_The False Alarm._
The sun was glowing with a mellow warmth, upon the prairie; when our
train, slowly ascended one of the black, undulating swells, which
traverse the whole face of the country. At our feet, lay a great prairie,
intersected by a waving thread of timber, which extended for many miles,
and was now tinted with the bright and variegated hues of autumn.
The Pawnees stood for a moment upon the top, casting their eyes about
them. A shriek rang through the air; so wild, and shrill, that it caused
even the most stern to start convulsively, and clutch their bows, while
the deep guttural “Ugh” burst from every chest, as they turned towards
the Indian, who sent up the cry.
He was standing a little in advance of the party; his slender but
muscular frame, bent slightly forward; his form resting firmly upon
one foot, while the ball of the other alone touched the ground, as if
he had been arrested, in the act of stepping forward. His nostrils
were expanded; his teeth slightly bared; his eyes intently fixed in
the direction indicated by the extended forefinger of his outstretched
arm. The eyes of the whole dusky troop were instantly turned in that
direction. They gazed for an instant, and then the prairie sounded with
their shrill, appalling yells.
At the foot of the hills, at the distance of about five hundred yards, a
small band of Indians were emerging from a wood; their white blankets and
glittering gun-barrels, contrasting strongly with the dusky forms, and
savage weapons, of our Pawnee companions. For a short space, there was
silence, and then arose the second wild shout of the Pawnees, while the
hated name of “Konza! Konza! Konza!” burst in a howl from every lip.
The little band in the glen, sent up an answering shout, which though it
sounded less loudly, on account of the smallness of their numbers, and
the distance which intervened, was still replete with defiance. As they
raised their yell, they snatched their rifles from their shoulders, and
prepared for the encounter.
Just then a loud whoop was heard, and Wild Horse came rushing up the
hill-side which we had just ascended. His long hair streamed in the wind.
In his hand, he grasped his bow, and about a dozen arrows. He had heard
the answering cry of the Konza, and had snuffed a fight in the wind, with
the keen relish of a veteran warrior. His small black eye glittered with
joy, as he looked down upon the handful, who had dared to send up a note
of defiance. He uttered a wild, exulting laugh, and shaking his war-club
with a fierce motion, towards the distant foes, he raised a war-whoop,
and waved his men onward.
And now the loud voice of the Iotan chief rose amid the din, calling away
his band of Otoes, and summoning them to the top of a neighbouring hill.
He was at peace with the Konzas, and had nothing to do in the present
strife; it was all the same to him which gained the day; so he coolly
drew off his men, and waited to see the result. On an eminence at a
short distance, stood the Apollo-like form, and snarling, tiger face of
the Long Hair. His robe was thrown over his left arm, while his right,
grasping his bow, waved his warriors fiercely forward.
For a very short space, the cloud of Indians hung upon the hill, and
then, with one wild cry they swept down upon the devoted band. There
was no order of battle; each rushed forward goaded by his own impulses.
They raised no farther shout; every feeling seemed now absorbed in
the deep, burning thirst for blood. Their adversaries displayed equal
alacrity. A loud, fierce shout had answered the war-cry of the Pawnees;
then all was silent; they leaped forward, prepared to give cold lead in
answer to the feathered shafts of their ruder foes. As they advanced they
separated, and extended their front, to prevent their being outflanked.
They had now reached within about two hundred yards of each other, when a
hesitation was visible in the Pawnee band. They moved slower and slower.
One or two stopped, and gazed steadily at their approaching enemies: then
they collected in groups, and seemed to consult. Even the Wild Horse, a
savage who had revelled in blood from his infancy, dropped his uplifted
war-club, and pausing, leaned upon his bow. The Long Hair drew up his
haughty form, and, swinging upon his back his quiver, which had before
hung in front, folded his arms, and appeared to wait passively for the
approach of the opposite band.
A grim smile of scorn had curled the lip of the old Iotan chief, when he
first beheld the hesitation in the Pawnee ranks. For, like the chiefs
of most of the neighbouring tribes, though he feared the immense hordes
which belonged to that nation, yet he most heartily despised every
individual of the four villages. There was an apparent acknowledgment of
inferiority in this numerous band, thus hesitating to attack the handful,
who challenged them to the conflict, which pleased the veteran chief;
for in war, his own nation and the Konza, had always been looked upon as
equals.
In a moment, however, a like hesitation was observed in the ranks of the
foe. They drew up and shouldered their rifles, and then moved frankly
forward to meet the Pawnee warriors.
The old chief was perplexed. He held his hand anxiously over his eyes,
to penetrate the mystery. Suddenly a new light seemed to flash over his
countenance. Waving his hand in the air, he shouted the name of his own
tribe, and rushed down the hill, followed by his band. It was a party of
Otoes, instead of Konzas, and the recognition which had fortunately taken
place, had prevented the effusion of blood, which otherwise would have
followed.
The parties now drew off, keeping coldly aloof, and eyeing each other
with those proud and haughty glances, which are apt to pass between rival
people even when friendly.
The Iotan conversed a short time with a tall, thin Indian, who appeared
to have command of the hunting party, and, after leaving with him, a
worn-out horse which he had brought from the Pawnee village, resumed his
journey, in which he was followed by the whites, and the long train of
disappointed Pawnees.
For a short time, the Otoes watched the movements of the party, then
turning off, they crossed the prairie, and disappeared in a piece of
forest.