CHAPTER XXX
AN UNWELCOME VISITOR
Both Jack Carleton and Otto Relstaub were disturbed by the singularbehavior of the squaw and chief.
"They're talking about something outdoors," whispered Jack; "keepquiet and listen."
The faint rustling of the leaves, the gentle breathing of thesleeping infant, and the soft purring of the fire (caused by thesudden flaring up of one of the brands), were the only sounds thatcame to their ears. Wish-o-wa-tum held the stem of his pipe betweenhis lips, without ejecting any smoke, while his eyes were fixed onthe ground in front of his feet, with that absent expression whichshowed he was listening intently to something not visible to theeye. The attitude of the wife was similar, except that she lookedsteadily in the face of Jack Carleton, as though seeking to read histhoughts.
Hark! both the boys caught a stirring of the leaves, precisely as ifmade by the foot of an animal prowling around the wigwam.
"Sh!" warned Jack; "it's a man or beast!"
The words had no more than left his lips, when the flapping deerskinwas silently drawn backward and an Indian warrior entered.
He was powerful and well formed in his war paint, and with his longrifle in his right hand. He had no blanket thrown over hisshoulders, but he was fully dressed in other respects, with knifeand tomahawk thrust in the girdle around his waist.
The first glance showed that he not only belonged to the Shawanoetribe, but he was one of the most dreaded members of the same. BothOtto and Jack had seen him before, his forehead and cheeks being socuriously marked as to identify him wherever no one else wassimilarly ornamented.
When the boys were making their desperate run for the shelter of thelogs on the other side, of the Mississippi, Otto threw back anaffrighted look, which gave him such a vivid picture of thatparticular savage that he felt the memory would remain with himthrough life. A few minutes after, as my reader will recall, Jackdeliberately held fast to the upper edge of the rude fort and lookedover upon the fierce warriors outside. The one who particularlyimpressed him was the Shawanoe with the hideously paintedcountenance. It was this same Indian that flung the bear skin abouthis shoulders and, creeping up the inclined tree trunk, surveyed theastonished youths below, and it was he who now entered the lodge ofWish-o-wa-tum and confronted the inmates.
The truth flashed upon the boys: he was one of a party that hadfollowed them across the Mississippi, and had traced them to thislodge. It was natural the youths should believe that others werenot far off.
It will be remembered that Otto had left his gun on the edge of theclearing some distance away, while the weapon of Jack stood near theentrance of the lodge. The instant the Shawanoe stepped inside, hiseye rested on it, and, as if divining the truth, he extended hishand and picked it up. The act gave him two guns, while neither ofthe boys possessed a fire-arm.
Having performed this clever exploit, the Shawanoe, still standingerect, just within the lodge, turned to the chief and addressed himin what may be termed a mixture of the Shawanoe and Osage tongues.He paid no attention to the squaw at the other end of the wigwam,for to an American Indian the native woman is of little accountunder any circumstances.
Nor did his face indicate that he was aware of the presence of theboys, who looked at him with dismay; but it was morally certain thatthe conversation which opened immediately related almost solely tothem.
"My gracious!" said Jack, when able to recover himself, "this is badfor us. I never dreamed of anything of the kind."
He spoke very guardedly, with his head close to his friend's thoughboth narrowly watched the warriors, while giving expression to theirown fears.
"Vie didn't we start sooner don he comes?" whispered Otto, his jawtrembling with fear; "I don't see vot we doted does."
An absurd scheme of escape suggested itself to Jack.
"I wonder whether we can't dash through the side of the lodge andget away."
"Wait till I sees."
Otto carefully leaned back with a view of learning bow muchresistance the deerskins would offer. While they were quite strong,they were not taut, and yielded so much that the boy tipped overbackwards, with his feet in the air, somewhat after the style of thebaby when frolicking on the blanket.
The two warriors, including the squaw, looked stolidly at him, andthere was not the trace of a smile on any countenance. Agitated aswas Jack, he could not repress a slight laugh when he witnessed thediscomfiture of his companion.
"Mine gracious!" muttered Otto, clambering to the sitting positionagain; "I dinks dot some one have pulls de lodge away van I don'tleans against him."
Jack shook his head.
"There's no use of trying that; before we could get through theycould catch us both. If they attack us, we'll have to make the beatfight we can."
"And dot won't be good for nodding," was the truthful remark ofOtto, who looked toward the two warriors again.
The Shawanoe must have felt he was entire master of the situation.As if to remove any doubt on that point in the minds of the youths,he now set down the gun he had picked up, leaned his own against theside of the lodge, close to it, and then seated himself about halfway between the door and the sleeping baby. This placed himopposite Wish-o-wa-tum and closer to the entrance where were Ottoand Jack. For the latter to pass out, they must rush by bothwarriors, a feat utterly impossible, should the Indians object. Itwas equally beyond their power to secure the guns, which would haveproven potent factors in settling the question.
"I believe he has left the rifles there on purpose to tempt us tomake a dash for them," said Jack, half inclined to accept thechallenge, hopeless as it was.
"Dot ish vot they does him for," assented Otto.
Jack was strongly of the belief that other Shawanoes were near. Itwas unreasonable to suppose that a single warrior would have crossedthe Mississippi alone, when a dozen of them had proven unable tobring the boys to terms.
"They have found we are in here," was the thought of the boy, "andbecoming tired of waiting for us, have sent this one to talk withthe Osage and to hurry us out. Ah, why did Deerfoot leave us sosoon? If we ever needed him, now is the time."
The name of the wonderful youth gave a new turn to the thoughts ofthe lad. He asked himself whether it was probable that theShawanoes and Miamis had sent a party over to pursue the boys alone,or to revenge themselves upon Deerfoot. Their enmity against thelatter must be tenfold greater than it could be against any oneelse.
The most natural decision to which the lad could come was that thehostiles were numerous enough to divide and follow both trails. Atany rate it was improbable, as has already been said, that the taskof running the youths to earth was entrusted to a single warrior.
While Wish-o-wa-tum and his latest visitor were talking in theirodd, granting fashion, the boys carefully studied theircountenances, in the vain effort to read the meaning of the wordsthat passed their lips. They occasionally glanced at the squaw, whomanifested more interest than was expected. Sometimes she held thepipe for a minute or two motionless, her eyes on the warriors, as ifanxious to catch every word. Then she would give a snuff or grunt,lean forward and stir the fire and smoke with great vigor.
To the amazement of the listening boys, the red men all at oncechanged their language to the English--or rather they attempted todo so, for they made sorry work of it.
"Dog Deerfoot--he dog," was the somewhat obscure remark of thelatest arrival.
"Him so," nodded Man-not-Afraid-of-Thunder, who probably had neverbeard of the individual until within the last few minutes.
"Deerfoot dog--coward--shoot Injin no more."
Wish-o-wa-tum started a reply in English, but the difficulty wassuch that he slid back into his own lingo. Consequently, thepurport of what he said was lost upon the youths. Jack Carleton,however, was quick enough to suspect the meaning, of the proceedingwhich troubled him so much at first. The words in broken Englishwere intended for the friends of Deerfoot. It was characteristic ofthe Shawano
e visitor that he should attempt to play upon thefeelings of the hapless boys.
"Deerfoot dead," he added, with a sidelong glance toward the latter,which confirmed the suspicion of the young Kentuckian.
Otto started on hearing the words, but whispered, as he hitchedcloser to his friend:
"I don't dinks so."
"Nor do I--hark!"
"How die?" asked Wish-o-wa-tum again struggling with the tongue towhich he was a subject rather than of which he was master.
"Arorara threw him down," replied the visitor, striking his fistagainst his breast to signify the name was his own; "jump onhim--take scalp. Deerfoot dog!"
"I know how deceitful the Indians are," said Jack in the same lowtone, "but that fellow don't know bow to lie in English. I shouldlike to see the warrior that can throw Deerfoot down and take hisscalp."
The Shawanoe seemed to have overheard the expression, or at leastsuspected its meaning, guarded though the words were in theirutterance, for he leaped to his feet and again striking his fistagainst his chest, exclaimed in hot anger:
"Deerfoot dog--Deerfoot dead! Arorara take scalp."
To the amazement of Jack Carleton, Otto also sprang to his feet, andstruck his chest a resounding thump.
"Arorara ish one pig liar!" he shouted; "he is a liar as never vos!He says dot Deerfoot is dead, and dere stands Deerfoot now!"
And as the German lad thundered the words, he pointed toward thedeerskin, which had been flung back once more.