SHAWNEE TREACHERY
Once outside of the camp the Delawares hurried toward the timber at top
speed. They were fearful, and suspicious of the Shawnees, as they
believed that a large war party might set out to follow them to the
ridge.
"We must watch out, the Shawnees are sly," warned Running Fox.
"Yes, yes," agreed Spotted Deer.
"Do you know about that old Medicine Woman?" Running Fox inquired.
"Yes, I know about her," Spotted Deer told him.
"Who is she?" Running Fox asked, eagerly.
"She is White Crane--she is a Minsi," said Spotted Deer.
Running Fox immediately stopped. He turned excitedly to Spotted Deer.
"Then she is one of our people!" he cried.
"Yes," replied Spotted Deer.
"We must help her," said Running Fox. "Come, we are Delawares. We will
go back there and take her away."
"No, it would be useless," Spotted Deer told him. "She will not go. I
talked with her about it. She says she has been there a long time. The
Shawnees believe she is a great Medicine Person. They listen to her
words. She has everything good. She is very old. She says she cannot
travel. She says she wants to die in the Shawnee camp."
"Well, then, we must leave her," agreed Running Fox.
As they moved across the long stretch of open ground they kept sharp
watch behind them. The moonlight made it possible to see for a
considerable distance, and they expected at any moment to discover a
company of Shawnees following rapidly on their trail. They heard a
bedlam of confused sounds from the camp, and had little doubt that the
Shawnees were gathered in noisy council to plan some wily stratagem
which might turn their chagrin into joy.
"I believe it will be hard to get away from those people," Running Fox
said, uneasily. "They are very mad because we fooled them, I believe
they will try to catch us."
Spotted Deer struggled along in silence. His limbs were stiff and
swollen as the result of the tight binding to which he had been
subjected in the Shawnee camp. Each stride caused him agony, but he made
no mention of his suffering. Several times, however, he lurched against
Running Fox, and at last the latter guessed that something was wrong.
"Hi, I see you are falling around," he said anxiously. "Did the Shawnees
hurt you?"
"It is my legs," Spotted Deer said, lightly. "The Shawnees gave me the
legs of an old man."
Running Fox grew thoughtful. He understood the plight of his friend, and
it filled him with alarm. He feared that Spotted Deer might be unable to
make the long, swift journey to the Delaware camp. Spotted Deer seemed
to have guessed his thoughts.
"Do not be afraid," he said. "I will keep going."
"You are brave," said Running Fox.
They were nearing the timber along the base of the ridge when they
suddenly heard the shrill, piercing scream of Nianque, the lynx. It
seemed to have come from the camp. They stopped to listen. It filled
them with dread.
"It is the signal of the Shawnees," Spotted Deer said, softly. "I heard
it when I was coming down the river."
"It means something bad," declared Running Fox. "Come, we will get into
the woods."
"Perhaps some Shawnees are hiding over there," suggested Spotted Deer.
"Yes," said Running Fox. "We must be cautious."
They reached the timber in safety, and moved cautiously along the bottom
of the ridge. The night was far gone and there was little time to spare.
Running Fox knew that unless he reached his friends before sunrise, they
would surely kill Big Dog and his companion. Having given his word to
the old Mystery Woman, Running Fox was determined to save them. He
decided, therefore, that the Shawnee trail would offer the quickest and
easiest way to reach the top of the ridge.
"Did you come along here?" he asked Spotted Deer, as they began to
climb.
"Yes," said Spotted Deer. "My hands were tied and I had a hard time of
it."
"We found your marks," Running Fox told him. "Did the old Mystery Woman
tell you about us?"
"Yes," said Spotted Deer. "She told me you came here to help me. Running
Fox, it was a great thing to do. You are a brave warrior and a good
friend. You risked your life to help me. It makes me feel big. I will
think about it when I am an old man. When the Mystery Woman told me
about you I felt very strong. I said, 'Running Fox will get me out of
this.' Now you have done it."
"Spotted Deer, you are my brother--it is enough," said Running Fox.
Dawn was showing in the east when they finally neared the end of the
trail. Running Fox stopped and imitated the bark of Woakus, the fox. He
expected an immediate response. It failed to come. He listened uneasily.
The silence aroused his suspicions. In a few moments he repeated the
signal. Many moments passed. The baffling silence continued.
"It is mysterious," he whispered.
"Are our people here?" Spotted Deer asked, anxiously.
"Yes, they were close by," Running Fox assured him.
Fear had suddenly gripped his heart. He was perplexed and startled by
the strange silence of his comrades. It suggested alarming
possibilities. Perhaps the Shawnees had escaped. It seemed impossible.
Perhaps a company of Shawnees had found and overpowered Yellow Wolf and
his companions. His courage weakened at the thought.
"Something bad has happened," he told Spotted Deer. "We must watch out."
"Listen," whispered Spotted Deer.
A twig had snapped somewhere in the undergrowth beside the trail. They
fitted arrows to their bows, and looked expectantly into the shadows.
The woods were still dark, and it was impossible to see into the cover.
They listened in trying suspense. Then they heard the low, plaintive
notes of the little white-throated sparrow. It was close at hand.
Running Fox took hope.
"It must be Yellow Wolf; that is his signal," he said.
"Be cautious," Spotted Deer warned him.
Running Fox imitated the song. It had barely died away before they heard
a familiar voice from the edge of the woods.
"Running Fox?" it queried, softly.
"I am here," replied Running Fox.
A moment afterward Yellow Wolf stood beside them. He grasped the hand of
Spotted Deer. Then he led the way into the woods. They followed him in
silence. He took them to the spot where Running Fox had left the
prisoners. There was no one there.
"What has happened?" Running Fox asked, in alarm.
"Everything is good," Yellow Wolf assured him. "Come."
He led them a considerable distance farther along the ridge, where they
found Turning Eagle and the Shawnee prisoners. Painted Hawk and Crooked
Foot and Dancing Owl were missing.
"Where are our brothers?" Running Fox asked, in surprise.
Yellow Wolf moved his finger across his lips, and turned his eyes toward
the Shawnees. Then he moved away, and Running Fox and Spotted Deer
followed him. He went well beyond earshot of the prisoners before he
began to speak.
"Now I will tell you about it," he said. "Our brothers have gone to
watch along the ridge. We believe the Shawnees are trying to find us. It
is bad. We must get away from here."
"Did you hear anything?" inquired Running Fox.
"Yes," replied Yellow Wolf. "First we heard the call of Gokhos, the owl.
It was down there on the side of the ridge. It sounded good. Then we saw
Big Dog raise his head and look around. He did not know we were watching
him. That made us cautious. Pretty soon we heard the call of Gokhos
again. It was in a different place. It did not sound like it sounded
before. Then we were afraid. Some of us went to watch. Then we heard the
call of Woakus, the fox. We said, 'Running Fox is coming. Perhaps he
will meet the Shawnees. We must be ready to help him.' You did not come.
Then we heard the call of Woakus again. It was not so close. Then we
said, 'Running Fox did not make it.' Then we went to watch. I went to
that trail. When I heard that call I was not sure about it. That is why
I did not answer you. Now you know why we left that place, and came over
here. We did it to fool the Shawnees."
"Well, Yellow Wolf, there is only one thing to do," Running Fox told
him. "We must call our brothers and get away as fast as we can."
"It is good," replied Yellow Wolf. "Now we will kill those boastful
Shawnees."
"No," Running Fox said, firmly. "We will let them walk away."
"Does a Delaware let his enemies walk away?" Yellow Wolf asked, in
amazement.
"A Delaware does what he tells a friend he will do," declared Running
Fox. "A good friend helped us to save Spotted Deer. If we do not let the
Shawnees go, much harm may come upon that friend. Perhaps she will be
killed. I have told her we will let the great chief Big Dog go to his
people. We have found our brother Spotted Deer. It is what we set out to
do. Getanittowit sent the Mystery Woman into that camp to help us. She
has done a big thing. Now we must listen to her words. She says if Big
Dog does not come back it will be bad for her. Perhaps the Shawnees will
kill her. She is a Minsi. Some time I will tell you about her. She has
given Spotted Deer to his brothers. It is a great thing to do. The
Shawnees must live."
"You are the leader," Yellow Wolf said, loyally. "We will listen to your
words."
Then they were joined by Painted Hawk and Dancing Owl. The scouts had
returned to the rendezvous to learn if Running Fox had returned. They
were overjoyed to find Spotted Deer.
"It is good," cried Dancing Owl. "You helped Running Fox to take me away
from the Shawnees. Now I have helped Running Fox take you away from the
Shawnees. Hi, it is good. Now I am going over there to kill that Shawnee
who tied me up."
"No," said Running Fox. "We must let him walk away. The old Mystery
Woman tells us to do this thing. She is a good friend. We must listen to
her words."
"Well, I will close my ears to her words," Dancing Owl said, savagely.
"That Shawnee is my enemy. He tried to kill me. He talked bad against
me. I am a Delaware. A Delaware does not let his enemies slip away. I am
going to kill him."
"No," Running Fox said, quietly. "I have told you what I propose to do.
I am the leader."
Dancing Owl stared threateningly into the eyes of his friend. His heart
burned with a desire to avenge the insults and injuries which he had
received at the hands of the Shawnees the year previous. He had
determined to fully retaliate upon the hated enemy whom fate had placed
in his power. Now Running Fox refused him his opportunity. For a moment
Dancing Owl rebelled against the authority of his leader. Then he
suddenly recalled that Running Fox had saved his life. Gratitude
instantly drove the anger from his heart.
"Running Fox, I will listen to your words," he said.
"Come, we are losing time," Running Fox said, impatiently. "We must
leave these Shawnees and hurry away. Where is Crooked Foot?"
When they returned to Turning Eagle and the prisoners, they found that
Crooked Foot was still missing. His absence made them uneasy. Day had
dawned, and the first hint of sunrise was showing above the hills. They
realized that it would be dangerous to loiter.
"Come, Yellow Wolf, call Crooked Foot," said Running Fox.
He had barely uttered the words when Crooked Foot appeared. He, too, was
filled with joy at the sight of Spotted Deer. After he had greeted him,
he called Running Fox and Yellow Wolf and led them away to talk.
"We must go away fast," he told them. "I believe a big war party is
coming to catch us. There is little time."
"Did you see them?" Running Fox asked, anxiously.
"No, I did not see them but I heard many signals," Crooked Foot told
him.
"It is enough--we must go," said Running Fox.
When they returned to their companions, they found Dancing Owl crouching
above the Shawnee and threatening to drive his knife into his heart. He
rose as Running Fox hurried forward, and laughed mischievously. Running
Fox went to the Shawnee chief, and commanded him to sit up. Big Dog
obeyed. Then Running Fox addressed him.
"Big Dog, listen to my words," he said. "I am about to give you your
life. I am doing this thing because I went to your village and took my
brother from your people. If your people had killed my brother, I would
have killed you. I told them I would let you go. I am a Delaware. A
Delaware makes his words come true. Now listen close. I am about to take
that thing out of your mouth. Then I am going away. If you shout out
before I am far away, I will come back and kill you. If you keep quiet a
long time, you will live to see your brothers. Yes, I believe they will
find you. Keep my words."
Running Fox stooped and untied the buckskin gag. Then the other Shawnee
sat up. Running Fox laughed fiercely.
"Striking Bear, I will leave you as you are," he said. "You did many bad
things to my brother. He wants to kill you. If you know my words, listen
sharp. Take care what you do if you wish to live."
"Come, Delaware, untie my hands and give me my weapons," Big Dog cried,
angrily.
"Wait for your brothers," laughed Running Fox. "But do not try to call
them. Remember what I have told you."
The Delawares left the enraged Shawnees and hurried down the eastern
slope of the ridge. They felt quite certain that the sly Shawnee chief
would lose little time in calling his tribesmen. They were barely
half-way down the ridge when they heard him shouting.
"I would like to go back and kill that Shawnee," said Dancing Owl.
"It would be foolish," Running Fox told him. "I believe his friends are
close by. Perhaps they would catch you. We have done what we came to do.
Now we must try to get back to our people before something bad happens
to us."
"Yes, my brothers, we must keep going," declared Crooked Foot. "I
believe the Shawnees will try hard to turn us back."
The reckless scramble down the rough hillside was a severe ordeal for
Spotted Deer. The slope was strewn with bowlders and tree trunks, and a
dense tangle of brush and vines concealed the pitfalls. Spotted Deer
stumbled painfully over the obstructions, striving heroically to conceal
his agony. Running Fox, however, was keenly aware of his suffering.
"You are very brave," he said. "Can you keep going?"
"Yes," Spotted Deer replied, grimly.
They had finished the descent and were fighting their way through a
heavy thicket of laurel when they suddenly heard the cry of Nianque, the
lynx. It sounded behind them, and seemed to come from the top of the
ridge.
"The Shawnees have found Big Dog," said Turning Eagle.
"Perhaps they are telling their friends about us," Yellow Wolf
suggested, suspiciously.
"Yes, I believe there is some one down here," declared Running Fox. "We
must watch sharp."
He wondered if a war party of Shawnees had slipped from the camp during
the night, and turned eastward to intercept the Delawares when they left
the ridge. The possibility caused him great uneasiness. He knew that if
a large company of Shawnees were scouting about the vicinity it would be
difficult to avoid them. Then the lynx cry was repeated on their right.
"It is bad," said Crooked Foot. "We are running into a trap."
"The Shawnees are trying to get ahead of us," declared Painted Hawk. "If
they turn us back their friends will come up behind us."
"We will watch out," said Running Fox.
They advanced more cautiously. Convinced that a force of their foes was
somewhere in the vicinity, they feared blundering into an ambush.
Running Fox believed that the Shawnees had separated into several
companies, and he realized that it would be difficult to avoid them. The
day passed without an encounter, however, and as darkness fell the
Delawares felt encouraged. They had reached the wooded ravine where they
had spent a night on their way to the Shawnee village. Fearful that
Spotted Deer would be unable to continue traveling through the night,
Running Fox determined to remain there until daylight.
"We have seen nothing of the Shawnees," he said. "We have come fast. We
will rest here until it gets light."
"No, no," cried Spotted Deer. "Running Fox, I see that you are trying to
make it easy for me. I will not listen to your words. We must keep
going. If we stop here, the Shawnees will come up with us. Perhaps some
of you will be killed. Come, my friends, listen to my words. I will keep
going."
"Spotted Deer, you are a great warrior," Running Fox told him. "You are
as strong as Machque, the bear, and as brave as fierce Quenischquney,
the panther."
"Listen," cautioned Yellow Wolf.
The call of Gokhos, the owl, sounded a short distance away. It carried a
sinister warning to the Delawares. Their mad flight seemed to have been
in vain. The Shawnees were close behind them. There was not a moment to
lose.
"Come!" cried Spotted Deer.
"Yes, we must go," agreed Running Fox.