CAPTURED
Having gained the forest in safety, Spotted Deer stopped for a moment to
listen. He heard signals passing along the river. Then a twig snapped
close beside him. He turned in alarm. At that instant some one sprang
upon him and bore him to the ground. He struggled desperately, but the
shouts of his unknown assailant soon brought assistance, and the young
Delaware was speedily overcome. His arms were twisted behind him and
securely bound, and then he was pulled to his feet and led toward the
river.
Spotted Deer was bewildered by the suddenness of the attack. It was some
moments before he fully realized what had happened. His first thought
was to identify his captors. It was difficult to recognize them in the
darkness. He listened closely to catch their talk. Having been a captive
in the Mohawk camp, he was familiar with the Mohawk dialect. These
mysterious strangers, however, spoke a different tongue. It was evident
that they were not Mohawks. Spotted Deer was astounded by the discovery.
Into whose hands had he fallen? He quickly guessed.
"Shawnees," he murmured.
When they reached the river, Spotted Deer was led to a canoe. He seated
himself without protest. It seemed folly to resist. There were three
canoes along the shore. One belonged to Spotted Deer. Two stalwart
paddlers entered the canoe with the Delaware. The warrior who seated
himself in the stern placed his bow and several arrows close beside him.
It was a significant warning which Spotted Deer understood. He saw
several figures moving about at the edge of the water. It was impossible
to count them. Then the canoe was pushed from shore, and Spotted Deer
wondered what fate awaited him. He had little hope.
As the Shawnees paddled swiftly toward the middle of the river, they
raised a piercing cry that echoed threateningly through the night, and
filled the Delaware with gloomy premonitions. It had barely died away
before it was answered from various parts of the river. Then the cry of
Nianque, the lynx, again sounded through the darkness. A wild chorus of
shouts immediately rose in reply. Spotted Deer looked down the river.
The fires were still burning fiercely. He saw several figures moving
about in the glow. He believed they were waiting for the canoes.
The Shawnees met in the center of the river. Spotted Deer counted four
canoes. Each held two paddlers. Two canoes were brought alongside of the
one in which he sat, and the Shawnees peered curiously at him. He had
little doubt that they were the warriors whom he had encountered farther
up the river. They exchanged a few words with his guards, but as Spotted
Deer was unfamiliar with the Shawnee dialect he could not understand
them. Then the canoes were turned toward the fire on the west shore of
the river.
As they moved slowly down the river the Shawnees began to sing. Spotted
Deer felt sure it was a boastful recital of their recent exploit. Then,
as they drew nearer the fire, he saw a canoe crossing from the east side
of the river. It, too, held two paddlers. They apparently were eager to
be present when the captive was brought in, for they were paddling at
top speed.
When the canoes entered the illuminated stretch of water, Spotted Deer
found an opportunity to study his foes. He examined the warrior in the
stern of the canoe. Although apparently of middle age he appeared
vigorous and active, and his deep chest and wide, sloping shoulders
denoted endurance and strength. His face was stern and sullen, and his
eyes flashed threateningly into the steady, unflinching eyes of his
captive. There was earth on his leggings and a long red scratch down his
arm, and Spotted Deer believed he was the one with whom he had fought.
There was something about him that suggested power, and the Delaware
felt sure that he was a leader.
In the meantime the other canoes had come nearer, and Spotted Deer saw
the paddlers at close range. There were six. Four were young men, and
the others were mature warriors who seemed about the age of the Shawnee
who faced him in the canoe. While Spotted Deer was examining his foes,
they were equally occupied in staring at him. There were two in
particular who glared fiercely into his face, and threatened him. He had
little doubt that they were the warriors whom he had thrown into the
river. As Spotted Deer turned his head, one of them struck him with the
paddle. They laughed derisively as the enraged Delaware faced them with
flashing eyes. Angered by Spotted Deer's boldness, the Shawnee again
raised his paddle, but the warrior in the stern of the canoe spoke
sharply and the blow was withheld.
A few moments later the canoes reached the shore. Four Shawnees awaited
them. As the warrior stepped from the bow of the canoe the other Shawnee
motioned for Spotted Deer to follow him. The Delaware was immediately
surrounded by his foes. They crowded closely about him, jeering and
threatening, and scowling fiercely into his face. Spotted Deer showed no
fear. He faced them with a calm courage that compelled respect. The
Shawnees quickly realized that their youthful prisoner was a bold and
seasoned warrior.
The older of the two warriors who had shared the canoe with Spotted Deer
seemed to be in authority. He appeared to be the leader of the company.
He confronted Spotted Deer and studied him with great care. The others
watched in silence. Spotted Deer took equal pains to examine his foe.
Thus for some moments captor and captive stared at each other. They
offered a striking contrast--the Shawnee stalwart and mature, a seasoned
veteran of the war trail; the Delaware agile and youthful, and equally
familiar with the privations and perils of the warrior. The same
indomitable courage flashed in the eyes of both. Each saw it and
realized its significance. Spotted Deer read cruelty and hatred in the
glance of his captor. The Shawnee saw fearlessness and defiance in the
eyes of his captive.
At last the Shawnee turned and addressed his companions. His tone was
sarcastic as he pointed toward the Delaware, and the Shawnees laughed
mockingly. Spotted Deer felt the hot fighting blood surge to his brain.
He was filled with sudden and intense hatred for this haughty foe who
seemed to regard him with contempt. However, the wily young warrior was
far too crafty to betray his feelings. Aware that the Shawnees would be
quick to read the slightest trace of emotion, he feigned a stolid
indifference that baffled them.
Spotted Deer was led nearer the fire, and ordered by signs to seat
himself upon the ground. Two Shawnees sat beside him. They held
tomahawks and made it plain that they were eager for an opportunity to
use them. The rest of the company stood a short distance off, staring at
the fire. The leader seemed annoyed. Spotted Deer believed he was
impatient with the men who had illuminated the river. At his command two
of his companions hastened into the woods. In a few moments they
returned carrying long saplings with which they scattered the blazing
logs and rolled them into the water.
When the fire had been destroyed, the Shawnees carried a number of
embers into the woods, and made a small fire behind the shelter of a
large rock. The blaze on the opposite side of the river was left to burn
out. Spotted Deer believed it was a clever maneuver to deceive any
enemies who might happen to be in the vicinity.
The night was well advanced, and the Shawnees made preparations to
sleep. Spotted Deer watched them with interest. He wondered what they
would do with him. For the moment, at least, there seemed little chance
of escape, and still he realized that an unexpected opportunity might
offer itself. His hope was destroyed when two of his foes came forward
and bound his feet. Then the Shawnees gathered about him, and lay down
to sleep.
Spotted Deer was helpless and miserable. The Shawnees had taken his
robe, and he suffered from the cold. The rawhide thongs with which he
was bound cut into his wrists and ankles, and interfered with
circulation. It was impossible to sleep. He stared gloomily at a star
that twinkled through an opening in the dense black canopy of tree tops.
His lips moved silently in a petition to Getanittowit, the Great One.
Spotted Deer lay motionless until he felt sure that the Shawnees were
asleep. Then he strained to loosen the thongs about his wrists. The
effort only increased his agony. He waited a few moments; and then he
tried to move his feet. The attempt was equally futile. He had been
cruelly and skillfully bound, and he realized that it was folly to
attempt to free himself.
Aware that only daylight might bring relief, Spotted Deer longed for the
night to pass. Each moment increased his suffering, but he bore it with
the stolid fortitude which he had inherited from his people, and fixed
his thoughts upon the Shawnees. There were twelve in the party and he
believed that they were hunters. The thought gave him comfort. His fears
for his people subsided. He believed that they were in little peril from
the small company of Shawnees. In fact he was greatly astounded at their
boldness in venturing so far into the Delaware hunting grounds. He was
also perplexed to explain the canoes. The Shawnees lived along another
large river a number of days' travel to the westward, and Spotted Deer
could scarcely believe that they had carried the canoes through the
wilderness. They were usually encountered hunting through the woods on
foot whenever they ventured into Delaware territory. Spotted Deer
thought about it for some time. Then an interesting possibility suddenly
entered his mind. He believed that the Shawnees had come from the north,
and it was possible that they had taken the canoes from the Mohawks. In
that event he had little doubt that they would either destroy them or
carry them to the Shawnee camp as trophies. Then another possibility
suggested itself. Perhaps the crafty Shawnees would leave the canoes
along the river to deceive the Delawares into believing that their hated
foes, the Mohawks, had invaded the Delaware hunting grounds. The thought
disturbed him. He feared that the stratagem might confuse his friends,
and lead them on a false trail.
At that moment his thoughts were diverted by the barking of a fox on the
opposite side of the river. Spotted Deer listened closely. He wondered
if it was a signal. Had Delaware hunters discovered the fires? His heart
bounded at the thought. The Shawnees had awakened. Spotted Deer heard
them talking. He turned his head, and saw the warriors beside him
sitting erect. They, too, apparently were listening. The silence
continued some time. Then the quick, husky yaps of the fox again sounded
across the river. The Shawnees were silent. Spotted Deer felt that they
were watching him. He lay motionless.
After the call had ceased, Spotted Deer heard some one passing in the
darkness. He believed that scouts had gone to the river to watch. He
feared that they might discover a company of Delawares. In that event he
had little hope for his life. He felt sure the Shawnees would kill him
as a precaution against being betrayed into the hands of their foes. He
waited in trying suspense to learn the outcome of the reconnaissance.
It seemed a very long time before Spotted Deer finally heard sounds
which led him to suspect that the scouts had returned. He believed they
had learned something important. The Shawnees were talking excitedly. In
a few moments they drew close about him. He wondered if they had
discovered his people, and intended to kill him. For an instant he had a
reckless impulse to cry out and betray them. At that moment, however,
one of the Shawnees stooped and released Spotted Deer's ankles. The
Delaware took hope. He decided to remain silent. Then he was lifted to
his feet. For a moment he was unable to stand. A sharp command from the
leader of the company roused him to the effort. A moment afterward he
was led away toward the west.