Balle-Franche. English

  CHAPTER XXVI.

  RED WOLF.

  To understand the facts we are now about to narrate, we must retraceour steps a short distance, and return to the tent which served as atemporary abode to the Count and Bright-eye.

  The two white men were somewhat discontented by the way in which theinterview had terminated. Still the Count was too thorough a gentlemannot to allow, honourably, that on this occasion the Chief had been thevictor in magnanimity. As for Bright-eye, however, he could not seeso far. Furious at the check he had sustained, and especially at theslight value the Chief appeared to set on his capture, he revolved themost terrible schemes of vengeance while biting his nails savagely.

  The Count amused himself for a few minutes in watching his comrade'smanoeuvres, as he walked up and down the tent, growling, clenching hisfists, dashing the butt of his rifle on the ground, and looking up toheaven with comic despair. At last the young man could stand it nolonger, but burst into a hearty laugh. The hunter stopped in amazement,and looked around the tent, to discover the cause for such untimelygaiety.

  "What has happened, Mr. Edward?" he at length asked, "Why do you laughso?"

  Naturally this question, asked with a startled air, had no other resultthan to augment the Count's hilarity.

  "My good fellow," he said, "I am laughing at the singular faces youcut, and the strange manoeuvres you have been indulging in during thelast twenty minutes."

  "Oh, Mr. Edward!" Bright-eye said, reproachfully; "how can you jest so?"

  "Why, my boy, you seem to take the affair seriously to heart, andto have lost that magnificent confidence which made you despise alldangers."

  "No, no, Mr. Edward! you are mistaken. My opinion has been formed along time. Look you, I am certain these red devils will never succeedin killing me; but I am furious at having been so thoroughly duped bythem. It is humiliating, and I am now racking my brains to discover away to play them a trick."

  "Do so, my friend, and I would help you, were it possible; but, for thepresent, at least, I am forced to remain neutral--my hands are tied."

  "What?" Bright-eye said, with astonishment; "you mean to remain here,and serve their diabolical jugglery?"

  "I must, my good fellow; have I not pledged my word?"

  "You certainly pledged it, and I do not know why. Still, a pledge givento an Indian counts for nothing. The Redskins are tribes who understandnothing about honour; and, in a similar case, I am certain that NatahOtann would consider himself in no way bound to you."

  "That is possible, although I am not of your opinion. The Chief is noordinary man. He is gifted with a great intellect."

  "What good is it to him? None. Except to be more cunning andtreacherous than his countrymen. Take my advice, and do not stand onany ceremony with him. Take French leave, as they say in the South, andleave them in the lurch. The Redskins will be the first to applaud yourconduct."

  "My good fellow," the Count said, seriously, "it is useless to discussthe point; when a gentleman has once given his word, he is a slave toit, no matter the person to whom he has given it, or the colour of hisskin."

  "Very good, then, Mr. Edward, pray act as you think proper. I have noright to thrust my advice on you. You are a better judge than myself ofhow you are bound to act. So, be easy. I will not mention it again."

  "Thank you."

  "All that is very good, but what are we going to do now?"

  "What we are going to do? I suppose you mean what are you going to do?"

  "No, Mr. Edward, I said exactly what I meant; you understand that I amnot going to leave you alone in this nest of serpents, I hope!"

  "On the contrary, you will do so directly."

  "I?" the hunter said, with a loud laugh.

  "Yes, you, my friend; you must."

  "Bah! why so, pray, if you remain?"

  "That is the very reason."

  The hunter reflected for a moment.

  "You know that I do not understand you at all," he said.

  "Yet it is very clear," the Count answered.

  "Hum! that is possible, but not to me."

  "What, you do not understand that we must avenge ourselves?"

  "Oh, of course, I understand that, Mr. Edward."

  "How can we hope to succeed, if you insist on remaining here?"

  "Because you remain," the hunter said, obstinately.

  "With me it is very different, my good fellow. I remain, because I havegiven my word; while you are free to go and come, and must thereforeprofit by it to leave the camp. Once in the prairie, nothing can beeasier for you than to join some of our friends. It is evident thatmy worthy Ivon, coward as he fancies himself, is working actively atthis moment for my deliverance; so see him, come to an understandingwith him, for though it is true I cannot leave this place, I cannot, onthe other hand, prevent my friends liberating me; if they succeed, myparole will be suspended, and nothing will hinder my following them. Doyou understand me now?"

  "Yes, Mr. Edward; but I confess that I cannot make up my mind to leaveyou alone, among these red devils."

  "Do not trouble yourself about that, Bright-eye; I run no danger byremaining with them; they have too much respect for me; besides, NatahOtann well knows how to defend me, should it be needful. So, my friend,start at once. You will serve me better by going, than by insisting onremaining here, where your presence, in the event of danger, would bemore injurious than useful to me."

  "You are a better judge than I in such a matter, sir; as you insist onit, I will go," the hunter said, with a mournful shake of his head.

  "Above all, be prudent, do not expose yourself to risk in quitting thecamp."

  The hunter smiled disdainfully.

  "You know," he said, "that the Redskins cannot harm me."

  "That is true; I forgot it," the young man said, laughingly; "so,good-bye, my friend, stay no longer, but go, and joy be with you."

  "Good-bye, Mr. Edward; will you not give me a shake of the hand beforewe part, not knowing whether we shall ever meet again?"

  "Most gladly, for are we not brothers?"

  "That is famous," the hunter said, joyfully, as he pressed the Count'soffered hand.

  The two men presently separated. The Count fell back on the pile offurs that served as his bed, while the hunter, after assuring himselfthat his arms were in good condition, quitted the tent. With his rifleunder his arm, and head erect, he crossed the camp. The Indians did notseem at all to trouble themselves at the hunter's presence among them,and allowed him to depart unimpeded.

  Bright-eye, when he had gone about two musket shots from the camp,stopped, and began reflecting on what was best to be done to liberatethe Count; after a few moments' reflection, his mind was made up, andhe proceeded toward the squatter's settlement with that long trotpeculiar to the hunters.

  When he reached the clearing, the squatter was holding a conferencewith Ivon and the party sent by Major Melville. His arrival was greetedwith a hurrah of delight.

  The North Americans were considerably embarrassed. Mrs. Margaret, inspite of the exclusive details she had obtained about Natah Otann'splans, and the movements of the Indians, had only made an incompletereport to the Major, from the simple reason, that the old Sachems ofthe Allied Nations kept their deliberations so secret, that Red Wolf,despite all his cleverness and craft, had himself picked up but aslight part of the plan the Chiefs proposed to follow. The scouts,sent out in all directions, had brought in startling reports about themovements of the Blackfeet; the Indians appeared resolved to strikea grand blow this time; all the Missouri nations had responded toNatah Otann's appeal; the tribes arrived one after the other, to jointhe coalition, so that their number now attained four thousand, andthreatened not to stop then.

  Fort Mackenzie was surrounded on all sides by invisible enemies, whohad completely cut off the communication with the other settlements ofthe Fur Company, and rendered the Major's position extremely critical.Thus the hunters were greatly perplexed; and during the many hoursthey had been deliberatin
g, they had only hit on insufficient orimpracticable means to relieve the fortress.

  The White men have only succeeded in holding their own in WesternAmerica by the divisions they have managed to sow among the aboriginesof the continent; whenever the latter have remained united, theEuropeans have failed, as witness the Araucanos of Chili, whose smallbut valiant republic has maintained its independence to the presentday; or the Seminoles of Louisiana, who have only lately been conqueredafter a desperate contest, carried on with all the rules of modernwarfare, and many other Indian nations, whose names we could easilyquote, if necessary, in support of our arguments.

  This time the Indians seemed to have understood the importance of openand energetic action. The several Chiefs had, ostensibly at least,forgotten all their hatred and jealousies, to destroy the common enemy.Thus the Americans, in spite of their approved bravery, trembled atthe mere thought of the war of extermination they would have to sustainagainst enemies exasperated by a long series of vexations, when theycounted their numbers, and saw how weak they were, compared to thewarriors preparing to crush them. The council, interrupted for a momentby Bright-eye's arrival, immediately assembled again, and the debatewas continued.

  "By heaven!" John Black exclaimed, angrily, as he smote his thigh withhis fist, "I confess that I have no luck, everything turns againstme; hardly have I settled here, whither everything made me forebode aprosperous future, than I am dragged, in spite of myself, into a warwith these vagabond savages. Who knows how it will end? It is plain tome that we shall all lose our scalps. That is a pleasant prospect for aman who is anxious to raise his family honourably by his labour."

  "That is not the question at this moment," Ivon said; "we have to savemy master at all risks. What! you are all afraid to fight when it isalmost your trade? and you have done hardly anything else during yourlives; while I, who am known to be a remarkable coward, do not hesitateto risk my scalp to save my master."

  "You do not understand me, Master Ivon; I do not say that I am afraidto fight the Indians; heaven guard me from fearing these Pagans, whomI despise. Still, I believe that an honest and laborious man, likemyself, may be permitted to deplore the consequences of a war withthese demons. I know too well all I and my family owe to the Count,to hesitate in hurrying to his help, whatever the result may be. Thelittle I possess was his gift, I have not forgotten it, and even were Ito fall, I would do my duty."

  "Bravo! that is what I call speaking," Ivon replied, joyously; "I wascertain you would not hang back."

  "Unfortunately," Bright-eye objected, "all this does not advancematters much. I do not see how we can serve our friends. These reddevils fall upon us more numerous than locusts in June. We may killmany of them, but in the end they will crush us by their weight."

  This sad truth, perfectly understood by the auditors, plunged them intodull grief, A material impossibility cannot be discussed; it must besubmitted to. The Americans felt an imminent catastrophe coming on, andtheir despair was augmented by the consciousness of their impotence.Suddenly the cry "To arms!" several times repeated outside, madethem bound on their seats. Each seized his weapons, and ran out. Thecry, which had broken up the conference, was raised by William, thesquatter's son.

  All eyes were turned on the prairie, and the hunters perceived, withsecret terror, that William was not mistaken. A large band of Indianwarriors, dressed in their grand war paint, was galloping over theplain, and rapidly approaching the clearing.

  "Hang it!" Bright-eye muttered, "matters are getting worse. I mustconfess that these most accursed Pagans have made enormous progress inmilitary tactics. If they continue, they will soon give us a lesson."

  "Do you think so?" Black asked, anxiously.

  "Confound it!" the hunter replied, "it is evident to me that weare about to be attacked, I now know the plan of the Redskins asthoroughly as if they had explained it to me themselves."

  "Ah!" Ivon said, curiously.

  "Judge for yourselves," the hunter continued; "the Indians intend toattack simultaneously all the posts occupied by white men, in order torender it impossible for them to help one another. That is excessivelylogical on their parts. In that way they will have a cheap bargain ofus, and massacre us in detail. Hum! the man who commands them is arough adversary for us. My lads, we must make up our minds gaily. Weare lost, that is as plain to me as if the scalping knife was alreadyin our hair. All left to us is to fall bravely."

  These words, pronounced in the cool and placid tone usual with the woodranger, caused all who heard them to shudder.

  "I alone, perhaps," Bright-eye added, carelessly, "shall escape thecommon fate."

  "Bah!" Ivon said; "you, old hunter, why so?"

  "Why?" he said, with a sarcastic smile, "because, as you are perfectlyaware, the Indians cannot kill me."

  "Ah!" Ivon remarked, stupefied by this reason, and gazing on his friendwith admiration.

  "That is the state of the case," Bright-eye ended his address, andstamped his rifle on the ground.

  In the meanwhile the Redskins advanced rapidly. The band was composedof one hundred and fifty warriors at least, the majority armed withguns, which proved they were picked men. At the head of the band, andabout ten yards in advance, galloped two horsemen, probably Chiefs. TheIndians stopped just out of range of the entrenchments; then, afterconsulting together for a few minutes, a horseman left the group, and,riding within pistol shot of the palisades, he waved a buffalo robe.

  "Eh! eh! Master Black," Bright-eye said, with a cunning smile, "thatis addressed to you as the chief of the garrison. The Redskins wish toparley."

  "Ah!" the-American said, "I have a great mind to send a bullet afterthat rascal parading down, as my sole answer," and he raised his rifle.

  "Mind what you are about," the hunter said, "you do not know theRedskins. So long as the first shot is not fired, there is a chance oftreating with them."

  "Suppose, old hunter," Ivon said, "you were to do something?"

  "What is it, my prudent friend?" the Canadian asked.

  "Why, as you are not afraid of being killed by the Redskins, supposeyou go to them. Perhaps you could arrange matters with them."

  "Stay! that is a good idea. No one can say what may happen. I will go.That will be the best, after all. Will you accompany me, Ivon?"

  "Why not?" the latter answered; "with you, I am not afraid."

  "Well, that is settled, then. Open the gate for us, Master Black; butkeep a good lookout during our absence, and, on the first suspiciousmovement, fire on these heathens."

  "Do not alarm yourself, old hunter," the latter said, squeezing hishand cordially; "I should not like any harm to happen to you, for youare a man."

  "I believe so," the Canadian said, with a laugh; "but what I say to youis more for this worthy fellow's sake than mine, for I assure you I amquite easy on my own account."

  "No matter, I will watch these demons carefully."

  "That can do no harm."

  The gate was opened. Bright-eye and Ivon went down the hill, and wenttoward the horseman, who was patiently awaiting them.

  "Ah! ah!" Bright-eye muttered, as soon as he drew near enough torecognize the rider; "I fancy that our affairs are not quite so well asI suspected."

  "Why so?" Ivon asked.

  "Look at that warrior. Do you not see it is Red Wolf?"

  "That is true. Well?"

  "Well, I have reasons for believing that he is not so great an enemy ashe appears to be."

  "Are you sure of it?"

  "Silence! we shall soon see."

  The three men saluted each other courteously in the Indian fashion, bylaying the right hand on the heart, and holding out the other open,with the fingers apart and the palm turned outwards.

  "My brother is welcome among his Paleface brothers," Bright-eye said;"does he come to sit at the council fire, and smoke the calumet in mywigwam?"

  "The hunter will decide. Red Wolf comes as a friend," the Indiananswered.

  "Good," the Canadian remarked; "di
d Red Wolf then fear treachery fromhis friend, that he brought so large a body of warriors with him?"

  The Blackfoot smiled cunningly.

  "Red Wolf is a chief among the Kenhas," he said, "his tongue is notforked. The words that pass his lips come from his heart. The Chiefwishes to serve his Pale friends.

  "Wah!" Bright-eye said, "the Chief has spoken well. His words havesounded pleasantly in my ears. What does my brother desire?"

  "To sit at the council fire of the Palefaces, and explain to them thereasons that bring him here."

  "Good. Will my brother go alone among the white men?"

  "No! another person will accompany the Chief."

  "And who is this person in whom so great a Chief as my brother placesconfidence?"

  "The She-Wolf of the prairies."

  Bright-eye suppressed a movement of joy.

  "Good," he went on, "my brother can come with the She-Wolf. ThePalefaces will receive them kindly."

  "My brother, the hunter, will announce the visit of his friends."

  "Yes, Chief, I will go at once and do so."

  The conference was over. The three men separated, after again saluting,and Bright-eye and Ivon hurried back to the entrenchments.

  "Victory!" the hunter said, on arriving, "we are saved!"

  All pressed round him, greedy to learn the details of the conference,and Bright-eye satisfied the general curiosity without a moment's delay.

  "Ah!" Black said, "if the old lady is with them we are, indeed, saved,"and he rubbed his hands joyfully.

  After having failed so unluckily in the snare she had laid for NatahOtann, Mrs. Margaret, far from being discouraged, felt her desire ofrevenge increased; and, without losing time in regretting the check shehad undergone, she immediately drew up her plans, for she had reachedthat pitch of rage when a person is completely blinded by hatred, andgoes onward regardless of consequences. Ten minutes after leaving theSachem, she quitted the camp, accompanied by Red Wolf, who, by herorders, led off the warriors he commanded and started for the clearing.

  Bright-eye had scarce given his friends the information they desired,ere Margaret and Red Wolf entered the stockade, where they werereceived with the greatest affability by the trappers, and especiallyby Black, who was delighted to find that his clearing was not menaced,and that the storm was turning from him to burst elsewhere.

  Let us now return to Fort Mackenzie, where, at this very moment, eventsof the utmost importance were occurring.