A TERRIBLE MISTAKE.
It was near sunset when the little company of half-famished men and
women, after long and anxious waiting, saw the welcome procession
approaching, and their joy and relief were so great that they no longer
thought of the necessity of any precaution, nor doubted the pacific
disposition of the red men who had sent them so bounteous a supply of
food.
This conviction was confirmed when Congo came and returned the money to
its owners, and briefly told the story, but it was not fully shared by
the negro himself.
“Day may be all right,” he said, “but dey t’ink you’ve got rifles and
cannons, and dat makes a difference. Dese boys are using dere eyes, you
see, and will tell ’em what a whopper I told ’em about de guns. So I
t’ink we’d better be off.”
Captain Meinhold considered this to be prudent counsel, on the whole,
and, although disposed to judge the Indians leniently, he advised an
immediate return to the boats, which were in full view, and which the
three red men seemed to be eying very narrowly.
They expressed no surprise, however, at the absence of the “thunder
guns,” nor at the unarmed condition of the white men, which could
not have escaped their observation. Having accepted some presents of
pocket-knives and jewelry, they departed, and the white men started for
their boats.
They were much enfeebled, however, by fasting and toil; the way was
rough, and they had the venison to carry, so they made but slow
progress, and some alarm was excited by seeing that the Indians, who
had started moderately enough, were all soon on a rapid run.
It does not take an Indian long to run a mile, but there was plenty
of time to embark and obtain a safe offing, unless they were to be
followed by the savages in boats, and if such a pursuit should be made
with hostile intent, fight or resistance would be equally vain.
Thus Buffalo Bill argued, and, keeping very calm himself, advised the
others to do so.
“I believe they are all right,” he said. “Pray let’s have a little
faith in human nature, my friends, and not believe men to be fiends
when they have shown us nothing but kindness.”
“Gosh! Dey tried pretty hard to cut me to pieces at fust!” said the
negro.
“Because they thought you were an enemy, and had come to harm them.
That’s all, Joe.”
“Yes--de squaws was at de bottom of it. Dey fust got frightened for
nothin’, an’ den told awful lies about me, an’ sot de men on.”
“Don’t reflect on the gentle sex, Joe,” said the captain, laughing.
“Gentle! Dey’se she catamounts, sah, dem squaws! Some of ’em. I wish
you could ’a’ seed one dat tried to git at me with a club. I should
like to cure her of de feber’n agur. De corkscrew shouldn’t come out ob
de same ear it went in at. Not at all, sah--it should go clear through.”
“Yet probably she was a good wife and mother, and thought she was
defending her children from a robber and murderer. Probably she had a
woman’s nature, and under other circumstances she would have fed and
protected you,” said Buffalo Bill.
“Oh--would she dough? You’se a good man, Massa Cody; you t’ink well ob
everybody--even ob de grizzly bears an’ de sharks, I s’pose.”
“Yes, they are what God made them. They eat men, indeed, as we eat
mutton, not out of malice, but because they are hungry and like that
kind of food.”
“Wouldn’t you kill dem?”
“Yes, if they came in my way and endangered my life, or that of others,
or if I needed them--not otherwise.”
While they talked they reached the boats and embarked safely without
further sight of the red men, and they began to anticipate with delight
the substantial supper they should make an hour or so later in some
secure spot on the coast.
“We made one great mistake in not inquiring of the Indians something
about the country, and whether we are near any white settlement,” said
Captain Meinhold. “They might have saved us several days’ journey by
heading us the right way.”
“Yes--that was a mistake,” replied Buffalo Bill; “but I think we are
going to have an opportunity of correcting it. Look at the canoes
coming around yonder point.”
True enough. The red men were coming. There was no escaping that
conclusion, nor avoiding them, if they had any evil design.
“Here they are!” exclaimed Hare, in great alarm, for he had from the
first refused to believe anything good of the savages. According to his
views they were all treacherous, crafty, cruel, and, in short, utterly
depraved. “We are all lost, I say, unless we can frighten them off, but
I suppose Cody would like to try a little ‘moral suasion’ upon them.”
The village which Congo had visited was north of the spot where the
white party had landed, but not very near the coast, having been built
in the shelter of a piece of woodland which did not extend to the shore.
In resuming their voyage northward--for in this direction they were
almost certain they should find their friends--they were compelled
to pass the Indian settlement, but they had designed to do so out
of gunshot of the shore, and were making their way outward for this
purpose when the pursuit was discovered.
Four long canoes, containing seven or eight men apiece, were coming
around a little jutting cape, about due east of the wigwams; and as
they were headed directly toward a point at which they must intercept
the two boats, no doubt could be entertained that a meeting, either
hostile or friendly, was intended.
“We are in their power, and they know it,” replied Cody to Hare, as the
canoes swiftly advanced, going at twice the utmost speed which could
have been made by the heavier boats of the whites. “There is not much
credit in pacific measures on our part now. We have no other resource.”
“Haven’t we?” replied Hare, who was wild with excitement and alarm,
drawing the only revolver in the party’s possession.
“Put it up!” shouted Buffalo Bill.
“Put it up!” repeated Captain Meinhold, “or, at least, do nothing more
than show it, or you’ll draw down death upon all of us.”
“Death is coming fast enough, in my opinion,” replied Hare. “I have a
right to defend myself, and shall, and, perhaps, save all the rest of
you.”
There was great danger that the imprudent man would precipitate
fatal results, and the captain and Buffalo Bill, who were not in the
same boat with him, made signs to some of those who were, to disarm
him. But, in the confusion, these gestures were misunderstood or
disregarded.
The canoes were already close at hand, and as the foremost drew near
to the boat in which Hare sat, although the red men were bowing and
smiling, and talking unintelligently, the frantic young man presented
his revolver, shouting:
“Keep off! Keep off! or I’ll fire!”
The Indians could not have instantly stopped the headway of their
canoe if they had wished. It still darted forward, and, amid cries of,
“Don’t, Hare! Don’t! For Heaven’s sake, stop him!” two quick reports
were heard, and one of the red men fell backward, paddle in hand, and
lay stretched upon the bottom of the canoe.