Hardscrabble; or, the fall of Chicago Part 4

CHAPTER IV.

Stealthily gliding through the fresh and thinly foliaged wood, that skirted the opposite sh.o.r.e, yet almost concealed from view, Corporal Nixon now beheld the crouching forms of several armed Indians, nearly naked, and evidently in war costume. They were following the serpentine course necessitated by the interposing trees, and seeking cautiously to establish themselves behind cover on the very verge of the bank.

"Back men for your lives, there's nothing friendly there," exclaimed the Virginian the moment that his glance had taken in the scene, "out with the arms, and divide the dry ammunition. Collins, you are a smart fellow, do you and Green set to work and light a fire, but out of sight, and dry the muskets as fast as you can. There are twelve pounds in each of the five remaining cartouch boxes, these will do for a spell.

Jackson, Philips, tree yourselves, while Ca.s.s lies flat in the stern, and keeps a good look out on the devils, without exposing himself. Now, my lads, do all this very quietly, and as if you didn't think there was danger at hand. If they see any signs of fear, they will pitch it into you directly. As it is, they are only waiting to settle themselves, and do it at their leisure."

"Pity they don't make a general of you, corporal," remarked Collins, as he proceeded quietly with Green to the execution of the duty a.s.signed to them. "I guess Washington himself couldn't better command a little army.

Is your battle order finished, general?"

"None of your nonsense, master Collins, this is no time for jesting.

Go and dry these arms, and when you have them so that they can send a bullet from their throats, join Jackson and Philips in covering the boat. Weston and I will take up our first station."

And in less time than we have taken to describe the cause of the alarm, and the instructions given in consequence, the men had hastened to execute the several duties a.s.signed to them on sh.o.r.e, while Ca.s.s remained, not only with a view of showing the Indians that the boat was not wholly unguarded, but to be enabled to inform his comrades, who could distinctly hear him without rendering any particular elevation of the voice necessary, of any important movement on the part of the former. This quietude of arrangement on the part of Corporal Nixon had, seemingly, been not without effect. It was evident that the Indians had no suspicion that they had been seen, and even when the men coolly quitted the boat, they showed no impatience indicative of an impression that the party were seeking to shield themselves from an impending danger.

"This silence is strange enough," said the corporal to his companion, after they had been some minutes secreted in the cavity from which the departure of the Indian with the boat had been arrested. "I almost wish they would fire a shot, for that would at once tell us how to act, and what we are to expect, whether they are friendly Indians or not."

But no shot was fired, and from the moment when the men quitted the boat, and took up their positions, everything had continued silent as the grave on the opposite sh.o.r.e, and not the vestige of an Indian could be seen.

"But for that scalp," again remarked the corporal, "I should take the party to have been friendly Indians, perhaps just returned from a buffalo hunt, and come down to the water to drink. They are surely gone again."

"Look there," said Weston, in a subdued tone, while he placed his hand on the shoulder of his superior, as both lay crouched in their hiding-place, "look there, corporal," and he pointed with his finger to the opposite bank. "Do you see that large, blackish log lying near the hickory, and with its end towards us?"

"I do--what of it?"

"Well, don't you see something crouching like between the log and the tree--something close up to both. See! it moves now a little."

Corporal Nixon strained his gaze in the direction indicated, but was obliged to admit that, although he distinctly enough saw the log and the tree, he could not discern any between thing them.

"NOW, do you see it?" again eagerly inquired Weston, as, at that moment, the same animal was seen to turn itself within the very limited s.p.a.ce which had been indicated.

"Yes, I see it now," replied the Virginian, "but it's as likely to be a hog as a man, for anything I can make of that shape; a hog that has been filling his skin with hickory nuts, and is but now waking out of his sleep. Still, as the Injins were there just now, it may be that if they're gone, they've left a spy behind them. We'll soon know how matters stand, for it won't do to remain here all night. Ca.s.s,"

addressing the man in the boat who was seated low in the stern, only occasionally taking a sly peep, and immediately withdrawing his head, "place your cap on the rudder, and lie flat in the bottom. If they are there, and mean to fire at all, they will try their hands at THAT."

"I hope they are good marksmen, corporal," replied the man, as raising his right arm, he removed his forage cap and placed it so that the upper half only could be seen. "I've no great fancy for those rifle bullets, and give them a wide berth when I can."

"Now are you convinced?" asked Weston, addressing the corporal, as both distinctly saw the object upon which their attention had been anxiously fixed, raise his head and shoulders, while he deliberately rested his rifle against the log on his right.

"Close down, Ca.s.s--don't move," enjoined the Virginian; "the bait has taken, and we shall have a shot presently."

Two almost imperceptible jets of spiral smoke, and crack, crack, went two rifles, while simultaneously with the report, fell back into the boat, the perforated forage cap. Both b.a.l.l.s had pa.s.sed through it, and lodged in the heart of the tree to which the skiff was moored, and behind which Jackson and Philips had taken their stand.

Evidently believing that they had killed a man, the whole of the band, hitherto concealed behind logs and trees, now rose to their feet, and uttered a fierce and triumphant yell.

"Devilish good firin', that," remarked Green, whose face had been touched by a splinter of bark torn from the tree by one of the b.a.l.l.s.

"Don't uncover yourselves, my lads," hastily commanded the corporal; "all the fellows want now is to see us exposed, that they may have a crack at us."

"We've dried the muskets after a fashion," said Collins, as he now approached Jackson and Philips. "Give us a cartridge, and let's see if we can't match the varmint at that sort of work." Then, having loaded, he, without asking the corporal's permission, leaned his musket against the tree, and taking a steady aim at the man who had fired from the point first noticed by Weston, drew the trigger.

The shot had evidently taken effect, for two other Indians were now seen going to the a.s.sistance of their comrade, whom they raised from the ground (where all had secreted themselves after the yell), and hurried to the rear.

A loud cheer burst from the lips of Collins, which was answered immediately by the whole of the savages, who, from various contiguous points, sprang again to their feet, and vociferating the war-whoop, dashed into the river nearly up to their necks, seemingly thirsting to overcome the only obstacle which prevented them from getting at their desired victims.

But, at the very moment, when several of them were holding their rifles aloft with their right hand, securing their powder-horns between their teeth, while Corporal Nixon issued to his men injunctions, not to pull another trigger until the savages should begin to swim, to the astonishment of all, came the sullen and unusual booming of the cannon from the Fort.

For a moment, the men, taking their eyes off the sights of their muskets, listened attentively for a repet.i.tion of the shot, but no second report reached their ears.

"That," said Green, "was a warnin' for us."

"It was," observed the corporal. "Had the danger been THERE, they would have fired again. Depend upon it, my lads, there's more going on about here than we think. So don't throw away your ammunition. Every bullet you send must tell!"

"Well, we can but sell our scalps as dearly as possible," interposed Collins, who had again loaded, and was now in the act of raising and supporting his, musket against the tree. "But look--see how the fellows are stealing off?"

"Don't fire, then, don't fire," hastily enjoined the corporal. "If they will go quietly, let them. We must not lose our time dallying here, but make our way back to the Fort. That gun was meant to recall us, as well as to warn us, and luckily it has frightened the Indians, so they won't care to attack us again."

Meanwhile the band of Winnebagoes, obeying, as it seemed, the command of their leader, whom Collins swore he could identify from his figure, even at that distance, to be the man who had attempted to carry off the boat, quitted the river for the cover of the woods, and, after an earnest consultation, retreated slowly in the direction of the prairie, without clamor of any description.

"Well rid of them, if they are gone," exclaimed the corporal, not a little relieved by their departure. "We must keep a sharp look out though, and see if they return."

"How many of them are there?" asked Jackson; "can you give a guess, Collins?"

"About a dozen I should say--indeed I counted as many as they pa.s.sed through the small patch of clearing made by Eph. Giles's axe."

"Can they have started for the farm?" observed the corporal musingly; "if so, my lads, we had better get away as soon as possible, for there they will find canoes to cross."

"Why, sure they can swim across well enough. The river is not so wide as to prevent them from doing it on a pinch," remarked Philips.

"Of course they can," answered Collins, "but not without having their rifles as well soaked as our muskets were a little while ago. I say, corporal, I understand now the trick of that cunning chief. He jumped upon the arms purposely to overturn them into the river, when he found he couldn't get the boat, and all our firelocks over with him."

"Yes, that WAS a trick," remarked Jackson, "but, corporal, you havn't told us how the d.i.c.kens that fellow came there, instead of the bear you went to spear."

"There is no time to talk about it, seriously rejoined the Virginian.

Some night when we are on guard, I will tell you what little I know.

At present let us see to getting back to our post. Collins, you are the crack shot of the party, are you loaded?"

"I am, corporal," returned the man somewhat self-sufficiently, "have you got another Injin for me to sink. If so, just point him out, and if this good barrel of Uncle Sam's don't do his job in no time, I'll give up all claim to having hit the first fellow."

"Not just yet," answered his superior, "but hear my orders. You'll follow the path along the bank, and move along carefully, until you reach Heywood's stacks. Conceal yourself behind one of them, until we come down with the boat, and keep a sharp lookout on all that you see pa.s.sing in and round the farm. Now remember, Collins, not a shot, unless it be to save your life, or else you will get us all into a sc.r.a.pe."

"Never fear me, General Nixon, and he touched his cap with all the respect he would have accorded to an officer of that rank. I brought one of the imps down, and that, I reckon, is nearly as good work for one day, as filling the old boat with fish, or having a slap at them ducks, as I wanted this morning. But now I'm off, if I see anything shall I halloo out, and let you know there's danger?"

"Not by a long chalk," returned the corporal. "All I want you to do is to keep your tongue in your head and your eyes open. If you see anything to alarm you, come back quietly and let us know. We shall be moving down close to the bank of the river; and now start."

Collins threw his musket to the trail, and advanced cautiously, though fearlessly, along the scarcely perceptible pathway--interrupted, at every third or fourth step by creeping vines that protruded from the earth, and rendered it necessary, in order to prevent his tripping, that he should raise his feet somewhat in the manner of a horse with the string-halt.