follered and got him back," added the ex-mate to Mr Rawlings, who now
came up, with Jasper at his heels--the negro almost turning white with
terror at the very name of the Indians being mentioned, and shaking in
his shoes,--"I'd a follered an' got him back, yes sir! But them durned
cusses have sent an arrowhead through my karkuss, and well-nigh broken
my fut as well!"
STORY ONE, CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
ON THE TRAIL.
"Where are you wounded?" asked Mr Rawlings, bending over Seth, who
seemed to suffer considerable pain, although he endeavoured stoically to
suppress all expression of it.
"In my side, haar," replied the other, pointing to where the feathered
end of an arrow could be seen protruding from his shirt; "and if yer cut
off the tail of the cussed thing, I reckon you ken pull it slick
through, as the head's comed out ahint me. But it's only a flesh wound,
and ain't up to much, for it didn't touch my ribs."
"Well," said Mr Rawlings, "you're a bit of a doctor, Seth, and ought to
know if anybody does."
"Yes, it's only a scratch, I'm sartain, or I would ha' felt it more. My
fut's the wussest of the two. But, lor' sakes!" added Seth, trying to
get on his legs, and quivering with excitement, although the attempt was
futile, and he had to sink back again into his half-sitting,
half-kneeling posture with a groan--"don't you stop here a consulting
about me, Rawlings, when that poor boy's life's in peril. You and
Wilton had best skate off at once and foller up them redskins as has
Sailor Bill. I ken bide waal enuf till you gits back again, old man,
along with Jasper, who can do all I wants."
"We won't neglect the boy," said Mr Rawlings, struck with Seth's
unselfishness in ignoring his own wounded condition under the
consciousness of his protege's danger, "but we must think of you all the
same first." And kneeling down by the injured man's side, he proceeded,
with Ernest Wilton's assistance, to cut away Seth's shirt, and then the
end of the arrow, holding it firmly the while so that it should not
wriggle about, and hurt him more than they could help, after which the
barbed head was drawn out of the wound--which was just between the third
and fourth ribs, and not very serious, as the ex-mate had thought--
stanching the blood, and binding up the place with a silk handkerchief,
which the young engineer had taken from round his neck for the purpose.
Mr Rawlings was immensely relieved to find that Seth was not so
dangerously hit as he had at first supposed. When he saw the arrow
sticking out of his side, he thought it was all up with his poor
comrade; so now that the case appeared more hopeful, he was better able
to consider what course should be adopted for Sailor Bill's rescue.
After a moment's deliberation, during which Seth gazed at him with a
look of piteous entreaty on his face, but did not interrupt him with a
word, guessing what was passing through his mind, Mr Rawlings' line of
action was decided on.
"Here, Jasper," said he to the negro steward.
"Iss, massa."
"You must run back to the camp as hard as you can, and tell Noah Webster
to pick out five or six of the men who can use their rifles well, and
come back here with them and Moose--he wouldn't forget to bring him--to
pursue the Indians. You must also bring a team of mules with the small
waggon with you, the same as I told you about just now, although I did
not then think to what a sad use we should put it, to take home Mr Seth
in; and look sharp now--why, what's the matter?"
Jasper had started up to go at Mr Rawlings' first words; but when that
gentleman spoke about the Indians while giving his directions, his
alacrity and courage seemed to disappear together in company, as,
instead of rushing off, as Mr Rawlings supposed, almost before he could
finish speaking, there he stood, twirling his battered straw-hat about
in his fingers, and looking the picture of cowardly irresolution.
"What, massa?" he tremblingly said, in answer to Mr Rawlings'
interrogation, his teeth chattering with fear, and his countenance
wearing a most hang-dog expression. "Me go back 'lone cross de prairee,
all dat way to camp? Suppose the Injuns scalp pore niggah same as massa
Seth! Golly, Massa Rawlins, um can't do it. I'se afeared!"
"You durned skunk!" exclaimed Seth, his indignation heightened probably
by the pain of his wounds. "You jest make tracks at once, as Mister
Rawlings says, or else I'll--" and he shook his fist expressively to
complete the sentence.
"Perhaps I had better go," said Ernest Wilton at this juncture. "Jasper
seems to be so frightened that he might lose his way; and, at all
events, he would probably have forgotten half your instructions when he
got to the creek, and give only a garbled account of what has happened.
I think I would make the best messenger, unless you would prefer me to
remain with you in case the Indians should return in force before we get
help."
"Go by all means," answered Mr Rawlings. "I needn't tell you to hurry,
my boy, you know the necessity of that, on every account! Jasper shall
stop here and help defend us in case the savages assail us before you
get back;" and Mr Rawlings could not help smiling as he spoke, in spite
of their perilous position, at the comical idea of the cowardly Jasper
acting as a protector.
"Bress us and sabe us, Massa Rawlings!" ejaculated the negro in mortal
terror, about which there was no pretence or affectation. "Don't say
dat, don't now! mebbe it come out for true! I'se rader go 'th Mass'
Willerton, an' bring back the waggin for Mass' Seth, iss, sah."
"No you won't," said Mr Rawlings. "You hesitated to go when I told
you, and now you shall stop here whether you like it or not!"
emphasising his words by laying his hand on the darkey's shoulder, in
such an impressive manner that he could not but submit to the command.
But long before the question of Jasper's staying behind or going off
with the young engineer was settled, Ernest had started off on the back
track towards Minturne Creek at a brisk run, and was shortly out of
sight behind the top of the plateau they had just descended from.
Prior to leaving, however, Ernest considerately ordered Wolf to remain
in his place, as he would be of much service in the event of an Indian
attack, telling the sagacious animal to lie at Seth's feet, with a "Hi,
watch there; old man!" an order which the dog at once obeyed, while his
master was off and away in an instant.
"Well, Seth," said Mr Rawlings, when the young engineer had disappeared
from their gaze, "you haven't yet told me how this catastrophe occurred?
But let me see your foot now, and I can examine it, and see what I can
do to that while you are telling me all about it." And Mr Rawlings
proceeded to cut away a portion of Seth's boot with his clasp knife--the
same as he had had to do to his shirt before extracting the arrow, as it
caused the poor fellow too much pain to pull it off--while the other
went on with his yarn.
"Thaar ain't much to tell," began Seth. "I an' Sailor Bill beat up the
bush alongside that ther stream, arter partin' with you, and then, when
we seed nothin' thaar, made tracks for this yere paraira, as I
diskivered, when I got to the top o' that risin' ground yonder, some elk
a feedin' down hyar. There was a herd of seven of 'em or more, an' soon
as I gets near enuf I lets drive at 'em; and just then, hullabaloo! I
heart a screech like somethin' awful, an' a Injun starts up, just like a
deer a walkin' on his hind legs."
"That's an artful dodge they have of putting on the skin of some animal,
and approaching unsuspiciously within shooting range without alarming
their game."
"Waal, this hyar Injun," continued Seth, without noticing Mr Rawlings'
explanatory interruption, "rushed on to me like a mad bull in fly time,
and seein' as how he meant bizness; I drawed the trigger again, but
missed him, and he flung his tommyhawk, which cotched my fut, and
brought me to the ground as slick as greased lightnin', you bet!"
"And gave you a bad wound, too," said Mr Rawlings, who by this time had
managed to take off Seth's boot and disclose the extent of the injury, a
pretty deep cut right across the instep, which would probably lame the
ex-mate for life, as far as he could judge.
"Waal, it do hurt some," said Seth, when Mr Rawlings proceeded to
bandage up the foot in the same way as he had done the poor fellow's
side previously. "But I dersay I'll git over it soon, gineral. Ef I
seed Sailor Bill agin I wouldn't care a cent about it, I guess!"
"How was it that they carried him off, and you escaped alive? I can't
think how they let you off when you were once down and at their mercy?"
"Oh, I made a pretty good fit of it, I reckon, with the butt-end of my
rifle, and giv' both them red devils somethin' to remember Seth Allport
by!--For there was two on 'em at me, as soon as Sailor Bill rushed in
atween me an' the fust Injun."
"Did the boy really help you?" said Mr Rawlings in some surprise; for,
as has been previously related, Sailor Bill had never exhibited any
trace of emotional feeling from the time of his being picked up at sea,
save on that memorable occasion immediately afterwards, when, it may be
remembered, he rushed out of the cabin when the ship was taken aback.
"He did so," answered Seth, "an' the curiosest part of it wer he looked
jest the same frightened like as when he saved me aboard the _Susan
Jane_, with his har all on end--jes so."
"It's very extraordinary," said Mr Rawlings; "and then they carried him
off?"
"Waal, I was making a good fit of it as I told you, an' when Sailor Bill
rushes to help me a second Injun started up and collars him; and then I
heard that air blessed dawg bark, and I knowed what it wer, an' so did
the Injuns too; for as I shouted out to let yer know whar we wer, they
made tracks with pore Bill, lugging him off atween them over thaar,"
said Seth, pointing eastwards, where, however, nothing could now be
seen. "And that's all you know about it?" said Mr Rawlings.
"Jes so," replied Seth.
At the same moment the negro Jasper, who had been gazing fixedly in the
direction in which Ernest Wilton had gone for aid, uttered an
exclamation of frenzied delight, and began to caper about.
"Golly, Massa Rawlings," cried he, "dere dey is! dere dey is!"
The negro was right. As he spoke Mr Rawlings and Seth could see a body
of men advancing over the crest of the plateau, accompanied by a waggon
drawn by a pair of mules. The young engineer had accomplished his
mission well. Instead of publishing his news aloud, and thereby
creating a commotion amongst the miners who would have all wished to
rush off _en masse_ to the assistance of Mr Rawlings and Seth Allport,
both much liked by all, and the rescue of Sailor Bill, whom the men had
got also attached to in the same way as the crew of the _Susan Jane_,
Ernest drew Noah Webster on one side, and briefly told him what had
occurred and what Mr Rawlings had ordered to be done.
Noah was equally prompt and discreet.
Mustering one of the gangs, who had completed their shift in sinking the
new shaft and had had a rest, he told them to get their rifles quietly
and accompany him to the prairie, when he mentioned casually, in a way
they appeared to understand, the boss and manager had come across some
"red game" and wanted their help.
At the same time the backwoodsman ordered Josh, who was nothing loth to
have the chance of abandoning his caboose duties for a while, to have a
couple of mules hitched to the waggon; while he beckoned Moose, the
half-breed, who apparently suspected something was in the wind, to come
towards him, when the two conferred, while the miners and Josh were
getting ready.
The whole thing, indeed, was so well managed, that within ten minutes of
Ernest Wilton's arrival in camp, the rescuing party had started for the
spot where Mr Rawlings and Seth and the terror-stricken Jasper were
awaiting their approach: a band of strong, well-armed, resolute men,
consisting, besides the young engineer himself and Noah Webster, of
Moose the half-breed, Black Harry--one of the former crew of the _Susan
Jane_, a muscular giant who would have been a match for three Indians in
himself--and five of the miners, old "Californian stagers," used to
frontier life and rough and tumble fighting--in addition to Josh, of
course, who drove the mule waggon.
As soon as the scene of the fray was reached, Seth was lifted carefully
into the waggon and sent back to Minturne Creek, under the care of
Jasper--who took the place of Josh as teamster, that darkey displaying
considerably more pluck than the former, and evincing as much eagerness
to encounter the Indians as Jasper did to avoid them--while the rescuing
party followed on the trail of Sailor Bill's abductors.
STORY ONE, CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
RISING CLOUD.
"Silenza!" said the half-breed warningly, hearing Black Harry talking
rather loudly and threatening what he would do in case a hair of the
poor boy was injured,--"Silenza! Senors must go soft, or Sioux hear
mens speak!"
This happened just as they started, and from that moment not a word was
further spoken amongst the party, the men preserving a solemn silence
and marching one after the other in single file, Moose and Noah Webster
leading the way, and tracking the course of the Indians like
sleuth-hounds, seeing traces of the passage of those of whom they were
in pursuit in places where, as in the rocky bottom of a dry ravine they
presently came across, no footprints were perceptible like as they were
when the trail led through the prairie-grass, in a manner most
unaccountable both to Mr Rawlings and the young engineer.
On and on, mile after mile, went the gallant little band, at one time
treading downward towards some bottom or valley, at another their route
lying upwards along some ascending plateau, until the afternoon grew
dusky and night approached, when they had travelled over a considerable
distance of ground from their starting-point.
The prairie still stretched before them, the fringe of trees on the
horizon which Ernest Wilton had perceived some hours before still far
off, but much nearer than they were then, although, as he saw now, they
certainly could not indicate the banks of the Missouri, as he had then
thought; while between this distant bank of timber, that stood out here
under the shades of evening more strongly against the sky line, were
sundry little timbered islands as it were amidst the vast ocean of
spreading plain on which they were.
As it got darker, the half-breed, who was unacquainted with Wolf's
sagacity, that equalled his own in following a trail, made them
understand that they must give up the pursuit until the morning light,
or moon, should it not be obscured, enabled the trail to be deciphered;
but Wolf's master showing him what to do, and a sort of leash being
attached to the dog so that he should not go too fast on the scent and
be lost sight of in the gathering gloom, the expedition started on
again, after a brief halt, as untiringly as ever.
"Ugh!" ejaculated Moose, when they had continued their quest through the
darkness with Wolf's aid for about an hour, more or less--"Hist! Light
yonder! Stay here, I go see!" and he disappeared from amongst them,
while the others halted on the spot, from whence they could faintly
perceive the glimmer of firelight shining amidst trees in front of them:
so they were evidently near one of those little wooded islands they had
observed in the distance.
After an absence which seemed unconscionably long to those who remained
behind, the half-breed returned, and from what he said Mr Rawlings
divided the band into two portions, one of which he ordered to follow
Moose, whose object was to take the Indians in the rear, while the main
body attacked them in front, thus causing them to surrender probably at
the display of their overwhelming numbers, the two parties acting
together by a concerted signal, without any recourse to their weapons,
which would most likely endanger the life of poor Sailor Bill whom they
had come to save.
All proceeded satisfactorily up to a certain point.
The half of the band that accompanied Moose stole forward, skirting
round the trees so as to get the Indians in a line between themselves
and Mr Rawlings' party; and presently the solitary note of the
melancholy whip-poor-will was heard from amidst the trees, to warn the
others that Moose and his companions were in position, and they were to
close in nearer to the Indian camp before the half-breed should give the
second intimation that it was time for the final rush.
Black Harry's indiscretion, however, at this juncture spoilt Moose's
plan of surprising the Indians and effecting their object without
bloodshed. As they approached nearer the light that glimmered from amid
the trees, they could see that three Indians were seated round it, while
close adjoining them was poor Sailor Bill lashed tightly to a tree, like
a poor lamb that was to be slaughtered in some butcher's shop.
The sight was too much for the unthinking but gallant seaman, so,
despite Mr Rawlings' strict injunctions to the contrary, he levelled
his rifle and fired point-blank into the group of Indians huddled over
the fire.
The savages started up with a yell of alarm; and, seizing their arms
hurriedly, one of them darted towards the motionless figure of Sailor
Bill with an uplifted hatchet in his hand.
At that moment Mr Rawlings, seeing the imminent jeopardy of the boy,
fired, and the Indian's arm fell as if broken by the bullet, the hatchet
dropping from his hand; in another second, however, the savage picked up
the weapon again and would have brained Sailor Bill, being in the act of
hurling it at him with a malignant aim, when Wolf, who had stolen
forward at the first outburst, dashed at the Indian's throat with a low
growl of vengeance, and brought him to the ground.
"Don't kill them!" shouted Mr Rawlings, in a voice that made itself
heard above the melee; and after a brief struggle, the two remaining
Indians were secured and firmly bound, although it took all Black
Harry's strength to overcome the one he grappled, who turned out to be
the chief of the party, while the one Wolf had brought down suffered
terribly from the grip of the dog on his throat.
After all had cooled down from the contest, which had lasted some little
time, Mr Rawlings directed Moose to ask the Indian chief--who, the
half-breed said, was a leading warrior of the Sioux tribe, rejoicing in
the sounding title of "Rising Cloud,"--why he had attacked an innocent
settler and miner like Seth Allport, and stolen away the boy that was
with him?
The Indian, however, did not seem to require the services of an
interpreter, for he answered Mr Rawlings as if he thoroughly
comprehended the gist of the question Moose was deputed to ask him.
"Paleface lie!" he said angrily, in broken English, which he mastered
much better indeed than the half-breed did in his half-Spanish patter.
"Rising Cloud was hunting on the lands of his tribe when tall paleface
hunter shoot him as if he were a beast of the forest. The red man isn't
a dog to be trodden on, so he gave the paleface a lesson, to remind him
Rising Cloud could have killed him if he had willed it."
"But why steal the boy?" asked Mr Rawlings, thinking that perhaps the
Indian had some right on his side in assailing Seth after he had fired
at him first.
"Boy jump at Rising Cloud like grizzly bear. Boy grow up fine warrior.
Rising Cloud take him to his wigwam to make him big Sioux chief
by-and-by and fight the paleface dogs."
"That's a very pleasant way of appropriation," said Ernest Wilton, under
his voice, to Mr Rawlings. "But what's that he says, about fighting
the palefaces?"
"I thought there was peace between the red man and the children of the
Great Father at Washington?" said Mr Rawlings, alluding to the current
legend in frontier life that all the settlers out west are the progeny
of the President of the United States for the time being.
"No peace long," said the Sioux chief defiantly, a savage smile lighting
up his expressive features. "Hatchet dug up already. War soon--in
'nother moon."
"Well, that's a pleasant prospect to look forward to!" said Ernest, in a
half-serious, half-comic way, as he usually regarded most things. "But
what's to be done with these fellows now? Sailor Bill is none the worse
for his temporary captivity, and I suppose Seth will be all right in a
few days, after his wounds get better. I suppose we shall have to let
them go?"
"Yes," said Mr Rawlings; "but I must consult Noah Webster first."
After consultation with that worthy, it was determined that the whole
party should take advantage of the Indians' bivouac and remain there
till the morning, when they would have had a good rest; but the Indians
must be kept bound, and one taken with them on the back track next day
until they had accomplished half their return journey home, when he
would be released, and sent back free to unloose his comrades. This,
Noah Webster said, was the only course they could adopt in order to
avoid any treachery with the redskins, Noah saying that he would not
trust them farther than he could see them, and laughing at Mr Rawlings'
idea of releasing them at once on parole.
"Why, if yer did so," said he, "none of us would ever git back to
Minturne Creek to tell the tale!"
Accordingly, Noah's plan was adopted. The little band that had
accomplished Sailor Bill's rescue so satisfactorily, rested after their
labours till the morning, when, leaving two of the Indians bound to
trees in a similar way as they had discovered poor Seth's protege, they
started back for the camp, taking with them the chief, Rising Cloud,
whom they did not release until they reached the spot where the original
row had occurred, where the chief had his arms unpinioned and was told
he might go and free his companions.
The Indian did not take a very affectionate farewell of his escort. As
Mr Rawlings and Ernest untied his hands and told him he might go, he
pointed first towards the sky, then towards the east from whence they
had just come, and then in the direction where Minturne Creek lay.
"Yes, white man master now! Rising Cloud go home to his tribe; but
by-and-by he come back again with a thousand warriors at his back, and
wipe out the white men, robbers of the red man's land. Yes, by the
Manitou of the palefaces Rising Cloud swears it!"
And the Indian spat on the ground with a savage gesture as he spoke.
STORY ONE, CHAPTER NINETEEN.
GOLD AT LAST--EUREKA!
When Jasper and the mule waggon appeared at Minturne Creek, some time
after the departure of Noah Webster and the rescue party, the miners who
had been left at work under the charge of Tom Cannon, as Noah's deputy,
greeted the arrival with a cheer, as they had been kept in ignorance of
what had really happened, and imagined that the waggon had been sent
for, as well as a few additional good shots from their party, in order
to bring in an unexpected supply of game which the hunters had come
across.
Jasper's conveyance certainly did carry something in the game line, the
negro having mentioned to Seth about the wapiti deer that Ernest Wilton
had shot, and being directed by him to stop and cart it home with them,
as it lay in their road to the camp; but the main cargo of the waggon,
their wounded manager, whom Jasper hailed them to come and help him lift
out, was a double surprise to the men, and a grief as well, as may be
readily understood when it is considered how much Seth was liked by the
hands under him.
They vowed vengeance against the Indians; and it required all the
exercise of Seth's authority to prevent another party from sallying off
to aid the first in the rescue of Sailor Bill. But, after a time, the
excitement calmed down, and they waited with as much patience as they
possessed the return of the others; although nothing that Seth could say
would persuade them to turn in all that weary night, during which time
they were in a state of suspense as to the fate of their comrades; and
they were equally disinclined to resume work in the mine.