CHAPTER XVI. THE FIRST BLOW
Summer was now waning, the foliage was taking on its autumn hues, andIndian war parties still surged over the hills and mountains, but thefive avoided them all. On one or two occasions they would have beenwilling to stop and fight, but they had bigger work on hand. They hadreceived from others confirmation of the report that Long Jim had heardfrom the hunters, and they were quite sure that a strong force wasadvancing to strike the first blow in revenge for Wyoming. Curiouslyenough, this body was commanded by a fourth Butler, Colonel WilliamButler, and according to report it was large and its leaders capable.
When the avenging force lay at the Johnstown settlement on the Delaware,it was joined by the five. They were introduced to the colonel by thecelebrated scout and hunter, Tini Murphy, whom they had met severaltimes in the woods, and they were received warmly.
"I've heard of you," said Colonel Butler with much warmth, "both fromhunters and scouts, and also from Adam Colfax. Two of you were to havebeen tomahawked by Queen Esther at Wyoming."
Henry indicated the two.
"What you saw at Wyoming is not likely to decrease your zeal against theIndians and their white allies," continued Colonel Butler.
"Anyone who was there," said Henry, "would feel all his life, the desireto punish those who did it."
"I think so, too, from all that I have heard," continued Colonel Butler."It is the business of you young men to keep ahead of our column andwarn us of what lies before us. I believe you have volunteered for thatduty."
The five looked over Colonel Butler's little army, which numbered onlytwo hundred and fifty men, but they were all strong and brave, and itwas the best force that could yet be sent to the harassed border.It might, after all, strike a blow for Wyoming if it marched into noambush, and Henry and his comrades were resolved to guard it from thatgreatest of all dangers.
When the little column moved from the Johnstown settlement, the fivewere far ahead, passing through the woods, up the Susquehanna, towardthe Indian villages that lay on its banks, though a great distance aboveWyoming. The chief of these was Oghwaga, and, knowing that it was thedestination of the little army, they were resolved to visit it, or atleast come so near it that they could see what manner of place it was.
"If it's a big village," said Colonel Butler, "it will be too strongto attack, but it may be that most of the warriors are absent onexpeditions."
They had obtained before starting very careful descriptions of theapproaches to the village, and toward the close of an October eveningthey knew that they were near Oghwaga, the great base of the Iroquoissupplies. They considered it very risky and unwise to approach in thedaytime, and accordingly they lay in the woods until the dark shouldcome.
The appearance of the wilderness had changed greatly in the threemonths since Wyoming. All the green was now gone, and it was tintedred and yellow and brown. The skies were a mellow blue, and there was aslight haze over the forest, but the air had the wonderful crispness andfreshness of the American autumn. It inspired every one of the five withfresh zeal and energy, because they believed the first blow was about tobe struck.
About ten o'clock at night they approached Oghwaga, and the reportsof its importance were confirmed. They had not before seen an Indianvillage with so many signs of permanence. They passed two or threeorchards of apple and peach trees, and they saw other indications ofcultivation like that of the white farmer.
"It ain't a bad-lookin' town," said Long Jim Hart. "But it'll lookwuss," said Shif'less Sol, "onless they've laid an ambush somewhar.I don't like to see houses an' sech like go up in fire an' smoke, butafter what wuz done at Wyomin' an' all through that valley, burnin' is alight thing."
"We're bound to strike back with all our might," said Paul, who had thesoftest heart of them all.
"Now, I wonder who's in this here town," said Tom Ross. "MebbeTimmendiquas an' Brant an' all them renegades."
"It may be so," said Henry. "This is their base and store of supplies.Oh, if Colonel Butler were only here with all his men, what a rush wecould make!"
So great was their eagerness that they crept closer to the village,passing among some thick clusters of grapevines. Henry was in the lead,and he heard a sudden snarl. A large cur of the kind that infest Indianvillages leaped straight at him.
The very suddenness of the attack saved Henry and his comrades from theconsequences of an alarm. He dropped his rifle instinctively, and seizedthe dog by the throat with both hands. A bark following the snarl hadrisen to the animal's throat, but it was cut short there. The hands ofthe great youth pressed tighter and tighter, and the dog was lifted fromthe earth. The four stood quietly beside their comrade, knowing that noalarm would be made now.
The dog kicked convulsively, then hung without motion or noise. Henrycast the dead body aside, picked up his rifle, and then all five of themsank softly down in the shelter of the grapevines. About fifteen yardsaway an Indian warrior was walking cautiously along and looking amongthe vines. Evidently he had heard the snarl of the dog, and was seekingthe cause. But it had been only a single sound, and he would not lookfar. Yet the hearts of the five beat a little faster as he prowled amongthe vines, and their nerves were tense for action should the need for itcome.
The Indian, a Mohawk, came within ten yards of them, but he did not seethe five figures among the vines, blending darkly with the darkgrowth, and presently, satisfied that the sound he had heard was of noimportance, he walked in another direction, and passed out of sight.
The five, not daunted at all by this living proof of risk, crept to thevery edge of the clusters of grapevines, and looked upon an open space,beyond which stood some houses made of wood; but their attention wascentered upon a figure that stood in the open.
Although the distance was too great and the light too poor to disclosethe features, every one of the scouts recognized the figure. It could benone other than that of Timmendiquas, the great White Lightning of theWyandots. He was pacing back and forth, somewhat in the fashion of thewhite man, and his manner implied thought.
"I could bring him down from here with a bullet," said Shif'less Sol,"but I ain't ever goin' to shoot at the chief, Henry."
"No," said Henry, "nor will I. But look, there's another."
A second figure came out of the dark and joined the first. It was alsothat of a chief, powerful and tall, though not as tall as Timmendiquas.It was Thayendanegea. Then three white figures appeared. One was that ofBraxton Wyatt, and the others they took to be those of "Indian" Butlerand his son, Walter Butler. After a talk of a minute or two they enteredone of the wooden houses.
"It's to be a conference of some kind," whispered Henry. "I wish I couldlook in on it."
"And I," said the others together.
"Well, we know this much," continued Henry. "No great force of theIroquois is present, and if Colonel Butler's men come up quickly, we cantake the town."
"It's a chance not to be lost," said Paul.
They crept slowly away from the village, not stopping until they reachedthe crest of a hill, from which they could see the roofs of two or threeof the Indian houses.
"I've a feeling in me," said Paul, "that the place is doomed. We'llstrike the first blow for Wyoming."
They neither slept nor rested that night, but retraced their trail withthe utmost speed toward the marching American force, going in Indianfile through the wilderness. Henry, as usual, led; Shif'less Solfollowed, then came Paul, and then Long Jim, while Silent Tom was therear guard. They traveled at great speed, and, some time after daylight,met the advance of the colonial force under Captain William Gray.
William Gray was a gallant young officer, but he was startled a littlewhen five figures as silent as phantoms appeared. But he uttered anexclamation of delight when he recognized the leader, Henry.
"What have you found?" he asked eagerly.
"We've been to Oghwaga," replied the youth, "and we went all about thetown. They do not suspect our coming. At least, they did not know whenwe left
. We saw Brant, Timmendiquas, the Butlers, and Wyatt enter thehouse for a conference."
"And now is our chance," said eager young William Gray. "What if weshould take the town, and with it these men, at one blow."
"We can scarcely hope for as much as that," said Henry, who knewthat men like Timmendiquas and Thayendanegea were not likely to allowthemselves to be seized by so small a force, "but we can hope for a goodvictory."
The young captain rode quickly back to his comrades with the news, and,led by the five, the whole force pushed forward with all possible haste.William Gray was still sanguine of a surprise, but the young riflemendid not expect it. Indian sentinels were sure to be in the forestbetween them and Oghwaga. Yet they said nothing to dash this hope. Henryhad already seen enough to know the immense value of enthusiasm, andthe little army full of zeal would accomplish much if the chance came.Besides the young captain, William Gray, there was a lieutenant namedTaylor, who had been in the battle at Wyoming, but who had escaped themassacre. The five had not met him there, but the common share in sogreat a tragedy proved a tie between them. Taylor's name was Robert,but all the other officers, and some of the men for that matter, whohad known him in childhood called him Bob. He was but little older thanHenry, and his earlier youth, before removal to Wyoming, had been passedin Connecticut, a country that was to the colonials thickly populatedand containing great towns, such as Hartford and New Haven.
A third close friend whom they soon found was a man unlike any otherthat they had ever seen. His name was Cornelius Heemskerk. Holland washis birthplace, but America was his nation. He was short and extremelyfat, but he had an agility that amazed the five when they first saw itdisplayed. He talked much, and his words sounded like grumbles, butthe unctuous tone and the smile that accompanied them indicated to thecontrary. He formed for Shif'less Sol an inexhaustible and entertainingstudy in character.
"I ain't quite seen his like afore," said the shiftless one to Paul."First time I run acrost him I thought he would tumble down among thefirst bushes he met. 'Stead o' that, he sailed right through 'em, makin'never a trip an' no noise at all, same ez Long Jim's teeth sinkin' intoa juicy venison steak."
"I've heard tell," said Long Jim, who also contemplated the prodigy,"that big, chunky, awkward-lookin' things are sometimes ez spry ez you.They say that the Hipperpotamus kin outrun the giraffe across the sandsuv Afriky, an' I know from pussonal experience that the bigger an'clumsier a b'ar is the faster he kin make you scoot fur your life. Buthe's the real Dutch, ain't he, Paul, one uv them fellers that licked theSpanish under the Duke uv Alivy an' Belisarry?"
"Undoubtedly," replied Paul, who did not consider it necessary tocorrect Long Jim's history, "and I'm willing to predict to you, JimHart, that Heemskerk will be a mighty good man in any fight that we mayhave."
Heemskerk rolled up to them. He seemed to have a sort of circularmotion like that of a revolving tube, but he kept pace with the others,nevertheless, and he showed no signs of exertion.
"Don't you think it a funny thing that I, Cornelius Heemskerk, am here?"he said to Paul.
"Why so, Mr. Heemskerk?" replied Paul politely. "Because I am aDutchman. I have the soul of an artist and the gentleness of a baby. I,Cornelius Heemskerk, should be in the goot leetle country of Hollandin a goot leetle house, by the side of a goot leetle canal, paintingbeautiful blue china, dishes, plates, cups, saucers, all most beautiful,and here I am running through the woods of this vast America, carryingon my shoulder a rifle that is longer than I am, hunting the red Indianand hunted by him. Is it not most rediculous, Mynheer Paul?"
"I think you are here because you are a brave man, Mr. Heemskerk,"replied Paul, "and wish to see punishment inflicted upon those who havecommitted great crimes."
"Not so! Not so!" replied the Dutchman with energy. "It is because I amone big fool. I am not really a big enough man to be as big a fool as Iam, but so it is! so it is!" Shif'less Sol regarded him critically, andthen spoke gravely and with deliberation: "It ain't that, Mr. Heemskerk,an' Paul ain't told quite all the truth, either. I've heard that theDutch was the most powerfullest fightin' leetle nation on the globe;that all you had to do wuz to step on the toe uv a Dutchman's woodenshoe, an' all the men, women, an' children in Holland would jump righton top o' you all at once. Lookin' you up an' lookin' you down, an'sizin' you up, an' sizin you down, all purty careful, an' examinin' thecorners O' your eyes oncommon close, an' also lookin' at the way you setyour feet when you walk, I'm concludin' that you just natcherally love afight, an' that you are lookin' fur one."
But Cornelius Heemskerk sighed, and shook his head.
"It is flattery that you give me, and you are trying to make me bravewhen I am not," he said. "I only say once more that I ought to be inHolland painting blue plates, and not here in the great woods holding onto my scalp, first with one hand and then with the other."
He sighed deeply, but Solomon Hyde, reader of the hearts of men, onlylaughed.
Colonel Butler's force stopped about three o'clock for food and a littlerest, and the five, who had not slept since the night before, caughta few winks. But in less than an hour they were up and away again. Thefive riflemen were once more well in advance, and with them were Taylorand Heemskerk, the Dutchman, grumbling over their speed, but revolvingalong, nevertheless, with astonishing ease and without any sign offatigue. They discovered no indications of Indian scouts or trails, andas the village now was not many miles away, it confirmed Henry in hisbelief that the Iroquois, with their friends, the Wyandots, would notstay to give battle. If Thayendanegea and Timmendiquas were preparedfor a strong resistance, the bullets of the skirmishers would already bewhistling through the woods.
The waning evening grew colder, twilight came, and the autumn leavesfell fast before the rising wind. The promise of the night was dark,which was not bad for their design, and once more the five-now the sevenapproached Oghwaga. From the crest of the very same hill they lookeddown once more upon the Indian houses.
"It is a great base for the Iroquois," said Henry to Heemskerk, "andwhether the Indians have laid an ambush or not, Colonel Butler mustattack."
"Ah," said Heemskerk, silently moving his round body to a little higherpoint for a better view, "now I feel in all its fullness the truth thatI should be back in Holland, painting blue plates."
Nevertheless, Cornelius Heemskerk made a very accurate survey of theIroquois village, considering the distance and the brevity of the time,and when the party went back to Colonel Butler to tell him the way wasopen, he revolved along as swiftly as any of them. There were also manyserious thoughts in the back of his head.
At nine o'clock the little colonial force was within half a mile ofOghwaga, and nothing had yet occurred to disclose whether the Iroquoisknew of their advance. Henry and his comrades, well in front, lookeddown upon the town, but saw nothing. No light came from an Indianchimney, nor did any dog howl. Just behind them were the troops in looseorder, Colonel Butler impatiently striking his booted leg with a switch,and William Gray seeking to restrain his ardor, that he might set a goodexample to the men.
"What do you think, Mr. Ware?" asked Colonel Butler.
"I think we ought to rush the town at once."
"It is so!" exclaimed Heemskerk, forgetting all about painting blueplates.
"The signal is the trumpet; you blow it, Captain Gray, and then we'llcharge."
William Gray took the trumpet from one of the men and blew a long,thrilling note. Before its last echo was ended, the little army rushedupon the town. Three or four shots came from the houses, and thesoldiers fired a few at random in return, but that was all. Indianscouts had brought warning of the white advance, and the great chiefs,gathering up all the people who were in the village, had fled. Aretreating warrior or two had fired the shots, but when the white menentered this important Iroquois stronghold they did not find a singlehuman being. Timmendiquas, the White Lightning of the Wyandots, wasgone; Thayendanegea, the real head of the Six Nations, had slipped away;and with them had vanish
ed the renegades. But they had gone in haste.All around them were the evidences. The houses, built of wood, werescores in number, and many of them contained furniture such as aprosperous white man of the border would buy for himself. There weregardens and shade trees about these, and back of them, barns, many ofthem filled with Indian corn. Farther on were clusters of bark lodges,which had been inhabited by the less progressive of the Iroquois.
Henry stood in the center of the town and looked at the houses mistyin the moonlight. The army had not yet made much noise, but he wasbeginning to hear behind him the ominous word, "Wyoming," repeated morethan once. Cornelius Heemskerk had stopped revolving, and, standingbeside Henry, wiped his perspiring, red face.
"Now that I am here, I think again of the blue plates of Holland,Mr. Ware," he said. "It is a dark and sanguinary time. The men whosebrethren were scalped or burned alive at Wyoming will not now spare thetown of those who did it. In this wilderness they give blow for blow, orperish."
Henry knew that it was true, but he felt a certain sadness. His hearthad been inflamed against the Iroquois, he could never forget Wyoming orits horrors; but in the destruction of an ancient town the long laborof man perished, and it seemed waste. Doubtless a dozen generations ofIroquois children had played here on the grass. He walked toward thenorthern end of the village, and saw fields there from which recent cornhad been taken, but behind him the cry, "Wyoming!" was repeated louderand oftener now. Then he saw men running here and there with torches,and presently smoke and flame burst from the houses. He examined thefields and forest for a little distance to see if any ambushed foe mightstill lie among them, but all the while the flame and smoke behind himwere rising higher.
Henry turned back and joined his comrades. Oghwaga was perishing. Theflames leaped from house to house, and then from lodge to lodge. Therewas no need to use torches any more. The whole village was wrapped ina mass of fire that grew and swelled until the flames rose above theforest, and were visible in the clear night miles away.
So great was the heat that Colonel Butler and the soldiers and scoutswere compelled to withdraw to the edge of the forest. The wind rose andthe flames soared. Sparks flew in myriads, and ashes fell dustily on thedry leaves of the trees. Bob Taylor, with his hands clenched tightly,muttered under his breath, "Wyoming! Wyoming!"
"It is the Iroquois who suffer now," said Heemskerk, as he revolvedslowly away from a heated point.
Crashes came presently as the houses fell in, and then the sparks wouldleap higher and the flames roar louder. The barns, too, were fallingdown, and the grain was destroyed. The grapevines were trampled underfoot, and the gardens were ruined. Oghwaga, a great central base of theSix Nations, was vanishing forever. For four hundred years, ever sincethe days of Hiawatha, the Iroquois had waxed in power. They had ruledover lands larger than great empires. They had built up political andsocial systems that are the wonder of students. They were invincible inwar, because every man had been trained from birth to be a warrior, andnow they were receiving their first great blow.
From a point far in the forest, miles away, Thayendanegea, Timmendiquas,Hiokatoo, Sangerachte, "Indian" Butler, Walter Butler, Braxton Wyatt,a low, heavybrowed Tory named Coleman, with whom Wyatt had become veryfriendly, and about sixty Iroquois and twenty Tories were watching atower of light to the south that had just appeared above the trees. Itwas of an intense, fiery color, and every Indian in that gloomy bandknew that it was Oghwaga, the great, the inviolate, the sacred, that wasburning, and that the men who were doing it were the white frontiersmen,who, his red-coated allies had told him, would soon be swept foreverfrom these woods. And they were forced to stand and see it, not daringto attack so strong and alert a force.
They sat there in the darkness among the trees, and watched the columnof fire grow and grow until it seemed to pierce the skies. Timmendiquasnever said a word. In his heart, Indian though he was, he felt thatthe Iroquois had gone too far. In him was the spirit of the farseeingHiawatha. He could perceive that great cruelty always broughtretaliation; but it was not for him, almost an alien, to say thesethings to Thayendanegea, the mighty war chief of the Mohawks and theliving spirit of the Iroquois nation.
Thayendanegea sat on the stump of a tree blown down by winter storms.His arms were folded across his breast, and he looked steadily towardthat red threatening light off there in the south. Some such idea asthat in the mind of Timmendiquas may have been passing in his own. Hewas an uncommon Indian, and he had had uncommon advantages. He had notbelieved that the colonists could make head against so great a kingdomas England, aided by the allied tribes, the Canadians, and the largebody of Tories among their own people. But he saw with his own eyes thefamous Oghwaga of the Iroquois going down under their torch.
"Tell me, Colonel John Butler," he said bitterly, "where is your greatking now? Is his arm long enough to reach from London to save our townof Oghwaga, which is perhaps as much to us as his great city of Londonis to him?"
The thickset figure of "Indian" Butler moved, and his swart face flushedas much as it could.
"You know as much about the king as I do, Joe Brant," he replied. "Weare fighting here for your country as well as his, and you cannot saythat Johnson's Greens and Butler's Rangers and the British and Canadianshave not done their part."
"It is true," said Thayendanegea, "but it is true, also, that one mustfight with wisdom. Perhaps there was too much burning of living men atWyoming. The pain of the wounded bear makes him fight the harder, andit, is because of Wyoming that Oghwaga yonder burns. Say, is it not so,Colonel John Butler?"
"Indian" Butler made no reply, but sat, sullen and lowering. The Tory,Coleman, whispered to Braxton Wyatt, but Timmendiquas was the only onewho spoke aloud.
"Thayendanegea," he said, "I, and the Wyandots who are with me, havecome far. We expected to return long ago to the lands on the Ohio, butwe were with you in your village, and now, when Manitou has turned hisface from you for the time, we will not leave you. We stay and fight byyour side."
Thayendanegea stood up, and Timmendiquas stood up, also.
"You are a great chief, White Lightning of the Wyandots," he said, "andyou and I are brothers. I shall be proud and happy to have such a mightyleader fighting with me. We will have vengeance for this. The power ofthe Iroquois is as great as ever."
He raised himself to his full height, pointing to the fire, and theflames of hate and resolve burned in his eyes. Old Hiokatoo, the mostsavage of all the chiefs, shook his tomahawk, and a murmur passedthrough the group of Indians.
Braxton Wyatt still talked in whispers to his new friend, Coleman,the Tory, who was more to his liking than the morose and savage WalterButler, whom he somewhat feared. Wyatt was perhaps the least troubledof all those present. Caring for himself only, the burning of Oghwagacaused him no grief. He suffered neither from the misfortune of friendnor foe. He was able to contemplate the glowing tower of light withcuriosity only. Braxton Wyatt knew that the Iroquois and their allieswould attempt revenge for the burning of Oghwaga, and he saw profit forhimself in such adventures. His horizon had broadened somewhat of late.The renegade, Blackstaffe, had returned to rejoin Simon Girty, but hehad found a new friend in Coleman. He was coming now more into touchwith the larger forces in the East, nearer to the seat of the great war,and he hoped to profit by it.
"This is a terrible blow to Brant," Coleman whispered to him. "TheIroquois have been able to ravage the whole frontier, while the rebels,occupied with the king's troops, have not been able to send help totheir own. But they have managed to strike at last, as you see."
"I do see," said Wyatt, "and on the whole, Coleman, I'm not sorry.Perhaps these chiefs won't be so haughty now, and they'll soon realizethat they need likely chaps such as you and me, eh, Coleman."
"You're not far from the truth," said Coleman, laughing a little, andpleased at the penetration of his new friend. They did not talk further,although the agreement between them was well established. Neither didthe Indian chiefs or the Tory leaders say any
more. They watched thetower of fire a long time, past midnight, until it reached its zenithand then began to sink. They saw its crest go down behind the trees,and they saw the luminous cloud in the south fade and go out entirely,leaving there only the darkness that reined everywhere else.
Then the Indian and Tory leaders rose and silently marched northward. Itwas nearly dawn when Henry and his comrades lay down for the rest thatthey needed badly. They spread their blankets at the edge of the open,but well back from the burned area, which was now one great mass ofcoals and charred timbers, sending up little flame but much smoke. Manyof the troops were already asleep, but Henry, before lying down, beggedWilliam Gray to keep a strict watch lest the Iroquois attack fromambush. He knew that the rashness and confidence of the borderers,especially when drawn together in masses, had often caused them greatlosses, and he was resolved to prevent a recurrence at the presenttime if he could. He had made these urgent requests of Gray, instead ofColonel Butler, because of the latter's youth and willingness to takeadvice.
"I'll have the forest beat up continually all about the town," he said."We must not have our triumph spoiled by any afterclap."
Henry and his comrades, wrapped in their blankets, lay in a row almostat the edge of the forest. The heat from the fire was still great, butit would die down after a while, and the October air was nipping. Henryusually fell asleep in a very few minutes, but this time, despite hislong exertions and lack of rest, he remained awake when his comradeswere sound asleep. Then he fell into a drowsy state, in which he sawthe fire rising in great black coils that united far above. It seemed toHenry, half dreaming and forecasting the future, that the Indian spiritwas passing in the smoke.
When he fell asleep it was nearly daylight, and in three or four hourshe was up again, as the little army intended to march at once uponanother Indian town. The hours while he slept had passed in silence, andno Indians had come near. William Gray had seen to that, and his bestscout had been one Cornelius Heemskerk, a short, stout man of Dutchbirth.
"It was one long, long tramp for me, Mynheer Henry," said Heemskerk,as he revolved slowly up to the camp fire where Henry was eating hisbreakfast, "and I am now very tired. It was like walking four or fivetimes around Holland, which is such a fine little country, with thecanals and the flowers along them, and no great, dark woods filled withthe fierce Iroquois."
"Still, I've a notion, Mynheer Heemskerk, that you'd rather be here, andperhaps before the day is over you will get some fighting hot enough toplease even you."
Mynheer Heemskerk threw up his hands in dismay, but a half hour laterhe was eagerly discussing with Henry the possibility of overtaking somelarge band of retreating Iroquois.
Urged on by all the scouts and by those who had suffered at Wyoming,Colonel Butler gathered his forces and marched swiftly that very morningup the river against another Indian town, Cunahunta. Fortunately forhim, a band of riflemen and scouts unsurpassed in skill led the way, andsaw to it that the road was safe. In this band were the five, of course,and after them Heemskerk, young Taylor, and several others.
"If the Iroquois do not get in our way, we'll strike Cunahunta beforenight," said Heemskerk, who knew the way.
"It seems to me that they will certainly try to save their towns," saidHenry. "Surely Brant and the Tories will not let us strike so great ablow without a fight."
"Most of their warriors are elsewhere, Mynheer Henry," said Heemskerk,"or they would certainly give us a big battle. We've been lucky in thetime of our advance. As it is, I think we'll have something to do."
It was now about noon, the noon of a beautiful October day of the North,the air like life itself, the foliage burning red on the hills, theleaves falling softly from the trees as the wind blew, but bringing withthem no hint of decay. None of the vanguard felt fatigue, but when theycrossed a low range of hills and saw before them a creek flowing downto the Susquehanna, Henry, who was in the lead, stopped suddenly anddropped down in the grass. The others, knowing without question thesignificance of the action, also sank down.
"What is it, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol.
"You see how thick the trees are on the other side of that bank. Looka little to the left of a big oak, and you will see the feathers in theheaddress of an Iroquois. Farther on I think I can catch a glimpse ofa green coat, and if I am right that coat is worn by one of Johnson'sRoyal Greens. It's an ambush, Sol, an ambush meant for us."
"But it's not an ambush intended for our main force, Mynheer Henry,"said Heemskerk, whose red face began to grow redder with the desire foraction. "I, too, see the feather of the Iroquois."
"As good scouts and skirmishers it's our duty, then, to clear this forceout of the way, and not wait for the main body to come up, is it not?"asked Henry, with a suggestive look at the Dutchman.
"What a goot head you have, Mynheer Henry!" exclaimed Heemskerk. "Ofcourse we will fight, and fight now!"
"How about them blue plates?" said Shif'less Sol softly. But Heemskerkdid not hear him.
They swiftly developed their plan of action. There could be no earthlydoubt of the fact that the Iroquois and some Tories were ambushed onthe far side of the creek. Possibly Thayendanegea himself, stung by theburning of Oghwaga and the advance on Cunahunta, was there. But theywere sure that it was not a large band.
The party of Henry and Heemskerk numbered fourteen, but every one was aveteran, full of courage, tenacity, and all the skill of the woods.They had supreme confidence in their ability to beat the best of theIroquois, man for man, and they carried the very finest arms known tothe time.
It was decided that four of the men should remain on the hill. Theothers, including the five, Heemskerk, and Taylor, would make a circuit,cross the creek a full mile above, and come down on the flank of theambushing party. Theirs would be the main attack, but it would bepreceded by sharpshooting from the four, intended to absorb theattention of the Iroquois. The chosen ten slipped back down the hill,and as soon as they were sheltered from any possible glimpse by thewarriors, they rose and ran rapidly westward. Before they had gone farthey heard the crack of a rifle shot, then another, then several fromanother point, as if in reply.
"It's our sharpshooters," said Henry. "They've begun to disturb theIroquois, and they'll keep them busy."
"Until we break in on their sport and keep them still busier," exclaimedHeemskerk, revolving swiftly through the bushes, his face blazing red.
It did not take long for such as they to go the mile or so that theyintended, and then they crossed the creek, wading in the water breasthigh, but careful to keep their ammunition dry. Then they turned andrapidly descended the stream on its northern bank. In a few minutes theyheard the sound of a rifle shot, and then of another as if replying.
"The Iroquois have been fooled," exclaimed Heemskerk. "Our four goodriflemen have made them think that a great force is there, and they havenot dared to cross the creek themselves and make an attack."
In a few minutes more, as they ran noiselessly through the forest, theysaw a little drifting smoke, and now and then the faint flash of rifles.They were coming somewhere near to the Iroquois band, and they practicedexceeding caution. Presently they caught sight of Indian faces, and nowand then one of Johnson's Greens or Butler's Rangers. They stopped andheld a council that lasted scarcely more than half a minute. They allagreed there was but one thing to do, and that was to attack in theIndian's own way-that is, by ambush and sharpshooting.
Henry fired the first shot, and an Iroquois, aiming at a foe on theother side of the creek, fell. Heemskerk quickly followed with a shot asgood, and the surprised Iroquois turned to face this new foe. But theyand the Tories were a strong band, and they retreated only a little.Then they stood firm, and the forest battle began. The Indians numberednot less than thirty, and both Braxton Wyatt and Coleman were with them,but the value of skill was here shown by the smaller party, the onethat attacked. The frontiersmen, trained to every trick and wile ofthe forest, and marksmen such as the Indians were never able to become,cont
inually pressed in and drove the Iroquois from tree to tree. Once ortwice the warriors started a rush, but they were quickly driven back bysharpshooting such as they had never faced before. They soon realizedthat this was no band of border farmers, armed hastily for an emergency,but a foe who knew everything that they knew, and more.
Braxton Wyatt and his friend Coleman fought with the Iroquois, and Wyattin particular was hot with rage. He suspected that the five who haddefeated him so often were among these marksmen, and there might be achance now to destroy them all. He crept to the side of the fierce oldSeneca chief, Hiokatoo, and suggested that a part of their band sliparound and enfold the enemy.
Old Hiokatoo, in the thick of battle now, presented his most terrifyingaspect. He was naked save the waist cloth, his great body was coveredwith scars, and, as he bent a little forward, he held cocked and readyin his hands a fine rifle that had been presented to him by his goodfriend, the king. The Senecas, it may be repeated, had suffered terriblyat the Battle of the Oriskany in the preceding year, and throughoutthese years of border were the most cruel of all the Iroquois. In thisrespect Hiokatoo led all the Senecas, and now Braxton Wyatt used as hewas to savage scenes, was compelled to admit to himself that this wasthe most terrifying human being whom he had ever beheld. He was old, butage in him seemed merely to add to his strength and ferocity. The pathof a deep cut, healed long since, but which the paint even did not hide,lay across his forehead. Others almost as deep adorned his right cheek,his chin, and his neck. He was crouched much like a panther, with hisrifle in his hands and the ready tomahawk at his belt. But it was theextraordinary expression of his eyes that made Braxton Wyatt shudder. Heread there no mercy for anything, not even for himself, Braxton Wyatt,if he should stand in the way, and it was this last fact that broughtthe shudder.
Hiokatoo thought it a good plan. Twenty warriors, mostly Senecas andCayugas, were detailed to execute it at once, and they stole off towardthe right. Henry had suspected some such diversion, and, as he had beenjoined now by the four men from the other side of the creek, he disposedhis little force to meet it. Both Shif'less Sol and Heemskerk had caughtsight of figures slipping away among the trees, and Henry craftily drewback a little. While two or three men maintained the sharpshootingin the front, he waited for the attack. It came in half an hour, theflanking force making a savage and open rush, but the fire of the whiteriflemen was so swift and deadly that they were driven back again. Butthey had come very near, and a Tory rushed directly at young Taylor.The Tory, like Taylor, had come from Wyoming, and he had been one ofthe most ruthless on that terrible day. When they were less than a dozenfeet apart they recognized each other. Henry saw the look that passedbetween them, and, although he held a loaded rifle in his hand, for somereason he did not use it. The Tory fired a pistol at Taylor, but thebullet missed, and the Wyoming youth, leaping forth, swung his unloadedrifle and brought the stock down with all his force upon the head of hisenemy. The man, uttering a single sound, a sort of gasp, fell dead, andTaylor stood over him, still trembling with rage. In an instant Henryseized him and dragged him down, and then a Seneca bullet whistled wherehe had been.
"He was one of the worst at Wyoming-I saw him!" exclaimed young Taylor,still trembling all over with passion.
"He'll never massacre anybody else. You've seen to that," said Henry,and in a minute or two Taylor was quiet. The sharpshooting continued,but here as elsewhere, the Iroquois had the worst of it. Despite theirnumbers, they could not pass nor flank that line of deadly marksmen wholay behind trees almost in security, and who never missed. Another Toryand a chief, also, were killed, and Braxton Wyatt was daunted. Nor didhe feel any better when old Hiokatoo crept to his side.
"We have failed here," he said. "They shoot too well for us to rushthem. We have lost good men." Hiokatoo frowned, and the scars on hisface stood out in livid red lines.
"It is so," he said. "These who fight us now are of their best, andwhile we fight, the army that destroyed Oghwaga is coming up. Come, wewill go."
The little white band soon saw that the Indians were gone from theirfront. They scouted some distance, and, finding no enemy, hurried backto Colonel Butler. The troops were pushed forward, and before night theyreached Cunahunta, which they burned also. Some farther advance wasmade into the Indian country, and more destruction was done, but now thewinter was approaching, and many of the men insisted upon returning hometo protect their families. Others were to rejoin the main Revolutionaryarmy, and the Iroquois campaign was to stop for the time. The first blowhad been struck, and it was a hard one, but the second blow and thirdand fourth and more, which the five knew were so badly needed, mustwait.
Henry and his comrades were deeply disappointed. They had hoped to gofar into the Iroquois country, to break the power of the Six Nations, tohunt down the Butlers and the Johnsons and Brant himself, but they couldnot wholly blame their commander. The rear guard, or, rather, the forestguard of the Revolution, was a slender and small force indeed.
Henry and his comrades said farewell to Colonel Butler with muchpersonal regret, and also to the gallant troops, some of whom wereMorgan's riflemen from Virginia. The farewells to William Gray, BobTaylor, and Cornelius Heemskerk were more intimate.
"I think we'll see more of one another in other campaigns," said Gray.
"We'll be on the battle line, side by side, once more," said Taylor,"and we'll strike another blow for Wyoming."
"I foresee," said Cornelius Heemskerk, "that I, a peaceful man, whoought to be painting blue plates in Holland, will be drawn into dangerin the great, dark wilderness again, and that you will be there withme, Mynheer Henry, Mynheer Paul, Mynheer the Wise Solomon, Mynheer theSilent Tom, and Mynheer the Very Long James. I see it clearly. I, a manof peace, am always being pushed in to war."
"We hope it will come true," said the five together.
"Do you go back to Kentucky?" asked William Gray.
"No," replied Henry, speaking for them all, "we have entered upon thistask here, and we are going to stay in it until it is finished."
"It is dangerous, the most dangerous thing in the world," saidHeemskerk. "I still have my foreknowledge that I shall stand by yourside in some great battle to come, but the first thing I shall do whenI see you again, my friends, is to look around at you, one, two, three,four, five, and see if you have upon your heads the hair which is now sorich, thick, and flowing."
"Never fear, my friend," said Henry, "we have fought with the warriorsall the way from the Susquehanna to New Orleans and not one of us haslost a single lock of hair."
"It is one Dutchman's hope that it will always be so," said Heemskerk,and then he revolved rapidly away lest they see his face expressemotion.
The five received great supplies of powder and bullets from ColonelButler, and then they parted in the forest. Many of the soldiers lookedback and saw the five tall figures in a line, leaning upon the muzzlesof their long-barreled Kentucky rifles, and regarding them in silence.It seemed to the soldiers that they had left behind them the true sonsof the wilderness, who, in spite of all dangers, would be there towelcome them when they returned.