THE MANEUVRES OF DEERFOOT
Deerfoot the Shawanoe committed a serious mistake as he himself was
the first to discover, when he upset the Miami warrior into the
Mississippi and made off with his canoe. He had started out to help
his friends, but his course was an injury to them, for it increased
their danger without giving them the least assistance.
What he ought to have done, when he observed the drowsy fisherman,
was to bring the boys to the spot, so that, directly after the red
man was dispossessed, the three could have entered the boat and
hastened across the river. Had he done so, all that which followed
would have be averted.
In referring to the course of the young Shawano the most incredible
statement is that the blunder was altogether due to his waggishness,
because in his eagerness to play a joke upon an enemy, he forgot his
usual caution; but such was the truth.
The warrior, however, was not the one to stay on the western shore
when his friends were in danger. Though he had told them to expect
him back at a certain hour, early in the afternoon, his intention
was to return much earlier. It would have been folly for him to
make for any point near that from which he departed when he set out
from the Kentucky shore. Such a proceeding would be seen by his
enemies, and would invite them to riddle him with bullets as he
approached.
The moment he touched the Louisiana side, he ran under the
overhanging limbs far enough to be out of sight of any who might be
on the watch, and then pushed vigorously up stream. He continued
until he had gone fully a half mile and had rounded quite a bend in
the river. Then he paddled straight across to the other bank, down
which he made his way with the same haste.
He speedily arrived in the vicinity of the lads and prepared, in his
characteristic fashion, to take a hand in their rescue. Hoping that
the chance for flight would speedily come, he carefully drew the
canoe under cover, where he was confident it would not be seen by
any enemies prowling in the vicinity. Then he stealthily plunged
into the wood to give what help he could to his friends.
It took him only a little while to find they were at bay within the
log enclosure and in much greater danger than he first supposed.
The discovery caused a change in his plans. He returned to the
canoe and took out the rifle which he had captured; his bow and,
arrows were not left within the boat, for he valued them too highly
to incur such risk; they were hidden where he knew no one could
possibly steal them away from him. Then the little phial which he
carried in the receptacle with his Bible was uncorked and the
crimson paint applied with his forefinger to his face. The
ornamentation was as fantastical as the imagination of the native
American could make it.
Viewed for the first time by those who did not know him, he would
have been classed as one of the fiercest warriors that ever went on
the war trail. Had he been a pagan instead of a Christian, the idea
would have been a correct one.
But Deerfoot was handicapped from the first by the fact that he was
known to more than one of the party. It may be said that at that
day there was scarcely a Shawanoe east of the Mississippi who had
not heard of the execrated friend of the white men. They knew that
his favorite weapons, beside his knife and tomahawk, were his bow
and arrows; that his skill with them approached the marvelous; they
knew that his fleetness surpassed that of any living person that he
possessed a form and features of rare beauty; that his courage was
surpassed by none, for, when but a stripling, he had handed a knife
to the furious Tecumseh, and dared him to fight unto the death, and
that his cunning and subtlety were beyond the reach of the ordinary
warrior.
Deerfoot himself was aware of his general notoriety, and, though he
might not have been seen by the Shawanoes, yet they would identify
him at the first glance, provided he appeared before them in his own
proper person.
It will be understood, therefore, why he disguised his appearance
with such care. With the shrewdness of one of our modern
detectives, he made a change also, as may be said, in "himself"
that is, he walked differently, and used his arms and legs in style
altogether foreign to his custom.
It must be remembered that there were several strong points in his
favor; his was the tribe whose warriors hated him with unspeakable
hatred, and he therefore was a master of every detail. When he was
assisted by the gloom of night, he was in scarcely any danger,
though it was far different under the glare of the sun.
Another advantage should be named, inasmuch as the reader is apt to
overlook it; the separate war parties from the Shawanoe and Miami
tribes were not only few in numbers, but they had not met until
after arriving in the neighborhood where the youthful pioneers were
traveling with little fear of molestation. Thus, in a certain
sense, the warriors, while allies, were comparative strangers.
After disguising himself he believed his identity would not be
discovered by the Miamis, unless, possibly, by the lone fisherman.
There was also a fair prospect that he could avert suspicion for a
time on the part of the Shawanoes, unless particular attention was
directed to him.
The foregoing seems necessary in order to justify what was done by
the wonderful Deerfoot. He managed to appear on the outer fringe of
the ring of assailants, without drawing special notice, and he used
all his skill in learning what the assailants intended to do.
The warrior who had been shot while in the act of climbing over the
logs after the boys, met his fate before Deerfoot arrived on the
scene. The Indians were in a revengeful mood, and were unanimous in
their determination to visit the worst punishment on the youths who
were making such a brave fight for their lives.
"But for Deerfoot they would not be in this sad plight," was the
thought of the young Shawanoe; "therefore the Great Spirit expects
Deerfoot not to think of his own life until they are saved from the
death which threatens them."
Fortunately for this purpose the warriors were scattered to a
considerable extent, and seemed to give their whole thoughts to
those within the enclosure. Deerfoot knew, when he observed the
heavy log borne forward, and the butt placed on the wall, that it
was meant to be used to carry out some plan not clearly settled in
the minds of the assailants themselves. When he saw a move to climb
the trees which stood near the rude fort, he feared his friends
would be caught unawares, and he took to a tree with the hope of
being able to give them warning in time.
On this point it will be seen the young warrior underrated the
woodcraft of his friends. With a thrill of pleasure he glanced at
the rifle of Jack Carleton pointed at him, before he had sought to
open communication. It was only a natural precaution which led him
to select a tree where he was able to use the sign language, without
being seen by any of his enemies below. He made sure that enough
foliage intervened to screen him from the inquiring gaze of his
enemies during the proceeding.
Having made certain that his identity was known to his friends, it
will be remembered that the sought to warn them of the very peril
which threatened from the tree on the other side. Failing to make
himself clear, he raised his own gun with the intention of shooting
the savage from the perch, but providentially Otto Relstaub averted
the necessity.
It is difficult to believe that had Deerfoot fired the shot he could
have effected his own escape. The point from which the gun was
discharged must have made itself manifest to more than one warrior
below, and would have involved him in a labyrinth of peril, where
his subtlety must have failed him.
But it need not be repeated that he would not have faltered on that
account, had the need existed. He believed it his duty to hesitate
at no risk, because he himself was wholly to blame for the dire
straits in which the boys found themselves.
With a grim enjoyment that can hardly be understood, Deerfoot stood
in the background and watched the antics of the warrior who had
wrapped the bear-skin about his shoulders and body. He could not
avoid a feeling of admiration for the cleverness with which the
front was arranged, so as to resemble that of the beast, but he felt
not the slightest fear that the trick would succeed. It was such an
antiquated stratagem that he wondered it was attempted, especially
after the defenders had given so convincing evidence of their
watchfulness.
His amazement, therefore, may be appreciated when he saw the
creature slowly make his way to the edge of the fort, look down on
the boys, and then back a few steps and drop to ground.
He could not believe they had failed penetrate a disguise which
could scarcely hope to deceive, except under very favoring
circumstance but concluded they must have refrained good reason of
their own.
While these troublesome thoughts were in the mind of Deerfoot, he
kept his eye on the Miami, whose scant clothing had not dried after
his voluntary plunge into the Mississippi, from the bow of his
canoe. His victim acted as though he entertained some doubts as to
the identity of the individual that did not mingle with the main
body of the warriors.
Deerfoot knew that if he did suspect the truth, his curiosity was
likely to cause trouble. The time had come when it was the part of
wisdom to withdraw.
At last the Miami walked toward the enclosure, where two of his own
tribe were talking same number of the Shawanoes. He said something
which stirred up matters at once. All five began talking
vigorously, and then they turned take a look at the youthful
warrior.
He was gone, having vanished as silently as he appeared on the
scene, and it was well that he did so, for the deception could have
been carried no further.
Within the succeeding ten minutes the report of a rifle came from
the direction of the river. Then a second was heard from another
point in the wood, and again a third report awoke the echoes among
the trees.
The red men did not know what it meant. All the surviving members
of the two parties were together, and they could not understand who
the new comers were. They were probably those of their own race,
though the discomforting possibility remained that they might be
white men on their way to the help of the beleaguered boys.
The truth was, Deerfoot was convinced that if Jack and Otto were not
extricated from their peril long before night, no hope could remain
for them. It was so clearly in the power of the red men to capture
or destroy them whenever they chose to put forth the effort, that he
knew they would not wait until night.
There were trees on every hand which would shelter the
sharp-shooters. If they ensconced themselves among the limbs of
these, the lads would be shut off from the chance of protecting
themselves, for on whichsoever side of the space they stood, they
would be within the range of one or two of the gunners.
The plan which he next proceeded to put into execution was in the
mind of Deerfoot from the first moment he learned of the situation
of the endangered ones. It was impossible to succeed without a
perfect understanding with his friends, for they necessarily had an
important part to play in the programme.
"Deerfoot will send them a message," he said to himself, with a
throb of pride over the facility at his command; "that will tell
everything."
Making his way to a safe point in the forest, he sat down on the
ground, tore off a piece from the paper which he carried with his
Bible, and with red chalk, sharpened to a point, he proceeded to
write the words intended only for the eyes of his friends within the
enclosure. The paper was twisted around the arrow, just back of the
bead, and he then was ready to adopt the means which he had employed
more than once in somewhat similar situations.