The Fiery Totem
CHAPTER XIII
THE PRICE OF A ROBE
Thunder-maker did not move while the strangers were watching him. To alloutward appearance he was asleep.
Holden stepped forward and shook the Medicine Man roughly by theshoulder.
"Come along! Open your eyes, you old scoundrel. You are no more sleepingthan we are," he said.
The Indian moved, slowly opened his eyes, and looked for a few momentsat the speaker, just as a person would who had been suddenly roused froma deep slumber. Then a pleased smile broke over his face.
"My white brothers in the tent of Thunder-maker? They are very welcome,"he said.
But Holden did not respond to the greeting, as he demanded--
"Does Thunder-maker think that we are fools? Do you think we did nothear you piping to those vile serpents of yours?"
The Indian looked puzzled.
"My white brothers speak strange words, or it may be that the mind ofThunder-maker still sleeps----"
"Rot!" interrupted Arnold brusquely. "The Thunder-maker's mind is wideenough awake. What is the use of lying to us? We know that you put thosesnakes into our teepee, and we heard you call them back when you foundthat your purposes had failed."
For answer, the Indian raised one of the blankets and disclosed a basketagainst which he had been leaning during his pretended sleep. He raisedthe lid, looked in, and signed the Englishmen to do likewise.
"See? On their bed of grass my little papooses also sleep," he said,lifting the basket so as to show the tangle of green bodies that itcontained.
"We can gain nothing by further talking," remarked Arnold to hiscompanion in an undertone. "The fellow has done us this time, and wehave nothing to support us if we accuse him before Mighty Hand."
"That's true enough," returned Holden. "He is best man this time."
The Indian quietly closed the lid and again covered the basket with ablanket, after which he looked up with a cunning and triumphant leer.
"White men will eat; then--Mighty Hand take trail for Pleasant Valley!"
How he seemed to gloat over the thought of the terrible fate thatawaited his enemies! Brave men though they were, they could not but feela sense of shrinking at the picture that this man's attitude and toneconjured up. There are times when anticipations of pleasure seem to berendered more alluring by reason of description. It is also so withexpectancy of pain. Words may paint that picture in crimson colours sothat our revulsion is intensified before we see it.
"We will gain nothing by remaining here," said Arnold abruptly, as heturned from the tent, whence he was followed by his companion. And asthe Englishmen departed they heard the Indian saying aloud, purposely tobe overheard--
"The pale-face no' think that he see Pleasant Valley, but fiery totemcall. Fiery totem must be obeyed."
Thunder-maker grinned evilly to himself as he watched the departure ofhis visitors. Then he rose up, folded around him a robe of deerskin thatwas covered with many strange designs, and crept with the sly movementsof a prowling wolf among the various teepees. Reaching the farther sideof the camp, he stopped in front of one of the tents that stood a littleway apart from the others. Gently he raised the flap and looked in. AnIndian of gigantic size was sitting by himself, adjusting his leggingsand moccasins. He looked up to observe his visitor, and it wasnoticeable that as he did so Thunder-maker winced as though he were inpain.
There were few who could look upon that man's face without wincing. Inearly scalping-days it had been slashed on one side with ascalping-knife in such a way that the left eye was totally destroyed,and a livid scar ran from the eyebrow to the neck--drawing the fleshinto creases that robbed that part of the face of any semblance tohumanity. The other side was whole, but the entire expression was sohorrible that even familiarity did little to prevent repulsion in thesenses of the beholder.
"Thunder-maker is welcome to the tent of Red Fox," the Indian remarked,returning again to the completion of his wardrobe.
"Thunder-maker would speak wise words with his brother," said theMedicine Man, entering, but not deigning to sit in the tent of that"brother." He seldom paid that honour to any teepee except his own andthat of the chief.
"It is well," returned the other man. "Red Fox will gladly hear the wisewords the Thunder-maker will speak."
The Medicine Man did not waste any time in needless palaver. The hourswere precious to him, and even an Indian can cut time when his businessis pressing.
"Red Fox is great warrior; Red Fox have eyes like father of his name,"he said. "There is good work for Red Fox to do."
The listener had broken the cord of a moccasin, and was apparentlyconcentrating all his attention on knotting the break. But his attentionwas mainly given to Thunder-maker all the same, and the latter knew it,so he continued--
"Thunder-maker have rich robe of ermine--better robe than Mighty Handwear. Many dollars as leaves in tree not buy the robe of Thunder-maker.Yet--Red Fox may wear it."
"Huh! Red Fox poor. He not have dollars to buy new traps for hunting."
That was what the Indian said. He pretended that he thought the MedicineMan had come to trade. But he knew differently, and waited for thevisitor to "show his hand." Whatever bargain was to be proposed, he knewthat his share would not be increased by any show of eagerness topossess the robe that even chiefs had coveted in vain.
Thunder-maker darted a keen glance at the other man as he saidmockingly--
"The dollars of Red Fox stay in pouch, yet ermine robe lie on hisshoulders--if he do what Thunder-maker say."
Still Red Fox made no sign to show interest, and the other went on--
"At Crane Creek two white papooses live in tent. Red Fox will findthem--he will go as a friend, and he will say, gentle as the voice of amother pigeon: 'White boys would find friends who are far away? Then RedFox will lead them.' And Red Fox will take them by dark path through theforest--by long path that twine like path of serpent. Then, when sunsleep, Red Fox will creep away--soft--soft, that pale-faces hear not.And when sun waken--Red Fox will be back at camp of Mighty Hand. I havespoken."
Red Fox had fastened the moccasin by now, though he still sat with bodybent while he intently listened to the Medicine Man's proposal to causethe two boys to be lost in the forest. And as the story was ended heslowly raised his head to look into Thunder-maker's face. What he sawthere evidently satisfied him, for his ghastly face moved with a sort ofsmile that indicated satisfaction.
"Then the--the fiery totem--foolish?" he questioned shyly, and the otherIndian rejoined solemnly--
"The totem of the Dacotahs wise--very wise. It speak to Thunder-maker bynight, and tell him this."
Red Fox nodded. But it was not the nod of agreement with the falsehoodso much as at recognition of the lie.
"Thunder-maker great medicine," he said, with a slight sneer. "But RedFox hear much. He hear water-spirits say to Mighty Hand that they havepapooses. Water-spirits have not young. So these are pale-faces."
Thunder-maker's face flushed angrily.
"Does the Red Fox insult the sacred totem of the Dacotahs?" he demanded,as he drew himself up as though it had been he to whom the insult wasoffered.
But the Indian also raised himself, and did so with the consciousknowledge that his gigantic body and bare limbs, which glistened likemuscles of copper, were more than protection against any physical attackthat the Medicine Man might offer. And his upper lip curled with a sneeras he stared straight into the eyes of the totem's champion.
"Red Fox is not fool. He live long among white men, and he know thattotem cannot speak--that totem a lie. But Red Fox will do this for hisbrother Thunder-maker. Thunder-maker would have revenge against thepale-faces in yonder teepee, for they face Medicine Man--bravely when hewould have had Dacotahs slay them. This will Red Fox do, for he wouldgladly wear the ermine robe."
"The papooses will never again see their fathers?" interrupted theMedicine Man eagerly. He forgot etiquette and totem alike in theexcitement of knowing that the succes
s of one part of his evil planswas practically assured. Red Fox was known to be a man of littleconscience though great determination, and it was only his enormousstrength of arm that allowed him to keep a place within the clan of thereally kindly Dacotahs.
"The Red Fox will blind the trail, that the white boys never follow? ForMighty Hand weak--like woman. He listen to soft words, and it may bethat he will not light fire in Pleasant Valley. The robe must return totent of Thunder-maker if boys find their fathers."
"Let Thunder-maker take his way in peace. By another sun Red Fox willhave found the young pale-faces; by two suns he will return to the campof Mighty Hand--alone. I have spoken."