CHAPTER XIV
BLACK BEAVER STRIKES
"OH! it must be a terrible mistake; you can't mean it, Mr. Harkness!"cried Sandy, white of face, and trembling like a leaf.
Bob, however, understood. He knew the settler would never have soughtthem out simply to carry an idle rumor. And probably, in that momentof acute pain, the young pioneer once again saw those beady black eyesof the Seneca chief, Black Beaver, as they fastened greedily upon thepretty face of little Kate. He, too, was thrilled with horror when heheard those terrible words; but, fortunately, he could control himselfmuch better than his younger brother.
"Tell us, Mr. Harkness; is Kate lost; and do they only believe she hasbeen carried off, or is it proved?" he asked, his voice hoarse withsuffering.
"I am afraid it is but too true, my lad," replied the settler, as helaid his hand on the shoulder of the Armstrong boy.
"Did any one see it done?" continued Bob, between his set teeth; forhe could not believe that any neighbor would have stood idly by, andwitnessed such an abduction, without doing everything in his power tothwart the evil designs of the prowling red men.
"No. Kate went to the spring for water. Her mother thought once sheheard a little cry, and was worried; but, stepping out of doors, shelooked that way, and believed she saw Kate's shawl moving among thetrees, as though she were stooping down to pick some late wild flower.Reassured, she returned to her work indoors. An hour passed. Then,suddenly she remembered the circumstance and, alarmed, she hurried tothe spring."
"And Kate had disappeared?" exclaimed Bob, in dismay.
"Yes," replied the man. "Your mother called aloud again and again,her alarm increasing each moment as no answer came. Wildly she ranacross to the cabin of Mr. Brewster, which was the nearest of all theneighbors. He happened to be at home, and, seizing his gun, immediatelyhurried to aid her, meanwhile sending his boy to sound the alarm."
"Yes, yes, and when they arrived what did they learn?" demanded Sandy.
"They had hardly reached the cabin when who should appear from thewoods but your old friend, Pat O'Mara, returned unexpectedly from hislast scout."
Both Bob and his brother gave utterance to a cry of joy when thesettler uttered these words.
"How fortunate we are to have him with us now!" exclaimed Bob.
"So we all thought," went on Mr. Harkness. "When he had learned whatwas the trouble, O'Mara immediately made us all keep back until hecould closely examine the vicinity of the spring."
"He was looking for the tracks of the kidnappers," remarked one of thehunters.
"Truly, it was a fortunate thing that so clever a trailer should havecome into the settlement just when his services were so desperatelyneeded," said another, who knew the Irish trapper's worth.
"O'Mara quickly found the imprint of many moccasins," resumed thesettler. "He could tell just how Kate had been suddenly seized by anIndian, who crept up behind while she was stooping beside the spring.Her bucket was found in the bushes, just where the cunning rascals hadhidden it, so as to make her mother think she had wandered away insearch of butterflies, or to visit some favorite nook where she mightbe watching a late brood of young quail."
"But you said that, after the cry, our mother saw Kate moving about?"Bob ventured to remark, in puzzled tones.
"That was only another of the crafty schemes of the redskins," repliedMr. Harkness. "O'Mara showed us how one of her captors must have takenher shawl, and, throwing it over his head, showed just enough ofhimself to deceive the mother. They were evidently afraid lest her onecry might have been heard."
"Please finish," burst out the fretting Sandy; "for I am just wild torush away home, so as to take up the trail. Is Pat O'Mara waiting forus to come in, so that we may all start out together?"
"Not so," came the quick response. "As soon as he found out positivelywhat had come to pass, the trapper vowed he would himself pursuethe fleeing Indians, and bring back the child of his friend, DavidArmstrong."
"God bless him!" murmured Bob, strangely moved by this evidence of thewoodranger's devotion.
"Tired as he was with half a day's tramp," the settler went on, "andhardly waiting to replenish his stock of powder and ball, as well as tosecure an extra flint and steel for his tinder bag, Pat O'Mara rushedaway, following the trail."
"Alone?" gasped Sandy.
"It could not be otherwise," replied the other, sadly. "Here were eightof the defenders of the settlement away on a hunt. One man must be sentout to carry you the terrible news, as well as urge a hasty return.Since we thus knew that hostiles were apparently on the warpath, wedared not weaken our fighting force further, much as we felt for yourgood mother."
"Then let us hasten home without any further delay," said Bob, firmly,while the light of a great resolution shone in his brave eyes. "Takecourage, Sandy; all is not lost! We can follow the wicked thieves; andalready our friend Pat O'Mara is hot on the trail! How many of theIndians were there, did he say, Mr. Harkness?"
"I think four in all, counting the one who seized your sister," camethe reply.
The eyes of the two boys sought each other's face; it was as though thesame thought had instantly flashed into both minds.
"The young Seneca chief, Black Beaver!" exclaimed Sandy.
"He had three companions with him," Bob went on; "and, instead ofcontinuing on to his far distant village, which he declared was away upon the shore of the Great Lakes, the treacherous dog has hovered aboutthe settlement ever since that day, waiting for a favorable chance tocome when he could steal our little sister away. That time came when hesaw us depart with the rest on this big hunt!"
It was quickly arranged that Bob and Sandy should hasten on ahead inthe company of the settler. Some of the others promised to bring intheir share of the fresh buffalo meat.
Forgotten was their fatigue. Love for the sweet little sister, who hadbeen a ray of sunlight in that frontier cabin, urged the boys on, sothat they put the hardy settler to his best efforts to keep abreast ofthem.
And, before the afternoon was far spent, they drew near the cabin inthe big clearing, where the resolute arms of David Armstrong and histwo sons had built so comfortable a home.
It was now a scene of tremendous commotion. Men and women could be seenmoving around, looking toward the woods, and shielding their eyes fromthe fierce sun's rays, while they watched for the coming of the eagerbrothers of the little maid who had been so strangely abducted by asavage and treacherous enemy.
Bob remembered the other occasion when, on arriving home, they hadfound neighbors gathered about their cabin; but how different theconditions were! On that day it had been to rejoice with the Armstrongsthat the settlers and their wives had gathered; now it was to mourn, tocomfort, to advise.
Mrs. Armstrong was prostrated by the dreadful calamity that hadbefallen her; for, to have her sweet child thus taken away, never againperhaps to be folded in her motherly arms, was a blow that caused herheart to sink with dread.
It seemed all the worse because the father was away, heading toward therising sun, and himself exposed to constant danger from the foes thatlurked in the dark recesses of the forest.
But, when her two brave boys had taken her in their embrace, andassured her that they would never rest until Kate were brought back,the poor mother took fresh courage. She knew that there was still ahope, faint though it might be.
The boys were filled with zeal. They knew that an expedition lay beforethem such as must dwarf all others in which they had engaged. Evenexperienced forest rangers might well pause before attempting to piercethat hostile country, where not a friendly white might be met, thosethey were apt to run across being the trouble-making French trappersand traders, who had come down from Canada in the hope and expectationof arousing the combined tribes against the English-speaking settlers,so that the entire country might be reserved for themselves, fromthe Great Lakes down to the town on the Gulf, near the mouth of theMississippi River.
Many hands assisted them in making speedy prep
arations, for every onewas deeply interested in their mission. Few expected to ever see thebrave brothers again, although all such gloomy beliefs were kept in thebackground, so that they might not add to the woes of the poor mother.
This one brought a supply of bullets; another filled the capacioushorns with the necessary powder, without which the adventurers wouldbe next to helpless, once they were far away from the outposts ofcivilization. Still a third looked after a stock of pemmican, which wasto sustain them as they pushed ever onward into the unexplored depthsof that vast wilderness, teeming with dangers.
Sandy could think of nothing, he was so eager to be on the move; butBob, besides comforting his mother, made sure that they had plenty oftinder; that an extra pair of moccasins was fastened to each belt,since they knew not when those they wore might give way under the longtramp; and also that both knives were in a condition of sharpness togive a good account of themselves.
All these things were done in a comparatively short time. The sun wasstill two hours high when they announced themselves as ready to starton their perilous journey into the unknown.
Mr. Brewster had assured them that their mother should be taken intohis family, and guarded well during their absence. This kindness gaveBob new courage, for he felt that he could put out of his mind allanxieties concerning their home, and devote himself entirely to therescue of Kate.
Several of the men announced that they intended accompanying the youngpioneers a short distance on their way, to give them encouragement anda good send-off. Nor were the two lads averse to such a proceeding, asit served to soften the painful parting with their mother.
The trail was taken up at the spring. No particular effort had beenmade by the Indians to hide their tracks, and it was little trouble forsuch keen-eyed trackers as Bob and Sandy to follow the plain marks.
The dusky raiders had been careful, apparently, to avoid being seenby any of the settlers as they hurried away, after securing the whitegirl. Since no trace of Kate's little moccasins could be found, Bobknew that she must have been carried.
More than once he stooped low to examine the imprint in the clay ofthe leading Indian's elkskin footwear. It was his purpose to knowany peculiarity that attached to those moccasins, so that he mightrecognize them again at any future time among a dozen similar tracks.
A circuit was made so as to pass fully around and below the settlement.Then gradually the trail began to near the border of the great river.Bob knew what this signified. Of course the Iroquois must have had acanoe hidden somewhere, in which they had crossed the stream.
One of the men was immediately sent back to secure such a boat, andhasten down the stream, so that it might be available should the boysseek to pass over to the opposite shore. Half an hour later the littlecompany stood on the bank, waiting for the canoe to reach them, havingsignalled to the paddler as agreed upon.
Plain marks could be seen where a canoe had been carried from thebushes and launched, afterward being entered by the red men. There wassomething more awaiting them here on the bank of the beautiful river.A stick held a scrap of paper, on which were a few lines of crabbedwriting. It was a message from Pat O'Mara; and, though the Irishtrapper talked rather uncouthly, he could at least frame his thoughtsin fairly decent English.
This then was what he had written:
"Indians crossed river here in canoe. Will follow, and, when find where landed, leave piece of red cloth in stick. Look for it close to water's edge."
That was all, but it signified much to the eager boys, who were onlywaiting for the coming of the dugout to themselves push across theriver. Trust to their keen eyes to discover that tiny bit of flamingcloth!
"But where could he have found a boat?" asked Sandy, looking surprised,as this puzzle presented itself before him.
Bob shook his head. He knew the daring nature of O'Mara too well tobelieve that the other would halt in his pursuit simply because hewanted a canoe.
"A log upon which he could fasten his gun and powder-horn would beenough for him," he declared, positively. "This he would push aheadas he battled with the current of the river. Landing somewhere below,he could easily hasten up the shore, looking for signs. And longbefore now, Sandy, he is, let us hope, following on the heels of thosetreacherous wolves."
"Here is the canoe, Bob," said Sandy, drawing a long breath of relief;for he had fretted at the delay, counting the minutes while the settlerpaddled down to where they stood waiting.
Quickly they jumped aboard. The canoe was to be hidden on the othershore, so as to afford them a means for recrossing the stream when theyreturned from the chase. And how sincerely both those devoted brothershoped that, when this time arrived, be it sooner or later, Kate wouldbe in their company again.
A handshake all around followed, with words of good cheer from thosewho were compelled to remain behind, despite their desire to be withthe brave boys. Then the canoe was pushed out upon the waters of theOhio, and the paddles sent it flashing over in the direction of theopposite shore, where unknown perils must await the bold adventurers.
"Keep your eyes on the watch for any sign, of a red signal!" Bob keptsaying, as they began to draw near the northern shore.
Sandy presently gave a cry of delight.
"I see it, Bob!" he exclaimed. "Just below us, there, where that willowhangs over the water. Pat O'Mara has been there, and found where theylanded. Now we can take up the trail, and follow the stealers of ourlittle sister, even if the hunt takes us to the big waters of thenorth. For never will we return while she remains a prisoner of the redmen!"