CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE RESCUE.
A yell of astonishment broke from the throats of the Indians who wereawake, and it brought the sleepers out of their blankets in a moment.
With the utmost coolness, Old Rocks stepped toward the fire, sat down ona log near the sleeping child, and took out his black pipe.
"Any o' you fellers got any good smokin' terbacker?" he asked, coolly."I ain't got northin' left but chawin', an thet's derned pore stuff terburn."
"Ugh!" grunted the Blackfeet, staring at him in unutterable amazement.
"Hey?" questioned the guide. "Whut did yer say?"
"Where white man come from?" demanded Half Hand, harshly.
"Over yon," was the answer, and Rocks made a sweep of his hand that tookin half the horizon.
"What white man want here?"
"Terbacker."
The Indians looked at each other, and then looked at the cool visitor,their amazement not a whit abated.
"Ugh!" they grunted in chorus.
"Wa-al, I'll allow thet you fellers know whut thet means all right,"drawled Old Rocks, whimsically; "but dog my cats ef I do! Do I git therterbacker? ur do I hev ter pull my liver out tryin' ter make chawin'terbacker burn?"
"Ain't got no 'backer," declared Half Hand, sullenly.
"Thet may be so," admitted the guide, "an' may be 't'sn't. Howsomever,I don't s'pose I've got any license ter search ye."
He then appealed to the other Indians, but they all affirmed that theydid not have a morsel of tobacco in their possession.
"Blamed ef I ever saw sech a pore crowd," grunted Old Rocks. "Wa-al, I'mgoin' ter smoke."
He pretended to search round in his pockets, and, after a time, he drewforth a small bit of tobacco, uttering an exclamation of satisfaction.
"Dog my cats ef I ain't got a leetle mite o' smokin' terbacker left, anI 'lowed I wuz all out! I kin git erlong with this yere comfortablelike."
He drew his knife, and began whittling at the tobacco, seeming to paynot the least attention to the Indians around him.
The Blackfeet were troubled, for they did not know what to make of theold fellow. Some of them put their heads together and spoke in their ownlanguage, but Rocks had sharp ears, and he understood them well enoughto get the drift of what they said.
They were wondering if he had come there alone, or if he had companionsnear.
"Where come from?" Half Hand again asked.
"Over yon," the guide once more replied, with a sweep that was fully aswide as before.
"Ugh! Where others?"
"What others?"
"Others that be with you?"
"Over yon."
Again that wide and baffling sweep of the hand.
Half Hand scowled blackly.
"What white man here for?"
"Terbacker."
Old Rocks was most aggravating in his answers. He calmly filled hispipe, and then lighted it with a coal from the fire.
"Thar," he said, flinging one knee over the other and settling into aneasy position, "now I kin enjoy a good squar' smoke."
Up behind the rocks the boy saw Rocks had not taken his rifle into thecamp, and Frank knew well enough that was so he might not be incumberedwith it if forced to take to flight suddenly and make an attempt to getaway with the child.
The little girl heard his voice, and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Shestared at him in wonderment, but he still pretended that he did not seeher, puffing on.
One of the Indians attempted to grasp the child and draw her back, butshe saw him, avoided his hands, and ran to Rocks, crying:
"Oh, I's awsul dlad you've tome! Tate me to my mamma! I don't lite desedrefful mans!"
The Indian made a jump for her, but Old Rocks caught her and swung herbeyond the Indian's grasp, exclaiming:
"Hello! hello! Whatever is this yar? Dog my cats ef it ain't ababby--an' a white babby, at thet!"
"Don't you 'member me?" asked Fay, innocently. "I 'members you."
"See hyar, Half Hand," said Old Rocks, grimly; "this yar looks kinderqueer. How did you come by this white babby?"
"Found her," sullenly answered the half-blood.
"Is thet so?"
"Ugh."
"Wa-al, whar wuz yer takin' her?"
"Nowhere."
"Seems ter me it didn't look thet way."
The half-blood said nothing, but he and his companions were beginning tofinger their weapons.
"You may hev found her all right," admitted Old Rocks; "but yer made amistake in keepin' her. I'll take her now."
"Dunno 'bout that," muttered Half Hand.
"Whut?" roared the old man, suddenly aroused, having thrust his pipeinto his pocket. "You dunno? Wa-al, I will allow thet I know! Look yar,you'll be gittin' inter one o' ther derndest scrapes you ever did ef youtries ter kerry off this yere gal. It'll be reported, an' ther UnitedStates soldiers will take an' hang yer all!"
"Bah!" sneered the half-breed. "Who care for soldiers! We find gal; sheb'long to us."
"Not much!"
"What white man do?"
"Take her."
"Him can't."
"Dog my cats ef I don't!"
"Him can't git erway."
The Blackfeet had formed a circle about Old Rocks.
"Stiddy, critters!" he warned. "Don't try ter stop me, fer ef yer does,som' o' yer will bite ther dust."
"White man give up gal, we let um go 'thout hurtin'."
"Thet's kind; but I reckons I'll hev ter be hurt, fer I'll never giveher up."
"Then white man dies!"
One of the Indians slipped up behind Old Rocks and lifted a hatchet tosplit open the head of the guide.
Crack! the report of a rifle rang out.
A yell of agony broke from the lips of the Indian, and the hatchetdropped from his hand. A bullet had shattered his forearm.
Frank's aim had been true, and he had saved the life of Old Rocks.
At that instant, just as the guide stooped to lift the child, a manbroke through the circle of savages and snatched up the child, tearingit from the fingers of the guide, to whom he cried:
"Hold them off, and I will get away with her!"
It was the Hermit.
Out came a brace of revolvers in the hands of the weather-tanned guide,and the yells which broke from his lips awoke a hundred echoes. He beganshooting to the right and left.
Over the top of the rocks, behind which he had been concealed, Frank wassending a shower of bullets whistling. After the first two shots, heaimed high, counting on demoralizing the savages by terror, instead oftaking chances of hitting Old Rocks or the child.
The trick worked long enough for the guide to get away, and he followedclose at the heels of the Hermit.
By chance the man with the child passed near Frank, and then Old Rockscame along, shouting:
"Up an' dig, boy! Ther trick is did!"
In a moment Frank dashed after the old man.
The Blackfeet recovered quickly, and they leaped in pursuit, utteringfierce cries.
Old Rocks was surprised by Frank's fleetness on foot.
"Derned ef you can't run, ez well ez do other things!" he muttered, asthe lad forged along by his side. "You're a holy wonder, boy. It's twiceyou saved my life this day. I trusted everything ter you this last time,an' yer didn't fail me."
"I broke the Indian's arm as he was on the point of striking."
"Thet wuz ther only mistake yer made. You oughter broke his head, an'thar'd bin one less. They're arter us hot foot, an it's a race fer lifenow."