CHAPTER VIII
BEHIND THE TREE
The report of the gun reached the ears of Otto and Jack, andnaturally caused them alarm. They hurriedly made their way to theedge of the river and peered out from cover, not forgetting thewarnings previously given by Deerfoot.
They had but to look a short distance down stream to see theShawanoe paddling the large Indian canoe toward the other shore.
"Well, dere!" exclaimed Otto. "Deerfoot dinks as how I ain'tyforgotful, but don't he forget more than I does, when he dinks hehas us in the canoe and we be here?"
"There is no danger of that," said Jack; "he knows it would not dofor him to come after us, for the Indians would shoot him from thisside."'
"Why would dey do dem things?"
"Because it is the nature of Indians to revenge themselves that way.Don't you see he has taken their canoe, and I shouldn't wonder ifhe killed one or two of their warriors before he was able to getoff with it. That shot which we heard was probably fired at him."
But in this instance the ears of the German proved more correct thanthose of the American. He had noticed that the gun was dischargedfrom the river, establishing the fact that it was fired by Deerfoot,though Jack Carleton could not understand the reason why it wasdone.
It was manifest that the Shawanoe meant to cross to the other sidethe Mississippi, in order to throw the Miamis "off the trail "--thatis, he would keep out of their sight until he gained a chance toreturn for his friends.
It occurred at once to the young Kentuckian that such being thecase, the situation of himself and Otto was one of considerabledanger.
The high-handed course of the Shawanoe would rouse the enmity of theMiamis to the highest point. Revenge is one of the most markedcharacteristics of the American Indian, who is eager to retaliateupon the innocent when he cannot reach the guilty. The three whohad suffered the indignity could easily follow the trail of theboys, wheresoever it might lead, excepting through water. What,therefore, was more likely than that they would seek to adjustmatters by slaying those who had taken no hand in the capture of thecanoe?
Jack knew that there were only three Miamis directly concerned, butDeerfoot had spoken of others in the neighborhood, beside which theyoung Kentuckian himself had seen a couple of Shawanoes, only a fewhours before, at no great distance from that very spot.
When he made known his fears to Otto, the latter agreed they were ingreat peril, and the utmost care was necessary to keep clear of thered men.
The precise course best to adopt was hard to determine, but theybegan a guarded departure from the spot, stepping as carefully andlightly as possible.
Though Otto Relstaub, like his, parents, had never been able tohandle the English language intelligently, and though he wasafflicted with a forgetfulness all too common with most boys of hisage, yet his life on the frontier had not been without its lessonsto him. At times he showed a shrewdness and knowledge of woodcraftwhich surprised Jack Carleton, who often became impatient with hisshortsightedness. The manner in which he seconded the efforts ofhis companion to mislead the Indians, known to be close at hand,certainly was deserving of high praise.
The friends advanced some twenty rods or more, Otto keeping closebehind Jack, without seeing or hearing anything of their enemies.Looking across the Mississippi, nothing was observed of Deerfoot orhis canoe, so that no help was to be expected for many hours fromhim. Indeed, Jack was confident that nothing of the kind could bedone before night, when the matchless Shawanoe would have thedarkness to help him. To the young Kentuckian, the advent ofDeerfoot was of that nature that he failed to see that it hadaccomplished any good. If he and Otto could gain a suitable start,they would swim across.
"Sh!" whispered the German, reaching forward and catching the arm ofhis friend; "waits one, two, dree smond."
"What is the matter?" asked the alarmed Jack, as he turned hastilyabout.
"Let you go dot way and me go dot way, and it leetle ways off wecomes togedder agin once more."
Rather curiously, the leader was asking himself at that momentwhether something could not be gained by him and Otto separating andafterward meeting at some point further up stream.
Such, as is well known, is the practice of the Apaches when hotlypursued to their mountain fastnesses. A large company will dissolveinto its "original elements," as may be said, rendering pursuit outof the question.
The wisdom of this course on the part of Jack and Otto might well bequestioned, but, without giving the matter any thought, the youngKentuckian acted upon the suggestion.
"You keep close to the river," he said, "while I turn to the right,and will come back to the shore a few hundred yards above. We'lluse our old signal if we have anything to say to each other."
Otto nodded his bead to signify that he understood the arrangement,and, without another word, the two diverged, speedily losing sightof each other in the wood, which showed more under growth than thatthrough which they passed the day before.
"I declare," said Jack to himself, before he had gone far, "I muchmisgive myself whether this is going to help matters; it must be agood deal easier for the Indians to pick up one of us at a time,than it is to take the two together. It may be best after all," headded a minute later, with the natural hopefulness of his nature,"for I learned long ago that if two or three hunters separate whilein the Indian country, they can take better care of themselves thanif they stay together."
He stood still and looked and listened. The wood, as has been said,was denser than that to which he had been accustomed, and, when heused his eyes to the utmost, he saw nothing to cause alarm. Thelynx-eyed Miamis could follow his trail with little trouble, nomatter how much be sought to conceal it, and the fact that he sawand heard nothing could be no proof that danger itself was not near.
"I am sure those were Shawanoes that I saw yesterday," he muttered,"and yet Deerfoot insists they were Miamis who broke up his canoe.Wonder whether there's a war party of both--"
The bright eyes of the youth at that very moment told him a singularfact: only a short distance in front of him stood two red men intheir war paint. They were talking together and had their backstoward him. Indeed, they were so motionless, that he had failed tosee them in the first place, and would have failed again but for thelow, guttural murmur of their voices.
Jack instantly stepped behind the large trunk of a tree and peeredout with an interest that may well be understood. It was curiousthat the youth should have approached so close without detection,but it was complimentary to his woodcraft that such was the fact.
Whatever the subject of conversation between the Indians, theyspeedily became absorbed in it, their arms sawed the air, and theirvoices rose to it pitch that carried the sound far beyond where hestood.
Their interest in the discussion frequently brought the profile ofthe further one into view and showed so much of his front, that histribal character was settled beyond question; he was a Shawanoe, oneof the dreaded people who did more than any other to earn the nameof Dark and Bloody Ground for one section of the Union.
It was established, therefore, that there were two distinct partiesin that particular section. The Miamis and Shawanoes were naturalallies, and there could be no question that a perfect understandingexisted between those who gave our friends so much concern.
Jack Carleton was debating with himself whether it would be a safeundertaking for him to withdraw, and, venturing further into thewoods, seek to flank the warriors who had risen so unexpectedly inhis path. He had already been so delayed that his agreement withOtto was likely to be disarranged, and it would not do to stay toolong where he had halted.
Before a conclusion was formed, the interview between the coupleended. They abruptly ceased talking, and one started north and theother south.
As they did so Jack learned another significant fact--they belongedto different tribes. The one who went northward looked squarely inthe face of his friend, just before moving out, and, in doing so,gave the best
view of his countenance that the boy had yet obtained.That view revealed him as a Miami beyond all question.
The other wheeled about and advanced almost in a direct line towardJack, who felt that his situation was becoming very delicate andpeculiar. There could be no mistaking the tribe of that warrior,who was a splendid' specimen of physical vigor and manhood. Jacksuspected that he was not only a Shawanoe, but was a chief orleader. The hideous paint which was smeared over his repulsiveface, was more elaborate than in the case of the two from whom theyouth effected such a narrow escape.
That which Jack saw confirmed his belief of a perfect understandingbetween the different parties. They probably numbered a dozenaltogether, and had determined to bring the friendly Indian and twowhite men to account for the outrage of the young Shawanoe--for,brief as was the time mince it had been perpetrated, it was morethan probable that it was known to all.
"I wish that heathen would take it into his head to move some otherway," thought Jack to himself, as he drew his head back, fearful ofbeing seen. "If he comes straight on, he'll bump his foreheadagainst this tree, and, if he turns out, he will pass so close tothe trunk that I've got to be lively if he doesn't run against me."
Listening intently, he was able to hear the soft footfall of thewarrior upon the leaves, scarcely louder than the faint tipping ofthe claw of a small bird. Had the Shawanoe suspected there was theslightest need for care, his tread would have been silent.
A few seconds passed when the delicate sound ceased. What could itmean? Did the Indian suspect the truth? Was he standingmotionless, or was he advancing with that noiseless step which theear of the listening Indian himself fails to note?
These were the questions which the young Kentuckian asked, and whichfor the time he could not answer. He shrank close to the bark ofthe tree, with his gun clasped and the hammer raised ready to fireat an instant's notice. Knowing so well the subtlety of the redmen, it occurred to Jack that his foe perhaps was stealthilyflanking him. He was moving to one side and the moment he couldgain a shot he would fire.
The suspense became more trying than disaster itself could be, andJack determined to end it by learning the precise situation of theShawanoe, and what he was likely to attempt to do in the way ofhostilities.