CHAPTER VIII
FIGHT OF THE NATIVES FOR THE TRINKETS
Scouting in an unknown country, with assurances that foes may be inambush at every turn, is not a rapid way of marching. Ordinarily, in theopen road, a man will walk three or four miles an hour. But in a forest,where every tree may conceal a foe, it is quite different.
Muro was an expert in scouting work. He had had years of experience inthis sort of life, and, moreover, was a chief of one of the mostpowerful tribes on the island.
He and his companion went directly east, in the most stealthy fashion,and, a half mile beyond they circled to the south, next swinging aroundto the north, so as to take in as wide a sweep as possible.
Before dark they obtained the first real traces of the tramp of feet,and as it was now too late to enable them to follow up the trail theywent back toward the scene of the capture, so that they might thus beable to follow the trail easily the next morning.
It was very dark when they crept in and were halted by the sentrieswhich John had posted. Harry was the first to greet Muro. "Have youfound anything?"
"Yes," answered Muro. "We know the direction they have gone. In themorning we can go on from the place where we discovered the trail."
"How far is it from here?"
"More than ten miles."
The distance mentioned was in itself sufficient evidence that Muro hadnot wasted time.
They spent the remaining hours of the evening awaiting further news andit was fully ten o'clock before the sentry to the south reported theprobable approach of Uraso. Harry leaped out from the circle, andfollowed the sentry. It was, indeed, Uraso who had been reporter.
"Tell me all about it," he requested, and Harry, with a voice full ofpathos, told him how it happened. When he had finished, Uraso said:
"I was told by my father that somewhere here in the seas was an islandwhere were found most terrible people, who killed every one theycaptured. I hope this is not the place." And Uraso did not say this toexcite Harry's fears, but, like many natives, he was frank, and open inhis speech.
"I hope there will be no trouble," was Harry's response.
"We need not worry about George," added Uraso. "The way that he wastaken shows that they are taking him to the Chief. A boy like Georgewould be likely to interest the Chief, at first for a time, and time isall we want."
"I am glad you have the same opinion as John," answered Harry.
John, Muro and Uraso held a conference that night. As a result Harry wascomforted to know and feel that George was safe, and that within a dayor two at most, they would be able to come up with the tribe.
The entire party now numbered thirty-five, all well armed. In themorning, as soon as it was light enough to see they were up, and after aquick breakfast Muro directed them along the trail made the nightbefore, and the spot where Muro found the trace was reached about nineo'clock.
John and his party now spread out so as to take in a wide expanse, andthey marched toward the east for fully two hours. Sometimes all traceswould be lost, and then there would be a halt and a search, and thenative wit of the scouts was generally acute enough to recover thetrail.
During these periodical searches, one of the men bounded forward with acry, as he held up a hand in which something was swinging.
As usual Harry was there like a shot. "That is George's chain," he criedout.
"Where did you find this?" asked John.
The scout rushed over to the place, and all followed. The ground aboutplainly showed the evidences of the struggle where George's captorsfought for the possession of the watch.
The trail was beginning to get warm. It was readily followed for severalmiles, and then disappeared, but after patient hunting it came to light,and shortly after noon the spot was reached where the Chief came on thescene, and the appearance of the ground indicated that there must havebeen a large number in the party.
Here was an occasion where one great quality of many savage tribesstands out so prominently, and that is in determining the number oftheir enemies by the foot prints. Hundreds of imprints on the soil,crossing and recrossing each other, will to the untrained seem ahopeless riddle.
On one occasion on Wonder Island, John stated that one of a party theywere trailing, was wounded in one of his legs. The explanation wassimple: The pressure of the foot in the soil was less on the lame thanon the sound leg, and the stride was uneven.
But the scouts had to decipher the peculiar imprint of each foot, andthen compare it with all the others, in turn.
"I could tell the difference in the shape of a shoe from another," saidHarry, "but I do not see how it is possible to tell one foot print fromanother."
"How do you distinguish people?" asked John.
"Well, usually, by their faces."
"Quite true. Now feet are just as different as faces are. But there areother ways by which we recognize people."
"Yes," was the response. "I can tell who many people are at distances sogreat that I cannot see their faces."
"How do you do that?"
"By the way they walk, by their size, or by some action that seems to bepeculiar to them."
"The observations are correct," answered John. "At the same time, if allthe men you knew happened to be in a crowd, and moving around among eachother, you would be able to recognize and place each without anydifficulty; is not that true!"
"Yes; and I think I understand the trend of your remark now."
"And what is that?"
"You mean to say that if the scouts are able to read, or to becomeacquainted with the foot prints, they can read them as readily as Iwould read the faces of my friends."
"That is the exact inference I wish to draw."
"Well, I want to see that done," and Harry followed up Uraso, andwatched Muro, and the most intelligent of the scouts, while theycarefully stepped over the ground, each being careful while doing so tostep in the foot marks of the preceding scout.
"That is a curious thing to do," he remarked, as he turned to John.
"What is that?" the latter asked.
"Stepping in the tracks made by the leader."
"That is for the purpose of keeping the surface of the ground absolutelythe same as the tribe left it."
"Well the boys seem to understand detective work pretty well."
All of them laughed at this complimentary allusion, as it must beunderstood that all the scouts taken from the island had learned tospeak the English language, and some of them, like Uraso, wereexceptionally skilled.
When the different ones had gone over the ground thoroughly, John askedthe opinion of the searchers.
"From my count there must have been twenty-four," remarked Uraso.
Muro smiled, as he said: "Uraso is mistaken, there are twenty-five."Uraso was not at all perturbed, but walked over to the surveyed plot andsaid: "The most prominent one is the fellow with the spreading toes.See! here is his left foot. See that broad foot is all around the place.This broad foot with a toe missing, is another fellow; and here are twowith rather long feet, you can see them all about, and they are, nodoubt, active fellows."
"Well, that is picking them out plainly enough," remarked Harry.
"But," continued Uraso, "I want you to look at this foot. It is thelargest I ever saw."
"I am satisfied that fellow is the Chief," remarked Muro.
"There is evidence of that here too," said Uraso, as Muro nodded hishead.
Harry looked on in bewilderment. "Assuredly that is something new. Howdo you know _that_?" he asked.
"The best indication is," said Uraso, "that the fellow with the big feetdoes very little walking, and all the other fellows have danced abouthim."
Harry laughed, and was satisfied. "That was certainly clever," heremarked. "But why shouldn't they be clever. These boys are the finestand bravest in the world," and Uraso and Muro smiled and were happy atthis encomium of the boy they all loved so much.
"The last foot I have counted is that little sawed-off sample tha
t hasdanced all around the edge; see it here, and here!"
Muro walked forward, and, stooping down, pointed to the imprint of ashoe, said: "That is our boy's shoe."
Uraso laughed, as he admitted neglecting George's presence in the crowdof prints. "But I have found something else. George has had an interviewwith the Chief. He has been making some explanations to the Chief abouthis revolver."
John smiled, and kept his eye on a tree to the right.
"And how do you know that?" asked Harry.
Uraso walked over to the tree, after picking up something, and pointedto a cut-out in the side of the tree. It was the mark of the bullet, andthe circular cut which George had made that John had observed, and whichhad been noticed by Uraso and Muro.
"The scene here looks very promising to me," said John.
"Yes, it is better and better," remarked Muro.
"But you haven't told us yet, how you know that George was interviewingthe Chief."
"Come here and I will show you. Now look closely at the foot prints ofGeorge. Then observe the indications as to the attitude of the Chief.George goes up to the Chief. They turn around. Here is a shell. Beyondis the tree where they had the mark, and here are the tracks of theChief and George as they go up to the tree."
Harry was now convinced. It must be said, however, that many of themarks made were so illy-defined, that it required extraordinary visionto observe them, and this is what Harry marveled at.
"What you say only proves the value of minute observation," remarkedJohn. "Those who are not accustomed to see these things, can not detectwhat are very plain markings. Sometimes a slightly torn leaf, undercertain conditions, will tell a story in itself,--just such acommonplace and ordinary thing as a ruptured leaf."
The consensus of opinion was that there were fully twenty-five in theparty counting George, and it is remarkable that when the matter wasafterwards investigated it was found that Uraso's count was right.
There were six in the party which took George, twelve who surrounded theparty before the Chief arrived, and five more were with him when he cameup.
Another consultation was held. John remarked: "I am of the opinion thatthe people who have captured George are not at all bad, or vindictive.Therefore we must exercise care and not needlessly injure any of them. Ineed not say that it is our purpose here to aid the people, to makefriends of them, and not enemies."
"That is in accordance with our wish," said Uraso, with the approval ofall present.
"It is perfectly evident that these people, in taking George, did whatmost people in a savage condition would do. The great and overshadowingtrait in humanity is to acquire something. It is just possible that thecartridge belt, or the field glasses, or the buttons on his coat were ofmore importance to them than George himself."
"Then you mean they had to get George to get the buttons," said Harry,laughing in his relief.
"Of course," answered John, and Muro laughed aloud, as he recalled hisfirst experiences with the boys.
"John has hit upon the very thing which is at the bottom of the wholebusiness. All we wanted was to get the trinket, and the prisonerbelonged to the Chief."
"Or to the Krishnos," remarked Muro.
"Well we might as well go on if we can find the trail," remarked John.
"Yes, it is plain enough now," answered one of them.
"But let us exercise caution," remarked John. "Move along slowly andkeep a sharp lookout on our flanks."
Harry was walking by the side of Uraso. There had always been a warmfriendship between the two. Lolo, Uraso's favorite son, was Harry's age,and the two were companions, and this was a source of great joy to theChief, for Uraso was the head man of the Osagas, and one of the mostprogressive of all the prominent men.
Harry was dangling the chain which had been found in the morning. "Ihave been wondering why he dropped this!" he asked.
"I have an idea that it was lost in the fight for the possession of thewatch."
"The fight? Why did they have a fight?"
"Well, the ground where the chain was found looked very much like it."
"I don't see why the fellows don't agree to divide up things properlywhen they get them, instead of scrambling for them in that way!"
"You can see it is perfectly natural for them to fight for it under thecircumstances. They do not understand anything but power."
"I should think the loser would be resentful, and try to even it up onthe other fellow," remarked Harry.
"On the other hand, the moment the stronger fellow wins, that is the endof the dispute. The best one won. In his creed there is no otherargument. That is the savage's religion. You people have told usdifferently. The Professor has often said: 'There is only thisdifference between us, with you, might is right; with us right ismight.'"
"Well, what do you really think about it now?" asked Harry.
Uraso did not smile, as he remarked somewhat sadly: "It took me a longtime to understand that. How could right be might? At first it lookedfoolish, and Muro and I talked it over many times. Then Oma, and Tastoaand Oroto, the other Chiefs, spoke to me about it. But while I did notunderstand it I had faith in the Professor.
"Then we went to Unity, and built the town, and the people began to gothere, and when we saw the Professor, and the way he treated every one,never doing a wrong to anybody, we could not believe that he was sane.But everywhere we went we heard people talking about him, and the way heacted, and we saw all the white people do the same as the Professor did,we noticed that no one would dare say a word against the Professor, orJohn.
"We marveled at that. The Professor went out among the people of all thetribes, and never carried a weapon of any kind. But no one would havedared to injure him. If a man had even attempted to injure him thepeople would have torn him to pieces. Then I understood. Right was andis _Might_, but it takes a savage a long time to understand it, and hemust learn it from something practical that comes to him in every daylife; he will never know it in any other way."
Harry walked on in silence.