Before that rain of death, and
+that thundering chorus of mighty voices, coming from many points, the
+warriors recoiled yet farther, and were stricken with superstitious
+dread by the sudden and mortal attack from an invisible foe. Even the
+face of Alloway, and he was brave enough, blanched. This was something
+beyond his reckoning, something of which no man would have dreamed, he
+was not used to the vast and sinister forest--sinister to him--and the
+invisible stroke appalled him. His courage soon came back, but he cursed
+fiercely under his breath, when he saw one of his gunners go down, shot
+through the heart, and a moment later another fall with a bullet through
+his head. Like the Indians, he saw a numerous and powerful foe on the
+opposite bank, and the ford was narrow and steep.
+
+"They're drawing back for a conference," said Henry. "I believe we've
+made 'em think we're not a hundred only, but two hundred. Long Jim, your
+title as king of yellers is yours without dispute as long as you live.
+You've done magnificent work."
+
+"I think I did shout a little," said Long Jim triumphantly, "but Henry,
+I'm just plum' empty uv air. Every bit uv it hez been drawed up from my
+lungs, an' even from the end uv ev'ry toe an' finger."
+
+"Well, sit down there, Jim, and refill yourself, because we may have
+need of your lungs again. There's no better air than that we find in the
+forest here, and you'll have plenty of time, as they won't be through
+with that conference yet for at least five minutes."
+
+Henry saw the savages gathered in a great mass, well out of rifle shot,
+and, on a little hill back of them, the British officers, the renegades
+and the chiefs were talking earnestly. Beyond all possible doubt they
+had agreed that they were confronted by a formidable force. The proof of
+it lay before them. Valiant warriors had fallen and the two slain
+gunners could not be replaced. Henry knew that it was a bitter surprise
+to them, and they must think that the settlers, hearing of the advance
+against them, had sent forward all the men they could raise to form the
+ambush at the ford.
+
+He was full of elation, and so were his comrades. Five against an army!
+and the five had stopped the army! Rifles against cannon. And the rifles
+had stopped the cannon! The two slain gunners were proof of an idea
+already in his mind, and now that idea enlarged automatically. They
+would continue to pick off the gunners. What were a few warriors slain
+out of a mass of a thousand! But there were only seven or eight gunners,
+no, five or six, because two were gone already! He whispered to his
+comrades to shoot a gunner whenever there was a chance, and they nodded
+in approval.
+
+The conferences lasted some time, and the gorge in front of them was
+filled with savages, a great mass of men with tufted scalp locks, some
+bare to the waist, others wrapped in gaudy blue or red or yellow
+blankets, a restless, shifting mass, upon which the sun poured brilliant
+rays, lighting up the savage faces as if they were shot with fire. It
+was a strange scene, buried in the green wood, one of the unknown
+battles that marked the march of the republic from sea to sea. As the
+five stared from their covert at the savage army the vivid colors were
+like those of shifting glass in a kaleidoscope. The whole began to seem
+unreal and fantastic, the stuff of dreams. To Paul, in particular, whose
+head held so much of the past, it was like some old tale out of the
+Odyssey, with Ulysses and his comrades confronting a new danger in
+barbaric lands.
+
+"They're about to do somethin'," whispered the shiftless one.
+
+"So I think," said Henry.
+
+The British officers, the renegades and the chiefs walked down from the
+mound. Among the savages arose a low hum which quickly swelled into a
+chant, and Henry interpreted it as a sign that they now expected
+victory. How! He wondered, but he did not wonder long.
+
+"They're goin' to use the cannon," said the shiftless one.
+
+It seemed strange to Henry that he had not thought of this before, but
+now that the danger was imminent his mind met it with ready resource.
+
+"We must crawl into a hole, boys," he said, "and stay there while the
+cannon balls pass over us."
+
+"Here's a gully," said the shiftless one, "and it will hold us all."
+
+"The rest of you go into it," said Henry. "I've changed my mind about
+myself."
+
+"What are you thinking of?" asked Paul.
+
+"Do you see that big tree growing further down the slope, a little
+closer to the river. It's hidden to the boughs, by the bushes growing
+thick all around it, and above them the foliage of the tree is so heavy
+that nobody twenty yards away could see into it. I mean to climb up
+there and make it hot for those gunners. This rifle of mine will reach
+pretty far."
+
+Henry had a beautiful long-barreled weapon, and the others, although
+knowing the danger, could say nothing in opposition.
+
+"Suppose we let them fire two or three shots first," said Henry. "Then,
+as we make no reply, they may bring the cannon up closer."
+
+Again four heads nodded in approval, and Henry, creeping forward through
+the bushes, climbed rapidly up the tree. Here, hidden as if by walls, he
+nevertheless saw well. The gunners, helped by the Indians, were bringing
+forward both of the cannon. They were fine bronze guns, glistening in
+the sun, and their wide mouths looked threatening. Spongers, rammers
+and the real gunners all stood by.
+
+Henry saw a twelve pound ball hoisted into each bronze throat, and then,
+as the gunners did their work, each mass of metal crashed through the
+thickets, the savages yelling in delight at the thunderous reports that
+came back, in echo after echo. There was no reply from the thickets, and
+they began to reload for the second discharge. Then Henry marked the
+gunner at the cannon on his right, and slowly the long muzzle of the
+beautiful blue steel barrel rose until it bore directly upon the man.
+Paul, from his position, could see Henry in the tree, and he was sorry
+for the gunner who was about to die there in the forest, four thousand
+miles from his native land, a good-natured soldier, perhaps, but sent by
+his superiors on an errand, the full character of which he did not
+understand.
+
+The sponger and rammer did their work. The shot was fired and the gunner
+leaned forward, looking eagerly at the dense woods and thickets to see
+what damage his shot had done. No reply came save a rifle shot, and the
+gunner fell dead upon his gun. Paul in the thickets shivered a little,
+but he knew that it must be done.
+
+The allied tribes again gave forth a whoop of rage and chagrin, and
+Henry from his place in the tree clearly saw Alloway, waving his sword
+and encouraging them. "If he would only come a little nearer," grimly
+thought the young forest runner, as he reloaded rapidly, "he might by
+the loss of his own life save the lives of many others." But Alloway
+kept back.
+
+They were now making ready the second cannon, but as the rammer stepped
+forward the deadly marksman in the tree reached him with his bullet,
+and, falling beside his gun, he lay quite still. Once more the thousand
+voices of the warriors joined in a terrible cry of wrath and menace, but
+the young forester reloaded calmly, and the sponger, smitten down, fell
+beside his comrade.
+
+Long Jim and the shiftless one, who lay side by side, gazed at the tree
+in silent admiration. They knew the ability of their comrade as a
+sharpshooter, but never before had he been so deadly at such long range.
+
+"They'll hev to draw them cannon back," whispered Shif'less Sol, "or
+he'll pick off every one o' the white men that manage 'em."
+
+"Then I hope they won't draw 'em back," said Long Jim.
+
+But Alloway and the chiefs saw the necessity of taking the gun beyond
+rifle range, and they withdrew them quickly, although not quickly enough
+to keep another of the white men from receiving a painful wound. The
+savages discharged a volley from their rifles and muskets, and flights
+of arrows were sent into the thickets, but arrows and bullets alike fell
+short. Many of the arrows merely reached the river, and Paul found a
+curious pleasure in watching these feathered messengers fly through the
+air, and then shoot downward into the water, leaving bubbles to tell for
+a moment where they had gone.
+
+"They're goin' to shoot them cannon ag'in," said Shif'less Sol, "but
+they're puttin' a different kind o' ammunition in 'em."
+
+"It's grape," said Paul.
+
+"What's grape?" asked Long Jim.
+
+"All kinds of metal, slugs and suchlike, that scatter."
+
+"Like a handful uv buckshot, only bigger an' more uv it."
+
+"That describes it."
+
+"Then it 'pears to me that we'd better back water a lot, an' give all
+them grape a chance to bust an' fly whar we ain't."
+
+"Words of wisdom, Jim," said Henry, "and we'd better get behind trees,
+too."
+
+"An' good big ones," said Shif'less Sol. "Ef I've got an oak seven feet
+through in front o' me they kin go on with thar fireworks."
+
+They retreated hastily and lay down behind the great trunks, none too
+soon either, as the cannon roared and the grapeshot whistled all about
+them, cutting off twigs and leaves and ploughing the earth.
+
+"That shorely is dang'rous business--fur us," said Shif'less Sol. "I'm
+glad they didn't start with it. It's like a swarm o' iron bees flyin' at
+you, an' ef you ain't holed up some o' 'em is bound to hit you."
+
+"Back there!" exclaimed Henry to the shiftless one, who was peeping
+behind his oak, "they're about to fire the second gun!"
+
+The discharge of grapeshot again fell in the thicket, but it hurt no
+one, and the five did not reply. Two more shots were fired, doing great
+damage to the forest at that spot, but none of the five. Then came a
+pause.
+
+"The white men and the chiefs have gone into consultation again,"
+announced Henry.
+
+"Why haven't they sent out flankers to cross the river?" said Paul. "I
+haven't seen a single warrior leave the main band."
+
+"They've been confident that the cannon would do the work," replied
+Henry, "and besides, the warriors don't like those high banks. Now you
+mustn't forget, either, that they think we're a big force here."
+
+"But they'll come to that," said the shiftless one. "They don't dare
+charge down that narrow gorge, on through the river, an' up the hill
+ag'inst us. Sooner or later, warriors will cross the stream out o' our
+sight, both above an' below us, an' that's just what we've got to look
+out fur."
+
+"Right you are, Sol," said Henry, "but I don't think they will do it for
+a while. They'd like to force the passage without waste of time and go
+right ahead with their march."
+
+Several more charges of grape were fired into the thickets, and leaves
+and twigs again rained down, but the five, sheltered well, remained
+untouched by the fragments of hissing metal. Then the guns relapsed into
+silence.
+
+"Likely the redcoat colonel has ordered 'em to stop shooting," said
+Paul. "He won't want 'em to waste their ammunition here, but to save it
+for the palisades of our settlements."
+
+"Sounds most probable," said Henry. "They can't get any new supply of
+gunpowder and cannon balls and grapeshot, in these woods."
+
+"What'll they do now?" asked Tom Ross.
+
+"I don't know," replied Henry.
+
+"I wish I had one uv them spyglasses I saw back east, when I wuz a boy,"
+said Long Jim.
+
+"What's a spyglass?" asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"It's two magnifyin' glasses in short tubes fastened side by side, what
+you put to your eye an' then you bring things near to you an' see 'em
+big."
+
+"Then I wish I had one too, Jim. I'd like to see the face o' that
+British colonel. I know that the blood hez all run to his head an' that
+he's hoppin' mad. Them reg'lar army orficers ain't never much good in
+the woods. I've heard how Braddock had all his forces cut plum' to
+pieces by a heap smaller number o' warriors, 'cause he wouldn't use our
+forest ways. An' I'd like through them glasses to see the face o'
+Braxton Wyatt too, 'cause I know he's turned blue with rage, an' I'd
+like to hear him grindin' his teeth, 'cause I know he's grindin' 'em
+hard, and Blackstaffe must be grindin' in time with him too. An' I'd
+like to see them two chiefs, Yellow Panther an' Red Eagle so mad that
+they're pullin' away at their scalp locks, fit to pull them clean out o'
+their heads."
+
+"Since we ain't got any spyglass," said Long Jim, with a sigh, "we've
+got to imagine a lot uv it, but I've got a fine an' pow'ful imagination,
+an' so hev you, Sol Hyde."
+
+"Yes, I'm seein' the things I want to see. It's cur'us how you kin do
+that sometimes, ef you want to hard enough."
+
+"I think," said Henry, "that they're going to try the flankers now. I
+can see the leaders talking to warriors whom they've called to 'em."
+
+"And does that mean that it's time fur us to light out?" asked Shif'less
+Sol.
+
+"Not yet. The banks on both sides are high and steep for a long
+distance, and we can see anyone who tries to pass. We must spread out.
+Long Jim, our great yeller, the prize yeller of the world, we must leave
+here, and, if any of us bring down any warrior who tries to cross, he
+must yell even better than he did before. Stretch those leather lungs of
+yours, Long Jim, as if you were a pair of bellows."
+
+"You kin depend on me," replied Long Jim complacently. "I'm one that's
+always tryin' to do better than he did before. Ef I've yelled so I could
+be heard a mile then I want to yell the next time so I kin be heard a
+mile an' a half."
+
+Henry and Paul went upstream and Shif'less Sol and Silent Tom down
+stream, taking good care to keep hidden from the very best eyes in the
+savage army. It was not merely the youthful general's object to make a
+delay at the ford--that in itself was of secondary importance--but he
+must turn into a cloud the veil of fear and superstition that he knew
+already enveloped the savage army. They must be smitten by unknown and
+mysterious terrors. The five must make the medicine men who were surely
+with them believe that all the omens were bad. Henry, although the word
+"psychology" was strange to him, knew the power of fear, and he meant to
+concentrate all the skill of the five upon its increase. He felt that
+already many doubters must be in the ranks of the red and superstitious
+army.
+
+"Paul," he said, when they had gone three or four hundred yards, "you
+stay here, and if you see any warriors trying to cross the stream take
+your best aim. I'm going a little farther, and I'll do the same. With
+our great advantages in position we should be able to drive back an
+attack, unless they go a very long distance to make the crossing."
+
+"I'll do my best," said Paul, and Henry went about three hundred yards
+farther, lying close in a clump of laurel, where he could command a
+perfect view of the opposite shore, noticeable there because of a
+considerable dip. It was just such a place as the flanking warriors
+would naturally seek, because the crossing would be easier, and he
+intended to repel them himself.
+
+He lay quite still for a quarter of an hour. Nothing stirred in the
+forest on the other shore, but he had expected to wait. The Indians,
+believing that a formidable force opposed them, would be slow and
+cautious in their advance. So he contained himself in patience, as he
+lay with the slender muzzle of his rifle thrust forward.
+
+Finally, he saw the bushes on the opposite shore move, and a face,
+painted and ghastly, was thrust out. Others followed, a half-dozen
+altogether, and Henry saw them surveying the river and examining his
+own shore. The muzzle of his rifle moved forward a few inches more, but
+he knew that it would be an easy shot.
+
+The leader of the warriors presently began to climb down the bank. He
+was a stalwart fellow and Henry knew by his paint that he was a Miami.
+Again the great youth was loath to fire from ambush, but a desperate
+need drives scruples away, and the rifle muzzle, thrusting forward yet
+an inch or two more, bore directly upon the Indian's heart.
+
+The man was halfway down the bank, about thirty feet high at that point,
+when Henry pulled the trigger. Then the Indian uttered his death yell,
+plunged forward and fell head foremost into the stream. His body shot
+from sight in the water, came up, floated a moment or two with the
+current and then sank back again. The other warriors, appalled, climbed
+back hastily, while from the bushes that fronted the ford below came a
+series of triumphant and tremendous shouts, as Long Jim, hearing the
+shot, poured forth all the glory of his voice.
+
+Truly he surpassed himself. His earlier performance was dimmed by his
+later. The thickets, where he ranged back and forth, shouting his
+triumphant calls, seemed to be full of armed men. His voice sank a
+moment and then came the report of a shot down the stream, followed by
+the death cry. Long Jim knew that it was Shif'less Sol or Silent Tom who
+had pulled the fatal trigger and he began to sing of that triumph also.
+Clear and full his voice came once more, moving rapidly from point to
+point, and Henry in his covert laughed to himself, and with
+satisfaction, at the long man's energy and success.
+
+The great youth did not fail to watch the opposite shore, quite sure
+that the party would not retire with the loss of a single warrior, but
+would make an attempt elsewhere. His eyes continually searched the
+thickets, but they were so dense that they disclosed nothing. Then he
+moved slowly up the stream, believing that they would go farther for the
+second trial, and he was rewarded by the glimpse of a feather among the
+trees. That feather, he knew was interwoven with a scalp lock, and, as
+the slope of the bank there was gradual, he was sure that they were
+coming.
+
+It seemed to Henry that verily the fates fought for him. He knew that
+they were going to try the crossing there, and they would be easy prey
+to the concealed marksman. Even as he knelt he heard Long Jim's voice
+raised again in his mighty song of triumph, and although he could not
+hear the shot now, he was certain that the rifle of Silent Tom or
+Shif'less Sol had found another victim. So they, too, were guarding the
+ford well, and he smiled to himself at the courage and skill of the
+invincible pair.
+
+He saw another scalp lock appear, then another and another, until they
+were eight in all. The warriors remained for several minutes partly
+hidden, scanning the opposite shore, and then one only emerged into full
+view, as if he were feeling the way for the others. Henry changed his
+tactics, and, instead of waiting for the man to begin the descent of the
+cliff, fired at once. The warrior fell back in the bushes, where his
+body lay hidden, but the others set up the death cry, and Henry was so
+sure that they would not try the crossing again soon--at least not
+yet--that he went back to Paul's covert, and the two returned to Long
+Jim. Shif'less Sol and Silent Tom were called in and the leader said:
+
+"I think we've done all we can here. We've created the impression of a
+great force to hold the ford. We've also made them think it can stretch
+far enough to watch its wings. Four warriors just fallen prove that.
+They'll probably send scouts miles up and down the stream to cross, and
+then hunt us out, but that'll take time, until night at least, and maybe
+they won't know positively until morning, because scouting in the
+thickets in the face of an enemy is a dangerous business. So, I propose
+that we use the advantage we've gained."
+
+"In what way?" asked Paul.
+
+"We'll go now. We don't want 'em to find out how few we are, and we
+don't want 'em to learn, either, that we're we."
+
+"That is, they must continue to think that we're behind 'em or on their
+flanks, and that this is another and larger force in their front."
+
+"That's the idea. What say you?"
+
+"I'm for it," said Paul.
+
+"Votin' ez a high private I say too, let's leg it from here," said Long
+Jim.
+
+"The jedgment o' our leader is so sound that thar ain't nothin' more to
+say," quoth the shiftless one.
+
+"Let's go," said Silent Tom.
+
+Then the little band, five against a thousand, rifles against cannon,
+that had victoriously held the ford, stole away with soundless tread
+through the greenwood. But they did not travel southward long. When
+darkness came they turned toward the east, and traveling many miles,
+made camp as they had done once before on a little island in a swamp,
+which they reached by walking on the dead and fallen trees of many
+years. There when they sat down under the trees they could not refrain
+from a few words of triumph and mutual congratulation, because another
+and most important link in the chain had been forged with brilliant
+success.
+
+"Although it's dark and it's seven or eight miles away," said Shif'less
+Sol, "I kin see that Indian army now, a-settin' before the ford, an'
+wonderin' how it's goin' to git across."
+
+"An' I kin hear that savage army now, movin' up an' down, restless
+like," said Long Jim. "I kin hear them redcoat officers, an' them
+renegades, an' them Injun chiefs, grindin' thar upper teeth an' thar
+lower teeth together so hard with anger that they won't be able to eat
+in the mornin'."
+
+"And I can see their wrath and chagrin tomorrow, when their scouts tell
+them no enemy is there," said Paul. "I can tell now how the white
+leaders and the red leaders will rage, and how they will wonder who the
+men were that held them."
+
+"And I can read their minds ahead," said Henry. "The five of us will
+become not a hundred, but two hundred, and every pair of our hands will
+carry forty rifles."
+
+"We've fooled 'em well," said Silent Tom, tersely.
+
+"And now to sleep," said Henry, "because we must begin again in the
+morning."
+
+Soon the five slept the deep sleep that comes after success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE GREAT CULMINATION
+
+
+It could almost be said of them, so sensitive were they to sound or even
+to a noiseless presence, that usually when sleeping they were yet awake,
+that, like the wild animals living in the same forest, warnings came to
+them on the wind itself, and that, though the senses were steeped in
+slumber, the sentinel mind was yet there. But this morning it was not
+so. They slept, not like forest runners, who breathe danger every hour,
+both day and night, but like city dwellers, secure against any foe.
+
+It was Silent Tom who awoke first, to find the day advanced, the sun
+like a gigantic shield of red and gold in the western heavens, and the
+wind of spring blowing through the green foliage. He shook himself,
+somewhat like a big, honest dog, and not awakening the others, walked to
+the edge of their island in the swamp, the firm land not being more than
+thirty feet across.
+
+But on this oasis the trees grew large and close and no one on the
+mainland beyond the swamp could have seen human beings there. The swamp
+was chiefly the result of a low region flooded by heavy spring rains,
+and in the summer would probably be as dry and firm as the oasis itself.
+But, for the present, it was what the pioneers called "drowned lands"
+and was an effective barrier against any ordinary march.
+
+Silent Tom looked toward the north, and saw a coil of smoke against the
+brilliant blue of the sky. It was very far away, but he was quite sure
+that it came from the Indian camp, and its location indicated that they
+had not yet crossed the river. He felt intense satisfaction, but he did
+not even chuckle in his throat, after the border fashion. He had not
+been named Silent Tom for nothing. He was the oldest of the five,
+several years older than Long Jim, who was next in point of age, and he
+was often called Old Tom Ross, although in reality the "old" in that
+case was like the "old" that one college boy uses when he calls another
+"old fellow."
+
+But if Silent Tom did not talk much he thought and felt a very great
+deal. The love of the wilderness was keen in him. Elsewhere he would
+have been like a lion in an iron-barred cage. And, like the rest of the
+five, he would have sacrificed his life to protect those little
+settlements of his own kind to the south. It has been said that usually
+when the five slept they were yet almost awake, but this morning when
+Silent Tom was awake he was also dreaming. He was dreaming of the great
+triumph that they had won on the preceding day: Five against a thousand!
+Rifles against cannon! A triumph not alone of valor but of intellect, of
+wiles and stratagems, of tactics and management!
+
+He did not possess, in the same great degree, the gift of imagination
+which illuminated so nobly the minds and souls of Henry and Paul and the
+shiftless one, but he felt deeply, nevertheless. Matter-of-fact and
+practical, he recognized, that they had won an extraordinary victory, to
+attempt which would not even have entered his own mind, and knowing it,
+he not only gave all credit to those who had conceived it, but admired
+them yet the more. He was beginning to realize now that the impossible
+was nearly always the possible.
+
+Life looked very good to Tom Ross that day. It was bright, keen and full
+of zest. A deeply religious man, in his way, he felt that the forest,
+the river, and all the unseen spirits of earth and air had worked for
+them. The birds singing so joyously among the boughs sang not alone for
+themselves, but also for his four comrades who slept and for him also.
+
+He listened awhile, crossed the swamp on the fallen trees, scouted a
+little and then came back, quite sure that no warrior was within miles
+of them, as they were marching in another direction, and then returned
+to the oasis. The four still slept the sleep of the just and victorious.
+Then Tom, the cunning, smiled to himself, and came very near to uttering
+a deep-throated chuckle.
+
+Opening his little knapsack, he took out a cord of fishing line, with a
+hook, which, with wisdom, he always carried. He tied the line on the end
+of a stick, and, then going eastward from the oasis, he walked across
+the fallen or drifted trees until he came to the permanent channel of a
+creek, into which the flood waters drained. There he dropped his hook,
+having previously procured bait, worms found under a stone.
+
+Doubtless no hook had ever been sunk in those waters before, and the
+fish leaped to the bait. In fifteen minutes he had half a dozen fine
+fellows, which he deftly cleaned with his hunting knife. Then he
+returned, soft-footed, to the island. The four, as he wished, still
+slept. After all, he did have imagination and, a feeling for surprise,
+and the dramatic. Had his comrades awakened then, before his
+preparations were complete, it would have spoiled his pleasure.
+
+It was a short task for one such as he to use flint and steel, and
+kindle a fire on the low side of the island, facing toward the east, but
+yet within the circle of the trees. Dead wood was lying everywhere and
+it burned rapidly. Then, quickly broiling the fish on sharpened ends of
+twigs and laying them on green leaves, he went back and awakened the
+four, who opened their eyes and sat up at the same time.
+
+"What's the smell that's ticklin' my nose?" exclaimed Long Jim.
+
+"Fish," replied Silent Tom gruffly. "Breakfast's ready! Come on!"
+
+The four leaped to their feet, and followed the pleasant odor which grew
+stronger and more savory as they advanced.
+
+"Ain't cooked like you kin do it," said Silent Tom to Long Jim, "but I
+done my best."
+
+"Kings could do no more," said the shiftless one, "an' this is the
+finest surprise I've had in a 'coon's age. I wuz gettin' mighty tired o'
+cold vittles. A lazy man like me needs somethin' hot now an' then to
+stir him up, don't he Jim?"
+
+"Guess he does, an' so do I," said Long Jim, reaching hungrily for a
+fish.
+
+All fell to. The fish were of the finest flavor, and they had been
+cooked well. Silent Tom said nothing, but he glowed with satisfaction.
+
+"How'd you do it, Tom?" asked Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Line, hook, bait, water, fish," replied Ross, waving his hand in the
+direction of the creek.
+
+"Ain't he the pow'ful talker?" laughed the shiftless one. "When Tom dies
+an' goes up to heaven to take his place in them gran' an' eternal
+huntin' groun's that we've already talked about, the Angel at the gate
+will ask him his name. 'Tom Ross,' he'll say. 'Business on earth?'
+'Hunter an' scout,' 'Ever betrayed a friend?' 'Never,' 'Then pass right
+in,' That's all old Tom will say, not a word wasted in explanations an'
+pologies."
+
+"It'll be shorter than that," said Long Jim.
+
+"How's that?"
+
+"The Angel will ask him jest one question. He'll say, 'Who's your best
+friend on earth?' an' Tom will answer 'Long Jim Hart, what's comin' on
+later,' an' the Angel will say: 'That's enough. Go right in and pick out
+the best place in Heaven fur yourself an' your friends who will be here,
+some day.'"
+
+Silent Tom blushed under the praise which was thoroughly sincere, and
+begged them, severally, to take another fish. But they had enough, and
+prepared to travel again, to forge another link in the chain which they
+were striving so hard to complete.
+
+"What's the plan, Henry?" asked the shiftless one in his capacity as
+lieutenant.
+
+"I think we ought to complete that circle around the Indian army,
+curving to the west and then to the north, until we're in their rear.
+Then we can complete the impression that two forces are attacking 'em,
+one in front and the other behind. What do you think?"
+
+"I'm hot fur roundin' out the circle," replied Shif'less Sol. "I always
+like to see things finished, an' I want to make the warriors think a
+couple o' hundred white riflemen march where only five really make
+tracks."
+
+"Same here," said Jim Hart, "Suits me 'cause I've got long legs, made
+out uv steel wire, close wrapped. I see clear that we've got to do a
+power o' marchin', more of it than fightin'."
+
+"I don't believe any one can think of a better plan," said Paul, "and
+yours, Henry, certainly promises well."
+
+"I'm for it," said Silent Tom.
+
+"Then we go now," said Henry.
+
+The smoke that Tom had seen earlier was gone, and the five believed that
+the Indian army, discovering the absence of their foe, had probably
+crossed the river.
+
+"Since they're on the march again," said Henry, "we can take it slowly
+and need not exhaust ourselves."
+
+"Jest dawdle along," said Shif'less Sol, "an' let 'em pass us.
+
+"Yes, that's it."
+
+"We'll keep far enough away to avoid their scouts and hunters," said
+Paul.
+
+It was really the hunters against whom they had to keep the most
+watchful guard, as so numerous a force ate tremendous quantities of
+game, and, the men seeking it had to spread out to a considerable
+distance on either flank. But if the hunters came, the five were sure
+that they would see them first, and they felt little apprehension.
+
+They passed out of the swampy country, and entered the usual rolling
+region of low hills, clothed in heavy forest, and abounding in game.
+Here they stopped a while in their task of completing the circle, and
+waited while the Indian army marched. Henry calculated that it could not
+go more than a dozen miles a day, since the way had to be cut for the
+cannon, and even if they remained where they were, the Indian army when
+night came, would be very little farther south than the five.
+
+"I vote we turn our short stop into a long one," said Shif'less Sol,
+"since, ef we went on we'd jest have to come back again. An' me bein' a
+lazy man I'm ag'in any useless work. What do you say, Saplin'?"
+
+"I'm with you, Sol, not 'cause I'm lazy, which I ain't, an' never will
+be, but cause it ain't wuth while to go back on our tracks an' then come
+forward ag'in. What I do say is this; since Tom Ross is such a good
+fisher I reckon he might take his hook an' line an' go east to the
+creek, which can't be fur from here, an' ketch some more fish jest ez
+good ez them we had this mornin'. After dark I'll cook 'em, takin' the
+trouble off his hands."
+
+All fell in with the suggestion, including Tom himself, and after a
+while he went away on the errand, returning in due time with plenty of
+fish as good as the others. This time Long Jim cooked them when night
+came, in a low place behind the trees, and once more they had warm and
+delicate food.
+
+When the moon rose in a clear sky, they were able to trace the smoke of
+the Indian campfire, almost due west of them, as they calculated it
+would be, and a long distance away. Henry regarded it thoughtfully and
+Paul knew that his mind was concentrated upon some plan.
+
+"What is it?" he asked at last.
+
+"I think some of us ought to go late tonight and see what chance we have
+at the guns."
+
+"You'll take me with you, Henry?"
+
+"No, Paul. It'll have to be Shif'less Sol, while the rest of you stand
+by as a reserve. What call shall we use, the owl or the wolf?"
+
+"Let it be the wolf," said the shiftless one, "'cause I feel like a wolf
+tonight, ready to snap at an' bite them that's tryin' to hurt our
+people."
+
+"Sol gits mighty ferocious when thar ain't anythin' more terrible than a
+rabbit close by," said Long Jim.
+
+"It ain't that. It's my knowin' that you'll run to my help ef I git into
+trouble," said Shif'less Sol.
+
+Paul felt a little disappointment, but it disappeared quickly. He knew
+that Shif'less Sol was the one who ought to go, and in the high tasks
+they had set for themselves there were enough dangers for all.
+
+"Then it will be the cry of the wolf," said Henry. "To most people their
+yelps are alike, but not to us. You won't forget the particular kind of
+howl that Sol and I give forth?"
+
+"Never," said Long Jim. "Thar ain't another sech wolf in the woods ez
+Shif'less Sol."
+
+A few more brief words and Henry and his comrade were gone, traveling at
+a swift rate toward the Indian camp. Dark and the forest separated the
+two from the three, but they could send their signal cries at any time
+across the intervening space, and communication was not interrupted.
+They advanced in silence several miles, and then they became very
+cautious, because they knew that they were within the fringe of scouts
+and hunters. With so many to feed it was likely that the Indians would
+hunt by night, especially as the wild turkeys were numerous, and it was
+easy to obtain them in the dark.
+
+Both Henry and Shif'less Sol saw turkey signs, and their caution
+increased, when they noticed a dozen dusky figures of large birds on
+boughs near by, sure proof that the warriors would soon be somewhere in
+the neighborhood, if they were not so already. They began to stoop now,
+and use cover all the way, and presently Henry felt that their
+precautions were well taken, as a faint but distant sound, not native to
+the forest, came to his ear.
+
+"There, Sol!" he whispered. "Did you hear it? To the right."
+
+The shiftless one listened a moment or two and replied:
+
+"Yes, I kin make it out."
+
+"I say it's the twang of a bowstring, Sol."
+
+"So do I, Henry."
+
+"They're probably shooting the turkeys out of the trees with arrows.
+Saves noise and their powder and lead, too."
+
+"Wherein the Injun shows a heap o' sense, Henry."
+
+"I can hear more than one bow twanging now, Sol. The turkeys must be
+plentiful hereabouts, but even with bows and arrows only used against
+'em they're bound to take alarm soon."
+
+"Yes, thar go some o' 'em gobblin' now, an' they're flyin' this way."
+
+They heard the whirr of wings carrying heavy bodies, and frightened
+turkeys flew directly over their heads. As the Indians might come in
+pursuit, Henry and Shif'less Sol lay down among the bushes. A shouting
+broke out near them, and the forest, for a wide space, was filled with
+the whirring of wings.
+
+"The biggest flock o' wild turkeys that ever wuz must hev roosted right
+'roun' us," said Shif'less Sol, "'cause I seem to see 'em by the
+dozens."
+
+"More likely fifteen or twenty flocks were scattered about through the
+woods, and now they have all joined in a common flight."
+
+"Mebbe so, but whether one flock or twenty j'ined, this is suttinly
+Turkeyland. An' did you ever see sech fine turkeys. Look at that king
+gobbler, Henry, flyin' right over our heads! He must weigh fifty pounds
+ef he weighs an ounce, an' his wattles are a wonder to look at. An' I
+kin see him lookin' right down at me, ez he passes an' I kin hear him
+sayin': 'I ain't afeared o' you, Sol Hyde, even ef you hev got a gun in
+your hand. I kin fly low over your head, so low that I'll brush you with
+my wings, and with my red wattles, which are a wonder to see, an' you
+dassn't fire. I've got you where I want you, Sol Hyde. I ain't afeard
+o' anything but Injuns tonight.'"
+
+Shif'less Sol's words were so lugubrious that Henry was compelled to
+laugh under his breath. It did look like an injustice of fate, when
+hunters so keen as they, were compelled to lie quiet, while wild turkeys
+in hundreds flew over their heads, and although the shiftless one may
+have exaggerated a little about the king gobbler, Henry saw that many of
+them were magnificent specimens of their kind. Yet to lie and stir not
+was the price of life, as they soon saw.
+
+Indians came running through the great grove, discharging arrows at the
+turkeys, many of which flew low, and the air was filled with the
+twanging of bow strings. Not a rifle or musket was fired, the warriors
+seeming to rely wholly upon their ancient weapons for this night hunt.
+They appeared to be in high good humor, too, as the two crouching scouts
+heard them laughing and chattering as they picked up the fallen birds,
+and then sent arrows in search of more.
+
+Shif'less Sol became more and more uneasy. Here was a grand hunt going
+well forward and he not a part of it. Instead he had to crouch among
+bushes and flatten himself against the soil like an earthworm, while the
+twanging of the bows made music, and the eager shouts stirred every
+vein.
+
+The hunt swept off to the westward. The dusky figures of warriors and
+turkeys disappeared in the brush, and Henry and Shif'less Sol, ceasing
+to be earthworms, rose to their knees.
+
+"They didn't see us," said the shiftless one, "but it was hard to stay
+hid."
+
+"But here we are alive and safe. Now, I think, Sol, we'd better go on
+straight toward their camp, but keep a lookout at the same time for
+those fellows, when they come back."
+
+They could not hear the twang of bowstrings now, but the shouts still
+came to them, though much softened by the distance. Presently they too
+died away, and with silence returning to the forest Henry and Shif'less
+Sol stood upright. They listened only a moment or two, and then advanced
+directly toward the camp. Crossing the brook they went around a cluster
+of thorn bushes, and came face to face with two men. Shif'less Sol,
+quick as a panther, swung his clubbed rifle like lightning and the
+foremost of the two, a Shawnee warrior, dropped like a log, and Henry,
+too close for action, seized the other by the throat in his powerful
+hands.
+
+It was not a great and brawny throat into which those fingers of steel
+settled, and its owner began to gasp quickly. Then Henry noticed that he
+held in his grasp not an Indian, but a white man, or rather a boy, a
+fair English boy, a youthful and open face upon which the forest had not
+yet set its tan.
+
+He released his grasp slowly. He could not bear the pain and terror in
+the eyes of the slender English youth, who, though he wore the uniform
+of a subaltern, seemed so much out of place there in the deep woods. Yet
+the forester meant to take no needless risk.
+
+"Promise that you will not cry out and I spare you," he said, his blue
+eyes looking straight into those of the lad, which returned his gaze
+with defiance. The steel grasp settled down again.
+
+"Better promise," said Henry. "It's your only chance."
+
+The obstinate look passed out of his eyes, and the lad nodded, as he
+could not speak. Then Henry took away his hand and said:
+
+"Remember your word."
+
+The English youth nodded again, gurgled two or three times, and rubbed
+his throat:
+
+"'Twas a mighty grip you had upon me. Who are you?"
+
+"The owners of this forest, and we've jest been tellin' you that you've
+no business here on our grounds," said the shiftless one.
+
+The boy--he was nothing more--stared at them in astonishment. It was
+obvious to the two forest runners that he had little acquaintance with
+the woods. His eyes filled with wonder as he gazed upon the two fierce
+faces, and the two powerful figures, arrayed in buckskin.
+
+"Your forest?" he said.
+
+"Yes," replied Henry quietly, "and bear in mind that I held your life in
+my hands. Had you been an Indian you would be dead now."
+
+"I won't forget it," said the youth, who seemed honest enough, "and I'm
+not going to cry out and bring the warriors down upon you for two very
+good reasons--because I've promised not to do so, and if I did, I know
+that your comrade there would shoot me down the next instant."
+
+"I shorely would," said Shif'less Sol, grimly.
+
+"And now," said Henry, "what is your name and what are you doing here?"
+
+"My name is Roderick Cawthorne, I'm a subaltern in the British army, and
+I came over to help put down the rebels, in accordance with my duty to
+my king and country. All this land is under our rule."
+
+"Do you think so?" asked Henry. "Do you think that this wilderness,
+which extends a thousand miles in every direction, is under your rule?"
+
+The young subaltern looked around at the dark forest and shivered a
+little.
+
+"Technically, yes," he replied, "but it's a long way from Eton."
+
+"What's Eton?"
+
+"Eton is a school in England, a school for the sons of gentlemen."
+
+"I see. And would I be considered the son of a gentleman?"
+
+Young Cawthorne looked up at the tanned and powerful face bent over him.
+He had already noted Henry's good English, and, feeling the compelling
+gaze of one who was born to be a master, he replied, sincerely and
+cheerfully:
+
+"Yes, the son of a gentleman, and a gentleman yourself."
+
+"An' I'm a gentleman too," said Shif'less Sol. "My good rifle says so
+every time."
+
+"It was the power of earlier weapons that started the line of
+gentlemen," said Cawthorne. "Now what do you two gentlemen propose to do
+with me?"
+
+"Do you know what would be done with us if things were changed about?"
+asked Henry, "and we were the prisoners of you and the colonel and the
+red men with whom you travel?"
+
+"No. What would it be?"
+
+"You'd have the pleasure of standing by and seeing the two of us burned
+alive at the stake. We wouldn't be burned quickly. It can be protracted
+for hours, and it's often done to our people by your allies."
+
+The young Englishman paled.
+
+"Surely it can't be so!" he said.
+
+"But surely it is so!" said the young forester fiercely.
+
+"I'm at your mercy."
+
+"We ain't goin' to burn you now," said Shif'less Sol. "We can't afford
+to set up a big torch in the forest, with our enemies so near."
+
+Cawthorne shivered.
+
+"Do you still feel," asked Henry, "that you're the ruler over the
+wilderness here, five thousand miles from London?"
+
+"Technically only. At the present time I'm making no boasts."
+
+"Now, you go back to your colonel and the renegades and the red chiefs
+and tell them they'll find no thoroughfare to the white settlements."
+
+"So, you don't mean to kill me?"
+
+"No, we don't do that sort of thing. Since we can't hold you a prisoner
+now, we release you. It's likely that you don't know your way to your
+own camp, but your red comrade here will guide you. My friend didn't
+break his skull, when he struck him with the butt of his rifle, though
+it was a shrewd blow. He's coming to."
+
+Cawthorne looked down at the reviving savage, and then looked up to
+thank the foresters, but they were gone. They had vanished so quickly
+and silently that he had not heard them going. Had it not been for the
+savage who was now sitting up he would not have believed that it was
+real.
+
+Henry and the shiftless one had dropped down in the bushes only a little
+distance away, and, by the moonlight, they saw the look of bewilderment
+on the face of the young Englishman.
+
+"It don't hardly look fair to our people that we should let him go,"
+said the shiftless one.
+
+"But we had to," Henry whispered back. "It was either kill him or let
+him go, and neither you nor I, Sol, could kill him. You know that."
+
+"Yes, I know it."
+
+"Now, the warrior has all his senses back, though his head is likely to
+ache for a couple of days. We don't lose anything by letting them have
+their lives, Sol. The talk of their encounter with us will grow mightily
+as they go back to the Indian army. The warrior scarcely caught a
+glimpse of us, and he's likely to say that he was struck down by an evil
+spirit. Cawthorne's account of his talk with us will not weaken him in
+his belief. Instead it will make him sure that we're demons who spared
+them in order that they might carry a warning to their comrades."
+
+"I see it, Henry. It's boun' to be the way you say it is, an' our luck
+is still workin' fur us."
+
+They saw the English lad and the warrior turn back toward the camp, and
+then they rose, going away swiftly at a right angle from their original
+course. After pursuing it a while, they curved in again toward the camp.
+
+In a half-hour they saw the distant flare of lights, and knew that they
+were close to the Indian army. They were able by stalking, carried on
+with infinite pains and skill, to approach so near that they could see
+into the open, where the fires were burning, but not near enough to
+achieve anything of use.
+
+Alloway, Cartwright, the renegades and the chiefs stood together, and
+Cawthorne, and the warrior who had been with him, stood before them.
+Evidently they had just got back, and were telling their tale. Both of
+the foresters laughed inwardly. Their achievement gave them much
+pleasure, and they felt that they were making progress toward forging
+the new link in the chain.
+
+"Can you see the cannon?" whispered Shif'less Sol.
+
+"Over there at the far edge. The ammunition wagons carrying the powder
+and the balls and the grapeshot are drawn up between them. But we can't
+get at 'em, Sol. Not now, at least."
+
+"No, but see, Henry, a lot of them warriors are beginnin' to dance, an'
+thar are two medicine men among 'em. They've overheard the news o' what
+we've done, an' they're gittin' excited. They're shore now the evil
+sperrits are all 'roun' 'em."
+
+"Looks like it, Sol, and those medicine men are not afraid of Alloway,
+the renegades, the chiefs or anybody else. They're encouraging the
+dancing."
+
+Henry and the shiftless one saw the medicine men through the glow of the
+lofty flames, and they looked strange and sinister to the last degree.
+One was wrapped in a buffalo hide with the head and horns over his own
+head, the other was made up as a bear. The glare through which they were
+seen, magnified them to twice or thrice their size, and gave them a tint
+of blood. They looked like two monsters walking back and forth before
+the warriors.
+
+"The seed we planted is shorely growin' up good an' strong," whispered
+Shif'less Sol.
+
+More and more warriors joined in the chant of the medicine men. The two
+saw Alloway gesture furiously toward them, and then they saw Yellow
+Panther and Red Eagle shake their heads. The two interpreted the
+movements easily. Alloway wanted the chiefs to stop the chanting which
+had in it the double note of awe and fear, and Yellow Panther and Red
+Eagle disclaimed any power to do so.
+
+Again the foresters laughed inwardly, as the monstrous and misshapen
+figures of the two medicine men careered back and forth in the flaming
+light. They knew that at this moment their power over the warriors was
+supreme. The more Alloway raged the more he weakened his own influence.
+
+"An' now they're dancin' with all their might," whispered the shiftless
+one. "Look how they bound an' twist an' jump! Henry, you an' me have
+seed some wild sights together, but this caps 'em."
+
+It was in truth a most extraordinary scene, this wild dance of the
+hundreds in the depths of the primeval forest. Around and around they
+went, led by the two medicine men, the bear and the buffalo, and the
+hideous, monotonous chant swelled through all the forest. It did not now
+contain the ring of triumph and anticipation. Instead it was filled with
+grief for the fallen, fear of the evil spirits that filled the air, and
+of Manitou who had turned his face away from them.
+
+Alloway and the white men who were left, drew to one side. Henry could
+imagine the rage of the colonel at his helplessness, and he could
+imagine too that he must feel a thrill of awe at the wild scene passing
+before him. The time and the circumstances must work upon the feelings
+of a white man, no matter how stout his heart.
+
+"If we could strike another good strong blow now," said the shiftless
+one, "I think they would break into a panic."
+
+"True," said Henry, "but we must not depart from our original purpose to
+get at the cannon. I don't think we can do it tonight and so we'd better
+withdraw. Maybe we'll have another chance tomorrow night."
+
+"I'm agreein' with you, Henry, an' I'm beginnin' to think mighty like
+the warriors do, that Manitou, which is jest their name for our God,
+turns his face upon you or turns his face away from you."
+
+"It looks so, Sol. I suppose the Indians in most ways don't differ much
+from us. Only they're a lot more superstitious."
+
+Slowly they crept away, but when they finally rose to their feet in the
+depths of the forest they could still see the glow of the great fires
+behind them. Henry and the shiftless one knew that the Indians had been
+heaping logs upon coals until the flames sprang up fifteen or twenty
+feet, and that around them nearly the whole army was now dancing and
+singing. The wailing note of so many voices still reached them, shrill,
+piercing and so full of lament that the nerves of the forest runners
+themselves were upset.
+
+"I want to git away from here," said the shiftless one, and then he
+added wistfully: "I wish we could strike our big blow, whatever it is,
+tonight, Henry. Their state o' mind is terrible. They're right on edge,
+an' ef we could do somethin' they'd break, shore."
+
+"I know it," said Henry, "but we're not able to get at what we want to
+reach."
+
+Nevertheless they stood there, and listened some time to the wailing
+note of all the hundreds who were oppressed and afraid, because the face
+of Manitou was so obviously turned from them.
+
+Henry and the shiftless one, as they returned toward their comrades whom
+they had left behind, did not relax their caution, knowing that hunting
+parties were still abroad, and that veteran chiefs like Yellow Panther
+and Red Eagle had sent scouts ahead. Twice they struck trails, and
+fragments of feathers left on the bushes by warriors returning with
+turkeys.
+
+They were at least two miles from the camp when they heard noises that
+indicated the passage of a small body of the Indians, and as they
+stepped behind trees to conceal themselves Shif'less Sol's foot suddenly
+sank with a bubbling sound into an oozy spot. In an instant, all the
+Indians stopped. Henry and his comrade heard rustling sounds for a
+moment, and then there was complete silence. The two knew that the
+warriors had taken to cover, and that probably they would not escape
+without a fight. They were intensely annoyed as they wished to return to
+Paul, Long Jim and Silent Tom.
+
+The shiftless one withdrew his foot from the ooze, and he and Henry
+crouched on dry ground, watching with eye and ear for any movement in
+the thicket opposite. They knew that the warriors, with infinite
+patience, were waiting in the same manner, and it was likely that the
+delay would be long.
+
+"Luck has turned ag'in us fur a little bit," whispered Shif'less Sol,
+"but I can't think that after favorin' us fur so long it'll leave us fur
+good."
+
+"I don't think so either," said Henry. "I hear one of them moving."
+
+"That bein' the case we'll lay nearly flat," said Shif'less Sol.
+
+It was well they did so, as a rifle flashed in the thicket before them,
+and a bullet cut the leaves over their heads. They did not reply, but
+crept silently to one side. A few minutes later another bullet crashed
+through the bushes at the same place, and this time Henry fired by the
+flash. He heard a low cry, followed by silence and he was sure that his
+bullet had struck a target. Shif'less Sol held his rifle ready in case a
+rush should come, but there was none, and Henry reloaded rapidly.
+
+A full half-hour of waiting followed, in which only a single shot was
+fired, and that by the warriors, to go wide of the mark, as usual, and
+the wrath of Henry and the shiftless one, at being held there so long,
+became intense. It seemed the veriest piece of irony that this
+unfortunate chance should have occurred, but Henry presently recalled
+the arrangement they had made with the three, wondering why they had not
+thought of it sooner.
+
+"The warriors are before us," he whispered to Shif'less Sol, "and Long
+Jim, Paul and Tom are behind us. They may have heard the rifle shots or
+they may not, but at any rate there is something that will carry
+further."
+
+"You mean the howl of the wolf! O' course, that's our call to them."
+
+"Yes, and if we bring 'em up it won't be hard to drive off this band."
+
+"Let me give the signal then, Henry. Ef Long Jim is the best yeller
+among us mebbe I'm the best howler. I'm right proud o' bein' a wolf
+sometimes, an' I feel like one jest now."
+
+"Go back then some distance," said Henry. "When the boys come up you
+must meet 'em and not let 'em run into any ambush."
+
+The shiftless one glided away toward the rear, and Henry, lying almost
+flat on the grass and watching the thickets in front of him so intensely
+that no warrior could have crept out of them unseen, waited. At the end
+of five minutes he heard behind him a note, low at first, but swelling
+gradually so high that it pierced the sky and filled the forest. It was
+fierce, prolonged, seeming to come from the throat of a monster wolf,
+and, as it died away, a similar cry came from a point far back in the
+forest. The wolf near by howled again, and the wolf deep in the forest
+replied in like fashion. The signal was complete, and Henry knew that
+Paul, Silent Tom and Long Jim would come fast to help.
+
+There was a stirring in the thicket before him, evidently prompted by
+the signals, and another vain bullet crashed through the bushes. Henry
+fired once more at the flash, but he could not tell whether or not he
+had hit anything, although it was sufficient to hold the warriors in the
+bush. Evidently they did not consider themselves strong enough for a
+rush, and again he waited patiently, judging that the three would arrive
+in twenty minutes at the furthest.
+
+They came several minutes within the allotted time. He heard soft
+rustlings behind him, and then the five were reunited and ready for
+action.
+
+"Sol, you creep around on the right flank, and Tom, you take the left,"
+whispered the young general. "They're not in numbers and I think we can
+soon rout 'em without loss to ourselves."
+
+The flanking movement was carried out perfectly. Shif'less Sol and
+Silent Tom opened fire on the right and on the left at the same time,
+and the other three, sending in bullets from the center, began to shout
+the charge, although they did no charging. But it was sufficient. They
+saw dusky figures darting away, and then, rising from the bushes the
+three divisions of their small army met victoriously upon the field,
+abandoned by the enemy in such haste.
+
+They saw red stains, and then a dark form almost hidden in the grass, a
+powerful warrior, painted hideously and dead an hour. Henry looked down
+at him thoughtfully. The retreating warriors had taken away his weapons,
+but his paint bag and the little charms against evil spirits remained,
+tied to his belt. It was the paint bag that held Henry's eye, and,
+holding it, gave him the idea.
+
+He detached the bag, the waistcloth and moccasins, and calling to his
+comrades retreated farther into the forest. Every one of them, as they
+watched his actions, divined his intent.
+
+"You're going to disguise yourself and go into the Indian camp," said
+Paul, when they stopped. "I wouldn't do it. The risk is too great.
+Besides, what can you do?"
+
+"I went among 'em once and came back alive," said Henry, "and I think I
+can do it again. Besides, I mean to accomplish something."
+
+"I'm to go with you, o' course?" said Shif'less Sol, eagerly.
+
+Henry shook his head.
+
+"No, Sol," he said reluctantly. "There's only equipment for one, and it
+must be me. But the rest of you can hang on the outskirts, and if I give
+a cry for help you may come. It will be, as before, the howl of the
+wolf, and now, boys, we will work fast, because I must strike, while
+they're still in the frenzy, created by the medicine men."
+
+Henry took off his own clothing, and, with a shudder, put on the
+leggings and breechcloth of the dead Indian. Then Shif'less Sol and Tom
+Ross painted him from the waist up in a ghastly manner, and, with their
+heartfelt wishes for his safety and success, he departed for the camp,
+the others following in silence not far behind. He soon heard the sound
+of the chant and he knew that the orgie was proceeding. An Indian dance
+could last two days and nights without stopping, fresh warriors always
+replacing those who dropped from exhaustion.
+
+It was now far past midnight, and Henry was quite sure that all the
+hunters had gone. The little party which he and his comrades had fought
+had probably spread already the tale of a mysterious foe with whom they
+had met, and who had slain one of their number. And the story,
+exaggerated much in the telling, would add to the number and power of
+the evil spirits oppressing the red army.
+
+Keeping for the present well hidden in the forest, Henry approached the
+fires which had now been heaped up to an amazing height, from which
+lofty flames leaped and which sent off sparks in millions. The chant was
+wilder than ever, rolling in weird echoes through the forest, the
+dancers leaping to and fro, their faces bathed in perspiration, their
+eyes filled with the glare of temporary madness. The Englishmen and
+renegades had gone to small tents pitched at the edge of the wood, but
+Yellow Panther and Red Eagle stood and watched the dancers.
+
+All things were distorted in the mingled dusk and glow of the fires, and
+Henry, bending low that his great stature might not be noticed, edged
+gradually in and joined the dancers. For a while, none was more furious
+than he. He leaped and he swung his arms, and he chanted, until the
+perspiration ran down his face, and none looked wilder than he. In the
+multitude nobody knew that he was a stranger, nor would the glazed eyes
+of the dancers have noticed that he was one, anyhow.
+
+Nevertheless he was watching keenly, while he leaped and shouted, and
+his eyes were for the cannon, drawn up just within the edge of the
+forest, with the ammunition wagons between them. After a while he moved
+cautiously in their direction, threw himself panting on the grass, where
+others already lay in the stupor of exhaustion, and then, taking hold of
+one of the burning brands which the wind had blown from the bonfires, he
+edged slowly toward the forest and the wagons.
+
+This was the last link in the chain, but if it were not forged all the
+others would be in vain. Three or four times he stopped motion
+altogether, and lay flat on the ground. Through the red haze he dimly
+saw the figures of Yellow Panther and Red Eagle who stood side by side,
+and he saw also the two medicine men, the Bear and the Buffalo, who
+danced as if they were made of steel, and who continually incited the
+others.
+
+Henry himself began to feel the effect of the dancing and of the wild
+cheering, which was like a continuous mad incantation. His blood had
+never before leaped so wildly and he saw through a red haze all the
+time. He felt for the moment almost like an Indian, or rather as if he
+had returned to some primeval incarnation. But it did not make him feel
+one with those around him. Instead it incited him to extreme effort and
+greater daring.
+
+He edged himself forward slowly, dragging the torch upon the ground. He
+still saw Blackstaffe and Wyatt at the edge of the opening some distance
+away, but they were gazing at the great mass of the dancers. Alloway
+presently came from his tent and also stood looking on, though he did
+not join the renegades. Henry could imagine his feelings, his bitter
+disappointment. But then, one must know something about Indians before
+undertaking to go on campaigns with them. He hoped, however, that young
+Cawthorne would remain in his tent.
+
+His slow creeping lasted ten minutes. He felt now that he had reached
+the very crisis of the campaign made by the five, and he must not make
+the slightest slip of any kind. He reached the grass behind the wagons
+and lay there four or five minutes without stirring. He discovered then
+that besides those between the cannon there were four behind them loaded
+with powder. The horses were tethered in the woods two or three hundred
+yards away. He was glad that so much distance separated them from the
+cannon and powder.
+
+The torch, although he kept it concealed in the grass, was beginning to
+crackle. The problem was not yet simple, but he thought rapidly. The
+wagons were covered with canvas. Reaching up, he quickly cut off a long
+strip with his hunting knife. Then he inserted the strip inside the
+wagon and into the powder, driving the knife deep through canvas and
+wood, and leaving it, thrust there to hold the strip fast.
+
+The other end of the thick canvas fell from the wagon to the ground, a
+length of about a foot lying in the grass. He ignited this with his
+torch, and saw it begin to burn with a steady creeping flame. Then he
+moved swiftly away until he reached the edge of the forest, when he rose
+and ran with all his might. Three or four hundred yards distant, he
+stopped and uttered the cry of the wolf. The answer came instantly from
+a point very near, and in two minutes the four joined him.
+
+"Is it arranged?" exclaimed Paul.
+
+"Yes," replied Henry. "There's a chance of a slip, of course. The torch
+is set and burning. An Indian may see it and put it out, but I
+don't----"
+
+The sentence was never finished. The night was rent by a terrible crash,
+and as they were looking toward the Indian camp they saw a pyramid of
+fire shoot far up into the sky, and then sink back again. A half minute
+of dreadful silence followed, when every leaf and blade of grass seemed
+to stand still, and then through the distance came a long and piercing
+lament.
+
+"It's done!" said the shiftless one, speaking in a tone of awe.
+
+"The cannon are blown to pieces," said Paul.
+
+"Nothin' but scattered metal now!" said Long Jim.
+
+"Busted up, shore!" said Silent Tom.
+
+"They'll be running in a panic presently," said Henry, "and they won't
+stop until they're far across the Ohio."
+
+The hearts of the five swelled. They alone, five against a thousand,
+rifles against cannon, had defeated the great Indian army headed by
+artillery. They had equalled the knights of old--perhaps had surpassed
+them--although it was not done by valor alone, but also by wile and
+stratagem, by mind and leadership. Intellect had been well allied with
+bravery.
+
+But they said little, and turning back into the deeps of the forest,
+they slept until morning.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The five rose at dawn, and went swiftly to the place where the Indian
+camp had stood, to find there, as they had expected, complete silence
+and desolation. The ruin was utter. All the wagons had been blown to
+bits, and the cannon were shattered so thoroughly that they lay in
+fragments. Probably Indians near by had been killed, but the warriors,
+following their custom, had taken their dead away with them.
+
+Henry, looking near the edge of the forest, suddenly started back at a
+gleam of red among the bushes. He knew that it had come from a red coat,
+and when he looked again he saw the body of Colonel Alloway lying there.
+He had been hit in the head by a piece of flying metal and evidently had
+been killed instantly. Doubtless the other English had wanted to bury
+him, but the panic of the Indians had compelled them to leave him,
+although they took their own dead.
+
+"We'll bury him, because he was a white man," said Henry.
+
+They dug a grave with their knives and hatchets and laid him in it,
+putting stones over the dirt to keep prowling wild animals from digging
+there, and then took the Indian trail.
+
+It was a trail so wide and deep that a blind man could have followed it.
+The panic evidently had been terrible. The warriors had thrown away
+blankets, and in some cases weapons. Henry found a fine hunting knife,
+with which he replaced the one he had used to pin down his fuse, and
+Silent Tom found a fine green blanket which he added to his own.
+
+They followed to the Ohio River, and some distance beyond. Then,
+satisfied that this expedition was routed utterly, they came back into
+Kentucky.
+
+"I'd like to go to that little house of ours inside the cliff," said
+Paul.
+
+"So would I," said Long Jim. "It's the snuggest home we've ever found
+inside the wilderness."
+
+"An' Indian proof, ez we've proved," said the shiftless one.
+
+"Good fur rest," said Silent Tom.
+
+"Then we go there," said Henry.
+
+They reached the valley the next day and climbed up into the cleft which
+had been a home and a fortress for them. It was sweet and clean, full of
+fresh, pure air, and the tiny rill was trickling away merrily. Nothing
+had been disturbed.
+
+"Now ain't this fine?" said Long Jim, coming outside and looking over
+the hills. "Paul, I've heard you talk about palaces, them that the old
+Greeks an' Romans had, an' them that they hev now in Europe, but I know
+that thar has never been one among 'em ez snug an' safe an' cozy ez
+this."
+
+"At least," said the shiftless one, "I don't believe any o' 'em ever had
+a water supply like ourn, clean, cool, an' unfailin'."
+
+Silent Tom took something from his knapsack.
+
+"I'm goin' to git some fish in that creek farther down," he said. "You'd
+better hev your fire ready. Out here on the shelf is a good place."
+
+Long Jim, happy in the task that he liked, hurried away in search of
+dead wood. The others carried dried leaves into the hollow and made
+places for their beds.
+
+Silent Tom caught plenty of good fish, to which they added venison and
+buffalo steaks, and, sitting on the shelf they ate and were at peace.
+The glow of triumph was still in their hearts. Alone, they had achieved
+a great deed for the sake of humanity. They had been through their
+Iliad, and like the heroes of antiquity, they took their well-earned
+rest.
+
+The foliage was now in its deepest flush of green. Henry, as he looked
+over a vast expanse of wilderness, saw nothing but green, green, the
+unbroken green that he loved.
+
+A bird in a tree over their heads began to pour forth a volume of clear,
+triumphant song, and the five looked upon it as a voice meant for them.
+
+"It's the last touch," said Paul.
+
+"And the victory is complete," said Henry.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KEEPERS OF THE TRAIL***
+
+
+******* This file should be named 25596.txt or 25596.zip *******
+
+
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/5/9/25596
+
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://www.gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
diff --git a/25596.zip b/25596.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc99ef0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25596.zip
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f68f47a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #25596 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25596)