CHAPTER XXVIII
THE EAVESDROPPER
Naturally the first impression of Jack Carleton, on seeing thelight, was that it proceeded from the fire kindled by Otto. Itstruck him as curious that he should do so before he could becertain the horse was captured; but, in accordance with histraining, Jack took nothing for granted. A few guarded steps, andhe discovered the truth; the light was much closer than hesuspected, and came through a slight rent in the side of an Indianwigwam.
The young Kentuckian was astounded, for he had never dreamed ofanything of the kind. He concluded he must be on the confines of anIndian village, and made a further investigation; but it did nottake long to learn that the lodge stood alone in the great forest.
"I suppose some chieftain or warrior has quarreled with his peopleand lives by himself," was the remarkably accurate guess of the boy;"I don't know how he feels toward white folks, but I'll take alittle further look and then hunt up Otto."
He could not fail to note that the lodge stood close to the clearingwhere he had agreed to meet his friend, and he was unable to freehimself of a dread, while stealing forward for the purpose ofpeeping through the rent in the side of the aboriginal structure.Otto must have seen the wigwam before reaching it, though theproprietor might have been quicker in detecting the approach of astranger.
Fully sensible of the care required, Jack advanced slowly, withoutnoise, feeling every inch of the way. At last he was able to bendforward and peep through the slight opening, which first told him ofthe location of the wigwam. It required some delicate maneuveringto gain a good view of the interior, and it need not be said thatthe result was of the most interesting nature.
His eyes, or rather eye (inasmuch as he used only one), first restedon the dusky baby, that had managed to kick off the blanket, and wasfiercely tugging at the piece of cooked venison which his duskymother bad tossed him. He held it between his scant teeth, graspingit with his chubby hands, while his feet beat the air, occasionallycatching under his chin, as though he was using hands and feet toforce the meat apart. He worked his legs with such a vigor that attimes he seemed in danger of making a back somersault and bumpingthrough the side of the lodge.
Under other circumstances Jack Carleton would have laughed outrightat the comical figure of the bright-eyed infant; but the sight ofOtto Relstaub checked all such feeling, and deepened the alarm whichcame with the first sight of the wigwam.
It so happened that Jack was much closer to his friend than he wasto any of the other three figures. No more than two feet separatedthe boys, and in peering into the lodge, the eavesdropper lookeddirectly over the head and shoulders of Otto. The familiar peakedhat, which had not been removed, the rather long, curling hair, theround, rosy check, broad shoulders, the tip of the pug nose, theplump chin, the feet, and the arms resting idly on the drawn-upknees--all these made the young German look like an exaggeratedfairy, that had dropped in on some superstitious mortals and wasregaling them with tales of wonderland. But Otto was notdiscoursing to listeners; he was looking from one to the other,sometimes smiling at the snuffing, kicking, clawing infant, and thenassuming an anxious expression, when his eyes rested on the face ofthe others who shared the lodge with him.
The squaw was slowly drawing in and exhaling the vapor from herpipe, with the deliberate enjoyment of an old smoker. With herelbows on her knees, she stared fixedly at Otto, who must have beenannoyed by her persistency.
Wish-o-wa-tum, the Man-not-Afraid-of-Thunder, occupied his throne ofbison skin on the other side of the wigwam, and, having tired ofsitting erect as became a monarch, was lounging on his right elbow,leaving his left hand free to manipulate his pipe, which wasoccasionally taken from his lips, after the cheeks were filled tooverflowing with pungent vapor. Then, forming his immense mouthinto a contracted circle, be ejected the smoke with his doubledtongue, sending forth ring after ring, in any direction he chose.Looking up at the opening in the top of the lodge, he started aregular procession of blue circles, twisting inward and slowlyexpanding as they climbed toward the fresh air, where they weresuddenly caught and whirled into nothingness.
Jack had the best view of the chieftain he could wish, and fearfulof being detected, drew his head back a few inches so as to be inentire darkness, and studied the ugly countenance. He observed thesmall, piggish eyes far apart, the big cheek bones, the disfigurednose, the enormous mouth, the slouchy, untidy dress, and even thehalf dozen straggling hairs that sprouted here and there over hismassive chin.
He noticed the flitting glances of the black eyes, and knew that theunattractive Indian had, in some way or other, made a prisoner ofOtto Relstaub, whose rifle was missing. Standing on the outsidewith his loaded gun in hand, the young Kentuckian could have done ashe pleased with the red man, who had no suspicions of danger; butthe thought of shooting him was unspeakably shocking to Jack, whocould not have been persuaded to the step unless forced to do so, inorder to save the life of Otto or himself.
Cruel indeed must any one be who could look on the picture ofdomestic happiness, the stolid father, the contented mother, and thelusty youngster, without feeling his heart stirred by that deep,inborn sympathy which makes the whole world akin.
"He isn't a Shawanoe or Miami," was the conclusion of Jack, after acareful study of the warrior's face and general appearance; "I havenever seen an Osage, but have heard much of them, and I'm quite surehe is one. If that is so, he isn't as fierce as his race on theother side the Mississippi, and I think we can get Otto out of therewithout harm to any one. If we are going to live in this part ofthe world, we must keep on good terms with the Indians. Helloa!what is the old fellow going to do?"
Jack noticed that the head of the family had stopped glancing fromone part of the lodge to another, and was looking steadily at Otto,as if he meditated some design against him.
And so he did. Drawing in an enormous quantity of smoke, he removedthe stem from his leathern lips, contracted them into another O, andsuddenly shot out a vapory ring, followed instantly by a second,third and fourth, and then by so many that they stumbled over eachother's heels, as may be said. Indeed, the mouth of Wish-a-wa-tumseemed to have become a mitrailleue for the moment, that sent acontinuous volley across the wigwam.
When the bombardment opened, Otto was looking thoughtfully at theground in the middle of the lodge, so that his face was turnedtoward the chieftain. The latter aimed with such skill that, as heintended, the first ring passed directly over the end of Otto's pugnose, which for the instant looked as though some painter hadenclosed the organ in a delicately tinted circle.
The latter was no more than in place, when it was followed byseveral others. The series, however, was blown into nothingness bya resounding sneeze from Otto, which started the vapor toward theopening above, that seemed to exert a greater power as the distancefrom the ground increased. When within a few inches of the outlet,the smoke flew apart, spun around and whisked out of sight, with thecurrent that was borne upward from every part of the lodge.
"Donderation!" exclaimed Otto as best he could, through thestrangling vapor; "what for you don't do dot? Don't you vants tokill somepodys mit your smoke--don't it? Yaw I oogh!"
Man-not-Afraid-of-Thunder did not stir. Still holding his pipesuspended in his left hand, he looked at the discomfited youth andsmiled.
The smile was the most prodigious on which Jack Carleton had everlooked. He saw the corners of the mouth move back on the cheeksuntil it seemed they must touch the ears. Perhaps the chief smiledso seldom that the few served to bring up the "general average" ofthose that were lacking.
Wish-o-wa-tum could have added to the distress of Otto by continuinghis vapory cannonade, but he refrained, and amused himself bysending the rings once more toward the chimney.
While this little episode was going on, the squaw, with her chin onher hands and her elbows on her knees, continued to stare at Otto;but she showed no disposition to smile even in the slightest degree.In her the element of mirth appeared to be to
tally lacking.
It is more than probable that she had not acquired the art ofejecting the circles of smoke, or she would have followed up theexhibition of her husband with a similar one, inspired thereto bythe innate ugliness of her nature.
The incident described did much to dissipate the alarm of JackCarleton for his friend. The overwhelming smile on the countenanceof the chieftain made it attractive, for it was free from thedisfigurement of hate.
"Yes, he is an Osage, with his wife and little one. He may not be apleasant neighbor, but he would not dare to live away from histribe, if he was as cruel as the Shawanoes or Hurons. Some of thesettlers would shoot him and his squaw and papoose."
This theory was reasonable, but from the nature of the case it couldnot be complete in the assurance it brought to the mind of the youngKentuckian, inasmuch as it failed to explain several alarming facts.
In the first place, Otto, manifestly, was a prisoner in the lodge.He had no gun with which to defend himself, nor could the guardedpeeping of the eavesdropper discover the weapon within the wigwam.In what manner the German had fallen into the power of the Osage wasbeyond conjecture, nor could Jack guess the ultimate intentions ofthe captor.
"I have my loaded gun," was the thought of the youth, "and I oughtto be able to get Otto out of this scrape. I shall be sorry, indeed,to harm any one in the wigwam, and so long as it is possible to avoidit, I will. If the warrior receives injury it will be his own fault."
At such times, the most curious fancies often take possession of aperson. Jack Carleton had convinced himself that the Indian, wigwamwas the only one in the neighborhood; but he had scarcely decidedwhat his course should be, when he began to fear he had made amistake. It seemed unlikely that a single Osage should dwell apartfrom his tribe in that fashion.
"There must be other lodges near me," he thought, stepping softlyback and peering around in the gloom.
It mattered not that he saw no lights from any of them, for hereasoned that they might be hidden by the intervening trees. Sostrong was the feeling, that he moved further off and repeated thevery reconnaissance made a short time previous.
He would not have done so, had he not known that Otto was in noimmediate danger from his captor. Had the latter offered him harm,the struggle would have been heard in the stillness of the night,and Jack would have rushed to the relief of his friend.
Finally, the eavesdropper became satisfied that whatever the issueof the strange situation, he had but the single family to face.Then he was distressed by the doubt as to what the squaw would do,it he carried out his scheme. It is well known that the Indianwomen are as brave, and frequently more cruel, toward their captivesthan are the warriors themselves. If the one before him becameviolent, Jack would be likely to find he had undertaken a taskbeyond his power.
His determination was to walk directly into the lodge and act as ifhe believed the occupants were his friends. He therefore strodeforward toward the entrance, purposely kicking the leaves with hisfeet; and it was that noise which apprised those within of hisapproach.