AN EASY VICTORY
For some time the Delawares fixed their attention upon the Shawnee camp.
They particularly noted the high log stockade which inclosed the village
on three sides. The only approach was from the river.
"That is a bad place to get into," said Painted Hawk.
The others nodded a solemn assent. They realized that the crafty
Shawnees had made their village almost impregnable, and there seemed to
be little chance of freeing Spotted Deer.
"My friends, there is no use of feeling bad about this thing," Running
Fox told them. "We came here to help Spotted Deer. We must go through
with it."
"How do you propose to do this thing?" Painted Hawk asked him.
"I cannot tell you that until I find out about the Shawnee chief," said
Running Fox.
At that moment their thoughts were diverted by the sudden appearance of
three canoes. They had moved out from the shore and turned up the river.
There were two paddlers in each canoe. The Delawares watched closely.
"It is bad," declared Painted Hawk. "Perhaps those warriors are going to
meet their chief. Perhaps he will come to the camp in one of those
canoes."
"No, I do not believe it," Running Fox told him. "That mysterious person
says that Big Dog will cross the ridge. Then he must be coming from
the-place-where-the-sun-appears. Those Shawnees are going toward Lowan,
the Cold Place."
"Yes, that is true," said Yellow Wolf. "I do not believe they are going
to meet Big Dog. I believe they are going up the river to hunt."
Somewhat relieved by the opinions of the two famous warriors, the little
company of Delawares sought to banish the doubts which had entered their
minds. They had great confidence in Running Fox and they believed he
would find a way to overcome the difficulty. Their only fear was that he
might have been deceived by the words of the stranger whom he had
encountered near the Shawnee camp. Running Fox, however, seemed
confident that she was attempting to help them.
They watched patiently through the day, but Big Dog and his friends
failed to appear. Then as the evening shadows settled in the valley,
they saw the three canoes returning to the camp. There were only two
warriors in each canoe. The Delawares felt greatly relieved.
"Well, Big Dog did not come with them," said Painted Hawk. "See, Yellow
Wolf, your words have come true."
The paddlers had come ashore, and were carrying the carcass of a deer or
an elk toward the camp. It was evident that they were hunters. Having
entered the village, they were immediately followed by a great company
of people. They made a great commotion and the sounds of rejoicing
reached the scouts on top of the ridge.
"They have brought meat--the Shawnees feel good," said Turning Eagle.
Then as darkness closed down and the fires began to twinkle in the
Shawnee camp, Running Fox resolved to return to the base of the ridge.
He hoped again to meet the mysterious stranger whom he had encountered
the previous night. This time, however, he determined to go alone.
"My brothers, pretty soon I am going down there," he said. "Perhaps I
will find that mysterious person. Perhaps she will tell me something
different."
Each of his friends was eager to accompany him. He refused them and
insisted upon going alone.
"It is foolish to go down there alone," Crooked Foot warned him.
"Perhaps that person will bring some Shawnees to catch you."
"I will be cautions," Running Fox assured him.
A few moments afterward he departed upon his perilous mission. He
reached the base of the ridge in safety, and stopped to search the wide
stretch of barren ground that surrounded the camp. The sky was clear and
cloudless, and Mauwallauwin had driven the night shadows far back into
the depths of the forest. Running Fox realized that it would be folly to
expose himself in the open. He moved along at the edge of the timber
until he approached the spot where he had encountered the stranger. Then
he stopped to listen. He waited a long time but the only sounds came
from the camp. Still he determined to loiter.
"Perhaps she will come," he told himself.
Then he heard something moving through the woods behind him. He fitted
an arrow to his bow and listened sharply. The warning of Crooked Foot
suddenly came to his mind. He realized that he was exposing himself to
great peril. The thought made him as alert and watchful as Nianque, the
lynx. Having stationed himself in the shadows beneath a great spruce, he
had little fear of being seen. The sound had ceased. Running Fox
wondered if the prowler had become suspicious. Perhaps he, too, was
listening. Then Running Fox heard the soft, querulous call of Gokhotit,
the little red owl. It seemed within several bow-lengths of him. The
signal thrilled him. He looked eagerly toward the sound but the caller
was concealed in the darkness. Running Fox feared to reply. He listened
anxiously for the sound of voices. The silence reassured him. It was
evident that the caller was alone. Many moments passed, and still he
remained silent. Then the call was repeated. It was a perfect imitation
and Running Fox admired the skill of the one who had given it. Then he
answered it. The notes had barely died away before the same weird voice
addressed him from the night.
"You have come--it is good," it said. "Are you alone?"
For a moment Running Fox hesitated to reply. The question made him
suspicious. His silence seemed to anger the stranger.
"Come, come, do not be so cautious," she said, irritably. "If you are
afraid of me, run away like Muschgingus, the rabbit, and leave your
brother to die."
The taunt roused his anger. He instantly accepted the challenge.
"Hi, woman, take care," he said, warningly. "Those are bad words to
speak to a Delaware. Now listen to what I am going to tell you. I came
here because I am not afraid of you. If you have something to tell me,
speak. I will listen."
"It is good," said the stranger. "I see that you are brave like your
brother, Spotted Deer. Well, my son, I will not bring any harm upon you.
I have come here to tell you something. Now listen to my words."
"Wait," interrupted Running Fox. "Are you alone?"
"Yes."
"Then go over there in that light place and sit down."
"No, no, I am going to stay here," she insisted.
Her caution dispelled the suspicions of Running Fox. He realized that if
she had intended to betray him into ambush she would have accepted his
offer. He began to feel secure.
"Well, do as you like about it," he said.
"I have talked with your brother about you," she told him. "Spotted Deer
feels strong because you are near. He says you will do something big.
Now you must listen to my words. Do not try to go into that camp. It is
useless. If you go there you will surely die with Spotted Deer. There is
only one thing to do. You must watch until Big Dog comes. Then you must
kill him. You must also kill those two great warriors. It will be a hard
thing to do, but you must be strong. Then perhaps I will be able to get
Spotted Deer out of the camp before the Shawnees kill him. There is not
much time. They are talking bad against him. If Big Dog does not come
into the camp before the third sun comes, I believe they will kill your
brother."
"Woman, you speak big words," declared Running Fox. "I told my friends
about them. They said, 'Perhaps that person is a Shawnee. Perhaps she is
trying to fool you.' We have watched sharp. One sun has passed. Big Dog
has not come."
"Listen, you Delaware," she said, angrily. "If you do not believe my
words, then shake them from your ears and go away. One sun has passed.
Another will soon come. Before that sun goes away Big Dog will cross
that ridge. He will come down that trail. Now I have told you about it.
If I get Spotted Deer out of the camp I will send him up there on the
ridge to look for you. Tell your friends that they are foolish to talk
against me. Pretty soon they will see that I have done a big thing for
them. Now I am going away."
"Wait," urged Running Fox. "Tell me who you are? Do you live in the
Shawnee camp?"
There was no response. Made reckless by his eagerness to learn the
identity of his mysterious ally, he moved stealthily toward the spot
where he had heard her. The maneuver was useless. She had gone.
"Well, she must be a great Medicine Person," Running Fox told himself.
"I believe she will give me power to help Spotted Deer."
Encouraged by the thought, he hastened away to take her message to his
friends. He had barely begun to climb when he heard the dogs barking
furiously at the Shawnee camp. He stopped and listened uneasily. Then,
as the racket ended as suddenly as it began, he wondered if the strange
Mystery Woman had entered the village.
"My friends, I have talked with that mysterious person and nothing bad
has happened to me," Running Fox told his companions. "Now I know that
she is trying to help us."
"Tell us her words," Painted Hawk said, eagerly.
"She says that Spotted Deer knows about us," Running Fox told them. "She
says that he feels strong about it. She says that Big Dog and his
brothers will cross this bridge before the next sun goes away. She says
we must stop them. She says if they get away, Spotted Deer must die. My
brothers, I believe the words of that mysterious person. I believe she
is a good friend."
"Do you know who she is?" inquired Painted Hawk.
"No," replied Running Fox. "When I asked her about it she went away. I
crept ahead to stop her. When I got there she was gone. It is
mysterious. It must be that she is a great Medicine Person."
"Well, if she feels good toward us, perhaps she will give us power to do
big things," Dancing Owl suggested, hopefully. "Perhaps she will tell us
how to get into the Shawnee camp."
"No, I do not believe she will tell us how to do that," said Running
Fox. "She says it would be a foolish thing to do. She says we would be
killed. She says we must catch Big Dog. Then she will try to get Spotted
Deer away."
"Pretty soon we will see if her words come true," said Turning Eagle.
They again took turns at watching, but the night passed without
incident. They became convinced that the Shawnees were ignorant of their
presence on the ridge. It seemed certain, therefore, that the mysterious
stranger had failed to betray them to their foes.
"Well, my brothers, if that mysterious person did not tell the Shawnees
about us she must be trying to help us," said Painted Hawk. "I do not
know what to make of it. I believe she must be a Medicine Person.
Perhaps Getanittowit sent her here to do this thing."
As the sun rose above the eastern hills, the Delawares suddenly realized
that the fate of Spotted Deer might be settled before it finally crossed
the sky and disappeared into the west. The thought made them serious. If
the words of their unknown ally proved true, they believed that the life
of their friend depended upon their vigilance. If the Shawnee chief
eluded them, they feared that Spotted Deer would die before the dawn of
another day. Having learned that the chief and his companions were
expected to approach from the east, they turned their attention to that
side of the ridge.
Then, as they waited for the appearance of their foes, Running Fox began
to study the possibilities for saving Spotted Deer. A number of
disquieting questions rose in his mind. Suppose they should kill Big Dog
and his companions, would the mysterious Medicine Person be able to
delay the execution of Spotted Deer? He had strong doubts of it. She had
warned him that the Shawnees were growing impatient. She believed that
if Big Dog failed to arrive at the camp before another sun rose, the
Shawnees would kill spotted Deer. The possibility filled Running Fox
with alarm. He suddenly determined that it would be a blunder to kill
the Shawnee chief.
"See, my friends, the sun is high overhead," said Running Fox. "The day
is passing. Pretty soon Big Dog and his friends will come. Yes, I
believe we will see them before the sun goes away. Now I will give you
some words. I feel different about this thing. I believe it would be
foolish to kill Big Dog and his friends. We must catch them and keep
them alive. It will be a hard thing to do but I believe it is the only
way to save Spotted Deer. I am the leader. You must do as I tell you."
His companions turned to him in amazement. They wondered if their ears
had deceived them. It seemed impossible that Running Fox could have
arrived at such an astounding decision. They waited for an explanation.
"My brothers, I see that my words sound bad in your ears," he said. "It
is because you do not know what I propose to do. I cannot tell you that,
until we catch the Shawnee chief. Now I will tell you what you must do.
I will ask Yellow Wolf and Dancing Owl to stay over here with me. The
rest of you must hide along the other side of the trail. Put away your
bows. Keep your war clubs in your hands. If Big Dog and his friends walk
between us, rush out and strike them down. Strike hard enough to make
them sleep, but do not try to kill them. Then I will tell you what to
do."
At that moment Dancing Owl placed his finger across his lips and pointed
warningly down the eastern side of the ridge. The Delawares listened in
great suspense. Then they heard voices. Some one was climbing up the
slope.
"Hide yourselves!" whispered Running Fox.
They separated, and concealed themselves on each side of the trail. They
held their war clubs in their hands and watched anxiously for the
appearance of the three Shawnee hunters. It was not long before they
heard them close at hand.
"Get ready," Running Fox cautioned his companions.
A moment later the Shawnees appeared. The Delawares were overjoyed to
see each of their foes bowed beneath a heavy load of game. It was a
severe handicap, and placed the Shawnees at a great disadvantage. They
were panting heavily from their exertions in climbing the ridge. Having
reached the top, they stopped and looked upon the camp. The Delawares
waited in breathless suspense. They feared that at any moment the
Shawnees might raise a shout to announce their return. As the
possibility filled him with fear, Running Fox was tempted to drive his
arrows through them. At that instant, however, the Shawnees turned and
approached the trail.
The Delawares were well hidden, and they had little fear of being seen.
The Shawnees showed no signs of suspicion. They came to the head of the
trail and turned to follow it down the hillside. At that instant Running
Fox gave the signal and the Delawares rushed from cover. The astounded
Shawnees had little chance to defend themselves. Hampered by their heavy
packs, they were attacked with a grim, silent ferocity that threw them
into confusion. Before they could rally they were struck down.
"Come, pull off these packs!" cried Running Fox, as he dropped to his
knees beside his unconscious foe and began untying the pack thongs.
When the Shawnees regained consciousness some time later, they found
themselves powerless. Their feet and hands were tightly bound with the
rawhide thongs from the packs, and they were gagged with heavy pieces of
buckskin which had been cut from their shirts. Unable to move or speak,
they glared defiantly into the faces of the triumphant Delawares who
stooped over them and laughed gleefully. Then they seized their helpless
captives and carried them some distance along the ridge.
"It is good," laughed Turning Eagle. "The mysterious--"
"Sh," Running Fox cautioned, "the Shawnees have ears."
"Yes, yes, be cautious," warned Yellow Wolf.