Percival transformed.
It was a great annoyance to Captain Sinclair to have to wait in this
manner, but there was no help for it. He was satisfied that it was the
most prudent course, and therefore raised no objection. Alfred too was
uneasy at the delay, as he was aware how anxious his father and mother
would be during the whole time of their absence. They were glad,
however, to find that the Indian woman recovered rapidly, and on the
fifth day of their taking up their abode in the forest, she said that
she was able to travel if they walked slow. It was therefore agreed
that on the sixth day they should start again, and they did so, having
saved their salt provisions, that they might not be compelled to stop,
or use their rifles to procure food. The evening before, they roasted
as much venison as they thought they could consume while it was good,
and at daylight again proceeded, not to follow the trail, but guided by
the Indian woman, in a direct course for the lodges of the Indian band
under the Angry Snake.
As they had now only to proceed as fast as they could without tiring the
poor Indian woman, whose head was bound up, and who was still weak from
loss of blood, they made a tolerable day's journey, and halted as
before. Thus they continued their route till the sixth day, when as
they drew up for the night, the Indian stated that they were only three
or four miles from the Indians' lodges, which they sought. Thereupon a
council was held as to how they should proceed, and at last it was
agreed upon that they should be guided by the Indian woman to a spot
where they might be concealed, as near as possible to the lodges, and
that when the party had arrived there, that the woman and Malachi should
go and reconnoitre, to ascertain whether the chief and his band with
Mary Percival had returned or not. The night was passed very
impatiently, and without sleep by most of them, so anxious were they for
the morrow. Long before break of day they again started, advancing with
great caution, and were led by the Indian till they were within one
hundred and fifty yards of the lodges, in a thick cluster of young
spruce, which completely secured them from discovery. Shortly
afterwards Malachi and the Indian woman, creeping on all fours,
disappeared in the surrounding brushwood, that they might, if possible,
gain more intelligence from listening. In the meantime, the party had
their eyes on the lodges, waiting to see who should come out as soon as
the sun rose, for it was hardly clear daybreak when they arrived at
their place of concealment.
They had remained there about half an hour, when they perceived an
Indian lad come out of one of the lodges. He was dressed in leggings
and Indian shirt of deer-skin, and carried in his hand his bow and
arrows. An eagle's feather was stuck in his hair above the left ear,
which marked him as the son of a chief.
"That's my brother Percival," said John in a low tone.
"Percival!" replied Alfred, "is it possible?"
"Yes," whispered the Strawberry, "it is Percival, but don't speak so
loud."
"Well, they have turned him into a regular Indian," said Alfred; "we
shall have to make a paleface of him again."
Percival, for he it was, looked round for some time, and at last
perceiving a crow flying over his head, he drew his bow, and the arrow
brought the bird down at his feet.
"A capital shot," said Captain Sinclair, "the boy has learnt something,
at all events. You could not do that, John."
"No," replied John, "but they don't trust him with a rifle."
They waited some little time longer, when an Indian woman, and then an
old man, came out, and in about a quarter of an hour afterwards, three
more women and an Indian about twenty years old.
"I think we have the whole force now," said Martin.
"Yes, I think so too," replied Captain Sinclair. "I wish Malachi would
come back, for I do not think he will find out more than we know
ourselves."
In about half-an-hour afterwards, Malachi and the Indian woman returned;
they had crept in the brushwood to within fifty yards of the lodges, but
were afraid to go nearer, as the woman said that perhaps the dogs might
give the alarm, for two of them were left at home. The woman stated her
conviction that the party had not come back, and now a council was again
held as to their proceedings. The Indian force was nothing--an old man,
one lad of twenty, and four women. These might be easily captured and
secured, but the question was whether it would be desirable so to do; as
in case one should by any means escape, information of their arrival
might be conveyed to the absent party, and induce them not to come home
with Mary Percival. This question was debated in a low tone between
Malachi, Captain Sinclair, and Alfred. At last John interrupted him by
saying, "They are going out to hunt, the old and the young Indian and
Percival--they have all their bows and arrows."
"The boy is right," said Malachi. "Well, I consider this to decide the
question. We can now capture the men without the women knowing anything
about it. They will not expect them home till the evening, and even if
they do not come, they will not be surprised or alarmed; so now we had
better let them go some way, and then follow them. If we secure them,
we can then decide what to do about the women."
This was agreed upon, and Malachi explained their intentions to the
Indian woman, who approved of them, but said, "The Old Raven" (referring
to the old Indian) "is very cunning; you must be careful."
The party remained in their place of concealment for another quarter of
an hour, till the two Indians and Percival had quitted the open space
before the lodges, and had entered the woods. They then followed in a
parallel direction, Malachi and John going ahead: Martin and Alfred
following so as to keep them in sight, and the remainder of the party at
about the same distance behind Martin and Alfred. They continued in
this manner their course through the woods for more than an hour, when a
herd of deer darted past Malachi and John. They immediately stopped,
and crouched, to hide themselves. Martin and Alfred perceiving this,
followed their example, and the rest of the party behind, at the motion
of the Strawberry, did the same. Hardly had they done so, when one of
the herd, which had been pierced by an arrow, followed in the direction
of the rest, and after a few bounds fell to the earth. A minute or two
afterwards the hunters made their appearance, and stood by the expiring
beast, where they remained for a minute or two talking, and then took
out their knives to flay and cut it up. While they were thus employed,
Malachi and John on one side, Alfred and Martin from another direction,
and the rest of the party from a third, were creeping slowly up towards
them; but to surround them completely it was necessary that the main
party should divide, and send one or two more to the eastward. Captain
Sinclair despatched Graves and one of the soldiers, desiring them to
creep very softly till they arrived at a spot he pointed out, and then
to wait for the signal to be given.
As the parties gradually approached nearer and nearer to the Indians and
Percival, the Old Raven appeared to be uneasy, he looked round and round
him, and once or twice laid his ear to the ground; whenever he did this,
they all stopped, and almost held their breaths.
"The Indian woman says that the Old Raven is suspicious; he is sure that
some one is in the woods near him, and she thinks that she had better go
to him," said the Strawberry to Captain Sinclair.
"Let her go," said Captain Sinclair.
The Indian rose, and walked up in the direction of the Indians, who
immediately turned to her as she approached.
She spoke to them, and appeared to be telling them how it was she
returned. At all events, she occupied the attention of the Old Raven
till the parties were close to them, when Malachi arose, and immediately
all the others did the same, and rushed upon them. After a short and
useless struggle, they were secured, but not before the younger Indian
had wounded one of the soldiers, by stabbing him with his knife. The
thongs were already fast round the arms and legs of the Indians, when
Percival, who had not been tied, again attempted to escape, and by the
direction of Malachi, he was bound, as well as the other two.
As soon as the prisoners were secured, Martin and Graves and the
soldiers employed themselves cutting up the venison and preparing it for
dinner, while the Strawberry and the Indian woman were collecting wood
for a fire. In the mean while Captain Sinclair, Alfred, Malachi, and
John were seated by the prisoners, and directing their attention to
Percival, whom they had been compelled to bind, that he might not make
his escape; for his sojourn of nearly two years in the woods with the
Indians, without seeing the face of a white man, had (as has been
invariably proved to be the fact in every instance where the parties
were very young) wholly obliterated, for the time, his recollections of
his former life--so rapid is our falling off to the savage state. To
the questions of Alfred he returned no reply, and appeared not to
understand him.
"Let me try him, sir," said Malachi, "I will speak to him in the Injun
tongue, he has perhaps forgotten his own. It is wonderful how soon we
return to a state of nature when we are once in the woods."
Malachi then spoke to Percival in the Indian language; Percival listened
for some time, and at last replied in the same tongue.
"What does he say, Malachi?" said Alfred.
"He says he will sing his own death song; that he is the son of a
warrior, and he will die like a brave."
"Why, the boy is metamorphosed," said Captain Sinclair; "is it possible
that so short a time could have produced this?"
"Yes, sir," replied Malachi; "in young people a very short time will
change them thus, but it won't last long. If he were to meet again with
his mother at the settlement, he would by degrees forget his Injun life
and become reconciled; a woman has more effect than a man. Let the
Strawberry speak to him. You see, sir, he is bound, and considers
himself a captive, and let him loose we must not, until we have done our
work; after that, there will be no fear, and when he has been with us a
short time, he will come all right again."
Malachi called the Strawberry, and told her to speak to Percival about
his home and his mother, and everything connected with the farm.
The Strawberry sat down by Percival, and in her soft tones talked to him
in her own tongue of his father and mother, of his cousins, and how he
had been taken by the Indians when he was hunting, how his mother had
wept for him, and all had lamented his loss; running on in a low musical
key from one thing to another connected and associated with his former
life in the settlement, and it was evident that at last he now listened
with attention. The Strawberry continued to talk to him thus, for more
than an hour, when Alfred again addressed him and said, "Percival, don't
you know me?"
"Yes," replied Percival in English, "I do; you are my brother Alfred."
"All's right now, sir," said Malachi; "only he must be kept fast; but
the lad's coming to his senses again. The Strawberry will talk to him
again by-and-bye."
They then sat down to their meal; the two Indians were removed to a
distance under the guard of one of the soldiers, but Percival remained
with them. John sat by Percival, and, cutting off a tempting bit of
venison, held it to his mouth, saying to him, "Percival, when we go home
again, your hands shall be untied, and you shall have a rifle of your
own instead of a bow and arrows. Come, eat this."
This was a long speech for John, but it produced its effect, for
Percival opened his mouth for the venison, and, being fed by John, made
a very good dinner. As soon as their meal was over, they consulted as
to what steps should next be taken. The question discussed was whether
they should now capture the women who were left in the lodges, or remain
quiet till the Angry Snake and his party arrived.