After the indignant protest of Mr. Brainerd, Jake Golcher concluded to
let the matter rest for the time.
"The old fellow is pretty sassy and independent, but I'll take it out of
him before he's two hours older. I wish Black Turtle would come in."
He referred to one of the most treacherous and cruel warriors of the
Seneca tribe--a savage whose atrocities had given him prominence even
among a people noted for their cruelty, and the identical redskin who
was in his mind at that moment came out of the wood and approached the
Tory leader.
Black Turtle was the warrior who passed under the tree in which Fred
Godfrey was perched.
Golcher now believed that he had been lenient, and he resolved to force
the issue that had already been delayed too long. Without heeding the
other warriors, who were laughing and scrambling for the slices of meat,
Black Turtle at once went up to the white man, with whom he held a brief
but pointed conversation.
He first told that they had hunted hard for the Yengese, or Yankee, and
had failed to find him--a piece of superfluous information, and then
Black Turtle, who seemed to be a subordinate chief, asked in an angry
voice why the whites sitting on the log had been spared so long.
On the other side the river the Indians allowed few of the Yengese to
live any longer than they could survive the blows of the tomahawk, and
there was no reason why such partiality should be shown these who had
crossed the Susquehanna.
This declaration was supplemented by the warrior drawing his tomahawk,
and announcing that he meant to finish the job at once.
But this was a little more than Jake Golcher wished. There was one of
the captives, at least, whom he desired to protect until certain, one
way or the other, about her disposition toward him.
If her father were removed, the Tory believed the daughter could be
brought to terms through her affection for her sister and aunt.
"So long as the old chap is alive," reflected Golcher, "so long will he
prevent her consent. But, if he is gone, and she finds that the only way
to save Eva and her aunt is to accept me, she will do it, though there
will be a big lot of blubbering and praying and all that sort of stuff.
Therefore, the best thing is to get her father out of her path: she will
be pretty well broke up by that."
It was now necessary that Black Turtle should be appeased in some way,
and Jake Golcher, without hesitation, made known his purpose.
It was, in short, that Black Turtle should move off in the woods, as if
he had no thought of evil in his mind, and when beyond sight, make a
stealthy circuit, so as to get in the rear of the parties sitting on the
log.
He was then to steal up and drive his tomahawk into the skull of the
unsuspecting Mr. Brainerd. The Indian would utter his whoop, if so
inclined (the disposition to whoop at such a time is irresistible with
his race), and dart off in the woods.
He was to stay until matters should become quiet around the camp-fire,
when he might come back and play the innocent warrior, or the avenger,
as he chose.
Black Turtle entered upon the dreadful business with the cunning
peculiar to his nature. He sauntered off in another direction, passing
by the group of Senecas on the other side of the fire, without so much
as drawing an inquiring look from them.
Fred Godfrey, from his perch in the tree, saw this action of the
redskin, but with no suspicion of its meaning.
He thought he would probably continue his hunt for the lieutenant, whom
he, and all the others, had not been able to find.
The conduct of Jake Golcher was as cruel as that of Black Turtle.
Without resenting the indignant words of Mr. Brainerd, who seated
himself beside Maggie and tried to cheer her, the Tory sauntered off and
stood grimly watching the curious actions of some of the warriors, who
were still struggling for the crumbs that fell from Aunt Peggy's
aboriginal table.
He thought it best not to say anything more to the fugitives. He had
made a blunder, and no words of his just then could right it. He had
decided that there had been already too much talk, and it was time for
action to take its place.
The position of the Tory was such that he could see every one in camp,
but he glowered out from his ugly brows on the mournful party that still
sat on the fallen tree, and not only at them, but he was watching the
wood immediately behind Mr. Brainerd.
He knew the point where Black Turtle would be likely to appear, and he
did not wish to miss the tragedy.
"Things look rather curious there," muttered Lieutenant Godfrey, from
his perch in the branches of the tree. "Why is Jake Golcher watching the
folks so closely? Is there some mischief afloat?"
At that instant he detected a movement in the undergrowth behind
Brainerd, the position of Fred being the best possible to see what was
going on in that spot.
The firelight was thrown over the fallen tree, and reached some distance
beyond, so that the figure of Black Turtle, as he rose like a shadow to
his feet, was plainly shown.
One glance at the warrior told the whole truth to the watcher, whose gun
was already cocked and pointed in that direction.
Black Turtle had selected his own position, and, slowly drawing back his
sinewy arm, he aimed straight for him who never dreamed of his peril.
The savage gathered his strength for the throw that was to inflict death
upon an innocent man.
But Black Turtle made a slight mistake.
[Illustration: "But Black Turtle made a slight mistake."]
Before the weapon could leave his fingers the sharp report of a rifle
broke the stillness, followed instantly by the death-shriek of the
savage, as he flung his arms aloft and fell forward, almost against the
log on which the Brainerd family were sitting.
The scheme of Jake Golcher and Black Turtle was indefinitely postponed.