EXPEDIENCY
Up in the Big North Woods Ruth Fielding had seen loons dive and swim (and
of all the feathered tribe, loons are the master divers) and she had
wondered at the birds' mastery of the water. But no loon ever seemed more
at home in that element than did the Indian chief.
Totantora tore through the water after the escaping motor-boat as though
he, too, were propelled by a motor. And his motor was more powerful, in a
short race at least, than that driving the launch in which Wonota was
held prisoner.
Before the men who had abducted the Osage maiden could get their boat out
of the little cove, Totantora reached the stern of it. He rose breast
high in the water and clutched the gunwale with one hand. One of the men
swung at him with a boathook; but the other picked up his canvas coat and
managed to smother the chief's head and face in it for a minute.
Totantora flung himself backward and dragged the canvas coat out of the
man's hand. Indeed, he came near to dragging the man himself into the
water.
The coat did not retard the Indian much. He grabbed it with both hands,
spread it abroad, and then plunged with it under the stern of the
motor-boat. At once the propeller ceased turning and the boat lost
headway. Totantora had fouled the propeller blades with the canvas
jacket, and the abductors could not get away.
The Indian lunged for the gunwale of the boat again. One of the men was
now attending to the mechanism. The other beat at Totantora's hands with
the boathook.
In a flash the chief let go of the rail with one hand and seized the
staff of the implement. One powerful jerk, and he wrenched the boathook
from the white man's grasp. The latter fell sprawling into the bottom of
the boat. With a display of muscle-power at which Ruth could not but
marvel, Totantora raised himself over the gunwale of the boat and
scrambled into it.
The second white man turned on him, but the Indian met him stooping,
seized him around the waist, and tossed him, seemingly with scarcely an
effort, into the water. The other abductor scrambled forward to get out
of his reach. The chief bent for a minute over his daughter, and then
Ruth saw that the girl was free and that she stood up, unhurt. It was all
over so quickly that it left Ruth breathless.
"Miss Ruth! Miss Ruth!" cried the Indian girl. "I am all right. My
father, Chief Totantora, would not let these bad white men carry me away
a captive."
Ruth waved her hand to the younger girl. But she watched the white man
who was swimming for the shore. She was not afraid of him--any more than
the Indian chief was fearful of the other white man perched in the bow of
the motor-boat.
The swimmer reached the bank, caught hold of an overhanging bush, and
dragged himself out of the river. He was a hang-dog looking sort of
fellow, anyway; and in his saturated condition his appearance was not
improved. He lay panting for a minute like an expiring fish, and Ruth
looked down at him perhaps more contemptuously than she realized.
"Well, who you looking at?" he growled at length.
"I suppose I am looking at one of Mr. Horatio Bilby's choice assistants,"
Ruth returned scornfully.
"Huh? What do you know about Bilby?" demanded the fellow, evidently much
surprised.
"I know nothing very good of him, I am sure," the girl of the Red Mill
replied coolly. "And I am quite confident that you are a fit companion
for him."
The fellow sat up and leered at her.
"I ain't such a mighty fine sight just now, I guess," he said. "But there
are worse than me. I didn't know there were any white folks interested in
this business."
"You make a perfectly proper distinction," Ruth told him. "Bilby is not a
white man--not in his business ethics I am sure. I want to warn you that
those Indians have powerful friends and you would do well to have nothing
more to do with them."
"I get you," growled the fellow. "But take it from me; that Injun don't
need no friends. He can take care of himself. He's as strong as a bull."
"And with a temper you would best not ruffle. I do not know what Bilby's
scheme was, or how he got you into it. But take my advice and keep out of
any further association with Bilby in this matter."
"You don't have to warn me and my partner," said the fellow. "We got
enough right now. Is he coming ashore?"
He turned to look at the boat, and then leaped to his feet in some fear.
Totantora, by leaning well over the stern of the boat, had dragged the
torn coat out of the propeller, and now he was coolly examining the
mechanism with the evident idea of starting the boat. The Indian seemed
familiar with the driving power of such a craft.
"I think he will bring his daughter ashore," Ruth said composedly. "If I
were you I would not cross him further."
"I ain't going to, Miss," said the fellow, now on his feet. "I see Jim is
keeping as far away from him as he can. Jim can't swim."
"Go aside somewhere. When they reach the bank I will try to take
Totantora and the girl away with me. Do nothing to cross him, for the
temper of an Indian is not easily quelled. It just simmers and may break
out again at any time."
"Believe me," said the fellow, starting off through the bushes, "I ain't
aiming to have another run-in with him. Not with my bare hands. I hope he
don't smash the boat, that's all."
"I will do all I can to pacify Totantora," said Ruth, and she really was
somewhat anxious on this point, for the grim countenance of the Indian
chief threatened further reprisal.
He was busy with the engine for a time; but by and by the regular popping
of the exhaust revealed the fact that everything was all right with it.
The boat described a circle and came back into the cove and to the place
where Ruth stood on the bank.
The second white man, who was younger and looked less like a drowned rat,
remained in the bow, staring back in apprehension at the Indian. The
moment he could do so, this man leaped ashore.
"Say nothing to him," advised Ruth. "I will try to take them both away.
And, as I have warned your companion, have nothing more to do with Bilby
or his schemes. These Indians are my friends, and they have other friends
who are much more powerful than I am, I can assure you."
"Yes, Miss," said the man, politely enough. "I don't want to mix in with
that redskin. I guess not!"
Wonota stepped ashore and Ruth gave her the shoe she had lost. Her father
followed her. He turned as though to set the boat adrift, but Ruth laid
her hand upon his wet sleeve.
"Let it alone, Totantora. I hope you will be advised by me. We will go
right away from here. Instead of waiting until to-morrow, let us leave
here to-night and start for the North."
Wonota said something to her father in their own tongue, and he looked at
Ruth more peacefully.
"White lady is always my friend, I know; and Wonota's friend," he
observed. "But these bad men tried to steal Wonota."
"Tell me how it happened," Ruth put in, hoping to change his trend of
thought and determination.
"I will tell you, my friend," said the Indian girl. "A little fat man
came in a car when Chief Totantora and I were walking in the road. He got
us to sit down yonder and talk to him. He is one of those who have tried
to get Chief Totantora and me to go away from you to make pictures. He
offers much money. And while we talked, those other two men crept up
behind us and they all seized Chief Totantora and me. We were bound and
our mouths closed before we knew how many, or how few, our enemies were.
Then my father was left in the wood and I was carried to the boat. I do
not know what became of the little fat man."
"I saw him drive away," Ruth said. "It made me suspicious. I had already
seen and talked with the fat man, whose name is Bilby. Don't forget that
name, Wonota."
"I will remember," said the Indian girl, composedly.
"He may make some other attempt to get possession of you. Some attempt by
aid of the courts."
"The white man's law is very strange," muttered Totantora.
"But we will get ahead of Bilby before he can do anything else," Ruth
went on. "Miss Cameron's car is outside in the road. Go to the hotel and
change your clothes, Totantora, and I will take both you and Wonota back
to the Red Mill. Until we get away for the North I shall not want you out
of my sight."
The Indian shook himself much as a dog might. A lighter expression
flickered over his dark face.
"I shall not suffer cold from a wetting," he said. "It is nothing. I have
nothing at the hotel. We will go now."
"Come on, then," rejoined Ruth, promptly. "It is best that we get away
before Bilby can learn that his plan to make Wonota a captive miscarried.
Hurry!"
She swept them in her earnestness out to the road where Helen and Aunt
Alvirah saw them with considerable surprise--particularly because of the
saturated condition of the Indian.
"I declare, Ruth!" cried Helen, "you do manage to get into such perfectly
lovely rows. What is the matter?"
But Ruth postponed all explanation for a later time. On their way back to
the Red Mill she did explain to Helen, however, that she intended to take
the two Indians to Cheslow and get a train for Albany that evening.
"I will fool Bilby and whoever is aiding him. We will get away."
"If you go to-night, so do I!" exclaimed her chum. "You can't lose me,
Ruth Fielding. I can see that we are going to have perfectly scrumptious
times before this picture you are going to make is finished."
"I hope we'll fool Bilby--leave him behind," sighed Ruth.
"The worst of it is, we must leave Tommy-boy behind," said Tom's twin.
"Won't he be sore when he hears about it!"