CHAPTER XXVII.
RED CROW.
The boys kept such a close watch on the Shawanoe that the moment hesignalled them to stop they obeyed. Although he assumed his favoriteattitude while doing so, he instantly faced about so that his back wastoward them. There could be no doubt that he had made some importantdiscovery.
The youths stood still in the trail, Wharton slightly in advance; butLarry was near enough to his side to note every movement of the singularbeing who had been acting as their guide ever since the rise of the sun.
"I wonder whether he means us to stand right here or to dodge behind thetrees, as we did before?" remarked Larry.
"We shall know, for he will tell us. There it is!"
Arqu-wao at this moment made a peculiar sweep of the hand holding thebow, which was interpreted as an order for them to screen themselvesfrom sight. They did so with the cleverness of a short time before.Nothing to explain the cause for this caution appeared, and the ladskept their eyes on the Indian in whose hands they had placed their livesbefore this critical moment.
The tree trunks which sheltered them were not more rigid and motionlessfor the next five minutes than he. Then he was seen to take a singlestep forward, when he again paused. A second followed with the samedeliberation as before, and the advance continued, foot by foot, untilthe intervening trees and the turn in the trail shut the guide fromsight.
"We're near the clearing where I had my race with Blazing Arrow,"remarked Wharton, in a guarded voice.
"Ye may have anither one with him."
"It isn't likely, but I believe he isn't far off."
"And the others are with him."
"Of course, and more than likely father and mother are near. Oh, I dohope that they will find out their danger soon enough to savethemselves; but I fear the worst."
"Do ye hear that?"
The faces of the youths blanched, for at that moment the sharp crack ofa rifle rang out in the stillness. It was near at hand, and was followedby a wild cry, which, echoing through the forest arches, left thesilence more oppressive than before.
"Somebody is killed!" whispered the frightened Wharton.
"I don't doubt ye; but that yell wasn't a white man's."
"Then the shot must have been."
"I don't know the same; mebbe Blazing Arrow has found out what Arqu-waohas been doing and shot him."
"I believe that is what has happened; they had a quarrel when they metin the trail; why didn't Blazing Arrow kill him then?"
"He didn't know as much then as he does now; he has seen the thracks ofoursilves along the path after the two parted, and then the whole thruthcome upon him."
"I wish we could have the chance to save the poor crazy fellow, for hehas given his life for us--that is, if he has been shot by any of hispeople."
"We don't know that he is dead yit; mebbe he managed to use his bow andarrow, and didn't miss, while the other chap as used his gun did, so theyell was the other fellow's."
"We ought to have given him back his knife and tomahawk; I didn't thinkof it, or we would have done so."
"It couldn't have done him any good in this sort of rumpus."
Some tragedy had been enacted so near them that the youths might wellshudder for themselves as well as for their friends.
The sultry summer day was well along. The sun, high in the sky,penetrated the woods with its warmth, and in the broad open plain theheat must have been oppressive. Here and there a tiny bird flutteredamong the trees, and suddenly a noble buck came striding along as if hemeant to follow the trail to the falls for a drink, but, catching sightof the two young men standing beside the trees weapon in hand, hewheeled and was off in a twinkling, though not before either one of thelads could have gained the best kind of a shot had he dared to fire.
Minute after minute passed, and still there was no sign of the returningguide. The young friends would have been glad to believe he had escaped,but the fleeting minutes caused their hope to sink lower and lower,until at last it was gone.
"It seems to me," said Wharton, "that we are throwing away time bystanding here; we shall never see Arqu-wao again."
"I agree with ye; the rest of 'em are miles off, and we might stay heretill the sun went down and that's all the good it would do us."
Thump! and the startled boys, turning their heads, saw a stone, weighingfully a pound, that must have been thrown by some person at them. Thiswas a curious proceeding by whomsoever done; but the explanation camethe next moment, when a tall, finely formed figure, clad in the costumeof the border ranger, stepped from behind a tree and motioned to them tomake no noise.
The astonished and delighted boys recognized the individual as SimonKenton, the most famous scout, not excepting Daniel Boone, known in Ohioand Kentucky. He had approached them from the rear, and announced hiscoming in this characteristic manner.
"Yer needn't be afeared, younkers," he said, as he came up, "providedyer don't speak too loud. The varmints are powerful plenty yerabouts.Howdy?"
He shook the hand of each in turn, and Wharton asked:
"Where did you come from, Kenton?"
"The block-house."
"How long ago did you leave?"
"Shortly after sun-up; it isn't very fur, and I've travelled powerfulfast."
Wharton yearned to ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue,but an awful fear held it back.
"We heard a rifle awhile ago; do you know anything about it?"
"I reckon," replied the ranger with a significant grin, "bein' as I wasthe chap that touched her off."
"At whom did you fire?"
"Why don't ye ask who did I hit, for when that piece speaks I reckonsome one is hit. Did you hear him yell?"
"We might have heard the chap a mile off," replied Larry. "Was the sameBlazing Arrow."
"No; I am sorry to say he kept out of the way, and I picked off the onethat was nearest to him."
"Did you see anything of an Indian with a bow and arrow?"
"You mean Arqu-wao, or, as we call him, Red Crow."
"That must be the one. Why does he have such a strange name?"
"Did you ever see a red crow, younkers?"
"No; and I never saw a person that has seen one."
"And you never will; such a thing would be powerful qu'ar, but hewouldn't be any qu'arer than the varmint that Boone, M'Cleland, theWetzel boys and some of the others have given the name to. He's a bitoff, ain't 'zactly right here," added the scout, tapping his forehead."Have you had anything to do with him?"
Wharton related in as few words as possible their experience with thestrange creature, and asked:
"Has he always been that way?"
"No; his brother and him had a big fight when they were on the warpath.His brother was older and stronger, and threw him down among the rocksin such a way that his head was hurt and he was never right afterwards.He has lived by himself along that lake over yender for ten or a dozenyears. He won't have anybody with him; you know how the Injuns look onsuch a person; they think he's a little different and better than otherfolks and none of 'em will harm him. Of course none of the boys wouldhurt a hair of his head, though he's quick enough with his bow and arrerto shoot any one that comes pokin' round his place. It's powerful qu'arthat he acted the part of a friend toward you, but thar's no sayin' whatcrank may come into the head of such a person."
"But he had a quarrel with Blazing Arrow, who seemed on the point ofstriking him."
"That's nateral, for you know you hate anyone that you've already donean injury to."
"Has Blazing Arrow ever injured him?"
"Why, he's the one that throwed him over the rock; him and Blazing Arroware full brothers."
This was surprising news to both, and Larry said:
"He once mentioned the name of that chap as his brother, but I didn'tthink that was what he meant."
"I don't think the Red Crow loves his brother any more than his brotherloves him. Some time thar'll be the biggest kind of a fight between
'em.They don't often meet, but when they do they allers strike fire."
"How was it, Kenton, that you came to shoot awhile ago?"
"One of the varmints got in my way, and if you know of any better planfor heavin' him out, let me hear it."
"But you don't explain; did you see anything of Red Crow?"
"You asked me awhile ago, and I beg pardon for not answerin'. No, Ihaven't seen him lately, that is, for the last few weeks; but while Iwas out yender, just on t'other side of the ravine, whar the trail makesa sharp turn, I catched sight of one of the varmints stealin' along asthough he was lookin' for somethin'. He catched sight of me at the sametime. We had not time to dodge behind anything, and it was a questionwhich could aim and fire the quickest. Wal," added Kenton, with a sighof complacency, "mebbe thar's a varmint somewhar that can do that thingquicker'n me, but I haven't met him yet."
"But you say you saw Blazing Arrow?"
"Yas, and another of the redskins; they war some way ahead, and thetrees war so plenty that we couldn't draw bead. I waited for 'em to comenigher, but they didn't seem to be lookin' for that sort of thing justthen, and they scooted t'other way. I 'spect I'll meet 'em agin purtysoon, and I'm ready."