CHAPTER THREE
JULIE'S STRANGE EXPERIENCE
"That was a splendid story, Tally," said the Captain, as Tallyconcluded his legend.
"Yes, I like it better than those I have read of the First Horses inbooks from the Smithsonian Institution," added Mrs. Vernon.
"Him true story! My Chief tell so," declared Tally, positively, andnot one of the scouts refuted his statement.
"Well, I don't know how you girls feel, but I will confess that I'mready for a nap," remarked Mr. Gilroy, trying to hide a yawn.
"No objections heard to that motion," declared Mr. Vernon.
"Not after such a day's voyage in this schooner," laughed Julie. "I'llbe fast asleep in a jiffy."
So the blankets were spread out over the floor of the wagon, and thegirls rolled themselves into them, and stretched out as planned. Theplanks of the floor were awfully hard and there seemed to be ridgesjust where they were not wanted. Directly under Julie's back was agreat iron bolt but she could not move far enough to either one sideor the other to avoid it. So she doubled her blanket over it, and lefther feet upon the bare wooden planks.
"I'm thankful there are no tall members in this Troop," remarked theCaptain, after they were all settled in a row. "If there were, herfeet would have to hang over the side of the wagon."
Tally and the two men spread out their rubber covers in front of thefire, and all were soon asleep.
Julie's brag about falling fast asleep in a jiffy proved false, forshe could not rest comfortably because of the bolt. So her sleep wastroubled and she half-roused several times, although she did not fullyawaken. Then, during one of these drowsy experiences when she tried toget on one side of the bolt, she heard a strange sound.
She sat up and looked around. It was still dark, although the firststreaks of dawn were showing in the sky. Her companions were stretchedout under their covers, and Mrs. Vernon was softly snoring. Julielifted a corner of the canvas curtain to ascertain what it was thatawakened her, and she saw a suspicious sight.
The guide was in the act of getting upon his feet without disturbingthe two men who slept soundly by the fireside. He waved a hand, as asignal, towards the brush some ten feet away. And there Julie saw ahand and arm motioning him, but no other part of its owner could beseen.
"Well I never!" thought Julie to herself, as she watched Tally creepaway from the fire and make for the bushes.
He was soon hidden behind the foliage, and then Julie heard sounds asof feet moving along the forest trail.
"I'm not going to let him put anything over on us, if I know it!"thought she. And she quickly stepped over the quiet forms in thewagon, and slid down from the back of the schooner. That night thescouts had on moccasins, fortunately, and her feet made no sound asshe swiftly followed the Indian through the screen of leaves. Then shesaw, some dozen yards ahead of her, two forms hurrying up a steeptrail that ran through the forest. One was Tally, and his companionwas an Indian maiden.
Unseen, Julie softly followed after them, and finally they came to aroaring mountain torrent that was bridged by a great fallen pine. Onthe other side of this stream were two shining black horses, withmanes and tails so long and thick that the scout marveled. They werecaparisoned in Indian fashion with gay colors and fancy trappings.
The maiden quickly loosed the steeds and Tally sprang up into onesaddle, while the squaw got up into the other. Then they continued upalong the trail without as much as a glance behind.
Julie managed to creep over the treetrunk and gained the other side ofthe torrent, then ran after them as fast as she could go. But they haddisappeared over the crest and the scout had to slow up, as her breathcame in panting gasps.
Finally she, too, reached the summit, but there was no sign of horsesor riders. A wide cleared area covered the top of the mountain, fromwhich a marvelous view of Denver and its environs could be had.Distant peaks now glimmered in the rising sun, and Julie sighed inecstasy at such a wonderful sight.
Then she remembered what brought her there, and she ran across theclearing to look for a trail down the other side and, perchance, aglimpse of the Indians.
Passing a screen of thick pines, she suddenly came to an old flowergarden, and on the other side of it stood a rambling old stone castle,similar to Glen Eyrie at Colorado Springs.
"Humph! This looks as if some one tried to imitate General Palmer'sgorgeous castle, but gave it up in despair," thought she.
Julie walked across the intervening space and reached the moss-grownstone steps that led to a great arched doorway. She had a glance,through wide-opened doors, of gloomy hallway and a great staircase,then she skirted the wing of the building, and came out to a wideterrace that ran along the entire front of the pile. The view fromthis high terrace caused her to stand perfectly still and gaze in awe.
She could see for miles and miles over the entire country from theheight she stood upon. It was almost as wonderful a view as that fromPike's Peak. Sheer down from the stone terrace dropped a precipice ofmore than five thousand feet. Far down at its base she could see astream winding a way between dots of ranches and narrow ribbons ofroadways.
"This is the most marvelous scene yet!" murmured Julie. Then shefrowned as a thought came to her. "If Tally knew of this place,--and itis evident that he did,--why did he not tell us of it, so that we couldclimb up and see it in the morning? And why isn't this old castle onthe road-map, with a note telling tourists of the magnificent viewfrom this height?"
After a long time given to silent admiration of the country as seenfrom the terrace, Julie turned and slowly walked up the stone stepsthat led into the hall. "Wonder if the place is abandoned," thoughtshe, peeping inside the doorway.
As no sound or sign of life was evident, she tiptoed in and gazedabout. The tiles on the floor were of beautiful design and coloring,and the woodwork was tinted to correspond. The walls were covered withrare old tapestries, while here and there adown the length of the hallstood suits of armor and mailed figures.
Bronze chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, and on each side ofthe hall stood bronze _torcheres_ holding gigantic wax candles.
"Well, in all my life I never dreamed of visiting such a museum of oldrelics!" sighed Julie, who dearly loved antiques.
Suddenly, as silently as everything else about the place, thereappeared a white-haired servitor in baronial uniform. He came forwardand deferentially bowed, then he spoke to Julie.
"Are you the Indian maiden the guide was to meet to-day?"
Julie was so amazed at the question that she could not reply, so shebarely nodded her head.
"Then follow me, as the master waits. The guide sits below, eatingbreakfast," added the old servant.
At the mention of breakfast, Julie felt her empty stomach yearn for abite of it, but she silently turned and followed the major-domo, asshe knew him to be, along the hall and up the stairs. As they reachedthe first landing the old man said, "The master is in his laboratoryin the tower. Breakfast will be served there."
Julie accepted this as cheerful news, so she fearlessly followed afterthe guide. She had seen no tower from the outside of the ramblingbuilding, but, she thought, there might have been one at the wingopposite the one around which she came when she walked to the front ofthe place.
Having reached the top of the stairs, Julie saw that the entiresecond-floor walls were covered with ancient portraits. She would haveloved to stop and study the ancient costumes of the women, but the manascended the second flight of stairs, and she must follow.
They went along the hall on the third floor, and at the end theservitor entered a small room that was heavily hung with velour_portieres_. He pushed them aside and turned a knob that seemed to beset in the carved panel. Instantly this panel swung open and discloseda narrow spiral stairway leading to an iron platform overhead.
Julie began to question the wisdom of this reckless act of hers; buthaving come so far, how could she back out gracefully? Why should thismaster want to breakfast with an Indian squa
w--for such he wasexpecting?
"This way," politely reminded the old man, and Julie had to see thething through to the end--whatever that might be.
At the head of these spiral stairs the man pulled on a heavy cord, andanother hidden door set in carved panelling opened. Through this theywent, and then the man said:
"Be seated, and I will call the master."
Julie gazed about her in profound curiosity. The room was anoctagon-shaped laboratory, so dark that its corners were in shadow.The only light came from a huge glass dome ceiling. One side of theroom was taken up by a great fireplace; opposite this stood a highcabinet filled with the vials and other equipment of a chemist. Thepaneled door through which she came took up the third side, and thefive other sides were filled with tiers of shelves, where stood rowsof morocco-bound books.
Great leather chairs stood about the room, and in the center, upon amagnificent Kirmanshaw rug, stood an onyx table with a great crystalglobe upon it. At one side, near the narrow door through which the oldservant had gone, stood a grand piano.
Julie had no time for further inspection of the room, as a uniquefigure suddenly appeared in the small doorway through which theservitor had gone. He was very tall and thin, and was clad inwonderfully embroidered East Indian robes. A fez cap covered the baldhead on top, and a thin straggly white beard fringed the lower part ofhis face. Upon his scrawny finger a strange stone glittered andinstantly attracted her gaze.
Julie wondered who this unusual person might be, but he vouchsafed noinformation. In fact, he stood perfectly still as if waiting for herto open the conversation. This proved to be the fact, for he gazedsearchingly at the girl, and then murmured, "Well?"
Julie tried to summon a smile and act nonchalant, but the entireatmosphere of the place was too oppressive for such an air, so shestood, changing her weight from one foot to the other. This form ofaction--or to be more exact, inaction--continued for a few minutes, thenthe old man gave vent to a hollow laugh. It sounded so sepulchral thatJulie shivered with apprehension.
He started to cross the room. When he came within a few feet of hisguest he said, raspingly, "Maiden, I know thee. Thou'rt a descendantof Spotted Bear, the coward! And I--I am the young Medicine Man who wonthe robe and spear, and brought the horses to earth for mankind touse. Hast aught to say to that?"
At these words Julie was too amazed to answer. To see the hero of thatwonderful Indian legend standing before her eyes--but oh, how old hemust be, for that happened ages ago, and his yellow parchment-likeskin attested to a great age.
As she thought over these facts, she could not keep her eyes from theold man's face, and now she actually could trace a resemblance to theyoung guide, Tally. Could the latter be a descendant of this MedicineMan's? As if the old fellow read her thoughts, he chuckled, "Aye! Theguide is one of my tribe, and thou art a member of that of theoutcast, Spotted Bear. Because I have found thee, I shall see that nodescendant of that coward's goes forth again to trouble the world."
Julie began to fear that she had been very indiscreet in coming intothis old ruin as she had done, especially as she would find itdifficult to convince this old man that she was not the Indian maidenhe thought her to be. But she paid attention to his next act, whichwas to pull out a great chair and drop back in it as if too weary tostand longer upon his spindling legs.
"Art hungry? Even my enemy must not complain of our bounty." Sosaying, the old man reached forth a long thin arm and his fingerspushed upon a button in the wall. Instantly a panel moved back anddisclosed a cellaret built into the wall. Here were delicious fruits,cakes, and fragrant coffee.
"Help thyself. I will wait till thou art done," said he, waving hishand at the food.
Julie was so hungry that the sight of the fruit made her desperate.Had her future welfare depended upon it, she could not have withstoodthe temptation to eat some of that fruit. She went over to take anorange, but a horrible thrust in her back caused her to cry out andput both hands behind her.
To her horror she found the old man had thrown some hard knob at herand it had made such a dent in her flesh that it could be distinctlyfelt at the base of her spine. The insane laughter that greeted herwail of pain made her realize that she was in the presence of amadman!
"Why not eat, Maiden? I will amuse myself, meantime," said the oldman, as he finished his laughter.
Julie saw him rise and hobble over to the piano, then seat himselfbefore the keyboard and begin to play the weirdest music she had everheard. But the pain in her back continued so that the thought ofbreakfast vanished. All she cared for now was to get rid of thatsuffering.
When she could stand the agony no longer, she gathered courage enoughto limp over to the piano and beg him to release her, as she was ingreat pain.
"Aha! Didst ever think of how Spotted Bear caused the child to sufferwhen it went down in the water?" asked he, suspending his hands overthe piano keys.
"But I hadn't anything to do with that! Why strike me for his crimes?"retorted Julie, gaining courage in her pain.
The old man frowned at her fiercely, and mumbled, "Art obstinate? Thenwe'll have to use other ways." He turned and pushed another button inthe wall back of the piano, and instantly the glass dome overheadbecame darkened, so that Julie could not see the objects in the roomvery plainly.
The host got up and started slowly for Julie. His eyes seemed afirewith a maniac's wildness, and the scout feared he was planning toattack her. She screamed for help, and ran for the door in thepaneling through which she had entered. But the cry seemed muffled inher throat and no audible sound came forth.
The host laughed that same horrible laugh again, and Julie triedagain, harder than ever, to shout for help. Still her vocal chordsseemed paralyzed, and no sound was heard from them.
Just as she reached the paneling, the old man must have hurled anotherhard ball at her, for she felt the blow in her back and shrunk withthe pain. And as she squirmed, she distinctly felt the painful objectmove from one side of her spine to the other, as if it were a buttonunder the skin that was movable.
But the door in the panel could not be opened, and Julie worked herhands frantically over its surface, while the old Indian laughed andcrept closer to her. When he was near enough to reach out and take herin his awful hands, the scout gathered all her courage and flungherself upon him.
She fought with hands and teeth, and kicked with her feet, hoping thathis great age would render him too weak to resist her young muscularstrength. She knew she must overpower him or he would kill her,mistaking her for the maiden descended from Spotted Bear.
She had thus far won the hand-to-hand fight, so that he was down uponhis knees and she was over him with her hands at his throat, whensuddenly he collapsed, and his eyes rolled upwards at her. In herhorror she managed to yell for help, and then she heard--
"Julie! Julie! Have mercy! Stop tearing Betty to bits!"
Through a vague distance Julie recognized the voice of Joan. Oh, ifthey were only there to help! But she kept a grip on the old Chief'sneck while she waited to answer the call.
Then she heard very plainly, "For the love of Pete, Julie, wake up,won't you!" And some one shook her madly.
Julie sat up and rubbed her eyes dazedly, while the scouts about herlaughed wildly, and Betty scolded angrily.
"Oh, Julie, what an awful nightmare you must have had," laughed Mrs.Vernon.
"Is Tally back?" asked Julie.
"He's cooking breakfast,--smell it," said Anne, smacking her lips.
"I can smell coffee," mumbled Julie, still unconvinced that she hadbeen dreaming. "It smells exactly like that old man's."
"What old man?" again asked the circle about her.
"Why, Good Arrow, to be sure! He lives up on that hill--and, girls,he's as old as Methusaleh, I'm sure!" declared Julie.
The wild laughter that greeted this serious statement of hers did moreto rouse the Leader from a cloudy state of mind than anything else,and soon she was up and out of the wagon to look for a trail
thatmight run over the crest of the hill.
But there was no trail, neither was there a mountain climb such as sheremembered in her dreams. At breakfast, she told the dream, to theintense amusement of every one, Tally included. Then the Indian guideremarked, "No better sleep on iron bolt, nex' time!"