CHAPTER XIV.
RESCUED!
Harold was deeply touched at the evidences of the fate which hadbefallen the occupants of his cousin's plantation.
"If there are any more of these to be found," pointing to their remains,"we might learn for a certainty whether the same fate befell them all."
The Seneca spoke a word to his followers and the four Indians spreadthemselves over the clearing. One more body was found--it was lying downnear the water as if killed in the act of making for the canoe.
"The others are probably there," Peter said, pointing to the ruins. "Thethree hands was killed in the fields, and most likely the attack wasmade at the same moment on the house. I'm pretty sure it was so, for thebody by the water lies face downward, with his head toward the lake. Hewas no doubt shot from behind as he was running. There must have beenInjuns round the house then, or he would have made for that instead ofthe water."
The Seneca touched Peter on the shoulder and pointed toward the farm. Afigure was seen approaching. As it came nearer they could see that hewas a tall man, dressed in the deerskin shirt and leggings usually wornby hunters. As he came near Harold gave an exclamation:
"It is Jack Pearson!"
"It are Jack Pearson," the hunter said, "but for the moment I can'trecollect ye, though yer face seems known. Why!" he exclaimed in changedtones, "it's that boy Harold growed into a man."
"It is," Harold replied, grasping the frontiersman's hand.
"And ye may know me, too," Peter Lambton said, "though it's twenty yearsince we fought side by side against the Mohawks."
"Why, old hoss, are you above ground still?" the hunter exclaimedheartily. "I'm glad to see you again, old friend. And what are you doinghere, you and Harold and these Senecas? For they is Senecas, sureenough. I've been in the woods for the last hour, and have been puzzlingmyself nigh to death. I seed them Injuns going about over the clearingsarching, and for the life of me I couldn't think what they werea-doing. Then I seed 'em gathered down here, with two white men among'em, so I guessed it was right to show myself."
"They were searching to see how many had fallen in this terriblebusiness," Harold said, pointing to the ruins. The hunter shook hishead.
"I'm afeared they've all gone under. I were here a week afterward; itwere just as it is now. I found the three hands lying killed and sculpedin the fields; the others, I reckon, is there. I has no doubt at allabout Bill Welch and his wife, but it may be that the gal has beencarried off."
"Do you think so?" Harold exclaimed eagerly. "If so, we may find her,too, with the other."
"What other?" Pearson, asked.
Harold gave briefly an account of the reason which had brought them tothe spot and of the object they had in view.
"You can count me in," Pearson said. "There's just a chance that NellyWelch may be in their hands still; and in any case I'm longing to draw abead on some of the varmints to pay 'em for this," and he looked roundhim, "and a hundred other massacres round this frontier."
"I'm glad to hear ye say so," Peter replied. "I expected as much of ye,Jack. I don't know much of this country, having only hunted here for afew weeks with a party of Delawares twenty year afore the Iroquois movedso far west."
"I know pretty nigh every foot of it," Jack Pearson said. "When theIroquois were quiet I used to do a deal of hunting in their country. Itare good country for game."
"Well! shall we set out at once?" Harold asked, impatient to be off.
"We can't move to-night," Pearson answered; and Harold saw that Peterand the Indians agreed with him.
"Why not?" he asked. "Every hour is of importance."
"That's so," Peter said, "but there's no going out on the lake to-night.In half an hour we'll have our first snowstorm, and by morning it willbe two foot deep."
Harold turned his eyes toward the lake and saw what his companions hadnoticed long before. The sky was overcast and a thick bank of hiddenclouds was rolling up across the lake, and the thick mist seemed to hangbetween the clouds and the water.
"That's snow," Peter said. "It's late this year, and I'd give my pensionif it was a month later."
"That's so," Pearson said. "Snow aint never pleasant in the woods, butwhen you're scouting round among Injuns it are a caution. We'd best makea shelter afore it comes on."
The two canoes were lifted from the water, unloaded, and turned bottomupward; a few charred planks, which had formed part of the roof of theouthouses, were brought and put up to form a sort of shelter. A fire waslit and a meal prepared. By this time the snow had begun to fall. Afterthe meal was over pipes were lit and the two hunters earnestly talkedover their plans, the Seneca chief throwing in a few words occasionally;the others listened quietly. The Indians left the matter in the hands oftheir chief, while Harold and Cameron knew that the two frontiersmen didnot need any suggestion from them. As to Jake, the thought of askingquestions never entered his mind. He was just at present less happy thanusual, for the negro, like most of his race, hated cold, and theprospect of wandering through the woods in deep snow made him shudderas he crouched close to the great fire they had built.
Peter and Jack Pearson were of opinion that it was exceedinglyprobable that the Welches had been destroyed by the very band whichhad carried off little Janet Cameron. The bodies of Indians who hadbeen on the war-path with the army had retired some six weeks before,and it was about that time, Pearson said, that the attack on thesettlements had been made.
"I heard some parties of redskins who had been with the Britishtroops had passed through the neighborhood, and there was reportsthat they were greatly onsatisfied with the results of the campaign.As likely as not some of that band may have been consarned in theattack on this place three year ago, and, passing nigh it, may havedetermined to wipe out that defeat. An Injun never forgives. Many oftheir braves fell here, and they could scarcely bring a more welcometrophy back to their villages than the scalps of Welch and his men."
"Now, the first thing to do," Peter said, "is to find out whatparticular chief took his braves with him to the war; then we've gotto find his village; and there likely enough we'll find Cameron'sdaughter and maybe the girl from here. How old was she?"
"About fifteen," Pearson said, "and a fine girl, and a pretty girl,too. I dun know," he went on after a pause, "which of the chiefs tookpart in the war across the lakes, but I suspect it were War Eagle.There's three great chiefs, and the other two were trading on thefrontier. It was War Eagle who attacked the place afore, and would bethe more likely to attack it again if he came anywheres near it. Hemade a mess of it afore and 'd be burning to wipe out his failure ifhe had a chance."
"Where is his place?"
"His village is the furthest of them all from here. He lives up nearthe falls of Sault Ste. Marie, betwixt Lakes Superior and Huron. It'sa village with nigh three hundred wigwams."
"It aint easy to see how it's to be done. We must make to the northshore of the lake. There'll be no working down here through thewoods; but it's a pesky difficult job--about as hard a one as ever Itook part in."
"It is that," Pearson said; "it can't be denied. To steal two whitegirls out of a big Injun village aint a easy job at no time; but withthe snow on the ground it comes as nigh to an impossibility asanything can do."
For another hour or two they talked over the route they should takeand their best mode of proceeding. Duncan Cameron sat and listenedwith an intent face to every word. Since he had joined them he hadspoken but seldom; his whole soul was taken up with the thought ofhis little daughter. He was ever ready to do his share and more thanhis share of the work of paddling and at the portages, but he neverjoined in the conversation; and of an evening, when the others satround the fire, he would move away and pace backward and forward inanxious thought until the fire burned low and the party wrappedthemselves in their blankets and went off to sleep.
All the time the conversation had been going on the snow had fallenheavily, and before it was concluded the clearing was covered deepwith the whit
e mantle. There was little wind, and the snow fellquietly and noiselessly. At night the Indians lay down round thefire, while the white men crept under the canoes and were soon fastasleep. In the morning it was still snowing, but about noon itcleared up. It was freezing hard, and the snow glistened as the sunburst through the clouds. The stillness of the forest was broken nowby sharp cracking sounds as boughs of trees gave way under the weightof the snow; in the open it lay more than two feet deep.
"Now," Peter said, "the sooner we're off the better."
"I'll come in my own canoe," Pearson said. "One of the Injuns cancome with me and we'll keep up with the rest."
"There is room for you in the other canoes," Harold said.
"Plenty of room," the hunter answered. "But you see, Harold, the morecanoes the better. There aint no saying how close we may be chased,and by hiding up the canoes at different places we give ourselves somuch more chance of being able to get to one or the other. They'reall large canoes, and at a pinch any one of them might hold the hullparty, with the two gals throwed in. But," he added to Harold in alow voice, "don't you build too much on these gals, Harold. Iwouldn't say so while that poor fellow's listening, but the chance isa desperate poor one, and I think we'll be mighty lucky ef we don'tleave all our scalps in that 'ere redskin village." The traps weresoon placed in the canoes, and just as the sun burst out the threeboats started. It was a long and toilsome journey. Stormy weather setin, and they were obliged to wait for days by the lake till itssurface calmed. On these occasions they devoted themselves to huntingand killed several deer. They knew that there were no Indian villagesnear, and in such weather it would be improbable that any redskinswould be in the woods. They were enabled, therefore, to fire withoutfear of the reports betraying their presence. The Senecas took theopportunity of fabricating snowshoes for the whole party, as thesewould be absolutely necessary for walking in the woods. Harold, Jake,and Duncan Cameron at once began to practice their use. The negro wascomical in the extreme in his first attempts, and shouted so loudlywith laughter each time that he fell head foremost into the snow thatPeter said to him angrily:
"Look-a-here, Jake; it's dangerous enough letting off a rifle at adeer in these woods, but it has to be done because we must lay in asupply of food; but a musket-shot is a mere whisper to yer shouting.Thunder aint much louder than you laughing--it shakes the hull placeand might be heard from here well-nigh to Montreal. Ef you can't keepthat mouth of your'n shut, ye must stop up the idee of learning to usethem shoes and must stop in the canoe while we're scouting on shore."
Jake promised to amend, and from this time when he fell in the softsnow-wreaths he gave no audible vent to his amusement; but a pair ofgreat feet, with the snow-shoes attached, could be seen waving abovethe surface until he was picked up and righted again.
Harold soon learned, and Cameron went at the work with grimearnestness. No smile ever crossed his face at his own accidents orat the wild vagaries of Jake, which excited silent amusement evenamong the Indians. In a short time the falls were less frequent, andby the time they reached the spot where they were determined to crossthe lake at the point where Lakes Huron and Michigan join, the threenovices were able to make fair progress in the snow-shoes.
The spot fixed upon was about twelve miles from the village of WarEagle, and the canoes were hidden at distances of three miles apart.First Pearson, Harold, and Cameron disembarked; Jake, Peter, and oneof the Indians alighted at the next point; and the Seneca chief andtwo of his followers proceeded to the spot nearer to the Indianvillage. Each party as they landed struck straight into the woods, tounite at a point eight miles from the lake and as many from thevillage. The hunters had agreed that, should any Indians come acrossthe tracks, less suspicion would be excited than would have been thecase were they found skirting the river, as it might be thought thatthey were made by Indians out hunting.
Harold wondered how the other parties would find the spot to whichPearson had directed them, but in due time all arrived at therendezvous. After some search a spot was found where the underwoodgrew thickly, and there was an open place in the center of the clump.In this the camp was established. It was composed solely of a lowtent of about two feet high, made of deer's hides sewed together, andlarge enough to shelter them all. The snow was cleared away, stickswere driven into the frozen ground, and strong poles laid acrossthem; the deerskin was then laid flat upon these. The top was littlehigher than the general level of the snow, an inch or two of snow wasscattered over it, and to anyone passing outside the bushes the tentwas completely invisible.
The Indians now went outside the thicket and with great careobliterated, as far as possible, the marks upon the snow. This couldnot be wholly done, but it was so far complete that the slightestwind which would send a drift over the surface would wholly concealall traces of passage.
They had, before crossing the lake, cooked a supply of foodsufficient for some days. Intense as was the cold outside, it wasperfectly warm in the tent. The entrance as they crept into it wasclosed with a blanket, and in the center a lamp composed of deer'sfat in a calabash with a cotton wick gave a sufficient light.
"What is the next move?" Harold asked.
"The chief 'll start, when it comes dusk, with Pearson," Peter said."When they git close to the village he'll go in alone. He'll paintIroquois before he goes."
"Cannot we be near at hand to help them in case of a necessity,"Harold asked.
"No," Peter said. "It wouldn't be no good at all. Ef it comes tofighting they're fifty to one, and the lot of us would have no morechance than two. If they're found out, which aint likely, they mustrun for it, and they can get over the snow a deal faster than youcould, to say nothing of Cameron and Jake. They must shift forthemselves and 'll make straight for the nearest canoe. In the forestthey must be run down sooner or later, for their tracks would beplain. No, they must go alone."
When night came on the Seneca produced his paints, and one of hisfollowers marked his face and arms with the lines and flourishes inuse by the Iroquois; then without a word of adieu he took his rifleand glided out from the tent, followed by Pearson. Peter also put onhis snow-shoes and prepared to follow.
"I thought you were going to stay here, Peter."
"No, I'm going halfway with 'em. I'll be able to hear the sound of agun. Then, ef they're trapped, we must make tracks for the canoes atonce, for after following 'em to the lake they're safe to take uptheir back track to see where they've come from; so, ef I hear a gun,I'll make back here as quick as I can come."
When the three men had started silence fell on the tent. The redskinsat once lay down to sleep, and Jake followed their example. Haroldlay quiet thinking over the events which had happened to him in thelast three years, while Cameron lay with his face turned toward thelamp with a set, anxious look on his face. Several times he crawledto the entrance and listened when the crack made by some breakingbough came to his ear. Hours passed and at last Harold dozed off, butCameron's eyes never closed until about midnight the blanket at theentrance moved and Peter entered.
"Hae ye seen the ithers?" Cameron exclaimed.
"No, and were not likely to," Peter answered. "It was all still tothe time I came away, and afore I moved I was sure they must haveleft the village. They won't come straight back, bless ye; they'll go'way in the opposite direction and make a sweep miles round. They maynot be here for hours yet; not that there's much chance of theirtracks being traced. It has not snowed for over a week, and the snowround the village must be trampled thick for a mile and more, withthe squaws coming and going for wood and the hunters going out on thechase. I've crossed a dozen tracks or more on my way back. Ef itwasn't for that we daren't have gone at all, for ef the snow was newfallen the sight of fresh tracks would have set the first Injun thatcome along a-wondering; and when a redskin begins to wonder he setsto to ease his mind at once by finding out all about it, ef it takeshim a couple of days' sarch to do so. No, you can lie down now forsome hours. They won't be here till morning."
So saying, the scout set the example by wrapping himself up and goingto sleep, but Cameron's eyes never closed until the blanket was drawnon one side again and in the gray light of the winter morning theSeneca and Pearson crawled into the tent.
"What news?" Harold asked, for Cameron was too agitated to speak.
"Both gals are there," Pearson answered.
An exclamation of thankfulness broke from Harold. A sob of joy issuedfrom the heart of the Scotchman, and for a few minutes his lips movedas he poured forth his silent thankfulness to God.
"Waal, tell us all about it," Peter said. "I can ask the chief anyquestions afterward."
"We went on straight enough to the village," the hunter began. "Itare larger than when I saw it last, and War Eagle's influence in thetribe must have increased. I didn't expect to find no watch, theredskins having, so far as they knew, no enemies within five hundredmile of 'em. There was a lot of fires burning and plenty of redskinsmoving about among 'em. We kept on till we got quite close, and thenwe lay up for a time below a tree at the edge of the clearing. Therewere a sight too many of 'em about for the Seneca to go in yetawhile. About half an hour arter we got there we saw two white galscome outen one of the wigwams and stand for a while to warmtheirselves by one of the fires. The tallest of the two, well-nigh awoman, was Nelly Welch. I knew her, in course. The other was three orfour years younger, with yaller hair over her shoulders. Nelly seemedquiet and sad-like, but the other 'peared more at home--she laughedwith some of the redskin gals and even jined in their play. You see,"he said, turning to Cameron, "she'd been captured longer andchildren's spirits soon rise again. Arter a while they went back tothe wigwam. When the fires burned down and the crowd thinned, andthere was only a few left sitting in groups round the embers, theSeneca started. For a long time I saw nothing of him, but once ortwice I thought I saw a figure moving among the wigwams. Presentlythe fires burned quite down and the last Injun went off. I had begunto wonder what the chief was doing, when he stood beside me. We madetracks at once and have been tramping in a long circle all night. Thechief can tell ye his part of the business hisself."
"Well, chief, what have you found out?" Peter asked.
The Indian answered in his native tongue, which Peter interpretedfrom time to time for the benefit of his white companions:
"When Deer Tail left the white hunter he went into the village. Itwas no use going among the men, and he went round by the wigwams andlistened to the chattering of the squaws. The tribe were all wellcontented, for the band brought back a great deal of plunder whichthey had picked up on their way back from the army. They had lost nobraves and everyone was pleased. The destruction of the settlement ofthe white man who had repulsed them before was a special matter forrejoicing. The scalps of the white man and his wife are in thevillage. War Eagle's son, Young Elk, is going to marry the whitegirl. There are several of the braves whose heads have been turned bythe white skin and her bright eyes, but Young Elk is going to haveher. There have been great feastings and rejoicings since the returnof the warriors, but they are to be joined tomorrow by Beaver's band,and then they will feast again. When all was quiet I went to thewigwam where the white girls are confined. An old squaw and two ofWar Eagle's daughters are with them. Deer Tail had listened whilethey prepared for rest and knew on which side of the wigwam the tallwhite maiden slept. He thought that she would be awake. Her heartwould be sad and sleep would not come to her soon, so he crept roundthere and cut a slit in the skin close to where she lay. He put hishead in at the hole and whispered, 'Do not let the white girl beafraid; it is a friend. Does she hear him?' She whispered, 'Yes.''Friends are near,' he said. 'The young warrior Harold, whom sheknows, and others, are at hand to take her away. The Iroquois will befeasting to-morrow night. When she hears the cry of a night-owl lether steal away with her little white sister and she will find herfriends waiting.' Then Deer Tail closed the slit and stole away tohis friend the white hunter. I have spoken."
"Jest what I expected of you, chief," Peter said warmly. "I thoughtas how you'd manage to git speech with 'em somehow. If there's afeast to-night, it's hard ef we don't manage to get 'em off."
"I suppose we must lie still all day, Peter."
"You must so," the hunter said. "Not a soul must show his noseoutside the tent except that one of the redskins'll keep watch to besure that no straggler has come across our tracks and followed 'emup. Ef he was to do that, he might bring the hull gang down on us.Ye'd best get as much sleep as ye can, for ye don't know when ye mayget another chance."
At nightfall the whole party issued from the tent and started towardthe Indian village. All arrangements had been made. It was agreedthat Pearson and the Seneca should go up to the village, the formerbeing chosen because he was known to Nelly. Peter and one of theredskins were to take post a hundred yards further back, ready togive assistance in case of alarm, while the rest were to remain abouthalf a mile distant. Cameron had asked that he might go with theadvance party, but upon Peter pointing out to him that hiscomparatively slow rate of progression in snow-shoes would, in caseof discovery, lead to the recapture of the girls, he at once agreedto the decision. If the flight of the girls was discovered soon afterleaving the camp, it was arranged that the Seneca and Peter shouldhurry at once with them to the main body, while the other two Indiansshould draw off their pursuers in another direction. In the event ofanything occurring to excite the suspicion of the Indians beforethere was a chance of the girls being brought safely to the mainbody, they were to be left to walk quietly back to camp, as they hadnothing to fear from the Indians. Peter and the Seneca were then towork round by a circuitous route to the boat, where they were to bejoined by the main body, and to draw off until another opportunityoffered for repeating the attempt.
It was eight o'clock in the evening when Pearson and the Senecaapproached the village. The fires were burning high, and seated roundthem were all the warriors of the tribe. A party were engaged in adance representing the pursuit and defeat of an enemy. The women werestanding in an outer circle, clapping their hands and raising theirvoices in loud cries of applause and excitement as the dance becamefaster and faster. The warriors bounded high, brandishing theirtomahawks. A better time could not have been chosen for the evasionof the fugitives. Nelly Welch stood close to a number of Indiangirls, but slightly behind them. She held the hand of little JanetCameron.
Although she appeared to share in the interest of the Indians in thedance, a close observer would have had no difficulty in perceivingthat Nelly was preoccupied. She was, indeed, intently listening forthe signal. She was afraid to move from among the others lest herabsence should be at once detected, but so long as the noise wasgoing on she despaired of being able to hear the signal agreed upon.Presently an Indian brave passed close to her, and as he did sowhispered in her ear in English, "Behind your wigwam--friends there."Then he passed on and moved round the circle as if intending to takehis seat at another point.
The excitement of the dance was momentarily increasing, and theattention of the spectators was riveted to the movements of theperformers. Holding Janet's hand, Nelly moved noiselessly away fromthe place where she had been standing. The movement was unnoticed, asshe was no longer closely watched, a flight in the depth of winterappearing impossible. She kept round the circle till no longervisible from the spot she had left. Then, leaving the crowd, she madeher way toward the nearest wigwams. Once behind these the girls stolerapidly along under their shelter until they stood behind that whichthey usually inhabited. Two figures were standing there. Theyhesitated for a moment, but one of them advanced.
"Jack Pearson!" Nelly exclaimed, with a low cry of gladness.
"Jest that same, Nelly, and right glad to see you. But we've no timefor greeting now; the hull tribe may be after us in another fiveminutes. Come along, pretty," he said, turning to Janet. "You'll findsomebody ye know close at hand."
Two minutes later the child was in her father's arms, and after amoment's rapturous greeting between father and child and
a verydelighted one between Nelly Welch and her Cousin Harold, the flightwas continued.
"How long a start do you think we may have?"
"Half an hour, maybe. The women may be some time afore they miss her,and they'll sarch for her everywhere afore they give the alarm, asthey'll be greatly blamed for their carelessness."
There had been a pause in the flight for a few seconds when theSeneca and Pearson arrived with the girls at the point where Peterand the other Indian were posted, two hundred yards from the camp. Upto this point the snow was everywhere thickly trampled, but as thecamp was left further behind the footprints would naturally becomemore scarce. Here Pearson fastened to the girls' feet two pairs oflarge moccasins; inside these wooden soles had been placed. Theytherefore acted to some extent like snowshoes and prevented thegirls' feet from sinking deeply, while the prints which they leftbore no resemblance to their own. They were strapped on the wrongway, so that the marks would seem to point toward the village ratherthan away from it. Both girls protested that they should not be ableto get along fast in these encumbrances, but one of the men postedhimself on either side of each and assisted them along, and as themoccasins were very light, even with the wooden soles inside, theywere soon able to move with them at a considerable pace.
Once united the whole party kept along at the top of their speed.Peter Lambton assisted Cameron with Janet, and the girl, half-liftedfrom the ground, skimmed over the surface like a bird, only touchingthe snow here and there with the moccasins. Nelly Welch needed noassistance from Harold or Pearson. During the long winters she hadoften practiced on snow-shoes, and was consequently but littleencumbered with the huge moccasins, which to some extent served thesame purpose.
They had been nearly half an hour on their way when they heard atremendous yell burst from the village.
"They've missed you," Peter said. "Now it's a fair race. We've got agood start and 'll git more, for they'll have to hunt up the tracesvery carefully, and it may be an hour, perhaps more, before theystrike upon the right one. Ef the snow had been new fallen we shouldhave had 'em arter us in five minutes; but even a redskin's eye willbe puzzled to find out at night one track among such hundreds."
"I have but one fear," Pearson said to Harold.
"What is that?"
"I'm afeared that without waiting to find the tracks they may sendoff half a dozen parties to the lake. They'll be sure that friendshave taken the gals away, and will know that their only chance ofescape is by the water. On land we should be hunted down to acertainty, and the redskins, knowing that the gals could not travelfast, will not hurry in following up the trail. So I think they'll atonce send off parties to watch the lake, and 'll like enough make noeffort to take up the trail till to-morrow morning."
This was said in a low whisper, for although they were more than twomiles from the village it was necessary to move as silently aspossible.
"You had best tell the others what you think, Pearson. It may make adifference in our movements."
A short halt was called, and the Seneca and Peter quite agreed withPearson's idea.
"We'd best make for the canoe that's furthest off. When the redskinsfind the others, which they're pretty sure to do, for they'll huntevery bush, they're likely to be satisfied and to make sure they'llketch us at one or the other."
This much decided upon, they continued their flight, now lessrapidly, but in perfect silence. Speed was less an object thanconcealment. The Indians might spread, and a party might come acrossthem by accident. If they could avoid this, they were sure to reachtheir canoe before morning and unlikely to find the Indians therebefore them.
It was about twelve miles to the spot where they had hidden thecanoe, and although they heard distant shouts and whoops ringingthrough the forest, no sound was heard near them.