Thoughts of Simon Girty and of other renegade white men, cut-throats and
robbers who had affiliated themselves with hostile Indians, and become
more wicked, more merciless, more treacherous than the savages
themselves, came to John's mind as he made what haste he could away from
the haunted ravine. His reflections did not increase his mental comfort.
Far from it; for now he was more anxious than ever for the coming of
daylight, or at least a clearing of the weather which would enable him
to find security while he pondered on what must be done.
Fearing to go too far lest he again lose himself in the fog, John sat
down upon a little log, over which he had partially stumbled, to await
the morning. He had listened as best he could but had heard no sound of
the Seneca leaving the camp. He thought he had, perhaps, made more haste
to get away than was really necessary, after all, and as his excitement
cooled, he was tempted again to take a peep at the strange scene he had
witnessed. This notion, however, the lad put steadily behind him. He
would not be too venturesome, he told himself. Even as it was he would
get a good-natured scolding from Kingdom for having left the old poplar.
The light in the distance, dimly visible through the mist, slowly faded.
The campfire was dying out. Lone-Elk was gone now, no doubt, but which
direction had he taken? John hoped he would not go to the clearing and
by hanging about there keep Kingdom from setting forth. It would be
remarkable if the Seneca could find his way. Moreover, Ree would be
leaving the cabin before daylight. Maybe he had started even now.
[Illustration: HE WHEELED AND SENT THE REDSKIN SPRAWLING.]
The dawn came just when John bad ceased to look for and momentarily
expect it. Indeed, he was quite surprised to notice suddenly that
objects near were again visible. He made out nothing clearly, but he
could see a few feet in each direction and it was enough. Without
hesitation, and almost without stopping to note the way he was taking,
he headed instinctively toward the old poplar and without the least
trouble reached its shelter not many minutes later.
His nerves still at high tension after the night's experience, Jerome's
efforts to catch a wink of sleep were quite unavailing. He fell to
thinking of the probable results which would have followed his shooting
Lone-Elk as the Indian sat beside the campfire. He thought more of the
secret lead mine and wondered if the villainous appearing white man and
the Seneca were not partners in that enterprise. Surely there was reason
to believe such to be the case. What other explanation of the white
man's companionship with the Indian could be presented?
At last, when the daylight had fully come, John fell asleep. He was
still dreaming when Ree Kingdom came and the latter, little guessing
that he had not been sleeping just as soundly the whole night through,
roused him with:
"I declare, old chap, you seem to find this old tree as comfortable as a
feather bed!"
"Guess you would, too, Ree, if you'd been watching midnight feasts, and
didn't know but they were cannibal feasts at that, and had been kept up
all night."
With a grin John noticed the surprise his words caused, and a
determination he had formed earlier to break the news of his discoveries
gently was forgotten. In another minute he had related the substance of
his night's adventure.
"Well, say! I think you did have a busy night!" Ree exclaimed. "We've
found the mine, John! There's no two ways about that! If that lead mine
is not within a mighty short distance of the camp of those fellows, then
I'm no prophet!"
Kingdom's interest and pleasure in the discovery John had made could
scarcely have been greater. But putting the subject aside for the
moment, he gave his companion all the interesting information obtained
from Fishing Bird, and the two then set about to plan their next
movements. Quite naturally both wished to pay another visit to the
strange camp in the gully. To do so, however, involved much risk.
Lone-Elk might be, in fact, probably was, still loitering near. Again,
if the occupant or occupants of the camp discovered that their presence
was known to other white men, they would be very likely to change their
location, and, no doubt, do all in their power to conceal every evidence
of the lead mine's existence.
"We've got to come upon them by surprise and not only capture the
murderers of the men at the salt springs, but find the mine at the same
time," said John.
"If the mine is there, which we don't know, but only believe," Ree made
answer. "Still," he went on, "there's only one other way to do it, and
that is to keep a watch on the camp all the time till we find out more
about it. Lone-Elk,--bless him!--is in the way of that program. And
there's another thing to think about, which is, what are we going to do
with the murderers when we capture them!"
"Well, we can hardly say,'Come along now, and be hanged, as you
deserve,'" Jerome suggested.
For some time Kingdom was silent. At last he said, very thoughtfully and
slowly:
"John, you must go to Fort Pitt or to Wayne's army. You must tell
whoever is in charge just what has been found at the 'lick' and in the
woods here. Bring back four or five good men and we'll seize the camp
down there and everything and everybody in it. The men you bring can
take the murderers back for trial, and I only hope we can find some
evidence that will send the Seneca along with them."
"But if we do, we may as well pull up stakes and go along ourselves,
Ree. The Delawares would say we had been acting as spies for Wayne,
sure!"
"We can tell what to do about that when the time comes," was the answer.
"We know now that it won't do for us to attack the camp alone. We'd have
a whole pack of warriors down on us before we could get a day's march
away. We know that a murder has been committed and I hope we know what
our solemn duty is, even if the finding of the lead mine be left out of
consideration altogether."
"Wouldn't you rather find the mine without letting everybody else know
about it? I would," John argued. "Not but what I like your plan all
right," he added, "but if Wayne's army gets to find out there is a lead
mine, and finds out where it is, too, I don't see how the fact that we
know of it, the same as Lone-Elk, is going to do us any good with King
Pipe."
This reasoning puzzled Kingdom. In one way John was right, and he was
forced to admit it. But he argued that, as law-abiding citizens, it was
their duty to expose the murder that had been committed; that if they
did not do so, they were parties to the crime, the more particularly so
since they held in their possession evidence so positive against the
slayers of the two men at the springs.
"I don't see why we need tell Wayne about the mine at all. It hasn't
anything to do with the case anyway," Jerome made answer.
"All right. For we know of the one thing, and the mine is just our
supposition, after all," was Ree's decision. "What we should or
shouldn't tell we shall know when the time comes. You start for
Pittsburg today, and I'll manage somehow to keep yonder robbers' roost
under my eye till you are back with some reliable men. And I tell you,
John, don't bring green militia men, but good fighters--men who know the
woods."
"I feel it in my bones, Ree, that this is going to be the end of the log
house on the Cuyahoga," John remarked somewhat later. "Mind you, I'm not
scared, and I'm not particularly caring if such a thing does happen, but
the time has come when we've got to be either with the Indians or
against them. Sure as the world, the Delawares will go against us for
good, if we bring Wayne's men here."
"Maybe so; but we can only do what we think is the right thing to be
done. Then we can face Captain Pipe or anybody else with a clean
conscience. Don't be so glum, though! We've come through trouble far
worse than this, and with flying colors!"
It may have been that John Jerome received for a moment a glimpse of the
future which Kingdom did not have. The latter took a cheerful view of
the outcome of their plans. John could not do so, though usually
optimistic. He did not hang back, however, nor question further the
wisdom of his companion's desire to put into the hands of the law the
fact that two apparently peaceable salt boilers had been most wickedly
slain.
Kingdom had brought to the hollow whitewood a generous supply of
provisions, also fresh powder, lest John's stock had become damp and
useless from the wet weather of the day before. There was no reason,
then, why Jerome should not start at once with his message to Wayne, or
to Fort Pitt, if "Mad Anthony" should be found no longer in his camp
lower down on the Ohio. Thus, soon after a definite decision was reached
by the boys, the younger lad set out.
It was left to John to choose his own time and course, but he told Ree
he would aim to strike the direct trail to Fort Pitt about a day's
journey eastward from the cabin. With care, he hoped to avoid all
possibly hostile Indians, and he would reach the Ohio in less than a
week. Wayne's men would wish, no doubt, to visit the salt springs to see
the bodies of the murdered men before undertaking to apprehend the
murderers, and so nearly two weeks must elapse before he would see
Kingdom again. The latter agreed to be waiting for him, no matter when
he came, and was hopeful he would have good news of some kind to impart
by that time. Encouraged thus, and more cheerful than he had been for a
time, John began his long journey just as the shadows indicated the hour
of noon.
A south breeze and the sun had scattered the mist and the weather gave
promise of being fine and warm for many days to come. John felt the
influence of nature's brighter aspect at once when fairly under way, and
would have looked upon his journey as upon a pleasant holiday had he had
Kingdom's company. But that was not to be and he could only resolve to
cover as much ground as possible every day. As he thought of the object
of his journey, too, his interest in it increased and he anticipated
with much satisfaction his pride in guiding a small company of soldiers
through the woods on the important mission, for which, he was sure, Gen.
Wayne would at once cause men to be detailed.
Anxious to avoid a possible meeting with Lone-Elk, the young woodsman
traveled with much caution, especially this first day. Later, when he
had left the cabin far behind, he made less effort to conceal his trail
and ceased to watch as vigilantly as before. To an accident, as much as
to any recklessness on his part, however, was due the sudden ending of
John's expectations.
The boy had been three days upon the well-marked trail leading to the
Ohio river and thence along that stream to Fort Pitt. It was the evening
of his fourth day since parting from Kingdom. He kindled a small fire
close beside a large rock, thinking to have some warm meat for supper,
then go on a half mile or more and sleep wherever chance offered. He
would thus be well away from the scene by the time his fire attracted
attention, if attract attention it should.
John had placed his blanket and other surplus baggage upon the big rock
and walked some distance away to gather fine, dry wood. Suddenly a
terrific explosion occurred. The young traveler saw his fire go flying
in all directions, while a perfect shower of leaves, small sticks and
bits of earth was dashed likewise into the air. He knew instantly what
had happened. The extra pouch of powder Ree had brought for him had
rolled from the big stone directly into the blaze.
There was only one thing to do and that must be done quickly. The
tremendous noise of the explosion would be heard for a long distance. So
much louder than the report of a rifle was it that if Indians or others
were within hearing they would most certainly make immediate
investigation. Without losing a moment, therefore, John seized his
blanket and other baggage which had been jarred off the stone, but away
from the fire, fortunately, and rushed away through the woods at high
speed.
Now, anyone coming up to the place, drawn thither by the great noise,
would be most likely to come by way of the trail, from one direction or
the other, John Jerome quite properly reasoned so, leaving the path at a
sharp angle, he struck through the forest to the north.
Fortune plays strange tricks with all of us. The whimsical dame played
one on John which he long remembered; for as he ran on and on among the
trees, dodging in and out among the bushes in the dim twilight, he
almost collided with a party of Indians hurrying almost as fast in one
direction as he was fleeing in the other.