AWAY ON THE SEARCH
When the six scouts who were going to search for Spotted Deer assembled
at the lodge of Sky Dog they found the old Medicine Man seated beside a
small fire. He was tossing handfuls of dried sweet grass upon the
embers, and droning a medicine song. For some moments he took no notice
of the little company of warriors who stood at the entrance to the
lodge, waiting for an invitation to enter. At last he looked up and saw
them.
"Come in," he said, curtly. "Sit down here in front of me. No, no, do
not come so close. Move back. There, that is good."
When they had obeyed his instructions he resumed the ceremony which they
had interrupted. They watched with solemn interest while he continued to
toss sweet grass upon the fire and chant the medicine song.
Getanittowit, here is sweet smoke for you.
I am making it to please you.
Getanittowit, I hope you will feel good about it.
Great Getanittowit, I hope you will help me.
In a few moments Sky Dog rose and took the sacred medicine pipe from a
tripod of poles at the rear of the lodge. He unwrapped it with great
care and brought it to the fire. He filled the bowl with the inner bark
of the red willow and lighted it with an ember. He puffed smoke toward
the sky, the abode of Great Getanittowit; toward the earth, the abode of
the mysterious Underneath People; toward the north, the east, the south
and the west, the abodes of the Wind Makers. Then he puffed smoke over
the six scouts. Then for many moments he sat with his eyes closed.
The scouts were much impressed. They believed that Sky Dog was
counseling with the mysterious Medicine Beings. They watched him with
superstitious fascination, fearing to speak or even move lest they might
break the spell and incur the displeasure of Sky Dog and the powerful
Medicine People.
Running Fox, however, was impatient. He realized that each moment was
precious, and he was eager to be away on the trail of the Mohawks. His
great fear was that they might reach their village before he could
overtake them. He knew only too well the fate that awaited Spotted Deer
in the Mohawk camp. He was greatly relieved when Sky Dog finally opened
his eyes and spoke.
"My brothers, I will help you," he said. "I have talked with the
mysterious Medicine People. It is good. I believe you will find Spotted
Deer. I have asked the Medicine People to make you strong against the
Mohawks."
He rose and went to the back of the lodge. In a few moments he returned
with a buckskin thong to which was tied a small charm or token. He
fastened it about the neck of Running Fox.
"Running Fox, I am giving this to you because you are the leader," he
said. "It is the claw of the mysterious Medicine Beaver. It will make
you brave. It will keep you strong. It will make you safe against your
enemies. Now, my friends, you must go. When you have gone I will do some
other things to help you. I believe you will do what you are setting out
to do. I have spoken."
"Sky Dog, we have seen you talking with the mysterious Medicine People,"
Running Fox told him. "You have asked them to help us. It is good. It
makes us feel strong. You have fastened this Medicine Thing around my
neck. You say it will help me. I will keep it. Now we are going to find
our brother Spotted Deer."
They immediately left the lodge. As they appeared in the village they
were surrounded by a great company of friends who were eager to warn and
advise. Running Fox refused to loiter.
"My friends, we cannot stop here to talk," he told them. "If the Mohawks
have carried off Spotted Deer we must travel fast to come up with them.
There is little time. We must go."
A few moments later they left the village and went to the river. Then
Running Fox explained his plans.
"My brothers, you heard the words of Black Panther," he said. "Perhaps
there are many Mohawks hiding in the woods. We must be cautious. It
would be foolish to take canoes. The Mohawks would surely see us. We
must travel on foot. There is only one way to do this thing. Some of us
must travel along the other side of the river. Some of us must go along
this side. Then perhaps we will find some signs of Spotted Deer."
"It is good," agreed Yellow Wolf.
"I will ask Painted Hawk, and Turning Eagle and Crooked Foot to go
across the river," said Running Fox. "I will ask Yellow Wolf and Dancing
Owl to stay on this side with me. Now, my friends, you must listen sharp
to what I am about to tell you. In the day we will talk to each other
with the call of Woakus, the fox. When it grows dark we will use the
voice of Gokhos, the owl. If you make one call we will know where you
are. If you make three calls we will know you have found signs of
Spotted Deer. If you make the call end in the middle we will know you
are in danger. If you hear us make those calls you will know about it.
Come, we will go."
"Who will take us across the river?" inquired Painted Hawk.
A number of volunteers offered to paddle the scouts across the water.
When they were half-way across the river, Running Fox and his companions
disappeared into the woods.
"We must travel fast," said Running Fox.
It was a notable company. Dancing Owl and Turning Eagle were young
warriors about the age of Running Fox. Both were noted for their courage
and ability. Dancing Owl had killed a number of Mohawks and had been
captured by the Shawnees. Turning Eagle was a famous scout. Yellow Wolf
and Painted Hawk and Crooked Foot were seasoned veterans of the war
trail. Each was the hero of many thrilling exploits. Running Fox had
great confidence in the warriors whom he had chosen to accompany him. He
believed that once on the trail of Spotted Deer, they would follow it
into the Mohawk camp if it became necessary.
Running Fox led the way along a familiar trail that followed the river
toward the north. His anxiety for his friend made him impatient, and he
traveled at an exhausting pace. Dancing Owl and Yellow Wolf kept close
behind him. At midday they found themselves a considerable distance from
the Delaware village. Then they became more cautious.
"Now we must watch sharp," said Running Fox.
Aware that at any moment they might encounter a Mohawk war party, they
kept their eyes and ears alert to discover the slightest hint of danger.
Their caution seemed useless, for they saw nothing to arouse their
suspicions.
"Those Mohawks must have gone up the river," declared Dancing Owl.
Running Fox remained silent. He found little comfort in the words of
Dancing Owl. His mind was filled with gloomy premonitions concerning
Spotted Deer. For the moment the fate of his friend was all that
interested him. If the Mohawks had withdrawn from the Delaware hunting
grounds he feared that they had taken Spotted Deer with them. Running
Fox grew weak at the thought. It roused him to still greater efforts,
and he almost ran along the trail in his eagerness to overtake his foes.
At dark the Delawares stopped to rest. Then Running Fox attempted to
locate his tribesmen on the other side of the river. Approaching close
to the water, he gave the cry of Gokhos, the owl. They listened
anxiously as it echoed through the woods. Many moments passed. There was
no response.
"Our brothers are far behind," said Running Fox.
The thought disturbed him. He had planned to continue traveling through
the night in the hope of gaining upon the Mohawks. Still he disliked to
go ahead without hearing from the scouts on the other side of the river.
He waited impatiently. Then he repeated the signal. Again it failed to
bring an answer. Running Fox grew uneasy.
"It is mysterious," he told Yellow Wolf. "I do not know what to make of
it. Perhaps something bad has happened to our friends. Perhaps the
Mohawks were hiding over there."
"No, I do not believe anything has happened to our brothers," Yellow
Wolf told him. "We came here very fast. We followed a trail. Our friends
could not come so fast. It is hard going on the other side of the river.
They fell behind. I believe they will come."
"Well, Yellow Wolf, I see that what you say may be true," said Running
Fox.
Then for some moments he remained silent. His mind was filled with
disturbing possibilities. He found it difficult to come to a decision.
He realized that each moment of delay lessened his chance of overtaking
the Mohawks. Still he wished to know what had happened to his friends.
It seemed foolish to go ahead until he heard from them. It was possible
that they might have encountered the Mohawks, or found Spotted Deer or
some signs of him. Running Fox finally determined to wait.
The three scouts had barely seated themselves at the edge of the woods
when they heard the call of Gokhos a short distance farther down the
river. Their spirits rose at the sound, for they realized that their
friends were safe.
"Our brothers have come," said Dancing Owl.
"It is good," Running Fox replied, with much relief.
A moment afterward he replied to the signal There was no answer. He had
not expected any. Having located him he knew that his tribesmen would
continue along the river in silence. Too many signals might arouse the
suspicions of any foes who might be loitering in the vicinity.
"Come, my brothers, we will go ahead," said Running Fox. "When our
friends come they will make the signal. When they do not hear anything
they will know that we have gone. Then they will go ahead. We will keep
going until we get to the place where the big fires were. Then we will
stop and rest. When it gets light we will look around."
Running Fox again led the way at a breakneck pace. The trail led through
a dense black forest of towering pines and hemlocks, and the Delawares
were unable to see a bow-length before them. In spite of the darkness,
however, they had little difficulty in keeping the trail. They followed
its narrow winding course with the speed and certainty of Timmeau, the
wolf. Day was close at hand when they finally approached the spot where
Dancing Owl had discovered the Mohawks.
"We are coming to the place where I saw those fires," he said.
"Now you must go ahead," Running Fox told him.
Dancing Owl took the lead. They realized that they might be blundering
into a trap, and they were as alert and cautious as Woakus, the fox.
Mauwallauwin, the great Hunting Moon, shed his light upon the river, and
they kept a sharp watch for canoes. It was not long before Dancing Owl
stopped and pointed toward the water.
"See, there is the place where I saw the fire," he said.
They stood at the edge of the woods and looked upon a wide, open stretch
of beach that intervened between the water and the forest. The place
which Dancing Owl had indicated was several arrow-flights farther along
the river. He was eager to approach it, but Running Fox counseled
caution.
"Wait," he said. "Perhaps there is some one there. We will watch and
listen."
"Your words are good," declared Yellow Wolf.
They waited some time, and then as they discovered nothing to arouse
their fears they moved noiselessly toward the place where the fire had
burned. They had gone less than a bow-shot, however, when Dancing Owl
suddenly collided with a great black form that rose from the trail.
There was an angry snarl, and two fierce eyes blazed from the darkness.
"Machque!" cried Dancing Owl, as he sprang back and shot his arrow.
A savage roar sounded through the night as the bear charged upon the
astounded Delawares. It struck down Dancing Owl and then rushed at
Running Fox. He shot his arrow and dodged nimbly around a tree. The next
instant the enraged bear confronted Yellow Wolf. He, too, drove his
arrow into it, and sprang from its path. Then it crashed away into the
darkness. For some moments they heard it floundering noisily through the
undergrowth, and then the sounds ceased.
"Hi, Machque is mad," laughed Running Fox, as he came from behind the
tree.
"I thought he was a Mohawk," said Dancing Owl.
"Did he tear you?" Yellow Wolf asked, anxiously.
"No," replied Dancing Owl. "He tried to strike me but I jumped away.
Then he bumped into me and I fell down."
"Well, we all shot arrows into him," said Yellow Wolf. "I believe he
went over there and fell down dead."
"Come, we will go over there and find out about it," Dancing Owl
proposed, impulsively.
"No, no, that would be foolish," Running Fox told him. "Machque is sly.
Perhaps he has gone away. Perhaps he is waiting to fool us. It is black
under those big trees. We cannot see him. Perhaps he would kill us. I am
not afraid but we have set out to find Spotted Deer. If we let Machque
tear us we cannot help our brother. It will soon be light. Then we will
find Machque."
"Yes, Running Fox, I see that it is the best thing to do," agreed
Dancing Owl.
"We must watch sharp. Perhaps Machque will come back," said Yellow Wolf.
"Yes, we will keep quiet and watch," Running Fox told him.
They seated themselves at the edge of the timber to wait for daylight.
Dancing Owl was almost exhausted. Having traveled at top speed to reach
the Delaware camp with news of the Mohawks, the return journey had been
a severe test of his courage and endurance. He lay upon the ground and
immediately fell into a heavy slumber. His comrades remained awake to
watch.