THE ABANDONED CANOE
At dawn Running Fox and his companions made their way to the edge of the
timber and looked anxiously along the river. A short bow-shot away they
saw the charred logs and ashes from the fire. Then they looked across
the water and saw the remnants from the other fire. For the moment,
however, the Delawares took little interest. Their first thought was to
look for the Mohawks. They watched some time, but saw nothing to
indicate that their foes had loitered in the vicinity. Still, Running
Fox determined to take every precaution.
"I believe the Mohawks have gone away," he said, finally. "But we must
not feel too sure about it. Perhaps they are hiding in the woods.
Dancing Owl, you must keep watching. Come, Yellow Wolf, we will look for
Machque. I believe he is close by. If we find him we will get back our
arrows."
"It is good," said Yellow Wolf.
They left Dancing Owl concealed at the edge of the forest, and went to
search for the bear. The trail was plain and easy to follow and red
splashes on the leaves gave evidence that Machque had been badly
wounded. They had little doubt that he was already dead. Still they
resolved to take no chances, for they knew that if Machque was alive he
might prove to be a dangerous foe. They advanced with great caution,
watching closely for a sight of the bear. Then, within an arrow-flight,
the trail suddenly came to an end at a great tangle of brush and fallen
timber.
"Look sharp," Running Fox cautioned. "Machque is in there."
They stopped and peered anxiously into the cover. It was dense and as
twilight still lingered beneath the heavy stand of evergreens they were
unable to discover the bear. Several times they thought they saw it, but
they were deceived by stumps and shadows. They listened a long time, but
heard nothing to give them a clew.
"If Machque is in there, he must be dead," Yellow Wolf said, at last.
"Perhaps he crawled through that place and went out on the other side,"
Running Fox told him. "We will circle around and find out about it."
"It is the best thing to do," said Yellow Wolf.
They separated and began to move cautiously around the tangle. They had
taken only a few strides when they heard low, ominous growls coming from
beneath a confused mass of roots and brush. They stopped and prepared to
fight.
"Look sharp, Machque is coming out!" Running Fox cried, warningly.
A moment afterward there was a sharp crackling of sticks and the wounded
bear forced its way through the tangle. It emerged within a bow-length
of Yellow Wolf. At sight of him it reared unsteadily upon its hind legs,
and Yellow Wolf drove his arrow into its chest. Roaring furiously, the
bear dropped to its feet and turned to enter the cover. Yellow Wolf ran
close up to it and drove another arrow behind its shoulder. Machque
flashed about with the agility of a lynx and rushed wildly upon his foe.
Yellow Wolf turned to run but tripped over a log and plunged headlong
into the brush. At that moment Running Fox rushed recklessly upon the
bear and struck it with his tomahawk, Machque wheeled to attack him, and
then Yellow Wolf jumped to his feet and shot an arrow. The bear
collapsed. For some moments it continued to struggle, and then it lay
still. The Delawares looked at each other and smiled.
"Machque is dead," said Yellow Wolf. "He was very strong and very
fierce. Running Fox, you were brave. You kept Machque from tearing me. I
will tell our people about it."
Having killed the bear, they had little inclination to loiter. They left
Machque where he had fallen and turned toward the river. They found
Dancing Owl staring anxiously across the water. He heard them
approaching and motioned for them to be cautious. Then he pointed
mysteriously across the river. Running Fox and Yellow Wolf feared to
move. For some moments they stood motionless, searching the opposite
shore. Then Dancing Owl signaled for them to advance. They sank to their
hands and knees and crawled carefully through the undergrowth.
"What do you see?" Running Fox inquired in a cautious whisper.
"I saw something moving through the bushes," Dancing Owl told him. "I do
not know what it is."
"Where was it?" asked Yellow Wolf.
"Over there near that white tree," said Dancing Owl.
They fixed their eyes on a large white birch at the edge of the woods.
It was close by the place where the fire had been. They wondered if
crafty Mohawk scouts were lingering in the vicinity. They watched
anxiously, but the mysterious object failed to appear.
"Did it look like a warrior?" inquired Running Fox.
"I do not know," replied Dancing Owl. "I saw some bushes move. Then
something passed. It went fast. It was behind the bushes, I could not
see what it was."
"Perhaps our brothers are over there," suggested Yellow Wolf.
Running Fox remained silent. A still more interesting possibility had
entered his mind.
"Perhaps it was Spotted Deer," he said.
"Yes, yes, perhaps it was Spotted Deer," Dancing Owl said, eagerly.
"Come, give the signal and we will see what comes of it."
"That would be bad," Running Fox warned him. "If the Mohawks are over
there we must keep quiet and watch. If it is Spotted Deer our brothers
will meet him. Then they will call us."
A moment later they heard the call of Woakus, the fox, a short distance
farther down the river. They listened in breathless suspense. Two
stirring possibilities instantly flashed across their minds. Had their
friends met Spotted Deer? Were they about to call them? The signal,
however, was not repeated. They turned to one another in alarm. Aware
that their tribesmen were advancing along the opposite side of the
river, they feared that they might be blundering into an ambush.
"It is bad," Yellow Wolf whispered, uneasily. "We do not know who is
over there. If the Mohawks are hiding in that place they will catch our
brothers. We must warn them."
"Yes, yes, make the signal," Dancing Owl said, anxiously.
"Wait," cautioned Running Fox. "I have found out who is over there. Look
sharp near that crooked tree. See, there is Achtu, the deer."
A moment afterward they saw the buck standing at the edge of the timber.
It had raised its head and was looking down the river. They believed it
had caught the danger scent. An instant later it vanished into the
shadows.
"Achtu has run away," said Running Fox. "Our brothers must be close."
Then he replied to the signal. In a few moments an answer came from
across the river. Painted Hawk and his companions were almost at the
place where the fire had been lighted.
"Our friends have come up with us--it is good," said Running Fox. "They
will keep watching over there. Now we will go and look around that place
where the fire was."
They spent some time scouting about in the vicinity of the spot where
the fire had been. They found several tracks near the ashes from the
fire, and the mark of a canoe at the edge of the water. As the clews
were of little importance Running Fox was eager to hurry away on the
trail of the Mohawks.
"See, our friends are over there," Yellow Wolf said, suddenly.
They saw two of their comrades searching along the opposite shore.
Running Fox quickly identified them as Painted Hawk and Crooked Foot. He
had little doubt that Turning Eagle was on guard at the edge of the
woods. Running Fox stood at the edge of the water and waved his arms.
When he had attracted the attention of his tribesmen, he pointed toward
the north and made it plain that he was about to continue along the
river. Then Painted Hawk pointed to the woods behind him and swept his
arm in a short circle.
"Our brothers are going to move around over there to look for
something," Running Fox told his companions. "Perhaps they have found a
sign."
"See, they are telling us to wait here," Dancing Owl cried, excitedly.
Painted Hawk had pointed across the water and then seated himself. In a
few moments he rose and again swept his arm toward the woods. Then he
appeared to be waiting for a signal from his friends.
"I am going ahead," said Running Fox. "Yellow Wolf, I will ask you to go
with me. Dancing Owl, you must stay here and wait for a signal from
Painted Hawk."
Dancing Owl walked from the timber and seated himself near the water.
Running Fox pointed toward him. Then he pointed toward Yellow Wolf and
himself and then up the river. Painted Hawk seemed to understand. A
moment afterward he and Crooked Foot disappeared into the timber.
"Dancing Owl, you must hide in the woods and wait," said Running Fox.
"Come, Yellow Wolf, we will go."
At that instant Dancing Owl was looking sharply along the shore. Then he
pointed excitedly toward a bowlder that rose above the water, a short
distance away.
"I saw something go behind that rock," He said.
Running Fox and Yellow Wolf turned in alarm. The next moment they saw
something drifting slowly past the bowlder. The three Delawares stared
at it in amazement. They had suddenly recognized it as a paddle. The
discovery roused their suspicions. They feared that a canoe was
somewhere near.
"Come, jump into the bushes!" cried Running Fox.
They hid themselves and looked anxiously up the river. The paddle was
near the shore and appeared to be drifting still nearer. They watched it
in trying suspense. They longed to secure it, but still they feared to
make the attempt.
"Perhaps the Mohawks saw us," said Yellow Wolf. "Perhaps they threw that
paddle into the water to fool us. If we try to get it we may be killed."
"Yes, I believe it is a trick," Dancing Owl said, suspiciously.
Running Fox kept silent. He was staring at the paddle with eager,
fascinated eyes. He had suddenly resolved to secure it.
"Keep watching," he cried, as he ran toward the river.
He waded into the water and when it rose to his waist, he reached out
and drew the paddle toward him with his bow. As he lifted the paddle
from the water he cried out in astonishment. Then he hurried to the
shore and ran to his companions.
"See, see, this paddle belongs to Spotted Deer!" he told them,
excitedly. "Here is his mark."
They instantly recognized the design which had been cut into the blade.
For some time they stared at it in silence. They were trying to guess
how the paddle had chanced to drift into their hands.
"It is bad," Running Fox said, finally.
His companions kept silent. They had little doubt that ill fortune of
some sort had befallen Spotted Deer, and their minds were filled with
gloomy premonitions. The finding of the paddle made them almost certain
that Spotted Deer had been either captured or killed by the Mohawks.
Running Fox was crushed by the possibility. For some moments he appeared
unable to rouse himself. Then he suddenly turned toward the river and
imitated the cry of Woakus, the fox. Three times he sent the call across
the water to tell his friends that he had found signs of Spotted Deer.
"Come, Yellow Wolf, we will go ahead and try to find out about this
thing," he said. "Dancing Owl, you must stay here."
"I will wait," Dancing Owl told him.
Suspicious and fearful of running into a trap, the two Delawares moved
along the river with great caution. They kept close to the water, hoping
to find further clews to the fate of Spotted Deer. They had gone a
considerable distance when they finally discovered something which
caused them to stop and exclaim in alarm. An overturned canoe had lodged
in a mass of driftwood a short distance from the shore. The canoe was of
Delaware design, and they knew at once that it belonged to their missing
tribesman. They gazed upon it in silent dismay. Each was unwilling to
express the fear which had entered his mind. Running Fox again gave the
signal which told his friends that he had found further signs of Spotted
Deer. Soon afterward Dancing Owl came to join them.
"My brothers, something bad has happened to Spotted Deer," he said,
solemnly, as he saw the canoe.
Running Fox stared wildly into his face. His misery showed in his eyes,
and his companions looked upon him with pity. Two alarming possibilities
confronted them. They believed that Spotted Deer had either been
overtaken and killed by the Mohawks or had overturned his canoe and
perished in the river in a desperate effort to escape.
"I am going out to get that canoe," Running Fox said, suddenly.
He again waded into the river and made his way to the overturned canoe.
There was a long, jagged rent in the bow. The discovery increased his
fears for Spotted Deer. He dragged the canoe to the shore and watched in
gloomy silence while Yellow Wolf and Dancing Owl made a careful
examination.
"Well, my friends, what do you make of it?" Running Fox asked them.
"It is bad," declared Yellow Wolf. "I believe that hole was made by a
rock. Perhaps Spotted Deer was going fast to get away from the Mohawks.
Perhaps it was dark. He could not see far ahead. Then he bumped into
that rock and fell into the river. Perhaps the Water Monsters pulled him
down. Perhaps he got to land. I cannot tell you about it. It looks bad."
"Yes, it looks bad," agreed Running Fox. "Dancing Owl, tell us how you
feel about it."
"It looks bad," said Dancing Owl. "We found that paddle. That was bad. A
warrior does not throw away his paddle. Now we have found this canoe. It
was turned over. There is a hole in it. I believe something bad has
happened to Spotted Deer."
"Listen," cautioned Running Fox.
At that moment they heard the call of Woakus, the fox, somewhere in the
vicinity of the spot where they had left Painted Hawk and his
companions. In a few moments the signal was repeated. Then it sounded
the third time. The Delawares looked at one another in surprise. Had
their friends found signs of Spotted Deer on the other side of the
river? It seemed impossible. Still there was no reason to doubt the
signal.
"It is mysterious," declared Yellow Wolf.
Running Fox repeated the call. Then they listened in grave suspense. It
was not long before the answer came. Again the signal sounded three
times. There was no chance for uncertainty. It was plain that Painted
Hawk and his companions had discovered a clew. The thought filled
Running Fox with hope. Then he began to wonder if his tribesmen had been
deceived. Having found the paddle and canoe of Spotted Deer, it was
difficult to understand how the latter had been located on the other
side of the river. Still Running Fox had full confidence in the judgment
and skill of Painted Hawk and his companions. All were experienced
warriors and scouts, and he knew that they would be unlikely to send a
false signal.
"I do not know what to make of this thing, but I believe our brothers
have found something," he said, finally. "If Spotted Deer was over
there, perhaps he is alive."
"Perhaps Spotted Deer is with our brothers," Dancing Owl suggested,
hopefully.
Running Fox and Yellow Wolf remained silent. They were doubtful. Running
Fox felt quite certain that if Spotted Deer had met his tribesmen, he
would have sent a signal across the water to relieve the anxiety of his
friends.
"Well, my brothers, we must try to find out about this thing," declared
Running Fox. "It would be foolish to go ahead until we know about it. I
am the leader. I will tell you what I propose to do. We must cross the
water and talk with our friends. There is only one way to get over
there. We must use this canoe. We cannot do that until we close that
hole. Come, we will pull the canoe into the woods and fix it. Then we
will wait until it gets dark. Then we will go to meet our friends."
They carried the canoe some distance into the woods. Then, while Dancing
Owl watched the river, Running Fox and Yellow Wolf scouted through the
woods searching for pitch. They found it in hard nodules on the trunks
of many of the pines and spruces, and they soon gathered a sufficient
quantity. Then they returned to Dancing Owl who said that he had seen
nothing to cause alarm.
"It is good," said Running Fox. "Pretty soon we will be ready to go
across the water."
They made a small fire between two logs and placed a large flat stone
across them. When it became heated they placed the pitch upon it. It
took a long time for the pitch to soften. When it finally began to melt
they daubed it upon the ends of flattened sticks and hurried to the
canoe. Then as Dancing Owl and Yellow Wolf held the jagged edges of the
bark in place, Running Fox applied a thick coating of hot pitch over the
tear. It was necessary to make many applications both on the inside and
outside of the canoe to render it water-tight. When the task finally was
completed the day was well advanced.
"Now we will cross the water and meet our friends," proposed Dancing
Owl.
"No, my brother," Running Fox cautioned him. "We must wait. We made a
fire. Perhaps the Mohawks saw the smoke. Perhaps they are watching the
water. We will wait until it gets dark."
"Yes, we must wait," agreed Yellow Wolf.