Jack Among the Indians; Or, A Boy''s Summer on the Buffalo Plains

  CHAPTER XVII.

  AN ENEMY IN CAMP.

  One morning, a few days after Jack's sheep hunt, Joe made his appearanceat John Monroe's lodge, carrying a bundle under his arm, and findingJack eating his breakfast within, sat down beside him. When Jack hadfinished, Joe removed the piece of calico which covered the bundle, andheld out to Jack a buckskin shirt, heavily fringed along the arms and onthe sides, and beautifully ornamented on back and front with stainedporcupine quills.

  "My aunt, Fox Eye's woman, sent you this," said Joe.

  "Sent it to me?"

  "Yes, she made it. Part of it is the skin of the sheep we killed. Shethought maybe you'd like it."

  "Like it, well I should say I do. It's the handsomest thing I ever saw.I've seen some of the men wearing coats and shirts fixed up like this,and I've wished I had one, too. Tell her I'm awfully obliged to her,won't you?"

  "Well," said Joe, "you can't say that in Indian. I'll tell her it madeyou laugh when you got the shirt; then she'll be glad, too. Fox Eye andSix Lodges are going over to Grassy Lakes to kill antelope, forclothing; do you want to come?"

  "Why yes, of course I want to come. I wonder if I could. You see, I'vegot to talk to Hugh before I go off anywhere, for before I left theranch I told my uncle I'd try to do what Hugh said, always."

  "That's good, White Bull is a wise man; it's good to listen to him.Everybody in the camp respects him."

  "When's Fox Eye going to start?"

  "Goin' to start to-day, maybe go along the mountains to Little Lake,under Chief mountain; camp there to-night. It's not far. Then go oneast."

  "Let's go out and see if we can find Hugh now, but first, I want to puton my shirt."

  Just as the boys were about to get up and leave the lodge, John Monroe'swife called to Jack, "Here, you goin' to be Injin, got to wearmoccasins," and she threw across the lodge to him a pair of prettilybeaded moccasins with parfleche soles.

  "All right," said Jack, "I'll put on moccasins and leggings too, ifyou'll give them to me," and sitting down he removed his shoes andreplaced them by the moccasins, which exactly fitted him. He did notknow that the kind-hearted woman had taken one of his socks while heslept, and got the size of his foot from that.

  The boys started out from the lodge to look for Hugh, Jack feeling alittle shy in his new finery, and a little bit afraid that people whosaw him might laugh at him. Nobody seemed to do so, and he saw only thepleasant smiles that had greeted him ever since he had first come intothe camp.

  After a little search they found Hugh sitting on the ground near one ofthe lodges, talking with two other old men, and stopped by them, waitinguntil they should have ceased talking. Then Hugh looked up at Jack andsaid, "Well, son, what is it? I can always tell when you want to ask mesomething, as far as I can see you. What are you proposing to do now?"

  "Well, Hugh," said Jack, "it's this way; Joe says that his uncle and afew lodges are going off to Grassy Lakes after antelope skins, and heasked me if I'd like to go along. Of course I'd like to go, but I don'twant to unless you think I'd better."

  "Hum," said Hugh; "Grassy Lakes; that's about three or four days, isn'tit, Joe?"

  "Yes, sir," said Joe, "about that. They thought they'd go over and campthere three or four days, and then come back. They say there's lots ofantelope on the prairie, and they thought they could get what skins theywanted and get back in that time."

  "Well," said Hugh, "I don't know; I don't like to have you going so faroff with such a little party, and then of course there's always a chanceof your running onto a war party; like as not, Crows or Assinaboines orGros Ventres may be wandering around there, killing buffalo, or going upto the Blood camp, and you might get into some trouble."

  "Oh," said Jack, "I don't believe there's any danger of that kind. It'llbe just a little hunting trip, and I'd like the ride; and I'll try totake good care of myself and not do any foolish things."

  "Well, you've got pretty good sense, and I've always found I coulddepend on you pretty well. I guess if you like you can go, but I thinkI'll go too."

  "Why that's better yet. I guess you'd like the ride too; you've beensitting round camp now for quite a while, and I haven't done anythingexcept when I climbed the mountain the other day with Joe."

  Hugh turned to Joe and said, "How is it, boy; is there plenty of room inFox Eye's lodge?"

  "I guess so," said Joe; "nobody lives there but him and my aunt and me.The lodge is big; there ought to be room for two more people."

  "Well," said Hugh, "you go over and ask your uncle if Jack and me cancome along and stop in his lodge, and let me know."

  The boys walked quickly across the circle of the camp, and presentlyfound themselves at Fox Eye's lodge. When they entered they found Joe'saunt busily engaged in packing things up, and the interior of the lodgealmost dismantled. Fox Eye, himself, had gone out to bring in thehorses, and when Joe gave Hugh's message, the woman replied in ahigh-pitched, scolding voice that almost alarmed Jack, for he could notthink what she was finding fault with, unless it was the propositionthat they should quarter themselves on her.

  After she had finished speaking, Joe said to Jack: "Well, let's go overand tell him."

  "Well, but Joe," said Jack, "what did she say? I thought she was madbecause we wanted to go with you."

  "Ho," said Joe, "she was mad; that is, she was a little mad, but thatisn't the reason why; she said, 'Why does White Bull talk like that?Doesn't he know that if he wants to stop in our lodge he shall comeinto it and sit down and stay as long as he wants? Tell him he talkslike a foolish person, and that Fox Eye will be glad to see him wheneverhe comes, and glad to have him stop as long as he feels like stopping.'"

  The boys went back to Hugh and gave the message that Joe's aunt hadsent, and Jack and Hugh went to the lodge, packed up the two beds, andgot out some sugar and coffee and flour, luxuries which were to be theircontribution to the supplies of Fox Eye's lodge. It occurred to Jack,also, that it would be a nice thing to give Fox Eye, himself, a presentof tobacco, and to his wife some beads and red cloth, as someacknowledgement of her kindness to him. When the bundles were ready Jackwent out and brought in Pawnee, saddled him, and riding out to the horseherd on the hills, selected one of their own pack animals, brought it inand tied it up ready for packing when the time should come for starting.

  About mid-day the little train started northeast, and camped that nightat a small lake not far from the base of the Chief Mountain, which roselike a great wall to the west of them. Two days more brought them to theGrassy Lakes, and there they camped, to stop for four or five days.While they were marching, Hugh usually rode with the two boys, off toone side, and they hunted antelope with some success. Jack killed twoand Hugh three, and then Jack loaned his rifle to Joe, who provedhimself a good hunter and a good shot, and killed four antelope. Thehunters among the Indians had also killed a number, and before longmuch meat and many hides were put out to dry at each camp. Buffalo werein sight all the time, but the Indians did not disturb them, for it hadbeen understood before they left the camp that no buffalo should bekilled. A sharp lookout was kept all the time for enemies, but no signswere seen that any one was in the country.

  The second day of their stay at Grassy Lakes was dull and overcast, andthe wind which had been always from the west, now worked around to thenorth and northeast. Hugh and the Indians said that they were going tohave a rain storm, and that it might be a long one. Jack and Joe huntedduring the day not far from camp, and each killed an antelope. Theyreached camp with their game in the middle of the afternoon, and aftereating, Jack lay down in the lodge on the bed and went to sleep and didnot wake up until after dark. When he sat up to look about him he sawthat it was night, and almost every one in the lodge was in bed, and thefire was beginning to burn low. He tried to talk a little with Joe andHugh, but both were sleepy, and presently he lay down again to sleepthrough the night. The fire died down, so that now it gave no light, andthe heavy, regular breathing of the people in the lodge showed that allwere
sleeping, but Jack could not go to sleep. His long rest in theafternoon had made him wakeful, and though he turned from side to sideon his soft bed of robes, sleep would not come to him. At length, afterwhat seemed to him three or four hours, he thought he would get up andgo outside of the lodge, stretch his legs, and perhaps this would makehim sleep. He rose very softly, for fear of disturbing any one, tookhis gun in his hand, and stepping over to the door, stood outside. Foran instant he could hardly believe his eyes, for there, close in frontof the lodge, was the dark form of some one stooping down and holdingthe rope by which one of the horses was tied in front of the lodge.Although the night was cloudy there was a moon, which enabled him to seevery plainly that this was a man who was doing something with one of theropes. In an instant it flashed through his mind that this must be anenemy stealing horses, and as he thought this, the man stood erect andthen sprang on the back of the horse which started to walk away. Jackdid not know what to do. A few jumps of the horse would take it out ofsight. There was nothing that he could do to stop it, except to shoot,and possibly this might be one of the men in the camp who had a right tothe horse. All these things flashed through Jack's mind in a moment, buthe felt that he must find out what this was that was being done. Hecalled out--not considering that the man could not understand him--"Holdon, there! What are you doing with that horse?" Evidently the man hadnot seen him, for as the call reached him he thrust his heels into thehorse's side and brought down the rope on its back and it began togallop.

  "Hold on!" Jack called again, "or I'll shoot."

  By this time there was stirring in the lodge, but there was no time towait; Jack's gun was at his shoulder, he fired, and as the smoke clearedaway he saw the riderless horse galloping on, and then it disappeared.He called:

  "Help! Hugh! Joe! they're stealing the horses!" And throwing anothercartridge into his gun he rushed forward to where he had last seen thehorse. There on the ground was the man, trying to scramble to his feet.Jack pushed him back with the muzzle of his rifle and held the gun tohis shoulder, ready to fire again, saying, "Lie still there, or I'llshoot." The man fell back and lay upon the ground still. Almost at thesame instant, Hugh and Joe, followed by Fox Eye, came running up. Hugh'sfirst question was:

  "How many of 'em were there?"

  "I only saw this one, I didn't want to shoot at him, but he had jumpedon the horse and was riding off, and I didn't know what else to do."

  Meantime, Joe and Fox Eye each, as he came up, had struck the man lyingthere, Joe with his bow and Fox Eye with the muzzle of his gun.

  "What are they going to do with him, Hugh?" said Jack; "keep him for aprisoner?"

  "Why no," said Hugh, stooping over and putting his hand on the man'sbreast; "I don't think we'll need to tie him up. You made a pretty goodshot, son, even if it was dark."

  "Did I hit him?" said Jack. "I thought he fell off the horse because Ishot at him; he was just getting up when I got here, and I pushed himover with the muzzle of my gun and told him to lie still or I'd shootagain."

  "Well," said Hugh, "he'll lie still all right. I guess we can leave himhere till morning."

  "Why, how do you mean, Hugh?" said Jack.

  "Why son, he's dead."

  "Dead," said Jack; "do you mean that I killed him?"

  "I expect so," said Hugh, "and a good job, too." He lit a match, andstooping down, looked at the man's face and moccasins, and then spoke toFox Eye and to the other men, who by this time had come up and werecrowding about them, and then turned to Jack and said, "He's anAssinaboine, and a horse thief, and you done mighty well to shoot justthe way you did. If you hadn't done that we might all have been leftafoot before morning; no reason why he shouldn't have taken every hoofof stock there is in the camp. You done well, son, and I'm mighty gladof it; but how did you come to see him?"

  Jack told how it was that he could not sleep, and how he had gone out ofthe lodge to stretch his legs, in the hope that this would make sleepcome; and he gave a detailed account of all he had seen and thought anddone. When he had finished, Hugh said to him again, "You done well. Noman could have done better, and when you get back to the camp I expectthese Indians'll think more of you than ever. Are you sure that when theman was trying to get up you touched him with your gun?"

  "Why yes, of course I am, Hugh; I gave him a right hard punch with it,and he lay down right off."

  "Well, if that's so, you've not only killed an enemy, but you've countedcoup on him, and that makes you a warrior right off. All these peoplehere have been thinking of you as just a boy, but from now on they'llsay that you're a sure enough man, all right."

  While they were talking, Hugh and Jack had returned to Fox Eye's lodge,in which his wife had built up a brilliant fire. They sat down there,and while Hugh told the woman what had happened, she was warming up akettle of food, and presently set some of it before the two. While theywere eating, Fox Eye came in, followed by several men, one of whomcarried in his hand the scalp of the enemy and another his bow case andquiver. The scalp was, of course, the first that Jack had ever seen, andhe looked at it with some awe, nor could he rid himself of a feeling ofa good deal of solemnity when he thought that he had killed a man. Joe,who had come into the lodge and sat down near him, spoke to himpresently, and said, "My friend, I am glad that you have done this greatthing. You have shown that you are brave. I wish that I had had thechance."

  "Well," said Jack, "I wish you had had it; you could have done as muchwith your bow as I did with my gun."

  "Weren't you afraid," said Joe, "when you ran up to that person lying onthe ground?"

  "No," said Jack, "I didn't think about being afraid. I expect I didn'tknow enough to be scared. The only thing I was afraid of was that he'dget up and run away."

  Meantime, Hugh had been talking to the men, and presently, when hestopped, Fox Eye spoke for quite along time. After he had finished, Joewhispered to Jack:

  "Say, you ought to have heard what he said about you. Wouldn't I be gladif anybody talked that way about me."

  "What did he say?" said Jack.

  "Oh, he praised you," said Joe; "he said you were brave; didn't fearanything; that you were watchful; that you had eyes like an eagle; earslike a prairie fox; that you could hear a long ways, and see straightand shoot good. Lord, he said nice things about you."

  Hugh had been speaking again, and now he turned to the two boys andsaid, "Now, boys, there may be more of these fellows around, and we'vegot to stand guard to-night and look out for these horses. I think youboys and young Bull Calf, here, had better go on watch for three hours,and then three of us will relieve you. Have you got your watch on,Jack?"

  "Yes," said Jack, pulling it out, "it's half past twelve."

  "Well, you three boys go out on three sides of the camp, a little wayoutside, and on the hills, and watch for three hours. Then, son, come inand call me, and three others will go out and relieve you. In themorning, as soon as it gets light, we'll pack up and strike for the maincamp. It's liable to be dangerous here before long."