AMONG THE TREE-TOPS
Jack Carleton was astounded. Up to that moment he was absolutely
certain that the young Shawanoe was on the other side of the
Mississippi, and would make no attempt to return to the Kentucky
shore until night. Yet he had not only recrossed, but was actually
within fifty feet of the enclosure, directly among his fiercest
enemies, who were assailing it, and, more remarkable than all, he
had climbed among the limbs of a tree, where he could gain a view of
the interior.
There was a minute or so during which the Kentuckian actually
doubted his own senses.
"He must be an enemy who closely resembles Deerfoot," was his
thought; "I will shoot him before he shoots me."
The probability of such being the case was increased by the fact
that the Indian had a rifle instead of a bow and arrow, and there
were some daubs of paint on his face; but, for all that, the warrior
was Deerfoot, as a second scrutiny convinced Jack and Otto beyond
all question.
"It ish Deerhead! I means Deerfoot," whispered the German lad;
"dinks a whirlwind lifs him out te boat and drops him in de tree;
what don't he vants?"
The young Shawanoe had managed to reach a place amid the foliage,
where, if he could be seen at all by those below, the view was
indistinct, while, by pushing the branches carefully aside in front
of his face, he was plainly revealed to his friends.
When Jack Carleton raised his gun and sighted at the object in the
tree, the latter swept aside the curtain in front and made a signal
with his hand, which declared his identity. Even though the paint
had been plentifully used by him, his regular features were
recognized when he smiled, and kept his hand waving in front of him
as though brushing smoke from his eyes.
"Yes, it's Deerfoot!" muttered Jack, lowering his weapon, and
staring with open mouth at the figure; "but things are getting
mixed, and I ain't exactly understand what it is all about." But
the situation was too critical on every hand for the young friends
to give way to the wonderment caused by the discovery. It speedily
became clear that while the Shawanoe dare not speak, he was trying
very hard to convey some message to his friends by means of
pantomime. Holding the gun of the Miami in one hand, he kept the
other going energetically, but neither Jack nor Otto could guess his
meaning.
"Speak louder!" called Otto, forgetting himself; "vot vasn't dot dot
you didn't say?"
Instantly Deerfoot drew back his head, allowing the bushes to close,
so that he was only partly revealed.
"He is going to shoot!" exclaimed Jack.
Such, it was evident, was the intention of their friend, who brought
his rifle to a level, the black barrel plainly visible as it was
thrust among the branches. Instead of being aimed downwards, it was
pointed at a considerable elevation above the defenders at some
object at the other side of the fort.
Turning their beads, the boys saw, from the agitation in the
branches of a tree, almost large as the oak, that something was
moving among the limbs. The truth flashed upon both. While they
were watching their friend, he had detected an enemy stealing into
the tree behind them, and sought to make known the alarming truth by
means of gesture. Seeing they failed to catch his meaning, he
decided to attend to the matter himself, though it can be understood
that the shot would render his own death almost certain.
"That will never do!" exclaimed the young Kentuckian; "Deerfoot is
too valuable to be sacrificed."
The savage, who was climbing, did so with great care. Now a beaded
moccasin would twinkle alongside the trunk, whisking out of sight
like a frolicking squirrel; then a red feather flashed to sight and
away again, the broad, painted face peeped from behind the tree,
while glimpses of the clothing here and there showed the rate with
which the warrior went upward.
Deerfoot must have seen the savage at the moment he began ascending
the trunk, and could not fail to know his purpose. It was
all-important that the dangerous individual should be "attended to,"
and, observing that his friends were too much absorbed in watching
his movements to remember their own peril, the friendly Shawanoe did
not hesitate to take the frightful risk upon himself.
It may be said that it would be utterly impossible for him to
discharge his gun from the elevation without the other warriors
discovering the fact, though one or two might suspect the weapon was
fired within the enclosure; yet it was characteristic of the youth
that, when the necessity presented itself, he did not hesitate.
But Jack Carleton's presence of mind came to his assistance. He
began such vigorous gestures that the attention of Deerfoot was
caught; without lowering his gun, he glanced downward. He saw Jack
shaking his head from side to side, swinging his hand back and forth
and darting his finger excitedly at the tree on the other side of
the fort.
The quick-witted Shawanoe caught his meaning, and took his gun from
his shoulder. Again he pushed the bushes aside, so that his face
came to view, and, looking down on his friends, smiled, nodded, and
made several gestures toward the other redskin, who was still
cautiously climbing the tree. Then the curtain was drawn again, and
Deerfoot assumed the part of spectator instead of actor.
It is almost incredible that this performance could have taken place
without detection from below; but it came about that, while it was
going on, the attention of the red men was occupied by another
occurrence which will be told at the proper time. The only ones who
showed any interest in Deerfoot and his enemy, steadily making his
way aloft, were the boys within the enclosure.
Accepting the lesson, Jack told Otto in a low voice to keep the
closest watch on all the tree-tops within sight, for it seemed
likely that still more of their enemies would resort to the same
strategy.
"Let there be no mistake about this," he said to his companion; "if
you catch sight of any one else, give him a shot, but I'm to settle
the question with this particular gentleman."
"Dot ish all right," assented Otto; "dot ish, it will be all right
if he ain't all wrong when you hits him."
Jack Carleton made no reply. He was standing with his left foot
thrown slightly forward, his rifle, at his right shoulder, his head
inclined and his left eye, closed. He was following the movements
of the Miami (as he judged him to be), who was seeking a perch from
which to fire down on the defenders of the primitive fort.
It would have been the easiest thing in the world for our friends to
place themselves beyond danger from that particular warrior; they
had only to step a little nearer the eastern wall, when it would
intervene between them and the savage; but Jack grasped the
situation well enough to understand the advantage of impressing
their assailants with the danger of any kind of attack. If the
defenders should busy themselves with dodging the aim of their foes,
the trees were likely to swarm with them, and it would become
impossible to elude their aim.
As before, the climbing Miami afforded occasional glimpses of
himself. Now a moccasin, then a hand, his gun, the black
horse-hair-like covering for his crown, with the painted eagle
feathers, then an instant gleam of the eyes, and then nothing at
all.
Remembering that a wound would be as effective its death itself,
Jack coolly waited the opportune moment. Suddenly he saw the rifle,
arm and shoulder of the warrior, as he flung them partly over a limb
to help draw himself upward. Without a second's delay the youth
fired, his view being much less obstructed than was the care with
his friend in the other tree.
An ear-splitting screech broke the stillness, and the wounded Miami
came tumbling downward as though every possible support had given
way beneath him. To the watchful lads it looked as if he struck
nothing at all in his descent, but fell with the swiftness of a
cannon-ball, until the intervening logs shut him from sight.
"I dinks some dings dropped," said Otto, with a grin; "mebbe he
don't try to fool us some more agin, don't it?"
Jack made no comment, but, as was his rule, reloaded his gun with
utmost haste, dreading all the time a rush from their enemies. It
may be set down as singular that something of the kind did not take
place, since the assailants must have known it could not fail to be
effective.
The sagacious Deerfoot seemed to believe that his position was no
longer tenable, for, instead of staying where he was, he began
descending, apparently in panic of fear, lest he should share the
fate of the other red man. So far as he could, he kept the trunk of
the tree between him and the youthful marksmen until beyond all
danger of being harmed.
Jack saw just enough of the movement to understand its meaning, and
he smiled grimly.
"After doing what you have done, you ought to take the part of
leader and draw off the warriors."
The young Kentuckian stood near the middle of the enclosure glancing
upward in different directions while reloading his piece, for he
understood too well the necessity of unremitting vigilance whenever
the American Indian takes a hand in proceedings.
Otto was not behind him in that respect. He walked softly around
the fort close to the walls, attentively listening for sounds that
would give some knowledge of what was going on outside. At
intervals he stopped and with his knife gouged the wood, where it
seemed thinner than usual, but in every case found the thickness too
great to be pierced.
Just beneath the spot where the butt of the tree rested on the upper
edge of the wall, he stopped Once more and pressed his ear against
the logs. He stood fully a minute, when, without moving his head,
he looked sideways at his friend, who was watching him. The
expression of his face was so significant that Jack knew he had made
a discovery of importance.
"What is it?" he asked.
Otto motioned for him to keep quiet. Jack stepped forward in front
of him.
As Otto was looked at him without speaking, he also pressed his ear
against the logs, with a view of learning what was going on.
Every one knows that wood is a good conductor of sound, and, though
in this case there were several layers of logs through which the
noise passed, the second listener at once suspected the truth.
The scratching of the bark indicated that some one was carefully
climbing up the inclined tree.
"That is to be their next move," muttered. Jack, hastily stepping
back to the centre of the space; "if they make a rush over that
bridge they will be down in a twinkling--"
Otto kept his position, with his ear still glued to the logs, and
not yet certain what the noise meant.
Just as Jack looked upward he saw, to his amazement, the head and
front of the huge black bear coming up the inclined tree with the
intent purpose of entering the interior. It instantly occurred to
the youth that it was the same daring bruin that came so near
attacking them a short while before.
He has used this place as his den and means to return to it; the
Indians have seen him prowling around, and placed the tree so as to
temp him to climb upward on it.
The beast advanced until he could look downward on the couple, and
then, gazing only a second or two, he backed out of sight and
dropped to the ground with a strange, chuckling growl.
At the same instant a feeling of unutterable chagrin came over the
lad who witnessed the maneuver, for, just a breath too late, he
comprehended the shrewd trick by which he had been outwitted.
Confused by the unexpected sight, he failed to note that the
creature was not a bear at all, but a Shawanoe warrior skillfully
disguised as much.
With the skin of one of the beasts gathered over his head and
shoulders, he had made his way up the support, peered at the
defenders, and then withdrawn before the watchful Jack could tumble
him to the earth with the bullet that would have pierced his body
had five seconds more been given in which to aim and fire.