THE ADVENTURE OF THE SCHOOLMASTER
"Peleg," said the great scout, "Governor Dunmore has sent another
request to me."
"Has he?" inquired Peleg eagerly.
In spite of the perils and labours of the long journey which had been
made to the Falls of the Ohio, Peleg was eager to be with Daniel Boone
wherever he might be. The boy's admiration for his friend had increased
with every passing day. The coolness and calmness of the great scout,
his gentleness and consideration of others, his fearlessness in time of
peril, the readiness with which he met every event, and above all the
conviction which held him that he was divinely called to be a pathfinder
for the coming generations, all had made a deep impression upon his
young companion. Peleg was not without hope, too, that somehow he was
coming to hold a place in the interest and affection of the man which
once had been held by his son James.
"Yes," continued Boone thoughtfully, "the Governor has given me the
command of three garrisons in the campaign which is to be made against
the Shawnees."
"When do you go?" queried Peleg.
"Immediately--that is, if I can persuade you to look after my family
while I am absent. Israel is beginning to feel that he is almost old
enough to take the place of his brother James, but I shall feel very
much more at ease if I can go with the assurance that you will be
looking out for the welfare of my wife and children."
Striving to repress the disappointment which he felt at the words of his
friend, Peleg said quietly, "You know, sir, that I shall be willing to
do all in my power for you at any time. I do not know, but----"
The rare smile known only to his closest friends appeared for a moment
on the strong face of the hunter as he shook his head and said: "Nay,
Peleg, not this time. I fancy there will be other and perhaps greater
work soon to be done, and in that you shall have your share. The time is
coming when I hope to take my family again to that marvellous region I
have found in Kantuckee. No land I have ever seen can compare with it.
There I would live and there I would die. Meanwhile I must do my part in
trying to make the lives of these hardly beset settlers a little safer."
"You may depend upon me to do my best," said Peleg cordially.
"That is all I need to know, lad, and I shall be at ease while I am
gone."
The great scout immediately departed from the little shop which Peleg
had built and in which he was accustomed to make or repair the various
utensils used by the household of Daniel Boone. Here he had fashioned
Singing Susan, and in this place he had rebuilt his gun after his return
from the long journey he had made with the scout and in which, as we
know, the rifle had suffered from the blow of the tomahawk which the
huge Indian had hurled at him.
A moment Peleg stood in the doorway watching the scout as he departed.
The expression of the lad's face plainly showed his love and admiration
for the man. The calm courage of Boone, softened as it was by his
gentleness and guided by his prudence, was crowned by a marvellous
modesty. His robust, somewhat uncouth body showed the great strength of
the hunter, while it concealed his quickness. His manner was dignified,
almost cold, so silent and quiet was he under ordinary circumstances.
His face, however, homely though it was, was at times lighted by an
expression that was exceedingly kind and tender. He seldom spoke, and
almost never of himself, except in reply to direct questions.
Several times during the months that followed Daniel Boone returned to
the little settlement on the Clinch, to visit his family and make
certain of their safety. On each occasion he was warm in his expressions
of gratitude to Peleg for the care which he was taking of those who were
in a measure dependent upon him.
There was work to be done every day, and the time passed rapidly for the
young scout. One day, while he was busy in his little shop fashioning a
new hunting knife, he was suddenly interrupted by the voice of Mrs.
Boone. "Peleg! Peleg!" she called. "Come! Come!"
Instantly running toward the log house, Peleg was met by the frightened
woman, who, touching him on the arm, said: "Do you hear that sound? What
is it?"
Peleg turned abruptly toward the log schoolhouse and listened intently.
From within the rude little building sounds such as he never before had
heard were issuing. There seemed to be snarls and growls such as a wild
beast might have emitted, and mingled with these were cries and screams
as of some one in dire distress.
A moment served to convince the young scout that either Schoolmaster
Hargrave was in trouble, or some of the school children were in peril;
and he darted into his little shop, returning with Singing Susan in his
hands.
Swiftly as he ran toward the little building, which was not more than
two hundred and fifty feet away, when he arrived he discovered that
already several of the women from the settlement were there in advance
of him, and with terror-stricken faces were looking first within the
schoolhouse, and then to the road for help.
"What is it?" demanded Peleg, as he ran to the door.
"We do not know. We cannot tell," answered one of the women. "It may be
evil spirits." She was almost hysterical, and convinced that he could
obtain no information from her, Peleg pushed back the door and entered
the room.
The sight which greeted his eyes was more perplexing than startling. He
saw Schoolmaster Hargrave leaning against one corner of the rude desk
over which he presided, his face plainly expressing agony or fear; Peleg
was unable to determine which feeling predominated.
"What is it, Master Hargrave?" called the boy anxiously.
In reply no articulate words were spoken; but a scream was followed by a
groan, and in the midst of it all were also sounds like the gasping and
snarling of some wild beast. The suffering of the man was manifest, but
the cause was nowhere to be seen.
There flashed into the mind of the young hunter the suggestion which
Mistress Horan had made that evil spirits were the cause of the
commotion. Such beliefs were not uncommon at the time, and although
Peleg had never shared in the superstitions of the more ignorant people,
nevertheless the mystery of the terrifying sounds, as well as the
expression of Schoolmaster Hargrave's face, caused even the young hunter
to hesitate.
"What is it, Master Hargrave?" he shouted, for the uproar still
continued.
"Oh-h-h-h! Help me! Help me!"
The cries of the schoolmaster were interrupted by strange noises, that
still appeared to come from within the desk. Moans and cries and snarls,
such as a wild beast might have emitted, were plainly to be
distinguished in the midst of the uproar.
Peleg had stopped a few feet in front of the desk, and in amazement was
watching the man before him. Apparently the schoolmaster was struggling
and striving with some unseen body or person, and with intense effort he
had grasped both sides of the desk and held it with all his strength, as
if he was fearful it might escape. In one hand he also held a
cylindrical ruler.
At this moment Mrs. Horan, who had gained sufficient courage to enter
the building, advanced to Peleg's side. "I fear 'tis sick the man is,"
she said. Turning to the schoolmaster she suggested in a loud whisper:
"If 'tis colic you are suffering from, Master Hargrave, I would
recommend----"
Her recommendation, however, was interrupted by a terrible scream from
the suffering man.
"'Tis good for you," said the kind-hearted woman once more. The
schoolmaster, however, still writhed as if in great agony and looked at
the woman with an expression that might have quieted the tongue of a
less courageous woman than Mrs. Horan.
"Why do you cling to the desk in that manner?" demanded the woman.
The agony in the expression of the schoolmaster's face seemed to be
deepened by the question, but he made no response.
"What's the matter, Master Hargrave?" demanded the woman once more.
"'Tis Peleg and I who are here to help you."
Suddenly from the lips of the tormented man came the cry, "I have caught
a cat!" Perspiration was streaming from his face, and his manner,
expressive of fright, agony, and fatigue combined, made his words
scarcely recognizable.
Peleg glanced behind him and saw that many more of the neighbours had
arrived and were curiously standing within the room at a safe distance
from the desk, watching the actions of the man, who still writhed and
twisted as he clung to the desk in front of him.
The young hunter darted around the corner of the rude desk, to discover
the cause of all the trouble. He first saw that a part of the clothing
of the unfortunate man had been torn from his body, which was pressed
against the edge of the desk. Closer inspection showed that the teeth of
a huge "cat," or lynx, were fastened in the side of the schoolmaster.
Bringing his gun to his shoulder the scout was about to fire, when the
fear of Master Hargrave became stronger even than his sufferings.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! You will hit me! Oh-h-h-h!" he screamed,
still striving to hold his adversary against the edge of the desk.
Disregarding the appeal, Peleg fired, and after a few confused
struggles, the huge cat was lifeless.
Still the schoolmaster held the body in its place, however, and when his
sympathetic friends drew him back they were horrified to discover that
the jaws of the dead lynx were locked about one of his ribs. Several
minutes elapsed before the man was freed from this death grip.
Meanwhile the assembly in the room had increased, and several children
that had been brought by their mothers lifted up their voices to add to
the general confusion.
In the midst of it all, Mrs. Horan was not to be denied the
satisfaction of her curiosity. Pressing more closely upon the man who
now had been placed on one of the rude benches almost in a fainting
condition, she said: "I thought at first, Master Hargrave, that it was
spirits, but now I see it was just a cat. Why did you fight the lynx in
that way?"
Ignoring his suffering, the schoolmaster managed to gasp out a tolerably
full explanation:
"What do you suppose? I was sitting alone at my desk, writing copy for
the children to use on the morrow, when I heard a noise at the door and
saw this enormous cat with her forefeet upon the step, every hair
standing erect and her eyes shining as if they were on fire. My position
behind the desk at first concealed me from her sight, but a slight
motion of my chair revealed my presence, and in a moment the cat and I
were each looking into the eyes of the other."
Master Hargrave stopped to recover his breath, and aware of the interest
of his hearers, for all the visitors now had gathered about him, he
resumed his story: "I had heard much from hunters concerning the power
of the human eye to quell the fury of wild beasts. Accordingly, I
frowned savagely at my visitor. Apparently, however, she was not
alarmed. Her eyes flashed fire and she began to gnash her teeth,
seemingly bent upon serious hostilities. Aware of my danger, I
immediately made great haste and snatched this cylindrical ruler from
the desk, but the wildcat was too quick for me."
"Why didn't you hit her?"
"I had nothing but the ruler with which to strike; besides, she was too
quick. Springing upon me with all the proverbial ferocity and activity
of her tribe, she fastened upon my side with her teeth and began to rend
and tear with her claws like unto a fury. In vain did I strive to
disengage her. Her teeth seemed to be fastened about my ribs, and all my
efforts served but to enrage her the more.
"When I saw the blood flowing so copiously from my wounded side I became
seriously alarmed, and as a last resort threw myself upon the edge of
the desk and with the entire weight of my body pressed the animal
against a sharp corner. It was at this moment that the cat began to
utter the most discordant cries to which I ever listened, and as
doubtless I was somewhat excited at the time and lost a measure of my
self-control, I have no question that we engaged in a duet that must
have resounded loudly throughout the settlement."
"That's enough of the story," said Peleg. "We have killed the cat and we
shall now take you and put you in bed."