Hope and Have Part 29

THE VISITOR AT THE ISLAND.

"Ho, wo, wo!" yelled the savages on the raft; and their tones sounded much like the barking of a large mastiff.

Ethan saw one of their number fall, and the commotion in the group indicated that the savages had been thrown into confusion by Ethan's well-directed shot. They ceased paddling, and appeared to be consulting in regard to their next movement.

"Lay right down flat on the ground, so thet they can't see you, f.a.n.n.y,"

said Ethan, as he hastily loaded the rifle, on which he princ.i.p.ally depended.

"Won't they go away now you have found out they are coming?" asked she, as she obeyed the requirement.

"I dunno; we shall see. I don't keer much whether they go or kim. Keep still, and don't move. I reckon they can't see us, and don't know jest whar to fire."

"They can see you, Ethan."

"No, they can't," replied the resolute boy, as he took careful aim a second time with the rifle.

He fired, but apparently without any result, except another yell from the savages. Three of them could still be seen standing and kneeling on the raft. As soon as the second shot had been fired, they reached their conclusion, and commenced paddling with all their might towards the island. Ethan now took the fowling-piece, which he had charged with duck-shot, and fired again. The Indians yelled as before, and one of them seemed to be wounded, for he ceased to paddle, and the third man immediately took his place.

Both of Ethan's guns were now empty; but he had the revolver, which was good for six shots, though the fire could hardly be effective at the present distance of the raft from the island. Keeping this weapon in reserve, he loaded the two guns again. It was very strange that the Indians did not fire at him, and he could not tell whether it was because they had no guns, or because they were afraid of killing Wahena. The party had probably been sent by Lean Bear to recover his son, and the success of the expedition was to depend upon finding the exiles asleep. The good judgment of Ethan had therefore saved them from the calamity of a surprise.

When Ethan had completed the loading of the guns, the raft was within four or five rods of the sh.o.r.e of the island, and the Indians were paddling vigorously, though the unwieldy craft they navigated moved very slowly through the water.

"Don't you stop here no longer, f.a.n.n.y; 'taint no place for you, nohow.

Jest crawl up to the tree, and keep behind it. Keep both eyes wide open tight, but don't let the redskins see you."

"But what will become of you?" asked f.a.n.n.y, unwilling to leave her bold defender even for a moment.

"Never you mind me; go right off quick. Crawl up to the tree, and I'll soon fix 'em."

"Ho, wo, wo!" yelled the Indians, apparently satisfied that their work was accomplished, for the raft was within two rods of the sh.o.r.e.

Then one of them dropped his paddle, and, with an unearthly scream, leaped into the water, which was now so shallow that he could wade ash.o.r.e. Ethan took good aim at this one, and fired. Though not killed, the sharp cry the savage uttered convinced Ethan that he was wounded.

Without waiting to learn the effect of his shot on the rest of the party, he fired again at the same man, who was only partially disabled.

The savage in the water, who had been the most dangerous a.s.sailant, uttered another yell of pain, and his companions seemed to be paralyzed by the continuation of the fire upon them. Probably they supposed the boy had but one gun, and, when he fired it, that he would not have time to load again before they could reach him. Ethan then discharged one ball from the revolver, which added still more to their confusion, for they were jabbering like wild turkeys.

"Go 'way!" shouted Ethan. "Go 'way, or I'll kill Wahena."

"No kill," replied one of the Indians, whose voice sounded like that of the messenger Ethan had met in the morning.

"Go 'way then!"

"Me go."

"Go then--consarn ye!" muttered Ethan, as, taking advantage of the confusion in the ranks of the enemy, he loaded the two guns again.

The two Indians on the raft helped the wounded one in the water to mount the platform again. Two of the three were evidently wounded, and it was not an easy thing for them to paddle the clumsy craft away from the island. One of the savages worked at the paddle for a while; but it was not till the more able of the other two a.s.sisted him that any sensible progress was made.

"Creation hokee!" exclaimed Ethan, when he was fully conscious that he had won the victory. "I've done 'em, f.a.n.n.y!"

"Have they gone?" she asked, when she had joined him.

"They are go'n as fast as they kin; but I reckon they won't git back to the settlement till some time into mornin'. We're all right now, f.a.n.n.y, and you kin go to sleep as soon as you've a mind to."

She was too excited to think of sleeping, and she sat with Ethan on the sh.o.r.e for an hour, talking about their deliverance from the peril that had menaced them. f.a.n.n.y was devoutly grateful to G.o.d, who had again preserved them; and when she had uttered the prayer her heart would not permit her to keep back, she felt more composed, and retired to the cabin, where she soon dropped asleep from sheer exhaustion.

This was the only attempt made by the savages to capture the exiles on the island. The next day, they continued to work upon the house, interrupted only by a heavy shower in the forenoon; but the boat roof afforded them a perfect shelter from the pouring rain. It was three days before the house was finished; but when it was completed, the wanderers were as proud of it as though it had been a Fifth Avenue mansion. At night they took turns in keeping the watch; and when the house was done, both of the exiles were nearly worn out by the hard work they had done, and the loss of sleep to which they had been subjected. They decided that it would be best to rest a few days before they commenced upon certain additions which they contemplated.

The stock of provisions was already much reduced, and the question of supplies for the future demanded attention. There were plenty of fish in the lake, but none could be caught in the shallow water which bordered the island. It was necessary to go out a short distance, and Ethan found a couple of logs among some drift wood, gathered on the beach, with which he constructed a raft, just large enough to accommodate himself.

To prevent accidents, he tied together all the lines which had been used about the sail, and pushed off the length of his rope. There were fish-lines in the boat, and bait was obtained on the island. In an hour Ethan returned to the sh.o.r.e with a large muskellunge and half a dozen large lake trout. The problem of supplies, therefore, seemed to be solved, especially as there were abundant opportunities to shoot the wild duck, plover, and grouse, that visited the little domain of the exiles.

However pleasant it would be to follow out in detail the daily life of the residents of the isle, our s.p.a.ce prevents us from doing so. A fortnight of severe labor and constant watchfulness was pa.s.sed by the exiles, when a great event occurred to them. Ethan had one day moored out his raft the length of the line from the sh.o.r.e, on the side of the island where they had first disembarked, when his attention was attracted by an object on the water, in the direction of the settlement. He watched it with interest and anxiety, and soon ascertained that it was a raft, on which stood a single person, who was paddling towards the island.

Ethan immediately pulled in his raft, and went for his fire-arms, which he carefully loaded, in readiness for a hostile visit from a foe. The stranger approached very slowly, and the exiles were at last satisfied that he was not an Indian. As he drew nearer to the island, he waved a white rag, which was intended and understood as a sign of peace.

"Who can it be?" asked f.a.n.n.y, greatly excited by the incident.

"I dunno; can't tell yet," replied Ethan.

"Do you think it is an enemy?"

"I don't reckon it is."

Both of them continued to watch the approaching visitor, until he had come within twenty rods of the sh.o.r.e. He did not look like any human being that f.a.n.n.y had ever seen before. His clothes were tattered, and of all colors. Great patches of tent canvas were sewed over a tunic made of red and yellow blankets. He wore Indian leggins, and his head was covered with a c.o.o.n-skin cap. His hair and beard, of grizzly gray, were tangled and matted in knots and snarls. Crossed on his breast were the straps by which were supported his powder-horn and shot-flask.

"What a strange-looking man!" exclaimed f.a.n.n.y, when the raft had come near enough to enable her to make out the uncouth object upon it.

"I know him now," replied Ethan, "though I hevn't seen him afore for more 'n a year."

"Who is he?"

"Thet's Rattles.h.a.g."

"Who?"

"Rattles.h.a.g--leastwise that's the only name anybody knows him by. He's a hunter 'n trapper that goes roamin' round over the peraries."

"Where does he live?"

"He don't live nowhar; he goes travellin' round, livin' on the white folks and Injins. They say he is the best shot west of the Miss'sip."

"He won't shoot us--will he?"

"No; he won't hurt nothin'."

The raft came up to the sh.o.r.e, and the trapper landed.