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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf 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..b4ee72e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66231 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66231) diff --git a/old/66231-0.txt b/old/66231-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5f58c41..0000000 --- a/old/66231-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4839 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Wolf-Cap;, by Charles Howard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Wolf-Cap; - or, The Night-Hawks of the Fire-Lands; A Tale of the Bloody Fort - -Author: Charles Howard - -Release Date: September 6, 2021 [eBook #66231] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: David Edwards, Stephen Hutcheson, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois - University Digital Library) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WOLF-CAP; *** - - - - - WOLF-CAP; - OR, - THE NIGHT-HAWKS OF THE FIRE-LANDS. - - - A TALE OF THE BLOODY FORT - - - BY CAPT. CHAS. HOWARD, - AUTHOR “ELK KING,” “WOLF QUEEN,” “MERCILESS MATT.” - - - NEW YORK: - BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS, - 98 WILLIAM STREET. - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by - FRANK STARR & CO., - in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - I Doubly Warned 9 - II Silver Hand, the Wyandot 16 - III The Battle at Strong’s 22 - IV Caught 29 - V The Outcroppings of Treason 36 - VI Without the Fort 43 - VII The Work of a Lie 49 - VIII A Bit of Mutiny 56 - IX Sent Into Exile 62 - X Baffled in Ambush 68 - XI Treason in the Camp 73 - XII Rowing and Running for Life 79 - XIII The Last Night-Hawk 84 - XIV Wolf’s Den 91 - XV Retribution 97 - - - - - WOLF-CAP; - OR, - THE NIGHT-HAWKS OF THE FIRE-LANDS. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - DOUBLY WARNED. - - -A small apartment, walled with rough logs, and blackened by smoke. - -A substantial fire burns in an uncouth but serviceable fireplace, and a -man reclines on the puncheons in the ruddy blaze. - -His sole companion is a huge yellow dog of the mastiff species; and his -master’s long black locks rest upon his shaggy coat. - -It is nine o’clock at night, and the moon shines in an unclouded -firmament. - -Not a sound disturbs the stillness of the wood; but just at the edge of -the meager clearing that lies before the cabin, a little river flows -northward with a low noise, for it is almost bank full. - -Man and dog are wide awake; the former gazes into the fire, the latter -looks up into the hard, sunbrowned face. - -The master is a great, strong man, whose looks, physique and voice, when -he speaks, indicates a long frontier life. He is perhaps three and forty -years of age. Some would say that he is fifty; but people must not judge -age by certain crows-feet on the brow; troubles make young men old. His -occupation is revealed by a quantity of animal traps lying in one corner -of the room, and suspended from a rafter overhead hangs a bundle of -skins, ready for the market at Fort Sandusky. - -But he rises and looks at the dog, who bristles up and runs to the door, -protected by a strong oaken plank. - -“What is it, Yellow Dick?” asks the trapper, standing beside his -companion, rifle in hand, and peering into the moonlight through a -crevice between two logs. “I would hev sworn that I heard the voice of a -man; but—” - -He paused abruptly, for Yellow Dick had suddenly pricked his long ears -anew, and the trapper began to unbarricade the door. - -“’Tis old Johnny, Dick, as sure as death,” he said, glancing at the -mastiff while he worked at his plank. “He hasn’t been this way for a -three month. Mebbe he brings news from the seat of war.” - -The dog seemed to understand the man, for his fierceness abated, and he -stepped from the portal. - -“There! I knew it was Johnny Appleseed,” the trapper said triumphantly, -as he opened the cabin door, and let a flood of moonlight into the dingy -room. “Here he comes, down the river. What’s that he’s saying, Dick?” - -The speaker leaned forward and caught these words uttered in a melodious -voice: - -“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he hath anointed me to blow the -trumpet in the wilderness and sound the alarm in the forest: for behold -the tribes of the heathen are round about your door, and a devouring -flame followeth after them.” - -The herald of danger stood near the edge of the water, and looked like -some wild being from spirit-land. - -“Old Johnny means somethin’; somethin’s gone wrong somewhar,” cried the -trapper, becoming excited, and then in a louder tone he spoke the -singular cognomen of the man of the wilderness—“Johnny Appleseed!” - -The latter turned and after some hesitation came forward. - -“Do not detain the Lord’s anointed long,” said the little wiry man, -exhibiting his old restless activity, “for the Philistines are this -night sweeping down upon the scattered tents of Israel, who will be -found without the cities of refuge.” - -“But, Johnny, what has happened?” queried the settler, who could not -repress a smile at the herald’s quaint phraseology. - -“The Philistines hold revel in the great walled city on the northern -water.” - -“What! has Hull surrendered?” - -“Even so, Israel is again in captivity, and the families on her borders -must feel the fire now.” - -The trapper was silent for a while. - -“Then the red-coated and red-skinned devils are coming to devastate the -frontiers,” he said, in a tone scarcely audible. - -“Their forces no man can number,” said the strange herald. “They are -like the sands of the sea-shore. But I must go. I am appointed to -deliver my message before every door in the forest, that the Lord’s -chosen may flee from the wrath to come.” - -“Then go, Johnny. I should not have detained you a minute. Yours is an -errand of mercy. I have a duty to perform this night. Go, Johnny; tell -them all of the swoop of the red eagles; and tell them that Wolf Cap -says, ‘Fly to the block-houses without delay!’” - -The pioneer hero started forward, but paused after taking a step, and -drew the portion of an old volume from his bosom. - -“Here news right fresh from heaven,” he said, and he tore a leaf from -the book and handed it to the trapper. - -It was a leaf from Swedenborg’s writings, for Johnny Appleseed—Jonathan -Chapman—is no myth, and he was a true disciple of the Swedish seer. - -Having accomplished his duty, the strange man, clad in nothing save a -garment fashioned from a coffee sack, and bearing a long distaff, -started off to spread dismay throughout the fire-lands. - -“So Hull has surrendered,” muttered Wolf-Cap through clenched lips, as -he turned into the cabin again. “I know it was a cowardly affair, for -Detroit was proof against ten thousand foes; but Hull was the wrong man -in the right place. I know it; I told the soldiers so when I war there -not long ago. These frontiers hev got to be desolated now, through the -cowardice of one man,” the lone trapper continued, busying himself with -preparations for a night journey. “Our block-houses are poor excuses for -bulwarks; but we must get the women and children in them as quickly as -possible.” - -He donned his hunting accouterments and the wolf-skin cap which had -given him the _sobriquet_ that entitles our romance, and replenished the -fire. - -“I’ll leave you to keep house, Dick,” he said, addressing the dog. “I’ll -be back about daybreak. Now old fellow do your duty, and don’t let a -sneakin’ red-skin over this portal.” - -He patted the dog’s shaggy back, barricaded the door, and made his exit -from the cabin, by the roof. - -“I’m pretty sure that Johnny missed ’em,” he said, pausing for a moment -beside the cabin and communing with himself. “He came down the river, -and they are too far to his left. Yes, I guess he missed ’em.” - -The last word still quivered his lips when he started in a -north-easterly direction, leaving the river to his left. - -A well-defined trail stretched before him, and he walked rapidly through -the moonlit forest, trailing his long-barreled rifle at his side. - -It was a night in August, 1812, and, as not a breath of wind was -stirring, the heat was oppressive. Once or twice the hunter started a -deer from the weed-fringed margin of some forest stream, or frightened a -coyote from his feast of freshly-slain bird. - -Suddenly he paused and listened to a silver voice, soaring skyward far -away. - -“That’s Huldah’s voice,” he said, audibly. “No woman can sing like her -in these parts. I don’t know, but some how or other I think an uncommon -sight of that girl. She looks so much like Bessie did twenty years ago,” -and here the rough deer-skin sleeve dashed a tear from the speaker’s -eye. - -“But I wonder what makes her so happy just now—when terror sits in many -a white girl’s heart. Ah! old Johnny did not warn _them_!” - -He leaped the little rivulet by which he stood while speaking, and -threaded the forest mazes again. Presently he came upon a neat clearing, -in the center of which, surrounded by a rail-fence, stood a cabin, -somewhat larger than his bachelor abode. An air of industry pervaded the -spot, and the honeysuckles that half concealed the little square -windows, proclaimed the presence of the softer—the flower-loving sex. - -The song that had startled the trapper by the little creek, was mute -now, and a dead silence brooded over the settler’s home, on which the -moonlight softly fell. - -Wolf-Cap leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing, and thought -of the coming whirlwind of destruction. - -He thought till he gritted his teeth, and started forward, impulsively. - -“Here’s the toil of months,” he cried. “Levi has labored like a giant to -build a shelter for Huldah’s head, and now to think that the flames -must, in one brief hour, destroy it all. Oh, I wish I could wield the -thunderbolts of heaven for a single minute!” - -He approached the cabin boldly, his giant form bathed in moonshine, and -a low growl saluted his ears as he stepped upon the little porch before -the door. - -“Who’s there?” said a woman’s voice, beyond the heavy door. - -“Me—Wolf-Cap,” answered the trapper, and he heard nimble fingers undoing -the fastenings. - -“Come in, neighbor Belt,” said a voice as the door flew open, and a -beautiful young girl, whose right hand griped a rifle, appeared to the -hunter. - -He obeyed, and as he crossed the threshold the door was closed again and -barred. - -“Ye warn’t lookin’ for me to-night, I guess,” he said, taking in the -room at a glance. - -“No, neighbor Belt; but you are none the less welcome. Father has just -retired—” - -“I’ll be thar in a minute, Belt,” interrupted a man’s voice in the next -room. “I thought it war you when I heard your step on the porch. What’s -up? Ye kin talk while I dress.” - -“A good deal what’s bad is up,” said Wolf-Cap, in a loud one. “Hull has -surrendered, and a swarm of British and Indians are pouring down upon -the frontier.” - -“Who told you, Belt?” - -The speaker had appeared like a flash, and, scarcely more than -half-dressed, stood before the trapper. - -“Who told me?—Johnny Appleseed. He went down the last, Armstrong. We’ve -enjoyed comparative quiet thus far during the war; but the cowardice—I -know it was just that and nothin’ else—of Hull, has unloosed the dogs of -hell, an’ they’ll be here pretty soon. To the block-house is the cry -now. If safety lies anywhere, it is there.” - -Levi Armstrong, the old settler, stood in the dim light of the tin fat -lamp, and quivered with rage. - -“Belt,” he said, slowly and with emphasis, “I’m not goin’ to give up the -work of my hands without a struggle. You kin bet on that.” - -“But Huldah must go to the block-house. Strong’s is the strongest, and -best defended. We must act—” - -“So long as father remains from the block-house I remain, too,” -interrupted Huldah Armstrong, as she touched Wolf-Cap’s arm. “I share -his love for our home. He shall not be separated from me.” - -“Huldah, you must go to Strong’s to-morrow,” said Levi. “I will go with -you.” - -“Truly, father?” - -“Truly, girl.” - -“Then I am content to go,” she said. “When do you look for the -marauders, neighbor Belt?” - -“They are liable to come at any hour,” was the reply. “But in truth _I_ -do not look for them for several days yet. No doubt Johnny heard of the -disaster from some Indian, and is many hours in advance of the slayers.” - -“And what are you going to do, Belt?” asked Levi Armstrong. - -“I had settled upon no plan of action. I’ve got a cabin, and I hate to -leave it to the torch. The Night-Hawks are with Proctor, you know. I -wonder if they will come down upon the frontiers?” - -“To be sure they will, neighbor Belt.” - -“God help the frontiers, then.” - -“Yes, yes.” - -“But I must go back,” said the trapper; “nobody is at home but Yellow -Dick. I guess we’ll not go to the block-house till to-morrow night. I -think we’re safe in keeping aloof till then; ’tis best, you know, to -seem in ignorance of the threatening danger.” - -“I think so too, Belt. You’ll come over to-morrow evening, ready for the -run?” - -“I’ll be here, and then”—with a glance at Levi that told much—“we’ll -shelter our heads beneath Strong’s roof.” - -Several minutes later Wolf-Cap was returning to his cabin, and at length -the grayish dawn of day revealed it to him. - -“Nobody has disturbed Dick,” he said, after inspecting the little -structure’s surroundings. “He’s a good housekeeper—no woman in this land -kin beat him, but— What’s that? By Huron! somebody hes nailed a piece of -paper to my door.” - -The trapper was walking forward while speaking, and it was a piece of -paper on his cabin door that called the exclamation to his lips. With -his eyes fastened upon the object, he quickened his steps, and presently -paused on the flagstone stoop. - -Before his eyes was a piece of dingy paper, bordered with blood, and -held in its place by a knife, the point of which was buried deeply in -the firm wood! - -The uncouth letters had been traced on the dirty sheet with a stick -dipped in gore, and were arranged in the following order: - - “We hunt you. You know us. Fly or die! - - “The Night-Hawks.” - -The trapper looked at the warning a long time, and gradually a smile of -contempt wreathed his lips. - -“So, Royal Funk, you and your devils are in these parts again,” he said, -“and I tell you, once for all, that I am not an illegal squatter. You -can’t scare Card Belt.” - -Then, without more words, he ascended to the roof and joined Yellow -Dick, who received him with manifestations of delight in the room below. -Fearlessly he threw wide the cabin door, and spread a map of the -North-west, face downward, on the floor. - -Then, with a piece of charcoal, he traced these words on the parchment: - -“_Roy Funk, I’m going to remain on the fire-lands. You can’t_ _frighten -me. I spare not and no mercy ask. No block-house shall shelter me!_” - -Twice the trapper read the defiance to his dog, as though the animal was -possessed of comprehension, and then he pinned it to the door with the -point of a knife. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - SILVER HAND, THE WYANDOT. - - -The reader has heard Wolf-Cap aver that he was not an illegal squatter -on the fire-lands, and while he prepares to sustain the defiance nailed -to his cabin door, let us inquire into the meaning of his declaration, -and thereby, if possible, add to the interest of our story. - -The “fire-lands” were not, as the casual reader would suppose, a tract -of country blackened and rendered barren almost by the flames. On the -contrary, their broad acres, well watered by majestic rivers, teemed -with plenty, and even their _indolent_ farmer to-day finds no -starvelings about his premises. - -Erie, Huron, and a small part of Ottawa counties, comprise that portion -of the Western Ohio Reserve known as the fire-lands. The tract embraces -five hundred thousand acres, and the term “fire-lands” originated from -the circumstance of the State of Connecticut having granted these lands, -in 1792, as a donation, to certain sufferers by fire occasioned by the -English during the Revolutionary war, particularly at New London, -Fairfield and Norwalk. Connecticut, at that time, holding jurisdiction -over much land in Ohio, made other grants, of a nature similar to the -above, and to this day the Western Reserve is often called by its old -title—New Connecticut. - -Though Wolf-Cap, or Card Belt, was not a sufferer at English hands, he -had a right to the ground on which his little cabin stood. That right -was a grant from the proprietors of the fire-lands; but he had had the -misfortune to lose the document while _en route_ to his claim. He had -trapped along the streams of his native State, Connecticut, until they -refused to yield the wished-for supply of fur-bearing animals, and, -longing for a new pelt El Dorado, he fell in with the inducements -offered by the settlements of New Connecticut. - -He established his claim to a certain spot of ground, notwithstanding -the loss of the title, and erected his cabin, in 1811. A treaty had -previously been made with the Wyandots, who inhabited a portion of the -ground, and until the breaking out of the war of 1812, the red denizens -of the fire-lands had kept the promises of the treaty unbroken. - -But in the settlement of the fire-lands, as in the settlement of all new -countries, a class of rough characters appeared on the surface. These -were, in the greater part, Canadian trappers, who were dwelling on the -grant prior to its change of owners, and they refused to accede to the -demands of the legal squatters. They had no right to the land, for they -had been English soldiers, and disturbers of the peace between whites -and Indians. - -They drove honest squatters from their homes, and carried on a reign of -terror throughout the fire-lands, until the Connecticut company overawed -them with settlers. Still they carried on their lawlessness. At midnight -they would break into some squatter’s cabin and demand a sight of his -deed; and if the poor man could not produce it, as was often the case, -considering the poor facilities extant those days for preserving paper -documents, he would be hustled from his door, and the torch applied to -the logs. - -Wolf-Cap’s domicil was invaded one night, two months prior to the -opening of hostilities; but he gave the Night-Hawks—as the outlaws were -called—such a warm reception, that they were glad to depart without -accomplishing their purpose. In the affray one of the scoundrels was -fatally shot by the trapper, and their numbers thus reduced to nine. - -The leader of the band was a rather handsome, brigandisa sort of man, -boasting of the name of Royal Funk. He had served under Arnold in his -descent upon Connecticut, and followed other Tories to the West after -the patriot struggle. He had a commanding eye, and a nature fitted to -lord it over a lot of low characters like those whom he drew around him -in New Connecticut, and christened the Night-Hawks. - -Their villainies were brought to a close by the declaration of war. One -day they left the fire-lands, and joined the British army of the -North-west, and the settlers breathed freer. They devoutly wished that -every Night-Hawk might fall beneath American bullets, and for months the -tract enjoyed a peace that seemed a foretaste of the one quiet peace -called blessed! - -British gold drew hundreds of savages to the flag of St. George; but a -portion of the Wyandots adhered heroically to the American cause. The -fire-land settlers centered all their hopes on Hull. If he would repulse -the allies before Detroit, their homes were safe. If the General failed, -then the Night-Hawks and their red helpers would return to devastate -homes illy defended. - -Therefore, the reader can imagine the terror spread throughout the grant -by the wild message of Johnny Appleseed: “The tribes of the heathen are -round about your doors, and a devouring flame followeth after them.” - -“We are going to help Proctor. When we return, look out, usurper.” - -Such words Wolf-Cap found chalked on his cabin door, on his return from -Sandusky, one day in the spring lately passed. He saw that he had saved -his life by being absent, and he awaited with impatience and anxiety the -result of British operations in the North-west. Noble-minded and -courageous, almost to a fault, he did not fear the threats of the -Night-Hawks, as the reader has seen by his defiance; but the unprotected -settlers called forth his sympathy. - -“I’ll help take Huldah to Strong’s,” he said, looking at his dog, after -posting his defiance, “and then I’ll make this cabin our castle, Dick. I -don’t know as I’ve got much to live for, since Bessie left me, and I’ll -try to rid the people of several of their plagues afore I go. Here be -six rifles an’ plenty o’ ammunition, and we’ll drop a doe to-night, if -it gets cloudy.” - -The trapper hailed the approach of night with joy, and locking Yellow -Dick within the cabin, took up the trail to Levi Armstrong’s hut. His -frequent visits to the cabin had traced a well-defined trail, and as he -hurried along, he planned for the future, which cast gloomy clouds over -him—hunted man as he was. - -“Just let any body touch one o’ Huldah Armstrong’s black hairs,” he -suddenly exclaimed, aloud. “Just let ’em do it, I say, and, be he white -or red, I’ll let a ray of sunshine through his heart. That girl is just -the purest, fairest creature in New Connecticut, and I’m her champion, I -am—Card Belt. I love that girl,” and in the gloaming a crimson flush -appeared on his cheek; “but not like a _young_ man. No! I’m old enough -to be her father, and I love her because she looks like Bessie. I often -wonder if she will ever have a young lover. Ah! if she gets down to -Strong’s, the young bucks will go up over her face, and they won’t be -able to drop an Indian for looking into her eyes.” - -He communed thus with himself until he reached the creek near -Armstrong’s clearing, when the whiz of a bullet broke his train of -thoughts, and brought him to a sudden halt. - -“That’s close,” he ejaculated, glancing at the work made by the ball in -the tree near his head. “But a miss is as good as a mile, and I’ll show -the greaser that two men can play with rifles at the same time.” - -The next moment he sunk into the tall grass that lined the margin of the -stream, resolved to outwit his foe. - -“I begin to see through the mist,” he said, with a broad smile, a moment -after disappearing among the grass. “Silver Hand is up to one of his old -tricks again. Curse that Indian! I’ve got to break him of such -practices. He shoots too uncommon close, sometimes.” - -Then a bird-call issued from the trapper’s throat, and was answered from -a spot a short distance away, on the opposite bank of the stream. - -“I knew it was that red-skin,” and with the last word the trapper’s cap -appeared above the grass. “Howsomever it is best to be cautious—there!” - -A slight noise told that the cap had been struck by some object, and the -hunter lowered it to find it perforated by an arrow of singular -workmanship. - -Then, placing the cap on his head without withdrawing the shaft, he rose -to his feet simultaneously with the appearance of a tufted Indian beyond -the murky water. - -A minute later and the twain had met. - -“Silver Hand, you haven’t visited a fellow much o’ late,” said Wolf-Cap, -looking into the black eyes of the prepossessing young Wyandot. “I -wasn’t looking for you hereabouts; but you’re the very chap I wanted to -see.” - -“Silver Hand glad to see Wolf-Cap, too,” said the Indian. “He much to -tell white brother ’bout the big white coward in the north.” - -“I don’t want to talk about Hull, chief,” said the trapper. “I swear -away down in my heart when I think of his cowardice. But we have work to -do. The frontiers swarm with fiends now, and I go to guide a family to -Strong’s fort. Of course you’re going with me, Silver Hand; we’ll talk -as we walk.” - -The trapper started forward with a look at the Indian but the red arm -darted forward and touched his arm. - -“Wolf-Cap need go no further—house empty,” said Silver Hand. - -“Whose house?” and a deathly pallor overspread the settler’s face, and -told how he dreaded to hear the Wyandot’s answer. - -“The house of the tall old pale-face and pretty girl.” - -“Empty, Silver Hand? You must be mistaken. They were to wait for me.” - -“But they gone, sure,” persisted the chief. “Silver Hand stop at cabin -to tell them about the big coward; but he find nobody in house. The dog, -too, was gone; but Silver Hand find paper on the door—paper with -pale-face words on it.” - -The chief produced a piece of paper from his bosom as he spoke, and -handed it to the trapper. - -It was night now, but the light of the rising moon enabled Wolf-Cap to -decipher the rude writing on the sheet. - - “We have gone to Strong’s with the Logans. We left at sundown, and you - will find us in the old fort.” - -Thus read the message on the door, and the trapper bit his lip when he -looked up at the young warrior. - -“Mebbe we’ll find ’em there and mebbe we won’t,” he said angrily. “I -guess the Logans were frightened nigh to death, and would give old Levi -no rest, until he promised to guide them to Strong’s. I thought he had a -head of his own, and he promised to wait for me, too.” - -Wolf-Cap was silent for several moments, and the Indian regarded him -with a puzzled expression of countenance. - -“When pale-faces leave lodge?” he questioned at length. - -“At sundown. They’re not half-way to Strong’s now. We’ll let ’em go, -though, Silver Hand; but we could intercept them if we wanted to. Old -Levi needs a lesson for his action.” - -“But his girl too putty to be in the woods at night. Bad Wyandots and -Night-Hawks come down together from the north, and—” - -“There! that’s enough, chief,” interrupted the trapper. “I could let old -Levi go; but Huldah, never! Come! we kin catch ’em at the mouth of Eel -Creek, for they’ve taken the black-deer trail to Strong’s. It’ll take -fast travelin’, Silver Hand; but we kin do it. You an’ me kin do any -thing.” - -Silver Hand sprung to the task with great eagerness, and wheeling to the -left, the twain hurried down the right bank of the creek. A rapid march -of several hours brought them to the objective point; and Silver Hand at -once dropped upon all-fours to examine the trail. - -“Party gone by!” he said at last, looking up at the trapper. “Old -settler, young man and four squaws. They walkin’ fast, too—almost run.” - -“The—deuce!” exclaimed Wolf-Cap, much chagrined at the result of their -journey. “But,” with a faint smile of satisfaction; “I’m glad they -passed this point safely. It argues well for their arrival at Strong’s. -How long since did they pass, Silver Hand?” - -The Wyandot examined the trail again. - -“Only little while ago; grass still bent down.” - -“Then we stand some chances of catching them this side of Strong’s.” - -“Yes, by fast walkin’.” - -“I’ll see ’em inside the fort afore I go back to my hut,” said Wolf-Cap -with determination. “Royal Funk and me for it, then, for I tell you, -Silver—” - -The distant report of a rifle broke his sentence, and caused him to -shoot an anxious look into the Wyandot’s eyes. - -Three more faint reports followed the first, and Wolf-Cap was about to -spring forward, when Silver Hand thrust him backward toward the rushes -that grew about the mouth of the creek. - -“Chief—” - -“‘Sh!” - -The swift tread of feet was heard, and nine dark forms darted past the -couple’s concealment, and disappeared in the darkness that hid from them -the flash of the distant rifles. - -Without a word, and at the same moment, the trail-hunters leaped to -their feet. - -For a moment they listened to the dying footsteps, and Silver Hand was -the first to speak. - -“Wolf-Cap count ’em?” he asked. - -“Yes. American bullets have spared every Night-Hawk,” grated the -trapper. “We must call ’em back,” and drawing a pistol from his belt he -discharged it in the air. - -The next second the admirable counterfeit of a death-yell pealed from -the Wyandot’s throat, and the twain shrunk back into the rushes again to -await the result of their stratagem. - -“They’re comin’ back, chief,” said the trapper in a low tone. “Now, come -with me. We’ll git between ’em an’ our friends if we can.” - -Certain sounds told them that at least a goodly portion of the outlaws -were returning, and silently they entered the water and waded away. - -The sounds of battle toward Strong’s had died in the gloom, and an -impenetrable vail of fearful mystery hung over the fate of the -fugitives. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - THE BATTLE AT STRONG’S. - - -Strong’s block-house so frequently alluded to in the foregoing pages, -had been erected as a place of refuge for the inhabitants of the -“fire-lands.” It was a large structure, capable of affording shelter for -fifty families, and built with a view to strength and endurance. The -heavy logs were secured in the old dovetail fashion, and the roof was -doubly clapboarded. The second story projected five feet over the first, -thus enabling the defenders to fire upon any foe that might attempt to -force the lower doors. The Huron river lay fifty yards from the front -palisade of the block-house, which stood at the foot of a hill, cleared -by the settlers’ axes. - -The bottom of the hill was selected for the building site, owing to the -proximity of water, and a well also yielded the life-giving fluid within -the fort. The strong palisade that surrounded the “house of refuge,” was -a double security, and the settlers felt proud of their work when -completed. A stalwart settler named Zebulon Strong had superintended the -erection of the stronghold, hence its rather imposing cognomen. - -There were other block-houses in the “fire-lands”; but none were near -enough to afford assistance to Strong’s in a case of imminent danger. - -“I guess the families are all in now,” said Zebulon Strong, to a young -man who was standing by a loop-hole, in the second story of the -backwoods fort. - -“All in, captain? bless you, no. The Logans are out yet.” - -“And old Levi Armstrong, too,” said another settler, who, standing near, -had caught the brief conversation. - -“Yes, there is Levi; I had overlooked him,” the youth remarked quickly. - -“He and the Logans do not rightly belong here,” said Strong. “Levi lent -Throop a hand at his fort down on Massanga creek, and there he belongs. -He will take the Logans with him.” - -“But should he ask admittance here, you will not refuse, captain?” - -“Our quota of families is full now. We can’t accommodate another,” -answered Strong, with the air of a man elevated by a small command. -“And, besides, I am confident that we are surrounded now. The girls -maintain that they caught a glimpse of Indians at the river, and I, -myself, have seen feathers on the top of the hill. They wait for the -opening of the gates; but nothing under heaven can induce me to please -them in that particular. We’ve a good supply of water, and I tell you, -sir, that the gates don’t open again until the danger is passed.” - -The foregoing conversation occurred on the night of Levi Armstrong’s -abandonment of his cabin, and Zebulon Strong’s mien told that he was -determined to adhere to his determination at all hazards. - -Johnny Appleseed had performed a noble duty. Those whom he had warned -allowed no grass to grow under their feet. While he yet lingered in -sight of the uncouth cabin, it was deserted, and its inmates were flying -toward Strong’s fort. All those who claimed shelter beneath its roof had -caused their names to be registered in the commandant’s book, so, when -the last registered family had passed the palisades, the gates were -closed and barred. - -The appearance of the Indians quickly followed the strange man’s -warning. They had executed forced marches from Detroit, hoping to reach -the “fire-lands” in advance of tidings of the surrender; but found -themselves outwitted. This disappointment only strengthened their desire -for blood, and on the evening that followed the gathering at the fort, -they made their presence known. - -After declaring that the gates should open no more until the danger had -passed, Captain Zebulon Strong left the two men, the younger of whom -turned to the loop-hole looking upon the level plain, that stretched -from the block-house to the river. The moon was shining brightly, and -from his elevated position he caught the shimmer of the Huron’s waves. - -“I have seen no Indian feathers,” he murmured, sweeping the bank with -his eye. “The captain is getting too arbitrary of late. It’s all well -enough to be cautious; but this thing of barring the gates against our -fellow-men won’t do.” - -The last word was spoken in an underbreath, for the crack of rifles -smote his ears, and instantly the block-house was a scene of confusion. - -The reports sounded terribly distinct on the night air, and seemed to -emanate from a spot about three hundred yards down the river. - -“Keep your senses, women!” was heard the stern, hoarse voice of Zebulon -Strong, and the look which he threw upon the timid ones forced them into -quietude. “We are not attacked yet. When the devils have forced the -palisades and swarm up-stairs, then there will be time for shrieks. What -do you see, Harmon?” - -The interrogative was addressed to the youth with whom he had conversed -a short time before, and the motion of the young man’s hand caused the -commandant to step forward. - -“Look through this loop, captain,” said Mark Harmon, stepping aside. -“Look down the river. The Indians have fired on some fugitives, and they -run for their lives.” - -Zebulon Strong put his eyes to the loop-hole, and saw four dark figures -running toward the fort. The foremost was a man, who carried a dark, -human-shaped object over his left shoulder; the others, seemingly, were -women. - -“Open the gates and let ’em in!” cried a voice, and presently the same -words were heard on all sides. - -“_I_ command this block-house!” and with a livid face and flashing -eyeballs, Zebulon Strong sprung from the loop and wheeled upon his -people. “The gates don’t open till _I_ give the order. The Indians are -ready for a rush so soon as the gates grind ajar. Every stump on the -plain shelters a red-skin. No, the gates don’t open!” - -“But the fugitives are the Logans and the Armstrongs!” remonstrated Mark -Harmon, biting his lip with indignation. - -“They belong at Throop’s!” hoarsely hissed the captain. “We’ll be -massacred if we open the gates to them.” - -“Better die for an act of mercy than outraging the dictates of -humanity.” - -A contemptuous sneer came to the captain’s lips, and as he turned to the -port-hole again he drew a pistol. - -“I’ll kill the next man who talks of opening the gates this night,” he -said, fiercely. “The fugitives might have been safe at Throop’s; let -them pay for their decision at our palisades, if it comes to this.” - -The women shrunk to the space allotted to them with epithets of -“monster,” “fiend,” and the like, falling from their lips, and the men -exchanged looks of indignation. - -“They will reach the gates before their pursuers!” cried a watcher at a -port-hole, joyously; but the words fell on blank ears, for the gates, -alas! through the inhumanity of one man, would not be open to them. - -“Levi is carrying his daughter,” said a second settler. “John Logan is -not with them; he must have been shot down the river.” - -The sight of the brave fugitives almost at his gates, and hard pressed -by a savage foe, did not soften Captain Strong’s heart, in which -cowardice and personal fear burrowed like a ground-hog. - -The pale faces of the fugitives were visible in the moonlight, and all -at once a cry came from the very shadow of the palisades: - -“Open the gates!” - -Zebulon Strong turned from the port-hole and halloed to the guards -below: - -“Watch the gates closely. Kill the first man who attempts to open them.” - -“All right, captain!” responded a voice from the darkness below, and the -commandant was rising erect when Mark Harmon leaped upon him. - -The young frontiersman was almost as strong as the captain, and he bore -him to the puncheons before he could resist. - -“I’m sorry it comes to this, captain,” he said, beckoning several men to -his assistance. “We’re not going to let women die at our doors when we -can save them. Now lie still until we release you, or by heavens we’ll -turn you without the fort!” - -Other hands than the young borderman’s now seized the captain, who soon -relinquished his struggles, and Harmon sprung to his feet. - -“Quick, Mark!” cried a man at a port-hole. “Quick! they’re thundering at -the gates.” - -The next instant the youth had disappeared, and six stalwart bordermen -vanished with him like a flash. - -“Helpless friends are at the gate!” he cried, as, pistol in hand, he -sprung toward the sentries. “We command this fort now. Stand back!” - -The sentries, instead of retreating, flew to the work of unbarring the -clumsy gate, and in a moment the work was accomplished. - -“Have you no mercy, Captain Strong?” cried Levi Armstrong’s voice, while -the eight men worked at the fastenings. - -“Yes, yes—in a minute we’ll save you,” shouted young Harmon, and when -the gate flew open he was the first to leap forward. - -As he did so, full twenty dark forms rose from behind as many stumps, -and the next second, a volley poured in at the gate. - -Two of the rescuers staggered back, and Mark Harmon, uninjured, but with -a wounded girl in his arms, turned to the gate again. - -“Quick! they are charging you!” shouted a dozen agonized voices from the -upper portion of the block-house; but such words were unnecessary, for -the men at the gate comprehended their danger. - -The clearing seemed literally covered with savages, and between the -foremost and the bordermen a terrible fight was progressing at the -palisades. A volley was poured into the red ranks from the port-holes, -and a number fell; but the greater portion of the settlers had rushed -below, and were trying to beat the red-skins from the gate that it might -be closed. - -At last, after half an hour of the most desperate fighting on record, -the ponderous gate was swung to again and barred; and with blows -indicative of future vengeance, on the heavy oaken boards, the Indians -retreated to cover. - -Twelve of their number had fallen in the attack, while no less than ten -of the bordermen, or one fourth of the fort’s defenders, lay dead -between the palisades and the strong logs. - -But the mission of humanity had resulted in success! - -Levi Armstrong, his daughter Huldah, and the Logan girls were safe, for -a while at least, behind strong timbers; but the yells of their foes -told the settlers that the Wyandot looked upon his defeat in the light -of success. - -He had reduced the number of the fort’s defenders, when not a single man -could be spared, while the loss of his twelve braves would not be felt -by the hundreds that still remained. - -“Captain Strong,” said Mark Harmon after the fight, “we are willing to -restore you to your command, for we honor your experience in Indian -warfare. Humanity compelled us to treat you as we have. _Now_ we are -willing that the gates shall remain closed.” - -“I should say you were,” said Zebulon Strong, with an ill-concealed -sneer, as he glanced at the dead bordermen who had been borne into the -fort, prior to burial. “I will take command again. I’m to be obeyed in -every thing after this. We are besieged now, and like men we will die, -if die we must, together.” - -His speech was greeted with applause, and many despairing ones took new -hope; but Levi Armstrong whispered to Mark Harmon: - -“The captain must be watched. He hasn’t begun to forgive you fellers for -savin’ our lives.” - -After Zebulon Strong resumed command of the fort, its defensive -resources were thoroughly inspected, and the dead buried. - -The settlers knew that the siege would be pushed with the utmost vigor, -and that every Indian artifice would be used to place them at the mercy -of the tomahawk. - -They could not look to final success, for their supply of water was -meager, and the whole Indian force of the “fire-lands” could be brought -to bear against them. - -“There’s one man whom we should have with us,” remarked a young settler, -in the presence of Captain Strong, shortly after the burial. - -“Who is he?” asked a dozen voices. - -“Wolf-Cap. I tell you he’s worth a dozen rifles.” - -“Ay, a hundred,” said Mark Harmon. “If he and Silver Hand were in the -fort!” - -“We can get along without ’em,” grated Strong, shooting a fierce look at -the young frontiersman. “We’ll fight our own battle without the aid of -illegal squatters and Indians!” - -His last sentence was uttered in a subdued tone, as he turned from the -group, and other men than the old settler and Mark Harmon thought that -the captain would bear watching. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - CAUGHT. - - -Wolf-Cap entertained several good reasons for suggesting Strong’s fort -as a place of refuge for the Armstrong family. Throop’s block-house was -nearer the settler’s cabin than Strong’s; but the latter was better -adapted for defense. It was the strongest post in the “fire-lands,” and -the trapper assured himself that Zebulon Strong would receive the -fugitives with open arms, and hail the settler’s presence with joy. - -Left to his own choice, Levi Armstrong would have sought shelter at -Throop’s, which post his hands had helped to rear, and consequently he -could well claim protection there. The Logans, too, belonged to -Throop’s; but fearful lest the little block-house, illy-defended, would -soon succumb to the red tomahawk, they resolved to seek Strong’s. As the -sequel will show, they would have fared better at the first-named fort. - -The band of six fugitives, after leaving the Armstrong cabin, traveled -fast. Levi counseled a delay till the arrival of Wolf-Cap; but John -Logan and his sisters would listen to no such counsel, and the settler -therefore broke his promise to the trapper. - -The mouth of Eel Creek was reached, and the Huron crossed in safety, and -the fears of the fugitives began to subside. - -Strong’s fort would soon be reached, and then they could bid defiance to -the fiends of the fire-lands. - -But suddenly, while pushing down the left bank of the Huron, the report -of a rifle saluted their ears, and John Logan fell to rise no more. -Instantly the settler turned to combat his foes, when three more shots -were poured into their little ranks by the hidden enemies, and then the -fugitives, knowing themselves near Strong’s and ahead of the slayers, -turned and fled. - -Fortunately, the little party escaped injury by the second volley; but -Levi lifted his daughter from the ground, and bore her, shielded by his -body, to the frontier fort. - -The Indians kept near the fugitives, but did not attempt to make a -capture. They seemed bent on the success of some stratagem, which was -seen by the whites at the eleventh hour. The fort was already invested -by a powerful force of savages fresh from the victory at Detroit, and -certain signals told the settlers’ pursuers of well-laid plans. But the -bravery of the fort’s defenders had defeated the stratagem, as the -reader has seen; but not without the loss of valuable men. - -“Stop, chief! In the name of Heaven, listen to that.” - -The speaker was Card Belt, and it was the volley fired by the -stump-sheltered savages at the opening of Strong’s gates, that called -forth his words. - -“Indians attack fort,” said the Wyandot, in his native tongue. “White -people get to gates, and when they open, Indians shoot.” - -“But a real battle is raging. Hark! I hear the yells of the Indians. -Come! we’ll go and help the boys!” - -But the chief slowly shook his head. - -“No use go there,” he said. “We can’t help pale-faces,” and standing in -the shadows of several giant trees, the couple listened to the sound of -battle. - -The trapper, while he listened, acknowledged the strength of Silver -Hand’s counsel. He believed that Fort Strong was invested, and knew -that, for the present, they could render no assistance to its inmates. -In the future, they might be able to help them. - -At last the couple heard the yells of the beaten savages, and exchanged -looks of satisfaction. - -“I’d like to know whether Levi and his girl got into Strong’s or not,” -said Wolf-Cap, with an anxious expression of countenance. “Silver Hand, -they’d better not touch one o’ Huldah Armstrong’s hairs. I say I’ll kill -the first fellar what does—there! I should judge that its pretty near -midnight now,” he continued, after a pause, during which the Indian made -no attempt to speak. “We’d better be movin’ somewhere. The fellars what -we fooled down on Eel Creek haven’t passed yet; but mebbe they’ve joined -their red brethren by another route. They could do that, you know. The -troubles of Strong’s fort has begun now, and we’ve got to help ’em, -somehow or other. But first, let’s go down to my hut and stir up a few -eatables. Besides, I want to see if every thing’s right thar, and to -liberate Yellow Dick.” - -The Wyandot acquiesced in the trapper’s proposition, and a moment later -the spot was deserted. - -Silver Hand belonged to the same nation that besieged Fort Strong with -malicious intent. During the Revolutionary war the Wyandots divided; a -faction headed by the celebrated Captain Pipe aided the British, while -the minor division, under the leadership of White Eyes, sided with the -colonies. The factions refused to come together after the war, so when -the second trouble with English oppression sought the combat of lead and -steel, the unreconciled Indians resumed their old relations. The English -Wyandots, led by Splitlog and Roundhead joined Proctor’s forces, while -the friends of the United States opposed them. To the latter party -Silver Hand belonged. - -He was present at the encounter of Hull, but effected his escape after -that catastrophe, and hastened to his old hunting-grounds—the -fire-lands. - -The white trapper and his staunch red ally reached the vicinity of the -proscribed cabin during that period of darkness preceding dawn. - -The skies were darkened overhead, for the moon had disappeared, and the -scene was made quite dismal by the ominous hootings of a great owl -perched upon the cone of the hut. - -“Things are too still here for me, Silver Hand,” whispered the trapper, -in his cautious tone, when they had halted near the solitary hut. “I’ve -come home at all times o’ nights and mornin’s, but never afore hev I -see’d an owl on the roof. Jest listen to ’im. Why I kin hear ’im say ‘go -away’ as plainly as I hear his voice. No, chief, I don’t rush into the -old hut jist now. We’re on the edge of a trap!” - -Silver Hand did not appear to hear the trapper’s words. - -His body was bent forward, and he was trying to discern the minutiæ of -the cabin and its immediate vicinity. But the darkness baffled him. - -For the period of an hour the twain crouched, like bowlders, in their -place of concealment, and then Wolf-Cap moved forward, leaving the -Indian to await his return. - -He approached the cabin until the owl suddenly vacated his perch, and -hied away to the forest. Quickly but noiselessly, then, the trapper -returned to his ally. - -“Owl gone,” said Silver Hand, before the white man could find a tongue. -“Who scared ’im?” - -“That’s jest what I’m goin’ to tell you, chief. My cabin is inhabited. I -know it, and somebody from the inside frightened that owl. I know that -the bird didn’t leave of his own accord, and he didn’t see a mouse, -either. Now, I’m going to find out who’s taken possession of the hut.” - -Thereupon a series of snake-like movements were inaugurated by the -couple, who succeeded in passing around the cabin without discovering a -foe. - -Whoever was in the hut kept very quiet, and the mystery deepened with -each succeeding moment. - -His dog’s silence increased Wolf-Cap’s suspicion of foul-play. Yellow -Dick had always greeted his return with a peculiar cry; but now the -death of silence reigned, and the trapper had touched the wall of his -old home without eliciting any noise from the dog. - -A second inspection of the clearing and adjacent forest followed the -first, and then Wolf-Cap turned suddenly upon the Indian, with -compressed lips. - -“I won’t stand it any longer,” he said, sternly. “The rascal’s got to -show himself now. Watch everywhere, chief, while I oust ’im. If I don’t -do it, the Night-Hawks will.” - -The last sentence was spoken in an undertone; and with a quantity of -light brushwood the trapper moved toward the cabin. - -By the help of steps cut in the logs he ascended to the roof, and -deposited his burden between the dry clapboards. Then he sprinkled a -quantity of powder among the combustible stuff, and ignited the whole -with his flints. - -“Now!” he exclaimed, springing to the ground and glancing up at the fire -taking firm hold on the clapboards. “Now, I fancy as how the fellow will -show himself.” - -His surmises proved correct. - -The tenants of his cabin did show themselves. The roof of the cabin was -soon in a blaze, and the twain watched the door with ready rifles. A -lurid light overspread the clearing, and bathed the bosom of the river -in romantic beauty. - -By and by the trapper began to think that, after all, he had surmised -incorrectly, for the howls of a dog emanated from the burning building. -Silver Hand listened to the cries, the suspicious part of his nature -fully aroused, and himself undecided how to act. - -Wolf-Cap wanted to save his dog, and the Indian noted the working of his -face in the firelight that stole to their retreat. - -“Silver Hand, I’ve been taken in,” said Belt, suddenly. “I can’t hear -Dick howl that way. By Huron! he shan’t cry for mercy when _I_ am -about!” - -“But why he keep still so long?” retorted Silver Hand, quickly. “Trapper -answer that if he kin!” - -It is doubtful whether Wolf-Cap caught the gist of the Wyandot’s -sentences, for he jerked his arm from the red fingers that encircled it, -and rushed in to the firelight. - -The thought of his noble dog—the guardian of his life and home for many -years—cooped up within a blazing building, blinded him to the arguments -of caution, and the Indian muttered an oath and leaped to his feet when -he saw that Wolf-Cap was gone! - -The daring trapper had reached the path that led from his door to a -spring near the river, when he suddenly paused. - -A strange and suspicious voice beyond the logs had startled him. - -It sounded like a man’s voice, and his acute senses had already shaped -it into the words, “All ready?” - -He had not time to turn to join Silver Hand nor to signal him. He was -within six feet of the cabin door, and was looking to his rifle, when -the ponderous oaken portal swung wide, and five stalwart fellows threw -themselves upon him. - -They—the Night-Hawks—were the tenants of his cabin! - -He retreated a step, and delivered a shot that stretched one man upon -the ground, and then, after a desperate struggle, he was secured and his -weapons taken from him. - -Silver Hand lent no assistance to his friend; and his assistance would -have availed the trapper nothing. Therefore the chief’s disappearance -was not a sign of cowardice; on the contrary it was a sign of good -judgment, big with assurances of future help. - -“So, cabin-burner, you have bid defiance to the Night-Hawks,” said the -spokesman of the outlaws, pointing to the paper still visible on the -cabin door: “No block-house shall shelter me. I spare not, and no mercy -ask.” - -A wild laugh greeted this quotation from the trapper’s defiance, and the -outlaws crowded near him. - -“Men, I mean every word I have written on my door,” he said, calmly. -“There war nine of ye; there ar’ but eight now,” and here his glance -fell upon the man whom he had shot dead. “I war willin’ to take the odds -ag’in’ me for I am no illegal squatter, and I hate outlaws. Royal Funk, -I am free to confess that you’ve got the upper hand now.” - -“And I’m going to keep it, Card Belt,” replied the desperado, with a -smile. “I posted a fair warning on your door last night. ‘Fly or die,’ -it said. You would not fly, so—” - -“I must die, eh?” - -“Just so.” - -“When—now?” - -“No. We’re going to take you down to the Indians at Fort Strong, and I -guess the Night-Hawks will treat the settlers to a public execution. You -and Silver Hand played it on us to-night. We were following the -Armstrongs when you called us back.” - -“So you came down here and hid in the old cabin?” - -“Yes.” - -“Whar’s my dog?” - -“In the house.” - -A twitch of pain followed by an angry pallor, came to the trapper’s -lips, and the light of vengeance flashed in his eyes. - -“Come, Frank, let’s be goin’,” said one of the outlaws at this juncture. -“’Tis gettin’ day, an’ Splitlog may need us at Strong’s. We want to be -there at the death.” - -“For that moment you must wait a long time,” said Wolf-Cap, addressing -the leader of the Night-Hawks. “Strong’s is prepared to stand a -desperate siege.” - -“True; but its fate is inevitable. Card Belt, so sure as the sun rises -this day, Strong’s fort shall be given to the flames, and its inmates, -all save one, to the tomahawk. We are determined to depopulate ‘the -fire-lands.’ Why man, four hundred Indians invest the fort at this hour. -How can it escape?” - -“It can! it shall!” cried the trapper. “But,” and his tone softened, -“but you say that one person in Strong’s shall not die. Pray, Royal -Funk, who is to be thus favored?” - -“A certain woman—my lady-love,” said the outlaw, striking a ridiculous -attitude, with his head thrown back, and his thumbs inserted into the -sides of his hunting-frock just below the armpits. “What! didn’t you -know I was in love, Wolf-Cap?” - -“No.” - -“Why, all these brave fellows know it. They’ve patted me on the back and -said, ‘Go it, Roy.’ But the mirth of the whole matter is, Belt, that -I’ve never told my love to her. She’s ignorant of my passion, and you -see I must get her out of Strong’s so as to breathe it softly into her -ears. Old Levi might object; but _I generally marry orphans_!” - -Despite his anticipations, Wolf-Cap started when the identity of the -outlaw’s love was declared. - -What! should Royal Funk, the Night-Hawk captain, possess Huldah -Armstrong? - -Not, thought Wolf-Cap, if he could prevent him. But he was under -sentence of death, and stood in the shadow of the Terror’s wing. - -Half an hour after the capture of Wolf-Cap, the Night-Hawks started to -join the besiegers of Strong’s fort. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - THE OUTCROPPINGS OF TREASON. - - -When the flush of day broke upon Strong’s fort, not a foe was to be -seen. - -The numerous stumps in the clearing sheltered no feathered head; but the -whites knew that their enemies had not raised the siege. The greater -portion of the dusky besiegers had withdrawn to the river bank, while -large numbers lay behind the hill, in the rear of the fort. - -But, as the light became stronger, the defenders caught glimpses of -tufts of feathers along the river; but no shots were fired. - -In the opinion of several settlers, the perilous situation of affairs -called for a council of war, and accordingly Captain Strong, much -against his will, was induced to convene such an assembly. The council -met in the lower room of the fort. - -“Men,” said Strong, who could not conceal his ill-humor, “as I have -said, I see no necessity for this council. I thought _I_ was director of -affairs here, and when Indians are to be dealt with, I know what to do. -But I will listen to any suggestions you may offer, and, if I like, will -adopt them.” - -Several old “fire-lands” men shook their heads gravely at the captain’s -words; but made no reply. - -Mark Harmon, the young frontiersman, opened the council. - -“In the first place,” he said, “we need a new well.” - -“We have a well, sir,” said Strong, tartly. - -“You seem to forget that we have depended on the river for much water. -That supply is effectually cut off now, and our sole well will not -supply the demand in case the fort should be set on fire with blazing -arrows. We are in for a desperate siege; the result of the gate battle -has exasperated our foes, and they will leave no hellish contrivance for -our capture untried. I look for terrible times to-night.” - -“And you will not be disappointed, Harmon,” said an old gray-haired -settler. “We stand on the edge of a crater.” - -“Gentlemen, I anticipate but little hardship,” said Strong, who had -listened to the young scout, with a clearly defined sneer. “The Wyandots -will abandon the siege before two days, for there are other forts weaker -than ours. Throop’s, Martin’s, and Westfall’s can not withstand a siege. -Knowing this, the Indians will desert us for them; then, during their -absence, we can strengthen our own resources.” - -“Suppose, captain, that an attack should be made to-night, and our roof -be set on fire,” said Levi Armstrong. “’Tis said that there are but two -feet of water in the well now, and none flowing in.” - -“The statement is not correct,” retorted Strong, quickly. “Yesterday I -fathomed four feet of water, and more was entering. The well is a good -one, and can not be dipped dry. I know whereof I speak; therefore my -positiveness, gentlemen.” - -The council broke up without a command being given for a new well. A -number of the settlers sided with Zebulon Strong; but a wary few felt -that the proposed well was an absolute want. - -However, Mark Harmon got a guard over their water supply, and each -family received a certain quantity of the precious fluid. The -stubbornness of the captain was the cause of much comment; but as he was -an old woodman and knew much of Indian sieges, it was generally admitted -that he knew best, and so the day wore on. - -“Do you think we will be attacked to-night, Mr. Harmon?” - -The speaker’s mellow tones denoted her to be Huldah Armstrong, and she -looked anxiously into the borderer’s face as she asked the question. -They stood near a port-hole that looked at the hills, behind whose bare -summit the sun had just disappeared. - -“I look for bloodshed before dawn,” he said. “The savages would have us -believe that they have deserted the vicinity; but they still remain. -They are not going to raise the siege so soon after its inauguration, -Miss Armstrong.” And then glancing through the port he quickly changed -the subject. “But your run for life was perilous.” - -“Yes; and, Mr. Harmon, father says we owe our lives to your daring. -Therefore, let me thank you.” - -He blushed to his temples and averted his eyes, which had returned to -her face. - -“No thanks, Miss Armstrong. The brave fellows who fought at the gates -are the heroes, not I. But I am rejoiced to see you safe after such a -noble run for life. But—” - -“A flag—a flag!” was the cry that broke the youth’s sentence, and drew -his eye to the musket port again. - -“As I live, Miss Armstrong, our foes are treating us to a flag of -truce,” he said, his eyes still riveted upon several figures that had -suddenly appeared on the top of the hill. “This is an action by me -entirely unexpected. What can it mean?” - -Captain Strong was soon notified of the approach of the flag, and -watched it through one of the openings. - -His face worked strangely while he looked, and there was the light of -vengeance in his large, sloe-black eyes. But he kept his face near the -port, so that no one in the fort could study its expressions. - -“If they demand a surrender, of course you will refuse to comply, -captain,” ventured an old settler, who stood near the borderman. - -Instantly, with a face crimsoned with rage, Zebulon Strong wheeled from -the little embrasure: - -“Am I to be dictated to on every hand?” he cried, appealing to the -inmates of the apartment. “If I am captain here merely in name, I want -to know it. I know a thing or two, and if I am to be advised by every -frightened man and woman in the fort, you can take my broken sword, and -elect another commander. What! surrender to yon horde of butcherers? -Never. When they take Fort Strong, there shall be no living soul to -torture.” - -A loud cheer greeted Strong’s final words, and cries of, “We want no -other captain!” “Do what you please!” resounded on every side. - -So the officer sheathed the Revolutionary sword which he had drawn, and -turned to see that the bearers of the flag of truce had halted about -twenty yards from the palisades. - -“Ho! Captain Strong,” came a loud and clear voice from the little group, -and it was seen that the speaker was a white man clad in the full -scarlet uniform of a British officer. - -“Well, what is wanting?” answered Strong, through the embrasure. - -“You are surrounded by nine hundred Indians, and four hundred of his -majesty’s troops,” said the spokesman of the flag-bearers. “Colonel -O’Neill, commander of the combined forces, desires to spare the effusion -of noble blood, and therefore summons you to surrender at once.” - -“Upon what terms?” asked Strong, as a murmur of defiance ran through the -ranks of the fort’s defenders. - -“Your people will be permitted to depart in peace; but the fort, of -course, will be destroyed,” said the Briton. - -“Nine hundred Indians and four hundred British,” said Strong, turning to -his men after the Englishman’s last words. “I did not think the odds -were so terrible.” - -“The soldier lies!” cried Levi Armstrong, stepping forward. “He has -spoken to terrify us, and the quarter we would receive is the quarter -given to Captain Heald at Chicago. Bordermen, remember that massacre of -men, women and children. Shall we surrender?” - -“No! no!” rung on every side, and Captain Strong’s face assumed the hue -of ashes. - -“What is your answer?” cried the English officer, his impatience -manifest in his voice. “Colonel O’Neill pledges his word of honor as a -soldier of his majesty’s army, that the tomahawk shall be withheld in -the event of a quick surrender. He can control the Wyandots, and he -will. If the commander of your fort is Zebulon Strong, he then knows -Colonel Argent O’Neill to be a gentleman.” - -“Colonel Argent O’Neill—I know him,” said the captain. “But my men -refuse to surrender.” - -“Colonel O’Neill speaks to Captain Strong—not to his men,” returned the -soldier, proudly; but with a sneer of contempt in his tone. - -“Go back to your commander and tell him that Fort Strong will be the -abode of the dead when he takes it. We know a Briton’s promise to be but -another name for a lie.” - -The last speaker was Mark Harmon, and his words were applauded as he -turned from the embrasure. - -“I was about to answer him,” said Strong, in a hoarse voice. - -“He is answered!” was the young borderman’s reply. - -The captain bit his lips and turned to the port again as the British -officer spoke: - -“The consequences be upon your own head, Captain Strong,” he said. “I -have performed my duty; you have refused to perform yours. My colonel -will give the conduct of the siege to the Indians now.” - -Thereupon the speaker turned abruptly on his heel, and the flag of truce -disappeared over the brow of the hill. - -A minute later the flash of a musket and the thud of a bullet told the -defenders of Fort Strong that the battle had opened. - -A single gun from the fort sent a defiance to the hidden foes, and for -the space of an hour quiet reigned. - -Captain Strong now seemed eager to defend the block-house to the last, -and exchanged words of encouragement with the settlers as he inspected -the defenses. - -“Well, we’re in for it, now, Morgan,” he said, in a low tone, to a burly -fellow stationed near the gate where, a few hours before, so much blood -had been shed. “They refuse to surrender, and now your part of the work -comes. Are you ready?” - -“Yes,” answered the sentry, glancing around. “The darkness will aid me.” - -“Can you scale the wall?” - -“Easily from the inside here.” - -“Then make haste. You know the signal. I will do the rest.” - -Captain Strong slipped a piece of paper into the guard’s hand as he -spoke the last word, and turned away. - -The next moment Morgan Sawyer scaled the pickets, and dropped to the -ground on the outer side! - -Then he ran toward the hill under cover of the intense darkness. For -dense clouds obscured the sky from horizon to horizon, thus effectually -blotting out the light of the moon. - -Captain Strong had hardly gained the interior of the fort, when Sawyer’s -escape was discovered. - -“What! a traitor among us?” cried the commander, counterfeiting -indignation and surprise to an admirable degree. “And at the gate, too! -Harmon and Cole, at once to the portals! I know _you_ can be trusted. -Matt Hunter, you will take Isaac’s place at the well. Curse Morg Sawyer! -may the fiends scalp him for his treachery!” - -The commander’s wish was echoed by more than one determined settler, who -waited for the onslaught of the savages. - -The men at the embrasures listened and looked for their foes, and -Zebulon Strong walked uneasily about, listening all the time for a -certain sound. - -Once or twice he pushed the long black locks from his ears, and paused -for a moment at one of the ports. - -Suddenly a pistol-shot came from the hill, then another, and another. - -Strong was descending to the first floor of the block-house when the -sounds fell upon his ears, and he paused in the center of the ladder -with a smile. - -“Morg has succeeded,” he said, in the lowest of mutterings. “Now let -Hunter do his duty.” - -The pistol-shots died away, and no volley of musketry followed. - -In the dim light of the candles, old Levi Armstrong looked at Mark -Harmon and moved to his side. - -“What do you think now?” he whispered. - -“The foe on the hill is signaling the foe by the river.” - -“Thus you interpret the shots?” - -“Yes.” - -“I differ. They are the result of Morg Sawyer’s treason. This roof still -shelters his confederates.” - -The young hunter caught the settler’s arm. - -“For heaven’s sake, whom do you suspect?” he asked. “Tell me. We must -act at once if we have traitors in our midst.” - -The old man bent nearer to reply, when the whiz of a burning arrow -startled him, and caused him to spring to the embrasure. - -But the fiery missile missed the fort, and quivered in a stump near the -river. - -“Now take the buckets, men!” cried the voice of Captain Strong. “We must -fight fire with water!” - -Instantly a score of stout leathern buckets were brought into -requisition, and the boards that covered the well removed. - -“A little water for the women, first,” said Levi Armstrong, dropping one -of the buckets into the well by means of a rope. - -Down, down went the receptacle, and the men stood about with anxious -faces. They wanted to know how much water was in the well, for upon a -generous supply of the fluid, their lives and the lives of their wives -and little ones depended. - -At last the bucket was heard to strike water, and old Levi looked up -almost despairingly. - -“There’s scarcely two feet o’ water in the well,” he said. - -“I fathomed four last night,” said Zebulon Strong, confidently. “But -quick! draw up, Armstrong, and let more buckets be lowered. The burning -arrows shoot from the hill like meteors.” - -The next instant the water was at the top, and the settler threw the -rope to Matt Hunter. - -“This is for the women,” said the old man; “but I’ll taste it first.” - -He raised the bucket to his lips, but a moment later ejected the -mouthful of water which he had taken, and started toward the well, with -flashing eyes. - -“Let nobody swallow a drop of that water!” he cried. “It has been -poisoned, and the poisoner is still sheltered by the roof of Fort -Strong!” - -The effect of the startling words was utterly indescribable. It could -not have been equaled by the sudden dropping of a thunderbolt into the -fort. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - WITHOUT THE FORT. - - -During the brief period of time that intervened between the battle at -the gates and the discharge of blazing arrows at the fort itself, the -beautiful fire-lands had not escaped the vengeance of the settlers’ -enemies. - -The deserted cabins were given over to the mercies of the torch, and the -work of months perished in a few hours. The red burners were accompanied -by British soldiers, who outdid the fiends of the forest in heartless -ferocity, and at nightfall they returned to the besiegers loaded with -plunder and glutted with diabolism. - -“Well, what are you going to do with your man, now that you’ve got him?” -asked Colonel O’Neill of Royal Funk, when the outlaw reappeared at the -British head-quarters, fresh from the work of destruction above referred -to. - -“What am I going to do with ’im, colonel? Why, I’ll tell you. It was my -intention to execute ’im on top o’ the hill, yesterday; but I’ve changed -my mind. There’s a girl in Fort Strong—a girl whom I want—Huldah -Armstrong, and strange to say, Card Belt wants her, too.” - -“Ah! I see,” said the British officer, with a smile. “He is your rival.” - -“Yes, colonel; but I hold the best hand now, as you will admit by -glancing at the cards. We are bound to take the fort.” - -“It will be ours before another sunset. You know what Strong is doing?” - -“Andrews told me, an hour since. But can we rely on him?” - -“We can,” said O’Neill, assuringly, and with emphasis. “Strong, at the -heart, is a coward, yet he will do desperate things. He was a secret -Tory in Herkimer county, New York, during the Revolution, and while -campaigning in that region, I became acquainted with him. More than once -he furnished me with valuable information concerning the movements of -the enemy, and I believe that the rebels never suspected him. His -loyalty to King George has never for a moment abated. I tell you we have -a friend in Fort Strong, without whom we could do nothing. For Splitlog -was about to relinquish the siege when the deserter reached our camp -with Strong’s proposition. Now the Indians will stay with us. But the -thread of your story has been broken. I want to know what you are going -to do with the squatter.” - -“Oh, I’ll tell you in a few words,” answered the leader of the -Night-Hawks. “I’m going to marry Huldah Armstrong in his presence, after -the Wyandot fashion, and then—why, then I’m going to dispose of him.” - -“After the Wyandot fashion, also, I suppose,” smiled the colonel. - -“Just so,” said Funk, returning the smile. “When do you open the -battle?” - -“The Indians are preparing the fiery arrows now,” was the reply. “Ha! -there goes one, already!” and the colonel’s hand directed the outlaw’s -gaze to a blazing arrow shooting toward the fort. - -It was quickly followed by another and another, until a perfect shower -of fiery missiles rained upon the fort. - -But the firm and dry clap-boards that formed the roof resisted nobly, -and the arrows rebounded and dropped into the yard below. - -“We must get the arrows _under_ the boards,” said O’Neill, turning to -the chief, Splitlog, who stood at his side. “Send some of your bravest -Wyandots nearer the fort, and tell them to shoot their red arrows -beneath the roof.” - -“Indians get shot down if they go nearer fort,” returned the chief, with -a shrug of the shoulders. “Let white chief send _his_ men.” - -O’Neill bit his lip with anger. - -“Who proposed this attack?” he cried, with flashing eyes. “I brought my -men hither at your request. They were not to risk their lives. If your -Indians are brave, they can fire the fort.” - -Splitlog turned away without another word, and a few minutes later a -number of fiery arrows were seen to ascend almost from beneath the very -palisades. Several remained in the roof, and Colonel O’Neill clapped his -hands over the demon’s success. - -Thus far during the battle not a shot had been fired from the fort. The -allies wondered at this silence; but they were not cognizant of the -thrilling scenes being enacted behind the strong walls. - -Lashed to a tree on the river’s bank, and strongly guarded by three -white men and two Wyandots, Wolf-Cap saw the discharge of the fiery -missiles. Since his arrival among the allies he had seen nothing of -Royal Funk; but he knew that that worthy had absented himself but -temporarily. - -“We’ll get the fort to-night,” said one of the outlaws, turning to -Wolf-Cap, during the flight of the blazing shafts. - -“Sir, you don’t know who defends it,” the trapper said, quickly, and -with pride. “Yon walls protect the bravest men in New Connecticut.” - -“But, Captain Strong—what do you think of _him_?” asked the outlaw, with -a curious smile. - -“He has completely deceived me.” - -The white guards exchanged significant glances. - -“What do you know about him, Belt?” - -“I know that he intends to betray a lot of women and children to the -tender mercies of the tomahawk. I’ve seen Mary Sawyer in your camp. I -heard the three pistol-shots on the hill. I have heard something about -Strong’s antecedents, and, putting things together, I kin read the -blackest tale of treason on record.” - -“Wouldn’t you like to be in the fort, just now?” taunted Sam Cole, the -Night-Hawk. - -The trapper’s eyes flashed; but he said nothing. - -“But how about that notice you put on your door for us? You said that no -walls should protect you while you fought us.” - -“I intend to adhere to that declaration,” said Wolf-Cap firmly. - -“So you wouldn’t creep into Fort Strong if we war to let you go?” - -“I would not!” - -The outlaws laughed derisively. - -“I’ve a mind to try you,” said Cole, drawing his knife and glancing at -his fellow-guards. - -Wolf-Cap said nothing. - -The place where they stood was thickly studded with young trees and tall -grass, the latter much soiled by human feet. A fire some distance down -the river threw a weird light over the scene; but toward the fort, in -its river front, the depth of darkness prevailed. - -The Indian guards gazed at the outlaw with an immobility of countenance, -and when he stepped toward the trapper with uplifted knife, they did not -interpose a hand. They had lately taken their stations as Wolf Cap’s -guards, and had watched the helpless man with vigilant eyes. - -“I say I’ve a mind to try you, Wolf-Cap,” reiterated the outlaw. - -“No, it won’t do, Sam,” suddenly cried another, springing forward and -laying his brawny hand on Cole’s shoulder. “He’ll escape if you cut his -cords. What do a squatter’s words amount to? Let him be!” - -For a moment Cole glared fiercely upon the speaker, and then sullenly -dropped the knife again. - -“I’ve heard that Card Belt is a man of his word,” he said. “And I want -to try ’im.” - -With the last word the outlaw shook the hand from his shoulder, and -stepped toward the trapper again. - -“Don’t do it, Sam.” - -“I will!” - -“You shan’t!” - -The knife of the last speaker suddenly leaped from its leathern sheath, -and he advanced upon Cole, who turned and pushed him back. - -“Stand off, Duke White,” were Cole’s menacing words. “I don’t want a -difficulty with you. I know what I’m doing. I’ll try Wolf-Cap if I wish -to.” - -“You shall not!” and White tried to step between Cole and the captive. - -But, with a fierce oath, Cole hurled Duke from the tree. Duke recovered -in a moment, and with all the baser passions of his soul fully aroused, -he sprung at his Titan comrade. - -Cole saw the movement, and received the attack with the knife, for it -was apparent that the blood of a Night-Hawk had to be shed by a -brother’s hand. - -I say that Cole met the attack with the knife, and blood flowed from the -wound inflicted in Duke White’s breast by the shining steel. The next -moment they had grappled, and swayed to and fro in the struggle of life -and death like contending giants. - -The third white guard started forward to strike Cole with clubbed rifle, -when one of the Indians, with a quick glance at his companion, leaped -toward the tree. - -A knife flashed in the brave’s hands, and when it descended Wolf-Cap -sprung from the sycamore—free! He saw the second savage hurl the third -guard into the murky waves of the Huron, and glanced at the struggling -Night-Hawks, now on the ground. - -“Wolf-Cap run down the river,” said the trapper’s deliverer, quickly -pointing down the stream. - -“No! I go to the fort, Silver Hand. Seek the black cave. I’ll meet you -there at dawn. Quick! They come.” - -He spoke in the Wyandot tongue, and the next instant bounded toward the -fort. He glided rapidly through the gloom, avoiding the numerous stumps, -and yells on the river-bank told him that the deed just enacted there -had been discovered. - -But he ran on, unarmed, save with a knife, which Silver Hand had thrust -into his grip, and he struck the ponderous gate of the palisade twice -with the bony hilt. - -“Guard! guard!” he shouted, and then he heard the sentry speak to some -one beyond the pickets. - -“Listen! I know that voice.” - -“’Tis me—Wolf-Cap,” called the trapper quickly upon the guard’s words. -“I don’t want to get in. Captain Strong is a traitor; he has promised to -betray you into the hands of the Indians!” - -A moment of silence followed. The trapper had paused for breath. - -“Your roof is on fire. Put it out, and see to the traitor. Hold out like -men. You’ll get help from outside by-and-by.” - -Then Wolf-Cap turned from the gate and started toward the river. - -The darkness favored his flight. As yet no attack had been made upon the -fort from the stream. The major portion of the besiegers were on the -hill, the summit of which was on a level with the embrasures, into which -the foe could shoot with effect. - -Thus far the enemy had trusted to the blazing arrows; but, as the -trapper gained the stream, a volley was poured into the block-house. - -The next moment it was returned by the besieged, and numerous cries told -Wolf-Cap that some of the foe had fallen. - -“I don’t like to leave the boys,” said the trapper, sadly, pausing in -his flight, and listening to the battle which had now opened furiously. -“And Huldah is yonder in the midst of it all. But the Indians wait for -me at the cave. Three can do more than one. I wish the two war here now; -then—” - -There was the quick, sharp snapping of a twig, and Silver Hand and his -assistant stood before the trapper. - -“We no go to cave,” said Silver Hand. “Hide here ’while to watch fight. -But look, Wolf-Cap! roof all on fire. Why don’t pale-faces put it out? -They got water in fort.” - -“Yes, but the traitor has disabled them somehow. I’m afraid it’s all day -with the brave fellows. But they shan’t die alone!” and the trapper -started forward. - -“Silver Hand and Golden Cheek go with Wolf-Cap,” said the Wyandot, and a -moment later the trio were hurrying toward the seemingly doomed -structure. - -That side of the roof which looked to the hill was in a furious blaze, -which threw a lurid glare upon the battle-ground, and the discharges of -musketry by both parties resembled a pitched battle. - -Suddenly the artillery of heaven added its thunder to the fight, and -great drops of rain began to fall thick and fast from the inky clouds. - -But let us return to the fort, and see what followed Levi Armstrong’s -discovery of the poisoning of the well. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - THE WORK OF A LIE. - - -The settler’s eyes fell upon Zebulon Strong, as the startling words -written at the conclusion of chapter five rung from his lips. - -But the captain stood the scrutiny unflinchingly, and started forward -with drawn sword. - -“The traitor shall die!” he cried. “Let every one look to his neighbor, -and watch him closely. As for myself, I believe that Morg Sawyer is the -villain; but he is beyond our power. Men, to the lower floor with picks; -we’ll dig another well immediately. By the help of God, we’ll hold out -against the red and white fiends until fresh water can be struck!” - -He turned away as he finished, and was ordering a number of men below to -inaugurate the digging of a new well, when Huldah Armstrong bounded -toward the settler and touched his arm. - -“Father,” she said, in a cautious tone, “Captain Strong is the traitor! -I was standing near the logs, a moment since, and heard Wolf-Cap at the -gate. He told the guards that our captain had betrayed us into the hands -of the savages.” - -The next instant Levi jerked his arm from Huldah’s grip, and started -toward Strong, who was handing buckets of water to the men on the roof. - -“Men,” he cried, in thunderous tones, “treason must not thrive here. -Captain Strong, you must consider yourself the prisoner of the -garrison.” - -Before turning to the old settler the traitor passed the bucket he was -in the act of lifting to the nearest man. - -He retained a wonderful self composure. - -“I submit, if it be the will of the men,” he said, calmly. “Heaven -forefend that I should seek to betray these women and children into -merciless hands,” and he glanced around on the swarthy faces revealed by -the tallow dips. - -“Let the captain help us,” cried several voices; but old Levi silenced -the speakers with a look. - -“I’d like to, but it won’t do,” he said. “The evidence is strong against -him. I saw him whispering to Morg Sawyer at the gate, a minute before -that dog’s desertion, and Wolf-Cap has just shouted over the palisades -that he is a traitor.” - -For the first time the captain’s face grew pale, and Levi proceeded to -disarm him. - -“I’m sorry for all this, Cap,” he said, sympathetically; “but you see, -we’ve got to do it, and—” - -“Arrest Captain Strong!” interrupted a sturdy young settler, whose head -shot above the hatchway at this juncture. “Wolf-Cap has just halloed -over the gate that he is a traitor. Ah! so you’ve already caught the -dog! Zeb Strong, for a shilling I’d strike you stiff and cold on these -boards. I’ve two sisters here, and to think that you would give them -over to the tomahawk!” - -The youth towered before the suspected man with flashing eyes and -leveled gun, and other weapons were drawn to shed the captain’s blood. - -“No, no, boys; he’s not condemned yet,” said Levi Armstrong, pushing the -weapons aside. “We’ll tend to him after the fight.” - -“But we may not win.” - -“Then, of course, he dies.” - -A guard of several men was placed over the captain, who was taken below -where strong arms threw up the earth in great heaps. Mad eyes fell upon -the captive, and he was told that his life would be forfeited if he -attempted to escape. - -Above, the settlers fought the flames at the risk of their lives, for -the foe were raining bullets from the hill and the battle had opened in -terrible earnest. - -Suddenly a startling cry came from the vicinity of the well. - -“No more water!” - -And the words were echoed on every side. Mothers pressed their babes to -their breasts, and told the little ones that the last drop of water had -been drawn from the well! - -“What of the fire?” shouted Armstrong to the men on the roof. - -“If we had more water we could master it,” was the reply. “Without water -we are doomed.” - -Then he leaped to the gangway and cried to the well-diggers below. - -“No water yet?” - -“No!” was the despairing answer. - -The fire-fighters threw the buckets from the roof and clambered down -after them. But all who went up did not come down. Several had been shot -by the enemy, and lay dead on the ground between the fort and the -palisades. - -Now every one believed that the fort was doomed to destruction. The -clapboards on the western roof were blazing furiously, and cinders were -falling among the besieged. The light added to the ghastly scene; but -the settlers stood nobly at the port-holes and more than one shot proved -the death-knell of a foe. - -All at once a peal of thunder, rattling over their heads, shook the fort -to its very foundation, and ejaculations of joy burst from every throat. - -“God be praised!” cried a woman bursting from the shuddering throng with -her babe in her arms. “He is sending the rain to save us. Praised be His -holy name!” - -A moment later and the storm clouds broke and great gray drops fell -splattering in the fire. - -The rain was greeted with a hearty cheer that reached the ears of the -besiegers, and every faint heart took hope. For a moment the rain -descended in scattered quantities, and then it came down in gigantic and -irresistible sheets. - -“We are saved—hurrah! hurrah!” cried the younger settlers, stepping back -from the ports and slipping in the blood and water that covered the -puncheons. “Open the well and let the water in.” - -Sure enough, the crimson demon was yielding to the deluge, and every one -saw in their deliverance the hand of Deity. - -“We’re not out of the fire yet,” said Levi Armstrong, calmly, for to him -command of the fort had been given by unanimous consent. “After the rain -we must fight again, then no roof can protect us—the fire-arrows will -drop among us. But we must to work. Remove the ammunition below to a dry -place, and let our dead be laid aside and the wounded cared for.” - -Brave men sprung with eagerness to the task. Several kegs of powder were -carried below, and the loss of the garrison looked after. - -It was discovered that it had suffered quite severely during the battle. -From behind stumps, the Indians had fired into the ports, distinctly -revealed by the widely-leaping flames of the roof, and with fatal -effect. The majority of the stricken settlers were killed outright—shot -through the head—while every wound was dangerous. Twenty-one men had -fallen, including the loss at the gate and another, Morgan Sawyer, had -deserted. - -The well-diggers struck water as the storm broke over the fort; but they -did not cease their labors, for they knew that it would not last long—a -summer shower, but a furious, a saving one. - -“Miss Armstrong, can I trust you?” - -“You can.” - -“Then come with me.” - -The first speaker was Matt Hunter, the man whom Captain Strong had -placed over the well after Sawyer’s defection. - -He was a small, wiry man, rather prepossessing in appearance, and had -fought like a tiger with the water buckets. - -Huldah Armstrong drew from his look that he had something in view for -the good of the garrison, and followed him to the gangway. - -But, as the settler had put his foot on the first round of the ladder, -the face of a strange man was revealed below, and he started back. - -“Wolf-Cap!” he shouted to the busy men and women about him. “Wolf-Cap is -here!” - -Immediately the cry of “Wolf-Cap” resounded throughout the fort, and the -next minute the Night-Hawks’ foe appeared above the hatch! - -“Welcome, welcome, neighbor Belt!” cried old Levi, springing to the -trapper. “Bloody times, these.” - -“Ay, ay,” said Wolf-Cap, quickly. “But to the ports; This is the darkest -hour of the night. The foe is crawling through the storm both from the -river and hill. Thank heaven! the rain has saved your fort.” - -The settlers sprung to their places. - -“The demons carry ladders,” continued Wolf-Cap, “and they’ll make a -desperate effort to carry the palisades by storm.” - -Matt Hunter and Huldah did not wait to hear the trapper’s words, but -hurried below and paused before the guard at the lower door. - -“You can’t get out here,” said the sentry. - -“Can’t,” echoed Hunter. “We’re on a mission from our new captain.” - -“True, Miss?” asked the soldier, looking at Huldah. - -“Mr. Hunter should know,” she answered, and the heavy door was unbolted, -and they stepped into the yard. - -“Miss Armstrong, I am on a secret mission for your father,” he said, -when they heard the door shut violently. “I can not disclose it yet, so -please bear with me. We must now relieve the gate guards.” - -He walked rapidly toward the gate, where three sturdy settlers stood. - -“Jones, Vanderberg and Poston, I believe,” he said, pausing before the -trio, whose forms were just visible in the gloom. - -“Yes,” answered a rough voice, “them’s we. What’s wanting?” - -“Our new captain wants Vanderberg and Poston to the council up-stairs. -Wolf-Cap advocates a change of tactics. We—Miss Armstrong and I—will -guard the gate with Jones, until relieved. We were sent hither for that -duty.” - -Matt Hunter paused; but the two men hesitated. Since the arrest of -Zebulon Strong, they did not know whom to trust, and theirs was the most -important post connected with the safety of the fort. - -“No doubt other strength will be sent hither on your appearance above,” -said Hunter, uneasily. “Your voices are needed in the council. You can -leave your muskets here; but I think we will not need ’em. Wolf-Cap -reports the foe under cover.” - -His last words decided the guards; they leaned their muskets against the -stockade and left the gate. - -Without difficulty they gained the interior of the fort, and paused a -moment to inquire into the progress of the well-diggers. - -Then they ascended the ladder and appeared in the battle-room. The storm -had spent its fury by this time, but the wind was flaring the dips and -imparting a demi-gloom to the entire interior of the place. Still, the -light enabled the sentries to see men at the port-holes, and the women -were scrubbing the floor with bedding. There was nothing that looked -like a council of war. - -“Where’s the cap’n?” asked Vanderberg, touching a woman’s arm—and the -dame could not repress a cry when she looked up into his white face. - -“Here,” called a lusty voice from a darkened corner, and a tall form -advanced toward the guard. “I’m here—what’s wanting?” and then the -commander caught sight of Vanderberg’s face. “Roger Vanderberg, what are -_you_ doing _here_?” he cried, and his hand closed on the settler’s arm. -“Your post is at the outer gate. What can have brought you hither? -Speak! These are nights when traitors are abroad.” - -The guard, now thoroughly alarmed and frightened, could not find his -tongue for a moment. - -“And Poston, you here too? Who _is_ at the gate?” - -“Sir, your daughter and Matt Hunter,” cried Vanderberg, with -considerable fire in his tone. “He sent me up to the council.” - -“Council? there’s no council here,” and the old settler’s cheeks -suddenly grew pale. “I never sent for you—never! Matt Hunter must mean -something terrible. We’ll go down and see.” - -He sprung to the hatch, and quickly disappeared, followed by the -sentries. - -The lower guard opened the door without a challenge, and the trio passed -into the yard. - -There Levi Armstrong’s worst fears were realized. The gate was deserted -and stood ajar! - -Deserted? No! At the foot of one of the posts lay the body of a man. - -“Heavens! Huldah is gone!” cried the settler, staggering from the scene, -for a moment completely unmanned. - -For a moment only. - -“The gate! the gate!” he cried, springing forward, but Vanderberg and -Poston had foreseen the danger. - -Their strong arms closed the ponderous structure, as a hundred arrows -buried their flinty heads in the boards! - -The gate was then barricaded in a jiffy. - -“Listen! They’re about to storm us,” said Vanderberg. - -“Quick, then! Summon thirty men hither!” shouted Levi. “We must meet -them here first. ’Twill be daylight soon, thank heaven!” - -Vanderberg sprung to execute the task assigned him, and the old settler -bent over the form lying at the gate. - -It was poor Jones. His skull had been crushed by the butt of a musket, -and he was quite dead. - -“The old fort swarms with traitors,” said Armstrong, looking up at -Poston. “Hunter was Strong’s confederate. Now we’ll meet the storming -dogs.” - -He muttered the last sentence as a body of men emerged from the fort. - -“Huldah isn’t gone, Armstrong?” said the foremost man, whose wolf-skin -cap proclaimed his personality. - -“Gone—gone, Belt!” - -“Curse the luck! Why didn’t I shoot Matt Hunter, when I caught him -tampering with my traps, two years ago?” - -“Would to heaven you had.” - -Wolf-Cap looked at the settler and then gritted his great teeth till -they fairly cracked. - -“Matt Hunter took the girl along to buy his own liberty,” he murmured. -“Royal Funk will get her now. But he sha’n’t wear her—no! not while my -name is Card Belt.” - -“Nor while mine is Mark Harmon!” - -The trapper started and saw the young borderman standing by his side. - -“Your hand on that, boy!” cried the trapper, with a smile, and two hands -were clasped and sealed in determination. - -“I guess the dogs have gone back to growl,” said Belt, glancing up. -“They’ve let the golden moment slip. It’s gettin’ too light to attack -now.” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - A BIT OF MUTINY. - - -Fort Strong could not have successfully resisted an assault of the -allies on the stockade. The settlers knew this; but were determined that -the foe should be met with courage as fierce as his own, and that he -should find none but dead bodies when he entered the fort. - -Already the women were arming themselves and their words of -encouragement threw more strength into their husbands’ arms. - -We left Wolf-Cap and the two Indian chiefs hurrying toward the fort, and -have also witnessed the former’s appearance among the besieged. Before -entering, he had tarried a while without for the purpose of watching the -enemy. His great heart leaped for joy when the rain began to descend, -and beside the gate, he dismissed the chiefs with low words, intended -for their ears alone. - -He heard the foe approach, and learned that they bore ladders which, no -doubt, they had constructed beyond the hill during the day, and then he -hastened to prepare the settlers for the new danger. - -But the sky grew lighter, and the assault came not. From some cause -which the besieged could not fathom, the proposed attack had been -suddenly abandoned, and when the light rendered objects distinguishable -from the fort, not an enemy could be seen. - -The dun storm clouds rolled heavily toward the south, and by-and-by the -sun’s rays fell upon the charred roof of Fort Strong. - -But let us follow the fortunes of Huldah Armstrong, and learn why the -assault was abandoned—abandoned when the most unlearned warrior could -foresee the result of a grand attack with the ladders. - -To all appearances, the Indians had been withdrawn from the river; but -such was not the case. The light of the burning roof revealed the ground -between fort and stream, but not a brave lay behind the stumps. Colonel -O’Neill attacked the fort from the hill only, thinking that the garrison -might be driven to an attempt to fly to the river and escape by boats. -Therefore, he had drawn the Indians to the tall grass on the bank, and -during the entire fight not a shot was fired from the ambush. - -But the colonel’s plans did not succeed. - -“Why this delay?” exclaimed the officer, angrily, looking and listening -from the summit of the hill where he stood, surrounded by half a dozen -Indians and as many English officers. “The assault should have been made -ere this.” - -“We have not heard Funk’s signal yet, colonel,” answered one of the -officers, suggestively. - -“Fire and fury! he should have given it five minutes since,” and O’Neill -looked at a beautiful chronometer which he drew from his bosom. “The -truth of the matter is, Funk is crazy after a girl in the fort, and if -he can get her, he will let the foe beat us off. Curse the laggard!” - -A minute’s silence followed the Briton’s last words. The signal, -whatever it was to have been, did not cleave the cool night air—not a -sound came from the fort. - -“The jig is up,” hoarsely hissed O’Neill, stamping his foot with rage. -“Funk’s infernal passion for that girl has ruined our plans. Splitlog, -is he a specimen of the men you associate with? Go and recall the -forces! The day is breaking now, and if our men are not instantly -withdrawn, they will be slaughtered like sheep.” - -The Wyandot sachem left the hill, and presently every besieger -relinquished the designed attack. - -Colonel O’Neill was livid with rage, and threatened to withdraw his -troops. - -“Frank is the cause of all this,” he thundered to Splitlog. “You should -take the villain out and shoot him when he shows his face in camp. But -he’ll never have the audacity to show his face here. Perhaps he -succeeded in getting the girl, and has fled to parts unknown. The fort -would have been ours after a brief struggle. The deserter declares that -Strong has six men on whom he can depend. So, chief, you see what we -have missed by one man’s absorbing passion.” - -“Night-Hawk do bad work, sure,” said Splitlog, like the colonel, in no -good humor. “He better not come back to braves.” - -“Killing him won’t mend matters; but—” - -The interruption that broke the sentence was caused by the sudden -appearance of a young Wyandot warrior, who informed the twain that Royal -Funk and his Night-Hawks were boldly approaching. - -O’Neill and the chief exchanged looks of surprise. - -“That man possesses the audacity of the devil,” said the colonel. “Now -stick to your word, Splitlog; pay him up. Do not listen to his excuses. -If you do, he’ll conquer.” - -White and red occupied the tent of the former, and when they stepped -out, they beheld a large body of soldiers and savages approaching. - -At the head of the array walked Roy Funk and his remaining Night-Hawks, -six in number, for Sam Cole had slain his white adversary at the tree to -which Wolf-Cap was bound at the opening of the fort fight, and the -second Night-Hawk whom Silver Hand threw into the river on the same -occasion, would march no more to deeds of brigandage. - -There was a cloud on the outlaw’s face as he neared the little group; -but he walked boldly erect, unmindful of the fierce looks and muttered -epithets that the Indians hurled upon him. - -At length he halted before the couple at the tent, and looked them -calmly in the eye without a word. - -“You have come to report,” said O’Neill, suddenly and sarcastically. - -“With your permission, sir,” retorted the Night-Hawk captain. - -“If you wish, you may tell the story of your treachery. Though I would -rather not hear it, I will listen. You know the disaster you have hurled -upon this army.” - -“I am, to some extent, perhaps, to blame for the non-attack on the -stockade. I am willing to take all the blame on my shoulders at any -rate. They are strong,” and he shrugged them, “and can carry heavy -loads.” - -“But let the Night-Hawk talk of his dog acts,” cried Splitlog, stepping -nearer Funk, furious almost beyond control. - -“I was about ready to give my signal when we beheld a suspicious figure -creeping from the fort to the river. We followed, and captured a -man—Matt Hunter by name. He was a deserter and told us much. Captain -Strong is a prisoner in the fort. His designs have been discovered. -Wolf-Cap is in the fort.” - -“I thought you held him captive?” said O’Neill, at this juncture. - -“I did, but Cole wanted to trust his honesty, and Duke White here -interfered. They fought and Cole got the best of Duke; but, after all, -Wolf-Cap escaped.” - -“But what about the man you caught?” - -“The boys gave him to the Wyandots by the river. He’s yonder now with -Sawyer, the other deserter. He was carrying a woman from the fort.” - -“Stealing a woman, eh? Go on, Roy Funk, this is a romantic story you’re -telling. Took some hard thinking no doubt.” - -An illy-concealed sneer pervaded the officer’s words; but the outlaw -chief did not appear to notice it. - -“We got the girl of course, and,” looking at O’Neill, “she’s my girl, -colonel—Huldah Armstrong.” - -“This will all do to tell, Roy Funk,” said the soldier; “but it won’t -slip down. You don’t understand greasing lies. That is an art which you -should have mastered.” - -“You’ll believe me if I produce the deserter and girl?” flashed Funk. - -“I will, and not until then will I credit a single word you have -uttered.” - -The outlaw turned quickly upon one of his men. - -“Jackson, go and bring Hunter and the girl here,” he said, in maddened -tones, and the look which he then darted at his other Night-Hawks drew -them nearer his imperiled form. - -“You shall see that I haven’t lied!” he said, turning to O’Neill again. -“Splitlog has enjoyed a long acquaintance with me, and he can not put -his finger on a single lie of mine.” - -“But what say you in extenuation of your crime of disobeying orders?” - -“Circumstances, sir, interposed to check my career, and when I had -disposed of my captives, you were withdrawing your troops. But, Colonel -O’Neill, I want you to understand that I am a free man here. Roy Funk -and his fellows do as they please; but for this time I have condescended -to be a subordinate. You, sir, are the minority here. Splitlog by -superiority of numbers commands.” - -O’Neill bit his lip and referred the outlaw to the Wyandot for -punishment. He felt that Splitlog would rid himself of Funk’s presence, -and now he devoutly wished the forest freebooter out of his way. - -A brief time elapsed between Jackson’s disappearance and his return. - -A line of knolls or hills encircled the southern side of the fort, and -terminated at the river. They enabled the outlaw to perform his errand -without being seen by the besieged settlers, and he approached the -assemblage with Huldah Armstrong and the treacherous borderman. - -“There!” said Funk, in triumph, looking at his prisoners. “Colonel -O’Neill, have I lied?” - -The British soldier did not reply, for he was looking at the settler’s -daughter, whose wonderful backwoods beauty was entrancing his -Highland-tainted heart. - -“What does Night-Hawk want to do with white girl?” asked Splitlog, -breaking the silence that followed Funk’s speech. - -“I intend making her Mrs. Funk, as I have told the colonel,” said the -outlaw, quickly, glancing at the officer as he spoke. “She is mine!” - -“But Night-Hawk didn’t give signal. He let a squaw run off with his -head.” - -Splitlog’s anger was rising again, and O’Neill was secretly rejoicing. - -“I know it, chief; but to-night we’ll work together.” - -“Like we did when it was dark before,” hissed the Wyandot, and his right -arm started back threateningly. “The Night-Hawk is a traitor, and -traitors are dogs. He no man at all who’ll let blue eyes draw him from -duty.” - -“Well, what is Splitlog going to do about it?” - -The question was put calmly, but there was the lurking of a defiant, -devil-may-care spirit in the words. - -“He going to make example, as the pale-faces say,” was the reply. -“Little Hickory, take the girl—” - -“No you won’t!” interrupted the outlaw, and before the chief addressed -could advance a step, Jackson threw Huldah Armstrong forward and Funk -caught her in his arms. - -“I appeal to the braves of the Wyandot nation, and to true English -soldiers,” he cried, springing upon a fallen tree and looking around -over the crowd. “I have fought for the flag of St. George and for the -wampum of the Wyandots. I failed in a duty last night, but to-night we -can take the fort. Put yourselves in my place last night. For such a -pretty woman as this, who would not have forgotten every thing save -love?” - -Numerous cheers greeted the outlaw’s speech, but Splitlog, with a cloud -on his face, advanced toward the log. - -“Stop, chief,” cried Funk, cocking one of his pistols, and looking down -upon the Wyandot. “I don’t want to shed blood on this occasion. My men -will stand by me—if we go down, ’twill be as the fall of one man.” - -Stern determination was written on the Night-Hawk’s face, and he glanced -at Huldah, hanging half-senseless across his left arm. - -“Don’t give in to him!” whispered O’Neill to Splitlog, who had stopped. -“Make an example of the dog!” - -The chief was inclined to do so. - -“A vote! a vote!” cried the soldiers. - -“We’ll have no votes on this question!” thundered Colonel O’Neill. - -“We will!” answered a stalwart corporal, stepping forward, pistol in -hand. “Colonel O’Neill, your men say that Funk’s fate shall not be -settled by one man.” - -“Fire and furies, this is mutiny!” and the English sword leaped from its -scabbard. “Corporal, who commands the Ninety-first—you or I?” - -Corporal Quitman did not reply, but saluted his superior and stepped -aside. - -“We will vote on Funk’s life!” came a cry from the rebellious quarter, -and the Indians began to demand a ballot, in their own language. - -Colonel O’Neill was shaking with rage. - -“Colonel, you had best listen to the men!” ventured Quitman, again. - -“Who gave you authority to suggest to me?” roared the epauleted Briton, -starting toward the corporal. “Sergeant Wilkinson, arrest the mutineer.” - -But the sergeant did not stir. - -“What! dare you disobey, too?” - -“I dare!” was the quiet response. “Colonel, if a majority of the -Wyandots and the old Ninety-first say that Funk’s deed deserves death, -we will submit. But one man, and he an _Indian_, shall not dictate in -such a case as this.” - -The mutineers applauded the sergeant’s words, and Colonel O’Neill -stepped back, and gazed with horror into Splitlog’s face. - -“I know what you want, colonel,” said Roy Funk, at this juncture, “and I -don’t blame you, either, for you don’t pick up such a girl as this in -the woods every day. Let the red-coats vote, and the Indians, too. If -they say I deserve death, you may kill me.” - -O’Neill looked up at the outlaw, and then turned to the sachem. - -“I leave it to you, Splitlog,” he said. “Count me out; but Funk should -live if he can cower such a man as you!” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - SENT INTO EXILE. - - -Splitlog shrugged his shoulders and turned to his braves. - -The lives of many brave men hung upon his savage caprices, and the -silence that followed O’Neill’s last and bitter words seemed palpable. - -The Wyandot hated, detested the British, Colonel O’Neill particularly; -but he had sold his nation to the English cause, and he must not, in a -single act, manifest an abatement of zeal. The colonel, under whose -command Splitlog had already fought, had said that Royal Funk’s -disobedience should be punished with death, and the Indian believed that -he spoke to the king. - -But the British soldiers were demanding something of a trial for the -outlaw, and his Indians were joining in the clamor. So far as he was -personally concerned, he would not punish Funk, and here was an -opportunity to favor the forest freebooter. Funk, no doubt, had done -Splitlog a service in days gone by, and an Indian never forgets such an -action. - -He stood before the outlaw a moment in silence, and then spoke. - -“Splitlog hears the voices of his people,” he said. “He will not strike -the Night-Hawk until they have pronounced on his fate. He,” pointing to -Funk, “has lived long among the Wyandots; they know him—he is brave.” - -As the Indian paused, O’Neill stepped forward, and laid his hand on the -naked shoulder. The Briton’s face was still aflame with rage. - -“Say nothing for nor against him, chief,” he said, in the Wyandot -tongue. “Tell your braves to say life or death, and that quickly.” - -He snapped the words out fiercely, and darted a malignant look at -Splitlog as he turned away: - -“I’ll pay you for this, you scarlet dog,” he murmured, under his breath. -“I’ll pay you for lying, see if I don’t.” - -Splitlog smiled contemptuously, and bit his nether lip. - -“Down with you, Wyandots,” he cried, angrily, flashing his eyes over his -armed nation. “Down like wolves, and let the warriors who vote for life -hold up their guns.” - -Like one man the red assembly dropped to the ground, and near two -hundred guns were held on high! - -A majority voted for life. - -“I knew they’d do it,” hissed O’Neill. “And Splitlog sanctions the -decision. My men shall not vote.” - -A stern determination clothed the last words, and they were yet -quivering on his lips when the chief, with a triumph which his best -dissimulative arts could not conceal, turned upon him: - -“Now let the red-coats vote,” cried Splitlog. “If many of them say -‘death,’ the waters of the Huron shall roll over the Night-Hawk.” - -An eager gleam of hope lit up the colonel’s eyes at this. - -Sword in hand he leaped upon the log near the Night-Hawk captain. - -“You who vote for life will advance ten paces westward. Right -about—face. Forward—march!” - -Many a Briton obeyed the military command, and the colonel ordered a -sergeant to count the ayes. - -Two hundred and one men voted for life, and strange to say, _a like -number had kept their places_! - -“I vote for death!” said the colonel, when he had informed Splitlog of -the even counts; “therefore I make a majority, and the outlaw dies.” - -“Did Splitlog vote?” cried the chief. “No! he left it to his men. But he -will look to the vote of the red-coats. He says that the Night-Hawk -shall fly from the land of the Wyandots before the sun sweeps over the -bosom of the Huron again, and he shall never return. Does this suit the -king’s soldier?” - -“He should die. We, his own people, say as much,” said O’Neill. - -“But Indians say, ‘Live, Night-Hawk.’ Splitlog must listen to his -people; when they say ‘No,’ he must not say ‘Yes.’” - -“So be it, then. But he shall not take his captive along.” - -“Whatever is his he may keep,” answered the Indian, and then he looked -up at Royal Funk. - -“Night-Hawk, you are free to go,” he said. “After this night, let these -forests hear your tread no more. Splitlog and his braves say so.” - -“Agreed,” answered Funk. “I accept your mercy. I go, never to return. -Soldiers who voted for my life, I thank you; and, Colonel O’Neill, my -fervent prayer is that we may meet again.” - -“Amen!” grated the Briton. “I echo your prayer from the bottom of my -heart!” - -“Come, boys,” said the outlaw, descending from his perch, and addressing -his band in a low tone, “we’ll leave this accursed place at once, or so -soon as we can get off. We’ll go down the river in barges, and after a -while strike over land toward Detroit. There’s no use in talking. Our -days are up in the ‘fire-lands,’ though I’d like to linger here to -settle scores with Wolf-Cap.” - -The Night-Hawks expressed their willingness to follow their leader, but -they abominated the thought of a forced exile. They had lorded it over -the fire-lands until they believed themselves invincible, but they had -discovered one at whose command they must depart. - -“Well, Miss Huldah, we are going to leave the old fire-lands, and we’re -never coming back any more. What do you think about that?” - -For a moment the settler’s child said nothing. She stood before the -outlaw in the little tent which Colonel O’Neill had given him, when they -were on better terms than now, and looked up into his darkly handsome -face. - -“Of course, sir, I do not wish to go,” were the words that fell from her -lips, at last. “But I know ’tis useless for me to appeal to you.” - -“Utterly useless, Huldah,” he answered, calmly. “I will offer you no -violence, and none shall come to you from any one. But let me tell you -now that I am very passionate, and that no hand shall snatch you from -me. I will make no avowal of love; this is not the place for such; but -if I did not love you I would return you to the old man who, in _your_ -presence calls you child. Huldah, tell me how many lovers you possess?” - -“None, unless I must regard you as such,” she answered, with a faint -smile. - -“You should have thought a moment before you spoke. There’s Wolf-Cap—” - -“His hair is gray in many places,” said Huldah, interrupting him. “He is -not my lover.” - -“Granted; but hasn’t some young hunter in Fort Strong looked softly into -your eyes? Speak truly, Huldah Armstrong—I want to know.” - -For a moment the settler’s daughter recalled the daring young men who -had bravely defended their loved ones in the besieged fort, and a flush -of crimson mantled her fair cheeks. - -“I think I have no lover,” she said, looking up again. - -“But you blushed while you thought,” said the outlaw, quickly; “and -blushes, like figures, Huldah, do not lie. Some young buck-skin-clad -fellow has made your heart beat fast behind the walls of the doomed -fort. Tell me his name.” - -“Why would you know?” - -“I would kill him, if he escaped the massacre. Huldah, I will endure no -rivals for your hand. Remember this. But you have skipped a lover.” - -The fair girl, whose cheeks had grown pale beneath the vengeful words, -looked surprised. - -“Yes, you possess a third lover, Huldah. Can you not name him?” - -“I can not. Your words are fraught with mystery,” she replied. - -“Colonel O’Neill is your lover. He tried to have me shot, that he might -possess you. What do you think of your red-coated Adonis? He’s the -handsomest of all your lovers—isn’t he, Huldah?” - -The outlaw laughed at his sarcastic question, and turned to talk to one -of his men, whose face appeared at the opening. - -A short conversation in a low whisper passed between the Night-Hawks, -when the face disappeared, and Funk turned to his captive again. - -“We won’t get off till near sundown,” he said. “That liveried dog has -refused to loan us his boats, and Splitlog has been compelled to send to -the mouth of the Catauga for several of his own. By heavens! Huldah, I -want to meet that man away from his men. I’d promote Major Gosnoke to -the colonelcy with a bullet. There’s something devilish afoot. I feel -it. This night will witness treacherous deeds. O’Neill will not give you -up tamely—neither will I!” - -A moment later the outlaw walked from the tent, and Huldah Armstrong -heard him say a few words to the Night-Hawks who guarded her, before he -walked away. - -The long hours of that summer day waned, and not a shot was fired at the -fort. It was a painful silence to the girl, and told of bloody scenes -during the coming darkness. She could see the charred roof from her -prison, but not a besieged form greeted her eye. - -By and by the trees on the river-bank cast long shadows, and Splitlog, -followed by numerous warriors and a few soldiers, was seen approaching -the outlaw’s tent. - -Five Night-Hawks received the company with lowering gaze, and a word -from the chief drew out Roy Funk and his prisoner. - -“We’re ready, chief,” said the Night-Hawk leader. - -“Then to the river,” replied Splitlog, pointing to the water. “The boats -wait for the Night-Hawks of the fire-lands.” - -The entire party marched down to the river, where an outlaw and several -Indians guarded two large and strong boats. - -“This is the beginning of our journey, Huldah,” said Roy Funk, as he -gently lifted the settler’s daughter into one of the barks. “The -beginning, I say; God knows what the ending will be.” - -His words implied grave doubts of a safe termination of the voyage; but -the next moment he was talking cheerfully to his men and the chief. - -“We’ll see you again, Splitlog,” called the outlaw, as the boats were -cast from their moorings. “We’ll drink fire-water some day over our -doings in the fire-lands. But remember what I whispered in your ear: -watch him, as you would a snake!” - -Then the outlaws seized the pliant paddles, and the two big boats moved -rapidly down the current. - -For the dusk that stretched before the voyagers seemed to breathe of a -lurking foe. - -Splitlog and his companions watched the boats until a bend in the river -hid them from sight. - -“Now,” said the chief, turning away, “the white man’s fort falls. The -night is coming on, and the flames of the big timbers must light the -sky.” - -But other scenes than the taking of the block-house, were to demand the -Wyandot’s attention before dawn. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - BAFFLED IN AMBUSH. - - -An hour after the departure of the exiles, night spread her pall over -the earth, and two men scaled the stockade of Fort Strong and glided -toward the hill lately tenanted by the foe. - -The spies—for spies the couple undoubtedly were—boasted of white skins, -and the moon, just rising and showering her light through the trees -beside the river, proclaimed them Wolf-Cap and Mark Harmon. - -“I can’t understand this silence,” remarked the old trapper to his -companion. “Surely the demons hevn’t given over the attack.” - -“Perhaps they have quarreled among themselves,” said young Harmon. - -“It may be. O’Neill is a fidgety fellow, they say, and if he gets -spiteful at Splitlog, why he’ll withdraw his support. Why they didn’t -attack us last night when they could have won, may ever remain a -mystery. But silence now—we’ve reached the hill.” - -For some minutes the twain crouched at the foot of the acclivity and -listened, but heard nothing. Where was the foe? Wolf-Cap was puzzled, -and threw one of his queer enigmatical looks into Harmon’s face. - -“Bless me! if I don’t b’lieve they’ve vamosed,” he whispered, and then, -bidding his comrade retain his position, he proceeded to extend the -reconnoissance to the top of the hill. - -Ten minutes later he returned. - -“Good news for the fort, boy!” he said, in tones of undisguised joy. -“The varmints hev vamosed the diggin’s.” - -“What! they haven’t retreated with victory in their grasp?” exclaimed -the youth. - -“They’re gone, anyhow. The red dogs marched around the hills to the -river, and the Indians took a south-easterly trail. This tells the story -of a family quarrel. O’Neill has got his back up about suthin’ and so he -cut loose from Splitlog.” - -“But why didn’t the Indian remain and attack?” - -“He wanted to show his choler, too. He wouldn’t stay for spite, but -we’ll hear from him in the Muskingum valley afore long.” - -“Then let’s go back and tell the good news,” said Mark Harmon, eagerly. -“Then we hunt for Huldah.” - -“Yes; we’ll follow Splitlog until we find Funk, for the outlaw will, of -course, stick with the chief; they’ve been old cronies for years, and -Funk isn’t the man to trust himself among a British regiment with a -pretty woman. O’Neill might want Huldah, you see, and, backed by his -men, Funk wouldn’t hev the ghost of a show as his rival.” - -The spies now set out on their return to the fort, and Wolf-Cap rapped -heavily on the gate with the butt of his gun. - -“Don’t be afraid to fling ’er wide, boys,” he cried, in a loud tone. -“The devils hev got scared at their own shadow, and the old fort is -saved!” - -“Saved! saved! the foe has fled!” shouted the guard, as he opened the -gate, and then cheer on cheer shook the old structure to its staunch -foundation logs. - -Fathers dropped their weapons and embraced wives in the transport of -joy, and mothers kissed their children a hundred times, and thanked God -for deliverance with tearful eyes. - -“We’re going now, Mark, and I,” said Wolf-Cap to Levi Armstrong, in the -midst of the rejoicings, “and we’re going to fetch your girl back, too.” - -“You shall not go alone, Belt. I will—” - -“You will stay right where you are!” interrupted the hunter, -imperatively. “You are needed here. Some band of dusky fellows may -attack the fort during my absence, and these helpless women and children -can not spare you. Did I say that Mark and I war going alone? Yes. But -we are not. Silver Hand and Golden Cheek will join us somewhar in the -woods, and those two fellows kin outwit a thousand Night-Hawks.” - -Armstrong reluctantly consented to remain in command of the fort. - -“When will you return, Belt?” he asked. - -“Within five days, or more.” - -“Shall we keep Strong untried for five days?” - -“No; put him on trial to-morrow. If he is proven a traitor, deal with -him accordingly. You can testify for me, for I have told you all that I -know bearing on the case. But we must be off, Armstrong.” - -The trapper put forth his hand, and with many good wishes for the -journey, Armstrong pressed it and saw the twain pass out the gate. - -“I may never see him again,” said the old settler, pausing suddenly as -the ponderous gate swung back. “He ought to know all now. I will tell -him; it will make him more cautious, and he will hate me, I know. Yes, I -will disclose the secret.” - -Quickly then, he turned to the gate again, and bade the sentry open. - -“I want to see Wolf-Cap again,” said Levi, and then he stepped without. - -The dusky forms of the two men were still visible toward the river. - -He hurried forward; but his heart failed him, for he suddenly returned -to the fort without hailing the trapper. - -“I can’t break the spell,” he said, slowly and in an undertone, shaking -his head. “I still hold the blessed belief into which I have schooled my -heart for many years. When Wolf-Cap brings her back, I’ll tell him all. -God give her back to me, for I love her. Though he kill me, I will tell -him all.” - -It was the earnest prayer of a brave man, and he soon rejoined the -settlers, still happy over the unexpected deliverance. - -But we must return to the British colonel. - -At a certain point two miles below the bend in the river, mentioned at -the conclusion of the preceding chapter, several large trees lay on the -ground, hurled down by the fury of some storm-demon. These trees -furnished a natural ambush, almost entirely impenetrable by the human -eye, and from their leafy coverts a company of soldiers could sweep the -stream either way, for a great distance. - -The ambush was not untenanted when Roy Funk and his companions left the -Indians, and turned the prows of their canoes toward Lake Erie. - -The moon, as she scaled the horizon, looked down upon scarlet uniforms -beneath the leaves, and the night-winds heard low voices. - -“Colonel, do you think Gosnoke equal to the emergency?” asked a soldier, -looking at the British colonel peeping through the boughs. - -“I do. Ere this, he has obeyed orders, and peacefully too, for we have -heard no noise. Splitlog knows now, that I am not to be trampled, and -spit on with impunity. I played the red-skin devil a British trick -to-night, and he will never forget it. But I’m tired of waiting here. It -is almost time for Gosnoke’s appearance, and here Funk and his accursed -hounds have not hove in sight.” - -The officer never took his eyes from the shining surface of the water, -while he answered the private, and his nervous actions proclaimed his -impatience. - -The reader can guess the motive that led the Briton to the ambush. He -intended to intercept the exiles, and finish the rivalry that existed -between himself and the Night-Hawk for the face of Huldah Armstrong. He -selected a dozen soldiers whom he could trust, and while the outlaws -were preparing to depart, he led his men to the ambush. - -Major Gosnoke was left at the hill to withdraw the British forces from -co-operation with Splitlog’s warriors. He—the colonel—dared not carry -out his treachery in person, for the Wyandot sachem was an impulsive -savage, and he might pay the penalty of his desertion with his life. - -For many minutes after the brief conversation between the colonel and -his privates, a dead silence reigned over forest and stream, but all at -once this was broken by the voice of a soldier. - -“The boats are coming!” - -Colonel O’Neill started and looked up the river. Two black spots were -visible on the shining water. Undoubtedly the canoes belonged to the -Night-Hawk’s party. - -“Ready, men?” whispered O’Neill, turning to his troops. “The devils are -sailing right into our clutches. We want no noise now. Murphy, you are -to do the hailing—recollect.” - -The soldier nodded, and all eyes were fastened on the approaching boats. - -The muskets were at full cock, ready, if needed, to pour a deadly fire -into the barges. - -Colonel O’Neill held his breath and glanced anxiously from the boats to -Murphy, who, with the hailing words on his lips, awaited his commands. - -“They’re in the shadow now,” said O’Neill, in reply to a look from his -soldier. “When they emerge and execute four more strokes, you may -speak.” - -A group of trees threw a belt of shadow across the stream a short -distance above the ambush, and into this darkness the two boats had -glided. - -All at once they drifted into the moonlight again, and the studied words -were on Murphy’s tongue, when he suddenly started back, and threw a look -of amazement into the colonel’s face. - -The boats were empty! - -The men in the ambush exchanged looks of surprise, mingled with -superstition. - -Colonel O’Neill was so chagrined that he could not speak for several -moments. - -He riveted his eyes upon the boats, reluctantly believing the evidence -of his senses. - -“Tom Murphy, swim out and intercept the boats!” he suddenly roared. -“Hell and furies! we have been betrayed!” - -Murphy obeyed, and with the aid of several comrades drew the barges -ashore. - -To the bottom of one canoe a piece of paper was pinned. - -“Take care of my boats, colonel,” it said. “I will take care of myself.” - -Roy Funk’s name was appended to the writing! - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - TREASON IN THE CAMP. - - -Colonel O’Neill’s face grew red and white by turns with rage. - -He looked at the writing until the letters swam before his eyes. - -His prey had escaped, and he swore roundly for several minutes before a -gentlemanly word passed his lips. - -“Murphy,” he said, his anger slumbering but not appeased. “Murphy, you, -with two men, will await the arrival of the command at this point, and -will proceed with it to the destination communicated by me to Gosnoke.” - -“Pray, where does our colonel go?” asked Murphy, who ventured because he -was on familiar terms with O’Neill. - -“I’m going after Funk. By heavens! that scoundrel shall not escape me. -He’s abandoned the boats somewhere up the river, and taken to the forest -trails. But how did he know that we were waiting here?” - -“Ah! that puzzles the b’hoys, kurnel,” said an Irish soldier. “Faith an’ -they must hev smelt us, fur devil a noise did we make among the trees.” - -“Some dastardly red-skin has betrayed us, Teddy,” said O’Neill, coloring -again. “Now, Murphy, mind what I have told you. The trail they would -take, I think, leads in a north-westerly direction to the lake shore. It -can be reached by marching due west from this point; but I am not -acquainted with the forest hereabout.” - -“Methinks, I can lead you to the trail,” said a man who, though clad in -English uniform, was no soldier. “I’ve tramped these parts several -times. By good marching, we can reach the falls of Beaver river by -eleven. There we will strike the Detroit trail and discover something of -Roy Funk.” - -The Briton was pleased, and a few minutes later disappeared with his men -in the funereal recesses of the wood. - -“I agree with the Indian. There’s no use in running our legs off after -we have eluded the foe. It’s a long way to Detroit, and we might as well -rest here as on the lake shore. Boys, I apprehend no pursuit. Splitlog, -of course, will not follow, and O’Neill will lead his regiment to the -lakes when it joins him on the river. The Indian counsels a rest till -morning. He has walked us fast, and Miss Armstrong is greatly fatigued.” - -The words just written fell from Royal Funk’s lips, several hours after -O’Neill’s disappointment in the ambush. - -He stood on the bank of a narrow stream which, in those days, bore the -rather pretentious cognomen of Beaver _river_. At this point a beautiful -cascade added to the wild scenery, and he faced his Night-Hawks, who had -just halted from a fatiguing march. - -“Of course we are willin’ to rest, cap’n,” said one of the men. “That -is, if you really think it best to do so, and of course you would not -talk as you hev if you did not. A rest till daylight will do us no harm; -but,” and the speaker approached Funk and glanced at a half-naked Indian -leaning against a tree, as he lowered his voice, “but, cap’n, do you -fully trust the Wyandot?” - -“Why should I call him a traitor? Because he has just saved our lives, -Whalley? He’s a genuine Wyandot; I’ve seen him a hundred times with -Splitlog. But what have you against ’im?” - -“Nothin’, cap’n, nothin’,” answered Whalley; “only I wanted to know if -you thought him sound.” - -“Don’t fear for Spagano,” said Funk. “He’s a faithful fellow. Remember, -we would have rowed into O’Neill’s muskets if it hadn’t been for him.” - -The Indian upon hearing his name pronounced left the tree and came -forward. - -He was a tall, muscular fellow, naked to the waist, and wore a crest of -painted dove feathers. - -“What Night-Hawks want with Spagano?” he asked, in broken English. - -“Nothing. But hold, chief. Where had we best camp to-night—here or -across the river?” - -“Here,” and, with a curious smile, the Indian described a circle with -his hand. “We safe this side Beaver—not so safe, p’r’aps, on other -side.” - -Preparations for a sojourn till day, on the bank of Beaver river, were -at once inaugurated by the party, and several of the outlaws employed -themselves in catching fish below the falls. - -Spagano, the Wyandot guide, lingered about the little camp. - -To him the outlaws owed their lives. It was in this manner: - -Immediately after rounding the bend that shut the exiles from Splitlog’s -sight, an Indian made his appearance on the river-bank, and Funk was -induced to take him in. He proved to be the bearer of startling news, -and declared that he was acting in accordance with the wishes of the -Wyandot sachem—Splitlog. - -Colonel O’Neill and two hundred soldiers (the Indian’s exaggerated -statement) were waiting for the outlaws at Dead Tree Bend. They were -well armed, and the colonel was determined to rid the “fire-lands” of -the Night-Hawks at one blow. - -Royal Funk believed the Indian and ran his boats ashore. Then debarking, -he wrote the message that so irritated the Briton, and sent the canoes -adrift. - -The journey to the lake-shore had now to be performed overland, and as -the Wyandot was desirous of visiting Detroit, he was made the head guide -of the party. Before the brave’s appearance, Funk felt that his -red-coated rival lay somewhere in ambush; but now he believed that he -had successfully eluded him, and that they would not meet in the forest -again. - -Spagano was impatient, and ill at ease as he helped prepare the camp. - -More than once he glanced furtively at Huldah Armstrong, reclining on a -robe at the foot of a sturdy oak, and often paused in his labors as if -to catch certain sounds for which he seemed to be waiting. While -gathering brushwood, for the fire, he made several lengthy journeys into -the forest, and in the dim light, he practiced the old savage habit of -listening with the ear applied to the ground. - -Once Roy Funk came suddenly upon Spagano in this attitude of detecting -sounds, and inquired into his action. - -“Indian listening for British footsteps; but none come to his ears.” - -Funk was satisfied with the reply, and commended the Wyandot’s -watchfulness. - -It was ten or perhaps quite eleven o’clock before the rude camp was -finished, and after midnight but three persons therein appeared awake. -The trio consisted of Spagano and two Night-Hawks. The recumbent forms -of the remaining outlaws, including their leader, lay in the light of -the dying fire, and resembled wooden statues more than breathing clay. - -The white guards sat at the foot of a large tree; Spagano stood erect -and wide-awake, a few feet to their right. - -“Whalley, I’m as sleepy as a winter-treed b’ar,” said one of the men, in -his uncouth tongue. “Say, haven’t I nodded a little within this past -hour or such matter? I don’t see what’s come over me to-night. I know my -chin has pounded my knees while we’ve been sittin’ here. But I can’t -help it, Whalley; and if I do drop asleep, you’ll let me go, and keep -mum to the captain, won’t you?” - -“Yes, but keep awake if you can, Zigler,” returned Whalley, and a yawn -stretched his mouth to its greatest dimensions. “Mind ye, if we go to -sleep, that Indian kin do as he pleases, and we might wake up and find -ourselves as dead as a herrin’.” - -“Dead or no dead, Whalley, I’ve got to sleep,” drawled Zigler. “Wonder -where that Injun got his whisky? Never had any to affect my _eyes_ -afore.” - -Whalley here glanced at the Wyandot, who stood immobile against the -tree, looking into the darkness of the wood. - -“If I thought he had drugged the whisky, curse me if I wouldn’t—” - -He paused suddenly, for Zigler was asleep! - -“Zig, this won’t do!” he said, with a smile, shaking his companion’s -shoulder lightly. “We’re in the frying-pan yet. Wake up!” - -Zigler responded with a swinish grunt. - -“Well, sleep then,” said Whalley, supplementing his words with an oath. -“I’ll watch the Indian _my_self!” - -He fastened his eyes upon the Wyandot; but soon the Indian faded into a -bluish mist, as it were, and the watcher was asleep, like his comrade! - -Spagano looked at the sleepers, and glanced from them to the flask -hanging at his waist. The glance was fraught with triumph, and breathed -of the red-man’s proverbial treachery to the white. - -He watched the guards for several minutes and then approached. The -scrutiny pleased him, and he crawled from the camp and disappeared in -the forest. He moved down the trail which the Night-Hawks had lately -traversed, and thirty yards from the camp paused and put his ear to the -ground. - -All at once he started to his feet, and sprung toward the camp. - -Excitement burned in his swarthy face; but he was calm withal, and when -on the edge of the light of the dying fire, he dropped to the ground, -and after listening a moment with head turned toward the wood, crawled -forward to Huldah Armstrong’s cot. - -Spagano was proving himself a traitor, and his bearing told that this -was not his first Judas act. - -He reached the robe-couch, and bent over the sleeping girl. - -She lay near Roy Funk, who tossed uneasily about, the victim of some -terrible dream. - -It seemed impossible for Spagano to steal the girl, if theft was his -intention, without rousing her, but he proved himself equal to the -emergency. - -Suddenly stooping, he clapped one brawny hand over the bright-red lips, -while the other snatched their owner from the ground, in the twinkling -of an eye! - -Then he sprung backward over the sleeping Night-Hawks; but was brought -to an abrupt stand by the sound of rushing feet. - -He leaned forward and looked with an expression of satisfaction, which -was soon transformed into one of horror. - -For Colonel O’Neill appeared, like a giant, in the flickering light, and -the savage caught a glimpse of a phalanx of red-coats in his rear. - -What would be done? - -It was evident that Spagano was aiding parties other than O’Neill and -Royal Funk, and that he had mistaken a deadly footstep for a friendly -one. - -He looked into the Briton’s eyes a moment, and then glanced at the -sleeping outlaws. - -The next instant he threw Huldah before his heart, and sprung toward the -forest, a wild yell pealing from his throat as he executed the latter -action. - -The effect of spring and yell was electrical! - -Royal Funk and all his comrades, save Whalley and Zigler, leaped to -their feet, to be greeted with a volley from the British muskets. - -It was a telling volley. Every Night-Hawk sunk back, either killed or -wounded, and Spagano, the girl-stealer, reeled like a youthful drunkard. - -Huldah Armstrong fell from his grasp, and the next moment Colonel -O’Neill was at her side. As he stooped to lift her up, the Wyandot -darted to his feet and hurled him back with the strength of a tiger. - -Soldiers sprung to their leader’s aid; but ere they reached the spot -Spagano and the girl were gone! - -The red-coats caught a glimpse of the Indian’s dusky figure as he -disappeared, and started to pursue. For several minutes his footsteps -guided them, and then those sounds ceased. Colonel O’Neill was resolved -that Huldah Armstrong should not escape him. - -He had the fire fanned into a new existence, and soon a dozen torches -flashed their lurid flames throughout the forest. - -The soldiers knew that it was poor policy to hunt a hidden Indian with -torches, but it was evident that Spagano was desperately, ay, mortally, -wounded, and had fallen somewhere in the neighborhood. This conjecture, -advanced by the colonel, was soon confirmed. - -The Wyandot was found dead at the bottom of a forest knoll; but Huldah -Armstrong was still missing! - -“Blast the Indian!” hissed O’Neill, spurning the corpse with his foot. -“He’s past torture, curse ’im! But the girl—we’ll find her yet. We must -find her! A hundred guineas to the soldier who first discovers her.” - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - ROWING AND RUNNING FOR LIFE. - - -Spagano bore Huldah Armstrong to the knoll where his strength suddenly -deserted him, and he sunk to the earth. - -“White girl go,” he said, looking at Huldah, who stood over him -undecided how to act. “Indian got to die here. English bullet cut -life-string. The red-coat soldier want girl; he come here soon. Look, -there burns his soldiers’ fires. Quick, girl! keep from him. Wolf-Cap in -the wood; he find you soon.” - -“Wolf-Cap,” cried Huldah. “Was you working for him?” - -The Indian nodded, unable to speak. - -“Where is he?” - -A feeble red hand pointed to the south-east, and the Indian fell back -with a groan. - -The settler’s daughter bent over him, but the red-man’s soul was -pursuing the trail to his happy hunting grounds, far, far away from the -death-freighted wood. - -“Dead—my only friend gone!” exclaimed the girl. “What shall I do? Give -myself to the Briton? No, no! a thousand deaths in these forests are -preferable to a life with him.” - -The torches of the red-coated hunters flashed in her face, and snatching -up Spagano’s rifle, she turned, and fled in the direction lately -indicated by the Indian’s finger. - -The moon had reached the meridian now, and the faint light which she -showered through the trees, enabled the flying girl to pick her way -without great difficulty. She was confident that she was hurrying toward -the Huron, and she knew that by following the river-trail, she would -eventually reach Fort Strong. This hope nerved her to great endurance, -and at last, as the day was breaking, she saw the murky water rushing -lakeward. - -A thrill of joy shot through her heart, and lifting her eyes to heaven, -she thanked God for guiding her to the water, which was to her, at that -hour, a synonym of safety. - -She felt fatigued and threw herself upon the ground to recruit her -strength. She felt herself alone by the river, and the birds performed -their matutinal antics about her, perfectly happy and unconcerned. - -Lighter and lighter grew the forest, but Huldah Armstrong saw it not. A -desire to rest was to her but the precursor of a doze, and she reclined -on the river-bank with closed eyes and half-shut hands. - -Suddenly a boat rounded a bend a few yards above her place of repose, -and came rapidly toward her. - -It was a small boat, and contained a man, who handled the oars like one -accustomed to their use. He was a white, and wore the oft described garb -of the settler; but a sword lay at his side, and rifles and pistols. He -glanced uneasily at the banks, as he kept his canoe in the middle of the -stream, and seemed eager to reach a certain objective point still far -away. - -But all at once his gaze fell upon Huldah Armstrong, plainly seen from -the river, and a moment after the discovery, he ran his canoe cautiously -to the bank. - -At first, after striking the shore, he was inclined to believe the -maiden a decoy; but after a close scrutiny of the vicinity, he became -bolder and crept up the bank. - -His large black eyes burned with a hateful triumph, not unmixed with the -baser passions, and his first care was to remove the rifle from Huldah’s -feeble grasp. - -Then, precisely as Spagano had done a few hours before, he lifted her -from the ground; but held her at arms’ length that he might enjoy her -horror and surprise at finding herself captive again. - -Huldah opened her eyes with a spasmodic start, and the bright color of -life deserted her cheeks. - -“Captain Strong, what does this mean? and how came you here?” she cried, -staring into his face, covered with a fiendish smile. - -“I boated it, girl,” he answered; “but I can’t tell all now. We’ll -continue my voyage, and when I get the craft under way again, I’ll tell -a little story.” - -“But whither are you going?” - -“’Tis very natural that you should put that question, seeing that I’m -Captain Strong, and you Huldah Armstrong,” he said, with a light -chuckle. “I’m going to Detroit, I guess, and you’re going along.” - -“No, no! Is it possible, Captain Strong, that you possess the inhumanity -of the savage?” - -“It is, if you would think so. But we’re losing time here. I want to -overtake the barges; they’re traveling slowly, being heavily loaded, and -I guess we can come up with them at the mouth of the Huron.” - -With the last word he started toward the river with his prize, and -presently, with her hands fastened upon her back, the settler’s child -faced the captain in the craft. - -“Now, my girl, we’re fairly under way,” he said, when they had proceeded -some distance, “and I’ll tell you the promised story.” - -“I should like to hear it, Captain Strong. I can not conceive how you -escaped from the fort.” - -He smiled. - -“Men relent, sometimes,” he answered. “After the abandonment of the -siege, they placed me on trial, and I found that a current had set in in -my favor. But many cried like wolves for my death—among them, one Levi -Armstrong. But a vote was taken, and a meager majority pronounced in -favor of my exile. I swore never to return to the “fire-lands,” and they -marched me down to the river and shoved me off with every thing I called -my own. I was glad to get off, for, girl, I expected to die. If it -hadn’t been for you and your father, I’d have been with the king’s -soldiers now.” - -“How did I prevent you?” asked Huldah. - -“You told your father that you heard me whispering to Sawyer at the -gate, and the old man resolved to nab me then.” - -“Then, Captain Strong, you really are a traitor?” said the girl, -bitterly. - -He bit his lip and looked daggers at her before he spoke again. - -“Well—yes; but it is a hard name to bear.” - -“You poisoned the well.” - -“Yes—but Matt Hunter stood by me on that.” - -“You thought the men would surrender before being burned alive?” - -“They would. Oh, we had our plans perfected, Huldah Armstrong. Your -father arrested me in the nick of time. Twenty minutes more of freedom -and I would have flung wide the gates to the Indians.” - -“And what reward was you to receive for your Arnold trick?” - -“My life and yours!” - -“I was to have been the price of a massacre?” - -“Yes. I’m talking plainly now,” he said. “The three pistol-shots on the -hill told me that O’Neill accepted the propositions which I sent him by -the deserter Sawyer; but our plans failed.” - -The girl did not reply; her eyes wandered from his expression of -triumph, and she thought of her perilous situation. - -Captain Armstrong hated her, and to humor his hate he would make her a -hopeless captive. Mercy at his hands was not to be thought of; he would -shoot her down before he would surrender her into other hands, and she -upbraided herself for not allowing O’Neill to capture her in the forest. -The colonel, a monster though he was, possessed several good traits; -Zebulon Strong, the traitor, could boast of none. - -“You’re tryin’ to catch the British troops?” she said, after a long -silence. - -“Yes.” - -“Then what?” - -“Why, we’ll go to Detroit, thence east. I shall enter the army, -probably; but build no hopes on my words; they’re poor foundations, -girl. You shall never leave me until the hand of death falls heavily on -one or both of us. I swear it by all that is good and bad! It is the -oath of Zebulon Strong, and he is a desperate man. There—girl, what do -you see?” - -A strange light had suddenly flashed in Huldah’s eyes, and quickly the -traitor turned his head and looked up the river. - -A boat containing three men was bearing down upon him! - -An oath shot from his throat as he turned again. - -“By the eternal world! I’ve seen them in time!” he said, “and they might -as well turn back, for they can’t catch Zeb Strong.” - -Relinquishing the oars for a moment, he doffed his coat and the next -minute the canoe was flying down the stream like an arrow. - -The figures in the pursuing boat were seen to spring to the oars with -new life, and the race soon became one of the most exciting character. -Captain Strong possessed the strength of a giant in his iron frame, and -his oars lashed the waves into foam, as he drove the boat toward his -goal, lake Erie, distant many miles. - -“You needn’t pray for their success,” he cried, looking up into Huldah’s -wishful, hopeful face, “for they can’t catch us! It’s impossible. Your -father gave me a splendid boat with oars that can not break. By heavens! -with this canoe I could shoot the fury rapids of perdition. With these -sticks—” - -Snap went an oar! - -A cry of horror rung from the captain’s throat, and he tried to use the -broken paddle, but without effect. - -The boat began to become unmanageable, and he tried to guide it ashore -with the sound oar, swearing like a trooper all the time. - -“Didn’t I say that nothing but death could separate us?” he asked, -darting Huldah a look of despair. “I’m Zebulon Strong—don’t forget that. -I’m a traitor, too, and a devil!” - -The canoe struck the bank at last, and the captain looked at his -followers, now within rifle-shot. He saw three weapons leveled at his -breast; but he was shielding it with the girl, and they dared not shoot. - -“Drop the girl!” came a voice from the boat. - -Strong greeted it with a laugh. - -“I’m no fool!” he cried. “I’m Zebulon Strong, I am. So good-by, boys! -we’ll meet again, mebbe,” and he waved his hat at the occupants of the -boat, then sprung into the forest. - -A minute after his disappearance, the trio reached the spot and sprung -upon his trail. They were Wolf-Cap, Mark Harmon and an Indian well known -to the reader, as Silver Hand. Already the traitor and his prize had -vanished among the trees, and his trail led toward the spot where -Colonel O’Neill had lately surprised the Night-Hawks’ camp. - -Undoubtedly the captain knew but little of the intricacies of the wood -he was treading; perhaps he was bewildered, for he was running _from_ -Detroit, having turned his back upon the walls surmounted by the British -flag. - -The trio were confident of catching him, for the trail was plain, and -certain signs told them that he was giving out. - -“He’ll never turn traitor again if we catch ’im,” said Wolf-Cap, with -determination. - -“Never, Wolf-Cap,” echoed young Harmon. - -Three seconds later the crack of a distant rifle fell upon the pursuers’ -ears. - -They did not pause; but exchanged meaning looks, and quickened their -gait. - -The drama that followed the surprise of the Night-Hawks’ camp was -enacted over again. - -Wolf-Cap and his followers at last came up with Zebulon Strong. - -But the captain lay full length on the ground, with a bullet in his -brain! - -Sooner than he had expected, death had separated him and his captive. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - THE LAST NIGHT-HAWK. - - -Tired and disheartened in his search for our heroine, Colonel Argent -O’Neill rejoined his soldiers in the Night-Hawk’s camp an hour or so -before day. - -He found Royal Funk but slightly wounded, and, with Whalley and Zigler, -the two guards drugged by Spagano, closely watched by the troops. Funk -looked daggers at the officers as he approached and a smile of -satisfaction stole over his bronzed face when he noted that Huldah had -escaped. - -“So you spoke truly when you prophesied that we would meet again,” -exclaimed the colonel, halting before the outlaw with drawn sword. “Fire -and furies! I’m rejoiced that we have met, and fortune has given me the -best hand, as you see. It’s a hand of trumps, too.” - -“But, colonel, where’s the girl?” - -The words were quietly but tauntingly spoken, and the smile grew broader -on the Night-Hawk’s face while his lips moved. - -O’Neill did not reply, but allowed his face to become livid with -smothered anger. - -“Yes, colonel, where is the girl?” he asked, again. “If you hold such a -superb hand, why didn’t you capture my queen with one of your trumps?” - -“Because your knave—that infernal Indian—baffled me,” said O’Neill, -apparently a little calmer. - -“Ah, then, he’ll keep the prize.” - -“No, we found him dead in the woods; but the girl was gone!” - -A flash of hope lighted up the renegade’s eyes. - -“You should find her, then.” - -“Alas! I have no good trailer with me.” - -“I could track her.” - -“But you won’t!” retorted the colonel. “Roy Funk, I’m not going to set -you free and trust to your guidance. Colonel Argent O’Neill is not a -condemned fool! But you’ll be free directly—free forever,” and the old -malignant look came back to the red-coat’s eyes. “We’re going to leave -this place. Curse the winding paths of this American wood! No such -forests in England; that is God’s land; this the devil’s. Our guide got -bewildered, else we would have been here long ago, and we would have had -the girl, too.” - -“She will never be yours now, sir.” - -“Never! how do you know that?” - -“I need not explain. Suffice it to say, Colonel O’Neill, that she will -never in this world become your property.” - -“Will she ever become yours?” asked the soldier, with a devilish leer, -as he leaned forward. - -“That remains to be seen,” was the outlaw’s calm reply. - -“What! do you plot in the very jaws of death?” cried O’Neill, springing -back. “Fire and furies! I’ll settle _that_ question before the break of -day. Boys, are your muskets loaded?” - -A tall sergeant answered in the affirmative. - -“I’m going to exterminate the Night-Hawks of the fire-lands,” continued -the angry colonel, turning to Funk again. “As you are their leader, you -should be the last survivor. Kings often witness the destruction of -their kingdoms. Ready to die, I suppose, Roy Funk?” - -“Ready!” was the firm response. - -“What would you do did I stand in your shoes and you in mine?” - -“I’d shoot you down like a dog!” - -“But I’m more merciful. I’m going to grant you a soldier’s death, for -you have fought for the flag of our king.” - -Then six soldiers were selected as executioners, and Whalley and Zigler -were placed side by side, fifteen paces from the muzzles of the leveled -muskets. Royal Funk was taken aside and closely guarded on a spot from -whence he could witness the death of the last of his band. - -He spoke to the doomed men and bade them die game, which they promised -to do. - -Whalley and Zigler were brave men. They had faced death in the covert, -before stern vigilance committees, and the field of battle, and they -were not the persons to become frightened at the monster’s hideous -visage now. - -Colonel O’Neill conducted the execution. He gave the command of death in -a stern tone, characteristic of the disciplined soldier that he was, and -the leaden volley stretched the Night-Hawks dead upon the leaves. - -“Well done, was it not?” he said, turning to Funk who had witnessed the -murder without an outward sign of emotion. “My men shoot well.” - -“Quite well,” was the reply, and as the outlaw’s glance fell upon the -still forms on the ground, for the first time, a tear of affection stole -to his eye. - -“Braver men than they never lived,” he murmured; and then, in a lower -tone: “I am the last.” - -He was now led forward, and halted between the corpses of his two last -followers. - -“I accord you a liberty,” said O’Neill, admiring, despite his hate, the -unflinching courage of the man with whom he was dealing. “Raynor, untie -his hands.” - -The soldier addressed drew a knife and obeyed the command. - -Funk’s hands crept around to his side, and seemed to hang listlessly -there. - -“Royal Funk, would you see the deadly flash?” asked O’Neill. - -“I am a soldier, I would die as one!” was the reply. - -The colonel drew a large handkerchief, and tossed it to a soldier -saying: - -“Blindfold him, then. As a soldier, shall the outlaw die,” he said, -sarcastically. - -Two soldiers, one bearing a musket, now stepped forward to blindfold the -Night-Hawk’s black eyes. One stepped behind him and was in the act of -drawing the kerchief into position, when Funk’s hands left his side. -They shot upward like rockets, and the soldier who stood before him with -bayoneted gun was hurled backward, like the covering of an exploding -rocket. His musket was wrenched from his hand at the same moment, and -the blindfolder was brained with the stock before anybody could realize -the terrible state of affairs. - -Roy Funk was free, with a musket in his hand! - -Like a tiger he leaped upon Colonel O’Neill, who retreated a step, and -threw up his sword to ward off the glistening bayonet. - -But as well he might have tried to stop the descent of an avalanche with -a straw. - -The bayonet came down upon his breast with giant force, and the next -instant he staggered back with the shining steel buried among his -vitals! - -“There, take that, colonel,” cried Royal Funk, as he sent the bayonet -home, and then he hurled to the earth the only soldier who had presence -of mind enough to attempt to impede his further progress. - -“Hurrah! Roy Funk is free again! Another band of Night-Hawks shall -gather at his call, and woe to the Briton who crosses his path then.” - -He turned on his heel with the last word, and darted away. - -The soldiers regained their equilibrium as he disappeared, and a volley -that hurtled harmlessly among the branches was sent after him. - -“Free! free to hate the English, as I hate the Americans,” he murmured, -as he bounded through the forest. “They have killed my Night-Hawks, and -by heaven! from this hour I never spare an English life. Now for the -lake shore, where I gathered the brave fellows who sleep beneath British -guns. There I’ll find others as brave, perhaps, as they, and we’ll hunt -O’Neill’s detachment down like the Indian hunts the slayers of his -wigwam pets. O’Neill—I’ve settled _him_! Forever I’ve canceled accounts -with that liveried dog. But the girl Huldah Armstrong? Shall I give her -up, now that I am free?” - -He paused suddenly and seemed inclined to retrace his steps. - -He was running in a north-easterly direction, his objective point the -lake, and he knew—he had gleaned from O’Neill’s words—that Spangano had -fled with the settler’s daughter in an opposite direction. - -The outlaw was tempted to go back, and hunt for the prize that had been -his. - -He had run a great distance, and daylight was chasing night from the -forest of the Huron. - -It was extremely hazardous for him to go back now. The British troops -were between him and the missing girl, and no doubt they would trail him -to the death for the murder of their colonel. Perhaps, while he stood -undecided how to act, they were on his track. - -“I can return with my new men,” he said, suddenly, “and then I can -snatch Huldah from my enemies. It’s getting too light for me to go back. -I’ll not risk my life for a girl, now.” - -He started forward again as he spoke the last word, but his rapid gait -had dwindled into the well-known dog-trot of the Indian, and his whiter -associate, the renegade. - -His eagle eye took in every thing as he pushed forward, and all at once -it flashed with a new light, and he halted and sprung behind a tree. - -Some dark figure was approaching in the gray dawn; it was coming -directly toward him. That it was a man he at once conceived, and the -swaying of the body proclaimed him a white. If Indians were pursuing the -man, the outlaw was safe; he could meet them boldly; but if white was -chasing white, he had best remain concealed. He kept his eye on the -runner until he almost started from the tree with excitement, and an -oath escaped his lips. - -The fugitive was Captain Strong, and he bore Huldah Armstrong in his -arms! - -“In the name of heaven, how did he get the girl?—and how did he escape -the vengeance of the settlers?” exclaimed the Night-Hawk, looking at the -sight that greeted his eyes. “But fate is aiding me, and I’ll make -something of this golden opportunity.” - -For several moments after the discovery of his identity, Zebulon Strong, -flying from Wolf-Cap and his friends, as the reader already knows, -continued to run directly toward Funk, but suddenly he veered toward the -right. - -Had he caught a glimpse of his new foe? The outlaw was inclined to -believe thus, and cocked his musket with an oath. - -“I’ve shot deer with muskets,” he said, audibly, “and as a running shot, -I’ve been celebrated. Can I hit a man’s head at forty yards? Well, if I -can’t, then my name isn’t Royal Funk!” - -Talking thus to himself, the outlaw raised the weapon, and glanced over -the glittering barrel at his rival, who ran on, unconscious of the new -foe. - -For a moment Funk sighted the moving figure, and then a jet of flame -leaped from the bore of the gun. - -Captain Strong stopped suddenly in his tracks, and, with the cry of “A -dead shot!” the murderer bounded from the tree and ran toward him. - -But the traitor suddenly attempted to continue his flight. He ran -forward a few steps, then reeled, and fell dead! - -Huldah, released, started back and gazed bewildered upon the corpse. Her -unexpected delivery had stunned her senses, for she did not move nor -take her eyes from the dead until a hand encircled her arm. - -Then she started violently, and recognized her new captor with a shriek. - -“Mine again, and forever, girl!” cried the outlaw, as he jerked her from -the ground, and then he asked, quickly, “Who chased you?” - -“You shall see presently,” she cried, casting a quick, wishful look -toward the river. - -“Not Indians, as I know,” said Funk, reading the language of her eyes. -“Well, we’ll outwit ’em, Huldah, whoever they be. Roy Funk is alone in -the world now. His boys are all dead, and he wants somebody to cheer his -heart.” - -He spoke the last words while he was running, with our heroine in his -arms, in a northerly direction, and at no insignificant pace. - -“If I know these woods, we’re not far from a place of safety. Whoever -hunts you shall never take you back to the old stamping-ground. Huldah -Armstrong, you will not believe me, perhaps, when I say I love you. I -do, earnestly, truly, and with a pure love. You could make a man of -Royal Funk, if you would. Your obstinacy, coupled with your pretty face, -has caused me to act as I have. If the stars love their Creator and the -dove his burnished sweetheart, I love you. Your lovers are out of the -way, now—all save Royal Funk, I mean. Will you not wean him from his -wild life by loving him? Will you not be the making of a _man_?” - -He looked down into the girl’s eyes, as he spoke, with genuine -earnestness, and for a moment his footsteps were the only noise-makers -in the great forest. - -Then she answered him: - -“Royal Funk, do not seek my love. It can never be yours.” - -He sighed: - -“Then I must do that which I would not. You shall be my wife. Death -alone shall separate us!” - -Huldah started. Captain Strong had uttered the same words! - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - WOLF’S DEN. - - -The reader will recollect that Wolf-Cap dismissed his Indian allies, -Silver Hand and Golden Cheek, beneath the palisades of Fort Strong, a -few moments prior to his appearance among the ranks of the besieged. - -The red twain sought the camp of the foe, and in time witnessed the -triumph of Royal Funk, as already related. Silver Hand, the shrewder of -the two, saw that Colonel O’Neill would not relinquish the contest for -Huldah Armstrong’s person without another struggle, and so he watched -that red-coated worthy narrowly. He therefore sent his confederate down -the river to intercept the Night-Hawk, and to warn him of the ambush. - -Golden Cheek undertook the mission cheerfully, while Silver Hand -hastened to secure the assistance of Wolf-Cap, in order to snatch Huldah -from her outlawed lover’s power, and to put an end to the marauding -band. - -Spagano, the Indian, who turned Roy Funk from the ambush, and afterward -stole Huldah from his camp and was shot by O’Neill’s men, as the reader -has already seen, was none other than Golden Cheek. He had mistaken the -British footsteps for those of his friends, and he had thought to steal -the girl on their approach, that they might pour a destructive volley -among the sleepers. - -But he failed, and fell in the wood, like many of his ancestors had -fallen before him. - -Silver Hand was more successful. He found Wolf-Cap and Mark Harmon after -trailing them some distance, and hastened down the river. They were -surprised when they beheld Zebulon Strong bearing Huldah Armstrong down -the self-same stream, and the pursuit which they inaugurated in bright -anticipations, ended over the captain’s corpse. - -“This beats me,” said Wolf-Cap, who dropped on his knees beside the dead -frontiersman. “I can’t see through it all. Here lies the man we’ve been -chasing, an’ thar’s a British bullet in his brain. Now the question is: -who shot ’im? It war no Indian, for the red-skins don’t take to muskets; -they shoot rifles, and I’m sure that Funk isn’t in these parts. He -shoots a rifle with the smallest bore you ever saw. What have you -discovered, chief?” - -The Indian addressed was approaching, with the glow of discovery on his -face. - -“White man shoot traitor and run off with girl.” - -Wolf-Cap rose to his feet. - -“A white man, you say, chief?” - -“Yes, pale-face.” - -“Show me the signs!” - -Silver-Hand strode forward, and pointed to a faint trail, leading in a -north-easterly direction. Wolf-Cap examined the “sign” a minute, and -then looked up into his companion’s eyes. - -“Well, he’s got the girl ag’in,” he said. - -“He—who?” cried Harmon. - -“Roy Funk!” - -“He would not be alone in these parts and running toward the Huron’s -mouth. Golden Cheek was to have guided him to Beaver River.” - -“Don’t I know his foot-track?” queried the trapper. “Haven’t I seen it -too often to be deceived? I ruther guess I have. Come, boys, while -Huldah is in Royal Funk’s power it is a sin to rest. I’ve an idea where -he intends stopping a while; but I hope he will go further on—I do, -indeed.” - -The Night-Hawk’s trail told the trio that he was hurrying through the -woods at no insignificant speed, but they did not follow in a gait equal -to his own. - -Before leaving Zebulon Strong, Wolf-Cap had covered him with brush, and -all alone the traitor slept the everlasting sleep of the dead. Huldah -Armstrong seemed a fatal prize. She had brought death to the door of -more than one heart. Spagano—brave Golden Cheek—Zebulon Strong, Colonel -O’Neill and the Night-Hawks had already fallen for her, and perhaps -others yet might die for the beautiful prize. - -The trio pursued the trail an hour in silence, and Mark Harmon was the -first to speak. - -“Wolf-Cap,” he said, in a low tone, glancing at Silver Hand, who was -walking along, with his head on his breast, his dark eyes on the faint -trail, “I’ve been thinking about some words that puzzle me.” - -Card Belt slowly lifted his eyes to the youth. - -“War it some words that I left drop?” he inquired. - -“No.” - -“Did Silver Hand shoot ’em out?” - -“No; they fell from Armstrong’s lips last night, in the fort.” - -“Well, what did old Levi say?” - -“I was standing at the third port-hole looking toward the hill, and all -at once I heard a voice at my elbow. It said: ‘If she was mine I could -not love her more. God pity me and let me live to make amends.’ I turned -quickly, for there was a depth of agony in the speaker’s tone, and I -beheld Levi Armstrong moving from the port-hole at my left.” - -Wolf-Cap’s face was ghastly in its coloring, when the youth looked into -it again, and a white hand griped his arm. - -“Are you sure it was old Levi?” stammered the trapper. - -“I am, for I spoke to him a second later,” answered the young man -confidently. “I heard the words plainly, and you know all that he said.” - -Wolf-Cap suddenly stopped in his tracks, and drew the whole attention of -his companions upon him. - -“I begin to see light now, and I curse myself for being so blind until -this moment,” he said. “Let me tell you.” - -“Wolf-Cap speak after while,” said Silver Hand. “We on trail now and -this no time for long talks. Pale Night-Hawk fly to the big water with -snow-bird, and he must be caught before he sees the green waves.” - -“Heaven is helping me,” said Belt, impressively. “I feel that the end of -this terrible wood drama is near at hand. I will tell my story here, and -now! Silver Hand, you may lean against that tree, or trail the -Night-Hawk. I care not which you do.” - -The impatient Indian bit his lip, and leaned against the designated -tree. - -“Twenty years ago,” said Belt, looking at Harmon, “I lived beside the -Mystic, in Connecticut. Not alone did I inhabit the little cabin, where -now the stranger dwells. A wife kissed me then, and a babe was soon to -cheer our childless home with its sunny smiles. How I waited for the new -joy; but alas!” and a cloud leaped to the trapper’s brow, “alas! the -devil came to our home. One night I returned from Saybrook and found an -empty cabin on the Mystic. My wife—my Bessie—was gone!” - -Belt paused, and, with face buried in his broad hands, he swayed to and -fro like a storm-cursed tree. - -“Mark Harmon,” he cried, suddenly removing his hands, “God alone knows -how I loved her. She never knew herself, for humanity could not fathom -my devotion and love. I sunk to my floor on the fearful discovery, and -in the morning, a neighbor found me, but little less than a madman. Then -my eyes were opened. I found several letters in the old house addressed -to Bessie. They were signed “Ralph” and “Morton.” I put the two words -together and had a name—“Ralph Morton.” For the owner of that name I -hunted for eighteen years, almost; but I found no traces of him nor my -wife. When I ceased to hunt, I had given her up for dead. I love Huldah, -because she looks like Bessie did twenty years ago. - -“Now I do see light. I feel that Levi Armstrong is Ralph Morton. God -keep me alive till I can tell him so.” - -“What would you do with him?” ventured the young borderman. - -“What would you do, young man, with the devil who should snatch heavenly -happiness from your heart?” said the trapper slowly. - -“I would hunt him down and kill him!” - -“That’s just what I am going to do,” returned Wolf-Cap through closed -lips. “Some men might forgive such a wrong as mine, but I—never! Now for -her, Mark Harmon, chief,” and the trapper started forward. “Oh Heaven! -do not deceive me at this day—oh do not raise my hopes to dash them down -into darkness, for Huldah must be my child, or I die!” - -The Wyandot was eager to resume the trail, and led the van with a quick -step. For several miles it remained plain, and then it was lost in the -waters of a narrow creek. - -“I am not surprised,” said Wolf-Cap. “He is breaking for the very place -where I don’t want to find ’im.” - -“Why does he not continue his flight?” - -“Because his captive is tired. In Wolf’s Den he will rest until she -recruits her strength.” - -“In Wolf’s Den?” echoed Harmon. “I have heard of this place.” - -“I should reckon you had, boy. Everybody in these parts has heard of it, -and I’ve been thar. Why, thar are a thousand caves in one, and dark -halls lead—perhaps to the iron gates of hell. Men have entered the “den” -never to return. Strange winds blow torches out, and there are bats in -the darkness as big as a coon. I have believed the Night-Hawks used it -for their head-quarters, before they descended upon the ‘fire-lands’.” - -“Then he is acquainted with its terrors.” - -“Probably. But we’ll follow him to the greatest of them all—death.” - -The trio waded down the creek whose banks were masses of solid rock, -which ofttimes towered to a hight of a hundred feet above the water. The -gray stone was covered with a loathsome species of the dark green -creeper, and the repulsive head of many a glittering lizard protruded -from the fissures. - -“This is Satan’s land,” said Wolf-Cap, looking up at the spectacle just -described, “and presently we’ll enter his cave.” - -A few steps brought them to a great fissure, that extended from the top -of the cliff to the water’s edge, and into which a man could edge his -way. - -“Well, here we are,” remarked the trapper, stooping to examine the foot -of the crack. “It looks like the cave of death, but,” looking up -suddenly, “it is inhabited.” - -“What!” cried Harmon, springing to his side, “has he entered here?” - -“Yes, the ground tells me so!” - -At last the end of the Night-Hawk’s trail had been reached; but the -final scene was wrapped in fearful obscurity. - -“I’ve been here afore, and I’ll lead the way,” continued Wolf-Cap, -stepping forward. - -“No, Silver-Hand go ’head,” cried the Wyandot, suddenly, and his right -hand pushed the trapper aside. “Wyandot know more ’bout cave than -pale-faces think.” - -The next instant the Indian sprung into the fissure, and darkness, damp -and impenetrable, swooped down upon the adventurers. - -It at once became evident to the whites that their guide knew much about -the interior structure of the cave, for he pushed forward in the -darkness, seemingly with a well-known destination in view. - -But suddenly something struck the wall above the trios’ heads, and then -fell heavily to the ground. - -Silver Hand stooped and ran his hand over the stony floor until it -grasped a warm object, with gigantic wings unspread. - -“A winged rat,” he said in a low voice, touching his companions’ hands -with his prize. “It fell from—” - -He paused suddenly, for other huge bats were striking the walls and -falling at their feet. - -“By heavens! does it rain bats here?” exclaimed Wolf-Cap, as Silver Hand -griped his arm. - -“Somebody in the lodges of the winged rats,” he said. “He knock ’em down -here.” - -“They must come from the bat-chamber. I’ve heard of it,” said the -trapper, quickly. “He is fighting ’em there; but how can we reach it?” - -“Come,” said the Wyandot, with eagerness. “Silver Hand fight the flying -rats there once himself. He find the place soon.” - -Then they started forward, just as another quartette of dead bats fell -from the mysterious gloom above. - -Somebody was fighting the winged mammals above the three, for, as they -advanced, they could hear his sturdy blows. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - RETRIBUTION. - - -Let us return to the Night-Hawk and his prisoner. - -To the former some of the events of Wolf Den was not unknown. Wolf-Cap -had spoken truly when he told his companions that the cave had once -served as the rendezvous of the outlaws, and as such a place, their -leader should be acquainted with its intricacies. - -He saw that his captive needed rest, and Wolf Den naturally suggested -itself. Therefore, he made it his objective point after shooting Captain -Strong, and intended to hide among its dark chambers until Huldah had -fully recruited her strength. - -“We’ll go up to the bat-chamber, girl,” he said, after entering the -mouth of the den. “It is rather a gloomy place; but the only one where -we can catch a breath of fresh air.” - -So he lifted her from the ground and clambered up the great broken rocks -that obstructed the natural stairway. - -Up, up, still up he bore the girl, and at last paused with a -long-fetched sigh of relief and satisfaction. He had reached the top of -the stair. - -Funk here lowered the girl, and constructed a torch from a sleeve of his -hunting-frock. - -“This cave used to swarm with bats,” he said, leading Huldah toward a -dark portal of elephantine proportions. “But we drove them out, and used -it for head-quarters. Yes, this is the place, here are the stones on -which we sat, and the giant night-hawk, which Sam Cole drew on the wall, -still remains. Now, girl— What? a bat?” - -His exclamation was caused by the flapping of unseen wings, and then a -black object shot through the torchlight, accompanied by a demoniacal -chattering. - -It was a bat, and a great one, too. - -“I thought they would never return after the smoking we gave them,” he -continued, as a dozen of the hideous beings darted from the wall to -which they had been clinging. “But I’ll fight and drive them out now, -for we must take this chamber. Here, and here only, do we breathe fresh -air. It comes from the forest above us; the atmosphere in other chambers -is noxious.” - -He thrust the torch into Huldah’s hands, and doffed his coat. Then, -catching it at the neck, he braced himself, and struck boldly at the -hideous, chattering, screeching bats. - -The walls of the chamber, which were black upon the couple’s entrance, -were now gray, for they had been literally covered with the somber -mammals, which now flew about in every direction. - -More than one great horned owl added to the terror of the combat, and -the monster wings brushed the cheeks of our heroine, who held the torch -above her head that the Night-Hawk might see what he was doing. - -The heavy coat did good service. It knocked the bats to the right and -left, and dashed many to the feet of other characters of our story, as -the reader has seen. - -“We’re whipping the demons, Huldah!” exclaimed Roy Funk, triumphantly, -glancing at the girl. “Already they are retreating to other fastnesses. -Aha! they know Roy Funk! they’ve met him before!” - -He stood like a giant in the center of the cave, whirling the curious -weapon about his head, and dashing his enemies to the stones. His arm -never grew weary, nor did his blows weaken. But all at once he started -back, and, dropping the coat, picked up the musket, that lay at his -feet. - -His face was turned toward the entrance to the cave, upon which the -firelight fell, and his eyes were riveted upon three figures standing -there. - -They were Wolf-Cap, Mark Harmon, and Silver Hand. The outlaw saw this in -an instant. - -To recover the musket was the work of a second, and quickly whirling -upon Huldah, he snatched the torch from her hand, and threw it above his -head for the purpose of sending it after the bats he had hurled to the -dark corridors below. In darkness he might hope to escape his new -enemies, who, alas for his plans, had been, for once, too quick for him. - -The Indian darted forward like a rocket as the flaring stick shot aloft, -and his hand closed on the outlaw’s arm. But Funk wrenched his arm from -the gripe, and struck his foe across the face with the fiery weapon. He -renewed his blow, under which the Wyandot staggered, but recovered in a -second and hurled him back. With the desperation befitting his -situation, Roy Funk struggled manfully, but Silver Hand held him down, -while Wolf-Cap secured his limbs with ropes or cords. - -“Well, boys, you’ve caught me at last,” he said, looking up into the -faces of his white hunters. “But if it hadn’t been for these infernal -bats, Roy Funk would have triumphed at last. I did my best to outwit -you, and if I was free I would do it again. Now, what are you going to -do with the outlaw?” - -Wolf-Cap and the young borderman held a conversation in low tones. - -“We are going to take you back to Fort Strong,” said Belt, at length -looking at the outlaw. “The settlers shall judge you according to your -deeds. I had intended killing you with my own hands, Roy Funk, but you -have wronged others more than you have wronged me. Where are your men?” - -In a few words the outlaw narrated the attack on his camp by Colonel -O’Neill, and the destruction of the Night-Hawks. - -“So you’re the last of ’em?” said Wolf-Cap. - -“I am the last.” - -“Do you want to go to Fort Strong?” - -“I care not whither you take me. But if I have to depart, Card Belt, I -would reveal a secret before we quit this place.” - -“Wal, drive ahead then, for we must get out o’ this hole in a few -minutes.” - -“There was a time when the great pursuit of my life was the getting of -gold,” said the outlaw. “I was successful and my eagerness became -catching, for my men contracted it. We amassed wealth in Canada and -stored it in this very cave. It is nothing to me now. I will lead you to -the spot, and show you what now is yours.” - -Wolf-Cap and Harmon exchanged glances, while Silver Hand looked on in -stern silence. - -“Well, show us your gold!” said the trapper. - -“Yonder door leads to it,” replied Funk, looking over his right shoulder -at a hole in the wall. “Light the way, somebody.” - -Wolf-Cap started forward with the torch. - -Silver Hand led the outlaw after the trapper, and Mark Harmon walked -beside Huldah. - -The dark portal led to another cave smaller than the bat-chamber, but as -gloomy. A strange smile toyed with the outlaw’s lips, as he walked -forward, and there was a lurking triumph in his tone when he commanded -the party to halt. - -“Now, Roy Funk, where’s your gold?” - -“Beneath this bowlder,” answered the Night-Hawk, striking a huge rock -with his foot. - -“It can not be moved,” said Harmon. - -Royal Funk laughed. - -“Who said it must be moved?” he asked. “If you can trust me, undo my -hands a moment, and I will show you the results of ten years’ toiling -for gold.” - -Wolf-Cap drew his knife, but Silver Hand shook his head. - -“Outlaw lie,” he said. - -“The Indian does not like me,” said Funk. “I, and I alone, can reveal -the hidden gold, and when I have shown you it we may talk about a ransom -if you will entertain such a subject.” - -“We will not, let me tell you this now. All the gold in the world could -not buy your freedom,” was Harmon’s reply. “But we will see your riches. -Now, mind you, Roy Funk, not a sign of treachery here. This pistol is -ready to speak, so play the man, if life is of any value to you.” - -“If I betray your trust, shoot me,” the Night-Hawk said. - -The next moment Wolf-Cap severed his bonds, and he stooped by the stone -and ran his hand beneath. - -For a minute he fumbled there, glancing up at the quartette above. - -“I touch the box now,” he said, at length, “and here it is!” - -As he uttered the last word his hand shot from beneath the stone, and -threw a cloud of dust into the watchers’ eyes. - -They started back; the outlaw sprung forward! He caught Huldah Armstrong -from the ground, and darted toward a precipice, dimly revealed by the -torch. - -“Fiend!” rung from Mark Harmon’s lips, as he leaped after the outlaw, -his eyes half-blinded by the cunning trick. - -He saw the Night-Hawk on the edge of the cave-cliff, and his hand shot -forward to save the woman he loved. - -His fingers closed on her arm, and with all his strength he jerked her -toward him. Half over the precipice, the outlaw could not struggle, and -the young frontiersman tore Huldah from his grip and started back. - -Then a despairing shriek welled from Roy Funk’s pale lips, and clutching -wildly at air he fell headlong into the darkness below! - - * * * * * * * - -“We’ll look down on the old fort from yonder hill,” said Wolf-Cap, on -the evening following the scenes just related. “Then, Huldah, you’ll -find a father; then—” he turned suddenly from the girl, and finished the -sentence under his breath—“then, I’ll take vengeance for the wrongs of -the past. Levi Armstrong—no, Ralph Morton rather, you shall tell me what -became of Bessie.” - -A few steps brought them to the summit of the hill designated by the -trapper; but alas! Fort Strong did not greet their vision. A confused -heap of embers proclaimed where it had once stood! - -The spectators stared blankly into each other’s faces, unable to speak. - -Suddenly Wolf-Cap started forward without a word, and the others -followed. - -Everywhere among the ruins the victims of savage atrocity scalped and -tomahawked, were to be seen. - -“They’re all dead!” said Harmon. “May Heaven curse the fiends—” - -A groan! - -Wolf-Cap started forward, and lifted a log from the chest of a man. - -It was Levi Armstrong. He opened his eyes and smiled. - -“Oh, father! father!” cried Huldah, throwing herself upon him. “Tell me, -father, how all this happened.” - -“Splitlog came back and took me unawares,” was the reply, in a feeble -voice. “But, Huldah, I—am not your father!” - -She started. - -“Belt, you know me,” and the glassy eyes wandered to the trapper. - -“You are Ralph Morton.” - -“Yes,” with a sigh. “My crime is too great to be forgiven. ’Twas all my -fault. Your Bessie fled because I threatened. Forgive her!” - -“I did, long ago,” said Wolf-Cap, with tearful eyes. - -“She is dead, then?” - -“Yes. Huldah, this man is your father. He will tell you all. Card Belt, -you can not take vengeance now, for I am dying.” - -But little remains to be told to complete our story now. Wolf-Cap guided -Mark Harmon to a minister in the beautiful Muskingum valley, and saw his -long-lost daughter take the vows of a bride. For many years the trio -dwelt in the then town of Mansfield; but in the city of the same name, -their descendants dwell and are honored to-day. - -After all, it was well that Matt Hunter stole Huldah from Fort Strong, -for in the massacre that followed she would doubtless have perished. -Silver Hand lived to a good old age, a true friend to the Americans, and -the grasses of but four summers have waved over his grave. - -As for Johnny Appleseed, who appeared in the opening of our romance, we -may say, that he, too, fell beneath death’s sickle, ripe for the harvest -of the simply just. - -Roy Funk sleeps in Wolf’s Den, while the bones of his followers have -been covered by populous cities and flourishing towns. - - - THE END. - - - - - THE ILLUMINATED DIME - POCKET NOVELS! - PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY. - - -Comprising the best works only of the most popular living writers in the -field of American Romance. 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By Paul Prescott. - No. 42—Lynx-cap; or, The Sioux Track. By Paul Bibbs. - No. 43—The White Outlaw; or, The Bandit Brigand. By Harry Hazard. - No. 44—The Dog Trailer. By Frederick Dewey. - No. 45—The Elk King. By Capt. Chas. Howard. - No. 46—Adrian, the Pilot. By Col. Prentiss Ingraham. - No. 47—The Man-hunter. By Maro O. Rolfe. - No. 48—The Phantom Tracker. By Frederick Dewey. - No. 49—Moccasin Bill. By Paul Bibbs. - No. 50—The Wolf Queen. By Captain Charles Howard. - No. 51—Tom Hawk, the Trailer. By Lewis Jay Swift. - No. 52—The Mad Chief. By Captain Chas. Howard. - No. 53—The Black Wolf. By Edwin E. Ewing. - No. 54—Arkansas Jack. By Harry Hazard. - No. 55—Blackbeard. By Paul Bibbs. - No. 56—The River Rifles. By Billex Muller. - No. 57—Hunter Ham. By J. Edgar Iliff. - No. 58—Cloudwood; or, The Daughter of the Wilderness. By J. M. - Merrill. - No. 59—The Texas Hawks. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr. - No. 60—Merciless Mat. By Capt. Chas. Howard. - No. 61—Mad Anthony’s Scouts. 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} -dl.biblio dt div { display:block; float:left; margin-left:-6em; width:6em; clear:both; } -dl.biblio dt.center { margin-left:0em; text-align:center; text-indent:0; } -dl.biblio dd { margin-top:.3em; margin-left:3em; text-align:justify; font-size:90%; } -p.biblio { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; } -.clear { clear:both; } -p.book { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; } -p.review { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; font-size:80%; } -p.pcap { margin-left:0em; text-indent:0; text-align:center; margin-top:0; font-size:110%; } -p.pcapc { margin-left:4.7em; text-indent:0em; text-align:justify; } -span.inside { font-size:80%; font-weight:bold; display:block; - float:left; margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em; - margin-right:1em; max-width:8em; } -span.attr { font-size:80%; font-family:sans-serif; } -span.pn { display:inline-block; width:4.7em; text-align:left; margin-left:0; text-indent:0; } -</style> -</head> -<body> - -<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Wolf-Cap;, by Charles Howard</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Wolf-Cap;</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0;'>or, The Night-Hawks of the Fire-Lands; A Tale of the Bloody Fort</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Charles Howard</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: September 6, 2021 [eBook #66231]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: David Edwards, Stephen Hutcheson, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois University Digital Library)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WOLF-CAP; ***</div> -<div id="cover" class="img"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Wolf-Cap; or, The Night-Hawks of the Fire-Lands" width="642" height="1000" /> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<h1>WOLF-CAP; -<br /><span class="smallest"><span class="smallest">OR,</span> -<br />THE NIGHT-HAWKS OF THE FIRE-LANDS.</span></h1> -<p class="tbcenter"><b>A TALE OF THE BLOODY FORT</b></p> -<p class="tbcenter">BY CAPT. CHAS. HOWARD, -<br /><span class="smallest">AUTHOR “ELK KING,” “WOLF QUEEN,” “MERCILESS MATT.”</span></p> -<p class="tbcenter"><span class="smaller">NEW YORK:</span> -<br />BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS, -<br /><span class="smaller">98 WILLIAM STREET.</span></p> -</div> -<p class="center smaller">Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by -<br />FRANK STARR & CO., -<br />in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.</p> -<h2 id="toc" class="center">CONTENTS</h2> -<dl class="toc"> -<dt><a href="#c1"><span class="cn">I </span>Doubly Warned</a> 9</dt> -<dt><a href="#c2"><span class="cn">II </span>Silver Hand, the Wyandot</a> 16</dt> -<dt><a href="#c3"><span class="cn">III </span>The Battle at Strong’s</a> 22</dt> -<dt><a href="#c4"><span class="cn">IV </span>Caught</a> 29</dt> -<dt><a href="#c5"><span class="cn">V </span>The Outcroppings of Treason</a> 36</dt> -<dt><a href="#c6"><span class="cn">VI </span>Without the Fort</a> 43</dt> -<dt><a href="#c7"><span class="cn">VII </span>The Work of a Lie</a> 49</dt> -<dt><a href="#c8"><span class="cn">VIII </span>A Bit of Mutiny</a> 56</dt> -<dt><a href="#c9"><span class="cn">IX </span>Sent Into Exile</a> 62</dt> -<dt><a href="#c10"><span class="cn">X </span>Baffled in Ambush</a> 68</dt> -<dt><a href="#c11"><span class="cn">XI </span>Treason in the Camp</a> 73</dt> -<dt><a href="#c12"><span class="cn">XII </span>Rowing and Running for Life</a> 79</dt> -<dt><a href="#c13"><span class="cn">XIII </span>The Last Night-Hawk</a> 84</dt> -<dt><a href="#c14"><span class="cn">XIV </span>Wolf’s Den</a> 91</dt> -<dt><a href="#c15"><span class="cn">XV </span>Retribution</a> 97</dt> -</dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_9">9</div> -<h1 title=""><span class="smaller">WOLF-CAP; -<br /><span class="smallest"><span class="smallest">OR,</span> -<br />THE NIGHT-HAWKS OF THE FIRE-LANDS.</span></span></h1> -<h2 id="c1"><span class="small">CHAPTER I.</span> -<br />DOUBLY WARNED.</h2> -<p>A small apartment, walled with rough logs, and blackened -by smoke.</p> -<p>A substantial fire burns in an uncouth but serviceable fireplace, -and a man reclines on the puncheons in the ruddy -blaze.</p> -<p>His sole companion is a huge yellow dog of the mastiff -species; and his master’s long black locks rest upon his shaggy -coat.</p> -<p>It is nine o’clock at night, and the moon shines in an unclouded -firmament.</p> -<p>Not a sound disturbs the stillness of the wood; but just -at the edge of the meager clearing that lies before the cabin, -a little river flows northward with a low noise, for it is almost -bank full.</p> -<p>Man and dog are wide awake; the former gazes into the -fire, the latter looks up into the hard, sunbrowned face.</p> -<p>The master is a great, strong man, whose looks, physique -and voice, when he speaks, indicates a long frontier life. He -is perhaps three and forty years of age. Some would say that -he is fifty; but people must not judge age by certain crows-feet -on the brow; troubles make young men old. His occupation -is revealed by a quantity of animal traps lying in one -corner of the room, and suspended from a rafter overhead -hangs a bundle of skins, ready for the market at Fort Sandusky.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_10">10</div> -<p>But he rises and looks at the dog, who bristles up and runs -to the door, protected by a strong oaken plank.</p> -<p>“What is it, Yellow Dick?” asks the trapper, standing beside -his companion, rifle in hand, and peering into the moonlight -through a crevice between two logs. “I would hev -sworn that I heard the voice of a man; but—”</p> -<p>He paused abruptly, for Yellow Dick had suddenly pricked -his long ears anew, and the trapper began to unbarricade the -door.</p> -<p>“’Tis old Johnny, Dick, as sure as death,” he said, glancing -at the mastiff while he worked at his plank. “He hasn’t -been this way for a three month. Mebbe he brings news -from the seat of war.”</p> -<p>The dog seemed to understand the man, for his fierceness -abated, and he stepped from the portal.</p> -<p>“There! I knew it was Johnny Appleseed,” the trapper -said triumphantly, as he opened the cabin door, and let a -flood of moonlight into the dingy room. “Here he comes, -down the river. What’s that he’s saying, Dick?”</p> -<p>The speaker leaned forward and caught these words uttered -in a melodious voice:</p> -<p>“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he hath anointed -me to blow the trumpet in the wilderness and sound the -alarm in the forest: for behold the tribes of the heathen are -round about your door, and a devouring flame followeth after -them.”</p> -<p>The herald of danger stood near the edge of the water, and -looked like some wild being from spirit-land.</p> -<p>“Old Johnny means somethin’; somethin’s gone wrong -somewhar,” cried the trapper, becoming excited, and then in -a louder tone he spoke the singular cognomen of the man of -the wilderness—“Johnny Appleseed!”</p> -<p>The latter turned and after some hesitation came forward.</p> -<p>“Do not detain the Lord’s anointed long,” said the little -wiry man, exhibiting his old restless activity, “for the Philistines -are this night sweeping down upon the scattered tents -of Israel, who will be found without the cities of refuge.”</p> -<p>“But, Johnny, what has happened?” queried the settler, -who could not repress a smile at the herald’s quaint phraseology.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_11">11</div> -<p>“The Philistines hold revel in the great walled city on the -northern water.”</p> -<p>“What! has Hull surrendered?”</p> -<p>“Even so, Israel is again in captivity, and the families on -her borders must feel the fire now.”</p> -<p>The trapper was silent for a while.</p> -<p>“Then the red-coated and red-skinned devils are coming to -devastate the frontiers,” he said, in a tone scarcely audible.</p> -<p>“Their forces no man can number,” said the strange herald. -“They are like the sands of the sea-shore. But I must go. -I am appointed to deliver my message before every door in -the forest, that the Lord’s chosen may flee from the wrath to -come.”</p> -<p>“Then go, Johnny. I should not have detained you a minute. -Yours is an errand of mercy. I have a duty to perform -this night. Go, Johnny; tell them all of the swoop of the -red eagles; and tell them that Wolf Cap says, ‘Fly to the block-houses -without delay!’”</p> -<p>The pioneer hero started forward, but paused after taking -a step, and drew the portion of an old volume from his -bosom.</p> -<p>“Here news right fresh from heaven,” he said, and he tore -a leaf from the book and handed it to the trapper.</p> -<p>It was a leaf from Swedenborg’s writings, for Johnny -Appleseed—Jonathan Chapman—is no myth, and he was a -true disciple of the Swedish seer.</p> -<p>Having accomplished his duty, the strange man, clad in -nothing save a garment fashioned from a coffee sack, and -bearing a long distaff, started off to spread dismay throughout -the fire-lands.</p> -<p>“So Hull has surrendered,” muttered Wolf-Cap through -clenched lips, as he turned into the cabin again. “I know it -was a cowardly affair, for Detroit was proof against ten thousand -foes; but Hull was the wrong man in the right place. I -know it; I told the soldiers so when I war there not long -ago. These frontiers hev got to be desolated now, through -the cowardice of one man,” the lone trapper continued, busying -himself with preparations for a night journey. “Our -block-houses are poor excuses for bulwarks; but we must get -the women and children in them as quickly as possible.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_12">12</div> -<p>He donned his hunting accouterments and the wolf-skin -cap which had given him the <i>sobriquet</i> that entitles our romance, -and replenished the fire.</p> -<p>“I’ll leave you to keep house, Dick,” he said, addressing -the dog. “I’ll be back about daybreak. Now old fellow do -your duty, and don’t let a sneakin’ red-skin over this portal.”</p> -<p>He patted the dog’s shaggy back, barricaded the door, and -made his exit from the cabin, by the roof.</p> -<p>“I’m pretty sure that Johnny missed ’em,” he said, pausing -for a moment beside the cabin and communing with himself. -“He came down the river, and they are too far to his left. -Yes, I guess he missed ’em.”</p> -<p>The last word still quivered his lips when he started in a -north-easterly direction, leaving the river to his left.</p> -<p>A well-defined trail stretched before him, and he walked -rapidly through the moonlit forest, trailing his long-barreled -rifle at his side.</p> -<p>It was a night in August, 1812, and, as not a breath of -wind was stirring, the heat was oppressive. Once or twice -the hunter started a deer from the weed-fringed margin of -some forest stream, or frightened a coyote from his feast of -freshly-slain bird.</p> -<p>Suddenly he paused and listened to a silver voice, soaring -skyward far away.</p> -<p>“That’s Huldah’s voice,” he said, audibly. “No woman -can sing like her in these parts. I don’t know, but some how -or other I think an uncommon sight of that girl. She looks -so much like Bessie did twenty years ago,” and here the rough -deer-skin sleeve dashed a tear from the speaker’s eye.</p> -<p>“But I wonder what makes her so happy just now—when -terror sits in many a white girl’s heart. Ah! old Johnny did -not warn <i>them</i>!”</p> -<p>He leaped the little rivulet by which he stood while speaking, -and threaded the forest mazes again. Presently he came -upon a neat clearing, in the center of which, surrounded by -a rail-fence, stood a cabin, somewhat larger than his bachelor -abode. An air of industry pervaded the spot, and the honeysuckles -that half concealed the little square windows, proclaimed -the presence of the softer—the flower-loving sex.</p> -<p>The song that had startled the trapper by the little creek, -<span class="pb" id="Page_13">13</span> -was mute now, and a dead silence brooded over the settler’s -home, on which the moonlight softly fell.</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing, -and thought of the coming whirlwind of destruction.</p> -<p>He thought till he gritted his teeth, and started forward, -impulsively.</p> -<p>“Here’s the toil of months,” he cried. “Levi has labored -like a giant to build a shelter for Huldah’s head, and now to -think that the flames must, in one brief hour, destroy it all. -Oh, I wish I could wield the thunderbolts of heaven for a -single minute!”</p> -<p>He approached the cabin boldly, his giant form bathed in -moonshine, and a low growl saluted his ears as he stepped -upon the little porch before the door.</p> -<p>“Who’s there?” said a woman’s voice, beyond the heavy -door.</p> -<p>“Me—Wolf-Cap,” answered the trapper, and he heard nimble -fingers undoing the fastenings.</p> -<p>“Come in, neighbor Belt,” said a voice as the door flew -open, and a beautiful young girl, whose right hand griped a -rifle, appeared to the hunter.</p> -<p>He obeyed, and as he crossed the threshold the door was -closed again and barred.</p> -<p>“Ye warn’t lookin’ for me to-night, I guess,” he said, -taking in the room at a glance.</p> -<p>“No, neighbor Belt; but you are none the less welcome. -Father has just retired—”</p> -<p>“I’ll be thar in a minute, Belt,” interrupted a man’s voice -in the next room. “I thought it war you when I heard your -step on the porch. What’s up? Ye kin talk while I -dress.”</p> -<p>“A good deal what’s bad is up,” said Wolf-Cap, in a loud -one. “Hull has surrendered, and a swarm of British and -Indians are pouring down upon the frontier.”</p> -<p>“Who told you, Belt?”</p> -<p>The speaker had appeared like a flash, and, scarcely more -than half-dressed, stood before the trapper.</p> -<p>“Who told me?—Johnny Appleseed. He went down the -<span class="pb" id="Page_14">14</span> -last, Armstrong. We’ve enjoyed comparative quiet thus far -during the war; but the cowardice—I know it was just that -and nothin’ else—of Hull, has unloosed the dogs of hell, an’ -they’ll be here pretty soon. To the block-house is the cry -now. If safety lies anywhere, it is there.”</p> -<p>Levi Armstrong, the old settler, stood in the dim light of -the tin fat lamp, and quivered with rage.</p> -<p>“Belt,” he said, slowly and with emphasis, “I’m not goin’ -to give up the work of my hands without a struggle. You -kin bet on that.”</p> -<p>“But Huldah must go to the block-house. Strong’s is the -strongest, and best defended. We must act—”</p> -<p>“So long as father remains from the block-house I remain, -too,” interrupted Huldah Armstrong, as she touched Wolf-Cap’s -arm. “I share his love for our home. He shall not -be separated from me.”</p> -<p>“Huldah, you must go to Strong’s to-morrow,” said Levi. -“I will go with you.”</p> -<p>“Truly, father?”</p> -<p>“Truly, girl.”</p> -<p>“Then I am content to go,” she said. “When do you look -for the marauders, neighbor Belt?”</p> -<p>“They are liable to come at any hour,” was the reply. -“But in truth <i>I</i> do not look for them for several days yet. -No doubt Johnny heard of the disaster from some Indian, and -is many hours in advance of the slayers.”</p> -<p>“And what are you going to do, Belt?” asked Levi Armstrong.</p> -<p>“I had settled upon no plan of action. I’ve got a cabin, -and I hate to leave it to the torch. The Night-Hawks are -with Proctor, you know. I wonder if they will come down -upon the frontiers?”</p> -<p>“To be sure they will, neighbor Belt.”</p> -<p>“God help the frontiers, then.”</p> -<p>“Yes, yes.”</p> -<p>“But I must go back,” said the trapper; “nobody is at -home but Yellow Dick. I guess we’ll not go to the block-house -till to-morrow night. I think we’re safe in keeping -aloof till then; ’tis best, you know, to seem in ignorance of -the threatening danger.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_15">15</div> -<p>“I think so too, Belt. You’ll come over to-morrow evening, -ready for the run?”</p> -<p>“I’ll be here, and then”—with a glance at Levi that -told much—“we’ll shelter our heads beneath Strong’s -roof.”</p> -<p>Several minutes later Wolf-Cap was returning to his cabin, -and at length the grayish dawn of day revealed it to -him.</p> -<p>“Nobody has disturbed Dick,” he said, after inspecting the -little structure’s surroundings. “He’s a good housekeeper—no -woman in this land kin beat him, but— What’s that? -By Huron! somebody hes nailed a piece of paper to my -door.”</p> -<p>The trapper was walking forward while speaking, and it -was a piece of paper on his cabin door that called the exclamation -to his lips. With his eyes fastened upon the object, -he quickened his steps, and presently paused on the flagstone -stoop.</p> -<p>Before his eyes was a piece of dingy paper, bordered with -blood, and held in its place by a knife, the point of which was -buried deeply in the firm wood!</p> -<p>The uncouth letters had been traced on the dirty sheet with -a stick dipped in gore, and were arranged in the following -order:</p> -<blockquote> -<p>“<span class="sc">We hunt you. You know us. Fly or die!</span></p> -<p><span class="lr">“<span class="sc">The Night-Hawks.</span>”</span></p> -</blockquote> -<p>The trapper looked at the warning a long time, and gradually -a smile of contempt wreathed his lips.</p> -<p>“So, Royal Funk, you and your devils are in these parts -again,” he said, “and I tell you, once for all, that I am not -an illegal squatter. You can’t scare Card Belt.”</p> -<p>Then, without more words, he ascended to the roof and -joined Yellow Dick, who received him with manifestations -of delight in the room below. Fearlessly he threw wide the -cabin door, and spread a map of the North-west, face downward, -on the floor.</p> -<p>Then, with a piece of charcoal, he traced these words on -the parchment:</p> -<p>“<i>Roy Funk, I’m going to remain on the fire-lands. You can’t</i> -<span class="pb" id="Page_16">16</span> -<i>frighten me. I spare not and no mercy ask. No block-house -shall shelter me!</i>”</p> -<p>Twice the trapper read the defiance to his dog, as though -the animal was possessed of comprehension, and then he pinned -it to the door with the point of a knife.</p> -<h2 id="c2"><span class="small">CHAPTER II.</span> -<br />SILVER HAND, THE WYANDOT.</h2> -<p>The reader has heard Wolf-Cap aver that he was not an -illegal squatter on the fire-lands, and while he prepares to sustain -the defiance nailed to his cabin door, let us inquire into -the meaning of his declaration, and thereby, if possible, add -to the interest of our story.</p> -<p>The “fire-lands” were not, as the casual reader would suppose, -a tract of country blackened and rendered barren almost -by the flames. On the contrary, their broad acres, well watered -by majestic rivers, teemed with plenty, and even their -<i>indolent</i> farmer to-day finds no starvelings about his premises.</p> -<p>Erie, Huron, and a small part of Ottawa counties, comprise -that portion of the Western Ohio Reserve known as the fire-lands. -The tract embraces five hundred thousand acres, and -the term “fire-lands” originated from the circumstance of the -State of Connecticut having granted these lands, in 1792, as a -donation, to certain sufferers by fire occasioned by the English -during the Revolutionary war, particularly at New London, -Fairfield and Norwalk. Connecticut, at that time, holding -jurisdiction over much land in Ohio, made other grants, -of a nature similar to the above, and to this day the Western -Reserve is often called by its old title—New Connecticut.</p> -<p>Though Wolf-Cap, or Card Belt, was not a sufferer at English -hands, he had a right to the ground on which his little -cabin stood. That right was a grant from the proprietors of -the fire-lands; but he had had the misfortune to lose the document -while <i>en route</i> to his claim. He had trapped along -<span class="pb" id="Page_17">17</span> -the streams of his native State, Connecticut, until they refused -to yield the wished-for supply of fur-bearing animals, and, -longing for a new pelt El Dorado, he fell in with the inducements -offered by the settlements of New Connecticut.</p> -<p>He established his claim to a certain spot of ground, notwithstanding -the loss of the title, and erected his cabin, in -1811. A treaty had previously been made with the Wyandots, -who inhabited a portion of the ground, and until the -breaking out of the war of 1812, the red denizens of the fire-lands -had kept the promises of the treaty unbroken.</p> -<p>But in the settlement of the fire-lands, as in the settlement -of all new countries, a class of rough characters appeared on -the surface. These were, in the greater part, Canadian trappers, -who were dwelling on the grant prior to its change of -owners, and they refused to accede to the demands of the -legal squatters. They had no right to the land, for they had -been English soldiers, and disturbers of the peace between -whites and Indians.</p> -<p>They drove honest squatters from their homes, and carried -on a reign of terror throughout the fire-lands, until the Connecticut -company overawed them with settlers. Still they -carried on their lawlessness. At midnight they would break -into some squatter’s cabin and demand a sight of his deed; -and if the poor man could not produce it, as was often the -case, considering the poor facilities extant those days for preserving -paper documents, he would be hustled from his door, -and the torch applied to the logs.</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap’s domicil was invaded one night, two months -prior to the opening of hostilities; but he gave the Night-Hawks—as -the outlaws were called—such a warm reception, -that they were glad to depart without accomplishing their -purpose. In the affray one of the scoundrels was fatally shot -by the trapper, and their numbers thus reduced to nine.</p> -<p>The leader of the band was a rather handsome, brigandisa -sort of man, boasting of the name of Royal Funk. He had -served under Arnold in his descent upon Connecticut, and followed -other Tories to the West after the patriot struggle. He -had a commanding eye, and a nature fitted to lord it over a -lot of low characters like those whom he drew around him -in New Connecticut, and christened the Night-Hawks.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_18">18</div> -<p>Their villainies were brought to a close by the declaration of -war. One day they left the fire-lands, and joined the British -army of the North-west, and the settlers breathed freer. They -devoutly wished that every Night-Hawk might fall beneath -American bullets, and for months the tract enjoyed a peace -that seemed a foretaste of the one quiet peace called blessed!</p> -<p>British gold drew hundreds of savages to the flag of St. -George; but a portion of the Wyandots adhered heroically to -the American cause. The fire-land settlers centered all their -hopes on Hull. If he would repulse the allies before Detroit, -their homes were safe. If the General failed, then the Night-Hawks -and their red helpers would return to devastate homes -illy defended.</p> -<p>Therefore, the reader can imagine the terror spread throughout -the grant by the wild message of Johnny Appleseed: -“The tribes of the heathen are round about your doors, and -a devouring flame followeth after them.”</p> -<p>“We are going to help Proctor. When we return, look -out, usurper.”</p> -<p>Such words Wolf-Cap found chalked on his cabin door, on -his return from Sandusky, one day in the spring lately passed. -He saw that he had saved his life by being absent, and he -awaited with impatience and anxiety the result of British -operations in the North-west. Noble-minded and courageous, -almost to a fault, he did not fear the threats of the Night-Hawks, -as the reader has seen by his defiance; but the unprotected -settlers called forth his sympathy.</p> -<p>“I’ll help take Huldah to Strong’s,” he said, looking at his -dog, after posting his defiance, “and then I’ll make this cabin -our castle, Dick. I don’t know as I’ve got much to live for, -since Bessie left me, and I’ll try to rid the people of several -of their plagues afore I go. Here be six rifles an’ plenty -o’ ammunition, and we’ll drop a doe to-night, if it gets -cloudy.”</p> -<p>The trapper hailed the approach of night with joy, and -locking Yellow Dick within the cabin, took up the trail to -Levi Armstrong’s hut. His frequent visits to the cabin had -traced a well-defined trail, and as he hurried along, he planned -for the future, which cast gloomy clouds over him—hunted -man as he was.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_19">19</div> -<p>“Just let any body touch one o’ Huldah Armstrong’s black -hairs,” he suddenly exclaimed, aloud. “Just let ’em do it, I -say, and, be he white or red, I’ll let a ray of sunshine through -his heart. That girl is just the purest, fairest creature in -New Connecticut, and I’m her champion, I am—Card Belt. -I love that girl,” and in the gloaming a crimson flush appeared -on his cheek; “but not like a <i>young</i> man. No! I’m -old enough to be her father, and I love her because she looks -like Bessie. I often wonder if she will ever have a young -lover. Ah! if she gets down to Strong’s, the young bucks -will go up over her face, and they won’t be able to drop an -Indian for looking into her eyes.”</p> -<p>He communed thus with himself until he reached the creek -near Armstrong’s clearing, when the whiz of a bullet broke -his train of thoughts, and brought him to a sudden halt.</p> -<p>“That’s close,” he ejaculated, glancing at the work made -by the ball in the tree near his head. “But a miss is as -good as a mile, and I’ll show the greaser that two men can -play with rifles at the same time.”</p> -<p>The next moment he sunk into the tall grass that lined -the margin of the stream, resolved to outwit his foe.</p> -<p>“I begin to see through the mist,” he said, with a broad -smile, a moment after disappearing among the grass. “Silver -Hand is up to one of his old tricks again. Curse that Indian! -I’ve got to break him of such practices. He shoots too uncommon -close, sometimes.”</p> -<p>Then a bird-call issued from the trapper’s throat, and was -answered from a spot a short distance away, on the opposite -bank of the stream.</p> -<p>“I knew it was that red-skin,” and with the last word the -trapper’s cap appeared above the grass. “Howsomever it is -best to be cautious—there!”</p> -<p>A slight noise told that the cap had been struck by some -object, and the hunter lowered it to find it perforated by an -arrow of singular workmanship.</p> -<p>Then, placing the cap on his head without withdrawing -the shaft, he rose to his feet simultaneously with the appearance -of a tufted Indian beyond the murky water.</p> -<p>A minute later and the twain had met.</p> -<p>“Silver Hand, you haven’t visited a fellow much o’ late,” -<span class="pb" id="Page_20">20</span> -said Wolf-Cap, looking into the black eyes of the prepossessing -young Wyandot. “I wasn’t looking for you hereabouts; -but you’re the very chap I wanted to see.”</p> -<p>“Silver Hand glad to see Wolf-Cap, too,” said the Indian. -“He much to tell white brother ’bout the big white coward -in the north.”</p> -<p>“I don’t want to talk about Hull, chief,” said the trapper. -“I swear away down in my heart when I think of his cowardice. -But we have work to do. The frontiers swarm -with fiends now, and I go to guide a family to Strong’s fort. -Of course you’re going with me, Silver Hand; we’ll talk as -we walk.”</p> -<p>The trapper started forward with a look at the Indian -but the red arm darted forward and touched his arm.</p> -<p>“Wolf-Cap need go no further—house empty,” said Silver -Hand.</p> -<p>“Whose house?” and a deathly pallor overspread the settler’s -face, and told how he dreaded to hear the Wyandot’s -answer.</p> -<p>“The house of the tall old pale-face and pretty girl.”</p> -<p>“Empty, Silver Hand? You must be mistaken. They -were to wait for me.”</p> -<p>“But they gone, sure,” persisted the chief. “Silver Hand -stop at cabin to tell them about the big coward; but he find -nobody in house. The dog, too, was gone; but Silver Hand -find paper on the door—paper with pale-face words on -it.”</p> -<p>The chief produced a piece of paper from his bosom as he -spoke, and handed it to the trapper.</p> -<p>It was night now, but the light of the rising moon enabled -Wolf-Cap to decipher the rude writing on the sheet.</p> -<blockquote> -<p>“We have gone to Strong’s with the Logans. We left at -sundown, and you will find us in the old fort.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>Thus read the message on the door, and the trapper bit his -lip when he looked up at the young warrior.</p> -<p>“Mebbe we’ll find ’em there and mebbe we won’t,” he -said angrily. “I guess the Logans were frightened nigh to -death, and would give old Levi no rest, until he promised to -guide them to Strong’s. I thought he had a head of his own, -and he promised to wait for me, too.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_21">21</div> -<p>Wolf-Cap was silent for several moments, and the Indian -regarded him with a puzzled expression of countenance.</p> -<p>“When pale-faces leave lodge?” he questioned at length.</p> -<p>“At sundown. They’re not half-way to Strong’s now. -We’ll let ’em go, though, Silver Hand; but we could intercept -them if we wanted to. Old Levi needs a lesson for his -action.”</p> -<p>“But his girl too putty to be in the woods at night. Bad -Wyandots and Night-Hawks come down together from the -north, and—”</p> -<p>“There! that’s enough, chief,” interrupted the trapper. “I -could let old Levi go; but Huldah, never! Come! we kin -catch ’em at the mouth of Eel Creek, for they’ve taken the -black-deer trail to Strong’s. It’ll take fast travelin’, Silver -Hand; but we kin do it. You an’ me kin do any thing.”</p> -<p>Silver Hand sprung to the task with great eagerness, and -wheeling to the left, the twain hurried down the right bank -of the creek. A rapid march of several hours brought them -to the objective point; and Silver Hand at once dropped upon -all-fours to examine the trail.</p> -<p>“Party gone by!” he said at last, looking up at the trapper. -“Old settler, young man and four squaws. They walkin’ -fast, too—almost run.”</p> -<p>“The—deuce!” exclaimed Wolf-Cap, much chagrined at -the result of their journey. “But,” with a faint smile of -satisfaction; “I’m glad they passed this point safely. It argues -well for their arrival at Strong’s. How long since did -they pass, Silver Hand?”</p> -<p>The Wyandot examined the trail again.</p> -<p>“Only little while ago; grass still bent down.”</p> -<p>“Then we stand some chances of catching them this side -of Strong’s.”</p> -<p>“Yes, by fast walkin’.”</p> -<p>“I’ll see ’em inside the fort afore I go back to my hut,” -said Wolf-Cap with determination. “Royal Funk and me -for it, then, for I tell you, Silver—”</p> -<p>The distant report of a rifle broke his sentence, and caused -him to shoot an anxious look into the Wyandot’s eyes.</p> -<p>Three more faint reports followed the first, and Wolf-Cap -was about to spring forward, when Silver Hand thrust him -<span class="pb" id="Page_22">22</span> -backward toward the rushes that grew about the mouth of the -creek.</p> -<p>“Chief—”</p> -<p>“‘Sh!”</p> -<p>The swift tread of feet was heard, and nine dark forms -darted past the couple’s concealment, and disappeared in the -darkness that hid from them the flash of the distant rifles.</p> -<p>Without a word, and at the same moment, the trail-hunters -leaped to their feet.</p> -<p>For a moment they listened to the dying footsteps, and -Silver Hand was the first to speak.</p> -<p>“Wolf-Cap count ’em?” he asked.</p> -<p>“Yes. American bullets have spared every Night-Hawk,” -grated the trapper. “We must call ’em back,” and drawing -a pistol from his belt he discharged it in the air.</p> -<p>The next second the admirable counterfeit of a death-yell -pealed from the Wyandot’s throat, and the twain shrunk back -into the rushes again to await the result of their stratagem.</p> -<p>“They’re comin’ back, chief,” said the trapper in a low -tone. “Now, come with me. We’ll git between ’em an’ -our friends if we can.”</p> -<p>Certain sounds told them that at least a goodly portion of -the outlaws were returning, and silently they entered the -water and waded away.</p> -<p>The sounds of battle toward Strong’s had died in the -gloom, and an impenetrable vail of fearful mystery hung over -the fate of the fugitives.</p> -<h2 id="c3"><span class="small">CHAPTER III.</span> -<br />THE BATTLE AT STRONG’S.</h2> -<p>Strong’s block-house so frequently alluded to in the foregoing -pages, had been erected as a place of refuge for the inhabitants -of the “fire-lands.” It was a large structure, capable -of affording shelter for fifty families, and built with a -view to strength and endurance. The heavy logs were -secured in the old dovetail fashion, and the roof was doubly -<span class="pb" id="Page_23">23</span> -clapboarded. The second story projected five feet over the -first, thus enabling the defenders to fire upon any foe that -might attempt to force the lower doors. The Huron river lay -fifty yards from the front palisade of the block-house, which -stood at the foot of a hill, cleared by the settlers’ axes.</p> -<p>The bottom of the hill was selected for the building site, -owing to the proximity of water, and a well also yielded the -life-giving fluid within the fort. The strong palisade that -surrounded the “house of refuge,” was a double security, and -the settlers felt proud of their work when completed. A -stalwart settler named Zebulon Strong had superintended the -erection of the stronghold, hence its rather imposing cognomen.</p> -<p>There were other block-houses in the “fire-lands”; but -none were near enough to afford assistance to Strong’s in a -case of imminent danger.</p> -<p>“I guess the families are all in now,” said Zebulon Strong, -to a young man who was standing by a loop-hole, in the -second story of the backwoods fort.</p> -<p>“All in, captain? bless you, no. The Logans are out yet.”</p> -<p>“And old Levi Armstrong, too,” said another settler, who, -standing near, had caught the brief conversation.</p> -<p>“Yes, there is Levi; I had overlooked him,” the youth remarked -quickly.</p> -<p>“He and the Logans do not rightly belong here,” said -Strong. “Levi lent Throop a hand at his fort down on -Massanga creek, and there he belongs. He will take the Logans -with him.”</p> -<p>“But should he ask admittance here, you will not refuse, -captain?”</p> -<p>“Our quota of families is full now. We can’t accommodate -another,” answered Strong, with the air of a man elevated -by a small command. “And, besides, I am confident -that we are surrounded now. The girls maintain that they -caught a glimpse of Indians at the river, and I, myself, have -seen feathers on the top of the hill. They wait for the opening -of the gates; but nothing under heaven can induce me to -please them in that particular. We’ve a good supply of -water, and I tell you, sir, that the gates don’t open again until -the danger is passed.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_24">24</div> -<p>The foregoing conversation occurred on the night of Levi -Armstrong’s abandonment of his cabin, and Zebulon Strong’s -mien told that he was determined to adhere to his determination -at all hazards.</p> -<p>Johnny Appleseed had performed a noble duty. Those -whom he had warned allowed no grass to grow under their -feet. While he yet lingered in sight of the uncouth cabin, it -was deserted, and its inmates were flying toward Strong’s -fort. All those who claimed shelter beneath its roof had -caused their names to be registered in the commandant’s book, -so, when the last registered family had passed the palisades, -the gates were closed and barred.</p> -<p>The appearance of the Indians quickly followed the strange -man’s warning. They had executed forced marches from -Detroit, hoping to reach the “fire-lands” in advance of tidings -of the surrender; but found themselves outwitted. This -disappointment only strengthened their desire for blood, and -on the evening that followed the gathering at the fort, they -made their presence known.</p> -<p>After declaring that the gates should open no more until -the danger had passed, Captain Zebulon Strong left the two -men, the younger of whom turned to the loop-hole looking -upon the level plain, that stretched from the block-house to -the river. The moon was shining brightly, and from his -elevated position he caught the shimmer of the Huron’s -waves.</p> -<p>“I have seen no Indian feathers,” he murmured, sweeping -the bank with his eye. “The captain is getting too arbitrary -of late. It’s all well enough to be cautious; but this thing -of barring the gates against our fellow-men won’t do.”</p> -<p>The last word was spoken in an underbreath, for the crack -of rifles smote his ears, and instantly the block-house was a -scene of confusion.</p> -<p>The reports sounded terribly distinct on the night air, and -seemed to emanate from a spot about three hundred yards -down the river.</p> -<p>“Keep your senses, women!” was heard the stern, hoarse -voice of Zebulon Strong, and the look which he threw upon -the timid ones forced them into quietude. “We are not attacked -yet. When the devils have forced the palisades and -<span class="pb" id="Page_25">25</span> -swarm up-stairs, then there will be time for shrieks. What -do you see, Harmon?”</p> -<p>The interrogative was addressed to the youth with whom -he had conversed a short time before, and the motion of the -young man’s hand caused the commandant to step forward.</p> -<p>“Look through this loop, captain,” said Mark Harmon, -stepping aside. “Look down the river. The Indians have -fired on some fugitives, and they run for their lives.”</p> -<p>Zebulon Strong put his eyes to the loop-hole, and saw four -dark figures running toward the fort. The foremost was a -man, who carried a dark, human-shaped object over his left -shoulder; the others, seemingly, were women.</p> -<p>“Open the gates and let ’em in!” cried a voice, and presently -the same words were heard on all sides.</p> -<p>“<i>I</i> command this block-house!” and with a livid face and -flashing eyeballs, Zebulon Strong sprung from the loop and -wheeled upon his people. “The gates don’t open till <i>I</i> give -the order. The Indians are ready for a rush so soon as the -gates grind ajar. Every stump on the plain shelters a red-skin. -No, the gates don’t open!”</p> -<p>“But the fugitives are the Logans and the Armstrongs!” -remonstrated Mark Harmon, biting his lip with indignation.</p> -<p>“They belong at Throop’s!” hoarsely hissed the captain. -“We’ll be massacred if we open the gates to them.”</p> -<p>“Better die for an act of mercy than outraging the dictates -of humanity.”</p> -<p>A contemptuous sneer came to the captain’s lips, and as he -turned to the port-hole again he drew a pistol.</p> -<p>“I’ll kill the next man who talks of opening the gates this -night,” he said, fiercely. “The fugitives might have been safe -at Throop’s; let them pay for their decision at our palisades, -if it comes to this.”</p> -<p>The women shrunk to the space allotted to them with epithets -of “monster,” “fiend,” and the like, falling from their -lips, and the men exchanged looks of indignation.</p> -<p>“They will reach the gates before their pursuers!” cried a -watcher at a port-hole, joyously; but the words fell on blank -ears, for the gates, alas! through the inhumanity of one man, -would not be open to them.</p> -<p>“Levi is carrying his daughter,” said a second settler. -<span class="pb" id="Page_26">26</span> -“John Logan is not with them; he must have been shot down -the river.”</p> -<p>The sight of the brave fugitives almost at his gates, and -hard pressed by a savage foe, did not soften Captain Strong’s -heart, in which cowardice and personal fear burrowed like a -ground-hog.</p> -<p>The pale faces of the fugitives were visible in the moonlight, -and all at once a cry came from the very shadow of the -palisades:</p> -<p>“Open the gates!”</p> -<p>Zebulon Strong turned from the port-hole and halloed to -the guards below:</p> -<p>“Watch the gates closely. Kill the first man who attempts -to open them.”</p> -<p>“All right, captain!” responded a voice from the darkness -below, and the commandant was rising erect when Mark Harmon -leaped upon him.</p> -<p>The young frontiersman was almost as strong as the captain, -and he bore him to the puncheons before he could resist.</p> -<p>“I’m sorry it comes to this, captain,” he said, beckoning -several men to his assistance. “We’re not going to let women -die at our doors when we can save them. Now lie still -until we release you, or by heavens we’ll turn you without the -fort!”</p> -<p>Other hands than the young borderman’s now seized the -captain, who soon relinquished his struggles, and Harmon -sprung to his feet.</p> -<p>“Quick, Mark!” cried a man at a port-hole. “Quick! -they’re thundering at the gates.”</p> -<p>The next instant the youth had disappeared, and six stalwart -bordermen vanished with him like a flash.</p> -<p>“Helpless friends are at the gate!” he cried, as, pistol in -hand, he sprung toward the sentries. “We command this -fort now. Stand back!”</p> -<p>The sentries, instead of retreating, flew to the work of unbarring -the clumsy gate, and in a moment the work was accomplished.</p> -<p>“Have you no mercy, Captain Strong?” cried Levi Armstrong’s -voice, while the eight men worked at the fastenings.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_27">27</div> -<p>“Yes, yes—in a minute we’ll save you,” shouted young -Harmon, and when the gate flew open he was the first to -leap forward.</p> -<p>As he did so, full twenty dark forms rose from behind as -many stumps, and the next second, a volley poured in at the -gate.</p> -<p>Two of the rescuers staggered back, and Mark Harmon, -uninjured, but with a wounded girl in his arms, turned to the -gate again.</p> -<p>“Quick! they are charging you!” shouted a dozen agonized -voices from the upper portion of the block-house; but such -words were unnecessary, for the men at the gate comprehended -their danger.</p> -<p>The clearing seemed literally covered with savages, and -between the foremost and the bordermen a terrible fight was -progressing at the palisades. A volley was poured into the -red ranks from the port-holes, and a number fell; but the -greater portion of the settlers had rushed below, and were -trying to beat the red-skins from the gate that it might be -closed.</p> -<p>At last, after half an hour of the most desperate fighting -on record, the ponderous gate was swung to again and barred; -and with blows indicative of future vengeance, on the heavy -oaken boards, the Indians retreated to cover.</p> -<p>Twelve of their number had fallen in the attack, while no -less than ten of the bordermen, or one fourth of the fort’s -defenders, lay dead between the palisades and the strong -logs.</p> -<p>But the mission of humanity had resulted in success!</p> -<p>Levi Armstrong, his daughter Huldah, and the Logan girls -were safe, for a while at least, behind strong timbers; but -the yells of their foes told the settlers that the Wyandot -looked upon his defeat in the light of success.</p> -<p>He had reduced the number of the fort’s defenders, when -not a single man could be spared, while the loss of his twelve -braves would not be felt by the hundreds that still remained.</p> -<p>“Captain Strong,” said Mark Harmon after the fight, “we -are willing to restore you to your command, for we honor -your experience in Indian warfare. Humanity compelled us -<span class="pb" id="Page_28">28</span> -to treat you as we have. <i>Now</i> we are willing that the gates -shall remain closed.”</p> -<p>“I should say you were,” said Zebulon Strong, with an ill-concealed -sneer, as he glanced at the dead bordermen who -had been borne into the fort, prior to burial. “I will take -command again. I’m to be obeyed in every thing after this. -We are besieged now, and like men we will die, if die we -must, together.”</p> -<p>His speech was greeted with applause, and many despairing -ones took new hope; but Levi Armstrong whispered to -Mark Harmon:</p> -<p>“The captain must be watched. He hasn’t begun to forgive -you fellers for savin’ our lives.”</p> -<p>After Zebulon Strong resumed command of the fort, its defensive -resources were thoroughly inspected, and the dead -buried.</p> -<p>The settlers knew that the siege would be pushed with the -utmost vigor, and that every Indian artifice would be used to -place them at the mercy of the tomahawk.</p> -<p>They could not look to final success, for their supply of -water was meager, and the whole Indian force of the “fire-lands” -could be brought to bear against them.</p> -<p>“There’s one man whom we should have with us,” remarked -a young settler, in the presence of Captain Strong, -shortly after the burial.</p> -<p>“Who is he?” asked a dozen voices.</p> -<p>“Wolf-Cap. I tell you he’s worth a dozen rifles.”</p> -<p>“Ay, a hundred,” said Mark Harmon. “If he and Silver -Hand were in the fort!”</p> -<p>“We can get along without ’em,” grated Strong, shooting a -fierce look at the young frontiersman. “We’ll fight our own -battle without the aid of illegal squatters and Indians!”</p> -<p>His last sentence was uttered in a subdued tone, as he -turned from the group, and other men than the old settler -and Mark Harmon thought that the captain would bear -watching.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_29">29</div> -<h2 id="c4"><span class="small">CHAPTER IV.</span> -<br />CAUGHT.</h2> -<p>Wolf-Cap entertained several good reasons for suggesting -Strong’s fort as a place of refuge for the Armstrong family. -Throop’s block-house was nearer the settler’s cabin than -Strong’s; but the latter was better adapted for defense. It -was the strongest post in the “fire-lands,” and the trapper assured -himself that Zebulon Strong would receive the fugitives -with open arms, and hail the settler’s presence with joy.</p> -<p>Left to his own choice, Levi Armstrong would have sought -shelter at Throop’s, which post his hands had helped to rear, -and consequently he could well claim protection there. The -Logans, too, belonged to Throop’s; but fearful lest the little -block-house, illy-defended, would soon succumb to the red -tomahawk, they resolved to seek Strong’s. As the sequel will -show, they would have fared better at the first-named fort.</p> -<p>The band of six fugitives, after leaving the Armstrong -cabin, traveled fast. Levi counseled a delay till the arrival -of Wolf-Cap; but John Logan and his sisters would listen to -no such counsel, and the settler therefore broke his promise -to the trapper.</p> -<p>The mouth of Eel Creek was reached, and the Huron -crossed in safety, and the fears of the fugitives began to subside.</p> -<p>Strong’s fort would soon be reached, and then they could -bid defiance to the fiends of the fire-lands.</p> -<p>But suddenly, while pushing down the left bank of the -Huron, the report of a rifle saluted their ears, and John Logan -fell to rise no more. Instantly the settler turned to combat -his foes, when three more shots were poured into their little -ranks by the hidden enemies, and then the fugitives, knowing -themselves near Strong’s and ahead of the slayers, turned and -fled.</p> -<p>Fortunately, the little party escaped injury by the second -volley; but Levi lifted his daughter from the ground, and -bore her, shielded by his body, to the frontier fort.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_30">30</div> -<p>The Indians kept near the fugitives, but did not attempt to -make a capture. They seemed bent on the success of some -stratagem, which was seen by the whites at the eleventh hour. -The fort was already invested by a powerful force of savages -fresh from the victory at Detroit, and certain signals told the -settlers’ pursuers of well-laid plans. But the bravery of the -fort’s defenders had defeated the stratagem, as the reader has -seen; but not without the loss of valuable men.</p> -<p>“Stop, chief! In the name of Heaven, listen to that.”</p> -<p>The speaker was Card Belt, and it was the volley fired by -the stump-sheltered savages at the opening of Strong’s gates, -that called forth his words.</p> -<p>“Indians attack fort,” said the Wyandot, in his native -tongue. “White people get to gates, and when they open, -Indians shoot.”</p> -<p>“But a real battle is raging. Hark! I hear the yells of -the Indians. Come! we’ll go and help the boys!”</p> -<p>But the chief slowly shook his head.</p> -<p>“No use go there,” he said. “We can’t help pale-faces,” -and standing in the shadows of several giant trees, the couple -listened to the sound of battle.</p> -<p>The trapper, while he listened, acknowledged the strength -of Silver Hand’s counsel. He believed that Fort Strong was -invested, and knew that, for the present, they could render -no assistance to its inmates. In the future, they might be -able to help them.</p> -<p>At last the couple heard the yells of the beaten savages, -and exchanged looks of satisfaction.</p> -<p>“I’d like to know whether Levi and his girl got into Strong’s -or not,” said Wolf-Cap, with an anxious expression of countenance. -“Silver Hand, they’d better not touch one o’ Huldah -Armstrong’s hairs. I say I’ll kill the first fellar what -does—there! I should judge that its pretty near midnight -now,” he continued, after a pause, during which the Indian -made no attempt to speak. “We’d better be movin’ somewhere. -The fellars what we fooled down on Eel Creek haven’t -passed yet; but mebbe they’ve joined their red brethren -by another route. They could do that, you know. The troubles -of Strong’s fort has begun now, and we’ve got to help -’em, somehow or other. But first, let’s go down to my hut -<span class="pb" id="Page_31">31</span> -and stir up a few eatables. Besides, I want to see if every -thing’s right thar, and to liberate Yellow Dick.”</p> -<p>The Wyandot acquiesced in the trapper’s proposition, and -a moment later the spot was deserted.</p> -<p>Silver Hand belonged to the same nation that besieged Fort -Strong with malicious intent. During the Revolutionary war -the Wyandots divided; a faction headed by the celebrated -Captain Pipe aided the British, while the minor division, under -the leadership of White Eyes, sided with the colonies. -The factions refused to come together after the war, so when -the second trouble with English oppression sought the combat -of lead and steel, the unreconciled Indians resumed their -old relations. The English Wyandots, led by Splitlog and -Roundhead joined Proctor’s forces, while the friends of the -United States opposed them. To the latter party Silver Hand -belonged.</p> -<p>He was present at the encounter of Hull, but effected his -escape after that catastrophe, and hastened to his old hunting-grounds—the -fire-lands.</p> -<p>The white trapper and his staunch red ally reached the vicinity -of the proscribed cabin during that period of darkness -preceding dawn.</p> -<p>The skies were darkened overhead, for the moon had disappeared, -and the scene was made quite dismal by the ominous -hootings of a great owl perched upon the cone of the -hut.</p> -<p>“Things are too still here for me, Silver Hand,” whispered -the trapper, in his cautious tone, when they had halted near -the solitary hut. “I’ve come home at all times o’ nights and -mornin’s, but never afore hev I see’d an owl on the roof. Jest -listen to ’im. Why I kin hear ’im say ‘go away’ as plainly -as I hear his voice. No, chief, I don’t rush into the old hut -jist now. We’re on the edge of a trap!”</p> -<p>Silver Hand did not appear to hear the trapper’s words.</p> -<p>His body was bent forward, and he was trying to discern -the minutiæ of the cabin and its immediate vicinity. But the -darkness baffled him.</p> -<p>For the period of an hour the twain crouched, like bowlders, -in their place of concealment, and then Wolf-Cap moved -forward, leaving the Indian to await his return.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_32">32</div> -<p>He approached the cabin until the owl suddenly vacated -his perch, and hied away to the forest. Quickly but noiselessly, -then, the trapper returned to his ally.</p> -<p>“Owl gone,” said Silver Hand, before the white man could -find a tongue. “Who scared ’im?”</p> -<p>“That’s jest what I’m goin’ to tell you, chief. My cabin -is inhabited. I know it, and somebody from the inside frightened -that owl. I know that the bird didn’t leave of his own -accord, and he didn’t see a mouse, either. Now, I’m going -to find out who’s taken possession of the hut.”</p> -<p>Thereupon a series of snake-like movements were inaugurated -by the couple, who succeeded in passing around the cabin -without discovering a foe.</p> -<p>Whoever was in the hut kept very quiet, and the mystery -deepened with each succeeding moment.</p> -<p>His dog’s silence increased Wolf-Cap’s suspicion of foul-play. -Yellow Dick had always greeted his return with a peculiar -cry; but now the death of silence reigned, and the -trapper had touched the wall of his old home without eliciting -any noise from the dog.</p> -<p>A second inspection of the clearing and adjacent forest followed -the first, and then Wolf-Cap turned suddenly upon the -Indian, with compressed lips.</p> -<p>“I won’t stand it any longer,” he said, sternly. “The rascal’s -got to show himself now. Watch everywhere, chief, -while I oust ’im. If I don’t do it, the Night-Hawks -will.”</p> -<p>The last sentence was spoken in an undertone; and with -a quantity of light brushwood the trapper moved toward the -cabin.</p> -<p>By the help of steps cut in the logs he ascended to the roof, -and deposited his burden between the dry clapboards. Then -he sprinkled a quantity of powder among the combustible -stuff, and ignited the whole with his flints.</p> -<p>“Now!” he exclaimed, springing to the ground and glancing -up at the fire taking firm hold on the clapboards. “Now, -I fancy as how the fellow will show himself.”</p> -<p>His surmises proved correct.</p> -<p>The tenants of his cabin did show themselves. The roof -of the cabin was soon in a blaze, and the twain watched the -<span class="pb" id="Page_33">33</span> -door with ready rifles. A lurid light overspread the clearing, -and bathed the bosom of the river in romantic beauty.</p> -<p>By and by the trapper began to think that, after all, he had -surmised incorrectly, for the howls of a dog emanated from -the burning building. Silver Hand listened to the cries, the -suspicious part of his nature fully aroused, and himself undecided -how to act.</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap wanted to save his dog, and the Indian noted -the working of his face in the firelight that stole to their retreat.</p> -<p>“Silver Hand, I’ve been taken in,” said Belt, suddenly. “I -can’t hear Dick howl that way. By Huron! he shan’t cry -for mercy when <i>I</i> am about!”</p> -<p>“But why he keep still so long?” retorted Silver Hand, -quickly. “Trapper answer that if he kin!”</p> -<p>It is doubtful whether Wolf-Cap caught the gist of the -Wyandot’s sentences, for he jerked his arm from the red fingers -that encircled it, and rushed in to the firelight.</p> -<p>The thought of his noble dog—the guardian of his life and -home for many years—cooped up within a blazing building, -blinded him to the arguments of caution, and the Indian muttered -an oath and leaped to his feet when he saw that Wolf-Cap -was gone!</p> -<p>The daring trapper had reached the path that led from his -door to a spring near the river, when he suddenly paused.</p> -<p>A strange and suspicious voice beyond the logs had startled -him.</p> -<p>It sounded like a man’s voice, and his acute senses had already -shaped it into the words, “All ready?”</p> -<p>He had not time to turn to join Silver Hand nor to signal -him. He was within six feet of the cabin door, and was -looking to his rifle, when the ponderous oaken portal swung -wide, and five stalwart fellows threw themselves upon him.</p> -<p>They—the Night-Hawks—were the tenants of his cabin!</p> -<p>He retreated a step, and delivered a shot that stretched one -man upon the ground, and then, after a desperate struggle, he -was secured and his weapons taken from him.</p> -<p>Silver Hand lent no assistance to his friend; and his assistance -would have availed the trapper nothing. Therefore -the chief’s disappearance was not a sign of cowardice; on the -<span class="pb" id="Page_34">34</span> -contrary it was a sign of good judgment, big with assurances -of future help.</p> -<p>“So, cabin-burner, you have bid defiance to the Night-Hawks,” -said the spokesman of the outlaws, pointing to the -paper still visible on the cabin door: “No block-house shall -shelter me. I spare not, and no mercy ask.”</p> -<p>A wild laugh greeted this quotation from the trapper’s defiance, -and the outlaws crowded near him.</p> -<p>“Men, I mean every word I have written on my door,” -he said, calmly. “There war nine of ye; there ar’ but eight -now,” and here his glance fell upon the man whom he had -shot dead. “I war willin’ to take the odds ag’in’ me for I -am no illegal squatter, and I hate outlaws. Royal Funk, I -am free to confess that you’ve got the upper hand now.”</p> -<p>“And I’m going to keep it, Card Belt,” replied the desperado, -with a smile. “I posted a fair warning on your door -last night. ‘Fly or die,’ it said. You would not fly, so—”</p> -<p>“I must die, eh?”</p> -<p>“Just so.”</p> -<p>“When—now?”</p> -<p>“No. We’re going to take you down to the Indians at -Fort Strong, and I guess the Night-Hawks will treat the settlers -to a public execution. You and Silver Hand played it -on us to-night. We were following the Armstrongs when -you called us back.”</p> -<p>“So you came down here and hid in the old cabin?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“Whar’s my dog?”</p> -<p>“In the house.”</p> -<p>A twitch of pain followed by an angry pallor, came to the -trapper’s lips, and the light of vengeance flashed in his -eyes.</p> -<p>“Come, Frank, let’s be goin’,” said one of the outlaws at -this juncture. “’Tis gettin’ day, an’ Splitlog may need us at -Strong’s. We want to be there at the death.”</p> -<p>“For that moment you must wait a long time,” said Wolf-Cap, -addressing the leader of the Night-Hawks. “Strong’s -is prepared to stand a desperate siege.”</p> -<p>“True; but its fate is inevitable. Card Belt, so sure as -the sun rises this day, Strong’s fort shall be given to the -<span class="pb" id="Page_35">35</span> -flames, and its inmates, all save one, to the tomahawk. We -are determined to depopulate ‘the fire-lands.’ Why man, -four hundred Indians invest the fort at this hour. How can -it escape?”</p> -<p>“It can! it shall!” cried the trapper. “But,” and his -tone softened, “but you say that one person in Strong’s -shall not die. Pray, Royal Funk, who is to be thus favored?”</p> -<p>“A certain woman—my lady-love,” said the outlaw, striking -a ridiculous attitude, with his head thrown back, and his -thumbs inserted into the sides of his hunting-frock just below -the armpits. “What! didn’t you know I was in love, Wolf-Cap?”</p> -<p>“No.”</p> -<p>“Why, all these brave fellows know it. They’ve patted -me on the back and said, ‘Go it, Roy.’ But the mirth of the -whole matter is, Belt, that I’ve never told my love to her. -She’s ignorant of my passion, and you see I must get her out -of Strong’s so as to breathe it softly into her ears. Old Levi -might object; but <i>I generally marry orphans</i>!”</p> -<p>Despite his anticipations, Wolf-Cap started when the -identity of the outlaw’s love was declared.</p> -<p>What! should Royal Funk, the Night-Hawk captain, possess -Huldah Armstrong?</p> -<p>Not, thought Wolf-Cap, if he could prevent him. But he -was under sentence of death, and stood in the shadow of the -Terror’s wing.</p> -<p>Half an hour after the capture of Wolf-Cap, the Night-Hawks -started to join the besiegers of Strong’s fort.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_36">36</div> -<h2 id="c5"><span class="small">CHAPTER V.</span> -<br />THE OUTCROPPINGS OF TREASON.</h2> -<p>When the flush of day broke upon Strong’s fort, not a foe -was to be seen.</p> -<p>The numerous stumps in the clearing sheltered no feathered -head; but the whites knew that their enemies had not raised -the siege. The greater portion of the dusky besiegers had -withdrawn to the river bank, while large numbers lay behind -the hill, in the rear of the fort.</p> -<p>But, as the light became stronger, the defenders caught -glimpses of tufts of feathers along the river; but no shots -were fired.</p> -<p>In the opinion of several settlers, the perilous situation of -affairs called for a council of war, and accordingly Captain -Strong, much against his will, was induced to convene such -an assembly. The council met in the lower room of the -fort.</p> -<p>“Men,” said Strong, who could not conceal his ill-humor, -“as I have said, I see no necessity for this council. I thought -<i>I</i> was director of affairs here, and when Indians are to be -dealt with, I know what to do. But I will listen to any suggestions -you may offer, and, if I like, will adopt them.”</p> -<p>Several old “fire-lands” men shook their heads gravely at -the captain’s words; but made no reply.</p> -<p>Mark Harmon, the young frontiersman, opened the council.</p> -<p>“In the first place,” he said, “we need a new well.”</p> -<p>“We have a well, sir,” said Strong, tartly.</p> -<p>“You seem to forget that we have depended on the river -for much water. That supply is effectually cut off now, and -our sole well will not supply the demand in case the fort -should be set on fire with blazing arrows. We are in for a -desperate siege; the result of the gate battle has exasperated -our foes, and they will leave no hellish contrivance for our -capture untried. I look for terrible times to-night.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_37">37</div> -<p>“And you will not be disappointed, Harmon,” said an old -gray-haired settler. “We stand on the edge of a crater.”</p> -<p>“Gentlemen, I anticipate but little hardship,” said Strong, -who had listened to the young scout, with a clearly defined -sneer. “The Wyandots will abandon the siege before two -days, for there are other forts weaker than ours. Throop’s, -Martin’s, and Westfall’s can not withstand a siege. Knowing -this, the Indians will desert us for them; then, during their -absence, we can strengthen our own resources.”</p> -<p>“Suppose, captain, that an attack should be made to-night, -and our roof be set on fire,” said Levi Armstrong. “’Tis -said that there are but two feet of water in the well now, and -none flowing in.”</p> -<p>“The statement is not correct,” retorted Strong, quickly. -“Yesterday I fathomed four feet of water, and more was entering. -The well is a good one, and can not be dipped dry. -I know whereof I speak; therefore my positiveness, gentlemen.”</p> -<p>The council broke up without a command being given for -a new well. A number of the settlers sided with Zebulon -Strong; but a wary few felt that the proposed well was an -absolute want.</p> -<p>However, Mark Harmon got a guard over their water supply, -and each family received a certain quantity of the -precious fluid. The stubbornness of the captain was the cause -of much comment; but as he was an old woodman and knew -much of Indian sieges, it was generally admitted that he knew -best, and so the day wore on.</p> -<p>“Do you think we will be attacked to-night, Mr. Harmon?”</p> -<p>The speaker’s mellow tones denoted her to be Huldah Armstrong, -and she looked anxiously into the borderer’s face as -she asked the question. They stood near a port-hole that -looked at the hills, behind whose bare summit the sun had -just disappeared.</p> -<p>“I look for bloodshed before dawn,” he said. “The savages -would have us believe that they have deserted the vicinity; -but they still remain. They are not going to raise the -siege so soon after its inauguration, Miss Armstrong.” And -then glancing through the port he quickly changed the subject. -“But your run for life was perilous.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_38">38</div> -<p>“Yes; and, Mr. Harmon, father says we owe our lives to -your daring. Therefore, let me thank you.”</p> -<p>He blushed to his temples and averted his eyes, which had -returned to her face.</p> -<p>“No thanks, Miss Armstrong. The brave fellows who -fought at the gates are the heroes, not I. But I am rejoiced -to see you safe after such a noble run for life. But—”</p> -<p>“A flag—a flag!” was the cry that broke the youth’s sentence, -and drew his eye to the musket port again.</p> -<p>“As I live, Miss Armstrong, our foes are treating us to a -flag of truce,” he said, his eyes still riveted upon several figures -that had suddenly appeared on the top of the hill. “This -is an action by me entirely unexpected. What can it -mean?”</p> -<p>Captain Strong was soon notified of the approach of the -flag, and watched it through one of the openings.</p> -<p>His face worked strangely while he looked, and there was -the light of vengeance in his large, sloe-black eyes. But he -kept his face near the port, so that no one in the fort could -study its expressions.</p> -<p>“If they demand a surrender, of course you will refuse to -comply, captain,” ventured an old settler, who stood near the -borderman.</p> -<p>Instantly, with a face crimsoned with rage, Zebulon -Strong wheeled from the little embrasure:</p> -<p>“Am I to be dictated to on every hand?” he cried, appealing -to the inmates of the apartment. “If I am captain here -merely in name, I want to know it. I know a thing or two, -and if I am to be advised by every frightened man and woman -in the fort, you can take my broken sword, and elect another -commander. What! surrender to yon horde of butcherers? -Never. When they take Fort Strong, there shall be -no living soul to torture.”</p> -<p>A loud cheer greeted Strong’s final words, and cries of, -“We want no other captain!” “Do what you please!” resounded -on every side.</p> -<p>So the officer sheathed the Revolutionary sword which he -had drawn, and turned to see that the bearers of the flag of -truce had halted about twenty yards from the palisades.</p> -<p>“Ho! Captain Strong,” came a loud and clear voice from -<span class="pb" id="Page_39">39</span> -the little group, and it was seen that the speaker was a white -man clad in the full scarlet uniform of a British officer.</p> -<p>“Well, what is wanting?” answered Strong, through the -embrasure.</p> -<p>“You are surrounded by nine hundred Indians, and four -hundred of his majesty’s troops,” said the spokesman of the -flag-bearers. “Colonel O’Neill, commander of the combined -forces, desires to spare the effusion of noble blood, and therefore -summons you to surrender at once.”</p> -<p>“Upon what terms?” asked Strong, as a murmur of defiance -ran through the ranks of the fort’s defenders.</p> -<p>“Your people will be permitted to depart in peace; but -the fort, of course, will be destroyed,” said the Briton.</p> -<p>“Nine hundred Indians and four hundred British,” said -Strong, turning to his men after the Englishman’s last words. -“I did not think the odds were so terrible.”</p> -<p>“The soldier lies!” cried Levi Armstrong, stepping forward. -“He has spoken to terrify us, and the quarter we would receive -is the quarter given to Captain Heald at Chicago. Bordermen, -remember that massacre of men, women and children. -Shall we surrender?”</p> -<p>“No! no!” rung on every side, and Captain Strong’s face -assumed the hue of ashes.</p> -<p>“What is your answer?” cried the English officer, his impatience -manifest in his voice. “Colonel O’Neill pledges his -word of honor as a soldier of his majesty’s army, that the -tomahawk shall be withheld in the event of a quick surrender. -He can control the Wyandots, and he will. If the -commander of your fort is Zebulon Strong, he then knows -Colonel Argent O’Neill to be a gentleman.”</p> -<p>“Colonel Argent O’Neill—I know him,” said the captain. -“But my men refuse to surrender.”</p> -<p>“Colonel O’Neill speaks to Captain Strong—not to his -men,” returned the soldier, proudly; but with a sneer of contempt -in his tone.</p> -<p>“Go back to your commander and tell him that Fort Strong -will be the abode of the dead when he takes it. We know a -Briton’s promise to be but another name for a lie.”</p> -<p>The last speaker was Mark Harmon, and his words were -applauded as he turned from the embrasure.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_40">40</div> -<p>“I was about to answer him,” said Strong, in a hoarse -voice.</p> -<p>“He is answered!” was the young borderman’s reply.</p> -<p>The captain bit his lips and turned to the port again as -the British officer spoke:</p> -<p>“The consequences be upon your own head, Captain -Strong,” he said. “I have performed my duty; you have refused -to perform yours. My colonel will give the conduct of -the siege to the Indians now.”</p> -<p>Thereupon the speaker turned abruptly on his heel, and -the flag of truce disappeared over the brow of the hill.</p> -<p>A minute later the flash of a musket and the thud of a -bullet told the defenders of Fort Strong that the battle had -opened.</p> -<p>A single gun from the fort sent a defiance to the hidden -foes, and for the space of an hour quiet reigned.</p> -<p>Captain Strong now seemed eager to defend the block-house -to the last, and exchanged words of encouragement -with the settlers as he inspected the defenses.</p> -<p>“Well, we’re in for it, now, Morgan,” he said, in a low -tone, to a burly fellow stationed near the gate where, a few -hours before, so much blood had been shed. “They refuse -to surrender, and now your part of the work comes. Are you -ready?”</p> -<p>“Yes,” answered the sentry, glancing around. “The darkness -will aid me.”</p> -<p>“Can you scale the wall?”</p> -<p>“Easily from the inside here.”</p> -<p>“Then make haste. You know the signal. I will do the -rest.”</p> -<p>Captain Strong slipped a piece of paper into the guard’s -hand as he spoke the last word, and turned away.</p> -<p>The next moment Morgan Sawyer scaled the pickets, and -dropped to the ground on the outer side!</p> -<p>Then he ran toward the hill under cover of the intense -darkness. For dense clouds obscured the sky from horizon -to horizon, thus effectually blotting out the light of the moon.</p> -<p>Captain Strong had hardly gained the interior of the fort, -when Sawyer’s escape was discovered.</p> -<p>“What! a traitor among us?” cried the commander, -<span class="pb" id="Page_41">41</span> -counterfeiting indignation and surprise to an admirable degree. -“And at the gate, too! Harmon and Cole, at once to the -portals! I know <i>you</i> can be trusted. Matt Hunter, you will -take Isaac’s place at the well. Curse Morg Sawyer! may the -fiends scalp him for his treachery!”</p> -<p>The commander’s wish was echoed by more than one determined -settler, who waited for the onslaught of the savages.</p> -<p>The men at the embrasures listened and looked for their -foes, and Zebulon Strong walked uneasily about, listening all -the time for a certain sound.</p> -<p>Once or twice he pushed the long black locks from his -ears, and paused for a moment at one of the ports.</p> -<p>Suddenly a pistol-shot came from the hill, then another, -and another.</p> -<p>Strong was descending to the first floor of the block-house -when the sounds fell upon his ears, and he paused in the center -of the ladder with a smile.</p> -<p>“Morg has succeeded,” he said, in the lowest of mutterings. -“Now let Hunter do his duty.”</p> -<p>The pistol-shots died away, and no volley of musketry followed.</p> -<p>In the dim light of the candles, old Levi Armstrong looked -at Mark Harmon and moved to his side.</p> -<p>“What do you think now?” he whispered.</p> -<p>“The foe on the hill is signaling the foe by the river.”</p> -<p>“Thus you interpret the shots?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“I differ. They are the result of Morg Sawyer’s treason. -This roof still shelters his confederates.”</p> -<p>The young hunter caught the settler’s arm.</p> -<p>“For heaven’s sake, whom do you suspect?” he asked. -“Tell me. We must act at once if we have traitors in our -midst.”</p> -<p>The old man bent nearer to reply, when the whiz of a -burning arrow startled him, and caused him to spring to the -embrasure.</p> -<p>But the fiery missile missed the fort, and quivered in a -stump near the river.</p> -<p>“Now take the buckets, men!” cried the voice of Captain -Strong. “We must fight fire with water!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_42">42</div> -<p>Instantly a score of stout leathern buckets were brought -into requisition, and the boards that covered the well removed.</p> -<p>“A little water for the women, first,” said Levi Armstrong, -dropping one of the buckets into the well by means of a -rope.</p> -<p>Down, down went the receptacle, and the men stood about -with anxious faces. They wanted to know how much water -was in the well, for upon a generous supply of the fluid, their -lives and the lives of their wives and little ones depended.</p> -<p>At last the bucket was heard to strike water, and old Levi -looked up almost despairingly.</p> -<p>“There’s scarcely two feet o’ water in the well,” he said.</p> -<p>“I fathomed four last night,” said Zebulon Strong, confidently. -“But quick! draw up, Armstrong, and let more -buckets be lowered. The burning arrows shoot from the hill -like meteors.”</p> -<p>The next instant the water was at the top, and the settler -threw the rope to Matt Hunter.</p> -<p>“This is for the women,” said the old man; “but I’ll taste -it first.”</p> -<p>He raised the bucket to his lips, but a moment later ejected -the mouthful of water which he had taken, and started toward -the well, with flashing eyes.</p> -<p>“Let nobody swallow a drop of that water!” he cried. “It -has been poisoned, and the poisoner is still sheltered by the -roof of Fort Strong!”</p> -<p>The effect of the startling words was utterly indescribable. -It could not have been equaled by the sudden dropping of a -thunderbolt into the fort.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_43">43</div> -<h2 id="c6"><span class="small">CHAPTER VI.</span> -<br />WITHOUT THE FORT.</h2> -<p>During the brief period of time that intervened between -the battle at the gates and the discharge of blazing arrows at -the fort itself, the beautiful fire-lands had not escaped the vengeance -of the settlers’ enemies.</p> -<p>The deserted cabins were given over to the mercies of the -torch, and the work of months perished in a few hours. The -red burners were accompanied by British soldiers, who outdid -the fiends of the forest in heartless ferocity, and at nightfall -they returned to the besiegers loaded with plunder and glutted -with diabolism.</p> -<p>“Well, what are you going to do with your man, now that -you’ve got him?” asked Colonel O’Neill of Royal Funk, when -the outlaw reappeared at the British head-quarters, fresh from -the work of destruction above referred to.</p> -<p>“What am I going to do with ’im, colonel? Why, I’ll tell -you. It was my intention to execute ’im on top o’ the hill, -yesterday; but I’ve changed my mind. There’s a girl in Fort -Strong—a girl whom I want—Huldah Armstrong, and strange -to say, Card Belt wants her, too.”</p> -<p>“Ah! I see,” said the British officer, with a smile. “He -is your rival.”</p> -<p>“Yes, colonel; but I hold the best hand now, as you will -admit by glancing at the cards. We are bound to take the -fort.”</p> -<p>“It will be ours before another sunset. You know what -Strong is doing?”</p> -<p>“Andrews told me, an hour since. But can we rely on -him?”</p> -<p>“We can,” said O’Neill, assuringly, and with emphasis. -“Strong, at the heart, is a coward, yet he will do desperate -things. He was a secret Tory in Herkimer county, New York, -during the Revolution, and while campaigning in that region, -I became acquainted with him. More than once he furnished -<span class="pb" id="Page_44">44</span> -me with valuable information concerning the movements of -the enemy, and I believe that the rebels never suspected him. -His loyalty to King George has never for a moment abated. -I tell you we have a friend in Fort Strong, without whom we -could do nothing. For Splitlog was about to relinquish the -siege when the deserter reached our camp with Strong’s proposition. -Now the Indians will stay with us. But the thread -of your story has been broken. I want to know what you -are going to do with the squatter.”</p> -<p>“Oh, I’ll tell you in a few words,” answered the leader of -the Night-Hawks. “I’m going to marry Huldah Armstrong -in his presence, after the Wyandot fashion, and then—why, -then I’m going to dispose of him.”</p> -<p>“After the Wyandot fashion, also, I suppose,” smiled the -colonel.</p> -<p>“Just so,” said Funk, returning the smile. “When do you -open the battle?”</p> -<p>“The Indians are preparing the fiery arrows now,” was the -reply. “Ha! there goes one, already!” and the colonel’s -hand directed the outlaw’s gaze to a blazing arrow shooting -toward the fort.</p> -<p>It was quickly followed by another and another, until a -perfect shower of fiery missiles rained upon the fort.</p> -<p>But the firm and dry clap-boards that formed the roof resisted -nobly, and the arrows rebounded and dropped into the -yard below.</p> -<p>“We must get the arrows <i>under</i> the boards,” said O’Neill, -turning to the chief, Splitlog, who stood at his side. “Send -some of your bravest Wyandots nearer the fort, and tell them -to shoot their red arrows beneath the roof.”</p> -<p>“Indians get shot down if they go nearer fort,” returned -the chief, with a shrug of the shoulders. “Let white chief -send <i>his</i> men.”</p> -<p>O’Neill bit his lip with anger.</p> -<p>“Who proposed this attack?” he cried, with flashing eyes. -“I brought my men hither at your request. They were not -to risk their lives. If your Indians are brave, they can fire -the fort.”</p> -<p>Splitlog turned away without another word, and a few -minutes later a number of fiery arrows were seen to ascend -<span class="pb" id="Page_45">45</span> -almost from beneath the very palisades. Several remained in -the roof, and Colonel O’Neill clapped his hands over the demon’s -success.</p> -<p>Thus far during the battle not a shot had been fired from -the fort. The allies wondered at this silence; but they were -not cognizant of the thrilling scenes being enacted behind the -strong walls.</p> -<p>Lashed to a tree on the river’s bank, and strongly guarded -by three white men and two Wyandots, Wolf-Cap saw the discharge -of the fiery missiles. Since his arrival among the allies -he had seen nothing of Royal Funk; but he knew that -that worthy had absented himself but temporarily.</p> -<p>“We’ll get the fort to-night,” said one of the outlaws, turning -to Wolf-Cap, during the flight of the blazing shafts.</p> -<p>“Sir, you don’t know who defends it,” the trapper said, -quickly, and with pride. “Yon walls protect the bravest -men in New Connecticut.”</p> -<p>“But, Captain Strong—what do you think of <i>him</i>?” asked -the outlaw, with a curious smile.</p> -<p>“He has completely deceived me.”</p> -<p>The white guards exchanged significant glances.</p> -<p>“What do you know about him, Belt?”</p> -<p>“I know that he intends to betray a lot of women and -children to the tender mercies of the tomahawk. I’ve seen -Mary Sawyer in your camp. I heard the three pistol-shots -on the hill. I have heard something about Strong’s antecedents, -and, putting things together, I kin read the blackest -tale of treason on record.”</p> -<p>“Wouldn’t you like to be in the fort, just now?” taunted -Sam Cole, the Night-Hawk.</p> -<p>The trapper’s eyes flashed; but he said nothing.</p> -<p>“But how about that notice you put on your door for us? -You said that no walls should protect you while you fought -us.”</p> -<p>“I intend to adhere to that declaration,” said Wolf-Cap -firmly.</p> -<p>“So you wouldn’t creep into Fort Strong if we war to let -you go?”</p> -<p>“I would not!”</p> -<p>The outlaws laughed derisively.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_46">46</div> -<p>“I’ve a mind to try you,” said Cole, drawing his knife and -glancing at his fellow-guards.</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap said nothing.</p> -<p>The place where they stood was thickly studded with young -trees and tall grass, the latter much soiled by human feet. A -fire some distance down the river threw a weird light over -the scene; but toward the fort, in its river front, the depth -of darkness prevailed.</p> -<p>The Indian guards gazed at the outlaw with an immobility -of countenance, and when he stepped toward the trapper with -uplifted knife, they did not interpose a hand. They had -lately taken their stations as Wolf Cap’s guards, and had -watched the helpless man with vigilant eyes.</p> -<p>“I say I’ve a mind to try you, Wolf-Cap,” reiterated the -outlaw.</p> -<p>“No, it won’t do, Sam,” suddenly cried another, springing -forward and laying his brawny hand on Cole’s shoulder. -“He’ll escape if you cut his cords. What do a squatter’s -words amount to? Let him be!”</p> -<p>For a moment Cole glared fiercely upon the speaker, and -then sullenly dropped the knife again.</p> -<p>“I’ve heard that Card Belt is a man of his word,” he said. -“And I want to try ’im.”</p> -<p>With the last word the outlaw shook the hand from his -shoulder, and stepped toward the trapper again.</p> -<p>“Don’t do it, Sam.”</p> -<p>“I will!”</p> -<p>“You shan’t!”</p> -<p>The knife of the last speaker suddenly leaped from its -leathern sheath, and he advanced upon Cole, who turned and -pushed him back.</p> -<p>“Stand off, Duke White,” were Cole’s menacing words. -“I don’t want a difficulty with you. I know what I’m doing. -I’ll try Wolf-Cap if I wish to.”</p> -<p>“You shall not!” and White tried to step between Cole -and the captive.</p> -<p>But, with a fierce oath, Cole hurled Duke from the tree. -Duke recovered in a moment, and with all the baser passions -of his soul fully aroused, he sprung at his Titan comrade.</p> -<p>Cole saw the movement, and received the attack with the -<span class="pb" id="Page_47">47</span> -knife, for it was apparent that the blood of a Night-Hawk -had to be shed by a brother’s hand.</p> -<p>I say that Cole met the attack with the knife, and blood -flowed from the wound inflicted in Duke White’s breast by -the shining steel. The next moment they had grappled, and -swayed to and fro in the struggle of life and death like contending -giants.</p> -<p>The third white guard started forward to strike Cole with -clubbed rifle, when one of the Indians, with a quick glance -at his companion, leaped toward the tree.</p> -<p>A knife flashed in the brave’s hands, and when it descended -Wolf-Cap sprung from the sycamore—free! He saw the -second savage hurl the third guard into the murky waves of -the Huron, and glanced at the struggling Night-Hawks, now -on the ground.</p> -<p>“Wolf-Cap run down the river,” said the trapper’s deliverer, -quickly pointing down the stream.</p> -<p>“No! I go to the fort, Silver Hand. Seek the black cave. -I’ll meet you there at dawn. Quick! They come.”</p> -<p>He spoke in the Wyandot tongue, and the next instant -bounded toward the fort. He glided rapidly through the -gloom, avoiding the numerous stumps, and yells on the river-bank -told him that the deed just enacted there had been discovered.</p> -<p>But he ran on, unarmed, save with a knife, which Silver -Hand had thrust into his grip, and he struck the ponderous -gate of the palisade twice with the bony hilt.</p> -<p>“Guard! guard!” he shouted, and then he heard the sentry -speak to some one beyond the pickets.</p> -<p>“Listen! I know that voice.”</p> -<p>“’Tis me—Wolf-Cap,” called the trapper quickly upon the -guard’s words. “I don’t want to get in. Captain Strong is a -traitor; he has promised to betray you into the hands of the -Indians!”</p> -<p>A moment of silence followed. The trapper had paused -for breath.</p> -<p>“Your roof is on fire. Put it out, and see to the traitor. -Hold out like men. You’ll get help from outside by-and-by.”</p> -<p>Then Wolf-Cap turned from the gate and started toward -the river.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_48">48</div> -<p>The darkness favored his flight. As yet no attack had -been made upon the fort from the stream. The major portion -of the besiegers were on the hill, the summit of which -was on a level with the embrasures, into which the foe could -shoot with effect.</p> -<p>Thus far the enemy had trusted to the blazing arrows; but, -as the trapper gained the stream, a volley was poured into -the block-house.</p> -<p>The next moment it was returned by the besieged, and numerous -cries told Wolf-Cap that some of the foe had fallen.</p> -<p>“I don’t like to leave the boys,” said the trapper, sadly, -pausing in his flight, and listening to the battle which had -now opened furiously. “And Huldah is yonder in the midst -of it all. But the Indians wait for me at the cave. Three -can do more than one. I wish the two war here now; -then—”</p> -<p>There was the quick, sharp snapping of a twig, and Silver -Hand and his assistant stood before the trapper.</p> -<p>“We no go to cave,” said Silver Hand. “Hide here ’while -to watch fight. But look, Wolf-Cap! roof all on fire. Why -don’t pale-faces put it out? They got water in fort.”</p> -<p>“Yes, but the traitor has disabled them somehow. I’m -afraid it’s all day with the brave fellows. But they shan’t -die alone!” and the trapper started forward.</p> -<p>“Silver Hand and Golden Cheek go with Wolf-Cap,” said -the Wyandot, and a moment later the trio were hurrying toward -the seemingly doomed structure.</p> -<p>That side of the roof which looked to the hill was in a furious -blaze, which threw a lurid glare upon the battle-ground, -and the discharges of musketry by both parties resembled a -pitched battle.</p> -<p>Suddenly the artillery of heaven added its thunder to the -fight, and great drops of rain began to fall thick and fast from -the inky clouds.</p> -<p>But let us return to the fort, and see what followed Levi -Armstrong’s discovery of the poisoning of the well.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_49">49</div> -<h2 id="c7"><span class="small">CHAPTER VII.</span> -<br />THE WORK OF A LIE.</h2> -<p>The settler’s eyes fell upon Zebulon Strong, as the startling -words written at the conclusion of chapter five rung from his -lips.</p> -<p>But the captain stood the scrutiny unflinchingly, and started -forward with drawn sword.</p> -<p>“The traitor shall die!” he cried. “Let every one look to -his neighbor, and watch him closely. As for myself, I believe -that Morg Sawyer is the villain; but he is beyond our power. -Men, to the lower floor with picks; we’ll dig another well -immediately. By the help of God, we’ll hold out against the -red and white fiends until fresh water can be struck!”</p> -<p>He turned away as he finished, and was ordering a number -of men below to inaugurate the digging of a new well, when -Huldah Armstrong bounded toward the settler and touched -his arm.</p> -<p>“Father,” she said, in a cautious tone, “Captain Strong is -the traitor! I was standing near the logs, a moment since, -and heard Wolf-Cap at the gate. He told the guards that our -captain had betrayed us into the hands of the savages.”</p> -<p>The next instant Levi jerked his arm from Huldah’s grip, -and started toward Strong, who was handing buckets of water -to the men on the roof.</p> -<p>“Men,” he cried, in thunderous tones, “treason must not -thrive here. Captain Strong, you must consider yourself the -prisoner of the garrison.”</p> -<p>Before turning to the old settler the traitor passed the -bucket he was in the act of lifting to the nearest man.</p> -<p>He retained a wonderful self composure.</p> -<p>“I submit, if it be the will of the men,” he said, calmly. -“Heaven forefend that I should seek to betray these women -and children into merciless hands,” and he glanced around on -the swarthy faces revealed by the tallow dips.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_50">50</div> -<p>“Let the captain help us,” cried several voices; but old Levi -silenced the speakers with a look.</p> -<p>“I’d like to, but it won’t do,” he said. “The evidence is -strong against him. I saw him whispering to Morg Sawyer -at the gate, a minute before that dog’s desertion, and Wolf-Cap -has just shouted over the palisades that he is a traitor.”</p> -<p>For the first time the captain’s face grew pale, and Levi -proceeded to disarm him.</p> -<p>“I’m sorry for all this, Cap,” he said, sympathetically; “but -you see, we’ve got to do it, and—”</p> -<p>“Arrest Captain Strong!” interrupted a sturdy young settler, -whose head shot above the hatchway at this juncture. -“Wolf-Cap has just halloed over the gate that he is a traitor. -Ah! so you’ve already caught the dog! Zeb Strong, for a -shilling I’d strike you stiff and cold on these boards. I’ve -two sisters here, and to think that you would give them over -to the tomahawk!”</p> -<p>The youth towered before the suspected man with flashing -eyes and leveled gun, and other weapons were drawn to shed -the captain’s blood.</p> -<p>“No, no, boys; he’s not condemned yet,” said Levi Armstrong, -pushing the weapons aside. “We’ll tend to him after -the fight.”</p> -<p>“But we may not win.”</p> -<p>“Then, of course, he dies.”</p> -<p>A guard of several men was placed over the captain, who -was taken below where strong arms threw up the earth in -great heaps. Mad eyes fell upon the captive, and he was told -that his life would be forfeited if he attempted to escape.</p> -<p>Above, the settlers fought the flames at the risk of their -lives, for the foe were raining bullets from the hill and the -battle had opened in terrible earnest.</p> -<p>Suddenly a startling cry came from the vicinity of the -well.</p> -<p>“No more water!”</p> -<p>And the words were echoed on every side. Mothers -pressed their babes to their breasts, and told the little ones -that the last drop of water had been drawn from the -well!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_51">51</div> -<p>“What of the fire?” shouted Armstrong to the men on the -roof.</p> -<p>“If we had more water we could master it,” was the reply. -“Without water we are doomed.”</p> -<p>Then he leaped to the gangway and cried to the well-diggers -below.</p> -<p>“No water yet?”</p> -<p>“No!” was the despairing answer.</p> -<p>The fire-fighters threw the buckets from the roof and clambered -down after them. But all who went up did not come -down. Several had been shot by the enemy, and lay dead -on the ground between the fort and the palisades.</p> -<p>Now every one believed that the fort was doomed to destruction. -The clapboards on the western roof were blazing -furiously, and cinders were falling among the besieged. The -light added to the ghastly scene; but the settlers stood nobly -at the port-holes and more than one shot proved the death-knell -of a foe.</p> -<p>All at once a peal of thunder, rattling over their heads, -shook the fort to its very foundation, and ejaculations of joy -burst from every throat.</p> -<p>“God be praised!” cried a woman bursting from the shuddering -throng with her babe in her arms. “He is sending -the rain to save us. Praised be His holy name!”</p> -<p>A moment later and the storm clouds broke and great gray -drops fell splattering in the fire.</p> -<p>The rain was greeted with a hearty cheer that reached the -ears of the besiegers, and every faint heart took hope. For -a moment the rain descended in scattered quantities, and then -it came down in gigantic and irresistible sheets.</p> -<p>“We are saved—hurrah! hurrah!” cried the younger settlers, -stepping back from the ports and slipping in the blood -and water that covered the puncheons. “Open the well and -let the water in.”</p> -<p>Sure enough, the crimson demon was yielding to the deluge, -and every one saw in their deliverance the hand of -Deity.</p> -<p>“We’re not out of the fire yet,” said Levi Armstrong, calmly, -for to him command of the fort had been given by unanimous -consent. “After the rain we must fight again, then no -<span class="pb" id="Page_52">52</span> -roof can protect us—the fire-arrows will drop among us. -But we must to work. Remove the ammunition below to a -dry place, and let our dead be laid aside and the wounded -cared for.”</p> -<p>Brave men sprung with eagerness to the task. Several -kegs of powder were carried below, and the loss of the garrison -looked after.</p> -<p>It was discovered that it had suffered quite severely during -the battle. From behind stumps, the Indians had fired into -the ports, distinctly revealed by the widely-leaping flames of -the roof, and with fatal effect. The majority of the stricken -settlers were killed outright—shot through the head—while -every wound was dangerous. Twenty-one men had fallen, -including the loss at the gate and another, Morgan Sawyer, -had deserted.</p> -<p>The well-diggers struck water as the storm broke over -the fort; but they did not cease their labors, for they knew -that it would not last long—a summer shower, but a furious, -a saving one.</p> -<p>“Miss Armstrong, can I trust you?”</p> -<p>“You can.”</p> -<p>“Then come with me.”</p> -<p>The first speaker was Matt Hunter, the man whom Captain -Strong had placed over the well after Sawyer’s defection.</p> -<p>He was a small, wiry man, rather prepossessing in appearance, -and had fought like a tiger with the water buckets.</p> -<p>Huldah Armstrong drew from his look that he had something -in view for the good of the garrison, and followed him -to the gangway.</p> -<p>But, as the settler had put his foot on the first round of -the ladder, the face of a strange man was revealed below, and -he started back.</p> -<p>“Wolf-Cap!” he shouted to the busy men and women about -him. “Wolf-Cap is here!”</p> -<p>Immediately the cry of “Wolf-Cap” resounded throughout -the fort, and the next minute the Night-Hawks’ foe appeared -above the hatch!</p> -<p>“Welcome, welcome, neighbor Belt!” cried old Levi, -springing to the trapper. “Bloody times, these.”</p> -<p>“Ay, ay,” said Wolf-Cap, quickly. “But to the ports; -<span class="pb" id="Page_53">53</span> -This is the darkest hour of the night. The foe is crawling -through the storm both from the river and hill. Thank -heaven! the rain has saved your fort.”</p> -<p>The settlers sprung to their places.</p> -<p>“The demons carry ladders,” continued Wolf-Cap, “and -they’ll make a desperate effort to carry the palisades by -storm.”</p> -<p>Matt Hunter and Huldah did not wait to hear the trapper’s -words, but hurried below and paused before the guard at the -lower door.</p> -<p>“You can’t get out here,” said the sentry.</p> -<p>“Can’t,” echoed Hunter. “We’re on a mission from our -new captain.”</p> -<p>“True, Miss?” asked the soldier, looking at Huldah.</p> -<p>“Mr. Hunter should know,” she answered, and the heavy -door was unbolted, and they stepped into the yard.</p> -<p>“Miss Armstrong, I am on a secret mission for your father,” -he said, when they heard the door shut violently. “I can -not disclose it yet, so please bear with me. We must now -relieve the gate guards.”</p> -<p>He walked rapidly toward the gate, where three sturdy -settlers stood.</p> -<p>“Jones, Vanderberg and Poston, I believe,” he said, pausing -before the trio, whose forms were just visible in the -gloom.</p> -<p>“Yes,” answered a rough voice, “them’s we. What’s -wanting?”</p> -<p>“Our new captain wants Vanderberg and Poston to the -council up-stairs. Wolf-Cap advocates a change of tactics. -We—Miss Armstrong and I—will guard the gate with Jones, -until relieved. We were sent hither for that duty.”</p> -<p>Matt Hunter paused; but the two men hesitated. Since -the arrest of Zebulon Strong, they did not know whom to -trust, and theirs was the most important post connected with -the safety of the fort.</p> -<p>“No doubt other strength will be sent hither on your appearance -above,” said Hunter, uneasily. “Your voices are -needed in the council. You can leave your muskets here; -but I think we will not need ’em. Wolf-Cap reports the foe -under cover.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_54">54</div> -<p>His last words decided the guards; they leaned their muskets -against the stockade and left the gate.</p> -<p>Without difficulty they gained the interior of the fort, and -paused a moment to inquire into the progress of the well-diggers.</p> -<p>Then they ascended the ladder and appeared in the battle-room. -The storm had spent its fury by this time, but the -wind was flaring the dips and imparting a demi-gloom to the -entire interior of the place. Still, the light enabled the sentries -to see men at the port-holes, and the women were scrubbing -the floor with bedding. There was nothing that looked -like a council of war.</p> -<p>“Where’s the cap’n?” asked Vanderberg, touching a woman’s -arm—and the dame could not repress a cry when she -looked up into his white face.</p> -<p>“Here,” called a lusty voice from a darkened corner, and -a tall form advanced toward the guard. “I’m here—what’s -wanting?” and then the commander caught sight of Vanderberg’s -face. “Roger Vanderberg, what are <i>you</i> doing <i>here</i>?” -he cried, and his hand closed on the settler’s arm. “Your -post is at the outer gate. What can have brought you hither? -Speak! These are nights when traitors are abroad.”</p> -<p>The guard, now thoroughly alarmed and frightened, could -not find his tongue for a moment.</p> -<p>“And Poston, you here too? Who <i>is</i> at the gate?”</p> -<p>“Sir, your daughter and Matt Hunter,” cried Vanderberg, -with considerable fire in his tone. “He sent me up to the -council.”</p> -<p>“Council? there’s no council here,” and the old settler’s -cheeks suddenly grew pale. “I never sent for you—never! -Matt Hunter must mean something terrible. We’ll go down -and see.”</p> -<p>He sprung to the hatch, and quickly disappeared, followed -by the sentries.</p> -<p>The lower guard opened the door without a challenge, and -the trio passed into the yard.</p> -<p>There Levi Armstrong’s worst fears were realized. The -gate was deserted and stood ajar!</p> -<p>Deserted? No! At the foot of one of the posts lay the -body of a man.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_55">55</div> -<p>“Heavens! Huldah is gone!” cried the settler, staggering -from the scene, for a moment completely unmanned.</p> -<p>For a moment only.</p> -<p>“The gate! the gate!” he cried, springing forward, but -Vanderberg and Poston had foreseen the danger.</p> -<p>Their strong arms closed the ponderous structure, as a hundred -arrows buried their flinty heads in the boards!</p> -<p>The gate was then barricaded in a jiffy.</p> -<p>“Listen! They’re about to storm us,” said Vanderberg.</p> -<p>“Quick, then! Summon thirty men hither!” shouted Levi. -“We must meet them here first. ’Twill be daylight soon, -thank heaven!”</p> -<p>Vanderberg sprung to execute the task assigned him, and -the old settler bent over the form lying at the gate.</p> -<p>It was poor Jones. His skull had been crushed by the butt -of a musket, and he was quite dead.</p> -<p>“The old fort swarms with traitors,” said Armstrong, looking -up at Poston. “Hunter was Strong’s confederate. Now -we’ll meet the storming dogs.”</p> -<p>He muttered the last sentence as a body of men emerged -from the fort.</p> -<p>“Huldah isn’t gone, Armstrong?” said the foremost man, -whose wolf-skin cap proclaimed his personality.</p> -<p>“Gone—gone, Belt!”</p> -<p>“Curse the luck! Why didn’t I shoot Matt Hunter, when -I caught him tampering with my traps, two years ago?”</p> -<p>“Would to heaven you had.”</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap looked at the settler and then gritted his great -teeth till they fairly cracked.</p> -<p>“Matt Hunter took the girl along to buy his own liberty,” -he murmured. “Royal Funk will get her now. But he -sha’n’t wear her—no! not while my name is Card Belt.”</p> -<p>“Nor while mine is Mark Harmon!”</p> -<p>The trapper started and saw the young borderman standing -by his side.</p> -<p>“Your hand on that, boy!” cried the trapper, with a smile, -and two hands were clasped and sealed in determination.</p> -<p>“I guess the dogs have gone back to growl,” said Belt, -glancing up. “They’ve let the golden moment slip. It’s -gettin’ too light to attack now.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_56">56</div> -<h2 id="c8"><span class="small">CHAPTER VIII.</span> -<br />A BIT OF MUTINY.</h2> -<p>Fort Strong could not have successfully resisted an assault -of the allies on the stockade. The settlers knew this; -but were determined that the foe should be met with courage -as fierce as his own, and that he should find none but dead -bodies when he entered the fort.</p> -<p>Already the women were arming themselves and their words -of encouragement threw more strength into their husbands’ -arms.</p> -<p>We left Wolf-Cap and the two Indian chiefs hurrying toward -the fort, and have also witnessed the former’s appearance -among the besieged. Before entering, he had tarried a -while without for the purpose of watching the enemy. His -great heart leaped for joy when the rain began to descend, -and beside the gate, he dismissed the chiefs with low words, -intended for their ears alone.</p> -<p>He heard the foe approach, and learned that they bore ladders -which, no doubt, they had constructed beyond the hill -during the day, and then he hastened to prepare the settlers -for the new danger.</p> -<p>But the sky grew lighter, and the assault came not. From -some cause which the besieged could not fathom, the proposed -attack had been suddenly abandoned, and when the light rendered -objects distinguishable from the fort, not an enemy -could be seen.</p> -<p>The dun storm clouds rolled heavily toward the south, and -by-and-by the sun’s rays fell upon the charred roof of Fort -Strong.</p> -<p>But let us follow the fortunes of Huldah Armstrong, and -learn why the assault was abandoned—abandoned when the -most unlearned warrior could foresee the result of a grand attack -with the ladders.</p> -<p>To all appearances, the Indians had been withdrawn from -the river; but such was not the case. The light of the burning -<span class="pb" id="Page_57">57</span> -roof revealed the ground between fort and stream, but not -a brave lay behind the stumps. Colonel O’Neill attacked the -fort from the hill only, thinking that the garrison might be -driven to an attempt to fly to the river and escape by boats. -Therefore, he had drawn the Indians to the tall grass on the -bank, and during the entire fight not a shot was fired from -the ambush.</p> -<p>But the colonel’s plans did not succeed.</p> -<p>“Why this delay?” exclaimed the officer, angrily, looking -and listening from the summit of the hill where he stood, surrounded -by half a dozen Indians and as many English officers. -“The assault should have been made ere this.”</p> -<p>“We have not heard Funk’s signal yet, colonel,” answered -one of the officers, suggestively.</p> -<p>“Fire and fury! he should have given it five minutes since,” -and O’Neill looked at a beautiful chronometer which he drew -from his bosom. “The truth of the matter is, Funk is crazy -after a girl in the fort, and if he can get her, he will let the -foe beat us off. Curse the laggard!”</p> -<p>A minute’s silence followed the Briton’s last words. The -signal, whatever it was to have been, did not cleave the cool -night air—not a sound came from the fort.</p> -<p>“The jig is up,” hoarsely hissed O’Neill, stamping his foot -with rage. “Funk’s infernal passion for that girl has ruined -our plans. Splitlog, is he a specimen of the men you associate -with? Go and recall the forces! The day is breaking -now, and if our men are not instantly withdrawn, they will -be slaughtered like sheep.”</p> -<p>The Wyandot sachem left the hill, and presently every besieger -relinquished the designed attack.</p> -<p>Colonel O’Neill was livid with rage, and threatened to -withdraw his troops.</p> -<p>“Frank is the cause of all this,” he thundered to Splitlog. -“You should take the villain out and shoot him when he -shows his face in camp. But he’ll never have the audacity to -show his face here. Perhaps he succeeded in getting the -girl, and has fled to parts unknown. The fort would have -been ours after a brief struggle. The deserter declares that -Strong has six men on whom he can depend. So, chief, you -see what we have missed by one man’s absorbing passion.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_58">58</div> -<p>“Night-Hawk do bad work, sure,” said Splitlog, like the -colonel, in no good humor. “He better not come back to -braves.”</p> -<p>“Killing him won’t mend matters; but—”</p> -<p>The interruption that broke the sentence was caused by -the sudden appearance of a young Wyandot warrior, who informed -the twain that Royal Funk and his Night-Hawks -were boldly approaching.</p> -<p>O’Neill and the chief exchanged looks of surprise.</p> -<p>“That man possesses the audacity of the devil,” said the -colonel. “Now stick to your word, Splitlog; pay him up. -Do not listen to his excuses. If you do, he’ll conquer.”</p> -<p>White and red occupied the tent of the former, and when -they stepped out, they beheld a large body of soldiers and -savages approaching.</p> -<p>At the head of the array walked Roy Funk and his remaining -Night-Hawks, six in number, for Sam Cole had slain his -white adversary at the tree to which Wolf-Cap was bound at -the opening of the fort fight, and the second Night-Hawk -whom Silver Hand threw into the river on the same occasion, -would march no more to deeds of brigandage.</p> -<p>There was a cloud on the outlaw’s face as he neared the -little group; but he walked boldly erect, unmindful of the -fierce looks and muttered epithets that the Indians hurled -upon him.</p> -<p>At length he halted before the couple at the tent, and -looked them calmly in the eye without a word.</p> -<p>“You have come to report,” said O’Neill, suddenly and sarcastically.</p> -<p>“With your permission, sir,” retorted the Night-Hawk -captain.</p> -<p>“If you wish, you may tell the story of your treachery. -Though I would rather not hear it, I will listen. You know -the disaster you have hurled upon this army.”</p> -<p>“I am, to some extent, perhaps, to blame for the non-attack -on the stockade. I am willing to take all the blame on -my shoulders at any rate. They are strong,” and he shrugged -them, “and can carry heavy loads.”</p> -<p>“But let the Night-Hawk talk of his dog acts,” cried Splitlog, -stepping nearer Funk, furious almost beyond control.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_59">59</div> -<p>“I was about ready to give my signal when we beheld -a suspicious figure creeping from the fort to the river. -We followed, and captured a man—Matt Hunter by name. -He was a deserter and told us much. Captain Strong is a -prisoner in the fort. His designs have been discovered. -Wolf-Cap is in the fort.”</p> -<p>“I thought you held him captive?” said O’Neill, at this -juncture.</p> -<p>“I did, but Cole wanted to trust his honesty, and Duke -White here interfered. They fought and Cole got the best -of Duke; but, after all, Wolf-Cap escaped.”</p> -<p>“But what about the man you caught?”</p> -<p>“The boys gave him to the Wyandots by the river. He’s -yonder now with Sawyer, the other deserter. He was carrying -a woman from the fort.”</p> -<p>“Stealing a woman, eh? Go on, Roy Funk, this is a romantic -story you’re telling. Took some hard thinking no -doubt.”</p> -<p>An illy-concealed sneer pervaded the officer’s words; but -the outlaw chief did not appear to notice it.</p> -<p>“We got the girl of course, and,” looking at O’Neill, “she’s -my girl, colonel—Huldah Armstrong.”</p> -<p>“This will all do to tell, Roy Funk,” said the soldier; “but -it won’t slip down. You don’t understand greasing lies. -That is an art which you should have mastered.”</p> -<p>“You’ll believe me if I produce the deserter and girl?” -flashed Funk.</p> -<p>“I will, and not until then will I credit a single word you -have uttered.”</p> -<p>The outlaw turned quickly upon one of his men.</p> -<p>“Jackson, go and bring Hunter and the girl here,” he -said, in maddened tones, and the look which he then darted -at his other Night-Hawks drew them nearer his imperiled -form.</p> -<p>“You shall see that I haven’t lied!” he said, turning to -O’Neill again. “Splitlog has enjoyed a long acquaintance -with me, and he can not put his finger on a single lie of -mine.”</p> -<p>“But what say you in extenuation of your crime of disobeying -orders?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_60">60</div> -<p>“Circumstances, sir, interposed to check my career, and -when I had disposed of my captives, you were withdrawing -your troops. But, Colonel O’Neill, I want you to understand -that I am a free man here. Roy Funk and his fellows do as -they please; but for this time I have condescended to be a -subordinate. You, sir, are the minority here. Splitlog by -superiority of numbers commands.”</p> -<p>O’Neill bit his lip and referred the outlaw to the Wyandot -for punishment. He felt that Splitlog would rid himself of -Funk’s presence, and now he devoutly wished the forest freebooter -out of his way.</p> -<p>A brief time elapsed between Jackson’s disappearance and -his return.</p> -<p>A line of knolls or hills encircled the southern side of the -fort, and terminated at the river. They enabled the outlaw -to perform his errand without being seen by the besieged -settlers, and he approached the assemblage with Huldah Armstrong -and the treacherous borderman.</p> -<p>“There!” said Funk, in triumph, looking at his prisoners. -“Colonel O’Neill, have I lied?”</p> -<p>The British soldier did not reply, for he was looking at -the settler’s daughter, whose wonderful backwoods beauty was -entrancing his Highland-tainted heart.</p> -<p>“What does Night-Hawk want to do with white girl?” -asked Splitlog, breaking the silence that followed Funk’s -speech.</p> -<p>“I intend making her Mrs. Funk, as I have told the colonel,” -said the outlaw, quickly, glancing at the officer as he -spoke. “She is mine!”</p> -<p>“But Night-Hawk didn’t give signal. He let a squaw run -off with his head.”</p> -<p>Splitlog’s anger was rising again, and O’Neill was secretly -rejoicing.</p> -<p>“I know it, chief; but to-night we’ll work together.”</p> -<p>“Like we did when it was dark before,” hissed the Wyandot, -and his right arm started back threateningly. “The -Night-Hawk is a traitor, and traitors are dogs. He no man -at all who’ll let blue eyes draw him from duty.”</p> -<p>“Well, what is Splitlog going to do about it?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_61">61</div> -<p>The question was put calmly, but there was the lurking of -a defiant, devil-may-care spirit in the words.</p> -<p>“He going to make example, as the pale-faces say,” was the -reply. “Little Hickory, take the girl—”</p> -<p>“No you won’t!” interrupted the outlaw, and before the -chief addressed could advance a step, Jackson threw Huldah -Armstrong forward and Funk caught her in his arms.</p> -<p>“I appeal to the braves of the Wyandot nation, and to true -English soldiers,” he cried, springing upon a fallen tree and -looking around over the crowd. “I have fought for the flag -of St. George and for the wampum of the Wyandots. I failed -in a duty last night, but to-night we can take the fort. Put -yourselves in my place last night. For such a pretty woman -as this, who would not have forgotten every thing save love?”</p> -<p>Numerous cheers greeted the outlaw’s speech, but Splitlog, -with a cloud on his face, advanced toward the log.</p> -<p>“Stop, chief,” cried Funk, cocking one of his pistols, and -looking down upon the Wyandot. “I don’t want to shed -blood on this occasion. My men will stand by me—if we go -down, ’twill be as the fall of one man.”</p> -<p>Stern determination was written on the Night-Hawk’s face, -and he glanced at Huldah, hanging half-senseless across his -left arm.</p> -<p>“Don’t give in to him!” whispered O’Neill to Splitlog, -who had stopped. “Make an example of the dog!”</p> -<p>The chief was inclined to do so.</p> -<p>“A vote! a vote!” cried the soldiers.</p> -<p>“We’ll have no votes on this question!” thundered Colonel -O’Neill.</p> -<p>“We will!” answered a stalwart corporal, stepping forward, -pistol in hand. “Colonel O’Neill, your men say that Funk’s -fate shall not be settled by one man.”</p> -<p>“Fire and furies, this is mutiny!” and the English sword -leaped from its scabbard. “Corporal, who commands the -Ninety-first—you or I?”</p> -<p>Corporal Quitman did not reply, but saluted his superior -and stepped aside.</p> -<p>“We will vote on Funk’s life!” came a cry from the rebellious -quarter, and the Indians began to demand a ballot, in -their own language.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_62">62</div> -<p>Colonel O’Neill was shaking with rage.</p> -<p>“Colonel, you had best listen to the men!” ventured Quitman, -again.</p> -<p>“Who gave you authority to suggest to me?” roared the -epauleted Briton, starting toward the corporal. “Sergeant -Wilkinson, arrest the mutineer.”</p> -<p>But the sergeant did not stir.</p> -<p>“What! dare you disobey, too?”</p> -<p>“I dare!” was the quiet response. “Colonel, if a majority -of the Wyandots and the old Ninety-first say that Funk’s deed -deserves death, we will submit. But one man, and he an <i>Indian</i>, -shall not dictate in such a case as this.”</p> -<p>The mutineers applauded the sergeant’s words, and Colonel -O’Neill stepped back, and gazed with horror into Splitlog’s -face.</p> -<p>“I know what you want, colonel,” said Roy Funk, at this -juncture, “and I don’t blame you, either, for you don’t pick -up such a girl as this in the woods every day. Let the red-coats -vote, and the Indians, too. If they say I deserve death, -you may kill me.”</p> -<p>O’Neill looked up at the outlaw, and then turned to the -sachem.</p> -<p>“I leave it to you, Splitlog,” he said. “Count me out; -but Funk should live if he can cower such a man as you!”</p> -<h2 id="c9"><span class="small">CHAPTER IX.</span> -<br />SENT INTO EXILE.</h2> -<p>Splitlog shrugged his shoulders and turned to his braves.</p> -<p>The lives of many brave men hung upon his savage caprices, -and the silence that followed O’Neill’s last and bitter -words seemed palpable.</p> -<p>The Wyandot hated, detested the British, Colonel O’Neill -particularly; but he had sold his nation to the English cause, -and he must not, in a single act, manifest an abatement of -zeal. The colonel, under whose command Splitlog had already -<span class="pb" id="Page_63">63</span> -fought, had said that Royal Funk’s disobedience should -be punished with death, and the Indian believed that he spoke -to the king.</p> -<p>But the British soldiers were demanding something of a -trial for the outlaw, and his Indians were joining in the clamor. -So far as he was personally concerned, he would not -punish Funk, and here was an opportunity to favor the forest -freebooter. Funk, no doubt, had done Splitlog a service in -days gone by, and an Indian never forgets such an action.</p> -<p>He stood before the outlaw a moment in silence, and then -spoke.</p> -<p>“Splitlog hears the voices of his people,” he said. “He -will not strike the Night-Hawk until they have pronounced -on his fate. He,” pointing to Funk, “has lived long among -the Wyandots; they know him—he is brave.”</p> -<p>As the Indian paused, O’Neill stepped forward, and laid -his hand on the naked shoulder. The Briton’s face was still -aflame with rage.</p> -<p>“Say nothing for nor against him, chief,” he said, in the -Wyandot tongue. “Tell your braves to say life or death, -and that quickly.”</p> -<p>He snapped the words out fiercely, and darted a malignant -look at Splitlog as he turned away:</p> -<p>“I’ll pay you for this, you scarlet dog,” he murmured, under -his breath. “I’ll pay you for lying, see if I don’t.”</p> -<p>Splitlog smiled contemptuously, and bit his nether lip.</p> -<p>“Down with you, Wyandots,” he cried, angrily, flashing -his eyes over his armed nation. “Down like wolves, and let -the warriors who vote for life hold up their guns.”</p> -<p>Like one man the red assembly dropped to the ground, -and near two hundred guns were held on high!</p> -<p>A majority voted for life.</p> -<p>“I knew they’d do it,” hissed O’Neill. “And Splitlog -sanctions the decision. My men shall not vote.”</p> -<p>A stern determination clothed the last words, and they -were yet quivering on his lips when the chief, with a triumph -which his best dissimulative arts could not conceal, turned -upon him:</p> -<p>“Now let the red-coats vote,” cried Splitlog. “If many -<span class="pb" id="Page_64">64</span> -of them say ‘death,’ the waters of the Huron shall roll over -the Night-Hawk.”</p> -<p>An eager gleam of hope lit up the colonel’s eyes at this.</p> -<p>Sword in hand he leaped upon the log near the Night-Hawk -captain.</p> -<p>“You who vote for life will advance ten paces westward. -Right about—face. Forward—march!”</p> -<p>Many a Briton obeyed the military command, and the colonel -ordered a sergeant to count the ayes.</p> -<p>Two hundred and one men voted for life, and strange to -say, <i>a like number had kept their places</i>!</p> -<p>“I vote for death!” said the colonel, when he had informed -Splitlog of the even counts; “therefore I make a majority, -and the outlaw dies.”</p> -<p>“Did Splitlog vote?” cried the chief. “No! he left it to -his men. But he will look to the vote of the red-coats. He -says that the Night-Hawk shall fly from the land of the Wyandots -before the sun sweeps over the bosom of the Huron -again, and he shall never return. Does this suit the king’s -soldier?”</p> -<p>“He should die. We, his own people, say as much,” said -O’Neill.</p> -<p>“But Indians say, ‘Live, Night-Hawk.’ Splitlog must listen -to his people; when they say ‘No,’ he must not say -‘Yes.’”</p> -<p>“So be it, then. But he shall not take his captive along.”</p> -<p>“Whatever is his he may keep,” answered the Indian, and -then he looked up at Royal Funk.</p> -<p>“Night-Hawk, you are free to go,” he said. “After this -night, let these forests hear your tread no more. Splitlog -and his braves say so.”</p> -<p>“Agreed,” answered Funk. “I accept your mercy. I go, -never to return. Soldiers who voted for my life, I thank -you; and, Colonel O’Neill, my fervent prayer is that we may -meet again.”</p> -<p>“Amen!” grated the Briton. “I echo your prayer from -the bottom of my heart!”</p> -<p>“Come, boys,” said the outlaw, descending from his perch, -and addressing his band in a low tone, “we’ll leave this accursed -place at once, or so soon as we can get off. We’ll go -<span class="pb" id="Page_65">65</span> -down the river in barges, and after a while strike over land -toward Detroit. There’s no use in talking. Our days are -up in the ‘fire-lands,’ though I’d like to linger here to settle -scores with Wolf-Cap.”</p> -<p>The Night-Hawks expressed their willingness to follow -their leader, but they abominated the thought of a forced exile. -They had lorded it over the fire-lands until they believed -themselves invincible, but they had discovered one at whose -command they must depart.</p> -<p>“Well, Miss Huldah, we are going to leave the old fire-lands, -and we’re never coming back any more. What do you -think about that?”</p> -<p>For a moment the settler’s child said nothing. She stood -before the outlaw in the little tent which Colonel O’Neill had -given him, when they were on better terms than now, and -looked up into his darkly handsome face.</p> -<p>“Of course, sir, I do not wish to go,” were the words that -fell from her lips, at last. “But I know ’tis useless for me to -appeal to you.”</p> -<p>“Utterly useless, Huldah,” he answered, calmly. “I will -offer you no violence, and none shall come to you from any -one. But let me tell you now that I am very passionate, and -that no hand shall snatch you from me. I will make no -avowal of love; this is not the place for such; but if I did -not love you I would return you to the old man who, in <i>your</i> -presence calls you child. Huldah, tell me how many lovers -you possess?”</p> -<p>“None, unless I must regard you as such,” she answered, -with a faint smile.</p> -<p>“You should have thought a moment before you spoke. -There’s Wolf-Cap—”</p> -<p>“His hair is gray in many places,” said Huldah, interrupting -him. “He is not my lover.”</p> -<p>“Granted; but hasn’t some young hunter in Fort Strong -looked softly into your eyes? Speak truly, Huldah Armstrong—I -want to know.”</p> -<p>For a moment the settler’s daughter recalled the daring -young men who had bravely defended their loved ones in the -besieged fort, and a flush of crimson mantled her fair -cheeks.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_66">66</div> -<p>“I think I have no lover,” she said, looking up again.</p> -<p>“But you blushed while you thought,” said the outlaw, -quickly; “and blushes, like figures, Huldah, do not lie. Some -young buck-skin-clad fellow has made your heart beat fast behind -the walls of the doomed fort. Tell me his name.”</p> -<p>“Why would you know?”</p> -<p>“I would kill him, if he escaped the massacre. Huldah, I -will endure no rivals for your hand. Remember this. But -you have skipped a lover.”</p> -<p>The fair girl, whose cheeks had grown pale beneath the -vengeful words, looked surprised.</p> -<p>“Yes, you possess a third lover, Huldah. Can you not -name him?”</p> -<p>“I can not. Your words are fraught with mystery,” she -replied.</p> -<p>“Colonel O’Neill is your lover. He tried to have me shot, -that he might possess you. What do you think of your red-coated -Adonis? He’s the handsomest of all your lovers—isn’t -he, Huldah?”</p> -<p>The outlaw laughed at his sarcastic question, and turned -to talk to one of his men, whose face appeared at the opening.</p> -<p>A short conversation in a low whisper passed between the -Night-Hawks, when the face disappeared, and Funk turned to -his captive again.</p> -<p>“We won’t get off till near sundown,” he said. “That -liveried dog has refused to loan us his boats, and Splitlog has -been compelled to send to the mouth of the Catauga for several -of his own. By heavens! Huldah, I want to meet that -man away from his men. I’d promote Major Gosnoke to the -colonelcy with a bullet. There’s something devilish afoot. I -feel it. This night will witness treacherous deeds. O’Neill -will not give you up tamely—neither will I!”</p> -<p>A moment later the outlaw walked from the tent, and Huldah -Armstrong heard him say a few words to the Night-Hawks -who guarded her, before he walked away.</p> -<p>The long hours of that summer day waned, and not a shot -was fired at the fort. It was a painful silence to the girl, and -told of bloody scenes during the coming darkness. She could -see the charred roof from her prison, but not a besieged form -greeted her eye.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_67">67</div> -<p>By and by the trees on the river-bank cast long shadows, -and Splitlog, followed by numerous warriors and a few soldiers, -was seen approaching the outlaw’s tent.</p> -<p>Five Night-Hawks received the company with lowering -gaze, and a word from the chief drew out Roy Funk and his -prisoner.</p> -<p>“We’re ready, chief,” said the Night-Hawk leader.</p> -<p>“Then to the river,” replied Splitlog, pointing to the water. -“The boats wait for the Night-Hawks of the fire-lands.”</p> -<p>The entire party marched down to the river, where an outlaw -and several Indians guarded two large and strong boats.</p> -<p>“This is the beginning of our journey, Huldah,” said Roy -Funk, as he gently lifted the settler’s daughter into one of the -barks. “The beginning, I say; God knows what the ending -will be.”</p> -<p>His words implied grave doubts of a safe termination of the -voyage; but the next moment he was talking cheerfully to his -men and the chief.</p> -<p>“We’ll see you again, Splitlog,” called the outlaw, as the -boats were cast from their moorings. “We’ll drink fire-water -some day over our doings in the fire-lands. But remember -what I whispered in your ear: watch him, as you would -a snake!”</p> -<p>Then the outlaws seized the pliant paddles, and the two big -boats moved rapidly down the current.</p> -<p>For the dusk that stretched before the voyagers seemed -to breathe of a lurking foe.</p> -<p>Splitlog and his companions watched the boats until a bend -in the river hid them from sight.</p> -<p>“Now,” said the chief, turning away, “the white man’s -fort falls. The night is coming on, and the flames of the -big timbers must light the sky.”</p> -<p>But other scenes than the taking of the block-house, were -to demand the Wyandot’s attention before dawn.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_68">68</div> -<h2 id="c10"><span class="small">CHAPTER X.</span> -<br />BAFFLED IN AMBUSH.</h2> -<p>An hour after the departure of the exiles, night spread her -pall over the earth, and two men scaled the stockade of Fort -Strong and glided toward the hill lately tenanted by the -foe.</p> -<p>The spies—for spies the couple undoubtedly were—boasted -of white skins, and the moon, just rising and showering her -light through the trees beside the river, proclaimed them -Wolf-Cap and Mark Harmon.</p> -<p>“I can’t understand this silence,” remarked the old trapper -to his companion. “Surely the demons hevn’t given over the -attack.”</p> -<p>“Perhaps they have quarreled among themselves,” said -young Harmon.</p> -<p>“It may be. O’Neill is a fidgety fellow, they say, and if -he gets spiteful at Splitlog, why he’ll withdraw his support. -Why they didn’t attack us last night when they could have -won, may ever remain a mystery. But silence now—we’ve -reached the hill.”</p> -<p>For some minutes the twain crouched at the foot of the -acclivity and listened, but heard nothing. Where was the foe? -Wolf-Cap was puzzled, and threw one of his queer enigmatical -looks into Harmon’s face.</p> -<p>“Bless me! if I don’t b’lieve they’ve vamosed,” he whispered, -and then, bidding his comrade retain his position, he -proceeded to extend the reconnoissance to the top of the hill.</p> -<p>Ten minutes later he returned.</p> -<p>“Good news for the fort, boy!” he said, in tones of undisguised -joy. “The varmints hev vamosed the diggin’s.”</p> -<p>“What! they haven’t retreated with victory in their -grasp?” exclaimed the youth.</p> -<p>“They’re gone, anyhow. The red dogs marched around -the hills to the river, and the Indians took a south-easterly -trail. This tells the story of a family quarrel. O’Neill has -<span class="pb" id="Page_69">69</span> -got his back up about suthin’ and so he cut loose from Splitlog.”</p> -<p>“But why didn’t the Indian remain and attack?”</p> -<p>“He wanted to show his choler, too. He wouldn’t stay -for spite, but we’ll hear from him in the Muskingum valley -afore long.”</p> -<p>“Then let’s go back and tell the good news,” said Mark -Harmon, eagerly. “Then we hunt for Huldah.”</p> -<p>“Yes; we’ll follow Splitlog until we find Funk, for the -outlaw will, of course, stick with the chief; they’ve been old -cronies for years, and Funk isn’t the man to trust himself -among a British regiment with a pretty woman. O’Neill -might want Huldah, you see, and, backed by his men, Funk -wouldn’t hev the ghost of a show as his rival.”</p> -<p>The spies now set out on their return to the fort, and -Wolf-Cap rapped heavily on the gate with the butt of his gun.</p> -<p>“Don’t be afraid to fling ’er wide, boys,” he cried, in a -loud tone. “The devils hev got scared at their own shadow, -and the old fort is saved!”</p> -<p>“Saved! saved! the foe has fled!” shouted the guard, as -he opened the gate, and then cheer on cheer shook the old -structure to its staunch foundation logs.</p> -<p>Fathers dropped their weapons and embraced wives in the -transport of joy, and mothers kissed their children a hundred -times, and thanked God for deliverance with tearful -eyes.</p> -<p>“We’re going now, Mark, and I,” said Wolf-Cap to Levi -Armstrong, in the midst of the rejoicings, “and we’re going -to fetch your girl back, too.”</p> -<p>“You shall not go alone, Belt. I will—”</p> -<p>“You will stay right where you are!” interrupted the hunter, -imperatively. “You are needed here. Some band of -dusky fellows may attack the fort during my absence, and -these helpless women and children can not spare you. Did -I say that Mark and I war going alone? Yes. But we are -not. Silver Hand and Golden Cheek will join us somewhar -in the woods, and those two fellows kin outwit a thousand -Night-Hawks.”</p> -<p>Armstrong reluctantly consented to remain in command of -the fort.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_70">70</div> -<p>“When will you return, Belt?” he asked.</p> -<p>“Within five days, or more.”</p> -<p>“Shall we keep Strong untried for five days?”</p> -<p>“No; put him on trial to-morrow. If he is proven a traitor, -deal with him accordingly. You can testify for me, for I -have told you all that I know bearing on the case. But we -must be off, Armstrong.”</p> -<p>The trapper put forth his hand, and with many good -wishes for the journey, Armstrong pressed it and saw the -twain pass out the gate.</p> -<p>“I may never see him again,” said the old settler, pausing -suddenly as the ponderous gate swung back. “He ought to -know all now. I will tell him; it will make him more cautious, -and he will hate me, I know. Yes, I will disclose the -secret.”</p> -<p>Quickly then, he turned to the gate again, and bade the -sentry open.</p> -<p>“I want to see Wolf-Cap again,” said Levi, and then he -stepped without.</p> -<p>The dusky forms of the two men were still visible toward -the river.</p> -<p>He hurried forward; but his heart failed him, for he suddenly -returned to the fort without hailing the trapper.</p> -<p>“I can’t break the spell,” he said, slowly and in an undertone, -shaking his head. “I still hold the blessed belief into -which I have schooled my heart for many years. When -Wolf-Cap brings her back, I’ll tell him all. God give her -back to me, for I love her. Though he kill me, I will tell -him all.”</p> -<p>It was the earnest prayer of a brave man, and he soon rejoined -the settlers, still happy over the unexpected deliverance.</p> -<p>But we must return to the British colonel.</p> -<p>At a certain point two miles below the bend in the river, -mentioned at the conclusion of the preceding chapter, several -large trees lay on the ground, hurled down by the fury -of some storm-demon. These trees furnished a natural ambush, -almost entirely impenetrable by the human eye, and -from their leafy coverts a company of soldiers could sweep -the stream either way, for a great distance.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_71">71</div> -<p>The ambush was not untenanted when Roy Funk and his -companions left the Indians, and turned the prows of their canoes -toward Lake Erie.</p> -<p>The moon, as she scaled the horizon, looked down upon -scarlet uniforms beneath the leaves, and the night-winds -heard low voices.</p> -<p>“Colonel, do you think Gosnoke equal to the emergency?” -asked a soldier, looking at the British colonel peeping through -the boughs.</p> -<p>“I do. Ere this, he has obeyed orders, and peacefully -too, for we have heard no noise. Splitlog knows now, that -I am not to be trampled, and spit on with impunity. I -played the red-skin devil a British trick to-night, and he will -never forget it. But I’m tired of waiting here. It is almost -time for Gosnoke’s appearance, and here Funk and his accursed -hounds have not hove in sight.”</p> -<p>The officer never took his eyes from the shining surface of -the water, while he answered the private, and his nervous -actions proclaimed his impatience.</p> -<p>The reader can guess the motive that led the Briton to the -ambush. He intended to intercept the exiles, and finish the rivalry -that existed between himself and the Night-Hawk for -the face of Huldah Armstrong. He selected a dozen soldiers -whom he could trust, and while the outlaws were preparing -to depart, he led his men to the ambush.</p> -<p>Major Gosnoke was left at the hill to withdraw the British -forces from co-operation with Splitlog’s warriors. He—the -colonel—dared not carry out his treachery in person, for the -Wyandot sachem was an impulsive savage, and he might pay -the penalty of his desertion with his life.</p> -<p>For many minutes after the brief conversation between the -colonel and his privates, a dead silence reigned over forest -and stream, but all at once this was broken by the voice of a -soldier.</p> -<p>“The boats are coming!”</p> -<p>Colonel O’Neill started and looked up the river. Two -black spots were visible on the shining water. Undoubtedly -the canoes belonged to the Night-Hawk’s party.</p> -<p>“Ready, men?” whispered O’Neill, turning to his troops. -“The devils are sailing right into our clutches. We want no -<span class="pb" id="Page_72">72</span> -noise now. Murphy, you are to do the hailing—recollect.”</p> -<p>The soldier nodded, and all eyes were fastened on the approaching -boats.</p> -<p>The muskets were at full cock, ready, if needed, to pour -a deadly fire into the barges.</p> -<p>Colonel O’Neill held his breath and glanced anxiously -from the boats to Murphy, who, with the hailing words on -his lips, awaited his commands.</p> -<p>“They’re in the shadow now,” said O’Neill, in reply to -a look from his soldier. “When they emerge and execute -four more strokes, you may speak.”</p> -<p>A group of trees threw a belt of shadow across the stream -a short distance above the ambush, and into this darkness the -two boats had glided.</p> -<p>All at once they drifted into the moonlight again, and the -studied words were on Murphy’s tongue, when he suddenly -started back, and threw a look of amazement into the colonel’s -face.</p> -<p>The boats were empty!</p> -<p>The men in the ambush exchanged looks of surprise, mingled -with superstition.</p> -<p>Colonel O’Neill was so chagrined that he could not speak -for several moments.</p> -<p>He riveted his eyes upon the boats, reluctantly believing -the evidence of his senses.</p> -<p>“Tom Murphy, swim out and intercept the boats!” he -suddenly roared. “Hell and furies! we have been betrayed!”</p> -<p>Murphy obeyed, and with the aid of several comrades -drew the barges ashore.</p> -<p>To the bottom of one canoe a piece of paper was pinned.</p> -<p>“Take care of my boats, colonel,” it said. “I will take -care of myself.”</p> -<p>Roy Funk’s name was appended to the writing!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_73">73</div> -<h2 id="c11"><span class="small">CHAPTER XI.</span> -<br />TREASON IN THE CAMP.</h2> -<p>Colonel O’Neill’s face grew red and white by turns with -rage.</p> -<p>He looked at the writing until the letters swam before his -eyes.</p> -<p>His prey had escaped, and he swore roundly for several -minutes before a gentlemanly word passed his lips.</p> -<p>“Murphy,” he said, his anger slumbering but not appeased. -“Murphy, you, with two men, will await the arrival -of the command at this point, and will proceed with it to -the destination communicated by me to Gosnoke.”</p> -<p>“Pray, where does our colonel go?” asked Murphy, who -ventured because he was on familiar terms with O’Neill.</p> -<p>“I’m going after Funk. By heavens! that scoundrel shall -not escape me. He’s abandoned the boats somewhere up the -river, and taken to the forest trails. But how did he know -that we were waiting here?”</p> -<p>“Ah! that puzzles the b’hoys, kurnel,” said an Irish soldier. -“Faith an’ they must hev smelt us, fur devil a noise -did we make among the trees.”</p> -<p>“Some dastardly red-skin has betrayed us, Teddy,” said -O’Neill, coloring again. “Now, Murphy, mind what I have -told you. The trail they would take, I think, leads in a -north-westerly direction to the lake shore. It can be reached -by marching due west from this point; but I am not acquainted -with the forest hereabout.”</p> -<p>“Methinks, I can lead you to the trail,” said a man who, -though clad in English uniform, was no soldier. “I’ve -tramped these parts several times. By good marching, -we can reach the falls of Beaver river by eleven. There we -will strike the Detroit trail and discover something of Roy -Funk.”</p> -<p>The Briton was pleased, and a few minutes later disappeared -with his men in the funereal recesses of the wood.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_74">74</div> -<p>“I agree with the Indian. There’s no use in running our -legs off after we have eluded the foe. It’s a long way to -Detroit, and we might as well rest here as on the lake shore. -Boys, I apprehend no pursuit. Splitlog, of course, will not -follow, and O’Neill will lead his regiment to the lakes when -it joins him on the river. The Indian counsels a rest till -morning. He has walked us fast, and Miss Armstrong is -greatly fatigued.”</p> -<p>The words just written fell from Royal Funk’s lips, several -hours after O’Neill’s disappointment in the ambush.</p> -<p>He stood on the bank of a narrow stream which, in those -days, bore the rather pretentious cognomen of Beaver <i>river</i>. -At this point a beautiful cascade added to the wild scenery, -and he faced his Night-Hawks, who had just halted from a -fatiguing march.</p> -<p>“Of course we are willin’ to rest, cap’n,” said one of the -men. “That is, if you really think it best to do so, and of -course you would not talk as you hev if you did not. A rest -till daylight will do us no harm; but,” and the speaker approached -Funk and glanced at a half-naked Indian leaning -against a tree, as he lowered his voice, “but, cap’n, do you -fully trust the Wyandot?”</p> -<p>“Why should I call him a traitor? Because he has just -saved our lives, Whalley? He’s a genuine Wyandot; I’ve -seen him a hundred times with Splitlog. But what have you -against ’im?”</p> -<p>“Nothin’, cap’n, nothin’,” answered Whalley; “only I -wanted to know if you thought him sound.”</p> -<p>“Don’t fear for Spagano,” said Funk. “He’s a faithful -fellow. Remember, we would have rowed into O’Neill’s -muskets if it hadn’t been for him.”</p> -<p>The Indian upon hearing his name pronounced left the tree -and came forward.</p> -<p>He was a tall, muscular fellow, naked to the waist, and -wore a crest of painted dove feathers.</p> -<p>“What Night-Hawks want with Spagano?” he asked, in -broken English.</p> -<p>“Nothing. But hold, chief. Where had we best camp -to-night—here or across the river?”</p> -<p>“Here,” and, with a curious smile, the Indian described a -<span class="pb" id="Page_75">75</span> -circle with his hand. “We safe this side Beaver—not so safe, -p’r’aps, on other side.”</p> -<p>Preparations for a sojourn till day, on the bank of Beaver -river, were at once inaugurated by the party, and several of -the outlaws employed themselves in catching fish below the -falls.</p> -<p>Spagano, the Wyandot guide, lingered about the little -camp.</p> -<p>To him the outlaws owed their lives. It was in this manner:</p> -<p>Immediately after rounding the bend that shut the exiles -from Splitlog’s sight, an Indian made his appearance on the -river-bank, and Funk was induced to take him in. He proved -to be the bearer of startling news, and declared that he was -acting in accordance with the wishes of the Wyandot sachem—Splitlog.</p> -<p>Colonel O’Neill and two hundred soldiers (the Indian’s exaggerated -statement) were waiting for the outlaws at Dead -Tree Bend. They were well armed, and the colonel was determined -to rid the “fire-lands” of the Night-Hawks at one -blow.</p> -<p>Royal Funk believed the Indian and ran his boats ashore. -Then debarking, he wrote the message that so irritated the -Briton, and sent the canoes adrift.</p> -<p>The journey to the lake-shore had now to be performed -overland, and as the Wyandot was desirous of visiting Detroit, -he was made the head guide of the party. Before the -brave’s appearance, Funk felt that his red-coated rival lay -somewhere in ambush; but now he believed that he had successfully -eluded him, and that they would not meet in the -forest again.</p> -<p>Spagano was impatient, and ill at ease as he helped prepare -the camp.</p> -<p>More than once he glanced furtively at Huldah Armstrong, -reclining on a robe at the foot of a sturdy oak, and often -paused in his labors as if to catch certain sounds for which -he seemed to be waiting. While gathering brushwood, for -the fire, he made several lengthy journeys into the forest, and -in the dim light, he practiced the old savage habit of listening -with the ear applied to the ground.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_76">76</div> -<p>Once Roy Funk came suddenly upon Spagano in this attitude -of detecting sounds, and inquired into his action.</p> -<p>“Indian listening for British footsteps; but none come to -his ears.”</p> -<p>Funk was satisfied with the reply, and commended the -Wyandot’s watchfulness.</p> -<p>It was ten or perhaps quite eleven o’clock before the rude -camp was finished, and after midnight but three persons -therein appeared awake. The trio consisted of Spagano and -two Night-Hawks. The recumbent forms of the remaining -outlaws, including their leader, lay in the light of the dying -fire, and resembled wooden statues more than breathing clay.</p> -<p>The white guards sat at the foot of a large tree; Spagano -stood erect and wide-awake, a few feet to their right.</p> -<p>“Whalley, I’m as sleepy as a winter-treed b’ar,” said one of -the men, in his uncouth tongue. “Say, haven’t I nodded a -little within this past hour or such matter? I don’t see what’s -come over me to-night. I know my chin has pounded my -knees while we’ve been sittin’ here. But I can’t help it, -Whalley; and if I do drop asleep, you’ll let me go, and keep -mum to the captain, won’t you?”</p> -<p>“Yes, but keep awake if you can, Zigler,” returned Whalley, -and a yawn stretched his mouth to its greatest dimensions. -“Mind ye, if we go to sleep, that Indian kin do as he pleases, -and we might wake up and find ourselves as dead as a herrin’.”</p> -<p>“Dead or no dead, Whalley, I’ve got to sleep,” drawled -Zigler. “Wonder where that Injun got his whisky? Never -had any to affect my <i>eyes</i> afore.”</p> -<p>Whalley here glanced at the Wyandot, who stood immobile -against the tree, looking into the darkness of the wood.</p> -<p>“If I thought he had drugged the whisky, curse me if I -wouldn’t—”</p> -<p>He paused suddenly, for Zigler was asleep!</p> -<p>“Zig, this won’t do!” he said, with a smile, shaking his -companion’s shoulder lightly. “We’re in the frying-pan yet. -Wake up!”</p> -<p>Zigler responded with a swinish grunt.</p> -<p>“Well, sleep then,” said Whalley, supplementing his words -with an oath. “I’ll watch the Indian <i>my</i>self!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_77">77</div> -<p>He fastened his eyes upon the Wyandot; but soon the Indian -faded into a bluish mist, as it were, and the watcher was -asleep, like his comrade!</p> -<p>Spagano looked at the sleepers, and glanced from them to -the flask hanging at his waist. The glance was fraught with -triumph, and breathed of the red-man’s proverbial treachery -to the white.</p> -<p>He watched the guards for several minutes and then approached. -The scrutiny pleased him, and he crawled from -the camp and disappeared in the forest. He moved down -the trail which the Night-Hawks had lately traversed, and -thirty yards from the camp paused and put his ear to the -ground.</p> -<p>All at once he started to his feet, and sprung toward the -camp.</p> -<p>Excitement burned in his swarthy face; but he was calm -withal, and when on the edge of the light of the dying fire, -he dropped to the ground, and after listening a moment with -head turned toward the wood, crawled forward to Huldah -Armstrong’s cot.</p> -<p>Spagano was proving himself a traitor, and his bearing told -that this was not his first Judas act.</p> -<p>He reached the robe-couch, and bent over the sleeping -girl.</p> -<p>She lay near Roy Funk, who tossed uneasily about, the victim -of some terrible dream.</p> -<p>It seemed impossible for Spagano to steal the girl, if theft -was his intention, without rousing her, but he proved himself -equal to the emergency.</p> -<p>Suddenly stooping, he clapped one brawny hand over the -bright-red lips, while the other snatched their owner from the -ground, in the twinkling of an eye!</p> -<p>Then he sprung backward over the sleeping Night-Hawks; -but was brought to an abrupt stand by the sound of rushing -feet.</p> -<p>He leaned forward and looked with an expression of satisfaction, -which was soon transformed into one of horror.</p> -<p>For Colonel O’Neill appeared, like a giant, in the flickering -light, and the savage caught a glimpse of a phalanx of red-coats -in his rear.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_78">78</div> -<p>What would be done?</p> -<p>It was evident that Spagano was aiding parties other than -O’Neill and Royal Funk, and that he had mistaken a deadly -footstep for a friendly one.</p> -<p>He looked into the Briton’s eyes a moment, and then -glanced at the sleeping outlaws.</p> -<p>The next instant he threw Huldah before his heart, and -sprung toward the forest, a wild yell pealing from his throat -as he executed the latter action.</p> -<p>The effect of spring and yell was electrical!</p> -<p>Royal Funk and all his comrades, save Whalley and Zigler, -leaped to their feet, to be greeted with a volley from the British -muskets.</p> -<p>It was a telling volley. Every Night-Hawk sunk back, -either killed or wounded, and Spagano, the girl-stealer, reeled -like a youthful drunkard.</p> -<p>Huldah Armstrong fell from his grasp, and the next moment -Colonel O’Neill was at her side. As he stooped to lift -her up, the Wyandot darted to his feet and hurled him back -with the strength of a tiger.</p> -<p>Soldiers sprung to their leader’s aid; but ere they reached -the spot Spagano and the girl were gone!</p> -<p>The red-coats caught a glimpse of the Indian’s dusky figure -as he disappeared, and started to pursue. For several minutes -his footsteps guided them, and then those sounds ceased. -Colonel O’Neill was resolved that Huldah Armstrong should -not escape him.</p> -<p>He had the fire fanned into a new existence, and soon a -dozen torches flashed their lurid flames throughout the forest.</p> -<p>The soldiers knew that it was poor policy to hunt a hidden -Indian with torches, but it was evident that Spagano was -desperately, ay, mortally, wounded, and had fallen somewhere -in the neighborhood. This conjecture, advanced by -the colonel, was soon confirmed.</p> -<p>The Wyandot was found dead at the bottom of a forest -knoll; but Huldah Armstrong was still missing!</p> -<p>“Blast the Indian!” hissed O’Neill, spurning the corpse -with his foot. “He’s past torture, curse ’im! But the girl—we’ll -find her yet. We must find her! A hundred -guineas to the soldier who first discovers her.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_79">79</div> -<h2 id="c12"><span class="small">CHAPTER XII.</span> -<br />ROWING AND RUNNING FOR LIFE.</h2> -<p>Spagano bore Huldah Armstrong to the knoll where his -strength suddenly deserted him, and he sunk to the earth.</p> -<p>“White girl go,” he said, looking at Huldah, who stood -over him undecided how to act. “Indian got to die here. -English bullet cut life-string. The red-coat soldier want -girl; he come here soon. Look, there burns his soldiers’ -fires. Quick, girl! keep from him. Wolf-Cap in the wood; -he find you soon.”</p> -<p>“Wolf-Cap,” cried Huldah. “Was you working for -him?”</p> -<p>The Indian nodded, unable to speak.</p> -<p>“Where is he?”</p> -<p>A feeble red hand pointed to the south-east, and the Indian -fell back with a groan.</p> -<p>The settler’s daughter bent over him, but the red-man’s -soul was pursuing the trail to his happy hunting grounds, far, -far away from the death-freighted wood.</p> -<p>“Dead—my only friend gone!” exclaimed the girl. “What -shall I do? Give myself to the Briton? No, no! a thousand -deaths in these forests are preferable to a life with -him.”</p> -<p>The torches of the red-coated hunters flashed in her face, -and snatching up Spagano’s rifle, she turned, and fled in the -direction lately indicated by the Indian’s finger.</p> -<p>The moon had reached the meridian now, and the faint -light which she showered through the trees, enabled the flying -girl to pick her way without great difficulty. She was -confident that she was hurrying toward the Huron, and she -knew that by following the river-trail, she would eventually -reach Fort Strong. This hope nerved her to great endurance, -and at last, as the day was breaking, she saw the murky -water rushing lakeward.</p> -<p>A thrill of joy shot through her heart, and lifting her eyes -<span class="pb" id="Page_80">80</span> -to heaven, she thanked God for guiding her to the water, -which was to her, at that hour, a synonym of safety.</p> -<p>She felt fatigued and threw herself upon the ground to -recruit her strength. She felt herself alone by the river, and -the birds performed their matutinal antics about her, perfectly -happy and unconcerned.</p> -<p>Lighter and lighter grew the forest, but Huldah Armstrong -saw it not. A desire to rest was to her but the precursor of -a doze, and she reclined on the river-bank with closed eyes -and half-shut hands.</p> -<p>Suddenly a boat rounded a bend a few yards above her -place of repose, and came rapidly toward her.</p> -<p>It was a small boat, and contained a man, who handled -the oars like one accustomed to their use. He was a white, -and wore the oft described garb of the settler; but a sword -lay at his side, and rifles and pistols. He glanced uneasily at -the banks, as he kept his canoe in the middle of the stream, -and seemed eager to reach a certain objective point still far -away.</p> -<p>But all at once his gaze fell upon Huldah Armstrong, -plainly seen from the river, and a moment after the discovery, -he ran his canoe cautiously to the bank.</p> -<p>At first, after striking the shore, he was inclined to believe -the maiden a decoy; but after a close scrutiny of the vicinity, -he became bolder and crept up the bank.</p> -<p>His large black eyes burned with a hateful triumph, not -unmixed with the baser passions, and his first care was to remove -the rifle from Huldah’s feeble grasp.</p> -<p>Then, precisely as Spagano had done a few hours before, -he lifted her from the ground; but held her at arms’ length -that he might enjoy her horror and surprise at finding herself -captive again.</p> -<p>Huldah opened her eyes with a spasmodic start, and the -bright color of life deserted her cheeks.</p> -<p>“Captain Strong, what does this mean? and how came -you here?” she cried, staring into his face, covered with a -fiendish smile.</p> -<p>“I boated it, girl,” he answered; “but I can’t tell all -now. We’ll continue my voyage, and when I get the craft -under way again, I’ll tell a little story.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_81">81</div> -<p>“But whither are you going?”</p> -<p>“’Tis very natural that you should put that question, seeing -that I’m Captain Strong, and you Huldah Armstrong,” -he said, with a light chuckle. “I’m going to Detroit, I guess, -and you’re going along.”</p> -<p>“No, no! Is it possible, Captain Strong, that you possess -the inhumanity of the savage?”</p> -<p>“It is, if you would think so. But we’re losing time -here. I want to overtake the barges; they’re traveling -slowly, being heavily loaded, and I guess we can come up -with them at the mouth of the Huron.”</p> -<p>With the last word he started toward the river with his -prize, and presently, with her hands fastened upon her back, -the settler’s child faced the captain in the craft.</p> -<p>“Now, my girl, we’re fairly under way,” he said, when -they had proceeded some distance, “and I’ll tell you the -promised story.”</p> -<p>“I should like to hear it, Captain Strong. I can not conceive -how you escaped from the fort.”</p> -<p>He smiled.</p> -<p>“Men relent, sometimes,” he answered. “After the abandonment -of the siege, they placed me on trial, and I found -that a current had set in in my favor. But many cried like -wolves for my death—among them, one Levi Armstrong. -But a vote was taken, and a meager majority pronounced in -favor of my exile. I swore never to return to the “fire-lands,” -and they marched me down to the river and shoved me off -with every thing I called my own. I was glad to get off, for, -girl, I expected to die. If it hadn’t been for you and your -father, I’d have been with the king’s soldiers now.”</p> -<p>“How did I prevent you?” asked Huldah.</p> -<p>“You told your father that you heard me whispering to -Sawyer at the gate, and the old man resolved to nab me -then.”</p> -<p>“Then, Captain Strong, you really are a traitor?” said the -girl, bitterly.</p> -<p>He bit his lip and looked daggers at her before he spoke -again.</p> -<p>“Well—yes; but it is a hard name to bear.”</p> -<p>“You poisoned the well.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_82">82</div> -<p>“Yes—but Matt Hunter stood by me on that.”</p> -<p>“You thought the men would surrender before being -burned alive?”</p> -<p>“They would. Oh, we had our plans perfected, Huldah -Armstrong. Your father arrested me in the nick of time. -Twenty minutes more of freedom and I would have flung -wide the gates to the Indians.”</p> -<p>“And what reward was you to receive for your Arnold -trick?”</p> -<p>“My life and yours!”</p> -<p>“I was to have been the price of a massacre?”</p> -<p>“Yes. I’m talking plainly now,” he said. “The three -pistol-shots on the hill told me that O’Neill accepted the propositions -which I sent him by the deserter Sawyer; but our -plans failed.”</p> -<p>The girl did not reply; her eyes wandered from his expression -of triumph, and she thought of her perilous situation.</p> -<p>Captain Armstrong hated her, and to humor his hate he -would make her a hopeless captive. Mercy at his hands was -not to be thought of; he would shoot her down before he -would surrender her into other hands, and she upbraided herself -for not allowing O’Neill to capture her in the forest. The -colonel, a monster though he was, possessed several good -traits; Zebulon Strong, the traitor, could boast of none.</p> -<p>“You’re tryin’ to catch the British troops?” she said, after -a long silence.</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“Then what?”</p> -<p>“Why, we’ll go to Detroit, thence east. I shall enter the -army, probably; but build no hopes on my words; they’re -poor foundations, girl. You shall never leave me until the -hand of death falls heavily on one or both of us. I swear it -by all that is good and bad! It is the oath of Zebulon Strong, -and he is a desperate man. There—girl, what do you see?”</p> -<p>A strange light had suddenly flashed in Huldah’s eyes, and -quickly the traitor turned his head and looked up the river.</p> -<p>A boat containing three men was bearing down upon -him!</p> -<p>An oath shot from his throat as he turned again.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_83">83</div> -<p>“By the eternal world! I’ve seen them in time!” he said, -“and they might as well turn back, for they can’t catch Zeb -Strong.”</p> -<p>Relinquishing the oars for a moment, he doffed his coat -and the next minute the canoe was flying down the stream -like an arrow.</p> -<p>The figures in the pursuing boat were seen to spring to the -oars with new life, and the race soon became one of the most -exciting character. Captain Strong possessed the strength of -a giant in his iron frame, and his oars lashed the waves into -foam, as he drove the boat toward his goal, lake Erie, distant -many miles.</p> -<p>“You needn’t pray for their success,” he cried, looking up -into Huldah’s wishful, hopeful face, “for they can’t catch us! -It’s impossible. Your father gave me a splendid boat with -oars that can not break. By heavens! with this canoe I -could shoot the fury rapids of perdition. With these -sticks—”</p> -<p>Snap went an oar!</p> -<p>A cry of horror rung from the captain’s throat, and he tried -to use the broken paddle, but without effect.</p> -<p>The boat began to become unmanageable, and he tried to -guide it ashore with the sound oar, swearing like a trooper -all the time.</p> -<p>“Didn’t I say that nothing but death could separate us?” -he asked, darting Huldah a look of despair. “I’m Zebulon -Strong—don’t forget that. I’m a traitor, too, and a devil!”</p> -<p>The canoe struck the bank at last, and the captain looked -at his followers, now within rifle-shot. He saw three weapons -leveled at his breast; but he was shielding it with the -girl, and they dared not shoot.</p> -<p>“Drop the girl!” came a voice from the boat.</p> -<p>Strong greeted it with a laugh.</p> -<p>“I’m no fool!” he cried. “I’m Zebulon Strong, I am. So -good-by, boys! we’ll meet again, mebbe,” and he waved his -hat at the occupants of the boat, then sprung into the forest.</p> -<p>A minute after his disappearance, the trio reached the spot -and sprung upon his trail. They were Wolf-Cap, Mark Harmon -and an Indian well known to the reader, as Silver Hand. -Already the traitor and his prize had vanished among the trees, -<span class="pb" id="Page_84">84</span> -and his trail led toward the spot where Colonel O’Neill had -lately surprised the Night-Hawks’ camp.</p> -<p>Undoubtedly the captain knew but little of the intricacies -of the wood he was treading; perhaps he was bewildered, -for he was running <i>from</i> Detroit, having turned his back upon -the walls surmounted by the British flag.</p> -<p>The trio were confident of catching him, for the trail was -plain, and certain signs told them that he was giving out.</p> -<p>“He’ll never turn traitor again if we catch ’im,” said Wolf-Cap, -with determination.</p> -<p>“Never, Wolf-Cap,” echoed young Harmon.</p> -<p>Three seconds later the crack of a distant rifle fell upon -the pursuers’ ears.</p> -<p>They did not pause; but exchanged meaning looks, and -quickened their gait.</p> -<p>The drama that followed the surprise of the Night-Hawks’ -camp was enacted over again.</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap and his followers at last came up with Zebulon -Strong.</p> -<p>But the captain lay full length on the ground, with a bullet -in his brain!</p> -<p>Sooner than he had expected, death had separated him -and his captive.</p> -<h2 id="c13"><span class="small">CHAPTER XIII.</span> -<br />THE LAST NIGHT-HAWK.</h2> -<p>Tired and disheartened in his search for our heroine, Colonel -Argent O’Neill rejoined his soldiers in the Night-Hawk’s -camp an hour or so before day.</p> -<p>He found Royal Funk but slightly wounded, and, with -Whalley and Zigler, the two guards drugged by Spagano, -closely watched by the troops. Funk looked daggers at the -officers as he approached and a smile of satisfaction stole -over his bronzed face when he noted that Huldah had escaped.</p> -<p>“So you spoke truly when you prophesied that we would -<span class="pb" id="Page_85">85</span> -meet again,” exclaimed the colonel, halting before the outlaw -with drawn sword. “Fire and furies! I’m rejoiced that we -have met, and fortune has given me the best hand, as you -see. It’s a hand of trumps, too.”</p> -<p>“But, colonel, where’s the girl?”</p> -<p>The words were quietly but tauntingly spoken, and the -smile grew broader on the Night-Hawk’s face while his lips -moved.</p> -<p>O’Neill did not reply, but allowed his face to become livid -with smothered anger.</p> -<p>“Yes, colonel, where is the girl?” he asked, again. “If -you hold such a superb hand, why didn’t you capture my -queen with one of your trumps?”</p> -<p>“Because your knave—that infernal Indian—baffled me,” -said O’Neill, apparently a little calmer.</p> -<p>“Ah, then, he’ll keep the prize.”</p> -<p>“No, we found him dead in the woods; but the girl was -gone!”</p> -<p>A flash of hope lighted up the renegade’s eyes.</p> -<p>“You should find her, then.”</p> -<p>“Alas! I have no good trailer with me.”</p> -<p>“I could track her.”</p> -<p>“But you won’t!” retorted the colonel. “Roy Funk, I’m -not going to set you free and trust to your guidance. Colonel -Argent O’Neill is not a condemned fool! But you’ll be free -directly—free forever,” and the old malignant look came -back to the red-coat’s eyes. “We’re going to leave -this place. Curse the winding paths of this American -wood! No such forests in England; that is God’s -land; this the devil’s. Our guide got bewildered, else we -would have been here long ago, and we would have had the -girl, too.”</p> -<p>“She will never be yours now, sir.”</p> -<p>“Never! how do you know that?”</p> -<p>“I need not explain. Suffice it to say, Colonel O’Neill, -that she will never in this world become your property.”</p> -<p>“Will she ever become yours?” asked the soldier, with a -devilish leer, as he leaned forward.</p> -<p>“That remains to be seen,” was the outlaw’s calm reply.</p> -<p>“What! do you plot in the very jaws of death?” cried -<span class="pb" id="Page_86">86</span> -O’Neill, springing back. “Fire and furies! I’ll settle <i>that</i> -question before the break of day. Boys, are your muskets -loaded?”</p> -<p>A tall sergeant answered in the affirmative.</p> -<p>“I’m going to exterminate the Night-Hawks of the fire-lands,” -continued the angry colonel, turning to Funk again. -“As you are their leader, you should be the last survivor. -Kings often witness the destruction of their kingdoms. -Ready to die, I suppose, Roy Funk?”</p> -<p>“Ready!” was the firm response.</p> -<p>“What would you do did I stand in your shoes and you -in mine?”</p> -<p>“I’d shoot you down like a dog!”</p> -<p>“But I’m more merciful. I’m going to grant you a soldier’s -death, for you have fought for the flag of our king.”</p> -<p>Then six soldiers were selected as executioners, and Whalley -and Zigler were placed side by side, fifteen paces from -the muzzles of the leveled muskets. Royal Funk was taken -aside and closely guarded on a spot from whence he could -witness the death of the last of his band.</p> -<p>He spoke to the doomed men and bade them die game, -which they promised to do.</p> -<p>Whalley and Zigler were brave men. They had faced -death in the covert, before stern vigilance committees, and -the field of battle, and they were not the persons to become -frightened at the monster’s hideous visage now.</p> -<p>Colonel O’Neill conducted the execution. He gave the -command of death in a stern tone, characteristic of the disciplined -soldier that he was, and the leaden volley stretched -the Night-Hawks dead upon the leaves.</p> -<p>“Well done, was it not?” he said, turning to Funk who -had witnessed the murder without an outward sign of emotion. -“My men shoot well.”</p> -<p>“Quite well,” was the reply, and as the outlaw’s glance -fell upon the still forms on the ground, for the first time, a -tear of affection stole to his eye.</p> -<p>“Braver men than they never lived,” he murmured; and -then, in a lower tone: “I am the last.”</p> -<p>He was now led forward, and halted between the corpses -of his two last followers.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_87">87</div> -<p>“I accord you a liberty,” said O’Neill, admiring, despite -his hate, the unflinching courage of the man with whom he -was dealing. “Raynor, untie his hands.”</p> -<p>The soldier addressed drew a knife and obeyed the command.</p> -<p>Funk’s hands crept around to his side, and seemed to hang -listlessly there.</p> -<p>“Royal Funk, would you see the deadly flash?” asked -O’Neill.</p> -<p>“I am a soldier, I would die as one!” was the reply.</p> -<p>The colonel drew a large handkerchief, and tossed it to a -soldier saying:</p> -<p>“Blindfold him, then. As a soldier, shall the outlaw die,” -he said, sarcastically.</p> -<p>Two soldiers, one bearing a musket, now stepped forward -to blindfold the Night-Hawk’s black eyes. One stepped behind -him and was in the act of drawing the kerchief into -position, when Funk’s hands left his side. They shot upward -like rockets, and the soldier who stood before him with -bayoneted gun was hurled backward, like the covering of an -exploding rocket. His musket was wrenched from his hand -at the same moment, and the blindfolder was brained with -the stock before anybody could realize the terrible state of -affairs.</p> -<p>Roy Funk was free, with a musket in his hand!</p> -<p>Like a tiger he leaped upon Colonel O’Neill, who retreated -a step, and threw up his sword to ward off the glistening -bayonet.</p> -<p>But as well he might have tried to stop the descent of an -avalanche with a straw.</p> -<p>The bayonet came down upon his breast with giant force, -and the next instant he staggered back with the shining steel -buried among his vitals!</p> -<p>“There, take that, colonel,” cried Royal Funk, as he sent -the bayonet home, and then he hurled to the earth the only -soldier who had presence of mind enough to attempt to impede -his further progress.</p> -<p>“Hurrah! Roy Funk is free again! Another band of -Night-Hawks shall gather at his call, and woe to the Briton -who crosses his path then.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_88">88</div> -<p>He turned on his heel with the last word, and darted -away.</p> -<p>The soldiers regained their equilibrium as he disappeared, -and a volley that hurtled harmlessly among the branches was -sent after him.</p> -<p>“Free! free to hate the English, as I hate the Americans,” -he murmured, as he bounded through the forest. “They -have killed my Night-Hawks, and by heaven! from this hour -I never spare an English life. Now for the lake shore, -where I gathered the brave fellows who sleep beneath British -guns. There I’ll find others as brave, perhaps, as they, and -we’ll hunt O’Neill’s detachment down like the Indian hunts -the slayers of his wigwam pets. O’Neill—I’ve settled <i>him</i>! -Forever I’ve canceled accounts with that liveried dog. But -the girl Huldah Armstrong? Shall I give her up, now that -I am free?”</p> -<p>He paused suddenly and seemed inclined to retrace his steps.</p> -<p>He was running in a north-easterly direction, his objective -point the lake, and he knew—he had gleaned from O’Neill’s -words—that Spangano had fled with the settler’s daughter -in an opposite direction.</p> -<p>The outlaw was tempted to go back, and hunt for the prize -that had been his.</p> -<p>He had run a great distance, and daylight was chasing -night from the forest of the Huron.</p> -<p>It was extremely hazardous for him to go back now. The -British troops were between him and the missing girl, and no -doubt they would trail him to the death for the murder of -their colonel. Perhaps, while he stood undecided how to -act, they were on his track.</p> -<p>“I can return with my new men,” he said, suddenly, “and -then I can snatch Huldah from my enemies. It’s getting too -light for me to go back. I’ll not risk my life for a girl, -now.”</p> -<p>He started forward again as he spoke the last word, but -his rapid gait had dwindled into the well-known dog-trot of -the Indian, and his whiter associate, the renegade.</p> -<p>His eagle eye took in every thing as he pushed forward, -and all at once it flashed with a new light, and he halted and -sprung behind a tree.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_89">89</div> -<p>Some dark figure was approaching in the gray dawn; it -was coming directly toward him. That it was a man he at -once conceived, and the swaying of the body proclaimed him -a white. If Indians were pursuing the man, the outlaw was -safe; he could meet them boldly; but if white was chasing -white, he had best remain concealed. He kept his eye on the -runner until he almost started from the tree with excitement, -and an oath escaped his lips.</p> -<p>The fugitive was Captain Strong, and he bore Huldah -Armstrong in his arms!</p> -<p>“In the name of heaven, how did he get the girl?—and -how did he escape the vengeance of the settlers?” exclaimed -the Night-Hawk, looking at the sight that greeted his eyes. -“But fate is aiding me, and I’ll make something of this golden -opportunity.”</p> -<p>For several moments after the discovery of his identity, -Zebulon Strong, flying from Wolf-Cap and his friends, as the -reader already knows, continued to run directly toward Funk, -but suddenly he veered toward the right.</p> -<p>Had he caught a glimpse of his new foe? The outlaw -was inclined to believe thus, and cocked his musket with an -oath.</p> -<p>“I’ve shot deer with muskets,” he said, audibly, “and as a -running shot, I’ve been celebrated. Can I hit a man’s head -at forty yards? Well, if I can’t, then my name isn’t Royal -Funk!”</p> -<p>Talking thus to himself, the outlaw raised the weapon, and -glanced over the glittering barrel at his rival, who ran on, unconscious -of the new foe.</p> -<p>For a moment Funk sighted the moving figure, and then a -jet of flame leaped from the bore of the gun.</p> -<p>Captain Strong stopped suddenly in his tracks, and, with -the cry of “A dead shot!” the murderer bounded from the -tree and ran toward him.</p> -<p>But the traitor suddenly attempted to continue his flight. -He ran forward a few steps, then reeled, and fell dead!</p> -<p>Huldah, released, started back and gazed bewildered upon -the corpse. Her unexpected delivery had stunned her senses, -for she did not move nor take her eyes from the dead until a -hand encircled her arm.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_90">90</div> -<p>Then she started violently, and recognized her new captor -with a shriek.</p> -<p>“Mine again, and forever, girl!” cried the outlaw, as he -jerked her from the ground, and then he asked, quickly, -“Who chased you?”</p> -<p>“You shall see presently,” she cried, casting a quick, wishful -look toward the river.</p> -<p>“Not Indians, as I know,” said Funk, reading the language -of her eyes. “Well, we’ll outwit ’em, Huldah, whoever they -be. Roy Funk is alone in the world now. His boys are all -dead, and he wants somebody to cheer his heart.”</p> -<p>He spoke the last words while he was running, with our -heroine in his arms, in a northerly direction, and at no insignificant -pace.</p> -<p>“If I know these woods, we’re not far from a place of -safety. Whoever hunts you shall never take you back to the -old stamping-ground. Huldah Armstrong, you will not believe -me, perhaps, when I say I love you. I do, earnestly, -truly, and with a pure love. You could make a man of -Royal Funk, if you would. Your obstinacy, coupled with -your pretty face, has caused me to act as I have. If the stars -love their Creator and the dove his burnished sweetheart, I -love you. Your lovers are out of the way, now—all save -Royal Funk, I mean. Will you not wean him from his wild -life by loving him? Will you not be the making of a -<i>man</i>?”</p> -<p>He looked down into the girl’s eyes, as he spoke, with genuine -earnestness, and for a moment his footsteps were the only -noise-makers in the great forest.</p> -<p>Then she answered him:</p> -<p>“Royal Funk, do not seek my love. It can never be -yours.”</p> -<p>He sighed:</p> -<p>“Then I must do that which I would not. You shall be -my wife. Death alone shall separate us!”</p> -<p>Huldah started. Captain Strong had uttered the same -words!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_91">91</div> -<h2 id="c14"><span class="small">CHAPTER XIV.</span> -<br />WOLF’S DEN.</h2> -<p>The reader will recollect that Wolf-Cap dismissed his Indian -allies, Silver Hand and Golden Cheek, beneath the palisades -of Fort Strong, a few moments prior to his appearance -among the ranks of the besieged.</p> -<p>The red twain sought the camp of the foe, and in time witnessed -the triumph of Royal Funk, as already related. Silver -Hand, the shrewder of the two, saw that Colonel O’Neill -would not relinquish the contest for Huldah Armstrong’s person -without another struggle, and so he watched that red-coated -worthy narrowly. He therefore sent his confederate -down the river to intercept the Night-Hawk, and to warn him -of the ambush.</p> -<p>Golden Cheek undertook the mission cheerfully, while Silver -Hand hastened to secure the assistance of Wolf-Cap, in -order to snatch Huldah from her outlawed lover’s power, and -to put an end to the marauding band.</p> -<p>Spagano, the Indian, who turned Roy Funk from the ambush, -and afterward stole Huldah from his camp and was shot -by O’Neill’s men, as the reader has already seen, was none -other than Golden Cheek. He had mistaken the British footsteps -for those of his friends, and he had thought to steal the -girl on their approach, that they might pour a destructive volley -among the sleepers.</p> -<p>But he failed, and fell in the wood, like many of his ancestors -had fallen before him.</p> -<p>Silver Hand was more successful. He found Wolf-Cap and -Mark Harmon after trailing them some distance, and hastened -down the river. They were surprised when they beheld Zebulon -Strong bearing Huldah Armstrong down the self-same -stream, and the pursuit which they inaugurated in bright anticipations, -ended over the captain’s corpse.</p> -<p>“This beats me,” said Wolf-Cap, who dropped on his knees -beside the dead frontiersman. “I can’t see through it all. -<span class="pb" id="Page_92">92</span> -Here lies the man we’ve been chasing, an’ thar’s a British bullet -in his brain. Now the question is: who shot ’im? It -war no Indian, for the red-skins don’t take to muskets; they -shoot rifles, and I’m sure that Funk isn’t in these parts. He -shoots a rifle with the smallest bore you ever saw. What -have you discovered, chief?”</p> -<p>The Indian addressed was approaching, with the glow of -discovery on his face.</p> -<p>“White man shoot traitor and run off with girl.”</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap rose to his feet.</p> -<p>“A white man, you say, chief?”</p> -<p>“Yes, pale-face.”</p> -<p>“Show me the signs!”</p> -<p>Silver-Hand strode forward, and pointed to a faint trail, -leading in a north-easterly direction. Wolf-Cap examined the -“sign” a minute, and then looked up into his companion’s -eyes.</p> -<p>“Well, he’s got the girl ag’in,” he said.</p> -<p>“He—who?” cried Harmon.</p> -<p>“Roy Funk!”</p> -<p>“He would not be alone in these parts and running toward -the Huron’s mouth. Golden Cheek was to have guided -him to Beaver River.”</p> -<p>“Don’t I know his foot-track?” queried the trapper. -“Haven’t I seen it too often to be deceived? I ruther guess -I have. Come, boys, while Huldah is in Royal Funk’s power -it is a sin to rest. I’ve an idea where he intends stopping a -while; but I hope he will go further on—I do, indeed.”</p> -<p>The Night-Hawk’s trail told the trio that he was hurrying -through the woods at no insignificant speed, but they did not -follow in a gait equal to his own.</p> -<p>Before leaving Zebulon Strong, Wolf-Cap had covered him -with brush, and all alone the traitor slept the everlasting sleep -of the dead. Huldah Armstrong seemed a fatal prize. She -had brought death to the door of more than one heart. Spagano—brave -Golden Cheek—Zebulon Strong, Colonel O’Neill -and the Night-Hawks had already fallen for her, and perhaps -others yet might die for the beautiful prize.</p> -<p>The trio pursued the trail an hour in silence, and Mark -Harmon was the first to speak.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_93">93</div> -<p>“Wolf-Cap,” he said, in a low tone, glancing at Silver -Hand, who was walking along, with his head on his breast, -his dark eyes on the faint trail, “I’ve been thinking about -some words that puzzle me.”</p> -<p>Card Belt slowly lifted his eyes to the youth.</p> -<p>“War it some words that I left drop?” he inquired.</p> -<p>“No.”</p> -<p>“Did Silver Hand shoot ’em out?”</p> -<p>“No; they fell from Armstrong’s lips last night, in the -fort.”</p> -<p>“Well, what did old Levi say?”</p> -<p>“I was standing at the third port-hole looking toward the -hill, and all at once I heard a voice at my elbow. It said: -‘If she was mine I could not love her more. God pity me -and let me live to make amends.’ I turned quickly, for there -was a depth of agony in the speaker’s tone, and I beheld Levi -Armstrong moving from the port-hole at my left.”</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap’s face was ghastly in its coloring, when the youth -looked into it again, and a white hand griped his arm.</p> -<p>“Are you sure it was old Levi?” stammered the trapper.</p> -<p>“I am, for I spoke to him a second later,” answered the -young man confidently. “I heard the words plainly, and you -know all that he said.”</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap suddenly stopped in his tracks, and drew the -whole attention of his companions upon him.</p> -<p>“I begin to see light now, and I curse myself for being so -blind until this moment,” he said. “Let me tell you.”</p> -<p>“Wolf-Cap speak after while,” said Silver Hand. “We -on trail now and this no time for long talks. Pale Night-Hawk -fly to the big water with snow-bird, and he must be -caught before he sees the green waves.”</p> -<p>“Heaven is helping me,” said Belt, impressively. “I feel -that the end of this terrible wood drama is near at hand. I -will tell my story here, and now! Silver Hand, you may -lean against that tree, or trail the Night-Hawk. I care not -which you do.”</p> -<p>The impatient Indian bit his lip, and leaned against the -designated tree.</p> -<p>“Twenty years ago,” said Belt, looking at Harmon, “I -lived beside the Mystic, in Connecticut. Not alone did I inhabit -<span class="pb" id="Page_94">94</span> -the little cabin, where now the stranger dwells. A -wife kissed me then, and a babe was soon to cheer our -childless home with its sunny smiles. How I waited for the -new joy; but alas!” and a cloud leaped to the trapper’s brow, -“alas! the devil came to our home. One night I returned -from Saybrook and found an empty cabin on the Mystic. -My wife—my Bessie—was gone!”</p> -<p>Belt paused, and, with face buried in his broad hands, he -swayed to and fro like a storm-cursed tree.</p> -<p>“Mark Harmon,” he cried, suddenly removing his hands, -“God alone knows how I loved her. She never knew herself, -for humanity could not fathom my devotion and love. I -sunk to my floor on the fearful discovery, and in the morning, -a neighbor found me, but little less than a madman. Then -my eyes were opened. I found several letters in the old house -addressed to Bessie. They were signed “Ralph” and “Morton.” -I put the two words together and had a name—“Ralph -Morton.” For the owner of that name I hunted for eighteen -years, almost; but I found no traces of him nor my wife. -When I ceased to hunt, I had given her up for dead. I love -Huldah, because she looks like Bessie did twenty years ago.</p> -<p>“Now I do see light. I feel that Levi Armstrong is -Ralph Morton. God keep me alive till I can tell him so.”</p> -<p>“What would you do with him?” ventured the young -borderman.</p> -<p>“What would you do, young man, with the devil who -should snatch heavenly happiness from your heart?” said the -trapper slowly.</p> -<p>“I would hunt him down and kill him!”</p> -<p>“That’s just what I am going to do,” returned Wolf-Cap -through closed lips. “Some men might forgive such a wrong -as mine, but I—never! Now for her, Mark Harmon, chief,” -and the trapper started forward. “Oh Heaven! do not deceive -me at this day—oh do not raise my hopes to dash them -down into darkness, for Huldah must be my child, or I die!”</p> -<p>The Wyandot was eager to resume the trail, and led the -van with a quick step. For several miles it remained plain, -and then it was lost in the waters of a narrow creek.</p> -<p>“I am not surprised,” said Wolf-Cap. “He is breaking -for the very place where I don’t want to find ’im.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_95">95</div> -<p>“Why does he not continue his flight?”</p> -<p>“Because his captive is tired. In Wolf’s Den he will rest -until she recruits her strength.”</p> -<p>“In Wolf’s Den?” echoed Harmon. “I have heard of this -place.”</p> -<p>“I should reckon you had, boy. Everybody in these parts -has heard of it, and I’ve been thar. Why, thar are a thousand -caves in one, and dark halls lead—perhaps to the iron -gates of hell. Men have entered the “den” never to return. -Strange winds blow torches out, and there are bats in the -darkness as big as a coon. I have believed the Night-Hawks -used it for their head-quarters, before they descended upon -the ‘fire-lands’.”</p> -<p>“Then he is acquainted with its terrors.”</p> -<p>“Probably. But we’ll follow him to the greatest of them -all—death.”</p> -<p>The trio waded down the creek whose banks were masses -of solid rock, which ofttimes towered to a hight of a hundred -feet above the water. The gray stone was covered with -a loathsome species of the dark green creeper, and the repulsive -head of many a glittering lizard protruded from the -fissures.</p> -<p>“This is Satan’s land,” said Wolf-Cap, looking up at the -spectacle just described, “and presently we’ll enter his cave.”</p> -<p>A few steps brought them to a great fissure, that extended -from the top of the cliff to the water’s edge, and into which -a man could edge his way.</p> -<p>“Well, here we are,” remarked the trapper, stooping to examine -the foot of the crack. “It looks like the cave of -death, but,” looking up suddenly, “it is inhabited.”</p> -<p>“What!” cried Harmon, springing to his side, “has he entered -here?”</p> -<p>“Yes, the ground tells me so!”</p> -<p>At last the end of the Night-Hawk’s trail had been -reached; but the final scene was wrapped in fearful obscurity.</p> -<p>“I’ve been here afore, and I’ll lead the way,” continued -Wolf-Cap, stepping forward.</p> -<p>“No, Silver-Hand go ’head,” cried the Wyandot, suddenly, -and his right hand pushed the trapper aside. “Wyandot -know more ’bout cave than pale-faces think.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_96">96</div> -<p>The next instant the Indian sprung into the fissure, and -darkness, damp and impenetrable, swooped down upon the -adventurers.</p> -<p>It at once became evident to the whites that their guide -knew much about the interior structure of the cave, for he -pushed forward in the darkness, seemingly with a well-known -destination in view.</p> -<p>But suddenly something struck the wall above the trios’ -heads, and then fell heavily to the ground.</p> -<p>Silver Hand stooped and ran his hand over the stony floor -until it grasped a warm object, with gigantic wings unspread.</p> -<p>“A winged rat,” he said in a low voice, touching his companions’ -hands with his prize. “It fell from—”</p> -<p>He paused suddenly, for other huge bats were striking the -walls and falling at their feet.</p> -<p>“By heavens! does it rain bats here?” exclaimed Wolf-Cap, -as Silver Hand griped his arm.</p> -<p>“Somebody in the lodges of the winged rats,” he said. -“He knock ’em down here.”</p> -<p>“They must come from the bat-chamber. I’ve heard of -it,” said the trapper, quickly. “He is fighting ’em there; -but how can we reach it?”</p> -<p>“Come,” said the Wyandot, with eagerness. “Silver -Hand fight the flying rats there once himself. He find the -place soon.”</p> -<p>Then they started forward, just as another quartette of -dead bats fell from the mysterious gloom above.</p> -<p>Somebody was fighting the winged mammals above the -three, for, as they advanced, they could hear his sturdy blows.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_97">97</div> -<h2 id="c15"><span class="small">CHAPTER XV.</span> -<br />RETRIBUTION.</h2> -<p>Let us return to the Night-Hawk and his prisoner.</p> -<p>To the former some of the events of Wolf Den was not -unknown. Wolf-Cap had spoken truly when he told his -companions that the cave had once served as the rendezvous -of the outlaws, and as such a place, their leader should be -acquainted with its intricacies.</p> -<p>He saw that his captive needed rest, and Wolf Den naturally -suggested itself. Therefore, he made it his objective point -after shooting Captain Strong, and intended to hide among -its dark chambers until Huldah had fully recruited her -strength.</p> -<p>“We’ll go up to the bat-chamber, girl,” he said, after entering -the mouth of the den. “It is rather a gloomy place; -but the only one where we can catch a breath of fresh air.”</p> -<p>So he lifted her from the ground and clambered up the -great broken rocks that obstructed the natural stairway.</p> -<p>Up, up, still up he bore the girl, and at last paused with a -long-fetched sigh of relief and satisfaction. He had reached -the top of the stair.</p> -<p>Funk here lowered the girl, and constructed a torch from -a sleeve of his hunting-frock.</p> -<p>“This cave used to swarm with bats,” he said, leading -Huldah toward a dark portal of elephantine proportions. -“But we drove them out, and used it for head-quarters. -Yes, this is the place, here are the stones on which we sat, -and the giant night-hawk, which Sam Cole drew on the wall, -still remains. Now, girl— What? a bat?”</p> -<p>His exclamation was caused by the flapping of unseen -wings, and then a black object shot through the torchlight, accompanied -by a demoniacal chattering.</p> -<p>It was a bat, and a great one, too.</p> -<p>“I thought they would never return after the smoking we -gave them,” he continued, as a dozen of the hideous beings -<span class="pb" id="Page_98">98</span> -darted from the wall to which they had been clinging. -“But I’ll fight and drive them out now, for we must take -this chamber. Here, and here only, do we breathe fresh air. -It comes from the forest above us; the atmosphere in -other chambers is noxious.”</p> -<p>He thrust the torch into Huldah’s hands, and doffed his -coat. Then, catching it at the neck, he braced himself, and -struck boldly at the hideous, chattering, screeching bats.</p> -<p>The walls of the chamber, which were black upon the -couple’s entrance, were now gray, for they had been literally -covered with the somber mammals, which now flew about in -every direction.</p> -<p>More than one great horned owl added to the terror of -the combat, and the monster wings brushed the cheeks of -our heroine, who held the torch above her head that the -Night-Hawk might see what he was doing.</p> -<p>The heavy coat did good service. It knocked the bats to -the right and left, and dashed many to the feet of other -characters of our story, as the reader has seen.</p> -<p>“We’re whipping the demons, Huldah!” exclaimed Roy -Funk, triumphantly, glancing at the girl. “Already they are -retreating to other fastnesses. Aha! they know Roy Funk! -they’ve met him before!”</p> -<p>He stood like a giant in the center of the cave, whirling -the curious weapon about his head, and dashing his enemies -to the stones. His arm never grew weary, nor did his blows -weaken. But all at once he started back, and, dropping the -coat, picked up the musket, that lay at his feet.</p> -<p>His face was turned toward the entrance to the cave, upon -which the firelight fell, and his eyes were riveted upon three -figures standing there.</p> -<p>They were Wolf-Cap, Mark Harmon, and Silver Hand. -The outlaw saw this in an instant.</p> -<p>To recover the musket was the work of a second, and -quickly whirling upon Huldah, he snatched the torch from -her hand, and threw it above his head for the purpose of -sending it after the bats he had hurled to the dark corridors -below. In darkness he might hope to escape his new enemies, -who, alas for his plans, had been, for once, too quick for -him.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_99">99</div> -<p>The Indian darted forward like a rocket as the flaring stick -shot aloft, and his hand closed on the outlaw’s arm. But -Funk wrenched his arm from the gripe, and struck his -foe across the face with the fiery weapon. He renewed his -blow, under which the Wyandot staggered, but recovered in -a second and hurled him back. With the desperation befitting -his situation, Roy Funk struggled manfully, but Silver -Hand held him down, while Wolf-Cap secured his limbs with -ropes or cords.</p> -<p>“Well, boys, you’ve caught me at last,” he said, looking -up into the faces of his white hunters. “But if it hadn’t -been for these infernal bats, Roy Funk would have triumphed -at last. I did my best to outwit you, and if I was free I -would do it again. Now, what are you going to do with the -outlaw?”</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap and the young borderman held a conversation in -low tones.</p> -<p>“We are going to take you back to Fort Strong,” said -Belt, at length looking at the outlaw. “The settlers shall -judge you according to your deeds. I had intended killing -you with my own hands, Roy Funk, but you have wronged -others more than you have wronged me. Where are your -men?”</p> -<p>In a few words the outlaw narrated the attack on his -camp by Colonel O’Neill, and the destruction of the Night-Hawks.</p> -<p>“So you’re the last of ’em?” said Wolf-Cap.</p> -<p>“I am the last.”</p> -<p>“Do you want to go to Fort Strong?”</p> -<p>“I care not whither you take me. But if I have to depart, -Card Belt, I would reveal a secret before we quit this -place.”</p> -<p>“Wal, drive ahead then, for we must get out o’ this hole -in a few minutes.”</p> -<p>“There was a time when the great pursuit of my life was -the getting of gold,” said the outlaw. “I was successful and -my eagerness became catching, for my men contracted it. We -amassed wealth in Canada and stored it in this very cave. It -is nothing to me now. I will lead you to the spot, and show -you what now is yours.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_100">100</div> -<p>Wolf-Cap and Harmon exchanged glances, while Silver -Hand looked on in stern silence.</p> -<p>“Well, show us your gold!” said the trapper.</p> -<p>“Yonder door leads to it,” replied Funk, looking over his -right shoulder at a hole in the wall. “Light the way, somebody.”</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap started forward with the torch.</p> -<p>Silver Hand led the outlaw after the trapper, and Mark -Harmon walked beside Huldah.</p> -<p>The dark portal led to another cave smaller than the bat-chamber, -but as gloomy. A strange smile toyed with the -outlaw’s lips, as he walked forward, and there was a lurking -triumph in his tone when he commanded the party to -halt.</p> -<p>“Now, Roy Funk, where’s your gold?”</p> -<p>“Beneath this bowlder,” answered the Night-Hawk, striking -a huge rock with his foot.</p> -<p>“It can not be moved,” said Harmon.</p> -<p>Royal Funk laughed.</p> -<p>“Who said it must be moved?” he asked. “If you can -trust me, undo my hands a moment, and I will show you the -results of ten years’ toiling for gold.”</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap drew his knife, but Silver Hand shook his head.</p> -<p>“Outlaw lie,” he said.</p> -<p>“The Indian does not like me,” said Funk. “I, and I -alone, can reveal the hidden gold, and when I have shown -you it we may talk about a ransom if you will entertain such -a subject.”</p> -<p>“We will not, let me tell you this now. All the gold in -the world could not buy your freedom,” was Harmon’s reply. -“But we will see your riches. Now, mind you, Roy Funk, -not a sign of treachery here. This pistol is ready to speak, -so play the man, if life is of any value to you.”</p> -<p>“If I betray your trust, shoot me,” the Night-Hawk said.</p> -<p>The next moment Wolf-Cap severed his bonds, and he -stooped by the stone and ran his hand beneath.</p> -<p>For a minute he fumbled there, glancing up at the quartette -above.</p> -<p>“I touch the box now,” he said, at length, “and here -it is!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_101">101</div> -<p>As he uttered the last word his hand shot from beneath the -stone, and threw a cloud of dust into the watchers’ eyes.</p> -<p>They started back; the outlaw sprung forward! He -caught Huldah Armstrong from the ground, and darted toward -a precipice, dimly revealed by the torch.</p> -<p>“Fiend!” rung from Mark Harmon’s lips, as he leaped after -the outlaw, his eyes half-blinded by the cunning trick.</p> -<p>He saw the Night-Hawk on the edge of the cave-cliff, and -his hand shot forward to save the woman he loved.</p> -<p>His fingers closed on her arm, and with all his strength he -jerked her toward him. Half over the precipice, the outlaw -could not struggle, and the young frontiersman tore Huldah -from his grip and started back.</p> -<p>Then a despairing shriek welled from Roy Funk’s pale -lips, and clutching wildly at air he fell headlong into the -darkness below!</p> -<p class="center"><span class="gs">* * * * * * *</span></p> -<p>“We’ll look down on the old fort from yonder hill,” said -Wolf-Cap, on the evening following the scenes just related. -“Then, Huldah, you’ll find a father; then—” he turned suddenly -from the girl, and finished the sentence under his -breath—“then, I’ll take vengeance for the wrongs of the -past. Levi Armstrong—no, Ralph Morton rather, you shall -tell me what became of Bessie.”</p> -<p>A few steps brought them to the summit of the hill designated -by the trapper; but alas! Fort Strong did not greet -their vision. A confused heap of embers proclaimed where -it had once stood!</p> -<p>The spectators stared blankly into each other’s faces, unable -to speak.</p> -<p>Suddenly Wolf-Cap started forward without a word, and -the others followed.</p> -<p>Everywhere among the ruins the victims of savage atrocity -scalped and tomahawked, were to be seen.</p> -<p>“They’re all dead!” said Harmon. “May Heaven curse -the fiends—”</p> -<p>A groan!</p> -<p>Wolf-Cap started forward, and lifted a log from the chest -of a man.</p> -<p>It was Levi Armstrong. He opened his eyes and smiled.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_102">102</div> -<p>“Oh, father! father!” cried Huldah, throwing herself upon -him. “Tell me, father, how all this happened.”</p> -<p>“Splitlog came back and took me unawares,” was the reply, -in a feeble voice. “But, Huldah, I—am not your -father!”</p> -<p>She started.</p> -<p>“Belt, you know me,” and the glassy eyes wandered to the -trapper.</p> -<p>“You are Ralph Morton.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” with a sigh. “My crime is too great to be forgiven. -’Twas all my fault. Your Bessie fled because I -threatened. Forgive her!”</p> -<p>“I did, long ago,” said Wolf-Cap, with tearful eyes.</p> -<p>“She is dead, then?”</p> -<p>“Yes. Huldah, this man is your father. He will tell you -all. Card Belt, you can not take vengeance now, for I am -dying.”</p> -<p>But little remains to be told to complete our story now. -Wolf-Cap guided Mark Harmon to a minister in the beautiful -Muskingum valley, and saw his long-lost daughter take -the vows of a bride. For many years the trio dwelt in the -then town of Mansfield; but in the city of the same name, -their descendants dwell and are honored to-day.</p> -<p>After all, it was well that Matt Hunter stole Huldah from -Fort Strong, for in the massacre that followed she would -doubtless have perished. Silver Hand lived to a good old -age, a true friend to the Americans, and the grasses of but -four summers have waved over his grave.</p> -<p>As for Johnny Appleseed, who appeared in the opening of -our romance, we may say, that he, too, fell beneath death’s -sickle, ripe for the harvest of the simply just.</p> -<p>Roy Funk sleeps in Wolf’s Den, while the bones of his -followers have been covered by populous cities and flourishing -towns.</p> -<p class="tbcenter"><span class="smaller">THE END.</span></p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_104">104</div> -<h2 id="c16"><span class="small"><span class="smallest">THE ILLUMINATED DIME</span><br />POCKET NOVELS!</span> -<br />PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY.</h2> -<p>Comprising the best works only of the most popular living writers in the field -of American Romance. Each issue a complete novel, with illuminated cover, -rivaling in effect the popular chromo, yet sold at the standard price, <span class="sc">TEN CENTS</span>.</p> -<h3 id="c17"><span class="ss">NOW READY, AND IN PRESS.</span></h3> -<div class="verse"> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 1—Hawkeye Harry, the Young Trapper Ranger.</b> By Oll Coomes.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 2—Dead Shot</b>; or, The White Vulture. By Albert W. Aiken.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 3—The Boy Miners</b>; or, The Enchanted Island. By Edward S. Ellis.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 4—Blue Dick</b>; or, The Yellow Chief’s Vengeance. By Capt. Mayne Reid.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 5—Nat Wolfe</b>; or, The Gold-Hunters. By Mrs. M. V. Victor.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 6—The White Tracker</b>; or, The Panther of the Plains. By Edward S. Ellis.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 7—The Outlaw’s Wife</b>; or, The Valley Ranche. By Mrs. Ann S. Stephens.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 8—The Tall Trapper</b>; or, The Flower of the Blackfeet. By Albert W. Aiken.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 9—Lightning Jo, the Terror of the Santa Fe Trail.</b> By Capt. Adams.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 10—The Island Pirate.</b> A Tale of the Mississippi. By Captain Mayne Reid.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 11—The Boy Ranger</b>; or, The Heiress of the Golden Horn. By Oll Coomes.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 12—Bess, the Trapper.</b> A Tale of the Far South-west. By Edward S. Ellis.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 13—The French Spy</b>; or, The Fall of Montreal. By W. J. Hamilton.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 14—Long Shot</b>; or, The Dwarf Guide. By Capt. Comstock.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 15—The Gunmaker of the Border.</b> By James L. Bowen.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 16—Red Hand</b>; or, The Channel Scourge. By A. G. Piper.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 17—Ben, the Trapper</b>; or, The Mountain Demon. By Maj. Lewis W. Carson.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 18—Wild Raven, the Ranger</b>; or, The Missing Guide. By Oll Coomes.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 19—The Specter Chief</b>; or, The Indian’s Revenge. By Seelin Robins.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 20—The B’ar-Killer</b>; or, The Long Trail. By Capt. Comstock.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 21—Wild Nat</b>; or, The Cedar Swamp Brigade. By Wm. R. Eyster.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 22—Indian Jo, the Guide.</b> By Lewis W. Carson.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 23—Old Kent, the Ranger.</b> By Edward S. Ellis.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 24—The One-Eyed Trapper.</b> By Capt. Comstock.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 25—Godbold, the Spy.</b> A Tale of Arnold’s Treason. By N. C. Iron.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 26—The Black Ship.</b> By John S. Warner.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 27—Single Eye, the Scourge.</b> By Warren St. John.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 28—Indian Jim.</b> A Tale of the Minnesota Massacre. By Edward S. Ellis.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 29—The Scout.</b> By Warren St. John.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 30—Eagle Eye.</b> By W. J. Hamilton.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 31—The Mystic Canoe.</b> A Romance of a Hundred Years Ago. By Edward S. Ellis.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 32—The Golden Harpoon</b>; or, Lost Among the Floes. By Roger Starbuck.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 33—The Scalp King.</b> By Lieut. Ned Hunter.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 34—Old Lute, the Indian-fighter</b>; or, The Den in the Hills. By E. W. Archer.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 35—Rainbolt, the Ranger</b>; or, The Demon of the Mountain. By Oll Coomes.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 36—The Boy Pioneer.</b> By Edward S. Ellis.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 37—Carson, the Guide</b>; or, the Perils of the Frontier. By Lieut. J. H. Randolph.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 38—The Heart Eater</b>; or, The Prophet of the Hollow Hill. By Harry Hazard.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 39—Wetzel, the Scout</b>; or The Captive of the Wilderness. By Boynton Belknap.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 40—The Huge Hunter</b>; or, The Steam Man of the Prairies. By Ed. S. Ellis.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 41—Wild Nat, the Trapper.</b> By Paul Prescott.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 42—Lynx-cap</b>; or, The Sioux Track. By Paul Bibbs.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 43—The White Outlaw</b>; or, The Bandit Brigand. By Harry Hazard.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 44—The Dog Trailer.</b> By Frederick Dewey.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 45—The Elk King.</b> By Capt. Chas. Howard.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 46—Adrian, the Pilot.</b> By Col. Prentiss Ingraham.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 47—The Man-hunter.</b> By Maro O. Rolfe.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 48—The Phantom Tracker.</b> By Frederick Dewey.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 49—Moccasin Bill.</b> By Paul Bibbs.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 50—The Wolf Queen.</b> By Captain Charles Howard.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 51—Tom Hawk, the Trailer.</b> By Lewis Jay Swift.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 52—The Mad Chief.</b> By Captain Chas. Howard.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 53—The Black Wolf.</b> By Edwin E. Ewing.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 54—Arkansas Jack.</b> By Harry Hazard.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 55—Blackbeard.</b> By Paul Bibbs.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 56—The River Rifles.</b> By Billex Muller.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 57—Hunter Ham.</b> By J. Edgar Iliff.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 58—Cloudwood</b>; or, The Daughter of the Wilderness. By J. M. Merrill.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 59—The Texas Hawks.</b> By Jos. E. Badger, Jr.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 60—Merciless Mat.</b> By Capt. Chas. Howard.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 61—Mad Anthony’s Scouts.</b> By Emerson Rodman.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 62—The Luckless Trapper</b>; or, The Haunted Hunter. By William R. Eyster.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 63—The Florida Scout</b>; or, The Princess of the Everglades. By Jos. E. Badger, Jr.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 64—The Island Trapper.</b> By Capt. Chas. Howard. Ready.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 65—Wolf-Cap.</b> By Capt. Chas. Howard. Ready.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 66—Rattling Dick.</b> By Harry Hazard. Ready Jan. 2d.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 67—Sharp-Eye.</b> By Major Max Martine. Ready Jan. 16th.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 68—Iron-Hand.</b> By Frederick Forest. Ready Jan. 30th.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 69—The Yellow Hunter.</b> By Capt. Chas. Howard. Ready Feb. 16th.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 70—The Phantom Rider.</b> By Maro O. Rolfe. Ready Feb. 28th.</p> -<p class="t0"><b>No. 71—Delaware Tom.</b> By Harry Howard. 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