During the last few days, in which the frost had cracked open the
hickory nuts, and in which the squirrels had been busily collecting
and storing away their supply of nuts for winter use, it had been
Isaac's wont to shoulder his rifle, walk up the hill, and spend the
morning in the grove.
On this crisp autumn morning he had started off as usual, and had
been called back by Col. Zane, who advised him not to wander far
from the settlement. This admonition, kind and brotherly though it
was, annoyed Isaac. Like all the Zanes he had born in him an intense
love for the solitude of the wilderness. There were times when
nothing could satisfy him but the calm of the deep woods.
One of these moods possessed him now. Courageous to a fault and
daring where daring was not always the wiser part, Isaac lacked the
practical sense of the Colonel and the cool judgment of Jonathan.
Impatient of restraint, independent in spirit, and it must be
admitted, in his persistence in doing as he liked instead of what he
ought to do, he resembled Betty more than he did his brothers.
Feeling secure in his ability to take care of himself, for he knew
he was an experienced hunter and woodsman, he resolved to take a
long tramp in the forest. This resolution was strengthened by the
fact that he did not believe what the Colonel and Jonathan had told
him--that it was not improbable some of the Wyandot braves were
lurking in the vicinity, bent on killing or recapturing him. At any
rate he did not fear it.
Once in the shade of the great trees the fever of discontent left
him, and, forgetting all except the happiness of being surrounded by
the silent oaks, he penetrated deeper and deeper into the forest.
The brushing of a branch against a tree, the thud of a falling nut,
the dart of a squirrel, and the sight of a bushy tail disappearing
round a limb--all these things which indicated that the little gray
fellows were working in the tree-tops, and which would usually have
brought Isaac to a standstill, now did not seem to interest him. At
times he stooped to examine the tender shoots growing at the foot of
a sassafras tree. Then, again, he closely examined marks he found in
the soft banks of the streams.
He went on and on. Two hours of this still-hunting found him on the
bank of a shallow gully through which a brook went rippling and
babbling over the mossy green stones. The forest was dense here;
rugged oaks and tall poplars grew high over the tops of the first
growth of white oaks and beeches; the wild grapevines which coiled
round the trees like gigantic serpents, spread out in the upper
branches and obscured the sun; witch-hopples and laurel bushes grew
thickly; monarchs of the forest, felled by some bygone storm, lay
rotting on the ground; and in places the wind-falls were so thick
and high as to be impenetrable.
Isaac hesitated. He realized that he had plunged far into the Black
Forest. Here it was gloomy; a dreamy quiet prevailed, that deep calm
of the wilderness, unbroken save for the distant note of the
hermit-thrush, the strange bird whose lonely cry, given at long
intervals, pierced the stillness. Although Isaac had never seen one
of these birds, he was familiar with that cry which was never heard
except in the deepest woods, far from the haunts of man.
A black squirrel ran down a tree and seeing the hunter scampered
away in alarm. Isaac knew the habits of the black squirrel, that it
was a denizen of the wildest woods and frequented only places remote
from civilization. The song of the hermit and the sight of the black
squirrel caused Isaac to stop and reflect, with the result that he
concluded he had gone much farther from the fort than he had
intended. He turned to retrace his steps when a faint sound from
down the ravine came to his sharp ears.
There was no instinct to warn him that a hideously painted face was
raised a moment over the clump of laurel bushes to his left, and
that a pair of keen eyes watched every move he made.
Unconscious of impending evil Isaac stopped and looked around him.
Suddenly above the musical babble of the brook and the rustle of the
leaves by the breeze came a repetition of the sound. He crouched
close by the trunk of a tree and strained his ears. All was quiet
for some moments. Then he heard the patter, patter of little hoofs
coming down the stream. Nearer and nearer they came. Sometimes they
were almost inaudible and again he heard them clearly and
distinctly. Then there came a splashing and the faint hollow sound
caused by hard hoofs striking the stones in shallow water. Finally
the sounds ceased.
Cautiously peering from behind the tree Isaac saw a doe standing on
the bank fifty yards down the brook. Trembling she had stopped as if
in doubt or uncertainty. Her ears pointed straight upward, and she
lifted one front foot from the ground like a thoroughbred pointer.
Isaac knew a doe always led the way through the woods and if there
were other deer they would come up unless warned by the doe.
Presently the willows parted and a magnificent buck with wide
spreading antlers stepped out and stood motionless on the bank.
Although they were down the wind Isaac knew the deer suspected some
hidden danger. They looked steadily at the clump of laurels at
Isaac's left, a circumstance he remarked at the time, but did not
understand the real significance of until long afterward.
Following the ringing report of Isaac's rifle the buck sprang almost
across the stream, leaped convulsively up the bank, reached the top,
and then his strength failing, slid down into the stream, where, in
his dying struggles, his hoofs beat the water into white foam. The
doe had disappeared like a brown flash.
Isaac, congratulating himself on such a fortunate shot--for rarely
indeed does a deer fall dead in his tracks even when shot through
the heart--rose from his crouching position and commenced to reload
his rifle. With great care he poured the powder into the palm of his
hand, measuring the quantity with his eye--for it was an evidence of
a hunter's skill to be able to get the proper quantity for the ball.
Then he put the charge into the barrel. Placing a little greased
linsey rag, about half an inch square, over the muzzle, he laid a
small lead bullet on it, and with the ramrod began to push the ball
into the barrel.
A slight rustle behind him, which sounded to him like the gliding of
a rattlesnake over the leaves, caused him to start and turn round.
But he was too late. A crushing blow on the head from a club in the
hand of a brawny Indian laid him senseless on the ground.
When Isaac regained his senses he felt a throbbing pain in his head,
and then he opened his eyes he was so dizzy that he was unable to
discern objects clearly. After a few moments his sight returned.
When he had struggled to a sitting posture he discovered that his
hands were bound with buckskin thongs. By his side he saw two long
poles of basswood, with some strips of green bark and pieces of
grapevine laced across and tied fast to the poles. Evidently this
had served as a litter on which he had been carried. From his wet
clothes and the position of the sun, now low in the west, he
concluded he had been brought across the river and was now miles
from the fort. In front of him he saw three Indians sitting before a
fire. One of them was cutting thin slices from a haunch of deer
meat, another was drinking from a gourd, and the third was roasting
a piece of venison which he held on a sharpened stick. Isaac knew at
once the Indians were Wyandots, and he saw they were in full war
paint. They were not young braves, but middle aged warriors. One of
them Isaac recognized as Crow, a chief of one of the Wyandot tribes,
and a warrior renowned for his daring and for his ability to make
his way in a straight line through the wilderness. Crow was a short,
heavy Indian and his frame denoted great strength. He had a broad
forehead, high cheek bones, prominent nose and his face would have
been handsome and intelligent but for the scar which ran across his
cheek, giving him a sinister look.
"Hugh!" said Crow, as he looked up and saw Isaac staring at him. The
other Indians immediately gave vent to a like exclamation.
"Crow, you caught me again," said Isaac, in the Wyandot tongue,
which he spoke fluently.
"The white chief is sure of eye and swift of foot, but he cannot
escape the Huron. Crow has been five times on his trail since the
moon was bright. The white chief's eyes were shut and his ears were
deaf," answered the Indian loftily.
"How long have you been near the fort?"
"Two moons have the warriors of Myeerah hunted the pale face."
"Have you any more Indians with you?"
The chief nodded and said a party of nine Wyandots had been in the
vicinity of Wheeling for a month. He named some of the warriors.
Isaac was surprised to learn of the renowned chiefs who had been
sent to recapture him. Not to mention Crow, the Delaware chiefs
Son-of-Wingenund and Wapatomeka were among the most cunning and
sagacious Indians of the west. Isaac reflected that his year's
absence from Myeerah had not caused her to forget him.
Crow untied Isaac's hands and gave him water and venison. Then he
picked up his rifle and with a word to the Indians he stepped into
the underbrush that skirted the little dale, and was lost to view.
Isaac's head ached and throbbed so that after he had satisfied his
thirst and hunger he was glad to close his eyes and lean back
against the tree. Engrossed in thoughts of the home he might never
see again, he had lain there an hour without moving, when he was
aroused from his meditations by low guttural exclamations from the
Indians. Opening his eyes he saw Crow and another Indian enter the
glade, leading and half supporting a third savage.
They helped this Indian to the log, where he sat down slowly and
wearily, holding one hand over his breast. He was a magnificent
specimen of Indian manhood, almost a giant in stature, with broad
shoulders in proportion to his height. His head-dress and the gold
rings which encircled his bare muscular arms indicated that he was a
chief high in power. The seven eagle plumes in his scalp-lock
represented seven warriors that he had killed in battle. Little
sticks of wood plaited in his coal black hair and painted different
colors showed to an Indian eye how many times this chief had been
wounded by bullet, knife, or tomahawk.
His face was calm. If he suffered he allowed no sign of it to escape
him. He gazed thoughtfully into the fire, slowly the while untying
the belt which contained his knife and tomahawk. The weapons were
raised and held before him, one in each hand, and then waved on
high. The action was repeated three times. Then slowly and
reluctantly the Indian lowered them as if he knew their work on
earth was done.
It was growing dark and the bright blaze from the camp fire lighted
up the glade, thus enabling Isaac to see the drooping figure on the
log, and in the background Crow, holding a whispered consultation
with the other Indians. Isaac heard enough of the colloquy to guess
the facts. The chief had been desperately rounded; the palefaces
were on their trail, and a march must be commenced at once.
Isaac knew the wounded chief. He was the Delaware Son-of-Wingenund.
He married a Wyandot squaw, had spent much of his time in the
Wyandot village and on warring expeditions which the two friendly
nations made on other tribes. Isaac had hunted with him, slept under
the same blanket with him, and had grown to like him.
As Isaac moved slightly in his position the chief saw him. He
straightened up, threw back the hunting shirt and pointed to a small
hole in his broad breast. A slender stream of blood issued from the
wound and flowed down his chest.
"Wind-of-Death is a great white chief. His gun is always loaded," he
said calmly, and a look of pride gleamed across his dark face, as
though he gloried in the wound made by such a warrior.
"Deathwind" was one of the many names given to Wetzel by the
savages, and a thrill of hope shot through Isaac's heart when he saw
the Indians feared Wetzel was on their track. This hope was short
lived, however, for when he considered the probabilities of the
thing he knew that pursuit would only result in his death before the
settlers could come up with the Indians, and he concluded that
Wetzel, familiar with every trick of the redmen, would be the first
to think of the hopelessness of rescuing him and so would not
attempt it.
The four Indians now returned to the fire and stood beside the
chief. It was evident to them that his end was imminent. He sang in
a low, not unmusical tone the death-chant of the Hurons. His
companions silently bowed their heads. When he had finished singing
he slowly rose to his great height, showing a commanding figure.
Slowly his features lost their stern pride, his face softened, and
his dark eyes, gazing straight into the gloom of the forest, bespoke
a superhuman vision.
"Wingenund has been a great chief. He has crossed his last trail.
The deeds of Wingenund will be told in the wigwams of the Lenape,"
said the chief in a loud voice, and then sank back into the arms of
his comrades. They laid him gently down.
A convulsive shudder shook the stricken warrior's frame. Then,
starting up he straightened out his long arm and clutched wildly at
the air with his sinewy fingers as if to grasp and hold the life
that was escaping him.
Isaac could see the fixed, sombre light in the eyes, and the pallor
of death stealing over the face of the chief. He turned his eyes
away from the sad spectacle, and when he looked again the majestic
figure lay still.
The moon sailed out from behind a cloud and shed its mellow light
down on the little glade. It showed the four Indians digging a grave
beneath the oak tree. No word was spoken. They worked with their
tomahawks on the soft duff and soon their task was completed. A bed
of moss and ferns lined the last resting place of the chief. His
weapons were placed beside him, to go with him to the Happy Hunting
Ground, the eternal home of the redmen, where the redmen believe the
sun will always shine, and where they will be free from their cruel
white foes.
When the grave had been filled and the log rolled on it the Indians
stood by it a moment, each speaking a few words in a low tone, while
the night wind moaned the dead chief's requiem through the tree
tops.
Accustomed as Isaac was to the bloody conflicts common to the
Indians, and to the tragedy that surrounded the life of a borderman,
the ghastly sight had unnerved him. The last glimpse of that stern,
dark face, of that powerful form, as the moon brightened up the spot
in seeming pity, he felt he could never forget. His thoughts were
interrupted by the harsh voice of Crow bidding him get up. He was
told that the slightest inclination on his part to lag behind on the
march before them, or in any way to make their trail plainer, would
be the signal for his death. With that Crow cut the thongs which
bound Isaac's legs and placing him between two of the Indians, led
the way into the forest.
Moving like spectres in the moonlight they marched on and on for
hours. Crow was well named. He led them up the stony ridges where
their footsteps left no mark, and where even a dog could not find
their trail; down into the valleys and into the shallow streams
where the running water would soon wash away all trace of their
tracks; then out on the open plain, where the soft, springy grass
retained little impress of their moccasins.
Single file they marched in the leader's tracks as he led them
onward through the dark forests, out under the shining moon, never
slacking his rapid pace, ever in a straight line, and yet avoiding
the roughest going with that unerring instinct which was this
Indian's gift. Toward dawn the moon went down, leaving them in
darkness, but this made no difference, for, guided by the stars,
Crow kept straight on his course. Not till break of day did he come
to a halt.
Then, on the banks of a narrow stream, the Indians kindled a fire
and broiled some of the venison. Crow told Isaac he could rest, so
he made haste to avail himself of the permission, and almost
instantly was wrapped in the deep slumber of exhaustion. Three of
the Indians followed suit, and Crow stood guard. Sleepless,
tireless, he paced to and fro on the bank his keen eyes vigilant for
signs of pursuers.
The sun was high when the party resumed their flight toward the
west. Crow plunged into the brook and waded several miles before he
took to the woods on the other shore. Isaac suffered severely from
the sharp and slippery stones, which in no wise bothered the
Indians. His feet were cut and bruised; still he struggled on
without complaining. They rested part of the night, and the next day
the Indians, now deeming themselves practically safe from pursuit,
did not exercise unusual care to conceal their trail.
That evening about dusk they came to a rapidly flowing stream which
ran northwest. Crow and one of the other Indians parted the willows
on the bank at this point and dragged forth a long birch-bark canoe
which they ran into the stream. Isaac recognized the spot. It was
near the head of Mad River, the river which ran through the Wyandot
settlements.
Two of the Indians took the bow, the third Indian and Isaac sat in
the middle, back to back, and Crow knelt in the stern. Once launched
on that wild ride Isaac forgot his uneasiness and his bruises. The
night was beautiful; he loved the water, and was not lacking in
sentiment. He gave himself up to the charm of the silver moonlight,
of the changing scenery, and the musical gurgle of the water. Had it
not been for the cruel face of Crow, he could have imagined himself
on one of those enchanted canoes in fairyland, of which he had read
when a boy. Ever varying pictures presented themselves at the range,
impelled by vigorous arms, flew over the shining bosom of the
stream. Here, in a sharp bend, was a narrow place where the trees on
each bank interlaced their branches and hid the moon, making a dark
and dim retreat. Then came a short series of ripples, with merry,
bouncing waves and foamy currents; below lay a long, smooth reach of
water, deep and placid, mirroring the moon and the countless stars.
Noiseless as a shadow the canoe glided down this stretch, the paddle
dipping regularly, flashing brightly, and scattering diamond drops
in the clear moonlight.
Another turn in the stream and a sound like the roar of an
approaching storm as it is borne on a rising wind, broke the
silence. It was the roar of rapids or falls. The stream narrowed;
the water ran swifter; rocky ledges rose on both sides, gradually
getting higher and higher. Crow rose to his feet and looked ahead.
Then he dropped to his knees and turned the head of the canoe into
the middle of the stream. The roar became deafening. Looking forward
Isaac saw that they were entering a dark gorge. In another moment
the canoe pitched over a fall and shot between two high, rocky
bluffs. These walls ran up almost perpendicularly two hundred feet;
the space between was scarcely twenty feet wide, and the water
fairly screamed as it rushed madly through its narrow passage. In
the center it was like a glancing sheet of glass, weird and dark,
and was bordered on the sides by white, seething foam-capped waves
which tore and dashed and leaped at their stony confines.
Though the danger was great, though Death lurked in those jagged
stones and in those black waits Isaac felt no fear, he knew the
strength of that arm, now rigid and again moving with lightning
swiftness; he knew the power of the eye which guided them.
Once more out under the starry sky; rifts, shallows, narrows, and
lake-like basins were passed swiftly. At length as the sky was
becoming gray in the east, they passed into the shadow of what was
called the Standing Stone. This was a peculiarly shaped stone-faced
bluff, standing high over the river, and taking its name from Tarhe,
or Standing Stone, chief of all the Hurons.
At the first sight of that well known landmark, which stood by the
Wyandot village, there mingled with Isaac's despondency and
resentment some other feeling that was akin to pleasure; with a
quickening of the pulse came a confusion of expectancy and bitter
memories as he thought of the dark eyed maiden from whom he had fled
a year ago.
"Co-wee-Co-woe," called out one of the Indians in the bow of the
canoe. The signal was heard, for immediately an answering shout came
from the shore.
When a few moments later the canoe grated softly on a pebbly beach.
Isaac saw, indistinctly in the morning mist, the faint outlines of
tepees and wigwams, and he knew he was once more in the encampment
of the Wyandots.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Late in the afternoon of that day Isaac was awakened from his heavy
slumber and told that the chief had summoned him. He got up from the
buffalo robes upon which he had flung himself that morning,
stretched his aching limbs, and walked to the door of the lodge.
The view before him was so familiar that it seemed as if he had
suddenly come home after being absent a long time. The last rays of
the setting sun shone ruddy and bright over the top of the Standing
Stone; they touched the scores of lodges and wigwams which dotted
the little valley; they crimsoned the swift, narrow river, rushing
noisily over its rocky bed. The banks of the stream were lined with
rows of canoes; here and there a bridge made of a single tree
spanned the stream. From the camp fires long, thin columns of blue
smoke curled lazily upward; giant maple trees, in them garb of
purple and gold, rose high above the wigwams, adding a further
beauty to this peaceful scene.
As Isaac was led down a lane between two long lines of tepees the
watching Indians did not make the demonstration that usually marked
the capture of a paleface. Some of the old squaws looked up from
their work round the campfires and steaming kettles and grinned as
the prisoner passed. The braves who were sitting upon their blankets
and smoking their long pipes, or lounging before the warm blazes
maintained a stolid indifference; the dusky maidens smiled shyly,
and the little Indian boys, with whom Isaac had always been a great
favorite, manifested their joy by yelling and running after him. One
youngster grasped Isaac round the leg and held on until he was
pulled away.
In the center of the village were several lodges connected with one
another and larger and more imposing than the surrounding tepees.
These were the wigwams of the chief, and thither Isaac was
conducted. The guards led him to a large and circular apartment and
left him there alone. This room was the council-room. It contained
nothing but a low seat and a knotted war-club.
Isaac heard the rattle of beads and bear claws, and as he turned a
tall and majestic Indian entered the room. It was Tarhe, the chief
of all the Wyandots. Though Tarhe was over seventy, he walked erect;
his calm face, dark as a bronze mask, showed no trace of his
advanced age. Every line and feature of his face had race in it; the
high forehead, the square, protruding jaw, the stern mouth, the
falcon eyes--all denoted the pride and unbending will of the last of
the Tarhes.
"The White Eagle is again in the power of Tarhe," said the chief in
his native tongue. "Though he had the swiftness of the bounding deer
or the flight of the eagle it would avail him not. The wild geese as
they fly northward are not swifter than the warriors of Tarhe.
Swifter than all is the vengeance of the Huron. The young paleface
has cost the lives of some great warriors. What has he to say?"
"It was not my fault," answered Isaac quickly. "I was struck down
from behind and had no chance to use a weapon. I have never raised
my hand against a Wyandot. Crow will tell you that. If my people and
friends kill your braves I am not to blame. Yet I have had good
cause to shed Huron blood. Your warriors have taken me from my home
and have wounded me many times."
"The White Chief speaks well. Tarhe believes his words," answered
Tarhe in his sonorous voice. "The Lenapee seek the death of the pale
face. Wingenund grieves for his son. He is Tarhe's friend. Tarhe is
old and wise and he is king here. He can save the White Chief from
Wingenund and Cornplanter. Listen. Tarhe is old and he has no son.
He will make you a great chief and give you lands and braves and
honors. He shall not ask you to raise your hand against your people,
but help to bring peace. Tarhe does not love this war. He wants only
justice. He wants only to keep his lands, his horses, and his
people. The White Chief is known to be brave; his step is light, his
eye is keen, and his bullet is true. For many long moons Tarhe's
daughter has been like the singing bird without its mate. She sings
no more. She shall be the White Chief's wife. She has the blood of
her mother and not that of the last of the Tarhes. Thus the mistakes
of Tarhe's youth come to disappoint his old age. He is the friend of
the young paleface. Tarhe has said. Now go and make your peace with
Myeerah."
The chief motioned toward the back of the lodge. Isaac stepped
forward and went through another large room, evidently the chief's,
as it was fitted up with a wild and barbaric splendor. Isaac
hesitated before a bearskin curtain at the farther end of the
chief's lodge. He had been there many times before, but never with
such conflicting emotions. What was it that made his heart beat
faster? With a quick movement he lifted the curtain and passed under
it.
The room which he entered was circular in shape and furnished with
all the bright colors and luxuriance known to the Indian. Buffalo
robes covered the smooth, hard-packed clay floor; animals,
allegorical pictures, and fanciful Indian designs had been painted
on the wall; bows and arrows, shields, strings of bright-colored
beads and Indian scarfs hung round the room. The wall was made of
dried deerskins sewed together and fastened over long poles which
were planted in the ground and bent until the ends met overhead. An
oval-shaped opening let in the light. Through a narrow aperture,
which served as a door leading to a smaller apartment, could be seen
a low couch covered with red blankets, and a glimpse of many hued
garments hanging on the wall.
As Isaac entered the room a slender maiden ran impulsively to him
and throwing her arms round his neck hid her face on his breast. A
few broken, incoherent words escaped her lips. Isaac disengaged
himself from the clinging arms and put her from him. The face raised
to his was strikingly beautiful. Oval in shape, it was as white as
his own, with a broad, low brow and regular features. The eyes were
large and dark and they dilated and quickened with a thousand
shadows of thought.
"Myeerah, I am taken again. This time there has been blood shed. The
Delaware chief was killed, and I do not know how many more Indians.
The chiefs are all for putting me to death. I am in great danger.
Why could you not leave me in peace?"
At his first words the maiden sighed and turned sorrowfully and
proudly away from the angry face of the young man. A short silence
ensued.
"Then you are not glad to see Myeerah?" she said, in English. Her
voice was music. It rang low, sweet, clear-toned as a bell.
"What has that to do with it? Under some circumstances I would be
glad to see you. But to be dragged back here and perhaps
murdered--no, I don't welcome it. Look at this mark where Crow hit
me," said Isaac, passionately, bowing his head to enable her to see
the bruise where the club had struck him.
"I am sorry," said Myeerah, gently.
"I know that I am in great danger from the Delawares."
"The daughter of Tarhe has saved your life before and will save it
again."
"They may kill me in spite of you."
"They will not dare. Do not forget that I saved you from the
Shawnees. What did my father say to you?"
"He assured me that he was my friend and that he would protect me
from Wingenund. But I must marry you and become one of the tribe. I
cannot do that. And that is why I am sure they will kill me."
"You are angry now. I will tell you. Myeerah tried hard to win your
love, and when you ran away from her she was proud for a long time.
But there was no singing of birds, no music of the waters, no beauty
in anything after you left her. Life became unbearable without you.
Then Myeerah remembered that she was a daughter of kings. She
summoned the bravest and greatest warriors of two tribes and said to
them. 'Go and bring to me the paleface, White Eagle. Bring him to me
alive or dead. If alive, Myeerah will smile once more upon her
warriors. If dead, she will look once upon his face and die. Ever
since Myeerah was old enough to remember she has thought of you.
Would you wish her to be inconstant, like the moon?'"
"It is not what I wish you to be. It is that I cannot live always
without seeing my people. I told you that a year ago."
"You told me other things in that past time before you ran away.
They were tender words that were sweet to the ear of the Indian
maiden. Have you forgotten them?"
"I have not forgotten them. I am not without feeling. You do not
understand. Since I have been home this last time, I have realized
more than ever that I could not live away from my home."
"Is there any maiden in your old home whom you have learned to love
more than Myeerah?"
He did not reply, but looked gloomily out of the opening in the
wall. Myeerah had placed her hold upon his arm, and as he did not
answer the hand tightened its grasp.
"She shall never have you."
The low tones vibrated with intense feeling, with a deathless
resolve. Isaac laughed bitterly and looked up at her. Myeerah's face
was pale and her eyes burned like fire.
"I should not be surprised if you gave me up to the Delawares," said
Isaac, coldly. "I am prepared for it, and I would not care very
much. I have despaired of your ever becoming civilized enough to
understand the misery of my sister and family. Why not let the
Indians kill me?"
He knew how to wound her. A quick, shuddery cry broke from her lips.
She stood before him with bowed head and wept. When she spoke again
her voice was broken and pleading.
"You are cruel and unjust. Though Myeerah has Indian blood she is a
white woman. She can feel as your people do. In your anger and
bitterness you forget that Myeerah saved you from the knife of the
Shawnees. You forget her tenderness; you forget that she nursed you
when you were wounded. Myeerah has a heart to break. Has she not
suffered? Is she not laughed at, scorned, called a 'paleface' by the
other tribes? She thanks the Great Spirit for the Indian blood that
keep her true. The white man changes his loves and his wives. That
is not an Indian gift."
"No, Myeerah, I did not say so. There is no other woman. It is that
I am wretched and sick at heart. Do you not see that this will end
in a tragedy some day? Can you not realize that we would be happier
if you would let me go? If you love me you would not want to see me
dead. If I do not marry you they will kill me; if I try to escape
again they win kill me. Let me go free."
"I cannot! I cannot!" she cried. "You have taught me many of the
ways of your people, but you cannot change my nature."
"Why cannot you free me?"
"I love you, and I will not live without you."
"Then come and go to my home and live there with me," said Isaac,
taking the weeping maiden in his arms. "I know that my people will
welcome you."
"Myeerah would be pitied and scorned," she said, sadly, shaking her
head.
Isaac tried hard to steel his heart against her, but he was only
mortal and he failed. The charm of her presence influenced him; her
love wrung tenderness from him. Those dark eyes, so proud to all
others, but which gazed wistfully and yearningly into his, stirred
his heart to its depths. He kissed the tear-wet cheeks and smiled
upon her.
"Well, since I am a prisoner once more, I must make the best of it.
Do not look so sad. We shall talk of this another day. Come, let us
go and find my little friend, Captain Jack. He remembered me, for he
ran out and grasped my knee and they pulled him away."