THE VISITOR AT THE ISLAND.
"Ho, wo, wo!" yelled the savages on the raft; and their tones sounded
much like the barking of a large mastiff.
Ethan saw one of their number fall, and the commotion in the group
indicated that the savages had been thrown into confusion by Ethan's
well-directed shot. They ceased paddling, and appeared to be consulting
in regard to their next movement.
"Lay right down flat on the ground, so thet they can't see you, Fanny,"
said Ethan, as he hastily loaded the rifle, on which he principally
depended.
"Won't they go away now you have found out they are coming?" asked she,
as she obeyed the requirement.
"I dunno; we shall see. I don't keer much whether they go or kim. Keep
still, and don't move. I reckon they can't see us, and don't know jest
whar to fire."
"They can see you, Ethan."
"No, they can't," replied the resolute boy, as he took careful aim a
second time with the rifle.
He fired, but apparently without any result, except another yell from
the savages. Three of them could still be seen standing and kneeling on
the raft. As soon as the second shot had been fired, they reached their
conclusion, and commenced paddling with all their might towards the
island. Ethan now took the fowling-piece, which he had charged with
duck-shot, and fired again. The Indians yelled as before, and one of
them seemed to be wounded, for he ceased to paddle, and the third man
immediately took his place.
Both of Ethan's guns were now empty; but he had the revolver, which was
good for six shots, though the fire could hardly be effective at the
present distance of the raft from the island. Keeping this weapon in
reserve, he loaded the two guns again. It was very strange that the
Indians did not fire at him, and he could not tell whether it was
because they had no guns, or because they were afraid of killing
Wahena. The party had probably been sent by Lean Bear to recover his
son, and the success of the expedition was to depend upon finding the
exiles asleep. The good judgment of Ethan had therefore saved them from
the calamity of a surprise.
When Ethan had completed the loading of the guns, the raft was within
four or five rods of the shore of the island, and the Indians were
paddling vigorously, though the unwieldy craft they navigated moved
very slowly through the water.
"Don't you stop here no longer, Fanny; 'taint no place for you, nohow.
Jest crawl up to the tree, and keep behind it. Keep both eyes wide open
tight, but don't let the redskins see you."
"But what will become of you?" asked Fanny, unwilling to leave her bold
defender even for a moment.
"Never you mind me; go right off quick. Crawl up to the tree, and I'll
soon fix 'em."
"Ho, wo, wo!" yelled the Indians, apparently satisfied that their work
was accomplished, for the raft was within two rods of the shore.
Then one of them dropped his paddle, and, with an unearthly scream,
leaped into the water, which was now so shallow that he could wade
ashore. Ethan took good aim at this one, and fired. Though not killed,
the sharp cry the savage uttered convinced Ethan that he was wounded.
Without waiting to learn the effect of his shot on the rest of the
party, he fired again at the same man, who was only partially disabled.
The savage in the water, who had been the most dangerous assailant,
uttered another yell of pain, and his companions seemed to be paralyzed
by the continuation of the fire upon them. Probably they supposed the
boy had but one gun, and, when he fired it, that he would not have time
to load again before they could reach him. Ethan then discharged one
ball from the revolver, which added still more to their confusion, for
they were jabbering like wild turkeys.
"Go 'way!" shouted Ethan. "Go 'way, or I'll kill Wahena."
"No kill," replied one of the Indians, whose voice sounded like that of
the messenger Ethan had met in the morning.
"Go 'way then!"
"Me go."
"Go then--consarn ye!" muttered Ethan, as, taking advantage of the
confusion in the ranks of the enemy, he loaded the two guns again.
The two Indians on the raft helped the wounded one in the water to
mount the platform again. Two of the three were evidently wounded, and
it was not an easy thing for them to paddle the clumsy craft away from
the island. One of the savages worked at the paddle for a while; but it
was not till the more able of the other two assisted him that any
sensible progress was made.
"Creation hokee!" exclaimed Ethan, when he was fully conscious that he
had won the victory. "I've done 'em, Fanny!"
"Have they gone?" she asked, when she had joined him.
"They are go'n as fast as they kin; but I reckon they won't git back to
the settlement till some time into mornin'. We're all right now, Fanny,
and you kin go to sleep as soon as you've a mind to."
She was too excited to think of sleeping, and she sat with Ethan on the
shore for an hour, talking about their deliverance from the peril that
had menaced them. Fanny was devoutly grateful to God, who had again
preserved them; and when she had uttered the prayer her heart would not
permit her to keep back, she felt more composed, and retired to the
cabin, where she soon dropped asleep from sheer exhaustion.
This was the only attempt made by the savages to capture the exiles on
the island. The next day, they continued to work upon the house,
interrupted only by a heavy shower in the forenoon; but the boat roof
afforded them a perfect shelter from the pouring rain. It was three
days before the house was finished; but when it was completed, the
wanderers were as proud of it as though it had been a Fifth Avenue
mansion. At night they took turns in keeping the watch; and when the
house was done, both of the exiles were nearly worn out by the hard
work they had done, and the loss of sleep to which they had been
subjected. They decided that it would be best to rest a few days before
they commenced upon certain additions which they contemplated.
The stock of provisions was already much reduced, and the question of
supplies for the future demanded attention. There were plenty of fish
in the lake, but none could be caught in the shallow water which
bordered the island. It was necessary to go out a short distance, and
Ethan found a couple of logs among some drift wood, gathered on the
beach, with which he constructed a raft, just large enough to
accommodate himself.
To prevent accidents, he tied together all the lines which had been
used about the sail, and pushed off the length of his rope. There were
fish-lines in the boat, and bait was obtained on the island. In an hour
Ethan returned to the shore with a large muskellunge and half a dozen
large lake trout. The problem of supplies, therefore, seemed to be
solved, especially as there were abundant opportunities to shoot the
wild duck, plover, and grouse, that visited the little domain of the
exiles.
However pleasant it would be to follow out in detail the daily life of
the residents of the isle, our space prevents us from doing so. A
fortnight of severe labor and constant watchfulness was passed by the
exiles, when a great event occurred to them. Ethan had one day moored
out his raft the length of the line from the shore, on the side of the
island where they had first disembarked, when his attention was
attracted by an object on the water, in the direction of the
settlement. He watched it with interest and anxiety, and soon
ascertained that it was a raft, on which stood a single person, who was
paddling towards the island.
Ethan immediately pulled in his raft, and went for his fire-arms, which
he carefully loaded, in readiness for a hostile visit from a foe. The
stranger approached very slowly, and the exiles were at last satisfied
that he was not an Indian. As he drew nearer to the island, he waved a
white rag, which was intended and understood as a sign of peace.
"Who can it be?" asked Fanny, greatly excited by the incident.
"I dunno; can't tell yet," replied Ethan.
"Do you think it is an enemy?"
"I don't reckon it is."
Both of them continued to watch the approaching visitor, until he had
come within twenty rods of the shore. He did not look like any human
being that Fanny had ever seen before. His clothes were tattered, and
of all colors. Great patches of tent canvas were sewed over a tunic
made of red and yellow blankets. He wore Indian leggins, and his head
was covered with a coon-skin cap. His hair and beard, of grizzly gray,
were tangled and matted in knots and snarls. Crossed on his breast were
the straps by which were supported his powder-horn and shot-flask.
"What a strange-looking man!" exclaimed Fanny, when the raft had come
near enough to enable her to make out the uncouth object upon it.
"I know him now," replied Ethan, "though I hevn't seen him afore for
more 'n a year."
"Who is he?"
"Thet's Rattleshag."
"Who?"
"Rattleshag--leastwise that's the only name anybody knows him by. He's
a hunter 'n trapper that goes roamin' round over the peraries."
"Where does he live?"
"He don't live nowhar; he goes travellin' round, livin' on the white
folks and Injins. They say he is the best shot west of the Miss'sip."
"He won't shoot us--will he?"
"No; he won't hurt nothin'."
The raft came up to the shore, and the trapper landed.
"How d'ye do, Rattleshag?" said Ethan.
The strange visitor made no reply, but walked deliberately up to the
young exiles, gave his hand first to Ethan, then to Fanny.
"Toler'ble, considering," said he, at last.
"Whar did you kim from?"
"Over thar," he answered, pointing to the settlement, and shaking his
head.
"Anybody thar?" asked Ethan, anxiously.
"Injins."
"No white folks?"
"All gone: some on 'em's killed, and some on 'em's kerried off. Awful
times, everywhar," added the trapper, shaking his head mournfully.
"Whar's the Injin boy?"
"Up thyer," answered Ethan, pointing to the cabin where Wahena had been
secured as soon as the raft was discovered, for another attack from the
Indians had been anticipated. "You may let him loose again, Fanny."
She was always glad to perform this office for her captive friend, and
she soon returned to the shore with Wahena.
"He's all safe--ain't he?" asked Rattleshag.
"Yes; we hain't hurt him; and he's as fond of Fanny as a pet puppy
dog."
"Glad on't. I was tooken by the Injins over thar, and got nigh bein'
skelped. Lean B'ar let me go to kim over here arter the boy," added the
trapper.
"We can't let him go," said Ethan.
"I reckon you mought."
Ethan explained in what manner the presence of Wahena had saved them
from the Indians.
"We can't spare him till we get out of the woods ourselves," added
Ethan.
"Then I must go back and be skelped," replied Rattleshag, solemnly. "I
promised Lean B'ar thet I'd git the boy, or else I'd kim back myself;
and old Rattleshag never broke his word to Injin or white man."
"Thet's so," said Ethan, who knew the reputation of the trapper for
simple honesty and fidelity.
"Hev you got a boat?" asked Rattleshag.
"Yes."
"Then I reckon we kin go down to Mankato. The sogers is drivin' the
Injins back. Thyer's ben awful times all through the country; more 'n a
thousand men, women, and children hes ben killed. I've trevelled all
through from Big Stone, dodgin' the Injins all the way. They are as
savage as painters. I kim down hyer to git away from 'em, but I found
they'd ben hyer too," added the trapper, with another melancholy shake
of the head. "It's awful."
Rattleshag over-estimated the number of victims to this terrible
massacre, though it has been stated as high as seven hundred. He
related to the young exiles his adventures in his long journey through
the devoted region which had been the scene of so much cruelty and
bloodshed. He told of the men, women, and children he had seen lying
dead and mangled in the deserted settlements; of the wounded, starving,
and dying fugitives he had met in their flight; and of the desolation
which lay in the track of the merciless savages.
The listeners were appalled and horrified at the sad and bloody tale.
Fanny wept, and Ethan with difficulty choked down the emotions which
agitated him.
"What shall be did?" asked the trapper, at last. "Kin you let the boy
go, or shall I go back and be skelped?"
"You certainly shall not go back!" exclaimed Fanny.
An earnest consultation followed, and a plan was soon agreed upon by
which Rattleshag could be saved.