Fighting continued at intervals throughout the night, and daylight found
the exhausted Delawares still keeping weary vigil at the edge of the
camp. They had lost almost half of their number, and they were
discouraged and hopeless. They watched the dawn of the new day with
gloomy forebodings, for they feared to imagine what might happen before
it ended. The Iroquois showed no intention of abandoning the fight, and
the Delawares knew that unless their tribesmen arrived to help them it
would be only a short time before they were finally overcome. They felt
sure that the three war-parties would unite for the final attack, and
they knew that there was little chance of holding them off. Each grim
Delaware warrior felt defeat and death hovering over him.
“My brothers, a new day has come,” said Black Panther. “Before it ends I
believe our brothers, the Minsi, will come to help us. Pretty soon we
will hear them shouting the war-cry. Then the Iroquois will run like
rabbits. We must keep our hearts brave. We have killed many of our
enemies. They tried to get into our lodges, but we beat them back. Now
they are hiding out there in the woods. Yes, they are afraid to face us
in the light. Come, we will let them hear our war-cry.”
Roused by the words of their chief, the Delawares rallied from their
gloom and sent their war-cry ringing through the forest. The Iroquois
immediately answered the challenge, and the Delawares shook their heads
soberly. However, as the time passed, and the Iroquois made no further
attempts against the village, the Delawares began to take heart. They
believed that their foes were waiting to make one supreme effort under
cover of the night, and they hoped that the Minsi war-party would arrive
in the meantime.
Then as the long day finally passed and their tribesmen failed to appear
the Delawares again lost heart. The approach of night filled them with
dread. They feared that long before daylight they would be overcome by
the superior numbers of their foes. The possibility staggered them. They
suddenly realized what it meant. They would be wiped out, destroyed from
the land, and their women and children would be homeless. The thought
filled them with new determination. They pledged themselves to fight
even harder than they had fought before.
As the ominous black shadows finally settled over the camp, the
Delawares nerved themselves for their task. They knew that the attack
would come suddenly, at any moment, and the thought kept them in trying
suspense. Then as the night dragged on and nothing happened, they began
to grow suspicious. They wondered if the Iroquois were stealing silently
upon them under cover of the darkness. They strained their ears to catch
a warning. All was still. The Delawares were bewildered. The uncanny
silence strained their nerves. Each moment they expected to hear the
terrifying Iroquois war-cry, and see their foes within arm’s reach of
them. Then some one shouted a warning from the end of the camp. The
suspense was ended. The fight had begun. The Delawares felt relieved.
“Light the fires! Light the fires!” cried the warriors near the point of
attack.
“No, no, not yet!” shouted Black Panther.
Then a streak of fire flashed through the night, and fell into the
village. It was a fire-arrow. The boys were ordered to the tops of the
lodges. A moment afterward the great Iroquois war-party rushed upon the
camp. They had approached close up to the barricades before the
Delawares discovered them. Then at the proper signal they rose, and
grappled with them. The Delawares fought desperately, but they were
hopelessly outnumbered, and it seemed to be only a matter of moments
before the Iroquois would force their way into the camp.
“Light the fires! Light the fires!” screamed the Delawares.
This time Black Panther realized the necessity for it. Then as the
flames roared through the piles of dry brush, and flooded the village
with light, he saw the Iroquois at the edge of the camp. They were
fighting recklessly to gain a foothold in the village, but the Delawares
were attacking them like a swarm of angry bees. Onondagas, Oneidas and
Mohawks had combined, and Standing Wolf himself was leading them. For a
time the Delawares held them off, but the odds against them were too
great, and the Iroquois eventually fought their way into the camp.
For an instant the Delawares faltered. Then they rallied about their
gallant war-chief and fought with the fury of despair. They had gathered
in force at one end of the camp, and the Iroquois were unable to
dislodge them. The Delawares knew that if they were scattered and driven
from the village they would be surrounded and annihilated. Therefore,
they determined to stand together until the end.
Running Fox was in a frenzy of despair. He realized that he alone was to
blame for the plight of his tribesmen, and the thought drove him to
distraction. It seemed as if his perilous journey to the Mohawk camp had
been in vain. The mysterious Medicine Creatures had apparently deceived
him. The sacred medicine-trophy for which he had risked his life seemed
powerless against the famous Mohawk war-chief. Getanittowit appeared to
have turned against him. Instead of aiding his people, the distracted
lad believed that he had brought about their destruction. He had fought
with a recklessness that had astounded both his tribesmen and their
foes, and still it seemed to have been in vain. Running Fox was beside
himself with grief. In the midst of the desperate encounter be raised
his arms toward the sky and called upon Getanittowit to help him. “O
Getanittowit, see what has happened to me. O Getanittowit, give me power
to help my people. O Getanittowit, send the powerful Medicine Creatures
to aid me,” he shouted excitedly.
Then a loud mocking laugh rose above the sounds of battle. Running Fox
did not need to look. He knew instinctively that it came from Standing
Wolf. A moment afterward he saw him fighting recklessly at the head of
his warriors. As usual be seemed to bear a charmed life. His tribesmen
were dropping on both sides of him, but as yet he was unharmed.
“See, we cannot harm that man!” the Delawares told one another in
superstitious awe. “It is useless to fight him. He will kill us all!”
“No! No! He cannot harm you, for I am going to kill him!” Running Fox
cried, hysterically. “See, I have the skin of Gokhos, the great white
Medicine Owl. My brothers, I have taken away the power from Standing
Wolf. I have just found out about it. Now you will see something. I am
going to kill that man. I am going to bring our brothers, the Minsi.
Pretty soon you will hear them. Now you must watch me.”
The next moment he bounded past his astonished tribesmen, and advanced
fearlessly upon the Mohawk chief. The latter shot an arrow at him, but
it flew harmlessly past his head. Then, as Running Fox laughed and
pointed to the medicine-trophy which hung upon his breast, Standing Wolf
uttered a yell of rage and rushed forward, war-club in hand. Before he
had taken two strides Running Fox drove an arrow through his heart.
“See, my brothers, see what I have done!” screamed Running Fox, as he
drove back several Mohawks who had rushed upon him to avenge the death
of their chief.
“It is the Medicine Spirits!” cried the Delawares, as they ran to his
support.
“Yes, I have the power!” shouted Running Fox. “Come, you must follow
me!”
He led the Delawares in a furious attack that utterly routed the
faltering Mohawks. The death of their famous chief had demoralized them,
and as they saw their comrades falling before the deadly arrows of the
wild-eyed young Delaware and his followers they suddenly became
panic-stricken and fled from the camp.
At that very instant the Delaware war-cry rang through the night and a
moment afterward a great company of Minsi fighting men poured into the
village. They threw themselves upon the bewildered Oneidas and Onondagas
and completely overwhelmed them. The Minsi gained a quick and easy
victory, for the superstitious Iroquois believed that some powerful
Medicine Spirit had suddenly come to the aid of their foes, and they
made little attempt to resist them. Finding themselves in danger of
being speedily annihilated by the fierce fighters who had suddenly
appeared before them, they, too, retreated from the camp in wild
disorder, and sought safety in flight. However, the Delawares were
determined to make the most of their victory, and they followed their
fleeing foes far into the wilderness, exacting a terrible vengeance for
the many wrongs which they had suffered at the hands of Standing Wolf
and his followers.
Late the following day when the last of the Delaware fighting men had
returned to the camp, Black Panther called upon all to assemble and give
thanks for the victory. It was a notable gathering, and the stern
Delaware war-chief looked upon his warriors with great pride. Then his
eyes sought out Running Fox, and for a moment he was almost overcome by
his emotion.
“My people, we have won a great victory,” said Black Panther. “Standing
Wolf, the great Mohawk war-chief, is dead. Many of his people have
followed him. The warriors who escaped are running toward their
villages. It will be a long time before they come here again. Do you
know how all this came about? Well, I will tell you. It is because
Running Fox went into the Mohawk camp, and brought away the skin of the
mysterious white Medicine Owl. Spotted Deer went with him. Those young
warriors have done the greatest thing that has ever been done by a
Delaware. But Running Fox has done something bigger than that. He has
killed the great chief Standing Wolf. That fierce warrior killed many of
our people. Yes, he killed many of our women and children. He destroyed
our crops, and burned our lodges. We wished to live in peace, but he
would not let us. He brought great trouble upon us. Now he will never
trouble us again. Running Fox has brought it to pass. He is very young,
but he has become a great warrior. Yes, he must have a place in the
council-circle. I have finished.”
The Delawares greeted the announcement with shouts of approval. They
called Running Fox and Spotted Deer to stand in the center of the camp,
while the great war-party paraded around them, singing the songs of
victory. Then they suddenly stopped, and raised their voices in the
great tribute which was only given to the famous war-chiefs of the
nation. It was a high honor, and the happy lads strove hard to conceal
their pride as they looked joyfully into each other’s eyes.
THE END