The Cabin on the Prairie Part 18

The Indian glanced warily about, then laid his ear to the ground, listening intently, and arose quickly, saying,--

"Indian come. Much fight. Kill white man; kill white squaw; kill pappoose."

"What of my father and mother?" inquired Tom, excitedly. "Have they been murdered?"

"Long Hair save 'um little; father shoot one, two, tree, ten Injun.

Long Hair been up to Fort. Sojer no bleeve Long Hair; say he spy.

Long Hair come for Tom to get sojer. Injun see Long Hair; be here pretty soon--one, two, tree, ten, twenty, _fifty_! Kill Long Hair, kill Tom, take scalp. Tom go with Long Hair. He save him. Horse know way home."

Tom saw, from Long Hair's manner, that it was no time for delay, and, leaping from the wagon, with marvellous quickness the Indian turned the horse's head about, facing home, and, striking him smartly, the spirited animal rapidly retraced his way.

At their right rose a rocky ridge to a considerable height, springing up which Long Hair motioned Tom to follow. The other side was quite precipitous; but a narrow fissure in the rock afforded a scanty footing, down which the Indian glided, Tom following him, although dizzy with the height. Pa.s.sing along for a short distance, they came to a scrub oak, the roots of which had struck into the side of the ledge. Climbing around it, a small opening appeared. Motioning Tom to enter, Long Hair said,--

"If both stay, Injun kill both. Long Hair run swift like deer;" and he darted up the ridge again with cat-like agility.

When Tom's eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he found himself in a s.p.a.cious, rocky room. It was one of those natural caves which seem as if the work of art, rather than a freak of nature. The room was almost a perfect square, and extending around its sides was a seat of solid rock, while in a square hole, which looked as if it had been excavated for the purpose, was a spring, the water of which was icy cold, and of crystal clearness.

Tom seated himself to await the result of the strange events that had so suddenly befallen him. Not a sound was to be heard in the forest; and had he not known enough of the Indian acuteness in detecting the approach of a concealed or distant foe, he would have doubted Long Hair's representations of the impending peril. Indeed, as the moments sped,--and they seemed long to him,--he had begun to consider the propriety of venturing out to look about a little, when a slight rustle in the ravine below arrested his attention. At any other time he would not have noticed the sound, it was so like the pa.s.sing of the breeze. The scrawny roots of the tree at the entrance of the cave, and the darkness within, protected him from observation; and, drawing nearer the mouth of the cavern, he watched the bushes below with strained eye. He had not long to wait when he saw an Indian creeping cautiously along; then, a little farther off, another came into view, and still another. They were Long Hair's pursuers; and from their belts hung a number of scalps, which, from their b.l.o.o.d.y appearance, showed that they had recently been taken; and the luxuriant tresses of some of them indicated that they were from the heads of white women.

At the sight Tom's blood almost froze in his veins. But his heart gave a sudden bound as he heard the sound of soft footfalls. From this he judged that the Indians had got upon Long Hair's trail, and some of them had gone round in front of the ridge, while the others followed closely in his track. Tom felt that his hour had come, and a mortal terror seized him. Then, thinking of his imperilled father and mother, to whose succor Long Hair had bidden him go, he was astonished at the fierce reaction which followed. He had no weapons; so, planting himself behind the tree, he lay in wait, ready to spring upon the first intruder, and hurl him into the depths below.

The dark figure of an Indian creeping stealthily along, like a horrid serpent, he saw cautiously approaching the tree: a moment more, and the death grapple would come, when an exclamation above made the Indian turn his head. Long Hair's trail, returning from the cave, had been struck by another Indian. At the same instant, Long Hair's defiant war-whoop, challenging his pursuers to come on, was heard in the distance. The answering yell of the savages from the ravine below and the ridge above rang out as they dashed after. The Indian, unaware of the presence of Tom, stepped to the tree to turn himself on the face of the cliff, so that he stood with his brawny back close to Tom.

His waist also was hung with gory scalps. The sight maddened Tom to frenzy. The savage let go the tree, and started to join the chase, when Tom thrust his hands at once through the fissure, and sent him headlong from the precipice. The body struck with a dull, heavy thud, and all was still.

Tom could hear the sound of the pursuit as it died away, and knew that there was now no immediate danger to him; and, stooping down, he took a long draught from the spring, and bathed his fevered brow. Then, climbing out of his hiding-place, he pa.s.sed quickly upon the ridge, and descended into the ravine below, where lay the mutilated form of the red man.

"Who knows but he is the murderer of some of our family?" he said, as he drew near. "No; none of our folks have such hair as that," he added, after examining the scalps, one by one. Then, taking possession of the rifle, powder-horn, and bullet-pouch, and thrusting the Indian's scalping-knife into his belt, and throwing some limbs over the body, that it might not so soon be discovered by his friends, Tom hurried away in the direction of the fort, as Long Hair had suggested. He lingered a moment, however, wishing that he could do something to serve Long Hair, who, he well knew, had uttered that challenging war-cry that saved his life on purpose to call the Indians away from the cave.

But what was he? A mere boy against so many infuriated savages.

Besides, they were now far away, he knew not where. Moreover, Long Hair had charged him to go for the soldiers to rescue his father and mother, and, without further hesitation, he turned his steps towards the fort. Tom was in good health, a quick walker, and, like his father, accustomed to thread the woods and traverse the prairies.

Tom was agitated with strong and conflicting emotions as he pursued his lonely way. His boy-nature had been terribly roused by the exciting scenes through which he had just pa.s.sed. He had experienced the strange feeling which men feel, when, in battle, they are stirred by danger and the sight of blood to deeds of blood. It was under this feeling that he was led to precipitate the Indian from the bluff, and to view his remains with so much composure. But now a faintness came stealing over him. His young heart recoiled at the thought of what he had done. This relenting, however, was repelled by the recollection of Long Hair's heroism, and his father and mother's beleaguered condition, if, indeed, the tomahawk ere this had not drank their life.

How many days had pa.s.sed since Long Hair had seen them he knew not; but it was easy to see from his friend's anxiety that his parents were in an extremity of danger, and whether he could succeed in procuring a.s.sistance for them in season seemed doubtful. It would take him, to go afoot, two days to reach the fort; and he could not hope to get to his father's settlement with the soldiers in less than a day more, even if they were mounted. It was now about two o'clock, and he had eaten nothing since early in the morning; but he thought not of food as he hurried on. With the accuracy of the practised pioneer he struck a bee-line for the fort. This took him some miles away from any village; but towards night he reached a cabin standing alone.

Entering, he found the family just taking their evening meal. With true western hospitality, the man of the house urged him to sit down and partake with them, while his wife poured out a generous bowl of strong, black coffee, which, as was the custom, was used without sugar or milk; and she heaped his plate with fried pork, and hot, mealy potatoes, while by the side of his plate she laid a generous slice of brown bread.

Tom partook with a relish that did honor to the fare.

"Where are you from, and where are you bound, my lad?" asked the man, who had refrained from questions until he saw that his guest was well under way eating.

Tom's mouth and heart were full, and between them both he found it difficult to reply. He was painfully hungry from his long fast and the thrilling experiences of the day, and his brain was greatly excited.

"I am going," said he, answering the last question first, perhaps because it was nearest at hand, "to the fort after help."

"After help!" cried the wife, stopping short in the act of transferring a potato from the end of her fork to Tom's plate, holding it aloft unconsciously. "Ain't any trouble down your way with the Injuns--is there?"

"No, not exactly," said Tom.

And the good woman, relieved, remembered the potato, and deposited it as she had designed, then was proceeding to place another slice of pork beside it, just as Tom added,--

"But I saw lots of them this morning not more than twelve miles from here, and they looked fierce enough in their war-paint, and with the b.l.o.o.d.y scalps dangling from their bodies."

"Goodness gracious!" exclaimed the good lady; and, again forgetting herself, she paused with the pork, letting the fat drip upon the snowy cloth. "I told you, husband, they'd be down upon us yet, and we more'n three miles from any neighbor."

And as Tom commenced his recital of the occurrences of the morning, she sat down in her chair with the slice of meat still in its elevated position, and the gravy dripping into her lap, while the husband ceased eating, and listened with open-mouthed interest.

Tom eyed the pork longingly as he continued his narration, and, seeing no prospect of getting it, abruptly said,--

"I hadn't tasted a bit of food till I came here since five o'clock this morning, and I've got to Walk all night."

"Law me!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed his good-hearted hostess; "if I haven't forgot to help ye, I was so scared 'bout the Injuns;" and she pa.s.sed it, adding, "Husband, you jist go down cellar, and bring up a pumpkin pie, and some o' that gingerbread. The boy mustn't leave this huss till he's had his fill;" and the tears came into her large blue eyes. "And are you going with the sojers over among the Injuns where your father and mother is?"

"Yes," answered Tom.

"Why, it seems to me that a stripling like you had best stay behind, and keep out o' danger. One o' them Injuns wouldn't make nothin' o'

taking your scalp."

Tom's spirit rose at this, and he told them how he killed the Indian in the morning.

"Well, I never!" said the good lady, in blank astonishment. "Why, I don't s'pose my husband here would be any more dependence if them wild critters should come beseeching our dwelling than a three-year-old."

At which the husband thrust his hand up into his wiry hair, till he made it stand upon end all over his head, while he grew very red in the face, and said, fiercely,--

"Let the varmints come on if they wants to. Guess I could stand it if you could."

Tom saw that there was danger of a falling out between his fat, overgrown hostess and her diminutive husband, and adroitly said,--

"We don't any one of us know what we could do until the time comes. I was surprised myself at what I had done."

"Well," said the woman, restored to good humor, "there's a great deal o' good sense in that remark. I know it from experience. For when I had the toothache so that I couldn't sleep nights for a week, and husband wanted to take me over to Groveville, to the doctor's, I felt as weak as dish-water; but when I got there, I had out two jaw teeth and a stump without wincin', as you may say, and the doctor said he'd like me for a subject to pull on all the time. But I told him it would take two to make a bargain on that, I reckoned;" and she laughed heartily at the remembrance of her own wit.

But Tom had finished his meal, and rose to go, when his hostess said,--

"You won't think o'travelling in the night--will yer?"

"Every moment is precious," replied Tom.

"Well, husband," said she, "if the boy feels, under the circ.u.mstances, that he must go, it isn't in me to detain him. But it seems to me we orter do as we'd be did by, and help him onto his way a piece. Now, you jist go and harness the hoss into the waggin while I put up something to stay his stomach like till he gets to the fort. You could drive him there just as well as not, husband."

"Pretty long drive," observed the man, looking out of the little window dubiously.

"Well, but," she persisted, "you see the child's got to go all the way afoot, and it'll take so long that his folks'll be killed, murdered, tomahawked, and scalped, afore he can git there." Then, waxing warm, "an' if you an' I was in that perdicament, we'd want them as was going to help us not to aggervate our feelin's by coming to our rescue when it was too late."

"Yes, yes," returned the little man, unable to reply to his wife's wordy reasoning.

"Now, if you're not afeard--"

"_Afeard!_" said he, bristling his hair, and reddening again. "Who's afeard? I was only thinking, if the Injuns should come whilst I'm gone, what would become of you, Barbery Jane."

"Well," said she, looking aghast, and sinking into her chair anew, "I declare, if I hadn't forgot that!"