CHAPTER XXXV.
Jake Golcher and Habakkuk McEwen were evidently old acquaintances, andthe Tory seemed to be trying to identify him through the paint that wasdaubed over his countenance in such a loose fashion.
Suddenly the Tory broke into a laugh and exclaimed:
"It's him, as sure as creation! I thought it when I first set eyes onyou. Where did you come from, and why are you got up in that flowerystyle?"
"Sh! sh! sh!" exclaimed McEwen, contracting his brows and shaking hishead; "I don't want these folks to know who I am. Don't speak my name."
"And why not?" asked the other, with another laugh, as he came closer tothe captive.
"They think I'm a friend to 'em; they don't know I'm a Tory that comeinto the valley to raise partic'lar mischief with the settlers."
Jake Golcher immediately became very sober and drew still closer toMcEwen, still gazing sharply into his face. Then he asked in a lowvoice, which, however, was distinctly heard by the whites, so perfectwas the stillness at that moment.
"Do you expect me to believe that?"
"You kin do as you please about it, but I've been with Colonel JohnButler's forces for three days."
"Where was you during the battle this afternoon?"
"_I was there_," was the unblushing response; "I was out yesterday witha scouting party under Ke-fi-ke-fa, the son of Queen Esther, who wasshot by a party of settlers."
Whether Habakkuk spoke all truth or not, the Tory knew he uttered it sofar as concerned the son of Katharine Montour, queen of the Senecas. Herson was killed on the day preceding, as declared by the prisoner, and itwas that cause, as I have already intimated, which served to excite herto such a pitch of fury during the battle and massacre.
Jake Golcher looked at him again with the same searching gaze, asthough he was partly convinced and sought to make sure by reading hiscountenance.
"What made you paint yourself up in this fashion?"
"So as to be took for an Injin."
"What did you want to be took for an Injin for?"
"Wouldn't I have more chance to do hot work?"
"I don't see why," was the response.
"Wal, if you had been near me you would have seen. I scared these folkshalf to death, but, when they found out who I was, they was dreadfulsweet onto me. That give me the chance I wanted with them, and then whenthe Senecas and our own boys seen me, they didn't interfere, so I had afree path to travel."
"How comes it you're in this scrape?"
"I got in among these folks so as to turn 'em over to you, and if ithadn't been for me you'd never got 'em neither."
"How do you make that out?"
"I knowed they meant to fight hard in the cavern, as they showed bypicking off a couple of your warriors, but I got 'em to come out andmove off up the ravine, knowing sartin sure they would walk into thetrap that you had sot for 'em."
Jake Golcher seemed to be astounded at this statement, and his mannershowed he was half persuaded there was some truth in it. If the fellowwas really a Tory like himself he had no wish to harm him, but he wasnot fully persuaded, and he turned to Mr. Brainerd.
"You heard what he said, didn't you?"
"Not being deaf, I did."
"Do you know whether he speaks the truth or not?"
"I don't know, and what's more I don't care; I know one thing, he didn'trender us the slightest help, and in my opinion there is only one biggercoward and scoundrel in the country, and that's yourself."
Mr. Brainerd looked the Tory straight in the eye as he uttered thesedefiant words, and the latter winced under the indignation of an honestman.
Golcher stood for a moment irresolute, his eye wandering up and downthe line, until it happened to rest on Aunt Peggy.
"Oh, don't you wink at me that way, you scand'lous villain," sheexclaimed, shaking her head; "if you say a word to me, or come anynearer, I'll scratch your eyes out!"
The Tory moved a little farther off.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Fred Godfrey, as may well be supposed, was amazed at the words ofHabakkuk McEwen, but he believed the fellow was simply descending tothis subterfuge in the hope of saving his life.
Understanding the nature of the man as well as he did, he could not findfault, and he made an effort to help him, without telling a clearuntruth.
"I can say that before and after I joined my friends, he behaved verydifferently from the others."
"How?"
"He was asked to do several things for their benefit and refused, and hefavored this attempt to get away by leaving the place where we had takenshelter in the rocks."
"That's because he was too cowardly to do anything else," broke in Mr.Brainerd.
"Did lie fire either of those shots that brought down a couple of ourmen?"
"I believe not-did he, Mr. Brainerd?"
"No; he can't shoot well enough to hit a flock of barns ten feet off,and he shivered so with fear he couldn't hold his gun in hand."
"That's a lie!" exclaimed Habakkuk, who began to feel hopeful; "I had adozen chances to pick off some of the red men and I wouldn't do it,'cause I was their friend."
"Wal, I'll 'tend to you after awhile," said Golcher, puzzled by the turnmatters had taken. "You folks may sit down on the log a while, and I'll'tend to another matter."
During this curious conversation the Senecas were grouped on the otherside of the camp-fire, so that the faces of captors as well as capturedwere shown in the glare of the blaze, upon which more wood was flung.
Fred Godfrey regretted this, having resolved to make a break wheneverthe chance presented itself, for there was no mercy to be expected forhim. The Senecas were impatient, and he was well aware that JakeGolcher hated him with a hatred that would stop at nothing in the wayof suffering.
If convinced that the death of a soldier would be his, he would havestayed and died, like the brave youth he was.
But once away and he might do something for those who were dearer to himthan his own life.
While he stood listening to the conversation recorded, he sought tofinish that which he had tried to accomplish all the way thither--thatwas, to loosen the bonds that held his elbows and wrists as if they werebound with iron.
He could not make any progress, and he began to feel as though he haddeferred the step too long. He thought to have overturned his immediateguards, and dashed in the woods, before reaching the camp of theSenecas.
This was destined to be an eventful night to all concerned. The Tory hadtaken a step toward Maggie Brainerd, with the manifest intention ofaddressing her, when a new-comer appeared on the scene, in the person ofan Indian runner from the other side of the river.
It was evident he came from high authorities, with orders. From whatfollowed, it is probable that the leaders of the Indians and Tories feltthere was need of additional forces on the western bank, to complete thework of which much still remained to do.
Forty Fort, which contained many of the settlers, and women andchildren, had not yet surrendered, and the massacre could not becompleted so long as a remnant of the patriots held out.
That such was the errand of the runner appeared from the fact that headdressed himself directly to Gray Panther, who the next moment summonedGolcher to his side, and the three held a brief conversation.
The captives naturally fixed their attention on them and noticed thatthey gesticulated, and the Tory indulged in a number of expressions inEnglish that were of a vigorous nature.
Some of the Senecas sauntered over in front of the sorrowful group, andlooked at them with natural curiosity. Habakkuk McEwen, on account ofhis fantastic dress and paint, still attracted the most notice, and someof the warriors ventured on a remark or two in their own tongue, but hemade no answer, and did his utmost to maintain a dignified bearing.
"Habakkuk," said Fred Godfrey, in a low voice, "what did you mean bytelling that wretch such a story?"
"Sh! keep quiet," replied McEwen, in an undertone, and without lookingtoward the one he was addressi
ng; "you know it's my only chance."
There was a moment of silence, when both Fred and his father weredisposed to suspect the fellow of treachery, but second thoughtconvinced them that he meant well enough, and was only making a naturaleffort to gain the favor of the man who held his life in his hands.
It was in accordance with the natural instinct of the fellow, who wasmore than willing to resort to any artifice that promised to avert thedoom hanging over his head.
It is scarcely necessary to say that he was the only one who would askmercy at the hands of Jake Golcher, or who would pretend any sentimentother than an utter abhorrence of him.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
The conference between Golcher and the chief, Gray Panther, wasvigorous, even if brief. Orders of such a positive nature had been sentthat it was probable neither dared disregard them.
The Seneca chief called eight of his warriors about him, said somethingin his guttural fashion, and then he and they disappeared in the wood.
It looked as if they had been commanded to cross the river and join themain force on the western bank in some important enterprise.
This left precisely eleven Indians, so far as could be seen, with JakeGolcher to carry out his designs. When Fred Godfrey realized the size ofthe force, he said in an undertone to his father:
"If we only had our guns now, we could make a good fight against them."
"But we haven't--so what's the use of talking of an impossibility?"
It was apparent to the fugitives, who were watching everything, thatGolcher himself was a little uneasy over the shape matters had taken.Instead of going to where the captives were sitting on the fallen tree,he stood apart with two of the warriors, discussing something with asmuch earnestness as he had talked to Gray Panther.
The meaning of this was soon made plain, when he came over, and,addressing Habakkuk McEwen, said loud enough for all ears:
"We've concluded to move camp."
"What's that for?" asked the New Englander.
"None of your business," was the reply, given with equal promptness.
The anxiety of McEwen to gain the good-will of his master, however,would not permit him to hold his peace, and he hastened to interjectseveral questions.
"I say, Jake, ain't you going to unfasten these twists of wood that arecutting my arms almost in two? I think them Injins must have took acouple of hickory saplings to bind me."
"I ain't satisfied about you, yet," said the Tory, in that hesitatingmanner that showed he was pretty well convinced that his prisoner, afterall, was what he professed to be, although, for some reason, he chose torestrain his indorsement to him.
"Wal, you orter be," growled Habakkuk; "I'm the best Tory in the WyomingValley; and this is a purty way to sarve me."
The renegade smiled, as if he rather liked that kind of talk, but he didnot make any move to relieve his captive of his bonds. Within the nextthree minutes the entire party were moving through the wood toward somepoint of whose locality the prisoners had no idea.
Mr. Brainerd was glad, for he was hopeful it would give Fred thedesperate chance for which he was waiting. During the last few minutesthe father had regained some degree of hope, and he looked to the daringyoung lieutenant to give a good account of himself, should any openingappear.
As for Fred, himself, he was on the alert; but it must have been thatthe subtle Jake Golcher suspected the truth, for he took extremeprecaution.
The ladies walked in front this time, with a couple of Indians on eitherside, McEwen and Brainerd came next, while Fred was honored with fourwarriors, who were as wide-awake as cats. The one on his right and theone on his left kept a hand on his shoulder, so as to detect the firstmove; and, as his wrists and his elbows were securely held together, itwas inevitable that the first instant he made a break, no matter howskillfully done, that instant he would be killed.
Fred could not fail to see this, and he was too wise to give any pretextfor violence toward him.
"They will not keep such close watch all the way," he thought. "We havea considerable distance to walk, and I shall have the chance after alittle while--hello!"
To his chagrin the halt was made at that moment.
Hardly had the shadowy figures come to a standstill, when one of theSenecas dropped on his knees and began using a flint and steel, sendingout a shower of sparks like that seen from an emery-wheel. In a fewseconds a bright fire was under headway.
The Indians had simply changed their quarters--that was all. The curiousthing about it was, the two places were no more than a couple of hundredyards apart, and were so alike that but for the starting of the newfire, the captives would have believed they were the same.
The meaning of this movement was a mystery to those chiefly concerned,but they could do nothing less than accept it.
When the camp-fire was crackling and threw out a bright glow in everydirection, the resemblance to the spot just vacated was found to bestill more striking.
There was the fallen tree, upon which the companions in captivity seatedthemselves, looking questioningly in each others' faces, but they nowheard the plash and murmur of some small waterfall, that was not intheir ears a brief while before. That was about the only proof thatthey had really made a change of base.
Under the directions of Jake Golcher, the fuel was heaped upon the fire,so that it was practically mid-day so far as captors and captives wereconcerned.
Mr. Brainerd looked reproachfully at Fred and said, in a low voice:
"I didn't expect to see _you_ here when we stopped."
"And I hoped I wouldn't be, but there has not been the ghost of achance."
"I don't see when or where we shall get a better one; I don't propose tosit here and let them tomahawk us to death, as Queen Esther did withthose poor wretches this afternoon."
"We may not be able to prevent it; but as I made an effort then, so Iwill this time, when worst comes to worst."
"What in the name of the seven wonders was this change made for?"
"I can scarcely form an idea, but there must have been some cause."
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
For a time Jake Golcher paid no attention to the whites, but watched theSenecas, while they plied the roaring fire, as though it gave him a gooddeal of satisfaction.
In counting the Indians, Fred Godfrey saw that two were missing, butbefore he formed any guess as to the cause of their absence theyreappeared, their coming announced by the terrific squealing of a youngpig, that they had managed to steal somewhere.
As they entered the circle of light, they were seen to be holding aplump little porker between them, while he struggled fiercely andemitted screams like the shriek of a locomotive whistle.
It was a piece of good fortune that they were enabled to secure such aprize, when so many of the fugitives from Wyoming almost perished withhunger.
The cries of the little porker were soon hushed in death, and he wasdressed with considerable skill. Conveniences not being at hand forscalding him, it became necessary to prepare him for the table withoutthat desirable process.
When he was ready for the coals the latter were raked out, and AuntPeggy was invited to come forward and display her skill.
"I'd like to see me cook for you scand'lous villains," she snapped out;"I would do it if I had a lot of p'ison to put in the meat, but nototherwise."
Her refusal probably would have ended in serious consequences toherself, but Mr. Brainerd and Maggie urged her to comply, all sayingthey were extremely hungry, and in no other way would they be able tosecure any food.
In deference to their wishes she stepped forward, and, being furnishedwith a keen hunting-knife by one of the warriors, plied it with theskill for which she became famous years before.
The pig was in prime condition, and, if properly prepared, would havemade an enjoyable delicacy for the table.
But time and circumstances did not favor elaborate cookery, and AuntPeggy, in grim silence, cut off slices that were nicely broiled by beingskewered
with green sticks, and held over the glowing coals.
In a few minutes a thin steak was browned and ready for the palate.
"I'll take that, old woman," said Jake Golcher, reaching out for it.
"I'd like to see you get it," said the lady, whipping it away from him;"you good-for-nothing, scand'lous villain, don't you know that ladiesorter be waited on fust?"
And with these scarifying words, she walked over to Maggie and Eva, and,cutting the steak in two, handed half to each.
"That's just what I was going to do," growled Golcher, annoyed by thebroad grin that illuminated Caucasian and American faces alike.
"You know it's a falsehood," replied Aunt Peggy, in the same pepperystyle; "you're too mean ever to think of anything decent andChristian-like, you vagabond--oh-h-h-h, how I ache to get hold of you!"
The Tory fought rather shy of her, for in sooth she was a lady to bedreaded.
Eva Brainerd walked straight to where her father sat, and said:
"Papa, I shall not eat a mouthful until you do."
"I can't eat very conveniently with my hands tied behind me, but I shallnever consent to devour that and allow you to go hungry."
"But I can get more of Aunt Peggy."
"Perhaps so and perhaps not."
"Then we will eat it between us. There, you take a bite and I will dothe same, and we will keep it up until nothing is left."
"That _is_ a good arrangement," replied her parent, smiling at theingenuity of the affectionate child, and complying with her request.