BLACK BEAVER STRIKES
"OH! it must be a terrible mistake; you can't mean it, Mr. Harkness!"
cried Sandy, white of face, and trembling like a leaf.
Bob, however, understood. He knew the settler would never have sought
them out simply to carry an idle rumor. And probably, in that moment
of acute pain, the young pioneer once again saw those beady black eyes
of the Seneca chief, Black Beaver, as they fastened greedily upon the
pretty face of little Kate. He, too, was thrilled with horror when he
heard those terrible words; but, fortunately, he could control himself
much better than his younger brother.
"Tell us, Mr. Harkness; is Kate lost; and do they only believe she has
been carried off, or is it proved?" he asked, his voice hoarse with
suffering.
"I am afraid it is but too true, my lad," replied the settler, as he
laid his hand on the shoulder of the Armstrong boy.
"Did any one see it done?" continued Bob, between his set teeth; for
he could not believe that any neighbor would have stood idly by, and
witnessed such an abduction, without doing everything in his power to
thwart the evil designs of the prowling red men.
"No. Kate went to the spring for water. Her mother thought once she
heard a little cry, and was worried; but, stepping out of doors, she
looked that way, and believed she saw Kate's shawl moving among the
trees, as though she were stooping down to pick some late wild flower.
Reassured, she returned to her work indoors. An hour passed. Then,
suddenly she remembered the circumstance and, alarmed, she hurried to
the spring."
"And Kate had disappeared?" exclaimed Bob, in dismay.
"Yes," replied the man. "Your mother called aloud again and again,
her alarm increasing each moment as no answer came. Wildly she ran
across to the cabin of Mr. Brewster, which was the nearest of all the
neighbors. He happened to be at home, and, seizing his gun, immediately
hurried to aid her, meanwhile sending his boy to sound the alarm."
"Yes, yes, and when they arrived what did they learn?" demanded Sandy.
"They had hardly reached the cabin when who should appear from the
woods but your old friend, Pat O'Mara, returned unexpectedly from his
last scout."
Both Bob and his brother gave utterance to a cry of joy when the
settler uttered these words.
"How fortunate we are to have him with us now!" exclaimed Bob.
"So we all thought," went on Mr. Harkness. "When he had learned what
was the trouble, O'Mara immediately made us all keep back until he
could closely examine the vicinity of the spring."
"He was looking for the tracks of the kidnappers," remarked one of the
hunters.
"Truly, it was a fortunate thing that so clever a trailer should have
come into the settlement just when his services were so desperately
needed," said another, who knew the Irish trapper's worth.
"O'Mara quickly found the imprint of many moccasins," resumed the
settler. "He could tell just how Kate had been suddenly seized by an
Indian, who crept up behind while she was stooping beside the spring.
Her bucket was found in the bushes, just where the cunning rascals had
hidden it, so as to make her mother think she had wandered away in
search of butterflies, or to visit some favorite nook where she might
be watching a late brood of young quail."
"But you said that, after the cry, our mother saw Kate moving about?"
Bob ventured to remark, in puzzled tones.
"That was only another of the crafty schemes of the redskins," replied
Mr. Harkness. "O'Mara showed us how one of her captors must have taken
her shawl, and, throwing it over his head, showed just enough of
himself to deceive the mother. They were evidently afraid lest her one
cry might have been heard."
"Please finish," burst out the fretting Sandy; "for I am just wild to
rush away home, so as to take up the trail. Is Pat O'Mara waiting for
us to come in, so that we may all start out together?"
"Not so," came the quick response. "As soon as he found out positively
what had come to pass, the trapper vowed he would himself pursue
the fleeing Indians, and bring back the child of his friend, David
Armstrong."
"God bless him!" murmured Bob, strangely moved by this evidence of the
woodranger's devotion.
"Tired as he was with half a day's tramp," the settler went on, "and
hardly waiting to replenish his stock of powder and ball, as well as to
secure an extra flint and steel for his tinder bag, Pat O'Mara rushed
away, following the trail."
"Alone?" gasped Sandy.
"It could not be otherwise," replied the other, sadly. "Here were eight
of the defenders of the settlement away on a hunt. One man must be sent
out to carry you the terrible news, as well as urge a hasty return.
Since we thus knew that hostiles were apparently on the warpath, we
dared not weaken our fighting force further, much as we felt for your
good mother."
"Then let us hasten home without any further delay," said Bob, firmly,
while the light of a great resolution shone in his brave eyes. "Take
courage, Sandy; all is not lost! We can follow the wicked thieves; and
already our friend Pat O'Mara is hot on the trail! How many of the
Indians were there, did he say, Mr. Harkness?"
"I think four in all, counting the one who seized your sister," came
the reply.
The eyes of the two boys sought each other's face; it was as though the
same thought had instantly flashed into both minds.
"The young Seneca chief, Black Beaver!" exclaimed Sandy.
"He had three companions with him," Bob went on; "and, instead of
continuing on to his far distant village, which he declared was away up
on the shore of the Great Lakes, the treacherous dog has hovered about
the settlement ever since that day, waiting for a favorable chance to
come when he could steal our little sister away. That time came when he
saw us depart with the rest on this big hunt!"
It was quickly arranged that Bob and Sandy should hasten on ahead in
the company of the settler. Some of the others promised to bring in
their share of the fresh buffalo meat.
Forgotten was their fatigue. Love for the sweet little sister, who had
been a ray of sunlight in that frontier cabin, urged the boys on, so
that they put the hardy settler to his best efforts to keep abreast of
them.
And, before the afternoon was far spent, they drew near the cabin in
the big clearing, where the resolute arms of David Armstrong and his
two sons had built so comfortable a home.
It was now a scene of tremendous commotion. Men and women could be seen
moving around, looking toward the woods, and shielding their eyes from
the fierce sun's rays, while they watched for the coming of the eager
brothers of the little maid who had been so strangely abducted by a
savage and treacherous enemy.
Bob remembered the other occasion when, on arriving home, they had
found neighbors gathered about their cabin; but how different the
conditions were! On that day it had been to rejoice with the Armstrongs
that the settlers and their wives had gathered; now it was to mourn, to
comfort, to advise.
Mrs. Armstrong was prostrated by the dreadful calamity that had
befallen her; for, to have her sweet child thus taken away, never again
perhaps to be folded in her motherly arms, was a blow that caused her
heart to sink with dread.
It seemed all the worse because the father was away, heading toward the
rising sun, and himself exposed to constant danger from the foes that
lurked in the dark recesses of the forest.
But, when her two brave boys had taken her in their embrace, and
assured her that they would never rest until Kate were brought back,
the poor mother took fresh courage. She knew that there was still a
hope, faint though it might be.
The boys were filled with zeal. They knew that an expedition lay before
them such as must dwarf all others in which they had engaged. Even
experienced forest rangers might well pause before attempting to pierce
that hostile country, where not a friendly white might be met, those
they were apt to run across being the trouble-making French trappers
and traders, who had come down from Canada in the hope and expectation
of arousing the combined tribes against the English-speaking settlers,
so that the entire country might be reserved for themselves, from
the Great Lakes down to the town on the Gulf, near the mouth of the
Mississippi River.
Many hands assisted them in making speedy preparations, for every one
was deeply interested in their mission. Few expected to ever see the
brave brothers again, although all such gloomy beliefs were kept in the
background, so that they might not add to the woes of the poor mother.
This one brought a supply of bullets; another filled the capacious
horns with the necessary powder, without which the adventurers would
be next to helpless, once they were far away from the outposts of
civilization. Still a third looked after a stock of pemmican, which was
to sustain them as they pushed ever onward into the unexplored depths
of that vast wilderness, teeming with dangers.
Sandy could think of nothing, he was so eager to be on the move; but
Bob, besides comforting his mother, made sure that they had plenty of
tinder; that an extra pair of moccasins was fastened to each belt,
since they knew not when those they wore might give way under the long
tramp; and also that both knives were in a condition of sharpness to
give a good account of themselves.
All these things were done in a comparatively short time. The sun was
still two hours high when they announced themselves as ready to start
on their perilous journey into the unknown.
Mr. Brewster had assured them that their mother should be taken into
his family, and guarded well during their absence. This kindness gave
Bob new courage, for he felt that he could put out of his mind all
anxieties concerning their home, and devote himself entirely to the
rescue of Kate.
Several of the men announced that they intended accompanying the young
pioneers a short distance on their way, to give them encouragement and
a good send-off. Nor were the two lads averse to such a proceeding, as
it served to soften the painful parting with their mother.
The trail was taken up at the spring. No particular effort had been
made by the Indians to hide their tracks, and it was little trouble for
such keen-eyed trackers as Bob and Sandy to follow the plain marks.
The dusky raiders had been careful, apparently, to avoid being seen
by any of the settlers as they hurried away, after securing the white
girl. Since no trace of Kate's little moccasins could be found, Bob
knew that she must have been carried.
More than once he stooped low to examine the imprint in the clay of
the leading Indian's elkskin footwear. It was his purpose to know
any peculiarity that attached to those moccasins, so that he might
recognize them again at any future time among a dozen similar tracks.
A circuit was made so as to pass fully around and below the settlement.
Then gradually the trail began to near the border of the great river.
Bob knew what this signified. Of course the Iroquois must have had a
canoe hidden somewhere, in which they had crossed the stream.
One of the men was immediately sent back to secure such a boat, and
hasten down the stream, so that it might be available should the boys
seek to pass over to the opposite shore. Half an hour later the little
company stood on the bank, waiting for the canoe to reach them, having
signalled to the paddler as agreed upon.
Plain marks could be seen where a canoe had been carried from the
bushes and launched, afterward being entered by the red men. There was
something more awaiting them here on the bank of the beautiful river.
A stick held a scrap of paper, on which were a few lines of crabbed
writing. It was a message from Pat O'Mara; and, though the Irish
trapper talked rather uncouthly, he could at least frame his thoughts
in fairly decent English.
This then was what he had written:
"Indians crossed river here in canoe. Will follow, and,
when find where landed, leave piece of red cloth in
stick. Look for it close to water's edge."
That was all, but it signified much to the eager boys, who were only
waiting for the coming of the dugout to themselves push across the
river. Trust to their keen eyes to discover that tiny bit of flaming
cloth!
"But where could he have found a boat?" asked Sandy, looking surprised,
as this puzzle presented itself before him.
Bob shook his head. He knew the daring nature of O'Mara too well to
believe that the other would halt in his pursuit simply because he
wanted a canoe.
"A log upon which he could fasten his gun and powder-horn would be
enough for him," he declared, positively. "This he would push ahead
as he battled with the current of the river. Landing somewhere below,
he could easily hasten up the shore, looking for signs. And long
before now, Sandy, he is, let us hope, following on the heels of those
treacherous wolves."
"Here is the canoe, Bob," said Sandy, drawing a long breath of relief;
for he had fretted at the delay, counting the minutes while the settler
paddled down to where they stood waiting.
Quickly they jumped aboard. The canoe was to be hidden on the other
shore, so as to afford them a means for recrossing the stream when they
returned from the chase. And how sincerely both those devoted brothers
hoped that, when this time arrived, be it sooner or later, Kate would
be in their company again.
A handshake all around followed, with words of good cheer from those
who were compelled to remain behind, despite their desire to be with
the brave boys. Then the canoe was pushed out upon the waters of the
Ohio, and the paddles sent it flashing over in the direction of the
opposite shore, where unknown perils must await the bold adventurers.
"Keep your eyes on the watch for any sign, of a red signal!" Bob kept
saying, as they began to draw near the northern shore.
Sandy presently gave a cry of delight.
"I see it, Bob!" he exclaimed. "Just below us, there, where that willow
hangs over the water. Pat O'Mara has been there, and found where they
landed. Now we can take up the trail, and follow the stealers of our
little sister, even if the hunt takes us to the big waters of the
north. For never will we return while she remains a prisoner of the red
men!"