Far Past the Frontier Part 19

With an impatient, violent sweep of his right hand, the chief touched John's shoulder with his left, and pointed across the lake in the direction of the cabin by the river.

Even in this brief time Ree's temper had cooled, and with proud dignity he turned and offered Capt. Pipe his hand. The Indian took it and also shook hands with John. His manner was haughty but not altogether unfriendly. The boys still felt that they had nothing to fear from him as they walked away.

Fishing Bird was near by as usual, as the lads went down to the water's edge. He was naked to the waist and was bedecked with paint and feathers.

He looked really fierce as he strode up to shove off the canoe, not in his customary happy mood, but with cool indifference. He spoke to Ree in an undertone as the canoe glided free of the beach.

It was late in the day, and this fact taken in connection with the unpleasant events of the afternoon caused the boys to decide to go directly to their cabin rather than to go on to the Tuscarawas river upon which the Indians were accustomed to travel toward the Ohio, and which the lads had planned to explore.

"What did Fishing Bird say to you, Ree?" asked John as they reached mid-lake.

"He said we should watch out for Big Buffalo."

"Thunderation! I wonder if he isn't jealous of Big Buffalo that he is always warning us against him? He must know that we know the old rogue doesn't like us, and that is all there is of it!"

"Oh, I guess Fishing Bird means well; and I'm sorry enough that Big Buffalo isn't going with the war party. It may be that the chief's daughter has something to do with his remaining at home, but I do not think Fishing Bird is jealous. As for us, why the Buffalo has no reason to hate us on the girl's account. We never even spoke to her."

"But she has spoken to you, Ree."

"Never."

"Yes, she has--with her eyes."

"What nonsense!" Ree e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed. "Big Buffalo is ugly by disposition and has never forgotten the mistake I made when I overlooked him and supposed Fishing Bird to be in command of the hunting party I met that time they made me prisoner."

Presently the talk drifted to other subjects, especially to the disposition of the furs that had acc.u.mulated, and the plan to take them to Detroit now seemed the best to follow.

"But after all," Ree suggested, "we may be able to get a horse from the Delawares when Capt. Pipe and his men have gone."

"No, he is going to take all the horses. They will dance and feast to-night, and to-morrow they start," John answered.

"How do you know that?"

For a moment there was no answer; and then in a hesitating way, "Gentle Maiden told me," John confessed.

"Oh, ho! You've been making love behind my back, have you? When did you talk with her?"

"Why, there was no love about it!" exclaimed John with some pretense of indignation. "We were only talking as anybody has a right to talk. It was while they were dancing. And Ree, she speaks better English than her father. The missionaries among the Moravians who were ma.s.sacred several years ago, taught her. And she thinks it was right that Col. Crawford was burned because of that ma.s.sacre, too."

"I guess you have talked to the Indian girl before to-day, haven't you?

Why didn't you tell me?"

"She spoke to me first, and I--I didn't think you would be interested."

Ree smiled but said no more. The canoe grated on the lake sh.o.r.e toward their home, and the boys took up their task of carrying it overland to the river.

"We will write some letters to send home from Pittsburg; for I still hope we will be able to take our furs there," said Ree, as they tramped along.

But in those days of more than one hundred years ago, as at the present time, none could tell what changes another sunrise would bring; and neither Ree nor John dreamed of the terrible danger which was closing in around them, the story of which is told in "Two Boy Pioneers".

THE END.